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(Metro New York City/Great Neck, NY) The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (formerly NARSAD, the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression) has announced approximately $4 million in new research grants. Since 1987, the Foundation has invested close to $300 million in research to identify the causes, improve treatments and develop prevention strategies for mental illness. From about 500 applicants, forty research scientists were selected to receive up to $100,000 over two years in NARSAD Independent Investigator Grants. These mid-career scientists from 10 countries and 34 institutions will pursue innovative research related to depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and anxiety disorders like obsessive-compulsive and post-traumatic stress disorders.
NARSAD Grant selections are made by the Foundation's all-volunteer Scientific Council, a group of 138 brain and behavior research leaders. Scientific Council Member and Chair, Independent Investigator Grant Selection Committee, Robert M. Post, M.D., George Washington University, said: "The range of project proposals this year was exceptional in its variety of new approaches to understand and treat mental illness. Tackling the illnesses of the brain remains science's most daunting challenge and requires these cutting-edge approaches that the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation has been supporting for 25 years with its NARSAD Grants. Each year we build upon the growing body of knowledge about the brain and its functioning and come closer to finding cures."
"The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation salutes the impressive 2013 NARSAD Independent Investigator Grantees and extends gratitude to our donors and Scientific Council for their support," says Jeffrey Borenstein, M.D., Foundation President & CEO. "All of our grants are funded through private contributions by people passionate about and committed to improving the lives of those with mental illness. As researchers increasingly face funding challenges, Foundation support is more important than ever."
NARSAD Grants support research across disciplines in these categories:
The list of 2013 NARSAD Independent Investigator Grantees and their project summaries by research category and type of illness follows.
Bipolar Disorder
Mark A. Ellenbogen, Ph.D., of Concordia University and a Canada Research Chair, will test a program aimed at heading off mental illness in children of parents with bipolar disorder. These children show high levels of the stress hormone cortisol and are more biologically sensitive to stress. The study will apply a program called Reducing Unwanted Stress in the Home (RUSH), developed in the Ellenbogen lab, which includes stress management techniques for the children and family-based interventions.
Michael F. Grunebaum, M.D., of Columbia University, hopes to lower the high rate of suicide risk in people with bipolar disorder. Studies have demonstrated rapid improvement in suicidal ideation in patients after infusion of the anesthetic ketamine. To learn how ketamine works to curtail suicide, Dr. Grunebaum proposes a pilot study to compare ketamine's effects versus midazolam, a similarly sedative medication not known to reduce suicidal thoughts.
Vivian Kafantaris, M.D., of the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, is seeking an early biomarker of response to lithium in adolescents with bipolar disorder to sort out those who will and will not benefit from lithium treatment. Increased volume in specific brain regions following lithium use suggests that one of lithium's effects is to increase the volume of cell connections. Dr. Kafantaris is investigating volume increases in the hippocampus, the most neuroplastic brain area.
Heather C. Abercrombie, Ph.D., of the University of Wisconsin, will examine the role of the stress hormone cortisol in women with depression. Early life experience can alter gene expression into adulthood, through so-called epigenetic changes caused by non-genetic, environmental factors such as stress. Dr. Abercrombie wants to determine whether childhood adversity is predictive of epigenetic changes related to altered cortisol functioning in depressed women, a potentially reversible process.
James E. Swain, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Michigan, will conduct a trial to identify hormonal biomarkers of risk for and resilience to postpartum depression and anxiety. His lab has identified regional brain responses in depression, during parenting behaviors and in responses to the stress hormone cortisol. The lab will now focus on responses in trial participants at one month postpartum, and their mood and behavior at three and six months postpartum.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Ananda B. Amstadter, Ph.D., of Virginia Commonwealth University, will test a form of psychotherapy called Risk Reduction Family Therapy to treat adolescents who have been exposed to sexual abuse and suffer from subsequent post-traumatic stress disorder and drug abuse. The study aims to examine the biological mechanisms of response to the treatment, results of which may then inform other treatment approaches to trauma-induced illness.
Deepak C. D'Souza, M.D., of Yale University, Deepak C. D'Souza, M.D., of Yale University, is interested in the consequences of chronic cannabis exposure and schizophrenia. Evidence suggesting a link between marijuana use and psychosis has relied mostly on self-reporting. Participants in this study will be members of a group whose early, unrestricted use of cannabis is central to their beliefs. Preliminary data show that these subjects underperform non-cannabis using controls on cognitive tests and have higher measures of schizophrenia symptoms.
Stephen J. Glatt, Ph.D., of the State University of New York, will study a risk gene for schizophrenia, DRD2, which encodes receptors for the brain chemical dopamine. How variant forms of DRD2 impart susceptibility to schizophrenia remains unclear. Dr. Glatt is focused on answering that question to gain further insight of the underlying pathology of schizophrenia and to identify better targets for new medications and earlier interventions.
Christine I. Hooker, Ph.D., of Harvard University, hopes to improve the future of young people at risk for psychosis as it affects their cognitive skills. Research has shown that intensive cognitive and social skills training improve functioning in people with schizophrenia. In the proposed project, a group of youths at high risk will participate in a randomized trial of a computerized intervention targeting functions compromised in schizophrenia such as attention, memory and problem solving.
Oliver D. Howes, M.D., Ph.D., of King's College London, wants to determine whether changes in behavior of the brain chemical dopamine occur with the onset of psychosis. Dopamine dysfunction is linked to schizophrenia, but only a third of those thought at risk develop psychosis. Confirming a dynamic process of dopamine deregulation would advance understanding of the neurobiology of psychotic disorders and could lead to interventions targeted on dopamine synthesis regulation to prevent onset of psychosis.
Bipolar Disorder
Manon H.J. Hillegers, M.D., Ph.D., of Utrecht University, is looking for biomarkers for bipolar disorder in adolescence, which is peak time for bipolar onset. The project will apply magnetic resonance imaging studies to compare the brains of un-medicated adolescents at high genetic risk with healthy controls to observe how vulnerability for bipolar disorder affects brain function.
Beny Lafer, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Sao Paulo, proposes to conduct a trial of creatine monohydrate, a medication that boosts energy metabolism, as a treatment strategy for bipolar depression, based on the hypothesis that creatine improves depressive symptoms through changes in the brain levels of metabolites of energy production. Via a technology called phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy, the trial will examine relevant brain events before and after creatine treatment.
Christopher G. Beevers, Ph.D., of the University of Texas at Austin, wants to determine the role of genetic variation in how individuals respond to treatment for depression. Single nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNPs (pronounced "snips"), are variations in the DNA sequence of a gene. Dr. Beevers will apply a newly developed technique, genome-wide complex trait analysis, to assess 500,000 SNPs associated with rare and common genetic variations as predictors of treatment response.
Dost ngr, M.D., Ph.D., of Harvard University, is investigating reduced brain energy production in people with schizophrenia. Mitochondria are the energy-producing factories within cells. Dr. ngr and colleagues have developed a specialized MRI tool that can follow changes in levels of energy molecules within the living brain. To rule out the influence of medication or chronic psychosis, the research will examine brain mitochondrial processes in un-medicated patients undergoing their first psychotic episode.
Charles L. Raison, M.D., of the University of Arizona, will conduct a trial of whole body hyperthermiaraising the body temperatureto treat depression. A preliminary trial showed rapid, lasting improvement after a single session. Animal research suggests hyperthermia affects a neural pathway from the skin to specific brain cells. The research will try to confirm whole body hyperthermia as a safe, fast-acting new antidepressant and evaluate the relevance of peripheral neural pathways.
Jonathan P. Roiser, Ph.D., of the University of London, will examine the neural mechanisms affected by transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a brain stimulation treatment for depression, and its ability to boost the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral psychotherapy. Treatment with tDCS stimulates the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex region of the brain, which is involved in higher cognitive functions.
Gabrielle Rudenko, Ph.D., of the University of Michigan, will explore a protein, known to regulate the expression of specific genes in brain reward pathways, as a target for treatment of intractable depression. In normal responses to stress, the targeted protein accumulates in specific brain regions and spurs resilience mechanisms. Levels appear dramatically reduced in postmortem brain tissue of depressed patients. By clarifying its mechanisms and function, Dr. Rudenko hopes to exploit its natural antidepressant action.
John A. Wemmie, M.D., Ph.D. of the University of Iowa, will explore the contribution of a particular ion channel, ASIC1a, to mood and behavior, and its potential as an antidepressant target. Ion channels are proteins on cell membranes that control ion flow into and out of the cell. The lab's prior animal research showed that disturbed ASIC1a contributes to depression and anxiety behaviors and that inhibiting the ASIC1a gene in the brain reduced these behaviors.
Christopher R. Bowie, Ph.D., of Queen's University, Ontario, will test a new online application of cognitive remediation for people with schizophrenia. Cognitive remediation is psychotherapy that improves schizophrenia-associated deficits in cognitive functions such as attention, memory and planning, but many patients lack access to it. Online delivery, if effective, may provide patients the ability to achieve even better, more consistent skill development than is achievable with weekly face-to-face psychotherapy.
Ariel Graff-Guerrero, M.D., Ph.D., of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, will conduct a pilot trial to see whether levels of the brain chemical glutamate are increased in schizophrenia patients who do not respond to antipsychotic medications. If increased glutamate can be linked to lack of treatment response, it should facilitate development of new treatments aimed at normalizing glutamate levels.
Gregory A. Light, Ph.D., of the University of California, San Diego, is working to improve cognitive ability in people with schizophrenia. The cognitive impairments that affect schizophrenia patients are not helped by current medications, but are helped by cognitive training. One promising approach, Targeted Cognitive Training, sharpens auditory information processing. The study will ascertain utility of this intervention and provide possible biomarkers to predict which individuals are most likely to respond to it.
Alessandro Usiello, Ph.D., of Ceinge Biotecnologie Avanzate, will explore the possible role of an amino acid, D-aspartate, in schizophrenia and its potential as a schizophrenia treatment. Amino acids are small compounds that can perform as chemical messengers in the brain. Postmortem brain studies suggest altered metabolism of D-aspartate in schizophrenia and animal research has shown that D-aspartate can induce effects similar to those of the antipsychotic haloperidol.
Xiang Yang Zhang, M.D., Ph.D., of the Baylor College of Medicine, will conduct a trial to see if the apparent cognitive benefits of smoking for people with schizophrenia can be pharmacologically mimicked. Nicotine appears to improve cognitive function through nicotinic receptors in the brain, but the effect is short-lived and has toxic consequences. The antiemetic drug tropisetron also interacts with a nicotinic receptor and Dr. Zhang's preliminary studies indicate that tropisetron also improves cognitive deficits.
Multiple Disorders
Elizabeth W. Twamley, Ph.D., of the University of California, San Diego, hopes to develop and test a mobile application of a quick, low-tech intervention that improves cognitive impairment, which is a common feature of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression. If the method, called Compensatory Cognitive Training, can be adapted for smartphones and tablets, it would greatly increase access to therapy while decreasing cost.
Analia Bortolozzi Ph.D., of the Institut d'Investigacions Biomediques August Pii Sunyer, is seeking new therapeutic targets for mood and cognitive disorders. Potassium channels are structures on cell membranes that regulate the flow of substances in and out of cells. This study will test the hypothesis that selective suppression of the activity of two potassium channels in the brain's hippocampal region induces resilience to stress, evoking antidepressant-like effects and improved cognitive function.
Bipolar Disorder
Anabel Martinez-Aran, Ph.D., of the University of Barcelona, will conduct a clinical trial to examine the role of the growth factor BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) in cognitive impairment and long-term functioning in bipolar disorder to determine the efficacy of cognitive remediation. The study will compare BDNF levels in 100 patients in a euthymic (nondepressive, nonmanic) state after half received a neurocognitive intervention and half received a pharmacological treatment-as-usual.
Robert C. Thompson, Ph.D, of the University of Michigan, will investigate how stress affects gene expression in different brain cell types to contribute to depression. Using animal models, the research will begin by determining the impact of stress on cells called astrocytes, based on findings that reduced astrocyte cell density is seen in several brain regions in postmortem studies of depression. The resultant findings may be applicable to other cell types as well.
Qin Wang, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, will explore the link between depression and a molecule that is a key receptor involved in regulating brain neurotransmitter systems thought to be disrupted in depressive disorders. The research will use transgenic mice to observe cellular and molecular alterations in the brain associated with the receptor's overexpression in depressive behaviors, and the possibilities for corrective therapy targeting the molecule.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Julia A. Chester, Ph.D., of Purdue University, is exploring the role of stress in genetic risk for co-occurring (co-morbid) post-traumatic stress disorder and alcohol abuse toward the goal of developing new treatments. Utilizing mice bred for high or low alcohol preference she has found that high-alcohol preference mice show greater anxiety-related behavior than low-alcohol preference mice, suggesting that common genetic mechanisms influence the two behaviors.
Alessandro Bertolino, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Bari, is studying epigenetic risk for schizophrenia. Epigenetics refers to environmentally-induced events that alter gene activity. Having demonstrated that methylation of the gene COMT (Catechol-O-methyltransferase) affects the functioning of dopamine, a brain chemical involved in schizophrenia, the Bertolino lab plans to now evaluate DNA methylation interaction with genes controlling dopamine pathways.
Peng Jin, Ph.D., of Emory University, proposes to expand testing his hypothesis that malfunction of a genetic regulator of neurodevelopment called microRNA-137 (miR-137) contributes to the development of schizophrenia. Postmortem brain-tissue studies suggest that miR-137 is down-regulated in schizophrenia. To explore its activity in a living organism, Dr. Jin and colleagues have bred mice with a disabled miR-137 gene.
Carsten Korth, M.D. Ph.D., of the University of Dsseldorf, is examining the interaction of DISC1, a key risk gene for schizophrenia, and dopamine, a chemical neurotransmitter of messages between nerve cells. The Korth lab has identified a novel function of DISC1 in modulating the dopamine transporter, the molecule critical to reuptake of released dopamine following neural communication. The lab will now conduct animal studies to characterize DISC1 and dopamine transporter interaction.
Antonieta Lavin, Ph.D., of the Medical University of South Carolina, will explore the underlying mechanisms of the decreases in release of the brain chemical glutamate and the role of the protein dysbindin in relation to the cognitive deficits associated with schizophrenia. Brain tissues from schizophrenia patients show decreases in both glutamate and dysbindin, and decreases in glutamate release also appear in dysbindin-deficient mice that the Lavin lab will use as experimental models.
Todd Lencz, Ph.D., of The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, aims to identify rare genetic variants associated with schizophrenia by utilizing DNA from an Ashkenazi Jewish population, in which there is much less genetic variation than in the general public. Preliminary testing of a small number of Ashkenazi subjects with schizophrenia identified a set of possible candidate genes that Dr. Lencz now intends to pursue in a larger number of participants.
Daniel J. Mueller, M.D., Ph.D., of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, is exploring the genetics of the weight gain caused by antipsychotic medications. Commonly prescribed drugs for schizophrenia like clozapine and reserpine induce substantial weight gain in up to half of patients, posing risks for serious illness and for treatment noncompliance. Dr. Mueller and colleagues are working to identify the responsible gene variants and their role in antipsychotic-induced weight gain and possibly in obesity generally.
Brien P. Riley, Ph.D., of Virginia Commonwealth University, proposes to sequence all protein-coding DNA in the genomes of a group of Irish patients with schizophrenia in multiple affected families in order to identify rare, damaging genetic variations. Such families have a substantially higher risk of illness than the general population, and likely harbor gene variations with greater impact in the causation of a disease in which hundreds of variants have been implicated.
Multiple Disorders
Alon Chen, Ph.D., of the Weizmann Institute of Science, is studying the role of microRNAs, molecules that repress gene expression, in regulating the brain chemical serotonin in depression and anxiety. Levels of brain microRNAs are affected by behavioral and pharmacological manipulations. In-depth understanding of mechanisms regulating serotonin function may contribute to more effective, faster-acting antidepressant and anti-anxiety drugs with fewer negative side effects than now available.
Todd Denton Gould, M.D., of the University of Maryland, will study changes in a gene called CACNA1C that appear to confer susceptibility to mental illness, primarily bipolar disorder and depression. The goal is first to identify CACNA1C variants expressed in adult and fetal brains to assess whether the mechanism regulating gene expression is specific to developmental stages, and then to determine the mechanisms of gene expression that lead to illness susceptibility.
Andrew L. Gundlach, Ph.D., of the University of Melbourne, will investigate the involvement in anxiety and depressive disorders of a molecule called RXFP3. Acute RXFP3 activation reduces levels of anxiety-like behavior in genetically-engineered "anxious" mice and increases their social interactions. The proposed study will elucidate the targets of RXFP3, which may uncover new targets for treatment.
Yasushi Nakagawa, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Minnesota, will examine interactions in the brain between the thalamus and the prefrontal cortex. Defects in these interactions are implicated in many psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and autism. Projections from the thalamus to the cortex play a central role in conveying visual and auditory information. Projections from the mediodorsal area are important for learning and memory.
|Contact: Sally Corbett
516-829-0091 x242
Brain & Behavior Research Foundation


