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Buddha's tough hands
The Shaolin monastery is located in the Chinese province of Henan. The martial art of its monks attracts millions of visitors, and its students come from all over the world, in order to learn from the monks. But has the legend become a victim of its own success?
If it had been up to Anton's grandparents, he would now be standing behind the counter of a savings bank. A young finance specialist, dressed in business attire, maybe a white shirt and grey suit. But it was not up to grandma and grandpa – Anton followed his dream.
That's why 22-year-old grade-A student Anton Chai from Karlsruhe in southwestern Germany now hovers above very tall steel pillars wielding a sword. The blade glistens in the midday sun, buzzing around its bearer like a swarm of angry hornets. Suddenly, it pauses in the sweltering air of the Chinese summer.
Anton Chai is a kung fu fighter. A fighting machine that, for the past three years, has been undergoing perfection by a legendary group of men – the Shaolin monks from the Shaolin monastery in the Chinese province of Henan. Anton has paid a lot of money for his transformation: $1,000 a month to start off with. These days he pays a little less, as he has been here for a while. In exchange he receives food (tofu and noodles), lodging (a bed in a shared bedroom with three others) and six hours of grueling training each day.
Soon, he wants leave behind the temple at the foot of the Song Shan Mountains, possibly to open a kung fu school back home in Germany. Another student will take Anton's place. One who is following the same dream: learning to fight, to be humble, and so become part of the legend. Those who are somewhat less committed can experience the Shaolin monastery as tourists.
Shaolin had 1.5 million visitors last year and, according to Chinese media, generated an 80 million-euro profit. The kung fu temple is a commercial enterprise. Could this destroy the legend?
"Everybody was kung fu fighting / Those kicks were fast as lightning." The song by Carl Douglas was a huge hit in 1974. "Kung Fu fighting" sold over eleven million copies and turned the soul singer into one of the biggest one hit wonders of all time. It also made the name of this Chinese martial art famous in every last small town disco.
The song was meant to be a humorous commentary on the wave of kung fu films hitting cheap movie theatres at the time – budget action flicks from Hong Kong full of lots of carefully choreographed beatings. Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Jet Li were the stars of the genre. Li resurrected the myth of the fighting monks from obscurity with the 1982 movie The Shaolin Temple. After seeing it, ruffians in many western schoolyards tried to imitate the Tiger Claw technique.
"Of course I used to love kung fu movies. What boy doesn't want to be able to fight like that?" Anton Chai leans on the monastery wall, his sinewy arms folded. Young kung fu students jog past him and up a steep path, their faces expressionless. The Shaolin are drilling around 500 protégés in the area next to the temple, roughly 200 of them, foreigners. Anton watches the novices disappear up the hill. "I didn't actually come here for the fighting," he says. "I just wanted to live as a monk."
Everybody was kung fu fighting / Those kicks were fast as lightning.
The Shaolin monastery is not just famous for kung fu. It's also the birthplace of Zen Buddhism. As early as 495 C.E., the temple was erected here and its monks became famous as translators of sutras, the Buddhist scriptures. In the year 527 the Indian monk Bodhidarma visited the monastery, and brought with him a complex martial art, which was subsequently refined and taught here. Until the 17th century, the Shaolin order grew to 2,500 monks.
Through the years, the resulting army of shaven-headed fighters was in the service of various masters. Buddhism, the "religion of peace," had found its way to the battlefield.
Today the monks and their students only fight for paying visitors. The "Shaolin landscape zone" bustles with energy.
Open-topped electric busses distribute the visitors across the various sights. Most of them congregate in front to the monastery gate. Groups of tourists plod across the hot stones, chat loudly amongst themselves and brandish tickets and selfie-sticks. In 2010 the Shaolin temple and the neighboring pagoda forest were declared UNESCO world heritage sites – an accolade that made visitor numbers skyrocket.
Close to the monastery walls, an octagonal hall rises into the hazy sky. This is where the Shaolin students showcase their skills seven times a day. The cheesy murals and disco lighting in the arena are distracting, but the show laid on by the 25 fighters simply rocks. Like gifted gymnasts the young men shoot across the room. A flying squadron in bright orange garb, frighteningly in synch.
Between the stunts, the group performs a few harmless sketches. Animal impersonations and numbers in which some unlucky audience member is plucked from its ranks and made fun of. The spectators fall silent, however, when with a grand gesture, a lanky lad hits himself over the head with a sword. The blade shatters and the young man remains unharmed. The cheering from the crowd rises to the noise level of a jumbo jet. The assembled kung fu youth takes one last bow and the lights go out. Stewards usher the spectators out of the hall, and into the gift shop, naturally. Wooden swords, anyone?
The economic power the Shaolin have unleashed is clearly visible on a drive through Dengfeng. This somewhat gray city of 600,000 inhabitants boasts 90 private kung fu schools, the largest of which has 35,000 students. It is said that the region has one million young Chinese learning to kick and punch gracefully, and to relax on a bed of nails. The city lives and breathes martial arts. On the sidewalks teenagers with washboard stomachs are engaged in boxing matches. Little girls kick their legs up high behind them, above their bobbing braids.
Some of the malls only sell kung fu accessories: canes, spears, ninja stars, battle-axes, sandbags and punch cushions. There are also powerful swords priced at 2,500 euros apiece, with blades forged from steel that has been folded eight times. Their sheaths are adorned with golden cranes. If China were ever to be occupied, Dengfeng would be harder to conquer than the village of Asterix the Gaul.
A visit to the training grounds of the Chinese Shaolin Martial Arts Institute is further proof of this. In the morning light, the courtyard of the private school looks like a picture puzzle, yet one with a certain order to it all. Approximately 300 students, the youngest of them six years old, have been divided into small groups. Almost all of them are practicing so-called forms, ever-recurring sequences of movements that are the basis of modern kung fu. Cries pierce the air, fists thud into torsos, feet stamp the dust. This is not your average western schoolyard scene.
The schools give children from poor families an opportunity for social advancement
Kung Fu schools enjoy a good reputation in China. The educational establishments are run like boarding schools focused on sports. Apart from martial arts they also give their students a basic but thorough school education. In addition to this, they instill a set of values in their charges: order, obedience, diligence and discipline. These virtues are in high demand, even in the present time of turbo-capitalism (albeit one with a red varnish).
Parents from rural regions regard the schools as providing an opportunity for social advancement. At around 30 euros per month – a fraction of what foreigners pay at the monastery – the school fees are manageable even for poorer families. "I come from Inner Mongolia," says Liu Yang, a shy girl with a pageboy haircut and rosy cheeks. "I have been in school here for six years, and only go home once a year for the spring festival." The train journey to her village takes 24 hours.
In the beginning, she says, she used to be terribly homesick. Now she gets on okay and really only misses her parents' cooking. "My father is a cook and my mother works as a waitress. They own a small restaurant," Liu Yang says proudly and fiddles with her yellow imitation Swatch. She does not seem at all like the Amazonian who was crossing swords with one of her fellow students in the schoolyard just a moment ago. Careers in the army, police or other security organizations are open to kung fu students. Many also join the private sector and work as bodyguards, bouncers or security guards.
There is great demand –China's new affluent classes are in need of security. The job prospects for martial arts apprentices are good. But the big dream, which also helps Liu Yang deal with her homesickness, is a different one. It consists of traveling around the world, sold-out shows and being showered with applause as a young ambassador of Shaolin Kung Fu.
If the order of monks were a brand, Shi Yongxin would be both its CEO and brand ambassador. After the monastery gates have shut behind the last tourist, the 51-year-old abbot grants private audiences. His official residence is located in the third court of the temple compound.
More than 3,600 Buddhist scrolls are piled up against the walls, in front of them is a magnificent altar with jade frescoes. Shi Yongxin wears an orange garment and greets us with folded hands. "I have been to Germany several times and appreciate the order and discipline of your compatriots." So he is familiar with the concept of small talk.
In 1981, young Shi, only 16 years old, stood at the entrance of the Shaolin temple for the first time. "I come from a very religious family and was sure from a young age that I wanted to be a monk," he says today. The novice, full of anticipation for his future tasks, was faced with a horrible scene. "Everything was broken. The entire compound was in ruins." Only nine monks still lived in the remains, gathered around their blind master. Wars, looting and the the anti-religious agitation of the Cultural Revolution had all but eliminated the order of monks.
The seemingly indefatigable Shi approached the reconstruction with youthful vigor. He collected donations, negotiated credit arrangements with banks, and tussled with government agencies about planning permits. Meanwhile, society was changing: religion made a comeback into the everyday lives of the Chinese population and the monastery attracted more novices.
Then Shi had an ingenious idea: in order to make the Shaolin order better known, he founded the show team of fighting monks. This led to world tours – they even met Queen Elizabeth II. And as their leader, Shi Yongxin always travels with them. How important is the martial art to him today? "When I was a novice, faith was more important to me. But today I know those who have learned to withstand physical pain in kung fu are equipped to deal with harsh set-backs in their lives."
Shi was elected abbot at the age of 34. His business acumen has earned him the nickname "CEO Monk," and he wants to float the Shaolin monastery on the stock exchange. A $300-million resort in Australia, a kind of Shaolin theme park, is also currently under discussion. Scandal hit in 2015: A whistleblower accused the abbot of corruption and of having fathered two illegitimate children. The police investigated, but the authorities now say that all the accusations have been "disproved."
"This place emanates positive energy which helps many people," says Shi grandly. There are no expansions planned at the moment, "only if other cultures need us." Around the temple there is still much to renovate, he says, and there are new buildings, which need to be built – feasible goals. He smiles at his visitors instead of saying goodbye.
As the sun sets over the temple compound, the tranquility and soft light change the feel of the place. You can imagine how it must have been in times gone by. Magical. Anton Chai, the young man from Germany who was unable to stick it out at the savings bank for long, is still training. He wields his sword on a terrace. Weeds poke through the paving stones. A beautiful Russian woman watches him and a giant from Ivory Coast says hello – multicultural kung fu.
Later, Anton puts the spiritual aspects in perspective: "Shortly after I arrived, a few monks took me into town and we headed for a house with red lights." A brothel? "That's what I thought at first. But inside we found a dozen monks in front of computers, gambling." So the monks are only human after all – but humans who are brilliant fighters. The legend lives on.
This story first appeared in Lufthansa Exclusive, the frequent traveller magazine. For more information about Lufthansa Miles & More offers, please click here.


