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Not Mad, Just Disappointed: Shockadins and the Art of Scolding Your Foes to Death
This is not a post about critical analysis, material culture, or storytelling.
This is a post about holy paladins. This is a post for holy paladins who like playing holy paladins, and want to explore Azeroth as holy paladins.
Okay, we've gotten that out of the way.
While I'm always going to be Catulla at heart and still have plenty of things to do on her, after 5 years of playing as moonkin DPS I've put away my raiding antlers and picked up a sparkly golden hammer. (I blame the switch on the fact that Waypoint's Herald of the Titans effort needed a healer, but then I blame Waypoint for a lot of things.) When Mists was released, I wasn't particularly keen on leveling in Pandaria as Ret or Prot. Just personal preference — nothing against either spec. So, I looked at the new 5.0 class changes, thought "hmm, there's awful lot of offensive capability in these abilities that's probably here for a reason", slapped some talents and glyphs together, and accidentally fell in love with being a shockadin.
And then I wondered, why are more people not talking about playing shockadins? This is fun as hell. I leveled to 90 as holy, I do my dailies as holy (just hit revered with Golden Lotus today), no regrets. NO MERCY.
Here's how I do it. (If this post looks familiar to you, you're right. I just wanted to post this somewhere a little less ephemeral.)
- Holy Shock – buffs the damage of HS.
- Denounce – occasional reduced cast time; handy, you'll be spamming it a lot.
- Harsh Words – turns Word of Glory into an offensive spell when used on a hostile target.
- Falling Avenger — for those "oops, I accidentally walked off a cliff" moments
- Righteous Retreat — are you seriously saying no to the Bubble Hearth glyph? What kind of paladin are you? Terrible.
- The others are largely cosmetic, take your pick. I personally like Fire from the Heavens for maximum KILL IT WITH HOLY FLAME.
- Speed of Light – good for bravely running away
- Fist of Justice – reduced cooldown on one of your interrupts. This will make your life doing Golden Lotus dailies much easier.
- Sacred Shield — mostly because Selfless Healer doesn't have any utility for solo questing and Eternal Flame doesn't work with the Harsh Words glyph and besides, EVERYBODY LOVES BUBBLES.
- Unbreakable Spirit — reduces cooldown on your DS/LoH/DP, but honestly, I think any of the talents in this tier would be useful. Go with your preference.
- Divine Purpose — when it procs, you can basically spam the equivalent of 3-HP Harsh Words at no cost. I like Divine Purpose because it's passive and thus one less CD to think about while questing (as opposed to Holy Avenger). I would typically get two Harsh Words out of this, but sometimes up to 3 or 4. Sanctified Wrath has some nice aspects, but as a lot of its benefit is tied into using Avenging Wrath, it's basically a buffed panic button. I want something that has a chance to help me constantly, not just when I get into trouble.
- Light's Hammer — a handy little bit of simultaneous self-heal and aoe damage, particularly when you're doing That Sprite Quest in Mistfall.
Use Holy Shock to build HP just as if you were healing; as with most paladin specs, use your HP-sensitive spell (Harsh Words) at 3. Sometimes, if I was going in for a mini-boss or named quest mob, I'd try to build up 5 charges by healing myself or killing a less powerful mob and hope for a Divine Purpose proc.
Spam Denounce when you can't do anything else.
Hammer of Wrath when applicable.
You can obviously use Crusader Strike to build HP as well, but bear in mind it will hit like a wet noodle. Use your other cooldowns as you normally would. Sparkle and be GLORIOUS at will.
Actually, no. I even timed my 12 mogu kills for my Golden Lotus daily today, FOR SCIENCE. The longest kill was 38 seconds, and the shortest was 24, with an average of 31.9 seconds. It's not going to top any meters, but it gets the job done in the spec I have superior gear in.
I didn't use Avenging Wrath on any of these mobs, and all of them involved judicious (see what I did there? that's a PALADIN PUN) use of interrupts for abilities like Shield of Souls. I have an average ilvl of 463, but I haven't optimized my gems/enchants/reforges yet. I also had the Tangy Yogurt haste food buff and Blessing of Kings. I was not fighting any other mobs for any of these kills.
I thought about doing some target dummy practice and spouting some numbers out, but this isn't a build that's viable for sustained, raid-worthy DPS. This is a build to get you through your dailies in a reasonable amount of time without dying.
Aside from Light's Hammer, the build doesn't really have any strong aoe damage. I mostly pull one mob after another assembly-line style and save my panic buttons for when I accidentally aggro too many. I can *survive* several mobs (of course I can, I'm a paladin, I'm indestructible), but it isn't always pleasant.
I've been thinking a lot about Challenge Modes because I absolutely want a set of Righteous Gundam armor, and I think that's where this build will really shine. There are several encounters where heavy damage can be avoided by a smart group, meaning you can essentially run the dungeon with 3.5 DPS. This build nerfs your healing, but ideally, you should be able to get by on nerfed healing at that level. I'm also really eager to try it out in some battlegrounds, but my priority for now has been getting geared for Waypoint's raid start next week, so I'm afraid I can't say much more than that on it. However, the PvP tier set bonuses do look like they'd be fantastic for this. 2pc gives a 10% buff to Holy Shock, and 4pc returns HP back.
I consider this build a work in progress, and I imagine I'll continue to tweak it and discover more about being a hybrid-within-a-hybrid as the expac progresses and I find different ways to use it. My intent was just to be able to level and quest in my stronger gear, I haven't crunched ***serious numbers*** on it or anything amd don't plan to; it isn't a viable spec for raid DPS. Anyway, I welcome feedback on it from anyone else who tries it out–let me know what you find, and I hope you found this post helpful! Salt to taste, see what works.
Kelendia permalinkOctober 18, 2012 7:45 pm
I absolutely agree with everything you've written here. As soon as 5.0 hit I respeced my DPS spec into Shockadin (I'm a healer main spec). I've levelled every expansion so far as Holy and it's generally been a slow grind, but except for 89-90 this expansion has been really fun to run in Shockadin. The only issue I've discovered was during the 89-90 grind it took forever to kill mobs, and with the fear mechanics and elite adds walking around in Wastes I just ended up getting wrecked all the time. So I chained dungeons for the entire level. It's good to see someone who has discovered the glory that is the Shockadin!!
October 18, 2012 10:35 pm
PVP set bonus and harsh words is sick.
October 18, 2012 10:36 pm
Assuming you have divine purpose.
October 18, 2012 11:25 pm
Brilliant guide, many thanks! My pali is my 2nd main and I've tried to level shockadin but was a bit all over the place so went retri, which I'm really not enjoying. I'm a casual PvP healer and love playing holy. Even as I'm levelling 85-90 (yep still levelling, work got in the way), I still get called to heal on w-pvp with the guild so being able to have just one set of gear to melt faces AND fix the guild boo-boo's with is just brilliant. Looking forward to trying this out tonight 🙂
October 19, 2012 5:15 am
I too found love for the Shockadin spec, So I've decided my pally will be my second main. Rogue is at 470ilvl now now the Pally is being leveled and is currently lvl87. You've basically chosen everything I chose for my spec but I can't wait to test it with some better gear at lvl90. Sustained dps is hurt since mana is used up very quickly I've noticed. I'll be keeping an eye here to see how your spec is going 🙂
James permalinkOctober 21, 2012 12:22 am
So, I have never tried Holy, much less a shockadin and was thinking of giving it a whirl. Was wondering about one thing. would it be viable to get a spell power blade such as a one hander with stam/int/haste/spell power/mast?
James permalinkOctober 21, 2012 12:22 am
Oh and i was thinking of doing this for PvP, not PvE btw.
stubbs89 permalinkOctober 22, 2012 1:48 am
I'm a PvE Holy paladin, and I'm going to try out PvP as a Shockadin! I'm seeing a lot of questions about stats, so I thought I'd give my PoV:
1. PvP RESILLIENCE – People are going to hit you in the face. Constantly. Healer = punchingbag. You will find this on all PvP items, but make sure to GEM + ENCHANT for this!
2. Intellect – Gives Crit and Spellpower. Should be on all items!
3. Spirit – For mana regen. If you don't have trouble with your regen, you can opt out of this on certain items/reforges in favor of the following stats.
4. Haste – The key word here is "FASTER". Don't worry too much about mana conservation, use Divine Plea when on the move. You'll get full mana when you die anyway. 😉
5. Crit – When spamming HS and Denounce, crits will be awesomesauce.
Mastery is crap, avoid at all costs (unlike in PvE where Mastery is really powerful right now!)
I'm currently gathering a full Honor set and will be using this priority for stats. Can report back my findings if needed/wanted. 🙂
stubbs89 permalinkOctober 22, 2012 2:19 am
Also, I'll be trying out the talent Eternal Flame, so I won't be using the Glyph of Harsh Words. Simply because I can use EF to stack shields on teammates, although in 2v2 I guess Harsh Words might be a lot more useful (much shorter fights).
Ganso permalinkOctober 29, 2012 1:18 pm
I'm also leveling as Shockadin, I tried some macros so I can have Avenging Wrath and Divine Pourpose up every time the cooldown resets. The Sacred Shield is a must to chain mobs, I even killed some rare elite mobs along the way. To buff my XP I also queque for Dungeons as pure Holy.
The best thing in leveling as Holy is that, besides the glyphs all the equipment is the same.
My rotation is:
Sacred Shiled befor the pull and a 2 Holy Shocks to build Holy Power
Pull mob with Denounce
Judgement – with the talent that reduces the movement speed
Sacred Shiel – 1 Holy Power
Crusader Strike – 1 Holy Power and a ridiculous amount of damage
At this time I have 3 Holy power so Word of Glory glyphed with harsh words
If the mob is not dead yet you repeat the cicle
It's a great spec and we can have a high chance to stay alive with Plate+Shield+Sacred Shield+Stun+heals.
bringtherealshockadinback permalinkOctober 29, 2012 10:48 pm
Tbh they need to bring the real shockadin back as it was, they sort of did at the beginning of the expansion where we were doing 150k crit holy shocks, but then as usualy they nerf a good thing, bliz never do what the ppl want and this is why people leave the game..
i would definitely start playing my pally a lot more (currently lvl 90) again if they bring back the real shockadin, atm the damage is just too low and requires too much work with no pay off. (can't stand ret or prot)
I understand the holy socks were a bit large in damage, but increase its cd or just reduce it a little, not from 150k crit down to 30k crit (thats an extreme nerf), make denounce do about 40k and put holy shock at about 80k crit and make its cd say as long as say an ele's lava burst, on top of that make it require a judgement on the target to give 100% crit i really wouldnt mind a ele shaman style holy pally as a new spec or shockadin.
November 13, 2012 6:04 am
I have geared up and enchanted my petpally to holy now and will try to level with the spec. I will also have Retribution as a secondary spec so that I can compare the two.
Here is a link to my armory:
I started yesterday in Jade forest and mobs usually die in around 4 hits, but I really hate the lack of AOE so far.
Michael permalinkMarch 25, 2013 1:55 am
I love your guide! I came here for a little affirmation and encouragement (VERY frustrated right now at Blizz's apparent disregard for Pallys Everyone else seems to have received EPIC bonuses since MoP and Thunder Isle. But my biggest frustration is with Fear… no CD, hardly breaks on damage, one trinket in two minutes to stop just once, etc, etc… it's absurdly OP). I got tired of never being able to get into melee range to even have a CHANCE to blow my one chance to kill with Ret (before getting feared/sleeped out of it). Shock has been fun, and at least gives me a chance. My build is EXACTLY like yours… I thought I might have written the same guide word for word! Thanks, and please, everyone, send as many requests as you can to Blizz to nerf Fear… it's just ridiculous. And a boost to Hand of Freedom / Emancipate would be really… ummm, what's the word I'm looking for… oh yeah… FAIR!!! I could give two-craps about being rooted. I just heal up during the break. We have NO way to break CCs, and I feel like everyone else just does. We can't even get our 100% crit on Exorcism as Ret anymore against Lock's minions. What are we anymore? Watered down Warriors that get to say, "At least I believe in God and will go to Him now as I die." Sheesh! LOL! Thanks again! 🙂
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- Shockadin fun | EvilPhatBoi
- Bitter and Salty – Episode 6 – Lore Whackers Guide :Bitter and Salty


