Sporadically we need to hit the reset button on our lives. We all love taking a break especially in the summers. From feral beaches to alluring mountains to picturesque villages to mouth-watering food and cider – who wants to lose out on an opportunity to indulge in a few good reads?

This holiday, dip yourself with the top recommendations for books that would keep you occupied under the summer sun.

City of Sorrows by Susan Nadathur

In this well timed novel, the author – Susan Nadathur leaves you with a thought on relationships, prejudice which is enlivened by her personal experiences in life. If you desire to learn the Spanish Gypsy culture, this is a go to book. The story originates in India, and takes the readers to splendid Seville, Spain – where three men from different walks of life forgather on a path that could either save or destroy them. The author has done a brilliant job in creating characters, portraying clashes of culture keeping intact a common string of ‘human’.

A Rose For Winter- Travels in Andalusia by Laurie Lee

A perfect travelogue, Lee leaves us with an imaginative re-creation of Spain in 1950. This read will give you an insight on the daily lives, customs, and festivals – an aura of the past. This book is written with utmost precision, and imparts gusto and glory at the same time. Ensure you indulge in some wine and olives while you enjoy this novel.

Then. Now. Always by Isabelle Broom

Broom gives us an unmarred read for this summer -an enchanting story with an unexpected ending. A story of friendship and relationship, with humour and great characters. The book focuses on Hannah, who works in a Media production team, and is travelling to Spain with her colleagues to film a documentary. Unforeseen events take place, when her half-sister turns up, out of the blue.

Stirring descriptions which will want you to turn every page, and make you feel like you are in Spain!

The Seamstress by Maria Dueñas

Love, war, tragedy and adventure- All under one cover! If you like a read with twists and turns-this one is for you. A story about a self-made woman, Sara, who was left impecunious by her lover, Ramiro. Sara sews for a living in Morocco, as she is unable to return to Madrid due to a raging war. The writing is typical of its time, which seamlessly combines romance and history.

On Pilgrimage by Jennifer Lash

If you are an avid reader of pilgrimage books, this is a remarkable travel memoir.’On Pilgrimage’ is a story of an incredible journey of Lash through France to Spain over a period of time, after learning she had cancer. The author travels to places of contemporary Christian pilgrimage. Lash leaves her family of six children aged between 10 and 17 and a husband, for several weeks to travel solitary. She gives her candid views on the places she visits and the people she meets.This is an insightful story about spiritual discovery, humbly written.

There is no greater joy for book lovers to find the perfect holiday book. Start to read the moment you sit on that airplane, windows down, reading lights on and you’re set on an exciting journey, literally.

It’s never easy being in a band with Paul McCartney. This is the man who wrote the first stadium sing a long (She Loves You), the highest selling UK.no 1 (Mull of Kintyre), the best James Bond rocker (‘Live and Let Die’), the greatest love song of the seventies (‘Maybe I’m Amazed’) the superb Michael Jackson pop duet (‘Say Say Say’), the perfect disco number (‘Silly Love Songs’), the most covered song of all time (‘Yesterday’), the most accomplished of the many John Lennon tributes (‘Here Today’), the Beatles biggest hit (‘Hey Jude’) and the 21st century Kanye West zeitgeist (‘Four Five Seconds’). So, when you write an album with him, you’re sure to come out the loser. So is the summary of Wings’ fifth album, an album that assured its listeners and that Wings’ were a true band- but suffered from the hands of democratic leeway.

And its no fault of the band. They all tried their hand at writing (yes, Linda did too). They all took turns to sing, they all took turns to express themselves, they all worked. But they were in the company of Paul McCartney, who with ‘Let Em In’ and ‘Silly Love Songs’ alone, battered the band senseless with their lesser works. Little wonder these songs became the choice hits, the first a piano ditty par excellence, the second one of the most accomplished bass laden disco works of the seventies (the Bee Gees caught onto the act the following year).