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Preserving Your Family Photographs: How to Organize, Present, and Restore Your Precious Family Images
Betterway Books, 2001 - Crafts & Hobbies - 246 pages
Genealogists and non-genealogists alike love old photographs and many people have photo collections of their ancestors. Preserving Your Family Photographs shows them how to organize and store these photos so that future generations can also enjoy them. Readers will learn how to care for family photos, identify different types of damage, learn basic conservation techniques, buy the proper storage materials, then organize the family photo archive and safely display it for all to see. * Photo preservation and display techniques appeal to both genealogist and non-genealogist alike * the book provides instruction through the use of beautiful sample photos Maureen Taylor is the author of Uncovering Your Ancestry through Family Photographs. She is a regular contributor to Family Tree Magazine and is a former picture research coordinator and photo curator. She is a frequent lecturer at genealogical conferences and workshops across the country on the subject of photograph identification, organization and preservation. She lives in Westwood, Massachusetts.
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o Case Study graphs, the last chapter presented two case studies. One featured
a photograph from the Emison/Loock family photograph collection. Using the
organizing principles and conservation data in previous chapters, let's look at
three ...
o Case Study graphs, the last chapter presented two case studies. One featured
a photograph from the Emison/Loock family photograph collection. Using the
organizing principles and conservation data in previous chapters, let's look at
three ...
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subset: commoncrawl


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Sticking mostly with his two-seam fastball with sink action, Blackburn tested the integrity of Target Field's sod all night long. Assisted by an infield slowed by rain, 19 of the 21 waterlogged grounders were converted to outs. Despite working through the lineup proficiently and using only 94 pitches, Blackburn was seemingly flirting with disaster right up until J.J. Hardy's game-saving defensive decision as 11 other batted balls became hits.
After the game, Blackburn told LaVelle E Neal that he "threw just a handful of sliders because his slider wasn't very sharp." Not only was the slider apparently lacking bite on Tuesday, but it has been missing all season. According to the pitch f/x mapping over the past two years, there is a pitch that is noticeably absent in his repertoire:
What these two charts indicate is that Blackburn is no longer throwing his slider. As a pitcher that relies heavily on movement and command, losing one bullet in his arsenal is potentially problematic. In 2009, Blackburn was in the bottom five in the categories of Swinging Strikes, Contact Rate and Balls in Play. This season, Blackburn is the lowest among all qualified starters across the board:
Blackburn's pitch results
Swing Strike%
Balls in Play%
The natural assumption is that the decline in these marks is a direct correlation to his discarded slider. And that would be fairly accurate. In 2009, Blackburn's slider - with a 10% whiff rate - was his pitch most likely to receive a swing-and-miss. This season he has been filling this void with more hittable fastballs and changeups thus the higher contact totals.
Blackburn has always been the socialist pitcher who regularly redistributes the outs to his fellow defenders yet his strikeouts per 9 innings has fallen from the concerning 4.29 in '09 to a spit-takingly low 2.48 in '10. Although he is not anything remotely similar to a strikeout pitcher (a career 4.4 K/9 coming into this season), Blackburn still needs to maintain some level of respectability in this department. More balls put between the chalk lines also creates more opportunities for hits, which is a nasty precursor for runs. Reestablishing his slider could help elevate his strikeout total and reduce the amount of balls in play.


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Hoenn Sound
Hoenn sound is a feature in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, active every Wednesday when you tune into your radio's music channel. Hoenn sound attracts Pokémon native to the Hoenn region. Finding and catching Pokémon exclusive to the Hoenn sound feature is done in a similar manner to catching Pokémon native to the region you are catching it in. The radio must be playing while you are in the tall grass. This means that every time you do battle, or switch to a new area, you must turn on your radio again. This is most definitely hindrance when catching rare Pokemon with the Hoenn sound.


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May 18, 1920 - March 15, 2013
Modena, NY
Dave John Mocera, age 92, of Modena, NY, passed away on Friday, March 15, 2013 at home, surrounded by his family.
Calling hour will be held on Wednesday, March 20th, from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Copeland Funeral Home, Inc., 162 S. Putt Corners RD., New Paltz, NY 12561. A funeral mass will be held Wednesday following calling hours at 2 p.m. at St. Charles Borromeo Church, Rte 44/55, Gardiner, NY. Burial will follow mass at St. Charles Cemetery.
Funeral Arrangements are by Copeland Funeral Home, Inc. 845-255-1212. If anyone wishes to express condolences online please go to www.copelandfhnp.com .


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I just returned from the amazing BlogHer Food '10 conference in San Francisco. I am thrilled and humbled to tell you that my little black book, Recipes Every Man Should Know, co-authored with Brett Cohen, was the first book to sell out at their authors' table! (Insert sounds of horn-tooting by me.)
Would you like a copy of Recipes Every Man Should Know or a copy for a hungry guy in your life? It's available for pre-sale on Amazon right now, and it's only $9.95!
Why should men cook?
1. Women think men who cook are sexy.
2. It involves fire, sharp instruments, and meat.
3. Women think men who cook are sexy, and it involves fire, sharp instruments, and meat.
Need more reasons?
4. It's cheaper than eating out all the time, which means more money for other stuff.
5. It's healthier, which is also sexy.
6. If you cook for your friends, they'll buy you drinks.
That's why you've got to have a copy of Recipes Every Man Should Know. This little black book is packed with easy, delicious recipes that will impress family, friends, and, most importantly, the ladies.
It's never too early to get him started in the kitchen.
Not sure which pots and pans to use? We tell you. Don't know the difference between dicing and slicing? We explain. Not sure how many pints are in a quart? Two. No matter the occasion, we've got recipes that won't fail you:
- Tailgating? Jumbalaya and Beef-and-Beer Chile
- Throwing a party? Beer Margaritas and BuffaloWings
- Dinner alone? Perfect Panfried Pork Chops
- Romantic dinner for her? Creamy Shrimp Fettucine
- Sunday breakfast with the kids? Better-Than-IHOP Chocolate Chip Pancakes
Want to buy a copy for yourself or for a guy in your life? It makes a great Christmas gift or stocking stuffer for only $9.95! Order your copy of Recipes Every Man Should Know through Irreference.com or through Amazon.com today!
Photo Credits: Creative Commons, Flickr: Australian War Memorial Collection and Hadassah Williams.


