text:
HERNDON, Va., May 14 (UPI) -- In the aftermath of the April 15 Boston Marathon bombing, efforts have been made to understand the Tsarnaev brothers' mindset and what motivated them to allegedly carry out a terrorist attack killing three and injuring more than 260 innocent civilians.
Despite the subsequent analyses conducted after the brothers were identified, the most accurate were those first offered by their uncle and Russia's intelligence agency.
Their uncle, Ruslan Tsarni, described both young men as "losers." Russian intelligence described the older brother, Tamerlan, as a suspected Islamist extremist.
The descriptions these two sources gave, appearing dissimilar, really are not.
Tamerlan Tsarnaev was 26 when he drew his last breath -- a result of police gunfire and younger brother Dzhokhar Tsarnaev running him over in a car while attempting to escape.
Other than a failed boxing career, there was nothing of note Tamerlan accomplished in his brief life. His inability to support himself, let alone a wife and child, was a major concern his future father-in-law had upon first learning his daughter, Katherine Russell, was engaged to Tsarnaev.
As an immigrant, Tsarnaev and his family took advantage of various entitlements totaling tens of thousands of dollars. While such funds theoretically were to help build a better life, the financial gravy train apparently deadened Tsarnaev's drive to work hard to do so.
Despite this, he was able to purchase a car, a gun, explosive material and pressure cookers. Whether the funds he used came from such entitlements or elsewhere remains to be determined.
Also telling about Tsarnaev was his willingness to build the explosive devices inside his own apartment, where his baby daughter was close by. The "stay-at-home" dad apparently lacked any sense of responsibility to protect his child from danger.
Lacking such sense makes it easier to understand his lack of compassion for all human life -- although, as a Muslim, unbelievers didn't qualify.
Questions arise as to whether his wife Katherine Russell had any knowledge about the bombing plot. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev says no.
As a convert to Islam accepting a subservient role to her Muslim husband, Russell may well have learned not to make inquiries of Tamerlan.
A friend reported her to be an "all-American girl who was brainwashed by her super-religious husband." If so, one wonders how she now feels about a husband preferring death, with its supposed afterlife of 72 virgins, to life with her.
A pre-Boston bombing New York Police Department report assessed the type of person most susceptible to radicalization. It is one who is "unremarkable" and knows it. Consequently, neither his family nor friends think of him as being radical. He is someone who is malleable and thus easily influenced by a "spiritual sanctioner" or mentor showing him how to emerge from the shadows of mediocrity by taking action.
Usually, he is someone who has never received formal training in Islam. He easily identifies with radical Islam, which romanticizes the warrior role.
The brothers were known to read al-Qaida's Inspire magazine. One article described "exceptional" Chechen warriors who had performed "military miracles" against the Russians. Now indoctrinated in violent jihad, the brothers were inspired to emerge from the shadows of oblivion by delivering it to America again.
One can assume Tamerlan Tsarnaev's radicalization was complete three months prior to the bombing. Attending a mosque in Cambridge, Mass., he was forced to leave after interrupting a prayer service to criticize the imam for mentioning Martin Luther King, Jr. Tamerlan reportedly shouted, "You cannot mention this guy because he's not a Muslim!"
But there is another angle emerging that also may cast some light on why the brothers decided to bomb the Boston Marathon.
In September 2011, three young men were found killed -- their throats slashed -- in Waltham, Mass., just two towns over from Cambridge where the Tsarnaevs lived. One, Brandon Mess, was a friend and former roommate of Tamerlan Tsarnaev. The killings went unsolved.
Revisiting the case recently and awaiting DNA results, authorities have found forensic evidence and cellphone records linking the Tsarnaev brothers to the grisly crime.
Could it be, seeking to justify the murder of kafirs (infidels or unbelievers), they turned to the Koran -- a holy book promising eternal life for killing infidels?
Believing they had gotten away with murder perhaps the killers were imbued with a sense of infallibility. Left unaffected by personally killing three victims in such a gruesome manner, Tamerlan Tsarnaev undoubtedly would have had no problem committing the more detached crime of killing countless others with bombs.
It was only four months after these killings Tsarnaev returned to his ancestral home in southern Russia. With no specific purpose for the trip, was this simply an effort to avoid arrest should the murder investigation get around to focusing on him?
During his six months there, his father says he slept a great deal and studied the Koran. Russian officials monitored a phone call he had with his mother discussing jihad.
It may be Tamerlan Tsarnaev, after gaining confidence he wasn't a suspect in the murder investigation, decided it was safe to return to the United States. Was this the point in time he came to realize the Koran sanctioned his actions in targeting kafirs? An unsuccessful boxing career, an inability to support his family and a future murder arrest possibly lurking over his head, this loser had little left to lose.
It is a lack of self-worth that leaves one susceptible to radicalization, whether at home or abroad. Radical spiritual sanctioners sense this weakness and pounce on it, severing one's reason and independent thinking process. Whether this is what happened to Tamerlan Tsarnaev or whether he simply was a loser who became his own spiritual sanctioner remains to be seen.
Some people believe there is a little bit of good in everyone's life -- one need only look for it. If one looks for it in Tamerlan Tsarnaev's life, it came in his last dying moments, serving as a speed bump for his brother's getaway vehicle.
(Lt. Col. James G. Zumwalt, a retired Marine infantry officer, served in the Vietnam war, the U.S. invasion of Panama and the first Gulf War. He is the author of "Bare Feet, Iron Will--Stories from the Other Side of Vietnam's Battlefields," "Living the Juche Lie: North Korea's Kim Dynasty" and "Doomsday: Iran--The Clock is Ticking." He frequently writes on foreign policy and defense issues.)
(United Press International's "Outside View" commentaries are written by outside contributors who specialize in a variety of important issues. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of United Press International. In the interests of creating an open forum, original submissions are invited.)


text:
Wooden Cylinders and Balls for Babies 21pk
Product Code: EY04216
Babies and toddlers will love feeling and rolling this carefully shaped collection of wooden cylinders and balls. Read more
Use Code INVITE18 : Spend £100, Save £10 : Spend £250, Save £25 : Spend £500, Save £50 : Spend £1000, Save £100 on TTS Developed Range DetailsTerms and conditions: OFFER IS ONLINE ONLY 1. This offer is valid until 23.11.2018 and applies to selected full priced TTS Developed items only. 2. Cannot be used in conjunction with any other offers and is subject to availability. 3. Excludes Apple products. 4. This offer can only be used once per customer. 5. TTS Group Limited reserve the right to change these terms & conditions on reasonable notice. 7. Offer is only open to customers based in the UK (inc. Channel Islands and Isle of Man). 8. Discounts are applied to the ex-VAT sub-total amount. 9. Spend £100 Save £10 / Spend £200 Save £20 / Spend £500 Save £50 / Spend £1000 Save £100 on selected TTS Developed products

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The former head of the streets department for Geneva pleaded guilty Friday to charges that he used a city credit card to buy himself clothes and camping gear, Kane County prosecutors said.
Steven Lemaire, 55, of Elburn, was placed on probation and ordered to do community service. He also must make restitution to the city of Geneva.
Lemaire was fired in February, following his arrest on felony theft and misconduct charges. Authorities alleged that he used a city credit card to make $24,000 in purchases for his personal use dating back to 2004.
Most of the unauthorized purchases were made online and then shipped to the Geneva Public Works Department, police said.
The city public works administrator noted a suspicious purchase on a credit card statement in January and placed Lemaire on unpaid leave the following day. He was fired about three weeks later, after police concluded their initial investigation, according to the city. He had been employed by the city for 33 years.
Twitter: @ChicagoBreaking


text:
Last Activity: 02-09-2011 03:05 PM
About Me
- About Musoliasla
- Gender
- Female
- Location
- Warrington, UK.
- Interests
- Music Technology & Production, Live Sound & Recording, Piano, Guitar, Bass! <3
- Occupation
- College Student
- Biography
- I'm Liv, 17, and I am a nice crazy girl :) that is totally in love with the music that surrounds her! Of course including the genius that is Muse!
I'm very passionate, and I love my main course in collage, which is Music Technology! I hope to in the future get a career out of this field in life!
I produce/ present my school's radio programme, and I am always showing them around the technology and the wonder which is Pro Tools! <3
I also love, concerts, photography, random get togethers, camping out, my crazy ass friends who make me feel sane! drawing, singing, and just rocking out to some awesome music!! B) Woo!
- Favourite Bands
- Muse! Foo Fighters, Pendulum, Nine Inch Nails, System of a Down, Linkin Park.
- Favourite Films
- The Butterfly Effect! Enemy at the Gates, Sex Drive, Mr & Mrs Smith, Ocean's Eleven, The Matrix, Inglorious Bastards, Memoirs of a Geisha..
- Favourite TV Shows
- Jools Holland! Love it!
Also, Lost, Live at Abbey Road :)
Red Dwarf, Black Books, QI..
- Favourite Books
- Blindsighted - By Karin Slaughter.
I don't know what it is about murder tales and mystery that I find so intriguing!
- Muse Releases Owned
- CDs - Showbiz, Origin of Symmetry, Hulabaloo, Absolution, Black Holes & Revelations, Haarp, The Resistance.
DVDs - Hulabaloo, Haarp, Resistance.
Music tab books - Origin of Symmetry, Absolution, Black Holes & Revelations, The Resistance.
4 Muse T-shirts,
Numerous posters &
My lovely comfy hoody which I am in love with :)
- Muse Concerts Attended / Attending
- 05/11/09 - Liverpool Echo Arena, UK.
04/09/10 - Manchester LCCC Ground, UK.
Showing Friends 1 to 10 of 33
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- I've got 105 sheep
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- ellielovesmuse
- Member
Contact Info
- This Page
- http://board.muse.mu/member.php?u=210893


