Monday March 15th 2010
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PRT-Kunar: Kunar celebrates International Women's Day

By Air Force Senior Airman Nathan Lipscomb
Kunar Provincial Reconstruction Team Public Affairs

KUNAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan - more than 150 women from eastern Afghanistan’s Kunar province joined with women from the Kunar Provincial Reconstruction Team, 984th Military Police Company, Task Force Rock and the Department of State to celebrate International Women’s Day at the Fatima Girl’s High School in Asadabad, March 8.

The event included songs, poetry and speeches from key government leaders of the province, as well as students and teachers from the school.

“We are celebrating this day in a time when our women are facing huge challenges,” said Minster of Women’s Affairs Husan Bano Ghazanfar in a prepared statement. “Hopefully the problems will be ended soon. Meanwhile our women within the districts have witnessed a lot of violations to their rights, yet they still contribute to bring positive changes in their political, economic and social situations.”

Topics covered during the event included the history of International Women’s Day, women’s rights issues and violations, development opportunities for women and the responsibility of community leaders to support women.

“Most women are under the control of men,” said Hashima Shariq of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission. “Women need to be educated on their rights and understanding the law.”

Eva Shinagel, a guest speaker and the Kunar PRT Department of State Representative, also took part in the event, sharing experiences from her life, as well as advice to the women of Kunar.

“It is important to have communities that work together to achieve their goals,” Shinagel said. “One person alone can only do so much, but two or three or ten women together can achieve a great deal. I would even say that a group of women working together, toward the same goal, with time, can achieve almost anything.”

Nasima Shafiqk, the Director of Women’s Affairs also reminded attendees of the importance of women in the role of development.

“We know that development is not possible without women,” Shafiq said. “That is why we will continue to target issues concerning women’s rights throughout the Kunar Province.”

Despite differences in cultures and languages, the hospitality of the Afghan host was not lost on their American guests.

“Everyone seemed to be excited about having us there,” said U.S. Army Capt. Kuhlman, the Kunar PRT’s logistics officer. “Even though there was a language barrier, it didn’t stop the Kunari women from approaching us and making us feel at home.”


U.S. women from the Kunar Provincial Reconstruction Team, 984th Military Police Company, Task Force Rock, and Department of State Representative attended the International Women’s Day Celebration in Asadabad in eastern Afghanistan’s Kunar province, March 8. more than 150 women from Asadabad and surrounding areas joined together to celebrate the event. (Courtesy photo, PRT Kunar Public Affairs)(RELEASED)

Nasima Shafiq, the Director of Women’s Affairs, speaks during the International Women’s Day Celebration in Asadabad in eastern Afghanistan’s Kunar province, March 8. more than 150 women from Asadabad and surrounding areas joined together to celebrate the event. (Courtesy photo, PRT Kunar Public Affairs)(RELEASED)

U.S. Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Amy Mejstrik, left, and U.S. Army 1st Lt. Vinodhini Darmarajah, both with the Kunar Provincial Reconstruction Team, spend time with some of the children at the International Women’s Day Celebration in Asadabad in eastern Afghanistan’s Kunar province, March 8. more than 150 women from Asadabad and surrounding areas joined together to celebrate the event. (Courtesy photo PRT Kunar Public Affairs)(RELEASED)

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Justin Bieber quickly rising up the ranks of Twitter

Updated: Fri Mar. 12 2010 2:12:35 PM

the Canadian Press

Canadian teen heartthrob Justin Bieber may not be the king of Twitter but he’s staking a claim for the title.

last week, the 16-year-old pop singer from Stratford, Ont., was the No. 1 most-tweeted about topic, according to the tracking website whatthetrend.com.

this week he fell just short of the top spot and settled for second behind a little event called the Oscars.

As of mid-Friday, Bieber was ranked among the top 140 most popular Twitter users but his numbers of followers are multiplying.

He averages about 11,000 new followers daily, which on Friday helped him pass the Twitter accounts of the influential tech blogs TechCrunch and Silicon Alley Insider.

if his Twitter account’s growth continues its frenetic pace, which it steadily has for months, he’ll likely crack the top 100 by April.

