The Orleans Casino

A little bit of New Orleans resides in Las Vegas at the Mardi Gras themed complex, the Orleans Casino and Hotel. Opened in December 1996 in the suburb of Paradise, it contains a 1,885 room hotel and a sports and entertainment arena. The casino is a haven for serious gamblers and fun gamblers alike. There are more than 3,000 slot machines to choose from, a video poker machine and video keno machines. Dedicated poker players have their own 35-table poker room and there is also a 24-hour Keno Lounge with seating for 60 people. All the popular table games are here, including Roulette, Craps, Blackjack, Pai Gow Poker, Baccarat, Three Card Poker and Let It Be.

Each room or suite in the hotel has a thrilling view of the Las Vegas Valley Mountains or the Las Vegas Strip. The accommodation at the Orleans Casino includes the finest Deluxe Rooms and Deluxe Suites. The Stardust Suite can be booked for a business meeting or special function and has seating for 60 guests. A full bar and catering is provided and there are eleven plasma TVs for guests to watch pay per view sports events. A free shuttle service runs between the hotel and the Strip. Various packages are on offer, including the Valentines Love Affair, Room and Spa, and Deluxe Suite and Spa.

In 2003, the Orleans Arena was added to the complex. The multi-purpose space can seat 9,500 people and it can be converted into an ice rink. Concerts have featured top international acts, such as Paul Anka, Chris Isaak, the Four Tops, Kenny Rogers, and Gladys Knight. It's also home to the ice hockey team, the Las Vegas Wranglers, and has hosted boxing, basketball and football games as well as rodeo spectaculars. The Orleans Casino complex also has an 18-screen movie theatre, and a Bowling Center with 70 lanes. There is also a pro shop, video arcade, spa, and a beauty salon. So, there is plenty to do and see. Non-gamblers have a variety of activities to choose from when they accompany their gaming companions.

The choice of restaurants is first class too. One of the most popular is the Prime Rib Loft with a menu that includes ribs, beef, chicken, pasta and seafood. Diners can go Mexican at Don Miguels or indulge in Chinese and Japanese cuisine at the Koji Sushi Bar and China Bistro. The chain, TGI Fridays is also here and Creole and Cajun seafood is served up at Big Al's Oyster Bar.

Families can have a great time at the Orleans Casino complex. There is an area designed for children aged 3 through 12 with supervision by qualified staff. They can have fun on the multilevel jungle gym, watch movies in the movie room or play on the Nintendo Wii or Playstation 2. There is also arts and craft equipment, an arcade room and a snack bar.

Dog Behavior Problems

Most canine owners have to deal with dog behavior problems at one point or another. Maybe your dog is more difficult to toilet train than it should be, or likes to chew things up and leave them wrecked all over your apartment. In some cases, however, dog behavioral problems get so severe that they require the attention of a professional dog trainer. If this happens to you, The sooner you realize that you need the services of a professional, the better.

When I adopted my pooch,I certainly expected a few dog behavior problems. I knew how adopted puppies could be. Most of them had been abandoned at least once, and some of them multiple times. Some of the dogs have been abused, and all of them have trust issues. Like people, this could cause them to act out.

In the case of the dog I bought, the canine behavior issues didn't start right away. She seemed pretty well-trained for the most part. Then all of a sudden, the dog behavior problems started. I don't know what set it off, but suddenly she was afraid to see me leave the apartment. I think she was worried that I would not come back. If I left for even five minutes, she would literally go crazy. She would run around, howling, running into things, peeing on the floor, and acting out in any way she could. It was a serious dog behavior problem because I lived with house mates. They don't want to have to put up with my dog's insane behavior.

I tried a few dog training tips, but they didn't work out that well. For a while, I would leave for only five minutes at a time, But I was unable to get her to adjust to me being gone for longer. Finally, I called a professional dog trainer.