With mainstays Denny Laine and Linda McCartney complete with guitar wizard Jimmy McCulloch and drummer Joe English each spotting a lead vocal, ‘Speed’ proved the only studio album where the entire unit had a chance to perform; with mixed success. ‘Wino Junko’ brewed with acute honesty, but smelt of seventies excess. Joe English’s spot on ‘Must Do Something About It’ had an interesting opening line, but nothing else. Linda’s ‘Cook of The House’ did little to dispel the rumour she couldn’t sing, write nor dance. Only Denny Laine provided anything of worth, his ‘Time to Hide’ a worthwhile song, but that too paled in comparison to ‘The Note You Never Wrote’, McCartney’s song for him. Floydian in its atmosphere, Beatly in its delivery, ‘Note’ featured McCartney’s finest set of lyrics on the album, reminiscent of the chilling images he brought to ‘Eleanor Rigby’ and ‘She’s Leaving Home’, brought further to life by McCulloch’s sterling guitar solo.

The rest of the album was pure McCartney, embellished with his pop genius, simmering rock guitar lines, disco beats and ersatz pop. ‘Let Em In’, the album’s opener, sullied with pop perfect horns not heard since ‘Lady Madonna’, Wings’ greatest album opener after the unsurpassable ‘Band On The Run’. ‘She’s My Baby’ oozed in fifties pastiche that nobody bar McCartney could pull off. ‘Warm and Beautiful’ happily joined ‘Maybe I’m Amazed’ and ‘My Love’ as one of McCartney’s best post Beatles love song, lovingly rearranged for string quartet to commemorate Linda McCartney’s untimely demise in 1998.

‘Silly Love Songs’, a pulsating dance track, brought credibility to sixties musicians disco hopping (Rod Stewart and Mick Jagger followed suit). McCartney’s most indelible and enduring bass line, ‘Silly’ drove itself from ersatz funk, a natural stadium anthem and one of the highlights of the ‘Wings Over America’ album.

A very strong half an album, it is all the more disappointing how much better it might have been had McCartney written the entire thing (unlike ‘Red Rose Speedway’, which may have benefited from a second writer).

When McCartney writes, the album’ s a strong seventies rocker, a fine four star follow- up to ‘Venus and Mars’. When the others write, the songs sound like a two star amateur record. ‘Speed’ finds itself centered in the middle, a three star album, befitting of greater potential than the album released.

The impact of the crises started to diminish. Still, all key players, including top executives, regulators and investors, have much to learn from the global financial failures. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Steering group has issued a report entitled Corporate Governance Lessons from the Financial Crisis. This Report concludes that among major contributors to the financial crisis are failures and weaknesses in corporate governance arrangements. When they were put to a test, corporate governance routines did not serve their purpose to safeguard against excessive risk taking in a number of financial services institutions.

Other key contributors to the global financial crises include failures in transparency, failures in lending standards; failures in prudential standards; failures in risk-management.

As to the remuneration of top executives, the real problem was not the amount they receive; it is how companies pay them. The bad bonus culture encourages a short-term thinking: hit as many deals as you can this year and get a larger bonus! That approach pushed executives to focus their attention to achieving short term objectives at the expense of sustainable growth objectives.

Most financial institutions link compensation to quarterly performance, encouraging short-term gambles. When the bets win, executives get the rewards, but when the bets sour, as they have in the latest financial crunch, the executives who took the risks do not have to return their fat-cat bonuses. The executives were, in most cases, no longer gambling with their own net worth. It was the shareholders who took the hit. Thus the executive greed acted as fuel thrown on the fires of and contributed to the blazing global financial crisis. The right approach if we are going to keep the financial system from being misused by top executives’ greed again is to maintain a partnership between the top executives and have their net worth tied to the organisations’ well-being. As a result, they would be cautious about taking big risks and discourage the malpractice of running after short terms gains. Also, we need to replace bonuses with better, longer-term compensation such as deferred cash pay and restricted stock.

The directors of the troubled institutions appear to have provided only the thin-surfaced supervision to control the greed of top executives. The boards of the collapsed firms carry the full responsibility. Each month they see the numbers. They are also responsible for compliance with regulations. And they set the remunerations packages for the top executives. However the troubled firms just ticked the boxes for good corporate governance in their annual reports. In other words, there organisations presented an obvious example of the cosmetic corporate governance to fool different stockholders including investors, rating agencies and regulators!

The current global financial crisis has shed light on how poor risk management could lead to catastrophic results. The risk management systems have failed in many cases due to corporate governance procedures rather than the inadequacy of computer models alone.

