In order to evaluate Myofascial pain syndrome, it is important to evaluate some facts revolving around the syndrome in an objective and straight forward way. Myofascial is a combination of two Latin words- "Myo", meaning muscle and "Fascia" meaning the connective tissue surrounding the muscle. The condition refers to the triggering of pain that is from the muscle, yet the pain is felt elsewhere in the body.
To take a closer look, Fascia is the tough connective tissue that lies just under the skin. It is surrounding every organ, muscle, bone, nerve and blood vessel in the body, and extends uninterrupted from head to toe. This is how pain can be delivered from one trigger point to another part of the body, because Fascia exists throughout the entire body. A trigger point is a hypersensitive area that is palpated as a nodule within a tight band of muscle. Trigger points are able to cause pain, tingling, burning, weakness, and a loss of range of motion. Myofascial pain syndrome might be more prevalent among the general population than otherwise thought.
It is reported that currently Myofascial pain syndrome can affect approximately 85% of the population at some point in their lives. With Myofascial pain syndrome being so prevalent, it is suggested to be aware of the syndrome in the event of potential future issues with the syndrome. Though it is so ubiquitous, many people suffering from Myofascial pain syndrome overlook the symptoms of Myofascial pain syndrome and are not aware of the consequences, so they leave the syndrome untreated. This is not recommended, and if you suspect you may be suffering from Myofascial pain syndrome, it is best to go immediately to a doctor and seek professional health. .
If left untreated, Myofascial pain syndrome can cause tightness, tenderness, stiffness, popping and clicking, and loss of motion. Depending on the muscle involved in the Myofascial pain syndrome, there may be several different reactions which depend on which part of the body you are feeling pain in. The most common experience of Myofascial pain syndrome is that it has referred pain, which is pain that arises in a trigger point but felt at a distance of the actual point. Often times, this pain is remote from the actual source.
The mean prevalence of Myofascial pain syndrome occurs among middle-aged adults (30-60 years). This syndrome is also a lot more prevalent amongst women than men. It is reported that 65% of women deal with issues and complications of Myofascial pain syndrome, while merely 37% of men deal with the syndrome. Overall, in the elderly population, there is a prevalence rate of 85%. The elderly are more susceptible to Myofascial pain syndrome due to a weakening of the muscles and a less active lifestyle, which in turn will effect the elderly population at a higher rate.
Most research that revolves around Myofascial release is based on the professional opinion that is formed by the techniques that they use and the outcomes that they are observing based on their practice. Though Myofascial pain syndrome is ubiquitous and commonly felt, it is also common to be misdiagnosed or not be aware of the specific problem at all. In order to avoid this miscommunication, it is recommended to make a doctor's appointment. All precautions are best to be taken as an untreated Myofascial pain syndrome will result in worse pain over time.
If you are unfamiliar with Myofacials pain syndrome, there are a few things you should know about it in order to see if you may be suffering from it. Myofascial pain syndrome is a chronic pain disorder that is typically associated with pressure points that exist in your muscles and act as trigger points. These trigger points cause pain in other unrelated parts of you body, which is known as referred pain. This means that a sharp pain can shoot through the body, but the original source of the pain is from a trigger point within the muscle.
While you may be experience shart pains in other parts of your body, it is common to overlook the root of the problem and not be able to decipher that the origin of the pain is from Myofascial pain syndrome. Though many experts do not know the exact origin of Myofascial pain syndrome, there are a couple of common themes of the syndrome that are prevalent in many people suffering from Myofascial pain syndrome. In many cases, Myofascial syndrome occurs if you use a muscle that has not been used for a while. This could be the case after having a stroke, breaking a bone, or waking up from a coma.
Myofascial pain syndrome is often developed from a contracted muscle that has been contracting repetitively or excessively. People who are prone to Myofascial pain syndrome tend to be people who are working strenuous labor with repetitive motions for their work, people who engage in demanding physical hobbies, or even could be triggered by stress related muscle tension. Muscle pain may be common with a lot of people yet should not be mistaken with Myofascial pain syndrome.
In the case of Myofascial pain syndrome, it is discomfort from muscle pain that is persisting or worsening with time. In addition to persisting pain, there is also a notable deep aching pain that is in a muscle and is associated with Myofascial pain syndrome. Other symptoms may include a tender knot within a muscle as well. The pain I usually intense that you might have trouble with sleeping soundly due to the pain, which is not to be confused with common muscle pain.
There are many treatments that are available for Myofascial pain syndrome that varies in methods for treatment. Options for treatment can vary from physical therapy to injections in trigger points within the muscles. There are also a wide range of pain medications that are available on the market in addition to relaxing techniques that can help you with rehabilitation. If you are suffering from any of the aforementioned symptoms or believe that there might be a possibility that you have Myofascial pain syndrome, it is best to not hesitate and to see a professional immediately.
With Myofasical pain syndrome, it is commonly known to be a syndrome that does not go away on its own. In order to take precautions, go to a professional in order to realize the best way to seek therapy for you. While Myofascial pain syndrome is not fatal, it is a condition that is better off not to be lived with. Make sure to consider all forms of therapy before deciding which option is for you.
What are the Causes and Risk Factors for Myofascial Pain Syndrome?
If you are experiencing Myofascial pain syndrome, it is best to look at some of the effects as well as causes and risk factors. With Myofascial pain syndrome, there are many potential characteristics that may be experienced. Some of these characteristics can be categorized under muscle pain. In addition, tenderness and spasms are often correlated with Myofascial pain syndrome, which are very common among the general public.
Myofascial pain syndrome can affect any possible muscle in the body, especially regarding muscles that are routinely contracted over a large period of time. This means that Myofascial pain syndrome may also affect muscles in asymmetric areas of the body, in which it is best to pursue treatment as soon as you are sure that you are suffering from Myofascial syndrome.
The precise cause of Myofascial pain syndrome is not well known, but there is strong evidence that Myofascial pain syndrome can be attributed to stress on the body, particularly in specific muscles that are routinely contracting tighter and more often than the other muscles in the body. This is especially a risk for those who are subject to extreme exercise or who are working manually on a continual and long-term basis.
The more certain muscles are under stress and contracted tightly, the more that you have the risk of developing Myofascial pain syndrome. Myofascial pain syndrome leads to localized pain in the muscle tissue. This is especially true for those who are consistently using the same muscles and straining muscles over and over again. If you are experiencing Myofascial pain syndrome, it is also common to be suffering from poor sleep and fatigue, as well as stiffness surrounding the affected muscle. This is a good determiner in order to check to see if you are suffering from Myofascial pain syndrome, in which case will help with your diagnoses and jumpstart your chosen and preferred treatment method.
While the cause of Myofascial pain syndrome is unknown, there are many risks that may lead you susceptible to Myofascial pain syndrome. Some of these risks include if you had a major prior injury in the past, which could affect the condition of your muscles later. Also included with risks are poor sleep patterns or stressful life situations which tense up the body and put you more at risk for developing Myofascial pain syndrome. In addition, depression could be a common underlying condition that may also play a role in inciting and aggravating Myofascial pain syndrome.
These risk factors that are mentioned may lead to a change of the ability of the brain to properly process pain perception, which is referred to as central pain processing. If the risk factors lead to the ultimate change in your brain's capability of processing pain perception, this may ultimately lead to larger problems in the long run which is why it is recommended to address the root of the problem complicated by Myofascial pain syndrome immediately. The sooner you treat Myofascial pain syndrome the less drastic the following symptoms are, so it is best to take any precautions that may pose a risk to your future health.
What are Myofascial pain syndrome's symptoms and signs?
Myofascial pain syndrome is causes issues in the body such as localized muscle pain. Affected muscles in the body include but are not limited to neck pain, upper back pain and lower back pain. While symptoms may be felt in the neck, lower back, and upper back, it is also possible that Myofascial pain syndrome can be prevalent in the shoulders and hips as well. Generally these symptoms affect one side of the body or the other side much more than the other.
In addition, there are symptoms that are commonly referred to that attribute to tenderness and spasms in tender areas. Even in areas that are not feeling pain commonly, it is possible to experience spasms and tenderness because of Myofascial pain syndrome. These spasms tend to be painful and can also have a symptom of tingling sensations or pulsing sensations as well. Usually Myofascial pain syndrome effects one muscle at a time, and is not generally attributed to many varying muscles throughout the body at once. Another symptom of patients with Myofascial pain syndrome is that they tend to have poor sleep patterns and are restless throughout the night.
Many are unable to reach REM state when sleeping, which further exacerbates the problem of feeling sore or tightness in the body. The sleep that they endure does not have proficient recovery, and is known to be decreased recovery sleep, which is also referred to as non-rapid eye movement sleep. When suffering from Myofascial pain syndrome, it is common to feel unrested and experience daytime fatigue which is due to the symptom of lack of proper sleep when suffering from Myofascial pain syndrome. Many patients that suffer from Myofascial pain syndrome resort to sleep treatments, which is not addressing the root of the problem.
It is a better scenario in order to take care of the Myofascial pain syndrome problem at hand versus adding a diagnosis of sleep apnea, which would only add unnecessary medical treatments and medications to your system. If you find that you are suffering both from muscle pain and lack of sleep, it is better to acknowledge the possibility of having Myofascial pain syndrome versus trying to treat both symptoms separately.
In addition to spasms and pulsing of the muscles, lack of sleep, and daytime fatigue, it is common to experience stiffness after a period of inactivity. If you find that you are sitting for a lot period of time and feel stiff after moving again, this may be attributed to Myofascial pain syndrome. In addition, other signs and symptoms include tight muscles, tender points within the muscle, palpable nodules, and weakness without atrophy.
There are also other signs and symptoms that you may be suffering from Myofascial pain syndrome, which includes a decreased range of motion, and experiencing a "dull", "achy", or "deep" pain that radiates and is non specific. There are also common local spasms that are affected in the muscle. All of the above reasons are signs and symptoms of Myofascial pain syndrome. If any of these signs or symptoms relate to you, refer to assistance or help immediately in order to avoid further destruction of the muscles. Seek help from a professional in order to ensure you get the right diagnoses in order to start the correct and relevant treatment.
There are many different ways that professionals diagnose Myofascial pain syndrome and are able to determine the diagnoses from different complaints. The diagnoses is usually based on the areas of complains of muscle pain and associated tenderness during a physical examination. In order to diagnose Myofascial pain syndrome efficiently and properly, usually extensive laboratory testing is unnecessary and you will be able to be diagnosed upon visitation of your doctor.
While there are no appearance changes when suffering from Myofascial pain syndrome, such as a lack of redness, warmth, or swelling, there are ways to determine if you are suffering from Myofascial pain syndrome based on description and evaluation of the pain alone. While Myofascial pain syndrome typically affects one side of the body, it is also possible that the appearance effects similar areas of the other side of the body that is not experiencing Myofascial pain syndrome. The widespread, diffuse body involvement that is typical of fibromylagia is not present, which means that you will no be experiencing the typical characteristics of fibromylagia and your body will be tightened.
Myofascial pain syndrome cannot be detected through standard tests which include x-rays, CT scans, or MRIs. Instead, it is up to the professional to accurately identify the location of the triggers as well as determine the type of location that the trigger point may be located. A thorough knowledge of Myofascial pain syndrome is necessary in order to properly facilitate a methodical physical exam. It is best to get a pain management technician that has a thorough knowledge of Myofascial pain syndrome.
There are many different types of Myofascial pain syndrome that can be diagnosed, which includes active, latent, secondary, and satellite. During the physical exam, it is customary that your doctor applies gentle finger pressure to the painful area, which feeling for tense areas. There are certain ways of pressing on the trigger points that are palpating. This generally elicits a specific response, which will aid in the professional in their Myofascial pain syndrome diagnoses. One of these signs is that you may experience a muscle twitch when pressing a trigger point.
This means that your response of the trigger points will depend on how the medical professional will diagnose you. There are many possible causes to muscle pains, and your doctor may recommend other tests and procedures in order to verify the causes of muscle pain as well as rule out other sources of muscle pain. That being said, the diagnoses treatment is generally quick and straight forward, assuming that your medical professional is a expert with muscle treatments and syndromes. In order to be properly diagnosed, you will usually undergo a thorough physical examination which will take your medical history into account.
Past physical injuries may be a common precursor to patients that are suffering from Myofascial pain syndrome, so it is vital to take a look at past injuries and see if they have any correlation with current pain. Tests that are conducted to determine the strength and range of motion are standard during the diagnostic process of Myofascial pain syndrome. Additional tests such as blood tests may be performed for medical causes of muscle pain. A common root of Myofascial pain syndrome is a lack of Vitamin D as well as hypothyroidism.
The best way to treat Myofascial pain syndrome is to go with an approach that is holistic and multifaceted in practice. It is important to be educated in the possibilities of how to treat Myofascial pain syndrome effectively while keeping in mind that there are many different options to choose from when you are choosing your preferred treatment session. Included in the possible treatment for Myofascial pain syndrome is to reduce stress.
There are also stretching and exercise programs that undoubtedly help with Myofascial pain syndrome. Physical therapy is a great option to treat Myofascial pain syndrome. It includes stretching, postural and strengthening exercises in order to help you cope with Myofascial pain syndrome. In addition, massage therapy is highly recommended to use as a treatment for Myofascial pain syndrome. The therapeutic massages can loosen tight muscles that will also relieve cramping or spasms that occur with Myofascial pain syndrome. In addition, injections also seem to be a common way to loosen the muscles. Injections include a pain medicine or local anesthetic that is then directly applied to the trigger points.
These treatments can be coupled up together with physical therapy, sleep improvement, and medications which can all be prescribed by a single medical professional who will be able to tailor the therapies over time by customizing them for the individual patient. Most of the aforementioned methods of treating Myofascial pain syndrome do not necessarily have to involve medications. In fact, it is entirely possible to treat Myofascial pain syndrome without resorting to a pill or medication prescription. If you find the alternative methods do not work for you, it is possible to use medications but perhaps is best to be kept at a last resort if you find the problem persists after trying the other methods first.
These two medications may be used at bedtime in order to improve sleep while relieving pain. It is through a good nights rest that your muscles relax and are able to release tension, which will undoubtedly help with any Myofascial pain syndrome complications. They also may contain pain relief properties, which can be used in order to lessen the sharp pains that pulse through your body. In addition, cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril) or orphenadrine (norflex) can also be used at bedtime in order to relax the muscles and assist with sleep. Antidepressants also may be prescribed such as sertraline (Zoloft), fluocetine (Prozac), duloxetine (Cymbalta), which can all be used to help control plain.
In addition to this, gabapentin (neurontin) and Pregablin may also be used. There are a myriad of synthetic medications that can be used in order to help treat Myofascial pain syndrome. It just depends on your choice and preferences of what kind of treatment you are looking for in order to receive the maximum benefits.
Myofascial pain syndrome may be resolved with the ideal treatment regimes of your choice. However, there are also cases of patients suffering from Myofascial pain syndrome for years. The best outcomes are a result when there is a multifaceted practice of treatment that is administered for a patient that is suffering from Myofascial pain syndrome. The outcomes vary from person to person, yet generally the symptoms do not last for very long and usually last for about a couple of months. Though, there are many cases of Myofascial pain syndrome that lasts for years with symptoms persisting consistently.
It is recommended that in the event where a multifaceted treatment is taking place, that you will be able to use a single physician who is monitoring the response to various therapies. This is recommended in order to avoid confusion over what works and what does not, as to also keep track of a healthy way to manage Myofascial pain syndrome. There are some complications that can be associated with Myofascial pain syndrome. In some cases, the pain of Myofascial pain syndrome can affect additional surrounding muscles, which will complicate the syndrome. It is possible that a muscle can be stressed when there is another muscle affected by Myofascial pain syndrome and the muscle refuses to function properly.
In general, the outlook of Myofascial pain syndrome is good. There is a great chance of a speedy recovery if Myofascial pain syndrome is diagnosed early and it is properly diagnosed and treated as well. Usually when the syndrome has proper treatment, the pain of Myofascial pain syndrome is controllable and the muscle is able to be fully recovered. In order to receive the best prognosis possible, it is recommended that physical therapy is the best solution to turn to. It is recommended to get a good stretching program from your doctor or therapist. Sleeping aids and anti-depressants can help, though it is best to avoid synthetic medications if at all possible in the event it will not help with drowsiness and could be highly addictive.
Trigger point therapy is also a popular treatment over a period of time. For one time use, it is not exactly beneficial. Use the multifaceted approach to therapy in order to limit the amount of time you will suffer from Myofascial pain syndrome. It is also a good idea to engage in low pressure exercise such as walking, water running, stretching and swimming for about twenty minutes at a time. Avoid physical or mental stress and take as many precautions as possible The worst case scenario is that Myofascial pain syndrome could last years with no direct relief from any of the treatments. This usually happens when there is no other way of treatment or if treatment is not done fast enough.
It is recommended that in the first sign of symptoms from Myofascial pain syndrome to not let too much time pass, or it will be harder to treat the condition. It is important to keep healthy during treatments in order to maximize your benefits of the treatment. This will aid in your recovery time and limit your pain that is from Myofascial pain syndrome. With these steps in mind, you will be able to recover from Myofascial pain syndrome if you are suffering from pain from this treatment. If pain persists, it is admissible to use Tylenol or Advil in small doses, but be aware if this will be acceptable if you are taking any other types of medication.
There are some preventative measures of Myofascial pain syndrome, but overall it is a difficult thing to prevent. Myofascial pain syndrome is developed when a latent trigger point becomes hyperactive, which results in a localized spasm. This creates a palpable knot and inevitably produces referred pain. Usually Myofascial pain syndrome is developed after intense physical trauma, such as car accidents or the like. These are hard to be prevented per se, but ultimately it is important to take care of you and your surroundings and make sure you are not engaged with strenuous physical labour that can result in Myofascial pain syndrome.
At times it is enjoyable jobbies that are the culprit of starting Myofascial pain syndrome, which is hard to avoid if you are practicing your physical hobby on a regular basis. The best way to prevent Myofascial pain syndrome is by being aware of your posture and making sure that you are consistently in a good postural position. In addition, make sure that you engage in light exercises and stretching daily- this is especially true if you do engage in strenuous physical labour or exercises. If you engage in exercise daily, also make sure that your positioning is correct so as not to add unnecessary strain to your body and muscles.
It is also important to stretch the muscles on a daily basis in order to ensure that the muscles stay relaxed and are less prone to cramping. The other ways to go about warding off Myofascial pain syndrome is by avoiding reinjury if you had a significant injury in the past. By reinjuring a part of your body, you are more susceptible to Myofascial pain syndrome that before. Even with small motions such as spending too much time at a computer, it is important to take a break and stretch so that your muscles are not susceptible to tightening and will be able to stretch easier.
It is also important to minimize stress as well, as stress tightens the body and may lead to Myofascial pain syndrome over time. In addition, make sure that you maximize your optimal sleep patterns in order to keep your body well rested and your muscles relaxed. If you are prone to underlying depression, also keep this in check as this will be able to influence your Myofascial pain syndrome or add to any unnecessary stress. It is also vital to keep your stress management consistent, which means it is often recommended to practice in calming activities regularly, such as meditating or yoga. Yoga is a great preventative measure because it stretches your body, reduces stress, keeps your body weight low, and is a low impact way to exercise.
With all of the benefits yoga has to offer, it is surely worth engaging in in order to ward off Myofascial pain syndrome. All of these preventative measures should aid with warding off Myofascial pain syndrome, but it is not limited to these preventions either. You may be able to help lower your risk of developing Myofascial pain syndrome if you keep your body weight low and eat healthily. Make sure you have a lot of Vitamin D in your diet in order to keep your muscles getting the nutrients they need in order to function healthily. A well balanced diet is a sure way to keep your body healthy and to add to an overall sense of health for your muscles.
There are many home remedies that can be taken at home if you have already developed Myofascial pain syndrome and are looking for simple solutions that you can add to at home. There are many ways to get your body relaxed easily in order to maximize your recovery from Myofascial pain syndrome. One of these home remedies is to take long hot showers. The heat from the water will loosen the muscles and help you with your Myofascial pain syndrome. It is also recommended to do additional stretching while you are in the shower, as your muscles are dilated and able to stretch more when under direct heat.
If you are looking for other sources of heat, it is also recommended to place heating pads on the directed area. You can put heating pads on the trigger source or on the referred pain source, or alternating in between both points in order to maximize the possibility of loosening and relaxing the muscle. In addition, another great heat source is jacuzzis or spas. These are great resources and give you the opportunity to submerge your body in hot water, which will ultimately loosen the muscles and relax the body as well. A simple change to your diet will work wonders as well.
If you stay away from stimulants such as tobacco and caffeine, this will ultimately help in your recovery process from Myofascial pain syndrome. Alcohol is also to be avoided because it dries out the muscles and may attribute to you feeling groggy or unhealthy. The importance of keeping stress under control is also vital to the recovery process of Myofascial pain syndrome, which means you can do simple things in order to keep your body more relaxed on a regular basis.
Avoid clenching your teeth and relax your face by avoiding it from being taut. It is also possible to administer over the counter medication in order for you to have a better recovery process. By using these home remedy methods, you will be aiding your recovery of Myofascial pain syndrome and should find yourself in better state overall.
The complications of Myofascial pain syndrome vary and undoubtedly are felt differently depending on the person that is suffering from the syndrome. While many times it may be a minor ache and pain, it is also possible that the pain is so unendurable that Myofascial pain syndrome ends up effecting all facets of your life. In order to have a speedy recovery process that is not lasting long term, it is best to keep the prevention methods in mind and keep your body consistently healthy in order to keep Myofascial pain syndrome at bay.
If you decrease your stress, keep a good posture, stretch daily, and have a healthy diet, your chances of developing Myofascial pain syndrome in your lifetime are dramatically reduced. By keeping these methods in mind, you are ensuring that your future health will be maximized. All of these prevention methods are in your reach, so there is no reason to not engage in them for the sake of precaution. If you find yourself with symptoms of Myofascial pain syndrome, make sure to seek assistance from a medical doctor immediately in the event that Myofascial pain syndrome can get worse over time.


The People's Biennial, an exhibition series conceived of by artist Harrell Fletcher and curator Jens Hoffmann, examines the work of artists and other creative individuals who operate outside the conventional art world.
Harriet Hoover and I were asked by Fletcher and Hoffmann to invite an artist from the Greensboro community to exhibit at the biennial. After researching our community, we invited Franklyn Lewis (aka Mr. Coppers), a local upholstery artist originally from Trinidad and Tobago. Mr. Coppers accepted the invitation and the 3 of us worked together to curate a selection of his upholstery works. The selected works featured Mr. Coppers' artistry, craft, resourcefulness, and imaginative reclamation of discarded furniture, highlighting Mr. Coppers' upholstery business as a creative act. The exhibit celebrated his upholstery works, but more importantly, Mr. Coppers himself. The exhibition was accompanied by a short film of Mr. Coppers telling his story as an artist.
On any given Saturday while driving around Greensboro, NC, you'll see a spotless gold, late-nineties Mazda pick up truck, emblazoned with multiple reflective stickers of the Trinidad-Tobago flag, cruising suburban byways and strip-mall parking lots. Poised high in the truck bed, a crisp grey vinyl car seat proudly displays a sign that reads "Mr. Coppers' Upholstery Business". If you follow him to his shop on Aycock Street, you'll see a familial arrangement of antique and refurbished chairs organized on stages made of blankets and palettes under the southern shade of a huge pin oak tree. He changes the furniture installation daily, cycling in vinyl motorcycle seats upholstered in high key colors, alongside stately armchairs with hand painted trim.
After moving his two daughters, Karen and Kherdine, and business to Brooklyn, NY for several years, Coppers visited friends in North Carolina. In 2004, he decided to relocate to the Greensboro area because of its proximity to furniture manufacturing, the High Point Market (one of the largest home furnishing trade shows in the world), and access to "great quality materials, great suppliers, and good people to deal with." He steadily built a clientele base that would follow him to several different locations, including his current workshop, which is also the home he shares with his daughter Kherdine.
When he first moved to Greensboro, Coppers earned his culinary arts certificate from a local community college and worked as a cook supervisor for the Guilford County Jail. "I never did culinary before, I was always an upholsterer. But being a new state, where they do a lot of cooking and a lot of eating, I had to adapt. But I came out of the Caribbean, so the culture and food is different... I quickly learned I needed to go to school to understand the culture." After 8 years of working days in the County Jail, and nights at home doing his upholstery, he saved enough to buy the machinery and equipment needed to reopen his business.
Mr. Coppers has developed and nurtured his business around his family and community. After sending his daughter with special needs, Kherdine, off to school each day, he can devote the entire day to his upholstery practice. Coppers specializes in antique furniture and admires the craftsmanship in older pieces. His process is exacting and labor intensive, and requires ample time. "When you are giving a customer a piece of furniture, give it not because you want money. Give the customer part of yourself. I don't do same day upholstery work. I like to look it over for a day or two, spend time with it, and see what needs to be done." To wind down after long days of stapling, sewing, and procuring abandoned furniture for repair, Coppers enjoys riding his bicycle, running, and playing soccer.
Coppers is currently looking for a larger workspace and showroom in downtown Greensboro. When a neighbor recently mentioned that he was going to get "too big" and have to hire other upholsters, Coppers said not to worry. He'd simply turn down the business. He's got plenty to keep him busy. To see more of Mr. Coppers' work, visit www.mrcoppersdesigns.com.


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Benefit Trends—Health Care Cost-Containment Strategies
Justin Held, CEBSJanuary 4, 2023Employee Benefits, Employee Benefits Survey, Health Carebenefits, employee benefit trends, employee benefits, employee benefits survey, Health Care, health care benefits, health care costs
According to a recent International Foundation survey report, health care costs are expected to increase by 7% between 2022 and 2023. In response to the cost escalation, health care plan sponsors are looking for ways to limit the growth of their health care expenditures while continuing to provide high-quality coverage to their participants. The 2022 Employee Benefits Survey from the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans provides benchmarking data on the methods that plan sponsors are using to control escalating costs in their health plans. Some of these strategies are articulated below.
Health Care Strategies
Administration/Data Analysis Initiatives
Respondents use a number of administrative and data analysis initiatives to target growing costs.
Three in five (60%) responding organizations conduct health care claims utilization analyses, which include any number of initiatives used to control costs and eliminate both the over- and underuse of health care services.
More than one in three (37%) conduct health care claims audits to examine health provider records to determine whether services provided were necessary, properly administered and correctly billed.
More than one in four (28%) respondents use predictive modeling, which employs data analysis techniques to forecast health care spending trends and determine the likelihood of future spending.
Cost-Sharing Initiatives
Responding organizations employ a range of cost-sharing initiatives to target escalating costs. Tiered systems classify health care providers into tiers using a combination of cost and quality metrics. Participants pay a higher price to use the higher cost or less efficient providers in plan networks.
Two-tiered cost-sharing arrangements are common (29%), while three (19%), four (39%) and even five or more (3%) tiers are often employed by responding organizations.
Plan Design/Program Initiatives
Survey respondents also incorporate several plan design initiatives to save costs and sustain coverage.
About one in three (33%) uses dependent eligibility audits to verify the eligibility of dependents—including spouses, children, stepchildren, disabled adult dependents and wards—enrolled in health plans.
More than one in eight (13%) employ spousal surcharges, which reduce the coverage available to a worker's spouse if the spouse has coverage through their own employer.
Similarly, 12% use opt-out incentives, typically a lump sum or monthly payout offered by an employer to workers who decline participation in a health care plan.
About 8% of responding organizations go a step further and institute spousal carve-outs, in which spouses with coverage elsewhere are denied coverage.
Purchasing/Provider Initiatives
Initiatives aimed at the purchase point of health care also are becoming more prevalent among responding organizations.
About four in five (78%) offer telemedicine services.
A similar proportion (37%) provides price transparency or comparison tools, which allow plan participants to make more informed health care decisions.
One in three (31%) responding organizations has access to centers of excellence, which are programs within health care institutions that supply high concentrations of resources to specific medical areas to achieve comprehensive and targeted outcomes.
About one in four (23%) uses health care advocates/navigators to help workers traverse the complicated health care system, while 14% are members of health care coalitions or purchasing groups.
Utilization Control Initiatives
Responding organizations continue to offer cost-saving initiatives aimed at controlling the utilization rate of health care services.
About seven in ten (69%) use case management, a care model that focuses on coordinating services needed by patients. These services may include checking for available benefits, negotiating provider fees, arranging for special services, coordinating referrals, coordinating claims among benefit plans and providing postcare follow-up.
A similar proportion of plans (69%) uses prior authorization/utilization management, which requires the participant to obtain authorization from a health plan or insurer for care prior to receiving the care. In these cases, failure to obtain prior authorization may result in a financial penalty to either the plan member or provider.
About two in three (65%) offer disease management initiatives, which are used to improve the health of participants with chronic conditions such as diabetes, cancer and heart disease.
Three in five (60%) organizations offer nurse advice lines that employ registered nurses to answer health care questions over the telephone. This service often includes counseling and patient education, guidance in obtaining services and referrals to service providers.
About one in three (33%) responding organizations offers education materials, such as medical self-care guides, directly to health care consumers.
About two in nine (22%) responding organizations offer second-opinion services in their health plan. These services allow reviews of recommended medical procedures and allow organizations to look for more effective alternatives.
Justin Held, CEBS
Senior Research Analyst at the International Foundation

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


In short, you get to select the exact planes, skins, teams and stat modifiers that your AI foes get, through some sort of menu. Say I want to fight Mobius squadron, in a team of 4 Yellows. I'd set the enemy team to 8 F-22A Mobiuses, and the ally team to 4 Su-37 Yellows, with this idea.
And also change the name of them.
If you need a visualization, here's an ASCII-art-esque one placeholding for when I make a Photoshop.
And, if I wished to change Blaze-to-Mobius' plane and skin..
Hopefully I made my idea clear enough.
That too, sounds kinda like a good idea.
Besides, what good is it to challenge Pixy without obligatory Zero?
Setting the AI per individual would be a nice treat.
Boogie_Van wrote: Setting the AI per individual would be a nice treat.
This would also be a fine idea.
And, how bout another thing: getting to choose the AI's voices? I mean, what would Pixy be if he wasn't making brilliant comments every other missile hit?
Maybe something like Unreal Tournament that lets you customize preset AI settings, from character model, voice, default team to AI behavior.
More indepth than what I was thinking, which was Mechwarrior and Forza 4 online (vs ais), but, that works better.
Even more advanced options should allow you to adjust the map's weather/time of day.
random/dynamic weather & day-night transition plz.
^ Yes. But, where's the weather?
And, it'd probably be even better if you could set how large the map is, so out-of-bounds can be a non-problem.
I mean, seriously, how many times have those dumbass AIs smashed into the out-of-bounds wall!?
Oh god, the out of bounds thing is such a pet peeve of mine.
I'm surprised that up until now there wasn't any option to change the mission bounds size.
But it has been added, it will be avilable in the next update.
One thing I really do wish we had in skirmish though was a marked line in the standard radar for the borders of the mission box. It's always seemed a little too easy to drift into the line's proximity while fighting.
While it would probably be complex to make and unnecessary, having a bot selection screen like UT99 did would cover just about everything here: name, team, aircraft, skin, weapon preference, and AI settings. As a bonus, it's extremely visual so you know exactly what your results are.
Since the skirmish allows for 16 bots (if I remember right, since I haven't checked with all these flights to Europe I've been going through), it wouldn't be stupidly time-consuming either if you customize each bot like I used to for my UT CTF matches.
Regardless, more control for creating skirmish matches would be a good thing to have.
SpootKnight wrote: As a bonus, it's extremely visual so you know exactly what your results are.
And this is what I want. I don't really want to select a Draken, only to, time after time again, not be able to fight a whole Amber squadron. Same with Crowbar. Or anyone.
Who else would love to fight against Grabacr AND Ofnir in a team of 4 tomcats?
I'm pretty sure he's talking about UT99 part which indeed only supports up to 16 bots, while UT 2k4 can support up to 32 bots.
Oh, alrighty. Thought otherwise, since, well, we're on a forum about a game about flying planes, so, yeah..
Personally I'm also wishing for a save/load profile for bot (squadron?) deployments. Could save you from headache of deciding which bots to use for each map.
Yeah, that'd also be great. That'd mean that I select squadron I wish to fight, and be done with it, not decide a squadron, pick some planes, then decide I wish to fight another squadron, and then die of headaches.
Nergal01 wrote: I'm pretty sure he's talking about UT99 part which indeed only supports up to 16 bots, while UT 2k4 can support up to 32 bots.
Is it? I haven't done much with Skirmish myself, but when I was on a screen-share with someone I bought the game for, he tried typing in a large number in which it automatically adjusted itself to 15 bots for Deathmatch.
I just tried it myself now and it changed 99 to 15.
Oh? Right. Uh.. I'm assuming you're talking about UT99, which I've not played much, so, I'll just say "alrighty".
SpootKnight wrote: I just tried it myself now and it changed 99 to 15.
I added because the test team considered this a issue and asked me to set this limit. But I can change it to 49 aircraft.
But I like this idea of being able to configure and save bots for skirmish. I've used that a lot in UT99.
timeSymmetry wrote: I added because the test team considered this a issue and asked me to set this limit. But I can change it to 49 aircraft.
So, you're saying that they don't like excessively huge battles?
After a certain point it does become somewhat unfeasible. After all, I play for air combat, not missile dodgeball.
SpootKnight wrote: After a certain point it does become somewhat unfeasible. After all, I play for air combat, not missile dodgeball.
You gotta think about your poor CPU/APU/GPU/SPU's guys.


The Council is responsible for providing and maintaining good quality street lighting across the district making our communities safer, extending the leisure and working day and reducing the risk of crime.
The Council is investing significant resources into energy saving schemes which will reduce our future power bills and carbon emissions.
We are replacing conventional street lights with LED street lights.
As well as using up to 60% less energy than existing units, the individual LED units last up to 20 years, significantly reducing the need for future maintenance.
Following successful trials of the LED technology, works to upgrade street lights started in December 2014.
A phased programme is being developed, with phase 1 taking place in Clackmannan and Tullibody. Funding for the full project has been provisionally allocated through to completion in 2019/20.
Disruption in each street will depend on the condition of the existing units. In most cases only the lantern on top of each column will be changed with disruption to residents and businesses kept to a minimum.
However, new columns and possibly underground cabling will be required in some areas. In these cases, affected residents and businesses will be notified in advance.
Further information on the planned scheme is available via this page. Updates to the programme will be provided regularly.
Please use the links below to report faults, failures or issues in the council area.
Urgent problems causing an immediate danger should be reported immediately by phoning the contact centre on 01259 450000 (24 hours).
The Street Lighting Policy highlights what services we provide and what action we will undertake in order to maintain the lighting network to a reasonable standard.


text:
Q: Android- Smart banner ad isn't showing on screen on portrait mode I'm using ads in my app, and I have followed the tutorial here: https://developers.google.com/admob/android/banner
If I set the adSize to just "BANNER" in the xml, everything works fine, but the ad doesn't look good on landscape mode or in larger screens. So now I'm trying to change the adSize to "SMART_BANNER", but for some reason the banner is showing only on landscape mode, and on portrait I have just a white adview. What am I missing here?
Here is the code:
activity_main.xml:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>

<android.support.constraint.ConstraintLayout
    xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    xmlns:app="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto"
    xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="match_parent"
    android:layout_margin="0dp"
    android:padding="0dp"
    tools:context="com.example.shaytsabar.footballtables
    .activities.MainActivity"
    tools:layout_editor_absoluteX="0dp"
    tools:layout_editor_absoluteY="81dp"
    android:layout_marginLeft="0dp">

<FrameLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    android:id="@+id/toolbar_con"
    android:layout_width="0dp"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    android:layout_margin="0dp"
    android:elevation="0dp"
    android:minHeight="?attr/actionBarSize"
    android:padding="0dp"
    android:paddingBottom="0dp"
    android:paddingEnd="0dp"
    android:paddingLeft="0dp"
    android:paddingRight="0dp"
    android:paddingStart="0dp"
    android:paddingTop="0dp"
    android:theme="@style/ThemeOverlay.AppCompat.ActionBar"
    app:layout_constraintLeft_toLeftOf="parent"
    app:layout_constraintRight_toRightOf="parent"
    app:layout_constraintTop_toTopOf="parent" />

<com.google.android.gms.ads.AdView
 xmlns:ads="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto"
    android:id="@+id/adView"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    android:layout_alignParentBottom="true"
    android:layout_centerHorizontal="true"
    android:layout_marginBottom="8dp"
    android:layout_marginEnd="8dp"
    android:layout_marginLeft="8dp"
    android:layout_marginRight="8dp"
    android:layout_marginStart="8dp"
    ads:adSize="SMART_BANNER"
    ads:adUnitId="@string/ad_id"
    ads:layout_constraintBottom_toBottomOf="parent"
    ads:layout_constraintLeft_toLeftOf="parent"
    ads:layout_constraintRight_toRightOf="parent">
</com.google.android.gms.ads.AdView>

<FrameLayout
    android:id="@+id/fragment_con"
    android:layout_width="0dp"
    android:layout_height="0dp"
    android:layout_marginBottom="8dp"
    android:elevation="0dp"
    android:padding="0dp"
    app:layout_constraintBottom_toTopOf="@+id/adView"
    app:layout_constraintHorizontal_bias="0.0"
    app:layout_constraintLeft_toLeftOf="parent"
    app:layout_constraintRight_toRightOf="parent"
    app:layout_constraintTop_toBottomOf="@+id/toolbar_con"
    app:layout_constraintVertical_bias="0.0">

  </FrameLayout>
</android.support.constraint.ConstraintLayout>

MainActivity.java:
public class MainActivity extends AppCompatActivity{
    InterstitialAd mInterstitialAd;
    AdView mAdView;

   @Override
    protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);
        MobileAds.initialize(this, APPCODE);
        ShowLittleAd();
        mAdView.setAdListener(new AdListener() {
            @Override
            public void onAdFailedToLoad(int i) {
                super.onAdFailedToLoad(i);
                ShowLittleAd();
            }
        });
      }
    public void ShowLittleAd(){
        mAdView = (AdView) findViewById(R.id.adView);
        AdRequest adRequest = new
      AdRequest.Builder().addTestDevice("//MY DEVICE").
                addTestDevice(AdRequest.DEVICE_ID_EMULATOR).build();
        mAdView.loadAd(adRequest);
    }
}

A: Okay..I caught the Problem...
Please remove all margins from Your Adview.
Replace this
<com.google.android.gms.ads.AdView
 xmlns:ads="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto"
    android:id="@+id/adView"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    android:layout_alignParentBottom="true"
    android:layout_centerHorizontal="true"
    android:layout_marginBottom="8dp"
    android:layout_marginEnd="8dp"
    android:layout_marginLeft="8dp"
    android:layout_marginRight="8dp"
    android:layout_marginStart="8dp"
    ads:adSize="SMART_BANNER"
    ads:adUnitId="@string/ad_id"
    ads:layout_constraintBottom_toBottomOf="parent"
    ads:layout_constraintLeft_toLeftOf="parent"
    ads:layout_constraintRight_toRightOf="parent">
</com.google.android.gms.ads.AdView>

to this -
<com.google.android.gms.ads.AdView
 xmlns:ads="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto"
    android:id="@+id/adView"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    android:layout_alignParentBottom="true"
    android:layout_centerHorizontal="true"
    ads:adSize="SMART_BANNER"
    ads:adUnitId="@string/ad_id"
    ads:layout_constraintBottom_toBottomOf="parent"
    ads:layout_constraintLeft_toLeftOf="parent"
    ads:layout_constraintRight_toRightOf="parent">
</com.google.android.gms.ads.AdView>

As Banner will take full width now and can be shown. The problem was,with the margins, It was not getting enough width for display...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Alex Holz
Creative Strategist | Disruptive Thinker
Alex Holz challenges businesses to think differently about how business works and to approach innovation-driven growth with creative strategies. With the unique ability to know when to shelve old ideas for a different perspective, Alex approaches problem-solving with clarity and focus. Helping businesses innovate with creative strategies that disrupt conventional systems: that's what he does best.
Passionate about helping businesses embrace forward-thinking change in building a sustainable and progressive future for all, Alex has successfully initiated and spearheaded process redesign and product innovation projects at AOK International Service. As one of the largest health insurance providers in Germany, AOK looks after over 25 million people—almost one third of the population in Germany. Alex's proactive efforts in aligning the brand with a more contemporary and dynamic image have enhanced accessibility and visibility of the company's services for the expat and startup community in Berlin, expanding the company's reach to a previously untapped market.
As a thought leader at kulturspace, Alex has secured major sponsors and in-kind partnerships for projects such as the LA Fashion Film Festival, the Berlin Student Film Festival, and Show Us Your Type Berlin, which were instrumental to the success of those events. His creative problem-solving skills also enables him to help foreign artists in Berlin access the social support system, earning him the reputation of "Alex: the go-to guy for help with social insurance matters in Berlin".
Alex builds bridges between the corporate and startup worlds, adapting his professional toolset to introduce disruptive change for tomorrow's growth. While he thrives in environments that challenge his disruptive thinking and problem-solving skills, he's mostly driven by the opportunity to make meaningful change happen, particularly in support of a future that's sustainable, cruelty-free and inclusive.
Holz graduated from Hochschule Harz with a BA in Tourism Management in 2010 and is a fluent speaker of English, German, Spanish, Russian, and Ukrainian.
I speak: English, German, Russian and Ukrainian.
Leadership, SSJustin Merino November 9, 2014
Natasha Siemaszko
LeadershipJustin Merino November 9, 2014
Lindy Siu
SS, LeadershipJustin Merino November 9, 2014


Okay so I'm kind of cheating with my #whatmamaworemonday because this is definitely not me on a standard February Monday morning but I just had to include these photos because I'm so proud of them. At the beginning of November I was contacted by the lovely team over at Mamas & Papas and asked if I would model their new sage green armadillo pushchair. I obviously jumped at the chance! I was in complete shock that little old me had even been asked!
We shot in Kensington on I think the coldest winter day of the year. I remember it being around -2 degrees, it was absolutely freezing but luckily clear blue skies and lots of sun. The funny thing is, the shoot was for their Spring/Summer campaign so I had to dress for warm weather when in actual fact it was absolutely Baltic! Emmie was such a little trooper and battled through the freezing temperatures with a few little tears but on the whole she did so well, bless her. The team at Mamas & Papas really looked after us, after every shot they ran over and popped a blanket over the both of us. We drank lots of hot tea and even got given hand warmers, they were really fab to work with. I also remember members of public stopping to watch and I felt like such a little celebrity haha, I definitely soaked in my 5 minutes of fame!
I received the photos back on Thursday and I could have cried I was so happy with them. I'm over the moon they chose me. I now have these gorgeous photos to look back on from what was such a brilliant day.
If you could like to part in week thirty-nine of What Mama Wore Monday, then get those outfits posts up on instagram or your blog! Just a few points to remember when joining in. Make sure you use the hashtag #whatmamaworemonday, tag myself heyitsromeca and rachelthehat in your photos and remember it has to be a photo you've posted today. We will then share a few snaps and try our best to comment on everyone's posts. It would also be lovely if everyone who participates could also comment on other #whatmamaworemonday posts.
I pity you in the cold! It's what we do though huh? And the photos are fantastic!
You look fantastic and the pram looks lovely too. I love how it folds!
When you're wearing ASOS, nothing can go wrong! Glad to know you are doing amazingly well!


Contains actual hand collected Oregon Rain! Fresh and clean – just like after a rain storm. Hints of Lime, Mint, and Hyacinth give Oregon Rain Soap a classic clean "soap" scent. One of our best sellers!
Light blue with medium blue swirls.
Oregon Rain Goat Milk Soap in small batches with saponifed food quality soybean oil, coconut oil, goat's milk, palm oil. May contain, water, herbs, essential oils, botanicals, fragrance, cottonseed oil, honey, sea salt, mineral colorants.


text:
Lisa Gorton
TEDxSydney 2010 was organised by General Thinking and took place on Saturday 22 May 2010 at CarriageWorks. Almost 2,000 people enjoyed the day live, over 700 in the theatre and the rest via big screen simulcast in The Forum. Thousands more watched the lives webstream. It was a grand day.
Performance Poetry TEDx
Lisa is a poet, essayist and fiction writer. Her second poetry collection Hotel Hyperion (2013) was shortlisted for the Queensland Literary Awards and Western... View Profile
Slam Poetry of the Streets
Omar Musa is a Malaysian-Australian rapper and poet from Queanbeyan, Australia. He is the former winner of the Australian Poetry Slam and the Indian Ocean Poetry Slam. He has...
Transformation by Poetry
Johanna established The Red Room Company in 2003. Her poetry has featured in journals such as Quadrant, and the Best Australian Poems. Her chapbook Felt was published in 2010,...


Dr. Fernandi Moegni is a Obstetrician and Gynecologist in Menteng, Jakarta and has an experience of 20 years in these fields. Dr. Fernandi Moegni practices at Klinik Moegni in Menteng, Jakarta. He completed dr. from Universitas Indonesia in 1999 and Sp.OG from Universitas Indonesia in 2004. He is a member of Ikatan Dokter Indonesia,Perkumpulan Obstetri dan Ginekologi Indonesia and Himpunan Uroginekologi Indonesia. Some of the services provided by the doctor are: Doppler Scan In Pregnancy,D&C (Dilation and Curettage),Early Pregnancy Scan,Contraception Advice and Gynaecological Endoscopy etc.


On a cool coastal morning, before the sun rise, Devin, Laura, and I make our way to the hospital. Windshield wipers clean foggy windows and a bright crescent moon hangs low in the dawn sky. Inside the birth center, the halls hold the quiet bustle of another day just beginning.


text:
Public servants must think globally, but act locally - LASG
Commissioner for Local Governments and Community Affairs, Mrs. Yetunde Arobieke and General Manager, Lagos State Public Procurement Agency, Mr. Idowu Fatai Onafowote at the event
Published By: Kazeem Ugbodaga
The Lagos State Commissioner for Local Governments and Community Affairs, Mrs. Yetunde Arobieke, has admonished public officials working in the 57 Local Governments/Local Council Development Areas of the State to rise above the traditional constraints and old ways of doing things and begin to think globally, but act locally to facilitate the achievement of the developmental agenda and blueprint of the State Government in all sectors of the State's economy.
The Commissioner gave the advice while speaking at an Advocacy programme on Procurement Process organised by the Lagos State Public Procurement Agency (PPA) for Chairmen, Council Managers, Council Engineers, Council Treasurers and Procurement Officers in the 57 Local Governments/Local Council Development Areas of the State, held at the Eko FM Marquee, LTV Complex, Ikeja, Lagos.
Arobieke commended the management of the Lagos State Public Procurement Agency for organising the advocacy programme, noting that the programme was designed to equip participants with the requisite knowledge and skills in procurement and contract management required for the implementation of projects and procurement of goods and services.
She pointed out that the state government is aware of the fact that an efficient and effective public procurement process is a necessary condition for efficient and effective service delivery and good governance.
The Commissioner further noted that the establishment of the Agency by the State government had assisted the Government in facilitating the attainment of the developmental agenda of the State Government which she said was built around economic, infrastructural, social development, security and sustainable environment.
Also speaking at the occasion, the Head of Service of the State, Mr. Hakeem Muri-Okunola, stressed the need for those charged with the responsibility of implementing the Procurement Law to be more diligent and conversant with the emerging development in public procurement.
Lagos, IITA begin training of 280 youths in Solar Technology
Lagos presents N480m insurance benefits to families of deceased workers
Lagos reads riot act to CDAs, to hold Community Day
The Head of Service, who was represented at the occasion by Mrs. Toyin Machado–Onanuga, added that the involvement of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission ( I.C.P.C. ) and the Code of Conduct Bureau in the advocacy programme by the agency to enlighten the participants on the need to ensure compliance with all relevant provisions of the Procurement Law and other relevant Laws and Regulations underscored the commitment of the State Government to due process, transparency, accountability and the rule of law.
Earlier, the General Manager, Lagos State Public Procurement Agency, Mr. Idowu Fatai Onafowote, explained that the agency organised the event as part of its mandate to regularly update the knowledge of public officials at the Local Government level and sensitize them with a view to deepening their understanding of the procurement process and procedures.
He said that the state government was aware of the responsibilities of local government chairmen and other key functionaries in the procurement process and was ready to invest heavily in building their capacity which he said would benefit the Government as well as the Stakeholders.
Onafowote further explained that the public procurement process could not be complete unless there is input of all stakeholders, like the State Government, Local Governments, the Public Procurement Agency, contractors and suppliers, Non –Governmental Organisations and the general public.
Tags: Public Procurement Agency Yetunde Arobieke


Things that did happen could have been predicted with close to absolute certainty if the key signs were noted, evaluated, and put together the way a logical and brilliant detective, like Sherlock Holmes, might do. What this would have revealed, now obvious in hindsight, is that within a few months after Y2K, as explained later, some, perhaps many, would have been in position to make a fortune and others could have avoided disasters. No one in fact put together the whole picture and knew what was happening as it happened.
The first thing that happened, obvious in hindsight, was 12/31/1999 was not going to be a New Year's eve celebration like any previous New Year's eve. The mainstream media saw the opportunity to extend the celebration almost a full day by sending reporters to each time zone an hour before midnight. Each hour the media had to switch from one time zone to the next to keep up with the event nature's way, uncontrolled by humans. If a city in a time zone had its lights on about midnight, it could get on the air for an hour with global media coverage generating a travel and tourist coup worth a small fortune. Sidney, Australia with the exciting panorama of its harbor sprinkled with festivities and its glamorous opera house started the world-wide New Year's holiday with a bang. Then moving on at natures pace, if the lights were not on anywhere in a time zone, the media could skip ahead and arrive an hour earlier, a bonanza for the next zone. You can't put on an outdoor TV show without lights. If the lights were there, the media came and the global audience saw it. In that way time zone by time zone the world saw only successes. Failures were in the dark. No TV producer will waste time showing a black screen.
Reporters had trouble filling a full hour. They noted how glorious and beautiful the fully lit night scenery was, but what else? This was not the Olympics. It was not some foreign natural disaster. There were no events or disaster scenes to cover. Reporters are selected and groomed to be glib, well-spoken, and unflappable. They were certainly not nerds or geeks who might have said something about what had been done to fix Y2K. They were on location with little hard information and could not resist filling time by ridiculing nerds and geeks and assuming lights-on meant Y2K was not a problem. Most time zones around midnight had lighting somewhere in its zone. The net impression upon the global audience was that there were no Y2K failures.
But there were real Y2K failures. Not as bad as they might have been, but here are a couple of mind boggling facts. The US overall spent about a hundred billion dollars fixing computers to handle years with 4 digits. The rest of the world, not as computerized as the US, spent another 100 billion. Reporters seemed not even to know the huge cost of Y2K. Since cameramen and videographers were unprepared with visuals, although it could have been a great story if true, reporters were far from being able to say that the money was wasted.
What about other media? Radio had nothing to say. They were out of it. TV took the lead and had nothing to tell the public. In the next day or two, the papers were so pleased that the US survived Y2K that press media took the same approach as radio and TV. Y2K was a non-event. The nerds and geeks were overblown. Happy New Year everybody.
Here is what really happened. Before 12/31/1999 a lot of computers were fixed by the geeks. A lot of data that normally would be sent from one computer to others did not arrive or arrived with errors that had to be made up by work-arounds. A lot of data was of this nature -- one person, not receiving a payment from another, arranged for it to be made later -- easy enough to do if these instances were not numerous. But perhaps the most important fact, that few noticed, a lot of companies bought in increasing numbers through 1999 new computers built to eliminate Y2K limitations. Indeed 1999 was a banner year for new computer sales that did not peak exactly at year end but one quarter after. At that point with computer sales headed toward the sky almost everybody thought that the dot.com boom was going to last forever and for a few months after the March 2000 peak, the drop in computer sales was not large. It was dismissed as just "a little reversal". Thereafter the dot.com bust followed the boom with a vengeance.
Did Y2K cause the bust? No one could say that. But the fact that the bust occurred when it did, in early 2000 when the successful resolution of the Y2K threat had raised the optimism of the IT industry, suggests that the post Y2K era optimism only enhanced the optimism for dot.com's that was already probably excessive. What is reasonable to say is that the dot.com bust would probably have occurred later than it did, and possibly, though not likely, it might not have happened at all. What a difference to the world if the dot.com's did not crash but had a soft landing!
Even more optimistic points could be made based on the possibilities for future Y2K problems. Who was going to worry about the same kind of problem as Y2K, if there wouldn't be another one until a five digit year was needed in Y10K. That was, of course, a joke. Even Y10K would not be significant if it was only as badly handled by our descendents as we handled it in 1999. But a good joke also adds to optimism.
In addition to the media failure that might have made the dot.com bust into a soft landing, there is an even more important lesson of Y2K that has been forgotten. Y2K was the first challenge to the whole world that had to be handled by some cooperation, and it succeeded. It should have been understood as a successful precursor to all the cascading disasters caused by humans that now require long term, priority cooperation if our species is to survive.


Return the size of the chunk in bytes, this is the maximum of bytes that can be served out of the chunk.
Return the number of free bytes in the chunk.
Return the percentage of the current usage of the chunk.


The invigorating scent of balsam fir essential oil can be a great addition to many self-care regimes. Whether it's used in massage or aromatherapy, balsam fir essential oil has been reported to have a particularly calming aroma.
Add 2-3 drops of balsam fir essential oil to 1 Tbsp. of a carrier oil such as jojoba or grapeseed oil. Its fresh and uplifting fragrance will provide a relaxing massage with a scent reminiscent of the outdoors. Balsam fir essential oil also blends very well with lemon, orange, and rosemary essential oil.
For a soothing bath, add 3-5 drops of balsam fir essential oil to warm, running bathwater. To leave skin feeling soft, add 1 cup of Epsom salt to the bath.
Bring the aroma of balsam fir indoors with aromatherapy, add 2-4 drops of balsam fir essential oil to a diffuser filled with water. Let diffuse in an indoor space for up to 30 minutes.
Recent studies have shown that balsam fir essential oil has excellent antibacterial properties. For a natural household cleaner, add 1 cup each of vinegar and water to a large spray bottle. Add 10-15 drops of balsam essential oil. Shake gently to mix the ingredients. Spray on household surfaces, then wipe clean.
Alternatively, add 5-10 drops to an unscented dish soap to enhance its natural cleaning properties and fragrance.
With natural antibacterial properties, create a natural oil cleanser by adding 1-2 drops of balsam fir essential oil to 1 Tbsp. of a carrier oil, such as safflower. Massage into your face while avoiding your eyes, inner nose and mouth. Remove with a warm, damp cloth.
With a comforting scent, balsam fir essential oil can be used as a natural air freshener. Reminiscent of Christmas trees, use during the holiday seasons to keep your house smelling fresh.
Add ½ a cup of water and 10-15 drops of balsam fir essential oil into a spray bottle. Mist the spray throughout your house to eliminate stale air. Avoid spraying on to furniture and use cautiously if you have cats, as certain oils can be toxic to animals.
Essential oils are commonly associated with just the aroma they produce, however many of these volatile oils have a diverse range of beneficial properties. While preliminary research on balsam fir essential oil has just begun, scientists have discovered several natural health benefits, as reflected in the recent scientific studies below.
The anti-tumor properties of balsam fir essential oil were documented in a 2003 study. Balsam fir essential oil contains alpha-humulene, a compound that has been observed to be active against tumor cells.7 This anti-tumor activity was noted in an isolated lab setting and requires further research before essential oils can be used as a complementary therapeutic method.
In a recent study, Canadian scientists found similar antibacterial properties in balsam fir essential oil when testing the oil against a variety of pathogenic bacteria and fungi.10 These antibacterial properties demonstrate the potential to be used as an ingredient in antibacterial agents.
In a 2014 study, balsam fir essential oil was among several plant oils tested for insect repellency rates. Balsam fir, along with tea tree, peppermint and lavender essential oils were each mixed with a base of organic sunflower oil and applied to barn-housed cows for periods of 24 hours, with the number of flies on each cow was counted at specific intervals.
Balsam fir essential oil is generally considered safe for inhalation and topical use. Always dilute essential oils with a carrier oil before topical application.
If you are allergic to balsam fir or trees of the pine family, be cautious when using balsam fir essential oil. Discontinue use if any sensitivity develops.
Commercially available essential oils are highly concentrated, and can be toxic if ingested. Do not consume balsam fir essential oil unless under the supervision of a health care professional. Do not use balsam fir essential oil on children, pregnant or nursing women unless you have consulted a medical professional.
Canada balsam. (2016). Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition, 1. Retrieved from EBSCOhost database.


Work Hard. Follow Your Passions. Enjoy Each Day.
Hello and Welcome to the Maywood Public Schools. Our two schools, Memorial School (grades Pre-K - 3) and Maywood Avenue School (grades 4-8), take pride in providing students with a challenging learning environment that fosters the unique potential of each child and nurtures a respect and appreciation for the individuality of all students. Our goal is to prepare our students to be responsible, successful, ethical members of society. The Maywood School District is proud of its schools and invites and encourages parent involvement to support our efforts.
READ ACROSS AMERICA DAY IN MAYWOOD !!
Memorial Kindergarten students enjoying a visit to the Maywood Community Garden!
Grade 5 Visits Beuhler Challenger Science Center!!
Maywood students proud to attend the Bergen Teen Arts Festival at BCC!!
Outstanding job by all the students who displayed their artwork at the Youth Art Month Art Show at One Bergen County Plaza!!


Easykey is a stand-alone electronic handle, enabling you to secure restricted-access locations such as offices, goods stores in shops, or even private areas in hospitals or public-access buildings. Thanks to its numeric and Braille keypad, you can open your door without a key or card, simply by tapping in a 4- to 6-digit code.
For optimum security, the handle locks for 1 minute if a user enters an incorrect code 5 times in succession. Ideal for sensitive buildings with high volumes of movements, Easykey locks automatically after 3 seconds.
As an administrator, you manage access easily: just add or cancel access, it's easy and quick. You can program up to 150 user codes on the same Easykey handle, allowing you significant freedom in configuring its use.
As an administrator, you manage access with ease: just add or cancel access, it's easy and fast.
Elegant and discreet, the handle adapts to all types of building with a dynamic design.
The low battery signal is triggered before the last 500 door openings, giving you time to replace the battery. It is possible to combine the Easykey handle with a Euro cylinder for additional security.
Functional and efficient, Easykey allows you to configure your access arrangements quickly and easily, to suit the needs of your building. You can change the administrator code, enable or disable user codes or even opt to have free entry, free exit, or both at any time. With this flexibility, the Easykey handle allows you to adapt your security and manage your access arrangements.


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£104m apprenticeship levy funds unspent due to temps issue
31 Jul 2019by Amber-Ainsley Pritchard
The UK's new chancellor of the exchequer should deliver on his commitment to broaden the apprenticeship levy, the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) has said.
960,000 temporary workers could benefit from better skills training
Sajid Javid has been appointed as the new chancellor and, in June, said he would broaden the apprenticeship levy into a wider skills levy, giving employers the flexibility they need to train their workforce, while ensuring they continue to back apprenticeships.
The REC agrees that a broader, more flexible levy is needed to open up training opportunities for temporary workers while also continuing to support apprenticeships.
Earlier this month the confederation launched a petition calling on the government to introduce reforms to create a flexible training levy. It said this would enable as many as 960,000 temporary workers to benefit from better skills training using the levy funds their agencies pay to the Treasury.
It is also found that 670 REC members have a total of at least £104m of apprenticeship levy funds going unspent, because it can't be used to support the temporary workers on their payrolls.
The confederation said courses which could lead to significant pay rises and higher productivity would be unlocked if money paid for the apprenticeship levy could also be used on other high quality qualifications as part of a skills levy.
Sophie Wingfield, head of policy and public affairs, at the REC said: "Javid's recognition of the need to reform the apprenticeship levy is especially welcome.
"The levy was implemented with the best of intentions but could help benefit the progression opportunities for many more workers if it could be used for broader training. We would welcome working together to end the scandal of locking-out temporary workers so that critical industries facing skills shortages, like hospitality and social care, can access the talent they need."
careersPayroll


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Paul Klee's Journey to Tunis
Immersed in Colours
In 1914, Paul Klee undertook a two-week study trip to Tunisia, which would leave an indelible mark on his work. In his essay-like documentary, Bruno Moll takes an unusual approach in retracing the itinerary of Klee's Tunisian awakening. By Alexandra Stäheli
When Paul Klee visited Tunisia, he was impressed by the quality of the light there
In April 1914, Paul Klee, together with his friends August Macke and Louis Moilliet, undertook a two-week study trip to Tunisia, which would leave an indelible mark on his work.
The stay in North Africa, later recorded in art history as "the trip to Tunis," led Klee, as he commented in his contemplative and enthusiastic diary entries, quite literally to an illumination – to a new encounter with light and color.
This, he stated a few years later, formed the "foundation for a new color palette." Klee describes as a revelation the – for him – previously unknown spectacle offered by the Arabic landscape and architecture.
The constantly changing illumination and the symphony of color, form, and rhythm had the effect of pushing the artist's work further towards abstraction. After the trip, Klee's watercolors and drawings are even further removed from any representationalism, whereby the composition of individual elements on paper now seem to follow an even stronger cosmic logic.
Klee's Tunisian awakening
At the same time, the deeply experienced impressions in Tunisia confirmed his sense of vocation. On the date of April 16, Klee confided to his travel diary the account of his inner experience, which would later become the most quoted observation in scholarship on the artist:
Paul Klee (1879–1940) was a Swiss painter of German nationality. He was influenced by many different art styles in his work, including expressionism, cubism, and surrealism
"I feel my work and it gives me confidence in myself without effort. Color possesses me. I don't have to pursue it. It will possess me always, I know it. That is the meaning of this happy hour: color and I are one. I am a painter."
In his essay-like documentary film "Paul Klee – The Journey to Tunis," the Swiss film maker Bruno Moll takes an unusual experimental approach in once again retracing the itinerary of Klee's Tunisian awakening of almost one hundred years ago.
Moll's film isn't simply a head-on encounter of the documentary trail provided by the artist's diary entries and images of modern-day Tunisia. Rather, in a clever change of perspective, he conveys to the viewer the locations Klee visited from the point of view of the host country.
Nacer Khemir as Cicerone
The Tunisian film maker and story teller Nacer Khemir, known in Europe through films such as "Le collier perdu de la colombe" and "Bab' Aziz," accompanies us as our philosophical travel guide to Tunis, Kairouan, and Hammamet with his commentaries on Arabic architecture and art.
In Bruno Moll's film, Tunisian film maker and story teller Nacer Khemir acts the "philosophical travel guide"
Khemir's narrations provide a gentle counterpoint to the exoticism and projections of the Orient experienced by the three artists to a profound degree, and not least of all in the red-light district of Tunis. At the same time, during the course of this film journey, the narrations constantly throw light on the remarkable parallels between Western and Eastern imagery, between Klee's quest for the original formula of creation and Khemir's poetic cosmology.
When Khemir considers emptiness in Arabic art as an expression of humility, it seems like the reverberating color-saturated echo of Klee's view that abstraction is a bow to the absolute.
And when the Sufi influenced film maker explains that the strict symmetry of Arabic architecture refers to the mirror relationship between this world and the hereafter, between the original and the copy, we immediately see the link to Klee's theosophically-leaning mysticism, which claimed the task of making the unseen glow in the visible world.
Spiritual connections
These spiritual – and cheerfully cerebral – connections between North and South provide some of the best moments in Moll's film. Yet, in a film where the topic of color plays such a crucial role, the flights of fancy break down now and again, especially during the technically deficient pale and dimly-colored sequences from Khemir's films.
Or when the narrator Khemir, who makes the claim that at the age of twelve he was possessed by the decision to become an artist during a Klee exhibition, occasionally mouths platitudes while expounding his wide-ranging thoughts.
Nonetheless, by slowly unfolding the melodic coexistence of contrasts, this simply produced documentary film offers an inspired glimpse into visual passion and leaves us wanting to discover more.
Alexandra Stäheli
© NZZ/Qantara.de 2007
Translated from the German by John Bergeron
Qantara.de
The Reception of the Other
Western Painters of the Orient, Orientalists in the East
In two books that cast light on the history of the reception of the Orient and the Occident, the New Yorker Kristian Davies looks at images, while the Egyptian Muhammad Immara studies texts. Wolfgang G. Schwanitz reports
Hans Werner Geerdts
A Rare Symbiosis
The German painter and writer Hans Werner Geerdts has been living in the Moroccan city of Marrakesh for more than sixty years. His art has made its presence felt throughout the country. Christoph Leisten presents this portrait of the artist on the occasion of his eightieth birthday
Bert Flint – A Dutchman in Marrakech
Preserving North Africa's Cultural Heritage
The life work of a Dutch researcher and collector has led to the creation of an institute dedicated to the cultural heritage of Morocco, the Sahara and adjacent regions. By Beat Stauffer
https://en.qantara.de/node/2065


UMi is a smartphone manufacturer that has released a number of new smartphones throughout 2016. One of which was the UMi Z. While UMi smartphones by nature, are designed to be affordable, the UMi Z is one which also looks to pack in the specs. So with this smartphone, you will find a number of the specs that you might find on offer with leading flagship smartphones, but without the same price tag attached. In fact, when it comes to the price, this smartphone is considerably more affordable than all of those leading flagship options.
In terms of the specs, the UMi Z comes with a 5.5-inch display which makes use of a 1920 x 1080 resolution. Inside, you can expect to find 4GB RAM and 32GB internal storage. While a MediaTek Helio X27 deca-core processor (clocking at 2.6 GHz) can be found powering the show. On the camera side of things, the UMi Z comes packing a 13-megapixel rear camera, along with another 13-megapixel camera on the front. Additional features include dual-SIM support and expandable storage via microSD (up to 256GB). This is a smartphone that comes powered by a 3,780 mAh battery and comes running on Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) out of the box. In terms of network compatibility, the UMi Z is listed to work on 2G: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, 3G: WCDMA 900/2100 MHz and 4G: FDD-LTE 800/1800/2100/2600 MHz.
For those who happen to be looking for a new smartphone, the UMi Z is currently available to buy through GearBest. In fact, it is now listed as part of a flash sale which means that you can pick up the UMi Z for as low as $219.99. This is of course, a limited stock and limited time sale and so those who are interested in securing a UMi Z for only $219.99, will want to do so sooner rather than later. It is also worth mentioning that as well as the gray option (shown above), the UMi Z is also available in a gold color as well. Both colored variants are available at the reduced flash sale price. You can find out more or order the UMi Z by heading through the link below.


30 hectares was previously part of an agrarian farm. It's location between the Cloud Forests of Monteverde and the dry forests of the pacific means the forests attracts a wide diversity of flora and fauna.
The night tours are a fun way of learning about the nocturnal life of the forests. Depending on the season you may see sleeping birds such as the famous Quetzals, Toucans, Bellbirds and visiting migratory birds.
Frequently observed are the cute Kinkajous and other mammals such as Sloths, Olingos and Monkeys. Other night creatures are snakes, tarantulas, frogs and amazing insects.


To go along with my steampunk speakers, I have now put up my Instructables tutorial for putting together a nice little steampunk audio amplifier. This is the amplifier which I have mounted on the hutch over my desk, through which I play all music an audio from my PC. This is a bit more involved that the steampunk speakers, but if you feel up to the challenge, feel free to give it go!
Sandy and I hosted your parents here for a LOT OF FUN for two days! They are a hoot!
Love the Steam Punk amplifier indeed. Will look into making one if it is not patented… Keep up the creative stuff. I love it!


Orbital Sciences Corporation was scheduled to launch a Pegasus XL rocket as part of the unknown mission. The launch window for the unknown mission was on Wed, Aug 21st, 1996, 5:47 AM EDT from Vandenberg Air Force Base. The status of the launch was Success. Don't miss this exciting rocket launch!


Figure 1 shows the overall cCPE architecture.
In Figure 1, one subscriber has two VPN sites (Site A and Site C) with Internet access. A second subscriber (Site B) has a single VPN site with Internet access. The network consists of MX Series routers providing Layer 2 or Layer 3 connectivity (Internet and VPN access) to the CPEs at the subscriber sites. The cCPE context for each subscriber site is implemented by a routing instance to provide separate routing, DHCP, SNMP, and other services to each subscriber site. Layer 3 connectivity, including NAT for Internet access, and stateful firewalls is implemented by Multiservice-Dense Port Concentrator (MS-DPC) interfaces in the router.
You can use the cCPE Selfcare application to provision and manage cCPE services. The cCPE Selfcare application runs on the Junos Space Network Management Platform. Optionally, you can use Junos Space Services Activation Director to provision the network, create subscriber sites, and associate Layer 3 VPN services with subscribers. If you use Junos Space Services Activation Director, the cCPE Selfcare application can import customers and their associated network inventory (interfaces on the router connecting to subscriber sites) from Junos Space Services Activation Director. Otherwise, the cCPE Selfcare application provides its own API to enable importing this information from your OSS.
In addition to inventory management functions, the cCPE Selfcare application implements monitoring and service change APIs that enable service providers to integrate their OSS.
The cCPE Selfcare Web portal provides management and monitoring capabilities for enterprise business customers. Using the Web portal, authorized administrators can change certain configuration parameters and view states and statistics for their cCPE resources. For security purposes, the cCPE Selfcare portal exposes only configuration capabilities that are safely changed by the end subscriber; changing the configuration does not affect other cCPE subscribers.


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Harrison Leroy Gray (September 5, 1941 – August 19, 2022) was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who played in the National Hockey League with the Detroit Red Wings during the 1963–64 season. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1961 to 1970, was spent in the minor leagues.

Playing career
Gray played for only 40 minutes of one NHL game, the November 28, 1963 match against the Montreal Canadiens. He received credit for the loss after allowing 5 goals on 31 shots in a 7–3 loss at Detroit. Gray took over for the injured Terry Sawchuck.

From 1964 to 1969, Gray played another 318 games in the Eastern Hockey League before retiring from professional hockey.

Prior to playing for the Detroit Red Wings, Gray played 15 games in the Western Hockey League with the Edmonton Flyers, and 3 games with the Cincinnati Wings in the Central Hockey League. Gray died in Strathmore, Alberta in 2022 at the age of 80.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

See also
 List of players who played only one game in the NHL

References

External links

1941 births
2022 deaths
Canadian ice hockey goaltenders
Cincinnati Wings players
Detroit Red Wings players
Edmonton Flyers (WHL) players
Edmonton Oil Kings (WCHL) players
Jacksonville Rockets players
Knoxville Knights players
Ice hockey people from Calgary

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Backpacker Magazine describes hiking California's Lost Coast as "...the purest expression of solitude..." However, on Memorial Day weekend, 300 or more backpackers sallied forth onto the Lost Coast Trail making the Lost Coast "...the purest expression of hundreds of backpackers..." according to me. However, the wilderness is a large place and there was enough room and space to accommodate all comers.
The Lost Coast Trail is an epic hike and has it all: narrow and rocky beaches, soft sand, cliff climbs (and descents), grassy alluvial flats, sea lions, marine otters, crystal clear creeks, rattlesnakes, waterfalls, whales, wildflowers, and regrettably, one helicopter rescue. We enjoyed all of these things except for the medical emergency, but more on that later.
Eight of us (six from Roseburg and two from the Monterey Bay) made the long drive on an incredibly narrow and windy road down to the Mattole River Campground where we snagged 3 campsites. In hindsight, we were quite fortunate because the trailhead parking lot filled up, the campsites were quickly occupied, and cars were parked down the dirt road for several hundred yards. Most campers camped in the road right next to their cars. A BLM ranger told us 110 hikers had set out in the morning with a similar number waiting to go the following morning. Such is life on the Lost Coast on Memorial Day weekend.
Uncharacteristically, we had a late mid-morning start but there was a reason for that. The tide crested at 10 o'clock and we started then so as to have a receding tide for the rest of the day. Several portions of the Lost Coast Trail are impassable or dangerous at high tide so a tide chart is essential for safe hiking. Rising sea levels due to climate change may eventually take away the Lost Coast Trail and years from now we can bore the great-grandchildren with the 1,179th retelling of "I hiked the Lost Coast Trail when..."
The first portion was on soft sand until we rounded the grassy headlands of Punta Gorda after which the trail climbed up onto a small bluff above the rocky shore. The winds at the point were something else, one strong gust centerpunched me in the chest and my knees buckled like a boxer about to take a concussion-induced nap on the canvas. On the cliffs, the winds would literally blow us off the clifftop trail as we hiked, fortunately the wind pushed us inland and not seaward and off the cliff.
At three miles, we arrived at the historic Punta Gorda Lighthouse. Short and squat as far as lighthouses go, what makes this lighthouse notable is the sheer remoteness of the site. Dozens of hikers and backpackers (the crowds had not thinned out yet) climbed the narrow iron stairs for the view from the cupola. Below, there was a rusting metal tank and a whole bunch of sea lions basking in the sun and a whole bunch of backpackers taking a whole bunch of pictures of the sleeping creatures. It sort of reminded me of the O'Neill family after Thanksgiving dinner.
For the next few miles, the trail undulated up and down on the grassy hillsides. The King Range drops 4,000 feet in about 3 miles so "hillside" is probably not the correct descriptor. At any rate, the steep slopes plunged faster than a Victoria's Secret neckline and they were grass-covered and wind-blown.
At Sea Lion Gulch, the trail dropped into a ravine and spit us out onto the beach. This was our first taste of rock-hopping but not our last. The rocks made us wish for soft sand and the soft sand made us wish for rock hopping. There was just no pleasing us. Things got interesting at a detour around a landslide, with the detour taking us up into the grassy slopes again. The drop down to the beach was precarious and required the use of hands. There was a group behind us and after observing our hands-on crawl down the cliff face, they deigned to attempt the descent. I'm not sure which group was smarter.
Our reward for the tricky descent? Walking on rocks again! However, the walk was short and sweet as we arrived at nearby Cooskie Creek, our camping spot for the night. We followed a rough footpath upstream where we took over a campsite (thanks Dan, for the tip!) big enough to accommodate all of us. A lengthy foot soak in the creek's cool and clear water was enjoyed by all but the fish.
As we left Cooskie Creek, a couple of young ladies in blessedly skimpy bikinis were slathering lotion on each other right next to the trail in what was a perfect commercial for hiking the Lost Coast Trail. Did I mention the Lost Coast scenery was awesome? Things then got tough in a hurry as we hiked on a narrow strip of shore comprised of medium sized rocks and boulders. All thoughts of bikinis were immediately driven from my head, supplanted by focused attention on all the rock-hopping and wave-dodging.
At places, the "trail" narrowed down to just about a yard until it petered out altogether at a small point. The guys had stopped so I leapfrogged them and got as close to the point as I could. And just like that, the wave receded and I saw a quick path to the other side that was there just for an instant, so I quickly ran through. One by one, the others showed up and not all made it past with dry feet.
At Randall Creek, the route thankfully took us off the beach and onto level, grassy, and windy Spanish Flat. The flat is a broad alluvial bench situated below the mountains and just above the shore. A well-maintained jeep road was the trail and best of all, it was flat! Happy to get a reprieve, our legs carried us to the end of the flat in no time at all.
All good flats do come to an end, however, and we were returned to the rocks on the beach. After a short walk, we reached Big Creek and began looking for campsites. John had a rock move on him while wading across Big Creek and his knee bent the wrong way and quicker than you can say "medial collateral ligament", his hike was over.
After the initial triage, it was apparent that John could not walk any further and he would require an extrication. Dale and Ray both had SPOT units and Dale hit the SOS button on his and we waited. None of us had ever had to use the SPOT, so as backup I flagged a group of passing backpackers and they agreed to call 911 upon arrival at the trailhead the following day.
After two and a half hours, a Coast Guard helicopter flew by the mouth of the creek and we waved blankets and jackets and the bird landed on the narrow beach. I'm not religious but I can honestly say I saw an angel and he was wearing an orange jumpsuit, two layers of neoprene wetsuit, and a flight helmet.
John hopped, with assistance, on one foot until he could hop no further. At that point, a stretcher was brought over from the helicopter and we carried John over the rocky terrain and loaded him into the copter. Seeing the helicopter fly away with John safely inside as the sun set along the scenic coast was one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen.
Day 3 would be the hardest day as we pushed forward on the rocks and sand. We'd eventually wind up hiking 10 miles as we wanted to camp as close to the trailhead as possible, the reason being the shuttle service we had hired was to pick us up at 10 o'clock the following morning.
The hiking wasn't too bad at first as the trail for most part undulated up and down on the grassy slopes before we hit Big Flat. The flat had a primitive airstrip on it and the runway did double duty as the trail. Day 3 was the least windiest day on the trip and we were soon baking under the warm sun. On the plus side, Big Flat was big and flat and we made pretty good time on the three mile long bench. From our perch above the ocean, we observed a steady stream of whales heading north.
At the end of the beach, a tricky descent down a cliff that required the shedding of packs and the use of hands dropped us onto a rocky beach. The rest of the day would be spent walking on soft sand, shifting mounds of gravel, and hopping from rock to rock. Several points required the judicious timing of waves to get around.
The scenery was reliably spectacular with a long curving shoreline culminating in a point that would be our trail exit. Numerous creeks waterfalled down to the shore with lush verdant growth alongside the creeks resembling oases of sorts. There were no palm trees or camels however, although I did bring my hump.
We set up camp at Horse Mountain Creek and it was windier than a political convention. Lane's tent got yanked out of his hands and sailed like an escaped kite, landing up the hill from our camp. Ray was sitting next to me and had to ask "Who's tent is that blowing across the beach?" I answered "Dude, that is YOUR tent!" and he quickly took off running, collaring the recalcitrant tent rolling across the beach with all his gear inside. After watching all the misbehaving tents, I opted to just lay in my sleeping bag staring at the stars overhead. Despite the wind, I was pretty comfy.
This was getaway day and we got an early start so as to arrive at Black Sands Beach by 10 o'clock, our prearranged time to meet with the shuttle service. At the trailhead we waited and waited and waited and waited...obviously something had gone amiss. We tried calling the shuttle service by phone but we had a weak signal and the phone calls lasted just long enough to be disconnected. Finally, we sent text messages and did get a reply back.
They had us scheduled for pickup the following day and once the error was realized, they (Jill and Sherri of Lost Coast Shuttle) quickly made amends by picking us up as fast as they could get to the trailhead. We piled into Jill's van and she took us to the Shelter Cove Deli where we partook of the best fish and chips I have ever eaten. For the last three days, I'd been eating oatmeal bars that tasted like particle board, the fish tasted much better!
Several of our gang wanted to get a commemorative group picture but I said "Nope", as we were short one hiker. John had been cooling his heels in an Arcata motel after being diagnosed with a sprained knee, any group picture would be incomplete without him. Several hours later, we descended en masse into a motel lobby and got a nice picture of eight hikers and two crutches.
Anything they have written about me probably is not true!
Congrats on completing the hike! Poor John.