Although the answer to which car is better, I admit, is strictly OPINION, I also know that I am smarter than you are, and my opinion is the one that matters.

so I’m going to settle this debate right now. NEITHER IS BETTER! But…imports are in fact much more advanced and much more innovative than todays domestics…by FAR.

Before I speak more about that, here are the Pros and Cons of each.

Domestic (Pros)
-Much Bigger engines means Much more displacement which means much more torque and stock HP.
-Look very nice (most of the time)
-Most often rear wheel drive, which most often will result in more power and the ability to drift/powerslide (if your into that kinda thing).
-They are often easy to work on due to large engine bays

Domestic (Cons)
-Much Much MUCH heavier cars, which slows car down and leads to poor handling
-HORRIBLE gas mileage
-Very unreliable especially when heavily built
-Expensive to build

.

.

Import (Pros)
-Very lightweight making them very nimble, and giving them more out of the little HP they have.
-VERY good on gas.
-Very well designed. If the Japanese can do with 4 cylinders what an American car can with 8, the Japanese are doing something right (Lance Evo boasts 320ish Hp on a stock 2.0L 4 cylinder engine.)
-Parts for most cars are very easy to find and very cheap because of the Japanese production efficiency.
-Often have very high RPM ranges
-Very reliable, long lasting engines (my neighbor had 400k miles on his prelude before he swapped it for a JDM H22)

Import (Cons)
-Small Engines means very little torque and low HP
-Very weak bodies and frames make for not very safe cars

The Verdict

American/Domestic/”Muscle” cars have a lot of stock HP and torque, but cant handle near as well as their imported brethren, and thus making them, for the most part, only good for dragging, and giving them their nicknames “Trailer Queens”.

On the other hand, Imported cars don’t have as much raw power, making them much much less likely to win in a straight on drag race, or even an oval track, but when you throw in the steering wheel and brakes in a rally, drift, or track race, an imported car will win almost every time.

And like I always say…”any monkey can drive in a straight line…its turning that separates the boys from the men“.

1. No wasted beer in the name of humor.

2. It has been made official that under no circumstances should the male have to pay for birth control

3. If your best friend is dumped by a girl it is a 6 month waiting period till she can be touched. If he breaks up with her it’s a 6 day waiting period.

4. If two or more males arrived at a party by a single car, and the driving male is hooking up with a girl, it is the responsibility of the other males to find other ways home.
(The exception to this law is if the driver is hooking up with his own girlfriend, the law is then void and the driver still holds full responsibility of driving his friend’s home)

5. Short shorts have been banned… Unless in a participating in a sporting event that demands shorter shorts. Also no real man should be allowed to pop his collar.

6. Every man shall allow one empty urinal of separation in a bathroom with three or more urinals; law is void if there are dividers in between each urinal.

7. If a girl and a guy are not officially dating then it can’t be considered cheating. However…if the guy cheats with a girl that is less attractive to the one he is originally interested in then he is either… A) Drunk or B) Dumbass. This then gives the original girl the right to either get mad or laugh at you.

8. No one should ever steal a man’s alcohol from that man’s cooler…this is the only law that suffers the penalty of death.

9. When bringing condoms to a party it is a man’s responsibility to pack two in his pockets and one in his car as a spare incase a friend is in desperate need.

10. No heavy fornication in a friend’s bed. Or just wash the sheets.

11. No man shall every use a rolling backpack. If you can’t carry the bag then you’re not a man.

12. If another man’s fly is down, you didn’t see anything and may not make a comment about it.

13. When a man is borrowing a buddies tool or other equipment, if the borrower puts any scratches or brings it back with any noticeable wear, then he is required to do one of the following: If the item costs under 50 bucks, you are required to replace it. If the item costs over 50 bucks, you are required to give him a case of beer, because hey…who wants to spend more than 50 bucks on something that isn’t yours.

14. When your friend picks up a hot girl…however the hot girl has an ugly friend…it is only right that you operate as a wing man doing whatever it is you got to do to help your buddy have some time alone with the hot girl. As men we are obligated to sacrifice and pay it forward for each other knowing that the favor will one day be replayed.