text:
Impact of the 1993 Reforms on
Payments of Temporary and Permanent Disability
Prepared by: Frank Neuhauser, Survey Research Center,
University of California at Berkeley
The 1993 reforms made several adjustments to the levels of benefit that are received by injured workers. These changes raised Temporary Disability Benefits (TTD) for workers with relatively high average weekly wages (AWW). The reforms also increased the maximum weekly permanent disability payments used in the calculation of permanent disability payments to disabled workers with impairments rated at >15%.
This analysis estimates the total impact of these adjustments on the amount of indemnity payments made to injured workers in each year since reform.
Several estimates are given. These reflect different assumptions about the impact of reform. For example, higher benefits may increase utilization raising the impact of the benefit increases. Similarly, the other aspects of the 1993 reforms could affect benefit levels. For example, giving presumption to the treating physician could result in higher or lower permanent disability awards. Consequently, we estimate the impact of reform under several alternative assumptions. These assumptions are outlined in the methods section.
The best estimate of the impact of reforms on total payments of TD and PD for the periods subsequent to reform is that total payments increased by $197 million for the 1994/95 period rising to $474 million for 1997/98. Since changes subsequent to 1996/97 reflect only the impact of wage growth, the percent change in indemnity payments attributed to the reforms will change only slowly from the current 14-15%.
Estimated Benefit Increase ($millions)
Temporary Disability
Permanent Disability
Percent Change
Increases in the maximum level of benefits relative to Average Weekly Wage lead to higher benefits given the same underlying characteristics in the population of injured workers (average weekly wage [AWW] and severity [weeks of TD or PD rating]). The number of claimants also affects the total increase. If the frequency of reported disabling injuries declines, the amount of the increase will be less.
We do not have available mature data on the characteristics of claims (TD duration and PD rating) for claims from all calendar years affected by the benefit adjustments. Consequently, we have used data for injuries occurring in the 1993 and 1994 calendar years. These data were adjusted as described below to make them comparable to the 1994-1998 claim years. In particular, the wages of the workers within the sample are adjusted up each year to reflect trends in the wages of California workers. This adjustment has the affect of increasing the impact of the benefit increase because that increase focused on higher wage workers.
Utilization: Increases in the benefit level are expected to lead to increases in utilization. That is, a higher replacement rate for TD will lead to more weeks of TD, all else being equal. There have been studies of this utilization effect. Bruce Meyer, et. al., "Workers' Compensation and Injury Duration: Evidence from a Natural Experiment," American Economic Review 85:3 find an effect on utilization of temporary disability benefits of .3-.4 (a 10% increase in benefits increases the average weeks TD per claim by 3-4%). Ward Brooks, "A study of Changes in Frequency and Severity in Response to Changes in Statutory Workers' Compensation Benefit Levels, WCIRB, 1998 finds an increase in the frequency of claims (.2-.3) but not severity. Preliminary work on the data set used here suggests a utilization affect (.2) at the low end of these estimates. PD is likely to demonstrate a different utilization effect than TD.[1]
For the purposes of this analysis we have included an examples that apply a utilization effect in the midrange of these studies (.3). That is, in examples 2, 3 and 4 we estimate that average weeks of TD per claim will increase by 3% of each 10% increase in the weekly benefit rate experienced by that worker in the micro-simulation model. Similarly, PD payments are estimated to increase by 3% of reach 10% increase in the PD weekly benefit level for workers in the micro-simulation model that are impacted by the PD benefit increase.
Severity: Other changes legislated in 1993 may have had an effect on claims that would make our 1993-1994 claim sample different from claims from later periods. For example, changing custom within the rating or medical-legal community could lead to higher ratings or underlying injuries may have gotten more or less severe due to changes in the industry mix of California employment. Alternatively, the introduction of presumption for the PTP could have the effect of increasing the average rating. These changes would impact the 'severity' of PD claims. That is, the distribution of PD ratings as estimated in the 1993-94 claims would under estimate the ratings that were actually underlying awards for claims in later injury years.
Consequently, we offer two estimates of the impact of a change in severity on the total increase in benefits paid as a result of the benefit level increase. That is, we have modeled an independent increase in severity and estimated the impact on the difference between benefits paid under rules in effect prior to 7/1/94 and those in effect in subsequent years.
The Example 3 assumes that changes in severity resulted from changes in the system that were driven by forces other than the reform (e.g., changes in industry mix). Under this assumption, an increase in severity has a small effect on estimates of changes in total benefit payments due to reform since the calculation of benefits under the pre-reform schedule also include this increase.
The Example 4 assumes that any severity increase is a product of the reform legislation (e.g., presumption). Under this assumption, the change in benefits is substantially higher since benefits calculated under the pre-reform regime do not include the severity adjustment.
It should be noted that for the preferred estimate we also assume a utilization effect on TD and PD as a result of the benefit increase. This in effect applies a 'severity' adjustment to the TD and PD estimates that is modeled as a result of the reform, but only as a result of the change in maximum benefit levels.
Consequently, to the extent that one feels that severity
changed as a result of factors independent of reform or that reform itself
caused a change in 'severity' that was independent of the increase in benefit
levels, this estimate would be low.
However, it is incumbent on those who would argue for a reform caused
severity increase to support this with sound arguments and data.
Estimates of the impact of the benefit level increases on total benefits paid to injured workers are given for four measures:
1. Adjusted for wage growth
2. Adjusted for wage growth, and
Adjusted for possible changes in utilization due to benefit increases
3. Adjusted for wage growth,
Adjusted for possible changes in utilization, and
Adjusted for changes in severity that were not the result of reforms
4. Adjusted for wage growth,
Adjusted for possible changes in utilization, and
Adjusted for changes in severity that were the result of reforms
Other estimates are possible based on higher or lower estimates of the changes in severity of underlying injuries of higher or lower estimates of the impact of benefit increases on utilization.
Example 1. Impact of reforms on TD and PD adjusting for wage growth.
· assumes no changes in utilization as a result of increased benefits.
Example 2. Impact of reforms on TD and PD benefits
· adjusting for wage growth
· estimating the higher benefits will increase utilization.
Example 3. Impact of reforms on TD and PD benefits
· adjusting for wage growth
· estimating higher benefits will increase utilization
· estimating the average severity for PD claims increased 10% as a result of changes other than reform (e.g., more generous attitudes toward rating, or changes in industry mix)
Example 4. Impact of reforms on TD and PD benefits
· adjusting for wage growth
· estimating higher benefits will increase utilization
· estimating the average severity of PD claims increased 10% as a result of reform (e.g., impact of presumption accorded treating physician)
[1] The severity impact of benefit increases on PD maybe higher or lower than that observed for TD. In addition, prior studies of TD have focused on the duration of claims or the frequency of claims, but have generally not resolved both issues simultaneously. It is likely that TD utilization, combining both the effect on claim frequency and duration in weeks is closer to .5. However, the impact of benefit increases on PD has never been adequately tested.


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The massive, judicially mandated California Health Care Center for physically and mentally ill inmates now is open off Highway 99 in Stockton. How you feel about this probably depends on your prism on prisons.
The massive, judicially mandated California Health Care Center for physically and mentally ill inmates now is open off Highway 99 in Stockton. How you feel about this probably depends on your prism on prisons.
The pessimist: The state has dropped yet another prison in San Joaquin County.
The optimist: The thousands of construction and health care jobs are a much-needed - and significant - boost to the local economy.
The pessimist: At a time when so many are struggling to either afford or obtain health care (Obamacare feelings aside), those who have broken the law but are now ill are being given first-rate medical care.
The optimist: Local officials worked in a coordinated and effective manner to get the state to agree to positive mitigations for infrastructure, education and more as part of the plan to build the facility here.
The pessimist: Once again - despite all the superlatives - it's another prison in San Joaquin County, and it possibly drew physicians and health care workers away from other local medical facilities.
But perhaps the proper way to look at the situation is as a realist: It's here. Let's make the best of it.
What started as a trickle of inmate/patients arriving at the facility that serves as the state's largest investment in prisoner medical and mental health care will eventually become a steady flow.
By mid-December, there will be more than 1,700 physically and mentally ill men at the prison. The facility's capacity breaks down this way:
� 337 beds for the seriously ill;
� 673 beds for those less seriously ill;
� 432 mental health beds;
� 98 mental health crisis beds;
� 82 acute psychiatric beds;
� 100 beds for inmate workers.
While the patients are arriving, construction activity continues to buzz at the 200-acre site. That's going to happen for some time with the price tag ticketed at $839 million for the 54-building, 1.4 million-square-foot facility.
The facility's leadership seems intent on becoming good community partners and following through on the mitigation factors that were aggressively sought and negotiated by the Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce and local officials.
"There is a uniqueness to our mission," Warden Ron Rackley, 47, told The Record. "There is nothing like it in the country. It is exciting to establish a facility from the ground up."
When fully functioning, about 2,400 employees will work at the California Health Care Facility on Austin Road. That is a significant boost to the economy in a city that has seen unemployment hover around 15 percent for the past few years.
Having almost 2,000 ailing prisoners here and out of the other state prisons will decrease overcrowding elsewhere and possibly open up beds. That can only help in a state where no-vacancy signs on prisons and jails send too many lawbreakers out the doors early.
Rackley made a statement that seems odd on the surface - that a prison could actually be an instrument for helping change the image of Stockton.
"Stockton is a community that has a lot to offer our employees. And we have a lot to offer the community of Stockton. Together, we can help change outsiders' perceptions of what Stockton truly is."
You have to admire his optimism.
We can only hope Rackley's vow can become reality.


