fabiochiu/medium-articles huggingface dataset:
Staking 2.0: Taking SPoS One Step Forward to Enjoy Hassle-free Staking in the VSYS Ecosystem
By: V Systems
Tags: Distributed Ledgers, Database, Cryptocurrency, Blockchain, Technology News

18 November — V SYSTEMS’ Supernode Proof of Stake (SPoS) was designed with users in mind to encourage simple and fast staking process. As we continue to lay a foundation for blockchain mass adoption, we are introducing Staking 2.0 which allows all V SYSTEMS users to join the first wave of applications powered by V SYSTEMS. VSYS holders will be able to get not only VSYS as rewards, but also other tokens built on the V SYSTEMS mainnet.

SPoS consensus mechanism is the backbone of the V SYSTEMS blockchain. As we keep advancing the scalability of the network, we continue to explore ways to support the growth of the ecosystem and encourage active participation in the blockchain network through staking.

Staking 2.0 opens up possibilities for VSYS coin holders to participate in the development of the applications built on V SYSTEMS, realising the principal of “Stake as Power” in the latest revolutionary PoS.

First Wave of V SYSTEMS-Powered Applications

Our first project Tachyon Protocol will leverage 50 million X-VPN’s existing global users to become one of the leading decentralized internet protocols. As its IPX token will be available soon, we welcome the VSYS community to join in fruitful collaboration with the project through our Staking 2.0 initiative.

In addition to the Tachyon Protocol, the V SYSTEMS team is also working with xCurrency and a Fortune 500 real estate group on DeFi application development. We are excited to bring onboard more community-facing and enterprise-level projects to cultivate a robust DeFi ecosystems.

A Simple Guide to Staking 2.0

1. A portion of V SYSTEMS-powered tokens will be allocated to reward VSYS users who participate in staking

2. The system will distribute the pool of token to supernodes daily, for a specific time period (depending on the amount of tokens)

3. Supernodes will allocate the tokens to their community members according to the default rate/ rule they set for VSYS reward
Blockchain and the vision beyond the hype
Tags: Distributed Ledgers, Emerging Technology, Blockchain, Algorand, Decentralization

Blockchain and distributed ledger technology

Blockchain is a collaboration-based technology, the benefits of which are best realised when a high-level of participants join a public, community-driven, decentralised network, such as the Algorand blockchain solution.

Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger that enables an immutable historical record of transactions between parties who do not have pre-established trust. This removes the need for a central organisation acting as an intermediary. The block is then stored on a network of computing nodes and each exchange of value is validated by the decentralised community and stored on a chain. All without the need for a centralised authority.

This should not be confused with distributed ledger technology, a term often used interchangeably with blockchain. Blockchains are a form of distributed ledger but have the added functionality of being able to bundle together historical records of the transactions that cannot be altered. This is an important security feature, especially when participants do not have pre-existing trust in the system. This security is key when moving an asset — especially money — between unknown parties, as you need the value to be available immediately on completion of the transaction. Allowing an immediate and secure exchange of value, anywhere in the globe, could be massively empowering to those who are currently struggling to participate in the global economy. For contrast, imagine the time taken and potential security risks involved in transferring physical cash to a location in another continent.

Distributed ledger technology in simple terms is many copies of a computing database of recorded assets. These copies are kept in sync automatically through a set of centralised agreed rules and distributed on many computers, between parties who have pre-existing trust. (Assets can be anything from currency to supply chain goods through to real estate records.) There are a number of projects working on interoperability between private distributed ledgers as they see the opportunity to develop and allow private ledgers to communicate without the need for an intermediary. As with any technology, you must assess your own organisational needs and pick a solution which is the right fit for you.
Letters to No One
Tags: Study, Health Information System, Mshi, Health Technology

Letters to No One

Thats a lot of letters. Was my first thought after reading. But we will get to that later. This week, between jet lags & layovers, we explore more about where the Philippine National HIS is at the present. Though it looks like it’s the one stuck in a different time zone.

To recap Vital Wave Consulting’s Stages of HIS development: Stage 1 are paper based systems that are fragmented and tiresome for health professionals, with small scale HIS. Stage 2 are countries still with paper but are already organizing, & check the quality of their data collection. They also have beginning of funding and the support of their legal system. Stage 3 is the beginning of electronic collection or at least a hybrid of paper-computer. Stage 4 is already interdependent systems. Stage 5 is the culmination of all these systems that is easily adaptable and sustainable. According to the paper; only Belize can lay claim to this Stage at the moment.

