A Trip To The Home Of Golf "St Andrews"

Muslims find the land of Mecca Medina holy, Hindus consider the char-dham yatra to be holy and golfers consider St Andrews to be their spiritual home. One of Europe's most beautiful towns situated on east coast of Scotland, St Andrews is considered the home of golf and the central hub of the game's development over the past 500 years. Decorated with more than 10 stunning golf courses and offering beautiful greens and scenery, there is no surprise why St Andrews is one of the most famous destinations among golf lovers.

And the fun simply doesn't end here, apart from being decorated with some of the world's best golf courses, the destination also offers beautiful beaches, historical attractions and wonderful cuisines as a byproduct. Another high point about a trip to one of the world's top golf resorts is its affordability, with numerous Discount Flights on offer, customized for golf lovers, you can easily save some decent bucks with a little bit of planning. These are just some of the reasons why you should consider planning a trip to the home of golf "St Andrews".

• Experience true magic at Old Course: The St Andrews experience can't be termed complete without playing at the beautiful Old Course. Golfers can have the pleasure of playing with ancient style equipments and hickory clubs. With all kinds of training and support available for amateurs, this experience is not to be missed at any cost.
• Rejuvenating sporting activities: Need a break from a tiring game of golf, how about some beach kayaking or pony riding for a changeover. Yes, St Andrews also offers host of other rejuvenating activities including cycling, land yachting, surfing, sky diving, walking tours and much more. What more can a traveler ask for?
• Enchanting historical tours: How about experiencing a slice of St Andrew's 1,000 years old history on one of the enchanting historical tours. Travelers will surely enjoy exploring this destination which is decorated with a historical site on each and every turn. These tours include visits to prominent attractions like Blackfriars Chapel, Martyr's Monument, St Andrew's Castle and West Port.

And this is just the trailer of a wonderful movie that can go on and on depending on your budget and time constraints. Just make sure you have your golf kit ready and brace yourself for a truly memorable time in the mesmerizing world of St Andrews.

Make A 30-Day Plan To Quit Smoking

Saying a final farewell to cigarette sticks can prove to be a tough task, particularly for chain smokers. A person needs to be really dedicated and strong-willed, to be able to get rid of this immensely harmful habit. In what follows, we will discuss the ideal things to do, to make a 30-day plan to quit smoking a successful one.

There is a lot of difference between ‘quitting smoking’, and ‘quitting smoking for good’. Every day, many chain smokers take the pledge to give up on their puffing habits, only to yield to the urge of having a smoke, within a day or two. If you smoke frequently, you are doing a lot of damage to your lungs in particular and your overall health in general. Hence, it is important that your decision to kick this habit is a lasting, effective one. You can quit smoking for good, by framing a smart 30-day plan. These are the basic tips that you need to follow during this period:

• Reduce your smoking habits gradually – It is never a good idea to completely stop smoking from one fine morning. That can, in fact, result in a host of adverse side effects (like anxiety, sleeplessness, etc.). Instead, bring down the number of cigarettes you smoke with every passing day. Like most other things in life, quitting smoking also needs patience!
• Do not have many cigarettes with you – Ideally, make sure that you do not have more than 3-4 cigarettes with you at any time. If you don’t have too many cigarettes, you will not be able to smoke much, right?
• Cut down on your drinking habits – The key to being successful in your endeavors to quit smoking is to be able to control your urges to have a puff. Consumption of alcohol tends to increase the potency of such unhealthy urges. Cut down on the amount of liquor you consume every day. You can start having fresh and healthy fruit juices instead!
• Remain occupied – Yes, you are quitting smoking – but that should never be the thought clouting your mind during this 30-day period. Keep yourself otherwise occupied, by participating in indoor games, solving puzzles, or reading books in your leisure time. The more you think about the dreaded tobacco stick – the more tempted you will be to have a puff.
• Develop healthy habits – Take deep breaths on a regular basis, which can clear the clogs in your respiratory system, which had been formed as a result of years of heavy smoking. Eat plenty of water every day too. The importance of following a light exercise regime and preparing a healthy regular diet also warrant special mention in this regard.
• Use substitutes for cigarettes – In order to phase out your decision to quit smoking over the 30-day period, oral substitutes of cigarettes can be your best companion. Put a candy or a chewing gum in your mouth, whenever you feel like having a smoke. There are certain medically approved oral substitutes too, which can be tried out as well. However, the chemicals present in them can prove to be counter-productive.
• Make a list of how you will gain by bidding goodbye to smoking – Why do so many people fail to stay true to their decision to quit smoking? Simply because, they do not have enough will-power and motivation to pass through the rather stressful first few days, without the company of cigarettes. Make a list of the benefits that you will get, when you manage to stop smoking altogether. Your breathing will stop being labored, cancer risks will be significantly lowered, the skin will look healthier, and teeth stains will disappear (along with a plethora of other advantages). Refer to this list, every time you feel the urge to smoke a cigarette. You will get the requisite motivation of not giving in to the temptation!

