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Home / Apply / Scholarships / How to apply
Please read all scholarship criteria carefully to determine if you are eligible. Applications must be received at the locations listed by the dates posted. These are not postmark deadlines. If you are applying for more than one NCCF scholarship, you must submit a separate application for each scholarship.
Scholarship applications are available on the NCCF Online Application System. The NCCF Standard Scholarship Application, used by many (but not all) of these scholarships can be completed online. Please be certain to carefully review the instructions. Also, be certain to complete and submit the separate NCCF Financial Need Information Form and FAFSA Student Aid Report if required.
Scholarship selection committees are not obligated to consider applications that are incomplete, do not meet the stated eligibility requirements, received after the posted due date or are mailed to an incorrect address.
Information about scholarships available for the 2022-2023 academic year can be found by using the drop-down list below to find scholarships available to students in the county where you reside, as well as our statewide scholarships.
Additional scholarships may come available and will be added to the listing as soon as possible.
Please note that Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome are the preferred browsers for the online application system.
Select a County Alamance Alexander Alleghany Anson Ashe Avery Beaufort Bertie Bladen Brunswick Buncombe Burke Cabarrus Caldwell Camden Carteret Caswell Catawba Chatham Cherokee Chowan Clay Cleveland Columbus Craven Cumberland Currituck Dare Davidson Davie Duplin Durham Eastern Bank of Cherokee Indians Edgecombe Forsyth Franklin Gaston Gates Graham Granville Greene Guilford Halifax Harnett Haywood Henderson Hertford Hoke Hyde Iredell Jackson Johnston Jones Lee Lenoir Lincoln Macon Madison Martin McDowell Mecklenburg Mitchell Montgomery Moore Nash New Hanover Northampton Onslow Orange Pamlico Pasquotank Pender Perquimans Person Pitt Polk Randolph Richmond Robeson Rockingham Rowan Rutherford Sampson Scotland Stanly Statewide Stokes Surry Swain Transylvania Tyrrell Union Vance Virginia (State of) Wake Warren Washington Watauga Wayne Wilkes Wilson Yadkin Yancey
CASL Scholarship Fund in Memory of Lane Meyer
Eligible applicants are high school seniors who are current participants with the Capital Area Soccer League ("CASL") at the Challenge Level and above, who exemplify Lane Meyer's legacy of excellence and achievement in academics, soccer skills, sportsmanship, friendships, and school and community involvement, and who build spirit on the athletic field as Lane Meyer did as a CASL soccer player.
Katie Dunn Rogers Scholarship
African-American female student attending public high school in Wake County, North Carolina and who desires to attend a 2- or 4-year college or a specialized accredited trade school (such as culinary arts). Priority will be given to a student who needs financial assistance and who has demonstrated strength of character and a desire to further her education in a field of her choice.
Lane Meyer Scholarship Fund
Eligible students must exemplify Lane Meyer's legacy of excellence and achievement in academics, athletics, friendships, and community service. Special emphasis will be given to students who excel in academics, soccer skills and sportsmanship, school and community involvement. Students will be selected from Wake Forest-Rolesville High School and must be members of the Wake Forest-rolesville High School Varsity Soccer Team. Eligible students will be those who build spirit in the classroom, on the athletic field, and in the school community.
Loomis, Rose and Ruth Peebles Endowment
African American Wake or Durham County graduating high school seniors with financial need who have overcome adversity. The student selected must be attending NC State University; the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Greensboro, Asheville, Wilmington, Charlotte, or Pembroke; East Carolina University, Davidson, Elon, or Duke University.
Norah Morris Memorial Scholarship Endowment
An individual entering college or continuing college education who has participated in equestrian activity.
Raleigh Alumnae Delta Scholarship Endowment
Successful and active participation in the programs of the Raleigh Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. School and community activities, academic performance, service, special achievements and recommendations are all considered by the committee.
Robert Franklin Black Scholarship Fund
Individuals between the ages of 16 and 30 who have received or are expecting to receive a high school degree or its equivalent and whose parent or legal guardian is a resident of Durham, Orange, or Wake County, NC. Recipients will be chosen on the basis of financial need, academic achievement, and adversity the applicant has encountered. The individual must have applied to and be planning to attend an accredited institution of higher learning within one year of the application deadline. The scholarship may not be used for graduate education. **PLEASE NOTE: Applicants must show evidence of having overcome adversity and should be certain to address this in their application essay.**
The George A. Kahdy Enloe High School Alumni Scholarship Endowment
Graduating seniors of William G. Enloe High School who are NC residents and who demonstrate the following: good character and integrity, academic achievement, financial need, service to school and community, and involvement in school activities. **PLEASE NOTE: Application essay must describe the impact the George A. Kahdy Enloe High School Alumni Scholarship will have on your life and your goals after high school.**
The Ian Lewis Character Scholarship
This scholarship is open to graduating seniors from Wake Forest High School (WFHS) who are current members of the WFHS Boys or Girls Soccer team, plan to attend a two- or four-year college or university after graduation, and who exemplify the strength and excellence of character that is the legacy of Ian Frazier Lewis, a former WFHS student and member of the WFHS Soccer team.
William Sanders Scholarship
NC residents who are members of the NC Junior Angus Association and are graduating high school seniors who have demonstrated participation, service, and leadership by achieving levels of the National Junior Angus Association Awards.
Statewide Scholarships
Cody Blue Pilkington Scholarship Fund
Students eligible to recieve this scholarship are North Carolina residents who are entering their freshman or sophomore year to study any engineering, science or math curriculum at NC State University, are at least 18 years of age, are involved in a community service organization (preferably two), are non-smokers and substance-free, and maintain a 2.8 GPA or its equivalent should the grading scale change.
DHS Friends Hilda Crocker Wilson Scholarship Endowment Fund
Eligible applicants must be a direct descendant of an alumnus or faculty or staff member of the former Dunn High School (direct descendants includes lawfully adopted children in the lineage), show evidence of acceptance by an accredited college, university or vocational/community college; plan to enroll in a full-time course of study in the field of Education; and have a minimum high school weighted academic GPA of 2.63. Additional selection criteria includes high school academic achievement, evidence of high moral character and good citizenship and involvement and leadership in high school activities, church and the community. **PLEASE NOTE: The essay for this scholarship should address the following prompt: The DHS Friends Hilda Crocker Wilson Scholarship is for students who are pursuing a career in Education. Please describe your future plans in the field of Education, what drew you to Education as a career choice, and how you will use your gifts and talents in the field of Education**
DHS Friends' Butler - Baggett Endowment
Eligible applicants must be a direct descendant of an alumnus, faculty or staff member of the former Dunn High School (direct descendants includes lawfully adopted children in the lineage); and must have been accepted and plan to attend a college or university in North Carolina. Additional selection criteria includes high school academic achievement, evidence of high moral character and good citizenship and involvement and leadership in high school activities, church and the community.
DHS Friends' Dunn High School Memorial Endowment
Eligible applicants must be a direct descendant of an alumnus or faculty or staff member of the former Dunn High School (direct descendants includes lawfully adopted children in the lineage) and have plans to attend any qualifying institutions of higher learning. Additional selection criteria includes high school academic achievement, evidence of high moral character and good citizenship and involvement and leadership in high school activities, church and community.
Dr. Donald W. Bentley Memorial Scholarship Endowment
Students from North Carolina planning to study at the undergraduate or graduate level at Virginia Tech are eligible, with a preference given to a student from Watauga County.
The scholarship will be awarded to a student who exhibits academic excellence, leadership, personal effort and good citizenship. Financial need will be considered if there are equally matched applicants, with the student with greater need being awarded the scholarship.
Scholarships for undergraduate study are awarded annually to graduating high school seniors. Scholarships for graduate study shall be awarded to any entering or existing graduate student.
JADE Learning Electrical Technologies Scholarship
Students enrolled at North Carolina technical or occupational schools pursuing education and training in the field of electrical systems technologies, or apprentices enrolled in an approved apprenticeship program. Preference may be given to those who are pursuing a two-year associate's degree. Criteria considered by the Scholarship Committee include financial need, academic performance, references, and essay questions as described in the scholarship application.
Joseph Bergin and Elsa Flower Davies Scholarship
Students wishing to pursue a degree or training in education, teaching or nursing (special consideration may be given to students pursuing gerontology-related nursing) at an institution of higher learning located in New Hanover County, NC.
Joyce Price Johnson's Samaritan Fund
Young people exiting foster care or living in poverty in North Carolina who wish to continue their education at a college, university, community college, or other accredited institution. Primary consideration will be given to young people from Wayne County, or secondarily, from counties which are contiguous to Wayne County
Migrant Farmworker Nursing Scholarship
Individuals residing in North Carolina seeking higher education with plans to pursue a degree in nursing, whose parent or grandparent (by birth or adoption), stepparent or step-grandparent is or has been a migrant farmworker, are eligible to apply. Students enrolled in online programs are not eligible to receive the scholarship. The scholarship is not limited to high-school graduates.
NC Alpha Delta Kappa Student Achievement Scholarship
