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The thesis must be an independent research project in which you demonstrate in-depth expertise and a grasp of scientific methods.
You can submit the thesis in the form of a self-contained book (monograph) or collection of several essays (cumulative thesis), whereby the programmes prescribe the form in part.
A cumulative thesis consists of at least three essays which comply with a standard of quality customary in renowned international journals. At least one essay must have been contributed by the Ph.D. student him or herself and must comprise a substantial part of the thesis as a whole.
The essay can be written in cooperation with other authors (co-authorship). In terms of its contribution to science, a cumulative thesis in its entirety shall satisfy the same academic requirements as a thesis in the form of a monograph. Depending on the Ph.D. programme, there are different specifications for the cumulative thesis. Any submission of constituent parts that had been published before the student took up his/her Ph.D. studies shall not be admissible.


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The person behind the elaborate online hoax in which a fake website and Twitter feed falsely proclaimed Pastor Joel Osteen's intent to renounce Christianity and shut down his influential Houston ministry says that his goal wasn't to attack Osteen personally.
"I would like to state unequivocally my intent was not to defame Mr. Osteen," the person behind the hoax wrote in an email, adding that "he seems like an infectiously nice and genial character."
As we reported Monday, the hoax relied on news site mock-ups, a YouTube video, a fake Twitter feed, and a fake website to trumpet the spurious claim that Osteen had decided, after much reflection, to step away from his church and donate millions of dollars to charity and environmental causes.
"My hopes that Joel will 'see the light,' so to speak, are not high, but we all need faith," says the man who created the hoax and wishes to remain anonymous.
As for his motivation, the man, who says he hasn't made any money from the Osteen project, says that his "intent was to stage, for a moment, a plausible scenario of his hypothetical resignation" and to "test viral media markets," in addition to sending a message to Osteen.
Answering questions via an email account tied to the fake Osteen website, the creator of the hoax says he has seen an "extraordinary" amount of coverage in online and TV media, despite the story taking longer than expected to go viral. And he says the hoax also generated strong public responses — many of them positive.
"I've received thousands of heartfelt, often revealing and deeply sincere messages from wonderful Christians and non-Christians alike, along with a few grumps and party poopers thrown in for good measure," he says.
As for Osteen, the man behind the hoax says he wants the pastor to "do away with the soft 'positivity' and cliche-peppered Sunday messages and use his high visibility to address more serious social issues."
As stated in the fake resignation letter, those issues include protecting the environment, banning fluoride from water, fighting the Obama administration's "attempt to dismantle the 2nd Amendment," and "exposing the crimes of the Monsanto Corporation."
The fake Osteen website was essentially a mirror of the real thing, with two main differences: a missing "e" in the URL's spelling of Osteen, and a letter purporting to be from the Houston-area pastor, informing his congregation that Lakewood Church was losing its leader.
The fake site also included a feedback form and an email address. And the person behind the hoax says many people responded.
"About 60 percent of literally thousands of comments and emails have been positive, affirming messages from Christians praying for me," he writes.
The remaining 40 percent was evenly split between "very angry, upset Christians" and "atheists and freethinkers and 'back slid' Christians," he says.
Many in that final group took to "telling me stories of their struggles of persecution for 'not believing,'" he says. "I feel I actually gave some comfort to these people, to see a man of such stature admit such sobering, if not politically incorrect, thoughts."
Osteen, whose authentic Twitter feed may have inadvertently put the spotlight on the hoax by denying rumors of his crisis of faith Monday, was somewhat amused by the incident, ABC News reports.
"You know, I'm really not angry. I don't feel like a victim," Osteen tells ABC. "I feel too blessed, that life is too short to let things like this get you down."
Still, it remains possible that the hoax could generate legal proceedings against the person behind it.
"I could end up being in a lot of trouble," he wrote, "but I am prepared and I have excellent legal counsel ready for battle."
As for the time and expense that went into the hoax, the man says he "spent $12 and a few hours to produce this whole thing."
And he added that he does have another goal, in addition to those mentioned above: "to somehow appear on The Daily Show so I can make one of my good friends jealous."
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

subset: commoncrawl


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The Role of Privacy by Design in Protecting Consumer Privacy
1) What is Privacy by Design?
2) Privacy Enhancing Technologies or Privacy by Design?
3) Privacy by Design: Behavioral Advertising
4) CDT's Recommendations for FTC action
CDT has submitted comments to the Federal Trade Commission for the second in a series of public roundtable discussions the agency is sponsoring exploring the privacy challenges posed by 21st-century technology and business practices that involve the collection and use of consumer data. CDT views these roundtable sessions as a historic opportunity for the FTC to develop and announce a comprehensive privacy protection policy for the next decade.
As new technologies enable the collection of greater amounts of data online, it is essential that companies consider privacy at each stage of product development. "Privacy by Design," a concept prominently championed by Ontario's Information and Privacy Commissioner Anne Cavoukian, presents a set of "foundational principles" to guide innovation in a manner that is consistent with Fair Information Practices (FIPs). Privacy by Design offers a roadmap to integrate privacy considerations into business models, product development cycle, and new technologies. We urge the FTC to encourage the integration of Privacy by Design into corporate practices and innovation.
As described by Cavoukian, "Privacy by Design asserts that the future of privacy cannot be assured solely by compliance with regulatory frameworks; rather, privacy assurance must ideally become an organization's default mode of operation." Privacy by Design presents a set of "foundational principles" that can help companies innovate in ways that are consistent with FIPs. These seven principles are:
- Proactive, not Reactive; Preventative, not Remedial
- Privacy as the Default
- Privacy Embedded into Design
- Full Functionality – Positive-Sum, not Zero-Sum
- End-to-End Lifecycle Protection
- Visibility and Transparency
- Respect for User Privacy
CDT Consumer Privacy Roundtable Comments: The Role of Privacy by Design in Protecting Consumer Privacy
Ann Cavoukian, Privacy by Design: The 7 Foundational Principles
What Is Privacy by Design?
2) Privacy Enhancing Technologies or Privacy by Design?
Privacy by Design is often associated with Privacy Enhancing Technologies (PETs), such as encryption software, anonymizers, and browser extensions that provide granular data controls. While innovative PETs are an important component of Privacy by Design, when relegated to afterthoughts and product add-ons they do not fulfill the larger goal of crafting a set of consumer rights and company responsibilities that together fortify and protect the decisions that consumers make online. PETs are most useful for users who already understand online privacy risks. They are essential user empowerment tools, but they form only a single piece of a broader framework that should be considered when discussing how technology can be used in the service of protecting privacy.
Cavoukian has published the Privacy by Design Diagnostic Tool Workbook, which companies can use to determine whether and how they are complying with Privacy by Design principles. Meanwhile, many companies, including IBM, Sun Microsystems, Hewlett-Packard and Microsoft have already incorporated Privacy by Design into their product development processes and made strong statements about the important role that protecting privacy plays in their business models.
Anne Caovukian, Privacy Diagnostic Tool (PDT) Workbook, Version 1.0
3) Privacy by Design: Behavioral Advertising
Massive increases in data processing and storage capabilities have allowed advertisers to track, collect and aggregate information about consumers' Web browsing activities and to compile individual profiles that are used to match advertisements to consumers' interests. All of this is happening in the context of an online environment where more data is collected – and retained for longer periods – than ever before.
Although privacy tools are now built into all of the major browsers and trade associations are beginning to offer opt-out tools, some companies have consistently sought to circumvent user control by relying on alternative technologies.
Re-spawning deleted cookies through the use of flash cookies and new efforts to access consumers' browser histories are just two examples of the many methods being used to circumvent consumer control. Internet users' browser histories are increasingly being viewed as valuable, despite the obvious privacy concerns raised by the practice of mining these histories. As companies have taken advantage of new technologies to develop new ways to circumvent user control, tools, practices, and regulations meant to protect consumer privacy have failed to keep up. There is no reason that this should be the case. Browser developers could have integrated flash controls into their cookie controls and protected histories by default in the releases after these problems became well known and should be encouraged to do so now.
More broadly, a commitment to Privacy by Design by trade associations and companies that play a role in the behavioral advertising ecosystem would prevent deceptive practices like re-spawning and spying on browser histories and help build a framework of trust that might make consumers more willing to share their data for the purposes of behavioral advertising: consumers who wish to avoid data collection would be able to do so and consumers who allow for collection could feel confident that information collected is transparent, limited in scope, secure, and accessible to them, not just to the companies that track them.
A commitment to Privacy by Design could yield marked improvements for privacy in the current ecosystem, one in which an extraordinary level of Internet savvy and detective work are necessary to determine which advertising networks are collecting data on any one Web site. A standard that required data-collecting objects be denoted by HTTP headers, for example, would make data collection more transparent and easier to control. The code for beacons and cookies could even include information about where to find the behavioral profiles being constructed about the consumer. Such a standard would enable browsers to act as a dashboard through which consumers could control the data collected about them and find the profiles being created around their data. Browsers could further implement the "privacy as a default" principle of Privacy by Design by encouraging consumers to work through a Privacy Wizard when they first install or update their browsers.
Outside of the browser, advertising networks should be encouraged to build data collection, transfer, and use architectures and best practices with privacy considerations in mind. Entities engaged in behavioral advertising should use threshold analyses and privacy impact assessments to determine the level of protection that the data they are collecting requires. Privacy impact assessments should link the amount of data collected to the purpose for which data is being used; limitation on data use and transfer should be set in the planning stages of any product. Protocols for storing, transferring, and deleting collected data should be part of product development.
Meanwhile, there is little reason that practices that are defined by technology should be monitored "by hand." Technological innovation to support industry compliance is needed as well. Multiple companies are typically involved in the targeting of a particular ad, including the advertiser in the case of retargeting, data aggregators providing data to the advertiser directly or through demand-side platforms or ad exchanges, and downstream ad networks that use behavioral data to optimize audiences as the ad is relayed to the consumer. Compliance throughout all of these data transfers should be far more automated than it is today, with compliance mechanisms built directly into ad delivery and targeting technologies. The FTC should encourage innovation that will help simplify compliance without lowering standards and, more generally, should be supportive of the development of protocols that will help enable Privacy by Design.
Center for Democracy and Technology, Online Behavioral Advertising: Industry's Current Self-Regulatory Framework is Necessary, but Still Insufficient On Its Own to Protect Consumers
Soltani, Ashkan, Canty, Shannon, Mayo, Quentin, Thomas, Lauren and Hoofnagle, Chris Jay, Flash Cookies and Privacy
4) CDT's Recommendations for FTC Action
The Internet, as well as e-commerce, are ultimately built on a framework of trust; as consumers become more aware of how their data is being collected and used online, a breach in the framework of trust is inevitable if regulation, industry practices, and technology fail to keep pace with consumer concerns. But if legislators, regulators, and innovators work together to buttress this framework with best practices that reflect Privacy by Design, then consumers and companies alike will discovery that privacy and innovation are not mutually exclusive, but that privacy is instead an essential element of the innovative Internet.
CDT urges the FTC to encourage business practices that are consistent with Privacy by Design by acting on the following recommendations:
- The FTC should release a set of recommendations outlining the role that Privacy by Design can play in implementing a new set of comprehensive FIPs. These recommendations should emphasize the role of privacy impact assessments, privacy threshold analyses, the integration of PETs into product development, end-to-end lifecycle protection for data, and privacy as the default or as a clear, easy-to-understand alternative.
- As location data becomes ubiquitous, the FTC should promote innovation in Privacy Enhancing Technologies and should help foster industry collaboration to ensure that location data receives the protections that such sensitive information requires.
- Through the release of rule-making or reports, the Commission should further seek to ensure that location data is being protected throughout its lifecycle and that companies and application builders alike are minimizing data collection, data use and retention, and maximizing transparency, individual participation, security, data quality, integrity, and accountability.
- The Commission should not shy away from bringing cases against bad actors that unfairly or deceptively collect location data or track consumers.
- In the behavioral advertising space, the FTC should support the development of protocols that will help enable Privacy by Design and encourage innovation that will help automate compliance.
Privacy by Design, while important, should be seen as one tool in a larger toolkit of policy approaches; it is insufficient to protect consumer privacy alone. Efforts to encourage a Privacy by Design approach to innovation should be supplemented by a rigorous mix of self-regulation, enforcement of existing law, and enactment of a new consumer privacy statute that establishes baseline protections and gives the FTC rulemaking authority.


