March Madness Bracket Statistics

March Madness Bracket Statistics Every March in the U.S. marks the beginning of the Men’s NCAA Division I basketball tournament. Dubbed March Madness, the modern version of the first round of the tournament consists of 64 teams in a single elimination bracket  format. Office pools and Internet contests challenge fans to correctly guess the outcomes of all 63 games in the tournament. This is no small undertaking. In the first round of the tournament alone there are 232 4,294,967,296 possible brackets that could result. Statistics and probability can be used to knock this number of over four trillion down to a somewhat more manageable size. Each team is assigned a ranking or seed from #1 to #16 based upon a number of criteria. The first round of the tournament always follows the same format, featuring four games each of the following types: #1 seed vs. #16 seed#2 seed vs. #15 seed#3 seed vs. #14 seed#4 seed vs. #13 seed#5 seed vs. #12 seed#6 seed vs. #11 seed#7 seed vs. #10 seed#8 seed vs. #9 seed Making Predictions Predicting the winner of each game is a complicated process that involves comparing several different variables from each team. To simplify matters, results from previous tournaments can be helpful to make predictions for the current year’s tournament bracket. The tournament has had the same 64-team structure since 1985, so there is a wealth of data to analyze. A prediction strategy using this idea looks at all instances where a #1 seed played a #16 seed. The results from these prior outcomes give a probability that can be used to make a prediction in the present tournament. Historical Results Such a strategy of picking the winner based on previous seed results is limited. However, there are some interesting patterns that start to emerge when examining the results from the first round of the tournament. For example, a #1 seed has never lost against a #16 seed. Despite a higher ranking, #8 seeds lose more often than not against #9 seeds. The following percentages are based on 27 years of March Madness with four of the same types of matchups in each tournament. #1 seed vs. #16 seed – The #1 seed has won 100% of the time against the #16 seed.#2 seed vs. #15 seed – The #2 seed has won 96% of the time against the #15 seed.#3 seed vs. #14 seed – The #3 seed has won 85% of the time against the #14 seed.#4 seed vs. #13 seed – The #4 seed has won 79% of the time against the #13 seed.#5 seed vs. #12 seed – The #5 seed has won 67% of the time against the #12 seed.#6 seed vs. #11 seed – The #6 seed has won 67% of the time against the #11 seed.#7 seed vs. #10 seed – The #7 seed has won 60% of the time against the #10 seed.#8 seed vs. #9 seed – The #8 seed has won 47% of the time against the #9 seed. Other Statistics In addition to the above, there are other interesting facts pertaining to the NCAA tournament. Since the 1985 tournament: Only once (4% of the time) has all four #1 seeds made it to the Final Four.Three times (12% of the time) no #1 seeds have made it to the Final Four.14 times (52% of the time) a #1 seed has won the entire tournament.The lowest seed to win the tournament is a #8 seed.The lowest seed to make it to the Final Four is a #11 seed. Use the above statistics at your own discretion. As the saying goes, Past performance is not an indicator of future success. You never know when a #16 team will score an upset.

War on Drugs and War on Terrorism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 7500 words

War on Drugs and War on Terrorism - Essay Example examples of this interplay between illicit drug trade and terrorism.3 This interplay between the illicit drug trade and terrorism poses both a direct and indirect to national security in the sense that the drugs are traded in the U.S. and therefore indirectly funds terrorism activities both abroad and at home. Moreover, terrorism and the illicit drug trade pose distinct threats to US national security and global security as whole. The US has a vested interest in global security as it can compromise the safety of Americans abroad and can eventually have both direct and indirect consequences for homeland security. This research examines the interplay between US anti-drug and terrorism policies. This will be accomplished by exploring and evaluating both policies, their strategies and the rationale for both policies. In 1986 drugs were officially deemed a national security threat. President Ronald Reagan’ National Security Decision Directive of April, 1986 declared that drugs had the potential to destabilize democracies, deplete both the morality and health of the U.S.’s society and could â€Å"adversely affect the economy.†4 On the evening of September 11, 2001, President George W. Bush in an address to the nation spoke of a â€Å"war against terrorism†.5 The US war on terrorism is predicted on an urgent need to defend and protect the US, â€Å"the American people, and their livelihoods†.6 Regardless of the separate and distinct threat to national security, there is increasing evidence that drug trafficking and terrorism are intricately linked. For instance, the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) issued a report in 2003 claiming that out of the 36 foreign terrorist groups in the US as listed by the U.S. State Department, 14 were engaged in drug trafficking activities.7 It is therefore hardly surprising that the DEA would advocate that both the war on drugs and the war on terrorism be combined.8 The DEA is not the only source identifying a link between

