Malta is an island, or rather it is classified as an archipelago as it really consists of more than one island. A land of conquest for many peoples, from the Romans to the Moors, then the French and the British, its origins are Phoenician. It has a population of just over 460,000, spread over several cities, most of which are located in its capital, Valletta.

What Malta is like

Between the southern coasts of Sicily and North Africa lies Malta, a small state with a remarkable history and several archaeological sites that bear witness to an ancient past, with megalithic temples that predate the construction of the Egyptian pyramids by tens of centuries, and the site of Stonehenge itself. At least 4000 years before Christ, this island was already inhabited by the Phoenicians, who established the first settlements. Then came other peoples who each brought their own traditions and culture.

The main city is “Valletta”, which we will deal with in more detail, but also other cities are very important and absolutely worth visiting, so for a thorough visit of Malta we recommend you to spend several days.

Visit Valletta

Valletta, along with two other places in Malta, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In Malta you’ll find plenty of Baroque-style churches with red and silver domes, but Valletta is also known for its remarkable fortifications and Medieval Citadel.

The capital city of Malta was Capital of Culture 2018, a title shared with the Dutch city of Leeuwarden. In fact, this title in Malta was also shared with the rest of the small state, extending the calendar of events to other places. Valletta was founded by Grand Master Jean Parisot de Valette with the reconstruction of the entire island after the terrible siege by the Turks in 1565.

St John’s Co-Cathedral

St John’s Co-Cathedral in Valletta is certainly one of the most beautiful churches on the island and also one of the most beautiful Baroque churches in the world. The walls were painted by Mattia Preti, but there are also two works by Caravaggio depicting Saint John the Baptist and Saint Jerome.

The beauty does not end there: the Flemish tapestries are spectacular and the mosaic floor is simply stunning. The entire interior of the church, from the floors and walls to the dome, is awe-inspiring and deserves to be enjoyed in religious silence and respect for the place you are in.

St. George Square and Grand Master’s Palace

After visiting St. John’s Co-Cathedral, walk down Republic Street to St. George Square, a beautiful square overlooked by the Main Guard Palace and the old Cancellery, dating from 1603. These two buildings are directly opposite the Grand Master’s Palace, which is certainly one of Malta’s historical and architectural landmarks.

Inside you’ll find fantastic tapestries and works of art such as the frescoes by Mattia Perez d’Aleccio. In addition to the paintings, you can also admire the parade armour of the famous Knights of Malta, including that of the city’s founder, and an admirable collection of Ottoman weapons dating back to the Turkish siege.

The Sacred Infirmary

The Knights Hospitallers were renowned for their skills in the medical arts and their dedication to the sick and wounded. The Sacra Infermeria, built in the 16th century by order of the Knights of Malta, was a state-of-the-art medical centre for its time.

It could accommodate 600 patients and also housed a school of anatomy and surgery. Today this structure is a Congress Centre and houses the permanent exhibition “I Cavalieri Ospitalieri”, which is not to be missed.

It might seem an extremely complex task, yet downloading and installing a VPN network on your computer is not that difficult at all. It is enough, in fact, to choose one of the many services that are present on the web and it is practically done.

A VPN network, by the way, brings with it a number of advantages. First of all, it guarantees a considerable protection against malicious third parties who intend to spy and steal data of other users, but at the same time it also allows you to carry out other activities, such as accessing content offered in streaming that before were impossible to see because of active geographical blocks.

The first step: check compatibility

One of the first aspects to take into account is to check the compatibility of your device. This is a compulsory step that should always be taken in advance. Nowadays, in fact, there are a lot of brands that are fighting to offer the most complete and reliable VPN service: well, one of the factors on which you look for more competition, in addition to the price of course, is the group of compatible devices.

In case the goal is to install a VPN network on a computer rather than on a mobile device with iOS or Android operating system, there will be no particular problems to face. In fact, by now most of the VPN services that are offered are characterized by ensuring full compatibility with these two technological tools, even if in reality the list of compatible devices is always much wider.

