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Sulawesi part 1 Bunaken

Finally after yearning for years to go to Bunaken and Lembeh I got thereAfter a delayed flight from Bali to Manado that was already scheduled late I had a very late night and not much sleep before I got picked up by two fish divers at 6.45 the




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Les plaines de Meseta

Nous parcourons entre 20 et 25 km par jour. Les paysages changent regulierement. Au debut c'etait montagneux et mainetenant nous sommes dans les plaines ou plutot sur les plateaux de la Meseta. Dans tous les villages il y a une eglise au centre. Il




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Leaving OregonCrater Lake

After hearing horror stories about driving down the coast in a big rig we decided to head through central Oregon south to California. We camped at Cascade Meadows RPI because Bend Thousand Trails has no sewers and our new motorcoach is a primadona with a




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New Zealand Taupo and Mordor

In Taupo we slept one Night near the Lake. The next Day was Hammer Time again. 15000 feet Skydive. Unbelievable Feeling. At the same Day we driven along the Desert Road Highway 1 to see Mt. Doom and Mordor from the Lord of the Rings. Very cool Scenerys




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Cracker in Melaka Part 2 and tioman

Welcome to part 1112 of the blog.continued from cracker in melaka ...The morning after the hindu procession i awoke to find Reuben and Livia had backed their bags and left for Cherating. After moving into a single room across the hall I went for s




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Irving Dallas and Fort Worth

Howdy from Texas...Fri 24th Sept Managed to find the train station from the greyhound station in downtown dallas got the train to Irving a suburb where the hostel was a woman and her daughter gave us a free lift from the train station to the hostel




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Lares trek notes in the margin

Okay how is everyone doing After 3 weeks I finally figured out how to use my blackberry on WIFI Now I will send out my updates without any issues....I forgot another couple of updates from the LARSE trekOkay so everyone know that I have d




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Zanzibar to Chitimba Malawi

These two days we traveled over 1000 km along the Tanzam HIghway finally crossing the border into Malawi in the afternoon of the second day. Here are some of the impressions from our travelsThe Tanzam Highway is paved but that doesn't necessarily m




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Our last few days in Africa

After a few days alone in Vic falls me and craig wanted out of Zim but guess what happend we got stuck literally We tried the train fully booked we tried flights fully booked our only option was to get the chicken bus to Bullawayo and hope we co




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An Epic Adventure in TransitParanoia in Thailand

So when I last blogged about our wonderful stay on Phu Quoc Island I was writing from an coffee shop in Saigon on Friday afternoon. I wasn't aware at the time but we had begun what would basically be 51 hours in transit as we blundered our way to an isla




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New Zealand Way to Taupo over Gisborne East Coast Road Opotiki and Rotorura

Arrived in Hasting we're slept on a nice Campsite near a Beach. The german Couple was 3 Days before us there. Manu and Vera are now 9 Month in NZ and have a Working Visa for 1 Year. On the next Day our 2 Vans heading to the North. We visit the Peninsula Ma




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Hysterical Journey To Historic Places

ltstrong stylemsobidifontweight normalgtSYLVESTER MOWRY Sylvester was born in October of 1830 and graduated from West Point in 1852 near the top of the class. As a sparkling new second lieutenant he went west and took part in the su




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video posted on flagoz.com

oct 72010. momentum gaining. video now viewable on flagoz.com click on youtube. tom and i spent three hours yesterday cutting form the clips i'd done into a three minute collection of vox pop and flag waving. very exciting and rewarding that i've done i




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Last day in Brisbane then Home Sweet Home

Hi allWell we're home now safe and sound and seem to have adjusted to the different time zone after a few nights of broken sleep We're both enjoying looking back on on the blog and on what a brilliant time we had in Oz so thought we would wrap it all




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Chocolate Canolli's at Midnight

The weekend was very full as I had my allday program beginning at 11 a.m. and finishing around 9 p.m. In that course of time we practiced breathing techniques sang an old Rogers and Hart song to be prepared for next class engaged in all sorts of mo




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the land of elephants....

There is a strange thing that happens when you live overseas. People take weekend trips to Vietnam or Japan or Korea or in my case Thailand. In the states this would be like taking a trip to Florida or California or just to a random city in the midwest.