Sketchnote ver 4

So where is the Philippines? I placed it between Stage 1 and 2. To my understanding; there are three leaders here (drawn with megaphones), the DOH, the DOST and the WHO. The Draft National eHealth Strategy was formed, who subsequently made the ICT4H (ICT for Health Technical Working Group) under the DOH. At the same time, the WHO made the National eHealth Strategy Toolkit. The DOST began to enhance the eHealth strategy based on the toolkit. These beginnings to me are not small scale, therefore they cannot be entirely on Stage 1, they look like beginnings of Stage 2 analysis and organizing data collection. On July 2012 the DOH and DOST created the National eHealth Governance Steering Committe and Technical Working Group, and on 2014, they adopted the COBIT5 as a framework for the PeHSFP (Philippine eHealth Strategic Framework and Plan). Several TWG (Technical Working Group), SEG (Standards Expert Group) and PEG (Privacy Expert Groups) later; the project was finalized as PHIE (Philippine Health Information Exchange), which was approved for funding. (Which is why it can be also in Stage 2). The PHIE looks like it answers all the possible issues that can hamper a HIS harmonization. I like that there is just one standard for all the Patients, all Providers and Health Facilities. I also like that there is only one standard terminology / disease definition. They also separated the database for what the government needs vs what Hospitals & Clinics need.

Philippine Health Information Exchange

Then nothing, apparently after funding approval. All those letters to be sent for no one. I wonder what happened after approval? With the Philippine Universal Healthcare plans, is there hope for this to push through now?
de Broglie relation-duel nature of particle
By: Chemistry Topics
Tags: Study, Chemistry, Students, Physics, Education

de Broglie relation-duel nature of particle

In 1924 de Broglie’s relation pointed out that just as a light electron also has both particle and wave nature. According to de Broglie, this dual nature — wave and particle — should not be confined to radiations alone but should also be extended to matter. He suggested that electrons travel in waves, analogous to light waves. His idea could be fitted to drive the same relation that Bohr theory arrived at from his particle treatment of electrons.

Particle and wave nature of radiation

de Broglie proposed a relation between momentum and wavelength of a particle in motion. He considered the light of frequency ν, the energy of an electron is given by, E = hν = h (c/λ), where λ = wavelength, c = velocity of light, and h = Plank constant = 6.627× 10⁻²⁷. Again from the famous mass energy conservation relation, E = m c². The momentum of the photon (p) = mv = mc

Combining these two relations, we have, mc = h/λ or, p = h/λ. Therefore, λ = h/p. de Broglie extended this relationship to the dynamics of a particle and proposed that a wavelength λ is associated with a moving particle and is related to its momentum as, λ = h/p = h/mv, where m is the total mass of the particle and v is its velocity.

de Broglie waves in the Bohr model

According to Bohr’s model angular momentum of n-th orbital of moving electrons, mvr = n (h/2π), where m = mass of an electron and n = principle quantum number = 1, 2, 3, 4, …, and r = radius of the orbital of an atom.

Again according to de Broglie relation, λ = h/mv or, mv = h/λ, where λ = wavelength of the moving electron. Combining these two relations, we have, 2πr = n λ. Thus a standing produces a stationary pattern, its profile being fixed within the space allowed to it. It does not travel beyond the allowed space.

Wave-particle duality experiment

de Broglie’s suggestion of matter waves and its confirmation by Davisson and Germer’s electron diffraction spectrum experiment conclusively proves that electrons are not is not an ordinary particle. From the evidence by the experiment of determination of mass and e/m electron has particle nature. Electron diffraction experiment by Davison and Gramer’s given the evidence of the wave nature of the electron.

Kinetic energy and de Broglie wavelength

If the particle is an electron and if it is subjected to the potential difference V so as to acquires a velocity v, then, kinetic energy = Ve = ½ mv², where e is the charge of an electron. Again from the de Broglie relation, λ = h/mv. From these two energy relations, we have, λ = h/√(2mVe).
Computer Rheum w8
Tags: Study, Search, Health Informatics

I picked the keyword; “Lupus”

And without exposing what website I picked, on first look, I’d say that the L website is aesthetically pleasing, organized, and well designed. There are links to E-learning materials, useful links, mailing lists, contact information and even social media platform links. But our question this activity is not TO the L website, but rather FOR the L website.

Quality of Content

Google says that they rank websites depending on value. If other, more prominent websites link to L, this will tell them it is trusted. Perhaps this L can reach out to countries’ national website and include them in their e-learning library. This will increase their exposure and interest to general internist and rheumatologists.

