Suites In Downtown New Orleans - The One Thing The iPad Needs More Than Anything Else

Source      - http://www.forbes.com/
By             - Tony Bradley
Category   - Suites In Downtown New Orleans
Posted By - Homewood Suites New Orleans

Suites In Downtown New Orleans

We’re mere weeks away now from the media event where Apple AAPL +0.16% is expected to unveil the next iteration of its iPhone smartphone and iPad tablet. Unfortunately, I can already predict with a fair amount of certainty that the iPad will still be missing the one thing it needs more than anything else: user profiles.

The reason I’m confident we won’t see user profiles introduced for the iPad is that the Apple event will only be about revealing the new hardware. Apple users will ostensibly have access to the new software—iOS 7—very soon as well, but it was already trotted out on stage at Apple’s WWDC event in early summer and there was no mention of user profiles.

Apple promises a wide variety of features and benefits with iOS 7. Just as Windows 8 was the most dramatic overhaul of the Windows OS, iOS 7 represents a significant departure from the look and feel of previous iOS releases. It has a more simplistic, flat design for the icons, while adding in frivolous graphic elements and animations that don’t add anything to the user experience.

One thing it doesn’t have, though—unless Apple has slyly added it during beta testing of iOS 7—is separate user profiles. Do you know what platform has separate logins for different user profiles? Android.

On a smartphone, it doesn’t matter. A smartphone is a much more personal device. However, the tablet is at a stage similar to the early days of PCs. It’s a popular device that families and businesses want, but it’s too expensive or impractical to buy one for each individual. For many families and businesses, that would be an exorbitant, wasteful expense when one tablet can just be shared among users.

I have no qualms letting my kids use my iPad in and of itself. They know how to navigate and use the device (it’s iOS—who doesn’t?), and I trust them not to damage it physically. The problem is that I don’t want my kids to have access to my email. I don’t want them to see potentially inappropriate messages from iMessage or social networks.

With the iPad and iOS, I have to choose between making it functional and valuable for me—with my email, calendar, social networks, etc., or configuring it to be shared by not setting those things up. I choose the former, because having the entire device tailored to me is what makes it awesome.

Someone, somewhere may feel it’s a good strategy to not include user profiles as a feature because it will force users to buy additional iPads and increase sales. That may be true in very limited circumstances, but for the most part that logic fails. What it means is that families and businesses that need multiple users to share a tablet will consider getting something like a Google GOOG +0.82% Nexus 10, which includes the ability to configure multiple user profiles for $100 less than its iPad-equivalent.

The flip-side to the failed logic that a lack of user profiles may increase iPad sales, is that adding user profiles would likely result in increased sales of higher-end iPads. An individual can get by just fine with a 16GB or 32GB model, but if the tablet is going to be shared, it makes sense to invest the additional money to purchase a 64GB or 128GB model.

Oh well. There’s always next year. Maybe iOS 8 will include user profiles.

Trip To New Orleans - When Good Foods Make You Feel Bad

Source     - http://news.yahoo.com/
By            - Tamara Duker Freuman
Category   - Trip To New Orleans
Posted By - Homewood Suites New Orleans

Trip To New Orleans

While I recognize that Michael Phelps fueled many an Olympic Gold Medal with his McDonald's-based diet, he appears a notable exception to the general rule that people feel their best and most energetic when eating healthy foods. But when you've got digestive woes - like acid reflux, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) like Crohn's or ulcerative colitis - sometimes it's the healthiest food that can make you feel the most miserable.

As a dietitian in a gastroenterology practice, I commonly find myself in the unexpected position of steering patients away from eating certain healthy foods like salad, fruit or whole grains for reasons of digestive tolerance.

Inevitably, my patients respond with the same incredulity: "But all this time I thought I was being so healthy!" To which I explain that healthfulness and digestive tolerance are two completely separate issues. Just because a food is nutritious and health-promoting doesn't mean everyone can eat it comfortably.

When you have a digestive disease or disorder, the goal should be to consume the healthiest diet that also agrees with you.

If you suspect certain healthy foods may be making you feel worse, read on to see some of the more common healthy food intolerances I encounter and some nutritious workarounds.

1. Raw salads and acid reflux: You've been diagnosed with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and your doctor told you that losing weight would help improve your symptoms. So you replaced those burger lunches with salads. Strangely, you now feel incredibly bloated within an hour of eating; or perhaps you're waking with a sore, scratchy throat the morning after a salad dinner - evidence of overnight acid reflux. Sound familiar? You're not alone. I've noticed that large portions of raw veggies can really do a number on my patients with reflux.

To see whether salads are indeed a problem, I advise my patients to avoid them for a week. (For weight loss, we replace salads with cooked veggies, lean proteins and small portions of cooked grains or beans instead.) If symptoms disappear with the salads, we've identified the culprit. Et tu, Romaine?

Even when entrée-sized portions of roughage are problematic, however, some patients find they can tolerate smaller portions of softer raw vegetables. Texture-modified salads - like avocado, beet and finely-shredded carrots, for example - are often a gentler way to keep that salad course on the menu.

Similarly, having appetizer-sized portions of soft, baby greens with some thinly-sliced vegetables as a palate cleanser toward the end of a meal - much like the French do - is another way my reflux patients have improved their salad tolerance. In many cases, we find some way for raw veggies to comfortably coexist with the stomach ... though usually not as the focal point of the meal.

2. High-fructose fruits and IBS: About 30 percent of Caucasians have dietary fructose intolerance, or an impaired capacity to absorb free fructose sugar molecules in the small intestine. Studies have suggested the prevalence is even higher among people with IBS.

Research has implicated fructose intolerance as a prime culprit behind the abdominal pain, bloating and diarrhea experienced in some people with IBS; a recent study has further raised the possibly that fructose can trigger symptoms even in IBS patients who don't have trouble digesting fructose!

When people with fructose intolerance consume fructose-rich foods, the unabsorbed sugar makes its way to the colon, attracting large amounts of water by osmosis and providing a fermentable treat to the resident bacteria. The result? Diarrhea, bloating and gas, generally about 6 to 8 hours after eating the fructose load.

