INPUT ARTICLE: Article: If you broke the plastic part of your lighter then you'll need a new one. The pressure is compromised and you won't be able to use it anymore. If you've left a lighter outside for a long period of time the metal wheel on top might be rusted in place. If it won't spin, it won't light. If there is only dirt and debris inside the lighter you might be able to clean it out with your fingers or a pipe cleaner and get it going again. Luckily the most common problem with these lighters is their incredibly small fuel tank. When this no longer holds enough fuel or enough pressure, it needs to be refilled. The most prone to mechanical and/or internal failure would be the non-reusable Bic lighters. If there is no spark, that means that there is no flint. The flint is the piece of equipment that the wheel rubs against to create a spark. The spark lights the fuel and gives you a flame, so the flint is extremely important. If the flame burns out then you could be running out of fuel. However, if you just recently bought the lighter there might be an issue with the fuel reaching the spark.

SUMMARY: Ensure that it isn't shattered. Look for rust, debris, or dirt. Check the fuel tank. Look to see if there is a spark. Check to see if the flame is small, burns out, or isn't present at all.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Place one hand at the top of your stomach and the bottom of your rib cage. Inhale into this area and attempt to make your hand rise using your breath. This will put your breath in the right place rather than pushing speech from your nose, chest or mouth. Forcing breath from these places can be grating and loud. Once you have the breath in your diaphragm, try vocalizing from the place where you are resting your hand. Having tension in your neck can lead to trying to force the sound out of your throat. Relax your throat in order to relax your voice. Place one hand on your neck and speak normally to assess the tension in your throat. Drop your jaw as low as you can and take in a large yawn. Release the air slowly with a gentle hum. Repeat this several times until you begin to feel your throat relaxing. Once your throat is relaxed, continue dropping your jaw, then exhaling with words like "hang, harm, lane and loam." Massage your neck throughout this process if you feel it tightening. This will help you be heard as well as hearing yourself. Speaking at the same volume, tends to have the effect of the listener tuning the speaker out. This could lead to frustration and tempt the speaker to be even louder. Experiment with varying your volume level. Creating variety in your volume will allow you to be more conscious of your volume and see the effect on your listener. Try speaking at almost a whisper. Make your voice quieter until someone asks you to speak up. Try raising your volume only on the word you would like to emphasize. "That pizza was the BEST!" It can be difficult to hear yourself. Ideally you would hire a coach to be an outside ear. They can assess your volume and your needs, then lead you through some exercises which will help you learn how to control your voice. I this is not an option for you at this time, ask a friend to give you feedback. Voice coaches can lead you through some breathing exercises, as well as running through the range of pitch and volume with your voice. If you are working on your own, ask a friend if they have noticed a difference. Give them permission to point out when you raise your voice. When they do point it out, don't get angry. Remember that they are trying to help you.

SUMMARY: Breathe from the diaphragm. Relax your throat. Vary your volume level. Enlist the help of someone else.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: . In marksmanship training, soldiers are required to hold their rifles so steady a hammer could fall on the barrel and the shot would still be accurate. Shooting is a matter of form, not luck or muscle strength. Practice shooting from different positions and find the one you feel most comfortable firing from, then keep practicing the others anyway. Good marksmanship involves being comfortable shooting from any of the following positions, with the basic fundamentals of shooting in place: Standing position. In this position, you'll stand with the hip of your non-trigger hand pointing at the target, and will support the rifle with your elbows in tight to your torso to make it as comfortable as possible. This is the most difficult position from which to make accurate shots. Kneeling position. This is a steady position that allows you to balance your supporting hand on your knee, making it one of the most comfortable and steady positions from which to shoot. Sitting position involves sitting cross-legged, balancing both the shooting and the supporting elbows on each of your knees. While the sitting position is somewhat less comfortable than it may seem, it's extremely secure, especially if you can control your breathing. Prone position. This is the most accurate shooting position for many shooters, offering you the most support possible, allowing you to use your close proximity to the ground to steady yourself. When you pick up the gun, always be sure to check and double-check that the gun is unloaded. Only load the gun when you're set and ready to fire. Pick up the gun, keeping the barrel pointed downrange, and place your hands on the handgrip and the stock correctly. Hold the handgrip, just behind the trigger, with your dominant hand. Keep your hand well back of the trigger when you're first getting situated. Your finger should be nowhere near the trigger. Up-turn your palm and use your fingers to create a "V" with your steadying hand. Seat the stock of the gun into your supporting hand, about halfway between the barrel of the gun and the trigger. Experiment some with your grip to get a sense of what's most comfortable for you. Expert rifle marksmen generally support the rifle fairly close to the trigger guard, because it'll strain your muscles less to hold the gun upright. While rifles don't kick anything like shotguns, it's still important to secure the rifle in the pocket created by your shoulder and armpit, pulling it firmly into the muscle just inside of your shoulder. It should neither be resting against your gun nor your shoulder bone, but the muscle that connects them. After you've taken hold of the gun properly, get into firing position and maintain what's called "cheek to stock weld." Holding the gun properly, you should be able to let your head fall over gently to the side, letting your cheek rest against the butt of the rifle and align your eye with the sights. If you need to readjust some, carefully readjust and resettle yourself to make the position comfortable. Once your eye is aligned, you need to learn to aim the gun properly. The process is slightly different, depending on the variety of sighting mechanism included with your rifle. Some rifles have telescopic sights, commonly referred to as "scopes" while other rifles feature simpler bead-style sights on the top of the barrel. Bead-style sights are aimed by lining up the bead at the very end of the barrel even with the port farther back on the gun. The bead at the end needs to be the same height and just between the "V" created by the port. Usually, these are marked with green or red luminescent dots. When you're firing, focus your eye on the bead, not on the target itself. Telescopic sights are like telescopes mounted on the top of the barrel, which usually feature a cross-hair style sight imposed on the magnified image. Shooting involves lining up the point at which the lines cross and training it directly on what you want to shoot. It'll take some practice to line up your eye accurately with the sight, staying far enough back to get an accurate sight picture.

SUMMARY:
Find your steady position Hold the handgrip in your trigger hand. Balance the stock in your supporting hand. Pull the butt of the rifle into the pocket of your shoulder. Drop your cheek to the rifle. Align the rifle sight.