text:
He Commends Me – He Commends Me Not
Poor Jehu' He never asked to be king. But he accepted the position because when God talks, people listen - and act. He did exactly what he was told to do and yet was condemned by God for doing it. At least that is the way it appears. One Christian thinks he's found a reasonable explanation as to why God would commend Jehu for the killings at Jezreel (2nd Kings 10:30) while flatly condemning his actions one hundred years later via the prophet Hosea (Hoseah 1:4). Glen Miller, creator of the Christian-based website 'The Christian Thinktank', responds to a new believer's concern that this may be a case of true contradiction contained within the Bible and Miller's response can be read in full by following the link below.
Part I
Miller's Erroneous Explanation
Miller claims that Jehu killed many more people than he was commissioned to kill and therefore he sinned, which explains why God, through the prophet Hoseah, condemned Jehu's actions at Jezreel. Miller's explanation seems plausible ' until you actually do what he suggests and 'pay close attention to what the text actually says.' I will now show that Miller's explanation does not reflect what the Bible actually says regarding Jehu and the related details and I will take Miller's article point by point and analyze each assertion to prove my case that there is a true contradiction between 2nd Kings 10:30 and Hoseah 1:4.
Miller's very first point is in error! Jehu was not in the presence of Ahab when Elijah first pronounced God's judgment on him. Jehu isn't even mentioned in that chapter, the previous or following one. Miller claims that Jehu was with Elijah when Elijah pronounced judgment on Ahab but he must be confusing the pronouncement passage with the 2nd Kings 9:25-26 passage which has Jehu recalling an event he experienced with Bidkar, one of Joram's aides. It doesn't help Miller's argument to make this kind of error on his very first point. He didn't 'pay close attention to what the text actually says.'
His second point is accurate although he seems to want to avoid the obvious ' that the prophet spoke for God himself. In fact, Elisha must have told the younger prophet in question exactly what to say (2nd Kings 9:1-3) since God gave the judgment to Elisha and Elisha would have then given it to the young messenger as part of Jehu's responsibility as the new king: execute God's judgment on the house of Ahab, the current king. The better wording of point two, unless Miller is willing to call Elisha a false prophet, is to say that God, through his prophet Elisha, commanded Jehu to utterly destroy Ahab's entire house. So, there can be no mistake that God commissioned the slaughter of everyone in Ahab's house.
Miller's third point, although editorialized, is also correct. Jehu went on a God-commissioned killing spree, which did include people who were not directly related to Ahab. Those whom he killed outside of Ahab's house will be delineated shortly.
His fourth and fifth points are also in line with the text but he is not yet making his 'actual' argument ' he's merely setting the stage for his argument. Now, he reveals his 'explanation' and it will become evident that he repeatedly violates his own edict of 'pay [ing] close attention to what the text actually says.'
Miller begins his explanation by implying that the skeptics who believe there is a contradiction have simply overlooked the obvious and have ignored the actual story in favor of their own desires. Here again is Miller's insightful explanation as to why the skeptic is able to find contradictions within the Bible.
'But, as with many types of 'problems', the answer lies in paying close attention to WHAT ACTUALLY WAS RECORDED--what was said and what was done.'
His advice to pay close attention to what the text actually says is excellent. It's a shame that he doesn't follow his own advice. It's also ironic that Miller has repeatedly ignored his own advice and chosen to selectively display the parts that seem to support his theory.
Let's now examine the main argument in Miller's explanation.
In bullet point one, Miller places his cards on the table and reveals the heart of his explanation by asserting that Jehu was commanded to kill ONLY male descendents of Ahab and he cites 1st Kings 21:20 as his proof. Without yet examining the many passages, which will prove that this is not the case, let's just view the passage Miller cites as his proof.
1st Kings 21:20-21
20 Ahab said to Elijah, 'Have you found me, O my enemy?' He answered, 'I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do what is evil in the sight of the LORD. 21 Behold, I will bring evil upon you; I will utterly sweep you away, and will cut off from Ahab every male, bond or free, in Israel;
Part of 'pay[ing] close attention to what the text actually says' is paying close attention to what the text does NOT say. Notice that God, through Elisha, is telling Ahab that he will be utterly swept away. God also says that every male, bond or free, will be killed. One thing that becomes embarrassingly clear is that nowhere in this passage does God promise Ahab that ONLY his male descendents would be killed. One extremely crucial detail that escaped Miller (probably because of his use of the NIV, which contains many deliberate mistranslations) is that God's judgment was to destroy Ahab's house completely AND kill every male AND that God would make Ahab's house desolate. The RSV, NASV, ASV, KJV, and NKJV all use 'and' as a conjunction in verses 21-23 of 2nd Kings 9.
1st Kings 21:20-21 (ASV)
20And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, O mine enemy? And he answered, I have found thee, because thou hast sold thyself to do that which is evil in the sight of Jehovah. 21Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will utterly sweep thee away and will cut off from Ahab every man-child, and him that is shut up and him that is left at large in Israel:
To utterly destroy Ahab yet kill only his male descendents would again be another contradiction. No, the destruction of all males included in Ahab's house is only a subset of the complete destruction, as will be proven as further passages are examined.
Another interesting point which seems to escape Miller's scrutiny is that these males who would be utterly destroyed are not restricted to Ahab's direct descendents as can be seen in the phrase 'bond or free', meaning, ALL of Ahab's males whether children, stepchildren, slaves who he owned, associates, aides, and everyone pledging fealty to him, etc., would be destroyed. The reasoning is this. If God's judgment was against only male descendents of Ahab, why was there a need to add 'bond or free'? The need is due to the fact that Ahab would not just be crippled but would be 'utterly destroyed', left with no one whatsoever. But this will become much clearer when we look at more than simply one isolated text. Why don't we start with the above verses again and those immediately after Miller's proof text? I will use the RSV since it is not as encumbered with pet theological slants as the NIV Miller chooses to use for his case.
1st Kings 21:20-24
20 Ahab said to Elijah, 'Have you found me, O my enemy?' He answered, 'I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do what is evil in the sight of the LORD. 21 Behold, I will bring evil upon you; I will utterly sweep you away, and will cut off from Ahab every male, bond or free, in Israel; 22 and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the anger to which you have provoked me, and because you have made Israel to sin. 23 And of Jezebel the LORD also said, 'The dogs shall eat Jezebel within the bounds of Jezreel.' 24 Any one belonging to Ahab who dies in the city the dogs shall eat; and any one of his who dies in the open country the birds of the air shall eat.'
The wording of God's judgment against Ahab really doesn't lend itself to the interpretation that ONLY male descendents of Ahab were to be killed since
- God doesn't specify that ONLY males were to be killed
- God doesn't specify that only male DESCENDENTS were to be killed
- Killing only the male descendents would obviously be leaving some of the house of Ahab alive (which doesn't fit with a house that is 'utterly destroyed')
- Jezebel was to be killed as part of this judgment for her part in Naboth's murder (obviously, Jezebel was NOT a male)
The point should be clear that if you remove that little word and, and insert the word only, it allows the reader to step a little further away from the true intention of the author which was to list punishments that were in agreement with each other.
- totally wipe out Ahab's house AND
- kill all males free and slave throughout the land (Israel) AND
- kill Jezebel
Those were Jehu's God-commissioned objectives. It gets worse for Miller if we examine the pronouncement as repeated by the young prophet to Jehu.
2nd Kings 9:2-10
4 So the young man, the prophet, went to Ramoth-gilead. 5 And when he came, behold, the commanders of the army were in council; and he said, 'I have an errand to you, O commander.' And Jehu said, 'To which of us all?' And he said, 'To you, O commander.' 6 So he arose, and went into the house; and the young man poured the oil on his head, saying to him, 'Thus says the LORD the God of Israel, I anoint you king over the people of the LORD, over Israel. 7 And you shall strike down the house of Ahab your master, that I may avenge on *** Jezebel*** the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the LORD. *** 8 For the whole house of Ahab shall perish;*** and I will cut off from Ahab every male, bond or free, in Israel. 9 And I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah. 10 And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the territory of Jezreel, and none shall bury her.' Then he opened the door, and fled.
Unfortunately for Miller, God's command was to COMPLETELY destroy the entire house of Ahab ' not the males only, as his purposely biased exegesis portrays. The destruction of Ahab's house was a vendetta against Jezebel for killing Naboth and other prophets as well as a judgment on Ahab's house for the sins he committed and caused Israel to also commit (1st Kings 21:22 and 1st Kings 21:25-26).
To clinch the argument, one needs only to examine what happened to the houses of Jeroboam and Baasha, since part of Ahab's judgment was that his house would meet the same demise. An examination of each account will expose Miller's explanation, that God's judgment on Ahab was that only his male offspring were to be killed, for what it is.
First, a look at what happened to Jeroboam is in order.
The end of God's patience can be seen.
1st Kings 13:34
34 And this thing became sin to the house of Jeroboam, so as to cut it off and to destroy it from the face of the earth.
The judgment is given. Notice that the judgment covers the entire house of Jeroboam.
1st Kings 14:10-11
10 therefore behold, I will bring evil upon the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam every male, both bond and free in Israel, and will utterly consume the house of Jeroboam, as a man burns up dung until it is all gone. 11 Any one belonging to Jeroboam who dies in the city the dogs shall eat; and any one who dies in the open country the birds of the air shall eat; for the LORD has spoken it.''
