INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Treatment depends on the type of ovarian cyst. Most often, the first course of action is to wait. Functional cysts often disappear on their own within a few cycles. The cysts may be monitored by ultrasounds every one to three cycles to determine if the cysts are getting smaller or not. Pain relievers can help alleviate ovarian pain connected to cysts. Acetaminophen, like Tylenol, NSAIDs, like Aleve or Advil, and aspirin, like Bayer, can help. Your physician may prescribe oral contraceptives to control and prevent some forms of ovarian cysts. Oral contraceptives are useful in both preventing and sometimes treating ovarian cysts. If you are using the oral contraceptives for birth control, you will probably be put on a regular dose. If the oral contraceptives are being used only to treat the cysts, the dose will be the lowest possible for the shortest period of time. Taking birth control pills decreases the risk of some types of ovarian cysts, but carry their own risks. These include an increased risk of cancer of the breast, cervix, and liver, heart disease, and stroke. Surgery to treat ovarian cysts is very rare. However, if your cyst looks large, is recurrent, or there are multiple cysts, your doctor may suggest that they be surgically removed. Your doctor may also consider removing the cyst if it causes a lot of pain or other problems. This treatment option needs to be discussed with your doctor.

SUMMARY: Wait patiently. Use over-the-counter pain relievers. Take oral contraceptives. Consider surgery.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Before you start writing, think about the audience you are addressing. Are you addressing the entire student body? Just one grade? A classroom?  So, if you’re talking to one classroom, don’t only talk to the classroom about a general problem the school has. Talk to the classroom about how that general problem affects them and how you can change it. For example, don’t say: “The breaks in between homeroom and first period aren’t long enough.” Say: “Everybody in homeroom has gotten at least one demerit for being late to first period.  We can’t get all the way from North Campus to South Campus in time. Elect me as homeroom representative, and I won’t let the administration forget it.” All writing has a beginning, middle and end.  Outlining your thoughts first will help you stay on track as you write the speech. The beginning needs to catch people’s attention and raise the questions you’re going to answer. The middle needs to provide the answers, and the end connects the answers back to the questions. In very simple terms: You tell them what you’re going to tell them. Then, you tell them. Then you tell them what you told them. Open your campaign speech with your theme, or main idea. You don’t stand anything to gain by beating around the bush, because people naturally want to pay attention to themselves. You have to convince them to listen to you. For example:  Don’t say: “My name is Joe Blow, and I’m running for City Council. I’m a member of…” Instead, get right to it. Say: “Not a single person in this city thinks the parking situation on Main St. is adequate. No one.” There's a lot of ways to get this done. You can use a story, a challenge, a joke, or just vividly describe a problem. You just need to get the audience's attention quickly. Earn their attention, don't expect it to come to you. Once you’ve got their attention, don’t let go.  The middle of your speech needs to explain the issues you raised in the introduction and convince people that you can do something about them, but you need to vary the way you tackle the issues. You want to have a good mix of facts, feelings, and action. If you only talk facts, your audience will get bored. Only talk feelings, and you’ll wear them out. Only talk action, and it invites disbelief, because you haven’t offered enough factual and emotional support for your argument. The conclusion is just as important as the introduction.  It's the last chance you have to leave an impression, so make sure they remember you by raising the stakes.  To continue with the parking example, don’t end your speech talking about the width and number of parking spaces on Main St. Make it bigger than that—something that makes them feel weaker for not supporting you and stronger for supporting you. “This isn’t just about parking spaces. The parking situation is just a symptom of everything that’s wrong with the Council in this city. We’ve  asked. We’ve begged. We’ve done all we could. Now we have to send a message that they can’t just ignore us.” With this kind of appeal, you put the listener in a position where they are either a person who votes for you or a person who lets themselves be ignored. Most people will take the first choice.

SUMMARY: Tailor your message to your audience in specific ways. Outline your speech. Make your point quickly. Support your theme. Raise the stakes at the end.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: You need to research where you are going, the flight times and prices for airlines, and which documents you need to take with you. Plan out your itinerary carefully. Some cities, like London or Paris, really need a week to see what they have to offer. Travel times also need to be taken into consideration. Traveling by train can take longer than traveling by car. Fodor's, Rick Steves, and the Michelin guides are all excellent places to start. Make sure you have the most up-to-date guide book for the area of the world you intend to visit. Some are updated every year. Others are updated every other year, or every few years. A good guidebook is a $15-20 investment that can save a lot of headache. Don't be afraid to rip it up and staple together only the pieces you need. A well-kept guidebook might make a nice souvenir, but it may not be worth the extra weight of carrying around information that you don't need. Before going on the trip, research what is and is not acceptable in your destination. When you arrive, observe how others act in person. Remember: some things are okay for locals to do, but not for tourists to do. This is just polite. Even if you struggle with it, the locals will appreciate that you've at least tried their language instead of rudely asking "Do you speak English?" (Or whatever your native tongue happens to be.) If you use the native language to ask for something, expect the reply to be in that language and at normal conversational speed – which is going to be faster than the audio lessons you learned. This is not to say that you shouldn't learn some basic greetings and questions. You should, however, be ready for the responses. Memorize it and note each of the places you will be visiting. Keep your map safe and dry. If you have access to a laptop or a smartphone (with data), you may not expressly need a physical map – but it is still usually smart to carry one as a backup. Examples include the "dropped ring" scam, the "fake petition," and friendship bracelets tied on your wrist by aggressive vendors. Also be aware of other common crimes, especially pickpocketing. TSA approved travel locks and money belts are both helpful, especially in areas where pickpocketing is extremely common.  The infamous #64 bus in Rome, for instance, is popular with pickpockets because it's the only bus in Rome that hits all of the popular tourist destinations. It's usually packed with tourists, and thick with thieves. Know what each local coin and bill is worth. For example, in Panama, everything is tied to the US dollar, so money comes in the same size, denomination, and material. In the UK, you'll find 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p, 50p,  £1, and £2 coins, as well as 5, 10, 20, and 50 pound notes. By knowing your denominations and specifying how much you are handing over, you can help avoid another common scam: intentionally incorrect change.

SUMMARY:
Do your research. Get a good guidebook. Understand the basic customs of the area. Learn some basic phrases of the country you are going to. Get a reliable map of the area you are going to. Be aware of common scams in your destination.