Apparently, I had already been on the right track for treating my dog's behavior problems. The key was persistence. I hadn't really realized how much work it would take. My trainer told me to always tell my dog that I would be right back using the the same words each time I left. First I would leave for 20 seconds and come in the door, than 30 seconds, then a minute, and slowly on up to an hour. It took weeks and greatly inconvenienced me, but eventually I was able to do it. Nowadays, she is very well behaved.

A gardening gift basket makes an excellent gift for any time of the year!

Given that gardening is an overwhelmingly favorite American hobby, chances are you have someone on your gift list who loves to garden. A gardening gift basket makes a sensational gift for the gardener in your life, any time of the year. This gift idea works well for special occasions, such as birthdays, Mother's or Father's Day, an anniversary or Valentine's Day.

However, the gardening gift basket can be for no special reason, except that spring, summer, fall or winter is on the way! You'll want to gear the contents to the coming season. For example, February or March, depending on your growing zone, is a great time to make a garden gift basket which contains items to be used for spring planting.

Much like stocking stuffers, including items such as cotton or leather garden gloves, a nice sharp hand pruning tool, a bulb planter, heirloom seed packets or a gift certificate for your friend's favorite nursery fills out your gardening gift basket nicely. Such items will be appreciated by any gardener. Other nice items include specialty garden books, a jar of rooting hormone, or a programmable drip irrigation timer kit.

A spring garden basket might include easy to grow summer annual seeds, annual herb seeds, or some starts in 4 inch pots. Along with herb seed packets, you might slip in enough terra cotta pots to get a windowsill herb garden going.

When summer is well underway, your summer garden basket might be filled with veggie seeds for an early start on fall crops. You could also pack that basket with potted chrysanthemums, small florist's cyclamens which can be babied inside until the weather cools and they can be transplanted outside for a lovely winter display.

A fall gardening gift basket can be one of the most interesting. Come September and October, the nurseries are filled with spring blooming bulbs, such as daffodils, tulips and begonias. Again, depending on your growing zone, you'll find a variety of exotic bulbs suited to your area. Also, freshly on display are poinsettias and Christmas cactus. Toss in some bone meal and a bulb planter and your friend is good to go.

Winter doesn't offer the gardener much in the way of hands on time in the garden. This doesn't mean that your gardening gift basket can't be a great success. This is the time gardeners pore over the garden catalogs. Order several. It's easy to do on the net. Before you order a catalog, be sure they ship to your area. Some don't, if the stock they carry won't grow in your climate. The winter basket can also have some easy to force bulbs, such as paper whites and certain miniature daffodils. Those covered, terrarium style seed starters and a few packs of heirloom seeds or unusual perennials will keep your gardener happily occupied until spring arrives.

There's no question that a gardening gift basket will be well received by any gardener. It's a gift that keeps on giving.

How to teach your dog to stop barking: balancing nuisance barking with natural instincts

Most dog owners love dogs, for their amusing, loyal, comforting and fun loving ways. However, most people who own dogs also expect a certain level of protection, guarding against intruders and providing an extra measure of safety for the household. It's a dog's nature to bark, to alert you when someone's about or when they feel their territory is being invaded.

It's also true that some dogs can get carried away with the sound of their own bark, thus creating a nuisance for you and your neighbors and so diluting their effectiveness as protector of the home. Nuisance barking must be curbed. The question becomes how to teach your dog to stop barking inappropriately, but not entirely.

When you see that your dog's barking has stepped over into the nuisance category, don't let this behavior slide. You want to find out why your dog's barking and creating a nuisance. Dogs typically start barking excessively out of sheer boredom. Dogs are social animals and if they feel ignored. Left to their own devices without sufficient attention from the family members, they often start barking for no apparent reason – they're looking for attention. If this is the case, there may be no need to teach your dog to stop barking. Just be sure to spend more time with him, playing, talking him for long walks, grooming him and with lavishing him with plenty of petting.