text:
About ARKive
ARKive is a Wildscreen initiative – a non-profit charitable organization dedicated to promoting the public understanding of biodiversity and the need for its conservation. ARKive's mission is to create a lasting, publicly accessible, audio-visual record of life on Earth. ARKive is sharing with EOL its species texts. To access ARKive's rich repository of films and photographs, follow links in the Specialized Projects area of our pages.


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Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano's top expert on anti-terrorism technology has privately advised her to spike a long-planned, multibillion-dollar upgrade of BioWatch, the nation's troubled system for detecting a biological attack.
Dr. Tara O'Toole, the department's undersecretary for science and technology, doubts that the so-called Generation 3 version of BioWatch could be relied on to detect anthrax, smallpox, plague or other deadly germs in the event of a biological attack, scientists familiar with the matter said.
O'Toole is also concerned that the cost of the upgrade — $3.1 billion for the initial five years — would divert money from measures she considers more beneficial, such as establishing computer links between hospitals, large HMOs and public health agencies to speed the distribution of medicine after an attack, the scientists said.
O'Toole, a physician and presidential appointee, has voiced her opinion to department scientists and directly to Napolitano, according to people familiar with the matter.


text:
Had a nice day out on the river with Jack today. The weather was great, it was in the 80s and the water was right at 60 degrees. A little windy at times but it turned out fine. I had 30 Rainbows, 55 Bluegill, 1 Crappie, and 1 LMB. I mostly used the Reverse Hackle Spider WarrenP showed me. I swear that fly is fantastic! Thank you Warren.
Jack and I also flipped over a few rocks and found a bunch of bright green caddis larva, which we found to be very interesting.


text:
Comprehensive DescriptionRead full entry
Description of FungiThe term fungus has more than one meaning. It is best limited to members of the kingdom Fungi - in which the normal trophic form is a system of filaments or mycelia and from which spores are occasionally produced. Feeding usually occurs through the mycelia, and the spores usually facilitate distribution and help the fungus colonize new habitats. The true fungi have their evolutionary origins within the chytrids (some taxonomists include these within the fungi). In addition to the true fungi, a number of other evolutionary lineages have produced fungus-like organisms. The most similar are the oomycetes, a lineage that is related to diatoms and brown algae - all being members of the stramenopiles. Other fungus-like organisms include amoeboid slime moulds. The true fungi are heterotrophic organisms. The cytoplasm is enclosed within a chitinous cell wall. While the majority of species grow as multicellular filaments called hyphae, with all of the hyphae together form a mycelium, some species (such as yeasts) also grow as single cells. Sexual and asexual reproduction of the fungi is commonly via spores, often produced on specialized structures (mushrooms). Some species have lost the ability to form specialized reproductive structures, and propagate solely by vegetative growth. Yeasts, moulds (molds), and mushrooms are examples of fungi. The fungi are more closely related to animals than plants, even though the discipline devoted to the study of fungi, known as mycology, often falls under botany. True fungi lack flagella, but the chytrid ancestors are unicellular organisms that swim using flagella. Occurring worldwide, most fungi are largely invisible to the naked eye, living for the most part in soil, dead matter, and as symbionts of plants, animals, or other fungi. They perform an essential role in many ecosystems in decomposing organic matter and are indispensable in nutrient cycling and exchange. Some fungi become noticeable when fruiting, either as mushrooms or moulds. Many fungal species have long been used as a direct source of food, such as mushrooms and truffles and in production of bread, and in fermentation of various food products, such as wine, beer, and soy sauce. Fungi are sources for antibiotics (such as penicillin) used in medicine and for various enzymes such as cellulases, pectinases, and proteases important for industrial use or as active ingredients of detergents. Many fungi produce bioactive compounds called mycotoxins, such as alkaloids and polyketides that are toxic to animals including humans. Some fungi are used for hallucinogenic effects. Several species of the fungi are significant pathogens of humans and other animals, and losses of crops due to fungal diseases (e.g., rice blast disease) or food spoilage caused by fungi can have a large impact on human food supply and local economies.


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When I got these Nair Silky Sensations creams I thought they were moisturisers. Well they look like moisturisers don't they?!!!
So I spread it all over my arm, had a good sniff…thankfully the smell of hair removal cream is unmistakable so within a minute I had wiped it all off. Eek!
These Nair Silky Sensations Hair Removal Cream Dual Moisturising Blends are HAIR REMOVAL CREAMS, even though they look like body creams and ice cream lollies:
That's right – hair removal creams are getting pretty. These two look pretty and smell good – one is kiwi one is pomegranate. Kiwi is for sensitive skin.
I don't use hair removal creams…I prefer more pain…No pain no gain right? Anyway the teenager is a devout hair removal cream user so she tried these out for me.
These products contain 20% moisturiser apparently – they do have a nice texture and need to be left for just 3 minutes! Total time the product can be left on has to be less than 10 minutes and the product is always carefully wiped off, NEVER rubbed.
The cousin liked these two very much (I never personally had much luck with hair removal creams – made me itch and made my hair turn into wobbly spaghetti). The cousin said these smelt great, left her skin soft and took all the hair off in 7 minutes (we're Chinese, our hair is tough!).
The teen showed me her legs and indeed, they were silky soft so I can only say these work pretty well and smell good to boot. But seriously…don't leave this around for someone who doesn't know what it is to use – on a busy day I'd probably end up squeezing it on my hot dog.
You can buy it here from Boots for £6.99.


