Tuesday, February 19, 2008 

Picking Out The Right Wine

Choosing the right wine for any occasion needed be difficult if a few simple guidelines are followed. There will be some options which will be different depending on whether you are dining in a restaurant, in which case you are limited to the wines on the wine list. If you are shopping at a retail site, you can still make good choices depending on what you like and what type of occasion it is. The first choice when you are purchasing retail is the size of the store. The most important feature in the determination of the store is that it should have knowledgeable staff who are willing to listen to your specific needs and provide you with good advice accordingly. The store can be either a large well-stocked wine store or a small boutique, but the people in the business must be helpful and attentive. Help from knowledgeable staff is very helpful when you are purchasing the wine as a gift for someone else. You want to find a quality wine at a reasonable price. If you're purchasing wine for yourself, you can be adventuresome enough to try something new and perhaps find a new favorite. You will need to ask yourself several questions before you start which will help you and the sales staff narrow down your choices.

HOW MUCH WILL I SPEND?

If the wine is for a very special occasion, you may want to spend a little more to ensure you get the best quality for the money. Sometimes the small private labels are quite reasonable in price, but at other times their excellent reputation has made them much more in demand so the price goes up accordingly.

RED OR WHITE?

If you are looking for wine for a particular occasion where the wine will be consumed by itself or to be served at a meal with foods, it makes a difference in the type of wine that is chosen. If you have particular varieties of wine which you have already tested and know you like, you may even plan the meal around the wine, rather than the other way around.

SERVED ALONE OR WITH A MEAL?

While the choice of a specific wine is certainly up to the individual, there are some standards which usually are observed when selecting wines to go with a meal. For example, sweet foods will reduce the fruity taste of dry wines, cause tannic wines to be more bitter, will increase the perception of sourness or acidity, and will cause sweet wines to taste drier.Acidic foods will also increase the bitter taste in tannic wines and reduce wine acidity, Salty foods will reduce the bitter perception, acidity perception and increase sweetness perception of the wine. If the foods you are serving tend to the bitter side, there's not too much you can do except add some salt to the bitter food. Bitter foods and bitter wines don't neutralize each other.Rich or fatty foods will reduce the sensation of tannins and rich wines complement each other.If you are serving hot or spicy foods, you can use a sweet wine for a good pairing.

Nick Monroe is the owner and webmaster of Wine and Racks, a prominent wine and wine rack e-store.
WineandRacks.com



 

FHA Home Loans and Conventional Home Loans

FHA home loans have basic requirements that must be met before qualifying for an FHA loan. FHA home loan requirements are standards that allow first time homebuyers the opportunities to meet mortgage qualifications. FHA home loans are easier to qualify for than conventional loans offered by lending agencies. The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) is a mortgage program that helps those who would not normally qualify for a mortgage loan from a bank or other mortgage company, buy a home. To find FHA home loan requirements, searching the Internet can reveal a variety of publications on and about FHA home loans and FHA home loan requirements. FHA home loans are not loans granted by the government, but FHA home loans are mortgage loans that are guaranteed by the Federal Government.

While the qualifications for an FHA home loan are easier to attain to, the FHA home loan program still has specific criteria that must be met in order to get an FHA home loan. FHA home loans require that an FHA applicant have a good credit report reflecting the ability to make debt payments on time. Applicants for FHA home loans can also claim income from non-conventional sources, such as unemployment and child support. There is a low down payment required with an FHA loan, but homebuyers can pay more than the minimum of three percent, if they desire. Mortgage companies offering FHA home loan services will also calculate an applicant's debt to income ratio and make sure that it falls within the guidelines set forth by FHA.

FHA home loans also offer a variety of innovative financing options for homebuyers' consideration. There is an FHA home loan program that allows a homebuyer to include the costs of remodeling an older home into their mortgage note. There are FHA programs that appeal to older homeowners, generally 62 years of age and older, that offers cash for equity in a Reverse Mortgage, helping the elderly have an income. And, most energy improvements to a home can be included in the FHA home loan contract.