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New look to nutrition facts
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Ice cream lovers beware: The government knows you're unlikely to stop after half a cup.
New nutrition labels proposed Thursday for many popular foods, including ice cream, aim to more accurately reflect what people actually eat. And the proposal would make calorie counts on labels more prominent, too, reflecting that nutritionists now focus more on calories than fat.
For the first time, labels also would be required to list any sugars that are added by manufacturers.
In one example of the change, the estimated serving size for ice cream would jump from a half cup to a cup, so the calorie listing on the label would double as well.
The idea behind the change, the first overhaul of the labels in two decades, isn't that the government thinks people should be eating twice as much; it's that they should understand how many calories are in what they already are eating. The Food and Drug Administration says that, by law, serving sizes must be based on actual consumption, not some ideal.
Support Local Journalism
"Our guiding principle here is very simple, that you as a parent and a consumer should be able to walk into your local grocery store, pick up an item off the shelf and be able to tell whether it's good for your family," said first lady Michelle Obama, who joined the FDA in announcing the proposed changes at the White House.
Mrs. Obama made the announcement as part of her Let's Move initiative to combat child obesity, which is marking its fourth anniversary. On Tuesday, she announced new Agriculture Department rules that would reduce marketing of less-healthful foods in schools.
The new labels would be less cluttered. FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg called them "a more user-friendly version."
Future of food facts
But they are probably several years away. The FDA will take comments on the proposal for 90 days, and a final rule could take another year. Once it's final, the agency has proposed giving industry two years to comply.
The agency projects food companies will have to pay around $2 billion to revise labels. Companies have resisted some of the changes in the past, including listing added sugars, but the industry is so far withholding criticism.
Pamela Bailey of the Grocery Manufacturers Association, the industry group that represents the nation's largest food companies, called the proposal a "thoughtful review."
It is still not yet clear what the final labels will look like. The FDA offered two labels in its proposal — one that looks similar to the current version but is shorter and clearer and another that groups the nutrients into a "quick facts" category for things like fat, carbohydrates, sugars and proteins.
There also would be an "avoid too much" category for saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, sodium and added sugar, and a "get enough" section with vitamin D, potassium, calcium, iron and fiber. Potassium and vitamin D are would be additions, based on current thinking that Americans aren't getting enough of those nutrients. Vitamin C and vitamin A listings are no longer required.
Both versions list calories above all of those nutrients in large, bold type.
Keep serving size in mind
Serving sizes have long been misleading, with many single-serving packages listing themselves as multiple servings, so the calorie count appears lower.
Under the proposed rules, both 12-ounce and 20-ounce sodas would be considered one serving, and many foods that are often eaten in one sitting — a bag of chips, a can of soup or a frozen entree, for example — would either be newly listed as a single serving or would list nutrient information both by serving and by container.
The inclusion of added sugars to the label was one of the biggest revisions. Nutrition advocates have long asked for that line on the label because it's impossible for consumers to know how much sugar in an item is naturally occurring, like that in fruit and dairy products, and how much is added by the manufacturer. Think an apple vs. apple sauce, which comes in sweetened and unsweetened varieties.
According to the Agriculture Department's 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, added sugars contribute an average of 16 percent of the total calories in U.S. diets. Though those naturally occurring sugars and the added sugars act the same in the body, the department says the added sugars are just empty calories while naturally occurring ones usually come along with other nutrients.
David Kessler, who was FDA commissioner when the first Nutrition Facts labels were unveiled in the early 1990s, said he thinks focusing on added sugars and calories will have a public health benefit. He said the added sweetness, like added salt, drives overeating. And companies will adjust their recipes to get those numbers down.
While some people ignore the panels, there's evidence that more are reading them in recent years as there has been a heightened interest in nutrition. An Agriculture Department study released earlier this year said 42 percent of working adults used the panel always or most of the time in 2009 and 2010, up from 34 percent two years earlier.