The judgment is carried out by the new king.
1st Kings 15
28 So Baasha killed him in the third year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned in his stead. 29 And as soon as he was king, he killed all the house of Jeroboam; he left to the house of Jeroboam not one that breathed, until he had destroyed it, according to the word of the LORD which he spoke by his servant Ahijah the Shilonite; 30 it was for the sins of Jeroboam which he sinned and which he made Israel to sin, and because of the anger to which he provoked the LORD, the God of Israel.
Here, we see definitively that ALL of Jeroboam's house was destroyed. No one was left breathing. That certainly covered the women and men, not to mention hapless infants who had yet to do any evil for which punishment would be necessary. Now, let's examine what happened to the house of Baasha.
The end of God's patience can be seen.
1st Kings 15:34
34 He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin which he made Israel to sin.
The judgment is given. Notice that the judgment covers the entire house of Baasha.
'Since I exalted you out of the dust and made you leader over my people Israel, and you have walked in the way of Jeroboam, and have made my people Israel to sin, provoking me to anger with their sins, 3 behold, I will utterly sweep away Baasha and his house, and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. 4 Any one belonging to Baasha who dies in the city the dogs shall eat; and any one of his who dies in the field the birds of the air shall eat.'
The judgment is carried out by the new king.
11 When he began to reign, as soon as he had seated himself on his throne, he killed ***all the house of Baasha***; he did not leave him a single male of his kinsmen ***or his friends.*** 12 Thus Zimri destroyed ***all the house of Baasha***, according to the word of the LORD,
Now, we are seeing the picture in a slightly different way than Miller would have us see it. It simply involves 'pay[ing] close attention to what the text actually says.' We see in the above passage that Baasha's entire house, including his friends, was destroyed and destroyed 'according to the word of the Lord'. The women, men, children, friends, slaves' all of them were killed by the newly appointed king.
With these two precedents, we gain a better idea of the meaning of the pronouncement against Ahab's house. Now, if anyone wants to go translation shopping in an attempt to find one that deliberately alters the meaning, they will be hard pressed to find one. Even Miller's beloved NIV does not dare go far enough to change the wording of 1st Kings 15:29
1st Kings 15:29 (NIV)
29 As soon as he began to reign, he killed Jeroboam's ***whole family.*** He did not leave Jeroboam anyone that breathed, but ***destroyed them all,*** according to the word of the LORD given through his servant Ahijah the Shilonite'
Does not 'whole family' denote male AND female? What does 'all' mean? Certainly, Miller wouldn't try to argue against the translation of his own NIV.
The point is by now painfully clear that if the judgment on Ahab was identical to that of Jeroboam and Baasha, and God declared that it was (1st Kings 21:22), then we must conclude that Jehu was well within his right (nay, commanded by God!) to kill' ALL THE HOUSE OF AHAB! This meant all those related by blood and those pledging any type of loyalty to Ahab.
The only question that remains to be examined is whether Jehu killed anyone not within the house of Ahab at Jezreel.
Part II
The Killings: Did Jehu Go Too Far?
Another One Bites The Dust
Now, we come to the good part. This is where paying close attention really pays huge dividends. We have seen Miller's explanation (ONLY the male descendents were to be killed) crumble into dust and now we will examine Jehu's killing spree and find out who (if any) the people were whom he killed who were not of Ahab's house.
Joram Killed
2nd Kings 9:22-24
22 And when Joram saw Jehu, he said, 'Is it peace, Jehu?' He answered, 'What peace can there be, so long as the harlotries and the sorceries of your mother Jezebel are so many?' 23 Then Joram reined about and fled, saying to Ahaziah, 'Treachery, O Ahaziah!' 24 And Jehu drew his bow with his full strength, and shot Joram between the shoulders, so that the arrow pierced his heart, and he sank in his chariot.
Joram was the son of Jezebel and Ahab (also see 2nd Kings 8:25-29), therefore he was marked for God's judgment.
Ahaziah Killed
Miller asserts that King Ahaziah was not a male descendent of Ahab and that Jehu overstepped his authority by killing him. He is wrong on both counts. If Miller had read more than a few scant passages of Jehu's immediate story, he would have known that Ahaziah was indeed genetically related to the house of Ahab. Here is what Miller has conveniently overlooked. Here, we need to really pay close attention because the genealogies can get a little confusing.
First, as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. Here is a diagram of the genetic link between Ahab and Ahaziah with an examination of the relevant passages supporting the diagram.
Ahaziah is Ahab's grandson on Ahaziah's mother's side. In other words, his mother was Ahab's daughter. So, Ahaziah was a genetically linked descendent of Ahab and of course, male. The texts which show this are given below so there can be no quibbling by those who side with Miller. It is important to note that there are actually two Ahaziahs that show up in the books of the Kings. One ruled Israel and was a son of Ahab and the other is our Ahaziah, a King of Judah.
The Omri Line (Kings of Israel)
1st Kings 16
28 And Omri slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria; and Ahab his son reigned in his stead.
29 In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab the son of Omri began to reign over Israel, and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years. 30 And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD more than all that were before him.
2nd Kings 8:16-18
16 In the fifth year of Joram the son of Ahab, king of Israel, Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, began to reign. 17 He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. 18 And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife.
1st Kings 22:51
51 Ahaziah the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned two years over Israel.
2nd Kings 1:17
17 So he [Ahaziah] died according to the word of the LORD which Elijah had spoken. Jehoram, his brother, became king in his stead in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, because Ahaziah had no son.
We can now see the kingly line of Israel and that the Ahaziah who's father was Ahab is not the same as the Ahaziah who ruled Judah and whose father was Jehoram. Now, let's examine the kings of Judah starting with Jehoshaphat.
Jehoshaphat's Line
2nd Kings 1:17
17 So he died according to the word of the LORD which Elijah had spoken. Jehoram, his brother, became king in his stead in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, because Ahaziah had no son.
2nd Kings 8:25
25 In the twelfth year of Joram the son of Ahab, king of Israel, Ahaziah the son of Jehoram, king of Judah, began to reign. [THIS is our man!]
2nd Kings 10:13
13 Jehu met the kinsmen of Ahaziah king of Judah, and he said, 'Who are you?' And they answered, 'We are the kinsmen of Ahaziah, and we came down to visit the royal princes and the sons of the queen mother.'
Now, we have established who was in the royal line of Israel and Judah. The only piece lacking is the proof that Ahaziah's mother, Athaliah, was Ahab's daughter.
2nd Kings 8:26
26 Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Athaliah; she was a granddaughter of Omri king of Israel.
2nd Kings 11:1
1 Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal family.
Now, we know the granddaughter of Omri might have been through a different son than Ahab but the next passage pounds the final nail into the coffin of Miller's second point.
2nd Kings 8:16
16 In the fifth year of Joram the son of Ahab, king of Israel, Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, began to reign. 17 He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. 18 And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, ***for the daughter of Ahab was his wife.***
Let there be no mistake. Ahaziah's father, Jehoram, was married (cohabitating is more the appropriate term) to Athaliah who was a daughter of Ahab and a granddaughter of Omri, Ahab's father. Ahaziah was Ahab's grandson! Miller has once again shamed himself and his fellow Christians by blatantly ignoring his own mantra of 'pay[ing] close attention to what the text actually says.'
With this accurate information now before us, it is easy to see that the killing of Ahaziah was commanded by God since Ahaziah was genetically related to the house of Ahab. Those readers who know this story can probably think ahead and correctly surmise that the 42 princes (Ahaziah's relatives) were also legitimately included in the judgment against the house of Ahab.
Jezebel Killed
Debunking the remaining points Miller makes are child's play compared to the previous Ahaziah examination. He claims that the killing of Jezebel was in violation of God's judgment against the house of Ahab but at this point, need it be said? She was Ahab's wife, for crying out loud! Certainly, if the entire house of Ahab was to be made like that of Jeroboam and Baasha (completely and utterly destroyed with no one left alive who breathed) then Jezebel would naturally be included. Miller's claim vanishes due to the fact that not only was she of the house of Ahab but she was specifically marked by God himself to be killed by Jehu! Here again is the commission from God to Jehu.
2nd Kings 9:4-10
4 So the young man, the prophet, went to Ramoth-gilead. 5 And when he came, behold, the commanders of the army were in council; and he said, 'I have an errand to you, O commander.' And Jehu said, 'To which of us all?' And he said, 'To you, O commander.' 6 So he arose, and went into the house; and the young man poured the oil on his head, saying to him, '***Thus says the LORD the God of Israel***, I anoint you king over the people of the LORD, over Israel. 7 And you shall strike down the house of Ahab your master, that I may avenge on ***Jezebel*** the blood of my servants the prophets [remember, she murdered Naboth, a prophet of God], and the blood of all the servants of the LORD. 8 For the ***whole*** house of Ahab shall perish; and I will cut off from Ahab every male, bond or free, in Israel. 9 And I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah. 10 ****And the dogs shall eat ***Jezebel*** in the territory of Jezreel, and none shall bury her.****' Then he opened the door, and fled.
Can anyone read the above and honestly say that Jehu was wrong to have Jezebel killed? God commanded it. Next point.
