Problem: Write an article based on this summary: Choose a date for the tournament by process of elimination. Find sponsors for the event. Hire referees to officiate the games. Ask for volunteers to help with scorekeeping. Decide whether or not you want to charge an entrance fee. Set the registration deadline 1-2 weeks before the event. Add divisions if you’ll be hosting a wide variety of teams. Create brackets for the tournament to follow. Make a schedule based on the brackets.

Answer: Tournaments are generally planned around weekends, so look at the yearly calendar and pick several weekends that could work. As you call venues and equipment rental companies, use the process of elimination to decide which option will be the most convenient and have the most availability. Avoid planning a tournament on holidays, 3-day weekends, and times when bad weather could be a problem. Approach some local businesses and the town Visitor’s Board and ask them if they’re interested in donating money or prizes for the winning teams in return for advertising. Oftentimes, Visitor’s Boards will donate at least $1,000 for larger tournaments that will draw in people from out of town. You’ll need 2 qualified referees to officiate each game. To make this process easier, you can delegate this job and hire a head official to gather and coordinate a team of referees. If the tournament is an informal event with a lower budget, you can also ask each team to provide their own referees. You’ll need to teach the volunteers how to keep score prior to the tournament, so you may want to meet up with them ahead of time. They’ll need to learn how to keep track of points, sub players in and out, and track libero players. You should also show them how to use the scorekeeping device they’ll be using, whether a flipboard or an electronic system. If you need help covering the cost of the venue and equipment, you may need to charge a fee to break even. You could also make the tournament based around a charity and donate the collected fees to a specific cause. You could charge the teams for entrance, or the spectators a small admission fee, or both. This way, you’ll have all the information you’ll need to create divisions. Make sure that the coaches and teams know about the deadline. If they’ve expressed interest but haven’t signed up yet, send regular reminders up until the cut-off date. To keep the competition fair and fun, it’s important to put similar teams together. If your tournament is open to the community, you’ll probably need to create some divisions based on the teams who will be participating. Look at the age, gender, and experience of all of the teams to decide how you’ll group them.  For example, it wouldn’t be fair to put a middle school team against a team in their 30s. If there’s a wide age range among the teams, you may want to create age divisions such as middle school, high school, and adult teams. If there are co-ed and single-sex teams, you may want to create divisions for those teams as well.  If you’re hosting a specific tournament, such as a high school girls’ team event, then you likely won’t need divisions. Choose between single or double elimination and use a bracket template or generator to easily create the order of the games. Single elimination means that if a team loses 1 game, they’re out of the tournament. Double elimination is a tournament style that lets teams lose 2 games before they’re eliminated, giving them more playing time.  For several bracket options, enter the number of teams playing on https://www.printyourbrackets.com/volleyballbrackets.html. For informal, day-long tournaments, you could just use a round-robin format. Round-robin play lets all of the teams play each other, as opposed to an elimination-style tournament. Note the location and time of each game, as well as who will be playing in each game. This information is crucial for teams and spectators to refer to during the tournament, so make it easily accessible. Print extra copies to post and have available during the tournament.


Problem: Write an article based on this summary: Place 1 cup (240 mL) of distilled white vinegar in the top rack of the dishwasher. Run the dishwasher for a full cycle. Sprinkle a cup of baking soda over the bottom of the dishwasher. Run an additional cycle.

Answer: Despite its own smell, the acid in vinegar is one of the most potent smell-removing agents. Additionally, as it dries the smell of vinegar dissipates quickly.  Make sure the dishwasher is empty when you attempt to clean it in this way. If you don't like the smell of vinegar, add a few drops of an essential oil to the vinegar. The vinegar will be blasted all over the interior of the dishwasher, and that is precisely the intention. The acids in the vinegar will help break down any residues that remain in the interior of your dishwasher. Baking soda is another well-known odor neutralizer, and following the vinegar shower with a rinse of baking soda has become a popular (and organically approved) solution to cleaning and smell-removal problems. This time the dishwasher should be run one of the shortest cycles available, and in order to dissolve all of the baking soda the water should be the hottest it can be. After this, the dishwasher should be clean and fresh smelling.


Problem: Write an article based on this summary: Assess your situation. Put fear in its place. Talk to your peers. Talk to your supervisor.