Graduating seniors of a North Carolina high school pursuing a degree at a school of higher learning. Applicants must have an unweighted GPA of 2.5 to 3.5 and an SAT score (including Math, Reading, and Writing and Language Tests) in the range of 990 to 1130 OR an ACT composite score between 20 and 24. THIS SCHOLARSHIP IS DESIGNED FOR STUDENTS WITH GRADES AND SCORES FALLING WITHIN THESE RANGES ONLY. STUDENTS WITH LOWER OR HIGHER SCORES WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. Applicants are also judged based on their service to school, community, and church, as well as their integrity and leadership potential.
Peter S. Slomianyj Scholarship Fund
Subway employees or children of Subway employees who have worked at least 1,000 hours over the last 12 months. Students must have a 2.0 GPA in high school or a 2.5 GPA in college.
Red Oak High School Alumni Scholarship Fund
Eligible students will be high school graduates wishing to pursue their education at an institution of higher learning such as a college, university, or community college. Special consideration will be given to students with immediate family members who attended, taught at, or were employed at the former Red Oak High School of Nash County, NC. Students must have a high school GPA of 2.63 or above, show evidence of academic promise, involvement and leadership in extra-curricular activities in high school, involvement in the community and church, and demonstration of high moral character and good citizenship. ***PLEASE NOTE: Because the Red Oak Alumni Scholarship gives special consideration to students who have an association with the former Red Oak High School (as described above), applicants must include information about their connection to Red Oak High School in their essays.
Robert E. Barnhill, Sr. Scholarship Fund
High-school graduate who is a North Carolina resident and is attending a college or university. Considered are leadership potential, community involvement, physical vigor, academic achievement and financial need. Special consideration is given to employees/relatives of employees of Barnhill Contracting Company. **ESSAY PROMPT: Describe an experience that has had a significant impact on your life and then explain why you are applying for the Robert E. Barnhill, Sr. Scholarship.
Scottie W. Cox Memorial Scholarship of NCCCLA
Employee of a learning resource center/library in North Carolina having at least a bachelor's degree and taking advance courses for professional development or in pursuit of a master's or doctoral degree in the library and information studies field. The courses must be offered by an accredited educational institution or other charitable organization.
Sharma Family Scholarship Fund
Eligible students must be graduating from high school in North Carolina to attend a college or university in the state of North Carolina. Preference is given to those attending North Carolina State University. Applicants must have a high regard for obtaining an education and the courage to pursue it in spite of limited financial resources; demonstrate leadership, involvement in extra curricular activities, friendship to others, solid work ethics and a commitment to academics; have a purpose and a plan for being a productive citizen; and demonstrate a commitment to diversity, recognizing the value of all people regardless of religion, ethnicity, socioeconomic status or ability.
For questions about scholarships, please contact scholarships@nccommunityfoundation.org.
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Please read all scholarship criteria carefully to determine if you are eligible. Applications must be received at the locations listed by the dates posted. These are not postmark deadlines. If you are applying for more than one NCCF scholarship, you must submit a separate application for each scholarship.<\/p>\r\n
Scholarship applications are available on the NCCF Online Application System. The NCCF Standard Scholarship Application, used by many (but not all) of these scholarships can be completed online. Please be certain to carefully review the instructions. Also, be certain to complete and submit the separate NCCF Financial Need Information Form and FAFSA Student Aid Report if required.<\/p>\r\n
Scholarship selection committees are not obligated to consider applications that are incomplete, do not meet the stated eligibility requirements, received after the posted due date or are mailed to an incorrect address.<\/p>\r\n
Information about scholarships available for the 2022-2023 academic year can be found by using the drop-down list below to find scholarships available to students in the county where you reside, as well as our statewide scholarships.<\/p>\r\n
Additional scholarships may come available and will be added to the listing as soon as possible.<\/p>\r\n
Please note that Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome are the preferred browsers for the online application system. <\/p>","excerpt":"","media":0,"custom":{"blocks":{"blocks":[{"fieldset":"fd39717673c942dfb102a174d17a8b99","fieldset_slug":"_wysiwyg","text":"
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text:
What is the source for the current Shiurim that we have?
There are generally two types of Shiurim, the "classic" type (R' Avrohom Chaim Noeh) which says that when we measure an Amah nowadays it is roughly the size of an Amah in the time of the Beis Hamikdash (so an Amah is 48 cm) while the Nodah Be'Yehuda (and the Chazon Ish) say that the hands in the time of the Beis Hamikdash were bigger than the ones nowadays so an Amah is roughly 57cm.
Moreover, there are other opinions in between these two. (For example, R' Moshe Feinstein held that an Amah is around 54cm.)
What is the source of these two opinions? Did R' Avrohom Chaim Noeh measure arm lengths and average them, and how did the Noda Be'Yehuda know that the sizes were bigger in those days?
history shiurim-measurements halacha-theory
Double AA♦
Shmuel BrinShmuel Brin
this may be useful. From here: lookstein.org/links/orthodoxy.htm#_ednref9 --- "Around the year 1940, R. Yeshayahu Karelitz, the Hazon Ish, published an essay in which he vigorously questioned whether scholars had not, in effect, seriously underestimated the size of an olive in Talmudic times. He then insisted on a minimal standard about twice the size of the commonly accepted one." -- The essay is now readily available in Hazon Ish, Orah Hayyim, Mo'ed (Bnei Brak: n.p., 1957), sec. 39 (Kuntras ha-Shi'urim) – Menachem Feb 29 '12 at 21:19
related: judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/6234/… – Menachem Feb 29 '12 at 21:23
possible relevant: rationalistjudaism.com/2010/03/evolution-of-olive.html – josh waxman Feb 29 '12 at 21:40
IIRC R Naeh measured the coin known as a Drahm and there was a longstanding tradition regarding converting from Drahms to biblical. He just finalized the Drahm measurement into metric. – Double AA♦ Feb 29 '12 at 21:54
@DoubleAA, that, but also he quotes She'eiris Yehudah (by the Baal Hatanya's brother R. Yehudah Leib) who reports some experiments that the Baal Hatanya performed to verify Rambam's figure of 7 barleycorn widths equaling one thumb. – Alex Mar 1 '12 at 1:49
Responsum of R' S.R. Hirsch Shemesh Marpei, Orah Hayim, Siman 23 Translated from Hebrew by yitznewton; emphasis added
Tuesday of Ki Savo, 5644 (September 2, 1884) [In response to R' Pinchas Elchanan Wechsler of Schwabach, regarding how to render Torah measurements in centimeters]
[R' Hirsch first apologizes that he was forced to limit his research and response due to the state of his health]
[...] In my humble opinion there is no doubt that you have done according to Torah law in seeking a mean fingerbreadth between the largest and smallest man's [finger] found among you. If you establish this value to calculate the practical Torah measurements that you come upon [including] the size of the lechi of your city's eruv, there is no doubt that you have discharged your obligation, for you will have done that which is incumbent on you in Torah law. There is also no doubt, in my humble opinion, that you should not be surprised if other Rabbis elsewhere will not [have the same value as] yours, with one rather being less and another greater than your measurement. For to my limited knowledge, it is totally impossible to definitively establish a single universal value for the measurements of the Torah's laws, and the Blessed Giver of our Torah did not have this in mind at all. Are not all the Torah's measurements in essence the dimensions of fruits and parts of the body (olive, pomegranate, barley-corn, kotevet, egg, fingerbreadth, handbreadth, cubit, etc.), and is it not so that the size of fruits and the stature of people, on which these measurements are based, differ in every place and generation? So perforce there will be varying values for the measurements of the Torah. In my humble opinion this does not reduce the truth of the Torah but rather increases it, for the goal of all of the Torah's laws is only to orient human affairs. The basis for all their measurements as given to us is, in my humble opinion, בערך מה אל ענין א' מעניני בני אדם. For example, in my humble opinion it is quite likely that the measurement given for the height of a mehitzah, whose purpose is to delineate human domains, will be larger or smaller according to the the height of the average person in a given time and place. I cannot elaborate, and anyway there is no need for an understanding person such as yourself. Also, even in a single time and place, fruits and people are not identical in size, and it is all but impossible that all who measure will find precisely the same average. [...]
[R' Hirsch goes on to recall a history of having local official shiurim, and advocates this]
(I didn't understand the bit I quoted in Hebrew; cheers to anyone who does and can translate it)
yitznewtonyitznewton
Although I agree with his theory, I don't think this really answers the question. – Double AA♦ Feb 29 '12 at 22:20
@DoubleAA it answers that some held that one may just rely on survey of the average arm length. – Shmuel Brin Feb 29 '12 at 22:46
@ShmuelBrill But wasn't your question about the sources for R Chaim Naeh, Chazon Ish and RMF and how they calculated and got to their numbers? This is giving a general principle about how you or I would do it, not what they did. – Double AA♦ Feb 29 '12 at 22:51
I hope this shows precedent for the Noeh position as presented in the question. Is that not part of what was asked? – yitznewton Feb 29 '12 at 23:15
@yitznewton What did the question claim about how R Naeh got his opinion? All it said was that his opinion ends up being closer to what was probably the case then assuming people are about the same. That's an empirical observation not a methodological claim. (I may be just misreading the question.) – Double AA♦ Mar 1 '12 at 1:55
Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged history shiurim-measurements halacha-theory .
Measurements used in Halacha
Yearning for Moshiach while the Temples stood
What's the Source for Jerusalem and Sepphoris Having Larger Measuring Units?
What did they do for shiurim before modern measurements?
What were they thinking following contradictory leniencies in Challah 4:7?
What is the finest measurement in the Talmud?
What was the source of Samson's strength?


