The Bookshop Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Bookshop - Essay Example The Bookshop, a novel by Penelope Fitzgerald got published in the year 1978. The novel primarily deals with a small English town in the late 50s, where the parochial attitude and approach towards things and issues bring to test the very grit and resilience of the ordinary people trying to achieve ordinary goals in a somewhat extraordinary way. The Bookshop attempts a realistic approach towards a moral and ethical map making of this small English town that is not only marvelously piercing in its force, but is also rather imbued with a wry and ironically comical animation (Wolfe 30). The Bookshop is a novel whose true strength does not lie in the unfolding action. Nor is this book peculiarly marked by an intensely exciting plot. Rather the books conjures up the reader’s interest and participation by its evocative delineation and chronicling of the prosaically ordinary times, and how the very ordinary people try to come to terms with and succeed against the limitations and constr aints imposed by these times (Janik & Jankik 125). The Bookshop is primarily about the extraordinary persistence and will required by the ordinary people to fulfill their seemingly simple and readily accessible goals. It celebrates the courage mustered by the ordinary people against the stifling narrow mindedness, starkly limiting regimentation, and the blatant injustices imposed by the financial and social inequalities in the ordinary day to day life (Lewis 27).

Sheet Pile Design Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Sheet Pile Design - Coursework Example The latter is caused by earth pressures reaching the limiting state on both side of a considered retaining structure, which thereafter moves towards the excavated area until the full-zone failure is reached. As movement can occur on the bottom part of the wall, the analysis of the structure will be taken as a free body. Thus there will be modified free earth support method (The free earth support revised method) and fixed earth support method. It is worth mentioning that both methods have assumed that active stress condition have been fully developed behind the retaining wall while the passive stress is right in front of the structure. This will allow for calculation using coulomb or Boussinesq theories that consider the actual stress distribution. 1. Modified free earth support method of analysis According to Clayton et al (1993, pp213-214), this method often gives the most economical design for retaining walls. For structure such as cantilever wall, the soil at the lower part of th e pile should be strong enough to resist overturning moments. As shown in the above figure, the passive zone should be adequate in order to prevent lateral deflection and rotation at the lower end of the wall. However, the main principle behind the modified free earth support method of analysis is the assumption that the embedment of the wall is allowed to move and this will be to a certain distance under the action of the applied lateral earth pressure; this will cause the occurrence of negative bending moments at the considered location. This results in a statically determinate structure, only stable under certain conditions. Therefore, if a cantilever wall is to be designed based on this analysis, only the external passive and active forces will be considered. For the fact that the former will not be sufficient to cancel out the latter, in case of large and tall retaining structures no equilibrium will be meet. This will be because no fixity has been assumed at the bottom of the pile, as a consequence the structure will be under mechanism. When the structure has a height greater than 3m, this will not be the ideal design as the negative moment at the bottom of the file will increase with respect to height (increase of the active stress). As a consequence, to achieve equilibrium, strut or anchor must be added in the design. The addition will placed at the top of the structure, as shown in the picture below, to cancel out the negative moment at the base. Hence, the number of anchor will be directly proportional to the height of the wall. (Delattre, 2001,p3) When anchor or tie is added, the bending moment diagram of the wall will be as shown in the picture below. It can be seen that when moment is created by the anchorage at the top, at the bottom of the pile, the negative moment has been cancelled out; this will be only if both are equal or the former is greater than the overturning moment. As a consequence equilibrium has been satisfied; a moment created by the tie is balanced by the active earth pressure above it. Lancellotta (1995, pp305) explained: â€Å"the failure mechanism envisaged in this case involves a rotation about the anchor†. Here, the rotation of moment at C (shown in the above picture) will enable for calculating the depth by which the pile has to be embedded to satisfy equilibrium against rotation; in other words, the shear strength of the soil is mobilised with respect to the depth of embedment. The equilibrium of horizontal translation gives then the force of the anchor as a high anchorage force will result in movement of the pile

Merger between Vodfone and Mannesmann

Merger between Vodfone and Mannesmann INTRODUCTION The case on merger between two competing firms- British telecommunication firm, Vodafone Airtouch and German cellular provider, Mannesmann AG- shall be my highlight of this report. In short, this case illustrates a hostile takeover by Vodafone. Vodafone initiates the merger as it sees it as an opportunity for the firm to expand in a rapidly changing communications technology environment in Europe at that point in time. Initially, Mannesmann rejected the proposal. However, in a twist of event, it was eventually left without a choice but to merger with Vodafone. Third parties were enraged as they view this move as anticompetitive. They argued that the merging entity would gain dominant market power, raise barriers to entry and reap economies to scale which they could only dream of. The case was brought forth to the European Commission which only allow for the merger to succeed after Mannesmann de-merge with Orange and also after Vodafone ensured that it will enable third party non-disc riminatory access to the merged entitys integrated network so as to provide advanced mobile services to their respective customers. The Commission viewed these undertakings as sufficient to remove the competition concerns linked to the inability of third parties to provide competitive seamless pan-European mobile services. In this report, Ill analyze the economic benefits, how merger impacts upon consumers and/or producers benefit, as well as, the total welfare. Ill also touch on how merger has the potential to reduce competition and finally, the reasoning of the competition authoritys decision that leads to the success of the merger. ECONOMIC ANALYSIS The merger between Vodafone is Mannesmann is considered to be a horizontal one since both companies operates within telecommunication industry. The merger of the two entities reduces the number of competing firms by one and at the same time, increases the industrial concentration. In theory, a reduction in number of firms competing reduces supply whilst increasing prices of the good which is deemed to be harmful to consumers. The concept of improving/diminishing consumer surplus is further discussed later in the report. It is not always true that fewer firms and higher prices necessarily translate into higher profits for the merging firms. For instance, profitability of each firm is  ¼ in a four-firm industry. So, profits of two individual firms simply add up to  ½. Now, three firms remain after the merger of two. We observe a decline in profitability from  ½ to 1/3 for the merged firms. And although higher industrial concentration improves sales, this increase in sales is not enough to offset the rise in prices charged. Profitability still declines making the merging firms worse off. Thus, charging at price equals to marginal cost provides no incentive to merge unless all firms in the industry