Ahab's Sons Killed
Miller is correct that Jehu was justified here but Jehu isn't justified because the people were sons, it is because they were of the house of Ahab.
Heads Are Gonna Roll
What is Miller's point concerning Jehu's actions here? So what if Jehu put the decapitated heads of Ahab's seventy sons in two heaps by the gates of Jezreel? Again, Miller seems to be trying to make a case against Jehu of barbarism and inhumane cruelty but Jehu is well within his right to display the heads. This is Jehu's zeal for God. He uses the occasion to remind the people of Jezreel that God's promises are always kept.
2nd Kings 10:9-11
9 Then in the morning, when he went out, he stood, and said to all the people, 'You are innocent. It was I who conspired against my master, and slew him; but who struck down all these? 10 Know then that there shall fall to the earth nothing of the word of the LORD, which the LORD spoke concerning the house of Ahab; for the LORD has done what he said by his servant Elijah.' 11 So Jehu slew all that remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, all his great men, and his familiar friends, and his priests, until he left him none remaining.
This completes the slaughter of Ahab's house at Jezreel and every single person whom Jehu killed was of the house of Ahab! Now the question remains as to whether Jehu goes on to kill anyone not of Ahab's house. In fact, he does but unfortunately for Miller, it wasn't at Jezreel! Let's finish examining Jehu's execution of God's judgment on the house of Ahab.
Forty-two Princes of Judah Killed
Proving that error gives birth to error, Miller's error concerning Ahaziah's relation to Ahab has given birth to his present error in which he claims that Jehu was wrong to kill the forty-two princes of Judah. It has already been proven that Ahaziah, king of Judah, was genetically descended from Ahab and therefore, his sons, the princes of Judah, would naturally be included in Jehu's 'killing spree' since they, like their father, Ahaziah, were 'MALE DESCENDENTS OF AHAB'.
2nd Chronicles 22:8
8 While Jehu was executing judgment on the house of Ahab, he found the princes of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah's relatives, who had been attending Ahaziah, and he killed them.
There is no foul play here.
Ahab's Remnants Removed
Miller's last point is also of no significance since his anemic explanation has been exposed. Jehu follows through and kills everyone that remained to Ahab in Samaria.
2nd Kings 10:17
17 And when he came to Samaria, he slew all that remained to Ahab in Samaria, till he had wiped them out, according to the word of the LORD which he spoke to Elijah.
Didn't God command Jehu to completely destroy the house of Ahab? For Jehu to travel to Samaria and hunt down every last person that belonged to the house of Ahab and kill them is astounding! Jehu did exactly what God commanded. Although, he does go on to kill the worshippers of Baal in his zeal for holiness but remember that he is no longer in Jezreel and furthermore, killing the worshippers of Baal, although not specifically ordered by God concerning Ahab's judgment, would be considered a heroic feat by the Jews and is depicted as such in the story.
2nd Kings 10:28
28 Thus Jehu wiped out Baal from Israel.
This officially ends the 'killing spree' of Jehu. Not one person prior to Jehu's vanquishing of the Baal worshippers was killed who was not of the house of Ahab. Another curiously overlooked quandary which plagues Miller's explanation is that if Jehu did some unauthorized killing at Jezreel, why does he get a sparkling commendation and no condemnation immediately after the killings?
2nd Kings 10:30
30 And the LORD said to Jehu, 'Because you have done well in carrying out what is right in my eyes, and have done to the house of Ahab according to all that was in my heart, your sons of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.'
Now, it behooves one to read this as it is written. First, God commends Jehu for doing what was right in his eyes. Right there we have God's approval on a global scale. Jehu's killing spree was justified by God's verbal approval. There's that little word again ' and. Jehu did what was right in GOD'S eyes, AND he did to Ahab's house everything God desired. Where's the condemnation for ANYTHING Jehu did at Jezreel? Certainly, if Jehu had done anything which warranted God's condemnation, then would have been the time for God to at least TELL Jehu about it!
It is preposterous to think that God would not have pointed out his error if he had sinned in some way at Jezreel. When the story of Jehu is viewed with this level of attention to detail, there can be no better explanation for the disparity between the 2nd Kings account and the Hosea account than two different authors writing at two different times had two different opinions about Jehu's actions at Jezreel.
The Christian apologist, in order to fabricate some type of explanation to 'clear' God of a contradiction, must use these ingredients:
- begin with the notion that no contradiction could possibly exist in God's word (very important)
- avoid examining the entire context of the stories involved
- overemphasize certain parts of the stories so as to bias the interpretation
- impose a meaning onto the text that is not only not there but also cannot be supported in light of all of the other relevant passages
- go translation shopping (rely on an often faulty translation such as the NIV if it gives you a 'better' rendering)
To summarize the shortcomings of Miller's explanation -
- God's judgment was for the WHOLE house of Ahab, not males only which is seen by examining the judgments of Jeroboam and Baasha and by reading the text as it is rendered in the majority of translations. Miller's entire case rests on his faulty interpretation of the NIV and his ignorance of the text.
- Miller is either ignorant of or skillfully avoiding (I'll place my bet on the former) the problem that Hosea's condemnation was for the blood of Jezreel, which means that Jehu would have had to have killed someone at Jezreel who was not of the house of Ahab and that clearly didn't happen.
- Miller also doesn't seem phased by the fact that God gave Jehu a shining commendation immediately after the killing with NO mention whatsoever of any wrongdoing during the killing spree. It is completely inconceivable that if Jehu did anything wrong, God would not have pointed it out in his imitable fashion by pronouncing one of his famous judgments on him then and there!
Miller has closed his eyes to the text and opened them to his own desires for his God to be perfect.
Any Hope?
Is there any explanation that would solve this problem in Christianity's favor? What if Jehu did kill someone or some group of people at Jezreel other than Ahab's relatives and close associates and the writer of 2nd Kings simply didn't record the event? It wouldn't persuade for at least three reasons.
- pure 100% speculation
- the writer knew minute details and dialog of Jehu all along the path of killing; how would he be ignorant of further killings at Jezreel?
- God still would be depicted as being ignorant of the wrongdoing since there is no condemnation in the 2nd Kings account
There is simply no way around the text. Again, the best explanation is that the author of 2nd Kings and the author of Hosea were separated by time and space when penning their accounts and had differing views of Jehu's actions at Jezreel. Obviously, this explanation implies that God did not verbally inspire the authors or guide their thoughts in any way. Since Jehu could not have done everything that was right in God's eyes concerning the house of Ahab and also have sinned in doing so, one book must be seen to contain inaccurate information and therefore it is not an authoritative word from an all-knowing God. Although this one contradiction does not disprove Christianity, the main theme from Pink Floyd's album, 'The Wall', sums it up accurately.
'All in all it's just another brick in the wall.'
Bible, Christianity


text:
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
We know that, to become expert in some field, one has to do a lot of practice. 10,000 hours is the standard, popularised by Malcolm Gladwell but actually supported by academic research as well. And this should not just be any kind of practice, but deliberate practice, the kind where, essentially, you get decent feedback and try to improve.
Can you get the necessary practice in discretionary macro? Clearly not. You would have to spend 10,000 hours making macro calls on the markets. Even if we rather generously allow a whole 12-hour day for each decision — including the collation of information, the formation of an argument, the picking of an entry point and of course the actual execution — at my recent rate of about one decision a month it would take 70 years to accumulate the necessary practice. That doesn't sound like a good proposition to me.
Many people think that discretionary macro trading (other than short-term, around data releases) is impossible. When conceived in the terms I have considered so far, they are right.
10,000 hours of deliberate practice are required in order to train system 1 in some discipline. But we are creatures of two systems, one automatic and one rational. System 2, the rational system, does not require training in a specific discipline in order to perform reliably (one needs years of training to use one's reason effectively, but one does not need years of training for each and every question to which reason is applied). This does not tell us that macro trading is possible using system 2. What it tells us is that the above argument that it is impossible using system 1 does not imply that it is impossible altogether.
What would be the components of a macro trading process based on system 2? Here are some preliminary thoughts.
- The judgement about whether or not there is an entry point should be systematic; since my system 1 is inclined to want to trade when an opportunity presents itself (I have already trained myself not to be paralysed with fear), the system should be designed to prevent trading at inopportune moments.
- The judgement that there is a trade to be done should be absolutely explicit. It should be possible briefly to summarise the premises and conclusions in a way that makes a strong argument.
- The criteria for what counts as an argument should be well-defined in advance. There are two broad types of argument to be considered. First, there are arguments that some major factor ought to change and is already changing. Second, there are arguments that the market should not hit some particular level, at which the stop can be placed. These are separate and both should be required for a trade.
- You need system 1 — it is the motivator of action. But the action it should motivate should not be a particular trade, but the creation of an argument that counts as valid under the criteria.
- The knowledge that one requires to make a judgement should be easily available and conveniently presented. This ties in with the data sheets that I have been creating.
- It is foolish to gamble all of one's success on a single entry point, however good it seems. One should scale into trades as appropriate entry points present themselves up to a maximum loss per trade.