Context and Settings

Because I’m located in Asia and the L website is not, Google doesn’t prioritize it because they also use country and location to show relevant results. Our regional rheumatologists can be more involved by endorsing their invitations to their meetings, albeit virtual. Lupus is more common in Asians, so increasing online knowledge by involving their resources can improve searchability.

Social Media Activity

The website has many social media platforms such as Linked In, Twitter and Facebook. However, when I take a look at their platforms, there isn’t any activity. The documentation video of their major conference was uploaded after more than five months. There was very minimal to no promotional activity in the months prior to the virtual meeting as well except on the week itself. In comparison to more known rheumatologic websites, involving social media traffic to the website can improve their searchability. Content creation can be difficult. Small activities such as interviews for radio or TV interviews. Or local lectures and be promoted. Some of these activities get posted on Facebook. Both local rheumatologists and international can learn and share.

Paid Promotion

Organic engagement is difficult to build. Which is why many websites use paid promotions. Activities of the website can be promoted commercially. We see this all the time for example, when I go to Youtube, they know what language I use, then suddenly I receive some side bar ads or pop up ads of local products. When I went to Europe last year, for a week, all my ads were in Polish. Of course, this will bring up the issue of privacy and surveillance, but I think we can save that discussion for another time.
An Efficient Study Hack, To Think Smarter Than Harder.
Tags: Study, Exam, Explainer, Motivation, Education

“The first principle is that you must not fool yourself — and you are the easiest to fool.” - Richard Feynman

If you are well-prepared for the exams but in the exam you unable to present the information that you know?😥

Fear of exams and lack of self-confidence while learning?🤯

Are you overwhelming the study materials and cant organize the facts what you learn and unable to put them into your own words?💬

Have you experienced the illusion of knowing the concept but hard to recall the information when needed?

Are you seeking a powerful study hack to score more in less time?

Then this post is for you.♥️

The core foundation of the Feynman technique is the power of explanation. You get more clarity when you explain it to someone. Feynman technique is the best tool for mastering something in a short amount of time. And it helps to open the world of possibilities of effective learning.

The Feynman technique focuses on two mindsets of learning. Those are the differences between knowing something and assuming we know that.

We are always programmed to think in a certain way. It is difficult for us to change our thinking pattern until we get strucked while doing the work or else realizing that we cant put our knowledge into actions.🤔

If you approach the learning process in a Feynman way, unintentionally force our self brain to strengthen the neural connection in the brain.

Computer programmers and developers alter this Feynman technique as rubber ducky debugging. They explain the programming concept or problem to a rubber ducky toy in a simple way when they are stuck on something. After simplification of the problem, they get a spark in the solutions.

Power of 4 steps

1) Pick a topic

Choose a concept, chapter of the book, or maths theory you want to learn.

2) Power of explanation

Explain the chosen topic to sixth-grade students in a simple language. You can write or say it aloud for a certain amount of time.

But why sixth-grade students?

Defiantly they are no prior knowledge about the topic.

They always come up with questions (This how children psychology behave)

3) Find the gap between you and the master of explainer.

While the explanation of the concept, there are times when you got struct. At that time, identify the areas you unable to explain because of the lack of clarity. From that point, you can refer your resources to fill up the gap.

4) Review and simplified furthermore

Go through your explanation again and try to eliminate hard words and jargons those cant understand by your imaginary poor little schoolboy.

Congratulation!❤ you have practiced the technique which was used by the noble price winner Richard Feynman.

Follow us on:

https://www.instagram.com/study_flying/

https://twitter.com/studyflying
4 Effective Ways of Studying Law as A Student
Tags: Study, Student, Law

One of the assignments given to law students is law essay writing. Students are given homework to write legal issues. You have done proper research on your essay. Besides this, after college program in law, law students are required to go to law school for further studies. Law school is not as easy as a college program. In this post, we have discussed the best way to study in both college and law school. Read through this post to learn from our tips on how to improve your study.

1) Work Hard

You have to learn how to use your school more. This method is the greatest secret on how to become a lawyer, and you have to read, do research, write down some findings, and make a reference if possible. As a law student, you should be closer to your texts and your colleagues for group discussion on any challenging topics.

2) Work Experience

During and after your college program, you can decide to work with one of the law firms in your country. When applying for this position, write in your CV, the law society, group, or club that you belong to and the experience you have gained of the year. Working with a law firm will give you more work experience in your field.

Besides gaining experience in law, you make your program to stress-free by hiring an expert on one of the websites that provide assignment writing service. Their writers will offer custom law essay help in any legal field. Place an order to get an expert to get your assignment done fast with no plagiarism.