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Oklahoma City and albuquerque New Mexico

After leaving Texas apparently the best place in America according to the Texan cowboy even though he had been to less places in the USA than us basically if it's not in Texas then it must be rubbish seems to be their philosophy we headed to Oklamoma and




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Kayaking to Monkey Island

The morning was a lovely day and so after breakfast we set out to lake Cocibolca for a bit of kayaking through the tiny islands near Granada known as Las Isletas. When first touring these islands it's best to do it on boat which I had done 6 weeks before.




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Huaraz Laguna 69

Towards the end of an eight hour bus ride to Huaraz I opened my eyes from a fitful sleep and glanced out the window. Light was only just skimming the edges of the sky but I didn't need much light to see their bulk towering out of the night. I was back in




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Lares Trek

Hallo zusammenSo ich bin wieder zurueck vom Lares Trek. Es hat mir super gefallen. Leider war das Wetter nicht so optimal aber wir hatten Glueck dass es immer erst anfing zu regnen wenn wir bereits unsere Zelte aufgestellt habenSodeli von Anfan




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22 Sri Lanka

Hello from Sri LankaOur trip here has turned out quite well actually. After a fairly slow start at the beach town of Unawatuna we ended up climbing Adam's Peak or Sri Pada. It was the top of the mountain where Adam when thrown out of heaven landed a




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Well Hello Dalai Lama

Hello Dalai LamaWell Hello Dalai LamaIt's so nice to have you here while China's doing wrongYou're looking swell Dalai Lama We can tell Dalai LamaYou're still glowin' you're still crowin'You're still goin' strong.We feel the World sw




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Camping in Stockholms Archipelago Finnhamn and Ingmars

Got the wonderful suggestion from my boyfriend James that we start a travel blog together and keep a track of our trips and travels and of our expanding adventures as we get to see and learn more about our mysteriously beautiful planet. Being a bit of a




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Auckland

Premiers pas en NouvelleZlande aprs 43heures de trajetAuckland n'est pas la ville que j'enviais la NouvelleZlande mais il me fallut bien trois nuits pour me remettre du jetlag et pour me faire quelques copains avec qui voyager Backpacker




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Hamilton Lake

Deuxime ville en compagnie de Dan l'english Hamilton Ville qui ne valait pas plus qu'Auckland a mes yeux car beaucoup trop de gros buildings et de d'industries Malgres cela j'ai su trouver un lac qui valait le dtour mais que beaucoup de personne




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Raglan sunset

Premiers FishChips neozelandais face l'ocan de Raglan C'etait aussi le soir d'une clipse totale mais comme je suis hyper doue je l'ai pas vraiment vue et je ne sais donc pas quoi a ressemble




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Spring season in New Zealand

Premier jour Taupo.. o il ne fait pas spcialement beau L'occasion pour moi de revisiter mes premiers jours en NouvelleZlande




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David Cameron can’t help the No campaign – he’s less popular in Scotland than Windows 8

The first rule of panic mode is you don’t talk about panic mode. And this is purely for personal reasons, but I don’t want Scotland to reject us

It used to be unthinkable. Now it’s thinkable. In fact, in some minds, it’s already been thought. Scotland might be voting yes to independence and splitting from the rest of the union. I’m not Scottish, and I’m therefore powerless to intervene, although I would personally prefer Scotland to stay – but only for entirely selfish and superficial reasons. Reason one: I’d rather not be lumbered with a Tory government from now until the day the moon crashes into the Thames. Two: I quite like Scotland and the Scottish, so it’s hard not to feel somehow personally affronted by their rejection. Why did you just unfriend and unfollow me, Scotland? What did I ever do to you? What’s that? Sorry, you’ll have to slow down a bit. Can’t understand a word you’re saying. Don’t you come with subtitles?! Ha ha ha! No, seriously, come back. Scotland? Scotland?

Apparently the consequences of a split in the union could be calamitous. The skies will fall and the seas will boil and the dead shall rise and the milk will spoil. There will be a great disturbance in the force. Duncan’s horses will turn and eat each other. Starving ravens will peck out your eyes halfway through the Great British Bake Off. Your dad will give birth to a jackal full of hornets. And in London’s last remaining DVD shop, Gregory’s Girl will quietly be re-categorised as “world cinema”.

Continue reading...




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Gamergate: the internet is the toughest game in town – if you’re playing as a woman | Charlie Brooker

It’s a stealth adventure with nowhere to hide and hundreds of respawning enemies waiting to attack you the moment you stand out in any way

I haven’t always been the kind of man who plays videogames. I used to be the kind of boy who played videogames. We’re inseparable, games and I. If you cut me, I’d bleed pixels. Or blood. Probably blood, come to think of it.

Games get a bad press compared with, say, opera – even though they’re obviously better, because no opera has ever compelled an audience member to collect a giant mushroom and jump across some clouds. Nobody writes articles in which opera-lovers are mocked as adult babies who never grew out of make-believe and sing-song; obsessive misfits who flock to weird “opening nights” wearing elaborate “tuxedo” cosplay outfits.

Continue reading...




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Bilder des Tages: Fotos aus Deutschland und der Welt

Jedes Bild ein Hingucker: Hier sind die besten Fotos der vergangenen Tage.




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Pippi Langstrumpf wird 75: "Ich weiß noch, dass ich Annika beneidet habe"

Silke Weitendorf war das erste Mädchen, das in Deutschland Pippi Langstrumpf lesen durfte. Später wurde sie Astrid Lindgrens Verlegerin. Hier erzählt sie, was die Schriftstellerin und ihre berühmteste Figur gemeinsam hatten.




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"M.O.M - Milf oder Missy" bei Joyn: Suhlen im flachen Plattitüdenbassin

Das Streamingportal Joyn versucht sich an einem Datingformat: "M.O.M - Milf oder Missy" lässt zwei Männer aus Frauen verschiedenen Alters wählen – und versumpft in faden Klischees. 




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EZB-Urteil: Von der Leyen erwägt Verfahren gegen Deutschland

Erstmals hat sich das Bundesverfassungsgericht gegen den Europäischen Gerichtshof gestellt. EU-Kommissionspräsidentin Ursula von der Leyen prüft nun ein Vertragsverletzungsverfahren gegen Deutschland.




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MH370: Flight Investigator Claims Murder-Suicide

Canadian accident investigator Larry Vance claims to have solved the mystery of the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370. In an interview, he explains why he believes the plane's captain deliberately ditched the aircraft.




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Claas Relotius Reporter Forgery Scandal

A DER SPIEGEL reporter committed large-scale journalistic fraud over several years. Internal clues and research have provided significant evidence against reporter Claas Relotius, who has since admitted to the falsifications and is no longer employed by DER SPIEGEL. Other media organizations may also have been affected.




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Astronomer Avi Loeb on the Interstellar Body 'Oumuamua

Astronomer Avi Loeb believes that the interstellar object dubbed 'Oumuamua could actually be a probe sent by alien beings. Given the evidence that has so far been gathered, he says, it is a possible conclusion to draw.




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Why Chelsea FC Parked a Young Player in Cologne

Why did the 14-year-old football prodigy Thierno Ballo transfer from Bayer Leverkusen to the amateur club Viktoria Köln? He was apparently parked there as part of a contract with FC Chelsea.




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Interview with Lawyer of Football Leaks Informant Rui Pinto

Rui Pinto is the whistleblower behind Football Leaks and has been in jail in Portugal for months. In an interview, his lawyer William Bourdon talks about how his client is doing and what he is doing to get Pinto out of prison.




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Tennis Player Andrea Petkovic on Maria Sharapova's Retirement from Tennis

Maria Sharapova effortlessly managed to combine her life as a tennis player with that of a superstar. With the announcement of her retirement, we take a look back at her career.




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Corona: Germany Weighing Strict Curfews If Rules Violated over Weekend

The head of Angela Merkel’s Chancellery has warned that people’s behavior this weekend will be pivotal in determining whether strict shelter-in-place curfews are imposed in Germany to control the spread of the coronavirus.




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Germany: Angela Merkel Governs From Home After Negative Test

The German chancellor is staying home after being exposed to a doctor who tested positive for the coronavirus. A first test came back negative, but Merkel will keep governing remotely for the time being. What does Germany's line of succession look like, and who would jump in if Merkel gets sick?




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German Ventilator Manufacturer: "Absolutely Mission Impossible"

Drägerwerk is a world leader in the production of ventilators. In an interview, company head Stefan Dräger, 57, discusses the challenges of keeping up with current demand as the corona crisis accelerates.




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Did COVID-19 Improve Air Quality Near Hubei? -- by Douglas Almond, Xinming Du, Shuang Zhang

Ambient pollution is a byproduct of economic activity. It has been widely reported that COVID-19 and associated lockdowns have generated large improvements in air quality worldwide, including to China's notoriously-poor air quality. We analyze China's official pollution monitor data and account for the large, recurrent improvement in air quality following Lunar New Year (LNY), which essentially coincided with lockdowns in 2020. With the important exception of NO2, China's air quality improvements in 2020 are smaller than we should expect near the pandemic's epicenter: Hubei province. Compared with LNY improvements experienced in 2018 and 2019 in Hubei, we see smaller improvements in SO2 while ozone concentrations increased in both relative and absolute terms (roughly doubling). Similar patterns are found for the six provinces neighboring Hubei. We conclude that whether COVID-19 actually decreased pollution in China depends on the pollutant and reference period considered.




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Dutch Exceptionalism: Will Holland's Looser Corona Policies Pay Off?

One EU country after the other is moving to restrict public life. The Dutch government has opted for less drastic measures, hoping for herd immunity and relying on the common sense of its people. But the country has still had to make adjustments to its policies.




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Fighting Coronavirus: A New Infection Alarm System on Your Smartphone

European researchers have developed a new technology aimed at slowing the spread of the novel coronavirus. Called PEPP-PT, it has been designed to conform with EU data privacy rules. Its developers spoke with DER SPIEGEL about the app.




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Md. Gov. Hogan vetoes sweeping education legislation

 -More




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Data: More students planning gap year

One in six high-school seniors report they definitely or most likely will alter their plans to enroll in college in the fall  -More



  • Teaching and Learning

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The Value of Time: Evidence From Auctioned Cab Rides -- by Nicholas Buchholz, Laura Doval, Jakub Kastl, Filip Matějka, Tobias Salz

We estimate valuations of time using detailed consumer choice data from a large European ride hail platform, where drivers bid on trips and consumers choose between a set of potential rides with different prices and waiting times. We estimate consumer demand as a function of prices and waiting times. While demand is responsive to both, price elasticities are on average four times higher than waiting-time elasticities. We show how these estimates can be mapped into values of time that vary by place, person, and time of day. Regarding variation within a day, the value of time during non-work hours is 16% lower than during work hours. Regarding the spatial dimension, our value of time measures are highly correlated both with real estate prices and urban GPS travel flows. A variance decomposition reveals that most of the substantial heterogeneity in the value of time is explained by individual differences as opposed to place or time of day. In contrast with other studies that focus on long run choices we do not find evidence of spatial sorting. We apply our measures to quantify the opportunity cost of traffic congestion in Prague, which we estimate at $483,000 per day.




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Steering Incentives of Platforms: Evidence from the Telecommunications Industry -- by Brian McManus, Aviv Nevo, Zachary Nolan, Jonathan W. Williams

We study the trade-offs faced by Internet Service Providers (ISPs) that serve as platforms through which consumers access both television and internet services. As online streaming video improves, these providers may respond by attempting to steer consumers away from streaming video toward their own TV services, or by attempting to capture surplus from this improved internet content. We augment the standard mixed bundling model to demonstrate the trade-offs the ISP faces when dealing with streaming video, and we show how these trade-offs change with the pricing options available to the ISP. Next, we use unique household-level panel data and the introduction of usage-based pricing (UBP) in a subset of markets to measure consumers' responses and to evaluate quantitatively the ISP's trade-offs. We find that the introduction of UBP led consumers to upgrade their internet service plans and lower overall internet usage. Our findings suggest that while steering consumers towards TV services is possible, it is likely costly for the ISP and therefore unlikely to be profitable. This is especially true if the ISP can offer rich pricing menus that allow it to capture some of the surplus generated by a better internet service. The results suggest that policies like UBP can increase ISPs' incentive to maintain open access to new internet content.




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Expected Profits and The Scientific Novelty of Innovation -- by David Dranove, Craig Garthwaite, Manuel I. Hermosilla

Innovation policy involves trading off monopoly output and pricing in the short run in exchange for incentives for firms to develop new products in the future. While existing research demonstrates that expected profits fuel R&D investments, little is known about the novelty of the projects funded by these investments. Relying on data that describe the scientific approaches used by a large sample of experimental drug projects, we expand on this literature by examining the scientific novelty of pharmaceutical R&D investments following the creation of the Medicare Part D program. We find little evidence that the positive demand shock implied by this program prompted firms to undertake scientifically novel R&D activity, as measured by whether the specific scientific approach had been used before. However, we find some evidence that firms invested in products involving novel combinations of scientific approaches. These estimates can inform economists and policymakers assessing the tradeoffs associated with marginal changes in commercial returns from newly developed pharmaceutical products.