subset: commoncrawl


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The Situation of Judges
Posted by The Situationist Staff on December 23, 2008
Situationist contributor, Adam Benforado published another terrific op-ed last week, "Get the Best Legal Minds on Courts" (in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer).
* * *
Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill wants you to know that fat cat federal judges are not going to ruin Christmas — not on her watch, anyway.
Last Thursday, she railed against a cost-of-living increase for the judiciary that was included in the auto bailout plan being debated on the Senate floor: "We have families all over this nation that are scared today, that aren't buying Christmas presents. Federal judges get lifetime appointments and they never take a dime's cut in pay."
McCaskill's attack won her praise from fiscal conservatives, but it represents the naïve thinking that puts our nation in peril.
The reason federal judges do not take pay cuts is because the Constitution explicitly provides that during their terms of service, judges' salaries may not be reduced.
The Founders afforded strong job protection to members of the judiciary because they knew it was vitally important that a judge be able to reach the correct decision in a matter, even if it was unpopular. They foresaw that there would be cases like Brown v. Board of Education, ending segregation, where a minority's rights might not be ensured if the majoritarian branches of government could punish judges. As Alexander Hamilton warned, "Power over a man's subsistence amounts to a power over his will."
The current call for fairly remunerating judges is not about greed or selfishness; it is about getting the best legal minds — strong and unfettered — onto our courts.
Between 1969 and 2007, the wages of federal judges, adjusted for inflation, decreased approximately 25 percent, while the real pay of the average American worker increased approximately 19 percent. Although some individuals undoubtedly would seek membership in the judiciary no matter what the compensation, the raw data suggests that the salary discrepancies have had a real effect: In the past two decades, numerous Article III judges have left the bench for more profitable positions at firms, companies and law schools.
What do we risk by failing to increase judicial pay? In the words of Chief Justice John Roberts: "If judicial appointment ceases to be the capstone of a distinguished career and instead becomes a stepping stone to a lucrative position in private practice, the framers' goal of a truly independent judiciary will be placed in serious jeopardy."
Just as important, we risk having a less qualified and less diverse set of federal judges deciding the most important cases in our country, with potentially devastating effects.
Set a bad precedent and hundreds of dangerous criminals end up back on the streets. Fail to understand the nuances of a complex litigation matter and a multibillion-dollar company goes bankrupt. Err in interpreting a statute and thousands of children develop respiratory problems from air pollution.
McCaskill is right that the proposed increase would have a cost, but, in the end, it seems like a small one to pay.
Just how small? Even if we were to increase judicial salaries by 100 percent — dwarfing the 2.9 percent adjustment that McCaskill so vigorously assailed — the total bill would be one-hundredth of 1 percent of the federal budget.
Nonetheless, with her misleading and divisive remarks, the senator from Missouri won the day. Members of the judiciary will be the only federal employees who will begin the new year without a cost-of-living adjustment.
Talk about injustice.
* * *
To read some related Situationist posts, see "The Situation of Judicial Methods – Abstract," "The Political Situation of Judicial Activism," "Ideology is Back!," "The Situation of Judges," "Blinking on the Bench," "The Situation of Judging – Part I," "The Situation of Judging – Part II," and "Justice Thomas and the Conservative Hypocrisy.
2 Responses to "The Situation of Judges"
December 29, 2008 at 1:17 pm
Dear Situationist Staff:
Thank you for the article about the failure of Congress once again to include federal judges in the cost of living adjustments that all other federal employees routinely receive. As in the years 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999 and 2007, judges will see their real compensation diminished again. In those years when judges have received COLA's, the percentage increase is always less than what other federal employees receive and less than the actual rate of inflation, and there is never a catch-up COLA to restore our diminished compensation. Perhaps our only option to make up some of the ground lost to inflation over the years is to get part-time jobs teaching or doing other things allowed under the Judicial Code of Conduct. Thanks for writing about our "situation".
Richard Schell
U. S. District Judge
Eastern District of Texas
U. S. Courthouse
7940 Preston Road
Plano, Texas 75024
January 1, 2009 at 6:38 pm
The number of people who left judgeships because of the pay is said to be "numerous" — but without knowing what the actual number is, that doesn't tell us much. We're also asked to simply assume that more pay necessarily attracts better workers — a pretty crudely economistic assumption for a psychology blog. Considering we're talking about six-figure salaries here, perhaps judges who are so fixated on money and so attached to a top-few-percent lifestyle *aren't* the best for the job.


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The center of the Milky Way is a messy place, full of stars and star remnants. There's so much going on that it's hard to observe in visible light, so precision measurements rely on radio, X-ray, or infrared (IR) wavelengths. Astronomers using the Keck telescope on Mauna Kea in Hawaii have been watching stars near the galactic center in IR for 17 years, providing a detailed view of their dynamics. The fruits of these observations include the measurement of the mass of the Milky Way's central black hole: approximately 4 million times the mass of the Sun.
The Keck team, led by UCLA astronomer Andrea Ghez, has now identified a star that orbits the black hole in 11.5 years, the shortest orbital period for a star yet discovered. Thanks to this relatively quick motion, the astronomers have completely mapped the orbit of this star, known as S0-102, making it the second such star observed. Knowledge of complete orbits helps with modeling the black hole itself, which is invisible in IR light. While the data so far doesn't deviate from Newtonian gravity, observations over multiple orbits should allow for tests of general relativity in the region close to a black hole—something that hasn't been done yet using stellar orbits.
Since 1995, researchers have mapped the motions of stars around the central black hole, using high-resolution IR images. At Keck, such imaging was facilitated by adaptive optics, wherein the shape of the 10-meter-diameter mirror was adjusted dynamically to correct for atmospheric distortion. With such techniques, astronomers were able to pinpoint the location and paths of a significant number of stars near the black hole, known as the S-stars.
One of the earliest identified S-stars was S0-2, with an orbital period of about 16 years. Until the discovery of S0-102, it was the only star with a sufficiently short orbital period to enable a complete three-dimensional reconstruction of its trajectory, which provided the best data on the shape of the black hole's gravitational influence.
The reason S0-102 evaded discovery is that it is faint—S0-2 is 16 times brighter. Because of its faintness, observations have suffered from "source confusion," where light from multiple objects mingles, affecting the appearance of the star. As a result, the astronomers used the black hole data from prior observations to determine S0-102's orbital properties, rather than using the star as a way to study the black hole itself.
However, with the orbit better understood, the ultimate goal is to use the motion of SO-102 and other stars to map the "gravitational potential," the three-dimensional picture of the black hole's gravitational field. Currently, the stars' motion can be modeled using Newtonian physics and Kepler's laws to a high degree of accuracy, but a more detailed analysis should reveal deviations from Newtonian motion. This provides a test of general relativity in a new regime, where gravity is much stronger than in the Solar System (and even in binary pulsar systems, which provide some of the best strong-gravity tests right now).
General relativistic effects are cumulative over multiple orbits, however, so 17 years isn't sufficient time to begin seeing them for stars with 11.5 and 16 year orbital periods. Such effects include precession, where the orbit traces a Spirograph pattern rather than a closed ellipse; and redshifting, where the black hole's gravitational influence stretches the wavelength of light from the stars. Both of these are small effects, so longer observations will be required to see them.
These new results are complementary to observations of gas jets near the supermassive black hole in M87. The motion of stars doesn't bring us as close to the black hole's event horizon, but the data is much cleaner, since there are forces other than gravity (like magnetic fields) at play near the black hole, and these make modeling very complicated. But at the distances these stars orbit, the black hole's gravity is far and away the most significant influence. Observations of stars like S0-102 provide direct data about the gravitation of the black hole.
Science, 2012. DOI: 10.1126/science.1225506 (About DOIs).