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It's clever, the way the video uses the jukebox business from the last "Sopranos" episode to remind us of Hillary's theme song contest. In case you care, I'll just tell you that the winner is "You and I," sung by Celine Dion, and if for some reason, you actually want to listen to that song, click here.
So what do we think of this video? The NYT political blogger Kate Phillips proclaims it "the best campaign spot we've seen this season." I don't think so. It was amusing seeing a cameo from Johnny Sack, but I've got some problems.
1. Not everyone gets HBO, so you've got a cultural reference that's a bit elitist. And some people wait for the DVDs, and they rankle at spoilers. But maybe everyone's supposed to have heard about the ending by now. Still, it might rub you the wrong way, to assume familiarity with "The Sopranos." And lots of Americans don't even approve of watching a show that is permeated with violence, obscene language, graphic sex, and the subjugation of women.
2. Do we really want to think of Bill and Hillary sitting in for Tony and Carmela? Tony is a monstrous criminal and Carmela willfully blinds herself to his horrible flaws so that she can keep living in a highly desirable house. Are these good associations for Hillary?
3. Bill is a much better actor than Hillary, and this heightens the sense that she's a pale substitute for the old President we can no longer have.
4. Bill says "No onion rings?" and Hillary responds "I'm looking out for ya." Now, the script says onion rings, because that's what the Sopranos were eating in that final scene, but I doubt if any blogger will disagree with my assertion that, coming from Bill Clinton, the "O" of an onion ring is a vagina symbol. Hillary says no to that, driving the symbolism home. She's "looking out" all right, vigilant over her husband, denying him the sustenance he craves. What does she have for him? Carrot sticks! The one closest to the camera has a rather disgusting greasy sheen to it. Here, Bill, in retaliation for all of your excessive "O" consumption, you may have a large bowl of phallic symbols! When we hear him say "No onion rings?," the camera is on her, and Bill is off-screen, but at the bottom of the screen we see the carrot/phallus he's holding toward her. Oh, yes, I know that Hillary supplying carrots is supposed to remind that Hillary will provide us with health care, that she's "looking out for" us, but come on, they're carrots! Everyone knows carrots are phallic symbols. But they're cut up into little carrot sticks, you say? Just listen to yourself! I'm not going to point out everything.
ADDED: 5. The scene, as derived from "The Sopranos," is designed to create anxiety that an assassination is about to take place. Having Johnny Sack walk by and glare at her preserves that feeling of threat. It's supposed to work because with "The Sopranos," we were waiting to find out how the series would end, but here we are waiting to learn the outcome of the song contest, but it's pushing the envelope for the campaign to suggest an act of violence toward the candidate.
UPDATE: This post has spawned a whole subgenre of anti-Althousiana. I discuss that here.
ANOTHER UPDATE: I have another post on the subject here. Excerpt:
A quirky post about a Clinton campaign video touched off a giant blog swarm and what I think was my highest traffic day ever. Based on an earlier blog swarm last September, I now know that what sets the left blogosphere into intense, concerted action is calling attention to Bill Clinton's old sexual problems. I wonder why....
I just want to emphasize that I stand by my original sexual interpretation. You've got a married couple talking about two foods, one of which is obviously a hole, and the other of which is so clearly phallic that this Google search gets over 70,000 hits.
The man wants the hole-shaped item, and the woman forbids it. She insists that he confine himself to the phallic item, which has been sliced down to puny, thin stick form. The man looks at it sadly, and the woman tells him it's for his own good. If you don't see sexual imagery there, you exist on a very narrow band of human imagination....
When Clinton sadly bites into the carrot stick of his own castration, it makes a crunch noise -- ouch! -- and it's that noise that causes the ominous looking man at the bar ("Johnny Sack") to turn and look at him. He then walks by and gives him a glare. What does that glare mean in the Clinton video? I think it means: "What kind of man are you?"


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No matter how an organization contributes to the wireless world—as a network operator, device manufacturer, content provider, or corporate consumer—it can count on Qualcomm to provide the foundation upon which great ideas are built.
At Qualcomm, we license companies around the world to design, manufacture, and sell products based on our industry-leading technology. And with each innovation discovered, with each inventive solution developed, the entire wireless industry grows stronger as our licensees' efforts encourage more users to join in the wireless revolution.
Have a question about royalty administration? Log in to the Qualcomm extranet for licensees to find all the info you need.
Read our licensing statement to learn about our compliance with fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory standards.
Please select a licensee category or enter a search keyword below.
For information about Qualcomm's patents available for license in China and for a list of countries in which Qualcomm and its affiliates own patents:


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9 Comments
Amazing. Some slime has a plan to steal another town's team and he talks about having a "plan to discredit" another team's bid. Amazing.
remember…Sacramento "stole" the same team you mention, Michael. It's called BUSINESS!
Exactly. Fans in Sacramento scream how "Seattle is stealing our team" but the exact same circumstances brought the Kings to Sacramento from Kansas City. And please, like Seattle gave up the Sonics willingly? Sh'yeah, right.
Deadspin had an article recently about the machinations that led to the Kings moving to Sacramento. It's disturbingly familiar to those of us who lived through Sonics-to-Oklahoma:
Sorry KC had weak fan support…college basketball/football..pro football/baseball region..didnt support their basketball or hockey teams..Kings had to split playing home games in Omaha as well to drum up support…as I stated earlier..two great ownership groups..league should reward both…If you think taking the Kings just because…then if the league has your mentality…enjoy living a lie..I'm tired of pumping up both groups as viable then being shot down by the Debbie Downers of the world. Your fans were sympathetic when you thought right away this would happen..now you only want to bash an area's good name…have a nice weekend Seattle Kings fans…good grief. Thanks for being objective Art..enjoy your writings sir….
Stealing is a crime…not a business. I've never had a thief arrested because it was business. Believe what you want. Sac did not steal your team…direct your venom at the involved parties that moved your team. That was horrible but don't blame us for that transaction. Unreal…
Michael Kaiser. . You should do us all a favor and move to Sacramento!
Stories linked to King5.com never load for me. Am I the only one?
And so it is ….


