TOBACCO FACTS

Tobacco is a product processed from the dried leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be used as a pesticide, and extracts form ingredients of some medicines, but is most commonly consumed as a drug. Tobacco is a name for any plant of the genus Nicotiana of the Solanaceae family (nightshade family) and for the product manufactured from the leaf used in cigars and cigarettes, snuff, pipe tobacco, chewing tobacco, and flavored shisha. Tobacco plants are also used in plant bioengineering, and some of the more than 70 species are grown as ornamentals.

FACTS:--

1. At least 20 different types of cancer-causing substances, called nitrosamines, are found in tobacco products. 
2.  Tobacco use kills 5.4 million people a year - an average of one person every six seconds - and accounts for one in 10 adult deaths worldwide.
3.  100 million deaths were caused by tobacco in the 20th century. If current trends continue, there will be up to one billion deaths in the 21st century.
4. China is home to 300 million smokers who consume approximately 1.7 trillion cigarettes a year, or 3 million cigarettes a minute.
5. Five trillion cigarette filters weigh approximately 2 billion pounds.
6. Hydrogen cyanide, one of the toxic byproducts present in cigarette smoke, was used as a genocidal chemical agent during World War II.
7. A typical manufactured cigarette contains approximately 8 or 9 milligrams of nicotine, while the nicotine content of a cigar is 100 to 200 milligrams, with some as high as 400 milligrams.
8. Radioactive lead and polonium are both present in low levels in cigarette smoke.
9. Nearly 20% of high school students smoke cigarettes.
10. Worldwide, one in five teens age 13 to 15 smoke cigarettes. 
11. The use of tobacco products is not only addicting, but is directly related to a number of health problems and diseases. A few of the oral health problems smokers or smokeless tobacco users can develop are —
    

bad breath	brown, stained teeth	ground-down teeth
black hairy tongue	gum disease and loss of teeth	receding gums
cancers of the cheek, esophagus, lip, palate and tongue .

 Some of the harmful ingredients found in tobacco are —

arsenic	formaldehyde	dirt
fertilizer	soot	nicotine
cyanide	manure	pesticides
dead bugs

HARMFUL EFFECTS OF TOBACCO
Tobacco use leads most commonly to diseases affecting the heart, liver and lungs, with smoking being a major risk factor for heart attacks, strokes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (including emphysema and chronic bronchitis), and cancer (particularly lung cancer, cancers of the larynx and mouth, and pancreatic cancer). It also causes peripheral vascular disease and hypertension. Starting smoking earlier in life and smoking cigarettes higher in tar increases the risk of these diseases. Also, environmental tobacco smoke, or secondhand smoke, has been shown to cause adverse health effects in people of all ages. Cigarettes sold in underdeveloped countries tend to have higher tar content, and are less likely to be filtered, potentially increasing vulnerability to tobacco-related disease in these regions.

Harmful Health effects

• Mortality                                         
• Cancer                              
• Pulmonary
• Cardiovascular                             
• Renal
• Influenza
• Oral
• Infection
• Impotence
• Female infertility
• Psychological
• In pregnancy and sex.

                                             *QUIT TOBACCO AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE OR WAIT FOR YOUR DEATH*

I’d love to hear your feedback. Have your own tip or story then share it with others.

Tiger facts

 Tigers are considered to be one of the most fascinating creatures out there in the world.They are the top predator in every ecosystem they inhabit.
 Tiger Subspecies

Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris)
    Siberian Tiger (Panthera tigris altaica)
    Sumatran Tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae)
    Malayan Tiger (Panthera tigris jacksoni)
    Indochinese Tiger (Panthera tigris corbetti)
    South China Tiger (Panthera tigris amoyensis)
    Extinct Tiger Species

• The Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) is the most numerous tiger subspecies. Its populations have been estimated at 1,706–1,909 in India, 440 in Bangladesh, 124–229 in Nepal and 67–81 in Bhutan.[2][3][4][5] Since 2010, it has been classified as an endangered species by the IUCN{ International Union for Conservation of Nature}.