But it would still take months to approach the top 10, an elite company of Twitter users with more three million followers, such as Lady Gaga, John Mayer, Oprah Winfrey, Barack Obama, Ellen DeGeneres, Britney Spears and the top dog, Ashton Kutcher.

Bieber may be far behind that group but he’s still a hot topic on Twitter right now, said Ingo Muschenetz of What the Trend.

“He’s certainly No. 1 unless something else comes along, like when the earthquake in Haiti happened that took the No. 1 spot for a few weeks,” Muschenetz said.

“If it wasn’t for the Oscars, he definitely would have been No. 1 (this week).”

Bieber has been on Twitter almost a year but it wasn’t until January that his popularity growth really started registering, Muschenetz said.

it helps that he’s an engaged user that communicates directly with his legions of fans who tweet him daily.

Bieber’s popularity is also buoyed by his detractors who can’t stand to see his name on Twitter’s list of trending topics over and over again.

“Justin Bieber trends really high and some people love that and some people hate that,” Muschenetz said.

“(The haters) then tweet about the fact that he’s trending, which only makes him trend higher.”

Twitter recently estimated that about 50 million tweets are registered each day, up from the 5,000 daily when the site was in its infancy in 2007.

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What do you think Alice Cullens bedroom would look like?

I am redoing my room and I want to base it on Alice Cullen’s bedroom. I don’t think it describes her room in detail in any of the books, mostly her closet. Since Jasper lives in her room too, I don’t think it would be completely pink and girly, but other than that I could not come up with any ideas. please help, and if you are planning on leaving a rude comment please don’t answer.
Thanks!

Wonder Why Wednesday

Hello 5:30, am. I wish you weren’t here. More importantly, I wish you were here but I didn’t know about you, which would translate to me being asleep.

Of course, I’m not because Za did not sleep well last night and fussed most of the night and wanted to nurse most of the night which is fine but she wouldn’t sleep and nurse, which leads me to wonder if this is really going to be a more common occurrence. I wonder why she cannot sleep and nurse at the same time, which she normally excels at. I wonder if I’m being too tough on her because she is probably going through a growth spurt, teething, or something else that one year olds do. then I wonder if I am being a softy and should put her in her bed and pat her to sleep. That translates to me getting less sleep than normally, so I don’t do that, but I still wonder if I should.

I wonder how I’m going to do today because I actually have to work. I wonder if I’ll be grouchy or if I’ll manage. I have no other choice but to manage, but I wonder if I’ll do it well. Probably not.

And, here comes the sun. I wonder if I can get another hour of sleep before the kids are up for good.

Khan expects to fight Pacquiao or Mayweather in the next 18 months …

By William Mackay: World Boxing Association light welterweight champion Amir Khan (22-1, 16 KO’s) appears to be on the fast track to get big money fights against mega stars Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao. Khan, 23, has a fight coming up against former IBF light welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi (27-3, 5 KO’s) on May 15th, at the Madison Square Garden, in New York, New York. This will be Khan’s debut fight in the United States, and Malignaggi, a fighter popular in the New York area, has been picked to give Khan an opponent that is fairly well known, at least by hardcore boxing fans.

Khan sees big things for himself in the future, saying in article at the Timesonline “They [Golden Boy Promotions] have laid out a plan that over the next 18 months I will be fighting the likes of Manny Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather.”

One can’t blame Khan for wanting to fight those guys. After all, most fighters would want to fight Mayweather and Pacquiao because of the huge payday they would get. never mind actually beating them. Just fighting Mayweather and Pacquiao is a guaranteed huge payday. But the question that has to be asked is who will Khan be fighting in the next 18 months for him to continue winning and moving forward with his career.

Khan has had problems with fighters that good power. he was stopped in the 1st round by Breidis Prescott in 2008. Khan has been carefully managed since then and put in with a variety of fighters, none of which could punch. Khan’s next opponent Malignaggi, a fighter with only five knockouts during his entire nine year pro career, is a prime example of that.

Will Khan continue to be put in with soft opposition so that he can get an eventual big money fight against Mayweather or Pacquiao? I don’t know how Khan can be shielded from the top light welterweights for the next year and half without him taking tremendous criticism from the boxing public. Khan, you would think, would have to step it up at some point and face someone like Timothy Bradley, Marcos Maidana, Victor Ortiz or Devon Alexander.