I will keep working on this, but I want to emphasise that the main insight here is that one should not expect to be able to make good macro calls using "judgement" or "experience" — i.e. system 1 — before the age of 90 at the earliest. If system 1 cannot be used, one has to fall back on system 2. The only ways to use system 2 with any consistency are 1) no to use it to make particular decisions at all, but only to design a decision-making system and 2) to make arguments absolutely explicit and to hammer them from every angle to see if they break. It may be that only the former is appropriate for my kind of trading (a la Bridgewater), but I intend to attempt to combine the two for the time being.


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When we catch up with Julien Baker, she's about to go for a run. In October of last year, the third-year college student released her debut solo album, Sprained Ankle, via 6131 Records. The songs—often featuring only Baker's guitar and vocals—are sparse, intimate and heart wrenching. On the title track, she sings of a physical ailment: "marathon runner and my ankles are sprained." Baker is about to go for a run, but she is not a runner.
Written throughout her first year at Middle Tennessee State University, Sprained Ankle captures feelings of loneliness and struggle as the singer dealt with being away from friends and overcoming an addiction. The album plays like an extended confession from a broken person. Some moments are all too real, like the car wreck on album opener "Blacktop" or the departing lover on "Something," but other moments, like the sprained ankle, are just metaphors expressing feelings.
Baker describes her experience with sports as an "epic fail," but has recently resolved to improve her physical fitness and by a fluke is running today. In much the same way, the sorrowful and broken protagonist of Sprained Ankle is not the true Julien Baker. That's not to say that the album doesn't represent Baker and her experiences, but that it serves as an outlet for her to channel those thoughts and anxieties through both literal and metaphorical songwriting.
"It's a coping mechanism," says Baker, who sounds far cheerier and more confident speaking than her songs would lead one to believe. "I make the joke that I make these sad, doleful tunes because otherwise I would be a sad, doleful person. And it's not to say that I don't have sad days or get really anxious, but I try to have a positive outlook on things. These emotions that would otherwise weigh on me and be pent up inside are released in the musical creative process."
A year ago, Baker's musical creative process was a much more private one than it is today. The Memphis, Tennessee, songwriter has been playing music for years with her band Forrister, but that group never received the attention her solo album has garnered. Sprained Ankle initially appeared to be following that same route as merely a DIY album in a DIY music community before 6131 Records found Baker and offered her a deal, but the story of the album starts much before that. Baker didn't intend to write a solo record, but throughout her first year of college a number of conditions aligned to yield Sprained Ankle.
When Baker made the decision to leave Memphis for MTSU, she had to leave her Forrister bandmates hours away. The group would still unite when they could, but that left Baker largely alone to work on songs. However, with a randomly assigned roommate, songwriting could be a little uncomfortable. "I felt strange playing and writing with a stranger there," Baker says. "I mean, she was nice, but I didn't know her at all."
Baker turned to practice rooms in the university's music building, often staying late into the night in rooms just large enough to fit a piano and stool so she could work on music. These late-night sessions produced songs that would ultimately form Sprained Ankle after not finding a home with Forrister.
"My intention was predominantly focused toward the band," Baker says. "What we didn't use in the band, I thought, 'Oh, I'll play around with these songs and I'll have a repertoire and stuff that's just my own."
Perhaps these would've just been songs for Baker's personal catalog if not for Michael Hegner, a friend in MTSU's audio recording courses. When Hegner had extra studio time he would invite Baker to record demos; if Forrister wasn't available, she'd record her solo songs. After building their relationship, Hegner encouraged her to come with him to record at Spacebomb Studios in Richmond, Virginia, where he interned. At that point, Baker's demo songs began to transform into Sprained Ankle. "I sat down and thought of these songs I have," she says. "Which do I want to try to do, which fit together best and are cohesive a little bit?"
In the summer of 2014, Baker recorded her minimalist songs at Spacebomb with few layers beyond what she could play at one time, sometimes using only a single take or room mic to capture the performance. What she had never intended to be an album had become a collection of songs tied together by stories about a particular time in her life. With the record complete, Baker turned to the internet and independently released Sprained Ankle.
"I left it on Bandcamp because I was like, 'This is all it's going to be,'" Baker recalls. "Then I went on tour with it, just a DIY tour with my friend Ryan Azada just for fun—that was the longest ends that I saw. I wasn't trying to push it really hard."
For most artists, this would be the end—and a fulfilling one, too. Baker received praise from her friends and had created the album she wanted. By a twist of fate, 6131 discovered the record and offered to sign Baker. To her amazement, the deal was followed by the stuff of DIY musician dreams: song premieres, interviews, NPR, The New York Times.
"It's kind of a cultural mindset that it's a pipe dream to have artistic aspirations," Baker says, showing a humble understanding of her fortune. "I always thought I would be making music probably as a hobby. I just wrote off serious recognition because it didn't seem realistic. I thought, 'Who would even care about this little record that I did just because my friend happened to have time?'"
Despite Baker's fears that Forrister would be upset with her achievements, her bandmates and the local music community rallied around her. Still, her success brought up some uncomfortable feelings. "I had these doors opened for me by these people that believed in my music and I felt almost bad about it," she says, noting that she saw many other hardworking artists failing to gain the same opportunities. Still, her largest concern came in the interpretation of her lyrics.
"I'm not trying to make a pedestal out of the songs and say with such a heavy hand, 'But there's hope,'" Baker says. "But I hope that in being realistic and in being transparent and honest, even if it is a little bit awkward or embarrassing for me, divulging those parts of myself can connect with other human beings."
Fortunately, the interpretations have been largely positive. Beyond the praise given to her by music publications, fans have been responsive as well. Baker says the greatest part of her newfound success has been hearing personal anecdotes of how her lyrics affected someone else for the better.
"When people say those things to me, it is encouraging and it reminds me why even if sometimes it's difficult to share those things we absolutely should," she says. "Because that's what makes music such a wonderful experience and so I cherish those moments above everything else."
Right now, the future is open for Baker. She's confident she'll continue making music but can't say what that will sound like. For her, the important thing is living in the reality that Sprained Ankle has created.
"It could all flop tomorrow and then I would just go back to school," Baker says. "As of right now, I think I just want to see it through to whatever can come of it." S
A version of this story was originally published in Substream #50.


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I swear, every time a friend of mine gets pregnant, 3 more get pregnant within a month! Seems like it comes in spurts. I love babies, so I'm always on the lookout for something fun to give to new moms and dads.
GiftTree recently began offering this adorable gift set which I absolutely love – as it comes with one of the books I read to my kids when they were babies. The "Guess How Much I love You" Gift set comes in a wicker basket with a bib and sock set, a plush bunny similar to the one in the story, natural bath products for the little one including body wash, lotion, oil and powder, and of course, a copy of "Guess How Much I Love You". A perfect choice for a unique gift that the new parents (and baby!) will absolutely love!
I have found that even the new mom enjoys and appreciates some special pampering after bringing the new baby into the world. If you are at all familiar with Burt's Bees Products then you are well aware of the quality of their products and the fact that they are all natural. This means that they make perfect baby gift baskets gifts for the new baby and the new mom. GiftTree offers a wonderful Burt's Bees gift basket especially designed with the new mom and new baby in mind. The Mommy and Baby–Cute as Can Bee gift basket will pamper both the new mom and the new baby. With a variety of all natural products that will soothe, cleanse and nourish the new baby, as well as pamper the new mom you can't go wrong with this product. Also included in the gift basket is an extra plush bee with floppy wings that the new baby will love to snuggle with, plus the keepsake wicker basket will provide the new mom with perfect storage place for nursery items.
Be sure and check out the entire line of new baby gifts available at GiftTree.


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Umatilla National Forest
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Pendleton, OR 97801
(541) 278-3716
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(509) 522-6290
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(541) 676-9187
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(541) 427-3231
Office locations
Contact Us
The Umatilla National Forest silviculture library has an archive of historical reference materials. With few exceptions, only items produced before 1950 are included in the history archive.
The archive contains materials for the entire Blue Mountains, not just the Umatilla National Forest. This decision was made because national forest boundaries have evolved through time; much of the south end of the Umatilla National Forest was previously included in the Wallowa-Whitman or Malheur National Forests.
In 1995, the Umatilla National Forest decided to transcribe commonly requested reports so they could be offered in an electronic format. Eventually, all of the transcribed documents will be available from this internet site.
With the advent of ecosystem management, ecosystem analysis at the watershed scale, the historical range of variability, and related concepts, there is increased emphasis on using historical information. Historical maps depicting vegetation conditions are valuable for comparing current or existing conditions with reference conditions.
The Umatilla National Forest maintains a large historical photo collection that dates back to the early 1900's. These photos depict the lives of forest rangers as well as landscapes of northeastern Oregon and southeastern Washington. Photo at left is of the Palace Hotel in Heppner, Oregon, in 1907. See historical photo collection for more.
The Umatilla National Forest has a rich history dating back over 100 years, documented with stories from early rangers and photos.
This photo gallery documents over 100 years of history in the Blue Mountains of southeastern Washington and northeastern Oregon.
