Month: October 2025

Santa Claus has turned his “neighborhood” into an unbearable theme park

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In December, millions of children – and not so children – they write their letters for Santa Claus and they send them to their house in Lapland. In Lapland there are also people who write their letters, but wishing for something completely different: that tourists stop coming looking for Santa Claus. Because few places reflect so well what causes tourism such as Rovaniemi, the capital of the region. And the locals are fed up. Santa Claus’s city. Lapland is a Finnish region located near the Arctic Circle and its capital, Rovaniemiis a small city of about 65,000 inhabitants. It is surrounded by nature, but what puts it on the map each winter season is the “Santa Claus VillageFounded in 1985, the idea was to imitate something that disney I had been doing quite well for years: monetize the illusion. In fact, the country itself was the one that promoted officially Lapland as the authentic home of Santa Claus. And what was initially a decision to energize an area devastated by the Second World War (in fact, Rovaniemi’s population was residual until the mid-80s), it ended up forming a huge snowball. Burst. HE esteem The Santa Claus Post Office has received more than 15 million letters from 200 countries since it opened in 1985. In the busiest months, they receive 30,000 letters a day. But they don’t just receive letters: they also receive tourists. The “attraction” is open all year round, but it is during the busiest months (as Christmas approaches) when the number of tourists can exceed the local population by ten to one. The busiest day is obviously the 23rd, as tourists want to see Santa Claus leave. And the estimates is that Rovaniemi alone accounts for a third of the benefits of all tourism in Lapland, contributing around 400 million euros to the city. In fact, it is expected to increase by another 200 million annually over the next five years, something that motivates the opening of new hotels and more air connections, even in summer. Doesn’t stop. Because, of course, that number of tourists must sleep somewhere and, although Rovaniemi is not very big and depends on that Christmas tourism, it also seeks to stop being stationary. For example, there is a airport expansion plan for add 1,000 square meters to the terminal, as well as projects to diversify the tourist offer beyond the Christmas season. The plan is to develop adventure and wellness tourism in summer, taking advantage of the fact that they are surrounded by exotic nature and, thus, distribute the flow of visitors throughout the year. To contextualize, esteem that more than 700,000 people visited the region in 2024. They are almost the same as who visited Yucatán at its peak. To the south is Rovaniemi and next to the airport is the village of ‘Santa’ Reviews. And what had to happen happened, something that many other cities around the world are experiencing: a huge influx of tourists that are disturbing the local population. Part of the complaints about this touristification of Lapland They come from those who live all year round in Rovaniemi. Although hotels have been built and more are underway, they are not enough to accommodate so many tourists, so the tourist apartments make their august. This causes a shortage of housing and price increase. They also lament the saturation of local infrastructure during these peak seasons (going to the market on one of those days must be… fun) and something deeper: the loss of cultural identity in the face of excessive commercialization. In fact, in September last year, a group of local activists organized demonstrations demanding measures to prevent uncontrolled tourist growth. The mayor of the city himself recognized that something must be done to find balance, but that the financial gains are there. And both the Finnish Parliament and the Sami themselves they published in 2018 a guide to promote more sustainable and ethical tourism. And nature? Well, there is the other part of the cake and another reason for complaint for the locals. In a report by Guardianthe data of an analysis is presented that shows how, around the most popular tourist spots in Lapland, huge green areas have been developed focused solely on tourism. They include parks, hotels, ski slopes, virtual reality experiences to see the northern lights out of season, and vacation homes. In fact, they estimate that 15% of new urban developments in the region are related to tourism and that, over the past few years, 2.7 million square meters of nature have been consumed in a 10-kilometer radius with Rovaniemi in the center. Half of them are attributed directly to the tourism sector. But tourism is not the only threat. Snowball. In statements to the British media, a pastor from reindeer Sami (the local indigenous community that has been herding reindeer for generations) regrets that there is a set of factors (tourism, mining and logging) that is destroying grazing areas, but it is a situation that is not going to stop, but will increase as if it were a snowball. Taking into account that estimate of adding another $200 million in the short term to annual tourism, the Lapland regional council is already weaving a strategy to “grow resorts until they reach a critical mass in which the conditions for growth are so favorable that they attract more business and vitality to the area.” Meanwhile, environmentalists and locals will continue to wonder what will happen to the cultural heritage of the Sami people when the wave of tourism finishes passing over them. Images | Visit Rovaniemi, Ernmuhl In Xataka | “We do not want to be the Ibiza of the north”: the anti-tourism movement in Cantabria already mobilizes thousands of people

