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Set includes two wraps (one for each board).
Want a custom text or color changes made to this wrap? Or maybe you want to add a border to your design. If so, just leave us a message when checking out and we will add this option to your design at no extra charge.
Also, if you want 2 different designs, just purchase one set of wraps and leave us a detailed message with what you want the other one to be.
All wraps measure app 24"x48". We use high quality vinyl that features air release technology, virtually eliminating bubbles during installation. Our wraps are printed with eco sol inks, providing you with the best prints on the market today.


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Officiating Companies Seek To Enhance Consistency
Oct. 5, 2010
NCAA Release
INDIANAPOLIS - The NCAA and the Collegiate Commissioners Association have created limited liability companies for mens and womens basketball officiating to enhance consistency during regular-season and postseason play.
The mission of both organizations is to increase the pool of officials; standardize messaging; more consistently apply playing rules, points of emphasis and mechanics; and remove entry barriers" to those who are interested in becoming basketball officials.
The groups met for the first time in September. Gloria Nevarez, senior associate commissioner of the Pacific-10 Conference, was elected chair of the womens officiating board of managers, while Big Sky Conference Commissioner Doug Fullerton was elected chair of the mens board. Both will serve two-year terms.
The LLC approach streamlines the structure among conferences, their officiating coordinators and the officials themselves, most of whom operate as independent contractors. Officiating coordinators will be accountable to the LLC boards, which should unify evaluating processes and, ultimately, make the games be called more consistently across the country and throughout the year.
The way a game is called in the West should be no different than a game in the East," said Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Commissioner Rich Ensor, who chaired the task force to form the two LLCs.
Fullerton said the basketball officiating LLCs should be similar to the one established for college football in 2007. He is a member of that board, too, and has seen the successes in standardizing instant replay and addressing player safety.
We are going to have strategic discussions about college basketball, and that should be extremely healthy," Fullerton said. Basketball conference coordinators of officials meet every year, and Ive asked them, 'What do you talk about? They say, 'We like to talk
about how we do things. To me, that says that they are striving for and wanting help with structure."
Nevarez added: Conferences invest time and resources into officiating, but right now we operate in our own officiating world. In this structure, we can roll out initiatives at a national level that can help improve officiating."
Neither officiating LLC will delve into assigning officials. That will still remain under the realm of the conferences. But the goal is to establish a uniform evaluation process for officials.
To select the best, you need to compare apples to apples," Nevarez said. One way to do that is create a system that has a common denominator. That way, you can best articulate who the best officials are nationally."
Fullerton believes this new officiating structure will benefit all mens and womens basketball stakeholders, particularly the student-athletes.
It is something that has been long overdue," Fullerton said. This is where we have strategic conversations about what the game should look like. We know college basketball fans expect a different game than any other levels of basketball. The best time to start something new is right now."
Mens and womens basketball officiating LLC objectives:
- Enhance consistency in the application and enforcement of rules, points of emphasis and mechanics during the regular season and postseason.
- Develop consistent accountability standards.
- Develop a standardized evaluation program and educational efforts.
- Coordinate and manage officiating issues.
- Diversify and improve officiating through defined entry processes.
- Expand the current pool of officials and develop officiating opportunities.
Board members
Womens College Basketball Officiating, LLC
- Gloria Nevarez (chair), senior associate commissioner, Pacific-10 Conference
- Debbie Corum, associate commissioner, Southeastern Conference
- Danielle Donehew, associate commissioner, Big East Conference
- Sue Donohoe, NCAA vice president of Division I womens basketball
- Carolyn Schlie Femovich, executive director, Patriot League
- Nora Lynn Finch, associate commissioner, Atlantic Coast Conference
- Ted Gumbart, commissioner, Atlantic Sun Conference
- Dru Hancock, senior associate commissioner, Big 12 Conference
- Connie Hurlbut, senior associate commissioner, Western Athletic Conference
- Kathy Keene, senior associate commissioner, Sun Belt Conference
- Tina Krah, NCAA director of Division I womens basketball
- Noreen Morris, commissioner, Northeast Conference
- Patrick Nero, commissioner, America East Conference
- Andrea Williams, associate commissioner, Big Ten Conference
- Greg Christopher (ex officio), athletics director, Bowling Green State University, member of the Division I Womens Basketball Committee
- Shannon Reynolds (ex officio), chief operating officer, Womens Basketball Coaches Association
- Mary Struckhoff (ex officio), NCAA womens basketball national coordinator
- Deb Williamson (ex officio), NCAA womens basketball secretary-rules editor
Officers as designated in articles of incorporation
- Scott Bearby, NCAA interim vice president of legal affairs
- Keith Martin, NCAA interim vice president of administration and CFO
Mens College Basketball Officiating, LLC
- Doug Fullerton (chair), commissioner, Big Sky Conference
- Britton Banowsky, commissioner, Conference USA
- Dan Bebee, commissioner, Big 12 Conference
- David Berst, NCAA vice president for Division I
- Jim Delany, commissioner, Big Ten Conference
- Byron Hatch, NCAA associate director of Division I mens basketball
- John Marinatto, commissioner, Big East Conference
- Bernadette McGlade, commissioner, Atlantic 10 Conference
- Mike Slive, commissioner, Southeastern Conference
- Jon Steinbrecher, commissioner, Mid-American Conference
- John Swofford, commissioner, Atlantic Coast Conference
- Kevin Weiberg, deputy commissioner, Pacific-10 Conference
- Tom Yeager, commissioner, Colonial Athletic Association
- Jamie Zaninovich, commissioner, West Coast Conference
- John Adams (ex officio), NCAA mens basketball national coordinator
- Mike Bobinski (ex officio), athletics director, Xavier University, member of the Division I Mens Basketball Committee
- Art Hyland (ex officio), NCAA mens basketball secretary-rules editor
- Reggie Minton (ex officio), deputy executive director, National Association of Basketball Coaches
Officers as designated in articles of incorporation
- Scott Bearby, NCAA interim vice president of legal affairs
- Keith Martin, NCAA interim vice president of administration and CFO