But he might not. 18 months isn’t that long of a time, and Khan’s handlers could in theory keep him away from Alexander, Bradley and Maidana until after Khan gets his shot against Pacquiao or Mayweather. Bradley and Alexander are both champions and aren’t in the position to force a fight against Khan. if they were highly ranked challengers, then they could become Khan’s mandatory challenger.

He would then have to force them or risk having his title stripped, but that’s not the case. As long as Khan doesn’t have to face them or a big puncher like Maidana or Ortiz, Khan could very hold onto his title for another 18 months until he gets a big money bout against the likes of Mayweather and Pacquiao. I don’t know how much longer he can get away with not fighting Maidana, though, because he’s the WBA light welterweight interim champion.

At some point within the next 18 months, Khan will have to fight him you would think unless Khan maybe gives Maidana a step aside fee to stay out of the way. hopefully, Khan doesn’t do this and gets the Maidana out of the way as soon as he can. Supposedly, Golden Boy Promotions don’t want Khan to fight Maidana now because Maidana isn’t well known enough in the U.S.

They want to have his name built up more by having him fight more on HBO. However, with Khan looking at big names like Mayweather and Pacquiao, I don’t see it worthwhile to be stringing Maidana along for a fight that will still probably not be a huge money fight even a year from now.

For Maidana to become a big name, he has to fight opponents with a name to them, not fighters that fans have never heard of. Maidana is fighting Victor Cayo on March 27th on HBO. few people, I’m willing to guess, have heard of Cayo other than hardcore fans. As such, Khan should take on Maidana and get the fight over with because it won’t be any bigger a year from now than it is now. However, I doubt he will, if at all.

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IPL hand out 3 more bowling fines to captians

IPL hand out 3 more bowling fines to captians Deepankar Kaur | cricket20 the IPL have announced Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir and Kumar Sangakkara have each been fined US$20,000 for maintaining slow over rates during yesterdays games .

the captains were each found guilty of the IPLs Code of Conduct relating to minimum over rate offences and were fined by the match referees.

Tendulkar was guilty of a slow over rate during his side 4 run victory over the Rajasthan Royals at Brabourne Stadium in a game which saw the Royals Yusuf Pathan score a 37 ball century.

Meanwhile Gautam Gambhir and Kumar Sangakkara were found guilty of the same offence during their sides game at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium where the DareDevils won by 5 wickets against the Kings XI.

20 Easy Steps To A Fort Knox PC

Type in ‘tips for securing your computer’ into any search engine, and it’s surprising how many times some curiously similar basic advice crops up. They’re almost always the same tips, in the same order, looking as if they’ve been cut and pasted from site to site.

But you already know how to enable your firewall, that you must install antivirus software before venturing online and that you need to enable automatic Windows updates. So what can you usefully do beyond this to help secure your network?

PC Plus magazine has compiled a list of 20 tips designed to give you a more secure computing environment.

1. Add a password

Enabling passwords is possibly the single most important thing you can do if your computer is used by several people. More to the point, if your computer is stolen, being able to boot Windows and log in without a password is like leaving your front door unlocked.

To add a password, go to the Control Panel and double-click ‘User Accounts’. Click on the administrator account, then ‘Create a password’. Enter and confirm your password, and also enter a password reminder phrase. make this as cryptic as you can, because anyone can see it.

2. Banish the defaults

Almost all wireless routers require an administrator password before a user can log into the device and modify the configuration settings. However, the default password is weak because lists of such passwords are available on the internet. We recommend that you change the default password. it may not be an account that you log into very often, so try to make it a memorable password.

3. Lock Guest accounts

Some people like to give access to the Windows ‘Guest’ account when others need temporary unsupervised use of their computer. However, when you enable this account, it has no password by default. If you decide to make use of it (after all, it’s not inherently less secure than other non-privileged accounts), make sure that you give it a password. If you’re not using it, disable the account completely in the Control Panel.

