Medal_for_the_General

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medal_for_the_General

Medal for the General From Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaJump to: navigation, search Medal for the General




Godfrey Tearle (second from left) and Petula Clark (third from left) in a scene from the film

Directed by Maurice Elvey

Produced by Louis H. Jackson

Written by Elizabeth Baron

Based on the novel by James Ronald

Starring Godfrey Tearle

Jeanne De Casalis

Petula Clark

Music by William Alwyn

Cinematography Arthur Grant

James Wilson

Editing by Grace Garland

Studio British National Films Company

Distributed by Anglo-American Film Corporation (UK)

Four Continents Films (US)

Release date(s) 23 July 1944 [1]

Running time 100 minutes (UK)

84 minutes (US)

Country United Kingdom

Language English



Medal for the General is a 1944 British comedy film directed by Maurice Elvey. The screenplay by Elizabeth Baron is based on the novel of the same title by James Ronald.



Contents [hide]

1 Plot

2 Production

3 Cast

4 Critical reception

5 References

6 External links





[edit] PlotThe title character is Victor Church, a World War I veteran who becomes despondent when his advancing age prevents him from playing an active role in the battles of World War II. Feeling unwanted and useless, he retreats to his country estate and plans his suicide. He finds a new purpose in life when he opens his home to six rambunctious Cockney children evacuated from the London slums and tries to keep the mischievous group under control.



[edit] ProductionDirector Maurice Elvey was still searching for a young girl to portray the precocious orphan Irma when he attended a charity concert to benefit the National Fire Service at Royal Albert Hall. On the bill was eleven-year-old Petula Clark, who in addition to singing appeared in a comedy sketch written by her father. Elvey was so impressed by her performance he went backstage and offered her the role in his film.[2] The following year he cast her in I Know Where I'm Going!, and the two reunited for the 1954 film The Happiness of Three Women.



[edit] CastGodfrey Tearle ..... Gen. Victor Church

Jeanne De Casalis ..... Lady Frome

Morland Graham..... Bates

Mabel Constanduros..... Mrs. Bates

John Laurie ..... McNab

Patric Curwen..... Dr. Sargeant

Thorley Walters ..... Andrew

Alec Faversham..... Hank

Michael Lambart..... Lord Ottershaw

Irene Handl ..... Mrs. Famsworth

Rosalyn Boulter..... Billetting Officer

Petula Clark ..... Irma

[edit] Critical receptionThe Times said, "Medal for the General is hardly a subtle or intellectual film, but it is warmhearted and the acting and direction show tact and good sense throughout." [1]



The Daily Telegraph thought the story "is hardly promising material, and the sentimental way in which it is treated does nothing to make it more palatable." [1]



[edit] References1.^ a b c Petula Clark Film Companion London: Meeting Point Publications 1998

2.^ Kon, Andrea, This is My Song: A Biography of Petula Clark. London: W.H. Allen 1983. ISBN 0-491-02898-9. pp. 44-45

[edit] External linksMedal for the General at the Internet Movie Database

tonics and bees

tonics

We've been talking a bees for awhile now and at the end of the fall we started piecing together the equipment needed. A few months later, we have 3 established hives and they all seem to be happily moving in and out finding a great source of dandelion, now buttercups and soon black locust flowers. We have been taking a monthly course in beekeeping from Dave Papke on the other side of the river who is an experienced beekeeper with lots of wisdom to share. We're discovering a huge network of people keeping bees and we're learning how to be helpful in the cycle of honey bees pollination. With more and more pesticides and mite infestations in our environment, the bees struggle to be able to survive so we hope by tending to them and keeping them happy to be "working toward a sustainable future one flower at a time"


If you look closely, you will see these worker bees loaded with pollen on their back legs like saddlebags carrying pollen colors of yellow, orange and white. These insects are mesmerising to watch in their daily routine and even have a dance called the waggle dance to notify others in the colony where the best nectar and honey sources are. All of there senses and direction are driven by the sun.



A look inside one of our hive frames. The queen has been laying her eggs and tiny larva are forming and the worker bees are collecting their honey and storing it for the new bees to come.

______________________________________________________
http://lancasterfarmacy.blogspot.com/2011/04/spring-time-time-for-tonics.html

springtime is a great time for detoxing our body after winter hibernation when we can get sluggish. Tonics are a perfect way to "nurture and enliven" our system in the words of herbalist David Hoffman. They help wake the body from our winter rest and get important things like our bile moving to cleanse our liver which can hold many of our toxins. It only makes sense that the earliest herbs we see in spring are the ones that we should be injesting too. Dandelion, chickweed, violet, nettles, and more. Spring tonics with herbs high in nutrients and minerals and that stimulate and discharge our blood are good for our digestive system, lymphatic system, and urinary system. This batch of spring tonic we made consists of stinging nettles, chickweed, spice bush, sassafras root, dandelion, turkey tail and molasses as a preservative. We spent a sunny but cool spring day building up a fire at Susquehannock State Park, collecting water from the spring, harvesting herbs and making a decoction of the tonic.


