Article: Contact federal officials such as your United States Senator or member of Congress if you have an opinion on a national issue, such as Social Security, Medicare or defense. Get in touch with state and local officials for questions or problems specific to your region, or to share concerns about the local legislation. Most states have an assembly or a legislature as well as a state senate. You can also appeal directly to the governor, mayor, and city or town council. For example, if you are a farmer with an interest in promoting your organic farm, contact the U.S. Department of Agriculture rather than the president or your senator. This can be found online, by searching sites such as USA.gov and Congress.org, in your local printed directories and in government buildings such as post offices and libraries. Your U.S. Senator and member of Congress will have a local office as well as an office address in Washington, D.C. Be sure to sign your name and include your contact information. The government official you are contacting might need to get in touch with you for more information or to offer you assistance. Keep your letter brief, on point and professional. Rambling letters that go on for pages and pages are less likely to be taken seriously than succinct, well-written correspondence.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Determine which government officials to contact. Work with federal, state and local agencies as well as elected officials. Locate the appropriate contact information. Find the address you will use to send a letter. Write a letter outlining the help you need or your opinion on a particular issue. Mail the letter to the correct address with the right amount of postage.
Article: Taking an active role in your child's education can be very beneficial in helping her succeed. One of the most important things you can do is to pay attention to what she is learning in school. Keep track of what subjects she is studying and monitor the assignments she is working on.  Younger children tend to bring home projects, worksheets, and information from the teacher. If your child is in elementary school, ask her to go through her backpack with you each afternoon or evening. Take time to ask what she is working on. Ask her to explain each of the items she brings home, and show a genuine interest. If your child is older, ask about individual classes. Instead of saying, "How was school?", try saying, "What experiments did you work on in Chemistry today?" There are many ways to become more actively involved in your child's education. One of the most effective is to actually spend time at the school. Ask your child's teacher or principal for a list of volunteer opportunities available for parents.  In many elementary schools, parents are regularly utilized as classroom volunteers. Sign up to spend a morning helping with an art project. If your child is in middle school or high school, volunteer to chaperone a field trip. Serving as an additional supervisor on a visit to the state capital is a great way to interact with your child, her classmates, and teachers. You can also volunteer in other ways. Think about your own talents. For example, if you are a skilled seamstress, offer to help make costumes for the school play. Consider volunteering to be the parent adviser for an after school club. Maybe your child is interested in playing chess, and wants to recruit other kids to join in. Talk to the school about organizing a new club. Offer to give a presentation to your child's class. Many schools have a career day, which would be a great opportunity for you to teach your child and her classmates about your job. Your child's teacher obviously plays an important role in your child's education. At the beginning of each school year, contact the teacher and establish an open line of communication. Let her know you are interested in any feedback or comments she has to offer.  You can stop by the classroom before or after school to introduce yourself. Just say, "Hi, I'm Angie's mom, and I wanted to introduce myself. Please feel free to contact me if you feel there is anything about Angie that I should know." You can also send an introductory note or e-mail at the beginning of the year. You should also contact the teacher throughout the year if you have any specific concerns. Make parent-teacher conferences a priority. Most schools have regularly scheduled meetings between parents and teachers. Put these occasions on your calendar well in advance so that you have time to attend. Try to respect boundaries. Schedule an appointment with your child's teacher during regular business hours instead of phoning her at home late at night. Sitting in on a lesson or two is a great way to get a clear idea of what your child is learning. Ask the school if they allow parent visitors during classes. Contact the principal's office to learn the specific guidelines.  Make sure that the teacher is aware that you will be visiting. Send an e-mail or note ahead of your visit, stating that you are looking forward to watching your child learn. Follow-up with your child after the visit. Over dinner, ask specific questions, such as, "How long have you been reading that book? Who is your favorite character?" If you get to know the other parents at school, you will likely feel more motivated to get involved in the culture. A great way to meet other parents is to join the Parent Teacher Organization or Association. Attend meetings regularly to get to know other parents and learn about issues affecting your child's education.  Talk to other parents about what your kids are learning. If you have concerns about anything that is happening at the school, it will be useful to have another viewpoint. The Parent Teacher Organization will usually sponsor many events and projects throughout the year. For example, they might raise funds for a new computer lab. Joining this organization is a great way to work with others to improve the school.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Monitor schoolwork. Volunteer your time. Communicate with the teacher. Visit the classroom. Talk to other parents.
Article: You should place your mirrors so that they reflect nature. This is believed to bring positive chi inside your home. You can reflect the plants and trees in your front or backyard with mirrors to increase this chi. For example, if you have a large picture window in your living room that provides a view of the trees and plants in your front yard, place a mirror on the opposite wall to reflect that view. Using mirrors to reflect light from other areas of your home is believed to be good for your home's feng shui. Reflecting light in dark hallways is believed to be especially good for your home's chi. For example, you could hang a mirror near a window to reflect sunlight into a dark room or hallway. It is believed that reflecting doorways in a mirror sends good chi back out. Avoid reflecting doorways to keep your good chi in your home. There are other miscellaneous surfaces and items you should avoid reflecting in your mirrors. This includes your bed, any flames, another mirror, or sharp corners in your home or furniture.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Amplify the outdoors with mirrors. Add light with mirrors. Avoid reflecting doors. Avoid reflecting certain surfaces and items.