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Simulation and Design of a Microfluidic Respirometer for Semi-Continuous Amperometric Short Time Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BODST) Analysis
Introduction: This work presents the design of a novel flow cell based miniaturized electrochemical respirometer to monitor organic content in water samples semi-continuously, in contrast to current Biochemical Oxygen Demand, BOD, methods. Simulation techniques has been used to parameterize and optimize aspects such as height and length of the channels, materials and thickness, flow and oxygen supply and biomass concentration in the projected device. Use of COMSOL: The 2D model presented here includes: 1) laminar flow microfluidics; 2) diffusion and convection in different materials (water and permeable membrane) of oxygen and organics; 3) a simplified self-implemented biological reaction (bacteria + organics (Glu) + O2 ? Bacteria + CO2 + H2O); and self-implemented electrochemistry simulating the electrical response of the electrode. Several simulations has been run to compare different geometries and materials (length of the channel, height of the reaction chamber and electrolyte channel, thickness and material of oxygen membrane (PDMS and PTFE)) and different flows of electrolyte which is the control parameter for the total oxygen supplied to the system. Results show: 1) the importance of device dimensions and geometry to full use of microfluidics and micro-fabrication advantages as no stirring requirement; 2) the role of the flow velocity as coupled to overall oxygen supplied in adapting the system to a wide range of organic loadings; 3) the key role of biomass in the experiment to reduce overall analysis time; and 4) the expected signal intensity to be obtained by the electrode on each situation. Conclusions: The design presented here uses an electrochemical oxygen sensor, and the whole system is amenable to fabrication using standard micro-fabrication and rapid prototyping techniques. Upon simulations results the system can provide a good estimate of organic content in samples in about 1 hour of running in contrast to current BOD methods that need 5 days for results. In addition the microfabrication techniques permits to develop an on-site analysis device. This can be important for several purposes, as is to control and monitor wastewater treatments on semi-continuous basis.


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Why Don't Movies About Greek Gods Stick to the Original Stories?
For as long as there have been movies, there have been Greek gods and monsters in the movies.
After all, this is the most widely known pantheon of heroes and villains outside of Marvel and DC, a collection of legendary characters who instantly conjure up very specific thoughts and images. There are mighty heroes like Hercules and Achilles. There are powerful gods like Zeus and Poseidon. There are incredible monsters like Medusa and the Minotaur. To think of Greek mythology in the movies is to think of swords and sandals, of magic and mayhem, of intrigue and adventure. There are few things as inherently cinematic as the stories told by the ancient Greeks. The fact that we're getting a second Percy Jackson movie is proof that these tales still hold a fascinating power over us.
So why do so few movies dealing with Greek mythology actually stick to the text?
This isn't a complaint, mind you. To wonder why movies cut from this cloth don't follow the original stories isn't a slight against the likes of Clash of the Titans or any of the hundreds of Hercules movies. It's simply an observation. If a movie adaptation of a massively popular book threw away the text as blatantly as most Greek myth movies do their subject matter, fans would be in an uproar. After revisiting many Ancient Greece-themed movies over the past week, I can say without hesitation that almost none of them accurately depict their subject matter as it was originally intended. It's truly odd: the citizens of Mount Olympus and the mortal beings they rule over tend to exist on-screen as a conduit for modern thinking and belief systems, with the iconography of their legends being shaped and molded to appeal to a modern audience.
But why? That's the big question, right? These stories existed for thousands of years before Hollywood got its hands on them, so why fix what isn't broken? I'm no Greek scholar (and I'm sure someone more qualified than me is going to read this and shake his fist and curse the Internet), but I think it ultimately boils down to something very simple: The characters of Greek myth are so foreign to what we look for in modern characters that writers, directors and studios are frightened to depict them as written. Part of the appeal of these stories is that they're so profoundly strange and crazy... and they may be a little too nutty for modern storytelling.
The massive gap between source material and Hollywood execution is best summed up by Hades, the Greek god of the underworld. In movies like the Clash of the Titans remake and Disney's take on Hercules, he's depicted as the Big Bad, a villain hell-bent on breaking out of his kingdom and claiming the living world for himself. He's a bad guy through and through, a mustache twirling figure of pure evil out to do irreparable damage to the world of gods and men.
However, in Greek myth, Hades is just a guy. He can be a jerk, he can be vindictive and he can cause all kinds of damage to people's lives, but he doesn't do anything worse than any other god in the Greek pantheon. Heck, Zeus, usually portrayed as a heroic leader in Hollywood films, is a far more dangerous and conniving character than Hades. The god of the underworld is just a god with a specific kingdom, the immortal who got handed the short end of the stick while his brothers got the ocean and the skies. He does his job, makes the trains run on time and doesn't cause too much trouble. After all, there is no heaven and hell in Greek myth -- everyone ends up going to the same place. Wouldn't it suck if every single person, whether they were good of bad, had to spend the afterlife being watched over by a tyrant?
Hollywood's transformation of Hades into a bad guy isn't a reflection of Greek myth, but rather an example of Western beliefs and values informing how people see these characters. In a system where most creators have a viewpoint informed Judeo-Christian imagery, of course the guy who most resembles Satan is going to get saddled with the villain role. After all, how could the lord of the dead not be the bad guy? It's simultaneously understandable and condescending. It's an example of a culture attempting to grapple with the beliefs/stories of an ancient culture and simply failing to see eye to eye with it.
And Hades isn't alone, of course. While watching Luke Evans portray a passive, hopeful and ultimately heroic Zeus in Immortals, I couldn't stop thinking about the Zeus of the text, who loved messing with the affairs of humans and siring more bastards than any fictional character in all of recorded literature. Will we ever get a movie where Zeus transforms into a ray of sunlight or a bull in order to seduce a mortal woman? Of course not. That's too weird. It's awesome and crazy and totally fascinating, but it's easy to imagine a movie completely losing an audience the moment it portrays the god closest to the Western concept of God as a cheating womanizer who routinely destroys the lives of everyone around him.
Of course, someone could also write an entire essay on how filmmakers have gotten Hercules wrong. Sure, most movies capture his strength, his heroic deeds and his boastfulness, but they tend to leave out the part where Hercules goes insane and kills his entire family. A hero murdering his family in cold blood is the kind of thing you see all the time in ancient myth. Eventually, you don't even bat an eye at tales of patricide, matricide, incest and so forth. But will the Rock, who is playing the character in the upcoming Hercules: The Thracian Wars, murder his entire family and decide to redeem his name by cleaning the dirtiest stable in all of Greece in order to redeem his honor? Of course not. That would be too weird. That would make modern audiences giggle instead of thrill them. It would make them instantly lose whatever emotional investment they've had in the story so far. But let's face it: it would also be kind of awesome.
I've long since given up on hoping to see the Greek myths I studied during my college years brought to the screen. I've accepted that they're just too bonkers to make the jump to cinema as written. Heck, even a big-budget adaptation of The Illiad cut out all of the gods (memo to Troy: you suck). How strange is it that a proper adaptation of ancient stories would be fresher and crazier than almost every movie getting made today?
Sorry, Percy Jackson. The tales you're inspired by are so much weirder and better than you.
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In the market for some wheels.. here is a hodgepodge of questions..
Need to do distance to get to the sweet spots, am in the great lakes region.
If you bought a car with kitesurfing as a factor, what car did you end up buying, and are you happy with it? Would you change anything..
One of my considerations is a regular (not wagon) VW Golf TDI for its stick + fuel economy + hatch feature, whats the maximum size surfboard that I can fit in that without portruding into the front cabin and preventing me from shifting gears? If would seem to me that even with a wagon, you still loose the two rear seats. Are there wagons where you can fit a surfboard inside and not lose rear seating?
Thanks in advance,


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French Studies Web
From Wess
The French Studies Web provides annotated links to scholarly web resources and includes sites of particular interest to librarians specializing in Western Europe. It does not strive for exhaustiveness. Where possible, links to high-quality, scholarly meta-sites are given.
Search box available in left frame.
General Resources
- Universities, Libraries and Archives
- Book Trade & Collection Development
- Reference Shelf
Dictionaries, encyclopedias, maps, etc.
- Newspapers & News Sources
- Web Directories & Search Engines
Subject Specific Resources
- Dossiers thématiques, Ministère de la Culture
- Art & Architecture
- Francophone Studies Resources, Jennifer Vinopal, NYU
- History, Susanne Roberts, Yale
- Literature, Linguistics, & Culture
- Politics & Government, Richard Hacken, BYU
See also: Professional Information & Resources
|Selection Criteria. To be included in the Wess French Studies Web, a site must: be updated on a regular basis and should indicate date of last revision; include author name(s) and, where possible, affiliation; conform to copyright laws (i.e. appropriate attributions, no plagiarized material, etc.)
|Geographical Coverage. France, and the francophone regions in Belgium, Canada, Switzerland, North Africa, Sub Saharan Africa, North America and the Caribbean.
The editors for the French Studies Web are Heleni Pedersoli, Patrick Reidenbaugh and Cecile Bianco. We welcome contributors.
We would like to thank the libraries of Brigham Young University
URL: http://wess.lib.byu.edu/index.php/French_Studies_Web
The French Studies Web is one part of the Western European Studies Section Web of resources for Western European studies.