Leo would not accept being unable to board Terra Venture and join the quest for a new world. This young adventurer snuck aboard the station, determined to see what was out there. He got more than he bargained for when he encountered Maya while on a training mission. After Mike and Kendrix walked through the portal to Mirinoi, Leo went against his brother's wishes and followed them in. As they battled Furio, Mike fell into a chasm, and passed the Red Quasar Saber to Leo as he tried to save him. In his brother's memory, Leo tries to be the best Red Ranger he can be, a warrior that would make his brother proud. Leo uses the power of fire as the Red Ranger, and he commands the Lion Galactazord. Leo currently resides on Mirinoi along with the rest of Terra Venture's inhabitants. He gave up his powers when he placed his Quasar Saber back into the stone to restore Maya's tribe.
When Triskull and his ghouls invaded Mirinoi, Leo took on the mantle of Red Ranger once more, and followed him to Earth, where he helped the Lightspeed Rangers defeat him and Trakeena.
When Machine Empire forces unearthed Serpentera to destroy Earth, Leo teamed up with 9 other Red Rangers and travelled to the moon to stop them.


On January 28, 2009, Laurel County Law Enforcement arrested 48-year-old Arnold Glenn Coots for FAILURE TO APPEAR in Laurel, Kentucky. He is 6' 3" tall, weighs 204 lbs and has blue eyes. FAILURE TO APPEAR is a offense but all suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Information about upcoming court dates for Coots may be obtained from one of the following law enforcement or prosecuting agencies: Laurel County Law Enforcement.
DISCLAIMER: Arrest records of Arnold Glenn Coots are public documents and are provided here for informational purposes only. Publication here does not mean that Arnold Glenn Coots has committed a criminal offense, it is only a record of arrest. This information may not be used to determine Arnold Glenn Coots's eligibility for credit, employment, housing or other business transactions. Contact the law enforcement officials in Laurel, Kentucky for further information on Arnold Glenn Coots's legal status. All individuals on this website are considered innocent until proven guilty.
Who is Arnold Glenn Coots?
Arnold Coots is a 48-year-old Male.
When was Arnold Coots arrested?
According to Laurel County Law Enforcement, Arnold was arrested on January 28, 2009.
What was Arnold Glenn Coots arrested for?
Coots Arnold was arrested on charges of FAILURE TO APPEAR.
Is this a mug shot of Arnold Coots?
Are any other mug shots of Arnold Glenn Coots available?
Additional mug shots of Coots Arnold may be available from Laurel County Law Enforcement.
How tall is Arnold Coots?
Arnold is 6' 3" tall.
How much does Arnold weigh?
Arnold Coots weighs 204 lbs lbs.
What color is Arnold's hair?
What is Arnold's eye color?
Coots Arnold's eyes are blue.


Tour de Stour Audax is on Saturday 6th April if you fancy a longer ride than ours. Choose 50/100/160k. Cycling event starting from Village Hall, Long Melford CO10 9JQ. www.aukweb.net/events/detail/19-280/ Enter online.
Please note that first SATURDAY of most months will be aimed at new/returning riders.
Day Ride Saturday 6th April 10.00am Lynnsport A ride to Landymore's Tea Room, Stowbridge. Flat. 25 miles, with option for train return after 16 miles. Great cake!
Evening meet Thursday 11th April 8.00 pm at Ferry Lane Sociable meeting.
Bike Train Ride Sunday 21 April 10.00am Lynn Rail Station, 10.10am Lynnsport, 10.30am North Wootton Green, 11am Roydon Union Jack, 11.45am Old Station Little Massingham, 12.15pm East Rudham Green, 12.45pm Shereford Crossroads - A "Bike Train" to Fakenham to watch/support The Easter Criterium. https://www.activefakenham.org.uk/easter-sunday-2019-criterium-races/ About 26 miles each way.
Day Ride Saturday 27th April 10am Lynnsport A ride to Bircham Windmill. Gently rolling. About 32 miles. Great cake!
EXTRA Evening Meet Wednesday 1st May - presentation will start at 7:30pm. The Anvil, Congham. A presentation about the proposed Norfolk Greenways. Thanks to Norfolk CTC.
Day Ride Saturday 4th May 10am Lynnsport Yellow Welly Ride to Old Hunstanton Life Boat via Sandringham Visitors' Centre where we hope to raise funds for the RNLI. Any previously raised donations will be gratefully received on the day. Rolling country. About 38 miles.
Day Ride Monday 6th May 0744 train from KL to Cambridge, Join lots of riders at Cambridge Market Square for a 12-14 mile flat ride to the noon opening of Reach Fair. Lemonade stall part-way but may sell out. Arrive 0900 for a 1000 start. The 0844 train is a last minute option, but cutting it very fine. An optional start from Ely may be necessary if there are works on the Cambridge line. www.camcycle.org/events/rides/ Back to Lynn by train from Ely (12 miles) or by bike (40ish miles, depends on route).
Evening meet Thursday 9th May 8.00 pm at Ferry Lane Sociable meeting.
Day Ride Saturday 18th May 10.00am Lynnsport A ride to Welney Wildfowl Centre cafe. Flat-ish. 53 miles.
Day Ride Sunday 26th May 10.00am Lynnsport A ride to Wells-next-the-Sea. Rolling. 60 miles.
Day Ride Saturday 1st June 10.00am Lynnsport A ride to The Stag, West Acre. Gentle. 32 miles.
Day Ride Saturday 8th June 10.00am Lynnsport A ride to The 20 Churchwardens. Gentle. 40 miles.
Evening meet Thursday 13th June 8.00 pm at Ferry Lane Sociable meeting.
Day Ride Sunday 16th June 10.00am Lynnsport A ride to Snettisham, exact destination decided on the day. Rolling. 24 miles.
Long Day Ride Saturday 22nd June 0644 train from KL to London A ride to King's Lynn. Varied. 111 miles.
Bike Train Ride Thursday 27th June TBC Lynn Rail Station, TBC Lynnsport, TBC North Wootton Green, TBC Castle Rising Black Horse A "Bike Train" ride to Sandringham to watch the national championship time trials. Times will be confirmed on the website and next list. About 9 miles each way.
Day Ride Saturday 29th June 10.00am Lynnsport A part-off-road ride to Sandringham Visitor Centre. We go off-road past Church Farm, opposite Mintlyn Wood. We pass Spot Farm and Warren Farm and join a metalled road to Grimston via Pott Row. Then off-road through Congham Wood to Hillington where it's plain sailing to Sandringham via Flitcham. About 23 miles.
Day Ride Saturday 6th July 10.00am Lynnsport Wisbech Rose Fair. Parade of floats at 2 pm organised by the Wisbech Round Table Theme "For the Love of Music". Between 36 and 42 miles depending on route chosen on the day.
On Sunday 7th July is the Holkham Outlaw Half Tri. Bug volunteers have helped in a previous life. If anyone fancies volunteering this year let Trev know and we'll get it organised.


On 29 October, the SEC's Fixed Income Market Structure Advisory Committee ("FIMSAC") held a meeting to discuss (i) a draft recommendation on the collection and dissemination of reference data and (ii) the role of credit ratings. In his opening statement, SEC Chairman Jay Clayton noted (i) the importance of pricing in the marketplace and (ii) his view that with a dynamic economy the pricing model should be reviewed and improved. Regarding reference data, the FIMSAC Members voted to approve the Technology and Electronic Trading Subcommittee's recommendation to make improvements to fixed income reference data by creating a single central source of new issue reference data like that available in the municipal bond market. The Subcommittee believes the new issue reference data should be disseminated in real time to all reference data vendors and market participants to ensure that everyone has access to the same data at the same time. Regarding credit ratings, the panelists focused on (i) the potential impact of increased mergers and acquisitions activity with leverage and the increase in corporate debt overall in a potential economic downturn and (ii) ways to improve the application and reliability of ratings and the distinguishing factors between investment and non-investment grade.
On 30 October, the SEC issued a proposed rule designed to improve disclosures for investors regarding variable annuities and variable life insurance contracts. The proposed rule would permit these contracts to use a summary prospectus to provide disclosures to investors. The summary prospectus "would be a concise, reader‑friendly summary of key facts about the contract," and "[m]ore‑detailed information about the contract would be available online" or via paper at the investor's discretion." The proposed rule also would: (i) improve the content, format, and presentation of information to investors in these contracts' registration forms; (ii) require that the statutory prospectus be available on a website specified on, or hyperlinked in, the cover of the summary prospectus; and (iii) revoke certain rules and forms "rendered moot by legislative actions" or that are no longer needed. Comments on the proposed rule are due by 15 February 2019.
On 30 October, in conjunction with the above proposed rule, the SEC's Office of Investor Education and Advocacy issued two Investor Bulletins on variable life insurance and variable annuities to educate investors about their respective risks and benefits. The bulletin also provides information on fees and expenses, insurance options, and links to additional resources.
On 30 October, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority ("FINRA") issued a proposed rule to make "substantive, organizational and terminology" amendments to Rule 5110 in order to ensure that underwriters' fees are fair and reasonable. The proposal is intended to (i) modernize Rule 5110, (ii) simplify and clarify its provisions, and (iii) maintain protections for issuers and investors that participate in public offerings.
SEC Issues a Commission Statement Regarding Certain Provisions of its Business Conduct Standards for SBS Dealers and Major SBS Participants.
· An SBS Dealer may treat a non-ERISA benefit plan as a non-special entity under Exchange Act Rule 15Fh-2 if the plan previously represented that it is not a "special entity" for purposes of Commodity Futures Trading Commission ("CFTC") business conduct requirements.
· An SBS Dealer may rely on certain representations given by a special entity for purposes of CFTC business conduct rules in determining that the dealer satisfies the safe harbor to be deemed not to "act as an advisor to a special entity" under Exchange Act Rule 15Fh-2.
· An SBS Dealer may rely on certain representations given by a special entity for purposes of CFTC business conduct rules in satisfying the safe harbor for certain requirements applicable to an SBS Dealer acting as a counterparty to a special entity under Exchange Act Rule 15Fh-5.
· An SBS Dealer may, "unless it has information that would cause a reasonable person to question the accuracy of the representation if the representation were given in relation to security-based swaps," rely on representations from a counterparty or its representative previously given in relation to "swaps" for purposes of Exchange Act Rule 15Fh-1.
The relief provided in the statement "applies only to the exercise of [the SEC's] enforcement discretion," and lasts until five years after the compliance date for the SBS entity registration rules.
On 31 October, the SEC voted to adopt final amendments to modernize the property disclosure requirements for mining registrants and related guidance. The amendments will "provide investors with a more comprehensive understanding of a registrant's mining properties, which should help them make more informed investment decisions." According to the final rules, a registrant with "material mining operations" must disclose specified information in its filings concerning its mineral resources and mineral reserves. The final rules provide a two-year transition period so that a registrant will not be required to begin to comply with the rules until its first fiscal year beginning on or after 1 January 2021.
On 31 October, the SEC's Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations ("OCIE") issued a Risk Alert "to provide investment advisers, investors and other market participants with information concerning the most common deficiencies the staff has cited" relating to the Cash Solicitation Rule (regarding cash fees paid by investment advisers to solicitor). In the Alert, OCIE stated that it had observed advisers: (i) with third-party solicitors that did not provide solicitor disclosure documents to prospective clients or supply inadequate disclosures; (ii) that did not, in a timely manner, obtain signed and dated client acknowledgments of receipt of the adviser brochure and the solicitor disclosure document; (iii) that paid cash fees to solicitors without sufficient, or any, solicitation agreements in effect; (iv) that did not make an effort to determine whether third-party solicitors complied with their solicitation agreements; and (v) with similar conflicts that may implicate other provisions of the Advisers Act. OCIE recommended advisers review their policies and procedures to promote improvements in their adviser compliance programs.
On 1 November, the New York Department of Financial Services ("NYDFS") granted its first currency license to a company operating Bitcoin Teller Machines in New York. The NYDFS approved the application of Coinsource, Inc., which provides customers the ability to exchange Bitcoin and cash via touchscreen kiosks.
On 2 November, the SEC's Division of Enforcement issued its annual report of its ongoing efforts to protect investors and market integrity. According to the report, the Commission brought 821 enforcement actions in FY 18, comprised of (i) 490 "stand-alone" actions brought in federal court or as administrative proceedings, (ii) 210 "follow-on" proceedings seeking bars based on the outcome of Commission actions or actions by criminal authorities or other regulators; and (iii) 121 proceedings to deregister public companies – typically microcap issuers – that were delinquent in their Commission filings. The SEC also said it had returned almost $800 million to harmed investors in FY18.
· compliance with Phase 5 could necessitate implementing nearly 7,000 IM relationships, while excluding physically settled FX swaps from AANA could bring that number down to under 5,000.
On 31 October, the CFTC's Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight issued a no-action letter "to provide relief to a futures commission merchant ["FCM"] from certain requirements regarding the holding of customer-owned securities as margin for trading on foreign futures and options markets under CFTC regulations. The letter was issued due to certain changes to European laws following the issuance of an earlier no-action letter to the FCM.
On 5 November, at an open meeting, the CFTC (i) adopted a final rule amending the de minimis exception to the swap dealer definition; (ii) approved a proposed rule to amend regulations on swap execution facilities ("SEFs") and the trade execution requirement; and (iii) issued a request for comment regarding the practice of "Post-Trade Name Give-Up" on SEFs. The final rule amending the de minimis exception amends the definition of the term "swap dealer" to set the permanent aggregate gross notional amount threshold for the de minimis exception at $8 billion in swap dealing activity entered into by a person over the preceding 12 months. The proposed rule would amend existing requirements and propose new requirements pertaining to SEFs and the trade execution requirement, as set forth in the Commodity Exchange Act. The proposed rules include the adoption and/or codification various existing staff guidance documents and staff no-action relief letters as well.
On 31 October, the Department of the Treasury ("Treasury") released the findings from its annual survey of U.S. portfolio holdings of foreign securities at year-end 2017. Overall, the survey measured the value of U.S. portfolio holdings of foreign securities at year-end 2017 to be approximately $12.4 trillion (up from $9.9 trillion in 2016), with $9.1 trillion held in foreign equity (up from $7.1 trillion in 2016), $2.8 trillion held in foreign long-term debt securities (up from $2.4 trillion in 2016), and $0.5 trillion held in foreign short-term debt securities (up from $0.3 trillion in 2016).
On 30 October, the Federal Reserve ("Fed"), Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation ("FDIC"), and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency ("OCC") issued a joint rule proposal to update the calculation of derivative contract exposure amounts under the regulatory capital rules. The proposed rule "would provide the 'standardized approach for measuring counterparty credit risk,' also known as 'SA-CCR,' as an alternative approach to the agencies' current exposure methodology, or CEM, for calculating derivative exposure under the agencies' regulatory capital rules." The press release claims that "SA-CCR better reflects the current derivatives market and would provide important improvements to risk sensitivity, resulting in more appropriate capital requirements for derivative contracts exposure." The rule would allow "advanced-approaches" banking organizations -- banks with $250 billion or more in total consolidated assets, or $10 billion or more in on-balance sheet foreign exposure -- to use an alternative approach for calculating derivative exposures under regulatory capital rules. If adopted, the proposed rule would (i) require advanced-approaches banking organizations to use SA-CCR to calculate their standardized total risk-weighted assets by 1 July 2020 and (ii) allow non-advanced-approaches banking organizations to used either SA-CCR or CEM when calculating standardized total risk-weighted assets. Comments on the proposed rule are due 60 days after its publication in the Federal Register.
· Category II: Banks of global scale, with $700 billion or more in total assets or $75 billion or more in cross-jurisdictional activity, would be subject to stricter prudential standards applicable to "very large internationally active banking organizations" and based on non-bank assets, short-term wholesale funding, or off-balance sheet exposures.
· Category III: Banks with $250 billion or more in assets, or firms with at least $100 billion in assets that surpass certain risk thresholds, would be subject to enhanced standards tailored to the risk profile of these banks.
· Category IV: Most banks with $100 billion to $250 billion in total assets would be subject to reduced requirements such as not being subject to standardized liquidity requirements and having significantly reduced stress-testing obligations.
On 31 October, the Fed, FDIC, and OCC separately issued a joint proposal that would tailor the application of the agencies' capital and liquidity rules to large U.S. bank organizations. The joint agency proposal would tailor requirements under the agencies' regulatory capital rule, the liquidity coverage ratio rule, and the proposed net stable funding ratio rule for large U.S. banking organizations using the same categories described above. Comments on both proposed rules are due by 22 January 2019.
On 31 October, the OCC released a request for comment concerning a revision to a regulatory reporting requirement for national banks and federal savings associations with total consolidated assets of $100 billion or more. The OCC is proposing to "accommodate the revised asset threshold necessitated" by the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act and "revise its reporting requirements to mirror the [Fed's] proposed FR Y-14A" form. FR Y-14A is used by covered institutions when they conduct their Comprehensive Capital Analysis and Review ("CCAR") stress tests. Comments on the proposed revisions are due by 31 December 2018.
On 2 November, the Fed announced that it had finalized a new supervisory rating system for large financial institutions that "is aligned with the core areas most important to supporting a large firm's safety and soundness and U.S. financial stability." The new rating system will (i) "apply to all domestic bank holding companies and non-insurance, non-commercial savings and loan holding companies with $100 billion or more in total consolidated assets, which is a change from the $50 billion threshold originally proposed," and (ii) "apply to U.S. intermediate holding companies of foreign banking organizations with $50 billion or more in total consolidated assets as proposed." Under the new rating system, the Fed will assign component ratings for capital planning and positions, liquidity risk management and positions, and governance and controls, and the Fed will introduce a new rating scale. The final rule is effective on 1 February 2019.
· Nov. 7: The SEC's Investor Advisory Committee will hold a telephonic meeting to discuss the SEC's proposed Regulation Best Interest and Form CRS Relationship Summary.
· Nov. 7: CFTC Chairman Christopher Giancarlo will deliver the keynote speech at Fintech Week.
· Nov. 8: CFTC Chairman Christopher Giancarlo will participate on a panel at OSC Dialogue 2018: Market Evolution Regulatory Change.
· Nov. 12: The LabCFTC Staff will hold its 1st International FinTech Office Hours.


