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Haiku: Garabetele, by GeorgeB

Haiku:  Garabetele, by GeorgeB
(The Smudge snd other poems page )

Garabetele
Îşi scoate capul, sf
ios
Din carapace…

Janssen’s Single-Agent DARZALEX® (daratumumab) Approved by European Commission for Treatment of Multiple Myeloma (MM) | Business Wire

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160523005679/en/Janssen%E2%80%99s-Single-Agent-DARZALEX%C2%AE-daratumumab-Approved-European-Commission

Janssen’s Single-Agent DARZALEX® (daratumumab) Approved by European Commission for Treatment of Multiple Myeloma (MM)
First-in-class CD38-directed active immunotherapy provides new treatment option for MM patients who have exhausted other approved treatment options

May 23, 2016 06:57 AM Eastern Daylight Time
BEERSE, Belgium–(BUSINESS WIRE)–

“However, there is still a lot of work to be done to ensure that daratumumab is available for patients in health systems across Europe.”
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Janssen-Cilag International NV (“Janssen”) today announced that the European Commission (EC) has granted conditional approval to DARZALEX® (daratumumab) for monotherapy of adult patients with relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma (MM), whose prior therapy included a proteasome inhibitor (PI) and an immunomodulatory agent and who have demonstrated disease progression on the last therapy. Daratumumab was approved under an accelerated assessment, a process reserved for medicinal products expected to be of major public health interest, particularly from the point of view of therapeutic innovation.1

Daratumumab is the first CD38-directed monoclonal antibody (mAb) approved in Europe. It works by binding to CD38, a signalling molecule highly expressed on the surface of multiple myeloma cells regardless of stage of disease.2-4 In doing so, daratumumab triggers the patient’s own immune system to attack the cancer cells, resulting in rapid tumour cell death through multiple immune-mediated mechanisms of action and through immunomodulatory effects, in addition to direct tumour cell death via apoptosis (programmed cell death).5-9

“Despite recent advances, multiple myeloma remains a complex, incurable disease, with relapse being inevitable in almost all patients. With each relapse, the disease typically becomes more aggressive and more challenging to treat,” said Professor Jesús San Miguel, Director of Clinical & Translational Medicine, Universidad de Navarra, Spain. “Daratumumab has shown promising efficacy results and a manageable safety profile as a single agent for heavily pre-treated and refractory myeloma patients. Overall survival improved significantly in these patients, whose prognosis is typically very poor, and who therefore have the greatest need for new treatments.”

The approval of daratumumab was based on data from the Phase 2 MMY2002 (SIRIUS) study, published in The Lancet; the Phase 1/2 GEN501 study, published in The New England Journal of Medicine;10,11 and data from three additional supportive studies. Findings from a combined efficacy analysis of the GEN501 and MMY2002 (SIRIUS) trials demonstrated that after a mean follow-up of 14.8 months, the estimated median OS for single-agent daratumumab (16 mg/kg) in these heavily pre-treated patients was 20 months (95 percent CI, 15-not estimable). The overall response rate (ORR) for the combined analysis was 31 percent, and 83 percent of patients achieved stable disease or better.12 Daratumumab demonstrated a tolerable and clinically manageable safety profile as a monotherapy in heavily pre-treated patients. 10,11 The most common adverse events (AEs) in the Phase 2 MMY2002 (SIRIUS) trial, which occurred in more than 20 percent of patients, were fatigue, anaemia, nausea, thrombocytopenia, back pain, neutropenia and cough.10 The most common adverse events (AEs) in the Phase 1/2 GEN501 trial were fatigue, allergic rhinitis, and pyrexia (fever).11

“Today’s decision on daratumumab is fantastic news for patients as it will help to address a major area of unmet need in people with relapsed or refractory myeloma,” said Sarper Diler, MD, PhD, President of Myeloma Patients Europe. “However, there is still a lot of work to be done to ensure that daratumumab is available for patients in health systems across Europe.”

“The approval of daratumumab within an accelerated timeframe is a result of working with patient-focused urgency, delivering against unmet needs with transformational science and through strong collaborations,” said Jane Griffiths, Company Group Chairman, Janssen Europe, Middle East and Africa. “We are delighted that daratumumab has been approved in Europe and will continue to study its potential across the treatment continuum in multiple myeloma and other tumour types.”