• The Siberian tiger (Panthera tigris altaica), also known as the Amur tiger, is a tiger subspecies inhabiting mainly the Sikhote Alin mountain region with a small subpopulation in southwest Primorye province in the Russian Far East. In 2005, there were 331–393 adult-subadult Amur tigers in this region, with a breeding adult population of about 250 individuals.

• The Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae) is a rare tiger subspecies that inhabits the Indonesian island of Sumatra. It was classified as critically endangered by IUCN in 2008 as the population is projected to be 441 to 679 individuals.

• The Malayan tiger (Panthera tigris jacksoni) is a tiger subspecies that inhabits the southern and central parts of the Malay Peninsula and has been classified as endangered by IUCN in 2008 as the population was estimated at 493 to 1,480 adult individuals in 2003.

• The Indochinese tiger (Panthera tigris corbetti) is a tiger subspecies found in Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and southwestern China that has been classified as endangered by IUCN. Its status is poorly known but the extent of its recent decline is serious, approaching the threshold for critically endangered.

• The South China tiger (Panthera tigris amoyensis) is a tiger subspecies that was native to the provinces of Fujian, Guangdong, Hunan, Jiangxi in southern China, and has been classified as critically endangered by IUCN since 1996 as it is possibly extinct in the wild.

Facts:---

1. The largest of the subspecies is the Amur (or Siberian) Tiger
2. Tigers spend really hot days lying in pools and streams and A Tigers roar can be heard over 2km away.
3. One bite in the throat or the back of the neck is enough to kill a deer.
4. Tigers usually hunt alone and at night. 
5. A tiger can leap forward up to 33 feet at a time. 
6. Tigers in the North are larger than those in the South based on their range of habitat and the size of the prey they have available to them. By the same token tigers in the North have lighter coloring than those living in the South.
7. Tigers are excellent swimmers and are often found during the day relaxing in ponds, streams, and rivers. They seek out water to cool off during hot days and they are even capable to carry prey through water.
8. In zoo's Tigers live to about 25 years but in the wild the average age is 10 years.
9. There are 6 out of 9 recent subspecies of tigers left on Earth. How long they will be able to survive though is in question. Right now all 6 of these remaining species are considered to be endangered.
10. White tigers are extremely rare in the wild. Both parents must have a mutated gene in order for this coloring to occur. They are often bred for this coloring in zoos but the result is a great deal of inbreeding. This is why white tigers are more likely to develop severe health problems as well as physical deformities than other types of tigers.
11. Unfortunately, owing to the fact that the skin, bones, and body parts from one tiger are worth tens of thousands of dollars on the Asian black market, the bright focus on the species has yet to slow its plunge toward extinction. There are now just around 3,000 wild tigers left in the world.

The most significant immediate threat to the existence of wild tiger populations is the illegal trade in poached skins and body parts between India, Nepal and China. The governments of these countries have failed to implement adequate enforcement response, and wildlife crime remained a low priority in terms of political commitment and investment for years. There are well-organised gangs of professional poachers, who move from place to place and set up camp in vulnerable areas.

The main reasons tigers are endangered—in most cases, critically endangered—are illegal hunting for their pelts, meat and body parts (used in folk medicines) as well as habitat loss that results from logging and other forms of forest destruction.
 

                                                           *SAVE The Endangered Tiger Species*
      

Asian Elephant facts

The Asian or Asiatic elephant is the only living species of the genus Elephas and is distributed in Southeast Asia from India in the west to Borneo in the east.

1. Asian elephants have a single finger like outgrowth at the tip of their trunk that enables them to pick up small objects and strip leaves from trees. Male Asian elephants have tusks. Females lack tusks.

2. Asian elephants are herbivores. They feed on grasses, roots, leaves, bark, shrubs and stems.

3. Asian elephants are traditionally considered to be one of two species of elephants, the other being the African elephant.

4. Grasslands, tropical forest and scrub forest. Asian elephants inhabit India and Southeast Asia including Sumatra, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam and Borneo.

5. Asian elephants are "muddy" grey in color, and have very thick, wrinkled skin. They have patches of brown hair on the tops of their heads and backs.