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Ultra Immune is a comprehensive combination of ingredients, such as Vitamin D3 and Zinc.
Ultra Immune combines Magnesium, Vitamin B6 and B12 proven to contributes to the normal function of the immune system.
The formula brings together a collection of vitamins and minerals to help support an active lifestyle.
Please note that the labelling on this product is provided in English as a minimum. French, Italian, German, Spanish, Danish, Swedish and Finnish may also be present on a product by product basis.
Consume 3 tablets daily. Best taken with food.
Do not exceed the stated recommended daily dose. This product should not be used as a substitute for a varied, balanced diet. Keep in a cool dry place out of direct sunlight. Suitable for vegetarians. Store out of the reach of young children.
Bulking Agents (Dextrose, Microcrystalline Cellulose), Vitamin C, Magnesium Oxide, Korean Ginseng (10:1), Resveratrol, Anti Caking Agents (Magnesium Stearate, Stearic Acid, Silicon Dioxide), Zinc Citrate, Betaine Hydrochloride, Vitamin D3, Grape Seed Extract (95% Polyphenols), Beta Glucans, Vitamin B6, Coating (Hydroxy Propyl Methyl Cellulose, Glycerol), Vitamin B12.
Made in a facility that handles Milk, Soy, Egg, Gluten and products thereof.
Serving Size - 3 Tablets
Servings Per Container - 30 (90 Tablets)
|Per Serving
|Vitamin D
|38 µg
|Vitamin C
|750 mg
|Vitamin B6
|10 mg
|Vitamin B12
|14 µg
|255 mg
|15 mg
|Per Serving
|Korean Ginseng Extract
|200 mg
|50 mg
|Betaine HCL
|30 mg
|Grape Seed Extract
|15 mg
|Beta Glucans
|12 mg
* Reference intake of an average adult (8400 kJ/2000 kcal)
10 reviewsSee all reviews
Where reviews refer to foods or cosmetic products, results may vary from person to person. Customer reviews are independent and do not represent the views of The Hut Group.
This is, by far, one of the best products I've ever bought. My immune system is pretty ****, used to get run down, colds, viruses, the lot. Since taking these I've not had one single cold or virus. It is worth every single penny
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As I have a very strict diet, one of the consequences is not taken enough vitamins to keep high the immune system level. was getting cold so easy, that was annoying me already. Found this product and decided to try, could not believe that only few days i was already feeling a such huge difference with this product. Twice a day its enough to keep me feeling well again. definitely recommend it to everyone who wants to burst their immune system.
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text: With strategic options dwindling, banks that improve their core methods and practices stand the best chance of weathering the storm. Corporate banking in Eastern Europe, like many other financial businesses, grew very rapidly over the past several years, far faster than it did in the more mature markets of Western Europe. As this growth continued, many expected that the ways these two regions conduct this business—lending to companies and providing them with cash management, treasury, foreign exchange, and other services—would become increasingly similar. As the Eastern European business grew, the argument ran, the level of service, quality of products, risk sophistication, and especially profit margins would parallel those that characterized corporate banking in France, Germany, and other established Western European markets. But the credit crisis and ensuing market turmoil have exposed the error of that argument. Corporate banking in Eastern Europe is on a different path, one fraught with difficulties for the unwary and unprepared. The region's currencies are plunging, and its economic outlook is gloomy. Analysts have expressed fears that the corporate sector in some Eastern European countries may well be on the verge of widespread default.1 1. For more on the economic risks facing Eastern Europe and the potential for default among companies, banks, and governments, see "The ties that bind," Economist, February 21, 2009; "The whiff of contagion," Economist, February 26, 2009; "A glimmer of hope," Economist, April 23, 2009; Radovan Jelasic, "Reforms key for Central and Eastern Europe," Financial Times, March 16, 2009; and Nelson D. Schwartz, "As it falters, Eastern Europe raises risks," New York Times, February 23, 2009. The banks that serve these companies are also at risk. The crisis has brought into focus the substantial differences in corporate banking—size, stability, skills, and others—that persist between the East and West. These enduring differences cannot be ignored as corporate bankers attempt to shepherd their clients through this crisis and position themselves for growth in the hoped-for recovery. Corporate bankers must realign their management agenda to take on five important, crisis-specific tasks: rethinking the way they lend, improving their risk- and loss-mitigation skills, expanding their range of products and services, adjusting their cost base to the new reality, and finally, putting in place a newly assertive style of account management. The current crisis is comparable in scale to that of the early 1990s after the fall of Communism, with the notable difference that today, Eastern Europe's troubles are part of a worldwide economic crisis. Few believe that it will be over soon; at this point, almost any kind of economic disaster seems plausible. But taking a long-term, optimistic view, we believe that Eastern Europe can again be an important source of growth in corporate banking, a region of significant strategic and economic value both to domestic banks and to the Western European banks that have invested there. We believe that the winners of the post-crisis phase are shaping their fates right now by diligently pursuing one of the few viable strategic options open to them. Those that have clear strategic aspirations, that are willing to challenge conventional wisdom about how corporate banking should be done, and that can align a rigorous crisis-response program behind their strategy will be best placed to benefit when market conditions improve.The situation todayAfter several consecutive years of rapid development—as instanced by 20 percent or more annual revenue growth from 2000 to 2007—it seemed common wisdom that Eastern Europe was on a clear path toward matching Western European performance.2 2. Our analysis focuses on 12 countries: 7 EU members (Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia); 1 candidate country (Croatia); Serbia; and 3 Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries (Kazakhstan, Russia, and Ukraine). Broadly speaking, analysts and bankers expected that the pursuit of growth would continue. Margins would decline as the flow of capital from Western European finance continued to expand. The cost of risk would eventually fall to levels more typical of those in Western European countries as Eastern European corporates became stronger, better capitalized enterprises. The range and sophistication of products that bankers in Moscow or Prague offered to their clients would soon look no different from those on offer in London or Paris. With credit evaporating, it is abundantly clear that Eastern European banks are overexposed. Indeed, the situation is so dire for many that survival, not growth, is now the top priority. We see four ways that the crisis has upended conventional wisdom and altered the evolution of corporate banking in this part of the world. Scarce capital, narrowing marginsThe era of cheap money is over, and funding costs are rising. Broadly speaking, the economic boom in many Eastern European countries has been supported by the influx of foreign capital through lending or investment. Both these sources of capital have evaporated, and where capital can be found, it comes at a much higher cost. Over the short term, this will reduce margins. Over the longer term, however, a reemphasis on careful pricing, brought about by a higher cost of capital and liquidity, will actually help reinflate margins. We expect that banks will successfully pass on to customers their higher cost of funds; margins correlate well with funding costs (Exhibit 1). Banks' ability to do this will only be enhanced by a lower level of competition if, as many expect, some banks withdraw from selected markets in the next year or two. Higher margins are of course an opportunity for corporate banks—but not many banks have the skills and tools to capture it. Exhibit 1 A correlation between the risk-free rate and margins Generally speaking, the higher the cost of lending, the higher the margin the bank receives. Missed opportunitiesGrowth in Eastern Europe has come mainly through a reactive kind of banking, in which customers ask and banks lend. With credit shriveling, an overreliance on asset products is a clear problem and will not be enough to steer corporate portfolios successfully through the crisis. One stark difference between Western and Eastern European corporate banking is seen in revenues per client (Exhibit 2). Exhibit 2 Eastern European customers are less productive Eastern European companies generate less revenue and smaller profits than those in Western Europe. In our view, this difference stems from the fact that at many Eastern European banks, relationship managers (RMs) and managers believe that client demand is limited to simple lending products. As a consequence, structured reviews of corporate accounts are uncommon, and clients' transaction and capital markets businesses are often not managed actively. Eastern European banks are missing out on a significant portion of their clients' potential spending on these services. The narrow product focus and limited cross-selling exacerbates the structural difference between banks in the two regions (companies in Eastern Europe are smaller than their counterparts in Western Europe). Still emerging markets, after