With the advent of new products such as sophisticated derivatives and certificate of deposits, they posed unknown risks. Risk management may not have been up to the task since many of the standard quantitative models and users of these models regularly misjudged the systematic nature of risks. To some extent this was due to product complexity and over-reliance on quantitative analysis. Sadly, many risk evaluations were wrong including those provided by rating agencies.

The directors of the collapsed financial institutions should have better understanding of the risk implication at the time of taking decisions related to sophisticated products such as derivatives. The reality is many board members had inadequate knowledge on the sophisticated new products and likely were embarrassed to show that they lack the adequate knowledge! Here where directors’ education and orientation fails as best corporate governance best practice. On going education is important to ensure that the directors are familiar with all aspects of the company’s affairs with a particular focus on risks. Each director must receive customized orientation programs in areas where he\she lack adequate knowledge in order to be able to effectively undertake the fiduciary oversight role.

Finally, the concept that in bad times companies would be more interested in supporting their profitability and accordingly will not have time for corporate governance is irrational. The integrity cannot be compromised because corporate governance is not seasonal – it is for all times and must be embedded in senior corporate executives and directors. Companies must not put corporate governance on the shelf in bad times. It is like a muscle, must be exercised or it will atrophy

Golf has long been known as a gentleman’s sport. This sport even has its very own rules of etiquette. Despite the common assumption that these rules of golf etiquette are all about maintaining the gentlemanly state of the game for the most part, they each have practical purposes. The general reasons behind the rules of golf etiquette are 1) to insure the safety of golfers on the course 2) To keep the flow of the game going or 3) to assist in the maintenance of the golf course.

Let’s break these down for a few specific rules of golf etiquette:

1) Safety of Other Golfers:

a. Don’t swing your club until the area around you has been cleared of people. You do not want to risk hitting a fellow golfer.

b. Do not hit your ball until the group playing in front of you is completely outside your range.

c. If you find that your ball is heading in the direction of another player or group of players, be sure to yell “Fore!” to signal that they should be watchful of your incoming golf ball.

d. Never throw your golf clubs. Besides being unseemly, you could injure others in the process.

2) Flow of the Game:

a. You want to keep the game moving by being ready to take your shot when it’s your turn. By being ready at the ball you save time walking to and from and setting up your shot.

b. The ‘away’ player (the player whose ball is farthest from the green) always hits first. This saves time debating about whose turn it is and allows everyone to go ahead and get set up for his or her next shot.

c. If you are searching for a lost golf ball, wave ahead the next group.

d. Leave the green immediately after you’ve finished putting so the group behind you can continue their game.

3) Maintenance of the Golf Course:

a. You want to be certain to follow the golf cart path and stay off the greens with your cart as much as possible. Carts can cause damage to the course that will be costly to repair and make the game play for those behind you much more challenging.

b. Never drive a golf cart onto the green. The greens are probably the most delicate and often abused part of the golf course it is not designed to handle the weight or the abuse that golf carts can place on them.

c. Repair all divots and ball marks on the green. This is a no brainer, golf balls falling at high speeds are damaging to the delicate greens, you want to leave your greens in good shape for those behind you and hope those ahead of you did the same for you.

d. Always rake sand traps to erase footprints and ball marks.

While these rules aren’t all inclusive, they are general guidelines that will get you off to a good start on the golf course. Cheers!

If you are new to the game, there is some basic information you need regarding the right softball equipment to choose. Whether you’re playing a pick-up game with a few buddies or you are starting or joining an organized league, you’ll want to make sure you have the correct gear.

The ball you will use is, of course, slightly larger than a regular baseball. However, there are different balls for men and women. Many coed leagues actually use different balls depending on whether a man or a woman is at bat. A smaller ball travels farther, so the pitcher will use the smaller one when a woman is hitting. When a man comes up, the pitcher will switch to the larger one. A regulation ball is yellow and 12 inches in diameter.

The bat is another essential piece of softball equipment. Bats used in most leagues are made of aluminum or other types of metals to make the ball come off faster. Hitters of lower skill levels have an easier time hitting a metal bat than a wood one. Regular bats have to pass stringent performance and safety standards. For example, the American Softball Association requires bats made after 2004 to not allow the ball to come off a bat at more than 98 miles per hour when hit.