Another boredom factor that leads to nuisance barking is a lack of dog toys. If your dog is grown, get him a big, juicy bone from the butchers. Visit the pet store and ask the staff for suggestions on popular dog toys. Get a Frisbee and see if a game of Frisbee doesn't tone down the nuisance barking.

Give these treatments at least a couple of weeks to begin to see a decrease in barking episodes. If the behavior persists, you may want to keep a log for a week or so, taking note of what sets off unwarranted barking. Dogs often bark when another dog in the neighborhood barks, setting off a round of barking. This is also normal dog behavior, which can be useful as the dog version of a neighborhood watch program. If you see that the barking is random, you need to teach your dog to stop barking for no reason except his whim.

One strategy that can work is the old hand on the muzzle approach. Gently place your hands on his muzzle, closing his jaws, accompanied by a quite, “Shhh! No!” A bandanna or that familiar folded up newspaper can also be used to wrap around his muzzle for a moment, to quiet the barking.

If none of these methods to teach your dog to stop barking works, give your vet a call and ask for his advice.

While your main objective is to get your dog to stop barking inappropriately, you also want to have him alert you when intruders may be present. Teaching your dog to stop barking involves some finesse, leaving his protective guard dog behaviors intact.

The conflict in the Middle East: will it ever end?

For many decades, there has been continual conflict in the Middle East. When the State of Israel was formed, in 1948, partially in response to the Holocaust, it was hoped that peace would ensue. This has obviously not been the case.

The Palestinians who had lived on this land for centuries, were suddenly displaced. Some became refugees in neighboring countries, but weren't exactly welcomed with open arms by the various countries that granted refugee status. Some Arab countries refused them entirely. Many formerly prosperous Palestinians were cast into ghettos and instant poverty. It's no wonder that resentment and hatred flourished.

The Holocaust survivors now had sovereign land and many emigrated to Israel to begin a new life, free of the persecution they'd suffered for centuries, all over Europe and in Russia. For a while, many Israelis and Palestinians lived in a semi state of peaceable, but difficult harmony. The Israeli economy prospered and the society solidified, somewhat.

However, ever since 1948, there has been a variety of dissident points of view, some pushing for war and others for peace. However, the conflict in the Middle East has never truly subsided. In fact, over the years, more and more Arab countries have taken a role which has ultimately expanded this conflict in the Middle East. Today, almost every country in the Middle East has taken a hard line position in opposition to Israel.

Despite efforts by the United Nations and a panoply of so-called peace plans and road maps, the conflict in the Middle East continues, at great cost in lives, wounded on both sides and human misery. The United States has long been involved in diplomatic efforts towards a lasting resolution, without results. America has supplied weaponry to Israel for a very long time. As a legal point, when America supplies aid in the form of weapons and technology, it is only to be used in defense. Aggression is not allowed in these agreements. This has become a sticking point today, partially responsible for fueling this terrible conflict in the Middle East region.

Prisoner exchanges between Israel and certain Arab countries were the norm, for a period of time. This was standard operating procedure when each country wanted to regain a captured citizen. There was a radical departure from this peaceable practice when two Israeli soldiers were captured in Lebanon by Hamas. What ensued was the virtual destruction of Lebanon, which had only recently begun to achieve prosperity. It's notable that the U.S. essentially looked the other way, diplomatically speaking while this three week war continued. The destruction was massive.

Most recently, in response to rockets fired into Israel from Gaza, Israel launched a massive attack on Gaza, killing a thousand people to date.

It's not difficult to see why the hatred between the two factions continues to grow, perpetuating the long days of conflict in the Middle East. From an ordinary person's point of view, it's hard to understand why diplomacy seems to take a back seat to killing. Surely there are many gifted diplomats who might bring everyone to the table of peace. We can only hope for the future generations.

