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Carlsbad, California is called "The Village by the Sea." It is small, affluent seaside resort community about half way between San Diego and Orange County. Carlsbad has the charm of an old European city and the atmosphere of a typical Californian coastal community. With seven miles of fine white sandy beaches and the near perfect climate, the village is a popular weekend destination and a great place to live. Here are 15 Best Things to Do in Carlsbad with Kids include Legoland California, Sea Life Aquarium and South Carlsbad State Beach.
South Carlsbad Beach – Best Things to do in Carlsbad with Kids
South Carlsbad State Beach is a beautiful stretch of protected coastline with white sand, coastal bluffs, and warm water. The beach offers an array of outdoor activities to enjoy – swimming, surfing, stand-up paddle boarding, scuba diving and snorkeling, fishing, shelling, and of course just hanging out. South Carlsbad State Beach is one of the top Carlsbad attractions.Carlsbad Village
The bluffs above the beach offer excellent camping, and the 220-site South Carlsbad State Beach Campground is very popular with easy access to the beach and amenities such as bathrooms with showers, electricity, and water and Wi-Fi.
Carlsbad Village – Best Things to do in Carlsbad with Kids
Carlsbad Village is the heart of Carlsbad. Located in the downtown village area of Carlsbad and is easily accessible on foot, which is, in fact, the best way to explore the area and all it has to offer. Carlsbad Village offers old world charms with new world conveniences. The Carlsbad Village Antique Mall boasts over 100 vendors selling countless treasures. Boasting an array of shops, restaurants, hotels, and many other services Carlsbad Village is the place to start your exploring. Yes shopping is included in the 15 Best Things to Do in Carlsbad with kids.
The Museum of Making Music – Best Things to do in Carlsbad with Kids
The Museum of Making Music is dedicated to showcasing and celebrating the music products industry. The museum was established in 2000 and features an array of special exhibitions and it hosts innovative concerts and educational programs, features that focus on providing cultural enrichment as well as preserving musical heritage. Music is definitely one of the 15 Best Things to Do in Carlsbad with kids.
5790 Armada Drive, Carlsbad, California, Phone: 760-438-5996
LEGOLAND California – Best Things to do in Carlsbad with Kids
LEGOLAND California Resort promises fun for all ages, especially kids. Located in Carlsbad, CA the theme park is home to over 60 rides, attractions and shows. And don't forget about the fantastic themed LEGOLAND Hotel, a great place to stay while you are in town. Need I say LEGOLAND is also one of the 15 Best Things to Do in Carlsbad with kids.
One Legoland Drive, Carlsbad, California, Phone: 760-918-5346
Sea Life Aquarium – Best Things to do in Carlsbad with Kids
Sea Life Aquarium is a family-friendly interactive sea aquarium located on Legoland Drive in Carlsbad. The aquarium is home to more than 5,000 sea creatures, including clown-fish, octopus, rays, sea horses, and sharks. Children are given the opportunity to touch some of the animals, including crabs and sea stars. Kids love sea life: 15 Best Things to Do in Carlsbad with kids
Legoland California Resort, One Legoland Drive, Carlsbad, California, Phone: 760-918-5346
Leo Carrillo Ranch Historic Park – Best Things to do in Carlsbad with Kids
Leo Carrillo
Leo Carrillo Ranch Historic Park is a municipal park that sits in a 27-acre canyon and one of the best things to do in Carlsbad, California. Opened in 2003 and designated as a Historic National Landmark, the park is a former working ranch that was at one time owned by actor Leo Carrillo. In addition to the beautiful natural landscape, the park includes a reflecting pool, old windmills, adobe buildings, and other historic buildings.
The park is home to many plants such as birds of paradise, bougainvillea, and agave as well as various kinds of trees. There are also many peacocks that walk around the park and add to the unique ambiance. History does not always entertain kids, but running around the park would. Which makes it one of the 15 Best Things to Do in Carlsbad with kids .
Carlsbad Village Farmers' Market- Best Things to do in Carlsbad with Kids
Carlsbad Village Farmers' Market is a weekly Wednesday farmers' market that offers fresh organic produce, flowers, handmade arts and crafts, locally prepared hot and cold food, and plants.
Farmers' market allows consumers to buy directly from farmers and helps to support the many small farming operations in the area. Carlsbad Village Farmers' Market also free concerts performed by local musicians. Food and entertainment are always fun for kids – 15 Best Things to Do in Carlsbad with kids.
2788 State Street, Carlsbad, California, Phone: 760-453-7076
Carlsbad Food Tours – Best Things to do in Carlsbad with Kids
Take a culinary and history tour of the village of Carlsbad with Carlsbad Food Tours. Facilitated by gourmand tour guides with a love and passion for Carlsbad and its best eateries, tours wind their way through Carlsbad's most scenic and historic neighborhoods where you will learn about the history of the village and get to taste some of the best food on offer.
Tours take you to locally owned and operated specialty food shops as well as ethnic and local eateries where you can meet the chefs and artisans and sample their wares. Visit Carlsbad's Urban Wineries to sip award-winning wines grown in California and stop in at favorites such as Gregorio's Italian Restaurant, Caldo Pomodoro Italian Restaurant, Café Topes, Witch Creek Winery, Gaia Gelato, and Chocolate Bar (always a winner!). Tours are available 1:30am – 3:00pm, ticket prices include all food and wine tastings. Maybe not wine but food, kids love food, some are even foodies, who knew. That is why Carlsbad Food Tours is included in our list of 15 Best Things to Do in Carlsbad with kids.
1778 Callisia Court, Carlsbad, California, Phone: 760-990-0690 Photo: Carlsbad Food Tours
Pedego Carlsbad – Best Things to do in Carlsbad with Kids
Pedego Carlsbad offers a unique and fun way to see and experience the coastal town – on an electric bike! Bikes a very popular way to check out the town. Simply call to book your tour, hop on your bike, and go. Bike riding – kids love bikes.
355 Carlsbad Village Dr, Carlsbad, California, Phone: 760-729-2453
"Must See Places to Visit in Carlsbad, CA & Destination
The Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch – Best Things to do in Carlsbad with Kids
For over sixty years, Mother Nature has transformed the rolling hills of north San Diego County into one of the most spectacular and coordinated displays of natural color and beauty anywhere in the world. The nearly fifty acres of Giant Tecolote Ranunculus flowers that make up The Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch® in Carlsbad, California, are in bloom for approximately six to eight weeks each year – from early March through early May – literally bringing the famous fields back to life. This annual burst of color, which has become part of the area's local heritage, also is one of nature's official ways of announcing the arrival of spring here in southern California.
Carlsbad Flower Fields
The Flower Fields History
Today, the fields are a direct result of over 85 years of floral cultivation that began when Luther Gage, an early settler and grower settled in the area in the early 1920's. Mr. Gage brought Ranunculus seeds to the area and began growing them in his fields next to Frank Frazee's small vegetable farm in South Oceanside. This started a business called "Luther Gage Giant Tecolote Ranunculus bulbs". The name "Tecolote" came from the owls that nested on his property.
Carlsbad Flower Fields are noted for being one of the most beloved spring traditions in the area, the ranch opens annually in March for six to eight weeks showcasing the Giant Tecolote Ranunculus
Carlsbad Flower Fields. Kids always enjoy seeing the beautiful flower fields in Carlsbad. Another one of the 15 Best Things to Do in Carlsbad with kids
5704 Paseo Del Norte, Carlsbad, California, Phone: 760-431-0352 Photo: The Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch
"New cool stuff to do Carlsbad with kids"
Carlsbad Village Art & Antique Mall – Best Things to do in Carlsbad with Kids
Carlsbad Village Art & Antique Mall is an antique and vintage collector's paradise. With more than more than 100 dealers and multiple products, the Art & Antique Mall promises to delight all visitors. Kids will love this place but make sure they keep their hands in their pockets.
2752 State St., Carlsbad, California, Phone: 760-730-9494 Photo: Carlsbad Village Art & Antique Mall
"What is There to Do in Carlsbad, CA"
Batiquitos Lagoon Foundation Nature Center – Best Things to do in Carlsbad with Kids
The Batiquitos Lagoon Foundation Nature Center is dedicated to preserving and educating the public about the Batiquitos Lagoon. This lagoon, a coastal wetland and nature reserve maintained by the California Department of Fish and Game, has been designated as the Batiquitos Lagoon State Marine Conservation Area and is one of the few remaining tidal wetlands along the southern coast of California. Exploring nature is always a hit with kids, which is why the lagoon is on the list of 15 Best Things to Do in Carlsbad with kids.
7380 Gabbiano Lane, Carlsbad, California, Phone: 760-931-0800
"Bucket List in Carlsbad"
Carlsbad Lagoon – Best Things to do in Carlsbad with Kids
The Carlsbad Lagoon is a water sports center that offers a variety of activities and equipment rentals, including canoes, kayaks, paddle-boats, stand up paddle-boards, and wave runners. There are also speedboats available for rent. The center has trained instructors who can teach visitors how to do a variety of fun water activities including water skiing and wake boarding.
The center offers several programs such as Camp H2O, which is a summer youth camp. Here children learn about many kinds of water activities as well as educational topics such as oceanography. The camp also includes games and barbecues on the beach. Water sports, swimming, stand-up paddle-boarding and just hanging out on the beach is another fun thing to do with kids.
4215 Harrison Street, Carlsbad, CA, Phone: 760-434-3089
Alga Norte Community Park – Best Things to do in Carlsbad with Kids
Alga Norte Community Park consists of 32 acres and is San Diego County's largest state park. It features shaded picnic areas with barbecues, several basketball courts, three ball fields, a shaded playground, and an off-leash dog park.
The park's aquatic center includes a 56-meter competition pool, several diving boards, a 25-yard instruction pool with 12 lanes, a children's splash pool, and a fitness room. This is a great place for swimming lessons for the kids. Did we mention swimming with kids, yes they love to swim, so check out this great place for the kids to hang out. Just in case you don't already know, they also have a skateboard area in the park which is just another reason for making the list of 15 Best Things to Do in Carlsbad with kids.
6565 Alicante Road, Carlsbad, CA, Phone: 760-268-4777
Carlsbad Premium Outlets – Best Things to do in Carlsbad with Kids
Carlsbad Premium Outlets is a shopping destination that features more than 90 high-end designer stores such as Tommy Hilfiger, Michael Kors, Cole Haan Outlet, and Calvin Klein, among others. The mall was designed around a central courtyard with fountains that have an Italian style. Ending your day at the mall is a great way to get your shopping done with the kids coming along. There is pizza, ice cream and candy, what's not to like. The kids will not complain about the shopping if you tell them they are having pizza after, which is why shopping did again make the list of 15 Best Things to Do in Carlsbad with kids.
5620 Paseo Del Norte, Carlsbad, CA, Phone: 760-804-9000 Photo: Carlsbad Premium Outlets.


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ISO – International Organization of Standards
1, ch. de la Voie-Creuse
Geneva 20, 1211 Switzerland
41 22-7490111
Image technology colour management — Architecture, profile format and data structure — Part 1: Based on ICC.1:2010
Organization: ISO
ICS Code (Other standards related to graphic technology): 37.100.99
This part of ISO 15076 specifies a colour profile format and describes the architecture within which it can operate. This architecture supports the exchange of information which specifies the intended colour image processing of digital data. The required reference colour spaces and the data structures (tags) are also specified.
NOTE The technical content of this part of ISO 15076 is identical to that of ICC.1:2010.
This part of ISO 15076 specifies a colour profile format and describes the architecture within which it can operate. This architecture supports the exchange of information which specifies the...
Image technology colour management - Architecture, profile format and data structure - Part 1: Based on ICC.1:2004-10
CIE 122 - Technical Report the Relationship Between Digital and Colorimetric Data for Computer-Controlled CRT Displays
Published by CIE on January 1, 1996
ISO 639-1 - Codes for the Representation of Names of Languages - Part 1: Alpha-2 Code
Published by ISO on July 15, 2002
This part of ISO 639 provides a code consisting of language code elements comprising two-letter language identifiers for the representation of names of languages. The language identifiers according...
ISO 3664 - Graphic technology and photography — Viewing conditions
Published by ISO on April 15, 2009
This International Standard specifies viewing conditions for images on both reflective and transmissive media, such as prints (both photographic and photomechanical) and transparencies, as well as...
ISO 13655 - Graphic technology - Spectral measurement and colorimetric computation for graphic arts images
Published by ISO on July 1, 2017
This document specifies procedures for the measurements and colorimetric computations appropriate to objects that reflect, transmit and emit light, such as flat-panel displays. It also specifies...
SMPTE RP 145 - SMPTE C Color Monitor Colorimetry
Published by SMPTE on November 8, 2004
This practice specifies the chromaticity values of the red, green, and blue visible radiation emitted by the primaries and the chromaticity of the white point for professional monitors used in...
ISO 15930-8 - Graphic technology — Prepress digital data exchange using PDF — Part 8: Partial exchange of printing data using PDF 1.6 (PDF/X-5) TECHNICAL CORRIGENDUM 1
Published by ISO on September 1, 2011
This part of ISO 15930 specifies the use of the Portable Document Format (PDF) Version 1.6 for the dissemination of digital data intended for print, whereby all elements necessary for final print...
ISO DIS 12647-8 - Graphic technology — Process control for the production of half-tone colour separations, proof and production prints — Part 8: Validation print processes working directly from digital data
This part of ISO 12647 specifies requirements that can be used for determining the conformance of systems that produce a hard-copy validation print, directly from digital data, which is intended to...
T.872 - (Pre-Published) Information technology - Digital compression and coding of continuous-tone still images: Application to printing systems
Published by ITU-T on June 1, 2012
This Recommendation | International Standard specifies a subset of features and application tools for printing applications that encode or decode images based on JPEG (ITU-T Recommendation T.81 |...
ISO TS 22028-3 - Photography and graphic technology - Extended colour encodings for digital image storage, manipulation and interchange - Part 3: Reference input medium metric RGB colour image encoding (RIMM RGB)
Published by ISO on August 1, 2012
This part of ISO 22028 specifies a family of scene-referred extended colour gamut RGB colour image encodings designated as reference input medium metric RGB (RIMM RGB). Digital images encoded using...
NEMA IIC 1 V02 - Digital Imaging and Communications in Security (DICOS) Information Object Definitions (IODs)
Published by NEMA on January 1, 2012
The Digital Imaging and Communications in Security (DICOS) standard, designated as NEMA IIC 1 v02 provides a data interchange protocol and interoperable, extensible file format to facilitate data...

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Robust Disability Employee Networks Key To Shaping Post-Pandemic Workplace Inclusion
Facebook's Chief Revenue Officer Shares Predictions For 2021
4 Reasons Why A Recruiter Views Your LinkedIn Profile But Doesn't Contact You
The Future Of Fraud
How This Teen Yoga Instructor Became An Entrepreneur, Philanthropist And An Inspiration
How To Banish The Most Dangerous Four-Letter Word From Your Communications
Aug 8, 2016, 10:58am EDT |
Apple's Diversity Report Reveals Problems, Risks And Opportunities Facing All Corporations
Paolo Gaudiano and Ellen HuntFormer Contributor
Making the decision to disclose diversity data may well be the most daunting task faced by any organization
a company's human capital is without question its most vital and valuable asset,
Apple employees in front of an Apple store (Credit: AP Photo/Martin MEissner)
This past Thursday, Apple released its annual "Inclusion & Diversity Report" for 2016. This marks the third year in a row that Apple has released data about its ethnic and gender makeup. As we dug into the report, we realized that Apple, like most corporations, is facing complex problems and risks as it strives to embrace inclusion and diversity. What are less obvious are the opportunities that inclusion and diversity represent, and how to make the most of these opportunities. Here are our observations and suggestions on the best way forward for all.
Managing Disclosure, Transparency And Reputation Is Hard
In reviewing Apple's report, it became clear that they were careful about the way they released data. As an example, they report percentage data about Global Gender and about U.S. Underrepresented Minorities, but without raw numbers it is difficult to tell what is happening to U.S. gender balance. Specifically, even though the percentage of women globally is growing, it could be that the entirety of the growth is from outside the U.S., or even that female representation is actually decreasing in the U.S.
Gallery: Which Big Tech Companies Employ The Most Women?
Nonetheless, Apple and the other tech companies that have agreed to disclose key data about their inclusion and diversity efforts must be commended. Making the decision to disclose diversity data may well be the most daunting task faced by any organization : withhold information and you will be accused of not caring; release lackluster results and you risk a backlash that could be negative not just for your company, but for inclusion and diversity efforts in general.
The Path To Success Does Not Follow A Straight Line
The fact that companies like Apple have to be so careful in what data they release is tied to a fundamental problem in the way that most people think of progress: if today's results are not better than yesterday's, it is a sign of failure.
The assumption that change should always be positive may well be the worst enemy of progress. Today's organizations are interconnected ecosystems, whose overall behaviors depend on the behavior of employees, clients, competitors and regulators, in complex and often counterintuitive ways. Complex systems exhibit "nonlinear" behaviors, which among other things means that performance may get worse before getting better. Unfortunately, this simple truth seems to be ignored when it comes to judging corporate performance: one step backward leads to criticism, drops in stock price and cries of failure.
Look carefully, and you will notice this type of backward step in some of Apple's data: one of the interactive charts reveals that the overall percentage of white employees in the U.S. grew slightly between 2014 and 2016 (from 55% to 56%). However, this result is less worrisome when viewed in a broader context: in the same time period, the fraction of Underrepresented Minorities among new hires grew from 21% to 27%. Hence the slight growth in white employees probably reflects the final stages of a trend that is gradually being reversed.
Traditional Approaches Cannot Solve Today's Complex Business Problems
We have observed another major conceptual flaw in how people tend to think about complex business problems: the tendency to a traditional reductionist approach, which breaks down a problem into isolated parts to look for simple answers. However, in the context of complex business problems, the reductionist approach has proven to be ineffective.
As an example, let's look again at the results just mentioned, showing that the overall number of white employees grew slightly even as New Hires included more Underrepresented Minorities. As suggested, this may be the tail end of a negative trend. An alternative, less optimistic interpretation could be that Underrepresented Minorities have a higher rate of churn (i.e., quitting or being terminated) than white employees.
Given that, superficially, both explanations could be valid, how can we determine which explanation is "correct"? And if it's so difficult to explain the current situation, how can we hope to predict the future impact of inclusion and diversity initiatives, especially if we undertake multiple, simultaneous actions across different parts of the company?
Overly Simplistic Strategies Are Not Delivering Desired Results And Are Not Sustainable
This leads to what we believe is the biggest problem with inclusion and diversity programs: leaders try to rely on reductionist approaches to estimate the outcome of various initiatives. In so doing, they oversimplify the problem and risk unintended consequences, which may take years to uncover and rectify.
Our impression from analyzing the Report is that Apple, like most of its peers, is making the mistake of oversimplification. Based on their report and other published information, Apple's strategy seems to rely on three ingredients: (1) train the existing staff to recognize unconscious biases; (2) upgrade recruitment, hiring and promotion processes to minimize the impact of biases; (3) expand the pipeline to increase the diversity of new hires.
Alas, this approach, however popular, is unlikely to yield the desired results, as suggested by several recent studies. One explanation is that female and minority employees join companies only to realize that they are not welcome and that they are seen as "favored" because of their gender or skin color instead of their skills. The result is high churn rates, disappointment, and a backlash that tarnishes the company's reputation, further discouraging women and underrepresented minorities from applying.
Another example of oversimplification is found in the frequent – though sometimes tacit – assumption that having a current leadership that is mostly white and male is not a problem, because after unconscious bias is removed and the pipeline is diversified, things will fix themselves.
In our own work using computer simulations, we have found that introducing bias in a balanced organization leads to imbalance very quickly, but that restoring balance by simply removing the same biases takes a much longer time. Furthermore, increasing diversity in the hiring pipeline leads to a pyramid-shaped distribution, where women and minorities dominate the lower echelons, but white males continue to dominate the leadership positions.
The Big Shift: From Risks To Opportunities
What can companies do to deal effectively with inclusion and diversity? We believe that success requires two fundamental shifts in how corporate leaders think.
First, companies need to embrace complexity. This includes (1) avoiding the pitfall of oversimplification and "silver bullet" solutions, and (2) becoming familiar with the language, concepts and tools of complexity.
More importantly, companies need to stop thinking of diversity as a problem that needs to be fixed or a number to be achieved. Rather, diversity should be viewed as an opportunity to build better teams that can develop new products, open new markets and solve other challenging problems. In this light, diversity becomes integral to corporate strategies that drive performance and improve ROI.
And yet, many corporate leaders essentially make the same "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" assumption about diversity, in spite of the fact that a company's human capital is without question its most vital and valuable asset, and the one that can have the most significant impact on performance.
This is tantamount to your CMO declaring: "Print advertising has been working fine, we don't need to worry about this digital advertising thing." Just as you should reject that mindset and make the investment needed to diversify and optimize your advertising resources, you should reject the notion that diversity is just a social responsibility issue, and make the investment needed to diversify and optimize your most valuable asset – your workforce.
Paolo Gaudiano and Ellen Hunt
We believe the future demands a new mindset in which diversity and inclusion are explicitly linked to the success of organizations. Our goal in the work that we do and in…
We believe the future demands a new mindset in which diversity and inclusion are explicitly linked to the success of organizations. Our goal in the work that we do and in writing this blog is to support the leaders who challenge conventional wisdom in order to create world-class inclusive organizations that outperform their competition. In 2017 we are launching Aleria a "Diversity Tech" company based on our unique approach to analytics, honed over two decades of working with global industry leaders such as BP, Eli Lilly, Schlumberger, Intel, Orange, BNY Mellon, NIKE, the U.S. Navy and the Kellogg Foundation Our platform enables companies to plan, execute and measure the impact of diversity & inclusion initiatives, supporting smart decisions on where to allocate hard-won resources for maximum ROI.


Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is the slight favorite of Republican voters as the best candidate the party could run for President in 2012. When all voters are asked that questions, Palin falls into a three-way tie with Mitt Romney and Bobby Jindal.
Those are among the findings of a Zogby Interactive poll of 24,964 voters conducted from Nov. 7-18. The margin of error for the entire sample is +/-0.6 percent.
Voters were offered the choices of Palin, former Massachusetts Gov. Romney, Louisiana Gov. Jindal, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Texas Rep. Ron Paul and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani. All but Palin and Jindal were candidates for the 2008 nomination. Voters also could choose someone else.
Palin led among Republicans with 24.4 percent of the vote, followed by Romney with 18 percent, and Jindal with 15.6 percent. Among all voter, all three were in a virtual dead head, each sharing between 13 and 12 percent of the sampling. Rounding out the field in single digits were Huckabee, Giuliani, and Paul.
Palin's strength is with all conservatives, conservative religious voters and gun owners. Among Republicans, she gets the support of 30 percent of Born-Again Christians, 32 percent of weekly churchgoers, 34 percent of National Rifle Association members, 28 percent of current gun owners and 29 percent of self-identified conservatives. More GOP support comes from 32 percent of blue collar workers, 30 percent who shop weekly at Wal-Mart, 28 percent of NASCAR fans and 25 percent of both those with children under 17 and those with family members in the military. She scores lower among GOP voters ages 18-29, with 15 percent.
Romney's Republican support level is very consistent across demographic groups. Among his party members, Romney's numbers fall off by a few points from his overall 18.1 percent with religious conservatives and gun owners. Surprisingly, Palin leads Romney among Republican investors, 24 percent to 20 percent.
There are no highs or lows among subgroups for Jindal among Republicans. He is a newcomer to national politics, and already has a reasonable base of GOP support.
Palin looks to be stealing Huckabee's thunder among Republican religious conservatives and working class voters. Huckabee is an ordained Southern Baptist minister, and his highest GOP totals still come from Born-Again Christians (15 percent) and weekly churchgoers (18 percent), but those numbers are about half of those drawn by Palin. Despite his populist economic message, he wins only 10 percent of blue collar Republicans.
The interesting finding about Paul is that he is more popular among all voters than he is among Republicans, reinforcing his appeal as a potential third party candidate.
Pollster John Zogby: "While someone other than those we listed could still emerge as Republican contender, GOP voters seem satisfied with this group. Only 8.2 percent would choose someone else. Despite all of the bad press and late night TV parody of Palin, she still leads the pack. So it is hard to see what could shake the faith of her supporters going forward. If she chooses to run, that solid base would likely keep her in the race through the early primaries. Both Romney and Jindal have appeal to Republicans, with Jindal having the advantage of being the new guy who could bring change to the party."


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Home OpEd
ALICE RUHWEZA: Debunking conservation myths today critical for a better tomorrow for Africa
byPML DAILY EDITOR | PML Daily Editorial
Alice Ruhweza, WWF Africa Regional Director (PHOTO/Courtesy).
This is the decade for debunking myths about conservation in Africa. Not only are these myths pervasive, persistent, and pernicious. They are perpetuated by those who put short-term gains for the few ahead of long-term gains for the many. To decisively tackle climate change and reverse biodiversity loss, we must not be misled by myths but face the facts.
The most common myths paint a picture of a world where conservation is at odds with Africa's economic and social development. Nothing could be further from the truth. Far from being at odds with Africa's aspirations, conservation is critical to underpinning them, from zero poverty and hunger to creating pathways to sustainable prosperity for all.
On July 21, WWF is launching its Africa Strategy 2021-2025 at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Africa Protected Areas Congress (APAC) in Kigali, Rwanda. We do so in the knowledge that correcting these myths is crucial to conservation at scale across the continent.
Our strategy debunks two big myths.
The first myth is that conservation and economic development cannot co-exist. Nothing could be further from the truth. Far from being mutually exclusive, they are inextricably linked.
Our strategy focuses on Making Nature Count.
Nature is Africa's bedrock of economic, social, and environmental sustainability. Yet, it is increasingly threatened by extraction, fragmentation and unsustainable production and consumption. Valuing nature's contribution is critical to Africa's development.
The facts speak for themselves. Up to 50% of the wealth in most African countries comes from natural capital and assets. Around 70% of Africa's population depends on nature for their livelihoods. We need to value our assets and make them count for all.
The second myth is that conservation is only for the elite few. Our strategy has two impact areas aimed at addressing these myths. One calls for the creation of Shared Spaces that ensure co-existence between nature and people's needs. The other calls for engaging the Whole of Society. Sharing our natural spaces sustainably is critical for conservation to succeed.
Africa's biodiversity has fallen by 65%, according to the WWF Living Planet Report 2020. We need to share our spaces to reduce human-wildlife conflict (HWC). We need to share spaces to arrest and reverse biodiversity loss. And we need to share our natural spaces to ensure we all have clean air to breathe, fresh water to drink, nutritious food to eat and a future which enhances our health, wealth, and wellbeing for generations to come.
WWF Africa is committed to conservation as a collective responsibility with collective rewards. We are committed to Making Nature Everyone's Business.
Now, more than ever, conservation must be about inclusion rather than exclusion. It must be for all people, everywhere: a Whole of Society approach. It must protect human rights and strengthen the voices of the marginalised. It must support equity, resource rights, and benefit sharing. It must bring people together to address our common problems for the good of everyone.
A recent report on the State of Indigenous Peoples' and Local Communities (IPLCs) lands and territories provided unequivocal and compelling evidence that global biodiversity goals would be unattainable without including IPLCs, whose lands cover at least 32% of the planet's terrestrial surface. 91% of their lands are in good or fair ecological condition today, according to an analysis by 30 conservation experts.
Our overarching approach of Inclusive Conservation ensures everyone's voice is heard, human rights and gender equity are central to our work, and we tackle power imbalances and corruption through effective and inclusive natural resource governance.
This is the decade to debunk myths about conservation. It is time to face the facts, not to peddle in fairy tales.
The author, Alice Ruhweza is WWF Africa Regional Director
Tags: Alice RuhwezatopWWF Africa Regional Director


Following the success of its Fair Competition Alliance, NALED formed the e-Government Alliance, which brings together 34 companies and local self-governments in the ICT, financial and retail sector that have the capacity to support the state and other stakeholders in the process of digitisation and establishing e-government. Presiding over this alliance is Nataša Sekulić, IBM Country Leader for Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia and Albania.
Estonia is an example of one of the most successful digitisations of state administration, often considered the world's most digitised country. To what extent are the experiences of such countries relevant to Serbia, and are some of the strategies they applied also applicable for us?
– Every experience of a state and this development path is relevant, but what is very important is to take into account the specificity, history and current state of the country in which we are located. There is no single recipe that's applicable for everything, but learning from other good examples of practise is always very good.
Projects that are as extensive and important as digitisation often require teamwork among various stakeholders. In this respect, who are the bearers of digitisation in Serbia?
– That's a very broad concept. When we look at IT as such, digitisation has entered into absolutely all industries. Digitisation of the state implies the economy and all branches of the economy, especially those parts that based their new business models on digital services, and of course all other bodies which need to recognise that this is the way forward. All are important, though some will contribute a little more because their business models are based on that. I am pleased that the state has also recognised that this is the way forward, because it is increasing transparency and efficiency, IT is recreating itself as a new export branch that can be better than some others… There are certainly a large number of stakeholders.
You have a major objective, but also small steps to take in order to succeed. It is important to make a successful small step each day. You shouldn't wait for something to succeed in five years, but rather work every day in order to succeed in the end.
According to UN stats, Serbia had the largest index of egovernment development in Europe in 2016, while it is also highly rated in terms of the inclusion of citizens in public debates, who comment online on laws and the decisions of institutions. This is a great success, but what are some of the biggest challenges on route to digitisation?
– I also believe that the campaign we undertook under the auspices of NALED with the e-Government Alliance was one of the key factors for making such a report, because the Alliance was one of the key members of this development dialogue with the Ministry of State Administration and all other stakeholders.
We did recognise a few tactical moments that we are currently working on, which we need to overcome. Perhaps one of those issues is e-payments and how to overcome them. There are many challenges, but I am very pleased that is also a lot of desire and willingness from various stakeholders for us to overcome this through combined forces.
How do you handle these challenges?
– I enter every day with great optimism. I wake in the morning and say: Today I have a major objective, but also small steps to take in order to succeed. It is important to make a successful small step each day. You shouldn't wait for something to succeed in five years, but rather work every day in order to succeed in the end.
What does digitisation mean for citizens as civilians, and what does it mean for entrepreneurs, SMEs or investors?
– As a citizen who wants to take any action or request any service from the state, I can do everything online, and that is the point of the whole story. I don't have to take a day off, go to the counter of an institution, be told at the counter that I need this, that and the other, spend the next half a day collecting everything I need, then physically submitting all of that… The point of digitisation is that as a citizen, using modern technology, we arrive at a situation where everything can be done online. The time spent is reduced, everything is completed quickly, we can feel assured that everything has been done well and transparently, and we get the fastest possible service.
When all of this is viewed from the standpoint of the economy – speed, transparency, quality of service – that then translates into profitability and the possibility for that time spent, and time is money, to be invested in other things, such as improving our operations, improving the climate for doing business, and thus the overall efficiency of operations.
Efficiency and improvement of the business climate lead further to a higher quality base for new employers, who will employ more workers, develop new jobs and industry, invest etc.
We must not for one moment allow for responsibility to be lost from man to machine, which is the first and most basic postulate. I'm not saying that just for e-Government, but also generally for the future of technology as such.
The e-Government Alliance's priorities are to establish basic data registers (first of all, the citizens register), enable electronic payment of all state and local services, abolish the obligation to store paper documents after digitisation (earchiving), develop cloud services, and facilitate more convenient access to online services.
With all new technologies – even when they make life much easier for us – there is that famous learning curve, but also the diffusion of innovations, which relates to the speed and the way in which new technologies and ideas spread. How can this customisation process be sped up? Is it necessary to educate users; and how do we deal with these challenges?
– There are always those who are 'early adopters', such as people from IT. As someone from IT, as an early adopter, I want to do everything I can online. Likewise, there are also 'followers'. So last week I sat with my parents, explained to them how to pay bills using online banking, how to do this or that, and that is the moment of education. Thus, it is not only systemic education that the state and the economy should organise under the auspices of its competences, but also community feedback, and each individual who will utilise these benefits should educate their environment.
When it comes to eGovernment, so-called blockchain technology is mentioned as a potential carrier of new innovations, and individual countries, such as Luxembourg and Dubai, are experimenting with this technology… Is this something like that also interesting for Serbia, and what are the infrastructural or technical challenges and solutions that are applied in Serbia?
– I personally think that blockchain tech is interesting, and it is also based on the same distribution model that Bitcoin uses. It is based on you having a transparent system, where some problems cannot arise, and since it is not centralised, in the event of the fall of some of the nodes, you still have a system that functions. So blockchain has a whole range of advantages.
On the other hand, in order for any of these technologies to be applied somewhere, an analysis of the situation must be carried out, in order to see the readiness and capacities, so it moves from the pilot onwards. I think there is potential for that, but which steps are required still needs to be discussed and seen. I think it's too early or too ambitious to me to talk about that at this stage.
There is a joke that the main problem of eGovernment (uprava) is that if a person isn't correct (upravu) we can argue, but when the machine isn't correct there is no room for discussion – even if it is written that we have parked badly, we did not pay taxes or we do not exist, if some bug appears. This, of course, is a very superficial and quite humorous look at things, but what are the actual challenges from that aspect, or perhaps the potential for shortcomings related to e-government?
– Someone made that machine, and that responsibility, the liability, is absolutely and always with the person. The way the process is made, the way in which that "if, then else" is made, or any other algorithm, we always have an owner of that process. We must not allow that responsibility to be moved from man to machine for one moment, which is the first and most basic postulate. Here I'm not just talking about eGovernment, but also generally for the future of technology as such. We must never allow any dialogue and discussions to transfer liability, or responsibility, from a human to a machine.
What are the challenges in a technological sense? That depends on the technology we use. And if something needs to be solved, that has to be done at the level of the human, or the team that designed it, in order to reduce the number of errors to the lowest possible level.
In cooperation with the Ministry of State Administration, the Alliance coordinated the preparation of the Action Plan for the development of e-Government. A major contribution was given to the adoption of the amendment to the Electronic Office Operations by-law act, which abolishes the obligation of state and local authorities to print and archive any document received by electronic means. We have improved the Draft Law on e-commerce, Law on Signature Certification and the Law on Planning and Construction. As a member of the working group, NALED is involved in the drafting of the Law on e-Government and Law on the protection of users of financial services at a distance.
Estonia issued a statement explaining that it runs eGovernment as a start-up, which is a continuous process of testing, learning from mistakes and pivoting. In the process of digitising and introducing eGovernment to Serbia, there have been prominent successful examples, such as e-building permits, but also less successful examples, such as e-health booklets. What can we learn from these two experiences?
– I always learn more from those experiences that were not good, because in that way we best see the shortcomings. What we learned in the first case is how much of a positive effect the introduction of an electronic system can have, in this case on the economy. Here, thus, we have measurable elements for this positive impact – how much the issuance of building permits has accelerated etc. The entire procedure from submitting a request for obtaining the location conditions until obtaining a usage permit has been shortened almost three times. From January 1, 2016 to June 1 this year, 80,222 requests were submitted electronically, of which 91,5% were resolved. The average time to obtain a building permit is shortened to 9 calendar days which indicates that the system is efficient and functional.
In the case of health booklets, we learned how important it is to have an overview of the entire process, review everything from the beginning to the end, including that moment around education, change management; that everything is done in its entirety. There are parts that need to be done step by step, which are done in teams, but the completeness and encircled picture of everything in order to make the whole project successful is always important.
Let's imagine that we've travelled briefly into the future. EGovernment and digitisation have been fully implemented in Serbia. What does that mean in practise for citizens and businesses; what services can they expect?
I think the services themselves depend on how the dialogue goes between the state and the citizenry. I don't know if there will still be interest in a registry in a hundred or two hundred years, but there may be interest in where you parked your space shuttle, but that is unimportant – what is important is that this dialogue between the state and the citizenry unfolds in the most efficient possible way.


Oxford University announced the launch of a gene-sequencing test for cancer patients in the U.K.'s National Health Service (NHS). The test will assess 46 genes in which mutations can drive the growth of solid tumors, hopefully allowing for better therapy selection up front. It costs £300 but offers the potential for better patient care and economic benefits.
The initial press release provides few technical details, but the test looks very similar to one offered by the Baylor College of Medicine. Its use will begin within the Oxford University Hospital system, but scientists intend to scale it up quickly for use throughout the NHS within a year.
Normally this would be big news on its own. As interesting as the large-scale tumor genotyping effort may be, however, it's mostly a stepping-stone within a much more ambitious—some would say audacious—program. In late 2012 Prime Minister David Cameron announced plans for the NHS to sequence the genomes of 100,000 patients, focusing mostly on those with cancer and rare diseases. The government is earmarking a whopping £100M for the project. There are, as they say, many details to work out before the sequencing can begin on such a large scale, however, so implementation is expected to take three to five years.
This isn't the first plan to perform genome sequencing on a large scale within a population. The Faroe Islands program, FarGen, which looks to sequence all 50,000 residents, and the U.S. Veteran's Administration's plans to sequence 1 million genomes among its members spring to mind. But the NHS effort may represent the most promising opportunity yet to implement clinical genomics within mainstream healthcare.
If anything has become clearer in the early days of whole-genome sequencing and analysis, it's that small sample size provides small amounts of insight. The NHS project allows for the collection, storage and use of a huge amount of data in a highly coordinated manner within a national healthcare system. The 1,000-genome project seemed massive a very short time ago. It's exciting to think of how much we'll learn as the data grows to include 100,000 and even 1 million genome sequences within a single resource.
So what details need to be worked out? A couple are included right in the "Notes to Editors" at the bottom of the government announcement. Note #2 says "Whole genome sequence data will be completely anonymised apart from when it is used for an individual's own care." While that's a noble goal, many theorize that it may be impossible to achieve, and recent research has reinforced that concern. The NHS and U.K. government overall will need to look very carefully at their informed-consent process. It would be a shame to see the project impeded because of an inability to follow through on assurances made.
Note #3 is "A number of ways to store this data will be investigated. The privacy and confidentiality of NHS patients will be paramount in this decision." These two short sentences foreshadow massive amounts of work. Not just storage but data formatting and handling demands will create headaches for computer experts and bioinformaticians alike. The competing goals of making the data useful in both research and clinical settings while keeping it as secure as possible are not new in the field, but the scale of the data may be.
Finally, there are many skeptics who point out discrepancies between the project's assumptions about progress versus what actually exists today. On the personal genomics blog Genomes Unzipped, Caroline Wright posted "£100M for whole patient genomes—revolutionising genetic diagnostics or squandering NHS cash?" Wright's answer is clear, formatted as it is in bold type: "It would be a mistake to implement whole genome sequencing in the NHS now." In addition to pointing out the plan's dependence on rapid decreases in genome sequence pricing, she raises valid questions regarding the wisdom of using whole-genome sequencing for every patient if clinical outcomes are the focus. More focused genetic tests and panels, such as the one for cancer just announced, may be far more cost-effective and sufficiently effective for many patients. Also, issues with genome sequencing accuracy and analysis bottlenecks have hampered the use of clinical genomics on any scale to this point, and they will need to be solved for benefits to be realized by NHS patients.
Clinical genomics is facing a paradox at this time. Although there are many examples of success, the cost-to-benefit ratio is still daunting. And we still don't understand the vast majority of what our genomes can tell us. But to achieve better understanding, benefits and pricing, we need to sequence hundreds of thousands if not millions more people, both healthy and those with disease. We also need to share the data among researchers and clinicians while safeguarding, as much as possible, subject privacy and security.
Therefore significant progress in the field depends a certain amount on some entity with substantial resources—a government, an industry (pharma?), a consortium—to take a risk. It's a process that comes with a lot of uncertainties, including exactly how individual patients will benefit. But the returns to this point are so promising, so exciting, that it seems like a good risk to take.
So it's great news that the U.K. is willing to step forward with an ambitious plan. And before anyone accuses me of applauding the effort from afar (and with no skin in the game, literally or figuratively), I hope the VA effort in the United States goes forward as well. If either project can leverage their data to solve some of clinical genomics' thorniest issues, one can only hope that they reap significant benefits—in patient care, in financial return, and in receiving the credit they will be due for such a bold move.
Researches genome informatics with a focus on gene ontology.


text:
By Eric Fry
A Question of When
Five years ago today, the Nasdaq kissed an all-time high of
5,048.62.
The optimistic buyers of that era would certainly never
have imagined that they were "top-ticking" one of the most
magnificent financial bubbles of all time.
Five years hence, today's optimistic stock buyers cannot
seem to imagine that the Nasdaq's bear market might not yet
have run its course…
Sometimes, it's worth thinking about the unthinkable.
The buyers of Intel Corp and Cisco Systems on March 10,
2000 certainly never would have imagined that their beloved
Nasdaq Composite was less than 24-hours away from the start
of an epic bust.
And these investors certainly would never have imagined –
even if they had given the matter any thought – that the
U.S. economy of 2005 would be straining against the
considerable adverse forces of soaring fiscal imbalances
and runaway energy prices, while also waging an
economically and politically expensive war in Iraq.
But it's a "funny old world," as Bill Bonner and Addison
Wiggin noted in their engaging bestseller, "Financial
Reckoning Day." (For several weeks, the pair have been
"holed up" in the Paris office, pounding out the eagerly
awaited sequel).
"What makes the world funny," Bonner and Wiggin relate, "is
that it refuses to cooperate; it seldom does what people
want or expect it to do. In fact, it often does the exact
opposite."
And so it has come to pass…
The almost unthinkable has occurred and continues to occur.
The Nasdaq skidded 78 percent before bottoming at 1,114 on
Oct. 9, 2002. Cisco, likewise, lost more than three
quarters of its market value. The computer-networking giant
– and former tech-stock icon – once boasted the world's
biggest market capitalization. Today its $120 billion
market cap trails well behind the new number one:
ExxonMobil's $400 billion market cap.
In 2003, the Nasdaq rebounded 50 percent, while adding
another 8 percent last year. But that does not mean that
the worst is over. Despite mustering impressive periodic
rallies, the Nasdaq continues to stair-step its way lower
into a protracted bear market. We have seen this picture
The Nasdaq is tracing out an ominous price trajectory that
closely resembles that of Japan's Nikkei Index. The nearby
chart compares the price histories of the Nikkei from 1979
to present and the Nasdaq from 1989 to present. The
similarity is hard to miss. If this similarity persists,
the Nasdaq will continue foundering in a kind of bear
market purgatory for another 10 years…at least.
"It had all seemed so logical, obvious, and agreeable back
in the last five years of the 20th century," Bonner and
Wiggin observed. "Stocks went up every year. The Cold War
had been won. There was a new 'Information Age' making
everything and everybody so much smarter – and richer, too.
The world was a happy place and Americans were its happiest
people. American consumer capitalism was the envy of all
mankind. The United States guaranteed the peace and freedom
of the entire species, if not with goodness, intelligence,
and foresight – at least with its military arsenal, which
could blow any adversary to kingdom come…It scarcely
seemed possible that there could be any improvement."
But just then, at the moment of peak optimism, disaster
struck. Over the ensuing two and a half years, the Nasdaq
led the U.S. stock market in to a tailspin that erased more
than $7 trillion from the brokerage statements of the
nation's investors.
The Nasdaq's slide not only mirrors the Nikkei's
ignominious bust, but also resembles the epic bear-market
patterns traced out by U.S. stocks from 1929 to 1954 and
gold from 1980 to present. If past is anything like
prologue, the Nasdaq faces a long and uncomfortable road
25 years after hitting its peak on December 29, 1989, the
Nikkei remains 69% below its all-time high. The 1929-
vintage Dow fared slightly better than the 1989 Nikkei. 25
years after the crash of 1929, the venerable Dow had
managed to claw its way back to a new record high. Gold,
for its part, remains 50% below its record high, 25 years
after the fact. Gold reached a high of $873 an ounce in
January 1980, but hasn't risen above $510.10 since then.
In short, post-bubble financial markets do not always
recover briskly, although they may sometimes appear fit and
sprightly. Even after climbing 85 percent since October
2002, for example, the Nasdaq would need to more than
double to surpass its prior record high.
But a perusal of today's financial headlines provides
little reason to expect a robust stock market…
"U.S. Stock Prices Fall, as Bond Yields Rise, Crude Oil
Prices Climb," reads a Bloomberg News headline on a certain
financial Web site. Scrolling down through the other
headlines on the same Web page, one finds the following
series of news stories:
"Gold Near 10-Week high," "Dollar Hits a Two-month Low
Against Euro," "Treasuries Hit, Yields hit 7-Month High,"
"Mortgage Applications Dip," and "Oil Prices Top $55 a
Barrel."
Nevertheless, James Oelschlager, president of Oak
Associates in Akron, Ohio, exudes optimism. "Everybody is
too negative," the upbeat fund manager complains to
Bloomberg News. The Nasdaq will eventually reach a new
high, he predicts, "It's just a question of when."
True enough, but for most of us, "when" is the only
question of significance.
Chris has harnessed and mastered an ancient trading system
that has pummeled the market for over a century. Everyone
else will have to wait until March 14th to get in…but as
a special favor to the readers of the Rude Awakening, we
have the details now, hot off the press…!
Crisis Point Trader
http://www.agora-inc.com/reports/CPT/WCPTF308
By Eric J. Fry
"Although Pinot Noir sales have been experiencing a slow
rise over the past few years," observes Bryan Spillane, an
analyst with Bank of America Securities, "the October 2004
release of the movie 'Sideways' has seemingly catapulted
the label to newfound popularity."
"Sideways" is, of course, the delightful film featuring the
conversations and escapades of two men on a road trip
through the Santa Barbara wine country. "Vintners and wine
store owners across the country," Spillane continues, "are
reporting increased consumer interest spurred by the movie,
and expect it to increase going forward as 'Sideways' was
nominated for 5 Academy Awards."
Unfortunately, Rude Awakening readers will find it much
easier to join the Pinot craze than to capitalize on it.
The shares of Beringer and Robert Mondavi – two purveyors
of California wine (including Pinot Noir) – used to trade
on Nasdaq. But both wine-makers were gulped down by larger
wine and spirits companies. Constellation Brands NYSE: STZ)
acquired Mondavi, while Australia's Foster's Group (Sydney:
FGL AU) purchased Beringer.
But even though we investors do not have access to a "pure
play" on Pinot, we do have access to pure Pinot. Your
editor recommends the "Mondavi Private Selection" Pinot
Noir.
Of course, those with a more accommodating Pinot Noir
budget should continuing pouring themselves Gevrey-
Chambertins.
And the Markets…
Wednesday Tuesday This week Year-to-Date
DOW 10,806 10,913 -135 0.2%
S&P 1,207 1,219 -15 -0.4%
NASDAQ 2,061 2,074 -9 -5.2%
10-year Treasury 4.51% 4.39% 0.20 0.30
Russell 2000 631 638 -14 -3.1%
Gold $440.64 $440.65 $7.19 0.7%
Silver $7.57 $7.51 $0.22 11.2%
CRB 313.70 312.65 4.64 10.5%
WTI NYMEX CRUDE $54.77 $54.59 $0.99 26.1%
Yen (YEN/USD) JPY 103.97 JPY 104.70 0.76 -1.4%
Dollar (USD/EUR) $1.3388 $1.3343 -255 1.2%
Dollar (USD/GBP) $1.9243 $1.9284 -113 -0.3%
Whiplash!
By Brian Maher Posted March 10, 2020
History said the market would bounce back today. It did…
About Eric Fry:
Eric J. Fry, Agora Financial's Editorial Director, has been a specialist in international equities for nearly two decades. He was a professional portfolio manager for more than 10 years, specializing in international investment strategies and short-selling. Following his successes in professional money management, Mr. Fry joined the Wall Street-based publishing operations of James Grant, editor of the prestigious Grant's Interest Rate Observer. Working alongside Grant, Mr. Fry produced Grant's International and Apogee Research, institutional research products dedicated to international investment opportunities and short selling.
Mr. Fry subsequently joined Agora Inc., as Editorial Director. In this role, Mr. Fry supervises the editorial and research processes of numerous investment letters and services. Mr. Fry also publishes investment insights and commentary under his own byline as Editor of The Daily Reckoning. Mr. Fry authored the first comprehensive guide to investing internationally with American Depository Receipts. His views and investment insights have appeared in numerous publications including Time, Barron's, Wall Street Journal, International Herald Tribune, Business Week, USA Today, Los Angeles Times and Money.


Professor David B. Grayden is Head of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Melbourne School of Engineering.
Prof Grayden's main research interests are in understanding how the brain processes information, how best to present information to the brain using medical bionics, such as the bionic ear and bionic eye, and how to record information from the brain, such as for brain-machine interfaces. He is also conducting research in epileptic seizure prediction and electrical stimulation to prevent or stop epileptic seizures, and in electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve to control inflammatory bowel disease. He has research linkages with the Bionics Institute, St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne, Royal Melbourne Hospital, University of South Australia, Florey Institute for Neuroscience and Mental Health, and University of Maryland, USA.
Prof Grayden teaches in the Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering programs. He teaches BioDesign Innovation and contributes to the Neuroscience Research Training course modules.


text:
How to Get to Roaring Brook Falls in the Adirondacks
June 24, 2021 June 3, 2020 by Jim Cheney
There are many impressive waterfalls in the Adirondacks, but few, if any combine such impressiveness with also being easy to reach like Roaring Brook Falls.
Roaring Brook Falls is located in the Keene Valley of the eastern Adirondacks. At approximately 300 feet in height, this is said to be the tallest waterfall in the region that can be seen from the road. However, for those that want a closer look, you can also walk to the base or the top of this incredible waterfall.
The hike to Roaring Brook Falls starts from a parking area located along Route 73. This is the parking lot not just for the hike to the waterfall but is also a popular spot to ascend Giant Mountain, one of the High Peaks in the park.
A close up of the base of Roaring Brook Falls.
The first recorded ascent of Giant Mountain occurred in June 1797, making it the first of the High Peaks to be officially climbed. Today, there are three trails that head to the top of this mountain, one of which starts at the same parking lot as the Roaring Brook Trail.
While the hike to the peak of the mountain is roughly 3.5 miles, you only have to hike a fraction of that to enjoy this beautiful waterfall.
From the parking area, there is one trailhead that heads to all three destinations.
The trailhead for the hike to Roaring Brook Falls.
From the parking lot, the trail winds its way flatly through the woods for 0.1 miles before it splits in two. If you want to head to the top of the waterfall (or to the mountain peak), take the trail uphill to the left.
From the trail split, the top of the waterfall is a half-mile hike with a 350 elevation gain. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to complete that portion of the hike this time, but it seems fairly straight forward from everything I've seen.
However, I did have time to hike to the base of Roaring Brook Falls, which is a fairly easy hike of 0.2 miles from the trail split.
The first part of the trail to the waterfall is wide and flat.
This trail passes through a beautiful section of woodland and while there are a few small rises and dips, it should be doable for anyone that is capable of tackling uneven terrain as there is only about 100 feet of elevation gain.
The trail ends at the edge of Roaring Brook. This is a fairly small stream that, to be honest, isn't really roaring for much of the year.
If the waterway is relatively calm, you can get the best views of the base of Roaring Brook Falls from the rocks on the far side of the stream. However, use caution as wet rocks can be slippery, and don't attempt to cross if water levels are high.
The base of the waterfall from the edge of Roaring Brook.
From near the base of the waterfall, the rock wall that it falls off of towers 300 feet into the sky; a truly impressive sight. Unfortunately, you can't see the upper reaches of the waterfall from here, so it does take a bit away from the impressiveness of the waterfall itself.
The bottom of the waterfall crashes down a series of rocks and is usually fairly skinny. Despite this, it's still a really great spot to visit.
To return to your car, simply retrace your steps back the way you came.
Another photo of the trail to Roaring Brook Falls.
It's worth noting that the openness of the forest in this area makes it a little difficult to figure out exactly where the trail is on the return trip. However, since you are sandwiched between the road/creek and the mountain, there isn't much worry about getting lost here.
In addition to hiking to Roaring Brook Falls, it's well worth taking the time to see the waterfall from the road. Not only does this provide an easy option for seeing this waterfall, but this also probably provides the best view of the waterfall.
The roadside viewing area for Roaring Brook Falls can be found near the top of the hill a third of a mile south of the parking area (turn left when leaving the parking area).
Roaring Brook Falls from the pull-off on NY-73.
This wide parking area is located along the shoulder on the northeastern side of the road, the same side on which you'll find the waterfall. From here, you can see the top of the waterfall, as well as most of the way to its base.
While the waterfall is in the distance, you can really get a good feel for how tall and majestic this waterfall is.
Overall, Roaring Brook Falls is a spot that should be on the list of any waterfall lovers visiting the Adirondacks. It's not only one of the most impressive waterfalls in the region, but there are several great and easy ways to see it.
How to Get to Roaring Brook Falls
The parking area for the hike can fill quickly on busy days.
Roaring Brook Falls is located in the Keene Valley in the eastern Adirondacks.
The parking area is located along Route 73 at the following coordinates: 44.150387, -73.767696.
This lot is located 7.5 miles north of exit 30 on I-87. If coming from Lake Placid, it's a 30-minute drive to the parking lot.
The base of Roaring Brook Falls.
It's worth noting that this isn't an overly large lot and can fill up on busy days as many also use this area to hike to the top of Giant Mountain. If this lot is full, there is another lot directly across the street.
Don't park along the road here as I've heard they are quite persistent with enforcing the "No Parking" signs.
From the parking lot, hike a third of a mile to the base of the falls or two-thirds of a mile to the top of the waterfall.
The road between the trailhead and the roadside parking area is quite scenic.
To see Roaring Brook Falls from the road, head south on Route 73 for a third of a mile. The overlook can be found at the following coordinates: 44.149172, -73.763161.
If you are approaching Roaring Brook Falls from the south, you will get to the overlook before you reach the parking area for the trail.
While in the area, it's also worth checking out Split Rock Falls, which is located only about 10 minutes away.
Looking for more places to visit nearby? Check out Ausable Chasm, High Falls Gorge, Auger Falls, and the Lake Placid Olympic Museum.
Visiting the Fascinating Saranac Laboratory Museum
How to Get to Auger Falls in the Adirondacks
Ausable Chasm: Hiking the Grand Canyon of the Adirondacks


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Cash flow is critical to the growth of any business and when customers fail to pay it can be a time consuming process to get what you're owed.
After just a couple of chasing letters and calls some businesses may opt to ignore the debt and hope that payment will eventually arrive, but ultimately end up writing off the amount further down the line.
We offer simple fixed fee solutions where our business debt lawyers will help you get paid and avoid having to write off the money owed.
Our fixed fee business debt collection services.
The debt recovery services we offer are flexible and depend entirely on your circumstances and budget. We can take legal action on your unpaid invoices on your behalf, and usually only require a copy of the unpaid invoice/s to start the debt collection process.
All our debt recovery work is conducted or supervised by a qualified solicitor with over twenty years' experience in civil litigation. So you can be confident about the debt recovery legal advice we provide.
We offer the below cost effective fixed fee debt collection packages, from sending a debt recovery solicitors letter to taking the debtor to court.
These are suitable for most undisputed debts under £10,000 incurred in England and Wales, known as a Small Claim. However if the debt you wish to recover is greater than £10,000 we can still help so please contact us with details.
"UK Small businesses are owed billions in late payments, but a third are reluctant to chase slow-paying customers as they are worried about upsetting them or feel embarrassed."
"According to payments processing company, Bacs, the UK's small and medium-sized firms are currently owed £26bn in overdue payments."
"One in six SME invoices remains unpaid after 90 days and of these, almost half have yet to be settled after six months"
"A typical SME in the UK spends an average of 130 hours a year chasing late payments"
Let us help with your business debt recovery today.
Business debts owed by a consumer or sole trader?
Debts owed to a business by an individual or sole trader now need to be dealt with under the Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims which came into force 1 October 2017. This protocol requires that businesses now have to provide much more documentation and information to debtors as well as give them at least 30 days to respond.
For business to business debt recovery you are still able to use a 'Letter Before Action' that provides a time frame of between 7 to 14 days. For more detail on what is involved in the new protocol, take a look at our blog What is the Pre-action Protocol for Debt Claims?
Debt collection agency or solicitor?
A small business debt collection agency can collect debts on your behalf by contacting the debtor using letters, phone calls, text messages etc. to simply chase the debt. However debt collection agencies don't have any more court or legal powers than you do as a creditor.
Intervention from a law firm is often enough to prompt a debtor to take action, especially if the next logical step is for the solicitor to issue legal proceedings to recover the debt on your behalf. Sending a letter before action is also commonly the most cost effective solution for small business debt recovery.
Following a successful court hearing, a county court judgment will be obtained which can be enforced with various small business debt collection methods include bailiffs, freezing assets or gaining a charging order on land/property.
"We approached Catalyst Law to help us get a small amount of money owed to us by a customer. We used the fixed fee letter which worked straightaway and we were paid. We were very pleased with the great service, helpfulness and communication that Catalyst Law provided us."
While sole traders, small businesses and SMEs are regularly impacted by non-paying customers, individuals can also be owed money which they wish to recover. If a friend, family member or business owes you money the steps to enforce a personal debt are similar to the above, so please visit our debt recovery for individuals page for more information.
If your business has multiple debts to recover we offer a free initial telephone consultation to discuss how our bulk debt recovery service can work for your company. On high volume debt recovery we can provide a customised fee structure inclusive of 'no win no fee' debt collection depending of the amount owed and recovery prospects. Contact us today with brief details of your requirements and we will advise on the best option.
Further resources on business debt collection.
How to collect a debt from a customer - Once you've exhausted all the chasing letters and polite phone calls, what are the next steps in getting your invoice paid?
Owed money, but no contract - Even without a written contract or agreement in place to show a debt, there is probably still other information that you may be able to obtain to prove a payment is due.
What to do when money is owed by a friend - Helping out friends and family is second nature for most of us, so it is a shame that getting paid back isn't always as easy.
Claiming interest and compensation on overdue invoices - On most commercial debts (business to business debt collection) you can claim interest at 8% above the Bank of England base rate if they are not paid on time.
How long do you have to collect a debt? - How old can a business debt be before it is 'statute barred'? We explain the time limits for claiming unpaid invoices in the UK.


I wasn't sure what to think about Intangible at first. What initially drew me in was the relationship between Sera and Luke. I love reading about twins, and loved that they had such a close, positive relationship. Intangible was a little bit of a slow starter for me, but I kept reading because I was interested in the story. I had to know more about Luke's vision. Was Sera going to die? If so, how and why? And if Luke was able to stop the vision from coming true, how would he do it? These were the questions that I had to know the answers to.
What started out as a story about twins with special gifts soon evolved into a true paranormal fiction novel. I liked the inclusion of the other paranormal creatures, and thought they added a lot of depth to the story. I loved the treatment of the vampires, and the mystery surrounding Lilith. The characterization of Lilith was perfectly done, and her scenes were some of my favorite (even though she was a horrendously evil character).
There were a couple of things that surprised me while reading Intangible. Marc's decision at the end was a surprise, although it was not totally out of character, when you think about what kind of person he truly was. At the very end of the book, there is a scene were Sera and Luke find out about other gifted people. It seemed to be setting up book two, and while I usually don't mind that, this scene felt like it belonged in a teaser for book two I like a lot of closure in series novels, and that last scene left me feeling mildly unsatisfied.
Overall, though, I enjoyed Intangible. I liked the characters, the character development, the writing style, and the plot. I loved the way Meyers writes with emotion---her characters' feelings literally jump off the page. I love that! This was my first time reading J Meyers and I will definitely be back for more.
Great review! I love reading about twins too and I really liked Luke and Sara.
I feel like the relationship between Luke and Sera (love her full name; Seraphina) was very heart warming and took the place of a love story which isn't really predominantly present for any of the characters. Anyway great review and i love this website! Keep writing please!
The book was well written with exciting climaxes and laugh out loud humor. The characters were well developed and easily visualized. The twists and turns in the plot were fresh and unpredictable. I look forward to hearing more about Luke, Sera, Fey, Jonas and Marc and am anxious for future books!


In Tchoe (2012, 2013) I haveargued that the ECMed DP in Korean is in fact a base-generated prolepticargument. In this subsequent work I will tackle a variety of questionscontained in this conclusion. But in the first part of the article, I will delverather into the Multiple Nominative/Accusative constructions in Korean,which have always been assumed to posses distinct syntactic representationsand derivations from the ECM constructions. I will show that the MultipleNominative/Accusative constructions are also a base-generated prolepticconstruction. Given this, the unique difference between ECM constructionsand Multiple Case constructions in Korean is the fact that in the latter typesof constructions the grammatical (thematic/narrow, in other terms) subject/object is always represented by a DP. Upon this observation, four assertionswill be made on the syntax of Korean. The first one is that Korean employstwo types of syntactic objects to represent in syntax an argument selectedby a predicate; the one is a continuous expression and the other adiscontinuous expression in the sense of Hale (1981 et seq). I refer, as acontinuous expression, the nominal or propositional expressions thatfunction like a single syntactic object with regard to syntactic operationssuch as scrambling. For nominal or propositional expressions whose partssplit off after the Case-checking, I will refer them as a discontinuousexpression. I will also show that discontinuous expressions have nothing todo with so-called symmetrically Merged unstable syntactic objects (Chomsky2013, Moro 2007 and Ott 2011, forthcoming). But I am not ready to proposeany tangible idea on the internal composition of the discontinuousexpressions. The second assertion put forward is that discontinuousexpressions always consist of a proleptic argument and a grammaticalsubject/object. The third and last assertions are that proleptic arguments areassigned a pragmatically accessible θ-role and that they appear on the left side of the grammatical subject/object at least in Korean.


On Saturday, April 6, Trek for Teens held a concert at Hart House where several bands came together out of a love for music, and for a chance to raise awareness and funds towards helping the homeless youth of Toronto. Below you can find a short profile of some of the bands that performed.
From the beginning of their sound check these guys were tight, electrifying, and extremely entertaining. They love to play, and you can tell just by seeing how nobody could peal their eyes off them. As the lead singer makes your ears bleed (In the best way possible) with his raw vocals, these guys should be on everyone's watch list.
Amazing chemistry, hard to categorize in one genre, and a lead singer with the voice of a 27 year old rock-star from the late 70's. These guys brought down the house with their unique, smoky bar, style. Brilliant.
Band of Time started us off with an intimate, melancholy set. The band consists of two members and although quiet, the covers of City and Colour consumed the crowd.
High Voltage burnt the stage down next with their amazing musicianship, from the multiple guitar solos, to their raw, no bull-s*** lyrics. If Blink 182, Twisted Sister, and Led Zeppelin ever had a local Toronto love child it would be High Voltage. If you haven't seen these guys live you haven't seen local rock music at it's finest.


Need a lisp that would calculate distance between lines in a map and place it at the center of each lines.
I need to select all the lines at once instead of selecting each line one by one.
Now where is the crystal ball so I can see what you want.
Please post a dwg or image.
Sample Drawing is attached for your reference..
it would be nice if the lengths are placed similar as it is shown in the drawing.
p/s: @BIGAL i noticed you were offline while the OP was online my quick reply didn't mean to hijack.
Hi there , I tried your solution when selecting the polyline it does nothing.
Btw, I post the question in wrong section by mistake if any mod would move this post to the right section would be appreciated.
did you download the visual utility link provided ?
i edited previous post, try it still can run without these visual utilities.
are you referring to msg:pointer code?
Hanhphuc I would use the simple check for a library routine. I like the look of the pointer code will have a closer look.
I have moved your thread to the AutoLISP, Visual LISP & DCL Forum. Please post in the most relevant Forum.
Guys could you please elaborate more... I'm pretty basic in lisp.
What is visual utility and how to install it or make it to work?
Although, your solution worked pretty awesome! but what is this visual utility thingy?
it was just my naming for those transient routines.
ACAD also has osmode, gridmode , 3dorbit & vslide etc..
you can call any naming as you like.


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DHR Home > Historic Registers > Bath County, VLR Online & National Register Listings
008-0022 Warm Springs Mill
Also known as Miller's Mill, the Warm Springs Mill is the only remaining early gristmill in Bath County. A settlement with a mill has existed at this famous thermal spring since colonial times. The original mill here was observed by pioneer explorer Simon Kenton in 1771. The present mill (located in the Warm Springs and West Warm Springs Historic District), is a replacement of a 19th-century mill, and was erected following H. H. Miller's purchase of the property in 1901. The mill is typical of commercial gristmills of its period—a three-story, gable-roofed frame structure with an overshot Fitz waterwheel. The mill ceased operation in 1971 and was subsequently converted into a restaurant. The adjacent blacksmith shop and hardware store, part of the mill complex, were remodeled for retail use and lodging. Nearly all of the mill's machinery is intact.


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Home News Education Ground moving on Mill Street for new campus to replace College Street...
Ground work has begun for a replacement elementary school campus for College Street Elementary. (Photo by Steve Southwell)
Ground moving on Mill Street for new campus to replace College Street Elementary
Steve Southwell
For the past few weeks, heavy equipment has been moving earth at a Lewisville ISD property on Mill Street. Construction will soon be underway for the eventual replacement for the current College Street Elementary school in Old Town Lewisville.
Scheduled to open in August 2019, the new elementary school is located on the west side of Mill Street between Purnell Street and High School Drive. The 14-acre property is the former site of Delay Middle School and is just a block away from Central Elementary School.
The $37.1 million construction project was authorized by voters in the 2017 LISD bond program program. In that election, 62.43 percent of voters authorized the $737.5 million package to build and renovate facilities and provide technology for the district. The cost comes in $3.3 million less than first estimated in a January 2017 report from the Facilities Advisory Committee.
Designed by Huckabee Architects, and constructed by Balfour Beatty, the 113,000 square-foot school will be the first in the district to incorporate a code-required storm shelter for building occupants, according to Lewisville ISD spokesperson Amanda Brim.
The building will be designed under the district's standardized Education Specifications for schools. Brim said that even though the campus sits just outside the boundary of Old Town, the district has requested that the architect create a design that compliments the Old Town architectural style.
As of press time, renderings of the design were not yet available.
While the building's capacity will be 800-850 students, the exact number expected for the 2019-20 school year is not yet known.
In 2017, the College Street Elementary campus had only 222 students enrolled, according to a Demember 2017 comprehensive needs assessment.
A draft map for LISD's "Option 2" zone plan for College Street, Central, and Lewisville elementary schools. (Map courtesy of Lewisville ISD)
In September of last year, LISD trustees discussed a potential rezoning to shift students into the new campus and relieve pressure on other elementary school zones in Lewisville.
With the athletic field on the former Delay site now demolished for construction, Brim said that athletic events previously held there would be moved to the LHS Ben Harmon campus.
The construction will also eventually affect the Purnell Support Center, which occupies the northwest corner of the parcel. In addition to other programs, the campus is the home of Focus on the Future, which helps special needs students transition to adult life after high school.
Brim said that the Purnell campus would remain in use throughout construction and during the first year of occupancy of the new elementary school. After that, Brim said it would be demolished.
The old College Street campus will be renovated and repurposed, according to Brim. The district has not offered any statements about what functions might move to the former College Street location.
Other elementary schools in Lewisville with major construction projects this summer are Creekside Elementary, which is getting a 20-year refresh, and Valley Ridge Elementary, which is getting a playground replacement. Next year Central, Degan and Parkway elementary schools will get 20-year refreshes, according to a Community Bond Committee update from May 22.
Readers can follow the status of the LISD bond program on the district's bond website.
College Street Elementary
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LTJ explains: Tax increment reinvestment zones


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Ageless Federer can triumph again
Mark Race
It may be 15 years since Roger Federer beat Mark Philippoussis to win the first of his eight Wimbledon titles but the Swiss veteran will still be the man to beat at SW19 in the next fortnight.
The 36-year-old opted to miss the French Open for the third year in a row so he could be at his best for the grass-court season and he reached the final of both the Stuttgart and Halle Opens, winning the first against Milos Raonic and losing the second against Borna Coric.
Federer 7/4 to win Wimbledon
He made it back-to-back Australian Open titles in January and still has the desire to beat his chief rivals, with Rafael Nadal, 7/1 to win Wimbledon, possibly ready to mount a challenge this year after failing to progress beyond the fourth round in his last five appearances.
The Spaniard did win the French Open again earlier this year but has only two Wimbledon triumphs to his name with his last appearance in the final coming in 2011.
Andy Murray, 20/1, is not expected to last long after his recent return to action after almost 12 months on the sidelines, while Novak Djokovic (11/2) is showing glimpses of the form that has deserted him in the last two years.
The Serbian is a three-time winner at Wimbledon and reached the Fever-Tree Championships final at Queen's Club in June where he was edged out by Marin Cilic.
Cilic 33/10 to reach the final
It may be asking too much of Djokovic to win his 13th Grand Slam title and first since his 2016 French Open victory but Cilic could reach the Wimbledon final for the second year in a row.
Of the rest Alexander Zverev (18/1) may enjoy a long run after reaching the fourth round 12 months ago while Juan Martin del Potro will be keen to improve on his one semi-final appearance – in 2013. The Argentinian is 35/4 to reach the final this year.
outright betting
tennis bets
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Lifelong York City fan, who knows the football league inside and out, but with a passion for tennis and golf.
Djokovic out to spoil Federer's party
Who'll be king and queen of clay?
History beckons for Nadal and Kvitova


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Almaty 28 °F / -2 °C
German Tennis Machine Stuck in Kazakh Steppe
in Sports on 18 April 2022
NUR-SULTAN – Last week Kazakh tennis fans received a big gift. The national team hosted the national team of Germany in the qualifying tournament of the main international team tournament in women's tennis titled the Billie Jean King Cup in Nur-Sultan on April 15-16. Fortunately for the Kazakh fans, the result of the match was already decided in the first three matches.
Photo credit: Ktf.kz
On the first day Yiliya Putintseva took down Angelique Kerber to give Kazakhstan a decisive lead. The German opened the match rather well despite her lack of love for the surface. She was up 5-1 early, faltered a bit later but still won it 6-3. She struggled immensely in the second set falling behind 1-5 and losing it 3-6 in the end.
Struggles continued in the third set as Putintseva simply had all the answers and Kerber was running from one error to another. Putintseva finished it off with 6-2 for a huge point for Kazakhstan.
The matchup between Putintseva and Kerber was always going to be the decisive one as Elena Rybakina, as of the best players in the world, was expected to win.
Yiliya Putintseva. Photo credit: Ilyas Omarov.
She did not disappoint in the second tie as she faced Laura Siegemund. Rybakina dominated the match with her powerful groundstroke from start to finish without problem 6-0, 6-1.
That gave Kazakhstan the 2-0 lead after the first day.
After a superb first day for the home team and the 2-0 lead, Rybakina had the chance to clinch it with a win against Angelique Kerber.
The start of the match featured some nerves by Rybakina who was able to win her serves but Kerber had a few break points she did not use.
Eventually, the German did find a breakthrough and she served out the first set with 6-4.
Photo credit: Ilyas Omarov.
After holding from 15-40 in the first game of the second set Rybakina started to take more risks. It paid off as she broke her opponent taking the 3-0 lead. Boosted with that confidence Rybakina served out the set 6-3.
The excitement did not fade in the third set either as players traded early breaks to keep the tension up. They then traded breaks once more a couple of games later with the score still being tied at 3-3. Eventually, Kerber did find another breakthrough taking a 5-3 lead and coming very close to victory. However, Rybakina completely loosened up and started going for it.
Winner after winner was blasted as Kerber could only watch what was happening. The player from Kazakhstan won four games in a row to finish it off 7-5, sending her nation to the Billie Jean King Cup Finals.
In accordance with the rules of the tournament, it was decided to play the fourth match in doubles.
In this game, the German athletes took a point of honor. Anna – Lena Friedsam and Laura Siegemund won in a bitter struggle 6-2 3-6 (10-6) against Anna Danilina and Zhibek Kulambayeva, who made her debut in matches for the national team of Kazakhstan.
Final score of the match is 3-1.
Kazakh Designer Conducts Experiments with AI in Arts


PYEONGCHANG, SOUTH KOREA—Is it possible there's a bright side to the great curling crisis of the 2018 Olympic Games?
On the grim day that saw Kevin Koe became the first Canadian men's skip to exit the Olympics without a medal, maybe it was understandable that at least one member of his rink was finding a positive spin to a shocking historic failure.
Take the qualifier out of that last sentence and Kennedy might have a point. It's possible the high-profile U.S. success story of John Shuster's underdog team might create an economic tide that eventually lifts all of curling's boats by exposing the game to millions of new eyeballs in the world's richest sports market. Still, nobody in the Canadian curling establishment will look back fondly on Canada's semifinal loss to Shuster's U.S. rink — especially since it was a prelude to a 7-5 defeat to Switzerland in the bronze-medal game that left Canada without a spot on the podium.
No great sporting power goes into an Olympics hoping an underdog foe will prosper at its expense, greater good of the global game be damned. It's been 20 years since curling became a regular event at the Winter Games. In every one of those Olympics before this one, Canada won a medal in both the men's and women's draws. That both Koe and Rachel Homan are heading home empty-handed is nobody's idea of a pleasant experience.
But to call the loss a symptom of a broken Canadian system is rash, too. Think about it: In the 59 years in which the world men's curling championship has been contested, Canada has only missed the podium seven times — an 88% medal rate. Canadians haven't been quite as dominant in the 39 years curling has held a women's world championship; they've only found themselves on the podium 33 times — an 85% rate. So having both genders to miss the Olympic podium entirely — with gold in mixed doubles Canada's only success — was tough to see coming. But it's not as though it marks the latest in a string of under-achievements. It was only a year ago, after all, that the Canadian representatives at the worlds, Homan and Brad Gushue, both went 13-0 to win gold, the first time in history that had happened.
Maybe that was the tough part for Koe. There was nothing to blame but his team playing poorly at the wrong times, specifically when any number of opponents was playing better.
The problem, in some eyes, is Canada's hand in helping the rest of the world beat Canada. Most of the world's top international rinks spend considerable time training and competing on Canadian soil. The majority of teams at the Olympic tournament were advised by Canadian coaches.
Maybe, Kennedy said, all of it is "to our detriment." On the other hand, the rise of a global field has made curling one of the most compelling sports at the Olympics for years.
Which is not to say that viewing Koe's loss through a bigger, world-wise lens made it any easier to take. After it was over, Koe looked gutted. He stared grimly at the floor as he spoke to reporters.
But Koe bristled at the idea that the responsibility for the loss lied with Canada's system.
The problem is that so does U.S. curling and Swedish curling and the Swiss, too.


Local 700 Political Director Harold Irving with 41st Ward Democratic Committeeman candidate Andrew DeVito and 41st Ward Alderman Anthony Napolitano.
Teamsters Local 700 announces the endorsement of Andrew DeVito in his candidacy for 41st Ward Democratic Committeeman. DeVito's strong union background and political agenda to protect the middle class are key reasons Teamsters Local 700 is supportive of his campaign.
41st Ward Alderman Anthony Napolitano introduced DeVito during the Local 700 General Membership Meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 9. Alderman Napolitano also stopped by the Joint Council 25 delegates meeting at Teamster City earlier in the day to thank everyone for their support.
DeVito, who has been a resident of Norwood Park since 1996, began his career with the city in 1971 as a laborer in the Department of Streets and Sanitation. After working as a foreman in the garbage collection division, he transferred to the Department of Aviation, where he oversaw construction projects at O'Hare Airport. He was then appointed Business Agent of Laborers Local #1.
After increasing union membership, DeVito was promoted in 2012 as Community Liaison for the Laborers District Council of Illinois, which represents nine counties in our state. He served for 12 years as an elected delegate for both the Laborers District Council and the AFL-CIO Laborers Local #1. Overall, he was a union member in good standing for 44 years and worked for the City of Chicago for 34 years.
All Teamsters and their families are encouraged to vote for Teamsters Local 700-endorsed candidate Andrew DeVito for 41st Ward Committeeman on March 15, 2016.