The marketing authorisation approval follows a positive opinion from the European Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) issued on 01 April 2016.13 This approval allows for the marketing of daratumumab in all 28 member states and the three European Economic Area countries of the European Union.

Janssen has exclusive worldwide rights to the development, manufacturing and commercialisation of daratumumab. Janssen licensed daratumumab from Genmab A/S in August 2012.

#ENDS#

About Multiple Myeloma

Multiple myeloma (MM) is an incurable blood cancer that starts in the bone marrow and is characterised by an excessive proliferation of plasma cells.14 MM is the second most common form of blood cancer, with around 39,000 new cases worldwide in 2012.15 MM most commonly affects people over the age of 65 and is more common in men than in women.16 The most recent five-year survival data for 2000-2007 show that across Europe, up to half of newly diagnosed patients do not reach five-year survival.17 Almost 29 percent of patients with MM will die within one year of diagnosis.18 Although treatment may result in remission, unfortunately, patients will most likely relapse as there is currently no cure. While some patients with MM have no symptoms at all, most patients are diagnosed due to symptoms that can include bone problems, low blood counts, calcium elevation, kidney problems or infections.14 Patients who relapse after treatment with standard therapies, including PIs and immunomodulatory agents, have poor prognoses and few treatment options available.19

About Daratumumab

Daratumumab is a first-in-class biologic targeting CD38, a surface protein that is highly expressed across multiple myeloma cells, regardless of disease stage.2-4 Daratumumab induces rapid tumour cell death through apoptosis (programmed cell death)6,7 and multiple immune-mediated mechanisms of action, including complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC), antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) and antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis (ADCP).5,6,8 Daratumumab has also demonstrated immunomodulatory effects that contribute to tumour cell death via a decrease in immune suppressive cells including T-regs, B-regs and myeloid-derived suppressor cells.9 Five Phase 3 clinical studies with daratumumab in relapsed and frontline settings are currently ongoing. Additional studies are ongoing or planned to assess its potential in other malignant and pre-malignant diseases on which CD38 is expressed. For more information, please see http://www.clinicaltrials.gov.

About MMY2002 (SIRIUS) and GEN501

These studies included heavily pre-treated patients with relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma who had exhausted other approved treatment options and whose disease was progressive at enrolment. Safety data from the MMY2002 (SIRIUS) and GEN501 trials suggested that daratumumab (16 mg/kg) has a tolerable and clinically manageable safety profile as a monotherapy.10,11

The most common adverse events (AEs) in the Phase 2 MMY2002 (SIRIUS) trial, which occurred in more than 20 percent of patients, were fatigue (40 percent), anaemia (33 percent), nausea (29 percent), thrombocytopenia (25 percent), back pain (22 percent), neutropenia (23 percent) and cough (21 percent).10 The most common adverse events (AEs) in part 2 of the Phase 1/2 GEN501 trial were fatigue, allergic rhinitis, and pyrexia (fever).11 The most frequent haematologic AE was neutropenia (abnormally low levels of neutrophils, a type of white blood cell), which occurred in 12 percent of patients (n=5) in the 16 mg/kg cohort.11

About the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies

At the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, we are working to create a world without disease. Transforming lives by finding new and better ways to prevent, intercept, treat and cure disease inspires us. We bring together the best minds and pursue the most promising science. We are Janssen. We collaborate with the world for the health of everyone in it. Learn more at http://www.janssen.com. Follow us at http://www.twitter.com/janssenEMEA.

Janssen in Oncology

Our goal is to fundamentally alter the way cancer is understood, diagnosed and managed, reinforcing our commitment to the patients who inspire us. In looking to find innovative ways to address the cancer challenge, our primary efforts focus on several treatment and prevention solutions. These include a focus on haematologic malignancies, prostate cancer and lung cancer; cancer interception with the goal of developing products that interrupt the carcinogenic process; biomarkers that may help guide targeted, individualised use of our therapies; as well as safe and effective identification and treatment of early changes in the tumour microenvironment.

