There is no shortage of stories in the news media about fatherless homes. Every day there is a new study detailing the negative impact on larger society on the number of growing families that don’t have a male presence in the home. However, little attention is paid to the realities behind the statistics, to the real-life devastation visited upon those whose fathers were never there to teach them the bare necessities of life.

Every year in mid-summer, when the fields of lavender are in full bloom, hordes of flower lovers descend upon Provençe to stand in their presence and inhale their fragrant perfume. More than any other flowers on earth, these rows of purple and blue have become insta-famous. And with them, the city of Valensole on the eponymously named Valensole Plateau. But locals know of another secret. A charming and character-filled city that holds all of the charms of Valensole—but without the crowds. The city of Sault.

For all of those who had the misfortune of being born outside of the City of Lights, we have probably dreamed of visiting one day. But with a city as big, storied and full of romanticism as Paris, it can be difficult to know where to start. Well, never fear, here are a few tips to help you navigate the city with ease.

While this southern-most region of Spain has been a favorite holiday locale for Northern Europeans and fellow Spaniards alike, for North Americans, talk about the Canary Islands has largely amounted peopled saying “Where?”

As the thought of summer blooms and the promises of sun-kissed skin and salty hair draws closer, now is the time to plan your perfect summer baecay. But here comes the hard part, deciding where to go! While some may prefer tranquility and others like to party, we all gather here because we want one thing from our beaches—sexiness. Whether that comes in the form of a beside bar or a secluded club is up to you. But either way, here is a list of 6 sexy beaches that will be sure to stoke your fire and made your trip worthwhile!

Every major city in the world is home to an enclave that is populated solely by the super-wealthy. LA has Beverly Hills, which has been celebrated and satirized in both television and movies. Across the world in Seoul, Gangnam briefly became one of the most famous city districts in the world due to the inexplicable phenomenon that eponymous tune. And the United Arab Emirates have become virtual playgrounds for the super-rich and their tagalongs.

Formerly known to the world as Siam, Thailand bears the distinction of being the singular country in Southeast Asia not to be conquered by European colonial forces. As such, it is peopled by groups of fierce but friendly folk who would just as easily give you the clothes off their back as they will knocking you flat on it if you get out of line. So, in essence, Thailand is full of Black women. Which, in turn, makes it the perfect place for melanated female travelers to explore—with or without a crew.

When one thinks inebriants in and the South, one may initially conjure up images of hoops skirts and mint juleps, brandies on the veranda, whiskeys on the back porch, or even moonshine in the bathtub. Suffice it to say, the relationship between liquor and the lands beneath the Mason-Dixon Line has always run deep. However, the land of Dixie isn’t just for spirits and cocktails. For those more into hops and barley, than fermented fruit juice, Virginia Beach may just be the place for you.

Despite her rich sunset-hued beauty and the bountiful harvests that arrive under her watch annually, fall is an underrated season. Summer will always be favored among the young, who mirror her exuberance and fleeting spirit. Elders will always favor winter, and her ability to unite loved ones as they make well wishes for the new year. And spring’s lush power to bring the first blossoms of those hopes and promises makes its arrival one that everyone looks forward to.

Yin yoga has a long history of practice in the Chinese Taoist yoga tradition. While the full name for the form is Yin Yang yoga, in most studios, the name in generally shorten to simply Yin. Yin in Chinese philosophy represents the feminine and passive energy.

Begin by placing yours knees and toes together with your hips above your ankles. Place your hands on your thighs, palms down. Now, close your eyes, and begin to inhale. As you take in your breath, begin to count down from 10.

Good.

At one begin to exhale, and you stretch your arms high overhead, reaching your fingers to the sky. Let your head lift up towards your hands and gaze upwards. On the exhale, float your arms down return your hands to your lap. Let your head gently return to center, then gently take a look at your hands. Inhale, exhale.

Good.

Gymnosophist is a term the ancient Greeks used to describe the “naked wise men” or the “naked philosophers” of India. Suffice to say, spiritual nudity has had a long tradition in India, as well as in yogic practice. In Sanskrit, the practice of nude yoga is called Nagna Yoga or Vivastra Yoga.

As a matter of fact, the Bhagavata Purana, one of the sacred Hindu texts, encourages nudity. It says: "A person in the renounced order of life may try to avoid even a dress to cover himself. If he wears anything at all, it should be only a loincloth…”

So, let’s play a game inspired a classic 60s car—the VW Bug. It inspired a generation of kids to create a game in which they would gently punch their fellow passenger in the upper arm and scream out “punch buggy!” It seems odd, but when you think about it, isn’t that similar to how people treat pregnant women? But instead of yelling punch buggy, they say, “So, when are you due?” It is time to take revenge with a game we like to call “touch belly.”

How do you play? Well, the next time someone co

The Apollo

What am I getting myself into?

It’s Showtime at the Apollo! And you should be there to experience all the majesty and history of this American landmark—all the while treating yourself to any myriad of fabulous performances. Be it a comedy show, a dance performance, or a rock-and-roll concert, the Apollo has seen it all. It has been there for the birth of ragtime, the rise and fall of swing, the launch of classic and blues and Jazz artists like Ella Fitzgerald and B.B. King. So, let’s take the advice of the First Lady of Song and the Queen of Jazz herself and take the A train to Harlem. But instead of stopping off at Sugar Hill, let’s get off at 125 street in Harlem and walk a block into American Musical history.

