juned.ahmed: Online Radio ??? An Avatar Of Traditional Radio ...

Online radio is an innovation that has changed the way the world entertains and does business. Radio stations worldwide can be enjoyed over the internet. It also gives businesses? marketing strategy a new dimension.

With internet technology taking over the communication industry, traditional radio has taken a new avatar?radio on internet. Developers are now busy finding new and more efficient ways for integrating the radio to the internet. Radio streaming on the net has produced a number of audiences that conventional radio has never enjoyed before.

Radio on Internet: What It Is?

Audio stream is transmitted to listeners via a continuous stream over the World Wide Web. This enables users all across the world download radio software programs and listen to worldwide streaming of internet music stations, right in the comfort of their homes. This is different from podcasting as people are not required to download individual radio stations of their choice. The radio broadcasts streams freely sans any media device.

Radio on Internet: Entertainment Value

Online music stations are basically local music radio stations from different parts of the world. This enables you to listen to music according to your taste. The easy-to-use control panel, upon installation of the streaming software, enables users to quickly access worldwide radio stations with a clear reception. You can now find the radio station you prefer just by choosing either the particular region or the music genre. When you choose a region or music genre, you will get a list of radio stations broadcasting specifically on the genre.

Online radio music is also executable in a USB flash drive. The device allows the user to download the radio software straight to the flash drive. With this device, you can listen to your favorite programs anywhere in the world. The device is compact and can be easily carried, letting you entertain yourself anytime you want.

Radio on Internet: Business Value

Businesses can rope in radio on internet for their marketing strategy. They can partner with internet radio stations to promote their brand and message out to their consumers. Talk programs are the best way for creating a buzz about products. You can get experts or guests talking about the utility, benefits of your product, thus highlighting it.

Many online radio stations bear close resemblance to social media outlets. They invite the end users to comment or share what they think about related topics with the hosts and participants. This helps business managers to determine what the general public thinks about their products or services. After all, feedback carries great importance for every business. This feedback can be used for the betterment of the products.

Catchy infomercials are the key to captivate people on the internet. An intelligently produced commercial would drive people to the website or business, taking up the volumes in tandem. As the medium is not limited to any particular geographical or demographic region, advertising on internet radio would give the business an international audience base.

For enjoying radio on internet, you can use the services of several communications convergence technology providers. This would enhance your experience of online entertainment.

Source: http://www.nextengland.co.uk/2012/12/online-radio-an-avatar-of-traditional-radio/

16 and pregnant ludwig mies van der rohe jamie lynn sigler mega millions jackpot black panther party frank martin pink slime

Source: http://esmond020.posterous.com/online-radio-an-avatar-of-traditional-radio-n

turbo tax katharine mcphee cold mountain valentines day ideas the villages florida egoraptor gisele bundchen

Source: http://isidro37.posterous.com/online-radio-an-avatar-of-traditional-radio-n

powerball results pebble beach golf beverly hilton roland martin whitney houston dead at 48 whitney houston dead 2012 whitney houston passed away

Source: http://odoraalo.posterous.com/online-radio-an-avatar-of-traditional-radio-n

gsa keith olbermann andrew bynum the time machine michelin tires michelin tires rett syndrome

Source: http://junedahmed45.blogspot.com/2012/12/online-radio-avatar-of-traditional.html

Expendables 2 Pussy Riot National Hurricane Center Zeek Rewards elvis presley elvis presley vanessa bryant

'Vanishing Act' by photographer Art Wolfe ? Nature | News | Design ...

Posted by Max Col on Dec 27, 2012 in Photography | Comments Off

NATURE?ANIMALS?CAMOUFLAGE PHOTOGRAPHY

These animals are trying their utmost to fool predators by blending into landscapes all over the world.
Pictures were taken by photographer Art Wolfe over a period of 35 years, for his work ?Vanishing Act?.

Can you spot them??

( CLICK TO ENLARGE )

Wolf

Willow

Parrot

Leopard

Japanese Macaques

Horned Owl

Horned adder

Gyrfalcon

Ground Squirrel

Gray Owl

Giraffe

Cheetah

American Pika

Caiman

NATURE ANIMALS CAMOUFLAGE PHOTOGRAPHY

About the Author

Source: http://theskunkpot.com/index.php/vanishing-act-by-photographer-art-wolfe-nature/

january jones ncaa final game reba mcentire acm awards the killing april fools global payments

What a simple eye test might predict about MS

A simple look into the eye could help clinicians know how fast multiple sclerosis (MS) will progress. Results of a new study show retinal thinning ? the membrane that covers the inner eye ? thins at a fast rate when MS occurs early and progresses rapidly.

For the study, researchers at Johns Hopkins investigators studied 164 patients from the MS clinic and followed them for 21 months. They measured the thickness of the retina every 6 months for the duration of the study period ? 59 of the patients had no disease activity.

The test is performed with a test known as OCT (optical coherence tomography) that can be performed in the doctor?s office. Patients in the study also underwent brain scans (MRI) at the start of the investigation and then yearly.

The finding showed people with active MS had 42 percent faster thinning of the retina compared to those whose disease was in remission.

Patients with multiple sclerosis with gadolinium-enhancing lesions, or ?bright spots? that appear on MRI and signal active disease, had 52% faster thinning of the retina.

Another type of scan commonly used to gauge activity of the disease is called a T2 weighted scan, also performed using magnetic resonance imaging. They also appear as bright lesions on MRI.

In the study T2 lesions were associated with 32% more rapid thinning of the eye membrane, compared to patients who did not have the activity on MRI.

Early MS - less than 5 years - was associated with 43 percent faster thinning, compared to patients who had been diagnosed with the disease more than 5 years. There was 37 percent less thinning among patients who had no change in their level of disability.

Changes in the retina of the eye have been a source of interest for researchers. Scientists know the disease is associated with inflammation and atrophy.

MS is believed to be an autoimmune disease that attacks the lining of nerves in the brain, known as myelin, which is what leads to symptoms of lack of coordination and vision problems. There is no cure for the disease. Symptoms vary widely between patients. Some people do well with no treatment, while others experience devastating symptoms.

Treatment is geared toward slowing down progression of the disease that can come and go. For other patients, MS progresses rapidly.

The finding suggests a simple eye test could be used to measure the effectiveness of therapies used to treat the disease. Nerve cells in the retina of the eye don?t have a myelin sheath like brain cells do. Retinal thinning that can be performed with a simple eye exam might be an early sign that MS is progressing.

Source:
Neurology
"Active MS is associated with accelerated retinal ganglion cell/inner plexiform layer thinning"
John N. Ratchford, MD, et al
January 1, 2013

Image credit:
Moreguefile

Source: http://www.emaxhealth.com/1020/what-simple-eye-test-might-predict-about-multiple-sclerosis

Brothers Grimm Tate Stevens Miss Universe 2012 x factor x factor john kerry eastbay

Amazon deforestation brings loss of microbial communities

Dec. 24, 2012 ? An international team of microbiologists led by Klaus N?sslein of the University of Massachusetts Amherst has found that a troubling net loss in diversity among the microbial organisms responsible for a functioning ecosystem is accompanying deforestation in the Amazon rainforest.

N?sslein, an expert in tropical rain forest microbial soil communities, says, "We found that after rainforest conversion to agricultural pastures, bacterial communities were significantly different from those of forest soils. Not only did the pasture soils show increased species numbers, these species were also less related to one another than in rainforest soil. This is important because the combination of lost forest species and the homogenization of pasture communities together signal that this ecosystem is now a lot less capable of dealing with additional outside stress."