Chickweed Stellaria media


Such a common and often overlooked plant that gets written off as "just a weed." "Little star" is a reference to the many sweet star like flowers that line its stems. It's an amazing all-purpose healing plant used internally and externally. It is considered a cooling herb and found in every continent and found even under the snow. Its a great source of food and contains saponins which have soap like action that works to emulsify and permeate membranes in our cells to absorb beneficial nutrients and minerals, making it great for the lymphatic system and glandular system. It neutralizes toxins, weakens bacteria cell walls to fight off sickness in the body, dissolves warts and growths and cysts. Susan Weed writes extensively about this plant and includes that it is great in helping with thyroid irregularities and weight problems.

Spice Bush


Lindera benzoin

Spice bush budding about to unfurl its oval lobed leaves.

Spicebush is a common shrub of swamps and woodlands throughout North America. Spicebush is one of the first plants to bloom in the spring and is named for the aromatic, spicy scent that arises from its leaves, flowers, bark and fruit.

Spicebush includes the brewing of teas from the crushed, dried leaves and the grinding of the dried berries for a seasoning spice. The teas are said to have a range of medicinal properties that include relief of fatigue, pain, arthritis, fever, cold symptoms, intestinal disorders and even breathing difficulties. Oils from the berries can be applied topically to treat bruises and rheumatic pain and as a general fist-aid ointment for cuts.

Stinging Nettles Urtica Dioica


I like to call nettles "natures pharmacy" because it is so beneficial to our bodies being pack with vitamins, minerals, protein and nutrition for the body. They are great to strengthen the kidneys, help heal damaged tissue areas, support the body and balance the adrenal system, immune, digestive, circulatory, endocrine and nervous system! It is incredibly beneficial for women in their menstrual/moon cycles. Great externally for promoting healthy strong hair and skin, making it great for eczema. Don't let the little sting deter you, just wear your gloves or not!

check out our new rap we wrote after our first beekeeping workshop...


Dandelion Taraxacum Officinale


Everyone knows this herb and often writes it off as another weed. It is a powerfully medicinal plant, so learn a new appreciation for this one and its healing actions! Dandelion is bitter. Bitter herbs like Dandelion help to nourish the liver by stimulating flow and discharge of bile that help flush out the body. Dandelion is also a natural diuretic. It helps relive water and toxins without depleting the body like many over the counter prescriptions do because it contains tons of potassium. Like the other herbs mentioned already, it helps digestive weakness and strength the blood. Gather the leaves and flowers to eat in salads or stir fries, and the root is great for teas and tonics.

Turkey Tail


Trametes versicolor

Part of the polypore mushroom family, Turkey Tail is a highly medicinal and easily found in the woods growing on decaying logs with its colorful stripes and turkey fan tail. Its main effects are to strengthen the immune system. It helps to enhance the most important cells in our body, T helper cells. These are the ones that tell the rest of our cells what to do and when to stop. Many autoimmune diseases and cancers attack these important cells especially during chemotherapy and radiation because they inadvertently kills T helper cells so go Turkey Tail!

Sassafras Sassafras albidum


We love this under story tree for its sweet aroma, its mitten leaves and for the amazing teas it makes from the root. The root is typically harvested in the spring to made into a tonic for cleansing the blood. It is considered one of the best alterative herbs. Alteratives are "herbs that gradually restore proper functioning of the body, increasing health and vitality. Some support natural waste elimination via the kidneys, liver, lungs, or skin. Others stimulate digestion" -David Hoffman, Medical Herbalism. Sassafras also has value as a stimulant, pain reliever, astringent and treatment for rheumatism. Skin eruptions may be bathed in an infusion from the leaves.





I want to honor the Native Americans of our region, the Susquehannock and the Conestoga who practiced their healing traditions and shared things like using Sassafras for its medicine. I think about what the woods used to look like before the indigenous were pushed out and killed by the white settlers. I think about people living closely to the earth, foraging food from the forest that provided, living off and from the land, utilizing everything and being connected and a part of the earth that so many are estranged from today. On a daily basis, I witness the logging of our forests, the over killing of animals for fun, the spraying chemicals on our soil, the dumping trash into our water ways, the mass production of animals and food for consumption and none of it makes any sense. So wherever we are and how ever small we are, every time we harvest our plants, we make sure to replant one in return, and we find ways to protect all life from any more prolonged abuse in whatever ways we can.

"We Bee Buzzn"

by dream like a bear

(casey and eli's band)





We bee buzz'n

busting back bonkers over bees

bee dealn, free wheelin

bee buzz'n

we're gona get a nuc,

buzz'n with bees not no nuclear here

we got a super deluxe

deeps and shallows,

screens to keep the mites out

but we'll tell you bout that more another day

so spring is clear,

the nectars near, the brude is breeding

we bee buzz'n,

you may jiv'n but we be hiv'n

you maybe beat box'n

but we be bbbbbbbbbee buzzzzzzz'n

The ascent of the soul and the three millenia

http://www.chabad.org/dailystudy/hayomyom.asp?tDate=5/21/2012
The ascent of the soul1 occurs three times daily, during the three times of davening. This is particularly true of the souls of tzadikim who "go from strength to strength."2 It is certain that at all times and in every sacred place they may be, they offer invocation and prayer on behalf of those who are bound to them and to their instructions, and who observe their instructions. They offer prayer in particular for their disciples and disciples' disciples, that G-d be their aid, materially and spiritually.