When my patients with IBS regularly consume nutritious but fructose-rich fruits like mango, apple, pear, watermelon, grapes, cherries, dried fruit or fruit juices, my radar goes off. If a breath test confirms the diagnosis of fructose intolerance, I advise them to say goodbye to some of these vitamin-rich fructose bombs for good ... or suffer the unpleasant consequences. (Some veggies that contain chains of fructose molecules called fructans - like artichokes, asparagus and jicama - are also likely to be problematic.)

Fortunately, even when fructose isn't your friend, there are plenty of other nutritious fruits in whose flesh you can seek solace - like berries, bananas, cantaloupe, honeydew, oranges, pineapple and grapefruit.

3. Whole grains and IBD: My patients with inflammatory conditions like Crohn's and ulcerative colitis often request an "anti-inflammatory" diet to help control their disease and prevent future flares. Specifically, they want to avoid the much-maligned inflammatory staples of the Western diet - refined grains and animal proteins - and eat more whole grains, veggies and nuts.

Unfortunately, the more undigested residue that passes through an already-inflamed bowel and gut, the more severe one's IBD symptoms - like abdominal pain and diarrhea - are likely to be. The foods most likely to contribute to that residue are ones high in fiber - or, whole grains, veggies and nuts. And the ones least likely to do so are refined grains and low-fat animal proteins, since they are quickly and easily assimilated in the early segments of the small intestine.

In severe or chronic cases of Crohn's Disease where there is also stricturing - or a narrowing of the intestinal passageways - certain high-fiber foods may increase the risk of an obstruction.

Appreciating my patients' desire to use diet therapeutically, I often encourage them to think of adopting two distinct dietary patterns: one for digestive tolerance during a flare and another to promote an anti-inflammatory milieu in the body once remission has been medically achieved. When the going gets tough, temporarily choosing low-fiber "white carbs" like sourdough bread, farina, white rice, potatoes and crackers is appropriate to help manage symptoms. As a flare subsides, a transition toward whole grains can gradually begin as tolerated and continue throughout periods of remission.

Hotel Near Sports Venues - Easy Makeup Tricks To Make You Look Younger

Source       - http://news.health.com/
By             - Stephanie Nolasco
Category    - Hotel Near Sports Venues
Posted By  - Homewood Suites New Orleans

Hotel Near Sports Venues

MAC Cosmetics is scheduled to release a new collection that pays tribute to fashion illustrator Antonio Lopez on September 12th, but there’s one thing in particular about the launch that stopped us in our tracks:

His ageless muses.

Iconic models Jerry Hall, Pat Cleveland, and Marisa Berenson are featured in the campaign and just as their careers have lasted for decades, these ladies have also managed to defy the laws of aging. Sure, great genes are involved, but a few runway makeup tricks can also help turn back the hands of time.

Want to learn how to eliminate wrinkles and dark spots with just a simple swipe of a brush or a dab of makeup? We asked several celebrity makeup artists for their expert tips on how to make your features appear more youthful.

Avoid Powder

“Powders tend to settle into lines and wrinkles, making them look worse,” says television host and lifestyle expert Rebekah George. “Creamy formulas help moisturize and plump up lines.” To stop shine during the day, use blotting papers instead.

Illuminate

Television makeup artist Joy Nichelle Randall, whose work has appeared on David Letterman and MTV, says mature women who want to look their most glamorous should skip eyeshadows and blushes featuring shimmer and glitter. “Lean to matte textures,” she explains. Randall also recommends foundations with light diffusers. “They put the oomph back into the skin that can fade over time.” Look for products featuring the words “mineral” and “illuminating for best results. For recommendations, Randall says to consider Touche Eclat by Yves Saint Laurent or MAC’s Mineralize Skinfinish.

Blush

“Use a cream blush to make cheeks look more hydrated and lifted,” says Denver-based makeup artist Kate McCarthy. “Creams have a more dewy finish, which will reflect light, making skin look brighter.” Make sure to blend well on the apples of your cheeks to avoid streaks. Laura Mercier’s Creme Cheek Color promises to deliver a “soft, velvety finish.”

Highlight

When it comes to applying foundation, there are specific areas of your face you should be highlighting to minimize the appearance of wrinkles and dullness that comes with age. “Use a silicone-based foundation and apply it to the center of the face if you are lighter-to-medium skin toned,” says makeup artist Amanda Shackleton. “This is generally the area where you need more coverage. Don’t cover the entire face. Too much foundation will age you and weigh your skin down.” If your skin tone is medium or deep, Shackleton says you may need to put foundation along the outer areas of the face, as well as around the mouth to smoothen out any discoloration.

Plump Up Your Pout

Emmy Award-winning makeup artist Vanessa Elese says as you get older, lips can lose some of their fullness, but fortunately, there’s a pain-free way to enhance their shape. First, it’s important to make sure your lips are exfoliated and moisturized to keep them hydrated and smooth. “You can use an at-home exfoliant using brown sugar and honey to lightly slough off dead skin, refresh with moisture, and enliven your natural lip tone,” she explains. When applying lipstick, make sure you frame the lips with a nude-toned pencil. “Outline the outside corners (of your lips) and create a nice definition for a balanced pout,” says Elese. “Conceal the corners of your mouth where redness can creep up. This also helps to softly create a frame around your lips.” Finish your look with a dewy rose lipstick, which can give the appearance of a plumper pout.

Prime

Primers may be best known for keeping makeup in place, but according to Randall, they offer other significant benefits worth noting. “They fill in lines, diffuse large pores, and smooth the skin,” she states. Randall recommends MAC Prep + Prime SPF 50, which is both a primer and a sunscreen. Not only does it control shine, but it also protects your face from damaging sun rays that can cause premature aging.

Line Eyes Properly

Nothing makes eyes pop like a swipe of eyeliner, but it’s important to take it easy with the application. All that tugging and pulling from the pencil can cause unwanted fine lines around the eyes. Keep it simple and gently apply.