4. Plug open ports

Open ports on your firewalls are vulnerable to attack in ways your antivirus software won’t necessarily detect. to close them, double-click ‘Windows Firewall’ in the Control Panel. On the Exceptions tab of the pop-up window, untick the services you no longer use. If you know you won’t be using a service again, select it and click ‘Delete’ to remove the exception for good.

5. Force the issue

You can easily force users to have passwords in Windows. On the start menu, right-click on ‘My Computer’ and select ‘Manage’. This brings up the Windows Management Console. Expand ‘Local Users and Groups’ and select the Users folder. Right-click the account you want to change and select ‘Properties’. a box will pop up giving a number of tickboxes for controlling the account’s password. Untick ‘Password never expires’ and tick ‘User must change password at next logon’. This will force the user to change their password (thereby setting it) the next time that they use the machine.

6. Shun auto complete

If you share your computer with others, it’s a very good idea not to store account credentials for websites in your web browser. The details may be stored securely, but if your browser automatically fills in your log-in details every time you visit a site, all the encryption in the world won’t stop another user from logging in as you.

In Internet Explorer, click on the Tools menu and select ‘Internet Options’. On the Content tab of the subsequent window, click the ‘Settings’ button in the Auto Complete section and a smaller window will pop up. here, you can set options to stop the browser from using auto complete for sensitive items. Back on the General tab, press ‘Delete’ and select the data types that you wish to delete.

In Firefox, select ‘Options’ from the Tools dropdown menu, select the Privacy tab and unclick ‘Remember what I enter in forms and the search bar’. next, click the ‘Settings’ button. The subsequent window will allow you to specify what you want to delete.

7. Use WMA encryption

If you have an unsecured Wi-Fi network, who knows what the neighbours might be up to? However, standard WEP encryption is no longer considered secure as plenty of tools now exist to crack it. Instead, you should be using WMA to secure your network. You’ll have to read your equipment manuals to find out how to enable it, but once it’s enabled, cheapskate neighbours will finally have to buy their own broadband connection.

8. Learn to spot spam

You may be savvy enough not to fall for email phishing scams, but how clued-up are the others who use your computer? it only takes one malicious attachment to be opened and all your good security practices will have been for nothing. make sure that everyone understands this and train them to delete all spam unopened.

9. Stay up-to-date

So-called ‘drive-by’ attacks on web browsers are incredibly common, and becoming more so. Some exploits work via unpatched vulnerabilities in your web browser, so to avoid this scan regularly for security patches. Internet Explorer is updated automatically by the Windows Update service. In Firefox, simply click ‘Scan for updates’ on the Help menu.

10. Get a better firewall

The firewall supplied with XP does not block outgoing connections (the firewall supplied with Vista does), so if you become infected with malware that sends spam or launches denial of service attacks, the firewall won’t stop it. It’s a good idea, therefore, to install a third-party firewall with more features, such as Zone Alarm.

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Happy Pi Day! 3.14 and the rest

It’s Pi Day, a celebration of the mathematical ratio that man has been trying to unlock for millennia. but why are we driven to find the answers behind it?

As we’re all taught at school, pi represents the number you get when you divide the distance around a circle (its circumference) by the distance across (the diameter).

With just a string and a ruler you can quickly measure that pi must be just over three-and-an-eighth (3.125). With more precise measurements, you may be able to narrow it down to 3.14.

However, if you ask a typical maths nerd, you’ll get an earful of pi – 3.14159265 and so on. A surprising number of students have memorised 50 or even 100 digits after the decimal point.

The rough ratio of pi 3.14 gives us the date for Pi Day. March 14, or 3/14 in American dating style, makes sense for a celebration of this famous constant.

Coincidentally, Pi Day is also the birthday of Albert Einstein, who no doubt knew more than a little about pi. Pi Day celebrants, usually children with an enthusiastic teacher and a varying degree of personal interest in the subject, learn about pi, circles, and, if they’re lucky, eat baked pies of various sorts.

Famous constant

Some classes offer prizes for memorising the most digits of pi, or for creating interesting mnemonic devices. Count the letters in each word of this classic poem:

Sir, I bear a rhyme excelling
in mystic force and magic spelling.

Pi, more commonly known by the 16th letter of the Greek alphabet, is the most widely-known mathematical constant in the world. even long after people forget their school lessons, they still recognise the symbol.