Compiled and arranged by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, of righteous memory, in 5703 (1943) from the talks and letters of the sixth Chabad Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, of righteous memory.

FOOTNOTES

1. Of the departed.

2. Tehillim 84:8, i.e. from level to level.

 
The Third Millennium






Adapted from a public talk by the Lubavitcher Rebbe

"A thousand years, in Your eyes," says the Psalmist, "is like yesterday's day." The Kabbalists explain that the seven days of creation are replayed, on the macro-historical level, in the seven-millennia course of human history, which also consists of six workdays followed by a seventh millennium that is "wholly Shabbat and rest, for life everlasting"--the age of Moshiach.



The seven days of creation embody the seven divine attributes (sefirot) through which G-d defines His relationship with His creation. The first sefirah is chessed, the attribute of love; thus the first day of creation saw the creation of light, which represents the giving and bestowing elements of the created reality. On the second day, G-d created the firmament which divided between the waters that are above the heavens, and the waters that are beneath the heavens (i.e., between the spiritual and the physical realms); this was the day of gevurah, the attribute of rigor, restraint, judgment and delimitation. The third attribute, tiferet (harmony), is a synthesis of chessed and gevurah, reflected in the fact that G-d's work on the third day also included the setting of boundaries (of land and sea), but also the spawning of plant life on the face of the earth.



The same is true of the corresponding millennia of history. The first millennium was the millennium of chessed--an era of divine generosity and benevolence. In the second thousand years of history, G-d's relationship with His world was characterized by the rigor and judgment of gevurah. These were followed by the tiferet millennium--the age of synthesis and harmony.



Divergent Endings



This explains a puzzling thing about the structure of the first three sections of the Torah--Bereishit (Genesis 1:1-6:8), Noach (ibid. 6:9-11:32) and Lech-Lecha (12:1-17:27).



The Torah is divided into 54 sections or Parshiot, each of which is studied and publicly read in the synagogue in the course of one week of the year. In this way, the Jew lives with the times (as Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi expressed it), finding guidance and inspiration in the Torah-section that pertains to the specific segment of time which he occupies.



On the face of it, the Parshiot seem a rather arbitrary division of Torah. They vary greatly in length (from as few as 30 to as many as 176 verses) and do not conform to the Torah's logical division into chapters (which is of non-Jewish origin); many of them seem to include a number of unconnected events and laws, or to begin or end in mid-narrative. But a deeper examination always reveals the Parshah to be an integral unit of Torah, with a distinct theme and context of its own.



Such is the case with the sections of Bereishit, Noach and Lech-Lecha. The previous Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneeerson, told about an exchange he had when he was ten years old with his father, Rabbi Sholom DovBer:



When I entered my father's room in the early morning of Shabbat Lech-Lecha of 5651 (1891), I found him sitting at his table, reviewing the Torah-section of the week. Father was in very high spirits, yet tears were streaming from his eyes. I was very confused, for I was unable to understand this combination of elation and tears; but I did not dare to ask him about it.



That evening, father noticed that I very much wanted to say something and encouraged me to speak my mind. So I asked him about what I had seen that morning.



Father explained: Those were tears of joy.



Once, in the early years of his leadership, he continued, Our ancestor, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, told his disciples: "One must live with the times..." What the Rebbe meant to say was that one should live with and experience, each day of ones' life, the Torah-section of the week and the specific portion of the weeks' section which belongs to that day...



"The section of Bereishit," continued father, "is a happy section: G-d is creating worlds and creatures and is satisfied that it is good. Its ending, however, is not so pleasant... In the section of Noach comes the Flood. It is a depressing week, but with a happy ending--Abraham our father is born.



"But the truly joyous week" father concluded, explaining his mood that morning, "is Lech-Lecha. Every day of the week we live with Abraham Our Father..."



Rabbi Shalom DovBer's description of the Torah's first three sections raises the obvious question of why are they in fact structured this way? Why mar the happy section of Bereishit with its not so pleasant ending describing the corruption of humanity and G-d's regret of His creation, especially since these last few verses (Genesis 6:1-8) actually begin the story of the Flood, the central theme of the section of Noach? A similar thing occurs at the end of Noach: after a detailed description of Noah's life and the events of the Flood and the Tower of Babel, the section closes with a brief account of the birth and early life of Abraham, whose life is to fill, with rich detail, the next three sections (Lech-Lecha, Vayeira and Chayei-Sarah). Surely, a far more natural division would have been for Noach to begin with the last eight verses of Bereishit, and for Lech-Lecha to open with Abraham's birth, a mere seven verses before the end of Noach!



But if we calculate the years given in the Torah's account of these events, we find that the section of Bereishit corresponds with the first millennium of history; that Noach chronicles the major events of its second millennium--the Flood (in the year 1656 from creation), the breakup of mankind into nations in the aftermath of the Tower of Babel (1996), and the birth (1948) and early years of Abraham; and that Lech-Lecha opens with G-d's call to Abraham to leave his birthplace and journey to the Holy Land--a call which came in Abrahams 75th year, in the year 2023 from creation.




In other words, all the events of Bereishit, including its uncharacteristic ending, belong to the age of chessed; all of Noach, including its account of the early years of Abraham, belongs to the age of gevurah; and the events of Lech-Lecha describe the first generation of the age of tiferet, whose story unfolds in the next 50 sections of the Torah: the lives of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; the descent into Egypt and the Exodus; and the highlight of the millennium, the revelation at Sinai where G-d communicated His Torah to man.