Conceal

Spent the night tossing and turning? Shackleton advises hiding dark circles with a peach-based concealer applied near the duct area of the undereye. “Less is more for concealer,” She says. “Always use a minimal amount. Nothing looks worse than thick concealer enhancing crow’s feet and lines around the eye.”

Family Friendly Attractions New Orleans - Will the New “Cheap iPhone” Not be Cheap?

Source          - http://www.cnbc.com/
By                -  Steve Heller, Eric Bleeker, CFA, and Jamal Carnette
Category       - Family Friendly Attractions New Orleans
Posted By     - Homewood Suites New Orleans

 

Family Friendly Attractions New Orleans

"cheap" iPhone might not be that cheap. 

According to KGI analyst Mingchi Kuo, he expects that the so-called iPhone 5C will carry an unsubsidized price tag between $400 and $500. Given Kuo's track record of making the right calls about Apple's future product announcements, there could be a lot of weight behind this call.

In the following video, Fool contributor Steve Heller sits down with tech and telecom analysts Eric Bleeker and Jamal Carnette to discuss to the call and the implications on Apple's long-term business if the alleged cheap iPhone isn't actually that cheap after all.

In order for Apple's stock to soar, a few critical things need to fall into place. In The Motley Fool's special free report, "5 Secrets to Apple's Future" we outline the key factors every Apple investor needs to watch.s

Why our CEO sold all of his stocks...
18 months ago, Motley Fool co-founder and CEO Tom Gardner sold every last stock he owned so he could go "all in" on the "Everlasting Portfolio" he was constructing for members of his unprecedented new wealth-building service, Motley Fool ONE.

To date, this portfolio is up 49.3% whereas a "white-hot" S&P 500 is only up 29.6%. On Sept. 19, Tom will re-open Motley Fool ONE to a select few new members for only the second time ever. In the meantime, you can get the full story on 3 top holdings he’s considering "doubling down" on for his next round of stock purchases on Oct. 1 and claim a bundle of other valuable gifts absolutely free of charge by simply entering your e-mail address below.

The End of the "Made-In-China" Era

The 21st century industrial revolution has already begun. Business Insider calls it "the next trillion dollar industry". A new investment video reveals the impossible (but real) technology that could make you impossibly rich.

New Orleans Extended Stay Hotel - Addicted To Facebook? Try Shock Therapy

Source         - http://guardianlv.com/
By               -  Angelina Bouc
Category      - New Orleans Extended Stay Hotel
Posted By    - Homewood Suites New Orleans

New Orleans Extended Stay Hotel

Two PhD candidates were tired of being addicted to Facebook. They are after all, extremely busy with studying and need less interruptions and more focus. These two scholarly-aimed students decided to create an end to their Facebook distraction. Robert R. Morris and Dan McDuff put their collectively intelligent minds together, and devised a novel way to stop wandering minds and mouse clicks. The video at the end of this article, shows how the Pavlov Poke works. It is an accessory for the keyboard, where a user’s wrist rests upon it. Script is inputted for specific sites, say like Facebook; once the user has moved over to that site for a specific amount of time, the system releases a shock to jolt the user back to their studying habits.

On the site created by the budding genius minds, they provide a breakdown of information they used to create the Pavlov Poke. The dynamic dual states the components are simple enough to gather and create:

• Morris and McDuff opted for a Mac UI Inspector device to monitor the computer usage.
• A processing code is needed to connect the troublesome site that distracts the wandering mind of many. The code would become activated once the site is visited often or too long.
• A shock circuit is needed, the PhD candidates refer to purchasing an Arduino, if homemade circuit boards are not possible. The tool connects via USB to any home computer or laptop.
• Electrodes are also connected on the keypad, to deliver that stunning “I better get back to studying!” shock.

While the two scholars state the device was created in jest, further yet is a truth behind it. PhD candidates spend dozens of hours weekly researching, reading and participating in experiential learning techniques. Both McDuff and Morris admitted to spending over 50 hours a week on Facebook, a testament that is both eye-opening and not surprising. Nearly 50 percent of Facebook users check Facebook upon waking up, prior to brushing their teeth or even leaving their bed. It seems this shock therapy may be a good idea, after all.

Over 1 billion users access Facebook, this is approximately over 8 billion logged hours into the social media giant. The social media circle grows, connections for personal use and business use. Large corporations have joined the Like kingdom, by offering specials and discounts, if consumers like their page. Relationships are created and ruined by Facebook, crime snapped, reported and caught on Facebook. It is a social life of connections and gatherings. While Morris and McDuff claim a fun way to train their mind, further yet is a true connection to a tool like this.

If students, employees, parents and etc. actually stepped away from Facebook more often, what other items on the list can finally be checked off? Certainly, the students may had created the Pavlov Poke in good fun, but shock therapy for the addicted social media mind, may be a key for millions of people. No word yet if the dual plan on streamlining the device. For now, they have stopped using it, but stated it actually did work to trim down their Facebook use. Of course, it is not recommended for anyone to try this method unattended or untrained. Even Morris stated the environment for release should be controlled prior to trying out the method. For now, it is a great contemplation tool for future creators.

Attractions In New Orleans - How Will a Cheaper iPhone 5C Affect Pricing For Older iPhones?

Source       - http://news.cnet.com/
By              - Marguerite Reardon
Category    - Attractions In New Orleans
Posted By  - Homewood Suites New Orleans

Attractions In New Orleans

As rumors heat up that Apple will likely introduce not one, but two new iPhones in September, consumers wonder what it means for the company's traditional product discounting conventions.

While Apple has generally kept tight-lipped about the launch of its new iPhones, there are a few things that most Apple fans have been able to count on each year. One is that the company will introduce one new smartphone a year. And the second is that last year's model will sell at a $100 discount and its 2-year-old version will be $200 less expensive than the new one -- or it will be free with a two-year carrier contract. 

But with the rumor that Apple will be introducing a high-end flagship iPhone, called the iPhone 5S, along with a lower-cost option called the iPhone 5C, consumers aren't sure what to expect. Apple as usual has been mum. In this edition of Ask Maggie, I offer some advice to a wireless consumer wondering if he should buy the iPhone 4S now or wait. I also answer another reader's question about buying insurance for her son's new iPhone.

