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Book Blitz & Excerpt: Fates Fulfilled + Giveaway
Fates Fulfilled
by Jules Barnard
(Halven Rising, #3)
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance
The Dark Prince has arrived.
The Dark Prince will stop at nothing to save his people—even if it means kidnapping the one woman with the power to destroy them all…
Garrin Branimir, Prince of Dark Kingdom, has been trapped in endless winter for centuries, along with his people. His only hope of saving them is to find the woman with the power to destroy the magical barriers imprisoning Dark Fae. With her by his side, he and his kinsmen will finally be free.
But Lex Meinrad isn't full Fae, and she wasn't raised in his land, content to obey her prince's every order. She refuses to do his bidding—no matter how intense the sparks between them fire.
With time running out, Garrin must convince this impossibly stubborn woman to cooperate before his enemies bend her to their will. And, unlike him, they'll choose force over seduction…
Each Halven Rising book is a standalone romance with an overarching story that connects the series. The books can be read out of order.
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play
Garrin Branimir, Prince of Dark Kingdom, strode down the dingy hallway where the Fae kept their half-human, half-Fae Halven, and paused near a dark-haired female on his right. The woman grinned as she passed.
She was attractive. For a human. Or Halven, given the building.
Hundreds of years ago, Fae from other kingdoms in the Faery realm of Tirnan built Dawson University to monitor their half-blood offspring, known as Halven. Particularly those Halven who developed magical powers. As far as anyone knew, no Halven born of Dark Fae blood existed due to the Land of Ice that blocked Dark Kingdom from any other living being, including in the Earth realm. But Garrin suspected the one he searched for could be hidden here.
The prophecy stated a female with Dark blood would save his people. Garrin had run out of options in Dark Kingdom. No one possessed the power needed to create safe passage to other lands. The Earth realm was his last hope for finding the one.
He fanned his hand in front of the female's face before she passed. He'd been testing all females in the building for weeks. So far, none had deflected his magic.
The brunette blinked, then stumbled. Then her lips turned blue, and she began to choke, her dark eyes watering as ice formed across her face. Sounds of suffocation came from her throat.
She was indeed Halven. He wasn't as good at sensing magic levels as those with the ability, but he could tell she was more than human now that he was close. Only she wasn't the one for whom he searched. She was simply a half-blood, like all the rest.
Garrin sighed and waved forward the two soldiers behind him. "Heal her and blur her memory."
This girl might not be the one, but Garrin would search for the female who was until his dying breath, which should give him a millennium, give or take.
"Your Highness," Amund said, a portal creator and one such Fae with the ability to sense energy levels. "The earthbound Fae soldiers have discovered our presence."
Garrin let out a long-suffering sigh. He'd spent the last hundred years attempting to cross the barrier separating his kingdom from the others of Tirnan. It had been nigh impossible to make it across the Land of Ice weakened, only to be attacked by deadly Fae soldiers from other lands. Until an uprising left said lands vulnerable. He'd finally breached the borders of the other kingdoms and made it to the Earth realm, and he wasn't about to turn back now. "The Fae living on Earth are a nuisance. How am I to find the girl with them nipping at my heels?"
Amund stared off in the distance. "We have two minutes before they discover us."
His men had returned the brunette to the dwelling from whence she came, and Garrin looked down the hallway one last time. "Very well. We will return another—"
Someone exited a door halfway down. A female. Tall.
Garrin didn't get a good look at her face because she'd pulled a hood over her head that dipped below her eyes, but he held up his hand in a staying motion. There was something about this one… He was drawn to her.
"I sense no power," Amund said.
Fae were taller than humans, and many Halven took on the trait. "I will test her anyway." The closer she got, his urge to be near her grew.
"Your Highness, please hurry." Amund glanced back. "We have a minute at most."
The female kept her head down as she moved closer. She didn't appear to see Garrin standing there.
Odd, that. At over seven feet, Garrin wasn't easily missed in the Earth realm. The girl was so preoccupied, in fact, that she nearly ran into him.
She stopped abruptly a couple of feet away, and her chin tilted up. Her face flushed, and she averted her gaze. But not before Garrin caught sight of her beautiful golden eyes, the mysterious energy behind them hitting him like a bolt of lightning.
There was no time. Garrin needed to test her quickly and be gone. He pursed his lips and exhaled, giving her more of his powers than he'd given other females they'd encountered.
She blinked, and ice crystallized around her nose and lips…and melted as quickly as it had formed.
Her gaze collided with his, her expression one of surprise.
Garrin's entire body lit up with desire so powerful it took his breath away.
He stepped back, astonished at his reaction to the woman, and at what he'd discovered. For so long he'd fought death and starvation and battled enemies to reach the one. No Dark Fae were thought to live in the Earth realm, but Garrin suspected she was hiding here, and now he'd found her in the form of a Halven.
Elation coursed through him. After all this time, he'd succeeded where no other Fae had for hundreds of years.
He would save his people from isolation. He would make his father proud…and he would have the female.
A smile slowly pulled at the corners of his mouth. "Take her."
Jules Barnard is a USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance and romantic fantasy. Her contemporary series include the Never Date and Cade Brothers series. She also writes romantic fantasy under the same pen name in the Halven Rising series Library Journal calls "…an exciting new fantasy adventure." Whether she's writing about sexy men in Lake Tahoe or a Fae world embedded in a college campus, Jules spins addictive stories filled with heart and humor.
When Jules isn't in her sweatpants writing and rewarding herself with chocolate, she spends her time with her husband and two children in their small hometown on the Pacific Coast. She credits herself with the ability to read while running on the treadmill or burning dinner.
**Please click the orange "+Follow" button to follow Jules on Amazon and be notified about her new releases**
To learn more about Jules, visit her website at: julesbarnard.com
Sign up to Jules's Newsletter for writing updates and to gain access to FREE content, including extra scenes — http://www.julesbarnard.com/newsletter/
Website / Goodreads / Facebook Page / Facebook Group / Twitter / Instagram / Newsletter
Categoriesmedia blitz, teaser TagsAdult, excerpt, Giveaway, media blitz, paranormal, paranormal romance, PNR, romance, Xpresso Book Tours
One Reply to "Book Blitz & Excerpt: Fates Fulfilled + Giveaway"
Oh, this looks real but up my alley. I best go find the beginning of the series though.
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Proceedings of the Thirty-Second Conference on Uncertainty in Artificial Intelligence (UAI)
Ihler, A. T., Janzing, D.
pages: 869, AUAI Press, June 2016 (proceedings)
Ihler, A. T., Janzing, D. Proceedings of the Thirty-Second Conference on Uncertainty in Artificial Intelligence (UAI) pages: 869, AUAI Press, June 2016 (proceedings)
Screening Rules for Convex Problems
Raj, A., Olbrich, J., Gärtner, B., Schölkopf, B., Jaggi, M.
2016 (unpublished) Submitted
Raj, A., Olbrich, J., Gärtner, B., Schölkopf, B., Jaggi, M. Screening Rules for Convex Problems 2016 (unpublished) Submitted
Animating Samples from Gaussian Distributions
(8), Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Tübingen, Germany, 2013 (techreport)
Hennig, P. Animating Samples from Gaussian Distributions (8), Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Tübingen, Germany, 2013 (techreport)
Proceedings of the 10th European Workshop on Reinforcement Learning, Volume 24
Deisenroth, M., Szepesvári, C., Peters, J.
pages: 173, JMLR, European Workshop On Reinforcement Learning, EWRL, 2013 (proceedings)
Deisenroth, M., Szepesvári, C., Peters, J. Proceedings of the 10th European Workshop on Reinforcement Learning, Volume 24 pages: 173, JMLR, European Workshop On Reinforcement Learning, EWRL, 2013 (proceedings)
Maximizing Kepler science return per telemetered pixel: Detailed models of the focal plane in the two-wheel era
Hogg, D. W., Angus, R., Barclay, T., Dawson, R., Fergus, R., Foreman-Mackey, D., Harmeling, S., Hirsch, M., Lang, D., Montet, B. T., Schiminovich, D., Schölkopf, B.
arXiv:1309.0653, 2013 (techreport)
Hogg, D. W., Angus, R., Barclay, T., Dawson, R., Fergus, R., Foreman-Mackey, D., Harmeling, S., Hirsch, M., Lang, D., Montet, B. T., Schiminovich, D., Schölkopf, B. Maximizing Kepler science return per telemetered pixel: Detailed models of the focal plane in the two-wheel era arXiv:1309.0653, 2013 (techreport)
Maximizing Kepler science return per telemetered pixel: Searching the habitable zones of the brightest stars
Montet, B. T., Angus, R., Barclay, T., Dawson, R., Fergus, R., Foreman-Mackey, D., Harmeling, S., Hirsch, M., Hogg, D. W., Lang, D., Schiminovich, D., Schölkopf, B.
