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Featured Articles:

Lake Tahoe Luxury Rentals – What to Expect, and Why to get one
by: Kevin Rockwell

When you’re looking at Lake Tahoe luxury rentals, you’re looking for something that’s going to be a little more expensive than just a simple rental. After all, that’s where the “luxury” part comes in, otherwise it wouldn’t be Lake Tahoe luxury rentals, but rather Lake Tahoe rentals. There are many benefits to having a Lake Tahoe luxury rental, and there are many different things that you can expect.
 
When you are shopping around for Lake Tahoe luxury rentals, expect to pay anywhere from $250 a night to, at the highest, $8800 a night. If you’re looking at the Lake Tahoe luxury rentals that feature only two bedrooms and a bathroom, expect to be paying anywhere from $250 to $500 a night. Some of those Lake Tahoe luxury rentals will have a hot tub, but most aren’t lakefront. If you’re looking for three bedroom Lake Tahoe Luxury rentals, you should be in the $300 to $800 a night range. Some of these Lake Tahoe luxury rentals will include a hot tub, but once again, most of these Lake Tahoe luxury rentals will not be on the lakefront. Once you start to look specifically for Lake Tahoe luxury rentals that are on the lakefront, and those that have more bedrooms, you’re looking into the more expensive Lake Tahoe luxury rentals. For starters, the cheapest five bedroom Lake Tahoe luxury rental you are going to find is $350 a night, and that’s for something that barely compares to the other Lake Tahoe luxury rentals. Generally speaking, you’ll find most of these Lake Tahoe luxury rentals in the $600 to $1000 range, but they are by far the premiere Lake Tahoe luxury rentals. The very highest of the Lake Tahoe luxury rentals that you’re going to see is going to be nearly $9000 a night, but these Lake Tahoe luxury rentals are on the steep side, and spectacular.
 
Why would you consider some of the Lake Tahoe luxury rentals? Well, for starters the Lake Tahoe luxury rentals are surrounded by a variety of activities. Some of the Lake Tahoe luxury rentals are close to the ski hills, while other Lake Tahoe luxury rentals are closer to casinos and other night life. All in all, if you choose to go with one of the Lake Tahoe luxury rentals you can’t go wrong.
 
About The Author
 
Kevin Rockwell visits and writes about Lake Tahoe and the many wonders of this great area at: http://lake-tahoe-fun.com
 
Find great mountain vacation ideas, real estate information, and fun vacation attractions at Lake Tahoe Fun!

 

Learn To Ski On Vacation
by: Marcus Stout

It seems that we are only just beginning to discover the power of green tea. Over the last few years, green tea has been linked with reducing the risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and rheumatoid arthritis. And, as time goes on, it’s likely that we’ll find more and more uses for green tea.
 
The magic bullet in green tea is its high level of anti-oxidants. Anti-oxidants combat free radicals that are created in our bodies as we process food. The free radicals produced damage our cells and our DNA, and eventually lead to disease if we don’t combat them. Anti-oxidants are our most important defense against the damage of free radicals.
 
One of the most important anti-oxidants is epicatechin gallate (EGCG) As an anti-oxidant, EGCG is 25-100 times more potent than vitamins C and E. EGCG is one of the many catechins found in green tea, as well as in fruits and vegetables. They are anti-oxidants, bioflavonoids and polyphenols. All three of these substances are effective in improving our immune system, and preventing aging and disease.
 
But, research is showing that, in addition to preventing disease, the powerful anti-oxidants in green tea may have an anti-bacterial effect, as well. This stands to reason, since we know that anti-oxidants boost our immune system.
 
Researchers at Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston found evidence that tea may keep the immune system prepared to fend off attacks from bacteria and other pathogens. The study looked at 11 healthy non-tea drinkers, who began drinking tea, and compared them with 10 healthy people who began drinking coffee.
 
The researchers found that drinking 20 ounces of tea every day for at least two weeks doubled or tripled the immune system’s output of an infection-fighting substance called interferon gamma. Apparently the body metabolizes the tea into molecules that mimic the surface proteins of the bacteria, jump-starting the immune system so that when real viruses show up, the body’s immune system begins acting more quickly.
 
Okayama University in Japan found something even more interesting. Patients who were infected with a strain of Staphylococcus aureus (staph infection) that was particularly resistant to anti-biotics responded more favorably to their treatment when it was administered with the EGCG extract from green tea. The EGCG made the infection less able to fight against the anti-biotic.
 
So, what does this mean to me?
 
As with many other research findings, there are always more things that we need to examine. And, no doubt, more research will be conducted to more conclusively identify how green tea’s anti-oxidants can help our bodies stay healthy. It does seem likely, however, that the anti-oxidants contained in green tea are highly effective at improving your immune system, which may help prevent you from catching viruses.
 
But, even more importantly, these anti-oxidants may help treat serious bacteria and infections even after you’ve contracted them. Doctors may be able to use this powerful information to help patients recover more easily and more quickly from serious infections.
 
But, for sure, we know enough to conclude that we need to have a diet that’s rich in anti-oxidants. Be sure that you eat plenty of fruits and vegetables every day. Then, wash it all down with green tea to help increase your anti-oxidant level even further.
 
Be sure the tea you choose is green tea, too, rather than traditional black tea. Black tea is healthy, but not as healthy as green tea. All tea comes from the same plant, the Camellia sinensis; sister to the camellia bush that many people grow in the Southeast US.
 
Black tea is fermented during processing, green tea is not. The fermenting that black tea undergoes changes the natural anti-oxidants into another state that is not as healthy as their original state. For this reason, green tea (and white tea, too) is your best source of anti-oxidants.
 
How much do I need?
 
In Asian cultures, where the consumption of green tea is very high and the incidence of many serious diseases is much lower than that of the US, many people drink as much as 8-10 cups of green tea each day. However, most doctors believe that you can gain health benefits from drinking just 8-10 ounces each day.
 
One thing is for sure, any amount of green tea is increasing your level of anti-oxidants – which is good for your health. They key seems to be drinking it consistently. Adding one cup of green tea to your diet every day for the rest of your life will be more effective than drinking a quart just occasionally.
 
If you’re not drinking green tea right now, adding it to your diet could be an effective way to improve your immune system over the short and long term. You may be able to more effectively fight off little viruses that come your way right now, and you may be able to prevent serious diseases later in life. Green tea is delicious and it’s good for you; so it makes good health sense to get your dose of green tea each and every day!

About The Author
 
Marcus Stout is President of the Golden Moon Tea Company. For more information about tea, green tea and wu long tea go to http://www.goldenmoontea.com. 

Get Started Planning Your Hawaii Vacation
by: Jeremy Thompson

Hawaii is by far one of the most popular tourist destinations around. If you're dreaming of a Hawaii vacation or already starting to plan one you'll need to do your research to find out all of the available options for fun in the sun. There are a variety of Hawaii vacations available to suit the needs of everyone's style, budget and preferences, and length of stay in the beautiful island state.
 
When going on a Hawaii vacation many tourists choose vacations focused on the beach. After all, Hawaii boasts its stunning, white-sand beaches. The island of Maui alone has 80 beautiful beaches along 120 miles of coastline while Oahu has 130 beaches. Whether you want to relax in the sand soaking up some sun, swim, or even go snorkeling, Hawaii offers many opportunities for underwater and above-water activities.
 
Snorkeling is one of the must-do activities on any Hawaii vacation. Hawaiian snorkeling is great for swimmers of any level and gives you a glorious fish's-eye view of the numerous unique, colorful fish and exotic underwater sea life. Rental shops on the beaches have snorkeling equipment available for a small fee per day, while many resorts offer equipment free of charge.
 
There are a variety of other fun Hawaii vacation activities to choose from after you are done snorkeling. As you plan your days in paradise you will want to plan ahead and decide which sound most appealing to you. Other water activities include surfing, parasailing, and sailing. Many tourists surf for their very first time off the coast of one of Hawaii's beaches. Skilled surfers often come back to Hawaii time after time to catch some of the world's best waves and highest surfs.
 
If you're not into water activities you may want to consider adding some of Hawaii's other amazing attractions to your itinerary. Nature lovers will enjoy Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. As you drive or even hike through the park you'll catch breathtaking views of Kilauea, Mauna Loa, Steaming Bluff, and Devastation Trail. Majestic waterfalls can also be seen on your trek through this popular park.
 
For a taste of culture on your Hawaii vacation there are some marvelous places you won't want to miss. Learn about Hawaii's history at the Polynesian Culture Center or experience some American history at Pearl Harbor and the Arizona Memorial. You won't want to miss a traditional Hawaiian luau complete with Hawaiian food, music, and dancing.

About The Author
 
Jeremy Thompson is the author of CruiseHawaiiVacations.com your online guide to Hawaii vacations and Hawaii cruises. His fun filled site is filled with great information about Hawaii vacations and cruises. Check it out at http://www.cruisehawaiivacations.com.