Transportation Cost Fluctuation Due to Changing Crude Oil Prices Essay

Transportation Cost Fluctuation Due to Changing Crude Oil Prices - Essay Example Consequently, for an individual to move from the U.S. to the UK, he or she must use either air or ship as a means of transport to reach the destination. Most of the modern modes of transport used usually depend on oil as a source of energy. Oil used in the transport industry comes in the form of petrol, diesel and other forms of petroleum products. Apart from the transport sector, other sectors of the economy such as industries also depend a lot on oil as a source of energy. In fact, over the past decades, there has been a steady increase in global demand for oil due to globalization and industrialization taking place all over the world. Worldwatch Institute (8) notes that a substantial growth in energy demand in the world has began especially with China and India, which has the largest human population. He notes that from 2002 to 2004, world global demand increased by 5.3 percent with that of China alone increasing by 5.8 percent. Oil demand in other Asian countries increased by 5.8 percent combined. The increased demand is mainly attributed to the ever-increasing industrialization. Worldwatch Institute also reports that from 2002 to 2004, the US demand for oil increased by 4.9 percent, 10.2 percent with UK realizing a 6.8 percent increase. Other developed countries like Germany and Japan realized a drop in oil demand by 1 percent and 2.6 percent respectively. This prices are however not stable as they keep fluctuating depending on global demand. For instance, an increase in the oil demand usually leads to an increase in petroleum prices. Worldwatch reports that the increase in global demand for oil between 2004 and 2005 saw an increase in petroleum price from about $30 per barrel to $60 per barrel. Such a price fluctuation in oil price in turn affects the transport fares. The level to which fuel price fluctuations as affected by global demand for oil, which in turn affects transport costs can only be explained using supply and demand theories. This paper will discuss how fuel price fluctuation is affected by global demand for oil, which in turn affects the transportation cost. Surface Transportation Policy Project (1) argues that apart from the latest increase in gasoline prices, transportation cost mostly go unnoticed by an average America. This is despite the fact that an average American household spent close to 19.3 per cent per dollar in transportation in 2001. The report found out that it is the second largest expense category, which is three times more than heath care adding close to $7,633 per household every year just to get around. The survey found out that it is only housing that e xceeds transportation in terms of expenditure. He notes that in recent years, transportation consume a larger share of family budget. As such, the proportion of household expense grew from below 10 percent in 1935 to close to 14 percent by 1960 and a further 20 percent since 1972 to date. It was also observed that the growth of expenditures on transport closely followed the decline in transit use leading to an emergence of sprawl development (Surface Transportation Policy Project 1). This explains the principle of demand, which states that the higher the price of a product, the lower the quantity demanded, and the lower the price, the higher will be the demand for a product or service. In this case, the law of demand plays out in that the increase in household expenditure lead to a decrease in transit use which in turn lead to emergence of sprawl. This shift was due to the fact that it the only next cheapest alternative to the transit as a means of transport. Surface Transpo