There are other optional pieces of equipment that can help players perform better. Gloves aren’t required, but they are basically a must in order to be able to catch the ball. Batting gloves provide a better grip and also help protect a hitter’s hands. You’ll also want to consider buying actual cleats instead of merely using tennis shoes when you play. They will help with traction in the field and will also help you keep from slipping when you run the bases. You’ll also want to look into buying a helmet to protect you from injury. This is particularly important if you are playing catcher.

If you’re a woman, you will probably want to have a sports bra to make sure you have the right type of support. Whichever type you choose, compression or encapsulated, the bra needs to allow you to move freely whenever you are throwing, catching, or fielding. Both men and women should also have sliding shorts to protect their legs and breathable shirts for when the weather is hot. Since you’ll be getting a lot of softball equipment, you’ll want to get a sturdy bag to put it all in. Find one with hooks so that you can hang it on a fence if needed.

Choosing the right softball equipment can help you not only perform better, but also stay as safe as possible when you’re on the field.

If you want to improve your golf game you would probably go to the professionals to see what they have to say. That is why below I have made a large list of golfing professionals who either have videos or audio tapes to teach you how to improve your swing, and overall game.

-Golf Instructor Joe Beck drives home tips and advice on the links with humor and a determined eye to make viewers’ games better.

-Lou Guzzi says some of the most important parts of your shot happen before you even draw the club back.

-Roger Lundy offers some ideas on how to improve the balance in your golf swing.

-Tom Ellis explains how to make sure you are aligned correctly.

-Russ Kroeker demonstrates the proper positioning for the arms during the golf swing.

-Michelle Drinkard explains using one of her students.

-Ron Gring demonstrates how you can emulate his classic swing.

-Lloyd Johnson uses Tour veteran Grant Waite as a model for one of his students.

-Jim Flick and Brian O’Neill dissect a typical amateur golf swing and what improvements can be made using the V-1 video system.

-Dan Polites offers some drills to help you find that consistency.

-David Rihm says your angle of attack and transition from the top are critical for your drives.

-Brad Brewer offers some ideas on how to beat one of the most commons faults off the tee.

-John Cregan shows you how to hit your fairway wood.

-Peter Krause demonstrates how to hit those beautiful crisp iron shots you always see on tee.

-Brian Manzella shows how to create the proper swing using his fiddle technique.

-Tom Ellis offers some advice on how to do just that.

-David Arancio shows you the different techniques needed to hit long and short bunker shots.

-Warren Bottke offers some pointers on how to deal with the troublesome lies.

I certainly hope you will benefit from these masters of the game, and learn better technique so you too can have the confidence needed when your out on those tough courses.

Microsoft has made a new Xbox, just it’s not by any means new. The X Box 1 S is a 0.5 upgrade to the current Xbox One, instead of its successor. Be that as it may, don’t be tricked into intuition it’s a similar support, since this one has a lot of things previous one didn’t.

While the Xbox One S is in fact the same console that Microsoft release in 2013, there have been noteworthy changes. It’s far slicker and prettier, altering a number of the previous ones style issues. It additionally includes 4K and high dynamic range (HDR), which implies your games and videos can benefit as much as possible from the most recent TVs.

It doesn’t offer an enormous change on the graphics side. Nor does it profit by the major horse power boost of the next-gen Xbox, codenamed Project Scorpio. Be that as it may, what it has may make it the smash hit gaming console of 2016: it’s the most affordable UHD Blu-ray player available. The Xbox One S is the only console to play 4K Blu-ray.

This could make the Xbox One S an astonish hit with movie fans on a financial plan, who are searching for a modest approach to enjoy 4K content. It could rocket 4K Blu-ray sales as well, similarly the Sony PS3 did with standard Blu-ray. Besides, really a not too bad UHD Blu-ray player.Design:At long last, there is the design of the Xbox One S. We cherish it with not very many imperfections worth discussing. Above all else, this new support is reduced without a doubt, with a 40% smaller form that certainly works better with regards to device position and inside heat evacuation. However what’s truly shocking about this much smaller new form is the way that Microsoft not just shrank the Xbox with the One S version, additionally figured out how to pack both an internal power supply and a 2TB hard drive into that little space.