text:
QuestionPro has helped over 3,000 universities worldwide power their academic research projects. Whether it's a short survey helping students with a class assignment or a sophisticated academic research project, QuestionPro provides all the tools you need. There are two different licenses offered to fit the specific needs of the university.
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Unlimited Users.
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Prewritten customizable templates for various field of studies.
Online Training Webinar for all Students, Faculty and Research Scholars.
With a Research Team License, academic research teams and departments are given access to enterprise class research software. The license is designed for student and faculty research teams conducting sophisticated, in-depth research. The benefits of the Research Team License include:
Advanced Collaboration: Define account administrators and 4 different levels of user permissions for collaboration on projects. Easily share reports with external colleagues.
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text:
New Car Review
2014 Mazda6: New vs. Old
A redesigned 2014 Mazda6 is in showrooms now, the first 2014 model from any automaker to go on sale when it arrived in early January of 2013. The Mazda6 was last redesigned for the 2009 model year, when it was created specifically for Americans, built in Michigan and equipped with a larger interior, a bigger trunk and more powerful engines than Mazda6 models that were offered in other parts of the world.
Unfortunately, the 2009 Mazda6 arrived right as the Great Recession was kicking off and fuel prices began a relentless march upward. As all companies pulled budgets back to weather the economic storm, that new Mazda6 was left to twist in the wind with little marketing support to help it make inroads with consumers who retained the job security and purchasing power to drive home in a new car.
As a result of consumer disinterest in a Mazda6 that was by most accounts a competitive car, many of these roomy midsize sedans found their way into courtesy vehicle and rental car fleets, which kept Mazda dealers well stocked with low-mileage, late-model, certified pre-owned family cars. That brings us to the question we're trying to answer here: Should car buyers consider one of those used Mazda6 models or buy the redesigned 2014 Mazda6? Let's take a closer look.
Fuel Economy:
Between 2009 and 2013, the previous-generation Mazda6 was offered with a choice between a 4-cylinder and a V6 engine and as might be expected from a car company using Zoom Zoom as an advertising tagline, the Mazda6 could be equipped with a manual gearbox.
The Mazda6i models had a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine generating 170 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 167 lb-ft of torque at 4,000 rpm. A 6-speed manual gearbox came standard on the 6i Sport, while the 6i Touring and 6i Grand Touring models were equipped with a 5-speed automatic transmission with manual shift capability (optional for the 6i Sport). Base curb weight for the 2013 Mazda6i measured 3,268 pounds.
The Mazda6s models had a 3.7-liter V6 engine under the hood, rated at 272 hp at 6,250 rpm and 269 lb-ft of torque at 4,250 rpm. A 6-speed automatic transmission with manual shift capability was the only transmission offered for the V6 engine.
A beneficiary of the automaker's SkyActiv approach to vehicle design and engineering, the new Mazda6 is 85 pounds lighter and is smaller than the previous-generation model, as it lost head room, front legroom and trunk space while gaining wheelbase, shoulder room, hip room and rear legroom. The new Mazda6 boasts a low 0.26 coefficient of drag in Grand Touring trim.
A new 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine is standard for the new Mazda6, developing 184 hp at 5,700 rpm and 185 lb-ft of torque at 3,250 rpm. As before, the Mazda6 Sport is equipped with a 6-speed manual gearbox. A new 6-speed automatic transmission with manual shift capability is optional for the Sport model and standard for the Touring and Grand Touring models.
Mazda says that it will add a turbocharged, 2.2-liter, clean diesel 4-cylinder engine to the lineup in the middle of the year and promises a high amount of torque across a broad power band that stretches to 5,200 rpm. A new i-ELOOP (Intelligent Energy Loop) system is also coming later this year and will employ capacitor-based brake energy regeneration to power the car's electrical system.
Fuel economy ratings for the new Mazda6 with the manual transmission are 25 miles per gallon in the city, 37 mpg on the highway and 29 mpg in combined driving. With the 6-speed automatic, the Mazda6 is rated at 26 mpg city/38 mpg hwy and 30 mpg in combined driving.
Compare those figures to the previous-generation Mazda6. That car's 4-cylinder engine returned 21 mpg city/30 mpg hwy regardless of transmission choice. The combined rating with the manual transmission was 24 mpg, while the automatic was expected to return 25 mpg. Of course, the V6 engine in the old Mazda6s was thirstier, rated at 18 mpg city/27 mpg hwy and 21 mpg in combined driving.
Significant gains in fuel economy make the new Mazda6 the clear winner in this category.
When the 2009 Mazda6 went on sale, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) performed crash tests on the car and gave it the best possible rating of five stars across the board, including for resistance to rollover. This was a rare feat at the time, making the 2009-2010 Mazda6 one of the safest family sedans for sale.
Then the NHTSA strengthened its testing parameters and when the federal agency retested the 2012-2013 Mazda6 (the 2011 Mazda6 was never tested and never rated), the car's overall crash test rating fell to 4 stars. In the frontal impact test, the car protected the driver at a 4-star level and the front passenger at a 3-star level. In the side impact test, the Mazda6 provided 5-star protection for the driver, 4-star protection for the rear seat passenger and 3-star protection if the vehicle slid laterally into a pole or a tree. The rollover rating remained 5 stars.
Meanwhile, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) gave the 2009-2013 Mazda6 its top rating of Good for frontal impact and side impact collision protection, combined with an Acceptable rating for roof crush strength and a Marginal rating for the car's ability to protect against injury in a rear impact collision. The IIHS also assessed the 2013 Mazda6 in its new small overlap frontal impact test and gave the Mazda6 an Acceptable rating, a favorable result in this new test, especially considering the car's age.
Between its debut in 2009 and its departure after an abbreviated 2013 model run, the previous-generation Mazda6 added a blind spot information system in 2010 and a reversing camera in 2011, but these features were only offered on top trim levels. With the redesigned Mazda6, the automaker is introducing a number of new safety technologies for its family sedan.
A reversing camera is standard for all Mazda6 models except the Sport with the manual transmission, along with a new E911 emergency notification service and text messaging capability. The latter feature displays incoming messages on the car's display screen, reads them aloud and allows the driver to respond using generic phrases provided with the system.
Touring models add a Blind Spot Monitoring and Rear Cross Traffic Alert system and can be equipped with a new Smart City Brake Support system. Smart City Brake Support works at speeds under 19 miles per hour, identifies when a collision might occur, prepares the braking system for maximum brake force and, if the driver does not act, automatically brakes the car to reduce speed before impact.
Grand Touring models include Smart City Brake Support and an Adaptive Front Lighting system. Grand Touring models can also be upgraded with Mazda Radar Cruise Control and Forward Obstruction Warning systems, with a Lane Departure Warning system and a High Beam Control system coming later this year.
At the time this article was written, neither the NHTSA nor the IIHS have performed crash tests on the new Mazda6. However, given modern engineering designed to meet crash protection standards all around the world, combined with the additional technology outlined above, we're confident in giving the redesigned Mazda6 the nod for safety.
Historically, the Mazda6 has proven better than average in terms of reliability, according to Consumer Reports, with 2009-2013 models exhibiting no serious trouble spots. That might help explain why Mazda offers such generous Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) coverage on models that meet program standards.
Mazda's CPO program puts every car through a 150-point inspection and provides an AutoCheck vehicle history report with an Experian-backed 3-year repurchase guarantee on the report. A 12-month/12,000-mile limited warranty with no deductible, a 7-year/100,000-mile power train warranty with no deductible and 24-hour roadside assistance for the duration of the powertrain warranty are included for all Mazda CPO vehicles and the warranties are fully transferable to another owner who might buy the car before they expire. The automaker also offers Mazda Extended Confidence warranty coverage at extra cost to the buyer.
Contrast the previous-generation Mazda6's favorable reliability rating and impressive CPO coverage to the 3-year/36,000-mile limited bumper-to-bumper warranty with 24-hour roadside assistance and the 5-year/60,000K-mile powertrain warranty that is included with the redesigned 2014 model; you can understand why we lean in favor of the old Mazda6 with regard to reliability. It is, after all, a known entity at this stage of the game.
Certified Pre-Owned Mazda6 models are also appealing from a value standpoint. At the time this article was written, AutoTrader had listed 565 examples of CPO Mazda6 models for sale nationwide, ranging from a 2009 Mazda6i with 42,630 miles for $11,400 to a 2013 Mazda6s Grand Touring with 8,500 miles for $27,995. Additionally, Mazda is offering finance interest rates as low as 0.9% for CPO vehicles.
Because the redesigned Mazda6 just arrived in showrooms, Mazda dealers are also clearing out remaining stocks of the 2013 Mazda6, offering 0% financing for 60 months, attractive leasing programs and an extra $500 to current Mazda owners. Prices range from $21,520 for a 2013 Mazda6i Sport with a manual transmission to $35,395 for a 2013 Mazda6s Grand Touring with all the options.
Good deals are not limited to CPO models and the outgoing 2013 Mazda6. The automaker has priced the new 2014 model aggressively. Though the car is substantially improved over the vehicle it replaces, it starts at just $21,675 including the $795 destination charge. A Mazda6 Grand Touring loaded with every option except paint protection film runs at $32,965. Also, despite the fact that it is a redesigned car, the 2014 model is offered to current Mazda owners with a special $1,000 cash rebate. Plus, any buyer can take advantage of lease deals and 1.9% APR financing for 36 months.
This one is a tough call, but based in the information above, choosing a CPO Mazda6 still makes plenty of sense.
As is typical, the latest version of the Mazda6 basically mops the floor with the outgoing previous-generation model when it comes to technology. For 2014, all Mazda6 models are equipped with a standard auxiliary audio input jack, a USB port and a push-button ignition system. All models except the Mazda6 Sport with a manual transmission get a new 5.8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, a reversing camera, E911 emergency notification service, Bluetooth with audio streaming capability, HD Radio, Pandora Internet radio and SMS text messaging service.
Upgrade to the Mazda6 Touring and the car is equipped with Blind Spot Monitoring and Rear Cross Traffic Alert technologies. A navigation system, a Bose Centerpoint surround sound audio system, Mazda Advanced Keyless Entry, rain-sensing wipers and a Smart City Brake Support system are options on the Touring model and standard on the Grand Touring model. Grand Touring models are also equipped with a new Adaptive Front Lighting system.
Options for the Mazda6 Grand Touring include Mazda Radar Cruise Control and Forward Obstruction Warning systems. Later in the year, buyers choosing the Grand Touring model will be able to upgrade the car with a Lane Departure Warning system, a High Beam Control system and an i-ELOOP electrical system.
Advantage: The new Mazda6.
AutoTrader's Recommendation:
Clearly, Mazda takes a huge step forward with its new Mazda6. This svelte family sedan is far more fuel efficient than before, is likely to prove safer when crash tests are conducted, is likely to continue to be reliable and is technologically superior. For these reasons, and because the new Mazda6 is one of the best-looking cars on the road at any price, we're giving the redesigned Mazda6 our recommendation.
Nevertheless, the old 2009-2013 Mazda6 is reliable and represents a terrific value. There's no question that buyers on a budget can save enough cash on a CPO version to pay for the extra gas it will require to operate. Either way, buying a Mazda6 makes good sense.
What do you think of the Mazda6? Let us know in the comments below.


