INPUT ARTICLE: Article: By volunteering you can get first hand experience which can help you obtain a paid position later on.  You will also be able to better understand exactly what the job requires and what it might be like to be a forest ranger, before you fully pursue it.  You can look for open volunteer positions at “www.nps.gov”  You can also find internships at “www.nps.gov” Seasonal work can be a great first step in becoming a forest ranger.  It may offer you experience that is applicable to the position of forest ranger and allow you to learn if the role of forest ranger is one for you. Begin your search for open forest ranger positions that are in an area you would like to work.  Forest ranger positions are at the government level, so beginning your search with official local, state or federal offices or websites is a great place to start. You can try searching for open jobs at “www.fs.fed.us” After you have found a position that seems like a good fit and you have applied, you will want make your interview perfect.  Interviews can be difficult, so prepare properly to help your interview go smoothly.  Prepare for the interview before hand.  Plan your route and prepare some questions for your interviewer. Arrive on time.  Arriving late can cause you to no longer be considered for the job. Be honest during your interview.  Take your time and provide your most accurate and best answers. Dress appropriately for your interview. Don't be afraid to ask questions either during the interview or before it. Before you accept the position as a forest ranger, it can be helpful to know the average pay rate.  With this information, you can best negotiate your salary and make sure your are earning a fair rate of pay.  As of December 2014, the average national income for a forest ranger was between $25,000 and $26,000 a year. Pay will vary between state, what level your position is, and any previous experience you bring to the position. Job growth is slow, with 2,300 new positions likely to be added by 2022.

SUMMARY: Volunteer. Seek out seasonal work. Search for open positions. Interview for the position. Review the average salary for a forest ranger.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Don't tell anyone in the cult that you're planning to leave. They may try to talk you out of it. If you're living in a "compound", they may also start watching you more closely, so you'll have fewer opportunities to escape. Participate in activities as usual to avoid arousing any suspicion. Be careful about trusting other people in the group. Even if someone seems to be on your side, they may have a change of heart and tell the other members about your plans later. Unless you completely cover your tracks, you can expect to hear from other members of the cult after you get away. Keep these interactions as brief as possible and write down the details of each one. If it is legal where you live, consider recording any conversations you have.  Your log of interactions will help back you up if you need to contact law enforcement. The cult will probably try to convince you to come back. Plan your responses ahead of time so you aren't tempted to give in. You can say something like, “I don't want to be part of the group anymore. Please stop contacting me.” Don't contact other people who are still in the group and try to talk them out of their beliefs. It won't work, and you could get drawn back into the cult yourself.  Instead, focus on rebuilding your own life, so you can be a good example for anyone else who leaves the cult in the future. People who are experiencing doubts might approach you--that will be your opportunity to help them. If your mom, dad, siblings, and/or other family members are a part of the cult, it may be especially difficult to not communicate with them. However, you may need to cut contact completely in order to keep yourself safe and separated from the cult. If members of the cult are harassing, threatening, or stalking you, talk to the police. You should also get the authorities involved if anything illegal is happening in the cult, or if you think the cult may be endangering other people. For instance, if people in the cult are being physically or sexually abused, you should let the police know.

SUMMARY: Keep your plans secret. Document your interactions with group members after you leave. Focus on yourself instead of trying to rescue other people in the cult. Decide whether to involve law enforcement.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: The heart is one of the body's most important organs, and a well conditioned and healthy heart is a big part of overall well-being. A normal heart usually beats at between 60-100 times per minute. Your own rate should ideally be no faster or slower than this when resting, though some elite athletes beat below 50 per minute. Place the first two fingers of your right hand on the inside of your left wrist just below your thumb, over one of your major arteries. You should feel a pulse. Count the number of heart beats for 15 seconds and then multiply that number by 4 for your heart's beats per minute.  In general, a lower resting rate indicates that your heart is strong. Higher rates mean that your heart has to work harder to do the same amount of work – it is weaker and less efficient. Add 1 to your chronological age if your resting pulse rate is 100 beats per minute or more. Can you still touch your toes? Flexibility declines as we age and can be limited in older bodies by a number of factors like increased dehydration, changes in the chemical structure of tissues, loss of muscle fiber with collagenous fibers, and increased calcium deposits. Your flexibility will give you some sense of your overall health. Sit on the floor with your back straight, legs together, and arms out in front of you at shoulder level. Beside your legs, mark on the floor the point directly below your fingertips and then slowly reach forward, keeping your legs straight. Mark where your fingertips reach and measure the distance between the two marks in inches.  How far did you reach? The farther the better, as it shows that your body is still spry and youthful. Add one if you were able to reach less than 5 inches. Subtract one if you got 10 inches or more. Neither add nor subtract if you were between 5 to 10 inches. How strong are you? In general, people gain muscle up to the age of about 30. Afterwards, however, we start to slowly lose muscle mass and, hence, physical strength. People over 30 who are inactive can lose as much as 3% to 5% of their muscle mass per decade, and even the physically active lose some. This loss of muscle mass – called sarcopenia – means a loss of strength and mobility and, in the elderly, can increase the risk of frailty, falls, and bone fractures. Test your own strength. Do as many modified push-ups (on your knees) as you can without stopping, keeping your body in a straight line and lowering your chest within four inches of the floor. Keep going until you can do no more.  Like flexibility, more strength is better. If you were able to do a high number of push-ups, you probably have a good deal of muscle mass and physical endurance. Add 1 if you did less than 10 push-ups. Neither add nor subtract for 10-19. Subtract 1 if you did reached twenty push-ups. Subtract two for more than 30.

SUMMARY:
Find your resting pulse rate. Test your flexibility. Test your strength.