text:
Israeli voters chose one telegenic, articulate media-savvy politician to send a message to another. The recipient was Benjamin Netanyahu, 63, the Prime Minister whose political career was launched in the 1980s by his energetic enunciation of Israel's position on U.S. television news interviews. Delivering the message was Yair Lapid, 49, a fixture for years on Israel's leading news channel, whose political career was launched Tuesday night, when his party drew nearly as many votes as Netanyahu's. It was Lapid's first-ever political contest.
The message itself appeared to read as follows: the audience Netanyahu had played to in his campaign — the religious ideologues in West Bank settlements and right-wing activists — was not to be confused with Middle Israel, as the heart of the electorate is sometimes called. Lapid ran as a centrist and brought to the campaign a successful broadcast journalist's talent for listening, processing and repeating the concerns of that audience in terms that seemed to elevate one and all. "What is good for Israel is not in the possession of the right, and nor is it in the possession of the left," Lapid told ecstatic supporters in Tel Aviv, after exit polls indicated his party had drawn nearly twice the support predicted. "It lies in the possibility of creating here a real and decent center that listens to the other, that knows how to engage in dialogue, that remembers that we are here together not one at the expense of one another but one with the other."
(MORE: Netanyahu Weakened in Close Israeli Election)
Lapid is handsome, worldly and buff: a bodybuilder who fills out the black T-shirts that have become his trademark. His hair is gelled but he pulls it off, just. An interview at a coffee shop near his Tel Aviv home before the election was what an American would imagine an hour would be like with, say, Peter Jennings. He quoted George Bernard Shaw — and spoke with an insider's knowledge. "I don't think Israel's becoming more religious," he said. "I think its politics is becoming more religious. There's a difference."
There is, but it was not one that seemed terribly apparent at that moment. Another political newcomer, Naftali Bennett, had sucked up all the oxygen in the election, eroding Netanyahu's support and eclipsing Lapid's star with a right-wing campaign that was drawing Israeli youth. The Bennett surge married nationalism with a Jewish revival, but the foundation of his Jewish Home party was Israel's national religious movement, the community that championed the West Bank settlements and had all but taken over Netanyahu's Likud Party. They accounted for no more than 10% of Israelis, but the other 90% were so much less involved, and so on an array of issues — settlements, most prominently — the religious drive the bus. They come off as the most determined people in Israel.
"Yeah, in the land of ambivalence, those who are determined will flourish," Lapid acknowledged, adding: "It seems to be true that young people tend to be more extreme." He blamed the appeal of "definite views. I think the right is more attractive because it's more radical now." [Here, he quoted Shaw: "Any man who is not a communist at the age of 20 is a fool."] "But," he went on, "there's this difference between — I don't want to call them radical, but an ideological group and this huge carrier that is called the country. It moves slowly, and only changes course in a very deliberate manner. But when it moves, it moves."
"We are all pretty determined people," Lapid said, referring to Jewish Israelis. "And like Americans tend to look at the place we live in as not only a place but also an idea we live in."
(MORE: Israel's Election: What Happened to All the Excitement?)
With the vote tallies due to become official on Thursday, the election shifts to its second phase: the backstage maneuvering to produce a group of parties that will control a workable majority in the 120-seat Knesset. Netanyahu has the privilege of trying and clearly wants both Lapid's 19 seats and the younger man's freshly minted credibility. Lapid appears inclined to, announcing on Wednesday night that he would not join an effort by center-left parties to use their combined 60 seats to block Netanyahu from forming a government.
But it won't be easy. If Lapid was known for one issue, it was "sharing the burden," shorthand for weaning Israel's growing ultra-Orthodox population from their costly dependence on state subsidies. The ultra-Orthodox have had such a firm alliance with Netanyahu that his previous two coalitions broke up over his refusal to confront them.
What else does Lapid stand for? He advocates renewing peace talks with the Palestinians, not out of hope but because it's "irresponsible" not to. He advocates for the middle class, whose economic grievances — housing prices, especially — played a big role in the election. The extraordinary protests that brought 500,000 ordinary Israelis to the streets 18 months ago apparently found expression electorally. Besides Lapid's Yesh Atid (There Is a Future) party, Labor also benefited, while Meretz, the most leftist large party, more than doubled its seats.
But it's not yet clear whether Lapid is moved by conviction or the findings of his pollster, the American Mark Mellman, for whom he led a round of applause as the returns came in. At the vibrant left-wing +972 blog, liberal political analyst Dimi Reider calls him "tofu man," after the soy food product that absorbs the flavor of whatever it's immersed in.
(MORE: An Hour with Naftali Bennett: Is the Right-Wing Newcomer the New Face of Israel?)
He is, however, the man of the hour and can surely name his price. The Foreign Minister's job is open, Avigdor Lieberman having resigned after being indicted for fraud. That ongoing imbroglio did little to help Netanyahu, who at the start of the campaign linked the Likud to Lieberman's ultranationalist party. Their own U.S. election specialist, Arthur Finkelstein, was widely reported as guaranteeing the alliance would bring the combined slate a whopping 45 seats, up from the 42 the two parties won some four years earlier running separately. Instead, they fell to 31 and might have lost more had Netanyahu not sent panicky text messages late in the day: "The Likud government is in danger. Leave everything and go vote for the Likud now. It is important to ensure the future of the State of Israel."
The morning papers rubbed in the news, from critics who complained Netanyahu tends to conflate himself with the state. "Bibi plummets to victory," read a headline in the left-leaning Haaretz. "Strong Prime Minister, Strong Israel" had been Netanyahu's campaign slogan. Ma'ariv columnist Shalom Yerushalmi called the balloting a deliberate effort to hobble the man. "They wanted him to walk on the crutches they gave him and not run independently in unclear directions."


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Information on biocides
Information on biocides
Information on biocides
Here you can find information on biocidal products authorised on the EU/EEA market, in accordance with the Biocidal Products Directive (Directive 98/8/EC) or the Biocidal Products Regulation (Regulation (EU) No 528/2012).
All biocidal products containing approved active substances are evaluated for safety and efficacy before they are allowed to be sold in the EU. However, products that were on the market before 2000 can continue to be sold while the authorities are evaluating the active substances they contain.
How to search
You can search for biocidal products with:
Product trade name;
The active substance in the product (includes the option to search by active substances known to be candidates for substitution);
Authorisation data, (for example authorisation holder or authorisation number);
Product details, for example use information, such as target organism and application method of a product, or hazard and precautionary statements).
Types of product authorisations
Information from three authorisation types is available:
Simplified authorisations: These biocidal products have a more favourable environmental or human and animal health profile and therefore follow a simpler procedure. The authorisation is published together with the related notifications for placing a biocidal product on the market.
Union authorisations: These biocidal products are allowed to be placed on the market throughout the entire EU/EEA and Switzerland.
National authorisations: These biocidal products are authorised in specific EU countries. The authorisation is published together with the related mutual recognitions in the other Member States where the biocidal product has been allowed on the market.
How the information is presented
Biocidal products are presented as groups of authorisations, product clusters, where mutual recognitions (extensions of the national product authorisation to other markets areas) are presented with their reference authorisations. This allows you to track all the market areas where a specific product is placed as well as all the trade names under which a product is marketed. Products authorised through the same biocidal product authorisation procedure have their own clusters.
The principle of product clustering is also applied to searches. This means that the results table displays product clusters that contain at least one authorisation that meets the search criteria. Therefore, if you search for example by looking for the authorisation status "authorised", you will retrieve all the product clusters where at least one authorisation contains this specific status.
The results table presents information on the product cluster level, whereas more information on specific product authorisations can be found in the product factsheet. Each product has a dedicated factsheet that holds information on applicable trade names, documents and authorisation holders per individual product authorisation, including the product's assessment history. The factsheet is accessible through the eye icon in the results table.
Compare biocidal products
You can compare up to four products to see their properties, such as the active substances in the product, their concentrations, product use information and hazard and precautionary statements.
Most of the information in the comparison tool comes from the summary of product characteristics (SPC). The SPC is available only for those products that have been authorised since 2016. Products with an SPC submitted before 1 January 2016 will contain only limited information in the comparison tool: trade names, market area, active substance (without concentration) and product-type.
Export results
You can export the biocidal product results to the ECHA website standard formats (XLS, CSV and XML). The exported results are arranged per product authorisation, e.g. each authorisation will be presented in an individual row.
The column "target organism" in the exported file is a combination of three fields: common name, scientific name and development stage, such as: rat (Rattus norvegicus) Adults.
Please note that due to technical limitations only a limited number of cancelled and expired authorisations are currently displayed. They will be progressively published.
Downloadable List (Extract from R4BP2)
The downloadable file below contains those product authorisations in accordance with Directive 98/8/EC (The Biocidal Products Directive) and Regulation (EU) No 528/2012 (The Biocidal Products Regulation) which were extracted from the R4BP2 IT system on 1st September 2013.
Note that the downloadable list provided below is based on data available in the R4BP2 system as of 1 September 2013. This data may not be fully complete, nor entirely up-to-date.
Download XLS -file [XLS]
Authorisation type | Compare | |||||
BIM CC 3250 BIM MC 4946 BIM MC 4950 BIM MP 4850 FennoCide GL 50 B FENNOCIDE GL 50 B FennoCide GL50B Fennosan GL 10 B FennoSan GL 10 B FennoSan GL10B FENNOSAN GL10B Myacide GA 50 MYACIDE GA 50 Protectol GA 50 PROTECTOL GA 50 Protectol GA 50 OF PROTECTOL GA 50 OF Protectol® GA 50 Protectol® GA 50 OF |
PT06 icon PT06 PT11 icon PT11 PT12 icon PT12 |
Austria Belgium Denmark Finland France Germany Italy Netherlands Norway Poland Spain Sweden Switzerland United Kingdom |
National authorisation | Link to the factsheet |
PT11 icon PT11 PT12 icon PT12 |
United Kingdom |
National authorisation | Link to the factsheet |
PT11 icon PT11 PT12 icon PT12 |
Norway |
National authorisation | Link to the factsheet |
PT11 icon PT11 PT12 icon PT12 |
Netherlands |
National authorisation | Link to the factsheet |
PT02 icon PT02 PT04 icon PT04 |
Spain |
National authorisation | Link to the factsheet |

