Defence is an art that the best coaches in the world consider more important than any other aspect of the game. Covering positions, making timely tackles and even springing the offside trap well is key to stopping teams from scoring. After all, what good is a team that can’t defend a 2 or 3 goal lead even.

It was the Italians who decided to take it upon themselves to make defence an art-form, moving away from the physical aspect of defending and bringing in technical prowess. Until the Italians brought finesse into the picture, defending was all about out-muscling the opposition and crunching tackles.

It was the capability to constrict space and restrict movement that led to the rise of the Catenaccio style of play.

HELENIO HERRERA

Not many may remember his name but Helenio Herrera was a French-Argentine player and, later, manager who was one of the biggest names in football coaching during the mid-20th century. Having played for teams like RC Casablanca and Stade Francais, Herrera retired from club football in 1945.

Herrera took up coaching and moved to Spain, where he became the team manager for Real Valladolid, Atletico Madrid, CD Malaga and even the likes of FC Barcelona. It was after his stint for Barcelona, in 1960, that Herrera moved to Inter Milan.

THE RISE OF THE CATENACCIO

It was during his stay at Inter Milan that Herrera decided to modify the way his team defended. He shifted to a 5-3-2 formation to improve his counter attacking style of play. A firm believer in hard work and strong work ethics, Herrera was known as the pioneer of psychological motivational techniques including team pep-talks.

Herrera also introduced the no-smoking & -drinking policy as well as controlling the diet of his players to make them true professionals. Herrera was also known to suspend a player for telling the media, during a press conference, “We came to play in Rome” instead of “We came to win in Rome”.

A hard man, Herrera was slightly defensive in his playing style although his form of the Catenaccio was not as defensive as some the future mutations of the formation, when applied by Italian architects.

One of Herrera’s full-backs, the great Giacinto Facchetti, was testimony to the attacking style of Herrera’s Catenaccio that prevailed in that Inter Milan team. The team was built around the defence, with its main role being to absorb the pressure from the opposition before launching lightning-quick counter attacks.

Using his wing backs to overlap the midfield, Herrera completely transformed the way the world looked at attacking football. Not giving away too much at the back, the team became famous for squeezing out 1-0 wins, leading to the nickname Verrou, meaning “Door Bolt”.

HERRERA’S LEGACY

Known as “Herrera’s Inter”, the team would go on to win the 1963, 65 & 66 league titles, the 1964 & 65 European Champions Cup as well as the Intercontinental cup in both those seasons. Herrera also became the first coach to go on and coach three separate national teams, ending his career with a 48.57% winning record.

In his 908 games as a manager, which included teams like Inter Milan, AS Roma, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and CF Os Belenenses, Herrera lost just 241 games while drawing 226. In his 12-club coaching career, Herrera ended with a negative goal difference only three times – with Real Valladolid (-21), AS Roma (-1) and Rimini (-22). Each team was too weak at the time although Herrera did transform Roma into a championship winning team, getting the 1969 Italian Cup with a sub-standard line-up and his famous Catenaccio style of football.

THE “DOOR BOLT”

Unlike popular conception, the Catenaccio was not built to shut out opposition. The entire concept of play was to allow the opposition to attack, relentlessly even, before suddenly attacking on the counter. The team would play with five at the back, in a “V-shaped” formation, with the Libero or sweeper at the centre. As the opponents entered the “V”, their attack would be narrowed down, restricting movement and space.

Once the ball changed possession, the defending team had a wingback on either side, already ahead of the advancing opposition’s midfield. That meant that the team could now push out, rapidly, by playing the ball out to these wingbacks, who would have loads of space to exploit.

EARLY MUTATIONS

While the Catenaccio was, itself, a mutation of the 5-4-1 system invented by Karl Rappan for the Swiss national team, the formation underwent a lot of transformation itself. Teams reverted to the original “Rappan-style” by playing the sweeper just in front of the goalkeeper and stationing a flat back-four in front.

Nereo Rocco, coach of Calcio Padova in the 1950s, was another who exploited the system. With three-flat defenders who man-marked the opposition, Rocco would play a playmaker in the middle, just ahead of the defence, alongside two wingers. While these three weren’t the actual midfield, Rocco’s style would use the sweeper behind the central defence as well, to double-team the stronger players.

The midfield would be in front of these three, with a solitary striker up front, leading to a 1-3-3-3 formation.

While Herrera also focussed on man-marking with four of his defenders, his defence was flexible in that it swung from right or left to make it a flat line on most times. This meant that four defenders, aid by the midfield, would effectively man-mark the opposition, which had already been herded through the middle. That left the remaining fifth defender – always a wingback, free to make runs on the counter.