6.  Asian elephants have relatively short legs when compared to the rest of their bodies, and their knees are wrinkled. On the front feet are 5 toenails, and on the hind feet are 4.

7. About 11 feet long and 2¼-5½ tons.

8. The pregnancy or gestation period of female Asian elephants is about 21 months. They will most often give birth to only one calf.

9. Asian elephants are able to cool themselves by utilizing their trunk to splash themselves with mud, dust or water. They also will flap their ears to release excess heat.

10.  Asian elephants have been utilized for hundreds or even thousands of years to assist people in moving large or heavy objects, such as trees. The habitats in which they live are being destroyed by people who then create villages or farms in those areas. Also, the ivory tusks of elephants are valuable to poachers.

                                                      *SAVE ASIAN ELEPHANTS*         

GOLD FACTS

Gold is a soft,dense , shiny, ductile and malleable metal.Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (aurum in Latin, meaning glow of sunrise) and atomic number 79.Gold is found in nature in quartz veins and secondary alluvial deposits as a free metal or in a combined state.Gold occurs, in chemical combination with tellurium, in the minerals calaverite and sylvanite along with silver, and in the mineral nagyagite along with lead, antimony, and sulfur. It occurs with mercury as gold amalgam. It is generally present to a small extent in iron pyrites; galena, the lead sulfide ore that usually contains silver, sometimes also contains appreciable amounts of gold.


Symbol:                            Au
Electron configuration:       [Xe] 4f14 5d10 6s1
Discovered:                      6000 BC
Atomic number:                79
Atomic mass:                    196.96657 ± 0.00004 u
Melting point:                    1,064 °C
Boiling point:                     2,807.0°C (3,80.15°K, 5,084.6°F)
Density @ 293°K:            19.32 grams per cubic centimeter
Crystal structure:               cubic
oxidation states:                 +1, +3

FACTS:--

1.Gold is only 2.5 on the Mohs scale of hardness - about the same as a fingernail. Pure gold is so soft and malleable that a strong man can squeeze it and shape it.  Therefore, gold could be used by artisans around the world for as far back as time can tell.

2.Gold is bright yellow and has a high luster. Apart from copper and caesium it is the only non white colored metal. Gold’s attractive warm colour has led to its widespread use in decoration.

3.Carat weight can be 10, 12, 14, 18, 22, or 24. The higher the number, the greater the purity.

4.Amid recession fears in March 2008, the price of gold topped $1,000 an ounce for the first time in history.

5.The largest gold nugget ever found is the “Welcome Stranger” discovered by John Deason and Richard Oates in Australia on February 5, 1869. The nugget is 10 by 25 inches and yielded 2,248 ounces of pure gold. It was found just two inches below the ground surface
.
6.Gold melts at 1064.43° Centigrade. It can conduct both heat and electricity and it never rusts.

7.Seventy-five percent of all gold in circulation has been extracted since 1910.

8.A medical study in France during the early twentieth century suggests that gold is an effective treatment for rheumatoid arthritis.

9.One cubic foot of gold weighs half a ton. The world’s largest gold bar weighs 200 kg (440 lb).

10.By the end of 2008, Google closed at $307.65 a share, while gold closed the year at $866 an ounce.

11.The Greeks thought that gold was a dense combination of water and sunlight.

12.The chemical symbol for gold is AU, from the Latin word aurum meaning “shining dawn” and from Aurora, the Roman goddess of the dawn. In 50 B.C., Romans began issuing gold coins called the Aureusand the smaller solidus.

13.In 1848, while building a saw mill for John Sutter near Sacramento, California, John Marshal discovered flakes of gold. This discovery sparked the California Gold Rush and hastened the settlement of the American West.

14.The purity of gold is measured in carat weight. The term “carat” comes from “carob seed,” which was standard for weighing small quantities in the Middle East. Carats were the fruit of the leguminous carob tree, every single pod of which weighs 1/5 of a gram (200 mg).

15.Khrysos (Gold) is a child of Zeus; neither moth nor rust devoureth it; but the mind of man is devoured by this supreme possession. - 5th century Greek fragment.