3) Embrace It

You should join any form of the law society and group for mooting. You find the mooting to help when you admit to one of the excellent law schools in your country. In mooting, you act as a barrister in a hypothetical case for mock trials. If you practice this consistently, you will gain the confidence of speaking in a public gathering, and you will become a potential lawyer.

4) Enjoy It

Enjoy your law program will make you explore the best out of your application. Start the adventure that law brings to a student. With the law program, you get involved in every aspect of life and fields of study. Take all that your program offers you and enjoy your life by building a network with your colleagues and professional lawyers.

Conclusion

You don’t have to keep study like any other student but study like a lawyer. Use our above-suggested tips on how to study law effectively. Don’t forget to hire an expert to get any legal essay assignment done at an affordable price. Good Luck!
Thinking Of Studying Overseas? Consult An Overseas Education Consultant
By: Study Smart
Tags: Study, Study Abroad, Education

How Study Smart Guides You -

As it is the forms, college fees, commute charges, etc. are so high. Hence, before spending lakhs into all of this and getting nothing in return, think rationally and consult with experienced overseas education consultants in Delhi. The benefits you will be getting are-

They will properly evaluate your profile and will tell you the areas where your profile suits the best. They have thoroughly researched the fields and what kind of profiles are selected the most where.

You don’t have to take tension during the selection of university as your overseas education consultants in Delhi will take care of that.

will take care of that. Admission processes get very hefty, as they just don’t simply involve the admission forms, apart from that there are financial documents and Visa applications as well.

They stay with you until all the processing is completed and you have got admission letters also. In addition, some of them will help you in guiding you on how to manage your living finances there.

They understand you in a better way and believe in catering to the best service to you without compromising the quality.

In The last –

So feel free to consult any overseas education consultant and get answers to all your queries. Study Smart is here to assist you in an ideal way indeed. The highly experienced overseas education consultants in Delhi is just a click away from you.
All About The Pearson Test Of English
By: Study Smart
Tags: Pte Academic, Study, Ielts, Study Abroad, Education

Motto Of PTE –

Have you been thinking that what is the motto of PTE? To put in simple words, this test is just to check the ability of a student of understanding English. For this, you can easily find a PTE institute in Delhi in your vicinity called Smart Study. As of now, many students have got quality coaching from this platform and they found it quality oriented indeed.

PTE is typically a 3-hour long computer-based test, which checks your English that is spoken on a day-to-day basis. The major aim of this test is to check your proficiency so that you do not face any problem while you are conversing with the native people of the respective English speaking countries.

Difference Among Other English Tests-

It is a little bit different from other English tests like IELTS, TOEFL, etc. As in PTE, results are declared within 4–5 business days just after you have taken your test. Scores of PTE are accepted by major top universities of the USA, France, Spain, China, etc. Make sure that you are going to choose an ideal platform called Study Smart. This PTE institute in Delhi has been established with the motto to bring out the best service.
Why do I find it so hard to study? I feel so lethargic and get tired after 30 minutes. What do you suggest I can do to help myself?
Tags: Study, Life, Education

Why do I find it so hard to study? I feel so lethargic and get tired after 30 minutes. What do you suggest I can do to help myself? SKYNILE Mar 3, 2020·2 min read

Studying seems directly related to motivation. If it’s hard to study, it could be motivational. If it’s really a question of why doesn’t your studying pay off (more study = better grades), then some of the other answers directly concern study habits and methods.

Since no one has broached motivation yet (other than tangentially — distraction), I will talk about it.

I was an undergrad for a long time — 74–85? or something like that. I tried about 4 or 5 different majors kicking around for something that grabbed me. Studying was hard in some subjects and easy in others. I discovered that Shakespeare, Russian, Calculus, Advanced Physics were hard; Biology, Composition, Poly Sci, Sociology, and Computer Science were easy. I ended up in Math/Comp Sci. I flunked Calculus the first and succeeded the second (or third?) time.

The difference was when I finally found what I wanted to study, everything became easier. School is not just classes. It is a place that you learn to socialize, to interact with peers and teachers on an adult level (i.e., not like high school). You learn to become responsible. And by the way you learn whatever it is you are supposed to be studying.

If you have problems studying, then maybe you aren’t ready to study. Doesn’t mean you aren’t learning things. I dropped in and out of school for a decade because I wasn’t ready. But I loved learning things, so I kept coming back.

I am 60 now. While it took a long time for me to get a profession (tech writer/interactive designer/executive manager), I have had a very good career. If you are in school because you think you should be in school or because you think the job market is terrible or any number of reasons other than you want to learn something, you will have motivational problems because your heart isn’t in it.

