Innerspring mattresses are exceedingly popular. With numerous mattresses the quality is because of the precise quantity of coils yet many other mattresses require a lot less coils with a rather wire gauge. The actual number or thickness of the metal coils shouldn’t make much difference in the decision making process yet the whole comfort of the product ought to always be a key priority.

Pillowtop mattresses are designed to deliver a softer, comfortable bed. The pillowtop portion is just several layers of cotton with either wool or foam sewn to the top of the mattress. Don’t feel that you need to obtain a pillowtop mattress to get a much better sleep in particular if the fee is a lot more than an innerspring mattress. The exact same can quite easily be created just by having additional foam mats on the top of the mattress.

The actual thickness of the mattress doesn’t guarantee you will get a comfortable mattress. Most businesses produce thicker mattresses to create a more pleasing sales piece. Make sure to keep in mind that the thicker the mattress is, then the heavier it will be. Will it fit through the doors in your home? Will the headboard still be visible once the mattress is put on top of the boxspring? Boxsprings are an additional cost when you are looking for a bed. However, Boxsprings are not necessary for a comfy slumber. Instead, the item could simply be avoided by placing the mattress on top of a base. A great deal of Europeans do this and don’t use a boxspring at all. Find a diverse collection of home and garden products including; mattresses, sofa beds and wall clocks from leading brands online.

A great number of consumers purchase a firm bed if they have back pains. This has been proven medically pointless. Problems with the back originates from the structure of the body, position and frequently how the person is made. Don’t feel forced to acquire a bed that guarantees back pain relief.

Solid foam mattresses have in recent years become exceedingly popular but the high fee discourages a lot of shoppers. The foam mattresses form to the figure of the body and can emulate weightlessness for a more restful nights snooze. Though, there needs to be a shielding sheet purchased as well to lay over the mattress on top of a platform to lay the mattress on top of.

One necessary decision that needs to be looked at is whether to purchase a guarantee for the product. Generally, guarantees are to be had for ten to 15 years and provide protection against stains, damage and faults. Since these problems often occur within the first sixty days after your purchase, think about signing up for the 30 to sixty day exchange or money back.

A rear facing car seat will be the very first seat your baby will want. Rear facing baby car seats offer significantly more security for a baby’s head, neck, and spine than that of forward facing car seats. Rear facing baby car seats are definitely the best until the child has grown to the maximum weight for the car seat or to the point where the very top of the kids’ head is above the top of the seat.

The next step of car seat is a forward facing seat, which can be used by kids aged from nine months four 4 years of age or when the kid weighs in the region of nine and 18 kilograms. This specific sort of car seat has a harness that attaches between the infant’s legs in order to stop them from sliding out of the seat when in the car. Your toddler should also keep this seat until they have reached the seat’s weight limit or when the top of their head is above the top of the seat.

For a seat that can be used both rear and forward facing, the Britax First Class Plus is an excellent item to buy. Britax seats are typically highly rated and what’s more this seat can be used from birth to four years of age, and follows the rear and forward facing rules as described earlier.

The booster seat is the final round in car seats. These by and large do not include a fastener and can be used with a vehicle’s seat belt, which wraps around both the infant and the seat. A lot of bumper seats have detachable backs, which allow for a significantly better fit for smaller children, and can even be removed as the kid grows up. Booster seats with side wings provide significantly more security in an accident than those without since they safeguard the baby’s head. Maxi Cosi baby car seats offer a seat with all these virtues. Their Rodi XR won the Practical Parenting magazine’s trophy for the most excellent Multi-Stage seat for two-thousand and seven/eight. Choose from a large selection of baby & child products including; car seats, baby cots and pushchairs from leading brands online.

Car seats are a required part of being parents, and there are numerous car seat brands to pick from. When your kid’s safety is your main priority, Britax and Maxi Cosi baby car seats are wonderful selections.