Emperial Rome vs Han Essay Example for Free

Emperial Rome vs Han Essay The Classical Period was a time where large, land-based empires were developed. The leaders of these empires were met with many questions on how to control their territories. While both the Han empire and Imperial Rome exercised political control over their empires through government structure, they differed in their organization of bureaucrats and their reliance on slavery. Both the Han and Imperial Rome exercised political control through similar government structure. The Han emperor, who was believed to be the â€Å"Mandate of Heaven†, had absolute power over all of his people. They relied heavily on their trained bureaucrats, the Shi, to carry out lawful duties. This reliance was supported by Confucian ways and stabilized the empire. Imperial Rome also practiced having a singular ruler to control the whole. The Roman emperor also was believed to have power over the citizens of Rome. The Romans also had their own class of bureaucrats who were valued highly. This social stratification unified Rome as a country. Both Han and Imperial Rome relied on social hierarchy to help with exercising political control over their empires. They practiced this structure because it unified power in the state and lessened the amount of chaos. The Han relied on their bureaucratic class of trained officials to exercise political control; whereas in Rome bureaucracy was given as a reward to returned war heroes. The Han’s bureaucrats, the Shi, were trained in the Confucian ways. This made the officials more reliable and prone to do the right thing. The Shi were also taught to embody the law and enforce it in the state. This method of â€Å"lead by example† helped citizens strive to do their best. If the citizens were all hoping to be a better man, the society as a whole would be a better place. The Han’s bureaucrats were ran more on a basis of trust in their behavior than the Roman’s. This method of trust in the bureaucrats was heavily supported by the Confucian teachings and their training in becoming better men. In Imperial Rome, bureaucracy was given to returned warriors. Rome hoped that by rewarding good soldiers there would be more desire to go fight in a war and succeed. These bureaucrats enforced the laws rather than embodying them. They weren’t reliable, but were forceful enough to get the job done by using fear to make the citizens behave and do as the laws said. The bureaucracy was given to the returned war heroes as a reward for their accomplishments in battles. This gave soldiers more desire to fight and do well in wars so that when they returned they would be honored for their accomplishments. The Han relied more on trust to carry out their political control than Imperial Rome did. The Hans trained their bureaucrats to make them more trustworthy and faithful to their ruler. However, Rome used their successful soldiers because they fought in many wars; they needed motivation for their soldiers to go be successful and to fight bravely and honorably. While both civilizations had slaves, Han China didn’t rely greatly on their slaves; however in Imperial Rome slaves were a critical and indispensable part of the society. In Chinese societies slaves were used mostly for at home chores such as cooking, cleaning, or going shopping. Even without slaves performing these domestic tasks, the Han could’ve survived. Also, slaves in China were treated less harshly than those in Rome. The slaves in China were allowed to refuse certain tasks that were not included in their contract when they first signed to their owner without fearing a severe beating. Lastly, China had an overall more lenient view on their slaves. The owners in Han were not as strict or cruel. However in Imperial Rome, slaves were mostly captured war prisoners who were being punished. This led to harsh punishment of the slaves to make sure they behaved and did as told. Slaves began doing a majority of the physical labor in Imperial Rome which made them an asset to the Roman society. If Rome were to lose their slaves, the economy would crumble and the empire would fall. Finally, some Roman slaves were given high titles, such as lawyers or doctors. So to lose these slaves would be to lost tons of profit. Both societies used slaves, but Imperial Rome was much more reliant on their slaves than Han China was. The Hans didn’t rely on slaves much because they knew that they weren’t reliable and if they kept a strong hold on them they would rebel and cause the fall of the empire. However, Rome used the method of scaring their slaves into doing the right thing. If the slaves feared a brutal beating they would be sure to make the right decisions and follow directions. In both Han China and Imperial Rome government structure was used to help exercise political control, however they differed on their organization of bureaucracy and their reliance on slavery.