Just to give you an example, you can choose to install a VPN network on other types of devices, such as consoles, Xbox or PlayStation, as well as various TV boxes, including Amazon Fire Stick. In short, just take a look at the compatibility guaranteed by each VPN service and you will be able to find the one that best suits your needs.

Installing a VPN network on Windows operating systems

This is one of the easiest installation tasks to complete. A process that, in fact, has many aspects in common with all the various VPN services. The first step involves installing the application on your computer, logging in and activating its secure connection.

In case you already have a VPN service active, which for example is linked to the company network for smartworking, you can also connect without having to make any kind of download. In fact, this can be conveniently done from the Windows 10 network settings.

Having a VPN server already available, the connection procedure is a piece of cake, since you just need to go inside the Windows 10 settings, locate the Network and Internet item, clicking on network settings. Once here, you’ll have to find the VPN entry and make a click, and then make another one on “Add VPN connection” from which you can continue with the configuration of the protected network, entering the various data of the VPN service you purchased.

You know that you have to send an important text message at a certain time, for work or to a friend or relative and you can’t afford to forget about it, but then the commitments of the day make you forget about that important commitment and by the time you remember, the time has passed and now sending it is of little use. It’s an embarrassment, it’s something that casts doubt on your reliability, and it’s likely that you’ve made a mess of things.

It is not an uncommon thing, as it happens to make the commitment to call a person and then the time that passes without you realizing it and the commitments that occupy your mind in other things, make sure that in the end that call has not been made at all. You can’t schedule the call unless you put a memo on your phone, but you can certainly schedule the text message.

Even the night before or in the morning when you get up, write your SMS, schedule it to be sent at the appointed time and then you can forget about it, your SMS will be sent as if you had a diligent secretary to take care of it. Very convenient, also because you don’t need to interrupt your activity at that very moment: if you’re in a meeting with your Director you certainly can’t say “Excuse me, I’ll be right back” to stand back and send your SMS, with proper Apps designed for this feature, these problems are perfectly overcome.

SMS Scheduler

Scheduler is available for free on the Android PlayStore, but it features some ads that you can avoid only by downloading the paid version, using the Remove button inside the app. Once downloaded from the Store, click on Install and then open the application.

Once the application is open, select the “+” button in the lower right corner and then click the “Allow” button three times to agree to the terms of use and give permission to access contacts and SMS management.

At this point a screen will open in which you will set the time and date of sending your SMS. You can do this through the Select schedule Time and Select schedule date fields. You can select, at this point, if your message should be sent only once or if you want it to be sent periodically on a scheduled basis, through the “Select Schedule Type” menu.

Now scroll to the bottom of the screen and select by typing the phone number to which you want to send the message and then the text of the message itself; the phone number must be entered in the TO field in which the recipient is identified, the text must be edited in the “Message” field.

When you have done this you must tap on the “Schedule” button. You will find your scheduled message in the “Pending SMS” tab. At any time during the scheduled sending time of your SMS, you can make changes to any setting with the “EDIT” button or delete everything with the “Delete” button.

At the determined time your SMS will be sent to the recipient and you will be notified of this action with a notification in the Notification Center of Android and you can find the sent message in the tab of the application “Sent SMS”. If there is a problem sending the message, you will be notified in the Failed SMS tab where the message will be moved.

In addition to the application we have mentioned, there are other applications with the same functionality and a very similar use that you will find both in the Android Store and in the Apple Store, so you can have this feature with any smartphone you have in your hand. Go, therefore, on your reference store and look for the application you prefer, but if you want you can easily use the one just described.

If you have a business in Italy or you are considering the idea of opening a business England is an option to be considered carefully. It is no coincidence that more and more European entrepreneurs are choosing Great Britain to manage their business, open a company, a commercial or professional activity. But what are the main advantages for those who choose to start a business in the country? Let’s go through them together.

Simplified bureaucracy

One of the reasons why more and more entrepreneurs come to England is its simplified bureaucratic structure. In fact, the British government has been aiming to simplify bureaucratic processes for years, giving citizens access to telematic tools that allow them to carry out all the main operations in the fiscal and non fiscal field.

