Ben and Miko’s relationship is in trouble. He’s a struggling filmmaker, she works for a local film festival, and in various ways, they’re both searching for something else. When he’s not managing a derelict movie theater, Ben spends his time obsessing over unavailable blonde women, watching Criterion Collection DVDs, and eating in diners with his best friend Alice, a grad student with a serial dating habit. When Miko moves to New York for an internship, Ben begins to explore what he thinks he wants, throwing himself headfirst into new relationships, unfamiliar surroundings, and uncharted emotional territory. Equal parts comedy and drama, Shortcomings explores the complexities of culture, desire, and Asian American identity with a critical eye and unsparing, irreverent wit. Based on Adrian Tomine’s groundbreaking graphic novel of the same name, Shortcomings was written by Tomine and directed by Randall Park. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was an official selection at the Tribeca Festival in advance of a theatrical release from Sony Pictures Classics. Tomine’s screenplay is presented here with extensive annotations, commentary, and bonuses, including alternate and deleted scenes, a selection of color film stills, an introduction from Randall Park, and an exclusive new comic from Tomine. An essential companion to the original graphic novel, this volume is an illuminating document of an iconic story’s adaptation from page to screen.

The European Union (EU) Merger Directive removes certain tax disadvantages encountered by companies and their shareholders in the course of a restructuring operation. However, in spite of amendments and European Court of Justice's (ECJ) interpretations of its provisions, various shortcomings remain. This thoroughgoing analysis, broader and deeper than any prior work on the subject, addresses all the Directive's subtopics methodically, following the paragraphs of Articles 1-15 in their logical succession. The author analyses the points in which the Merger Directive falls short of attaining its stated objective, and he also examines how these shortcomings could be scaled. To do so, he tests the Merger Directive against its own objective, primary EU law (the fundamental freedoms and the unwritten general principles of EU law) and non-discrimination provisions in relevant treaties. Each of the following questions is addressed and responded to in depth: – Which entities have access to the Merger Directive and which entities should have access to it? – Which operations are covered by the Merger Directive and which operations should be covered? – Which tax disadvantages to cross-border restructuring operations does the Merger Directive aim to remove, which tax disadvantages have been actually removed, which tax disadvantages remain, and how should the Merger Directive be amended to remove the remaining tax disadvantages? – How tax avoidance should be combated under Article 15(1)(a) of the Merger Directive, which possible types of tax avoidance can be identi¬fied, and how the Merger Directive should be amended? – Which cases of double taxation does a taxpayer engaging in cross-border restructuring operations potentially encounter, and how they can be taken away by the Merger Directive? The key shortcomings that are identifi¬ed are: the Merger Directive’s objective is not stated precisely; minimum harmonisation does not lead to a common tax system; exhaustive lists are used as legislative technique; the Merger Directive does not add much to the outcomes reached through negative harmonisation; and the de¬finitions of qualifying operations are not fully aligned with corporate law. Chapter 6 contains a deeply informed and viable proposal for the amendment of the Merger Directive. This is the fi¬rst treatment not only to evaluate the Directive's effi¬cacy in detail but also to offer real solutions to its shortcomings. It will be welcomed by policymakers, judges, practitioners and academics, and the recommendations it contains are sure to affect ongoing amendments and jurisprudence on the Merger Directive.

Life and Other Shortcomings is a collection of linked short stories that takes the reader from New Orleans to New York City to Madrid, and from 1970 to the present day. The women in these twelve stories make a number of different choices: some work, others don’t; some stay married, some get divorced; others never marry at all. Through each character’s intimate journey, specific truths are revealed about what it means to be a woman—in relationship with another person, in a particular culture and era—and how these conditions ultimately affect her relationship with herself. The stories as a whole depict patriarchy, showing what still might be, but certainly what was, for some women in this country before the #MeToo movement. Both a cautionary tale and a captivating window into women’s lives, Life and Other Shortcomings is required reading for anyone interested in an honest, incisive, and compelling portrayal of the female experience.

The two volumes of Handbook of Gas Sensor Materials provide a detailed and comprehensive account of materials for gas sensors, including the properties and relative advantages of various materials. Since these sensors can be applied for the automation of myriad industrial processes, as well as for everyday monitoring of such activities as public safety, engine performance, medical therapeutics, and in many other situations, this handbook is of great value. Gas sensor designers will find a treasure trove of material in these two books.

Class and Power in the New Deal provides a new perspective on the origins and implementation of the three most important policies that emerged during the New Deal—the Agricultural Adjustment Act, the National Labor Relations Act, and the Social Security Act. It reveals how Northern corporate moderates, representing some of the largest fortunes and biggest companies of that era, proposed all three major initiatives and explores why there were no viable alternatives put forward by the opposition. More generally, this book analyzes the seeming paradox of policy support and political opposition. The authors seek to demonstrate the superiority of class dominance theory over other perspectives—historical institutionalism, Marxism, and protest-disruption theory—in explaining the origins and development of these three policy initiatives. Domhoff and Webber draw on extensive new archival research to develop a fresh interpretation of this seminal period of American government and social policy development.

Corporate power is one of the strongest forces shaping our world. More than half of the top 100 economic entities today are private corporations. With their immense size comes commensurate influence, to the point where corporations are able to wreak social and environmental destruction with few serious consequences. Yet, amazingly, this subject is essentially absent from the study of economics. The conservative economic theory that dominates the profession is based on the core belief that as little as possible should interfere with businesses' pursuit of profit. This approach to economics ignores history, politics, poverty, the natural environment, and social class, among other inconvenient realities. Conservative economics would almost be laughable--were it not for the fact that this way of thinking helps prop up the worst excesses of capitalism.

With one side of the political aisle proposing increasingly more socialistic and anti-capitalistic ideas, the other side has been quick to defend our country’s great economic model, with good reason. Capitalism--spanning a spectrum from laissez faire to authoritarian--shapes the market economies of all the wealthiest and fastest-growing nations. But does that mean it is perfect as is, and that we would not all benefit from an honest evaluation and reconstruction of the free market system that has shaped our country’s way of economic growth?The truth is, trouble is cracking capitalism’s shiny veneer. In the US, Europe, and Japan, economic growth has slowed down. Wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few; natural resources are exploited for short-term profit; and good jobs are hard to find. In Confronting Capitalism, business expert Philip Kotler explains 14 major problems undermining capitalism, including:• Persistent and increasing poverty• Automation’s effects on job creation• High debt burdens• Steep environmental costs• Boom-bust economic cycles• And moreBut this landmark book does not stop with merely revealing the problems. It also delivers a heartening message: We can turn things around! Movements toward shared prosperity and a higher purpose are reinvigorating companies large and small, while proposals abound on government policies that offer protections without stagnation. Kotler identifies the best ideas, linking private and public initiatives into a force for positive change, and offers suggestions for returning to a healthier, more sustainable capitalism that works for all.