merge to form a monopoly. Having mentioned the above, merger doesnt only take place only when all firms merge. In reality, cases such as Vodafone/Mannesmann showed that mergers can lead to cost reduction. The efficiency that arises could be strong enough to drive this merger. Firms will want to produce at the minimum point of the AC curve where theyll be producing efficiently. They avoid duplication of fixed costs when they consolidate management and not employing two people to perform an identical task. By doing so, the firms are able to lower their cost of labour. In addition, both firms are only required to pay a fixed cost such as land and operating facilities, only once after the merger. Effectively, a cost saving of the fixed cost will increase profits, providing an incentive to merge especially when they increase their prices. Hence, the firms may do away with redundant labour, assets and facilities. As we know, a merger would lead to a rise in price as lesser firms are left competing in the industry. Firms are better off with a higher price imposed on consumers and when they gain from higher producer surplus. The opposite applies for consumers who are worse off when prices increase. When the increase in producer surplus outweighs the decrease in consumer surplus, total welfare is said to have increase. However, when the merger reduces marginal cost for Vodafone and Mannesmann, the merged firms may pass on such lower cost to their consumers in the form of lower prices. Lower prices are generally beneficial to consumers. As consumer surplus rise, there will be a subsequent increase in total welfare. Moreover, there might again be cost efficiencies which explain why merged firms can incur a lower marginal cost than the two pre-merger firms. Synergies can be easily exploited between the merging firms. Each firm knows what the other firm is capable of doing and thus, they only produce goods and services that give them the competitive advantage. Overall, a fall in marginal cost would mean cost saving that facilitates profitability. This profitability, in turn, promotes merger. Price, P P2 P1 = C1 C2 Demand, D 0 Q2 Q1 Quantity, Q Figure 1: Diagram illustrating welfare effects of a cost reducing merger (Adapted from lecture slides) From Figure 1, there is no producer surplus when price equals to cost (P1 = C1). Firms are only earning profits while producing at Q1. At this stage, consumer surplus resides in the area under the demand curve and above the C1 horizontal cost curve. After the merger between Vodafone and Mannesmann, lesser firms are left competing and therefore, price increases from P1 to P2. Consumers are gradually worse off with the rise in price. Now, their surplus is reduced to the area under the demand curve and above P2. The area enclosed within P2, P1 and Q2 is the surplus that is transferred from consumer to producer. On the other hand, the triangular areas under the demand curve, but bounded within Q1, Q2 and P1 signifies the deadweight loss. This deadweight loss refers to the surplus that is no longer gained by consumers and producers. Concurrently, there could be synergies between the merging firms that enable cost saving. This cost efficiency lowers cost from C1 to C2. Firms are better off. As shown in Figure 1, the area enclosed within P2, C2 and Q2 represents total producer surplus after the merger. The area within C1, C2 and Q2 is the surplus gained by producers from synergy that render better opportunities to grow margins. Looking at the above, we see that it is beneficial for firms to merge as they incur producer surplus. Total surplus improves as a result of a rise in producer surplus. Moving on, we shall consider competition with regards to the merger between Vodafone and Mannesmann. Assuming that theres no cost saving, a rise in price due to merger will ultimately erode consumer surplus substantially, to a point where losses to consumer outweigh gains to producers. From the producers point of view, this may provide an incentive for them to seek excuses to merge. They may falsify information to convince competition authorities to approve merger. Taking the impact of merger into account, competition authorities have to critically decide on whether to approve a merger especially those which involve large firms like Vodafone and Mannesmann. Such decision process will require them to get hold of accurate information which is not always easy to obtain. One main concerned of competition authorities is the size of the merged firm. Markets dominated by large firms tend to further inflate prices and force down consumers welfare. With reference to the case at hand, competition authorities were initially reluctant to grant merger to both firms. They were concerned that merger between the two large firms will turn out disastrous as they are already producing beyond Q* due to their sheer size. Approving their merger would only mean that these firms operate beyond the MES. Firms that merge at this stage face diseconomies of scale when cost is driven up as they continue to increase output along the AC curve. Cost, C Average Cost, AC MES 0 Q* Quantity, Q Figure 2: Diagram illustrating Minimum Efficient Scale (MES) on the AC curve. Rival firms strongly disapprove Vodafones proposal to merge with Mannesmann as they view the move as being anti-competitive. They argued that the merged entity will be able to provide exclusive services on a seamless basis because the merged entity has the integrated network that such services require. In the proposal, however, Vodafone claimed that if an interconnected network did develop it would not give rise to competition concerns, both because there will be scope for such networks to develop, and because there will be other routes for operators to ensure fair competition within the telecommunication industry. In any event, Vodafone considers that other operators will be in a position to provide seamless services on the same scope in the near future. COMPETITION AUTHORITIES DECISIONS The Commissions investigation has shown that with the complexities involved in agreeing on the modification on the existing network configuration, centralised management solutions and cost and profit allocation will make it exceedingly difficult for third parties to replicate. In addition to the uncertainty as to the replication of the merged entitys network by means of the right combination of mergers, this process would be extremely costly, time consuming and fraught with regulatory delays given the need for regulatory approval. This is supported by the significant number of failures over the past years in building similar solutions in related markets within the framework of joint ventures or strategic alliances. The merged entity would be the only mobile operator able to capture future growth through new customers who would be attracted by the seamless services offered by Vodafone/Mannesmann on its own network. Rival firms which could not offer a comparable service to attract enough market shares will find themselves losing out in the competition. Furthermore, given their inability to replicate the new entitys network, competitors will have, at best, i.e. if they are allowed access to Vodafones network at all, significant costs and performance/quality disadvantages given its dependency on Vodafone/Mannesmann. The merged entitys power to refuse third parties access to the its network or to allow access on terms and conditions entrench the merged entity into a dominant position and diminishes third party offerings. Whats more, customers would generally prefer Vodafone/Mannesmann to other mobile operators given its unrivalled possibility to provide advanced seamless services across Europe. This reinforces the merged entitys position in the industry as a dominant player. And through its unrivalled large customer base and position, Vodafone/Mannesmann will be in a unique bargaining power against handset manufacturers to negotiate design functionalities unavailable to competing operators. Customizing handsets make it more difficult for roamers from competing mobile operators to take advantage of the advanced pan-European services available over