Summarize the following:
To make your own pH indicator, you will need half a head of red cabbage, a knife, water, a stove, and a medium saucepan. Red cabbage contains a chemical called anthocyanin that changes color based on acidity. By boiling the cabbage, you can make a pH indicator from this chemical and test the acidity of your rain. Adult supervision is recommended for this because you will need to handle a hot stove and a sharp knife. . You want about 2-3 cups of red cabbage cut into small pieces. If you are young, have an adult help you with this step to avoid potential injury. The exact amount of cabbage is not important, so just cut up half of the head of cabbage. Place the chopped cabbage into the saucepan and add enough water to cover the cabbage. Put the saucepan on the stove and bring the water to a full boil. Once the solution boils, turn the heat off and let the water cool to room temperature.  Have a parent help with this step to avoid injury when using the stove and working with boiling water. You should notice that the water is now purple. Pour the cabbage and water mixture through a strainer into a bowl. The purple water (the indicator) is currently neutral because the water from your tap is neutral. In the presence of an acid, the indicator turns pink. In the presence of a base, the indicator turns blue. You can refrigerate the solution until you need it. To make sure the indicator is working properly, you can test it using baking soda and vinegar. Put 1 teaspoon (~5 mL) of the cabbage water into two small, clear glasses. Add a teaspoon of vinegar to one glass and a teaspoon of baking soda to the other.  Vinegar is acidic, so the water will turn pink. Baking soda is basic, so the water will turn blue. Collect some rainwater in a clean, plastic container. Pour 1 teaspoon of cabbage water into a small, clean glass. Add a teaspoon (~5 mL) of the collected rainwater to the cabbage water. The water should turn pink because all rain is slightly acidic. The deeper the pink, the higher the acidity in your area. This method will not tell you the exact pH of the rain, but will give you an idea of how acidic it is. If you are traveling, you can compare rain from different areas such as different cities, state or province, or even countries and see if the deepness of the pink changes.

summary: Gather the necessary materials. Chop up some cabbage Boil the cabbage. Strain out the cabbage and save the water. Test the indicator. Test the acidity of your rain.


Summarize the following:
Self-knowledge is an important key towards making your life good, and the only way to acquire self-knowledge is to practice honesty. It may be easier for you to acknowledge your character strengths, or it may be easier for you to admit your character defects. Either way, it will be essential for you to understand both if you are to live well within yourself.  When something is going wrong, look to your part. Avoid shifting the blame to others. Other people won't like it, and you won't learn anything. Talk to people you trust about your situation. Many times, a good friend will have insights into your motives that you yourself cannot discern. What do you want from your life? What are you doing to achieve what you want?   Make a list of qualities you would like to emulate in your life. Then, make a list of ways you can practice using these qualities in your daily life. Aristotle wrote, "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not a virtue, but a habit."If you want to be a kind person, do kind things. Learning to be honest about what you want is a difficult practice. Many people prevent themselves from having a good life by overemphasizing the things that they want but don't feel they can have because of other life circumstances - such as finances, family obligations, economic pressures, etc. This only perpetuates the myth that the person is a victim, a belief that is corrosive to happiness at all levels. If you don't know the big things of what you want out of life, start with smaller choices. Developing a sense of control and power over what you have in your life is essential to having a good life. Knowing the situations that you're afraid of will allow you to better see how these fears are constraining your life in ways that may not be immediately apparent. For instance, a fear of being called stupid may mean that you're not speaking up for yourself in your workplace, thus not being considered for a promotion.   Seeing your fears in writing will sometimes help you realize how useless it is to worry about things that aren't within your control. Sometimes a fear will be based in circumstances that are no longer present. Many people develop fears in childhood, when much was beyond their conscious control. But as an adult, the person has more autonomy and more power over their choices. By becoming more aware of the fears that drive your behavior, you can make more conscious decisions about the actions you take. No one is perfect. We all have short-comings, we all make mistakes and do things we'd rather not do. Mark Twain said, "A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval." A good life isn't a result of making perfect choices, but of accepting the reality of who we are, including our limitations.  Self-acceptance is a discipline of honesty. It means that the person isn't denying their actions or inactions, or their consequences.  Self-acceptance is a practice of self-care. Much like any other expression of self-care, accepting yourself is a practice that must be consciously learned, and relearned as your characteristics change over time. To focus on the present, a practice sometimes called mindfulness, is a discipline that research studies have proven directly increase one's quality of life.  Notice when you are worried about the future, or regretting the past. Turn your attention to your breath. Count 10 breaths. Even as simple an exercise in mindfulness as this one can start to show positive effects in your life, when practiced over time. Cultivate daily habits, rather than setting distant goals. For instance, include exercise every day, rather than deciding to complete a triathlon in a month's time. Rather than deciding to lose 20 pounds, make a decision to eat healthily today. If you do decide to set a goal, break it down into manageable daily decisions.
summary: Practice honesty within yourself. Examine your desires. List your fears. Cultivate self-acceptance. Practice mindfulness.