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Recordings on Soundcloud
We are a group of women who enjoy playing the recorder, although most of us also play other instruments too. We play all sizes of recorder, from the tiny garklein, through sopranino, descant, treble, tenor, bass and great bass.
We are based in North West Cumbria, centred roughly around Cockermouth.
We came into existence in the late 1990s playing at Nova Cantica's concerts, to give the singers a bit of a break, but very soon we felt the need to expand our repertoire and so we established ourselves as an independent band.
Do get in touch if you'd like us to play at some future event!
Our three founder members were all foreigners on Cumbrian soil: Rachel from the USA, Val from Northern Ireland, and Ally from Scotland. We soon found some English friends to join us, though!
RACHEL HECHT McCONKEY 1999 - present
I am one of the 'founder members' of Piping Hot, and am really pleased that I have a group of real musicians to play with at last. I grew up in the USA, and learned to read music at the same time as words, and have played various things including piano (hard to escape when your mother is a piano teacher!), oboe and cor anglais, cello, but principally flute and recorder since I was about 10.
I was fortunate to be able to go a very musical highschool in New York State, and from the band and orchestra conductors I got a broad musical education, playing everything from Vivaldi to music so modern that it was still handwritten, since it was commissioned for our concert band! Also played in the pit band for things like West Side Story, and then while at Cornell University played for the Gilbert and Sullivan society productions. It wasn't until I came to England that I really got into recorders again, since a recorder was easier to pack in a suitcase than a flute.
However, I now have my flute and plenty of recorders, and live with my husband in a house overflowing with music! I spend my time making things like earrings when I am not busy teaching music, or finding things for Piping Hot to play in the next concert.
ALLY McGURK 1999-present
Born and bred north of the Border in Edinburgh, I'm the third founder member of Piping Hot. Music has been at the centre of my life as long as I can remember. My first forays into music making were in the days when I had to undertake a certain amount of mountaineering to reach the top of the piano stool, and ever since then it has been impossible to keep me quiet.
Over the years I have, in no particular order, taught guitar and recorder; sung in choirs, including one that entertained our present queen and King Olav of Norway; organised children's orchestras; studied musical instrument repair, during which time I had to learn to play violin, clarinet, flute and tenor horn all at once; sung and played guitar at folk clubs; gone busking; played oboe in the Edinburgh Secondary Schools Orchestra; and I currently play sax for Belfagan Women's Morris and earn a living as part of Marshall McGurk musical instrument repair. I started playing recorder by accident, but spent many years with no-one to play with unless I taught them first. Meeting Rachel and Val and setting up Piping Hot was one of the happiest adventures I've ever been involved in - proper musicians to play with at last! I'm also responsible for the content and design of this website, so if you have any comments or complaints please email me.
JANE BEBBINGTON 2000 - present
Jane reliably plays any size of recorder we ask her to, but has become the backbone of the group since she took over the rôle of principal Great Bass player. There's a lot more that should be said about Jane, but it really should be in her own words, so please watch this space.
RUTH SMITH 2000 - ?
Ruth was one of our stalwarts since the early days, and although she no longer plays with us we still remember her as a vital member of the group.
BRIDGET HILTON 2005 - 2018
Bridget passed away in summer of 2018. She was a vital and beloved member of the group and will never be forgotten.
"After a lifetime of playing a variety of instruments - accordion, piano, violin, clarinet, crumhorn, rackett, percussion and, of course, recorders, it has been good to find an outlet for at least two of them in my new life in Cumbria. As a (retired) full-time teacher of music and French, (still full-time) mother of three musicians and granny to six more potential musicians, the luxury of time to play is quite something to be savoured. Piping Hot has been a welcome enhancement to life in this respect!"
CAROLINE ULLYAT
We loved having Caroline with us, but sadly real life has got in the way and she's no longer part of the group.
LIZ BAKER 2011 - present
Liz is an accomplished musician who has become an important part of the group over the years.
EX-PIPING-HOTS ARE NEVER FORGOTTEN
Eveyone who has ever played with Piping Hot is important for one reason or another. We never forget them. I'll list them here in alphabetical order of first name.
HELEN PENNY 2006-2008
Moved to Lincolnshire, but not before creating some lovely recorder arrangements of classical music for us.
JENNY McALONE 2002-2003
KATHLEEN ROBERTSHAW 2006-?
Moved to the south of the county. We still see her occasionally when she ventures north with Santa's reindeer.
RACHEL GIMBER 2001-2003
SAMANTHA WILLIS 2004 -?
Now playing flute for the Carlisle Orchestra.
SHARON TAYLOR 2002-2006
Sharon moved to New Zealand. We accepted this as adequate excuse for no longer attending practices, but we still miss her.
VAL HETHERINGTON 1999-2006
One of the original 3 founder members, Val hails from Belfast. For 7 years she guided us with her skilful professionalism, but sadly she eventually found herself with too many irons in the fire and had to hand in her red scarf.
Welcome to Piping Hot's updated presence on the web.
Piping Hot's Photo Album
Piping Hot posing after performing at the 2012 Cockermouth Georgian Fair. [Please note that clicking on this photo will take you to a bigger version of it at Flickr, where you can see loads of other photos of us over the years.]
Time to update the website!
ally mcgurk
Seatweavers & musical instrument repairers by the Solway shore at the top left hand corner of England.