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Charge or block: Darrell Arthur's facial on Nick Collison?
HoopsVibe`s Very Quick Call: Yes, the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Oklahoma City Thunder yesterday to force a do-or-die game seven on Sunday.
The real debate will be this: charge or block?
After all, Memphis reserve Darrell Arthur threw down a facial for the ages on Nick Collison, but the basket was disallowed because the referees called a charge.
Nobody disagreed more than Memphis` Marc Gasol, who, through his facial expressions, either thought it was a block or finally saw the replay of Lakers coach Phil Jackson abusing brother Pau in game three against the Dallas Mavericks.
Charge or block? Watch the video, make the call, and get at us with thoughts in the comment box below.
–Oly Sandor.
Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.


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India needs to learn from Intersolar North America show!
Intersolar North America successfully concluded its seventh annual show in the heart of the United States' largest solar market, California. More than 17,000 visitors from 74 countries visited 530 exhibitors.
The show had the latest innovations in the photovoltaic, energy storage, balance of systems, mounting and tracking systems, and solar heating and cooling market sectors.
It just shows how the USA has evolved as a leading market for solar PV over the years. One could feel USA creeping up on China! Which brings me to the other significant news.
Recently, there was news regarding the USA-China solar dispute. USA has won huge anti-dumping tariffs in the US-China solar panel trade case. A preliminary decision by the US Department of Commerce has imposed significant tariffs on Chinese solar modules in the anti-dumping portion of the case.
The decision has also closed SolarWorld's "loophole," which is said to have allowed Chinese module manufacturers to use Taiwanese cells in their modules, circumventing US trade duties.
Will this affect the Chinese PV module suppliers? Perhaps, not that much. Why so? China itself has a very huge domestic market for solar PV. They can continue to do well in China itself. It can also sell solar PV modules in India, as well, besides other regions in the Asia Pacific.
That brings me back to Intersolar North America 2014. Why was there such a low presence of Indian companies? The exhibitor list for the show reads only two — Lanco Solar Pvt Ltd and Vikram Solar Pvt Ltd. Where are the others?
If one looks at the Ministry for New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) website, there is a notification stating that a National Solar Mission (NSM) is being implemented to give a boost to solar power generation in the country. It has a long-term goal of adding 20,000 MWp of grid-connected solar power by 2022, to be achieved in three phases (first phase up to 2012-13, second phase from 2013 to 2017 and the third phase from 2017 to 2022).
Well, the MNRE has also put up a release stating complaints received about the non-function of the systems installed by channel partners. Without getting into details, why can't Indian suppliers get to the ground and work up solidly? Some of the complaints are actually not even so serious. System not working. Channel partner not attending complaint! And, plant not working due to inverter (PPS) burnt down. These should be attended to quickly, unless, there is some monetary or other issue, which, at least, I am not aware of!
The CNA Corp.s Energy, Water, & Climate division released two studies earlier this week, which found that cost-effective options that power plants can use to cut water use can also help plants reduce CO2 emissions.
The first report, Capturing Synergies Between Water Conservation and Carbon Dioxide Emissions in the Power Sector, focuses on strategy recommendations based on analyses of water use and CO2 emissions in four case studies, which are detailed in the second report, A Clash of Competing Necessities: Water Adequacy and Electric Reliability in China, India, France, and Texas.
CNA's Energy, Water, & Climate division released two studies, which found that cost-effective options that power plants can use to cut water use can also help plants reduce CO2 emissions.
"It's a very important issue," said lead study author Paul Faeth, director of Energy, Water, & Climate at CNA. "Water used to cool power plants is the largest source of water withdrawals in the United States and France, and a large source in China and India."
"The recommendations in these reports can serve as a starting point for leaders in these countries, and for leaders around the world, to take the steps needed to ensure the reliability of current generating plants and begin planning for how to meet future demands for electric power."
India needs to learn from the Intersolar North America show. It also needs to look carefully at CNA's reports. It is always great and good work that attracts global attention. India has all of the requred capabilities to do so!
Convergence of PV materials, test and reliability: What really matters?
SEMI, USA recently hosted the seminar on 'Convergence of PV Materials, Test and Reliability: What Really Matters?
Reliability in growing PV industry
Speaking on the importance of reliability to a growing PV industry, Sarah Kurtz, principal scientist, Reliability group manager, NREL, said that confidence in long-term performance is a necessity in the PV industry. Current failure rates are low. There is need to demonstrate confidence so that failure rates will stay low. There has been exponential growth of the PV industry so far. PV is a significant fraction of new installations. It now represents a significant fraction of new electricity generating installations of all kinds.
How does one predict the lifetime of PV modules? There has been a qualification test evolution for JPL block buys. Most studies of c-Si modules show module failures are small. Internal electrical current issues often dominate.
The vast majority of installations show very low PV module failure rates (often less than 0.1 percent). There has been evidence that PV is low risk compared to other investments. To sustain the current installation rate, we need to demonstrate confidence that justifies the annual investment of $100 million or so.
Critical factors in economic viability of PV
DuPont has broad capabilities under one roof. It offers materials, solar cell design, and processes integrated with panel engineering. Speaking about Critical factors in economic viability of PV – materials matter – Conrad Burke, global marketing director, DuPont PV Solutions, said that material suppliers have a distinct advantage to view trends. The industry can expect consolidation among large PV module producers and large materials suppliers.
There is an increasing dependence on materials suppliers for processes, tech support and roadmap. There is renewed attention to long-term reliability and quality of materials in PV products.
There is a race for survival among panel producers. There are dropping prices for solar panels, and quality is getting compromised. There are reduced incentives in established markets. The market will continue to grow. Key factors that determine investment return for PV include lifetime, efficiency and cost.
When materials fail, the consequences are dire. There are failures such as encapsulant discoloration, backsheet failure, glass delamination, etc. Average defect rates in new-build modules has been increasing. Significant number of PV installations do not deliver the projected RoI. The system lifetime is as important as cost and incentives.
Solar cell power continues to improve. There have been improvements from metal pastes and processes. Performance loss impacts the RoI. The US Department of Energy hired JPL to develop 30-year PV modules. Recent cost pressures have led to the dramatic changes in module materials and a lack of transparency.
Analyzing modules from the recent service environments show performance issues. Certification does not mitigate risk. Tests do not predict the actual field performance. He showed tier-1 solar panel manufacturing problems from China, Japan and the USA. Backsheet is critical to protect solar panels. Few materials have lengthy field experience. We will continue to see drop in prices for solar panels and opening of new markets. Focus for PV module makers will remain efficiency, etc.
Read more…
Five-year outlook for solar PV industry!
According to Finlay Coville, VP and team leader, NPD Solarbuzz, full year end market PV demand during 2012 reached 29.05 GW. The demand is forecast to increase to 31 GW in 2013. China is expected to replace Germany as the leading market for the first time. The global market is likely to have a CAGR exceeding 15 percent, highlighting long term confidence in global PV adoption levels.
Supply vs. demand overview in 2012
The upstream c-Si module/thin-film panel suppliers produced 30.1 GW of new product in 2012. Combined with inventory levels through the value chain, this provided 31 GW of panels to the downstream channels. 29 GW was used for market demand, while 2 GW went to the downstream inventory.
Demand overview 2013
Year 2013 is shaping up as a 31 GW demand year under the most likely scenario. Over 50 percent of the end market demand is projected to come from China, Germany and North America (USA and Canada). 2013 will be a transition year for the emerging PV territories. Both the Middle East and Africa and Emerging Asia will likely reach 1 GW.
PV demand in 2012 accounted for approximately 30 percent of all PV installed globally. The industry growth in 2012 is positive, but set against a backdrop of an industry that had been accustomed to year-on-year growth often exceeding 100 percent. The industry is forecast to return to double digit growth.
PV scenario forecasting continies to show divergent outcomes in 2017. A high market demand scenario assumes a strong economic environment and aggressive PV policies by way of direct incentives and lower regulatory hurdles.
Five-year cumulative demand by geography