Facilities that offer the possibility of conducting operations such as:

• Opening a company (LTD) in 24 hours by following the online procedure
• Requesting a VAT number in a few hours by applying directly online, or in a few weeks if you need to send the form by post.
• Paying VAT or claiming a VAT refund from HMRC’s official website by bank transfer or by debiting your bank account.
• Paying your annual corporation tax and personal tax directly online

These are just some of the simplified procedures that any entrepreneur starting a business in England can access, thus limiting the costs of the accountant and speeding up the operations of the company.

Favourable taxation

A major advantage for those who open a business in England is certainly the taxation. In Great Britain for companies you pay a tax of 19% on the net earnings of the company. For example, if you earn after expenses £ 100,000, the tax payable to the tax authorities will be equal to £ 19,000. In addition, for some companies that start their business in subsidised sectors, the rate from 19% can be reduced to 15%.

Iter

Opening an LTD in England provides a very simple bureaucratic process that can be managed completely online. Or if you are not yet resident in the country, you can get help for the opening of the LTD from intermediary companies (you can find them easily by searching on Google, or you can rely on more professional agencies such as GR Formation), which take care of the entire procedure for the correct establishment of the company in England. Whether you choose to start your LTD business from HMRC’s website or get help from experienced advisors, the process of opening your LTD business involves a few simple steps:

• Choosing the LTD name (being careful not to use names that are similar or the same as those of pre-existing companies)
• Appointment of the company administrator who is responsible for all LTD management operations. The administrator may be either a member of the corporation or an outside professional appointed specifically to perform this role.
• Creation of bylaws and memorandum. They are used to establish the rules of the LTD, the relationship between the partners, the cadence of the council between the shareholders, the cost of shares, etc…
• Registration with HMRC, the body that handles taxes and taxation.
• Opening a current account in a British bank in the name of the LTD company

Costs of opening an LTD company

What are the costs of opening an LTD company in England? The costs of opening an LTD company are among the lowest in Europe. Those who open an LTD company through the HMRC online site will have to pay a £12 registration fee by debit card or PayPal account. The cost of opening an LTD by mail is 40 pounds.

In this case, it will take between 8 and 10 days to open and you will have to pay by cheque made payable to Companies House. Finally, it is possible to register through an intermediary, in which case the cost depends on the agent you use, but is usually around £200. Finally, if you need to write a specific charter or memorandum for your LTD, you need to consider the cost of the consultant who will draft the various articles according to your needs.

Until a few years ago, choosing and buying a new mattress was a costly operation from many points of view. Hours and hours spent between one shop and another looking for the perfect mattress, continuous comparisons between the quality of a product compared to another, accounts on accounts to be able to afford to sleep at their best without going out of pocket.

However, thanks to the advent of online mattress stores, many things have changed and now buying a new memory foam or spring mattress, which meets all our needs, is much easier and immediate. On the other hand, you may find yourself faced with an oversupply and the big doubt typical of online shopping: can I trust it? Will this mattress really be of quality even if it is cheap? Where will the trick be?

That’s why, we wanted to create this mini guide to help you choose a cheap mattress online without missing a beat. Let’s go into detail.

Choosing a cheap mattress: where to start

Just because you have decided to choose a cheap mattress, you should not put aside your needs. On the contrary. Sleeping well is everyone’s right and it’s entirely fair to start with your needs before buying a product as important as a mattress. An out-of-town student with a very active life surely has different needs from someone who, for example, works many hours sitting and shares the bed with a busy partner. Similarly, those who suffer from annoying allergies have different problems from those who, perhaps overweight, need above all a solid support.

So before we even make a product selection based solely on budget, let’s focus on our needs and go from there. Once you’ve identified which model might be right for you – memory foam mattress, spring mattress, vegetable mattress – it’s time to focus on costs and figure out when you’re getting a good deal.

Buying a cheap mattress online: what to pay attention to

After finding the type of mattress that suits us best, let’s focus on the budget. How can you choose a cheap mattress without sacrificing quality? Certainly, by choosing a reliable site, remembering that the fact that a mattress costs less than average does not necessarily mean that it is of lower quality.