ENFORCED DOWNFALL

Catenaccio had become the flavour of the month, in the 60s and 70s, catching the fancy of every coach on the world scene. However, it was one man who’s style of play brought Catenaccio to its knees – Rinus Michels.

When faced with the tight man-marking of the Catenaccio, Michels decided to remove the whole concept of playing footballers in fixed positions. He removed the boundaries that separated attackers, midfielders and defenders, teaching all his players to play in all positions. As attackers fell back to the midfield, or even defence, their man-markers were unable to leave their posts and follow in pursuit.

The fact that Michels had the crop of players that he did, to implement such a technique, was the only reason Total Football became a reality.

Catenaccio was no longer the primary choice anywhere as Total Football, or replicas of it, began dismantling defences with their speed and movement. Mediocre coaches, who followed rather than researched, were left with no choice but to fall to the wayside.

CATENACCIO MODIFICATIONS

Coaches who preached the Herrera principle looked to counter Total Football with a modification to the Catenaccio’s man-marking formula. The answer was quite simple, in theory – Zona Mista.

The Zona Mista was a concept that incorporated man-marking and zone-marking into one strong defensive strategy. While the concept still used the four man defence with the roaming sweeper, the difference was in the way the midfield and the fullbacks supported the defence.

The two central defenders, in the heart of the defence, would play zone-marking. The midfield would have a defensive midfielder, who was required to help out the defence by falling back. A central midfielder would play in front of the defensive midfielder while a winger (usually on the right flank), would support in attack.

Two strikers would play up front, one on the wide left, with one in the centre. The position of the wide striker was determined by the position of the winger – both being on opposite flanks. The winger would act as an additional striker while the wide striker would float in to make it a two-pronged attack.

When defending, the wide striker would come in to cover for the central midfielder as the latter would drop into a defensive position.

ZONA MISTA IN REAL LIFE

Italy – 1982

The most famous application of this formation was in the 1982 FIFA World Cup when Italy went into the tournament with this brand new style of football. Gaetano Scirea played the role of the sweeper to perfection while the attacking left back was a young 18-year old, who would later go on to become one of the greatest defenders of all time – Giuseppe Bergomi.

Gabriele Oriali played as the defensive midfielder, just in front of Fulvio Collovati and the man who stopped a young Diego Maradona – Claudio Gentile. Marco Tardelli played as the central midfielder while Bruno Conti was the creative genius behind Italy’s Zona Mista success.

While Antonio Cabrini played at the front wide position, it was Paolo Rossi who came into the main striker’s position.

Italy’s success led to an increased use of the Zona Mista although the application remained mostly in the Italian leagues. Teams, in Europe, found it hard to beat this fantastic combination of man- and zone-marking, keeping the Italians ahead of the rest. However, there was always the need of a great striker to take care of the few chances that this format would create – something that most teams lacked.

Italy – 1998, 2000, 2002 and 2004

More recently, Cesare Maldini employed the Catenaccio form of play in Italy’s 1998 FIFA World Cup campaign. Needless to say, Italy played defensively, without creating too many waves, eventually getting kicked out in the Round of 16, through penalties. His successor, Giovanni Trapattoni, also employed the same tactics in the 2002 FIFA World Cup as well as in the 2004 European Championships.

In both cases, Italy failed to make any significant progress although Trapattoni would go on to prove his critics wrong by leading Portuguese side, Benfica to the league title.

Dino Zoff, whose team successfully used the Zona Mista in 1982, was the Italian coach in Euro 2000 when Italy went in with the same tactics. This time, Zoff managed to take the team to the finals of the tournament, losing to France through a Golden Goal.

Greece – 2004

Greece used the same format under Otto Rehhagel, at the 2004 European Championships, and successfully so. Greece won the title with numerous 1-0 wins through the knockout stages, all thanks to a heavily defensive style of play.

BAD PUBLICITY

The Catenaccio was often on the receiving end of criticism from the rest of Europe primarily due to the boring style of football that it promoted. The Italians were said to have made the game “unattractive” however practitioners of this form of football always had results to further their faith in the system.

In most cases, the reason behind the criticism was said to be the inability of most teams to break down such defences, especially in crucial European ties, leading to a loss or a draw that they could ill-afford.

THE MODERN DAY SCENARIO

Catenaccio is a dormant formation today. With both man-marking and the sweeper position going out of style, what with the faster pace and television coming into the picture, teams are rarely known to implement such a format today.

You may see the odd variation of this formation when weaker teams go up against stronger opposition however the success of the Catenaccio or the Zona Mista is largely dependent on the quality of the defenders and the wingbacks.