A few months ago, we met with a very successful real estate agent who was struggling with team members and getting them into production. Time and time again this real estate agent/team leader would hire on someone to find out a few weeks later they were not a good fit and momentum was always lost. As we examined the business from a transaction coordination and consultative perspective, we identified that the team leader was not hiring the type of agents that would help raise the bar on the overall team's production and growth objectives, which builds momentum and attracts other talented individuals. This was one reason amongst many why their business began to struggle. Most of us never give a second thought as to why this happens to countless teams that are eager to be successful, but continue to be plagued with an unproductive team.
Any number of factors could have influenced the trajectory of why a real estate team fails to meet their potential. One element that we see often influencing a real estate team's success, or lack thereof, is the management teams' ability to hire the right talent. In previous Real Estate Challenges Series articles, we've discussed the importance of taking your time on hiring the right fit for your company and how it can influence the outcome of your company's overall success. When it comes to hiring talent we have experienced our own trials as an organization, so we can empathize with those that are going through this today.
The point we want to drive home is if you hire team members that don't raise the overall benchmark or bar of the team/organization, you will end up with inept employees or independent contractors that will not add the appropriate value you were looking for. Steve Jobs labeled this the "bozo explosion". Jobs believed that "A Players" should hire other "A Players". We are in agreement on this and it needs to be a clear expectation that the leader sets as the standard for all new hires coming on board. When management hires anything less than an A Player, it increases the odds of business integrity degradation and lack of high performance. In return, it becomes a trickle effect where B, C, and D Players become the norm and sets the benchmark for the organization. These players will most likely produce the outcome of a failed organization.
Notice the image below for two examples that keep the organization or team thriving and on the cutting edge, versus the example that don't move the organization forward and creates roadblocks to true growth and success. On the right side, the CEO or Real Estate Team Lead and those under them (think of them as Executive Assistants, Transaction Coordinators, Buyers Agents, Listing Agents, Marketing Coordinators, Etc.), were A Players and the hiring process continued to meet the standard of hiring on A Players. This increases the odds of bringing out the best outcomes for the roles they were hired into. However on the left side, When that same CEO or Team Lead hired on a B Player, they also were more inclined to hire down and not challenging the status quo which created a ripple effect of more poor hires. Thus, as Steve Jobs would mention creating the "bozo explosion".
Now, you may be looking at this image thinking your team or organization is different. You may have a small Real Estate team and only have one manager, with a handful of Agents under him/her. With a small team, you couldn't possibly have a bozo explosion on your hands, Right? If you don't know, its time to take inventory of your team. If you already made the mistake of hiring B, C, or D Players, take corrective action. By now, you already have an idea of those on the team that are not a good fit by the deterioration of the quality of work, decreased productivity, and possibly stunted company growth. Either provide them better training, repurpose them to a better fit within the organization that plays to their strengths, or cut ties with that employee or independent contractor. Keeping them around hoping they will improve within their current role only hurts the members of your team that are working hard and being productive...the A players.
Another way to prevent the bozo effect is by diversifying your team. You need different perspectives to think outside the box and grow in ways you may not have seen on your own. Diversity within a company is healthy. You shouldn't rule a candidate out because they don't have the right resume. Plenty of candidates have the perfect resumes and still end up being B, C, D, or worse, F Players.
So how do you go about hiring A Players? It seems like a simple answer, hire someone smarter and better than yourself. It really is that simple on the surface and you shouldn't be threatened by this. Many times we may not hire better and smarter because we feel they will out do us and eventually not see the value to stay for the long haul. Another excuse or fear may be that you become exposed of some insecurity as a leader. Nevertheless, don't be afraid to hire smarter and better, it's what your business needs, not a bunch of bozos you can tell what to do who add no sustainable value to the organization. A better practice is to interview someone with the thought in mind "would I want to work for you and can you do what I need done better than myself?" If the answer is yes, and they are qualified with a proven track record, you may have found your fit.
As you are working to grow your real estate business and hiring on team members, keep in mind that you are not alone in this struggle, and let us tell you, the struggle is real. Focus on finding A Players that may be smarter and can do what you do better, or that can focus on doing the tasks better that you don't find productive as a leader. With this type of focus, you just may reduce the risk of having a Bozo Explosion within your organization.
Please comment and share with us your thoughts below.
Real Estate Challenges Series: Hire Slow, Fire Fast??
When you are growing your real estate business, there comes a point where you can no longer do it alone. You have more on your plate than you can handle, so naturally, you begin the hiring process. This is necessary and vital to your organization. However, you should be very careful during this phase, because it can easily hinder growth, instead of aid it. Who you hire, especially early on, is paramount to the construction of your team and the trajectory of your business.
With most startups and specific to real estate, once you feel the pressure to bring someone on, you've waited too long. You feel like you "need someone NOW." Flash hiring because you need the "bodies" can get you into a lot of trouble and set your company back. Former Apple Chief Evangelist Guy Kawasaki said "When you're in a rush to fill openings to respond to growth, you make mistakes. Unfortunately, many companies adopt the attitude of, 'hire any intelligent body, or we'll lose business--we'll sort everything out later.'' This method, though it may be effective in the interim, will not serve you well for the long haul.
So what is the best approach when it comes to your real estate business and who you align yourself with? There's a lot of controversy over the mantra "hire slow, fire fast", but many successful business owners support this philosophy. I think what many people miss is that this hiring process isn't advising you to take a long time to interview and bring on each new person, but it does recommend you perform your due diligence and not rush it.
Instead of reviewing a resume and conducting 1-2 interviews before extending an employment offer, take a bit longer to get to know the person, and how well they will mesh with your team. If feasible, possibly extend an invitation to come in and work side by side with your team for a day. There are other plenty of great ways to perform this due diligence such as implementing Panel Interviews with a few trusted people, usually no more than 3, who can walk through situational & behavioral questions and role plays with the candidate. This process usually removes the hiring manager and allows their peers or trusted few to interview the candidate and give their unbiased opinion, allowing the collective group to rate as a whole the candidate. Keller Williams Realty also has a well built out structure called Recruit Select to help identify the right candidate for the job. Involving your team early on will help in the decision making process, and could save you from a catastrophic hiring mistake. But what do you do if you've already made the mistake?
Most individuals are not trained on how to bring on new talent, or cut ties with someone who just isn't working out. It's a process learned over time, by trial and error. It's okay if you have already made the mistake of hiring too quickly and now being faced with the dilemma of what to do next. If you already have the feeling a team member isn't working out, it's time to part ways. Keeping someone on staff that just isn't working out hurts both your team and your business. A bad apple can slowly poison the rest of the batch. If you keep someone around who shouldn't be there, your team will notice, and begin to question why. You may feel a sense of loyalty; maybe you hired a friend, or this is someone who has been there from the start. But waiting won't resolve the issue, and it isn't kind to keep someone around that is detrimental to everyone else.
Firing fast when you realize the person isn't a fit is crucial to your business. As the saying goes, "you are only as strong as your weakest link." You are running a business, not a charity. You have clients, and possibly investors, to answer to. You cannot afford to keep someone around that isn't working out. Firing someone is never easy, and never feels good. It requires being a leader and having hard conversations. When all is said and done, your business and your team will thank you for doing what was necessary for them to thrive.
If you know of any other great ways for hiring the right talent and avoid making bad hiring decisions, please comment below and share. We would love to hear from you.
Typically, when a Real Estate Agent working towards building a team starts to expand because of growth in the business, we see challenges presented as they hire help to relieve some of the transactional and administrative pressures. The real estate agent or team lead should not want to operate as a jack of all trades, and master of none as they find their business growing, but refusing to delegate tasks and hire on new team members will stunt growth and keep this agent doing many roles within the business. Action needs to be taken to accomplish growth objectives so they can continue to focus on mastering what Real Estate Agents do well. The first position they hire for usually is an Administrative or Executive Assistant (EA). This individual serves as an all-in-one role for the Agent, handling not only the Administrative tasks of the business, but also taking on roles such as Marketing Coordinator, Transaction Coordinator, Listing Manager and anything else the Agent needs.
For a Real Estate Agent or Team's first hire, this "jack of all trades" role on the surface makes sense, and is seen as an asset to his/her team. At first, this is true. The Agent needs help around all aspects of their business and this Executive Assistant provides that help. What most Agents do not realize, is that having one person focus on so many different roles all at once can actually hurt the business more than help it. In the long run to keep the business growing and meeting the demands of the market, something will have to give or breakage in the business will occur.
Hiring someone that can tackle any obstacle seems like the perfect addition to your business. But as the old adage goes "jack of all trades, master of none", an agent who hires an EA to do all will quickly find their team structure become fractured and overworked. Though your Executive Assistant may be competent with many skills to perform many roles, you are preventing them from delivering quality service as the business begins to scale and the role becomes more time consuming. Not to mention, the cost and time of training someone in each role an EA operates from can quickly add up becoming a sunk cost to the business.
Having an EA split their focus and energy among so many different roles prevents them from harnessing and mastering any one skill. It limits them to how much they can grow in their role, and prevents them from specializing in any one thing. To be the best you can be and set yourself apart in a market saturated with competition, you need to offer your clients the best service possible. Having your EA not focusing on where they can add true value with laser focus on mastering their craft isn't offering your clients the best, it's offering them substandard services as the EA begins to be overworked, less productive, unhappy, and may end up potentially quitting, causing the business to suffer a massive blow that will be tough to recover from. We have seen this play out countless of times and the feedback provided from Executive Assistants who left very successful teams was that they were overworked and had too much to do with little clarity on what was truly priority for the agent or team.
This becomes especially true when an EA handles all the business operations, administrative, transaction coordination, and marketing; putting the business in serious risk and causing brand degradation when service levels drop. A Real Estate Agent will find themselves having to recruit, hire, and retrain someone to do it all over again when an EA decides to stop working for the Real Estate Agent. This is not a good use of time and can impact revenue negatively.
To help meet these challenges head on, Real Estate Agents or Teams will hire on a transaction coordinator first to take on the most time consuming tasks, which is managing the transaction from start to finish. Some teams may not have an EA, but they have learned how to delegate the marketing and administrative tasks well enough to get them by through outsourced service offerings. Even so, we recommend what is optimal and at a minimum; hire an Executive Assistant and a Transaction Coordinator until growth has reached a point where an EA will now need to delegate the marketing tasks to a Marketing Coordinator.
If a team already has an EA, the second hire is typically a Transaction Coordinator. This is a critical hire, whether first or second to join the team. A TC will focus their energy solely on the most time consuming part of the business which is the coordination of transactions, as this entails all communication and monitoring of the deal(s) to see them to closure. When you have many deals all going on at once, the time needed multiplies to manage these transactions. This is one of the main reasons why the Transaction Coordinator needs to also be a master of this craft of transaction coordination, and not be a jack of all trades. A Transaction Coordinator will now be able to provide specialized care of the Real Estate Transaction(s) from start to finish. They will also provide the right attention needed to service your clients, giving your EA hours back each week to focus on other critical tasks to help the Real Estate Agent grow and scale their business.
By having Executive Assistants and Transaction Coordinators who are masters of their domain, Real Estate Agents increase their odds of delivering high quality services to ensure the best experience for their clients. Through this appropriate delegation and hiring of critical team members, it also helps the Real Estate Agent become a master of their craft, and not just a jack of all trades.