subset: commoncrawl


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"Animal liberation" and "gay liberation" are two phrases that are rarely heard in the same sentence. But, in fact, the liberation of gay and lesbian people, and indeed the liberation of all people, depends upon the liberation of animals. We must come to understand this, just as we must understand how different forms of bias against people, such as racism and sexism, are interconnected."
(Gay-Straight Animal Rights Alliance)
My Take: My Queer identity is so deeply entangled with my vegan identity, the two go hand in hand. I find that for me Gay Liberation and Animal Liberation are married partners. How can I someone who has struggled and continue to be persecuted by society go out and do the same to someone who is different from me? Queers are different purely based on sexual orientation and gender identity, but ultimately we are all people. We share a common bond of love, emotion, and desire to live out our lives freely and openly. The same applies to animals, they look different and act different but we share with them a yearning to be free, to love, and to take care of our families. I believe it is critical to choose vegetarianism to truly evolve as a human being, our opponents use the same argument to debunk all of our liberation and struggles. They invoke the "word of god" to says gays don't deserve equality or that God put animals here for us to eat. God if one chooses to believe in some sort of spiritual higher power also made Queer humans & animals, s/he also gives the option to eat and live compassionately through the vegetarian option. I encourage all Queers & allies to our struggles for peace and justice to join me in choosing veganism the healthiest, most ethical, and eco-conscious lifestyle on the planet. You already have one "alternative lifestyle", why not add another?
Personal Connections:
"When a New York City tour bus came to a halt and the passengers aboard started hysterically screaming and pointing toward Nate Walker, he and his boyfriend frantically looked for the cause of the commotion. They were sure somebody was getting mugged. It was only when a person on the bus began heckling did they realize they were the cause of the commotion. They had been standing hand in hand.
"We felt like we were animals in a zoo," Nate told me. "I felt like I was being demeaned and dehumanized. And because of that experience and many other instances of marginalization, I stand in solidarity with all those who are oppressed, including animals. How can you not make that connection?"
"Both vegans and queers are stereotyped. To identify as both in many ways epitomizes marginalization. John Phillips, Executive Director of the League of Humane Voters of New York City explained, "I came out and went vegan at the same time. Some family members worried I would die of protein deficiency and AIDS. They'd wonder: 'Which is going to kill him first?"
(Satya Mag)
LGBTQ Vegetarian/Vegan Advocacy Organizations & Meet Ups:
(Please note some of these may not currently be active, there are also countless more which I am not aware of, let me know and I will update)
VegOut is a social group for gay, lesbian, bisexual,transgender, and queer-friendly vegetarians and vegetarian wannabees."
The VegOut vegan potluck is held on the fourth Sunday of each month, and don't miss the VegOutings to local restaurants. For more information, call the recorded message at (212) 802-8655
Long Island, NY - Veg PRIDE
San Francisco/East Bay, California: Lesbian Vegetarians Unite! Do you feel alienated and isolated
among your carnivorous friends? Do you long for the support of those who
share your ethical ideals? If so, join us for ongoing lesbian vegetarian
meetings in the East Bay and San Francisco. Diversity welcome. For more information, write to email@example.com.
San Diego, California: Soyboys is a new social group for gay and gay-friendly guys who are vegetarian or interested in a vegetarian lifestyle. We meet at least once a month for potlucks, outings to vegetarian (friendly) restaurants and other social events. Please contact Michael for more information. email@example.com.
Boston, MA: The G/L/B Vegetarian
Society meets twice a month for potlucks, restaurant outings, coffeehouse
gatherings, or picnics. For more information, contact Bill at (617) 625-6918.
Washington D.C. Vegout e-mail group.
Houston, TX: Houston Gay/Les Vegetarian Meet Up.
Salt Lake City, Utah: GSARA is the Gay/Straight Animal Rights Alliance, working to promote the awareness and advocacy of a culture free of sexism, racism, heterosexism, speciesism, anti-Semitism, and oppression based on class, religion, age, ethnicity, national origin, or disability.
Sydney, Australia: Ecogirls is a new social and activist group of vegetarian lesbians. "We are 'physically' based in the Sydney metropolitan area but virtually based everywhere." Write to Lynda for more information.
Queer Veggie Links:
Queer & Veg Friendly Travel
Experimentation on Homosexual Sheep
Gay Men Urged to go Vegetarian
The PETA Files: Gay Makeout Tour!
"As far as I'm concerned, sliced to death is sliced to death, whether a slaughterhouse worker or a homophobic bully happens to be holding the knife." (Jasmin Singer)
"The time will come when men such as I will look upon the murder of animals as they now look upon the murder of men." (Leonardo Davinci)


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It's snowing outside! The temperatures have dropped drastically to below zero Celsius. A thin white blanket hugs the rooftops, cars and trees and I really can say that at this time of year Weimar looks amazing in white. As the sun sets into the west skies, shades of pink, orange and purple take over the skyscape and the fields next to our house covered in white glory, sparkle as the rays dance off the frozen ice crystals.
You've heard me say this often - I am a summer girl - but Weimar captures me each winter with it's magical and picturesque scenery. Especially now, when houses are beautifully decorated and there is that merry spirit in the air.
Dusk is the perfect time to go for a walk in our area. The houses begin to light up in fairy lights and inside candles create a wonderful warm atmosphere. Our favorite pass time during the walk is sneaking a few peaks into the windows - Christmas tree voyeurism! I love seeing how each family have decorated the tree and the living room. C'mon everyone does it! We will then joke about the funny decorations or marvel at pretty hand-blown glass baubles.
Coming back indoors into the warmth of our cozy house, I too light up candles and the hand carved candle arch on the window sill. Time to think about dinner. Soup - that's what we all are craving for after the walk in the crisp cold air. Something to soothe and comfort from the inside out. The refrigerator presents me with a few interesting ingredient combination and I begin chopping.
The sweet creamy flavoring of bell pepper gives a perfect highlight to the basis of this soup. With fava beans adding heartiness and earthiness.
Red Bell Pepper and Fava Bean Soup
Printable version of recipe here.
5 yellow bell peppers, deseeded and cut in halves
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, sliced
2 teaspoons paprika powder
11/4 liter vegetable stock
200g fava beans, shelled and blanched
120-130g sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and sliced
Salt and pepper
juice of 1/2 lemon.Method
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Brush a baking sheet with some olive oil.
- In a bowl toss the bell pepper halves with 1 tablespoon oil and a pinch of salt then place the bell pepper halves, skin side up, on the baking sheet. Roast for about 15-20 minutes until the skins have browned. Remove from oven and cover with a kitchen towel.
- In a large pot heat 1 tablespoon oil to medium and sauté onions and garlic until they begin to release their aromas and turn translucent – about 5 minutes.
- Peel the skins off the bell peppers, then add them together with the paprika powder to the garlic and onions. Sauté on high heat for another minute or so.
- Pour in the stock and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes. Add about 150g of the blanched fava beans and simmer for another 15 minutes.
- Once the fava beans are soft, puree the mixture until smooth and creamy. Alternatively you can pour into a blender and blend the soup. Season to taste.
- In the meantime, heat the remaining olive oil in a pan and sauté the rest of the fava beans with some salt and pepper. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and quickly toss. Drizzle some of the lemon juice. Set aside.
- Serve the soup in warm bowls and top with the sautéed fava bean and sun-dried tomato mixture.
Food Guide Tips:
You'll find everything you need to know about the ingredients below in my food guide section:
- Tomatoes
This was amazingly good. The mellow aromas of the yellow bell pepper paired up incredibly with the more robust, buttery and nutty flavors of the fava beans. Served with some warm fougasse or focaccia the meal was more than gratifying.
This is being sent out (late) to Harini over at Tongueticklers, who is my guest hostess for this session of Monthly Mingle. Her wonderful theme is Comforting Soups. For those wondering where the hec that Brunch roundup is - please bear with me. It'll be up on Friday/Saturday - so you'll be getting two mingle roundups this month! Stay tuned!
Don't forget Menu For Hope 6!
Make sure you bid on a huge selection of awesome prizes and help us raise money for the World Food Programme. If you are looking to add to your photography equipment you will love what I am offering. Come take a look!
Minestrone with Pesto | Spicy Roasted Tomato And Red Bell Pepper Soup | Red Bell Pepper Soup |
All photographs and written content on What's For Lunch, Honey? © 2006-2008 Meeta Khurana unless otherwise indicated. | All rights reserved | Please Ask First