Vodafones network. Again, competitors lose out if the merger were to be approved. Upon investigation the Authorities revealed that the merged entity would face stiff competition from other operators and will not enjoy a dominant purchasing power in the long run. They agreed that the merged entity will be a strong buyer in the market for mobile handsets and network equipment, but there remain many other comparable incumbents competing in the market. So, the merged entity would not achieve the necessary buying power to become dominant on the market. In the light of the above the authorities concluded, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ the notified transaction does not lead to the creation or strengthening of a dominant position in the global markets for mobile handset and mobile network equipment as a result of which effective competition would be significant impeded in those markets. Meaning to say, the authorities do not view the merger as a significant threat since its powers would have been neutralized by other relevant competitors within the industry. Further precautions were taken in ensuring fair competition within the industry as seen in the demerger of Orange with Mannesmann. This move aims at diluting the powers of Vodafone and Mannesmann after the approval of their merger. It is a well-received decision as it removes the competitive overlaps in the United Kingdom and Belgian markets of telecommunication services. Besides Vodafone has, on its own account, pledged to enable third party non-discriminatory access to the merger entitys integrated network that includes undertakings which cover exclusive roaming agreements, third parties access to roaming arrangements, third parties access to wholesale arrangements, standards and SIM-cards and a set of implementing measures aimed at ensuring their effectiveness. On top of that, it has proposed to set up a fast track dispute resolution procedure in order to solve disagreements in the mentioned aspects and also to reduce its anticompetitive stance. The undertakings as well as demerger is thought to be justifiable since it eliminates the competition concerns linked to the inability of third parties to provide similar competitive seamless pan-European mobile services. CONCLUSION In conclusion, Vodafones proposal to merge with Mannesmann is seen as an anticompetitive threat to other telecommunication service provider. Rival firms were concerned that the merger would bestow substantial market power to the merged entity. Thus, they were strongly against the merger proposal. However, after much consideration by the competition authorities, they concluded that the merger would not inflict much threat due to the presence of a number of strong, large and powerful buyers in the market which prevent Vodafone/Mannesmann from achieving dominant position on the provision of the related services. Moreover, the demerger of Orange with Mannesmann will erode market power of the merged entity. Furthermore, Vodafone submit undertakings that allow third parties access to its networks. Following the implementation of these undertakings, third parties will be in a position to offer competing advanced pan-European mobile services which also prevent the emergence of a dominant pos ition on the provision of these services. The possibility to offer similar services in competition with Vodafone will, in turn, also develop incentives for third parties to develop competing networks. Therefore, the authorities approved of the merger between Vodafone and Mannesmann. To some extent, I disagree that the merger should be approved. The authorities argument that the presence of comparable incumbents will be sufficient in reducing market power of the merged entity comes across as weak to me. Only few of such incumbents operate within the telecommunication industry. Thus, its influence on the merged entitys market power is almost negligible. Vodafone/Mannesmann could still operate like a monopoly by setting high prices and reducing output while erecting barrier to entry to deter competition. Consumer welfare would be greatly harmed as a result of the merger. On the other hand, I support the merger as it encourages innovations. In todays competitive society, only the strongest emerge as champions. Therefore, rival firms may invest in Research and Development (RD) in creating an innovative communicative technology or network system that gives it a competitive edge over Vodafone/Mannesmann existing resources. This encourages a forward-looking competitive that benefits society as a whole. Producers gain as it may develop ideas to increase efficiency while consumers may gain from perhaps cheaper pricing that is passed on to them from lower production cost incurred by producers. APPENDICES European Competition Commission, http://ec.europa.eu/competition/mergers/cases/decisions/m1795_en.pdf, assessed on 11 November 2010 Kendall (2010), Markets, Competition and Regulation Lecture Notes Session 8: Mergers; and Session 9: Competition Policy Merger Control and Remedies Policy in the E.U and U.S: the case of Telecommunications Mergers, http://www.cerna.ensmp.fr/Documents/GLB-TelecomMergerRemedies.pdf, assessed on 12 November 2010 United Kingdom Competition Commission, http://www.competition-commission.org.uk/rep_pub/reports/2003/475mobilephones.htm#full, accessed on 15 November 2010 Europa Press Release Rapid Commission clears merger between Vodafone Airtouch and Mannesmann AG with conditions, http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/00/373 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/630166.stm, assessed on 16 November 2010

Rasmussens Encephalitis :: essays research papers

The human immune system is an amazing system that is constantly on the alert protecting us from sicknesses. Thousands of white blood cells travel in our circulatory system destroying all foreign substances that could cause harm to our body or to any of the millions of processes going on inside. Now imagine a condition where this awesome system turns against the most complex organ in the human body, the brain. Deadly as it is, this condition is known as Rasmussen’s encephalitis. The meaningful research on Rasmussen’s encephalitis was begun (unintentionally) by Scott Rogers and Lorise Gahring, two neurologists, who were at the time measuring the distribution of glutamate receptors in the brain. Later on when more provocative information was found they enlisted the help of James McNamara and Ian Andrews, epilepsy experts at Duke University Medical Center. The details on Rasmussen’s encephalitis were very bleak at the time when the men began their research. All that was known is that Rasmussen’s encephalitis was a degenerative disease of the brain that caused seizures, hemiparesis, and dementia normally in the first ten years of life. The seizures that were caused by Rasmussen’s encephalitis were unstoppable by normal anti-seizure drugs used conventionally. What the worst part of the disease was that the pathogenesis for it were not known and even worse was how it developed. The first clue was delivered when Rogers and Gahring were trying to register the distribution of the glutamate receptors using antibodies, that tag on to the receptor itself. The proteins that make up the glutamate receptors(GluR) are only found inside the blood brain barrier(BBB). Glutamate and a few related amino acids are the dominant form of excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system of mammals. If one of these GluRs happens to wander into the actual bloodstream, that is outside the BBB, it would be considered an outsider and destroyed immediately. So if these GluRs were put into the normal blood stream then the immune system would produce antibodies which could then be used in the searching for the glutamate receptors. In order to test this theory the researchers injected the GluRs into the blood stream of a normal healthy rabbit hoping to produce good results. At this point the experiment took a dramatic turn, after receiving a few doses of the protein two of the three rabbits began to twitch, as though they were suffering the pain of an epileptic seizure.

