The word gerbil is a diminutive form of  jerboa , though the jerboas are an unrelated group of rodents occupying a similar ecological niche. One Mongolian species, Meriones unguiculatus, also known as the clawed jird, is a gentle and hardy animal that has become a popular pet.
Video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) is a type of surgery that enables doctors to view the inside of the chest cavity after making only very small incisions. The doctor can examine the outside surface of the lung and the inner surface of the chest wall through a camera attached to the scope.
The VAT is a consumption tax that taxes the value added by businesses at each point in the production chain. It can apply to both manufactured goods and services. This contrasts with the more familiar income tax, which taxes salaries, wages, and the returns to savings, but does not tax purchases. VAT would have no effect on the competitiveness of United States exports. Once again, proponents are confusing the potential advantages of a VAT as a replacement for the income tax with the realities of a VAT as an add-on tax.