Stay Away from the SEC! (Tips on bracket picks)

So, it's that time of the year again: when even the most conservative people gamble, sane persons act a little crazy and grown men cry. That's right- the wave of march madness is sweeping the nation. As we get ready to fill out our brackets, consider your picks before forking over your hard-earned cash. Here are some of my sports analysis tips (Please don't fault me if you lose money over this advice):

1. Stay away from the SEC. This conference is incredibly weak. It is unlikely that many (or any) SEC teams will it past the first round.

2. Don't pick Clemson. The Tigers have struggled all the way, falling early in the ACC tournament. Though they won big against Duke (74-47), they haven't had a big win since and have suffered some bad losses.

3. Look out for "Powerhouse" teams. These teams may seem like easy picks, as they are perennial powerhouses, but teams such as Wake Forest, Gonzaga and Syracuse have struggled late-season. It would be best not to take these teams past the sweet sixteen.

4. Allow for the upsets. It may seem obvious to give the win to the higher seeded team, but you have to understand that certain teams will turn it on during the tournament and other teams will falter, meaning the better team will not always win. Though there is never a "safe" upset pick, some of my favorite upset picks include: Temple over Arizonia St, Arizona over Utah and Butler over LSU.

5. Don't underestimate Memphis. For those who followed this young team, they have turned it on these last couple years. With the momentum from both last season and this year's success, look for the #2 seed in the west bracket to make a serious run in the tournament. I took this time to the Elite 8 before predicting they will fall to powerhouse UCONN.

6. Expect UCONN to be out for revenge. Anyone who watched this squad fall from the #1 post twice to the same team (Pittsburg, who before had never beaten a #1 seed) or witnessed the conference loss UCONN suffered after an epic 6 overtime battle with Syracuse must understand: UCONN is talented, and they're pissed. UCONN has the forwards to get the job done and they'll be looking for a way to redeem themselves during the dance. Expect to see the team in the title match-up

*So have some fun, fill out some brackets and enjoy the delightful madness that is college basketball in March.

Shut up and Drive (Habits that annoy me)

Being stuck in an incredibly annoying array of Kearney rush-hour traffic got me to thinking: people who drive are idiots. Now, I'm not saying I'm not a bad driver- I make plenty of mistakes as well. However, this is not going to stop me from venting about all the bad driving habits others make that irk my while I'm on the road.



First off... always use your blinker! I know this is one of the first things you learned in driver's ed, and for God's sake it only takes the flick of a finger to enable your turn singal. Nothing makes more more angry than when I come to a complete stop at an uncontrolled intersection, attemtping to yield and the person stops, hesitates, and then turns in front of me. Now, they knew because they were turning that they did not have the right of way, but because they were too lazy to turn on thier signal I had to yield anyway. It takes up way too much time and can also be slightly dangerous. Equally annoying is when you have to slam on your breaks because the person in front of you suddenly turns with no warning (i.e. turn signal)



Also... do not slow down to 10 mph under the speed limit when you see a cop. This is quite possibly my biggest pet peeve. If the speed limit is 40 mph and you are driving 40 mph, then stay at that speed. The police officer will not pull you over if you are going at a consistent speed. In fact, you are only calling attention to yourself if you slam on the brakes in front of a cop when you're not even exceeding the speed limit. Plus, it forces everyone behind you to drive 10 mph under the speed limit, and that's just rude.



So... when you're on the road, please be considerate of others.

Forget the "Old Lady who lived in a shoe"... This is way cooler!

Every home is unique, but an eastern Missouri family has a home which is truly one-of-a-kind. The Sleeper family lives in a home which they bulit inside an old mining cave in 2004. The couple fell in love with the geography of the cave and determined a way in which to build their home inside it.

However, the Sleepers were forced to put their pride and joy for sale on ebay after having trouble coming up with a large payment which was coming up on the home.

Due to a 15-year loan with low interest made from a New Jersey-based business, the Sleepers will now be able to keep their home. They no longer have the home up for sale on ebay and are looking forward to being able to remain in their distinct household.

Curt and Deborah Sleeper built their cave home with assistance of friends. A gray timber frame exterior was constructed in the cave's opening, which measured at 37 feet. Thirty-seven sliding glass doors are used as windows in the three-story, three-bedroom home. These "windows" allow natural light to flow throughout the finished sections. Walls and ceilings are natural cave stones. The home does have amenities, however, such as a large soaking tub in one bathroom and a fully equipped kitchen.

The Sleepers feel grateful at the chance of keeping their home with affordable loan payments. Curt Sleeper is especially grateful for the support of those who had heard of their plight.
"I've got 8,000 e-mails in my inbox. Everyone wants to wish me luck, but also tell me their heartache," he said.
"It's certainly been almost life changing — except I'm keeping my cave, so not that life changing," he said. "I'd love to hear the end of the story read, 'and they lived happily ever after.'"

Local Editorial

No one likes tuition increases. Tuition increases put a strain on the economy and also deter students from attending universities where tuition is increasing. While many methods of maintaining tuition at the University of Nebraska at both Lincoln and Kearney have been proposed, a slightly more radical approach has been suggested: cutting faculty salaries. The issue is still under review according to the University of Nebraska President J.B. Milliken.