There are many reasons to travel. For many of us, we use travel as a means to recuperate, see and explore the world or as a journey to repair the broken or under-utilised parts of ourselves. Other times, we find ourselves adrift like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. Much like the heroine, we tried to run away from our problems. Yet, somehow, we just ended up in an unfamiliar place—unsure of exactly how we got there. But the one thing we are certain of is that we need to go back home.

And to this

This is a useful hack no matter where you're traveling. If you're heading abroad, you already know that your phone won’t work. So, offline maps are an absolute necessity. They can be useful domestically if you find yourself in a dead zone, so here is what to do in order to avoid spinning around in a circle on your first day in town.

Download the Here app. Here allows you to download the map of the area you're visiting. You can use it to navigate around the city, province, or even country withou

There are few pleasures in life more glorious than not wearing pants. If you are doubtful of the validity of this claim, just ask a cartoon bear or Lena Dunham. Both will attest to the benefits of unfettered legroom and the feeling of a cool breeze across the upper thighs. In fact, the only thing better than not wearing pants is not wearing pants in public. But in order to avoid being arrested for indecent exposure, it is best to wear a swimsuit--the only socially acceptable way of not wearing pants outdoors. Luckily for New Yorkers, May 4 is No Pants Day! Here is TopView’s guide to navigating the city in all your bottomless glory.

When one thinks of Spain, often visions of olive-skinned flamenco dancers, ornately dressed bullfighters, and ponytailed guitar players spring to mind. Not to burst your fantasy, but nowadays these are merely stereotypes that bear little to no resemblance to the actual culture. For those of us who truly know and love Spain, we recognize that the cultural aspect that really distinguishes it from its neighbors is las ferias--the festivals.

“You won’t believe the divisiveness going on over here.” My mother told me during my weekly catchup sessions. It was the latest in the litany of questions, advice, and commentary that I had received over the years since I moved abroad. Chief among them were “Be careful over there.” “Did you hear the news over there?” And, “Where’s that?”

But the most important thing my mother told me, just weeks after I had moved to Spain has stuck with me till this day. “Don’t come back here.”

Oh, Granada! Of all the cities and pueblos on the Iberian Peninsula, this one may be the most Spanish—and I mean that in the best way possible. The city shares its name in Spanish with the pomegranate. And much like the fruit, the city has a tough exterior. But its insides are lush and delicious.

For many of us extranjeros (foreigners), Granada’s beauty and architecture are what many of us imagine when we think of Spain. From its origins as a small Iberian settlement in the 5th century BC to th

It may be a surprise to first-time visitors to Europe, but the skylines of Europe are, generally speaking, much less substantial than what we are used to across the pond. For that reason, standing at 81 stories, the Eiffel Tower looms magnificently and majestically over Paris. A great tip for first time Paris travelers is to take one day to just absorb all of the tourist attraction this city has to offer. 


And if you do decide to visit Paris and climb the tower, you'd be in good company. With

I didn't know this man. I don't know his family. I am not certain exactly where he lived or how he lived his life. I don't know if he had...

She wanted to let me know that she was well aware that I was not an ice-skater. To this day, I can still see her writing in the margins. "Do you really think that you should be the one telling this story?" I was, as I had learned in Judy Blume books, indignant. I was also confused. Try as I might with my child's mind, I could not understand why she would say something like this to me. Furthermore, I was angry at the idea that this virtual stranger was making this kind of judgment of my life.

Ye

"We — I mean people like me — are just here to round out somebody else’s experience," Rashid Bryson tells his English teacher Jana Hanson during a sobering moment in Martha Southgate’s novel The Fall of Rome. In that one line, the young protagonist sheepishly states the unspoken truth about prep-school life: That he, a young kid from Brooklyn with brown skin and kinky-coily hair, isn't really supposed to be there.

After one play, I was hooked. I couldn't help it. Everything about the members of the band seemed childlike and fun. There was a certain level of gaiety and lightness that I had rarely seen embodied in black performers--save perhaps for Ella Fitzgerald who always seemed to sing with a smile in her voice. Tank's bubbliness in particular was so infectious that it was had to ignore. I imagined that if I could unzip her torso, a thousand pink balloons would fly out and fill the  room from end to end

In the year 2000, Red Wassenich a librarian at Austin Community College had no idea that he had coined what would become his city’s official slogan. Unlike the previous catchphrases “Live Music Capital of the World” and description, “A Blue Dot in a Red Sea,” this three-word phrase effortlessly captured its vibrancy. Despite its brevity, it seemed to sum everything that made the city so unique in a way that nothing else had before.

As the old saying goes, everything is bigger in Texas. And in the case of the city’s capital of Austin, that includes what most citizens across the country value the most—the economy. But non-Austinites may wonder what exactly is driving Austin’s nitro fueled economy? The answer, of course, is an open secret that has become to define Texas’s capital city—innovation.

While haggling may be commonplace around the world, save for country fairs, open markets and occasional trips abroad, it is a skill not commonly utilized by Americans. While it is true that during those trips to the Moroccan souk, we gleefully delight in bringing the cost of an item down to half the offered price, generally trips like these are few and far between. Thus, not giving us time to practice our negotiation skills and learn how to haggle like a pro.

While Austin may be world-renowned for its indie art scene, famous festivals like SXSW and commitment to waste-free and organic living, the best things about Austin are secrets that only the locals know. But if you are from out of town or are looking to relocate to Austin, don’t worry. We’re going to let you in on a few of them so that you can run the streets like a local. So, without further ado, here’s a look at what locals know about Austin that tourists don’t.