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Mental health of Spanish men worsened with the crisis, study reports
Experts and social organizations have warned of the negative effects that the economic crisis could mean for the health of the population. But it was not easy to demonstrate with data what is happening. A new comparative analysis of the last two National Health Surveys revealed a rise in mental health problems in men (from 15% in 2006 to 17% in 2012), which contrasts on the other hand with a decrease in women (25% in 2006 to 23% in 2012).
The article, published in the European Journal of Public Health, is signed by researchers from the Public Health Agency of Barcelona (ASPB) and the University of East Anglia (UK) and is part of the European research project SOPHIE (evaluation of the impact of structural policies on health inequalities, www.sophie-‐project.eu), coordinated by researchers at the Agency itself.
Two years ago, another study detected a worsening of mental health patients on a sample of GPs. "Now, for the first time, we have seen what was going on in the whole population," explains Xavier Bartoll, first author of the study. "In addition, we found that the changes are not homogeneous, but differed according to sex and age and socioeconomic status".
Indeed,the decline in men is not uniform, but isconcentrated in people aged 35 to 54 (relative increase of 26%), with manual occupations (22%), primary or secondary education (28%),and more pronounced among immigrants (33%). The result is a significant increase in health inequalities between socio-‐economic levels, as highlighted in the article.
The questionnaire used in the mental health National Health Survey includes symptoms of anxiety and depression in particular. The authors emphasize that the increase in symptoms in men appears to be mainly due to the increased proportion of men in unemployment, a known risk factor for poor mental health. Another recently published study noted an increase in suicides in middle-‐aged men.
Conversely, the improvement in women concentrates on those that have a job. "It is possible that, despite the burden that it means, many women are experiencing greater recognition and esteem in the new role of breadwinners that they are taking in many families," said Bartoll.
Finally, he adds:"While the economy is still not recovering, long‐term unemployment increases, and cutbacks on public programs of social protection occurred even after the last survey, one may not expect improvement". And wider consequences for the health of the population may start to emerge further to the miner's canary of mental health symptoms.
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subset: commoncrawl


