Problem: Write an article based on this summary: Get antibiotic treatment for bacterial infections. Take it easy if you have a viral infection. Seek immediate medical care for chronic or fungal meningitis. Ask your doctor about prophylactic medicine if you’re around sick people.

Answer: If your meningitis is caused by bacteria, your doctor will start you on antibiotics. Often, you will stay in the hospital and antibiotics will be given by IV. Oral antibiotics may not be strong enough or fast-acting enough to treat bacterial meningitis appropriately.  Your doctor may start you on “broad-spectrum” antibiotics immediately, even while waiting to see what bacteria grows from your spinal tap. These are antibiotics that fight a wide range of bacteria. Then once results return, your antibiotics may be changed to specifically target the appropriate bacteria causing your illness. You may also get treated with corticosteroids to minimize the chance of complications like seizures and brain swelling. Most cases of meningitis come from viruses, not bacteria. Viral meningitis is usually less severe than bacterial meningitis. It usually requires no treatment and should clear on its own. Stay home from work or school, get plenty of rest, drink fluids, and allow the illness to pass.  Over-the-counter pain medication can help to temporarily relieve uncomfortable symptoms.  Your doctor may want to give you a course of steroid treatment to prevent brain swelling, and maybe anticonvulsants to prevent seizures. If the herpes virus is causing your meningitis, you may be prescribed an antiviral medication. Chronic meningitis – when symptoms develop over a course of 2 weeks or longer – occurs when a slow-growing organism, like fungus, causes the infection. This requires hospitalization and treatment with antifungal medications. The symptoms are similar to bacterial meningitis, so seek care and diagnosis when you have any meningitis symptoms. If someone around you has meningitis, your doctor may recommend that you take antibiotics as a prophylactic, or preventative, measure. This can help keep you from getting the illness, especially if you live with someone who is sick or you have a weakened immune system. Discuss this option with your doctor.


Problem: Write an article based on this summary: Supervise your dog whenever it’s outside. Keep your dog on a non-retractable leash during walks. Keep your dog away from any trees with nests. Purchase a Raptor Shield for your dog to wear outside.

Answer: Even if you have a covered play area in your yard, never leave your small dog alone outside. Your dog may find a way out of its enclosure and wander out into full view of a bird of prey. Retractable leashes allow your dog to get too far away from you. Purchase a standard leash that is no more than 6 feet (1.8 m) long. And never let your dog off the leash while outside of your yard, even if you’ve never seen predators near your home. Be on the lookout for trees, both near your home and along your walk route, where birds of prey have nested. These nests may be up in the branches or inside tree cavities. Don’t allow your dog off its leash, even in your yard, if a bird of prey has nested nearby.  Wait until the eggs have hatched and the birds have left the nest before you let your dog off the leash outside. In the U.S., birds of prey are federally protected, so do not attempt to disturb or remove an active nest. A Raptor Shield is like a dog coat that you sling over your dog’s back and clip under its stomach. The canvas material makes it impossible for a bird’s talons to latch onto your dog’s skin and carry it away. Put this on your dog whenever it’s outside, particularly if it will be off leash.


Problem: Write an article based on this summary: Cut the tape or thread around the broken guide with a razor blade. Sand the rod and foot of the new guide to get better adhesion. Tape the new guide onto the rod so it’s aligned. Wrap the foot of the guide with thread to hold it in place. Place a looped piece of thread over the wrap when there’s 1⁄8 in (0.32 cm) left. Wrap the final 1⁄8 in (0.32 cm) over the second piece of thread. Feed the thread through the looped piece and pull it tight. Paint 2-part epoxy onto the thread and let it dry.