The Three Mentors



Chassidic teaching defines the differences between these three phases of human history by employing the model of the relationship between a teacher and his pupil.



A great master wishes to impart wisdom to a vastly inferior pupil. One approach is to go ahead and communicate his ideas to the pupil: if the teacher is wise enough, patient enough and resourceful enough, he will find the words and analogies with which to convey the loftiest of concepts even to a most mediocre mind.



A second approach is for the teacher to compel the pupil to conceive, analyze and comprehend the ideas on his own. The teacher will withhold the knowledge from the pupil and provide him only with the pertinent rules and the methodology; the teacher will then stand by as the pupil struggles on his own, intervening only to rebuke his blunders and prod his achievements. By this method, the pupil will learn to use his own faculties to arrive at his own insights.



Each of these two approaches has its advantages and shortcomings. In the case of the benevolent master, the pupil benefits from a level of understanding that is vastly superior to anything he is capable of attaining on his own. But such intellectual charity does little to develop the mind of the pupil. The pupil has gained only the specific ideas which have been inserted into his brain; on his own, he cannot repeat the process by which they were conceived, nor can he expand upon them or apply them to other areas and dimensions of knowledge.



The withholding master has a more meaningful effect on his pupil. His restraint and ingenerosity pay off: by refusing to reveal anything which lies beyond the students intellectual range, the teacher unearths his students true abilities, bringing to light potential powers which would never have been realized under the tutelage of a more benevolent master. On the other hand, whatever understanding the student can attain on his own will always be greatly inferior to what the teacher could confer upon him as a gift.



There is, however, a third approach which combines the virtues of the first two. A truly great teacher will integrate both these methods in his teaching, stimulating the pupil's mind to overreach itself by feeding it with thoughts and insights that lie just beyond its capacity, yet never revealing enough to allow him to become a passive recipient. The teacher then repeats the process with successively more profound ideas, which, when digested by the pupil's mind, nourish it and expand it from within. Ultimately, the teachers' blend of benevolence and restraint will elevate his pupil's mind to the level on which it not only comprehends the most sublime thoughts the teacher has to offer, but also assimilates them into its own thought-process and intellectual self.



From Creation to Sinai



For the first thousand years of history, G-d was a benevolent teacher who indulged the shortcomings of his pupil. Life was a free lunch. Righteous and wicked alike enjoyed long and prosperous lives. In a sense, this era was an extension of G-d's original act of creation: in its initial state of non-existence, the world obviously did not deserve to be created; its creation was an act of pure charity on the part of G-d, who granted it existence, purpose, and the potential for deservingness. Likewise, in the first millennia G-d gave indiscriminately, in order to provide humanity with the basis upon which to build and develop the world in accordance with His plan.




Thus, the corrupt world described in the last verses of Bereishit represents not the beginning of the age of rigor, but the closing years of the age of benevolence. They describe a morally immature world, in which all blessing, material or spiritual, is taken for granted. Indeed, it is the natural end of an era in which responsibility is neither assumed nor exacted, for humanity is yet to be weaned from an infantile dependence upon its Creator.



After a thousand years of unilateral bestowal, the era of chessed came to a close. In the second thousand years of creation, G-d challenged man to make it on his own. On the surface, the second millennium was a harsh, even tragic, era, for everything, including life itself, was earned solely by merit. At one point, there were only eight deserving human beings, and the rest of humanity perished in the Flood. At another point, the misguided building of the Tower of Babel resulted in the dispersion of the human race and its disintegration into nations separated by walls of incommunicativity and xenophobia. But this exacting justice on the part of G-d is what allowed the world to develop from within--to become a vital, productive world whose deeds have consequence and significance, instead of a world that is the passive recipient of divine charity.



The last generation of the second millennium yielded Abraham, the ultimate spiritually self-made-man. The son of a Mesopotamian idol-maker, he came to recognize the truth of a One G-d with nothing but the majesty of the universe and his own inquisitive mind to guide him. Single-handedly, he battled the entrenched paganism of his native land and won over a large following to the monotheistic faith and ethos he espoused. So the Abraham (or rather the Abram, as he was then called) of his first 75 years is very much a part of the Noach era; indeed, he represents its culminating and finest expression. If there is a single point to Abrahams early years it is that yes, man can make it on his own.



Then, upon the onset of the third millennium, Abraham heard the voice of G-d. Go, was the divine call, from your land, from your birthplace, and from your fathers house, to the land which I will show you. Now that you have obtained the utmost of your own, inborn potentials (your land, your birthplace, your father's house), you must reach beyond yourself, for the land that I will show you.



Thus began the journey into the millennium of tiferet, the millennium which saw the synthesis of the divinely bestowed and the humanly earned. A millennium which reached its climax at Mount Sinai, where G-d communicated to man His wisdom and will enclothed in the garments of human reason and human endeavor. A millennium in which the Torah breached the barrier between the G-dly and the terrestrial, allowing a divine gift to become a human achievement and a human effort to touch the divine.