Cautions Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains “forward-looking statements” as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 regarding the anticipated benefits and potential of a newly approved product. The reader is cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations of future events. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or known or unknown risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results could vary materially from the expectations and projections of Janssen-Cilag International NV and/or Johnson & Johnson. Risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the uncertainties inherent in research and development, including further investigation of the clinical benefits of the product; uncertainty of commercial success; competition, including technological advances, new products and patents attained by competitors; challenges to patents; product efficacy or safety concerns resulting in product recalls or regulatory action; changes in behavior and spending patterns or financial distress of purchasers of health care products and services; changes to applicable laws and regulations, including global health care reforms; manufacturing difficulties and delays; and trends toward health care cost containment. A further list and description of these risks, uncertainties and other factors can be found in Johnson & Johnson’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 3, 2016, including in Exhibit 99 thereto, and the company’s subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Copies of these filings are available online at http://www.sec.gov, http://www.jnj.com or on request from Johnson & Johnson. None of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies or Johnson & Johnson undertakes to update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information or future events or developments.

###

References

1. Johnson & Johnson. Janssen’s daratumumab accepted for accelerated CHMP assessment for treatment of European patients with heavily pre-treated multiple myeloma. Available at: http://www.jnj.com/news/all/Janssens-daratumumab-accepted-for-accelerated-CHMP-assessment-for-treatment-of-European-patients-with-heavily-pre-treated-multiple-myeloma. Last accessed May 2016.

2. Fedele G, di Girolamo M, Recine U, et al. CD38 ligation in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of myeloma patients induces release of protumorigenic IL-6 and impaired secretion of IFNgamma cytokines and proliferation. Mediat Inflamm. 2013;2013:564687.

3. Lin P, Owens R, Tricot G, et al. Flow cytometric immunophenotypic analysis of 306 cases of multiple myeloma. Am J Clin Pathol. 2004;121:482-8.

4. Santoconito AM, Consoli U, Bagnato S et al. Flow cytometric detection of aneuploid CD38++ plasmacells and CD19+ B-lymphocytes in bone marrow, peripheral blood and PBSC harvest in multiple myeloma patients. Leuk Res. 2004;28:469-77.

5. de Weers M, Tai YT, van der Veer MS, et al. Daratumumab, a novel therapeutic human CD38 monoclonal antibody, induces killing of multiple myeloma and other hematological tumors. J Immunol. 2011;186:1840-8.

6. DARZALEX® Prescribing Information November 2015. Available at: http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2015/761036Orig1s000lbledt.pdf. Last accessed May 2016.

7. Jansen JH, Bross P, Overdijk MB, et al. Daratumumab, a human CD38 antibody induces apoptosis of myeloma tumor cells via Fc receptor-mediated crosslinking. Blood. 2012;120(21):abstract 2974.

8. Overdijk MB, Verploegen S, Bögels M, et al. Antibody-mediated phagocytosis contributes to the anti-tumor activity of the therapeutic antibody daratumumab in lymphoma and multiple myeloma. MAbs 2015;7(2):311-21.

9. Krejcik J, Casneuf T, Nijhof I, et al. Immunomodulatory effects and adaptive immune response to daratumumab in multiple myeloma. Blood 2015:126(23):abstract 3037.

10. Lonial S, Weiss BM, Usmani SZ, et al. Daratumumab monotherapy in patients with treatment-refractory multiple myeloma (SIRIUS): an open-label, randomised, phase 2 trial. Lancet. 2016;387:1551-60.

11. Lokhorst HM, Plesner T, Laubach JP, et al. Targeting CD38 with daratumumab monotherapy in multiple myeloma. N Engl J Med. 2015;373:1207-19.

12. Usmani S, Ahmadi T, Ng Y, et al. Analyses of real world data on overall survival in multiple myeloma patients with at least 3 prior lines of therapy including a PI and an IMiD, or double refractory to a PI and an IMiD. Blood. 2015:126(23):abstract 4498.

13. European Medicines Agency. Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use: Summary of opinion. Available at: http://www.ema.europa.eu/docs/en_GB/document_library/Summary_of_opinion_-_Initial_authorisation/human/004077/WC500203957.pdf. Last accessed May 2016.