The more physical format of the Catenaccio finds few followers even in the technical format of the Italian league while other formations, such as the 4-1-2-1-2 (midfield diamond) and even the 4-3-2-1 (Christmas tree) formations can be attributed, albeit loosely, to the Catenaccio.

Teams that go down a man or more, are also known to exhibit similar playing patterns although the true form of Catenaccio remains buried under a pile of demands for attacking play.

MISUSE OF THE TERM

In today’s scenario, you often find commentators, even some pundits, refer to the Italian game as the Catenaccio style of football. The latest example was the game between Barcelona and Inter Milan, at Camp Nou, during the second leg of the 2009-10 UEFA Champions League semi-finals.

Unfortunately, Jose Mourinho’s tactics were nothing like the Catenaccio style, albeit defensive. Down to ten men, Inter simply held a lower midfield to aid their defence, nothing more. They did was what needed and even Barcelona, with all their firepower, couldn’t break through. It has to be said that while Mourinho knew exactly what he was doing, there was absolutely no connection with the Catenaccio style of defence.

Commentators, especially Englishman, are known to refer to the Italian defensive style of football as Catenaccio, irrespective of whether the team follows the format or not. Catenaccio has become synonymous with defensive play although few understand the true meaning of the term, sadly, even the pundits make mistakes.

At the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Italy were down to 10-men while playing Australia in the Round of 16. They defended heavily until a winner came in the form of a Francesco Totti penalty, late in the game. An English newspaper, “The Guardian”, famously wrote, “The timidity of Italy’s approach had made it seem that Helenio Herrera, the high priest of Catenaccio, had taken possession of the soul of Marcello Lippi.”

What the reporter failed to notice was that 10-men Italy were playing in a 4-3-2 formation which was just a man short of the regular 4-4-2 that they had started with – Daniele De Rossi, the midfielder who was dismissed.

THE FINAL WORD

Like all good things, Catenaccio also had to come to an end. With its end, like with everything else, rose many new formats that are, till date, being practiced by coaches around the world. While the Catenaccio may have been laid to rest with the modern day television’s demand for exciting football, coaches will always fall back to their learning of this system when struggling with their backs against the wall.

Until the next time a British commentator mentions “Catenaccio” in the wrong place, Happy Defending!!!

Stories abound about first-time visitors to Spain complaining vociferously at being served "cold soup". Their protests often die on their lips at the second taste of gazpacho.

In the heat of an Andalusian summer, no dish so aptly suits the location as this chilled liquid salad, a delicious blend of tomatoes, peppers, garlic, onion, olive oil and vinegar, garnished with anything from chopped cucumber to small croutons.

Southern Spain's cuisine has many surprises, most of them agreeable. Andalusia has first-rate produce and an increasingly number of good restaurants serving them in the proper style. An interesting development is the recuperation of dishes created by the Moors.

Seville can offer a wide range of regional dishes as well as the usual international fare, but many specialties are easier to find as snacks in tapas bars than in restaurants. (Tapas are the snacks traditionally served when you order a glass of beer of wine.) There you may get sizzling huevos a la flamenca (baked eggs with asparagus, sausage and peppers). Or callos (veal tripe braised with chick peas).

Then there are pinchitos (marinated pork kebabs), chocos con habas (fried squid and beans), quails' eggs, riñones al Jerez (kidneys in sherry sauce) and other delights.

As in the rest of Spain, fresh fish is an obsession. Clams, crayfish, tuna, red mullet, sardines, octopus are trucked in daily to Seville from the Atlantic coast.

An evening of gourmet pleasure in Seville might start with one or two chilled glasses of fino (dry sherry) or manzanilla (a sherry matured in the sea-breezes of Sanlucar de Barrameda).

A good accompaniment would be tapas of plump Seville olives, jamón serrano (cured ham), grilled shrimps, or criadillas (sautéed calves' testicles). This last was a favorite dish of the dictator Primo de Rivera – when he attended bullfights, he would order a plateful from the first bull of the afternoon.

Finally sitting down to business, a sevillano might order gazpacho, followed by a fritura de pescados (a mixture of fried hake, sole, anchovies and squid).

Southern Spain's wines are most famed as aperitifs or after-dinner drinks, but there are some excellent light table whites. They include Viña Verde from Montilla, Odiel from Huelva, and Castillo de San Diego from Cadiz.

Red wine from Rioja or the Ribera del Duero is ideal company for a main course like pato a la sevillana (duck cooked in a casserole with white wine, olives, an orange, onion, carrots and parsley), or rabo de toro a la sevillana (ox tails flamed, braised and spiced).