His Porsche 911 discovered it on a 2,000 kilometer trip and the police also discovered it

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In the late 70s and early 80s, Bill Gates was not only known for his talent in programming and for having founded one of the most thriving technology companies, but also for his love for speed and supercars. Especially those of porsche. The problem with driving a supercar is that it is relatively easy to exceed the speed limits. Thanks to this ease of stepping on the accelerator more than necessary, Gates has a strange record: three speeding tickets in a single trip. According what was published by Luxury Launchestwo of them placed by the same police officer who was following him. Release stress at full speed. When Microsoft was still in its infancy in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Gates used to drive his Porsche at high speed through the desert after long days of programming. This habit caused him more than one problem with the local police and ended with the now famous photograph of his mugshot in 1977. Although, in his defense, it should be said that this arrest was due to skipping a stop sign and driving without a license to Albuquerque, not for speeding. That reckless behavior behind the wheel caused him all kinds of problems, and ended the patience of everyone around him. As Walter Isaacson said in an interview for Time, Paul Allen, his founding partner at Microsoft, had to bail him out of jail after one of his midnight escapades to drive at full speed on the roads of the New Mexico desert. 2,000 kilometers go a long way. In 1979, Microsoft made the decision to move from Albuquerque to Seattle to establish its headquarters there, so its founders also packed their bags back north. However, Gates decided that, instead of sending his Porsche 911 in a truckit would be a good idea to drive it to Seattle himself. As the millionaire has acknowledged in several interviews, on that trip to Seattle he accumulated up to three “very serious fines for speeding”, two of them from the same agent who, after detecting Gates’ speeding, began to follow him. In this section, the millionaire committed another reckless act, which led to a double fine. “It was a very long trip,” said the millionaire. Gates and his obsession with Porsches. Since started driving – and he could afford it – Gates has been especially attracted to supercars made by Porsche. In 1987, Gates ordered a Porsche 959then considered one of the most advanced supercars in the world, thanks to its biturbo engine, all-wheel drive and pioneering electronics. The car was capable of reaching 317 km/h and only 337 units were manufactured, something that made it a true collector’s item. However, when the car arrived in the United States, it was detained at customs in Seattle because the brand had not passed the safety tests for the US for that imported model. For 13 years, Gates paid a fee of $28 a day to keep the car guarded at the port, which added up to more than $133,000 just to keep it stored until it was passed a law that allowed him to circulate legally. Your Ferrari “Sand Buggy”. In addition to a large collection of Porsches, cars from Ferrari, Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz have also paraded through Gates’ garage. According to what he said Walter Isaacson in his interview with Gates, the most popular of them was a Ferrari 348 that earned the nickname “sand buggy” after Gates got into the sand with it and started drifting with it. In addition to different collector units and 911 variantscurrently the millionaire regularly drives a porsche taycana sports car fully electric with which Gates appears in some shots in his miniseries ‘And now what? The future according to Bill Gates‘. In Xataka | A $700,000 Ferrari F40 spent a decade parked in a Munich garage: its owner had forgotten where he had it Image | Flickr (First Minister of Scotland), Unsplash (Jeff Cooper)