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WorkingManMedia needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 51 designs submitted by 14 freelance designers.
We are looking for a logo to be used on our coming website, in brochures, and other various literature for the church.
The Lifeway Church / http://www.thelifewaychurch.com
Where People Come to Life
We are looking for something very similar in thought to the mock up done in house, just done better. The colors we like are blues and white. The concept we feel shows life are green trees (full of leaves), the sunrise, a flowing river, and so on. I want you to be creative and design how you see this logo working best. I don't want a copy of what we have and I definitely want something better.
Full church name: The Lifeway Church / Shortened version: Lifeway or Lifeway Church
Tagline: Where people come to life.
Mockup done by church member: Mock Up Banner / Logo
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


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You can modify the Wii's Smash Bros. to play differently, sure, but you can also mod it to look differently, using existing models as templates to introduce a whole range of new characters to the game.
Samba Di Amigo? He's there. Woody and Buzz from Toy Story? They're there. Carl from Up? Yup. There's even a Sackboy and a Stormtrooper rounding out the bootleg inclusions.
via Formerly NeoGohan [Tumblr]


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Student or Learner
Thank you for your (recent) e-mail. We are sorry for the delay in replying to you, but We are pleased to inform you that we are in progress reviewing the matter and we'll inform you the result soon
I suggest you delete the "We are pleased to inform you" part. First YIU delay in responding at all and then you say it's still not resolved. If I were your customer I would not find that pleasing information.
I'm not a teacher, but I write for a living. Please don't ask me about 2nd conditionals, but I'm a safe bet for what reads well in (American) English.


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Enhanced Network Efficiency with Atheros Align Technology
SparkLAN WPEA-153GN is an 802.11n Single-Band Half size Mini Card based on Atheros AR9285L chipset. The wireless n Mini Card incorporated with Atheros Align Technology, which greatly improves network efficiency by reducing congestion and increasing capacity for wireless devices on the network..
Cost Effective 1T1R Solution
WPEA-153GN runs up to 150Mbps, which is 3 times faster than legacy 11g models. It targets at growing computing market that requires faster data rate.


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EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (Blugolds.com) – While the UW-Eau Claire women's basketball team led a majority of the night, the game against Warburg College (Iowa) came down to the end but the Blugolds hung on to win 47-45 in Zorn Arena tonight.
Over the opening seven minutes, Wartburg held the Blugolds to just three points as the Knights took a 9-3 lead. But over a seven minute stretch that lasted until there were a little more than five minutes left in the first, the Blugolds used a 15-2 run to get up by seven (18-11).
However, Wartburg ended the first half with a 9-1 run to take a one-point lead (20-19) into the locker room. Baileigh O'Brien nailed a half-court shot at the buzzer to give the Knights the lead.
The Blugolds came out strong in the second half and outscored the Knights 14-2 over the first seven minutes to get up by 11 (33-22). Still up by 11 points midway through the second half, Wartburg started to chip away at the Blugolds' lead.
Starting at the 10-minute mark and lasting until there were about 30 seconds to play, Wartburg outscored the Blugolds 18-7 to tie the game at 45. The Blugolds were able to hang on though as Courtney Lewis (So.-Prairie Du Chien, Wis.) hit two key free throws to give Eau Claire a 47-45 win.
Sarah Bingea (Sr.-Delano, Minn.) finished with a double-double as she led the game with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Teenie Lichtfuss (Fr.-Oshkosh, Wis./Loudes) added 11 points.
The Blugolds shot just 21.2 percent (7-for-33) from the field in the opening half, scoring 19 points, but improved slightly in the second half to finish shooting 26.6 percent (17-for-64) for the game. Wartburg shot 34 percent (16-for-47). Eau Claire held a slight edge in rebounding 44-42 and turned the ball over 10 times to Wartburg's 18.
Eau Claire snapped a three-game losing streak and improved to 2-3 on the season while Wartburg is now 2-2.
The Blugolds will be home again Saturday when they face UW-La Crosse in the WIAC opener. The game is part of a doubleheader with the men and will get underway about 5 p.m.


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Holiday Inn Sarasota-Airport
Holiday Inn Sarasota-Airport
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Sarasota, Florida
United States
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Welcome to Holiday Inn Sarasota-Airport
Holiday Inn® Sarasota Airport – New Luxury Sarasota Florida Hotel with Moderate Price. The new Holiday Inn® Sarasota Airport hotel, with the stunning six story atrium, glass elevators, waterfall and Sporting News Grill is one of the very best Sarasota FL hotels and is centrally located with easy access to the beaches and all points in Sarasota, Bradenton and Lakewood Ranch. The world famous Florida gulf coast white sand beaches of Siesta Key Beach, Lido Key Beach, Longboat Key Beach and Anna Maria Island are all convenient to the Holiday Inn® Sarasota Airport. The Holiday Inn® Sarasota Airport hotel is nearby the world-renowned John and Mabel Ringling Museum, The Ca d'Zan Mansion, Circus Museums, Asolo Repertory. Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall and St. Armands Circle.
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BRAINTRUST: What Neuroscience Tells Us about Morality. Patricia S. Churchland. xii + 273 pp. Princeton University Press, 2011. $24.95.
Charles Darwin had human beings on his mind from the very beginning of his theorizing about species descent. He was especially concerned to give an account of their highest trait—not their reasoning ability, but their moral capacity. From the perspective of the British empiricist tradition, even the lowly ant might display a small dollop of reason, whereas moral judgment remained an exclusively human affair. A few days after he had formulated the elements of his principle of natural selection, Darwin began speculating on the origins of morality. He initially sought an explanation through inherited habit, because he could not puzzle out how natural selection, which operates on traits that benefit self, might give rise to traits that benefit others even at cost to self. It was only in solving another problem—the origin of the distinctive features of social insects—that he found the key. Since worker ants and bees are neuters and thus have no offspring to inherit their beneficial traits, natural selection seemed precluded from explaining the particular anatomical features of those insects or their several different kinds of instinct. Only in the throes of the composition of the Origin of Species (1859) did he hit upon the solution: Natural selection operates not directly on the individual but on the whole community. Those hives, for instance, that by chance produced individuals displaying the defensive instincts of the soldier bee would have the advantage over others that lacked such individuals, and so, over the course of ages, these instincts would continue to be sharpened. But in the solution to this puzzle, Darwin also found an explanation for altruistic behavior, which he regarded as the core of moral behavior.
In the Descent of Man (1871), Darwin gave over several chapters to developing his theory of the evolution of conscience. He argued that the fundamental, altruistic impulse originated in the community selection of those protohuman clans that by chance had individuals who, because they possessed "the spirit of patriotism, fidelity, obedience, courage, and sympathy, were always ready to give aid to each other and to sacrifice themselves for the common good." Such groups would prosper as their altruistic instincts became ever keener. Darwin believed this biological evolution would be abetted by cultural evolution, as groups began to learn that superficial characteristics of skin color and other racial features overlay a common humanity. They would continue to widen the moral circle of response to include other groups whom they would gradually come to recognize as "one of us." Darwin quite proudly declared that no one else had approached the problem of morality exclusively from the point of view of natural history. He believed he could accomplish what Kant had desired: an explanation for the moral sense, which "has a rightful supremacy over every other principle of human action."
In Braintrust, Patricia Churchland, a philosopher at the University of California at San Diego, seems intent on advancing a project comparable to Darwin's through the application of the most recent science, as the subtitle of her book suggests: What Neuroscience Tells Us about Morality. Readers may, however, decide instead to stick with that old-time evolution.
Churchland does not think that moral behavior can be reduced to any special kind of activity, as Darwin believed; rather, in her view, the term "moral" hovers over a variety of social behaviors, behaviors that might attract the same term but vary considerably across different cultures and individuals. Such behaviors, she argues, are not usually governed or motivated by explicit rules but are constituted by habits and emotionally guided decisions. She seeks to understand those habits and emotionally fed values as consequences of our neurobiology. She thus undertakes in several chapters to lay out the terrain of the brain, its regions and functions, and the kinds of hormones important for fertilizing the flowering of social relationships.
These chapters quite nicely introduce the novice to the fundamental geography of the brain and its basic operations, especially to the roles of the hormones oxytocin and vasopressin. Oxytocin is a peptide that seems to flow freely through the mammalian phylum. It is released in abundance during childbirth; it helps to form a bond between mother and infant, promotes lactation, and makes the helpless female feel safe and secure with a mate. Churchland quotes studies to show that oxytocin, when sprayed in the nostrils of game players, increases trust and cooperation. An added bonus is that it also speeds the healing of wounds. (Too bad the military hasn't devised an aerial dispersal agent with this hormone as the main ingredient—a real love bomb.)
Churchland regards oxytocin as fundamental to morality, since it enhances that complex of social behaviors that often fall under the rubric of the moral. This warming elixir is found in a variety of other mammals—voles, for instance—in which it also stimulates maternal behavior, pair bonding and group equanimity; consequently, Churchland feels no reluctance to recognize lower animals as moral. Here she parts company with Darwin, who did not wish to jeopardize his own moral theory by making, say, squirrels our moral cousins. (Such a move would likely have also inhibited him as an avid hunter.) In addition to social instincts, Darwin thought a moral individual had to have sufficient intelligence and language to allow the elaboration of such innate behaviors and to establish the codified instantiations of altruism distinctive of different cultural groups.
Although it is informative to know that oxytocin has many functions in mammals, it remains unclear what its role might be when we debate about, for instance, the morality of capital punishment, abortion or myriad other ethical questions that our society regards as unsettled. The heat of argument among disputants might even pressure oxytocin to leak away. And although oxytocin may have a significant role in certain behaviors we regard as moral, so would many other hormones, neurotransmitters and the brain itself. Does oxytocin have any decisive function in a decision to send a $50 check to Oxfam? One could hardly classify this peptide as a criterion of the moral, just because it makes us and voles feel good about the world.
Churchland investigates other neurological features that might plausibly be offered as part of the scaffolding of moral behavior. She considers, for example, the possibility that there is an innate and heritable impulse to behave morally (Darwin's view) and the hypothesis that moral behavior is grounded in mirror neurons, so that we might effortlessly imitate empathetic behaviors. Churchland chips away at these as possible neural structures for moral behavior. For instance, she attempts to undermine the concept of innate behavior generally by requiring a specification of the relevant genes and their relation to brain circuitry—a criterion beyond reach even for highly heritable traits, such as height. Indeed, by that criterion Darwin's general theory of heritable adaptations, for which he had no reliable genetic foundation, would be but a passing fancy for the delectation of Intelligent Designers.
Churchland concludes her volume with a vague appeal to the phenomenon of trust, which she says "has much to do with oxytocin and vasopressin, their receptor distributions, and the complex circuitry in the limbic structures, the brainstem, and the structures of the prefrontal cortex." The essential message of the book seems to be that trust, a main ingredient of morality, stems from parental care and nurture, which become elaborated through social learning into the habits and common wisdom of a decent society. This is a view of morality that hardly depends on a deep knowledge of the brain. By contrast, Darwin's more definite conception of morality finds an articulated account in his evolutionary proposals. His theory specifies explicit grounds either for dispute or for further development, as is proceeding in many areas of evolutionary psychology and behavioral economics. The answer to the question "What does neuroscience tells us about morality?" turns out to be "Not much."
Robert J. Richards is Morris Fishbein Distinguished Service Professor of the History of Science and Medicine; professor of history, philosophy and psychology; and director of the Fishbein Center for the History of Science and Medicine at the University of Chicago. His most recent book is The Tragic Sense of Life: Ernst Haeckel and the Struggle over Evolutionary Thought(University of Chicago Press, 2008).


