Piano Guidance
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Is elephant ivory legal?

In the United States, trading in ivory is prohibited with only a few exceptions. Federal laws and state laws restrict ivory sales. Many African nations that are home to elephants suffer from other problems such as poverty and political corruption.

Can I work 7 hours without a break?
Can I work 7 hours without a break?

Rest breaks if you're over 18 If you're aged 18 or over and work for more than 6 hours a day, you're entitled to: an uninterrupted rest break of at...

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Can I learn piano virtually?
Can I learn piano virtually?

There is guaranteed to be an online course to suit every beginner and the cost is considerably cheaper than personal one-on-one lessons. You can...

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Join almost HALF A MILLION Happy Students Worldwide
Join almost HALF A MILLION Happy Students Worldwide

Pianoforall is one of the most popular online piano courses online and has helped over 450,000 students around the world achieve their dream of playing beautiful piano for over a decade.

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Overview of Elephants and the Ivory Trade

Ann Linder (2016)

Ivory has long been valued for its aesthetic qualities, and can fetch prices of up to $1,000 a pound. Ivory comes from elephant tusks, which are type of teeth. Poachers illegally kill elephants in order to harvest and sell their tusks. As a result of the high demand for ivory, elephant populations have dropped significantly in recent years. More than 100,000 elephants were illegally poached from 2010 through 2012. The number of elephants today is likely less than 10% of what it was 100 years ago. It is estimated that as much as 70% of ivory is imported to China, where carved ivory items are popular and considered a symbol of status. China is not the only consumer of ivory however. The United States, Thailand, Vietnam, Japan, and the Philippines also support large markets. Poaching has become more sophisticated over the last decade. Today, poachers are often part of organized crime operations and armed with military-grade weapons. Some terrorist groups have been linked to poaching activities as well. Rangers, employed to protect the wildlife, are often killed alongside the elephants. CITES, The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna, is the foremost international law governing elephants and ivory. CITES offers three levels of regulation with Appendix I being the strongest and Appendix III being the most lax. Originally, African Elephants were listed under Appendix III until they were moved to Appendix II in 1977. During this time from 1977 on, they were governed by a hunting quota system. In 1990, Kenya along with the United States successfully lobbied for African elephants to be listed under Appendix I, banning all legal ivory trade. However, source countries like South Africa and Namibia, along with consumer countries like China, have opposed the ivory trade ban, and pushed for ivory sales to continue. A few such sales have been allowed in recent years. Other countries, like the U.S. and Kenya have instead burned or crushed stockpiled ivory in attempts to signal that it should not be bought or sold. In the United States, ivory sales are restricted by the African Elephant Conservation Act, the Lacey Act, as well a several state laws. In the last few years, the Obama Administration has issued a series of executive orders limiting ivory trade. On July 6, 2016, the White House announced a “near-total ban” on objects containing African elephant ivory. Though the regulations do not restrict personal possession of ivory, they prohibit sale and trade African ivory with only a few exceptions (items containing fewer than 200 grams of ivory and artifacts over 100 years old when presented along with verification). The future of African elephant populations is tenuous, as poaching continues at high rates. Because of the political and economic difficulties faced by many African nations, the majority of conservation efforts have focused on limiting demand for ivory. The United States, however, seems to be moving in a singular direction toward increased protections and trade restrictions.

Do people on Love Island ever get drunk?
Do people on Love Island ever get drunk?

However, some contestants would still find themselves quite tipsy. "You can have two glasses of wine a night which some people still manage to get...

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Can ivory piano keys be replaced?
Can ivory piano keys be replaced?

Many people are not aware that chipped ivory piano keys can be repaired. There is actually a product called AcryliKey that is made specifically for...

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What does a netsuke look like?

Netsuke are small, palm-sized ornaments, usually carved from boxwood or ivory. They often have a hole passing through them from top to bottom, for the cord of the inro to pass through. While at first, netsuke were simple objects used to hold inro in place, they later became pieces of art in their own right.

Just like any form of sculpting, netsuke carving is starts with natural materials - most commonly boxwood or ivory – and creating the desired shape using various knives and chisels. The shape itself was often themed around folklore, the zodiac, traditional arts like noh theatre, or natural and spiritual imagery. It was common for kimono wearers to have netsuke in the shape of a dragon, a rabbit, a monk, a noh mask, or any of the other marvelous examples seen below. The process of carving a single netsuke could take several weeks, especially if the netsuke has a human visage. Carving was done by hand, by a master carver, and once completed a wooden netsuke would usually be coated in lacquer to ensure it would be preserved and could be worn daily for years to come.

What chord can you substitute for F?
What chord can you substitute for F?

​How To Practice The Easy F Chord on Guitar First, make a folk-style C chord. ... Move your middle finger up one string to the 3rd string (still...

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Are singers born or trained?
Are singers born or trained?

Some people are born with a natural ability due to genetics and seem to find a perfect pitch easily. But broadly speaking, singing is more of a...

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Who created music?
Who created music?

Many cultures have their own mythical origins on the creation of music. Specific figures are sometimes credited with inventing music, such as Jubal...

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What paint is used on pianos?
What paint is used on pianos?

There are a lot of different paints you can choose for pianos. Many choose chalk paint, as it requires less sanding. I wanted to use a standard...

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