Will the iPhone 5C replace the iPhone 4S?

Dear Maggie,

My wife is wanting to get an iPhone 4s, and up until recently we were going to wait until the announcement for the next iPhone. In previous announcements, the latest device retails at $199, the prior year model (in this case would be iPhone 5) would be priced at $99, and the two-year prior would retail at $0. Of course, I'm referring to the two-year contract prices.

My wife wants the iPhone 4S, mainly because we don't want to replace all of our accessories with the new connector that is on the iPhone 5 and will likely be on the new devices. Recently, there has been a rumor that a low-cost iPhone, the iPhone 5C, will be introduced along with a new high-end iPhone. I've heard that the iPhone 5C will replace the iPhone 4S, and that one would not be able to buy a 4S upon release of the new devices. Does this rumor hold any water? Should we eat the $99 that it costs right now to get the device that she wants?
Thanks,

Alex

Dear Alex,
As with any iPhone rumor, I have to be clear that at this point, there is far more speculation out there than factual information about what Apple will or will not announce in September.

That said, when the rumors reach their current intensity, it is more likely than not that at least some of the things you've heard are true. For instance, it's pretty clear at this point that Apple will hold an event in California on September 10. And it's also pretty clear that the company is preparing to launch not one but two new devices in September. One is a high-end smartphone, using top-of-the-line components dubbed the iPhone 5S. And the other is a less-expensive model you mentioned in your question called the iPhone 5C. 

Beyond the actual existence of this "second" device, it's hard to say exactly how the new phone will be sold and what Apple will do about its older models. I have speculated in the past that the low-cost model of the new iPhone may not be available in the US market. Instead, I predicted that the device would be available only to consumers in developing markets, such as China, much like other phone manufacturers have done with other low-cost devices. A few of my CNET colleagues and analysts, who follow Apple, have made similar predictions about this possible strategy.

But others, such as CNET's own Apple expert Josh Lowensohn, think limiting the iPhone 5C to developing markets veers too far from Apple's traditional product playbook. 

"Apple doesn't do specific devices for specific regions," Josh told me. "They do something that's mass market, and as mass market as possible. A cheaper, plastic, colorful iPhone addresses a ton of consumers here."

Extended Stay In New Orleans - Bad Teeth, Gum Disease Tied To Risk Of Cancer-Causing Infection

Source         - http://www.businessweek.com/
By                - Nicole Ostrow
Category     - Extended Stay In New Orleans
Posted By    - Homewood Suites New Orleans

Extended Stay In New Orleans

Gum disease and other dental ailments boost the risk of becoming infected with oral human papillomavirus, a sexually transmitted virus that causes 40 to 80 percent of all throat cancers, according to the first study to find such a link. 

Those who said they had poor oral health had a 56 percent higher rate of oral HPV infection than those who reported good to excellent oral health, researchers wrote in a study published today by Cancer Prevention Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. 

Oral HPV infection is similar to genital HPV infection in that there are low and high-risk variations. Low-risk oral HPV can spur non-cancerous tumors or warts in the mouth and throat while high risk may lead to cancers of the mouth and throat, the researchers said. Today’s study is the first to show a link between poor oral health and oral HPV infection, said Christine Markham, the study author. 

“This is just another really good reason to take good care of your teeth and your mouth,” said Markham, an associate professor of health promotion and behavioral science at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in Houston, in an Aug. 19 telephone interview. “Our findings show that even when you control for known risk factors for oral HPV infections such as smoking and oral sex behaviors, poor oral health is an independent risk factor for oral HPV infection.”

Disease Path

Markham said poor oral health such as sores in the mouth or throat or inflamed gums may act as a portal allowing the HPV entry into the body, while those with good oral health don’t have those portals so even exposure to HPV doesn’t trigger an infection. 

More research is needed to better understand the connection between bad oral hygiene and HPV infection, she said. 

Most people with HPV infections of the throat and mouth have no symptoms and only “a very small percentage” develop into cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. There is currently no U.S. approved test for oral HPV infection. 

Merck & Co. (MRK:US)’s vaccine Gardasil prevents cervical cancer caused by the sexually transmitted virus in girls and boys. GlaxoSmithKline Plc (GSK) also sells an HPV vaccine. Neither is approved to prevent oral cancers. The virus infects 4 of 5 sexually active people at some point in their lives and is known to cause cervical, vulvar, vaginal, penile and anal cancer. 

About 10 percent of men are orally infected with HPV, compared with 3.6 percent of women, according to a 2012 study.

Self Reports

Today’s study looked at 3,439 people ages 30 to 69 years old who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The survey asked them to rate their oral health, whether they had gum disease, if they used mouthwash in the past several days to treat dental issues and how many teeth they had lost. 

The researchers found that men, smokers, those who used marijuana and those who had multiple oral sex partners had a higher chance of oral HPV infections. Poor oral health also was independently linked to oral HPV infection. 

The study found that those who had gum disease had a 51 percent higher rate of oral HPV than those without gum disease and those who had dental issues had a 28 percent higher prevalence. 

This year about 36,000 people will get cancers of the mouth and throat and about 6,850 will die from the disease, according to the American Cancer Society.

Suites In New Orleans - Pregnant? It's OK To Have A Glass Of Wine

Source           - http://www.kplu.org/
By                  - Press Release
Category       - Suites In New Orleans
Posted By      - Homewood Suites New Orleans

Suites In New Orleans

In her new book Expecting Better, economist and new mom Emily Oster parses the evidence behind all the recommendations given to pregnant women. She argues that, as an economist, she's trained to both examine evidence and think about trade-offs.

Oster is the guest on today's show, which we'll post shortly. In the meantime, here are a few of her findings in the book: 

On Alcohol

There is no question that very heavy drinking during pregnancy is bad for your baby. ... However, this does not directly imply that light or occasional drinking is a problem. ... The bottom line is that the evidence overwhelmingly shows that light drinking is fine. In fact, there is virtually no evidence that drinking a glass of wine a day has negative impacts on pregnancy or child outcomes.