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The Best Brownie Event-an event to celebrate 3 years of blogging!!
[image source]
I should begin this post by thanking each and every one of you for sending me your brownies[virtual,but still!].What a tremendous response,I am floored!When I had thought of a Brownie event,Ajay gave me a small warning,not to be disheartened if I do not get many entries,as Brownies are something which are not baked regularly,unlike cakes.But boy,was he wrong!So many of you sent me brownies which were baked exclusively for the event,I am still pleasantly surprised,thank you so much once again!
So without any further ado,let's jump to the mega-round up.Yes,scroll down real fast if you want to know the winner for the give-away!!
Here are the entries[in random order]
1.Best Brownies
Veena Arvind of Kitchen Celebrations was the first one to send me an entry.She chose this recipe from Hershey's and loved it for its simplicity.
2.One-Bowl Cocoa Bars
Veena's second entry is the super simple One-bowl Cocoa Bars.I know how it tastes having tried it out myself!
3. Nutella Brownies
Is there anything tastier than Nutella?Nutella brownies of course!Rose of Magpie's recipes sent these super easy Nutella Brownies which can be made with just 4 ingredients!
4.One-Bowl Cocoa Brownie
Being a self-confessed Alice Medrich fan,Rose sends across her second entry chosen from Alice Medrich's book Bittersweet.
5.World Peace Cookies
Rose's final entry is a World Peace Cookie which she says is just like a Brownie with chocolate bits all through..well,who am I to disagree??
6.Nutty Blondies
Priya Sreeram of Bon Appetit sends across these Nutty Blondies.Check out her blog for a step by step recipe of the same.
7.Chocolate Brownies
Priya's second entry is a gooey Brownie.She chose the recipe from Masterchef Australlia.
8.Chocolate Brownies
Sneha Benny of Art of Cooking sends across these Fudgy brownies she made for the first time during Christmas.
9.Brownie Tart
Sneha's second entry is a Brownie Tart.Now that is something doubly delicious!
10.Cream cheese Brownie
Sneha's next entry is a Cream cheese Brownie,she made these for her visiting cousins and kids..how sweet!
11.Brownies for the Fudgy Gooey Camp
Avanika of Yumsilicious Bakes send across these Fudgy Gooey brownies-just the way I like it!
12.Eggless Brownies
Sharada of Cooking Kriya sends these Super delicious eggless version of Brownies made using Whole wheat flour and Olive Oil.
13.Cream Cheese Brownies
Naseela of Journey through the Kitchen sends across these fudgy Nutella Cream cheese Brownies.
14.Passion Fruit Brownies
Swapna of Swapna's cuisine sends across these delicious brownies made with Passion fruit.Fruits in Brownies is something new to me and trust Swapna to come up with such innovative treats!
15.Eggless Almond Brownie
Priti of Indian Khana sends these Eggless Brownies which she baked in a hurry to satisfy a Brownie craving..something I very much identify with!
16.Choco-chips Fudge Brownie
Deepa of Hamaree Rasoi sends across these Fudgy Brownies topped with melted chocolate and sprinkles.Yum!
17.Fudgy Chocolate chip Brownie
Suma of Cakes and More sends across these super Fudgy brownies with Chocolate chips peeping from inside!
18.Seriously Low-fat Brownies
Suma's second entry is a very tempting brownie which is a low-fat one.I think all of us need to bake this one after this fat round-up!!
19.Instant Microwave Brownie
Suma's third entry is an instant version in a microwave.How apt,when we need a brownie fix,we need it now and how--this is the right answer!
20.Olive Oil Walnut Brownies
Suma's final entry is a low-fat brownie with Olive Oil and Walnuts,delicious!
21.Apple Blondies with Brown Sugar Frosting
Sowmya of Creative Saga sends these delicious Blondies made with Apples!
22.Eggless Oaty Brownies
Sowmya's second entry is a very simple and low-fat Brownie which is Eggless too!
23.Beetroot Chocolate Brownies
Sowmya's third entry is a Brownie made with Beetroot,great way to incorporate the vegetable into a baked goodie!
24.Blueberry Chocolate Bars
Sowmya's final entry is a low-fat Blueberry Chocolate Bar where she has replaced the Egg with an egg replacer and substituted oil with Apple sauce..pure guilt free indulgence!
25.Eggless Sandwich Blondie
Cooking Foodie sends across these Sandwich Blondies which are making my knees go weak,Milk chocolate and nuts sandwiched between two layers of white chocolate goodness..Yum!
26.Eggless Chocolate Brownies
Jyoti sends across these fudgy Eggless Brownies which reminded her of the delicious Brownies she used to have during her College days!
27.Cinnamon Blondies
Aliena of What's Cooking today made these for her friends to celebrate a get-together.Sounds like a very simple one to make with few ingredients!!
28.Double Chocolate Brownie
Aliena's second entry is a double chocolate Brownie with chocolate in the brownie as well as a chocolate glaze..double joy!
29.Peanut Butter Brownies with Chocolate Frosting
Priya of Priya's Easy N Tasty Recipes made these Brownies to finish off the Peanut butter and in the end fell in love with these Brownies!
30.Choco-Nut Brownie
Seema of Amchi Bong Connection chose this one-bowl recipe and couldn't resist cutting through the Brownie before it cooled down,sounds familiar?
31.Eggless Yogurt Brownies
Raks of Raks Kitchen sends these super cute Yogurt Brownies.She tried it a few times before perfecting the recipe,I should say it was all worth it-I mean look at these perfectly cut Brownies!!
32.Carrot Walnut and Coconut Bars
Reva of Kaarasaram sends these pretty bars made with Carrots Walnuts and Coconut and calls it Pure Indulgence..True!!
33.Strawberry Almond Brownies
Nachiketa of The Variable quotes a very funny anecdote while sharing her recipe for these yummy Brownies!
34.Almond Mocha Brownies
Nachiketa sends in her second entry which she made to celebrate with her colleagues!
35.Chocolate Mascarpone Brownies
Rookie Cookie made these to celebrate a chunk of Giveaways she won..the Brownies look out of the world!
36.Eggless Brownies
Nithya of 4th Sense samayal made these to celebrate her sisters birthday who loves the Sizzling Chocolate Brownie Sundae,her recreation is just as good!
37.Honey Brownies
Krithi of Krithi's Kitchen made these brownies to celebrate a few hundreds on her blog.These brownies are made with Honey which is a natural sweetener instead of sugar!
38.Nutty Chocolate Coffee Brownies
Sravani of Srav's Culinary concepts made these Coffee Brownies and was very happy with the texture,just like how she wanted!
39.French Chocolate Brownie
Najla of Foodie Corner made these Brownies for her sister reminiscing of the days they used to spend together as kids..how sweet!
40.Dulce de Leche Brownies
Jayashree of My Experiments with food sends in these super fudgy Brownies with Dulce de leche which are eggless too..look at that colour!!
41.Easy Basic Chocolate Brownie
Nags of Edible Garden sends in these easy Brownie recipe which is a very basic one and can be tweaked according to our preference,cool!
42.Eggless Cocoa Walnut Brownie
Prathibha of The Chef and her Kitchen made these Brownies to celebrate the occasion of her 200th post on her blog.Don't they look gorgeous?
Prathibha's second entry is a brownie which she bakes often.Looks true to its name,sinfully delicious!
44.Chocolate Matcha Olive Oil Brownies
Deeba of Passionate about Baking sends in Chocolate love with these fudgy Brownies made with Oilve oil,Matcha and Ricotta cheese!
45.Kahlua Brownies
Shumaila of Experiments of a housewife sends in these Kahlua Brownies which she made during snowfall and the holiday season!
46.Eggless Chocolate Brownie
Varshini of Cooking with Love and for Love sent in these eggless brownies which she saw on another blog and couldn't wait to bake,but of course with her personal touch to it-by adding Dairy Milk!!
47.Brownie Cupcakes
My Potpourri of Recipes sent in these cute Brownie cupcakes!!
48.Eggless Deep Dark Brownies
Gundumaami of Mind and Matters sent in these deep dark brownies which she made to celebrate the cup of joy--for the men in blue for winning 2011 World cup!!
49.Roasted Almond Brownies
Sin Foodie sends in these lovely brownies with roasted almonds!
50.Cranberry Almond Brownie
Sangi of Sangi's Food world sends in brownies loaded with Cranberries and Almonds in every bite!
51.Cake-ish Chocolate Brownies
Aparna of Apy cooking sends across these lovely cake-ish brownies.How do you like your brownies..I can never decide-I like them all!
52.Low-Fat Brownies
Laavanya of Home Cook's recipes sends across these low-fat brownies exclusively for the event,how sweet!
53.Almond Brownies
Laavanya's second entry is an almond brownie which according to her is one of her perfect bakes..looks even more so!
54.Brownie Squares with Praline Topping
Sweatha of Curry Leaf sends across these cute looking Brownie squares!
55.My Favorite Brownie - Christabel Gonsalvez[non-blogger]
Hi Divya,
I just stumbled across your blog when searching for a chocolate icing recipe.
I have lived in Australia for approximately 30 years, but am of Indian descent.
The recipes on your blog look divine, and I am looking forward to trying them out.
In my family, I am only ever asked to bring one thing to parties - brownies. This is a yummy, easy recipe.
I hope you enjoy it.
Attached is a photo of the brownies used to make a cake for my nephew's 18th birthday.
I have dusted it with icing sugar and drizzled chocolate icing and raspberry sauce over it.
Congratulations on the success of your blog.
Best wishes,
Updated to add -
56.Eggless Chocolate Brownie
Radhika of Tickling Palates sends in these Dark eggless brownies which she made to celebrate the World cup victory!
57.Best Ever Brownies
Shabs of Shab's Cuisine sends in these Best brownies which she baked to celebrate her blog birthday and sends it to my blog's birthday event-how appropriate!
and last but not the least..my entries for the event
Dulce de Leche Brownies
Eggless Brownies with Toffee Sauce
Coconut Brownies
and Salted Fudge Brownies
Now for the giveaway winner..
14.Passion Fruit Brownies from Swapna
Swapna of Swapna's Cuisine wins the Brownie event Giveaway!!Three cheers to Swapna!!
Please send me your choice of book and your shipping address[in India] and your prize would be on its way!!
I hope all of you enjoyed the round-up and are on a Brownie high!I am sorry if I have missed any of your entries,do let me know.I would add it to the round-up but unfortunately you'd miss out on the giveaway as I've already chosen the winner!Here's to more Brownies..
Much love,


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Discoverer H/T is the premium of touring SUV/light truck original equipment replacement tire manufactured by Cooper. The tire was designed for comfort and traction in all seasons. High-density "zigzag" sipes enhance traction in wet conditions along with improved traction in snow and ice. A solid center rib improves steering response and noise while driving at high speeds. Four wide, notching circumferential grooves were places on the Discoverer H/T that offer resistance to hydroplaning and improved traction in the snow.


