INPUT ARTICLE: Article: When you are near water, it is smart to get in the habit of surveying your surroundings. The first step in helping a drowning victim is being able to spot someone in trouble. Lifeguards call surveillance of the area "scanning and observing". To scan and observe, you should spend a few seconds every couple of minutes looking around your area. Look at the water, and also look at the pool deck or beach. Keep your eyes out for people in distress, or in potentially risky situations. For example, if there is someone swimming far from shore in choppy waters, you'll want to keep a close watch on them. Keep your eye out for the elderly and young swimmers. Get in the habit of scanning and observing your area whenever you are near water. This is especially important if there are children with you, or others who are not strong swimmers. Active drowning means that the person is in the process of drowning. They will be impaired due to inhalation of water. There are several things to look for to determine whether someone is actively drowning. Active drowning can begin within 20 seconds of the person being in distress. An active drowning victim will not be able to call for help. While an active drowning victim might still be vertical in the water, they will be unable to move towards help or safety. Active drowning victims will not be able to wave for assistance or reach for equipment. Once drowning has begun, the victim cannot voluntarily control his arm movements. Active drowning victims typically struggle on the surface for 20-60 seconds before being submerged. Active drowning victims will have their heads tilted back so their mouth and nose is above water, this is an instinct. There are many other types of problems that can occur in swimmers. Make sure you are aware of different signs so that you can accurately assess the situation. For example, a distressed swimmer is a person who may have become tired or suffered a cramp. They may call out for help and may appear to be flailing. A passive drowning victim is someone who is unconscious in the water. Assume the person needs medical attention and call for help. A tired swimmer might be using short, weak strokes and appear to be looking for something to cling to. They might call for assistance. Once you have determined that you are looking at an active drowning victim, get ready to reach the person. Based on your scanning and observing, you should be able to tell whether you need to go in the water or whether you can offer assistance from land. Take any tools you need, such as a flotation device, life vest, or pole. Alert someone else on the shore if you are swimming out to rescue the victim. You want someone else to be aware of the situation. Have them call for help. Do not attempt a rescue unless you are a strong swimmer and know what you are doing. If you are a weak swimmer, you can put both yourself and the drowning victim in danger. The assistance of a flotation device even if you are a strong swimmer is important. Most professional lifeguards carry some sort of flotation device.

SUMMARY: Practice scanning and observing. Learn the physical signs of drowning. Recognize other issues. Prepare to reach the victim.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: If the two of you have already become physically intimate, this is less of a concern. But if you are on a first date or taking things slowly, respect her personal space and body. Don't spoil the mood by rushing or forcing physical contact. Wait until the two of you have both grown comfortable with small touches before suggesting something as involved as braiding her hair. How long this takes will depend on the woman in question. She may welcome physical signs of affection right away, or she may need several dates before she feels like she can trust you. However long it takes, don't force the issue. Rushing physical intimacy before she's ready is self-defeating. Asking her if she'd like you to braid her hair will probably come across as a weird idea if the two of you haven't made any sort of physical contact, so set some precedent. When you're with her, touch her "by chance" or with polite, innocent gestures. Use these moments to judge how comfortable she feels with you. For example, you could: Share an armrest with her in a movie theater so your arms rest against each other. Tap her arm to direct her attention to something you're pointing out. Lightly touch her shoulder to announce your presence if she doesn't see you coming. When you start off making small incidental touches, aim for parts of her body that aren't too personal, like her hand, arm, or back. Of course, you're not entitled to touch any part of her unless she's okay with it, but consider these areas as an innocent place to start trying. As long as she's fine with it, continue finding excuses to make contact there so she grows accustomed to it without feeling threatened, like: Emphasizing a point you're making in your conversation by touching her hand. Guiding her through doors with your hand in the small of her back. Cupping her elbow to let her know you're about to turn left or right as you walk together. Make physicality a part of your date right from the get-go. Don't put if off, because this will only build it up into something "big" that will feel more awkward once you do start trying. Start testing the waters at the very start of your first date so touching each other feels perfectly natural. Briefly take her hand between yours as part of your greeting. Guide her by the elbow for a moment once you start walking. Offer your hand to help her out of the car.

SUMMARY: Ease into it. Start with small touches. Stick to neutral areas at first. Start early.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: A few different bright colors will give you the best results. You can use up to four different colors. You can select a set of colors to create an ombre effect. If you pick colors that are a similar hue but with different shades, you can fade from one to the other. You can also go from one hue to another that's next to it on the color wheel, for example yellow to orange. Other types of string, such as yarn, can work for hair wraps. Just make sure whatever material you're working with is colorfast. You don't want the dye to run the next time you shampoo your hair. It should also be fairly thin to keep your hair wrap from being too bulky. Thinner braids work better for hair wraps than thicker ones. Make sure your braid is very tight. Picking a strand closer to your face will have a bigger impact than one further back. If your hair doesn't hold braids well, you can secure it with a small hair tie at the bottom. If you already have your hair in braids or dreadlocks, you can add a splash of color by selecting one or more strands to wrap individually. You will need four separate strings that are roughly two- to-three times the length of your hair. Remember that it's much better to start with too much thread than too little. You can always trim off the excess at the end, but you can't add length to string that's too short. You can always position the knot lower on the braid if you want your hair wrap to start further down. Overhand knots are the simplest knot you can tie: Make sure all four strings are parallel and bunched together so they can be treated as a single string. Loop the strings behind the top of the braid. Make sure that your braid is positioned in the center of the strings so that each end is equal. Take the right end and loop it back around the braid to the left. Start by crossing over the front of the braid and pull the end under and through the loop back towards the right. Pull both ends in opposite directions to tighten. Make sure your knot is very tight when making a hair wrap. Once the knot is complete, each string you started with will be divided in half. Before starting your wrap in earnest, you'll have twice as many strings to work with. For example, if you began with four strings, you should now have eight individual strands hanging from the base of your wrap.

SUMMARY:
Get some embroidery floss. Pick out a small lock of hair and braid it. Measure out and cut appropriate lengths of thread. Tie the threads around the top of the braid using an overhand knot.