Article: Crush five or six tablets of aspirin and mix them with one-half teaspoon (3 g) of lemon juice and water. Apply the resulting paste to the affected area, then wrap it with a warm towel and cover it with a plastic bag. Leave it for about ten minutes and then remove the coverings. Scrape off the calluses with a pumice stone. Again, if you're diabetic, don't try this treatment. Also, if you're allergic to aspirin, do not use this method. One of the best ways you can treat corns and calluses is with a warm-water soak. This loosens the dead skin and helps with healing. Add 3 tablespoons baking soda to a basin of warm water and soak -- baking soda has a pH of 9 and is therefore alkaline and can disrupt the skin barrier. Or massage calluses with a paste of 3 parts baking soda to 1 part water. Soaking your feet in diluted chamomile tea can be soothing and will temporarily change the pH of the skin to help dry out sweaty feet. The tea will stain your feet, but the stain can be easily removed with soap and water. Sprinkle cornstarch between your toes to keep the area dry and protect the skin from breaking down. Moisture can make a corn or callus feel miserable and can promote fungal infections. This is more preventative than anything and should be used to eliminate discomfort. Soak a cotton ball in vinegar and tape it to your corn or callus. Leave the vinegar-soaked cotton on overnight. In the morning, rub the area with a pumice stone. Make sure to attach the cotton ball only to the callus itself. You don't want to irritate the skin around it that is doing just fine. Pineapple peel contains certain enzymes which help in softening corns and calluses and removing them from the skin. Place a small piece of fresh pineapple peel over the affected area and wrap a clean cloth around it. Do this every night for a week. You can also apply pineapple juice to the corns.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Use aspirin to soften your calluses. Try baking soda. Put chamomile tea in your soak. Utilize cornstarch. Consider using vinegar. Put a pineapple to good use.
Article: To offer a good character reference, you need to convince the person asking you questions that you are a reliable judge. Introduce yourself, then state what your profession is. List any other notable qualifications that you have. If it hasn't already been established, you should also provide some background about how you know the candidate. For instance, say something like, "My name is John Smith. I am a career counsellor with a background in media relations. I've known the candidate since we attended college together." The primary goal of questioning a character reference is to determine how trustworthy they are. Be sure to state clearly that you consider the person you are vouching for reliable and responsible. Provide examples of how you or others have been able to rely on the individual in the past. For instance, mention a time when the individual has helped you in an emergency or offered assistance during a difficult time. Another goal of character reference checks is to determine if an individual is easy to get along with. Emphasize positive personality attributes like kindness, compassion, diplomacy, respectfulness, and generosity. Give examples of how the individual demonstrates these assets in their daily life.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Introduce yourself to establish your own credibility. Emphasize that the individual is reliable. Highlight the individual's positive demeanor.
Article: If you are trying to make a good impression, this may not be the time to bring up your firmly held beliefs. Without the benefit of knowing the stances of those present, you run the risk of inadvertently offending someone with your strongly held opinions. Job interviews, joining a new social group, or being introduced to a friends or coworkers family are good examples of when it's best to keep strong opinions to yourself until you know the parties better. By joining a group designed to bring like minded people together, you won't have to worry so much about whether your opinion will offend others, but be mindful of the language you use. Your choice of tone and language may affect how your message is received. While all of the members may share similar core beliefs, there is probably great variation in how members choose to express their beliefs. You will usually only need to be extra careful in your word choice the first few meetings. After you become more comfortable with the members, you will likely fall into a natural feeling communication pattern. Friends will tolerate your strong opinions better than others. They are also very likely to argue with those opinions. This is generally a healthy exchange, but remember to always be respectful. Neither of you will likely be greatly swayed by the argument, so you don't want to have damaged the relationship by using abusive language. Focus on using the word I, rather than you, to have an amicable disagreement. If you happen to find yourself in a group of people you know to hold strong opinions opposite of yours, you might decide to keep your opinion to yourself. You don't always have to have a say.You can choose to just be an observer. If it is very important to you to share your opinion, even in these circumstances, consider forming a bond with a single member.You can then have a fair exchange between the two of you. If you do address the rest of the group at some later time, you'll know you have at least one supporter.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Keep the conversation light in a group of people you don't know. Share respectfully in groups of like minded people you don't know well. Express your opinions to your friends freely, but remember you care about these people. Choose your battles wisely.