He and colleagues studied a large farm site over the past four years at the frontier where farmers drive agriculture into pristine rainforest in Rondonia, Brazil, to convert rainforest to agricultural use. Findings in part validated previous research showing that bacteria in the soil became more diverse after conversion to pasture. However, in its fourth year, their study overcame limitations of earlier investigations to show that changes in microbial diversity occurred over larger geographic scales. Results appear in the current issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

In addition to N?sslein at UMass Amherst, the research group includes first author Jorge Rodrigues at the University of Texas at Arlington with Brendan Bohannan at the University of Oregon, James Tiedje at Michigan State University, and others at the University of Sao Paulo. Lead investigators N?sslein and Rodrigues emphasize that the study is an equal collaboration among the four research groups.

Findings do not support earlier study conclusions, instead they show that the loss of restricted ranges for different bacteria communities results in a biotic homogenization and net loss of diversity overall. Scientists worry that the loss of genetic variation in bacteria across a converted forest could reduce ecosystem resilience. The researchers hope their work will provide valuable data to those making decisions about the future of the Amazon rainforest.

Biologist and first author Jorge Rodrigues of the University of Texas at Arlington adds, "We have known for a long time that conversion of rainforest land in the Amazon for agriculture results in a loss of biodiversity in plants and animals. Now we know that microbial communities which are so important to the ecosystem also suffer significant losses."

As N?sslein and colleagues point out, the Amazon represents half of the world's rainforest and is home to one-third of Earth's species, yet the Amazon has one of the highest rates of deforestation. Agriculture is one of the largest and most dynamic parts of Brazil's economy, so dealing with standing rainforests in the tropics will be tricky, but nevertheless, it is vital that the issue is tackled."

Rodrigues says he and colleagues are currently compiling findings about the potential for recovery of the microbial diversity after pastureland is abandoned and returned to "secondary forest." At the same time, N?sslein and colleagues are leading an effort to investigate how the redundancy of functions provided by soil microbes provides resilience to the effects of agricultural land use change to support a stressed ecosystem to recover stability.

"Whether bacterial diversity will completely recover from ecosystem conversion will depend in part on whether the taxa lost due to conversion are truly locally extinct or whether they are present in the pasture sites but of such low abundance that they are undetectable in our study," the authors write.

This work was supported by grants from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture and the Research Support Foundation of the State of S?o Paulo.

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

---

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Massachusetts at Amherst, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

---

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/bNOdEgsL0s4/121226080908.htm

earthquake abc news msnbc meteor shower 121212 Concert Columbine shooting News

Iran ex-president's family sues radical critic

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) ? Four children of an influential ex-Iranian president are suing a radical lawmaker for describing his family as a corrupt "octopus," heating up a struggle between hard-liners and moderates simmering since a contested 2009 election.

The latest salvo has rekindled the bitterness between backers of the current president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and moderates headed by the former leader, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, just six months ahead of the next presidential election.

A lawyer filed the complaint for the family in the Special Clergy Court against the lawmaker, Hamid Rasai, an ally of Ahmadinejad. Rasai is also a cleric.

"Four children of Ayatollah Rafsanjani have registered their lawsuit against Rasai with the Special Clergy Court. I think Rasai will be summoned to the court within the next 10 days," said lawyer Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabaei, according to the semiofficial ISNA news agency.

In a speech broadcast on state radio, Rasai called one of the ex-president's sons, Mahdi Rafsanjani, a "corrupt monster who has always enjoyed ironclad immunity."

Rasai urged the judiciary to deal with him harshly, calling Rafsanjani and his relatives an "octopus family" that pressured judiciary and security bodies to free Mahdi.

Mahdi Rafsanjani was released from Evin prison on bail earlier this month.

Authorities arrested him in late September, a day after he returned to Iran from Britain, on charges of fomenting unrest in the aftermath of Iran's disputed 2009 presidential election. He has not been put on trial.

Rafsanjani's youngest daughter, Faezeh, is serving a six-month sentence on charges of distributing propaganda against Iran's ruling system.

Since Ahmadinejad's re-election in 2009, Rafsanjani's family has come under pressure from hard-liners. Rafsanjani supported Ahmadinejad's reformist challenger, Mir Hossein Mousavi.

Many analysts believe Ahmadinejad won the 2009 vote partly because he portrayed himself as a champion of the poor and called Rafsanjani a symbol of aristocracy. He also called Mousavi a protege of Rafsanjani.

In recent months, there are indications that the 78-year-old Rafsanjani, who favors a more moderate approach to the West, might try to make a political comeback.

Iran's judiciary rejected Rasai's statements, calling a large part of his remarks "sheer lies." In a statement, it said Rasai's remarks were "criminal" and must be dealt with by the court.

Several lawmakers responded Wednesday, claiming Rasai had parliamentary immunity. In the past, the judiciary has imprisoned lawmakers for making accusations against individuals who had not been convicted in court, saying parliamentary immunity doesn't allow a lawmaker to terrorize an innocent citizen.

Rafsanjani's family provided a written response to Rasai, which was posted on Rafsanjani's website Wednesday.

"It is expected that the respected Special Clergy Court, should it finds these remarks a kind of encroachment on the position of others, will take legal action ... because no one has the right to attribute crimes to a defendant who has not been sentenced in a competent court," the family said in its letter.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/iran-ex-presidents-family-sues-radical-critic-154430784.html

state of the union drinking game oscar noms capital gains tim thomas oral roberts les paul fred thompson

Don't Fear That Expired Food

The expiration date on foods like orange juice and even milk aren't indicators of when those products will go bad.

iStockphoto.com

The expiration date on foods like orange juice and even milk aren't indicators of when those products will go bad.

iStockphoto.com

Now that the Christmas feast is over, you may be looking at all the extra food you made, or the food that you brought home from the store that never even got opened.

And you may be wondering: How long can I keep this? What if it's past its expiration date? Who even comes up with those dates on food, anyway, and what do they mean?

Here's the short answer: Those "sell-by" dates are there to protect the reputation of the food. They have very little to do with food safety. If you're worried whether food is still OK to eat, just smell it.

One of the places that knows most about the shelf life of food is a scientific establishment in Livermore, Calif., called the National Food Lab. At the NFL, they put food on shelves for days, or weeks, or even years, to see how it holds up.

Sometimes, they'll try to accelerate the process with 90-degree heat and high humidity.

And then, from time to time, they'll take some of the food ? whether it's bagged salad greens, breakfast cereal, or fruit juice ? off the shelf and place it in front of a highly trained panel of experts who check the taste and smell and texture.

"You would think that everybody can taste and smell food, but some of us are much better at it than others," says Jena Roberts, vice president for business development at the NFL. The lab has 40 of these food tasters on staff. "They are the most fit people in the group," says Roberts. "Because they don't eat the food. They expectorate it. Which is a fancy college word for spit it in a cup."

The experts give the food grades, in numbers. The numbers go down as the food gets older. Bread gets stale. Salad dressings can start to taste rancid.

John Ruff, president of the Institute of Food Technologists in Chicago, says the companies that sell this food take a look at those grades and decide where they will draw the line, to protect the reputation of their products.

"If the product was designed, let's say, to be a 7 when it was fresh, you may choose that at 6.2, it's gotten to the point where [you] don't want it to be on the market any more," he says.

"If it's 6.0, would most people still find it reasonably good? Absolutely," he says. "But companies want people to taste their products as best they can at the optimum, because that's how they maintain their business and their market shares."

This is all organized and carried out by food companies; there's no federal law that requires dates on any food except for infant formula, although some states do require sell-by dates on milk or meat.

Still, these dates don't really tell you anything about whether food is safe.

