Directional Variations of the Non-Gaussianity Parameter f_NL
  We investigate local variations of the primordial non-Gaussianity parameter
f_NL in the WMAP data, looking for possible influence of foreground
contamination in the full-sky estimate of f_NL. We first improve the needlet
bispectrum estimate in (Rudjord et al. 2009) on the full-sky to f_NL= 73 +/- 31
using the KQ75 mask on the co-added V+W channel. We find no particular values
of f_NL estimates close to the galactic plane and conclude that foregrounds are
unlikely to affect the estimate of f_NL in the V and W bands even for the
smaller KQ85 mask. In the Q band however, we find unexpectedly high values of
f_NL in local estimates close to the galactic mask, as well as significant
discrepancies between Q band estimates and V/W band estimates. We therefore
conclude that the Q band is too contaminated to be used for non-Gaussianity
studies even with the larger KQ75 mask. We further noted that the local f_NL
estimates on the V+W channel are positive on all equatorial bands from the
north to the south pole. The probability for this to happen in a universe with
f_NL = 0 is less than one percent.