Novel Eval :: Technology Papers

Novel Eval There appears to be some writing on the note ... Ethel Cindy R. Lucero English M01A Ms. Janet Cross April 16, 2001 A Gender Twist One great allure of computerized communication systems is their ability to allow participants to effortlessly reshape their selves and their appearance through the manipulation of words and images or representations rather than through modification of the physical body, a process requiring access to advanced biomedical technologies beyond the reach of most individuals. These communication systems allow people to escape boundaries and categories that have in the past constrained their activities and their identities. In communication, knowing the identity of those with whom you communicate is essential for understanding and evaluating an interaction. Yet in the disembodied world of the virtual community, identity is also ambiguous. Many of the basic cues about personality and social role we are accustomed to in the physical world are absent. Contained in that concept is the seed of a true revolution in computers and communication: the possibility that it may no longer be possible to make judgments based on physical and biological images before our eyes, that instead we may be forced to deal with shattered categories and shifting identities. Jesse Kornbluth, in his article titled {you make me feel like} A Virtual Woman, wrote about his experiences in using the internet as a means of communication with other people. His extraordinary revelations came from ordinary chat rooms where his identity changed to a woman. He is heterosexual, but once online, he becomes a virtual woman. This started when he first logged in, he was bored to death by regular chat rooms, where all people can see on the main window are terms like LOL (laughing out loud). He went on to the next level, which is the member room. They have inviting names such as M 4 M, Married and Restless, etc. He anticipated an interesting room but found out that it was a mess of men and women or men and men typing while they indulge themselves in hot chats of perversion. He was disappointed not to find smart and witty individuals to talk to on the net. He has a wonderful wife and a bunch of female friends, that if he was a slimeball, he could have as much lovers as he wants. So he is not interested in all the junk cybersex has to offer.

Documents of American History Essay

John Adams is an important figure in the history of this country at the most important time in its history: the time of its birth. He is a towering figure in American History and his accomplishments speak to protecting the rights of his fellow men, even if those men were British soldiers accused of shooting Americans as was the case with the Boston Massacre of 1770. John Adams served as minister to France in 1777 when at that time, the colonists badly needed French intervention if they ever hoped to win the American Revolution. Adams also had a contributing role in America’s Declaration of Independence as he was a vocal member of the Continental Congress. Adams also wrote the Massachusetts State Constitution, including its Bill of Rights. All of the above mentioned speak to the love of freedom and the protection of these rights to which Adams spoke so dearly. So then why during the 20th century, was Adams almost vilified compared to his friend and one time enemy Thomas Jefferson? It is peculiar how History seems to take sides over one issue of vilifies or glorifies one person above his real role in life.   Both Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln enjoyed such an honor during the latter half of the 19th century and into the 20th. Only recently, when it is almost certain, that Jefferson fathered children of a mixed breed, yet still owned 200 slaves at a time, when Adams spoke to the emancipation of slavery, does the playing field become more level. This is especially true with David McCullough’s book John Adams, which actually sparked a Congressional insight into the importance of John Adams and a rethinking by the American public, spoke about the legacy of a man who was vital to the survival of this new experiment called the American Republic. Adams is vilified to a certain degree for two actions: forcing his bitterness over the loss of the 1800 election, not to greet the incoming President as is the custom now, and the dreaded Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 which horrified Thomas Jefferson and helped lead to the one time best friends, not to speak to speak to each other for another twelve years. Both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson will be forever linked together in American history. The 2nd and 3rd presidents of The United States and one time best friends, who later became political rivals and has the distinction of dying on the same day; the 50 anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, were giants in the quest for American Independence. John Adams, twice, served as a diplomat to France both during the American Revolution as well as in the years immediately following the war. â€Å"Both Jefferson and Adams were very important times since historians later hailed French involvement in the American Revolution as what helped turned the tide of the war in the favor of the colonists.† (McCullough, 2001 p. 322) And as the war was nearing its end, John Adams wrote his state’s Constitution as well as its Bill of Rights. This Constitution, more than any other of its time, expanded these rights, to a greater degree than had been seen previously. Adams was instrumental in procuring the freedom of African Americans, who in Jefferson’s Virginia, would continue to be slaves or live in slave like conditions well after the end of the Civil War and despite the passage of the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments. But it would not be until the 20th century that such ironies were given their proper attention. â€Å"But it would be the passage of the 1798 Alien and Sedition Act that would puzzle and infuriate all those that had been a part of the construction of the Constitution’s Bill of Rights in 1791 and specifically, the 1st amendment which protected, among others, a person’s right of free speech.† (Burns, 1997) This meaning has been expanded over the years but then as well as now, its first usage was to protect one who criticized the government, from reprisal. The 1798 Alien and Sedition Acts seemed to come in stark contrast to this most sacred of rights within the American Constitution. It said: â€Å"That if any persons shall unlawfully combine or conspire together, with intent to oppose any measure or measures of the government of the United States, which are or shall be directed by proper authority, or to impede the operation of any law of the United States†¦ Shall be punished by a fine not exceeding $5,000 or a term in prison between five months to six years.† (Commanger, 1947 p. 177) This Act would later be repealed only to see the light of day again in 1918 during WWI. But such measures, horrified Thomas Jefferson and in response, wrote along with his friend James Madison, the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions which were in direct response to the Sedition Acts and portrayed the further split between the Federalist and Democratic Parties, made even wider by the personal disunion caused by Adams and Jefferson. The Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions stated that: â€Å"no power over freedom of religion, freedom of speech, or freedom of the press being delegated by the   United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, all lawful powers respecting the same did of right remain, and were reserved to the States, or to the people.† (Commanger, 1947 p. 179) This meant that Jefferson, always distrusting of big government and in line with his belief in states’ rights, proclaimed that the federal government had no jurisdiction in enforcing the Alien and Sedition Acts as well as the fact that such restrictions on human freedom was in express contradiction to the Constitution and the ideals in which the American Revolution was fought in the first place. Everyone who had been locked up or fined under the Alien and Sedition Act was either set free or reimbursed by the federal government along with written apologies when Thomas Jefferson took over as President in March of 1801.The feud between Jefferson and Adams, made even larger by the ugliness of the 1800 Presidential election, lasted until 1812, when both were out of public office. Jefferson started a correspondence with Adams in what would become one of the most poignant and heart filled pieces of American literature. They both reminisced about their time together, hoping that this experiment in human democracy called the United States was actually going to work or not. Apologies were not given but rather regret that so much time has been lost to two people that were so important to the nation as well as to each other, were expressed in the correspondence. And what has to be one of the greatest coincidences in American history, two giants of American freedom who did not always practice what they preached; Adams’ enforcement of the Alien and Sedition Acts, and Jefferson personally owning more than 200 slaves for most of his lifetime, but still responsible for the expansion of human rights in America, died on the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Each died while saying that the other still lives. They were both right in that respect.   