Midrash Tanchuma AND TEHILIM OF PRAISE

http://sn111w.snt111.mail.live.com/default.aspx#!/mail/InboxLight.aspx?n=484624364!n=1815868728&fid=1&mid=f9fcae77-a2fc-11e1-8c39-00215ad7bb44&fv=1

Daily Quote




No tribe was more prestigious than Judah and none more lowly than Dan... Said G-d: "Let the one come and be associated with the other [i.e., Betzalel from the tribe of Judah, and Ahaliav from the tribe of Dan, who were charged with the building of the Sanctuary] so that no man may despise [his fellow] or be arrogant, for both great and small are equal in G-d's sight"


http://www.chabad.org/dailystudy/tehillim.asp?tDate=5/21/2012
- Midrash Tanchuma
LASHON HARA
Chapter 140


David composed this psalm against his slanderers, especially the chief conspirator Doeg. Anyone confronted by slanderers should recite this psalm.



1. For the Conductor, a psalm by David. 2. Rescue me from the evil man, protect me from the man of violence, 3. who devise evil schemes in their heart; every day they gather for wars. 4. They sharpen their tongues like a serpent; the spider's venom is forever under their lips. 5. Guard me, Lord, from the hands of the wicked, protect me from the man of violence-those who plot to cause my steps to slip. 6. Arrogant ones have hidden a snare for me, and ropes; they spread a net by my path, they set traps for me continually. 7. I said to the Lord, "You are my God!" Listen, O Lord, to the voice of my pleas. 8. God, my Lord, the strength of my deliverance, You sheltered my head on the day of armed battle. 9. Grant not, O Lord, the desires of the wicked; fulfill not his scheme, make it unattainable forever. 10. As for the head of my besiegers, let the deceit of their own lips bury them. 11. Let burning coals fall upon them; let it cast them down into the fire, into deep pits, never to rise again. 12. Let not the slanderous man be established in the land; let the evil of the man of violence trap him until he is overthrown. 13. I know that the Lord will execute judgement for the poor, justice for the needy. 14. Indeed, the righteous will extol Your Name; the upright will dwell in Your presence.
 
 
Chapter 141


This psalm teaches an important lesson: One should pray for Divine assistance that his mouth not speak that which is not in his heart. The gatekeeper only allows the gate to be opened for a purpose; let it be the same with one's lips.



1. A psalm by David. O Lord, I have called You, hasten to me; listen to my voice when I call to You. 2. Let my prayer be set forth as incense before You, the raising of my hands as an afternoon offering. 3. O Lord, place a guard for my mouth, keep watch over the door of my lips. 4. Do not incline my heart to a bad thing-to perform deeds in wickedness, with men, doers of evil; let me not partake of their delicacies. 5. Let the righteous one strike me with kindness and let him rebuke me; like the finest oil, let my head not refuse it. For as long [as I live], my prayer is [to preserve me] from their harm. 6. For their judges have slipped because of their [hearts of] rock, though they heard my words and they were pleasant. 7. As one who chops and splinters [wood] on the ground, so have our bones been scattered to the mouth of the grave. 8. For to You, God, my Lord, are my eyes; in You I take shelter; do not pour out my soul. 9. Protect me from the hands of the snare they laid for me, and from the traps of the evildoers. 10. Let the wicked fall into their own nets together, until I pass over.

Chapter 142


David composed this psalm while hiding from Saul in a cave, at which time he had cut off the corner of Saul's garment (to prove that he was able to kill him but did not wish to do so). He declared, "Where can I turn, and where can I run? All I have is to cry out to You!"



1. A maskil1 by David, when he was in the cave, a prayer. 2. With my voice I will cry out to the Lord; with my voice I will call to the Lord in supplication. 3. I will pour out my plea before Him; I will declare my distress in His presence. 4. When my spirit is faint within me, You know my path. In the way in which I walk, they have hidden a snare for me. 5. Look to my right and see, there is none that will know me; every escape is lost to me. No man cares for my soul. 6. I cried out to You, O Lord; I said, "You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.” 7. Listen to my song of prayer, for I have been brought very low. Deliver me from my pursuers, for they are too mighty for me. 8. Release my soul from confinement, so that it may acknowledge Your Name. Because of me, the righteous will crown [You] when You will deal graciously with me.

Chapter 143




1. A psalm by David. O Lord, hear my prayer, lend Your ear to my supplications. With Your faithfulness answer me, and with Your righteousness. 2. Do not enter into judgment with Your servant, for no living being would be vindicated before You. 3. For the enemy has pursued my soul; he has crushed my life to the ground; he has set me down in dark places, like those who are eternally dead. 4. Then my spirit became faint within me; my heart was dismayed within me. 5. I remembered the days of old; I meditated on all Your deeds; I spoke of Your handiwork. 6. I spread out my hands to You; like a languishing land my soul yearns after You, Selah. 7. Answer me soon, O Lord, my spirit is spent; hide not Your face from me, lest I become like those who descend into the pit. 8. Let me hear Your kindness in the morning, for have I trusted in You. Let me know the way in which I should walk, for to You I have lifted my soul. 9. Deliver me from my enemies, O Lord. I have concealed [my troubles from all, save] You. 10. Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God. Let Your good spirit lead me in an even path. 11. For the sake of Your Name, O Lord, give me life; in Your righteousness, take my soul out of distress. 12. And in Your kindness, cut off my enemies and obliterate all those who oppress my soul, for I am Your servant.