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(Harrisburg) -- Officials are reporting the 10th straight monthly decline in Pennsylvania's unemployment rate.
The state Department of Labor and Industry reports the statewide jobless rate for May was 5.6 percent, the lowest since September 2008. That's down from 5.7 percent in April and below the national rate of 6.3 percent.
The state's labor force, the number of people working or looking for jobs, shrank by 12,000 in May to 6.43 million. The ranks of employed Pennsylvanians declined by 6,000, the first drop after eight straight months of gains, and the number of unemployed shrank by 5,000.
A separate survey of employers shows total non-farm jobs growing by nearly 25,000. Payrolls stand at 5.79 million.
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Academic Affairs
The Office of Academic Affairs offers educational services to support student and learning outcomes.
The office oversees academic associate degrees and certificates and helps to prepare students for educational success and career achievement.
The BPCC academic programs have prepared thousands of students for job readiness or transfer to a senior college or university. Academic Affairs is committed to the BPCC's mission of ". . . providing instruction and service to the community . . ." This mission is accomplished through programs, courses, and services offered through the Office of Academic Affairs.
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Apple published an update to its Mac OS X operating system on Thursday, closing 17 holes in open-source and proprietary components of the software.
The advisory and patch addressed five vulnerabilities in the Apache Web server included with the operating system, as well as two flaws in the mail servers used by Mac OS X. Apple also fixed two flaws in the company's Safari Web browser and another problem with the QuickTime media server.
The patches come a month after Apple's last update for the Mac OS X. The advisory and patch information can be found on Apple's security site.
Apple did not classify the risk associated with the problems that the update fixes.
Read Article
Apple Security Updates


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Frank O'Hara
Frank O'Hara (27 March 1926 – 25 July 1966 / Baltimore, Maryland)
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Melancholy Breakfast
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the silent egg thinks
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Classrooms & Studios
In the Foundation Building, skylight ceilings flood abundant natural daylight throughout a number of classrooms, workrooms and student studio spaces. Additional studios and classrooms are located in newly constructed building at 41 Cooper Square.
Most studio classrooms are equipped with easels, model stands, palette tables, and sawhorse tables. Common workrooms are furnished with slop sinks, worktables and storage racks to accommodate the preparation and storage of artwork. Seminar classrooms provide seating for between fifteen and seventy five people. Four classrooms in the Foundation Building are fitted with digital projectors and sound & video connections. Two multimedia classrooms at 41 Cooper Square are equipped with high-definition projection teaching stations, and with Apple MacPros, which are connected to the Internet via T1 lines.
All students in their second, third, and fourth year in the School of Art, as well as Exchange and Mobility students, are provided with individual studio spaces. These studios are located on the second, fourth, and sixth floors of the Foundation Building, and on the fifth, sixth, and ninth floors of 41 Cooper Square. Each studio has pinup wall space and is set up with a desk and a lockable storage cabinet.


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There are so many stories about Elissa Froman.
One of her closest friends, Emily Goodstein, tells of the time she and Froman were walking down a street in Washington, D.C., where they both lived. A homeless man who sat asking for change in front of a restaurant stopped them, addressing Elissa by name. He thanked her for making an appointment for him at a local healthcare clinic.
A favorite one that her mother, Gloria, relates: When Elissa was four years old, she asked, "Are we really alive, or is G-d dreaming us?"


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Curcuma longa
(kŭr′kyŭ-mă long′gă )
SEE: turmeric
Curcuma longa is a sample topic from the Taber's Medical Dictionary.
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TY - ELEC T1 - Curcuma longa ID - 739412 PB - Taber's Medical Dictionary UR - https://www.unboundmedicine.com/medline/view/Tabers-Dictionary/739412/all/Curcuma_longa ER -


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WILMINGTON, Mass. — There was no bag skate today at Ristuccia Arena.
The morning after the Bruins blew a 3-0 lead and lost 5-3 at New York, they went through a normal practice for around 45 minutes.
Instead of punishing his player, head coach Claude Julien was looking to educate his team after the debacle on Broadway. Even at this late date in the season, he doesn't feel like it's too late to learn a lesson.
"Lessons are to be learned all the time. I hope you're still learning some lessons at this stage of your life. And we all are," said the coach after practice. "You always have an opportunity to grow with these sort of things and I think our group has. It's probably not a bad time to get this kind of lesson because it'll be fresh in our minds."
Of course, the Bruins haven't really learned their lesson. They dropped a two-goal lead in the final three minutes in Montreal in January. They squandered a 3-1 lead in Buffalo New Year's Day. While these might just be blips during a mostly successful season that every team endures, they could also be a sign that the Bruins can sometimes lose focus when things are going too well at crucial times. Julien even used the word "complacent" today when describing the reason for the team's loss in New York.
Chris Kelly wasn't with the Bruins during those previous losses. He's confident that the club can build back up after the defeat and that it might've happened just in the nick of time.
"It's easy to correct," said Kelly. "Obviously we played well for the first half of that game and then kind of let them sneak back in. I think it might be one of the best lessons we'll learn this year. Obviously you play 82 games for a reason and you might learn those lessons early in the first 10 games or you might learn those lessons in the last four games. So I think this is going to be good for us moving forward."
One can only hope this lesson finally sinks in.


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Continuous Improvement in Metal Detection
Industrial metal detectors may be old technology, but greater sensitivity, fewer false rejects and ease of use are helping them maintain their relevance in food and beverage inspection.
Striking a balance between sensitivity and false rejects is a necessary tradeoff when metal detectors are deployed in a food or beverage plant.
The good news is that today's metal detectors are vastly superior to those of even a decade ago, allowing manufacturers to increase sensitivity without experiencing unacceptably high reject rates. The better news is that some new detectors can accommodate a wider range of products, thanks to enhancements in multi-frequency technology.
An example is the THS/MS 21 series from the Italian firm CEIA (pronounced CHAY-ya). Introduced commercially in 2009, the units are able to differentiate between metal contaminants and so-called product effect conditions, when high moisture or salt content can alter the electromagnetic field and cause the machine to reject good product. The CEIA detectors use multiple frequencies simultaneously and continuously, while other multi-frequency detectors use one frequency at a time. As a result, metal detection sensitivity is maintained, even when product effect false rejects are an issue with a given product.
Both magnetic and non-magnetic metals are detected, and an electronic record is generated for each reject. Construction is 316 stainless, and the units carry an IP65 rating.
"Temperature change is the biggest problem customers have, particularly on a frozen-food line," says Todd Grube, inspection product manager for Heat and Control Inc., the Hayward, Calif., equipment supplier that began distributing the CEIA THS 21 in North America three years ago. By polling the detector, a manufacturer could use the electromagnetic signals to identify a drift in product temperature and address thawing before it becomes a quality issue. "It's not science fiction," says Grube, "it's a realistic idea."
A dual frequency range is coupled with vibration immunity in the Xtreme metal detector, a new offering from Eriez, an Erie, Pa., supplier. Multiple frequencies not only allow food manufacturers to screen multiple products on the same line, they give users latitude when dialing in the product, making it less critical to use a precise frequency, according to John Klinge, product manager-metal detectors.
Two years of R&D work preceded the launch of the new series, and the improvements go beyond frequency settings, he adds. Electronic noise in a plant contributes to the false-reject problem, and the new machines do a much better job of filtering out that noise. Simplified operation was also emphasized in the development process. "We want to take a lot of the guesswork out for the operator," Klinge says.
Adds Josh Layhue, R&D project manager: "You can have a great machine, but if the majority of the users don't know how to set it up and run it, all that technology is lost." An icon-heavy, 7-in. color touchscreen provides an intuitive interface for operators. "We're half a step away from making that happen on a smart phone," says Layhue.
Bunting Magnetics Co. introduced a dual-frequency machine a decade ago to appeal to copackers and other food manufacturers that want to inspect multiple products with a single detector. Last year the Newton, Kan., firm upgraded the electronic components for better signal amplification. Bunting dubbed the improved detection capability "multimode."
"The user interface has changed dramatically," according to Rod Hendrick, Bunting's product manager-metal detection. A color screen, drop-down menus and other refinements reflect an effort "to automate a lot of the routines of operation." Calibration checks are an example: Instead of passing a deliberately contaminated test package through the machine, "we added an induction coil in the head, and the detector pings itself periodically," Hendrick says.
User-friendly complexity
Multi-frequency and multi-spectrum features are well and good, suggests Bob Ries, lead product manager for metal detectors at Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. in Minneapolis, but there are other ways to skin the sensitivity/false reject cat. Among them is the configuration of the coils that transmit and receive a magnetic signal. His firm incorporates multiple coils in its design.
"Multiple frequencies have been around for years," he sniffs. "It's been more of a marketing message than a benefit to the manufacturer." Coil design and how effectively the machine is able to digitize the analogue signal to filter out background noise have just as much of an impact on the sensitivity/false reject balancing act, Ries asserts.
There's no argument, however, when it comes to simplifying set-up and operation. "It's harder technology to wrap your head around than X-ray," he says, and many plants rely on a single person to modify the operating parameters when necessary. If that individual leaves, a skills-void opens. Consequently, service calls are increasing. On the other hand, the proliferation of touchscreen controls that emulate a smart phone's operating system is helping to raise operators' comfort level.
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Consensus Report
Restructuring Federal Climate Research to Meet the Challenges of Climate Change (2009)Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate
Each report is produced by a committee of experts selected by the Academy to address a particular statement of task and is subject to a rigorous, independent peer review; while the reports represent views of the committee, they also are endorsed by the Academy. Learn more on our expert consensus reports.
Climate change is one of the most important global environmental problems facing the world today. Policy decisions are already being made to limit or adapt to climate change and its impacts, but many of these decisions are being made without the science support that could help shape better outcomes. In the United States, the U.S. Climate Change Science Program (CCSP) is responsible for coordinating efforts to generate the scientific knowledge to understand, predict, and respond to climate change. At the request of the CCSP, the National Research Council established a committee to evaluate the progress of the program and to identify future priorities. This, the committee's second and final report, proposes six priorities for restructuring the United States' climate change research program to develop a more robust knowledge base and support informed responses.
Key Messages
- Coordinate federal efforts to provide climate services (scientific information, tools, and forecasts) routinely to decision makers.
- Develop the science base and infrastructure to support a new generation of coupled Earth system models to improve attribution and prediction of high-impact regional weather and climate, to initialize seasonal-to-decadal climate forecasting, and to provide predictions of impacts affecting adaptive capacities and vulnerabilities of environmental and human systems.
- Establish a U.S. climate observing system, defined as including physical, biological, and social observations, to ensure that data needed to address climate change are collected or continued.
- Initiate a national assessment process with broad stakeholder participation to determine the risks and costs of climate change impacts on the United States and to evaluate options for responding.
- Reorganize the program around integrated scientific-societal issues to facilitate crosscutting research focused on understanding the interactions among the climate, human, and environmental systems and on supporting societal responses to climate change.
- The committee's top six priorities, cast as actions for the restructured climate change research.