White Privilege A Crime America Pays For - 1635 Words

White Privilege: A Crime America Pays for Being Privilege is something many of us do not realize we have on an everyday basis. Privilege is something you can get over time, but others are born with the natural ability to be privileged. Anybody who is â€Å"white† descent is born with what is known as white privilege. Many of us do not recognize this the privilege that comes with being white in society. We go on everyday taking advantage of other races by being white without even knowing it. Whether it is housing, education, jobs, the list goes on and on. Just like Tim Wise states in his video, is the idea we as white Americans are blind to the fact and in denial we have an advantage compared to any of race. We look at ourselves as everyone else and have zero privileges like everyone else. The family, the education system, the political system and many other influences in daily life, do not teach that the white race is privileged, but that the white race is the norm, not advantaged, just normal. Peggy McIntosh says that white privilegeis an unearned power that whites unknowingly possess, giving them an advantage in society. Whites in society ignore white privilege because we live in a nation of white dominance. Whites most often ignore the fact that blacks and other minorities do not enjoy these advantages. McIntosh defines white privilege as the many advantages white people enjoy, often seen as normal, and are largely unnoticed by society. Peggy McIntosh describesShow MoreRelatedRacial Prejudice And Racial Discrimination Essay1347 Words   |  6 Pagesthat a nation has escaped racism and racial discrimination. In America, the issue of racial segregation and supremacy surfaces in several ways. 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