You should study smart (as other answers point out), but you should also be motivated. There is no crime in taking your time. It might be more costly to stay in school and do poorly at something you don’t really like than to come back to school later and do well at something you finally like.

I wrote all this thinking college. Yikes — if you are in high school. All the same applies, but you have to just tough it out and remember, high school ends. You can get into a college, junior college, etc. with less than stellar grades. And once you figure it all out, you can transfer to where you want to learn
Study Spotlight
By: Diana Alexandra Martinez
Tags: Study, Law School, Students, Studying, Boston

Sometimes you just need to get out of the law school building, and with so many study spots in Boston to explore, there’s no reason not too!

Tatte Bakery & Café

Tatte is an elevated Starbucks, with a variety of lunch and breakfast options, and a full functioning bakery with an assortment of quick snacks. There are a variety of locations all throughout Boston, including Fenway which is a 10 or 15-minute walk from campus.

Photo by Roman Kraft on Unsplash

Boston Public Library

In the heart of Copley, the Boston Public Library is a historical establishment. With gorgeous architecture, it makes studying even that more dreamy. There is a newer side, however, I prefer the older, more ornate side. There is also a cafe on the ground floor for quick snacks!

Photo by Daniel Brubaker on Unsplash

Caffè Nero

Another cafe is Caffè Nero, a very popular spot for law students. There are a variety of locations including one in Allston and in Fenway. Some locations even have fireplaces.

Photo by Kentaro Toma on Unsplash

Boston Athenaeum

Right across the street from the Granary Public Burying ground and just a few steps from the Massachusetts State House, the Athenaeum is located in the heart of old Boston. It is a private library and is extremely ornate.

via Yelp

Boston University Questrom School of Business

Sometimes you don’t have to go too far off campus for a new experience. The Questrom School of Business is right on Commonwealth Avenue and has a Starbucks within the building. Newly renovated, it’s definitely a spot you should check out.
The purpose of life from a teenager’s perspective
By: Ben Francis
Tags: Study, Life, Teens, Philosophy, Opinion

Photo by Mohamed Nohassi on Unsplash

I think that whenever people look for guidance in almost any shape or form we always look towards the wise and usually elderly for advice and while it generally is the best course of action I believe that a lot can be learnt from the youth of our earth. With that being said a tough question that has no definite answer and has been debated and argued for thousands of years by the world’s greatest philosophers, the question of.

“what is the purpose of life?’’

I’ve personally debated the subject with my family and honestly it is a great way to understand a person’s view on morality and life itself, but i recently posed the question to my friends around the ages of 13 to 16 and it was quite incredible to see my friends have such amazing opinions and outlooks on having purpose in what you do and was heartwarming to see such divergent answers from one another however what was very interesting was that even though the more or less 30 answers i received were sent independently from each other, everyone seemed to fall under 2 groups of answers.

One group of people answered the question along the lines of.

The purpose of living is living life to the fullest while giving others value and finding purpose within that action of bettering your society.

While on the other hand the second group of people all seemed to answer the bewildering question roughly along the lines of.

The purpose of living is to explore and meet new people and to understand people’s feelings to a point where you’ve been everywhere you’ve wanted to be and to be content with what you’ve done with your life

and i mean while these answers are all valid and hold contextual value as to what “living” is, it is interesting to see that people seem to think alike and even though we believe in a different purpose we can all coincide at the same time and work together to build a better world.

I feel privileged to have met such amazing people in this study and i hope that this article stands as a marker of what the youth of today stands for and i hope that people can learn that teens and kids alike can teach all of us a little something.
Backward Compatibility — Glasswall Shim
By: Harry Georgiou
Tags: API, Compatibility, Product Management, Transparency, Shim

Transparent API interception

What is a Shim and how does it work?

A Shim is used to facilitate the need to manage the behaviour of an old API with the use of a new API which are directly incompatible with each other but are performing the same functionalities. For example: the new API may be an improvement to the old API, accepting a more versatile set of parameters and functioning in a more efficient, succinct and maintainable manner, but essentially, the functionality and end result between the old and new API are the same.

Therefore, by using the Shim, you are still able to allow your product to use the old API function signatures, but the Shim is used to intercept the behaviour of the old API in a seamless and transparent manner, allowing the functions of the new API to execute.

See the diagrams below which provides a visual representation of the Shim

When would you need to consider using a Shim?

If your product is currently running with an old version of the system and you are facing many obstacles in transitioning to a newer and improved version of the same product, possibly due to compatibility or integration difficulties, the Shim is a very possible solution for you.