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In the mean time, how about we announce a winner in the first round of retreat giveaways? I told a little lie. I said I was going to use random.org to get a winner- which just turned out to be a logistical nightmare, so I went back to the old skool slips of paper in my mixing bowl method. I recruited Sadie and her BFF, who is sleeping over, to draw out the winner. And it is...
Just the Two of Us from http://www.meandyougirl.blogspot.com/. Yay! Congrats! There will be lots more retreat giveaways on Monday! Don't forget to shop with all of our awesome vendors who have offered you some rockin' deals!
And since it's the start to the weekend, here's one of my favorite shots of some of our lovely retreat ladies shakin' it loose! (Just goes to show you- that old myth your mom used to say about how you can't make a silly face or it will freeze like that is soooo not true!) Oh, how I miss my girls!!!!
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Makram Khory (b. 1945), also credited as Makram Khuri, is an Arab-Israeli actor who played Makram during the 1985 season of Rechov Sumsum, the Israeli co-production of Sesame Street.
Born in Jerusalem while the region was still under the British Mandate of Palestine, Khoury's family fled to Lebanon, but later returned. After graduating from Terra Santa College in Acre, Khoury studied acting with American improv coach Jacqueline Cronenberg. In 1970, he went to London to continue his training, returning to Israel in 1973, and establishing himself with the Haifa Municipal Theater for nearly twenty years.
In film, Khoury has collaborated thrice with Israeli director Michel Khleifi and appeared in the international films Three Weeks in Jerusalem (with Faye Dunaway), The Body (with Derek Jacobi), Steven Spielberg's Munich (as assassinated Palestinian translator Wael Zwaiter), and Free Zone (with Natalie Portman). Other films include leading roles in The Syrian Bride (as the title character's stubborn father) and the political fantasy Forgiveness (as a doctor who tries to erase the memories of his patients). On television, he co-starred in the Hebrew mini-series Michel Ezra Safra and Sons and appeared in two 2004 episodes of The West Wing as the Chairman of the Palestinian Authority.


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What Are My Next Steps?
The first thing to do is sign up for my FREE 4 part essential oil class online so you can learn more about natural solutions TODAY!
P.S. Email me at [email protected] if you have trouble viewing this page or have any questions.
Your Essential Oils Guide,


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|Franklin, MA
|High School:
|Massachusetts Spitfires
2010-11: Played in 13 games on defense.
2009-10: Appeared in 23 games as a sophomore.
2008-09: Skated in five games...Recorded one assist against Syracuse (11/1).
Before SHU: Played four years of ice hockey at Franklin High School...Two-Time MVP and winner of Coaches Award...Four year member of lacrosse team...Served as captain for two years...Named to All-League team three times.
Personal: Erin Burke. Born: 8/29/90. Parents: Mariore and Michael Burke. Siblings: Benjamin and Kailyn Burke. Major: History, Secondary Education. Hobbies: Drama, Soccer. Favorite Teams: Boston Bruins, New England patriots, Boston Red Sox. Favorite Athletes: Patrice Bergeren, Tim Thomas, Teddy Bruschi. Favorite Books: Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Number the Stars. Favorite TV Shows: House, Gossip Girl, So You Think You Can Dance. Favorite Movies: Miracle, Breakfast Club, Remember the Titans. Favorite Band: Second Hand Serenade.


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Nanny accused of baby beating returns to court
Aisling McCarthy Brady charged in baby's beating
An Irish nanny accused in the beating of a Cambridge baby who later died appeared in court Friday.
Aisling Brady McCarthy was hidden from public view in district court in Medford. The 34-year-old is charged with assault in the death of 1-year-old Rehma Sabir.
McCarthy was caring for the child and called emergency authorities on Jan. 14. The child died two days later.
McCarthy's attorney, Melinda Thompson, was granted a motion to preserve evidence in the case. Thompson said she thinks there is "exculpatory" evidence that has not been presented.
Among the items the judge agreed should be preserved, the Sabir family laptop computer, Rehma Sabir's medical records since her birth, the travel itinerary of the child from June 2012 to January 2013, including who she traveled with and if she was examined by medical personnel during her extensive travel aboard.
A couple who say they are from Ireland came to court to show their support.
Brendan Crowley said he does not know McCarthy but said, "She's definitely innocent. All her friends say she is innocent. She's been a nanny for 10 years. It's just very sad when you are illegal and none of your friends can come to support you.'
His wife, Maureen Crowley said, "I hope she gets a fair trial."
Autopsy results on the baby have not been released.


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Hi everyone,
Back in the "old" days, people always told me, manipulate files as little as possible! It is expensive and will slow down the application! Is this still true?
One of the things I'm working on right now involves a lot of saving, but I have a choice between saving to disk, or saving to a database (which, if you ask me, eventually will end up being saved to disk anyways). Am I right to assume that the "cost" to use either method is more or less the same, with the database incurring a bit more overhead because it needs to figure out where to write the data?
Or am I just archaic in thinking that this is still an issue?


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Earth Hour 2010 commences tonight, charging citizens and corporations alike to turn off their lights for an hour to raise climate change awareness. The real benefit, though, is that it lets you watch the cooler version of this light-sensing video.
Obviously the World Wildlife Federation, the group that put the Earth Hour campaign together, doesn't mean for you to turn your computer off at 8:30pm tonight. No, that would be crazy. Just your light bulbs. As an incentive, they put together "Lights Off," a stop motion clip that shows a dude stumbling around his laundry-filled room when you watch it in a room with the lights on.
Flip the switch, however, and said dude becomes a neon knight, valiantly doing battle with various neon laundry monsters.
You can try it out yourself before the appointed hour: Just head to the video's page, click "accept" on the little warning box, and cover your webcam with your finger to flip between the two versions. Taking action against climate change has never been more fun. [Earth Hour]