Cutting faculty salaries to maintain tuition rates is an example of a classic catch-22. One on hand, it is imperative to maintain tuition rates in order to keep up attendance rates at UNK. If tuition spikes at an increased rate, many will not be able to afford college at UNK, and thus the university will lose students and precious funds. However, cutting salaries for faculty members may make it difficult to attract high caliber faculty members. It seems that an unattractive decision must be made between losing numbers in the student body or losing the ability to attract high quality faculty members.

With such a conundrum, it seems the logical solution is to devise a sort of compromise. Though it may seem extreme to cut all faculty salaries, it may be an option to cut only salaries over a certain amount. For example, if only a portion of salaries were cut, it may be possible to maintain the college tuition rate without cutting salaries as a whole. In this situation, if only the salaries which compose the top third largest amounts were cut, the Universities could find a substantial amount added to their budget. This would solve the issue of avoiding tuition hikes while abstaining from cutting all faculty salaries. If only the top third were cut, the Universities would still have the ability to attract quality faculty, as starting rates would not make the category of the top third salaries, which were being affected by the cuts.

It may seem like a strange compromise, but cutting only a portion of salaries makes a certain sort of sense. With the economy in its current state, it is doubtful that existing faculty members will leave their secure jobs even in event of salary cuts. The Universities would also be able to attract new hires, as their salaries would not be affected. Though in most situations a compromise may not be an appropriate solution, this may be a situation in which a compromise is the best, and only, resolution.

Finally, some sportsmanship!

In today's sports world, it is extremely rare to see good sportsmanship, especially at the professional level. That's why it was such a suprising relief to watch the 2009 Dunk contest and witness the ultimate sportsmanship between two participants. It may be a little overdue, but I was highly impressed to see the commeradary and class that existed between dunk contest participants Nate Robinson and Dwight Howard. Last year, Dwight Howard won the contest, donning a Superman outfit.

In this year's contest, Howard allowed Robinson to play on the Superman theme, permitting him to dunk over him while wearing a green outfit symbolizing 'kryptonite'. The 5'9" Robinson was able to leap over the 6'11" defending champion to emerge victorious from the competition. Now, it may just be a dunk contest, but as a sporting event in which participates are in it to win it, seeing a competitor help another competitor is a refreshing shock.

This is impressive becuase not only did Howard allow Robinson to use him as a 'prop' for his dunk, but he also allowed him to play on Howard's Superman creation. In essence, he assisted Robinson in winning the contest and allowed this even at his own expense. Howard high-fived Robinson after he slammed down his dunk and smiled as Robinson did the "souldja boy" Superman dance. It's nice to finally see some good sportsmanship.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjDmyW4RJ64

Jobs that Benefit from Obama's stimulus

A day after his address to Congress, Americans are already taking a close look at President Barak Obama's recovery plan for our severely wounded economy. Obama has promised a boost to the economy by creating jobs through the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, also known as the stimulus plan.

While this plan will take awhile as federal, state and local governemnts much decide the exact manner in which to allocate funds, economist concur that six sectors are in position to see a boost resulting from this stimulus. The jobs which should see a postive effect include construction, the green sector (which includes jobs which are aimed at reducing greenhouse gasses, dependence on oil and consumption of other non-renewable sources), medical information technology, education, energy and utilities and the federal government.

However, Obama's stimulus plan won't create jobs overnight. Harry Holzer, an economist at Georgetown University and the Ubran Institute, cautions "It takes time for the government investment to expand the job market". However, it seems as if Obama's stimulus plan may be a step in the right direction and economists and Americans alike look to this plan under our new president with opticism.

3 Local or UNK issues

1. Potential event center purchase

Kearney citizens will have a final opportunity to discuss the city's potential purchase of FirsTier Event center. The Kearney City Council will have the last session Tuesday, commenting on the purchase and a 1 percent restaurant dining tax. They will pay between $2 million and $3 million for the sports arena.

http://www.kearneyhub.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20267609&BRD=268&PAG=461&dept_id=577571&rfi=6



2. Teen "sexting"

Parents now have a new phase to worry about amongst teens- the combining of sexy messages or photos via text message- referred to as 'sexting'.

71% of teen girls who sent 'sext' messages sent them to their boyfriends, 29% of teen girls who sent 'sext' messages sent them to guys they wanted to date and 15% of girls who sexted sent it to strangers they met online. 39% of teen boys along with 36% of teen girls said it is common for pictures to be shared with others. A shocking 33% of teen boys and 25% of teenage girls claim seeing nude images intented for others.



http://www.kearneyhub.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20267360&BRD=268&PAG=461&dept_id=577571&rfi=6

3. UNK salary cuts idea premature, possible a legal issue

University of Nebraska president J.B. Milliken announced Thursday in Kearney that it is too early to consider salary reductions for faculty and staff. Earlier this month, a group of UNK faculty members proposed pay reductions in order to preserve tuition rates and faculty postions.

http://www.kearneyhub.com/site/index.cfm?newsid=20261923&BRD=268&PAG=461&dept_id=577576&rfi=8