Follow your plan to quit smoking in such a manner that, after the 30-day period, you will not experience too much discomfort in leading life without cigarettes. You will find it a whole lot fresher, livelier, healthier world to be in!

How Should You Be Moving Your Office Furniture?

Proper planning and co-ordination are of the essence, when you are planning to move to a new office. Hiring the ideal moving company can reduce the potential hassles related to such office moves significantly. In here, we will be discussing some of the most important factors that have to be considered, while moving to a new workplace.

Moving to a new office space invariably needs to be a quick and well-planned process. If the total time taken for office relocation is too long, valuable man-hours of productivity can be lost – adversely affecting the overall efficiency of the concerned organization. Absence of proper planning can also result in misplacement of valuable business documents.

Contrary to what many believe, you need not buy new furniture items, every time you move to a new office. If you are planning a move to an office space in New York, the NYC moving companies can help you in the convenient shifting of the existing furniture items, with minimal hassles. Here’s a brief lowdown of how you should go about moving office furniture:

• Moving the office desks – Trying to move desks, without removing the files and documents inside them is never a good idea. Doing so can, in fact, result in irreparable damages to the desks. Instead, start packing early, and remove the contents of the desks before you start to move them. For the office desks that have multiple drawers, using strong, durable tapes is advisable.
• Ask employees to properly label their office PCs and other workstation items – Confusion is something that needs to be avoided – if you wish to settle down at your new office without any inordinate delays. Request the employees to label their office PCs and other workstation items, so that they would not get lost during the move.
• Hire the services of an expert office moving company – There are certain things that call for specialized expertise and office moving definitely falls in this category. Do not try to save on expenses, by making an attempt to manage the entire moving process on your own. If your office is in New York, you can easily search the web, to get the contact details of many good NYC moving companies, which offer high-class office moving services. Compare among them, and hire the one that offers you the best deal.
• Moving the office chairs – Not a particularly big issue in small companies, but an extremely important consideration for larger organizations. You can load the chairs of your office on the moving truck, after neatly stacking them into a number of columns. Preferably, bind the chairs together with a strong rope – so that they have no chance of toppling due to sudden jerks.
• Have a budget in mind – Is unplanned expenditure ever justified? No, and that’s precisely why you should have a proper budget estimate, before jumping headlong into the office moving process. This will help you in choosing the mover who offers the requisite services within your budget stipulations, and also help you find channels via which you can cut down on unnecessary spending. For example, do not bother tagging along the old, worn out furniture elements to your new office. Instead, sell them off, and earn some extra money!
• Be familiar with the architectural plan of the new office space – Your earlier office might have been a really spacious one, and the new one you will be moving to is smaller, albeit at a more posh location. Will you be able to fit in all your office furniture, without having an idea of the overall layout of the new space? No, you won’t, and hence you should have a detailed floor plan of the new office, which you can refer to, while deciding which file cabinets, desks and office drawers you should carry along during your move. If the new office is pre-furnished, that can be a big help.