call the only ship that has been repairing them for more than a decade

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That an underwater cable breaks (or someone cut it) can happen anywhere. There is amazing ships dedicated to deployment and repair of this critical infrastructure in our hyperconnected world. However, when it happens in Africa there is only one ship that can answer the call at any time. Is called Leon Thevenin and has been in operation for more than forty years. The ship. As they say in Rest of WorldIn the world there are 62 cable repair ships that are always available, but in Africa there is only one. The Léon Thévenin is part of the fleet of Orange Marinea subsidiary of the French operator Orange, and for thirteen years has been in charge of all repairs from Ghana to Madagascar. It is 107 meters long and the crew that operates it is 60 people. It also features a remote submarine and a small work boat. According to the official ship record, It is capable of making repairs in extreme weather conditions, in both deep and shallow water. African cables. In this map We can see that the continent is surrounded by countless cables that provide connections to both its inhabitants and data centers and ground stations. Among the most notable is the ‘Peace Cable’ connecting Singapore to Kenyathe West African cable system and the Alphabet Equiano that go from Portugal to South Africa. The cable also stands out 2Africa which with its 45,000 kilometers is the longest in the world; It connects from the United Kingdom, goes all the way around the African continent and ends in India. And there are many more. Accidents. Cables deteriorate, they can also be damaged after storms or if a ship drops anchor and drags it. Many times the cuts are intentional, but they usually occur in other places in increased geopolitical tension like Taiwan either the baltic sea. In March 2024, much of the west and center of the continent was left without connection due to simultaneous failures in several cables. The Léon Thévenin was in charge of returning connectivity to millions of people. It has not been the only case. In recent years the ship has been having a lot of work because the Congo Canyona huge underwater canyon that extends 280 kilometers into the Atlantic, is suffering many landslides that have affected several cables. A great responsibility. It is estimated that 99% of the world’s internet traffic travels over submarine cables. If a cable breaks, it can leave millions of people without connectivity. Furthermore, in the age of AI, connectivity is even more important because it connects the infrastructure that makes it work. The price to pay for the Léon Thévenin crew is spending very little time with his family. Sometimes they rest for a month, the problem is that if a breakage occurs they are the only ones who answer the call. Image | Wikipedia In Xataka | The submarine cables belonged to the teleoperators, and now the big technology companies are controlling them

