INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Studies show that people are less likely to get teased or bullied if they exhibit an assertive attitude. You can stop being a victim to bullying by changing your reaction. Beware of your body language. Lift your chin, keep your back straight, and pull your shoulders back.  If showing strong, positive signals doesn’t come naturally, practice your assertive attitude at home while you’re away from the bully. If you have friends that you trust, consider asking them to help and advice. Have them point out when you're lacking confidence or when you're being assertive. Keeping a record of the bully’s taunts will help you to keep dates straight and establish a pattern. You will need to establish a pattern if this goes further and you report the behavior to a boss at work or the police if this is a domestic situation that you need help for. Save emails and take screenshots of social media comments right away. If you wait too long, the bully may delete them. Make sure this conversation includes a clear picture of the pattern and any documentation. If you are at school, you can tell an instructor or a school administrator.  If this is at work, go to the meeting with suggestions as to how this can be fixed. This might include moving the bully to a different department or working with HR. Be prepared to answer what you want to have happen. If you meet with the person at work face-to-face, follow up with an email documenting when the meeting took place and follow ups so you have it in writing what occurred. This will be included in the documentation if the behavior continues.

SUMMARY: Be mindful of your physical and emotional reaction. Document any offenses. Speak to a superior or someone who can help.

In one sentence, describe what the following article is about: Confronting a bully can be intimidating, but if you feel overwhelmed, talking to them about their problems may bring you some comfort. Set up a time to talk with your antagonizer one-on-one and see what their laughter is really about.  Talk just the two of you. A large group may create a defensive, emotional situation that brings out more aggression. Ask them, “What about me makes you want to laugh at me?” Listen carefully to their answer. It is likely grounded in their own emotions and has little to do with you as a person. Ask your antagonizer, “How do my actions or interests impact your daily life?” Evaluate their answer to see if you really do hurt them in a meaningful way, or, more likely, if you simply confuse them because you are not like them. Understand that annoyance and dislike are subjective. Other people will have different views of you. Just because your antagonizer doesn’t know how to handle their opinion properly doesn’t mean that you are bad or have done anything wrong. There are a number of people with whom you can discuss your antagonizer. Look at close friends or family members if you want someone to listen and reassure you.  Ask a friend to be your go-to person when you think you are being laughed at. Let them know that you don’t need them to solve any problems for you and that you simply want to be able to vent about the stress your antagonizers cause. If your friend is around during an attack from your antagonizers, engage with them instead to distract yourself. Start a conversation about something you both enjoy, or ask them, "How is your day going so far?" If the laughter has gotten to a point where it impacts your daily life, look for a professional therapist or counselor to help you deal with your emotions. A trained professional may help minimize the long term impacts of your antagonizer and help you develop healthy coping mechanisms.  Find a therapist or counselor that specializes in dealing with trauma from bullying or social anxiety. Find affordable, professional help by working with educational clinics at local colleges or sliding scale practitioners in your area. People laughing at you are looking for attention. They want to make you feel bad. If you can laugh along with them, they won’t get that attention they crave and will likely eventually move on.  Allow your laughter to be genuine. Others might be looking to hurt you, but you do not need to hurt yourself. Instead, think to yourself, “It is funny that they find my passion dorky because when I do well at the things I love, I feel like the coolest person in the world.” Try to let their comments roll off your shoulders. If, for example, your antagonizer claims something you like is nerdy, simply smile and say, “I guess that makes me a nerd,” and walk away. Being laughed at can be painful and may hurt your feelings, especially if the person laughing at you is someone you considered a friend or someone you like and respect. If you are feeling hurt and betrayed, address these feelings instead of stuffing them down or pretending you are fine. Avoid short-term solutions that can increase your stress or be dangerous, such as self-medicating with alcohol and drugs or self-harm.  Accept that you are upset. It's okay and understandable to be hurt when someone laughs at you. Instead of saying to yourself, "Whatever, it's fine, I don't care," simply acknowledge your feelings by saying, "I feel really sad and betrayed right now." Focus on the present. Reliving the moment and ruminating on what happened can prolong your pain. Instead of thinking, "I can't believe they laughed at me. I'm so embarrassed. It ruined my whole day and I hate that it ruined my day. They're such jerks," try to just acknowledge what you're feeling. Say, "Okay, I'm thinking about it again. It's making me feel sick to my stomach to think about it, and my face feels hot. But I'm on my way to guitar practice now, and I'm going to focus on my lesson and playing well. I'm bringing my attention to what is happening right now, not what happened this morning." Try not to judge yourself for feeling hurt or engage in negative self-talk. If you find your antagonizers more of an annoyance, you may decide to deal with them on your own. If they are impacting your ability to work or function, though, you may want to bring in an authority figure to help you deal.  If you are in school, speak with a teacher you trust. See if they would be willing to set up a meeting with you and your antagonizers after school and moderate the situation. A school counselor may also be of help. If an antagonizer is impacting your ability to do your job, let your supervisor know immediately and ask them for help.
Summary: Confront them. Find an ally. Find a professional. Laugh along with them. Address your feelings. Involve an authority figure.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: The base of the capo is the part that makes contact with the strings on your guitar. You have a few options for the base depending on what office supplies you have lying around. You can use a highlighter, pen, marker, or pencil.  The important thing to consider about the base of your capo is that it is long enough to cover the width of the fretboard. If you have a short pencil or another shorter base, test it by comparing its length to the width of the fretboard. You also have a few options with connecting the base of the capo to the guitar. The important part about the tying component is that it has enough pressure to hold the strings. You can either use a strong elastic band like a hair tie or rubber band, or you can use a piece of string.  If you use an elastic band, test it to make sure it is strong enough to hold the base against the strings. Test the elastic band by stretching the band. You don’t need to stretch it too far, but make sure it doesn’t break on an initial test. Tune up your guitar before attaching the capo. You can either tune to standard tuning (EADGBE) or tune to an alternative tuning. Use a chromatic tuner for the most effective tuning.

SUMMARY:
Get the base. Find a tying device. Set up your guitar.