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This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon. Much of our political oxygen is taken up with fiscal cliff negotiation and speculation in the United States as people try to figure out whether we will indeed go hurtling over into recession or inch back from the edge of the cliff. Since all our economies are linked in a global network these days, we thought we'd get the view of all of this from elsewhere.
Now tomorrow, my colleague Rachel Martin will get the view from the Middle East. This morning, we're joined by Joshua Chaffin, who's the Financial Times man in Brussels. He joins us from the BBC studios there in Brussels. Thanks very much for being with us.
JOSHUA CHAFFIN: Thanks for having me.
SIMON: First off, is there a phrase in French or German or the Maltese language for fiscal cliff?
CHAFFIN: Well, in French, you'll have to excuse my accent is the precipice bougetere (ph). In Spanish, it would be the abismo fiscal. In German, interesting enough, I quizzed a number of Germans and none of them could quite come up with the proper phrase for it, but they were certainly aware of it.
SIMON: Speaking of Germany's reaction, an article in Der Spiegel this month in which the headline referred to America's fiscal cliff as, quote, "the next Greek tragedy." Is that how it's seen there? Is there, in fact, if I may, some collegial satisfaction that European's might take in America's problems?
CHAFFIN: I suppose it's a complicated answer. I think in Germany there definitely is a strain of this kind of thinking. You have to realize that throughout the crisis, Europeans have had Americans constantly sort of lecturing them about mismanaging their economy and the need to get to grips with this debt crisis. President Obama has called Chancellor Merkel repeatedly. Timothy Geithner has been over here to have meetings with finance ministers and pleading with them to kind of get their house in order.
It's an incredibly sore spot here and so I think the sense that you can sort of point back across the Atlantic and say, look at these guys, they're actually not terribly organized either is satisfying. And I think it even goes back deeper because there is a belief in much of the continent that this whole crisis originated in the U.S. with the Lehman Brothers collapse and the toxic securities that originated in Wall Street. So it's sort of of a piece with that, if you will.
SIMON: And so Europeans might be little more eager to understand the connection between the U.S. economy and the European economy than sometimes we Americans have understood?
CHAFFIN: I think that they understand it pretty keenly. I think Spain is one example, and I think the reason is that Spain is now the front line in the Euro crisis an so Spaniards seem to have realized that now the U.S. and the fiscal cliff is actually the next thing that could sort of push them even deeper into the crisis. So they're kind of looking at it in very practical terms and I think they're concerned that it's not dealt with.
SIMON: Even in the political campaign just passed in this country, a lot of Americans think they can draw lessons from Europe's financial crisis, although they're rarely the same lessons. Are there lessons that Europeans think they can draw from events in the U.S.?
CHAFFIN: Germans clearly are very much in the camp against debts and deficits and so forth, but Europe has a kind of equal argument, I think, for the U.S. audience, which is the merits of stimulus and spending to revive the economy. So there's a lot of realization here, I think, in the last few months that only relying on austerity has actually made the debt problem worse because the economies have fallen into recession and that has made the debts bigger and the ability to pay them less.
I think in the U.S. campaign the Republicans mostly adopted Greece as their argument, but I think here it's certainly argued very much the other way, and I think the election of Francois Hollande in France and I think the rise of some of the other more center left-leaders have kind of tilted the debate against Germany here in the last few months, or at least rebalanced it.
SIMON: Joshua Chaffin of the Financial Times speaking with us from the BBC studios in Brussels. Thanks so much for being with us.
CHAFFIN: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


text:
GAME 1: Hiroki Kuroda (2-0, 2.18) vs. Johan Santana (2-1, 2.59).
GAME 2: Charlie Haeger (0-2, 6.46) vs. Oliver Perez (0-2, 3.71).
COMMENTS: Doubleheader! Yesterday's rainout afforded the Dodger bullpen some valuable downtime. And Kuroda and Haeger are the two starters most capable of going deep into games. So far, so good. The bad news? The splendid Santana, off to a strong start this season, and Haeger pitching on three days' rest.
Offensively, the Mets are getting it done despite the absence of Carlos Beltran and slow starts by David Wright and Jose Reyes. The Dodger bats are looking to rebound from a rough weekend in D.C., but with humidity in the air and Citi Field's low park factor, home runs may not be on the menu.
UPDATE 3:46p: I can't let this (what appears to be tracking toward a) losing GT stand. I'm making a new one for Game 2. --SoSG Sax
photos by Jon SooHoo/Dodgers


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The trend is good:
"The global number of child laborers has declined by one third since 2000."
That still means there are an estimated 168 million child laborers around the world, and more than half "are involved in hazardous work" involving such things as dangerous machinery and harmful chemicals.
Those are the topline conclusions of a new International Labor Organization report. The U.N. agency says that "even the latest improved rate of decline is not enough to achieve the goal of eliminating the worst forms of child labor by 2016."
According to the report, though:
"This recent progress is very welcome news, as there were fears that the social hardship caused by the global economic crisis of 2008-2009 and its aftermath could result in an increase in the number of families resorting to child labor in order to make ends meet."
It also adds that:
"The decline in child labor has taken place against the backdrop of a sustained global movement against child labor involving a multiplicity of actors and efforts at a variety of levels. The report identifies a number of actions that have driven progress, including political commitment of governments, increasing number of ratifications of the ILO Convention No. 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labor and the parallel surge of the ILO Convention No. 138 on the Minimum Age for Admission to Employment, the two principal legal pillars for the global fight against child labor, sound policy choices, as well as solid legislative frameworks."
The largest number of children — about 78 million — work in the Asia-Pacific region, the ILO says.
The Wall Street Journal adds that "activists have attributed at least part of the decline to stepped-up pressure from big consumer-product companies that feared getting caught with underage workers abroad."
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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Backpack size
A light and strong backpack
Optimal safety
Frequently asked questions
Here are our delivery times (on average):
We process the order within 24 hours, then depending on availability, your order is shipped within 72 hours. Our packages usually arrive within 8 business days, but the maximum time is 15 business days.
You will receive notification emails to let you know where your package is so you can track it with peace of mind.
The entire manufacturing cycle of our backpacks is continuously monitored by the professionals of our partner workshop to ensure the highest possible quality.
We only have a few hours to make address changes. If there is an error in your delivery address, please contact us by e-mail and inform us of the correct delivery address as soon as possible. A wrong delivery address may cause the delivery to be made to a different location than desired or prevent it. We will not be held responsible in these cases.
The status 'Completed' means that your package has already gone through all the internal procedures and is already with the carrier. This means that your package is in transit to be delivered to you as soon as possible!
Sometimes the tracking takes a few days to update, but don't worry. Your package is in transit to be delivered to you as soon as possible!
Unfortunately, for the moment, our after-sales service only works by e-mail.
In the case of a refusal of the parcel, in the case where the carrier is not able to return the parcel or that you are not able to prove the return of the parcel: fees will be deducted from your refund.
We ship mostly from China.
Our delivery time is usually 8 business days, but the maximum is 15 business days. If you do not receive your package within the stipulated time, please contact us so that we can reship your package at no extra cost, if necessary, or offer you compensation options for the delay. Your package is considered delivered if no contact is made with us within 45 days of your order. Refunds will no longer be possible under this condition.


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A couple of weeks ago, I led a webinar on postprocessing and visualization features in COMSOL Multiphysics. This webinar was very popular among COMSOL users, so I wanted to follow up with a blog post to highlight one of the important topics we covered — performing a mesh refinement study in COMSOL Multiphysics.
Editor's note: This blog post was updated on 12/19/2016 to reflect new terminology used in COMSOL Multiphysics.
Best Mesh Size and Fineness for a Mesh Refinement Study
COMSOL primarily uses the finite element method (FEM) to compute single- and multiphysics simulations. Whenever you use the finite element method, it is important to remember that the accuracy of your solution is linked to the mesh size. As mesh size decreases towards zero (leading to a model of infinite size), you move toward the exact solution for the equations you are solving. However, since we are limited by finite computational resources and time, you will have to rely on an approximation of the real solution. The goal of simulation, therefore, is to minimize the difference ("error") between the exact and the approximated solution, and to ensure that the error is below some accepted tolerance level that will vary from project to project based on your design and analysis goals.
You will need to track a characteristic output parameter from your simulation as you vary the mesh size and determine at which mesh size the parameter has "converged" on the correct value. Note that "converged" is used in quotation marks because the convergence criteria will depend on your design and analysis goals.
You can read the step-by-step instructions below to learn how to perform a mesh refinement study. You can also watch the archived Postprocessing and Visualization webinar below to see how the steps are carried out on a megaphone geometry.
Archived Webinar: Postprocessing and Visualization
Implementing a Mesh Refinement Study
In order to implement a mesh refinement study in COMSOL Multiphysics, you must first decide what output parameter you will use for your convergence criteria. This must be a numerical value evaluated over some, or all, of the nodes in your mesh. You can track a variable or mathematical expression of variables at a single point of interest, or you can use some operation (integral, average, minimum, maximum, etc.) performed over one or more domains, boundaries, or edges. If you choose the latter option, you can define the integral, average, minimum, or maximum operator by right-clicking Component 1 > Definitions and choosing the appropriate option in the Component Couplings menu, then selecting which geometric entity or entities to apply the operation to. Note that this should be added to your model before running your simulation. This should take care of setting up your output parameter.
Now you need to set up your mesh size by applying a user-defined parameter. Define a parameter under Global Definitions > Parameters and then use that parameter in the relevant Size feature in the Mesh node of your model to define a maximum element size.
Next, right-click your Study node and add a Parametric Sweep. In the Settings window, add your dummy mesh size parameter to the Parameter names list and enter the range of values to sweep your parameter over. Be sure you sweep through a wide enough range of maximum mesh sizes so you can fully capture the convergence effect in your analysis. This range will depend on your geometry and the nature of the physics equations you are solving. For example, for wave radiation problems, we recommend you use at least 5 elements per wavelength for a 3D problem and at least 8 elements per wavelength for a 2D problem, but you may still need to verify the best mesh size for your model using a mesh refinement study.
After computing the simulation, you will need to first set up a Join data set that compares the tracking parameter at each mesh size with the value of the tracking parameter that is considered to be the reliable solution; the solution at our finest mesh size will be chosen as that reliable solution here. Right-click Results > Data Sets and choose Join. Then in the Settings window, choose the solution containing your parametric sweep results (usually Solution 2) and select All solutions for Data 1, and click on the solution you want to compare your Parametric Sweep results to for Data 2 (Data: Solution 2, Solutions: One, etc.). Since we want to subtract these values, keep the Combination method as the default Difference option.
Once you've completed all of these steps, you are ready to create your plot. Add a 1D Plot Group with a Global or Point plot (depending on which parameter you are tracking for your convergence criteria, as described above), and make sure you specify the Data set as Join 1. Then type in the expression for the tracking parameter you are monitoring the convergence of and from the x-Axis Data > Axis source data drop-down menu, choose Outer solutions if you are running a Frequency Domain simulation (because your frequency range is considered your inner solution). Finally, click the Plot icon above the Settings window and you will see your convergence plot.
You can download the megaphone model file used in the Postprocessing and Visualization webinar below, which includes the completed mesh refinement study I demonstrated.
Below are a couple of key things that you'll notice in the final model:
- The parameter elements_per_wavelength is used in the Parametric sweep to sweep from 1 element per wavelength through 8 elements per wavelength (remember, the recommended value is 5 for this wave radiation problem), but the maximum mesh size is defined by the parameter max_element_size, which is the wavelength divided by the elements_per_wavelength parameter.
- We are tracking the convergence of the maximum sound pressure level (SPL) in this model, so we first define the maximum operator on the domain of interest under Component 1 > Definitions > Maximum 1 and then after running the simulation we plot the expression maxop1(acpr.Lp) in a 1D Global plot. Note that operators act as functions, and you can find their "function" name listed in italics next to the operator in the Model Builder window. Here we are finding the maximum of the variable acpr.Lp, which is the sound pressure level (SPL), so acpr.Lp is the argument in parentheses.
Mesh Refinement Study in the process of being implemented in an acoustic megaphone geometry
Additional Resources
- Download the final megaphone model file that was used in the webinar
- Explore the videos on postprocessing in our Video Center
- Read the "Results Analysis and Plots" chapter (Chapter 20) in the COMSOL Reference Manual, downloadable from your COMSOL Access account
- Download the original megaphone model file from the knowledge database entry, Frequency-Dependent Meshing
Comments (4)
Johan Bergström
November 16, 2017Don't you run the risk of running out of memory if you try to sweep over fine meshes for a large geometry while using this method?
Do you have to run each refinement separately to make that work?
Caty Fairclough
December 6, 2017Hi Johan,
Thanks for your comment! Using a fine mesh may lead to running out of memory, but the method suggested by the presenters will not require more memory than any other method to study the effect of the mesh size.
The general question of how much memory is needed for solving large models is discussed in this blog post:
Muhammad Gulzari
March 5, 2018Dear Bethany Nine,
Very informative. What If I am doing solid mechanics, eigenfrequency analysis. My structure is small as compare to wavelength. I tried to adopt your method but no good convergence I achieve.
Thank you
Caty Fairclough
March 9, 2018Hi Muhammad,
Thanks for your comment.
For your question, please contact our Support team.
Online Support Center: https://www.comsol.com/support
Email: email@example.com