15. When calling shotgun, all riders of the car must be outside, and shotgun can only be called when the car is in view. Riders in the car are not allowed to run to shotgun and steal it before the person who called and deserves it arrives there. The driver of the car has no authority to decide on who gets shotgun. If a legitimate confrontation comes up where the rightful owner of the shotgun can not be determined then it will be decided by one round of paper rock scissors (with no shoot). If the two contenders tie 5 times in a row then the rightful owner of the shotgun is to be decided by a UFC cage match in which the first blood drawn decides the rightful owner of shotgun.

Addendum to Man Law No. 15:
If at any point during the process of determining the shotgun rider a hot girl hints that she would like to sit up front the driver has the sole right to declare her the shotgun rider and depending upon the situation may even deny rides to all other passengers. However, if said hot girl is an ex of any passenger they may overrule the driver’s decision and make her ride in the back. Additionally, if all passengers happen to be female then revert back to original method of deciding shotgun rider substituting mud wrestling for UFC cage match. The winner then gets either a cold water hose down or shotgun the next ride unless the car is really shitty and the owner doesn’t care about muddy seats.

16. It is PAPER, ROCK, and SCISSORS with no shoot. If you must say shoot, it has to be agreed upon by both men and a witness has to be present and somewhat sober.

17. When toasting with beers you clank with the bottom.

18. You poke it you own it.

19. The head nod is an acceptable way to greet another guy when simply walking past. No words are needed to be said. An upward nod is for friends, a downward nod is for fellow men.

20. If a man is on vacation to a state that does not border his own, or any other country, it is not considered cheating if he so chooses to engage in sexual activity with a girl other than his girlfriend. Although he should be fully aware that his girlfriend may not see eye to eye if she was to ever find out.

21. A man should not masturbate more than 3 times in a day to insure being ready for any unknown or known late night action. Assisting Girls does not count… rule is in exception if male party is in a bet to set a record of number of times in a day.

22. A man shall never wear any article of women’s clothing (I.E … Girls Jeans/Pants!) unless they are the loser of such a bet… or if a man is figuratively in a girls pants… (Or any other article of clothing).

23. No man in any circumstance, unless mocking a violator of this law, should pop his collar.

24. A man should never be denied the right to adjust himself or place his hands down his pants under any circumstances.

25. Being a Pirate should be considered a Manly job because pirates get two types of booty.

26. All men must eat meat. A shitload of meat. If not borderline carnivore. For no reason should a man ever be a vegetarian, or eat sick shit like tofu. Also no man should consume any food with the terms “diet”, “fat free”, or any other healthy suggesting terms for the sake of “watching his weight” or dieting.

27. Every man is required to learn some form of Poker before he dies.

28. If a man ever does something wrong a simple “OOPS”, “My Bad”, or any variations of cuss words that get the point across will suffice, no need to say “I’m Sorry”

29. No man should ever hook up with his best friend’s girl, no matter how hot she is. This is in effect while they are dating or “together.” If they are separated refer to Law 3 for the proper way to handle the situation. (Side Advice: Less guilt is involved if she comes on to you.

30. under no circumstance should any one man cockblock another mans attempt at getting some tang. Let’s just leave that up to the tangs fat friend. Please note that cockblocking will result in a suspension of your Man status and its privileges, and will result in the title Manbitch.

31. Every man should watch sports center at least once a day, though multiple viewings are recommended so that one can hold his own in any debate on sports that may arise that day.

32. Under no circumstances shall any man lay a hand on a female or a child in violence. Spanking of a woman’s ass or pulling of the hair is permitted if done on request. Corporal punishment is permitted excluding obvious extremes. Punishment for the attacking male is that if other men see the assault taking place they having the right to take him out back behind a building and show him how to fight with real men. In this situation more than one man may be used in the attacking of said woman beater because he clearly doesn’t mind an unfair fight seeing as he was hitting a lady or a child to begin with. A call to the police is a very last resort and should only be used is said male is over 6′ 5″ 250lb. or an ufc cage fighter. A kick to the crotch is only called for in cases of rape. If it is merely a guy beating a woman, defenseless child, or elderly people then a legitimate beating is called for, but no shots to the crotch. If it is a case of rape however, multiple shots to the crotch are called for. The punishment must fit the crime and since rape is using that area of the body, it is ok to inflict damage to it (Cameron Ross, Nick Polyzos, Kristina Brockmann, and Drew Westerfield).