After this sort of fare, Southern Spain's desserts can prove an anti-climax, although their names promise plenty. Sweet tooths go into ecstasies over tocino del cielo (heavenly bacon), made from egg yolk and sugar, and brazo gitano (gypsy's arm), creamy cake roll.

Finish off with a Malaga wine, an oloroso or a cream sherry. After that come coffee, thick and black, and the brandies of Jerez.

Just as in the UK and most European countries, taking on staff in Spain means a sharp increase in the amount of risk and bureaucracy involved in the business. In general Spain has lower wages but more bureaucracy and non-wage costs. The risks and costs must be understood and minimised prior to taking on staff to avoid nasty surprises and burdens which can threaten the success of the whole enterprise. This article looks at the main features of employment law and hiring staff in Spain and discusses some of the ways of mitigating the risks.

Employment law – the basics

o Employees must have employment contracts from their first day of employment. If you are using British expat staff they should have their NIE and residency documents (for advice on how to get a NIE number see below)

o Minimum wages and employment conditions such as disciplinary procedures and holiday entitlement are set by "Convenios Colectivos" in different sectors and regions eg hotel and catering trade works in Malaga province.

o There are a variety of contract types but essentially the choice is between offering a fixed term contract or a permanent contract. Contracts can also be tiempo completo (full time being usually 40 hours) or parcial (part time). In the latter case wages are scaled down according to a weekly number of hours stated in the contract. There are some special contracts with government tax incentives to take on for example unemployed workers or women in sectors where they are underrepresented.

o Redundancy pay is payable once an employee has served a year and can be up to 3 ½ year salary (it goes up 45 days a year served, although this can be less on the incentivised contracts).

o Expect to pay approximately 40% of the basic wage in non-wage costs, mainly being employer's social security contributions which are very high in Spain though some incentivised contracts reduce this cost by up to 75%.

o The employer is responsible for deducting employee national insurance contributions (approximately 6% of pay) and income tax, similar to UK PAYE, from the monthly wage or "nomina". A full analysis of the employee's wages and deductions for the month must be presented to them and a signed copy kept by the employer.

o Other employee rights: normally 23 days a year holiday entitlement plus national and local fiestas (depends on the Convenio as employees in certain sectors expect to work holidays but are compensated elsewhere). The employee can chose to have pay spread over 14 instead of 12 times a year with additional pay days in July and December. Maternity leave is 4 months and there is other time off built in for marriage, deaths, births and moving house. Sick pay is usually paid by the social security system.

Employing staff – the risks

Breaking the law

As a foreigner setting up a business in Spain it is important to understand the rules and regulations governing employment and attempt to stay within them. Falling foul of the law can lead to heavy fines and the authorities are strict because they know abuse is widespread. For example if you have an uncontracted worker helping you out during an unscheduled visit from government inspectors do not expect to be able to use an excuse even if the "helper" is a spouse.

Under-appreciating employee rights

As we have seen the main effect of the heavy regulatory framework, the tax laws and the Covenios is to protect and promote the rights of the employee. It is the employer that pays the price for this, perhaps not in terms of basic wages which are still lower than in many European countries, but in terms of non-wage costs and employee rights to severance pay and other benefits. Possibly the biggest risk to a small business is taking on staff on the basis of a headline wage and not appreciating the additional burdens of being a Spanish employer, particularly when offering full time permanent contracts.

Cashflow and profitability implications

If you fail to understand and then budget for paying all associated employment costs at the right time, there is a real danger of cashflow difficulties or profits being eroded. Salaries are paid monthly in arrears and national insurance a month later. Income tax withheld from employees is payable at the end of each quarter which can be a nasty shock for the uninitiated. As has been mentioned severance pay can be substantial.

Risk mitigation: smart staffing

The most important thing to do is to think before you take on potentially expensive commitments and take professional advice. Many firms including mine will give new businesses some free advice before they begin operating and offer comprehensive payroll and employment services when they do.

Many businesses in Spain avoid some of the costs and burdens of employment law by going "black" and paying workers cash in hand. This is of course risky as it is fairly easily detected by government agencies particularly if the "employee" has no contract whatsoever. If an employer gives a part time contract to staff actually working full-time and then tops up the wages in cash this is harder to detect but still carries a risk.

A smarter approach is to take advice on the different contracts available and match the commitments you are making to staff with how definite you are about future income levels. Use can be made of temporary contracts or those that attract government subsidy. Another option is to make some of your "employees" actually self-employed, where they register independently for social security and tax but work solely for your business. For details see of social security implications see:

Style is a concept that is used in many areas. In arts for example it denominates a certain characteristic or typical way of … painting. In fashion it is used to describe a certain tendency to dress. And style is also used in architecture to express more or less the same — way — in which a building is made — classic, modern, gothic, etc. And even organizations have their style in organizing activities.