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Toys and games are tons of fun for kids and adults. Whether your kids are working on a puzzle, playing with building blocks or even inventing their own games, here are a few things to think about to help them stay safer and have a blast.
The Hard Facts
In 2011, 188,400 children under the age of 15 years were seen in emergency departments for toy-related injuries. That's 516 kids every day. More than a third of those injured were children 5 and under.
Top Tips
- Consider your child's age when purchasing a toy or game. It's worth a second to read the instructions and warning labels to make sure it's just right for your child.
- Before you've settled on the perfect toy, check to make sure there aren't any small parts or other potential choking hazards.
- Keep a special eye on small game pieces that may be a choking hazard for young children. While these kinds of games are great for older kids, they can pose a potential danger for younger, curious siblings.
- After play time is over, use a bin or container to store toys for next time. Make sure there are no holes or hinges that could catch little fingers.


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This post is the combined efforts, of many members of the community including ThePrivateer, Ttech, alterecco, and Azar_Wolf who have contributed much to the development of this thread though many revisions and work.
General Community Rules
- Rules and Etiquette
- To register to the forums you will be asked a question. It's very easy, trust me ! Running the game once will be enough to answer the question. (also you will get instructions where to look to)
- This is not so much a rule as just advice: It's easy for us to miss notices to activate new accounts. If you want to make sure yours gets activated in a timely fashion, drop by our IRC channel and mention that you've made one. Even if nobody is active at the time, say something! Somebody will probably notice the message and either activate the account or notify the staff to do so.
- If you want to introduce yourself, please use the Introductions thread. If you prefer to introduce your self, or expedite your activation process, you can get on the [url=http://web%20chat.freenode.net/?nick=Transporter...&channels=transcendence&uio=MT1mYWxzZSYyPXRydWUmMz1mYWxzZSY5PXRydWUmMTA9dHJ1ZSYxMT0yNDYb3]Transcendence Chat[/url].
- Respect the other users and the moderators and staff. Transcendence is a fun game, and we try to keep the community friendly and helpful. If you have any issues, use the report buttons or contact one of the staff in a PM.
- Choose a sensible and readable subject line for your post. This will increase the chance of getting your post read.
- Blatant advertisement is not permitted. If you post advertisements among your initial posts you will be put on probation. If you continue, you will be banned. Posting links to other games or sites is OK, as long as it is done in a proper context. Use your good judgment and don't make us treat you like a spam bot.
- No Trolling, posting of empty or meaningless threads to increase post count or bump posting allowed.
- Avoid resurfacing old posts (Necromancy). It is generally confusing and it is better to start a new thread and reference the old one if necessary. There are of course exceptions, so exercise your good judgment. If you feel you must necro-post, then please make it clear in your post so that people can be aware of it. (Greater then 6 months make a new thread)
- Posting illegal material, links to illegal material or links to discussions about illegal materials is strictly prohibited and will be swiftly removed. In cases where it is obvious that the posted knew of the illegality of the material, it is a banning offense and will be met as such.
- If you see a post that is in violation of the rules, don't try to take the matter into your own hands; there is a "Report Post" button in the lower right of every post marked with an exclamation point. Use that to contact the staff who will then take care of the problem.
- To register to the forums you will be asked a question. It's very easy, trust me ! Running the game once will be enough to answer the question. (also you will get instructions where to look to)
- Bugs, Ideas, and Contributing
- Transcendence is still in development and there are many ways for people to contribute to the game, including reporting bugs that you may find, feature suggestions for future releases, adding and maintaining information on the wiki, and contributing on the Chat, etc
- If you think you've found a bug in the game, please report it here (in the appropriate forum for your version). If the game has crashed, please include the relevant snippet from the Debug.log file, which is found in the game folder. You can also look at the bug tracker to see if the bug has already been reported.
- If you've got a suggestion for how to make the game better, please post it in the Ideas & Suggestions forum.
- I want to post something, Where do I post it?
- Announcements - This is where Administrators and George post stuff, but you can feel free to reply to anything in here.
Commonwealth - This is where we discuss Transcendence in detail - stuff like the storyline, factions, races, end-game tips etc.
Beginner's Luck - Like it says. New players post here if you are having trouble. This is a friendly board, because we were all once newbs!
Bug Reports - Post in the subforum that belongs to your version of Transcendence if you have found a bug that you don't feel is related to a mod you have installed.
Ideas and Suggestions - Think Transcendence could be better? Post here with an idea and it may just end up getting made into the game!
Tech Support - Having trouble with the game? Is it too slow, too fast, or just plain old doesn't work? Post here for help!
Shipyards - Here we discuss mods - troubles with mods mainly nowadays, or just comments on mods, or modding in general.
Mod Announcements - Finished making a mod? Here's the place to put it, or just praise the finished product of another modder
Drawing Board - Got ideas for a future mod? Post here and we'll all discuss the idea!
Official Extensions - Here goes posts about the Official Transcendence Extension project
Modding Reference - Tutorials for modding and scripting!
Community Discussion - Here, we talk about the community in general, such as the IRC and other things. the subforum of Forum Tech support discusses bugs in the forum itself
Fan Fiction - Want to make your own lore about Transcendence? We'd love to hear it!
Off-Topic - Want to discuss something unrelated? Here's the place!
- Announcements - This is where Administrators and George post stuff, but you can feel free to reply to anything in here.
- What Version of Transcendence should I play?
Currently, the latest stable version (version released to the public) is 1.01 and can be downloaded here. The latest Beta release can usually be found in theAnnouncements Board. Currently, the latest Beta is 1.08 - Hold on. Which ship do I choose?
Hopeful Thread: here. But for quick reference, try the Sapphire the first time you play, as it is a balanced ship - once you get the gist of Transcendence, move to the Wolfen, and once you want more out of the game, go to the Freighter. Or choose one randomly and have fun! - Mods and Extensions
- How do I get a mod running?
It's easy! The first time you run Transcendence, a folder should be created alongside the Executable, called "Extensions". Download a mod from Xelerus., and (usually), all you need to do is un-compress it and place it inside the Extensions folder. That's it! The author usually has more details on Xelerus, or with a Readme that comes with the mod. - I'm having troubles with a mod.
Ok. You should probably post your problem in the Shipyards. Please tell us the name of the mod, and what version of Transcendence you are running, plus any other noticeable details and we'll help you out.
- How do I get a mod running?
- I having trouble, I've got no idea about XYZ
If you are having real trouble, with the game, the forums, anything and have no idea what to do, or where to post, just post somewhere (anywhere, but Community will be best) and the thread will get moved to the correct location when all your questions have been answered. If you want a more immidiate answer, you can try the Transcendence Chat, where most of the administrators and moderators, and many users hang out. - What are all these funny links, like "bit.ly" and "tiny.cc"?
short links, or Link Compression shortens really long hyperlinks. This is best used in Signatures, or on the IRC - it is good netiquette, to detail where the link is going to when you post - so no one gets a surprise. You'll need to visit a site like http://tiny.cc to make a short link. - Gee you guys use acronyms a lot. What does it all stand for?
Whilst internet slang varies, here are common acronyms:
If you get on IRC you can do ~wtf is <acronym> to get its meaninh- Take a look at http://www.webacronyms.com/
- Rules and Etiquette
The Forums
- What are member groups?
We have several groups- Developers - Developers of Transcendence (George, Gambin-, etc)
- Administrators - Administrators of the forums (and often the Chat)
- Global Moderators - These people moderate the forums
- Community Staff - People who help out on the WIki, IRC (Chat), and other resources often.
- Wiki Documentarist - People who maintain and keep the wiki working and up to date. These are the people to ask if you have a wiki issue.
- Where do I post something?
Before you post something, just read the description and follow the Announced topics for that forum
- The Transcendence Chat is a fun friendly discussion place for people in the Transcendence community to have real-time discussions in. Many of the active members on the forums are also on the Chat regularly.
- What is the Transcendence Chat
Quite simply, it is an IRC Channel on FreeNode IRC Network, which maintains services for users to use. - Is there a place where I can get more information?
Sure thing! Transcendence Wiki - IRC - How do I connect?
Click here
Community Resources:
- * Note from Wolfy: Hi, this section is seriously out of date. We will hopefully be cleaning this up over the next few months. (Oct 17, 2018)
* Xelerus - this site has been around for quite a while, it is most notably known for free mod hosting, it also has a great resource to locate functions and access the Transcendence Chat.