According to Ruff, most products are safe to eat long after their expiration date. In fact, even meat or milk that's clearly starting to spoil is not necessarily dangerous. "Very often, you won't eat it because of the smell, and you probably won't like the taste, but in a lot of cases, it's unlikely to cause you illness," he says.

That's because it's not the food that sat on the shelf too long that makes you sick, Ruff says. It's the food that got contaminated with Salmonella or Listeria bacteria, or disease-causing strains of E. coli. And that food might not smell bad as it might have arrived in the store only yesterday.

"In 40 years, in eight countries, if I think of major product recalls and food poisoning outbreaks, I can't think of [one] that was driven by a shelf-life issue," Ruff says.

Canned food, in particular, can stay safe for a really long time. In 1974, scientists at the National Food Processors Association in Washington, D.C., got their hands on several old cans of food.

Janet Dudek, now semi-retired and living in Vienna, Va., was among the scientists who analyzed this old food. Her assignment was a can of corn, vintage 1934, that was found in someone's basement in California.

When they opened the can, Dudek says, the contents looked and smelled pretty much like ordinary canned corn. Analysis showed that it had most of the usual complement of nutrients ? although there were lower levels of a few, such as vitamin C.

Results were similar for century-old canned oysters, tomatoes, and red peppers in cans recovered from a sunken steamboat, buried in river silt near Omaha, Neb.

Dudek says, as far as she knows, nobody actually tasted this food. That just wasn't done, she says. But they probably could have. "It would have been safe to eat if the can itself maintained its integrity," she says.

When food in supermarkets passes its sell-by date, though, it gets swept off the shelves. Often, it's donated to food banks. Sometimes it's auctioned off.

But if you discover such food in your pantry at home, there's really no reason to throw it out. Ruff says you should just sniff the meat and milk. If it smells funny, go ahead and toss it.

But for most foods, don't worry. "As a consumer, I've certainly opened packages of food that were five years old."

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/12/26/167819082/dont-fear-that-expired-food?ft=1&f=1007

joseph kennedy iii ghost hunters lightsquared david lee honduras prison fire do not call list sports illustrated

How to cope with a slow connection away from home

3 hrs.

Whitson Gordon, Lifehacker

Q. ?I'm going home for the holidays, and my parents have a very slow connection. Do you have any tips for getting my work done effectively when everything's moving slower than molasses??

Separate your Internet-heavy work and postpone it?
A.?Before you start making tweaks to your browser and computer, it's a good idea to take stock of what work you have and separate it into two categories. GigaOM explains:

Divide your tasks into bandwidth-heavy and bandwidth-light. Evaluate your routine web tasks and see which ones you can do with a slow connection, and which ones require a faster, more reliable one. This is especially important if your mobile Internet provider charges based on bandwidth usage instead of time. Aliza Sherman did something similar in a previous post, to help her work around bandwidth limits.

This is particularly useful if you know you're going to be stuck on a slow connection, but even if you get yourself in a bind, you can still do some re-prioritization quickly. If you have some Internet-heavy tasks that can't wait, you should delegate them to someone else if you can???heck, even offer to pick up some of your co-workers' Internet-light load if they can help you out.

Tweak your browser for low-speed connections
Chances are, your browser isn't exactly primed for slow Internet speeds. So, we recommend grabbing a second browser that you can tweak to work better with slow connections. Opera is a great choice, because it has a Turbo Mode that optimizes the Web for faster loading, but no matter what, there are a number of tweaks you can make to speed up your browser, like:

With these few tweaks in place, you should find things run a little smoother and you won't be stuck waiting for pages quite as long.

Use mobile, HTML or other low-footprint sites
These days, a lot of websites load up their pages with junk that isn't really a problem when you have a normal high-speed connection, but can really bog things down when your connection is limited. Some of them have alternatives in place.?

Gmail, for example, has a handy HTML version that you can use to cut down on the crap when you need to get into your email quicker. You can also see if a specific site has a mobile version, designed for smartphones. Most mobile sites will only load if you're actually on a mobile device, though, so you'll want to change your browser's user agent to make sites recognize you as a smartphone.

Work outside your browser whenever possible
The?more you stay in your browser, the longer you'll be waiting for pages to load. Travel website Gadling recommends transferring as much of that work outside your browser as possible. For example, if you write on a blog or do any work in Google Docs, transfer that to a desktop app like Microsoft Office or LibreOffice for the time being. Heck, you can even compose an email in Notepad while you wait for it to load???don't waste any time watching a progress bar when you could be doing something else.

When you do have to work in your browser, try not to put too much stress on it. Open one tab at a time, so you aren't trying to load a bunch of pages at once (since it'll take them longer, and you can only read one at a time). Close tabs you aren't using often, as they can often take up bandwidth even if you aren't looking at them.

Turn off bandwidth-sucking background apps?
With all the focus on your browser, you may forget that other apps like Dropbox might be taking up precious bandwidth in the background. Close any and all of those you don't need to do your work, or put them into offline mode so they aren't constantly checking if they need to sync. Some apps may require some foresight for this to work: Notational Velocity and ResophNotes will work fine without a connection, for example, but Evernote will require you to go into its settings and download your notebooks before it'll work in offline mode.

When all else fails, find better Wi-Fi?
No one wants to rush around all day trying to find better Internet, but if what you're using is just too slow, look elsewhere. Free Wi-Fi is everywhere, and if at first you don't succeed, find a faster hotspot. You won't be able to do this all day if you have work to get done, but you should be able to find something that's somewhat workable for the time being.

More from Lifehacker:

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/how-deal-slow-internet-connection-away-home-1C7660214

brandon lloyd brandon lloyd celtic thunder fabrice muamba collapse prometheus trailer patrice oneal shamrock

How to cope with a slow connection away from home

12 hrs.

Whitson Gordon, Lifehacker

Q. ?I'm going home for the holidays, and my parents have a very slow connection. Do you have any tips for getting my work done effectively when everything's moving slower than molasses??

Separate your Internet-heavy work and postpone it?
A.?Before you start making tweaks to your browser and computer, it's a good idea to take stock of what work you have and separate it into two categories. GigaOM explains:

Divide your tasks into bandwidth-heavy and bandwidth-light. Evaluate your routine web tasks and see which ones you can do with a slow connection, and which ones require a faster, more reliable one. This is especially important if your mobile Internet provider charges based on bandwidth usage instead of time. Aliza Sherman did something similar in a previous post, to help her work around bandwidth limits.

This is particularly useful if you know you're going to be stuck on a slow connection, but even if you get yourself in a bind, you can still do some re-prioritization quickly. If you have some Internet-heavy tasks that can't wait, you should delegate them to someone else if you can???heck, even offer to pick up some of your co-workers' Internet-light load if they can help you out.

Tweak your browser for low-speed connections
Chances are, your browser isn't exactly primed for slow Internet speeds. So, we recommend grabbing a second browser that you can tweak to work better with slow connections. Opera is a great choice, because it has a Turbo Mode that optimizes the Web for faster loading, but no matter what, there are a number of tweaks you can make to speed up your browser, like:

With these few tweaks in place, you should find things run a little smoother and you won't be stuck waiting for pages quite as long.

Use mobile, HTML or other low-footprint sites
These days, a lot of websites load up their pages with junk that isn't really a problem when you have a normal high-speed connection, but can really bog things down when your connection is limited. Some of them have alternatives in place.?

Gmail, for example, has a handy HTML version that you can use to cut down on the crap when you need to get into your email quicker. You can also see if a specific site has a mobile version, designed for smartphones. Most mobile sites will only load if you're actually on a mobile device, though, so you'll want to change your browser's user agent to make sites recognize you as a smartphone.

