If your parking brake is stuck due to rust, you may be able to dislodge some the of rust and free the brake. Sit inside the vehicle and pump the brakes 10 times. Be sure to push the brake pedal down as far as it will go and let it release all the way before applying pressure again. Engaging the transmission can sometimes help free a stuck parking brake. Keep 1 foot on the brake pedal and shift from drive to reverse. Then, shift from reverse back to drive and repeat the sequence 3 times. When you’re done, put the vehicle in park (for an automatic transmission) or neutral (for a manual transmission). Use the lever to disengage the parking brake. If it doesn’t work on the first try, you can keep trying up to 10 times. If the parking brake is still stuck, the cable may need to be replaced. Speak to a certified mechanic for an official diagnosis.
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One-sentence summary -- Pump the brakes 10 times. Shift the car from drive to reverse 3 times. Try to release the parking brake.


People that put others down may do it for several reasons. It is not always on purpose and may not always be meant to hurt you. Understanding what the person's motive is can help you determine how to deal with her.  Some people do it because they are insecure or jealous. They are trying to feel better about themselves by putting you down.  Some do it because they are trying to impress someone or get attention. For example, the coworker that criticizes your work in front of the supervisor. Others don't realize they are doing it or just don't communicate well. For example, the grandmother that says, “That's a nice shirt. It covers your stomach well.” Sometimes people aren't really trying to be mean or hurt your feelings. They may just consider it harmless teasing. For example, a friend that calls you "short stuff". Some comments are just annoying and you can ignore them. Other comments are truly mean and hurtful and should be addressed. Deciding where that line is for you will help you determine how to address the situation.  For example, when your brother puts you down it may be annoying. But you know he probably doesn't mean it and isn't actually trying to hurt your feelings.  You may not even want to address it with him unless it gets way out of hand. But, a co-worker that always makes rude remarks to you that are upsetting will probably need to be addressed. If the insults are discriminatory or happen a lot, the person is crossing the line and should be reported. People that don't know you  well, but put you down are probably doing it for a bad reason (or they could just be annoying). Don't cause a scene, but do let them know that it's not okay.  If possible, have the conversation in private. This cuts down her need to "put on a show" for other people and maintains the respect of both of you. You might say, “During the discussion you made some harsh comments about my idea. I appreciate constructive feedback, but not insults. Please don't do that again.” If she starts putting you down while you are trying to talk to her about it, then end the conversation. If the behavior continues or gets worse, you may need to report it. Although it may start as harmless teasing, sometimes it can go too far and you need to tell the person to cut it out. Don't laugh as you tell her to stop or throw in an insult of your own. She won't take you seriously and the put-downs will continue. Be assertive, using a calm, clear voice when you tell her to stop.  For example, “Hahaha. Cut it out, Dumbo ears” is not a good way to tell your sister to stop putting you down. Look her in the eyes and in a calm, serious voice try saying, “Ok. That's enough. I know you think it's funny, but it really bothers me, so I'm asking you to stop.” If she doesn't immediately stop, tell her, “I was serious when I asked you to stop,” and then leave. She will most likely come after you and apologize. Sometimes those closest to us don't know when we are serious. Sometimes parents, teachers, or supervisors put us down, often without knowing it. Let these people know that their put-downs bother you and that you want them to stop. This makes the person aware of what he is doing and how you feel about it. It is also an important step in dealing with the situation long-term.  Check with your Human Resources Department at work and see what they suggest on how to handle put-downs from superiors. Talk to him one-on-one, if you are comfortable doing so. It will make the conversation less awkward for both of you. Try saying, “When you call my work silly, it really bothers me.” Or, “I know I don't always get everything done, but please don't call me lazy. It hurts my feelings.” Tell another adult you trust or the HR department if you aren't comfortable talking to him one-on-one or if you feel he is putting you down on purpose.
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One-sentence summary -- Understand why the person does it. Draw a line. Talk to co-workers and peers. Be assertive with friends and siblings. Be respectful with superiors.


The towel you use will probably get stained, so choose an old towel you do not mind damaging. Place the towel underneath the fabric you're cleaning on a flat surface, like a counter. Make sure the towel is thick enough to absorb excess moisture. If you have an extra unused toothbrush, use this. You can also purchase a cheap toothbrush at a drug store. Get the toothbrush completely saturated in Murphy's oil. This method works best with a very wet toothbrush. Rub the toothbrush into the stain, adding new Murphy's oil as necessary. Move the towel underneath as needed to absorb excess liquid. Rub the stain until suds appear and then keep rubbing until the stain is mostly faded. Take a rag or sponge and douse it in some water and mild dishwashing soap. Rub the rag or sponge over the stain until it comes out completely. Take a clean sponge and saturate it with clean water. Rub the sponge into the clothing to remove the Murphy's oil and dish soap. Keep rubbing the sponge on the fabric until the water from the sponge runs clear. Once the stain is removed and you've rinsed out the garment, you can launder the garment as you usually would. When it comes out of the wash, the stain should be completely gone.
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One-sentence summary -- Place an absorbent towel under the fabric. Dip a toothbrush in Murphy's oil. Rub out the stain. Remove the remaining stain with dishwashing soap. Rinse the clothing with clean water. Place the clothing in the laundry machine.


You may have thought of a better way to split up responsibilities, but don't just nod your head in agreement and then keep on doing it the old way. If the organizational structure follows some standard , then get to know the standard. There's never going to be enough staff, time, money, space, technology, etc. for the workload. Understand how your boss has decided to mix and match these resources. Here's an example of where the team offloads work from the boss. Don't expect the boss to be equally effective in all phases of a project, all processes, all skills. Consider any project plan to be a framework and fill in the empty areas. If there are already metrics in place, use them and study the results. Yes, you can learn from disasters, but you'll need metrics to gradually improve your processes when you've eliminated disasters. If the team doesn't already have metrics, then invent your own and measure yourself. Create a metric, gather and analyze the data and study the results. Once the metric has served its purpose, turn to another area to improve - drop the first metric and start another. After the completion of every project have a debriefing of what went right and what could be improved. This would normally be the responsibility of a manager to set this up, but the team is perfectly capable of doing this on their own.
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One-sentence summary --
Be clear about the organization structure, goals and your responsibilities. Understand the trade offs and balance among resources. Collaborate with other team members to complete project plans. Measure your performance. Make sure the team learns from its experiences.