* Ttranscendence - Arguably the longest url of a fan managed page, it provides access to the Transcendence Chat information; including full-yearly logs, stats, and a spakin' new UNID database!
* Transcendence Official Wiki - In cool blues and greens, this site provides access to hundreds of pages of information relating to Transcendence in every form. From modding to in-game ships and features this site has it all. If you have a free moment, register and start editing!
* Transcendence Trac - The Official Bug Report Tracking System, if you have a bug this is where to report it. Or see them even.
* Transcendence Chat - The active Transcendence Chat is lively and interesting, it is active with discussion relating to the Transcendence Universe as well as the science of ours! Come by today!
* Dvlenk6's Image Resources - This long time site provides access to many image resources that can expand the objects found in transcendence.
* Concept Ships - This is not actually a resource made by a Transcendence Player however it is great for inspiration.
* (IRC) Member Map - This is a map of the locations of a number of our community members. Place your location on the map!
- * Thorm's Transcenence Mods (DO NOT USE) - This has mods dating back to the very early versions of Transcendence, if you have access to an early version of Transcendence you might be able to still play them. But they are totally unsupported.
[Uses The Internet Archive]
* Old Depredicated Links - This is the location of the v6 Transcendence Site which contains links to former community run pages.
* TSB - Wolfys Transcendence Mod Forum with 10MB mod hosting.
* Unofficial Transcendence Forums - The original Transcendence forums, they are now archived for your viewing convenience.
Overall this community is lively in many places and located throughout the web. Please join and look around these site! The administrators of these spend their free time and hours working on these sites making sure they are usable and full of great content!
Problem with policy/staff/etc? Read here please!
If you have a problem*, please tell me about it! (Especially if you think I'm being a unilateral-decision-making or elitist jerk or something. I'd really want to know if I'm causing friction in the community doing something like that.)
That's what I'm (or well, any of the staff really) here for.
*(Pertinent to the community. If its a bug or tech support issue, use the relevant forums. If its a personal/health/miscellaneous issue, then you might want to see someone more suited to helping you with that )
I'm not making this post in response to anything in particular in the community that I've noticed (in fact, I'd say we're doing better than ever! At the time of this posting, we've had over 100 unique registered users active over the last month! That's ~5x more than when I first became an admin, and over 10x more than the all-time low I observed) - I'm just posting this after a rather retrospective conversation I had with staff of a few other unrelated communities, and I think this is something that everyone should know about.
Probably the worst thing to do is to hold in your complaint, because then it will never come to our attention, and thus it won't get rectified.
However, on that note, its also not a good idea to make a huge rant-post about what you think is going wrong. That has invariably caused rifts in communities, as people choose sides over the issue at hand, and tend to operate much more on emotion. But then again, once things get to that stage, its usually indicative of a problem that has been festering for far, far too long.
So what you should do is just send a PM (generally for more personal-level issues, such as if you feel that a staff member has been treating you unfairly, or you think I'm coming off as a jerk, or something to that effect) or post a thread in the community discussions (when its generally something such as you feel that a rule is flawed, or some policy needs to be re-evaluated for such and such reason). The IRC ( http://tinyurl.com/43cp8hc ), is also a great place to talk to us, and most of the staff are present there too.
Remember to try to keep it civil; stirring up emotions, dividing lines, and making accusations is just going to cause fights to break out, and that is the last thing that any of us want. I mean, if you didn't care about the fate of the community, you wouldn't be bringing it to our attention in the first place.
Also, please note that it is imperative that we be able to understand your sentences. I know this is sort of a trivial thing to say, but I've had incidents in the past where I couldn't understand what someone was trying to say because the meaning of their post was too obfuscated in metaphor, flowery language, and bad grammar.
If something is still not going right, please contact me via PM. I took this position because I cared about fostering the growth of the community - I will treat any issues brought to me with the attention they deserve.
Don't like how things are being run? Talk to me about it so that we can work on resolving your problem!
Bug Reports
Welcome to the Bug Reports forums, these forums are to allow you to easily report, discuss, and check if bugs you discover not duplicated and valid. There are a few things to consider before posting here, first off, any bug reports that are real are posted on the Bug Trac. This great piece of software is used to report bugs and allow them to be assigned to different versions and grouped by type, so on and so forth. We really recommend you post there however. Where ever you post, keep the rules below in mind.
General Bug Reporting Guidelines
- Always check for duplicate posts, both on the BugTrac and on the forums (many times the bug has been found in a previous version and has not yet been fixed.)
- When posting a bug report, let us know what version of Transcendence your using
- Let us know what mods or extensions your using (if any)
- You might need to report your system information (CPU, Graphics Card, etc)
This can often be obtained by using dxdiag (Start -> Run -> dxdiag) - If you feel the bug is real, often a good practice, if possible, is to attempt to reproduce the issue on another system.
- Posting on BugTrac
Before you post on Bug Trac please be aware of the following:- You must be register to use Trac, once registered you will need to be activated. This can be done by getting on the Transcendence Chat, posting on the Forums, or by email.
- Posting on the Forums
- Always post in the forum that relates to your Transcendence version. If your version is not listed, the bug might be fixed
- All old bug reports go in the Archive, much the same was as bugs go in milestones in Trac, check there before you post.
Because even though I'm pretty sure we're all not spambots (or paid spammers for that matter) here, I'm still not 100% certain, so that is the sole reason behind this rule. Actually, I have always had this policy (just unofficially), and only ever had to use it once. I thought it would be best to make it a bit more publically known. Thats all.
If you make a spam/advertising* post as your first post, you will be put on probation. If you make another advertisement in the next 99 posts, you will be banned. If you spam to reach 100 posts, you will also be banned. If you evade that ban, we will ban you again. Basically, if you are a spambot that slips through the cracks or are a paid spammer, we will find you, and ban you. All mentions of banning in this post refer to permabans. That is all.
And anybody advertising pharmaceuticals, MMO "gold farming services", illegal items, knockoff watches, warez, malicious software, etc. will be banned on sight, regardless if its their first post or not. Obvious parody exempted.
*What I mean by spam/advertising is like, trying to advertise a product or service or something. Doing something legitimate, like advertising a mod you made for transcendence is totally ok. If you have any questions you can ask us. Also, you can ask permission from any of the admin on the board if its ok to post something that you think might be in contravention of this rule.
New Signature Policy
With so many parts of the community having banners in the forums now signatures have begun to grow quite substantially. To help prevent issues with massive signatures and banners causing issues on the forums.
To help solve this there are some new guidelines on forum signature policy:
- Signatures will have a size constraint of 500x200
- Single images should be no larger then 440x60 if possible
- MoTM and MoTY banners will use the standard "user bar" design - 350x20
- Text going beyond these contrains horizontally is fine! Don't worry.
User Bars are preferred because they let you show off contributions to projects and activities within the community or beyond since they are so small. Feel free to suggest ideas however!
Current MoTM and MoTY images will be converted to user bars in the next few weeks so keep your eyes peeled. For people who have more then a few wins, there will be a image converter to make the images a rotating animated image for use.
An example of the new signature size:
(No user was picked to determine this size, it was just what seemed to be a best bet based off of people who win multiple MoTMs)
New necromancy policy
After heaving read through a number of the necro'ed threads and discussed this on IRC, I have come to the conclusion that it only serves to generate both confusion and a large number of off-topic posts by other users that contribute nothing postitive in general to the discussion, and thus I am hereby barring the resurrection of threads whose last post dates to a time over one year prior to present time.
There are a number of exceptions however.
Stickies and announcements may be posted in, regardless of the date of the last post.
Commonwealth, Beginner's luck, Community discussions, and Off Topic are all subject to the necromancy ban.
Bugs and Brainstorms allows resurrection of threads past the 1-year mark, but only in instances where the thread in question is of relevance to the current version of transcendence at the date of resurrection.
The Shipyards allows for the resurrection of one's own mods and projects, though if you wish to inquire if a project is still alive if it is past the cutoff point, please PM the author instead.
Script & modding example forums are entirely exempt from the necromancy policy.