Smog may be an atrocious bother in our daily living.
We all suffer significantly from pollution in the air.
Intoxicants may be debilitating to those who will imbibe.
But nothing is as troublesome as a world that doesn’t care.

Embezzlers may run off with money not their own.
A spouse may engage in an extra-marital affair.
Some folks may be malicious, evil, mean and rude.
But nothing is as tragic as a world that doesn’t care.

The rich may all get richer as the poor languish behind.
The aged may find their last days are lived in solitaire.
The young may be lost in a confusing world maze.
But nothing is as dreadful as a world that doesn’t care.

Diabetes may be incurable and challenge the appetite.
Cancer may be ubiquitous, creating turmoil and despair.
Kidneys may suddenly fail and require dialysis.
But nothing is as fatal as a world that doesn’t care.

Our world has many problems for solutions to be found.
Great trials and tribulations on mankind can overbear.
But hope remains alive however small the sparks may be,
If the world does not let leave of its capacity to care.

Rev. Saundra L. Washington, is an ordained clergywoman, social worker, and Founder of AMEN Ministries, http://www.clergyservices4u.org. She is also the author of two coffee table books: Room Beneath the Snow, Poems that Preach and Negative Disturbances, Homilies that Teach.

When making your powerpoint presentation, plan it in such a way that the vital information can be put on the slides, in printed form as a handout and is explainable to the viewers. This is because a person tends to store information for a longer time if they hear it three or more times. Be as clear and concise as possible in your presentation. Work on your points until you get exactly what you want the audience to get from your presentation.

Now, to start on the making of the powerpoint presentation. To quickly start a powerpoint presentation, you have to click any powerpoint presentation file (.ppt) and select the Show icon from the shortcut menu it displays. Another alternative to starting the powerpoint presentation is to save the presentation as a slide show by selecting the File, Save As icons, and then selecting powerpoint show from the Save As Type box. If you save the powerpoint presentation to your desktop, you just have to double click on that particular file icon for it to start the show. When creating a design or background for the powerpoint presentation, make sure you use a light background and dark text for printed ones. For the shown ones, use dark background with a light text. It is not advisable to use more than one background in a presentation as it only gets the viewer distracted from the message.

When creating the powerpoint presentation, do not get carried away. The information you are giving through the presentation is the important thing, and not showing off what you and powerpoint can do! Avoid centering the bulleted lists or texts in the presentation, as it thus gets confusing to read. Keep the matter left justified, unless you have a good reason to not to do so in the presentation. You have to also avoid centering graphics, unless the graphic is a chart or graph, and the main subject of the slide. Remember, clip art focuses on the making of points and not on distracting them from the presentation. Avoid using all caps in the presentation; capitalizing the first letter of each word is good in the title of slides, and suggests a more formal format than having only the first letter of the first word capitalized. The size of the font of the presentation depends on the size of the room. Usually, it is no smaller than 14 pt.

On embarking on making a powerpoint presentation, you have to first organize all clip arts, graphs and charts that you may need in the presentation of your ideas. If need be, you can convert your ideas into a digital form so that it can be imported into powerpoint. Keep all supplemental materials you may need to refer to and hand out to the audience during the presentation. Now you can start on the powerpoint presentation!

With so many new sites coming online everyday, there is even greater opportunity for driving web traffic and increasing revenue. But how can you continue to target the ones that bring YOU the most success?

There are hundreds of webmasters out there who are desperate for people to post in their forums… especially those who are particularly knowledgeable in specialized “niche” topics. The competition is fierce so the last thing a webmaster needs is a plethera of completely useless postings on their forums.

Readers are looking for legitimate and accurate information that they can benefit from… and so the webmasters intent is get those high-quality postings in order to generate traffic and create a valuable community.

Most webmasters are very willing to trade forum postings (or other suitable content) with other webmasters. However, a growing number of webmasters are now paying for quality postings. It’s one of the more effective methods of obtaining the targeted material that their readers are looking for.

So in the vast expanse of the internet, we have these desperate webmasters and these determined content writers all chasing that same (often elusive) web traffic. The solution to this frustrating dilemma is to bring these two groups of people together in order to successfully accommodate the needs of both in a fast and efficient manner.

The Forum Seeders Network (FSN) is designed to do just that.

FSN is arranged to showcase two types of internet gurus:

1. Content writers and their list of specialty topics

2. Webmasters whose sites and forums are in need of quality content.

All you have to do is register as a member, and then create either a webmaster profile or a publisher profile (or BOTH if you are one of those multi-talented individuals).

After that, you are free to browse the profile listings and forums, and introduce yourself to other members whom you feel are a good match for you.

As a publisher, you can select the websites and forums that are of interest to you and then message the webmaster directly to let him or her know that you are available to provide targeted content for their website or forums.

As a webmaster, you can select content providers whose specialty topics are what you need for your website and/or forums and contact those individuals whom you would like to work with and form your agreement.

Any kind of agreement can be made from trading forum posts to purchasing fresh content or forum posting services. FSN does not take any commissions or participate in any way. We just provide the meeting place.

Membership is currently free for the first 100 members. The sooner you sign-up, the quicker you’ll start to find suitable matches.

So what are you waiting for? Surf out to The Forum Seeders Network now!

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The Forum Seeders Network – http://www.forumseeders.net

Stacey Brooks is a Software Developer and Web Consultant with over 15 years of programming experience in corporate industries such as timeshare vacation rentals, parks and recreations, manufacturing and distribution, securities trading, and medical practice systems in addition to her web development projects for communities, clubs, organizations and small businesses.

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I am aware that several of our happy tanzanite clients have had bad previous tanzanite purchasing experiences, and some, in my opinion, were downright awful. The common themes in their communications include:

Didn’t really “know” the seller as good as I should have…

Color in hand was significantly different than the image shown online…

Didn’t read the “fine print”…

Wanted to return the tanzanite and the seller charged a hefty re-stocking fee…

Didn’t understand the importance of clarity, tone, hue and saturation before making my tanzanite purchase…

And the list goes on and on… If you have not been through an experience like this, either you’re a really web-savvy consumer or you have just been plain lucky. Many tanzanite consumers have thrown a lot of their hard-earned dollars into gems that are of significantly less value than the money they have spent. This is unfortunate for them and quite disappointing to the “good guys” within the gemstone industry.

How many times have you wanted to know that you are making the correct assessment of a potential tanzanite that you intend to purchase online? I have been asked this question frequently and I am amazed that a large percentage of consumers simply do not do the necessary homework before making a buying decision. Certainly not due to the lack of credible resources that are available to the consumer, many people simply let the “want” of an immediate purchase get ahead of their good judgment.

Let’s start with a generic list of things to consider in the process of making a tanzanite purchase. The “generic list” includes such items as the “5 W’s,” namely, Who, What, Where, Why, When. If your inquiry covers several or even all of these questions, you have made a good start in obtaining the necessary information you need in making a wise purchasing decision on your next tanzanite.

Who you are considering doing business with and where they are located can tell you much about a tanzanite retailer. Is the tanzanite retailer headquartered domestically or are they a foreign company with an online presence? This fact is generally known/disclosed at the time you make payment, but not always. The whole foreign vs. domestic issue is another discussion altogether, but you need to decide in your own mind what you’re most comfortable with. Some foreign companies use a domestic mail drop to ship their tanzanites. On the surface, they appear to be a domestic company, which would willingly submit to FTC rules and regulations, many of which protect you as the consumer, but some foreign companies couldn’t care less about these guidelines. So, it never hurts to ask the question. This will help you to avoid the smoke-and-mirrors game that many foreign sellers implement in their marketing strategy. I know of one company, in particular, marketing gemstones that has many concurrent reincarnations, as I like to call them, on the internet at the same time. They have many websites, all with different looks, and sell essentially from the same inventory. While this type of masked marketing is not in and of itself “bad” nor “dishonest,” it sure makes it difficult to get the answer to these first couple of questions and creates confusion for many tanzanite buyers. Who am I considering doing business with and where are they located? You might want to cat around on google a bit to find available information and maybe even get some references. Testimonials and referrals represent a major portion of our business and we willingly share our customer references/experiences on our site to make our reputation “real” for would-be clients. Good stuff! So, understanding who you are about to do business with and where they are located provides you with a foundation of knowledge from which to proceed in the process of obtaining your first/next tanzanite.

The What question may be answered by simply taking a look at the overall quality range of tanzanites the retailer is offering on their site. Does the tanzanite retailer carry low-grade tanzanites, high-grade, or a broad range of quality? This should speak volumes to you. There are many retailers that simply carry the lower grades of tanzanite for a cheap price and show out the best of these grades as top-quality stones. When you view the pictures of these stones, you may think you are looking at “AAA” color, relative to other tanzanites listed, when in fact you may still looking at run-of-the-mill tanzanites that may be slotted a bit higher in the color range than the others. And yes, there are a LOT of these types of stones available for around $300/ct by a growing number of vendors. The statements regarding the quality of this material are often exaggerated and the pictures on these stones may not even be close to representing the actual item. Caveat Emptor, which is a Latin phrase meaning: “Buyer Beware!” Good advice for us all. Other considerations related to What include a thorough understanding of the retailer’s “fine print.”

The Why question is really self-explanatory…. because you want to own a quality tanzanite. Right? In addition, you probably want to try to understand why the company, whose tanzanite you are viewing, is in the tanzanite business. What I mean by this is…other than the obvious reason, to sell a product for a profit, do they appear to have a good business interest in tanzanite or does the seller just offer it as another line of gemstones on their site. Your interests would be best served by shopping with a retailer that has a good stake and large general emphasis in tanzanite. This will provide you with your best chance at viewing a nice collection of gems from which to choose and competitive pricing. Additionally, I recommend that you purchase from sellers that are more than happy to work with you on a custom order. If they are hesitant to do this, it may mean that they are getting their tanzanite from other retailers (vs. a tanzanite sightholder or supplier) and don’t want to mess with an order like yours because they simply can’t turn around a custom order quickly. It is then possible for you to find yourself purchasing a stone which is only close to what you really desire. Why settle for something “close” when you are getting ready to drop a chunk of hard-earned change on a tanzanite?

And finally, the When question deals with such inquiries as: When will my order ship and by what method (carrier)? Are there any extra fees when shipping gemstones? When do you restock your tanzanite inventory? When is the best time of year to purchase? You get the idea. By asking these types of questions, you get to know your retailer better and can pave the way for a long-term, successful relationship with your tanzanite dealer.

In summary, it is important that you have a good understanding of the company from which you wish to make a gemstone purchase AND their quality and price are in keeping with your overall expectations. In our company’s experience, we have found it amazing how much repeat business we have done with our valued clients over the years by simply providing answers to these basic questions.

Hopefully, you will make many wise tanzanite purchases in the days, months and years to come. Tanzanite is a truly incredible gemstone, but you owe it to yourself to get the facts FIRST before adding a gorgeous tanzanite to your collection. I encourage you to put this “purchasing model” in place to avoid the common pitfalls and disappointments of making incorrect buying decisions on your next tanzanite purchase.

john

John McQueen is a long-time rockhound, lapidarist (gem faceter), internet entrpreneur and acclaimed freelance writer on various topics related to the gemstone and jewelry industry. For more information on purchasing fine tanzanite and other quality gemstones and jewelry on the internet, please visit his site at: www.eTanzanite.com

One: I love to teach.

Two: I love English.

Three: I love language in general; discovering the connections between English and other languages is a bonus.

Four: I love to hear other people speak their native languages fluently, easily, and beautifully.

Five: I’m very patient and a good listener, and I love to practice things I’m good at.

Six: I love to travelno, that’s wrong. I don’t travel. But spending time with people from other cultures enables me to imagine that I travel.

Seven: I love to feel like an ambassador to…whatever country my student is from.

Eight: I love learning about history, and most other countries on the planet have more history than mine.

Nine: I’m a writer; writing is my primary source of income, and I love to write. But writing is a solitary activity; teaching allows me to interact with people and adds another layer of richness to my life.

Ten: It gives me something wonderful to dream about. Please continue reading….

Why should you care that I love to teach ESL?

Here, in ten brief paragraphs, is my answer.

I tell my students, rather apologetically, that Americans generally don’t respect people who don’t speak English. (By the way, I don’t say this until I sense they are thinking it.) Why don’t we? True, the world is quickly becoming a global society, and English is becoming “the” international language. And perhaps someday soon every educated person in the world will have a working knowledge of English.

But how did we, as a nation, become so provincial…so arrogant…so smug? Even if your ancestors came here on the Mayfloweras mine didor even if they are Native Americans, your people originally spoke some other language. Modern English has been around only a few hundred years.

And what a tragedy it would be if those other languages disappeared, or became ancient relics of lost civilizations, to be studied only by academicians and never used in everyday life. Think of living in a world where everyone had the same favorite color, or the same hobby…where every radio station played the same music…or every restaurant served the same food. How boring! Here’s an easy (and fun) way for each of us to do our small part for international relations: be patient with someone who is learning English, and while we’re at it, show an interest in their native language. We’re guaranteed to learn something fascinating.

Wherever we live, wherever our ancestors came from, our language is intimately intertwined with our history, our culture, our sociology…even our biology. Consider that whatever sounds are absent from our native language, unless we somehow learn them as young children, will be lost to us forever. We lose a big piece of our cultural identity if we pretend that Modern English is the only language that counts.

Now, my dream…for many years, I’ve wanted to travel to England, Ireland, Scotland, and Walesthe lands of my ancestors. A few years ago, I began to study Italian, and became enamored of not only the language, but the food, the art, the architecture, and of course the history. Now I want to go to Italy.

More recently, as I worked with a student from Switzerland, I was soon awed by what I learned of the rich cultural history, the variety of natural scenery…the castles and cathedrals and trains…the large number of language groups for so small a country…and now I want to go to Switzerland. Given enough time and experience, maybe eventually I’ll want to go just about everywhere. But for starters…western Europe.

So I dream that some day I’ll be invited to stay with a family…perhaps a non-English-speaking family in an English-speaking country, or perhaps a family in Italy or Switzerland…and be a tutor and companion to the adults and/or the children in the family. While they learn English, I’ll learn about their culture…and travel! And I will be a goodwill ambassador, an example of the generous spirit of America.

I hope all my fellow Americans will find it in themselves to appreciate the languages of the world and the people who speak them. If you do travel, please make an effort to say a few words in your host country’s language. You probably won’t have to say much, for the people you meet will probably want to take the opportunity to practice English. But I believe they will appreciate the effort. If you don’t travel, just look at the people around you and notice the diversity of backgrounds.

Can we believe that something good can come out of every bad thing that happens? The Old Testament story of the Tower of Babel describes God’s punishment of mankind for their pride in thinking they could reach heaven by building and climbing upon this great tower. Suddenly speaking many different languages, they could no longer communicate and were unable to finish the project. The good that has come to all of us because of it is this: we have the immeasurable treasure of thousands of languages, and the social, cultural, and natural diversity that go with them.

Go out of your way to spend some time with someone who doesn’t speak fluent English. The joy of communication that transcends language barriers will be yours.

About The Author Lisa J. Lehr is a freelance writer with a specialty in business and marketing communications. She holds a biology degree and has worked in a variety of fields, including the pharmaceutical industry and teaching, and is a certified ESL instructor. She is also a graduate of American Writers and Artists Institute (AWAI), America’s leading course on copywriting. Contact Lisa J. Lehr Copywriting www.ljlcopywriting.com, for help with your writing and/or ESL needs. This article © Lisa J. Lehr 2005. lisa@ljlcopywriting.com

This has sparked some groups to investigate the reasons behind this phenomena. Surveys have been conducted both in the United States as well as in Canada. Additional inquiries may also have been conducted in places like Europe and Australia as well.

What the researchers found was, to them, incredible. They found that, by and large, the number one reason for adult students dropping out of their programs was…

…no real-world self-defense training early on in their training!

“How could this be?”, was the question. The researchers were stunned. After all, they were martial arts teachers and they certainly taught self-defense as a part of their classes.

How could these adults say that they weren’t being taught real-world self-defense techniques?

Perhaps, the problem was not that “self-defense techniques” were or were not being taught. Because, even after these studies were conducted and karate programs started to “import” third-party self-defense packages into their product offering, adult dropouts remained high.

Maybe the problem was in perception. Maybe students just couldn’t see how the “stylized” movements of a centuries-old system could be applicable against a street attack against a stiletto or ‘Saturday Night Special’-wielding assailant.

It’s certain that students were not seeing and hearing what they thought they should in order to believe that they were getting what they needed to survive such an attack. Even if these students don’t know what ‘that thing’ really looks like, their gut-level feeling was that, “this stuff isn’t going to work.”

Maybe the problem – what adult students are looking for – is in something even more crucial to learning self-defense against violent attackers. And maybe this “thing” was easier to identify by novices than by trained instructors who had been indoctrinated into sport systems.

Maybe what was lacking in all of these programs was something the real experts like to call…

…Experience!

Regardless of the subject, it’s fairly easy to see when someone has experience with the information they have, isn’t it? I mean, experience in actually applying that information to produce viable, proven results. As the old saying goes, “those who can – do; and those who can’t – teach.”

And, what adult students are looking for is someone who “can” AND “teaches” others how they can as well.

Now, this isn’t to say that most martial arts instructors don’t know their arts and the techniques and skills that come with them. Most certainly do. And these people are very good at what they do.

However; there is a huge difference between knowing how to ‘perform’ a skill – any skill – and being able to apply that skill in a particular context. And self-defense is no exception.

No matter how hard they try, most martial arts and self-defense instructors will not be able to convince most adults that they know what they’re talking about without the experience to back it up. Adult students are not children. They have seen far too much in there lives to let these less-than-able instructors slide.

And with the new threat of terrorism being added to the ever-present concern with crime, most adults have no desire to learn martial arts for purely ascetic reasons. They want – no, they demand – and rightly so, that the person they place their trust in, not to mention their very lives, knows what he or she is doing.

So, what’s an instructor to do if he or she lacks actual real-world experience? Should they rush right out and get into a few fights? Should they go hang out in the seedier side of town and wait to be mugged, raped, or beaten?

No, of course not. But, they can, like their students, go in search of real experts – people who have “been there” and who can help them learn what they need to know in order to help the people who come to them for this type of knowledge.

Of course, this may require that they suck in their pride and get a check on the old ego. But, as everyone knows who has been in an actual violent confrontation with a dangerous attacker, you need to “check your ego at the door” if you’re going to survive.

Teaching self-protection skills to others is a huge responsibility. And one perhaps that’s too great for a lot of people who are teaching for purely personal reasons.

There is another option available, however; just in case the primary one is totally unacceptable. And that option is simply to…

…stop trying to teach self-defense if they’re not qualified.

By all means, an instructor can, and should, continue to teach his particular style of martial art. But he should stop trying to convince intelligent, grown adults, that he knows what he’s talking about with regards to surviving a violent attack if he doesn’t. He should remember that people are placing their lives in his hands every time he open’s his mouth, or demonstrates a technique. I’m not sure whether or not many instructors have thought about this. But they should.

After all, most martial arts instructors teach honesty as one of the major tenets and character traits of a black belt master and leader. Wouldn’t this be the “honest” thing to do?

The moral here is that, if a martial arts or karate teacher wishes to teach self-defense – if he or she wants to get and retain adult students looking for this type of training for the long-term, they really have no choice but to do what they must.

They, like every other information-based professional, are in business to provide a service. They must decide what that service is and whether or not it includes real-world self-protection against violent attackers who don’t follow the rules of fairness and respect found in martial arts schools and karate tournaments.

They should also know this…

…no company, whether it’s a furniture store or a martial art school, stays in-business very long if it can’t give its customers what they want and need. Their clients and students may never tell them that they don’t believe or trust them. But, rest assured that if they’re not getting what they’ve paid for, they’re gone.

As a final thought, and one that I live by. What if, some day, “I” must depend on one of my students to protect me from a dangerous assailant for whatever reason. Wouldn’t I want to make sure that what he or she learned was really going to work?

I know I would!

Jeffrey M. Miller is the founder of Warrior Concepts International, a Pennsylvania-based company specializing in helping private, law enforcement, and corporate clients to develop time-tested and proven self-protection and personal development skills that work in the real-world. He is the author of the highly acclaimed, educational video, Danger Prevention Tactics. His latest book, “The Karate-Myth” shows the reader why most martial arts and self-defense programs don’t work and how to insure your safety in today’s violent world. For additonal information about having this internationally-recognized expert as a guest or keynote speaker for your organization’s next meeting, or to sponsor a seminar with Mr. Miller, you may contact him through his web site or by calling WCI in the U.S. and Canada, at (570) 988-2228.

The name for Tiscali Broadband comes from a village in Sardinia. Tiscali Broadband is part of Tiscali Spa. Their headquarters are located in Cagliari, Italy. Tiscali is a provider of broadband in most of Europe, but they have the most subscribers in the UK. Tiscali is currently fourth in the rank of largest ISPs in the UK.

Tiscali has broadband connections at 1Mbps, and 2Mbps. They also give you a free connection and modem. Another perk is that they will allow you to download as much content as you would like, as they have no limit cap like some other ISPs.

The reputation of Tiscali as an ISP is not very good. The customer service with Tiscali has suffered along with all the other ISPs who lower their package costs to attract customers. Tiscali’s call center, which is located in India, is expensive, inefficient and downright frustrating to use. They offer little real advice, and emailing Tiscali does not seem to work, either. Tiscali sends automated responses that do not solve your problem. People who don’t believe that there are problems with Tiscali customer support quickly find out that it is a major problem. The email accounts at Tiscali are so loaded down with spam that this creates downtime and connection speed issues.

With BT opening their Local Loop phone line network, other ISPs now have the option to use their own equipment instead of BT’s. This has been good for the other ISPs, because they can provide ADSL service cheaper and have a faster connection than in the past. This is how Tiscali has been able to have such competitive prices. Tiscali has set up their own line at each telephone exchange. The problems arise when a number of local residents try to use this small line, which is split among all of them. BT and the other services that continue to use their equipment have the advantage of using larger lines that are connected to the BT network. Tiscali’s choice to set up their own equipment has a result of subscribers finding their connection is slow and their download speeds are also very limited. The speed of the connection for Tiscali subscribers is directly related to how many other subscribers are using the local Tiscali network. Tiscali plans to address this issue in the future, but many customers have become frustrated with Tiscali and moved to other broadband providers.

Tiscali has a Pay As You Go and unlimited dialup access that runs at 56kbps. Their service for this is currently cheaper than BT’s. There is also a package that includes a mid-band speed of either 150kbps or 256kbps. Tiscali offers email, web space, and exclusive downloads and video channels with all their accounts, whether they are dialup or broadband.

Tiscali offers good prices, which is why they are the fourth largest broadband provider in the UK. Their top three packages are very similar to BT’s. They also manage to stay close to their competitors in terms of speed and price.

The only thing that is considered reliable about Tiscali is that they are one of the cheapest options for broadband service. However, subscribers must put up with the poor reputation they have earned with their bad customer service and speed problems.

Robert Michael is the owner of Best Broadband Review which is a great place to find Broadband Links, Resources and Articles. For more information go to: www.bestbroadbandreview.co.uk www.bestbroadbandreview.co.uk © Copyright 2005

1. Do you have belt test fees? And if so, how much are they? If they do, make sure you ask what they charge for each belt, so you know your true costs.

2. Do they mix adults with kids when training? Most schools consider an adult to be 12 or 13. You do not want to pair up with a youth if you are an adult. It slows down your training.

3. Do they do tournaments? Many places will say yes, but you don’t have to participate. Well let me tell you, the four weeks before the tournament, most schools are so busy getting ready for it, you will be a punching bag until the tournament is over.

4. Do they allow the public to watch the classes? I really dislike being watched while I teach or practice. Do you really want to be trying to learn an advance move that looks real funny, with people on the side lines laughing at you? Most of my students don’t, so we do NOT allow it, except during the kid’s class. All parents are allowed to watch their kids if they want to. If the school doesn’t allow that – watch out.

5. What style do they teach? I am a traditionalist. I like to teach and learn only one style. Many incomplete styles have to bring in different systems to complete their style. Not a good thing. Imagine speaking a quarter English, a quarter French, a quarter Spanish, and a quarter Russian. You would never learn to write. Try to stick to a complete system that isn’t just the flavor of the month.

6. What type of screening process do they have? Can just anybody train? Remember, you will be learning a martial art, and in the course of things, someone will be punching and kicking at you. It’s nice to know that the instructor screened his students (All my students go through an ongoing screening process, starting with the very first interview and first lesson).

7. How often can I come in? I allow my students full access to the training hall all day long, five days a week. If you can only come down twice a week, that’s ok if that works for you. I just know that working with adults, their schedule is always changing, so we have to change with them. Just be aware of what you can and can’t do. If all the sudden you cannot make your seven o’clock lesson, do they have another time for you?

8. Who teaches the class? Are they paid instructors or just teenage helpers trying to get their next belt? A paid instructor usually knows that they are being paid by the student. The unpaid teenager often doesn’t care if you stay or go, learn or not.

9. Do they have contracts? I love this one. I have done it both ways. I have signed contracts and I have not signed them. Let me tell you, the person that does not have a contract is no professional. They usually are the worst run schools. You must absolutely know up front what is expected from you, the student, and what you can expect from the school. How many times have you heard “get it in writing”? Well do it. The only reason not to sign a contract is the length of time you are committing to. Remember, they are committing to you as well. Contracts are not one sided. If you are not going to be in the area for the term of the contract, don’t sign it. All my agreements have a clause allowing you out if you get sick or move. One last thing, would you buy a house, rent an apartment, purchase a car, or sell a house without some sort of contract? I think not. So don’t fall for “we don’t have contracts here”. A month to month club is just that, a month to month club. It takes two to commit. If the school is willing to commit, so should the student.

There are many other things to be aware of, but I feel these are the most critical. If you have any questions about a school in your area or want some advice, feel free to email me at the contact address below. I will be happy to help you make the right decision.

My 3 studios are located in Lynnwood, Kent and Bellevue Washington.
If you live near one of those locations and are interested in a FREE 2
week trial at our state-of-the-art studios, please call us at
1-800-508-6141!

Master Robert Jones is a respected Martial Arts teacher who runs three successful schools located in Bellevue, Lynnwood, and Kent, Washington. He has been helping families make positive changes in their lives through martial arts for over 20 years. He also has written two guides on how to pick a martial art school. One for adults and one for parents wanting to pick the right school for their child. He can be reached at info@kungfutemple.com or at the Academy of Kempo Martial Arts http://www.kungfutemple.com
1-800-508-6141.