This is a significant accomplishment surely and the other smaller plan components like a more compact fan, sides with pores for easier heat escape, all help the new look cool in spite of these compaction features in its design.

Also, the outer body of the One S is something we like. Presently there are two physical buttons for the both the power and eject function of the new One S. These are certainly superior to their capacitive touch version in the previous Xbox One, mainly in light of the fact that they’re a great deal more resistant to accidentally touching them while using the console. Besides, the new Xbox One S accompanies an IR blaster along its front, which takes into account remotely interfacing and afterward turning on or off other external devices like your 4K TV, AV collector or satellite box.

PROS:

• Smaller than Xbox One
• 4K game upscaling
• It’s a cheap UHD Blu-ray player
• HDR compatible
• Improved, grippy controller

CONS:

Not native 4K in games

The introductory story took place with a horse and not a bike but it makes the point very clearly. Helmets aren’t optional for safety but a requirement for responsible riders of both bikes and horses.

We were doing mounting exercises. I didn’t have to wear a helmet but we decided to use it anyway. The horse spooked and took off with me half in and half out of the saddle. It was a very short wild ride before I came off and hit the ground hard.

When I came to I found out how lucky I was. The helmet had a three inch crack where my head hit a rock. If I’d skipped the helmet I would be dead.

Pressure: There is a poster hanging in my garage. It was given to my husband while he was working as a motorcycle mechanic as a young man. It has a picture of two broken eggs. It says “It only takes seven pounds of pressure to crack your skull.”

When someone hits their head without a helmet at any speed the skull is in danger. When rocks are involved, which would be a probability on a mountain bike, that pressure is enough to do some serious skull damage… unless the rider is wearing a helmet. You might not get off completely uninjured. I didn’t. You do have a better chance of coming out alive.

Location: My accident took place in a city. If we’d needed them, paramedics could have arrived in less than ten minutes and I was about that far away from a hospital. I would have been seen inside the “golden hour,” the first hour after an accident. The golden hour is when the most can be done to mitigate injuries.

A mountain bike is generally ridden away from cities. The trails in my area are in rugged, mountainous terrain. Hikers and bike riders have had to be air lifted out when accidents have happened. Some have died. Of those, a few would have survived if they’d been wearing that essential piece of equipment.

Please take my story seriously. If you are participating in any sport make sure you are using the correct protective gear. If that includes a helmet, get the right one for your sport and wear it. It could save your life.

Relationships. They are a great thing when they are right. Two people coming together and sharing a deep, loving bond that is pure, honest, genuine and nothing short of divine – that is powerful. When two people are aligned to each other’s life vision and come together to better each other’s lives, what a dynamic duo. So if you’re single and want a relationship, I imagine that may be what you’re looking for. And that kind of love can happen for you. But not if you settle. A number of women today seem to be okay with accepting breadcrumbs from guys. They are desperate to be in a relationship or at least have someone so they put up with receiving mere sprinkles of attention or affection. The main reason I believe women settle is because we’re programmed to. They started us off with the baby dolls and doll houses from a young age conditioning us that our role is taking care of home and being good women to our husbands. So we grow up fantasizing about our wedding day, our knight in shining armor and raising a family – the picture perfect American dream. And 30 somehow became the magical age for which this perfect dream should occur by. So if you hit 30 and you’re single, then society leads you to believe there’s something wrong with you. And so we start questioning our worth as a woman. Contrary to popular belief, a woman’s purpose on this earth is NOT to just be a wife. It’s NOT just to be a mother. Every woman was blessed with gifts and talents by God so in addition to utilizing those gifts, she can choose to become a wife and/or mother. You are NOT defined by a man or your relationship status. Many women are getting into relationships for the wrong reasons and it continues to end in disaster. To avoid repeating the same cycles like a broken record, here are a few signs you may be getting into a relationship for the wrong reasons:

Rushing. You hit age 30 (or over) and you’re panicked. You believe you are old. Somehow you’re convinced that if you’re 35, for example, you’re old. Well that mindset is what will get you into the wrong relationship because your intent for a relationship is just so you’re not too old and have someone versus actually being with the right person. You believe you have to hurry up because your biological clock is ticking. And while some may argue that statistics show the older a woman gets, the harder it is for her to conceive, there are also plenty of women who birth healthy babies over the age of 30. According to Americanpregnancy.org, “many women today find themselves trying to conceive after the age of 35. This opportunity can be full of joy and riddled with questions. Despite some challenges, many women in their thirties and forties successfully conceive.” I understand that you want to give yourself the greatest chance regarding fertility but would you rather rush and be bonded for life with a child by the wrong man or wait for God’s best? I hope you prefer the latter. Rushing into a relationship cannot be good.