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Binge Drinking
Article Translations: (Spanish)
Chet has known Dave since they were in elementary school together, but lately their friendship has been strained. Dave's drinking on weekends has turned him into a completely different person. Dave used to get good grades and play sports, but since he started drinking he hasn't been finishing assignments and he has quit the soccer team.
When Chet saw Dave pound five beers in 30 minutes at two different parties, he realized how serious Dave's problem was.
What Is Binge Drinking?
Binge drinking used to mean drinking heavily over several days. Now, however, the term refers to the heavy consumption of alcohol over a short period of time (just as binge eating means a specific period of uncontrolled overeating).
Today the generally accepted definition of binge drinking in the United States is the consumption of five or more drinks in a row by men — or four or more drinks in a row by women — at least once in the previous 2 weeks. Heavy binge drinking includes three or more such episodes in 2 weeks.
Why Do People Binge Drink?
Liquor stores, bars, and alcoholic beverage companies make drinking seem attractive and fun. It's easy for a high school student to get caught up in a social scene with lots of peer pressure. Inevitably, one of the biggest areas of peer pressure is drinking.
Other reasons why people drink include:
- They're curious — they want to know what it's like to drink alcohol.
- They believe that it will make them feel good, not realizing it could just as easily make them sick and hung-over.
- They may look at alcohol as a way to reduce stress, even though it can end up creating more stress.
- They want to feel older.
Risks of Binge Drinking
Many people don't think about the negative side of drinking. Although they think about the possibility of getting drunk, they may not give much consideration to being hung-over or throwing up.
You may know from experience that excessive drinking can lead to difficulty concentrating, memory lapses, mood changes, and other problems that affect your day-to-day life. But binge drinking carries more serious and longer-lasting risks as well.
Alcohol Poisoning
Alcohol poisoning is the most life-threatening consequence of binge drinking. When someone drinks too much and gets alcohol poisoning, it affects the body's involuntary reflexes — including breathing and the gag reflex. If the gag reflex isn't working properly, a person can choke to death on his or her vomit.
Other signs someone may have alcohol poisoning include:
- extreme confusion
- inability to be awakened
- vomiting
- seizures
- slow or irregular breathing
- low body temperature
- bluish or pale skin
If you think someone has alcohol poisoning, call 911 immediately.
Impaired Judgment
Binge drinking impairs judgment, so drinkers are more likely to take risks they might not take when they're sober. They may drive drunk and injure themselves or others.
Driving isn't the only motor skill that's impaired, though. Walking is also more difficult while intoxicated. In 2000, roughly one third of pedestrians 16 and older who were killed in traffic accidents were intoxicated.
People who are drunk also take other risks they might not normally take when they're sober. For example, people who have impaired judgment may have unprotected sex, putting them at greater risk of a sexually transmitted disease (STD) or unplanned pregnancy.
Physical Health
Studies show that people who binge-drink throughout high school are more likely to be overweight and have high blood pressure by the time they are 24. Just one regular beer contains about 150 calories, which adds up to a lot of calories if someone drinks four or five beers a night.
Mental Health
Binge drinkers have a harder time in school and they're more likely to drop out. Drinking disrupts sleep patterns, which can make it harder to stay awake and concentrate during the day. This can lead to struggles with studying and poor academic performance.
People who binge-drink may find that their friends drift away — which is what happened with Chet and Dave. Drinking can affect personality; people might become angry or moody while drinking, for example.
Some studies have shown that people who binge-drink heavily — those who have three or more episodes of binge drinking in 2 weeks — have some of the symptoms of alcoholism.
Getting Help
If you think you or a friend have a binge-drinking problem, get help as soon as possible. The best approach is to talk to an adult you trust — if you can't approach your parents, talk to your doctor, school counselor, clergy member, aunt, or uncle.
It can be hard for some people to talk to adults about these issues, so an alternative could be a trusted friend or older sibling who is easy to talk to. Drinking too much can be the result of social pressures, and sometimes it helps to know there are others who have gone through the same thing.
If you're worried, don't hesitate to ask someone for help. A supportive friend or adult could help you to avoid pressure situations, stop drinking, or find counseling.
Note: All information is for educational purposes only. For specific medical advice, diagnoses, and treatment, consult your doctor.
© 1995-2024 KidsHealth ® All rights reserved. Images provided by iStock, Getty Images, Corbis, Veer, Science Photo Library, Science Source Images, Shutterstock, and Clipart.com


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With so many different types of stretching techniques for improving flexibility, there tends to be confusion on the difference between these techniques and how each one is executed. To help cut through some of the confusion, here is a quick explanation of six common flexibility techniques along with examples.
Static Stretching
The most common type of stretching, static stretching, is executed by extending the targeted muscle group to its maximal point and holding it for 30 seconds or more.
There are two types of static stretches:
- Active: Added force is applied by the individual for greater intensity
- Passive: Added force is applied by an external force (e.g., partner or assistive device) to increase intensity
Dynamic Stretching
Unlike static stretching, dynamic stretching requires the use of continuous movement patterns that mimic the exercise or sport to be performed. Generally speaking, the purpose of dynamic stretching is to improve flexibility for a given sport or activity.
An example of dynamic stretching would be a sprinter doing long, exaggerated strides to prepare for a race.
Ballistic Stretching
This type of stretching is typically used for athletic drills and utilizes repeated bouncing movement to stretch the targeted muscle group. While these bouncing movements usually trigger the stretch reflex and may cause increased risk for injury, they can be safely performed if done from low-velocity to high-velocity and preceded by static stretching.
Active Isolated Stretching (AIS)
This stretch technique is held for only two seconds at a time. It is performed repeatedly for several repetitions, each time exceeding the previous point of resistance by a few degrees. Much like a strength-training regimen, AIS is performed for several sets with a specific number of repetitions.
Myofascial Release
Through the use of a foam roller or similar device, myofascial release relieves tension and improves flexibility in the fascia (a densely woven specialized system of connective tissue that covers and unites all of the body's compartments), and underlying muscle. Small, continuous back-and-forth movements are performed over an area of 2 to 6 inches for 30 to 60 seconds. The individual's pain tolerance will determine the amount of pressure applied to the target area.
Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF)
This type of stretching capitalizes on the use of autogenic and reciprocal inhibition, and includes three types of techniques:
- Hold-relax
- Perform a passive 10-second pre-stretch.
- Hold and resist force applied by the fitness professional, causing an isometric contraction in the target muscle group, for six seconds.
- Relax the muscle group and allow a passive stretch; hold for 30 seconds to increase range of motion (ROM).
- There should be a greater stretch during this final phase due to autogenic inhibition.
- Contract-relax
- Perform a passive 10-second pre-stretch.
- The fitness professional applies resistance, counteracting the client's force of concentric contraction of the target muscle group, without completely restricting the joint through its ROM.
- Relax the muscle group and allow a passive stretch; hold for 30 seconds to increase ROM.
- There should be a greater stretch during this final phase due to autogenic inhibition.
- Hold-relax with agonist contraction
- This technique is similar to the Hold-relax technique but differs for the final stretch.
- Relax the muscle group and allow a passive stretch. Concentrically contract the opposing muscle group of the target muscle group that is being stretched; hold for 30 seconds to increase ROM.
- There should be a greater stretch during this final phase due to reciprocal and autogenic inhibition.
Knowing the difference between each stretching technique and how to properly execute them is necessary for determining which stretch is best for your client's fitness goals and helping them perform them safely and effectively.


text:
"A picture is worth a thousand words". We are all familiar with this expression. It especially applies when trying to explain the insight obtained from the analysis of increasingly large datasets. Data visualization plays an essential role in the representation of both small and large-scale data. One of the key skills of a data scientist is the ability to tell a compelling story, visualizing data and findings in an approachable and stimulating way. Learning how to leverage a software tool to visualize data will also enable you to extract information, better understand the data, and make more effective decisions. The main goal of this Data Visualization with Python course is to teach you how to take data that at first glance has little meaning and present that data in a form that makes sense to people. Various techniques have been developed for presenting data visually but in this course, we will be using several data visualization libraries in Python, namely Matplotlib, Seaborn, and Folium. LIMITED TIME OFFER: Subscription is only $39 USD per month for access to graded materials and a certificate.
Difficulty Level: INTERMEDIATE
Estimated Learning Time: 17 hours
Data Visualization
Statistical Programming
Python Programming
Saishruthi Swaminathan Data Scientist and Developer Advocate IBM CODAIT
Some Title


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Arm Training Program
With the arrival of spring and the summer months just ahead you may be in need of some additional size and shape on those upper extremities hanging off your shoulders. Most women would agree that given a choice, they would prefer their man to sport a set of muscular arms himself. And most men agree there's a strong sense of power, pride and confidence that comes along with owning an admirable set of guns... especially during the summer months when they can be placed on display for all to see.
The necessary ingredients for admirable arms are brief intense weight resistive workouts coupled with sufficient rest and recuperation time, in addition to proper nutrition which provides the muscles with the means to fully repair and grow. This month's "Take it to the Gym" delivers an extremely effective arm blasting routine to help maximize your sleeve stretch.
Sets and Repetitions
Since both the biceps and triceps are smaller muscles, at least for most of us, the best rewards will be reaped when 4 sets of no more than 3 exercises per muscle are utilized. Before jumping into those 4 sets, begin each exercise with 1-2 warm-up sets of 15 repetitions using a light weight which allows you to effectively warm up the muscles without causing premature fatigue. Next, perform your first true set for 15 repetitions and decrease the repetitions on subsequent sets as follows: 15, 12, 10, 8. Start with enough weight for your first set to allow you to fully complete your 15 repetitions but so the last few reps are very demanding. Then, add the appropriate weight to each subsequent set making the final few reps of that set difficult to perform, but not impossible. The weight you add to each subsequent set will differ from person to person but will likely be in the neighborhood of 10-20 pounds.
Weekly Workout Schedule:
Workout 1 - Chest & Biceps
Workout 2 - Shoulders & Traps & Abs
Workout 3 - Back & Triceps
Workout 4 - Legs & Abs
The biceps muscle is the major muscle responsible for flexing the elbow. It also works synergistically with the muscles of the back in various exercises. Because of this, blasting the biceps with maximal intensity will mean avoiding biceps training on the same day your back is trained. And since the biceps is a smaller muscle, 2-3 exercises are optimum for it's successful development. Anything more can lead to bicipital burnout resulting in little of NO growth.
Exercise 1 - Standing Barbell Curls
This is a power exercise, demanding the utmost performance from your biceps. It has been around forever for one reason... it works great! Be sure to avoid swinging the weight as the only thing this will be effective for is getting injured.
Exercise 2 - Preacher Barbell Curls
This is more of an isolating biceps exercise. The preacher bench forces you to fight the resistance to hold the fully contracted biceps and also let's you anchor your body down for the negative portion of the rep. Keep the movement constant and controlled while focusing on squeezing the biceps and pumping the muscle to the max.
Exercise 3 - Single Arm Cable Curls
Perform the curl so that your forearm is about 45 degrees out from your abdomen. This will put your forearm half way between straight ahead and your abdomen ; the same angle your forearm making when you reach out to shake someone's hand. This plane of movement is much more natural for the biceps.
Although the triceps muscle often takes second stage to the biceps muscle, in your quest for admirable arms, triceps development mustn't be ignored. This is because the triceps is actually a much larger muscle than the biceps, making up 2/3-s of the upper arm! Also, the triceps muscle is more complex consisting of 3 separate heads. This is what gives the triceps it's distinctive horseshoe shape.
Exercise 1 - Lying Triceps Extensions
This exercise is also known as French Curls. The term "Skull Crushers" has also been used! Because of the biomechanics of this exercise, beginners and those without a spotter should be very cautious and begin with a very light weight that they can be easily managed. Be sure to keep the upper aspect of the arms stationary and perpendicular to your torso throughout the entire movement. Avoid flaring out the elbows by keeping the arms in close. Using an EZ-curl bar will minimize the stress placed on the wrists. It's a good idea to wear wrist straps for this exercise especially when you begin to use more weight or have a history of wrist problems or past wrist injuries.
Exercise 2 - Triceps Cable Pushdowns
This exercise is the most popular triceps exercise and also one of the most effective. Using an inverted V bar rather than a straight bar as well as maintaining the wrist in a neutral position while performing the exercise will help prevent wrist injury.
Exercise 3 - Triceps Flat Bench Pushups
This exercise is similar to dips but with this exercise you can place weights on your thighs to provide increased resistance. Be sure to keep your elbows in and perform the movement slowly focusing all your thoughts on squeezing those triceps. Maintaining slow steady motion without fully locking out your elbows will result in maximal blood flow to the triceps.
Remember these following important points to maximize your gains:
Concentrate on proper form while focusing on isolating and maximally squeezing the biceps/triceps. Don't compromise this by using excessively heavy weights or sloppy technique and remember to focus intently on the muscles you're training... this will minimize the chances of injury and increase the stimulation to the muscles you're training.
Avoid fully locking out the elbows or pausing in non-stress positions. Keep the weights moving to keep the blood flowing into the biceps/triceps and prevent pausing in positions where the muscles are not under resistance... rest when the set is over, not during!!!
Practice proper nutrition. Correct protein, carbohydrate and fat consumption, as well as additional vitamin and mineral supplementation are a must for the weight lifter not just serious about making muscular gains, but also concerned about his/her health.