Cumulatively, global PV demand is forecast to exceed 230 GW over the five year period to 2017. China is forecast to install 51 GW accounting for over 20 percent. Europe will continue to offer strong regional PV market. North America and Japan will provide over 61 GW of demand. Emerging markets are projected to create over 25 GW of PV demand, more than 10 percent of the cumulative total to 2017.
By application segment, the ground-mount segment will remain the single largest segment over the five years. Residential and non-residential (commercial) segments will continue to be characterized by specific end-user requirements, different supply channels and routes-to-market for upstream suppliers.
The PV industry was configured to supply over 45 GW in 2012. The industry is likely to be in an over-capacity mode in 2013, with balanced supply/demand levels restored from 2015. Market share aspirations remain a key driver for PV manufacturers. During 2013 and 2014, the capacity taken offline is likely to be more than compensated for by newly ramped capacity.
With multi-domain c-Si module production, most panels had efficiencies in the 13-16 percent band during 2012. High efficiency concepts are not likely to strongly influence the module efficiency landscape during 2013 or 2014. If high efficiency cell types gain traction, the share of modules with efficiencies above 16 percent will increase.
In 2012, a wide range of efficiencies were produced, but with levels that do not compete with c-Si modules for space-constrained applications. The range of panels available in the 12-14 percent band is likely to grow strongly from 2015 as leading suppliers benefit from process improvements. Panels below 10 percent efficiency will become obsolete.
Despite end market growth expected, revenues available to each part of the value-chain will see strong declines Y/Y in 2013. This is due to the ASPs declining at a faster rate than the end-market demand growth, within a strong overcapacity environment. Revenues are also unlikely to recover for each value-chain segment until the 2016-2017 period.
What's with prices?
2012 was the fourth year in a row that c-Si module prices declined and was the largest Y/Y decline. As capacity throughout the PV chain has increased, the oversupply has put further pressure on the ASPs. Declines in pricing occurred further upstream, at the poly, wafer and cell segments.
Tracking SAM revenues fron selling modules into downstream channels is becoming less important to the PV industry. as a number of module suppliers take on EPC and project developer roles.
PV equipment spending
As for PV equipment spending, the most likely forecast sees capacity being added by a select gtoup of tier 1 c-Si makers during 2014. The next cyclic downturn is forecast for 2016-2017. This assumes excess capacity is added in the next upturn.
If we look at the current scope of trade disputes, there are five major markets — EU, USA, India, Canada, China — investigating products being imported, with China featuring in most cases. Most disputes are being pursued by the internal bodies, but several have been referred to the WTO for review. A growing number of emerging PV regions already have domestic content incentives.
PV demand was 29 GW in 2012, and 2013 is forecast to tip 31 GW. 230 GW of new PV demand is forecast between 2013-2017, adding to the 100 GW at the end of 2012. Eighty percent of PV demand in 2013-2017 will come from the top 10 end markets.
10 key trends for global PV industry
Finlay Colville, vice president, NPD Solarbuzz, USA, recently presented the 10 key trends for the PV industry. According to him, the 10 key trends are:
1. PV demand growth. The industry has been characterized by strong growth rates of 25 percent to >100 percent Y/Y for the past decade. Now, the industry needs to plan for growth at more modest levels.
2. Globalization of PV demand. The emerging regions emerged for PV demand in 2012.
3. China end-market demand in 2013. China is forecast to account for approximately 25 percent global demand in 2013. The emerging demand is confined to a select group of countries across the three emerging regions.
4. Capacity imbalance reset. The nameplate capacity levels at the 60-GW level are often cited. However, the the PV industry currently has an 'effective' capacity of 41-42 GW. Therefore, demand needs to exceed 40 GW for proper reset.
5. Competitive shakeout. The top-10 module suppliers by MW for 2012 only comprised 50 percent of the year shipments. Also, a similar pattern is seen for c-Si cell production. We can expect another two years of shakeout on the supply side.
6. Cost and price rationalization. Every segment of the supply side is subject to price/cost pressure: from poly to BoS supply. Even reducing the silicon/nonsilicon costs of modules to 53c/W level by the end of 2013 may still result in negative gross margins.
7. Supply and demand rationalization. The poly suppliers have been operating at reduced utilization since 2H'12.
8. Evolution of PV technology roadmaps. Strong marketshare gains from standard c-Si multi ingot/wafers. The end-markets are driving module efficiencies and power ratings. The alternative growth methods have not gained traction and are being phased out.
9. Capital expenditure cyclic patterns. The PV process equipment suppliers have been impacted severely by overcapacity and overinvestments of 2010 and 2011. There is a strong chance that 2014 will end up as low as 2013. Also, technology-buy cycles don't exist as yet in the PV industry.
10. Domestic protectionism counter measures. The effects of trade wars may yet have a profound effect on the PV industry into 2014. There will be direct effect of global overinvestment into domestic manufacturing. The other countries have an impact, but China and Europe decisions are key.
In summary, the PV industry is a 30-GW end-market today, and is forecast to grow to the 40-GW level in 2015. Europe demand is declining, but greater number of countries/territories expected to provide new PV demand. Demand in China during 2013 is essential for local suppliers.
The PV industry is capable of producing 12-15 GW per quarter. Supply and demand need a 40-GW+ market to balance. The shakeout phase is proceeding slowly, and will continue for the next two years. Reducing costs are not yet keeping up with price declines. ASP and ISP stabilization period is needed badly.
The end-market demand has become dependent on low ISPs. Also, multi c-Si based modules are dominating the industry. PV equipment suppliers are unlikely to see meaningful new order intake until 2014 or beyond. Finally, trade wars and domestic protectionism measures are crucially dependent on the EU and China decisions in 2013.
Opportunities in turbulent PV equipment market
Ms. Fatima Toor, analyst, Lux Research, recently presented on opportunities in turbulent PV equipment market, in association with SEMI, USA.
Global PV market trends
Bankruptcies are galore. Eg. Solyndra, Abound Solar, Konarka, etc. Global trade wars are also on the rise. There are US tariffs on Chinese solar cells. There is also an EU investigation on Chinese solar panels. Then, there are Chinese investigations on US, EU and Korean polysilicon dumping. Government incentives have been lowered in the EU, but raised in Asia and Americas. Following Barack Obama's re-election in the US, the environmentalists are again upbeat about green energy.
Global PV demand increase will be driven by Asia and Americas in the coming years. Emerging markets will grow over six times in size from 2011-2017. Crystalline Si will be the dominant installed PV technology, at least till 2017. Gap between demand and supply will close.
The Q3-12 geographical capacity distribution would be across PV value chain. China leads in polysilicon, cells and modules supply. Chinese equipment manufacturers market share has been on the rise, ramping up competition for Western equipment suppliers.
Lux Research sampled 493 PV manufacturers. Of these, 40 percent are based in the EU, 28 percent are based in China, 17 percent are in the US and 15 percent are in the Rest of the World.
Opportunities for equipment manufacturers in current market state
Cost, efficiency and price are fundamental drivers of PV industry. Innovations across the value chain will enable higher margins for PV industry. The desire for cell and module manufacturers to reduce costs and differentiate will drive opportunities for equipment manufacturers.
Crystalline Si technology: Innovations across crystalline Si value chain would enable opportunities for equipment suppliers. Fluidized bed reactor (FBR) process requires 10 lWh/kg and is a continuous process. Why is FBR only 6 percent of total polysilicon capacity today? The reasons are:
* No off-the-shelf FBR reactors are available.
* Process complexity requires that Si granules can be polluted by impurities.
* There is an opportunity for equipment manufacturers to develop off-the-shelf FBR equipment that will enable reduced production costs for polysilicon.
* GCL announced developing its FBR technology.
* Samsung Fine Chemicals and MEMC have partnered to set up FBR polysilicon production due to its lower production costs.
Monocrystalline silicon (c-Si) ingot growth using Czochralski (CZ) method is high cost and results in pseudo-square c-Si wafers. Plate seed for qc-Si ingot growth with mc-Si grains on the edges and c-Si in the middle. ReneSola has technology with wafer capacity of 2GW of which 1.6GW is qc-Si Virtus wafers and 0.4GW are c-Si wafers. ReneSola is likely to be one of the Chinese companies to survive the shakeout due to its strategy and technology.
Opportunities exist to optimize qc-Si ingot growth. Modified directional solidification (DS) furnace makers claim 90 percent c-Si and 10 percent mc-Si yields during qc-Si ingot growth. In reality, 60 percent c-Si and 40 percent mc-Si results in high wafer binning and sorting costs. This provides an opp for equipment manufacturers to improve the c-Si yield to higher than 90 percent. The Qc-Si capacity is likely to increase in the coming years as DS furnace manufacturers innovate.
Read more…