14. American Society of Clinical Oncology. Multiple myeloma: overview. Available at: http://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/multiple-myeloma/overview. Last accessed May 2016.

15. GLOBOCAN 2012. Multiple myeloma. Available at: http://globocan.iarc.fr/old/burden.asp?selection_pop=62968&Textp=Europe&selection_cancer=17270&Text-c=Multiple+myeloma&pYear=13&type=0&window=1&submit=%C2%A0Execute. Last accessed May 2016.

16. American Cancer Society. Multiple myeloma: detailed guide. Available at: http://www.cancer.org/acs/groups/cid/documents/webcontent/003121-pdf.pdf. Last accessed May 2016.

17. De Angelis R, Minicozzi P, Sant M, et al. Survival variations by country and age for lymphoid and myeloid malignancies in Europe 2000-2007: results of EUROCARE-5 population-based study. Eur J Cancer. 2015;51:2254-68.

18. Costa LJ, Gonsalves WI, Kumar SK. Early mortality in multiple myeloma. Leukemia. 2015;29:1616-8.

19. Kumar SK, Lee JH, Lahuerta JJ, et al. Risk of progression and survival in multiple myeloma relapsing after therapy with IMiDs and bortezomib: a multicenter international myeloma working group study. Leukemia. 2012;26:149-57.

May 2016

PHEM/DAT/0416/0007

Contacts
Janssen
Media Enquiries:
Natalie Buhl
Mobile: +353 (0)85-744-6696
Email: nbuhl@its.jnj.com
or
Investor Relations:
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Phone: +1 732-524-3922
Louise Mehrotra
Phone: +1 732-524-649

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Downtown no.1

Părintele Hamel – ultimul său mesaj în foaia parohială

Părintele  Hamel – ultimul său mesaj în foaia parohială. Un mesaj simplu, curat, limpede, ce arată adevărata natură a religiei creștine atât de crunt lovită:

„Primăvara a fost cam rece. Iar dacă spiritul nostru a fost un pic în doliu – răbdare, vara se va instaura în cele din urmă! Și cu ea – vacanța.

Vacanța este un moment în care ne desprindem de activitățile noastre obișnuite. Dar nu e vorba de o simplă paranteză în activitatea noastră. Este timpul relaxării, dar, de asemenea, al revenirii la izvoare, al întâlnirilor, al părtășiei, al convivialității.

Timpul întoarcerii la rădăcinile noaste: unii vor dedica câteva zile unei retrageri spirituale ori unui pelerinaj. Alții vor reciti Evanghelia, singuri sau împreună cu alții, ca pe un cuvânt al zilelor noastre. Alții vor putea reveni la izvorul măreței Cărți a Creației admirând peisaje atât de diferite și de magnifice încât ne înalță și ne vorbesc despre Dumnezeu.
Fie ca noi să auzim în aceste momente invitația lui Dumnezeu de a avea grijă de această lume, de a face din ea, acolo unde trăim fiecare, o lume mai caldă, mai umană, mai fraternă.

Un timp al întâlnirii cu rude și prieteni: o ocazie de a ne găsi timp să trăim ceva împreună. Un timp pentru a fi grijuliu cu altii, oricine ar fi ei.

Un timp al părtășiei: să împărtășim prietenia noastră, bucuria noastră. Să dedicăm timpul nostru copiilor, arătându-le că ei contează pentru noi.

Un timp de rugăciune, de asemenea: atenți la ceea ce se întâmplă în lumea noastră în acest moment. Să ne rugăm pentru cei care au cea mai mare nevoie de rugăciunea noastră, pentru pace, pentru o mai bună trăire împreună.

Acesta va fi Anul Milostivirii. Să avem o inimă trează, deschisă către lucrurile frumoase, către fiecare, către aceia și către acelea care se pot simți un pic mai singuri.

Vacanța să ne dea ocazia de a ne împlini de bucurie, de prietenie și de vindecare, de a ne reîncărca cu puterea rădăcinilor noastre.

