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Technology and Development Redux
Deadly COVID19
Over a week ago, a mainstream media news outlet published an article (behind a paywall) suggesting that the disease caused by the SARS–CoV-2 virus, COVID19, was not as deadly as initially thought. The article cited the results of a non-peer
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Barefoot, like Abebe Bikila
The age of reason. No, not the Enlightenment but rather the age when children supposedly start thinking “rationally.” For some irrational reason, I remember my parents and their adult friends having conversations on the topic in front of us, children,
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Best Films – 2010
This year I saw just over 125 films. Below is the list of the films I liked the most, presented in chronological order, according to the date I saw them. Unlike other similar lists, no ranking is intended. I did
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Failing Markets and Economic Theory
“How Markets Fail: The Logic of Economic Calamities by John Cassidy is an excellent book that tackles the origins, impact and consequences of the recent economic crisis. It also provides a “What is to be done” (a la Lenin) in
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Heading to Baghdad III: A time-space warp
No one on the team traveling to Iraq was very excited about missing the helicopter. Most of them had slept close to nothing in the last 24 hours and were really yearning for a comfortable place to rest. I was
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Heading to Baghdad II: So close but yet so far
It still seemed like the middle of the night when we exited the plane and started walking on the tarmac. A UN security guide was leading us into the US Army base located at the airport. The base is called
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Heading to Baghdad I: A step at a time
This is the third time in the last 4 months that I have done the NY-Amman leg. I have been to Jordan several times since 2003. But this was the first time I was coming to Jordan to take off
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Best Films – 2009
I saw over 130 films this year. Below are the ones I liked the most. They are listed in chronological order, according to the dates in which I saw them. Silent Light/Stellet licht – Carlos Reygadas The Beaches of Agnes/Les
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Antalya: Going to the Airport
The eGovShare 2009 meeting (http://edem.egovshare2009.org/ organized by the Government of Turkey and UNDP (among others) was held in the Kervansaray Hotel which is located in Lara, to the east of Antalya. The hotel has a U-shape. There is a 300
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Economic Crisis Book
I just finished reading “The Origin of the Financial Crises” by George Cooper which was published last year. The book is subtitled Central Banks, Credit bubbles and the Efficient Market Fallacy which reveals right away the approach the author is
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Comments on the Economic Crisis
Although the root causes of the current financial and economic crisis are still being debated (and will continue until the next large crisis hits), one issue that stems out of of the current discussions is the softening in the last
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No Way Back for My Bad Back
Although I am feeling better – my left leg pain is now minimal but I still cannot sit for more than 5-10 minutes in a row, it seems that one of my trilogy of hernias in my back has decided
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Bad Back Back Again
Soon after my return from London early this month, I started to feel a sharp pain in my left leg, from the hip to the big toe. Fascinating stuff, needless to say. I initially thought it was just a temporary
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Back to the Office
So i finally decided to go back to the office today. The plan is to take it easy and reintegrate to work on a paced basis. So I am going to start with 3 days a week and two days
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Knife in the Water, for now
I saw the back surgeon my doctor recommended last Friday at the NYU Spine Center, located very close to Union Square in Manhattan. The good news is that I do not need surgery. He actually told me that my MRI
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A knife in my Bad Back? – Backstabbing!
Given my evident lack of progress, I saw my doctor this morning and asked him for advice on next steps. He neatly explained to me that one of the three hernias (L3-L4 for those who really want to know the
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Back to Bed, with Flowers
It came as a complete surprise to me. This was a long weekend as today is a US Holiday. Andrés and Ana went to Washington to visit my sister. I was home alone for a few days. While in the
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Bad Back Worse
My doctor recommended I go to the Chiropractor. Since I cannot drive a car or walk long distances, I search the Web for one which is locate close to home. I found one a mile away from the house who
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Still Bad Back
My back is progressing slowly. Thats is the good news. Now I have more mobility but I quickly found out that I cannot t sit down for more than 20 minutes in a row. The pain and stiffness are easy
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Bad Back Back
My back is progressing very slow in spite of all the additional medicines I got from my doctor. One of them is a pain killer which helps but it is just a panacea. I know… Although I can now move
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A Bad Back
I woke up this morning with severe pain in my the left side of my lower back. In addition, I also had apparent infection in my right eye which was all stuffy and wet. When it rains it pours indeed…
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Donor iInterest on OLPC
Last Friday I received a call from the Mission of Spain to the UN requesting a meeting to discuss possible support for OLPC. So I had to wear a nice tie and shirt for the ensuing meeting which took place
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Donor Interest in OLPC
Last Friday I received a call from the Mission of Spain to the UN requesting a meeting to discuss possible support for OLPC. So I had to wear a nice tie and shirt for the ensuing meeting which took place
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On Leave In Bogotá
I am back in Bogotá for the first time in two years. And once again, I must admit the city has changed for the best. Before, when I left twenty or so years ago, it was a small, gray and
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In the press but…
Early this morning, I got a call from a UN colleague who told me that I had made an article in a local press web service. The article is here: http://www.innercitypress.com/undp121306.html. Inner City Press has been running for a few
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Out of (South) Africa
Flying from Maputo to Johannesburg, which takes 45 minutes, is an efficient gateway to easily notice the huge gap between the two countries. The same goes for most of the sub-Saharan African nations. It is almost like flying from Mozambique
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Maputo in May, again
Six months is probably not a long time to expect and run into major changes in most countries. Mozambique is, of course, no exception. Maputo is still an intriguing city with its beautiful geographical surroundings and coastline that hosts the
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Dominican Republic
This was my first time back in Santo Domingo since 1999. I must admit the city has changed quite a bit. The first thing one notices is the development of physical infrastructure, buildings and roads specially. The long and beautiful
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Bangladesh Mission
Great trip to Bangladesh. We have an SDNP project with great potential and lots of resrouces. The Staff is top notch too and support from the host institution is rock solid. The report spells out the recommendations I am making
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Ecuador
Lack of both time and connectivity prevented me from using the Net more effectively in Quito. The recent volcano eruption was also to blame, at least partially. I could neither connect from the hotel room as the UNDP SITA config
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Dos 11s
Ese martes ya estaba sentado en el tren suburbano que tediosamente me lleva a diario a la oficina. Justo esa mañana había salido un poco tarde de casa y apenas había alcanzado a tomar el tren de las 9:09am –
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