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This merit badge was RENAMED from ATOMIC ENERGY in 2005
A typo in requirement 6c which appeared in Boy
Scout Requirements 2005
was corrected in Boy
Scout Requirements 2006.
The corrected text is shown below.
- Do the following:
- Describe the biological effects and hazards of radiation to humankind, the environment, and wildlife. Explain the difference between deterministic and stochastic effects. In your explanation, discuss the nature and magnitude of radiation risks to humans from nuclear power, medical radiation, and background radiation. Explain the measures required by law to minimize these risks.
- Describe the radiation hazard symbol and explain where it should be used. Tell why and how people must use radiation or radioactive materials carefully.
- Tell the meaning of the following: ALARA, alpha particle, atom, background radiation, beta particle, contamination, curie and becquerel, gamma ray, half-life, ionization, quark, isotope, neutron, nuclear energy, nuclear reactor, particle accelerator, rad and gray, radiation, radioactivity, radon, rem and sievert, and X-ray.
- Choose five individuals important to the field of atomic energy and nuclear science and explain each person's contribution.
- Choose an element from the periodic table. Construct 3-D models
for the atoms of three isotopes of this element, showing neutrons,
protons, and electrons. Use the three models to explain the difference
between atomic number and mass number. Then do the following:
- Make a drawing showing how nuclear fission happens, labeling all details. Draw another picture showing how a chain reaction could be started and how it could be stopped.
- Explain what is meant by a "critical mass."
- Do any THREE of the following:
- Build an electroscope. Show how it works. Place a radiation source inside and explain any difference seen.
- Build a model of a reactor. Show the fuel, control rods, shielding, moderator, and any cooling material. Explain how a reactor could be used to change nuclear energy into electrical energy or make things radioactive.
- Using a radiation survey meter and a radioactive source, show how the measurements per minute change as the source gets closer to or farther from the radiation detector. Place three different kinds of materials between the source and the detector, then explain any differences in the measurements per minute. Explain how time, distance, and shielding can reduce the radiation dose.
- Obtain a sample of irradiated and non-irradiated foods. Prepare the two foods and compare their taste and texture. Store the leftovers in separate containers and under the same conditions. For a period of 14 days, observe their rate of decomposition or spoilage, and describe the differences you see on days 5, 10, and 14.
- Describe how radon is detected in homes. Discuss the steps taken for the long-term and short-term test methods, how to interpret the results, and explain when each type of test should be used. Explain the health concern related to radon gas and tell what steps can be taken to reduce radon in buildings.
- Visit a place where X-ray is used. Draw a floor plan of the room in which it is used. Show where the unit, the unit operator, and the patient would be when X-ray is used. Explain the precautions taken when X-ray is used and the importance of those precautions.
- Make a cloud chamber. Show how it can be used to see the tracks caused by radiation. Explain what is happening.
- Visit a place where radioisotopes are being used. Using a drawing, explain how and why they are used.
- Obtain samples of irradiated seeds. Plant them. Plant a group of non-irradiated seeds of the same kind. Grow both groups. List any differences you observe during a 30-day period. Discuss with your counselor what irradiation does to seeds.
- Visit an accelerator (research lab) or university where people study the properties of the nucleus. After your visit, discuss what you have learned with your counselor.
- Do ONE of the following:
- Give an example of each of the following in relation to how energy from an atom can be used: nuclear medicine, environmental applications, industrial applications, space exploration, and radiation therapy. For each example, explain the application and its significance to nuclear science.
- Find out how many nuclear power plants exist in the United States. Locate the one nearest your home. Find out what percentage of electricity in the United States is generated by nuclear power plants, by coal, and by gas.
- Name three particle accelerators in the United States and describe the type of experiments each accelerator is designed to perform.
- Find out about three career opportunities in nuclear science that interest you. Pick one and find out the education, training, and experience required for this profession and discuss this with your counselor. Tell why this profession interests you.
BSA Advancement ID#:
Requirements last updated in:
Pamphlet Stock Number:
Pamphlet Revision Date:
Worksheets for use in working on these requirements: | Prepared by Craig Lincoln |
Format | |
Word Format | PDF Format |
Page updated on: May 08, 2022


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Why Fragmentation Is the Solution, Not the Problem
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Gift card
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To return the goods, you must inform us to the e-mail address ( email@example.com ) within 14 days of receiving the goods. The purchaser shall bear the cost of returning the goods, except in cases where the reason for the return lies in the fact that a refundable product does not comply with the order (e.g. a wrong or defective product).
The purchaser must return the goods within 14 days of the submission of the declaration of withdrawal or submit evidence that they handed over the goods to the carrier within the aforementioned period. Upon receiving the returned goods, HAY-HAY shall return to the purchaser, immediately but no later than after 14 days, all of the payments received from the purchaser based on the order.
HAY-HAY has the right to withdraw from the sale and demand that the goods be returned by the purchaser if the marked price of the goods in the online store is significantly lower than the market price of the goods due to an error.


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*~+++BRENDAN MONROE is showing
27, Berkeley CA, www.brendanmonroe.com
Its mostly paintings and sculpture of fictional microorganisms relating to us as humans.
At a movie theater, likely Shattuck Cinemas, Berkeley Library or Pegasus bookstore.
They found me first years ago. . . so ever since then. . . we will always be connected.
Probably painting in the studio.
Solo show with a newly remodeled Richard Heller Gallery in LA.
I ate and shared a burrito and tacos with my girlfriend at El Farolito.
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I believe that religion should not serve as boundary for treating each and everyone with respect, and by writing a review on Ubuntu ME, I can somehow in my own little way show some love and reverence to the Muslim community. The other reason for doing this is that I found out that no review has been made for this distro yet, so I'm hoping to be the first one to do so. The fact that this is also the first stable release version of Ubuntu Muslim Edition (now known as Sabily) made me become even more willing to try it out. So here goes my own view of this new distro, after I have installed and tested it in VMWare.
Test Machine Specs:
Board: Intel Corporation D102GGC2
Processor: 3.40 GHz Intel Pentium D
Hard Drive: Samsung 80GB ATA with 8GB allocated to VM disk
Memory: 2GB DDR2 RAM with 1024MB allocated to VM memory
Display: ATI RADEON X1050 [Display adapter]
The download site for UbuntuME live CD installer can be found here. The installation was effortless and trouble-free, just pointing and clicking and waiting for about 20 minutes to get it done. In my own opinion, Ubuntu along with Simply Mepis, have the best live CD installer in Linux today. My VM hardware were properly detected including the USB controllers, Ethernet, CD-ROM, and audio.
Look and Feel:
A thing that impressed me most with UbuntuME (Sabily) is its highly customized and great looking artwork that even a non-Muslim can surely appreciate. The bootsplash screen image, the login screen, and the start-up splash image were so polished and so pleasing to the eyes that I remembered my date with Cassandra. The Gnome desktop is also a thing of beauty; the wallpaper and a theme called HumanME is praiseworthy. I set my screen resolution to 1280x800 without a problem. For those who have a capable graphics card and want some more desktop eye-candy, Compiz will take care of it.
Package Management:
Managing and maintaining software is one of Ubuntu's strongest points; and the Muslim Edition of course acquire that strength also. The ever reliable Synaptic Package Manager will take care of removing, updating, and installing software packages. By the way, some valuable and highly-functional software applications are already installed by default. To name some, there's Firefox, Evolution, Perl, Python, Samba, Gimp, and OpenOffice. As this distro is geared towards Muslims, there's a Quran study tool called Zekr, prayer time reminder program that plays hymns, and a Muslim calendar.
The Ubuntu 7.04 "Feisty Fawn" is known for its stability, and having used it before, I can attest to that. Therefore, I can easily assume that Ubuntu ME will run steady as well. I tested most of its included applications and they all ran smoothly. I also find the desktop to be very responsive even in a VM environment, and I think a machine with a 256MB memory and an early P4 processor can also run it just as fine.
I would highly recommend UbuntuME to every Muslim for its included religious tools, and to beginners for its ease-of-use. I have tried almost all of the flavors of Ubuntu, and I can say that the Muslim Edition has one of the sleekest and finest desktop. It also achieved its own look and character because of its highly customized appearance. The UbuntuME team has done an excellent job in creating this distro, and I would like to congratulate them for a distro well done.
UPDATE: Ubuntu Muslim Edition is now known as Sabily.