Vom putea astfel, mai bine echipați, reporni la drum împreună.
Vacanță fericită tuturor!
Părintele Jacques

http://www.lefigaro.fr/actualite-france/2016/07/26/01016-20160726ARTFIG00151-qui-etait-le-pere-jacques-hamel-egorge-dans-son-eglise-pres-de-rouen.php

Silence is like an empty glass: anything could fill it, anytime. George Bost

Silence is like an empty glass: anything could fill it, anytime.

George Bost.

Today’s article: “Petrus Plancius

Vhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petrus_Plancius?wprov=sfla1

Watch “F. Schubert Sonata A major # 20 D.959 Valentina Lisitsa” on YouTube

FagarasExpres More than 2,700 troops will take part in an exercise at Cincu – FagarasExpres

http://fagarasexpres.ro/peste-2-700-de-militari-vor-participa-la-un-exercitiu-la-cincu/

NEWSMore than 2,700 troops will take part in a drill in CincuAnnouncement Hall FagarasHall Fagaras organizational voted! Vacancies. Among them – the city manager and the general manager of the Local PoliceUPDATE: Helicopter been dropped, the tourist will be rescued by Rescue teams and gendarmerie mountainCity Council regular meeting: More money for schools, kindergartens and hospitalMore than 2,700 troops will take part in a drill in CincuAnnouncement Hall FagarasHall Fagaras organizational voted! Vacancies. Among them – the city manager and the general manager of the Local PoliceUPDATE: Helicopter been dropped, the tourist will be rescued by Rescue teams and gendarmerie mountain City Council regular meeting: More money for schools, kindergartens and hospital

Prin Breaza de Făgăraş

Prin Breaza de Făgăraş

Quota: Constantin Brâncuşi.

Există un scop în toate lucturile. Pentru a sjunge acolo, trebuie să te desparți de egoism.
Constantin Brâncuşi.

Sulphur Miners by Renato Guttuso 1911 1987 Date: 1949 private collection New York

Sulphur Miners
by Renato Guttuso   1911 1987
Date: 1949
private collection New York

Analist american: “Vom asista în curând la dezintegrarea Uniunii Europene. Italia și Ungaria sunt pregătite să părăsească UE!”

http://gandeste.org/general/analist-american-vom-asista-in-curand-la-dezintegrarea-uniunii-europene-italia-si-ungaria-sunt-pregatite-sa-paraseasca-ue-2/72376

Analistul american Frederic William Engdahl afirmă că recenta tentativă de stat din Turcia a fost opera Washingtonului, dar și că în curând vom asista la dispariția Uniunii Europene.

eu puzzle
Într-un interviu acordat publicației belgrădene Vecernje Novosti, analistul susține că Uniunea Europeană a fost concepută în anii ’50 ca un proiect prin care SUA să domine Europa. Acesta consideră că Brexitul va duce la o reacție în lanț, europenii fiind sătui să fie conduși de “birocrați necunoscuți, care decid toate aspectele vieții noastre, de la un minut la altul”.
“Sunt convins că vom fi martorii dezintegrării UE ca și creație politică. Va urma eliberarea țărilor din această alianță, care a fost proiectată încă din anii ’50 ca o modalitate a SUA de a ține sub control Europa. Azi, UE a devenit un monstru în care birocrați fără față decid toate aspectele vieții noastre, de la un minut la altul. Conceptul lui Charles de Gaulle era mult mai bun: state naționale care cooperează, negociază pe probleme comune, dar rămân suverane în fiecare aspect. Italia este un candidat ideal pentru a părăsi UE, la fel și Ungaria. În curând poate fi și Franța, dacă Le Pen câștigă mai mulți aderenți. Atunci totul se va succede cu repeziciune. Moneda Euro este un eșec complet, economia Europei este distrusă în beneficiul mai multor bănci internaționale. Va rămâne în sarcina cetățenilor Europei să decidă în ce viitor vor să trăiască”, a spus el.
În ceea ce privește terorismul, americanul crede că valul de atentate este finanțat de cineva și totul se va opri când banii se vor termina.
“Statul Islamic va dura în funcție de banii care le sunt necesari pentru a-i finanța și antrena. Până acum au venit dinspre Qatar, Arabia Saudită și Turcia -, până de curând. Dacă se termină banii, se va termina și fanatismul”, a declarat Engdahl.
Acesta a spus că dominația americană în domeniile cultural, politic și economic este demantelată pe zi ce trece. Engdahl crede că noile piețe care se deschid în Asia vor muta centrul de importanță al lumii spre Est.
Autor: Andrei Nicolae