33. If a woman is present whether family or friend no man under any circumstances shall make their own food or pour their own drinks unless it is a special holiday such as, Mother’s day, Birthday’s, or St. Patrick’s day or if the woman cannot keep up with the pace you want your drink poured. Law is void if significant grilling is involved.

34. No man shall ever watch a soap opera ever! Period! If this law is broken, it will result in the lowering of status from man to Manbitch and the questioning of the liking of opposite gendered relationships.

35. Women can’t drive.

36. In the court of Man Law the statement “I was Drunk” will have the same effect as an insanity plea (reduced punishment) in standard court provided the defendant’s blood alcohol level exceeds .10.

37. If any male is caught violating a Man Law in serious context, as a form of punishment he should be disowned of his manly name, only to receive the title of “Manbitch” from his peers and colleagues. Forgiveness is pending the severity of the broken law…or a case of beer to all his offended peers as a token of respect to what is manly…and what is not.

38. Any man that is old enough and is not in the military should at least support the troops, even if you don’t agree with the war they are your country men fighting to protect you and you should show them your support

39. No more crushing of empty beer cans or your forehead. Modern, thinner cans make the feat less impressive than with cans of years past.

40. If you take beer to a party the tuck rule is in play when leaving, you may take one beer max, but only if the beer will fit in your pocket.

41. Do not have a conversation at a urinal.

42. A man will not live in his parent’s house past the age of 27 unless they are ill or he is in the war.

43. All men have the right to remain silent when asked by a woman “do you like this”. And the right to leave the room.

44. Sex is more important then talking

45. No man under any circumstance shall use lip balm.

46. Grilling regardless of weather is always the first choice for cooking.

47. No man shall ever own a dog smaller then a housecat

48. Men will invite other men to Man Law

49. No man shall ever turn down free beer because “it’s not their brand.”

50. No man shall be shamed if they are passed out with their shoes off in your place. If the person passes out outside of the house, then they are fair game shoes or not.

51. It is acceptable for a man to publicly situate and/or scratch himself in the region of the gonads. If at a formal conference, then do so discretely. If at a football party, scratch away, just no handshakes.

52. The morning after, if a beer has been left on the table, no matter the temperature, it is acceptable to consume this item with food, such as its counterpart, cold pizza.

53. If you spill a man’s beer, you buy the next round/refill the cup.

54. Nursing a beer is unacceptable. The bottle/can/cup should never reach lukewarm temperature with beer still in it. If you can’t drink it in said time, don’t open it. If you cant drink it in said time, your man status will be up for review.

55. Always accept beer from a stranger, but only if unopened/capped.

56. It is never a man’s responsibility to empty the trash while drinking. Beer cans may be staked or crushed while the bottles may be thrown into neighbor’s lawn.

57. A man does not have to like another man to drink his beer. Beer is beer.

58. It is acceptable for a man to break man laws, if no other option is humanly possible, in the pursuit of the opposite sex. His actions will be given leeway.

59. The bachelor’s party is exclusively male. (except the entertainment).

60. No man may ever sell a beer to a friend. It’s understood that said friend will repay beer with beer later. Under no circumstance may the replacement beer be of a lesser quality.

61. A man purse is still a purse. (David Emadi)

62. No man shall dance for fun unless it’s to increase his chances with a member of the opposite sex.

63. Body paint is only acceptable on a man if it’s on game day and to support his team.

64. No man shall bring a woman to the guy’s night out. this is punishable by verbal abuse for life.

65. If you do not sweat, it’s not a sport. (People sweat during Beer Pong.)

66. If a large snake catches a man off guard and bites, said man is allowed to scream once.

67. No man shall wear a beret unless it’s for his military service.

68. When lifting weights, it is acceptable for a man to wear compression shorts under the regular shorts. No man shall ever wear compression shorts alone.

69. No man shall ever, under and circumstance, share an umbrella with another man.

70. No two men are allowed to enter a revolving door together. Unless it involves a race were the winner receives a combination of the following: beer, food, sex.

71. The girl who replies to the question “What do you want for Christmas?” with “If you loved me, you’d know what I want” gets an Xbox. End of story.

72. Keeping beer from other’s by hiding it in the fridge is not permissible. Besides, sharing is caring.

73. Wives and girlfriends may not store items other than beer in the garage fridge. It is for beer only.

74. A man may publicly rebuke another man only if the first man has the man law and number memorized. Otherwise the rebuke must be in private. Furthermore, any man who has the man laws memorized will be deemed a “higher” man.