FHA home loans offer consumers a great option in mortgages. FHA home loans are generally offered at reasonable interest rates, and guarantee the mortgage company that the loan will be paid. To find out more about an FHA loan and how to apply for an FHA loan with the mortgage company of your choice, log on to the Internet and discover more. There are websites with information on the FHA programs available. The Federal Housing Administration also has an Internet site for reviewing FHA programs and their qualifications.

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Bodybuilding: Big Calves Without High Rep Sets

"Get big calves with only 10 sets of 20 repetitions every other day". Just imagine the amount of time required for that program! Unfortunately many calf-training articles preach ridiculously high-repetition sets and training frequencies in comparison to routines for most other muscles. Granted, the calves are a difficult muscle group to increase in muscle mass, BUT/ there is no evidence to support the notion that the muscles respond better to high-repetition and light load training.

Alternatively, some people completely neglect the calves in their training routines. Obviously this is not the way to go either. The calves are a very large and strong muscle group and are important in bodybuilding and many athletic events. If you improve your calf strength you will be stronger in other standing leg exercises such as the lunge, squat, and step-up. Furthermore, the large muscle mass of this muscle group makes it essential to include in any metabolic-weightlifting programs designed to increase the metabolism and reduce body fat. Everyone in the gym will benefit by giving the calves some work!

The calf area is composed of two muscles, the underlying soleus and the prominent gastrocnemius (it is the gastrocnemius that most people traditionally identify as the "calf" muscle). Muscle biopsies of these muscles reveal both to be generally higher in T-I or "slow-twitch" (ST) muscle fibers. The gastrocnemius averages ~60% ST fibers and the soleus ~75% ST fibers in comparison to the 50% ST fiber composition of the vastus lateralis (quadriceps) or 30-40% ST composition in the triceps brachii.

These differences in NO way support calf-training programs to require the extreme workout prescriptions presently recommended by other trainers. Fast-twitch fibers have repeatedly been shown to have a greater potential to hypertrophy (get bigger) and the best way to recruit the FT fibers is with a high-intensity load. As well, the gastrocnemius can hardly be considered a slow-twitch muscle as only about 60% of its fibers are ST and in elite sprinters the ST proportion may be as low as 25%!

Calf training, like strength training and bodybuilding for any other muscle group, requires the correct application of basic strength training principles in order to add muscle mass to the area. The basic function of the "calf" is to plantar flex the ankle (raise the heels off the ground and support the body weight on the balls of the feet), so we simply must overload it in this position.

"Overload" is the most important concept: you must demand more of your muscles than they are regularly accustomed to and in response the muscle will adapt by growing and becoming stronger.

The problem is that most athletes and bodybuilders forget the overload principle and end up failing in their calf training attempts by continuing to train with countless repetitions and an intensity that is too low. Remember that muscle growth occurs in response to the intensity of the stimulus imposed. More specifically, the muscle grows in response to lifting a heavy load for a sufficient number of repetitions. I therefore suggest the number of repetitions be reduced and the magnitude of the weight increased. The muscle fibers are not going to respond and grow if the load is too light!

As far as calf-training exercises go, don't concentrate on the seated calf raise. This does not provide the optimal stimulus for the gastrocnemius, but rather for the smaller, deeper soleus muscle. You want your calf exercises to require plantar flexion with only a slight bend at the knee joint. This will ensure the optimal recruitment of the larger and more prominent gastrocnemius.

Let's take a look at a "high-intensity, moderate-volume" training program...You will be sore for a couple of days after this workout, BUT/ more importantly, your calf muscles will be stimulated for growth not endurance!

Single-leg calf-raise

* hold DB in hand and support yourself with other hand

* perform on platform and allow heal to drop as far as possible

* do 3 sets of 6-8 repetitions for each leg with no rest between sets

Leg press calf-raise

* place only the balls of the feet on the bottom end of the leg press platform

* contract the calf muscles to plantar flex the ankle

* do a set using a weight that allows 10 repetitions, then quickly remove 20% of the weight and perform another set to failure (X), then quickly remove 10% percent of that weight and perform the third "drop-set" to failure (X)

* rest 1-2 minutes

* repeat for a second "drop-set"

Eccentric machine calf-raise

* use either a standing OR angled calf-raise machine (OR continue to use the leg press)

* set the pin at weight that can be comfortably lifted with both legs

* perform the concentric phase with both legs (plantar flex the ankles), BUT/ use only one leg to lower the weight to the starting position

* alternate between legs and perform 6 eccentric reps for each side

* quickly reduce the weight by 10% and perform 6 more eccentric reps for each side

* continue for a third set if desired (yeah right!)

Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men's Fitness, Men's Health, Maximum Fitness, Muscle and Fitness Hers, and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training fat loss workouts have been featured multiple times in Mens Fitness and Maximum Fitness magazines, and have helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat, gain muscle, and get lean in less than 45 minutes three times per week. For more information on the Turbulence Training workouts that will help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment, visit http://www.TurbulenceTraining.com



 

Office Interior Decorating

Like our home, our office or workplace is an important part of our life. There can be little denial of the fact that we spend a major portion of our lifetime in the office.

Based on this observation, you will be able to contemplate how to improve the facilities and design of the office. The concept of the home office is gaining popularity, with more and more people choosing to work from home.

If your office is a home-based one, then you need to select the suitable area and plan the interior decorating accordingly. The main criterion for selecting a suitable place for your office is silence. The area should not be disturbed by any other event in the house. Next, choose the suitable interior-decorating scheme.

Whatever interior decorating scheme you choose, you need to allocate enough room for movement and accommodation of all the necessary equipment and furniture. For example, your workstation should not be too crowded or muddled up. You can use smaller objects instead of large ones. For example, you can use old trays as stacks for piling stationery and other rough documents. The chairs and computer tables should be soft but sturdy, with as many compartments as possible. This will save you the much-needed space.

You need to have separate plugs and boards so that the wires and other cords are not messed up. After all, you cannot afford to waste your precious time, struggling with those jumbled knots everyday! You have got other jobs to do.

Talking of a general or commercial office, some guiding factors for interior decorating are freedom of movement, appearance, maximum space utilization, and so on.

There should be a separate workstation for each employee, where he or she can work with ease and comfort. Also, the lighting and air-conditioning facilities should be correctly fitted to cover all sides evenly. There should be enough air circulation through windows, which of course, should be beautifully draped with curtains or blinds. Only if the surroundings are comfortable will a persons mind think freely and creatively.

For an office, starting from the entry point to the cafeteria lounge, interior-decorating ideas must be chosen carefully. Safety is also important in big offices, since a large number of employees work there. So, measures like emergency exits, automatic water sprays in case of fire accidents; fire extinguishers and alarms should be adopted in the designing stage of the building itself.

You can decorate the reception or guest room with beautiful bouquets, which will be refreshing to look at, and spread their freshness all around.

In big factories, interior-decorating ideas can be followed to reduce manual labor. You can opt for low-cost furnishings and furniture.

While framing the structure or design of your office, you can be immensely rewarded in terms of satisfaction and full value for your money, if you seek a professionals help. He will be able to suggest what you need to include and what to avoid.

Interior Decorating provides detailed information on Interior Decorating, Interior Decorating Ideas, Home Interior Decorating, Office Interior Decorating and more. Interior Decorating is affiliated with Home Interior Designs.



 

Scottsdale Culinary Arts School

Getting a formal education for whatever career you want to pursue allows you to get a secured position in the industry. But to succeed in any field, your mind should be in tune with what your heart desires. Its true, isnt it? How can you last in a job that you are not happy doing? This also applies in the world of culinary arts. If you believe deep in your heart that your greatest passion is cooking, then you have a bright future in the food service industry.

Before you aim in getting a higher position in the industry, you should first get a formal education in culinary arts that many top culinary arts school provide, such as Scottsdale culinary arts school the Scottsdale Culinary Institute or SCI. There is no better way to prepare you for a career in the field of culinary arts than taking the world-renowned courses included in the Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts program. The institute gained its international popularity from the quality culinary programs of Le Cordon Bleu in culinary arts or patisserie and baking. SCI is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology and the Culinary Arts Program is accredited by the American Culinary Federation Educational Institute Accrediting Commission.