Angels and lions, Bernini fountain, piazza Navona / Roma

Angels and lions, Bernini fountain, piazza Navona / Roma

France 24 : Attacks across Europe: ‘Terrorists are not mentally ill’

Attacks across Europe: ‘Terrorists are not mentally ill’

http://f24.my/2a1RcDh

Several of the perpetrators of recent attacks in Europe, from Nice to this weekend’s suicide bombing in Germany, have been reported to suffer from psychiatric problems. Yet for Dr. Samuel Leistedt, mental illness does not explain their actions.

Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, the man who killed 84 people at the end of Bastille Day celebrations in Nice, used to have “episodes” during which he “destroyed everything” in sight, his father told Tunisian media after the attack.
The young Syrian refugee who blew himself up near Ansbach, Germany on Sunday, injuring 15, was said to have suffered from depressive episodes and had stayed in a psychiatric hospital after a number of failed suicide attempts.
These horrific acts have raised the question of whether there is a relationship between mental illness and terrorism. But for Dr. Samuel Leistedt, a psychiatrist and professor at the Free University of Brussels who specialises in terrorism, the situation is more complex.
FRANCE 24: Is there a link between terrorism and mental illness?
Dr. Samuel Leistedt: It’s fundamental to understand that a terrorist is not mentally ill in the strictest scientific terms. There are no real signs of mental illness among those we have been able to study. Even if we’ve observed highly narcissistic and paranoid personality traits, it’s not enough to qualify as pathological.
That said, we can make a real distinction between actual terrorism and what we refer to in psychiatric jargon as the “pseudocommando”. Although these are two completely different things, they can both manifest as attacks and mass killings, whether carried out using explosives, a knife or weapons of war.
We use the term pseudocommando because unlike the terrorists involved in some of the more recent jihadist attacks, who were often trained in Syria or Iraq to learn how to use weapons, the pseudocommando often acts alone and without much preparation. He’ll obtain weapons, but will not have necessarily done any physical training – he’s not a warrior.
A pseudocommando can present serious personality disorders, with narcissistic and paranoid tendencies. These are people who will often kill themselves before being caught. A typical example of this kind of profile is Nordine Amrani, the Liège killer, who killed five people in an attack in December 2011 [Amrani, who acted alone, was heavily armed. Among the five killed was a baby. He also wounded more than 121 people before ultimately committing suicide]. The Norwegian Anders Behring Berivik, who killed 77 people in July 2011, also falls into this category, because despite adhering to extreme-right ideology, he acted alone. The question was raised at some point whether he should be committed to an institution. But it’s yet another example of a highly narcissistic personality.
FRANCE 24: What can we make so far of Nice attacker Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel’s profile?
Dr. Samuel Leistedt: We can’t yet determine if he belongs to the pseudocommando category, because he was apparently in contact with the Islamic State group, even though he never travelled to Syria or Iraq. What’s more, it seems as though there was extensive preparation beforehand.
The difference between a pseudocommando and a terrorist is that a terrorist functions as part of a network. Pseudocommandos are isolated, if not lonely. Often, there’s a catalyst for their actions – a divorce, the loss of a job… They don’t let anyone in on their project, and obtain weapons on their own. It’s an isolated and immediate act.
FRANCE 24: According to initial reports, Bouhlel appeared to be extremely psychologically unstable…
Dr. Samuel Leistedt: It’s an exception. Generally terrorists don’t have this type of profile. Depression, ill-being are not the rule. Very few display traits of psychiatric disorders. This man was presented in some media as a psychopath. It was a false analysis. For the moment, that’s not what is emerging. Psychopathy has a very precise definition. A psychopath would not have reacted at all like the killer in Nice: a psychopath doesn’t take, doesn’t kill, doesn’t explode.
FRANCE 24: The Syrian refugee who blew himself up on Sunday in Ansbach, Germany had spent time in a psychiatric hospital. Are people who are mentally vulnerable a target for Islamic State group recruiters?
Dr. Samuel Leistedt: In Europe, Daesh [an alternative name for the Islamic Sate group] recruits from a fertile ground of people who are disenfranchised professionally, socially and who also have family issues – a situation that is particularly common among migrants. They are targeted by Daesh, who seek to use these individuals as moving bombs.
FRANCE 24: Are there any warning signs?
Dr. Samuel Leistedt: Warning signs are very complicated. Yes, there are some, but how do you intervene within a legal and democratic framework when someone hasn’t committed a crime? There are dangerous behaviours, but it’s very difficult to intervene beforehand. How can you tell if someone will decide to take action?
I personally work with research groups that study attacks on Belgian and French soil to better understand as well as prevent them. It’s important to understand what kind of killer we’re dealing with, because the way we extract information from an investigation depends on these profiles. It’s also important in how we judge a criminal in court.