Answer: Use a straight razor blade or a craft knife to remove any threading that may be surrounding the rod guide. If it’s difficult to remove using just a blade, then try heating the area for 3-4 seconds with a lighter to loosen any of the adhesives. Peel off the tape and unwind the threading until the old, broken guide comes off of the rod.  Rod guides are the circular metal pieces along the length of the rod that help keep your line straight. Be careful not to heat the rod for too long since it could cause damage to it. Don’t cut into the rod with your razor, or else you could damage it and make it weaker. Use 120- or 220-grit sandpaper to get rid of any leftover adhesive and to add tooth to the rod. Rub all the way around the rod on the spot where you want to place the new guide. Then, use your sandpaper on the foot of the guide, which is the flat part that rests against the fishing rod. You can buy new fishing guides at sporting good stores. Make sure the new guide is the same size and style as the other guides on your fishing rod or else your line may snag or get tangled. Press the foot of the new guide onto the rod so it’s in line with the other guides. Rip off a thin piece of masking tape and wrap it around the foot so it’s held in place. That way, you don’t need to keep holding it in place while you wrap it. You can also use super glue, but it will be difficult to move or readjust once the glue is set. Any type of thread will work for wrapping your guide onto the rod. Loop your threading around the rod so it’s  1⁄2–3⁄4 inch (1.3–1.9 cm) from the guide’s foot on the side closest to the handle. Maintain tension on the loop and start tightly winding the thread around the rod. Make sure the thread doesn’t overlap with loops you’ve already made and that they are flush with one another. Take the piece of tape off of the foot you’ve wrapped everything below it. When your wrapping is 1⁄8 inch (0.32 cm) from the circular part of the guide, stop winding the thread around the pole. Cut a separate piece of thread so it’s about 6 inches (15 cm) long and fold it in half to form a loop. Lay the second piece of thread on top of your wrapping so the loop sticks out near your guide. If you don’t have any other thread, you can also use a thin fishing line instead. Once the looped piece of thread is on top of the wrapping, continue spinning your thread around the foot of the guide. Continue wrapping the final 1⁄8 inch (0.32 cm) of the guide so the middle of the looped piece is held against the rod. Once you reach the end of your wrapping, cut the end of the thread you used to wrap and pull it through the middle of the loop. Pull the other end of the looped piece down and away from the guide to pull the thread underneath the wrapping. This way, the wrapping is secured to the rod without having to tie a knot. If you don’t want to use a looped piece of thread, you can also try tying a knot in the threading, but it may not be as strong and it could be more difficult. Mix the 2 parts of the epoxy in a small dish with a paintbrush until they are thoroughly combined. Paint a thin layer of the epoxy over your threading so it hardens and stays in place. Keep the rod horizontal and let it dry overnight before you try using your rod again. Work quickly with the epoxy since it will quickly start to dry and harden once you mix it.


Problem: Write an article based on this summary: Sit correctly in your kart. Maintain a consistent hold on the steering wheel. Use controlled acceleration. Steer as little as possible. Experiment with different lines. Take track notes.

Answer:
Your seating position and center of gravity make a huge difference in how the kart handles. Sit back in the seat and try to relax your body. Don't lean forward or bounce the kart by fidgeting or jumping in the seat.  Go karts don't have seatbelts, but they do have bucket seats that will support you while you drive. Don't worry about holding yourself in the seat. If you find that your arms are getting tired after driving, that might mean you're holding yourself up with your arms. Try to relax into the seat while you drive! You should hold the steering wheel near where 9 and 3 appear on a clock face. Some prefer higher or lower (as high as 10 and 2 or as low as 8 and 4). Make sure your hands are symmetrically placed on the kart steering wheel.  Don't grip the wheel too tight. Firm and steady is the way to go to keep your wrists flexible and quick. Never use your shoulders to steer. Try to consistently use the same hand placement. Familiar positioning will help yourself react instinctively and stay in the zone. Once you receive the signal to go it may be tempting to mash down on the accelerator, but this isn't always best. Jamming the accelerator from a standstill can cause the wheels to spin rather than effectively grip the surface. You'll need to get the feel for your kart.  If your kart wheels spin when you jam the accelerator, ease back and try to learn the sweet spot of maximum acceleration. Weather, track, and tire conditions have a major effect too. Be sure to adjust. If your kart can tolerate jamming the accelerator without losing traction, go for it! It almost sounds counter intuitive to steer less, but any deviation from a straight line compromises acceleration. Try to plot your driving and turning to involve as little steering and braking as possible. The straighter your overall course and the smoother your turns are, the faster you'll go! While you'll have a general idea of the lines you want to take from evaluating the course prior to racing, sometimes you need to switch things up. As you get used to a course and the limits of your kart you'll find places where you can push the limits and go even faster. If turns are too easy - and slow - try braking and turning later and later. See how far you can push the speed envelope while still making a turn. After your race, take notes on the course, your kart, and what you felt went both well and poorly. This may seem boring, but is one of the most important things you can do to improve in the future. Just ask any pro and they'll tell you the same thing.  Even if you just had your best-ever run, you can always improve!