Answer: Is there a legitimate reason that you feel like you may be fired?  Look for evidence at the office that may suggest your job is in peril.  If you can’t find any, then it’s likely that your fears are all in your head and you have nothing to worry about.  Some signs that your employer might be preparing to let you go include:  Your workload subsides. There’s new management that wants to take the company in a new direction. Your manager is suddenly avoiding you. You’re no longer asked to attend important meetings. Your boss is hyper-critical of your work. If you can’t find any concrete proof that your job is at risk, try to find the source of your fears.  Your fears may be the result of past personal experiences.  Identifying the cause of irrational fear can be the first step in mitigating it.  Were you blindsided when you were let go from a former employer without notice? Did you watch a friend or family member go through a painful time after losing a job? Do you see being fired as a poor evaluation of your self-worth? If you feel like your fear of being fired is reasonable, see how your co-workers feel about their own job security.  You may be surprised to find out that many of them have the same worries you do.  Some employers do use the fear of being fired in a misguided attempt to keep their employees in line.  If you feel like your company is manipulating you, you may want to start searching for a new place to work. Don’t complain to your co-workers.  It could get back to your boss. Politely ask your boss for a private meeting to discuss your concerns.  Let your boss know that you care about your position and want to perform your duties to the best of your ability.  Your boss will likely be impressed by your initiative and may be able to put your mind at ease.  Offer to take on extra projects that could lighten your boss’ work load. Realize the treatment from your boss is rarely personal.  Your boss is likely focused on the big picture of your company growth rather than your performance. Bring in a list of your accomplishments at work.


Problem: Write an article based on this summary: Recruit volunteers. Ask for donations. Make a master list of the value of all the items. Put a number on each item. Make a list of supplies you think you’ll need and go shopping. Print bidding sheets. Start setting up early. Lay out all the items and the bid sheets so people can see them. Secure the bid sheets.

Answer:
A contact list, especially an email list, is handy for this. You will need:  volunteers to help set up; volunteers to monitor and close tables at the appointed time and make sure minimum bid and minimum increase requirements were met; a “bank” crew to organize bid sheets (especially of multiple winners) and collect money from winning bids; and a clean up crew. Select volunteers willing to be officials. These people will need to know the rules of the silent auction and who to go to for questions they can’t answer. During the event they will wear something—hat, vests, jackets, or sashes—that designates them as officials. To make money for your charity, you'll need items or services to sell at the silent auction. Many businesses and even individuals within your community will likely be happy to help, if you tell them what the purpose of the auction is and who will benefit from it. Don't forget to ask for services as well as tangible goods. Perhaps a local salon will donate a haircut and/or style, or a local golf course could offer a round of golf with a trainer. If you are going to do this again next year, it is nice to have the same people go to the same businesses each year. Include space on your master list to write who donated the item, the value of it, the donor's contact information, who won the item, their phone number, and how much they paid. This way you can make sure they get their items and you know how much money you made. When making a master list, consider using a computerized program such as Excel. Another volunteer might be willing to input the information. If so, make columns for donor name, address, and phone number, item number, item description, and value. Use small blank stickers or labels available at general stores and office supply businesses. If you have more than a few items and if any of them are similar, it makes keeping track much easier. Put the same number next to the item on your master list. Put the item number on the bid sheet as well, so bidders can match the bid sheet to the item. You'll need clipboards, paper, and pens at minimum.  Also purchase some whiteout tape, extra bid sheets, and an extra roll of tape to tape your bid sheets down, if you aren't using clipboards.  Try to buy supplies at a warehouse store with a generous return policy. If the store requires a membership, keep that in mind when sending someone on a run for last-minute supplies. And make sure that person has a cell phone and that a key person at the event has that number. After they have left for a supplies run, you’ll surely find something else that needs to be picked up. If you don't already have one, you'll also need a secure cash box. If you plan to take credit cards (which is a very good idea), get a card reader. Services such as Square offer readers that attach to tablets and smartphones. Write the name of the item, a short description of the item, how much it is worth, and who donated it. Include a minimum bid (generally 40% of the retail value) and minimum bid increase increments. (One rule of thumb for minimum increase: $1 for items up to $50, $2 for $50-$100, $5 for items over $100). Make sure there is space for the bidder’s name, phone number, and the amount they bid.  If you like, Add a "Buy it Now" price to each bid sheet in case someone wants to leave before the end of the auction. Have a volunteer make up certificates for services. If the donated service didn't come with a gift certificate, you can print up your own. You can also use your own certificates for gift certificates with small print that are hard to read. Try to set up a day before the event. You’ll need extra time not only to set up but to allow for any mistakes. If you can, set up a day or two before the auction so you don't have to stress about it. Consider designating someone who is willing to go to the store to buy forgotten items. If you have a lot of items you may have to be pretty creative. For example, some things might be better hung on walls or placed on display easels. Don't worry if the bid sheet isn't right next to the item. Just make it close. That's what the numbers are for. It's easy for bid sheets to get blown or knocked around. The best way to secure them is to clip each bid sheet to a clipboard, with an attached pen. This is an easy and convenient setup. You can also use painter's tape to secure the bid sheets.