75. In no situation is it acceptable to sit cross-kneed. You either sit with feet-crossed, no cross, or stand.

76. Men are allowed to lick the plate when done but only when alone or with other men.

77. A man should be able to determine a diesel engine by sound alone.

78. While smiling, no man shall stick his tongue between his teeth.

79. It should be understood that while, yes, cheerleading is not a sport, and it is perfectly accepted to watch.

80. If a man is punched, and the hit is rubbed, he is punched again in the same area twice.

81. A man should be able to lucidly explain the rules of one or more of the following sports: Football (not the European kind), Baseball, Lacrosse, or Ice Hockey.

82. The dressing of any pet for any reason is not acceptable…any garment that is not a part of the animal shall not be allowed to be attached to that animal…exceptions are collars, leashes, etc. exception to this rule are monkeys.

83. Under no circumstances shall any man drink wine cooler…ever…unless beer or liquor is completely unattainable. This includes anything (non liquor) fruit flavored that comes in a bottle.

84. Under no circumstances shall a man ever defer control of the television remote to a female.

85. There are three reasons for which a man is allowed to cry.
1. He is hit in the genitals with anything traveling over 10mph.
2. Your date is using her teeth.
3. Anna Kournikova gets married.

86. When watching a “catfight” it is perfectly acceptable to choose sides. It is also perfectly acceptable to pray for rippage of clothing.

87. When in a public shower, no man will look below the shoulders. Also, no eye-to-eye contact for more than one second is allowed. If eye contact occurs, nod upwards, and look away.

88. No man under any circumstances should have to explain the use of a power tool to another man.

89. Never should man give a woman the credit card. No exceptions.

90. No man should talk on a telephone to a girl longer than he will have sex with her.

91. Every man should smoke at least one premium cigar in his life. Not any swisher sweet crap either. Cohiba, Monte Cristo, CAO (Cade Mayo).

92. No man shall ever read an instruction manual. If the man does not know how to use the item trial and error shall be used until the correct function is determined (Eric Gartenberg).

93. No man shall be held accountable for any promise he makes while drunk unless it was a bet. (Boots Jones)

94. When questioned by a friend’s girlfriend, you need not and should not provide any information as to his whereabouts. You are even permitted to deny his very existence.

95. Unless he murdered someone in your immediate family, you must bail a friend out of jail within 24 hours.

96. A best man’s toast may not include any of the following phrases, “down in Tijuana”, “one time when we were all piss drunk”, or “and this girl had the biggest rack you ever saw”.

97. You may exaggerate any anecdote told to your friends by 50% without recrimination, beyond that anyone within earshot is allowed to yell out “bullshit!” (exception: when trying to pick up a girl, the allowable exaggeration is 400%)

98. The minimum amount of time you have to wait for another man is 5 minutes. The maximum is 6 minutes. For a girl, you are required to wait 10 minutes for every point of hotness she scores on the classic 1-10 scale.

99. Bitching about the brand of free beverages in your buddy’s refrigerator is forbidden. But gripe at will if the temperature is not suitable.

100. A friend must be permitted to borrow anything you own - grill, car, firstborn child - within 12 hr notice. Women or anything considered “lucky” are not applicable in this case.

101. Falling on a grenade for a buddy (agreeing to distract the skanky friend of the hot babe he’s trying to score) is your legal duty. But should you get carried away with your good deed and end up getting on the beast, your pal is forbidden to ever speak of it.

102. Women who claim they “love to watch sports” must be treated as spies until they demonstrate knowledge of the game and the ability to pick a Buffalo wing clean.

103. No man shall ever be required to buy a birthday present for another man. (in fact, even remembering your best friend’s birthday is optional)

104. You must offer heartfelt condolences over the death of a girlfriend’s cat, even if it was you who secretly set it on fire and threw it into a ceiling fan.

105. When stumbling upon other guys watching a sporting event, you may always ask the score of the game in progress, but you may never ask whose playing. You should know such things.

106. If your girlfriend asks to set your friend up with her ugly, whiny, loser friend of hers, you must grant permission, but only if you have ample time to warn your friend to prepare his excuse about joining the priesthood.

107. When picking players for sports teams it is permissible to skip over your buddy in favor of better athletes- as long as you don’t let him be the last sorry son of a bitch standing on the sideline.