Montet, B. T., Angus, R., Barclay, T., Dawson, R., Fergus, R., Foreman-Mackey, D., Harmeling, S., Hirsch, M., Hogg, D. W., Lang, D., Schiminovich, D., Schölkopf, B. Maximizing Kepler science return per telemetered pixel: Searching the habitable zones of the brightest stars arXiv:1309.0654, 2013 (techreport)
JMLR Workshop and Conference Proceedings Volume 19: COLT 2011
Kakade, S., von Luxburg, U.
pages: 834, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, USA, 24th Annual Conference on Learning Theory , June 2011 (proceedings)
Kakade, S., von Luxburg, U. JMLR Workshop and Conference Proceedings Volume 19: COLT 2011 pages: 834, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, USA, 24th Annual Conference on Learning Theory , June 2011 (proceedings)
PAC-Bayesian Analysis of Martingales and Multiarmed Bandits
Seldin, Y., Laviolette, F., Shawe-Taylor, J., Peters, J., Auer, P.
Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany, May 2011 (techreport)
We present two alternative ways to apply PAC-Bayesian analysis to sequences of dependent random variables. The first is based on a new lemma that enables to bound expectations of convex functions of certain dependent random variables by expectations of the same functions of independent Bernoulli random variables. This lemma provides an alternative tool to Hoeffding-Azuma inequality to bound concentration of martingale values. Our second approach is based on integration of Hoeffding-Azuma inequality with PAC-Bayesian analysis. We also introduce a way to apply PAC-Bayesian analysis in situation of limited feedback. We combine the new tools to derive PAC-Bayesian generalization and regret bounds for the multiarmed bandit problem. Although our regret bound is not yet as tight as state-of-the-art regret bounds based on other well-established techniques, our results significantly expand the range of potential applications of PAC-Bayesian analysis and introduce a new analysis tool to reinforcement learning and many other fields, where martingales and limited feedback are encountered.
Seldin, Y., Laviolette, F., Shawe-Taylor, J., Peters, J., Auer, P. PAC-Bayesian Analysis of Martingales and Multiarmed Bandits Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany, May 2011 (techreport)
Non-stationary Correction of Optical Aberrations
Schuler, C., Hirsch, M., Harmeling, S., Schölkopf, B.
(1), Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Tübingen, Germany, May 2011 (techreport)
Taking a sharp photo at several megapixel resolution traditionally relies on high grade lenses. In this paper, we present an approach to alleviate image degradations caused by imperfect optics. We rely on a calibration step to encode the optical aberrations in a space-variant point spread function and obtain a corrected image by non-stationary deconvolution. By including the Bayer array in our image formation model, we can perform demosaicing as part of the deconvolution.
Schuler, C., Hirsch, M., Harmeling, S., Schölkopf, B. Non-stationary Correction of Optical Aberrations (1), Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Tübingen, Germany, May 2011 (techreport)
Multiple Kernel Learning: A Unifying Probabilistic Viewpoint
Nickisch, H., Seeger, M.
Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, March 2011 (techreport)
We present a probabilistic viewpoint to multiple kernel learning unifying well-known regularised risk approaches and recent advances in approximate Bayesian inference relaxations. The framework proposes a general objective function suitable for regression, robust regression and classification that is lower bound of the marginal likelihood and contains many regularised risk approaches as special cases. Furthermore, we derive an efficient and provably convergent optimisation algorithm.
Nickisch, H., Seeger, M. Multiple Kernel Learning: A Unifying Probabilistic Viewpoint Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, March 2011 (techreport)
Multiple testing, uncertainty and realistic pictures
Langovoy, M., Wittich, O.
(2011-004), EURANDOM, Technische Universiteit Eindhoven, January 2011 (techreport)
We study statistical detection of grayscale objects in noisy images. The object of interest is of unknown shape and has an unknown intensity, that can be varying over the object and can be negative. No boundary shape constraints are imposed on the object, only a weak bulk condition for the object's interior is required. We propose an algorithm that can be used to detect grayscale objects of unknown shapes in the presence of nonparametric noise of unknown level. Our algorithm is based on a nonparametric multiple testing procedure. We establish the limit of applicability of our method via an explicit, closed-form, non-asymptotic and nonparametric consistency bound. This bound is valid for a wide class of nonparametric noise distributions. We achieve this by proving an uncertainty principle for percolation on nite lattices.
Langovoy, M., Wittich, O. Multiple testing, uncertainty and realistic pictures (2011-004), EURANDOM, Technische Universiteit Eindhoven, January 2011 (techreport)
Nonconvex proximal splitting: batch and incremental algorithms
Within the unmanageably large class of nonconvex optimization, we consider the rich subclass of nonsmooth problems having composite objectives (this includes the extensively studied convex, composite objective problems as a special case). For this subclass, we introduce a powerful, new framework that permits asymptotically non-vanishing perturbations. In particular, we develop perturbation-based batch and incremental (online like) nonconvex proximal splitting algorithms. To our knowledge, this is the rst time that such perturbation-based nonconvex splitting algorithms are being proposed and analyzed. While the main contribution of the paper is the theoretical framework, we complement our results by presenting some empirical results on matrix factorization.
Sra, S. Nonconvex proximal splitting: batch and incremental algorithms (2), Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Tübingen, Germany, 2011 (techreport)
Computationally efficient algorithms for statistical image processing: Implementation in R
(2010-053), EURANDOM, Technische Universiteit Eindhoven, December 2010 (techreport)
In the series of our earlier papers on the subject, we proposed a novel statistical hy- pothesis testing method for detection of objects in noisy images. The method uses results from percolation theory and random graph theory. We developed algorithms that allowed to detect objects of unknown shapes in the presence of nonparametric noise of unknown level and of un- known distribution. No boundary shape constraints were imposed on the objects, only a weak bulk condition for the object's interior was required. Our algorithms have linear complexity and exponential accuracy. In the present paper, we describe an implementation of our nonparametric hypothesis testing method. We provide a program that can be used for statistical experiments in image processing. This program is written in the statistical programming language R.
Langovoy, M., Wittich, O. Computationally efficient algorithms for statistical image processing: Implementation in R (2010-053), EURANDOM, Technische Universiteit Eindhoven, December 2010 (techreport)
Fast Convergent Algorithms for Expectation Propagation Approximate Bayesian Inference
Seeger, M., Nickisch, H.
Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, December 2010 (techreport)
We propose a novel algorithm to solve the expectation propagation relaxation of Bayesian inference for continuous-variable graphical models. In contrast to most previous algorithms, our method is provably convergent. By marrying convergent EP ideas from (Opper&Winther 05) with covariance decoupling techniques (Wipf&Nagarajan 08, Nickisch&Seeger 09), it runs at least an order of magnitude faster than the most commonly used EP solver.
Seeger, M., Nickisch, H. Fast Convergent Algorithms for Expectation Propagation Approximate Bayesian Inference Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, December 2010 (techreport)
A PAC-Bayesian Analysis of Graph Clustering and Pairwise Clustering
Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany, September 2010 (techreport)
We formulate weighted graph clustering as a prediction problem: given a subset of edge weights we analyze the ability of graph clustering to predict the remaining edge weights. This formulation enables practical and theoretical comparison of different approaches to graph clustering as well as comparison of graph clustering with other possible ways to model the graph. We adapt the PAC-Bayesian analysis of co-clustering (Seldin and Tishby, 2008; Seldin, 2009) to derive a PAC-Bayesian generalization bound for graph clustering. The bound shows that graph clustering should optimize a trade-off between empirical data fit and the mutual information that clusters preserve on the graph nodes. A similar trade-off derived from information-theoretic considerations was already shown to produce state-of-the-art results in practice (Slonim et al., 2005; Yom-Tov and Slonim, 2009). This paper supports the empirical evidence by providing a better theoretical foundation, suggesting formal generalization guarantees, and offering a more accurate way to deal with finite sample issues. We derive a bound minimization algorithm and show that it provides good results in real-life problems and that the derived PAC-Bayesian bound is reasonably tight.
Seldin, Y. A PAC-Bayesian Analysis of Graph Clustering and Pairwise Clustering Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany, September 2010 (techreport)
Sparse nonnegative matrix approximation: new formulations and algorithms
Tandon, R., Sra, S.
(193), Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany, September 2010 (techreport)
We introduce several new formulations for sparse nonnegative matrix approximation. Subsequently, we solve these formulations by developing generic algorithms. Further, to help selecting a particular sparse formulation, we briefly discuss the interpretation of each formulation. Finally, preliminary experiments are presented to illustrate the behavior of our formulations and algorithms.
Tandon, R., Sra, S. Sparse nonnegative matrix approximation: new formulations and algorithms (193), Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany, September 2010 (techreport)
Robust nonparametric detection of objects in noisy images
(2010-049), EURANDOM, Technische Universiteit Eindhoven, September 2010 (techreport)
We propose a novel statistical hypothesis testing method for detection of objects in noisy images. The method uses results from percolation theory and random graph theory. We present an algorithm that allows to detect objects of unknown shapes in the presence of nonparametric noise of unknown level and of unknown distribution. No boundary shape constraints are imposed on the object, only a weak bulk condition for the object's interior is required. The algorithm has linear complexity and exponential accuracy and is appropriate for real-time systems. In this paper, we develop further the mathematical formalism of our method and explore im- portant connections to the mathematical theory of percolation and statistical physics. We prove results on consistency and algorithmic complexity of our testing procedure. In addition, we address not only an asymptotic behavior of the method, but also a nite sample performance of our test.