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PHOENIX — An Arizona woman who spent more than two decades on death row was released on bond Friday after a judge ruled there's no direct evidence linking her to the death of her young son, other than a purported confession to a detective whose honesty has been questioned.
Debra Milke walked out of the Maricopa County Sheriff's jail after supporters posted $250,000 bond.
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned her conviction in March, stating that prosecutors should have disclosed information that cast doubt on the credibility of a since-retired detective who said Milke confessed.
Milke, 49, has not been exonerated, but a judge said she could go free while preparing for a new trial in a case that made her one of Arizona's most reviled inmates.
Milke was convicted in the death of her 4-year-old son, Christopher, who was allegedly killed for a $5,000 insurance payout. His mother was accused of dressing the boy in his favorite outfit in December 1989 and telling him he was going to see Santa Claus at a mall before handing him over to two men who took the child into the desert and shot him. She had been imprisoned since 1990.
A defense lawyer told the judge last week that Milke would live in a Phoenix-area home purchased by supporters.
Prosecutors declined to comment on Milke's possible release and have not appealed the bond order.
Milke, whose mother was a German who married a U.S. Air Force military policeman in Berlin in the early 1960s, has drawn strong support from citizens of that nation and Switzerland, neither of which has the death penalty.
Max Krucker, former president of the Swiss community where Milke's mother now lives, said Renate Janka was "ecstatic" Friday about the possibility that her daughter would be released. She was planning to fly to Arizona as early as Saturday, Krucker said.
"She said, 'Now I can finally hold my daughter in my arms again,'" he told The Associated Press in a telephone interview from his home.
For as long as Milke has been incarcerated, she and her mother have only met in situations where they were separated by glass.
"They were never able to touch," Krucker said.
A dozen years ago, Krucker was among the organizers of an effort in the Swiss town of Emmetten to support Milke, including by establishing a bank account that collected donations to aid in her defense. The account eventually netted about 200,000 Swiss francs, or about $213,000 today. It's now nearly drained, he said.
Doubts about Milke's guilt and deep suspicion about the reliability of the detective's testimony helped motivate Swiss supporters to donate, as did opposition to the death penalty. Many also had concerns that Milke didn't have access to the best defense because she had too little money, he said.
Now supporters are excited about the prospect of her release, Krucker said, but also worried how she will manage to pay the bond.
Janka, who is suffering from cancer, was already forced to sell her home to help cover her daughter's legal bills, he said.
Supporters also run a website that requests donations through both German and Swiss accounts.
Milke's ex-husband, whose name is Arizona Milke, said his former wife is guilty and that supporters are fooled by the postings on the website.
"It's fed by propagandized lies," he said Friday. "They write whatever they want and put it up there like it's true."
Her chance at freedom comes six months after a federal appeals court overturned Milke's conviction, ruling that the prosecution should have disclosed information about the truthfulness of the now-retired detective who testified that Milke confessed.
Milke was a 25-year-old insurance company clerk when her son was killed. She has maintained her innocence, saying she had nothing to do with the slaying.
The two men convicted in the case both remain on death row. Neither Roger Scott nor former Milke roommate James Styers testified at Milke's trial. Scott confessed during a police interrogation and led detectives to the boy's body.
Maricopa County prosecutors are still seeking the death penalty against Milke at her retrial, tentatively set for Sept. 30, and her alleged confession is at the heart of the case against her.
Police detective Armando Saldate Jr. testified that she confessed to him in a closed interrogation room. But the confession was not recorded.
At trial, Milke denied that she had confessed, but the jury believed the detective.
Doubts about Saldate's honesty arose during Milke's appeals. The 9th Circuit concluded in March that prosecutors' failure to turn over evidence related to Saldate's credibility deprived Milke's attorneys of the chance to question his truthfulness before jurors.
"No civilized system of justice should have to depend on such flimsy evidence, quite possibly tainted by dishonesty or overzealousness, to decide whether to take someone's life or liberty," Chief Judge Alex Kozinski wrote for the court.
The court noted four cases in which judges threw out confessions or indictments because Saldate lied under oath and four instances in which cases were tossed out or confessions excluded because Saldate violated the suspect's constitutional rights.
He was also suspended for accepting sexual favors from a female motorist he stopped and then lying about the encounter, the court said.
Deputy County Attorney Vince Imbordino argued last week during a bond hearing that the purported confession is still admissible, but Judge Rosa Mroz of Maricopa County Superior Court said the undisclosed material concerning Saldate "casts serious doubt" on its validity.
Mroz, who also set Milke's bond, scheduled a Sept. 23 hearing on the defense's request to prohibit the prosecution from using the confession during the retrial.


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WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans spent more online in November to start the holiday season and began to replace cars and rebuild in the Northeast after Superstorm Sandy.
U.S. retail sales rose 0.3 percent in November from October, the Commerce Department said Thursday. That offset a 0.3 percent decline in October from September.
The figures were much stronger after factoring lower gas prices. When excluding a large drop in gas station sales, retail sales increased a solid 0.8 percent.
The report offered a mixed signal for the holiday shopping season. Sales that reflect online shopping surged 3 percent — the biggest gain in 13 months. But department store sales tumbled and Americans spent less at stores like Wal-Mart and Target.
Some of the decline may be because of the storm. Still, economists worry that consumers may also be growing more cautious because of looming tax increases set to take effect in January.
Sandy made landfall on Oct. 29 and slowed business activity during the first couple of weeks of November — the start of the busiest shopping period of the year, Retailers can make up to 40 percent of their annual revenue in the final two months of the year.
The November retail sales report largely reflected a rebound from the storm. Auto sales jumped 1.5 percent, as many people sought to replace damaged vehicles. Sales at home improvement stores increased 1.6 percent.
Some figures suggest shoppers regained their enthusiasm for the holidays, perhaps later in the month. Electronic and appliance sales rose 2.5 percent. Furniture sales increased 1 percent.
Still, department stores sales dropped 0.8 percent. And sales at general merchandise stores, a broader category that includes Wal-Mart and Target, fell 0.9 percent.
In addition to the storm's impact, consumers might scale back on holiday shopping if they are concerned about the "fiscal cliff." That's the name for tax hikes and spending cuts that are scheduled to go into effect next year if Congress and President Barack Obama cannot reach a deal to avert them.
The retail sales report is the government's first look at consumer spending. Consumer spending is important because it drives nearly 70 percent of economic activity.
The economy grew at a solid 2.7 percent annual rate in the July-September quarter. But the gains were mostly because businesses stepped up restocking, which drove more factory production.
Consumer spending actually slowed over the summer from the previous quarter. And many economists worry that consumers have remained cautious in the final three months of the year, because of the storm and their fears about higher taxes next year. That should keep growth below an annual rate of 2 percent in the October-December quarter, they say.


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Justin Timberlake To Perform At GRAMMYs
Time to break out his suit and tie: music's biggest night just added Justin Timberlake to the lineup.
The six-time GRAMMY Award winner is set to perform at the 55th annual GRAMMY Awards. His first time on the GRAMMY stage in four years and his first TV performance since the announcement of his upcoming album The 20/20 Experience, Justin joins the highly nominated roster of performers including Dierks Bentley and Miranda Lambert, The Black Keys, fun., the Lumineers, Mumford & Sons, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, Jack White, as well as Elton John and current nominee Ed Sheeran.
We are happy to announce Justin Timberlake will make his return to the GRAMMY stage Feb. 10th on @cbstweet! #GRAMMYs #TheWorldIsListening
— The GRAMMYs (@TheGRAMMYs) January 30, 2013
Also added to the lineup of GRAMMY festivities is Gig of a Lifetime winner Within Reason. The Birmingham, Alabama-based band were selected after a nation-wide search for aspiring musicians. Bands from around the country were asked to submit a short video of themselves performing an original song. Within Reason beat out the other contenders with over 1.5 million votes cast. They'll perform for a live broadcast February 9th as part of GRAMMY Live in Los Angeles.
Join us in congratulating this year's Gig of a Lifetime Winner: @within_reason from Birmingham, AL bit.ly/ZUGNgf
— CBS Television (@CBS) January 30, 2013
The 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards air February 10 on CBS. Want to be there? Enter here for your chance to win a trip to the GRAMMYs.
-Annie Reuter, Radio.com
for more features.