On Weight Gain

The evidence was strong enough to convince me that weight gain does matter in the sense that it impacts the baby's size in particular. But that wasn't quite the same as convincing me that the weekly haranguing [at the doctor's office] was appropriate. How should I think about the downside to gaining too much weight? How should I trade that off against the fact that, let's face it, I was hungry and I like cookies.

The one overwhelming thing I took away from this was that it doesn't matter very much. Gaining a few pounds, even 10 or 15, over the weight limit is not very important. Even in studies that do find some risks to too much weight gain, these effects are small and don't kick in for women who gain, say, 37 pounds. At one visit I was informed that if I continued my current rate of gaining, I would be at 36 pounds, and the limit was 35, so I should try to cut down. Nothing — not evidence and not basic logic — supports this.

On Caffeine

I ultimately concluded that the weight of the evidence didn't support limiting my consumption very much. I decided the 3 to 4 cups a day I was having was fine. It's possible you will read this evidence and decide that you would like to stay under 2 cups. There's no reason to have less than that if you feel up to it.

Suites Near New Orleans Sports Venues - 10 Best Smartphone Apps For Students

Source          - http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/
By                 - Grant Brunner
Category      - Suites Near New Orleans Sports Venues
Posted By     - Homewood Suites New Orleans

Suites Near New Orleans Sports Venues

When you head into high school, your life really starts getting busy, and your schedule will only continue to fill out. Thankfully, there are countless apps to help keep your school work, social life, and schedule under control. Here are ten of the best iOS apps that every high school student needs to download.

Atomic Web Browser

With Atomic, you can save whole web pages for offline viewing, download files, and use gestures to navigate quickly for just $1.99. If you’re frequently without WiFi or cell signal, keeping a handful of important reference pages stored on your device can totally save the day when it comes time to study.

Evernote

Taking notes has never been easier. With Evernote, you can save text, images, and even audio in the app, and have it automatically sync to the web, your desktop, and other devices. The app and basic service are both free, and the extensive premium features on offer are only $5 per month.

Facebook Messenger

Keeping in touch with your friends is simple thanks to Facebook Messenger. This free app allows you to send text, audio, and photos with friends. Regardless of what device your friends have, Facebook chat works with everything, and doesn’t require an expensive texting plan.

Find My Friends

Want to keep track of where your friends and family are? It’s easy with Apple’s free Find My Friends app. Just send requests to your buddies, and then you can easily locate each other on a map. This is an especially useful tool when you’re waiting to be picked up by your parents, or when you’re waiting for a friend at the library.

iHeartRadio

Need some fresh tunes in the background as you study? Try out iHeartRadio. This free streaming app allows you to stream your favorite radio stations, and even customize your own station. With iHeartRadio on your iOS device, you never have to buy music again.

iTunes U

If you’re preparing yourself for college, your first step is trying out free college courses. With Apple’s iTunes U, you can watch lectures from universities all over the world, and get a high quality education without ever spending a dime. It would be a huge waste not to take advantage of this service.

Kindle

Keep your entire library with you all the time. Amazon’s free Kindle app gives you access to thousands of e-books ranging from novels to instructional manuals to full-fledged textbooks. No need to haul around a heavy book bag now that all of your books fit on a lightweight tablet or smartphone.

Pages

With this $9.99 word processor from Apple, you can write and edit your homework wherever you go. More importantly, your work will automatically sync via iCloud to your Mac and the Pages beta available on iCloud.com. No need to wait to get your work done. You could be done writing before you even get off the bus.

RunKeeper

High School is stressful, and your schedule will only get busier when you graduate. It’s important to stay fit now, so you’ll have less health problems to deal with when you go to college or start working. With RunTracker, you can easily monitor your exercise, and make small changes now that will pay off big time down the road.

Wolfram Alpha

What’s the square root of Pi? What’s the popularity of your surname in the United States? What is the melting point of steel? You can easily find the answers to your most burning questions with this wonderful $2.99 app from the folks at Wolfram Alpha. Research and analyze facts from every aspect of the world, and never stop learning.

Aquariums In New Orleans - When The ‘cure’ Doesn’t End The Pain

Source          - http://www.bostonglobe.com/
By                 - Beth Daley
Category      - Aquariums In New Orleans
Posted By     - Homewood Suites New Orleans


 

Aquariums In New Orleans

Brandi Dean wanted to slink home. Her husband had rushed her to a Boston emergency room for severe vertigo, confusion, and a bizarre weakness on her right side, but neurological and other tests had yielded nothing. Maybe, a doctor suggested gently, it was a panic attack.

“I was so embarrassed,” said the soft-spoken Dean, who left Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center wondering whether the stresses of being a mother of two young sons had caused her to become so sick. She was still reeling from the experience a week later when her phone rang. One of her lab tests had come back positive — for Lyme disease.

Doctors put the 36-year-old South End woman on three weeks of antibiotics and Dean immediately began to feel well. But when the medication ended, so did her better health. Abruptly, Dean was catapulted into one of the most contentious debates in medicine today: Why do up to 25 percent of people treated for Lyme disease report lingering symptoms, lasting from days to years?

“This is a huge question,” said C. Ben Beard, chief of the Bacterial Diseases Branch of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “We really need to understand what is going on.”

Many Lyme sufferers and activists, and some doctors are convinced that the bacteria that cause the disease can, especially if not caught early, evade antibiotics and the body’s immune system by burrowing into joints, the nervous system, and other tissue to wreak sustained havoc.

Most infectious disease specialists, however, say there is a lack of convincing evidence for this persistent infection and that a month or less of antibiotics usually knocks the disease from the body. They suggest other causes: another illness or reinfection through a second tick bite. Or patients may have a syndrome triggered by Lyme that causes long-term fatigue or pain.

Underlying the emotional impasse is this simple fact: Lyme bacteria have rarely been found in patients after a cycle of antibiotics. Lyme tests look not for the bacteria but for antibodies, which the immune system makes to attack the microbe. Now researchers are looking more intensely for the bacterium itself in people, hoping to resolve whether the organism, or some remnant of it, makes some people sick.