This is less visible, but equally significant, because style gives (form to) identity and authenticity.

Awareness of differences in style in other areas – like painting – could help to understand the differences and importance of style in organizations. For example the difference in style between the two Spanish painters: Pablo Picasso (from Malaga) and Salvador Dali (from Catalonia).

Both have had their own style, which we can not easily express with words, but they are prominent when looking at the painting of each of the artists. Style and arts (in painting) can mean to different things: the own style of the painter and the style of a movement that dominates a certain period.

Dali for example has always been predominantly associated with the surrealist movement in arts. Picasso on the other hand has been associated with cubism but also with many other styles.

In fact the main differences — in style between the two masters — is perhaps that Picasso has altered his style and preferences to express himself, whereas Dali has been loyal to mostly one style; surrealism.

Picasso has always been valued more on the market than “Dali” and probably because of the same reason. Where the market is capricious and not only focused on one style, it will most value the artist that is able to switch from one style to another. One point in time the market turned its back to surrealism as being out of date. This happened with al style periods like in philosophy where a period like existentialism is “overdue” at one moment in time. The hype or trend is over and if you are still committed to this style the market will ignore you.

It is said the Picasso was always an outsider, never committed to one style, always looking for new way to express himself. Dali had found his “way” and not willing nor eager to open up for new developments and innovations.

Style is even present on a personal or psychological level. Myers and Briggs have elaborated this topic with a set of personal preferences; in this case the Judging versus the Perceiving preferences.

“This fourth preference pair describes how you like to live your outer life–what are the behaviors others tend to see? Do you prefer a more structured and decided lifestyle (Judging) or a more flexible and adaptable lifestyle (Perceiving)? (http://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/judging-or-perceiving.asp)

It seems that Picasso would be more Perceiving (P) where Dali would favor more a Judging lifestyle (J).

Style is peculiar way in which things are done – made, designed, etc. It is omnipresent, also in business, but less visible than the style of a painting. But give it some attention. Focus on the way you organize your life or business.

© 2006 Hans Bool

Gone are the days of growing up in one place, buying a house, working and remaining there until old age. In our increasingly globalised world with technology, ease of travel and accessibility to different parts of the world, thousands of people daily pack up their old life and move to a country which before they could have only dreamed of. This phenomenon is most widely seen in Europe, Australia and New Zealand, and thousands of people daily are taking the plunge and moving abroad. Different parts of the World have so many different things to offer, and it is easier than ever before to sell property, find an ideal location abroad and relocate!

You no longer have to be one of those people believing the grass is greener; you can now experience such a life altering move quite easily. There are numerous agencies in place to aid you, from estate agents to lifestyle advisors, even people to help you locate nearby schools for your children upon your move. It has been estimated that 3,000 Brits daily immigrate to different parts of the world. Many of these are permanent re- locations but with the availability of Travel visa’s and so on, many choose to do so for a year or two and get an experience of living abroad.

The European Union has proven to be one of the most popular places to move within, particularly Spain and France. As has Australia and New Zealand, with its Commonwealth roots.

Escaping the hum drum retrace of Britain, ridiculously long working weeks, high mortgage rates, this for many first- time buyers is an impossible task!

Europe is renound for its relaxed way of life, fantastic weather, history and culture, fantastic bargain properties, which no longer have to be rented as a holiday home for two weeks of a year- people are choosing this way of life permanently! There are amazing new ‘hot spot’ locations proving popular, from Bulgaria, to Malaga and beyond, each city and region with diverse options and price ranges- all in amazing locations with essential amenities and facilities, often of much better standard than your original home!

Your quality of life is easily improvable; the majority of places speak English as a second language so being daunted by a language barrier need not be an issue!

The International property market is becoming ever more fluid so living abroad is not the hassle that it previously was. Your options can be easily assessed on the internet and help is readily available to those of you who are unsure…. Do not be put off by the hassle you perceive in living abroad, seek the help available, assess all your options and start experiencing that fantastic change of culture and lifestyle which may have seemed a distant dream before!

This phenomenon is most widely seen in Europe, Australia and New Zealand, and thousands of people daily are taking the plunge and moving abroad. Different parts of the World have so many different things to offer, and it is easier than ever before to sell property, find an ideal location abroad and relocate!