France 24 : Religious leaders express ‘horror’ at attack on church in France

Religious leaders express ‘horror’ at attack on church in France

http://f24.my/2a26ckr

Pope Francis led condemnation of an assault on a church in northwestern France on Tuesday, which claimed the life of an 86-year-old priest and left four people injured, one critically. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack.

Francis expressed his “horror” at the attack a day before he was due to attend World Youth Day, an international gathering of young Catholics, in Krakow, Poland, where security was immediately tightened in response to the assault.
“We are particularly shocked because this horrible violence took place in a Church, in which God’s love is announced, with the barbarous killing of a priest and the involvement of the faithful,” said Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Holy See press office.
The pope’s comments came hours after two armed men stormed a parish church in the town of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray – a suburb of Rouen located around 128 kilometres northwest of Paris – taking the priest, Father Jacques Hamel, and four other people hostage.
The two assailants slit the priest’s throat and wounded the four hostages, one critically, before they were shot dead by elite BRI police who had surrounded the building, according to the interior ministry.
Archbishop Dominique Lebrun of Rouen, who was in Krakow for World Youth Day at the time of the attack, issued a statement calling on both followers and non-believers to come together.
“I cry out to God with all men of goodwill. I invite non-believers to join in the cry. (…) The Catholic Church has no other arms besides prayer and brotherhood among men,” he said, adding that he would be returning to his diocese that night.
There was also an outpouring of support and condolences from other religious leaders across France in the aftermath of the attack.
Mohammed Karabila, president of the Regional Council of the Muslim Faith in Haute-Normandie (Conseil régional du culte musulman de Haute-Normandie), deplored the loss of his friend, Father Hamel.
“I don’t understand, all of our prayers go out to his family and the Catholic community,” Karabila said.
The two men met frequently over the past 18 months as part of an interfaith council to discuss religion and community life. “He was someone who gave his life to others. We are stunned here at the mosque,” Karabila said.
The nationwide French Council of the Muslim Faith (Conseil français du culte musulman or CFCM) echoed Karabila’s comments, denouncing the attack as a “terrifying and horrifying act” and expressing its solidarity with “all Catholics of France”.
“[We call on] all leaders of different faiths to meet, exchange and fight against this hateful speech,” the CFCM said.
The Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France (Conseil représentatif des institutions juives de France) also condemned the “odious murder”, which it said “marks a new phase in the progession of terrorism in France”.
The Islamic State group claimed the assault on Tuesday via its Amaq news agency. The church attack is the latest in a string of deadly incidents across Europe claimed by the jihadist organisation, including a Bastille Day massacre in the southern French city of Nice and two attacks in Germany last week.

BBC News: France church attack: Priest killed by two ‘IS soldiers’

France church attack: Priest killed by two ‘IS soldiers’ – http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-36892785

BBC News: Key Islamic State leader Saad Emarati ‘killed in Afghanistan’

Key Islamic State leader Saad Emarati ‘killed in Afghanistan’ – http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-36892100

Quotation: Albert Einstein

When forced to summarize the general theory of relativity in one sentence:
“Time and space and gravitation have no separate existence from matter”.
“People before me believed that if all the matter in the universe were removed, only space and time would exist. My theory proves that space and time would disappear along with matter.”
Albert Einstein

Sunflower

From the past: Moby Dick