Electoral System Design and Political Culture
Key Elements of an Electoral System
The Size of the Assembly
The number of seats in the assembly. Its impact is influenced by the magnitude of the districts where those seats are distributed among parties.
Constituency Size
The number of seats to be allocated within a constituency. The constituency (or precinct) is the basic unit for transforming votes into seats. It is the element of the electoral system that has the greatest impact on proportionality, conditioning it more significantly than other
Venezuelan Constitutional Framework: Roles and Responsibilities
Temporary Presidential Vacancy and Succession
Legal Basis: Article 234 of the CRBV.
A temporary presidential vacancy shall be supplied by the Chief Executive for up to ninety (90) days, extendable by a decision of the National Assembly for an additional ninety (90) days. If a temporary absence continues for more than ninety (90) consecutive days, the National Assembly shall decide by a majority of its members whether an absolute vacancy should be declared.
Powers of the President
Legal Basis: Article
Read MoreDescartes’ Quest for Certainty: Mind, Reality, and Knowledge
Descartes’ Meditations: Doubt and Existence
The Problem of the Evil Genius
Part of the nature of the human spirit is to question the body’s reality. Considering all doubts, false perceptions, and opinions, one might conclude that we have no senses and no kind of reality. In his Meditations, Descartes repeats this deduction to resolve some emerging contradictions.
This apparent contradiction arises in the concept of the evil genius: if God is infinitely good and infinitely powerful, it seems impossible
Read MoreLinguistic Variation, Standardization, and Language Contact
Diaphasic Variation: Linguistic Registers
Diaphasic variation, also known as linguistic registers, refers to language variations that occur depending on the components of the situation of use. It employs the concept of linguistic competence to describe a speaker’s ability to use the appropriate register in different possible situational contexts. The most common related registers are considered to be the colloquial, the vulgar, the scientific-technical, the juridical-literary, and journalistic. It
Read MoreUnderstanding Knowledge Representation and Artificial Intelligence
Knowledge Representation in AI
Knowledge representation enables AI mechanisms to find efficient solutions. Key questions include: How to choose a formalism for simple translation from the real world? What representation allows for efficient usage?
Information vs. Knowledge
Information refers to basic, uninterpreted data used as input, such as blood test figures or chemical plant sensor data.
Knowledge is structured data modeling experience in a domain or interpretations of basic data. For example, interpreting
Read MoreEarth’s Diverse Landscapes: Mountains, Rivers, Wetlands, and Oceans
Earth’s Diverse Landscapes
Mountains
Mountains form when the Earth’s plates collide, causing the land to fold upwards. This process, which takes millions of years, creates mountain ranges. Notable examples include the Andes in South America, the Rockies in North America, the Alps in Europe, and the Himalayas in Asia. The peaks of some mountains are perpetually covered in snow and ice due to their high altitude, resulting in less oxygen. Even on lower slopes where snow melts in summer, only the hardiest
Read MoreEntrepreneurial Insights: Bootstrap, Strategy, and Social Impact
Entrepreneurial Insights: Adrià Aymerich & Patricia Ripoll
Adrià Aymerich: Bootstrap & Strategic Growth
1. Entrepreneurs vs. Business Owners:
Adrià Aymerich differentiates entrepreneurs and business owners using the metaphor of Motocross vs. Trail Running:
- Entrepreneurs (Motocross): Focus on speed, overcoming immediate obstacles, and explosive growth based on external investment.
- Business Owners (Trail Running): Concentrate on consistency, strategic growth, and long-term sustainability, financing
Key Aspects of Agricultural Development in Spain
Land Tenure and Farm Regimes in Spain
Spanish agriculture faces challenges such as owner absenteeism, inefficient resource utilization, and limited land cultivation. The farm serves as the basic unit for a range of agricultural activities.
Understanding Farm Regimes
Land tenure refers to the relationship established between the land operator and the property owner. We distinguish between two main regimes:
- Direct Tendency Regime: Occurs when the owner and the operator of the land are the same person.
Spanish Modernism & Generation of ’98 Literary Movements
Modernism and the Generation of ’98 in Spanish Literature
In the early twentieth century, as realism fell into disrepute, aligning with the crisis of positivism and reason, many young writers confronted nineteenth-century literature. They shared common features with Romanticism and expressed dissatisfaction with their contemporary world.
Modernist writers, who sought refuge in aesthetics as a rejection of the world, and those like Unamuno, Baroja, and Azorín, who adopted a critical stance toward
Read MoreArchitectural Styles Defined: Modernism, Brutalism, Deconstructivism
Brutalism: Raw Concrete & Social Housing
Brutalism, an architectural movement that emerged with Le Corbusier’s Unité d’Habitation, utilized raw concrete to construct affordable, rapid housing during the 1960s and 1970s. Though popular in Britain for social housing, many Brutalist buildings are now in poor condition and often criticized for their aesthetics and perceived links to social problems. Despite these challenges, efforts are underway to preserve these unique structures.