allAfter a period of strong economic growth, Eastern European economies appeared to achieve the kind of economic stability that is more characteristic of their Western neighbors. Alas, the crisis has shown that Eastern European economies remain vulnerable and much more exposed to external shocks than Western European economies are, as seen in the recent spike in credit-default-swap (CDS) rates and in currency volatility (Exhibit 3). Companies (and households) that earn their income in local (and now weaker) currencies may not be able to repay loans taken out in foreign currencies. These loans will also be very difficult to roll over, hurting borrowers as well as the balance sheets and profits of banks. Exhibit 3 Shocked Investors have grown worried about the health of Eastern European economies. In light of this, banks will need to be much more circumspect in extending credit to some companies and sectors, and all concerned will need to manage their currency exposure much more carefully. But prudent risk management will only take banks so far. Many expect corporate default rates to soar. Unhedged risksOnly the biggest Eastern European companies are sophisticated users of capital markets products (sales and trading products such as interest rate, foreign exchange, and commodity derivatives and investment banking services such as debt and equity securitization and M&A advice). Usage of these products lags behind that in Western Europe (Exhibit 4). In some cases, such as at certain Polish banks, risk-hedging products have been used poorly, with some companies appearing to use foreign-exchange products in a speculative manner aimed at augmenting their underlying businesses rather than hedging their exposure. Exhibit 4 A lag in capital markets products Eastern European companies trail their counterparts in the West in the use of sophisticated products. Worse, in the wake of the crisis, even those big customers that have taken up these products have cut back tremendously on their use. Midsize corporates could benefit from these products, especially as hedges, but many companies have an inadequate understanding of their customers' needs and the products available. Corporate banks are not ready to step into the breach; few have the kind of advisory model that might help guide customers to these relatively simple hedging products. Corporate customers everywhere can benefit from hedging their interest-rate risk; many, especially those outside the eurozone, can also benefit from some standard foreign-exchange products (typically spot trading, forwards, and foreign-currency lending, often in combination). The new management agendaThe sense of stability and prosperity that was so evident in Budapest, Warsaw, and Bucharest has turned out to be evanescent. But similarly, the current dire business climate in Eastern European markets is unlikely to be permanent. The situation remains fluid; banks' clients urgently require guidance to anticipate and take advantage of changes in this dynamic environment. Corporate banks should consider five focused initiatives to respond to the exigencies of the crisis (Exhibit 5). Exhibit 5 A sea change for corporate banking The new management agenda Improve lendingWith capital scarce and lending hazardous, Eastern European banks will need to improve both the efficiency of their risk-weighted assets (RWAs), especially loans, and of their pricing. Moving to a lean capital business model (including such steps as expanding into better collateralized, RWA-efficient products such as factoring) will help ensure that banks are fully exploiting the power of their balance sheets. Incentives for lending should measure contribution after risk costs, rather than volume. Shifting incentives for frontline bankers from lending products to deposits and fee-generating products will help avoid lending for lending's sake. To reflect the higher cost of funding and the risk their clients face, banks must adopt a new pricing discipline, both for new business and as they renew or extend credits to top-tier clients. Many have already begun efforts to improve pricing but are stumbling because they lack capabilities. Specifically, they need flexible internal transfer-pricing mechanisms to react quickly to market changes in funding costs. They will need the ability to calculate, in real time, a target credit margin for each customer, taking into account the up-to-the-minute cost of financing, the client's business climate (its size, macroeconomic conditions prevalent in its geography and industry, and so on), and its risk exposure. Also crucial is a set of reference prices to set expectations for the target credit margin on loans and for other products and services. If the reference prices are to have meaning, then banks will also need a strict discounting policy that includes a clear statement of decision-making authority. Finally, RMs will need a pricing tool that provides them with a full understanding of the profitability achieved with each client. Standardized templates in the tool will help them document their agreements. A clear set of pricing key performance indicators (for example, average level of discounts expressed as a percentage of base price; average return on equity) will guide their pricing discussions and credit proposals, helping them to monitor customer profitability. Regular reports from the tool will help banks track margin developments. Improve restructuring and risk-mitigation skillsTo no one's surprise, Eastern European banks—like those in virtually every part of the globe—have seen their risk management strategies come up short. In Eastern Europe, the problems are, if anything, worse. Not since the fall of Communism—a time when many of today's bankers were still in school—has the region seen such complex problems, requiring skilled use of early- and late-stage credit workout and loan-loss mitigation. Many banks are unprepared; their workout groups consist mainly of lawyers that can dispose of corporate remains. Those lawyers may yet be needed. But before that, banks must work quickly to develop the skills and programs needed to do 50 or 100 workouts a year in some segments, instead of the customary 3 or 4. Banks should focus on early detection and turnaround skills to help customers through the down cycle. For example, they should introduce early-warning indicators, such as unusually large draws on credit lines or big customers closing their accounts, and respond appropriately when these alarms go off. They should conduct crash programs—focused efforts to improve an entire portfolio of loans through intensive workout and recovery—and in some cases a division of assets between a "good" and "bad" bank to avoid contagion. And they should improve collection capabilities. Apart from these initiatives, many banks will benefit from a clear separation between the risk office and the frontline sellers to avoid conflicts between risk and business interests. The establishment and timely involvement of an intensive-care task force is essential for the bank to react effectively to changes in different risk exposures. Clear guidelines for foreign-currency lending are required to control borrowers' exchange-rate risks. At most banks, credit processes are still cumbersome and lengthy, and they unduly use critical risk resources. Although throughput time has become less of a priority in the crisis, most banks can still benefit from optimizing the use of risk resources to provide better-quality risk decisions. Introducing a semistandardized credit decision-making tool kit (especially for midmarket customers), which enables shorter throughput times and higher cost efficiency, can pay off. Capture hedging potentialAs noted, the opportunity to serve Eastern European companies on their hedging needs is substantial. Exchange rates are volatile, putting many companies in need of simple foreign-exchange products and, in some cases, of a more sophisticated combination of hedges and foreign-currency lending. To capture these opportunities, banks can consider two intiatives. First, they can divide their trading desks into two groups, one responsible for simple and the other complex transactions. One team can assist customers with daily transactions—typically, foreign-exchange spot and forward trades, and also government bonds and other products. This customer desk should have a clear mandate to increase the bank's share of customers' business. A second, usually smaller trading desk can manage the more sophisticated and structured products. Second, banks can assign customers to customer-desk traders and product specialists, and encourage them to collaborate with RMs in serving customers. RMs know their customers' needs for capital markets products. And dealers and product specialists, through this "secondary portfolio," can supply their execution expertise and specialized knowledge to ensure that clients receive the best the bank has to offer. Adjust to the new realityA generation of Eastern European bankers has grown up in a prolonged economic boom, building sales teams and processing centers in one city after another in a rush to keep up with demand. It will not be simple to change that mind-set, or to start dismantling the work of a lifetime. Nonetheless, change they must. Banks must adjust their cost base, especially staffing, to the lower level of business activity. This adjustment should take several forms. Banks are used to plying talented RMs with more money to lure them from the competition. That game is changing. Obviously, talent is in greater supply than before, shifting the advantage to banks. Benchmarks from banks in more mature economies can help determine the right level of staffing. But demand is falling faster for generalists than for certain specialists. Well-trained risk managers and others with special skills may indeed continue to name their price. Banks with a presence in several