No one disputes that many people remain ill after they should have been free of symptoms. A conservative estimate suggests there could be more than 5,000 people in Massachusetts alone experiencing these lingering problems each year.

That number includes only people who get positive or probable test results using CDC diagnostic criteria; Lyme activists say there are thousands more people who are missed because the government’s criteria are too narrow.

Many patients say they find relief by taking antibiotics for months or even years, which they see as further evidence they have a persistent bacterial illness. The medical establishment frowns upon the practice, however, because it says there is no proof long-term therapy helps, and it can harm patients and society, by fostering the emergence of antibiotic-resistant pathogens. Many insurers, in turn, refuse to pay for extended dosages of the drugs.

Earlier this year, Dean and her husband made a difficult decision to spend $50,000 for an eight-month course of intravenous antibiotics.

“I just want to be better,’’ said Dean, a former Coast Guard petty officer. As her sons Finn, 2, and Rylan, 4, played nearby, she shook her head. Active her entire life, Dean was reduced to lying on a couch for weeks on end when she became ill, and she’s upset that her symptoms were dismissed as being all in her head.

“Someone comes to a doctor really sick and then are sent to a psychologist; I don’t understand that,’’ said Dean, who cofounded a Boston Lyme support group and blogs about her experience.

“How does that really help them?”

Hotel Reservations New Orleans - How To: Speed Up Your Website

Source - http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/
By - Catalin Zorzini
Category - Hotel Reservations New Orleans
Posted By - Homewood Suites New Orleans

Hotel Reservations New Orleans

It’s no big secret that web users like their content to be delivered in a swift and efficient manner. Research shows that people expect websites to load within a couple of seconds ideally, and that a delay of more than three seconds will result in 40 per cent of users abandoning that website. Speed of loading also has an effect on trust, conversion rates and repeat visit rates, so as a website owner, why wouldn’t you want your website to load quickly?

With Google asking webmasters to deliver sites that are fast and functional, or suffer the de-ranking punishment, businesses should all be undertaking website testing to find out how their site measures up. If you know your site is not performing quite as it should and are looking to make some improvements, here are some of the areas you should focus on to start with.

Look for efficiencies in the code

The number one cause of slow loading websites is inefficient coding. For many web designers and developers, cleaning up redundant code and removing any duplication in the CSS files is a bit of an afterthought. After all, if the site works, why tinker with it? However, these issues can have a drastic effect on the site’s performance, so investigate the state of the code behind the site to see if that’s what’s causing the issue.

Be savvy about presenting your content

Having mixed content is a good thing on any site, but if you haven’t taken the time to compress your images, then you could be slowing things down a great deal. Large images can take ages to load, so make sure every picture on your pages is compressed to the maximum. Consider whether you need all the images you currently have, or whether some can be replaced with text and wording to speed up the loading time.

Contemplate caching

If you are using a content management system (CMS) to look after your site, then every time someone loads up your site the database of the CMS will need to be queried before the page can be returned to the user. This can result in delays which can be costly to a business. Consider caching your website and returning the cached version to your users as a static page to speed up loading, and set it to refresh with the up to date site after a few moments.

Have better hosting

If you rely on your website for business but are still on a shared hosting package, you might want to reconsider upgrading to a VPS or dedicated server hosting package. This will give your website ownership of dedicated resources to help it load much more quickly. Consider where your hosting company is located as well, as some countries have notoriously slow loading speeds and could be a root cause of your problem.

Use a content delivery network

Content delivery networks (CDNs) are becoming increasingly widely used around the web. These allow your users to download your pages in parallel, doubling the speed of delivery and making it easy to show content such as large images or videos to every visitor to your site.

Having a speedier website is not only good for business – it’s good for your SEO and for the overall customer experience, too. If you don’t know what you should be doing or how, lots of companies out there will be able to assist you in optimising the performance of your site both for now and well into the future.

Suites In Downtown New Orleans - Cellphone Use While Driving May 'not' Be Hazardous

Source - http://www.dvice.com/
By - Adario Strange
Category - Suites In Downtown New Orleans
Posted By - Homewood Suites New Orleans

Suites In Downtown New Orleans

The perils of texting while driving have become so obvious to many nations with large driving populations that laws have sprouted up in recent years outlawing such behavior in a number of cities. In fact, the idea that driving while using gadgetry is dangerous is so widely accepted that even Google Glass, a product that isn't even widely available yet, is already facing scrutiny related to road safety in some parts. That said, a new study offers a surprising counter narrative that threatens to upend the notions surrounding safety concerns while using mobile devices in cars.

 

The study, conducted by Carnegie Mellon University and the London School of Economics, concludes that, contrary to popular belief, talking on a cellphone while driving does "not" increase the risk of automobile crashes. Using calling and crash data from approximately 8 million crashes across nine states from a period between 2002 to 2005, the study found no direct correlation between increased cellphone use after 9 p.m. (a time when a discount-related uptick in phone usage was detected) and actual crash rates.

 

Citing the results from the study, researcher Saurabh Bhargava said, "While our findings may strike many as counterintuitive, our results are precise enough to statistically call into question the effects typically found in the academic literature. Our study differs from most prior work in that it leverages a naturally occurring experiment in a real-world context."

 

These findings also fly in the face of recent research by AAA that indicated that even minimal distractions from mobile devices while driving can be dangerous. Nevertheless, it should be noted that this new study is only related to talking on a cellphone. It did not study the potential dangers of texting or surfing the Internet on your mobile device while driving.

Family Friendly Attractions New Orleans - Microsoft’s Upcoming Sculpt Keyboard Is The Coolest Piece Of Hardware

Source - http://techcrunch.com/
By - Alex Wilhelm
Category - Family Friendly Attractions New Orleans
Posted By - Homewood Suites New Orleans

Family Friendly Attractions New Orleans

I suspect that you spend quite a large percentage of your life typing. Before work over email, on your smartphone during your commute, on your main computer at work, after work trying to find something on Netflix, and so on. It’s part of our daily flow, week in and month out.

