url
stringlengths 27
124
| title
stringlengths 10
107
| summary
stringlengths 15
6.15k
| article
stringlengths 0
117k
| step_headers
stringlengths 0
5.75k
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
https://www.wikihow.com/Overcome-the-Death-of-a-Fish | How to Overcome the Death of a Fish | Getting over the loss of a pet fish can be hard, but with time you'll be able to move on. Take time to grieve, which is a natural reaction to the death of a pet. As you work through your feelings, talk to someone who understands, like a family member or friend. When you're ready to say goodbye, give your fish a memorial service to share some memories and take care of the remains. This can be a few words in front of a trash receptacle or a full-blown funeral, depending on what feels right to you. If you want to create a memorial, use your fish's old aquarium as a planter for a flower or plant. | Take time to grieve. There is nothing strange or wrong with mourning the passing of a living being that was important to you, indeed it is a natural reaction. Don't feel the need to hurry up and get over the death of your fish. People need different amounts of time to grieve - there is no set amount of time for when grieving should end. Take the time that you need to work through this. Understand your grief. Grieving is a process. Although some people may not understand, you may go through all of the five stages of grief (or just a couple of them) due to the loss of your fish. The emotional pain you feel as a result of losing your fish may be deeper than you expected. The stages include denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and finally acceptance. You may not want to believe that your fish is dead. For a few days, you could be in denial, not wanting to accept that your fish is really gone. Feeling angry at yourself for what you think you could or should have done to save your fish is also a normal stage of grieving. Don't be too hard on yourself, however. Many people feel depressed after the loss of a pet. It is okay to cry or feel sad for a while immediately following the death. Talk to people that understand. These may be family members, friends, or even an online forum. Share what you are feeling with them. These are people that care about you, and empathize with what you are going through. They can help you work through what you are feeling. Give your fish a memorial service. This event will not only give you the opportunity to remember your fish and say goodbye, but can also be the time that you take care of the remains. This can be a few last words before a trash receptacle service, or a full-blown funeral with burial, it is your choice. Have a few moments of silence to reflect on your relationship with your fish. You may want to say a few words, play a song, or read a poem that reminds you of your fish. Some people light a small candle in honor of their fish. You could also plant a flower or a tree in memory of your pet, draw or paint a picture of your pet fish to place in a special spot in your home, or write a letter to your pet expressing your gratitude for the life your pet had. Save your memories. Although it might be too painful for you to look through now, later you will be glad you preserved the memories. If you have things that remind you of your fish, put them away so that later you can reflect on your pet. Create a scrapbook. You might include a brochure from the pet store about the fish, drawings, photos, the leaves of the fake or live plants from the tank, etc. Write a poem, short story or biography about your fish. Make a slideshow or frame a photo of your fish. Use your aquarium as a memorial. You can use your tank to honor the memory of your fish in a variety of creative ways. If you are still using the tank for other fish, you may want to put something in there in memory of the fish you lost. It could be a tiny hand-made tombstone, or a pretty rock or seashell with a coloring and pattern that reminds you of your fish. If you don't have other fish, you can clean the aquarium out and use it to hold a memorial plant or flowers. If the tank is empty, and looking at it causes you too much pain, then clean it out and put it away. Put a nice plant or decoration in the place where the fish tank used to be. You can also decide to keep your fish in safe place like a box, it can be homemade, or have your little one cremated. Make sure it’s really dead. Sometimes fish can appear dead, but are actually sick or in distress. Before you dispose of the body, make sure that your fish is actually dead. Sometimes fish can swim on their side or upside down because they are constipated. Check the gills, eyes, and skin carefully. Watch the gill covers closely. For a few moments, watch your fish to make sure it's not just breathing very slowly. Does it respond when you gently nudge it? If the skin has become discolored or white, it may indicate rotting, parasites, or disease. Look at your fish's eyes. If the eyes have turned grey, then the fish has passed on. Try to determine why your fish died. If possible, look the fish over and try to figure out why it died. Especially if you have other fish in that tank or plan on getting another fish in the future, this can help you prevent future deaths. It can also give you a sense of closure, so that you aren't continually wondering why your fish died. Check the water levels. Was the tank too full? Did the fish jump out because the water level was too high or because there wasn't a lid on the tank? Was there enough water in the tank? Test the water quality. Are the pH, ammonia, nitrite, etc. levels what they should be? Is there obvious injury (split fins, open wounds, etc.)? Does it appear the fish got into a fight or injured by some of the tank equipment? Do you see any signs of disease, infection, or parasites? Is the body discolored or bloated? Is it possible your fish ate too much or became poisoned by something foreign in the tank? Properly and respectfully dispose of the body. Once you are sure your fish is dead, then you need to take care of the remains. There are several options you have for taking care of the body, and the final decision is up to you. While many people flush their fish down the toilet, this is not recommended. If the fish died of a disease, it could pollute the local water. Don't put your dead fish in a body of water, such as a pond, river, or the ocean. Your fish could be carrying a disease which can infect wildlife. You can bury it in the backyard, a composting area, or a flower pot. Make sure you bury the body at least two feet deep (60 cm) so that other animals don't dig the body up. Some people believe that the body doesn't contain the “spirit” of the fish anymore and simply place their fish's body in the trash. Make sure your other fish are healthy. Check your fish often to make sure everything is okay. Is there anything you can do to prevent your other fish from dying? If your fish died from a disease or parasite, keep a close eye on any remaining fish in case they get sick, too. Change the water immediately after you remove your dead fish. This will help remove harmful viruses, bacteria, etc. that may be in the water. If you don't have one already, invest in a filter and, for tropical fish ( including bettas ), a heater. Make sure that your tank is large enough for the fish you keep or plan on keeping. Invest in a quarantine tank. This can be a smart move if a fish falls ill in the future. Putting it in the quarantine tank can give you time to closely observe it and try to determine what is wrong. It also helps protect any other fish you may have. Consider getting a new fish. You may want to get a new fish (or two), not necessarily to replace the fish that died, but to continue the type of relationship you had with that fish. You can even get a new fish that resembles the one you have lost. If you're thinking about getting a new fish, remember that you will have to cycle the tank again before adding your new fish. If the water and everything else seem okay, add more fish to the aquarium after about a week. This will give you time to monitor the other fish, the water, etc. to make sure everything is as it should be. Only add a few new fish at a time. This will make it easier for you to watch all the fish to see how they are getting along and to make sure that they are all healthy. | Take time to grieve. Understand your grief. Talk to people that understand. Give your fish a memorial service. Save your memories. Use your aquarium as a memorial. Make sure it’s really dead. Try to determine why your fish died. Properly and respectfully dispose of the body. Make sure your other fish are healthy. Invest in a quarantine tank. Consider getting a new fish. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Prepare-Saffron | How to Prepare Saffron | To get the best flavor out of saffron, measure the number of threads you want in your dish, then crush them with your fingers or a mortar and pestle. Add the crushed threads to your dish as early as possible to allow the saffron flavor to infuse the other ingredients, as well as to allow saffron's vibrant color to spread. | Dry the saffron strands. Take out your saffron strands and lay them out on a paper towel. Let them rest out to dry for 10 to 15 minutes prior to preparing the threads. Measure the saffron threads. Your recipe will usually tell you how much saffron to use, but there are some general rules that are good to know. Saffron is usually measured in grams, the number of threads, or “pinches.” A “pinch” typically means 20 medium-sized threads of saffron. Use a food scale or count the threads to measure out the saffron. Adding too much saffron can ruin a dish, so it's best to err on the side of too little. You can always add more if the taste and color isn't to your satisfaction. Counting the saffron threads usually offers the most accurate measurement. If you're adding saffron on your own, the rule of thumb is usually to add three strands for each person that you're serving. Three strands is approximately a ½ teaspoon. Crush the threads. For saffron to really shine in your dish, you need to ensure that its flavor and color are released. The quickest way to do that is to break down the threads. Saffron threads are very delicate, so it's easy to crush them with your hand. Use your thumb and forefinger to gently grind the threads into pieces. However, if you prefer a more uniform look to the pieces of saffron in your recipe, use a mortar and pestle to crush the threads. Crushing saffron for use in recipes typically works best if you're making a recipe that already has water or another cooking liquid in it, such as risotto or paella. Keep in mind that crushing saffron by hand or with a mortar and pestle doesn't offer the most attractive appearance because the threads are no longer in tact. However, you can still get a strong flavor, aroma, and color from crushed saffron. Add to your dish. Once you've crushed the saffron threads, simply mix them into your recipe. It's best to add crushed saffron as early on in the cooking process as possible. That way, there's enough time for its flavor to infuse the other ingredients and its color to deepen the recipe. Make sure that there's already some type of liquid in your pot or pan before mixing in the crushed saffron threads. Heat a liquid of your choice. If you're making a recipe that calls for some type of liquid, such as chicken stock, milk, or white wine, pour enough of the liquid to cover the amount of saffron that you're using into a pan or pot. Next, heat the liquid on the stove until it's hot. Be careful not to bring it to a boil, though. If your dish doesn't necessarily call for liquid, you can use plain water. Soak the saffron threads. The most effective way to draw the flavor and color out of saffron is to submerge them in a hot liquid, so you want to soak them thoroughly before adding them to your recipe. In most cases, letting it sit in the liquid for 10 to 20 minutes is enough to prepare the saffron. Soaking the saffron before adding it to your recipe is the best way to ensure that it's distributed evenly throughout the dish. You can usually tell that your saffron has soaked long enough when the liquid starts to give off a strong aroma. You can crush the threads by hand or with a mortar and pestle before soaking them, but using the whole strands can add an attractive look to your dish. If you really want a robust flavor and color from your saffron, try soak the threads in room temperature water overnight. Then you can add them to warm chicken stock, milk, wine, or another liquid before adding them to your dish. Mix the liquid into your dish. When it comes time to add the saffron to your recipe, you don't just want to remove the threads from the liquid and mix them in. Instead, add all of the liquid, so you get a deeper, richer flavor that pervades the entire dish. Typically, the best time to add the saffron liquid is near the end of cooking, but follow the instructions in your recipe. You can strain the threads and add only the liquid to your dish if you prefer, but that's usually only necessary if you're making a recipe that should have a clear appearance, such as a jelly. If you plan to leave the threads in your recipe, there's no need to cut or chop them. The intact threads can add texture and visual interest to your dish. Avoid powdered saffron. Powdered or ground saffron may be cheaper than saffron threads, but there's a good reason for that. It doesn't have the same flavor, aroma, and color as fresh saffron, so it doesn't provide the same rich taste and appearance. In fact, powdered saffron often contains paprika, turmeric, and bark from inferior saffron threads. Look for a deep color. Saffron threads should have a deep red color with orange tips. If you notice that the threads don't have orange near the ends, it can be a sign of inferior saffron that's been dyed to have a richer color. Make sure that the color is uniform too -- lighter streaks throughout the threads can be a sign of poor quality. In general, the deeper the color that saffron has, the higher quality it is. Pay attention to the texture. High quality saffron threads are typically fine and uniform in size. One end usually has a trumpet-like shape, while other has a thin, tendril-like appearance. If you notice that the saffron is irregularly shaped, features shreds instead of strands, or contains bark, it's probably inferior quality. If the threads have a frayed, almost worn appearance, that can also be an indication that the saffron is poor quality. | Dry the saffron strands. Measure the saffron threads. Crush the threads. Add to your dish. Heat a liquid of your choice. Soak the saffron threads. Mix the liquid into your dish. Avoid powdered saffron. Look for a deep color. Pay attention to the texture. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Play-Handball | How to Play Handball | To play handball, start by gathering 2 teams of up to 7 players each and assigning each team a goal. Each team should then attempt to get the handball into the opposite goal by touching the ball with any body part above the knee. As players move around the court, they can dribble the ball, pass it to another player, or throw it into the goal. Finally, the team that has the most points at the end of two 30-minute periods of play wins the game. | Get familiar with the court. In team handball, the court is 20 meters (65' 7") by 40 meters (131' 3") large. Here are some things you should know about the court: The court has a goal area line (also known as the crease), which is a 6-meter (19' 8") line where only the goalie is allowed to stand. The actual goal is 2 meters (6.6 ft) high and 3 meters (9.8 ft) wide. Players can only jump into the goal area if they release the ball before landing there. A dashed semi-circle that is 9 meters (29.5 ft) from the goal marks the free-throw line. The line at half court is also known as the center line. Get familiar with the ball, too. Traditionally, handball is played with a 32-panel leather ball. For women, the ball is 54–56 centimeter (21.3–22.0 in) wide and for men, it is 58–60 centimeter (22.8–23.6 in) wide and a bit heavier than the women's' ball. Form a team. There can be seven players on each team out on the court at any given time. One player on each team is the goalie and the remaining six are the court players. Each team can have a total of 12 players (in America) or 14 players (in England) dress and play during a game. The additional players can substitute for the players on the court once the player they are substituting leaves the court, just as in basketball, volleyball, or other sports with substitutes. The non-goalie players' roles are interchangeable during the game. Players wear uniforms that are numbered 1-20. Each team's players should wear shirts and shorts of the same color, while each goalie wears a different color to stand out from the other teammates. In official games, there are always two referees, one for the court and one for the goal. Their decisions are final. Understand the objective of the game. Each team scores points by throwing the ball into the opposing team's goal. The team that scores the most points wins the game. A game can end in a tie unless you're playing a tournament, which needs a winner to be named. If the game is tied after time runs out, then the teams play 2-5 minute periods of overtime. A team can score a goal after the entire ball crosses the goal line and falls inside the goal. You can score a goal from any type of throw, which means the goal-throw, free-throw, throw-in, or throw-off (more information about these throws appears below). Play for the correct length of time. A traditional handball game is played in 2 30-minute halves with a 10 minute break in between. Youth or tournament games are shorter, played in 2 15-minute or 20-minute halves instead. The time marked is the running time of the game. The only times the clock stops are for each team to have one time-out per half, and if there is an injury. At half-time, the teams switch benches. Understand what the field players can do. These players can touch the ball with all parts of their body above the knee (which means no kicking!). If they have the ball, they can only stay in place for three seconds (think of it as a traveling offense in basketball), and they can only move for three steps with the ball. If they do not follow these rules, the ball goes to the other team. The players must quickly decide whether to shoot the ball, dribble it, or pass it. A player can dribble the ball for as long as he wants, just as long as he keeps his hand on top of the ball. After dribbling, he still gets the usual three steps/three seconds rule. If he dribbles again, that's a "double dribbling" violation and the ball goes to the other team. Other offenses that a player can commit include carrying the ball into the crease (the goalie's area), setting an illegal screen, and charging. Understand the different types of throws. Here's what you need to know about the different throws in the game: The throw-off. The game starts with a throw-off. The throw-off takes place in the center of the court. Here, the thrower has to touch the middle line with one foot while all of the other players stay in their own half. The team that wins the coin toss and wants to start with the ball begins the throw off. After the whistle blows, the player with the ball in the center of the court passes the ball to a team-mate and play starts. Every time a goal is scored, the opposing team gets the ball for another throw-off. A throw-off also occurs after half-time. The throw-in. If the ball leaves play, then the team that didn't touch the ball last gets a throw-in. The free-throw. A free-throw is given after there's an interruption in play, and takes place wherever the play was interrupted. Play can be interrupted when one player is holding, pushing, hitting, tripping or hurting the other team's player and receives a penalty. The referee throw. A referee throw is called for when the ball touches anything that is above the court after multiple rules are broken during simultaneous possession of the ball. In this situation, the referee stands at center court and throws the ball vertically, between two players of opposing teams, and they must jump and grab the ball or tap the ball to a member of their own teams. Other members of the team must be at least 3 meters (9.8 ft) away from the throw. The 7-meter throw. This throw is given when a foul destroys a clear chance to score, the goalie carries the ball back to his own area, a court player plays the ball to his own goalie, or a defensive player enters his own goal area. For this throw, all players have to be outside the free-throw line and the player who takes the throw has three seconds to shoot the ball. The goal-throw. This one is given when the ball rebounds off the goalie over the end line or if the ball is thrown over the end line by the team that is attacking. For this throw, the goalie throws the ball from his area and does not have to follow the three step/3 second rule. Know the rule violations. There are many ways to commit a rule violation. If one team commits a violation, then that means that the other team is awarded the ball, either as a throw-in, free-throw, or goalie-throw. Here are the different violations: Passive play. This means keeping the ball within one team's possession without trying to attack or to score. This basically means stalling with the ball. Endangering an opponent with the ball. Pulling, hitting, or punching the ball of the hands of an opponent. Making contact with the ball below the knee. Diving on the floor for a ball that is rolling or not moving. Outstretching your arms or legs to push, hold, obstruct, trip, or hit the opponent or to charge into a defensive player. Understand how progressive punishments work. These punishments occur when something that a player does warrants more than just a free-throw, such as any rule violations that are aimed at an opponent instead of the ball. Here are the stages of progressive punishments: A warning/yellow card. Each player can only receive one warning for a rule violation, and each team can only receive a total of three warnings. A 2-minute suspension. This is given for serious and repeated rule violations, illegal substitution, and unsportsmanlike conduct. You do not need a warning first to get a 2-minute violation. For this violation, the player sits out for 2 minutes and is not replaced, so his team has to play one player short. Disqualification/red card. A player is given this as an equivalent of three suspensions that last 2 minutes each. After the first 2-minute suspension, the player can be replaced. Exclusion. The exclusion is given for assault and the player is excluded for the rest of the game. This is a serious offense and this player's team is at a huge disadvantage because it has to play one player short for the rest of the game. Improve your game. There are many tips and tricks that can help you excel as a handball player, but the most important thing you can do is just to keep playing. Here are some things you can work on as you improve your game: To be a master handball player, you and your team should work on passing the ball to each other as much as you can. This is faster than dribbling and can get you to the goal more quickly. When you are defending, you can work on keeping your hands up so that you block shots as well as passing opportunities for the other team. When you're dribbling, work on using one hand to dribble while shielding the ball with your other hand to keep it safe from the opposing team. Most importantly, just keep practicing! The more you play, the better you'll be at handball. Decide whether you are playing Chinese or American handball. Both of these games are played with a much smaller ball than team handball. Most official games are played with a "small ball," or an "ace ball," while street games are commonly played with a "big ball," which is about the size of a racquetball. There are three versions of the game (four-wall, three-wall, and one-wall), and the game can either be played by two players, three players, or four players. Chinese is the easier of the two, in which the players bounce the ball against the ground once before it hits the wall, while in American, it doesn't bounce. If it doesn't make it in one bounce (Chinese), or if it bounces (American), it is the other player's turn to "serve". Decide on your rules. An example would be whether you want DBA (Double bounce American, where if it bounces twice, you must hit it American, used in Chinese), or DBC (American only, when the ball bounces twice, hit it Chinese). You might want to rule out flagging, where the opponent is allowed to distract you but not interfere with the ball, or if you're on a team with someone, you might want team saves (where one person on the team hits the ball up, it bounces, then the other person hits it American). This also goes with self-saves. You can have self-saves for either team or by yourself). You could even call Kings (none of the rules; just hitting it. Don't forget about "slams", where you can hit it as hard as you can). Play until you win. Usually, a player wins the game if he scores 7 points, but you can mix things up if you're playing a more casual game. Here are some other things to keep in mind as you're scoring the game: There is usually a set score for when there is a shutout (when the opponent has 0 points the entire time). The set score for shutouts when playing to 7 is 5. After the set score is decided, a player begins the game with a "volley" (throwing the ball either Chinese or American, depending on what you're playing). Now the other person must hit it. This decides who gets the ball first. The person that misses the ball after it bounces twice (once if playing Kings) will not serve first. The game continues in the same matter, only there is no volley; just serving. | Get familiar with the court. Form a team. Understand the objective of the game. Play for the correct length of time. Understand what the field players can do. Understand the different types of throws. Know the rule violations. Understand how progressive punishments work. Improve your game. Decide whether you are playing Chinese or American handball. Decide on your rules. Play until you win. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Buy-a-Memory-Foam-Mattress | How to Buy a Memory Foam Mattress | If you're interested in buying a memory foam mattress, think about the features you're interested in. If you want a durable mattress, choose one made from high-density foam. For a soft mattress that's more affordable, opt for low-density foam, or choose medium-density foam for a mattress that's a combination of both. Since memory foam can get really warm while you're sleeping on it, look for a mattress with cooling layers to keep you comfortable. If you're still not sure which one to pick, read online reviews to help you see what other consumers thought of their mattress purchase. | Pick high-density foam for firmness and durability. Each memory foam mattress lists its density in the product information. High-density foam is defined as above 5 (2.27 kg) and especially 6 lbs. (2.72 kg). This mattress will feel quite firm at first, but it will adapt to your body to relieve pain and pressure points. Lasting about 8-10 years, it's the best choice for those looking for durability, although it will cost more. Choose medium-density foam for a compromise. Mid-grade foam is defined as 4 to 5 lbs (1.81-2.27 kg). This option should also provide you with a durability of about 8-10 years, and it may be more comfortable and less costly than high-density foam. Go with low-density foam for softness and a lower cost. Low-density foam, normally 2 to 3 lb. (0.91-1.36 kg), will likely feel more comfortable when you lie down, as you'll sink into the layer. While this foam is less expensive than higher density options, it's also less durable. You may have to replace it within 4-6 years. Check the ILD rating of each layer in the mattress. The ILD is another important indicator of firmness. Low ILDs will give you a soft and comfortable surface, while highers ILDs create resistance and support for your back. You generally want lower ILDs (10-11) for the top layers and at least one layer with a higher ILD (20-40) to prevent low-back pain. Look for memory foam mattresses with cooling layers. Memory foam is a temperature-sensitive material that softens as it comes in contact with your body heat. This is what gives it the ability to contour to your body, but the foam can also get overly hot at night. Many memory foam mattresses now offer top layers made with different materials to increase ventilation and keep you cool. Choose gel memory foam for a cool surface and good support. Gel memory foam increases the air circulation in memory foam, providing a cooler surface. This option also offers increased and more balanced support for your back. This may help relieve chronic back pain. Be aware that the gel memory foam will be cool at first, but it will heat up to match your body temperature over the course of the night. Gel layers may only help you fall asleep. Pick natural latex foam to avoid the drawbacks of memory foam. Natural latex foam maintains the same general softness and support as memory foam, but does not have its temperature sensitivity. This will likely prevent you from experiencing the cloud-like feeling that comes from memory foam. However, natural latex will not cause you to “sleep hot,” and it won't give off any chemical odors. Avoid harmful chemicals by checking for CertiPUR-US certifications. CertiPUR-US is an American-based non-for-profit program that prevents foam from including harmful metals, chemicals, ozone depleters, or dangerous gas emissions. Most mattress companies will advertise that their products have received this certification. While companies from all over the world can be CertiPUR-US-certified, the certification adheres to American standards. These standards are comparable with the European-based Eco-label. Choose a bamboo cover for hypoallergenic protection. The density of latex and memory foam mattresses already inhibits the spread of allergy-causing dust mites. The bamboo cover will supplement this resistance, as bamboo is naturally dust and mildew resistant. Read online reviews to gauge quality and pricing. Before you decide on a product, check out previous buyers' experiences to avoid falling into a consumer trap. Reviews will provide you with information about the relationship between the cost and the overall comfort and quality of the mattress. Visit a local mattress store. Even if you plan to make your final purchase online, it's extremely important that you lie down at least once on the mattress you intend to buy. Mattress stores will allow you to test their beds by hopping on and getting comfortable, so take advantage. Spend at least twenty minutes with each option. Give yourself ample time to fully experience the mattress. Try moving around and lying in various positions. Many memory foam mattresses are made specifically to suit back, side, or stomach sleepers, and it's important that you test these labels. Some beds will also inhibit your movement, and you'll want to know this before you buy. Read the warranty information carefully. Learn exactly what will be required of you when you have a warranty issue. What counts as an issue covered by the warranty? Will you be responsible for packaging and shipping the mattress? Most importantly, how long has the manufacturer been in business? A lifetime warranty from a company that's only been in business for a short while is probably worthless. Most warranties will cover problems with the mattress that appear to be manufacturer related. Warranties will rarely cover damage caused by you or by normal wear and tear. Ask your salesperson for a trial period. You should be able to test out your memory foam mattress to see if you have any issues or don't like the feel of the material. These trials generally last between two weeks and a month. Be sure you understand the return policy in case you end up not liking the mattress. The company will likely require the mattress to be in as-new condition at the end of the trial period if you choose to return the product. Any damage to the mattress will almost certainly prevent you from making a return. Negotiate the price if you’re in a small store. If you're in a local store, you may be facing overpriced products. Talk to your salesperson to negotiate these prices down to match the minimum prices you can find for the product online. Larger chains should already match these minimum prices. If you face resistance in this conversation, try telling your salesperson that you've found the same product for a better price elsewhere. While they may tell you that you're welcome to make your purchase where you'd like, they might also take the opportunity to prevent you from walking out the door. Search for coupons. Both stores and online vendors should have coupon options available. Search online for printable coupons to take in the store with you, or apply promotional codes at the end of your online purchase. You can also search your town's weekly advertising circular for local couponing options. There are a variety of online options for finding coupons. Honey is an internet add-on that will automatically search for and apply coupons to your online purchases, or you can use RetailMeNot.com to look up specific stores. Purchase in a store to receive more reliable customer service. Buying your mattress in a store means that you have a physical location and specific person to visit if you have problems with your product. When you buy in a store, you're usually guaranteed assistance in moving and setting up the mattress. Buy online for reduced prices and convenient purchasing. Online purchasing will allow you to avoid haggling with a salesperson over prices. However, be aware that your purchase may not meet your expectations, especially if you didn't visit a store to test it out. It may also be more difficult for you to return a mattress purchased online. Note that online vendors may only ship “compressed,” or rolled-up, memory foam mattresses that need about a day to fully decompress before you can sleep on them. File the receipt, warranty, and trial paperwork. Whether you make your purchase online or in the store, set aside a specific place on your computer or in your house for your purchasing records. You should be sure that the receipt, warranty paperwork, and any trial period agreements are somewhere that you can easily access and won't forget about. | Pick high-density foam for firmness and durability. Choose medium-density foam for a compromise. Go with low-density foam for softness and a lower cost. Check the ILD rating of each layer in the mattress. Look for memory foam mattresses with cooling layers. Choose gel memory foam for a cool surface and good support. Pick natural latex foam to avoid the drawbacks of memory foam. Avoid harmful chemicals by checking for CertiPUR-US certifications. Choose a bamboo cover for hypoallergenic protection. Read online reviews to gauge quality and pricing. Visit a local mattress store. Spend at least twenty minutes with each option. Read the warranty information carefully. Ask your salesperson for a trial period. Negotiate the price if you’re in a small store. Search for coupons. Purchase in a store to receive more reliable customer service. Buy online for reduced prices and convenient purchasing. File the receipt, warranty, and trial paperwork. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Cook-Turnips | How to Cook Turnips | Before you cook turnips, cut off their green stalks, rinse them in cool water, and peel them. Then, cut the turnips into thin strips that look similar to French fries. Next, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a pan over medium-low heat. Add 1 cup of onion and sauté it. When the onion begins to soften, add the turnips, along with another tablespoon of olive oil. Finally, cook the turnips for 5 minutes, reduce the heat to low, and continue cooking them until they're tender. | Choose the freshest turnips. Fresh turnips will feature a heavy skin, be firm to the touch, and have lush green tops. Avoid any turnips with brown spots or have unhealthy looking green tops, as these are sure indicators of older age. The older your turnip, the more bitter it will taste. Use a sharp knife to cut off the green stalks. Rinse the turnips in cool water. This will remove any bacteria or dirt. Peel the turnips. Use a sharp knife to peel the tough skin away from the turnips. If the turnip is already peeling or the skin is cracked, then you will need to peel the older layers away to expose the newer, fresher surface underneath. This is similar to the method for peeling an onion. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium low heat. Wait 30 seconds or so for the butter to heat up. Sauté 1 cup of chopped onion in the skillet. Slice 3-4 turnips into thin strips. Cut them into thin strips that resemble french fries. Add the turnips to the skillet with the onion once it begins to soften. Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet. Cook the turnips for 5 minutes and then reduce the heat to low. Continue cooking them until they're tender. Then, remove them from the heat and season them with salt and pepper to taste. Serve. Sprinkle the turnips with 1 tbsp. of lemon juice, toss them to combine them with the vegetable, and serve them while they're hot. Light a grill. Quarter 1 pound of turnips. When you're done, run them through a toothpick to make the grilling process easier. Brush the turnips on both sides with 1 tbsp. of olive oil. Season them with salt and pepper to taste. Grill the turnips over moderately high heat until they're tender. It should take about two minutes to grill each side of the turnips. When you're done, move them to a platter. Cook 1 tablespoon of garlic and 2 tablespoon of olive oil over high heat in a skillet. Wait 1-2 minutes until the oil is sizzling. Reduce the heat to low. Cook the garlic for about 2 more minutes or until it's golden. Turn off the heat and stir in 2 tablespoon of chopped parsley and 1 tsp. of pepper. Mix the ingredients until they're thoroughly combined. Spoon the oil mixture over the turnips. Serve. Top the turnips with the zest of 1 lemon and enjoy them while they're hot. Preheat the oven to 500ºF (260ºC). Put the track in middle position. Peel and quarter 1 1/2 lbs. of turnips. The pieces should resemble lemon slices. Melt 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter in a small skillet. Toss the turnips with the melted butter in a small bowl. Season them with salt and pepper to taste. Place the turnips onto a roasting pan. Make sure to leave room between the pieces. Roast the turnips for 25-30 minutes, until they're tender and brown. During the process, you should toss and shake the pan once or twice to make sure that the turnips are evenly roasted. Serve. Enjoy these tasty roasted turnips while they're hot. Substitute half of the potatoes in your usual favorite potato recipe with turnips. Prepare the turnips in the same manner you would the potatoes. The result will be a subtle, surprising flavor. Slice the turnips and serve them raw. These slices can then be eaten alone with a dash of salt, or you can use them on hamburgers or other dishes in place of raw onions. Grate the raw turnips. Use a cheese grater to grate them. Place them on top of your favorite salad. They'll add a crunchy texture and a bright flavor. Mince the turnips and add them to soups. Place then into your favorite soups just before you cook them, just as you would with celery or onion pieces.They will simmer in the broth and add a rich flavor. Blanch the turnips. Cut the turnips into thick slices, and blanch them in a steamer for 3 to 5 minutes. Place them atop a cookie sheet, and put them in an oven at 130ºF/54ºC for approximately 8 to 10 hours. Once they feel dry or brittle to your touch, remove them and let cool. Serve them dried as a snack, or add them to soup such as you would crackers. Finished. | Choose the freshest turnips. Use a sharp knife to cut off the green stalks. Rinse the turnips in cool water. Peel the turnips. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium low heat. Sauté 1 cup of chopped onion in the skillet. Slice 3-4 turnips into thin strips. Add the turnips to the skillet with the onion once it begins to soften. Cook the turnips for 5 minutes and then reduce the heat to low. Serve. Light a grill. Quarter 1 pound of turnips. Brush the turnips on both sides with 1 tbsp. Season them with salt and pepper to taste. Grill the turnips over moderately high heat until they're tender. Cook 1 tablespoon of garlic and 2 tablespoon of olive oil over high heat in a skillet. Reduce the heat to low. Turn off the heat and stir in 2 tablespoon of chopped parsley and 1 tsp. Spoon the oil mixture over the turnips. Serve. Preheat the oven to 500ºF (260ºC). Peel and quarter 1 1/2 lbs. Melt 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter in a small skillet. Toss the turnips with the melted butter in a small bowl. Place the turnips onto a roasting pan. Roast the turnips for 25-30 minutes, until they're tender and brown. Serve. Substitute half of the potatoes in your usual favorite potato recipe with turnips. Slice the turnips and serve them raw. Grate the raw turnips. Mince the turnips and add them to soups. Blanch the turnips. Finished. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Solar-Panel-(Copper-Sheet-Method) | How to Make a Solar Panel (Copper Sheet Method) | To make a solar panel out of a copper sheet, start by putting on gloves, then cutting your sheet into two 6-inch squares. After cleaning off a sheet, place it on a hot plate, heat until it's covered in a black coating, then continue cooking it for 30 minutes. Turn off the heat, let it cool for 20 minutes, and rinse it to remove the coating. Cut the top off a 2-liter bottle, then bend your copper squares against the sides of the bottle. Pour in a saltwater solution so your squares are mostly submerged, then attach alligator clips to each square. | Cut 2 copper sheets. You can use sheet metal shears to do this easily. Make the sheets the same size. You want 1 sheet to fit on your burner or hot plate, and both to fit in the 2-liter bottle. Making them both 6 in (15 cm) squares should work well. Clean your copper sheets. Use a degreaser to remove any oils or grease from your copper sheet. You do not want them to react with the copper or to prevent oxidation from happening. You should also wear gloves to avoid getting oil from your skin on the copper. Also be sure to scrub the copper with steel wool or sandpaper to remove any corrosion. Place 1 copper sheet on a hot plate. Once you have placed a sheet on the hot plate, turn the hot plate on. This will heat the copper and provide the energy needed for the copper to react quickly with the oxygen in the air. This speeds up the natural oxidation process considerably. Allow the copper to oxidize completely. As the copper heats up you will see varying shades of red, pink, purple, and possibly other colors. This is a sign that oxidation is taking place. Finally, you will notice that these colors are all being replaced by a black covering. This covering is cuprous oxide. Once the whole sheet is covered in cuprous oxide, allow it to cook at least 30 more minutes. Cooking the extra 30 minutes makes the cuprous oxide layer thick and brittle. This allows it to break away from the copper. A thin layer of cuprous oxide would remain on the copper, covering up the cupric oxide layer that needs to be exposed. Allow the copper to cool slowly. When you are finished cooking the copper, turn the burner off. Leave the copper on the burner to cool. This allows the copper to cool very slowly to room temperature, which should take about 20 minutes. During the cooling process the copper and the cuprous oxide layer shrink at different rates. As long as the layer is thick enough, this will result in the black cuprous oxide flaking off and exposing the red cupric oxide layer. Note that cupric oxide (Copper (II) oxide) is the fully oxidized form, and cuprous oxide (Cu2O) is still in an active state. You can rinse the sheet under water to remove the remaining black deposits. Cupric oxide is a semiconductor and must be exposed in order to make the solar cell function. Place the 2 copper sheets into your container. You will need to bend both pieces to match the curvature of the plastic bottle. Both pieces need to be able to fit in the bottle without touching each other. Be sure not to damage the red cuprous oxide layer when bending the cooked sheet. Connect alligator clips to each sheet. Use the alligator clips to attach both pieces to opposite sides of the plastic bottle. The copper sheet with red cuprous oxide should be connected to the clip that will lead to a negative terminal, and the clean copper sheet could be joined to a clip leading to a positive terminal. Make a saltwater solution. Dissolving salt into the water will provide electrolytes in the form of Na+ and Cl- that carry the current from the cuprous oxide layer to the clean copper sheet. An effective solution will be comprised of roughly one part salt (table salt is fine) to three parts water. Stir well to make sure that the salt is all dissolved. Heat if needed. For example, dissolve ⁄ 4 cup (59 mL) of salt into ⁄ 4 cup (180 mL) of water. Using distilled or deionized water will reduce the risk of contaminants. Add saltwater to cover most of the 2 plates. Leave about 2 inches (5.1 cm) of space above the saltwater.This will allow current to travel from the negative terminal to the positive terminal. Be careful to keep the clips at the top of the two sheets dry. Otherwise, the water on the clips might interfere with your readings. Place the solar cell in the sun. When the sun hits the cuprous oxide layer, it causes electrons to be released. The cuprous oxide is not conductive, but the electrons are able to move through the salt water to the conductive copper plate. This plate transfers the electrons to the wires. Hook the alligator clips to a multimeter. Plug the other end of your alligator clips into a multimeter or ammeter. Be sure that your meter can function in the microamp (0.000001 amps) range. Plug the positive alligator clip into the positive terminal of your meter and the negative alligator clip into the negative terminal of your meter. Set your meter to read microamps. A very small amount of current will be flowing. This current should fall somewhere between 0 and 50 microamps. Turning the cell so that the cuprous oxide layer is facing the most direct sunlight will give you the most current. | Cut 2 copper sheets. Clean your copper sheets. Place 1 copper sheet on a hot plate. Allow the copper to oxidize completely. Allow the copper to cool slowly. Place the 2 copper sheets into your container. Connect alligator clips to each sheet. Make a saltwater solution. Add saltwater to cover most of the 2 plates. Place the solar cell in the sun. Hook the alligator clips to a multimeter. Set your meter to read microamps. |
https://www.wikihow.com/End-a-Relationship | How to End a Relationship | To end a relationship, start by choosing a time and place where you can meet privately to break the news to them. When you start the conversation, get straight to the point by stating in a clear way that you don't want to be in the relationship anymore. Explain why the relationship needs to end in a concise way rather than giving a long list of reasons why you're dumping them. Keep in mind that the person getting dumped will typically react with anger, shock, or panic, so prepare yourself for that. Stay calm and avoid getting into an argument about it--just state that you've made up your mind and that's that. | Make sure you want to end the relationship. Don't use the threat of leaving as a tool to get your own way in an argument. If you say it, be prepared to back it up with the action, or else take the threat off the table before you make it. Discuss problems openly and directly with your partner before you make up your mind. Many people suffer for years and never bring problems up with their partners, which is what leads to many breakups. If you really want to end the relationship, then you should make a list of all the reasons you're unhappy in the relationship -- and all the reasons those things can't be fixed. Make your decision with a clear head. Don't decide to break up with your partner in the heat of the moment, when you're feeling unstable, or after you've had a bad week and are blaming your relationship for all of your problems. Before you make this important decision, take the time to get input from trusted friends and parents, people who may have helpful insight into your relationship issues. Once you've decided to break up with your partner, don't go around telling your close friends, or anyone at all, or it may get back to that person. It's okay to come to a close friend or family member for advice, but once you've made your decision, the mature thing to do is to tell your partner next. Choose your time and place wisely. Choose a time and place that will allow for both you and the person that you're about to dump some privacy. Don't break up with someone right before they have a big test or are about to go to work. Fridays are a suitable choice if it gives your soon-to-be-ex the weekend to recover somewhat. Don't break up with your partner in your favorite restaurant, bar, or your favorite spot in a park. Pick a neutral location that has no special meaning for either of you. Pick a time when you know you'll be in a relatively calm emotional state. Don't break up with your partner after you know you'll be staying late for a stressful meeting at work. Make sure to end the relationship in person (under most circumstances). To give your significant other the respect that they deserve, you should end the relationship in person, no matter how much you're dreading it. The only time it's acceptable to end the relationship over the phone is if you're in a long-distance relationship and know you won't see each other for a while, or if you're in a controlling or manipulative relationship. If your ex is prone to outbursts, violence, or manipulative behaviors, it is much safer for you to end the relationship at a distance. Be firm about breaking up. Be firm in what you say––being wishy-washy in the vain hope that you'll let the other person down "easy" will only cause more hurt in the end. A break-up does not need to be a dramatic, escalating event. Get to the point and say that you don't want to be in the relationship anymore, that it isn't working for you. Doing otherwise leads the door open for argument. Avoid any comment that gives the impression that this is a trial separation and that you might resume things after a break. You may think that it'll ease the pain to tell your partner "I'm not ready for this right now" or "Maybe this can work down the road..." but if you don't really mean it, then that will only be adding to your partner's pain. Be honest but not cruel. You don't want your partner to walk away feeling unsure about why the relationship was over, but you don't want them walking away knowing the top 20 things you don't like about them, either. Just be honest about why the relationship needs to end, whether it's because you're feeling suffocated, manipulated, or disrespected. Don't waste time beating around the bush. The hardest reason for a breakup is if you're just not in love anymore, because it's not that person's fault. In that case, you should still be honest, but say it as gently as you can. Once you've given your main reason, you don't have to go into all the details and rehash old arguments, unless the person is genuinely confused. There's no reason to bring up past problems and add insult to injury. Don't put the person down and make him feel insecure and worthless. Don't say, "I just want to be with a real man" -- instead, say, "I think you still have to work on developing your confidence." Whatever the reason is, it shouldn't be a complete surprise to the person. If you kept up open lines of communication, then it won't be coming out of nowhere. Avoid making a long list of reasons as to why you're dumping them. Boil down your well-thought-through reason to the essential problem: "We are not compatible enough in key areas," "I don't feel supported by you in my career path, and I don't want to change my path," "I want children and you don't," or other similar and specific details. Be prepared for a bad reaction. The person who is getting dumped will typically react with anger or with wonder, shock, or panic. If they respond with anger, try to remain calm and attempt to calm them down. Keep your voice at ease, even if they begin to yell. If it gets too out of control, just leave and let them cool down––but be sure you assure them that you will be willing to come back later, when they are calmer. Don't just say, "Oh forget it, I'm outta here." Comfort them if they need it, but don't take this too far. Voice your opinions if things are getting too uncomfortable or inappropriate. You don't want to be drawn down the same path that led you to this moment. Be compassionate, but be firm and cut the contact short if it seems to be escalating. If you're worried about leaving your ex alone, call a friend of theirs and explain what happened, where they are, and what you're concerned about, and what you want the friend to do. Apologize for the pain the situation has caused and thank this friend for helping and leave it at that. If your ex is furious to the point that nothing will get through to them just then, say, "It's not productive to just yell at one another. I've made my decision, and I won't change my mind, but I will talk with you if you can remain calmer. Take some time to settle down, and then call me - we can talk again then." If your ex does call, keep your word. Pick up the call. If there are questions, be honest and kind with your answers, but keep the conversation short and civil so you don't prolong the pain. Establish concrete boundaries for your future interaction. Once you have begun the process, be polite but firm about these boundaries, and make it clear that they are non-negotiable. It is permissible to cut them off without a chance to discuss what went wrong. Try to make the failed relationship as valuable as possible by turning it into a chance to learn and grow and as to what type of people to avoid. If you have mutual friends and want to avoid each other for a while, make a "joint custody" plan to see your friends without running into each other. If you both have a favorite coffee shop or go to the same gym every time, try to set a schedule that helps you avoid each other. You don't have to be too rigid or organized about this, but it can help you avoid the pain of running into each other. If you have each other's things or even live together, make a plan for sorting out your belongings as soon as possible so you don't have to keep seeing each other. Know when to walk away. One of the biggest mistakes made in ending a relationship is allowing the final death throes to go on and on. And on. And on. And on. It's one thing to finalize shared expenses, disentangle community property, etc. It's another thing to beat a dead horse endlessly. When discussions become circular––in other words, you just travel around and around the same points without coming to a point of resolution––stop. That's the moment to say, "I think we should continue this later, or not," and leave. If the person doesn't understand why you're breaking up with them, you can try to make things clearer in a letter or message. Say what you need to say, let the other person explain themselves in a message so they feel that they've been listened to, and leave it at that. It can be easier to disentangle when you're doing it while apart. Don't try to stay friends right away. Trying to "be friends" can prolong the agony of a breakup. Most often, it is best to make a clean break and spend time apart. After a time, perhaps three months, perhaps a year or more, when you see one another, it won't hurt as much, and maybe then you can try to be friends with a clean slate. Even then, be sensitive and respectful about what your ex needs––they may need more time than you. If that's the case, don't just foist yourself on the ex in an attempt to become friends some time later. If your ex asks "Can we still be friends?", say, "No, we can't still be friends. For now, though, I think it's best we just let things end." If pressed, say, "Look, we started out as friends and went past that. To be friends, we'd have to go back, and frankly, I don't want to go back. We need to go forward now. That means we need to put some space between our broken relationship and any new relationship we might form. Let's take a break, take some time, and give each other the space we need to heal and move on. At some later point, when we meet again, we might be able to put our anger aside and be friendly. Let's leave it at that." However, make this the last contact between you two. Make the break final with no further contact ever. If there are mutual friends that are shared by the both of you, inform them of the breakup and also inform them that you will not appear at any functions that your ex-lover will be present at and if that means they have to choose sides, so be it. Take some time to deal with your loss. Sure, you're the one who did the breaking up, but in most cases, that doesn't mean you want to have a night on the town to celebrate your new freedom. What people don't understand is that the person who did the breaking up is often in just as much pain as the person who was dumped. In some cases, the person who does the breaking up feels even more pain, because he may also be plagued with feelings of guilt, even if they knew it was the right thing to do. After the break-up, take some time to yourself to re-evaluate your life and think about what you can do to be happy in the future. It's okay if you want to spend a week or two crying, writing in your journal, and just holing up in bed. But after that, it'll be time to get out in the world again and to slowly start to get back into the swing of things. Calling a good friend in your time of need can make you feel better. Going out to the clubs to get obliterated off alcohol the night after your breakup probably won't make you feel better. (Alcohol has the effect of intensifying emotions, good or bad, so it could actually make a lot worse.) Enjoy your post-relationship life. After a few weeks, or a few months have passed, you will slowly start to enjoy your life again. By now, you and your ex should have separated your things and have found a way to avoid each other, which should already be helping the healing process. Once you're starting to feel like yourself again, you should take pleasure in your friendships and your close relationship with your family, and pursue your old hobbies as well as pick up some new interests. If you want to start feeling like your old self, you should avoid doing the things that you and your ex loved to do together for a while, whether it's going hiking in your favorite spot or having drinks at a certain bar. Make some changes. To feel new, rearrange your furniture, clean your car, and pick up a new hobby you've never done before, such as volleyball or art class. | Make sure you want to end the relationship. Make your decision with a clear head. Choose your time and place wisely. Make sure to end the relationship in person (under most circumstances). Be firm about breaking up. Be honest but not cruel. Be prepared for a bad reaction. Establish concrete boundaries for your future interaction. Know when to walk away. Don't try to stay friends right away. Take some time to deal with your loss. Enjoy your post-relationship life. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Ride-a-Horse-on-the-Beach | How to Ride a Horse on the Beach | Riding a horse on the beach can be great fun, but search online first to make sure the beach you want to go to allows horses. Try to ride in the early morning or during weekdays when there aren't so many people about to distract your horse. If your horse isn't used to riding on the beach, ride with other horses who are used to the beach, which will help keep it calm. You should also wear light clothes that you don't mind getting wet, even if you don't plan to go in the water, in case your horse splashes in the sea. If you have light stirrups, you should use them on the beach or ride bareback to avoid getting stuck if your horse falls in the water. | Find seasoned horses to ride with. Give your horse a calming influence for beach riding by finding other riders who frequent the beach. If it's your horse's first or second time riding on the beach, being with other confident horses helps keep your horse calm. This is very helpful because many horses are afraid of the ocean the first time they see it. Choose a time of day with few beachgoers. Horses become alarmed if there are a lot of people and noises in a concentrated area. Going to the beach when there are few people is best. Not only does this minimize your horse's exposure to stimulation, but it minimizes how many obstacles your horse has if it gets loose. A spooked horse is a hazard to itself and other beachgoers. Go to the beach in the early morning or late evening, or on weekdays. Avoid going to a popular beach in the middle of the day on a weekend. Go at low tide. Horses don't usually like to go directly into the water, especially on one of their first beach trips. Choose a time of day when the waves are low, usually at low tide. Low tide also helps because it usually reveals a strip of firm sand that is good for horses to walk on. It also helps to go on a day that isn't windy because it minimizes waves. Direct your horse slowly into the water. If it is one of your first times to ride your horse on the beach, your horse is likely a bit afraid of the water. Let your horse get acclimated to the beach before urging it into the sea. Try riding your horse in circles in the sand, getting closer to the water each time around. If it is your first time, your horse may not want to go near the water at all. It may take several trips before you can urge your horse into the water. Steady your horse. Be patient with a nervous horse and don't force it into the water. Once your horse seems ok with going into the sea, go at a slow walk. Horses sometimes get knocked off balance when waves hit their legs, so be ready to steady your horse with the reins and your legs. If your horse puts his nose down in the water like they are going to roll, discourage this by pulling up their head and urging them forward with your legs. If your horse wants to roll in the shallow water and you don't mind getting wet, you can let them roll. Just be careful to get out of the way. Wear clothes and tack that can get wet. For your part, avoid wearing riding boots or anything that gets heavy or damaged when wet (like leather). Instead, wear light clothes you don't mind getting wet in. As for your horse, you may want to ride bareback. If you do use a saddle, make sure the stirrups are easy to get out of. Using light stirrups is necessary for getting out quickly in case of a difficult situation in the water. Don't forget your riding helmet. Care for your horse after the beach ride. When you get home, do a few things to refresh your horse. Rub it down with clean water to wash away salt water and sand. Clean any scratches and cuts because salt water contains microbes that can cause infection. Feed your horse small amounts of oats and hay over a few hours after they have cooled down. Also be sure to immediately wipe down and dry out any leather that got wet. Rub on a conditioner for leather. Learn to control your horse at home. Before setting off to the beach, make sure your horse responds to your commands at home or in the arena. If your horse won't listen to you at home, it certainly won't listen when surrounded by the many sounds of the waves, other people, or other horses. Use short commands like “whoa” and “walk.” Use a calm but firm tone of voice. Horses will not answer to anger or shouting. Get your horse used to walking through water. Before overwhelming your horse with a large amount of water at the beach, try getting them used to water at home. If you have trails nearby, find one with a rushing stream. Practice walking your horse through this small amount of water. Creeks are also excellent water areas to test your horse out on. Approach the creek or stream carefully, urging them to cross slowly. If your horse gets spooked, don't force them to go into the water. Just keep exposing them to it. Bring fresh water and a bucket. At the beach, you need to be prepared to keep your horse hydrated and fed. Bring your own source of water since ocean water is salt water. You also don't know what kind of access to water you will find at different beaches. Also pack fresh hay for your horse to munch on. If your horse is rewarded while at the beach, they will start to associate the beach with good things. Leave the halter on under the bridle. If you're riding bareback at the beach, you need a way to lead your horse. Leaving on the halter under the bridle with a lead rope you can easily attach allows you to keep tabs on your horse when you're not on it. Also use split reins so that the horse doesn't trip while swimming. Shoe the horse properly. Make sure that you shoe the horse's feet properly and then check their feet carefully after you get home. Sand can wear away hoof tissue in a big way. You may even want to put boots on your horse. Remove and wash any leg wraps or boots after you get home. Find public beaches that allow horses. Not all beaches allow horses. In fact, many of them don't allow horses at all. Look up local beaches online to read about their rules. You can also try calling a local beach and talking to the rangers about your desire to ride a horse on the beach. Some beaches section off areas where horses can ride. Many beaches require a permit to ride a horse on the beach. In Florida, some permit seekers have to take a brief training course on protected species. In Florida, there is no requirement that you clean up your horse's waste. Investigate permit requirements. Once you locate a beach that allows horseback riding, find out what permits you need. The rules may be different depending on what type of rider you are. Riders who live by a beach and intend to ride often may need to take a training class. Riders who only want a permit for a day may not need a class. In St. John's county in Florida, for example, there are three permit levels: master, general class 1, and general class 2. You may have to watch a training video, take a quiz, and sign an application. Choose a beach with ample parking. Make sure the beach you find has a lot of room for parking. You need to be able to park your horse trailer. Parking lots with spots for boats, like you see at marinas, are useful for this. Use a beach with low waves at first. Try to choose a beach with low waves, especially when you first start riding your horse at the beach. High waves can be loud and disconcerting for a horse. Low waves are much easier for them to handle. If you can't find a beach with low waves, at least go at low tide and on a day that isn't windy. Ride on sand instead of pebbles. Horses need a firm surface to ride on. Try to find a beach with sand instead of rocks and pebbles. You may be able to find boots for horses if you can't find a sandy beach. Rent a horse. If you don't have your own horse for beach riding, you can go to a horseback riding company and pay to ride one on the beach. Many cities in coastal areas have companies that offer trainers and horses for a beach riding experience. This is especially useful if you live far away from an ocean beach. Some companies will offer you the full experience for a little over $100. | Find seasoned horses to ride with. Choose a time of day with few beachgoers. Go at low tide. Direct your horse slowly into the water. Steady your horse. Wear clothes and tack that can get wet. Care for your horse after the beach ride. Learn to control your horse at home. Get your horse used to walking through water. Bring fresh water and a bucket. Leave the halter on under the bridle. Shoe the horse properly. Find public beaches that allow horses. Investigate permit requirements. Choose a beach with ample parking. Use a beach with low waves at first. Ride on sand instead of pebbles. Rent a horse. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Remove-a-Quick-Weave | How to Remove a Quick Weave | A quick weave can be a great temporary style, but you'll want to carefully remove yours after about 4 weeks. To break down the glue, you'll need olive oil, baby oil, dish soap, or a shampoo or oil designed for removing quick weave. First, rub your product into each weft that you glued directly onto your hair. Then, cover your hair with a shower cap and leave it for 1 hour. After that, rub the wefts to loosen them and slowly pull them off. Apply more product to the edges of your cap and slowly lift it away from your head. Once you've removed the wefts and cap, use some more product to break down any leftover glue from your hair and scalp and comb it out. Finally, wash your hair thoroughly with a glue-removing shampoo to leave it feeling fresh again. | Choose an oil to apply to your quick weave. You can purchase hair oils or shampoos that are designed for loosening and removing quick weaves. Buy these at your local beauty supply store. If you don't want to buy a new product, check your home for oil-based products you can use, such as: Conditioner Oil, such as almond, olive, coconut, or baby oil Dish soap Apply the oil to each hair weft. If your oil comes in a bottle, you may be able to spray it onto the base of each hair weft. If you're using something that didn't come in a spray bottle, such as conditioner or oil, squirt or pour a little of it into a bowl. Then dip your fingers into it and spread it directly onto the hair weft where it meets your scalp or the cap. You can protect your clothes by wearing a plastic cape or a grocery bag over your body. Keep in mind that oil stains can be hard to remove from clothing. Since you're dealing with messy oil, consider wearing an old t-shirt while you remove the quick weave. Cover your hair with a shower cap and leave it on for 1 hour. Put on a shower cap or nylon cap to keep the oily hair wefts from getting into your face. Leave the cap on for 1 hour to give the oil a chance to loosen the hair weft glue. Remove the shower cap and rub the wefts attached to your hair. Take off the shower or nylon cap after the wefts have soaked. Then use your fingers to rub the wefts that you glued directly onto your hair. Rubbing should loosen the wefts so they start to slide down. If the weft feels dry or isn't moving very much, spread or spray a little more oil product onto it. After you apply the oil a second time, wait an additional 30 minutes before you try to work it again. Pull off the wefts that are attached to your hair. Gently tug the hair weft down and away from your hair. Pull it completely away from your hair and continue to remove the individual hair wefts that aren't attached to the cap. If you're having trouble pulling away the hair wefts, saturate them with more oil product and let it sit for another 30 minutes before you try again. Spray the edges of the cap with oil and massage it. Once you've removed the individual hair wefts that made up the top of your hair, spray or spread more oil to the edges of the cap. You should also be massaging and rubbing the edges of the cap, so it begins to slide off. You'll damage your natural hair if you pull off the cap without loosening it first. In some cases, the damage can be severe and even result in bald patches or alopecia. Take your time and allow the cap to loosen. Continue to spray the cap with oil and lift it away. Massage towards the center of the cap and keep applying oil with your hands. More and more of the cap will loosen and come away from your scalp. You should now be able to completely remove the cap with the hair wefts attached to it. You can save the cap with the wefts to reapply or discard it. Some caps, especially stocking caps, will be ripped or damaged after the removal process. If this happens, remove the wefts from the cap, then throw the cap away. After you shampoo and condition the wefts, you can reuse them with a new cap. Apply oil directly to the glue spots to loosen the glue. Use your fingers to work the oil into your hair. Let it sit for about 30 minutes, then gently pull your fingers or a comb through your hair to remove the glue. After you get out as much glue as possible, move on to washing your hair. You can use the same oil you used to remove the wefts and cap. Rub glue removing shampoo onto the glue. Purchase a glue removing product that's designed to dissolve glue that's attached to your natural hair. You can buy these online or at local beauty supply stores. Squirt some of the shampoo onto your scalp and massage it into your scalp and natural hair. The amount of glue removing shampoo you'll need will depend on how much glue is left in your hair. If you can't find glue removing shampoo, use a clarifying shampoo. This will remove buildup and all of the oil you used to remove the hair wefts. Comb your hair with a plastic comb and rinse out the shampoo. While the glue removing shampoo is in your hair, take a plastic wide-tooth comb and gently pull it through your hair to catch any large pieces of dried glue. Then rinse the product out of your hair with warm water. It's important to use a wide-tooth comb instead of a fine-tooth comb since the fine-tooth comb can pull and tear your hair. Shampoo]] your hair with your usual shampoo and rinse it out. Get your hair wet and massage your standard shampoo through your hair. Once you've rubbed it into your hair for a few minutes, rinse the shampoo out with warm water. This will remove any traces of oil that were left in your hair from removing the hair wefts. Condition your hair to keep it healthy and moisturized. Since the glue remover and shampoo may have dried out your hair, work some of your favorite conditioner through your hair. Comb the conditioner through your hair to remove as much of the remaining glue as possible. Leave the conditioner in your hair for at least a few minutes and then rinse it out. If your hair still feels dry, consider using a deep conditioner that you leave on for up to an hour. You can also rub a little coconut or argan oil through your hair to add moisture. | Choose an oil to apply to your quick weave. Apply the oil to each hair weft. Cover your hair with a shower cap and leave it on for 1 hour. Remove the shower cap and rub the wefts attached to your hair. Pull off the wefts that are attached to your hair. Spray the edges of the cap with oil and massage it. Continue to spray the cap with oil and lift it away. Apply oil directly to the glue spots to loosen the glue. Rub glue removing shampoo onto the glue. Comb your hair with a plastic comb and rinse out the shampoo. Shampoo]] your hair with your usual shampoo and rinse it out. Condition your hair to keep it healthy and moisturized. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Recognize-and-Prevent-Lymphatic-Filariasis | How to Recognize and Prevent Lymphatic Filariasis | To recognize lymphatic filariasis, consider if you've spent a long time in a sub-tropical or tropical climate, which is where the disease can be contracted. Next, check for swelling or a build-up of fluid in the legs, arms, breasts, or genitals. You may also notice breathing problems, like gasping or coughing. See your doctor as soon as you notice any symptoms, since lymphatic filariasis is a contagious disease. In order to prevent lymphatic filariasis, wash your skin daily with soap and water. Additionally, protect yourself against mosquito bites at night by using a net over your bed, since the disease is spread by mosquitoes. | Recognize lymphedema. Because the parasite infection damages the lymph system, the most common symptom is lymphedema–fluid buildup and swelling. This usually occurs in the leg or legs, but can also occur in one or both arms, breasts, and the genitalia. Lymphedema will make the affected area feel puffy, heavy, and swollen; sometimes pressing the skin will leave a small dent due to the fluid buildup. If you experience lymphedema, you should absolutely see your doctor; you can also try to minimize symptoms by: Elevating and exercising the swollen limb to improve the movement of fluids. Washing the affected area with soap and water daily to avoid skin infections. Using antibacterial or antifungal cream as needed, and properly disinfecting any wounds. Washing, disinfecting, and using fungal creams are meant to reduce infection of the affected leg. The swelling decreases circulation to the skin, so there is more risk for infection. Identify elephantiasis. With a poorly functioning lymphatic system, it's also harder for your body to fight infections. Bacteria can more frequently infect the skin, especially the damaged skin of areas suffering from lymphedema. Over time this causes hardening and thickening of the skin, known as elephantiasis. You can't really prevent lymphedema, but you can try to prevent elephantiasis by warding off skin infections. Keep your skin clean and dry as much as possible and use antibacterial soap on affected areas. Wash your hands regularly. Keep any wounds or cuts in the skin clean and covered until they heal. Check for a swollen scrotum. Men infected with LF may experience swelling in the scrotum. This is also due to fluid buildup, and is called a hydrocele. Sometimes hydroceles can resolve on their own after several months. However, with a poorly functioning lymph system, it likely requires surgical treatment. Look for associated breathing problems. A rare disorder that can be caused by lymphatic filariasis is called pulmonary tropical eosinophilia syndrome. This is a pulmonary disorder (i.e. it affects the lungs), and can cause a persistent cough , shortness of breath, and wheezing or gasping for breath. Those infected usually live in Asia. If you experience these breathing symptoms and have spent time in tropical climates, get tested for LF. Pulmonary tropical eosinophilia syndrome can be diagnosed with a blood test. Blood will show high levels of eosinophils, a certain type of blood cell that increases when your body is exposed to allergens or parasites. You will also have high levels of immunoglobulin E (IgE) and antifilarial antibodies. Know your risk factors. You are at the highest risk for infection if you spend a significant time (months to years) in a tropical or sub-tropical area where the disease is common (or endemic ). The disease is present in over 73 countries in Asia, Africa, the Western Pacific, and some tropical areas of the Caribbean and South America (Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Guyana, and Brazil). Tourists visiting these areas for short times have a low risk of infection, but it's still best to take preventative measures and be aware of symptoms. Remember that symptoms may not develop for years after infection. The majority of people infected with lymphatic filariasis will never develop symptoms. However, a small number of those infected may start to have symptoms after being infected for years. Even if you haven't lived in an endemic area for years, always consider lymphatic filariasis as a possible cause of symptoms associated with lymphatic dysfunction and severe swelling. Because there are other more common causes of lymphedema, it is important to tell your doctor if you have traveled to endemic areas. Your doctor is unlikely to consider filariasis without you sharing your travel history. Get diagnosed. An infection with lymphatic filariasis will show up on a blood test if a doctor has the equipment to look for the worms under a microscope. The worms are sometimes nocturnal and only circulate in the blood at night, so the blood test has to occur from blood taken at nighttime. However, because symptoms might not occur until years after infection, some patients with LF will have a negative blood test. Other methods of diagnosing LF use blood serum to look for antibodies to the worms, which can be more accurate. Avoid mosquito bites at night. The worms that cause lymphatic filariasis are spread person-to-person through mosquito bites. Avoiding mosquito bites when in endemic areas is the best way to avoid infection, though it generally takes months to years of repeated bites to become infected. Protect yourself at night when mosquitoes are most active. Obtain a mosquito net for your bed to limit the pests' access to you while you sleep. If possible, sleep in an air-conditioned room with closed windows. Plan your outdoor activities for when the sun is up. The mosquitoes that transmit LF usually bite between dusk and dawn. When possible, limit your time outdoors in endemic areas to after dawn and before dusk – i.e. largely during daytime hours. Cover your skin with clothing. As much as possible, wear long sleeve shirts, long pants, and socks. Cover as much skin as possible to minimize areas for mosquito bites. Use a mosquito repellent on exposed skin. Obtain a natural or chemical mosquito repellent, or make your own at home , and be diligent about using it regularly. Effective repellents usually contain either DEET, icaridin (or picaridin), or the oil of lemon eucalyptus. Apply mosquito repellent outside, away from food, and at least 20 minutes after putting on sunscreen if you're using both. Cover up any rashes, wounds, burns, or cuts before putting on mosquito repellent. Get medicated to avoid infecting others. Those actively infected with LF can take a yearly dose of a medication called diethylcarbamazine (DEC). This drug does not kill all of the worms, but it prevents you from spreading the disease to another person. If you live in North America or another area where LF is not common, your doctor will have to get this medication from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or other agency that deals with rare disorders. The medication is usually well tolerated, with minor possible side effects of dizziness, headache, fever, nausea, or muscle aches. Other treatment options are ivermectin and albendazole. | Recognize lymphedema. Identify elephantiasis. Check for a swollen scrotum. Look for associated breathing problems. Know your risk factors. Remember that symptoms may not develop for years after infection. Get diagnosed. Avoid mosquito bites at night. Plan your outdoor activities for when the sun is up. Cover your skin with clothing. Use a mosquito repellent on exposed skin. Get medicated to avoid infecting others. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Apply-for-Food-Stamps-in-Texas | How to Apply for Food Stamps in Texas | To apply online for food stamps in Texas, make sure you're eligible for the SNAP program, which requires that you're a qualified U.S. citizen, a Texas resident, and that you meet the income limit. Next, go to Your Texas Benefits website and click on “Apply for Benefits.” Register for an account and fill out all fields in sections A through T on the application form. Prepare to provide personal information about you and your family, including social security numbers, housing costs, and bank account information. Finally, read and sign the Statement of Understanding and click submit. | Verify that you meet the eligibility requirements for SNAP. Applicants must be qualified United States citizens, reside in the state of Texas, and generate low monthly income. Families must meet the following maximum monthly income limits: One family member: $1,619 maximum monthly income Two family members: $2,191 maximum monthly income Three family members: $2,763 maximum monthly income Four family members: $3,3335 maximum monthly income Five family members: $3,907 maximum monthly income Additional family members: $572 per month Navigate to the Your Texas Benefits website at https://www.yourtexasbenefits.com/ssp/SSPHome/ssphome.jsp and click on “Apply for Benefits. ” Click on “Set up account,” and follow the on-screen instructions to create a username and password for the site. You must register for an account to apply for SNAP online. After you've created an account, the application form will display on-screen. Fill out all required fields in sections A through J on the SNAP application form. You are required to provide personal information for all family members, including names, dates of birth, social security numbers, addresses, marriage and education statuses, and contact information. You are also required to disclose whether your household has any pregnant women or military personnel, and whether any residents need help with job interviews. Fill out all required fields in sections K through T on the SNAP application form. You are required to provide information about existing health insurance policies, medical bills, vehicles owned by family members, bank account information, housing costs, and the amount of income being provided by all family members. Read and sign sections U through W on the SNAP application form. These sections include legal information and the Statement of Understanding, which ensures you understand the rules, policies, and benefits associated with SNAP. Click on “Submit” at the end of the form to submit your online SNAP application to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, which then forwards your information to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Your application will be processed as soon as it is received, and you will receive the Lone Star Card in the mail shortly after your application is approved by the USDA. Verify that you meet the eligibility requirements for SNAP. Applicants must be qualified United States citizens, reside in the state of Texas, and generate low monthly income. Families must meet the following maximum monthly income limits: One family member: $1,619 maximum monthly income Two family members: $2,191 maximum monthly income Three family members: $2,763 maximum monthly income Four family members: $3,3335 maximum monthly income Five family members: $3,907 maximum monthly income Additional family members: $572 per month Visit a Texas Food Bank Network Provider in your local area. A provider will assist you with filling out the SNAP application in person, and provide you with additional information about the SNAP program. Find the location nearest you by visiting the Texas Health and Human Services Commission website at http://www.hhsc.state.tx.us/providers/FACS/FoodBankNetwork/index.html , or by calling 211 or 1-877-541-7905 between the hours of 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Fill out all required fields in sections A through J on the SNAP application form. You are required to provide personal information for all family members, including names, dates of birth, social security numbers, addresses, marriage and education statuses, and contact information. You are also required to disclose whether your household has any pregnant women or military personnel, and whether any residents need help with job interviews. Fill out all required fields in sections K through T on the SNAP application form. You are required to provide information about existing health insurance policies, medical bills, vehicles owned by family members, bank account information, housing costs, and the amount of income being provided by all family members. Read and sign sections U through W on the SNAP application form. These sections provide legal information and the Statement of Understanding, which ensures you understand the rules, policies, and benefits associated with SNAP. Turn in the finished SNAP application to the Texas Food Bank Network Provider. The representative will forward your SNAP application to the USDA. After your application is processed and approved, the USDA will send the Lone Star Card to your residential address. Verify that you meet the eligibility requirements for SNAP. Applicants must be qualified United States citizens, reside in the state of Texas, and generate low monthly income. Families must meet the following maximum monthly income limits: One family member: $1,619 maximum monthly income Two family members: $2,191 maximum monthly income Three family members: $2,763 maximum monthly income Four family members: $3,3335 maximum monthly income Five family members: $3,907 maximum monthly income Additional family members: $572 per month Print out the SNAP application form. This form can be mailed directly to an office that will process and forward your SNAP application to the USDA for review. If you do not have access to a printer, request that the SNAP application be mailed to your residence. Go to the Your Texas Benefits website at https://www.yourtexasbenefits.com/ssp/SSPHome/ssphome.jsp , click on “Get a paper form” at the bottom of the page, then select “Ask to have the forms mailed to you.” Alternately, call 211 or 1-877-541-7905 between the hours of 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through Friday to request a copy of the SNAP application. Fill out all required fields in sections A through J on the SNAP application form. You are required to provide personal information for all family members, including names, dates of birth, social security numbers, addresses, marriage and education statuses, and contact information. You are also required to disclose whether your household has any pregnant women or military personnel, and whether any residents need help with job interviews. Fill out all required fields in sections K through T on the SNAP application form. You are required to provide information about existing health insurance policies, medical bills, vehicles owned by family members, bank account information, housing costs, and the amount of income being provided by all family members. Read and sign sections U through W on the SNAP application form. These sections provide legal information and the Statement of Understanding, which ensures you understand the rules, policies, and benefits associated with SNAP. Send the SNAP application to the nearest Texas Health and Human Services Commission office in your area. After your application is processed and approved, the USDA will have the Lone Star Card sent to your residential address. Obtain the mailing address for the office nearest you by visiting https://www.yourtexasbenefits.com/ssp/SSPHome/ssphome.jsp and clicking on “Find office,” or by calling either 211 or 1-877-541-7905 between the hours of 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. | Verify that you meet the eligibility requirements for SNAP. Navigate to the Your Texas Benefits website at https://www.yourtexasbenefits.com/ssp/SSPHome/ssphome.jsp and click on “Apply for Benefits. Click on “Set up account,” and follow the on-screen instructions to create a username and password for the site. Fill out all required fields in sections A through J on the SNAP application form. Fill out all required fields in sections K through T on the SNAP application form. Read and sign sections U through W on the SNAP application form. Click on “Submit” at the end of the form to submit your online SNAP application to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, which then forwards your information to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Verify that you meet the eligibility requirements for SNAP. Visit a Texas Food Bank Network Provider in your local area. Fill out all required fields in sections A through J on the SNAP application form. Fill out all required fields in sections K through T on the SNAP application form. Read and sign sections U through W on the SNAP application form. Turn in the finished SNAP application to the Texas Food Bank Network Provider. Verify that you meet the eligibility requirements for SNAP. Print out the SNAP application form. Fill out all required fields in sections A through J on the SNAP application form. Fill out all required fields in sections K through T on the SNAP application form. Read and sign sections U through W on the SNAP application form. Send the SNAP application to the nearest Texas Health and Human Services Commission office in your area. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Treat-Tick-Bites | How to Treat Tick Bites | Start treating a tick bite by removing the tick with a pair of tweezers, and pulling out any part of the tick that remains in the skin. Then, wash the bite area thoroughly with soap and water, and save the tick in a plastic bag or a jar in case you need to identify it later. Cover the wound with a clean bandage, and let it heal for 2-3 days. If the area becomes swollen, tender, or red, seek medical care as soon as possible, and bring the tick to the doctor for testing. | Grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible with a pair of tweezers. Get the tips as close to the bottom of the tick as possible so it does not break when you pull it out. Pull upward with firm, even force. Use even pressure to pull the tick gently out of the skin. Don't twist, jerk, or yank on the tick or you could break the mouth off inside your skin. Think of smoothly pulling back and arrow on a bow. Do not resort to force if the tick doesn't come out easily. Try your best to remove the tick as gently as possible. Pull out any remaining parts of the tick with tweezers. If the tick's mouth breaks off in your skin, try to gently remove it with the tweezers. However, if you cannot easily get them out then you should leave the bite alone while your skin heals. Do not cover the tick in petroleum jelly or nail polish, or “coax” it out with heat. Simply remove it with tweezers. Wash the bite thoroughly with soap and water. This will prevent infection and keep the wound clean and healthy. Cover the bite with a bandage and let it heal naturally, usually after 2-3 days. If you have it, apply a topical antibacterial cream like Neosporin to clean the bite out. Save the tick’s body for later identification. If you do get sick from the bite, a doctor will likely want to test the tick's body for diseases. Put the body in a dry jar or ziplock bag and throw it in the freezer for identification. Seek medical attention if the bite wound gets infected. Signs include: tenderness, pus, redness, swelling, and red streaks leading from the bite. See a doctor immediately if you have a rash, joint pain, headache, or fever. These are all signs of common tick-borne illnesses. Because these diseases can spread quickly it is best to see a doctor immediately if symptoms arise. If you've save it, bring the body of the tick with you for identification. Know the symptoms of Lyme Disease. Lyme disease is the most common disease transmitted from ticks to humans. Lyme disease can lead to serious muscle, joint and brain impairment if not treated. Symptoms typically begin within 3-30 days of the bite, and include: Red “bulls-eye” rash around the location of the bite. Fever, chills. Joint pain. Swollen lymph nodes. Know the symptoms of Southern Tick Associated Rash Illness (STARI). STARI occurs only in the east coast of America, from the southeastern edge of Nebraska all the way to Maine and Florida. It is transmitted by the lone star tick. Symptoms include: Red rash (2-4 centimeters wide) developing within a week of the tick bite. Fatigue Headache Muscle pains. Know the symptoms of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Transmitted by multiple species of tick, this bacterial disease can be fatal if untreated. If you notice any of the following symptoms, get treatment immediately – treatment is most effective if started within 5 days of the infection. Sudden fever and headache. Rash (though many patients never get a rash) Nausea and vomiting. Abdominal pain. Red eyes. Muscle or joint pain. Know the symptoms of Ehrlichiosis. This disease has spread across the United States and South America through multiple species of ticks. When caught early, treatment is usually a simple course of antibiotics. However, left unchecked it can cause serious medical issues. Symptoms include: Fever and chills. Headache. Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea. Confusion or lack of mental clarity. Red eyes. Rash (60% of children, under 30% of adults). Know the symptoms of Tularemia. This disease kills large numbers of rodents and rabbits each year, but is usually treated quickly with antibiotics for humans. Symptoms include: Red, blister-like ulcer at the bite site. Irritated and inflamed eyes. Sore throat, tonsillitis Coughing, chest pain, and difficulty breathing (severe cases). Know common tick-infested areas. Ticks like tall grasses, wooded areas, and shrubs. Walk in the center of hiking trails to avoid brushing up against tick infested areas. Wear long clothing while hiking. Pants and long sleeves can protect your from ever having to deal with tick bites. Tuck your pants into your socks or boots to prevent them from crawling up under your clothes. Use insect repellent with 20-30% DEET on exposed skin. This is the most effect barrier against tick bites. Avoiding the noise, eyes, and mouth, spray your skin with DEET every 2-3 hours to avoid bites. If you can't use DEET, some naturalists swear by 2-3 drops of strong smelling Rose Geranium oil as a natural repellent. Coat clothes, tents and equipment in 5% permethrin. This chemical is too toxic to put directly on the skin, but it creates a barrier against ticks that lasts through up to 5-6 washings. Clothes that are advertised as “tick-repellent” are coated in permethrin. Never apply permethrin directly to your skin. Bath or shower shortly after returning indoors. Many ticks will be on your body for several hours before biting. Wash off with soap and water to remove them and easily see if any have already bitten you. Use a mirror or a friend to check your entire body for ticks. Ticks can get into clothing and bite you anywhere, so be sure to check under the arms, behind the ears and knees, and in any hair. Perform this check as soon after leaving the woods as possible. Tumble dry your clothes on high-heat to kill ticks. Any ticks trapped in your clothing will die in the drier. Using high heat, dry your clothes for at least an hour to get rid of any remaining ticks. | Grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible with a pair of tweezers. Pull upward with firm, even force. Pull out any remaining parts of the tick with tweezers. Do not cover the tick in petroleum jelly or nail polish, or “coax” it out with heat. Wash the bite thoroughly with soap and water. Save the tick’s body for later identification. Seek medical attention if the bite wound gets infected. See a doctor immediately if you have a rash, joint pain, headache, or fever. Know the symptoms of Lyme Disease. Know the symptoms of Southern Tick Associated Rash Illness (STARI). Know the symptoms of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Know the symptoms of Ehrlichiosis. Know the symptoms of Tularemia. Know common tick-infested areas. Wear long clothing while hiking. Use insect repellent with 20-30% DEET on exposed skin. Coat clothes, tents and equipment in 5% permethrin. Never apply permethrin directly to your skin. Bath or shower shortly after returning indoors. Use a mirror or a friend to check your entire body for ticks. Tumble dry your clothes on high-heat to kill ticks. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Spray-Paint-Plastic | How to Spray Paint Plastic | Before you spray paint plastic, wash the piece with soapy water to remove any dust or dirt that could prevent the paint from sticking to the plastic. When the item is completely dry, use a piece of fine-grit sandpaper to lightly sand the entire surface you'll be painting. When you're ready to paint, shake the can of spray paint well, then hold the can 12 to 18 inches from the plastic object and spray a light coat of paint, sweeping the can back and forth as you spray. Let the coat dry for up to 30 minutes before adding a second coat. | Clean the plastic. For small items, fill a sink with warm water and add a teaspoon (5 ml) of liquid dish soap. Wash the item in the sink using a cloth. For larger items, fill a bucket with soap and water. Soak a sponge or cloth in the soapy water and use the sponge to clean the item. Cleaning is a must before you paint any surface, because it will remove dust, dirt, and other particles that could prevent the paint from adhering. Rinse and dry the item. After cleaning, rinse the item with clean water to remove dirt and soap residue. Pat the item dry with a towel or cloth to absorb excess water. Leave the item to air dry for at least 10 minutes, or until all the water has evaporated. Sand the surface. When the item is completely dry, use 120-grit sandpaper to scuff the entire surface of the plastic. Sanding will rough up the surface slightly, and this will give the paint something to stick to. Sanding is especially important if the item you're painting was previously painted. Remove as much of the original paint as possible with the sandpaper. Wipe the surface. Use a microfiber, lint-free, or tack cloth to wipe down the plastic. This will remove dirt, dust, and plastic particles from sanding. Leftover dust and other debris on the surface will prevent the paint from sticking to the surface, because the paint will land on the dust particles rather than the plastic. Take the project outside if possible. Spray paint is dangerous to inhale, and the overspray and dust can easily land on nearby surfaces. Take the item you want to spray paint outside when possible, such as when the temperature is mild, when there's no precipitation, and when it's a calm day. The ideal temperature range for spray painting is between 64 and 77 F (18 and 25 C). The ideal humidity for spray painting is between 40 and 50 percent. Even if you're painting outdoors, pick a shady spot, if possible. If you paint in direct sunlight, the paint might dry too quickly, which can cause it to peel. When you can't spray paint outside, take the project to a shed or garage if possible. Ventilate indoor areas. Inhaling spray paint is bad for your health. To protect yourself, open windows, doors, and turn on exhaust vents when you must work inside. Don't turn on any fans, as these will just blow the paint around. Invest in an activated carbon mask if you work with spray paint often. This will protect your lungs and keep you safe from the health problems associated with spray paint exposure. Make a DIY spray paint booth. A spray paint booth protects surrounding areas from overspray, and protects the painted item from dust and dirt when it's still wet. For smaller projects, you can make your own simple spray paint booth with a box and a pair of scissors: Find a box that's larger than the items you're spray painting Cut off the flaps that form the lid Lay the box on its side with the opening facing you Cut off the top panel Leave the bottom, side, and back panels of the box in place Place the item in the center of the bottom panel Cover surrounding areas. For larger projects, you may not be able to make your own spray paint booth. To protect the floor and surrounding areas from overspray, lay out a large drop cloth or piece of cardboard. Place the item in the center of the cloth or cardboard. If you also want to protect the drop cloth from excess paint, lay down some newspaper over the cloth and place the item on the newspaper. If you're painting outdoors on a windy day, keep in mind that the overspray could travel and get onto other surfaces. Choose the right paint. Different materials require different types of paint, and plastic typically needs a special type of spray paint. The wrong type of paint may blister, bubble, flake, or just won't adhere properly to the surface. Look for spray paints that are specifically formulated for plastic surfaces, or that are suitable for plastics. Companies that make spray paint for plastic include Krylon, Valspar, and Rustoleum. Apply a coat of paint. Shake the can of spray paint. Hold the can 12 to 18 inches (30 to 46 cm) from the object. Aim the nozzle at the object and press down. As you spray, sweep the can back and forth over the object in a vertical or horizontal motion to apply a thin and even coat to the surface. Avoid pointing the nozzle directly, at a single spot, as this will make for an uneven application. Instead, keep the can in motion as you spray. Let the coat dry. Spray paint typically requires anywhere from eight to 30 minutes to dry. After applying the first coat, let the paint dry before applying a second coat, or before turning the item over to paint the other side. Consult the manufacturer's directions on the can for exact drying times with the paint you're using. Apply a second coat. Most items will benefit from at least two coats of spray paint. When the first coat has had time to dry, apply a second coat. Use the same side to side or up and down sweeping motion as you spray to ensure a thin and even coat. When the second coat has been applied, give the paint up to 30 minutes to dry before assessing whether it needs another coat, or before painting the other side. Repeat on all sides. Some objects have a bottom or other side that won't be accessible when you're applying the initial coats of paint. When the final coat has had time to dry, turn the object over. Apply two coats of spray paint using the same technique, giving the paint up to 30 minutes to dry between coats. Let the paint cure. Paint generally has a drying time and a curing time. While spray paint dries in about 30 minutes, it needs about three hours to cure. Once you've applied the final coat of spray paint, let the item dry for at least three hours before using it normally again. With spray painted furniture, for instance, don't sit in the chair as soon as it's dry. Instead, wait a few hours so the paint can fully cure. The drying time is how long it takes for the paint to be dry to the touch. The curing time, on the other hand, is how long it takes for the paint molecules to fully bond and harden. | Clean the plastic. Rinse and dry the item. Sand the surface. Wipe the surface. Take the project outside if possible. Ventilate indoor areas. Make a DIY spray paint booth. Cover surrounding areas. Choose the right paint. Apply a coat of paint. Let the coat dry. Apply a second coat. Repeat on all sides. Let the paint cure. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Become-a-Clown | How to Become a Clown | To become a clown, look the part by wearing a colorful wig, brightly-colored shirts and pants, bow ties, and oversized shoes. You should also do clown makeup by painting your face entirely white and then painting exaggerated features back on, like bold, black eyebrows, bright red lips, and red cheeks. Also, come up with a clown name and persona for your performances. Then, create your performance, which can include things like balloon making, magic tricks, dancing, and juggling. | Wear a colorful wig. Many clowns wear wigs over their real hair. Be sure to try on your wig at the costume shop to make sure it fits. Clowns often have rainbow-colored wigs. Wear a brightly colored printed shirt with big buttons. Wear something that fits your style, matches your outfit, and looks a little bit outrageous. Feel free to layer a bright jacket or blazer over your shirt, too. Find one at either a costume shop or a thrift store. Wear oversize pants or overalls. Clowns often wear very bright colors and prints. They also wear a lot of primary colors. Choose pants that match your current ensemble. Buy these at a costume shop. Pajama pants will also work! Choose a bow tie or traditional tie in bright colors. Nothing is too loud or too outrageous for a clown outfit. Really large ties tend to look best on clowns because the rest of their outfits are already oversized. Wear elaborate socks. You can choose any pattern of sock as long as you think that it goes with the rest of your outfit. Tuck your pants into your socks if you really like your socks to show them off. Wear oversized shoes. A typical clown wears enormous shoes that are bright and shiny. Look for a pair of these at a costume shop. Wear a class red “clown nose.” Not all clowns need red noses, but a red nose instantly identifies you as a clown. Buy some spare noses at a costume shop, too. Allow 30 to 45 minutes to do your makeup. Set up your materials. You will need a thick white cream base, red and black face paint, as well as your desired colors for your own specific patterns and designs. You will also need both thick and thin makeup brushes, as well as a sponge. Wash your face. Make sure it is free of any other makeup. Moisturize your skin with a light face cream. Paint the base of your face entirely white. Make the coat of white base thick and even. Use both the sponge and the thick makeup brush. Cover your eyebrows. Put on a headband to hold your hair back. Paint your neck and ears white, too. Make sure that there is no white skin showing on your head and neck. Draw back on your eyebrows with black face paint using a thin brush. Draw them above where your typical eyebrows would be, about halfway between your real eyebrows and your hairline. Outline them first with a black eyeliner pencil, and then fill them in. Make them more larger, longer, more arched, and more expressive than your normal eyebrows so that you look happier. Paint your lips red. Again, draw a more exaggerated, larger lip shape than you actually have. Outline your lips in black first and then paint them in red. You can paint your lips into a smile or into a sad face, if you choose. Add your own details. All clowns have their own styles. Look at various pictures of clowns and pick out the clown makeup details that interest you most. Here are some examples: painted triangles either above or below the eyes, outlined in black with a dot at the point of the triangle farthest from the eye red circular cheeks exaggerated eyeshadow that extends to the eyebrow freckles in bright colors fake tears Create a clown persona. Get to know your clown's character. Is your clown persona extroverted, shy, goofy? What kinds of tricks do you want to do as a clown? A shy clown probably would not do showy magic tricks, and a goofy clown probably would not have makeup with fake tears on it. Make sure that your clown has a distinctive character. Many clowns often improvise when they're onstage; practice your improvisation while you're exploring your clown's character. Create a name for your clown persona. Many clowns have their own names that they use for professional purposes. This name sometimes ends in “o,” such as “Bozo” or “Cheeko.” Think about your name carefully, because you will use it to market yourself for gigs. Acquire clown accessories. Clowns always have tricks up their sleeves, from balloon animals to card tricks to handkerchiefs for juggling. Here are some examples of things you might want in your own clown arsenal. Balloons and balloon pumper for making balloon animals Handkerchiefs for juggling Fake thumb tips “Magic change bags” (for turning something into something else) Silk scarves A “trick” deck of cards Create your performance. Clowns aim to be funny and also tend to do different tricks throughout their acts. Whether you want to make balloon animals, juggle, perform magic, mime, or do a comedic routine, your act will ultimately be a performance. You can also consider humor, especially slapstick humor, when creating your act. When people see clowns, they want to laugh and be entertained. Watch videos of successful clowns (either at the circus or doing freelance work) to see what fits your style and persona. Practice your tricks. Practice in front of the mirror with your costume and makeup done. Make your card tricks and balloon animals flawless so that you can focus on other aspects of your performance. Practice your performance for a small audience. Gather a group of people you know and trust to evaluate your clown performance. If you know any other people who clown, ask them to critique your performance. Practice your performance as though it is the “real thing” and ask them to write down comments for you on ways to improve it and things that are working well. Here are some questions you can ask them: What in my performance was funny? What was not funny? What was impressive in terms of tricks? Did the performance “drag” in any places? What did you like about my performance? What did you dislike? Overall, did it feel too long or too short? Did anything look unpolished? Attend clown college. Spend 8 weeks learning about the process of being a clown. You will receive training to develop your clowning skills. You will also receive professional development; after the end of the 8 weeks, the college will facilitate your auditions for different circuses, if you would like. Join a clown organization. Many groups, like the World Clown Association, exist for the purpose of supporting aspiring clowns. Explore the resources that a clown organization can offer to you, whether it might be mentorship from an older or more experienced clown or a tutorial on how to do makeup more effectively. Many of these resources are available only to members. Decide what kind of work you want to pursue as a clown. Many clowns start out in the world of freelancing, but, eventually, clowns either focus on freelance work or try to start performing with a circus. Decide which of these options is for you. Do you want to stay in one place to do freelance work, or would you travel with a circus? Freelance clowns have more flexibility in their schedules, but they do need to market themselves extensively so that they keep getting gigs. If you are an established circus clown, it may be easier to get more freelance gigs. Consider joining a circus for a couple of years and then settling into freelance work. Circus clowns need to audition and travel with the circus. However, unlike freelance clowns, they do receive health benefits. Many people cannot be circus clowns for their entire careers because the travelling is challenging. Circus clowns may do 500 shows in one calendar year! Master in-demand clowning skills. Focus on skills that people typically want from clowns. Getting really good at these skills will allow you to give your customers what they want. Here are some typical clown “acts” that people love to see: Balloon animals Small pranks (such as squirting water from a flower) Basic magic (pulling a rabbit out of a hat) Slapstick humor Juggling Small acrobatics Market yourself. Create business cards with your contact information, clown name, and photo. Write down your specialties, such as birthday parties, magic tricks, or slapstick humor. Make flyers with this information on them and hang them up in public places (such as coffee shops, restaurants, and toy stores). Perform for free. Offer to do a friend's child's birthday party free of charge. Many clowns succeed because of word of mouth. If you offer to do one birthday party for free, you might get three more offers from parents at the party. You can also set yourself up on a street corner to perform for tips. Put business cards out for people to take. Make sure that it is legal in your area to perform on the street. Sometimes clowning on the street for tips is a great way to meet new people and practice your performance. Ask friends to recommend you to their friends. Freelance work is all about growing a network. Ask friends, family, coworkers, and neighbors to help you get more clients and gigs. Make sure that you give them multiple business cards of yours so that they can hand them out to others. Decide on your rate. As you become a more experienced and sought-after clown, you can definitely increase your rate. In the beginning, though, choose a rate that covers all the costs of your performance (such as balloons and transportation) plus a small amount that will increase as you become more experienced. Initially, charge about $100 per hour. More experienced or sought-after clowns can push as much as $500 per hour. Go to circus school. In addition to clown college, you might find it beneficial to enroll in circus school. Circus school will give you a background in a number of different disciplines, including aerial arts, ground skills, physical theatre, and dance. You might find these skills useful as a clown who plans to audition for the circus. Do a couple of freelance gigs. Try to get some more minor gigs--like birthday parties or festivals--before you audition for the circus. Practice your skills and performance. In particular, circuses look for a good sense of body language, comedic timing, improvisation, and special skills, such as gymnastics or juggling. Every circus will look for a different amount of experience and slightly different skills. Be prepared to travel extensively. If you choose to join the circus, you will need to travel with the circus, wherever it goes. Make sure your family knows about your plans. Make arrangements for any pets that you have. Determine if you want to keep paying rent or terminate your lease. Audition for the circus. Look online to find job openings at different circuses. Look into the big circuses, such as Cirque du Soleil and the Ringling Bros. & Barnum and Bailey, but also don't be afraid to begin your career with a smaller circus. If you've taken classes or known other clowns, ask them if they know of upcoming job opportunities. Apply for every job you think you could do. Although there are many job openings in circus careers, having options is still good. If you have trouble getting auditions or don't get a job offer, take classes and add more clowning skills to your repertoire. | Wear a colorful wig. Wear a brightly colored printed shirt with big buttons. Wear oversize pants or overalls. Choose a bow tie or traditional tie in bright colors. Wear elaborate socks. Wear oversized shoes. Allow 30 to 45 minutes to do your makeup. Wash your face. Paint the base of your face entirely white. Draw back on your eyebrows with black face paint using a thin brush. Paint your lips red. Add your own details. Create a clown persona. Create a name for your clown persona. Acquire clown accessories. Create your performance. Practice your tricks. Practice your performance for a small audience. Attend clown college. Join a clown organization. Decide what kind of work you want to pursue as a clown. Master in-demand clowning skills. Market yourself. Perform for free. Ask friends to recommend you to their friends. Decide on your rate. Go to circus school. Do a couple of freelance gigs. Be prepared to travel extensively. Audition for the circus. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Cool-Yourself-Down-on-a-Hot-Day | How to Cool Yourself Down on a Hot Day | To cool yourself down internally, start by drinking lots of water, which will make up for hydration you may have lost through sweating. Next, slow down your heart rate by taking deep breaths and sitting or lying as still as possible. When possible, bring your body temperature down with a cold bath or shower. Otherwise, wet your hair with cold water to relieve the heat going to your head, or soak a washcloth and rest it over your neck or wrists to cool your major veins. | Wear clothes that will keep you cool. Linen and cotton are good fabrics for a hot day. Loose clothes are generally better for keeping cool over tight, close-fitting ones, so consider flowing garments. Don't tuck everything in and button everything up. Cover your skin. Long-sleeved shirts made of cotton, hemp and other natural fabrics will help deflect the sun's rays and protect your skin. Wear a hat. A broad-brimmed hat is essential to protect your face and to create some shade over your head. Wear a sarong, for men and women. Pair with shirts, skirts, shorts, Capri pants and trousers. You don't have to show your legs off to keep cool or be cool. For both sexes, you might feel cooler in lighter colors, such as white, pale blue, light green, stone, etc. Keep your feet cool too. Consider wearing sandals that match your outfit. You can even put on some black and white pumps or flats. Flip-flops or sandals are great too. Go barefoot for really cool feet, but be wary about walking on hot surfaces like sand. Avoid boots, obviously! Apply lots of sunscreen throughout the day. The protective function of such lotion only lasts for a few hours and less when you are in water. Reapply frequently for best coverage. Do not rely on it alone, however. Always combine with wearing a hat, long-sleeved clothing and keeping out of the sun during the hottest part of the day. Drink lots of water to regain the water lost due to sweating. Then try drinking a refreshing fruit smoothie. Keep still and quiet. This is not a good time for exercising, sports or running around. Keep these activities for the evening when the air becomes cooler and the sun goes down. Slow the heart rate down first by taking deep breaths. This will be calming and can cool the body. Have a cold shower or bath. Even a small amount of water sprayed or splashed on you can help. Or try a face washer dipped in cold water and held against your face and forehead for instant cooling relief. Wet towels if you need to cool all of your body and wrap your legs, torso and arms with them. Stand or sit in your bath and run the shower over your body and you should feel much cooler. Wet parts of your body. This can be an effective way to bring about instant cool. Some suggestions include: Wash your face and lie down in front of a fan. Set your feet in really cold water. When your feet are cold, your body cools down. Wet your hair with cold water every half an hour. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/8\/89\/Cool-Yourself-Down-on-a-Hot-Day-Step-7.jpg\/v4-460px-Cool-Yourself-Down-on-a-Hot-Day-Step-7.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/8\/89\/Cool-Yourself-Down-on-a-Hot-Day-Step-7.jpg\/aid48675-v4-728px-Cool-Yourself-Down-on-a-Hot-Day-Step-7.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"546","licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\">Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>"} Use a washcloth. Get a washcloth and soak it in cold water. Barely wring it out, and lay it on your neck. Repeat when needed. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/3\/38\/Cool-Yourself-Down-on-a-Hot-Day-Step-14.jpg\/v4-460px-Cool-Yourself-Down-on-a-Hot-Day-Step-14.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/3\/38\/Cool-Yourself-Down-on-a-Hot-Day-Step-14.jpg\/aid48675-v4-728px-Cool-Yourself-Down-on-a-Hot-Day-Step-14.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"546","licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\">Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>"} Every half an hour, you can take a cold wet napkin and put in on your head for about 5 minutes or so. It relieves the heat going to your head - and feels good! {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/8\/80\/Cool-Yourself-Down-on-a-Hot-Day-Step-19.jpg\/v4-460px-Cool-Yourself-Down-on-a-Hot-Day-Step-19.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/8\/80\/Cool-Yourself-Down-on-a-Hot-Day-Step-19.jpg\/aid48675-v4-728px-Cool-Yourself-Down-on-a-Hot-Day-Step-19.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"546","licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\">Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>"} Run the insides of your wrists under cold water. If your major veins are cold or warm, your body is cold/warm. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/c\/cd\/Cool-Yourself-Down-on-a-Hot-Day-Step-15.jpg\/v4-460px-Cool-Yourself-Down-on-a-Hot-Day-Step-15.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/c\/cd\/Cool-Yourself-Down-on-a-Hot-Day-Step-15.jpg\/aid48675-v4-728px-Cool-Yourself-Down-on-a-Hot-Day-Step-15.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"546","licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\">Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>"} Soak a bandanna in cool water and wrap it around your head. Re-wet often, because it will dry fast in the heat. Soak your cap, too. Use ice. Get a bag of ice. Put it on your forehead for 30 minutes. Chew on ice cubes. Its just like drinking water, only colder! {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/e\/ee\/Cool-Yourself-Down-on-a-Hot-Day-Step-17.jpg\/v4-460px-Cool-Yourself-Down-on-a-Hot-Day-Step-17.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/e\/ee\/Cool-Yourself-Down-on-a-Hot-Day-Step-17.jpg\/aid48675-v4-728px-Cool-Yourself-Down-on-a-Hot-Day-Step-17.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"546","licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\">Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>"} Take your washcloth, put ice blocks in it, and put it on your forehead while lying on your back. Try filling a big cup with cold water and then put it in the freezer. Wait until it freezes and then you can take the ice cube out of the cup and dab it where you're sweating or hot. Keep inside or in the shade when the sun is at its height. Don't go outside if you can help it between 11 o'clock and 3 o'clock, as these are the hours during which the sun is at its strongest. Try to get used to the heat. Try to do this without relying on fans too much. That way, you can be more independent of relying on any electrical equipment. This can become very important should there be a summer blackout. Open the windows to let in a breeze. Use screens to keep out insects if they are a problem. Use fans. Fans keep the air circulating and produce a small cooling effect. Place a wet face cloth on the fan to produce a mini air-conditioning effect. Be careful to set the wet cloth only on the outer cage part of the fan so that it cannot be caught by the fan blades. Also do not leave the room without removing the cloth from the fan. Stay in the shade. Read a good book, sit still or take a nap. When you move around, you will get hotter and hotter. Go swimming. If you can, select a shady body of water. Play with water. There are lots of fun ways to use water to keep cool outdoors. Some suggestions include: Consider running through sprinklers. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/3\/3a\/Cool-Yourself-Down-on-a-Hot-Day-Step-11.jpg\/v4-460px-Cool-Yourself-Down-on-a-Hot-Day-Step-11.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/3\/3a\/Cool-Yourself-Down-on-a-Hot-Day-Step-11.jpg\/aid48675-v4-728px-Cool-Yourself-Down-on-a-Hot-Day-Step-11.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"546","licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\">Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>"} Have a water fight with a sibling or friend(s). Having a water gun fight is effective and fun too. Dunk your head in cold water. Pour a bucket of iced water over your head (Instagram ALS ice bucket competition). Have a water balloon fight with your friends. To keep your kids cool, get a paddling pool for them and fill it with cool water. You could also put up an umbrella to keep them in the shade. Grab a companion, a hose, a sprinkler, a water bottle or water gun and flood your yard. Don't do this if you live under water restrictions. Repeatedly spray yourself with cold water from a spray bottle. It keeps you cool and feels good. | Wear clothes that will keep you cool. Cover your skin. Wear a hat. Wear a sarong, for men and women. Keep your feet cool too. Apply lots of sunscreen throughout the day. Drink lots of water to regain the water lost due to sweating. Keep still and quiet. Have a cold shower or bath. Wet parts of your body. Use ice. Keep inside or in the shade when the sun is at its height. Try to get used to the heat. Open the windows to let in a breeze. Use fans. Stay in the shade. Go swimming. Play with water. Repeatedly spray yourself with cold water from a spray bottle. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Become-a-Professional-Storyteller | How to Become a Professional Storyteller | Before you can become a professional storyteller, practice storytelling by volunteering at your local library. If you don't have any events in your local area, ask a cafe if you can host one, or invite a group of friends to your home. Work on speaking confidently and making sure your story has a clear focus on a theme. To improve your technique, ask other storytellers for feedback on your material and presentation style. | Volunteer your storytelling ability whenever you can. Often, the beginning of a professional storytelling career involves many free performances at public events. By volunteering at a local library, community day care, cafe, charity, or other venue, an amateur storyteller can gain the experience needed to perfect their craft and transition into becoming a professional storyteller. As the old saying goes, “Practice makes perfect.” Start a storytelling club or event. If you don't have many events or storytelling venues near you, take the initiative and found your own. Propose the idea to start a public storytelling hour to your local library or coffee shop. Give your story event a theme. For instance, you might open the event up for proposals pertaining to specific themes like romance, adventures on the sea, or troubles with technology. Don't make your theme too specific. For instance, a theme like “my first date” might get a lot of similar stories and be boring for the audience. Set a time limit so you don't get stories that are too long and rambling. Ten minutes is usually a good limit for the average story. Alternately, you could just get your closest friends together in your living room on a Friday or Saturday night and swap stories in a semi-structured way. You could select a specific theme, or you could just provide an open forum for sharing stories. StoryCorps is a podcast which attempts “to preserve and share humanity's stories in order to build connections between people and create a more just and compassionate world.” For the hefty sum of $3,500 per day, you can host a StoryCorps event in your community. (You might consider soliciting public funding or private fundraising to help with the fee.) Interviews can last forty minutes and are added to the Library of Congress archives. They are also available online. Start your own podcast. A podcast is a streaming or downloadable audio interview. Podcasts are a great format for telling your own story or those of others. With some editing, you can incorporate music into your podcast too. Your podcast can be narrow (stories in the history of astronomy) or broad (stories from around the world) in focus. Podcasts can be hard to produce. Get help from a trained sound engineer to record and produce your podcast. As you build your audience, seek local businesses for financial support. Offer them advertising space on your podcast. While you can easily do a simple podcast on your home computer with your built-in microphone and recording software, a good podcast will need to invest in high-quality technology. If conducting interviews over Skype, Pamela is a great program for PC users. A similar program, Ecamm Call Recorder, is available for Mac users. Adobe Audition is a useful program for editing purposes. Attend storytelling clubs and festivals. Storyteller groups host festivals all over the country. Whether you attend festivals or conferences as a participant or as a member of the audience, take advantage of the opportunity to hear other storytellers to hone your own craft and inspire you to find new stories of your own. Conferences are great opportunities to perform or engage in professional development. The largest festival -- the National Storytelling Festival -- takes place each year in Tennessee. Check the National Storytelling Network's calendar at https://storynet.org/calendar/ to search for storytelling events in your area. Read a lot. Read both fiction and nonfiction in a conscious way, thinking about what made a given story memorable. Memoirs are especially useful for helping you think about how to frame your personal experience and regurgitate it as a great story. Read storytelling guides to improve your delivery, learn how to pace your story, and understand what makes a story great. While you might intuitively understand some or all of these storytelling elements already, explicitly recognizing how these elements work in conversation with each other will hone your storytelling skills You probably have lots of questions and issues about becoming a professional storyteller that someone else has already dealt with. Learn from their experiences, avoid their pitfalls, and adopt their paths to success. Solicit feedback. Don't get feedback from any random audience member. Get feedback from people who are professional orators, actors, writers, and storytellers. Ask them what worked and what didn't. Make improvements if their criticisms are well-founded and continuously review your own storytelling style and material to become the best storyteller you can be. Beyond some simple feedback and nurturing, consider getting real coaching from another storyteller. A storyteller coach will tailor their advice to your specific needs and presentation and give concrete steps to help you build your business. Work on your timing. Pause for laughter when something is funny. If you say something that is meant to be funny but falls flat, move on. Use pauses between sentences to give your story a natural, conversational rhythm. Do not speak too fast or you will lose the audience. Remember, storytelling is not a race. Pause before revealing a surprise or a shocking conclusion. If you plan on telling a story and you know you're limited to a certain amount of time, ensure your story is the right length. Do not try to jam a 15 minute story into 8 minutes. Use repetition of a certain action or event to set up a pattern that will later be broken, or drive home feelings of drudgery or disappointment. For instance, if your story is about a person's boring life, don't just say that they walk home “alone, every single day.” Say instead that “They walked home. Alone. Every. Single. Day.” This emphasizes the monotonous, lonely nature of their life. Speak rapidly -- but not so fast that the audience can't understand you -- to describe or depict a sudden, jarring event or action. Work on your timing not only within each story, but between stories as well. If you intend to deliver multiple stories to a class or group of people, follow a longer story with a shorter one, and vice versa. This will give your listeners a chance to mentally rest and reset their attention. Be confident in your delivery. Enunciate clearly and project your voice so that everyone in attendance can hear you. Your delivery should be energetic and memorable. Do not use filler words like “uh,” “anyways,” “you know,” and so on. Keep your head up and eyes forward. It helps to focus your eyes not on any particular member of the audience, but on a point just over the heads of the audience and towards the back of the venue in which you're telling your story. Be authentic when telling your story. Even if the story you tell is fictional, show enthusiasm for the characters and events. Don't be afraid to use unique voices for certain characters. For instance, if your story features a fierce monster, make your voice harsh and scary when reciting the monster's dialogue. If your character(s) are afraid, speak in (audible) whispers, as they would. Getting into character can bring the story to life. Keep your story focused. A good story will revolve around a single well-defined idea, topic, or theme. When developing and practicing your story, ask yourself, “What is this story about?” If you cannot answer concisely in a sentence or two, revise the content of your story to keep it more tightly focused. Your audience should also be able to summarize the main theme or events of the story in a succinct way. If other people who read or hear your story get confused in the telling, you may need to edit the story. For instance, if you rehearse your story in front of a test audience of friends or family and they all have competing and contradictory ideas about what the story is about, you might want to revise the way you tell your story. Examine each part of your story and ask yourself if it adds to the narrative flow. The events of your story should be clear and connect with one another in a logical way. Listen to the advice of others when developing your story. It is important to understand how other people receive and understand your story if it is to be effective and memorable. Soliciting feedback from other writers is especially useful. Use body language to engage your audience. Sharing a story well requires a total physical and mental commitment on the part of the storyteller. The amount of physicality you include in your storytelling varies with the content and style of the story. Incorporating physical movement into your storytelling enhances the experience. For instance, if you're telling a story about a big bird, you might say, “Then the bird swooped down from its nest.” While saying this, you might raise your hand high above your head and bend it at the wrist in a ninety degree angle. You could then move the hand across and down your body at a forty-five degree angle and elongate the long “O” sound in “swooped.” This would add an exciting physical dimension to the story and help the audience visualize what it was like to see the bird swooping down from its perch. Don't over-perform your story. A storyteller is not an actor. Always keep your body language appropriate and relevant to the tone and style of the story. Don’t quit your day job too soon. Working as a storyteller can be difficult: work might be rare or periodical at times and unless you are highly sought-after, it might be hard to support yourself with your storytelling income. Work part-time as a storyteller and keep your full-time job until you're well-established. Set some benchmarks to help you decide when you should make the move from part-time to full-time storytelling. For example, you might decide that if you make $1,500 each month from your storytelling, you can become a full-time storyteller. A supportive spouse or partner who contributes to the household income can make it easier for you to take the necessary risk which becoming a full-time storyteller entails. Keep enough money in the bank to carry you through lean times. Maintain at least six months' worth of funds. Build a web presence. Start by building a social media presence on Facebook, Twitter, and the like. As you get more experience and start to develop your business, contract a web designer for your own web domain. Having your own website is important because it gives you total control over the style and presentation of your own work in a way that social media sites do not. Upload audio and/or video of your stories in part or in whole Provide a bio of yourself, including how you got started as a storyteller and what drew you to it. Make your own life a story! Be sure to include contact info for people who want you to deliver some stories to their event or party. Get listed in online directories. The Storyteller.net directory is a good place to start. List your available services on local marketing sites like Craigslist to get your name out, too. File the necessary paperwork. Open a business account, register your business with your local and state authorities, and maintain accurate tax and financial information. Like any other home business, professional storytelling requires a keen eye for finances. Take some accounting classes or enlist the services of a skilled accountant to ensure your home-based business conforms to the letter of the law. Your business will probably be registered as a sole proprietorship, a business which is owned and operated by a single person. Be professional. Being professional means comporting yourself with grace and dignity, and demanding respect from your audience and hosts. For a professional storytelling session, always plan ahead. Find out where the venue you'll be performing is, where you can park, and how many people will be in attendance. If possible, scout out the location before attending. Ask important questions like if you will be provided a microphone, bottled water, or other amenities. If you are performing in a large hall in which sound does not easily carry, suggest -- or insist -- that your hosts provide a microphone for your performance. Remember, your reputation will suffer whether a bad storytelling performance is or isn't your fault. Similarly, don't be afraid to ask that a teacher, parent, or other adult stay in the library or classroom with you if you're delivering a story to children. Always aim to defy your clients' expectations and leave them wanting more. Join a professional organization. The National Storytelling Network is the country's largest storytelling organization. There are many other local and national storytelling organizations, some with specialties like African or Native American heritage stories, others with stories about history, nature, or another topic of special interest. Depending on the club or organization your join, you will gain access to any number of neat perks. Becoming a member of the National Storytelling Network, for instance, will allow you to apply for NSN grants, access online discussion groups, and attend the National Storytelling Conference. Find your audience. Many professional storytellers get more successful in their business when they identify a particular audience for their tales. Ask yourself what kind of stories you like to tell and who they would most appeal to. For instance, if you love metaphorical fables about anthropomorphic animals, or tall tales about fantastic happenings, you might be best suited to storytelling for a youth audience. Consider a career as a children's entertainer. Many professional storytellers reach out to the primary consumers of stories: Many professionals will admit that opportunities for children's entertainment far outnumber gigs for storytelling to adults. Being open to a young audience will help storytellers build a career. Librarians often pull double duty as both librarian and storyteller. If you have a passion for telling stories, you might be able to introduce a storytelling program to your library. Think about doing stand-up comedy. Essentially, the most highly paid professional storytellers for an adult audience are stand-up comedians. Comedians have a knack for timing and know how to make people laugh with their stories. If that sounds like you, start out by doing open-mic nights and hone your jokes. When you feel comfortable, move on to booking professional gigs at bars and nightclubs. Get a job as a filmmaker. Film is a powerful medium that engages sight and sound. Almost nothing can compare with the ability of film to inspire, excite, and convince us to suspend our disbelief. Becoming a filmmaker usually requires at least a four-year degree in film. You can make as many kinds of films as there are kinds of stories: westerns, sci-fi movies, romantic comedies, thrillers, documentaries, and dramas. Consult with the film's writer to talk about their vision for the script and characters. How do they see various lines of dialogue being delivered? How do they imagine the characters moving and the sets looking? Since films almost always begin as a screenplay, use that as your bible and integrate the writer's vision into your filmmaking process. Make shorter films first to get a feel for how the medium works. Most phones have a video function and can be a great first camera for a young amateur filmmaker. Get a production internship with a film studio to learn how the industry works. Continue developing your filmmaking abilities with new projects and developing new contacts with actors, producers, and studio executives. Consider becoming a musician or adding music to your story. Singer-songwriters set stories to music and can use the rhythm and volume of their music to add gravitas to their storytelling process. Whether you rock out with a whole band behind you or simply strap on an acoustic guitar, music can be an effective storytelling medium. Another community of professional storytellers includes those who tell their stories with a guitar, drums, or other musical instrument. Including music in the narrative can get both children and adults involved in clapping or singing along to your story. Musical storytelling can also constitute an important educational tool by providing new linguistic structures to young children. Think about adopting a spoken-word storytelling style. While spoken-word storytelling requires no musical instruments, it does require a sense of timing, rhythm, and (often, though not always) rhyme. Look for opportunities to perform at open-mic nights in your local coffee shops and bookstores. Become a religious officiant. If you are a religious individual, you might feel called to put your storytelling skills to use in the service to your higher power. Priests, imams, and rabbis don't just recite ancient passages from their holy books. They must prepare innovative sermons and stories for their congregations. Storytelling is integral to keeping their attendees engaged the religious service. | Volunteer your storytelling ability whenever you can. Start a storytelling club or event. Start your own podcast. Attend storytelling clubs and festivals. Read a lot. Solicit feedback. Work on your timing. Be confident in your delivery. Keep your story focused. Use body language to engage your audience. Don’t quit your day job too soon. Build a web presence. File the necessary paperwork. Be professional. Join a professional organization. Find your audience. Consider a career as a children's entertainer. Think about doing stand-up comedy. Get a job as a filmmaker. Consider becoming a musician or adding music to your story. Become a religious officiant. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Make-Momos | How to Make Momos | To easily make momo flour mix 2 cups of flour, 1/2 tsp of salt, and 1 tsp of oil. Mix in 1 cup of water and let rest for 30 minutes. Make a meat filling with ground beef or veggie filling with potatoes and season with 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and 1 tsp of bouillon. Roll the dough into flat circles, add the filling, and then fold the dough into a half-moon shape. Fry or steam your momos, and serve them while they're still hot! | Take out the amount of flour you’ll need to make your momos. A white wheat flour, instead of whole wheat flour, is typically used to make momos. The amount of flour you'll need will depend on how many guests you'll be serving. If you want to make enough dough for four people, then you'll need two cups of flour and about ¾ to 1 cup of water. You can half this flour to water ratio, or double, triple, or even quadruple it depending on your needs. Mix the flour, salt, and oil. To create the dough for your momos, start by pouring your flour into a large bowl, and then adding salt and oil. Add the water bit by bit to the flour mixture. Don't add the water all at once because you may not need it all to form your dough. Add a little water at a time while mixing with your free hand, until the flour mixture moistens and begins to stick together. Form the dough by hand. Knead the dough by hand, adding more water if the dough seems dry, crumbly, or unwilling to stay together. Knead until the dough becomes firm, smooth, and flexible. It shouldn't stick to your hands. Let the dough sit for 30 minutes. When your dough is formed, place it in a clean bowl or container and cover with a damp cloth or lid. This is an important step that will keep your dough moist and allow the flour time to absorb the water. Decide on the ingredients for your filling. While your dough rests, you can prepare the filling for your momos. You can make momos with either a meat, vegetable, or cheese filling. Tofu can also be used. Typical seasonings include garlic, onion, ginger, bouillon, soy sauce, cilantro, and Szechuan pepper. Use ground meat for a meat filling. In Tibet, Yak meat is most commonly used. Other types of meat used to make momos vary by Tibetan region or community. In some areas, pork or beef is common, while in others mutton is used. Chicken is not a common option, but it is used by those who don't eat beef. For veggie fillings, you can use a potato filling or an assortment of finely chopped vegetables. Cheese fillings usually consist of either a dry cheese blended with sugar, which is mainly made in Tibet; it can also be a soft cheese mixed with a vegetable, like cheese and spinach or cheese and mushroom. Assemble your ingredients. If making a vegetable filling, wash and peel your vegetables. They will need to be finely chopped or grated. You can either do this by hand or by using a food processor. Keep the garlic, onions, and scallions separate from the rest of the vegetables, unless including meat in your filling. A blender may work in place of a food processor; instead of blending the mixture into a smooth puree, pulse it. This means allowing the mixture to blend a couple seconds at a time until fully chopped. If you'd like a meat filling, simply replace the mushrooms and tofu for your choice of ground or chopped meat. Season your mixture. Place your chopped vegetables and/or ground meat in a large bowl and mix together well using your hands, if needed. Season with two tablespoons of soy sauce and one teaspoon of bouillon. To ensure your meat mixture is perfectly seasoned, cook a small piece, and taste it. Add more soy sauce and bouillon, if desired. Cook your vegetable filling. Unlike the meat filling, the vegetable filling must be cooked before it's tucked inside each momo. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add your chopped garlic to the pan and sauté for 2-3 seconds. Then add the chopped onions and sauté for 10-15 seconds. Add the remaining chopped vegetables to the pan and turn the heat up to high. Stir fry the vegetables until they're cooked all the way through, which should take about 8-9 minutes. Add about 2 tablespoons of the scallions and cook for a minute more. Taste the filling to see if it's seasoned to your liking. If not, add more soy sauce, salt or pepper to taste. Set the filling aside until you’re ready to use it. Refrigerate your filling until you're ready to place it inside the dough. It's best if you allow it to rest for at least an hour. This will give the flavors time to become fully absorbed by the ingredients. Prep your ingredients. Momos are usually served with a spicy tomato sauce. If you'd like to enjoy your momos the traditional way, wash and/or peel your fresh ingredients. Roast the tomatoes, bell pepper and chilies. This can be done by either putting them over an open flame or by cutting them in half and putting them under a broiler until the skin blackens and splits. If using your broiler, make sure the top rack of your oven is about three to four inches away from the heat source. Set your oven to broil and on the highest setting. Place the vegetables on a non-stick surface, in either a flat baking dish or on a cookie sheet. Once in the oven, watch them closely as they broil. If you don't cut them half, you'll have to turn them as the skin blackens. Once the skin blackens and splits on all sides, they're done. Take them out of the oven carefully. Let them cool a bit, and then peel away the blackened skin. Place all the sauce ingredients in a blender until they are smooth. It should turn into the consistency of a paste. If the sauce is too thick, add water to thin it out to your desired consistency. Refrigerate the sauce until your momos are ready to be served. Pour the finished sauce into a bowl or container, and let sit in the refrigerator until you're ready to serve your momos. Prepare to roll pieces of dough into flat circles. The technique used by most Tibetans to shape momos requires a bit of technical skill to make sure it's done correctly. If you're not as skilled in the kitchen, or if this is your first time making momos and you'd like to ensure it's done correctly, there is an alternate method you can use to shape your momos. Before getting started, lightly dust a board or clean area of your counter with flour. Mold the dough into flat circles using the technique commonly used by Tibetans. First, divide your dough into four equal sections. The number of sections you divide your dough into will depend on how much flour you used to create the dough. These instructions are based on the use of two cups of flour to create the dough. If only one cup of flour is used, then divide the dough into two equally sized sections. If four cups of dough are used, then slice the dough into eight equal sections. Roll each section into a 6-7 inch log, and then cut the log into equally sized slices. Roll the slices into balls and cover them with a damp napkin or cloth until you're ready to use them. Using a rolling pin, roll each ball into a thin circle. Its diameter should be about 2-3 inches. Make sure the center of the circle is thick, and its edges thin. You may have to press along the edges of the circles a bit to make them thinner than the center. Create flattened circles of dough using a simpler and quicker method. Place your dough onto a surface lightly dusted with flour. Use a rolling pin to roll it out very thinly. Don't roll it so thin that you can see through it or that it tears apart very easily. Then use a clean glass that's about the width of your palm to cut circles out of the dough. Place the filling in the center of each circle and then fold and shape the dough. It's best to shape each momo as you fill it with the mixture, that way you can place it in a moist environment with a non-stick surface in order to keep it from drying out before cooking. You can make momos into many different shapes, but the most common are the round and half-moon shapes. Take your filling out of the fridge. If you rolled your dough by hand, then you'll need to place 1-2 teaspoons of filling inside each circle. If you created your circles using the glass method, then use 1 tablespoon of filling. Make a round momo. Start by putting one of the flattened circles of dough in your less-dominant hand. This means that if you're right-handed, the dough will go in your left hand; and if you're left-handed, then hold the piece of dough in your right hand. Add the filling to the center of the dough, and then use your thumb and forefinger to pinch together a small piece of the dough's edge into a fold. Without moving your thumb, gather another piece of the dough's edge with your forefinger, fold it, and then pull it into your first fold. Work your way around the entire circle of dough, gathering and pinching the folds together until you're back where you started. Pinch together the folds to close the hole at the top of the momo. Repeat the same steps to make round momo with the rest of the circles of dough. When you finish shaping each momo, place on a non-stick surface, like a lightly greased steamer or container, and cover with a lid or a damp cloth. Make a half-moon momo. Start off by putting your filling in the center of the dough. Then fold the circle in half, covering the filling. Press the edges of the circle together to close the dough. If you want to add a design to your momos, you can pinch and fold the edges of the dough, just like the round momo. Repeat the same steps to create half-moon momos out of the remaining circles of dough. As you go along, place each shaped momo in a lightly greased steamer or container and then cover with a lid or damp cloth. Decide how you’d like to cook your momos. While steaming is the most common method used to cook momos, there are other ways to cook them. You can pan fry or deep fry them, or boil and serve them in a soup called mothuk. Steam your momos. Fill your steamer pot with enough water to boil for several minutes. Set it over high heat. There is too much water in the pot if your steamer basket becomes submerged under the water once you set it in the pot. If you've used your steamer basket to keep your momos moist while shaping them, then you should be ready to go. If not, make sure to lightly grease your steamer basket with vegetable oil before setting your momos inside. This will keep them from sticking. Set the steamer basket over the boiling water and cover. Allow the momos to steam until they are done. The time it takes for them to cook will vary depending on the size of your momos. If you rolled your dough into balls by hand, your momos will likely be smaller than if you created your flat circles using a glass cup. For the smaller momos, let them steam for 5-6 minutes. For the larger momos, let them steam for closer to 10 minutes. Check the larger momos around 6 minutes to ensure they still need to cook for longer. Momos that are fully cooked will look transparent and will not feel sticky. Remove them from the steamer pan and sprinkle with the remaining scallions. Pan fry your momos. Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat. Lightly coat the bottom of the pan with vegetable oil. Carefully place each momo in the pan so that they do not touch each other or the sides of the pan. Fry each until golden brown on both sides. Deep fry your momos. You can use a deep pan to fry your momos, but they cook best in a deep fryer. Fill your pan or deep fryer with a generous amount of oil, and allow it to get hot. Check to see if the oil is hot enough by dropping a piece of dough into the oil. If it bubbles, you can now add your momos to the oil to cook. Allow the momos to fry for a few minutes on each side. Take them out of the oil when they're done and set them on a paper towel to let the excess oil drain off. Serve your momos while they’re still hot. Momos are best served immediately and with a spicy sauce. The sauce can either be poured over the momo or served on the side for dunking. | Take out the amount of flour you’ll need to make your momos. Mix the flour, salt, and oil. Add the water bit by bit to the flour mixture. Form the dough by hand. Let the dough sit for 30 minutes. Decide on the ingredients for your filling. Assemble your ingredients. Season your mixture. Cook your vegetable filling. Set the filling aside until you’re ready to use it. Prep your ingredients. Roast the tomatoes, bell pepper and chilies. Place all the sauce ingredients in a blender until they are smooth. Refrigerate the sauce until your momos are ready to be served. Prepare to roll pieces of dough into flat circles. Mold the dough into flat circles using the technique commonly used by Tibetans. Create flattened circles of dough using a simpler and quicker method. Place the filling in the center of each circle and then fold and shape the dough. Make a round momo. Make a half-moon momo. Decide how you’d like to cook your momos. Steam your momos. Pan fry your momos. Deep fry your momos. Serve your momos while they’re still hot. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Calm-Down-a-Jealous-Girlfriend | How to Calm Down a Jealous Girlfriend | To calm down your jealous girlfriend, try to show her that you understand her point of view by saying something like, “I understand you feel a little threatened by my close friendship with Melissa.” Or, if you're confused by her reaction, calmly ask her to explain how she feels so she knows you want to understand her. Once she's calmed down a bit, let her know how her jealousy makes you feel so you both understand each other. Try to use I-statements so she doesn't feel like you're attacking her. For instance, say, “I feel a little upset when you interrogate me about spending time with Melissa because it feels like you don't trust me.” You can also reassure her that you love her and don't want to be with anyone else to give her peace of mind. | Allow her to discuss her insecurities. When someone is feeling jealous, you want to let them express themselves. Even if the jealousy is baseless, do not tell your girlfriend she's being irrational. Allow her to tell you how she feels and listen in a non-judgmental manner. Remember, your girlfriend may very well know her jealousy is irrational; therefore, responding with something like, "Not this again," or, "You know you have nothing to worry about" is not a good means of deflecting jealousy. Instead, allow her to discuss her insecurities frankly. Your girlfriend may be more willing to move past her insecurities if you allow her to talk to them through rather than cutting her off. You can even encourage her to share, by asking her something like, "Can you tell me what you're feeling insecure about right now?" Validate her feelings. You do not want to tell your girlfriend not to feel what she's feeling. If your girlfriend is being jealous, your natural inclination may be to get defensive; however, this will not help diffuse the situation. Instead of responding defensively, show your girlfriend she is heard. Do not, for example, say something like, "You know Melissa is just a friend." Show your girlfriend you're hearing what she's saying, even if you don't agree with it. For example, "I understand you feel a little threatened by my close friendship with Melissa." Work on being responsive. Oftentimes, another person's jealousy can cause you to retreat. If your girlfriend is being jealous, you may get frustrated and feel she's being unfair; however, keep things open. Respond to what she's saying, even if it's frustrating. If you shut out someone who's feeling jealous, this will make the problem worse. Resist the urge to retreat or ignore your girlfriend when she's being jealous. Even if her accusations are unreasonable, remind yourself you need to let her speak. If necessary, take a few deep breaths. Use "I"-statements. "I"-statements are statements made in a way that deflects blame. You focus on your own feelings about a situation rather than making an objective judgment. After your girlfriend has expressed herself, calmly address the situation using "I"-statements. "I"-statements have three parts. They begin with "I feel..." after which you immediately state your feelings. From there, you explain the behavior that led to that feeling. Lastly, you say why you feel the way you do. For example, "I feel frustrated when you interrogate me about spending time with Melissa because I want to be able to see my female friends on occasion." Provide reassurance. Oftentimes, jealous people have underlying insecurities. Instead of responding to jealousy with anger, reassure your girlfriend how much you value her. Remind her that you love and care. For example, say something like, "I get that it must be weird for you that I'm friends with my ex but she's my ex for a reason. I really love you, and really cherish our relationship." Ask your girlfriend about her fears. An open dialogue about the roots of jealousy can help you both overcome the problem. When your girlfriend is feeling jealousy, try to ask her directly about her fears. If your girlfriend is able to talk through her fears about the relationship, she will be better able to overcome them. Ask your girlfriend what she feels insecure about in the relationship, or in general. This may explain why she feels jealous. People feel jealous for a variety of reasons. Your girlfriend may be afraid of losing you. She may also simply fear being left out. Ask your girlfriend something like, "What exactly are you afraid is going to happen when you get jealous?" Identify if you are experiencing trust issues or jealousy. Though the end result may look the same — possessive, paranoid, controlling, etc. — trust issues are actually very different from jealousy. Jealousy is envy that comes about through comparison and is likely unfounded, while a trust issue is usually something that has developed due to a partner's behavior or is rooted in past experiences. For instance, if you cheated on your girlfriend in the past and she gets upset when you spend one-on-one time with another girl, this is not jealousy. She is experiencing trust issues because of choices that you made. Dealing with jealousy is different than dealing with trust issues. Ask yourself if you have done anything to cause your girlfriend to be mistrustful. Have you cheated in the past? Do you have a history of lying to her? Trust issues may relate to her personal history as well. Think about things like your girlfriend's family. People who did not have strong ties growing up tend to be more jealous, as they're more nervous about losing their partner. If you have trust issues in the relationship and not jealousy issues, consider speaking with a couple's counselor and encourage your girlfriend to seek individual therapy to work through these issues if they are due to previous relationships. Notice if what you say and the way you act are in alignment. If you find that you don't back up your words with your actions, you can use this new awareness to make sure you start doing the things you say you will do. Be honest, straightforward, compassionate, and assertive when communicating with your girlfriend. Tell her what you want from an open relationship and be willing to listen to what she wants, too. If the relationship is built on trust and your girlfriend still gets very jealous, then she needs to work on developing more self-esteem and dealing with her own insecurities. Avoid becoming defensive about your behavior. Once you've evaluated the relationship, keep what you've learned in mind when dealing with your girlfriend's jealousy. When your girlfriend becomes jealous in a situation, remind yourself of the root of her jealousy. Do not become defensive. Instead of getting angry, try to remember why your girlfriend is jealous. For example, you can think something to yourself like, "I know Maddie is being unreasonable, but a lot of her exes have cheated on her." Do not become defensive. Remember to empathize with your girlfriend. Try to talk to her calmly and offer to help solve the problem. For example, say something like, "What can I do to help you calm down?" Ask your girlfriend what things you do bother her. There may be certain things you're doing that trigger your girlfriend's jealousy. While you can't completely cater your behavior to her insecurities, there may be certain behaviors you can tone down in her presence. Ask your girlfriend something like, "Is there anything I do that makes you feel jealous?" See if there's a way you can help her feel more secure in moments where you inadvertently trigger her insecurity. For example, your girlfriend may sometimes feel jealous if you make plans with friends and do not invite her. You can try explaining to her that you sometimes need time alone with your friends, and this has nothing to do with how you feel about her. You can agree to remind her how much you value her when you make plans without her. Let your girlfriend know how her jealousy affects you. Remember, jealousy can be very damaging to a relationship long-term. After listening to your girlfriend, you need to state your needs. She needs to take responsibly for her actions as well. Tell her how her jealousy affects you. Say so gently. You do not want to provoke an argument. Say something like, "I know you don't like that I'm friends with Melissa, but I've known her since I was 12 and she was 10. I feel controlled when you don't want me to spend time with her because I value the relationship a lot." Be clear with your girlfriend about what you are and are not willing to do to reassure her. For example, you can agree to text her more often when you're out with friends; however, let her know you're not going to put up with her calling or checking in on you every five minutes. Encourage your girlfriend to work on her self esteem and self confidence. Jealousy is often the result of insecurity. Building up your girlfriend's self esteem can help ease some of her jealousy. Instead of getting angry when your girlfriend gets jealous, encourage her to work on bettering herself. Allow your girlfriend to pursue her passions. Respond excitedly when she tries something new and pushes herself out of her comfort zone. Compliment her regularly. Let her know if you think she looks great in a new outfit, for example. Identify unreasonable jealousy. Jealousy is a normal part of most relationships; however, jealousy can easily cross the line into unacceptable. You do not want to remain in a relationship with an unreasonably jealous partner, so learn to recognize the signs of over-the-top jealousy. Does your girlfriend use jealousy to control you? Some people will use jealousy as an excuse for unreasonable demands. Your girlfriend may, for example, use her jealousy to keep you from seeing friends or loved ones. Unreasonable accusations are also a sign of over-the-top jealousy. Does your girlfriend accuse you of cheating without evidence? Is she constantly checking up on you or going through your stuff? If you believe your girlfriend is unreasonably jealous, seriously evaluate whether or not you want to stay in the relationship. Determine your personal limits. Remember, you cannot control someone else's emotions. Know what your limits are. If your girlfriend's jealousy is pushing you over your limits, it's okay to walk away from the relationship. If your girlfriend is draining you emotionally, this is not fair to either one of you. If you feel like you're, say, answering insecure texts for days on end, it's okay to take a break from the relationship or end things altogether. | Allow her to discuss her insecurities. Validate her feelings. Work on being responsive. Use "I"-statements. Provide reassurance. Ask your girlfriend about her fears. Identify if you are experiencing trust issues or jealousy. Avoid becoming defensive about your behavior. Ask your girlfriend what things you do bother her. Let your girlfriend know how her jealousy affects you. Encourage your girlfriend to work on her self esteem and self confidence. Identify unreasonable jealousy. Determine your personal limits. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Cope-With-a-Traumatic-Event | How to Cope With a Traumatic Event | If you've experienced a traumatic event and need to cope, first take a few deep breaths. Deep breathing will slow down your heart rate and allow you to think more clearly. To do so, inhale deeply through your nose, feeling the breath down in your belly. Hold that breath and slowly exhale through your mouth. At this point, make sure your body is relaxed and your muscles are unclenched. Then, keep breathing until you feel like you're able to cope with the trauma little better. If breathing isn't calming enough, try focusing your mind on a physical activity like stretching or running can help release built up tension and stress. | Take a few deep breaths. This will help you cope right now by slowing your heart rate and calming you down. Deep breathing helps you think more clearly and also relieves muscle tension you may be feeling. Slowly take a deep breath in through your nose, counting to 5. Feel the breath as it goes down into your chest and belly. Hold it for 3 counts and then exhale slowly through your mouth on 7 counts. Repeat this a few times, or until you feel calmer and more like you are coping with the stress a bit better. Body relaxation and stillness is an important component to this! You cannot adequately control your breath if you are pacing, clenching, or fidgeting. Try to stand still, sit down, or even lie down if you can. Try mindfulness strategies. Traumatic events tend to play like a movie over and over again in the mind. This is called a flashback. When you catch yourself re-living the horror, bring yourself back to the present moment by using mindfulness strategies. Mindfulness helps you take care of yourself and cope by focusing you on the current moment. In addition, practicing mindfulness can make it easier to deal with stress and anxiety when they occur. Remind yourself: “I'm here, not there.” Notice what is happening right now. Assess what emotions you are feeling, what you are thinking, and how your body feels without trying to stop any of it. Use grounding exercises, such as identifying five colors around you, finding something around you you've never noticed, closing your eyes and identifying what you hear, etc. Notice as the feelings and thoughts go away and as you feel better. Continue what you were doing before the flashback. Take a break. A change of environment and physical distance from the traumatic event can help you cope by relieving some of the stress and tension you feel. This may mean just a few minutes to take a walk, spending the night with a close friend, or it might mean taking a weekend vacation. Take a mental break if the event just happened or if you cannot leave the area. Close your eyes for a few moments and imagine yourself somewhere peaceful. Practice going to your "safe place" often so that your brain gets used to it and can teleport you there quickly. If it just happened, you may want to just sleep, but find that you have insomnia. Don't do anything to make yourself go to sleep. Staying awake can actually reduce the effects of PTSD. Try walking outside to get a little fresh air. That can help you orient yourself back to a more grounded state. As soon as you can after the event, go to a safe place, with someone you trust. Depending on how deeply the event is affecting you, you may need to take a day or two off to cope with what happened. Don't let your break turn into avoidance, however. Do something active. When you experience trauma, your body releases adrenaline which gives you energy and keeps you alert, but also tense. Physical activity can help release built up energy, tension and stress associated with a traumatic event. With trauma, the goal is to do this often, focusing more on frequency than length of the activity. Make sure you are getting physical activity on a consistent (daily, if possible) basis. Try taking a walk, stretching, swimming, boxing, or even dancing. Try to keep your mind focused on the activity as you do so. Try relaxing your torso and shoulders, then shake them to release some of the tension in your body. Repeat that 3-5 times. If it persists, seek professional support. Rely on friends and family. Don't shut them out while you try to cope with the trauma of the event. They can often help you cope with a traumatic event in a lot of ways. They can listen to you, talk to you, encourage you, and comfort you. You may not hear from your family or friends as you would expect to, due to them just not knowing what to say or how to react. Don't be afraid to reach out. Just spend time being around them. You don't have to say or do anything. Try saying, “Could you just be with me right now? I feel really anxious and don't want to talk or do anything. I just want someone here with me.” Stay with one of them for a few days of you need to (especially if the traumatic event has you afraid, depressed, or anxious). You don't need to or have to tell all of your family members and friends. Tell those that will be there for you. Talk to people you trust. Talking about it helps them understand what you are going through. It can also help you deal with the emotions related to the event. Although you don't have to (and shouldn't) tell everyone you meet, you will cope better if you don't keep it a secret. Ask them to help you by staying calm. You might say, “I need you to stay calm when I tell you what happened so that I can stay calm.” Don't be mad if they ask some questions, they are just trying to understand what happened. You can ask that they not share what you have told them with anyone else. If the traumatic event is something that happened to people other than just you, talk to them. They understand exactly what you went through and are going through. Allow them to cheer you up. Because they care about you, your friends and family will want to see you smile and try to cheer you up. Let them, even if it's just to distract yourself from the traumatic event for a few moments. Smiling and laughing will help relieve some of your physical and emotional tension. Try to laugh at their corny joke or chuckle at the silly meme they send you. Take up their offer for a movie or a walk on the beach. You don't have to pretend that you are happy when you aren't. But at the same time, allow yourself to smile and feel some hope for the future. Seek professional help. Sometimes it can be very difficult to let go and move past the trauma by yourself. You may have trouble eating, sleeping, or just doing everyday things. You may experience physical symptoms, as well. Coping with a traumatic event by seeking appropriate help is not only a good idea, but often is necessary. Try to build a team a medical, mental health, and trauma professionals to help you with immediate and long-term effects of the event. Contact your insurance company for help with referrals in your area. They know which clinicians specialize in which areas. Join a support group for people that have experienced the same or similar trauma. Not only can the group help you cope with the event, they can also recommend understanding and effective professionals. If you believe you cannot afford professional help, investigate what assistance may be available from community service organizations in your area. If the event affected the community, counseling services may be offered through community agencies. Accept what happened. Denial is one phase of trauma. Sometimes an event is so unbelievable or so horrible that it is hard to process that it has happened to you. What is done cannot be undone, however, so cope with it by accepting that it happened. The sooner you accept it, the sooner you will be able to feel at peace again. Write about it in your journal or share what happened in some other creative way so that you can come to terms with it. If it was a public event, don't avoid talking about it with people that also went through it and those that didn't. Stick with the facts. Refrain from going into what-if scenarios of how close a call it was, or dwelling on what might have been, if only… Focus on processing only what actually happened. Recognize your feelings. You may feel a combination of emotions related to the traumatic event. In order to begin coping with the traumatic event, you've got to recognize what exactly you are feeling and accept that it is a normal response. Common emotions include: anger, grief, fear, anxiety, depression, restlessness, fatigue, etc. Doodle emoji-style faces showing your different emotions. Make a list of your feelings about the event. Don't judge any of the feelings as good or bad. Acknowledge uncertainty. Although every day is full of uncertainty and change, a traumatic event can make you even more aware (and fearful) of how quickly things can go from great to horrible. The best way to cope with the fear of uncertainty that a traumatic event can raise is to accept that change happens. Recognize that uncertainty is a part of life. It may or may not rain, you may or may not miss the bus. Say to yourself, “I accept that life is uncertain and I will not be afraid of what might happen.” Keep a journal about the things you are uncertain about and why they scare you. Be sure to document how you begin to embrace uncertainty. Give yourself time. Truly coping with and moving past a traumatic event will not happen overnight. It will take time, so be patient with yourself. Understand that you will have days where you are coping well, and other days that you aren't. Don't set a time limit for when you need to be over the traumatic event. Don't try to force yourself to hurry up and get over it. When you have a bad day, do not feel like you are starting back at square one. It is normal for the number of good days to slowly surpass the number of bad days until you feel mostly normal. Establish routines. Having routines in your life helps you cope with the trauma by giving you regular events to look forward to and by giving you stability. Continue any routines you had before the traumatic event and create new routines to help you cope. Get together with friends and family on a regular basis. For example, have dinner with your family every weekend or go to the gym with a friend twice a week. Have specific days and times that you do things. For example, check your email in the morning, bathe the dog on Thursday evenings, or clean up on the weekends. Schedule time for journaling and other coping strategies like meditation, counseling sessions, or support groups. If you break a routine, don't beat up on yourself. Simply try to get back on schedule tomorrow. Get some sleep. One common symptom of trauma is insomnia and problems sleeping. Coupling insomnia with the stress of the traumatic event can be extremely harmful to you. Having a regular bedtime and waking time is one way to return to normal life and cope with the traumatic event. Try stretching, taking a warm bath, or doing something relaxing before you lie down for bed. Put away electronic devices an hour before bed, as the blue light emitted from smartphones, tablets, laptops, TVs, and similar devices make it difficult for you to fall asleep. If you have problems sleeping that last more than a few days, consult a medical professional for help. Eat well. Many people experience changes in their eating habits after a traumatic event. Some people eat to cope with the stress, while others lose their appetite and have trouble eating. Make sure you are getting regular meals throughout the day. Try to eat healthy foods like fruits and vegetables that will provide your body with the nutrients it needs to function at its best. | Take a few deep breaths. Try mindfulness strategies. Take a break. Do something active. Rely on friends and family. Talk to people you trust. Allow them to cheer you up. Seek professional help. Accept what happened. Recognize your feelings. Acknowledge uncertainty. Give yourself time. Establish routines. Get some sleep. Eat well. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Add-a-Lean-To-Onto-a-Shed | How to Add a Lean To Onto a Shed | Adding a lean to onto a shed involves leveling the earth where the lean to will go and setting posts that will be locked in place with concrete. Then, boards, called nailers, are attached horizontally across the posts, and one is added just below the roof of the existing shed. Rafters are then nailed into the nailers to support the roof and the roof is added on top of that. Any interior walls or partitions will be added next, and then doors and flooring. The exterior walls are added last to complete the project. | Know your local zoning laws. Consult the local building authorities to learn about code requirements, needed permits and property set backs for storage buildings. Locate underground hazards. Most lean-tos will require some digging, whether for a concrete foundation, pier blocks, or postholes. Always call a utility location service before you break soil. Digging into a pipe or electric line could cause serious injury or property damage. In the United States or Canada, call 811 toll-free to request this service. Draw a plan for your project. Plan the length and the width of your lean-to, and where it will attach to the shed. Design the roof to withstand weather. Angle the roof so rain is directed away from the building's perimeter. You may need a simple gutter or downspout drainage piping to prevent pooling at the base of the lean to. If your region receives heavy snowfall, build the roof to withstand that load. Also decide how the roof of the lean-to will interface with the roof of the shed. Decide on a foundation. Even though the addition is small, a solid foundation is important. Use the best materials within your budget. Here are some solid examples: Concrete blocks Concrete footer with a small stem wall to prevent water from seeping in Concrete pier pads with the top flush to ground level You can use pressure-treated skids for additional support, but do not rely on them as your sole foundation. You can use a 4" x 4" pressure treated post to establish the vertical upright framing. Choose the materials you will use. Lumber is a fairly strong and inexpensive material for framing, and tin is a suitable roofing and siding material. Other options include shingle roofing, rolled roofing , metal flashing to waterproof the join between the new roof and the existing one, metal studs for framing, and cementitious board or composite sidings. Choose the materials that are suitable for your location and climate as well as materials that will match your existing building. Be sure to plan to use a sheath of CDX plywood on the wall that abuts against the structure. CDX plywood resists indirect moisture. Calculate the amount of each material you will need, price them, and purchase them. Some basic items that a lean-to addition for a tin shed would use include: Poles for supporting the eave framing. 4" x 4" pressure treated southern yellow pine will support a lightweight roof framed with 2" x 4" boards, spanning less than 15 feet (4.6 m) or so. For a longer, heavier roof span, 6" x 6" timbers or even steel columns may be more suitable. Rafters for framing the actual supporting structure of the roof will need to be strong enough to support the weight of the lathing, the decking and the workmen who will walk on the roof while installing it. A somewhat typical span of less than 10 feet (3.0 m) may be framed with southern yellow pine if the rafters are free of large or loose knots and are otherwise structurally sound. You may use Douglas fir, hemlock, or cedar instead. Lodgepole pine, spruce and other softer pine species are too knotty and not strong enough for roofing unless the rafters are from large diameter trees. For roof spans 10 feet (3.0 m) or greater, 2" x 6" nominal framing or larger, should be used. The rafter nailers spanning between the posts on the eave side of your lean-to must be strong enough to support the load of multiple rafters. Use a minimum size of 2" x 6" nominal southern yellow pine or other strong wood. Nailers attached directly to the wall of the building onto which the lean-to is being added can be the same size lumber as the rafters themselves as long as the nailer is attached securely to the wall of your building. Local building code and the existing wall material will determine which anchors to use. These may include lag bolts (to attach to large diameter wooden beams), threaded bolt nuts and large diameter washers (drilled into hollow concrete blocks), or hurricane anchors. Lathing strips, or the framing members that lay across the rafters that the metal roofing is attached to should be sound southern yellow pine or a similar lumber. 1" x 4" lathing lumber is sufficient to support a normal load on spans where the rafters are located at 24 inch center spacing or less. 2" x 4" lumber is easier to fasten to (it bounces less when nails are driven into it), and may not be significantly more expensive than the 1" x 4"s. If you are laying a plywood "roof decking" directly onto the rafters, then you only need lathing to brace between the rafters or to prevent side-to-side movement by cross-tying them to the bottoms of the rafters. Nails or screws to act as fasteners. Nails should be large enough to penetrate the attached member and the supporting member deeply enough to secure the two pieces. Screws may be used to attach dissimilar materials, such as metal framing, roofing, or siding to wood framing, or even for joining two separate wood members. Lay out the area within the footprint of your addition. Remove any debris or vegetation that will be a problem during construction or future use, and grade the soil to a suitable elevation. If you are going to leave an earth floor in the addition, compacting the soil probably will not be necessary. Make sure the floor material will withstand expected weather conditions year-round. Dig your post holes for the supporting posts. Check the placement before, during, and after you dig. The distance between posts depends on the load of the rafters, roof, and any future snow load. Check your local building code for guidelines. Measure the distance between the wall to which you will fasten the lean-to and the starting corner. You can start by pulling string lines along the planned addition. Use the 3-4-5 rule to confirm the outer corners are square before you dig the holes. If the outer wall is not parallel to the shed, the rafters will be difficult to place. Drive each end post into a hole with a sledgehammer. Secure each post as follows: Plumb two adjacent sides of the post to confirm the post is level. Secure those two sides with temporary diagonal cross bracing, using two 1" x 4" boards. Drive a wooden stake into the ground next to each board. Fasten each 1" x 4" board to a stake and to the post using easily removed nails or screws. Once the end posts are in place, repeat with the intermediate posts. Backfill the post holes with concrete. For best results, mix a "post mix" concrete and pour it into the post hole. Leave the bracing in place for at least 24 hours or until the concrete sets, then remove it. If your lean to is small and your area does not experience strong wind or severe storms, you may be able to backfill the post holes with dirt instead. Use a line level or builder's level to mark a bench elevation (a reference grade) on each post. This line will determine the bearing height of the rafters. Start by marking the end posts, and use either a plain line or a chalk line to mark the intermediate posts. Notch the top of your posts so the rafter nailer or rafter supporting joist will rest on the notch. Draw a notch about 1-1/2" (about 4 cm) deep into your post. Use a circular saw set to a 1-1/2" (about 4 cm) depth to cut into the post at the base of the notch. Set the circular saw to maximum depth. Measure out 1-1/2" (about 4 cm) on the top side of your post and cut into the top of the post on the same side as you made the first cut. When your saw blade meets the first cut, the wood block should fall off, leaving the notch for your nailers. If necessary, finish the cut with a hand saw or a reciprocating blade saw. Repeat the process with each post. If you choose to, you may simply nail directly into the side of the post, but doing so places all the weight on your fasteners. You could also use metal hangers or brackets to attach the top beam or plate to the posts, using heavy gauge TECO nails. Set the nailer on the notches. If the nailer is not long enough to span the total length of your shed, make sure any joints are set against a post to ensure maximum bearing potential for the nailer. Nail the nailer into place, making sure the spacing between your posts remains correct. Attach any purlins you plan to use on the outboard side of your lean-to. Remember to nail everything solidly as you install it, so you will not overlook a critical connection before moving to the subsequent step in the project. Fasten the nailer to the side of your existing building where you will attach the upper end of your rafters. To attach a wooden nailer to a metal-sided building, use a self-drilling screw with sufficient threads to hold the nailer tightly. If possible, nail through the siding into the building's framing members. Regardless of what method you choose to attach this member, make sure it is fastened securely. This is critical because the nailer it will support the weight of the roofing, the framing and the person performing the installation. Lay out the rafter spacing on the upper and lower nailers. Starting at 1 end, measure the span you determined to use when you designed the building, and mark each space. Marking the edge of the rafter rather than its center will make the mark more visible when you position the rafter. Determine the roof pitch by stringing a line from the top rafter attaching point to the bottom one. Hold a speed square (also known as a rafter square) plumb against the top nailer where your string is fastened. Read the angle on the square's angle scale. Cut 1 end of the rafters at the angle given to you by the speed square. Test the cut by holding the rafter in position. If the cut does not fit tightly, adjust it. A good fit will increase the hold of your nails when you attach the rafters. When you have established the best angle for the top cut of your rafters, cut each one using that angle. Unless you are certain both nailers are exactly parallel, do not cut the lower end of the rafter. This can be done after the rafters are installed, if cutting them is necessary. Nail the rafters against the top nailers. For best results, use metal brackets attached to a ledger board. Alternatively, use the toenail nailing method. Use a pencil to mark the position where you want your boards to join at a right angle. Place the rafter about 1/4" (6 mm) in front of the nailer. Place the nail about 1/2" from the connection point and nail it in straight into the rafter. The key to toenailing is to drive the nail in straight and then at an angle. Tap the nail into the wood about 1/4" (6 mm). Pull the nail up at about a 50-degree angle. Drive the nail in until it protrudes slightly from the rafter. Reposition the board to ensure that the angle is exact. Finish driving your nail through the rafter and into the nailer. Avoid starting the nails too close to the end of the board, as this may split it, and make a strong connection impossible. If this is unavoidable, pre-drill the hole at the correct angle first. Space the lower end of your rafters on the layout marks and toenail them into place. Use as many nails as possible without splitting the rafter, especially if you are not planning to use a structural anchor like a hurricane clip to supplement the nail's holding ability. Lay out the spacing of your lathing. These are the strips that span perpendicular to the rafters to which you will fasten the tin or other roofing material. For 29-gauge metal roofing, spacing can be up to 30 inches between centers. Nail the lathing securely, with a minimum of two nails at each rafter, being careful to keep them aligned. Cut back the roofing on the existing building if needed so that the new roof can fit correctly beneath it. Typically, a lean-to roof will lay at a different pitch than your existing roof. The lean-to's roofing will need to fit fairly snugly underneath the existing roof to prevent rain from blowing into your addition. You may need to install metal flashing to help ensure water proof joining of the two roof pitches. Lay your metal on the lathing, beginning at one end. Some roof metal profiles have a "direction of run," so that the laps fit correctly to guarantee a good, weatherproof roof system. Fasten your metal roofing with a suitable fastener. Wood screw threaded hex screws with neoprene gaskets are ideal. Install trim of your choosing to finish off your lean-to's roof. Use a piece of break metal configured in the right dimensions to provide a decent finished appearance to these areas. The metal should also close any gaps between the lathing strips and the roofing so that water will not blow in through them. Install any partitions you will use to divide the lean-to's floorspace into different usable areas. The shed in the photos is 10 feet (3.0 m) wide and 21 feet (6.4 m) long, so a partition was installed to create a 7x10-foot space on one side, and a 14x10-foot space on the other. This partition was created by installing steel stud purlins between one of the outboard support posts and a nailer fastened vertically to the existing shed wall. Add doors as needed. Choose a pre-framed exterior door to make the job simple. You will still need to install some kind of framing yourself. Add flooring. If you want an earth floor, then you can skip this step. If you prefer a wooden floor, then lay your flooring material over the skids that served as your foundation. Add the exterior walls. You can nail wide boards the studs to construct exterior walls. You can also add siding if you prefer. Check all of the fasteners to make sure none were missed during construction. Pay close attention to the screws or nails that attach the roofing components. Also check the siding, if used, and any trim installed on corners or edges. Make sure any metal corners (if you side the lean-to with tin) are rolled or formed in such a way that no sharp edges are exposed. Clean up the work site and put away your tools. | Know your local zoning laws. Locate underground hazards. Draw a plan for your project. Design the roof to withstand weather. Decide on a foundation. Choose the materials you will use. Calculate the amount of each material you will need, price them, and purchase them. Lay out the area within the footprint of your addition. Dig your post holes for the supporting posts. Drive each end post into a hole with a sledgehammer. Backfill the post holes with concrete. Use a line level or builder's level to mark a bench elevation (a reference grade) on each post. Notch the top of your posts so the rafter nailer or rafter supporting joist will rest on the notch. Set the nailer on the notches. Attach any purlins you plan to use on the outboard side of your lean-to. Fasten the nailer to the side of your existing building where you will attach the upper end of your rafters. Lay out the rafter spacing on the upper and lower nailers. Determine the roof pitch by stringing a line from the top rafter attaching point to the bottom one. Cut 1 end of the rafters at the angle given to you by the speed square. Nail the rafters against the top nailers. Space the lower end of your rafters on the layout marks and toenail them into place. Lay out the spacing of your lathing. Cut back the roofing on the existing building if needed so that the new roof can fit correctly beneath it. Lay your metal on the lathing, beginning at one end. Fasten your metal roofing with a suitable fastener. Install trim of your choosing to finish off your lean-to's roof. Install any partitions you will use to divide the lean-to's floorspace into different usable areas. Add doors as needed. Add flooring. Add the exterior walls. Check all of the fasteners to make sure none were missed during construction. Clean up the work site and put away your tools. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Organize-Your-Bedroom | How to Organize Your Bedroom | To organize your bedroom, start by going through all of your stuff and separating the things you want to keep from the things you don't need. Then, donate or throw away the things you don't need anymore so they don't clutter your bedroom. Next, organize the things you want to keep using storage bins, shelves, and your closet. You might also want to hang up some hooks and get a shoe rack. Finally, remove any furniture that takes up too much space, or consider rearranging your bedroom. | Pick up anything on the floor. Make piles for like items, focusing on items such as clothes, books, tissues, magazines, shoes, papers and anything else that you may have laying around. The first step to getting an organized bedroom is cleaning up the mess that you've already created. When you're done, the only things touching the floor should be your furniture. This is an important first step — you'll have a much more difficult time cleaning around your clutter rather than you will have simply getting it out of the way. Create boxes for things to keep and things to throw away. Once you have your floor completely clear, gather the items you picked up and decide whether you want to keep each item or get rid of it. Place the “keep” items in the box for things to keep and place the “get rid of” items in the box for things to throw away. Don't be afraid to part with items you haven't used in years and that don't hold any sentimental value. Saving an antique keepsake given to you by your grandmother may make more sense than saving a stack of last year's junk mail. To determine which items of clothing in your closet you need to get rid of, turn around all the hangers in your closet so the hooks are pointing towards you (the wrong way). When you wear something, hang it back up the normal way. In three to six months, any hangers facing the wrong way are holding clothes you haven't worn, and should go in the donation box. Donate or throw away any unwanted items. Consider the items you threw into the “get rid of” box when you gave your room an initial clean. Look them over and determine if they are worth donating or need to be thrown away. Give your used clothes and furniture to a secondhand store. Charities like Goodwill and the Salvation Army usually accept used items in good condition. Give your books to a library. By donating used books to a library, you give others the chance to discover new books. Sell or give away possessions online. Classified ad sites like Craigslist usually have sections devoted to getting rid of used goods for cheap or for free. Divide your storage spaces into organized sections. Sort the items on shelves and in your closet by grouping them in it into neat, tidy piles. Not only will this it look less cluttered, but it will also be an efficient use of limited space on your shelves or in your closet. Add shoe storage like shoe racks, shoe cubbies or hanging shoe organizers. Add closet storage like plastic bins, woven baskets, or even milk crates for out of season items or small items like socks , undergarments, and scarves. Add hooks on the wall to hang up bags and belts so they are not lying in a pile on the floor. Use drawer tidies to keep your drawers in order. Keep your socks, ties, underwear, and tank tops or undershirts organized so you don't have to sort through piles of clothing to find what you need. You can find drawer tidies at your local office supply store or furniture store. However, you can also make them yourself. Simply join together pieces of cheap wood or plastic to divide your drawers as you wish. Be sure to measure the depth of your drawer first so that your homemade tidie fits. Try to keep large electronics like your computer, printer, and server tower off the floor. Keeping large machines on the floor, as well as their many cables and wires, can be a fire and tripping hazard, and can clutter up your space. Look for a desk for storage solutions like pull out drawers for printers and keyboards, and shelving above your computer to keep any files or papers in order. Thread cords through your desk or drill a hole into a nearby cabinet to store your power cord and keep it out of sight. Bundle cords together with velcro strips or electrical tape. Always label your cords with a piece of tape so you can figure out where it leads to without having to unbundle the cords. Create a charging station in your room for all your electronics. Place small electronics like your phone, your iPod, and your camera together in one place in your room, as well as their chargers. You can also purchase a multi-device charging station to keep your chords from getting tangled and disorganized. Label your storage areas. If you keep forgetting where to put your possessions once you've cleaned up your room or you're having a hard time sticking to your approach to cleanliness, labeling your storage areas will help you know exactly where things go. Not only will it be easier for you to remember to put your things away in the right spots — it will also be harder for you to create a mess again. Don't worry about spending money on "nice" labels — simple post-it notes and masking tape will work just fine. If you are using decorative boxes to hold electronics or other odds and ends, make sure you label them so you know what each one contains. Utilize unconventional storage spaces. Keeping your room clean isn't just about shoving your belongings into your closet! There are other ways to keep your room clean and organized that fall outside your closet, such as: Sliding baskets or bins under your bed for linens, blankets, and towels. Making space for items on wall shelves like small pictures or figurines. Hanging a coat rack over your door so you aren't tempted to throw your coat on your bed at the end of the day. Placing items between books on your bookshelf to add some interesting detail as well as keep your books in order. Remove any furniture that is not being used or is taking up too much space. Stand in your de cluttered room and consider the furniture you have. Are there any tables or chairs that you aren't using or are taking up space to may work better with another item of furniture? Is your bed or desk too big or too small for your daily needs? Walk around your room and consider how hard or easy it is to get around your furniture. If it is a tight squeeze between your bed and your desk, or your door and your bedside table, it may be a good idea to invest in furniture that better fits the space or remove items of furniture for now to create more room. | Pick up anything on the floor. Create boxes for things to keep and things to throw away. Donate or throw away any unwanted items. Divide your storage spaces into organized sections. Use drawer tidies to keep your drawers in order. Try to keep large electronics like your computer, printer, and server tower off the floor. Create a charging station in your room for all your electronics. Label your storage areas. Utilize unconventional storage spaces. Remove any furniture that is not being used or is taking up too much space. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Identify-Early-Signs-of-Chronic-Kidney-Disease-in-Cats | How to Identify Early Signs of Chronic Kidney Disease in Cats | To spot early signs of chronic kidney disease in your cat, keep an eye out for any changes in its bathroom habits, like going more regularly, having blood in its urine, diarrhea, or constipation, since these are common symptoms of the disease. You should also take note of how often you're refilling your cat's water dish. If it's more often than usual, it could be a sign that your cat is drinking more because of excessive urinating linked to kidney disease. As the disease progresses, your cat may gradually lose weight over time, so weigh it regularly so you'll be able to spot any changes. If you're worried that your cat has chronic kidney disease, take it to see the vet so they can help you figure out what's going on with your furry friend. | Watch your cat's bathroom habits. Some cats will begin to go to the bathroom more often when they have a chronic form of this condition, as the cat is not as able to hold water as well. In connection with this symptom, your cat may begin to go outside the litter box rather than in. In particular, try to see if your cat gets up more at night than usual. Look for increased thirst. Another symptom of kidney disease is increased thirst. Because your cat is peeing more, it needs to drink more to replace the lost water. Therefore, if you notice you are refilling the bowl more often, that could be another symptom. Watch for weight loss. When kidney disease begins to take hold of your cat, it may decide it's not as hungry. In turn, that means your cat will lose weight over time. If you notice your cat getting lighter, that could be another symptom of the disease. Notice if your cat starts to get more lethargic. "Lazy cat" is a common idiom for a reason. Cats sleep a large portion of their day, up to 16 hours or more. However, you know how much your cat sleeps and plays. If you begin to notice a decrease in energy, that could also be a sign of this disease. In more severe stages, the cat may not want to move much at all, and it may sit hunched-over at times. Pay attention to the cat's fur. With kidney disease, your cat's coat may become less vibrant over time. In particular, it may become drier to the touch, which can also make it look duller. While this can also be a symptom of other problems, as many of these symptoms are, it can indicate kidney disease. Watch for problems in the mouth. Several symptoms can creep up in the mouth. For example, you may notice that your cat develops ulcers on the cheeks and tongue. Another symptom associated with the mouth is especially bad breath. Of course, your cat's breath probably always smells fairly bad (fish breath!), but if it develops a particularly foul odor, that could also be a sign. Check your cat's litter box. Your cat may start showing symptoms in both its urine and feces. The urine may turn cloudy, which can be hard to spot in litter. However, it may also contain blood, which should be easier to spot. Also, make sure your cat is defecating regularly, as constipation can be an indicator. The opposite, diarrhea, can also be a problem. Look for increased vomiting. Most cats vomit from time to time, but pay attention if your cat suddenly has an increase in vomiting. However, not every cat has this symptom, so keep looking for other symptoms even if you don't notice this one. Pay attention to how fast the symptoms occur. If the symptoms come on slowly, that is more likely to be the chronic form of the disease. If the symptoms appear quite suddenly, that's more likely to be the acute form of the disease. Understand the difference between early signs and late signs. The main difference between most early signs and late signs of kidney disease is the severity of the symptom. Therefore, you may not notice it when it is first beginning because symptoms, like increased thirst, are mild. Therefore, if you suspect your cat may have this disease, it's important to take it to the vet right away, as your vet will be able to run tests to help with diagnosis. Know that your cat may not show any signs. This disease can stay hidden for a long time. While certain symptoms are common to this disease, your cat may not exhibit any of them in the early stages. Therefore, it is often difficult to spot the disease early on. Understand the underlying condition may be unknown. Chronic kidney disease is usually caused by an underlying condition, but sometimes, your vet may not know what the condition is. However, some common causes are urinary tract blockages, advanced dental disease, and kidney inflammation. Some other conditions that could lead to chronic kidney disease include thyroid issues and high blood pressure, as well as cancer. Know how genetics can play a role. It is believed that chronic kidney disease can be passed down genetically from generation to generation in cats. Therefore, if you happen to know the parent of your cat suffered from the disease, your cat has a higher chance of developing it. Also, some breeds may be more likely to develop the disease, such as British shorthairs, Persians, and Himalayans. Watch for signs after dental disease. When a cat has dental problems, you may think it's confined to its mouth. However, dental disease in cats often leads to systematic problems, which in turn can cause kidney disease. Therefore, if your cat has suffered from dental disease, make sure to watch closely for signs of kidney disease. Take your cat in regularly for checkups. While you may not be able to spot as many symptoms early on, your vet is trained to look for signs you likely won't notice. Therefore, take your cat in at least once a year. Twice is better, particularly if you have an older cat. | Watch your cat's bathroom habits. Look for increased thirst. Watch for weight loss. Notice if your cat starts to get more lethargic. Pay attention to the cat's fur. Watch for problems in the mouth. Check your cat's litter box. Look for increased vomiting. Pay attention to how fast the symptoms occur. Understand the difference between early signs and late signs. Know that your cat may not show any signs. Understand the underlying condition may be unknown. Know how genetics can play a role. Watch for signs after dental disease. Take your cat in regularly for checkups. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Make-an-Edible-Bouquet | How to Make an Edible Bouquet | To make an edible bouquet, first collect an assortment of delicious fruit, like pineapple, strawberries, canteloupe, watermelon, and grapes. Clean the fruit and trim off any stems. Cut larger fruit, like pineapple, watermelon, and cantaloupe, into small, decorative pieces using a knife or cookie cutter. Then, stick a skewer through the center of each piece of fruit. Fill a vase with cubes of floral foam, then cover the top of the foam with aluminum foil. Finally, stick the skewers into the foam cubes. | Choose which fruits to use in the bouquet. Think about mixing fruits with sharp, juicy flavors along with mildly-flavored fruits. The tangy flavor of pineapple is a great match for more softly-flavored fruits like cantaloupes and grapes. Establish a color scheme for your bouquet before you start. For instance, if you want your bouquet to look like a sunset, consider using a combination of strawberries, cantaloupe, watermelon, and pineapple. Clean and trim your fruit so it’s ready to eat. Rinse your fruit with cool, running water to clean the surface. Depending on what kind of fruit you use, you may have to trim off some additional stems. Vinegar also works to wash fruit and other produce. Cut your larger fruit into small, decorative pieces. Use a sharp knife to slice the larger portions of fruit into bite-sized pieces. While small fruits like strawberries won't require too much prep, fruits like pineapple , cantaloupe , and watermelon will need to be sliced into smaller portions. To add some creative flair to your bouquet, use a cookie cutter to slice your fruit into fun shapes. Use a flower-shaped cookie cutter to make your pineapple slices look like flower blossoms. These slices may end up being a little larger than bite-sized. Skewer each piece of fruit through the center. Stab each piece of fruit with a skewer until the wood breaks through the other end of the fruit slice. Use this end of the skewer to hold smaller pieces of fruit, like melon balls. Dip some of your fruit pieces in chocolate. Melt chocolate chips in the microwave or with a double boiler. Take a skewered piece of fruit and roll it around in the chocolate until it's completely covered. This makes your bouquet more decorative, and also more delicious! Use a spoon to drizzle other types of chocolate in fun designs on top of the fruit. Place the fruit skewers in a flipped colander. Flip over a metal or plastic colander so that the rounded portion is facing up. Stick each dipped piece of skewered fruit into the holes of a flipped colander. Wait at least 30 minutes, or until the chocolate has completely dried. Fill a vase with large cubes of floral foam. Use a kitchen knife to cut chunks of floral foam into cubes. These cubes should be sizable, and provide a comfortable base for the bouquet. The floral foam pieces should reach three-quarters of the height of the vase or container that you're using to hold the fruit. Consider cutting angular pieces of floral foam to tuck in with the larger cubes to provide a more secure base for the fruit. Slice off smaller portions of the floral foam to make it fit more snugly in the vase or container. Cover the floral foam with foil to protect the fruit. Cut a medium-sized sheet of aluminum foil to cover the top of the floral foam. Even though skewers will be holding the fruit in place, the foil will prevent any foam from touching the lower levels of fruit in the bouquet. Be sure to tuck in the foil around the edges of the floral foam with your fingers. This will keep the foil in place. Stick the skewers of fruit into the floral foam. Push the skewered fruit about an inch into the floral foam. Place the different fruit skewers around the foam to imitate the look of a flower bouquet. Consider interchanging different fruit skewers to allow for a variety of colors. For example, put skewers with grapes in between skewers of pineapple and cantaloupe. Use toothpicks to secure smaller fruit pieces. Arrange pieces of lettuce on the vase’s bottom. Take large, leafy pieces of lettuce and place them in and around the various skewers. Try to have the lettuce sticking out over the edge of the vase or container to emulate flower leaves. If you'd prefer, you can place the lettuce on top of the floral foam before putting the fruit skewers in place. Pick nice-smelling herbs to use in the bouquet. Select a combination of aromatic herbs to include. Rosemary, sage, and peppermint are great candidates. Consider including edible flowers like Rainbow Chard, broccoli, or nasturtium. If you're having trouble finding a certain herb or flower in a grocery store or flower shop, consider checking online. If you've picked the herbs and flowers yourself, trim off the ends of the stems for a nicer presentation. You only need to have about 6 inches (15 cm) to 8 inches (20 cm) of stalk total. Lay the herbs on a flat surface to organize them. Set all of your herbs and edible flowers on a table or other flat surface to make sure that you have everything you need. While you can always add in more plants later, it's easier to have everything you need ahead of time. Put herbs into a bouquet with your dominant hand. Use your non-dominant hand to hold the herbs and edible flowers in place as you begin to assemble the bouquet. This will help to keep the arrangement secure as you add more plants to it with your dominant hand. To make your bouquet more visually appealing, try pairing tall and short plants together, like lavender and mint. Use a variety of colors to make your bouquet as vibrant as possible. For example, pair a white echinacea flower with green and earth-toned herbs like rosemary and thyme. Combine sage, lavender, and mint for a great smelling bouquet. Carrot blossoms and fennel sprigs also work well together in a bouquet. Tie the stems together to keep them secure. Twist ribbon grass around the stems and stalks of your plants. Tuck the loose end into the wrapped grass to secure it in place. You can find ribbon grass in the garden section of most home improvement stores. You can also use string to tie your bouquet together. Rip off the blossom portion from the fake roses. Remove the fake rose petals from the stem. Make sure to keep the leaves beneath the rose petals intact. These will help to secure the bacon to the stem later on. If you're having difficulty pulling the blossoms off, use a small pair of scissors and trim the flowers with short, even snips. Fake flowers can be found at most craft stores. Preheat the oven to 375 °F (191 °C). While the oven heats up, you can begin to prepare the bacon. By the time you are finished assembling the bacon roses, the oven should be at the right temperature. Take a piece of bacon and roll it to form a rose. Pick up a piece of raw bacon and roll it into a smaller coil. Try to leave some gaps between each layer of rolled bacon, as this will make the rose look more convincing. Use thick-cut bacon if you want more prominent rose petals. Stick two toothpicks in the bacon to hold it in place. Take a toothpick and skewer it through the bottom of the rose. After the first toothpick is secure, stab a second toothpick through the bottom of the rose so that it's perpendicular to the first toothpick. This will help the bacon keep its shape in the cooking process. Put a metal rack over a pan lined with foil. Take a metal rack and place it on top of a pan. Be sure to place a sheet of aluminum foil on the bottom of the pan so that it sits beneath the metal rack. The foil will help catch any of the fat that drips down during the baking process. Place the bacon on the rack. Put each piece of rolled bacon on an oven-safe cooking rack. The bacon roses should be at least an inch apart. This method works best when you're cooking 8 pieces of bacon at a time. Slide the bacon into the oven for 45 minutes. Place the metal pan and rack into the oven. It should take around 45 minutes for the bacon to cook completely, but check periodically to see how baked it is. Depending on the type of bacon you're using, you may have a longer or shorter cooking time. Check the package of bacon to make sure. Remove the toothpicks from the bacon. Let the bacon cool for a few minutes before removing each toothpick. Take the toothpicks out above the pan, in case there's any leftover grease that drips out. Throw out the toothpicks once you've removed them from the bacon. Stick the cooked bacon on top of the fake rose. Use one hand to hold the fake rose stem in place. Take a bacon rose in your opposite hand and slide it onto the stem. Try to place it in the center of the green plastic leaves. Some plastic roses may have a long, metal pin sticking through the center of the stem. Use this pin to hold the bacon rose securely in place. Position the bacon roses nicely in a vase. Take the assembled bacon roses and place them in a vase or jar. Position the plastic stems similarly to a flower bouquet. Try and have as many of the bacon roses be visible as possible. Consider adding small, real flowers to the vase as well. Baby's breath is a tiny flower that can fit into small spaces. | Choose which fruits to use in the bouquet. Clean and trim your fruit so it’s ready to eat. Cut your larger fruit into small, decorative pieces. Skewer each piece of fruit through the center. Dip some of your fruit pieces in chocolate. Place the fruit skewers in a flipped colander. Fill a vase with large cubes of floral foam. Cover the floral foam with foil to protect the fruit. Stick the skewers of fruit into the floral foam. Arrange pieces of lettuce on the vase’s bottom. Pick nice-smelling herbs to use in the bouquet. Put herbs into a bouquet with your dominant hand. Tie the stems together to keep them secure. Rip off the blossom portion from the fake roses. Preheat the oven to 375 °F (191 °C). Take a piece of bacon and roll it to form a rose. Stick two toothpicks in the bacon to hold it in place. Put a metal rack over a pan lined with foil. Place the bacon on the rack. Slide the bacon into the oven for 45 minutes. Remove the toothpicks from the bacon. Stick the cooked bacon on top of the fake rose. Position the bacon roses nicely in a vase. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Be-a-Corporate-Lawyer | How to Be a Corporate Lawyer | To be a corporate lawyer, begin by joining a debating society or running for student government to develop your skills in public speaking and communication. Also, consider writing for a student newspaper, because corporate lawyers need to be able to write clearly and well. Then, get an undergraduate degree that focuses on critical thinking and comprehension skills, like Political Science or English. While you're studying, find an internship or part-time job at a corporation to gain specific experience and make contacts. | Understand what a corporate lawyer does. Corporate lawyers serve only one client - the corporation they work for. As a corporate lawyer, you will be called upon to handle a variety of legal tasks including corporate taxes, mergers and acquisitions, corporate structure issues, employment law, and government reporting. Corporate lawyers will generally need to be knowledgeable in a wide range of legal fields and will need to be able to handle a large number of issues. Some corporations will hire multiple lawyers and each will be a specialist in one or two areas of corporate law. Get an undergraduate degree. Becoming a lawyer is a long process involving many years of study and training. Before you go to law school you will need to complete an undergraduate degree. There is no fixed subject you are required to study, but you should consider the kinds of skills that lawyers need to possess when choosing your course. You will need excellent writing and comprehension skills. You will need to be able to critically analyze an issue and clearly articulate your position with adequate supporting evidence. You will need to be able to read, research and process large amounts of information. Some courses to consider include history, economics, political science, philosophy and English. Gain some experience while you study. It's a good idea to think about your time studying as an opportunity to gain some useful experience as well as qualifications. Think about the chances to develop your skills in practice working in student government, debating societies, or writing for the student newspaper. Look for internship possibilities with local law firms. Consider a part-time job at a local firm to help support you while you study, most law schools already offer this opportunity during the summer, as this will give you the experience of working in law. A part-time job or internship can also enable you to develop some contacts in the industry. Take the law school admission test. Before you near the end of your undergraduate studies you need to be already thinking about the next step. In most instances you will need to take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) well before you plan to actually go to law school. At the beginning of your final year of undergraduate studies, look for LSAT dates and locations local to you. The LSAT is a standardized test, which is administered four times a year at designated sites across the world. It is half-day test which is an integral part of the law school admissions process in the US and Canada. The test is designed to help admissions decisions by evaluating reading and verbal reasoning skills, which are particularly important for law school. Go to law school. Once you have passed the LSAT you can go and apply for law school. This can be a long and arduous process, so it's important that you have some patience and are committed to your career choice. Apply to study for a Juris Doctor (JD) degree at American Bar Association approved law schools. The law school application process is very competitive, so don't only apply for your first choice. In most instances you will be required to apply through the Law School Admission Council's online portal. You can create an account there and manage all the necessary documents and information easily. Take the most relevant courses. In order to prepare of your specialism in corporation law, you should take plenty of classes on business and taxation law as part of your JD. It's helpful to tailor your studies to those areas most relevant for a future career in corporate law at an early stage. As well as business and taxation courses, look for contract law, finance and corporate governance law. Make contact with the teachers of those elements which most interest you, and ask them about focussing your studies for a career in corporate law. Pass the bar exam. Once you have successfully completed your JD at law school, you still have to pass to pass your local bar exam before you earn a licence to practice law. The requirements vary from state-to-state, so contact your local bar association. In California it is a three-day test, which consists of six essay questions, two performance tests, and the Multistate Bar Exam. This is a 200-question multiple-choice test on law, constitutional law, criminal law, contracts, evidence, torts and real property. Be aware that if intend to practice in numerous states, you may have to complete the exam more than once. Talk with other professionals in your field. After many years of study, training and testing, you are finally ready to begin practicing law. Finding a job can be difficult in the extremely competitive world of law, so it's important to develop contacts and present yourself in the best way possible. Talk to anybody who you interned for, or know through your college professors, to get some insight and recommendations. Take a specialist course in corporate law. Once you have gained some experience and are ready to progress on the path to becoming a successful corporate lawyer, you should consider extending your education. There are more advanced qualifications that go beyond the basic requirements to practice law, but are very helpful in developing your specialism. If you have a position at a firm, they may support you to study for this extra qualification. The Masters of Laws (LLM) degree is a qualification that you can complete after you have your JD. It is an advanced law qualification that is recognised globally, and enables you to focus in more on specific areas on law. It is generally a one year, full-time academic course. A corporation law LLM course will generally include work on corporate and securities law, contracts and commercial law, and other areas. Consider joining professional networks. As you are developing these skills and qualifications, you should also be trying to develop your professional profile. Having a combination of good contacts, and good qualifications will give you the best chance to secure a career in corporate law. For example, you can apply to become a member of the American Bar Association's business law group. Here you will get access to news, information, and professional events and networks. You will have opportunities to meet fellow professionals and be involved in debates and discussions about the law. Interview on campus while in school. Law schools will often bring employers in to interview their students for open positions. Ask the career services office at your law school about these opportunities. You will usually start interviewing during your second year of law school for summer internships and summer associate jobs. To prepare, ask career services about the employers coming in. Do some initial research on the employers and put together an application package. Often, your application package will include your resume, a cover letter, references, and your transcripts. One you have put together your application package, make sure you submit it to the employers on time. If you are chosen for an interview, the employer will usually set up a time to meet with you on campus. Conduct informational interviews. Informational interviews provide a unique opportunity to talk with experienced lawyers in the corporate arena. During an informational interview, you will have a conversation with an attorney about their career experiences and about any advice they may have for you. To set up and complete an informational interview: Research people to talk with. Call corporations and ask to speak with their legal department. Email people in your network and ask if they have any contacts you may be able to utilize. Prepare to make contact. When you have found people to call or email, prepare a short overview of yourself and your reasons for calling. Explain that you are not looking for a job interview and that you are simply looking to discuss the corporate law field. Let the person know how you got their information and ask if they have time to meet. Go to the informational interview. When the time comes to conduct your informational interview, dress as if it were a job interview and arrive early. Be ready to conduct the interview and have a series of questions ready to go. You may want to ask about how they got their start in the corporate field, how they moved their way up, and how they would recommend you go about looking for a position. Follow up. When your informational interview is over, be sure you follow up with the person you spoke with. Thank them for their time and let them know you are appreciative. Stay in contact with these people and give them updates every once and a while. Apply for jobs you find online. The internet is a great resource for finding jobs. However, unlike some of the other methods, the jobs you find online are often going to be incredibly competitive because of the volume of responses these employers receive. While you should apply for jobs online, do not stop trying other methods as well. In order to apply for jobs online, look at employer websites and more general job sites. When you find an open position, submit an application in the form and manner requested. Some employers want a resume and cover letter. Other employers may want you to answer questionnaires about your experience and expertise. Be sure you read each job posting carefully so you know exactly what needs to be submitted. Rent office space. If you are having trouble finding a job, offer to rent office space from someone doing work you would like to get into. When you do this, ask if they would be willing to pass you work when they become busy or when they have tasks they do not want to complete. You need to be willing to do any type of work, even if it is administrative menial. Over time, the person you are renting space from may choose to hire you or may give you a good reference for another job. This is a great way to get your foot in the door. Offer your services for free. In a lot of circumstances, corporate lawyers will be happy to offer you work and experience, but they will not be willing or able to pay you for it. While this may be frustrating, offering your services for free can be a great way to gain experience and to build your professional network. If you find yourself not getting a lot of work offers, go back and offer your services for free. However, be sure you are giving yourself enough time to apply for paid positions as well. | Understand what a corporate lawyer does. Get an undergraduate degree. Gain some experience while you study. Take the law school admission test. Go to law school. Take the most relevant courses. Pass the bar exam. Talk with other professionals in your field. Take a specialist course in corporate law. Consider joining professional networks. Interview on campus while in school. Conduct informational interviews. Apply for jobs you find online. Rent office space. Offer your services for free. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Increase-Appetite-in-Dogs | How to Increase Appetite in Dogs | To increase your dog's appetite, try adding canned dog food or warm broth to its food before you feed it, which will make the food more appealing. You can also try taking your dog for a walk before each meal to help stimulate its appetite. If your dog still isn't interested in its food, try changing brands or switching from dry food to wet food. If you do switch foods, do it gradually so your dog doesn't have any stomach issues. | Look for the cause. There are many relatively minor reasons the dog might be eating less. These may clear up on their own, but you can still try to help them through it. If none of these issues fit your dog's situation, you may need to contact a vet or consider medical causes. Some dogs get motion sick when traveling. Others have trouble eating in new surroundings following a move. Some dogs dislike being fed in an uncomfortable situation. Try to keep the dog's bowl in the same place, at a comfortable height, and away from other pets that try to eat the dog's food. Dogs may react to the departure or arrival of another pet or a family member. The cause may even be something small, like changing furniture or having house work done. Some dogs don't eat because they want attention from their owner. If the dog ignores its food and looks to you for attention, ignore it. When you feed the dog, put down its food for 10 minutes, ignore it, and throw away whatever doesn't get eaten. The dog may simply happen to be picky about the type of food he eats. Cut back on treats and table scraps. Most dogs would much rather eat that piece of steak and mashed potatoes than dog food. He'll love you for giving it to him, but over time it can make him a finicky eater and a beggar at the table. Keep careful watch on your kids — they aren't always the best about cooperating with this rule. Exercise the dog. Regular exercise will stimulate your dog's appetite and encourage him to eat more. To really boost the appetite-improving effects of exercise, take him for a walk before each meal. It won't take him long to associate the walk with mealtime, giving him a positive association for both activities. Although some types of dogs require more activity than others, ideally, your dog should be getting exercise every day or at least several times a week. If you aren't capable of participating in physical activity, there are plenty of other ways to have your dog exercised for you. Take him to a doggie day care center, hire a dog walker, or go to a dog park and let the other dogs tire him out. Feed at the same time every day. Feed your pet twice a day at regular times, or as recommended by your vet. Some dogs prefer eating later in the day. If the dog is healthy and energetic, but gets distracted before finishing, set his food down and walk away. Come back in a half hour and pick his dish up, even if he hasn't eaten all of his food. It won't take him long to realize he needs to eat when he has the chance. Make mealtime fun. Have the dog play with a toy with food hidden inside. Teach your dog new tricks and offer healthy treats or food as a reward. Make the food tastier. To make the dog's food more palatable, you can stir in a few spoonfuls of canned dog food or pour a little warm water or broth over the top. Alternatively, use dog gravy. You can buy this from pet stores. These are just granules that you mix with dry food and warm water that can make the food far more tasty for the dog. Change your dog’s feeding situation. If the dog still won't eat, try these variations. It may take a little time for your dog to adjust to the change, but they may help in the long run: Feed your dog away from other pets. Use a different bowl or place it at a more comfortable height. Feed directly on the floor instead of in a bowl. Some dogs get distracted by activity and have trouble focusing on their meal. Make sure your dog's food and water dishes are in a quiet spot where he can eat in peace. Switch foods. Try a different brand, or switch from dry food to wet food. Make the change gradually over a week: mix 1/4 new to 3/4 old for a few days, then half and half for a few days and so on. This will be much easier on his digestion. If you have a puppy, try getting them used to both canned and dry food so they can experience different varieties of food textures. Changing a dog's brand of food suddenly can cause obnoxious gas and diarrhea. Keep food fresh. Make sure all food products are fresh and stored in a closed container to keep moisture and pests out. Check the expiration date on foods when you purchase them and check often when they are stored. Visit a vet if appetite decreases without reason. If your dog suddenly stops eating, take it to the vet to rule out any medical causes. There can be a number of different causes for a dog to lose its appetite, ranging from dental problems to serious illnesses. Problem teeth, sores in the mouth, or more serious health issues can affect your dog's appetite. Your veterinarian can also weigh your dog and give you a goal weight to aim for. Check for signs of illness. If the dog is acting tired, lethargic, excessively thirsty, in pain, or if he has a distended belly, dull coat, or rumbling noises from his stomach, take him to a vet. Seeing worms in the dog's stool is an obvious sign of parasites, which require vet attention. Inspect the dog for torsion. Torsion is when a dog's stomach twists into a knot. This is very serious and can lead to the death of your dog within hours. Look for common signs of torsion like looking at the stomach, groaning, pacing, and gagging without vomiting. Any unnecessary agitation on the dog's part may indicate torsion and should be checked with a vet immediately. Do not play rough, go for a run, or do strenuous activity for at least an hour after eating. Doing so can lead to torsion. Look at the dog's teeth. Pull the dog's lip up gently to check his teeth, if any are missing, or if they look very brown, stink, or have visible buildup, he is probably in too much pain to eat well. Take him to a vet if any teeth are loose, badly chipped, missing, or falling out. The vet can teach you how to clean your dog's teeth regularly. Feed vet-prescribed food. Your veterinarian may prescribe a special diet to address your dog's health issues. Your dog may not enjoy the diet, but it's important to make sure it eats enough to meet its nutritional needs. Talk to the vet if nothing works. If the dog refuses to eat its special diet, or its health declines further, visit the vet right away. Your dog may need further medication or a liquid diet. | Look for the cause. Cut back on treats and table scraps. Exercise the dog. Feed at the same time every day. Make mealtime fun. Make the food tastier. Change your dog’s feeding situation. Switch foods. Keep food fresh. Visit a vet if appetite decreases without reason. Check for signs of illness. Inspect the dog for torsion. Look at the dog's teeth. Feed vet-prescribed food. Talk to the vet if nothing works. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Cure-a-Dog%27s-Bad-Breath | How to Cure a Dog's Bad Breath | You can freshen your dog's bad breath at home by adding a teaspoon of snipped herbs like mint, parsley, or wheatgrass to its food. While the chlorophyll that makes the herbs green can help freshen your dog's breath, it won't cure underlying oral health issues. To keep your dog's mouth healthy and clean, brush its teeth every day using doggy toothpaste. If your dog is resistant or tries to bite while you brush, don't push it. Instead, ask your veterinarian for advice. In addition to brushing, make sure to give your pup plenty of size-appropriate chew toys, since they help remove tartar buildup that can cause bad breath. | Add snips of mint, parsley, or wheatgrass to their food. The chlorophyll that makes these herbs green also has potential breath-freshening benefits. Use scissors or your fingers to finely snip or tear up about 1 tsp (5 g) of one or more of the herbs, then sprinkle it on top of your dog's food each day. These herbs, like most home remedies for bad breath, only mask the stink. They don't address underlying causes like periodontal disease or other illnesses. It's always advisable to get regular veterinary check-ups that involve oral health evaluations. Pour 1 tsp (4.9 ml) of coconut oil over their food. Coconut oil has become very popular in recent years (for people and pups) due to a host of potential health benefits attached to it. Among other things, it's claimed to help freshen bad doggy breath. Use up to 1 tsp (4.9 ml) on their food each mealtime and see if you notice an improvement in your dog's breath. Dogs typically like the smell and taste of coconut oil, so you probably won't have a problem getting them to eat it with their food. However, keep in mind that coconut oil is very high in calories. Don't feed it to your dog too often, and stop using it if the dog gains weight. Additionally, coconut oil is high in fat, so it isn't right for every dog, especially those prone to pancreatitis. If they don't care for coconut oil, try parsley, cinnamon, dental chews, or another option. Put a pinch of cinnamon into their dog food. Cinnamon, like coconut oil, has many presumed health benefits attached to it. In this case, though, it's mostly being used as a masking agent to cover up bad breath. Don't add more than a pinch of cinnamon to your dog's food at each mealtime, or the flavor and scent may be too intense for their liking. Try doggy dental chews with chlorophyll. Canine dental chews are widely available at pet supply stores, large retailers, and online. Look for chews that include chlorophyll as well as cinnamon and clove for the best chance of getting fresh breath results. Dental chews come in various sizes and shapes, and can be fed as treats or chew snacks. Follow the package instructions or consult your vet regarding how often to give your dog dental chews. Enhance their regular water with doggy dental water additives. There are numerous dental water additives to choose from, and most of them involve mixing in a small amount to your dog's regular water supply. In simple terms, this dental water is meant to function as a drinkable mouthwash. Check the dental water package for directions on using it. Brush their teeth regularly with doggy toothpaste. Most dogs will accept daily teeth brushing as part of their routine if you use the proper tools and give them positive encouragement throughout the process. If your dog is very resistant or you're afraid they'll bite you, talk to your vet for advice. Never use human toothpaste on dogs. You should also use a toothbrush designed for dogs. It's best to get them in the habit at a young age—you can start brushing their teeth at around 8 weeks. Provide them with breed- and age-appropriate chew toys. Chew toys not only keep dogs occupied, they also help remove tartar buildup that can cause bad breath. Pick out chew toys that are the right size for your dog—big dogs shouldn't get tiny chew toys they might choke on, and little dogs shouldn't get giant chew toys that are too big for their mouth. Consult your vet about the best kind of chew toys for your dog. Unless otherwise recommended, avoid using bones or antlers, which can break teeth. You can also find dental chew toys that are either coated or filled with a small amount of doggy toothpaste. Feed the dog a balanced diet. A high-quality, vet-recommended dog food that is suited to your particular dog is good for their overall health. It's also less likely to cause tooth decay, diabetes, or other causes of bad breath. Cut back on table scraps and dog treats. Focus on providing them with a nutritious diet. Check the ingredients of your dog's food to make sure it doesn't contain cheap fillers or fish meal. These ingredients can cause your dog to have smelly breath. Ask your vet about giving your dog a snack of cut apples and/or carrots each day. These crunchy treats can help to remove stinky tartar from their teeth. Restrict their access to trash, dead animals, and/or poop. In many cases, dogs have bad breath because they eat really smelly things. If your dog gets into the trash, snacks on roadkill, or eats cat poop (or its own poop), you shouldn't be surprised if their breath is foul. Remove kitchen trash from your home regularly, and make sure the trash can has a secure lid. Likewise make sure that your outside garbage cans have secure lids. Use a leash to keep your dog away from dead animals and restrain them from catching animals. Dogs that eat the feces of cats or other animals, or even their own poop, have a condition known as coprophagia. While there is the chance of them picking up illnesses this way, the main problem is usually the bad breath it causes. Give your dog daily canine probiotics. In dogs as in people, probiotics are intended to restore the proper balance of healthy bacteria to the digestive system. Mouth and digestive bacteria can trigger bad breath, so daily use of probiotics may help improve your dog's breath. Ask your vet if probiotics are right for your dog. Use probiotics marketed for dogs, not humans. Don't expect immediate breath-freshening results with probiotics—give them daily for at least a few weeks. Schedule a vet checkup and ask about a dental cleaning. If your dog has persistent bad breath, or you notice their breath turning especially foul, call your vet for an appointment. They'll likely check your dog for dental problems or mouth infections, which are both possible causes of bad breath, and may do further testing as needed. If your dog has heavy tartar buildup on their teeth or signs of periodontal disease, your vet may do a dental cleaning. Your dog will need to be sedated for this procedure, and severely decayed teeth may need to be extracted. Recognize sweet, fruity breath as a potential sign of diabetes. While it may seem like a pleasant change from truly foul doggy breath, overly-sweet-smelling dog breath can indicate diabetes. Your vet will likely to blood testing and other diagnostic tests to confirm a diabetes diagnosis. Diabetes is a serious condition, but typically a treatable one in dogs. Treat urine-scented breath as a possible signal of kidney issues. Some dogs eat feces, but they don't drink urine. So, if your dog has breath that smells like urine, take them to the vet to check for possible kidney problems. Urine-scented breath can indicate a wide range of kidney troubles. Some may be very treatable, while others can be extremely serious. It's important to get a vet's diagnosis. Suspect liver problems if bad breath is combined with other specific symptoms. If your dog is suffering from a liver disorder, they'll likely have truly foul bad breath combined with one or more of the following: vomiting; loss of appetite; or yellowish gums. Make a vet appointment right away if you recognize these symptoms. Many, but not all, liver disorders can be life-threatening, so don't delay in getting a proper diagnosis and treatment for your canine pal. | Add snips of mint, parsley, or wheatgrass to their food. Pour 1 tsp (4.9 ml) of coconut oil over their food. Put a pinch of cinnamon into their dog food. Try doggy dental chews with chlorophyll. Enhance their regular water with doggy dental water additives. Brush their teeth regularly with doggy toothpaste. Provide them with breed- and age-appropriate chew toys. Feed the dog a balanced diet. Restrict their access to trash, dead animals, and/or poop. Give your dog daily canine probiotics. Schedule a vet checkup and ask about a dental cleaning. Recognize sweet, fruity breath as a potential sign of diabetes. Treat urine-scented breath as a possible signal of kidney issues. Suspect liver problems if bad breath is combined with other specific symptoms. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Get-Followers-on-Instagram | How to Get Followers on Instagram | If you want to get followers on Instagram, take unique and interesting photos of the things around you. Don't post too many selfies, and add a caption on every photo to make it more interesting. You can also use hashtags in your captions to help more people find your photos. Once you have a good variety of pictures posted, start following other Instagram users, then like and comment on their photos to encourage them to visit your page and follow you back! | See what's trending, and make an account off of that. For example, making a sehunthe (your choice here) root account right now is a fast way to get activity. Follow similar accounts. Instagram is a community, and you will find yourself gaining followers if you participate in that community. This means interacting beyond simply uploading photos. Find people that are posting pictures that interest you, and follow their accounts. This will let you see their latest photos on your feed. Do a quick search for relevant hashtags on Instagram to get a list of photos and accounts that are similar to what you post. For example, if you post lots of travel pictures, then search for something like #instatravel Don't just follow everyone you see, or your feed will become too overloaded to process. Limit yourself to following only those accounts that you find most interesting. Instagram limits you to following about 120 people per hour. Like and comment on pictures. Once you start following some people, take some time to like and leave positive comments on their photos. Not only will this make the other person feel good, but other people may see your name or comment and check out your profile. If you stay active, this can lead to a steady stream of new followers. When commenting on photos, take your time to write a longer message and use emojis when possible. It will be much more motivating for them to take the extra time to look over your profile. Respond to comments on your own photos. Interacting with your own followers is essential to maintaining your follower base and building your community. Respond to any interesting comments, and thank your followers for any compliments. If a follower asks an intriguing question, take the time to answer it properly. Even if a comment doesn't require a written response, it might be worthwhile to like the comment to acknowledge that you've seen it and appreciate it. Ask your followers questions. Use the photo caption to ask questions to your followers. This will get your comments section more active, which will attract more viewers to your photo. Consider having a call-to-action, such as "Double-tap if you found this funny" or "Share your story in the comments". This will help drive community interaction with your photos. Connect your Facebook account. Instagram is now owned by Facebook, and you are losing out on a lot of potential followers if you don't connect your accounts. Once connected all of your Instagram posts will be pushed to Facebook as well, giving you double exposure. You can connect your accounts through the Instagram Settings menu. Fill out your bio. Your Instagram bio is an often-overlooked but very important part of your Instagram account. Let people know who you are and why they should follow you. Include a couple hashtags as well that relate to your content. Your bio is another good place to place a call-to-action. Use multiple lines and emojis to draw attention to your bio. Research popular hashtags for you niche. Hashtags are words and short phrases that describe and categorize the image. Hashtags help people search for your image, and can add your image to current trends. Using hashtags is incredibly important to reaching a larger audience. Instagram is a great tool for finding what the most popular trending tags are. The top hashtags on Instagram are usually #love #photooftheday #amazing #smile #look #picoftheday #food #instadaily #girl #iphoneonly #instagood #bestoftheday #instacool #instago #all_shots #webstagram #colorful #style #swag You can find relevant tags using websites such as www.tagsforlikes.com or download apps on your phone by searching for "tags for likes" on the app store. Add a few hashtags to each image. Add a few of the most pertinent hashtags you can find to your image. Try to limit the number of hashtags to three at the most. If you have too many hashtags, your followers will feel like your images are too spammy. Hide away the hashtags by using them within the caption sentence e.g. "I really #love this #girl" or place them right at the bottom of the caption. Instagram will limit you to a maximum of 30 hashtags per post. Create your own tag. If you have a decent amount of followers, you can try creating your own hashtags. This could be your company name or a slogan that applies to many of your photos. This will help brand your Instagram account, and lead to a more cohesive community presence. Use this tag in all your photos you post as well as in your Instagram accounts bio. You can use capital letters to separate words in a hashtag rather than spaces. Instead of "Just do it" you could use #JustDoIt Geotag your photos. Instagram users are interested in photos from locations that they know. On top of that, as you post geotagged photos, Instagram will bring up other photos from that location. Other users posting photos from the same location may see your pictures and follow them to your account, giving you more exposure and potentially new local followers. Avoid geotagging your photo in a location that the photo was not taken. Incorrect geotagging could lead to negative comments on your posts or other forms of backlash. For your own safety avoid geotagging your home or work locations. Remember these geotags are visible to the public. Use Interaction hashtags. If you want to try to bolster your likes, comments, or followers you can use some of the more popular like, comment, or follow trading hashtags, such as #follow4follow #like4like #comment4comment #f4f #l4l #c4c #followback #likeback #commentback #teamfollowback #alwaysfollowback etc. Just make sure that you actually hold up your part of the deal and like, comment, or follow the user back. Some people consider this a "dirty" tactic, and you may lose some followers if you tag this too often. While this tactic may lead to new followers, be aware that they may only follow you to gain more likes on their own photos rather than out of genuine interest. Make sure you follow though with your side of the deal to avoid any nasty comments or unfollows. Take unique and interesting photos. While this may seem obvious, one of the best ways to get followers on Instagram is to simply take good pictures. Instagram is swamped with pictures of people's meals and cats, so set yourself apart with well-shot photos. Try to take pictures that will relate with your target audience. If your audience can connect with the images that you take, they are more likely to follow you. A good photo doesn't have to be a "perfect" photo. Good photos seem human and imperfections can help add to that feeling. Limit "selfies". Everyone likes to post a selfie every now and then, but you shouldn't let these pictures dominate your content. Most followers don't want to see you, they want to see your photos. Posting constant selfies can come across as narcissistic, and can drive followers away. The exception to this, sad as it may be, is if you are attractive. You can get a lot of followers by posting attractive pictures of yourself. Even then, don't let it dominate your content! Add filters. Instagram got popular because of the filter options. These filters adjust the color of your photo, giving it a more "real" feel. Instagram has a variety of filters available, so don't be afraid to try multiple ones until you find one that works well with your photo. Avoid using the same filters over and over, or your images will start to feel too same. If the picture is striking enough without a filter, a popular hashtag on Instagram is #nofilter. Use it! if you are struggling to find a good filter then try a third-party photo editor like Google Photos which has many different filters that are not available on Instagram. Put captions on every photo. A good caption can turn an okay photo into an amazing one. Captions help grab the viewers' attention, and if you can make them laugh or smile with your caption you'll retain more people as followers. Jokes or cute captions are especially popular. Use apps for expanded editing control. While you can do some minor editing in Instagram, there are a variety of apps for both iOS and Android that can give you way more tools. Use these apps to brighten, darken, crop, add text and effects, and much more. Popular editing apps include Photo Editor by Aviary, Afterlight, Bokehful, and Overgram. Create collages. A great way to show a progression or a collection of images is to create a collage to post on Instagram. There are several apps that will allow you to do this, including PicStitch, InstaCollage, InstaPicFrame, and even Instagram's own collage app named Layout. Post your photos at a good time. Instagram is an incredibly popular service, and your followers' feeds are likely updating constantly. If you want the most people possible to see your photos, you need to post them at the right time. The best time to post photos is during the morning and after normal work hours end for your audience. Instagram photos typically last around 4 hours in a person's feed, so avoid posting in the middle of the night or your followers may never actually see the image. You can find the best times to post pictures for your audience by using websites such as IconoSquare Post in a steady stream. Don't dump all of your photos into your feed at once. If you have multiple photos that you want to share, spread them out over a couple of days. If you post too many pictures at once, your followers are likely to start skipping over them. On the other hand, if you don't post often enough, you will have difficulty maintaining followers and drawing in new ones. Understand the risks. Buying followers is against Instagram's terms of service, and can result in your account being permanently banned. Additionally, it is illegal in some cases, and could result in serious penalties if you are caught. If you chose to do this, you are doing it at your own risk. Another thing to remember is that while buying followers may give you a quick boost, there are some drawbacks. These followers will likely never interact with your photos and leave comments, which can leave your photos a little bare. People will also notice when you have lots of followers and no activity, which can turn them away. These followers may also unfollow you after some time. Find a good seller. There are lots of websites that offer followers for money. If you're desperate for more followers, purchasing some may help get your Instagram account off the ground. Make sure to read reviews of the services before settling on one. Find a seller that accepts PayPal. Check for a money-back guarantee. Carefully read the Terms and Conditions as well as any Privacy Policy. Choose how many followers you would like to purchase. Most services allow you to choose from a variety of packages, ranging from 100 to 1 million followers. Choose the package that best suits your needs and budget. Set your account to Public. You cannot purchase followers for a private account because private accounts hide the amount of followers they have, so ensure that you set your account to be publicly visible. You can change the settings from your Profile page by tapping "Edit your Profile". | See what's trending, and make an account off of that. Follow similar accounts. Like and comment on pictures. Respond to comments on your own photos. Ask your followers questions. Connect your Facebook account. Fill out your bio. Research popular hashtags for you niche. Add a few hashtags to each image. Create your own tag. Geotag your photos. Use Interaction hashtags. Take unique and interesting photos. Add filters. Put captions on every photo. Use apps for expanded editing control. Create collages. Post your photos at a good time. Post in a steady stream. Understand the risks. Find a good seller. Choose how many followers you would like to purchase. Set your account to Public. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Dine-Out-with-Your-Dog | How to Dine Out with Your Dog | If you want to dine out with your dog, make sure to call the restaurant you want to visit beforehand to make sure it's dog-friendly. If you have time, you should also check to make sure the tables are tall enough for your dog to fit under. Then, once you find a restaurant, prepare your dog for the visit by taking it for a walk to use up any excess energy and feeding it so it doesn't beg for your food at the table. When you're ready to go, choose a time when the restaurant will be the least crowded and pack a water bowl and treats for your dog to enjoy while you're eating. | Call ahead and ask if the restaurant is dog friendly. Before you head out for a delicious dinner with your dog, make sure the restaurant allows pets to dine with their owners. Don't rely solely on information from the Internet or tips from fellow travelers. Although these can be helpful in figuring out where you might want to take Terrance the terrier, it's best to call before you go to avoid unexpected outcomes. Scope out the restaurant ahead of time. Before you and Titan head out to that new sushi joint, make sure it truly is dog friendly. Questions to consider include: Can your dog sit comfortably while you dine? Are the tables large enough that your dog can sit quietly underneath? Is there ample space between tables, or will your pooch be snuggling up to the lady sitting next to you? Ask when the restaurant is least crowded. Dining out with your dog can be a more pleasant experience if you visit the establishment when it's not overflowing with guests, especially if Nancy the Norwegian Elkhound is a bit nervous around crowds. Call the restaurant and ask when the least busy times are for the meal you're planning on eating there. This can help you plan a more pleasant experience for all, including Nervous Nancy. Take your dog for a long walk before dining out. If your dog is exhausted, she will be more content while you're enjoying your meal. She may even decide to take a nap while you're chowing down on that burger. Take your dog for a run, a walk, or to the dog park before heading out to a restaurant. Feed your dog before you dine out. Before you take your dog to a restaurant, it is important that you make sure they have been fed. If you bring your hungry pooch to the diner, it is more likely she will beg for food and act out. Feed them a full meal before you leave the house. Practice basic voice commands with your dog. A dog that dines out should be under voice control. At a minimum, this means Fido should sit, stay, and “leave it” when instructed to do so. If your pooch doesn't understand basic commands, the two of you have some work to do before hitting up that patio on Friday afternoon. Consider doggy obedience training if you're having trouble teaching him on your own. Pack a water bowl. Chances are your four-legged friend will get thirsty while you're eating out. While preparing to journey to your favorite restaurant, be sure to pack Max's water bowl and a bottle of water. This is especially important if you are dining outside during hot weather. Take some treats. Lucy loves chicken jerky and she'll be more likely to listen to you if have a stockpile of her favorite snacks on hand. Pack the treats along with a small water bowl in your bag before heading out to the restaurant. Leave aggressive dogs at home. This point cannot be stressed enough. If your dog has a tendency to act aggressively toward other people or animals, he has no place in a restaurant. Bringing an aggressive dog to dinner can be a recipe for disaster. Do your fellow diners a favor and leave Killer at home. Leash your dog. Even if your dog is an angel, she still needs to be on a leash when you hit up a restaurant. You might be able to control your dog, but you will have no control over distractions, unexpected incidents, or other people's pets. Make sure Susie-Q is properly collared and leashed before you enter the restaurant. Attach your dog’s leash to your chair. It's important that you keep your dog close to you while dining out. Don't leash Fluffy to the table, as this will give him the opportunity to socialize with other diners or even trip your waitress! Instead, tie his leash to your chair. This will limit his range and give you direct control over his movements. Don't attach the leash to a table! This can result in spilled drinks and destroyed dinners if Rufus decides to run. Keep your dog under the table. If possible, you should aim to keep your pooch under the table while you are dining out. It's safe under there. Curly won't get kicked, tripped, or trampled by passersby and he'll feel more secure while you're enjoying your escargot. Do not place your dog on a table or chair! While you might think it's cute that Beethoven eats dinner on your lap, it's likely that your fellow diners do not. Moreover, in many restaurants it is against regulation to have a pet on a table or chair. This prohibition includes a purse placed on the table with Beethoven inside it. Remove your pet from the restaurant if a conflict arises. If you are dining out with your dog and a conflict with another pet arises, exit the restaurant. Ask your server for a doggy bag and leave. The last thing you or your fellow diners want to witness is a dogfight or a dog bite. | Call ahead and ask if the restaurant is dog friendly. Scope out the restaurant ahead of time. Ask when the restaurant is least crowded. Take your dog for a long walk before dining out. Feed your dog before you dine out. Practice basic voice commands with your dog. Pack a water bowl. Take some treats. Leave aggressive dogs at home. Leash your dog. Attach your dog’s leash to your chair. Keep your dog under the table. Do not place your dog on a table or chair! Remove your pet from the restaurant if a conflict arises. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Fix-a-Broken-Bicycle-Chain | How to Fix a Broken Bicycle Chain | With a chain breaker tool, you can easily fix your broken bicycle chain and get riding again right away. You'll just need to remove the broken chain link by pushing its pin out with your chain breaker tool and then connect the 2 ends by pushing a pin between them. However, if you don't have a new link, you can still connect the ends of the chain together using your chain breaker tool. Just avoid using your highest gear until you can add a new link to the chain, since it will be too short for the meantime. Make sure you lubricate your chain with bike grease before you ride it. | Avoid shifting the bike while the chain is broken. Though it may be easier to repair or replace the chain while it's in a lower gear, you should only shift the bike when pedaling. Shifting with a broken chain can cause more problems. Use a chain breaker tool to carefully push the pin halfway out of the broken link. This tool, resembling a medieval torture device, is actually easy to use. Each link of the chain has 2 round pins in it which attach it to the other links. Find the broken link and note the pin that is keeping it attached to the rest of the chain. Slowly turn your chain breaker tool so the poker pushes the pin out of the link about halfway. Do not push it completely through. Pull the broken link off the pin and discard it. Remove the broken link while keeping the pin in the chain. This pin will attach to the open link on the other side of the chain to put everything back together. You can replace this pin with a new one, if you have one on hand. Fit the 2 ends of the chain into one another so the holes line up. The link with the pin in it should be on the outside so that you can push it through all 4 holes (2 on each link) to complete your chain. To get the holes to line up, put the inner plates in the outer plates of the chain. Use your chain breaker tool the other way to push the pin through, completing the link. Before, you screwed the tool in to push the pin out of the link. Now, screw the tool to push the link inward. Work slowly, keeping your hand on the links to ensure it is all lined up. Loosen up the connection to prevent binding. Grab the chain on each side of your newly connected links and move it from side to side to loosen up the new connection. It can also help to move the chain tool to the other side of the joint just made, and push the pin very slightly to free the 2 outside plates of the link from the central section, preventing binding. Lubricate your chain with bike grease. Do not use WD-40, or any other product not made for bike chains. Flip the bike over and pedal it with one hand, dropping bits of lubricant onto the chain with the other. About 10-15 drops should do. Then, use a damp rag and lightly pat down the chain of any excess oil. When you run a finger on the chain it should come up slick, but not covered in a puddle of lubricant. Avoid using your biggest gear in the back gears, as the chain is now a link too short. More often than not, the bike won't even let you get into these gears, as the chain is not long enough to reach. However, the strain of trying to hit these bigger cogs will cause another break if you aren't careful. Try to keep your chain straight between the front and back gears. Don't let it stretch diagonally across the gears by being all the way to the right on the front gears and all the way to the left on the back gears at the same time. This chain fix is generally temporary, and you should add a new link or get a new chain shortly afterward. Add a new link as soon as possible to return your chain to its normal length. If your chain breaks, you can remove the broken link and reattach the chain for a temporary fix. However, the shorter chain won't be able to fit around all of your gears, severely limiting your range. You can purchase new links, however, at any bike shop and many sports retailers It's not ideal to use a chain that has links with different levels of wear. The best thing to do is to replace the entire chain instead of adding a new link. Master links are made to fit easily onto a bike. They are easy to install quickly, too, making them handy to keep in your saddle bag on long trips. They are, by far, the most common links used by home mechanics. Consult a local bike shop to find one that works for your bike. Face the master link the right direction. Most links have an arrow on them that needs to point in the direction the chain goes when pedaling. The rest are concave (bending in) on one side, and this side needs to face towards the wheel and the rest of the bike. Pinch the links together to unhook the 2 halves of the master link. You'll notice that the master link has a figure-eight shaped space for the pins, instead of the normal rounded pins and pin-holes for the rest of the chain. If the chain is not already unlocked, do it now. Some master links come as 2 asymmetrical halves: a C-shaped piece with both pins and an outside plate. To fix these chains, simply thread the C-shaped pin into the both open holes of the broken chain, then fit the plate on top. Take each half and push it through the hole on opposite ends of the chain. Each of the pins on the two halves of the master link needs to go into one of the ends of the chain. Make sure that the pins go in from opposite sides of the chain as well. You are going to hook the chain back together using the figure-eight hole, and they need to line up. Link the exposed pins through the figure-eight holes on the opposing links. First, bring the chain together. Then, align the holes and push the pins through them. Note, however, that this connection is currently very loose. Some mechanics use a tensioner, a simple C-shaped wire that hooks into the grooves of the chain, to hold it taut while linking. While not necessary, a set of hands or a similar tool to keep the chain close together makes life much easier. Use a pair of pliers to push the master link together, clicking the pins into place. You want to force the pins into the other sides of the figure-eight hole to lock them in place. If you don't have a pair of pliers handy, there is one more trick to tighten everything. Flip the bike over so it's upside-down. Holding the back break down, slowly pedal the bike. As the brake holds the wheel, and thus the chain, in place, the pressure of pedaling will pull the other side, tightening your master link. Know that, in the end, a broken chain usually means you need a brand new one. While you can fix the chain in a variety of ways, as noted, a broken chain usually needs a replacement. Beyond breaking, old chains expand as the pins inside wear down. This might not sound like much in theory, but it matters when riding. The chain handles and transfers all of the force from your feet to the wheels, and a loose chain means you're doing a lot more work for a lot less speed. | Avoid shifting the bike while the chain is broken. Use a chain breaker tool to carefully push the pin halfway out of the broken link. Pull the broken link off the pin and discard it. Fit the 2 ends of the chain into one another so the holes line up. Use your chain breaker tool the other way to push the pin through, completing the link. Loosen up the connection to prevent binding. Lubricate your chain with bike grease. Avoid using your biggest gear in the back gears, as the chain is now a link too short. Add a new link as soon as possible to return your chain to its normal length. Face the master link the right direction. Pinch the links together to unhook the 2 halves of the master link. Take each half and push it through the hole on opposite ends of the chain. Link the exposed pins through the figure-eight holes on the opposing links. Use a pair of pliers to push the master link together, clicking the pins into place. Know that, in the end, a broken chain usually means you need a brand new one. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Care-for-Phalenopsis-Orchids-(Moth-Orchids) | How to Care for Phalenopsis Orchids (Moth Orchids) | For the healthiest phals orchid possible, make sure your orchid is in a plastic or clay pot filled with bark mix. Set your phals in an area where it has access to indirect or filtered sunlight, and keep it at a temperature of around 70 °F. Water your phals weekly, and supplement the bark mix with a 10/10/10 or 20/20/20 food formula diluted in water every month. | Identify that you have a Phalaenopsis orchid (Phals for short). Different types of orchids have very different care. Phals usually have 3-6 very broad, somewhat floppy leaves that alternate. The flower spike comes from between these leaves. The flowers on phals can be any color, including white, pink, yellow, striped or splotched. Flowers are usually 2–4 inches (5.1–10.2 cm) in diameter and bloom on a spike that may be 12–18 inches (30.5–45.7 cm) in length. There may be more than one spike on a large plant and it may have anywhere from 3-20 flowers. If you aren't sure you have a phal, check the internet for images. Do not over water your phal! This is the number one cause of death and you may not even know you are doing it until one day the plant is dead. Phals are epiphytic plants, meaning in the wild they attach themselves by their roots to a tree or rock and get their nutrients from detritus that accumulate around their roots. This means that their roots aren't sitting in wet soil under natural conditions. Frequently, orchids from big box stores are either over watered or under watered. Over watered plants get root rot and eventually die because they can't absorb water. Under watered plants have hard, brittle roots. Healthy roots should be thick, a silvery green with bright green tips. It's a good idea to check the roots on a new phal when you bring it home. If all the roots are brown and squishy, trim them off and repot the plant. Keep it on the dry side until you see new roots forming. When you do water (typically once a week works well in most homes, but you should put your finger into the substrate to feel it before watering, if wet, hold off), allow water to run until it comes out of the holes in the pot. Do not get water on or in between the leaves, as this can cause rot, which can kill the plant. Since orchids are plants that drink water out of other plants to survive, it is better to water your plant every other day. Generally, under watering is a lot less likely to kill a phal than over watering. Pot your orchid correctly. Proper potting of the orchid will help keep you from over watering! During this time, you may want to keep the orchid in a more humid area, like a bathroom (as long as it gets some light). Phals can be potted in a variety of substances, but the most important is that the potting substrate allows the roots to get some air and drys relatively quickly. This means never, ever use potting soil for houseplants on phals. One of the easiest thing to use is a bark mix for orchids. To re-pot your plant, get a plastic or clay pot. Plastic holds water better than clay; if you have tendency to over water, go with clay. Go with a pot size that fits the roots the best, not the leaves. Smaller is always better, as it dries faster. Position your flower in the middle of the pot and fill in the pot with the bark mix. As you fill, you should bang the pot against the floor to help settle the bark. It helps to soak the bark beforehand in water. Pots should always have holes in the bottom to allow good drainage. You can put a plastic pot with holes into a more decorative container if you want to and then just take it out when you water it. Orchids don't like to have wet feet! Not all roots may fit in the pot and that is normal Phals have aerial roots, you can mist them with a spray bottle when you water the plant. Do not put them in direct sunlight. Phals are a lower light orchid. They do not like to be in direct sun and this can burn their leaves easily. Diffused light or early morning light in an east window works well. Overhead lights in your house are probably not enough though, so you should keep it near a window where it gets some natural, diffused light. Not enough light will keep the plant from re-flowering. If it's been 6 months since you've seen signs of a flower spike, try putting the plant in a little more light. Keep your plant warm. Phals do not like to get too cold. Temps at night shouldn't get below about 62 degrees. Daytime temps in the mid 70's to 80's are good. Don't forget to feed them. Phals need plant food at some point. Once a month diluted in water works well. You should use about half the recommended amount on the label and avoid food that use urea for the nitrogen, as it can burn the root tips. A 10/10/10 or 20/20/20 formula works well. There are several formulas especially for orchids, but they are all pretty much the same. Try again, if your first flower doesn't make it! Starting with a healthy plant is easier than trying to revive one that wasn't cared for properly in the store. Look for a plant with big thick roots and nice shiny leaves that don't droop too much. | Identify that you have a Phalaenopsis orchid (Phals for short). Do not over water your phal! Pot your orchid correctly. Do not put them in direct sunlight. Keep your plant warm. Don't forget to feed them. Try again, if your first flower doesn't make it! |
https://www.wikihow.com/Improve-Under-Eye-Skin | How to Improve Under Eye Skin | If you're stressed, tired, or have loose skin under your eyes, you can improve the appearance of your skin with a few simple home remedies. Make sure you get at least 7 hours of sleep a night, which can help to reduce bags, dark circles, and puffiness. You can also apply a little retinoid cream under your eyes to help reduce dark circles. If that doesn't work, try applying a cold compress or a bag of frozen vegetables wrapped in a towel to the skin under your eyes for about 10 minutes. This can help shrink any dilated blood vessels. It's also important to moisturize under your eyes to keep your skin hydrated. Try to maintain a balanced diet with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, which may help slow aging skin and wrinkles. | Work with a doctor to determine the reason for your dark circles. The most effective treatment for under-eye discoloration will depend on what's causing the issue. Your primary care doctor or dermatologist can help you determine the treatment that's right for you. Common causes include: Allergies Dermatitis Fatigue Irritation around the eyes due to rubbing or scratching Sun damage Water retention Thinning of the skin due to aging A hereditary predisposition to under-eye hyperpigmentation (especially common in people of color) Avoid rubbing your eyes to prevent irritation and discoloration. Rubbing or scratching your eyes a lot can cause irritation and rupture tiny blood vessels under your eyes, leading to dark circles or blotches. If you're a chronic eye-rubber, you could eventually develop a condition called lichen simplex chronicus (LSC), which causes the skin to become thickened and dark. Avoiding the temptation to touch your eyes can help improve their health and appearance. If you can't stop rubbing your eyes, talk to your doctor or dermatologist about how to break the habit. Your doctor might also be able to help identify and treat any underlying conditions that are causing you to rub or scratch your eyes a lot, such as eczema or chronic dry eye. Use cold compresses to shrink dilated blood vessels. In some cases, dark circles may be caused by dilated blood vessels under your eyes. Because the skin under the eyes is so thin, these vessels under the surface of the skin show through, causing a bluish tint. Chill a metal spoon in the fridge or wrap a bag of frozen peas in a soft washcloth and hold it against your under-eye skin for about 10 minutes to constrict the vessels. You can also use cooled green tea bags. Take antihistamines or nasal steroids to fight dark circles caused by allergies. Seasonal or environmental allergies can cause puffiness and dark circles under the eyes. If your under-eye circles are being caused by an allergy, try an over-the-counter allergy medication or talk to your doctor about getting a prescription medication to combat your symptoms. Take a shower before you go to bed at night. Showering before bed can help clear your nasal passages, which can reduce allergies and under-eye puffiness. While you're in the shower, rinse your face off to clear any debris around your eyes that could irritate them. Get plenty of sleep to make dark circles stand out less. When you don't get enough sleep, your skin may appear pale or washed-out. This can enhance the appearance of dark circles under your eyes. Reduce under-eye circles by making sure you get 7-9 hours of sleep every night. Apply retinoid creams to boost collagen and reduce pigmentation. Retinoids can combat dark circles in a couple of different ways. Retinoids cause discolored or hyper-pigmented skin to slough off, and encourage the growth of new skin. They can also boost collagen production and make blood vessels under your skin less visible. Talk to your doctor about using retinoids or retinoic acid creams to reduce the appearance of dark circles under your eyes. Since retinoids can cause irritation, take care not to over-use these products on the delicate skin around your eyes. Your doctor may suggest gradually increasing the amount you use over several weeks, so that your skin can build up a tolerance for it. Try a skin-lightening cream to reduce excessive pigmentation. If your dark circles are caused by hyperpigmentation, a skin-lightening agent such as hydroquinone or Kojic acid may be effective. Ask your dermatologist to prescribe or recommend a lightening cream. Follow the package directions or your dermatologist's instructions for use. Some skin-lightening agents, such as Tri-Luma cream, also contain retinoids and steroids to help reduce inflammation and boost collagen production. Get a chemical peel to strip away discolored skin. Like retinoids, chemical peels work by sloughing off hyper-pigmented skin. Your dermatologist may recommend a glycolic acid peel, or a peel supplemented with retinoids or lightening agents. Since the skin under and around your eyes is very delicate, do not try using an at-home chemical peel for this purpose. Have your doctor, dermatologist, or a cosmetic skin care professional do the peel. Treat under-eye discoloration with laser treatments. IPL (intense pulsed light) laser treatments are an effective treatment for many forms of stubborn under-eye discoloration, including spider veins and pigmentation caused by sun damage. IPL treatments can also reduce sagging and stimulate collagen production. Laser treatments may cause temporary irritation and swelling, and in some cases may cause the skin under your eyes to become temporarily darker. In rare cases, infection or scarring may occur. Talk to your doctor about whether you are a good candidate for IPL treatments. Ask your doctor about fillers if you have under-eye depressions. Some dark circles are caused by deep troughs or hollows under the eyes, which can create shadows and allow veins under the skin to show through. These under-eye depressions may be caused by genetics, weight loss, or aging. Talk to your doctor or dermatologist about treating under-eye depressions with a hyaluronic acid filler. If used incorrectly, hyaluronic acid fillers may cause damage to the area around the eye or create a puffy appearance. Talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of this treatment. Protect your eyes from sun damage to prevent wrinkles. Sun damage is one of the leading causes of early skin aging. Protect the delicate skin under your eyes by wearing sunglasses and wide-brimmed hats. Gently apply sunscreen to the skin under your eyes before you go outside. Look for sunscreens that are designed to be used on the sensitive skin around your eyes. Moisturize your under-eye skin to reduce the appearance of wrinkles. Moisturizers mask the appearance of lines and wrinkles by plumping up your skin cells and making your skin more elastic and supple. Choose moisturizing creams specifically formulated for eyes to avoid irritating the sensitive skin under and around your eyes. Avoid smoking to keep your skin healthy. Nicotine impairs blood flow to the skin, causing premature wrinkles. If you smoke, you can improve the appearance of your skin and prevent new wrinkles from developing by cutting back or quitting altogether. Work with your doctor to develop a plan to help you quit. Eat a diet rich in antioxidants and drink lots of water to keep your skin youthful. The relationship between diet and wrinkles is still unclear, but eating foods high in antioxidants may help slow skin aging and prevent the development of wrinkles. To keep under-eye wrinkles at bay, eat a balanced diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables. Ask your dermatologist to recommend anti-wrinkle creams. Anti-wrinkle creams, such as retinol creams or creams containing coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), may be effective for reducing and preventing under-eye wrinkles. Ask your doctor or dermatologist to recommend a cream that is safe and effective for under-eye use. When applying under-eye creams, gently dab the cream on instead of rubbing it in. Rubbing can irritate the skin and create new wrinkles. Determine the cause of your under-eye bags. The skin under your eyes can become saggy or puffy for a variety of reasons. The most effective treatment will depend on the cause of the issue. Talk to your doctor or dermatologist to determine the most likely cause and develop a treatment plan. Common causes include: Natural loss of elasticity due to aging. As you age, the skin under your eyes becomes less elastic, and fat deposits around the eye may migrate to the area under the lower eyelid. Fluid retention (edema) due to hormonal changes, heat and humidity, poor sleeping habits, or too much sodium in your diet. Allergies or dermatitis. Hereditary factors. Apply a cool compress to calm inflammation. Cooling the skin around your eyes can help reduce inflammation. Wet a clean, soft washcloth with cold water, and place it on the skin under your eyes for about 5 minutes, using gentle pressure. Establish good sleeping habits to prevent under-eye fluid buildup. Lack of sleep can contribute to under-eye puffiness. Get 7-9 hours of sleep every night to reduce under-eye bags. Keeping your head elevated while you sleep can prevent fluid from pooling under your eyes, so use a thick pillow or a mattress with an elevated head end. Exercise every day to help reduce under-eye bags. Exercising will increase the circulation in your body and combat water retention, both things that will decrease the appearance of under-eye bags and puffiness. Try to get in 30 minutes of exercise each day. Treat allergies that may be causing under-eye puffiness. Allergies can cause puffiness or bags by inflaming the tissues under your eyes. Try using over-the-counter allergy medications, or ask your doctor to prescribe an allergy treatment. Reduce your exposure to the allergen as much as possible. Get surgery to correct severe under-eye bags. If your under-eye bags are unresponsive to other treatments and are causing you a lot of stress or discomfort, talk to your doctor about surgical options. They may recommend blepharoplasty, a surgical procedure in which the skin under the eye is lifted and tightened. Risks of blepharoplasty include eye infections, dry eyes, vision problems, and dislocation of the tear ducts or eyelids. Less invasive options include laser resurfacing and chemical peels, which may help tighten the skin under the eyes to reduce the appearance of bags. Apply an under-eye cream to lock in moisture. Moisturizers help treat and prevent dryness by sealing moisture into your skin. If your skin gets dried out easily, incorporate an under-eye moisturizer into your daily routine. Look for a gentle moisturizer without dyes or perfumes that is safe to use on the delicate skin around your eyes. Limit exposure to hot water to keep your skin from drying out. Washing your face with hot water can contribute to dryness. If you have problems with dry skin under your eyes, try washing your face with cool or lukewarm water. Avoid hot showers, and limit your time in the shower to 10 minutes or less when you can. Use gentle facial cleansers to prevent dryness and irritation. Harsh soaps and detergents may dry out and irritate the skin under your eyes. Ask your dermatologist to recommend a cleanser that will not dry out your under-eye skin. Talk to your doctor about treating skin conditions that cause dry eyelids. If your under-eye skin and eyelids are very dry, flaky, red, or itchy, there may be an underlying condition causing these symptoms. Make an appointment with your doctor to determine what might be causing your dry eyelids and develop an appropriate treatment plan. Common causes include: Allergies, often caused by beauty products Eczema or atopic dermatitis Blepharitis (usually caused by a buildup of bacteria along the eyelashes) | Work with a doctor to determine the reason for your dark circles. Avoid rubbing your eyes to prevent irritation and discoloration. Use cold compresses to shrink dilated blood vessels. Take antihistamines or nasal steroids to fight dark circles caused by allergies. Take a shower before you go to bed at night. Get plenty of sleep to make dark circles stand out less. Apply retinoid creams to boost collagen and reduce pigmentation. Try a skin-lightening cream to reduce excessive pigmentation. Get a chemical peel to strip away discolored skin. Treat under-eye discoloration with laser treatments. Ask your doctor about fillers if you have under-eye depressions. Protect your eyes from sun damage to prevent wrinkles. Moisturize your under-eye skin to reduce the appearance of wrinkles. Avoid smoking to keep your skin healthy. Eat a diet rich in antioxidants and drink lots of water to keep your skin youthful. Ask your dermatologist to recommend anti-wrinkle creams. Determine the cause of your under-eye bags. Apply a cool compress to calm inflammation. Establish good sleeping habits to prevent under-eye fluid buildup. Exercise every day to help reduce under-eye bags. Treat allergies that may be causing under-eye puffiness. Get surgery to correct severe under-eye bags. Apply an under-eye cream to lock in moisture. Limit exposure to hot water to keep your skin from drying out. Use gentle facial cleansers to prevent dryness and irritation. Talk to your doctor about treating skin conditions that cause dry eyelids. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Become-an-Aromatherapist | How to Become an Aromatherapist | If you want to become an aromatherapist, look for a school that offers an aromatherapy program, such as one accredited by the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy, or NAHA. To become professionally certified through the NAHA, complete your coursework and exams along with 200 training hours. Once you've finished your certification, search the classifieds and online job boards for open positions at spas, fitness centers, hospitals, and yoga studios. | Search for schools. Since there is no governmental regulations regarding the aromatherapy profession, you can find a large number of schools that will teach you how to be an aromatherapist. Many of these programs will offer you a certification. This certification has no legal basis, but it does show that you have completed coursework related to aromatherapy. Try to look for a school that is accredited by The National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy (NAHA). If the school is accredited by this body, it means that it has met the minimum requirements regarding the educational and ethical standards of the NAHA. You can see a list of schools in the US (and a few other countries) here Some schools may offer online, evening, or weekend courses to help make it more convenient and accessible to those who must work while also attending school. Choose between online, in-person, or combination courses. Online courses might be more suitable for people who have very busy lives and might not be able to attend an in-person course or for people who simply want to learn about aromatherapy, but aren't interested in practicing aromatherapy as a profession. If you are interested in practicing aromatherapy, you can still do an online course and learn everything you need to know. However, with an in-person class, you may have more opportunities to ask questions and receive direct feedback about how to mix oils and use them properly. A combination course might allow you to do most of your learning online, but will also offer an opportunity to practice what you have learned in-person with an instructor. In this case, you can also ask them to answer any questions that may have arisen during your online learning. Understand that time required to complete a program. If you complete a program that is accredited by the NAHA and you aim for the professional aromatherapy certification (level 2), you will be required to complete at least 200 hours of training. At present, this is the highest level of certification offered, though the NAHA is working on a level 3, clinical aromatherapy certification. Some programs offer courses that are as short as a few hours. If you don't care much about receiving any kind of certification, and simply want to learn a thing or two about aromatherapy, or if you aren't sure if you're interested in aromatherapy, a course such as this might be a good place to start. Find out what examinations you will be required to take in each program. Some programs will not require you to take an examination, but if you are attending an NAHA accredited school and working towards your level 2 professional aromatherapy certification, you will be required to take and pass an exam. If you are working on a level 1 certification (foundations of aromatherapy) at an NAHA accredited school, you will not need to pass an exam. For a level 2 certification, you will also be required to successfully complete a research paper, complete several case studies, and you must complete oil profiles on at least 25 essential oils. Search for financial aid. The cost of an aromatherapy program can vary considerably, but usually costs around $500. If you need help covering the costs of the course, there are different options you can look into for getting financial aid. For example, The Department of Education offers subsidized loans that are regulated by the government. Enroll in a program. Once you have chosen a program that is suitable to your needs, contact the school to find out how you can get started. Make sure that you carefully read through all of the information that the school provides you, and take note of whether you must purchase equipment such as books and oils yourself, or whether this will all be provided for you. If something is not clear to you, be sure to approach a representative of the school and chat with them before handing over any money. You want to make sure you find a place where you will feel respected and comfortable learning. Be aware that courses can vary tremendously. Some courses may be more traditional in that you will sit through lectures given by experienced aromatherapists. You may also have seminars with teachers and other students where you will get a chance to work with different oils. In online courses, you will likely have lectures as well, but it will be more difficult (and maybe even impossible) to interact with the course instructor and other students. You may also have to work with the oils unsupervised. Complete coursework. Although what you learn will vary based on the course you choose, if you are attending an NAHA accredited school, you will probably be taught about how high quality essential oils are produced, basic physiology, how certain aromas interact with emotional states, ethical and safety issues, as well as how to use oils safely on the skin. This is only a basic list of what you can expect to learn. Don't be afraid to take the initiative to learn more than what is being taught in your program. If you are curious about something, ask your teacher. If you want to know something and the teach doesn't know, try searching the internet for information about the topic. Consider joining the NAHA. Joining the NAHA is not mandatory, but if you completed a program that was accredited by the NAHA you will be eligible to become a professional member. Doing so offers several benefits, such as access to the latest research in the area of aromatherapy, the right to use the NAHA logo when advertising your services, as well as the opportunity to advertise your services on their website. The cost of a professional membership is $125 for people living in the United States. For international members, the cost is $155. Search for a job. There are many different places that an aromatherapist can be employed. For example, spas, fitness centers, hospice centers, hospitals, and yoga studios may all want to hire an aromatherapist to help their customers benefit from aromatherapy. Search your local newspaper as well as the internet for jobs. If you are willing to relocate for work, you may have many interesting opportunities available to you. Consider a private practice. If you don't want to work for someone, you could open a shop where you offer aromatherapy consultations to those interested in using at as a means of holistic health care. You could also sell essential oils, and offer workshops where people can learn how to use aromatherapy in their daily lives. Remember that opening you own business can be very rewarding, but it can also be very challenging. It can also be a risk because no matter how well you run your business, your business may not flourish. Use aromatherapy as part of a massage therapy practice. If you are already a massage therapist, or are also working toward obtaining a license in massage therapy , you can incorporate these professions into one. You can use your knowledge of aromatherapy to help meet the needs of your clients. For example, if you have a client who is extremely tense and stressed, you can incorporate specific oils into their massage that will help them to relax through a combination of scent and massage. Use aromatherapy as holistic medicine. Although an aromatherapist cannot diagnose diseases, aromatherapists can act as consultants on the benefits of aromatherapy for a healthy lifestyle. This means that if someone comes to an aromatherapist with a problem, the aromatherapist can take their knowledge and make recommendations about how to take steps to improve the problem. An aromatherapist should think of themselves as educators, not healthcare providers. For example, this recommendation might include certain oils and combinations of oils that can be used to treat pain without the use of traditional medication, and in addition to other lifestyle improvements (e.g. eating healthy, drinking enough water, getting exercise). Be aware that aromatherapists are not able to prescribe medications or perform invasive procedures. If you decide to become an aromatherapist and wish to provide consultations with people, it is probably a good idea to make sure the person understands that you are not a doctor and are not making diagnoses. Incorporate aromatherapy into hospice or nursing care. Research has demonstrated that aromatherapy can positively impact the well-being of patients under hospice care. Additionally, aromatherapy is becoming very popular within the nursing field. In these instances, if you are a nurse or a hospice worker, you can incorporate aromatherapy into your work to help patients with pain and/or well-being while they are under your care. If you are not a nurse or hospice worker, you may be able to be hired on in some clinics as an aromatherapist, where you will help deal with the specific needs of various patients. Add aromatherapy to the practice of yoga. Yoga is believed to have many physical and emotional benefits for those who practice regularly. Using aromatherapy in conjunction with a yoga practice can enhance those benefits even more. If you are a yoga instructor, want to become an instructor you can incorporate your knowledge of aromatherapy into your practice to make yourself stand out and to enhance the experience of your clients. In some bigger yoga studios, you may also be able to be hired on as an aromatherapist without being a yoga instructor. Use your skills to help friends and family. If you don't necessarily want/need to work, you can also practice what you have learned by helping family and friends and by using your knowledge to help yourself. If you have a family member who is suffering with a health condition, and you think that aromatherapy could help them, consider offering your knowledge to help them. Remember that not everyone believes in the power of aromatherapy, if you offer to help someone but they say they aren't interested, then be respectful of their wishes. Be aware that there is no regulation of this profession. This means that, in the United States, the government does not regulate the aromatherapist profession. Furthermore, there is no official accreditation or certification program. This doesn't mean that aromatherapy is a scam or something that cannot provide valuable benefits to people. As a trained aromatherapist, you will be able to help people understand the value of the field. Familiarize yourself with the governing bodies of aromatherapy. At the moment, there are four associations that attempt to ensure that, in order to become an aromatherapist, there are standardized educational and examination procedures, that aromatherapists are behaving ethically, and standards for certification. These governing bodies include: The Educational Standards in Aromatherapy Association. Natural Oils Research Association (NORA). The American Alliance of Aromatherapy. The National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy (NAHA). Get involved in the aromatherapy community. As with many professions, aromatherapy has a large and rich community of practitioners, researchers, and followers. Getting involved with the aromatherapy can help you learn more about the history of aromatherapy, can help you stay up-to-date with new findings, and may lead to personal opportunities as well as job opportunities. You can look for local networking opportunities on the internet, but you can also travel to attend aromatherapy conferences where you will meet lots of interesting people. | Search for schools. Choose between online, in-person, or combination courses. Understand that time required to complete a program. Find out what examinations you will be required to take in each program. Search for financial aid. Enroll in a program. Complete coursework. Consider joining the NAHA. Search for a job. Consider a private practice. Use aromatherapy as part of a massage therapy practice. Use aromatherapy as holistic medicine. Incorporate aromatherapy into hospice or nursing care. Add aromatherapy to the practice of yoga. Use your skills to help friends and family. Be aware that there is no regulation of this profession. Familiarize yourself with the governing bodies of aromatherapy. Get involved in the aromatherapy community. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Shrink-a-Fitted-Baseball-Hat | How to Shrink a Fitted Baseball Hat | To shrink a fitted, cotton baseball hat, start by heating a large pot of water on the stovetop until it's steaming but not boiling. Then, submerge your hat in the water and let it soak for several minutes, which should be enough time for the fibers in the hat to shrink. Finally, after a few minutes, take the hat out of the water, let it cool down, and wear it until it dries so it conforms to the shape of your head. | Heat a deep pot of water. Take a deep cooking pot and fill it with water. The pot should be spacious enough to hold the cap you're attempting to shrink without overflowing. Set the eye of the stove to a medium heat and allow the pot to start warming up. You might also be able to perform this step in a sink, though using a pot will give you greater control over the temperature of the water. Bring the water to the right heat. Heat the water until it begins to emit a small amount of steam. The water should be hot enough to shrink the cap, but not so hot that it might burn you or damage the cap's materials. Do not allow the water to come to a boil. In addition to potentially causing burns, water that is too hot might cause the cap's bill to warp and lose its structure. Submerge the cap completely. Place the cap into the hot water. Force it down until it soaks up enough water to stay submerged on its own. You should be able to dunk the cap in the water by hand, but you can also use a pair of kitchen tongs if you prefer. If you don't plan on reshaping the bill later, you can hold it out of the water entirely, wetting only the cap's crown. Allow the hat to soak for several minutes. Give the cap a few minutes to begin undergoing to the effects of the hot water bath. The heat will cause the cotton fibers that the cap is made of to constrict and cling more tightly together, effectively shrinking the entire hat. Soak the cap until the fabric of the crown begins to “billow” a bit; this is a sign that it has loosened up sufficiently to be refitted. Put on the hat and wear it until it dries. Safely remove the cap from the hot water and shake it remove excess liquid. Once the hat has cooled, place it on your head and wear it until it dries through. The damp hat will be extremely pliable, and as it dries it will conform to the shape of your head. Drying a hat this way will likely take all day. For best results, heat the cap early in the day and then wear it as you go about your business. Hang the hat up by the bill overnight using a clothespin to prevent stretching or warping as it continues to dry. Turn on a hot shower. Turn on the shower in your home and wait until the water is comfortably hot. Again, the water should not be too hot, as it will be in direct contact with the cap and can ruin the hat's construction if the temperature is too high or the cap is allowed to soak too long. Showering in a hat or pair of boots you wish to break in is a trick that has been used for a long time with great results. Put on the fitted cap you want to shrink. Take the cap you'll be modifying and put it on. You should position the hat the way you most frequently wear it so that it loosens and dries in the right shape. Get in the shower. Hop in the shower with the cap on. Shower as you ordinarily would, or simply wait 3—5 minutes for the rigidity of the hat to break down and assume its new shape. Make sure the crown of the cap is thoroughly wet so that it can be stretched out uniformly. If you decide to simply take a regular shower while wearing the cap, be sure not to get soap or shampoo on the hat as it soaks. Washing your cap should be performed separately with the right products. Let most of the water fall on the crown of the cap to avoid potentially ruining the bill. Wear the cap as it dries. Leave the cap on as you go about your day. Shake out excess water before putting on your other clothes so that the cap doesn't drip. The cap should dry within a day, or less, depending on environmental conditions. Wearing the cap on a clear, warm day will allow it to dry most efficiently. If the weather outside is cold or rainy, do not wear the cap out. Instead, allow it to sit right-side-up under a fan or in front of an air conditioning vent and check on its progress periodically. Place the cap in the washer. If you have access to a washing machine, you can use it to easily shrink a cap made from polyester or another synthetic. Load the cap into the washer by itself or with other clothes. Use a small amount of laundry detergent to clean the cap as you shrink it. If you're washing the cap by itself, make sure to set the washer to the smallest load setting so that the wash and rinse cycles don't use too much water. Putting the cap in the washer with other clothes will cause pressure and friction to work on the cap, breaking it in better. Wash on regular heat. Set the washer to a normal wash cycle using regular water heat. Synthetic materials like polyester shrink easily when exposed to heat, meaning a standard washing is often all that it takes to bring a garment down a half-size or so. Allow the hat to go through the complete wash cycle. If you only need to shrink a polyester cap a little bit, you can remove the cap from the washing machine after the initial wash cycle. Let the hat dry on your head. For caps needing only minor sizing adjustments, a standard wash should do the trick. Put on the cap and let it air dry on your own crown for a customized fit. If the polyester shrunk a little too much due to the heat from the wash, wearing it as it dries can stretch it out to an optimal fit. Throw the cap in the dryer. Assuming the cap is considerably looser than you'd like it, you might follow up the wash with a run through a machine dryer. This will expose the cap to more intense heat to ensure shrinkage while also drying it much faster and more thoroughly. Put the cap through a timed drying cycle on medium heat. The constant heat of machine dryers is notoriously harsh on synthetic fabrics, so if you need to shrink a cap quite a bit, this may be the best way to go. Washing and drying a synthetic cap regularly will most likely cause it to shrink quite a bit more than a gentle soak or hand wash. If the hat shrinks too much, try putting it on while it's still somewhat damp. The fibers should stretch out as the cap becomes worn in. Keep an eye on the hat as it dries. Synthetic materials have been known to scorch if exposed to heat for too long. | Heat a deep pot of water. Bring the water to the right heat. Submerge the cap completely. Allow the hat to soak for several minutes. Put on the hat and wear it until it dries. Turn on a hot shower. Put on the fitted cap you want to shrink. Get in the shower. Wear the cap as it dries. Place the cap in the washer. Wash on regular heat. Let the hat dry on your head. Throw the cap in the dryer. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Condition-a-Rabbit-for-a-Show | How to Condition a Rabbit for a Show | To condition your rabbit for a show, you can buy a commercial conditioner, like Doc's Rabbit Enhancer, Calf-Manna, or ShowBloom, which you add to your rabbit's normal food. Alternatively, make your own conditioner from ingredients like oatmeal, barley, wheat germ, and black oil. You should start feeding your rabbit conditioner about a month to a month and a half before the show. Start by feeding your rabbit a small amount, such as a teaspoon. Then, slowly increase the feed over the month before its show. As you increase the conditioner food, make sure you decrease the same amount of its normal food so you don't overfeed your rabbit. In addition to food, you should also provide plenty of water for your rabbit, which can also help condition it for a show. | Buy a conditioner. Conditioners are available commercially for your rabbit. The common ones are Doc's Rabbit Enhancer , Calf-Manna, and ShowBloom. Some owners use these in addition to their own ingredients, so don't think you're restricted to just one of these if you buy one. Make your own conditioner. You can make your own additions to your rabbit's food to help increase its conditions. For instance, oatmeal, barley, and wheat germ are a couple of grain options. You can also use black oil or wheat germ oil. Another option is sunflower seeds--the kind you use for birds. For instance, one owner mixes equal parts of Doc's Enhancer, black sunflower seeds, crimped barley, and wheat germ. To hold it together, he uses a third of a part of wheat germ oil. In other words, if you use 3 cups each of the first ingredients, you'll need a cup of wheat germ oil. Leftovers should be frozen. Use salt or molasses instead. According to some breeders, adding a tiny bit of molasses or salt to your rabbit's normal food can condition it in place of commercial or homemade conditioners. Basically, you just sprinkle it lightly on top of the food or pour a bit of molasses. The reason this may work is because it will encourage it to increase its water intake. In turn, that helps with its condition overall. Follow commercial instructions. If you buy a commercial product, it will have instructions about how much of the product you should feed your rabbit. Generally, it is not very much, as your rabbit will still be on regular food. For instance, ShowBloom recommends 1/2 an ounce for dwarf rabbits per day, 1 ounce for regular rabbits per day, and 1 1/2 ounces for giant rabbits per day. Calf-Manna recommends a tablespoon for large rabbits (or ones producing milk) or a teaspoon for smaller rabbits, including adolescents, per day. For conditioning, start feeding commercial products like ShowBloom 90 days ahead, but always read the manufacturer's instructions first. Use a small amount of homemade. If you're feeding your own supplement, try a very small handful at first. As you feed your rabbit the supplement, you should reduce what it's eating otherwise. Try to reduce the normal food in the same amount that you're feeding the supplement. Other owners recommend as little as a teaspoon for small rabbits. Take into account the size of your rabbit when feeding special food. Start feeding a homemade product about a month to a month and a half ahead of time. If you're constantly doing shows, you can feed a small amount all year, though you can also just focus on a couple of shows for conditioning. Feed separately if necessary. Sometimes, rabbits will dig for the special feed. That's because it's a treat, and they may like it better than their regular food. If your rabbits are leaving too much regular food behind, you might trying feeding their supplement at a separate time. That way, they can focus on their regular food when you give it to them. Provide ample water. Your rabbit needs plenty of water to be healthy. Change the water daily, and make sure to not let its water run dry. Water can also help condition your rabbit. Take your rabbit off the feed. After the show, it's important to take your rabbit off the conditioner. If you leave it on it, it can cause it to gain weight over time. In fact, it can work against you because then your rabbits will be out of condition for showing because they'll be too large. Make sure your rabbits are healthy first. A conditioner will not work properly if your rabbits are not healthy in the first place. You need to check for certain diseases, listed in the bullet points. If you're not sure how to do it, check with your vet. Look for loose feces or a runny nose, as those can be signs of problems with your rabbit. Also, if you notice mites, that will get you disqualified at a show. A runny nose could be a sign of Pasteurellosis , also known as snuffles. It can be treated, but your bunny will not likely be able to show. Coccidiosis, abscesses, and pinworms can also be problems. If you notice any of these symptoms, take your rabbit to the vet for treatment. Skip any "foreign substances. " "Foreign substances" are things you use to make your rabbit look healthier than it is. That does not include conditioners, but it can include things like polishes and other silicone-based products meant for rabbits. It can also mean things like colors to help your rabbit's toenails look healthier than they are. Skip a bath. Most of the time, your rabbit isn't going to need a bath. They keep themselves clean and generally do not like water much. If your rabbit is stained from the hutch or from feces, you can use a spray-in dry shampoo, available at the pet store. However, you must make sure all of it is out before the show, as it counts as a "foreign substance" if left in. You can also use rubbing alcohol or peroxide to try to get a stain out. Get your rabbit's fur ready. Getting your rabbit's fur ready is a simple process. Wet your hands, and run them down the length of your rabbit's body, pulling off any extra fur you find. You can also go against the grain of the fur once and a while, but doing so too often can damage the fur. On some fiber-producing breeds, such as American Fuzzy Lop or Jersey Wool, you can use a wide-toothed comb, going in the direction of their fur. While you normally may need to brush your rabbit, for a show, you only need to make sure all the dead fur is gone. Plus, you should ensure your rabbit doesn't have mats, as that will get it disqualified. If you find a mat right before a show, you may not be able to fix it, as mats can be a sign of a runny nose. Otherwise, use a mat rake or splitter to get the mat out. Trim the toenails. If a judge is scratched by your bunny, that will likely get you disqualified. Therefore, you need to make sure your rabbit's nails are trimmed. In addition, missing toenails can also get you disqualified. Cat nail trimmers are good for this process. You can lay the bunny on its back, stand it on a table, or cuddle it with one arm. You might want to have another person around to help you corral the rabbit. Bring one leg up at a time to trim its nails. Remember to also get the "thumb" nail on the front foot. In some rabbits, you'll be able to see the quick without assistance. If you can't see the quick, trying shining a flashlight behind the nails. Try not to get below the quick, as the rabbit will bleed. If it does bleed, you can use flour, cornstarch, or styptic powder to stench the flow. | Buy a conditioner. Make your own conditioner. Use salt or molasses instead. Follow commercial instructions. Use a small amount of homemade. Feed separately if necessary. Provide ample water. Take your rabbit off the feed. Make sure your rabbits are healthy first. Skip any "foreign substances. Skip a bath. Get your rabbit's fur ready. Trim the toenails. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Buy-Something-Without-Your-Parent%27s-Permission | How to Buy Something Without Your Parent's Permission | To buy something without your parent's permission, start by buying a Visa gift card, which you can use to buy things online without those purchases showing up on your parent's credit or debit card statements. Then, use the gift card to buy whatever you want online, but make sure you use an email address your parents don't have access to so you can track the package. If you're worried about your parents finding the package once it's delivered, consider asking a friend if you can have it shipped to their house. Either way, make sure you hide the item once it's delivered and throw away any receipts that came with it. | Save up your money. Search online or in the store you want to buy from to find out the exact price of the item you want. Save up money from an allowance or job so that you have enough to pay for the item yourself. Remember that tax will most likely be added when you purchase the item, so the total will be slightly higher than the listed price. If you can't come up with enough money of your own, ask a friend or sibling if they'll give or lend you some, but know that they probably won't give you money without some sort of exchange. You can also try mowing lawns for neighbors in the summer, shoveling snow in the winter, or babysitting to earn some extra cash. Get to the store. Get a friend, an older sibling, or another person who can drive to take you to the store you want to make your purchase from. Make sure this person is someone you can trust. If you are not allowed to go out, you shouldn't. Avoid using Uber or Lyft, especially because you never know if you run into a shady driver. If you want to take a bus or train, check the routes and figure out the fastest way to get to your destination. Google Maps is a good way to do this. Make sure you have a good cover up story if you parents asked why you are late, like "I missed the bus, the next one took ages to come, then I fell asleep on the train!" Or, if you have weekly remedial and there is no remedial on a certain week, buy the item on that day. Make sure you have enough money! Your parents will be suspicious if you come home late two days in a row. If you want to buy it after school instead get there as fast as you can, buy it, and then rush home to avoid suspicion. If you can go out on your own: Try going after school with a friend who can drive or having an older sibling drive you from home. Avoid lying to your parents about where you're going if you can. If the store is close enough, ride a bike or walk there yourself, especially if you can't get someone else to drive you or don't want to tell another person what you're buying. Purchase what you want. Buy your desired item at the store with cash or a gift card, if you have one. Don't pay for anything with a credit or debit card, especially if it's a parent's account, because the purchase will show up on bills and statements for the card. Remember that there are age restrictions on certain items and store clerks will ask to see a valid ID before they let you make the purchase. For example, you'll need to show that you're 17 in order to buy an M-rated video game, and you have to be 21 to buy alcohol. If you're not of age to buy the thing you want, consider asking someone older to buy it for you with your money. Put your item in your backpack. Conceal your package in a backpack or other normal bag you carry so you can easily bring it home without your parents getting suspicious. Throw away the store bag or any other evidence you don't need right away. If what you buy is very large or bulky and you can't conceal it in a bag, make sure a friend can help you transport it, and only bring it into your house when your parents aren't home to see you bring it inside. Get a gift card. Buy a gift card for the online store you want to make your purchase from. You can find a big variety of gift cards at grocery stores or at the desired store itself, and most gift cards should be able to be used for online purchases. If you can't get a gift card for the specific store you want to buy from online, you can buy a Visa gift card, or other similar prepaid credit card, to use anywhere. Or try an Amazon gift card to buy anything from Amazon.com. Remember that when ordering online, there will be tax, shipping, and handling charges added to the price, so the total will be higher than the listed price. If you want to avoid the extra cost of shipping and handling, try to get your purchase in person at a store. But keep in mind some websites like Amazon and Best Buy offer free shipping and handling on qualified items so check the policy on shipping and handling before buying the item on that site. Enter your information to place the order. Go online to where you want to purchase your item and enter all the information they ask for at checkout, including name and address. Enter the code on your gift card when they ask for your payment method. Don't use a credit or debit card that your parents use to pay online, as the purchase will show up on bills and statements. Make sure you enter an email address that only you have access to so that you get the confirmation email and any updates sent to you. Avoid having your purchase shipped UPS or FedEx, as they will sometimes require a signature from an adult when it's delivered. Choose regular mail such as USPS if you can. Consider getting the permission of a friend to have your purchase sent to his or her house to avoid the chance of your parents seeing the package. In this case, enter the person who will receive the package for you name and address when ordering, but still use your email address. Constantly track the order. Go back to the website you made your purchase from or check the confirmation email sent to you for a link that says “Track your package,” or something similar. Continue to check the location of your package in this way so that you know when it will arrive at your house or a friend's house. If you're not given the option to track your package, pay attention to what the online store says about how long shipping takes on average. Notice if they send an email when the item has shipped, and then it should arrive something like 7-10 days after that, or whatever range of time the store provides. Check the mail frequently. Try to check the mail before your parents do every day during the time you expect the package to arrive. When you finally get it, slip it into a backpack or other bag you normally carry to bring it into the house and into your room. Pay attention to what time the mail comes every day so you can be available at that time and ready to go out to check the mailbox or front step right away. You can even go talk to the mail carrier if you see him or her outside to ask if they have a package for you. If the mail typically arrives while you're at school or another activity, you may want to have your package sent to a friend or other person you trust to receive it and give it to you. Conceal it at home. Find a good hiding place to keep your purchase and only bring it out when your parents aren't around or won't notice. Try places with small openings, like underneath furniture. Be careful not to choose a place that your parents might go to clean, pick up laundry, or otherwise have a reason to go from time to time like your closet, dresser drawers, or other storage areas. If the item you purchased is too big or hard to hide, consider keeping it at a friend's house that you trust, and only using it there or carefully transporting it to your own house when you can. Keep receipts hidden. Also hide receipts or any other evidence of your purchase so your parents don't come across them and ask about it. You should still keep any receipts and packaging from the item you purchased and not throw them away, because you may need them later if you need to return or exchange it. If you ordered online, keep any packing receipts that came inside, but get rid of the other packaging by throwing it away where your parents won't notice it. A trash can at school or a public place is better than one at home. Delete search history. If you purchased online, or if you did any other searching on the internet before or after buying, delete your history from your browser, particularly if you share a computer with your parents. Go into the settings or history tab on whatever internet browser you use and clear all the recent history of websites visited, or select and delete just the ones you don't want your parents to come across. Use it in private. Take your item out of its hiding place only when your parents aren't around or won't catch you with it. Or use it, wear it, or look at it only when you're at a friend's house or at school. Make sure you have your purchase in a backpack or well concealed whenever you move it from place to place. Tell your parents about a rewards program. If your parents find your purchase and get suspicious about where it came from, and you don't want to confess that you bought it, tell them about a rewards program or other contest, like collecting bottle caps or finding a winning code on a food or drink item. You may want to have a small collection of bottle caps or other proof to show you really are participating in what you say you are. You could also tell them that the item was a gift from a friend or classmate. Note that lying to your parents is not a good idea, so avoid using this step or making up any other excuse if you can. If your parents ask about where your purchase came from, the best option at that point is just to be honest about where and how you got it. Come clean about what you bought. You might decide you just want to 'fess up to your parents about your purchase. Consider that they could be mad if they told you not to buy it, but it might be worse if you try to hide it from them and they find it anyway. If you've already asked your parents for permission to buy something and they said no, you can tell them, “Hey, I know you didn't want me to buy this, but I did on my own with my own money. I'm sorry I went behind your back, but I want to be honest now and not hide it from you.” If you haven't asked your parents for permission previously, you can casually mention your purchase to your parents, and hopefully they will not see it as a big deal if you're of age to own it and you paid for it with your own money. | Save up your money. Get to the store. Purchase what you want. Put your item in your backpack. Get a gift card. Enter your information to place the order. Constantly track the order. Check the mail frequently. Conceal it at home. Keep receipts hidden. Delete search history. Use it in private. Tell your parents about a rewards program. Come clean about what you bought. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Relieve-Kidney-Stone-Pain | How to Relieve Kidney Stone Pain | The best way to help ease some of the pain that comes with kidney stones is to take an over-the-counter pain reliever and drink plenty of water. If you can, try to take Motrin, since it is preferred by doctors over other pain relievers for kidney stones. Also, keep an eye on your urine color to know if you're drinking enough water, as it should be light yellow and clear instead of dark yellow or brown. Another way you can help yourself get some relief is by drinking a glass of fresh celery juice, which has antispasmodic properties that can relieve the pain caused by spasms from around your kidneys. If your pain becomes severe, see a doctor right away to test for kidney stones, for which you'll need prescription medication to ease the pain. | Drink plenty of water. One of the most important things to do when passing a kidney stone is to drink lots of water. Your urine should look light yellow or clear. If it looks dark yellow or brown, then you are not drinking enough water. Try adding a squeeze of lemon juice to your water to add some flavor. Drink 8-10 glasses of water every day if you have kidney stones. Drinking cranberry juice can also be beneficial for kidney health. Its tannins can prevent infection and promote overall health. Take an over-the-counter pain reliever. Over-the-counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen, aspirin, and acetaminophen are often recommended to help relieve pain caused by kidney stones. If you can, try to take Motrin, which is preferred by doctors over other NSAIDS for relieving kidney stone pain. Check with your doctor if you are not sure about which type or how much you should take. Make sure that you read and follow the product instructions as well. Juice some celery. Drinking a glass of fresh celery juice may help because celery has antispasmodic properties. That means that celery juice can help to relieve any pain that is caused by spasms in the tissues in and around your kidneys. If you have a juicer, then you can make your own fresh celery juice with a few stalks of celery. If you do not have a juicer, then try to find a local juice bar and ask them to make you a cup of celery juice. Eat some celery seed, too. Celery seed is a good tonic and urine promoter. Sip on some green tea. Green tea may help to treat kidney stone pain and it has also been shown to play a role in preventing kidney stones. Drink two to four cups of green tea per day. You can drink regular or decaffeinated green tea. To make a cup of green tea, place 1 teaspoon of dried tea leaves into a tea infuser or teabag, place the tea in a mug, and then pour a cup of boiling water over the tea. Let the tea steep for about 5-10 minutes, then remove the infuser or teabag. Try some white willow bark tea. White willow bark contains the same active ingredient as aspirin and it may even provide the same pain relieving effects. Try drinking a cup of white willow bark tea to get some relief from kidney stone pain. Keep in mind that white willow bark tea may cause stomach irritation for some people. Do not give white willow bark tea to children under the age of 16. To make a cup of white willow bark tea, place 1 teaspoon of dried herbs into a tea infuser or teabag and place in a mug. Then, pour one cup of boiling water over the herbs. Steep the tea for 5-10 minutes, then take out the infuser or teabag. Drink one cup and then wait for a few hours to see how the tea affects you. Some studies indicate that white willow bark is as strong as aspirin. Look into homeopathic remedies. There are some homeopathic medicines that may help to ease pain caused by kidney stones. These remedies are often available in health food stores and well-stocked grocery stores. You can take three to five pellets of one of these remedies labeled 12X to 30C. Repeat the dosage once every one to four hours. Some homeopathic remedies to try include: Berberis. Try this remedy for pain that is mainly in your groin area. Colocynthis. Try this remedy for pain that eases up when you lean or bend forward. Ocimum. Try this remedy for pain that is accompanied by nausea and/or vomiting. Try Phyllanthus niruri . Phyllanthus niruri is a plant that may help to treat kidney stones and relieve kidney stone pain as well. Phyllanthus niruri works by relaxing the ureters, which makes it easier to pass kidney stones. This plant may also help the kidneys to excrete kidney stone forming substances such as calcium. Call your if you have serious or severe symptoms. In some situations, home remedies may not be enough to treat your kidney stone pain. In these situations, you will need to call your doctor right away. If you go to the emergency room, they will run urine tests and send you for an abdominal ultrasound or CT to determine if you have kidney stones. Call your doctor if you experience: severe pain around your abdomen, sides, groin, or genitals bloody urine a burning sensation when you urinate nausea and/or vomiting fever and chills flank pain that radiates to your groin Ask about prescription pain medications. If home remedies do not provide enough pain relief, then you may want to ask your doctor about proscription pain relievers to help you cope with the pain of passing a kidney stone. Even if you are already on a prescription pain reliever, if you are still in pain, then let your doctor know. You may need a higher dosage or a more powerful medication. Save the stone if you pass it. If you pass the kidney stone while you are at home, then you should save it and bring it to your doctor for analysis. Having your kidney stone analyzed will enable your doctor to determine what type of kidney stone it was and make recommendations about how to prevent another kidney stone in the future. There are many types of kidney stones, including calcium stones, uric acid stones, struvite stones, a cystine stones. | Drink plenty of water. Take an over-the-counter pain reliever. Juice some celery. Sip on some green tea. Try some white willow bark tea. Look into homeopathic remedies. Try Phyllanthus niruri . Call your if you have serious or severe symptoms. Ask about prescription pain medications. Save the stone if you pass it. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Learn-Music | How to Learn Music | If you want to learn music, choose an instrument that you enjoy playing, which will give you a motivation to learn. To get started, learn to play single notes on your instrument, like A, B, or C. Once you've mastered this, move on to learning scales, which are a sequence of notes in the same key. Afterwards, try to get to know the most commonly used chords, which are three notes of the same pitch played at the same time. If you want help to learn, book lessons with a music teacher who has a music degree or teaching experience. You should also make a daily practice schedule, since learning music requires a lot of dedication over an extended period of time. | Study the musical alphabet. The musical alphabet is made up of only 7 letters (A, B, C, D, E, F, and G), but it's the basic language that musicians use to write and talk about musical notes. Between these 7 notes there are also 5 other notes that are either sharp or flat. Sharp notes are 1 note higher in pitch than the regular letter that it uses, while flat notes are 1 note lower in pitch. For example, the A-sharp note is slightly higher in pitch than a regular A note. These notes are always in alphabetical order, going from A to G, on any instrument. When you go past the G note, the next note is just another A note and the entire order is repeated. If you play a musical instrument like piano, you can map this alphabet out on your instrument. For instance, memorize where the “C” note is played on the piano and then you'll also know where C-flat, C-sharp, B, D, A, E, and F are on the opposite sides of the C key. Get to know the basic elements of reading sheet music. Sheet music is written on a set of horizontal, parallel lines called the staff. Other small figures and lines are written on or around the staff to indicate things like which notes are played, how long each note is played for, and what rhythm the music should be played in. Clefs are various shapes written at the very beginning of a music staff, which tell you what pitches are on what line or space of the staff. The treble clef looks sort of like an ampersand, while the bass clef looks like a backwards C with 2 dots on top of it. The key signature appears next to the clef and is composed of 1 or several # (sharp) or b (flat) symbols on individual lines of the staff. These symbols indicate that all notes played on that line should either be played either sharp or flat. The notes on the staff lines indicate which notes to play on an instrument and are made up of 3 parts: the note head (a black oval that is either open or closed), the stem (the vertical line attached to the note head), and the flag (the curved stroke at the top of the stem). Note that not all notes contain all 3 parts at the same time. Different combinations of open or closed note heads, stems, and flags tell you how long to play an individual note in terms of beats or fractions of beats. For instance, an open note with no stem or flag is played for 4 beats, while a closed note with a stem is played for 1 beat. Learn the difference between scale and pitch. Pitch refers to how high or low on an instrument you play a certain note, such as the “C” note. There are 7 keys of difference between 2 different pitches of the same note (e.g., on a piano, you can play an A note in a higher pitch by moving 7 keys to the right). Conversely, scales are sets of notes that sound particularly good when played sequentially and are thus commonly used in songwriting. When you change the pitch of 1 note, you have to also change the pitch of any other note that you play with that first note in a scale. There are major scales for each of the 7 notes. There are also minor scales, which are similar to major scales, except the 3rd note in the scale is a half step lower than it is in the major scale. Familiarize yourself with chords. Chords are formed when 3 or more notes of the same pitch are played at the same time. After you've learned the different notes on your instrument, the next thing you should do is learn some of the most common chords played on it. For example, the C, E, and G notes are commonly played together across a variety of instruments as a single chord. Make sure you’re aware of the importance of rhythm. Rhythm, in terms of music, refers to the consecutive arrangement of notes or beats placed at equal intervals of time. This means that you have to allow for the same amount of silence in between each musical note, or else the flow of the piece can be ruined. The rhythm at which a piece of music should be played is indicated on a staff by a time signature , made up of 2 vertically placed numbers next to the clef. The top number indicates how many beats there are in a measure of music, while the bottom number represents the note value which makes 1 beat. For example, a ¾ time signature would indicate that each measure in a piece of music contains 3 beats, while each beat contains 4 notes. Identify key signatures written on a sheet of music. The key signature indicates which pitch the notes in the song will be played in. These are represented by sharp images or flat images on 1 of the lines of the staff, corresponding with the key that the song is. So for example, a sharp symbol on the top line of the staff indicates that the piece of music is in G-sharp. Try looking at several different written pieces of sheet music and see how many of the different key signatures you can identify. Make a note of any that you can't identify and study those in greater detail. Practice identifying chords, scales, and notes that you hear. This is a part of learning music theory called “ear training.” Listen to either a single note, a chord, or a few seconds of a musical instrument being played. Then, try to name the note or notes being played just by listening to them. If you listen to a chord or scale, try to identify the name of the chord or scale as well. If this is particularly difficult for you, try starting out by just identifying 1 of the 7 natural notes when an individual note is played. Once you've mastered this, move on to scales, then chords, then entire songs. Build chords and scales on a staff from scratch. Write out a series of notes on the staff to build chords and scales that sound good in your head. First write the clef, time signature, and key signature on your staff. Then, write the individual notes on the separate lines of the staff that make up the chord or scale that you're trying to write. This is a useful exercise for mastering the writing component of musical theory, as it forces you to write music solely based on your competence with the “language” of music. Focus on building simple chords and scales at first. As you start to feel more comfortable with this exercise, try writing longer and longer pieces of music. Eventually, you'll have an entire song written! Use an instrument or sing to identify and play notes written on a staff. This exercise trains you to readily translate written music into actual performed sound. Look at a piece of sheet music, identify the notes as they're written on the staff, and then either sing those notes or play them on an instrument that has the notes marked (e.g., a keyboard). Once you've mastered playing notes based on a piece of sheet music, practice playing chords and scales that you see written down. Make sure you practice playing the notes in the rhythm that is indicated on the staff. If you have trouble with this, practice keeping the rhythm first by simply tapping out the rhythm with your finger. Choose an instrument that you’ll have fun playing. Regardless of your reasons for wanting to learn music, it'll be much easier for you to stay motivated and persevere in learning an instrument if it's something you actually enjoy. Experiment with several different instruments to see which one you enjoy playing the most. If you can, see if there's a music store in your area that will let you come in and briefly try playing several of the instruments. Then, if you like 1 of the instruments in particular, consider buying it in the store! Practice playing notes, chords, and scales on your instrument. After you've mastered the concepts of notes, chords, and scales, learning how to produce these sounds with your instrument is the first step to learning how to play music. Start by practicing notes first, then move on to scales, and finally to chords. Once you've gotten the hang of these different components, practice playing a whole song from start to finish. Take lessons from someone who knows how to play your instrument. You can find lots of available music teachers online or in newspaper classifieds. For best results, try to find a music teacher with a music degree and with teaching experience. You can also just watch instructional videos on YouTube if you don't want to pay for an actual instructor. Make a daily practice schedule and stick to it. Learning to play an instrument is something that requires dedication; you can't master the instrument overnight. Set aside a small amount of time each day to practice your craft and commit to sticking to this routine for the long haul. You don't have to dedicate all of your time to practicing; just set aside 15-30 minutes for practice and watch as you make small, incremental progress over time. Set concrete goals for yourself each week. Your goals should be realistic, measurable, and achievable, rather than general aspirations, so that you'll be able to know when you've achieved them. Aim to learn a new chord, song, or style of playing with your instrument, depending on what you want to get out of playing a musical instrument. | Study the musical alphabet. Get to know the basic elements of reading sheet music. Learn the difference between scale and pitch. Familiarize yourself with chords. Make sure you’re aware of the importance of rhythm. Identify key signatures written on a sheet of music. Practice identifying chords, scales, and notes that you hear. Build chords and scales on a staff from scratch. Use an instrument or sing to identify and play notes written on a staff. Choose an instrument that you’ll have fun playing. Practice playing notes, chords, and scales on your instrument. Take lessons from someone who knows how to play your instrument. Make a daily practice schedule and stick to it. Set concrete goals for yourself each week. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Segment-a-Grapefruit | How to Segment a Grapefruit | To segment a grapefruit, start by slicing the grapefruit in half down the middle. Then, take a paring knife and cut along the perimeter, where the flesh meets the pith, until you reach the place where you started. Use your paring knife to cut along the inside of each segment towards the center of the fruit, moving around the grapefruit until you've cut each segment from the membrane. Finally, use a spoon to scoop out each segment. | Slice a thin piece of peel from both the top and bottom. The first step in supreming a grapefruit is to remove the peel. Cut off the top and the bottom of the grapefruit, exposing the flesh of the fruit. This will provide you with a flat side to rest the grapefruit on while you cut it. You will be less likely to cut yourself with a flat side providing stability. ”Supreme” is the culinary term used to describe the act of cutting off the peel of a grapefruit and removing the segmented flesh from the bitter pith and membrane. Cut along the contour of the grapefruit. Place the grapefruit on one of the flat ends you cut. With a sharp knife, slice off the peel and pith of the grapefruit, starting from the top and moving your knife to the bottom. Follow the natural curve of the grapefruit. Be sure to avoid cutting off too much of the red flesh. The pith is the white spongy material between the peel and the red flesh of the grapefruit. Continue peeling the grapefruit. Remove the peel and pith, turning the grapefruit after every slice. Depending on the size of your knife, this may take between six and eight slices. Once the peel and pith have been completely removed, you may discard them. Consider composting the peel and pith. Clean any remaining pith. There may be a few small pieces of pith left on the grapefruit once you have peeled it. Go back and shave off these remaining pieces. Grapefruit pith is quite bitter and you will want to avoid eating it. Hold the grapefruit securely in one hand. Now that it is peeled, you can supreme your grapefruit. With your non-dominant hand, securely grab the grapefruit. Make sure that your fingers are not near where you are cutting. If you do not feel confident cutting the grapefruit in your hand, place it on a cutting board. ”Supreme” is the culinary term for sectioning a grapefruit. If you decide to hold the grapefruit, be sure to place a bowl under your hand to catch any juices that might fall. Cut along the inside of the membrane. With a paring knife, make a cut along the inside of the white membrane that runs between the grapefruit segments. Follow this membrane until you reach the center. However, avoid cutting into the white membrane itself, which can be tough and difficult to eat. Be sure to avoid cutting too hard and slicing into your hand. Slice along the inside of the other side. Perform this process again and cut along the membrane found on the other side of the segment. Once your knife has reached the center of the fruit, the V-shaped segment will be free. Try not to push too hard while cutting the grapefruit. This could cause you to slice your hand. Continue this process. Cut around the grapefruit until you have removed all the segments. Once completed, your bowl should be full of juice and segmented slices. Remove the leftover grapefruit membrane. Once you have cut all of the slices from the grapefruit, you will be left with the remaining membrane material. If you want to keep any grapefruit juice, squeeze the remaining liquid from the membrane into a bowl. Then, dispose of the membrane in your garbage or compost. Because the membrane is tough and bitter, you will want to avoid eating it. Prepare a dish. Your supremed grapefruit pieces can now be used in a number of delicious dishes. You can use them to add some extra citrus flavor to a salad. You can also use the supremed pieces to make a grapefruit terrine. Slice the grapefruit in half. With a large knife, cut your grapefruit in half along its equator, leaving an equal-sized top and bottom half. Do not peel the grapefruit halves. Place the halves so that they are facing up. Rest each half on a cutting board so that the flesh is facing you. If want a little more stability, you can cut off the bottoms of each half. Cut along the perimeter. Take a paring knife and slice along the perimeter of the grapefruit where the flesh meets the pith. Be sure to angle your knife towards the center in order to follow the fruit's curve. Cut all the way around the perimeter until you reach the place where you started. Segment the flesh. Use a grapefruit or paring knife to cut along the inside of the membrane towards the center of the fruit. Repeat the process on the other side of the segment. Move around the inside of the grapefruit until all of the segments have been cut from the membrane. Remove the segments. Use a grapefruit or paring knife to separate the segments by cutting along the inside of the peel. You can also use a serrated spoon to scoop out each segment. If you are making Grapefruit Brulee, do not remove the segments. You will want to leave them in place. A grapefruit knife has a serrated blade that is curved sideways at the end Discard the remaining peel and membranes. After all the segments are removed, squeeze the remaining juice from the membrane. Be sure to throw away or compost the remaining peel and membrane. | Slice a thin piece of peel from both the top and bottom. Cut along the contour of the grapefruit. Continue peeling the grapefruit. Clean any remaining pith. Hold the grapefruit securely in one hand. Cut along the inside of the membrane. Slice along the inside of the other side. Continue this process. Remove the leftover grapefruit membrane. Prepare a dish. Slice the grapefruit in half. Place the halves so that they are facing up. Cut along the perimeter. Segment the flesh. Remove the segments. Discard the remaining peel and membranes. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Apply-Eye-Makeup-on-Fair-Skin | How to Apply Eye Makeup on Fair Skin | Before applying eye makeup on fair skin, wash your face to remove leftover makeup. Then, place a pea-sized amount of concealer or foundation onto your eyelids, under the brow line, and below the eyes. Next, you should apply three colors: a base that builds from the eyelash root to below the brow line, a lighter color of similar shade for highlighting below the brow line, and a darker color of similar shade for eye crease contouring. Use quick-drying eyeliner along your lash line, and then apply one to two layers of mascara to your upper lashes. | Know what an undertone means. An undertone is the basic tone of your skin underneath the surface layer, which isn't affected by things like tanning, acne, and surface discoloration. Your undertone will help you choose the best shades for makeup, clothes, and jewelry, because undertones are associated with certain colors, which can be better matched with some colors over others. People with cool undertones are associated with bluish, reddish, and pinkish skin tones. People with warm undertones are associated with golden, yellowish, and peachy skin tones. People with neutral undertones can have a combination of cool and warm skin tones. Figure out what your undertone is. There are a few indicators that will tell you what your undertone is, such as your hair color, how your skin reacts to the sun, the color of your veins, and the color of your hair. People with cool undertones : look best in silver jewelry, burn easily in the sun, have blue veins at the wrist, and usually have hair that's blond (ash or sandy), brown (ash or dark), blue-black, auburn, snowy, or silver-gray. People with warm undertones : look best in gold jewelry, will bronze in the sun, have green veins at the wrist, and often have hair that's blond (golden, strawberry, or honey), brown (golden or caramel), brown-black, red (copper or wine), or creamy white. People with neutral undertones : look good in both types of jewelry, have blue-green veins at the wrist, and tend to have hair that's blond, brown, red, white, or gray. Choose appropriate colors. Once you know your undertone, you can select colors that will best complement your skin. Most people with pale or fair skin tend to have cool undertones, which means you should look for cosmetics (and clothing) in sea shades, soft purples, taupes and grayish beiges, metallics, pinks, and berry reds. It's best to avoid oranges, orange-reds, and yellows. For pale people with warm undertones, try earthy reds, yellows, greens, browns, peaches, corals, and violet-reds. If you are pale but have a neutral undertone, you can wear any color, but you may look best in muted berry colors, such as raspberry, lemon, and lavender. Know what colors to avoid. When it comes to applying makeup on fair skin, one of the most important things to remember is that darker shades may simply be too dark. The contrast of dark cosmetics on pale skin can be too stark, but it can also make you look bruised. Try browns and grays instead of black for cosmetics like mascara and eyeliner, and use brown instead of black as your base color when you are creating a smoky eye effect, and blend your eyeshadow more rigorously. Prepare your face. You always want a fresh canvas to work with when you're applying makeup. This is especially true if you have pale skin, because any leftover makeup will show up more prominently than it might otherwise. Wash your face with a gentle cream facial cleanser. Lather the cleanser in your hands and use circular motions to massage it into your face. Rinse your face with warm water, and then pat your skin dry with a clean towel. When your face is still slightly damp, apply your favorite moisturizer, serum, or toner. Put a concealer or foundation on your eyes. To create a good base for your makeup to stick to, and to cover veins and redness, rub or brush a pea-sized amount of primer, concealer, or foundation onto your eyelids, under the brow line, and below your eyes. This step is particularly important if you are going to be using a light shade of makeup, which won't cover discoloration and veins. Apply eyeshadow. Once you've picked out colors that will match your undertone and that aren't too dark for your fair skin, you can start applying makeup to your eyes. For a basic look, start with three colors: a base color, a lighter color of a similar shade for highlighting, and a darker color of a similar shade for contouring. Apply a small amount of base to the root of your eyelashes. Slowly build the color and work it up toward your brow bone, stopping just below your brow line. Take a lighter color of a similar shade and apply that just below your brow line. Use the darker color in the crease of your eye to add some contour. Make your eyes look more open by adding a dab of your base color above and below your tear ducts. Put on some eyeliner and mascara. Use a quick drying eyeliner to avoid smearing dark eyeliner all over your freshly applied eyeshadow, and remember to use a lighter color, such as gray, brown, or even blue. Apply a line of eyeliner along your lash line from the inner corner of your eye to the outer corner. Apply one to two layers of mascara to your upper lashes. Add definition to your eyebrows. People with fair skin and hair may need to add some extra definition to the eyebrows, and you may want to add some extra darkness to your brow if you have fair skin and dark hair. Choose a brow pencil or tinted gel that matches the shade of your eyebrows. Apply short strokes of color to your eyebrows, starting at the inside corner and working toward your temple. Use the brush to work the color through your brows and gently sculpt the shape. | Know what an undertone means. Figure out what your undertone is. Choose appropriate colors. Know what colors to avoid. Prepare your face. Put a concealer or foundation on your eyes. Apply eyeshadow. Put on some eyeliner and mascara. Add definition to your eyebrows. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Give-Yourself-a-Fade | How to Give Yourself a Fade | To give yourself a fade, start with a low-numbered guard on your electric clippers, like a #2, and cut a row of hair all the way around your head. Move slowly from the bottom of your head, sweeping the clippers upward as if you were scooping ice cream. Then, start just above that cut and go around again using a guard that's up a size or two, which will leave the hair a little longer. Continue cutting with higher-numbered guards until you reach the top of your head. Finally, gently cut over the lines between layers with the bracket setting of your clippers to smooth out your fade. | Wash and comb your hair. Styling will be easier when your hair is full and pliable. Go ahead and clean it with shampoo and conditioner, then comb your hair to remove tangles. If your hair dries and you find it tough to cut, you can dampen it again by spritzing it with a spray bottle. Bring a handheld mirror. Cutting your own hair is tricky at first, so it's best to ask someone to help you. However, if help isn't available, a handheld mirror can work. Hold it as you work towards the back of your head. It'll help you see what you're doing. Afterwards, you can use it to inspect the cuts you made and find any areas that need to be corrected. Make sure you have different clipper lengths. Adjustable electric clippers are your best tool for achieving a fade. Get ones that come with several guards because you'll need to attach the guards to your clippers when you want to cut hair at different lengths. These different lengths are what will help you achieve that gradual length transition that the fade is known for. Some clippers may also have a bracket setting. When you flip off the setting, the blades cut off about an extra ⅛ an inch (3.2 mm), making it perfect for achieving lengths between those cut by guards. Balance the fade with the hair on top of your head. The key to a good-looking fade is balance. A fade that starts too high on your head doesn't work well with longer hair on top. It can resemble an undercut, or make your face look longer. Before you begin, determine how long you'll leave the hair up top. Don't cut the hair at the tops of the sides of your head short unless you are going for a short fade. Trimming the top of your head first may help you figure out your balance. Remember, it's better to cut your hair longer at first because you can always go back and cut it shorter, but you can't make short hair grow back quickly. Cut long hair with scissors if necessary. The fade is a short hair style, so if you currently have long hair, you'll want to remove the bulk of it before getting started on your fade. Pull hair back into a low ponytail and secure it with an elastic or clip. Cut the ponytail below the elastic or clip. Then hold out sections of hair and cut them to the desired starting length. Base this length on your balance. If you've decided to make the top of your hair 2.5 inches (6.4 cm) high, then make sure that you don't cut your long hair any shorter than that length. Trim the top of your head. Start with the hair on the crown (top center) of your head. Hold your comb flat and sweep it over your head to pick up hair. Use scissors to cut the hair to the desired length. Continue working until you get to rounded portion of your head. Don't cut the hair below it. Start with a low-numbered guard. Electric clippers come with adjustable guards. The lowest-numbered guard cuts hair shortest. Use a low guard, such as a #2. The #2 guard will leave hair 1/4th an inch (6 mm) long. Another way to achieve a fade is to start with higher-numbered guards and create layers from the top down. This may help you if you keep cutting your hair too short. Use the clippers to cut your hair. Work on the sides and back of your head. Hold the clippers vertically. Press the clippers down and gently sweep them upwards and off your head in a scooping motion—as if you were scooping ice cream. Move slowly and gently from the bottom of your head to avoid taking off too much hair. When you are starting out, you may wish to experiment on one side first. Figure out the cutting motion and length you need to make the hair to correct rough spots. Switch to the next guard. The next highest-numbered guard will leave your hair a little longer. Try moving up a size or two. Alternatively, keep the same guard and flip on the bracket setting, if your clippers have the option. The brackets add about ⅛ an inch (3 mm) to the length of each guard. A #4, for instance, will leave your hair ½ an inch (12 mm) long. Clip your hair again. Place your clippers right above your last cut. Cut your hair the same way you did before, using the scooping motion to make short, precise cuts. Do this all the way around your head and to the other side. You'll see the beginning layers of the fade. Remove layer lines in your hair. Look into a mirror and check for lines distinguishing your two cuts. To make the fade appear like a smooth, you have to blend the two cuts wherever you see a line. If your clippers come with a bracket setting, now is a perfect time to use it. Hold the clippers horizontally, start at one end of your head, and gently cut over the line. Repeat clipping with higher guards. Switch up another guard size or change the bracket setting. Cut right above the last cut to form another layer. You may have to switch the guards and bracket setting on your clippers multiple times until you reach the top of your head. Check your hair in the mirror and make corrections. Hold up a mirror and examine all sides of your head. Look for lines left over from layering. Also, check to see if the hair length on the top of your head is balanced with the length of the fade. Go back over with the clippers to make adjustments, then finish by using trimmers or a razor to reach areas such as your neckline or near your ears. As you are learning, the haircut may not come out very well at first. You can try to correct it, or you can cut your hair short and wait for it to grow back so you can try again. Style your hair. Once you believe you are finished clipping, you can style the hair on the top of your head using gel or another product. This is of course optional and not needed if you chose a short fade. Renew the haircut every few weeks. Because a fade involves short cuts, hair growth will be noticeable. You'll see the layers start to disappear as the hair gets longer and messier. Go back and fade your hair again or have a barber trim it. A friend can not only tell you when it's time for a haircut, but can tell you where you need to make corrections after you cut your hair. | Wash and comb your hair. Bring a handheld mirror. Make sure you have different clipper lengths. Balance the fade with the hair on top of your head. Cut long hair with scissors if necessary. Trim the top of your head. Start with a low-numbered guard. Use the clippers to cut your hair. Switch to the next guard. Clip your hair again. Remove layer lines in your hair. Repeat clipping with higher guards. Check your hair in the mirror and make corrections. Style your hair. Renew the haircut every few weeks. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Fish-in-Minecraft | How to Fish in Minecraft | To fish in Minecraft, make a fishing rod by placing 3 sticks in a diagonal line in your crafting grid and 2 pieces of string in a vertical line below. Enchant your rod with Unbreakable, Lure, or Luck of the Sea to increase your chances of catching fish. Find a body of water, in a rainy area if possible, and break blocks directly above it to speed up your fishing. Equip the fishing rod and use it on the water by right-clicking. When you see and hear splashes around the bobber, use the rod again to reel in your catch. | Make a fishing rod. You'll need three sticks and two pieces of string. Place the sticks in a diagonal line. Place the strings in a vertical line, underneath the sticks. Consider enchanting the rod. There are three enchantments that enhance a fishing rod. Unbreaking increases durability, Lure speeds up fishing, and Luck of the Sea increases the chance of getting treasure instead of junk. Unbreaking is much more common than the other two. Your chance of getting either Lure or Luck of the Sea is about 35% at level 15, and about 53% at level 30. Look for a rainy area if possible. If it's raining over your fishing bobber, it takes about 20% less time to catch something. Unless your rod has Lure, this means you'll catch something every 20 seconds on average, instead of every 25. Rain falls in all temperate biomes at once. As long as you've checked one forest, swamp, or plains, you know whether or not it's raining anywhere. If cheats are enabled, enter /weather rain to start a downpour. Break everything directly over the block of water. Once you've chosen a spot to fish in, break all blocks directly above it. If anything blocks sunlight or moonlight from hitting the water, fishing will take twice as long. Anything non-transparent (including leaves) will block light, and anything that blocks movement will block rain. Find water. It doesn't matter which body of water you fish in. You can even dig a hole and pour a bucket of water in it. It does help to make the hole at least two blocks wide and two deep, so it's easier to cast the line without hitting a solid block. Use the rod on the water. Equip the fishing rod and use it on the water (right-click on the computer edition). The string will fly out with a bobber attached to the end of it. The bobber can hook onto objects and mobs, so watch your aim. If this happens, it takes durability off of your fishing rod. Watch for small splashes. Initially the bobber will sink, then it will rise to the surface of the water. Watch and listen closely. When you see small splashes around the bobber and hear a splashing noise, immediately use the fishing rod again to reel in the catch. If successful, a fish or other item will fly out of the water and land near your character, along with an experience orb. You will not see the splashes if particle effects are set to "minimal" in your settings. If you miss your chance, the fish will escape. You can leave the bobber in the water to try again. Pick up the item. If the item doesn't land nearby, look around. If it hit a solid block when reeled in, it could be off at a right angle somewhere. Here's your chance of getting each type of item with an unenchanted fishing rod: 85% chance of fish. This is usually just the "raw fish" item, but you can also get salmon, clownfish, and pufferfish. Careful: pufferfish are poisonous. 10% chance of junk. These are miscellaneous items like damaged leather boots, tripwire hooks, or ink sacs. 5% chance of treasure. There are six possibilities, all equally likely: a damaged, enchanted bow; a damaged enchanted fishing rod; an enchanted book; a name tag; a saddle; or a lily pad. The items are the same on all editions, but the percentages are only confirmed for Java Edition. | Make a fishing rod. Consider enchanting the rod. Look for a rainy area if possible. Break everything directly over the block of water. Find water. Use the rod on the water. Watch for small splashes. Pick up the item. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Assume-the-Brace-Position | How to Assume the Brace Position | If you ever see the seatbelt sign flashing on your flight or are told by your flight attendant to brace for impact, tuck your feet beneath your seat and keep them flat against the floor. If you are in an economy seat, lean forward so that your head is touching the back of the seat in front of you. Then, link your fingers on top of your head and position your forearms so they are covering your face in case of debris. | When you hear a warning such as "Brace", "Heads down, stay down", or you see the seatbelt sign (right) flash repeatedly, immediately assume the brace position. It is important to note that there are two different brace positions. The first one is used when the seat in front of you can be reached (such as when you are seated in economy/coach class). The second one is the brace position to assume when the seat back in front of you cannot be reached (such as when you are seated in first class). Ensure your seatbelt is securely fastened. Place your hands together on top of your head (do not interlock your fingers). Lean forward as far as possible so that your head touches the back of the seat in front of you. Ensure that your forearms cover the sides of your face to protect it from debris. Push your feet back past your knees (partially under your seat). Keep your feet flat on the floor. Ensure your seatbelt is securely fastened. Bend your body forward so that your head is down around your knees. Link your arms together behind or around your legs to stop them from moving forward during impact. Keep your head down. Push your feet back past your knees and keep them flat on the floor. | When you hear a warning such as "Brace", "Heads down, stay down", or you see the seatbelt sign (right) flash repeatedly, immediately assume the brace position. It is important to note that there are two different brace positions. Ensure your seatbelt is securely fastened. Lean forward as far as possible so that your head touches the back of the seat in front of you. Ensure that your forearms cover the sides of your face to protect it from debris. Push your feet back past your knees (partially under your seat). Keep your feet flat on the floor. Ensure your seatbelt is securely fastened. Bend your body forward so that your head is down around your knees. Link your arms together behind or around your legs to stop them from moving forward during impact. Keep your head down. Push your feet back past your knees and keep them flat on the floor. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Give-Yourself-a-Facial-Massage | How to Give Yourself a Facial Massage | To give yourself a facial massage to brighten and lift the skin, start by washing your face and hands with a gentle cleanser. Pat your skin dry, then apply your favorite facial oil or serum. Using gentle sweeping motions, massage the skin around your mouth, cheeks, eyes, and forehead. Repeat the process once more, always working upward from the mouth to the forehead, rather than downward. Remember to be very gentle around the eyes! | Start with clean skin. Complete your face-washing routine before conducting your massage. Cleanse your face using a gentle cleanser or oil, rinse it with lukewarm water, then pat your face dry with a towel. Make sure you take your makeup off before giving yourself a facial massage. Apply a light layer of face oil. Using a bit of oil helps your fingers move smoothly across your face, rather than dragging on your skin. It also leaves your face bright and glowing when you're through with the massage. You may use a blend of oils formulated especially for the face, or choose a single oil that works best with your skin type. Almond, argan, and jojoba oil all work well as face massage oils that won't clog your pores. For very dry skin, choose argan or almond oil. For medium to oily skin, choose jojoba or a blend of jojoba and castor oil. If you're concerned about using oil on your skin, use your favorite moisturizer. If you want the oil to feel warm, keep the bottle of oil in warm water before you start your facial massage. Begin by massaging your lymph area. Many believe that toxins drain from the face to the lymph nodes, located under your ears on the sides of your neck. Massaging this area helps to release the toxins and prevent them from building up in your face. Using the tips of your fingers, massage your lymph area in a circular motion for one minute. Use wide circles, sweeping from under your ears, down toward your throat, and up along your jawline. You want a firm touch, but don't massage too hard. A facial massage is different from a deep tissue massage, since the skin on your face is more sensitive. Massage the sides of your face. Using the same wide circular strokes, massage along the sides of your jaw, past the corners of your mouth, next to your nostrils, and over your cheekbones. Push your skin up, then out; never down, since this can cause sagging to occur. Continue for one minute. Massage your forehead. Use a broad circular motion to massage both sides of your forehead at the same time. Start near your temples and move gradually in toward the middle of your forehead, then back out to the sides. Continue for one minute. Massage your eye area. Position your fingers at the arch of your brows. Sweep them around the outside corners of your eyes, gently move them under your eyes, and end with your fingers at the inside corners of your eyes. Continue along up the sides of your nose and along your brow lines. Repeat the motion for one minute. Massaging your eye area helps combat puffy eyes, leaving the area brighter and more youthful-looking. Use extra oil if necessary to prevent your fingers from dragging the delicate skin around your eyes. Finish by going back over each area once more. Gently massage each part of your face again to end your massage. Your skin should look bright, fresh, and rejuvenated when your massage is complete. Apply a light layer of face oil. Face oil helps your fingers slide easily across your face, preventing them from dragging and stretching your skin. It also conditions the skin and lightens the appearance of lines and wrinkles. Apply a light layer of one of the following oils: For dry skin: coconut or argan oil. For medium skin: almond or jojoba oil. For oily skin: jojoba oil or your favorite moisturizer. Massage near the corners of your mouth. A firming, lifting massage focuses on areas where the skin tends to droop. Using the tips of your fingers, make tight circular motions over the lines on either side of your mouth. Always apply upward pressure to help lift the skin instead of dragging it down. Continue for one minute. Massage your cheek area. Make corkscrew-like, circular motions over the apples of your cheeks to help firm and lift this area. Apply gentle pressure as your fingers move up to your inner cheekbones, then out to the edges of your face and back around. Continue for one minute. Massage your eye area. Position your fingers at the arch of your brows, then sweep them around the outside corners of your eyes. Gently move them under your eyes, and end with your fingers at the inside corners of your eyes. Continue along up the sides of your nose and along your brow lines. Repeat the motion for one minute. Massaging your eye area helps lift sagging skin and combat crow's feet. Use extra oil if necessary to prevent your fingers from dragging the delicate skin around your eyes. Massage your forehead. If your forehead has horizontal lines you wish to lighten, you want to massage against the lines, rather than with them. Position your hands next to each other vertically, with your fingers touching your forehead. Make a zig-zag motion by moving one hand up while the other moves down, so that you're gently pulling your forehead skin up and down. Continue this motion across your entire forehead for one minute. Massage your frown line. The vertical lines at the top of your nose can be lightened if you massage them horizontally. Position your fingers horizontally across your frown lines. Gently rub back and forth to pull the skin out of its usual lined position. Finish by going back over each area once more. Gently massage each part of your face again to end your massage. Your skin should feel firm and youthful when your massage is finished. Repeat daily for the best results. Apply a light layer of face oil. Face oil helps your fingers slide easily across your face, preventing them from dragging and stretching your skin. Scented oil can also improve your mood and enhance the stress-busting properties of your massage. Apply a light layer according to the following guide: For dry skin: use coconut or argan oil. Consider adding 2 to 3 drops of lavender essential oil. For medium skin: almond or jojoba oil. Consider adding 2 to 3 drops of lavender essential oil. For oily skin: jojoba oil or your favorite moisturizer. Consider adding 2 to 3 drops of lavender essential oil. Massage under your ears and along your jaw. Tension often builds up in the jaw and neck area, and massaging here will help loosen your muscles. Using the tips of your fingers, massage the area in a circular motion for one minute. Use wide circles, sweeping from under your ears, down toward your throat, and up along your jawline. Press more firmly in areas where the muscles feel tight. Massage the sides of your face. Using the same wide circular strokes, massage along the sides of your jaw, past the corners of your mouth, next to your nostrils, and over your cheekbones. Close your eyes and focus on the relaxing motion of your hands on your face. Massage your temples and forehead. Tension in this area can often lead to headaches, so spend some extra time here. Use a corkscrew motion to massage both temples at the same time. Move gradually in toward the middle of your forehead, then back out to the sides. Continue for one minute. Massage your eye area. Position your fingers at the arch of your brows. Sweep them around the outside corners of your eyes, gently move them under your eyes, and end with your fingers at the inside corners of your eyes. Continue along up the sides of your nose and along your brow lines. Repeat the motion for one minute. Massaging here will make you feel better after a long day of straining your eyes. Use extra oil if necessary to prevent your fingers from dragging the delicate skin around your eyes. Massage your nose. If you have sinus tension, massaging your nose will help relieve it. Gently pinch the area at the top of your nose. Slide your fingers down to your nostrils. Repeat this motion for one minute. Finish by going back over each area once more. Gently massage each part of your face again to end your massage. By the end, you should feel relaxed and calm. | Start with clean skin. Apply a light layer of face oil. Begin by massaging your lymph area. Massage the sides of your face. Massage your forehead. Massage your eye area. Finish by going back over each area once more. Apply a light layer of face oil. Massage near the corners of your mouth. Massage your cheek area. Massage your eye area. Massage your forehead. Massage your frown line. Finish by going back over each area once more. Apply a light layer of face oil. Massage under your ears and along your jaw. Massage the sides of your face. Massage your temples and forehead. Massage your eye area. Massage your nose. Finish by going back over each area once more. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Make-Wood-Flexible | How to Make Wood Flexible | If you want to make wood flexible, try steaming it in a box. You'll need to build a sealed box to hold the wood while it's steaming. Then, place the wood inside the box and heat it with steam for about 1 hour for every inch of thickness. You can use an electric kettle to do this. Once the time is up, bend the wood to your desired shape by clamping it to a curved piece of plywood. Leave the wood in the bending form for 24 hours in a well-ventilated place so it can cool and dry. | Create a bending form. Set a drawing compass to the thickness of your lumber. Using the compass, trace two lines on a stack of plywood in the shape you'd like to bend your wood. Cut along both lines with a bandsaw. Now you have a gap the perfect size for your lumber, and a two-part plywood form to press the lumber from both sides. Alternatively, just cut one line to create the inner curve, and use clamps to press the lumber against it. There will be a small amount of spring-back after you release the wood with this method. Bend it slightly farther than you want the final shape. Plane your lumber into thin strips. Once glued back together, these strips will be much more flexible than the original lumber. You can use any type of wood, but cross-grained wood and wood with knots are likely to break. Plane it into strips according to how far you plan to bend it: For a curve with a 2 to 4 inch radius (5–10 cm), plane the wood into 3/32" (2.4 mm) strips. For a curve with a 4 to 8 inch (10–20 cm) radius, plane to 1/8" (3.2 mm). For an 8 to 12 inch (20–30 cm) radius, plane to 3/16" (4.8 mm). For a radius greater than 12 inches (30 cm), plane to 1/4" (6.4 mm). These are guidelines to use as a starting point. The wood species and grain slope affect the result, so you may need to experiment. Soak the strips in hot water (optional). This will make the wood more flexible, which may be necessary for tight bends. However, for best results, you will need to keep the wood wet for the first three or four hours after you bend it. Skip this step if you prefer a less time-intensive approach, or if you are only creating slight bends. Glue the strips together immediately. Working with freshly planed surfaces will increase the strength of the bond. You can use epoxy, polyurethane, aliphatic resin, or just about any high-strength glue that works on wood and meets the needs of your project. Distribute the glue as evenly as possible. Rolling a 3/8" (9.5 mm) threaded rod over the wood can give better results than brushing on the glue. Flip every other strip end-to-end before gluing. This will prevent the grain slope from lining up, removing lines of weakness. Clamp the wood onto your bending form. Bend the laminated wood along the piece of plywood you prepared. Clamp it tight in several places. The more clamps you use, the less chance there is that gaps will appear between strips, and the closer your wood will get to the desired shape. Leave the wood until the glue sets. Check your glue label instructions for the curing time. (If it doesn't say, wait 24 hours. ) After that, the wood should stay in its new shape. If you soaked the wood, don't forget to keep it wet for the first three or four hours. Choose your lumber. Green and air-dried hardwood are both suitable for steaming. The risk of breaking is too high for kiln-dried wood, softwood, and any lumber with less than 10% moisture content (15% for tight bends). Straight-grained lumber with minimal knots is recommended, but you can use cross-grained lumber with a grain slope less than 1:15. Hackberry and oak are among the best hardwoods for this approach; a 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick piece can bend to a curve radius as tight as 2 inches (5 cm). Maple, cherry, and poplar are prone to damage and only accept slight bends. Build a steam box. Construct a tongue-and-groove box large enough to hold your lumber out of ¾" (19 mm) thick, exterior-grade fir plywood. Fit a hinged door on each end, and seal the joints with silicone and screws. Insert brass rods or wooden dowels through the sides for the lumber to rest on, so steam can circulate around it. Leave the box unpainted and unsealed so it can dry out between uses. If you are only steaming parts the size of walking sticks or smaller, you can use a length of ABS pipe with a 2 to 4 inch (5–10 cm) diameter instead. Another alternative is to melt 6 mil polyethylene into a plastic bag around your lumber. You can then bend the lumber while it is still in the steam bag for maximum flexibility. Set up steam collection and drainage. You can use an electric tea kettle as a steam source for steaming pieces 1" x 2" (19 x 38 mm) or smaller. For larger pieces, use a clean pressure cooker, metal gas can, or other large container over an electric hot plate; or rent a wallpaper steamer. Connect the steam source to your box as follows: Connect a 1½" (3.8 cm) diameter hose to the steam source with tightly fitted nuts. Cut a hole in the steam source if necessary to accommodate this. Cut a hole in the base of the box and attach the other end of the hose. Drill a few small drainage holes into the base of the box, especially toward one end. Set up the box so it slopes toward this end. Optionally, drill a hole in the top of the box and plug it with a stopper. This allows you to insert a thermometer. Build a bending form. Use a bandsaw to cut a stack of plywood into the shape of the inner curve. Screw the plywood onto a table to create a form to bend your wood around once steamed. To prevent the outer curve from splintering, you can either form a similar plywood back (just cut out the thickness of your lumber from the remaining plywood), or secure a metal bending strap to your table. Unless you are only bending a slight curve, you will also need to place clamps against the ends of the lumber. Metal straps may discolor your wood. If this is an issue, use an oversize piece of lumber and remove the affected area. If you will bend the wood to a curve radius less than 4" (10 cm), you will need a stronger material to bend it around. Cut off the tip of the plywood corner and replace it with a piece of hardwood. Steam the wood. Put the wood into the box, seal it, and heat plenty of water to create steam. As a general rule, wood needs steaming for one hour per inch (2.5 cm) of thickness at 212ºF (100ºC). Put in a few pieces of test lumber as well so you can experiment, since moisture content, wood species, and other factors all affect the wood's behavior. (For example, if your wood has a moisture content above 20%, you may only need to steam for half an hour per inch. ) If you have a thermometer, use a small hole at the top of the box to check the temperature. If it's too cool, wrap the box in an insulating material. To avoid steam burns, wear work gloves and keep your face back when opening the steam box. Bend the wood onto the form. The heat and moisture from the steam will soften the lignin, a substance responsible for wood's rigid shape. Immediately after steaming, place the wood against one end piece on your bending form. Starting at that end, bend the wood around your form at a moderate, steady pace. Compress the wood securely between the two pieces of plywood (or the plywood and backing strap). If the wood is not secure, the outer edge may stretch and weaken. If the wood cracks, it needs more steaming. If the wood wrinkles along the inner edge, it may have steamed too long, or there may be too much compression. Leave the wood to cool and dry. The length of time varies depending on the type of wood, thickness, and intended purpose. As a starting point, keep the wood in a well-ventilated location for 24 hours before removing it from the bending form. If it cooled sufficiently, the lumber should hold its new shape indefinitely. Plan your project. A kerf is just a saw cut, and kerfing means cutting a series of these slits so your wood can bend. The result is much weaker than other methods of bending wood, but it keeps the wood permanently flexible along that curve. It is also the fastest approach, and does not require special equipment. Cut a series of grooves against the grain. The cuts must be against the grain to reduce the chance of splitting the wood. Use a table saw to make these cuts along the part of the wood you'd like to bend. Space your cuts evenly (and close together) with a jig, or use a visual indicator on your table to get a consistent distance between cuts. Cut almost to the edge of the wood. In order to bend your wood more than a slight curve, you'll need to cut almost entirely through the wood. Leave only a thin edge to hold the wood together. Bend the wood inward. Bend the wood so the "spines" left by your cut touch, forming a single stress-bearing edge. You can now keep the bend in place by fastening the two ends of the lumber to a stable object. Remember that this is a weak bend, and do not rely on it to support much weight or stress. Fill the kerfs if desired. If you want to hide the gaps left by the saw, plug them with wood filler that matches your lumber. Alternatively, leave the wood as-is if you prefer the aesthetic, or if you would like to bend it to different angles. | Create a bending form. Plane your lumber into thin strips. Soak the strips in hot water (optional). Glue the strips together immediately. Clamp the wood onto your bending form. Leave the wood until the glue sets. Choose your lumber. Build a steam box. Set up steam collection and drainage. Build a bending form. Steam the wood. Bend the wood onto the form. Leave the wood to cool and dry. Plan your project. Cut a series of grooves against the grain. Cut almost to the edge of the wood. Bend the wood inward. Fill the kerfs if desired. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Cut-a-Bob | How to Cut a Bob | To cut a bob, divide your hair into 3 even sections -- one in the back, and one on either side of your head, and put them into ponytail holders. Cut the back section off with your scissors, moving the hair tie securing this section up or down based on the length you want. Once you're done trimming your hair, release the back section, then release the longer sides. Then, simply use a hair razor to shape the side sections until they are the length that you'd like the bob. | Get good cutting shears for hair. If you decide to cut your own hair at home, you should look for cutting shears that are made for hair and that are high quality. You can find good cutting shears online or at beauty supply stores. Using good quality shears will make it easier to cut your hair at home. You should look for cutting shears that have a stainless steel blade and a blade that is sharpened. Do not use kitchen shears, household scissors, or gardening shears as they could pull or damage your hair. Buy hair clippers and a hair razor. You can find hair clippers online or at a beauty supply store. Get hair clippers that are electric and good quality, as you are going to be using this tool to cut the bob. A hair razor will also be useful for cutting the bob as it will allow you to shape and trim your hair without having to do any major cutting. Make sure the hair razor is sharp as a dull razor will make it more difficult to use. You may also want a pair of thinning shears, which will remove volume while creating texture on the ends of your hair. Get a hair comb and hair ties. You will also need a hair comb and 3 hair ties. You can find these products online or in the beauty aisle of your local drugstore. The hair comb is going to help you create even sections of your hair for the cut. The hair ties will keep sections of hair out of the way as you cut. Confirm the style if someone else is cutting your hair. If you are getting a friend to cut your hair into a bob, you should discuss the steps for the cut beforehand. You should also confirm the length and style you want for your hair before your friend starts cutting away. During the cut, you should also communicate with your friend and confirm that they are doing what you want with your hair. Let your friend know if the style is too long or if it needs to be tweaked so you end up with a bob you like. Wash and dry your hair. You will need to start with hair that is clean and dry. Use your usual shampoo and conditioner on your hair. Then, allow it to air dry or blow dry it. Having hair that is dry will ensure you do not cut your hair too short, as wet hair can end up drying shorter than it looks. It's especially important to dry your hair first if it's curly or wavy. Curly hair appears much longer when it's wet. Before you dry your wet hair, you may want to use the hair comb to find your natural part. Finding your natural part is important if you plan to part your hair to one side, rather than do a middle part. You can find your natural part by running the comb over the front section of your hair so the hair falls to the back of your hair. Then, use your hand to gently push the hair forward. Your hair should fall toward your natural part. You can also determine your natural part by noting which side of your head you usually part your hair on. You can then keep this in mind when you are cutting your hair so your hair parts as you like it. Divide your hair into 3 even sections. Use the comb to divide your hair into 3 even sections: 1 section at the back, and 1 section on either side of your head. Secure the 3 sections using hair ties. Make sure the back section sits just above the back of your neck. You will need to be able to gently slide the hair tie up and down your hair at the back, so do not tie it too tightly. Cut the back section off with scissors. You may need to use a hand mirror to see the back ponytail if you are cutting your hair yourself. Move the back ponytail up or down against your neck, based on the length you would like the bob to be. If you want a shorter bob, move the ponytail further up. For a longer bob, move the ponytail further down. Most bobs are on the shorter side, so you may opt for a shorter cut in the back. Use the cutting shears to cut right underneath the back ponytail. You may need to cut across the top of the back ponytail slowly to ensure you get an even cut, especially if you have thicker hair. For a more blunt look, you can use the hair clippers to trim any uneven hairs underneath the back ponytail. If you are using the hair clippers on your own hair, take care to hold the clippers steady as you trim off any uneven hairs. Try to get an even cut all the way across the back ponytail so the back section will appear straight and even. Use the hair razor on the side sections. Release the back ponytail once you are done trimming it. Then, release the side ponytails. You should have a blunt, even cut in the back section and longer side sections. You will then take the hair razor and shape the side sections until they are the length you would like for the bob. If you are going for a more A-line look, you may keep the side sections a bit longer than the back section. Lift up small sections of hair and run the hair razor through the bottom of the hair in an angled, upward motion. This will help to trim and shape the hair so it is at an even angle to the back section of your hair. For more of a straight bob look, use the hair razor to shape and trim the side sections so they are in line with the back section. Run the hair razor through the bottom part of your hair in an upward motion until it is trimmed to the length of the back section. Add layers, if desired. If you would like to add volume to your bob, you may decide to add layers. This is ideal if you have thinner hair, as you may opt for layers so your hair has more body. If you have thicker hair, you may avoid layers so your hair does not appear too puffy or round. To add layers, use the hair comb to comb out a section of hair on the side of your head, towards the back of your head. Hold the section of hair so the ends are facing upward and use the cutting shears to trim the ends, pointing the scissors down and in as you trim. Do not cut the hair straight across, as this will lead to jagged ends. Continue to do this on the sides and back of your hair, cutting the ends of the hair with the scissors pointed down and in. This will create layers throughout your hair, giving your bob a more voluminous look. Blend the ends of the hair. As a finishing touch, you should blend the ends of your hair so your bob looks even and polished. Blending the ends will also help to remove any stray pieces of hair that are too long. Lift up small pieces of hair and run the hair razor on the ends of the hair in a downward, angled motion. This will help to taper the ends and make them appear more blended. Do this around your entire head so the ends are blended. You might find it helpful to spritz your hair with a spray bottle to dampen it slightly as you cut, especially if your hair is straight. This will help you achieve cleaner, more even lines as you tidy up your bob. If you want a softer, textured bob, use thinning shears on the bottom 1 in (2.5 cm) of your hair, rather than a razor. | Get good cutting shears for hair. Buy hair clippers and a hair razor. Get a hair comb and hair ties. Confirm the style if someone else is cutting your hair. Wash and dry your hair. Divide your hair into 3 even sections. Cut the back section off with scissors. Use the hair razor on the side sections. Add layers, if desired. Blend the ends of the hair. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Draw-a-Maple-Leaf | How to Draw a Maple Leaf | To draw a maple leaf, start by drawing a square on a sheet of paper. Then, draw a vertical line through the middle of the square to make the stem of your leaf. Next, draw 6 V shapes along the stem, which will be the ribs of your maple leaf. Draw an upside-down V shape at the top of the stem, then draw a flattened-out W shape at the bottom of the leaf. Now, draw 4 U shapes in between the ribs on the leaf, and connect these shapes with zig-zagged lines. Outline your maple leaf in a marker or pen and add small ridges to each line to make the leaf look more realistic. Finally, erase all of the pencil lines you drew. | Draw a triangle with a curved base. On top of the triangle draw zigzag lines that will look like a crown. Draw more zigzag lines on the left and right sides of the triangle. Draw a long "U" shape at the bottom of the triangle. Finalize your drawing and erase unnecessary lines. Colour your drawing. Draw a cross. The lines don't need to be perfectly straight. Place the horizontal line slightly below the center. Draw two slanted lines connected to the center of the cross. Draw more slanted lines connected to your previous lines. This will be the veins of your leaf. Outline your leaf with curve and zigzag lines. Finalize your drawing and erase unnecessary lines. Colour your drawing. | Draw a triangle with a curved base. On top of the triangle draw zigzag lines that will look like a crown. Draw more zigzag lines on the left and right sides of the triangle. Draw a long "U" shape at the bottom of the triangle. Finalize your drawing and erase unnecessary lines. Colour your drawing. Draw a cross. Draw two slanted lines connected to the center of the cross. Draw more slanted lines connected to your previous lines. Outline your leaf with curve and zigzag lines. Finalize your drawing and erase unnecessary lines. Colour your drawing. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Get-Your-Passport-Stamped-from-Protectorate-of-Emigrants-in-Pakistan | How to Get Your Passport Stamped from Protectorate of Emigrants in Pakistan | Before you get your passport stamped by the Pakistani Protectorate of Emigrants, you'll need to apply for a National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis at the National Database and Registration Authority. Once you have a receipt for your NICOP, bring it, in addition to documents like a visa, an offer of employment, and your Pakistani passport, to the protectorate office in your locality. Once you hand in your documents, you'll receive a few other documents that you'll need to fill in and return to the protectorate office. | Find work overseas through family or friends. If you already have friends or family members working overseas, talk to them about the possibility of working for the same employer. They can provide references and other information so you can apply for work. When you find work on your own, you're responsible for registering yourself with the PE, as well as taking care of all the necessary paperwork to get a visa for the country where you'll be working. Your employer may be able to offer some assistance. Go to the website for the Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment. Once you've found employment overseas, go to https://beoe.gov.pk/direct-emigrant-registration to begin the registration process. On the registration application, provide details about your employment and your passport information. You will need a digital passport-sized photograph to attach to your registration application. Visit https://onlinemrp.dgip.gov.pk/photo-requirements/ to learn how to get a photo that meets the requirements for acceptance. Print your completed request so you can bring it along with other documents to get your passport stamped for travel. Complete the visa process for the country where you'll work. Each country has its own process for getting a visa to work in the country. Typically, you'll complete this process through that country's diplomatic mission in Pakistan. Your overseas employer may provide assistance or get your application started within the country. Talk to your employer about how to get a visa to work in that country. Employers who commonly hire overseas employees typically have a system in place to speed up the process. Take out a life insurance policy with State Life Insurance Corporation of Pakistan. All overseas Pakistani workers are required to take out a life insurance policy of Rs. 1,000,000. As of 2019, payment of a 2,500 premium provides this amount of coverage for 5 years. If you remain overseas after 5 years, you can renew this coverage without having to register with the PE again. Pay the required fees through a local bank. If you're registering for protection through direct employment, you'll need to bring receipts for your payment of the fees. As of 2019, you'll pay a total of Rs. 7200 for the following fees: Welfare fund: Rs. 2000 Insurance premium: Rs. 2500 Registration fee: Rs. 2500 OEC fee: Rs. 200 Gather your documents for verification. The PE will only stamp your passport for overseas employment after verifying the documents that support your application. Before you can get emigrant protection, you must have the following documents: A printout of your online registration request A visa to work in the host country A valid passport A valid computerized national identity card (CNIC) or photocopy of the card An employment contract signed by the overseas employer Receipts for payment of all fees The original and a photocopy of your certificate of insurance from the State Life Insurance Corporation of Pakistan A police character verification certificate, if required by the host country A medical fitness report from an approved medical center, if required by the host country Take your documents to the nearest PE office. A PE officer will verify your documents, then send you to the Briefing Hall for an orientation meeting. While you are in the meeting, a PE officer will complete your registration and stamp your passport. After your passport is stamped, you'll get a briefing from an officer regarding your legal rights as an overseas emigrant. To find the nearest PE office, go to https://beoe.gov.pk/protectorate-of-emigrant-offices and scroll the list. Browse the list of jobs available through OEPs. If you don't have friends or family members who can help you find a job overseas, you can still find work through an OEP. Go to https://beoe.gov.pk/foreign-jobs to look at the jobs available. You can also search the list using keywords or search specific job titles. This will narrow the list and help you focus on jobs for which you're qualified. Verify the OEP's licensing and credentials. Before you apply for a job through an OEP, make sure that OEP is genuine and has a valid license issued by the Pakistani Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment (BEOE). If you find work through an unlicensed OEP, you may not be eligible for protection. To check the OEP's license status, go to https://beoe.gov.pk/list-of-oeps. You can browse the list or search directly for the OEP's name. If the OEP has a valid license, their license number detail also provides a list of the job titles they are authorized to list, along with a permission number for each job. You can also use these lists to search for overseas employment. Contact the OEP to apply for an available job. Each listing provides information about the salary and other job benefits. If you find a job that you're interested in, use the contact information provided in the job listing to apply. From the listing, copy down the permission number for the job. You'll need to provide it at the PE office to get your passport stamped. If the OEP has a website listed, you may be able to submit your initial application online. Check out the OEP's website for more information about the job and how to apply for it. Get a foreign service agreement (FSA) from the overseas employer. If the overseas employer hires you for a job, they'll create an employment contract and sign it. The contract includes basic information about the job, such as your salary, benefits, and the prospective dates of employment. Typically, your OEP will review your FSA to ensure that it meets the legal requirements for protection. Pay your fees to the OEP. As of 2019, a total of Rs. 11,200 in fees are due before your passport can be stamped by the PE for employment overseas through an OEP. These fees break down as follows: OEP service charges: Rs. 6000 Welfare fund: Rs. 2000 Insurance premium: Rs. 2500 Registration fee: Rs. 500 OEC fee: Rs. 200 Submit the required documents to the OEP for verification. If you use an OEP, you still have to provide the same documents to the PE that you would if you were applying directly. However, the OEP will take care of the verification process for you and help you get the documents you need. Some of the documents you'll need include: The permission number for the job listing A valid passport Your computerized national identity card (CNIC) Receipts for payment of your fees Your FSA Attend an orientation and briefing at the nearest PE office. A PE officer will complete your registration and stamp your passport while you're being briefed on the benefits of emigrants protection and your responsibilities as an overseas Pakistani. Once your passport is stamped and signed by a PE officer, you can start making your travel arrangements to start work overseas. If you're unsure of the location of the nearest PE office, go to https://beoe.gov.pk/protectorate-of-emigrant-offices and scroll the list. | Find work overseas through family or friends. Go to the website for the Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment. Complete the visa process for the country where you'll work. Take out a life insurance policy with State Life Insurance Corporation of Pakistan. Pay the required fees through a local bank. Gather your documents for verification. Take your documents to the nearest PE office. Browse the list of jobs available through OEPs. Verify the OEP's licensing and credentials. Contact the OEP to apply for an available job. Get a foreign service agreement (FSA) from the overseas employer. Pay your fees to the OEP. Submit the required documents to the OEP for verification. Attend an orientation and briefing at the nearest PE office. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Make-and-Use-Iron-on-Transfers | How to Make and Use Iron on Transfers | To make and use an iron transfer, find an image online that you want to use as an iron on. In a photo editing software, reverse the image so that it appears backwards on the screen. Then, print the image onto a sheet of transfer paper for light or dark fabric, and trim the paper to fit the design. Lay out the fabric with a cardboard insert to protect the backing, and position the transfer image-side down on the fabric. Iron the transfer evenly and let it cool before peeling off the backing. | Find transfers at a store in your hometown. The easiest way to make transfer clothing is by simply buying already packaged transfer kits at a crafts store, art stores, and big box retailers. These kits usually supply you with everything you need to do your own transfers including image software, some transfer paper, and maybe even a t-shirt. You can opt to use these helpful craft store kits, or go the route of creating your own transfer images, buying the specific kind of paper you want, and using your own clothing. In a nutshell, iron-on transfers are images that can be impressed on fabric. On one side is paper, and on the other is the image that will be ironed on and transferred in reverse. After placing the transfer paper on the fabric and running over the back of the paper with an iron, the image is transferred by heat to the fabric. Create your own transfer. Find or create an image you want to use for your transfer. You can scan an image into your computer, find one on the internet, or create one in a software program. For example, you can scan an image of your child's artwork to your computer, print it out on transfer paper, and transfer the image of the artwork to a t-shirt. Or, you can use applications like Photoshop to create a new and unique image yourself, print it on transfer paper, and transfer that image to some other type of fabric. Make sure you don't use any old picture you might find on Google. You must have the rights to an image if you are going to reproduce it and sell it (like a t-shirt). If you do use Google, you can click Search Tools, then Usage Rights, then Labeled For Reuse. Also, there are many websites where you can find different kinds of images that are legally safe for you to use, transfer, and sell. Remember that transfer images that contain dark colors are usually going to show up on fabrics better than images with light colors. Also keep in mind that typical at-home printers don't print the color white; they leave that area blank because the printer assumes that the paper you are using to print your image is white, and the white paper will show through the image. If your image has white coloring in it, the iron on transfer will show up clear in that area, meaning the fabric color will show in that clear space rather than the color white. If you image has very light colored sections, those sections might appear discolored and distorted when ironed onto the fabric because of their light coloring mixing with the color of the shirt. Dark, solid colors provide the best looking results when using iron on transfers. The heavy colors contrast really well against fabrics and provide a darker, opaque color for the printer to print. Manipulate the image. Use basic image editing software, to resize your image, add effects, change colors, or make any corrections you want, until your image is just right. The image you use can be an image from one of the many internet sites that offer transfer image options, or an image you provide yourself. As long as you can print it from your printer at home (and have the legal rights to use that image), you can transfer the image onto your fabric. Mirror your image. This is only required for images printed for light colored fabrics. Make sure you mirror your image so the finished product is facing the right way, rather than reading or appearing backward once ironed onto your fabric. To make sure you've flipped the image correctly, the image should look flipped on the computer screen before you print it out. Flipping the image is really important if you have words on your transfer image. Without flipping it, you words will be transferred on backward to the fabric. To mirror the image in your computer software, you may need to use a "Reverse", "Flip Image Horizontally", or "Mirror" commands. See the program's Help section for more information. Use the right kind of transfer paper. Transfer paper comes in two different variations: transfer sheets to be used on light colored fabrics , and transfer sheets to be used on dark colored fabrics. Using the right kind of transfers sheets can help ensure that you get the best looking results from your iron on transfer. For example: Transfer sheets meant to be used on light fabrics are meant for fabrics that are white, yellow, light gray, or any other fabric that is light in nature. The transfer paper used for light colored fabrics is transparent. This means any areas of your image that contain the color white will instead appear clear once ironed on to the shirt. The fabric color will show through rather than the white coloring of the image. If your transfer design has any light colors (other than white), the image may seem distorted and discolored once it is transferred onto the fabric. Try to use medium to dark colors when using this kind of transfer paper, so the resulting image is bold and clear. Consider trimming close to the edges of your design, because the transparent areas of the paper surrounding the design can still be seen on the fabric. Transfer sheets meant to be used on dark fabrics are meant for black, dark gray, dark blue, or any other dark colored fabrics. These paper sheets are thicker, and have a white backing so the color white and other light colors can show up distinctly on the darker fabric. The caveat with using this kind of transfer paper is that any background areas of your image will appear white rather than translucent. This means you'll have to carefully cut around and inside any letters or other design elements if you want the color of the shirt to show through a certain spot rather than the color white. For example, if you were printing letters, you would need to cut out the space inside an 'O' or an 'R'. Or, you could have the solid white colored background as part of your design. However, more often than not, the white background isn't the intended look for using iron on transfers on dark fabrics. Print the transfer. Before you print your transfer image onto the transfer paper, do a test run by printing your image on a regular piece of paper. This test run helps to make sure that the colors of the image are how you want them to look, see if your printer will print the entire image rather than cutting a section out, and to see the size of your image. Sometimes how your image looks on the computer screen is different than how it looks once it is printed. Make sure that you print the transfer on the correct side of the page. This should be clearly marked. Usually the printing side is free from any markings, and the back side has some design printed on it. If you're not sure on exactly how to insert the transfer paper into your printer, do a test run with a normal sheet of paper. Draw an X on one side of the normal paper and have it go through your printer to see what side of the paper gets printed on. If you are going to be printing your image on a laser printer, you will have to buy specific transfer paper for laser printers. Normally, inkjet printers work best when printing out transfer images. Lay out the fabric. Place the t-shirt or fabric on a hard, flat surface, and smooth out the shirt with the iron if the shirt happens to be wrinkly. The surface you're ironing on should be heat resistant (unlike an ironing board) and should be large enough to be able to iron the entire area of the transfer. Trim the transfer. Trim around the transfer image so you know exactly what shape the image is, making it easier to accurately place it and position it on the fabric. You'll want to cut and stay as close to the edge of your design as possible. This will help make your transfer on image appear seamless. If you're planning to iron on your transfer to a light colored fabric, you need to wait to peel the backing off of the transfer image until after it has been ironed on. If you're planning on ironing your transfer onto a dark fabric, the backing of the transfer is going to be peeled off before you iron on the design. When in doubt, look at the instructions that come with the package of transfer paper. Protect your fabric from the transfer. Place a piece of cardboard or a folded up brown paper bag inside the shirt directly underneath where the transfer image will be ironed on. Putting a barrier between the two pieces of fabric stops the heat of the iron from transferring the image onto both sides of the t-shirt. Position the transfer. Place the transfer image-side down on the fabric. Put the transfer on the fabric precisely where you want the image to be. Iron on the transfer. Ironing on transfer images differs from normal ironing with an ironing board. Iron on transfers need a lot of direct heat, meaning using an ironing board wouldn't really be efficient since ironing boards help to spread out and diffuse heat. Ironing on hard surface like Formica or a wooden cutting board would be especially useful for doing iron on transfers because they are good at retaining heat. Set your iron to the hottest setting so it can transfer onto the fabric properly, but do not use steam. Steam can greatly hinder the transfer's ability to adhere to the fabric. Disperse the iron's heat evenly. Iron the image by moving the iron around in large circles on top of the transfer paper. Focusing initially on the outside edges of the image, and gradually work your way inward to the center of the image. Be sure to consistently apply pressure and iron for about 3 minutes. Keep the iron moving to prevent scorching the paper and burning the image. Check to make sure the edges of the transfer are fully attached before you move onto removing the backing paper. If the edges are not fully stuck to the fabric, continue to iron the edges of the transfer. Be sure to apply steady and even pressure as you iron so the complete image is fully attached. Wait for the transfer to cool. Turn off the iron when you're finished, and let the image cool down for a few minutes. If you take off the back of the transfer paper before the image is cool enough, you could disastrously mess up the image. Gently peel off the backing paper. You'll want to start at one of the paper's corners. Wash your fabric correctly. Wait at least 24 hours after you've applied the iron on transfer before you wash your fabric. You can ruin the transfer if you wash the fabric before the image has time to completely set. Only wash and dry your fabric on a cool setting. If the transfer was done to clothing, turn the article of clothing inside out before you wash it. This adds a little bit more protection to your transferred on image. The more care you take with washing and drying, the longer your shirt will last. Hand wash your fabric. An alternative to washing your fabric in the washing machine is to wash it by hand. To ensure a gentle cleaning of your fabric, you can try hand washing it with some light detergent. Don't bleach your fabric. To dry your fabric, try hang drying it rather than using a drying machine. This gentle drying will help make your transferred image last longer. Secure the edges. For extra protection against peeling, you can sew a border around the entire transfer image either with a machine or by hand. Higher quality paper should be less like to peel at the edges. | Find transfers at a store in your hometown. Create your own transfer. Manipulate the image. Mirror your image. Use the right kind of transfer paper. Print the transfer. Lay out the fabric. Trim the transfer. Protect your fabric from the transfer. Position the transfer. Iron on the transfer. Disperse the iron's heat evenly. Wait for the transfer to cool. Gently peel off the backing paper. Wash your fabric correctly. Hand wash your fabric. Secure the edges. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Make-Beer-Taste-Better | How to Make Beer Taste Better | To make beer taste better, try slicing a lime in half and squeezing the juice into an empty beer glass. Then, pour the beer into the glass and add a pinch of salt. If you want to alter the beer's flavor even more, add tomato juice or hot sauce to the lime juice before you pour the beer into the glass. Stir the mixture and give it a taste, adjusting ingredients as needed until the flavor is to your liking. | Pour a glass of beer. Leave extra room for the addition of other ingredients. Select the ingredients. This article can work in two ways. You can either stop at the addition of a single ingredient, or you can stop after adding several or all of the ingredients. It depends on your personal taste preferences but it's probably worth trying working through the whole list of ingredient additions at least once, to see if you like it! in half and squeeze the juice from both halves into the empty glass. Cut a lime Pour the beer from its glass into the glass of lime juice. Be sure to pour the beer slowly and slightly tilt the cup while pouring to prevent foaming. You can stop at this point and enjoy the lime-laced beer, or keep going. If stopping here, stir gently. Add a pinch of salt to the beer and lime juice mix. Either stop here, or keep going. If stopping here, stir gently. Pour the clamato, tomato juice or V8/vegetable juice, whichever is preferred, into the glass of beer and lime juice mix. Either stop here, or keep going. If stopping here, stir gently. Add hot sauce for spicy taste. The amount of hot sauce you use depends on the amount of spice (fiery heat) preferred. This step is definitely optional but really gives the beer a lift! Stir lightly and serve the ultimate new beer. | Pour a glass of beer. Select the ingredients. in half and squeeze the juice from both halves into the empty glass. Pour the beer from its glass into the glass of lime juice. Add a pinch of salt to the beer and lime juice mix. Pour the clamato, tomato juice or V8/vegetable juice, whichever is preferred, into the glass of beer and lime juice mix. Add hot sauce for spicy taste. Stir lightly and serve the ultimate new beer. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Get-the-Health-Benefits-of-Cinnamon | How to Get the Health Benefits of Cinnamon | In addition to being a tasty spice, cinnamon has a lot of health benefits. Cinnamon is thought to have anti-microbial properties which can help fight a cold or flu. Add a teaspoon of powdered cinnamon to a hot drink or soup to help strengthen your immune system when you're sick. It can also stop your nose from running, improve digestion, and lower cholesterol. To use cinnamon in a meal, sprinkle a teaspoon of it on top of your food. If you eat cinnamon with high-carb meals, it can also help keep your blood sugar levels low. Look for Ceylon cinnamon, which is more expensive but healthier than Cassia cinnamon. | Choose Ceylon Cinnamon. The two major types of cinnamon are Ceylon Cinnamon and Cassia Cinnamon. Ceylon Cinnamon is sometimes known as "true" or "proper" cinnamon but is not always as easy to find in your average supermarket as Cassia Cinnamon. Ceylon Cinnamon is, however, the best choice due to its lower coumarin content. Regular coumarin consumption can potentially cause liver problems. It can also interfere with diabetes medication, so check with your physician to ensure that it is safe for you to use cinnamon. Choosing the best form of cinnamon. You can buy cinnamon in powder, in sticks, as a supplement, and as a cinnamon extract. Think about what you are using it for before deciding which form of cinnamon to buy. If you want to introduce some cinnamon into your normal diet you will have different requirements than if you wanted to try to take it more medicinally. Try to use a variety of sticks and powders in different foods and drinks to keep it interesting. If you are buying it to season your food, go for a powder. Add a stick to the pan when you are cooking rice. If your doctor has advised you to take cinnamon as part of your attempts to manage your blood sugar levels, you can buy cinnamon extract from health food stores which have had the coumarin completely removed. Add a teaspoon of cinnamon to warm drinks to reduce cold and flu effects. Cinnamon is considered to have good anti-microbial properties, which can help your immune system fight against a cold or flu. It can help to tackle the growth of bacteria and fungus. By adding a teaspoon of cinnamon to hot water, you are making a soothing drink which won't cure your cold but will help you feel a bit better. Try a hot cinnamon drink to dry up a runny nose. Having a hot cinnamon drink can tackle your cold and flu symptoms, and more specifically, can help to dry up an irritating runny nose. You can combine it with ginger for an extra kick. Add a teaspoon of cinnamon to soups. A lot like a hot drink, adding cinnamon to hot soup adds some flavor while also potentially bringing some relief to those under the weather. The anti-microbial properties of cinnamon are such that it has been cited as a [natural food] preservative. Use Ceylon Cinnamon for digestive health benefits. If you want to add some cinnamon to your diet to improve your digestive health choose Ceylon Cinnamon. The form of cinnamon you choose is not as important, but if you are using it as seasoning then it is most practical to get a powder which you can measure out by the teaspoon very easily. A cinnamon stick is good for making drinks but is harder to measure how much you are consuming. Season high carb food with cinnamon. Adding a teaspoon of cinnamon to a meal that is high in carbohydrates can lessen the impact this food will have on your blood sugar levels. After eating, blood sugar rises as your stomach empties, but adding cinnamon can help to slow this process down and thus lower the rise in your blood sugar levels. Scientific experiments have demonstrated the impact that adding a few grams of cinnamon to a dessert can have on the gastric emptying rate. There are dangers associated with taking too much cinnamon so limit yourself to a teaspoon a day, which is equivalent to 4 or 5 grams. If you have diabetes, consult with your physician about the impact of cinnamon on your blood sugar levels. Never substitute cinnamon for insulin. Use cinnamon to aid digestion. An alternative to seasoning with cinnamon is to have a small amount as a post-meal digestive aid. If you experience heartburn or indigestion following a meal, cinnamon might help you as it can stimulate a weak digestive system. It is the oils in cinnamon that can help break down food and thus aid digestion. Try a cinnamon tea (a teaspoon of cinnamon dissolved in hot water) after a meal. Or add half a teaspoon to your post-meal coffee. Improve colon function with cinnamon. Cinnamon is an excellent source of calcium and fiber. The combination of these two components can be beneficial for the health of your colon. High levels of some bile salts can damage your colon cells, and potentially increase the chances of you suffering from colon cancer. Both calcium and fiber can bind to bile salts and contribute to their removal from your body, which in turn can help you lower your risk of colon cancer.. Fibre also helps those with irritable bowels, and can help relieve constipation or diarrhea. Have cinnamon as part of a healthy diet to help to lower cholesterol. It is not proven that cinnamon has a significant impact on lowering your cholesterol. In theory, because cinnamon can affect how your body processes fats and sugars, it could help you to lower cholesterol. This remains speculative, however, and a limited cinnamon intake of not more than 2-3 grams a day should be considered as one part of a healthy diet and active lifestyle. Although cinnamon tastes delightful when mixed with baked goods, adding cinnamon to fatty foods will not help you lower your cholesterol. Speak to your doctor first. There are numerous reasons why taking medical levels of cinnamon might not be a good idea for you. You should always speak to your doctor first for advice. You should also ask if there is a potential negative reaction to any other medications, both prescription and herbal, that you are taking. Although some evidence suggests that cinnamon can help to regulate blood sugar levels for those with type two diabetes, it should never be used as a replacement for insulin. Know how much and how often to take it. Cinnamon is an unproven treatment, and as such there are no cast-iron rules for the amount you should take in order to experience the potential health benefits. Recommendations vary from ½ a teaspoon a day, up to six teaspoons a day. If in doubt err on the side of caution and consume less. Large doses of cinnamon can be toxic, so in no instances should you go above more than one teaspoon or 6 grams a day. As ever, you should consult a Doctor before regularly consuming cinnamon for health benefits. Know who should not take medical levels of cinnamon. Given that there is uncertainty about the regular use of cinnamon as a health supplement, there are certain instances when it is not recommended to be used in this way. It should not be taken as a supplement by children or pregnant women. Women who are breastfeeding should also avoid it. [[Image:Get the Health [Benefits] of Cinnamon Step 13.jpg|center]] Avoid too much cinnamon if you take a blood thinner. You should not eat a lot of cinnamon if you take a blood thinner. Cinnamon contains small amounts of coumarin, which can cause blood-thinning in large amounts. The coumarin content is higher in Cassia Cinnamon than Ceylon Cinnamon. Too much cinnamon can also cause liver problems. Store it well and keep it fresh. Seal cinnamon in a tightly sealed glass container and store in a cool, dark, dry place. Ground cinnamon can be kept fresh for up to six months. Cinnamon sticks may stay fresh for up to one year. You can extend cinnamon's shelf life by storing the spice in the refrigerator in a well-sealed container. Smell the cinnamon to check for freshness. Make sure it has a sweet smell — a true indicator that it is fresh. Choose organically grown cinnamon to ensure that it has not been irradiated. Irradiating cinnamon may lead to a decrease in its vitamin C and carotenoid content. | Choose Ceylon Cinnamon. Choosing the best form of cinnamon. Add a teaspoon of cinnamon to warm drinks to reduce cold and flu effects. Try a hot cinnamon drink to dry up a runny nose. Add a teaspoon of cinnamon to soups. Use Ceylon Cinnamon for digestive health benefits. Season high carb food with cinnamon. Use cinnamon to aid digestion. Improve colon function with cinnamon. Have cinnamon as part of a healthy diet to help to lower cholesterol. Speak to your doctor first. Know how much and how often to take it. Know who should not take medical levels of cinnamon. Avoid too much cinnamon if you take a blood thinner. Store it well and keep it fresh. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Handle-an-Attack-Dog | How to Handle an Attack Dog | To handle an attack dog, avoid making eye contact with the dog, which can cause it to attack. When the dog is about to attack, try to remain still until it calms down. If this fails to prevent the attack, shield yourself with something, such as your purse, backpack, or a tree branch. Don't try to run away, since the dog may instinctively chase you. Instead, roll up into a ball by covering your head with your arms, and your stomach with your knees, to protect your vital organs. Once the attack is over, seek immediate medical attention for your injuries. | Listen for growling. If a dog is growling at you, this can be a sign that it is not happy with your presence and may attack you. A growling dog is notifying you that it does not want you in its territory and it feels threatened. Be especially cautious if you hear low, guttural growls and barks coming from the dog. Watch for visible teeth. If a dog shows its teeth to you, this is a bad sign. Bared teeth is a warning that dogs send to ward off potential threats. This is meant to be an intimidating defense mechanism toward any perceived danger. This is an especially worrisome sign if it is combined with snarling and/or upright, pointed ears. Notice direct eye contact. If a dog is looking directly at you, this is not a good sign. Eye contact is considered aggressive behavior in dogs and can mean that a dog is on the verge of attacking you. Think about any nonaggressive dogs you know – they usually avert their eyes to avoid extended eye contact as a sign of submission and affection. If a dog doesn't avert its eyes and maintains eye contact with you, this is a sign of aggression. Monitor lunging behavior. When a dog intends to attack, it may make some smaller lunging motions before actually attacking. If a dog is lunging forward at you, this is a pretty clear sign it means to warn or attack you. This is especially dangerous behavior when it is combined with some of the other warning signs like snarling and growling. Keep your lips closed and avoid direct eye contact. You may be putting on a friendly face, but an aggressive dog might interpret a smiling face as you baring your teeth for a fight. Keep a calm, serious face when you are confronted with an angry or aggressive dog, and make sure to avoid making eye contact with the dog. Keep your mouth closed and your teeth covered at all times. Avoid making eye contact with the dog as well. Your best bet is to fold your arms and turn away from the dog. Try to ignore the dog completely. Say “no” firmly. Loud noises often frighten dogs and may provoke them to attack, so it is best to avoid yelling at the dog or making loud noises. However, you can say “no” firmly if the dog seems ready to attack. “No” may be a familiar word to the dog and saying it firmly may be enough to get him to stop. Carry a dog repellent. If you have to walk through areas where you know dangerous dogs may be, try to bring an air horn, pepper spray, or a dog repellant spray along with you. These can be effective tools in warding off an attack dog. Of course, don't go around pepper spraying dogs unless they are actually about to attack you. If you must walk in an area that is known to have aggressive dogs that sometimes get loose, consider carrying an air horn. Avoid physically attacking a dog because this may cause their behavior to escalate. Refrain from running. If you run away from a dog, this can engage their instinct to chase you. If a dog is chasing you, it is more likely that it will attack you when it reaches you. Remain still and motionless for as long as possible. Try to back away from the dog slowly, without turning your back on the dog. You can also try getting on top of a nearby parked car. Avoid areas where aggressive dogs may be. The best method for preventing a dog attack is to never encounter one in the first place. Do your best to avoid areas where there may be aggressive dogs roaming free. Don't approach dogs that you don't know, even if you have their owner's permission. Don't ever enter a fenced area where a dog may be without the owner present. If you've seen dogs roaming loose in certain neighborhoods, avoid those places when possible. Shield yourself with something. If a dog attack is unavoidable, try to get something to put in between you and the dog. This will help protect you from getting bitten by the dog and may distract the dog from attacking you altogether. Look for anything around that you can use as a shield. Use your purse or backpack; grab a tree branch off the ground. Try to find anything that could act as a buffer between you and the dog. It is especially important to cover your head. If you cannot protect any other part of you, then put your arms up over your head to protect it. Roll up in a ball. You may need to consider protecting yourself. Roll up into a ball on the floor and bring your knees up to your chin. Cover your head with your hands and arms. This will help protect your most vital and sensitive body parts from being damaged in the attack. This is a form of “playing dead” which may cause the dog to become bored and abandon the attack altogether. Seek immediate medical treatment for your wounds. Once the attack is over, you need to seek medical treatment for your wounds. If you have been bitten by a dog, then go to the hospital immediately. Do not attempt to care for the bite yourself because a bite from a rabid dog can be fatal. Seek immediate medical attention if a dog bites you. Also, make sure to call the authorities to report the attack as soon as you are out of danger and have had your wounds treated. | Listen for growling. Watch for visible teeth. Notice direct eye contact. Monitor lunging behavior. Keep your lips closed and avoid direct eye contact. Say “no” firmly. Carry a dog repellent. Refrain from running. Avoid areas where aggressive dogs may be. Shield yourself with something. Roll up in a ball. Seek immediate medical treatment for your wounds. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Flush-a-Heater-Core | How to Flush a Heater Core | To flush a heater core, locate the heater core on the vehicle's firewall, loosen the clamps, and disconnect the heater hoses. Next, insert an airline into the outlet hose and seal the line with duct tape. Place a container under the vehicle, turn on the air compressor, and allow the coolant and grime to drain into the container. Then, fill the system with water 1-2 times with a water hose to flush out any remaining coolant. Lastly, reattach the heater hoses and refill the coolant system with a 50/50 mix of water and coolant. | Locate the heater core on the vehicle’s firewall. The heater core inlet and outlet pipes are usually located on the firewall separating the engine from the cabin of the vehicle. Its location will vary from vehicle to vehicle so if you have difficulty locating the inlet and outlet hoses, refer to the service manual for your specific vehicle. There will be two nozzles, one for the flow of coolant in and the other for the flow of coolant out. You can locate the nozzles by following the coolant hoses through the coolant system. Disconnect the heater hoses. Most coolant hoses are attached using hose clamps that will need to be loosened with either a screw driver or wrench. Remember, when you disconnect the heater hoses, coolant and water will pour from them, so be sure the container is placed directly beneath the hoses below the car. If you damage the hose clamp as you loosen it, you can purchase replacement clamps at your local auto parts store. Be careful not to spill coolant on the ground, as it is bad for the environment. Point the inlet hose down toward the container. In order to clean the blockage out of the heater core, you will need to force either air or water through the system. As you do so, the coolant, water and grime within the system will be expelled through the inlet hose. Be sure the hose is positioned so anything that comes out of it will pour into the container. Insert an airline or water hose into the outlet hose. If you have an air compressor, you can use an airline to push out the remaining coolant and grime within the heater core. If not, you can use a garden hose for the same purposes. Place the airline or hose in the outlet hose from the heater core. You will need to use a water hose to flush the system either way, but compressed air may move harder to break blockages. Seal the line. Try your best to seal the line where the hose or airline connect the to the heater hose outlet. Wrapping the area with duct tape or using silicone couplers are both effective ways to create a seal. If there is a serious blockage in the line, pressure may leak back out the hose rather than penetrating the clog. A good seal around the hose pushing air or water into the system will force the pressure to go through the clog. Turn on the hose or air compressor. With the airline or hose sealed as well as you can to the heater hose outlet, turn on the air or water. Allow the pressure to build in the system to remove any clogs. The coolant and grime will drain out of the heater inlet and into the container beneath the vehicle. Leave the hose or airline running for a few minutes to ensure it pressurizes the entire system. Allow the coolant and grime to drain. Turn off the airline or water hose and allow the fluids to finish draining into the container you placed beneath the vehicle. Be sure the container does not overflow if you are using a hose. The system will likely continue to drain for a few minutes after you turn off the flow of air or water. Repeat the process with the water hose. If you used an airline to remove the initial blockage, switch to a hose now and repeat the process. Filling the system with water and allowing it to drain will remove any bad coolant. You may want to pour the container out into a separate, sealable container between flushes to ensure it doesn't overflow. Flush the system one or two times before moving on. Reconnect the inlet and outlet hoses. Place the heater inlet and outlet hoses back on the nozzles and secure them again with the hose clamps. This will reseal the system and allow you to refill it. Be sure to securely fasten the hose clamps, otherwise the water pressure will cause the hoses to come off. Replace damaged or rusty hose clamps before reinstalling the hoses. The hoses can usually only reach one nozzle, so it is easy to determine which goes where. Refill the coolant system. Open the radiator cap and refill the coolant system with a 50/50 mix of water and coolant. Be sure to use the correct type of coolant for your vehicle. Once you have filled the system to capacity, screw the radiator cap back into place. You can purchase pre-mixed coolant and water or you may choose to mix it yourself. If you are unsure of what kind of coolant is right for your vehicle, ask the clerk at your local auto parts store for assistance. Park the vehicle on level ground. You should never jack up a vehicle on a slanted surface or the jack may topple over. Find a firm, level surface that can support the weight of the front of the vehicle once it is centralized beneath the jack. Black top and concrete are the best surfaces to jack a vehicle up on. Never jack up a vehicle on grass, dirt or gravel. Allow the engine to cool completely. The coolant system is pressurized when heated, so loosening or disconnecting the heater core hoses while the engine is warm could cause it to spray hot coolant and injure you. Wait a few hours after the last time the engine was running before starting this project. Touch your hands on the hood of the car. If it is slightly warm, the engine inside is likely still quite hot. It may take a number of hours for an engine to cool completely. Jack the vehicle up. Slide a trolley or scissor jack beneath the vehicle at one of its designated jack points. Lift and lower the handle (trolley jack) or turn it (scissor jack) to jack the car up. If you are unsure where to locate the designated jack points for your vehicle, refer to your owner's manual for guidance. Once the vehicle has been jacked up, slide jack stands beneath it to support the weight of the vehicle. Place a container beneath the vehicle to catch drained fluids. You will need to flush all of the coolant and grime out of the heater core and a portion of the coolant system into a container on the ground. Be sure the container can hold at least the capacity of your vehicle's coolant system. Refer to the service manual for your specific vehicle to find out its coolant capacity. Be sure the container you choose does not leak and preferably can be sealed to transport the coolant to a recycling center. | Locate the heater core on the vehicle’s firewall. Disconnect the heater hoses. Point the inlet hose down toward the container. Insert an airline or water hose into the outlet hose. Seal the line. Turn on the hose or air compressor. Allow the coolant and grime to drain. Repeat the process with the water hose. Reconnect the inlet and outlet hoses. Refill the coolant system. Park the vehicle on level ground. Allow the engine to cool completely. Jack the vehicle up. Place a container beneath the vehicle to catch drained fluids. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Choose-an-AKC-Name-for-Dogs | How to Choose an AKC Name for Dogs | To choose an AKC name for a dog, choose a name that is 36 characters or less, including spaces. If the dog has a kennel name, or a first name shared by members of its pedigree, include that, along with a unique second name. Avoid using AKC show terms or titles in the name, like “Champ” or “Champion,” as well as any names with obscenities or offensive terminology. Also, do not include the dog's breed or gender in the name. | Choose a name that is not more than 36 characters. 36 characters is the limit allowed for a basic AKC registration, with all characters, including spaces, counting toward the limit. However, up to 50 characters may be used for an additional $10 fee. Refrain from using AKC titles. You will need to avoid the use of AKC show terms and titles in the name of your dog. This will exclude names like "champ" and "champion." Avoid offensive terms. Select an AKC name that does not contain any swear words, obscene phrases, or offensive terminology. Names like this will be rejected by the AKC. Abstain from using names of breeds. Name of specific dog breeds are likewise not allowed in AKC registered names. Names that contain terms like “beagle” or “collie” can make it difficult on competition judges, so stay away from using them. Stay away from terms that describe gender. Specific gender terms, like girl, boy, bitch, or stub, should be avoided when selecting an AKC registered name. Once again, using specific gender terms can make it complicated for judges when your dog competes. Use the appropriate “kennel name. ” If you dog comes from a long established pedigree, they may already have a “kennel name” to use as their first name. The kennel name is often a made-up word that has some meaning to the breeder, for example, a combination of family names, names of other beloved pets, or names of places they've been. Talk to your breeder to find out if your dog has already been dubbed with a kennel name. All of the dogs bred in this family will share the same first name. You will want to choose a second name for each dog that is unique. Choose a name based on the date. One common method for choosing an interesting name (or second name) is to think about what was happening the day your dog was born. For example, if your dog was born on Abraham Lincoln's birthday, you could name him “Lincoln” or “Big Beard” or “Emancipator.” Choose a name inspired by a location. Another method for selecting a unique name (or second name) is to think about a location. For example, you could use the name of the first street you've lived on (e.g., Sacramento, Pulaski, or Milwaukee). Alternatively, you could name the dog after a favorite city, or something that reminds you of that city (e.g. Eiffel Tower, Golden Gate, or Street Performer). Choose a name by combining other names. You may be able to come up with an interesting name for your dog by combining the names of past beloved pets. For example, if you had a lovely cat named Sasha, and a sweet bulldog named Fido, you could think about naming your new dog Fisha or Sado. Add a last name. Finally, your AKC registered dog will need a last name. Generally, owners tend to use their own last names. If you share this dog with your partner, you will need to decide who's name you will give to the dog or if you will hyphenate. Register online. Visit the American Kennel Club website and submit your application online. On this website, you will be able to check to see that your name fulfills all the necessary requirements, as well as that your chosen name has not already been taken. The AKC allows up to 37 dogs of each breed to have the same or similar name. Register by mail. If you'd rather not register via the internet, you can still submit an old-fashioned paper application through the mail. You can print the application from the American Kennel Club website, or visit a local chapter to pick up an application. Pay the fees. Whether you submit your application online or through the mail, you will need to pay the requisite fees. The fees vary based on the different services you would like. Dog registration only = $30 Registration + Lost and Found = $45 Registration + Pedigree = $46 Registration + Lost and Found + Pedigree = $61 Receive a certificate of registration from the American Kennel Club. Once your registration has been made official, you will receive a certificate from the American Kennel Club showing the registration of your dog with his AKC name. It is particularly important for you hold onto the registration number for your pup, even if you misplace the paper certificate. Decide what you will call the dog. Your 36 character AKC name will probably be too elaborate for referring to your dog in normal life. You will want the name you call him to be a shorter or simpler version of your AKC name. Ensure your dog was born in the United States. The name of an AKC registered dog may only be changed if the dog was born in the United States. Find out where you dog was born if you are not certain. Get the written consent of a breeder. In cases where the dog was first registered by the litter owner or breeder, the litter owner's written consent is required. Request a letter from your litter owner or breeder in order to move forward with a name change. Make sure your dog has not sired an AKC registered litter. The name of an AKC registered dog can only be changed if her or she has not already produced or sired an AKC registered litter of puppies. Make sure your dog has not received AKC awards. Another restriction of changing the name of an AKC registered dog is the receipt of AKC awards. You may only change the name of your dog if he or she has never received an award at an AKC event. Comply with all other AKC name requirements. Any name change must comply with all AKC requirements. This means your new name must be 36 characters or less, avoid profanity, avoid breed names and gender descriptors, and stay away from terms like “champion” and “champ.” | Choose a name that is not more than 36 characters. Refrain from using AKC titles. Avoid offensive terms. Abstain from using names of breeds. Stay away from terms that describe gender. Use the appropriate “kennel name. Choose a name based on the date. Choose a name inspired by a location. Choose a name by combining other names. Add a last name. Register online. Register by mail. Pay the fees. Receive a certificate of registration from the American Kennel Club. Decide what you will call the dog. Ensure your dog was born in the United States. Get the written consent of a breeder. Make sure your dog has not sired an AKC registered litter. Make sure your dog has not received AKC awards. Comply with all other AKC name requirements. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Save-for-Retirement | How to Save for Retirement | To save for retirement, start setting aside a portion of your income as early as possible. The earlier you start saving, the lower the percentage of your income you'll need to save. For example, if you start saving for your retirement in your 30s, you can get away with saving 15-25 percent of your income, but if you start saving in your 40s, you'll need to set aside 25-35 percent. In addition to saving, you should look into investing in stocks and bonds, as well as contributing to your 401(k) if your employer will match your contributions. | Seek the advice of professional financial advisors to help you with this task, realizing you can’t afford to make mistakes, since you’ll need to make every dollar grow. Saving and investing for a reliable retirement income for the rest of your life — no matter how long you live — is an ambitious undertaking that takes knowledge, time and skill. So, it's likely that you may need or want this kind of help. That said, good advice does not have to cost you anything other than time. Plenty of excellent books on retirement savings are freely available for you to read courtesy of your local public library. Try to be discerning though, and check the reviews available online such as from Amazon.com. While some books are worth their weight in gold, others are drivels worth far less than zero. Take free online financial classes such as from Coursera.org and MIT Open CourseWare. Your local college may also offer financial classes you can audit for free. Don't hand over your money for a financial advisor to manage. At best, you will be charged a 1% asset under management (AUM) fee that would cost you about one-third of what you could have after 40 years, assuming 7 percent return per year. (i.e. if you start with $100,000, instead of having $1.5 million after 40 years, you would end up with only $1.0 million, paying half a million to your financial adviser alone, while you assumed all the risk associated with investing.) At worst, most or all your money may be stolen by an unscrupulous financial advisor. If you still feel you need a personal financial advisor, go with a fee-only advisor (NOT "fee-based"!!) with no adverse action on record and who will contain costs by choosing low cost broad market based index funds with low turnover. Even with a very small portfolio, don't agree to more than 1% AUM fee. And if you have a large portfolio, you should be able to negotiate fees down to 0.5% or less. Budget to save as much money as possible and avoid unnecessary spending. A good, aggressive saving goal should be at least 50% of your after-tax earnings. Cut down on luxuries. Don't spend "seed" money but invest/germinate the seeds, hold/plant and water--nor do you "eat nest eggs" that need to be allowed to "hatch," grow and multiply into a productive "flock" of investments. Live mostly on absolute essentials, ( food , shelter, transportation),... Search around for the best prices. Buy things that will appreciate in value (e.g.: a home, collectible gold, land, rentals [renters buy "their" houses/apartments "for you", and pay the repairs, insurance and taxes but those expenses are deductible],...) and avoid things that depreciate in value (e.g.: a new, or expensive car, big TVs). For example, read books or watch basic television channels instead of paying for cable television , cook your own food instead of dining in restaurants, quit smoking. Learn to live simply on modest means , and always look for free or economical alternatives. Always think of opportunity cost: the dollar you spend now could have turned into many dollars by the time you retire. Smart spending will provide the foundation for saving money for retirement. If you live in the United States and it is available to you, enroll in a 401(k) account. If your employer offers 100% match up to a maximum that will be matched, find out what the maximum is, and contribute at least the amount required to get the maximum company match. 401(k) accounts are actually mutual funds that can charge high fees (e.g. around 1% per year), and therefore will not do as well as investing in stocks and bonds directly. But, with employer matching your funds, you can double your investment immediately, and then hopefully your fund investment will increase in value. 401(k) accounts also offer tax advantages; inquire and read about them. You may be required to contribute at least a minimum amount to qualify for employer matching (to save about 10-30% of your income). Remember that 401k's are taxed upon distribution; so try to estimate what the tax rate will be when you take your money out. Estimate your tax before using withdrawn money; you need to hold back enough for paying those taxes. Develop an investment plan known as a portfolio for your saved money. A portion should be delegated to stocks, another portion to bonds, perhaps another portion to commodities like gold and silver, and another portion to cash in the form of savings account , certificates of deposit (CDs), etc. If you are not near retirement, an example allocation is 60% stocks, 20% bonds, 10% gold and silver, 10% cash. The reason for diversification is to reduce risks and maximize returns. By not having all assets in a single asset, you are less affected -- if the value of one components of your portfolio crashes. Rebalance the categories in your portfolio periodically (e.g. monthly, quarterly, or annually) to maintain the proportions. For the example above, if stocks crash and gold and silver soar, the weight of stocks will be less than 60% and gold and silver more than 10%. You will then sell gold and silver to buy stocks until 60% stocks (unless you are near retirement) and 10% gold and silver is restored. Rebalancing helps you to maintain control of your emotions and practice buying low and selling high , rather than the reverse. This will help you lower the risks of losing money. To minimize transaction costs, you should rebalance by predominantly adding new money to under-weighted assets during your wealth accumulation stage, and selling over-weighted assets during your wealth distribution stage. Diversify within each asset class of your portfolio by assigning a weight to each sub-class. Buy stocks both domestic and foreign, from every sector, and of any market cap. Buy both government and corporate bonds. As for gold and silver, buy physical metals to take possession. Don't trust others to store your valuables for you that you bought at high costs. Don't buy gold and silver more than 10-15% over spot , or else they would have to appreciate a lot for you not to lose money when you need to cash out. Gold and silver coins over 100 years old may be considered better than bullion because they have numismatic value in addition to their intrinsic metal values. Consider changing your assets into a form such as life annuity where you could not lose it, if you are sued whether you have too much to lose or just enough to tempt a swindler. You can be certain that some people like to try to pick pockets that have discoverable assets. Attorneys of anyone who may sue you will use compulsory discovery processes and you can be required reveal your assets. Avoid seeing your life savings go to others accounts. Also, purchasing "umbrella" liability insurance for more protection may be a good plan. Your insurance agent will tell you your options and how much your should get. Reduce risk when nearing retirement and stay out of high risks from that time on. Reduce the portion in your portfolio delegated to risks such as stocks and increase the portion in safe investments including municipal bonds and cash. Chances are, the market will decline or even may crash when you need to be taking out your money. What can go wrong includes not having time or opportunity to recoup losses from dire events in the market, and you might have to postpone retirement -- if you did not reduce your risks to the minimum. Follow these general guidelines to help you build your retirement savings depending on the number of years until you would retire. The percentages to invest assume you are just beginning to save and have the goal of maintaining your lifestyle for up to 30 years of retirement. If you start saving in your 20s: Save between 10 percent and 15 percent of your income for your retirement investments. Do not cut back on your retirement savings. Small contributions to your retirement plan can grow over time. If you start saving in your 30s: Save between 15 percent and 25 percent of your income for your retirement investments. Keep a list of your spending to find ways that you may see to cut back. If you receive a bonus, put as much of it as possible into your retirement savings. Also fund your retirement accounts -- even if you begin saving for your children's college expenses, or even if you pay extra on your mortgage to pay it off early. If you start saving in your early 40s: Save between 25 percent and 35 percent of your income for your retirement investments. Put the maximum amount into your 401(k), SEP-IRA, or other retirement plan at your place of employment. Contribute to a traditional IRA (or Roth IRA, if eligible). Consider a deferred variable annuity as another option. Consider less expensive public (state) universities for your children, or ask that they use educational loans, grants, and scholarships. If you start saving in your mid-40s and older: Save more than 35 percent of your income for your retirement investments. Put the maximum amount into all of your tax-deferred retirement account options. Get out of "risk based" investments by your early fifties: About 10 years before your planned retirement age put all funds in fixed income, "safe" investments. At 50 years of age there would be no time to recover from a market crash or a sharp downturn, so it is time to put money in guaranteed returns. Consider income-only products. You should read prospectus documents. Do not make any decisions under pressure or on the whim of the moment. Check with as many companies as you like. Take your time to decide : "Bonds" may give fixed earnings. You can choose taxable, or tax-free interest payouts, and use bond laddering (bonds becoming mature at different times) to stabilize your income. "Bond mutual funds" which are made of a number of bonds may create a periodic payout with bond mutual funds. Some brokers can give you choices with screening of short lists of tax-free and taxable bond funds that they recommend (sell). "CDs" may be competitively priced CDs that offer a fixed interest payout from FDIC-insured banks nationwide. "Income annuities" are used to secure a guaranteed income stream throughout your life that's independent of interest rate changes or market volatility with an income annuity. Compare income and growth product options: "Income mutual funds": Identify no-transaction-fee funds that emphasize income distributions while still providing growth potential to help you keep pace with the cost of living. Choose from funds designed to produce monthly payments of investment income while giving your savings opportunity to grow. Monthly Income Funds give you a range of options to match your targeted income needs. "Variable annuities" may have guaranteed lifetime withdrawal benefits. There are annuity investments with the option of a guaranteed monthly lifetime income. | Seek the advice of professional financial advisors to help you with this task, realizing you can’t afford to make mistakes, since you’ll need to make every dollar grow. Budget to save as much money as possible and avoid unnecessary spending. If you live in the United States and it is available to you, enroll in a 401(k) account. Develop an investment plan known as a portfolio for your saved money. Rebalance the categories in your portfolio periodically (e.g. Diversify within each asset class of your portfolio by assigning a weight to each sub-class. Consider changing your assets into a form such as life annuity where you could not lose it, if you are sued whether you have too much to lose or just enough to tempt a swindler. Reduce risk when nearing retirement and stay out of high risks from that time on. Follow these general guidelines to help you build your retirement savings depending on the number of years until you would retire. If you start saving in your 20s: If you start saving in your 30s: If you start saving in your early 40s: If you start saving in your mid-40s and older: Get out of "risk based" investments by your early fifties: Consider income-only products. Compare income and growth product options: |
https://www.wikihow.com/Manage-Remote-Employees | How to Manage Remote Employees | To effectively manage your remote employees, use deadlines and quotas to monitor if they're meeting your expectations. Communicate with your employees regularly using video conferencing and chat platforms, and try to be as clear and concise as possible in the instructions you give to avoid misunderstandings. To make your remote employees feel like part of the team, send out a weekly newsletter and host occasional in-person get-togethers. | Establish your expectations for your remote employees up front. If your employees don't understand what you want or need from them, they won't be able to succeed. Detail all of your expectations in online documents, videos, or slideshows, and pass them along to your employees. Make sure they include all the key information your employees need to be successful at their jobs. For example, you could create an introductory document to give to your remote employees when you hire them that outlines their responsibilities and gives them specific instructions for their job. You could even include links to other documents or videos that address specific scenarios your employees might encounter so they know what you expect them to do in those situations. Use deadlines to help your remote employees meet your expectations. Without deadlines, your remote employees won't know how much time they should be spending on their work or when they should be turning it in. Deadlines will help your employees manage their time efficiently, and they'll give you a good sense of how much work is being done by your employees. Deadlines are also a good way to track how productive your remote employees are being. If an employee keeps missing deadlines, you'll know you need to reach out to them and go over your expectations again. You can always adjust your deadlines later on if they don't work out. If you realize a deadline you set isn't realistic, you can extend it by a few days. Give your employees a quota if deadlines don’t apply to the work they do. Sometimes, remote employees are hired to do lots of short, consecutive tasks, where deadlines wouldn't make sense. If that's the case for your employees, try coming up with a quota they have to meet instead to help them manage their time and be productive. For example, if you hire remote employees to respond to customer inquiries for your company, you could let your employees know you expect them to answer 3-4 inquiries per hour. If you need help coming up with a quota, try doing the job your remote employees do for a day or two to see what can realistically be accomplished by one person. Let your employees know if they’re not meeting your expectations. If you notice one of your employees isn't meeting their deadlines or quotas, reach out to them. Mention your concerns and ask if they have questions or need help with something. If the problem is recurring, consider whether the employee is a good fit for your business. For example, you could email your employee and say “Hey Jon, I noticed you didn't meet your deadlines the past 2 weeks. It's really important that you get your work in on time. Is there anything I can do to help?” Communicate with your remote employees in a clear and concise way. One of the challenges of working with remote employees is that it's harder to clarify any misunderstandings. Since you're not down the hall to answer their questions in person, it's important that you're as clear as possible up front when you communicate with them. If you're giving your employees instructions or sending out a group email, write it out first and read it to make sure it's clear. Avoid using complicated, vague language as much as possible. Have someone else at the office read your memo before you send it out to see if it's easy to understand. Schedule routine one-on-one video conferences. Communicating over video with each employee gives you the opportunity to explain company updates and expectations more in depth, and it's a great way to connect face-to-face with your remote employees. There are lots of different video chat platforms you can choose from, like Skype and Google Hangouts. Try to get in at least 1 video conference monthly and individually with each employee. Communicate as a group using chat platforms. Sending messages over a chat platform is easier than using group email. Whenever you have a message to share with a group of your employees, you can quickly add all the recipients in the platform to a message and send it. Chat platforms are also a great way for your remote employees to communicate with each other and quickly ask questions without having to send an email. Take time differences into consideration when communicating. Since you're working with remote employees, there's a good chance that not everyone will be working in the same time zone. If possible, try to schedule calls and group chats during times when everyone is working. It may help to keep a list of all your employees' time zones so you can refer to it when you're scheduling events. If you need to get in touch with one of your employees about something but it's late where they live, ask yourself if it can wait until the next day. You can also send them an email so they get it first thing in the morning. Use emoticons and GIFs to make your employees feel at ease. Non-verbal cues like smiling and nodding play a big part in communicating, which makes communicating with remote employees over email or a chat platform tricky sometimes. You can work around this problem by adding emoticons or GIFs to the messages you send your employees. They'll appreciate the kind gesture, and it will help prevent your messages from seeming too aggressive. For example, if you're asking one of your employees why they did something a certain way, you could include a smiley-face emoticon at the end of the message to show them you're not mad. Have your remote employees log their productivity. Create a form or spreadsheet where your employees can submit tasks they complete and how long it took to do them. You can review their submissions regularly to make sure they're on the right track. If someone slips behind, you can catch it early and reach out to solve the issue. Schedule regular group calls to discuss what everyone has accomplished. Routine group calls are a great way to keep your remote employees accountable and monitor their productivity. You can use the call feature on a chat platform to get your remote employees on a call at the same time. Then, have everyone go around and say what they've been working on and what projects they've completed recently. Take notes during the call and review them later to make sure everyone's getting enough work done. Try a time-tracking software. There are a variety of softwares and apps available that let you monitor the amount of time your remote employees are spending on their projects. Some programs will even take screenshots of your employees computer screens during work hours so you can monitor what they're working on. If you decide to use a time-tracking software, make sure you're transparent and explain to your employees why you're doing it so you maintain an environment of trust and respect. Send out a weekly newsletter to fill remote employees in on company updates. Even though your remote employees don't work in the office, you still want them to feel like they're part of the team. Since they won't be around to witness big changes or events at the company, draft up a newsletter each week to keep them up to date and make them feel included. You can also include helpful productivity and efficiency tips in the newsletter so it's even more useful. Give your employees company apparel so they feel included. T-shirts, key chains, bags, or other items with your company's logo on them would all work. Giving your remote employees a small piece of the company will help them feel like they're part of the team. Host in-person get-togethers for your remote employees. Planning a meet-up is a great way for you and your employees to get to know each other outside of emailing and video conferencing. You can invite your employees to visit your company's headquarters, or you can arrange a trip to a different location and bring some people from the office along with you. | Establish your expectations for your remote employees up front. Use deadlines to help your remote employees meet your expectations. Give your employees a quota if deadlines don’t apply to the work they do. Let your employees know if they’re not meeting your expectations. Communicate with your remote employees in a clear and concise way. Schedule routine one-on-one video conferences. Communicate as a group using chat platforms. Take time differences into consideration when communicating. Use emoticons and GIFs to make your employees feel at ease. Have your remote employees log their productivity. Schedule regular group calls to discuss what everyone has accomplished. Try a time-tracking software. Send out a weekly newsletter to fill remote employees in on company updates. Give your employees company apparel so they feel included. Host in-person get-togethers for your remote employees. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Recognize-Chickenpox | How to Recognize Chickenpox | You can recognize chicken pox by looking for red spots on the skin that often start on the chest, face, and back. You should also watch for cold symptoms such as a fever, runny nose, and a cough, which can be indicators of chicken pox. If you think you or your family member has chicken pox, avoid going out in public to prevent spreading the disease. Additionally, call your doctor if the symptoms are severe or don't improve after 4 days. | Watch for symptoms on the skin. Approximately one or two days after developing a runny nose and sneezing, you may see red spots on your skin. These dots often start on the chest, face, and back, are often itchy, and can quickly spread to the rest of the body. These red spots will turn into red bumps and then small blisters (vesicles). These spots contain the virus and are highly contagious. These blisters will crust over in several days. After all the blisters are crusted, the person will no longer be contagious. Insect bites, scabies, other viral rashes, impetigo, and syphilis may look like chickenpox. Be suspicious of cold symptoms. Chickenpox may first present as a mild cold, with a runny nose, sneezing, and a cough. You may even develop a fever up to around 101 degrees Fahrenheit. If the infected person were exposed to someone with chickenpox or breakthrough chickenpox (a milder form of the illness in someone who has received the vaccine), mild cold symptoms may really be the initial symptoms of the chickenpox. Recognize early symptoms to reduce exposure to persons at risk. Chickenpox is highly contagious and dangerous to persons who have problems with their immune system, such as people undergoing chemotherapy for cancer or who have HIV or AIDS, and most babies, because children are not vaccinated against chickenpox until they are at least 12 months old. Understand how the virus is transmitted. The chickenpox virus is spread through the air or through direct contact, normally the product of unsanitary sneezing or coughing practices. The virus is transported in the fluid (i.e. saliva or mucus). Touching an open sore caused by the virus or breathing it in (such as kissing a person with chickenpox) will also infect you. If you've encountered someone else who has a confirmed case of chickenpox, this will help you identify your own symptoms. Know the incubation period. The chickenpox virus does not produce symptoms immediately. In general, it can take 10 to 21 days after being exposed to develop any noticeable symptoms. The macular-papular rash will continue to appear over several days and the blisters will take several days to resolve. This means that you can have papular rash, vesicles and open blisters which are crusting over all at the same time. Approximately 90% of susceptible close contacts not vaccinated will develop the illness after exposure. Recognize that older adolescents and adults have more complications. Although the chickenpox illness is not severe, it will cause more hospitalizations, deaths and complications in people who are adolescents and adults. The rash and vesicles can appear in the mouth, anus and vagina. Call your doctor if the person with chickenpox is at higher risk for severe illness. Children older than 12 years, pregnant women or anyone with a compromised immune system (including the use of steroids which compromise the immune system) or who has asthma or eczema, are at greater risk for experiencing more severe symptoms. Call the doctor if the person with chickenpox has these symptoms: Fever that lasts longer than 4 days or goes over 102 F Any area of the rash that becomes warm, red, tender or begins leaking pus since this indicates a secondary bacterial infection Difficulty waking up or becoming confused Stiff neck or difficulty walking Frequent vomiting Severe cough Difficulty breathing Ask your doctor for medication if you have an extreme case or are at high risk for severe illness. The medications used to treat chickenpox are not given to everyone. In many cases, doctors won't prescribe harsh medicines to children, unless the infection looks like it could lead to pneumonia or another equally serious issue. For best results, antiviral medication must be given within the first 24 hours of the appearance of the rash. If you have skin conditions such as eczema, lung conditions like asthma, were recently treated with steroids or have a compromised immune system, antiviral medication will be considered. Some women who are pregnant may also qualify for administration of antiviral medication. Do not take aspirin or ibuprofen. Children especially should not take either and babies under six months old should not take ibuprofen at all. Aspirin has been associated with another serious condition called Reyes syndrome and Ibuprofen may lead to other secondary infections. Instead, take acetaminophen (Tylenol) to treat headaches or other pain or fevers resulting from chickenpox. Do not scratch the blisters or remove the scabs. Although the blisters and scabs are very itchy, it is important that you do not remove the scabs or scratch the rash. Removing a scab will cause that pox to scar and itching increases the risk of bacterial infections. Cut your child's finger nails if they cannot help scratching their blisters. Cool your blisters. Place cold compresses over the blisters. Take cooler bathes. The cooler temperature will help alleviate both the itching and fever that may accompany chickenpox. Use calamine lotion to ease the itching. Take cool baths with baking soda or colloidal oatmeal or apply calamine lotion to help to ease the itching. If this doesn't relieve the itching call your doctor for medication. The baths and calamine lotion will relieve itching (reduce the severity) but there isn't anything that will completely take it away until the blisters have healed. Calamine lotion can be purchased at any grocery store or pharmacy. Ask your doctor about the chickenpox vaccine. The vaccine is considered safe and given to young children before they are exposed to the illness. The first dose is given at 15 months and the second dose between 4 and 6 years of age. Getting chickenpox vaccine is much safer than getting chickenpox disease. Most people who get the chickenpox vaccine do not have any problems with it. However, a vaccine, like any medicine, is capable of causing serious problems, like severe allergic reactions. The risk of chickenpox vaccine causing serious harm, or death, is extremely small. Expose your child to the chickenpox early if you do not give the vaccine. Make sure to talk to your doctor about your decision. Vaccination is a personal choice for the parents. However, the older the child is when they get the illness, the worse they feel. If you choose to not give the vaccination, or if your child is or could be allergic to the vaccine, then try to expose them to the illness after age three and before age 10 to reduce symptoms and severity of the condition. Be aware of breakthrough cases of the chickenpox. Children who have had a vaccination can develop a milder form of the illness. They may only get approximately 50 spots and blisters which are less intense. This makes a diagnosis more difficult. However, they are as contagious as if they had the full blown illness. Adults are at risk for more severe disease and have a higher incidence of complications. By far, the vaccination is preferable to so-called "pox parties" wherein parents purposefully infect their children. The vaccination may cause a mild case of chickenpox, but attending a pox party will most likely guarantee you or your child a full-blown case, which can lead to pneumonia and other terrible afflictions. In this case, you don't want to attend the party. Be vigilant with children who have other skin problems, such as eczema. Children who have a history of skin problems can develop thousands of blisters. This can be painful and increase the risk of scarring. Use the treatments described above to reduce the itching and talk with your physician about other topical and oral medications to reduce the discomfort and pain. Watch for secondary bacterial infections. Areas of blisters can become infected with bacteria. They will be warm, redder, tender to touch and can also leak pus. The pus is darker in color and not clear the way the fluid from the vesicles is. Call your doctor if you notice these changes to areas of the skin. This bacterial infection must be treated with antibiotics. Bacterial infections can also affect other tissue, bone, joints and even include the bloodstream, called sepsis. Each of these infections are dangerous and require immediate medical attention. Symptoms of more generalized infection to the bone, joint or bloodstream include: Fever over 101 F Area is warm and tender to touch (bone, joint, tissue) Joint is tender or painful to use. Trouble breathing Chest pain Worsening cough General feeling of being really sick. Most children have a fever that resolves early with the chickenpox and although they have symptoms of a cold, they will often still play, smile and want to go for a walk. Children who are septic (infection in the blood) will be quiet, want to sleep often, have a fever over 101 F, increased heart rate and increased rate of respirations (more than 20 breaths per minute). Be aware of other serious complications from chickenpox. Although not common, these complications are very dangerous and can result in death. Dehydration during which the body does not have enough fluid to function properly. This affects the brain, blood and kidneys first. Signs of dehydration include decreased or concentrated urination, being tired, weak, or dizzy, or having a fast heart rate Pneumonia with symptoms of increased cough, fast or troubled breathing, or chest pain Bleeding problems Infection or inflammation of the brain. Children will become quiet, sleepy and complain of a headache. They may be confused or difficult to arouse. Toxic shock syndrome Watch for shingles in adults, especially over the age 40, if you had chickenpox as a child. Shingles is a painful, blistered rash that happens on one side of the body, trunk or face that can cause numbness and which is caused by the same virus which causes Chickenpox. The virus remains dormant in the body until later years when the immune system is not as strong. Pain, often burning pain, and numbness often resolves within weeks but other long-term damage can occur to the eyes and organs if they are affected. Post-herpetic neuralgia is a painful neurological condition that is difficult to treat and can result from shingles. Call your doctor right away if you think you may have shingles, as antiviral medications are often prescribed for this, especially if it is caught early. Older adults may benefit from a vaccination for shingles. | Watch for symptoms on the skin. Be suspicious of cold symptoms. Recognize early symptoms to reduce exposure to persons at risk. Understand how the virus is transmitted. Know the incubation period. Recognize that older adolescents and adults have more complications. Call your doctor if the person with chickenpox is at higher risk for severe illness. Call the doctor if the person with chickenpox has these symptoms: Ask your doctor for medication if you have an extreme case or are at high risk for severe illness. Do not take aspirin or ibuprofen. Do not scratch the blisters or remove the scabs. Cool your blisters. Use calamine lotion to ease the itching. Ask your doctor about the chickenpox vaccine. Expose your child to the chickenpox early if you do not give the vaccine. Be aware of breakthrough cases of the chickenpox. Be vigilant with children who have other skin problems, such as eczema. Watch for secondary bacterial infections. Be aware of other serious complications from chickenpox. Watch for shingles in adults, especially over the age 40, if you had chickenpox as a child. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Get-a-Dark-Beard | How to Get a Dark Beard | To get a dark beard, use a natural beard dye, like henna, black walnuts, or cocoa paste. Apply the dye to your beard and leave it for about 15 minutes to soak in. Alternatively, use a commercial dye and follow the instructions on the box. Whichever dye you use, test it on a small patch of your hair first to make sure you like the color and that you're not allergic to it. For best results, use a shade slightly lighter than your natural color, since darker beards can sometimes look unnatural. Once you've dyed your beard, you'll need to touch up your roots every week or so to keep your whole beard the same color. | Select a color that is slightly lighter than your natural color. When you are selecting a color for your beard dye, choose a color that is slightly lighter than your natural color. A darker color can appear very bold and may look unnatural. Instead, try a color that is a few shades lighter. You can always darken the beard later if you desire. If you dye your bead too dark the change will look drastic and your new beard color may stand out like a sore thumb. Test the dye on your skin. Prior to coloring your beard, test the product on your skin to see if you have an allergic reaction. Mix up a bit of dye and put a dot behind your ear or on your forearm. Let the dye sit on your skin for approximately 24 hours and then wash it off. If you notice any redness, itching, or irritation in the area, then you probably have a sensitivity to the dye. Consider a natural beard dye. If you had an allergic reaction to the dye, then you should use a natural beard dye, such as henna. Henna is a plant-based dye that comes in a variety of colors. Read the instructions. A box of beard dye will come with a list of written instructions. Carefully read and follow all of the instructions. They will instruct you on how to mix the dye, apply the dye, and rinse the dye off of your beard. Put Vaseline around your beard. In order to prevent you from getting the dye on the skin surrounding your beard, apply a thin layer of Vaseline to this area. For example, you may want to apply Vaseline to your cheeks about your beard and on your neck below your beard. You can also put Vaseline around your ears and sideburns. Prepare the dye. Depending on the type of dye that you purchased, you may need to mix the dye with water before applying. Follow the instructions carefully. Only use enough dye to cover your beard. Typically, one package of beard dye can be used multiple times. Apply the dye using a brush. Most beard dye kits will come with an application brush. Use the brush to apply the dye to your beard. Cover all of the hair you want to darken with the dye. Brush along your beard in the same direction that your hair grows. Do not brush against your hair growth. Make sure that you only apply the dye to your beard and avoid touching the skin surrounding your beard. If the kit did not come with a brush, you can use a toothbrush to apply the dye to your beard. Check the color. Once you have applied the dye to your beard, you will need to wait for the dye to set before rinsing. Wait the minimum suggested time (approximately 5 minutes) and then test a section of the beard to see if you like the color. Use a paper towel to wipe off a small section of dye. If you like the color then you are ready to rinse off the dye. If you would like your beard to be a bit darker, re-apply the dye to the area you tested and let the dye sit for another couple of minutes. Continue to test until the beard reaches the desired colour. Rinse the dye. Once you are happy with the color, rinse your beard with water until the water is clear. Most dyes are temporary, so the color will begin to fade after a few washes. Touch up the color weekly. Depending on the thickness of the your beard and the rate at which your beard grows, you will likely have to touch up your roots. Apply the same color of dye to the roots of your beard as it grows. Typically, this will need to be done about once a week. Grow out your beard for four weeks. You can also make your beard look darker by growing a thicker beard. Let your beard grow out for at least four weeks. Many people feel that their beard is patchy, but in most cases you will not know how full your beard can be unless you grow it out fully. Exercise regularly. Exercising regularly can help to boost testosterone levels, which will promote hair growth. It will also increase blood circulation, making hair grow in thicker and fuller. Try getting at least 30 minutes of exercise daily. Strength training, such as weight lifting is the most beneficial for boosting testosterone. Reduce stress. Stress can impact hair growth and quality by constricting blood vessels, making it difficult for nutrients to reach the hair follicles. In order to reduce your stress levels, try meditating for ten minutes each day. Sit in a quiet room and focus on your breathing. This will help you clear your mind and relax. Sleep for eight hours each night. Sleep can help to rejuvenate testosterone levels, which can help you grow a fuller beard. This is especially true if you are able to get a minimum of eight hours of sleep each night. Less than five hours of sleep can reduce your testosterone levels by up to 15% and may result in the development of a patchy beard. Eat a healthy diet. Eating a healthy vitamin and protein rich diet can also help to increase testosterone levels. For example, make sure that you eat a variety of vegetables and proteins. Try adding kale, Brazil nuts, and eggs to your diet to help thicken your beard. Get a facial hair transplant. If you are unable to grow a beard, or you can only grow a very patchy beard, you may want to consider a facial hair transplant. In this procedure, hair will be removed from either the back or side of your head and then transplanted to your face. This is an expensive procedure that costs around $7,000 (USD) and takes two to five hours to complete. After about two weeks the transplanted hair will fall out and then regrow three months later. Darken your beard with black walnuts. You can also darken your hair with a natural remedy, such as black walnuts. Take 7-8 dark walnuts, crush them and then mix them with 7-8 cups of water. Cook the walnuts in water for about an hour and a half. Then let the mixture cool before straining the walnuts. Dip your beard into the walnuts and let the hair sit for anywhere from 5-20 minutes depending on the color you want to achieve. Walnuts can also dye your skin and clothes, so be careful when working with this mixture. Wear gloves and old clothing that you don't mind staining. Try darkening your beard with cocoa paste. In order to darken your beard with cocoa paste, you will need to combine cocoa powder and water until you get a thick paste. Apply the paste to your beard and let sit for 15 minutes.The longer you leave the powder on your hair, the darker your hair will be. Once you are finished, rinse your hair in water. Pencil in a darker beard. Using a dark eye shadow or eye liner, you can pencil in patchy sections of your beard to make it look fuller. This will help to cover up any patches that may be present, giving you the look of a darker and fuller beard. | Select a color that is slightly lighter than your natural color. Test the dye on your skin. Consider a natural beard dye. Read the instructions. Put Vaseline around your beard. Prepare the dye. Apply the dye using a brush. Check the color. Rinse the dye. Touch up the color weekly. Grow out your beard for four weeks. Exercise regularly. Reduce stress. Sleep for eight hours each night. Eat a healthy diet. Get a facial hair transplant. Darken your beard with black walnuts. Try darkening your beard with cocoa paste. Pencil in a darker beard. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Do-the-Stanky-Leg | How to Do the Stanky Leg | To do the stanky leg, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and take a wide, exaggerated step to the right. Angle your body towards your right foot as you step down and keep your arms at your side. Next, drag your left foot in towards your right foot but leave it "stuck" to the floor, since your left leg is the "stanky" leg. You can even push it forward a few times to show that it's "stuck" and add some flair by rotating your knees and arms in small circles! | Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart. Stand up straight with your feet facing forwards but angled out slightly. Make sure they are positioned parallel to your shoulders. This a good neutral stance that is perfect for starting the dance. Extend your right leg to the side in an exaggerated motion and step down. Keeping your foot forwards, lift up your right leg so it is positioned next to the middle of your left shin. Extend your right leg to the side in a wide movement. Plant it on the ground. Bend your right knee after the foot steps down. As a variation to the dance, you can glide your foot to the side instead of extending it upwards. Lean your body towards your right leg. Angle your body towards your right foot as you step down on it. Keep your arms at your side and move them with your body. Exaggerate the movement so it is pronounced and dramatic. Your body should lean and bend as your right knee bends. Drag the left foot towards the right but leave it "stuck" to the floor. Your left leg is the "stanky" leg that will stay on the ground. Stand on the inner side of your left foot. Drag it inwards, bringing it closer to your right. Push it forwards twice to show that it is "stuck." Rotate your knees and arms in a circle to add some flair. As your body leans to one side and your other foot stays "stuck", bring your arms up slightly in front of you. Make small circles with your arms as you move your "stanky" leg. Rotate both your left knee in unison with your arms to make the dance interesting. Keep your right leg planted before you switch. Switch legs after 2 beats of the song. Do the "stanky leg" for 2 beats of the music. After this, switch to make your left food the "good" foot and your right foot the "stanky" foot. Do the dance on the other side for 2 best as well, then repeat it. You can switch legs simply by leaning your body over to your other side, then stepping your "stanky" leg behind you and stepping your non-"stanky" leg out before you switch. Lean forward in an exaggerated manner while doing the dance. One way to make this dance more impressive is to lean your whole body forward the entire time you do it. This will make the dragging of your "stanky" leg look more dramatic. Make sure to lean forward just enough to add flair without losing your balance. Transition from side to side with a dramatic move. After doing the "stanky leg" on one side for 2 beats, try using a bold move to switch your body to the other side. Be creative and come up with a unique, attention-grabbing transition move. Make sure that you can get yourself into position to start the dance over without losing time with the music. For instance, you can squat your body down for a second and then pop back up before you switch legs. Combine the "stanky leg" with other dances to keep things interesting. The "stanky leg" is a fun dance, but it can get repetitive after a while. To keep your moves fresh and entertaining, combine this dance with other hip hop dances for a more elaborate performance. These other dances could include: The Nae-Nae The Dougie Twerking The Wobble | Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart. Extend your right leg to the side in an exaggerated motion and step down. Lean your body towards your right leg. Drag the left foot towards the right but leave it "stuck" to the floor. Rotate your knees and arms in a circle to add some flair. Switch legs after 2 beats of the song. Lean forward in an exaggerated manner while doing the dance. Transition from side to side with a dramatic move. Combine the "stanky leg" with other dances to keep things interesting. |
https://www.wikihow.com/End-a-Controlling-or-Manipulative-Relationship | How to End a Controlling or Manipulative Relationship | To end a controlling or manipulative relationship, try to keep the conversation short so they don't have a chance to manipulate you into staying. Say something like, “I'm sorry if this hurts your feelings but this relationship isn't working for me. I've made my decision.” If you're worried about them being violent, break up with them in a public place or bring a friend with you for moral support. Alternatively, leave them a note or call them if you're afraid to tell them face to face. Once you've delivered the news, walk away and don't look back. As soon as you've left, remove them from social media and block their number so they can't abuse you anymore. | Recognize that you're being controlled. Many controlling or manipulative relationships last far longer than they should because the person who is being controlled or manipulative is in denial about anything being wrong. You may think your partner is just a bit moody or needy when in fact, that person has slowly taken over every aspect of your life. Here are some signs that you're in a manipulative or controlling relationship: If you've noticed that the person has slowly begun to take over every aspect of your life -- from how often you see friends to where you go for dinner -- then you're being controlled. If the person you're with has angry or emotional outbursts followed by telling you how much s/he needs you or loves you, then the person is trying to control you with his/her emotions. If you've tried to leave before and the person has threatened violence or even suicide, then you're being threatened and manipulated. If the person you're with is extremely jealous and hates it when you hang out with your friends, especially with people of the opposite gender, and makes it difficult for you to hang out with other people, then you're being controlled. If your partner has put you down in front of friends and family, has discouraged you from speaking too much in public, and gives you a scary look that makes you keep quiet, then you're being controlled. If you find yourself giving in to your partner time and time again because you're afraid of how s/he will act if you don't, then you need to get out of the relationship. If you're being pressured to do things you don't want to do, especially sexually, then you're being controlled. If you find yourself desperate to please that person at any cost, then you've stopped thinking about yourself. If the person makes you feel like there's no way out of the relationship and that you'll never find someone else who wants you, then you're being manipulated into staying in the relationship. Think of all the reasons you need to leave. Once you realize you're in a controlling or manipulative relationship, you need to start thinking about how much better your life will be when you're done with it. This will motivate you to leave and to start making a game plan for getting out. Write these reasons down to firmly plant them in your mind, and to make you see that you need to get out ASAP if you want to start enjoying your life again. Here are some reasons why you need to leave: You can start being your own person again. Write down all of the things you loved doing before the relationship, from grabbing fro-yo with your friends to spending hours taking long walks by yourself, that your partner no longer "lets" you do. You can start enjoying your other relationships. Remember how you used to hang out with your buddies before your girlfriend stepped in and said every night would be date night? Write down your favorite memories from hanging out with your friends and family and think of all the fun and fulfillment you can have once you start enjoying those again. Your self-esteem will skyrocket. Right now, your self-worth may be based on how good your partner may make you feel at a given moment, and once you're out of there, you can assess yourself on your own terms. And if your self-esteem is low because you know you're letting yourself give in to an emotional or unstable person, you'll feel better once you stop doing that. You can stop living in constant fear and anxiety. Instead of worrying about how your significant other will react to something you'll do or say, you can just enjoy your life. You can even have a good friend help you generate some reasons -- a friend may have an insight into your relationship that you don't have, and s/he can motivate you to leave. Plan what you'll say. You should keep it short and sweet and not leave room for the other person to try to reason with you, to beg you to change your mind, or to promise that s/he will change or do anything you want to stay in the relationship. You don't have to give a million reasons for why you're leaving or to list all of the times the person has disappointed you -- that will only make things more difficult. Just say, "This isn't working for me" or "It's time to say goodbye," and give a few more statements, but keep it brief. There's no point in being vindictive or accusatory. That will only make your partner more emotionally volatile. Be as calm as you can when you deliver this news. Don't yell, cry, or pace around. Keep it almost matter-of-fact, even if you're hurting inside. If you're obviously emotional, your partner will see that you can be manipulated. Once you've figure out what you'll say, you should practice how you'll say it. This will help you be comfortable with the words. Plan how you'll say it. The method of delivery is very important when you're dealing with an unstable or controlling person. The most important thing to think about is that if the person is at all violent or if you're truly afraid of how the person will react, then you should give the news in a public place, where you feel safe -- bring a friend if necessary. If you really don't even want to face the person, just write them a note or email. If it's gotten so bad that you're afraid to talk face to face, then just get out whatever way you can. Though once you've decided to end the relationship, you should act quickly, give some thought to the timing. Don't end the relationship after you and/or your partner have been drinking, or in the middle of a very stressful event. Try to pick a time when your partner is likely to be a bit more stable -- even if that isn't saying much. Come up with an escape plan. If you live with the person or if you've just left a lot of things at his/her place, you should think about how you'll get back your stuff. You can try to be sneaky and get it out before you break up with the person, so you don't have to go back after you do it. Have a few friends come and help you get the stuff, whether it's behind the person's back or after the break-up. This will make you feel safer and more motivated to leave. If you do live with the person, you should also find a place to stay before you initiate the break up, so you're not stranded and tempted to go back. End the relationship in your mind. Before you say what you have to say, tell yourself that it's really over and start dealing with the natural mourning that comes after a serious relationship is over. If you start already thinking of yourself as broken up -- without telling your significant other -- you'll feel stronger when you say what you have to say because you've already made up your mind. Be firm. This is the most important thing to consider as you tell the person you're breaking up. Once you've said it, you've said it, and there's nothing the person can do or say to make you change your mind. Say the words you've practiced, and get ready to leave. Even if the person is crying or looks absolutely pathetic, just remember all those reasons why you need to leave. The person may say, "But you haven't given me a chance to explain!" That's too bad -- actually, you've given them way too many chances. Keep it short. Don't linger around to give in to your partner's emotion or list the forty things s/he did to ruin your life. The shorter your explanation, the less likely your partner will be to argue with you or to nitpick. Remember -- this is not a negotiation, so don't be open to a dialogue. Say your piece, and get out. Keep your distance. Stand or sit away from the person -- don't let them try to touch you, hug you, or just trap you into staying in the relationship. If the person tries to hold your hand, you may feel tempted to just be tender with the person again instead of doing what you intended to do, which is walk away. Don't get manipulated. If you've been manipulated throughout the relationship, then it's very likely that you'll get manipulated during the break-up. Don't let the person try to sway you with his emotions, tell you that you'll never find someone else, or bribe you with all of the things he can do for you if you stay, whether it's to marry you, buy you a house, or go to anger management classes. Remind yourself that you're leaving the relationship because you're tired of this exact behavior. It's not going to work on you anymore. Don't tell the person where you're going. It may be obvious that you're going to stay with your parents or at your best friend's house, but don't mention it. Don't give the person an opportunity to follow you to try to win you back, or even to start stalking you. Walk away. Once you've said what you had to say, just go. If you have a friend waiting in the car, or with you, walk out with that friend. Don't look back for one last tender gaze at your former significant other -- he or she made you feel miserable and worthless, and you're done with all that. Hold your head high and walk out the door and don't ever look back. Avoid contact with the person. Don't let the person call you, text you, Facebook you, or even show up in places where you're likely to be -- get a restraining order if you have to. Talking to the person will only make you feel more confused and hurt, and things could get ugly. Don't be tricked if the person says that he or she just want to chat, or that s/he misses you -- your ex will only try to get you back in whatever way possible. If you need to talk the person for any reason, like to get back more of your things, or work out something practical related to mutual belongings, bring a friend with you and do it in a public place. If you and the person have a lot of mutual friends, you'll have to cut off contact with them for a while. Don't go to places where you know your ex will be, even if that means laying low for a while. Don't be tempted to change your mind. It's natural that you'll feel sad and lonely without your significant other. If s/he controlled every aspect of your life and you're suddenly on your own again, having to make decisions for yourself, it's logical for you to feel unable to handle the smallest decisions, and to feel completely alone and overwhelmed. But this is exactly how your ex wanted you to feel -- like you couldn't possibly live a day of your life without them. Keep telling yourself that it will get easier -- it really will. Remind yourself that, before the relationship, you were perfectly fine on your own, and that you can be that person again. Spend time with your loved ones. Though it's helpful to spend some time to reflect on your own after a break up, this is not the time to spend all of your time alone. Instead, lean on your friends and family and spend as much time with others as you can. Though the last thing you want to do may be to go to a party, force yourself out and try to have some fun. Though you should spend more time alone during a more standard breakup, spending a lot of time alone after ending a manipulative or controlling relationship will make you more likely to want to go back to your ex. Your friends and family are your support system. Talk to them about how bad the relationship was -- having them confirm your thoughts will make you feel stronger. Don't be afraid to reach out. Maybe you lost touch with some close friends because of your controlling partner. Just be honest and say you know you made a mistake for cutting your friends out of your life, and they should take you back. Stay busy. If you spend all of your time wallowing in your room or watching TV by yourself in the dark, you'll never be able to get over the relationship. Try to stay as busy as you can by hanging out with friends, pursuing your interests, and immersing yourself in your work or studies. You can even find a new hobby to try to pursue on your own, which will give more meaning to your life. Whatever you do, just try to get out of the house. This will make you feel less alone, even if you're only reading by yourself in a coffee shop. Plan your week. Leave some time for reflection, but make sure you have something to look forward to every day. Think of this as an opportunity to try something you never got to do with your ex. Maybe he hated something as simple as eating sushi or going to the movies -- do those things to your heart's content. Think of how much happier you are. This part may take a while, but you'll slowly see how much better you are on your own and away from the terrible relationship. Every night before you go to bed, think of one thing that you're now able to do away from the relationship. You can even make a list of all of the ways that your life is better and how great it is to feel in control of your thoughts and actions. Whenever you have a moment of weakness, review this list, or recite all of the reasons why your life is better. Give it time and you'll see that you were right for being brave and making the right choice. | Recognize that you're being controlled. Think of all the reasons you need to leave. Plan what you'll say. Plan how you'll say it. Come up with an escape plan. End the relationship in your mind. Be firm. Keep it short. Keep your distance. Don't get manipulated. Don't tell the person where you're going. Walk away. Avoid contact with the person. Don't be tempted to change your mind. Spend time with your loved ones. Stay busy. Think of how much happier you are. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Find-the-Right-Pixie-Cut | How to Find the Right Pixie Cut | Pixie cuts are a great, versatile hairstyle that can be modified to fit just about any face shape. If you have an oval or heart-shaped face, get a pixie cut with plenty of layers and volume. You might also try adding baby bangs, which will make your chin seem a bit smaller. If you have a square-shaped face, get a touseled pixie cut, and use gel or pomade to hold your style in place. If your face is fairly short, get a layered pixie cut to lengthen your face. Or, if you have a longer face, get fewer layers and add some sweeping side bangs to balance out your face shape. In general, the thicker your hair, the fewer layers you'll need to get volume and texture into your style. | Draw an outline around your hairline, cheeks, and chin. Look in a mirror to get a straight-on view of your face. Use an eyeliner pencil to mark a dotted line around the outside edges of your face. Start at your forehead, drawing the dotted line across at your hairline, and then extend it down to trace the outside edges of your cheeks and jaws. Continue the line around the base of your chin. You can snap a photo of your face, print it out, and trace around your face on the print-out, if you prefer. Consider having someone else take your photo from a few steps away, instead of using a selfie which distorts your facial proportions. Compare the widths of each part of your face to determine your face shape. You can make the comparisons visually, or use a tape measure to get the exact proportions. First, determine which part of your face is the widest (forehead, cheekbones, or jaw). Then look at the shape of your chin and jawline (rounded, square, or pointed). Lastly, check whether your face is longer than it is wide, or wider than it is long. This will help you determine which of the face shapes you have: round, oval, square, rectangular, heart, or diamond. Identify a round or oval face by wide cheekbones and a rounded chin. You have a round face if your cheekbones are the widest part of your face, your chin features soft curves in a rounded shape, and your face is wider than it is long. If your face is longer than it is wide, you have an oval face. Look for a broad, strong jaw and chin as evidence of a square or rectangular face. Your face is square-shaped if your jaw is the widest part of your face. You have a strong, square jawline and your face is wider than it is long. However, if your face is longer than it is wide, you have a rectangular-shaped face. Note a narrow tapered chin as the hallmark of a heart-shaped or diamond face. Your face is likely heart-shaped if your forehead or cheekbones are wider than your jaw. The signature feature of a heart-shaped face is a chin that tapers down to a point. Usually, your face will be wider than it is long if it's heart-shaped. If your face is longer than it is wide, and your forehead is narrower than your cheekbones, you have a diamond-shaped face. Decide if you want your pixie cut to show off or balance out your face shape. As long as you have confidence, you can pull off any haircut! But you might not love just any haircut if it doesn't deliver the effect you intended. Then think about whether you want to use your hair to highlight your features or soften them. For example, if you have a short and wide round face, you might want to elongate it with sweeping bangs. Or, you might want super-short fringe that emphasizes your cute, compact features. Search online for photos of celebrities with your face shape to see how different haircuts transform their faces. Emphasize oval or heart-shaped facial features with crown volume. If you want to enhance the elfin beauty of your heart-shaped face, get a cut with plenty of volume up top. Try short baby bangs to make your chin seem smaller and your eyes lower-set on your face. To draw attention to the length and elegance of your oval face, keep your hair short on the sides and add volume at the top. Oval and heart-shaped faces naturally lend themselves to a variety of pixie cuts, so feel free to experiment! The narrow chin of a heart-shaped face and the long proportions of an oval face, especially if paired with sculpted cheekbones, can balance out lots of volume up top but can also feel balanced under buzz-cut style pixies. Try a boyish cut to highlight the sculpted features of rectangular or square faces. A tousled schoolboy-style haircut cut will play up your sculpted cheekbones and jawline. Keep it voluminous and use a gel or pomade product to hold your choppy locks in place. This kind of boyish look can be especially fun when contrasted with feminine style choices. Keep plenty of volume and texture at the top to lengthen short faces. By adding length and volume at your crown and roots, you'll lengthen out your overall face shape. This is especially effective on square and round faces. You can keep the hair off of your forehead to add even more length. Consider a pixie with choppy texture framing your face and adding volume all over. This kind of style will break up the soft round curves of a round face and will emphasize the angular contours of a square face. A sleek, long side bang tucked behind your ear will mirror the roundness and shortness of your face. You can avoid this style if you'd rather balance out your proportions, but it can be a chic way to emphasize your facial structure. Add choppy texture at the top and sides to balance out long faces. Oval, diamond, and rectangular faces tend to be longer and leaner than other face shapes. If you'd rather make your long face appear shorter, add a sweeping side bang and maintain some layers and volume at the sides of your face to widen it out. Since diamond-shaped faces are narrower at the forehead, they can benefit from choppy tendrils at the top and around the sides for added width. Balance the width of wider faces with angular, asymmetrical cuts. Opt for a deeper side part and a dynamic, asymmetrical style to play up your angular features. If your hair conceals your broader forehead and cheekbones, it will help your chin appear narrower. Consider adding angular pieces in front of your ears to mask the width of your cheekbones and emphasize your strong bone structure. You can go an extra step and keep one side of your hair (with the sideswept bangs) fuller and more voluminous, while chopping the other side shorter. By playing with face-framing texture and bangs that distract from the width of your face, you can make your chin and jawline appear narrower and more angular. Aim for chin-length styles to soften narrow, pointed chins. Not all diamond and heart-shaped faces end in a sharp pointed chin, but if yours does you can downplay this with a longer pixie. Avoid top-heavy styles and get a cut that keeps some hair around your chin. Try an angled bob, which involves longer hair in the front and a shorter crop in the back. This can be a fun and flattering style. A choppy bob can serve as a great starting point that you can eventually shift to a shorter pixie style. Choose face-framing bangs to conceal taller foreheads on long faces. If you have a rectangular, diamond, or oval face and want to distract from the height of your forehead, and the overall length of your face, keep some hair over your forehead in the form of soft sideswept bangs. Baby bangs and lots of volume at the top can highlight the length of your forehead, but this attention-grabbing style isn't for everyone. Incorporate longer layers into your pixie if you have naturally curly hair. Curly and wavy hair can result in an array of dynamic, beautifully textured pixie styles, as long as you maintain enough length for your curls to take shape. Get layers to make your hair feel lighter, rather than weighed down. Layers wil add plenty of volume, movement, and texture to your cut. If you're not sure how your curls will perform in a short crop, you can try going for a bob first. Observe the habits of your shorter curls and master a few styling tricks before going in for the pixie. Keep thick hair shorter at the sides and longer at the crown. Unless you want to add width to balance out a narrow face, you should stick to a pixie with shorter trimmed sides. Consider getting a cut that tapers down in around the back and bottom as well to manage your hair's texture and volume. But keep plenty of fullness and layers at the top of your style, to take advantage of your voluminous tresses. Avoid getting a blunt pixie cut if you have thicker hair. It won't provide as much movement and might not feel balanced. Create choppy layers and edgy bangs to give dimension to fine hair. While fine hair can feel limp in a heavy, long haircut, it can be light and voluminous when chopped short. Add plenty of layers so your hair looks nice and full. Choppy, asymmetrical cuts look especially great with fine hair. Try bangs that are graduated from short to long. Or go straight for baby bangs!. You may want to avoid a heavy side bang since it could get weighted down and start looking a little limp. For even more depth and dimension, consider adding lowlights and highlights that will emphasize your pixie's volume. Find texturizing and volumizing products to boost and hold fine hair. If you have fine hair, develop an arsenal of products that will add dynamism and movement to your pixie. Try a variety of styling mousses and pomades, texturizing sprays, and hairsprays and see which ones you like best. Dry shampoo will be handy for keeping next-day styles fresh and lively. Work these products into your roots to keep your style choppy and voluminous. Try teasing your roots as well for extra lift. Opt for long angled bangs to do sideswept and coiffed styles. Angled side bangs can frame your face and emphasize your cheekbones. But you don't always need to style them in front of your face! Long bangs can be brushed back off your face and arranged into an edgy, masculine coif. A coif involves arranging your bangs up and off of your forehead so that they add height and texture to your pixie. You can add curls or waves, or go for a spikey effect. Use styling pomade to add volume at the roots and hold your hair in place in a coif. Keep length and layers at the front if you plan to add curls or waves. If your hair holds a curl, this instantly broadens your pixie styling potential. Whether you plan to liven up your straight hair with glamorous retro finger waves or soft, tousled curls, get a slightly longer pixie cut with layers. For maximum pixie curling potential, get a long pixie that borders on bob territory. Alternatively, you can keep your pixie shorter at the back and longer towards the front to add in just a few face-framing curls. Choose a sleek cut with more length at the front for slicked-back styling. Do you want to try the gelled, slicked-back look? If so, keep your hair long enough to tuck behind your ears, and aim for a cut that's sleek at the back and neat around the nape of your neck. Choppier cuts won't hold this style as well. Textured layers will be hard to keep down smoothly. | Draw an outline around your hairline, cheeks, and chin. Compare the widths of each part of your face to determine your face shape. Identify a round or oval face by wide cheekbones and a rounded chin. Look for a broad, strong jaw and chin as evidence of a square or rectangular face. Note a narrow tapered chin as the hallmark of a heart-shaped or diamond face. Decide if you want your pixie cut to show off or balance out your face shape. Emphasize oval or heart-shaped facial features with crown volume. Try a boyish cut to highlight the sculpted features of rectangular or square faces. Keep plenty of volume and texture at the top to lengthen short faces. Add choppy texture at the top and sides to balance out long faces. Balance the width of wider faces with angular, asymmetrical cuts. Aim for chin-length styles to soften narrow, pointed chins. Choose face-framing bangs to conceal taller foreheads on long faces. Incorporate longer layers into your pixie if you have naturally curly hair. Keep thick hair shorter at the sides and longer at the crown. Create choppy layers and edgy bangs to give dimension to fine hair. Find texturizing and volumizing products to boost and hold fine hair. Opt for long angled bangs to do sideswept and coiffed styles. Keep length and layers at the front if you plan to add curls or waves. Choose a sleek cut with more length at the front for slicked-back styling. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Begin-Writing | How to Begin Writing | If you're having difficulty starting a writing project, try drinking a cup of coffee to boost your energy levels. You could also turn on some music without any lyrics, like jazz or classical, to generate emotions that can help you refocus. Additionally, if you're feeling uninspired at home, try finding a new location to work, like a library or cafe. To generate ideas for your writing project, open a document and write whatever comes into your head for 15 minutes, without trying to edit it. Then, review the work to get inspiration from the most useful parts. | Take time for invention exercises. Writing is a process and the first part of the writing process is the invention stage. Invention helps you to generate ideas for your paper, book, poem, novel, article or whatever you are writing. Some people tend to skip this step even though it is one of the more important parts of the writing process, but that is a mistake. Not taking the time to explore your ideas can result in a low quality piece of writing. If you are having trouble getting started, then make sure that you complete at least one invention exercise before you begin a draft. However, completing more than one exercise is even more beneficial. Try starting with something to help you generate ideas, such as freewriting or listing and then move to something that will help you explore those ideas in more depth, such as clustering, questioning, or outlining. As you consider possible topics, make sure that you select something that is interesting to you. It is much easier to write about topics that interest you than topics that bore you. Freewrite for 15 minutes. Get out a pen and a piece of paper or open a new document on your computer. Set a timer for 15 minutes and start writing! Write about anything that comes to mind and do not censor or correct yourself. Even if your mind is blank, write, “My mind is blank” over and over again until you think of something else to write. The most important thing is to keep writing for 15 minutes. When you are finished, look over what you have written to see what you have written. You can then take the most useful sections and expand on these in another timed freewrite. Keep in mind that a freewriting exercise should not be used as a first draft for a paper. Freewriting is a way to generate ideas and the results are often disorganized and chaotic, so submitting a free write as a first draft may result in a bad grade. Make a list. Listing can help you to explore possible topics for writing. To use listing, take out a pen and paper or open a new document on your computer and list as many different topic ideas as you can. As with freewriting, do not censor or correct yourself. Add whatever comes to your mind to the list. For example, for a research paper assignment in a composition class, you might write down things like, vertical farming, farm animal welfare, crop rotation, etc. After you have finished your list, identify a few topics that stand out to you and explore these as possible topics for your writing project. Consider how well the topic matches the assignment guidelines, how interested you are in the topic, and how you might refine the topic to suit your needs. When you have chosen a topic, you may also want to do a freewrite on the topic to help you generate ideas and figure out what you already know about the topic. Create a cluster web. Clustering or mind mapping can help you to explore a topic in more depth, draw connections, and begin to decide how to organize your ideas. Your completed cluster web will look like lots of circles connected by lines. To create a cluster, take out a piece of paper and draw a circle in the center. Then, write your topic in the center of this circle. Next, draw a line extending out from the circle and draw another circle at the end of it. In this circle, write down a sub-topic of your main topic. Continue adding lines extending from your central circle as well as from smaller circles connected to the center circle to build connections among these ideas. Ask questions. Questioning is another good invention strategy that can also help you to test your topic. Try using “Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?” to determine if your topic idea is worth writing about and to develop ideas on your topic. Consider your topic and then respond in writing to the following questions: Who is affected by this topic? What are the key issues associated with this topic? When did this issue start? Where is the issue occurring? Why is this happening? How can we fix the problem? Talk to someone about your ideas. Talking about your topic ideas with someone can also help you to test them out and explore what you already know. Talking about your ideas with a friend or teacher can also help you to come up with perspectives or ways of approaching the topic that you had not considered. If you are writing a paper for a course, schedule an appointment with your teacher or professor. You can say something like, "I have some ideas for the next paper and I was hoping to run them by you and see what you think. Are you available to meet before or after class sometime?" Outline your ideas. Once you have some ideas, you can begin organizing them with an outline. For short papers, you can outline each paragraph individually. For longer works, write out short descriptions of events and organize them according to when they will come in your story. Draw character maps that show how people in the story interact with or feel about each other. Keep in mind that an outline can be as detailed or as scant as you want it to be. For example, you can include a bullet point with a topic sentence for every paragraph with sub-bullets for ideas that you will discuss in the paragraphs, or you can just list the ideas you will discuss in the order that you will discuss them. Schedule a time to complete your draft. Drafting can be a difficult part of the process, even if you have lots of ideas. The best thing to do is to set aside some quiet time to do nothing but write. For example, you might plan to do nothing but work on your draft between 8pm to 10pm on Thursday evening. Make sure that you give yourself at least two hours to sit and write your draft. Turn off your cell phone, ask your parents or roommates not to disturb you, and eliminate any other potential distractions. Gather all of your notes from your invention exercises before you begin writing. If you have completed a couple of invention exercises, then you should have a good idea of where to begin and how to organize your thoughts. If not, then you may want to spend some time outlining before you get started. Spend plenty of time on your introduction. Introductions can be difficult to write, so it is a good idea to spend some extra time thinking about what you want to include in your introduction. You should also make sure that you avoid some of the most common pitfalls with introductions. Try to write an introduction that will draw your readers into the story and help them connect with your topic. You might begin by asking a question, giving an illustrative example, or explaining a difficult concept. Avoid giving broad history in your intro. Introductions sometimes go too wide and this can be confusing for readers. Avoid starting your paper with phrases like, "Since the dawn of time..." or "Everyone in the history of mankind..." or " Avoid providing dictionary definitions. Intros that include a definition are often dull and the definition is not usually necessary at all. Avoid starting your paper with phrases like, "The dictionary defines friendship as..." or "According to Webster's dictionary..." Take breaks. Some people prefer to write a draft while others need to do it in small chunks. Decide what works best for you, but make sure to give yourself breaks about every two hours. It is hard to concentrate for more than two hours at a time, so get up stretch, take a quick walk, or grab a snack after you have been working on your draft for a while. Get feedback. After you have completed your first draft, find someone to give you feedback on what you have written. You can ask a teacher, friend, or parent to read your work. If the reader is not familiar with your assignment or other purpose for writing, let him or her know what it is. For example, if you ask a friend to read your paper, tell him or her what class the paper is for, what the assignment requirements are, and what (if any) particular concerns you have about what you have written. Most universities have writing centers where students can drop in or schedule an appointment to meet with a writing tutor for free. A writing tutor can read your paper and help you identify ways to improve your work. Revise your work. After you receive feedback, set aside some time to revise you work. As with drafting, you should set aside about two hours to revise your work. Keep in mind that revising is not the same as proofreading. Proofreading is the final step in the writing process where you identify minor errors and make your paper look polished. Revising is when you look at your paper with a fresh perspective and consider how you can make it better. To revise, you may have to delete, add, reorder, reorganize, or expand existing paragraphs in your draft. As you revise, make sure that you address any areas for improvement that your readers have identified for you. You should also read over your work yourself and look for areas that would benefit from more details, better sources, or a tighter focus. Remember that writing is a process and it is often cyclical. Sometimes revision may require you to add a significant amount of text to fully explain a concept or to strengthen an argument. To do this, you may need to return to the invention stage. If possible, take a break between drafting your paper and revising it. Taking at least a few hours or a few days between drafting and revising will help you to see your paper with fresh eyes. This will make it easier to identify problems and their solutions. Lower your standards. The poet William Stafford once wrote that “there is no such thing as writer's block for writers whose standards are low enough.” While this might sound awful, the idea that you should be able to sit down as a 5th grader and compose the great American novel is unrealistic. But it is exactly this sort of expectation that leaves people so dissatisfied with their wring that they give up. Great writers compose multiple drafts of their work and have the text reviewed by professional editors. No one expects a first draft to be good. But sitting down and finishing it will give you the chance to see what fits and what does not. From there it will be much easier to improve your ideas. Writing also takes practice. It might take a few failed manuscripts to get it right. Write every day. To make writing a natural habit, try to sit down at the beginning of every day to write a few pages. If you don't know what to write, start a dream journal. Write about what you dreamed the prior night. This will help you keep in touch with your creative side. Do some light exercise. People who exercise regularly have been shown to exhibit more creative thinking. If you are struck by writer's block, a little bit of exercise can distract you from any anxieties that you might have and get your ideas flowing again. Consider going on a walk to clear your head. For more energy, try a short jog. Alternatively, stretch for a couple of minutes to relax yourself. Drink some coffee. Caffeine increases the effect of chemicals in your brain that naturally produce energy. Consuming caffeine will give you energy and increase your concentration. Thus, it will help you overcome several of the psychological conditions that create writers block, including self-doubt and lack of commitment. Caffeine has other properties that can improve your writing, like increased short term memory and cognitive abilities. The positive effects of caffeine, however, can be negated if it impairs your sleep. Moderate your consumption and drink it early in the day Turn on music. Music can increase concentration. It can also inspire emotions that you can spill back onto the page. Depending upon your tastes, loud music might be a distraction. In that case, consider ambient music, possibly without any lyrics. Jazz and classical music are often good ambient music choices for writing. Find a new location. If you are having trouble focusing in your environment or find it uninspiring, try some place new. A university library has a lot of resources that you can turn to for information. Cafes have coffee and a vibrant atmosphere that can make you feel more comfortable than your own cramped space. Read. Doing a quick read of some inspirational writing can get you in the mood to do your own. Anyway, a good writer should be reading all the time. It is important to use other writers as point of inspiration and as models for how to write. You also need to read to get a sense for how you can fit your work into existing literature or innovate within a genre of writing. Eliminate distractions. If TV distracts you, be sure to turn it off. If you live with a bunch of people or along a busy street, do your best to find a place that is less noisy. Consider downloading programs that will remove distractions from your computer. One of the difficulties with writing today is that the best media for composition—your computer—is also rife with distractions of its own. There is, however, specialized software that can change this. Some programs will ration the time you can spend on social media. Writing programs can limit your access to other functions of the computer, so that you can focus exclusively on writing. Start a routine. Great writers have very different routines. One thing that is almost always true, however, is that they have some sort of routine. You will want to pick a routine that fits your energy level and schedule throughout the day. Once you have a routine, your mind will naturally turn to writing when it is time to sit down and work. For example, Simone de Beauvoir would always begin her days with a cup of tea, review what she had written the previous day, write for several hours, take some time off, and then return to work after dinner. Try to have a designated place and time to work. This sort of routine can create a cue for your brain when it is time to begin work. Perhaps you should always have a cup of coffee or tea before work. Maybe you should always have music on. Perhaps you could eat breakfast directly before writing. Create as many atmospheric cues as possible to tell your brain to get to work. Start a blog. A blog can be a great place to put out your writing in a place where it will get read. People's responses can help you learn and grow as a writer. You might even get some name recognition. Try doing an interview. Ask a prominent person if they are willing to talk to you. You might be surprised who would be willing to talk to you for a bit of additional publicity. Such a big name can bring in new readers. Write book reviews. Review a book and send the review off to local newspapers or websites that are interested in the subject. These will give you an opportunity to get your name in print. Furthermore, engaging in a deep way with the work of a great writer will give you some perspective on your own creative endeavors. Do piece work. Writing short pieces for magazines, websites, and newspapers might not be what you want to do with your life. However, it will give you some name recognition and a bit of money to help you live the life of a writer. Most importantly, working on a time table under experienced editors will get you accustomed to the pace and style of professional writing. | Take time for invention exercises. Freewrite for 15 minutes. Make a list. Create a cluster web. Ask questions. Talk to someone about your ideas. Outline your ideas. Schedule a time to complete your draft. Spend plenty of time on your introduction. Take breaks. Get feedback. Revise your work. Lower your standards. Write every day. Do some light exercise. Drink some coffee. Turn on music. Find a new location. Read. Eliminate distractions. Start a routine. Start a blog. Write book reviews. Do piece work. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Prevent-Gum-Disease-in-Cats | How to Prevent Gum Disease in Cats | To prevent gum disease in cats, try to brush your cat's teeth every day to remove built up-food particles and plaque. Food choice is also important, so opt for hard, crunchy kibbles that help clean its teeth while they eat. Just make sure to only feed it cat food, because human food will cause plaque and tartar build up. Alternatively, you can give your cat special dental health chews that prevent accumulations of plaque and massage the gums to increase circulation. | Brush your cat's teeth every day. Daily brushing helps to remove built-up food particles and plaque from your cat's teeth. Subsequently, regular brushing is the first step in preventing feline gum disease. Take your cat to a veterinarian for regular dental checkups. The vet will examine your cat and recommend treatment, if necessary. Even if you brush your cat's teeth, your pet will need to have its teeth cleaned by a veterinarian occasionally. Have your vet check your cat's teeth during every yearly checkup. Dental checkups allow your vet to perform a thorough examination of your cat's mouth. They can make sure all your cat's teeth look healthy and check for symptoms of gum disease. They can also look for any teeth that may need to be removed. Serve hard, crunchy food to your cat. This type of food has large, crunchy kibbles that help clean your cat's teeth while they eat. The texture, then, helps prevent plaque from building up on teeth. Consider buying a food specifically formulated for a cat's oral health.Ask your vet for recommendations for food and treats formulated for feline oral health. Give your cat dental health chews. These toys help prevent unhealthy accumulations of plaque and tartar. They also massage your cat's gums, which stimulates healthy circulation. Ask your vet for recommendations for the right dental chews for your cat. Refrain from feeding leftovers or sweets to your cat. Human food causes plaque and tartar to gather on teeth, leading to periodontal disease. Instead of giving human food to cats, provide them with cat toys and treats formulated specifically for cats. Put an oral health additive in your cat's water to help control plaque and tartar. These additives generally contain natural enzymes and antimicrobial ingredients that reduce bacteria in your pet's mouth. Since bacteria cause plaque and tartar, such additives may help decrease plaque and tartar buildup over time. Buy VOHC-approved products. The Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC) is a group of veterinary dentists that are meant to recognize products that are proven effective for pet oral health. These products are reviewed and tested, and can be recognized by the VOHC Seal of Acceptance. The VOHC also has a link of approved products on their website. Get a toothpaste formulated for cats. Flavored toothpaste, like fish or poultry, make teeth cleaning more appealing to cats. These kinds of toothpaste are also formulated to be safe for your cat to ingest, which makes brushing easier on both you and your cat. Buy a toothbrush designed for cats. These are small, extra soft, and shaped appropriately for a cat's mouth. There are also small silicone toothbrushes that slip onto your index finger. These can be especially useful for small cats and kittens. Try to make teeth cleaning pleasant for your cat. If your cat dislikes teeth cleaning, then at least make the sessions as stress-free as possible for your pet. Try techniques like: Talking to your cat in a happy tone to put the animal at ease. Making the teeth cleaning sessions short. Rewarding your cat with praise and a treat after brushing the teeth. This is especially important after the initial sessions when you're just acquainting your cat to the toothbrush and paste. Acclimate your cat to the toothpaste. Put a dab of toothpaste on your finger and allow the cat to taste it. Repeat this process for a few days before you introduce the toothbrush. Introduce your cat to having its teeth touched. Rub some toothpaste on 1 of the cat's fangs with your finger. If your cat flinches or runs away when you try that, you could also build up to touching their teeth by rubbing their cheek close to their mouth. Familiarize your cat with the toothbrush. Allow the cat to lick a small amount of toothpaste off the toothbrush. This will make your cat more comfortable with feeling the toothbrush bristles. Brush your cat's teeth.Once your cat is familiar with the toothpaste and brush, you can actually brush their teeth. Give them a thorough brushing on a daily basis to help prevent gum disease. To brush their teeth: Raise the cat's top lip. Position the toothbrush at the gum line at a 45-degree angle. Use back-and-forth swipes with the brush to clean the cat's teeth. Brush 3 or 4 teeth at once with about 10 back-and-forth swipes. Then proceed to the next group of teeth. Pay special attention to brushing the base of the teeth, between the teeth, and the upper teeth. Brush only the outer surfaces of the teeth. The inner surface gets adequately cleaned by the cat's tongue. Concentrate on brushing just a few teeth at first. Then clean a few more teeth every time. The cat will eventually grow accustomed to getting all the teeth cleaned at every session. | Brush your cat's teeth every day. Take your cat to a veterinarian for regular dental checkups. Serve hard, crunchy food to your cat. Give your cat dental health chews. Refrain from feeding leftovers or sweets to your cat. Put an oral health additive in your cat's water to help control plaque and tartar. Buy VOHC-approved products. Get a toothpaste formulated for cats. Buy a toothbrush designed for cats. Try to make teeth cleaning pleasant for your cat. Acclimate your cat to the toothpaste. Introduce your cat to having its teeth touched. Familiarize your cat with the toothbrush. Brush your cat's teeth.Once your cat is familiar with the toothpaste and brush, you can actually brush their teeth. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Cook-Israeli-Couscous | How to Cook Israeli Couscous | To cook Israeli couscous, start by bringing a small saucepan of water to boil. Next, add salt and olive oil and allow the water to simmer for another minute before adding the couscous. After you mix in the couscous, reduce the heat and cover the saucepan, simmering the mixture for 8 minutes. When the couscous is “al dente,” drain it through a fine mesh colander. Finally, season the couscous with butter and Parmesan cheese before serving. | Bring a saucepan of water to boil. Fill a small saucepan with roughly 6 cups (1.5 L) of water and bring it to a boil over high heat. Note that the saucepan should be about 2/3 full. Add more or less water as needed to get this amount. As with most boxed pasta, this is more water than the couscous will actually absorb. Using this much ensures even boiling, though. Add salt and olive oil. Sprinkle the salt into the water and drizzle in the oil. Let it the water simmer for another minute or so afterward. You can add the oil and salt before you boil the water, but adding it after the water has already reached a boil will speed the process up because standard water boils faster than saltwater. Don't be afraid to add lots of salt. Only a small amount of the salt will actually be absorbed by the couscous. You need to add the salt to the couscous now, though, so that it can seep into the couscous as it cooks and flavors it from the inside out. The oil helps prevent the couscous from sticking together. Add the Israeli couscous and simmer. After adding the couscous, reduce the heat to medium-low and cover the saucepan. Let it simmer for about 8 minutes. The couscous should be “al dente.” In other words, it should be mostly tender, with just a little firmness when you bite into it. Note that the overall cooking time can vary by brand. Follow the package instructions to determine the proper amount of time. Drain well. Pour the contents of the saucepan through a fine-mesh colander. Gently shake the colander back and forth to shake the excess water off the cooked couscous. Alternatively, you could also drain the Israeli couscous using nothing more than the saucepan and the lid. Position the lid so that it is only slightly askew on top of the saucepan. There should be a gap smaller than the average pearl of couscous in between the pan and the lid. Pour the water out into the sink through this gap. Wear oven mitts to protect yourself from the steam. Season with butter and Parmesan cheese. If you want to liven the dish up, add a few dollops of butter and a generous helping of Parmesan cheese. Note, however, that couscous can be served without either. Heat the oil in a large skillet with tall sides. Heat the oil over medium heat for a couple of minutes, just until it turns glossier and smoother. For best results, use a 2 quart (2 L) skillet. You could also use a saucepan instead of a skillet, if it proves more convenient. Cook the onion for 2 minutes. Add the chopped onion to the skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until tender. The onion should also show signs of caramelizing, but do not let it blacken or begin to burn. The fragrance of the onion should also become more potent. Cook the garlic for 1 minute. Add the minced garlic to the skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant. The garlic cooks a little more quickly than the onion, so you should add it after the onion has already cooked for a little while, first. Add the butter and couscous. Cook the contents of the skillet for 4 minutes, or until lightly browned. Stir the couscous continuously to prevent it from burning. Toasting the couscous beforehand enhances the flavor, and it also allows the couscous to cook more evenly. Add the water and salt. Stir gently to distribute the salt and cover. The salt must be added now. By adding the salt alongside the water, you make it possible for the couscous to absorb the salt as it absorbs the water, thereby flavoring each pearl inside and out. If you want to make the couscous more flavorful, use broth or stock instead. Chicken stock and vegetable broth are both good options. Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes. When done, the liquid should be completely absorbed. Stir the couscous gently, pulling it up from the center to the sides of the pan. If liquid seeps down into the center of the pan, you need to cook the couscous a little longer to absorb the remaining liquid. Note that the overall cooking time can vary by brand. Follow the package instructions to determine the proper amount of time. Stir in the herbs and black pepper. Toss the pepper, parsley, chives, and oregano into the cooked couscous and stir well to distribute throughout. You can mix up the herbs to your liking. For instance, you can add rosemary, thyme, or cilantro. You could also add the zest of a lemon. Serve while still hot. Transfer individual serving portions onto serving dishes. Add extra salt and pepper to your own portion, if desired. If you want to give the couscous a little added zing, sprinkle it with a drizzle or two of lemon juice before serving. Heat the oil in a saucepan. Pour the oil into a large saucepan and heat it on the stove over medium heat. For an even more flavorful twist, use lemon-flavored olive oil. Cook the couscous and nuts for 7 minutes. Add the couscous and chopped nuts to the oil in the pan. Stir continually until the couscous and nuts toast to a light golden brown. Stir the couscous and nuts continuously to prevent them from burning. Toasting the couscous and nuts will enhance their flavor. Most nuts will work well, but almonds or pistachios are among the best to consider. For a change, though, you could try pine nuts, macadamia nuts, or mixed nuts. Add the water, salt, and pepper. Bring the contents of the pan to a boil. Stir well to distribute the salt and pepper throughout the toasted couscous and nuts. Simmer for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat and cover, cooking until the couscous has absorbed all the liquid in the skillet. Stir the couscous gently, pulling it up from the center to the sides of the pan. If liquid seeps down into the center of the pan, you need to cook the couscous a little longer to absorb the remaining liquid. Note that the overall cooking time can vary by brand. Follow the package instructions to determine the proper amount of time. Mix in the dried fruit and herbs. Toss the dried apricots, golden raisins, parsley, and mint into the cooked couscous and stir to distribute throughout. You could also change up the dried fruits in this recipe. For instance, you could use standard raisins, dried tart cherries, dried cranberries, or dried figs. Serve with cinnamon and/or lemon juice, if desired. Transfer the couscous to serving dishes and sprinkle each serving with a little cinnamon or a drizzle of lemon juice. Alternatively, you could serve the couscous without any garnish. | Bring a saucepan of water to boil. Add salt and olive oil. Add the Israeli couscous and simmer. Drain well. Season with butter and Parmesan cheese. Heat the oil in a large skillet with tall sides. Cook the onion for 2 minutes. Cook the garlic for 1 minute. Add the butter and couscous. Add the water and salt. Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the herbs and black pepper. Serve while still hot. Heat the oil in a saucepan. Cook the couscous and nuts for 7 minutes. Add the water, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes. Mix in the dried fruit and herbs. Serve with cinnamon and/or lemon juice, if desired. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Increase-Female-Libido | How to Increase Female Libido | To increase your libido if you're a woman, practice pelvic floor exercises, which can increase sexual arousal by strengthening the muscles around your vagina. You could also try watching pornography with your partner, which can create an opportunity to talk openly about your sexual feelings. Alternatively, if you find pornography too crude, read an erotica novel to develop new fantasies or desires. If you feel like trying something new, buy sexual aids for the bedroom, like a vibrator or Hitachi Magic Wand, which can increase stimulation. For a longer-term solution, focus on eating a healthy diet, including lots of fruits and vegetables, and healthy proteins, since this helps improve blood flow and boosts your energy. | Visit a mental health care professional to determine whether you suffer from some form of depression. Depression and anxiety are often accompanied by a decrease in sexual drive. It is important to identify and treat depression first before you address your lack of sex drive. In some cases, antidepressants may be prescribed to improve symptoms of depression. Be honest with your doctor about the decrease in your libido, since some prescription drugs can also reduce sex drive. Changing the medication often results in fewer affects on your libido. Use a therapist to identify your sexual self-esteem. How do you define yourself as a sexual being: are you sexually appealing? How do you perceive yourself? Why? It is important to have high sexual self-esteem but there can be a number of factors, including abuse, harassment, weight gain, and being called demeaning names, that can negatively impact your sexual self-esteem. If you find the issues involve your partner, keep them in the loop. Find a therapist or counselor who has experience working with low libido and actively work on these emotional causes with your partner. Communicate with your partner about how you are feeling. Your libido will have an impact on your partner, so keep them informed to work on your sex life together. Open communication allows you to explore how to enjoy sex and one another's desires. It's important to define your sexual expectations together. A lack of communication is a sure libido-killer. Think about it this way: How is your partner to know what you like or dislike if you can't address it to them? By opening the lines of communication and being honest with yourself, you can tell your partner your desires and dislikes. Perhaps you enjoy a particular touch from your partner and when it doesn't happen, you have a hard time finding your libido. Being able to pinpoint this and communicate you need to feel sexual will help keep your libido roaring. Keeping communication alive isn't just about communicating on sex. It's also important to be able to communicate about other life problems such as work and finances. If your partner is doing everything they should in the bedroom, perhaps your lack of libido is coming from elsewhere, such as resentment over a financial issue. Decrease your stress levels. Stress can be brought on by many factors including finances, occupation, health, and family. Identify the main stressors in your life and take the necessary steps to manage a balanced routine. Get massages, exercise, or develop a healthier work/life balance. Only you will know what is the most effective way for you to deal with stress. Communicate with your partner to increase the level of intimacy and help manage your stress levels. Even scheduling intimacy makes it a priority. Set aside time for being sexy. When life gets busy, you may find your libido is left behind in the dust. As unsexy as it may sound, setting aside weekly times to enjoy your body will help keep you in the routine of having a libido. If you want to include your partner, remember that you don't have to necessarily have sex, but instead upkeep closeness and intimacy in your relationship. Don't worry about it feeling unsexy. After the business of getting the kids to school, working all day, making dinner and getting the kids to bed, you likely find that a lacking energy level will plummet your libido. By having a fun activity to look forward to, you'll have all-day anticipation and a time slot to set aside your daily worries and focus on yourself. Get tested for endocrine problems or chronic diseases that can affect your sex drive. Thyroid disease is a type of endocrine problem that affects menstrual functioning and can lower sex drive. Chronic diseases like anemia and diabetes are also known to lower the libido. Doctors can help you address these conditions once diagnosed. If you're suffering from a chronic disease, take the focus off intercourse and explore alternate ways in achieving sexual pleasure. Removing the pressure can help your libido come back naturally. Quit smoking. Tobacco affects blood circulation, which can lower the sensitivity and function of genitalia. Smoking also affects testosterone levels, the hormone that affects libido. Consult a healthcare professional before increasing your testosterone levels via supplements. Bioidentical testosterone supplements should be tailored specifically to your needs. Understand the effects of your birth control pills. Women who take a form of birth control pill may see a decrease in libido. Your body's reaction to the pill depends on your individual body chemistry and the hormonal mixture within the ill. If you have been on the same birth control pill and you have only recently experienced a decreased libido, your body may be changing. It is still likely there is another, unrelated reason it has changed, but don't be quick to write off your birth control. By careful noting of the exact changes, your doctor can help you identify if your birth control is the culprit. Manage the transition to menopause. Sex drive declines as we age. While the effects of age are different for each individual, women in their late 40s and 50s commonly experience a decrease in libido. Loss of sexual drive and lack of lubrication are very common in postmenopausal women. Libido is often directly related to enjoyment of sex. If you're having trouble lubricating, pick up a bottle of personal lubricant from the drugstore and try it out. Regulate your diet and eat healthy, sex-friendly foods. The right foods can increase blood flow to your sexual organs. Better choices will increase your libido. Eating fruits and vegetables every day can decrease risk of anemia, increase your overall energy and improve blood circulation. Replace red meat with protein from plants as saturated fats can affect libido. Try nuts, seeds, legumes and soy instead of red meat. Eat fruits and veggies instead of junk foods. Junk foods reduce blood while fruits and veggies provide lasting energy needed for increased sex drive. Sprinkle red pepper flakes instead of salt as peppers contain a chemical the encourages blood flow while salt increase blood pressure and lowers the libido. Eat whole grain cereals for zinc as it preserves testosterone. Though women do have lower levels of testosterone, it is still present and provides a strong libido. Eat small amounts of chocolate with 70% cocoa content or higher. Chocolate can provide the same arousal as an orgasm. Take ginseng and/or ginkgo biloba supplements. These supplements are available over the counter, and they claim to target mood and sexual desire. Taking a supplement may result in improved libido because of the placebo effect. A certain percentage of people will always see an improvement in their condition because of a belief that they will improve. For this reason, it may be a better idea to use a supplement while you look for other possible causes of sexual decline. Do not take ginkgo biloba if you are taking blood thinners. Consult your doctor before taking either supplement if you have a health condition or are taking other medication. Supplements can interact with prescription drugs. Take an Arginine supplement. This amino acid is essential to many body functions including blood flow. It is the main source of nitric oxide, which is responsible for sexual arousal in women. Nitric oxide increases blood flow to the genitals and can increase the intensity of the orgasm. Use vaginal creams or oils. Vaginal dryness is a common symptom that can be treated with a vaginal lubricant and hormone therapy. While natural oils can be used to treat vaginal dryness, persistent symptoms may indicate a greater medical issue. Vitamin E can improve vaginal lubrication when applied daily in and around the vagina. Open a vitamin E capsule to obtain the oil, or use a dropper bottle to directly deposit liquid vitamin E to your hands. Try Zestra, a topical oil. This over the counter vaginal oil contains vitamins C and E, primrose oils and Angelica root. Studies claim to produce better libido increases than a placebo. Practice pelvic floor exercises. Otherwise known as "Kegels," learning to control and strengthen the muscles that surround the vagina can result in increased arousal. Identify the muscle that aids you in stopping the flow of urination and lifting your lower abdominal muscles. Squeeze the muscles upward without squeezing your buttocks. Hold for 3 to 10 seconds then relax. Repeat in sets of 10 throughout the day. Watch videos with your partner. Studies have shown that pornography can interest both men and women, although women process the information differently. Being able to watch sexual activity and then express your feelings to your romantic partner opens a dialogue. Use sexual aids in the bedroom. Vibrators or personal massagers are a great addition for women who are experiencing low sexual desire. There are many sexual aids on the market but ones that focus on clitoral stimulation, like the Hitachi Magic Wand, are best for aiding with sexual disfunction. Read reviews and blogs to find something specific to your needs and price point. Stimulate your imagination. If you find traditional pornography to be crude or offensive, try picking up an erotica novel. Whether you use it as a tool to get your mind moving in sexy ways, or to encourage new fantasies to come out, the right erotica can get your mind open to the idea of sex. If erotica is too big of a jump into the realm of pornography for you, try a simple romance novel. Reading about the thrill of a woman falling in love with someone may be all you need for a kick-start in your sex libido. Reading erotica can be a private, personal act or you can try involving your partner. Take turns reading to each other to help bring you closer together and increase your openness to another. | Visit a mental health care professional to determine whether you suffer from some form of depression. Use a therapist to identify your sexual self-esteem. Communicate with your partner about how you are feeling. Decrease your stress levels. Set aside time for being sexy. Get tested for endocrine problems or chronic diseases that can affect your sex drive. Quit smoking. Understand the effects of your birth control pills. Manage the transition to menopause. Regulate your diet and eat healthy, sex-friendly foods. Take ginseng and/or ginkgo biloba supplements. Take an Arginine supplement. Use vaginal creams or oils. Practice pelvic floor exercises. Watch videos with your partner. Use sexual aids in the bedroom. Stimulate your imagination. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Identify-Gemstones | How to Identify Gemstones | To identify gemstones, get an identification chart you can reference. When you find a stone, feel the surface to make sure it's smooth, which is a sign that it's a gemstone. The stone should not be malleable if it is a true gemstone. Then, check that the stone isn't an assembly of rock fragments by shining a light into it to see if it is made up of more than 1 piece. Look at the stone's color and transparency and compare it to your chart to try to match it to a specific gemstone. To check the quality of the stone, shine a light on the part of the stone with the best polish to check the shine or its luster. | Invest in a gemstone identification chart. If you think you'll be identifying gemstones often, it would be in your best interest to invest in a printed chart or reference manual. When in doubt, look for a book or chart endorsed by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). Look online for basic charts. If you only need to identify a gemstone on rare occasions, you might be able to manage the task by looking at individual gemstone identification charts online. These charts are much less detailed and less extensive, but they might work in a pinch. The Hiddenite Gems' gemstone identification chart can be used when you know color and hardness. The Gem Select RI chart can be used when you know refractive index and birefringence: http://www.gemselect.com/gem-info/refractive-index.php The American Federation of Mineralogical Societies (AFMS) offers a free Mohs' Scale chart: http://www.amfed.org/t_mohs.htm Feel the stone's surface. A stone with a rough or sandy texture should not be identified as a gemstone. Check its malleability. A stone that is readily malleable—i.e. easy to shape by hammering, crushing, or bending it—the stone is more likely a metallic ore than an actual gemstone. True gemstones have a crystalline structure. This structure can be shaped through cutting, fracturing, and abrasion, but it has fixed planes that cannot be altered by pressure alone. Don't hit a stone with a hammer if you don't want to shatter it. Real gemstones don't get bend or reshaped, but they do break. Know which materials are not classified as gemstones. In particular, pearls and fossilized wood can be mistakenly classified as gemstones but do not fit the qualifications in the strictest sense of the term. Watch out for synthetics. Synthetic stones share the same structure, chemical composition, and physical properties of their natural counterparts, but they are created in a lab rather than made naturally. You can usually spot a synthetic by observing several characteristics. Synthetic stones often have curved growth patterns inside the stone rather than angular growth patterns. Gas bubbles are that are round and come in large strings are often an indication, but be careful, since a gas bubble in an inclusion can occur within natural stones. Platinum or gold platelets can stick to synthetic stones. Fingerprint-patterned inclusions are common in synthetics, as are nail-shaped inclusions, chevron (v-shaped) growth patterns, wispy veil-like inclusions, and interior columnar structures. Watch out for imitations. An imitation stone is a material that looks like a real gemstone upon first glance in spite of the fact that it is made of a completely different material. These stones can be natural or artificial, but there are a few good techniques used to spot them either way. Pay a special attention while checking Turquoise, Lapis, Sapphire, Ruby and Emerald because there are many treatments available in market which make the stones same like natural The surface of an imitation may look pitted and uneven, like an orange peel. Some imitations have swirl marks known as "flow lines." Large, round gas bubbles are common within imitations. Imitations tend to feel lighter than their natural counterparts. Determine whether or not the gemstone is an assembled stone. Assembled stones are made of two or more materials. These stones may consist entirely of natural gems, but oftentimes, synthetic materials are mixed in. Use a penlight to illuminate the stone when checking for signs of assembly. Look for differences in luster or for colored and colorless cement. Also look for the "red ring effect." Turn the stone face down and look for a red ring along the outer part of the stone. If you spot the red ring, you probably have an assembled stone. Look at the color. The color of the gemstone is often your first clue. This component can be further divided into three parts: hue, tone, and saturation. Do not shine a light into the stone to examine its color unless you have a dark stone and need to determine whether it is black, dark blue, or another deep color. "Hue" refers to the stone's overall body color. Be as specific as possible. For instance, if a stone is a yellowish green, identify it as such instead of merely saying "red." The GIA separates stone hue into 31 different colors. "Tone" refers to whether a color is dark, medium, light, or somewhere in between. "Saturation" refers to the intensity of color. Determine whether the hue is warm (yellow, orange, red) or cool (purple, blue, green). With warm colors, check the stone for brown tints. For cool colors, check the stone for gray tints. The more brown or gray you see, the less saturated the stone color is. Observe the transparency. Transparency describes how light filters through the gemstone. A stone can be transparent, translucent, or opaque. Transparent stones are completely see-through (example: diamonds). Translucent stones can be seen through, but some color or haze alters the image (example: amethyst or aquamarine). Opaque stones cannot be seen through (example: opal). Check its heft or estimated specific gravity. You can determine heft—how heavy the gemstone is —by simply bouncing it in your hand. This is a quick and easy way to estimate a stone's weight without performing complex specific gravity tests and equations. To judge heft, bounce the stone in the palm of your hand and ask yourself if it feels as heavy as you would expect for its size or if it feels heavier or unusually light. Specific gravity readings are fairly outdated as a practice among gemologists, and heft measurements are used as a relatively accurate estimation. For example, aquamarine has low heft while blue topaz, which is similar in appearance, has a high or heavy heft. Similarly, diamond has a lower heft than synthetic cubic zirconia. Note the cut. While not a foolproof method of identification, some gemstones are more likely to be cut in certain ways. Oftentimes, ideal cuts are determined by the way light bounces off the crystalline structure of the stone. The most common cut styles you will run across include faceted, cabochon, cameo, bead, and tumbled. Within each of these basic cut styles, you will usually see sub-styles, as well. Ask yourself if damage tests are appropriate. There are a few identification tests that you may wish to avoid if you need to preserve the gemstone in its current state. This includes hardness, streak, and cleavage tests. Some stones are physically harder than others, and hardness is usually measured by the Mohs' Scale. Use the various substances provided in a hardness kit to scratch the surface of the gemstone. If the stone can be scratched, it is softer than the substance you scratched it with. If the stone cannot be scratched, it is harder than the substance. To test streak, drag the stone across a ceramic plate. Compare the streak left behind to the streaks illustrated on a streak chart. "Cleavage" refers to the way a crystal breaks. If there are chips along to surface, examine the area inside the chips. If not, you will need to strike the gemstone hard enough to break it. Ask yourself if the area is rounded like rings on a seashell (conchoidal), straight like steps, granular, splintery, or uneven. Check optical phenomena. Optical phenomenon only occurs inside certain stones. Depending on the stone, you might observe color change, asterism, bands of moving light, or more. Check for optical phenomena by passing a pen light across the stone's surface. Color change is one of the most important optical phenomena to look for, and every stone should be checked for color change. Look for changes in color between natural light, incandescent light, and fluorescent light. Look at the luster. Luster refers to the quality and intensity with which a surface reflects light. When testing for luster, reflect light off the portion of the gemstone with the best polish. To check for luster, turn the stone, allowing light to reflect off its surface. View the stone with the naked eye and with a 10x loupe. Determine if the stone looks dull, waxy, metallic, shiny (adamantine), glass-like (vitreous), greasy, or silky. Observe the gemstone's dispersion. The manner in which a stone separates white light into its spectral colors is called dispersion, and the visible display of dispersion is called fire. Examine the amount and strength of this "fire" to help identify the stone. Shine a penlight through the stone and examine the fire inside the stone. Ask yourself if the fire is weak, moderate, strong, or extreme. Determine the refractive index. You can test refractive index (RI) using a refractometer. Using this device, you'll be able to measure the degree at which the course of light is altered within the stone. Each gemstone has its own RI, so discovering a sample's RI can help you figure out what sort of stone it actually is. Place a small bead of RI fluid on the metal surface of the refractometer near the back of the crystal hemicylinder (the window on which the stone will sit). Place the stone facet face down on the fluid dot and slide it toward the middle of the hemicylinder crystal using your fingers. Look through the viewer lens without magnification. Continue looking until you see the outline of a bubble, then look at the bottom of this bubble. Take the reading from there, rounding the decimal to the nearest hundredth. Use the magnifying lens to take a more specific reading and round it to the nearest thousandth. Consider testing the birefringence, as well. Birefringence is related to RI. While doing birefringence test, you will turn the gemstone on the refractometer six times throughout the observation period and note the changes. Perform a standard RI test. Instead of keeping the stone still, gradually turn it 180 degrees, making each separate turn about 30 degrees. At each 30 degree mark, take a new RI reading. Subtract the lowest reading from the highest to find the stone's birefringence. Round it to the nearest thousandth. Check for single or double refraction. Use this test on translucent and transparent stones. You can determine whether the stone is only singly refractive (SR) or doubly refractive (DR) to help identify it. Some stones can also be classified as aggregate (AGG). Turn on the light of a polariscope and place the stone face down on the lower glass lens (polarizer). Look through the top lens (analyzer), turning the top lens until the area around the stone looks darkest. This is your starting point. Turn the analyzer 360 degrees and watch how the light around the stone changes. If the stone appeared dark and stays dark, it is likely an SR. If the stone starts light and stays light, it is likely AGG. If the lightness or darkness of the stone changes, it is likely DR. | Invest in a gemstone identification chart. Look online for basic charts. Feel the stone's surface. Check its malleability. Know which materials are not classified as gemstones. Watch out for synthetics. Watch out for imitations. Determine whether or not the gemstone is an assembled stone. Look at the color. Observe the transparency. Check its heft or estimated specific gravity. Note the cut. Ask yourself if damage tests are appropriate. Check optical phenomena. Look at the luster. Observe the gemstone's dispersion. Determine the refractive index. Consider testing the birefringence, as well. Check for single or double refraction. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Sleep-After-Shoulder-Surgery | How to Sleep After Shoulder Surgery | To sleep after your shoulder surgery, apply an ice pack or bag of frozen vegetables to your shoulder about a half hour before you go to bed to help reduce the pain and inflammation. At the same time as you apply an ice pack, take your final dose of medication for the day, so it will start working before you go to sleep and ease your pain. For the first few weeks, you should also wear your sling in bed, which will support your shoulder and prevent it from moving while you sleep. If you have a reclining chair, like a Lay-Z-Boy, consider sleeping in it, since this will provide the most comfort. Alternatively, support your lower and middle back with a few pillows in bed. You can also prop your arm on another pillows to support it through the night. | Apply ice packs before bedtime. Managing your shoulder pain or soreness before going to bed makes it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep, which is important for your body's healing process to work at top efficiency. Applying an ice pack to your sore shoulder about 30 minutes prior to going to bed can reduce inflammation, numb the pain and provide temporary relief, which are all important factors in falling asleep soundly. Don't apply anything cold to your sore shoulder without wrapping it in a thin cloth or towel in order to prevent frostbite or irritation. Keep the crushed ice or ice cubes on your shoulder for about 15 minutes or until the area is numb and you can't feel the pain as much. If you don't have any ice, use a bag of frozen veggies or fruit from your freezer. The benefits of cold therapy can last between 15 to 60 minutes, which is usually enough time to allow you to fall asleep. Take your medication as recommended. Another important aspect of managing your post-operative shoulder pain before bedtime is taking your over-the-counter or prescription medication as recommended by your surgeon or family doctor. Regardless if it's a painkiller or anti-inflammatory, take the recommended dosage about 30 minutes before going to bed, as that should be enough time for you to feel the benefits and get comfortable in bed. Take your medication with a little food before going to bed in order to avoid stomach irritation. Some fruit, toast, cereal or yogurt are all good options. Never take medication with alcoholic beverages, such as beer, wine or liquors, because of the increased risk of a toxic reaction in your body. Instead, use water or juice, but not grapefruit juice. Grapefruit juice interacts with many different medications and it can significantly increase the level of medication in your system, which may be fatal. Most patients undergoing shoulder surgery require strong prescription narcotics for at least of few days and sometimes as long as 2 weeks. Wear a sling during the day. After your shoulder surgery, your surgeon or family doctor will recommend and likely give you an arm sling to wear during the day for a few weeks. Arm slings support the shoulder and combat the pulling effects of gravity, which aggravates post-operative shoulder pain. Wearing your arm sling during waking hours will reduce the amount of swelling and soreness in your shoulder at the end of the day, making it easier to fall asleep at night. Wear the strap of the arm sling around your neck in the most comfortable position for your sore shoulder. The arm sling can be removed for short periods of time if necessary, as long as your arm is well supported. Make sure to lie on your back when removing the sling. You may need to go a few days or so without a shower if your surgeon insists on leaving your sling on the entire time. Or, keep an extra sling on hand that you can wear while you are in the shower, then put the dry one on after you are dry. Don't overdo it during the day. Taking it easier during the day while your shoulder recovers is also helpful in preventing excessive soreness at night prior to going to bed. Wearing a sling makes it difficult to move your shoulder too much, but avoid activities that can jar your shoulder such as jogging, working out on a stair climber and rough housing with friends. Focusing on really protecting your shoulder for at least a few months if not a few months — depending on the type of surgery you've had. Walking during the day and early evening is good for your overall health and blood circulation, but take it slow and easier. Remember that with a sling on, your balance will be affected, so be careful of falls and accidents which can further inflame your shoulder and make it more difficult to sleep. Wear a sling while in bed. In addition to wearing your sling during the day, consider also wearing it at night, at least for a few weeks. Keeping your arm in a sling while in bed can help your shoulder remain stable while sleeping. With an arm sling snugly holding your shoulder in place and supporting it, you won't have to worry about your arm moving and creating pain around while you're asleep. Even when wearing an arm sling in bed, don't sleep on your sore shoulder because the compression can trigger pain and inflammation, which could wake you up. Wear a thin t-shirt under the arm sling while in bed so the skin around your neck and upper body doesn't get irritated. Sleep in a reclined position. The best position for most people with shoulder surgeries to sleep in is in a reclined position because it puts less strain on the shoulder joint and surrounding soft tissues. To get into a reclined position while in bed, bolster your lower back and mid back with a few pillows. Alternatively, try sleeping in a reclining chair (Lay-Z-Boy style) if you have one — it might be more comfortable than propping yourself up in bed with pillows. Avoid lying flat on your back as that position is often the most irritating to post-operative shoulders. As your shoulder soreness / stiffness subsides with time, you can slowly lower yourself into a flatter (more horizontal) position gradually if it feels comfortable during the night. In terms of time frame, you'll most likely need to sleep in a semi-reclined position for 6 weeks or more depending on the type of surgery you had. Prop your injured arm up. While you're in bed and in a reclined position, prop up your injured arm with a medium-sized pillow placed under your elbow and hand — you can do this with or without a sling on. Doing so puts your shoulder in a position that encourages good blood flow to the joint and surrounding muscles, which is important for healing. Make sure to keep your elbow bent and the pillow snug underneath your armpit. Alternatives to pillows include cushions and rolled up blankets or towels. As long as it comfortably elevates your lower arm and isn't too slippery, it'll work fine. Elevating the lower arm and causing some external rotation at the shoulder while in bed is particularly comforting for rotator cuff and labrum surgeries. Build a pillow fort or barrier. While sleeping in your bed after shoulder surgery, even if in a reclined position, it's important to not accidentally roll over onto your injured shoulder and damage it further. Thus, stack some pillows beside and/or behind your injured side to prevent rolling onto it while sleeping. Softer pillows typically work better than firmer pillows as a barrier because your arm will sink into them instead of rolling off of them. It's a good idea to line both sides of your body with softer pillows to keep you from rolling over either way and jolting your post-operative shoulder. Don't use pillows covered in satin or silk because they tend to be too slippery as a support and barrier. As an alternative, move your bed against a wall and sleep with your sore shoulder wedged gently against it in order to prevent rolling over. | Apply ice packs before bedtime. Take your medication as recommended. Wear a sling during the day. Don't overdo it during the day. Wear a sling while in bed. Sleep in a reclined position. Prop your injured arm up. Build a pillow fort or barrier. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Open-a-Rolex-Watch | How to Open a Rolex Watch | If you need to open your Rolex, you'll want to do it carefully so you don't damage your watch. One way to open it is to use a special rubber ball, which you can get from a watch repair shop or online. All you need to do is press the ball firmly into the back of your watch and turn it counter-clockwise. Alternatively, use a watch die kit, which you can buy from the same places. Find the die from the set that fits your watch back. Then, place the die inside its handle, place it on the back of your watch into the grooves, and turn it counter-clockwise. Whichever method you choose, make sure you place your Rolex face-down on a soft cloth to avoid scratching its face. | Open the watch band. If you have a band that separates, simply open it up. If you have a closed-loop metal band, look for the pin in the clasp. Use a small screwdriver to push the pin out the other side. Put the pin in a safe place, and open the bracelet. Be careful when pushing out the pin, as you could scratch the band if the tool slips. Place the watch face down on something soft. You don't want to scratch up the front of the watch. Therefore, you should place the watch face-down on something relatively soft. Try something with a bit of grip, such as piece of shelf liner. You can also hold the watch in your hand, particularly when using the ball. Work in a dry and clean area. You don't want to be in an area that's dusty, where debris could get into the watch. Also, you don't want to be in steamy room, as steam isn't good for the inside of your watch. Pick the correct die. Generally, a die kit for Rolex watches will come with multiple dies to fit different watches. Try them out until 1 seems to fit properly into the screw setting around the back of the watch. The edge of the setting looks like a standard dime. You can buy these dies online or from a watch repair shop. If you're trying to order the correct tool online, measure across the back of the watch. Measure straight across from 1 ridged edge to another. Place the die in the handle. Most watch tools come with a handle to place the die in. The handle gives you leverage for turning the die on the back of the watch. Usually, you'll just have a tool where the die sits in the middle, and it will just set in place. However, more sophisticated tools may come with a vice to hold the die and watch. Set the die on the back of the watch. Place the die with the handle on the back of the watch so that it sets in the grooves. Be careful to apply it straight, as if you come at it from an angle, you could scratch the watch. You should feel the die settle into place on the back of the watch. Turn the die counterclockwise. Check to see if the die feels secure on the watch. If it slides off, it could scratch it. Once you feel the die has set into place, turn the die counterclockwise to unscrew the back. Hold the watch in place as you turn. Keep turning until the back comes off. Find a rubber ball. The other way to open a Rolex watch involves using a rubber ball. You can buy these at watch stores, but you can also get them cheap online. It should be a small inflatable ball, about the size of a tennis ball. Any squishy rubber ball should do, but it should also have a slightly tacky feel. Place the ball on the back of the watch. Press the ball into the back of the watch. You need to press it hard enough so that you create friction between the ball and the watch. The ball is going to grip the ridges on the watch. Turn the ball counterclockwise. Hold the watch firmly, turn the ball to the left until it starts to unscrew. Keep going until you can grip the back of the watch with your fingers and turn it some more. Pull the back off. | Open the watch band. Place the watch face down on something soft. Work in a dry and clean area. Pick the correct die. Place the die in the handle. Set the die on the back of the watch. Turn the die counterclockwise. Find a rubber ball. Place the ball on the back of the watch. Turn the ball counterclockwise. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Practice-Guitar | How to Practice Guitar | To practice guitar, learn how to play different chords using the proper finger positioning and practice making smooth transitions between the chords as you play them. You can also learn different scales, like the pentatonic scale, to improve your playing. Learning to play a few simple songs can be a fun way to break up the monotony of chords and scales, though! Aim to practice consistently for 20-40 minutes at least 5 times per week to build up and maintain your dexterity. | Hold the guitar correctly. If you're right handed, hold the guitar so your right hand falls about halfway between the sound hole and the bridge of the guitar, and support the neck of the guitar with your left hand. With the guitar tight in to your body, orient the guitar so the the smallest string is pointed toward the ground and the thickest string toward the ceiling. Hold the back of the guitar so it touches your stomach and chest and rests on the leg of your strumming/picking hand. The neck should be aimed up, at about a 45 degree angle. With your left hand, hold the neck in the V created by your thumb and forefinger. You should be able to smoothly move your left hand up and down the neck without having to hold it up, letting your leg and your right elbow cradle the guitar comfortably. If you're having to use your left hand to support the guitar up, you're holding the guitar incorrectly. Find a comfortable chair that allows you to hold and play your guitar properly. Stools, benches, or other hard-backed chairs are appropriate, anything that will force you to sit straight-backed with good posture is good. Cushioned stools made specifically for guitar playing are common at guitar shops, which you might peruse if you're interested, but regular kitchen chairs are appropriate as well. Try not to use a chair that has arms Tune your guitar. Start every practice session by tuning your guitar. Playing an out-of-tune guitar can make practice sessions frustrating and counterproductive, making it important that you learn how to tune your guitar yourself as soon as possible. The ability to get your guitar in tune quickly will make practicing a lot smoother and more fun. To tune with an electric tuner , hold the tuner close to the sound hole of an acoustic guitar, or plug an electric guitar directly into the tuner with quarter-inch cable. The tuner will indicate whether or not each string is flat (too low) or sharp (too high), and you can turn the corresponding tuning peg until the tone is correct. On many electric tuners, the light will turn green when the tone is correct. To tune the guitar to itself , hold the low E string at the fifth fret to play an A, which should match to the 5th string. Tune the A string until the tones match, then hold the A string at the fifth fret and do the same thing with the D string. The only variation is the G string, which you'll hold at the 4th fret to match to the B string. This might not get you in perfect pitch, but it's fine for practice, as long as the guitar is tuned relative to itself. Free online tuners , are also available to produce the proper tones and match them. Visit a free online tuner by clicking here here. Hold the guitar pick correctly. The pick, also called the plectrum, can be a source of frustration for beginning players. To make sure you build the right skills and comfortability with your instrument, you need to practice holding the pick correctly. To hold the pick correctly, turn your picking hand (your dominant, or writing hand) with your palm parallel to your stomach. Curl all your fingers in toward your palm and place the pick with the skinny point facing directly at you on top of your pointer finger. Hold it in place with your thumb. There should be no more than about two centimeters of pick sticking out of your hand. Holding the pick at the end will result in lots of drops and bad habits. To learn to pick and strum correctly, hold the pick with very little sticking out. Practice playing chords. Practice forming chords properly and playing clean chords, without striking any dead strings. Practice chords until each note rings out evenly, no louder or quieter than any other note in the chord. Practice switching between chords to make your transitions as smooth and as fluid as possible. Start by forming first-position chords. First-position chords are played between the first and third fret, generally incorporating a lot of open strings. You can play most pop, country, and rock songs on a few basic first-position chords. Common first-position chords for beginners to learn include the G chord , D chord , Am chord , C chord , E chord , A chord , and F chord. Practice forming barre chords. Barre chords, also called power chords, are all made from the same finger-positioning at different frets on the guitar. You can form a G chord in first position, or by forming a barre chord at the third fret, for example. They tend to be somewhat difficult for the beginner, because they require a wide fingering, but are great for playing rock and punk songs. Always practice to a beat. One of the most commonly overlooked and essential things to becoming a good guitar player is to play in time. It's great if you can play the solo from "Black Dog" at a million miles an hour, but can you play it slowly, with feeling? Practicing to a beat forces you to play the notes you see, not the notes you can play. Developing a sense of rhythm in your playing will make you a better guitar player. Practice scales. If you're taking lessons, you'll likely be provided with scale sheets, while if you're learning from a book it'll be up to you to find the scales and practice them yourself. Mel Bay books and other resources have been teaching guitar players to pick for decades, while online sheet music and exercises are also available. The pentatonic scale is a common rock key for guitar players to learn. Made up of five notes in each scale, the pentatonic scale, also often called "the blues scale" is the basis for many different types of music. Practice it in each key. Learning different scales and modes is a great way of improving your playing, allowing you to maneuver around the guitar, but it's not the most fun exercise. Take a scale and attempt to turn it into a guitar solo. To make scales more fun, try to make them swing, playing them at different tempos, once you've got the basics down. Learn some songs to make practicing more fun. Pick a few songs that you'd like to learn and start picking out the different parts, with the aid of sheet music, tablature, or listening by ear. try to learn songs all the way through, not just a single lick or chord progression. Practice chaining together the different parts of a song to get all the way through, and you'll be teaching yourself about composition and learn to play with stamina. It's harder than it looks. For the beginner , folk and country songs are often the easiest to learn. Try to play the chords to "Folsom Prison Blues" by Johnny Cash, which is a fun and easy place to start. Other popular beginner songs that are good to practice include "Tom Dooley," "Long Black Veil," or even "Mary Had a Little Lamb." Pick a simple children's song to learn. It's likely it won't involve more than three chords: G, C, and D major. For the intermediate player , start picking songs that introduce uncommon chords or unusual rhythm playing to learn more complex styles. Try learning songs that are outside of your listening range, to force yourself into unexplored regions. If you like classical, try learning "Lithium" by Nirvana, for it's surprisingly complex chord voicing and melodic structure. Rock players might try to learn "Fur Elise" by Beethoven, to learn a new style. All players should learn to play all of "Stairway to Heaven," so you can say you've arrived as a guitar player. For the advanced player , choose compositionally difficult material that with force you to learn new techniques in your desired genre of music. Metal players should master the complex harmonics of Opeth leads, while country players should study Merle Travis's patented picking style, and rock players could spend a lifetime dissecting Jerry Garcia's psychedelic explorations. Make fundamentals fun. Strike a deal with yourself: learn a new song, or riff, for every new scale you tackle, or page of your practice book you pass during lessons. It's also a good idea to talk to your teacher, if you have one, about songs that you'd like to learn, so you don't spend all your time mastering Nirvana songs you don't have any interest in learning. Most guitar teachers are happy to teach you what you want to learn. Use your ears and your eyes. Many of the greatest guitar players learned to play by listening repeatedly to the same song over and over again, their ear to the radio, slowly picking out the different parts on their own. Learning to play by ear is an equally-effective and important way of learning to play guitar. Listen to your favorite tunes until you can pick up the tricks and techniques the guitar players are using. Practice for at least 20-40 minutes. To build up your guitar playing stamina and to retain the muscle memory that you're working to build, you need to practice somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 minutes a day. As you become more proficient and build callouses on your fingers that'll make playing more comfortable, you'll be able to practice more in a day, but in the beginning it's good to aim for a happy medium. 30 minutes is long enough to improve and work on a considerable amount of material, but not so long as to wear you out. Practice at least 5 times a week. Because building callouses and dexterity is such an important part of playing guitar, it's very important to practice consistently, several times a week, or you'll end up back at square one every time you pick up the instrument. Try setting a practice time each day, maybe right after you get done with work or school, or right after dinner. Start making it a habit to pick up the guitar at that same time every day and putting in your 30 or 40 minutes. If you rarely practice guitar, that will lead to pain in the finger tips all over again. It will be so much easier to play guitar if you practice a lot because of no pain in your finger tips and because you will be used to playing and reading notes and tablature. . Start your session with regular warm-ups Each time you pick up the guitar, sit in your practice chair, holding the guitar and the pick correctly, and do some exercises for at least 3 or 5 minutes to get your fingers warmed up for your session. Picking even quarter-notes on each of the first four frets of each string, from low E to high E is a common warm-up exercise. Common warm up exercises usually involve picking a particular pattern up and down the neck of the guitar, not necessarily the most tuneful pattern, but one that'll get your fingers loose. You can develop your own or learn one from a guitar teacher you like. Anything repetitive can be appropriate for a warm-up. Running up and down a new scale you're learning, or playing your favorite Clapton lick. Whatever you like to play, play it up and down a few times until your fingers feel loose and comfortable. Then you're ready for practice. Balance skill-building with fun exercises. In each practice session, it's important to give equal weight to the things you want to do and the things you have to do. Want to practice the "Smells Like Teen Spirit" solo? Go for it, but make yourself earn it by running through your scale sheet first. Weight the latter half of each practice session with fun activities to give yourself something to look forward to. Always keep moving forward and challenging yourself. It's possible to reach plateaus in your guitar-playing ability and start to level off. In fact, many guitar players aren't much better after five years of playing than after the first five months, because of these plateaus. To practice effectively, you need to learn to embrace the challenge of learning a new song, mastering a new style, or adding complexity to the skills you've already learned, so you can avoid the flat-line. Nailed the solo from "Black Dog" by Zeppelin? Write a new one in mixolydian mode, or try to play it backwards. Play the whole solo without ever playing the root note. Give yourself little challenges to force yourself to improvise and improve. Practice with and learn from other players. It's very difficult to learn an instrument completely on your own. While it's not necessarily critical to pay for private lessons, there's no substitute from playing with other people and learning things first hand. It's an excellent way to practice. Look for open jam sessions in your town, at which you can hang out and learn the tricks of the trade from more experienced players. You might even get a band out of it. Embrace YouTube tutorials. Learning to play guitar has never been easier, since we've got the ability to see close-up footage of long-dead greats like Mississippi John Hurt, or Rev. Gary Davis picking their compositions close up. Where guitar players once had to listen, not you can see where the fingers of the great ones went, and learn from their styles. Manage the finger pain. One of the toughest parts of practice and learning to stick with the guitar is the finger pain in your fretting hand. Pushing on the steel or nylon strings is painful at first, no doubt about it, and it'll take a while of negotiating that pain before you build up callouses that'll make it more comfortable. Practice more, but for shorter sessions, if the pain is too strong. If you find yourself unable to play for 30 or 40 minutes without uncomfortable finger pain, take a break until your fingers feel better. Shake your wrist and move it around to increase the blood flow and give your finger tips a break. Make sure you're not pushing the strings too hard. You can make sure you're not pushing the strings too hard, causing unnecessary pain, by finding the string's "buzz point." Push on a string like you normally do, then gradually let up on the string as you pick it. Find the point at which the string starts playing dead, or buzzing, because you're not pushing it hard enough. The best pressure to use is just past the buzz point, light enough to be comfortable, but hard enough to avoid the buzz. Stretch your arms, back, and hands before and after practice. No, guitar playing may not be a sport, but stretching out your arms and your back quickly before and after your practice sessions can make you a lot more comfortable. To stretch your hands , wiggle your fingers, waving your fingers like seaweed fluttering in the water. It's also a good idea to do some quick finger push-ups, pressing into the top of a desk or table with your fingertips, then letting your hand fall and push it back up. To stretch your arms and shoulders, wrap each arm around your chest, one at a time, as if you were giving yourself a hug. With the other arm, pull gently but firmly on your elbow to loosen the muscles in your arms and shoulders. Do this with each arm for a slow count of 15. To stretch out your back , reach your arms up toward the sky as high as you can for a count of 15, then hold a push-up position, as straight as possible, for another 15. You're ready to practice. Breathe. Holding your breath is especially common when you start playing on stage, or performing in front of a teacher or other listener. It can even happen when you practice, creating tightness in your upper chest and giving you a tendency to play irregularly and rush through your phrases. Practice with as light a grip on your instrument as possible, and breathe comfortably and deeply, especially when you're concentrating. If and when you notice yourself holding your breath, stop for a second and reposition yourself. Make sure you're sitting upright and take a few deep breaths before continuing. Especially if you're getting frustrated trying to practice a particular song or scale, give yourself a breath. It can make a big difference. Ease into a new instrument or style. Whether you're trying out your first jazz chords, switching from an electric to a classical acoustic guitar, or trying to speed up your finger exercises, it's important to start slow, learn the part correctly, and allow yourself the time to acclimate to the new way of playing. Since guitars have all different variety of neck sizes, string sizes, and fret gaps, it's important to alter your practice sessions with a new instrument slightly. It might not be possible for you to play particular songs or scales as quickly as you once did. Give yourself the time to acclimate to the new instrument, and give your fingers a chance to stretch in the new ways. You've got to retrain your muscle memory, if the frets are just a little different. Always start new exercises slow and then speed them up. A popular guitar players adage goes, "Those who can't play well play fast. Those who can't play fast play loud." Point being, don't develop a bad habit of rushing through each lick to prove how fast you can shred. The best guitar players aren't the fastest guitar players, they're the once who play correctly. Learn to practice in time, then speed up to increase your dexterity when you've got it down. | Hold the guitar correctly. Tune your guitar. Hold the guitar pick correctly. Practice playing chords. Practice forming barre chords. Always practice to a beat. Practice scales. Learn some songs to make practicing more fun. Make fundamentals fun. Use your ears and your eyes. Practice for at least 20-40 minutes. Practice at least 5 times a week. . Balance skill-building with fun exercises. Always keep moving forward and challenging yourself. Practice with and learn from other players. Manage the finger pain. Make sure you're not pushing the strings too hard. Stretch your arms, back, and hands before and after practice. Breathe. Ease into a new instrument or style. Always start new exercises slow and then speed them up. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Use-Fenugreek-for-Diabetes | How to Use Fenugreek for Diabetes | To use fenugreek for diabetes, try adding about 15 grams of the seeds to food to disguise the taste. Alternatively, you can make fenugreek tea by pulverizing about 2.5 grams with a mortar and pestle and mixing it with a mug of boiling water. You can also get fenugreek supplements to avoid the unpleasant taste entirely. However, you should make sure to consult your doctor before introducing fenugreek to your diet, since it interacts with a variety of medications commonly prescribed for diabetes. | Talk to your doctor before adding fenugreek to your diet. Fenugreek interacts with a variety of medications prescribed for diabetes as well as some blood thinners. For this reason, it is essential that you check with your doctor before adding fenugreek to your regimen. It may interfere with the medications that you are taking to help treat diabetes as well as other conditions. Always check with your doctor first before discontinuing or adding any medication or supplement. Consider the dose range for fenugreek. The recommended dosage for fenugreek is between 2.5–15 grams (0.09–0.5 oz) daily, so it is important to talk to your doctor about your intentions and ask for a recommendation based on your weight and other factors. You may also want to consult an experienced herbalist or naturopath. The most common dose used in studies was 12.5 grams (0.4 oz) of powdered fenugreek taken twice daily. However, some studies have shown benefit from taking only 2.5 grams (0.09 oz) twice daily. Choose a high-quality fenugreek supplement. Some people do not like the taste of fenugreek seeds, so capsules are often recommended. If you choose to take fenugreek in supplement form, make sure that the product you choose is of high quality. The packaging should provide: Realistic information about the effects of taking the supplement Information such as dosage recommendations, side effects, and ingredients A label that is easy to read and understand Company information such as a phone number, mailing address, or website. Add fenugreek to food. Some people do like the taste of fenugreek and may opt to add the seeds to food. You can seek out recipes that include fenugreek or simply sprinkle the seeds on your food as a garnish. Keep in mind that you should still follow your doctor's recommendations for healthy eating. When adding fenugreek to food, 15 grams (0.53 oz) was a common dosage in some studies. Drink fenugreek with hot water. Making a fenugreek tea seems to produce the best results according to some studies. One study showed no significant results for patients who took fenugreek with yogurt, while those who took fenugreek with hot water experienced significant improvement. Participants in this study consumed a total of 10 grams (0.35 oz) of fenugreek per day. Crush or pulverize 2.5 grams (0.09 oz) of fenugreek seeds using a mortar and pestle or food processor. Then, add the seeds to a mug and pour eight ounces of boiling water over them. Stir well with a spoon. Then wait for the mixture to cool to drinking temperature and enjoy. Keep in mind that only a few studies have looked at fenugreek’s effects. Although fenugreek seems to be an effective way to reduce blood sugar levels after a meal, only a handful of studies have found this to be true so far. Therefore, it is still important to work with your physician to treat your diabetes. Fenugreek alone will not treat diabetes. Diabetics must follow a careful diet, monitor blood sugar levels closely, and do other things such as get regular exercise. Taking fenugreek does not mean you can stop doing any of these things. Make sure that you still take your regular diabetes medications as prescribed by your doctor. Be aware that you may have some side effects. Fenugreek is considered as “likely safe” for adults when you use it in amounts that are common for food. But it is considered "possibly safe" when taken as a supplement. During this time, you may experience some gastrointestinal side effects such as diarrhea, gas, and upset stomach. You may also experience some respiratory side effects such as congestion, wheezing, and coughing. Do not take fenugreek for more than six months. Know when to avoid using fenugreek. Fenugreek is not considered to be safe for pregnant women and children. Do not take fenugreek if you are pregnant, nursing, or planning to become pregnant. Do not give fenugreek to children either, as some children have passed out from taking fenugreek. | Talk to your doctor before adding fenugreek to your diet. Consider the dose range for fenugreek. Choose a high-quality fenugreek supplement. Add fenugreek to food. Drink fenugreek with hot water. Keep in mind that only a few studies have looked at fenugreek’s effects. Be aware that you may have some side effects. Know when to avoid using fenugreek. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Diagnose-Heaves-in-Horses | How to Diagnose Heaves in Horses | To diagnose heaves in your horse, watch for common symptoms, like difficulty breathing or rapid breaths. For example, while a horse normally takes 8 to 12 breaths per minute, it may take up to 40 if it has heaves. You should also look for a heave line on your horse near the bottom of its rib cage, which is caused by the abdominal muscles working harder to breathe. If the heaves are severe, you'll be able to hear wheezing sounds when your horse is breathing. Additionally, note if your horse coughs regularly, which is caused by a build-up of mucus in the lungs. As soon as you notice any of these symptoms, take your horse to your vet for a diagnosis, since even a mild case of heaves can get worse. Your vet will ask you about your horse's medical history and conduct a physical exam to confirm the diagnosis. | Watch your horse breathe. Normal breathing for a horse is quiet and doesn't require much effort. Horses with heaves, though, will have trouble breathing, particularly during exhalation. Your horse will have trouble getting air out of his lungs, so his exhalation will be prolonged and difficult. The extra effort to exhale will require him to use his abdominal muscles, causing those muscles to get larger. A horse's normal breathing rate is 8 to 12 breaths per minute. If your horse has heaves, his breathing rate may be as high as 36 to 40 breaths per minute. Count your horse's breaths for a minute to determine his breathing rate. Your horse may have trouble breathing even when he is at rest. Locate a heave line on your horse. A heave line, which runs along the bottom edge of a horse's rib cage, is a telltale symptom of heaves in horses. It forms when the abdominal muscles get larger from the continued effort to exhale. Don't look for the heave line on your horse right away—it will take some time before his abdominal muscles enlarge enough to form the line. Listen to your horse breathe. As you watch you watch your horse breathe, listen to his breathing sounds. With a severe case of heaves, your horse will wheeze when he breathes. If he has mild case of heaves, he may not make any noise when he breathes. Observe your horse’s coughing. Within the lungs, the airway inflammation caused by heaves produces mucus. This mucus can block the airways, causing your horse to cough to get the mucus out. Early on in the disease, the cough will be occasional, such as during feeding or exercising. It may or may not produce mucus. The cough with a severe case of heaves is very deep and produces pus-like mucus. Your horse's cough may become chronic. Look at your horse’s nose. With all of the extra mucus in your horse's airways, he may develop nasal discharge, which could look thick and ropy. In addition to discharge, your horse's nostrils may flare when he breathes because of the increased breathing effort. Watch for ‘asthma attacks. ' Heaves in horses is similar to asthma in humans. If a heaves-prone horse is stabled indoors, he may have exaggerated responses to environmental allergens. These responses can look like human asthma attacks, in which your horse would have sudden fits of troubled breathing. Determine if your horse is exercising less than usual. Horses are very athletic animals. A horse with heaves, though, will have decreased athletic performance. If your horse has a mild case of heaves, he will not be able to exercise as much as he used to, and will take longer than usual to recover after exercise. You may need to spend more time cooling him down after exercise. An inability to exercise in horses is called exercise intolerance. This intolerance will vary according to the severity of heaves. For some horses, the only sign of heaves is decreased athletic performance. If your horse cannot exercise, do not force him to. This would make it even harder for him to breathe. Take note of a decreased appetite. As with other animals, horses need a proper diet to be healthy and maintain a good overall body condition. In severe cases of heaves, a horse can become unable to eat because of the struggle to breathe. If your horse cannot eat, he will lose weight. At mealtimes, watch your horse to see if he is able to eat. Your horse may also drink less water than usual. Observe changes in your horse’s behavior. The struggle to breathe can make your horse anxious or agitated. Neighing (a high-pitched sound) may indicate anxiety in your horse. Quick and aggressive tail swishing can indicate agitation. Your horse may also paw or stamp at the ground with his hooves if he's feeling uncomfortable. Take your horse to your vet. Heaves requires a veterinary diagnosis. Since a mild case of heaves can become more severe, an early diagnosis could help your horse receive treatment before heaves causes serious health consequences. Provide a detailed history of your horse. Your vet will primarily use your horse's history and a physical examination to diagnose heaves. The more information you can give your vet about your horse, the better. Important details of your horse's history include his overall health (e.g., current and previous diseases), diet, housing environment, and when you first started noticing his breathing problems. Straw and hay contain allergens that commonly cause heaves in horses. If you use straw or hay for your horse's bedding, your vet will need to know. Tell your vet if your horse's heave symptoms get worse at certain times. For example, heave symptoms can get worse when a horse is stabled, or out to pasture during the warmer months. Cleaning the barn can release dust particles into the air that can worsen your horse's heaves. Tell your vet often how you clean the barn. Horses that are predisposed and previously on pasture may show signs of heaves when they are stabled more than usual. Have your vet physically examine your horse. Your vet will perform a thorough physical examination of your horse. To listen to your horse breathe, your vet may place a bag over his muzzle. The bag would cause your horse to re-breathe carbon dioxide and make him breathe more deeply, allowing for louder breathing sounds. When listening to the breathing, your vet will hear wheezing, as well as rattling noises in the trachea. Your vet will also assess your horse's overall body condition, especially if he has been unable to eat. Allow your vet to collect a fluid sample. If your vet thinks your horse has mild to moderate heaves, then additional testing would be needed to provide more information about the extent of disease. A technique called bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) is very useful for diagnosing heaves. BAL allows your vet to take a fluid sample from your horse's lungs to analyze the inflammatory cells in the fluid. To perform BAL, your vet will sedate your horse and pass an endoscope or small camera through his nostrils down to his lungs. Your vet will then pass a saline solution down through the tube and pull it back up to collect the fluid sample. BAL is not recommended for horses who have severe breathing problems at rest. The turnaround time for this diagnosis is very short. Many vets can run the fluid sample in-house, which means a faster diagnosis and a quicker start to treatment. Discuss the need for chest x-rays and blood work. In many cases of heaves, x-rays and blood work are not necessary to make a diagnosis. In particular, blood work is usually normal with heaves. Chest x-rays can help rule out other possible causes (e.g., pneumonia, tumors) of your horse's breathing troubles. | Watch your horse breathe. Locate a heave line on your horse. Listen to your horse breathe. Observe your horse’s coughing. Look at your horse’s nose. Watch for ‘asthma attacks. Determine if your horse is exercising less than usual. Take note of a decreased appetite. Observe changes in your horse’s behavior. Take your horse to your vet. Provide a detailed history of your horse. Have your vet physically examine your horse. Allow your vet to collect a fluid sample. Discuss the need for chest x-rays and blood work. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Love-Your-Body | How to Love Your Body | If you're struggling to love your body, try not to compare yourself to celebrities and people on social media, since they don't show a realistic representation of people's bodies. You should also steer clear of people who are always ranting about their bodies, as their negative mindset can be contagious. Instead, focus on yourself and wear clothes that make you feel good, which will help you feel more confident in your body. If you're feeling down, write down a list of the things you love about yourself, no matter how small, to help you feel more positive. You can also commit to saying positive affirmations every day, such as, "I am beautiful, I am loved, and I love myself as I am." You should also consider doing regular exercise, if you don't already, which keeps you in shape and releases endorphins that make you feel good. | Do not compare yourself to others. Our standards for beauty are majorly influenced by media, Hollywood, and popular culture. Through these outlets, we develop negative judgements of our bodies by comparing ourselves to photoshopped pictures and glamorized movie stars. These images are created and altered by computers and are not realistic goals to achieve. Popular media can be hard to ignore, but you can loosen the grip of majority rule by deciding to love your body because your body is real. Whenever you see an image in a magazine, commercial ad, or some other media outlet, remind yourself that the image is false. The person you are looking at has most likely been air brushed and altered to look like that. You should not compare yourself to computerized images. Give yourself compliments. Having love in your life starts with loving yourself. You should view and treat yourself with the same kindness and admiration you would with someone you love. You probably wouldn't critique another person's body for the same things you critique on yourself. Don't hesitate to give yourself a compliment, go easy on your mistakes, and forgive yourself when you mess up. Drop the self-hatred, and replace it with understanding and appreciation. Look in the mirror and say "I am attractive, confident, and amazing!" Keep that up and eventually you will see yourself in a more positive light. When you accomplish a goal, let yourself know how proud you are of yourself. Look into a mirror and say, "Great job, I am so proud of you." Practice gratitude. Appreciate what you have and love your inner-self. Do not let the number on the scale or your pant size define who you are or of what you are capable. Nothing good will come from being mean to yourself when you look in the mirror. Here are some ways to practice gratitude in your everyday life: When a bad situation presents itself, do not let it get you down. Instead, ask yourself what you can learn from it when you look back on it and what you may be grateful for. Make a vow not to be negative or criticize for ten days. If you slip up, forgive yourself and keep going. You will notice how much energy you were wasting on negative thoughts. Keep a gratitude journal to write down the things you are grateful for everyday. Your body is a miracle, and you should celebrate all of the gifts your body has given you. Think about all of your great accomplishments, relationships, and activities you love that your body has allowed you to have and record them everyday. Make a list of all of the positive things in your life. Everyone has insecurities, but the key is focusing on what you like about yourself and your life. It can be easy to let the negatives outweigh the positives, but making a list can help prevent this. Start off by finding one thing that you like about yourself, no matter how small. Once you are feeling more confident in that thing, identify a second thing and so on. Build up a list of things you love about yourself, and when you hear a negative thought pop into your head, immediately refocus on the list. Eventually, you will see more positive qualities than negative. Steer clear of negativity. Stay away from people who often rant about their bodies. Their insecurities can rub off onto you and get you thinking about what problems you may have. Life is too precious to waste time self-loathing or knit-picking about your body, especially when your own self perceptions are usually more critical than what anyone else thinks. If someone starts to bash or criticize their own body or life, do not engage in the negativity. Instead, change the subject or make your exit. Exude confidence. When you act like you have confidence, you will feel good about yourself. Even if you don't feel like you have any, pretend. Pull back your shoulders, tilt your head up, and smile. Smiling is one of the biggest things you can do to improve both your self-image and the way others see you. If you hold yourself confidently, inner confidence will follow. Practice healthy hygiene. To feel good about yourself, and show respect to your body, start every day with a refreshing shower. Use nice smelling soap, wash your face, and put deodorant on after you shower. This will keep you refreshed, confident around people, and help send positive thoughts to your mind. Wear comfortable clothes that help you feel good. Everything in your closet should complement your current body shape and appeal to you. Don't wear something uncomfortable just to impress others if it makes you feel self-conscious. Remember, you always look better being yourself. Wear clean clothes free of tears or rips to dress your body the way it deserves. Buy matching underwear and bras even if you are the only one who will see them. This tells your inner-self that you are doing this for you and only you. Commit to daily affirmations. Affirmations are positive statements that are meant to be repeated until the mind starts to believe them as true. Verbalizing what you like about yourself helps your brain to remember more easily than just thinking thoughts silently. You can personalize your daily affirmations however you see fit, just make sure they are positive statements. Here is a great statement to start with: Everyday, look into a mirror, and say, "I am beautiful; I am loved; I love myself as I am." Eat a well-balanced diet. Make a goal to eat fruits and vegetables each day to nourish your body and thank it for all that it gives you. This will not only give you a glow and long-lasting health benefits, but it will teach you how to respect your body. This does not mean that you have to stick to a strict dietary plan, but do make an effort to eliminate junk food and eat healthier to fuel your body. Get regular exercise. The best way to love your body is to partake in physical activities that are good for you and help you feel good. Don't just exercise to lose weight, but do it to take care of your heart and overall health. For example, yoga is good for relaxation, core strength and general well being, whereas sports are an excellent way to release energy productively and has been shown to improve mood. Ask others what they love about you. Although it may be scary and intimidating, ask your friends and loved ones what they think your best qualities are. This will help boost your confidence and remind you that your body has given you so many gifts. You will most likely be surprised at the wonderful things they see in you that you often miss. Here is a way you can ask: Start off by giving your friend or loved one a great compliment, and then ask, "What do you think is my best quality?" Surround yourself with people who love themselves. People develop the attitude and behaviors of the people who surround them. If you keep positive influences in your life, you will adopt those attitudes which will help you love yourself, inside and out. Look for people who are optimistic, work hard toward their goals, and respect themselves. Follow after your role models. Think about all of the people either directly in your life, or those who have accomplished amazing things that you admire. Those individuals are most likely renowned and respected for their accomplishments outside of their bodies. Use this to help you remember that your body does not stand in the way of your life or happiness. Your body can help you pursue all of your dreams and desires. Think about your family members, close friends, or someone you have never met but always admired, and make a list of their best qualities. Then, ask yourself if their self-image or body made the list, or kept them from achieving their accomplishments. | Do not compare yourself to others. Give yourself compliments. Practice gratitude. Make a list of all of the positive things in your life. Steer clear of negativity. Exude confidence. Practice healthy hygiene. Wear comfortable clothes that help you feel good. Commit to daily affirmations. Eat a well-balanced diet. Get regular exercise. Ask others what they love about you. Surround yourself with people who love themselves. Follow after your role models. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Find-the-Measurement-of-the-Diagonal-Inside-a-Rectangle | How to Find the Measurement of the Diagonal Inside a Rectangle | To find a measurement of a diagonal inside a rectangle, start by finding the rectangle's width and length. Next, square the width and length and add them together. For example, if your rectangle is 3 cm wide and 4 cm long, square these numbers to get 9 and 16. Add them to get 25, then find the square root of 25 to get 5. Therefore, the measurement of the diagonal for your rectangle is 5 cm. | Set up the formula for the Pythagorean Theorem. The formula is a 2 + b 2 = c 2 {\displaystyle a^{2}+b^{2}=c^{2}} , where a {\displaystyle a} and b {\displaystyle b} equal the side lengths of a right triangle, and c {\displaystyle c} equals the length of a right triangle's hypotenuse. You use the Pythagorean Theorem because a diagonal of a rectangle cuts the rectangle into two congruent right triangles. The length and width of the rectangle are the side lengths of the triangle; the diagonal is the hypotenuse of the triangle. Plug the length and the width into the formula. These should be given, or you should be able to measure them. Make sure you are substituting for a {\displaystyle a} and b {\displaystyle b}. For example, if the width of a rectangle is 3 cm, and the length is 4 cm, your formula will look like this: 3 2 + 4 2 = c 2 {\displaystyle 3^{2}+4^{2}=c^{2}}. Square the length and width, then add these numbers together. Remember, squaring a number means to multiply the number by itself. For example: 3 2 + 4 2 = c 2 {\displaystyle 3^{2}+4^{2}=c^{2}} 9 + 16 = c 2 {\displaystyle 9+16=c^{2}} 25 = c 2 {\displaystyle 25=c^{2}} Take the square root of each side of the equation. The easiest way to find a square root is to use a calculator. You can use an online calculator if you do not have a scientific calculator. This will give you the value of c {\displaystyle c} , which is the hypotenuse of the triangle, and the diagonal of the rectangle. For example: 25 = c 2 {\displaystyle 25=c^{2}} 25 = c 2 {\displaystyle {\sqrt {25}}={\sqrt {c^{2}}}} 5 = c {\displaystyle 5=c} So, the diagonal of a rectangle with a width of 3 cm and a length of 4 cm is 5 cm. Set up the formula for the area of a rectangle. The formula is A = l w {\displaystyle A=lw} , where A {\displaystyle A} equals the area of the rectangle, l {\displaystyle l} equals the length of the rectangle, and w {\displaystyle w} equals the width of the rectangle. Plug the area of the rectangle into the formula. Make sure you substitute for the variable A {\displaystyle A}. For example, if the area of the rectangle is 35 square centimeters, your formula will look like this: 35 = l w {\displaystyle 35=lw}. Rearrange the formula, finding a value for w{\displaystyle w}. To do this, divide both sides of the equation by l {\displaystyle l}. Set this value aside. You will plug it into the perimeter formula later. For example: 35 = l w {\displaystyle 35=lw} 35 l = w {\displaystyle {\frac {35}{l}}=w}. Set up the formula for the perimeter of a rectangle. The formula is P = 2 ( w + l ) {\displaystyle P=2(w+l)} , where w {\displaystyle w} equals the width of the rectangle, and l {\displaystyle l} equals the length of the rectangle. Plug the value of the perimeter into the formula. Make sure you substitute for the variable P {\displaystyle P}. For example, if the perimeter of a rectangle is 24 centimeters, your formula will look like this: 24 = 2 ( w + l ) {\displaystyle 24=2(w+l)}. Divide both sides of the equation by 2. This will give you the value of w + l {\displaystyle w+l}. For example: 24 = 2 ( w + l ) {\displaystyle 24=2(w+l)} 24 2 = 2 ( w + l ) 2 {\displaystyle {\frac {24}{2}}={\frac {2(w+l)}{2}}} 12 = w + l {\displaystyle 12=w+l}. Plug the value of w{\displaystyle w} into the equation. Use the value you found by rearranging the formula for area. For example, if using the area formula you found that 35 l = w {\displaystyle {\frac {35}{l}}=w} , replace this value of w {\displaystyle w} into the perimeter formula: 12 = w + l {\displaystyle 12=w+l} 12 = 35 l + l {\displaystyle 12={\frac {35}{l}}+l} Cancel out the fraction in the equation. To do this, multiply both sides of the equation by l {\displaystyle l}. For example: 12 = 35 l + l {\displaystyle 12={\frac {35}{l}}+l} 12 × l = ( 35 l × l ) + ( l × l ) {\displaystyle 12\times l=({\frac {35}{l}}\times l)+(l\times l)} 12 l = 35 + l 2 {\displaystyle 12l=35+l^{2}} Set the equation to 0. To do this, subtract the first-degree term from both sides of the equation. For example: 12 l = 35 + l 2 {\displaystyle 12l=35+l^{2}} 12 l − 12 l = 35 + l 2 − 12 l {\displaystyle 12l-12l=35+l^{2}-12l} 0 = 35 + l 2 − 12 l {\displaystyle 0=35+l^{2}-12l} Reorder the equation by order of terms. This means the term with the exponent will be first, followed by the term with the variable, followed by the constant. When reordering, make sure you keep the appropriate positive and negative signs. You should note that the equation is now set up as a quadratic equation. For example, 0 = 35 + l 2 − 12 l {\displaystyle 0=35+l^{2}-12l} becomes 0 = l 2 − 12 l + 35 {\displaystyle 0=l^{2}-12l+35}. Factor the quadratic equation. For complete instructions on how to do this, read Solve Quadratic Equations. For example, the equation 0 = l 2 − 12 l + 35 {\displaystyle 0=l^{2}-12l+35} can be factored as 0 = ( l − 7 ) ( l − 5 ) {\displaystyle 0=(l-7)(l-5)}. Find the values of l{\displaystyle l}. To do this, set each term to zero and solve for the variable. You will find two solutions, or roots, to the equation. Since you are working with a rectangle, the two roots will be the width and length of your rectangle. For example: 0 = ( l − 7 ) {\displaystyle 0=(l-7)} 7 = l {\displaystyle 7=l} AND 0 = ( l − 5 ) {\displaystyle 0=(l-5)} 5 = l {\displaystyle 5=l}. So, the length and width of the rectangle are 7 cm and 5 cm. Set up the formula for the Pythagorean Theorem. The formula is a 2 + b 2 = c 2 {\displaystyle a^{2}+b^{2}=c^{2}} , where a {\displaystyle a} and b {\displaystyle b} equal the side lengths of a right triangle, and c {\displaystyle c} equals the length of a right triangle's hypotenuse. You use the Pythagorean Theorem because a diagonal of a rectangle cuts the rectangle into two congruent right triangles. The width and length of the rectangle are the side lengths of the triangle; the diagonal is the hypotenuse of the triangle. Plug the width and length into the formula. It doesn't matter which value you use for which variable. For example, if you found the width and length of the rectangle are 5 cm and 7 cm, your formula will look like this: 5 2 + 7 2 = c 2 {\displaystyle 5^{2}+7^{2}=c^{2}}. Square the width and length, then add these numbers together. Remember, squaring a number means to multiply the number by itself. For example: 5 2 + 7 2 = c 2 {\displaystyle 5^{2}+7^{2}=c^{2}} 25 + 49 = c 2 {\displaystyle 25+49=c^{2}} 74 = c 2 {\displaystyle 74=c^{2}} Take the square root of each side of the equation. The easiest way to find a square root is to use a calculator. You can use an online calculator if you do not have a scientific calculator. This will give you the value of c {\displaystyle c} , which is the hypotenuse of the triangle, and the diagonal of the rectangle. For example: 74 = c 2 {\displaystyle 74=c^{2}} 74 = c 2 {\displaystyle {\sqrt {74}}={\sqrt {c^{2}}}} 8.6024 = c {\displaystyle 8.6024=c} So, the diagonal of a rectangle with an area of 35 cm and a perimeter of 24 cm is about 8.6 cm. Write a formula explaining the relationship between the side lengths. You can isolate the length ( l {\displaystyle l} ) or the width ( w {\displaystyle w} ). Set this formula aside. You will plug it into the area formula later. For example, if you know the width of a rectangle is 2 cm more than the length, you can write a formula for w {\displaystyle w} : w = l + 2 {\displaystyle w=l+2}. Set up the formula for the area of a rectangle. The formula is A = l w {\displaystyle A=lw} , where A {\displaystyle A} equals the area of the rectangle, l {\displaystyle l} equals the length of the rectangle, and w {\displaystyle w} equals the width of the rectangle. You can use this method if you know the perimeter of the rectangle, except you would now set up the perimeter formula instead of the area formula. The formula for the perimeter of a rectangle is P = 2 ( w + l ) {\displaystyle P=2(w+l)} , where w {\displaystyle w} equals the width of the rectangle, and l {\displaystyle l} equals the length of the rectangle. Plug the area of the rectangle into the formula. Make sure you substitute for the variable A {\displaystyle A}. For example, if the area of the rectangle is 35 square centimeters, your formula will look like this: 35 = l w {\displaystyle 35=lw}. Plug the relational formula for the length (or width) into the formula. Since you are working with a rectangle, it doesn't matter whether you work with the l {\displaystyle l} or w {\displaystyle w} variable. For example, if you found that w = l + 2 {\displaystyle w=l+2} , then you would substitute this relationship for w {\displaystyle w} in the area formula: 35 = l w {\displaystyle 35=lw} 35 = l ( l + 2 ) {\displaystyle 35=l(l+2)} Set up a quadratic equation. To do this, use the distributive property to multiply the terms in parentheses, then set the equation to 0. For example: 35 = l ( l + 2 ) {\displaystyle 35=l(l+2)} 35 = l 2 + 2 l {\displaystyle 35=l^{2}+2l} 0 = l 2 + 2 l − 35 {\displaystyle 0=l^{2}+2l-35} Factor the quadratic equation. For complete instructions on how to do this, read Solve Quadratic Equations. For example, the equation 0 = l 2 + 2 l − 35 {\displaystyle 0=l^{2}+2l-35} can be factored as 0 = ( l + 7 ) ( l − 5 ) {\displaystyle 0=(l+7)(l-5)}. Find the values of l{\displaystyle l}. To do this, set each term to zero and solve for the variable. You will find two solutions, or roots, to the equation. For example: 0 = ( l + 7 ) {\displaystyle 0=(l+7)} − 7 = l {\displaystyle -7=l} AND 0 = ( l − 5 ) {\displaystyle 0=(l-5)} 5 = l {\displaystyle 5=l}. In this case, you have one negative root. Since the length of a rectangle cannot be negative, you know that the length must be 5 cm. Plug the value of the length (or width) into your relationship formula. This will give you the length of the other side of the rectangle. For example, if you know that the length of the rectangle is 5 cm, and that the relationship between the side lengths is w = l + 2 {\displaystyle w=l+2} , you would substitute 5 for the length in the formula: w = l + 2 {\displaystyle w=l+2} w = 5 + 2 {\displaystyle w=5+2} w = 7 {\displaystyle w=7} Set up the formula for the Pythagorean Theorem. The formula is a 2 + b 2 = c 2 {\displaystyle a^{2}+b^{2}=c^{2}} , where a {\displaystyle a} and b {\displaystyle b} equal the side lengths of a right triangle, and c {\displaystyle c} equals the length of a right triangle's hypotenuse. You use the Pythagorean Theorem because a diagonal of a rectangle cuts the rectangle into two congruent right triangles. The width and length of the rectangle are the side lengths of the triangle; the diagonal is the hypotenuse of the triangle. Plug the width and length into the formula. It doesn't matter which value you use for which variable. For example, if you found the width and length of the rectangle are 5 cm and 7 cm, your formula will look like this: 5 2 + 7 2 = c 2 {\displaystyle 5^{2}+7^{2}=c^{2}}. Square the width and length, then add these numbers together. Remember, squaring a number means to multiply the number by itself. For example: 5 2 + 7 2 = c 2 {\displaystyle 5^{2}+7^{2}=c^{2}} 25 + 49 = c 2 {\displaystyle 25+49=c^{2}} 74 = c 2 {\displaystyle 74=c^{2}} Take the square root of each side of the equation. The easiest way to find a square root is to use a calculator. You can use an online calculator if you do not have a scientific calculator. This will give you the value of c {\displaystyle c} , which is the hypotenuse of the triangle, and the diagonal of the rectangle. For example: 74 = c 2 {\displaystyle 74=c^{2}} 74 = c 2 {\displaystyle {\sqrt {74}}={\sqrt {c^{2}}}} 8.6024 = c {\displaystyle 8.6024=c} So, the diagonal of a rectangle with a width that is 2 cm more than the length, and an area of 35 cm, is about 8.6 cm. | Set up the formula for the Pythagorean Theorem. Plug the length and the width into the formula. Square the length and width, then add these numbers together. Take the square root of each side of the equation. Set up the formula for the area of a rectangle. Plug the area of the rectangle into the formula. Rearrange the formula, finding a value for w{\displaystyle w}. Set up the formula for the perimeter of a rectangle. Plug the value of the perimeter into the formula. Divide both sides of the equation by 2. Plug the value of w{\displaystyle w} into the equation. Cancel out the fraction in the equation. Set the equation to 0. Reorder the equation by order of terms. Factor the quadratic equation. Find the values of l{\displaystyle l}. Set up the formula for the Pythagorean Theorem. Plug the width and length into the formula. Square the width and length, then add these numbers together. Take the square root of each side of the equation. Write a formula explaining the relationship between the side lengths. Set up the formula for the area of a rectangle. Plug the area of the rectangle into the formula. Plug the relational formula for the length (or width) into the formula. Set up a quadratic equation. Factor the quadratic equation. Find the values of l{\displaystyle l}. Plug the value of the length (or width) into your relationship formula. Set up the formula for the Pythagorean Theorem. Plug the width and length into the formula. Square the width and length, then add these numbers together. Take the square root of each side of the equation. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Make-Friends-After-Coming-out-As-Lesbian,-Gay,-Bisexual-or-Transgender | How to Make Friends After Coming out As Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Transgender | To make friends after coming out, try joining an LGBT group at your school or hanging out at your city's LGBT community center, where you can meet people that are open and accepting. If you live in a small town or somewhere that's anti-gay, try connecting with other LGBT people online through forums or social media. You might even be able to turn to old friends who have been accepting and supportive of you in the past. | Connect with friends that have been supportive in the past. When coming out, reach out to the most supportive people in your life first. Talk with them about what you're feeling as you come out to friends and family. Recognize that some friends will react different compared to others. Some friends may require more time to process this change than others. Find out which friends are more supportive and keep them in your life. Avoid withdrawing from your friends after coming out. Keep your relationships strong. Consider saying to your friends, "I hope that you can support me through this transition. It would mean a lot to me." Understand that some heterosexual friends may have questions about your coming out. Sometimes they simply don't know or understand what you're going through. If they are willing to genuinely listen, give them a chance. They may say or ask things like, "You don't seem gay," or "Are you sure you're gay?" or "How does it work on dates?" Try to be patient and answer their questions as best you can. True friends, no matter where they are on the sexuality spectrum, will continue to stick by you when you're going through difficult times. Keep them in your life. Avoid negative people. Some friends or family may have difficulty with your sexual orientation. This may be due to the social environment they're in or their religious beliefs. If they make you feel less-than, worthless, or bad about yourself, avoid them. You don't have to be friends with people that you don't like. Understand that one person's negative comments don't necessarily indicate that everyone feels this way. Don't let one bully or one negative person define what you think of the people around you. Trust yourself and let go of negativity. Just know that some people cannot tolerate other people's differences. Be open to new friendships. Recognize that some friends will come and go, regardless of you coming out or not. It's important to work towards friendships that make you happy. While it may feel difficult to find new friends, this process will help you to grow and change as you come out as LGBT. Be adventurous. Take a class. Join a social group or organization that interests you. See if there are activities that you like that seem to have many open-minded people of different backgrounds. Find the right settings for friendships based on if you're better when it's one-on-one, a small group, or a big group. Cultivate friendships further with people in your classes or at work. With a bit of effort, acquaintances can become good friends. Be friends with people who don't care what your sexual orientation is. Friendships shouldn't be simply defined by your sexual orientation. Find people who are like-minded, kind, open, and honest. Having friends from diverse backgrounds regardless of their orientation will help you to see friendships from different perspectives. People that fit with your personality should matter more than what their orientation is. Don't feel like you're an outsider. It matters more that you feel accepted by your friends regardless of whether you're gay, straight, lesbian, transgender, or bisexual. Connect with the LGBT community in your area. Find out if there are social groups or community centers in your area that focus on LGBT issues. No matter your background or sexual identity, being in a space where you feel accepted for your sexuality is important and meaningful. Talk with your school counselor at your high school to see if there may be youth groups for students who identify as LGBT. Find groups that feel welcoming for you. If you're in college, find out if there are student groups or activity centers where LGBT students go. Consider starting your own youth group for other LGBT students. Find out what your school's policies are, or what the environment is like for LGBT students at your school. Find out if there are community centers in your city that focus on LGBT issues. Search for centers in your state or city through CenterLink: http://www.lgbtcenters.org/ Find support groups for people who come out. Coming out can be a stressful experience. Even after coming out, you may feel isolated or depressed. There are counseling centers that may offer support groups for youth or adults that have come out as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. Consider joining a support group in your area. Support groups can be healing experiences. They can help you feel less alone. They can also help you learn to communicate about your coming-out process. You may find people who are facing similar challenges of making friends. In this way, you can see what others are facing. Some support groups are offered at low or no-cost. Reach out to a counseling center that specializes in LGBT issues and see what they may have to offer. Be an advocate. Be involved in bringing inclusion rather than exclusion to your community. There are many social justice causes out there that support gay rights, women's rights, and human rights. Stand up for your rights and the rights of others. This can be done in-person or online. It can be through simple acts in your daily life or by joining a larger political movement. Support small businesses that advertise as gay-friendly and strive to make others feel included. Volunteer your time, money, or talents to others that are facing discrimination or prejudice. The act of helping others may also help you to make more friends. Learn about how you can contribute to organizations such as GLAAD: http://www.glaad.org/getinvolved/volunteer Be politically engaged. Pay attention to social activism in your community. Find political activist groups depending on your interests: http://www.startguide.org/orgs/orgs06.html Seek online support from others who identify as LGBT. If you live in an isolated area or a place that's anti-gay, it may feel difficult to make or keep friends. There are many resources online to help you through this transition, and to help you feel more included. Join an online message board or forum to discuss your interests with other people who are LGBT. Connect through LGBT social networking sites. Sometimes it may be easier to discuss what you're feeling with others who aren't in your neighborhood. Find help if you're feeling like you need to talk. Talk with a peer who's been through what you're going through. Connect with the GLBT National Help Center online, by phone, or through chat: http://www.glbthotline.org/ Be patient in the coming out process. It can be difficult to both tell someone about your orientation as well as worry about what will happen afterwards. Many people who identify as LGBT may know their identity as a teenager but wait years later to tell others that they're gay. It's okay to take things at your own pace. Allow others to find their pace with this information too. Many people who identify LGBT feel more socially accepted than in years past. But keep in mind what feels right for you and your situation. Understand that what you say or when you say it is your choice. But sometimes, the timing matters. If someone receives serious news, it may take time to process. Try to be patient with those you care about. Don't give up on yourself. If you constantly try to hide who you are, you're going to have a hard time connecting with others. After possibly years of being closeted, it may feel harder to be truthful about your orientation rather than to continue putting on an act. Believe that it will get better. Because it can get better. See this time as a way to be creative. Use your talents and skills to share with others who you are and what you're feeling. By being open, you may make more friends and feel less alone. Rather than feeling down, feel inspired to make change. To gain some perspective, try journaling about how life was before you came out and how it is now. Take pride and be confident in who you are. History has shown that being different often leads to discrimination and struggle. But in standing up for yourself and your values, history can change. Take pride in your identity even if it's not so easily accepted. Be confident that you have the same rights as anyone else. By being true to yourself, others will admire that. Regardless of whether your friends are gay or straight, being confident in who you are is a strong and admirable quality. While you don't need to be shouting who you are on the rooftops, being comfortable in your own skin is important to making friends and loving yourself. Make sure to be patient with yourself and your friends as you go through these changes regarding your identity. | Connect with friends that have been supportive in the past. Avoid negative people. Be open to new friendships. Be friends with people who don't care what your sexual orientation is. Connect with the LGBT community in your area. Find support groups for people who come out. Be an advocate. Seek online support from others who identify as LGBT. Be patient in the coming out process. Don't give up on yourself. Take pride and be confident in who you are. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Find-the-Area-of-a-Square-Using-the-Length-of-its-Diagonal | How to Find the Area of a Square Using the Length of its Diagonal | To find the area of a square using the length of its diagonal, use the formula area = d^2 divided by 2, where d is the length of the diagonal. Just square the length of the diagonal and then divide that number by 2 to find the square's area. | Draw your square. A square has four equal sides. Let's say each one has a length of "s". Review the basic formula for a square's area. A square's area is equal to its length times its width. Since each side is s , the formula is Area = s x s = s. This will be useful later on. Join any two opposite corners to make a diagonal. Let the measure of this diagonal be d units. This diagonal divides the square into two right-triangles. Apply the Pythagorean Theorem to one of the triangles. The Pythagorean theorem is a formula for finding the hypotenuse (longest side) of a right triangle: (side one) + (side two) = (hypotenuse) , or a 2 + b 2 = c 2 {\displaystyle a^{2}+b^{2}=c^{2}}. Now that the square is divided in half, you can use this formula on one of the right triangles: The two shorter sides of the triangle are the sides of the square: each one has a length of s. The hypotenuse is the diagonal of the square, d. s 2 + s 2 = d 2 {\displaystyle s^{2}+s^{2}=d^{2}} Arrange the equation so s2 is on one side. Remember that we already know the square's area is equal to s. If you can get s alone on side, you'll have a new equation for area: s 2 + s 2 = d 2 {\displaystyle s^{2}+s^{2}=d^{2}} Simplify: 2 s 2 = d 2 {\displaystyle 2s^{2}=d^{2}} Divide both sides by two: s 2 = d 2 2 {\displaystyle s^{2}={\frac {d^{2}}{2}}} Area = s 2 = d 2 2 {\displaystyle s^{2}={\frac {d^{2}}{2}}} Area = d 2 2 {\displaystyle {\frac {d^{2}}{2}}} Use this formula on an example square. These steps have proven that the formula Area = d 2 2 {\displaystyle {\frac {d^{2}}{2}}} works for all squares. Just plug in the length of the diagonal for d and solve. For example, let's say a square has a diagonal that measures 10 cm. Area = 10 2 2 {\displaystyle {\frac {10^{2}}{2}}} = 100 2 {\displaystyle {\frac {100}{2}}} = 50 square centimeters. Find the diagonal from the length of a side. The Pythagorean theorem for a square with side s and diagonal d gives you the formula 2 s 2 = d 2 {\displaystyle 2s^{2}=d^{2}}. Solve for d if you know the side lengths and want to find the length of the diagonal: 2 s 2 = d 2 {\displaystyle 2s^{2}=d^{2}} 2 s 2 = d 2 {\displaystyle {\sqrt {2s^{2}}}={\sqrt {d^{2}}}} s 2 = d {\displaystyle s{\sqrt {2}}=d} For example, if a square has sides of 7 inches, its diagonal d = 7√2 inches, or about 9.9 inches. If you don't have a calculator, you can use 1.4 as an estimate for √2. Find the side length from the diagonal. If you are given the diagonal and you know that the diagonal of a square is s 2 {\displaystyle s{\sqrt {2}}} , you can divide both sides by 2 {\displaystyle {\sqrt {2}}} to get s = d 2 {\displaystyle s={\frac {d}{\sqrt {2}}}}. For example, a square with a diagonal of 10cm has sides with length 10 2 = 7.071 {\displaystyle {\frac {10}{\sqrt {2}}}=7.071} cm. If you need to find both the side length and the area from the diagonal, you can use this formula first, then quickly square the answer to get the area: Area = s 2 = 7.071 2 = 50 {\displaystyle =s^{2}=7.071^{2}=50} square centimeters. This is a bit less accurate, since 2 {\displaystyle {\sqrt {2}}} is an irrational number that can lead to rounding errors. Interpret the area formula. The math checks out for the formula Area = d 2 2 {\displaystyle {\frac {d^{2}}{2}}} , but is there a way to test this directly? Well, d 2 {\displaystyle d^{2}} is the area of a second square with the diagonal as a side. Since the full formula is d 2 2 {\displaystyle {\frac {d^{2}}{2}}} , you can reason that this second square has exactly twice the area of the original square. You can test this yourself: Draw a square on a piece of paper. Make sure all the sides are equal. Measure the diagonal. Draw a second square using that measurement as the length of the square. Trace a copy of your first square so you have two of them. Cut all three squares out. Cut apart the two smaller squares into any shapes so you can arrange them to fit inside the large square. They should fill the space perfectly, showing that the area of the larger square is exactly twice the area of the smaller square. | Draw your square. Review the basic formula for a square's area. Join any two opposite corners to make a diagonal. Apply the Pythagorean Theorem to one of the triangles. Arrange the equation so s2 is on one side. Use this formula on an example square. Find the diagonal from the length of a side. Find the side length from the diagonal. Interpret the area formula. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Persuade-Your-Parents-to-Buy-Fast-Food | How to Persuade Your Parents to Buy Fast Food | If you like to eat fast food but your parents won't buy it, try to change their mind with logical reasons. If they say it's unhealthy, look over the menus of your favorite fast food places and tell your parents about the healthier options you can pick from. Also talk to them about how balanced your diet is in general, so the occasional fast food meal won't do any damage. If your parents cite money as their reason for saying no, research value meals at your favorite chains or keep an eye on coupons that would make it more affordable. You can also ask if you can get fast food as a special reward for a good report card or for doing extra chores around the house. | Ask your parents why they won’t buy fast food. Communication is the key to any good relationship, especially with your parents. Ask directly: “Why won't you buy me fast food?” and you're likely to get a direct response. Be direct and respectful. Chances are high that your parents won't deal with disrespect or confrontational behavior. Calling names, yelling or being visibly frustrated will only make the conversation harder. No matter how frustrated you feel, keep it civil. Note their reasons. For each one of the reasons that your parents give you as to why they won't buy fast food, make a mental note. You'll be able to refute these points with a little bit of research. Keep their reasons in mind and mentally file them away for later. Remember their points. There are many reasons why your parents might be unwilling to by fast food: it might be too expensive, or they might be worried about your health. You might want to go get fast food with your friends, but your parents may disapprove. You'll need to do a little research on what to say to get your parents to change their minds. Refuting their points directly will be the best way to change their outlook. Focus on your health. If your parents are concerned with your health and use this as their reason, there's plenty of research you can use to change their mind. Learning about nutrition and reading menus can help. You can also opt for healthier fast food places that offer better choices. Eat healthy food a lot. Your parents will be more likely to give you fast food, if you ate more healthy meals in the short-term. Then your parents will be more likely to think that you can have fast food and that your health will not collapse into disrepair and neglect. Look at menus. Most fast food places have begun to roll out healthier menus, and you may be able to convince your parents to buy you some of the healthier options, like the lower calorie Fresca menu at Taco bell or some healthier sides at McDonalds. Learn about nutrition. The more you know about nutrition and the needs of your body, the you'll understand about how fast food can affect your diet. Know that as long as you aren't eating more calories than you need every day, you won't gain weight, even if you only eat fast food. Research value menus. If you want to eat fast food, but money is the main reason your parents don't want to buy it, research prices at your favorite chains. Many offer dollar menus or other value menus that can be reasonably priced. Keep an eye on deals. Often, fast food chains will offer deals that drop the prices of meals substantially. Restaurants often advertise on the radio or TV, so watch for two-for-one deals, coupons, or limited-time-offers that might make a meal more affordable. Think about how much you value time with friends. If going out to restaurants helps you fit in with your friends, think about how to explain this to your parents. Spending time with your friends is important, and helps you bond, even if it's just over cheeseburgers. Think about ways to explain how hanging out is important to you and your friend group, and how it helps you stay in touch with kids your age. Talk to your parents again. Bring your research with you, or memorize what you're going to say. Remember the specific points that they brought up earlier, and prepare your well thought out responses. Refute their reasons. Whether it's price, nutrition, or some other reason keeping your parents from buying fast food, present your corresponding evidence. No matter their reason, bring a solid argument that presents a positive viewpoint. Tell them how often you’d like to eat fast food. Moderation will be key in saving money and staying healthy while eating fast food. Tell your parents how often you'd like to go out: once a month, once a week, or more. Be specific. The more specific you are about your expectations, the more you can talk to them about budget per week. Ask them to get fast food as a treat. If your parents are having a hard time changing their mind, ask them if fast food can be your reward for an achievement. They'll have a harder time saying no if they know you're willing to work hard for your treat. Tell them you’ll pay for it yourself. If money is your parents' concern, offer to pay for the meals. If you have an allowance or an after school job, this won't be too much of a problem. Offering to buy the fast food may help persuade your parents, as they won't have to worry about the expense. If you don't have enough money to pay for the whole meal, offer to match funds instead, paying half. Make an exercise plan, and show your parents. Make an exercise plan that will offset the caloric intake of fast food. Schedule jogging or cycling sessions, or consider joining a sport at school. Show your parents the plan, and let them know how your physical activity will offset any of the bad foods that you might eat. Enjoy your fast food treat. If you follow through and state your case reasonably, you're bound to persuade your parents to buy you some fast food. Enjoy and know how much hard work you put into changing their minds. Make sure to thank them for getting you your fast food! | Ask your parents why they won’t buy fast food. Be direct and respectful. Note their reasons. Remember their points. Focus on your health. Research value menus. Think about how much you value time with friends. Talk to your parents again. Refute their reasons. Tell them how often you’d like to eat fast food. Ask them to get fast food as a treat. Tell them you’ll pay for it yourself. Make an exercise plan, and show your parents. Enjoy your fast food treat. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Sew-Velcro-by-Hand | How to Sew Velcro by Hand | Velcro is a tough material, but with the right tools, you should be able to sew it onto your fabric without too much difficulty. Choose a thick, sharp needle and use thread the same color as your velcro. Rub a little beeswax or another needle lubricant on your needle to make it easier to pass through the velcro. Cut your velcro to size and cut the corners off to avoid poking your skin. Then, pin it onto your fabric to keep it in place and sew the edges of the velcro with a straight stitch. If you are finding that the thread is tangling or snagging too much, switch to a shorter piece of thread. | Find out what type of Velcro your project needs. If you are following a pattern, read the pattern's supply list to find out what color and width of Velcro you should buy. If you are not following a pattern, then use your best judgement in terms of size and color. The smaller the garment, the thinner the Velcro should be. A doll's dress might use 1⁄4-in (0.64-cm) Velcro, but a backpack might use 1-in (2.5-cm) Velcro. Match the color of the Velcro to the color of the fabric when possible. If you can't find the matching color, use white Velcro for light colored fabric and black for dark. Buy good-quality, non-adhesive Velcro. Adhesive Velcro may seem convenient, but the adhesive is not strong enough to be permanent. It can also gum up your needle and thread, and make sewing difficult. Unless your project specifies round Velcro dots (which are usually self-adhesive), stick with the regular, non-adhesive Velcro. Remember, you can always cut Velcro into squares or rectangles. For best results, choose Velcro that has a soft, flexible strip. It will be easier to sew than stiff, heavy-duty Velcro. Try to get Velcro that has seams on each side. This will make it easier to sew the Velcro on. Choose polyester thread that matches the color of the Velcro. When possible, match the thread color to the Velcro color. If the stitching will be visible from the front of the fabric, however, match the thread to the fabric instead. Polyester thread is the best choice because it is strong and durable. Get a sharp, thick needle. Avoid needles that are too thin, as they are more likely to snap or break as you are pulling them through the Velcro. For best results, use a general/universal needle in size 14 or 16 (90 or 100 in Europe). It would be a good idea to pick up a thimble as well; this will make it easier on your finger when pushing the needle through the Velcro. Cut the Velcro down to the right length. Cut the scratchy hook piece first, then use it as a guide for cutting the fuzzy loop piece. Slide the blade of your scissors through the hooks/loops on the Velcro so that you don't accidentally cut through them. If the pieces are stuck together, pull them apart. Do not cut through both pieces at the same time, or you may end up cutting through the hooks and loops. If you don't have a pattern, use your best judgement. A 1-in (2.5-cm) square would work great for a purse, but a longer strip would work better for a jacket. Cut the corners on the side seams of each Velcro strip. If you look closely at a strip of Velcro, you'll notice that the hooks and loops don't extend to the side edges; there is a slight seam on each side. Cut the corners off of these seams so that they are angled instead of straight. This will give your Velcro a nicer finish and prevent it from poking your skin. If your Velcro doesn't have any side seams, use a pair of small, pointed scissors to trim the hooks and loops down on each side to create seams. Position the Velcro so that the hook side faces away from your skin. Velcro is positioned between 2 overlapping pieces of fabric. Place the soft Velcro on the underside of the upper fabric piece. Place the scratchy Velcro on top of the lower fabric piece. This way, the scratchy Velcro will be facing away from your skin. Avoid placing the Velcro right against the edge of the fabric, otherwise the tape may scratch your skin. Pin the Velcro to your project. A single sewing pin through the middle of the strip should be enough for most pieces of Velcro. If you are sewing a very long strip of Velcro, like on a jacket, then you may want to add a sewing pin every couple of inches/centimeters. If you can't push the pins through the Velcro without bending them, use strips of masking tape instead. If this is a non-garment project, it does not matter which side of Velcro you use for each piece. Coat the needle with beeswax or a needle lubricant, if desired. While not necessary, this will make it easier for the needle to pass through the Velcro. Simply run the needle over a block of beeswax or needle lubricant. You can find both in the sewing or beading section of a craft store. Fabric stores may also carry them. Thread the needle and knot the ends of the thread together. Cut an 18- to 20-in (46- to 51-cm) piece of thread. Push it through the eye of your needle, then bring the ends together. Treating the ends as a single strand, roll them into a small loop, then pass the end of the thread through that loop. Pull on the ends to tighten the knot. Cut your thread at an angle. This will give it a sharp point and make it easier to push through the eye of your needle! Pull the thread through a block of beeswax (after threading the needle) to make it stronger, if desired. It is better to work with shorter pieces of thread than longer ones; they are less-likely to tangle and break. Push the needle through the back of the Velcro to anchor the knot. Place the needle behind the strip of Velcro. Push it until it comes out the front, then pull on the thread until the knot touches the back of the Velcro. This will anchor the knot as well as conceal it from view. You can start sewing the Velcro wherever you want. Some people find it easier to start at a corner while others prefer starting along a side edge. Use a thimble on the finger that is pushing the needle. The end of a needle can be sharp. Sew around the Velcro using a straight stitch. A straight stitch is where you weave the needle up and down through the fabric. Use the smallest stitches you can manage, and sew as close to the edge of the Velcro as you can. If you sew too close to the hooks or loops, you risk the thread snagging. If you used masking tape instead of sewing pins, move the tape aside as you sew. If your Velcro does not have side seams, and if you did not cut any in, pull on each strand of thread to even out the tension. Tie the thread off when you are back to where you started. Make a small stitch, pulling the thread only partway so that it makes a small loop. Pull your needle through this loop, creating a second loop. Pull the needle through this second loop, then tug on it to tighten both loops and make a knot. Position the knot on the fabric side of your project rather than the Velcro. This will prevent the Velcro from accidentally snagging the knot. Cut the thread as close to the knot as possible. If you are worried about the knot coming undone, push the needle back through the fabric and Velcro, then cut the thread next to the Velcro. If you used sewing pins, be sure to pull them out at this point. | Find out what type of Velcro your project needs. Buy good-quality, non-adhesive Velcro. Choose polyester thread that matches the color of the Velcro. Get a sharp, thick needle. Cut the Velcro down to the right length. Cut the corners on the side seams of each Velcro strip. Position the Velcro so that the hook side faces away from your skin. Pin the Velcro to your project. Coat the needle with beeswax or a needle lubricant, if desired. Thread the needle and knot the ends of the thread together. Push the needle through the back of the Velcro to anchor the knot. Sew around the Velcro using a straight stitch. Tie the thread off when you are back to where you started. Cut the thread as close to the knot as possible. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Spot-Signs-of-Nutritional-Disorders-in-Eclectus-Parrots | How to Spot Signs of Nutritional Disorders in Eclectus Parrots | To spot nutritional disorders in your eclectus parrot, be on the lookout for color changes in the bird's feathers. For example, a malnourished eclectus parrot may change from red to green. You should also keep an eye on the parrot's breast. If it's really round and meaty, your bird may be obese, while a narrow or bony breast suggests undernourishment. Additionally, check for behavioral symptoms, such as aggression or hyperactivity. Finally, see if your eclectus parrot is plucking at its skin or feathers. While feather pulling can have many causes, it is often a sign of a nutritional disorder. | Spot uncharacteristic changes in the color of feathers. Color changes are a common sign of nutritional disorders. Color changes in plumage may indicate liver problems that are connected to a nutritional deficiency. For instance, if your parrot has red feathers that suddenly turn green, this could be an indication of a nutritional deficiency. Watch the bird’s breast development. Healthy eclectus should not have noticeable or large breasts. Since eclectus tend to add weight inside the body cavity first, the development of meaty breasts are an almost certain sign of obesity. This is likely related to some sort of nutritional problem or disorder. If you notice your bird becoming obese, you should re-evaluate its diet. In many cases, you'll need to lower their consumption of pellets and increase their consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables. Likewise, if the bird's breast bone is very prominent, the bird is underweight and is not receiving adequate nutrition from the food or is not eating enough. Watch for aggression. While aggression is a symptom of a variety of many conditions, it is also an indication of a potential nutritional disorder. Birds that act aggressive may not be getting all the vitamins they need to be healthy. In addition, they may be hungry. Look for signs of hyperactivity. If you notice your parrot has extra energy, is awake more than it should be, or is generally hyperactive, it might be experiencing a nutritional disorder of some sort. Evaluate your parrot's diet and consider adding more fresh fruits and vegetables. Take note if your eclectus destroys its feathers. Birds that systematically tear out their feathers could have an underlying nutritional disorder. Watch for your bird picking at their skin, plucking their feathers, or having a loss of feathers of night or while you are not at home. Address loss of feathers by visiting your vet. In many cases, your vet will recommend altering the bird's diet. Remember that there are many reasons for feather plucking, including nutritional disorders. You should take your bird to an avian veterinarian at the first sign of an issue for a proper diagnosis and treatment. An early diagnosis is important, as an established disorder will be harder to treat. Watch for hypovitaminosis A. Hypovitaminosis A is a disorder that eclectus parrots get when they don't get enough vitamin A in their diet. The most common cause of hypovitaminosis A in eclectus parrots is an overconsumption of seeds. This is a very severe threat to your parrot's health. Some symptoms include: White patches on the mouth or tongue. Labored breathing Lack of appetite Nasal discharge Diarrhea Feather discolorations Identify calcium and phosphorus imbalances. Like hypovitaminosis A, calcium and phosphorus imbalances occur when an eclectus parrot consumes too many seeds and grains. This results in an inability to digest and absorb calcium and phosphorus. Symptoms of calcium and phosphorus imbalances include: Weakness Osteoporosis Bone fractures Brittle eggs Look for vitamin D imbalances. Like other nutritional imbalances, vitamin D problems reflect an improperly formulated eclectus diet. When an eclecctus has a vitamin D imbalance, their body will be unable to metabolize calcium properly. This will eventually result in the formation of kidney stones. Symptoms include: Excessive urination or inability to urinate Weakness Irritability Thirst Identify liver problems. Due to their digestive system, eclectus parrots are at a higher risk of developing liver problems if they do not get proper nutrition. If caught early, liver problems could be minor. However, if underlying nutritional problems are not addressed quickly, they could endanger your bird's life. Some symptoms of nutritional-related liver problems include: Abnormal feather color. Loss of appetite. Low energy. Provide the bird with a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables each day. Eclectus parrots need more fruits and vegetables than other types of parrots. Their diet should consist of about 80% fruits and vegetables. Without fruits and vegetables, they'll suffer nutritional disorders. In particular, provide: Leafy greens. Colorful fruits like berries and citrus. Give bird pellets only as a supplement. About 20% of your bird's diet should be a quality bird food in pellet form. Bird food will provide some fiber, fat, and other nutrients that the birds may not get from fruits or vegetables. In addition, your bird will likely enjoy its pellets. Do not put your eclectus on a seed-based diet. Seed-based diets are one of the greatest causes of nutritional disorders in eclectus. Because eclectus parrots have a different digestive system than other birds, they are unable to digest seeds. In addition, seeds do not provide the nutrition that eclectus parrots need to be healthy. Consider soaking bird pellets in water before serving them to your eclectus. Avoid certain foods. Your eclectus could suffer nutritional disorders if it consumes certain foods. These foods could cause kidney problems, liver problems, and other illnesses. Ultimately, you should only give your eclectus foods that its digestive system can properly process. Avoid: Foods with lots of sugar or salt. Processed foods. Bird food mixes with a lot of seeds or nuts. Foods that contain caffeine. Avocados. Chocolate. | Spot uncharacteristic changes in the color of feathers. Watch the bird’s breast development. Watch for aggression. Look for signs of hyperactivity. Take note if your eclectus destroys its feathers. Watch for hypovitaminosis A. Identify calcium and phosphorus imbalances. Look for vitamin D imbalances. Identify liver problems. Provide the bird with a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables each day. Give bird pellets only as a supplement. Do not put your eclectus on a seed-based diet. Avoid certain foods. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Get-a-Mortgage | How to Get a Mortgage | To get a mortgage, you'll likely need a credit score that's above 580 and enough money saved up for a downpayment worth 20 percent of the home's value. You'll also need money to pay the closing costs, which are usually 2-5 percent of the value of the home you're buying. Depending on where you live and how much money you make, you may qualify for programs that reduce the downpayment you'll have to pay. | Estimate your home-payment capacity. In order to apply for a mortgage, you should first determine the monthly payment you can afford. Take an inventory of all your monthly expenses and compare it to your monthly income. Use these figures to establish a budget that allows room for a monthly mortgage payment. Remember to factor in all of the costs of home ownership, including insurance, taxes, and maintenance. You should also consider the cost of any new furnishings you might want for your new home. Seeing how much you can afford per month will help determine the price range for your new home. You can use a mortgage calculator to determine how much you can pay for a house based on the monthly payment you can afford. By determining what your outgoing expenses are, you can begin to establish a working budget. Calculate your down-payment capability. The standard down payment required when purchasing a house is 20% of the sale price. That means you would need to have $60,000 on hand for the down payment on a $300,000 house. Some banks are willing to work with you on how much you'll need to put down, but the closer you get to the 20% mark, the better your chances become of being approved. With a conventional mortgage, a down payment of at least 20% of the selling price will allow you to avoid buying private mortgage insurance, also known as lenders mortgage insurance. (This insurance serves only to protect the lender.) You can use your savings or investments to cover the down payment, including 401(k)s and IRAs. Alternately, you can sell valuable assets like antiques, jewelry, or extra vehicles to get the money. You may also qualify for state programs that can reduce the down payment required, particularly if you are a veteran or qualify for low-income home-buying assistance. Investigate these programs by searching online for homebuyer assistance programs in your area. You will also need to set money aside for other expenses such as closing and moving costs. Closing costs are fees associated with finalizing the mortgage. They include the cost of obtaining your credit report, as well as attorney fees, underwriting fees and a recording fee paid to a local government for registering the sale. Closing costs are usually between 2% and 5% of the sale price of the house, meaning they could be $6,000 to $15,000 on a $300,000 house. Moving costs will vary widely depending on how much and how far you're moving. Confirm your credit score. It's important to be fully aware of your credit score and what elements of it are important to lenders. There are a number of free ways you can access your credit score, or you can choose to pay a credit monitoring service to provide you with a copy. Most lenders will not approve a mortgage application for someone with a credit score below 580. There are a number of websites where you can get a free copy of your credit report. Use your credit report to identify negative information that you may need to explain to a lender such as late or missed payments or defaulted loans. As you review your credit report, look for items that are not accurate or should not be on your credit report at all. You can contact the credit bureaus to challenge inaccurate information and ultimately have it removed from your credit report. Removing inaccurate, negative information will increase your credit score and improve your chances of being approved for a mortgage. You can submit a dispute letter that identifies the erroneous information to the credit bureau to have it removed from your credit report. If necessary, you can use a number of strategies to repair damaged credit. See how to repair your credit for more information. Review different programs and requirements for mortgage loans. Homebuyers typically have a variety of options when it comes to choosing a mortgage loan. Many borrowers can qualify for a conventional home loan provided by a bank or credit union. Such a loan is not insured or backed by the government and will require good credit and a 20-percent down payment. Those borrowers who can't qualify for a conventional loan do have other options: VA loans. These are guaranteed by the Department of Veterans Affairs for veterans and their families. VA loans allow borrowers to finance the full cost of the home, meaning that no down payment is required. FHA loans. The Federal Housing Administration offers a similar program. FHA loans are guaranteed by the government and offer down payments as low as 3.5 percent. However, you will need to buy private mortgage insurance (PMI) with this type of loan. Another option is to get a mortgage loan through the seller of the property. This strategy, called owner financing , allows you to repay the seller of the home directly. However, not all sellers will be willing to do this. Understand the types of mortgages. There are a number of different types of mortgages, each with its own options. The two most common types of mortgages you will hear about are fixed-rate and variable-rate mortgages. Fixed-rate mortgages are similar to loans you may have taken out in the past for things like a car: they include a set payment for a fixed amount of time. Upon the completion of those payments, the home is paid off. Variable-rate mortgages, on the other hand, typically feature lower initial payments which can be increased after a certain amount of time. You may find it easier to qualify for a variable-rate mortgage because of the lower initial monthly cost. You should, however, consider the possibility of rising payments during the life of the loan because of that variable interest rate. (The rate could also go down.) Fixed-rate mortgages often cost more per month at first but are simpler to understand, and their monthly payments will never change. There is one type of loan that combines these two elements. An example is a Treasury ARM (adjustable rate mortgage), which has a fixed rate for a set amount of time, followed by a variable rate that is adjusted each year. Mortgage loans will also vary in their terms (lengths). The two most common terms are 15 and 30 years. Determine home purchase limits. Various components of your mortgage loan will affect how large a home loan you can afford. For instance, making a substantial down payment will reduce the amount you finance, thus reducing your monthly payment (assuming the same loan conditions otherwise). You can also reduce your monthly payments by extending your loan term (from 15 to 30 years, for example). In addition, other costs like homeowner's insurance and property taxes should be factored in when computing how much you can afford to pay each month. Calculate your expected mortgage payments given other purchase information by using an online mortgage payment calculator. These can be found by entering "mortgage payment calculator" into a search engine. Alternately, you can calculate a mortgage payment by hand using the strategies described at how to calculate mortgage payments. Confirm your mortgage-loan eligibility. Check online to see the qualifications required by the specific type of financing you are applying for. This includes VA, FHA, or conventional loans. Make sure you qualify by considering your income, credit score, home price, and other factors. If you are unsure of whether you qualify for a loan, contact the lender or sponsoring organization (the FHA or VA) to speak to a representative, and check your qualifications. Decide whether to use a mortgage broker. A mortgage broker serves as a middleman between you and lending institutions. Mortgage brokers work directly with both you and the lenders to help you to qualify for a mortgage loan and to find the right one for you. A mortgage broker can help make the process of applying for a mortgage easier. Instead of using a mortgage broker, however, you may want to go directly to a lender to apply for a mortgage. While avoiding a broker's fee, this method will require more effort on your part: it will be up to you to shop for lenders and compare their fees and interest rates. A mortgage broker will collect all of the same documents from you that a lender would request when you apply for a mortgage. Remember that mortgage brokers are paid for their service, which may result in increased costs to you. Sometimes brokers are paid a commission by the lending institution. Other times they bill loan-origination fees to the borrower. There are many lenders you can choose from when applying for a mortgage, and each will include their own conditions in the loan agreement. It's important to review your options carefully when choosing a lending institution, as a mortgage is a long-term investment. One lender may be more tolerant than another as you apply for a loan. Credit unions are sometimes more lenient than commercial banks regarding lower credit scores. Make a short list of possible lenders you might want to apply to for a mortgage. Then narrow down your list as you eliminate options. You may be able to see if you could qualify for a mortgage loan from a specific lender by using their online application. This is a simple way to narrow down your lender options. Review lender satisfaction scores. Another great way to eliminate some lenders from your list is to research them online. Look for independent review sites where previous customers tell about their experiences with a particular lender. You may also want to check with the Better Business Bureau online to see if there have been formal complaints filed against the lending institutions you are considering. Access the Better Business Bureau online at http://www.BBB.org. You can find reviews of lenders at LendingTree.com and ConsumerAffairs.com. Confirm your choice of lender. When researching your lender options, it's important that you feel as though the lender you work with is committed to working with you and making you comfortable with the process. Pay attention to how the lender's representatives treat you and answer your questions. Do you receive a prompt response when calling or e-mailing with questions? Are they happy to answer your questions about the process and what they can offer you? Make sure you are comfortable with the lender you deal with. If not, that lender may not be right for you. Walk away if you are dissatisfied with the initial service you are given. Poor service might get worse as time goes on. Learn the difference between “pre-qualified” and “pre-approved. ” When applying for a mortgage, some lenders may offer to pre-qualify or pre-approve you for a mortgage. It's important that you understand the distinction between the two and what they mean for your chances of purchasing a home. Pre-qualification can help you understand how much you can afford and can serve as an aid when choosing which houses to consider. Ultimately, however, pre-qualification adds little else to the process. Being pre-approved, on the other hand, can demonstrate to all concerned that you are serious about purchasing a home and add weight to your offer. Being pre-qualified means a lender discussed your financial situation, credit and income and determined that you are qualified for a mortgage level indicated in the letter of qualification. Being pre-approved means the lender actually examined your credit and confirmed your financial information. A pre-approval is the more significant of the two steps, because it is supported by documented evidence. Being pre-qualified is no guarantee that you will be approved for a mortgage. Being pre-approved is also not a guarantee but is generally seen as indicating a high likelihood that the applicant will be approved. Identify additional fees and prepayment penalties. There are a number of possible fees associated with mortgage lending, so it's important that you discuss them with a lender before applying for a mortgage. Be sure you have a thorough understanding of the fees and additional expenses you will be expected to cover as a part of the mortgage process with each lender. Ask for a written estimate of your costs that includes a breakdown of all associated expenses and fees. Ask questions about any fees that you don't completely understand. It is your money. Don't be shy about asking. Lenders may also charge "points" on your mortgage. A point is equal to 1 percent of the mortgage loan amount. In contrast, "discount" points might be offered, which is an opportunity to reduce the interest paid on the loan by prepaying it in the form of points. A lender might charge "origination fee points," which is a vague but profit-boosting fee added to the cost of your loan. Negotiate where you can. The different costs associated with purchasing a home are divided into two categories: real and negotiable costs. "Real" costs are non-negotiable and cannot be adjusted, while you may be able to negotiate the remaining costs. Understanding the differences between the two can help you approach the discussion well equipped to limit any additional expenses attached to the home-buying process. Examples of real costs are: expenses associated with obtaining your credit reports, inspecting the house and the appraisal of the property. Negotiable costs include the commission the lender charges you for their work. Lenders usually receive a commission of between 1% and 2% of the price of the house, but a commission of up 4% is not unheard of. This cost is completely negotiable, however. It's best to discuss this commission with the lender well before the day that escrow closes. Analyze lenders' posted offerings. The best way to get a good mortgage rate is to present a good credit history. In addition, you will want to do some homework to find the best rate(s) available. Your interest rate determines how much interest you will pay over the life of the loan. A lower interest rate will reduce your monthly payments and the total amount you pay for the house. Compare the interest rates offered by several lenders, and consider any special programs you may be qualified for. You can track current mortgage rates online from different lenders in your area on websites like BankRate.com. To look at current rates, go to http://www.bankrate.com/funnel/mortgages/ Get your paperwork to the lender as soon as possible when you find a rate you like. Rates can change overnight. Check with your bank or credit union about any incentives or special mortgage programs they offer existing customers. Select a lender. After researching your lending options and making sure all of your questions are answered, compare the lenders you haven't eliminated, and choose the one that seems right for you. You should feel comfortable working with the lender you choose, and you should be confident that they can help you navigate the mortgage process. Remember that mortgages can last for decades, so it's important to choose a lender you can work with. The lender you choose should be willing to provide you with advice on how to improve your credit and get approved through the application process. Gather all the necessary documentation. There are a number of documents you will need to gather when preparing to apply for a mortgage. Some documents serve as proof of employment, some are proof of your income, and others speak to your level of debt. Gathering these documents ahead of time will make the application process quicker and smoother. Gather the following documents: Pay stubs from the last several months W-2s from the past two years Documents pertaining to long-term debts like car or student loans Bank statements from the past few months Proof of any other income Complete the application. Once you've chosen a lender, you will need to fill out their mortgage application. The lender may provide you with some assistance in completing the forms. You will need to provide information regarding your identity, finances and debt as a part of the application. The application may be fairly lengthy. It will include information about the house you are attempting to buy and the terms and conditions of the loan. Provide the lender with the documents you've gathered to support your application. It's possible the lender may ask for other documents as well. For example: You will need to provide evidence of your income and your assets. You will likely need to provide information regarding your taxes. You will need to provide documents pertaining to outstanding debts and be able to speak about them if asked. Have a home inspection completed on the house you hope to buy. Most lenders require an inspection to be conducted by a qualified home inspector before approving a mortgage application. Home inspectors look for signs of structural damage to the home and identify things that may need to be repaired prior to financing your purchase of the home. If damage is identified, it will likely need to be repaired prior to a lender approving your application. You can use the information provided by the inspection to renegotiate the price of the house if you will be required to pay for repairs. Wait for the appraisal to be completed. The lender will likely arrange to have the home you intend to purchase independently appraised to determine its value. The lender will then compare the appraised value of the home with the selling price and determine if they are willing to finance the purchase at that price point. The appraisal is intended to ensure you are paying a fair price for the home. The bank also wants to ensure the price is fair in the event you default on the mortgage. Review the loan estimate. After submitting your application, if the lender decides to extend you a loan, you will receive a letter containing a loan estimate within three business days. This document will provide you with the estimated costs associated with your mortgage, including all closing costs and fees. It will show you what your expected monthly costs will be in repaying the mortgage loan. This gives you an opportunity to review the overall cost of your home purchase. The first page of the loan estimate includes loan terms, monthly payment and cash needed at closing. The second page of the loan estimate includes all of the details of your closing costs. The third page will include any additional information pertaining to your loan request and repayment. If the lender approves your mortgage application, they will send you a commitment letter that will state much of the same financial information that was estimated in the loan estimate. This letter will provide you with the concrete details regarding the amount being loaned to you, the terms of repayment, and the interest you will be charged on the loan. Review the commitment letter thoroughly and ask questions about anything that doesn't seem right or that you are unsure of. Sign the commitment letter and return it to the lender. | Estimate your home-payment capacity. Calculate your down-payment capability. Confirm your credit score. Review different programs and requirements for mortgage loans. Understand the types of mortgages. Determine home purchase limits. Confirm your mortgage-loan eligibility. Decide whether to use a mortgage broker. Review lender satisfaction scores. Confirm your choice of lender. Learn the difference between “pre-qualified” and “pre-approved. Identify additional fees and prepayment penalties. Negotiate where you can. Analyze lenders' posted offerings. Select a lender. Gather all the necessary documentation. Complete the application. Have a home inspection completed on the house you hope to buy. Wait for the appraisal to be completed. Review the loan estimate. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Look-Taller | How to Look Taller | To look taller, work on your posture by putting your shoulders back and holding your head high. Wear accessories on your upper half, like pocket squares or necklaces to draw attention to your upper half. To make your body look well-proportioned, choose form-fitting clothes that emphasize your waist, like belted or cinched tops. In general, opt for V-neck shirts and high-waisted pants, skirts, or dresses to lengthen your frame. | Opt for full-length, flared jeans. If you don't mind the flare style, look for jeans with a flare around the leg rather than straight-leg varieties. This draws attention to your bottom half, making your legs look longer. Make sure that the flare jeans do not drag on the floor as this can make you look shorter rather than taller. Go for high-wasted, form-fitting dresses. If you like to wear dresses, consider dresses that cinch at the waist just above the hips. This makes your body look well-proportioned, lengthening your frame overall. Avoid dresses that are long and loose as this can make you look like you're drowning in them, drawing attention to your height. For example, go for a dress with a pencil line skirt that cinches at the waist. Take a pass on the baggy maxi dress. Pick high-waisted pants or skirts. A higher waist helps make your legs look longer, stretching out your figure overall. When selecting pants or skirts, look for ones that are meant to be buttoned and zipped at the waist. Bottoms that fall at the hips are much less likely to lengthen your frame. If you are having trouble finding high-waisted garments, look for vintage styles. Many of them tend to have higher waists. Make sure the crotch doesn't drop. If you find your pants sag near the crotch, either have them tailored or find another pair. Saggy pants in general are unfashionable and can be especially un-flattering if you're on the shorter side. If your pants look like they're sagging, this will make you look shorter overall. If you can't get new pants, pull them up so that they don't sag, and wear a belt to keep them up. Keep the legs of pants at your ankles. This is a must if you're trying to look tall, as saggy legs draw attention to your shorter frame. If you really struggle to find a pair, you can always have a pair tailored or cuff the legs yourself. Go for v-necks. For any top you wear, go for a V-necks whenever possible. V-necks work great to add height and stretch out your frame, so always be on the lookout for v-necks when shopping. For example, go for a v-neck t-shirt with flared, high-waisted jeans. When wearing a button down, leave a few buttons undone and fold the corners of the shirt over to create a v-neck. Tuck in your tops. If your torso looks shorter and your legs look longer, you're going to look taller. To lengthen your frame, make a habit of tucking in your shirts whenever you can. This works particularly well with pants that are already high-waisted. For example, if you're wearing a dress shirt and dress pants to work, tuck in the shirt for a professional look that lengthens your frame. Opt for slimmer sleeves. If your arms are hugged too tightly against your body, this can create sight lines that shorten your overall look. Slimmer sleeves are a great choice if you want to look taller, as they make your arms look distinct. This lengthens your entire frame. For example, go for a suit with a slim, form-fitted jacket that's tighter around the sleeves. Pick form-fitted tops. The bulkier your top looks, the more your figure drowns in your clothing. This makes your figure look smaller and shorter overall. Go for tops that are a little tighter and more form-fitted to elongate your frame. For example, stay away from big, bulky sweaters in the winter. Instead, go for sweaters that hug your figure. Wear shoes that stretch out your frame. High heels, or shoes that simply have a higher lifting heel, are the obvious choice. If you feel uncomfortable in heels, go for sandals or nude-colored shoes that blend into your feet and legs. Knee-high boots can also work to stretch out your frame. When choosing heels, opt for nude-colored ones, or match them to your tights. This will help stretch your legs out even more. Pick short jackets or cardigans. If you're wearing a jacket, cardigan, or something similar with an outfit, keep it shorter. Shorter tops help your torso look shorter and your legs look longer, creating the illusion of height. Go for jackets and cardigans that fall above your bottom. For example, if you wear a suit to the office, look for one with a shorter jacket that comes down just to your hips. Match your socks and pants. If you wear socks that are clearly visible, make sure the socks don't contrast too sharply from your pants. A more monochromatic look will stretch out your body, making you look taller overall. For example, black pants can be paired with black socks. Wear hats or scarves. Drawing attention upward, towards your face, can make you look taller by balancing out your top and bottom half. Try wearing a hat or wrapping a scarf around your neck. Also, pick clothing that compliments your facial features like eye color. This will direct attention upward. For example, if you have big, brown eyes, opt for a brown scarf or hat. Try a slim belt. Belts can be great to cinch pants, skirts, or dresses at the waist, making your legs look longer and more defined. For the best results, wear a skinnier belt. Anything big or bulky will make your frame look smaller and shorter in comparison. For example, if you have a dress that's a little looser around the middle, cinch it at the waist with a slim-fitted belt. Match all your tones or go for a monochromatic look. Regardless of the accessories you choose, keep them in the same color family as your outfit. Wearing different colors divides a person's body into separate segments. Wearing the same color, or tones that are within the same range, creates one solid line for an observer's eye to pick up. For example, if you're wearing a black sweater with black dress pants, pair it with a skinny black belt and scarf. Wear accessories higher up. Wear a pocket square or bright tie to add detail to a suit, or look at casual shirts with epaulets and upper pockets. When you wear details higher up, it encourages an observing eye to move up from your feet toward your head, causing the eye to take in more height. Stand up straight. Standing up straight can make you look taller. To stand straight, lift you head slightly forward. Lengthen your torso and spine. Widen your shoulders and keep your feet planted firmly on the ground, supporting your body and propelling it upward. Be aware of your posture throughout the day so you can catch yourself slouching. Sit up straight. You can look tall when sitting by maintaining proper posture. Keep your spine straight and you shoulders dropped when you're confined to a desk. Be aware of your posture each time you're sitting to make sure you're maintaining good posture. Stretch your hips and chin at your desk. Doing stretches at your desk can make it easier to maintain good posture. Work on stretching your chin and hips during moments you're working at a desk or sitting during the day. To stretch your chin, do chin tucks. Sit straight with your shoulders held back and pull your chin straight back to give yourself a double chin. Hold this for 30 seconds. Repeat this process three times. To work your hips, take a break from your desk to get up. Kneel on one knee an arm's length away from a wall. Press onto the wall and press down on the knee on the floor. Hold for several seconds and then switch knees and repeat. Do floor stretches regularly. Floor stretches can help you develop better posture. Simply lie down on the floor and stretch your body out as long as possible. Continue stretching for as long as is comfortable. Then, relax and take 10 deep breaths. Repeat this process for five to ten minutes. | Opt for full-length, flared jeans. Go for high-wasted, form-fitting dresses. Pick high-waisted pants or skirts. Make sure the crotch doesn't drop. Keep the legs of pants at your ankles. Go for v-necks. Tuck in your tops. Opt for slimmer sleeves. Pick form-fitted tops. Wear shoes that stretch out your frame. Pick short jackets or cardigans. Match your socks and pants. Wear hats or scarves. Try a slim belt. Match all your tones or go for a monochromatic look. Wear accessories higher up. Stand up straight. Sit up straight. Stretch your hips and chin at your desk. Do floor stretches regularly. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Make-Black-Coffee | How to Make Black Coffee | To make pour-over black coffee, start by placing a funnel on a cup that is large enough to hold the entire brew. Next, put a filter in the funnel, then place about 3 tablespoons of freshly ground coffee into the filter. Once the coffee grounds are prepped, boil water, allow it to cool for 30 seconds, and wet the coffee with a few ounces of the hot water. Wait 30 seconds and pour again, repeating until 4 minutes have passed and the water is gone. | Purchase freshly roasted, whole bean coffee. If you can't purchase it directly from the roaster within a week or so of it being roasted, opt for a vacuum-sealed bag from a reputable national coffee-bean roaster. Purchase your own coffee grinder, or grind it in the store. If possible, choose a burr grinder in place of a normal blade grinder. For best results, grind the coffee fresh right before brewing each day. Experiment with different ground size. Although finer grounds are generally preferred, they can result in a bitterer brew than coarse grounds. Many people recommend that you aim for grounds the size of coarse sugar. Use good water. If you like the water taste of the water that comes out of your tap, it's likely to make good coffee. Softened or distilled water should never be used, but carbon-filtered water can reduce the chemical taste of some tap water. Minerals in water are important for the brewing process. Buy a kettle, a funnel and unbleached filters for your pour-over brew. Most coffee aficionados believe that the pour-over, single-cup method provides the best, richest black coffee. Place the funnel on a cup that is big enough to hold your entire brew. Put approximately three tbsp. of ground coffee in the filter right before you're ready to brew. Serious coffee brewers focus on the weight of the beans, rather than the volume. If you prefer this method, aim for 60 to 70g (two to two and a half oz.) per liter (4.22 cups) of water. Adjust based on the size of your coffee cup. Boil your kettle. Wait for it to cool down for 30 seconds to one minute or stop it just before it reaches a boil. The ideal temperature for brewing coffee is 200 degrees Fahrenheit (93 degrees Celsius). Generally, the darker the roast, the less hot your water should be. For light roasts, use a temperature up to 207 degrees Fahrenheit (97 degrees Celsius). For darker roasts, use a temperature closer to 195 degrees Fahrenheit (90.5 degrees Celsius). Set your timer for four minutes. Wet the coffee with the first pour over, using a couple of oz. of water. Wait 30 seconds and pour again, repeating until the four minutes and the water are gone. Consider experimenting with a three-minute extraction time. Be careful not to overfill the filter. You may find you like the results better with a shorter brewing period. Use a longer brew time for lighter roasts and a shorter brew time for darker roasts. Buy your freshly roasted whole coffee beans in small batches. Beans that are exposed to the air or sunlight will go rancid. Purchase unbleached coffee filters that fit in your coffee maker. If you doubt whether your coffee maker has been cleaned in a while, take some time to clean it for the best possible taste. Run it on the cleaning mode (or a simple brewing mode) with a mixture of half distilled white vinegar and half water. Follow up with two additional brews with water to ensure that the vinegar residue has been completely removed. For areas with very hard water, include a larger ratio of vinegar to water. Repeat the cleaning every month. Grind your beans daily in a burr or blade grinder right before brewing. Burr mills provide the most even grinding; however, they are much more expensive than small blade grinders. If you use a blade grinder, rock it several times during grinding to produce more even grounds. Try out different sized coffee grounds. The finer the grounds, the more flavor you will get from them; however, they can also result in a more bitter brew. Use approximately two and three-fourths tbsp. of coffee per eight oz. cup. With time, you will see how many scoops of coffee beans will produce this amount of grounds. Adjust the amount to your taste. Opt to turn off the automatic warming feature on your pot. Most coffee makers are programmed to brew at a perfect 200 degrees Fahrenheit (93 degrees Celsius), but the warming feature can boil the brew, making it taste bitter. For best results, drink the freshly brewed black coffee right away. Finished. | Purchase freshly roasted, whole bean coffee. Purchase your own coffee grinder, or grind it in the store. Use good water. Buy a kettle, a funnel and unbleached filters for your pour-over brew. Place the funnel on a cup that is big enough to hold your entire brew. Boil your kettle. Set your timer for four minutes. Buy your freshly roasted whole coffee beans in small batches. Purchase unbleached coffee filters that fit in your coffee maker. Grind your beans daily in a burr or blade grinder right before brewing. Use approximately two and three-fourths tbsp. Opt to turn off the automatic warming feature on your pot. Finished. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Clean-Car-Upholstery | How to Clean Car Upholstery | To clean your car upholstery, start by spraying fabric upholstery with a solution of water and dish soap. Gently rub the fabric with a soft brush, then rinse off the soap off with a clean, damp rag. If your upholstery is leather, start by turning on the heater to soften the leather and make it easier to clean. Next, use a soft cloth and leather cleaner to wipe down the seats. Once they are dry, apply a water-based leather conditioner and let it sit for 20 minutes. | Test the stain remover before using. You don't want the stain remover to ruin your upholstery, so be sure to test any stain remover first on an inconspicuous spot before using it. Pretreat stubborn stains on leather. For stubborn stains on leather upholstery, pretreat the leather with a leather conditioner. Then apply a leather stain remover on the stain and rub it in. Allow it to sit for about 30 seconds and wipe off the stain remover. Remove ink stains. For ink stains, use hairspray or rubbing alcohol mixed with water. Spray the hairspray on the stain and blot carefully with a damp, clean cloth to avoid spreading the ink or letting it run on the upholstery. Remove greasy and oily stains. For greasy or oily stains, such as lipstick or food grease, use a watered-down paint thinner formula and a cotton cloth. Put a little bit of paint thinner in a cup and add an equal amount of water. Dip a cotton cloth in the cup and rub it into the stain. Sprinkle the stain with salt or cornmeal and let it sit overnight. Vacuum this section of the upholstery. Be sure to test the paint thinner on your upholstery to make sure it will not stain or ruin the material. Remove coffee stains. If you happen to spill coffee, dilute the coffee with cold water and blot with a paper towel. Apply some glass cleaner and let it sit for 5 minutes. Blot again with a paper towel to lift up more of the stain. Always blot stains. Never scrub them, so that they are not rubbed further in to your vehicle's upholstery. If the coffee is still visible, scrub the upholstery with dishwashing liquid and rinse with warm water. Blot the area again with paper towels. Dry the area with a hair dryer. Hold the hair dryer at least several inches away from the spot so that you don't scorch the upholstery. Remove vomit stains. If someone gets carsick in your vehicle and vomits on the seat or the floor, clean it up as soon as possible to prevent it from setting into the upholstery. Wipe up excess vomit and dilute the stain with cold water. Wash the area with mild soap and warm water. Then neutralize the stain by pouring a small amount of club soda on a cloth and blotting it on the stain. Alternately, you can use a mixture paste of baking soda and water. The baking soda will also help to absorb the smell. Remove blood stains. Blood can be a tough stain to remove. Do not use hot water or soap, as this will set the stain. Soak a cloth in cold water and blot it on the blood stain. Rinse the cloth in cold water and blot again until the stain lifts. Use a homemade all-purpose upholstery cleaner. You don't need to spend lots of money on commercial cleaners in order to clean your upholstery. Make your own cleaner with natural ingredients instead. Mix 1 part water with 1 part dishwashing liquid in a bucket or jug. Mix together and put into a spray bottle. Spray the mixture onto the upholstery, holding the bottle approximately 6-8 inches away. Rub the upholstery gently with a soft-bristled brush. Rinse the area with warm water by using a clean rag. Rinse out the rag frequently. Work on one seat or area at a time. Rinse each area thoroughly before moving onto the next area. Use a microfiber cloth to dry the area. Use a mixture of soap, borax and hot water cleaner. To make another natural, non-caustic cleaner, grate a bar of soap (such as Ivory) until you have 6 tablespoons worth. Add this and 2 tablespoons of borax to a bucket. Slowly add 2 cups of boiling water. You can also add 10 drops of lavender essential oil for fragrance if you want. Allow this to cool and then whip it with a whisk until it is foamy. Brush the foam onto your upholstery with a soft-bristled brush. Rinse the area with warm water by using a clean rag. Rinse out the rag frequently. Work on one seat or area at a time. Rinse each area thoroughly before moving onto the next area. Use a commercial upholstery cleaner. These cleaners are readily available at home supply stores and are not very expensive. They do, however, tend to use harsher chemicals. Follow the instructions on the product's label for proper usage. Apply the cleaner to your upholstery and use a brush to work it into the upholstery. Rinse with water thoroughly. Rent a steam cleaner. Steam cleaners are available to rent at many grocery stores. These will deep clean upholstery and carpet by running hot water over the area that you're cleaning and then sucking it back up immediately. This will extract the water from the upholstery along with dirt. Steam cleaners can cost $35-$40 for a 24-hour rental period. Follow the instructions to operate the steam cleaner correctly. You can purchase a commercial carpet/upholstery cleaner to use in this machine, or you can make a natural solution of 1 part white vinegar and 1 part water, with a few drops of lavender essential oil included. Change the water in the steam cleaner often so that you're not trying to clean the upholstery with dirty water. Use a toothbrush to clean seams. On the seat upholstery, there are seams where the upholstery has been sewn together. Dirt and debris can easily gather here and it is often hard to lift this dirt with a vacuum or cloth. Use a toothbrush to get at these areas, scrubbing gently with your cleaner. Clean the floor mats. Remove the floor mats from the car and clean them using the same cleaner that you've used on the rest of the upholstery. Rinse them thoroughly and dry them with a microfiber cloth. For rubber or vinyl mats, after you clean them, apply liquid wax shoe polish to them. This will help improve their shine and will also make them easier to rinse off and keep clean. Use a lint roller. A lint roller uses sticky paper to grab onto little pieces of fuzz, crumbs and hair. Remove hard-to-reach crumbs and hair from fabric upholstery by rolling a lint roller over the seats. Change the lint roller paper periodically to make sure that it's sticky enough to pick up lint, fuzz, hair and dirt. Use a microfiber cloth to reduce lint transfer. When you're blotting stains or wiping fabric upholstery, use a microfiber cloth that will not leave extra lint on the fabric. Use glass cleaner on vinyl upholstery. Vinyl seats are the easiest type of seats to clean, since spills and messes usually just wipe off. Spray an all-purpose glass cleaner on the seats and wipe them down with a soft cloth. Work on one seat area at a time so that the glass cleaner doesn't run down and drip onto the floor. Use baking soda and water on vinyl upholstery. You can also use a mixture of baking soda and water to clean and polish vinyl seats. Make a paste of the two ingredients and rub it over the upholstery, one seat at a time. To finish the job, rinse the seats off with a mild soap and water mixture. Wipe the seats dry with a clean, soft cloth. Oil-based cleaners will harden your vinyl seats, so you should refrain from using these types. Use a toothbrush to clean seams. On the seat upholstery, there are seams where the upholstery has been sewn together. Dirt and debris can easily gather here and it is often hard to lift this dirt with a vacuum or cloth. Use a toothbrush to get at these areas, scrubbing gently with your cleaner. Clean the floor mats. Remove the floor mats from the car and clean them using the same cleaner that you've used on the rest of the upholstery. To clean the mats, make an all-purpose upholstery cleaner by mixing 1 part water with 1 part dishwashing liquid. Spray the mixture onto the mat and brush with a soft-bristled brush. Rinse thoroughly with warm water and use a microfiber cloth to dry the mats. For rubber or vinyl mats, you can also apply liquid wax shoe polish to them. This will help improve their shine and will also make them easier to rinse off and keep clean. Use a leather-cleaning kit for leather seats. Leather requires more careful care than fabric or vinyl upholstery, as it is more susceptible to aging and fading. The best option to clean leather is to use cleaners specifically made for leather, such as cleaners and conditioners. These are often available as a kit, such as the Wolfgang Leather Care Cockpit Kit or the Pinnacle Contours Interior Kit. Turn on your heater. Leather responds to heat and will accept cleaners and treatments more readily in a warm environment. If it's hot where you live, then you don't need to turn on the heater. But if it's the middle of winter, turn on the heater for a few minutes to warm up the car before cleaning the leather. Pretreat stubborn stains on leather. For stubborn stains on leather upholstery, pretreat the leather with a leather conditioner. Then apply a leather stain remover on the stain and rub it in. Allow it to sit for about 30 seconds and wipe off the stain remover. Use a leather cleaner. Apply the leather cleaner to your upholstery, focusing on one section or seat at a time. Use a soft cloth to rub the cleaner on the upholstery. Rinse off the cleaner thoroughly with clean water. Follow the instructions on the product's label for proper usage. Use a homemade mild cleaner. You can mix some mild hand soap with warm water and wash the leather upholstery. Do not use very much water. Be sure to thoroughly rinse off the soapy mixture by using a clean cloth soaked in water to wipe off the soap. Thoroughly dry the leather. After you've cleaned the leather, make sure it is completely dry before you apply conditioner. While leather naturally repels water, it will not hold the conditioner if it's wet. Use a water-based, pH neutral leather conditioner. Leather conditioner will replenish the oils that make your leather smooth and rich-looking. Less expensive leather conditioners may be petroleum-based, which tend to cling to leather and can transfer to clothing. They may also leave a greasy finish on the leather. Using a water-based, pH neutral leather conditioner will ensure that your leather upholstery and your clothes are kept in good condition. Apply the conditioner to a cloth and wipe over the leather. Wipe away any excess conditioner and allow it to sit for 15-20 minutes before using your car. Use a toothbrush to clean seams. On the seat upholstery, there are seams where the upholstery has been sewn together. Dirt and debris can easily gather here and it is often hard to lift this dirt with a vacuum or cloth. Use a toothbrush to get at these areas, scrubbing gently with your cleaner. Clean the floor mats. Remove the floor mats from the car and clean them using the same cleaner that you've used on the rest of the upholstery. To clean the mats, make an all-purpose upholstery cleaner by mixing 1 part water with 1 part dishwashing liquid. Spray the mixture onto the mat and brush with a soft-bristled brush. Rinse thoroughly with warm water and use a microfiber cloth to dry the mats. For rubber or vinyl mats, you can also apply liquid wax shoe polish to them. This will help improve their shine and will also make them easier to rinse off and keep clean. Use a wet/dry vacuum. A wet/dry vacuum such as a Shop-Vac is a powerful and handy machine that can handle different types of vacuuming jobs. They usually have a long hose or nozzle and a long cord, which makes it easier to vacuum out a car. Alternately, use a coin-operated vacuum at car wash. These also have long nozzles, but they require that you feed coins into a timed meter, which can interrupt your cleaning progress. There are small handheld, portable vacuums that you can also use. These are usually good for spot cleaning but do not tend to have enough suction power to adequately vacuum out a car. Use plastic vacuum attachments. Most vacuums have plastic attachments, which are superior to metal attachments. With metal, you run the risk of scratching your car or upholstery, particularly if you have leather or vinyl seats. Useful attachments are brushes with a wide square opening and a skinny, narrow attachment that can reach into crevices. Move the seats. When vacuuming a vehicle, make sure you are getting into all the crevices and cracks to suck up dirt and dust. Recline the seats to get at the inside crease of the seat. Move the seats forward to get underneath the seats. Take out child car seats as well, so that you are sure to get underneath these, which tend to gather cereal, granola bars and crayons. Take out floor mats. Vacuum the upholstery on the floor by getting underneath the floor mats. This will also make it easier to deep-clean the floor mats. Vacuum frequently. Removing dirt and debris from your car will prevent them from becoming ground into the seats and the carpet, thereby contributing to hard-to-remove stains. Set a schedule for yourself to vacuum out your car at least once a month, or more frequently if your car gets dirty quickly. Locate an auto detailer. A detailer will completely clean your car, cleaning the upholstery, dashboards, vents, windows and other areas. Check with family and friends to find an auto detailer, or search online for one in your area. Make sure the detailer is certified or trained to use tools and cleaners properly. Also make sure they are insured. Call around to get an approximate price in order to compare detailers in your area. Ask the detailer for a price quote. Take your car down to the detailer so they can see how big of a job it will be to clean the car. The detailer should not give you a price before they have seen your car, however. Check the detailer’s work. Before you pay and leave, check to make sure the detailer has cleaned your car to your satisfaction. If you have child car seats, make sure these have been removed and the seat underneath has been cleaned. Ask the detailer about their cleaning products. Most detailers will likely use commercial cleaners and harsh chemicals to clean your car. If you prefer to stick with environmentally friendly cleaners, see if you can find a detailer who uses these kinds. Some detailers may try to cut costs by using cheaper cleaning products, which can ultimately be damaging or not as long-lasting as other products. This may be particularly important if you have sensitivities to strong odors or chemical smells, which could potentially linger in the car. Be ready to drop off your car. Detailing can take a minimum of two hours, and will likely take longer if you have several stains or an especially dirty car. Plan other errands to run in the area, or have someone pick you up so that you don't have to wait around the detailer's garage. Get car seat covers. Purchase seat covers that will protect your seats. These can either match your seats or they can have bright, colorful patterns on them. They are available for both bucket seats (such as front seats) and for bench seats (such as backseats), and can cost $30-$40. Many kinds can be machine-washed, making it easier to tidy up your car. Apply a stain repellent to your upholstery. A stain repellent will make it hard for stains to settle into the upholstery and will prolong the life of the upholstery. A stain repellent like Scotchgard Fabric and Upholstery Protector is available at home supply stores. Follow the instructions on the product label for proper usage. Clean spills and messes immediately. Don't allow spills and messes to sit in your car if possible. If they are not cleaned up right away, they may set into the upholstery, making it hard to remove them. Additionally, they can add to an unpleasant odor in your car. Limit food and drinks in the car. By banning food and drinks in the car, you can reduce the potential for many stains and messes. Accidents are sure to happen if you stop suddenly or you are trying to eat while driving. Eliminate this risk by not allowing food or drinks in the car. Keep your car tidy. By removing garbage and other items from your vehicle after each journey, you may reduce the potential for stains to occur from grease-soaked fast food bags or spilled coffee cups. Dispose of any excess trash immediately after use so it doesn't pile up and add to the clutter of your vehicle's interior. Remove crayons and other things that are prone to melting if it is hot outside. The temperature of your car's interior will be markedly hotter than outside and crayons, for example, will melt on upholstery if left there in the heat. Vacuum regularly. Removing dirt and debris from your car will prevent them from grinding into the seats and the carpet, thereby contributing to hard-to-remove stains. Set a schedule for yourself to vacuum out your car at least once a month, or more frequently if your car gets dirty quickly. | Test the stain remover before using. Pretreat stubborn stains on leather. Remove ink stains. Remove greasy and oily stains. Remove coffee stains. Remove vomit stains. Remove blood stains. Use a homemade all-purpose upholstery cleaner. Use a mixture of soap, borax and hot water cleaner. Use a commercial upholstery cleaner. Rent a steam cleaner. Use a toothbrush to clean seams. Clean the floor mats. Use a lint roller. Use a microfiber cloth to reduce lint transfer. Use glass cleaner on vinyl upholstery. Use baking soda and water on vinyl upholstery. Use a toothbrush to clean seams. Clean the floor mats. Use a leather-cleaning kit for leather seats. Turn on your heater. Pretreat stubborn stains on leather. Use a leather cleaner. Use a homemade mild cleaner. Thoroughly dry the leather. Use a water-based, pH neutral leather conditioner. Use a toothbrush to clean seams. Clean the floor mats. Use a wet/dry vacuum. Use plastic vacuum attachments. Move the seats. Take out floor mats. Vacuum frequently. Locate an auto detailer. Ask the detailer for a price quote. Check the detailer’s work. Ask the detailer about their cleaning products. Be ready to drop off your car. Get car seat covers. Apply a stain repellent to your upholstery. Clean spills and messes immediately. Limit food and drinks in the car. Keep your car tidy. Vacuum regularly. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Card-Wool | How to Card Wool | Before carding your own wool at home, purchase a set of hand carders from your local spinning or hobby store. Then, wash the wool in a solution of warm water and mild dish soap to remove the dirt and let it dry by laying it flat on a thick towel. Next, cover the pin board of 1 of your carders with the freshly washed wool, then brush the empty carder over the top and keep brushing until all the wool is transferred to the other carder. Switch carders and repeat the brushing process, and continue to switch carders until all the wool falls in parallel lines. | Shake off any superficial dirt or vegetation. You will want to card only clean wool, as any dirt particles could hamper your ability to use the wool carders. Freshly shorn sheep's wool will also have dirt deep in the fibers, so you will need to be sure you wash it thoroughly. Fill a basin with warm water. Grab a bucket or clean out a sink to use as a washing basin. The basin should be large enough to comfortably contain the amount of wool you would like to clean. The temperature should be at approximately 180 degrees Fahrenheit (82 Celsius). Water that is too hot will strip the wool of natural oils. Pour in several squirts of dishwashing detergent. To protect the woolen fibers, avoid soap or detergents that contain bleach or similar whitening additives. Stir the detergent into the water until the water is soapy. For best results, use a soap or detergent with a pH between 7 and 9. Most mild dish soaps are neutral (a pH of 7) and should be safe to use for cleaning wool. Mild dish soaps can be purchased at any drug or grocery store near you. Submerge your wool. Let the wool soak for about ten minutes in the basin of warm water. This should loosen the dirt particles, making it easier for the dirt to separate from the wool or for you to remove it with some light scrubbing. Rub the wool with your hands to wash it thoroughly. Repeat the process as necessary. You may need to soak the wool 2-3 times before it is completely clean. Drain your sink. Remove the wool and pull the stopper to allow your sink to drain or dump the water out of your bucket. Rinse out any remaining dirt in your sink or bucket. Rinse the wool of all soap. You will know it has been thoroughly rinsed when you notice that the bubbles from the detergent are gone. You may need to rinse the wool three or more times. Place the wet wool on top of a thick towel. This will absorb the excess water in the wool, allowing it to dry a bit faster. Wrap it in the towel and gently squeeze to pull out as much excess moisture as possible. Lay the wool flat to dry. You can do this by clearing a space on a desk or countertop and laying the wool on another clean and dry towel. You could also lay it flat on a drying rack. Allow the wool to dry overnight. Do not attempt to card the wool until it is completely dry. Purchase hand carders from a spinning or hobby store. Carders are wooden paddles covered in pin board and they often closely resemble cat or dog hair brushes. Be sure to avoid purchasing carders made for cotton and purchase ones specifically made for wool. Wool carders come in small and large sizes. Larger sizes can be harder to manage if you have little upper body strength. Some wool carders have teeth that are very close together. They are harder to drag apart but align the wool into finer wool. Hand carders have different types of teeth as well, which are used for different purposes. Carders with coarse teeth are used for carding coarse fibers, such as wool and mohair. Hand carders with fine teeth are generally used for carding softer fibers like cotton and angora. Cover one carder with a thin layer of wool. The wool should be touching the side of the carder with the pin board. You will want to cover it the surface of the carder until almost all the teeth are covered but not so there is an excess of wool hanging off the side of the carder. Do not cover other carder with wool. Sit down with an empty lap. Place the full carder on the on your left knee with the wool facing up. Hold the handle of this carder with your left hand. Switch hands and knee if your left hand is your dominant hand. Hold the empty carder by the handle in your right (or dominant) hand. The carder should be oriented so that the pin paper is facing down and toward the wool on the other carder. Brush the empty carder over the top of the other carder. Begin at the top end of the full carder (opposite the handle). Work your way gently from the top to the bottom in full strokes moving in one direction. There is no need to press very hard. The pin paper should grab a few fibers at a time, straightening it onto the second carder. Repeat the process until all of the wool is transferred onto the right carder. If you see any knots, continue brushing until they are removed and transferred onto the surface of the other carder. This could take up to five minutes to complete, depending on how fast or slow you prefer to go. Repeat the hand carding process to further refine the wool. Transfer the now-full carder to the left knee. Take the empty carder into your right hand. Gently brush the empty carder over top the full one, as you did previously. Continue to switch carders. You will continue to switch your carders until no dirt appears and the wool is very uniform. Look closely at the brushed fibers. If they are falling in parallel lines, then it is ready. Lift the refined carded wool from the carder. Start at the top of the carder and slowly move to the handle, lifting the wool the whole way. You can use the other carder to help lift the top of the fibers up and back. As you lift, you can gently and loosely roll the wool until it resembles a burrito. Once the fiber is rolled, it is referred to as a rolag. | Shake off any superficial dirt or vegetation. Fill a basin with warm water. Pour in several squirts of dishwashing detergent. Submerge your wool. Drain your sink. Rinse the wool of all soap. Place the wet wool on top of a thick towel. Lay the wool flat to dry. Purchase hand carders from a spinning or hobby store. Cover one carder with a thin layer of wool. Sit down with an empty lap. Hold the empty carder by the handle in your right (or dominant) hand. Brush the empty carder over the top of the other carder. Repeat the process until all of the wool is transferred onto the right carder. Repeat the hand carding process to further refine the wool. Continue to switch carders. Lift the refined carded wool from the carder. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Find-Scholarships | How to Find Scholarships | To find scholarships for college, ask your high school guidance counselor, who can help you find opportunities and offer you advice. You can also search online scholarship databases, like FastWeb, FinAid, and Scholarship.com to find opportunities. If you're part of a religious or community organization, ask if they have any scholarship opportunities, since many organizations set aside money to fund education. Once you've been accepted by a college, call their financial aid office and ask for more information about potential scholarships with the school. | Make a list of your hobbies and interests. While many scholarships are merit-based, there are plenty of scholarships available specifically for students that have particular interests or participate in various activities. Even your obsession with a TV show or movie could land you a few hundred dollars in scholarship money. Think of your strengths and talents as well. For example, if you're a good writer, you might include "writing" as an interest on your list. Go further and specify the types of writing you enjoy, such as short stories or poetry. Some hobbies and interests require you to provide samples when you apply for a scholarship. For example, if you apply for an art scholarship, you might need to submit a portfolio of your work. Write down your affiliations and characteristics. You may qualify for scholarships based on your religious, social, or political affiliations. Scholarship opportunities may also be available based on your gender identity, race, ethnicity, or sexuality. Make a list of people you know who could possibly serve as references for you based on each particular affiliation. For example, if you want to look for religious-based scholarships, you might need a reference letter from the pastor of your church. Have your parents check with their employers about scholarships. If you have a part-time job while in school, your employer also may have scholarships available. Be honest with your affiliations. Claiming an affiliation you don't really have could get you in serious disciplinary trouble. Start researching during the summer before your senior year. Some scholarships have relatively early deadlines, particularly those that can be applied to your cost of attendance at any school. You'll find more opportunities if you start looking as soon as possible – ideally, during your junior year of high school. The reference section of your public library is also a good place to look for scholarships. A research librarian can point you in the right direction and help you find scholarships you might qualify for. Talk to your high school guidance counselor. High school guidance counselors have training in locating scholarships for students. Your guidance counselor may be able to point you toward opportunities that would take you a lot of time and effort to find on your own. Larger public high schools may have a single guidance counselor who works on nothing but college acceptances and financial aid. Smaller schools, however, may have fewer resources. Contact the financial aid offices of schools where you've been accepted. This can be a very important and helpful resource, because scholarships are offered directly by colleges and universities. If you've filled out financial aid forms, you may be entered for some of these scholarships automatically. However, you typically have to indicate interest and complete a separate application. The financial aid office's page on the school's website often will have information on various scholarships that are available. Check scholarship opportunities at several schools before you decide where you want to go. Most outside scholarships can be used at any school, but school scholarships can only be applied to your cost of attendance at that school. Try free online search engines to find scholarships. There are many large scholarship databases provided by government agencies or independent organizations. You can search these for free using keywords based on your lists of interests and affiliations. FastWeb, FinAid.org, and Scholarship.com have large online scholarship search engines. The U.S. Department of Labor also has a scholarship search tool available at https://www.careeronestop.org/toolkit/training/find-scholarships.aspx. FinAid.org includes some more unusual scholarships available for students with more obscure hobbies, interests, and affiliations. Ask about scholarships from religious or community organizations. If you are a member of a religious or community organization, you may be able to find a scholarship there. You can also ask any organization or group that you've volunteered with. Even if your specific group or organization doesn't offer scholarships, they may be able to point you to scholarships offered at the regional or national level. Check the requirements and qualifications. Each scholarship has its own specific application requirements. Many applications may be similar, but none will be exactly the same. Some may require you to write an essay, while others may need letters of recommendation. It can help to group similar scholarships together so you can complete the applications at the same time. Since you'll be repeating a lot of the same information, doing them at the same time will be more efficient. Make notes about essays you need to write, letters of recommendation you need to get (with names), and other documents or information you need to gather before you can complete the application. Mark deadlines on your calendar. If you miss a deadline, you may be disqualified from a scholarship that you otherwise would have been awarded. Make an estimate of how long it will take you to complete an application so you can work on it a little at a time. Schedule intermediate steps towards completing the application so you're not trying to do everything at the last minute. For example, if you need a letter of recommendation, schedule a day to request that letter and give the person a deadline several weeks before the scholarship's deadline. Get letters of recommendation from teachers and community leaders. When asking for a letter of recommendation, approach the person as soon as possible so they have plenty of time to work on it. Give them a deadline for their letter, but also let them know your final deadline to apply for the scholarship. People who write your letters of recommendation should be people who know you well. A recommendation from a well-known or highly successful person won't help you win a scholarship if they aren't personally familiar with your background and accomplishments. If you're applying for a scholarship related to a particular affiliation or interest, make sure the person who writes your letter knows about you and your accomplishments in that context. For example, if you're applying for a religious scholarship, you might ask for a letter of recommendation from your youth group leader or the pastor of your church. Write your scholarship application essays. Many scholarship applications require you to write an essay describing your background and interests and why you think you deserve to win the scholarship. Be honest in your essays, and avoid exaggerating any experiences or accomplishments. Your essay should tell an interesting story that describes who you are as a person. Creating an outline will ensure that your essay is organized and cohesive. Have a teacher or other trusted adult read over your essay before you submit it – and listen to their advice. Be prepared to go through several drafts to reach your best work. Submit your application before the deadline. To make sure you're not late, have your applications ready to go at least 2 weeks before the final deadline. That way you'll have time to polish and make any final changes before you send it off. If you need to mail in a paper application, use certified mail with return receipt requested so you'll know when your application was received. Even if you can submit your application electronically, don't wait until the last minute. Unexpected internet or computer problems could cause you to miss the deadline. Continue to apply for scholarships while in college. Keep in contact with your school's financial aid department and let them know that you're interested in new opportunities. There are many scholarships that are only available for continuing students, or students in certain years. For example, there are some scholarships and grants that are only available to students who will be graduating within a year. These opportunities are typically designed to help cover graduation costs. Some scholarships are only available to students with a certain major. Typically you need to be at least a sophomore before you can declare a major, so those scholarships wouldn't be available to you until then. Be suspicious of guarantees or "easy money" claims. Nobody just gives money away for people to go to college. No matter how well-qualified you are, no scholarship is ever guaranteed. There will always be others who are just as qualified as you are. If a business or organization claims it can guarantee you a certain amount of scholarship money, it's likely a scam. A scam is especially likely if the business or organization makes a guarantee without seeing any information about you. Absent access to your grades and standardized test scores, no one can even make a prediction about how much scholarship money you could get – much less a guarantee. Many scammers will use simple, one-page applications to target students who've grown weary of long, complicated scholarship applications, or who feel intimidated by the thought of having to write essays or gather substantial information and documents. These minimal applications will seldom yield much, if any, scholarship money. Ignore high-pressure sales tactics. Legitimate companies that want to help you find scholarships have no reason to pressure you into signing up with them. If you see phrases such as "hurry up and call today" or "limited space available," the company may be trying to scam you. You may also get a phone call or email stating that you've already won a scholarship, but you have to attend a seminar or pay a fee first. Review communications for spelling and grammatical errors. Any communication from a legitimate scholarship assistance firm or foundation offering scholarships would be professionally proofread. Obvious errors are a sure sign that the offer is a scam. Strange or messy formatting can also be a sign that an email is coming from a scammer rather than a legitimate source. Double-check credentials before providing personal information. Sometimes a scammer will impersonate a legitimate scholarship and send you an email asking for additional information before processing your application. Don't click any links in the email – go directly to the legitimate scholarship site instead. These emails are used as an attempt to gain personal information from you, such as your birthday and Social Security number, that the scammer can use to steal your identity. Refuse to provide credit card or bank account numbers. While some perfectly legitimate businesses charge a fee to help you organize your scholarship search, you can get the same assistance for free. If a service requires you to provide a credit card number or banking information before you sign up, it's usually a scam. Even legitimate commercial advice services may cost more than $1,000, and they typically won't give you any more information than you could find yourself for free. | Make a list of your hobbies and interests. Write down your affiliations and characteristics. Start researching during the summer before your senior year. Talk to your high school guidance counselor. Contact the financial aid offices of schools where you've been accepted. Try free online search engines to find scholarships. Ask about scholarships from religious or community organizations. Check the requirements and qualifications. Mark deadlines on your calendar. Get letters of recommendation from teachers and community leaders. Write your scholarship application essays. Submit your application before the deadline. Continue to apply for scholarships while in college. Be suspicious of guarantees or "easy money" claims. Ignore high-pressure sales tactics. Review communications for spelling and grammatical errors. Double-check credentials before providing personal information. Refuse to provide credit card or bank account numbers. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Scald-Milk | How to Scald Milk | To scald milk, start by pouring it into a saucepan on the stove. Then, heat the milk over medium-low heat, which will prevent it from burning or sticking to the bottom of the pan. Keep stirring the milk for 4-5 minutes. When you notice steam and bubbles forming near the edge on the pan, take the milk off the stove. Let it cool for 5-10 minutes before using it in your recipe. | Pour the required amount of milk into a microwave-safe bowl. You can use whole milk, skim milk, or powdered milk. You can try using other milks, like almond, cashew, and soy, but your baked goods probably won't have the same results because the non-dairy milks don't have the same proteins that are changed by the scalding process. Glass bowls are the safest to use in the microwave. If you're using a plastic bowl, make sure it's specified that it's safe to microwave. Use a bowl that is deep enough that the milk won't easily splash over the sides. Put a wooden chopstick in the dish before microwaving the milk. You can also use a bamboo skewer or some other microwaveable tool that has a long handle. The chopstick breaks the surface of the milk and keeps it from boiling over while it's in the microwave. It's okay if the chopstick or skewer touches the wall of the microwave. It will simply move around the bowl if your microwave has a turntable. Microwave the milk for 30 seconds on medium-high heat. You don't need to put a cover on the dish—heating for 30 seconds at a time will keep the milk from overheating and splattering all over the interior of your microwave. It may be tempting to just put the dish in the microwave for 3-4 minutes at once, but doing this will cause the milk to heat unevenly and may even scorch or burn the milk. Remove the dish with hot pads and stir the milk with a wooden spoon. This helps to disperse the heat evenly throughout the milk. You can also use a silicone spoon—you just want to avoid using anything that has metal in it, as the metal can react with the milk's proteins in an undesirable way. You can buy wooden or silicone spoons from any local home goods store, or you can buy them online. Check the milk's temperature using a candy thermometer. Put the thermometer into the milk in the middle of the bowl. Don't let it touch the bottom or sides of the dish. Hold it in place for 10-15 seconds or until the probe stops moving. You can buy an inexpensive candy thermometer from any department store or order one online. Keep heating, stirring, and checking the temperature every 30 seconds. Heating the milk gradually rather than all at once keeps your milk from boiling, burning, or getting too hot. It generally takes about 3-4 minutes for milk to get to the appropriate temperature in the microwave, so you will repeat the process of heating and stirring about 6-8 times. Stirring also helps prevent the milk from developing a film across the top. Stop microwaving the milk once it reaches 180 °F (82 °C). Don't let it exceed 212 °F (100 °C). If it does exceed 212 °F (100 °C), you will need to start over again with fresh milk. The proteins and chemistry of the milk changes when it boils and won't react the same way in your recipe as scalded milk would. Always use your hot pads to remove the bowl from the microwave. Let the milk cool to room temperature before adding it to your recipe. It may seem strange to heat milk only to let it cool down again before using it, but it's not the temperature of the milk that matters—it's what happens to the proteins during the scalding process. Let the milk cool to at least 105 °F (41 °C) before using it in your recipe. Putting hot milk into your recipe could ruin the other ingredients. For example, really hot milk could curdle or cook eggs, or it could kill off essential yeast. Pour the measured milk into a saucepan on the stove. Measuring the milk beforehand helps ensure you don't waste milk by using too much, or end up with too little for your recipe. Plus, it makes it easier to just pour the milk in with your other ingredients without having to use another measuring cup after it has been scalded. A heavy-bottom pan is best for scalding milk because it will help it heat more evenly. Whole, skim, or powdered milk works best for scalding. Milks like almond, soy, cashew, or coconut lack the essential proteins that are affected by the scalding process. Turn the oven heat to medium-low. This low temperature will keep your milk from heating too quickly, which in turn prevents it from burning. You want the milk heated through but you don't want it to actually boil or stick to the bottom of the pan. Watch your milk during the entire heating and scalding process. It should only take 4-5 minutes to scald. Stir frequently until you see steam and bubbles appearing at the edge. Stirring helps prevent a protein film from developing on the surface of the milk, which would be unusable in a baking recipe. It also helps to disperse the heat evenly. You can use either a wooden or silicone spoon to stir the milk. Don't use anything with metal in it as that can react with the milk proteins. Remove the pan from the heat as soon as the milk starts to bubble. You will see small bubbles appear across the entire body of milk, but you don't want to let those little bubbles progress to a roiling boil (like you see when you boil water for pasta). Make sure to place the pan onto a heat resistant surface. You can move it to another part of the stove, or put it onto a hot pad or trivet on the counter. Let the temperature cool down to about 105 °F (41 °C). Putting freshly scalded milk in with your other ingredients could kill off yeast or actually cook eggs, which would drastically change the outcome of your baked good. It will take 5-10 minutes for the milk to cool down sufficiently. Use that time to continue prepping the rest of the ingredients in your recipe. Use your candy thermometer to check the temperature of the milk. Just put it in the milk, making sure it doesn't touch the bottom or the sides, and wait about 15 seconds, or until the gauge stops moving. | Pour the required amount of milk into a microwave-safe bowl. Put a wooden chopstick in the dish before microwaving the milk. Microwave the milk for 30 seconds on medium-high heat. Remove the dish with hot pads and stir the milk with a wooden spoon. Check the milk's temperature using a candy thermometer. Keep heating, stirring, and checking the temperature every 30 seconds. Stop microwaving the milk once it reaches 180 °F (82 °C). Let the milk cool to room temperature before adding it to your recipe. Pour the measured milk into a saucepan on the stove. Turn the oven heat to medium-low. Stir frequently until you see steam and bubbles appearing at the edge. Remove the pan from the heat as soon as the milk starts to bubble. Let the temperature cool down to about 105 °F (41 °C). |
https://www.wikihow.com/Check-Airway,-Breathing-and-Circulation | How to Check Airway, Breathing and Circulation | To check the airway, breathing, and circulation of an unresponsive person, position the person on their back and tilt their head backwards, then use 2 or 3 fingers to sweep any blockages out of the airway. Next, check to make sure they're breathing by placing your hand by their nose and mouth and feeling for breath. Finally, check the person's pulse with your index and middle fingers just beneath their jaw. If the person is not breathing or has a weak pulse, call 911 and perform CPR! | Assess the situation. When you find someone collapsed or you witness someone pass out, look around and figure out if you can reach him without putting your own safety at risk. You also need to see if he is in an area big enough for you to move around and help. If the person looks like he is in immediate danger (such as the middle of a street), try to move him to a safe location before you attempt to help him — but do not put yourself in harm's way. If you rush into a dangerous situation, you may also end up injured. Not only does this not help the person you were trying to save, it also gives emergency personnel yet another person to rescue. Use caution if there is presumed potential neck or spinal injury , such as a person who has fallen from a height or at the scene of an automobile accident where there are signs of additional obvious major trauma. Anyone who has fallen from a height or been involved in an motor vehicle accident should have spinal precautions taken. Talk to the victim. One of the best ways to check to see if a person is responsive is to talk to her. Ask questions like, "What is your name?", "Are you alright?", and "Can you hear me?" These questions may rouse the victim from whatever haze she is in and make her respond. Also tap her shoulder or arm while you do it to see if that will help as well. If this doesn't work, try yelling once or twice at her to see if that will rouse her. Yell phrases such as "Hey!" or "Hello!" to see if she wakes up. Perform a sternal rub. A sternal rub may help you to establish that the person is indeed unresponsive. You don't want to do CPR on someone who is just poorly responsive but still breathing and circulating blood. Make a fist and rub your knuckles hard on the person's breastbone. You can also try a "trap squeeze," which is when you grasp the muscles of the shoulder by your thumb and fingers and squeeze into the hollow of the collarbone. Bend low as you do this and listen for sounds or signs of breathing. Anyone who is simply sedated but breathing should rouse from the pain. Note the reaction, if any, to tell to EMS when they arrive. Position the victim. Before you can check the airway, the victim needs to be in the right position. If there is any exudate (vomit, blood, etc.) in or around the person's mouth, put on a glove and remove it to clear the airway before you roll her. Roll the person onto her back. This should be on a surface as flat as possible so her body can be straight and easy to work with. Make sure his hands are down by his sides and his back and legs are straight. Take a moment to push her shoulders down gently. This expands the width of the trachea and helps to keep the jaw lifted. Move the head. To open the airway when he is laying on the ground, his head and breathing passages need to be aligned correctly. Place one hand behind his head and one hand under his chin. Tilt his head backward toward the sky. The chin should end in a slightly lifted position, as if he were sniffing the air. Remove foreign objects from the airway. There may be situations where the airway is obstructed. This may be from a foreign object, by the victim's tongue, or by vomit or other bodily fluids. If the airway is obviously obstructed by vomit or any removable matter, get it out of the mouth with a quick swipes with two or three fingers in her mouth. You can quickly turn the victim's head to one side to assist in the removal. Try to avoid pushing any matter further down the trachea by only sweeping as far as you can easily see inside the open mouth. Use sweeping motions rather than digging ones. If the tongue is obstructing the airway, try the jaw thrust method. Crouch above her head, looking down toward the toes. Grasp the jaw gently but firmly with both hands, so that you can curve your fingers into the soft flesh of the chin. Gently lift the jaw to the sky without moving the rest of the head. This helps the tongue to fall to the floor of the jaw, rather than settling in the airway. Look for obvious signs of breathing. There are a few obvious signs that the victim is breathing. Look for the rise and fall of the chest as he takes oxygen into his lungs. Also look for nose fluctuations as he breathes in through his nose and any opening and closing of his mouth as he breathes in and out. If there is not a rise of the chest, try to re-position the airway a little in either direction. You may have gone too far or not far enough to open the airway. If the patient is gasping for breath or breathing poorly, treat this as not breathing and check for circulation. Do a breath check. You can check for breath through feel and sound if you can't see any obvious signs of breathing. Place your hand near her nose and mouth to see if you feel any breath. If you don't, lean your head down close to the patient's mouth and feel for breath on your cheek and listen for any inhales or exhales. If you hear normal breathing, there is no need for CPR. You should still call 911 if she does not wake up. Turn the victim over if breathing starts. Opening the airway may be enough to start the victim breathing again. If this happens, roll the victim onto his side so there is less pressure on his chest. This will help him breathe better. Feel for circulation. Once you find that she is not breathing, you need to check to see if her blood is still circulating. On the lifted area of the chin, place your index and middle fingers to the groove in the neck, just beneath the jaw and to the right or left of the voice box or Adam's apple. Slip your fingers into the groove there. This is the carotid artery and should provide a strong pulse if his blood is circulating well. If the pulse is weak or if there is no pulse, the person is in trouble and you need to seek medical help. Call 911. If the person is not breathing or has not pulse, you need to call 911. Emergency services can help treat the victim and find the underlying cause for the collapse once they arrive. If you are alone, call 911 first, then attend to the victim. If you are with someone else, have them call 911 while you attend to the victim. Perform CPR. If the victim is not breathing and his pulse is weak or nonexistent, you need to perform CPR. This will help get his blood pumping, his lungs working, and can help save his life as you wait for medical help. CPR is a life saving technique that can help prolong the life of the victim until professionals can treat the underlying cause of the victim's attack. Make sure you follow the American Heart Associations guidelines for CPR when you administer it to the victim. Consider taking a CPR class to be fully trained on how to properly administer this life-saving procedure. There are different methods of CPR for adults and children. | Assess the situation. Talk to the victim. Perform a sternal rub. Position the victim. Move the head. Remove foreign objects from the airway. Look for obvious signs of breathing. Do a breath check. Turn the victim over if breathing starts. Feel for circulation. Call 911. Perform CPR. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Fascinator | How to Make a Fascinator | To make a fascinator, start by cutting out a circle of felt that's about 3 inches across. Then, sew a layer of mesh or tulle to the top of the felt circle, or hot glue a ring of feathers around it. You can also hot glue fringe around the edge of the felt circle so the raw edge is hidden. Next, decorate the center of your fascinator with silk flowers, beads, sequins, or gems. Finally, hot glue the bottom of the felt circle onto a headband or barrette. | Cut out a 3 to 5 in (7.6 to 12.7 cm) circle of felt. Go with a smaller-sized base if you want a dainty fascinator, or opt for a larger base for something more dramatic. Use a sharp pair of fabric scissors to cut out the circle. You may want to use a circular object, such as a bowl or cup to trace a circle onto the felt before you cut it out. You can cut the felt into a different shape if you prefer, such as a teardrop, oval, triangle, square, or star. Add 1 or more layers of mesh or tulle to cover up the felt circle. You can do 1 layer for sheer covering of the felt circle, or add more layers for extra coverage and volume. Thread a needle with a matching color thread, and then tie a knot in the end. Lay the desired amount of tulle or mesh over the felt circle and sew along the outer edges of the felt to attach the tulle to the base. You can cut out mesh or tulle to the same size as the base, or cut out larger pieces and drape them over the base. Layer feathers around the felt circle to create a feathery base. You can cover the felt with feathers if you want to make that the backdrop for other items on your fascinator. Apply a dot of hot glue to the felt and press a feather into it. Hold the feather in place for about 10 to 15 seconds. Repeat to add more feathers to the felt base. Use feathers in colors that complement the felt base if you will not be covering it completely, such as pink dyed feathers with a pink felt circle, or peacock feathers with a green felt base. Be careful not to touch the hot glue! It can burn you if it gets on your skin. Glue fringe around the felt base to hide the edges. If you want to ensure that the edges of the felt base will not be visible, try adding a fringe trim. Apply hot glue to the outer edges of the felt circle. Then, press fringe trim into the hot glue going all the way around the circle. Choose fringe that will complement the other colors in your design, such as black fringe for a black felt base with red silk flowers. Create ribbon loops and glue them onto your base. Grasp the end of a piece of ribbon and fold it over about 2 to 3 in (5.1 to 7.6 cm) from the end. Then, repeat this as many times as you like to create more loops. Once you have the desired number of loops, staple through the ribbon layers at 1 end to secure the loops. You may also use ribbon that has wire in it for a 3-D effect. Shape the ribbon into loops or waves and then glue the ribbon onto your fascinator base. Attach a spray of feathers that match or complement your other colors. Choose a single long feather, or a bundle of feathers to attach to the center of your fascinator. Apply hot glue to the bare ends of the feather to attach them to the fascinator base. Direct the feathers so that the ends are going towards the back or top of your head. You may position the spray of feathers so that the bare ends are at the center of your base or off to one side slightly. Try putting the base on your head and holding the feathers in a few different positions first to see what looks best to you. Select a silk flower for an easy pre-made centerpiece. You can purchase silk flowers in almost any variety in a craft supply store or online. Choose a silk flower in the color and style that will complement the other elements in your fascinator. Cut off the stem so that the bottom of the flower is flat. Then, apply hot glue to the back of the flower and press it into your base. You can position the silk flower in the center or off to 1 side. For an extra flowery fascinator, try surrounding the silk flower with other smaller ones, or layering petals around the main flower. You could also add silk leaves and trail a vine off 1 side of the fascinator. Glue on beads, sequins, paste-gems, or buttons to accent your base. You can glue on a single large bead, sequin, or button as a centerpiece, or use a variety of smaller beads, sequins, and buttons to accent your fascinator. Apply a dot of hot glue where you want to attach a bead, sequin, or button, and then press the item into the hot glue and hold for about 10 to 15 seconds. To avoid burning your fingers on the hot glue, try pressing the item in place with the back of a pen or pencil. Opt for a headband or large metal hair clip to secure your fascinator base. These types of fascinator bases will provide the most stability. Opt for a 1 in (2.5 cm) or wider headband or a 3 in (7.6 cm) hair clip. Avoid using combs and small clips because these may not be strong enough to keep the fascinator on your head. Make sure the headband or hair clip does not have any bumps, glitter, or other items on its surface that might make it hard to glue your fascinator in place. Opt for a plain, smooth-surfaced headband or hair clip. Try on the headband first to ensure that it is snug, but not too tight. A headband with texture on the underside will work best for keeping the fascinator on your head. Apply a thick line of hot glue to the top of the headband or hair clip. If using a headband, apply enough glue to cover the diameter of your felt base, and position the line of glue so that it is slightly off to the side you want to wear the fascinator on. For example, if you want to wear the fascinator so it tilts to the right, apply the line of glue starting at the center of the headband and going to the right. Do not apply hot glue to the inside of the hair clip, or you may not be able to reopen it. Press the felt disc onto the headband or barrette. Press the bottom of the felt disc onto the line of glue on the headband immediately after you apply it. Hot glue dries quickly! Hold the felt base tightly against the headband or hair clip for about 30 seconds to ensure that it is completely dry. Your fascinator is complete after the glue is dry! Try it on and see how it looks. | Cut out a 3 to 5 in (7.6 to 12.7 cm) circle of felt. Add 1 or more layers of mesh or tulle to cover up the felt circle. Layer feathers around the felt circle to create a feathery base. Glue fringe around the felt base to hide the edges. Create ribbon loops and glue them onto your base. Attach a spray of feathers that match or complement your other colors. Select a silk flower for an easy pre-made centerpiece. Glue on beads, sequins, paste-gems, or buttons to accent your base. Opt for a headband or large metal hair clip to secure your fascinator base. Apply a thick line of hot glue to the top of the headband or hair clip. Press the felt disc onto the headband or barrette. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Overcome-Emotional-Sensitivity | How to Overcome Emotional Sensitivity | If you're struggling to overcome emotional sensitivity, try mindful meditation, which can help you manage your emotional responses. For example, close your eyes and let yourself feel whatever thoughts come into your mind. Then, focus on breathing slowly and evenly, instead of judging your thoughts. Additionally, take a deep breath and remind yourself not to jump to conclusions before reacting to someone's words or behavior. However, keep in mind that it's perfectly normal to be sensitive, since it helps you to be more caring towards others. | Recognize that high sensitivity is innate to you. Neuroscientists have discovered that part of our capacity for emotional sensitivity is linked to our genes. About 20% of the world's population may be “highly sensitive,” meaning they have a greater awareness of subtle stimuli that is lost on most people and have more intense experiences of those stimuli. This increased sensitivity is linked to a gene that influences a hormone called norepinephrine, a “stress” hormone that also works as a neurotransmitter in your brain to trigger attention and responses. Some emotional over-sensitivity is also linked to oxytocin, the hormone responsible for humans' feelings of love and bonding with each other. Oxytocin can also trigger emotional sensitivity. If you have naturally higher levels of oxytocin, your “innate social reasoning skills” may be heightened, making you more sensitive to perceiving (and possibly misinterpreting) even small cues. Different societies respond to highly sensitive people differently. In many Western cultures, highly sensitive people are often commonly misunderstood as weak or lacking in internal fortitude, and quite often bullied. But this is not true throughout the world. In many places, highly sensitive people are considered gifted, as such sensitivity allows a great ability to perceive and therefore understand others. What is just a character trait can be regarded quite differently depending on the culture you are in, and things such as gender, family environment, and the type of school you go to. While it is possible (and important!) to learn to regulate your emotions more effectively, if you are a naturally sensitive person, you must learn to accept that about yourself. You can become less reactive with practice, but you will never be a completely different person--and you should not try to. Just become the best version of you. Take a self-assessment. If you are not sure whether you're overly sensitive, you can take a few steps to assess yourself. One way is to take a questionnaire, such as the one from The Emotionally Sensitive Person available at PsychCentral. These questions can help you reflect on your emotions and experiences. Try not to judge yourself when answering these questions. Answer them honestly. Once you have learned the extent of your sensitivity, you can focus on managing your emotions in a more helpful way. Remember, this is not a matter of being who you think you ought to be. Answer truthfully, whether you are a sensitive person, or a person who thinks they are more sensitive than he or she really is. Explore your emotions through journaling. Keeping an “emotions journal” can help you track and explore your emotions and your responses. It will help you recognize what may trigger an over-emotional response. It will also help you learn when your responses are appropriate. Try writing down whatever you're feeling right now and work backwards to think about what may have brought it on. For example, are you feeling anxious? What happened throughout the day that may have triggered this? You may realize that even small events can trigger big emotional responses in you. You can also ask yourself some questions about each entry, such as: How do I feel at this moment? What do I think happened to provoke this response? What do I need when I feel this way? Have I felt like this any time before? You can also try a timed entry. Write a sentence, such as “I feel sad” or “I feel angry.” Set a timer for two minutes and write about everything in your life that is connected to that feeling. Don't stop to edit or judge your feelings. Just name them for now. Once you've done this, look at what you've written. Can you detect patterns? Emotions behind the responses? For example, anxiety is often caused by fear, sadness by loss, anger by feeling attacked, etc. You could also try exploring a particular event. For example, perhaps someone on the bus gave you a look that you interpreted as criticizing your appearance. That could hurt your feelings, and you might even feel sad or angry because of it. Try to remind yourself of two things: 1) that you don't actually know what's going on in others' heads, and 2) that others' judgments of you don't matter. That “dirty look” could be in reaction to something else entirely. And even if it was a judgment, well, that person doesn't know you and doesn't know the many things that make you awesome. Remember to exercise self-compassion in your entries. Don't judge yourself for your feelings. Remember, you may not be able to control how you feel initially, but you can control how you respond to those feelings. Avoid labeling yourself. Unfortunately, very sensitive people are often insulted and called names, such as “cry-baby” and “whiner”. Even worse, these insults sometimes become descriptive "labels" used by other people. In time, it is easy to adhere this label to yourself, and see yourself not as a sensitive person that does, yes, occasionally cry but 99.5% of the time does not. If you do this, you may focus entirely on one aspect of yourself (that can be problematic) to the extent you define yourself entirely by this. Challenge negative "labels" by re-framing. This means taking the "label", removing it, and look at the situation in a broader context. For example: A teenager cries because of a disappointment and an acquaintance nearby mutters "crybaby" and wanders off. Instead of taking the insult to heart, she thinks: "I know I am not a cry-baby. Yes, I sometimes respond emotionally to situations. Sometimes that means I cry when less sensitive people would not cry. I am working on responding in a more socially appropriate way. Anyway, insulting a person who is already crying is a jerky thing to do. I am caring enough not to do that to someone.” Identify triggers for your sensitivity. You may know perfectly well what triggered your over-sensitive response, or you may not. Your brain may have developed a pattern of “automatic reactivity” to certain stimuli, such as stressful experiences. Over time, this pattern becomes a habit , until you immediately react in a certain way to an event without even thinking about it. Fortunately, you can learn to retrain your brain and shape new patterns. The next time you experience an emotion, such as panic, anxiety, or anger, stop what you're doing and shift your focus to your sensory experiences. What are your five senses doing? Don't judge your experiences, but note them. This is a practice of “self-observation,” and it can help you tease apart the multiple “information streams” that make up experiences. Often, we feel overwhelmed or swamped by an emotion and can't distinguish the jumble of emotions and sensory experiences that are all firing at once. Slowing down, focusing on your individual senses, and separating these information paths will help you restructure your brain's “automatic” habits. For example, your brain might react to stress by sending your heart rate skyrocketing, which could make you feel jittery and nervous. Knowing that this is your body's default response will help you interpret your reactions differently. Journaling can also help you with this. Each time you feel like you're responding emotionally, write down the moment you felt you became emotional, what you were feeling, what your body's senses experienced, what you were thinking, and the details of the circumstances. Armed with this knowledge, you can help train yourself to respond differently. Sometimes, sensory experiences such as being in a particular place or even smelling a familiar fragrance can set off an emotional reaction. This is not always “over-sensitivity.” For example, smelling apple pie might trigger an emotional reaction of sadness, because you and your late grandmother used to make apple pies together. Acknowledging this response is healthy. Consciously dwell on it a moment, and realize why it's having that effect: “I am experiencing sadness because I had a lot of fun making pies with my grandmother. I miss her.” Then, once you have honored the feeling, you can move to something positive: “I'll make an apple pie today to remember her.” Examine whether you could be codependent. Codependent relationships happen when you feel like your self-worth and identity are dependent on someone else's actions and responses. You may feel like your purpose in life is to make sacrifices for your partner. You may feel devastated if your partner disapproves of something you do or feel. Codependency is very common in romantic relationships, but it can happen in any type of relationship. The following are signs of codependent relationships: You feel like your satisfaction about your life is tied to a specific person You recognize unhealthy behaviors in your partner but stay with him or her despite them You go to great lengths to support your partner, even when it means sacrificing your own needs and health You constantly feel anxiety about your relationship status You don't have a good sense of personal boundaries You feel terrible about saying “no” to anyone or anything You react to everyone's thoughts and feelings by either agreeing with them or becoming immediately defensive Codependency can be treated. Professional mental health counseling is the best idea, although there are also support group programs such as Co-Dependents Anonymous that may help. Take it slowly. Exploring your emotions, especially the sensitive areas, is hard work. Don't push yourself too hard all at once. Psychology has shown that stepping outside your comfort zone is necessary for growth, but trying to do too much too fast can actually lead to setbacks. Try setting an “appointment” with yourself to examine your sensitivities. Say you'll explore it for 30 minutes a day. Then, after you've done the emotional work for the day, allow yourself to do something relaxing or enjoyable to refresh yourself. Take note of when you might be avoiding thinking about your sensitivities because it feels uncomfortable or too hard. Procrastination is often driven by fear: we fear that an experience will be unpleasant, and so we put off doing it. Remind yourself that you're strong enough to do this, and then tackle it. If you're having a really tough time working up the gumption to face your emotions, try setting a very achievable goal for yourself. Start with 30 seconds, if you want to. All you have to do is face your sensitivities for 30 seconds. You can do that. When you've accomplished that, set yourself another 30 seconds. You'll find that your mini-accomplishments will help you build up steam. Allow yourself to feel your emotions. Moving away from emotional over-sensitivity doesn't mean that you should stop feeling your emotions altogether. In fact, trying to repress or deny your emotions can cause harm. Instead, your goal should be to acknowledge “unpleasant” emotions like anger, hurt, fear, and grief -- emotions that are just as necessary for emotional health as “positive” ones like joy and delight -- without letting them take over. It's important to be able to label these emotions so that you can figure out how to move forward with them. Try giving yourself a “safe space” to express whatever you're feeling. For example, if you're dealing with grief over a loss, give yourself some time each day to let all your feelings out. Set a timer and then journal about your emotions, cry, talk to yourself about your feelings -- whatever you feel you need to do. Once the timer is up, allow yourself to go back to the rest of your day. You will feel better knowing you've honored your feelings. You'll also keep yourself from spending all day wrapped up in a single feeling, which can be harmful. Knowing you will have your “safe space” time to express whatever you're feeling will make it easier for you to go on with your daily responsibilities. Learn to recognize cognitive distortions that may be making you over-sensitive. Cognitive distortions are unhelpful habits of thinking and responding that your brain has learned over time. You can learn to identify and challenge these distortions when they show up. Cognitive distortions usually don't occur in isolation. As you explore your thought patterns, you may notice that you experience several of them in response to a single feeling or event. Taking the time to fully examine your responses will help you learn what's helpful and what isn't. There are many types of cognitive distortion, but some common culprits for emotional over-sensitivity are personalization, labeling, “should” statements, emotional reasoning, and jumping to conclusions. Recognize and challenge personalization. Personalization is a very common distortion that can cause emotional over-sensitivity. When you personalize, you make yourself the cause for things that may have nothing to do with you, or that you can't control. You may also take things “personally” when they are not aimed at you. For example, if your child receives some negative comments from her teacher about her behavior, you might personalize this critique as directed at you as a person: “Dana's teacher thinks I'm a bad father! How dare she insult my parenting?” This interpretation could lead you to an over-sensitive reaction because you're interpreting a critique as blame. Instead, try to look at the situation logically (this will take practice, so be patient with yourself). Explore exactly what's happening and what you know about the situation. If Dana's teacher sent home comments that she needs to pay more attention in class, for example, this isn't blaming you for being a “bad” parent. It's giving you information you can use to help your child do better in school. It's an opportunity for growth, not shame. Recognize and challenge labeling. Labeling is a type of “all-or-nothing” thinking. It often occurs in conjunction with personalization. When you label yourself, you generalize yourself based on a single action or event, instead of recognizing that what you do isn't the same as who you are. For example, if you get negative comments back on an essay, you might label yourself a “failure” or a “loser.” Labeling yourself as a “failure” means you feel like you'll never get any better so you shouldn't even bother trying. It can lead to feelings of guilt and shame. It also makes it very hard for you to accept constructive criticism, because you see any critique as a sign of “failure.” Instead, recognize mistakes and challenges for what they are: specific situations from which you can learn to grow for the future. Instead of labeling yourself a “failure” when you get a bad grade on an essay, acknowledge your errors and think about what you can learn from the experience: “Okay, I didn't do very well on this essay. That's disappointing, but it's not the end of the world. I'll talk with my teacher about what I can improve for next time.” Recognize and challenge “should statements. ” Should statements cause harm because they hold you (and others) to standards that are often unreasonable. They often rely on external ideas rather than things that are truly meaningful to you. When you violate a “should,” you may punish yourself for it, decreasing your motivation for change even further. These ideas can cause guilt, frustration, and anger. For example, you might tell yourself, “I should really go on a diet. I shouldn't be so lazy.” You're essentially trying to “guilt” yourself into acting, but guilt isn't a very good motivator. You can challenge “should” statements by examining what is really going on behind the “should.” For example, do you think you “should” go on a diet because others have told you to? Because you feel pressure from social standards to look a certain way? These are not healthy or helpful reasons to do something. However, if you feel like you “should” go on a diet because you've talked with your doctor and agreed it would be good for your health, you can transform your “should” into something more constructive: “I want to take care of my health, so I will take steps like eating more fresh foods to honor myself.” This way, you are not being over-critical towards yourself, rather you are using positive motivation -- and that's way more effective in the long run. Should statements can also cause emotional over-sensitivity when you direct them against others. For example, you may get frustrated if you're having a conversation with someone who doesn't react the way you want them to. If you tell yourself, “She should be excited about what I'm telling her,” you will be frustrated and very likely hurt if the person doesn't feel what you've told yourself she “should.” Remember that you cannot control others' feelings or responses. Try to avoid going into situations with others expecting certain actions or reactions. Recognize and challenge emotional reasoning. When you use emotional reasoning, you assume that your feelings are facts. This type of distortion is very common, but with a little work, you can learn to identify and fight back against it. For example, you might feel hurt because your boss pointed out some errors in a big project you just completed. If you used emotional reasoning, you might assume that your boss is being unfair because you are having negative feelings. You might assume that because you feel like a “loser,” you are actually a worthless employee. These assumptions don't have logical evidence. To challenge emotional reasoning, try writing down a few situations where you experience negative emotional reactions. Then, write down the thoughts that went through your mind. Write down the feelings you experienced after you had these thoughts. Finally, examine the actual consequences to the situation. Do they fit with what your emotions told you were the “reality”? You'll often find that your feelings really weren't good evidence after all. Recognize and challenge jumping to conclusions. Jumping to conclusions is pretty similar to emotional reasoning. When you jump to conclusions, you latch on to a negative interpretation of a situation without any facts to support your interpretation. In extreme cases, you may catastrophize, where you allow your thoughts to spiral out of control until you reach the worst possible of all scenarios. “Mind-reading” is a type of jumping to conclusions that can contribute to emotional over-sensitivity. When you mind-read, you assume that people are reacting negatively to something about you, even when you don't have any evidence for this. For example, if your partner doesn't text you back in response to your question about what she'd like for dinner, you may assume that she is ignoring you. You have no evidence that this is the case, but this hasty interpretation can cause you to feel hurt or even angry. Fortune-telling is another type of jumping to conclusions. This happens when you predict that things will turn out badly, regardless of any evidence you may have. For example, you might not even propose a new project at work because you assume that your boss will shoot it down. An extreme form of jumping to conclusions happens when you “catastrophize.” For example, if you don't get a response text from your partner, you might assume she's angry with you. You might then jump to the idea that she is avoiding talking with you because she has something to hide, like the fact that she actually doesn't love you any more. You might then jump to the idea that your relationship is falling apart and that you will end up living alone in your mom's basement. This is an extreme example, but it demonstrates the kind of logical leaps that can happen when you let yourself jump to conclusions. Challenge mind-reading by talking openly and honestly with people. Don't approach them from a place of accusations or blame, but ask what's really going on. For example, you could text your partner, “Hey, is there something going on that you'd like to talk about?” If your partner says no, take her at her word. Challenge fortune-telling and catastrophizing by examining the logical evidence for each step of your thought process. Do you have past evidence for your assumption? Do you observe anything in the current situation that is actual evidence for your thoughts? Often, if you take the time to work through your response step-by-step, you'll catch yourself making a logical leap that just isn't supported. With practice, you'll get better at stopping these leaps. Meditate and practice mindfulness. Meditation, especially mindfulness meditation, can help you manage your responses to emotions. It can even help improve your brain's reactivity to stressors. Mindfulness focuses on acknowledging and accepting your emotions in the moment without judging them. This is very helpful for overcoming emotional over-sensitivity. You can take a class, use a guided online meditation, or learn to do mindfulness meditation on your own. Find a quiet place where you won't be interrupted or distracted. Sit upright, either on the floor or in a straight-backed chair. Slouching makes it hard to breathe properly. Begin by focusing on a single element of your breathing, such as the feeling of your chest rising and falling or the sound your breathing makes. Focus on this element for a few minutes as you take deep, even breaths. Expand your focus to include more of your senses. For example, start to focus on what you hear, smell, and touch. It can help you to keep your eyes closed, as we tend to get visually distracted easily. Accept the thoughts and sensations you experience, but don't judge anything as “good” or “bad.” It can help to consciously acknowledge them as they arise, especially at first: “I am experiencing that my toes are cold. I am having the thought that I'm distracted.” If you feel yourself getting distracted, bring your focus back to your breathing. Spend about 15 minutes in meditation every day. You can find online guided mindfulness meditations from the UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center and BuddhaNet. Learn assertive communication. Sometimes, people become over-sensitive because they have not communicated their needs or feelings clearly to others. When you are overly passive in your communication, you have trouble saying “no” and you do not communicate your thoughts and feelings clearly and honestly. Learning assertive communication will help you communicate your needs and feelings to others, which may help you feel heard and valued. Use “I”-statements to communicate your feelings, e.g. “I felt hurt when you were late to our date” or “I prefer to leave early for appointments because I feel anxious if I think I might be late.” This avoids sounding like you're blaming the other person and keeps the focus on your own emotions. Ask follow-up questions when having a conversation. Especially if the conversation is emotionally loaded, asking questions to clarify your understanding will help keep you from overreacting. For example, after the other person has finished speaking, say: “What I heard you say is_____. Is that right?” Then give the other person a chance to clarify. Avoid “categorical imperatives.” These words, like “should” or “ought,” place a moral judgment on others' behavior and can feel like you're being blaming or demanding. Try substituting “I prefer” or “I want you to” instead. For example, instead of “You should remember to take out the trash,” say “I want you to remember to take out the trash because I feel like I have to shoulder all the responsibilities when you forget.” Kick assumptions to the curb. Don't assume that you know what's going on. Invite others to share their thoughts and experiences. Use phrases such as “What do you think?” or “Do you have any suggestions?” Acknowledge that others have different experiences. Fighting over who is “right” in a situation can leave you feeling overstimulated and angry. Emotions are subjective; remember that there is usually no “right” answer involving them. Use phrases such as “My experience is different,” along with acknowledging the other person's emotions, to make room for everyone's experiences. Wait to act until you’ve cooled down. Your emotions can interfere with how you respond to situations. Acting in the heat of an emotion may lead you to do things you regret later. Give yourself a break, even if it's just for a few minutes, before responding to a situation that's prompted a major emotional response. Ask yourself the “If...then” question. “IF I do this right now, THEN what may happen later?” Consider as many consequences -- both positive and negative -- for your action as possible. Then, weigh the consequences against the action. For example, perhaps you just had a very heated argument with your spouse. You are so angry and hurt that you feel like you want to ask for a divorce. Take a time-out and ask yourself the “If...then” question. If you ask for a divorce, what may happen? Your spouse could feel hurt or unloved. S/he may remember it later when both of you have cooled off and see it as a sign s/he cannot trust you when you're angry. S/he could agree to it in a fight of his/her own anger. Do you want any of these consequences? Approach yourself and others with compassion. You may find yourself avoiding situations that stress you out or feel unpleasant because of your over-sensitivity. You may assume that any mistake in a relationship is a deal-breaker, so you avoid relationships altogether, or only have shallow ones. Approach others (and yourself) with compassion. Assume the best about people, especially those who know you. If your feelings are hurt, don't assume that it was intentional: show compassionate understanding that everyone, including friends and loved ones, makes mistakes. If you did experience hurt feelings, use assertive communication to express them to your loved one. S/he may not even be aware that s/he hurt you, and if s/he loves you, s/he'll want to know how to avoid that hurt in the future. Do not criticize the other person. For example, if your friend forgot that you had a lunch date and you felt hurt, don't approach it by saying “You forgot me and you hurt my feelings.” Instead, say, “I felt hurt when you forgot our lunch date, because spending time together is important to me.” Then follow it up with an invitation to share your friend's experiences: “Is something going on? Would you like to talk about it?” Remember that others may not always feel like discussing their emotions or experiences, especially if they're still new or raw. Don't take it personally if your loved one doesn't want to talk immediately. It is not a sign that you've done anything wrong; s/he just needs some time to process his/her feelings. Approach yourself the way you would a friend whom you love and care for. If you would not say something hurtful or judgmental to a friend, why would you do it to yourself? Seek professional help if necessary. Sometimes, you can do your best to manage your emotional sensitivities and still feel overwhelmed by them. Working with a licensed mental health professional can help you explore your feelings and responses in a safe, supportive environment. A trained counselor or therapist can help you discover unhelpful ways of thinking and teach you new skills to manage your feelings in healthy ways. Sensitive people may need additional help learning to manage negative emotions and skills to handle emotional situations. This is not necessarily a sign of mental illness, only helping you gain useful skills in negotiating the world. Ordinary people get help from mental health professionals. You do not have to be "mentally ill" or dealing with a devastating issue to get benefit from counselors, psychologists, therapists, or the like. These are health professionals, just as much as dental hygienists, ophthalmologists, general practitioners, or physical therapists. Although mental health treatments are sometimes treated as a taboo issue (rather than arthritis, a cavity, or a sprain) it is something that lots of people get benefit from. Some people may also believe that people should just “suck it up” and be strong on their own. This myth can be very damaging. While you should certainly do what you can to work on your emotions on your own, you can also benefit from someone else's help. Certain disorders, such as depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder, make it physically impossible for a person to deal with his/her emotions by him/herself. There is nothing weak about seeking counseling. It shows that you care about yourself. Most counselors and therapists cannot prescribe medicine. However, a trained mental health professional can know when it may be time to refer you to a specialist or medical doctor who can diagnose and prescribe medication for disorders like depression or anxiety. High sensitivity may be depression or other issue. Some people are born very sensitive, and it is evident from babyhood. This is not a disorder, mental illness, or something "wrong"--it is a character trait. However, if a person goes from normal sensitivity to very sensitive, "touchy", "weepy", "irritable" or the like, that may be an indication that there is something not quite right. Sometimes high sensitivity is a result of depression, and causes a person to be overwhelmed with emotions (both negative and sometimes positive as well). Chemical imbalances can cause high emotional sensitivity. For instance, a pregnant woman may react very emotionally. Or a boy going through puberty. Or a person with a thyroid issue. Some medications or medical treatments can cause emotional changes. A trained medical practitioner should help screen you for depression. It is easy to self-diagnose, but in the end, you are best off with professionals who may be able to figure out if a person is depressed or highly sensitive due to other factors. Be patient. Emotional growth is like physical growth; it takes time, and can feel uncomfortable while it is happening. You will learn through mistakes, which will have to be made. Setbacks or challenges are all necessary in the process. Being a very sensitive person is often more difficult as a youth than it is as an older adult. As you mature, you will learn to manage your feelings more effectively, and gain valuable coping skills. Remember, you have to know something really well before you can act on it, otherwise it is like heading into a new area after glancing at a map without understanding the map first - you don't have enough understanding of the area to be able to travel it well and getting lost is almost certain. Explore the map of your mind, and you'll have a better understanding of your sensitivities and how to manage them. | Recognize that high sensitivity is innate to you. Take a self-assessment. Explore your emotions through journaling. Avoid labeling yourself. Identify triggers for your sensitivity. Examine whether you could be codependent. Take it slowly. Allow yourself to feel your emotions. Learn to recognize cognitive distortions that may be making you over-sensitive. Recognize and challenge personalization. Recognize and challenge labeling. Recognize and challenge “should statements. Recognize and challenge emotional reasoning. Recognize and challenge jumping to conclusions. Meditate and practice mindfulness. Learn assertive communication. Wait to act until you’ve cooled down. Approach yourself and others with compassion. Seek professional help if necessary. High sensitivity may be depression or other issue. Be patient. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Cook-Pork | How to Cook Pork | To cook pork chops, begin by dusting pork chops with flour, then dipping them in beaten eggs. Next, dip them in bread crumbs. Then, heat oil in a pan and add the pork. Cook the chops for 5 minutes on each side, or until they are a deep brown color. When they are cooked through, remove the chops from the pan and let them drain on a plate lined with paper towel before serving. | Know your cuts. Generally, there are four basic parts of the pig that the most common cuts of meat come from (though many countries cut the meat differently and/or have their own names for particular cuts): the shoulder/hand, the loin, the belly/side and the leg/ham. The muscles surrounding the backbone are tender and lean (and usually more expensive!) because they aren't used as much by the pig as the muscles closer to the ground, which are tougher but more flavorful. Shoulder - Usually divided into the lower picnic shoulder and the upper Boston shoulder (also known as the Boston butt). These cuts need to be cooked with low heat and in gently simmering liquid (e.g. a slow cooker ) in order to melt away the fat and connective tissue, but the result is tender and moist. Available as: boneless Boston shoulder roast, Boston shoulder roast, cubed pork for kebabs and stews, ground pork (the picnic). Loin - This is where rib roasts, baby back ribs, tenderloin and the chops come from. Since these cuts are naturally tender, dry heat cooking methods (roasting, grilling, broiling, pan-frying and stir-frying) are best. Available as: blade roast, rib chop, loin chop, sirloin chop, sirloin roast, tenderloin. Belly/side/spareribs - The spareribs can be grilled and then roasted, but the rest of this section is usually reserved for bacon. Available as: bacon, pancetta, spareribs. Leg/ham - This cut is usually sold cured, cooked or smoked, but if you buy it fresh, you can glaze and score the rind and roast it (a popular option for holidays and special occasions). Available as: leg cutlet, smoked ham, top leg roast. Other - If you're adventurous, there's a use for almost every part of the pig's body. You can boil the head for brawn (head cheese), stocks and soups, and fry or bake the ears for crunchy munching. Throw the hocks/trotters into long-cooked soups, stews and sauces to add body. The tail can also be eaten, as can the organs: pâté, small intestine sausages ( chitterlings ) and black pudding (blood filled digestive tract). Make time to brine or marinate. Since modern pigs are bred to be lean, the meat has less fat to keep it moist during cooking. Brining is a good solution for this, but it requires planning ahead. The meat sits in a mixture of salt and water and absorbs the water slowly through osmosis. You can also make a mouth-watering marinade for your pork by combining your favorite flavors and spices in an oil base, then letting the pork sit submerged in this mixture for several hours or overnight. A general rule for marinades is to use about 1/4 cup of marinade per pound of pork or enough to cover the entire outside surface of the meat in a plastic refrigerator bag. The bigger the cut, the more time it'll need to brine or marinate. Generally, cuts from the loin or belly region will need to marinate for several hours (up to 6 for large cuts). Shoulder roasts can take up to 24 hours or longer to fully marinate. Feel free to marinate your pork as long as want, however, make sure that you don't allow the pork to go bad by marinating for more than a day or two. Prepare a dry rub. Another popular way to flavor many types of meat is with a dry rub - a dry combination of salt, pepper, herbs, spices, and other (usually powdered or granulated) dry ingredients. The meat is coated with the dry rub either immediately before cooking or anywhere from a few hours to a day beforehand. Dry rubs don't help a piece of pork retain its moisture, but they do give it an intensely flavorful exterior, and, when expertly cooked, form a delicious "crust." Common ingredients in dry rubs include salt, pepper (both red and black), powdered garlic and onion, ginger, rosemary, and, for a sweet, caramelized crust, white and/or brown sugar. Experiment with your favorite ingredients. Generally, about 1/4 cup of dry rub is needed for each standard-sized cut of pork. If you're unsure, just make enough dry rub to completely cover the surface of each piece of meat. Know beforehand when to stop cooking. As with any meat, you want to cook long enough to kill any harmful micro-organisms , but not so long that you dry the meat out. The USDA recommends cooking pork to an internal temperature of 160 F (70 C) (use an instant-read meat thermometer in the center of the thickest part of the meat) but some cooks prefer to stop between 140 and 150 F to preserve juiciness, since the Trichinella parasite dies at 137 F. Remember to account for the fact that the internal temperature of bigger pieces keeps rising even after you take the meat off the heat. Don't let a good piece of meat "overcook" after you've finished cooking. Pork cooked to 160 F (70 C) can sometimes remain pink in the center, depending on the cooking method or added ingredients. So don't assume that because it's pink, it's not safe to eat! Store pork safely. When you buy raw pork, refrigerate it as quickly as possible to 40°F. If you don't cook it within 5 days, you must freeze it (0°F) or throw it away. Once you do cook it, eat it within two hours (or if the surrounding temperature is 90°F, within one hour), or store it in the fridge in shallow, covered containers for up to 4 days, or freeze it. For best quality, eat frozen pork within 3 months, and never refreeze partially defrosted pork. In general, though, thawing can dry out pork, so keep that in mind! Heat your grill. Grilling is a cooking method that uses direct, dry heat to heat meat on an array of closely-spaced metal bars called a grill. Grilling is a great choice for giving a mouthwatering crisp, seared crust to naturally-moist cuts of pork like chops or tenderloin. The most common types of grill are charcoal and gas grills. If you're using a charcoal grill (which takes time to reach cooking temperature), ignite your charcoal, then, as you're waiting for the charcoal to get an ash-covered, glowing appearance, portion out your pork cuts on a tray or platter so you'll be ready to immediately add them to the grill. Gas grills reach "ready" temperature much more quickly than charcoal grills. However, they can give a slightly different flavor to the meat. Some people prefer the taste of charcoal grills, while others prefer the ease of gas grills. Consider using natural hardwood or mesquite charcoal as opposed to the more-commonly used briquette form. Hardwood charcoal generally burns hotter and faster, which is handy for searing meat. Natural charcoal can also transfer some of its smoky, aromatic flavor to your meat as it cooks. Particularly thick cuts of pork requires a longer, lower-temperature grilling process. In this case, conventional briquettes can be a better choice than hotter, quicker-burning hardwood charcoal. Add your pork cuts to the grill when ready. To prevent your meat from sticking to the grill, coat the bars of the grill with an oil that has a high smoke point (olive or grapeseed oil works well.) Do this by using a grill brush dipped in oil or by soaking a paper towel in oil, then pushing it across the grill with a pair of tongs or another long-handled tool. Then, place your pork cuts on the grill with tongs, arranging them so that they don't touch. Avoid cross-contamination. Don't use any of the tools you use to place your pork on the grill to handle any other foods without washing them. Clean the container that held your uncooked pork cuts before using it for any other food. Don't allow uncooked pork to touch cooked pork. Cook your pork on a colder region of the grill. Contrary to popular belief, immediately searing a piece of meat does not "seal in the moisture (or flavor.)" In fact, rapidly seared pieces of meat are now believed to retain less moisture than pieces of meat that have been cooked more gradually. For charcoal grills, begin by arranging your pork around the edge of the grill, which is usually cooler than in the center. Gas grills should use a medium level of heat. We will eventually sear the pork at the end of the grilling process. By waiting until the meat is already cooked to sear, we retain much of the meat's moisture. Flip your pork cuts about once every minute or so. This ensures the meat is evenly-cooked. It will also help the meat to begin to develop an even crust. Grill until the meat is done. Keep the barbecue's lid closed while cooking to speed the cooking process. Thin cuts of pork will only need 4-5 minutes of cooking on hot grills, while larger pieces of meat will require longer, cooler cooking periods. "Done" pork should be uniformly firm to the touch with a browned outside, a whitish (not pink) interior, and juice that runs clear to brown (never red or pink.) If you're unsure, use a meat thermometer. The USDA recommends an internal temperature of 160-170 degrees F (about 70 degrees C) for pork products. However, many prefer temperatures as low as 140 degrees C for juicier, rarer cuts of pork (see Method 1 for more information.) Quickly sear the pork. Before you remove your pork from the grill, give it a crispy, delicious crust. On charcoal grills, transfer the pork to the hottest part of the grill (usually the center). On gas grills, simply turn the heat to "high." Cook the pork this way for less than a minute on each side - you don't want to burn the meat or dry it out. The chemical process that creates the flavorful seared crust is called the Maillard Reaction. Partially burning the outside of a piece of meat causes the meat's amino acids to react with sugars to form flavor compounds. In practice, this process simply means that a meat's seared crust tastes great! Allow the meat to rest. Remove done pieces of pork from the grill, placing them on a clean platter. Cover the meat with aluminum foil to keep it from cooling, then allow the meat to sit for about five to ten minutes. Use this rest time to put the finishing touches on any companion dishes (or to set your table.) Allowing the meat to rest serves two purposes. First, most cuts of meat continue to cook even after they've been removed from the grill - your pork is no exception. If you're on the fence about whether your pork is done or not, giving it time to sit can often provide the extra "push" it needs to be definitively done. Second, it allows the pork to re-absorb some of the moisture lost during the cooking process. As a piece of meat cooks, it shrinks and "tightens" on a molecular level, squeezing moisture out of the meat. A few minutes of rest allows the meat to partially "relax" and retain more moisture. Season and serve. After the meat has rested and re-absorbed some of its moisture, it's ready to eat! Season gently with salt, pepper, or any other of your favorite spices. Serve with the bone in or with it removed. Grilled pork goes great with starches like sweet potatoes or typical barbecue sides like coleslaw. Bread your pork chops. Fried pork chops are a rich, delicious treat. Their golden-brown crust, a result of their being coated with a flavorful breading before frying, is as eye-catching as it is flavorful. To begin cooking this scrumptious dish, bread your pork chops (note - thin cut pork chops are preferable for their quick cooking time.) Completely coat each pork chop with flour, dust it off so that its coating is thin and even, then dip it in beaten eggs. Allow the egg to briefly drain off of your chop. Finally, toss your pork in a store-bought or prepared breading of your choice. There are a variety of options when choosing your breading. Many supermarkets sell pre-packaged bread crumbs (Panko, etc.). You can use these by themselves or, for a custom flavor, season with your favorite spices, salt, and/or pepper. You can even make your own breading out of normal breadcrumbs. The breading doesn't have to be the only source of flavor - dry seasonings like cayenne pepper and paprika can be also be added to the flour. Heat oil in a pan. For frying, it's best to add meat directly to a hot pan, not to add meat to a cold pan, then heat. Add one half cup of an oil with a high smoke point (like olive or grapeseed oil) to a frying pan or skillet. Swirl the pan to evenly coat the inside of the pan with oil. Turn the stove's burner to "high" and allow the oil to heat for a minute or two. Carefully add a tablespoon or two of butter to the hot oil - it will help give the pork chops a crispy brown crust. The oil is hot enough when meat audibly sizzles when it touches it. Add your breaded pork chops to the pan. Be careful - a hot oily pan can erupt with sizzling and crackling when meat is added. The sizzle sounds tremendously satisfying, but it's often accompanied by small splashes of hot oil. Use a pair of tongs to safely adjust your pork chops. Cook the chops over medium-high heat until they're golden-brown. The exact cooking time will differ based on the size and thickness of your pork chops. Thin-cut chops will only need a few minutes per side, while thick slices can require 5 minutes or more. Allow each side to develop a rich, deep golden brown color. Well-fried chops should be crispy on the outside while tender on the inside. Normal rules for judging pork's doneness apply: use a fork and knife to check for meat that's white all the way through with clear to brown juices. Remove the pork from the heat. As with other methods of cooking, pork will continue to cook after it's removed from the skillet. Move done pork chops to a plate lined with a paper towel (which will absorb excess oil, helping to prevent the pork chops from getting soggy.) Allow the pork to rest for several minutes, then serve and enjoy! A cool, lightly-dressed salad compliments the hot crispiness of the pork chops perfectly. Carefully dispose of excess oil. Don't pour fry oil down the drain - this can clog your sink. Instead, let your oil cool, then transfer it to a jar or plastic container. Keep your oil in the fridge, where it will solidify. Use your oil for future recipes or for a variety of other purposes that require grease. If you're interested in alternative fuels, you can even make biodiesel from leftover oil with a few household tools and ingredients! Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Braising is a long, slow cooking method that leaves meat so moist and tender that it's practically falling apart. Because of this, it's ideal for tougher cuts. In this recipe, we'll use a braising process to give some pork spareribs a juicy meat-falls-off-the-bone texture. As with all oven-based cooking methods, begin by pre-warming your oven. Season your spareribs. Pour one cup of flour into a dish and season with salt and pepper to taste. Turn the spareribs in the flour mixture, dusting them off to ensure no excess flour remains. The flour mixture will add a nice savory flavor to your meat and help it develop a brown crust in the next step. Briefly brown your spareribs in a pan. Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a skillet, then add your spareribs and sear over high heat for a few minutes. Don't cook your spareribs all the way through - just give them a crisp brown exterior. The interior of the meat will slowly cook in the oven over several hours while braising. When the spareribs are brown, set aside. Your meat doesn't even have to appear visibly done when you take it out of the pan - as long as it has a crisp, brown exterior, it's ready to go into the oven. In the same pan, sauté onions and garlic. Adding vegetables to this dish will give the final product a complex, delicious flavor. Chop one medium sized onion and a few cloves of garlic into medium-sized bits, then sauté them until they're just translucent. Add a braising liquid to the pan. Braising is a cooking process that partially resembles stewing. When we braise the meat, we'll cook it slowly in a soupy mixture - like a stew. Beef stock will be our base liquid - begin by adding two cups of beef stock to the pan. Modify this base with a few ounces of other liquid flavors - red wine vinegar, for instance is a good choice - and simmer in the pan to reduce the mixture, concentrating the flavor. When it comes to flavoring your braising liquid, there's countless choices. Stout beer, red wine, and tomato puree all taste great. Powdered ingredients like paprika and garlic salt also work well. Don't be afraid to test your broth by tasting it. Generally, if it tastes good, so will your meat! Place the spareribs in a cooking pan. Pour your beef stock mixture over the top of your spareribs, evenly coating them. Cover the pan with foil and transfer to a rack in the center of your oven. Braise for about 2-3 hours. Every hour, turn your spareribs. Exact cooking times will vary. Luckily, braised meat will only dry out if it's left in the oven well past its done point. After an hour and a half, periodically test your ribs for doneness with a fork. The meat should be quite soft and easy to pull apart. The inside may appear slightly stringy. Remove and serve. Immediately transfer your moist, juicy spareribs to a plate and serve. If you desire, use leftover liquid from the cooking pan as a gravy, generously basting your spareribs. This dish is a fantastic compliment to fluffy mashed potatoes, as the potatoes will absorb the liquid (and thus the flavor) that leaks from the spareribs. | Know your cuts. Make time to brine or marinate. Prepare a dry rub. Know beforehand when to stop cooking. Store pork safely. Heat your grill. Add your pork cuts to the grill when ready. Cook your pork on a colder region of the grill. Grill until the meat is done. Quickly sear the pork. Allow the meat to rest. Season and serve. Bread your pork chops. Heat oil in a pan. Add your breaded pork chops to the pan. Cook the chops over medium-high heat until they're golden-brown. Remove the pork from the heat. Carefully dispose of excess oil. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Season your spareribs. Briefly brown your spareribs in a pan. In the same pan, sauté onions and garlic. Add a braising liquid to the pan. Place the spareribs in a cooking pan. Braise for about 2-3 hours. Remove and serve. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Make-Torches | How to Make Torches | To make a torch, start by cutting a cotton cloth into long strips and wrapping it around a branch or stick that's at least 2 feet long. Secure the cloth by tucking the end under the wrapped fabric. Then, dunk the cloth-wrapped end into a flammable liquid, such as Kerosene, and light the torch with a lighter, match, or campfire. | Find your supplies. A minimalistic torch is ideal when you don't have access to many resources, such as when you're in the woods without the right equipment. To make this kind of fast-burning torch in an emergency, you'll need: Green stick or branch that's at least 2 feet (61 cm) long and 2 inches (5 cm) thick Cotton cloth or birch bark Fuel, such as kerosene, naphtha-based camp fuel, lighter fluid, or rendered animal or vegetable fat Matches or lighter Cut the cloth. A torch needs a wick, just like a candle does. You can use strips of cotton to make the wick, such as from an old cotton t-shirt. Cut or tear the fabric into strips that are 1 foot (30 cm) wide and 2 feet (61 cm) long. Alternatively, you can use a strip of birch bark if you don't have fabric. Find a birch tree and peel a strip that's about 6 inches (15 cm) wide and 2 feet (61 cm) long. If you're using bark, you'll also need twine, rope, string, or some reeds to tie it in place. Attach the wick to the torch. Position the widthwise end of the cotton strip at the top of the green branch. Wrap the strip snugly around the top of the torch, wrapping in the same place to form a thick bulge. When you reach the end of the fabric, tuck the end underneath the wrapped fabric to secure it in place. For birch bark, wrap the bark snugly around the end of the torch. When you get to the end of the bark, hold the bark in place and tie a string or reed around the top and bottom of the wick to hold the bark in place. Soak the cotton wick with flammable liquid. A cotton wick needs to be soaked in a flammable liquid before you can light the torch, because it's actually the fluid that will burn and not the fabric. Place the wick end of the torch into the fuel and let it soak for a few minutes to ensure the fabric is saturated. With a birch wick, you don't have to soak the wick because the bark contains natural resins that will burn. Light the torch. Use a light, matches, or a campfire. Hold the torch upright and hold the flame to the base of the wick until the wick ignites. This may take about a minute. Once lit, the torch should last at least 20 minutes, and could burn as long as an hour. A birch wick may only burn for about 15 minutes. Don't burn your torch in dry, heavily wooded areas, as you could set the surrounding wood on fire. Don't burn the torch inside houses or buildings. Hold the torch at arm's length to avoid burning yourself. Be mindful of any falling sparks and embers, too, as these could ignite your clothes or other surroundings. Gather your supplies. A cattail torch is another type of minimalistic torch that requires only a few simple items. With this type of torch, the spike on the end of the plant will be soaked in flammable fluid. Along with the cattail, you'll also need: Hollow reed, stick, cane, or bamboo piece Fuel Matches or lighter Find a cattail. The best place to look for cattails is around the perimeter of lakes, ponds, marshes, and other wetland areas. You may also know this plant by the names reedmace, cumbungi, or bulrush. Because cattails are rather flimsy, you'll also need to find a hollow stick or cane that you can insert the cattail into. The stick will act as a holder. Make sure it's at least 2 feet (61 cm) long. Soak the cattail with flammable liquid. Place the cattail into your flammable liquid or oil. Let the cattail soak for at least an hour. This will give the spike time to absorb lots of oil, which means a longer burning torch. Good fuels for this purpose include diesel fuel, naphtha-based camp fuel, lighter fluid, or rendered animal or vegetable fat. Assemble and light the torch. When the cattail is done soaking, insert the bottom of the cattail into your hollow stick so the oil-soaked spike is protruding from the top of the stick. With a lighter or matches, hold a flame to the bottom of the spike until it ignites. A cattail torch could give you up to six hours of flame. Don't burn these torches inside or near other flammable objects. Hold the torch away from your body to avoid burns. Gather your supplies. This type of torch requires more tools and specialized equipment than the other types. This is not a minimalistic torch that you can make in an emergency. To make this type of torch, you'll need: Aluminum pole that's at least an inch (2.5 cm) thick and 2 feet (61 cm) long Kevlar fabric Kevlar twine Scissors 2 quarter-inch (6 mm) self-drilling aluminum screws Drill or screwdriver Bucket Naphtha-based camp fuel Old towel Matches or lighter Cut the Kevlar fabric into a strip. Use the scissors to cut a strip of Kevlar fabric that's about 4 inches (10 cm) wide and 2 feet (61 cm) long. You can buy Kevlar fabric at some home stores, department and hardware stores, fabric stores, or online. Kevlar is a durable synthetic fabric that's made from plastic. However, it's flame-resistant and doesn't melt, making it ideal for torches. Kevlar is often used by fire jugglers and fire poi performers. Attach the Kevlar to the pole. Place the widthwise end of the fabric strip at the top of the pole. Drill or screw a self-drilling screw through the fabric and into the pole at the top and bottom edges of the fabric. Position the screws a half-inch (13 mm) from the top and bottom edges. Aluminum has a smooth surface, and to prevent the Kevlar wick from sliding down the torch, you have to secure it in place with screws. It's important to use aluminum for the pole and screws, because aluminum won't conduct the heat from the torch. Wrap and secure the fabric. Once the fabric is screwed to the pole, wrap the Kevlar wick around the end of the pole. Pull on the fabric as you wrap so it's nice and snug. When you reach the end of the fabric, tie it in place with lengths of Kevlar twine. Use two pieces of twine to tie the fabric, one near the top and bottom of the wick. Dip the wick in fuel. Fill a bucket with at least 4 inches (10 cm) of camp fuel. Dip the wick into the fuel and let it sit for a couple minutes to soak. Remove the torch from the bucket and let the excess fuel drip onto an old towel. Light the torch. With matches or a lighter, hold a flame to the bottom of the wick until it ignites. This Kevlar torch will burn for several hours. You can also put the flame out and reuse the torch later. To put out the flame before it burns out, cover the top with a metal container, such as a soda can with the top cut off. Hold the can there to smother the flame until the torch goes out. | Find your supplies. Cut the cloth. Attach the wick to the torch. Soak the cotton wick with flammable liquid. Light the torch. Gather your supplies. Find a cattail. Soak the cattail with flammable liquid. Assemble and light the torch. Gather your supplies. Cut the Kevlar fabric into a strip. Attach the Kevlar to the pole. Wrap and secure the fabric. Dip the wick in fuel. Light the torch. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Clear-Respiratory-Foreign-Bodies-from-a-Cat | How to Clear Respiratory Foreign Bodies from a Cat | To clear respiratory foreign bodies from a cat, start by taking it to the vet as soon as you notice symptoms, such as gagging, difficulty breathing, or head shaking. If the object is in the throat or nasal cavity, your vet may try to remove it manually after giving your cat an anesthetic. Alternatively, they may perform surgery to remove the object if it's lodged deep in the respiratory system. Once your cat is back home, make sure to give it any prescribed medications and feed it soft food, which is easier for it to swallow. | Notice common symptoms. Foreign bodies can get lodged in the nose, throat, trachea, or bronchi of a cat, and the symptoms vary depending on the exact location of the foreign object. Look for any of the following symptoms: Nasal discharge Sneezing Nose-pawing or nose-bleeds Head shaking Gagging Salivation Difficulty swallowing or breathing Bad breath Pawing at the face and mouth Coughing Retching Blue coloured gums Fainting Anorexia Monitor your cat while outside. In most instances a foreign body, such as a blade of grass or a piece of a stick, will enter your cat while they are smelling or chewing these objects. Keep a close eye on your cat while it is playing outside. This way you will have a better indication of what might be the problem if your cat starts to develop symptoms. Take your cat to the vet. If you notice any common symptoms associated with a respiratory foreign body, or you believe your cat may have inhaled a foreign object, you should take your cat to the vet immediately. If left untreated, a foreign body in the respiratory system could cause an infection or lead to chronic lung disease. In some cases the foreign object may travel through the body, causing severe complications and even death. Your vet will need to run a number of tests in order to rule out other possible illnesses and to find the exact location of the foreign object. Have your cat examined. Your vet will likely need to administer a number of examinations in order to determine the exact location of the foreign object. An examination can also provide your vet with more detailed information concerning the type of object that has been lodged in the respiratory system. Your vet may administer any of the following tests: A complete blood count (CBC), biochemical profile, and urinalysis. An x-ray of the throat and chest. Skull/nasal radiographs. A scope may be used to evaluate the nasal cavity, trachea, and bronchi. A CT Scan or MRI may be useful in some cases. Remove the object manually. This is often done by administering a local anesthetic and then reaching in and grabbing the object from the throat or nasal cavity. This type of removal is only possible if the object is visible and easily accessible. In some cases, you may be able to do this without the help of a vet, if you are able to see the object and are certain you can remove it completely and without causing any damage to the nasal passage. It is safest to let the vet do any removal, however. Flush the respiratory tract to remove the object. Your vet may be able to encourage the foreign object to dislodge itself, by flushing the respiratory tract. A sterile saline solution will be flushed through the respiratory tract in the hope of dislodging and washing out the foreign object. Retrieve a foreign body using an endoscope. To remove a foreign body using an endoscope, the vet will place a flexible tube called an endoscope into the cat's mouth and down into their throat. They may try to pull out the object. Typically the object will be removed using forceps or a balloon catheter. This procedure will typically only work if the object is lodged in the throat. If the lodged object is sharp, a protective tube can be placed down the cat's throat to protect the esophagus while the object is retrieved. Remove a foreign body through surgery. In severe cases, the foreign object may be lodged deep within your cat's internal respiratory system. In these instances, the vet may need to complete a surgery to remove the object. In most cases, your cat will be put under general anesthesia. There are always risks when your cat undergoes surgery, especially when the cat is under anesthesia. Talk to your vet to understand the risks and benefits of surgery for your cat. Schedule a follow-up appointment with your vet. Although cats can recover quickly from removal procedures, it is still a good idea to schedule a follow-up appointment with your vet. During this appointment your vet will check to make sure that your cat is not suffering from any lingering pain or infection as a result of the lodged object or removal procedure. Treat secondary infections with antibiotics. Your vet may notice that the foreign body has caused a secondary infection. This happens if the foreign body contained bacteria that was spread to the cat. If this is the case, your vet will prescribe antibiotics to help treat the secondary infection. Follow all instructions provided by your vet for administering the antibiotic. Provide your cat with pain medication. Following the surgery, your vet will most likely prescribe pain medication, as both the surgery and the recovery can be painful for the cat. It is very important that you follow of the instructions provided by the vet when administering medication. For example, your vet may prescribe a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), such as meloxicam or robenacoxib. Feed your cat a softer diet. Giving your cat wet food can also alleviate pain following this procedure. This type of food is typically softer and will be less irritating if your cat experienced a foreign body lodged in the respiratory system. Talk with your vet to see if this is a suitable option for your cat. | Notice common symptoms. Monitor your cat while outside. Take your cat to the vet. Have your cat examined. Remove the object manually. Flush the respiratory tract to remove the object. Retrieve a foreign body using an endoscope. Remove a foreign body through surgery. Schedule a follow-up appointment with your vet. Treat secondary infections with antibiotics. Provide your cat with pain medication. Feed your cat a softer diet. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Overcome-Stage-Fright | How to Overcome Stage Fright | To overcome stage fright, try exercising for 30 minutes before your performance, which can release tension and help you feel less nervous. You can also try meditating for 15-20 minutes to relax your body and calm any racing thoughts you're having. Even just chewing gum, stretching, or humming right before your performance can relieve tension and steady your voice. To help with any nervous feelings in your stomach, try eating a banana before you go on stage, which can help calm your stomach without making you feel full. | Relax your body. To overcome stage fright, there are a few things you can do to relax your body before going on the stage. Easing the tension from your body can help steady your voice and relax your mind. Rehearse your lines. If you mess up on stage, don't panic! Make it seem like the act.Here are a few things you can do to relax your body before your performance. Gently hum to steady your voice. Eat a banana before you perform. It will lower that empty or nauseous feeling in your stomach but won't make you feel too full either. Chew gum. Chew gum a little bit to ease the tension in your jaw. Just don't chew gum too long on an empty stomach or you may upset your digestive system a bit. Stretch. Stretching your arms, legs, back, and shoulders is another great way to reduce the tension in your body. Pretend that you are acting as a different character. This can help you put aside the audience's pressure. Meditate. On the morning before your performance, or even an hour before, take 15-20 minutes out of your day to meditate. Find a relatively quiet place where you can take a comfortable seat on the ground. Close your eyes and focus on your breathing as you relax every part of your body. Rest your hands on your lap and fold your legs. Try to reach a point where you no longer think about anything besides relaxing your body one part a time -- especially not your performance. Avoid caffeine. Unless you're normally a caffeine addict, don't have extra caffeine on the day of the performance. You may think that it will make you perform with more energy, but it will actually make you feel more nervous and jittery..... Set a "stop time" for your anxiety. On the day of your performance, tell yourself that you can allow yourself to be nervous for a certain amount of time, but that after a certain hour -- say, 3:00 PM -- all anxiety will go out the door. Just setting this goal and making this promise to yourself will make it much more likely to happen. Get some exercise. Exercise releases tension and gets your endorphins going. Make time for at least thirty minutes of exercise on the day of your performance, or at least take a thirty-minute walk. This will get your body geared for an amazing performance. Laugh as much as you can. Watch a comedy in the morning, put on your favorite YouTube video, or just spend the afternoon hanging around the funniest person in your company. Laughing will relax you and take your mind off your nervousness. Get there early. Show up to your presentation earlier than anyone in the audience. You'll feel much more in control if the room is filling up after you arrive instead of showing up to a full house. Showing up early will also ease your nerves and will make you feel less rushed and more at peace. Talk to members in the audience. Some people like to sit in the audience and start chatting with people to get more comfortable. This will make you see that the audience members are just ordinary people like you, and will help you manage your expectations. You can also just sit in the audience as it fills up for a bit without telling anyone who you are -- this will only work if you're not in costume, of course. Imagine your favorite person in the audience. Instead of imagining every person in the audience in their underwear -- which can be a little weird -- imagine that every seat in the audience is filled with a clone of your favorite person. That person loves you and will listen to and approve of anything you say or do. That person will laugh at the right times, encourage you, and clap wildly at the end of the performance. Drink citrus juice. Drinking citrus juice half an hour before your performance can lower your blood pressure and ease your anxiety. Recite the words to your favorite song or poem. Falling into a comfortable rhythm will make you feel more at peace and in control. If you feel comfortable reciting the words to your favorite song or poem, you'll feel more comfortable about delivering your lines with ease and grace. Make it interesting. This may sound obvious, but it's likely that part of the reason you're having stage fright is because you're worried that everyone will think you're boring. Well, you may be worried about being boring because your material is boring. Even if you're speaking or presenting very dry material, think of ways to make it more accessible and engaging. You'll be less worried about presenting if you know that your content will be engaging. If it's appropriate, make some room for laughter. Throw in a few jokes that will ease your tension and relax the audience. Consider your audience. As you create and practice your presentation, consider the needs, knowledge, and expectations of audience. If you're speaking to a younger audience, adjust your content, voice, and speech as necessary. If it's an older and more stern audience, be more practical and logical. You'll be less nervous if you know that you'll actually be able to reach the people who are listening to you. Don't tell people you're nervous. Don't show up on stage and make a little joke about being nervous. Everyone will assume that you're confident just because you're already up there. Announcing that you're nervous may make you feel better, but the audience will lose faith in you instead of paying attention. Record yourself. Videotape yourself as you give your presentation. Keep presenting and taping until you can look at the recording and think, "Wow, that's a great presentation!" If you're not happy with how you look on tape, then you won't be pleased with how you appear in person. Keep doing this until you get it right. When you're up on stage, just remember how great you looked in the video, and tell yourself that you can do even better. Move around, but don't fidget. You can blow off some nervous energy and reach your audience by pacing back and forth across the stage. If you move around with energy and gesture for emphasis, you'll be overcoming your stage fright just by moving. But don't fidget by moving your hands together, playing with your hair, or fiddling with your microphone or speech or presentation notes. Fidgeting will only build tension and will make your audience see that you're uncomfortable. Slow down. Most public speakers manifest their stage fright by talking way too fast. You may be speaking fast because you're nervous and want to get the speech or presentation over with, but this will actually make it harder for you to articulate your ideas or to reach your audience. Most people who talk too fast don't even realize that they're doing it, so remember to pause for a second after every new thought, and to leave room for your audience to react to important statements. Slowing down will also make you less likely to stumble over your words or misspeak. Time your presentation beforehand. Get used to the pace that you need to finish your presentation at the appropriate time. Keep a watch handy and glance at it from time to time to make sure you're on track. Ask how you did. If you really want to improve your stage fright, you should ask your audience how you did by asking for feedback afterwards, handing out surveys, or asking colleagues in the audience to give their honest opinion. Knowing what you did well will build your confidence, and knowing how you can improve will help you feel more confident the next time you get on stage. Fake confidence. Even if your hands feel like silly putty and your heart is racing, just act like the coolest person in the world. Walk with your head high and a big smile on your face, and don't tell anyone how nervous you are. Maintain this posture when you get on the stage and you'll actually start to feel confident. Look straight ahead instead of down at the floor. Don't slouch. Create a ritual. Come up with a fail-proof ritual for the day of your performance. This could be a three-mile (five kilometer) jog on the morning of your performance, the same "last meal" before your performance, or even singing a certain song in the shower or putting on your lucky socks. Do whatever it is you have to do to gear yourself toward success. A lucky charm is a great part of a ritual. It could be a piece of jewelry that's important to you, or a silly stuffed animal that cheers you on from your dressing room. Think positively. Focus on all of the amazing results of your presentation or performance instead of everything that can go wrong. Combat every negative thought with five positive ones. Keep an index card with motivational phrases in your pocket, or do whatever you need to do to focus on all of the benefits that the performance will give you instead of honing in on all of the fear and anxiety that you may be feeling. Get advice from a pro performer. If you have a friend who is a knockout performer, whether it's from stage acting or giving presentations, ask for their advice. You may learn some new tricks and will be comforted by the fact that almost everyone gets stage fright, no matter how confident he or she may appear on stage. Visualize success. Before you get on stage, just picture yourself knocking it out of the park. Imagine a standing ovation, picture the smiles on the audience members' faces, and hear the sound of your cast mates or director telling you what an amazing job you did. The more you focus on visualizing the best possible outcome instead of worrying over the worst-case scenario, the more likely it is to happen. Picture yourself being amazing on stage from the audience's point of view. Start early. Start visualizing success from the second you're cast in the role. Get into the habit of imagining what a great job you'll do. As you get closer to the starting date, you can work harder on visualizing success by picturing what a great job you'll do every night before you go to bed and every morning when you wake up. Practice as much as possible. Do this until you memorize it. Remember the words of the person who speaks before you, so you recognize the cue for you to speak. Practice in front of family, friends, and stuffed animals and even in front of empty chairs, so that you are used to performing in front of people. Part of the fear of performing comes from thinking that you'll forget your lines and won't know what to do. The best way to prepare against forgetting your lines is to be as familiar with them as possible. Practicing in front of others helps you get used to the fact that you won't be reciting your lines alone. Sure, you may know them perfectly when you're alone in your room, but it'll be a whole new ball game when you're facing an audience. Get into character. If you really want to overcome stage fright, work on truly inhabiting the actions, thoughts, and worries of your character. The more in tune you are with the character you're portraying, the more likely you'll be to forget your own worries. Imagine that you really are that person instead of a nervous actor trying to portray that person. Watch your own performance. Gain confidence in yourself by reciting your lines in front of a mirror. You can even tape your own performance to see how amazing you are, and to look out for areas of improvement. If you keep taping or watching yourself until you know you're really killing it, then you'll be much more likely to succeed on the stage. Being able to see yourself perform will also help you conquer your fear of the unknown. If you know exactly what you look like, you'll feel more comfortable on the stage. Watch your mannerisms , and look at how you move your hands as you speak. Note : this may not work for everyone. This trick may make some people feel more self-conscious and aware of every movement of their bodies. If watching yourself starts making you more nervous, then avoid this tactic. Learn to improvise. Improvisation is a skill that all good actors should master. Improvising will help you prepare for a less-than-perfect situation on the stage. Many actors and performers are so worried about forgetting or messing up their lines that they often don't consider that other cast members are just as likely to make a mistake; knowing how to improvise will help you feel comfortable with performing on the fly and being prepared for anything that comes your way. Improvising will also help you see that you can't control every aspect of the performance. It's not about being perfect -- it's about being able to react to any situation. Don't act startled or lost if something unexpected happens. Remember that the audience doesn't have a copy of the script and that they'll only be able to tell if something went wrong if you make it obvious. Move your body. Staying physically active before and during the performance will help ease your tension and keep the audience's interest. Of course, you should only move when the character is supposed to move, but make the most of your movements and gestures so that your body becomes more relaxed by being active. Turn off your mind. Once you're on stage, just focus on your words, your body, and your facial expressions. Don't waste time over thinking it and asking yourself pesky questions. Just start enjoying your performance and inhabiting the moment, whether you're singing, dancing, or reciting lines. If you've learned to turn off your mind and fully inhabit your performance, the audience will know. | Relax your body. Meditate. Avoid caffeine. Set a "stop time" for your anxiety. Get some exercise. Laugh as much as you can. Get there early. Talk to members in the audience. Imagine your favorite person in the audience. Drink citrus juice. Recite the words to your favorite song or poem. Make it interesting. Consider your audience. Don't tell people you're nervous. Record yourself. Move around, but don't fidget. Slow down. Ask how you did. Fake confidence. Create a ritual. Think positively. Get advice from a pro performer. Visualize success. Practice as much as possible. Get into character. Watch your own performance. Learn to improvise. Move your body. Turn off your mind. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Have-Someone-Develop-a-Crush-on-You | How to Have Someone Develop a Crush on You | While you can't make someone develop a crush on you, if you're friendly and approachable, you'll be more likely to spark their interest. It may be tempting to put on an act, but being yourself is the best way to get someone to like you. You can't attract everyone, and that's okay! If you're kind and focus on being yourself, you'll attract people who like you for being you. Once you find someone who likes you, try a little flirting to show you're interested. You could pay them a compliment or offer to help them when they need it. Keep in mind that your crush may be shy, so you might need to make the first move. Even if your nervous, if you smile and act confident, your crush won't know the difference. | Look pretty. If you're not used to taking care of yourself , it's a good reason to start improving something about yourself. First of all, try not to look messy or sloppy; it's a huge turn-off for any guy, unless he doesn't mind it. Abandon that old, dusty pair of jeans and huge T-shirt for something more flattering. Wear something that makes you feel confident. Have a sense of style. Okay, you may not be the kind of girl who pampers herself all day long, but don't be afraid to take fashion risks. Do you like bright colors? Show him just how fabulous you are. Express your individuality with earrings, scarves, or whatever makes you feel pretty. Don't worry about fitting in; you're a trend setter ! Don't go overboard with sexy clothing. Show him you are beautiful without having to give away all the goods. Sexy is good. Trashy is risky. Be sweet to boys. Everyone likes the girl who acts like a tom boy , but don't let the boys forget that you are also a lovely woman. Say kind things to him, laugh at his jokes , make him feel like he's awesome. It'll get him asking for your number for sure. Don't try to impress him by cussing like a sailor. Remember, act like a lady. Speak to him in gentle tones. Remind him of how feminine you can be. Compliment guys. An honest compliment can go a long way. If you like somebody, compliment them on the particularities you like about them. Don't compliment them too much or gush. Act romantic and sensitive. Let guys know you need to get affection. Sometimes, if you don't tell them directly, they may even forget you have feelings too. Speak your mind! Hang out with the girls from time to time. Even if guys often don't understand friendships between girls they will respect you if you show them you have friends of your own. Don't be afraid to show your social independence. . Be mysterious Girls' little secrets are fascinating for guys. Don't give away too much information, you want to keep that boy wanting more! Don't be mean. Mean girls may be popular, but they often end up alone. Believe it or not, guys find cat fights quite scary and they'll back off when they see how mean you can be at times. There's nothing wrong with being nice. Surely you can stand up for yourself without being mean, right? Be Yourself. It most often happens when a guy tries to act up for a new girl he will look like a pretentious oaf. Being yourself is a much better method. Not only that, but the girls that do like you will be ones you will get on with a whole lot more, why? Because they share your real interests, not fake ones you made up to impress people. And besides, a lot of girls go for dorky guys, its very sweet. Be sporty. Not only that being good at sports can impress a girl, but it also tones up your muscles, therefore improving your body appearance, and making you look more manly. Be funny and make jokes. Everybody likes funny guys; a good sense of humor is very appreciated by most people. Even if you can't tell a joke to save your life, girls will appreciate you for trying. Show your sensitive side. This is perhaps the most difficult thing for guys to do; some would rather bite their tongue to avoid saying something related to their feelings, than to actually say it. A girl is very pleased to find out that guys do have feelings. Showing that you can be hurt, that you care, is not an act of weakness; on the contrary, it means that you had the strength to overcome your fear of vulnerability. On the other hand, don't go about feeling sorry for yourself. Be a man when you need to; being afraid of everything and everyone won't get you too far. When you've got problems, face them and try to solve them, instead of denying their existence. Don't act superior to girls. Everyone is equal, and this isn't the 50's. Chivalry is not the same as patronizing someone. Be mature. Show her you are capable of intelligent conversation. Burping contests and potty humor are fun, but consider your audience. Some girls feel that stuff is immature. Look approachable. Acting cold and distant may seem cool, but it's a turn-off to other people. If you don't act open and available enough, not even girls/guys that do like you will have the courage to talk to you. Flirt. The first step in getting a boyfriend/girlfriend is expressing interest in that person. Don't be afraid that you will be turned down; comfort yourself thinking that you've at least tried. In time, becoming better at flirting will improve your chances of getting someone to like you. Express affection. When you like somebody, hint it to them or tell them directly. The more love you give, the more you receive. Touch them softly, play with their hair- these are little gestures that express affection and make you feel closer to others. Help them out when they need help and be understanding when they talk about their problems. To sum it up, show them that you care about them. Be confident. Confidence is the key; it's what makes the difference between the "hot" and the "not". A person can seem absolutely awesome even when they're not like that in reality, due to their confidence. Confidence is the way to make people acknowledge what a wonderful person you are. If you don't see your own qualities, how would you expect others to see them? Find something that you like about yourself and point them out to boys/girls. Enhance your best features ; not only in your look, but also in your personality. Have a good reputation. It doesn't necessarily mean that you have to be popular in order to be liked by the opposite gender (although it would help), but having a bad reputation decreases your chances to get a significant other. If you have a reputation as promiscuous/a player, weirdo, nerd, gossiper, mean girl/guy etc., people would be less likely to talk to you because of the prejudices they have about you. Make the first move. It often happens that the person you like doesn't make the first move; you have two options: either to wait until the other one initiates a flirt (which may never happen), or to do something yourself. This doesn't apply only to boys, although the tradition is that the boy should make the first move; but there's nothing wrong if a girl does, either. On the contrary, it's even recommended; the guy will admire your courage. Don't get nervous! If you fixate on how scared you are, you'll psyche yourself out. Everything you do, do it with confidence. When talking to somebody you like, stay cool and try not to blush or act nervous. There's nothing to be afraid of; they're probably just as nervous as you are. Make a good first impression. It's unfair, but the first impression you leave to someone will most likely persist in their memory for a long time and be the heaviest factor in influencing that person's opinion on you, even if it's a wrong impression. Take care of your looks. This applies to girls and boys; not only girls are the ones who are supposed to look good for the opposite sex. Having a high standard of personal hygiene is the very least you can do to improve your appearance. Don't smell ; take showers and use deodorant and maybe fragrance, if you want to. Have nice, clean hair and clean teeth; make sure your mouth doesn't smell, either. Clean and cut your nails, don't let them grow too long- especially if you're a boy. Wear clean, ironed clothes. Be well-dressed. The clothes must not necessarily be very expensive, but they always must be clean, fit for your size and appropriate for your body type. Very important: dress tastefully. Okay, maybe you're not an expert at choosing the right clothes for you and combining them, but at least ask for advice from somebody who is one. It's crucial not to look like your blind grandmother picks your clothes. Smile. Smiling makes you look cuter, more charming and more lovable. A genuine smile can lighten up someone's day. It's the best way to express interest in somebody, in a way in which you have no chances of making a fool of yourself. Don't be annoying. Being annoying may seem fun to you, but it's certainly not fun for those you annoy. A little teasing or playing every now and then is acceptable, even welcome in some cases, but being annoying on a regular basis is the perfect way to repel boys/girls. . Be friendly Being mean with other people for no reason or treating them like dirt will make you hit the "Most Hated" list. Nobody likes unfriendly, obnoxious people. And, of course, be yourself. Really, there will be many people who will like you for you, not just your looks. Plus, if you're being crushed on because you're on the football/cheerleading team, but no one knows your passion for singing/karate, what's the point? | Look pretty. Be sweet to boys. Hang out with the girls from time to time. . Don't be mean. Be Yourself. Be sporty. Be funny and make jokes. Show your sensitive side. Don't act superior to girls. Be mature. Look approachable. Flirt. Express affection. Be confident. Have a good reputation. Make the first move. Don't get nervous! Make a good first impression. Take care of your looks. Smile. Don't be annoying. . And, of course, be yourself. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Kiss-a-Girl-at-the-Movies | How to Kiss a Girl at the Movies | To kiss a girl at the movies, start by picking out a lighthearted film that's not too serious, like a comedy or romance. Next, find seats away from other people in the theater for a little privacy. Notice her body language for signs that she may not be in the mood for kissing, like leaning away from you. If all seems good, move in for a kiss by turning toward her and leaning your head in slightly, and only kiss her if she moves toward you. If she doesn't, don't try to force anything, and just go back to watching the movie. | Research what's playing. Use the internet to look into your options to find the best movie to accommodate a good kiss session. There's plenty of apps for your smartphone that will also show you movie times near you. Pick a movie. Try to find a movie that you've both either seen or have very little interest in seeing. This can get tricky with the high price of going to the movies these days. For a more enjoyable time, wait until the movie you actually want to see has been playing for a month or two. If you think or know she wants to see something, suggest it yourself. The idea is to pick a movie that won't be too crowded. Consider the duration of the movie. You should decide if you think you'll want a three-hour movie or can settle with an hour and a half. Consider the genre. It could be uncomfortable to smooch to a very serious movie. Either go for a comedy, romantic-comedy, or a horror. These movies also get less attendance than the bigger blockbusters. Ask her for input. Be on the same page as your date. One of the best ways to create chemistry is for the two of you to watch trailers together. Be assertive if there is something you want to see, but don't push it too hard. In the end, decide on something together. Plan to meet early. This will give you a chance to flirt before the movie starts. Since she's already agreed to go out on a date with you, you shouldn't be nervous at this part. Be yourself. Play a game. A great way of initiating chemistry between her and you is to play an arcade game. Make eyes at her intermittently. Don't be overly competitive. A little bit can be cute, but if you take it too seriously, it could ruin your chances. Offer to buy refreshments. It is a nice courtesy to offer to buy popcorn and soda for you two to share. If this is one of the first dates with this lady, you, the guy, should make the offer. Choose your seat. Pick a seat that seems to be the most remote. Try somewhere in the back row or in a corner. The ultimate idea is to pick a seat that is not too close to other movie goers. Make sure your lips are smooth. Apply a thin layer of chapstick before your date to ensure your lips aren't chapped. Don't be too insistent in applying chapstick throughout the date. You might seem nervous or too anxious for a kiss. Keep your cool. Carry breath mints. You might have purchased a 24 oz. Coke, but just carry mints in your pocket anyway. You'll be glad to have them. Wait through the beginning. It could be weird to make a move right as the title credits are playing. Give it at least twenty minutes into the film. The ideal scene would be a slower one during the exposition. Make eye contact. Do not sit there and stare at your date. Just glance over from time to time. Keep this up until you both meet eyes and then quickly turn back to the film. Your best bet is for her and you to blush after meeting eyes. Hold her hand. If she has her hand in plain view on the cup holder, that is a good indicator that she wants you to hold it. Don't go too out of your way to hold her hand. Put your hand gently over her hand and wait for her hand to respond to yours. Feel out the mood. If she is leaning on the opposite side of the seat, she doesn't want you to kiss her. Look for her to put her hair behind her ear. This exposes her neck and is a good cue that she is interested. Be sly when you're gauging her mood. Initiate the kiss. Turn towards her and gently touch her chin with your finger. This is a clear straightforward signal that will tell her, I want to kiss you. Once she moves her head towards yours, slowly start moving your head towards hers. If she doesn't acknowledge your initiation, you might just have to sit through the rest of the film disappointed. Gauge what her reaction is. If she wants to kiss again, you'll know it. Be charming and a gentleman after the first kiss. Don't be cheesy and say things like, "Well, that was nice," or "You're a good kisser." Try to avoid acting shy after the kiss. If you stop talking to her once you've kissed, she might think it's because you didn't like it. Smile and keep getting to know her! Take kissing breaks. Don't just keep on kissing her until the movie is over without a break. Kiss for a little bit and then go back to watching the film. Wait about twenty minutes and then turn towards her again. She should be on board if she enjoyed the first kiss. Guys normally make the first move, so make sure you are confident. If you are confident she will feel comfortable. Compliment her. Once the movie is over say you had a great time, if you mean it. Drop a suggestion that you'd like to hang out again. Don't ask her if she had a good time. Be smooth but don't be afraid to reveal yourself. | Research what's playing. Pick a movie. Consider the genre. Ask her for input. Plan to meet early. Play a game. Offer to buy refreshments. Choose your seat. Make sure your lips are smooth. Carry breath mints. Wait through the beginning. Make eye contact. Hold her hand. Feel out the mood. Initiate the kiss. Gauge what her reaction is. Take kissing breaks. Compliment her. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Do-a-Tricep-Workout | How to Do a Tricep Workout | To do a tricep workout with dumbells, pick up a pair of dumbbells and stand up straight. Lift your arms straight over your head and slowly bend your elbows to lower the dumbbells behind your head. Straighten your arms again to complete 1 rep. Do 3 sets of 12 reps to feel the burn! Tricep kickbacks are another simple exercise you can try. Stand next to a weight bench and plant one knee and hand on the bench to steady yourself. Hold the dumbbell at your side and raise your arm up until it's level with your back. Complete 1 rep by straightening your arm until it's parallel to the floor and slowly bringing it back to the starting position. Do 3 sets of 12 reps! Dumbbell jabs and extensions are also great triceps exercises that you can easily incorporate into your routine. | Perform an overhead triceps extension for a basic way to flex. Pick up a pair of dumbbells that aren't too heavy for you, then stand up straight. Lift your arms straight up over your head. Then, bend your elbows to lower the dumbbells behind your head. Do 3 sets of up to 12 repetitions for a decent challenge. This exercise can also be done sitting down. It's a little easier when you're sitting on a chair or bench since you don't have to try as hard to stay balanced. Practice a dumbbell jab if you wish to increase your endurance. Pick up a couple of light dumbbells and stand up straight with your legs shoulder-width apart. Hold the dumbbells up close to your body with your elbows bent and your palms facing one another. Then, push one of the dumbbells forward and across your body like you're boxing. Repeat the motion with your other hand, doing up to 2 sets of 12 repetitions with each arm. Keep the dumbbells level with your shoulders as you move them. Tense your core muscles to maintain your form. In addition to testing your endurance, jabs work your chest, abs, and other muscles. Work up a sweat as part of your routine or to warm up for tougher exercises! Do triceps kickbacks with a bench for stable strengthening. Stand next to a weight bench, then plant one knee and hand on it. While holding a dumbbell at your side, raise your free arm up until it's about level with your back. Do the kickback by moving the dumbbell back toward your feet until your arm straightens out and is parallel to the floor. Do about 3 sets of 12 repetitions on each side to complete the exercise. This exercise is all about moving slowly, so take your time with it. Stop if your elbow feels stiff and switch to a lighter weight. You could do this exercise while standing. Bend forward to level out your back like you would while leaning on a bench. Try lying dumbbell extensions for an easy way to isolate triceps. Grab a pair of dumbbells, then lie down on a bench. Raise your arms straight up to the ceiling, then bring the dumbbells back down to the top of your head. Hold your forearms still while you do this so your triceps do the work. Go through 3 sets of 10 to 12 repetitions each to complete the exercise. There are a couple of different ways to hold the dumbbells, so choose whichever one feels more comfortable. You could position them horizontally with your palms facing up or vertically with your hands wrapped around them. Do a dumbbell bench press if you’re looking to strengthen your arms. Lie down on a bench, tucking your arms close to your chest. Keep your elbows bent, then push the dumbbells up above your chest. Bring the dumbbells back down and repeat the motion for 3 sets of 10 to 12 repetitions each. This exercise hits your triceps hard but it also engages your shoulders and chest. It's a simplified version of the bench press done with a barbell. Do cross-body unilateral exercises to flex the sides of your triceps. Sit down on a bench, facing the side. Plant your hand near the edge of the bench and lean toward it so your body is at about a 75-degree angle. Using your opposite hand, raise a dumbbell straight up above your head. Bring the dumbbell down behind your head while keeping your forearm still. Complete 3 sets of up to 12 repetitions with each arm. Use this exercise to stretch out each triceps individually. The motion is a lot different than most other exercises, so it's a good way to add variety to your routine. Another option is to lay down on the bench and bring the dumbbell down toward your forehead. Work on your triceps one at a time for greater strength and stability. Do a close-grip bench press to target your arm muscles. While lying on a weight bench, position your hands about shoulder-width apart. Tuck your elbows against your body before attempting to lift the barbell. Push the weight up as far as you can, then bring it down twice as slowly until it's close to your chest. Repeat the lift for 3 sets of 10 to 12 repetitions apiece. Start with the bar, which weighs about 45 lb (20 kg). If you're comfortable doing the exercise and can handle more weight, add weight plates to the bar to increase your strength. The close grip you use focuses more of the strain on your triceps than the grip from a standard bench press. If you position your hands too close together, you lose stability, so shift your grip to compensate. Always have a spotter on hand in case you need help managing the heavy weights sometimes required for this exercise. Master the skullcrusher to strengthen triceps by pulling them. Lay down on a bench, gripping a weight bar with your hands about a shoulder-width apart. Start with your arms fully extended. Bend your arms at the elbows to bring the bar down close to your forehead. After lifting it back up, repeat the exercise 10 to 12 times, doing 3 sets total. Skullcrushers are good compliments to bench presses since they use opposite motions. A bench press involves pushing a bar instead of pulling it down. Take advantage of both types of motions for super triceps! Skullcrushers can be done with dumbbells. Wrap your hands around a pair of dumbbells, then lower them to your head. The dumbells can be easier to use, so try them if the regular version hurts your elbows. Consider having a spotter available on hand for this exercise. If you're careful, you can put the bar down by moving it past your head. A spotter isn't necessary but can help prevents accidents. Lower yourself on a dip machine for a natural way to build strength. Most gyms have a seated dip machine as well as an assisted weight dip machine with bars at waist level. If you're using the bars or assisted weight machine, lift yourself up, then lower yourself until your arms are roughly level with your head. For the seated machine, push the handles down to strengthen your triceps. Go through 3 sets, doing about 8 to 12 dips per set. Keep your elbows tucked in so they don't bend out to the sides while you're moving. A seated machine is the easiest way to do dips since it allows you to add on extra weight without worrying about balancing. Some gyms also have free bars you can use for dips. Pull down on a rope to flex your upper arms while standing. You will need a rope handle attached to the pulley of a cable machine. With the rope at about chest height, grip the handles and begin pulling them down. Keep your arms tucked close to your sides and don't move your forearms at all. After bringing your hands down until your arms are straight, slowly return to the starting position. Repeat this about 10 to 12 times through 3 sets. The trick to this exercise is keeping your shoulders down so your back and upper arms don't move at all. If you feel them moving, switch to a lower weight for more stability. Pull a rope up over your head for a way to extend your triceps. Secure the rope handle to the bottom pulley of a cable machine. Start with the rope behind your head, bending your arms at the elbows so your forearms are parallel to the floor. Raise your arms straight up into the air to stretch your triceps. Repeat the motion about 10 12 times, doing 3 sets. You could also start with your hands up in the air and then lower them behind your head. It doesn't make much difference to the exercise, so go whichever way feels more comfortable. The extension works the back ends of your triceps. Pair it with rope pulldowns to get more out of your workout. Perform a diamond push-up if you don’t have weights available. A diamond press is a variation of a regular push up, so it's pretty simple. To do it, lay face down on the ground with your arms shoulder-width apart and raise yourself up. Turn your hands inward so your thumbs touch. Raise and lower yourself about 10 to 12 times for each of 3 sets. Keep your elbows close to your sides so your triceps get most of the work. This exercise is easy to do both at home and when you're on the go. Pair it with some dips to hit your entire triceps. If you're looking for an easier variation, try doing a regular wide-grip push-up by keeping your hands below your shoulders. Another option is to plant your knees on the ground to reduce the weight your triceps have to bear. Do dips if you have stable furniture to lower yourself from. After you choose a piece of furniture you're sure won't move, stand in front of it. Place your palms on the edge of the furniture with your feet out ahead of you. Then, lower yourself down until your arms are parallel with the ground. Raise yourself back up until your arms are straight again and repeat, trying for 3 sets of 8 to 12 dips. Try the exercise on a bench, chair, or table. Make sure the furniture you choose is sturdy and stable so you don't end up on the floor. Rotate your arms in circles to warm them up and tone them. While standing up straight with your legs shoulder-width apart, extend your arms straight out to the side. Rotate your shoulders to make circles with your arms. Start with some smaller circles and work up to bigger ones. Do this for about 2 to 3 minutes, then try doing it in reverse. See if you can go through the exercise 2 or 3 times. Arm circles are the simplest exercise possible and can be done anywhere to tone your triceps. It won't strengthen your triceps very much, so be sure to do some other exercises as well. This move is a great way to warm up your triceps before taking on more challenging exercises. | Perform an overhead triceps extension for a basic way to flex. Practice a dumbbell jab if you wish to increase your endurance. Do triceps kickbacks with a bench for stable strengthening. Try lying dumbbell extensions for an easy way to isolate triceps. Do a dumbbell bench press if you’re looking to strengthen your arms. Do cross-body unilateral exercises to flex the sides of your triceps. Do a close-grip bench press to target your arm muscles. Master the skullcrusher to strengthen triceps by pulling them. Lower yourself on a dip machine for a natural way to build strength. Pull down on a rope to flex your upper arms while standing. Pull a rope up over your head for a way to extend your triceps. Perform a diamond push-up if you don’t have weights available. Do dips if you have stable furniture to lower yourself from. Rotate your arms in circles to warm them up and tone them. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Tutor-Mathematics | How to Tutor Mathematics | To tutor math, start by asking your student to work through a problem. If they run into difficulties, correct their mistakes and steer them in the right direction. However, help them by talking through what concepts to apply, rather than by solving the problem for them. Once they reach the correct solution, have them work through the problem again to make sure they understand it. Try to encourage your student to ask questions throughout the process, and provide positive feedback and encouragement to give them more confidence moving forward. | Know the material. If you know algebra really well, but are not as strong in calculus, only tutor algebra. Your students are learning from you and they can't do that if you don't know the material inside and out. You also want to make sure you know the math standards that your student is expected to be proficient in. If you can't solve all of the problems your student presents you, you shouldn't be tutoring the subject. Review the material you will be teaching before you meet with your student. If you're unsure about something, don't give your student the wrong information. Look up the right answer later and discuss that concept at the next session. Relate math skills to everyday life. Many students struggle with math because they don't understand the practical applications of it. If you can put the material in the context of their lives, they are more likely to understand and learn it. Ask your student about some of their favorite hobbies and try to incorporate those in your lessons. If you're tutoring statistics and they like baseball, use baseball stats to help them learn. Remind the student that they are intelligent. Making mistakes is a part of learning, and even the best mathematicians still make mistakes sometimes. Making mistakes does not mean that the student is stupid or that they "suck at math". For younger students, it can be especially important to keep up their confidence. Highlight the parts of the problem the student got right while correcting the errors to understand why it was wrong. Use phrases that emphasize the content they got right, such as “You did this part of the problem really well” and “The way you're thinking about this is really smart.” Encourage questions. Asking questions is essential to success in math. Guide your student's learning by asking them pointed questions that will help them get to the right answer instead of just telling them. Questions also help engage the student in the learning process. Make your tutor sessions a safe space where there are no stupid questions. If the student is confused about anything, they need to clarify that before they can move on to other concepts. Some good questions to ask your students, “Does the solution make sense?”, “What exactly is the problem asking for?”, and “What techniques do you know that could help you solve the problem?” Talk about math anxiety. Some of your students may have actual anxiety when trying to deal with math. Talk to your student about this and refer them to a counselor if you think the math anxiety is particularly serious. If you think your tutee is in a course that is too advanced for them, discuss the possibility of moving to a course on their level. Avoid using phrases like “this problem is easy” as this can intimidate a student who doesn't think it's easy at all. Ask your student some of these questions to determine if they have math anxiety: Do you feel helpless when working on math or taking a quiz/test? Do you think you're the only one that doesn't understand math and everyone else is smarter than you are? Do you second guess everything you do, hoping others will do the work for you? Provide positive feedback. When they solve a problem all on their own, note that they now understand the material and congratulate them on this accomplishment. This encouragement will strengthen their confidence in solving future problems. Frequent feedback helps the student know what they understand and what concepts they need to work on. Encouragement is particularly helpful for students who have math anxiety. Choose a specific problem to work through. Usually this will be a problem from the student's homework, textbook, or class. You should choose the easiest problem the student has difficulty solving. Work multiple examples of the same concept. If a student is struggling with math, they are likely not going to understand a concept by doing one problem. Succeeding in math is about repetition and practice. Ask the student if they have any problems they specifically want to work through before beginning. Doing multiple examples allows students to make connections and understand the similarities between the examples, gaining a firm understanding of the concept. Ask the student to attempt the problem. As they work through the problem, have them explain to you both what they do in each step and why. This will help them understand what they are doing and help you determine where they are going wrong in the solving. If they get stuck, ask questions to help get them on the right track: What techniques do you know that might help you solve this? Is there anything about this problem that is similar to another problem you know how to solve? Make sure they write down every step of the process to determine where things went wrong if the answer is incorrect. Correct any errors that are made. Often the student cannot find the correct solution because they made an error while solving the problem. If so, correct the error for them and ask them why they think it's wrong. If they can't figure it out, tell them why it's wrong and offer suggestions on how to avoid making that error in the future. Guide the student through the problem. When the student asks "What do I do next?," do not show them how to solve the problem, instead show them how you would perform the next step. Try to avoid solving the problem for them, but show them the concept. For example: If the student has come to the sum of two unlike fractions, show them how to add two unlike fractions using variables or numerals as appropriate to their level of mathematics. Ask the student to explain the problem again. Now that you have corrected their errors and guided them in the right direction, let the student attempt to progress through the problem once more. Ask them to explain the problem to make sure they truly understand the material and are not just repeating what you said. Avoid asking questions such as “Do you understand?” or “Does that make sense?” Recognize that there is more than one way to solve a problem. Your student may approach a problem differently or may benefit from you explaining the concept in a different way. Make sure your tutee knows that it's okay to solve the problem in the way that makes the most sense to them. Sometimes, kids can get caught up in the fact that the method you are teaching is not the way the teacher taught it. Let them know that it's okay as long as they understand the fundamental concept. Repeat this process with similar problems. Correct errors and guide your student through the problem until they obtain the correct solution. Then choose a new problem that is similar to the first and do it all over again. Reinforce the correct procedures until the student can do that type of problem without help or errors. Go through this whole process again with a new type of problem. Keep good records. If you have multiple tutees, you want to make sure you don't lose track of any of them. Keep a binder or notebook where you track each student and the progress they have made. Use these records to help you plan your next session together. Review what was taught the week before and decide what new material to cover. Make a note after each session about concepts that you taught and what the student needs more work on. Foster a good tutoring environment. A good tutoring environment is not just the location where you tutor. You must let the student know that tutoring sessions are a safe space where they can ask any and all questions without feeling stupid. Be empathetic toward your student and the struggles they face with the material. Integrate humor into a session to help the student feel relaxed. Choose a quiet space where you will be uninterrupted or distracted for the entire session. Communicate with your clients. A good tutor knows their client and understands their needs. If you are trying to teach them things they already know or things that are way beyond their knowledge, the tutoring isn't going to help them. Talk to them about what they want to get out of the tutoring sessions and how you can help them. Schedule each appointment at least a week in advance and confirm these tutoring sessions the day before. Be flexible with the material. If you scheduled certain material, but your client wants to work on something else, listen to them. Do not force your agenda on them because that's what you planned for the day. Set boundaries. Before you begin tutoring a student, discuss with them your boundaries. Let them know about your schedule and how often you are available. Make your own judgment call about whether or not your students can call/text/Facebook you outside of tutoring sessions. During tutoring sessions, all distractions such as phones/tablets/computers should be turned off and put away. Tutors and tutees should both abide by a code of ethics. Seek out new clients. When you are first starting, finding clients can be difficult. Posting fliers around university campuses can be a good way to start. You can also work directly with a tutoring center and have them find clients for you. Use the network of people you know to get the word out. Ask your friends and family to let their friends and family know that you are looking to tutor willing students. Use the internet to find new clients. Setup a professional internet page and include it on all of your written materials. | Know the material. Relate math skills to everyday life. Remind the student that they are intelligent. Encourage questions. Talk about math anxiety. Provide positive feedback. Choose a specific problem to work through. Ask the student to attempt the problem. Correct any errors that are made. Guide the student through the problem. Ask the student to explain the problem again. Recognize that there is more than one way to solve a problem. Repeat this process with similar problems. Keep good records. Foster a good tutoring environment. Communicate with your clients. Set boundaries. Seek out new clients. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Fill-in-Eyebrows | How to Fill in Eyebrows | Before you fill in your eyebrows, remove any stray hairs that are growing above, below, or between your natural eyebrow. Then, use brow filler powder and a small, angled brush to outline the top and bottom edges, following the direction of hair growth. If you have one, use a spoolie brush to spread the powder. Finally, set your eyebrows with a clear brow-setting formula. | Remove stray hairs. Tweeze stray hairs below your natural eyebrow, including any hairs in between your two brows. Don't do precise tweezing right now, just pluck away the prominent stray hairs. Avoid tweezing the hair above your eyebrow, as this can create an unnatural shape and make your eyes look smaller. Trim the excess hair. If any of your eyebrow hairs are longer than the natural shape of your brow, consider brushing those hairs upward using a spoolie (it looks like a clean mascara applicator), and trimming them. Trim the hairs by placing small eyebrow scissors horizontally above your brow (mimicking as close as possible the shape of your brow), and carefully cutting the hairs that reach beyond the top of your brow line. For very uncooperative eyebrow hairs, consider using a spoolie to also brush the hairs downward, and use the same technique to cut the hairs that extend below your natural eyebrow shape. Be very careful to not over trim! Cut the hairs about ⁄ 8 inch (0.32 cm) above the edge of the brow. It's very easy to cut your eyebrow hairs too short, so always trim less initially and then trim more if need be. Fill out the shape underneath your brow. Use soft, short hair-like strokes beneath your brow to thicken and define the natural shape. your brow. You don't want the line to look too dramatic, and you can always add on more strokes. You want the underside of your brow to be clearly defined and sharper looking, while allowing the top part and the rest of your brow to look naturally inexact and free flowing. If the line looks intense,use the spoolie to blend the makeup upwards. Don't pick a shade that matches your brow color exactly. Just like the head on your hair, your eyebrow hairs have different pigments and hues. Using a color that matches your brow color exactly might make your brows look too intense. Instead, opt to use a lighter shade for underlining and filling in. For example, if you have dark brown hair, consider using a lighter brown. Measure your inner brow. Place your eyebrow brush (or any straight object) vertically so that the tip almost touches the tear duct of one eye. Slide the brush up so that it intersects with the line of your eyebrow. This is about where your eyebrow should start, so you can remove any hair extending past that point. You can also use the “ala” of your nose, or the area of your nose where your nostrils begin to flare, as a starting point for your eyebrows. Keep in mind that everyone's face shape is different, along with the positioning of their eyes, and width of their nose, so this method might not work best for everyone. Mark your starting point. Make a light mark (a dot) with some eyeliner to keep track of the place where your hair should start, removing any hair before that mark (meaning toward the space between your brows). It works best to tweeze these hairs for a more accurate removal. Be sure not to tweeze past the inside corner of your eye. If your skin is irritated and red after tweezing, try using aloe vera gel or cortisone cream to soothe and calm your skin. Find the end of your brow. Place your eyebrow brush (or your straight object) on a diagonal starting from the outside corner of your nostril, extending to the outside crease of your eye. You can even extend of as far your brow bone. This is the place where your eyebrow should end. Any hair extending past that straight object toward the side of your face should be removed. Be careful not to tweeze the end hairs that make up the thicker part of your natural brow. Those hairs rarely grow back. Only tweeze the straggler hairs. Find your natural arch. Place your eyebrow brush (or straight object) on a diagonal starting from the outside corner of your nostril, to the outside of your iris (the colored part of your eye). The point where your straight object extends and reaches the top of your eyebrow is where the high point in your arch should be. Underneath your brow is where you'll tweeze away the most hair. However, that doesn't mean that you will be tweezing lots of hairs; you may find you only need to remove a few here and there. Keep your arch low and angular. A high arch can make your face look angry. Tweeze a bit around the top of your arch if you need to lower it, going for a low, natural look. Make sure it's crisp and angular, rather than rounded. Consider your skin tone. Just like how your used a lighter color to underline the bottom of your brow, your skin tone should also influence the color you use to fill in your brows. For example, if you have darker skin tones, try using a color that has a little bit of red tint to it. It could help with making your brows look more natural. If you have a lighter skin tone but darker hair, try using a light brown shade of brow filler with ash undertones. If you're not sure what color to start with, go to a cosmetic store and try a few different shades on in-person to see what looks best. You can ask clerks for their help too. Start filling in your brow using a powder. Touch your brush (a small, angled eyebrow brush is recommended) in the brow powder, tap off some excess powder on the side of the powder container, and start to lightly fill in the top and bottom edges of your brow. When filling in, follow in the direction of your hair growth. Stay in the margins of your natural brow shape; you don't want to over extend, and apply powder past where your brow hair actually is. Try starting at your arch, and working your way down on both sides. Brow powder is perfect if you just need a light fill or you want to darken the color of your brows, and it only takes about a minute to do. If you like the look of thinner brows, use a small-tipped brow pen to mimic the appearance of your natural brow. If you want to soften bold features or a strong jawline, create a softly rounded brow shape. If you'd rather sharpen up a round face and small features, flatter them with a crisp, angular brow. Use a brow stencil to get the perfect shape. You can buy brow stencil packs online or at beauty stores. Choose the shape you want and line it up over your natural brow, pressing it to your face with two fingers so that you can still see the outline of the stencil. Carefully shade in your brow along the edges of the stencil. When you're done with one brow, simply wipe off the stencil with a paper towel and flip it around to complete the other! Fill in the rest of your brow. Moving from the arch, continue filling to the very edge of your brow with light brush strokes. Without adding more product to the brush, focus on adding powder and creating volume on the outside edge of your brow rather than layering powder in the middle area of your brow. Focusing on the edge of your brow gives your brows a more natural, full look. Avoid outlining beyond the natural edge of the brow. Remember, you can always add more, but if you start with heavy make-up, it's harder to take off if you mess up. Brush out the color. Use a spoolie brush to spread the colored powder and disperse it evenly throughout your brow hairs. This can help make your brow look less harsh and naturally defined. You can continue to add powder and brush it out until you get the intensity and shade you want. Brushing the product through your brows will make them look softer, more natural, and less dense. Check your work. Place your brush on a diagonal starting from the ala or outside corner of your nostril, and check the starting point of your eyebrow. Also check the end edge of your eyebrow and your arch point, using the same steps you used to shape your eyebrow in Part 1. Use your brush and your eye as a guide to see if your brow is too short and needs to be extended, or too long and needs to be taken off a bit. Make sure the arch start and end point of both brows are about parallel. Your natural brows will never be perfectly identical, but you want to get them as close as possible. Set your brows. Use a clear brow setting formula to keep all your hairs and color in place. Starting in the middle of your brow, brush the middle hairs straight up, and then pull the brush toward the outer section (the tail) of your brow.Use a concealer around your brows to give them more definition. You can also use a tinted setting gel, but it's a safer bet to use a clear gel to refrain from adding multiple different colors to your eyebrows. Use a brow gel and white liner for a natural, relaxed look. Apply a brow gel with an angled brush to sculpt your brows naturally and imitate the appearance of natural hairs. Then, apply a bit of white eyeshadow along your brow bone to create a subtle highlight, giving you a full and naturally-balanced look. If you have fuller eyebrows, brushing on brow mascara will fill them in instantly without changing their shape. Apply a matte powder with a feathery finish for a high fashion style. Brush a bit matte texture powder under each hair in an upwards sweep. To make your brows even more feathery, brush them upwards with a spoolie. Apply powder highlighter through the top of your brows to create a smoky, feathery look. Go for bold, night-out brows with a squarer brow shape. Using a simple powder pencil, move in a straight line from the inner edge of your brow to the arch. Rather than rounding the front of your brow, keep it squarer and crisp. Balance out your bold brows with a dramatic smoky eye. For a more understated look, simply apply eyeliner to your upper lash line. | Remove stray hairs. Trim the excess hair. Fill out the shape underneath your brow. Measure your inner brow. Mark your starting point. Find the end of your brow. Find your natural arch. Keep your arch low and angular. Consider your skin tone. Start filling in your brow using a powder. Use a brow stencil to get the perfect shape. Fill in the rest of your brow. Brush out the color. Check your work. Set your brows. Use a brow gel and white liner for a natural, relaxed look. Apply a matte powder with a feathery finish for a high fashion style. Go for bold, night-out brows with a squarer brow shape. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Apply-Lipstick | How to Apply Lipstick | To apply lipstick, start in the center of your lips, then brush the lipstick outward to each side. For a longer-lasting, deeper color, try applying a second coat. After applying your lipstick, blot your lips with a tissue or your finger to remove any excess. Additionally, if your lips are rough, the color might not go on evenly, so you should rub a damp washcloth or a soft toothbrush across your lips to remove any flaky skin before you apply your lipstick. | Apply a thin layer of lip balm to moisturize and even out your lips. Lip balm nourishes your lips so they're less likely to get dry and flaky. Additionally, lip balm can smooth out your lips by filling in uneven spots. Swipe the lip balm over your upper lip from your Cupid's bow to the corner of your lips on each side. Then, apply the lip balm to your bottom lip from the center out to the corners. The lip balm should soak in soon after you apply it. If your lips feel gunky, gently wipe off the excess lip balm with a tissue before you apply your lipstick. Trace your lips with a lip pencil to prevent bleeding if you like. You don't have to line your lips, but it can keep your lipstick in place and define the shape of your lips. To apply the lip pencil, position the tip at the center of your Cupid's bow and slowly trace your lips out to the corner of your mouth on each side. Then, place your pencil at the center of your bottom lip and trace along your lip out to the corners on each side. Pick a clear lip liner or a shade that's close to your lip color for every day use. These shades can go with any lip color. If you prefer, use a lip liner that's the same color as your lipstick. Smile so your application will be even. As you talk and move your mouth, your skin naturally stretches out, which can make your lipstick appear uneven. To make sure it's layered evenly, smile slightly while you're applying the lipstick. Try thinking of something that makes you happy. Start applying lipstick in the center of your lips. For the easiest application, apply it directly from the tube. To begin, position your lipstick at your Cupid's bow on your top lip. Carefully dot the lip color onto your Cupid's bow and the plump part of your lower lip. If you don't want to apply your lipstick straight from the tube, use a lipstick brush or your clean middle finger to apply the lipstick. Wipe the top of the lipstick using the lipstick brush or the tip of your finger, then dab the lipstick onto your lips. Work from the center of your lips out to the corners of your mouth. Drag the lipstick from the center to the corner of your mouth. Swipe the lipstick from the center of your Cupid's bow out to the corner of your upper lip. Repeat on the other side of your upper lip. Then, position your lipstick in the center of your bottom lip and spread it out to the corner of your bottom lip on each side. You can swipe the lipstick from center to corner in 1 quick motion or you can dot it onto your lips using small dashes. Do what's easiest for you. Use your finger to fill in patchy areas with a second layer. Check your lips to see if the color looks even. If you have patchy spots, swipe a clean finger over the tip of the lipstick, then dab the color onto the patchy area. Repeat as needed to fill in your lips. It's generally best to not apply more than 1 coat over your lips because the lipstick can look cakey and could crease. Instead, slowly build up color by dabbing on extra lipstick with your finger as needed. Blot the inside of your lips with a tissue to remove excess. Fold a clean tissue in half, then hold it between your lips with the fold facing your mouth. Press your lips together around the tissue and release. Blotting your lipstick may help prevent your lipstick from getting on your teeth. Plus, it may help set your lipstick. Prime your lips with foundation before applying lipstick for an easy option. Foundation can give your lipstick lasting power and may prevent your lipstick from bleeding. Additionally, foundation may even out the surface of your lips. Use a foundation that's the same color as what you use on the rest of your face. Dab it onto your lips using clean fingers or a makeup sponge. A mineral foundation works great because the minerals may help the pigments stay on your lips. Apply a makeup primer to your lips as another option. Primer is a product that helps keep your makeup in place longer. Additionally, it can even out the surface of your skin, including the skin on your lips. Put a tiny drop of primer on the tip of a clean finger and dot it onto your lips. Then, let it soak in for 1-2 minutes before you apply your lipstick. You can add more primer to your fingertip if necessary to cover your entire lips. Dust setting powder over your lipstick to prevent smudging. If you use translucent powder to set your makeup, you might also use it to give your lipstick staying power. Dip a clean lip brush or eye shadow brush into your translucent powder, then shake off the excess. Lightly dust the powder over your lipstick to set it. You don't need a lot of powder, as too much powder could look cakey. Less is more when it comes to setting powder. Dab a lighter shade over darker lipstick to make your lips look plumper. First, apply a layer of the lipstick you've chosen to wear. Then, use your middle finger to dab a slightly lighter shade of lipstick on the center of your upper and lower lips. Blend the color out so it looks natural. This will create the look of plumper lips. Your base color doesn't have to be dark. As long as the top shade is lighter, you'll get the plumping effect. Create ombre lips using 2 shades of the same color. Start by applying your lighter shade to your lips. Then, line the outside of your lips using a lip pencil in a darker shade. Finally, use a clean lip brush or your finger to blend the pencil and lip color where they meet, which will create an ombre effect. For instance, you might use a dark red and a lighter red. Dab powder blush over your lipstick to make it look matte. Choose a matte, powder blush that is the same color as your lipstick. After you have applied your lipstick and lip liner, sweep your finger across the blush and press it against your lips. Keep applying the blush this way until it is completely covering your lips, and your lipstick is matte. Do not use shimmery blush. This will not work for all lipstick colors since you may not be able to find blush in every color. Try it with peach, pink, and bronze colors, as they're easiest to find. If you cannot find blush in the right color, you can try using matte eye shadow in a matching color instead. Pick shades with blue or purple undertones for a cool complexion. You likely have a cool complexion if your veins appear blue under your skin and silver jewelry looks best on you. Cooler shades like winter colors will look great on you. You can wear a variety of colors, but make sure the shade you choose has a blue or purple undertone. This will flatter your skin's natural undertones, which helps you look your best. For instance, a bluish red or a purple berry shade will look best against your skin. You can also stick to a nude color, like a pale mauve. Look for orange or yellow undertones if you have a warm complexion. Your complexion is probably warm if your veins appear green under your skin and gold jewelry is most flattering. Warmer shades like autumn colors will look most flattering on you. You can still pick any color, but pick a shade that has an orange or yellow tint. For instance, look for an orange-red lipstick or coral shades. You can also go with a nude color that has a yellow or orange undertone. Play around with different shades if you have neutral undertones. You may have a neutral complexion if your veins appear both green and blue and if silver and gold are both flattering on you. In this case, you will look great in most colors. Pick a lipstick that makes you feel fabulous. If you like a bold lip, you might try reds or bright shades. If you prefer something more muted, you might stick to nudes or berry shades. Skip red or dark lipsticks if you have thin lips. Darker shades, including red, can make thin lips look even thinner. This is because darker colors are minimized. Instead, opt for a light or glossy shade that can make your lips look plumper. Instead of a red, you might wear a glossy pink shade. Similarly, you might switch out a brown for a nude lipstick. Avoid glossy or glittery lipstick if you have plump lips. Glossy colors and glitter can both make your lips look larger. If you want to minimize your lips, try a matte shade instead. Your lips will still look luscious but won't be exaggerated. Play around with different colors, but check that the formula you're using is matte. Don't add a layer of lip gloss over your lipstick, as it'll add more shine. Apply a lighter shade to your bottom lip if your top lip is bigger. Lighter colors can give the illusion of a plumper lip, especially if they're combined with a darker color. If you have a plump top lip and a thin bottom lip, you can use this effect to balance out your lips. Choose 2 colors that are similar. Apply the darker shade to your top lip and the lighter shade to your bottom lip to make your lips look more even. For instance, you might pick 2 berry or nude shades that are almost the same color. Dab nude lipstick under your Cupid’s bow to balance a plump bottom lip. You might have a plump bottom lip and a thin upper lip, which you can balance out. First, apply your lipstick as you normally would. Then, use your finger to lightly dab a bit of nude lipstick in the center of your upper lip right under your Cupid's bow. The lighter shade will give the illusioin of a thicker upper lip. Pick a nude shade that's similar to your natural lip color. Blend the nude lipstick into your lip color using your finger tip. | Apply a thin layer of lip balm to moisturize and even out your lips. Trace your lips with a lip pencil to prevent bleeding if you like. Smile so your application will be even. Start applying lipstick in the center of your lips. Drag the lipstick from the center to the corner of your mouth. Use your finger to fill in patchy areas with a second layer. Blot the inside of your lips with a tissue to remove excess. Prime your lips with foundation before applying lipstick for an easy option. Apply a makeup primer to your lips as another option. Dust setting powder over your lipstick to prevent smudging. Dab a lighter shade over darker lipstick to make your lips look plumper. Create ombre lips using 2 shades of the same color. Dab powder blush over your lipstick to make it look matte. Pick shades with blue or purple undertones for a cool complexion. Look for orange or yellow undertones if you have a warm complexion. Play around with different shades if you have neutral undertones. Skip red or dark lipsticks if you have thin lips. Avoid glossy or glittery lipstick if you have plump lips. Apply a lighter shade to your bottom lip if your top lip is bigger. Dab nude lipstick under your Cupid’s bow to balance a plump bottom lip. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Compliment-a-Guy | How to Compliment a Guy | To compliment a guy, try complimenting his interests by saying something like "Hey, nice shirt! I love that band" or "You have great taste in movies! Do you recommend anything?" You can also compliment his skills by pointing out something he's good at. For example, you could say "Hey, I saw you playing guitar last night. You're so talented!" If you want to compliment a guy on his appearance, try to focus on one thing, like his eyes, hair, or smile, which will make your compliment more meaningful. | Be sincere. Compliments don't have any worth other than what we give them — they're not things to be exchanged for favors, used to flatter people we need to like us, or given out for no reason. Compliments are only meaningful when the person giving the compliment truly believes in them. Giving a fake compliment is a white lie at best and, at worst, can be seriously harmful, so don't do it. For example, let's say that a guy friend has just gotten off stage after bombing at the talent show. If might at first seem like a good idea to lift his spirits with a fake compliment like, "Wow! That was amazing! Great job!" However, since he probably knows that he didn't do well, this may make him feel even worse. In this case, it's probably best to go with a sincere option like "Hey, don't worry. You'll nail it next time." Study of the brain shows that we use the patterns and stresses of speech to distinguish white lies from truth more so than non-spoken cues. If you're not being sincere, the guy will hear it in your voice. Use appropriate timing. Most of the time, gracious compliments will be greatly appreciated. However, it's not always appropriate to give compliments — doing so at inopportune times can be slightly embarrassing at best (and a major faux pas at worst). Below are just a few examples of times when you won't want to give a guy a compliment, or at least will want to keep your compliment short and polite: At solemn occasions (funerals, memorials, etc.) After he's just been embarrassed When his jealous significant other is around When he's concentrating on something difficult It's worth being aware that some guys can get embarrassed if they receive a compliment (especially a romantic one) when they're in front of their friends. In this case, since the guy is worried about saving face in front of his buddies, your compliment may have the opposite effect as you intended. Smile at him. Nothing spells sincerity like a smile! For some guys (especially those who are attracted to you), the simple pleasure of seeing your smile can be a compliment in itself! Even if you have no romantic intentions and you're just happy for your guy friend, a natural, warm smile will make your compliment much more meaningful than one given with a deadpan or gloomy expression. Smiles are simple means to validate someone; When you smile at someone you help to let them know things are okay. Keep your compliments quick and concise. When it comes to giving compliments, short is always sweet! Don't ramble on about how nice the guy you're complimenting is, how great his hair is, and so on. Focus on one action or aspect of the guy that you find nice, make your compliment, then carry on as normal. Remember: the more compliments you give, the less memorable each compliment will be. Long strings of compliments can sometimes give the impression that you have an obsession or crush on the person you're complimenting. Even if this is true, try to avoid it! For example, consider which of the following is likely to win your crush's affection: "Hey, Dave, you look great! Have you been working out?" or "Hey, Dave, you look great! Have you been working out? I noticed that your biceps looked a little bigger. They go really well with your smile. You have fantastic teeth, by the way. They're almost as white as the paint on your car, which, in my opinion, was a really smart color choice..." American compliments tend to be considerably shorter than other cultures. Length of a proper compliment varies by culture. Treat him like you’d treat any other human being. When in doubt, abide by the golden rule: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." In other words, compliment him the way you would want him to compliment you. Remember, no matter how dreamy or intimidating this guy may seem, he's just an ordinary human being like you. There are things he worries about every day, things he's not good at, and ways that he's not perfect, just like you! So don't be afraid to approach him and give him a compliment when it's appropriate — there's a decent chance he might even be more bashful about it than you. Compliment his tastes. Everyone — including guys — likes to hear that they've got good taste. Telling someone that the things they like are cool, fashionable, or intelligent is a subtle way of saying that they have these qualities. For this reason, it's almost always better to compliment the guy's choice rather than directly saying "You have good taste." Research shows that men are most likely to compliment a person's possessions. This indicates men may be most receptive to compliments that pertain to their possessions. Below are just a few topics you may want to use for compliments, along with examples: Movies: "You have great taste in films. From now on, we're having movie night at your house!" Music: "Hey, awesome shirt, man! That band rules." Art: "That poster on your wall? Classic! Where do you find this stuff?" Literature: "Hey, you have this book!? That's one of my favorites! Much respect." Philosophy: "Wow, I never thought about things that way. You have some really great ideas." Compliment his skills. Guys love getting compliments about their skills, especially if the compliment is about something they've taught themselves or something they know how to do that few other people do. For a guy, the praise he gets for a skill he's learned is an added reward for putting in the time and effort necessary to master it. Research suggests that when both men and women give compliments to men, they favor compliments of skill. For example, if your guy friend is working hard to teach himself guitar but struggling, you might want to make him feel good by complimenting him after one of his impromptu performances: "Wow! I've never heard "Wonderwall" played like that before. I like how rough and heartfelt you made it sound." Compliment his courage. Guys get scared just as easily as anyone else, but they're often reluctant to show it for fear of looking weak. This is no reason to avoid giving them a compliment for their bravery when they have to do something difficult — if they were afraid, they'll appreciate you having their back, and if they weren't afraid, they'll still appreciate that you thought what they did showed strong character. Courage is a quality that is considered becoming of men. Studies show that complimenting these culturally scripted gender performances are essential to male friendship. For instance, if a guy recently had to deliver an important speech and you know that he usually has a difficult time with public speaking, you may want to offer a compliment like, "Congratulations on your big speech! I heard your Remember the Titans analogy really killed." Compliment his decision-making. By telling him you think he makes good choices, you're saying that you respect him. Everyone likes hearing that they made a smart decision; no one likes hearing that they made a dumb one. Complimenting a guy on a decision they recently made is a roundabout way of complimenting his instincts and intelligence. It can also help calm the nerves of someone who's still a little unsure that the path he chose was the right one. For example, if a guy recently decided to accept a scholarship to pursue his passion of studying Polynesian art history, you might compliment him (and simultaneously reassure him) by focusing on the intelligence of his choice: "Wow. You're really taking the opportunity to chase your dream. Don't worry — I know it'll pan out for you." Research on students shows that confidence impacts decisions of gendered persistence in academics. Compliment his sense of humor. Complimenting a guy's sense of humor is an excellent way to boost his ego — best of all, it works whether you're seriously "into" him or you just view him as a friend. On its own, laughing at a guy's jokes is a harmless gesture of appreciation with no romantic implications. On the other hand, laughing while subtly making physical contact or moving close to him can signal your interest, making this a very versatile form of compliment. Usually, the best way to compliment a guy's sense of humor is simply to laugh (with honest, genuine laughter) at what he says! If you'd like to, you can add your own small verbal compliments in between laughs, but this isn't necessary. You might try focusing on the way the humor makes you feel, like this: "Ha! Man, I really needed that laugh. Your Dane Cook impression always gets me." Research suggests that complimenting a man's sense of humor does not generally cause a female partner to perceive the compliment as a relationship threat. Compliment his intelligence. Giving someone a compliment on his smarts is a great way to show that you appreciate him for more than just his surface qualities. As an added bonus, complimenting a guy for being smart can also be a small boost for yourself, depending on how you phrase your compliment — after all, it takes a smart person to recognize intelligence in another. For example, if your guy friend is helping you with homework, you could simply say, "Wow, you're so smart," but there are more imaginative ways to say this that won't make you look like you're throwing up your hands and submitting to his superior intelligence. A better choice might be something like, "Wow, you really understand this material. I guess geometry isn't for squares after all!" In some places, intelligence is more highly valued in men than physical attractiveness. It can be an indicator of social status and earning potential. Compliment some part of his body. Popular culture may not paint guys as being as appearance-conscious as women, but, in reality, some guys can be just as image-conscious (if not even more so). If you're looking to flat-out compliment a guy's looks, try telling him he has a nice smile, eyes, hair, or face. If you want to be more "forward", you can also compliment him on physical features like his arms, abs, and so on, but this is usually seen as an open acknowledgment of your attraction to him, so be careful about using this on platonic friends! Research shows that women are much more likely to compliment men and other women on their appearance versus other attributes. The way you compliment a guy's appearance can also substantially change the meaning of the compliment. For example, if you're complimenting a platonic guy friend, it's probably best to keep things light with comments like, "You have crazy eyes! There's a million different colors in there!" On the other hand, comments like, "Your eyes are like twin oceans... I feel like I could get lost in them" are probably best left for romance novels or people you're already very close to. Be aware that it may make their partner feel insecure. Studies show that women are much more likely to feel threatened when someone compliments their male partner's physical appearance. Compliment his fashion. Sharply dressed men are practically begging for attention, so don't be afraid to give it to them. Complimenting someone's dress sense can be especially smart if you know the guy receiving the compliment is self-conscious about the way he looks. While it's fine to simply compliment someone's entire outfit, it's also acceptable to pick one specific part or aspect of the guy's style and focus on that instead. Take note that men may not appreciate compliments on their fashion. Because it may violate gender norms for a man to care about being fashionable, he may take it the wrong way. By not accepting this kind of compliment, he could be trying to save face. Compliments that reinforce gender stereotypes can cause bad relationships. Research shows that these comments can be depersonalizing. For example, if your guy friend just got a new haircut but is still a little embarrassed to show it off, you might say something like, "Whoa, check out your new look! Frosted tips will never go out of fashion." At the same time, this could embarrass him. Compliment his health. If a guy is really fit, he might want you to notice. If he has been working really hard to improve his health or maintain it, it can be nice to get some feedback. It is nice to hear that other people can tell you're trying to be healthy. Give him some support by giving him a compliment on it. You can even choose to focus on a particular aspect of his health, as opposed to his overall health. Complimenting a man's level of health can be a good way to avoid making them seem less manly. Health is something most people have to work hard for. Compliments about their body can be redirected in this way to subtly say, “You worked hard.” For example, if you notice that the guy is no longer winded after climbing up flights of stairs, say, “Hey, you got a lot better at that! I'm still wheezing!” Take care not to objectify him. Giving tasteful compliments about a guy's appearance is one thing, but creeping a guy out with rude or suggestive comments about his body is another entirely. Though many guys may be reluctant to show it, their feelings may even by hurt by you objectifying them. Don't make a guy feel like a piece of meat — though this is advice you'll usually hear given to men regarding women, it's just as true the other way around. Objectification happens when you take a person's appearance as representation of their whole being. This is especially when these attributes should be irrelevant to the situation. Though sparing a guy's feelings should be enough of a reason not to objectify him, there's another reason you shouldn't do it that's more immediate: you can get in trouble. In fact, if your creepy come-ons or unwanted compliments are severe enough, they can constitute harassment, which is a major offense at school or in the workplace and lead to serious repercussions. Dodge inappropriate topics. There are a huge range of topics that are acceptable subjects for compliments, so don't make the mistake of choosing one that's off-limits. In general, you'll want to avoid complimenting guys on things that are very personal or which have strong emotions attached to them, unless you're very close to him. This advice is especially true if other people are present — while it may sometimes be OK to bring up personal topics in one-on-one settings, you'll almost never want to do it in front of his friends. Taboo compliments will vary from place to place. It can be considered offensive to compliment a man on his wife. Watch out for hidden implications. Your compliments should be all about building the guy up, not about subtly tearing him down or making yourself feel better at his expense. Try not to give backhanded compliments — compliments that contain a thinly-veiled insult or a compliment to yourself. Not only are they rude, but also generally quite obvious, so they can easily end up making you look like a jerk in social situations. Here's an example of a backhanded compliment: "Hey, did you get a new shirt? It makes you look thinner." It may seem like you're complimenting him, but you're also saying he normally looks fat. Research suggests that people are more likely to take these expressions as backhanded when they perceive the person giving the compliment has some insight into what is normal. Be original. Don't use a canned line. Ridiculous pickup lines can be great fun if you're just playing around, but they're terrible if you're genuinely trying to compliment someone. Remember, the best compliments are sincere ones, so, unless this person has really "been running through your head all day", you're probably hurting your chances with these sorts of lines. Make sure you are certain about the details. Don't compliment him on something you're unsure about. If you're wrong about your assumption, you may offend him or hit a sensitive nerve, so it's usually best to play it safe and wait. Here are just a few examples of potentially "dangerous" situations where you should tread lightly: His appearance has recently changed (e.g., he has recently lost a lot of weight in a short time) You haven't seen him in a long time and aren't sure how his life has changed You don't know his relationship status You aren't sure how he feels about current events (e.g. in the field of politics, etc.) | Be sincere. Use appropriate timing. Smile at him. Keep your compliments quick and concise. Treat him like you’d treat any other human being. Compliment his tastes. Compliment his skills. Compliment his courage. Compliment his decision-making. Compliment his sense of humor. Compliment his intelligence. Compliment some part of his body. Compliment his fashion. Compliment his health. Take care not to objectify him. Dodge inappropriate topics. Watch out for hidden implications. Be original. Make sure you are certain about the details. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Become-an-Uber-Driver | How to Become an Uber Driver | To apply to become an Uber driver, start by creating an account on the Uber Driver site and uploading your driver's license, registration, and proof of insurance. Next, download the Uber Driver app for your smartphone using the link that Uber will send you. Once your account is set up, have your vehicle inspected at your local Uber Greenlight location. Then, expect to wait up to several weeks to hear if you passed the screening before you can begin accepting passengers. | Check if Uber operates in your area. Uber operates in most major cities, but it's not available everywhere. Check https://www.uber.com/cities for a list of cities where Uber operates. Determine if you are eligible to drive. You must meet several requirements in order to even be considered as a driver for Uber: You must be 21+ with a clean driving record. You need to have at least one year of driving experience in the US, three if you are under 23. You must have a four-door vehicle with four passenger seats that is 2001 (Y/51) or newer. 2001 is the base year, and some cities will require newer models. For example, Houston requires a 2007 or newer vehicle. You must consent to and pass a background check. You must have a valid driver's license and your car must be insured in your name. Visit the Uber Driver sign up page. Open a web browser on your computer and visit get.uber.com/drive to get started. It's easiest to sign up through a computer, but you can also use the Uber Driver app and follow essentially the same process. Click Log in if you have an Uber Rider account. This can be found underneath the new account form. Using this option will automatically fill out a lot of the necessary information. You'll be prompted to enter the city you want to drive in. Different cities will have different driver rules. Fill out the form and click Next if you don't have an account. This will create a new Uber account for you. Make sure you enter your correct city, as there are different driver rules for different cities. If you don't have a car, you can select the I need a car option at the top of the form. Be aware that car rentals are not available in most cities. You can see the available cities at the bottom of the page you're on in the fine print. Confirm your vehicle meets your city's requirements. The first thing you'll be asked is if your vehicle meets the requirements for your city. If it does, click Continue. If it doesn't, you won't be able to use that vehicle with Uber. Enter your social security number. This is required in order to perform a background check. You cannot become an Uber driver without a social security number. The background check is free, and may take a week to process. There is no credit check involved. Upload the required documents. After entering your social security number, you'll be prompted to upload copies of your required documents. You can take clear pictures with your smartphone or digital camera and then transfer them to your computer for upload, or you can use a scanner. Make sure that the pictures are clear and that all of the text on your ID and documents are legible. You'll need to upload your driver's license, vehicle registration, and proof of insurance. The vehicle registration and the insurance must both be in your name. Some cities may require additional documents, such as a business license or minicab licence. Download the Uber Driver app for your smartphone. You can have a link to the app sent to you, or you can search for the "Uber Driver" app on your device's app store. You'll need an iPhone 4s or newer or an Android running 4.0+. Windows Phone and Blackberry are not supported for the Uber Driver app. If you don't have a compatible smartphone, you may be able to rent one from Uber. Follow the link on the app download screen during the sign up process for details. Enter your direct deposit information. In order to receive your Uber payments directly to your account, you can enter your checking account information for direct deposit. Visit vault.uber.com and log in with your Uber account. Enter your banking account number and routing number, which you can find at the bottom of a check. Go to your local Uber Greenlight location at any time to sign up. If you're having problems signing up online, or have questions that you want to talk to someone about, you can visit your local Uber Greenlight location. All cities that have Uber service have at least one of these locations. You can find Uber Greenlight locations on the Uber Help page for your city, or use a third-party site. Get your vehicle inspected by Uber. Most cities require that your vehicle pass an annual inspection in order to use it for Uber. These inspections can usually be done for free at your local Uber Greenlight location. Inspections must be completed by an ASE-certified mechanic. Check to make sure you've met all local requirements. Each city has different requirements for Uber drivers. You may need to upload additional documents or get additional inspections. Some cities even require special dress codes when driving. Wait for your screening process to complete. This can take anywhere from a few days to several weeks, depending on your city. You'll be notified by email and SMS when your account is active and you are cleared to drive. Contact your Uber Greenlight location if you have problems. If you aren't receiving authorization to start driving after a few weeks, chat with an Uber representative at your Greenlight location to see what you need to do to get started. Start the Uber Driver app. Once you're cleared to drive, you can start picking up customers. Everything is handled through the Uber Driver app on your smartphone. Review the vehicle displayed. If you have multiple vehicles registered to you as an Uber driver, make sure the correct vehicle is selected in the app before going online. Tap the Go Online button to start looking for fares. This will make your car available for hire and you'll be taken to the map screen. Drive around until you receive a trip request. You'll receive trip requests when you are the closest car to the rider when they request a ride. Try to drive around busy areas to ensure that you're receiving lots of requests. Tap your screen to accept a ride request. You'll have 30 seconds to accept the request before it is given to another driver. You're rated on how quickly you accept requests, so it's recommended that you tap it as soon as it appears. When a ride request appears, tapping anywhere on the screen will accept it. Follow the route on the app to the rider's location. You can follow the map on your screen, or tap the Navigate button to get turn-by-turn directions. Wait for your rider at the pickup location. Your rider may not be ready when you reach the pickup spot. Give them a minute or two before trying to contact them. Contact the rider if they aren't showing up. If your rider hasn't appeared after a couple minutes, you can contact them through the app: Tap the Checklist button in the upper-right corner. Tap the Contact button under your rider's name. Send a text message to the rider. Ask the rider's name before they get in the car. Make sure you're picking up the right person. This is especially important in busy areas where multiple Uber drivers may be operating. It is illegal to pick up riders who have not requested a ride through the Uber app. Slide the Start Trip button to begin the trip. This will switch the app to your rider's destination. Make sure to confirm the destination with the rider in case they entered it incorrectly or want to go somewhere else. Drive to the destination. Try to take the quickest route if you know it, or tap the Navigate button for turn-by-turn directions. Quicker trips will result in better ratings. Slide the Complete Trip button when you arrive. This will end the trip and send the fare to the rider's Uber app. Rate your rider. Your rider will be rating you and you will be rating your rider. It's recommended to give 5 stars unless you encountered significant problems. Tap Complete Rating after selecting the rating you want to give. Keep your car clean. The best way to ensure that you get consistent good rating is to make sure your car is clean and presentable. Since you'll be driving a lot of passengers, this means you'll need to clean your car out more often than your normally would. On a similar note, make sure you're dressed well and are hygenic. If you're looking shabby, you'll get lower rider ratings. Accept ride requests promptly. You'll ensure that you're always getting ride requests if you accept promptly every time. When you're Online with Uber, you should consider yourself always working. Not accepting requests in a timely manner will result in less requests coming your way. Get to your pickup promptly. After accepting a ride, it's very important that you get there quickly. Your rider will see an ETA after requesting a ride, and will often plan around that. Become familiar with your city. If you're always looking at the navigation menu, you'll end up with slower trips. Taking the quickest route is essential for 5-star ratings. It will be helpful to know the routes to take when traffic is bad, or where the most fares will be located. Keep your vehicle maintained. You'll need a properly-functioning vehicle to keep driving with Uber. Make sure you keep up with regular maintenance and cleaning. You must have working seatbelts for every rider. Drive safely. Follow all traffic laws when driving passengers (and in general, as getting a ticket while off the clock can still result in losing Uber driving privileges). Avoid hard braking or strong acceleration, as it can make your passengers feel unsafe. Provide perks for your riders. Going the extra mile can help ensure that you get consistent 5-star ratings. Offer bottled water, carry around extra chargers, offer to listen to the rider's preferred music, and help lift bags and open doors. All of this will lead to a 5-star rating from your rider. Head to orange and red zones on your map. These are areas that are experiencing high-volume rider requests. Picking up riders from a red zone will earn you more money due to the surge pricing. | Check if Uber operates in your area. Determine if you are eligible to drive. Visit the Uber Driver sign up page. Click Log in if you have an Uber Rider account. Fill out the form and click Next if you don't have an account. Confirm your vehicle meets your city's requirements. Enter your social security number. Upload the required documents. Download the Uber Driver app for your smartphone. Enter your direct deposit information. Go to your local Uber Greenlight location at any time to sign up. Get your vehicle inspected by Uber. Check to make sure you've met all local requirements. Wait for your screening process to complete. Contact your Uber Greenlight location if you have problems. Start the Uber Driver app. Review the vehicle displayed. Tap the Go Online button to start looking for fares. Drive around until you receive a trip request. Tap your screen to accept a ride request. Follow the route on the app to the rider's location. Wait for your rider at the pickup location. Contact the rider if they aren't showing up. Ask the rider's name before they get in the car. Slide the Start Trip button to begin the trip. Drive to the destination. Slide the Complete Trip button when you arrive. Rate your rider. Keep your car clean. Accept ride requests promptly. Get to your pickup promptly. Become familiar with your city. Keep your vehicle maintained. Drive safely. Provide perks for your riders. Head to orange and red zones on your map. |
https://www.wikihow.com/Sell-Gold-Jewelry | How to Sell Gold Jewelry | If you want to sell gold jewelry, try to sell it to a jewelry store rather than a gold buying company because they're less likely to rip you off. Before completing the sale, get several quotes so you can compare them and secure the best deal. Before making the final decision on which store to sell to, carry out a check on their business reputation. If you decide to go to a gold dealer instead, make sure to sort out your gold items according to the type of gold they're made out of to help you secure a better price. | Try to avoid selling to jewelry stores. Jewelry stores are most likely not licensed to buy your gold jewelry. This means if something goes wrong, their gold-buying license cannot be revoked. They also don't have calibrated scales checked by the department of weights and measures. Lastly, a jeweler will try to convince and pressure you to purchase an item in their store. This can be an uncomfortable situation when you're only trying to sell your jewelry. However if you do visit a jeweler, get referrals from your friends on facebook or check google or yelp reviews. Selling to a jewelry store is a quick and safe option, but you may not get as much money from a jewelry store as you would if you chose to sell to a gold buyer. The price that a gold buyer will give you for your jewelry is based on the price of gold for that day. However, keep in mind that that price is based on 24 karat gold, which is 100% pure. If you have a 14k gold piece, it's 58.5% pure, so at most you would get 58.5% of the price for gold on that day. To find the current gold price, visit https://www.kitco.com. If you want to sell your gold online or to an individual, is it still a good idea to visit a jeweler in your area for a written appraisal? Actually an appraisal won't help at all. An appraisal is something you pay a jeweler for so you have paperwork to insure your items. It's usually miles above what you paid for your jewelry. If you want to know the true resale value of your gold jewelry, see what one of them will actually offer. Avoid Hotel buying scams. These companies come in for 1-day only to try to buy gold as cheap as possible and once you realize you were taken advantage of, they are gone. Trust a company that at least has a presence in your local community with a good reputation. Avoid selling to pawn shops. Pawn shops are in the business of paying the least amount of money possible for something that they can sell, so it's best to avoid going to a pawn shop if at all possible. Not only are they less likely to recognize high quality pieces, but they are also manipulative by nature. A gold buyer may be your best option. Buying gold is their only business so there aren't any other motives to try and sell you another piece of jewelry. Gold buyers are licensed by the Department of Justice as well as with their local police departments. This is to provide a service to the community to be able to recover any gold they buy from any unscrupulous characters. Also their scales are calibrated by the department of weights and measures to ensure you have a fair and accurate reading. Shop around. Always get multiple quotes before selling your jewelry. Different stores may offer lower prices than others, depending on how much of a cut they take and whether they can recognize special pieces. Know what affects the price you get. Know what you have in your collection. Most of the pieces that you sell will be melted down, so don't expect something to be worth more just because it's a wedding ring. Should you check with the BBB before you sell? The BBB is the last place anyone should check because not only is it a privately held company, but they extort businesses to sign up with them. The BBB has absolutely no government authority although they position themselves that way. The BBB simply sells businesses the ability to place their logo on the company's website or sales sheets. . Before you visit a gold dealer you want to organize your gold. By organizing your gold before your visit, you will save the gold dealer time. Since time is money, the gold dealer will be more likely to pay you more if you don't waste his time. Begin by removing as many of your items in your collection that are imitation gold. The best way to start this process is with a strong magnet. Anything that sticks to the magnet is very, very likely not solid gold. If anything besides the clasps stick, it's probably best to leave those items at home. However, you should bring all of it and let the experts determine what's gold and what isn't. The worst that will happen is they will just not buy it. Sort the gold. Use a magnifier to check the little labels on the gold for "10k," 14k," and so on. This number refers to the karat, which tells the percentage of the gold piece that is pure gold. The higher the number (up to 24k), the purer the gold. Separate the jewelry by karat, and then place the jewelry into separate Ziploc bags or containers. Also watch out for R.G.F, "rolled gold filled", H.G.E. "Heavy Gold Electroplate", 1/20th 12k "This is heavily plated with 12k gold", E.P. "Electroplate" Separate these pieces from the other gold jewelry that you have.|}} Go measure the weight for each type of gold you have. It is best to measure in grams, though many gold buyers will use a special weight system called a pennyweight or a Troy ounce, so don't be surprised. Gold is priced out in Troy Ounces, and exactly 1/20th of that weight is 1 pennyweight. This means exactly 20.0 pennyweights are in 1 troy ounce. You can also convert Troy ounces to grams but it's not as simple of math because there are 31.1035 grams in a troy ounce. If you do not have a scale, you may be able to use one at your local post office. However if you go to the post office, keep in mind that ounces and troy ounces are different units of measurement. 1 ounce is 0.911 troy ounces. Get quotes from the buyers. Now that your items have been sorted and weighed, it is time to get quotes. You should get at least three quotes. Start off with phone quotes. Get a quote by telling them exactly how much weight you have of each karat of gold and ask for a total payout amount. Be wary of companies that only quote a "price per gram" because they may only be referring to 24karat gold. Always try to get a price for "What will the total payout be when I walk out the door?" If any place won't give you a phone quote with an adequate description of what you have is probably hiding their prices because their payouts are terrible. If a place does give you a phone quote, ask them if there are fees they are not disclosing over the phone (many times there are). Visit the gold buying location. If they don't have a physical location, or are only a "Mobile service", DO NOT sell your gold with them. Any licensed gold buyer must have a business license and you cannot obtain this type of business license without a physical location. Do your research. Before you go to the place that gave you the best phone quote, check them out on google, facebook and yelp.com. | Try to avoid selling to jewelry stores. Avoid Hotel buying scams. Avoid selling to pawn shops. A gold buyer may be your best option. Shop around. Know what affects the price you get. Know what you have in your collection. Should you check with the BBB before you sell? Before you visit a gold dealer you want to organize your gold. Sort the gold. Go measure the weight for each type of gold you have. Get quotes from the buyers. Visit the gold buying location. Do your research. |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.