You no longer have to be one of those people believing the grass is greener; you can now experience such a life altering move quite easily. There are numerous agencies in place to aid you, from estate agents to lifestyle advisors, even people to help you locate nearby schools for your children upon your move. It has been estimated that 3,000 Brits daily immigrate to different parts of the world. Many of these are permanent re- locations but with the availability of Travel visa’s and so on, many choose to do so for a year or two and get an experience of living abroad.

The European Union has proven to be one of the most popular places to move within, particularly Spain and France. As has Australia and New Zealand, with its Commonwealth roots.

Escaping the hum drum retrace of Britain, ridiculously long working weeks, high mortgage rates, this for many first- time buyers is an impossible task!

Europe is renound for its relaxed way of life, fantastic weather, history and culture, fantastic bargain properties, which no longer have to be rented as a holiday home for two weeks of a year- people are choosing this way of life permanently! There are amazing new ‘hot spot’ locations proving popular, from Bulgaria, to Malaga and beyond, each city and region with diverse options and price ranges- all in amazing locations with essential amenities and facilities, often of much better standard than your original home!

Your quality of life is easily improvable; the majority of places speak English as a second language so being daunted by a language barrier need not be an issue!

The International property market is becoming ever more fluid so living abroad is not the hassle that it previously was. Your options can be easily assessed on the internet and help is readily available to those of you who are unsure…. Do not be put off by the hassle you perceive in living abroad, seek the help available, assess all your options and start experiencing that fantastic change of culture and lifestyle which may have seemed a distant dream before!

Formal dresses are one of the most important dress a girl will wear throughout his life along with the wedding dress. We must therefore take special care and dedicate a special effort to get the perfect model to fit the child.

This requires that we gather all the information that we have to make a perfect purchase for first formal dresses.

We will try to give you some tips to help you decide to buy this dress so important in the life of a woman. For although perhaps enough time has passed i am convinced that many of you who are now looking for a dress for your daughter still remember fondly your evening dresses. It is therefore imperative that the search be thorough.

At the time of purchase of First formal dresses is important to be psyched that the secret to success is to be prepared to visit several shops. My advice is do not settle for a single location. While formal dresses cut English are famous for their beauty quality and value. It is possible that what you offer for a lot of variety that is not perfectly fit the child. Therefore it’s worth spending several weekends to visit the shops of your city and surrounding areas in search of first evening dresses.

The fashion centers of different countries are as follows.

In Spain Madrid Barcelona, Sevilla, Valencia, Bilbao, Malaga Santiago, the Tenerife, Santander.

On the other side Mexico City Guadalajara Monterrey Tijuana.

Further south in Argentina is pretty interesting to visit the shops of Buenos Aires Capital Federal Cordoba.

Finally but not least in Venezuela is interesting to make a visit to the shops in Caracas Maracaibo, Valencia Maracay, Barquisimeto.

Finally there is the option to buy clothes imported from USA Miami has a great center of fashion and through the Internet we can make our purchases safely. So we get cheap formal dresses unsurpassed quality.

On the other side for economic families there is a new kind of stores specializing in formal dresses second hand. They find first formal dresses inexpensive and very beautiful.

I leave you to finish with a selection of about evening dresses catalogs photos certainly help you at least get an idea of the vast market that exists for pictures of first formal dresses. As you can see some are shorter than others some are easier than others definitely a bit of everything.

Finally one last tip on first formal dresses excessively high prices do not necessarily mean quality beware that you do not try to cheat.

With Tiger Woods set to tee off for the first time since the serial adultery allegations, at the US Masters which is the first major competition of the year, has it give any of us the golf bug and the urge to travel or take a holiday and include some golf?

Do we actually have to travel faraway to experience the wonderful striking fairways of the official top golf courses in the world? Can we not entice ourselves with what we and Europe have?

Questionably, in some people’s opinions, the greatest courses are closer to home and have some of the top reviews by amateur and professional players.

Tee off this summer to some of the most eye-catching golf courses that are closer to home with tremendous surroundings, history and forestry.

For instance, the top golf course in the whole of Europe is quite possibly Valderrama Golf Club situated in the Costa del Sol in the south of Spain. As cheap Costa del Sol holidays are readily available from the major UK tour operators as well as the low cost airlines flying into Malaga, so it would seem a total shame if we missed out on this one.

It is frequently compared to Augusta in Georgia in the USA and is said by countless people to be the Augusta of Europe. With the course hosting the Ryder Cup in 1997 and a number of the World Championships in recent years, it is rated number one in all of Europe.

This course is certainly one to try if you are a keen golfer. It has an eighteen hole course with many memorable and challenging holes to experience and conquer, as Tiger Woods memorably was challenged here in 1999 and 2000. It is a tricky course to play and tactical play is important.

The one to watch on this course is definitely hole four, ‘La Cascada’. This hole presents a water hazard stuck between two bunkers and has a par five. It often challenges many professional golfers but demands and receives the respect it deserves.

The course has been renovated and titivated for more than twenty years and now offers an extremely high standard of golf course presenting ideal and perfect, gentle rolling terrain, cork tree forests and stunning Mediterranean views.

The climate in this area of the world is perfect all through the year so it is a perfect all year round golf course and many top players including Tiger Woods have said this to be a thrilling and breath-taking course to play.

Valderrama Golf Club is a private club, however, visitors are welcomed to play here and they have nine slots daily to tee off between midday and 2pm. This can, expectedly, get full really quickly so booking at least three months in advance is definitely advisable and also checking the course fees are also recommended prior to booking.

So whether you are staying in the UK this year for your holiday, trying to find cheap Costa del Sol holidays to visit this magnificent course or even travelling somewhere else in Europe to visit one of the many golf courses available to us then just remember you don’t have to go too far away to experience a top class course.

One of the good things about driving in Murcia is the road networks, and the quality of them. Ironically, it was the lack of these connecting arteries that stopped Murcia from being developed in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s unlike the regions of Valencia and Andalucia.

This may sound like a negative thing but in fact, it is the opposite. The development of the southern regions of Spain was connected directly to the proximity of airports. It was these, which bought the first package holiday customers to the “Costas” in the early 1970’s for their two weeks in the sun. Gradually over the years as their affluence grew, the holidaymakers had desires for a more permanent holiday home.

The developers in Spain and their counterparts in the UK, the property agents, wanted a speedy turnover and so the land in the surrounding locations to Alicante, Barcelona and Malaga Airports started the property boom in Spain. This meant that the eager buyers from Europe were quickly landed and located in hotels close to the developments, taken to select their “dream in the sun” wined, dined, contracts signed, monies paid and put back on the plane home.

As the demand grew so did, the facilities to service this growing market and roadlinks, airports and everything connected to a boom time followed suit.

Meanwhile back in Murcia, very little was happening, no airport as such (still very much military airspace). No huge developments and the pace of life carrying on in the aftermath of the Franco regime.

The opening of the E15 N7 Mediterraneo motorway meant that the more adventurous traveller was starting to find his way down and gradually, the jewel that is Murcia was discovered.

Little by little, demand began to grow and eventually San Javier Military Airport was handed over to civil airspace allowing the introduction of domestic flights. Consequently, in the last 10 years Murcia has started to join the rest of the Costas in property development but without the saturation of the other regions.

Until two years ago, driving to Murcia airport was a snakes and ladders affair, navigating a series of five road networks to get there. Then in 2007, they opened the E15 AP7. If it possible to be in love with a road then I am. The auto pista (toll road) has changed my life. I travel regularly to the airport to meet clients and the now stress free drive has actually given me back, the enjoyment of driving. The new road links Murcia from the city of Cartagena to Almeria exiting at Vera onto the E15 N7 motorway. Imagine two dual carriageways separated by a concrete wall, so no worries about oncoming traffic and most of the road to yourself.It is possible to drive along and not see another car or lorry for kilometre after kilometre.

It was on a day such as this recently, as I was driving to the airport. No traffic around, warm sunny day, plenty of time allowed, I was practicing my “drive slower, save fuel experiment” (which by the way works). When I started to notice the landscape that I have travelled past many times. Now with more time and less traffic I realised that the road had cut through areas of land most people would never have navigated before and suddenly noticed groups of ruined fincas in the hills dotted along the route. I wondered who lived here, why did they leave and how different their lives must have been to the now city dwellers of Spain.

I know from a friend that in the days when these properties were occupied, the dwellers were self sufficient with crops on the land and animals for their everyday needs. Now abandoned they sit there locked ,as in a time capsule and further on as you drop down into the flat lands that lead to Mar Menor, derelict windmills that once supplied corn and water to the area, no longer functioning but still cutting into the skyline with the jagged remnants of their sails.

This all stands in contrast to newer properties that have been built. The huge electric pylons that now bring the energy to the region, yet further on, the new sources of solar panels, and wind farms.

It suddenly struck me that driving along this road, it gives you, section by section, contrast of how Spain has changed in the last 70 years and unlike in the UK for instance there is no desire to remove the remnants, and so they sit there as living history.

Very quickly arriving at Murcia airport, I meet my new clients and am immediately thrown back into reality. Later on, I ponder on my thoughts and know that I will not do that drive again with the previous indifference. In my mind I will pay respect to the people who lived there, the hardships they endured and the bounty they missed as Spain developed

Have you ever noticed that the two prevalent colors on the planet Earth (before cities and blacktop roads) are the colors of Nature, Green and Blue.

