INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Sometimes, when someone we care about feels crappy, the best thing we can offer is a listening ear. Give your loved one the opportunity to air his or her grievances about academic problems. Being able to express oneself in this way can be incredibly soothing. Plus, allowing your loved one to vent shows that you care. Demonstrate active listening by turning to face the person and making regular eye contact. Nod your head or make appropriate sounds to show you're listening, such as "uh-huh." When the person is done talking, try to reflect back what he or she has said using emotion. For example, you might say "It sounds like you're really angry about your performance on the test." At this point, simply let the person talk. Refrain from trying to "fix" the problem just yet. One humbling way to support your friend during this tough circumstance is to share a situation in which you struggled. It might pertain to academics or it might merely be an anecdote about a different obstacle you have to overcome. Just make sure that the message is clear, and that you don't make yourself seem better than your friend. It may be scary at first to open up and tell someone about a difficulty you faced. However, it's important to note that sharing your story may help your friend see that everyone encounters hardships and that it's entirely possible to succeed despite setbacks. Although you can't fix the situation, there may be something you can do to help the person through it. Are you good in the subject that he or she is struggling in? Perhaps you could casually offer some tips on how to improve. Do you have pretty good study skills? Maybe you can share some of those nuggets of wisdom with your friend. Keep in mind that your friend may not want your help. Instead of thinking in advance of how you will help, simply ask "Is there anything I can do?" and see what the person's response is. If he or she wants help from you, let them make a specific request. That way you don't put your foot in your mouth by coming off like you're superior. Give your loved one a much-needed self-esteem boost. It's normal for someone's self-esteem to take a hit after performing poorly in school. Take a moment to offer a sincere compliment on some other attribute. Remind the person what else he or she has going despite having a bad grade. You can say something like "I know it sucks that you got an F in math. Luckily, you don't have to worry about that in English. You're the best student in that class!" Just make sure the compliment is true and the person knows you're not just saying it to make them feel better. If your friend is upset over bad grades, the very best comfort you can offer is your presence. Just be there. Extend a shoulder for them, if they'd like. It's not really your job to fix the situation or make it better in any way, really. It's up to your friend to deal with poor grades, but he or she will certainly appreciate you showing support and acknowledging that it's a sucky situation.

SUMMARY: Let the person vent. Share a story of how you overcame adversity. Offer to help however you can. Remind them about other talents. Be there.

In one sentence, describe what the following article is about: Pieces of material used in mosaic art are called tesserae. They can be glass, stones, porcelain, seashells, or whatever else you can find. You will also want to gather together any objects you might want to include. These could include buttons, bones, metals, etc. If you can, find them already precut into distinct shapes and sizes. This will keep you from having to break them with a hammer/saw later. Choose a wide variety of colors and shades. Even if your work will be mostly monochromatic, you will want varying values and ones. Choose tesserae that goes with the art you wish to create. For example, if you are doing a beach scene, it might be best to use a wide variety of shells. If you are looking to recreate the Brooklyn Bridge, you might want to look into metals. Tables, planters, birdbaths, or walking stones are just a few ideas to use. You can make almost anything work as a base. Wood, terracotta and/or glass are usually what people use as a base. Make sure the base is strong enough to hold the weight of the tesserae and grout. Choose bases which have large, open spaces. If there are numerous crevices on your base, it may be hard to create mosaic pieces which will fit. Find patterns for free online or use your imagination and come up with your own design. For a first time project, you may wish to work with a simple pattern. This could mean a house, a fish, a landscape, or anything else with simply defined shapes. After you work on a simple pattern, you can graduate up to more complicated projects. Print out the pattern to the dimensions needed. Begin transferring the design, first using a pencil. This will allow you to adjust for mistakes and inconsistencies. Once you have a rough outline with a pencil, go back and trace over the lines with a pen or marker, depending on the type of base. If you are using a basic design, this might be the time to add in details that are not present in the original design. If the pattern is extra large, do it in sections. Remember this is a rough outline, which can be changed when you start to lay down specific tiles. If you are using an original design, simply draw it directly onto the base. However, don't over plan. Spontaneity is key to creating artistically stunning art.
Summary: Select the material you wish to use. Pick the foundation to adhere the mosaic tiles on. Find a pattern you wish to make into a mosaic. Transfer the design to your base.

Resealable plastic bags make excellent piping bags because the frosting or sauce won't come out from anywhere but the point that you want it to. Select a plastic bag based on the amount of frosting or sauce that you need to apply to the top of your dish. Most packages list the interior volume of the plastic bag. This can make it easy to determine whether a bag is big enough for the recipe. A thicker resealable bag, like a freezer bag, is a good choice if you have a thicker frosting that will require a lot pressure to be applied to the bag. You can use a non-sealable plastic bag if that's all you have available, but you'll need to twist it at the top once you fill it to close it. These bags also tend to explode when you squeeze them, so they're not great for thicker frostings. Once you've added your frosting or sauce, seal your bag by running your fingers on the opposite sides of the seal and pressing it together. If you have a plastic bag with a zipper, all you need to do is slide it to the other end of the bag. Push the frosting, icing, or sauce down towards the corner that you're going to cut. You can push the air out before sealing it if you want. It'll make it easier to dispense the icing or sauce but it will also come out quicker.
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One-sentence summary -- Get a resealable plastic bag and a pair of scissors. Seal the bag at the top to close it.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Use roughly one quart (one L) of water for each cup (250 mL) of kernels.

SUMMARY:
Bring water to boil in a large pot. Pour whole kernels carefully into boiling water. Boil kernels of corn for approximately four minutes or until tender. Drain water from the corn kernels by pouring the pot over a strainer placed in the sink. Plunge corn into ice water bath to stop cooking process. Use or freeze whole kernels of corn.