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First there is Onyxia. Okay, I'm convinced on this one. It could have used some serious trimming and not-having-to-find-Rexxaring. And that stuff in BRD that the ALliance had to do which I have apparently suppressed. Either that or I recognized that I players at 60 ran BRD a lot anyway so it's not as if it is some terrible burden to have an attunement that relies on running BRD. Still, the Onyxia attunement took the "fly to random places, and then back to them again" tactic a bit too far.
Then there is the entire Burning Crusade expansion. That one I can accept. Needing every single person to do a particular, and not particularly short chain to get into Kara was a bit much. Needing one person (as it was changed to just be a gate that needed unlocking), not so much. Beside that, the instances were all places that people were going to anyway, since they needed that gear. Unfortunately, that's the extent to which I can claim that the BC attunements were not completely ridiculous. I'm looking at you, every single other raid.
My theory is that BC was intentionally designed this way to be a real strawman extremist as a way to justify going to the opposite extreme. It's a tactic we use in politics: accuse your opponent of being the ridiculous extreme in order to justify going to your own extreme. In the case of Blizzard, someone who hated attunements turned an entire expansion into an argument against them. Note that when I say this is "my theory" what I really mean is "here's a ridiculously insane theory that I doubt is true and yet still insist on taking credit for."
After that we have heroic raids. At that point I don't care. Let players go in at level one or make them do a six-month round of dailies, as a guild. I don't care either way. It's sort of like how when you're trying to get into the Olympics they can force you to spend a week in a cave with no light or food. It sucks, but it's only my fault that I couldn't make it past the third day and it's the Olympics, so they get to make the rules.
Now it's time for the part where I copy out words and insult them.
"Progression raiders do that anyway. You ran BWD and Bastion, then ran Firelands, and finally ran Dragon Soul. You progressed, mastered the content, moved on. All that attunements did was force your raiding guild to take a night off and run older content again. We have a new healing paladin joining, he's done everything but Kael'thas because his last guild just couldn't hack it"Yes, they do, which suggests that they should already have that done. Oh, but our poor guy is stuck in a guild that can't kill Kael'thas and has to hop up to a better one that is entirely done with Tempest Keep. Well fuck that guy. If there is a mechanic that reduces the habit of entitled jerks from hopping a guild the moment it slows down to join one that is further ahead, great. Add more of that.
"In fact, I never did a single attunement chain in either vanilla or The Burning Crusade that wasn't pointlessly long, full of extraneous steps, or just plain tedious."
Really? I can't beleive you never did the attunements for BWL or MC. You know them, the attunements which consisted of "talk to someone" or "loot something and read it" followed by running the instances that you'd be running at that level anyway. Given that MC is right next to BRD, even if this was somehow something you'd never done, getting players attuned was not a big deal: the portal was a short run away and after that, a few trash packs and some lava swimming are all that stand in the way of the attunement. The BWL attunement took longer, but given that the quest ended six inches from the tail of the last boss, it wasn't out of the way of someone who had run UBRS once.
"There are the people who just plain don't want the hoi polloi in their heroic raids and will welcome anything that keeps players out to inflate their own sense of accomplishment."Right, because those inconvenient but entirely-doable and not skill-related quests are such a great barrier. Also, who the fuck is doing heroic raids where the "hoi polloi" are just wandering in? Do they not run with guilds, somehow being the sort of elitist who is inclusive enough for a PUG but not inclusive enough for a PUG? Sorry, but you seem to be making up imaginary people.
"unduly hinder that really excellent rogue who blasts out tons of DPS but has to go to her kid's piano recital"There is nothing I hate more than musically-talented roguelings. That is clearly it. You got me.
"Another group seem to believe that the attunement process creates bonds between players and promotes unity. In my experience, it just ended up ticking people off who had to run Steam Vaults again to get Dave's priest attuned for the alt run or forcing us to spend a raid night getting the new feral attuned to Hyjal instead of running Black Temple. They didn't foster a sense of group unity; they hampered it."If your sense of unity was wrecked by having to help a group member, then you're some pretty disunited people. Next time, recruit people who have done an instance before and stop poaching from lower-ranked guilds. The people you get doing that aren't known for their team spirit.
"As for the lore aspect of attunements, I won't lie -- that's valid to some extent. It was usually buried under lots of pointless busywork, but it was there. I did love watching Windsor clean house in Stormwind. I did enjoy some of the AQ opening. Seeing the last of the Highborne inside Naxxramas the first time we zoned in was cool."None of these are necessarily part of attunements, so they are irrelevant except to the extent that adding them to attunements increases the likelihood that players will see them.
"But ultimately, a lot of these moments were seriously delayed gratification and were at a cost that just shouldn't have been paid. Making cool lore stuff part of a mandatory gateway just takes the shine off of the cool lore, because you're so focused on burning through the attunement as fast as possible you can't take the time to pay attention to it anyway, especially if you have four or more other people there who did it already and are just carrying you through it as fast as possible to get you ready for the raid."Delayed gratification tends to be the only one there is in these sorts of games. Beside a few bits of scenery porn, games don't lend themselves to gratification that is quickly or easily gotten. There must be some barrier, because as in life, it is usually the anticipation that is the greatest. Scientists proved this with people, and of course monkeys too, because that's the purpose of monkeys: science and strange arguments against evolution. This barrier could be based on skill, time, or I suppose heredity or money. I'm guessing those last two would be rather unpopular, though one could argue that money is a barrier if we're not pirating all our games (I'm not, for the record). That leaves time or skill. Time is clearly the hated one here, because it delays the efforts of amazing rogues with children who play the piano. Yet it is the skill one which would truly keep people out, particularly the hoi polloi.
There could of course be no barriers at all to any content, so roll up your character and teleport to Deathwing. With your 24 friends who you magically found despite having played none of the rest of the game. There is no time, skill, genetic, or money barrier to fighting Deathwing, but I suspect having heroic Deathwing kill you over and over again isn't the best way to start a game.
Since the name of the game seems to be hyperbolic accusations against imaginary people, I'm going to say that only ghost Communists would want to remove attunements, claiming they are a tool of the oppression of the bourgeoisie. And ghosts love pianos.


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By Benjamin Snyder
No more Oreos or Jamba Juice? Venus is aspiring to have a better diet in 2012. (AFP/Getty)
A tall order for the taller sister. Can the meat-and-potatoes Wimbledon-queen summon her past success as a leaner and greener player?
Older sister Venus, who's claimed five titles at the All England Club, is having a health scare of her own after being diagnosed with Sjogren's Syndrome, an autoimmune disease, which can lead to damage of the body's vital organs. The illness forced her drop out of the US Open this year and has pushed meat out of her diet.
Despite the seriousness of the condition, Venus has been sporting a positive attitude and even healthier eating habits. She told reporters, "I changed my diet completely, so lots of vegetables. I [altered] my mind frame completely because I was the person who always ate their steak first and their salad second."
Times are changing for the superstar, who said last year that she "eats to live and not lives to eat." She continued talking foodie favorites, saying that she considered "beans and rice and blackened chicken" a top meal choice.
Venus discussed her new diet's impact on the future. "My goal next year is to play a full schedule. It will take some work to get there, but I'm no stranger to hard work."
TSF Vault: Venus Williams
This recalls the gourmet changes for 2011 ATP success stories Novak Djokovic, who's claimed three major titles this year, and Andy Murray, who went on a 17-match winning spree after the US Open.
Djokovic's decision to cut the carbohydrates to curb his Ciliac disease helped him achieve his best season ever, including the No. 1 ranking. Meanwhile, Murray discussed his own gourmet foray into becoming more fit. Before losing to Tomas Berdych in the Paris Masters, he said, "I think there's a bit of difference in my approach to training and the diet; I feel pretty fresh."
Not all's well for the scrawny-looking Scot, who misses being able to pick up a menu and order what he wants. You can almost imagine his mouth watering when he said: "It can be quite frustrating when everyone else is dunking their bread in olive oil or smearing it in butter."
Murray aside, Venus' newfound form and fitness will no doubt have fans worldwide salivating for a dominating force in an otherwise floundering WTA. Petra Kvitova, 21, the current world No. 2 and winner of Wimbledon and the Season Ending Championships, might be the answer. She's still, however, young and half-baked in terms of talent and poise.
It's time for Venus to turn up the burners and bring back the motivation for which she's known. Currently ranked No. 103, having only played a handful of tournaments this year, Venus quickly doused rumors of retirement.
"I love the game. The racket feels right in my hand and I'm planning on going right back to where I was at the top of the rankings in the singles and doubles."
With Venus back in-shape and on form, the alarm bells should be sounding for the rest of the women's tour. It'll be tough to get out of the fire and back into the figurative frying pan that is professional tennis at her ripe age of 31. But if anyone can come back from adversity and succeed, it's a Williams.
High stakes (steaks?), indeed.