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romantic valentines day ideas orlando fl
Treat your sweetheart to one of Martha Stewart s romantic Valentine s Day recipes the best way to say i love you this valentine s day is with one of these delicious dessert recipes. Holman House Red Velvet Cake and Whipped Roux Frosting; This Week s Mix-and-Match Daily Menu Planner is Online! February 5-11; Spaghetti Pie / Easter Pie Recipes - 2 Show your love with special Valentine s Day recipes, romantic date night dinners, and decadent chocolaty desserts order some valentines day cupcakes for your sweetheart this valentines day. Looking for a romantic movie to watch this Valentine s Day? We ve pulled together a list of our favorite DVDs partnered with fun recipes to create the ultimate cinema our romantic cakes and heart cupcakes are the perfect way to show you care! unique, romantic valentine's day messages. In a month we'll celebrate the most romantic holiday of the year! The guarantee of a cool Valentine's Day table is flowers and hearts, and red and pink col Romantic Poems for Valentine s Day a day without you in my life should never come and even if it does, let that be the last day of my life. Romantic Love Poems for lovers to share on Valentines Day give cupid a hand! show your love with romantic gifts for her & him. Love Poems for Valentines Day Treat your sweetheart to an intimate dinner for two with these decadent Valentine s Day recipes perfect for valentine s day, birthday, anniversary and any romantic occasion. Want to know a little trivia about Valentine's Day? Here are some interesting facts regarding February 14th Valentine's celebration book romantic getaways in va, weekend trips and family vacations at airlie, offering exclusive packages throughout the year. More Valentine's Day valentines day ideas is a dedicated blog for valentine day, quotes, wishes, valentine week, sms, status, images, messages and gift ideas. Happy Valentines Day 2017 Quotes, Wishes, Images, Cards, Messages, Status, SMS, Wallpapers, Gifts for her and him what is valentine s day ? we already posted some amazing facts about valentine s day. HD Valentines Day Wallpapers here we are going to discus some most romantic ways to celebrate this beautiful. Kiss Day 2017 Romantic Quotes -Happy Kiss Day Quotes In Hindi English Kiss Day February 7, 2017, by Valentine s Day Kiss Day 2017 Romantic Quotes -Happy Kiss Day friday february 10th 5-close saturday the 11th all day sunday the 12th all day tuesday the 14th all day how to plan a romantic valentine s day date. See a rich collection of stock images, vectors, or photos for valentines day you can buy on Shutterstock want to plan a romantic valentine s day date for your partner or significant other? make february 14th special by. Explore quality images, photos, art & more valentines day poems for valentines day, poems about love, romance and relationships. It s hard to be unique during the holiday of love and frankly, some people prefer the traditional box of chocolates and roses love poems for him and her, lovers, friends and family. Your girlfriend or wife deserves the looking to make your wedding truly romantic? having a valentine s day wedding? here are the details to make this theme a great success. Happy Valentines Day 2017 Quotes :- Hey there are you looking for the best Happy Valentine s Day 2017 Quotes ? then you are the right place, we have published the The best way to say I love you this Valentine s Day is with one of these delicious dessert recipes


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This plugin will let you add, remove and arrange the buttons that are shown on the Visual Editor toolbar. You can configure up to four rows of buttons including Font Sizes, Font Family, text and background colors, tables, etc. It will also let you enable the editor menu, see the screenshots.
It includes 15 plugins for TinyMCE that are automatically enabled or disabled depending on the buttons you have chosen. In addition this plugin adds some commonly used options as keeping the paragraph tags in the Text editor and importing the CSS classes from the theme's editor-style.css.
Some of the features added by this plugin
- Support for creating and editing tables.
- More options when inserting lists.
- Search and Replace in the editor.
- Ability to set Font Family and Font Sizes.
- And many others.
With this plugin you can also enable the TinyMCE menu above the toolbars. This will make the editor even more powerful and convenient.
Best is to install directly from WordPress. If manual installation is required, please make sure that the plugin files are in a folder named "tinymce-advanced" (not two nested folders) in the WordPress plugins folder, usually "wp-content/plugins".
- Installation Instructions
Best is to install directly from WordPress. If manual installation is required, please make sure that the plugin files are in a folder named "tinymce-advanced" (not two nested folders) in the WordPress plugins folder, usually "wp-content/plugins".
- No styles are imported in the Formats sub-menu.
These styles are imported from your current theme editor-style.css file. However some themes do not have this functionality. For these themes TinyMCE Advanced has the option to let you add a customized editor-style.css and import it into the editor.
- I have just installed this plugin, but it does not do anything.
Change some buttons on one of the toolbars, save your changes, clear your browser cache, and try again. If that does not work try reloding the Edit page several times while holding down Shift or Ctrl. There may also be a network cache somewhere between you and your host. You may need to wait for a few hours until this cache expires.
- When I add "Smilies", they do not show in the editor.
The "Emoticons" button in TinyMCE adds the codes for the smilies. The actual images are added by WordPress when viewing the Post. Make sure the checkbox "Convert emoticons to graphics on display" in "Options – Writing" is checked.
- The plugin does not add any buttons.
Make sure the "Disable the visual editor when writing" checkbox under "Users – Your Profile" is not checked.
- I still see the "old" buttons in the editor
Click the "Restore Default Settings" button on the plugin settings page and then set the buttons again and save.
- Other questions? More screenshots?
Please post on the support forum or visit the homepage for TinyMCE Advanced.
Just on point! thanks tinymce
remarkable addition to WordPress
It just works. Adds much functionality and ease of use to putting together a WP website. This is one of those "must have" additions.
Very easy
Thanks a lot
Très utile.
Pour une fois qu'un plugin utile n'est pas truffé de publicités pour une version Pro hors de prix. Merci de votre travail.
Must have plugin
I install it to all wordpress sites.
A must have
I needed more advanced editing tools.
Great plugin
Contributors & Developers
"TinyMCE Advanced" is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.Contributors
"TinyMCE Advanced" has been translated into these 24 locales: French, Japanese, German (Formal), Ukrainian, Russian, Croatian, Catalan, Latvian, Portuguese, Brazilian Portuguese, Esperanto, Spanish, Swedish, Greek, Dutch, Czech, Chilean Spanish, Romanian, English (UK), Icelandic, English (Canada), English (Australia), Lithuanian, English (New Zealand). Thank you to the translators for their contributions.
Translate "TinyMCE Advanced" into your language.
Interested in development?
Browse the code or subscribe to the development log by RSS.
- Updated for WordPress 4.8 and TinyMCE 4.6.3.
- Updated for WordPress 4.7.4 and TinyMCE 4.5.6.
- Fixed PHP notice after importing settings.
- Updated for WordPress 4.7 and TinyMCE 4.4.3.
- Fixed missing "Source code" button bug.
- Updated for WordPress 4.6 and TinyMCE 4.4.1.
- Fixed multisite saving bug.
- Added new button in the Text editor to add or reset the line breaks. Adds line breaks only between tags. Works only when it detects that line breaks are missing so it doesn't reformat posts with removed paragraphs.
- Fixed adding paragraph tags when loading posts that were saved before turning autop off.
- Disabled the (new) inline toolbar for tables as it was overlapping the table in some cases.
- Updated for WordPress 4.5.1 and TinyMCE 4.3.10.
- Fixed support for adding editor-style.css to themes that don't have it.
- Updated for WordPress 4.5 and TinyMCE 4.3.8.
- Separated standard options and admin options.
- Added settings that can disable the plugin for the main editor, other editors in wp-admin or editors on the front-end.
- Korean translation by Josh Kim and Greek translation by Stathis Mellios.
- Updated for WordPress 4.4 and TinyMCE 4.2.8.
- Japanese translation by Manabu Miwa.
- Updated for WordPress 4.3.1 and TinyMCE 4.2.5.
- Fixed text domain and plugin headers.
- Fix error with removing the 'textpattern' plugin.
- Updated for WordPress 4.3 and TinyMCE 4.2.3.
- Removed the 'textpattern' plugin as WordPress 4.3 includes similar functionality by default.
- French translation by Nicolas Schneider.
- Updated for WordPress 4.2 and TinyMCE 4.1.9.
- Fixed bugs with showing oEmbed previews when pasting an URL.
- Fixed bugs with getting the content from TinyMCE with line breaks.
- Updated for WordPress 4.1 and TinyMCE 4.1.7.
- Fixed bug where consecutive caption shortcodes may be split with an empty paragraph tag.
- Fix bug with image captions when wpautop is disabled.
- Add translation support to the settings page. Button names/descriptions are translated from JS using the existing WordPress translation, so this part of the settings page will be translated by default. The other text still needs separate translation.
- Updated for WordPress 4.0 and TinyMCE 4.1.
- Add the 'textpattern' plugin that supports some of the markdown syntax while typing, (more info).
- Add the updated 'table' plugin that supports background and border color.
- Fix showing of the second, third and forth button rows when the Toolbar Toggle button is not used.
- Fix adding the "directionality" plugin when RTL or LTR button is selected.
- Show the "Advanced Options" to super admins on multisite installs.
- Add the "link" plugin including link rel setting. Replaces the Insert/Edit Link dialog when enabled.
- Include updated "table" plugin that has support for vertical align for cells.
Fix warnings on pages other than Edit Post. Update the description.
Updated for WordPress 3.9 and TinyMCE 4.0. Refreshed the settings screen. Added support for exporting and importing of the settings.
Updated for WordPress 3.8, fixed auto-embedding of single line URLs when not removing paragraph tags.
Updated for WordPress 3.7 and TinyMCE 3.5.9.
Updated for WordPress 3.5 and TinyMCE 3.5.8.
Updated for WordPress 3.4 and TinyMCE 3.4.9.
Fixed a bug preventing TinyMCE from importing CSS classes from editor-style.css.
Updated for WordPress 3.3 or later and TinyMCE 3.4.5.
Fix the removal of the media plugin so it does not require re-saving the settings.
Compatibility with WordPress 3.2 and TinyMCE 3.4.2, removed the options for support for iframe and HTML 5.0 elements as they are supported by default in WordPress 3.2, removed the media plugin as it is included by default.
Added advanced options: stop removing iframes, stop removing HTML 5.0 elements, moved the support for custom editor styles to editor-style.css in the current theme.
Attention: if you have a customized tadv-mce.css file and your theme doesn't have editor-style.css, please download tadv-mce.css, rename it to editor-style.css and upload it to your current theme directory. Alternatively you can add there the editor-style.css from the Twenty Ten theme. If your theme has editor-style.css you can add any custom styles there.
Compatibility with WordPress 3.1 and TinyMCE 3.3.9, improved P and BR tags option.
Compatibility with WordPress 2.9 and TinyMCE 3.2.7, several minor bug fixes.
Compatibility with WordPress 2.8 and TinyMCE 3.2.4, minor bug fixes.
Compatibility with WordPress 2.7 and TinyMCE 3.2, minor bug fixes.
Compatibility with WordPress 2.6 and TinyMCE 3.1, keeps empty paragraphs when disabling the removal of P and BR tags, the buttons for MCImageManager and MCFileManager can be arranged (if installed).
Compatibility with WordPress 2.5.1 and TinyMCE 3.0.7, added option to disable the removal of P and BR tags when saving and in the HTML editor (autop), added two more buttons to the HTML editor: autop and undo, fixed the removal of non-default TinyMCE buttons.
Support for WordPress 2.5 and TinyMCE 3.0.
Deactivate/Uninstall option page, font size drop-down menu and other small changes.
Improved language selection, improved compatibility with WordPress 2.3 and TinyMCE 18.104.22.168, option to override some of the imported css classes and other small improvements and bugfixes.
Includes an admin page for arranging the TinyMCE toolbar buttons, easy installation, a lot of bugfixes, customized "Smilies" plugin that uses the built-in WordPress smilies, etc. The admin page uses jQuery and jQuery UI that lets you "drag and drop" the TinyMCE buttons to arrange your own toolbars and enables/disables the corresponding plugins depending on the used buttons.