108. Never join your girlfriend in ragging on a buddy of yours… unless she is withholding sex, pending your response.

109. You can not rat out a friend who show’s up to work or class with a massive hangover, however you may: hide the aspirin, smear his chair with limburger cheese, turn the brightness on his computer way down so he thinks its broken, or have him paged every seven minutes.

110. The morning after you and a babe, who was formerly “just a friend”, go at it, the fact that you’re feeling weird and guilty is no reason not to jump on her again before there is a discussion about what a big mistake it was.

111. Everybody is Irish on St. Patricks Day. And as such said people must consume alcohol on St. Patricks Day. Green and/ or gold body paint may be worn, but no glitter.

112.When passing another man in a tight area were contact is possible, hole to hole or pole to pole is only acceptable. If it is pole to pole no eye contact should be made. If any detour from this is spotted by any onlooking men, possible labels such as “Fag” may be deamed necessary. Resulting immediate demotion in man status.

After a year and a half of the Nintendo Wii being released inside the United States, it may finally become possible for anybody to get their hands on one. Nobody knows for sure why the Nintendo Wii was so hard to find here in the states, but one reporter, Victor Godinez of the Dallas Morning News, thinks the fault lies in the weakness of the declining value of the U.S. dollar.

The theory, according to Godinez, is that because the U.S. Dollar has been weakening, it has become less profitable for Nintendo, who is a Japanese Company, to sell them here. Just 4 months ago a $300 Wii was worth about 35,000 yen, but today it is now only worth 29,000 yen, a decrease of 20%.

Why then would the shortage stop if the value of the U.S. Dollar is still low? Well the answer is because, since the exchange rates in Europe have been strong, Nintendo has been focusing on distributing all of its Wiis over there, and because they are so easy to find outside the U.S., demand has been falling. Thanks to that demand outside the U.S. falling, it is predicted that Nintendo will now resort to sending a lot more systems to the U.S. where demand is still very high.

Originating from Ellicott, Maryland, this band has been playing together since Middle School, although they have been through different names, members and other changes, they got back together in August of 2006, and starting writing new music and got together with Paul Leavitt (also worked with Senses fail and All Time Low) and recorded their debut album in December of 2006 while some members where still in high school.

This band has a very amazing, addicting sound with a lot of feeling behind it. Influenced by bands such as Third Eye Blind, Bright Eyes, U2, Phil Collins, Explosions in the Sky, Jimmy Eat World, and Andrew McMahon, this band has a unique sound that isn’t heard much in todays music scene.

This band shows a lot of promise and definitely have a serious future in the music industry. Go buy their CD If You Could Only Keep Me Alive now and get obsessed so you can say “I knew them back before they where big”, because its going to happen soon.

Members include:
AJ Perdomo, Cody Payne, Bryan Czap, Tyler Minsberg

Recommended Tracks:
- Of Confidence
- The Permanent Rain
- I Would Stay
- Disconnect
- Every other song this band has ever written.

For the first time in history, all number 1 seeds advanced to the semi-final round known as the Final Four, which should make for the most exciting and most anticipated weekend in March Madness History.

“I don’t know if there’s ever been this many good teams in the Final Four,” said Kansas Coach Bill Self, “Needless to say, I’m proud. I’m happy. I’m relieved.”.

Together the Final Four teams have a combined record of 143-9 this season, heres a breakdown of each team.

UCLA

Record: 35-3.

Best win: 67-64 over Stanford in the Pac-10 tournament.

Worst loss: 71-61 at Washington.

Who’s hot: Kevin Love. Other than Davidson’s Stephen Curry, you’d be hard-pressed to find many players that have had a better NCAA tournament than the 6-foot-9 freshman. Love is averaging 21.8 points and 11 rebounds in the Big Dance. It’s sad to think the Final Four will likely be Love’s last appearance as a collegian.

Pivotal player: Russell Westbrook. Speaking of guys who could leave early, don’t be surprised if Westbrook bolts for the NBA, too. His athleticism gives opponents fits on the defensive end and often leads to some easy buckets in transition. Westbrook has been turnover prone at times, but when he’s having a good game, the Bruins are almost impossible to beat.

Best in the clutch: Darren Collison. No Bruin makes bigger shots than the junior guard, who kept his team alive in the NCAA tournament by making a high layup off the glass in the closing seconds of a two-point, second-round victory over Texas A&M. Last season in the NCAA tournament’s regional final, his three-pointers with the shot clock running down against Kansas squelched the Jayhawks’ momentum.