This is an update to "Out of the darkness," published in May 2018. Read the original article here.
William Shrubsall, the notorious American fugitive who embarked on a series of violent assaults and sexual assaults in Halifax before police caught him in 1998, has begun seminary studies and hopes to become an ordained minister.
That detail comes from the Parole Board of Canada's latest decision, which was released Nov. 7. Shrubsall was granted parole and will be shipped off to the U.S., where a seven-year sentence for sexually assaulting a minor awaits him. He'll also receive additional prison time for having fled Niagara Falls, New York, in 1996 when he was on trial for that crime. Shrubsall left a suicide note that said he was going to jump off Niagara Falls. Within days, he'd checked into the Metro Turning Point shelter in Halifax and began living his life under different aliases.
This parole application was Shrubsall's fifth since 2012. He now goes by the name of Ethan Simon Templar MacLeod.
The latest decision says Shrubsall, 47, poses "a high risk to re-offend sexually" that is "unmanageable on any form of release." It also says Shrubsall claims to review victim impact statements from time to time to understand the impact of his actions. "The Board is sceptical of your explanation as your crimes were so serious that you should carry with you at all times the horror of what you did," says the decision.
The board says that while Shrubsall has no problem acknowledging the violent side of his crimes, "you still have a harder time recognizing the sexual component of your crimes, as you argue that your crimes were not sexually motivated." In one of the Halifax crimes, Shrubsall beat a woman so violently that her contact lenses had to be surgically removed. He then masturbated on her pants and underwear.
As a teenager, Shrubsall beat his mother to death with a baseball bat.
The decision doesn't state when Shrubsall will be deported.