Succubus Blues CHAPTER 19

Carter brought me daffodils the next morning. I had no idea where he could have found them this time of year. He'd probably teleported to another continent. â€Å"What are these?† I demanded. â€Å"You aren't coming on to me after all, are you?† â€Å"I'd bring roses for that.† For the first time since I'd known him, the angel looked embarrassed. â€Å"I don't know. You seemed upset last night. I thought†¦ I thought these might cheer you up.† â€Å"Thanks†¦ that's nice, I guess. About last night†¦ when I snapped at you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He shook it off. â€Å"Don't worry about it. We all have moments of weakness. It's how we recover from them that really counts.† I put the daffodils in a vase, considered putting them on the counter. Roman's bouquet, now wilting, was already there, and the red carnations I'd bought the night Duane had died had long since been thrown away. It seemed unfair to give Roman's flowers competition, so I put Carter's on the windowsill in my bedroom. After that, the days fell into a comfortable routine. Carter and I never became best friends, but we managed a sort of pleasant equilibrium. We hung out together, watched movies together, and even on occasion cooked together. The angel turned out to be pretty dapper in the kitchen; I was still inept. At work, he followed me around, as invisible and unobtrusive as promised. I wasn't sure what he did during my shifts. He gave me the impression he wandered the store, people-watching. Maybe even browsing books. I also knew he spent a good deal of time waiting in my office, even if I wasn't there, hoping another nephilim note might appear. None came. The occasional nephilim flashings did, however, and Carter would disappear for a while without even telling me, either giving me a brief feathery touch on the cheek to indicate his return or speaking a few quick words inside my mind. I also started having coffee with Seth before my shifts. He had been waiting for me that first day back with a white chocolate mocha, and to my surprise, one for himself as well. â€Å"Bruce made it decaf for me,† he had explained. The gesture had been too cute to refuse, so I'd sat and talked with him that day, and the next, and the next†¦ It was hardly cutting him off as I'd intended, but I did stay pretty firm in refusing any other attempts at socializing outside of work. The coffee encounters seemed good enough for him, fortunately, and an interesting dynamic soon developed. Since I was still depressed over Roman, I moved and acted sluggishly, talking very little, too caught up in my own personal misery. Seth must have sensed a bit of this, and rather than let our coffee conversations die in the water, he took the lead in discussion – a notable change for him. It seemed a bit forced at first, but once he grew more comfortable, I found he truly could speak as well as he wrote. I marveled at the shift and enjoyed our time together, finding my heartache over Roman soothed a bit. He's really nice, Carter noted one morning after I'd left Seth to go work the information desk. I don't know why you spend so much time mooning over that other guy when you've got one like this. It isn't as simple as Seth being nice or not, I snapped back, still feeling a little weird about the mind-to-mind communication higher immortals employed so readily. And it's not like I'm looking for a new guy anyway. Besides, you didn't even know Roman. How can you talk? I know that you didn't know him for that long. How much could have really developed between you guys? Plenty. He was really funny. And smart. And good looking. I suppose relationships have been built on less. Still, I'm putting my money on Seth. Go away. I have to work. Angels. What did they know? While walking home from the bookstore on my fourth day at work with Carter, he asked, You want to go see Erik? I frowned, thinking. I had worked the early shift today and had to go back tonight to teach the staff's final dance lesson. I had two hours before that happened and had figured the angel and I would continue our newly formed habit of watching old movies together. â€Å"What do you have in mind?† I asked aloud, once we were safely inside my apartment. He materialized beside me. â€Å"I want to test the waters. We've had no nephilim activity in a while. No notes. No attacks. Yet, we know it's still around because I keep getting those little flashings. Why? What's its game?† I pulled a can of Mountain Dew out of my refrigerator and sat on a stool. â€Å"And you haven't ruled out Erik as a leak.† â€Å"No, I haven't. Like I said before, I don't want it to be Erik, but he is probably the biggest mortal source of immortal information around.† â€Å"And,† I concluded drearily, â€Å"if he communicates with the nephilim, he might know some of its plans. What are you going to do, shake him down for information? Because I don't want to be around for that.† â€Å"I don't work that way. I can tell if people are lying, but I'm not particularly good at†¦ oh, how shall I put this, teasing information out of them. As you noted recently, I'm not exactly charming. You, however, excel at charm.† I didn't like where this was going. â€Å"What do you want me to do?† â€Å"Nothing out of the ordinary, I promise. Just talk to him like you normally would. Like you were following up on your last conversation. Allude to nephilim if you can, and see what happens. He likes you.† â€Å"What will you do?† â€Å"I'll be there, just invisible.† â€Å"We're going to be cutting it close to drive back here in time for the dance lesson.† â€Å"Not true. I'll teleport you.† â€Å"Ugh.† I had had higher immortals do that for me a handful of times over the years. It was not pleasant. â€Å"Come on,† he urged, sensing my reluctance. â€Å"Don't you want to put this nephilim business to an end?† â€Å"All right, all right, let me change clothes. I'm still not convinced we won't be cramming at the end.† He made some Jerome-like comments about my desire to adorn myself the old-fashioned way, but I ignored him. When I was ready, we both turned invisible, and he gripped my wrists. There was a feeling, only a millisecond long, like wind rushing over me, and then we stood inside a corner of Erik's store. A faint wave of nausea, similar to what I'd had while drinking heavily, rolled up in me and quickly faded. Seeing no one around, not even Erik, I turned visible. â€Å"Hello?