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Url: http://www.crosswalk.com/news/religiontoday/11608246/
Aenon Shalom
Compass Direct News
September 7, 2009
DHAKA, Bangladesh (CDN) — Bengali-speaking, Muslim settlers have seized five acres of abandoned government property used by a church and falsedly charged Christians with damaging the land in southeastern Bangladesh's Khagrachari hill district, Christian leaders said.
Kiron Joti Chakma, field director of Grace Baptist Church in Khagrachari district, told Compass that the settlers had taken over the church building and the five acres of land in Reservechara village in June and filed a case on Aug. 4 against five tribal Christians. The Bengali-speaking Muslims had come from other areas of Bangladesh in a government resettlement program that began in 1980.
"In the case, the settlers mentioned that the Christians had cut the trees and damaged the crops on their land and that they should pay 250,000 taka [US$3,690] as compensation," said Chakma. "We cultivated pineapple in the land around the church. But the settlers damaged all of our pineapple trees and built two houses there."
The government has allowed the Christians to use the land. Tribal leaders said that land-grabbing in the area hill tracts, undulating landscape under Dighinala police jurisdiction 300 kilometers (186 miles) southeast of the Dhaka, began again during the army-backed interim government of 2007-2008.
"It is still continuing, and our demands to stop land-grabbing do not rate very high with the administration and law enforcement agencies," said one of the accused, 32-year-old Mintu Chakma.
When he went to the police station regarding the false case filed against the Christians, he said, the leader of the Bengali settlers was there and threatened him in front of officers, telling him, "I can devour dozens of people like you - I will finish your life."
Church leaders have informed a nearby army camp of the seizure. Military officers said they would take action, but they have done nothing so far, Christians said.
"Our leaders informed the army zone commander, and he assured us they would take necessary action, but nothing has happened so far against those land grabbers and arsonists," said 25-year-old Liton Chakma (Chakma is the name of the tribe), one of the Christians accused in the Grace Baptist case.
The Muslim settlers had burned a Seventh-day Adventist Church building in 2008 in Boachara village, close to the Grace Baptist Christians' village, in an effort to frighten tribal people away from becoming Christian, said Liton Chakma. He told Compass that Bengali settlers had also hindered their attempt to construct the church building in August in 2007.
"Many new believers saw nothing had happened to the arsonists, and many of them reverted to their previous Buddhism," he said. "The army and local administration allowed them to run wild. They always threaten to beat us and file cases against us."
Mintu Chakma said that Muslim settlers seized a garden next to his house in 2007.
"They not only destroyed my pineapple garden, but they built a mosque there," he said.
Land Ownership
Local police inspector Suvas Pal told Compass that neither tribal people nor Bengali settlers were the owners of that land. It is government-owned, abandoned land, he said.
"The Bengali settlers claim that the land was assigned to lease to them, but we did not find any copy of lease in the deputy commissioner's office," said Pal. "On the other hand, the tribal people could not show any papers of their possession of the land."
Investigating Officer Omar Faruque told Compass that the Muslim settlers had built two houses there, though they did not live there or nearby.
"I told the Bengali settlers that if they [tribal Christians] worship in the church there, then do not disturb them," said Faruque.
Dipankar Dewan, headman of the tribal community, told Compass that the tribal Christians have an historical claim to the land.
"The land belonged to the forefathers of tribal Christians, so they can lay claim to the property by inheritance," said Dewan.
During conflict between tribal people and Bengali people in the hill tracts, the tribal people left the country and took shelter in neighboring India, leaving much of their land abandoned. Bengali settlers took over some of the land, while the government leased other tracts to Bengali settlers, Dewan said.
"Many lands of the tribal people were grabbed in the hill tracts in the two years of state-of-emergency period of the previous army-backed, interim government," he said. "Those Bengali settlers tried to grab the land during the tenure of the army-backed, interim government."
Members of the Shanti Bahini, tribal guerrillas who fought for autonomy in the hill tracts, ended a 25-years revolt in the Chittagong Hill Tracts area in 1997 under a peace treaty in which the government was to withdraw troops and restore land acquired by settlers to local tribesmen.
Some 2,000 Shanti Bahini guerrillas surrendered their weapons following the 1997 treaty. But the tribal people say many aspects of the treaty remain unfulfilled, including restoration of rights and assigning jobs to them.
The guerrillas had fought for autonomy in the hill and forest region bordering India and Burma (Myanmar) in a campaign that left nearly 8,500 troops, rebels and civilians killed.
Recently the Awami League government ordered one army brigade of nearly 2,500 troops to pull out from the hill tract, and the withdrawal that began early last month is expected to be completed soon. Four brigades of army are still deployed in the hill tracts comprising three districts - Rangamati, Khagrachari and Bandarban.
Copyright 2009 Compass Direct News. Used by permission. All rights reserved.


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Let's talk about commenters who regularly leave remarks on the video I made about the word like "I spy a retard!" and "What a retard."
Let's talk about the commenters who saw that video on CNN.com and felt compelled to say things like "Please don't take away the word retarded, it's a great word!"
Let's assume that a lot of these people are ignorant, cruel, heartless or all of the above. Some of them may never get it. Some of them don't want to get it. Sadly, some very smart people are also choosing not to get it. As in, The New York Times. Read on.
Let's talk about the fact that in 2010 Congress banned the use of the words "retard" and "retardation" in federal health, education and labor laws because "retard" has become a pejorative word that essentially means "stupid" or "loser." It demeans people with disabilities—and makes the world think less of them. The preferred term is "intellectual disability."
Let's talk about the fact that per plans for the fifth version of The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), to be published by The American Psychiatric Association in 2013, the term "mental retardation" will be replaced by "Intellectual Development Disorder."
Let's talk about doctors who use "mental retardation" as a reason to not give kids life-saving operations, like Amelia Rivera, who needed a kidney transplant and whose doctor originally told her mother "I do not recommend Amelia for a transplant because she is mentally retarded."
Let's talk about smart comedians like Margaret Cho who, when asked about having a baby at an advanced maternal age, responded "I don't necessarily want to have a retard."
Let's talk about pundits (albeit loathsome ones) like Ann Coulter, who recently tweeted "Been busy, but is Obama STILL talking about that video? I had no idea how crucial the retarded vote is in this election." She was referring to a video the President made for the National Forum on Disability Issues.
Let's talk about the ongoing use of the word in The New York Times. In a recent piece by reporter Danny Hakim about a man filing a lawsuit for the abuse of his son, Hakim referred to the son as "severely retarded," as tracked by Louise Kinross. Wording was later changed, she pointed out, to "severe mental disability." Louise edits and writes the award-winning BLOOM blog and magazine for Canada's Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, and is mom to Ben, who has intellectual disability.
She emailed Hakim, as she details in a post, and also shared the emails with me. He noted that "mental retardation" is a diagnosed condition; said that at the New York Times "we've actually used the term with some frequency"; and explained that a copyeditor had most likely made the wording change. NYT copyeditors evidently missed this September 29th article, in which a reporter referred to a man as "severely mentally retarded." After another round of emails, Hakim agreed he would "carefully consider" her point going forward.
Louise also contacted the office of the New York Times' Public Editor, and heard this from Joseph Burgess: "If the proposed change in language ends up being enacted, let me know and I will bring it to the attention of the standards editor. That would be a more appropriate time for the public editor's office to push for a revision in language."
Let's not talk about the labyrinthine ways of The New York Times. But let's say this: If smart, educated, otherwise conscientious people—the kind who shape millions' of people's thoughts every day, the kind whose business it is to care about words—don't care all that deeply, then we have a very, very, very long way to go. "Why does the New York Times hold on to using what in common speech has become a demeaning slur?" Louise noted to me. "In particular, why do they cling to such a word when describing one of the most marginalized groups in society?"
Let's talk about how this isn't just about a word, before people start crying censorship and that weeding out a word isn't going to make a damn difference in the way the world treats kids like Max or Ben. It's about furthering a conversation on how we view people with disability—and treat them as equals in society.
Let's talk about how kids like Max and Ben need every advantage they can get in this world.
Let's talk about the real r-word: respect.
Let's talk about this, and let's keep right on raising our voices.


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St. James's Palace said Monday that the Duchess of Cambridge - formerly known as Kate Middleton - has a severe form of morning sickness and is currently in a London hospital.
The palace said that since the pregnancy is in its "very early stages," the 30-year-old duchess is expected to stay in the hospital for several days and will require a period of rest afterward.
In recent days, Middleton has kept up royal appearances - recently playing field hockey with schoolchildren at her former school.
The confirmation of her pregnancy - following intense speculation ever since their lavish Westminster Abbey wedding last year - was greeted with congratulations.
Royal Wedding photos: WEBSITE and iPAD | WIRELESS
Prime Minister David Cameron wrote on Twitter that he was "delighted by the news," saying the royals "will make wonderful parents."
Not only are the attractive young couple popular - with William's easy common touch reminding many of his mother, the late Princess Diana - but their child is expected to play an important role in British national life for decades to come.
As the first-born to William - who is second in line for the throne after his father, Prince Charles - the couple's child stands an excellent chance of one day becoming monarch.
Whether boy or girl, the child will be next in line behind William in the line of succession to the throne, Cabinet Office officials have said.
Leaders of Britain and the 15 former colonies that have the monarch as their head of state agreed in 2011 to new rules which give females equal status with males in the order of succession.
Although none of the nations had legislated to make the change as of September 2012, the British Cabinet Office confirmed that this is now the de-facto rule.


