15 Strange Italian Traditions and Superstitions Explained

15 Strange Italian Traditions and Superstitions Explained Brooke Neuman Did you know that in Brazil its bad luck to let your wallet or purse hit the floor, as it means you’ll lose money? Or that in France it’s actually good luck to step in dog poop with your left foot? Like many countries, Italy has its fair share of wacky traditions and superstitions. In fact, Italy is said to be one of the most superstitious countries in the world. Below, we explore the 15 strangest Italian traditions and superstitions. Review this list before traveling to Italy to make sure that your trip isn’t cursed by  Malocchio or the evil eye. After all, you dont want to take any chances! 1. Don’t take a bath when you’re sick When you’re feeling under the weather, chances are you want to take a nice hot bath to soothe your pain. According to Italian traditions, however, taking a bath when you’re sick will only make you sicker as  will going outside with wet hair. 2. The unlucky number 17 Have you ever wondered why some hotels in Italy don’t have a 17th floor? It’s because the number is considered unlucky. The Roman numeral for 17 is XVII, but when rearranged to look like VIXI it means “I have lived,” a symbol that’s placed on ancient tombstones and associated with death. 3. Don’t place a loaf of bread up-side-down According to Italian traditions, a loaf of bread must always be placed facing up. This superstition is based on the religious fact that bread is considered a symbol of life, therefore, its bad luck to turn the bread up-side-down or stick a knife into it. 4. Watch where you lay your hat After a long day of sightseeing you might be tempted to toss your hat onto your bedâ€"don’t! Putting a hat on a bed is considered unlucky because it’s associated with death. According to tradition, when priests  visited the dying to give them their last rights, they  would remove their hat and put it on the bed. 5. Never seat 13 people at a dinner table If you find yourself sitting at a dinner table with 12 other people, then consider yourself unlucky. Having 13 people around the table at mealtime is considered bad luck, as there were 13 people at the Last Supper. 6. Single people, avoid brooms If you’re single and you see someone sweeping the floor, make a run for it. If someone brushes over your feet by accident, then you’re destined to be single for the rest of your life. 7. Don’t toast to bad luck When it comes to toasting, there are several things that can cause you to have bad luck. For example, never raise a glass that’s full of water and don’t cross arms with the person next to you when you clink glasses. 8. Stay clear of  air conditioners Wonder why there are no air conditioners in Italy? Italians believe that these evil contraptions blow dangerously cold air in your face, leading to “colpo dari” or a punch of air. 9. Touch iron to avoid back luck In the U.S., people will knock on wood to avoid tempting fate. In Italy, its common for people to tocca ferro or touch iron. We just hope  they arent touching a hot iron. 10. Bless a new home Its common for people moving into a new home-especially newlywedsto rid evil spirits and bless their home by performing certain rituals, such as sprinkling salt in the corners of all the rooms. 11. Eat plenty of lentils on New Years Eve Every culture has its own set of New Years traditions. According to Italian traditions, its customary to eat lentils after the clock strikes 12:00.  Also, dont forget to wear red undergarments, as this too will bring you luck in the coming year. 12.  Beware of a black cat crossing your path If a cat is crossing the street, dont be the first one to cross its path, as youll have bad luck. Its believed that black cats are a symbol of witchcraft and the devil. We, however, think they are super cute! 13. Carry a cornicello charm If you want to protect yourself against the evil-eye, carry a corincello charm around with you at all times. The charm, which resembles a chili pepper or a small horn, represents the horns of the Old European Moon Goddess and will bring you luck. 14. Dont  place objects in the shape of a cross Never cross objects in the shape of a crossfor example, your fork and knifeas this is considered to be an insult to the religious symbol of the cross and will bring you bad luck. 15. Dont spill the salt This superstitionwhich states that one must toss a handful of salt over their left shoulder to get rid of bad luckis also common in the U.S. In Italy, its also customary when passing the salt to place it on the table first before handing it over. This is just a sample of the many unique Italian traditions and superstitions. In addition to learning Italian, familiarize yourself with these wives tales  before your trip to avoid getting into any trouble. Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher

Video Lessons How to play Acoustic Guitar like John Mayer

Video Lessons How to play Acoustic Guitar like John Mayer Megan L. Learn how to play acoustic guitar like John Mayer in these video lessons from guitar teacher  Jonathan B. John Mayer has been called one of the new “Guitar Gods.” Claiming Stevie Ray Vaughn as one of his biggest childhood heroes, the blues and jazz influence on his pop style has given him more than just a niche in the radio market. Its also made him able to influence millions of guitarists with his playing style and techniques. He continues to release a steady stream of new music and fans continue to take interest in his songwriting as well as his guitar techniques. John Mayer is equally well known for his electric and acoustic guitar styles; in this article we will focus more on the acoustic. There are several tricky picking hand techniques he uses which throw many would-be cover artists off the trail. A few of his most popular songs in guitar circles are Stop This Train, Who Says, Neon, The Heart of Life, Clarity, and Your Body is a Wonderland. Although these songs have a few notable techniques in them, were going to focus on just one in this article. The Pluck and Chuck/Pick and Flick Technique Notorious for confusing guitarists for the last several decades, this technique involves a basic reversal of hand mechanics. You must learn to flick the pointer or middle finger and slap with the thumb at the same time. The thumb does not play a note; it simply pushes the string into the fretboard and plants itself there. This creates a percussive effect that imitates the snare drum backbeat. Mayers sound is heavily influenced by music with a strong groove, so this technique lets you integrate softer fingerpicking with soulful rhythmic styles without any hitches. This video has a detailed introduction to chuck/flick techniques, with the most detailed explanations starting at 4:33. When you start to get the basic stroke to sound good, progress to the following exercises. They are very simple but they contain the most essential set of motions needed for pluck and chuck songs. When you feel you need a variation or you want to explore a bit, try improvising with these patterns over some chords or making up a solo using the thumb to create a rhythmic drone and playing melodies with the finger plucks and chucks. Chucks are a tricky technique that take some time to adjust to. Its usually wise to start learning a song that doesnt require too many flicks on top of the thumb slaps. Clarity is a perfect example of this, and the main riff to the song is an excellent starting point as you tune your hand position to accommodate the new role of the thumb in your playing. How to Play  Clarity by John Mayer The trickiest basic technique to learn is the single chuck. John Mayers guitar style uses a lot of individually picked notes that coincide with thumb slaps, so this technique is very important. Aside from basic issues of hand position and accuracy, you have to also learn to mix different fingers into patterns of both plucking and chucking. Mayer  has a strong tendency to do all the flicking with just his index finger, although there are at least a few of his patterns that probably also need to be flicked with the middle finger since the string crossings would be very awkward otherwise. A good pattern to start with is the opening riff to “Stop This Train. How to Play Stop This Train by John Mayer As you start to get this down, its good to reach for something a little more adventurous. The opening riff to “The Heart of Life” requires you to pick out a specific melody, which requires you to cross a lot of strings and you chuck out individual notes. Heres the tab for that passage. How to Play The Heart of Life by John Mayer Mastering this song is an excellent way to develop pluck and chuck technique. Once youve completed this song, youre likely to find that you can improvise melodies over various bass notes, provided that youve already learned a little about improvisation. One of the best ways to capitalize on your newfound skill is to try to write or improvise on your own changes in the style of “The Heart of Life” and “Stop This Train.” The first time most guitarists attempt a John Mayer acoustic song they stumble on this technique. Most western string players learn to pluck or pick strings, where Chinese Pipa and Indian Sitar players prefer to chuck or flick the strings. Its a fundamentally different stroke than what most guitarists are used to, so learning it often makes players feel like a complete beginner. Never fear, your guitar teacher will be happy to help you, and more and more guitarists are tackling this technique as time goes by, and the number of songs that use it has increased dramatically in recent years. Post Author:  Jonathan B. Jonathan B. is a guitar instructor, Temple University Music Theory graduate, and YouTube creator living in State College, PA. Learn more about Jonathan  here! Photo by  Do512 Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher

Drawing Manga

Drawing Manga Learning How to Draw Manga ChaptersThe Characteristics of MangaDrawing Faces and BodiesManga Objects and BackgroundsAdvice for Getting Better at Drawing MangaIf you love Naruto, Dragon Ball, and One Piece and have the heart of an artist, you’ve probably already thought about making your own comics using the style from your favourite manga.Of course, it’s not easy; you’ll need to learn all the fundamentals of drawing since a mangaka is nothing like a western comic book artist. From manga anatomy and facial features to inking, there’s a lot of work to be done.In this article, Superprof is going to show you how to start drawing manga and the basics you’ll need to get started. You’ll soon be on your way to drawing like Kishimoto, Toriyama, and Matsumoto! Manga isn't easy, but here's how you can draw it!Find appropriate drawing classes for you here.Think of the big picture first.It’s a good idea to draw the details onto the face after you’ve drawn the body so that the proportions can be respected. A fter you’ve done the outlines for the arms and the legs, you can draw the clothes, making sure to erase the construction lines when you’re done.You can then colour using your chosen medium: coloured pencils, paintbrushes, pastels, markers. It’s up to you whether you want to add colour or not.Finally, try redoing your character in different poses to bring them to life. It’ll take several attempts to create your own Goku, Luffy, or Light.Find out more about making your own comics!Manga Objects and BackgroundsYour manga can’t just be characters floating around in space; you need to create a world. Whether your story takes place in the city or the countryside, you need to learn a few techniques for drawing buildings, trees, the sea, etc.The backgrounds that inspired manga are just as breathtaking! (Source: Kanenori)The natural environment made up of vegetation, grass, dense forest, leafy trees, rocks, and mountains. The important thing about the environment is light and shadow . The lighting will help you add detail to things like rocks and tree trunks.The sea is an almost flat expanse in shades of grey to give an impression of depth. Waves are easier to draw sideways on as they’ll set themselves apart from the rest of the water, especially as they crash against the rocks in little explosions.For urban environments, use vanishing points. Start with a line on the horizon and then place one slightly higher than the horizon for the tops of buildings. You can then add details such as doors, windows, etc.To add more perspective to your backgrounds, use the multiplane technique to add depth of field. Draw the different elements on different pages (from the furthest to the nearest) then bring the sheets together to create a single landscape. Use a dark grey palette for front and white for the back.Finally, practise drawing everyday objects like transportation, which can be difficult to do at the start. Start with vague shapes, then progressively add details ju st like you would for someone’s face. Take your time and be patient.Check out our article on drawing caricatures.Advice for Getting Better at Drawing MangaBecoming a mangaka isn’t all fun and games; you can’t just pick up your markers and create a storyboard. However, you can get started with a few fundamentals.There's a whole genre of manga dedicated to robots and machines! (Source: Samueles)To get started, a simple method would be to look online for something you can’t draw. Whether it’s poses, objects, environments and backgrounds, or visual effects, you can find plenty of reference material online.However, you can’t just copy the original, regardless of what it is. If you want to become the super Saiyan of drawing manga, you need to have your own style, even when you’re struggling to get that eyelid or jawline right.It’s also important to remain open to criticism. Don’t think that your drawings are perfect and you can’t improve because that’s the quickest w ay to plateau. Family and friends might be the first people to show your work to but make sure you take what they say with a pinch of salt because they might just be being nice.When you’re drawing, you might want to take shortcuts, especially when it comes to things like drawing hands and feet. Don’t do it!  It’s better to draw horrible feet and get better at it than to give up altogether.You’ll improve by regularly drawing different types of people. It might be tempting to draw only one type of character but variety will make you a better artist. In Evangelion, for example, the author had a cast of children, adults, giant robots, and aliens.Finally, the best advice we can give you is to not get discouraged. You won’t become a manga master by huffing and puffing every thirty seconds and ignoring any feedback. Enjoy your drawing and try to steadily improve. You can also get lessons to learn more quickly.Now that you’ve had an introduction to manga, get your pencils and dr awing materials and work towards creating something to rival Attack on Titan, Fairy Tail, or Dragon Ball Super. You could also learn more with private tutorials from one of the many talented tutors on Superprof.You can learn how to draw animals, still life, simple shapes, one-point perspective, the human anatomy, portraits, or even how to paint with a step by step tutorial from an art teacher!There are three main types of tutorials available: face-to-face tutorials, online tutorials, and group tutorials, and each comes with its pros and cons in terms of learning and cost-effectiveness. What's right for one student may not be right for another so take your time to find the right kind of tutor and tutoring.Face-to-face tutorials are taught with one student and one tutor and they tend to be the most cost-effective type since every minute in the lesson is spent focusing on you as the student. Additionally, the tutor will also spend time outside of the lessons finding resources and plann ing the time they'll spend with you.Online tutorials are similar to the face-to-face tutorials but take place either on a call or via webcam. Since the tutor won't have the travel costs to worry about and can fit more students into their schedule as a result, online tutorials are usually cheaper than face-to-face tutorials.Finally, group tutorials are classes with one teacher or tutor and multiple students. However, with group tutorials, you and a group of friends could get in touch with a private tutor to plan lessons that you'll all attend together. These tend to be the cheapest per student per hour.