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Fri, 28 September 2012
Live from L.A.'s Silent Movie Theatre, Greg teams up with Cinefamily to screen the 1991 classic "Point Break." The audio on this podcast is Greg's intro and outro to the film, done in the classic Smartest Man style. Dust off the VHS player and enjoy the bromance on your own for the full Greg Proops Film Club experience!


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Free Shipping 25 Pcs F Size 1.2 V 14000 mAh NiMH Rechargeable Battery
Features and Benefits Tenergy Ultra high capacity NIMH 14,000mAh. (14 Ah) NiMH F size battery. Also referred to as Long D size.The highest Capacity NiMH single cell offeredNIMH Batteries offer memory free operation and you can charge batteries aty any status of charge in the battery. Ideal for power intensive devices like E-bike, Radios, Boom Boxes, Remote Control Cars, and much more. Perfect for portable or emergency power source for Medical applications, transportation, communication and power tools. Manufactured under ISO9001 and tested tested based on International Electronic Commission (IEC) standard to ensure capacity, quality and life time Can be recharge up to 1000 times at standard charging and discharging conditions. F size battery with tab is available as optional.Technical SpecificationsNIMH 1.2 V working voltage. Standard discharging rate (1C): 14Amp ( Recommended and warranted) Discharging:- Highest Discharging rate for continuous running: 40Amp - Max. Discharging rate for short time: 60Amp Charging:- Rapid Charging: at 1 C (14A current) rate with auto cut off device- Standard Charging: at 1.2 A current for 12 HrsDimension: 33 mm Diameter. x 91 mm Height (1.3"" Dx 3.5"" H ) Weight: 246 g Caution for Applications There batteries are intedned for use by battery professionalsWe don't provide any warranty for customers who use these F batteries above and beyond standard discharging rate of 14Amps. Please contact us at email@example.com if you need to use these batteries for discharge greater than 14A. Our engineering team will provide you free technical support.
All-Battery > e-Bikes and Scooters;Ni-MH BatteriesF Size NiMH Batteries;Weekly Specials
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Amelia Earhart to trace namesake's flight
KUSA traffic reporter Amelia Rose Earhart will trace the journey of her namesake, circumnavigating the globe in a Pilatus PC-12 NG single-engine aircraft. Departure from Oakland, California is scheduled for June 2014.
Earhart has taken to the skies in honor of her namesake before. This time it's in partnership with Pilatus and Jeppesen.
She talked up the trip on NBC's "Today" on Friday.
Per the release:
In partnership with Denver's Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum, Amelia and co-pilot, Patrick Carter, will fly more than 100 hours and make 14 stops on their journey. This flight plan follows a 2012 transcontinental flight, also tracing one of Amelia Earhart's noteworthy voyages from Oakland, California, to Miami.


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Three easy, free home maintenance projects
[media-credit name="Veer stock photo provided by BrightNest.com" align="alignright" width="300″][/media-credit]
After I bought my first house, one of the things that surprised me was all the little things I had to buy. As materials for tasks like maintaining my driveway and repairing the front door piled up, it started to feel like my to-do list was more of a cash drain than anything else.
But, it turns out there are plenty of ways to take care of your home that don't require a hired professional or a costly trip to the hardware store. Plus, the free tasks are also some of the easiest ones to tackle!
So go ahead and give your wallet a break by trying one of these free home maintenance projects:
Inspect important areas of your house. One of the easiest ways to save money around the house is by regularly inspecting the parts of your house that are prone to damage or infestation. If you haven't done this in a while, start with your attic, basement and garage door.
Block drafts. This is a great task because it costs nothing and can save you a ton of money. A leaky door or window may not seem like a big deal, but drafts can actually consume up to 30 percent of your home's energy usage, which will really run up your utility bill this winter. For a quick, temporary solution, simply roll up an old bath towel and place it at the base of any drafty doors or windows. The easiest way to identify a drafty door is to light a candle or match and hold it near the bottom. If the flame goes out (or the smoke is pushed towards or away from the opening), you have a draft! Note: For a permanent draft solution, you will need to reach for your wallet and replace the weather stripping on the door or window.
Clean your dryer ducts. This is an important, free task that a lot of people forget about. Dryer lint can ignite if it's allowed to build up in the exhaust duct, so ignoring this creates a pretty serious fire hazard. That's why it's crucial to clean out your ducts twice a year. Carefully pull the dryer away from the wall and remove the duct that connects it to the wall. Vacuum out the back of the dryer, the dryer duct and the wall duct as much as possible. That's it! Just be careful when reattaching the duct—make sure that it doesn't accidentally detach from the wall or dryer again, and that it doesn't become kinked or crushed.


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OBETZ, Ohio – That the Columbus Crew have shown resiliency in coming from behind to draw the past two matches is not a surprise to head coach Robert Warzycha.
"I like the maturity of this team," he told MLSsoccer.com on Tuesday.
Offseason additions of veterans such as Gláuber, Agustín Viana and Dominic Oduro – who scored equalizers in the 72nd minute vs. the Philadelphia Union on April 6 and Sunday against the Montreal Impact, respectively – have complemented a roster that grew in confidence and stature at the end of 2012 with the midseason acquisitions of key attacking pieces Jairo Arrieta and Federico Higuaín.
"We added some players who can really play under the pressure and we already had some players who could win games for us," Warzycha said.
The Crew (2-1-3) have two wins and a pair of ties when level at halftime and a loss and draw after trailing at the break. While that's an encouraging sign, midfielder Eddie Gaven said improvement is mandatory.
"We would like to not go down first, start the game better and be on the front foot for a change" he said. "But we know we have a good team and even if we don't have the best start there's no panic."
Columbus opened the season at Chivas USA with a scoreless first half before Higuain broke through in the 51st minute and Josh Williams and Oduro added late scores for a 3-0 victory.
In the Crew's second match, the Vancouver Whitecaps went ahead in the sixth minute but Arrieta responded in the first minute after halftime before the Crew allowed the winner 11 minutes later.
WATCH: Oduro nominated for MLS Goal of the Week honors
A week later in a home match against the San Jose Earthquakes, the Glauber put the Crew ahead 1-0, but a Justin Morrow 74th-minute tally equalized the match.
The next match at D.C. United, Ben Speas gave Columbus three points with a goal in the 58th minute to break a 1-1 halftime deadlock.
Then came the comebacks for ties against Philly and the Impact.
"You look across our lineup and you see a lot of offensive weapons that can really make a difference," goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum said. "Whether it's Ben Speas going at people, Dom's speed, [Higuaín's] playmaking ability. You get the feeling we're never out of a game. In years past, it hasn't always been the case."
Even when down a goal "no panic" for resilient Crew
OBETZ, Ohio – That the Columbus Crew have shown resiliency in coming from behind to draw the past two matches is not a surprise to head coach Robert Warzycha.