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Morocco's $350 mn resort breaks ground
Ground was broken officially in the popular Atlantic coastal town of El Jadida on Monday (25 June) on the first phase of the luxury Mazagan Resort.The $350 million joint venture project that involves Dubai World subsidiary Istithmar PJSC, Kerzner International Holdings Limited, and a cluster of Moroccan Government and private investors.
The Moroccan partners include the Government pension investment fund, CDG Développement, the Moroccan-Emirati investment fund, SOMED, and the mutual insurance companies, La Mutuelle Agricole Marocaine d'Assurances and La Mutuelle Centrale Marocaine d'Assurances MAMDA-MCMA.
Present at the ground breaking event for this unique development was the Prime Minister of Morocco, HE Driss Jettou, and the Minister of Tourism, Craftsmanship and Social Economy, HE Adil Douiri.
Kerzner International Holdings Limited, a leading international developer and operator of destination resorts, and luxury hotels, will develop and manage the Mazagaon Resort, which will span 324 hectares of coastal land (when completed the whole resort will cover 514 hectares) and will feature a 500-room, 1,000-bed five star hotel, multiple restaurants including Mediterranean, Portuguese and Moroccan restaurants, a private lounge club, a club House, a buffet restaurant and five light meal restaurants.
This project will be also incorporate kids clubs for children and teens, fantastic pools, gardens and a lagoon area. The resort's conference centre will house a ballroom for up to 1,000 people, meeting rooms and a board room.
The Gary Player-designed golf club will offer 18-holes of world-class golf along the coastal strip, surrounded by 150 private residential villas spread out among the undulating dunes adjacent to the beach. The Mazagan Resort will also feature a high quality spa and health centre.
El Jadida is a seaport town and popular tourist resort 175 km north of Marrakesh. It was founded by the Portuguese in 1513.
Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Chairman, Dubai World, said: 'His Majesty King Mohamed VI and the people of Morocco hold a special place in our hearts. We are privileged to play a role in the development of this great nation. The Mazagan Resort demonstrates Dubai World's deep commitment to invest in developmental projects in the Arab world. Istithmar and Kerzner International are eminently placed to execute such a prestigious project in cooperation with our Moroccan partners. We are confident that Mazagan Resort will contribute positively towards Morocco's image as a preferred tourist destination.'
Once completed, the resort will reflect the rich and colourful architectural language of Morocco's indigenous building style. The design of the Mazagan resort is intended to capture the essence of Morocco and to provide guests, who will hail from Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa, including Morocco, with a truly memorable experience.
Sol Kerzner, Chairman and CEO, Kerzner International, said at the ground breaking event in El Jadida:
'We were drawn to Morocco because of the magnificent appeal of the country and the potential for tremendous tourism growth in the region. It is our goal to work alongside the Government and the Ministry of Tourism, not only to build world-class hotels and facilities, but also to develop a long term sustainable community in this area. We are looking forward to being an integral part of the rich fabric of this unique country for many years to come. "
'We hope that our development adds impetus to the further growth of the tourism industry in Morocco and that Mazagan will become a destination of choice. By taking a long-term approach to this development, we will help drive job creation in the region and work toward reinvigorating the tourism industry that has been a staple of the Moroccan economy for decades.
'Without the vision and support of the Moroccan government and H.M King Mohamed VI, we would not be undertaking such a substantial investment and development in Morocco. We are proud to be a part of this renaissance for the Moroccan tourism industry and for the Moroccan nation.'
The construction process for Mazagan is expected to take approximately 25 months, with a targeted completion date in the fourth quarter of 2009.


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U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
The purpose of this bulletin is to introduce the beginner to some basic sources and techniques for the collection of data for nominating a historic property to the National Register of Historic Places. This guide is to be used with National Register Bulletin: How to Complete the National Register Registration Form , which explains terminology, and how the information gathered through research is incorporated in a National Register nomination. While the National Register lists buildings, sites, districts, structures, and objects, this bulletin focuses on individual buildings. It may be applicable to other resource types--especially structures--and districts composed mainly of buildings.
Before you begin your research, contact the State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) of the State in which the property is located. The State will provide you with the appropriate forms, instructions, and guidance about the State's procedures for nominating properties to the National Register. The SHPO will also provide a copy of the State's inventory documentation if the property has already been surveyed. The SHPO is an important source of information about significant historic contexts and documentation that may be useful to you for researching your historic property. Finally, that office will be able to tell you if your community has a preservation official or office that you should contact.
Additional information may be available from local landmarks and historic district commissions, particularly if the community in which your property is located is a Certified Local Government (CLG). Local governments frequently collect information about landmark properties, historic districts, and archeological sites. If the property being researched is owned by the U.S. Government, the Federal Preservation Officer (FPO) should be contacted for information as well. The SHPO can refer you to the relevant FPO for the agency involved.
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Elegant Inspiration: Simple & Chic Holiday Decor
I love this time of year and all of the elegant displays of creativity and cheer that it creates. Looking around the web this weekend, I tried to find some inspiration for a less-is-more holiday look. A look that invites the warmth of the holiday season without creating extra clutter.
I love the idea of tying a few red ribbons to an elegant chandelier or two over a farm table, coupled with some simple holiday accessories resting on a sleek white shelf. Simple. Cozy. Beautiful.
3. Emmelines
4. Country Living via Burlap and Blue
5. Country Home
Images: As credited above