† A few moments later, the old shopkeeper stuck his head out from the back room. â€Å"Miss Kincaid, my goodness. I didn't hear you come in. It's a pleasure to see you again.† â€Å"Likewise.† I gave him a prizewinning succubus smile. â€Å"You're dressed up tonight,† he told me, taking in my dress. â€Å"Special occasion?† â€Å"I'm going dancing after this. In fact, I can't stay long.† â€Å"Yes, of course. Do you have time for tea then?† I hesitated a moment, and Carter spoke in my head: Yes. â€Å"Yes.† Erik went to put on water, and I cleared off our table, both of us falling into usual roles. When he returned with the tea, I learned it was yet another of his themed herbals, this time called Clarity. I complimented him on it, smiling the whole time, doing my best to play up the charming part. I even made a bit of small talk before finally plunging ahead with my mission objective. â€Å"I wanted to thank you for your help last time with the scripture reference,† I explained. â€Å"It helped me understand the whole fallen angel bit, but I confess†¦ it sort of sent me off in a weird direction.† â€Å"Oh?† His bushy gray eyebrows rose as he brought the cup to his lips. I nodded. â€Å"In mentioning angels falling†¦ it also mentioned those who married and had offspring. Who had nephilim.† Boy, you don't waste time, Carter noted dryly. The old man nodded along with me, as though I had made a perfectly ordinary observation. â€Å"Yes, yes. Fascinating topic, the nephilim. Quite a controversial subject among biblical scholars.† â€Å"How so?† â€Å"Well, some adherents don't like to acknowledge that angels, the holiest of the holy, would engage in such base activities, fallen or no. That their half-divine bastards might be walking the world is more startling still. It makes a lot of faithful very angry.† â€Å"But is it true then? That there are nephilim out there?† Erik gave me one of his canny smiles. â€Å"Once again, you ask me questions I'm surprised you don't know the answer to.† See? This is what he does to me too. Evades the question. You and Jerome do it to us all the time, I shot back to the angel. To Erik I replied, â€Å"Well, like I've said before, my scope is rather limited.† He only chuckled, and I pushed the issue. â€Å"So? Are they, or aren't they out there?† â€Å"You sound like someone chasing extraterrestrials, Miss Kincaid. Ironic, since some conspiracy theorists claim alien sightings are actually nephilim sightings and vice versa. But to reassure you – or not, perhaps – yes, they are indeed out there.† â€Å"Aliens or nephilim ?† I joked, trying to keep the conversation light, though I knew he had meant nephilim. I already knew they existed, but I was glad to hear him reaffirm it so readily. Surely if he wanted to hide being a nephilim's ally, he would have been more evasive. â€Å"Both, actually, if you spent extensive time around my previous place of employment.† I laughed out loud, recalling how Krystal Starz did indeed stock books on how to commune with beings from outer space. â€Å"I'd forgotten about that. You know, I've actually had a few run-ins with your former boss recently.† Erik's eyes sharpened. â€Å"Have you? What happened?† â€Å"No big deal. Just professional differences, I guess. I poached a few of your old coworkers – Tammiand Janice? – from her. Helena wasn't very happy.† â€Å"No. I imagine she wouldn't be. Did she do anything?† â€Å"Came to my work and made a lot of noise, gave me some doom and gloom predictions. No big deal.† â€Å"She's an interesting woman,† he observed. â€Å"That's an understatement.† I realized we'd gotten sidetracked and half expected Carter to chastise me for it. He didn't. â€Å"So, do you know of any way to spot a nephilim ? Anticipate where it'll be next?† Erik gave me a strange look, not responding right away. I felt my stomach lurch a little. Maybe he did know more about our nephilim. I hoped not. â€Å"Not really,† he finally said. â€Å"Identifying immortals isn't so easy.† â€Å"But it can be done.† â€Å"Yes, of course, but some are better at hiding than others. Nephilim especially have reason to stay hidden since they're continually pursued.† â€Å"Even when not being nuisances?† I asked, surprised. Neither Carter nor Jerome had mentioned that. â€Å"Even then.† â€Å"That's kind of sad.† I remembered the blurb from Harrington's book, recalling how both heaven and hell had rejected the nephilim. Maybe I'd be really pissed off in that case too, wanting to cause trouble and let both sides know I didn't approve of their policies. Erik had little more to offer on nephilim, and our conversation digressed further and further. An hour went by to my surprise, as I would have expected Carter to stop me by now. Making my own excuses, I apologized to Erik, telling him I needed to get going. I bought some of the tea as usual, and he urged me to come back anytime, also as usual. When I got to the door, he called hesitantly, â€Å"Miss Kincaid? About nephilim†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I felt gooseflesh rise on me. He did indeed know something about all of this. Damn it. â€Å"Remember, they're immortal. They've been around for a long time, but unlike other immortals, they have no agendas or divine plots to carry out. Many try to simply live meaningful and even ordinary lives.† I pondered this weird piece of information as I walked outside, imagining a nephilim commuting to a day job. Hard to juxtapose that with the horrific images I had otherwise been fostering. Evening had long since fallen, and the parking lot was empty. Turning invisible, I waited for Carter to take us out. And waited. And waited. â€Å"Well? What's the holdup?† I murmured. No answer. â€Å"Carter?† No answer. Then it hit me: Carter had left on another nephilim hunt. I was alone. Great. What was I supposed to do? I had no car, and regardless of what the angel had said about me being safe when he did this sort of thing, I felt uneasy standing out here alone in the dark. I stepped back inside the store, visible. Erik looked up at me with surprise. â€Å"Do you mind if I wait here for a ride?† â€Å"Not at all.