Problem: Write an article based on this summary: Find a drum base. Get a package of balloons. Cut the end off a balloon. Stretch the balloon over the base. Secure it in place with tape. Play the balloon drum with sticks.

Answer: You can use an old pot, a bowl, a vase, or a bucket. Choose a deep, sturdy container as your base. Avoid containers made out of glass or other fragile materials. You'll likely pop a few in the process of making your drum, so it's good to have more than one. Choose large-sized, sturdy balloons. You may want to get a variety of sizes to you can be sure to find one that fits your chosen drum base. Take a scissors and cut of the end of the balloon right where it becomes narrow. Use one hand to hold the balloon over one end of the base while you use the other hand to stretch it over the other side. The balloon goes over the opening of the pot, vase, or bucket you're using as the base. You might want to get a friend to help you hold it it place so it won't snap back. If the balloon you used seems too small or to large for the base, try a different sized balloon. Use a heavy-duty piece of packing or duct tape to hold the balloon in place all the way around the rim of your drum base. Use chopsticks, pencils, or other long, thin objects to play your drum.

Problem: Write an article based on this summary: Work to improve your skills. Get credit for your work. Pitch new ideas to management. Attend workplace social events. Look for learning experiences outside of work.

Answer: Did the other candidate have more experience with certain computer programs? Ask your manager if you could be put on a project where you'd gain experience using that program. Or ask if your manager knows of any training sessions or coding boot camps that you could attend. Was the other candidate really good at leading a team? Ask if there are any small-scale projects coming up where you could lead a couple people to get some practice. Don't let others get all the praise for your hard work. Be on the lookout for ways to have your name or face associated with work you've done. Ask your manager if you can have bylines on things you've written for the company website, or volunteer to make presentations for projects you've worked on. Show the people in charge that you're interested in moving the company forward. Brainstorm ideas to improve the company's bottom line or appeal to a new demographic. Then schedule a time to pitch these ideas to your manager. Even if nothing comes of it, you've set yourself apart as innovative and proactive. Only pitch ideas that you truly believe in. Don't advocate for new concepts just for the sake of being innovative. Your employer may think you're not a team player if you don't regularly attend happy hours, holiday parties, or other social events held outside of work hours. Make an effort to go to these events as often as possible to show you enjoy socializing with your coworkers. If your manager didn't have a way for you to gain experience while on the job, look around your community. Is there an adult learning center or community college where you could learn coding, accounting, or a foreign language? Take advantage of any resource you can find to improve the skills you were lacking.

Problem: Write an article based on this summary: Take an online dialect quiz. Listen to radio stations and news programs that use a more neutral American accent. Watch informational television shows. Engage in conversations with friends or co-workers. Ask a friend with a neutral accent to read aloud to you. Listen to an audiobook.

Answer: These quizzes are not only interesting, they can show you a number of regionally-specific terms for everyday objects or activities. Knowing these highly specific terms will help you to avoid them, and, thus, avoid sounding particularly "southern." The New York Times dialect survey is a popular quiz and uses mostly vocabulary to place your dialect. If you're looking for a wider variety of accents, there are a number of surveys and quizzes on worldwide accents, as well as varieties of English. While music DJs on the radio are trained speakers, they often use the regional dialect associated with their audience. Instead, listen to programs that are broadcast nationally, as those hosts practice speaking in a more neutral, and conversational, dialect. National news stations, like CNN, MSNBC, FOXNews, have anchors and hosts who have had significant training in modification of their speech patterns. They speak clearly and with engaging enunciation, and are a good model of standard American English dialects. Watching the news anchors speak also provides you the opportunity to watch the way these trained speakers form the words with their mouths. Documentary television channels with voice overs, like the History Channel, NatGeo, and Animal Planet, are also good options, as the narrators are often trained actors. The most powerful influence on your accent comes from your peers in everyday interactions, so the more you listen and respond, the more confident you'll be in both knowing the sounds of a neutral American accent, and also speaking with one. If you're going on a long drive, of if you have some down time, you might find it helpful to simply listen to someone read in a standard American accent. You can control the subject by choosing a text in your area of interest, and you'll be exposed to higher-quality vocabulary, even in simpler books. Choose texts that relate to the area of your life that a modified accent will be of benefit, such as your career. Consider choosing a text about accent modification, so that you'll have the double-exposure of a neutral accent and information on modifying your own. Audio book narrators are often trained actors who know how to speak clearly and in standard American accents, as well as other dialects. Listening to them as they read a book can be both enjoyable and informative, especially if the text includes multiple dialects and accents. Several texts on accent modification are available as audiobooks, and include practice exercises to do while listening.

Problem: Write an article based on this summary: Use moleskin pads. Try using white-out.

Answer:
You know the little round moleskin pads you might use for blisters on your feet? Well, they happen to work perfectly for getting rounded white tips without wiggly edges. When you've finished your nail color (the light pink or tan, whichever you prefer), and the color has dried, put a moleskin pad at the top of the nail, so that only a small portion of the tip is exposed. Paint your white polish over the top of this, and when the paint is dry, peel the pads off. Your white tips should be perfectly rounded, and any mistakes you made will peel off with the moleskin. It may sound strange, but if you're having difficulty painting with a white nail polish, white-out (for pen mistakes) might be the perfect solution. Because the application sponge for white-out is square, it makes it easy to dab the white color in a perfect line across your nail tip. Just use white-out instead of white nail polish, and finish it off with a top coat. Nobody will know the difference, and you'll have saved yourself loads of time!, and there you go,you are ready to show off your beautiful french manicure.