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Thursday, 16 February 2012
a whole lot of words from *dyeu-
*dyeu- is also apparently found in Armenian աստուած astowaç "god", usually written Astwatz. I'm not sure exactly what the etymology is here.
In English *dyeu- became the name of the god Tīw as in Tuesday.
*dyeu- is also the source of Latin deus and dīuus as in deity and divine, and Avestan daēuau- "spirit, demon" as in Asmodeus.
It's also the source of Sanskrit देव deva "heavenly, divine", and Hindi देवदार devdār "divine tree", whence deodar.
It's also the source of Latin Diāna, the moon goddess.
In Celtic it became Gaulish Dēvona and Welsh duw "god".
In Greek it became δηλος dēlos "clear" (from earlier *deyalos) - as in psychedelic.
Addendum: as pointed out in the comments, δηλος is from a variant (Watkins says the variant form *deih₂-).
13 comments :
- Nelson said...
Not to nitpick too much, but the last word in this entry probably doesn't belong there. *dyew and its vrddhi derivative *deyw-o- are right for most of the forms (respectively Zeús, Iū-, and dyau- for the base and deus, daēuuō, devá-, Celtic *dēwo-, and Germanic *Tīwaz for the vrddhi derivative). This *dyew was probably not verbal - LIV at least doesn't recognize *dyew as a verbal root, just a nominal base, and Ringe similarly glosses it purely nominally as 'sky' (PIE to PGrmc, p. 14). Some people do reconstruct a verbal *dyew, 'to be bright' (e.g. Sihler, Comp. Gramm., p. 282/s.275.2), but this seems more based on theoretical assumptions than data.
But δῆλος probably comes from the different, labial-less root *deyh2, the source of Sanskrit √dī and Greek δέατο. Verbal *deyh2 and nominal *dyew might be somehow connected, but Beekes is (probably rightly) sceptical of direct derivation of one from the other (Etym. Dict. p. 498). He suggests that they might both be extensions of some sort of earlier **dei-.
- 19 February 2012 at 09:24
- goofy said...
well, all I can say is that's what Watkins say in the AHD. too bad it's disputed.
- 19 February 2012 at 11:06
- Nelson said...
I've had a look at Watkins' entry, and I don't think there's any real discrepancy. He derives δῆλος from a 'variant' *deiə (= *deyh2), and not directly from *dyew (which is what I thought was being implied, and would be phonologically pretty difficult - sorry for not catching on). Calling *deiə/*deyh2 a 'variant' is certainly perfectly fair if you think these *di- words are all ultimately connected.
- 19 February 2012 at 11:33
- goofy said...
I see. Sorry for not giving enough details.
- 19 February 2012 at 11:52
- Glen Gordon said...
Are there direct cognates of δῆλος in other IE languages? Or is δῆλος simply hoped, based on thin criteria, to be related to our IE root *dei- by way of assuming whatever "extensions" are necessary to link words together haphazardly?
- 27 February 2012 at 02:51
- Áhann Áhim said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- 27 February 2012 at 06:41
- Nelson said...
If δῆλος is from *deih2, then it's related to to an Indo-Iranian root, showing up as Sanskrit dī.
- 27 February 2012 at 06:43
Do I have this right: nouns and then an adjective are being derived on top of each other through the use of "stem-vowel" suffixes and vowel-grade alternation.
1.DEIE - verb - "to shine"
2.D^IE-U-S - u-stem noun - "heaven (that which shines), God"
3.DEI^-U---O-S - o-stem noun -"a god"
4.D^I^-U-I-O-S - yo-stem adj "divine"
Or do I have it backwards? I.e. Watkins 22: "Noun *deiwos, god, formed by e-insertion to the zero-grade *diw- and suffixation of (accented) -o-." (Like yudh- -> yodhah, right?) But where is *diw- coming from? Is it the Zero-grade of the noun *di̯ēus, itself a -u- stem noun derived from the primitive verbal root dei-1, dei̯ǝ-, dī-?
I've tried to hash it out, but still looking for a derivational-process pattern. Maybe you guys know it or could shine some light on it? (no pun intended)
- 28 February 2012 at 16:12
- Nelson said...
The clearer part of the derivation is a nominal(?) root *dyeu-, 'sky, sky god', from which is derived another nominal *deyw-o-. This is done by a process sometimes dubbed 'proto-vrddhi', which basically means taking the zero grade *dwy and inserting an e-grade at the first phonologically available point (even if, as in this case, that's not where the e-grade would usually go with that root).
The Sanskrit adjective diviyá- (Classical divya-), 'heavenly', is from the noun *dyew with some sort of adjectival suffix, either *iHa or *iya (if the latter, the *i might actually be part of the locative ending of the noun). The Greek δῑος, 'divine', is probably from the same source. Latin has a similar adjective, dīvus, that is often reckoned as being from *deywos, having split off from the deus because of a divergence in the paradigm of Old Latin deivos, and taking on an adjectival function from being used in apposition to god names.
So that gives us a pretty clear set for three of the PIE words:
*dyew- 'sky'
*deywos 'skyling, god'
*diwiyo- 'celestial'
How a root *deyh2 might fit into this is less clear, and is not a connection most of the recent handbooks seem to make. It's hard because the root *deyh2 clearly has a laryngeal, but there's no trace of *h2 in the various 'god, sky' words. If there's a connection, it has to be at the pre-PIE level, and not really be a PIE derivation proper.
(The only thing I could think of to connect *deih2 with these other words is that *dyew is formed as a u-stem derivative from this root, with loss of the laryngeal in the position *CHy-: *dyh2w- > *dyw, which then inflected as a hysterodynamic u-stem noun, which in turn formed an *-iyo- adjective. *deywos would have to be a later derivative, once the laryngeal was well and truly disassociated from this family of words, since **deyh2wos should have left traces in Greek and possibly in Sanskrit. I don't know if this derviation holds up to close scrutiny, though. I'd be worried about whether the *CHy > *Cy change occurred early enough to allow for the development of this word family.)
- 28 February 2012 at 17:36
- Nelson said...
Actually, ignore the last paragraph entirely - I was being clueless. The sound change in question (even if you accept it - not everyone does) is *CHy > *Cy, but the zero grade of *deih2 would be *dyH. No motivation for the laryngeal to be dropped out, so no PIE-level connection between *deih2 and *dyew.
Like I said, there might be some sort of pre-PIE connection and root extensions, but that is getting into very uncertain waters. I would say it's safer to say that *deyh2 and *dyew are simply unconnected, at least as far as PIE is concerned.
- 28 February 2012 at 17:43
So, what you're saying is that these -u- stem nouns are primitive nouns not derived from verbs: *dieus belongs with *medhus, *sunus, and the other few of the like. Very interesting. To quote Szemerenyi (163), "Only a few IE nouns can be designated as root nouns. The great majority are formed by means of various suffixes from simple roots or from already existing derivatives." So, all the reconstructed IE u-stem nouns are "root nouns"?
Without spending days on it, the only other parallel I could find to shine:divine was live:alive - gweie-:gwīwos. But bare gweie- seems unattested, unless Polish żyje > **gweieti (3p sg) is the sole survivor. Would that make this a "root noun" as well? (i.e. a house: dwell, live). Against this, jīva=vīvus=živъ "alive" is -o- stem, and an intermediate u-stem **gwiēus seems to be unattested.
Thanks for the explain of proto-vrddhi. Do we always insert reconstructed *e? Is *dem- > **dm- > *domos/*domus also an example of proto-vrddhi?
@Glen: Pokorny doesn't list δῆλος under dei-. But δῆλος had to come from somewhere, right?
- 29 February 2012 at 07:47
- Nelson said...
Saying that *dyeu is a non-derived noun doesn't imply that all u-stems are root nouns. Sihler, for instance, includes only *gṷou-, 'cow', *dyeu-, 'sky', and *neh2u-, 'ship', in a category he labels 'monosyllabic diphthongal stems'. I think these should be sharply differentiated from the true u-stems of PIE.
The root for 'live' is reconstructed *gṷyeh3 (using ṷ to represent the superscript for feature of labialization and w for the glide proper). This seems to have a corresponding *wó verbal adjective, formed so: root *gṷyéh3 > zero-grade *gṷih3 > suffixed *gṷih3-wó- > laryngeal contracted surface form *gṷīwó- (Sk. jīva-, Latin vīvus, etc.). Compare the more common verbal adjectives in *tó and *nó, also formed from the zero-grade of a verbal root.
So this is not much parallel to *diw-iyó-, which is denominal instead of deverbal, and uses a rather different suffix, *iyó (or perhaps *iHó). This must be from the nominal *dyeu, not from a u-less verbal *dei(h2), as it has the labial glide before the adjectival suffix: Sanskrit div-iyá-. So 'living' is a deverbal adjective in *wó-; 'heavenly' a denominal in *iyó-. It looks like the only thing they have in common is that they are adjectives with thematic suffixes.
Proto-vrddhi should have nothing to do with *dem > *domos, for a couple of reasons. For one thing, the PIE noun was probably an acrostatic noun: nom. *dóms, gen. *déms, with thematic *domos a later formation. There were indeed various thematic nominals that could be derived using an o-grade (e.g. *rówdHos, 'wailing' < *rewdH, 'to wail'), but this also has nothing to do with proto-vrddhi, being just ablaut.
Proto-vrddhi, as I understand it, only introduces e-vowels into places they shouldn't occur by normal ablaut, or into otherwise non-ablauting stems. This type is fairly constrained, taking a nominal stem, putting it in the zero-grade, adding an e-grade (even if in an unexpected place relative to normal ablaut), and attaching an accented thematic suffix. Hence *deywós < *diu < *dyéu.
- 29 February 2012 at 11:05
- Glen Gordon said...
Hermeneuo: "Pokorny doesn't list δῆλος under dei-. But δῆλος had to come from somewhere, right?"
Yes but then we need to ask ourselves why we have become so convinced that the etymology must be Indo-European (as opposed to a Bronze Age borrowing).
What continues to concern me about the IE field is that there is such a conviction that much of the vocabulary of IE languages derives from Proto-IE itself when Occam's Razor would suggest that it's more likely for a word to be a product of borrowing than an intact word surviving for thousands of years.
- 6 March 2012 at 16:23