Chapter 144


After triumphing in all his wars, David composed this psalm in praise of God.



1. By David. Blessed be the Lord, my Rock, Who trains my hands for battle and my fingers for war. 2. My source of kindness and my fortress, my high tower and my rescuer, my shield, in Whom I take refuge; it is He Who makes my people submit to me. 3. O Lord, what is man that You have recognized him; the son of a mortal, that You are mindful of him? 4. Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow. 5. O Lord, incline Your heavens and descend; touch the mountains and they will become vapor. 6. Flash one bolt of lightning and You will scatter them; send out Your arrows and You will confound them. 7. Stretch forth Your hands from on high, rescue me and deliver me out of many waters, from the hand of strangers, 8. whose mouth speaks deceit and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood. 9. God, I will sing a new song to You, I will play to You upon a harp of ten strings. 10. He who gives victory to kings, He will rescue David, His servant, from the evil sword. 11. Rescue me and deliver me from the hand of strangers, whose mouth speaks deceit and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood. 12. For our sons are like plants, brought up to manliness in their youth; our daughters are like cornerstones, fashioned after the fashion of a palace. 13. Our storehouses are full, overflowing with all manner of food; our sheep increase by the thousands, growing by the tens of thousands in our open fields. 14. Our leaders bear the heaviest burden; there is none who break through, nor is there bad report, nor outcry in our streets. 15. Happy is the nation for whom this is so. Happy is that nation whose God is the Lord.

Chapter 145


One who recites this psalm three times daily with absolute concentration is guaranteed a portion in the World to Come. Because of its prominence, this psalm was composed in alphabetical sequence.



1. A psalm of praise by David: I will exalt You, my God the King, and bless Your Name forever. 2. Every day I will bless You, and extol Your Name forever. 3. The Lord is great and exceedingly exalted; there is no limit to His greatness. 4. One generation to another will laud Your works, and tell of Your mighty acts. 5. I will speak of the splendor of Your glorious majesty and of Your wondrous deeds. 6. They will proclaim the might of Your awesome acts, and I will recount Your greatness. 7. They will express the remembrance of Your abounding goodness, and sing of Your righteousness. 8. The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and of great kindness. 9. The Lord is good to all, and His mercies extend over all His works. 10. Lord, all Your works will give thanks to You, and Your pious ones will bless You. 11. They will declare the glory of Your kingdom, and tell of Your strength, 12. to make known to men His mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of His kingdom. 13. Your kingship is a kingship over all worlds, and Your dominion is throughout all generations. 14. The Lord supports all who fall, and straightens all who are bent. 15. The eyes of all look expectantly to You, and You give them their food at the proper time. 16. You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. 17. The Lord is righteous in all His ways, and benevolent in all His deeds. 18. The Lord is close to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. 19. He fulfills the desire of those who fear Him, hears their cry and delivers them. 20. The Lord watches over all who love Him, and will destroy all the wicked. 21. My mouth will utter the praise of the Lord, and let all flesh bless His holy Name forever.

Chapter 146


This psalm inspires man to repent and perform good deeds while still alive. Let him not rely on mortals who are unable to help themselves, and who may suddenly pass on. Rather, one should put his trust in God, Who is capable of carrying out all He desires.



1. Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul. 2. I will sing to the Lord with my soul; I will chant praises to my God while I yet exist. 3. Do not place your trust in nobles, nor in mortal man who has not the ability to bring deliverance. 4. When his spirit departs, he returns to his earth; on that very day, his plans come to naught. 5. Fortunate is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope rests upon the Lord his God. 6. He makes the heavens, the earth, the sea, and all that is in them; He keeps His promise faithfully forever. 7. He renders justice to the oppressed; He gives food to the hungry; the Lord releases those who are bound. 8. The Lord opens the eyes of the blind; the Lord straightens those who are bowed; the Lord loves the righteous. 9. The Lord watches over the strangers; He gives strength to orphan and widow; He thwarts the way of the wicked. 10. The Lord shall reign forever, your God, O Zion, throughout all generations. Praise the Lord!

Chapter 147


This psalm recounts God's greatness, and His kindness and goodness to His creations.



1. Praise the Lord! Sing to our God for He is good; praise befits Him for He is pleasant. 2. The Lord is the rebuilder of Jerusalem; He will gather the banished of Israel. 3. He heals the broken-hearted, and bandages their wounds. 4. He counts the number of the stars; He gives a name to each of them. 5. Great is our Master and abounding in might; His understanding is beyond reckoning. 6. The Lord strengthens the humble; He casts the wicked to the ground. 7. Lift your voices to the Lord in gratitude; sing to our God with the harp. 8. He covers the heaven with clouds; He prepares rain for the earth, and makes grass grow upon the mountains. 9. He gives the animal its food, to the young ravens which cry to Him. 10. He does not desire [those who place their trust in] the strength of the horse, nor does He want those who rely upon the thighs [swiftness] of man. 11. He desires those who fear Him, those who long for His kindness. 12. Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem; Zion, extol your God. 13. For He has strengthened the bolts of your gates; He has blessed your children in your midst. 14. He has made peace within your borders; He satiates you with the finest of wheat. 15. He issues His command to the earth; swiftly does His word run. 16. He dispenses snow like fleece; He scatters frost like ashes. 17. He hurls His ice like morsels; who can withstand His cold? 18. He sends forth His word and melts them; He causes His wind to blow, and the waters flow. 19. He tells His words [Torah] to Jacob, His statutes and ordinances to Israel. 20. He has not done so for other nations, and they do not know [His] ordinances. Praise the Lord!