countries will have to think hard about ways to develop skilled people—perhaps in a centralized training program—who can then be distributed across the network to the places where they are most needed. These banks must also consider ways to speed knowledge around their network so that even at the height of the crisis, bankers can learn from their colleagues' experience. Finally, to retain these bankers and attract others, banks will need to reinforce performance-based incentive systems. Banks that cut costs not simply arbitrarily but rather as a result of a thoughtful talent strategy will build the muscle needed now and over the coming few years.Get assertive on account management To execute all the changes described above, banks need to place a new emphasis on active account management. Corporate bankers must cease to think of themselves as simple lenders and instead seek to know their customers and deliver the products and services that meet their needs. Lending will not disappear, of course; it will persist, especially if banks improve the way they do it, but other products and services are just as important. Active account management can be the agency through which banks derive the benefits of improved lending, stronger risk management, better trained staff, and a suite of products that meet client needs. As a first step, banks will have to be much more selective about their lending clients, as deleveraging will force banks to reduce their total exposure. We have found that a simplified segmentation approach, based on objective measures, is helpful to the front line in clarifying the bank's objectives:Core clients. These are customers with whom the bank enjoys a "house bank" status; they are typically served with a full range of products, including loans, of course, as well as transaction, deposit, and capital markets products. For this client group, the bank's strategy should be both to raise prices sufficiently to cover increased funding costs and, more important, to demonstrate commitment and support through the crisis—for example, by renewing credit lines whenever possible. By making commitments now, banks can retain these core customers after the crisis has passed.Restructuring cases. These are companies that have already been affected by the crisis or continue to have significant exposure to it. Intensive care can limit credit losses and can even help turn around some customers. These may well prove to be long-term clients that will be fiercely loyal to the bank that stood by them during difficult times. RWA-inefficient borrowers. This group consists of companies that take advantage of the bank: they typically use only lending products and turn to competitors for transactions, cash management, and other products. These opportunistic customers are not profitable for the bank, and worse, they use up scarce funding. This group should be cautiously served; current exposures should be reduced where possible—for example, by not renewing credit lines—and new loans should be priced assertively to reflect true capital costs. With the customer base reduced, banks can then deploy a proactive account-management approach. RMs should review accounts at least twice a year against a set of criteria, including client profitability, RWA consumption, product usage, and hidden opportunities for cross-selling products other than loans. At many Eastern European banks, this will require a substantial cultural shift (in itself no trivial matter, and a topic worthy of substantial discussion beyond the scope of this article). Further, the successful introduction of proactive account planning will require two investments. First, banks will require greater customer transparency to provide concise and comprehensive information to RMs. This could include a detailed analysis of all of a customer's transactions with the bank to reveal cross-selling opportunities. Managers, too, will need regular reports if they are to monitor progress against account plans and coverage models. Second, banks must establish capabilities to cross-sell products more effectively, especially without further extension of credit. To boost deposits, banks should devise cross-selling campaigns, develop customized "sticky" products, and adjust incentives to promote deposit gathering. For more complex products, such as capital markets hedging, cash management, factoring, leasing, and government-subsidized lending, banks should develop training to upgrade the sales skills of RMs, upgrade coverage teams, and establish dedicated sales teams of product experts. Constrained by the crisisSo far, we have discussed the broad effects of the crisis on the entire region. But not all countries have been affected the same way; some will likely fare better than others (see sidebar, "The uneven effects of the crisis"). It is fair to say, though, that in every country, the crisis has diminished the attractiveness of corporate banking and that in most, the business will take some time to recover. Sidebar The uneven effects of the crisis Before 2008, Eastern European countries could be categorized into four groups according to size (as measured by corporate and investment banking volumes) and their market development and sophistication, as evidenced in most cases by risk-adjusted margins (exhibit). The four categories were as follows:Advanced markets. In this group were the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia. All had sizable corporate and investment banking volume and revenue pools and a high degree of sophistication in corporate and investment banking products.The second wave. This group included a number of smaller countries—Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania, and Serbia—with markets of varying degrees of sophistication. Bulgaria, for example, does not feature prominently in most banks' Eastern European strategy; Romania, while larger, has a market that is almost entirely made up of basic products and services.Early-stage markets. Kazakhstan and Ukraine formed a third group, made up of quite large but unsophisticated markets.Russia. A huge country with a sizable economy, Russia is sui generis among the countries we studied, and is so big that it must be considered separately. Based on the International Monetary Fund's recent projections, most of the Eastern European economies have been significantly affected by the crisis. The prospects for the advanced markets, especially Hungary and the Czech Republic, are less favorable than before. Russia and some second-wave and early-stage markets, such as Romania and Ukraine, seem likely to suffer the most significant GDP contraction, according to the IMF. Exhibit A wide range of corporate banking environments Eastern European banking markets may be categorized into four groups. Given this state, many banks are reconsidering their high-level strategies. Those with a presence in several countries have a few options. They can choose, for instance, to lessen their exposure in a given country (by reducing or even freezing RWA limits there, for example, gradually reducing the country's weight in the portfolio). But banks must be careful, as reducing lending in a country could contribute to a higher default rate. Banks might also concentrate resources in their larger operations through asset swaps with their smaller entities. Such a consolidation makes sense, given that after the crisis many banks in Eastern Europe may find themselves subscale, even relatively. Banks with particularly troubled franchises have, we believe, only one good option. Liquidating positions is too costly, as buyers are scarce at the prices that banks deem appropriate. Moreover, potential buyers do not have the funding resources needed to operate these entities. For some banks in high-risk countries, running down the bank appears to be an option, but this, too, could be costly and time consuming, entailing significant write-offs. We believe that for many banks, the option value associated with continuing operations—and with the adoption of an agenda like the one we have outlined above—is higher than any of the alternatives. Given these constraints, strategic choices in many markets are limited to shifting resources between businesses (such as between retail and corporate banking) or between customer segments or products (between large corporates and small and medium enterprises, for example, or between leasing and lending). One consideration in the retail versus corporate decision is that corporate customers are much more difficult to re-sign after they have left; their memory of good (and bad) treatment lasts much longer than that of retail customers. Further, the retail business will be easier to accelerate once bankers can safely say that the crisis has passed. We have referred several times to the passing of the crisis. But that moment will not be reached without at least some restructuring of the market. The nature and extent of that restructuring will depend most obviously on the duration of the crisis. If recovery comes soon, the industry structure in many places will stay the same. If, however, the crisis is deep and long, regional corporate-banking networks will have to restructure significantly, and some consolidation is likely. A second factor is the vulnerability of many national economies. Even in the most affected countries, many banks believe they can weather the crisis. But should further shocks come—currency devaluations, corporate defaults—experience suggests that the financial impact could be rapid and severe. Finally, the strategies of foreign global banks will also affect restructuring. For many of these banks, their Eastern European group is a small part of their portfolio. Nonetheless, decisions made at headquarters may have big effects on Eastern Europe. We maintain that because of its long-term prospects and the short-term constraints, the region is unlikely to see a mass exodus.


