Malta is a small and densely-populated island nation comprising an archipelago of seven islands in the Mediterranean Sea. A country of Southern Europe, Malta lies south of Sicily, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The country's official languages are Maltese and English.

Most people drive their cars on the left side of the road and sometimes give way to the right at road junctions.

Only the three largest islands Malta Island (Malta), Gozo (Ghawdex), and Comino (Kemmuna) are inhabited. Each island has different characteristics and no holiday would be complete without visiting them all. Bus routes are extensive and generally run on-time, people are friendly and the crime rate is low.

Tourism makes up a large part of the Maltese economy, although an emerging electronics industry is growing fast.

The winter months are often fairly warm with heavy rain at times, while the summer months are "hot" and almost rain free.

Recent research has revealed "return" flights from London Gatwick using Ryan Air (selected dates) to cost an incredibly low price of £35 (that's including tax, fuel surcharge etc). Combine this with a 2 bedroom self catering apartment for 17 euro per day (about £13) in a top resort for probably one of the best holidays you'll ever have.

Bus fares are cheap and car rentals are reasonably priced (get third party insurance and damage cover), so getting around should pose little or no problems.

Summary: Flu viruses spread mainly from person to person through coughing or sneezing from people with influenza. Most adults may be able to infect others beginning one day before symptoms develop and up to five days after becoming sick. That means that you may be able to pass on the flu to someone else before you know you are sick, as well as while you are sick.

Influenza, commonly known as flu, is an infectious disease of birds and mammals caused by RNA viruses of the family Orthomyxoviridae (the influenza viruses). In humans, common symptoms of influenza are fever, sore throat, muscle pains, severe headache, coughing, weakness and general discomfort. In more serious cases, influenza causes pneumonia, which can be fatal, particularly in young children and the elderly.

Children and teenagers with flu symptoms (particularly fever) should avoid taking aspirin as taking aspirin in the presence of influenza infection (especially Influenzavirus B) can lead to Reye's syndrome, a rare but potentially fatal disease of the liver.

Typically influenza is transmitted from infected humans through the air by coughs or sneezes, creating aerosols containing the virus. Influenza can also be transmitted by saliva, nasal secretions, faeces and blood. Infections also occur through contact with these body fluids or with contaminated surfaces. Flu viruses can remain infectious for about one week at human body temperature, over 30 days at 0 °C (32 °F). Most influenza strains can be inactivated easily by disinfectants and detergents.

Preventing the spread of the flu virus should be the concern of everyone.

1. Wash your hands after sneezing and coughing
2. Always cover your mouth and nose when sneezing and coughing
3. Do not go to work, you'll only spread the flu to your workmates.
4. Drink plenty of fluids
5. Seek medical advice if conditions worsen after a few days

[ source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Influenza ]

Sometimes I wonder.

Birmingham or Brum as the locals call it.

A recent article submitted to LPR gives some very dry statistics about the city. In my mind, I can remember a culture that has a sense of humour and laughs in the face of adversity.

If anywhere can be described as the first purely industrial conurbation, it is BIRMINGHAM . Unlike the more specialist industrial towns that grew up across the north and Midlands, "Brum" - and its "Brummies" are famous for their hardwork and spirit.

City centre pubs vary as much as you'd expect. The liveliest, catering for a mixed bag of conference delegates and Brummies-out-on-the-ale, are liberally sprinkled along Broad Street, in the immediate vicinity of the Convention Centre, and in Brindley Place. Most of them are decorated in sharp, modern style, but there are one or two more traditional places here as well - as there are in other parts of the city centre.

Destination Guides > Europe & Russia > Europe > England > West Midlands and the Peak District > Birmingham > City Centre

Many visitors get their first taste of central Birmingham at New Street station , whose unreconstructed ugliness - piles of modern concrete - makes a dispiriting start. Fortunately, things soon get better if you stroll west along pedestrianized New Street , one of the city's principal shopping streets, to the elegantly revamped Victoria Square , with its tumbling water fountain.

I recently received a question regarding www.stumbleupon.com and the worth of signing up for online marketing purposes.

"Channel surf the internet with the StumbleUpon toolbar to find great sites, videos, photos and more based on your interests. StumbleUpon learns what you like and makes better recommendations."

After just a few days, I can definately confirm that if your web page/site is listed as a "Discovered" site; you'll get an increase in traffic. However, unless the page listed has interesting and unique content things might backfire, as users can give thumbs up or thumbs down. They can also report spam listings aimed solely at link list building.

The main danger of using the Stumble Toolbar is that it re-invents the old "surfing" way of navigating the Internet. I stumbled around the web last night for three hours and time juust flew by. I can easily see how this could become addictive.

The list below shows the first few posts to my Stumble Blog list.

Many people are so wrapped up in their job many minor illnesses are ignored or worked through, in the interest of job security or ambition.

Then when a holiday or vacation is finally taken, ALL the suppressed stress symptoms suddenly blossom.

Is it any wonder that December and January are the months when most relationships break down?

There's pressure for everyone to enjoy events and eat extreme amounts of food while consuming excessive levels of alcohol in a short time period. Relationship tensions often explode during holiday periods and many hospitals record a higher level of family-on-family violence.

Take a week to clear your work BEFORE you take time off from your job is probably the BEST tip to avoid these problems.

The information below outlines some other ways to avoid holiday stress.

Easy Beef Stew is very popular in European & Asian countries.

These 3 recipes below, by only reading it , will make your mouth watered and a strong will to start cooking that quick beef stew recipes.

A stew is a combination of solid food ingredients that have been cooked in water or other water-based liquid, typically by simmering, and that are then served without being drained.

Ingredients in a stew can include any combination of vegetables (potatoes, beans, etc.), fruits (such as peppers and tomatoes), meat, poultry, sausages and seafood. While water can be used as the stew-cooking liquid, wine, stock, and beer are also common. Seasoning and flavourings may also be added.. Stews are typically cooked at a relatively low temperature (simmered, not boiled), to allow flavors to marry.

The distinctions between stew, soup, and casserole are fine ones. Often people find the most tasty stews are when the ingrediants have been cooked and left overnight to "stew". When reheated the next day, ALL the flavours have been infused and the meat is very tender.

In science, nano technology might end up being the ultimate "magic". When things get really small, strange things often randomly happen.

In religion, the power of prayer has been studied and some people believe this could be the ultimate "magic" to fix the world's problems. A massive study has found that patients admitted to hospital with heart trouble fare better if someone is praying for them. Many people dispute the research.

The placebo effect occurs when a patient takes an inert substance (a "sugar pill") in conjunction with the suggestion from an authority figure that the pill will aid in healing and the patient's condition improves. This effect has been known for years.

Other ideas about magic trace things back to the creation of the universe, where something very small suddenly became very big... now THAT'S MAGIC!

For the last year, I've run an Article Friendly web site as a R&D project for Sterling eConsultancy.

It's been fascinating to see the way things have evolved. As an Internet business model it really must be studied.

You aren't stuck with the same site as everyone else!

There really is no limit to what you can do with Article Friendly, whether using it for a blog, Niche site, Joke site, recipes, Index of books, cds or whatever you can imagine!

Of course... you can always hire ME to do the installs and hard work.

Christmas is just a few weeks away and the JackC Article directory is beginning to fill up with gift ideas. A homemade Christmas gift is often more appreciated than store bought. However, a tatty made gift will not be welcomed or be acceptable.

The article below gives some helpful hints and tips for making bead presents.

Guide To The Best Of Christmas Craft Ideas

ARTICLE SUMMARY: If you are looking for Christmas crafts ideas and suggestions, this article will guide you with the popular ideas and themes for this occasion.

Various craft ideas give you an opportunity to make the most from your free time using your creative instincts. In fact, craft is one such hobby that brings the most rewarding experience of creating something new and interesting and the best part of it is you can share the experience and time with your kids introducing them to the fascinating world of crafts.

Christmas is a one such perfect occasion to fill up your home with lively Christmas crafts. There are hundreds of ideas for this occasion, which can create the ambience for wonderful celebrations.

Any Christmas Craft idea must have the festival spirit behind it. All the tender and warm feelings associated with this holy festival must reflect through it. It needs to stand out from the stockpile of new gifting ideas that spring during the season. This lets you a chance so that your ideas get the maximum attention and appreciation in festive season, as a number of your friends and relatives visit you during this period.

While considering any Christmas craft idea, you should aim at making it different from the last year's theme. With all the cherished old traditions and objects you can still have a very special Christmas celebration with unique designs and crafts which can turn life in this event.