This top Scottsdale culinary arts school, SCI, offers degree programs that prepare students for an exciting and rewarding career in the field of culinary arts. With a stern emphasis on hands-on training, the schools programs provide graduates with a degree and the experience to immediately advance in their careers. Besides the student study center and library, the campus houses 8 kitchens, bakery, and meat shop- all equipped with the latest culinary equipment in the industry, enabling the students to keep up with the modernization of todays food service establishments.

To help you set your goal in the food industry, here are some of the Culinary Arts and related courses of study and degree programs of Scottsdale culinary arts school:

Associate Degree of Occupational Studies in Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts, which can be completed in as early as 15 months and an externship that will last for 3 months at a food service establishment of facility of your choice. Bachelor Degree in Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Management, an advanced program of Scottsdale culinary arts school that provides advanced culinary arts education together with the management and communication skills required managing a restaurant. If your goal is set in a way that you run a business in food service industry, this program of Scottsdale school of culinary arts is the best for you. Associate Degree in Le Cordon Bleu Hospitality and Restaurant Management, a combination of culinary arts program with practical knowledge of restaurant and guest service operations, which prepares students for entry-level positions.

Milos Pesic is a successful webmaster and owner of popular and comprehensive Culinary Arts information site. For more articles and resources on Cooking and Culinary Arts related topics, visit his site at:

http://culinary.need-to-know.net



 

Skateboarding in the Lunar Colony

So you think you have done it all on a skateboard, mastered all the tricks and can hold your own at the semi-pro level? Well, guess again, because soon zero-gravity or low gravity skateboarding will be here or there rather, as in 'on the moon' where things ought to really get radical.

In the future the Ultimate Challenge will be skateboarding or hover boarding in a Wind Tunnel Virtual Reality Skateboarding Simulator. This will be the Ultimate Challenge and the rider will be completely immersed in the Low Gravity Experience. In fact the Online Think Tank has already been asked to look into these futurist concepts, as the time is approaching fast. So, an eBook is being prepared for just such an endeavor.

What will the Mars Colony Skate Park Master Plan look like and who will sit on the Skateboard Park Planning Committee? What about the future of a Laserium Skate Park - Hovering Amongst the Stars? Well it just so happens with new carbon nano-tube construction the ceiling of the skate park could be see thru or made opaque by simply a change of electrical current. Or with new technologies the stars would be projected onto the ceiling like IMAX Theatres.

At first when the Online Think Tank was asked to project skateboarding and skateboard parks in the year 2030, we all laughed, but then we thought, sure. We can see all the rapidly advancing technologies in the present period and it does not take a rocket scientist to see where all this is leading too. It only takes a rocket scientist to get us there. It takes an advanced skateboarder with strength of character to do the rest. Are you up for the challenge of Skateboarding in the Future Lunar Colony? Well, are you?

L. Winslow is a Technology Advisor to the Online Think Tank, a Futurist and retired entrepreneur. Currently he is planning a bicycle ride across the US to raise money for charity and is sponsored by http://www.Calling-Plans.com and all the proceeds will go to various charities who sign up.



 

Nano Particle Tech Uses for Molybdenum

Finally, the financial markets have caught on as to how hot molybdenum stocks could get. While we began researching molybdenum about a year ago, and only first publishing in July 2006, molybdenum commentator Ken Reser has practically been the lone voice in the moly wilderness for investors. (We understand there have been several tout sheets hyping molybdenum stocks for nearly as long, but we cant include those in serious discussions about this metal.)

Now that molybdenum traders have grown more bullish about the metal, we expect molybdenum pricing to continue higher. Ferro moly prices have continued firming up. Some quantity is now selling at US$76 per kg in Europe. One report indicates a recent moly oxide sale at $33/pound.

The emergence of the Sprott Molybdenum Participation Fund might only suggest the beginning of stronger institutional interest in primary molybdenum producers and on-the-horizon molybdenum producers those whose projects could be online by 2010 or sooner.

In March 2005, Ken Reser penned a short editorial entitled, Molybdenum: The 21st Century & Beyond Metal.