How would the use of a Shim benefit your company?

Implementing a Shim is an effective and neat approach which you can use to integrate the newest version of the system by taking advantage of backward compatibility, while also minimising many of the concerns, difficulties and issues that a complete transformation and restructure could bring. Also, the shim is a great way for you to be able to test your new version of the API end to end without much of a ripple effect.

Stop it. Block it. Glasswall it.
The Chameleon
By: Vanessa Robinson
Tags: Life Lessons, Chameleon, Relationships, Transparency, Love

The Chameleon

Photo by sanjiv nayak on Unsplash

Some people not only love the one they’re with…they become like the one they’re with, and it can lead to a litany of problems.

This is not the same as becoming one with one another. That’s when two souls merge and cooperate…as much as two individuals can.

When a chameleon is in a relationship, they like the things that the other person likes, solely because the other person likes the said thing. They have no opinions of their own.

Their desires are whatever their partner wants, even at their own expense. Isn’t this what we all want? Someone at our beck and call, who believes what we believe and does what we do? It sounds like a dream, right?

They take on your characteristics. Lovely. Frankly, it sounds like a bore…but at first, it’s not.

At first, you make like Cinderella.

Your friends envy you when he opens doors for you…buys your drinks at bars…gives you cute little nothings to represent your anniversary (after two weeks!)…when no one has any money and he holds your arm firmly like you’re a precious diamond.

Let me tell you what happened to me.
Corruption is endemic in Lebanon’s Public Sector
By: Rayan Haidar
Tags: Protes, Public Sector, Corruption, Transparency, Lebanon

Lebanese people denouncing the economic crisis caused by corruption

With the rank of 137th out of 180 countries (180 is the worst) for the third consecutive year on Transparency International’s 2019 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), the Lebanese government fails to undergo a crucial shift in the fight against corruption, especially in the public sector.

According to Transparency International’s analysis, Lebanon is suffering from the political affiliations and leaders who are working for their own interests at the expense of the Lebanese citizens. As corruption rampant in the Lebanese governmental levels, simultaneously unemployment increased to stand at 25% having a third of the Lebanese population living below the poverty line.

This table shows the positive relationship between the percentage of corruption, un-employability, and poverty (Source: BBC)

It’s been one year since the first protest in Lebanon in October 2019, where people revealed their feelings of anger and frustration about the Lebanese government’s failure to save the economy and provide basic services.

In line with Transparency International’s 2019 Global Corruption Barometer for the Middle East and North Africa, Lebanese citizens notified the highest perceptions of corruption in the region. Nearly Eighty-nine percent of the citizens perceive corruption, especially governmental corruption, as the main challenge that worsens the economy crisis and un-employability. At the same time, sixty-eight percent of the Lebanese people assured that most of their government officials are embroiled in corruption.

This chart illustrates the results of poll that shows peoples’ perception towards corruption (source: Transparency International)

Public Sector: Most Corrupted Institutions

Analysts point to political sectarianism, which maintained their power after the civil war to protect their own interests and activities, as a key factor for corruption. Ministries and Legislatures are perceived as the most corrupted institutions in the country, which at some point justifies why Lebanon scored a 28/100 in the 2019 Public Sector’s Corruption Perceptions Index.

This charts shows the percentage of corruption in institutions (source: CPI)

Experts assert that the sectarian power-sharing in Lebanon is the main factor that fuels corruption. Currently, the country needs new political and governmental laws that end patronage networks and enhance anti-corruption institutions.
Recapping the Fight for the Transparency & Accountability Proposal
By: Ken Barrios
Tags: Chicago Dsa, Sad, Socialist Strategy, Accountability, Transparency

I had the pleasure of helping author the Transparency & Accountability To Build Socialist Power proposal, along with other comrades. This proposal was hotly debated via Chicago DSA’s Slack and social media for a week before being voted on at CDSA’s first General Membership meeting in over a year.

There were two articles written to help and promote the proposal. Comrades even put together a beautiful set of slides and a “Smarties Guide” to the proposal! This has to be the fullest, most public approach to a proposal I’ve ever seen.

There were also two articles written in opposition.

The acrimony of the debate around this one proposal even triggered a broader reflection by a CDSA comrade regarding our growing pains.

The reality is that this proposal would have been a success even if it had failed to get sufficient votes.

To my knowledge, no other proposal was discussed in the week leading up to the vote. This was especially notable because the Towards a Socialist Chicago (TaSC) proposal was extremely exciting and supported by everyone. Our opposition routinely counter-posed the two proposals. However, they were so focused on opposing us that they didn’t motivate for it in the week leading up to the meeting, missing a great opportunity to help explain it to wider layers of membership.

I would add that, on the other hand, we presented our proposal as a piece of the puzzle and encouraged people to vote for TaSC.

The vote ended with 168/122 in favor of Transparency.
Cameras for Transparent Production Under Robonomics Parachain Control
By: Vitaly Bulatov
Tags: Supply Chain, Industry 4 0, Blockchain, Transparency, IoT

In this article, I want to share the details about the visual inspection use case that our team has recently built using Robonomics Network.

Why?

As the automation trend in industrial manufacturing is reaching maturity, the demand for automated nondestructive testing (NDT) is growing rapidly. Companies are looking for ways to reduce the downtime and avoid defects in the final products, such as cracks, porosity, and manufacturing disorders. In particular, the automated optical inspections market was estimated at 446.5 million USD and it is expected to grow 24% a year.

Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly complicated the inspection process highlighting the need for automated inspections.

That is why we decided to demonstrate how Robonomics Network can be used to organize an automated visual inspection service. Vadim Manaenko, one of the key developers in Robonomics, has assembled the solution and has tested it at his favorite coffee shop in Saint Petersburg. But rest assured, this software stack will satisfy the requirements of even the most regulated sectors, such as the aviation and automotive industries.

How it works

From the hardware side, this particular implementation is using a single board computer, thermal printer for QR codes, camera, and a big red button so that barista could start and stop video recording.

When the system receives a signal from the button, it creates a QR code with a link to the video and begins recording. When the button is pressed the second time, the recording stops, and the video is published to IPFS. IPFS hash is then available through the Robonomics platform and stored there securely.

These devices leverage the Robonomics Network software stack to communicate and store value. Robonomics platform gives an easy way to connect many heterogeneous devices together and record data using the latest Web3 technologies.

What this results in, is an IoT system with an unprecedented level of security, where data not only is kept secure, but is auditable via a public blockchain.

Conclusion

The demand for visual inspections is growing and obviously, the security of IoT systems and data transparency is what companies are looking for.

This is why this use case is so interesting now. Of course, having Vadim enjoy his coffee more is a worthy goal on its own :) But this solution can be deployed in any setting where the need for secure visual inspections exists.
Prioritizing Integrity & Objectivity in Journalism
By: Eric Danetz
Tags: Integrity, Transparency, Journalism, Fake News

Journalism has long been a cornerstone of our society. But in recent years, “fake news” and a climate of pessimism has spurred a distrust in news outlets and the media. Ultimately, this increasing skepticism not only drives division within our communities, but also on a global scale — and is most definitely an issue we need to address.

Much of the onus of regaining that trust falls upon news outlets; publications and the media alike need to reassess their individual practices of reporting and discern whether or not they are maintaining a level of objectivity that many consumers seek. And besides, at its core, journalism was initially seen as a scientific practice.

Journalism should be rooted in integrity, and reflected in the reporting process as well as the final report. But integrity can only truly be practiced with transparency. Integrity and transparency are also inexplicably tied to objectivity, which comes naturally if outlets and journalists simply seek to deliver readers with the truth.

No doubt, 2020 — with the pandemic, the presidential election, and other major events — has been characterized as a moment of great anxiety and interpersonal divisions. Now more than ever, objective and transparent reporting is key in ensuring that consumers not only receive updates about global developments, but can also formulate an accurate blueprint for their lives which have no doubt been turned upside down during this pandemic. In a world where everyone seems so disconnected, and locked away in their homes, it’s easy to develop a pervasive — and unhealthy — sense of skepticism after consuming potentially misleading and intentionally divisive content on our digital platforms.

As such, we at Reuters have leaned upon our Trust Principles to preserve independence, integrity, and freedom from bias when gathering and disseminating each piece of information across our platforms. These principles sit at the core of our reporting practices. With these principles in mind, we strive to maintain a trusting and transparent relationship with our audiences. One such example was our recent partnership with Facebook, where we worked to provide platform users with live, and most importantly, accurate election results, and also notified them of any unsupported claims. In keeping with our Trust Principles, the data we provided came from a variety of sources and was a reflection of our commitment to non-partisan reporting.

While “fake news” is still out there, and distrust of the media still looms, this should serve as a driving force for us to strive for increased transparency and accountability within journalism. After all, journalism has a massive impact on our collective society today and the decisions we make in the future — and we have a responsibility to deliver.
Circularise joins the Startup in Residence program with the municipality of Amsterdam
Tags: Sustainability, Circulareconomy, Construction, Transparency, Infrastructure

Circularise joins the Startup in Residence program with the municipality of Amsterdam Circularise ·Nov 16, 2020

We are proud to announce that Circularise is among 10 companies selected into the Startup in Residence program with the municipality of Amsterdam. In the incubation program, the start-ups are given the opportunity to run a pilot in the city in addition to specific training and a mentor. The program stimulates innovative and sustainable partnerships between Amsterdam and startups.

All challenges this year have sustainability and mobility as the main themes, but each issue focuses on a different problem in the city. From making textiles circular to ‘green’ charging private boats. Circularise is participating in the Circular Construction track where we will have an opportunity to test our blockchain-based material traceability solution, as well as the Open Standard for Sustainability and Transparency, the software that allows relevant data on raw materials within the value chain to be securely shared and managed while retaining privacy over sensitive information. This will make it easier for the municipality to make choices about, for example, a repair or renovation of a building, therefore enabling circular construction.

If you work in the build environment and would like to get involved, reach out directly to info@circularise.com

Read the original article here: https://www.amsterdam.nl/ondernemen/nieuws/bekendmaking-winnaars-startup-residence/
How do I give feedback on small stuff?
By: Joe Still
Tags: Honesty, Feedback, Values And Ethics, Transparency, Feedback Culture

Two things: accusation audit and a reflection stance.

An accusation audit comes from Never Split the Difference. Basically, you beat the other person to the punch and claim all the negative things they could or that you worry they might say about your position. Definitely read the linked article and come up with your own approach, but I like the idea of framing feedback I am worried is too small or nit-picky with:

“I expect this will come off as nit-picky or too small to bring up”

With an accusation audit out of the way, we move on to a Reflection Stance. Rather than assigning blame with “the way you acted was bad and you should stop”, you hit them with “It is important to me that I be transparent with you about what came to mind in our last meeting when you said XYZ” followed with… you know… what came to mind. Did you feel condescended upon? Did you feel awkward or cringe? Were you fearful of the way the company looked after? Notice how none of these assign blame, but RATHER reflect your honest state of mind at the time.
Interview with the Head Statistician at HUD
By: Ismail Ali Manik
Tags: Public Policy, Data Science, Federal Government, Transparency, Evidence Based Policy

With the January 2019 enactment of the Foundations of Evidence-Based Policymaking Act (to be referred to as the evidence act here), every federal department and agency is required to have a statistics official who, among other responsibilities, represent the department/agency to the Interagency Council on Statistical Policy (ICSP), headed by the chief statistician of the US. Just as the ASA has been profiling ICSP federal statistical agency heads for many years, we now welcome new ICSP members to the federal statistical community.

Tell us more about your office.

My office’s mission is to provide the public with timely data about the housing market, focusing on housing conditions and production. To carry out that mission, my office oversees HUD’s housing market surveys programs, including the American Housing Survey, the Rental Housing Finance Survey, and the Survey of Construction.

The bulk of the $41 million annual funding for HUD’s housing market surveys program is provided to the US Census Bureau, which is responsible for data collection and most survey operations. My HUD team works with the Census Bureau to ensure we produce timely and accurate housing market data used by other federal agencies, local and state governments, housing trade associations, housing and community advocacy organizations, and academic and nonacademic researchers.
The importance of political integrity in eradicating corruption in Indonesia
By: Wawan Heru Suyatmiko
Tags: Campaign Finance, Cpi, Corruption, Indonesia, Transparency

Political corruption and campaign finance

Despite the successes of the KPK, the heavy task of tackling corruption across Indonesia’s political system remains a challenge. Specifically, rooting out corrupt relationships between state officials, public servants, law enforcement and business people should be a priority.

Political parties must also demonstrate greater commitment to transparency and enforcement of anti-corruption measures, and do more to end impunity. To promote transparency, political parties should be open about their political funding.

Keeping big money out of politics is essential to ensuring political decision-making serves the greater public interest. According to the CPI, countries that perform well on the index have strong enforcement of campaign finance regulations, while countries the perform poorly have weaker enforcement.

Transparent contributions from businesses to political campaigns are important in creating a climate of integrity in Indonesia. The implementation of business integrity systems and anti-bribery management for companies are also critical to the anti-corruption movement.

Recommendations

To make real progress against corruption, the Indonesian government must strengthen the integrity of its institutions, ensure efficient use of public services and improve internal supervision and law enforcement, including police, prosecutors and inspectors. The government must also support and protect civil society and media in their efforts to disclose corruption.

This blog is part of our “countries to watch” series from the 2019 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI).