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Home > Headlines > Pacific News > EU arbitrarily blacklists Vanuatu
EU arbitrarily blacklists Vanuatu
3/13/2019 Headlines, Pacific News
The European Union (EU) is using economic strong-arm tactics to pressure Vanuatu and other small states into imposing more corporate taxes.
On Tuesday, the European Union issued a press release announcing that it was adding Vanuatu to its list of 'non-cooperative tax jurisdictions'. The announcement states that the decision was made "based on an intense process of analysis and dialogue steered by the Commission."
But officials at the Financial Intelligence Unit told the Daily Post that they had not been consulted or notified prior to the announcement.
Fiji, Samoa, American Samoa and the Marshall Islands are also on the EU taxation blacklist.
This is not the same thing as the OECD Money Laundering black list. Vanuatu remains on the OECD white list while work continues to put additional measures into place.
Floyd Mera, head of the FIU, responded to a request for information from the Daily Post, writing, "We are still a fair bit away from fully complying with the OECD taxation standards. We have given the reviewers our action plan but certain legislations/legislative amendments were not ready for November/December 2018 parliament session as per the action plan. This has set us back.
"However, an understanding has been reached with the reviewers for these legislative bills to be tabled and pass in the upcoming parliament session."
The due date for this next legislative package is June 2019.
The European Union, on the other hand, does not seem to have been as communicative. Mera wrote, "Unfortunately, FIU has not received or seen any formal communication from EU regarding this re-listing. Upon receipt of this, the Taxation taskforce should be in a better position to respond and update its action plan."
Foreign Minister Ralph Regenvanu was evidently frustrated by the announcement. On social media, he wrote that Vanuatu was "Trying to play a game when the rules… are always changing, the goalposts are always being shifted and there are several different referees".
He is currently traveling in Europe.
Blacklisting could result in the EU blocking the flow of funds to and from Vanuatu. This could impact investment from Europe and would certainly degrade investor confidence, regardless of the source.
The blacklist was conceived as a way of forcing other nations into line with the European Community's taxation regime. By making other jurisdictions less attractive, they felt they would be better able to secure their own tax revenues.
Mera told the Daily Post, "The adverse implication could be huge for a small island nation of Vanuatu (heavily dependent on import and FDI). The bargaining token would be enforcing those new taxation legislations by June 2019."
He confirmed that Vanuatu's specific failing in the eyes of the EU is that we don't have a corporate income tax.
A member of the offshore finance community criticised the decision, accusing the EU of blatant hypocrisy. Nearly all of the major tax havens in the world right now, he said, are either European territorial holdings or actual EU members:
"The eight major pass-through economies—the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Hong Kong SAR, the British Virgin Islands, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, Ireland, and Singapore—host more than 85 percent of the world's investment in special purpose entities, which are often set up for tax reasons."
If Fiji and Vanuatu are going to be listed, he said, then these economies should be added too.
The Vanuatu Chamber of Commerce and Industry were also blind-sided by the action. They declined to blame local officials for the lack of information, saying they would consult with them first to find out if anyone knew.
"The VCCI will work with all government agencies and partner agencies to fully understand the implications of this blacklisting and ensure that all of our members are kept abreast of the implications".
The EU communique states that Vanuatu has been moved onto the blacklist "following commitments they had taken but have now to be blacklisted again for not having followed up".
Presumably, this is a reference to Vanuatu's proposed corporate income tax, which has been shelved at least until after the 2020 election.
The measures show a clear bias against small nations which often have no resource or industrial base, and therefore rely on favourable tax regimes to attract foreign direct investment. The territories named Tuesday include American Samoa, Guam, Samoa, Trinidad and Tobago, the US Virgin Islands, Barbados, United Arab Emirates, the Marshall Islands, Aruba, Belize, Bermuda, Fiji, Oman, Vanuatu and Dominica.
Only after they've taken on these minnows will they contemplate the larger jurisdictions. The press release states, "The screening will now be enhanced with more compulsory transparency criteria to be respected and three G20 countries added to the next screening, Russia, Mexico and Argentina."
A freeze, if it happened, would not affect development project funding, which is administered directly by the EU.
SOURCE: VANUATU DAILY POST/PACNEWS


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Q: Capacitance of a PCB via In this article, there is a section that models the capacitance of a via.
The equation given is:
$$C=\frac{(0.55\epsilon_rTD_1)}{D_2-D_1}$$
Where T is the board layer thickness, D1 is the pad width and D2 is the clearance hole.
In the article \$\epsilon_r\$is said to be the relative permeability. Is this a misprint? I thought that refers to the permittivity.
Doesn't permeability refer to the magnetic field? I would assume that the capacitance would be related to the electric field.

A: That is a typo on their part.
The permittivity is what you want for the circuit board material.  Which is about 4.3~4.7 for FR4.

A: Yes, typo.  They also use a ratio of cm^2/cm but don't cancel out the unit; presumably the "0.55" is supposed to have units of pF/cm, not just pF.  So, including \$\epsilon_0\$ (units of ~F/m) as well as a geometric factor.  (Assuming they're even using mks units at all; cm might suggest cgs, some variants of which omit many conversion constants..)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Home OPERATION Business Process The Decoupling Effect of Digital Disruptors
The Decoupling Effect of Digital Disruptors
By Thales S. Teixeira & Peter Jamieson
A new wave of Internet startups is disrupting established businesses by the process of "decoupling". In this article, the authors discuss how these new digital disruptors allow consumers to benefit from one activity (e.g., watching shows) without incurring the cost of the other (e.g., watching ads), and offer strategies for established businesses to respond to this threat.
The Internet's 1st wave of disruption, unbundling; the 2nd wave, decoupling.
The trade press routinely describes the current stage of the commercial Internet as Web 2.0, largely in reference to the increasingly social usage of the web since 2005. Web 2.0 has been associated with the rise of social network sites, blogs, video sharing, virtual communities and social apps. This is in marked contrast to the predominant usage of the web for individual consumption of content pre-2004. While this consumer-centric distinction is interesting, it fails to account for the arguably even bigger distinction characterising the modern web, one that is centered around the type of disruption and players disrupted by new online business models.
The first wave of Internet disruption enabled purely digital products to be sold and delivered online. New digital players grabbed the opportunity to distribute content online and deliver only what people wanted to consume, even if that meant just a portion of the full content. This unbundling of content was the hallmark of the first wave of digital disruption. Google unbundled news articles from newspapers while Craigslist took the classified ads. Apple's iTunes unbundled songs from albums. Amazon's Kindle unbundled chapters from books. In aggregate, consumers purchased less content, not because they consumed less but because, for the first time, they could buy only what they wanted to consume. This greatly disrupted bundled-content firms and initially brought about significant losses in revenues from established players such as The New York Times, EMI records and McGraw-Hill.
In recent years, a new wave of digital disruption has been taking over the web. This time, the effects are not limited to content providers and other purely digital products. This second wave is characterised by the separation of consumption activities that traditionally go together, hand-in-hand. For illustration, let's start with an example that does not involve the Internet. Historically, the consumption of television content involved the joint act of watching programs and viewing ads. In the early 2000's, TiVo [1], a maker of digital video recorders, started commercialising a hardware technology that allowed people to watch programs but skip the ads, in effect separating the consumption of these two sequential activities. While it was possible to avoid watching ads at that time by switching channels, this was burdensome and most viewers, as much as 80% of TV audiences, also watched the ads in the show. With TiVo, a reported 70% of viewers were now skipping all ads. More recently, Aereo has taken this concept one step further and allowed their subscribers to record broadcast television content over the web and watch it on any device connected to the Internet without the need to watch ads. These innovations have been disrupting the television broadcasting industry.
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This unbundling of content was the hallmark of the first wave of digital disruption. Google unbundled news articles from newspapers while Craigslist took the classified ads. Apple's iTunes unbundled songs from albums. Amazon's Kindle unbundled chapters from books.
We have termed this process of separating jointly consumed activities as "decoupling": the breaking of links between consumer activities that have traditionally been done together.1 There are broadly three types of consumer activities: those that create value for the consumer, those that capture value from the consumer for the producer, and those that erode value for the consumer without capturing value for the producer. Our starting point in this article is to identify the value-creating activities and the non-value creating ones in a wide range of consumption activities. We then look at how a variety of firms, both incumbents and startups, are using technology to break the bonds between what activities consumers want to do and what they previously had to do. The article closes with a framework for analyzing which businesses are likely to be threatened by decoupling and the two strategies they can use to respond to this threat.
Consumption activities affected by decoupling
Playing videogames. Videogames provide a particularly useful case study because all three forms of decoupling have affected the industry. Value-creation decoupling, the separation of two or more valuable activities, can be seen in the case of Twitch. Twitch, an online forum with 45 million active users,2 streams images of skilled individuals playing a particular game. Twitch offers a more fine-grained consumption experience: now consumers can enjoy watching a game without actually playing it. Games, like most content, have also seen significant value-erosion decoupling. Services like iTunes let consumers purchase and play new titles, but skip the trip to the store. The non-valued part of the consumption process that was decoupled here – going to the retailer – was not essential to the enjoyment of the consumer, nor was it profitable for the content publisher. Lastly, value-capture decoupling has happened with the rise of Zynga and Rovio. These content producers develop simple titles that they distribute for free on Facebook or as mobile apps and make money by selling additional in-game content to the most dedicated players. In effect, these companies have broken the link between playing a game and paying for it. All this is very worrying for traditional game publishers such as Take-Two [2]. Before, they owned and delivered the activities of developing, distributing, charging to see and to play; now, other firms have inserted themselves between various stages of this process.
Games, like most content, have also seen significant value-erosion decoupling. Services like iTunes let consumers purchase and play new titles, but skip the trip to the store.
Listening to radio. One downside of listening to the radio is that you have to listen to both the songs you like and those you dislike. Why? Pandora [3], an internet music streaming company, has created an algorithm based on a huge repository of songs, called the Music Genome Project, which they use to decouple these two activities. Users tell Pandora their preferences and benefit from listening to a variety of songs they enjoy with little time spent on disliked music. Radio stations have to play new songs, even ones their listeners might dislike because one of their key sources of revenue is payment from record companies to promote new content. Pandora has effectively decoupled listening to content that the consumers want to hear from content that sponsors want them to hear. By doing this, Pandora has provided great value to their listeners. In 2013 an estimated 118 billion songs were listened via online streaming versus 1.3 billion downloaded.3
Shopping in stores. The brick-and-mortar retail model depends on the tight bond between value-creating and value-capturing activities. Traditionally, a consumer visits a store and is allowed to "kick the tires" of a variety of products to familiarise themselves with the options available. This creates value for consumers as it provides them with useful product information. It is also an expensive service to provide. Yet retailers have historically offered it for free. Why? They knew that once consumers were in the store, the cost in the effort associated with shopping around was so high that most consumers would buy where they browsed, subsidising the cost of their free display of products. No more: apps from companies like Amazon and Pricegrabber have made trying in-store but buying online, elsewhere, effortless. And consumers are doing just that. In the appliances and electronics category, 70 to 74%4 of people routinely use their smartphones to price-compare in the store. Needless to say this disruptive technology has been devastating to Best Buy, which obtained 94% of sales in 2012 in their physical stores. (see figure 1 below)
Simultaneous communication. Among the most destructive disruptions to date has been that suffered by the telecom industry. While the amount of time spent on international phone calls in Western Europe has remained flat in the past 8 years, the revenues from this service gained by telecom operators reduced by almost 60%. As most of us have moved on to use Skype or another voiced-based IP communication service, telecom operators have suffered. A similar trend has happened with text messages, which is still paid in many countries and is being disrupted out of existence as a pay-per-use model by mobile apps such as WhatsApp, Viber and Line. Simultaneous person-to-person communication, be it via text or voice, requires two activities: a consumer connects to another and they transfer voice or text messages. Traditionally, telecom companies assumed that customers had to co-consume these two value-creating activities and sold them accordingly, providing both the voice/text communication and the underlying connectivity to the user. Skype has decoupled these two activities by providing only the talk/text portion and leaving the expensive connectivity portion for telecoms to provide. This has been a major concern for telecom operators such as Telefonica [4], one of the market leaders in Europe and Latin America.
Owning products. One of the most dramatic ways that decoupling can disrupt traditional business models is by separating ownership and use. In standard models of consumer behaviour, the purchase process ends with the consumer deciding upon a desired product, purchasing it, and using it. With many goods, however, ownership itself is a cumbersome and time-consuming process. Consider automobiles. You don't just purchase a car and drive it; you maintain it too. Recent technological and business model innovations, however, have decoupled owning and using a product. Consider Relay Rides, which has created a sharing platform so owners of cars can lend to non-owners. This allows the casual driver to use a very expensive product, a value-creating activity, without incurring the costs associated with ownership, a value-eroding activity. This trend has started to affect many companies, especially those whose businesses are based on consumers paying relatively large sums upfront to own products and services such as cars and software licenses.
Viewed at a broad level, it is clear that decoupling is pervasive and poses a major threat to incumbent players in many industries. The media and entertainment industries are the most obvious targets for decoupling (as they were for unbundling) because the digital nature of their products allows for piecemeal delivery of content and they have long relied on unnecessary value-capturing activities to generate profit. Many other businesses across a wide array of industries look vulnerable too. But what causes decoupling?
The underlying drivers of decoupling activities
Why can decoupling two activities that are often done together benefit consumers? As explained before, some activities create value for the consumer, such as listening to a favourite song on the radio, while the others either inadvertently destroy value (listening to a disliked song), or deliberately extract value (listening to an ad). New firms that can provide the value-creating activity without forcing upon consumers the other two non-value-creating activities can attract customers away from established firms. Yet, in general, people are hardly ever forced to "co-consume" both a value-creating and a non-value-creating activity. Radio listeners could switch stations to avoid bad songs and ads but doing so requires effort. Digital disruptors are cherished by early adopters because they reduce the cost, monetary or otherwise, for consumers to directly access the value-creating portion of a wide range of consumption activities.
If we simplify the many stages of consumption as being made up of three major activities, searching for the right product, purchasing it and then using it, then in Figure 2 we can map onto these stages the effort costs associated with each. Search costs refer to the time and effort to find, evaluate and select the appropriate product. Purchase costs refer to the efforts in payment and delivery involved with making the transaction once the product has been chosen. And usage costs refer to the effort in setting up, using and maintaining the product for future usages.(see figure 2 below)
Digital companies that are disrupting traditional consumption activities through decoupling fulfill two requirements. First, they find activities in the consumption process that have traditionally been "co-consumed," and think of ways to provide to consumers the desired value-creating activity. Second, they find a strategy for capturing some value from consumers in order to be profitable. One way is to simply charge a lower price. This can be challenging, as disruptors may not have the cost advantage to do so or incumbents may respond by further lowering prices. The alternative most often taken is to capture some value from the consumer through pricing, but doing so while reducing the consumer's effort in the non-value creating portion.
Going back to the Amazon case, their price comparison app reduces search costs by allowing shoppers to scan, take pictures or type in products and get the prices while in a store. In another example, the Dollar Shave Club has begun offering consumers the opportunity to subscribe to a variety of staples such as razor blades via mail for a monthly fee. And through a peer-to-peer sharing platform, Relay Rides has enabled people to easily share cars with others, sparing occasional drivers the costs of ownership and maintenance. In sum, the technologies and associated business models that decouple co-consumed activities are more valued the more they can reduce the burden placed on the consumer in the non-value creating portion of the consumption chain.
While there are costs that can favour consumers to decouple activities, there also exist costs that do the opposite, favouring the coupling of disjoint activities. These two opposing forces jointly impact the consumer's motivation to be served by either one vendor exclusively or more than one. We call the second of these the integration force. It is the sum of all the benefits received and effort avoided through "one-stop shopping". For instance, lack of convenience pushes people to favour browsing and buying products at the same retailer. However, if there are benefits to being served by multiple vendors, such as each vendor providing better value than the others at a specific activity, consumers will prefer using many specialised vendors. Specialisation forces tend to arise from opposing benefits, such as a retailer that offers a wide variety of goods and in-store service, important at the searching/sampling stage versus those that offer low prices and product availability, important at the purchase stage. Whether consumers couple or decouple adjacent stages depends on the net effect of the integration and specialisation forces, as in Figure 3 (see below).
Consider Sephora [5], the preeminent retailer of mid-tier cosmetics in the US. In its stores, consumers can sample product ,get advice from store staff, make a first trial purchase of a new cosmetic and then later go online to replenish their favourite cosmetics. A few years ago, Amazon moved into the cosmetics sector by offering cheaper prices and one-day shipping. This has caused many Sephora shoppers to go to the Sephora store, experiment and then purchase online on Amazon, in effect, decoupling in-store sampling from purchasing. More recently, BirchBox [6], which offers a monthly subscription service of small samples of various beauty and cosmetics, made it easier for people to sample without going to physical stores and without incurring the costs of buying full-sized versions of products that they were not familiar with. This decoupled sampling from in-store visiting and purchasing. Lately, manufacturers of cosmetics such as Kiehl's, knowing that it is hard to compete for consumer attention at the early stages, has decided to create easy online product replenishment programs that loyal customers can sign up for. This further decoupled the first purchase, traditionally done at a physical Sephora store, from the repeat purchase that consumers used to do at Sephora.com. In cosmetics, the specialisation force, i.e., convenience, lower prices and reliability, is stronger than the integration force, i.e., simplicity of sampling, purchasing and replenishing under one roof.
The solution: recoupling activities or rebalancing revenues
If your business relies on a model that has been decoupled by digital disruptors, what should you do? The risk of decoupling appears when a company delivers two or more activities to consumers and charges for the coupled activities, akin to the bundling of products. But, differently from bundling, these activities can be separated into one that is strictly the value creating activity for the consumer, e.g., watching a show, playing a game, talking to a friend, browsing for the right product, using a product, etc., and the other which is the value capturing activity for the firm, e.g., getting viewers to watch ads, to listen to new songs, to buy the product, or to be connected to a network. When a digital disruptor decouples the two activities and builds a business around delivering the value-creating activities without the value-capturing ones, either by charging others (advertisers, retailers, heavy users only) or by simply reducing the total effort cost, this poses a serious threat to established businesses.
The risk of decoupling appears when a company delivers two or more activities to consumers and charges for the coupled activities, akin to the bundling of products.
An established business that has been disrupted by digital decoupling can always resort to beating the enemy by imitating them. However, this approach may have serious implication for the incumbent's revenues and profits. Small disruptors may be able to make money on significantly lower revenues or tighter margins that usually come from decoupling. Large organisations such as NBC, Best Buy and Telefonica do not have the cost structure to support that. As Figure 3 shows, the only two sustainable alternatives to combat decoupling are (a) recoupling back the separated activities and (b) rebalancing the activities such that both separated activities can create and capture value by themselves. Let's look first at recoupling.
Recoupling activities. Taking the example of Tivo and Aereo in decoupling television program from advertising viewing, one alternative is to use new technologies to recouple these two activities. This is what broadcast channels such as WHDH Channel 7 [7], Boston's NBC affiliate, had in mind when it added so-called pop-up promos and brand placements shown at the bottom of the screen during shows. By eliminating the temporal separation between shows and ads, Channel 7 forced viewers to watch both content, in effect, recoupling these activities and reducing some of the benefit that Tivo users once had.5 Showrooming, the act of browsing and inspecting products in a physical store and then comparing prices using a mobile app, has been a tremendous threat to offline-only retailers. Many stores, particularly smaller ones, simply cannot compete in price with online-only stores that don't have the high cost of maintaining a physical footprint. Tired of having its customers practice showrooming, Celiac Supplies, an Australian gluten-free grocer, decided to force browsers to buy something or to pay a $5 fee for "just looking."6 7 While extreme, this is a clear attempt at recoupling the browsing and buying activities that had been decoupled by the likes of Amazon. Recoupling works if a firm that has generally served its clients in multiple activities can either increase the cost to the consumer of fulfilling these activities using multiple firms or reduce the cost to exclusively serve the client. In sum, recoupling works when firms can strengthen the consumers' integration forces and weaken their specialisation forces.
Rebalancing revenues. It is not always possible to recouple back activities that have been decoupled by disruptors. When this approach is not feasible, the alternative is to rebalance revenues such that the value-creating and the value-capturing portion, each acquire a dual role. The problem posed by decoupling is that consumers are now able to get the benefit without paying the full original "price", be it in money or effort. Zynga gives consumers the game without the $60 price tag. Skype allows for free or low-cost communication at pennies compared to the dollars charged by telecom companies. Amazon allows shoppers to benefit from browsing at stores and still get the cheaper deal at Amazon.com. Using rebalancing, established companies can reduce the disruptive impact that decoupling poses to their business model. By making sure that each of the decoupled activities both creates value to consumers and allows the firm to capture value, some if not all the risk of disruption can be mitigated. Let's look at two examples.(see figure 4 below)
Best Buy [8] recently decided to embrace showrooming. Their new position became: if shoppers value touching and looking at actual products, then they should be encouraged to do so. To avoid shoppers using Amazon's mobile price comparison app in their stores, Best Buy did two things. First they instituted an automatic and permanent price matching policy such that almost any product in the store can be sold at the price found on any online store. But this policy could seriously reduce Best Buy's margins if practiced at scale. Matching the low price of online competitors while maintaining a higher cost structure is clearly unsustainable. So Best Buy decided to make up for the lower margins by charging the other party who benefits from a shopper browsing, whether she purchases something or not: the manufacturer. Best Buy made deals with electronics manufacturers such as Samsung to pay a fee for showcasing Samsung's products prominently, for providing sales people to show their product to consumers, and for the space that these products occupied at a Best Buy Store. Importantly, this new income is not part of higher margins. It comes whether Best Buy sells the product at its store or not. It is a fee paid by manufactures to retailers for 'prominent shelf space,' something very commonly negotiated between supermarkets and their suppliers. This new negotiation has made browsing (but not buying) a source of value captured for Best Buy, one that can be separated from the purchasing activity without reducing the retailer's total income.
Another case of rebalancing was carried out by Telefonica. The company was seeing its revenues being eroded from so-called over-the-top (OTT) mobile apps such as Skype and WhatsApp. Many of their customers would sign up for a mobile plan and reduce their voice and text message usage to a minimum in order to have a low phone bill, using OTTs for their communication needs. (Note: Differently from the US, in 2014 many countries still operated on a pay-per-usage for voice and text.) The OTT players had decoupled the connectivity, necessary for any two parties to talk, from the communication, letting Telefónica provide the former. But Telefonica's business model relied mostly on recurring revenues from communication services, not from connectivity, which was often even partially subsidised to the consumer. So what Telefónica decided to do was rebalance the value creation-value capturing equation such that both activities performed both functions. It changed its pricing structure to charge more for connectivity and charge significantly less for communication. In some countries it even moved to charging a flat fee for unlimited talking or texting. This dramatically reduced the monetary incentive for consumers to use OTTs. That people still heavily use Skype, WhatsApp and other OTTs is due to these firms providing other innovations in their services that telecoms have had a hard time to match. The point is that Telefonica created value for the consumer from the communication activity by capturing considerably less value on talk/text than before.
How to use decoupling to disrupt markets
While decoupling is a threat to incumbents, it is a huge opportunity for startups, who are free to look at current consumption activities, figure out which parts are really creating value, and propose to consumers "I'll just sell you the good stuff." While established players assume that certain activities belong together, startups have the flexibility to question those assumptions. Next are some examples of companies who have succeeded by asking these kinds of questions and challenging the conventional answers.
Birchbox, as previously explained, has successfully decoupled the act of sampling beauty products from the acts of searching and purchasing a full-size container. Every month, the company sends a sample of beauty items to consumers who sign up for a subscription, giving them the chance to try new products and find a gem. Subscribers like it because they don't have to undertake the costly search for the new cool lipstick or facial cream which, given the huge array of new products, can be time-consuming. Having an appropriate sample of these items delivered to their doorstep every month gives women the benefit of sampling without the high search costs. Rent the Runway, another successful venture, has been disrupting the haute couture industry by allowing women to use expensive jewelry and dresses for special occasions without having to buy them. This is another example of the burgeoning sharing economy, which in effect, represents a decoupling of using (the value-creating portion) from owning (the value-eroding portion). People are opting to rent products that were unheard of in the past, particularly those that have a high price point, such as cars (Relay Rides) and bicycles (Hubway), or those that have a high cost of ownership, such as sports equipment (Snap Goods) and even dogs (Borrow My Doggy). Business models based on the renting and sharing economies represent huge new opportunities for consumers to reduce their ownership burden.
Two other business models that have been gaining prominence online are software-as-a-service (SaaS) models and freemium models. The defining characteristic of the SaaS model is to offer software by subscription rather than as a perpetual license with a large upfront cost. Users do not need to pay huge ownership costs to use the product. SaaS can be seen as a special case of decoupling usage from ownership. Freemium models go even further on the concept by decoupling usage from payment. Users of a basic software or service online do not need to pay anything. Only those heavy users interested in a premium version pay. In a nutshell, sharing economy, SaaS and freemium models all constitute variations of decoupling whereby usage is decoupled from ownership, purchase and payment, respectively. More new decoupling-style models may soon disrupt other established players.
Assessing whether your business is at risk of being disrupted by decoupling
How can established players identify if their business is at risk of being disrupted via decoupling? The assessment process requires answering three questions. First, they should look at the value creating activities they offer and identify if their customers are either explicitly or tacitly forced to co-consume. If yes, then they should ask if it is possible, either via technology or business model innovation, for new entrants to separate out the exclusively value-creating activities from the rest. If the answer is yes, then there is an opportunity for new entrants to disrupt by decoupling. But new entrants will only grab the opportunity if they have an incentive to do so. So, the third question to ask is, "Can another firm profitably deliver only the value-creating portion to the consumer at a lower cost by charging less, by reducing effort, or even by letting them skip a non-value-creating activity?" If the answer is yes, there is an incentive both for the disruptor and for the consumer to decouple the activity in question, and the incumbent is at risk and sooner or later, someone will jump at the opportunity.
Most successful approach to defending a business is to preemptively decouple the activities being offered.
How should established companies at risk respond? The framework in Figures 3 and 4 helps to identify a defensive plan. One option is always to increase the bind between the value creation and value capturing portion of the consumption process such that one cannot be separated from the other, either by strengthening the forces pushing for integration or weakening the ones pushing for specialisation. This can be achieved through many routes: technology, contracts, enforcement, exclusivity deals, etc. But this will only be a short-term fix if the incentive remains strong for new entrants to divide and conquer valuable activities. After studying cases in many industries, we have come to realise that the most successful approach to defending a business is to preemptively decouple the activities being offered. Instead of relying on a seamless handoff from a value-creating activity (e.g., browsing) to a value-capturing activity (buying), understand that competitors will try to insert themselves into every step in the process, and make sure to claim value every time you create it. This rebalancing of revenues minimises the opportunity for new businesses, and the incentive for customers, to decouple.
Thinking of consumption activities as links in a customer's consumption chain, if firms provide multiple links but there is considerable pressure by disruptors to separate them, they eventually will succeed. The only safe approach for incumbents is to be part of as many individual links as possible. To do this, it is necessary to provide value and capture value at each separate link. Leave customers free to choose their own links while, at the same time, give incentives for, rather than force, the co-consumption of links. Sooner or later, as Queen's Freddie Mercury once sang, they will 'want to break free.'
Thales Teixeira is an Associate Professor in the Marketing Unit at Harvard Business School. There he teaches Digital Marketing Strategies to MBAs, PhDs and executives. His research domains comprise Digital Disruption Models and The Economics of Attention – i.e., how to capture and use consumer attention effectively to persuade and build brands more cheaply. His research has been published in outlets such as the Harvard Business Review, Forbes, NY Times, and he has presented his work at Facebook, Warner Bros., Unilever, Disney Studios, among other companies. His other research papers can be found at www.economicsofattention.com.
Peter Jamieson, MBA at Harvard Business School, Class of 2014, is a data science manager at athenahealth.
1. Differently from unbundling, which separates value-creating products, decoupling separates stages of a buyer's decision process, some of which that create value and others that do not.
2. Source, Internet Trends 2014, by Mary Meeker, slide 116.
3. Source, Internet Trends 2014, by Mary Meeker, slide 50.
4. Google, available at http://ssl.gstatic.com/think/docs/mobile-in-store_research-studies.pdf
5. Renew Blue, Best Buy Analyst and Investor day Slides, Nov. 13 2012.
6. Channel 7 still has traditional television ads that Aereo users can skip.
7. Alternatively, one could conceptualise this as a rebalancing of revenues. Browsing is a value-creating activity for consumers and it is conceivable that, in the future, a portion of them would be willing to pay for this service.
8.http://www.cnet.com/news/store-charges-5-showrooming-
fee-to-looky-loos/
Harvard Business School cases referenced
[1] Yoffie, David B., and Michael Slind. "TiVo 2007: DVRs and Beyond." HBS Case 708-401, October 2007.
[2] Gupta, Sunil, and Kerry Herman. "Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc." HBS Case 511-002, October 2010.
[3] Shih, Willy C., and Halle Alicia Tecco. "Pandora Radio: Fire Unprofitable Customers?" HBS Case 610-077, March 2010.
[4] Teixeira, Thales, and Carlos Reines. "Telefonica Goes Digital (A)." HBS case. (unpublished)
[5] Ofek, Elie, and Alison Berkley Wagonfeld. "Sephora Direct: Investing in Social Media, Video, and Mobile." HBS Case 511-137, June 2011.
[6] Coles, Peter A., and Benjamin Edelman. "Attack of the Clones: Birchbox Defends Against Copycat Competitors." HBS Case 912-010, November 2011.
[7] Teixeira, Thales, and V. Kasturi Rangan. "Managing Multi-Media Audiences at WHDH (Boston)." HBS Case 515-037, September 2014.
[8] Teixeira, Thales, and Elizabeth Anne Watkins. "Showrooming at Best Buy." HBS Case 515-019, August 2014.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


kawaiiroaches had the most liked content!
I find this interesting, because I've always felt like hissers smell like a musty closet with moth balls in it more than they smell of vinegar. I actually don't mind the smell of them at all. The dead ones have a unique funk that is almost... Foul cheese-like. aoikirin, I would say most bug tanks do get an earthy, musty smell, (especially depending on the number of specimens in the enclosure) even when the tank is nice and clean. Perhaps try using a different substrate?
Behavior Changes After Losing Tank Mate?
Sadly, my large female hisser Cersei passed away from old age a few days ago. She was very healthy, my tank has no mold or grain mites. I'm absolutely devastated, but oddly enough, my male roach Jaime seemed to be depressed as well? Perhaps I'm projecting, but I've noticed behavior changes. It's not due to sickness, because he's still eating and walking around, he just seems to show no interest in doing anything but that and sitting in the food dish. He has not been very chatty and doesn't want to be handled. This situation feels unique because I rescued him, then bought her because he seemed very lonely. If you keep up with my posts, they had two broods of nymphs together. He has her last brood in the tank with him currently. Could he be confused about where she went? Or am I just projecting emotions onto my roach? I'd only like to know in case I should get another female for him. I had been trying to start my own hisser colony. If I get a new female, she shouldn't bother the nymphs from my deceased hisser, right?
Howdy, roach forum! As my nymphs from my thread in "breeding and nymph issues" grow, I've been experimenting with their foods to see what they favor! The other night I made a pasta with some sliced baby bella mushrooms, so before bed, I dumped a leftover handful or so of raw mushroom bits in my feeding dish. I woke up this morning and they were all gone! I only found one small piece that has shriveled up slightly as mushrooms do. I know they're roaches and can eat about anything but I got to wondering.... So are these mushrooms safe for my bugs? They seem to really enjoy it, more than their normal carrots, apples, celery, etc. but I don't want them to get some type of disease or fungus from the mushrooms. Not entirely sure that could even happen, but well, that's why I'm here! Can I continue letting them munch on mush? Or should I limit/not allow them to have it at all?
Update: 33 nymphs have reached their second molt stage! We have been eating celery, dog food, and strawberries and keeping one side of the tank humid while the other is fairly dry. For the holidays they got some peach slices, which the nymphs (and my shameless, fat, fruit-loving adult female) heavily enjoyed.
Another update: I've been keeping my humidity at exactly 79% and my little ones are molting just fine! I'm very pleased. Just out of curiosity, my female is terrified of the mister and hisses loudly and runs whenever it releases well... Mist. Is she just weird? It doesn't seem to bother the nymphs or my male at all.
I believe I will go to the pet store today and buy a humidity meter. This may be the problem, actually. One of my nymphs from the last post completed its molt in around another hour and is running around, happy and eating! I believe the other may have skin stuck on its feet... It can walk, but has some trouble. I'll keep an eye on it. I have another nymph starting its molt today, so I'm going to try to keep my humidity high, around 75-80%. Should I perhaps set their heat a bit lower? I'm currently using Aspen snake bedding, though I know coconut fibers are probably best, this bedding is all I have right now... I would say it doesn't tend to retain /too/ much moisture. I'd really like to thank everyone a lot for helping me out with this. I'm very passionate about my little pets, so I want them to be as healthy and happy as possible.
Using food to change the color of my hissers?
The fish food could be darkening their color, but full black hissers are pretty rare as some gene mutations make them ebony. Hissers seem to have somewhat of a random genetic lineup from what I understand, especially if they're mixed. Experiment with different fruits and veggies and dry puppy food, see what you get. My roaches love oranges, carrots, pineapple, and strawberries.
Honestly, what a huge help. I've tried to educate myself as much as I can on hissers, but I suppose I'll always have something to learn. I have to say, she's one of the most beautiful roaches I've ever owned, that picture really doesn't do her justice. She also has very prominent horns for a female. Now I'm very curious to see what types of colors their nymphs will develop, as I'm now trying to nurture a larger colony. If some will favor her more than him. This brood was about 40, so we'll see what color variations happens.
Interesting, thank you! I don't mind at all that she's a hybrid, as I won't be selling her offspring, but I suspected she wasn't a bumpy hisser because she's been breeding. As I said, still pretty new to roaches and bugs... 😅 Just begs the question for me of what she's mixed with.
Help with ID? I'm still fairly new to this hobby, and the other day, I was reading up on hisser breeds. I found that my female looks almost nothing like my male, except for the fact that she is definitely a hisser. Could she be the coveted bumpy hisser or am I just getting my hopes up? She is textured as I hope you can see. I bought her at a pet shop as a MHC. My male is definitely a MHC, he fits the bill. He is pretty docile and likes being handled, while she can be somewhat fussy and picky about food but I believe this may just be personality type A Picture of the roaches So, thoughts? Could she be a bumpy hisser? I don't care either way, I love her no matter what, I'm just really, really curious.
My female hisser has given birth twice this year. I gave most of her first brood away, but I kept two. This was about six months ago, probably. She just had new babies two days ago Today, both of my previous juveniles molted. Or tried. I've been keeping the cage very warm and humid. They seem to be only partially molted on their backs... It's been hours. Is there anything I can do besides put them out of their misery? They're barely even moving at cage temp around 75-80 degrees Fahrenheit with high humidity... What caused this? The stress of new babies since my colony had been so small? Lack of protein in diet? Just... Birth defects? Something else..? I'm heartbroken, but I want to prevent this from happening again if I can. I can add a picture later if it might help. EDIT: Both of my older nymphs passed away, but I've only had one casualty from my current brood. I'm suspecting it was something to do with not getting enough protein... I'm going to look for a dog food with more protein than what I'm currently using. I'm also suspecting my female roach is an oblongata instead of a common hisser. She's colored very different from my little male.
Hisser nymph burrowing in substrate?
On another post, a user mentioned that hissers do not burrow. However, one of my new immature Hisser roaches is burrowing into the substrate slightly and hiding himself. Is it possible he's not a Hisser? I mean, he makes noise at me... He was sold to me as a Hisser. I can post a picture if that will help. Is this behavior a sign of something wrong with either the roach or his environment? He doesn't look like he's about to molt and he doesn't seem sick. I saw him eating and drinking earlier. Can I do anything to stop him or is it just something he'll work out on his own, so to speak?


Thank you for your recent submission. I mean that. Thank you. Never before in the twenty years that I've been in the publishing industry have I read a piece so moving that it brought me to tears. That's not a euphemism, either. As I finished your piece I found myself overcome with raw emotion; sobbing from a feeling of sadness and joy I never before thought possible. I hope that doesn't make you feel awkward. But, it is honest, and if there's anything your writing has taught me, it's that we must always be true to ourselves.
The truth is that my life had been steadily losing its meaning over the past several years. The pain of a mundane existence coupled with the lack of a promise of improved circumstances for myself, my family, or society as a whole, has drained the color from the world around me. Until I read the monumental tour-de-force you graced me with, I hadn't realized just how far into the downward spiral of depression I had fallen. When I exhaled upon reading the final, wondrous, line of prose, the air ran sweet across my tongue and a vigor I hadn't felt in recent memory permeated my bones. Immediately, I called my cocaine dealer and told him that I wouldn't be needing anymore of his poison; that I was now high on life. I broke things off with my mistress and I'm trying to reconnect with my estranged children. Your writing has saved me, sir, and for that you have my eternal gratitude and devotion.
That part when the Ewok break-dance crew helps a young Bruce Lee reunite his family and finally master the elusive secrets of Wing Chun? I still get shivers, Mr. Marsh. I still get shivers. We may have some licensing issues to deal with by using the name Ewok, but, don't worry too much. If Disney won't play ball we'll just call them Beewoks or Leewoks, or something. I hope that doesn't compromise your artistic integrity.
My only criticism of the manuscript is that the one hundred and fifty page car chase through the San Francisco hills was not long enough. You have a real knack for these scenes, and I have to tell you, we need more of it. I hope I'm not being dramatic when I say that the world will continue to be a soulless machine filled with hollow faces until we get this book into print.
I hope that I'm not being presumptuous when I refer to you and I as, "we." I realize that you haven't signed an agreement with me yet, and that you'll have your choice of representation. I'm going to level with you. The other literary agents and I have been talking, and there's been some disagreement about who will have the honor of being your representative — your champion and guide — in the publishing industry forthwith. There has been talk of convening a special session of the Grand Council of Literary Agents to deal with the matter, as it's quickly becoming an item of contention among us. I can't say too much, as our society is a secret one, but, I may have to duel for the honor of serving you.
Please, don't worry too much for me. Pain is temporary. Even scars will fade. The glory of being your agent? That will transcend the ages.


The following guide provides a general idea of the steps necessary for implant planning, placement, and final restoration. Though these steps may change, depending on the case, InPronto always provides optimal results with minimal chair time.
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Your dental professional will take an impression of your implant once it has healed. This impression will then be sent to InPronto to fabricate the final restoration.
On the day of delivery, you will be given your final restoration. Minimal adjustments will be required to achieve a perfect fit as all InPronto components are carefully crafted with the aid of highly sophisticated computer software.
A smile is one of the first features people notice in others. Unfortunately, one or more missing teeth may have a significant negative impact both on our social lives and our careers. For example, significant negative impacts on self-confidence, speech and communication, and our ability to eat are all too common. Furthermore, without restoration, the gaps formed by missing teeth can create bite problems that may, in time, alter facial structure. At InPronto, we are committed to mitigating these effects with maximum efficiency, safety, and aesthetics - because we care.


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var rimraf = require('rimraf');
var extend = require('util')._extend;
var gyp = require('node-pre-gyp');

rimraf.sync('./build');

var versions = ['0.10.0', '0.12.0', '4.0.0', '5.0.0', '6.0.0'];
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var except = { '4.0.0-win32-ia32': true };

var targets = [];
Object.keys(matrix).forEach(function(arch) {
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  prog.commands.install([], prepublish);
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


For over 30 years, Rugs Royce has provided safe, effective, and affordable rug cleaning services to customers in Corona, Norco, Canyon Lake, Temecula, Wildomar, La Cresta, and other cities throughout Riverside & Orange County. As an IICRC-certified rug and carpet cleaner, our team is thoroughly familiar with the industry's leading processes for cleaning all types of area rugs. We have professional-grade steam cleaning machines, know which chemicals to use for different types of rugs and stains, and never cut corners. We will take care to protect rug fibers and dyes, and use a time-tested steam cleaning process to ensure safe but effective results. We have thousands of satisfied customers and an incredible track record for delivering exceptional results on every rug we work on.
As a family-owned and -operated business, Rugs Royce Carpet Cleaning prides itself on offering the most professional rug cleaning service in the area. We begin with an honest, upfront estimate and provide an appointment time that works with your schedule. On the day of the appointment, we will arrive on time, in a branded company vehicle with everything we need to get the job done. We'll move furniture out of the way and pretreat all stains. Using a professional-grade steam cleaner and non-toxic, eco-friendly cleaners, we're able to safely and effectively clean any type of area rug, no matter how heavily soiled.
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text:
Q: CPLEX C++ IloModel GetClone I have a strange problem in CPLEX C++:
i have the following code:
IloEnv env;
IloModel model(env);

IloNumVar X(env, 0, IloInfinity, ILOFLOAT);

IloNumVar Y(env, 0, IloInfinity, ILOFLOAT);

model.add(X + Y <= 5);
model.add(IloMaximize(env, 2*X + Y));

IloCplex mycplex(env);
mycplex.extract(model);
IloBool feasible = mycplex.solve();

if(feasible == IloTrue){
    cout << mycplex.getObjValue() << "\n"; //i get the obj value of 10
}

IloModel model1 = model.getClone(env);

model1.add(X <= 4);

IloCplex mycplex1(env);
mycplex1.extract(model1);
IloBool feasible1 = mycplex1.solve();

if(feasible1 == IloTrue){
    cout << mycplex1.getObjValue() << "\n"; //again I get the obj value 10
}

My question is, why the second model also has the objective value of 10 although I've added the constraint that x <= 4. Then the objective value should be 9??
thank you in advance

A: It might be surprising for you , but change where you clone model to IloModel model1(env); model1 = model;
I hope this help.


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text:
Las elecciones a las Cortes Valencianas correspondientes a la  Legislatura de la Comunidad Valenciana del actual período democrático tendrán lugar en mayo de 2023, según anunció el presidente de la Generalidad Valenciana Ximo Puig. De acuerdo con el Estatuto de Autonomía del 2006 y la ley electoral valenciana, la circunscripción electoral es la provincia y cada una de las tres provincias valencianas tiene asignado un mínimo de veinte diputados, más un número adicional variable en función de su población, hasta llegar a los 99 diputados que forman las Cortes Valencianas. Se celebrarán, previsiblemente, junto con las elecciones municipales y las del resto de autonomías del régimen común.

Características

Sistema electoral
Según la ley electoral valenciana, para presentar candidaturas, las agrupaciones de electores deben recoger, al menos, la firma del 1 % de los inscritos en el censo electoral de la circunscripción respectiva, pudiendo cada elector apoyar solo a una agrupación electoral.

Por lo que respecta al número de diputados de las Cortes Valencianas, estas están compuestas por 99 diputados, elegidos cada cuatro años mediante el sistema D'Hondt. Los candidatos se presentan en listas cerradas de los partidos políticos, y el voto es directo y secreto, pudiendo votar todos los mayores de 18 años. Para las elecciones la Comunidad Valenciana se divide en tres circunscripciones electorales, coincidiendo con las tres provincias (Alicante, Castellón y Valencia).

Según la ley electoral de la Comunidad Valenciana, para la atribución de escaños de acuerdo con los resultados del escrutinio se realiza conforme a las siguientes reglas:
 No se tienen en cuenta aquellas candidaturas que no hubieran obtenido al menos el 5 % de los votos emitidos en la Comunidad Valenciana.
 Se ordenan de mayor a menor, en una columna, las cifras de votos obtenidos por las respectivas candidaturas.
 Se divide el número de votos obtenidos por cada candidatura por 1, 2, 3, etcétera, hasta un número igual al de escaños correspondientes a la circunscripción. Los escaños se atribuyen a las candidaturas que obtengan los cocientes mayores en el cuadro, atendiendo a un orden decreciente.
 Cuando en la relación de cocientes, con aplicación en su caso de decimales, coincidan dos o más correspondientes a distintas candidaturas, el escaño se atribuirá a la que mayor número total de votos hubiese obtenido. Si hubiera dos candidaturas con igual número total de votos, el primer empate se resolverá por sorteo y los sucesivos de forma alternativa.
 Los escaños correspondientes a cada candidatura se adjudican a los candidatos incluidos en ella por el orden de colocación en que aparezcan.

Administración electoral
La Administración Electoral tiene como finalidad garantizar la transparencia y objetividad del proceso electoral y el principio de igualdad en el acceso a los cargos públicos. La Administración Electoral está formada por la Junta Central Electoral y todas las instituciones electorales que establece la Ley Electoral de la Generalidad Valenciana:
 La Junta Electoral Central tiene por funciones el dirigir y supervisar la actuación de la Oficina del Censo Electoral; cursar instrucciones de obligado cumplimiento a las Juntas Electorales Provinciales y, en su caso, de Comunidad Autónoma; resolver con carácter vinculante las consultas que le eleven las Juntas Provinciales y, en su caso, las de la Comunidad Autónoma; revocar de oficio en cualquier tiempo o, a instancia de parte interesada las decisiones de las Juntas Electorales Provinciales y, en su caso, de Comunidad Autónoma, cuando se opongan a la interpretación de la normativa electoral realizada por la Junta Electoral Central; unificar los criterios interpretativos de las Juntas Electorales Provinciales y, en su caso, de comunidad autónoma en la aplicación de la normativa electoral; aprobar a propuesta de la Administración del Estado o de las administraciones de las comunidades autónomas los modelos de actas de constitución de mesas electorales, de escrutinio de sesión, de escrutinio general y de proclamación de electos. Tales modelos deberán permitir la expedición instantánea de copias de las actas, mediante documentos autocopiativos u otros procedimientos análogos; resolver las quejas, reclamaciones y recursos que se le dirijan, de acuerdo con la presente Ley o con cualquier otra disposición que le atribuya esa competencia; velar por el cumplimiento de las normas relativas a las cuentas y a los gastos electorales por parte de las candidaturas durante el período comprendido entre la convocatoria y el centésimo día posterior a la celebración de elecciones; ejercer potestad disciplinaria sobre todas las personas que intervengan con carácter oficial en las operaciones electorales; corregir las infracciones que se produzcan en el proceso electoral siempre que no sean constitutivas de delito e imponer multas hasta la cuantía máxima prevista en la Ley; y expedir las credenciales a los Diputados, Senadores y Diputados Provinciales y Consejeros insulares en caso de vacante por fallecimiento, incapacidad o renuncia, una vez finalizado el mandato de las Juntas Electorales Provinciales y de Zona.
 La Junta Electoral de la Comunidad Valenciana se encarga de resolver las consultas que elevan las juntas electorales provinciales, y dictar instrucciones en materia de su competencia; resolver las quejas, reclamaciones y recursos que le sean dirigidos; ejercer la jurisdicción disciplinaria sobre todas las personas que intervengan con carácter oficial en las operaciones electorales; determinar y declarar en las elecciones a las Cortes Valencianas qué candidaturas han obtenido un número de votos superior al 5% de los emitidos en la Comunidad Valenciana, como requisito previo imprescindible para la proclamación de candidatos electos por las Juntas Electorales Provinciales respectivas, las cuales a estos efectos deberán comunicar a la Junta Electoral de la Comunidad Valenciana el resultado del escrutinio, inmediatamente después de haberse efectuado; corregir las infracciones que se produzcan en el proceso electoral, siempre que no sean reservadas a los tribunales y otros órganos, e imponer multas; y aplicar y garantizar el derecho de uso gratuito de espacios a los medios de comunicación de propiedad pública, en el supuesto previsto en el artículo 32 de la Ley Electoral Valenciana, y en general garantizar el ejercicio de las libertades públicas durante el proceso electoral.
 El 10 de abril de 2015 se publicó en el DOCV que Pilar de la Oliva, presidenta de la Sala de lo Civil y Penal del Tribunal Superior de Justicia de la Comunidad Valenciana (TSJCV), fue nombrada presidenta de la Junta Electoral de la Comunidad Valenciana, del mismo modo que fueron nombrados vocales Antonio Vicente Cots Díaz, José Francisco Ceres Montes, María Pía Calderón Cuadrado, Tomás Sala Franco, Remedios Sánchez Férriz y Carlos Flores Juberías, mientras que la figura del secretario recayó en Francisco J. Visiedo Mazón.
 Las Juntas Electorales Provinciales podrán cursar instrucciones de cumplimiento obligatorio a las Juntas Electorales de Zona en cualquier materia electoral; resolver de manera vinculante las consultas que le elevan las Juntas Electorales de Zona; revocar de oficio en cualquier tiempo o instancia de parte interesada, dentro de los plazos previstos en el artículo 21 de la Ley Orgánica del Régimen Electoral General (LOREG), las decisiones de las Juntas Electorales de Zona cuando se opongan a la interpretación realizada por la Junta Electoral Provincial; y unificar los criterios interpretativos de las Juntas Electorales de Zona en cualquier materia electoral.
 Las Juntas Electorales de Zona se encarga de resolver las consultas, quejas, recursos y reclamaciones efectuadas por los electores, los partidos políticos, asociaciones, coaliciones o federaciones y agrupaciones de electores, así como las alegaciones presentadas por aquellos que hayan estado designados presidentes y vocales de mesa sobre la imposibilidad de la aceptación del cargo; distribuir los emplazamientos disponibles para la colocación gratuita de carteles, pancartas y banderolas, así como los locales oficiales y lugares públicos disponibles para la realización gratuita de actos de campaña electoral; expedir la correspondiente credencial a los apoderados nombrados por los representantes de las candidaturas; y proveer a las mesas del material electoral necesario para el correcto desarrollo de la jornada electoral, así como supervisar la formación. En la actualidad hay 20 juntas electorales de zona:
 8 en la provincia de Alicante: Alcoy, Alicante, Denia, Elche, Elda, Orihuela, Villajoyosa y Villena.
 3 en la provincia de Castellón: Castellón de la Plana, Segorbe y Vinaroz.
 9 en la provincia de Valencia: Alcira, Gandía, Játiva, Liria, Onteniente, Requena, Sagunto, Sueca y Valencia.
 Las mesas electorales, como unidad básica del proceso electoral, son parte de la administración electoral, están formadas por un/a presidente/a y dos vocales y sus respectivos suplentes, y tiene como objeto fundamental garantizar la libertad y el secreto del voto así como velar para que el derecho del voto se ejerza personalmente. Para este proceso electoral se constituyeron 5.762 mesas electorales, 34 menos que en el año 2011.

Encuestas previas a las elecciones

Véase también
 España en 2023
 Elecciones generales de España de 2023
 Elecciones autonómicas de España de 2023
 Elecciones municipales de España de 2023
 Elecciones a las Cortes Valencianas
 Elecciones a las Cortes Valencianas de 2019
 Coalición Unidos (Comunidad Valenciana)

Fuentes

Referencias

Notas

Enlaces externos

Elecciones a las Cortes Valencianas de 2023
Valencia
XI Legislatura de la Comunidad Valenciana

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


photo courtesy of paramount pictures big bite Jeté Laurence stars as Ellie in Pet Sematary.
The main difference between a parasite and a symbiote is that there's no such word as symbiote, unless you read comic books.
The actual word is symbiont, from the Greek symbosis which means "living together," and the reason I even bring it up is because the new Pet Sematary remake opens this week and, while plenty of animals from tarantulas to key-hole limpets have established symbiotic relationships with other creatures (in this case microhylid frogs and scale worms, respectively), humans seem to be the only species that keep other creatures for emotional companionship, as pets.
Much has been written about the evolutionary transition of certain animals from being our food to our friends, but one thing is certain: pets teach children about death. Whether it's flushing the goldfish, shoveling Fluffy off the highway asphalt or burying Spot out on the back 40, losing a pet at a young age helps prepare us for the great inevitable.
But that doesn't mean you should take your kids to see Pet Sematary, because even though it's an essentially unnecessary remake, this version has bite. Staying true to the Stephen King novel (and first film, scripted by King), this one sees a young family move to a cute new home wedged between a they-drive-too-fast piece of rural highway, a graveyard for animals killed on said highway, and an old native burial site.
The first thing to die is the cat, which comes back thanks to some mysterious magic of the land and a wise old neighbour named Jud (John Lithgow, ruling it!). But when the young daughter is hit and killed by a tanker truck, the grieving father can't help but try for similar results, burying her in the hallowed ground out back. And it goes downhill from there.
Unproven directors Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer craft good creepy atmosphere and intense jump scares but aside from gorier gore and some slightly derivative editing/costuming, this new Pet Sematary doesn't really improve on the original.
King's magic has always lived with his characters and screenwriter Jeff Buhler can't channel the master. Still a solid night out for horror fans, though, especially if you've never seen the first one.
Sticking with King, there is no more prolific cinematic source material. His novels and stories have been adapted for the screen 70 times! The Shining is probably the best of his horror adaptations (although King himself reportedly hated Stanley Kubrick's version), but it's hard to top classics like Stand By Me or The Shawshank Redemption. The Download of the Week, however, is one of the less celebrated ones: The Running Man.
Working under the penname Richard Bachman in the early '80s, King apparently cranked out the first draft of The Running Man in just three days. The film adaptation came out in 1987 with Arnold Schwarzenegger starring as an unjustly accused prisoner forced to compete in a to-the-death game show in an oppressive dystopian future world of 2019.
The Running Man is no Predator (despite having Jesse Ventura), but it's a solid '80s actioner that asks: are we really that far off from a Survivor meets Hunger Games scenario? And, if the prize were high enough, would you compete?


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Two people found shot to death at Gert Town apartment, NOPD says
WEBVTT JENNIFER: HOMICIDE DETECTIVESWERE INSIDE THE APARTMENT HEREFOR ABOUT BEFORE THE BODIES OFFIVE HOURS THE TWO VICTIMS WERETAKEN AWAY.FAMILY MEMBERS IDENTIFIED THECOUPLE AS 33-YEAR-OLD JACKIEWILLIAMS AND HER BOYFRIEND,26-YEAR-OLD THADDEUS JACKSON,WHO WENT BY THE NICKNAME,HAMMIE, THEY TELL ME JACKSONPICKED UP HIS TWO LITTLE GIRLSFOR SCHOOL EVERY MORNING, BUTDIDN'T SHOW UP TO GET THEMTODAY.WILLIAMS ALSO DIDN'T SHOW UP TOTHE DAYCARE WHERE SHE WORKED ASA PRESCHOOL TEACHER.JACKSON'S AUNT TOLD ME THAT WASSO UNUSUAL, THAT THE POLICE WERECALLED TO THE APARTMENT TO CHECKON THE COUPLE JUST AFTER 8:00A.M, AND THAT'S WHEN OFFICERSDISCOVERED THEM BOTH INSIDE.POLICE SAID BOTH HAD BEEN SHOTAND KILLED.WHEN NOPD CHIEF MICHAEL HARRISONWAS ASKED ABOUT IT, AROUND 11AM,THREE-HOURS AFTER THE BODIESWERE FOUND, HE HAD THIS TO SAY.>> IT IS VERY PRELIMINARY.WE WERE JUST INFORMED ABOUT ITNOT LONG AGO AND SO I DON'T HAVEANY UPDATES FOR YOU ON THAT.JENNIFER: WE ALSO HAVE NOT BEENGIVING -- GIVEN ANY UPDATES ON ASUSPECT, MOTIVE, OR ANYTHINGTHEY FOUND INSIDE.PEOPLE WHO WERE AT THE SCENE,ABOUT 100 PEOPLE AT ONE POINT,SAID THEY COULDN'T BELIEVE THISCOUPLE WOULD BE VICTIMS OFVIOLENT CRIME.
A man and a woman were found shot to death at an apartment in Gert Town, police said.The double shooting was reported around 8 a.m. in the 8200 block of Palmetto Street.Investigators said officers were called to perform a wellness check at the complex and found the two victims unresponsive on the floor of an apartment.New Orleans police said the man and woman were pronounced dead at the scene.Few details have been released.Investigators are gathering evidence and information to identify whoever is responsible. Neither victim has been identified by officials. Family members at the scene said the victims were 33-year-old Jacquellyn "Jackie" Williams and her boyfriend, 26-year-old Thaddeus "Hammie" Jackson. Jackson's aunt said police were called to check on the couple this morning when he did not pick up his children to take them to school and she did not show up to work at the daycare where she was a preschool teacher. Anyone with information is asked to call Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111.Keep up with local news, weather and current events with the WDSU app here. Sign up for our email newsletters to get breaking news right in your inbox. Click here to sign up!
A man and a woman were found shot to death at an apartment in Gert Town, police said.
The double shooting was reported around 8 a.m. in the 8200 block of Palmetto Street.
Investigators said officers were called to perform a wellness check at the complex and found the two victims unresponsive on the floor of an apartment.
New Orleans police said the man and woman were pronounced dead at the scene.
Few details have been released.
Investigators are gathering evidence and information to identify whoever is responsible. Neither victim has been identified by officials. Family members at the scene said the victims were 33-year-old Jacquellyn "Jackie" Williams and her boyfriend, 26-year-old Thaddeus "Hammie" Jackson. Jackson's aunt said police were called to check on the couple this morning when he did not pick up his children to take them to school and she did not show up to work at the daycare where she was a preschool teacher.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111.
Keep up with local news, weather and current events with the WDSU app here. Sign up for our email newsletters to get breaking news right in your inbox. Click here to sign up!


text:
Are You Highly Sensitive?
by Jim Bass | May 16, 2015 | Psychology
Find out by taking this test. I think all couples should take this test prior to tying the knot. At least you'd know what you're getting into.
you might be a psychopath if…
by Jim Bass | May 22, 2011 | Clintons, Psychology
The psychopath in a suit is nothing like the ones that Hollywood forces on us. Axe wielding mass murderers are very rare. There is a more common psychopath that infects every level of society. Sociopaths and psychopaths show anti social behavior and an emotionless...
losing face
by Jim Bass | Dec 3, 2010 | Psychology, Science
The New Yorker recently published a piece by neurologist Oliver Sacks about prosopagnosia, the inability to recognize faces. It's a fascinating article because Sacks has the condition and writes well. Unfortunately, there is no linking to the article, but there...
what's in a name? Plenty.
by Jim Bass | Dec 2, 2010 | Culture, Psychology
Live Science Baby Names Reveal More About Parents Than Ever Before The names people choose to give their children communicate a wealth of social information — more so now than ever before. A new analysis of name statistics suggests that the meaning conveyed by a...
belief in free will predicts success
by Jim Bass | Aug 20, 2010 | Psychology
Mind Hacks: A delightful study just published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science found that belief in free will predicted job performance better than conscientiousness, belief in influence over life events and a commitment to a 'Protestant...
by Jim Bass | Nov 30, 2008 | Culture, Psychology
Victor Davis Hanson: I've collated the dozens of articles from liberal thinkers that explain why so far Obama—the candidate of hope and change, and cleaning out the entrenched status quo that so warps our D.C. politics and ensures stasis in our policies—has...


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136 Faculty jobs
Browse for Faculty Jobs. Find the job of your dreams on IEEE today!
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SUMMARY OF POSITION ROLE/RESPONSIBILITIES: The Department of Computer Scien...
Three Tenure-Track Positions
The University of Kansas (KU) Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS)
Lawrence, Kansas
The University of Kansas (KU) Department of Electrical Engineering and Comp...
Associate and Full Professors in Cybersecurity...
SUMMARY OF POSITION ROLE/RESPONSIBILITIES: The Department of Electrical and...
Tenured/Tenure Track Positions in High Performance Computing and Cybersecurity
University of Oklahoma, School of Computer Science
The School of Computer Science in the Gallogly College of Engineering at the University of Oklahoma (OU) is seeking applications for two tenured/tenure-track faculty positions: 1) HPC: Tenured/tenure-track faculty position in high-performance computing (HPC) emphasizes meteorological application...
The School of Computer Science in the Gallogly College of Engineering at the University of Oklahoma (OU) is seeking applications for two...
Systems Engineer/Model Based Systems Engineering (Advanced Degree) -- ELSYS
Job Description The Systems Engineer/Model-Based Systems Engineering (Advanced Degree) in Electronic Systems Laboratory (ELSYS) Systems Engineering Research Division (SERD) is a Systems Engineer with an advanced degree for a full-time research faculty position in the Model-Based Systems Engineering ...
Job Description The Systems Engineer/Model-Based Systems Engineering (Advanced Degree) in Electronic Systems Laboratory (ELSYS) Systems...
Branch Head Custom Test Components Branch -ELSYS
Please Note: The positions 495947 and 495948 are each for one seat; the positions exist only to hire one person. We can either hire a RxI or RxII/SRX. We will not hire one person for each open job. Job Description The Custom Test Components Branch (CTCB) branch head in the Test Engineering Division...
Please Note: The positions 495947 and 495948 are each for one seat; the positions exist only to hire one person. We can either hire a RxI or...
Branch Head Electronic Warfare Training Branch - ELSYS
Please Note: The positions 495949 and 495950 are each for one seat; the positions exist only to hire one person. We can either hire a RxI or RxII/SRX. We will not hire one person for each open job. Job Description The Electronic Warfare Training Branch (EWTB) branch head in the Test Engineering Div...
Branch Head Test Systems Engineering Branch - ELSYS
Please note: The positions 495945 and 495946 are each for one seat; the positions exist only to hire one person. We can either hire a RxI or RxII/SRX. We will not hire one person for each open job. Job Description The Test Systems Engineering Branch (TSEB) branch head of the Test Engineering Divisi...
Postdoctoral Researcher and Research Fellow Positions in ICT (Helsinki, Finland)
Aalto University & the University of Helsinki
Uusimaa Finland
Postdoctoral Researcher and Research Fellow Positions in ICT (Helsinki, Finland) Aalto University and the University of Helsinki are looking for Postdoctoral Researchers and Research Fellows in multiple areas of ICT, including: artificial intelligence and machine learning data science privacy and s...
Postdoctoral Researcher and Research Fellow Positions in ICT (Helsinki, Finland) Aalto University and the University of Helsinki are looking for...
Tenure-track faculty positions in Computing for Health of the Planet
Tenure-Track Faculty Positions Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Cambridge, MA The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Department of Mechanical Engineering together with the Schwarzman College of Computing (SCC) seeks candidates for tenure-track faculty positions in Computing f...
Tenure-Track Faculty Positions Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Cambridge, MA The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)...
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College of Engineering - Texas A&M University
The College of Engineering at Texas A&M University invites applications for two full-time tenured or tenure-track positions in the area of Data Science to reside in either the Department of Computer Science and Engineering or the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering. Areas of interes...
The College of Engineering at Texas A&M University invites applications for two full-time tenured or tenure-track positions in the area of Data...
Intelligent Community Environments and Infrastructure, Tenure-Track Assistant Professor
Vanderbilt University has a strong institutional commitment to recruiting and retaining an academically and culturally diverse community of faculty. Our people are committed to and manifest a welcoming, diverse, and inclusive culture that showcases respect, collegiality, and intellectual freedom. We...
Vanderbilt University has a strong institutional commitment to recruiting and retaining an academically and culturally diverse community of...
Lecturer Computing Sciences
Conway, South Carolina
Coastal Carolina University invites applications for a full-time lecturer position in the Department of Computing Sciences, beginning August 16, 2021. Preferred qualifications include experience teaching programming concepts in Python or Java, networking, systems, database concepts, security, and ha...
Coastal Carolina University invites applications for a full-time lecturer position in the Department of Computing Sciences, beginning August 16,...
MULTIPLE FACULTY POSITIONS IN COMPUTER SCIENCE
MULTIPLE FACULTY POSITIONS IN COMPUTER SCIENCE Oregon State University | College of Engineering The School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Oregon State University invites applications for several full-time, nine-month, tenure-track faculty positions. As a land grant institution com...
MULTIPLE FACULTY POSITIONS IN COMPUTER SCIENCE Oregon State University | College of Engineering The School of Electrical Engineering and Computer...
Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering - Dynamic Systems and Control
The Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science at The University of Texas at Dallas invites applications for a tenure-system faculty position in Mechanical Engineering at the rank of Assistant Professor. Candidates must have a strong commitment to undergraduate and graduate education an...
The Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science at The University of Texas at Dallas invites applications for a tenure-system faculty...
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American Public University System
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TRIPOLI, Nov 23 (Reuters) The European Union's aid chief today proposed a 40 million euro (52 million dollars) fund to help manage and streamline African migration to Europe.
EU aid and development Commissioner Louis Michel told an Africa-Europe migration conference that the movement of thousands of Africans to Europe was a natural phenomenon which should not be demonised.
He said efforts to manage African migration, due to begin in 2007, would also seek to increase the supply of jobs in Africa by promoting investment in labour intensive sectors there.
''We should stop resorting to repression, a security focus, gesture politics and the demonisation of migration. It's not something perverse or criminal. Let's treat it like a natural phenomenon,'' he said.
The plan, to be run in partnership with African countries, would also seek to lower the cost African emigrants face in sending remittance funds and investment capital back home, he told the final day of the two-day meeting of African Union (AU) and European Union (EU) interior ministers.
Michel said he envisaged the creation of a network of migration bureaux around Africa that would seek to regulate the supply of African labour according to European demand for jobs.
''We have had first contacts with Mali, which was very interested (in a migration bureau),'' said Michel's spokesman Amadeu Altafaj, adding that Senegal would also be a priority.
The proposal for the 40 million euro fund is yet to be approved by the whole European Commission, he added.
The International Organisation for Migration's (IOM) representative in Libya welcomed the idea of a joint EU-Africa migration fund.
''It's the major breakthrough (of the conference),'' Laurence Hart said. Otherwise, ''there's nothing new under the sun. We all agree on the analysis, now we have to take action,'' he said.
FALLING BIRTH RATES Illegal migration is a thorny issue in Europe, where some politicians have campaigned against it to popular effect. Some economists say more immigration to Europe is needed to make up for falling birth rates.
Africa has urged Europe to be more open to legal migrants and argues a crackdown on migrants, without more development aid, will only push the flow to other places.
European governments, some of them under pressure at home to toughen immigration policy, have accused African counterparts of failing to fulfil accords pledging to combat illegal migration.
The conference ended with the publication of a joint communique that contained a raft of measures couched in general terms intended to boost cooperation on controlling illegal migration and facilitating legal migration.
It said both continents reaffirmed that they had a duty to cooperate fully, including on the return of illegal immigrants to their countries of origin in a human and orderly manner.
''Returns should always be carried out in dignity and with respect for human rights,'' Finnish Interior Minister Kari RajamJaki said. Finland holds the rotating EU presidency.