Green Forests and Blue sky is the color of the oceans. The color Green is also one of the more powerful and useful healing colors known to man.

When you go into the woods or to the seashore it is the colors that heal you, as well as the other vibrations.

Attributes of the Color Green

Green is a cerebral equilibrator.

Green is a physical equilibrator.

Green stimulates the rebuilding of muscles and tissues.

Green stimulates the rebuilding of muscles and tissues.

Green destroys micro-organisms, germs and bacteria.

Green cleanses and prevents decay (germicide, bactericide, disenfectant and aniseptic.)

In Dinshah’s book “Let There Be Light” (Dinshah Health Society, PO Box 707, Malaga NJ 08328) He has a list of 400 Spectro-Chrome diagnosed disorders, with their color schedules.

When you study that chapter you may be given the impression that there is a color schedule for almost all ailments.

This is correct, because no matter what the problem is, there is a Spetro-Chrome color (colors) which will be effective. A person must have the necessary vitality and if irreversible damage is not present (it is not too late!)

The human body is designed wonderfully. Sometimes color can at least ameliorate some disorders which have been designed as incurable by other healing methods. Spectro-chrome can do something in most cases.

In cases of paralysis, caused by nerve dysfunction, favorable results only can be attained by their repair or by utilization of other nerves to the affected area.

There are dis-orders that take years to manifest. The rule of thumb is for each year of developmental time, takes one month of tonations. Recovery depends on the persons vitality and to what extent the disorder progressed.

Even with what is called “hopeless” or “incurable” cases, everyone is encouraged to keep a cautous optimistic view.

Where there is life and Spetro-Chrome therapy, there is hope.

The Dinshah Health Society publishes an ongoing series of newsletters, from two to four per year. They may contain an announcement, a color schedule may be added. Sometimes a comment on medical or scientific developments, or on Spectro-Chrome techniques may be included.

Example of an article in a news letter.

Boron has not been generally recognized as an essential element in human nutrition. This is a dangerous assumption. It is essential! It reduces the excretion of minerals necessary to keep our bones strong (calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus.) The proscess lessens the likelihood of developing osteoporosis. Boron is found in dark leafy vegetables, legumes, nuts and some fruit. Vegetarians should take note.

How do you recognise a gift horse? How can you pick a less-than-obvious winner rather than a pathetic loser?

Some people have a surprising ability, almost a sixth sense, when it comes to making vital decisions. Others… oh, dear.

Take this striking case.

Two fun-loving young Canadians circulated around the bars of a European coastal resort with an offer that was easy to refuse. “Invest a thousand bucks in our project and you could make a million,” they suggested, in between downing considerable amounts of beer.

Everybody laughed and called for another round. Everybody – except one bar-owner. “Why not?” he said and bought a share.

Today he’s a millionaire, for the project he invested in was Trivial Pursuit, possibly the most successful board game of all time – more than 100 million copies of the game have been sold in 26 countries and in at least 20 languages. Estimated return: well over $1 billion.

This is one of the classic rags-to-riches stories. And it demonstrates that opportunities lie around every corner. It’s just a question of recognising them – and having faith in your own judgment.

The originators of Trivial Pursuit were journalists Chris Haney and Scott Abbott. Back in 1969 they were playing Scrabble on a kitchen table when the idea occurred to them that they could invent a game as good.

They took a break from their jobs in Montreal and wintered on Spain’s Costa del Sol while devising their game. They toiled to figure out details and think up thousands of questions, the trivial the better.

Such as: What do you call a female hedgehog? Who shot Abraham Lincoln? What part of an elephant has 100,000 muscles?

They started offering five shares in their project for 1,000 dollars. The usual reaction? Invest in some unheard-of board game? Get serious!

Only one resident of the town of Nerja, near Malaga, where they were sampling the beer and sunshine, took up the offer, a fellow Canadian.

Their savings were vanishing and they were desperate for cash. And when they tried to market their game, with its 6,000 questions about inconsequential matters printed on 1,000 cards, it raised little interest. They lost money on every game they sold.

But then, miraculously, sales began to climb. It turned out that people loved Trivial Pursuit. Soon it was selling by the million.

Within two years cheques began pouring into the bank accounts of the 30 or so initial shareholders, including that of the Nerja bar-owner.

Haney and Abbott became multi-millionaires. Haney, an unpretentious type, liked to joke: “I quit school in Grade 12. It was the biggest mistake I ever made – I should have done it in Grade 10.”

And he laughed all the way to the bank.