who wants to live like in 1565

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From 1059 to 1901, Basque sailors they launched to the ocean with one goal in mind: hunt whales. Due to the abuse, they killed the whales on the Cantabrian coast and headed for new seas, making enemies like some. Icelanders who could “hunt” Basque sailors. The expansion took them to Canadian waters, where the imposing whale ship San Juan was shipwrecked. Now they are reviving the ship and they need the most important piece to revive the whaler’s voyage. A “motivated” cook who wants to replicate the 16th century voyage in the same conditions as 500 years ago. And with the same menu. The new San Juan. A few years after the arrival of Christopher Columbus To America, the ship San Juan left for the Canadian coast. In the middle of the 16th century, the Basque whaling industry It was a world power with a significant share of the whale blubber and meat market in Europe. The expeditions took them far away, so much so that they had to create settlements and bases like the ones they founded in North America. On one of these expeditions, the San Juan was shipwrecked. It was in 1565 in Red Bay in Canada after a strong storm. In 1970, remains were discovered of the ship and, after the remains of the San Juan were brought to light in 1990, it was recognized by UNESCO as a symbol of underwater cultural heritage. It was in very good condition, which encouraged the Albaola Maritime Factory to build an exact replica of it. The special thing? They only use materials and techniques from the 16th century. The Saint John Handcrafted to the extreme. This ‘whim’ follows a rigorous process in which construction methods from 500 years ago are reproduced, something that is being documented step by step and which is not easy at all. The original San Juan It weighed 200 tons, was 20 meters long, 7.5 meters wide and had a six-meter depth. And they are not only rebuilding it with those measurements, but with the original materials. For example, for the keel, they have carved a 14.5 meter long piece of beech extracted from an eight-ton tree. And for the rest of the structure it has been employee wood from 200 oaks forests of the Navarrese ‘Sakana’. In total, it will also have six kilometers of hemp ropes, hand-forged anchors and 560 square meters of cloth for sails. It is a faithful reproduction, but they also want it to be functional because this new San Juan will once again sail the seas. Vintage wine cellar. The idea is to return to Canada aboard the ship, reproducing the original journey and to do so they will need another vital piece, in this case human: the cook. This search for historical fidelity will ensure that the wineries have the foods of the time such as double-baked bread, dehydrated bread, legumes such as peas and beans, sardines, cod, bacon and oil. It is part of the food they carried, and in large quantities, along with others such as bacon and drinks much more Spanish, and Basque, than the famous rum. There they highlight the cider, txakoli or the came. Why didn’t they carry water? Due to the difficulty of storing and conserving fresh water in good conditions. And, as for quantities, it is estimated that a ship like the San Juan could carry up to 50,000 liters of cider. Top ship chef. And those foods are what the chef who is on board during the “expedition” will have to create the menus with. The Albaola factory itself is the one that will carry out the selection process to find the ideal chef. It won’t be an easy job because there will be no showers as we know them today or toilet paper on board, and nor a huge range of ingredients, but the candidates are already getting into the role. In one demonstrationMichelin-starred chefs have prepared some examples of dishes that sailors might see on the menu. For example, a pea soup with cod, garlic and oil. Also a ‘zurrukutuna‘, which is a traditional Basque soup in which the ingredients are garlic and cod, or ‘soupoko‘, which is a traditional bread from the Basque Country created from leftover dough to create a bread intended for soups. 2027. While they choose a chef, the factory continues working, because on November 7 will be done the launching of the ship after twelve years of construction. Once in the water, the remaining elements will be installed to turn the ship into one worthy of sailing the seas as the original did 500 years ago. And, in 2027, the new San Juan will leave for Canada, recreating that original journey. And he will do it with his sailors and everything, reproducing the medieval way of sailing. Let’s hope that this new ship reaches a better port than the original. Images | Lolabimba, Ksarasola In Xataka | In the 19th century we found 7,000 rivets in a tomb. It turned out to be the largest Viking ship in Norway

The price of silver is exploding to levels not seen since 1980. The reason: we need too much

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The silver has just reached 51 dollars per ouncea level not seen since 1980. The metal is up 75% so far this year, even surpassing the spectacular gold rise. This increase corresponds to the growing industrial demand for said metal, especially in a context in which mining production stagnates and forms an imbalance that puts a price on the shortage. Structural deficit for the fifth consecutive year. The silver market has been in supply deficit for years. Mining production is not growing at the rate that the industry needs, and this gap is reaching historic levels. Metals Focus projects that the 2025 deficit will be 187.6 million ounces, one of the highest figures ever recorded. Therefore, less and less silver is extracted than the world consumes. The technology that devours silver. industrial demand It already represents 59% of total consumption of silver, according to the Silver Institute. Solar panels are behind much of that pressure. And it is that are expected to absorb 195.7 million ounces this year. But it is not the only thing: the semiconductors that shape artificial intelligence, electric vehicles and consumer electronics also pull strongly on this metal. A refuge at a lower cost than gold. Silver also benefits from the drag effect of gold, which just surpassed $4,000 per ounce for the first time in its history. Many investors who see the gold market as too saturated they are looking towards the silver as a more accessible alternative to protect against economic uncertainty, geopolitical instability and the weakening of the dollar. Flows into silver-backed exchange-traded funds have already reached 2025 the highest levels since 2020. The psychological barrier of $50. The silver has never been able to maintain sustainably above $50. Each time it has approached that level (in 1980 and in 2011) it has been followed by deep corrections that have scared away investors. “Psychologically, silver has never gone above $50 and has really stayed there,” explained David Morgan, editor of the Morgan Report, to the specialized media Investing News Network. Morgan calls it “crossing the Rubicon,” a defining moment that could open up uncharted territory for the metal’s price. India strongly joins the demand. Since its regulator approved silver exchange-traded funds in 2021, India has become a key source of new demand. Silver-backed products accounted for 40% of the country’s total retail investment in 2024, and Indian imports are at all-time highs. China, for its part, industrial consumption is increasing for technological installations and solar panels. Two Asian giants pushing demand at the same time. And now what. Morgan don’t wait Silver will shoot up to $70 in the short term, but it will consolidate above $50 if it manages to cross that barrier solidly. HSBC projects that the price could reach $55 in 2026 before retreating in the second half of the year. What seems clear is that, as long as the technology industry continues to need more silver than it can be mined, the pressure on the price is not going to disappear. Cover image | Scottsdale Mint In Xataka | OpenAI is the King Midas of the stock market: everything it touches skyrockets

