Health Upgraders

More than forty years after the building of a skyscraper hotel in one of the world’s capitals comes a novel about hotel living: “The Dream of the Decade – The London Novels” by Afshin Rattansi, former BBC Today Programme Producer.

The location of novel is the London Hilton skyscraper in Park Lane, finished in 1963 and designed by William B. Tabler Architects. The protagonist, a 1980s working-class-man made-good is a millionaire – but what about others who have chosen to live in hotels instead of buying property?

In New York: The Carlyle – “Though hotel residents come in varied shapes, sizes and ages, the population tends to skew older and toward a high tax bracket, said Marcie Lieberman, hotel manager at The Carlyle. “It’s usually an upper-echelon person. People who have gotten used to a certain convenience and who like living in an environment where those things are available,” she said.

Combine that with the right amount of pampering, and you’ve got the answer to a hotel dweller’s prayers – all ending in amenity. The Ritz-Carlton on Central Park South, for example, offers inclusive and a la carte services for any situation from wanting a massage to needing diamonds at a moment’s notice.” (Daniel Bubbeo, Newsday)

In London: “John Petch, sales director of boutique hotel group, GLA Hotels (owners of the Lancaster in Paris and the Cadogan Hotel in London) began his career with the Savoy group in the early 1980s. Back then, the fifth floor at Claridges was reserved for long-term guests. But by the early 1990s, he says, hotel residency was dying out. Even the wealthy regarded long stays as uneconomical and turned their attention to affordable second-home investment opportunities.

But the tide is turning; both the Lancaster and Cadogan have three long-stay residents who use the hotels as their city bases. “People are moving back into hotels because of the security and service,” says Petch. Boutique hotels also excel at providing a home- from-home atmosphere backed up with personalised service. “If you have a flat, you might have one person to look after you,” he says. “Here you have all of our staff on call.”" (Tracy Hoffman, Financial Times)

Hotel-living Names:

Geri Halliwell – The Lanesborough, London

Bobby Hashemi, founder of Coffee Republic – Claridge’s, London

Ruud Gullit – Malmaison, London

Chris Evans – Langham Hilton, London

Richard Harris – Savoy, London

Rupert Murdoch’s courtship with Wendi Deng – The Mercer Hotel, New York

Ken Hom – The Dorchester, London

Peter Sellers and Britt Ekland; Richard Burton and Liz Taylor – The
Dorchester, London.

Coco Chanel – Ritz, Paris

Marlene Dietrich – Hotel Lancaster, Paris

Greta Garbo, – Fairmont Miramar, Los Angeles

Howard Hughes – Desert Inn, Las Vegas

Salvador Dali – Hotel Meurice, Paris

Peter Bogdanovich – Stanhope Hotel, New York

Claude Monet – Savoy, London

Cate Blanchett – Covent Garden Hotel, London

Christina Ricci – Covent Garden Hotel, London

Diane Von Furstenberg – Carlyle, New York

Frank Sinatra – The Waldorf Towers, New York

Cole Porter – The Waldorf Towers, New York

Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald – Lowell Hotel, New York

Madonna – Carlyle, New York

Madonna – Home House, London

William Burroughs – Beat Hotel, Paris

William Burroughs – Chelsea Hotel, New York

Sid Vicious – Chelsea Hotel, New York

Dylan Thomas – Chelsea Hotel, New York

Arthur C Clarke – Chelsea Hotel, New York

Bob Dylan – Chelsea Hotel, New York

Tim Burton – Portobello Hotel, London

Francis Ford Coppola – Portobello Hotel, London

John Lennon – Hilton, Amsterdam

The title novel in the quartet, The Dream of the Decade, may end in disquieting circumstances but one only has to look at the tragedies of the famous who have died in hotels to know it isn’t uncommon. ends

Edward Victor is a London-based agent.
http://www.zen13743.zen.co.uk/novels.html
PUBLISHED IN THE UK IN MARCH 2006
AVAILABLE VIA AMAZON.COM IN JANUARY 2006

Did you ever have one of those days?

The kind where you can’t see the humor in anything, no matter how hard you try?

That’s how my day started out. I got out of bed (that was my first mistake) at 7 am. After fifty cups of coffee and 49 trips to the bathroom, I sat down to the computer to write.

It wasn’t happening. I think I wrote the same paragraph fourteen times, juxtaposed, rewrote, edited, deleted, added more words, then deleted everything and began again.

I wonder if Erma Bombeck ever had that problem. She was always funny. My lips always began to curve upward the moment I spotted her byline at the top of her column.

I wonder if other humorists have this problem.

Maybe it’s just the state of things…

In order to write humor, one must think funny. A hard thing to do in this day and age, when everything seems to be falling apart like a stale cracker.

Maybe it’s the price of gasoline…

No longer can we country folk afford the luxury of going out for a Sunday drive. We have to make one trip into town count for the entire week. We have to grocery shop, do our banking, go sightseeing, eat out, see a movie, pick up the grand kids, go visit Aunt Vienne, go to the library, attend church services, browse through the flea market, then pray all the way home that we have enough fumes left in the gas tank to get the car all the way into the driveway.

And Nixon once made the statement that gas would NEVER exceed the price of one dollar per gallon. Oh yeah, he also said “I am NOT a crook!”…

Then again, Maybe it’s a sign of age!

I used to think everything was funny. Once I even started laughing during a funeral. Now that was embarrassing. The more I tried to stop, the funnier it all seemed. People were staring at me so I held my hankie over my face and shook until the tears flowed down my cheeks. Half the mourners came over to console me, thinking I was a grieving relative.

My shrink would say that it was just a manifestation of Social Anxiety. Must have been, cause afterwards I can’t even remember what I was laughing about in the first place.

I used to laugh when I, or anyone else, fell down. Falling was like a knee jerk to me. You fall–you laugh. Not anymore. I watch my step very carefully…like I am walking around in a barn yard full of chickens. (If you’ve ever been around chickens, then you know WHY one needs to step carefully).

I finally gave up on writing and decided to take a break and check out my email for the day. I logged into my account and there was enough spam in my inbox to feed a family of twelve.

Most of it was advertisements. Everything from Viagra to detergent.

Then there was all those email from friends. The ones that tell you to read it and forward it to twenty people, within the next three seconds, or the roof would fall in on your head. I delete these emails, but for some odd reason, It bothers me. I feel nervous and I spend the day in constant fear.

Why would my FRIENDS do that? I’m glad I don’t get email from my enemies!

Then there are those email messages that say that if I don’t forward the email it means I don’t love Jesus. Well I do love Jesus but would He really want me to inflict these emails on others?

I do forward the email…to myself…at all my other email accounts on the Internet. I have about thirty now and I usually take one day out of the month to empty them. (note to myself: empty junk email boxes)

Is it any wonder that I’m not feeling too humorous at this point in time?

I sure wish I could talk to Erma…

Leeuna Foster is a Marketing Strategist, Author and Poet. She has been writing for two decades and her short fiction and poetry have won several national and regional awards. If you enjoy Southern Humor, visit her website at: http://www.southernfriedwriters.com

I have been reading gun magazines off and on for 20 years and have come to the conclusion that gun articles are just thinly veiled advertisements for the industry. At one point, I subscribed to seven monthly gun magazines at the same time for 6 years. It was during this six year period, I began to notice some interesting problems in the gun articles I read and I would like to get on my soap box and get them off my chest.

I subscribed to and read gun magazines because I am very interested in handguns and rifles and have owned and traded many over a twenty year period. I subscribed to and read the gun magazines to gain knowledge, and look to experts with more experience then me for advice or recommendations. Now the writers’ in the gun magazines and the gun magazines themselves try to give the impression that they do product evaluations of guns and other related accessories. Some even say they are writing the article specifically to test the gun or ammunition for the readers benefit.

Now back in college, when you said you were going to do a test and evaluation, that required certain protocols to ensure that the results were not spurious, but were valid and repeatable. Now, the only way to give results with any validity is proper “research design”. Unless the testing process provides barriers against any unknown variables, tester bias and maintains consistent methods, the entire procedure and results are useless. Good research design is not that hard and can be done with just a little planning. Unfortunately the gun writers often stumble on the first step.

For example, gun writers often begin a test and evaluation article by saying that a particular gun was mailed to them for testing by the manufacturer so they grabbed what ever ammunition was available or called an ammunition manufacturer for some more free ammunition. If you think about this for a minute you will realize immediately that there is already inconsistency in the ammunition tested, and a potential conflict of interest in the results. Ammunition is a key factor in how in how a gun performs.

A 230 grain .45 caliber cartridge from Winchester is not the same as a 230 grain .45 caliber cartridge from Golden Saber. A given cartridge consists of several parts such as the bullet, powder, brass case and primer. A change in any one component can drastically affect the accuracy and performance of the bullet. Additionally, if the gun writer calls up an ammunition company and requests free ammunition, there is a conflict of interest here. Can I trust the gun writer to give me an honest evaluation of the cartridges performance? If he gives a bad review, does the company stop sending him free ammunition? Would you give free stuff to some one who gave you a bad review a year ago?

Moreover, if you test Gun A with a 5 different brands of bullets of various weights and types and then compare it to a test of Gun B with different brands of ammunition of different weights and types, is the comparison valid? I often find it amusing that they give an impression of trying to be serious and precise when the basis research design testing procedure is so flawed, the results are not valid.

The gun articles also tend to just be predominately puff pieces instead of concise and complete reviews of the product. I frequently try and guess in what paragraph the writer will actually begin to directly talk about the product or what the thesis of the article is. In a small minority of writers, I may find the actual beginning of the article in the second or third paragraph, but for the majority of gun writers I find the actual article starts in the 10th or more paragraph. The first ten paragraphs were personal opinion on life, the shooting publics’ perceptions of hand guns or some Walter Mitty dream of being in a dangerous spot where you can count on the product that is the subject of the article.

Next time you read a gun article read it from the point of view of a good editor. Does the writer tell me what the object of the article is in the first paragraph, and formulate a position or opinion? How much actual relevant information directly related to the product is in the article versus fluff and filler about other topics. If you hi-light in yellow the facts and key points of the article you will be surprised how much filler there is and how much text you could delete and make the article shorter and better.

I have even read some articles where the author even states that they just received the gun and were excited to test the gun immediately. So they grabbed what ever ammunition was available and went to the range. Some even say they didn’t have a certain brand or the type they preferred at home so they could not test the gun with that ammunition.

At this point you have to laugh. When I read statements like this I find myself saying to the article ” Then go buy some!” or “Delay the test until the desired ammunition can be obtained”. Duh!

Then when the writers gets to the range they all test fire the guns differently. Even writers for the same magazine do not have similar testing protocols. They test at different temperatures, benches, and gun rests. Some will test with Ransom Rests and some do not. The best laughs I get are from the writers who refer to themselves as old geezers with bad eye sight. After acknowledging their bad eyesight, they then proceed to shoot the gun for accuracy and give an opinion on how well the gun shot!

Now, I do not know about you, but if I was a gun manufacturer, I would not want my new gun to be evaluated by some self described person with bad eye sight. Moreover the magazines themselves should try to establish some testing protocols and younger shooters to do the testing.

Now after the shooting at the range, the writer says the gun shoots well and then describes his six shots into a 4 inch circle at 24 yards or some similar grouping. Ok, I am thinking, what does this 4 inch group represent, given the inconsistency in testing procedures? Is this 4 inch group a result of the good or bad ammunition, the guns inherent accuracy/inaccuracy or the shooters bad eyesight or all three? If all three factors are involved, what does the 4 inch group really represent?

Lastly, after reading hundreds of articles, I can’t ever recall reading an article where the writer said the gun was a bad design, the finish was bad, and that they would not recommend it. Even on guns that are on the low end of a product line or are from manufactures that make junk guns, no negative reviews, if deserved, are ever given. Especially if the accuracy resembles more of a shot gun pattern, the writer often says “the gun displayed good combat accuracy”. Since most shootings occur at about 3 to 8 feet, this means the gun will hit your 30 inch wide attacker at 5 feet away. (I hope so!) They will not say the gun is a piece of junk that could not hit an 8 inch target at 15 yards if your life depended on it.

Why? Because gun writers and the magazines do not buy the guns they test, they get free test models. Only “Gun Tests” magazine buys their own guns. So the writers have to say only good things about the gun and down play negatives, or the manufacturer “Black Balls” them from future guns. The disservice is you, the consumer. You get faulty reviews.

How do you trust what ever the writer is saying? For me, I do not. In fact, I pretty much let all my subscriptions run out years ago, except for American Rifleman.

Now, I read mostly read articles on historic guns. Not articles trying to SELL me on a gun, sight, laser, or certain bullet.

Repetition to Death is also another gripe of mine. Over the years, not that many truly new gun models have come out. Mostly manufacturs’ will issue an existing gun with a new color, night sights, finish or some other minor feature. The trouble is the gun magazines and writers treat the new gun color as if it’s the best thing since sliced bread and write a four page article. These articles are usually the articles that contain information that is 95% rehash of information already said for years about the particular gun. Usually in these four page articles only two paragraphs is actually new information or interesting.

The gun magazines also tend to repeat articles about the same gun in the same year and year after year. The 1911 is a great example. Start keeping track of the number of times the 1911 model is the subject of articles in gun magazines each and every month. Now the 1911 came out in 1911, and has been written about ever since. Is there really anything out there not known about the 1911? If a new feature on the 1911 is created, does it WARRANT a four page article on a “feature” that could easily be adequately described in a few paragraphs?

If you want to read gun magazines go ahead, just read them with a critical eye. When I read. I read for content. I try and get the following from an article:

1. What is the writers’ reason for writing?

2. What is the writer actually saying?

3. What new information was conveyed?

4. Are the results of any testing process described valid?

5. Did the writer provide any background qualifications or experience?

6. What do I take away from the article?

Handguns are expensive, and unfortunately the magazines are not much help in providing an honest comparison for the beginner. They only say positive things about all guns, the industry and never criticize a brand and or model. “They are all good guns, some are just better then others”? Yeah right.

My recommendation to the beginner. Talk to someone who has been shooting for awhile and has owned and shot a variety of different guns, and has no vested interest recommending one model or brand.

These are only my opinions, but after years of reading the gun articles, I have come to the conclusion that the writers really do not know how to do consistent testing, and the editors have very low standards for accepting articles. I am not perfect either and love shooting, but I would not say every gun is a quality gun or deserves to be bought.

The author also operates: www.Cynscorion.com which sells knifes and other shooting related products has written an Ebook on “Ecommerce for Beginners”.

The author has been shooting since he was 15 years old and has owned numerous handguns and rifles both civilain and military. He has been reading gun magazine for over twenty years and is a NRA member. The author also operates: http://www.Cynscorion.com and has written an Ebook on “Ecommerce for Beginners”.

Property Index can help with overseas property investment, view the properties available for investment.

Even though the Property Index service must be rated a fairly young organisation, (they were founded in March 2007), they have very swiftly attained to expert status. As a matter of fact, they are a incredibly informal organisation specialising in proposing expert advice to anyone who is proposing to sell land across the globe. Their guarantee is to offer you assistance to locate bang-on what you are calling for very quickly and, as well, easily. Property can be found almost anywhere in the world at the moment, one of the swankiest areas being property available for sale in Spain. It should be easy as one-two-three to determine the splendid real property on the market in Spain, the reason for looking for estate here is the houses and apartments on the market and the ripping possibility of being able to live with such a bubbly, enthusiastic and robust population.

This is one of the most trendy areas at the moment, and in view of the scenic beauty and the climate that surrounds you round the clock, how could you ever say no? Property in Spain is immersed in culture, art and history, this geographical region is and has always been home to lots of nations. Some thirty years back there’d be a mere dribble of Englishmen keen on real property in Spain. Ask anyone who has emigrated to Spain and they are certain to back it up. Lots of people would tag it a transient fashion and others tag it a that’s more or less a fixation… People that are interested in moving to this place will typically range from young couples keen on a bit of a new life perspective to the elderly meaning to unwind and enjoy themselves.

Note that there could well be difficulties when looking to buy real property abroad – expectably there are a million actions to consider be it when strategizing, popping in or finalizing the deal. If you miss out on one single minute action this is sure to easily provoke insurmountable difficulties and, even more importantly, a failed investment. As you may probably have expected with this popular region, real property might be costly in this location which is solely a consequence of the steep market pressure. This notwithstanding, the customer really is spoilt for choice in such a region so richly blessed by sensational panorama. Patently it can boast the lot a client could ever long for and more.

Like ravening wolves, we devour information until we weary from the effort. We have somehow found the evolutionary express lane as we morph into computer generated graphics going about executing the programming given us by our virtual masters. Most of us feel a certain “something” missing but we just can’t seem to find it. It’s just beyond our reach like the appropriate word or name is behind a frustrating fog for the Alzheimer’s victim. We are certain that somebody out there knows – we just don’t know who.

I am no Luddite. I use technology every day in my work and leisure. There is no evil world domination plot occupying my thoughts. All the same, we have changed – and not necessarily for the better. In joining the online world many of us disconnected from that which we can feel and touch. Our perception of reality is changing rapidly. This “new real” is quite different than what we grew up with. You need not touch, smell, or understand a thing in any normal way for it to be real. The virtual tells us what is real and we adjust our perception to agree.

Connected to this, I believe, is a general trend towards aggressiveness and acrimony. It is as though this pervasive sense of wrongness agitates and stirs human passions better left unmolested. We work to win every contest at any cost irrespective of ethical or moral considerations. Our hero’s are those who prove that success obtained by any means brings fulfillment. We look into each other’s eyes and know it is so but we continue on, like electronic marionettes, dancing the dance given us.

There is something within that wants to touch and feel a thing to know if it is real. A link to our simpler selves that doesn’t quite get that things have changed. The nineteenth century Russian philosopher Dostoyevsky said that beauty will save the world. If that is true, then we should all be about creating enduring things of beauty. Our ability to create beauty must begin with learning to appreciate or desire beauty. True beauty costs, it requires something of us, it is never quick or easy. It is the antithesis of virtual, it is real reality. It’s never cheap but always fulfilling. It’s worth the effort.

Akylina Lee is mother to three adult children and an observer of life

http://www.whybuyplastic.com

Southern Africa is an exciting place, the marvellous open spaces buzzing with wildlife and one of the lowest population ratios in the world. Zambia has some of the very best natural surroundings in Southern Africa, the tremendous blend of beautiful fields, scenery and swamps makes the entire place come to life. Not only will you be marvelled at the surroundings, you will additionally be allured at the amazing lakes and waterfalls. This is a real sanctuary on earth.

In South Africa one will be able to explore the leading waterfall of all, the Victoria Falls. This appealing waterfall has been a place for tons of animals with loads of big cats & elephants coming to bathe in the clear waters that run here. Of course make sure you view the birds and hippos around the Zambezi River, & remember to take a guide as the river will be a little aggressive. one may of course wish to go on a walking tour in South Luangwa National Park and get near with the varieties of wildlife. On a driving safari you yourself will view giraffes & astonishingly rare wild dogs. If you yourself are lucky enough one shall view a heard of giraffes with their young. The facility to be so close with these brilliant animals is amazing.

Places to stay in Southern Africa should range from 5 star chain hotels right through to tents without any radios. Whichever accommodation type you yourself select one can be sure of an incredible time. Visit Africa and go on Zambia safaris to explore the wonderful planes of South Africa.

Since it became popular to have six pack or washboard abs, a ton of different abdominal fitness equipment has come out on the market. Working out your abs is all well and good, but what most people don’t realize is that you have to reduce body fat in order to get that six pack. You can’t just do a bunch of crunches and suddenly have a rockin’ stomach that you would be proud to pour into a bikini for summer. The sellers of home abdominal equipment seem to perpetuate this misunderstanding. It makes sense, because they want to sell you a product so they want you to believe that they have the key to washboard abs.

Before buying abdominal fitness equipment, do some research and find out if this product actually does more for your abs than just lying down on the floor and doing some crunches. Most of them are actually less effective for toning your stomach than if you just worked out without the machine. I do think that inflatable exercise balls are an excellent investment for your workout. They are very inexpensive and you can do so many different exercises with them that you will never get bored. If you want to use abdominal workout machines, I suggest going to the gym because those machines actually work to give you the results that you want!

Corrective rhinoplasty is one of the most commonly performed surgical procedures in aesthetic plastic surgery, yet it is also one of the procedures presenting the highest risk of patient dissatisfaction in terms of results.

The growing concern is largely focused on the psychological grounds that persuade patients to undergo nose jobs vis–vis the selection criteria to be followed by surgeons.

To this end, several psychological considerations have been drawn out among which are: the feelings of the individual derive from the presence of an actual deformity or from the mere subjective feeling of one; the nature and magnitude of the limitations on the patient’s desire to get rid of the deformity; and, the conflicts deriving from the contrast between subjective ideas of deformity and perfection and what can actually be achieved through surgery.

Some patients couldn’t care less and would quick to submit that rhinoplasty procedure is an expression of the surgeon’s experience, skill and aesthetic taste. This is partly true especially for cosmetic surgeons who have keen sense for aesthetics.

The seemingly conflicting points of view are being addressed with appropriate and collaborative planning of surgery which is crucial to achieve optimal results – or meeting, as far as possible, the patient’s aesthetic expectations.

The pre-operative interview or evaluation gives the patient and the surgeon the chance to discuss their different and crucial points of view such as the margins of variability compared to the expected outcome, and possible complications independent of the technical procedure.

On top of the process is a careful analysis of the parameters and proportions of the face which are considered reference points for male and female beauty. Next, patient should be made to understand that his/her subjective want to modify his/her appearance according to his/her owns aesthetic criteria and desires should meet certain criteria to guarantee harmony and objective proportions.

More often, it is often difficult for the surgeon to explain in comprehensible terms for the patient the technical concepts based on specific anatomical references. The use of photographic images and illustrations would contribute to a mutual understanding.

The advent of digital imaging presents numerous advantages inasmuch as they are more convenient. Both the surgeon and the patient can be meticulous to a fault because computers make it possible to acquire, store and catalog images and technical outlines of rhinoplasties. Also, there are versatile and powerful application programs available to effectively highlight surgical alternatives, and generally aid in providing reliable result-driven data.

From a “clinical” point of view, this technique offers the possibility of producing an image which is very close to reality, in the same light, it “forces” the surgeon to achieve ‘agreed’ result.

However, using this technique, the patient will have to be informed, in specifics, about the possible outcome that may differ considerably from the virtual reconstruction. It is best to present a broad range of results, including second-rate or standard results.

Conversely, the patient should liberally express his/her comprehension of the matter and his/her consent.

The general opinion, as in all plastic surgery procedures, lies in the fact that patients may be relieved of their psychological distress only if the expected results discussed with the surgeon are achieved.

Please visit www.rhinoplastyrevisions.com for details. Also, see other issues concerning rhinoplasty.

Right eating habits and the right natural care can do wonders for your looks and health. Here are some precious natural skin care tips which will make your skin glow round the clock.

1) Wake up your looks: Tossing and turning all night can show on your face the next morning. But you can look rested even when you are not. Try these quick-picker-uppers to wake up your looks.

. Shower ‘up’: Take a shower with an energizing body scrub and a nylon loofah. Let the spray massage tension away. Switch to cool water for the final rinse.

. Wear an energizing fragrance: Try scents with hints of lemon, jasmine, bergamot, lily of the valley, hyacinth, basil, and geranium.

2) For Dark Circles: Grated potatoes can lighten under-eye circles. Potatoes contain an enzyme called catecholase, which is used in cosmetics as a human skin lightener. Put the potatoes in a food processor and stuff the raw mash into a piece of cheese cloth. Apply to the area directly beneath your eye- dont let the potato juice come in contact with the eye itself – and leave for 15 to 20 minutes. Wipe away the starchy residue.

3) Fixing Dark Circles: Other traditional and well known remedy is to place cucumber slices on eyelids while relaxing in hot bath. This will be like pampering yourself to the acme, treating yourself like a queen.

4) Soft Hands: So your hands dont feel soft anymore? Before you go to bed, lavishly apply vaseline and then pop on a pair of cotton gloves. Your hands will be incredibly soft by morning.

5) White nails: To whiten your nails, try these:

. Use a common whitening tooth paste. Try scrubbing your nails with toothpaste, its just as easy as achieving a pearly white smile and will take away any stains and shine up your nails.

. Soak your nails in water with lemon juice or lemon slices. The lemon acts as an astringent and will strip away stains.

Hungry for more? Look out for more such natural skin care tips which can do wonders to your skin at http://www.weightloss-health.com/skin%20care%20treatment%20tips.htm

Ashley Green: for http://weightloss-health.com/ your complete and most comprehensive family guide on Health.

Also get more informative skin care tips and anti-aging tips and treatment at Anti Aging Skin Care(Tips) Treatment and Products

While studying to pass the BSCI exam and preparing to earn your CCNP certification, you’ll quickly notice that while OSPF and ISIS are both link-state protocols, there are a lot of differences between the two. One major difference is the way the two protocols handle hello packets.

Hello packets are imperative to keeping OSPF and ISIS adjacencies alive. Since they are both link-state protocols, neither of them will send updates at any specified time. Hello packets are the only method by which routers running OSPF and ISIS can see that a neighboring router is still available.

OSPF gives us some great options when it comes to keeping routing table size down via the use of stub and total stub areas, but to OSPF, a hello packet is a hello packet. ISIS routers are capable of sending two different types of hellos – Level 1 and Level 2.

ISIS routers are classified as Level 1 (L1), Level 2 (L2), and Level 1-2 (L1-L2). By default, Cisco routers are L1-L2 routers; this means that every ISIS-enabled interface will send out both L1 and L2 hellos.

If one of the interfaces is forming only an L1 or L2 adjacency, there’s no reason to send out hellos for the other adjacency type. For example, if R1 is forming an L1 adjacency with R2 via its ethernet0 interface, there is no reason to allow the router to transmit L2 hellos. To hardcode a router interface to send only L1 or L2 hellos, use the isis circuit-type command.

R1(config)#interface ethernet0

R1(config-if)#isis circuit-type level-1

Note: To configure this interface to send only L2 hellos, the full command is “isis circuit-type level-2-only”, not just “level-2″.

This configuration would prevent L2 hellos from being transmitted out ethernet0. While this does save router resources and prevents unnecessary bandwidth usage, there is also no way an L2 adjacency can be formed – so double-check your network topology before using this command!

Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner of The Bryant Advantage, home of free CCNA and CCNP tutorials, The Ultimate CCNA Study Package, and Ultimate CCNP Study Packages.
For a FREE copy of his latest e-books, “How To Pass The CCNA” and “How To Pass The CCNP”, visit the website and download your free copies. You can also get FREE CCNA and CCNP exam questions every day! Pass the CCNA exam with The Bryant Advantage!

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