Chapter 148


The psalmist inspires one to praise God for His creations-above and below-all of which exist by God's might alone.



1. Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise Him in the celestial heights. 2. Praise Him, all His angels; praise Him, all His hosts. 3. Praise Him, sun and moon; praise Him, all the shining stars. 4. Praise Him, hea-ven of heavens, and the waters that are above the heavens. 5. Let them praise the Name of the Lord, for He comman-ded and they were created. 6. He has established them forever, for all time; He issued a decree, and it shall not be transgressed. 7. Praise the Lord from the earth, sea-monsters and all [that dwell in] the depths; 8. fire and hail, snow and vapor, stormy wind carrying out His command; 9. the mountains and all hills, fruit-bearing trees and all cedars; 10. the beasts and all cattle, creeping things and winged fowl; 11. kings of the earth and all nations, rulers and all judges of the land; 12. young men as well as maidens, elders with young lads. 13. Let them praise the Name of the Lord, for His Name is sublime, to Himself; its radiance [alone] is upon earth and heaven. 14. He shall raise the glory of His people, [increase] the praise of all His pious ones, the Children of Israel, the people close to Him. Praise the Lord!

Chapter 149




1. Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song, [recount] His praise in the assembly of the pious. 2. Israel will rejoice in its Maker; the children of Zion will delight in their King. 3. They will praise His Name with dancing; they will sing to Him with the drum and harp. 4. For the Lord desires His people; He will adorn the humble with salvation. 5. The pious will exult in glory; they will sing upon their beds. 6. The exaltation of God is in their throat, and a double-edged sword in their hand, 7. to bring retribution upon the nations, punishment upon the peoples; 8. to bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with iron fetters; 9. to execute upon them the prescribed judgment; it shall be a glory for all His pious ones. Praise the Lord!

Chapter 150


This psalm contains thirteen praises, alluding to the Thirteen Attributes (of Mercy) with which God conducts the world.



1. Praise the Lord! Praise God in His holiness; praise Him in the firmament of His strength. 2. Praise Him for His mighty acts; praise Him according to His abundant greatness. 3. Praise Him with the call of the shofar; praise Him with harp and lyre. 4. Praise Him with timbrel and dance; praise Him with stringed instruments and flute. 5. Praise Him with resounding cymbals; praise Him with clanging cymbals. 6. Let every soul praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!

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Migrants in Mexico at Risk of Mass Kidnapping, Torture, Abuse

By Sarnata Reynolds

July 15, 2011 at 12:17 PM



.“To put this in perspective, more people are dying in Mexico than Afghanistan.” –General Barry McCaffrey





—Pictures of migrants whose relatives have no news of since they left for the US © Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP/Getty Images

Despite a violent “war on drugs” that started five years ago, Mexicans are experiencing an increase in organized crime and drug-related violence along the Mexican border. Other criminals are not the only, perhaps even primary, target of violence.



As it has become more difficult to conduct drug trafficking due to efforts from the Mexican government, organized crime is targeting migrants from Southern Mexico and Central Americans who are attempting to reach the United States.



Already poor, migrants are kidnapped, some are tortured and many are held hostage until their families in the United States provides tens of thousands of dollars, raised in communities and second mortgages on their homes. If a migrant does not have family in the U.S. who can pay for her/his release, the migrant may well be tortured and killed as an example to other kidnapped migrants and their families on the phone.



After two years of extensive research, Amnesty International found that six in ten female migrants traveling through Mexico are likely to be raped on the journey. Kidnapping is not targeted only at those moving north, however, Mexican immigrants being deported at the southern border are also expressing fear of a serious threat to their human rights.



On July 8, 2011, at least forty-one people were killed in a twenty-four hour period in three concurrent attacks. In Monterrey, in northeast Mexico, twenty people were massacred in a popular nightclub. Hours later, eleven people were found shot to death outside of Mexico City. The next morning, ten decapitated bodies were found in the truck of a car in Torreon, a city in the center of the country.



In the last five years, 40,000 people have been killed in the “war on drugs” in Mexico. The violence, however, is deeply concentrated in a few different cities. As of 2010, 20 percent of murders occurred in Ciudad Juarez, while another 16 percent occurred in Culiacan, Tijuana and Chihuahua, all areas near the southern border of the U.S. While spillover violence into the U.S. does not seem to be occurring, in these areas, the government does not seem able to protect the human rights of all residents to life and liberty.



Even though Chihuahua was the deadliest city in Mexico in 2009, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) continues to deport Mexican nationals to this city. The State Department has also issued a travel advisory against non-essential travel to Chihuahua, and to Coahuila and Tamaulipas, two other Mexican states where ICE continues deportations at a high rate.



These deportation policies demonstrate callous disregard for the lives of migrants who are easy targets for organized crime and may be forcibly conscripted into drug trafficking or held for ransom. In 2010, seventy-two migrants’ bodies were found shot to death along the Mexican side of the Texas border.