Pi conjures a sense of mystery, so the symbol makes regular appearances in popular culture – it’s the secret code in both Alfred Hitchcock’s Torn Curtain and the Sandra Bullock vehicle the Net.

And while pi is a number, its importance goes far beyond simple geometry. Pi represents a deep universal mystery – how is it that something this basic, this fundamental to maths and science, could turn out to be so incredibly difficult to pin down?

In fact, it’s literally impossible to know what pi is, because its digits rattle off into infinity.

While there are many infinitely long numbers in maths, pi is the only one in which an infinitely simple idea – the circle – unfolds into an infinitely complex value. this paradox drives many people to distraction.

Life’s work

One of the most endearing and enduring qualities of humans is that we’re so often sure that we can find the answer to any problem if we just try hard enough. For 3,500 years, humankind has attempted to solve the puzzle of pi, also called “squaring the circle”, calculating the exact ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. however, no matter how hard anyone tries, they find only a new approximation.

In ancient Greece, the great mathematician Archimedes worked tirelessly to discover the ratio, uncovering only a few digits of accuracy. when he tried to stop a Roman soldier from blundering over his work by shouting “do not touch my circles” he was unceremoniously murdered.

The most recent attempt, by a Japanese computer scientist in 2002, found 1.24 trillion digits of pi. To put all this in perspective, even an astrophysicist, attempting to measure galaxies, would never need more than 10 or 15 digits of precision. but pi beckons us on further. some mathematicians believe that if we could only find some pattern in pi, even some hint that there were more fours than sevens, it could lead to a huge breakthrough in our understanding of the universe.

The late physicist Carl Sagan, in his novel Contact, imagined a time when Earth scientists were sufficiently able to unravel enough of pi to find encoded messages from our creators-messages that would allow our primitive race to leap into a greater universal awareness. after all, if you were going to hide a long numeric message in the very fabric of our reality, pi would be a natural place to do it.

Fundamental equations

Nevertheless, pi continues to frustrate. in the late 19th Century, it was categorically proven that pi was infinitely long and could not be solved with any finite number of equations. That hasn’t stopped modern-day circle-squarers, who continue to claim that mathematicians are wrong and that pi is really just 3 or 3.25 or some other finite-but-erroneous answer.

Pi Day is a time to honour not just a number and our fascination with it, but also the essential truth that there are some things we simply cannot know. we can only get close to knowing.

Pi shows up everywhere. in mathematics, pi appears in many fundamental equations that have nothing to do with circles. in science, pi is inextricable from measuring everything from ocean waves to economic statistics.

Pi is found in the very measurements of the Great Pyramid at Giza. And if you divide the length of a river from source to mouth across a gently sloping plane by its direct length “as the crow flies”, you’ll find pi.

Pi also appears where you least expect it. Religious scholars point to the Old Testament which, when describing the measurements of Solomon’s Temple, implies that pi is only three. in the transcripts of the famed OJ Simpson trial, you can find arguments between the judge and an FBI agent about the actual value of pi.

For a time, Givenchy offered a men’s cologne emblazoned only with the symbol. Nobel Prize winner Wislawa Szymborska wrote a poem about pi, and pop star Kate Bush sang 100 digits of pi on her album Aerial.

In this age of high-tech precision instruments, where we assure ourselves that perfection is attainable, pi is an ever-present, sometimes grating reminder that there are puzzles that can be solved and there are mysteries that, perhaps, can not.

David Blatner is the author of the Joy of Pi.

Below is a selection of your comments.

Funny about Carl Sagan expecting to find encoded messages in Pi. It’s an infinite series, which means that any message you want to find will be there somewhere.
Magnus B, London UK

I understand why today was mentioned, but are we going to get special days for the other equally important constants? 0, 1, “i” and “e” are just as fundamental (although “i” isn’t really on show in every day life as much as the others)
Nic Brough, London, UK

Don’t forget the movie Pi either.
Garnet Hoyes, Korat, Thailand

Pi also works in deadlines for projects: take your estimated target deadline period, multiply it by pi, and you end up with the time you will need to actually finish the project.
Erik, Leuven, Belgium