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Forest Silviculturist
Richie Gardner (541)278-3852
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text: Copies of documents – applicants within Australia If you apply for an Australian business number (ABN), a tax file number (TFN) or the goods and services tax (GST), we need to see certain identification documents. You can provide these documents by mail – they must be certified copies as outlined below. Don't send original documents. Certified copies of documents you mail to us may not be returned to you. A document that has been altered, or corrected and initialled is not acceptable. On this page: Certified copies ATO approved certifiers Certified copies To certify your document, photocopy it, (ensuring any text and photograph is clear and identifiable), then take the copy and original to one of the certifiers listed below. If your document is not in English, you must provide a written translation certified as a true and correct copy by an authorised translation service. The translation must be completed by an appropriate embassy, or a professional translation service accredited by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters Ltd (NAATI). The certified copy must: be signed by the certifier be stamped include the date of certification. The stamp must show the certifier's qualification, contact details including telephone number, and reference number (if applicable). If the stamp does not include their name or contact details, they should print them underneath their signature. A certifier should never witness documents for their family, business, clients, employer or any other person where it could create a real or perceived conflict of interest. A certifier should never witness documents connected with matters in which they have an actual or perceived personal or financial interest. Note: we can't accept copies certified by a registered tax agent as your ongoing commercial relationship could create a real or perceived conflict of interest for them. ATO approved certifiers These people can certify copies of your documents as true and correct for the ATO: barrister solicitor doctor judge Justice of the Peace minister of religion (who is authorised to celebrate marriage) police officer bank, building society or credit union officer with at least five years of service sheriff's officer Commissioner of Declarations (in Queensland only). Information on when you can supply certified copies for Proof of identity instead of originals.Last modified: 16 Mar 2020QC 23245


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Passing It On: NCIN Scholars Community Service in Action
With all of the demands students face in an accelerated degree program—classes, clinicals, meetings with mentors and more, all in a compressed time frame—a community service component may seem like too much of an extraneous burden to throw into the mix.
Far from it, says Elizabeth Parietti, EdD, CNM, APN-C, New Careers in Nursing (NCIN) program liaison at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, N.J.: "I think it's a very important part of our success."
NCIN doesn't require grantees to include community service, but it is recommended as a way for scholars to cultivate the kind of commitment and compassion it takes to flourish in their new profession.
"I couldn't advocate it more," says Parietti. "I think it's one of the reasons we haven't had any dropouts from the program. They form a cohort, and there's a sense of cohesiveness, and they support one another."
"It's a lot of work," says Danielle Reade, an NCIN scholar who will soon wrap up her one-year accelerated program at Fairleigh Dickinson, "but it helps you break away from studying, and we find a lot of enjoyment in it."
Reade and her fellow scholars are required to participate in one community service activity per month, and their efforts have included leading an arts and crafts workshop at an assisted living facilitiy (Bright Side Manor), cooking and serving a meal at a residential AIDS program, recruiting participants for the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life, doing hands-on work for Habitat for Humanity, and collecting donations for Shelter Our Sisters, a nonprofit agency that helps victims of domestic violence.
But once a month hasn't always been enough, Reade says. If there's another intriguing opportunity in the same time frame, why pass it up?
"We're excited about community service, and we're all looking for different things to do. So when an option comes up, we just take it."
"I can't believe the things they accomplish on such tight schedules," says Parietti, "but they're doing it, and they're having fun doing it. At first we thought it would be impossible to find time to send them out into the community, but it's worked out wonderfully."
"They meet people where they are, in the community or in their 金殿国际棋牌s, and it gives them a fresh perspective," Parietti adds, "and it's a perspective that we think is very important in their socialization in nursing.
"One of things that has happened that we weren't expecting is that the community has really gotten to know the students, and they want more students like them to come out and do things for them."
More Examples of NCIN GRANTEES AND THEIR COMMUNITY SERVICE APPROACH
Azusa Pacific University
The community service component of Azusa Pacific University's accelerated program is a natural fit for an institution that prides itself as being "built on Four Cornerstones: Christ, Scholarship, Community and Service."
At the main campus in Azusa, Calif., and at regional centers in San Diego and the Inland Empire, NCIN scholars and other accelerated students regularly participate in a variety of community service projects, including health fairs at churches and community agencies, food and clothing drives for shelters, immunization and vaccination campaigns, asthma treatment programs for schoolchildren, and medical mission trips to Mexico and Haiti during college breaks.
Students have also traveled abroad to support recovery efforts in Japan after 2011's devastating earthquake and tsunami. And they are a key volunteer resource for two college-community initiatives: the Neighborhood Wellness Center, a joint effort with the city of Azusa to promote healthy living through free seminars, referrals, screenings and assessments; and a health services partnership with the East San Gabriel Valley Coalition for the 金殿国际棋牌less.
Nebraska Methodist College
The accelerated program at Nebraska Methodist College in Omaha includes service learning as a mainstay throughout its 15-month duration.
With a special focus on underserved populations, service learning activities have included working with Lutheran Family 金殿国际棋牌 to support refugees and immigrants by organizing a storage warehouse and setting up apartments, working with the Somali Bantu Center to conduct 金殿国际棋牌 visits and teach cleaning methods to new immigrants, and providing blood pressure screenings at a local mall.
Students have also worked with Latinas in Action to provide blood pressure and glucose screenings; worked with clients in the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program; participated in World Refugee Day; provided flu shots in the Mobile Diabetes Center; and conducted health outreach for elementary school students.
The University of Wyoming
The Bachelors Reach for Accelerated Nursing Degree (BRAND) Program at the University of Wyoming in Laramie includes service learning activities in several courses each semester.
For their aging course, students establish a relationship with an older community resident and start a guided dialogue about the aging process. Students also provide a needs assessment and an educational offering to a senior center or assisted living facility. An NCIN scholar with a PhD in French once combined his love of cooking with his previous degree and led a French cooking class at a senior center for farmers and ranchers.
BRAND students also spend a week living, working and studying at the Wyoming state psychiatric hospital, as well as a week at the Wyoming Life Resource Center, a state institution for the mentally disabled.
BRAND students work with public health departments throughout the state to provide flu immunization clinics, and BRAND students are also collecting donated items for a medical clinic in Honduras that's being established by the nursing school, medical family practice residents, the engineering college and local firemen. Some students will also join a 10-day "spring brigade" at the clinic site. The entire state of Wyoming is involved with raising BRAND nursing students and the BRAND students pay it forward with their community service.
There are many approaches that can be taken when deciding how to implement a community service component. While it may seem as if it adds an extra layer of work, the success of these and other NCIN grantees prove that the effort reaps rewards that are significantly greater than the resources invested.
Check out the PowerPoint presentation from Fairleigh Dickinson University students performing their community service work!


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hello dear friends!
today my heart feels warm and wide open, thinking of this perfect idea: obamaware! 27 different ceramic artists have created pieces for an auction, proceeds will go to the obama/biden campaign. the auction is going on right now, as we speak and will only be open until tomorrow evening. take a peek.
for me, there is something so right about this combination of art (especially functional art) and support of what is shaping up to be a sea change in this country. what a wonderful way for those of like mind to show their support for this intelligent, and forward thinking candidate. ayumi horie, who is the originator of this idea, is an amazingly talented artist, and with this effort a leader of something truly beautiful. an inspiration.
i find diana fayt's (top image) contribution particularly beautiful. she has quite a few pieces available. diana summed up how she felt about the event quite sweetly here.
also not to be missed (perhaps over a cup of tea) is this eloquent essay by sarah archer of greenwich house pottery.
it's ideas like this that keep me so totally inspired and eager to press on into a future full of new ideas and growth!
top image: diana fayt middle image: ayumi horie bottom image: associated press


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THE federal budget will close a tax loophole to prevent substantial revenue being lost through charities and other non-profit organisations running businesses unrelated to their altruistic work.
ASYLUM seekers at a remote Cape York detention centre say they witnessed a simulated confrontation between a highly distressed man whose refugee claim had been rejected and immigration officials and security guards, less than five days before a young Hazara detainee committed suicide in March.
CHILDREN as young as 12 are partying at some of Melbourne's wildest nightclubs, thanks to bouncers turning a blind eye to blatantly fake identification. The Herald Sun went undercover on the youth party scene and found under-age revellers drinking, brawling, smoking and pole-dancing at nightclubs.
COMPLICATIONS from the abortion pill are higher than for standard surgical terminations, according to the first big published study comparing the two methods in Australia.
ONLY a few days before the Gillard government's first budget and more than 10 months since Julia Gillard became Prime Minister, Labor still appears to lack a long-term political strategy and clear sense of what it stands for.
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August 13, 2020
August 12, 2020
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Way back in 1996 Stuart McCallum founded A1 Racing a private subscription service aimed at professionally minded punters who took their racing seriously. The service achieved 21 winning years from 22 with huge overall profits accumulated during those 22 years.
SM "The service was based on genuine racing information combined with a value betting concept which made it an extremely profitable service. In September 2018 I decided to change the staking of the Service to Level Stakes rather than the old format of 1-3pts on all bets. The reason for this change was to sift out the small bets or those that were not as strong as they should be therefore a Level Stakes betting format would create a much more profitable service due to only advising strong bets to members. There are far too many so called tipster services out there these days that do not receive genuine racing information and are clearly just poor at what they do. I have been betting professionally on race horses for over 30 years and as a result have accumulated great wealth and I can honestly say that this is only achievable by betting smart and by betting professionally."
Stuart has owned racehorses for over 20 years the image on the left was taken back in 1998 with the impeccably bred Nash House who was made favourite for the Epsom Derby after he won his Maiden as Newbury. No stranger to the winners enclosure in the A1 Racing colours Stuart has had many winners including stable touches at up to 14-1. The trainer's that Stuart has had winners with include Kevin Ryan, Richard Fahey, Bryan Smart, Paul Cole and George Baker. He has also worked on a professional level with the likes of TV pundit and presenter Jason Weaver and racing commentator Derek Thompson. His network of contacts include so many high profile owners and head lads in the industry that makes him well and truly in the know wether it be during the Flat Season or the AW and National Hunt Season. He also employs an analytics and algorithm for his service to work on a consistent level, there is basically no stone unturned for the service to profitably thrive long term for members.


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Solving Problems – Cancer Survival Toolbox®
"Solving Problems" describes how to identify and follow the steps needed to solve a difficult situation in your life or daily activity.
After listening to this Toolbox program, you will be better prepared to:
- Identify and define the problem
- Gather information
- Plan your action
- Carry out your plan
- Evaluate your plan and make necessary changes
Listen Online
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Track-by-Track Transcripts
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- Introduction
- Five Problem-Solving Steps
- Fertility Issues
- Talking to Family, Friends, and Co-Workers
- Cross-Cultural Issues
- Conclusion
Other Ways to Listen
- Download the Cancer Survival Toolbox free from our online store.
- The Cancer Survival Toolbox is available free as a podcast on iTunes.
Additional Resources
Patient Advocate Foundation
www.patientadvocate.org | (800) 532-5274
The Patient Advocate Foundation provides free mediation and arbitration services, direct financial assistance, and has case workers on staff who are trained to help patients navigate a large variety of issues.
www.CancerCare.org | (800) 813-4673
A national organization that provides free professional support services to anyone affected by cancer: including people with cancer, caregivers, loved ones and the bereaved. Programs—including counseling and support groups, education, financial assistance, and practical help—are provided by professional oncology social workers free of charge. Counseling and some materials are available in Spanish.
Take Charge of Your Cancer Care
NCCS has made two simple tools to help patients on their journey: The Know Yourself Worksheet and Essential Questions to Ask Your Doctor. These tools encourage communication between patients and doctors and help patients better prepare for their appointments.
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Teamwork: The Cancer Patient's Guide to Talking With Your Doctor
Teamwork is a helpful booklet published by NCCS that aims to help cancer survivors better communicate with their physicians. Developed by cancer survivors and health care professionals, this booklet addresses the need for good communication and provides a list of sound, practical questions that patients can use when talking with their doctor.
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Find out if now is a good time for you to refinance to reduce your monthly payment, get extra cash or switch to a different loan type or term. Simply enter some information on your current loan, plus the new loan you're considering, and we'll calculate your potential savings.
1By refinancing your existing loan, your total finance charge may be higher over the life of the loan.
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Ok guys, I have tried around a dozen or so regulated variable voltage / variable wattage ecig/vape mods over the past year and I gotta say that the Innokin iTaste MVP is still my favorite VV mod! Not only do I use it as a regular vape but I also use it to charge my phone quite often. If you didn't know, the iTaste MVP also serves as a back-up power bank.
The MVP is in my stash of vapes I use on a regular basis. This beast has been vaping like a champ for over a year now and no issues. My MVP has been covered in so many stickers that I lost count. I recently took them all off and wiped it down with Goo-Gone and looks brand new. I've also dropped this a ton of times and the only thing that has ever been damaged was the atomizer.
Now the MVP 2.0 kit comes with an iClear 30 atomizer but I've ditched my iClear30's and just put a Kanger Aerotank on my MVP and it works awesome with the new Kanger dual coils!
There are also a couple other special "designer" versions such as the MVP Shine with Swarovski Crystals and the MVP Energy. These come with a different atomizer, the iClear16B I believe. I has the wood grain design version. The only thing different on these kits compared to the regular ones are is basically it has sticker or different paint job and some crystals along with a different atomizer. It works just as great just costs a couple bucks extra.
So yeah, if you are trying to decide on a new mod to get and haven't tried the MVP yet, then definitely go get one. You can buy an iTaste MVP now for a pretty good price, they are $49 at Vapes.com. I mean why pay three times as much for a new mod that might have issues, or get ripped off with some crappy clone when you can get a sturdy ass mod that is tried and true.


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The U.S. Open tees off Thursday at Shinnecock Hills on Long Island in New York, and so far, the big story around the tournament has been, well … the traffic around the tournament. Waits of up to three hours to get to the course aren't uncommon, the course is almost devoid of galleries early in the day, and that's leading to the question of whether the traffic might impact the tournament itself. Let's dive in.
The traffic's bad at a golf tournament? Why should I care?
Well, unless you're a player or a fan going to the event, you really shouldn't. It has no impact on your life. But if you are a fan going to the event, you should have left your house yesterday. And if you're a player, matters could get very tricky. You miss your tee time by more than five minutes, and you're done.
"There are a few guys so far this week have said it's taken them from the hotel 2 1/2 to 3 hours, and, you know, there's a good chance that someone might miss their time," Tiger Woods said Tuesday. "You get a little traffic, you get maybe a little fender bender, it's not inconceivable someone could miss their time."
Woods, of course, is staying on a $20 million yacht, so he's not affected. Of course.
Fine, everybody's backed up. So what's the problem?
Geography. Shinnecock sits at the eastern edge of Long Island, which is not named Wide Island, and there are only two continuous roads that head there from New York City and other points west. You can see how the water pinches the land just west of the course here:
As anyone who's ever tried to get anywhere knows, red is bad. And the above map comes from Wednesday morning, comprising about six miles' worth of gridlocked traffic. Local police say they're taking steps to reduce gridlock, but we're still in the pre-tournament stages.
It's reminiscent of the apocalyptic jams that backed up for three hours heading to the 2012 PGA Championship at Kiawah Island in South Carolina … which, in an absolutely amazing coincidence, is also a golf course located on the far end of a narrow island accessible only by a very few small roads.
Has anyone ever missed a tee time because of traffic?
Surely someone has, but the most notable nearly-missed tee times involved bad planning, not bad traffic. Dustin Johnson missed getting disqualified by six seconds at Riviera back in 2011 when his caddy told him the wrong tee time; DJ was on the driving range when he was supposed to be at the first tee box. (If you're even an instant late to your tee time, you get docked two strokes; if you're more than five minutes late, you're DQ'd.)
More notably, Rory McIlroy almost missed his Ryder Cup tee time back in 2012 at Medinah when he didn't realize that his tee time was listed in Eastern Time, but Medinah is in the Central time zone. McIlroy needed a police escort, and just barely made his match with Keegan Bradley. (McIlroy won 2-and-1, for the record.)
Could this affect the choice of future major venues?
You'd think that maybe golf's governing bodies would factor in access to courses, considering that many in the major tournament rotation were built years or even decades before traffic concerns existed, but given that Shinnecock is getting another U.S. Open in 2026 and Kiawah another PGA in 2021, well, ease of access is clearly lower on the list of priorities. We're certain that the fact that most players and decisionmakers shack up in homes virtually adjacent to the course has nothing to do with those kinds of decisions.
After all, not everyone can be Jason Day, who's posted up in an RV just outside the club's gates. "I'm 30 seconds away from the parking lot," Day said Tuesday, "which is nice."
Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at firstname.lastname@example.com or find him on Twitter or on Facebook.
More from Yahoo Sports:
• Draymond is trolling LeBron — again — with his parade T-shirt
• LaVar Ball 'knows' LeBron is heading to the Lakers
• NFL player competing on 'The Bachelorette' injures wrist and bows out
• Antonio Brown vents frustrations in strange interview


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Took you about 2.5 min run without looting anything and you call this top 3 TX build? You have almost perfect gears (all ancients with good rolls + augmented) and a pretty decent map as well. This is laughable.
I agree that it's better than 2.4. The changes to Skull Grasp is awesome, but that's about it, could've made a 15 sec video explaining this and how it will be nice in 2.4.1


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Are herbs and extra vitamins safe during pregnancy?
Are herbs and extra vitamins safe during pregnancy? Your prenatal vitamins should be the only supplement used during pregnancy unless your provider specifically directs you to use an additional product.
Are yeast infections common during pregnancy?
Are yeast infections common during pregnancy? Developing a yeast infection during pregnancy is actually more common than at any other time of a woman's life. To treat this condition, it is safe to use over-the-counter products, such as Monistat. However, if you are early in your pregnancy, before 12 weeks, it is important that the cream be used externally only. After 12 weeks, it is safe to gently use the applicator internally.
Are hemorrhoids common during pregnancy?
Are hemorrhoids common during pregnancy? It is very common for pregnant women who are constipated to also experience hemorrhoids. Hemorrhoids are varicose, or swollen, veins in the rectum. Straining during bowel movements, and having very hard stools, may make hemorrhoids worse, and can sometimes cause them to protrude from the rectum. Check with your provider before taking any medication for hemorrhoids. Simply eating a high-fiber diet, and consuming plenty of liquids, can help you relieve or avoid this problem. Hemorrhoids usually improve after the baby is born.
How can I reduce or prevent heartburn?