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|Specs at a glance: Acer Chromebook C720
|11.6" 1366×768 TFT LCD (135 ppi)
|Chrome OS
|1.4GHz Intel Celeron 2955U
|4GB DDR3 (non-upgradeable)
|Intel HD Graphics (integrated)
|Dual-band 802.11n, Bluetooth 4.0
|1x USB 2.0, 1x USB 3.0, HDMI, SD card slot, headphone jack
|11.34 x 8.03 x 0.75" (288 x 203.96 x 19.05 mm)
|2.76 lbs (1.25 kg)
|3990 mAh
|1 year
|Other perks
|Webcam, 100GB of Google Drive storage for two years, 30-day Google Play Music All Access trial
The technology year runs in cycles. CPUs and GPUs, SSDs and SoCs, phones and tablets—once product lines get established, new models tend to come out just about every year or so. Now that Google's Chromebooks are finding their groove, they're falling into the same kind of pattern. Last year we saw an ARM Chromebook, followed shortly after by a cheaper and better-performing Intel Chromebook from Acer. This year we got another ARM Chromebook, followed shortly after by a cheaper and better performing Intel Chromebook from Acer. And so it goes.
Acer's newest Chromebook is only a modest improvement over last year's product in most ways, with one exception: it gains a new CPU based on the Haswell architecture, along with the power-saving enhancements that implies. The original C7 was already faster than both ARM Chromebooks with an older Sandy Bridge-based processor, and by leap-frogging the Ivy Bridge architecture and going straight to Haswell, Acer is only going to widen that gap. Performance isn't everything, though, and the HP Chromebook 11's best selling points were its nice keyboard and great, high quality screen.
To be entirely honest, most product reviews are exercises in minutiae hunting. You'll go far if you can explain why this 1080p 13-inch Windows laptop from Company X is better or worse than this 1080p 13-inch Windows laptop from Company Y. That's not the case here: comparing the Chromebook 11 to the C720 reveals some refreshingly clear-cut differences.
Body, build quality, and screen
The C720 is unmistakably related to the old C7 Chromebook, but the design has been tightened up and refined. The once removable battery has been moved into the case itself, and that (along with other smaller changes like soldering the RAM to the system board) has allowed Acer to slim the laptop's body from 1.08 inches to 0.75 inches. It's also lighter at 2.76 pounds, down from the 3.0 pounds of the C7.
Aside from being a little more streamlined and a little more svelte, the broad strokes of the C720 remain the same: it's constructed of matte gray plastic on the top and textured black plastic on the bottom. The build quality certainly isn't bad, especially considering the $249 price tag, and while there's a little creaking and flexing throughout the case, it feels pretty solid overall. The hinge and lid in particular are less wobbly and bendy than the ones in the HP Chromebook 11. The design isn't as clean and simple as the one in the Chromebook 11, but it's not bad either.
The new C720 also gives up a couple of ports that the C7 included, most notably the 100 megabit Ethernet jack and VGA port; neither will be missed by most consumers at this point, though businesses and schools with older projectors may grumble at the lack of VGA. You still have more options than the Chromebook 11, though—the C720 includes one USB 2.0 port, one USB 3.0 port, a full-size HDMI port, an SD card reader, a Kensington lock slot, and a headphone jack. It doesn't include the unique and convenient micro-USB port from the HP Chromebook 11, but otherwise its port selection is far superior.
The screen is another story. It's an 11.6-inch 1366×768 TN panel that's in line with the ones from previous-generation Chromebooks. It's bright enough, but colors are washed out, and black levels suffer visibly compared to the Chromebook 11's great IPS panel. Even worse are the viewing angles, which quickly blow out the screen if you're viewing it from very much above or very much below. The panel has the same resolution and pixel density as the Chromebook 11's, but it is in every way the inferior display. The only point to recommend it is that it's matte instead of glossy and will therefore be less reflective if you're outside or in a brightly lit room.
Keyboard, trackpad, and speakers
The keyboard uses a different layout than before, one that makes more concessions to Chromebook convention. This includes not just the Search key where the Caps Lock key normally goes, but the double-wide right Ctrl and Alt buttons and the power button embedded in the row of dedicated function keys. The adjusted layout points to this being a purpose-built Chromebook rather than the tweaked Windows laptop that Acer gave us last year. It remains non-backlit, but that's not a surprise in a laptop in this price range.
The tiny arrow keys we complained about last year have been half fixed—the left and right ones are now full height, but the up and down keys remain smaller and half height. This seems like an odd choice, given that most scrolling is vertical and not horizontal. The general feel of the keyboard isn't as good as the Chromebook 11 (which is admittedly an outlier among cheap laptops) since the keys are slightly smaller than full-size and the travel isn't as deep, but it does feel marginally less mushy than in the old C7 Chromebook. The plastic multitouch trackpad is a little small, but it's reasonably clicky and easy to drag your finger across. It tracked my finger accurately and responded well to the basic gestures Chrome OS supports (tap-to-click, tapping with two fingers to right-click, and two-fingered scrolling are the ones I use the most frequently).
The laptop's two stereo speakers point down at the desk instead of up at you through the keyboard as they do in the Chromebook 11, but they share many of the same properties: both get loud but distort at higher ranges, and both lack much in the way of bass.


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Where U.S. economy has, and hasn't, yet recovered
From household wealth to spending at stores, many of the U.S. economy's vital signs have recovered from the damage done by the Great Recession.
Home foreclosures and layoffs have dropped to pre-recession levels. Economic output has rebounded. And the Dow Jones industrial average is in record territory.
So is the economy back to full health? Not quite.
Not with unemployment at 7.7 percent and with 3 million fewer jobs than when the recession began. And while the housing market is improving, that engine of economic growth and job creation still has far to go before it can be declared healthy.
Perhaps the best way to think about the U.S. economy is this: After five painful years, it's nearly back to where it started when the recession began. What's different now is that the trends are much healthier. Gone are the fears that the economy could fall into another recession.
"We've made a lot of progress," says Michael Gapen, senior U.S. economist at Barclays Capital.
The recession officially began in December 2007. It ended in June 2009. Here's a look at ways in which the economy has returned to pre-recession levels and ways it hasn't:
- HOUSEHOLD WEALTH: Americans lost $16 trillion in wealth during the recession, mainly because home values and stock prices sank. Those losses have now been reversed. Household "net worth" reached $66.1 trillion in the final three months of 2012, according to the Federal Reserve. That was just 2 percent below the peak reached in the fall of 2007. And steady increases in stock prices and home values so far this year have allowed Americans as a whole to regain all their lost wealth, though many individual families have yet to recover. Increased net worth is vital to the economy because it typically drives more spending. Net worth equals the value of homes, investments, bank accounts and other assets, minus debts such as mortgages, student loans and credit card balances.
- RETAIL SALES. Just as household wealth has recovered, so has consumers' willingness to spend more to shop, eat out or go on vacation. That trend has spurred job growth at retailers and restaurants. Retail sales totaled $421.4 billion in February. Adjusted for inflation, that was nearly 18 percent above the recession low and just 0.7 percent below the record level in November 2007.
- LAYOFFS. The job market remains weak by some measures. But consider this: If you have a job, you're less likely to lose it than at any other point in at least 12 years. That marks a sharp turnaround from the depths of the recession, when layoffs soared - from 1.8 million in December 2007 to 2.6 million in January 2009. In January this year, employers cut 1.5 million jobs - the lowest monthly total in the 12 years the government has tracked such data. That explains why the number of people seeking first-time unemployment benefits each week has plummeted. That number reached 667,000 one week in March 2009, the most in nearly 25 years. Last month, weekly applications averaged 343,000, about the same as in November 2007, just before the recession began.
- FORECLOSURES. Among the most visible signs of the recession were the "Foreclosure" and "Bank Owned" signs that dotted housing developments around the country. But home prices have been rising steadily. Foreclosures have sunk back to pre-recession levels. Banks repossessed 45,000 homes in February 2013, according to RealtyTrac, a foreclosure listing firm. That was the fewest since September 2007 and was down from a peak of 102,000 in March 2010.
- STOCK MARKET. Last month, the stock market finally regained the painful losses investors suffered during the recession. The Dow Jones industrial average closed at an all-time high of 14,253.77 on March 6. That topped its previous peak of 14,164.53 in October 2007. The Dow had plunged all the way to 6,547.05 in March 2009. It closed even higher on Tuesday at 14,662. 01. And the Standard & Poor's 500 stock index, a broader measure of the market, reached a record 1,570.25.
- GDP. America's economy is producing more goods and services than before the recession began. In the final three months of 2007, it produced an annual rate of $13.3 trillion in goods and services, a record high. That figure had shrunk to $12.7 trillion when the recession ended. It then began to recover. The U.S. gross domestic product, the broadest gauge of production, regained its previous peak by the end of 2011. And in the final three months of 2012, GDP was $13.7 trillion. Still, that gain comes with an asterisk, because the population has grown. Viewed on a per capita basis, GDP at the end of 2012 remained 1.5 percent below its pre-recession peak.
- TOTAL JOBS. The United States still has many fewer jobs than in December 2007. The recession eliminated 8.7 million. Since then, 5.7 million jobs have come back, leaving the economy 3 million short. And the population of Americans 16 and older has grown by 13 million since then. As a result, a much smaller proportion of people are either working or looking for work than before the recession. The labor force participation rate - the percentage of adults with a job or seeking one - has sunk from its pre-recession level of 66 percent to 63.5 percent in February. That matches a 30-year low.
- UNEMPLOYMENT RATE. When the recession began, unemployment was 5 percent. Now, it's 7.7 percent. Probably no figure better illustrates the downturn's lingering damage. The unemployment rate is well below the recession's peak of 10 percent in October 2009 but far above the 5 percent to 6 percent range associated with a healthy economy. Twelve million people are unemployed. Yet that figure doesn't include 2.6 million people without jobs who have stopped looking for one. An additional 8 million work part time but want full-time work. Combining all those groups, 22.6 million people are either unemployed or "underemployed." They represent an underemployment rate of 14.3 percent, down from a peak of 17.1 percent in April 2010.
- HOUSING. The housing market has been recovering for about a year but still hasn't reached normal levels. Previously occupied homes were sold in February at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of about 4.98 million. An annual rate of about 5.5 million would be healthy. In the recession, sales had bottomed at 3.8 million. And last month, builders began work on a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 917,000 homes. That's way up from a recession low of 478,000. But it's still far from a healthy annual rate of roughly 1.5 million. Prices have risen nearly 9 percent since bottoming in March 2012, according to the Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller index, but they remain 29 percent below their pre-recession peak. Still, housing differs from other sectors: Its peaks occurred during a housing bubble that eventually burst. Few expect or even want prices to return to those levels soon. Most economists welcome the steady but modest growth housing has achieved in recent months.
- AUTO SALES. Auto sales have nearly returned to where they were. Americans bought cars at an annual rate of nearly 16 million in December 2007. Sales plunged to 10.4 million in 2009. In March this year, the annual sales pace was 15.3 million. The rebound has stimulated hiring and restored the once-bankrupt General Motors and Chrysler to health.
- INDUSTRIAL OUTPUT. U.S. factories aren't back to their pre-recession peak of output. But they're getting closer. Production was about 5 percent lower in February than in December 2007, according to the Federal Reserve. The Fed also tracks industrial output, a broader measure that includes mining and utilities. That figure is just 1.8 percent below its pre-recession peak.


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Convenience, speed put more people in the cockpit
When Jeff Kaney wants to meet with his suppliers, he often does it in person, even if they're halfway across the country. He just hops in his jet.
"There's a lot of things you can do on the phone — video-conferencing is OK — but there's nothing like being able to walk around and see an organization with your eyes," the owner of Kaney Aerospace in Rockford said. "When you make a statement like that, they get the drift."
He's not the only one — many business people fly personal or company planes instead of driving or taking commercial airlines. Nationally, more people are doing that, especially as airport security has tightened in the past five years.
"I don't have to go through the 'take your shoes off and drop your pants' or 'we don't allow any fingernail clippers,' " said John Carlson, president of Intermodal Services in Rockford. "I don't think about it much; I just jump in and go."
The national Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association said more people received their licenses in recent years, and many of them do it for business reasons.
Spokeswoman Kathleen Vasconcelos said it's more convenient — there are about 5,000 public-use airports in the country, and only 540 are served by airlines.
"You can fly a lot closer to where you really want to be," she said. "There's also flexibility because you're on your own schedule."
Here's a look at several Rockford-area businessmen who are spreading their own wings:
Vincent Facchiano
Recently, Dr. Vincent Facchiano started his day by making phone calls from his home office in Belvidere.
By 11:30 a.m., he's in his plane flying to Madison. Wis., for meetings at his eye-care office.
Then he flies to Minnesota to help people move into one of his apartment buildings. He ends his day by sipping coffee at a lakeside dock.
"It's a lifestyle that's only made possible if you can travel efficiently," he said. "I actually look for reasons to commute. ... The stress reduction of getting there by aircraft is worth getting the license alone."
Facchiano, who flies from Poplar Grove, earned his license 12 years ago and said it helped him expand his businesses.
Now he operates three eye-care offices in Illinois and Wisconsin, including one at CherryVale Mall. He also owns a real estate business with apartment buildings in four states.
Facchiano flies up to 400 nautical miles in his Beechcraft Bonanza A36. Sometimes he takes other business people along.
"The first thing they say is, 'Oh, how relaxing it is.' They hate to come down," he said. "Getting aloft gives you a different perspective on your problems. They all look small — they should be."
Jeff Kaney
Jet fuel is in Kaney's blood.
His dad flew a plane for business trips for his meatpacking plant in Kenosha.
At 14, Kaney was flying gliders. At 16, he flew planes.
He's been a flight instructor, an Air Force pilot and an international airline pilot.
But now, at 40, he flies for himself. He's flown his Cessna Citation from Rockford as far as Seattle and California, taking trips for his aerospace and real estate companies.
"The big thing is to be able to go where you want to go, into whichever airport you want to," he said.
Once he had a problem with a supplier in Michigan, so he and some employees flew out for a face-to-face meeting. On the way, they stopped to visit another supplier.
"You can have a shared experience," he said. "We can be there in a day, plus be home at night."
Fred Young
A Forest City Gear customer in Milford needed parts urgently. So company owner Fred Young flew from Beloit in his single-engine Piper Saratoga and delivered them. The flight was an hour; it would have taken three by car.
"Small aircraft are extremely popular because, generally speaking, there is a small airport that is close to a customer you have to visit," Young said. "I've flown into small, grass airports to deliver parts."
Young, a Roscoe businessman, got his pilot's license in 1978. He flies about 20 to 40 hours a year, but earlier in his career, he flew 100 to 150 hours a year. Half of the trips he takes are for business, especially the longer ones.
He's flown as far as San Diego, stopping several times along the way to visit customers. He once flew to Newfoundland for vacation.
Forest City Gear also makes parts for small aircraft, and Young said there's been a spike in sales in recent years as more business people are taking flight.
"That business is booming," he said.
John Carlson
Last summer, John Carlson flew his personal plane from Rockford to Fort Worth, Texas. His office manager and her husband drove to O'Hare International Airport for a delayed flight on an airline. Their entire trip took 12 hours. His took five.
"Time is the big thing," Carlson said. "And my office manager lost $100 to $150 in hairspray (at security)."
Carlson, president of Intermodal Services in Rockford, earned his pilot's license in 1984. He flies his single-engine Mooney Ovation3 about two or three times a month to places as far as Texas.
He doesn't miss going through O'Hare International Airport.
"I was getting tired of fighting the Chicago traffic — much faster to fly over it than drive it," he said.
Ed Collier
Ed Collier always talked about wanting to fly. So when he turned 50, his wife got him flying lessons.
He got his license two years ago and rents single-engine Cessna 172s from Poplar Grove Airport once or twice a month.
"It's just more enjoyable," he said. "The main thing I hate is having to take my shoes off. I didn't mind security until the last couple years."
So far, the president of Collier RV in Rockford mostly flies for fun, since the planes he can fly only go about 115 mph.
Last year he bought another business, in Kenosha. He flies there when he can instead of driving.
"Ultimately, when I get trained into the bigger, faster planes, there would be more trips that I would take," he said.
He also plans to buy his own plane.
"Maybe a Mooney or Cirrus," he said. "Something that will go 180-plus miles an hour."
Contact Thomas V. Bona at email@example.com.


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Home :: Decorative Art :: Abstract Canvas Wall Art :: 3-pcs Abstract Canvas Art :: Circle Colors-Modern Abstract Canvas Oil Painting Wall Art Stretched Frame Ready to Hang
Circle Colors by artist specializing in oil, It is perfect 100% Hand-painted oil painting on canvas. Are you looking for abstract wall art for a home décor? Abstract modern canvas wall art set will be a perfect decorative element and will surely revitalize the walls of your home. Abstract paintings depicting abstract motifs presented in an extraordinarily way will be a perfect decoration of modern interiors.
Tags:Abstract Still Life Abstract Figurative
Title: Circle Colors
Original Artist: Other Artist
Subject: 3- piece Abstract Canvas Wall Art
Medium: 100% Hand-painted Canvas Art
Frames: Stretched and framed, ready to hang. A strong hook is already fixed on each wooden inner frame for easy hanging out of box.
Oil Painting Information
Modern canvas art set 3 piece abstract paintings for sale,100% hand-painted oil painting on canvas. Circle Colors, It has been perfectly recreated brushstroke by brushstroke by our talented artist. We not only reproduce every detail of the original painting, but to capture its soul. Modern abstract canvas art sets are a great idea for an original decoration of your home. The inspiration for us is the beauty of nature! Our unique modern canvas wall art will enliven any room and bring freshness to it. Oil paintings from this category are also a great idea for a gift for your relatives and friends.
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· The oil painting will be delivered in a frame and ready to hang on your wall if you select a frame for it.
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NU WGYM: Five Earn All-Big Ten Honors
Posted By: Sports
The No. 9 Nebraska women's gymnastics team placed five gymnasts on the 2013 Big Ten All-Conference teams, the league office announced on Monday. The Huskers were also named the No. 2 overall seed in the Big Ten Gymnastics Championships slated for this Saturday, March 23 in East Lansing, Mich.
Four Huskers earned first-team All-Big Ten honors for their performances throughout the season. Jessie DeZiel, Janelle Giblin and Emily Wong all took home their second first-team awards in two seasons, while Jennifer Lauer earned her first career honor. Brittany Skinner also picked up second-team accolades.
DeZiel is the conference's No. 5 all-around performer, holding an RQS of 39.475 and a high score of 39.675 this season. She is also ranked in the Big Ten's top 10 on three individual events, tying for first on vault (9.910), third on bars (9.895) and 10th on beam (9.845). DeZiel has earned two career first-team All-Big Ten selections.
Giblin secured her first-team all-conference spot by tying for third on bars with an RQS of 9.895. She has been one of the nation's top performers on bars throughout the season, earning a 10.0 against Iowa in early March. Giblin's All-Big Ten selection is the senior's third career all-conference honor.
Jennifer Lauer was named to the All-Big Ten first team based on her beam ranking: the sophomore is tied for fifth in the conference, holding an RQS of 9.870. She leads the Huskers in beam titles earned this season, logging top honors on the event in four meets.
Wong is tied for the No. 1 spot in Big Ten all-around competition with an RQS of 39.550. The junior is third on beam (9.890) and floor (9.920) and is also tied for first on bars (9.90) in the conference. She has earned 19 event titles this season, including six in the all-around. Her first-team award marks the second all-conference selection of her career.
Skinner captured the No. 7 spot in the conference vault rankings, holding an RQS of 9.895. She has tied her career-high mark of 9.925 on the event three times this season and owns three vault titles in 2013. Her second-team All-Big Ten honor gives the senior her first career all-conference award.
All-Big Ten honorees were chosen based on a new selection process this season. The top ten student-athletes were allotted points based on their Regional Qualifying Score (RQS) standing, with 10 points given to the No. 1 ranked athlete and one point given to the No. 10-ranked athlete. All points from each event and in the all-around were then combined, with ties given the same number of points. The student-athletes with the 12 highest point totals were named to the first team, while the next 12 captured second-team accolades.
Nebraska will open postseason action this weekend on Saturday, March 23 at the Big Ten Championships in East Lansing, Mich. Nebraska's No. 2 seed will place them in the evening session at 5 p.m. CT with Michigan, Minnesota and Penn State. The afternoon session will take place at noon CT with competition between Illinois, Ohio State, Iowa and Michigan State. Both sessions of the championship meet will air live on BTN.
Big Ten Women's Gymnastics Championship Seedings
Afternoon Session – Noon CT (1 p.m. ET)
5. Illinois
6. Ohio State
7. Iowa
8. Michigan State
Evening Session – 5 p.m. CT (6 p.m. ET)
1. Michigan
2. Nebraska
3. Minnesota
4. Penn State
First-Team All-Big Ten
Alina Weinstein, ILL
Brittnee Martinez, MICH
Joanna Sampson, MICH
Sachi Sugiyama, MICH
Katie Zurales, MICH
Shannon Golich, MINN
Lindsay Mable, MINN
Kylie Schermann, MINN
Jessie DeZiel, NEB
Janelle Giblin, NEB
Jennifer Lauer, NEB
Emily Wong, NEB
Sarah Miller, OSU
Madison Merriam, PSU
Sharaya Musser, PSU
Second-Team All-Big Ten
Sunny Kato, ILL
Gianna O'Connor, ILL
Amber See, ILL
Natalie Beilstein, MICH
Shelby Gies, MICH
Taira Neal, MSU
Kayla Slechta, MINN
Brittany Skinner, NEB
Alyssa Marohn, OSU
Melanie Shaffer, OSU
Source: UNL Media Relations


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Dustin Diamond Death Obituary: On August 8th, 2022 Todeath.net received news about the passing of Dustin through a Social Media post. At this time, the cause of death has not been revealed. Those who knew him will miss him so much because they left a legacy of loveable memories behind.
Friends and family announced the news of Diamond's passing away with a heavy heart. He will be missed dearly, but their memory should live forever in the cores of his loved ones after his death.
Rachel Larratt Death Obituary
Death is a sad occasion. It's difficult to know the right words, but we must express our condolences to those who have been left behind.
We hope they can find comfort in their memories of his and take solace in knowing that he was loved by so many people.
Many friends and family have mourned this loss. In the spirit of mourning, people have been posting tributes to the deceased and condolences for the grieving family members on social media
Dustin Diamond Cause Of Death
According to our knowledge, at this publication's time, no cause of death has been disclosed nor details about how they died. We can only wait for Dustin's family's response on how he passed away and any information they decide to make public with regards to details.
Norm Macdonald Death Obituary
Our prayers are with those grieving this loss, asking God to grant them strength and courage. Above all, losing someone you love is the most difficult feeling in the world. We send our thoughts and prayers to the entire family during this difficult time.
Dustin Diamond's Torrent Of Tributes & Condolences
The day after the death of Diamond, social media timelines are flooded with tributes and condolences. With a deep sense of loss, they say goodbye to a loved one who died unceremoniously.
He was a person who left behind many wonderful memories in the hearts of his loved ones with his kind personality, sense of humor, and love for people.
The world will surely miss him dearly as he has left them with many wonderful memories to cherish for the rest of their lives. The death of Dustin may have taken them away from this world, but his love for people will never be forgotten.
Dustin Diamond Obituary
There has been an obituary published for Dustin Diamond. In that difficult time, we are praying for his family and friends. His death will be felt by all those who knew him and were lucky enough to have been friends with him. Sadly, There have been no updates regarding funeral arrangements for a dead person.
James Dean Death Obituary
In the comments section below, you can share your memories of the deceased or visit our Facebook page for more information about how you can help support the deceased's family during this difficult time.
Dustin Diamond Funeral Service
Funeral Service of Dustin Diamond: Families are legally entitled to publish details about deceased burials, funerals, and other funeral services on their preferred online platforms for friends and colleagues who are unable to attend the funeral service.
The death of a loved one is never easy. It's hard to know what to do, who to call, and how you're going to deal with the pain that has just been dealt.
One thing that can be done is to have their obituary published on an online platform for friends and family members who are unable to attend the funeral service at the moment.
If you have concerns about this publication, we would appreciate your feedback. Don't hesitate to contact us through email via email@example.com.


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Penny pitched three strong innings against the Tigers on Monday, his first appearance this spring against major league hitters. He threw only 33 pitches, did not allow a hit, walked one (Gary Sheffield, his 3rd batter of the day) and struck out three. A scout stated that Penny's fastball hit 94 and was consistently around 91-92.
I felt good. It has been a while since I've gone out there and felt good. ... I felt 100 percent. I didn't get to throw many breaking balls, because they were so aggressive swinging early in the count. I would have liked to have worked on my offspeed [pitches] a little more. ...Smoltz will throw his first bullpen session -- roughly 30-35 pitches -- tomorrow at 9 AM. The Globe, quoting John Farrell: "'I think he could be doing more than he is right now, but by design' the pitcher has been held back to be ready for the second half of the season and for October."
I think I threw some pitches up 0-and-2. When I'm really throwing well, that's how I pitch. I'll get two strikes and try to elevate the fastball, and today I had that. I felt like (the fastball) had life, like I was throwing pretty hard today.
Daisuke Matsuzaka is expected in Fort Myers Wednesday evening. The plan is for him to throw an inning in a minor league game on Friday, then pitch against Atlanta next Tuesday.
The Globe has the lineups for tonight's game (Tim Wakefield / A.J. Burnett) against the Yankees in Tampa:
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF Johnny Damon, LF
Jed Lowrie, SS Derek Jeter, SS
David Ortiz, DH Mark Teixeira, 1B
Chris Carter, LF Hideki Matsui, DH
Rocco Baldelli, RF Jorge Posada, C
George Kottaras, C Robinson Cano, 2B
Brad Wilkerson, 1B Xavier Nady, RF
Nick Green, 2B Cody Ransom, 3B
Angel Chavez, 3B Brett Gardner, CF


