Problem: Article: Turn your oven on to 450 F (232 C) and let it preheat while you prepare the biscuits. Place about 2 tablespoons (30 g) of butter into a glass bowl. Place the bowl on top of the oven so the butter will warm and melt over the heat from the oven.  Use a glass or metal bowl for the butter, as this will conduct heat better and allow the butter to melt. Also, a plastic bowl might melt from the heat of the oven. Melt the butter in the microwave or in a pot on the stove if your oven top doesn't get hot enough to melt it. Position a large sifter over a large mixing bowl. Measure the sugar, self-rising flour, and baking powder, and pour them into the large sifter. Tap the side of the sifter with your hand to sift the dry ingredients into the bowl. This will remove lumps and help incorporate the three ingredients. To make your own self-rising flour, combine 5 cups (625 g) of all-purpose flour, 7½ teaspoons (30 g) of baking powder, and 1¼ teaspoons (7.5 g) of salt. Add the shortening to the bowl with the dry ingredients. With your fingers, rub the shortening into the flour. Continue mixing the ingredients together in this way until the dough takes on the texture of large crumbs. For a richer and flakier biscuit, you can use lard instead of vegetable shortening. With your hand, make a well in the center of the dough. Pour the cold buttermilk and water into the well. Use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to combine the wet and dry ingredients. Stop as soon as the dough starts to come together. The biscuit dough will be sticky, but resist the urge to keep stirring. Overmixing will develop the gluten and make for dense and chewy biscuits. Turn the dough out onto a floured countertop or flat surface. Sprinkle some flour on top of the dough. Flatten the dough into a circle with your hands. Fold the left side of the dough into the center, and then the right side of the dough on top of that. Starting from the top, roll the dough into a pinwheel and shape it into a ball.  Flatten out the dough with your hands and repeat these same folding steps a second time.  Folding the dough in this way will fully incorporate all the ingredients without overmixing the dough. Avoid kneading, which can also develop the gluten. Roll the dough out with the rolling pin. Continue rolling until you have a one-inch (2.5-cm) thick circle. Make sure the dough is an even thickness, otherwise your biscuits will be different sizes. Add more flour to the rolling pin and counter to prevent sticking. Use a floured 2-inch (5-cm) round cookie cutter to punch out as many biscuits as possible. When you can't get any more biscuits, collect the dough scraps. Shape them into a ball and roll out the leftover dough. Cut out as many biscuits as you can. Repeat until there's no longer enough dough for more biscuits. Transfer the biscuits to the baking sheet. Position them side by side so they're all just touching. Take your pastry brush and brush the tops of the biscuits with the melted butter that's been warming on the oven. Brushing the tops with butter will add a bit of a salty kick to the biscuits, and help them become a nice golden brown when they bake. Transfer the biscuits to the oven and bake them for 10 to 15 minutes. The biscuits are ready when they turn a light golden brown color. When they're done, remove them from the oven. Set the baking sheet aside and let the biscuits cool for a few minutes. When the biscuits are cool enough to handle, transfer them to a wire cooling rack. Set them aside until they're cool enough to eat, about 30 minutes. Serve the biscuits plain, buttered, with jam or cream, or with cheese, meat, gravy, or any other topping you like.
Summary: Preheat your oven and melt the butter. Sift together the dry ingredients. Rub in the shortening. Add the buttermilk and water. Fold the dough. Roll the dough. Cut the dough. Brush the tops with butter. Bake the biscuits. Cool the biscuits before serving.

In one sentence, describe what the following article is about: This is a good trick to perform in front of a crowd, since you'll need three volunteers to do it correctly. Be sure to get exactly three; the trick won't resonate as well with two, and it simply won't work with four. It's best to choose people you don't know well, so the audience won't think you planned the trick together before the show. This part of the trick is very important. Take a sheet of paper and tear it into thirds. Give the first third, which will have one straight side and one jagged side, to the first person. Give the second piece, which will have two jagged sides, to the second person. Give the third piece, which will also have one straight side and one jagged side, to the third person.  This trick can't be conducted properly unless you rip one piece of paper into thirds, so make sure you prepare for it by having a large sheet of paper on hand. Pay attention to the person who has the piece that is ripped on both sides. This piece of paper is the key to the trick. The first person should write down the name of a person who is alive. The second person (with the double-ripped paper) should write down the name of a person who is dead. The third person should write down the name of a person who is alive. Make a show of leaving the room or turning your back while the volunteers write the names on their slips of paper. Without your touching them, the volunteers should place their slips of paper in a hat or box. Tell the volunteers to concentrate hard on the name they wrote down. Hold the hat or box above your head, or have someone else hold it, so it's clear that you can't see inside. Tell the audience that you already know what the name of the dead person is, and look knowingly at the volunteer who wrote it down, as though you're reading his or her mind. Finally, put your hand in the hat and feel around for the slip of paper that has two rough edges. Draw it out with a flourish and read the name to everyone's amazement.
Summary:
Ask for three volunteers. Give each volunteer a slip of paper. Tell each person to write down a name. Announce that you will draw the name of the dead person. Draw the name.