Houses built on the sea are part of the US identity. Until climate change began to engulf them

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Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, has a problem. The Atlantic is devouring their houses. Literally. For years, the chalets raised on stilts and built on the coast were one of its most emblematic sights, but their privileged position has become a trap as the sea level rises and hurricanes occur like those that hit the area a few days ago. The result: eight houses demolished in record time. What has happened? That hurricanes Humberto and Imelda have left an unusual impression on the Outer Banksthe chain of islands that covers much of the coast of North Carolina, on the Atlantic coast of the United States, where the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Recently the virulence of the waves devastated eight houses of the area, causing them to collapse in a matter of a few days. On Tuesday, September 30, the storm struck five homes in less than an hour in Buxton (Cape Hatteras), the sixth collapsed that same night amid waves of several meters, the seventh suffered a similar fate on the first day of October and the eighth did not last much longer. The buildings were unoccupied. Why is it important? Beyond how shocking it is to see homes swept away by waves, what happened on the North Carolina coast is interesting for several reasons. To begin with, because these are not typical houses. As can be seen in the videos and photos released by C.B.S., AP, BBC either NBC The buildings were houses similar to stilt housessupported on exposed wooden piles. Hence they are a unmistakable piece of the landscape from areas like Rodanthe. Are they the first to fall? No. And that is the second reason why what happened in recent days in the Outer Banks is much more than a curiosity or a misfortune attributable to two virulent hurricanes. A quick search in the newspaper archive arrives to find similar news: two houses on wooden stilts collapsed in September 2024 in Rodanthe, another in November in the same community, another demolished in 2023 precisely because of the threat of the Atlantic waves… the list goes on and on until there are more than a dozen cases. USA Today calculate that since mid-2020, at least twenty houses have been lost throughout the Outer Banks. Very similar data handles Washington Postthat assures that during the last five years 17 buildings have collapsed in Rodanthe and Buxton alone, a list that could soon be expanded, since there are other houses that are also in a precarious situation. “It’s becoming commonplace,” he resigns Rob Young, director of a program focused on coastal studies at Western Carolina University. “It’s not a problem here. There are homes on the verge of collapse in many places.” Why do they fall? In the case of the houses that collapsed in recent days, the final trigger was the Hurricanes Humberto and Imeldabut in reality the problem is broader. Their position, the sandy nature of the terrain but above all the intensification of storms and the rise in sea level caused by climate change is leaving them in a complicated situation. The reason: coastal erosion, a phenomenon that is already is felt in Rodanthe and Buxton. How does it affect them? As I remembered last year in X the architect Pedro Torrijos, the Cape Hatteras It is already such a narrow strip of land that it is difficult not to build near the coast, but in the last 40 years erosion has acted in such a way that today there are houses that have remained practically above the sea. And so it’s a problem. Piles that were once surrounded by dunes are now sometimes covered by the ocean, affecting their foundations. In 2024 the state Department of Environmental Quality published a report which concludes that of almost 8,800 structures built facing the sea in North Carolina, 750 They are in a delicate situation due to erosion. What do the US authorities say? They are aware of the problem, they are controlling the houses that give in and explore solutions“These are typical elevated coastal-style homes, situated on stilts, with a concrete driveway, parking, and septic system. Many private properties adjacent to Rodanthe, which previously contained patio land, dunes, and dry sand, are regularly partially or completely covered with seawater,” the National Park Service acknowledges. “During severe weather events, private homes facing the sea and in vulnerable areas are hit by strong winds and large waves, which has caused homes to collapse in recent years,” recognize the agency, which has counted 21 collapsed houses since 2020 in Seashore. And what is the way out? Good question, difficult answer. There are those who have chosen raise your houses or even move them away to leave them safe from the waves (for now), but it is not a cheap solution and time is against them. Another option is for the authorities to take care of them, although it has its weaknesses: two years ago the Park Service acquired two houses in Rodanthe to demolish them and thus open an area of ​​public access to the beach. They cost him $700,000. Images | Cape Hatteras National Seashore (Flickr) and National Park Service In Xataka | Milton once again puts a big problem on the table: houses on the beach are losing their value due to climate change