Filling a Void. Do you really want a relationship or are you just bored? Are you just lonely? Sometimes we get into relationships to fill a void. We look to a person to fill a void in our lives that can only be filled with our own self-love. You need to get back to some activities that you like. Get back to your goals and dreams. What are your passions? What enlivens you? You want a relationship to fill something internal. You’re seeking external validation to make you feel like you’re worthy; if you get in a relationship, then that shows that you’re still desired. Well if you get in a relationship looking for someone to show you your worth, then don’t be surprised if it doesn’t turn out well. Only you should determine your worth. Work on yourself. Invest in yourself. Give back to yourself. In other words, take time out for yourself. This way you’ll fill yourself up and won’t need to go looking for a relationship to fill a void in your life.

You’re Not Ready. Are you really ready for a relationship? Are you really ready to put in the work required to build a solid foundation from the ground up or are you just in love with the idea of being in a relationship? Many of us are simply not ready for love. We think we are because we watch romantic movies or read romance novels. Unless you are willing to take your time and really get to know someone beneath the surface, you’re not ready. You’re not ready to make someone else a priority. You’re not really in a space to give to someone else. Love comes to give. You have to take the other person into consideration when it comes to certain things. You can’t behave like or have a single mentality if you’re going to be in a relationship. You have to start preparing for it. Really think about if you’re really ready to commit to someone else fully or are you honestly just into the idea of it all? Give up the fairy tale. It’s not reality.

I believe in love. I believe that people can manifest true love. I believe we can all have the love we want and rightfully deserve but we must not settle. We need to do the internal work within ourselves as well. Let’s get clear on where we are in life. A relationship (or marriage) isn’t going to magically make everything better. Do the inner work and be honest with yourself about your intention for a relationship. Don’t rush and get into a relationship just for the sake of having one. You deserve so much more. You’re a Queen. Love yourself enough to wait for the best.

Source: http://americanpregnancy.org/getting-pregnant/trying-to-conceive-after-age-35/

From the bats to the gloves, having the right softball equipment available to teams is critical. Many organizations only upgrade to new products when they need more or when a bat is so worn it is hard to hit with any longer. The problem with this is that these tools of the trade can wear down long before this, causing specific risk to the user when the wrong item is used. Before the season starts, or sometimes afterwards, it is best to upgrade to new items the organization needs to have on hand for the new season.

Safety Is Always First

Sometimes it is possible to avoid the purchase of softball equipment when the season-to-season needs do not change or when the right tools are available. However, there is also the need to investigate each piece prior to the start of the season to ensure it is safe for the players to use. To do this, the manager or club organizer needs to inspect each and every item. Look for signs of wear and tear. Run your hands over the items to look for splinters in bats or weak areas. By doing this, it is easy to spot problems. Though it takes time, it is a critical step in ensuring each player is given a fair chance not only to hit the ball but also to stay safe on the field.

Meeting the Needs of Players

Today’s teams are made up of all types of players: short and tall, those who are in need of specialized equipment, or those players that benefit from a specific type of bat or tool. No matter what the player’s needs are, it is up to the organization to ensure all pieces and parts fit those needs. This includes ensuring the proper training equipment is in place. Each season, teams need to fully inspect the current stock of reserves to ensure each item is able to meet the needs of the player.

Upgrading Aids in Performance Improvement

A closer look may reveal that the right softball equipment can improve the way a team performs. Having new ball returns can help to give players more opportunities to practice. Though it may or may not improve their overall season, it helps to give players that extra boost they need to ensure they do well every time.

Prior to the start of the season, inspect available piece of softball equipment to ensure each item is worthy of being in a player’s hand. Ensure that the team has everything necessary to play well and to perform at its best. This is what can define the success of the season in the long term.