Tracing Your Family History With Search Engines

You can use the big genealogy sites when you are tracing your family history, but they are not the only options that you have. You can start with them, of course, but you are going to find that you need more help with your endeavors. No matter how good those sites are, there is always going to be some missing information that you can not find through them. When you are stuck, take to the search engines to see if you can find what you need somewhere else you so you can continue with your genealogical research.

What is great about using the search engines when you are tracing your family history through the Internet is that you can find things that you may not have found through the few sites you have chosen as your main points of research. There are so many sites out there that offer information on genealogy that you can not possibly hope to find them on your own. The clue that you are searching out when tracing your family tree could be found on a tiny site that you do not know about and would never find on your own.

There are many great ways that you can use the searches for tracing your family history. The most obvious would be to enter the name that you are seeking. More often than not, you have a name but you can not find any other information on that person to further your search or to verify that you have found the right person. Use a few tricks to get the right results to come up when tracing your family history through the searches. Put quotes around the first and last name. That will save you tons of time when wading through the results you get.

You can find a lot of different results when you type in the name while tracing your family tree though this means. If you have any other type of information that could make your family member stick out from the crowd, you can add it to your search criteria. For example, if you are looking for your great-great grandfather Joe Smith, and you know or suspect he was born in 1850, you can type “Joe Smith” +1850 to see if any results come up. If there is a record you can use when tracing your family history, it will come up on the first few pages, if not in the very first spot.

Though searching with engines for information on tracing your family history can be helpful, it can be confusing. What you have to do is to make sure you use your imagination when coming up with ways to search out what you need. You can even search for help with genealogy research tips so that you have more clues as to what you can do to move in the right direction when tracing your family history this way. If the information you want is out there, you can find it with a little luck and know-how through any search engine you choose.

Do you know the symptoms of stroke? Knowing stroke symptoms can save your life!

The incidence of stroke is so common that almost everyone has known someone who has suffered a stroke, sometimes resulting in permanent damage. What's unfortunate, is that much of the damage caused by a stroke can be prevented. Being able to recognize stroke symptoms, followed by quick action, can save your life, or the life of another person.

Although there are several types of strokes, all strokes are basically a condition where the blood supply to your brain cells becomes inadequate. It doesn't take long before you are looking at permanent damage. There are medications which, if administered within an hour of the onset of stroke symptoms, can prevent permanent damage. That's why it's essential to be able to recognize the symptoms and take immediate action.

A person suffering a stroke may have one or all of the following stroke symptoms. Onset of each symptom is typically sudden.

1.You have a sensation of numbness or weakness in your limbs or face. Stroke often occurs on just one side of the body.

2.You have difficulty speaking or understanding what is being said to you.

3.You experience a severe headache without apparent reason.

4.Your vision is impaired, in one or both eyes.

5.You feel disoriented or confused.

6.You experience dizziness or vertigo, or difficulty coordinating muscles in walking, or a loss of balance.

If you have, or observe any of these stroke symptoms in someone else, it's imperative that you call 911 immediately. The sooner medical treatment is administered, the better are your chances for a complete recovery.

While anyone, even apparently healthy people, can suffer a stroke, there are a number of health and lifestyle practices which have been shown to increase your risk. There are also genetic factors in play. Here is a summary of factors which may increase your risk. Some may surprise you.

Patients with heart conditions, high cholesterol readings and diabetes are at increased risk for stroke. Sickle cell anemia, a genetic condition, impedes red blood cells in adequately supplying blood to tissues and organs, thus increasing the patient's risk.

While the reasons are unclear, people living in the Southeast of the U.S. suffer more strokes than people in other regions. It's also true that people who live in poverty also suffer a greater number of strokes than found in other socioeconomic groups. Alcohol and drug abusers are also more vulnerable to stroke.

If you or a family member are at increased risk, be particularly alert to the stroke symptoms described above. Even if you're fit and healthy, you'd do well to post these stroke symptoms in a prominent location, along with the number of your doctor and local hospital. Stroke is nothing to fool around with – time counts!