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Debt crisis averted — but spring fight still ahead
AP Special Correspondent
| Thursday, January 24, 2013, 10:05 a.m.
WASHINGTON — Retreating with a purpose, Republicans sped legislation through the House on Wednesday to avert the imminent threat of a government default but pointing the way to a springtime budget struggle with President Barack Obama over Medicare, farm subsidies and other benefit programs.
The current legislation, which cleared the House on a bipartisan vote of 285-144, would permit Treasury borrowing to exceed the limit of $16.4 trillion through May 18. As it passed, Speaker John Boehner pledged that Republicans would quickly draft a budget that would wipe out deficits in a decade, and he challenged Democrats to do the same.
The Democratic-controlled Senate is expected to approve the debt bill as early as Friday or perhaps next week. The White House welcomed the legislation rather than face the threat of a first-ever default at the dawn of the president's second term in the White House, and spokesman Jay Carney pointedly noted a "fundamental change" in strategy by the GOP.
House Republicans cast the bill as a way to force the Senate to draft a budget for the first time in four years, noting that if either house fails to do so, its members' pay would be withheld. They called the bill "no budget, no pay,'" a slogan if not a statement of fact, since lawmakers would be entitled to collect their entire salaries at the end of the Congress with or without a budget in place.
With polls showing their public support eroding, the Republicans jettisoned, for now at least, an earlier insistence that they would allow no additional borrowing unless Obama and the Democrats agreed to dollar-for-dollar federal spending cuts in exchange.
The average American family "can't buy everything they want every day; they have to make tough choices. It's time to make Congress make the same choices," said Rep. Dave Camp, R-Mich., underscoring the new Republican rallying cry.
Rep. Paul Ryan, the Wisconsin lawmaker who will be responsible for drafting the budget for Republicans, said Congress has "a moral obligation" to prevent a debt crisis that he said will hit hardest at seniors and others who depend on government the most.
As chairman of the House Budget Committee, Ryan will take the lead role in crafting a blueprint expected to rely heavily on savings from benefit programs. The budget he wrote last year before being picked as the party's vice presidential candidate was to take two decades to achieve balance.
Ryan's 10-year-budget task will be eased in part by higher tax revenues resulting from the Jan. 1 expiration of a two-year payroll tax cut, and in part from an anticipated $600 billion generated by raising rates on upper incomes. But given the sheer size of annual deficits in the $1 trillion range, it will be impossible to meet his goal without taking large savings from benefit programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, farm and student loan subsidies, the federal retirement program and more.
House Democrats made no attempt to defend the Senate's failure to draft a budget over the past three years, instead saying a mere four-month extension in the debt limit would not give business and the financial markets the certainty that is necessary for the economy to grow more quickly.
Rep. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, his party's senior Budget Committee member, said the good news was, "Republicans have finally recognized the government must pay its bills. … The bad news is they only want to do it for three months."
Beyond the rhetoric lay a political calculation on the part of Boehner and other House Republicans that they could not afford to set up an immediate confrontation with Obama. At a closed-door retreat last week, the rank and file was presented with polling that showed their support eroding since the election into the mid-to-high 20s, and indicating that increasingly the public believes they oppose Obama out of political motives rather than on policy grounds.
The same surveys show significant support for spending cuts, although backing wanes when it comes to reductions in individual programs that are popular.
Several officials said the leadership and Ryan had solidified rank-and-file Republicans behind a shift in strategy by emphasizing a commitment to a budget that would eliminate deficits in a decade, and the sentiment was expressed Wednesday on the House floor.
"This is why I ran for office. This is why I came to Washington, D.C.," said Rep. Tom Reed of New York, first elected in 2010 as part of a tea party-flavored wave that gave Republicans their majority.
Another Republican, Rep. Michael Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, answered Democratic taunts: "This is not a gimmick," he said.
Already, both sides were laying down markers for the struggle ahead.
Across the Capitol, Senate Democrats had already announced their intention to approve a budget, although they have made it clear they will insist on additional tax revenue that Republicans are sure to resist.
In his Inaugural address on Monday, Obama mentioned the deficit only once, and in passing. When it came to programs likely to bear the closest scrutiny from Republican budget cutters, he said, "We must make the hard choices to reduce the cost of health care and the size of our deficit." But he also said, "The commitments we make to each other — through Medicare and Medicaid and Social Security — these things do not sap our initiative, they strength us. They do not make us a nation of takers, they free us to take the risks that make this country great."
The congressional calendar requires the House and Senate to approve versions of a budget by early spring. Assuming that happens, the two are then reconciled, and the resulting compromise sets the framework for spending and tax legislation for the fiscal year that begins on Oct. 1.
The president's signature is not required on the budget itself, but legislation that attempts to carry it out goes to him for his approval or veto.
Republicans hope public sentiment will strengthen their hand for negotiations with the White House on those bills, although there are earlier chokepoints they hope to exploit as well. In particular, across-the-board spending cuts are to take effect beginning March 1, and it is something of an article of faith among many GOP lawmakers that the president would rather agree to an alternative that targets savings.
Also, funding for most of the government expires on March 27, giving conservatives yet another chance to try and reduce overall spending. That strategy is not without considerable risk, though. Republicans suffered grievous political damage in the mid-1990s when they engineered a pair of government shutdowns in a battle with President Bill Clinton over spending.
Supporters of the debt limit bill did not estimate the additional borrowing that would occur, but the Bipartisan Policy Center forecast about $450 billion if it is signed into law by month's end. Despite the May 18 date, the group also predicted Treasury would be able to take additional steps that would allow it to meet obligations through at least the end of July.
Associated Press writer Jim Kuhnhenn contributed to this story.


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Taking Action (The Posterior View)
I don't know how to write this post without sounding like a total cheesemeister, but I'm going to make my best effort. Feel free to gag a little bit if I get too sappy. But don't stop reading...
I spend lot of time just sitting around on my ass.
Sure, there's a lot (a LOT) of time spent running around after WonderBaby. There's also a fair amount of time spent pushing her around in a stroller or carting her about in a carrier or - more frequently, now - hovering a step or two behind her in the park while she toddles toward the slide that has the bad manners to beg that she climb it. And then, too, there's the couple of hours each week that I spend standing behind a lectern or pacing back and forth in front of that lectern, and the time spent walking to and from the subway to get to that lectern. And the time spend going up and down the stairs in my house with a baby or basket of laundry in my arms.
So, okay, maybe I don't actually spend all that much time on my ass. But I'd like to.
If I could have my way, I'd spend a lot more time on my ass. A lot more time with books and paper and pens and my laptop, of course. (Ideally, that time would come from the alleviation of laundry duty, and the addition of eight hours to the twenty-four clock.)
Reading and writing and reflecting. I could devote infinite amounts of time to it, and I would love every minute of that time. On my ass.
When you love anything that much, you worry that you might get lost in it. I love WonderBaby that much. I love my husband that much. I love these so much that sometimes the desire to just totally retreat, escape, into these things is visceral. I can feel that desire squeezing my heart, I can taste its sweet tang in my mouth.
(A cabin! The woods! Long days and nights curled up with Husband and baby and books and laptop!)
(In this dream, wireless access is everywhere!)
Escape, away from the real world of real activity. Away from mess and pain and politics and noise and stress and Bad Things.
But I can't do that. We can't do that. In part, because it is simply impossible: life follows you wherever you go. You can't escape mess and stress and politics and pain simply by turning your back on them. You can't escape them, period.
And, we can't escape them because in escaping them we would lose our humanity. The challenges of life shape us, obviously. Any Hallmark Card or Learning-Annex-Deepak-Chopra-wannabe will tell you that. But what makes us really human is facing challenges together, and taking on challenges for each other. What really makes us human is acting as members of a community. Building community. Protecting community. Taking responsibility for community.
These past two weeks, as the 'Call to Action' posts have rolled in, I've seen so much humanity. I see it all the time, of course, out here in our corner of the blogosphere, where we write again and again and again our love for our families. But these posts, they showed me so much more. You're all so much more than mothers, fathers, parents, friends. You are all so human, in the best possible sense.
(I know, I know... getting SAPPIER.)
(Did I mention my ass, and how I sit on it, yet?)
Here's what we do, what we can do, how we can and do exercise our humanity, even from the comfort of the perch of our butts...
(Please. Do go visit these. I tried to organize them all by issue, but it was just too difficult and this post just never would have gone up if I'd kept at it. So you need to wade through the list, but please take a stab at it. Every single one of these posts is an inspiration.)
(Yes. You MUST KEEP READING. To the very bottom of this post, and then back up through the links. Yes, it will make you dizzy. But you will be a better person for it.)
Her Bad Mother - A Place Called Hell
Her Bad Mother - Things You Can't Tell Just By Looking At Her
Making Other Plans (Just Another Tool of the Patriarchy) - Action!
The Silent 'I' - A Great Man's Passing
The Silent 'I' - Community Love
Izzy - Just What Your First-Grader Needs
CrazyMumma - Live Life Love
Momish - 'Cause I Care
Lala -Livin' Large in the First World
Jozet - Lactivists Anonymous
Breadcrumbs in the Butter - Passion
SlackerMommy - Friends of Kids With Cancer
Radioactive Girl - Forever and Always... and Even Some More
Radioactive Girl - Lonely No More: Forever and Always, con't
My Silly Sausage - Getting Active
Sunshine Scribe - Breaking the Silence
Blog Antagonist - Mission Bad Mother
Metro Mama - Sleeping Children
Ruth Dynamite - Feminism: The Dynamite Perspective
Mama Tulip - 'Cause Happy Babies Mean Happy Mommies
Something Blue - Utopia
24/7 - Just Say It
Troll Baby - The Motherless (new blog)
Troll Baby - Left With a Legacy
Chicken and Cheese - Save a Life
Petra's Shadow - My Cause, My Life
The Mouse's Nest - Protecting My Family
The Ravin' Picture Maven - Passive Activists Rock!
Snickerdoodles - Baylie Belewe
Baylie's Site
Mommy Off The Record - Food For Thought
Mamalooper - Social Activism, or What Gets Me Up in the Morning
Baby in the Cty - Quiet Revolution
Mama Drama - A Can of Chicken Soup
Kittenpie - Little Causes
Dirty Laundry - Call to Action
Rose DesRochers - Giving Sick Kids a Reason to Smile
Mad Hatter Mommy - It Is What It Is
Toyfoto - Look Both Ways But Cross the Street
Non-Linear Girl - For My Grandmother
One Plus Two - Not So Very Ordinary
MotherBumper - Dooooo it... come on now
Life, The Universe and Everything - Warning: Social Justice Post Follows
Homesick Home - How I Give All My Google Ad Revenue to My Grandmother
Irreverent Antisocial Intellectual - Sometimes You Need a Kick in the Ass
The Lovely Mrs. Davis - Whoever tells the story defines the culture
nomotherearth - The Play's the Thing
Writing in the Mountains - Don't be Such a Brat
What Was I Thinking - Helping Unusual Children with Schooling
Frankly Pregnant - Lucia's Angels
My Own Circle of Confusion - Banned Book Week
Woman on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown - Do A Body Good
If It Wasn't This It Would be Something Else - Call to Action
The Ravin' Picture Maven - Meet My Brother
Rose DesRochers - Safer Internet Day
RocRebelGranny - St. Judes
Write About Here - Lawn Bowling and Native Plants
Parenthacks - Spread the Word (Toys to Iraq)
The Mad Momma - The Gift of Life
Mother-Woman - Raise a Reader OR Not
Mamaritaville - Helping Others
Stupid Grin - Too Many Happy Meal Pets Laying Around? (Toys to Iraq)
MadHatterMommy - It's a Matter of Choice, No?
Team Mimi - Run For It
If I've missed anyone, please let me know, and accept my apologies. And, if you're late to the party and inspired to write a post of your own, don't hesitate to send in a link - I'll keep adding links in as I receive them.