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Restore Andover
Community Development & Planning
Planning & Economic Development
Redevelopment of Lewis Street Town Yard
Redevelopment of Lewis Street Town Yard
The Town of Andover intends to offer 11 Lewis and the MBTA may offer 0 Railroad Street for either long-term lease, sale or any combination to qualified entities that provide proposals to adaptively reuse these properties consistent with the Andover Historic Mill District (HMD) overlay district. Located in the heart of the newly adopted HMD zoning district, the subject area is currently occupied by the Municipal Services Facility and is uniquely situated directly adjacent to the MBTA Commuter Rail Station and core central business district. The newly adopted Historic Mill District overlay encompasses nearly one hundred (100) acres between Main Street, Dundee Park, the Shawsheen River and Whole Foods Grocery Store. Based upon numerous community visioning sessions conducted throughout 2014 & 2015, the Town is promoting adaptive reuse that will encourage smart growth development in proximity to Andover's regional transit station by fostering a range of housing opportunities within mixed-use development projects, preservation of open spaces, expanding transportation options, while enhancing pedestrian access to employment and nearby transportation systems.
For more information, contact Paul Materazzo, Director of Planning and Economic Development at 978-623-8650.
Zoning Information and Resources
RFP for Professional Consulting Services for Andover's Historic Mill District
Historic Mill District Overlay
Historic Mill District Overlay Map
Historic Mill District Aerial
Information on Redevelopment of Lewis Street Town Yard
Information Archive
Adaptive Reuse of the Municipal Services Facility & MBTA Property RFI Site Walk Presentation
Andover Smart Growth Overlay Market Study (PDF)
Andover Village National Register Historic District Plan (PDF)
Cecil Group Presentation to the Board of Selectmen and Planning Board - January 7, 2013 (PDF)
Cecil Group Presentation to the Board of Selectmen and Planning Board - December 10, 2012 (PDF)
Study Area - June 30, 2009 (PDF)
Town Yard Revitalization, Prepared by Paul Finger Associates - December 5, 2007 (PDF)
Essex Street Corridor Study, Prepared by VHB - October 5, 2005 (PDF)
Preliminary Engineering - Commuter Rail Stations, Prepared by Frederic R Harris, Inc - January 2001
Town Yard Task Force Presentation and Recommendations - July 2008 (PDF)
Planning Board
Economic Development
Andover Historic Mill District
Redevelopment of Lewis Street Town Yard
GIS Maps
Housing Partnership
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By: Nan Turner (Junior, Print Journalism major)
It is no secret to anyone who has visited, lived in, or passed through Richmond this month that the city has basketball fever. The historic run of the Rams to the NCAA Men's Final Four has put the town on edge and sparked a new wave of school spirit throughout campus.
I didn't travel with the team during their NCAA games, but instead got the chance to immerse myself in the fan experience. I watched the first game against the University of Southern California while on spring break in Savannah, Ga. While the win was exciting, I was incredibly pessimistic about the team's chance against the Georgetown Hoyas.
Fortunately I was proved wrong. Watching our team not only beat Georgetown, but do it so seemingly effortlessly was exhilarating. I thought Brandon Rozzell's arms would fall off as I watched him sink three pointer after three pointer. While the team had played well all season, they seemed to be in that groove that great teams get in where they're unstoppable. After that game, I knew that doubting wasn't something I could ever do again.
The Purdue game was about the same way, with an even crazier end result, with the Rams winning 94-76. At the end of the night my friend and I sat at my house googling directions to San Antonio and checking out hotel and flight rates. Inevitably, we decided none of the above plans were feasible and remained in Richmond.
As the Rams moved on to the Sweet Sixteen everyone on campus was sporting their Black & Gold. The bookstore began to be slightly more crowded than usual and cutting through it on the way to classes almost took more time rather than walking around. VCU wasn't only the first story in sports sections, but on the front page.
My friends and I tried to watch the game against Florida State University at a sports bar located right beside my house. We went an hour and a half before game time, were informed that the wait would be over an hour for a table and throughout the game our names were never called in the waiting line. We didn't care, we were simply happy to be crammed in somewhere, anywhere with other Ram fans watching the team that everyone wrote off. We watched the second half at a friend's house racing to secure a spot in front of the television before the end of halftime. At the game everyone in the neighborhood ran out into the streets, car horns were blaring, and V-C-U cheers could be heard throughout the night.
As the players prepared to take on Kansas, the nay-saying increased, which only fueled students desire to rep their team. Elite Eight shirts once again were sought after like rare gems. Around 1,500 students gathered at the Siegel Center to participate in a watch party that Sunday. Being in the facility where the season had started, and taken place, with so many other people was electric. At the game's nail biting conclusion we all rushed into Broad Street. While, I expected this would happen I still wasn't prepared for the way it made me feel.
VCU, in my opinion, has always been a proud school. However, now we were uniting students and community, sports fans and non-sports fans; heck even people who had never attended a basketball game couldn't stop talking about Burgess, Skeen, Rozzell and Rodriguez. As cheesy as it sounds it was magical and truly felt like one of those days you never want to see the end of. The Rams were going to the Final Four and it seemed no one could get enough.
That night thousands of people gathered to see the team return to Richmond at Siegel Center. It was a Sunday night, at 1:30 a.m. I had class the next day, as did many of my peers; however, attending wasn't even a question. We had to be there, we wanted to stay in this moment. Hearing the screams from the crowd I felt as though I was living in the middle of my favorite sports movie.
If I thought the Sweet Sixteen, or the Elite Eight was a big deal, nothing could've prepared me for the Final Four mania that swept the Commonwealth over the next week. Friends and family from all around the state and different universities were constantly texting me messages of 'Good luck!' 'Let's Go Rams!' News trucks and camera crews were a regular presence in the Fan. If you happened to encounter a player on your way to class, chances are they were being mobbed with requests for pictures and signatures. Everywhere that sold Rams apparel was completely ransacked. Houses were decorated with VCU paraphernalia and basketball was the primary thing discussed between students and faculty alike.
I would turn on ESPN and see full length features about VCU including interviews with Joey Rodriguez and Athletic Director Norwood Teague. Overall it was incredibly surreal. I entered the student lottery to go to the game dying to find some sort of way to get to Houston. I didn't win the raffle, and began to reconcile the fact that I would be spending Final Four weekend at home, and quite honestly I didn't mind. I knew there were plenty other schools and college towns that would kill to be in the same position as us, and the mere idea that I would get to participate in the chaos that was Richmond at the time was enough. However, that all changed for me late Tuesday night.
I was doing some work when I got an email from VCU and the NCAA. The email stated that VCU was making ticket packages available that would give students admission to both of the remaining NCAA game days for $25. This was obviously alluring to me but there was still the matter of housing for four days and transportation; then came the news that the university would also be providing hotel rooms. With that I ran out of my room and threw myself on my sleeping roommate's bed pleading with her to wake up, whip out her credit card and turn on her computer. I was in full on alert mode, keeping in contact with everyone I knew that could possibly want to go to Texas through text, phone calls, Facebook chat and email. Calls peppered with exclamations of "Did you hit checkout?!? Oh my gosh, are we really doing this?!? I hit checkout…did you?" occurred for around ten minutes ending with "WE'RE GOING TO HOUSTON!!"
In my elation I failed to tell my parents my plan of road tripping to Texas on the fly but knew they would understand. This wasn't even a choice for me. My school was going to the Final Four, there was a high chance that this would never happen again and I HAD to be there.
Smoothing out the details of the trip were exceedingly difficult over the next 24 hours but when it was all said and done the plan was, I would drive down to Texas on Thursday night with three friends and return to Richmond on Wednesday morning. As I began emailing teachers and informing them of my absence, many cancelled or rescheduled classes. Even though I only had to get through one day until my departure, it felt so much longer. I had Houston fever and was itching to get on the road.
We set off on the 20 hour journey on Thursday night and surprisingly made pretty good time. We vowed not to play the unofficial VCU theme song "Black & Yellow" until we hit Houston. As the city came into sight we honked with renewed enthusiasm, blasted our song and rolled down the windows proudly displaying our "Ram Nation" signs to all passing motorists.
Hands down my favorite memory from Houston was the first time I saw Reliant Stadium for the first time. Seeing the giant VCU banners on the side of a building that can seat over 70,000 people is not something I will soon forget. It sounds stupid, but seeing all of the Final Four signs gave me chills and put us all in the game time state of mind, even if it was a day early.
The next day was swagged out Ram Nation from the first glimpse of sunlight through our hotel curtains. We threw on as much Black & Gold attire as we could find, grabbed our signs (Can't Beat Shaka and @ProfessorHaley3: Tutor Me?) and made our way to stand in line for our tickets. After getting our arm bands we had went to wait in front of the student entrance. Despite the Texas heat, everyone was in good spirits and was beyond eager to get inside. The crowd was donning some of the most creative VCU apparel I've ever seen and it felt like everyone had a unique story about how they made it to Houston to support their Rams. Some people even freely admitted that it was their first game.
Once we got inside we ran down to the floor and immediately began taking pictures at and around the court. Charles Barkley and crew were setting up commentary and as I passed the NBA great someone asked him, "Charles what do you think about VCU?"
"Love 'em!" he replied.
We didn't get floor seats but we hardly cared. We were much too joyous for people sitting in the 600 level. As the game progressed that would change some, but not as much as you might think. People were upset, but no one was disappointed that they made the trip. The students in my section cheered for their team even as the last seconds moved off the clock. This year changed the rules for the forgotten about team from Richmond, Va. We put doubts to rest and accomplished things even we didn't believe possible. This tournament run birthed a new set of Ram fans, and will continue to inspire students and the City for years to come.
Later that night after watching the UConn-Kentucky game, we ventured over to a friend's hotel. We decided to sit out on the balcony and the first thing we heard upon opening the sliding glass door was a chorus of "You don't want to go to war with the Rams!"
The next day we walked around downtown and the mall and yelled greetings at other fans and were met with only genuine smiles and "Go Rams!"
At the NCAA Championship game on Monday night my friends and I still wore our VCU shirts and as we were exiting we were stopped by probably five people who wanted to tell us just how much they loved our school. They weren't alumni, or Richmonders, just NCAA viewers who had been inspired by our team's run. Concession workers and event staff sang "Black & Yellow" as we walked around the concourse and asked us about our trip.
As the weekend came to a close and we packed up our car to drive the 20 hours home we recounted the trip. I had left Richmond excited and expectant, and while we may have lost I was returning a much prouder Ram fan than ever before. We came, we saw, and in my opinion we conquered.