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Team Dim Sun is the main antagonist group of Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia. Their main purpose was to take control of all the Pokémon in the Almia region by using Darkrai's dark powers. They are also the creators of the Gigaremo, a heavy machine that controls Pokémon and the smaller, portable version of the Gigaremo, the Miniremo.
|This article is a stub. Please help the Pokémon Wiki by expanding it.


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Monday Night's Local Sports Schedule
Monday, Jan. 2
Girls Basketball
Minster (5-2) at Kalida (4-3), 6 p.m.: After winning the Vicki Mauk Holiday Tournament at Elida last week, Minster brings in the new year with a match-up at Kalida. Kayla Wuebker had a breakout 22-point game in the tourney title game against Elida. Minster has won three straight games after starting the season 2-2. Minster beat Kalida 51-27 last season. Kalida is 4-3 on the season with wins over St. Marys, O-G, Antwerp and Fort Jennings and losses to Coldwater, Delphos Jefferson and Columbus Grove.
Boys Jr. High Basketball
Fort Loramie at Minster, 5 p.m.
Boys Frosh Basketball
New Bremen at Minster, 6 p.m.


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International Baking for the Holidays
DATE: December 12, 2008
TIME: 5:45-7:45 pm
LOCATION: La Cucina At The Market, Reading Terminal Market, 12th and Arch Streets, Philadelphia, PA 19107
Join Aliza Green, celebrated chef and author, as she takes us on a personal tour of her new book, Starting with Ingredients: Baking. This international baking book is a guide to the world's most delicious cakes, cookies, pastries, and tarts along with savory breads and pies with more than 350 recipes. Aliza will delight us with her recipes and her experience as a world traveling student of culinary history. You will also learn her easy techniques for successful baking using a digital scale. She will be making savory Cheddar and Chive Gougères, sweet Turkish Carrot-Hazelnut Phyllo Pastry Rolls, and choco-indulgent Chocolate-Kahlúa Silk Pie in Pecan Crumb Crust. Cost: $65.00. For more information…


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Maine Gov. Paul LePage is visiting Morocco to celebrate the opening of the University of New England's new campus in Tangier.
The Republican governor was scheduled to speak at the inauguration ceremony on Tuesday.
U.S. Ambassador to Morocco Dwight Bush, Sr. was also expected to attend the ceremony for the only American higher education institution in the country.
Twenty-three students have been studying there since January.
LePage's office has said he will also seek trade opportunities for Maine during the trip.
The governor is expected to return to Maine later this week ahead of the state's Republican Party convention, which kicks off in Bangor on Friday.


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The Orthodox Fellowship of the Transfiguration (OFT)
proclaims the ecological mission of the Orthodox Church as . . . the Reconciliation of All Things in Christ !
exists to hallow God's Name 'on earth as it is in heaven' by seeking the transfiguration of creation through the activation of the Christian calling toward transfigured life. In the context of the liturgical life of the Orthodox Church, the Fellowship seeks to extend the transfiguring activity of the sacraments into all creation through ascetic practice, the keeping of the commandments and the acquisition of virtue, thus restoring the beauty and integrity of God's earthly temple.
became a SCOBA endorsed organization in 2006. It is a pan- Orthodox effort overseen by a nine member Steering Committee and aided by an eight member Advisory Board.
office of OFT is located in Santa Rosa, California, where Executive Director Fred Krueger maintains an extensive library of creation related resources, and administers program development and educational communication with OFT members. To date, OFT has published newsletters, organized Christ in the Wilderness program events in Washington, California, Massachusetts and New York, a follow-up correspondence course on The Virtues & Ecological Practice, and an Orthodox Climate Initiative.


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Core seeds were planted years agoBy DAVE SOLOMON
New Hampshire Union Leader
November 09. 2013 9:39PM
As housing costs in the New Hampshire Seacoast began to soar in the 1980s and 1990s, middle-class families began to migrate from Portsmouth and Dover northward to Rochester in search of more affordable options, helping the border town grow to the sixth-largest city in the state.
A Rochester elementary school teacher at the time, Laura Hainey began to notice significant differences in the readiness of transient students for the curriculum in place at the Lilac City. It wasn't a matter of ability, but timing. The students had either not yet been exposed to certain material or were already familiar with it, forcing her to spend a lot of time in remedial work with some or advanced work with others.
If teachers in the same state, working in essentially the same section of that state, see differences as students move from district to district, you can imagine how vast the differences can be when they move from state to state. Having seen those differences firsthand, Hainey, now the president of the New Hampshire chapter of the American Federation of Teachers, is a big supporter of the Common Core State Standards, an effort to create consistency in academia not only within each state, but also across the nation.
"We'll have this set of standards that will be followed with some uniformity," she said, "so I think it's going to help those kids who move."
Establishing uniform goals for math and English K-12 education for a highly mobile society was only one of the motives behind creation of the Common Core State Standards. Another key objective when the project was launched in 2008 was to improve educational outcomes so that more high school graduates would be truly ready for college or the workplace without extensive remedial work.
The effort proceeded without much fanfare as the nation was distracted by the economic collapse of 2008 and the recession that followed.
In 2010, the New Hampshire Board of Education voted to replace Grade Level Expectations, which had been the foundation for curricula statewide, with the Common Core, as did most other states. By the start of 2013, it looked as if all the states except Texas, Alaska, Nebraska and Virginia would adopt the standards.
Opposition emerges
Then the opposition began to mobilize. In April, the Republican National Committee criticized the initiative as a "one size fits all" approach and an "inappropriate overreach" by the federal government, despite continued support among leading Republicans such as former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.
The Tea Party has latched on to Common Core with passion not seen since the early days of Obamacare. "This is the issue that could change things for the Tea Party movement," Lee Ann Burkholder, founder of the 9/12 Patriots in York, Pa., said in a recent interview with the Washington Post.
Now the initiative is in trouble in several states. Indiana has suspended implementation, and repeal legislation has been filed in Alabama. Florida has withdrawn from Common Core-related testing and is reviewing the standards.
Lawmakers in New Hampshire are following suit. House Republicans Lenette Peterson of Merrimack and David Murotake of Nashua have introduced bills to delay or prohibit Common Core. Lawmakers from Keene and Tuftonboro have filed similar bills.
"Nobody knew what was going on," says Ann Marie Banfield, education liaison at Cornerstone Policy Research, a conservative advocacy group that has emerged as a major voice against Common Core in the Granite State. "Finally, people woke up. The curriculum started coming into the school. The new textbooks have come into the schools. People are seeing the questions to their kids that they don't understand themselves. When the kids started bringing this stuff home, we started hearing from concerned parents."
Opponents allege that Common Core is an attempt to create a federal education system; that its standards in some cases are actually lower than existing standards; that it amounts to an unfunded federal mandate; that the Smarter Balanced or PARCC tests (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers) designed to accompany Common Core are convoluted and raise privacy concerns.
The more extreme opponents claim the standards undermine the Second Amendment, promote socialism and, according to one conservative blogger, "teach second-graders to be good union comrades."
The issue has now moved front and center across the state. The Alton and Manchester school boards voted to develop their own standards, which they say will exceed Common Core. Nashua, whose school district was at the forefront of the effort, has now been asked to delay implementation. Supporters and opponents squared off at a legislative forum at the State House on Oct. 29.
In the same week, the Business and Industry Association (BIA), known as the statewide chamber of commerce, took a public stand in support of Common Core, calling the standards the key to creating an educated work force.
An economic issue
Support from the BIA should come as no surprise, since Common Core emerged largely out of economic development concerns at the state level and among large employers.
Marc Tucker, president of the National Center on Education and the Economy, was the keynote speaker at the Oct. 29 State House forum. He described how the initiative began as a collaboration between the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers.
"Governors were being held increasingly accountable by their constituents for economic development," he said. "But the companies they were trying to recruit were telling them that they would not come unless the governor could convince them that the quality of education in the state would radically improve. ... The governors began to clamor for higher standards in the United States and, if possible, uniform standards."
At the same time, Tucker said, the first round of scores from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NEAP) were beginning to come out. State commissioners from the lowest performing states were concerned, but were unable to raise state standards on their own.
"They went to their association and said, in effect, 'We need to work together, as an association, to come up with some common standards,'?" Tucker said.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funded the effort, involving teachers, administrators, parents and state leaders from across the country, to develop the new standards. Professor David Pook of the Derryfield School and Granite State College helped write the English standards.
While opponents and supporters of Common Core share a belief that public education in the United States is in need of improvement, they agree on little else.
In a series of articles starting today and continuing this week, the New Hampshire Sunday News and the Union Leader will examine the content of the Common Core State Standards and the arguments on both sides, including a look inside a classroom in Amherst, where the standards have been embraced, and one in Manchester, which has pulled the plug.
The stakes could not be higher, especially in Manchester, where a decision to forgo Common Core in favor of local standards has pushed the state's largest city into uncharted territory when it comes to compliance with state and federal requirements for standardized testing.
"These are hysterical times," said Tucker, calling on people to "set the hysteria aside" and engage in a good-faith conversation about where these standards come from and what they might mean for the future of the country.