Fast fact: This will be the third consecutive Final Four appearance for UCLA, which hasn’t won a national championship since 1995.

Analysis: Even up-tempo, high-scoring teams such as Memphis struggle to put the ball in the basket against UCLA. That’s because of the defensive principles that became a staple of the Bruins’ program after coach Ben Howland was hired in 2003. No team in the country can dictate the pace of the game like the Bruins.

MEMPHIS

Record: 37-1.

Best win: 85-67 against Texas in regional final.

Worst loss: 66-62 to Tennessee.

Who’s hot: Derrick Rose. Memphis’ freshman point guard is coming into his own at the right time. He averaged 20.5 points in his first four NCAA tournament games and may be the best player in the Final Four field. Rose had 21 points and nine assists against Texas’ vaunted guard tandem of D.J. Augustin and A.J. Abrams on Sunday.

Pivotal player: Joey Dorsey. Along with Rose, no Memphis player will be as important against UCLA as Dorsey, whose matchup with Bruins forward Kevin Love will make for one of the more compelling semifinal story lines. Dorsey, one of the best rebounders in America, is a bully who thrives on contact. He relishes games like this.

Best in the clutch: Guard Chris Douglas-Roberts didn’t earn All-American honors for nothing. As good as Rose has been, CDR is the guy who time and time again has made the big play down the stretch. He averages 17.5 points and is shooting 54.8 percent overall and 41.8 percent from three-point range.

Fast fact: Folks all season have criticized Memphis for its poor free-throw shooting. Each time, coach John Calipari said the Tigers would make the foul shots “when they count.” Memphis certainly did that against Texas on Sunday, when it connected on 30 of its 36 attempts. Douglas-Roberts went 14 of 17.

Analysis: So much for that notion that Memphis was the weakest No. 1 seed in this year’s tournament. The Tigers defeated their last two opponents (Michigan State and Texas) by 18 points each. They’ll be facing a different kind of animal in UCLA, which features a pair of NBA guards (Darren Collison and Russell Westbrook) along with the best post player they’ve seen all season in Kevin Love. Still, win or lose, no one should question anything about the excellence of this team. Not anymore.

NORTH CAROLINA

Record: 36-2.

Most impressive win: 76-68 at Duke.

Worst loss: 82-80 to Maryland.

Who’s hot: Tyler Hansbrough. The junior forward is averaging 21 points and 9.5 rebounds in the NCAA tournament, and he’s scored in double figures in every game this season. Kansas State’s Michael Beasley is the better NBA prospect, but no one can say Hansbrough doesn’t deserve National Player of the Year honors. No one has had a better season.

Pivotal player: Ty Lawson. Even though they kept winning, the Tar Heels weren’t the same team when Lawson missed six games in February with an injury. Coach Roy Williams said Lawson is the fastest guard he’s ever coached and that North Carolina can’t play at the tempo it desires with him on the bench. He’s the X-factor on this team.

Best in the clutch: Hansbrough. Hate to be boring, but is there any player on this team better with the game on the line? He looked like Michael Jordan on Saturday, using head fakes to get open for pull-up jumpers from 18 feet. Hansbrough’s a force on the glass and is shooting 80.6 percent from the foul stripe. There isn’t much to dislike about Hansbrough’s game.

Fast fact: The Tar Heels averaged 93 points in their first four NCAA tournament games, which they won by an average margin of 25.3 points. That should make for a fun matchup against Kansas, a team that thrives in an up-tempo game.

Analysis: Without a doubt, one of the sexiest tournament story lines in years will be Williams going against his former team in Kansas. It will be an emotional game for Williams who, inexplicably, has been treated rudely by Kansas fans since he left for his alma mater in April 2003.

KANSAS

Record: 35-3.

Most impressive win: 84-74 over Texas in the Big 12 tournament championship.

Worst loss: 61-60 at Oklahoma State.

Who’s hot: Sasha Kaun. The 6-foot-10 Russian is making the most of his final NCAA tournament. He scored 13 points off the bench against Davidson on Sunday and, overall, has been the Jayhawks’ best and most consistent post player over the past three weeks. Kaun will be on an NBA roster next season.