Customary international law does not permit refoulement (returning someone to a place where her life or freedom are at serious risk), and the United States has an obligation to ensure that it is not repatriating immigrants to places where violence is likely.



By warning U.S. citizens not to travel to Chihuahua, Coahuila, Tamaulipas, and other northern states in Mexico, the U.S. is acknowledging the serious risks of harm in these areas. In contravention of its responsibilities, however, ICE does not take adequate steps to ensure the well-being of immigrants after their repatriation to Mexico.



In a response to an inquiry by the organization No More Deaths, an ICE spokesperson responded,



“While ICE recognizes the current situation relating to violence in Mexico, the agency is not in the practice of allowing detainees to request repatriation to specific locations in Mexico. ICE makes every effort to work closely with the Government of Mexico to ensure the safe and orderly repatriation of all detainees.”



The hollowness of this promise is evident in the deaths that occurred during the period that twenty-one Mexican men begged to be deported anywhere but the states of Chihuahua, Tamaulipas and Coahuila.



This week’s shocking violence reminds all of us of the incredible risks and sacrifices that migrants take on a daily basis to raise their families out of poverty. While the rebuttal may be that they should just wait their turn for a visa, most poor people around the world have no access to the U.S. visa program, and the demand for jobs in the agricultural, domestic, and industry far outstrips the meager amount of visas available.




For most there is no choice but to make the harrowing journey without the explicit permission of the U.S. government, but at the same time its implicit consent to migrants taking up jobs that have an unfulfilled labor demand. U.S. immigration law fails entirely to address the need for workers in certain fields and as a result migrants are forced to make dangerous journeys and enter the U.S. easily exploited by some malevolent employers to work in dangerous and dirty conditions.



If found deportable, the least the U.S. government could do is ensure that they are not returned to kidnapping and torture by organized crime who sit waiting for deportees at the Mexican border.



Download our action: Migrants at risk of mass kidnapping

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Hacking Away at Threats




By Scott Edwards

May 23, 2012 at 12:36 PM



.

—Developing an App to securely capture and transmit photo and video

In a little over a week, I’ll make my way to San Francisco to participate in an innovation event that represents the cutting edge of the promise of science and technology in the fight for human rights.



Colleagues from Amnesty International will simultaneously be convening in Berlin, and in both cities, Amnesty and their partners Random Hacks of Kindness, (with their apt slogan “Hacking for Humanity”) will seek practical solutions to the very real threats that refugees and migrants face in transit in Mexico and the Mediterranean in a two-day “hack-a-thon.”



As an aside, for those wedded to the pejorative association with ‘hack,’ ‘hacking,’ ‘hackers,’ a hackathon event is “a gathering of technically skilled individuals focusing on collaborative efforts to address a challenge, issue, or goal.” In this case, the challenge is significant.



Every year, tens of thousands of women, men and children are ill-treated, abducted or raped as they travel through Mexico without legal permission as irregular migrants. As we’ve tragically seen as people have fled Libya and elsewhere in North Africa, the “Mediterranean takes record as most deadly stretch of water for refugees and migrants in 2011“.



What can we do, in addition to our important work researching, monitoring, and collectively advocating on behalf of those marginalized in the deserts of Mexico, or the turbulent waters off Lampadusa? We can innovate.



This is not Amnesty’s first foray into problem-driven innovation, of course. Years ago, when human rights monitors and others were denied access to places such as Darfur—and likewise denied access to information about the scale of abuses and grave crimes—Amnesty pioneered the use of remote sensing to circumvent government obstructionism or insecurity. In Georgia, Lebanon, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, and North Korea (to name just a few), the solution to access problems had broader and longstanding utility for human rights monitoring.





—Mock-up of possible detention alert platform

More recently, and as cell phones and internet access continue to penetrate previously un-networked geographies and communities, Amnesty partnered with IDEO to hold a public challenge to develop practical tools for tackling unlawful detention—a very timely need given the widespread detention and torture in Syria and elsewhere.



There were hundreds of ideas generated in this open challenge. A few of my favorites include Apps that allow individuals at risk to hit an alert button to register when they are in danger, and another that helps people record and upload human rights violations to a secure server using their devices.



Another gem idea coming from the challenge was a web service that can determine if an ‘at risk’ individual expressing themselves or organizing via social media stop registering activity—a indication something has gone very wrong, and feeding naturally into Amnesty’s longstanding work on individuals at risk.



The threats faced by migrants and asylum seekers in the disparate geographies around the expansive Mediterranean Sea and the deserts of Mexico impact some of the most vulnerable of our brothers and sisters in humanity. Now, in addition to taking actions and organizing locally, individuals with certain technical skills have yet another path toward joining the fight for human rights. If you are such a person, do consider volunteering your time and skill at the San Francisco hack-a-thon (register here) or the one in Berlin (register here). And if you cannot make those (or, like me, you’re not particularly technically skilled), stayed engaged with Amnesty as we continue to push the bounds of technology for good.



As I prepare to join colleagues around the world in San Francisco, and others join in Berlin, I am reminded of the awesome power of not just science and technology, but of the very human and truly global movement that is Amnesty International. And as always, I’m humbled to work with so many dedicated volunteers, donors, staff, and human rights defenders toward a common end.