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Photo of the Day – Wednesday March 7th 2012
Wednesday March 7th, 2012
Posted at 9:15am
Hello time traveller!!
This article is 3866 days old.
The information listed below is likely outdated and has been preserved for archival purposes.
Take a look at the windsoriteDOTca flickr pool and submit photos of your own for the chance to be featured as our photo of the day!
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AP Source: Pirates to give manager Clint Hurdle extension
BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) -- Clint Hurdle is going to get a chance to finish a turnaround he's started with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
A person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press the Pirates are planning to extend the third-year manager through the 2014 season with a club option for 2015. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because a formal announcement is expected on Wednesday, when owner Bob Nutting addresses reporters.
The agreement was first reported by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
Hurdle is 151-173 in two seasons with the Pirates. He was entering the final season of a three-year deal he signed when he took over for John Russell in December, 2010. Pittsburgh went 79-83 in 2012, tied for the franchise's best record in 20 seasons, though the Pirates went through a late swoon that dropped them out of playoff contention.
The 55-year-old Hurdle - who led the Colorado Rockies to the 2007 World Series - acknowledged on Monday he'd been in "discussions" with the team about an extension but did not confirm it was complete.
"I've been a manager with a multiyear contract, I've been a manager with a one-year contract and I've been a manager without a contract, which made me a non-manager," Hurdle said. "So, I'm not getting too far ahead of myself now. I'm humbled by the fact that we're having conversation."
Hurdle said he "loves" Pittsburgh, and his positive energy brought a sense of fresh air to a stale clubhouse. The Pirates were the worst team in the major leagues in 2010 but jumped to 72-90 in 2011.
Pittsburgh was 16 games over .500 in August before a stunning collapse as the pitching staff faltered and the team's bats fizzled. Hurdle accepted a large portion of the blame for the stumble to the finish but wasn't bothered by the lack of an extension.
He arrived at the team's spring training complex with a renewed sense of optimism. Now he shouldn't have to spend the next few months answering questions about his status.
"There's not one day I take the opportunity lightly," Hurdle said. "I try to model the right behavior for the men, so they understand that everyday there's an opportunity to represent and build something very unique together."
Pittsburgh tweaked its roster during the offseason, adding All-Star catcher Russell Martin and free agent left-handed starter Francisco Liriano. The core group, however, remains largely intact. All-Star centerfielder Andrew McCutchen is coming off a breakthrough season in which he finished third in the MVP voting and veteran right-hander A.J. Burnett anchored a sometimes overachieving pitching staff.
The extension takes away a potential distraction for a team and a city eager to snap 20 miserable seasons of losing.
"I think we've reignited the fan base to some degree," Hurdle said. "We have gotten our team mentality and our environment in a place it needs to be. But you're always working to fulfill a dream, to be part of a championship team. The best way to do that is to build championship men."


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Eric P. Bloom: 7 tips on running virtual meetings
It seems that more and more companies are creating multi-location workgroups and allowing people to work from home. As a result, new and experienced managers alike are having to learn to run meetings via speakerships, Skype sessions, and other distance shrinking communication tools. It may sound easy, but running an effective virtual meeting is much harder than it seems because you have the following things going against you:
- People on the phone are probably multi-tasked, doing email or other activities.
- People in the conference room forget that people are on the phone because they can't see them.
- Meeting handouts must be emailed to remote participants prior to meeting.
- Cellphones lose service and run out of batteries.
- Location-specific accents can be hard to understand.
- People joining the call late can disrupt the flow of conversation.
- Time zone differences can make it problematic to find a meeting time that is convenient for all participants.
The good news is that even with all the above difficulties, virtual meetings can be run successfully and efficiently. It just takes a little planning, a little technique and a little practice.
Let's start with the planning. If your meeting participants are from different time zones, try to find a time that works best for all. I like to call this "the time of least aggravation." That is to say, the time that on average causes the least inconvenience to the participants. Ideally, no one should be forced to wake up in the middle of the night to join the call. Second, you must be sure that all of the documents that will be discussed on the call have been emailed to the participants in time to read and/or print them before the meeting. Lastly and easiest, make sure that all participants have the conference call phone number as access code.
Regarding technique, there are a number of things you can do to make the call run more smoothly, including the following:
1. If the majority of the participants are together on a conference call, place the names of those who called into the meeting on a large piece of paper next to the speakerphone. This will act as a visual reminder that people are on the phone.
2. Periodically ask specific questions to the people on the phone and require answers to assure they are paying attention.
3. If possible, if the meeting is not discussing controversial or confidential information, turn off the "beep" that sounds each time a new person is added to the call.
4. Connect privately with others on the meeting via instant messaging.
5. Facilitate the meeting by assuring that all those in the class have a chance to speak.
6. Minimize the chance of technical issues by distributing a list of do's and don'ts such as not placing the call on hold if your hold plays music.
7. Ask open questions with the specific intent of expanding the conversation, thus not allowing prolonged silence on the call.
With the planning done and the techniques in hand, your next step is practice. If you have been a participant in a virtual meeting, but have never been the leader, it's harder to do well than it looks. If you have never participated on a virtual meeting, try to gain firsthand knowledge of how it's done by participating in one. This first-time participation can be done in any of the following ways listed in order of preference.
- First, ask to join a virtual meeting being held within your company. If it is not a meeting you would normally attend, ask if you can quietly listen with the goal of understanding how a virtual meeting can be effectively run.
- Second, attend a free interactive webinar sponsored by a vendor in your industry. This will not only give you a sense of how virtual meetings are run, but it will also provide you the opportunity to learn something about the vendor that may help you at work.
- Third, attend a free interactive webinar on a non-work related topic, but of personal interest. This type of interactive webinar tends to be less formal and less business-like, but should give you a good idea of how a virtual meeting is run.
The primary advice and takeaways from today's column is to know that:
- Running a successful virtual meeting is harder than it looks, but with the right planning, techniques and practice, they can be done very successfully.
Until next time, manage well, manage smart and continue to grow.
Eric P. Bloom, based in Ashland, Mass., is the president and founder of Manager Mechanics LLC, a company specializing in information technology leadership development and the governing organization for the ITMLP and ITMLE certifications. He is also a nationally syndicated columnist, keynote speaker, and author of the award-winning book "Manager Mechanics: Tips and Advice for First-Time Managers." Contact him at email@example.com, follow him on Twitter at @EricPBloom, or visit www.ManagerMechanics.com.


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Yes! Once the first payment is made, the domain will be ready for you to use within 24 hours.
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Stages of breast cancer
Content provided by Cancer Therapy <><><><><><><>& Research Center/a/ppAccurate assessment of the extent of disease, or Stage, at the time of diagnosis, is one determinant of prognosis or risk of future recurrence of the cancer, and also determines ideal initial treatment. Thus, the Stage of breast cancer only applies to the extent of cancer at first diagnosis and the stage does not change over time. Any recurrence of cancer after initial treatment is simply called recurrence or metastasis./ppThe Stage of breast cancer can be a clinical stage, (the extent of breast cancer as determined purely by examination of the patient at the bedside or with basic mammograms or scans), or pathological stage referring to the establishment of extent of the cancer after surgery as determined by microscopic examination of the tissue removed at surgery./ppFor ideal standardization of the Stage of most cancers, and breast cancer in particular, the standard system (called the TNM system) uses the terms T for extent of the primary tumor, N for the extent of involvement of the neighboring lymph nodes, and M for the presence or absence of distant-site spread of the disease, also called, Metastases. For example, small primary tumors in the breast are staged as T1 and very large tumors are T4; few neighboring nodes are N1 and if extensive lymph nodes are N3. If any evidence of cancer is found at distant sites, the term, M1 is used. So, T1N0M0 denotes early stage cancer or Stage-I, whereas, a T1N1M1 cancer is a Stage-IV.
For more information, click here.
Anand B. Karnad, MD, Professor of Medicine, is the Castella Endowed Chair in Aging, Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio.


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Casey Kasem's wife ordered to appear in court
PORT ORCHARD, Wash. | The wife of ailing radio personality Casey Kasem has been ordered to appear in Kitsap County, Washington, court on Friday in an ongoing dispute with a stepdaughter who has been given authority to determine whether her father is receiving adequate medical care.
The 82-year-old Kasem and his wife, Jean, have been staying with family friends in Kitsap County.
The documents delivered Wednesday to Jean Kasem by Kitsap County sheriff's officers warn that her failure to appear on Friday could lead to a warrant for her arrest.
Jean Kasem was not immediately reachable for comment.
A spokesman for Kerri Kasem has said she has a Washington state court order that allows her to see her father.
Casey Kasem gained fame with his radio music countdown shows, "American Top 40" and "Casey's Top 40," and he was the voice of Shaggy in the cartoon "Scooby Doo."