Sir, I send a rhyme excelling
in sacred truth and rigid spelling
Numerical sprites elucidate
For me the lexicon’s full weight

Count the letters in the words for pi to 20 decimal places easily remembered.
Tuppennyblue, Worcester, UK

Why not have pi day on the 22nd July? Every schoolchild of my age knows that pi is best approximated by 22/7.
John Gillham, Malvern Worcestershire

My old maths teacher used to hold the world record for reciting pi, and once spent a lesson reciting the first thousand for “Children in Need” whilst we all checked a huge list of random numbers to spot if he made any errors. well, it was better than a real maths lesson.
Tony, Blackburn

The value and usage of pi is only theoretical as it’s impossible to create a perfect circle. There will be always some miniscule anomaly in its shape – even if you go right down to atomic level.
Kenny Laing, Grantham, UK

Every time we ask our computer to generate a random number (which might show up, for example, as a random letter or word, or as random movements in a game) we are using pi. A computer on its own cannot create a truly random number so it uses the apparently random sequence of digits in pi to produce a very good approximation of randomness.
Tony Palmer, Watford, UK

“Squaring the circle” has nothing to do with working our the value of pi – it refers to the problem of constructing a square from a circle, where the square is to have the same area as the circle.
Calum, Edinburgh

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Suggestions for better Oscars show

I sat down in my recliner in front of a TV showing the Oscars, expecting to fall asleep within 15 minutes. that is what normally happens when I am confronted with those types of situations. it is my body’s natural defense mechanism against boredom.

So I was pleasantly surprised when, after watching for a couple hours, I was still awake and entertained.

But, despite my surprise acceptance of the awards show, I still was able to find areas for improvement. though I never would want the job, if I was responsible for running the Oscar ceremony, a few changes would be made. these are some of my provisions:

1. Limit the amount of thanks. after receiving an Oscar, a person is only allowed to thank five people. nobody knows the people being thanked anyway, so it only makes sense to reduce them and save valuable time. An actor or actress who forgets to thank someone in particular would have an excuse because they were only allowed so many to begin with.

2. Decrease time for acceptance speeches. this goes along with no. 1, but is an additional time-saving mechanism. along with the five thank-yous, winners will be allowed to give a speech equal in length to a 160-character Tweet.

3. Limit the cameras from lingering on any particular person. Granted, some people deserve more attention than others, but sometimes the camera takes this liberty too far. Viewers can only look at James Cameron or Maggie Gyllenhaal for so long before gouging their eyes out.

4. Group similar awards together. this also is meant for time purposes. it may seem like I am belaboring the point, but when it takes a show nearly four hours to hand out 24 awards, some trimming is necessary. Awards for sound editing and sound mixing will be combined into “Best Sound.” the same will be done to original song and original score: “Best Music.”

5. Group together awards that nobody cares about. Devoting entire segments to makeup, film editing and foreign language films is not going to cut it. these types of categories will be mentioned together and the winners will line up single-file to claim their Oscar.

6. Rearrange order in which awards are given. it seems senseless for the first award to be “Best Supporting Actress.” the show should gradually build up to the end. therefore, awards for supporting actor and actress will be given just before the best actor and actress are named.

7. Add new categories. Under my supervision an Oscar will be handed out for the “Best Video Montage.” They were huge in the ‘80s, and everyone likes an occasional montage to speed up tedious parts of a movie. also, seeing as they are becoming so popular, another Oscar will be given to the “Most Resilient Zombie.”

More changes will be needed later, but this is a good start.

Be the first to comment on this article!

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Friday's SEC tournament games

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — It’s hard to imagine Kentucky not getting a no. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament even if the Wildcats were to stumble Friday against Alabama.

But Kentucky coach John Calipari is using the no. 1 seed as motivation for his club.

“When you’re playing a team like Alabama, you have to have the same energy and the same mentality. You have to be playing for something that’s important to you,” Calipari said. “For us, it’s that [No. 1] seed in the NCAA tournament.

“I’ve done this a long time, and if anybody tells you the seed doesn’t matter, they’ve never coached in the NCAA tournament. Seed does matter. If that’s more important than them playing their season beyond this, then we’ll be fine. If it’s more important to them to continue their season, then we’ll get beat.”