Work outside your browser whenever possible
The?more you stay in your browser, the longer you'll be waiting for pages to load. Travel website Gadling recommends transferring as much of that work outside your browser as possible. For example, if you write on a blog or do any work in Google Docs, transfer that to a desktop app like Microsoft Office or LibreOffice for the time being. Heck, you can even compose an email in Notepad while you wait for it to load???don't waste any time watching a progress bar when you could be doing something else.

When you do have to work in your browser, try not to put too much stress on it. Open one tab at a time, so you aren't trying to load a bunch of pages at once (since it'll take them longer, and you can only read one at a time). Close tabs you aren't using often, as they can often take up bandwidth even if you aren't looking at them.

Turn off bandwidth-sucking background apps?
With all the focus on your browser, you may forget that other apps like Dropbox might be taking up precious bandwidth in the background. Close any and all of those you don't need to do your work, or put them into offline mode so they aren't constantly checking if they need to sync. Some apps may require some foresight for this to work: Notational Velocity and ResophNotes will work fine without a connection, for example, but Evernote will require you to go into its settings and download your notebooks before it'll work in offline mode.

When all else fails, find better Wi-Fi?
No one wants to rush around all day trying to find better Internet, but if what you're using is just too slow, look elsewhere. Free Wi-Fi is everywhere, and if at first you don't succeed, find a faster hotspot. You won't be able to do this all day if you have work to get done, but you should be able to find something that's somewhat workable for the time being.

More from Lifehacker:

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/how-deal-slow-internet-connection-away-home-1C7660214

jennifer garner romney michigan derrick williams railgun jk rowling new book between two ferns ihop

Pro-gun rights petition U.S. to deport CNN's Piers Morgan

LONDON (AP) ? Tens of thousands of people have signed a petition calling for British CNN host Piers Morgan to be deported from the U.S. over his gun control views.

Morgan has taken an aggressive stand for tighter U.S. gun laws in the wake of the Newtown, Connecticut, school shooting. Last week, he called a gun advocate appearing on his "Piers Morgan Tonight" show an "unbelievably stupid man."

Now, gun rights activists are fighting back. A petition created Dec. 21 on the White House e-petition website by a user in Texas accuses Morgan of engaging in a "hostile attack against the U.S. Constitution" by targeting the Second Amendment. It demands he be deported immediately for "exploiting his position as a national network television host to stage attacks against the rights of American citizens."

The petition has already hit the 25,000 signature threshold to get a White House response. By Monday, it had 31,813 signatures.

Morgan seemed unfazed ? and even amused ? by the movement.

In a series of Twitter messages, he alternately urged his followers to sign the petition and in response to one article about the petition said "bring it on" as he appeared to track the petition's progress.

"If I do get deported from America for wanting fewer gun murders, are there any other countries that will have me?" he wrote.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pro-gun-rights-us-petition-deport-piers-morgan-130319681.html

gcb mary j blige dionne warwick patricia heaton arsenic and old lace leslie varez ward

Best & Worst Beauty Of The Week: Miley Cyrus, Britney Spears, Demi Lovato And More (PHOTOS)

This week in beauty we saw the 18 worst celebrity beauty looks this year, found nine beauty gifts our moms would love and learned some tips from the biggest makeup experts around -- the Rockettes.

We're shifting our focus to the red carpet, showcasing the best, worst and most interesting examples of hair, makeup and nails that we came across this week. Take a look, get inspired and vote for your faves!

• BEST: Miley Cyrus

  We're glad Miley found a <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/20/miley-cyrus-cuts-her-hair-pixie-cut-blonde_n_2164400.html">hairstyle</a> that makes her happy. She went for the chop in <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/13/miley-cyrus-hair-haircut-pixie-cut-blonde_n_1771870.html">August </a>and <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/21/miley-cyrus-short-hair-is-here-to-stay-video_n_2171993.html">doesn't seem to want to go back</a> anytime soon. We have to say we've become fans of the short style, and her recent look at the "<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/17/miley-cyrus-vh1-divas-rebel-yell-2012-photos_n_2314654.html?utm_hp_ref=style&ir=Style">VH1 Divas</a>" 2012 show totally won us over. She looked super streamlined and put together. She kept the focus on her eyes with bold mascara and dark shadow, and went with nude colored balm on her lips. Now only if should get her <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/10/miley-cyrus-dances-with-stripper-christmas-creampies_n_2270243.html">fashion game</a> together.

• WORST: Britney Spears

  Britney Spears has certainly had some <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/21/britney-spears-photos_n_1904263.html">bad hair</a> over the years, but her look at "The X Factor" season finale on December 17th really had us wigging out. The judge's locks looked flat and well...<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/18/britney-spears-hair-wig-x-factor-photos-pictures_n_2321472.html?utm_hp_ref=britney-spears">not real</a>. <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/27/britney-spears-lucky-cover-photos-pictures-wig-hair_n_2029799.html">Wig</a> or not, the hairstyle wasn't doing Brit any favors -- we're still on the fence about the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/22/britney-spears-got-bangs-haircut_n_2002139.html">bangs</a>. Her eye makeup was a bit severe as well and we're dying to see her with some color on her lips. Girl, we know you can do better.

• BEST: Kelly Osbourne

  We've always been supporters of Kelly Osbourne's <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/05/kelly-osbourne-gray-hair-_n_1255894.html">purple-gray locks</a>, but sometimes she gets a little too ambitious in the hair styling department and ends up well...looking like <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/09/11/kelly-osborne-teletubbies-hair-picture_n_1873249.html">this</a>. However we were thrilled with her recent look at the "VH1 Divas" 2012 at The Shrine Auditorium on December 16, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. The <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/07/beehive-hairstyle_n_1130802.html">modern beehive</a> style looked great with her dramatic cat eye and perfectly sculpted brows. Peach lipstick added just the right amount of color without clashing with her hair.

• WORST: Rose McGowan

  Rose McGowan has always been a style daredevil, so we weren't too shocked that the actress <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2250367/Blonde-bombshell-Rose-McGowan-joined-leading-man-Davey-Detail-wows-fitted-gown-animal-rescue-gala.html">went platinum</a>. But when we saw her new look at The Humane Society Gala on December 18th all we can say is: why? The actress was one of our favorite<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/30/redheads-christina-hendricks_n_1706447.html"> redheads</a>. Not to mention the bleach job seems to have damaged her hair because it looks stiff and frazzled. McGowan knows a thing or two about <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/12/rose-mcgowan-talks-drag-quees_n_924656.html">painting her face</a>, but she seemed to have skimped on the makeup this time around and looks washed out.

• BEST: Ciara

  Sometimes we're on the fence about singer Ciara's <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/11/ciara-grammy-hair_n_1270221.html">beauty looks</a>, but we were happy to see her embracing her inner goddess at the "<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/17/vh1-divas-2012-_n_2315312.html">VH1 Divas</a>" 2012 show. With enviable tousled hair and gorgeous shimmer eyeshadow, she literally sparkled all night. Work it, Ciara!

• WORST: Krysten Ritter

  Actress <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/23/krysten-ritter-dont-trust-the-b-dawsons-creek_n_2005250.html">Krysten Ritter</a> just cannot seem to get over the biggest sartorial no no: the top knot. At a visit to the Young Hollywood Studio on December 19th, she sported the unfortunate look in all its sloppy glory. This hairstyle should stay in high school. Post-thirty, it's just unacceptable. We say ditch the look and try letting your hair down, Krysten.

• BEST: Nicky Hilton

  Surprisingly, we dig Nicky Hilton's look at the Derek Blasberg For Opening Ceremony Stationery Launch Party at Saint Regis Hotel on December 18th. We love that she went back to her blonde roots and kept her makeup light. Only a bit of mascara, rosy lipstick and blush gave her a sun-kissed and feminine beauty look. Work it, Nicky!