Is It Hard To Learn French Dont Buy In To These 3 Myths

Is It Hard To Learn French Dont Buy In To These 3 Myths Megan L. Is it hard to learn  French? Tutor  Roman N.  shares three things you might think make it difficult to learn  French that are actually totally false Some of you may have been fascinated by French culture and French language for a while, but you havent yet taken  your first step toward learning this beautiful language. In  my experience, I have found these three reasons  to be the most popular excuses: Im too old for this its too late to start learning a second language. My French pronunciation will never be good enough. How am I ever going to speak French and all the  insane number and variety of verb conjugations?! I have heard,  I would love to speak French, but from students and strangers, and sadly they usually finish their sentence with one (or all three) of these excuses. And this is understandable since these three stereotypes do appear quite plausible. In fact they appear so plausible that many will  never even try to see if they are correct. But what if we try to take a close look at each of them? 1.  Im too old for this its too late to start learning a second language. This one is traditionally supported by the popular belief  that kids learn a second language faster and better than adults. First of all, this truth  mostly applies to children who, at a very early age, were exposed to a certain language environment perhaps they moved to a French-speaking country or were growing up in a bilingual household. On the other hand, we have children who  dont begin learning a  second language until  primary or  secondary school, but  there really is no proof that these children retain the language any better than a first-time adult. I have had a lot of students, adults and children of different ages, and I must confess that material covered with adults in a few hours would take me way more time and effort with children. The truth is, adults have many advantages as language  learners. Adults have a more profound understanding of various concepts, highly developed cognitive and academic skills,  and overall, better concentration. One of my last students was 70 + and after having taken just ten hours of French classes he truly impressed me by his powerful grasp of the language. A few months later he went to France and got around with no problems. Still think you are too old to  learn French? 2. My French pronunciation will never be good enough This is a very popular reason  among my American students and it also happens to be very  untrue. I teach three languages and French is not even close to being the most difficult one in terms of pronunciation. Besides, for native English speakers, the number of difficult French sounds is quite limited and many vocal and phonetic exercises used in language learning, public speaking and speech improvement techniques can do the job even if you only practice French pronunciation 15 minutes a day. 3. How am I ever going to speak French with  all the  insane number and variety of verb conjugations?! This one is hard to argue if we focus on the real number of all existing irregular french verb conjugation forms. There are many. But if we look at the ones we actually need, we see an absolutely different picture. As you learn conjugations of only one verb from a particular group, you also learn how to conjugate a few others from this group. But yes, it is still quite a task and you need to communicate as soon as possible. Therefore you can and  should use structures which will help you to take a short cut. As an example, instead of memorizing plenty of different forms in  future tenses for the verbs belonging to different irregular verbs group, you can just memorize how to conjugate the verb aller  (to go) in present tense (preferably all six forms to agree with subject pronouns: je vais, tu vas, il/elle va, vous allez, nous allons, ils vont) then add any verb you want in infinitive on the top of it. This way, instead of memorizing many verb  conjugations in future tense, you can use  I am going + any verb in infinitive form. Just knowing six conjugations of the verb aller  and only one infinitive form of any verb you need to use, you  can still get your point across. It is not entirely the same, but this is an acceptable deviation from strict grammar since it dramatically increases your communicative possibilities. Try it and you will see! Most of my beginner students start telling me about their plans and things they are going to do in the future after  their third or fourth  class, and I find it amazing. To wrap up I would like to quote Kato Lomb, an amazing lady who spoke 16 languages although she had studied to be a chemist, when at age 86 she said to her 54 year old friend: You are so lucky because you can still learn so many languages! Thank you for reading! And  remember, when youre ready to begin your language-learning journey, studying with a private French tutor is one of the best ways to ensure you reach your goals. Bon courage! What challenges you in your  study of French? Join the discussion in the comments below and well provide even more tips and tricks to help you out! Post Author:  Roman N. Roman teaches French in San Diego, CA. Teaching for over 5 years, Roman is  a Russian and ESL instructor.  Learn more about Roman  here! Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher

Plantae Kingdom Online Biology Tutors Tutorpace

Plantae Kingdom Online Biology Tutors Tutorpace Kingdom Plantae are large group of organisms which are primarily multicellular and photosynthetic ,some of them are unicellular as well. Kingdom Plantae include algae, Bryophytes Pteridophytes, Gymnosperms and Angiosperms. Algae: These are aquatic plants. The plant body is called thallus; it may be unicellular but mostly multicellular, filamentous or differentiated into holdfast, stipe, and lamina. The algae are classified on the basis of their photosynthetic pigments and a type of reserve food. Red algae are marine .Photosynthetic pigments are chlorophyll, phycoerythrin, and phycocyanin.They complete the life cycle in two phases-a diploid and a haploid one. Brown algae include some of the largest type which shows differentiation in to hold fast, stipe and lamina. Accessory pigment is fucoxanthin.The cell wall is composed of phycocolloids which prevent the drying up of algae when exposed. Green algae have chlorophyll a and b as photosynthetic pigment. Mostly fresh water, they may be unicellular or filamentous, the stored food is starch. Sexual reproduction generally involves flagellate gametes. Bryophytes: They are primitive land plants .They include liver worts and mosses. Plant body is a gametophyte and bear antheridia and archegonia. The sporophyte is reduced. It reproduces asexually by means of spores which again give rise to gametophyte. Pteridophytes: They are vascular but seedless plants. They possess root, stem and leaves. The plant body is a sporophyte; it reproduces asexually by spores produced inside sporangia. The spore on germination produces prothallus which is the gametophyte which produces antheridium and archegonia on them and reproduces sexually to form the sporophyte. Gymnosperms: Seed bearing plants, do not produce flowers. Plant body is a sporophyte. Reproduction occurs by producing male and female cones. Angiosperms: They are called flowering plants and constitute the most advanced and highly successful group. They produce seeds which are enclosed in fruits.

Iodine Test Online Biology Tutors Tutorpace

Iodine Test Online Biology Tutors Tutorpace Leaf is most suitable for photosynthesis as it has a large surface area for harvesting sunlight, numerous stomata for exchange of gases and abundant water supply for bringing in water and taking out manufactured food materials. Most of the experiments of photosynthesis are based on the fact that starch is the end products of photosynthesis. It develops a blue black colour with iodine solution. Test Steps: Destarch a potted plant of Croton or Pothos having variegated leaves by keeping it in complete darkness for two hours. Pluck a variegated leaf. Place a rice paper over it.Draw the outline of green and non-greenareas. The green areas contain chlorophyll. Thenon-green areas are pale in colour and devoid of chlorophyll. Place the leaf in boiling water for 5-10 minutes. Boiling kills the leaf. Dip the leaf in spirit or alcohol kept at 50 to 60 degree centigrade with the help of water bath. After 30-45 minutes the leaf will be decolorized completely. Take out the decolorizedleaf; dip in hot water for softening the same. Spread the leaf in a petridish. Pour dilute iodine solution over the leaf. After 4 to 5 minutes, rinse off excess iodine and observe. The leaf has two types of patches, bluish black and yellowish. The bluish black areas are the ones which have starch. The yellow areas are the ones which have no starch. Compare the bluish black and pale areas with green and non-green areas sketched on rice paper. Bluish black areas are the ones which were green previously while non-green areas remain pale coloured. Only chlorophyll containing areas produce starch which is the product of photosynthesis. Chlorophyll is necessary for photosynthesis.