How can I reduce or prevent heartburn? Indigestion, or heartburn, is a burning feeling that starts in the stomach and rises into the throat. It occurs when digested food from your stomach, which contains acid, is pushed up into your esophagus. Hormonal changes during pregnancy slow digestion and relax the muscle that prevents digested food and acids in your stomach from entering the esophagus. In addition, your growing uterus presses against your stomach. To help relieve heartburn, try the following:
- Eat five or six small meals a day. A glass of fluid may be equal in volume to a small meal, so avoid drinking large amounts of fluids with meals.
- Avoid foods that cause gas, such as spicy or greasy foods.
- Do not eat or drink several hours before bedtime.
- Wait two hours after eating before exercising.
- Take antacids, such as Maalox, Tums, or Gaviscon. Liquid medication will be more effective than tablets. If the problem is frequent, and only briefly relieved by antacids, speak with your doctor or midwife.
Is it safe to continue to have sexual intercourse during pregnancy?
Is it safe to continue to have sexual intercourse during pregnancy? Your doctor or midwife may advise you to limit or avoid intercourse if there are signs of complications in your pregnancy. However, a healthy woman with a normal pregnancy is safe to have intercourse into her last weeks of pregnancy.
Is it safe to paint during pregnancy?
Is it safe to paint during pregnancy? Fumes from oil-based paints, turpentine, and paint thinner should be avoided during pregnancy. However, fumes from latex paints no longer pose the risk to developing babies, as they used to, but it is always wise to paint in a well-ventilated area. Pregnant women should also always avoid using a ladder, to reduce the risk falling.
Are leg cramps normal?
Are leg cramps normal? In the last three months of pregnancy, you may experience more frequent leg cramping. To relieve these cramps, supplement plenty of calcium and potassium into your diet. Milk is a good source of calcium, while oranges and bananas are a good source of potassium. Stretching your legs before bed can also be beneficial, but avoid pointing your toes while stretching or exercising.
Is it normal for my gums to bleed during pregnancy?
Is it normal for my gums to bleed during pregnancy? During pregnancy, the extra hormones in your body may cause your gums to swell and bleed. Floss and brush regularly, using a soft toothbrush, to keep your teeth in good shape. Having a dental checkup early in pregnancy is a good idea to be sure your mouth is healthy. Local anesthesia, if needed, does not pose a risk during pregnancy. Dental x-rays should only be done if necessary, and with your abdomen shielded.
What can I do to relieve constipation?
What can I do to relieve constipation? Because pregnancy causes changes in hormones that slow the movement of food through the digestive tract, at least 50% of pregnant women experience problems with constipation. Taking iron supplements throughout pregnancy, and experiencing pressure on your rectum during the last part of pregnancy can also cause constipation. Here are some suggestions that may help:
- Drink plenty of liquids each day, including 6-8 glasses of water, and 1-2 glasses of fruit juice such as prune juice.
- Avoid liquids that generally cause frequent urination, such as coffee, tea and cola. These types of liquids tend to create a negative water balance in your body and thus make your stools harder and more difficult to pass.
- Eat food high in fiber, such as bran cereals, and raw fruits and vegetables.
- Exercise daily. Walking is good exercise during pregnancy.
What can I do for headaches during pregnancy?
What can I do for headaches during pregnancy? Headaches can unfortunately be very common during pregnancy. Although taking Tylenol (acetaminophen) is approved for use during pregnancy, it is important to discuss these headaches with your provider. If you do take Tylenol, take two regular tablets or one extra-strength tablet. You should contact your doctor if your headache does not go away, returns very often, is very severe, causes blurry vision or spots in front of your eyes, or is accompanied by nausea.
What should I do if I am pregnant and a family member has, or has been EXPOSED to CHICKENPOX?
What should I do if I am pregnant and a family member has, or has been EXPOSED to CHICKENPOX? Most adults are immune to chicken pox, either from having the disease or by forming immunity from a mild exposure. If you have had chicken pox in the past, you and your baby are protected. If you are not sure, ask your doctor to check your immunity with a blood test. If it shows no immunity, a medicinal injection of Varicella Immune Globulin (VZIG) may be given to prevent chicken pox. However, in order to be effective, this injection must be given within 72 hours of exposure.
Is swelling normal, during pregnancy?
Is swelling normal, during pregnancy? A certain amount of swelling, called edema, is normal during pregnancy. Edema is caused by fluid retention, and usually occurs in the legs. This type of swelling commonly begins during the last few months of pregnancy, and may occur more often in the summer. Never take medications (water pills) for swelling unless you have had them prescribed. If you are experiencing edema in your legs, Women's OB-GYN recommends doing the following:
Let your doctor or nurse know if you have swelling in your hands or face, because this may indicate other complications.
- Elevate your legs when possible.
- Rest in bed on your side.
- Do not wear stockings or socks that have a tight band of elastic around the legs.
- Stand up and move around every hour.
- Try not to stand still for long periods of time.
Is it safe to continue working during pregnancy?
Is it safe to continue working during pregnancy? Most of the time, a healthy woman with no complications in her pregnancy can continue working until close to the day of delivery. However, during the end of your pregnancy, you may start to tire more easily, which could affect your ability at work. If you are experiencing problems that you feel may be related to your job, please discuss this at one of your office appointments.
Is it safe to exercise during pregnancy?
Is it safe to exercise during pregnancy? Exercise can help strengthen muscles used in labor and delivery, while generating more energy and lessening some of the discomforts of pregnancy. Acceptable exercises should be determined individually, based on your health and how active you were before you became pregnant. Pregnancy is not a good time to take up a new, strenuous sport, but if you were active before, you can continue your routines within reason. Women's OB-GYN recommends limiting exertion to about 2/3 of what you could do before pregnancy. Consult your provider regarding any further questions.
What can I do for nausea and vomiting during pregnancy?
What can I do for nausea and vomiting during pregnancy? As nausea and vomiting can be very common during pregnancy, especially during the first trimester, Women's OB-GYN suggests following these guidelines to help relieve nausea and vomiting:
- Avoid foods that are greasy, fried, very sweet, spicy, or odorous. These foods are commonly intolerable during pregnancy.
- Eat what stays down. Although it may not be incredibly healthy, it is better to eat that, than nothing.
- Try to eat six small meals each day. You should also eat small snacks between meals.
- Drink fluids between meals, rather than with meals.
- Eat foods that are at room temperature or cooler, as hot foods may trigger nausea.
- Avoid eating in a room that is stuffy, too warm, or that has pungent cooking odors.
- Drink chilled or cold beverages. Decaffeinated soda is often well tolerated, but avoid diet soda, as consuming more calories is important during pregnancy.
- Eat slowly and rest after meals. It is best to rest sitting in an upright position for about one hour after eating.
- Eat dry toast, soda crackers, or dry pre-sweetened cereals when nauseous.
- Keep track of when you feel nausea and what causes it.
- Do not eat or drink anything if continued vomiting occurs. After vomiting has stopped, and you feel better, try drinking small amounts of clear liquids, such as broth, Jell-O, apple juice, grape juice, cranberry juice, or popsicles.
- Eat tart or salty foods, such as lemons or pickles, to help decrease nausea.
- Avoid mixing hot and cold foods at a meal, as it may stimulate nausea.
- Wear loose fitting clothing.
- Ask your doctor about medicine to control nausea.
- Call your doctor if you experience the following symptoms:
- Inability to keep anything down for more than two days
- Fainting
- Vomiting blood
- Rib pain
- Jaundice (skin is greenish or yellow)
- Weight loss of more than five pounds in one week
Are saunas, hot tubs, and tanning booths safe during pregnancy?
Are saunas, hot tubs, and tanning booths safe during pregnancy? Saunas, hot tubs, and tanning booths should not be used during pregnancy because the extreme temperature could potentially damage the developing baby. Extremely hot baths should also be avoided. Women's OB-GYN recommends that bath temperatures be below 100° Fahrenheit.
May I color or perm my hair during pregnancy?
May I color or perm my hair during pregnancy? Although there is no scientific data on the effects of hair treatments on unborn children, it seems unlikely that these types of exposures are harmful.
What can I do for cold and allergy symptoms?
What can I do for cold and allergy symptoms? Colds can make you feel miserable, even at the best of times, and during pregnancy there are increased concerns. However, there are many home remedies that can relieve symptoms, sometimes eliminating the need for an office visit.
- Use a cool mist vaporizer/humidifier at night. This moistens the air you breathe to keep secretions flowing.
- Gargle one teaspoon of salt in ½ cup warm water every four hours while awake. Doing this will reduce the amount of mucus in the back of the throat and relieve mild soreness.
- Use saline nose drops (NOT regular Afrin or Neo-Synephrine) before bed and in the morning. This will help moisten secretions.
- Take two Tylenol (plain) tablets every four hours, if necessary, for aches. Do not exceed more than six tablets within 24 hours. However, you should avoid doing this during the first trimester, and for one week before your triple test.
- Take your temperature, orally, twice daily – call us if your temperature is greater that 100.4° Fahrenheit.
- Drink one teaspoon of honey and 2-3 drops of lemon juice to relieve coughing. Hold this in your mouth until the honey thins and then swallow. If coughing becomes sever enough to interrupt sleep or cause vomiting, call your doctor. You may try Robitussin DM, an over-the-counter cough medication, after the first trimester.