Mainstream analysts had not really bothered to investigate the numerous uses for molybdenum prior to Ken Resers discussion. Since then, molybdenum stocks have had an incredible run. Mainstream media, such as Canadas Globe & Mail, Dow Jones MarketWatch, The Australian and Londons Daily Telegraph have featured molybdenum in their articles and named some of the favored companies.

Now that molys time has come, many have passed Ken Reser by, aside from our Australian colleagues, FNArena. This is often the fate of pioneers who pave the road and point the direction where investors should head. Pioneers are oft forgotten, although streets are later named after them.

Thats not going to be the case if we have any say in this. Ken Resers moly repertoire has been extensive. Editorials since his seminal article have discussed moly uses in oil and gas de-sulphurization, catalysts, coal liquefaction, energy pipelines, oil super tankers, drill stem tubing, super alloys, nuclear reactors and turbines among others.

What many thought was fiction Reser preached, more than two years ago, are ideas now at the forefront of mainstream discussions among highly respected analysts. The International Molybdenum Association (IMOA) should be thankful Ken Reser attracted such a high level of investor interest to the moly mining sector over the past two years.

Well, the pioneer is alive and well. Ken Reser has more insights into molybdenums future. And we invited Ken to publish them in his commentary below.

Ken Resers Commentary

Little attention has been given to a few other aspects of this metal of mystery, in a world growing and changing so rapidly. I have little doubt there are more than a few uses of moly. New discoveries are waiting in the wings.

One case in point is Nano-Particle technology involving molybdenum.

American Elements Corp; The US leading manufacturer of Rare Earth & Advanced Material products had this to say about Nano-Particle Molybdenum:

Molybdenum Oxide (MoO) Nano-powder or Nano-particles, nano-dots or nano-crystals are ferric and ferrous spherical or faceted high surface area oxide magnetic nanostructure particles. Nano-scale Molybdenum Oxide Particles are typically 20-80 nanometers (nm) with specific surface area (SSA) in the 10 - 50 m 2 /g range and also available in with an average particle size of 100 nm range with a specific surface area of approximately 7- 10 m 2 /g.

Nano Molybdenum Oxide Particles are also available in ultra high purity, and high purity, transparent, and coated and dispersed forms. . Applications for Molybdenum Oxide Nano-crystals include in electrochemical capacitors, and in coatings, plastics, nano-wire, nano-fiber and textiles and in certain alloy and catalyst applications. Further research is being done for their potential electrical, dielectric, magnetic, optical, imaging, bio-medical and bioscience properties.

Applications for molybdenum nano-crystals include as a high surface area catalyst and catalyst support and as the catalysts in the synthesis of vertically aligned carbon nano-tubes and in coatings, plastics, nano-wire, nano-fiber and textiles and in certain alloy and catalyst applications.

Super Alloys Created by use of Nano-Particle Reactants

(Courtesy of Materials Research Society: Lab Data)

Advancements in nano-technology for material processing have spurred the development of super alloys that provide improved protection against corrosion and wear. Nano-scale reactant particles offer unique thermal properties and increased homogeneity that may improve the micro-structural features and macroscopic properties of the final product.

In this study up to 10-wt % nano-scale molybdenum tri-oxide (MoO3) particles were added to micron scale nickel (Ni) and aluminum (Al). Results show that adding MoO3 increases the flame temperature and produces greater ignition sensitivity produces a more homogeneous microstructure and increases the overall wear resistance of the product.

Some other uses of nano-particle molybdenum include integrated in paraffin, lubricants, ceramics, nuclear reactor fuel (low enriched uranium), propylene production, high temperature grease, optical fibers, plasma televisions, fuel cells, and much more.

Hollow sphere nano-moly particles now developed show greatly increased effectiveness in the bonding ability of de-sulphurization catalysts. Solar cells are now built on a backing of molybdenum foil. Nano-particle pigment coatings, glass works, dietary and medical products, including artificial limbs.

Weldability of nickel-based superalloys can be approved with weld filler. The invention relates to weld filler which includes these constituents (in wt %): 17.5%-20.0% chromium (Cr), 10.0%-12.0% cobalt (Co), 9.0%-10.5% Molybdenum (Mo) and 0.1%-3.3% titanium.

Hydro De-Sulphurization Catalysts

The unique HDS (Hydro De-Sulphurization) Catalyst aspect of this approach is to use nano-sized MoS2 particles for two reasons:

1.Nano-sizing increases surface area and therefore the number of "active-edge sites" per unit catalyst volume

2.Amorphous nano-particles may overcome steric resistance in sulfur-containing large aromatic molecules making the sulfur susceptible to catalytic attack during HDS.

This approach has three aspects:

Characterization of sterically hindered organic sulfur compounds that are typically present in crudes but resistant to conventional HDS catalysts,

Reaction behavior of these sterically hindered sulfur compounds with nano-sized MoS

Formulation and evaluation of supported nano MoS2-based system for ultra deep catalytic HDS of heavy oils and distillates.

Worldwide, many millions of pounds of molybdenum are annually used in refineries. New refineries are now under construction in Asia, and on the drawing board in various other parts of the world.

Fuel Cells and Batteries

By alloying molybdenum with platinum, and carefully controlling the particle size and loading level of the alloy particles, engineers from the E-Tek Division of De Nora, N.A. have developed Pt-based anode catalysts for polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells that show excellent resistance to carbon monoxide poisoning.

APS Physics (March 2007) comments on Nano-Structured Molybdenum Oxides for Lithium-Ion Batteries:

Lithium-ion batteries are the current power sources of choice for portable electronics. Although such batteries are commercially successful, they are not keeping pace with the rapid advances in computing technologies. Also, further improvement of performance and simultaneous reduction in cost as well as material toxicity remain the subject of intensive research.

Here we report the synthesis and electrochemical performance of a novel molybdenum oxide nano-particle anode that dramatically improves current Li-ion battery technologies. Crystalline MoO nano-particles have been grown by an economical hot-wire chemical-vapor-deposition (HWCVD) technique and a recently developed electrophoresis technique is employed for the fabrication of porous nano-particle anodes. Both cycling stability and rate capability issues are addressed by employing these porous molybdenum oxide films that consist of nano-scale active particles.

These materials will impact the next generations of rechargeable lithium batteries, not only for applications in consumer electronics, but also for clean energy storage and use in hybrid electric vehicles.

More Nano-Particle Uses

Other new uses include development of new molybdenum- (Nano-Particle) strengthened martensitic steels and other Super Alloys. It is also possible to fabricate large-area porous films of molybdenum oxide nano-particles using a novel electrophoresis deposition technique.

Nano-particle films have led to profound advancement in state-of-the-art electrochromic technologies. MoO films are promising for new lithium ion batteries. There are many newly discovered uses as well for nano particle molybdenum in ION space thrusters, space lubricants, space craft metals and even in space telescopes searching the heavens.

Although molybdenum-based catalysts have already been developed for use in the crude oil refinery process and coal liquefaction, the greatest leaps forward could come from the development of nano particle moly-based Catalysts.

Drilling every deep-depth oil well uses as much as 15% Molybdenum for every pound of drill stem steel. Considering the massive number of pounds (tons actually) of drill stem tubing annually used around the globe, Im sure we would be amazed when extrapolating the actual amount of molybdenum used in just that one sector.

If you also consider that just one kilometer of typical crude oil pipeline uses approximately 2000 pounds of molybdenum in the steel, and there are globally between 80,000 and 100,000 miles of proposed pipeline projects, one can easily visualize the exponential growth pattern of moly demand in years ahead.

As I have stated in past, now you can see why the world is viewing molybdenum in a different light. It isnt just the demand from China, India or other rapidly developing nations driving the demand, the price and the different uses.

Molybdenum is truly a metal for and of the twenty-first century. It will play an ever increasingly important part of future base metals demand. And this could very well prove a boon to primary molybdenum mining stocks. Many have strongly rallied in the past year as molybdenum prices went north, instead of south as many 'experts' forecast.

Primary molybdenum producer Thomson Creek, imminent producer Roca Mines, and near-term producers such as Adanac Molybdenum Corp, Idaho General and Australian-based Moly Mines appear to be the investor favorites for 2007.

James Finch contributes to StockInterview.com and other publications. His focus on the uranium mining and nuclear fuel sector resulted in the widely popular Investing in the Great Uranium Bull Market, which is now available on http://www.stockinterview.com

Ken Reser is a research consultant to Adanac Molybdenum Corp.



 

Satellite Radio: The Waves Of The Future?

Satellite Radio Its here! Satellite radio is a new service being offered by two companies, XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio. Both companies are offering over 100 channels of streaming music and entertainment. High quality sound is achieved through the use of satellites orbiting high above. Satellite radio is commercial free and free from regulations by federal committees. The impossible, is now possible, hearing the same radio station across North America and from coast to coast. All made possible by XM satellite radio and Sirius satellite radio.

Normal radio has been around for decades and is part of many peoples lifestyle. This is changing. Regular radio is monitored and regulated by the Federal Communications Commission, whom has fined several radio stations and media companies within the last 3-4 years. The FCC has only fined radio stations a maximum of $27,500 per show no matter how man profanities were aired.

Recently the FCC has been upping the ante and in conjunction with Congress has decided to raise the fine up to $500,000 per incident per station (Potter). A slap on the wrist has turned into a business-changing event. Sexually explicit comments by Bubba the Love Sponge and Howard Stern could get a station in trouble no doubt about it. Clear Channel Radio dropped both shock jocks this year after being hit with record fines.(Potter) Recently Howard Stern has made a move to Sirius Satellite Radio in an effort to preserve his career and free speech. Consumers are reaching towards satellite radio as a way to hear unregulated news and content.

Recently XM Satellite Radio has claimed to have over 3 million subscribers paying $9.99 per month and Sirius claims to have over 1.3 million customers paying $12.95 per month. Many of those customers pay an additional $2.99 per month for premium content such as the upcoming Howard Stern Show.

Several normal radio stations and media outlets are realizing the potential to get their message across in a broad fashion. XM has launched a morning show, which is hosted by Bob Edwards, whom was fired earlier this year by National Public Radio. "The Bob Edwards Show" will air on a public satellite radio channel that also features news and programs from Public Radio International, among others. Sirius has its own public radio channel carrying NPR programs. Consumers and companies are demanding free speech and it seems that satellite radio is the vehicle.

XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio have designed satellite broadcast systems that differ but they achieve the same high quality of satellite radio. A milestone of this success is the fact that satellite radio signals that are available across the United States and into Mexico and Canada. Rock and Roll No its not a genre any more! XM Satellite Radio has two satellites named Rock and Roll, which remain in parallel geostationary orbit to provide radio coverage throughout the United States. Sirius Satellite Radio has chose to use three satellites in an inclined elliptical orbit. This configuration provides 16 hours per satellite of signal, which gives a great redundancy if any satellite were to fail. Playing it smart, Sirius and XM both have spare satellites, which can be called on in a moments notice if needed.

XM satellite radio and Sirius satellite radio have Earth based broadcast stations that are used to send up information to the satellites, which is then dispersed through out the globe. Sirius and XM both have disk jockeys that manage, create and program music which is then sent up to the satellites. The information is then taken in by the satellites and sent through a rebroadcast of the streams to earth. The Major advantage of this is that, unlike earth-based radio stations whose signals reach listeners 150 miles away, satellite radio signals have a huge reach, and are receivable anywhere within the continental United States and hundreds of miles in each direction of the borders. Satellite Radio is growing to become a worldwide network and offerings are growing throughout the world. XM satellite radio and Sirius satellite radio are making it happen.

Unregulated Satellite Radio is the answer for free speech in a government regulated airwaves arena. Not only can listeners hear unbiased information but also they can listen to it anywhere in the United States. Media giants are jumping to get the piece of the pie regarding satellite radio, as the new wave of the future is satellite radio.

Scott fish is the Owner of Satellite Radio Receivers Sirius and XM Reviews

Top Satellite Radio is a resource for consumers seeking the history and facts about satellite radio. We also sell electronics related to Satellite Radio. Quick Access: http://www.TopSatRadio.com