Given that the thing we touch more than anything else is a set of keys that we must press thousands of times per day, having a well-designed keyboard is a worthy investment. Too many people execute their toil with bad hardware. My general preference rests with large, mechanical gaming keyboards, as they sound lovely and you can really fly on them.

There is a rival school of thought for power typers: ergonomically shaped keyboards. You’ve seen them with their middle humps and spread keys. They are the opposite of Apple’s vision, for example.

However, ergonomic keyboards are generally somewhat plain affairs. Plain in the sense that they are not pretty. But there is something to be said for keyboards that are designed to fit your hands and the natural bent of your arms: They feel great.

Preamble aside, Microsoft has a new keyboard coming out in two days that is quite nice. I rarely get my hackles too raised over forthcoming peripherals, but in this case the Sculpt Ergonomic Desktop keyboard (we’ll just call it the Sculpt) is something that I found attractive and a pleasure to type on. I never expected to put aside my Razer Blackwidow, but here we are. Moving from a straight keyboard to the flexed Sculpt, I regained the ability to bang right along on the new set of keys in under an hour. There are still occasional mistakes at the fault of my mind slipping back into old patterns, but that is a small issue.

When it goes on sale later this week, the Sculpt will retail for $129 as part of a three-part bundle: Mouse, keyboard, and detached num pad. The num pad is simple enough to not warrant notice, The mouse is a bulbous affair, designed to raise your hand off the desk — thus preventing you from resting your inner wrist on the table — and rotating your hand to a more natural position.

However, as you likely expected, it’s the keyboard part of the package that is worth noting. During a meeting with Microsoft I dubbed it the Macbook Air of keyboards. I’m not sure they’ll pick that up as its tagline, but I’d recommend it. The keyboard will also be sold outside of the bundle for around $80.

The Sculpt does have a single drawback: It doesn’t have the key action that I am accustomed to. By that I mean that the action of pressing a key doesn’t make you grin, as it does with a proper mechanical keyboard (ask your local nerd to play with their keys, you will then understand).

During the early days of the Surface project, that Microsoft was becoming an OEM was big news. Big news that was slightly wrong. It has built peripherals since time immemorial. And the Sculpt keyboard is its best keyboard yet. I’m going to main it for a few days, and then switch back to my mechanical setup for a direct comparison. Still, I’m not in a hurry to send it back to Microsoft and revert to my former setup.

Microsoft is a company in transition, growing new business units as its core Windows work slips in a slowing PC market. The peripheral team, however, is ticking right along.

Accommodation In New Orleans - Brains Of Dying Rats Yield Clues About Near-Death Experiences

Source - http://www.npr.org/
By - ROB STEIN
Category - Accommodation In New Orleans
Posted By - Homewood Suites New Orleans

Accommodation In New Orleans

A burst of brain activity just after the heart stops may be the cause of so-called near-death experiences, scientists say.

The insight comes from research involving nine lab rats whose brains were analyzed as they were being euthanized. Researchers discovered what appears to be a momentary increase in electrical activity in the brain associated with consciousness.

Although the experiment relied on animals, the results could apply to humans, too, the researchers say.

"Now science tells us the experiences really could be real for these individuals, and there is actually biological basis for that," says , of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, who led the research. "There's a scientific basis in their brain. It's all really happening in their brain during this very early period of cardiac arrest."

People regularly report having powerful experiences when they come close to dying. They often say they had an overwhelming feeling of peace and serenity. Frequently they describe being in a dark tunnel with a bright light at the end. Many report meeting long-lost loved ones.

"Many of them think it's evidence they actually went to heaven — perhaps even spoke with God," Borjigin says.

Borjigin wanted to find out if there was something happening in the brains of these people who had close calls with death that could help explain these experiences.

"If the near-death experience comes from the brain, there's got to be signs — some measurable activities of the brain — at the moment of cardiac arrest," she says.

But it's really hard to study this in people. So Borjigin and her colleagues decided to study rats. They implanted six electrodes into the brains of nine rats, gave the animals lethal injections and collected detailed measurements of brain activity as they died.

"We were just so astonished," Borjigan tells Shots.

Just after the rats' hearts stopped, there was a burst of brain activity. Their brain suddenly seemed to go into overdrive, showing all the hallmarks not only of consciousness but a kind of hyperconsciousness.

"We found continued and heightened activity," Borjigan says. "Measurable conscious activity is much, much higher after the heart stops — within the first 30 seconds."

Borjigin and her colleagues think they essentially discovered the neurological basis for near-death experiences. "That really just, just really blew our mind. ... That really is consistent with what patients report," she says.

Patients report that what they experienced felt more real than reality — so intense that it's often described as life-altering.

But Borjigan thinks the phenomenon is really just the brain going on hyperalert to survive while at the same time trying to make sense of all those neurons firing. It's sort of like a more intense version of dreaming.

"The near-death experience is perhaps is really the byproduct of the brain's attempt to save itself," she says.

Other scientists praised the research, which is in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"It shows us in considerable more detail than ever done before what happens when the brain is dying," says , a neuroscientist at the Allen Institute for Brain Science in Seattle.

"When you turn off a light switch, the light immediately goes from on to off," Koch says. "The brain doesn't immediately go off, but it shows a series of sort of complicated transitions."

But other scientists are unconvinced. They question how much rat brains can really tell us about humans. "I don't think that this particular study helps in any way to explain near-death experiences in human beings," says , who studies dying and near-death experiences at the Stony Brook University School of Medicine in New York.

"We have no evidence at all that the rats had any near-death experiences or whether animals can have any such type of experience, first of all," Parnia says.

Borjigin and Koch argue that rat brains and human brains are similar enough to think they probably work in similar ways when they're dying. But they acknowledge that the new research is just the first step in trying to understand the neurological basis of near-death experiences.