Do not rush through the process of searching for the best office moving company from your locality. Stay away from those NYC moving companies, who do not have any prior experience in managing office moves. Be systematic about the entire process – and do not worry about any loss of productivity due to the move!

Unbound Criminality

Looking back to old-school films such as Aladdin, where punishment actually had a consequence, I ask myself why harsher punishment in the UK is snubbed.

Nowadays, it feels that people are happy to commit crime; either for a ‘rush’ or solely because of their lack of respect. What I say is, bring something back that would mean something to the criminals. If there is no doubt that someone committed murder or theft; why not take from them what they stole.

Human-rights activists have gone a step too far with encouraging equality when such people are happy to commit crimes against others. In Aladdin, thieves would have their hands cut off; sure, it wouldn’t be pretty, but people would be much less likely to risk their hands, or their neck.

Everyone should earn a place in society, especially those in the so-called First-World countries. Those people who opt out of caring for social conventions should surely receive what they give to others. If I were to commit a crime, I would expect hell and wrath to follow, not cable TV and free gym membership for as long as I had my hand in someone else’s purse.

Our economy suffers while criminals are both in and out of prison so why protect the leaches that hinder the rest of the pack? They are the ones that hinder us out of personal choice; for their own gain and without care for others, yet we are expected to ignore their choices and care for those that wish to selfishly act without regard.

Looking at packs of dogs, it’s easy to see a hierarchy where if one acts against the others, it will be isolated and it won’t have the advantage of being both in and outside of the pack. Why should we treat criminals differently when they have acted unfairly to others? Why do they deserve preferential treatment? How dare they receive more than they sow and how do you expect people to pay for other’s selfish choices. They ignore their humanity when it’s advantageous to them but still expect humane treatment.

They are treated well in prison; too well. They’re on a cruise holiday that they’re expected to stay on. A cruise deal for them that is free, without repercussions and one that can help them network to enhance their criminal skills. These individuals should pay for their misdeeds, not be helped to continue their ‘trade’.

I would even relish bringing back the most extreme of punishments; guillotines, hanging, death by fire. If there is no doubt in their guilt; in that there is certifiable proof of their actions; stop them from sponging off the rest of us and make them regret their actions. I see this as the key issue; criminals at the moment have no regret because they have no need to embrace it.

A lot of criminals select the easiest choice and our Government allows them to continue choosing it; there is no reason to stop doing what they do because there is no actual punishment being delivered: If they are put in prison, they have ‘bragging rights’ and can socialise with like-minded individuals that can teach them additional tricks-of-the-trade; and when they’re outside of prison, they put them into practice until they go back.

If there is no justice to these people, they will see that they are committing no crime so what is the point of using a disciplinary system that is half-assed, expensive and a criminal trade centre? Why do we pay for something that doesn’t work? We need a powerful deterrence, one that isn’t half-assed. One that says we will punish those that break laws and are happy to cause crime.

There is an option for us at this time: capital punishment. People who could be deemed worthy of such a punishment don’t care about you or what good you’ve done for your family; too many are psychopaths with no social conviction and no leash.

This community isn’t looking for an easy choice; we are looking for the right one. Bring back social growth, safety and true punishment to those that are comfortable to inflict harm upon the rest of us.  

Get Your Acting Portfolio’s Photos Clicked By An Ideal Headshots Photographer

If you notice any photograph of any actor in Hollywood, you will see that the image of that person is captured in a very unique and distinct way. Taking photographs is the caliber of not only the photographer but also of the resolution and other technical characteristics of the camera. A headshot as the name implies, mainly focuses in the close up shot of a person.

