INPUT ARTICLE: Article: For thicker slabs, which are between 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm), expect to pay about 1 USD more per square foot. And if you have your slab delivered by your supplier and the truck cannot reach the delivery space, you might have to pay for a pump truck at an additional cost. Buy concrete from home hardware stores or local independent concrete suppliers. For small slabs of concrete, use a piece of chalk to mark of the region that you need to cut. Either freehand the line or place a set square onto your slab and mark along the straight edge with your chalk. Stick with blue and white chalk—other colors are better suited for projects that take longer than 1 week. When you're cutting concrete that is already poured and finished, use a chalk line to mark the region. Get a friend to hold one end while you hold the other and run the line over the region to be cut. Lift the line simultaneously from each end and slap it to the ground. Alternatively, you can freehand a line using a piece of chalk—just be sure to make it as thick as possible.  Purchase chalk lines from home hardware stores. This simple tool is a reel of string that is coated with chalk and can be used to mark long, straight lines more accurately than free-handing. Use blue and white chalk if you want the lines to last about 1 week. For longer projects, use orange, yellow, or green for a 2 or 3-week lifespan, and red or black for a 2-month lifespan.

SUMMARY: Purchase concrete slabs as thick as 6 inches (15 cm). Mark off the region to be cut with a piece of chalk. Designate the area of finished concrete to be cut using chalk lines.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: These threats and punishments will target you emotionally, such as by withdrawing affection or making you feel insecure in the relationship. In most cases, the person will use manipulative statements to make you feel like something bad will happen if they don't get what they want. It may be blackmail if you feel like you have to do certain things to avoid their threats or punishments.  For example, they might say, “If you don’t want to move in together, that’s fine. I knew this relationship wasn’t going anywhere.” This statement might make you feel like you need to rush the relationship or risk losing them. They may say, “My family doesn’t see what I see in you and I’m tired of defending you. I guess there’s no point in you going to Christmas dinner with us since you don’t want to do big gifts.” They are trying to make you feel like you aren’t accepted so that you’ll do something, in this case, buy them presents, to gain acceptance. This usually comes in the form of physical threats, ranging from self-harm to cutting. When these threats are used to emotionally blackmail, the person is trying to force you to do what they want. While the threat is against them, it’s meant to hurt you.  Threatening self-harm alone doesn't mean a person is emotionally blackmailing. They may be reaching out for support. A blackmailer may say, “I need this vacation to feel better about myself! I guess if we can’t go on the cruise, I’ll just spend the week at home. Hopefully I don’t get too depressed and hurt myself.” In this case, they are trying to manipulate you into going on vacation. A blackmailer will accuse you of hurting them in some way, even though you haven't done anything. While it's important to recognize when you have made mistakes, be aware when someone is trying to use guilt against you. If your guilt is driving you to do things for them, they may be blackmailing you. For instance, they might use statements like “you never do what I want,” “you don’t care about my feelings,” or “my friends agree that you’re neglectful.” If you know these statements aren't true, don't let the person make you feel guilty. It's normal and appropriate to feel a certain responsibility toward family, friends, and your partner. However, your loved ones might try to make you feel a sense of duty when you shouldn’t so they can manipulate you. When this happens, the blackmailer tries to convince you to step into a role or take on a burden that isn't yours.  If you feel like you consistently need to go out of your way to help the person, it may be emotional blackmail. Similarly, they may be emotionally blackmailing you if they make you feel obligated to do things that really aren't your responsibility, such as babysitting their kids for free, paying their bills, or doing repairs around their home. However, an emotional blackmailer will make you feel obligated to do things that aren't your responsibility. Let’s say your little sister wants you to give her $2,000 to help pay for college. She might say, “It must have been nice starting college first when Mom and Dad didn’t have other kids in college. I wouldn’t know. I thought maybe you’d give me the money because you knew you had it better, but whatever.” She’s hoping you’ll feel it’s your duty to give her the cash, even though it’s really not. People who use emotional manipulation often blame others for the mistakes they’ve made. They hope blaming you will get them what they want. If you take on the blame, they can manipulate you. If you are doing things for them because you feel responsible for the difficulties they're facing, they may be emotionally blackmailing you. Let’s say your partner lost their job. They might say, “I got fired because you were always texting me,” “You made me late every morning because you hogged the shower,” or, “I told you I needed better work clothes, but you wouldn’t listen.” People who use emotional blackmail only care about themselves, so they’ll demand you tend to their needs. However, they’ll often ignore yours. This imbalance makes it easier to see they’re taking advantage of you. If the person consistently expects you to help them but refuses to reciprocate, they may be emotionally blackmailing you.  For example, they may expect you to listen to them vent about work issues, but they might cut you off when you try to vent. Similarly, they may expect you to drop what you’re doing to help them, but make excuses when you need help. Another example of someone putting their needs before yours is self-deprecation. For example, if you share an accomplishment, they may talk about how they could never do anything similar so attention is refocused on them. Listen for when someone tells you how another person does something, such as if your mother says something like, “He calls his mom every week. He must really love her.” In this instance, she’s pointing out another person’s behavior because she wishes you would do the same thing.

SUMMARY: Watch for threats or punishments if you don’t do what they want. Notice if they threaten themselves to get what they want. Observe when someone’s trying to make you feel guilty for no reason. Notice when they’re making you feel a sense of duty. Be aware of blaming behavior. Realize when someone puts their needs before yours.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: To make a pyramid, you need to start with a paper that has equal dimensions in length and width. The thicker the paper, the more durable the pyramid, but if you go too thick, the pyramid will be difficult to fold. Good paper choices include:  Origami paper Construction paper Cardstock

SUMMARY:
Find a square piece of paper.