In one sentence, describe what the following article is about: Try looking at the refurbished or used laptops that brands and retailers sell for very reduced prices. Create your own comparison chart of prices and features of several possible laptops, or find and print one from online to show your parents that you've given this a lot of thought and research. Consider what you can do in exchange for your parents buying you a laptop. Promise good grades on your next report card, a certain amount of chores per week or month, or another goal you know your parents would like to see you achieve. Try coming up with a specific goal that you can stick with and achieve. When you talk to your parents, you can say, "I'll get a better grade in English next semester," or something that you know could use improvement and that you think you can achieve. Think of all the ways that a laptop would make your life easier or more successful. When the time comes to talk to your parents, point out to them your practical reasons to have one, as well as the benefits of a laptop over a desktop, like portability, convenience, and that it doesn't take up space. For school, think of how you could use a laptop to take notes (if allowed), to bring to study groups or tutoring, or to access online libraries and other reference resources. If you're off to college in the near future, you can point out to your parents that you will need a laptop for notes, research, and to make video calls home! Some students actually do better in school with laptops if they have a very slow handwriting speed or other difficulty taking notes. If you struggle with this, use this in the argument you bring to your parents. Think of an argument for how you can use a laptop to cultivate useful talents and beneficial hobbies. Want to get into graphic design? Computer coding? Writing? You need a laptop to learn and practice these skills that could later become jobs. Show your parents that there are lots of educational resources for free online that you would be able access on a laptop and have more time and freedom to use than on a school or family computer. Display to your parents that you don't use your current family or personal computer too often, so you won't be on your own laptop all the time. Commit to cutting down on your screen time, if necessary, in advance of talking to your parents, so that you can point out to them your good habits when you sit down to talk. Try getting on the computer for only a half an hour at a time, or only when all your homework is done at the end of the day. Compile all your research, reasoning, and offers for a laptop and write them down neatly or type them up into a document to print out for your parents. Show them you are responsible, have given this a lot of thought, and are willing to stick to your goals to own your own laptop. You can even create your own "contract" or agreement for whatever you offer in exchange for a laptop, so you can track your progress and let your parents hold you to your goals.
Summary: With these needs in mind, compare prices on laptops with the features you want. Come up with an offer or bargain. Come up with practical reasons for a laptop. Plan to use the laptop for hobbies and skills. Show moderation in your computer usage. Put your offer in writing.

In one sentence, describe what the following article is about: Have some notes handy to initiate small talk at the beginning of the call. Introduce all attendees by their names, titles, and roles they play. If anyone arrives or joins the call after the five-minute delay, don't interrupt a discussion in progress. Wait until after a speaker has finished or a topic has ended to allow latecomers to introduce themselves. Ask attendees dialing in to mute their phones to avoid background noise. Request that they avoid using the hold button to prevent broadcasting their company's hold music. Tell everyone physically present to silence their cell phones and keep them away from the meeting phone to prevent interference. Make sure all attendees speak audibly and clearly so that everyone can hear them. Keep an eye on the clock to accommodate the needs of attendees and presenters. Cover the most important issues first in case you run out of time. If anyone asks a question you can't answer or weren't expecting, tell them you'll get back to them as soon as possible. Don't wait until the end of the call to do this. Do it right before you get to questions and answers (Q&A) on the agenda. Ask everyone the most convenient date and time for the next call. If most attendees are undecided, send out a scheduling survey after the call. In a conference call, you might have trouble getting everyone to participate. To prevent this from happening, don't ask if anyone has any questions. Rather, ask specific people relevant to the topic of discussion a question. For example, you could ask, "Bob, have you gotten all of the information you need to create the topic text?" Start to wrap up about five minutes before the scheduled ending time. If Q&A is still in progress, tell everyone you have time for one more question. Thank everyone for their time and wish them a good day or week(end).
Summary: Allow five extra minutes for latecomers. Review meeting etiquette. Stick to the agenda. Schedule a follow-up call, if necessary. Allow at least 15 minutes for Q&A. Close the call.

In one sentence, describe what the following article is about: Wearing tight shoes and/or socks is a common cause of ingrown toenails. If your shoes are too narrow, try to find some wide shoes in your size or opt for open-toed shoes when possible. High-heeled shoes may also cause ingrown toenails, so wear flats or low-heeled shoes as much as possible. Stick to plain white, cotton socks. Dyes from the fabric of colored socks may irritate an ingrown nail. If you can go without socks and wear sandals instead, then that may help your ingrown nail to heal even faster. Cutting your toenails in a curved fashion may increase your chances of developing an ingrown toenail. To eliminate this risk factor, cut your toenails in a straight line and do not cut them too short. Repeated stubbing your toe or kicking a ball can lead to ingrown toenails as well. If you think that your ingrown toenails may be due to participation in sports or frequently stubbing your toes, then try getting some protective footwear. Reinforced or steel toe shoes may help to protect your toes from injury. Keeping your feet clean and dry may not prevent an ingrown toenail, but checking your feet often and taking good care of them may help you to detect ingrown toenails before they get out of control. Wash your feet daily and put on a new pair of clean dry socks every day. Check your feet if you notice any pain or redness in your toes. If you notice that one of your toenails seems to be growing inwards, then take steps to prevent it from progressing. If you have diabetes, then you need to check your feet every day. If you cannot do it yourself, the you will need to ask someone to do it for you.
Summary:
Wear shoes and socks that fit well. Cut your toenails straight across the top. Protect your feet during sports or activities that may injure your toes. Keep your feet clean and dry.