The overall effect of a headshot

Acting headshot is the type of headshot image shot mainly for the actors. It is used by the writers, producers and directors to catch a glimpse of the struggling actors or actresses. The casting directors see the physical attributes of a person in a headshot image before giving them the right role. Usually a headshot is 8x10cm and comes in black and white too, but most of the people go for color photographs only.

A headshot is mostly taken by an experienced and professional photographer as he is the only person who brings the actual expression of the image. With the substantial elements like light and background your headshot image will look perfect. The key of a perfect headshot is lighting. It has to be equal and color balance should also be adjustable. Wearing a solid color with a simple and undistracted background is essential for capturing a good headshot. People focus more on the face and not on the dress you are wearing. Therefore most of the photographers choose to shoot against a wall or a plain background. This process of taking photographs is attributed in the high class digital SLR cameras. The best photographers who specialize in headshots are available at affordable prices too who give you assurance for taking quality pictures.

The vital thing is not the texture of the headshot image like glossy or matte; but the person should look like you. Another essential point is that the photograph should be in portrait size and not landscape, as you are shooting just your close up face and not your surroundings. Some headshot photographs look very amateurish, no eyes, chin or eyebrow are seen because they are taken too much close up. However the photographer should remember a golden thumb rule for clicking the perfect picture; which is not to focus the person too much in the camera. The distance and the focal length should be estimated in a fine way.

Types of headshots

There are two essential types of headshots, theatrical and commercial. Theatrical is the type of headshot which characterizes the natural outlook of the person shot. It is mainly shot for films and theater purposes. Commercial headshots are open warm and attractive, and giving a wide smile is a must for shooting this type of headshot. It is mainly shot for commercial and television purposes.

Acting headshots looks exquisite when retouching and color balancing is done in a proportionate manner. The output of the photographer and his camera enlightens in the image and makes it the best headshot which is further appreciated by the casting directors or producers.

Author Bio:- Aaron Hills is a very well known headshot photographer in Washington and has worked with each and every reputed DC acting headshots photo studios. He has also trained lots of budding up photographers . His passion and utmost love for the photographies are well reflected in his clicked photos. Have a look below:-

Childcare Options For Returning To Work

You may feel like 9 months on maternity leave seems like a long time, but the weeks will pass by quickly in a blur of sleepless nights, crying and morngy babies, meeting old and new friends and feeding, encouraging and nurturing your new bundle of joy. Then once you are about 6 or 7 months in comes the decision on whether you return to work or not. Your decision may depend on money, so how will you afford childcare, will you go back full or part time. The government helps families claim up to 70% of their childcare costs back depending on the joint income for the household. So if you earn less than £41,000 per year currently you will be entitled to some help paying your childcare costs.

Then you need to decide which childcare will fit you best:

·Childminders – These are people that are self-employed to care for children in their own homes. They usually have a range of kids in a homely environment and takes the kids on visits and generally look after them. The cost of childminders is usually around £3-5 per hour depending on whether you provide nappies, milk and wipes for your child.

·Nurseries – You take your child to a type of mini school where they are played with, educated and looked after for the duration they are there. Nurseries charge around £40-50 per day or some usually do a half day.

·Nanny – This is someone employed in your home, employed by you to look after your children, they can also be employed to do housework and general household jobs. This is a great option if you and your partner work shifts or if you have a spare room as you can offer a nanny living accommodation as well so they are always there. A great thing about a nanny is they work around the hours you need them and you pay their full wage. The downside is having to deal with their tax and national insurance contributions.

You may be able to use grand parents or share the care with your partner depending on the hours worked or you may find it doesn't really benefit you going back to work with having to pay childcare, so you may decide to work from home. There are many options available when working from home such as Avon and other party plan companies or you could start your own business from scratch and do something you have always wanted to do. Deciding to work from home can be tricky and should be considered at the start of your maternity leave that way you can do all the research and start up and test to see if it will make money before you start deciding whether to go back to work. Obviously for financial reasons you need to be making an income from home, but to go out to work you need it to be worthwhile paying for childcare.