Budget Hotel In New Orleans - Lower Your Cancer Risk by 44 Percent

Source - http://www.care2.com/
By - Michelle Schoffro Cook
Category - Budget Hotel In New Orleans
Posted By - Homewood Suites New Orleans

Budget Hotel In New Orleans

An exciting new study was just published in the journal Cancer Prevention Research showing the incredible ability of raw garlic to lower cancer risk by 30 to 44 percent, even in smokers.

The study examined almost 6,000 people and was conducted between 2003 to 2013 by the Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention in China to explore the association between eating raw garlic and lung cancer.

They found that eating raw garlic twice a week can cut the risk of lung cancer by 44 percent in non-smokers and by 30 percent in smokers. Since cigarette smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer, this is a surprising effect. The lowered risk of cancer was even found in those people exposed to high-temperature cooking oil fumes–a known risk factor for lung cancer, suggesting a protective effect exerted by the raw garlic.

The ingredient believed to be responsible for the anti-cancer effect appears to be allicin, which is released and activated when the garlic clove is crushed or chopped and exposed to air. It is not clear whether cooked garlic had a similar protective effect.

According to the scientists conducting the study: “Garlic may potentially serve as a preventive agent for lung cancer.”

Here’s an easy way to get more raw garlic into your diet: make fresh salsa from chopped tomatoes, minced jalapenos and a bit of minced onion, a dash of sea salt, and a squeeze of lime juice. I also add minced raw garlic and olive oil to roasted, sautéed, or steamed vegetables just before serving them.  Or, throw a clove of raw garlic into a blender with 1 cup olive oil and 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar, and a dash of sea salt and mustard for a simple, delicious, and nutritious salad dressing.

New Orleans Extended Stay Hotel - Can This Waffle Save America?

Source - http://www.thedailybeast.com/
By - Daniel Gross
category - New Orleans Extended Stay Hotel
Posted By - Homewood Suites New Orleans

 

New Orleans Extended Stay Hotel

After extensive tests in Southern California, the chain on Thursday will roll out a breakfast menu at 100 stores in Fresno, Omaha, and Chattanooga. The centerpiece is a waffle that resembles a taco. (A wafo? A waco? A taffle?) “It’s a waffle wrapped around all the goodness of breakfast,” said Liz Matthews, chief food innovation officer at Taco Bell. And by “goodness,” she means eggs and sausage. “And then you put the syrup on top.”

Is this the latest fast-food innovation that could help create thousands jobs and help save the economy, much like the Doritos Locos Tacos have attempted to do? Or is it simply the latest step in a trend of using sweet dough as sandwich material? After all, McDonald’s has the McGriddle, and Dunkin’ Donuts recently busted out a donut-bacon sandwich.

To a large degree, it’s just sound industrial management. Fast food like Taco Bell is a highly industrialized manufactured and distribution process. (Disclosure: I love Taco Bell.) The stores function like factories. And every factory wants to run three shifts, around the clock. Companies are paying for the overhead, so they might as well make the most out of it. If you let productive capacity sit idle, it’s difficult to make a profit, especially in a climate where consumer demand isn’t growing much.

Breakfast also solves a second problem for fast food companies. Slow demand has been a persistent problem for the restaurant industry. “During the last decade, Americans have not used restaurants more, except at one time of the day—the morning,” said Harry Balzer, chief industry analyst for the NPD Group, a consumer marketing research firm. Pressed for time, and eager to grab food and go, Americans are increasingly having their first meal of the day outside the home—and on the road.

The typical American eats takeout breakfast in his car about eight times per year. That’s about 2.5 billion breakfasts annually. And what do we like to eat while sitting in our cars? “The fastest growing food at breakfast time has been breakfast sandwiches, not coffee,” said Belzer.

This is nothing new, of course. McDonald’s has been offering breakfast for decades, and the company says breakfast accounts for about 15 percent of sales. But the economics of the industry help explain why chains like Taco Bell are jumping on the bandwagon, and why places that already offer breakfast are rolling out heartier sandwichlike fare. Dunkin’ Donuts peddles protein-laden sandwiches. Starbucks has added sausage and cheese sandwiches. Also, breakfast-type products seem to be getting more popular—at all times of the day. McDonald’s in May ascribed rising sales to the fact that many restaurants now offer breakfast at all hours of the day.

The only mystery is that it has taken Taco Bell so long to join the breakfast club. Breakfast burritos and tacos are staples of Mexican cuisine. In theory, a breakfast taco or burrito can contain all the basic food groups: grains, vegetables, protein, some dairy. Of course, Taco Bell has come around to breakfast in its own way, and on its own timetable. “This has been a journey for us,” Matthews admits. It’s going after the same dudes who flock to the concept of a taco in a Dorito shell, or burritos with Fritos inside of them. (A thing I learned today: at Taco Bell, they refer to the Doritos Locos Tacos as simply, “the DLT.”) So naturally the tortilla has been replaced by a waffle. For protein, there are eggs and sausage. The vegetables are nowhere to be seen.

Other products include steak-and-egg burritos, and the AM Crunch Wrap. It’s a tortilla stuffed with eggs, cheese and a pork product. What makes it crunch? “The hash browns inside,” said Matthews. Also, it’s grilled. But the menu, which Matthews said tested quite well at California stores, is not all savory and salty fare. For a little balance, people can try the Cinnabon Delights – i.e. little donuts heaped with frosting. “And on the lighter end,” said Matthews, “there’s yogurt parfaits and whole grain Quaker oatmeal.” (Something tells me the lighter end will be the lighter-ordered end of the menu.) There’s coffee, too.

But the pièce de résistance may well be a new “breakfast drink.” Produced by Pepsi, it consists of 5 percent orange juice and the rest Mountain Dew. At 90 calories per serving, said Matthews, it’s a mid-calorie beverage.

In this age of the fat police and growing attention to obesity and health, rolling out a breakfast line designed to make epicures gag and nutritionists recoil in horror may seem ill-advised. On the other hand, stuffing a traditional taco into a Dorito shell worked pretty damned well for the chain. (In fact, on August 22 Taco Bell will debut a new Doritos Locos Tacos flavor.)

“We’re pretty bullish,” Matthews said. “We’re going in big.”