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CSUSB professor offers tips on finding best deals this holiday shopping seasonWalletHubDec 7, 2017 

Haakon T. Brown, associate professor of marketing at Cal State San Bernardino, was one of the experts the consumer news website interviewed for its feature on finding the best deals — and avoiding overspending — this holiday shopping season.

In general, Brown said, televisions and electronics are advertised heavily as door-buster sales item; that consumers should do their research and make sure that a discount offered is significant enough and not to be tempted to buy such items if they are not on their shopping lists.

Brown also said the biggest tip he could offer was to do homework when trying to find the best holiday deals. “Check the deals in the flyers and monitor prices online,” he said. “The more work you do in advance, the easier it will be to recognize a great deal when you see it.”

And to avoid overspending, Brown said, “… consumers are generally more aware of what they are spending when they pay for things in cash. So, if you know that you have trouble controlling your spending, then the best thing to do is to set a total budget for your entire holiday spending in advance, and then carry exactly that much in cash for your holiday shopping.

“Also, resist the temptation to buy something just because it is on sale and you think the opportunity will disappear shortly. Deals come and go, so make sure the deal is significant first.”

Read the complete article at “2017’s best holiday deals and sales.”

CSUSB professor comments on trial of police officer accused of supporting Islamic StateCourthouse NewsDec. 5, 2017

The trial of Nicholas Young, the first police officer ever charged in the United States with providing material support to the Islamic State, is scheduled to get underway next week. Young , who worked for the Metro Transit Police Department in Washington, D.C., was arrested in Aug. 2016, on charges of providing material support to the Islamic State group and lying to FBI investigators. Young is accused of purchasing technology-related items to send to the ISIS operatives so they could evade authorities when contacting one another.

But instead of speaking to members of the Islamic State group, prosecutors say, Young was actually in touch with FBI informants and agents with the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force in Washington.

Brian Levin, director at the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino, has testified numerous times before Congress on the steady uptick of homegrown extremism.

“The bottom line is this: abstract beliefs not connected to a crime are one thing. But when these beliefs help frame the motive of the crime, they’re admissible,” Levine said. “The issue here is making sure we’re not prejudicing a jury by allowing tangential or less relevant evidence to be brought in for something much more nefarious.”

Read the complete article at “Trial of police officer accused of supporting Islamic State to begin next week.”

This news clip and others may be found at “In the Headlines” on the Inside CSUSB website.