Gemma Dawson, is a mum of 3 who started her own business while on maternity leave, offering a huge choice of party products including Thomas the tank engine party supplies.

Tips On Choosing A moving Company

Your moving experience depends a lot on the moving company you choose. I have jotted down a few tips to select the right moving company.

Whether you are moving across the state or across the country, the moving company that packs and moves your belongings plays an important role in determining your moving experience. Here are a few tips that will help you select the right moving company – the one that does the job at the right price and in a right way.

   1)   Research – Before selecting a moving company do a bit of homework. Ask for   estimates from at least 4 movers and check their references.

  2) Ask for recommendation – Ask friends, family members and co-workers for recommendations.

  3)   Check online – Once you get the names of 5-6 movers, check whether they have an online presence. Check their websites, Facebook and Twitter pages. Also, go through online review websites and take a look at the reviews posted by customers.

  4)   Make a list – Make a final list of the movers who you think are worth giving a call.

  5)   Call the movers – Tell the company whether you’re moving interstate, locally or intra-state. Also, ask these companies:

a)   What’s their registration number?

b)   What’s their experience in this field?

c)   Is the company insured? If yes, then ask for the insurance number.

d)   What are their rates and estimates? Don’t hire companies that offer quotes based on cubic feet. A company estimate is usually based on weight. For short-distance moves, one can charge based on hours taken for the move. Remember that the moving company must give you an estimate in writing and they must provide you with a copy.

e)   What’s their physical address?

f)    Do they accept responsibility if any of your belongings is damaged during the move? Ask detailed questions on insurance. Usually insurance is based on weight, hence you need to calculate the value of your goods versus what the insurance policy will provide.

g)   What’s the payment mode? Stay away from those companies which only accept cash.

h)   Will they come and do a walk-through of your home? Do not deal with those who refuse to come to your home and do a visual survey of the belongings to be packed and moved.

i)     Do they subcontract to a smaller company? If yes, then ask for the subcontractor’s name.

j)    Do they charge additional fees?  For instance, if the new home you’re moving to has narrow passage then ask the company whether they would charge extra for moving your belongings inside.

k)   Do they use their own moving equipments?

l)     What are the items they won’t move?

  6)   Walk-through of your home – When the representative from the moving company comes to your home, ensure he/she is paying full attention to the belongings to be moved. Make sure you tell the representative the important details related to the move. Many companies charge extra for moving a piano or awkward objects; when the new destination has narrow passage etc.

  7)   Get at least 3 written estimates. Compare them and zero in on the one that you find seems reasonable. It’s advisable that you don’t select the company that offers unbelievably low quote.

If you are planning to shift to NYC then these tips will help you select the right moving company in NYC.

Usage Of Cable Ties In Our Everyday Lives

Cable ties are much more than mere tools to keep electrical wires organized. You can use them effectively, for a host of different purposes. In what follows, readers would be acquainted with a few handy uses of these cable ties.

The popularity of cable ties is on a steady upward trend, in households all over the world. Apart from their regular wire-organization and protection functions, they can be put to several other, slightly unconventional, but immensely beneficial uses. The cable ties can be used in practically any scenario where something has to be securely tied – and this is the principle which leads to its application for a wide array of different purposes. Here are some basic purposes for which a cable tie can be used:

• Electrical safety – The most well-known usage of cable ties. Messy electrical wires enhance the risks of potentially serious accidents. You can use cable ties to keep all the cables and wires in your home organized and properly maintained. If you feel that there are chances of probable confusions in future regarding the purpose of the different wires, use wire markers, so that they can be identified easily.
• Gardening – Are you a smart gardener? If yes, the benefits of a cable tie in this regard will not be lost on you! You can grow tomato plants (and other such vegetation's , with the help of cable ties. The ties help the plants to maintain an upright posture, which would be conducive for their growth. You can use cable ties on the garden fences and meshes too.
• Locking drawers and cabinets – Every time you step out of house, or when a stranger comes for a visit, it is rather difficult to reach out for the multiple locks and keys that you use. Say goodbye to all such problems – for cable ties can easily be used to keep your drawers, cabinets and other important sections of your rooms properly secure. That way, you can also keep potentially dangerous things (like matchboxes) out of the reach of children.
• Flower decorations – You can tie the stems of flowers with a cable tie, before putting them in a vase. This would prevent the flowers from getting removed from their proper positions. The only thing you need to take care of is that, the nodes of the flowers should not, in any way, get damaged.
• Keep your bicycle safe – Cable ties come in handy for ensuring the safety of your bicycle as well. You need to put a few sturdy, reliable cable ties around the tires, in order to practically rule out the chances of possible thefts. While carrying your bicycle from one place to another on your vehicle, you can also use a few cable ties to keep the cycle fixed at its designated place.
• Marking luggage items – Have you ever noticed how most heavy bags, and other luggage items, look almost the same? Save yourself the hassles of probable luggage misplacement, by using a cable tie of a specific color on your bag. Your belongings will be kept secure, and you will be able to easily identify your bag as well!
• Making handcuffs – Plastic cable ties are used for making handcuffs as well. They offer the requisite amount of strength and reliability, and can be put on wrists of any size.

In addition to the above, a cable tie can also be used in place of a shirt or a trouser button, in case the latter gets torn, when you need to go out in a hurry. While going on camping, you should also pack in a few cable ties. These ties are multi-utility – in the truest sense of the word!

How to Maintain Your Leather Furniture?

Leather furniture items add a dash of richness to your home. They look elegant and chic. However, maintaining these furniture items is not an easy job. To help you give a clean and shiny look to your leather sofas, chairs, tables and other items, we’ve jotted some tips. Here are these tips -

• Before buying a furniture item make sure that you ask the store about the details of the leather and the likely ways of keeping it new for the years to come. Know the specific leather type your furniture is made of since there are different variations; including top grain leather, full grain leather, split leather, corrected grain leather etc. and each of them require different cleaning treatments. Check the tags that are attached with the furniture or the users’ manual to get this information.

• Gather the items that you will need for the cleaning including vacuum cleaner with soft brush attachment, distilled water, buckets, soft rags, mild soap etc. 

• It is important to vacuum the furniture from all the corners. Use the soft brushes as leather can get scratches and cuts easily. Check whether the suction of your vacuum is suitable for cleaning the leather furniture item. If not use the less powerful ones. 

• Make a mixture of liquid soap and distilled water and apply it to a small corner of the furniture. First check the leather type and if it’s OK to cleans with soapy water then do the following - dip a piece of rag in the soapy water and wring out gently. Once done clean the furniture with it.

• To remove the dark stains, mix tartar cream and lemon juice. Apply the paste on the stain and let it remain for 10 minutes. After that remove the paste with a damp cloth and soap. Later, clean the furniture with a soft, dry cloth. It is important to clean the spills as soon as possible as leather is porous and it will be very difficult to remove stains if the liquid penetrates the surface.

• To keep the leather furniture in a good condition you need to maintain certain guidelines. Make sure that it is not placed close to windows. If you can’t place it elsewhere, cover the window with heavy curtains. Keep the furniture at least two feet away from air conditioning sources or from any sources of heat like fireplaces, heating vents, radiators etc.

• If you have pets you need to take some additional precautions to keep your leather furniture free from scratches and cuts. Cover the couch with cotton sheet and tuck it in behind the cushions and along the inner side of the arms so that the sheet doesn’t slide. 

• Make sure that it is not exposed to cosmetics or body care products as most of them contain solvents and oils and these can cause damage to the leather finish.

• While planning a move, pack the leather furniture carefully. Gather packing tapes, bubble wrap and moving blankets to pack the delicate furniture securely. You can also hire the help of the Movers in NC who specialize in packing and moving leather furniture items.