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Jeremy Ben-Ami/
Why liberal Jews must not abandon the fight for Israel's future
For decades now, the Jewish communities in Israel and the U.S. have been drifting apart. While almost three-quarters of American Jews continue to vote Democratic and a majority identify as liberal, the center in Israel has shifted to the right—in part organically, thanks to immigration and the experience of living in a state surrounded by hostile neighbors, and in part driven by a disciplined right-wing campaign to increase religiosity and nationalism.
A Diaspora Divided
Twelve writers address the changing relationship between American Jews and Israel
Joshua Cohen Israel's Season of Discontent
Michael Koplow Fraught Relationship, Fated Bond
Ruth Margalit The Perils of the Ultra-Orthodox Alliance
Theodore Ross Who's Afraid of Criticizing Israel?
Talia Lavin A Memoir of Disillusionment
Jacob Bacharach A Homeland in America
Gideon Levy What Israel Needs From American Jews
Elisheva Goldberg The Intersectional Jewish-American
Dennis Ross Israel's Prerogatives
Batya Ungar-Sargon Two Ways of Being Jewish
Yehuda Kurtzer The Deep Sources of a Great Divide
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies seem unconcerned about losing support from large swaths of American Jewry, content to rely on politically conservative Orthodox Jews and evangelical Christians. In enacting a law that chips away at Israel's democratic foundations, and in embracing President Donald Trump, Netanyahu has further alienated American Jews. As the Israeli journalist Ben Caspit observed, Netanyahu views this cohort, with its predilection for assimilation, as being on the verge of extinction: "Soon they will be at the threshold of the abyss and will simply collapse from within and disappear," Caspit writes. "They will not remain Jews. So it is a shame to waste our time. They are no longer part of us."
The obvious question then for non-Orthodox, liberal Jewish Americans is why engage at all with an Israel led by people who are disowning us? Why not simply wash our hands of the state and walk away? Is the struggle to secure a liberal, Jewish, and democratic Israel really worth the heartache and frustration?
To the latter, my answer is a resounding "yes." The fight over Israel's future is a battle over what it means to be Jewish—a struggle for the very soul of the Jewish community globally. Opting out of that struggle, as many Jewish Americans exasperated with Israeli illiberalism seem inclined to do, means forfeiting that soul. The better response is to engage, countering the right-wing Israeli-American alliance with an equally strong alliance of American and Israeli liberals, fighting both in the United States and in the Middle East for states that accurately reflect deeply held Jewish values of tolerance.
In Israel's Declaration of Independence, the state's founders wrote that the new country "will foster the development of the country for the benefit of all its inhabitants; it will be based on freedom, justice and peace as envisaged by the prophets of Israel; it will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex; it will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, language, education and culture …"
These were promises grounded in the Jewish experience of living in the lands of others for centuries and knowing too well what it means to be a minority and to face discrimination and worse.
Like many countries—including the United States—Israel has fallen short of its aspirations. But for 70 years, large numbers of Israelis have fought to promote the values enshrined by Israel's founders. In their fight to shape Israel's direction and future, Israel's liberals urgently need the support and engagement—rather than the anger and apathy—of like-minded Jewish people around the world.
The Israeli right wing, as Netanyahu has made clear, wishes nothing more than to see the liberal majority of Jews worldwide walk away from the fight. As Jewish liberals abandon the battlefield, Israeli hardliners have paired with their ideological soulmates in the U.S. and elsewhere to support their own institutions, educational foundations, think tanks, and politicians.
And while American Jewish leftists may think campaigns to "boycott" Israel put pressure on the state, the reality is that every time another liberal Jew decides to boycott or divest from Israel, that's one less activist, one less dollar, actively engaging in Israeli politics from within and weighing in on the side of democracy and justice. It's also one more talking point to rev up the Israeli right wing, which has managed to convince its base that the relatively marginal Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement somehow constitutes an existential threat to the one of the world's strongest economies.
Liberal Jews around the world need to understand that a key reason Israel's pro-peace, pro-democracy camp is so weak today is its inability to match the assistance the right receives from Jewish Americans in terms of funding, infrastructure, strategy, and messaging aid.
Of course, Israelis ultimately bear responsibility for shaping their own future. But American Jews who despair about Israel's current course should acknowledge that if liberals supported their Israeli counterparts at levels comparable to their right-wing American cousins, the situation on the ground in Israel today would be starkly different.
Meanwhile, liberal Jews in institutional leadership roles in the American community have continued to buy into the anachronistic argument that those who don't live in Israel have no right to speak or criticize. This institutional position has served the right well, as they rode to power in Israel on the strength of funds raised in America. It is also, by the way, a posture that helps explain the large numbers of young Jewish Americans disconnecting not only from Israel but from the organized Jewish community.
These days, as I speak across the country, I am asked with increasing frequency to give people hope about Israel's future in the face of ever more troubling developments. My reply is that our people should have learned through the centuries that we can't sit back waiting for hope and change. It's on us to make it.
Perhaps that's the upside of the stomach-churning political era we're living through. The Trump presidency has unleashed an energetic opposition in the United States that understands the importance of fighting to realign national politics with our values. Perhaps those who are now marching in the streets and campaigning for change here will recognize that change in Israel also demands similar energy, engagement, and activism.
Rather than wash our hands of Israel, America's liberal Jews should reach out to and support our natural political allies in the fight for Israel's future. This is the fight of our generation to define the future of the Jewish people. The only people who benefit if liberals walk away are the anti-democratic and ethno-nationalist forces who threaten liberalism and democracy in the United States, in Israel, and all across the globe.
Jeremy Ben-Ami @JeremyBenAmi
Jeremy Ben-Ami is the president and founder of J Street, the pro-Israel, pro-peace advocacy group.
Politics, Israel, Palestine, Donald Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu