Highlights of the Blue Ridge Parkway in Appalachia

As a principal for Nexant Inc. in Washington, D.C., Rebecca Gaskin Gain consults with the federal government on financial transactions with African nations. While on vacation, Rebecca Gaskin Gain and her husband enjoy hiking off the Blue Ridge Parkway, which traverses the Appalachian Mountains in North Carolina and Virginia.

The idea of the Parkway originated in 1933 with President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and road-building began in 1935. Because of the Great Depression and World War II, construction proceeded sporadically. Although it was nearly complete in the 1960s, the last section - an engineering marvel known as the Linn Cove Viaduct - was not finished until 1987.

The scenic two-lane winding road is designed for leisurely travel. Large trucks are banned and the speed limit is 45 miles per hour. Along its 469 miles are many attractions, such as:

- Mount Mitchell State Park. At 6,684 feet, Mount Mitchell is the highest peak east of the Mississippi. The park, accessible from milepost 355.4, offers splendid views of the Appalachians from its 360-degree observation deck. Visitors can also enjoy camping, hiking, and a natural history museum.

- Linville Falls. Located in a gorge nicknamed the Grand Canyon of the Southern Appalachians, the falls are arrayed in three separate plunges. Trails overlook the falls in four places. The visitor center is at milepost 316. The area is a popular campsite and features the Parkway’s only group camping facilities.

Finovate 2018 Features Four Prominent Speakers

A graduate of the Emory University School of Law, Rebecca Gaskin Gain serves as principal for Nexant, Inc., which is located in Washington, D.C. To keep current with industry trends, Rebecca Gaskin Gain attended Finovate 2018 in Dubai, where she joined learning sessions on blockchain and ledger technology for underserved communities.

Finovate conferences highlight cutting-edge financial and banking technology through demonstrations. Finovate has conferences scheduled across the world, including the Middle East. This conference typically brings together more than 300 attendees, 20-plus companies performing demonstrations, and more than 25 speakers.

For the 2018 conference, among the speakers who attended were the following:

* Raja Al Mazrouei, the acting vice president for FinTech Hive of the Dubai International Financial Centre.

* Suvo Sarkar, the senior executive vice president and group head of retail banking and wealth management for Emirates NBD.

* Sara Grinstead, the chief innovation officer of RAKBANK.

* Ruth Wandhofer, the managing director and global head of regulatory and market strategy for Citi.

Blue Ridge Parkway Offers Stunning Sights

Fluent in English and French, Rebecca Gaskin Gain works as a principal for Nexant, Inc. in Washington, D.C. In her spare time, Rebecca Gaskin Gain enjoys hiking in the mountains along the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Almost 500 miles long, the Blue Ridge Parkway is a scenic roadway that winds its way through Virginia and North Carolina and spans the southern and central Appalachian Mountains. Known for its biodiversity, the Blue Ridge Parkway includes a variety of wildlife, geological features, and vegetation. Each year, several million people travel to this area to experience the parkway and its environs.

The scenic byway is divided into four districts, which include the Ridge, Plateau, Highlands, and Pisgah. The first two districts are found in Virginia, while the latter two are in North Carolina. At either end of the byway travelers can access two gateway national parks, Great Smoky National Park and Shenandoah National Park.

Highlights of the Blue Ridge Parkway include the following:

* Mount Mitchell, which is the highest mountain peak in the eastern United States.

* Whitewater Falls, which is the highest waterfall east of the Rocky Mountains.

* New River, which is the oldest river in North America.

* Linville Gorge, which is the deepest gorge east of the Grand Canyon.

The History of American Bluegrass Music

Holder of a juris doctor and a member of the New York State Bar Association, Rebecca Gaskin Gain advises clients in the international arena. Through her travels, she has been exposed to little-known styles of regional music, from performances by the Congolese Symphony Orchestra to nomadic blues from the Afar territories in the Horn of African. Rebecca Gaskin Gain has also developed an intimate familiarity with traditional bluegrass music from the Appalachian Mountains.

The origins of bluegrass music go back to North America in the 1600s, when immigrants from Ireland, England, and Scotland greatly influenced musical tastes in regions that eventually became the states of West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and North and South Carolina.

The songs often told of rural living, from laboring on a farm to exploring the Appalachian wilderness. For a while, it was called "mountain music," reflecting these roots. But eventually, especially with the advent of the phonograph and other technologies, this rural music found its way to American cities. Today, bluegrass music is enjoyed by music lovers around the globe.