Enjoy 15% off on the Multiple Program Package @ Gymboree Play & Music.
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Lottery steps toward entering fantasy sports market
By State House News Service | November 2, 2015, 19:22 EST
Printed from: https://newbostonpost.com/2015/11/02/lottery-steps-toward-entering-fantasy-sports-market/
(File photo by State House News Service)
BOSTON – Framing it as innovation that could open up a new revenue source and attract younger customers, the Massachusetts Lottery Commission took the first step Monday towards developing a state-run daily fantasy sports game.
"We believe the introduction of a fantasy sports platform at Mass. Lottery would help to embrace an emerging market while continuing to protect our retail partners," Lottery Executive Director Michael Sweeney said. "This particular type of game would not cannibalize our existing products, it would obviously be a new product, it would help us to engage what we would refer to as a 'next-generation' player and hopefully it would also help Lottery to create a new revenue source as opposed to eroding or maintaining existing offers."
Sweeney said the daily fantasy sports industry is "the biggest challenge" facing the Lottery, citing the industry's use of technology, its appeal to younger people and the ease of partaking in games.
Sweeney told the Lottery Commission that the next step is to gather information to better understand the emerging industry and its market.
Treasurer Deborah Goldberg, who about a month ago said it was time the Lottery began working on developing a state-run fantasy sports website, said she believes there is a way to introduce such games without harming the roughly 7,500 small businesses that rely on commissions from Lottery ticket sales and Lottery-based foot traffic.
"As we look at what slice of this we might be able to consider, I think one of the things we have to do is tie in our retailers to whatever it is we end up doing," the treasurer said. "We also are a very important driver of foot traffic to small retailers who are a middle-class, very often immigrant groups, and families throughout the state."
Responding to the rapidly growing daily fantasy sports market this year, Goldberg has softened her opposition to online gaming to allow for a possible Lottery-run fantasy sports game, though she said Monday she remains opposed to any effort to allow the Lottery to sell its current offerings online.
Asked in September if she would be open to a Lottery-operated online gaming program, Goldberg told the News Service, "it's very premature to even be considering that" and said her focus is on maximizing the Lottery's profits and getting that money to cities and towns across the state.
About two weeks later, Goldberg announced that her office was "currently having discussions on how to offer this new format in a venue that protects the consumer and preserves fundamental fairness within the game."
On Monday, Goldberg framed daily fantasy sports as an opportunity for innovation at the Lottery and compared it to the introduction of Keno, which she said was a controversial decision at the time.
"The last innovation we did at the Lottery was in 1993, which was Keno … and prior to that we were the first lottery to develop the scratch ticket, which was 40 years ago," Goldberg said. "So we have been very lucky to have been leading and the two things that generate more than 87 percent of our revenue and profit are Keno and the scratch ticket."
Sweeney told members of the Lottery Commission that without innovative products, the Lottery's players "are skewing toward an older demographic" and the Lottery is missing out on opportunities for greater growth.
"I don't think that it is necessarily a coincidence that Lottery has not had what I would call a truly innovative product since 1993 and what we're seeing is a demographic shift from our buying public," Sweeney said. "I don't know too many businesses that can be successful not having new product and new innovation … for robust growth, we need to explore some new ground."
State Comptroller Thomas Shack, who is a member of the Lottery Commission, said daily fantasy sports sites are "a disruptive technology, just like Uber" and predicted that such products will only grow with the "gameification" of society.
"As the next generation is growing up with iPhones and iPads in their hands at less than a year old, that gameification process is only going to grow," he said. "We have to have that concept of, you know, are we going to be in the buggy whip business or are we going to be in the accelerator business from a Lottery standpoint?"
As the Lottery Commission moves forward on developing its own fantasy sports offering, Beacon Hill leaders in recent weeks have seemed to signal that the question is no longer if the state will impose regulations, but rather what form those regulations will take.
House Speaker Robert DeLeo has said fantasy sports is "going to have to be something that does set forth some regulations" and Attorney General Maura Healey said the industry is one that "cries out for a regulatory legal framework and structure," as her office continues its review of websites like DraftKings and FanDuel.
Senate President Stanley Rosenberg has previously called for the industry to be regulated and taxed, and Gaming Commission Chairman Stephen Crosby has urged caution in regulation and said his commission needs to be "mindful of the fact that if we came in heavy on this, we could crush an industry like this overnight."
Goldberg and Sweeney said Monday that it is far too early to say what a potential Lottery-run fantasy sports game would look like, noting that the regulatory environment will likely be different by the time any possible game is implemented.
Written by Colin A. Young
Governors' TikTok Bans Make Sense, Cybersecurity Experts Say
Brookline Town Hall Men's Bathroom Stocked With Menstrual…


text:
KGUN 9 On Your SideNews
K-9 officer euthanized after contracting deadly disease
A Kingman Police Department K-9 officer was euthanized after being diagnosed with a deadly disease.
The Kingman Daily Miner reports K-9 Officer Cyrus was put down Tuesday while he was surrounded by his handler, Cpl. Bill Fancher, his family and other members of the police department.
Deputy Chief Rusty Cooper describes Cyrus as a hardworking and very capable K-9 officer. He joined the department in October 2015.
Cooper says Cyrus was struggling with physical problems for several months and was no longer on active duty. He was diagnosed with a rare and deadly disease that that had no guaranteed cure.
Cyrus' remains will be placed next to the remains of K-9 officer Amigo, who died in August 2016.


She has a ponytail in the game, her hair is mostly left out long in the drama.
haha my memory of the drama is in jeopardy! i should watch it again at our semestral break after CP 3 haha..... im so busy! well i still answered crystal anyways!
2. Who is Mrs. Satan?
Ah Nu was mostly remembered as the funny character, not too much about her looks?
ROCH? isnt that return of the condor heroes by Liu Yifei and.. haha i forgot the name..
Oh, now I remember. Return of the Condor Heroes.
Without a doubt Liu Yi Fei is the prettiest as compared to Esther or Ady, but I voted for Ah Nu simply because her care-free heart & cheerful personality as compared to Ling Er.


text:
Culture Night, or Kulturos Naktis, is a one-night cultural festival in Vilnius, Lithuania.  This festival occurs annually in June or July.
Nearly a hundred and fifty various cultural events fill the spaces of Vilnius art meccas and open areas.. The Culture Night has been around since 2007. Festival initiator is Daina Urbanavičienė.

The night attracts more than 100,000 visitors not only from the capital city, but also from other towns or countries. Up to 150 projects are presented by over 1000 cultural organizations and about 500 artists.
In this night, the squares, parks, small courtyards, terraces and most unexpected spaces of the city are flooded by presentations and events of different kinds, and art projects. People are invited to not only to look, but also to participate, and to stroll around the city museums, galleries, churches, concert halls, theatres and workshops. In Culture Night the doors of Vilnius museums, galleries, theatres and churches are open to visitors.

References

Culture in Vilnius
Annual events in Lithuania

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Discussion in 'Networking' started by tallguy_3000, Jul 20, 2006.
Aiight, so i have this dsl box, its a dsl gateway 54 Mbps Wireless router, supplied by Quest.
25 kb/s, WAY below what it should b, so there is deff something wrng w/ my connection, plz help.
dsl gateway 54 Mbps Wireless router, supplied by Quest.
Solved Help me choose a router!!