Useful Math Hacks To Help You Score Better

Useful Math Hacks To Help You Score Better 0SHARESShare Conquering math and being super fast in solving problems is quite easy if you know a couple of useful math hacks. For instance, for multiplying large numbers, there is quite a simple trick for numbers close to 100. Knowing that can save you minutes and the error margin is also pretty low! Read on to learn about math tricks and tips from experts such as an online math tutor and score high in your exams. Multiplying a number with 11 is way too easy in maths If you are multiplying a 2 digit number with 11, just write the 2 digit number with a space in the middle. Fill the middle space with the sum of the digits of the 2 numbers and you have the answer. For instance, if you want to multiply 43 by 11, you will get a 3 digit number beginning with 4 and ending with 3. The middle digit will simply be 4+3 = 7 making it 473. Card The reverse order for multiples of 9 If you write down the multiples of 9 (1 to 10), you will find that the first digits in the products follow the sequence 0,1,2, etc. to 9 and the last digits are in the reverse order from 9 to 0; for example, 9*1 = 09 and 9*2 = 18 and so on. Do percentages confuse you? They no longer will with this Math hack! When you wish to calculate the percentage (which is in its tens like 10, 20, 30, etc) of a number, drop the units digit of the number and multiply this with the 10s digit of the percentage you are looking for. For instance, 40% of 200 would require you to multiply 4*20 = 80. This will help you when you purchase at stores and so on as they mostly use rounded off figures or numbers. Learning such hacks could be the best math homework help you could ask for.

Critical Reasoning Question 9-After WWII - Private Tutoring

Critical Reasoning Question 9-After WWII BobbiM Feb 12, 2014 The education offered by junior colleges just after World War II had a tremendous practical effect on family-run businesses throughout the country.  After learning new methods of marketing, finance, and accounting, the sons and daughters of merchants returned home, often to increase significantly the size of the familys enterprise or to maximize profits in other ways. Which of the following statements is best supported bu the information above? A.  The junior colleges principally emphasized methods of increasing the size of small businesses. B.  The business methods taught in the junior colleges were already widespread before World War II. C.  The business curricula at junior colleges did not include theoretical principles of management. D.  Without the influence of junior colleges, many family-run businesses would have been abandoned as unprofitable. E.  Business methods in many postwar family-run businesses changed significantly as a result of the junior colleges. Think you know the answer? The correct answer is E. This question asks, Which of the following is best supported by the information above?  In other words, what can be inferred from the stated material?  The author in this question discusses the impact of junior colleges on family-run businesses.  Evidence.  These colleges introduced people to new methods that were often successfully applied to family-run businesses.  Conclusion:  These colleges had a tremendous effect on family-run businesses. A good inference will not go beyond this scope or read too much into particular detail.  We go through the choices on Inference questions, because its hard to predict what the correct answer will be. In (A) the disqualifying word is principally.  The information presented does not specify what the junior colleges emphasized.  This choice reads too much into the fact that often family businesses increased in size because of the newly acquired knowledge.  (B) is wrong because we really cant infer how popular or widespread these methods were before the war.  For all we know these could have been revolutionary techniques or well-kept secrets. In (C), we know junior colleges taught new methods of marketing and finance and stuff like that; we do not know how much management theory was or was not presented.  This choice relies on data we arent given, a sure sign of an incorrect or unwarranted inference.  In (D), all we are really told is that many family-run businesses became more profitable.  It is possible that many family-run businesses could have been abandoned as unprofitable had it not been for the junior colleges, but nothing suggests that there necessarily would have been a significant number of business failures without colleges. (E) is certainly true.  Business methods did change because of the education.  Notice how non biased this statement is,coming directly from the information given.  Often, people find the correct choice to be too obvious in Critical Reasoning questions; often its just that straightforward.