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Keystone Pipeline's Connection To Payroll Taxes? It's Up For Debate
The Keystone XL pipeline is supposed to connect Canada to Texas. But does it also have to connect to a payroll tax holiday?
White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett, speaking today on NPR's Tell Me More, said no link should be made because the oil pipeline is not "germane" to legislation involving a tax holiday.
Republicans had made it a sticking point in December when they tied the controversial pipeline to legislation extending a 2 percentage point payroll tax break through the end of 2012. They approved the tax holiday, but only for two months — and with language forcing the White House to make a quick decision on the pipeline.
President Obama responded by halting the project that environmentalists hate.
Jarrett said the Republicans' action made no sense. "What did the pipeline have to do with extending the payroll tax in the first place?" She said help for taxpayers should not be weighed down "with other pieces of legislation that aren't germane."
But also in Washington, D.C., this morning, Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, a Republican, was speaking at an event sponsored by The National Journal. Barrasso, who insisted on including the pipeline language in the payroll-tax legislation, said Keystone and the tax-break extension are bound together by the common thread of economic growth.
Obama wants to help the economy by boosting workers' take-home pay, and Republicans want to help the economy by increasing energy-related jobs, he said. But Tuesday night's State of the Union address offered no hope that Obama would changing his mind, Barrasso said.
The president's address was "a re-tread" that only repeated the past, Barrasso said. "It was a groundhog-day speech."
(Marilyn Geewax is a senior business editor on NPR's National Desk.)


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The NCAA tournament will not have a repeat champion for the sixth straight season. Kentucky made sure of that by failing to make the field of 68.
Beyond that, nothing's for certain in this year's version of March Madness after a season a parity that saw the top teams swap positions like it was a hoedown.
The tournament got started Tuesday night with the play-in games: North Carolina A&T won its first NCAA game in 10 tries over sub-.500 Liberty and Saint Mary's pulled away from Saint Mary's.
After two more First Four games Wednesday, the full madness starts on Thursday, when what's expected to be a wilder-than-usual bracket gets rolling.
Here's a few things to look for as you get the snacks and drinks lined up around the couch:
Louisville: Coach Rick Pitino is one of the best minds in the game, Peyton Siva and Russ Smith are capable of taking over any game, Gorgui Dieng swats shots and grabs rebounds, and the Cardinals went to the Final Four a year ago. No wonder they're the No. 1 overall seed.
Gonzaga: The Zags are big up front, love to play defense and have few weaknesses. After Final Four runs by Butler and VCU in recent years, top-ranked Gonzaga has a chance to become the first mid-major to win a title.
Indiana: Preseason No. 1 earned the East Region's top seed despite losing the Big Ten title game. With size, talent and depth, the Hoosiers will be hard to bet against.
Kansas: Bill Self led the Jayhawks to the Final Four last season. He has them in position to make another run despite having an almost entirely different team.
Duke: Return of forward Ryan Kelly makes the Blue Devils a tough matchup for anyone.
Florida: The Gators have one of the nation's best backcourts, some beef up front and love to play defense. Sounds like a winning combination.
Cody Zeller, Indiana. The versatile, 7-foot sophomore center can be unstoppable.
Doug McDermott, Creighton. A leading candidate for POY (player of the year), the rugged forward would be sure bet for MRP (most relentless player).
Kelly Olynyk, Gonzaga. The long-haired, long-armed 7-footer from Canada is long on talent. He will have a highlight dunk or two, count on it.
Mason Plumlee, Duke. Had a superb regular season and was a big reason the Blue Devils survived Ryan Kelly's injury.
Jeff Withey, Kansas. Shot-swatting 7-footer is a difference-maker at both ends.
Trey Burke, Michigan. Big Ten player of the year in the running for national player of the year.
Marshall Henderson, Ole Miss. The Mouth from the South can shoot to back up his trash talking.
No. 11 Belmont over No, 6 Arizona, West Region. The Wildcats have struggled at times defending the perimeter. The Bruins are one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the country. Get hot, Belmont could pull it off.
No. 11 Minnesota over No. 6 UCLA, South Region. The Gophers are athletic and would likely have given UCLA trouble before Bruins' second-leading scorer Jordan Adams broke his right foot in the Pac-12 final.
No. 11 Saint Mary's over No. 6 Memphis. The Tigers have failed to get out of the first round the past two tournaments. Saint Mary's is scrappy and has a player who can get hot in Matthew Dellavedova.
No. 12 Oregon over No. 5 Oklahoma State, Midwest Region. Oklahoma State isn't particularly good from the perimeter and Oregon has a scrappy defense. The Ducks also have a chip on their shoulder after winning the Pac-12 tournament and being dropped to a 12 seed.
No. 1 Western Kentucky over No. 1 Kansas, South Region. OK, it's probably a stretch, but 16 will eventually beat a 1 and after this season of surprises, we decided to throw one in there.
The selection committee did quite a few teams favors this season by allowing them to play close to home.
Kansas has the shortest distance, needing a mere 40 miles to get from Lawrence to Kansas City, where it also has a strong fan base. Rival Kansas State also gets to play at the Sprint Center, but it's another 80 miles away.
California also has a short journey, heading 45 miles down the bay to play in San Jose and Michigan will make a 50-mile-or-so trek to Auburn Hills, where Michigan State also will play (from roughly 80 miles away).
Louisville will play in a familiar place, at rival Kentucky's gym in Lexington about 75 miles away, and Ohio State has about a 70-mile trip to play in Dayton.
The distance losers?
Syracuse in San Jose, which is about 2,800 miles and San Diego State in Philadelphia, roughly 2,700 miles. We're guessing they'll fly for those trips.
9-2_Opening odds for tournament favorite Louisville to win the title.
35 billion-1. Odds of having a perfect bracket by picking all better-seeded teams, according to the website bookofodds.com.
1.55_Nation's-best assist-to-turnover ratio for Michigan.
6_Players from Missouri that averaged double figures scoring this season.
16_Straight seasons Tom Izzo has led Michigan State to the NCAA tournament, longest in Big Ten history.
21_Years since La Salle had made the NCAA tournament field.
23.1_Scoring average of Creighton's Doug McDermott, highest among NCAA tournament players and second nationally to Virginia Tech's Erick Green (25.0).
80.1_Free-throw percentage of Davidson, best in the nation.
81.0_Scoring average of Northwestern State, tops nationally.
115_Weight difference between New Mexico State's Sim Bhullar, a 7-foot-5, 360-pound freshman and 6-11 Saint Louis forward Rob Loe.
5,600_Combined career points by Bucknell starters Cameron Ayers, Mike Muscala, Bryson Johnson and Joe Willman.
Just about every school has famous alumni. We've found some cool ones from a few of the schools in the bracket.
Duke: Actor Ken Jeong. What you talkin' about, Willis? The Hangover's Mr. Chow also went to medical school at North Carolina.
North Carolina State: Comedian and fellow Hangover-er Zach Galifianakis was once a part of a larger Wolfpack.
Davidson: President Woodrow Wilson.
Marquette: Actor Chris Farley might have had a beer or two at the Milwaukee school, but also graduated from there in 1986 with a degree in communications and theater.
Notre Dame: Actor George Wendt didn't graduate from there, but was a golden domer for a while before sidling up to the bar on Cheers.
VCU: Gwar. Members of the shock metal band met there.
Indiana: Actor Lee Majors. The Six Million Dollar Man earned a football scholarship with the Hoosiers, but later transferred.
Florida: Actor Stephen Root, of "Have you seen my stapler?" fame from Office Space. Majored in acting and broadcasting
Minnesota: Actor Ron Perlman was a Golden Gopher before he became a Son of Anarchy.