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One thing you can say about the diminutive speckled sea louse: it's always on time.
Scientists studying the tiny crustacean, a marine cousin of the wood-louse, found that it runs not one, but two internal clocks. Not only does the creature have a circadian rhythm, or so called "body clock" like most land-dwelling animals, including humans, but it also has a circatidal clock that follows the 12.4-hour cycle of the tide.
Writing in the journal Current Biology, researchers from Aberystwyth, Bangor, Cambridge and Leicester Universities confirmed the existence of the second clock by observing the behavior of the speckled sea louse.
"Measuring up to 5mm in length, it burrows deep into the sand when the tide goes out and returns to the surface to swim and feed when the tide comes in.
During the day it turns dark in colour to protect itself from UV light. At night it turns white and swims far more vigorously."
The BBC writes that although the lice were removed from their habitat, they "continued to swim every 12.4 hours as they would with changes of the tide."
You can see a video here:
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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Number of rare fungal meningitis cases leaps to 91
ATLANTA (CNN) -- The number of people who have contracted fungal meningitis linked to contaminated steroid injections soared to 91 on Sunday, October 7th -- the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
The reported figure jumped by 27 people in one day, while the death toll remained at seven.
Patients in nine states contracted the deadly meningitis after being injected in their spine with a preservative-free steroid called methylprednisolone acetate that was contaminated by a fungus. The steroid is used to treat pain and inflammation.
The New England Compounding Center (NECC), the Massachusetts-based pharmacy that made the contaminated injections, voluntarily recalled three lots of the injected steroid last week.
On Saturday, the same pharmacy announced a voluntary nationwide recall of all its other products as well. NECC said the new recall was being announced out of an abundance of caution and that there is no indication any of its other products are contaminated.
The Food and Drug Administration has already asked doctors, clinics, and consumers to stop using any of the pharmacy's products. The pharmacy on Wednesday voluntarily surrendered its license to operate until the FDA investigation into the contamination is complete.
Health officials say 76 medical facilities in 23 states received the contaminated steroid injections from NECC. A list of the 76 affected medical facilities is on the CDC's website at www.cdc.gov/hai/outbreaks/meningitis-facilities-map.html.
The CDC raised the death toll Saturday after two people died in Michigan. Other deaths have been reported in Maryland, Tennessee, and Virginia.
Tennessee is reporting the most number of overall cases -- 32 -- which includes three deaths, according to the CDC.
There are also confirmed cases in Florida, Indiana, Minnesota, North Carolina and Ohio.
The other states that received the contaminated products from NECC are California, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas and West Virginia.
Federal health inspectors began inspecting the NECC plant last Monday. Inspectors found foreign particles in unopened vials, and after testing one of the unopened vials, they determined the substance was a fungus.
The investigation is still under way.
Nearly 10% of drugs administered in the United States come from compound pharmacies, according to a 2003 Government Accountability Office report.
Drugs manufactured by compound pharmacies do not have to go through FDA-mandated pre-market approval. Instead, oversight and licensing of these pharmacies comes from state health pharmacy boards.
Compound pharmacists create customized medication solutions for patients for whom manufactured pharmaceuticals won't work, according to the International Academy of Compounding Pharmacists.
Meningitis is an inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. It is usually caused by an infection, frequently with bacteria or a virus, but it can also be caused by less common pathogens like fungi, according to the CDC.
Fungal meningitis is very rare and, unlike viral and bacterial meningitis, it is not contagious.
Symptoms of fungal meningitis are similar to symptoms from other forms of meningitis, but they often appear more gradually and can be very mild at first, the CDC says.
Dr. William Schaffner, chairman of the Department of Preventive Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, told CNN that fungal infections are not usually mild. He said when a fungus invades small blood vessels, it can cause them to clot or bleed, which can lead to symptoms of small strokes.
In addition to typical meningitis symptoms like headache, fever, nausea and stiffness of the neck, people with fungal meningitis may also experience confusion, dizziness and discomfort from bright lights. Patients might just have one or two of these symptoms, the CDC says.
Health officials say any patients who received an injection at one of the facilities beginning July 1 and who began showing symptoms between one and three weeks after being injected should see their doctor right away.
The earlier a patient gets treatment, the more likely he or she will survive.
Patients are treated with anti-fungal medication, which is given intravenously so patients have to be admitted to the hospital, the CDC said. Patients may need to be treated for months.
The FDA is urging anyone who has experienced problems following an injection with the NECC product to report it to MedWatch, the FDA's voluntary reporting program, by phone at 1-800-FDA-1088 or online at www.fda.gov/medwatch/report.htm.
CNN's Miriam Falco contributed to this report.
Related stories:


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"Three days on one bottle of Stoli," I said to Tom, "and yesterday she washed and ironed all the napkins without being asked. Maybe she really has changed." He patted me indulgently on the head, much as he pats Augie, his mastiff, whenever Augie mistakes the fire hydrant on the corner for another, redder dog and tries to chase it away.
I know what you're thinking. But if you remember any of my previous trips with Dolores, you will understand my urgent need to believe that this time would be different.
True, the ride over was pretty smooth, although the surly border guard at Heathrow insisted that Dolores was livestock and therefore subject to a long list of restrictions including quarantine. We waited nervously while she and several uniformed officials disappeared together into one of those Little Rooms. Five minutes and forty-three seconds later, she emerged with her hat slightly askew and a stamped passport.
Harry, of course, was agog and excited from the moment we stepped into the Heathrow Express to Paddington Station and started trying out his idiomatic British English on the other passengers.
"Hi," he said to the guy across the aisle. "I mean, g'day. No, wait, that's Australian. Um. Wait. Oh, yeah. View halloo, old sport! My mates and I have just popped across the pond and are most dreadfully peckish would love to find a jolly mess of crumpets. Where do you think we should go to get some?"
The man frowned and turned to the lady next to him, who was buried in a copy of Le Figaro. "Qu'est-ce qu'il a dit?" he hissed. There was a whispered conversation, and a bunch of shrugging; and then the man tossed Harry what turned out to be a two-pound coin and waved him away.
"Wow," Harry said to me, admiring the golden profile of The Queen. "I like England. At home all I ever got on the subway was a pamphlet about how Jesus is coming and he's in a bad mood. Who's this pretty lady?"
"That's Queen Elizabeth," said Dolores. "She runs this place."
"The whole train?" said Harry.
"The whole frigging sceptered isle," sighed Dolores. "Plus the island next door. Lucky bitch."
"Wow," said Harry. "That's a lot to be queen of."
"She used to have a whole empire," I said, "but some of it dropped off."
"She's a hoot," said Dolores. "If we run into her I'll introduce you."
"Of course," said Tom. "Of course you know The Queen."
"Why wouldn't I?" said Dolores. "She wrote me a fan letter once."
"I'm not going to ask," said Tom, looking out the window. "I'm not, I'm not, I'm not."
"Last time I was over here I was working for the BBC," Dolores said. "Years ago. I had a recurring role on The Archers. I played a well-to-do American sheep who comes to Ambridge searching for distant relations–real heartbreaking stuff. They appreciate high-class drama in this country."
"Notice how I didn't ask," Tom said to me.
"Well, at the climax of the story line I had this knock-down drag-out fight with Jill Archer because Phil was going to leave her and run away with me to Natchez, Mississippi, so we could start a new life together as co-proprietors of a puppet theater."
"Still not listening," said Tom.
"Oh, I am," I said. "Do please continue."
"Anyhow, I had no idea but Elizabeth–or Betty, that's what she likes to be called–Betty is a big-time Archers fan and she got totally into the story, and the next thing you know this dude shows up at my door with the wig and the buckled shoes and the whole nine yards, and hands me a gushy note on her personal stationery asking me to come over and hang out, plus a signed picture and a little brooch shaped like a corgi."
"What's a corgi?" asked Harry.
"A dog," I said.
"Like Augie?"
"Sort of like Augie," said Dolores, "but half as much dog and twice as much teeth. She collects them. They run around the palace and pee on the carpets. I'd hate to see her cleaning bills."
"I don't like how the dogs sound," said Harry. "But I like how The Queen sounds. Can we go see her?"
"No," I said. "She's a very busy lady. But we're going to visit one of the big houses she lives in, up on a hill at a place called Windsor."
"Cool," said Harry. "I mean, jolly good, old chap."
"We're almost to Paddington Station," said Tom. "Finally. How long have we been stuck on this train?"
"Fifteen minutes," I said.
He glanced at his watch, and sighed.
We were back at Paddington a few days later, bright and early, to catch the train to Slough and connect there with the train to Windsor.
In case you're planning a visit of your own, be advised that Paddington Station is an absolute nuthouse on weekday morning. The platforms are crowded with Very Important People in expensive suits, dashing around like a startled herd of pinstriped gazelles
Harry was terrified of being kicked onto the tracks, so Dolores picked him up and stuffed him into her handbag until we found our car and settled in for the ride.
"I wish you wouldn't have run so fast," he huffed as Dolores lifted him, sputtering and disheveled, onto the seat. "You broke some of the cookies."
"Cookies? What cookies?"
"The ones I brought for the Majesty Lady if she's at home. You should always bring a little something when you visit somebody's house so I brought snickerdoodles. If she's not there I'll leave them in the hall with a note."
"Crumbs!" Dolores snapped, peering into the depths of her handbag. "My whole damned bag is full of cookie crumbs! If there are butter stains on my emergency panties swear I'm gonna smack you until you felt!"
"Let's moderate our voices, shall we?" I said. "Seeing as we're in England, Land of Hope and Glory and Nice, Hushed Tones?"
"I'm going to take pictures," said Harry. "Smile, Tom!"
Tom smiled.
The journey from London to Windsor is blessedly brief, and minutes after leaving Slough the famous Round Tower of Windsor hove into view.
"Check it out," I said. "The standard is flying. The Queen's at home."
"Whee!" said Harry. "Good thing I remembered the cookies."
"Calm down," I said. "It's not like she's going to answer the doorbell. If we're very lucky, we might catch a glimpse of her from a distance."
"Pish," sniffed Dolores. "I'll just let one of her people know I'm here and we can all say hello. If found out I came over and didn't tell her, she'd be pissed."
"American pissed or English pissed?" Harry asked.
"American," said Dolores.
"Righty-ho," said Harry.
Dolores dropped her name repeatedly¬–to the ticket taker, a tour guide on the North Terrace and a guy pushing a wheelbarrow through the Moat Garden–but to her great surprise we were not immediately ushered into The Presence.
"Her Majesty will wish to see me if you will kindly let her know I've arrived," she said to the guard at the entrance to the exhibit of Queen Mary's Doll's House.
"Yes, madam," said the guard vaguely, "this way, please, and mind the step."
"That's Van Hoofen, with a double O."
"Yes, madam. This way please, so as not to block the doorway."
Even as royal residences go, Windsor is in a class by itself. Harry was mesmerized–as we all were–by the sight of what can be achieved over the course of one thousand years by scores of artists and architects all pouring themselves into the creation and decoration of one splendid building.
"I wish we could take pictures," Harry whispered to me as we stood at the door of the Waterloo Room, taking in the colossal portraits of the European leaders who had banded together to defeat Napoleon.
"Me too," I said.
When we reached St. George's Hall, an immense banqueting room magnificently restored after the fire of 1992, Harry's jaw dropped.
"It's so big! Do you think sometimes The Queen likes to put on her roller skates and come in here and go around and around until she gets dizzy?"
"I hope so," I said.
Dolores, meanwhile, had buttonholed one a particularly well-shaped guard near the fireplace.
"With a double O," she was insisting. "We're friends from my days with the BBC. Listen, gorgeous–if she finds out I was here and nobody bothered to tell her, she'll start cutting off heads. You know how she gets. And it would be a shame for such a pretty head to end up in a dumpster."
"Perhaps madam would like to move on to the next room?" said the guard nervously.
"Madam is definitely moving," I said, grabbing Dolores by the arm. "And I apologize profusely."
"Not at all," said the guard, looking relieved.
"When they break both your skinny legs on the rack," she shouted as I nudged her onward, "don't come running to me!"
Harry is a stalwart fellow, but by the time we'd crossed the full expanse of the hall and reached the next room, Tom noticed he was rolling a lot slower than usual.
"You feeling okay, Harry?"
"Yup," Harry said. "But there sure is a lot of floor in this place."
"Maybe Dolores could give you lift."
"Nothing doing, bright eyes. The inside of my purse already looks like an explosion at the Little Debbie factory."
"Please?" Harry begged.
"The young gentleman does seem a trifle peaked," said yet another guard, stepping forward. "If you'll pardon my saying so, miss."
For a moment, their eyes locked. Dolores sized him up, and down. "Cripes–does she handpick all you guys on the basis of a close resemblance to Colin Firth? Or is it just a coincidence?"
The guard blushed and looked at his brightly polished shoes.
"Honey," she said, stooping to give Harry a gentle pat, "of course you can ride in Auntie Dolores's purse. Step right in and get comfy cozy, and maybe this handsome specimen of British beef would be kind enough to point out some fine points of the architecture?"
"With pleasure," said the guard, still blushing. "Over here is a memorial to those who fought the great fire…"
"Pssst. Check it out," said Tom quietly to me, nodding at a door inside in alcove that had been cordoned off with velvet rope. "The guidebook says it's the entrance to the private apartments."
I knew what he was thinking.
"Dolores," I said, "We really need to get going."
But she had already spotted the door, and had a determined look on her face.
"Do you smell that?" she whispered, sniffing the air.
"Smell what?" I said.
"White Shoulders. Her perfume. She's probably right there on the other side."
"I don't know what perfume The Queen wears," said Tom. "But I'm pretty sure it's not White Shoulders."
"Oswald," said Dolores to the guard, "Oswald, sweetheart–to what of fragrance is the boss lady partial?"
"I'm afraid I don't know," said the guard. "Most embarrassing. We're supposed to be able to answer all questions a visitor may pose."
"Shucks," Dolores pouted. "I'd really like to know. See, I'd like to get a bottle of whatever it is myself, and dab it gently on all my tenderest parts when I'm fresh from the bath."
Oswald turned as scarlet as his coat. "Er, um, well, you know," he stuttered, "I could ask my friend Eddie–he's just in the next room–he's been here heaps longer than I–I'm sure I could find out for you."
"You do that, lovey," cooed Dolores, blowing him a kiss.
Oswald disappeared through the door to St. George's Hall, and Dolores ducked under the velvet rope. I grabbed at her coat, but she was too quick.
"Next room?" said Tom.
"Next room," I said.
We moved briskly along the designated path, pausing now and again to listen for the alarm bell that would indicate Dolores had come face-to-face with her old pal.
"Do you think The Queen might shoot her?" asked Tom, sounding rather hopeful. "I bet she carries a gun in that purse."
"She must have people to do that kind of thing for her."
"If they serve mutton at the next Garter Lunch we'll know for sure."
We had reached a room that looked out over The Quadrangle, a large courtyard separating the State and Private Apartments. Tom wandered over to the window and gasped. "Come here! Quick! Corgis!"
Sure enough, a trio of royal dogs was bounding across the emerald-green grass, chasing after a little blue ball.
We had only begun to take in the charming scene when a rapid tapping of hooves and the sound of ragged breathing made us turn around. And there, breathless and panting, was Dolores. Her coat was torn and her open handbag dangled from a shaky hoof.
"So," said Tom, "How's Betty?"
"Ha frickity ha ha," said Dolores. "Before I could get near her those dogs came outta nowhere and lunged at me. Look at my clothes! Shredded! I thought they were gonna eat me alive."
"If only," Tom sighed.
"It was like a frigging Merchant-Ivory remake of Wolfen. All brocade and sharp teeth. I threw everything in my purse at them and I still barely got away with both legs."
"Everything in your purse?"
"Everything. I'm gonna sue the knickers off that woman. I had a brand-new two hundred dollar tube of mascara in there."
"Dolores," I said, swallowing a rising sense of panic, "You're here. Where's Harry?"
"He was…I just…wait a minute…"
She turned her open bag upside down, dislodging a small cascade of snickerdoodle crumbs.
Out in the courtyard, the corgis began yapping like mad. We turned to the window and saw them still chasing the little blue ball–which was now trying frantically to climb up the wall.
That afternoon, on the train back to London, Harry sat quietly on my lap munching a Duchy Originals Oaten Biscuit and pondering a sheet of extremely posh stationery covered with crisp black handwriting.
"Did I tell you that she looks just like she does on the money?"
"Six times," muttered Dolores.
"And she said she was so sorry about what the dogs did to my old ball band, and she gave me this new one as a present," he said, puffing up his chest to show off the gilt EIIR emblazoned across the front, just above the washing instructions.
"Do we have to go over this again?" Dolores moaned. "I have a sick headache."
"Ignore her," I said. "You look very snazzy. Right royal, in fact."
"I told her about the snickerdoodles and she said it was too bad the dogs got them because she really likes a good snickerdoodle in the afternoon. Did you know that?"
"I bet they pair well with Dubonnet and gin," said Tom.
"Fascinating," said Dolores. "Alert the Times."
"And she told me I should come back again soon and we can have tea and she'll introduce me to her yarn. All I have to do is show the doorman in the funny hat this letter, because now my name is on a list."
"Ain't that just dandy?" said Dolores.
"Oh," said Harry. "I asked if I could bring you, Dolores, and she didn't remember you, but I told her all about you, and spelled your name for her, with a double O. And she put you on a list, too. Except I guess it's a different kind of list."
"Harry," said Dolores, "When we get home I'm going to spit splice you to the tail of Mrs Teitelbaum's cat."
"Righty-ho" said Harry.


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Top Billed Cast
Vice (2018)
Certified Parent-Safe
41 votes)*
87.8% Audience Cringe Score (Sex Scene
Sexual Violence
We've determined Vice is SAFE to watch with parents or kids.
Where to Stream Vice
Watch & Streaming suggestions for United States
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* 87.8% of CringeMDB users flagged the content of Vice as being inappropriate for children to watch with their parents because of either of a nude scene, a sex scene, or a scene depicting rape or sexual violence.