† Of course, now I had to get a ride. Pulling out my new cell phone, I debated who to call. Cody would be the ideal choice, but he lived far south of the bookstore and I was north. He would already be on his way to the dance lesson, and coming up here would only ensure we were both late. I needed someone who lived close by, but I didn't know anybody except†¦ well, Seth lived in the University District. That wasn't too far away from Lake City. The tricky part was whether he was actually at his home or still in Queen Anne. Taking the plunge, I called his cell. â€Å"Hello?† â€Å"It's Georgina. Where are you at?† â€Å"Urn, home†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Great. Would you mind giving me a ride?† Fifteen minutes later, Seth arrived at Erik's. I'd half expected Carter to show back up in that time, but there'd been no sign of him. Thanking Seth, I slid into his car. â€Å"I really appreciate you doing this. My ride kind of flaked out on me.† â€Å"I don't mind.† He hesitated and gave me a sidelong glance. â€Å"You look beautiful.† â€Å"Thanks.† I had on a red sleeveless dress with a corset-like top. â€Å"It could use a flannel shirt, though.† It took me a moment to remember the ensemble I'd worn to his brother's, a moment longer still to recall I'd never given him the shirt back. â€Å"I'm sorry,† I told him after I pointed the same thing out to him. â€Å"I'll bring it back soon.† â€Å"Not a problem. I'm still holding your book hostage, after all. Fair is fair. Feel free to wear it some more, so it smells like you and that perfume.† He abruptly shut up, apparently fearing he'd said too much, which was probably true. I wanted to laugh the comment off, ease his embarrassment a little, but instead all I could imagine was Seth holding the flannel shirt to his face, inhaling deeply, because it smelled like me. The image was so sexy, so utterly provocative, that I turned slightly away from him, looking out the window to hide my feelings and suddenly heavy breathing. What a shameless strumpet I was, I decided as the rest of the car ride proceeded in dead silence. Crying over Roman one minute, suddenly wanting to jump into bed with Seth the next. I was fickle. I gave out mixed signals to men, flitting from one to another, beckoning with one hand and pushing away with the other. Admittedly, the Martin energy ride was fast coming to an end, so most males were starting to look pretty good again, but still†¦ I had no shame. I didn't even know who or what I wanted anymore. When Seth parked but refused to come in with me to Emerald City, I felt guilty, knowing he thought that I thought he must be a pervert or something for the perfume comment. I couldn't let that go, couldn't stand the thought of him feeling bad over me. Especially when the perfume remark had been kind of a turn-on. I had to fix things. I leaned toward him, hoping the corset top would do half my work for me in smoothing the matter over. â€Å"Do you remember that one scene in The Glass House? The one where O'Neill walks that waitress home?† He raised an eyebrow. â€Å"Um, I wrote that scene.† â€Å"If I recall, doesn't he say something about what a shame it is to abandon a woman in a low-cut dress?† Seth stared at me, expression unreadable. Finally, a not-so-dazed smile flickered onto his face. â€Å"He says, ‘A man who leaves a woman alone in a dress like that is no man at all. A woman in a dress like that doesn't want to be alone.' â€Å" I looked back at him meaningfully. â€Å"Well?† â€Å"Well, what?† â€Å"Don't make me spell it out. I'm in this dress, and I don't want to be alone. Come inside with me. You owe me a dance, you know.† â€Å"And you know I don't dance.† â€Å"You think that'd stop O'Neill?† â€Å"I think O'Neill kind of goes off the deep end sometimes. He doesn't know his limits.† I shook my head in exasperation and turned away. â€Å"Wait,† Seth called. â€Å"I'm coming.† â€Å"Cutting it close, aren't you?† Cody asked me later when we arrived in the cafe of the now closed bookstore, practically running. I gave him a quick hug, and he and Seth nodded cordially at each other before the author blended off into the crowd of staff. â€Å"It's a long story.† â€Å"Is it true?† Cody whispered in my ear, leaning toward me. â€Å"Is Carter hanging around right now?† â€Å"No, actually. He was, but then he just bailed on me. That's why I'm late. I had to call Seth to pick me up.† The young vampire's serious mien relaxed. â€Å"I'm sure that was a big sacrifice for both of you.† Ignoring the jibe, I rounded up the troops so the lesson could get under way. As we had observed last time, most were about as ready as they would ever get. We didn't teach anything new, choosing instead to review old techniques, making sure the basics were solid. Seth, as he had stated, did not dance. He had a harder time resisting, however, as most of the staff knew him well by now. Many of the women tried to entreat him. He remained obstinate. â€Å"He'd dance if you asked him,† Cody told me at one point. â€Å"I doubt it. He's been refusing all night.† â€Å"Yeah, but you're persuasive.† â€Å"Carter implied the same thing. I don't know when I got this reputation as Miss Congeniality.† â€Å"Just ask him.† Rolling my eyes, I walked over to Seth, noticing his gaze was already on me. â€Å"All right, Mortensen, last chance. Are you ready to make the switch from voyeur to exhibitionist?† He inclined his head toward me curiously. â€Å"Are we still talking about dancing?† â€Å"Well, that depends, I suppose. I heard someone once say that men dance the same way they have sex. So, if you want everyone here to think you're the kind of guy who just sits around and – â€Å" He stood up. â€Å"Let's dance.† We stepped out, and despite his bold declaration, his nervousness came through loud and clear. His palm was sweaty as he grasped my hand, his other hand almost too hesitant to fully rest its weight on my hip. â€Å"Your hand swallows mine up,† I teased him gently, easing mine inside his. â€Å"Just relax. Listen to the music, and count the beats. Watch my feet.† As we moved, I had the impression he had done the basic step before. He had no trouble remembering the pattern. His problem was coordinating his feet with the music, a behavior which came instinctually to me. I could tell he literally counted beats in his head, forcefully lining them up with his feet. Consequently, he spent more time looking down than at me. â€Å"Are you going to come with us when we go out?† I asked conversationally. â€Å"Sorry. I can't talk and count at the same time.