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Atwood Records #1001 in Win Over Bullets
ORLEANS – In front of the largest crowd of the season, Lake Region easily disposed of the BFA-Fairfax Bullets, while honoring their 6 seniors for 4 years of hard work and dedication, in the annual "Senior Night." Emily Comins, Sarah Bedard, Sara Piette, Autumn Beaton, Caylin Gallup, and Kylie Atwood have "represented what it means to be a Lady Ranger," in the words of coach Mark Tinker.While the night was set up to honor the seniors, there also was a subplot waiting to unfold. Atwood entered the game needing only 16 points to join Donna Lawson and Abbey Lalime as recent member of the exclusive 1,000 point scorers club.Gallup got the blue and white on the board with a jump shot from the right elbow; on the next possession Atwood's baseline runner pushed the Rangers into the lead for the first time in the contest.Allison Hall and Tyrah Urie would also get into the scorer's book to close out the first quarter scoring with the Lady Rangers on top 9-4.Both ball-clubs would trade basket for basket during the second quarter. Every time Lake Region seemed poised to make a run, the Bullets would claw back. Hall extended the lead to 6 after a nice coast-to-coast trip at 15-9.Chance Carpenter and Meghan Bochanski each scored inside to make it 15-13 before a perfect 4-4 showing from the free throw line by Atwood and Drew Neal pushed the lead to 19-13. Bochanski, using her dominant post moves, would score 4 more points sending the game to its halftime score of 19-17.However, the 3rd quarter belonged to the home team in the blue and white uniforms. Drew Neal opened the scoring with a 3-ball from deep in the corner and Atwood would remain solid at the line, going 4-4 pushing the lead to 26-19. The scoreboard would grow to 32-19 with a pair of Gallup 3's before Atwood, using her patented floater in the lane, pushed the score to 15.Seconds before the clock expired, Carpenter knocked down 2 leaners inside to send us to the 4th with the Bullets trailing Lake Region 32-24.Needing only 6 points to reach the 1000 club, Atwood was on a mission in the 4th quarter. She opened her scoring with a long 3 pointer from 22 feet 3 minutes into the period. One the next possession she would record point number 999 with a jump shot from the right block to put her team on top 42-25, setting the stage for the inevitable.With just under 2 minutes to go in the contest, Atwood would steal the ball at mid-court and take it all the way home for point number 1001, sending the Ranger faithful absolutely crazy.The game would be paused for a brief moment as Athletic Director Eric Degre recognized the important milestone. Atwood's mom presented her with balloons and Fairfax coach Mike Wells congratulated the soon-to-be Catamount on her great accomplishment.With Lake Region on top 44-27, coach Tinker pulled his starting seniors from the court, allowing the fans to also recognize them for their years of hard work. The game would finish with BFA on a 5-0 run, but it was not enough as the Lady Rangers held on to win 44-32.Tinker said after the game that, "we had a couple of agendas tonight: recognize these seniors, get the victory, and get Kylie to do it at home and we accomplished all three.""We just wanted her to do it in front of the home fans, she deserved it and they deserved it," he added about the Atwood milestone."Right now this means so much to me. I didn't know if I was going to get here with my injury," said Atwood. "I have to thank my teammates, my coaches, and all the fans because I couldn't have done it without them."Meghan Bochanski had an all-around dominant performance knocking down 15 points for the Bullets, while Chance Carpenter chipped in with 8.Atwood led the Lady Rangers with a game and season high 17 points, including a perfect 6-6 from the line. Gallup reached double-digits with 12 points, going 3-3 from beyond the arch. Hall recorded 8 points on the evening, while Piette was pivotal on the glass ripping down 8 rebounds.The Rangers, (10-7) close out the season with 3 games on the road. The first of which is next Wednesday night when they travel to Northfield to take on the Marauders. J/V will tip off at 5:30 with Varsity to follow at 7:00


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Yes, me too. :)
I was tagged with this by Denis who has liven (is that even a word?) up to his nick "The SQL Meance". Bad Dennins, bad!
As lame as this thing might be and it does reminds us of the dreaded chain letters (anyone remeber getting those by normal mail. you know the one where people acctually deliver it... by vans even...can you believe it???), it's quite a nice excercise when you think about it. It kind of clears your path career wise.
So I have to find a few things, huh? Here goes:
1. Spending more time looking at art works.
Why? Because paintings, besides being nice to watch (most of them), have a lot of patterns that you can see in them. It jogs your imagination.
It gives you a more abstract (kick-starts the right side of the brain) why of thinking. And that is good for software development.
Plus art is a lot more interesting to talk about with women that how you've built a super-duper highly transactional, kick ass, loosly coupled,
awe inspiring something (you've lost them after lously coupled, trust me :))
2. I'm going to start playing with Lego's again.
As juvenile as it may sound, a part of me being an engineer is Lego toys and wonderous things you can do with them. Anoter part is Star Trek :)
Also somehow building stuff with Legos remindes me immensly of classes and interfaces and object oriented stuff in general. build a block on
top of another block, expose it's functionality to another block via a widget, etc... it's pretty much Object oriented design and
Service Oriented Architecture combined. Let me tell you when i was 10 i was one mean Lego builder. None of todays specialzed toys crap.
You had basic blocks and you could build the most amazing space station or an underwater hideout or a speed racer or ... you NEEDED imagination!!
I had a Lego pneumatic system combined with electrical one doing all kinds of stuff. You should've seen my automatic crossbow. That thing rocked!!
3. I'll start learning Ruby On Rails
I think it's a bit hyped up but i've read some nice things about it.. so let's give it a chance.
4. Play chess a bit more
I'm quite an active player, but not as much as i'd like to be. Why chess?
It gives you a way of thinking and planning ahead about all possible moves. At least 3 moves ahead is great.
Trust me, this comes in handy when designing systems of any kind.
5. Read Freakonomics!
I've heard about this book too much to ignore it, which i've successfully been doing so far. Shame on me!
6. Keep blogging, writing articles and answering questions in the forums
People seem to like reading what I write, so i'll keep doing that
I'll try to not read any tech books for a while because i've read a few in the last 3 months. Look under Reviews category in my posts.
I've never stop reading normal books so that will continue. Any tips on that front?
And no, i'm not going to tag anyone.
Die chain letter, Die! Bad Denis, BAD!! :))))
Print | posted on Wednesday, July 18, 2007 5:51 PM |
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You are here
Taha Muhammad Ali and Peter Cole: A Reading and Conversation
Date and Time:
October 3, 2006 - 7:00PM
Event Location:
Poets House
Palestinian Taha Muhammad Ali's poetry is driven by a storyteller's vivid imagination, disarming humor, and unflinching honesty. This evening illuminates his life and work through readings by him and award-winning translator Peter Cole.
Event Sponsored By:
Poets House
Event Type:
Readings and Conversations


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Well, Today, during what I call - "Montreal's Best", I've been riding the Renegade 7 with a none-working trimmer, despite all the care I did put into it... Just check the wind-graph, I was there from ~12 to 15. The trimmer was kinda holding in the full-trimmed-in position, until getting hit by a big gust or a nice jump. And let me tell you - jumping was fun! Especially when the trimmer would release half-way through the jump by it-self... that's something to handle!!!
Got my fix, but no pleasure what so-ever... (no I'm not blaming the gear despite what i might look like....well, besides the tirmmer....) And I still think I need to start shopping for a Renegade 5 as the 7m is waaaaay too powerful for a "survival"-kite. Even at 205lbs.
Dimitri, I'll message you. Though I do have hard time believing that clamp-cleat trimmers are harder to trim. The problem these might have - is that they get over-twisted without a real front-line spinner. Which isn't a big problem with the below-the-bar depower like SS's or Naish's and with shorter setups like Ozone's and North's. Which is still easier to handle than a jammed-up with twisted strap strap-trimmers. Had one of these Today as well - no fun!!!!
A friend of mine suggested a trimmer from his older XXXXX-bar, so i'll look into it - will try to either salvage the whole thing or at least the plastic buckle. Otherwise I'm still open for suggestions. The trimmer is 11.5" eye to eye, or the 30" eye to to the Y-split's lower eye.


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DSIT, An Acorn Energy Company, To Present a Case Study at Oil & Gas Infrastructure Security, Africa Conference
Jan 17, 2013, 10:00 EST
GIVAT SHMUEL, Israel, Jan. 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- DSIT Solutions Ltd. an Acorn Energy (NASDAQ : ACFN ) company, will present a case study at the Oil & Gas Infrastructure Security, Africa International Conference, Training and Workshops, January 21st - 25th, 2013 in Accra, Ghana. DSIT will be presenting on the morning of January 22nd, the second day of the event. The conference is directed at generating and implementing new solutions to existing and emerging threats in Africa by accessing fresh intelligence on the challenges and identifying the pioneering security solutions in a local context (http://oilandgas-security.com).
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120504/NY01339LOGO )
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120426/NY96114LOGO )
"It is encouraging to see the serious approach being taken today in Africa to deal with the risks and dangers involved in underwater threats to critical coastal and offshore assets," said Dan Ben-Dov, DSIT's Vice President Sales & Marketing. "We are pleased to have this outstanding opportunity to discuss with industry leaders from around the world, who are responsible for dealing with security issues, our operational solutions for underwater site security. We will be addressing the underwater threats to critical oil and gas infrastructure, the terrible consequences of such attacks and of course, the full set of solutions that DSIT is already providing to its energy customers around the world to meet the unique challenges associated with underwater surveillance."
Benny Sela, DSIT's CEO added: "Our parent company, Acorn Energy, has set a goal of "making energy better", and DSIT contributes to this vision by providing state-of-the-art solutions to threats against critical marine based energy infrastructure around the globe."
About DSIT
DSIT develops sonar and acoustic solutions and acts as a system integrator for advanced Security and Safety Command and Control systems. The Company's offerings are designed to provide the latest in technology and its intelligent application for the energy, commercial, defense and homeland security markets. The company's offerings include: PortView™ Harbor Surveillance System (HSS), AquaShield™ Diver Detection Sonar (DDS), PointShield™ Portable DDS, Sonar Simulators and Trainers, Mobile Acoustic Ranges (MAR), and Underwater Acoustic Signal Analysis (UASA) systems. For more information visit www.dsit.co.il.
About Acorn Energy, Inc.
Acorn Energy, Inc. is a holding company whose four portfolio companies help their customers achieve greater productivity, reliability, security, and efficiency—all of which lead to greater profitability. GridSense—provides monitoring for all critical points along the electricity delivery system. OMNIMETRIX-remotely monitors emergency back-up power generation systems to increase their reliability. US Seismic—supplies fiber optic sensing solutions to increase oil/gas production and lower costs. DSIT—provides security solutions from underwater threats to marine based energy assets. For more information visit: http://www.acornenergy.com.
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release includes forward-looking statements, which are subject to risks and uncertainties. There is no assurance that US Sensor Systems Inc. or Acorn Energy, Inc. will continue to grow their respective businesses, execute the initiatives described above or meet the expectations described above. A complete discussion of the risks and uncertainties which may affect Acorn Energy's business generally and the businesses of its subsidiaries is included in "Risk Factors" in the Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K as filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Idoh Ophir
Sales & Marketing Manager
DSIT Solutions Ltd.
+972 3 531 3333
Investor Contact:
Paul Henning
Cameron Associates
(212) 245-8800
SOURCE DSIT Solutions Ltd.


text: Our beloved all-in-one Smartphone Wristlet is now even smarter. We redesigned this fan favorite to include a bill compartment, and we moved the wrist strap to the opposite side to make the phone compartment even more secure. Inside, there are still all the components of a well-organized wallet: four card slips, a bill compartment and an ID window, plus two slip pockets


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Ever since I discovered the ?? colaesce operator I embraced it with full force.
Today I discovered another usefull use:
// this:
string[] arrayOfStrings1 = new string[] { "arr1s1", "arr1s2", "arr1s3" };
foreach (string str in (arrayOfStrings1 ?? new string[0]))
// do some stuff on the array elements
// equals to this:
string[] arrayOfStrings2 = new string[] { "arr2s1", "arr2s2", "arr2s3" };
if (arrayOfStrings2 != null)
foreach (string str in arrayOfStrings2)
// do some stuff on the array elements
// in terms of what it does
This enables me to get rid of all "if null" checks. I looked at IL with MSIL dissasembler and it doesn't look like there's any penalty in performance with using this so i'll stick with it. Of course reading IL isn't one of my strong sides so maybe someone can prove me wrong. :) But performance in this case doesn't outweigh the removal of "if null" check which i really hate.
Print | posted on Monday, October 09, 2006 6:36 PM |
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Repix is an interesting take on a photo editor, because it combines the filters of Instagram, the general controls over brightness and contrast of almost all photo editors, and some very interesting artistic brushes. That's probably why it garnered so much popularity on iOS. Today it has arrived on Android, and you can try it out for yourself! But what's so special about this app?
The app has an slide-out menu to the left, but you can't slide it open. In a very strange decision that will most likely be fixed, you can only open this menu by hitting the menu button. It looks like they were trying to go for a Holo look. Hopefully this will be fixed fast.
Inside that menu, you'll find options to add photographs. You can add one using your camera or gallery, or pick one of the many offered to you by Repix for editing. There are a bunch of sample photos in there for you to peruse. There's also a guide for those just getting started and a store button. This app is free, but it does have in-app purchases.
You can buy extra artistic brushes, filters, and frames for $1.99 a pack. If you're feeling thrifty, you can unlock absolutely everything for $5.99. This will provide you with tons of brushes and will allow you to make even better designs. You can also preview the brushes before you buy them.
Here you can see the brushes. Using them spreads the effect around your finger, and letting go will freeze it. You can add as much or as little as you want. The speed of you moving your finger will determine how big the effect (for example, bokeh) is. It's a slick way of editing photos. Best of all, this app comes with full support for both the S Pen on the Samsung Galaxy Note series and Airview on the Samsung Galaxy S 4. Hovering will show you the size of your brush, and the app has pretty good accuracy.
Again, many of the filters are paid, so they won't be accessible from the beginning. But you can test them on preset images without saving. The free filters are very cool too, but there aren't too many of them. This is, in my opinion, acceptable from a free app.
There are also some normal editing features expected from a photo editor. You can adjust brightness and contrast, add vignette and make other standard edits. You can add filters.You can adjust the aspect ratio to anything you want it to be (please don't follow my example and make photos square). And you can add a frame. While the basic editing is nothing too extravagant, it works well.
Press the check mark to save your photo and add it to Dropbox, Picasa and Gmail. I'm honestly curious why there is no standard share button, but they opted to limit your sharing abilities to a specific set of apps until you head to the gallery. For example, it shows Twitter and Facebook only when you have the original apps installed, but Carbon or Falcon Pro will now show up. This is also easily fixable.
The image came out in a pretty decent size, which is surprising for an artistic photo editor. This square image came out 1536 x 1536, which is definitely not bad. Standard ratio photos come out 2048 x 1536.
Leaving the app is a bit of a problem. Press back and nothing happens. Press back 10 times, and still nothing. You cannot simply exit the app. You must press the home button and swipe it away. It's a bad bug I've seen plague many apps, but it's also an easy fix. Hopefully they'll get rid of it!
All in all, it's a cool editor with a few bugs that will, hopefully, be remedied soon. It's unique, and the brushes have a certain fluidity to them that's pleasant. Use the widget to go download the app for free, but don't forget that there are in-app purchases (that aren't really required). Tell us what you think of it in the comments!


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Taking Apart Translations
Lesson 11 of 17
Objective: SWBAT accurately describe or draw the result of translating a figure. Students will understand a precise definition of translation in the context of segments and parallel lines.
Big Idea: Using geometric constructions and measurement to learn the properties of rigid motion via translation.
Lesson Open
The warm-up prompt for this lesson asks students to review the properties of reflections, which we studied in the last lesson. The warm-up follows our Team Warm-up routine. I choose students at random to write the team's answer on the board.
Following the warm-up, I display the agenda and learning targets for the lesson. To activate prior knowledge, I ask the class to help me name three different ways to move an object without changing its size and shape. I tell class that today we will focus on the properties of translations.
Resources (5)
Constructing a Translation
During this part of the lesson, students use construction tools to create the image of a triangle under translation. The goal of this hands-on activity is to help students to focus on the properties of translations.
I often let students choose their partners within their cooperative learning teams for paired activities, but for this activity I direct them to work with their shoulder partners. I want a more-capable student in each pair, because they will need to follow directions carefully. Then, I distribute the handout for the activity, 2 copies for every team of 3-4 students.
I give instructions with the help of the slide for the activity. Students will need a straight-edge, compass, and protractor. I ask students to get out their notes on constructing parallels from the previous lessons. I ask them to place their desks in pinwheels. They will be working in pairs, so that they can help each other with the constructions. I ask students to use the Rally Coach routine.
As students get started on the activity, I circulate around the classroom offering help where needed. I am on the lookout for:
- Are students constructing parallel lines, or are they simply drawing parallel lines 'by eyeball'? This is a difficult construction. I acknowledge students' clever strategies, but remind them that they will learn more by constructing the parallel lines correctly.
- Are students locating the image of each vertex on the parallel correctly? Instead of measuring the length of the given vector with a compass and copying this distance to find the location of the image of the vertex, students will often use construction marks left over from constructing the perpendicular bisector as the location of the image of the vertex.
- Do students see that the image of each point is the same distance and direction from the pre-image? Do they see that this applies to all the points in the figure, not just the vertices (MP7)? In later lessons, they will use the fact that each point is translated by the same vector in a translation.
- Do students see that the image of each line segment is parallel to the pre-image (MP7)? In the next lesson, we will prove the Line Translation Theorem. For now, I point out to students that they can use this fact to help them sketch the image of a figure under translation.
If many students are struggling to understand the directions, I call the class's attention to the front board, where I can demonstrate the first steps of the construction using the document camera.
Once students have completed the construction, I ask them how they expect the sides and angles of the reflected image to compare to the sides and angles of the original. I ask them to use their compass and a protractor to verify that corresponding sides and angles of the image and pre-image are have equal measures.
Resources (3)
Summarizing Translations
In this section, we use Guided Notes to summarize the properties of translations.
I begin by displaying a model sample of student work from the Constructing a Translation activity on the front board using a document camera and asking the class to help me summarize its properties.
Resources (2)
Individual Size-Up
The lesson close follows our Individual Size-Up Routine. The Lesson Close prompt asks students to describe the properties of a translation.
For homework, I assign problems #32-34 of Homework Set 2. Problem #32 gives students an opportunity to review the properties of translations. I encourage them to look for the answers in their notes. Problem #33 asks students to visualize and draw the image of a polygon under translation along a vector. Problem #34 gives students the opportunity to apply the properties of rigid motions to solve a real world problem.


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Much of the punditocracy and news coverage in reaction to the election of Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio as Pope Francis I has focused on the novelty of placing the first Latin American and the first Jesuit -- and the first Francis -- on the Chair of St. Peter. The same goes for readers so far who have sent their reactions to email@example.com.
But whereas journalists and commentators have focused on what Francis' ascension means for reform at the Vatican and addressing several serious issues -- including priest sex abuse -- readers have reacted as if they were among the throngs of jubilant Catholics at St. Peter's Square. They warmly welcomed their new pope and noted his humble qualities. Here is a selection of those letters.
Paul Kokoski, a reader and frequent letter writer from Canada, says Francis' personal attributes will make him a strong defender of the faith:
"With deep joy I offer Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio my warm congratulations and most fervent good wishes on his election to the papacy.