Here’s a quick glance at Friday’s quarterfinal games:

Game 1: Alabama vs. Kentucky, 1 p.m. ET

What’s at stake: The Wildcats want to leave little doubt that they’re a no. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, and this is the first taste of the postseason for the freshman trio of John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins and Eric Bledsoe. Alabama seems to be maturing at just the right time. The Crimson Tide rallied from an 18-point deficit in the second half to beat South Carolina 68-63 in the first round.

Scouting report: How interested is Kentucky to be playing in this tournament? If the Wildcats are knocking down shots, it really shouldn’t matter. with their size and talent, they’re good enough to beat anybody in this league when they’re making shots. Even though Kentucky’s dangerous in the transition game, look for Alabama to take its chances with the press and try to force the Wildcats into mistakes.

They said it: “It’s more than winning for us. It’s how we play. It’s about getting us in the right frame of mind for a postseason run.” — Kentucky coach John Calipari

Game 2: Ole Miss vs. Tennessee, 3:15 p.m. ET

What’s at stake: Here’s the Rebels’ chance to state their case for an NCAA tournament bid. They’re playing well right now and get a Tennessee team that’s already in the NCAA field. A win over the Vols could be enough to punch Ole Miss’ ticket. The Rebels need a marquee win in the worst way. they haven’t beaten a team with a winning record since December.

Scouting report: Tennessee’s Wayne Chism torched Ole Miss in the teams’ first meeting, a 71-69 win by the Vols in Knoxville. He scored 26 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. The other thing the Vols have going for them is 6-foot-11 Brian Williams, who’s playing the best basketball of his career after being suspended the first time the teams played. Ole Miss counters with strong guard play. Tennessee doesn’t have a lot of answers for the Chris Warren-Terrico White tandem.

They said it: “Tennessee didn’t shoot the ball well [in the first round], but can we be fortunate enough for that to happen two days in a row? We feel like our backs are against the wall, but we still control our own destiny.” — Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy.

Game 3: Florida vs. Mississippi State, 7:30 p.m. ET

What’s at stake: The Gators can probably breathe a little easier after taking care of Auburn in the first round, although a second straight win in Nashville would probably lock up a trip to the NCAA tournament. there is no tomorrow for the Bulldogs unless they win Friday and keep winning. they probably need to win the SEC tournament championship for the second straight year if they’re going to go back to the NCAA tournament.

Scouting report: with college basketball’s top shot-blocker, Jarvis Varnado, roaming the interior, nothing comes easy against Mississippi State inside. It’s difficult to gauge where the Bulldogs are emotionally right now. they were awful on Senior Night in a resounding loss to Tennessee last weekend. The key for the Gators is getting off to a good start. they did that in the first-round win over Auburn after falling behind by double digits in their three straight losses entering the tournament.

They said it: “We had been getting off to slow starts, so we wanted to come out there and throw the first punch and come out with a hunter mentality.” — Florida junior forward Chandler Parsons

Game 4: Georgia vs. Vanderbilt, 9:45 p.m. ET

What’s at stake: The Bulldogs proved they could win away from home on Thursday in the first round and now they try to carry that momentum into the semifinals. they have just enough athleticism and size to be a team that nobody wants to face right now. The Commodores are probably locked in as a no. 4 or no. 5 seed in the NCAA tournament, but would like to get that sour taste out of their mouths from losing to South Carolina on Senior Day last weekend.

Scouting report: Georgia was a tough matchup for Vanderbilt in both previous outings this season. The Bulldogs won 72-58 back on Feb. 6 in Athens, scoring 49 second-half points. The Bulldogs nearly made it a clean sweep of the Commodores on Feb. 25 in Memorial Gym, but couldn’t hold a five-point lead in the final 33 seconds of regulation. Vanderbilt staged a miraculous comeback and won 96-94 in overtime behind a career-high 28 points from senior point guard Jermaine Beal.

They said it: “We feel like we’re better equipped. We’re deeper. We’re bigger. We’re stronger. We’re more physical. We’re better, so we feel like we have a better chance to play well and have a chance to win this tournament. You would think there would be more success here and there. Nobody’s had success in it but Kentucky.” — Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings.

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