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0. The work on Dravidian and Altaic became more serious with the publications of K. H. Menges (1964, 1977) outlining certain formal and also typological characteristics shared by these languages. My early presentation of some general problems and morphological similarities (Vacek 1978) was partly inspired by K. H. Menges and especially by my practical exposure to Mongolian starting from the middle of the 1970s. Besides a statement on the phonological correspondences (Vacek 1981), my subsequen...

This volume, a tribute to François Gros and a celebration of the field of Tamil studies, demonstrates the international nature of this area and its wide range of topics. The contributors stem from sixteen different countries. They are literary historians and critics, philologists, linguists, cultural anthropologists, political and social historians, archaeologists, epigraphists, numismatists, art and architecture historians, some of them assuming two of these guises, and some having an interest in related languages: Irula, Kannada, Malayalam and Telugu. However there is much linkage and this "connexité dans la diversité" binds the different contributions together. François Gros has been the principal standard-bearer for Tamil studies in France. He has also devoted himself to the re-establishment of the École Française d’Extrême-Orient in countries of Southeast Asia. Among his other responsibilities has been the directorship for Tamil studies at the Institut Français in Pondicherry. Ce volume, hommage à François Gros et célébration du champ des études tamoules, montre la nature internationale de ce domaine et sa largeur. Les participants proviennent de 16 pays. Les disciplines concernées sont : histoire et critique littéraire, philologie, linguistique, anthropologie culturelle, histoire politique et sociale, archéologie, épigraphie, numismatique, histoire de l’art et de l’architecture. Certaines des contributions sont à cheval entre elles, et certaines concernent des langues voisines : Irula, Kannada, Malayalam et Telugu, tandis qu’une “connexité dans la diversité” fait l’unité du volume. François Gros a été le principal représentant des études tamoules en France. Il s’est également consacré, comme directeur, à la réinstallation de l’École Française d’Extrême-Orient dans les pays d’Asie du Sud-Est. Il a aussi été responsable scientifique de la section de tamoul à l’Institut Français de Pondichéry.

Background: In September 2012, a series of methanol poisonings occurred in the Czech Republic as a result of an influx of illicit alcohol into (predominantly) cheap alcoholic beverages on the retail market. The public authorities decided to prevent public health risks by prohibiting sales of liquors that contained more than 20% alcohol (> 20% liquor). The “partial” prohibition lasted for almost two weeks, but the poisonings still continued. This article assesses the impact of the methanol poisoning risks and the (partial) prohibition on alcohol drinking patterns, and describes the understanding of risks and their mitigation in vulnerable groups. Methods: The rapid assessment and response method (RAR) was used during the (partial) alcohol prohibition. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with respondents recruited for the study in alcohol-intake settings (e.g., bars and restaurants, street alcohol outlets) in six regions. In total, 107 alcohol users were interviewed, mostly with risky drinking patterns (69% scored ≥ 1 on the CAGE scale), and 53 alcohol retailers/staff members serving alcohol. Results: About one third of the alcohol users in the study (35%) drank > 20% liquors during the prohibition; a higher score on the CAGE scale was associated with a lower probability of drinking > 20% liquors during the period of the prohibition, probably because of the perception of being at high risk of poisoning. There was some increase in drinking liquors with an alcohol content less than 20%. Those who continued drinking > 20% liquors typically did so in the belief that some sources of these were safe. Conclusions: Public policies aimed at reducing the risk of methanol poisonings in emergency situations should adopt broader measures than those focusing on market control. These measures include increased access to brief interventions, addressing the strategies that alcohol consumers adopt to prevent risk, and, in general, helping consumers make informed choices to prevent further fatalities.