• WORST: Demi Lovato

  We love Demi Lovato's<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/24/demi-lovato-body-image-issues-katie-couric-bulimic-bulimia_n_1910719.html?utm_hp_ref=demi-lovato"> honesty</a> and the image she sets for young ladies everywhere, but her makeup? <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/11/rihanna-hair-jessica-alba-makeup-kristen-stewart_n_2103105.html">We're not always fans</a>. The singer attended the "VH1 Divas" 2012 show with a severe <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/06/goth-makeover-mac-cosmetics_n_1632408.html">goth look</a> that just wasn't working. She's a total stunner <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/07/demi-lovato-no-makeup_n_1410071.html">without makeup</a>, so we don't get why she pounds on all that foundation. And the dark shadow along with her jet black hair made her look like Morticia Addams. We say Demi needs a make-under and should try some color.

Want more HuffPost Style beauty content? Check us out on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest and Instagram at @HuffPostBeauty. (For everything else check out our main HuffPost Style Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest and Instagram @HuffPostStyle.)

"; var coords = [-5, -72]; // display fb-bubble FloatingPrompt.embed(this, html, undefined, 'top', {fp_intersects:1, timeout_remove:2000,ignore_arrow: true, width:236, add_xy:coords, class_name: 'clear-overlay'}); });

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/23/miley-cyrus-britney-spears-pictures-photos_n_2346455.html

iOS 6 bank of america Yunel Escobar Eye Black Cruel Summer Endeavor shaun white carolina panthers

AW: We go home!

justAphase Joined on 07-13-2010 Austin 117,392 Points

So precious! Congrats again!

---

Maya Avery 3/2011

"The world is like a ride in an amusement park, and when you choose to go on it you think it's real because that's how powerful our minds are. The ride goes up and down, around and around, it has thrills and chills, and it's very brightly colored, and it's very loud, and it's fun for a while. Many people have been on the ride a long time, and they begin to wonder, "Hey, is this real, or is this just a ride?" And other people have remembered, and they come back to us and say, "Hey, don't worry; don't be afraid, ever, because this is just a ride." And we ? kill those people. "Shut him up! I've got a lot invested in this ride, shut him up! Look at my furrows of worry, look at my big bank account, and my family. This has to be real." It's just a ride. But we always kill the good guys who try and tell us that, you ever notice that? And let the demons run amok ? But it doesn't matter, because it's just a ride. And we can change it any time we want. It's only a choice. No effort, no work, no job, no savings of money. Just a simple choice, right now, between fear and love. The eyes of fear want you to put bigger locks on your doors, buy guns, close yourself off. The eyes of love instead see all of us as one. Here's what we can do to change the world, right now, to a better ride. Take all that money we spend on weapons and defenses each year and instead spend it feeding and clothing and educating the poor of the world, which it would pay for many times over, not one human being excluded, and we could explore space, together, both inner and outer, forever, in peace." BH?

Source: http://community.thebump.com/cs/ks/forums/thread/70811337.aspx

may day stoudemire jordan hill tony nominations dark knight trailer delmon young dallas mavericks

Me, My Food, & My Creativity: Christmas Planing - Rant, Menu, and ...

Blue, Silver & White Christmas Tree

This year we're hosting Christmas dinner at our house. ?In the past that meant twenty five people and a lot of work. ?This year, I'm happy to say we're only expecting fifteen people, yippie! ?I take this task on hesitantly, having a smaller guest list doesn't equate to less cleaning, prepping, or stress, it just means less money spent on food and beverages. ?It also means more quality time with the guests, which is great!

Regardless of the occasion, I always seem to stress myself out when entertaining more than ten people. ?It's one thing to plan a small event for someone else, that's easy I don't stress out over third party budgeted affairs such as; business luncheons, fundraisers, or special events. ?The guest list is a piece of cake with those types of functions, it's just a number when it comes to my career or volunteering. ?The pressure lies within, when I'm entertaining my toughest critics and the sky is the limit financially and creatively. ? I think the stress also comes hand and hand with executing all of my creations in one day and in a timely manner.

Lately all this stress quickly leads to a reminder about the meaning of Christmas. ?The most important part of the holidays is spending time with family and friends and remembering how blessed we all are to be on this earth. ?Shortly thereafter the reality of it all sets in... Christmas is so time consuming and expensive and is basically a glorified Thanksgiving with; wrapping paper, bows, gifts, holiday lights, Christmas trees, and celebrations throughout the month, apposed to one single day of eating.

That about does it, my ranting session has ended! ?Now on to the important stuff, food and beverages!

I've been "pinning" up a storm lately which is a newly welcomed holiday craze for me. ?I have a love hate relationship with Pinterest but, what isn't there to like about having millions of people compile oodles and oodles of fantastic holiday recipes and crafty ideas? ?Take a look at what's on the menu for Christmas...

Specialty Cocktail

What are the holiday's without a tasty cocktail to take the edge off? ?My first priority in Christmas dinner planing was finding a light, yet fun beverage to serve. ?I decided on creative drinks, made with champagne/sparkling wine as a base ingredient! ?I am a bubbly lover, as many of you know and I will say that my go to choice for events such as this is the Asti, it's available at Trader Joe's, follow this link for a brief review and small photo of the label:?http://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine=29723&iNote=1841145. ?The Asti, aka "sparkling wine" is very affordable ($6.99/bottle) and it tastes great alone or accompanied by pretty much anything. ?I plan to have a variety of juice available for those not choosing to drink and it will double as a great mixer!

The Main Course

In the past, Christmas day meals have been much like Thanksgiving meals, a smorgasbord of tasty food. ?This year I've decided to keep it simple; fun beverages, ?one main course and a semi homemade dessert. ?I have, however, decided to do a main course that is pretty involving, as many home cooks would take one look at the ingredient list and continue the hunt for something else to make. ?The main course will be Juila Childs' Beef Bourguignon, http://cooking.knopfdoubleday.com/2009/07/13/julia-childs-boeuf-bourguignon-recipe/. ? I have made this three or four times in the past, but never for fifteen people and I will be tripling the recipe. ?The main reason I chose this dish was because it's amazingly good and everything can be made the day before and the flavor and quality won't be compromised! ?If anything letting it sit over night increases the flavor of the entree.

The Main Course Meat
Thursday I decided to go buy the meat and unfortunately the first little hiccup in my well thought out plan occurred. ?The meat was on sale for one day only at a hispanic grocery store, meaning my espanol will be put to the test. ?I arrive at the meat department, there isn't any cuts of meat in the designated spot next to the sign. ?I ask the guy behind the counter if there is any left and he doesn't understand my question, I point. ?Oooohhh! Si! The meat department associate holds up a great cut of beef. ?I then say in spanish, I'll take 12 pounds, will you cut the meat into 2" cubes for me please? ?No comprendo... Ugh. ? He then goes and finds another associate, comes back with him and they both look at me with a blank look (I'm waiting for him to speak in english or spanish so I can figure out how to say what I want)...silence. ?I say can you please cut the meat into two inch pieces, OH! Yea, ok the new guy then translates to the original guy. ?Then they come back with a sample cut, 4" x 3", I say in half please. ?I come back when it's all cut to my dismay the meat has bones! ?They didn't cut the meat part into 2" cubes really because some of the cuts were actually all bone! ?I haven't come up with a backup plan yet, I'm going to see if I can salvage the meat tomorrow.

The Wine
The most important part of the entree is using a good red wine, for this I decided to stick within a budget of $20, I did however need four bottles of wine. ?I made a trip to Big Lots where I was happy to find three, 1.5 litter bottles of Robert Mondavi Pinot Noir! ?I only needed to purchase two bottles and I came in under budget at $19! ?This wine normally sells for $11-$25 a bottle depending on the year and I was able to get the equivalent of four bottles for less than $20, SCORE! I guess you win some and you lose some, win on the wine, lose on the meat.

Dessert

We're going to have cannoli's for dessert! ?This is my first time making them and I pondered over ordering cannoli molds and making the shells from scratch or purchasing pre-made shells at an italian deli (both Caesars and Luigis carry them). ?I looked into making them first and after five minutes of research the decision was crystal clear, I would purchase them! ?Check out this video of how to make homemade cannoli shells;?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DuHPdo_qA4. ?Now with Christmas being only a few days away both the delis didn't have enough shells in stock. ?Luckily Luigis said they would be getting a shipment of them in the next day. ?Perfect.

Wish me luck in the coming days, I'm going to need it.

Source: http://heatherlaganelli.blogspot.com/2012/12/christmas-planing-rant-menu-and-more.html

Winter Olympics 2014 powerball numbers freddie mercury Horshack Beady Eye david bowie Eric Idle

Read More - Travel Leisure | murphypost.net

Megan asked the following questions in one of our phone sessions: Over and over, when Im really attracted to a man and I sleep with him fairly early in the relationship, I discover that he is not good husband material. What am I doing wrong? Am I just attracted to the wrong kind of men?

This is a frequent question from my single women clients.

Megan, many men know how to project sexual energy in a way that arouses women. These men define their worth by their sexuality and by their ability to attract woman. In fact many people are going to try prostitutes Dnepropetrovsk (??????????? ?????). They know just how to sexually ignite a woman ? its an energy that they are putting out that goes right into your genitals and makes you think that something real and important is happening. But they are operating from a sexual addiction rather than from caring or intimacy.

So what should I be doing when I feel that powerful sexual attraction?

You need to be telling yourself that this feeling doesnt mean anything that its just an energy that is being projected onto you but has nothing to do with love, intimacy, caring, or marriage. Real, long-lasting relationships take time to evolve. If you feel sexual upon first meeting someone, there is a good possibility that this man just wants a sexual encounter with you rather than a real relationship with you. My suggestion to you is to not have sex early in a relationship, even if you are very attracted.

Well, when do you have sex?

When you feel emotionally intimate. When you trust each other and really care about each others wellbeing. When you know that the feelings are not just sexual, and that the sexuality is coming from the emotional intimacy rather than from a sexual addiction. Why not wait until there is a commitment to the relationship and to learning and growing with each other. How often have you slept with a man that you were really attracted to and then had the relationship not work out?

More often than Im willing to admit. This is what keeps happening. So are you saying that I should also go out with men that Im not immediately attracted to?

Yes, if you like them. Often, sexual attraction grows as you really get to know a person. Many of my clients with the best relationships are people who were not immediately attracted to each other. The attraction grew as they fell in love with each other. Others, who were attracted immediately, lost their attraction as they got to know the person.

Many men can have sex and then just move on without any inner turmoil. Yet many women feel connected to a man when they have sex with him and then feel awful when the relationship doesnt work out. It is unloving to yourself to sleep with a man early in the relationship and then run the risk of being dumped because all he wanted was sex.

Another factor is that sex without emotional intimacy is often disappointing for both people. When you have sex too early in a relationship, it might not be emotionally or physically satisfying. When sex is not an expression of love, it often feels empty, and then the guy might decide that you are not the right person for him because there were no fireworks. Yet if you had waited for love to develop, it might have been wonderful. You really have nothing to lose by waiting.

But, replied Megan, I always think that a man wont like me if I dont have sex with him.

Well, if you doesnt like you for not having sex with him, what does this tell you about him

I guess it tells me that he is not good husband material.

Right! So you have nothing to lose by not having sex right away.

Okay, I see that now. I see that what Ive been doing is never going to lead to marriage. Im going to put sex on the back burner and pay more attention to caring and intimacy.

Megan completely changed her pattern with men and within a year she was engaged to be married.

Source: http://murphypost.net/sexual-attraction-addiction-or-intimacy.html

idiocracy deep impact usssa baseball alex o loughlin the godfather cape breton bowling green

How fiscal cliff talks fell apart behind closed doors

The first family arrived in the president's idyllic home state of Hawaii early today to celebrate the holidays, but President Obama, who along with Michelle will pay tribute Sunday to the late Sen. Daniel Inouye at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, could be returning home to Washington sooner than he expected.

That's because the President didn't get his Christmas wish: a deal with Congress on the looming fiscal cliff.

Members of Congress streamed out of the Capitol Friday night with no agreement to avert the fiscal cliff -- a massive package of mandatory tax increases and federal spending cuts triggered if no deal is worked out to cut the deficit. Congress is expected to be back in session by Thursday.

It's unclear when President Obama may return from Hawaii. His limited vacation time will not be without updates on continuing talks. Staff members for both sides are expected to exchange emails and phone calls over the next couple of days.

Meanwhile, Speaker of the House John Boehner is home in Ohio. He recorded the weekly GOP address before leaving Washington, stressing the president's role in the failure to reach an agreement on the cliff.

"What the president has offered so far simply won't do anything to solve our spending problem and begin to address our nation's crippling debt," he said in the recorded address, "The House has done its part to avert this entire fiscal cliff. ... The events of the past week make it clearer than ever that these measures reflect the will of the House."

Fiscal Cliff Negotiations Halted for Christmas Watch Video Cliffhanger: Congress Heads Home after 'Plan B' Vote Pulled from House Floor Watch Video Fiscal Cliff: Boehner Doesn't Have Votes for Plan B Watch Video

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell echoed the sentiment while lamenting the failure to reach a compromise.

"I'm stuck here in Washington trying to prevent my fellow Kentuckians having to shell out more money to Uncle Sam next year," he said.

McConnell is also traveling to Hawaii to attend the Inouye service Sunday.

If the White House and Congress cannot reach a deficit-cutting budget agreement by year's end, by law the across-the-board tax hikes and spending cuts -- the so called fiscal cliff -- will go into effect. Many economists say that will likely send the economy into a new recession.

Reports today shed light on how negotiations fell apart behind closed doors. The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed sources, reported that when Boehner expressed his opposition to tax rate increases, the president allegedly responded, "You are asking me to accept Mitt Romney's tax plan. Why would I do that?"

The icy exchange continued when, in reference to Boehner's offer to secure $800 billion in revenue by limiting deductions, the speaker reportedly implored the president, "What do I get?"

The president's alleged response: "You get nothing. I get that for free."

The account is perhaps the most thorough and hostile released about the series of unsuccessful talks Obama and Boehner have had in an effort to reach an agreement about the cliff.

Unable to agree to a "big deal" on taxes and entitlements, the president is now reportedly hoping to reach a "small deal" with Republicans to avoid the fiscal cliff.

Such a deal would extend unemployment benefits and set the tone for a bigger deal with Republicans down the line.

In his own weekly address, Obama called this smaller deal "an achievable goal ... that can get done in 10 days."

But though there is no definitive way to say one way or the other whether it really is an achievable goal, one thing is for certain: Republican leadership does not agree with the president on this question.

Of reaching an agreement on the fiscal cliff by the deadline, Boehner said, "How we get there, God only knows."

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/fiscal-cliff-talks-gridlocked-president-congress-walk/story?id=18047137

mike the situation jacksonville jaguars jacksonville jaguars benjarvus green ellis shaka smart hungergames bagpipes

How The Micro-hybrid Revolution Will Radically Change The Battery ...

John Petersen

In late October I gave a keynote presentation at Batteries 2012, one of the largest lithium-ion battery conferences in the world. During the conference, I was buttonholed for a couple hours by the chairman's global strategy team for one of the top three lithium-ion battery manufacturers in the world. They started by explaining that their Global 100 company is abandoning the plug-in vehicle market to focus on sensible applications where it can earn a reasonable margin. Then they started drilling down with a series of detailed and probing questions about whether any of the principal lead-acid battery markets might be an attractive opportunity for a company with their size, scale and stature.

While it may strike some of my readers as heresy, I told them that the lead-acid battery sector's biggest vulnerability was in the rapidly evolving micro-hybrid market where industry leaders Johnson Controls (JCI) and Exide Technologies (XIDE) were focusing on the battery products they wanted to sell instead of the battery solutions their customers needed. After all, if legacy industry leaders won't respond to changing customer needs, then it's high time for new leaders that will respond.

The micro-hybrid revolution

Micro-hybrids are the most sensible automotive fuel efficiency technology imaginable. The primary goal of all micro-hybrids is simple: turn the engine off when it's not powering the wheels. Last February, in a report titled ?Every Last Drop: Micro? And Mild Hybrids Drive a Huge Market for Fuel?Efficient Vehicles,? Lux Research segregated micro-hybrids into three broad classes:

• Light Micro-Hybrids, which reduce fuel consumption by about 5%, are typically compact and sub-compact cars that offer limited stop-start functionality and don't have regenerative braking.
  
• Medium Micro-Hybrids, which reduce fuel consumption by about 10%, are sub-compact through full-size cars that offer greater stop-start functionality and may offer limited regenerative braking.
  
• Heavy Micro-Hybrids, which reduce fuel consumption by up to 15%, are usually mid- and full-size cars that offer the highest level of stop-start functionality, take full advantage of regenerative braking and offer a variety of advanced fuel economy innovations like high speed coasting.
  

While micro-hybrids are a new idea to most Americans, over half of new cars sold in Europe already use the technology and the U.S. is certain to follow suit over the next few years as automakers scramble to meet these short-term corporate average fuel economy standards.

	Passenger	Light	Combined
Model Year	Cars	Trucks	Fleet
	(mpg)	(mpg)	(mpg)
2012	33.3	25.4	29.7
2013	34.2	26.0	30.5
2014	34.9	26.6	31.3
2015	36.2	27.5	32.6
2016	37.8	28.8	34.1

This graph from Lux shows how the global micro-hybrid market is expected to evolve over the next five years and grow from about five million units in 2011 to almost forty million units a year by 2017.

On a regional basis, Lux forecasts that:

• The European micro-hybrid market will grow from over 4 million units in 2011 to 12.6 million units by 2017.
• The North American micro-hybrid market will grow from a standstill in 2011 to over 8 million units by 2017.
• The Japanese micro-hybrid market will grow from about 400,000 units in 2011 to over 6 million units by 2017.
• The Chinese micro-hybrid market will grow from under 300,000 units in 2011 to 8.9 million units by 2017.

It will be the fastest technology revolution in automotive history. The reason for the speedy ramp is simple. Micro-hybrid technology won't be a consumer option. Instead it will be standard fuel economy equipment.

The mechanical changes required to implement micro-hybrid technology are simple and cheap. One big challenge is that a micro-hybrid turns its engine off at every stop and turns it back on when the driver takes his foot off the brake. A second and even bigger challenge is that automakers want micro-hybrid systems to be transparent to their customers. The accessories have to keep working when the engine is off and they can't stutter or fade when the engine restarts. It's an immense challenge for the conventional lead-acid batteries we've all come to know and hate.

This graph from BMW shows the typical load on a micro-hybrid battery during an engine off event and the subsequent charge recovery cycle.

The block on the left (in red) represents the engine off period. The accessories draw 575 watts of power for a minute (34,500 watt-seconds) and the starter draws an additional 3,600 watts for one second. The car doesn't start re-charging the battery (in green) until it's done accelerating. Once the battery has recovered, the car draws 80 watts of power for another minute (4,800 watt seconds) before the next engine off event. In total, the duty cycle requires the battery to deliver and recover 42,300 watt seconds of power per cycle. With an average of one engine off event per mile, a micro-hybrid will demand 654,000 watt-seconds from its battery during a 16 mile commute where a conventional car would only need 6,000 watt-seconds.

The bottom line is that micro-hybrids require their batteries to do 100 times the work and if the batteries can't stand the strain, the mechanical systems can't deliver the fuel savings. Micro-hybrid systems that fail quickly because of feeble batteries are nothing more than green-wash. The automakers understand that problem and over the medium- to long-term they can't settle for less. There's always a bit of regulatory rubber when new technologies are being introduced and refined, but once a new technology becomes widespread the regulators get far more demanding.

Legacy manufacturers' initial response

Last week I wrote an exclusive article for Seeking Alpha that explained the differences between the two principal classes of lead acid batteries. It described flooded lead acid batteries as "Lead-acid 1.0" and AGM batteries as "Lead-acid 2.0." It further explained that the various types of enhanced flooded batteries are the equivalent of Lead-acid 1.x while various types of enhanced AGM batteries are the equivalent of Lead-acid 2.x. Since the analogy resonated deeply with many readers who were previously confused about the issue, I've decided to continue using that classification system.

This graph from a presentation at the recent European Lead Battery Conference shows what happens to the dynamic charge acceptance of three different types of AGM batteries over one year of simulated service using the BMW micro-hybrid duty cycle. The basic AGM battery, Lead-acid 2.0, is the blue line on the bottom. An enhanced AGM battery with graphite paste additives, Lead-acid 2.x, is the red line in the middle. A second type of enhanced AGM battery with expanded graphite and activated carbon paste additives, Lead-acid 2.x.y, is the green line.

A brand new AGM battery that can accept a 50 amp charging current will take 72 seconds to recover the energy consumed during an engine off cycle. A one-year-old AGM battery that can only accept a 10 amp charging current will take 430 seconds to recover that energy. A micro-hybrid that can turn the engine off once a minute will always save more fuel than a micro-hybrid that can only turn the engine off once every seven minutes.

This graph is the main reason I told the lithium-ion battery manufacturer that the lead-acid battery industry was vulnerable in the micro-hybrid market. Instead of recognizing and accepting the reality that Lead-acid 1.x and 2.x will never be suitable for micro-hybrids, the industry leaders were stubbornly promoting improved versions of legacy products that can't provide the performance the automakers must have. Since my meeting in October the dynamic has gotten significantly better and if it continues, my concerns over vulnerability will rapidly pass.

Legacy manufacturers' evolving responses

The last two months have been a fascinating time as the two biggest legacy manufacturers started to back away from their earlier insistence that Lead-acid 1.x and 2.x would be ideal solutions for micro-hybrids.

The first legacy manufacturer to soften it's position was Exide Technologies, which announced a strategic alliance with Maxwell Technologies (MXWL) in mid-November. The two companies plan to jointly develop and market integrated battery-ultracapacitor solutions for a wide array of transportation and industrial applications. While the details remain sketchy, it appears that the Maxwell-Exide alliance will offer a micro-hybrid solution that's similar to a system launched by Maxwell and Continental AG in the fall of 2010. That system pairs an AGM battery from Continental with a 2,400 Farad ultracapacitor module from Maxwell. The combination is reportedly very good at avoiding voltage sags and accessory fade when the engine restarts, but it can't address the biggest energy drain in a micro-hybrid; the 60-seconds of accessory use during an engine off interval. Since the Maxwell-Continental system only addresses the engine restart loads, the problems with rapidly declining dynamic charge acceptance in the AGM battery remain and so do the performance deterioration issues.

The second legacy manufacturer to significantly change its position was Johnson Controls which surprised many during last week's "Strategic Review and 2013 Outlook Analyst Presentation." In that presentation the president of JCI's Power Solutions unit came right out and said that Lead-acid 1.x and 2.x were not adequate solutions for heavy micro-hybrids. He then went on to explain that JCI was planning to launch an integrated lead-acid and lithium-ion battery solution that would use a 12-volt lead-acid battery for the engine start load and a 42-volt lithium-ion battery for the accessory loads. Curiously, JCI continues to claim that Lead-acid 1.x and 2.x will be ideal solutions for light and medium micro-hybrids even though those vehicles just have a milder case of the battery problems that plague heavy micro-hybrids. I expect that position to evolve into something more reasonable over the next couple years.

The emergence of Lead-acid 3.0

Over the last decade immense progress has been made in the development of an entirely new class of lead-acid battery that integrates components from conventional lead-acid batteries and supercapacitors into an entirely new class of device. These asymmetric lead-carbon capacitors, Lead-acid 3.0, use normal pasted lead-grids for their positive electrodes and sophisticated carbon electrode assemblies for their negative electrodes. One of these devices, the PbC battery from Axion Power International (AXPW.OB) has proven to be a very promising solution for the power demands of micro-hybrids. This graph from Axion's recent presentation at the European Lead Battery Conference shows why.

While a top-quality AGM battery starts out with the ability to accept a 50 amp charging current but rapidly fades over the first year of service, the PbC is able to accept a 100 amp charging current for almost five years without degradation and its charge acceptance doesn't fall into the 50 amp range for almost nine years. The PbC recently completed a three-year performance-testing regime at BMW, which has reportedly sent its results to a third-party for an independent peer review. The next logical step in the process will be fleet testing prior to a production decision. When BMW conducted fleet testing of AGM batteries for micro-hybrids in 2007, the work took six months. While testing of the PbC may take more time, it shouldn't take much longer because there's very little an OEM can learn in a car that it hasn't already learned in the laboratory.

Three years ago the PbC was a promising dark horse contender in the battle for position in the micro-hybrid battery space, but it hadn't proven its mettle in performance and validation testing by automakers. Today the principal validation and testing work has been completed and while there's a chance that fleet testing will reveal issues that weren't discovered in the testing laboratories, that possibility is remote. My inner optimist wants to believe fleet testing can be completed in time for a 2014 model year design win next September. My inner pragmatist thinks a design win for the 2015 model year is more likely.

The next likely steps

The recent actions of Exide and JCI evidence a dawning realization that the micro-hybrid revolution will require more robust and more costly energy storage systems than automakers are used to buying. In JCI's strategic review Mr. Molinaroli spent a good deal of time discussing the economic constraints on battery manufacturers. He said that while consumers were willing to accept a three-year payback on fuel economy systems, they weren't willing to pay more. That suggests that automakers will strive to reach the following price targets for the battery systems in the three classes of micro-hybrids assuming fuel savings of 5%, 10% and 15%, and gasoline prices of $3.50 and $4.00 a gallon.

Vehicle Class	Savings	$3.50 Gas	$4.00 gas
Light Micro-hybrid	5%	$210	$240
Medium Micro-hybrid	10%	$420	$480
Heavy Micro-hybrid	10%	$630	$720

These are challenging price points, particularly when you get into systems that integrate two different types of energy storage devices and have to design sophisticated control electronics to accommodate the differences.

In all probability, Lead-acid 1.x and 2.x will be the only viable solutions for light-micro hybrids because the price targets are so low. The most likely solution will be dual battery system that uses a flooded battery for the engine start loads and an AGM battery for the accessory loads. The probability that a single battery system will survive over the long term is remote.

The medium micro-hybrid space presents a significant challenge for both the automakers and the battery industry. The dual battery systems that are likely to dominate the light micro-hybrid space won't be adequate for the heavier demands of medium micro-hybrids. In particular, the rapidly declining charge acceptance of Lead-acid 1.x and 2.x will preclude extensive use of regenerative braking which depends on the battery's ability to rapidly accept a regenerative charge during a short braking interval. While the capabilities of integrated battery-ultracapacitor systems are better than dual battery systems alone, the medium micro-hybrid niche is a natural target for the PbC once it finishes the performance and validation testing process.

The heavy micro-hybrid space is shaping up as a real battleground between the dual battery chemistry systems proposed by JCI and Axion's PbC. Lithium-ion batteries do have the charge acceptance characteristics required for large accessory loads and aggressive regenerative braking but they're expensive and very complex, particularly when you get into higher voltage automotive systems that require significant changes to a large number of established control and accessory systems. In the heavy micro-hybrid market, I believe the PbC will enjoy a significant cost advantage.

Who benefits and when?

I love talking about the intricacies of battery technologies but understand full well that the primary question in the minds of investors is "who benefits and when?" The short sweet answer is every company in the sector.

Automakers are building micro-hybrids today and they want to build more aggressive micro-hybrids next year and the year after that. The only battery manufacturers who have the near-term ability to satisfy the automakers needs for better energy storage systems are the legacy leaders JCI and Exide. Both of these companies can expect significant increases in their per vehicle revenues and margins over the next few years. The rapid revenue and margin gains already baked into the business cake but they're not yet reflected in the stock prices. No matter how the micro-hybrid battery market develops, these legacy leaders will remain leaders for years to come.

Another near-term beneficiary is Maxwell which should see its ultracapacitor sales ramp rapidly as automakers strive to minimize voltage sags and accessory fade during engine restart cycles. The integrated AGM battery and ultracapacitor combination is not an ideal long-term solution to the dynamic charge acceptance problems that plague Lead-acid 1.x and 2.x, but it is a very good solution for automakers that want their micro-hybrid systems to remain transparent to drivers.

In the medium- to long-term, I believe Axion's PbC presents the greatest upside potential and the greatest risk. OEM testing has proven that the PbC offers extraordinary performance in the micro-hybrid duty cycle. While the test results have been great, the critical steps of fleet testing and contract negotiation haven't started yet, so the PbC is still a year or two away from a formal design win. First generation PbC batteries are relatively expensive, but the materials used in a PbC battery are no? more costly than the materials used in a conventional AGM battery. As Axion increases production from start-up volumes to credible commercial quantities, its opportunities for economies of scale and experience curve effects are tremendous. Over the longer term Axion wants to become a component supplier to the legacy leaders, rather than a competitor. While it will have to overcome a good deal of "not invented here" thinking, if the automakers demand the PbC's performance, their battery suppliers will have no choice.

While pharmaceutical and biotech investors understand the importance of R&D stage companies that are advancing from Phase II clinical testing to Phase III efficacy trials, unique new battery technologies are rare enough that the market hasn't come to grips with the striking differences between where the PbC technology was in 2009 and where it is today. The last three years have been a PR drought because there isn't much to talk about while the tests are being conducted. That dynamic will change significantly over the next year as first tier OEMs and battery users in automotive, railroad, heavy trucking and stationary applications launch a series of large scale demonstration projects as a prelude to commercialization.

Disclosure: Author is a former director of Axion Power International (AXPW.OB) and holds a substantial long position in its common stock.

Source: http://www.altenergystocks.com/archives/2012/12/how_the_microhybrid_revolution_will_radically_change_the_battery_market_1.html

pearl harbor Jacintha Saldanha Grammy nominations 2013 Butch Jones thursday night football japan earthquake nhl