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ROCKFORD - The Boylan girls basketball team did something that many teams hadn't been able to do against fellow NIC-10 foe Hononegah.
The Titans, who fell to Hononegah in December, avenged that loss with a 69-54 win Friday at home.
And in the process extended their win streak to 15 games, but the loss for Hononegah snapped a 58-game conference winning streak.
"Mentally, we all came into this game with the determination to win and beat the streak," said Boylan junior Kayla Steward, who scored a game-high 31 points.
It was Steward getting hot from 3-point range early and a strong zone defense that carried the Titans (18-4, 9-2) to the win. Steward drained two of her five 3-pointers en route to scoring 16 or her team's 21 first-period points.
"Kayla set the energy for our team in the first half," said Boylan senior Jensen Blassage, who scored 14 points. "She made some big shots. It helped the whole team. Everyone got into it. It helped lift the spirit of our team."
Boylan coach Paul Perrone said he decided to change things with a zone defense after the Titans 51-40 loss against the Indians on Dec. 3.
"We thought we would change it up tonight and go with a zone," Perrone said. "We weren't afraid of their 3s. We had been used to playing them man-to-man and worrying too much about the three. If they want to make 10 3s, that's fine, we will make seven or eight. We wanted to concentrate on playing tough defense in a 2-3 zone. I am so happy for the kids. They worked so hard and when you do that, good things happen."
Boylan led 37-26 at halftime and continue its strong play into the second half. The Titans led 50-37 heading into the fourth period against the Indians (18-7, 10-1 NIC-10).
"They were tougher than us, they got to the loose balls and they shot the ball well," Hononegah coach Randy Weibel said. "They are a well-coached and talented team. They beat us. They are good team. We knew they were going to give us everything they've got. We just didn't respond to it, but we will be fine and go from here."
Karley Kolberg, who scored 18 points for Hononegah, said the loss was her first in conference play as a four-year varsity player.
"It's not fun, but you have to learn from it," she said. "It gives you a lot of motivation to continue to work hard after finally learning what it's like to lose in conference."
Haley Kershner had 24 points to lead Hononegah.
Brenda Young: 815-987-1388; email@example.com; @brendafyoung


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2019 Toyota Highlander
XLE 4dr SUV AWD (3.5L 6cyl 8A)
$756/mo est.
Price Analysis
27 Days on Lot
Vehicle Details
Ext. Color:
Midnight Black Metallic
Int. Color:
Black leather
Drive Type:
all wheel drive
All Features and Specs
60-40 Third Row Seat
Manual Folding Third Row Seat
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MP3 player
SiriusXM AM/FM/HD/Satellite Radio
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Braking Assist
ABS and Driveline Traction Control
Stability control
Privacy glass: Deep
Painted aluminum rims
Wheel Diameter: 18
Wheel Width: 7.5
Driver knee airbags
Front fog/driving lights
Leather/metal-look steering wheel trim
Leather/metal-look shift knob trim
Metal-look dash trim
Metal-look door trim
Roof rails
Video Monitor Location: Front
Trip computer
External temperature display
Auxilliary engine cooler
Manufacturer's 0-60mph acceleration time (seconds): 6.3 s
Auxilliary transmission cooler
Power remote driver mirror adjustment
Heated driver mirror
Heated passenger mirror
Electrochromatic rearview mirror
Power remote passenger mirror adjustment
Turn signal in mirrors
Dual illuminated vanity mirrors
Daytime running lights
Heated windshield washer jets, Wiper park
Driver and passenger heated-cushion, driver and passenger heated-seatback
Rear heat ducts with separate controls
Audio controls on steering wheel
Power liftgate
Power remote trunk release
Front and rear reading lights
Anti-theft alarm system
Leather seat upholstery
Bucket front seats
Rear captain chairs
Fold forward seatback rear seats
Tilt and telescopic steering wheel
Speed-proportional electric power steering
Suspension class: Regular
Interior air filtration
Automatic front air conditioning
Dual front air conditioning zones
Tire Pressure Monitoring System
Cargo area light
Max cargo capacity: 83 cu.ft.
Vehicle Emissions: LEV3-ULEV125
Fuel Type: Regular unleaded
Fuel Capacity: 19.2 gal.
Instrumentation: Low fuel level
Clock: In-dash
Headlights off auto delay
Dusk sensing headlights
Coil front spring
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Independent front suspension classification
Strut front suspension
Four-wheel Independent Suspension
Coil rear spring
Rear Stabilizer Bar: Regular
Independent rear suspension
Double wishbone rear suspension
Front and rear suspension stabilizer bars
Variable intermittent front wipers
Steel spare wheel rim
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Silver grille
Center Console: Full with covered storage
Overhead console: Mini with storage
Permanent locking hubs
AC power outlet: 1
Curb weight: 4,464 lbs.
Gross vehicle weight: 6,000 lbs.
Overall Length: 192.5"
Overall Width: 75.8"
Overall height: 68.1"
Wheelbase: 109.8"
Front Head Room: 39.5"
Rear Head Room: 39.6"
Front Leg Room: 44.2"
Rear Leg Room: 38.4"
Front Shoulder Room: 59.3"
Rear Shoulder Room: 59.6"
Front Hip Room: 57.2"
Rear Hip Room: 57.1"
3rd Row Head Room: 35.9"
3rd Row Leg Room: 27.7"
3rd Row Shoulder Room: 55.0"
3rd Row Hip Room: 45.6"
Two 12V DC power outlets
Transmission hill holder
Seatbelt pretensioners: Front
Door reinforcement: Side-impact door beam
Engine immobilizer
Cargo tie downs
Cupholders: Front and rear
Door pockets: Driver, passenger and rear
Seatback storage: 2
Tires: Width: 245 mm
Tires: Profile: 60
Tires: Speed Rating: S
Diameter of tires: 18.0"
Type of tires: AS
Tires: Prefix: P
Left rear passenger door type: Conventional
Liftgate window: Flip-up
Rear door type: Power liftgate
Right rear passenger door type: Conventional
Body-colored bumpers
Window grid antenna
4 Door
Selective service internet access
Driver airbag
Universal remote transmitter
Manual child safety locks
Rear View Camera
Lane Departure Warning: Active
Forward Collision Mitigation: Toyota Safety Sense P
Rear Collision Warning : Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA)
Garage door transmitter
Keyless ignition w/ push button start & keyless door entry
5 USB ports
Halogen projector beam headlights
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Ganley Toyota
1395 E Market St, Akron, OH 44305
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Brief SummaryRead full entry
Theria is the lineage of mammals that give birth to live young. This includes the marsupials (Metatheria) and placental mammals (Eutheria), but not the egg-laying monotremes (echidnas and platypus are the only surviving monotremes). In addition to reproductive strategy and adaptations, more technical characters that define the Theria include (Killian et al. 2001):
•Olfactory bulb cell organization
•Braincase architecture
•Mammary glands with teats
•Cranial nerve distribution
•Tooth enamel
•Molar dentition: tribosphenic molars
•Inner ear architecture
•Ankle anatomy (crurotarsal ankle joint)
•pectoral girdle morphology
The traditional, and once again prevailing view of mammalian evolution is the therian hypothesis: that the monotreme lineage and therian lineage diverged from one another in the Triassic period (about 200 million years ago) from ancestors in different geographical areas, with the monotremes endemic to Gondwanaland and the therian mammals arising in Laurasia. Therian mammals are thought to have originated 170-150 million years ago (Hugall et al. 2007; Killian et al. 2001; Luo et al. 2001). For a time, morphological (especially dental) analysis of fossils and early molecular work disputed a sister relationship between marsupials and placental mammals, positing an alternative theory of relationship between the three mammals lineages (the marsupionta hypothesis): that monotremes are specialized members of the marsupial mammals (Gregory 1947; Janke et al. 1987; Kirsch and Mayer 1988).


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"Holidating" is an ongoing Match.com blog series focusing on data from a recent Match.com survey on singles and the holiday season. Stay tuned for more posts examining the data in the upcoming week!
Even though Black Friday and Cyber Monday have already passed, many of us still have quite a bit of holiday gift shopping to complete. In fact, giving gifts is one of singles' most cherished holiday traditions, with 45% saying they love giving presents more than attending parties or decorating. Great deals are still out there – you just need to know how to find them amid the masses of shoppers. In order to keep your gift shopping from crushing your checking account and stressing you out, here are five tips to save on Holiday gifts.
1. Establish a Budget
Take a step back and assess your Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping. Did you score some great deals? Did you overspend? Either way, establish a budget for what you can afford for your remaining presents, and be sure to stick to it.
2. Shop Online
If you didn't participate in the Cyber Monday sales, you missed out on some good deals. However, many retailers are extending great offers throughout the entire month. Just be sure to research the return policy of any retailer, and if you see a deal that sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
3. Get a Gift Card Instead
If you're still unsure about what to get someone on your list, consider purchasing a gift card. You'll save yourself some stress and ensure that the recipient gets something they really want. Close to 75% of women have been disappointed by a gift from a significant other, as well as nearly 50% of men. So don't over-think it – pick up a gift card and know that it will be a hit.
4. Use Gift Cards for Purchases
Consider buying gift cards at a discount for the stores you know you'll be shopping at. You can find them at websites like Plastic Jungle, with some gift cards being worth as much as 35% off. Apply these gift cards to items on sale and you'll truly maximize your savings.
Final Thoughts
As the holidays draw nearer, you may encounter store personnel who are on edge and irritable. Although it may not save you any money, try to remain as polite as possible, and keep the complaints to a minimum. Keep the holiday spirit in mind, and remember all the money you're saving. This should be enough to keep a smile on your face throughout the holidays.
What other ways can you think of to save money on holiday gifts?
About David Bakke
David Bakke is a contributor for Money Crashers Personal Finance, a site that provides tips on budgeting, relationships, lifestyle, and more.