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IRVINE, Calif., June 18, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Women are frequently the healthcare advocate for their loved ones or families, but unfortunately they often do not give the same priority to their own health. One in five women have kept information from their doctor because they were too embarrassed or too nervous to speak about it, according to a recent survey conducted by Allergan and endorsed by the Women's Health Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing education, funding and research to the field of women's pelvic health.1 The survey, which consisted of more than 1,000 women ages 45+, also revealed that approximately two-thirds of women have never had a discussion with their doctor about their bladder health, a common, yet sometimes "embarrassing" topic.1
"An estimated 39 million Americans have overactive bladder (OAB),2 and 40 percent of all women in the United States live with OAB symptoms,3" said Missy Lavender, Founder and Executive President of the Women's Health Foundation. "These women often worry about having an accident and mapping out bathrooms wherever they go. Unfortunately, many settle for living with the condition in secret and are even reluctant to tell their doctors when their medicine no longer works for them. We encourage women to arm themselves with information, push aside their embarrassment and have a discussion with a urologist or urogynecologist to find the right treatment option for them."
Only 27 percent of women surveyed noted that they would immediately call their doctor to schedule an appointment if they were experiencing symptoms of OAB such as urine leakage or the frequent urge to go to the bathroom.1 When women do talk to their physicians about OAB, they may receive a prescription for pills to manage their symptoms. In one study, the majority of patients (73.5 percent), however, stopped taking their pills within one year due to side effects and/or lack of results.4 Specialists, such as urologists and urogynecologist, can offer other treatment options such as BOTOX® (onabotulinumtoxinA), which was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration earlier this year for the treatment of OAB with symptoms of urinary leakage, urgency and frequency, when an oral medication (anticholinergic) does not work well enough or causes burdensome side effects.
"My patients often come to me after trying other treatment options and are frustrated that they haven't been able to find desired relief from their OAB symptoms such as leakage," said Dr. Elizabeth Mueller, MD, MSME, associate professor and division director of Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery in the Departments of Urology and Obstetrics & Gynecology at Loyola University. "While I appreciate that talking about bladder leakage may be embarrassing, there are options after pills. Treatment options, like BOTOX®, may provide relief for those who have tried another OAB medication and are still frustrated. The more honest conversations I have with my patients, the better equipped I am to work with them to find the right treatment approach."
BOTOX® (onabotulinumtoxinA) takes another approach to targeting the source of OAB, the bladder muscle, and works by calming the nerves that trigger the bladder muscle. In clinical studies, one BOTOX® treatment provides up to six months of improvement of OAB symptoms. Patients treated with BOTOX® experienced about three times fewer accidents than those who were not treated with BOTOX® by week 12 and, on average, patients who received BOTOX® reduced their bathroom visits by two times a day.5 As with any medical treatment, it's important to talk to a doctor about all of the potential side effects, as well as benefits. In treating OAB, the most common side effects associated with BOTOX® are urinary tract infection (18 percent), painful or difficult urination (9 percent) and urinary retention (6 percent), which is a temporary inability to fully empty your bladder.5 Visit www.BOTOXforOAB.com to learn more about talking with a urologist or urogynecologist about OAB and to find a BOTOX® specialist.
About the Survey
The Overactive Bladder Survey was conducted by Kelton, a global insight and strategy firm, between April 12th and April 23rd, 2013 among 1,045 nationally representative American women ages 45 and older and an oversample to 528 American women ages 50+, using an email invitation and an online survey sent by Kelton.
BOTOX® (onabotulinumtoxinA) Important Information Indication
BOTOX® is approved to treat overactive bladder symptoms, such as a strong need to urinate with leakage, urgency and frequency in adults when another type of medication (anticholinergic) does not work well enough or cannot be taken.
BOTOX® may cause serious side effects that can be life threatening. Call your doctor or get medical help right away if you have any of these problems any time (hours to weeks) after injection of BOTOX®:
Do not take BOTOX® if you: are allergic to any of the ingredients in BOTOX® (see Medication Guide for ingredients); had an allergic reaction to any other botulinum toxin product such as Myobloc® (rimabotulinumtoxinB), Dysport® (abobotulinumtoxinA), or Xeomin® (incobotulinumtoxinA); have a skin infection at the planned injection site.
Do not take BOTOX® for the treatment of urinary incontinence if you: have a urinary tract infection (UTI) or cannot empty your bladder on your own and are not routinely catheterizing.
Due to the risk of urinary retention (not being able to empty the bladder), only patients who are willing and able to initiate catheterization post-treatment, if required, should be considered for treatment.
In clinical trials, 6.5% of patients (36/552) initiated clean intermittent catheterization for urinary retention following treatment with BOTOX® 100 Units as compared to 0.4% of patients (2/542) treated with placebo. The median duration of catheterization for these patients treated with BOTOX® 100 Units was 63 days (minimum 1 day to maximum 214 days) as compared to a median duration 11 days (minimum 3 days to maximum 18 days) for patients receiving placebo.
Patients with diabetes mellitus treated with BOTOX® were more likely to develop urinary retention than non-diabetics.
The dose of BOTOX® is not the same as, or comparable to, another botulinum toxin product.
Serious and/or immediate allergic reactions have been reported. These reactions include itching, rash, red itchy welts, wheezing, asthma symptoms, or dizziness or feeling faint. Tell your doctor or get medical help right away if you experience any such symptoms; further injection of BOTOX® should be discontinued.
Tell your doctor about all your muscle or nerve conditions such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease), myasthenia gravis, or Lambert-Eaton syndrome, as you may be at increased risk of serious side effects including severe dysphagia (difficulty swallowing) and respiratory compromise (difficulty breathing) from typical doses of BOTOX®.
Tell your doctor about all your medical conditions, including if you: have or have had bleeding problems; have plans to have surgery; had surgery on your face; weakness of forehead muscles, such as trouble raising your eyebrows; drooping eyelids; any other abnormal facial change; have symptoms of a urinary tract infection (UTI) and are being treated for urinary incontinence. Symptoms of a urinary tract infection may include pain or burning with urination, frequent urination, or fever; have problems emptying your bladder on your own and are being treated for urinary incontinence; are pregnant or plan to become pregnant (it is not known if BOTOX® can harm your unborn baby); are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed (it is not known if BOTOX® passes into breast milk).
Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and nonprescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal products. Using BOTOX® with certain other medicines may cause serious side effects. Do not start any new medicines until you have told your doctor that you have received BOTOX® in the past.
Especially tell your doctor if you: have received any other botulinum toxin product in the last 4 months; have received injections of botulinum toxin such as Myobloc®, Dysport®, or Xeomin® in the past (be sure your doctor knows exactly which product you received); have recently received an antibiotic by injection; take muscle relaxants; take an allergy or cold medicine; take a sleep medicine; take anti- platelets (aspirin-like products) or anti-coagulants (blood thinners).
Other side effects of BOTOX® include: dry mouth, discomfort or pain at the injection site, tiredness, headache, neck pain, and eye problems: double vision, blurred vision, decreased eyesight, drooping eyelids, swelling of your eyelids, and dry eyes. In people being treated for urinary incontinence other side effects include: urinary tract infection, painful urination, and/or inability to empty your bladder on your own. If you have difficulty fully emptying your bladder after receiving BOTOX®, you may need to use disposable self-catheters to empty your bladder up to a few times each day until your bladder is able to start emptying again.
For more information refer to the Medication Guide or talk with your doctor.
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
Please see BOTOX® full Product Information including Boxed Warning and Medication Guide.
About the Women's Health Foundation
Women's Health Foundation (WHF) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the pelvic health and wellness of women and girls through community-based programs and services, research, and events. WHF is the nation's most visible and passionate champion of women's pelvic wellness issues. Headquartered in Chicago, Women's Health Foundation programs run nationally. To learn more, visit www.womenshealthfoundation.org
About Allergan, Inc.
Allergan is a multi-specialty health care company established more than 60 years ago with a commitment to uncover the best of science and develop and deliver innovative and meaningful treatments to help people reach their life's potential. Today, we have approximately 11,100 highly dedicated and talented employees, global marketing and sales capabilities with a presence in more than 100 countries, a rich and ever-evolving portfolio of pharmaceuticals, biologics, medical devices and over- the-counter consumer products, and state-of-the-art resources in R&D, manufacturing and safety surveillance that help millions of patients see more clearly, move more freely and express themselves more fully. From our beginnings as an eye care company to our focus today on several medical specialties, including eye care, neurosciences, medical aesthetics, medical dermatology, breast aesthetics, obesity intervention and urologics, Allergan is proud to celebrate more than 60 years of medical advances and proud to support the patients and physicians who rely on our products and the employees and communities in which we live and work. For more information regarding Allergan, go to: www.allergan.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains "forward-looking statements," including but not limited to the statements by Missy Lavender and Dr. Elizabeth Mueller, and other statements regarding the research and development, safety, efficacy, adverse reactions and other statements associated with BOTOX® for the use of overactive bladder. These statements are based on current expectations of future events. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or unknown risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results could vary materially from Allergan's expectations and projections. Risks and uncertainties include, among other things, general industry, biologic and pharmaceutical market conditions; technological advances and patents attained by competitors; challenges inherent in the research and development and regulatory processes; challenges related to new product marketing, such as the unpredictability of market acceptance for new pharmaceutical and biologics products and/or the acceptance of new indications for such products; inconsistency of treatment results among patients; and governmental laws and regulations affecting domestic and foreign operations. Additional information concerning these and other risk factors can be found in press releases issued by Allergan, as well as Allergan's public periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the discussion under the heading "Risk Factors" in Allergan's most recent report on Form 10-K and any subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Copies of Allergan's press releases and additional information about Allergan are available at www.allergan.com or you can contact the Allergan Investor Relations Department by calling 1-714-246- 4636.
© 2013 Allergan, Inc. Irvine, CA 92612. ® marks owned by Allergan, Inc. All rights reserved.
Myobloc® is a registered trademark of Solstice Neurosciences, Inc. Dysport® is a registered trademark of Ipsen Biopharm, Ltd. Xeomin® is a registered trademark of Merz Pharma Gmbh & Co.
1 Kelton OAB Quarterly Index Survey, Allergan, 2013, The Overactive Bladder Survey was conducted between April 12th and April 23rd, 2013 among 1,045 nationally representative American women ages 45 and older, using an email invitation and an online survey.
2 Stewart WF, Van Rooyen JB, Cundiff GW, et al. Prevalence and burden of overactive bladder in the United States. World J Urol 2003; 20:327–336.
3 Urology Care Foundation, the official foundation of the American Urological Association. Overactive Bladder Web page: http://www.urologyhealth.org/urology/index.cfm?article=112. Accessed May 23, 2013.
4 D'Souza AO et al. J Manag Care Pharm. 2008;14(3):291-301.
5 BOTOX® (onabotulinumtoxinA) Prescribing Information, updated January 2013.
|SOURCE Allergan, Inc.
Copyright©2012 PR Newswire.
All rights reserved