Buying a quality cheap mattress online, therefore, is actually possible. And, in addition, you can take advantage of extra benefits. To recap, when choosing a budget mattress, you should pay attention to 3 factors:

• Brand policy: how come the prices are low?
• Plus on purchase: if the warranty is extensive, for example, it is a sign of safety and quality;
• Reviews: are they many? Are they positive?

Summer is coming and the weather is starting to be tempting for a pleasant stay on the beach. As it happens every year, however, there are always some drawbacks: we wait for those desired holidays for months, and then when we should enjoy them our skin or our hair gets damaged. The result of excessive exposure to a particularly hot summer sun.

So let’s try to have a look at an interesting list of tips to deal with these situations, getting to the end of our holiday without having to regret that nice haircut we left, or having to deal with a sunstroke. There are actually many tricks that can be extremely useful for the prevention of these delicate body parts.

How to protect the skin

Let’s start with the treatment of our skin: a sensitive part of the body which we should devote a lot of attention to, especially if we come from a long period – many months, probably – in which we have not been exposed to its rays except for the minimum time. Therefore, it is essential to remember to keep the skin hydrated by applying special creams, very fluid, or oils: these products act both on the skin and subcutaneously.

Before applying this type of products, however, there is another one that is essential: cleansing and tonic milk. This must in fact purify and refresh our skin, particularly on the face, clearing the way for the next cream. This is all about when we are exposed to direct sunlight, but it is not the only time we have to take precautions.

In fact, skin care must be continued even afterwards, when we return home: under the shower, for example, it will be possible to apply other types of detergents, suitable for contact with water but with the same basic function, acting on the skin gently with a lenitive and calming action. Once the shower is over, it is then essential to use aftersun, a famous solution that once again moisturizes our tissues.

If, on the other hand, we had not applied products of this type sufficiently, and we found ourselves having to deal with sunburn or cracks, the perfect remedy would become aloe vera: this plant is in fact used to give life to a whole series of products that amplify its main qualities, that is its soothing and once again moisturizing action.

The tricks for our hair

Now let’s move on to hair instead: you might think that it is a less delicate part than the skin, but in reality it simply suffers a different way. It is indeed difficult that, returning from a trip to the sea, our hairstyle is in good state like when we left. So, to start with, the general advice is to use natural hair products: we will benefit much more from them.

First of all, we will be able to protect our hair with special sun sprays that have this specific function. This will be the necessary prerequisite for the care of our hair. Once we get to the shower, other products come into play, however, which are along the same conceptual lines: it is good to use shampoos with softening properties and specially developed sun filters, so that our hair looks better rehydrated and better protected from the sun’s rays.

It is also highly recommended that we always rinse our hair every time we finish a bath, whether in the sea or in the pool: in fact, salt and chlorine are the enemies of our hairstyle. Another advice may be to let your hair dry in the air, in natural way, and therefore do not go to ruin them with the use of straighteners or similar that could also weaken them.

Top seven places in Consumer Reports magazine goes to Toyota’s Lexus. The Japanese car giant’s Lexus held the top seven spots as the best buy car in the US. The Japanese car was given the most points on a system based on scores received by all eight of its models, these are the vehicles the magazine recommends that consumers in the US should buy.

The Honda Motor Co took fourth spot with its Acura along with Toyota’s parent-company. In third place the Mazda Motor Corp’s Mazda held its own in the rankings. In second place the Subaru, which is a unit of Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd had dropped down from the top spot it held last year.

Consumer Reports evaluates and tests the cars which includes how the vehicles drive, the quality of interior-finish, reliability and all important fuel economy. These rankings do influence car buyers when they are published in the annual auto issue of the magazine.

Japanese makes of car, when all combined, accounted for 36.9% of all cars sold in the US during the course of last year – the figures were published by Autodata Corp which is a research company based in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.

General Motors Co. held the 14^th ranking, being the top US brand for the last year. The vehicle was rated as “above-average” when it came to reliability and was considered to be a genuine rival for its German counterparts.