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To realize sustainable environmental management, it is essential to pursue environmental conservation and business operations under a united decision-making scheme instead of implementing two separate, sometimes incompatible missions. The Ricoh Group promotes sustainable environmental management by incorporating the environmental management system (EMS) as an essential process of each business activity. We established a system to reflect the environmental action plan set by the management in the goals of respective organizations and provide feedback on the results of their actions to management. Under the system, the Group as a whole, and each of the organizations, promotes the plan-do-check-act (PDCA) cycle. In addition, we operate the Sustainable Environmental Management Information System, designed to identify and promote the progress of sustainable environmental management. The collected data are processed and analyzed to identify the integrated environmental impact of overall operations; draw up environmental action plans; support decision-making in sustainable environmental management; promote environmentally-friendly design; improve activities by each division; and disclose information to the public.
Chart of Ricoh Group's sustainable environmental management system
At the Ricoh Group, we have been working to develop and improve environmental management systems (EMS), initially on a business site basis, to accelerate our environmental conservation activities. Starting with the Ricoh Gotemba Plant, which received ISO/DIS 14001 certification in 1995, all major Ricoh production sites worldwide were ISO 14001 certified as of March 2000. Then in 2001, the sales group in Japan as a whole gained ISO 14001 certification. Sales subsidiaries other than those in Japan are also making every effort to acquire ISO 14001 certification. The Group has thus promoted the creation of a climate for sustainable environmental management by all employees through the acquisition of ISO 14001 certification. Since February 2007, in an effort to fuse business and environment and pursue environmental management, our business site-based EMS worldwide were revised to become business division-based, placing business activities and environmental protection activities under a single decision-making process. In tandem with this initiative, Ricoh and its sales subsidiaries in Japan have acquired integrated ISO 14001 certification. Moreover, in December 2013 accreditation was completely integrated within Japan, governance was strengthened while at the same time a rationalization of accreditation business was conducted.
* For the status of the Ricoh Group's ISO 14001 acquisition, please visit "Ricoh Group's ISO 14001"
Improvement in the EMS activity level
The Ricoh Group is making an effort to improve sustainable environmental management based on an "all-employee participatory approach." This "all-employee participatory approach" means that all employees in all divisions—such as R&D, product design, materials procurement, manufacturing, transportation, sales, maintenance/services and collection and recycling—articipate in environmental activities. These activities are regarded as just as important as "QCD activities,"* which involve pursuing profitability. To improve environmental activities, internal benchmarks and know-how are provided to all employees from time to time to make them more environmentally aware.
* QCD activities improve the management of Quality, Cost, and Delivery.
Sustainable environmental management activities participated in by all employees
The Ricoh Group carries out risk management as an inner control function using the PDCA cycle based on the Ricoh Group's Total Risk Management Basic Rules. For initial measures taken in case of crises*, the Rules clearly define the sections in charge and reporting levels according to the different crisis categories. In line with the Rules, pertinent incidents are reported to the president and relevant officers, then necessary measures are taken based on the president's policies. When an environmental crisis or an incident that seemingly will lead to an environmental crisis occurs, initial actions, including reporting and reception of information, instruction, actions and discussion, will be carried out as indicated in the accompanying flow chart.
* Crisis: an incident with a risk that continues and/or increases in size to the level at which the corporate operation of the Ricoh Group is severely affected.
Penalties and fines concerning the environment (Ricoh Group)
|No. of cases
|Amount (US$)
Action flow for environmental crises
The Ricoh Group Sustainable Environmental Management Information System was launched in Japan in 2001 and on a global scale in 2002 to foster sustainable environmental management. Ricoh established this system with a view to reducing the lifecycle environmental impacts of its products, including not only the environmental impact of the activities of Group companies, but also from the procurement and manufacturing practices of the Group's parts suppliers and during use of its products by customers.
In order for a company to effectively conduct environmental management through a PDCA cycle, it is crucial to collect precise environmental performance data. It is, however, difficult for a company to measure the environmental impacts caused by a number of suppliers and the impacts resulting from the use of its products by customers, although it is possible for the company to obtain precise data about its own direct environmental impact. The company, however, cannot set specific environmental targets if it does not make an eco-balance assessment because it is difficult to collect precise data.
To deal with this problem, Ricoh has classified the environmental performance data collected, including actual results and sample values, which vary in precision level, into levels 1 to 3 and has been working to improve data precision for each of the levels. Also, in accordance with the business growth of the Ricoh Group, we have expanded the scope of data collection on a global scale to include businesses and companies newly joining the Group. We have thus strived to improve both the data precision and scope.
We make effective use of the collected environmental performance data in every aspect of sustainable environmental management, for example, in preparing and managing environmental action plans and promoting environmentally friendly design. We also use the data for annual environmental reporting and for the appropriate disclosure of information about our use of chemical substances and product recycling. In recent years, companies have been required to manage a huge amount of data on chemical substances to ensure compliance with the REACH Regulation, for which our existing information system infrastructure has proved to be very useful.
Levels of environmental performance data
The Ricoh Group is promoting green purchasing, which promotes the active use of environmentally-friendly products, as a user of paper, stationery, office equipment, etc. In April 2002, the Ricoh Group formulated Green Purchasing Guidelines in Japan for eight categories: paper, stationery, office equipment, OA equipment, home appliances, work gloves, work uniforms, and lighting. Production and non-production sites outside of Japan are also promoting green purchasing by establishing their own standards.


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Friday, May 27, 2016
AMPM EXTERMINATORS ASSISTS HOMEOWNERS WITH INCREASES IN ANT INFESTATIONS DUE TO SHIFTS IN SEATTLE WEATHER - Docs.com
There are a few pest control situations that should never be attempted by the average homeowner. There are also some homeowners that would rather hire pest control services for even simple jobs. So, here are a few things to consider when selecting a pest control service company. Choosing between relatively small local companies and the large national firms. The choice usually comes down to cost versus job complexity. DIY pest control around your home and garden. Published by Ampm Exterminators. 26 Views, 0 Likes on Docs.com. #pest control service #seattle pest control #seattle exterminators #pest exterminators #pest inspections
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Pope endorses use of force to protect Iraq minorities
Pope Francis meets the media during an airborne press conference on his journey back to Rome from Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Aug. 18, 2014. (AP / Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis on Monday endorsed the use of force to stop Islamic militants from attacking religious minorities in Iraq but said the international community -- and not just one country -- should decide how to intervene.
Francis also said he and his advisers were considering whether he might go to northern Iraq himself to show solidarity with persecuted Christians. But he said he was holding off for now on a decision.
In other comments to journalists returning from South Korea, Francis confirmed he hoped to travel to the United States in September 2015 for a possible three-city tour: to attend a family rally in Philadelphia and to address Congress in Washington and the United Nations in New York. He said a Mexico stop on that trip was possible but not decided yet. He also said he might make one-day visit to Spain next year.
On Iraq, Francis was asked if he approved of the unilateral U.S. airstrikes on militants of the Islamic State who have captured swaths of northern and western Iraq and northeastern Syria and have forced minority Christians and others to either convert to Islam or flee their homes.
"In these cases, where there is an unjust aggression, I can only say that it is licit to stop the unjust aggressor," Francis said. "I underscore the verb 'stop.' I'm not saying 'bomb' or 'make war,' just 'stop.' And the means that can be used to stop them must be evaluated."
But, he said, in history, such "excuses" to stop an unjust aggression have been used by world powers to justify a "war of conquest" in which an entire people have been taken over.
"One nation alone cannot judge how you stop this, how you stop an unjust aggressor," he said, apparently referring to the United States. "After World War II, the idea of the United Nations came about: It's there that you must discuss 'Is there an unjust aggression? It seems so. How should we stop it?' Just this. Nothing more."
His comments were significant because the Vatican has vehemently opposed any military intervention in recent years, with St. John Paul II actively trying to head off the Iraq war and Francis himself staging a global prayer and fast for peace when the U.S. was threatening airstrikes on Syria last year.
But the Vatican has been increasingly showing support for military intervention in Iraq, given that Christians are being directly targeted because of their faith and that Christian communities which have existed for 2,000 years have been emptied as a result of the extremists' onslaught.
The U.S. began launching airstrikes against Islamic State fighters on Aug. 8, allowing Kurdish forces to fend off an advance on their regional capital of Irbil and to help tens of thousands of religious minorities escape.
Church teaching allows for "just wars," when military force can be justified under certain circumstances. And in recent days, a few Vatican officials have edged increasingly toward acknowledging the Iraq situation fits the bill.
When the Vatican's ambassador to Iraq, Monsignor Giorgio Lingua, was asked about the U.S. airstrikes, he told Vatican Radio that it was unfortunate that the situation had gotten to this point "but it's good when you're able to at the very least remove weapons from these people who have no scruples."
The Vatican's ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, went further, saying "Maybe military action is necessary at this moment."
Francis sent a personal envoy, Cardinal Fernando Filoni, to northern Iraq last week with an undisclosed amount of money to help people in flight and show the pope's solidarity with those forced to flee their homes.
In other comments Monday:
-- Francis acknowledged that he "must be smarter" about over-extending himself after he was forced to cancel some appointments in the spring due to illness. He admitted the last time he took a vacation away from home was in 1975. "I'm very attached to my home," he said, saying he takes "staycations" instead. "I change my daily rhythm, I sleep more, read more things that I like, listen to music, pray more. And in that way, I rest."
-- Francis said he was hoping for a quick beatification for slain Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero, saying there were no more doctrinal issues blocking the process for one of the heroes of the liberation theology movement in Latin America. Romero's case had been held up for decades in the Vatican's orthodoxy office which, under then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, launched a crackdown on the movement in the 1980s over concerns about its Marxist excesses.
--Francis refused to brand as a failure his high-profile June peace prayer at the Vatican with the Israeli and Palestinian presidents, even though weeks of violence erupted soon thereafter. Francis noted that the prayer initiative came from the two leaders, not him, and was designed to show that while there can be a political path for negotiation, there was also a separate path for prayer. "Now, the smoke of bombs, of war, isn't letting them see the door, but the door has been open since that moment," he said.