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Court dismisses suit vs Arizona's Day of Prayer
PHOENIX - A Maricopa County Superior Court judge has dismissed a lawsuit challenging Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer's proclamations declaring a state "day of prayer."
Judge Eileen Willett granted a motion to dismiss with prejudice, meaning the court cannot be asked to rule on the same issue again.
A U.S. District judge in Arizona dismissed the same challenge in December by the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation.
The foundation claimed the proclamations violate a constitutional prohibition against government establishment of religion and filed suit in Arizona's federal court in March 2010...


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- Our ability to check in at the last minute has been impeded by rules that preclude checking in less than thirty minutes before take-off. (Remember Robert Hayes's last minute pursuit of Elaine onto her flight in Airplane? Presumably, it wouldn't even be possible under today's asinine rules.)
- More broadly, our time is wasted by tedious security screenings that simultaneously necessitate our spending far more time in airports than we once did and subject us to persistent and repeated indignities. We're forced to remove our shoes, to permit our belongings to be searched in a far more detailed fashion than we once did, and to surrender harmless nail clippers and toothpaste tubes to thugs backed up by other thugs with guns.
- Perhaps most irritatingly, in order to avoid making the screening process even longer, people without tickets aren't allowed to come to airport gates to see off or collect their friends.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Humanizing Air Travel
14 comments:
- Ricketson said...
"airlines could use responsibility for security as an excuse for higher prices and bad service."
I know this is a side issue, but I just want to point out that this is no argument for placing such responsibility on the airlines. If secure air-travel really is so expensive, then we should not be using it as much as we do.
Air travel is already heavily subsidized as it is. It SHOULD be more expensive.
- November 19, 2010 at 12:37 PM
- Ricketson said...
There's a mistake in the previous comment. I meant that the quoted comment is not an argument AGAINST placing responsibility on the airlines.
- November 19, 2010 at 3:02 PM
I've thought about our failed foreign policies for years, even before 9/11. Of course, this has been pondered since our country's inception by our founding fathers.
"Entangling Alliances with None, Free Trade with All".
Sadly, this quasi-empire will burn to the ground before America stops meddling in others' affairs.
- November 20, 2010 at 9:15 PM
Time to seek out and utilize air travel options not affected by TSA B.S. -- things like charter, local private pilots, small regional airlines that have structured their ops to avoid as much Federal B.S. as possible, etc... .
NOTE: Local private pilots can offer suprisingly affordable options and even private charter can be very affordable when done in groups. Another option (if you fly alot) is to get together with a local private pilot, and some friends, and set up a group ownership arrangement of an aircraft that meets most of the group's needs. Some recommended, affordable, capable aircraft: cessna 206, cessna 210, cessna caravan, king air 100, and the king air 200 (most, especially non-aviator types, will be happiest with the caravan and king air aircraft).
- November 22, 2010 at 7:31 AM
- cheap flights to Miami said...
I think there should be no second thought related to security because its for the people and nation..You never know when the terrorist attacks..
- December 14, 2010 at 8:50 PM
I was a taken aback a bit when I saw a comment supporting the TSA, especially one that didn't really try to argue its position, until I realised that it was computer-generated spam.
- December 31, 2011 at 10:28 PM
- iffatali said...
You got to be careful if you don't know where you're going, because you might not get there.
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- August 22, 2012 at 4:33 AM
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CRESTVIEW � New Laurel Hill School principal Lee Martello said she anticipates the K-12 environment and its potential, off-campus impact.
CRESTVIEW � New Laurel Hill School principal Lee Martello said she anticipates the K-12 environment and its potential, off-campus impact.
�Truly everyone in the community invests themselves in the school because that is the center of their lives,� she said. �... I want the school to be the hub of their being so that the family can grow along with the kids.�
Complementing teachers
The former Shoal River Middle School assistant principal � whom Okaloosa School District superintendent Mary Beth Jackson recruited last month for the position, with the school board�s approval � is on campus and assessing needs.
Specific curriculum changes, if any, are unknown, but the Crestview resident will implement initiatives as needed, she said.
�I'm not afraid to try new things,� Martello said. �At the end of the day, even if I'm frustrated and I have to look back and say 'OK, take a deep breath, ' I want to make sure the decisions we make are in the best interest of the child."
That also means working with Laurel Hill�s 25 teachers and support staff to complement their plans, she said.
Martello�s experience in elementary, middle school and high school levels, along with her people skills, should make that easy, Jackson has said.
The administrator was a counselor for six years at Emma E. Booker Elementary School in Sarasota County; served at Bob Sikes Elementary School and Crestview High School each for a year; and was assistant principal at Richbourg Middle and Shoal River. In that time, she helped develop programs that boosted student enthusiasm for literature and separated boys and girls in gender-specific classes to aid language arts and math comprehension. She also helped establish Shoal River�s lauded Mustang Learning Community.
Eye on emotional health
Students� academic performance raised concerns, Jackson has said. In December, the Florida Department of Education gave Laurel Hill School a C using the state accountability system.
However, the letter grade receives too much focus, Martello, formerly of the grade-A Shoal River Middle, said.
"My focus is that the kids have a great year of achieving and feeling success in whatever area it might be. That's my personal measure of success: if the kids are growing � even if they are growing incrementally. "
Emotional health also plays a role, she said.
"Part of it is knowing where the target lies and then developing a prescriptive plan in terms of how can we target and strengthen the weakness,� Martello said. �Also ... it is so important that we meet the social and the emotional needs of the kids. In order for them to focus on academics, we have to have met those needs ... I can work with my teachers to target that and then we can focus on the academic as well to create a well-rounded, successful child. "
She plans to be in the classroom, often, to monitor the process, learn from it, and set an example.
�I want kids to see that every adult on campus is a lifelong learner and I want them to want that for themselves,� she said.
Thomas Boni is the Editor of the Crestview News Bulletin. Email him at firstname.lastname@example.com, tweet him @cnbeditor, or call 682-6524.