- Increase fluids, especially water, to two quarts a day.
- Get extra rest, if possible.
- Take Actifed or Sudafed, as directed on the package, to relieve congestion. However, It is preferable that you not take this medication during your first trimester of pregnancy.
Should I refrain from traveling during pregnancy?
Should I refrain from traveling during pregnancy? While many patients ask if they can travel during their pregnancies, we recommend that you stay within an hour of Covenant HealthCare – Harrison, as there is always potential risk of complications anytime during your pregnancy. However, if travel is unavoidable, Women's OB-GYN has provided a list of guidelines which should be followed.
- Once you have had your first normal ultrasound, traveling throughout the first trimester (13 weeks gestation) is usually safe. However, even after the first trimester, there is still a 2% risk of miscarrying, and hemorrhaging, which would require a dilation and curettage (D&C) procedure. While a D&C is considered a minor procedure at Women's OB-GYN, it becomes much more difficult when in an unfamiliar area, away from your provider. If you do choose to travel during the first trimester, be sure you have easy access to a hospital that provides gynecologic services – not all hospitals do.
- Pregnancy hormones increase the risk of developing blood clots in the legs. Although rare, blood clots can migrate to the lungs. Because of this, Women's OB-GYN recommends that throughout your pregnancy, you refrain from sitting for extended periods of time. If you will be traveling either by airplane or car, you should walk every hour in an effort to decrease the risk of blood clot development. Call immediately if you develop leg pain, swelling, shortness of breath, or chest pain.
- Travel between 20-36 weeks gestation is strongly discouraged for patients with a history of preterm labor, preterm delivery, previous surgery on their cervix, or any other risk factors for preterm birth, such as infection, or uterine anomaly. However, if you find that travel is essential, Women's OB-GYN recommends that you schedule an appointment to check your cervix shortly before your departure. Be sure that you travel to places within an hour of a neonatal unit (a special hospital that cares for premature babies,) and remember to take your white card so that if you do experience problems, the physicians will have your information.
- After 36 weeks gestation, Women's OB-GYN recommends that prior to traveling, you locate hospitals that have in-house anesthesia coverage with epidurals available and in-house pediatric care similar to that at Covenant HealthCare-Harrison.


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What do you make for dinner when it is too hot to cook in your kitchen? Salad! It is easy to make a salad into dinner by adding some heartier ingredients. Try out this tasty recipe for easy summertime eating.
Strawberry Chicken Salad
1/2 cup poppy seed dressing
1/4 cup mayonnaise
3 cups chopped cooked chicken (about one pound)
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 pint fresh strawberries, sliced in half
1 avocado, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup slivered toasted almonds
1 (10-ounce) package mixed salad greens
In a large bowl, whisk together dressing and mayonnaise. Cover and chill for 15 minutes. Into the large bowl, add all the remaining ingredients except the mixed greens. Toss well to coat. To serve, place mixed greens on plate and top with chicken salad mixture. Serve immediately.
Cook up something delicious tonight with this special recipe provided to you by The Villages of Lake Jackson Apartments in Lake Jackson, Texas and put our expansive kitchens to good use!


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We have had pets/mission day at school + lots of tray displaying, windchimes made out of spoons + forks, strange containers to hold a floral arrangement, card making, buzzy bee hangers + plate windows. A crazy week + 2 very tired school kids, along with 1 tired mumma that week!!
Got a last visit in with Sue the T-Rex before she goes off to the big smoke in Auckland.
Ruby is getting ready for her end of year dance show + Finn joined the chess club at school.
Taidhg started morning kindy..................so I'm childless till 12.30 everyday!! Strange feeling!!
We have planted out our vege garden - enough to feed the neighbourhood + also Ruby + I planted some Swan plants (or as Ruby calls them Swamp plants) + we hope that it will bring some Monarch butterflies to our garden.
Kev had his annual windsurfing comp at Labour Weekend................Labour Weekend when was that again??
Time is flying people!!
But we did something very FUN last Friday, which was our annual "Trick or Treat" around the neighbourhood farms. I so LOVE Halloween + really enjoy it as much as the kids do.
So after school we made ghost cookies as wee thanks for the treats + made some felt + pipe cleaner spiders. I wish everyday could be like this after school.........getting crafty!!
Our ghost cookies made by Ruby + Taidhg.
Spider making .............check out that frustrated look on Ruby's face!!
so love this one of Mr T + his friendly spider.
The Trick or Treaters.....................Finn was Tony Hawk a professional skateboarder, Ruby a friendly devil + Taidhg a dog.
And Finn was happy but just decided that he didn't need to smile..............a boy thing I guess!!
so love this one of Mr T + his friendly spider.
The Trick or Treaters.....................Finn was Tony Hawk a professional skateboarder, Ruby a friendly devil + Taidhg a dog.
And Finn was happy but just decided that he didn't need to smile..............a boy thing I guess!!
and I just LOVE this one of Ruby + Rosie. Rosie sometimes babysits the kids + sadly next year she is moving to Wgtn to study but I just love how she made a effort to dressup for the kids.
Doesn't she do creepy well!!
And I still scrap. YES I do people!!
I made this 4oth card for a friend using some of Elles number tags a few weeks back.
A LO about the windwand in New Plymouth. We have such a fantastic walkway here in New Plymouth + along the way you come across this gaint windwand, designed by Len Lye. Those 2 tiny ppl in the photo you can just see are Finn + Taidhg.
and I'll leave you with this close up on my lastest LO I did for Ruby of her + my mum back in March. I need to get a better pic of the LO - the ones I took are awful + don't do the LO or photo any justice.
and for once I'm looking forward to the elections. Have been sitting up for once + watching + listening to what's been said.
I've also followed the US elections a bit too and its great to be part of history + seeing the first black american president voted in.
wow when did I get so grown up!!
oh also if you haven't checked out the lastest dare.................do!! Totally one for the birds!! Working on mine + such a fantastic prize donated by Tarisota.
Its nice to be back people :)


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Are you curious to find out what's in store for you this month? Look no further…
Aquarius: January 20 – February 18
Asking for help is not a sign of weakness, Aquarius. The full moon on the 4th will help you to feel more comfortable with opening up and asking others for help. Once you ask for help, you will be ready for the New Year and a new you.
Pieces: February 19 – March 20
You are a very mellow person, Pieces, but you are not afraid to show your every emotion: good and bad. This will be no exception when Mars and Neptune meet on the 19th. Before then, try not to get flustered and aggravated when you get in a sticky situation between friends.
Aries: March 21 – April 19
January has many good things in store for you, Aries. The full moon on the 4th will bring you luck in the New Year. Your New Years resolution will be easy to achieve, as long as you stay patient, my ambitious Ram. This will bring you confidence as the Sun moves into Capricorn on the 20th.
Taurus: April 20 – May 20
You are a very private person Taurus—and you prefer to keep it that way—but you have been dying to get something off of your chest. Mars will help to give you courage to be open about your feelings towards a special someone until the 12th. Your ruling planet, Venus, is moving into Aquarius making this your powerhouse month for communication.
Gemini: May 21 – June 20
Gemini's are always ready for anything. You expect the unexpected, which will be very important this month when the moon moves into Gemini on the 1st. You will be ready for anything and everything, making you the life of the party. It is important to keep this momentum as Mercury will try to slow you down on the 21st.
Cancer: June 21 – July 22
Balance is a key aspect of a Cancer's everyday life. When the full moon moves into Gemini on the 4th, you will feel rejuvenated and ready for the New Year. With your newfound peace of mind, you will be able to focus on developing new friendships and building on old ones.
Leo: July 23 – August 22
The cosmos are aligning in your favour, Leo. The sun will help you focus on taking care of yourself this New Year—something that you have not done in a while. It is time to relax and look back on your year, while setting goals for the New Year. This reflection will bring you newfound knowledge about yourself when Venus is in Aquarius from the 3rd to the 27th.
Virgo: August 23 – September 22
You are a social and outgoing individual, Virgo. These traits will be enhanced when the sun moves into Aquarius on the 20th, making you very flexible and ready for a fresh start this New Year. With a fresh start comes a new opportunity to communicate and enhance your friend list.
Libra: September 23 – October 22
It is time for you to relax, Libra. It has been a very stressful year for you, but that is behind you now. Venus will bring you comfort this month, starting your year off with a good mindset. This feeling will be enhanced when Mars is in Aquarius on the 12th.
Scorpio: October 23- November 21
Luck is on your side this month, Scorpio. You can do anything and everything you want. This truth will bring you positive energy and enthusiasm starting on the 12th. Try to keep this energy as the sun moves into Aquarius and slows you down on the 20th.
Sagittarius: November 22 – December 21
Your family and friends are extremely important to you, Sagittarius. The moon is colliding with Gemini and is helping you to focus on your relationships. Mars will bring you the chance to spend more time with your loved ones until the 12th—use this time wisely.
Capricorn: December 22 – January 19
It is very rare that you are at a loss for words, Capricorn. This month you will have to work on your communication skills when the sun is in Capricorn until the 20th. This practice will help you to rekindle with a blast from a past this New Year.
Horoscopes brought to you by BAPC's resident "astrologist", Kate Church.