† â€Å"Oh. Okay.† I did my best to hide a smile. We continued on this way, in silence, until the lesson ended. It never became a natural process for Seth, but he never missed any steps, paying attention to them with steadfast determination and diligence, sweating profusely the entire time. Standing so close to him, I could again feel something akin to static in the air between us, heady and electric. I made the rounds with Cody as things closed down, telling everybody goodbye. Seth was one of the last to leave, approaching Cody and me as we walked out the back door. â€Å"Nice job tonight,† Cody told him. â€Å"Thanks. My reputation was on the line.† Seth turned to me. â€Å"I hope I redeemed myself with the whole dancing-sex comparison.† â€Å"I suppose there were a couple of notable similarities,† I observed, holding a straight face. â€Å"A couple? What about attention to detail, heavy exertion, lots of sweat, and single-minded determinedness to get the job done and done well?† â€Å"Mostly I was thinking you just don't talk during sex.† Mean perhaps, but I couldn't resist. â€Å"Well, my mouth has better things to do.† I swallowed, my own mouth dry. â€Å"Are we still talking about dancing?† Seth told us good night and left. I watched him go wistfully. â€Å"Anyone else here feel like swooning?† â€Å"I sure do,† came Carter's jovial voice behind us. Cody and I both jumped. â€Å"Christ,† I exclaimed. â€Å"How long have you been back?† â€Å"No time for small talk. Hang on, kids.† After giving a quick glance around to ascertain we were alone, the angel suddenly grabbed our wrists. I felt that nauseating, rushing feeling again, and the next thing I knew, we stood in a very elegantly decorated living room. I had never seen this place before, but it was beautiful. Coordinated leather furniture adorned the room, expensive-looking art hung on the walls. Opulence. Style. Magnificence. The only problem was, the entire place had been trashed. Slashes marred the posh furniture, tables had been knocked ‘over, and the art was either askew or defiled or both. On one wall, a huge symbol I didn't recognize had been spray-painted: a circle with one line crossing it vertically and another cutting through at an angle, left to right. The glamour mixed with such desecration left me utterly dumbfounded. â€Å"Welcome to Ch §?eau Jerome,† Carter announced.

Imposing consumption tax on Saudi consumers and its contribution in promoting economic growth Essay

Introduction Saudi economy mostly relies on oil industry and its government has much control over natural resources and main economic activities in the land.   Ultimately, the economy of Saudi is centrally planned and therefore has free market economy. As it can be affirmed, oil industry contributes to approximately 45% of the total budget revenue hence making it imperative to the growth of the country. Till now, Saudi Arabia does not think that there is any need for consumption tax however, the country may face many problems in the future what may affect the economy if the oil dry out.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A recent analysis from Citigroup has raised the alarming possibility that Saudi Arabia might become a net oil importer by 2030[Could Saudi Arabia’s Oil Exports Dry Up?, 2012]. However, in order to Find a Solutions to contribute in raising Saudi Arabia economy for long run, and Focusing in another source rather than oil.   In order to maintain economic stability, we want to study the possibility of imposing consumption tax beside zakat on Saudi consumers and how it will contribute in promoting economic growth. Basic concept According to the dictionary, Zakat iscalled (Islamic tax) or (religious tax), it is an annual tax on Muslims comprising percentages of personal income of every kind to aid the poor in the Muslim community.[zakat] Research aim The research aim is to determine the possibility of imposing consumption tax on Saudi consumers beside zakat and how it will contribute in promoting economic growth Sub problems; 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   How consumption tax contributes in promoting economic growth. A)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Why consumption tax. B)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Mechanism of economic growth. C)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Identify mechanism of promoting economic growth by consumption tax. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚   The possibility of imposing consumption tax on Saudi consumer. A)  Ã‚  Ã‚   Analyze tax system for promoting economic growth. B)  Ã‚  Ã‚   Analyze Zakat system for promoting economic growth. C)  Ã‚  Ã‚   Compare (a) and (b) to determine the possibility of imposing consumption tax (the importance or how valuable is the consumption tax). 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Determine the possibility of using consumption tax for promoting economic growth of Saudi Arabia. Research Objectives As noted in the above information, the main aim or purpose of conducting this research is to investigate the possibility of imposing consumption tax on Saudi consumers beside zakat and how it will contribute in promoting economic growth. The following information provides the objectives and research questions for the study. Ø  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  To determine the importance of tax particularly in promoting the growth of economy Ø  Ã‚  Ã‚      To analyze all best and possible means of imposing consumption tax on Saudi consumer Ø  Ã‚  Ã‚     To determine the possibility of using consumption tax for promoting economic growth of Saudi Arabia Hypothesis Various studies conducted on consumption tax have revealed that consumption tax has a major effect on the country’s economic activities which can greatly affect economic growth, so in this paper we investigate how consumption tax contributes in promoting economic growth. We hypothesized that imposing consumption tax contributes in promoting the growth of Saudi Arabia’s economy. We also hypothesized that the difference between tax system and zakat system will contribute in determine the importance of the consumption tax. Literature review Essentially, previous research indicates a close relationship between introduction of consumption tax and economic growth in a country. Many economists argue that imposing a consumption tax implies increase in government revenue and thus increase in the country GDP which is essential in reflecting the country’s economic growth. There are limited studies tried to identify the relationship between tax structures and economic growth, Here is some of the related literature:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Arnold, J. (2008) has focused in studying and analyzing  Ã‚   the relationship between tax structures and economic growth by enteringindicators of the tax structure into a set of panel growth regressions for 21 OECD countries; he found the following results: 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Income taxes are associated with significantly lower economic growth and lower levels of GDP per capita than consumption tax and property tax. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Respectively, property taxes, and particularly recurrent taxes on immovable property, then consumption taxassociated with the highest levels of GDP per capita. Therefore, these taxes are the most growth friendly taxes in economic growth. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Corporate income taxes have morenegative effects on GDPthan personal income tax. In general, the relationship between the income taxes and growth is negative relation. 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The progressivity of income taxes and growth are negatively related. Also, Widmalm (2001), Padovano and Galli (2002) studied the relationship between progressivity of income taxes and economic growth in 25 countries, they reached the same result, the progressivity of income taxes and economic growth are negatively related. Various studies conducted on consumption tax have revealed that consumption tax has a major effect on the country’s economic activities which can greatly affect economic growth. Brys (2010) in his book ‘OECD Tax Policy Studies Tax Policy Reform and Economic Growth’ outlines the various effects consumer tax can have on economic activities of a country.In the book, he states that consumer tax will affect employment and working hours, affect international trade and regulate the activities of the underground economy. Brys continues to state that differentiated consumer tax will encourage people to work, lead to a yield in environmental benefits and reduce inequalities in income. When all these factors are brought together, economic activities of a country are likely to be affected in various ways. Methodology Research approach A good research is the one that provides answers to the research questions, validity, objectivity, accuracy, and economy. A research design is the plan and structure of investigation to obtain answers to research questions. The study adopted a qualitative survey structure. Qualitative research is also adopted since it investigates the social constructivist paradigm and relies on the socially constructed reality nature.   It aims to fundamentally record, analyze as well as determine the significance and meaning of imposing consumption tax on Saudi consumers and its contribution in promoting economic growth. The approach is not initially based on any data to be compared but on the perceptions of those who have experience and knowledge based on consumption tax and its potential in enhancing economic growth of a country. The qualitative research approach here supports positivism whereby although there is no data to be compared as part of quantitative research, the fundamental construct of the research is based on a reality that cannot be changed. The type of this study requires to use qualitative research, in this study we will gathering data from the past studies related to our theme (about the effect of tax on economic growth and then, we will analyses this data And weight all the Pros and Cons, advantage and disadvantage of all type of taxes and decide which type is best for the growth of the economy. We will analyze both of tax system and zakat system and their relation with economic growth, then comparing both system and find the similarities and difference between them. Then study those differences and find solutions that may contribute in the economic growth of Saudi Arabia. Data analysis and discussion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The raw materials were collected in a systematically organized manner that facilitates the analysis. To permit qualitative analysis, the data received was edited to ensure completeness, consistency, and uniformity before being analyzed to make it meaningful information regarding the study theme which is implications of imposing consumption tax in Saudi Arabia. Collectively the data analyzed enables the study to establish the relationship of consumption tax and economic growth. References Brys, B., & Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.(2010). Tax policy   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   reform and economic growth. Paris: OECD. Could Saudi Arabia’s Oil Exports Dry Up? (2012Ã¥ ¹ ´octoberæÅ"ˆ3æâ€" ¥). Ã¥ â€šÃ§â€¦ §Ã¥â€¦Ë†: nvesting daily:http://www.investingdaily.com/15734/could-saudi-arabias-oil-exports-dry-up almohainykhaledmohammed. (2003). The role of the tax in the process of economic and social development. Damascus University Journal , Volume 19 – Issue II. zakat. (æâ€" ¥Ã¤ »ËœÃ¤ ¸ Ã¦ËœÅ½). Ã¥ â€šÃ§â€¦ §Ã¥â€¦Ë†: dictionary: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/zakat Arnold, J. (2008), â€Å"Do Tax Structures Affect Aggregate Economic Growth?: Empirical   Ã‚   Evidence from a Panel of OECD Countries†, OECD Economics Department   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Working Papers, No. 643, OECD Publishing. Bleaney, M.F.; N. Gemmell and R. Kneller (2001), â€Å"Testing the Endogenous Growth   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Model: Public Expenditure, Taxation and Growth Over the Long-Run†, Canadian   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Journal of Economics, Vol. 34(1), pp. 36-57. Schwellnus, C. and J. Arnold (2008), â€Å"Do Corporate Taxes Reduce Productivity and Investment at the Firm Level? Cross-country Evidence from the Amadeus Dataset†, OECD Economics Department Working Papers, forthcoming.