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MatchPoint is a next generation CP generator. The result of a GSoC2007 project SoC2007_project_Feature_Descriptor, it is still very experimental. Read more here
Command line usage
- MatchPoint [options] image1.jpg output.key
- -v
- verbose output
- -t
- generate keypoint file for matlab test suite(file name is generated using formula: image1.jpg.key)
- image1.jpg
- Path to image to be analyzed.
- output.key
- Output keypoint file.
Algorithm description
Integral images
Before detection process images are integrated. Each element-pixel (x,y) of integral image represents sum of pixels from (0,0) to (x,y) on initial image. This makes calculating sum of a region much faster. In addition, convolution at any scale has equal time complexity. This part is neccessary only when using box filters for detection.
Feature detection
Points are detected with Hessian Detector using box filters. Here is a description of detection process over time. This may not be entirely compatible flow with the algorithm's flow, because some parts are simultaneous(e.q. first two steps).
Convolution of pixels
Convolution of a pixel at certain scale is carried out with approximation of Gauss 2D function - this is called box filter detection. Each kernel has 4 convolution filters(3 of them are unique - xy and yx filters are the same). The resulting value is then the determinant of Hessian matrix where elements represent convolution values of 4 filters.
Kernel sizes for convolution are:
9,15,21,27, (1st octave)
15,27,39,51, (2nd octave)
21,45,69,93 (3rd octave)
MatchPoint features also offers two ways of convolution:
- box filter: faster and preferable way
- sliding window(implemented for convinience but needs debug): slower, more accurate but also more sensitive to noise
Finding maxima
In order to achieve invariance to scaling, detection needs to find maxima of Hessian determinant across many scales. To handle this, octaves were introduced. Octaves are interpolation of determinants at various scales(usually two scales). MatchPoint offers detection at max 3 octaves(by setting a parameter). E.q. at first octave a point can be detected at scale 1.6(=((9+15/2)*1.2)/9 where 1.2 is initial scale and 9 is initial kernel size) or 3.2(=((21+27/2)*1.2)/9. Keypoint's main scale is then selected according to the highest value of Hessian determinant.
Selecting points
Next step is to select points with high values of their determinants(regardless of scale where points where detected) that represent invariant keypoints that will be used further processing. This is achieved using a fixed threshold which should be set low(because otherwise it may happen that no points would be detected).
Then non-maxima supression is applied(only points with local maxima of determinants are selected).
At this point we have a list of points that can vary in length, because threshold from previous step is hardcoded. This can result in over 200.000 points for larger images and that is too much(regardless of image size we need the same amount of control points for all images - min 3 control point/overlapping images), so we need to strip down the list below 10.000 points(this number is set intuitivelly and it is based on consumed time). (Note: this work is progress).
Feature description
Orientation assignment
Scale invariance is achieved by assigning main orientation of the interest point using special algorithm proposed by Herbert Bay. Efficiency of this algorithm has not been yet tested, therefore the executable of MatchPoint does not use any orientation assignment.
Shape Context descriptors
To each interest point a 36 element descriptor is assigned. Elements of this descriptors are organized according to Shape Context descriptor proposed by S. Belongie, J. Malik and J. Puzicha and adapted by K. Mikolajczyk for the purpose of finding control points. Steps in creating point's descriptor:
- detect edges in the surrounding region. MatchPoint uses vigra's API(Canny edge detection) for this.
- based on relative location of edge elements create a histogram with 36 values. Use log-polar values. Edge point contribution to the histogram is based on it's magnitude and orientation.
See reference papers for details.


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|Moaning Myrtle's Bathroom
|Location information
First floor, Myrtle's Bathroom Tower, Hogwarts Castle, Scotland, Great Britain
|Permanent residents
- "He reached for the brass doorknob but suddenly withdrew his hand as though he'd been burned. 'What's the matter?' said Harry. 'Can't go in there,' said Ron gruffly. 'That's a girl's toilet.' 'Oh, Ron, there won't be anyone in there,' said Hermione. 'That's Moaning Myrtle's place. Come on, let's have a look.'"
- —The Trio enters Moaning Myrtle's Bathroom for the first time.[src]
This girls' toilets is situated on the first floor of Hogwarts Castle, just above the Great Hall.[1] It has been out of order ever since a student named Myrtle was killed there. Myrtle has haunted the bathroom ever since the Ministry of Magic stopped her from haunting Olive Hornby who had been teasing Myrtle just before her death, leading it to be a place most students do not want to enter. This bathroom holds the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets. To get in the Chamber, a person needs to say "open" in Parseltongue. This will cause the tap with a snake on the side (a tap which incidentally, never worked) to move into the floor, revealing a tunnel which leads downwards into the Chamber.
Founding of HogwartsEdit
Hogwarts Castle and this bathroom were built by Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff and Salazar Slytherin. It was built inside a turret.[2] According to an ancient legend, Salazar Slytherin was responsible for the construction of the Chamber of Secrets beneath Hogwarts dungeons. The Chamber contained a Basilisk which could only be controlled by Slytherin's true heir, and use it to purge the school of all muggle-born students. Slytherin hid the entrance to the Chamber behind the sinks in this lavatory, and bewitched the sink so that it could be only opened by someone who spoke Parseltongue. For centuries, the Castle was thoroughly searched and no such Chamber was found until one of Slytherin's descendents set foot in the Castle in the late 1930s.
Chamber of Secrets openings (1943)Edit
In 1938, Tom Riddle (best known by the alias "Lord Voldemort") started his education at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In his fifth year, he learned of his Slytherin ancestry and discovered the existence and entrance to the Chamber of Secrets and tamed the Basilisk which dwelt within. As the Heir of Slytherin through his mother's family, Tom was able to open the Chamber of Secrets and started purging the school "of all those who were unworthy of study magic" - in Riddle and Slytherin's eyes those were Muggle-born students. Many students were attacked in 1943. The attacks eventually stopped with the murder of a student named Myrtle inside this bathroom.
Myrtle's ghostEdit
After her death, Myrtle's ghost (or Moaning Myrtle, as the students usually call her) haunted Olive Hornby, the fellow student who caused her to be in the bathroom that evening. When the Ministry of Magic refrained her from doing so, Moaning Myrtle returned to the bathroom, haunting indefinitely.
Chamber of Secrets openings (1992-1993)Edit
On Hallowe'en night, 1992, Tom Riddle's Diary (one of Voldemort's Horcruxes), possessed student Ginny Weasley and forced her to open the Chamber of Secrets (which had been closed since 1943).
Hermione Granger brewed Polyjuice Potion there in her Second year, in 1992. She, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley used it as part of their unsuccessful plan to question Draco Malfoy about the opening of the Chamber of Secrets. Later in the school year, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley discovered where the entrance to the Chamber was and they, along with Gilderoy Lockhart, then-Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor, entered the Chamber of Secrets via this bathroom.
Behind the scenesEdit
- In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, all the sinks in the bathroom are arranged in a column, which separates before each sink descends into the ground to create the passage into the Chamber of Secrets.
- In the video game adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince this lavatory is replaced by a male bathroom, with different sinks and urinals instead of stalls. In the movie adaptation, however it can be seen that the corridor outside the male bathroom is different from the corridor outside Myrtle's bathroom.
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game) (GBC version only) [3] (Entrance only)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (First appearance)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Mentioned only)
- LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
- Harry Potter Trading Card Game
- Pottermore
Notes and referencesEdit
- ↑ Pottermore - From the story: Moaning Myrtle's Bathroom
- ↑ See this image.
- ↑ Despite it's locked, there is a doorway on the second floor with pavement around it and is flooded. The same doorway serves as the entrance to Myrtle's Bathroom in the next instalment.


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12V 310 Cold Cranking Amps Maintenance Free Battery 18 amp hours Maintenance free design eliminates the need to ever add water to the battery Sealed enclosure allows mounting the battery in any position (except upside-down) To help improve vibration resistance, the battery acid is absorbed between the plates with fine microfiber glass mats (AGM) Internal gas pressure is valve regulated to prevent any water loss (VRLA) AGM and VRLA, combined with lead-calcium grid plates, provide more cold cranking amps than lead acid type batteries with up to three times the life span Includes a sulfation retardant that dramatically reduces the battery killing plate sulfation that is commonly associated with conventional batteries Extremely slow rate of self-discharge when not in use, but must be slow charged at least every three months if not in service Includes cable mounting hardware Includes mounting kit with terminal cover and plastic bumpers Terminal location: + on left hand, - on right hand Measurements: 6 7/8" inches long x 3 7/16" inches wide x 6 1/8" inches tall Fits: 1982-up Harley FXR Super Glide Rubber Mount 1973-1986 Harley FXE Original Super Glide - Electric Start 4-Speed 1984-1990 Harley Softail 1977-1996 Harley XL Sportster models Note: This battery includes a separate battery acid pack and must be used to fill the battery before use (except 10023 and 10049, these come pre-filled and charged) . The metered acid pack delivers the precise amount in a safe and controlled manner. Filling and charging instructions are included. Not Shippable by Air.
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