Langovoy, M., Wittich, O. Robust nonparametric detection of objects in noisy images (2010-049), EURANDOM, Technische Universiteit Eindhoven, September 2010 (techreport)
Large Scale Variational Inference and Experimental Design for Sparse Generalized Linear Models
Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, August 2010 (techreport)
Many problems of low-level computer vision and image processing, such as denoising, deconvolution, tomographic reconstruction or super-resolution, can be addressed by maximizing the posterior distribution of a sparse linear model (SLM). We show how higher-order Bayesian decision-making problems, such as optimizing image acquisition in magnetic resonance scanners, can be addressed by querying the SLM posterior covariance, unrelated to the density's mode. We propose a scalable algorithmic framework, with which SLM posteriors over full, high-resolution images can be approximated for the first time, solving a variational optimization problem which is convex iff posterior mode finding is convex. These methods successfully drive the optimization of sampling trajectories for real-world magnetic resonance imaging through Bayesian experimental design, which has not been attempted before. Our methodology provides new insight into similarities and differences between sparse reconstruction and approximate Bayesian inference, and has important implications for compressive sensing of real-world images.
Seeger, M., Nickisch, H. Large Scale Variational Inference and Experimental Design for Sparse Generalized Linear Models Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, August 2010 (techreport)
Cooperative Cuts for Image Segmentation
Jegelka, S., Bilmes, J.
(UWEETR-1020-0003), University of Washington, Washington DC, USA, August 2010 (techreport)
We propose a novel framework for graph-based cooperative regularization that uses submodular costs on graph edges. We introduce an efficient iterative algorithm to solve the resulting hard discrete optimization problem, and show that it has a guaranteed approximation factor. The edge-submodular formulation is amenable to the same extensions as standard graph cut approaches, and applicable to a range of problems. We apply this method to the image segmentation problem. Specifically, Here, we apply it to introduce a discount for homogeneous boundaries in binary image segmentation on very difficult images, precisely, long thin objects and color and grayscale images with a shading gradient. The experiments show that significant portions of previously truncated objects are now preserved.
Jegelka, S., Bilmes, J. Cooperative Cuts for Image Segmentation (UWEETR-1020-0003), University of Washington, Washington DC, USA, August 2010 (techreport)
Fast algorithms for total-variationbased optimization
Barbero, A., Sra, S.
(194), Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany, August 2010 (techreport)
We derive a number of methods to solve efficiently simple optimization problems subject to a totalvariation (TV) regularization, under different norms of the TV operator and both for the case of 1-dimensional and 2-dimensional data. In spite of the non-smooth, non-separable nature of the TV terms considered, we show that a dual formulation with strong structure can be derived. Taking advantage of this structure we develop adaptions of existing algorithms from the optimization literature, resulting in efficient methods for the problem at hand. Experimental results show that for 1-dimensional data the proposed methods achieve convergence within good accuracy levels in practically linear time, both for L1 and L2 norms. For the more challenging 2-dimensional case a performance of order O(N2 log2 N) for N x N inputs is achieved when using the L2 norm. A final section suggests possible extensions and lines of further work.
Barbero, A., Sra, S. Fast algorithms for total-variationbased optimization (194), Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany, August 2010 (techreport)
Gaussian Mixture Modeling with Gaussian Process Latent Variable Models
Nickisch, H., Rasmussen, C.
Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, June 2010 (techreport)
Density modeling is notoriously difficult for high dimensional data. One approach to the problem is to search for a lower dimensional manifold which captures the main characteristics of the data. Recently, the Gaussian Process Latent Variable Model (GPLVM) has successfully been used to find low dimensional manifolds in a variety of complex data. The GPLVM consists of a set of points in a low dimensional latent space, and a stochastic map to the observed space. We show how it can be interpreted as a density model in the observed space. However, the GPLVM is not trained as a density model and therefore yields bad density estimates. We propose a new training strategy and obtain improved generalisation performance and better density estimates in comparative evaluations on several benchmark data sets.
Nickisch, H., Rasmussen, C. Gaussian Mixture Modeling with Gaussian Process Latent Variable Models Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, June 2010 (techreport)
Generalized Proximity and Projection with Norms and Mixed-norms
(192), Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany, May 2010 (techreport)
We discuss generalized proximity operators (GPO) and their associated generalized projection problems. On inputs of size n, we show how to efficiently apply GPOs and generalized projections for separable norms and distance-like functions to accuracy e in O(n log(1/e)) time. We also derive projection algorithms that run theoretically in O(n log n log(1/e)) time but can for suitable parameter ranges empirically outperform the O(n log(1/e)) projection method. The proximity and projection tasks are either separable, and solved directly, or are reduced to a single root-finding step. We highlight that as a byproduct, our analysis also yields an O(n log(1/e)) (weakly linear-time) procedure for Euclidean projections onto the l1;1-norm ball; previously only an O(n log n) method was known. We provide empirical evaluation to illustrate the performance of our methods, noting that for the l1;1-norm projection, our implementation is more than two orders of magnitude faster than the previously known method.
Sra, S. Generalized Proximity and Projection with Norms and Mixed-norms (192), Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany, May 2010 (techreport)
Cooperative Cuts: Graph Cuts with Submodular Edge Weights
(189), Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tuebingen, Germany, March 2010 (techreport)
We introduce a problem we call Cooperative cut, where the goal is to find a minimum-cost graph cut but where a submodular function is used to define the cost of a subsets of edges. That means, the cost of an edge that is added to the current cut set C depends on the edges in C. This generalization of the cost in the standard min-cut problem to a submodular cost function immediately makes the problem harder. Not only do we prove NP hardness even for nonnegative submodular costs, but also show a lower bound of Omega(|V|^(1/3)) on the approximation factor for the problem. On the positive side, we propose and compare four approximation algorithms with an overall approximation factor of min { |V|/2, |C*|, O( sqrt(|E|) log |V|), |P_max|}, where C* is the optimal solution, and P_max is the longest s, t path across the cut between given s, t. We also introduce additional heuristics for the problem which have attractive properties from the perspective of practical applications and implementations in that existing fast min-cut libraries may be used as subroutines. Both our approximation algorithms, and our heuristics, appear to do well in practice.
Jegelka, S., Bilmes, J. Cooperative Cuts: Graph Cuts with Submodular Edge Weights (189), Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tuebingen, Germany, March 2010 (techreport)
JMLR Workshop and Conference Proceedings: Volume 6
Guyon, I., Janzing, D., Schölkopf, B.
pages: 288, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, USA, Causality: Objectives and Assessment (NIPS Workshop) , February 2010 (proceedings)
Guyon, I., Janzing, D., Schölkopf, B. JMLR Workshop and Conference Proceedings: Volume 6 pages: 288, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, USA, Causality: Objectives and Assessment (NIPS Workshop) , February 2010 (proceedings)
Information-theoretic inference of common ancestors
Steudel, B., Ay, N.
Computing Research Repository (CoRR), abs/1010.5720, pages: 18, 2010 (techreport)
Steudel, B., Ay, N. Information-theoretic inference of common ancestors Computing Research Repository (CoRR), abs/1010.5720, pages: 18, 2010 (techreport)
Popper, Falsification and the VC-dimension
Corfield, D., Schölkopf, B., Vapnik, V.
(145), Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, November 2005 (techreport)
Corfield, D., Schölkopf, B., Vapnik, V. Popper, Falsification and the VC-dimension (145), Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, November 2005 (techreport)
A Combinatorial View of Graph Laplacians
Huang, J.
Discussions about different graph Laplacian, mainly normalized and unnormalized versions of graph Laplacian, have been ardent with respect to various methods in clustering and graph based semi-supervised learning. Previous research on graph Laplacians investigated their convergence properties to Laplacian operators on continuous manifolds. There is still no strong proof on convergence for the normalized Laplacian. In this paper, we analyze different variants of graph Laplacians directly from the ways solving the original graph partitioning problem. The graph partitioning problem is a well-known combinatorial NP hard optimization problem. The spectral solutions provide evidence that normalized Laplacian encodes more reasonable considerations for graph partitioning. We also provide some examples to show their differences.
Huang, J. A Combinatorial View of Graph Laplacians (144), Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany, August 2005 (techreport)
Beyond Pairwise Classification and Clustering Using Hypergraphs
Zhou, D., Huang, J., Schölkopf, B.
(143), Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, August 2005 (techreport)
In many applications, relationships among objects of interest are more complex than pairwise. Simply approximating complex relationships as pairwise ones can lead to loss of information. An alternative for these applications is to analyze complex relationships among data directly, without the need to first represent the complex relationships into pairwise ones. A natural way to describe complex relationships is to use hypergraphs. A hypergraph is a graph in which edges can connect more than two vertices. Thus we consider learning from a hypergraph, and develop a general framework which is applicable to classification and clustering for complex relational data. We have applied our framework to real-world web classification problems and obtained encouraging results.
Zhou, D., Huang, J., Schölkopf, B. Beyond Pairwise Classification and Clustering Using Hypergraphs (143), Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, August 2005 (techreport)
Generalized Nonnegative Matrix Approximations using Bregman Divergences
Sra, S., Dhillon, I.
Univ. of Texas at Austin, June 2005 (techreport)
Sra, S., Dhillon, I. Generalized Nonnegative Matrix Approximations using Bregman Divergences Univ. of Texas at Austin, June 2005 (techreport)
Measuring Statistical Dependence with Hilbert-Schmidt Norms
Gretton, A., Bousquet, O., Smola, A., Schölkopf, B.
(140), Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany, June 2005 (techreport)
We propose an independence criterion based on the eigenspectrum of covariance operators in reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces (RKHSs), consisting of an empirical estimate of the Hilbert-Schmidt norm of the cross-covariance operator (we term this a Hilbert-Schmidt Independence Criterion, or HSIC). This approach has several advantages, compared with previous kernel-based independence criteria. First, the empirical estimate is simpler than any other kernel dependence test, and requires no user-defined regularisation. Second, there is a clearly defined population quantity which the empirical estimate approaches in the large sample limit, with exponential convergence guaranteed between the two: this ensures that independence tests based on HSIC do not suffer from slow learning rates. Finally, we show in the context of independent component analysis (ICA) that the performance of HSIC is competitive with that of previously published kernel-based criteria, and of other recently published ICA methods.
Gretton, A., Bousquet, O., Smola, A., Schölkopf, B. Measuring Statistical Dependence with Hilbert-Schmidt Norms (140), Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany, June 2005 (techreport)
Consistency of Kernel Canonical Correlation Analysis
Fukumizu, K., Bach, F., Gretton, A.
(942), Institute of Statistical Mathematics, 4-6-7 Minami-azabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-8569 Japan, June 2005 (techreport)
Fukumizu, K., Bach, F., Gretton, A. Consistency of Kernel Canonical Correlation Analysis (942), Institute of Statistical Mathematics, 4-6-7 Minami-azabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-8569 Japan, June 2005 (techreport)
Approximate Inference for Robust Gaussian Process Regression
Kuss, M., Pfingsten, T., Csato, L., Rasmussen, C.
(136), Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany, 2005 (techreport)
Gaussian process (GP) priors have been successfully used in non-parametric Bayesian regression and classification models. Inference can be performed analytically only for the regression model with Gaussian noise. For all other likelihood models inference is intractable and various approximation techniques have been proposed. In recent years expectation-propagation (EP) has been developed as a general method for approximate inference. This article provides a general summary of how expectation-propagation can be used for approximate inference in Gaussian process models. Furthermore we present a case study describing its implementation for a new robust variant of Gaussian process regression. To gain further insights into the quality of the EP approximation we present experiments in which we compare to results obtained by Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling.
Kuss, M., Pfingsten, T., Csato, L., Rasmussen, C. Approximate Inference for Robust Gaussian Process Regression (136), Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany, 2005 (techreport)
Maximum-Margin Feature Combination for Detection and Categorization
BakIr, G., Wu, M., Eichhorn, J.
Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany, 2005 (techreport)
In this paper we are concerned with the optimal combination of features of possibly different types for detection and estimation tasks in machine vision. We propose to combine features such that the resulting classifier maximizes the margin between classes. In contrast to existing approaches which are non-convex and/or generative we propose to use a discriminative model leading to convex problem formulation and complexity control. Furthermore we assert that decision functions should not compare apples and oranges by comparing features of different types directly. Instead we propose to combine different similarity measures for each different feature type. Furthermore we argue that the question: "Which feature type is more discriminative for task X?" is ill-posed and show empirically that the answer to this question might depend on the complexity of the decision function.
BakIr, G., Wu, M., Eichhorn, J. Maximum-Margin Feature Combination for Detection and Categorization Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany, 2005 (techreport)
Towards a Statistical Theory of Clustering. Presented at the PASCAL workshop on clustering, London
von Luxburg, U., Ben-David, S.
Presented at the PASCAL workshop on clustering, London, 2005 (techreport)
The goal of this paper is to discuss statistical aspects of clustering in a framework where the data to be clustered has been sampled from some unknown probability distribution. Firstly, the clustering of the data set should reveal some structure of the underlying data rather than model artifacts due to the random sampling process. Secondly, the more sample points we have, the more reliable the clustering should be. We discuss which methods can and cannot be used to tackle those problems. In particular we argue that generalization bounds as they are used in statistical learning theory of classification are unsuitable in a general clustering framework. We suggest that the main replacements of generalization bounds should be convergence proofs and stability considerations. This paper should be considered as a road map paper which identifies important questions and potentially fruitful directions for future research about statistical clustering. We do not attempt to present a complete statistical theory of clustering.
von Luxburg, U., Ben-David, S. Towards a Statistical Theory of Clustering. Presented at the PASCAL workshop on clustering, London Presented at the PASCAL workshop on clustering, London, 2005 (techreport)
Approximate Bayesian Inference for Psychometric Functions using MCMC Sampling
In psychophysical studies the psychometric function is used to model the relation between the physical stimulus intensity and the observer's ability to detect or discriminate between stimuli of different intensities. In this report we propose the use of Bayesian inference to extract the information contained in experimental data estimate the parameters of psychometric functions. Since Bayesian inference cannot be performed analytically we describe how a Markov chain Monte Carlo method can be used to generate samples from the posterior distribution over parameters. These samples are used to estimate Bayesian confidence intervals and other characteristics of the posterior distribution. In addition we discuss the parameterisation of psychometric functions and the role of prior distributions in the analysis. The proposed approach is exemplified using artificially generate d data and in a case study for real experimental data. Furthermore, we compare our approach with traditional methods based on maximum-likelihood parameter estimation combined with bootstrap techniques for confidence interval estimation. The appendix provides a description of an implementation for the R environment for statistical computing and provides the code for reproducing the results discussed in the experiment section.
Kuss, M., Jäkel, F., Wichmann, F. Approximate Bayesian Inference for Psychometric Functions using MCMC Sampling (135), Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany, 2005 (techreport)
Kernel Dependency Estimation
Weston, J., Chapelle, O., Elisseeff, A., Schölkopf, B., Vapnik, V.
(98), Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, August 2002 (techreport)
We consider the learning problem of finding a dependency between a general class of objects and another, possibly different, general class of objects. The objects can be for example: vectors, images, strings, trees or graphs. Such a task is made possible by employing similarity measures in both input and output spaces using kernel functions, thus embedding the objects into vector spaces. Output kernels also make it possible to encode prior information and/or invariances in the loss function in an elegant way. We experimentally validate our approach on several tasks: mapping strings to strings, pattern recognition, and reconstruction from partial images.
Weston, J., Chapelle, O., Elisseeff, A., Schölkopf, B., Vapnik, V. Kernel Dependency Estimation (98), Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, August 2002 (techreport)
Global Geometry of SVM Classifiers
Zhou, D., Xiao, B., Zhou, H., Dai, R.
Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany, June 2002 (techreport)
We construct an geometry framework for any norm Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifiers. Within this framework, separating hyperplanes, dual descriptions and solutions of SVM classifiers are constructed by a purely geometric fashion. In contrast with the optimization theory used in SVM classifiers, we have no complicated computations any more. Each step in our theory is guided by elegant geometric intuitions.
PDF PostScript [BibTex]
Zhou, D., Xiao, B., Zhou, H., Dai, R. Global Geometry of SVM Classifiers Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany, June 2002 (techreport)
Computationally Efficient Face Detection
Romdhani, S., Torr, P., Schölkopf, B., Blake, A.
(MSR-TR-2002-69), Microsoft Research, June 2002 (techreport)
Romdhani, S., Torr, P., Schölkopf, B., Blake, A. Computationally Efficient Face Detection (MSR-TR-2002-69), Microsoft Research, June 2002 (techreport)
Kernel-based nonlinear blind source separation
Harmeling, S., Ziehe, A., Kawanabe, M., Müller, K.
EU-Project BLISS, January 2002 (techreport)
Harmeling, S., Ziehe, A., Kawanabe, M., Müller, K. Kernel-based nonlinear blind source separation EU-Project BLISS, January 2002 (techreport)
A compression approach to support vector model selection
von Luxburg, U., Bousquet, O., Schölkopf, B.
(101), Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, 2002, see more detailed JMLR version (techreport)
In this paper we investigate connections between statistical learning theory and data compression on the basis of support vector machine (SVM) model selection. Inspired by several generalization bounds we construct ``compression coefficients'' for SVMs, which measure the amount by which the training labels can be compressed by some classification hypothesis. The main idea is to relate the coding precision of this hypothesis to the width of the margin of the SVM. The compression coefficients connect well known quantities such as the radius-margin ratio R^2/rho^2, the eigenvalues of the kernel matrix and the number of support vectors. To test whether they are useful in practice we ran model selection experiments on several real world datasets. As a result we found that compression coefficients can fairly accurately predict the parameters for which the test error is minimized.
von Luxburg, U., Bousquet, O., Schölkopf, B. A compression approach to support vector model selection (101), Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, 2002, see more detailed JMLR version (techreport)
Feature Selection and Transduction for Prediction of Molecular Bioactivity for Drug Design
Weston, J., Perez-Cruz, F., Bousquet, O., Chapelle, O., Elisseeff, A., Schölkopf, B.
Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics / Biowulf Technologies, 2002 (techreport)
Weston, J., Perez-Cruz, F., Bousquet, O., Chapelle, O., Elisseeff, A., Schölkopf, B. Feature Selection and Transduction for Prediction of Molecular Bioactivity for Drug Design Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics / Biowulf Technologies, 2002 (techreport)
Observations on the Nyström Method for Gaussian Process Prediction
Williams, C., Rasmussen, C., Schwaighofer, A., Tresp, V.
A number of methods for speeding up Gaussian Process (GP) prediction have been proposed, including the Nystr{\"o}m method of Williams and Seeger (2001). In this paper we focus on two issues (1) the relationship of the Nystr{\"o}m method to the Subset of Regressors method (Poggio and Girosi 1990; Luo and Wahba, 1997) and (2) understanding in what circumstances the Nystr{\"o}m approximation would be expected to provide a good approximation to exact GP regression.
Williams, C., Rasmussen, C., Schwaighofer, A., Tresp, V. Observations on the Nyström Method for Gaussian Process Prediction Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany, 2002 (techreport)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Discussion in 'California Flyway Forum' started by Refugeguy, Apr 14, 2019.
longduck, Sweatliner, RemSpt58 and 8 others like this.
Sweatliner, RemSpt58, OGblackcloud and 7 others like this.
super cool... great job pops !
Great job cultivating the future. Someday they will take you fishing.
Quality youth fishing and photos. Thank you for posting.
As my Daughter and Husband have rental property in Fresno , my Grandson tells me the Sub-division has its own Lake with lots of Big Bass .
So this Saturday while down that way I told my Grandson , lets go fish that lake . Wow was I surprised , first cast 4 lbs 7 oz's , Big Momma Bass .
We fished for 2 1/2 hrs caught 11 Bass , 9 were over 3 lbs on his jiffy scale as I thought , who needs a Bass Boat with a 250 hp with Power Poles ?
Oh what fun it was !
longduck, API and OGblackcloud like this.
Good for you on getting the little ones out!
Gotta ask though ... you said "your daughter and husband". Your daughter and your husband? Hope it was her husband.
Let's go restock them! I'll help.


text:
Rampant Monaco continue unrelenting advance
by: Luke Entwistle
AS Monaco met little resistance against Saint-Etienne on Saturday, as Philippe Clement's men earned their sixth consecutive victory (1-4) with just "four finals" left to decide their Champions League fate.
Thanks to Strasbourg's loss to Lille, Monaco moved up to fourth, behind Rennes only on goal difference.
Since Clement's declaration post-Braga defeat that there are "10 finals" left to go in the season, they have won every match. Nothing has yet been decided, however, as Aurélien Tchouameni reminded us post-match, "Before today's game against Saint-Étienne there were five finals, and there are still four to go. I repeat, we still have to take the matches one after another."
Following consecutive victories against rivals for the European spaces, a different kind of challenge awaited them in the Geoffroy Stadium. But amidst a hot atmosphere, which prompted two delays due to pyrotechnic displays, one of which lasted over 30 minutes, Clement's men got the job done.
The Principality side started as they meant to go on. Kevin Volland tested the goalkeeper early, whilst Gelson Martins, in for Ruben Aguilar in what was the only change, had to score the rebound, but blazed over with the open goal gaping.
Monaco kept pushing and took the lead soon after. Caio Henrique's grounded cross was met perfectly by Ben Yedder, who swept home to net his 20th in the league this season.
Only seconds later, the lead was doubled in a near mirror image of the opener. Gelson Martins this time with the cross, and although Volland's finishing touch wasn't as clean, it was nonetheless sufficient to give Monaco control of the match.
Wahbi Khazri's converted penalty following a slightly rash Tchouameni challenge in the box gave Les Verts hope of a revival. That notion was put to pay early in the second half, Timothee Kolodziejczak's spectacular own goal restored the two-goal cushion, before the lengthy delay.
The much-prolonged game was then wrapped up as a contest by Myron Boadu, who couldn't miss his open goal attempt from six yards.
Another three points firmly asserts Monaco as the form side in the division, as they chase after an ever-more realistic podium spot. Post-match, Clement reflected on an important victory in a hostile atmosphere.
"I am very happy with my players because they managed the interruption well, and I'm very happy to have scored four goals, even if we could have scored even more."
Monaco are a free-flowing, free-scoring attacking outfit once more, and should Ben Yedder, Volland and Boaud's form continue through until the end of the season, that may just be the difference between meeting their objectives or falling agonisingly short.
Photo source: AS Monaco


Aradhana George, 23, and her parents chalked out a budget when she went for her masters in marketing from Texas A&M University, US, in August 2016. They figured out that all expenses included, the 16-month program and stay would cost not more than ₹50 lakh. "This was for the full course. ₹30 lakh was financed by my parents, and for the rest, I took an education loan. But I wasn't able to cover all my expenses," said Aradhana, who is now a marketing analyst in a Dubai-based company.
Most universities provide an estimated list of expenses for international students planning to study on their campus. Aradhana received these estimates too and planned her expenses accordingly. "The university estimated the accommodation to cost $600 a month but since Aradhana stayed off campus, she ended up spending $1,200 a month for a furnished flat, including the maintenance cost. Like this, a lot of expenses went overboard," said her mother, Anita George. By the end of the course, Aradhana's parents had paid up another₹20 lakh.
According to data by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), spending on tuition and accommodation by Indian students studying abroad spiked by 44% from $1.9 billion in 2013-14 to $2.8 billion in 2017-18 (read here). A report in a quarterly journal from the Boston College Center for International Higher Education shows that the number of Indian students studying abroad has increased to about 255,030 in 2016 from 55,444 in 1999. While numbers show that more Indians are pursuing education abroad, it is still a task to make a budget that accounts for all possible expenses. Here's what you can do.
Once you've zeroed down on the university, the next big step is to figure out how much money you'll need. "Ideally, one should make an annual budget, including the sources of money such as family contributions, loans, financial aid or scholarships, and income that the student may generate through part-time jobs," said Priya Sunder, director and co-founder, PeakAlpha Investment Services Pvt. Ltd. Once you have this in place, create a separate list of fixed expenses such as fees, accommodation, meal plan or food, health insurance, internet and phone bills, travel and personal care expenses. "What remains is the student's discretionary spend. This money can either be used for planning local travel or vacations, entertainment, or eating out," added Sunder.
Pooja Umesh, age 22, is pursuing masters in computer science and engineering at University at Buffalo, New York.
Aradhana said although a portion of her discretionary expenses were factored into the budget, she didn't realise how much she would need for basic spending like going to the salon or eating out until she actually moved. "The cost of living is very expensive. It is only when you stay abroad you realise the costs and it is difficult to budget earlier," said Aradhana. Her university has a huge campus with buses that ply frequently and the fares are included in the fees. "Students pick up courses depending on their sleep cycle and convenience. Aradhana picked evening courses because she liked sleeping in till late so it would get late in the night by the time her classes would end. We ended up buying a second-hand car for ₹7 lakh to ensure she got home safe at night," said Anita. This wasn't a cost they had foreseen.
Most people tend to ignore rupee fluctuation while planning their education abroad. Between January 2014 and 2019, rupee depreciated 11.15% against the dollar.
This is how it plays out. Suppose your tuition fee is $13,500 each year, you will have to pay ₹9,60,457 as on 28 January for 2019. Assuming the depreciation rate remains at 11.15% between 2019 and 2024, you will end up shelling out ₹10,67,889 for the same amount of annual fees at the end of 2024.
"Currency fluctuation can affect your calculations. The Indian rupee is depreciating at a faster pace and this will affect your budget negatively. Unless you plan for this, you will fall short of the required amount," said Melvin Joseph, Sebi-registered investment adviser and founder, Finvin Financial Planners.
Umesh has taken up an on-campus job that pays her $11.10 an hour which is helping her cover living expenses such as groceries and utility bills. However, her craving for desi food often lands her in Indian grocery stores where products are quite expensive when compared to a Walmart. "There's $1-2 difference in vegetables, $4 difference in dry fruits and Indian brands like Haldirams and MTR you don't find in Walmart. You have to buy these from Indian stores which are relatively expensive," said Umesh. To make sure she lives within her means, Umesh avoids eating out as much as possible. "Eating out is an expensive affair here," she added.
When you're stepping out of home, the idea of boarding and a meal plan may sound fancy but by the end of the first semester, it could become a boring routine. Take into account the costs you will have to bear in case you plan to move off campus. Personal grooming is yet another aspect to budget for. Salons and spas are expensive abroad and if you're dependent on such services, it's important you include that in your budget. Movie tickets are expensive too, so don't forget the Netflix and Spotify subscriptions.
Budgeting is important but you can never be accurate. Since Aradhana had studied computer science in her under-graduation, she was asked to take up three additional courses as prerequisites for her masters in business and marketing after she moved to Texas. "This was something we hadn't thought about. The university also didn't mention this until Aradhana moved there. It was unexpected so we had to shell out more for these courses too," said Anita.
There could be other unforeseen yet unavoidable expenses too. "Many incidental expenses will not be included in the university brochure. Local travelling expenses, travel cost to India, travel cost for parents to attend children's convocation etc. are some of them," said Joseph.
Also, it's not always easy to find an internship in the same city. What if you need to move to another city? For her consultancy project every semester, Aradhana had to travel at least twice every month to Austin or Houston which is about 200 miles from the university. Her car came in handy as cabs are expensive and she was not used to travelling in buses.
Joseph said expenses for at least one semester should be kept aside as surplus. It is a good idea to speak to someone who has studied at the university you're planning to go to and understand the expenses that you may otherwise overlook.


text:
Mr. Roger Craig
Mr. Craig is a successful marketing and business development professional, former all-pro football running back, and motivational speaker. For over 10 years, Mr. Craig has been a regular speaker at meetings of Fortune 500 companies and charitable organizations. As a motivational speaker, he is known for dynamic talks on leadership, teamwork and generating sales.
Global organizations include Nike, Cisco Systems, Longs Drugs and John Deere have created motivational videos featuring Mr. Craig. He has delivered talks to executive, sales, and marketing organizations at the world's leading companies, including companies as diverse as visa, FedEx, Nike, Kyphon, Cisco Systems, Reuters, Mercury Interactive, E. & J. Gallo Winery, Beringer Vineyards, Toyota, Coors, Burger King, Cosair, Yahoo, Sprint and the United Way.
Mr. Craig spent 11 years as a professional football player in the National Football League. Throughout his career, he was an all-pro running back and broke numerous records. Some of his accomplishments include tying the record for the most points scored in a Super Bowl, being selected for the Pro-bowl fives times and NFL MVP and Sports Illustrated Player of the Year in 1988.
While with the San Francisco 49ers, Mr. Craig won three Super Bowls and never missed a Playoff in his 11 year career and was the first player in the NFL history to rush and receive for 1000 yards in the same season. The same year, he led the NFL in receptions as a running back with 92 catches. Mr. Craig has been named to the Team of the Decade (80s). In 2008, Mr. Craig was enshrined to the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame. In 2009, Mr. Craig participated in the NFL Super Bowl Coin Toss, with General Petraeus, John Elway and Lynn Swan in Tampa, FL. More recently, Mr. Craig was recognized as an 'Iowa Sport Hero'. In 2010, Mr. Craig was among the 15 finalists for the NFL Hall of Fame.
After leaving football, Mr. Craig appeared as a commentator for 3 regional NFL Sports Shows and co-founded the CLS Sports Inc. a sports marketing company. Later, he joined the TIBCO Software Inc. as director of business development.
Of al his professional achievements, Mr. Craig is most proud of community service, his life with his wife Vernessia, and their five children.


text:
Title 42. THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE
Chapter 34. ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY PROGRAM
Subchapter VIII. NATIVE AMERICAN PROGRAMS
Section 2991d–1. Panel review of applications for assistance
42 U.S. Code § 2991d–1 - Panel review of applications for assistance
(a) Establishment of formal panel; members
(1) The Commissioner shall establish a formal panel review process for purposes of—
evaluating applications for financial assistance under sections 2991b and 2991d of this title; and
determining the relative merits of the projects for which such assistance is requested.
To implement the process established under paragraph (1), the Commissioner shall appoint members of review panels from among individuals who are not officers or employees of the Administration for Native Americans. In making appointments to such panels, the Commissioner shall give preference to American Indians, Native Hawaiians, other Native American Pacific Islanders (including American Samoan Natives), and Alaska Natives.
(b) Duties of panelEach review panel appointed under subsection (a)(2) that reviews any application for financial assistance shall—
determine the merit of each project described in such application;
rank such application with respect to all other applications it reviews for the fiscal year involved, according to the relative merit of all of the projects that are described in such application and for which financial assistance is requested; and
submit to the Commissioner a list that identifies all applications reviewed by such panel and arranges such applications according to rank determined under paragraph (2).
(c) Notice to Congressional committee chairman; information requiredUpon the request of the chairman of the Committee on Indian Affairs of the Senate or of the chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor of the House of Representatives made with respect to any application for financial assistance under section 2991b or 2991d of this title, the Commissioner shall transmit to the chairman written notice—
identifying such application;
containing a copy of the list submitted to the Commissioner under subsection (b)(3) in which such application is ranked;
specifying which other applications ranked in such list have been approved by the Commissioner under sections 2991b and 2991d of this title; and
(4) if the Commissioner has not approved each application superior in merit, as indicated on such list, to the application with respect to which such notice is transmitted, containing a statement of the reasons relied upon by the Commissioner for—
approving the application with respect to which such notice is transmitted; and
failing to approve each pending application that is superior in merit, as indicated on such list, to the application described in subparagraph (A).
(Pub. L. 88–452, title VIII, § 806, as added and amended Pub. L. 100–175, title V, §§ 502(4), 504(b)(2), Nov. 29, 1987, 101 Stat. 973, 975; Pub. L. 102–375, title VIII, § 822(6), (21), Sept. 30, 1992, 106 Stat. 1298, 1300; Pub. L. 103–171, § 5(5), Dec. 2, 1993, 107 Stat. 1992; Pub. L. 103–437, § 15(k), Nov. 2, 1994, 108 Stat. 4593.)
A prior section 806 of Pub. L. 88–452 was renumbered section 807 and is classified to section 2991e of this title.
Another prior section 806 of Pub. L. 88–452, title VIII, as added Pub. L. 89–794, title VIII, § 801, Nov. 8, 1966, 80 Stat. 1474, provided for duration of VISTA program through June 30, 1970, and was classified to section 2991e of this title, prior to the general amendment of this subchapter by Pub. L. 90–222, title I, § 110, Dec. 23, 1967, 81 Stat. 722.
1994—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 103–437 substituted "Committee on Indian Affairs" for "Select Committee on Indian Affairs".
1993—Subsec. (a)(2). Pub. L. 103–171 substituted "Alaska" for "Alaskan".
1992—Pub. L. 102–375, § 822(6), substituted "Commissioner" for "Secretary" wherever appearing.
Subsec. (a)(2). Pub. L. 102–375, § 822(21), which directed the substitution of "Alaska Native" for "Alaskan Native", could not be executed because the words "Alaskan Native" did not appear.
1987—Subsec. (a)(2). Pub. L. 100–175, § 504(b)(2), which directed that par. (2) be amended by inserting "other Native American Pacific Islanders (including American Samoan Natives)," after "Hawaiian Natives," was executed by making the insertion after "Native Hawaiians," to reflect the probable intent of Congress.
Enactment and amendment by Pub. L. 100–175 effective Oct. 1, 1987, see section 701 of Pub. L. 100–175, set out as an Effective Date of 1987 Amendment note under section 3001 of this title.
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text:
Affordable Travel Guides PahangMalaysia
8 Things To See & Do While You Explore Malaysia Off The Beaten Track In Pahang
While not nearly half as famous as the other states in Malaysia, Pahang, the largest state in Peninsular Malaysia, is the perfect choice if you wish to kick back and experience a vacation slightly off the beaten track.
Here are eight things you can do when visiting Pahang:
1. Stay At De Rhu Beach Resort
For the duration of our trip, we stayed at De Rhu Beach Resort. Just a 15 minutes drive from Kuantan Town, De Rhu Beach Resort is a beautiful scenic beachfront three-Star International Class Beach Resort, set amidst six acres of lush landscapes surroundings, fronting azure clear blue waters of the South China Sea.
Rooms in De Rhu are well-furbished and clean. In fact, we were surprised at how spacious it was!
Bonus: our room faced the ocean so if you keep really quiet, you can hear the waves crashing on the shore in the distance.
The waters here are pretty rough but fret not, the resort's two swimming pools also make for a good alternative to swimming in the open sea. Plus it's the perfect place to just grab a soda and chill.
For dining options, the resort has its own restaurant and guests have the option of dining indoors or outdoors.
On the very first night, we dined under the glow of fairy lights which was the perfect way to end off the day.
We had the luxury of trying out the resort's very own steamboat and grill buffet dinners for only RM25, approx. S$8.30 (adults) and RM15, approx. S$4.98 (kids) and nothing beats eating freshly caught seafood! However, do take note that the steamboat and grill is only available from Friday to Sunday.
Also, it's probably dinner time for mosquitoes as well, so please bring along your insect repellant!
De Rhu Beach Resort: 152 Sungai Karang, Beserah, 26100 Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia | Tel: +609 557 9000
2. ATV At The Beach
While it is no Phuket or Bali, this beach has its own charm, with ash brown sand and a vast ocean which seems to go on forever.
The best part of it all? The beach is right behind our resort.
Something that I was personally really excited to try was the ATV. They were available for rent right behind our resort and guests can either opt for the jungle, village or beach track.
Being newbies, we went for the beach track and boy was it exhilarating!
In comparison to the jungle and village tracks which were more challenging, the beach track give riders ample space to speed along the wcoastlineline. It's like riding a motorbike but much safer.
Prices start at RM12 (approx. S$3.98), but it would be advisable to make a booking with the resort beforehand as prices vary across the different routes.
3. Visit An Oil Palm Mill
Located 70km away from Kuantan, Kilang Sawit LCSB Lepar Kuantan is an oil palm mill that produces palm oil from scratch.
Not exactly a tourist attraction per se, but how often do you get to witness the process of making palm oil in its entirety?
We were brought on a tour around the mill and witnessed the workers sorting through a fresh batch of palm oil. Talk about efficiency, the mill is able to process as much as 40-80 tons of fresh fruit bunches per hour.
Apart from just crude palm oil, did you know other products like margarine can also be made from the exterior of the palm oil fruits?
Well the guides and staff there are all friendly and informative so regardless of how clueless you are, you'll definitely leave the place well-informed.
Kilang Sawit LCSB Lepar: Kompleks Kilang LKPP Lepar, KM 43.5 Lebuhraya Tun Razak, 26300 Gambang, Kuantan, Pahang Darul Makmur, Malaysia | Tel: 09-566904/546
4. Stay In Agro Semuji Resort
Another resort we visited during our short stay in Pahang was Agro Semuji Resort. Located in Kuantan, the resort is a 30-minute drive away from Kuantan Town and about 14 km from the airport.
With its rustic wood flooring and furnishings, the resort offers its guests a blend of tradition alongside today's modernity.
The resort serves up local specialities cooked with homegrown produce. Perfect to replenish your energy after partaking in the variety of outdoor activities, including fishing, bamboo rafting and high and low rope elements.
The resort also has its very own mini zoo with deer, ostriches and rabbits! I know Singapore has them too but there's something extra intriguing about seeing animals when you're overseas. I recall being especially excited to feed the deer.
Other than on-site activities, jungle trekking and nature walks to the nearby Bekelah Waterfall can also be arranged with the friendly resort staff at your request.
Most importantly, the activities here revolve largely around nature. So if you're looking for a countryside respite from city life, why not check out Agro Semuji?
Agro Semuji Resort: Km 42 Jalan Kuantan-K. Lumpur, 26020 Gambang, Malaysia | Tel: +60 9-478 0488
5. Travel Back In Time In Sungai Lembing Mines
Often referred to as "the town that time forgot", Sungai Lembing is a small township that was the result from a bygone era of tin mining. Here, visitors can drop by and catch a glimpse of its past glories, most notably the Sungai Lembing Mines.
Don't be fooled by the seemingly unassuming exterior of the compound, the tunnels in the mine felt like a whole new world on its own.
The main attraction here has to be the underground tin mines, which have been around since colonial times. The underground mines were first established in 1888 by Pahang Corporation, back when Sungai Lembing was still an undeveloped terrain, and they actually constitute the largest tin mine in the world stretching for a whopping length of 322km!
We didn't really know what to expect when we were led into the pitch black cave, but we were pleasantly surprised to realise that the tunnels were actually brightly lit with good ventilation.
The chamber we visited was named the "million dollar chamber" where miners actually made RM 2000 – RM 3000 (approx. S$663 – S$995) daily from the uncontrolled tin mining activities, which were thought of to be equivalent to today's one million dollars.
Tin mining started in 1820 in Malaysia following the arrival of Chinese immigrants workers. Without electricity, the workers had to do everything by hand and as a result, they toiled long hours in these caverns, with little to no breaks in-between.
Despite such harsh working conditions, the workers still managed to hit a depth of 700 meters, making it the world's second deepest tin mine. And that speaks volumes of the blood, sweat and tears that went into its development.
Overall, it was a fun and educational visit! We even rode one of the original trams in, which was kind of thrilling though the ride only lasted for a short while.
Sungai Lembing Mines: Opening Hours: 9am – 6pm (daily) | Prices: RM16 (approx. S$5.31)
6. Explore Sungai Lembing's Town Center
Other than million dollar tin mines, we also spent the afternoon walking around Sungai Lembing's Town Center. It is a small town so we pretty much covered the place in 20 minutes.
In modern day, Sungai Lembing is quaint little town, with shops lining both sides of the street. The rustic houses and overgrown trees transported us back in time, and in some ways, it kind of resembled the old "kampung" days.
No one would have expected that back in the day, the place was packed and bustling with activities. However, when the tin mining industry came to an abrupt end in the 1980s, many villagers lost their jobs and decided to migrate overseas.
Today, the town of Sungai Lembing is in decline as many of the wooden shop lots are closed and people are moving away. So on your next trip to Malaysia, you might want to consider popping by and paying this hidden gem a visit before it's gone for good.
Sungai Lembing Old Town: Sungai Lembing, 26200 Sungai Lembing, Pahang, Malaysia.
7. Dine At De Rhu Oriental Restaurant
After exploring the old town, we dined at De Rhu Oriental Restaurant which serves up Chinese and Western cuisine. The restaurant adopts a modern contemporary concept which offers its diners a peaceful dining experience.
We had a set meal prepared for us, but on usual days, patrons can choose from over 100 different tantalising dishes.
De Rhu Oriental Restaurant:Jalan Bukit Sekilau, Kuantan, Pahang Darul Makmur, Malaysia. | Tel:09-5141 169 | Website
8. Try Batik Painting At Natural Batik Village Balok
More than just a popular souvenir, Batik actually means "drawing with wax". The ancient method of textile decoration has been practised in many places all over Asia over the past 100 years.
Designs are first stamped onto the fabric using hot wax before using fabric dyes to paint them in. The Malaysian batik is famous for its geometrical designs and simpler patterns as compared to the Indonesian Batiks.
Besides allowing visitors to witness the manufacturing process, visitors can also shop for various batik merchandise at the retail section of the batik village.
They had a far wider selection (and price range) than I expected, whether you're going for something high end or something more wallet-friendly, there will definitely be something within your budget.
We also had the opportunity to try our hands at Batik painting! Usually more of a hit with the children, we are unashamed to say that it was arguably one of our favourite activities of the day.
We found it really therapeutic. Perhaps, there's just a certain sense of gratification when you get to create something of your very own.
Natural Batik Village: Lot 4898, Batu 9 1/2, Jalan Kemaman – Kuantan, 26100 Kuantan Pahang, Malaysia | Website
Sometimes amidst the hustle and bustle of city life, we forget how important it is to take a breather once in a while. The few days we spent in Pahang certainly did well in rejuvenating our spirits although there are still places we have yet to explore.
Written By Eleanor Tan
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Jo S. Kaplan, a former city social worker who for two decades coordinated the annual May festival held at Bedford Elementary School in Pikesville, died of pneumonia Monday at Northwest Hospital. She was 85.
The daughter of Irving Frankel, a businessman, and Lillian Rothkopf Frankel, a homemaker, Jo Sande Frankel was born in Chicago and spent her early years in Rochester, N.Y., before moving with her family in 1945 to a home on Winterbourne Road near Leakin Park.
After graduating from Forest Park High School, she earned a degree in social work from the University of Maryland School of Social Work in 1952.


Oppo does not waste time and already announced the Oppo A71. So it surprises both locals and strangers who are already used to launches of this type. This Oppo A 71 will be very similar to the predecessor. I.e. the same size and certain features maintained. It is clear that the great improvement is in the use of a much more powerful processor. That makes it faster than the other devices. The Oppo A 71 2018 improves on the Color OS 3.2 system. That is a facial recognition technology. That improves the experience of those who want to take pictures with great level. In the best style of a professional photographer, the company says. A unique feature of the Oppo A71 2018, a mid-range mobile hopes to position itself in the market.
Display Type Multi-touch, Capacitive Screen, 16M Colors.
Price in Bangladesh 16,990 Tk.


I thought it might be interesting and fun to try a social experiment here on Wise Blood.
The Magic Christian by Terry Southern and The Third Policeman by Flann O'Brien have long held a special place in my affections and right here and now, I heartily recommend them to you. If you haven't read them already – go out and borrow or buy them. Well, read this first – then go and get them. Okay? And the social experiment? I'm going to discuss the two books, mostly from memory, in a stream of consciousness manner with just a minimum of research to support this house of cards. Who needs structure?
Southern's book is relatively short and follows the activities of billionaire Guy Grand as he sets out to show that everyone has their price. It was published toward the end of the 50s and some ten years later made into a film starring Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr.
O'Brien's book was finally published in the mid 60s, although it had been written during the second World War. It follows the narrator through a series of surreal episodes in his quest to become an authority on the scientist and philosopher de Selby. Indeed, as the book progresses, the narrator's footnotes regarding the apocryphal theories and pronouncements of de Selby grow increasingly fulsome until there is very little actual text remaining on the final pages.
Both books rather insinuate themselves into the reader's mind – and they both use surreal imagery and, sometimes, violent action – to achieve this. The humour of unease is a difficult and unruly literary device but I believe that these authors have deployed it superbly in order to question our cultural and physical identities.
I think that it's feasible to suggest that in each case, the zeitgeist – events of the time – helped shape the mood of the writing. Southern's book was written at a time of advancing prosperity in the US and the consumer society was already well established. O'Brien's book was commenced as 'the phony war' ended and the Blitz was beginning. A world in turmoil.
Southern's book is essentially a satire aimed at our institutions and the mores of materialism. The press, cinema, television, advertising, the best-in-show crowd, retailing, the upper classes, social status and finally – money itself are all brought forward and not only found wanting, but found to be objects of disgust and derision. Southern poses his questions about our cultural identity with a visceral humour that is as relevant now as it was 40 years ago.
O'Brien's book is more complex, the humour is arch, arcane, elusive. The identity of the narrator is unknown and his existence, at all, is questionable. He encounters a voice which may be his soul. He spends time in a timeless eternity which he finds in a police barracks. A cornucopia, several bicycles, amputated limbs and the ever-present de Selby all serve to illustrate O'Brien's vision of an uncertain existence in an inexplicable world. I believe it to be a work of genius. A masterpiece.
Footnote (Not in the manner of de Selby) For those of you who, like me, are admirers of the great Dave Allen, you may be intrigued by his link to Flann O'Brien. Dave's father, Cully Tynan O'Mahoney, was managing editor of the Irish Times in Dublin where O'Brien (real name Brian O'Nolan) was a contributor. The young Allen would often accompany his father to his office and frequently spent time talking with O'Brien. I think that acquaintance explains quite a lot about what followed for Dave.
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E-learning: Teachers 'reaching out in so many ways'
Sarah Ann Jump/The Herald
Celestine Elementary kindergarten teacher Renae Rohleder holds her 2-month-old son, Tucker, as she watches her sons, from left, twins Wes and Cale, 6, and Max, 3, play outside at their home in St. Anthony on Tuesday. Rohleder made frequent trips to her outdoor, work-from-home setup, where she was able to field questions from her students and their parents on her laptop and phone. She assigned her kindergarten students four online exercises to be completed each day.
By LEANN BURKE
lburke@dcherald.com
Heritage Hills High School science teacher Gary Ayer spends two hours every morning alone in his empty classroom holding office hours. While he's sure not to have any in-person visitors, he receives plenty of emails and phone calls from his students and parents as they work through e-learning lessons at home.
Teaching without their students physically present is the new norm for Ayer and teachers across the country while school buildings are closed in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19.
"It's a challenge," Ayer said. "There's a lot of different variables that go into it."
For Ayer, the biggest challenge has been internet access, both for himself and for his students. He doesn't have internet access at his home, so he comes to school each day to log on so he can post to Google Classroom, answer emails and take phone calls on his school phone. He also does what he can for his students by phone when he's out of the classroom. A handful of his students also don't have internet at their homes, so once a week, they pick up a packet filled with paper and pencil assignments that match, as much as possible, what other students get online.
The other big challenge for Ayer is teaching science when hands-on activities aren't an option.
"It's difficult to find relevant supplemental activities that can take the place of hands-on work," Ayer said.
He's mostly using videos and online interactive tools to replace hands-on activities, but he's also learning that many of those tools are geared toward either grade school or college students, not high schools. The resources are out there, he said, but it's taken him longer to find them than he would have liked.
Also lacking are the dynamic discussions he can have with his classes when they're in the classroom. With e-learning, he said, students can still email him their questions, but only the single student gets to see the question and the answer. In class, everyone can hear the question and answer and has a chance to ask additional questions.
Celestine Elementary kindergarten teacher Renae Rohleder is also concerned her students will miss out by not being in class.
"I'm very concerned," she said. "But we're doing the best we can with what we've got."
Rohleder uses Classkick for her online classroom. The app allows her to post voiceover lessons her students can access at home, as well as upload supplemental materials. She can also build worksheets within the app that her students can fill out on their iPads. The app also lets her watch her students complete work in real-time.
Like Ayer, coming up with activities to replace the hands-on learning that happens in her classroom has been a challenge. For example, one of the kindergarten standards is replacing one letter in a word to create a new word, like changing mail to pail. If Rohleder were in her classroom, she would put letter magnets on the board and have students move them around to change the words. Since her students are at home, however, she's needed to find other resources.
"It's just not as hands-on as we're used to in kindergarten," she said.
As she plans future lessons in the coming weeks, she's looking to get more creative. She's already thinking of ways to teach math using uncooked noodles or other items her students can find at their homes.
She also plans to make a short video for each of her students to say hello. Then, she'll encourage them to send one back. It's one way she can maintain the connection with her students while school is closed.
As Rohleder makes her lesson plans, she said she's also taking parents into consideration. As a parent herself — her twins attend kindergarten at Pine Ridge Elementary — she knows that teaching your kids at home is different than a teacher teaching them in the classroom.
"Even though I'm a teacher, I'm still struggling," she said of helping her kiddos with their e-learning.
Rohleder also knows that many of her parents are essential employees who are working full time, then trying to help their kids in the evenings. She said she's grateful to them for the work they're doing to keep learning going for their kids. This time of year, Rohleder said, a lot of the assignments are review, so the students should be able to complete the exercises mostly on their own.
"I just encourage them to keep with it," she said. "It's a hard time for everybody."
And if they're struggling, Rohleder tells them to reach out. She provided all her students' parents with her personal phone number.
"I've gone from never knowing where my phone is to having it glued to my hand," she said.
Southridge Middle School math teacher Mary Reese is also helping her students over the phone. While it's been an adjustment, Reese said, she's also enjoying it.
"It's kind of cool to do something different," she said.
A big challenge for her has been making sure all her students have similar learning experiences whether they have internet access or not. Students without internet at their homes are working from paper and pencil packets, while students who do have internet get a video lesson and other interactive tools. Those students also have access to email where they can reach Reese anytime.
"I feel like they have more support if they need it," Reese said. "[E-learning] is not the same for everybody. Free internet for all families would be great right now."
She's also adjusting to spending most of her day at the computer. When class is in session at school, most of her time is spent on her feet teaching or helping students. Now, she spends most of her day grading assignments, managing spreadsheets to track who has done which assignments and tracking other data.
"It's easy to get bogged down and lost in the data," she said.
Although Southridge has used e-learning in the past to make up snow days, Reese has noticed that the prolonged period of e-learning is much more about supporting the family as a whole than just focusing on the student. Teachers are taking their students meals and homework packets and checking in with parents to make sure e-learning is going well. It's become a huge team effort that has teachers supporting students and parents in all subject areas.
"Normally, I would only talk about math, but now I'm talking about all subject areas," Reese said. "And I'm taking on new roles. We're reaching out in so many ways to help the families."
Ayer, Reese and Rohleder all agreed that although their students are adjusting well, it's a stressful time for everyone, especially the parents. They emphasized the importance of students completing the assignments and encouraged students and parents to reach out for help whenever they need it. The schools may be closed, but the teachers are still working.
"I tell [the parents] all the time if they have questions they have to ask me," Rohleder said. "I don't want them struggling with their kids."
Reese also suggested not letting school take up all your time. She hopes her students and their families are using the extra time at home to connect with each other and do activities they normally wouldn't be able to.
"That's my hope," Reese said. "Whether that's reading together, playing board games, going for walks or something else, my hope is they're connecting with their families."


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King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard – Nonagon Infinity
by Ian McCuen | May 20, 2016 | Album Review
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard have been on a tear since forming in 2010. The Melbourne, Australia-based psychedelic rockers are now on their eighth full-length studio album in six years, an impressive output considering they are also relentless live performers. Their latest, Nonagon Infinity, is an onslaught of fast tempo, psyched-out rock that shows off their cornucopia of influences.
The entire album is intended as a continuous, looped musical piece. Each track flows directly into the next, with the final track ("Road Train") connecting seamlessly back to the first ("Robot Stop"). If you were to put the album on repeat, it would continue forever. Of course, you could do this with any album. However, there would be a clearly defined and discernible beginning and end. With Nonagon Infinity, you don't know where one song ends and the next one begins, as you are lead on a never-ending sonic journey. Lead single "Gamma Knife" ends innocently enough that it works as a stand-alone tune. However, when thrown back into context with the rest of the album, where the ending riff is immediately repeated on the next track ("People-Vultures"), ambiguity ensues.
From psychedelia to garage, and krautrock to progrock, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard's recipe calls for the weirdest and most dynamic representation of ingredients. While the blistering, grimy electric guitar riffs are the prevalent force here, under the surface you'll find fiery contributions from instruments like the harmonica, setar and zurna. Their implemented range of musical ideas is wide; "Gamma Knife" incorporates melodic influences from Eastern world music, while "Mr. Beat" rides a '70s blues-rock groove. For something seemingly all over the map, Nonagon Infinity is incredibly cohesive.
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard have come close to capturing the frantic energy of their live shows and translating it into album form. The new record is a trippy gem that sprints to the finish line, even though there really isn't one. Despite being armed with an already prolific output of material, Nonagon Infinity is proof they aren't slowing down anytime soon.


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