Most pivotal player: Brandon Rush. Kansas is a different team when Rush is at his best. He made just four of 14 shots against Davidson on Sunday but he continues to contribute in so many other ways. Not many guards rebound as well as Rush - especially on the offensive end - and he’s grossly underrated as a defender.

Clutch player: Mario Chalmers. Kansas is the most balanced team in the country. Still, in crunch time, Self wants the ball in Chalmers’ hands. He’s creative in the lane and has a soft touch on his midrange jumper and has the ability to catch fire from beyond the arc. Chalmers seems to play his best in big games. Earlier this month he hit eight three-pointers against Texas in the Big 12 championship game.

Fast fact: Not many teams in NCAA history have had an easier path to the Final Four than Kansas, which advanced by defeating No. 16 Portland State, No. 8 UNLV, No. 12 Villanova and No. 10 Davidson.

Analysis: If the Jayhawks are ever going to win an NCAA title, this is the year to do it. Kaun and starters Darnell Jackson and Russell Robinson are seniors, and two underclassmen (Rush and Darrell Arthur) are expected to enter the NBA draft. It could be a while before Self assembles a team with such a good mix of talent and depth.

(team breakdowns provided by YAHOO!)

Slip your stubborn card inside a plastic shopping bag (typically hanging right next to the card swipe reader). Smooth out all wrinkles and ensure that the bag is tight and taut on the magnetic stripe side of the card. Now swipe your card/bag combo through the card reader. Success! The addition of the layer of plastic above the magnetic strip dampens the magnetic noise that is responsible for the bad reading. A piece of scotch tape reportedly works well, too.

Step 1 - Choosing the right Ad Format

Something you should probably know first when picking your Ads, is that wider ad formats tend to outperform their taller counterparts, due to their reader-friendly format. Readers absorb information in thought units (that is, several words at a time). The wider format lets them comfortably read more text at a glance without having to skip a line and return to the left margin every few words as they would be forced to do with a narrower ad. The wider ad format also lessens the likelihood of readers leaving the ad unit altogether.

Since these formats allow users to read more text without having to skip a line every few words, users’ eyes have less chance to leave the ad unit altogether. If positioned well, these ad formats can increase your earnings. The formats we’ve found to be the most effective are the 336×280 Large Rectangle, the 300×250 Medium Rectangle, and the 160×600 Wide Skyscraper. Keep in mind that while these ad formats typically perform well, you should use the format that best complements your pages.

Step 2 - Choosing the right Colors

Another thing to keep in mind is the color of your ads, which in fact, do make a huge impact, because it makes the difference of whether of not a reader will skip right over it or not.

Basically what it comes down to, is if your page’s background is lighter, then Ads within the content should blend with the background color, and Ads adjacent to the content (sidebars etc) should either blend or compliment the colors of your page.

On the other hand, if your page has a dark background, you should Blend, complement, or contrast the ads within the content, and Contrast or complement the ads adjacent to the content.

• To blend, make the background and borders of your ads the same color as the background of your page where the ad is placed.
• To complement, use colors that already exist on your site, but don’t match the background and borders exactly where the ads are placed.
• To contrast, choose colors that stand out against the background of your site. Contrasting is recommended only for sites with dark background, so we suggest using a palette with white background, white borders, and blue titles.

Step 3 - Choosing the right location for your ads

Google has provided a breakdown of the success rates of different ads placed in different locations on a page.

The Darker the square, the more successful that area is for ads. As you can tell, the closer inwards towards the content, the more successful the ad will be.

Remember not to make the ads in a location that is annoying to the viewer, because that will not only reduce traffic, but lower your clicks and ultimately your revenue all together.

Google advises you to ask yourself these simple questions when placing ads and I make sure to ask myself these same things when placing ads.

- What is the user trying to accomplish by visiting my site?
- What do they do when viewing a particular page?
- Where is their attention likely to be focused?
- How can I integrate ads into this area without getting in the users’ way?
- How can I keep the page looking clean, uncluttered and inviting?

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In my opinion, it is best to develop your site or blog, “SEO” it, and start to get a healthy flow of traffic before you start to add ads onto it, but it definitely doesn’t hurt to add them right away as well.

Adsense
If you dont know what Google’s Adsense is, then you need to get out more (maybe that saying is the opposite in this situation). Adsense is definitely a must have for most websites and blogs. Basically Adsense is a PPC program through Google, where you put text or simple image ads onto your site, and you get paid depending on how many clicks those ads get, along with eCPM.

LinkWorth
Linkworth is a great advertising program, that allows you to use a wide variety of advertising mediums. Through LinkWorth you can set up “Linkads” (text link ads) “LinkPosts” (paid blog reviews similar to PayPerPost), “linkwords” (in content PPC ads), “Linkintext” (in text link ads, similar to Kontera), as well several other Rotating ad units, etc, and a ton of tools and programs to help you out as well. This, along with Google Adsense is my favorite ad program.

Sign up for LinkWorth

PayPerPost
This one is one of my personal favorites. Basically advertisers will pay you a set amount to write a post of certain length about their product. Once approved you go to the PPP marketplace and go through all different listings and pick a topic to post about and they will pay you for it. The advertiser will decide the amount you will get paid, as well as their desired format, and tone (if the review will be positive or negative towards their product).

Sign up for PayPerPost

Text Link Ads
Text link ads are nice, because they aren’t necessarily advertisements like Adsense, but a list of links you can put on your page that don’t bother readers, and are nice for advertisers because the links provide them with traffic and search engine benefits. Your link price is set based on Alexia, Google Pagerank, number of RSS subscribers, and other factors.

Deal Dot Com
Deal dot Com is a site that sells marketing/online business products and software, but what is really cool about it, is you make a 35% commission off whatever anybody buys, who you refer to their site, as well as a 15% commission off anybody THEY refer as well. Unlike other similar affiliate programs such as AuctionAds, who only pays 5% commission and for 6 months, Deal dot com commission is forever. So if you refer somebody today, and they buy something 10 years from now, you still get paid.

Sign up for Deal Dot Com

Kontera Contentlink
Kontera Contentlinks allow you to advertise on your page without having to give up any space for advertisements. Basically, Kontera will crawl your pages, and turn certain words into a link to an advertisement related to that word. You have probably seen them around on several popular websites, when you hover your mouse over the link a small box will pop up in the form of an advertisement.

Review Me
Review Me can be a very huge money maker for a prestigious website. Simply put, companies will pay you to write reviews and/or articles about their product on your site for a somewhat negotiable price set by you.

Shopping Ads
ShoppingAds allows you to make money by displaying merchant ads on your website relevant to the content on your page. When your visitors click on the ads you can make money on a CPC (cost per click) or CPA (cost per acquisition) basis. Basically, you tell them the relevant keywords of merchant ads you want displayed and they will display a matching ad. These ads are especially good for product review blogs or an online store.

Sign Up for Shopping Ads

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My biased teams to pick every year are Duke, Gonzaga, North Carolina, and Syracuse and Wake Forest even though Syracuse and Wake Forest didn’t make it this year.

I am obviously disappointed in Duke and Gonzaga this year for going out so early. They are my only real upsets, along with Connecticut, who I really just went with because of gut instinct, I don’t really follow Connecticut too much.

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I didn’t do too bad on this half of the bracket. I picked my obvious favorite, North Carolina, to win it all.

I Was of coarse disappointed to see USC and Gonzaga blow it, both in the first round.

I’m glad to see Washington State made it to the Sweet 16, on account of there my home state’s school and they usually don’t make it too far but have been doing pretty well this year.

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In the west is where I really had problems. I am glad to see UCLA doing so well, but other than that I am pretty disappointed with the outcome of that area.

I picked BYU to beat Texas A&M, because BYU is not only my school, but because they are pretty underrated and are over due for some serious recognition, even though I knew them beating UCLA was a big stretch I figured they could at least take on Texas A&M.

I picked Connecticut to go pretty far because I think San Diego was just out of their league, and Drake was overrated. That obviously didn’t work out for me so well.
I also picked Georgia to win, despite my better judgment. I usually would have picked Xavier, but I guess I just predicted an upset and it didnt work out for me as well.

Duke is just a huge disappointment to me. I had them to go against North Carolina in the Finals, which would have been an epic game, but they blew it by losing to West Virginia, a team that I had going out in the first round.

On this half of the bracket I did pretty good in the South, but not so well in the West. In the south I picked Oregon to beat Mississippi because I really like that school, even though their basketball team isn’t the greatest, and I had Kentucky to beat Marquette, because I just don’t like Marquette.

(bracket made on facebook.com)