We have filled Europe with traps to combat the terrible Asian wasp. It was a bad idea

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That non-endemic species reach new territories It’s a colossal problem. It is estimated that more than half of contemporary extinctions They are the fault of invaders and there are examples of kicks (reaching the Arctic due to climate change). He coypu or the blue crab They are two of those invasive animals, but if we share something in Europe it is the “fear” of Asian wasps: a ‘bug’ that we have been fighting for 20 years and against which we are losing miserably. And the big problem is that we are killing flies with cannon shots. vespa velutina. About three centimeters long, this wasp came to Europe at the beginning of the century. Supposedly, he did so aboard a cargo ship from China, landing on the French coast and, since then, colonizing other territories. In 2010 the species spread to Spain, entering from the Basque Country, colonizing the Cantabrian coast and arriving in Galiciabut it has also expanded to Portugal, Germany and even the United Kingdom. It is already well established and, although it is true that it is not more aggressive than “our” wasp, when it gets angry and stings it can cause serious allergic reactions, causing occasional deaths. The worst thing is that it continues to expand at a rate of about 80 kilometers of territory gained each year. Invaders. It’s no longer that they can bother us, but rather that, as an invasive species, they do what they do best: destroy the native ones. And not with other wasps, but with bees. The Asian wasp is a predator of other insects, but has a predilection for honey bees. It attacks their hives indiscriminately, causing enormous damage to beekeeping. At a time when awareness about importance of bees in naturebeyond for him human consumption of honeythere are those who take matters into their own hands and have started setting traps. It moves fast Flies with cannon shots. There are several types. On the one hand, the most homemade: the typical upside-down bottle that we fill with mixtures attractive to wasps (juices, wines, fruits and sugar), creating a sticky paste in which the wasp becomes trapped. There are others that are more sophisticated and selective, with large holes for wasps to enter, but with release mechanisms for smaller animals and pheromones that attract insects. The problem is that they are remedies that can do more harm than anything else because, although commercial traps have release mechanisms for accidentally captured insects, you have to be careful and, basically, it is killing flies with cannon fire. Those who do not have to fall fall. And the main criticism is precisely that: the traps do not discriminate and damage is created to biodiversity because many insects that are not the Asian wasp are killed. Among them are moths, beetles, flies, bees and an ally that fights against the Asian invader: the European hornet. In a recent investigation published Pest Management Science has analyzed how in Galician vineyards, traps against Vespa velutina have turned out to be ineffective in controlling the damage that the insect does to grapes, but although Asian wasps are trapped, other species that have an important role in pollination are also captured. Solutions? The request of the researchers is that the Galician administration, promoter of this massive trapping, takes a step back because what is produced is a false idea of ​​effectiveness due to general captures, but without implying that the objective, which is to stop the Asian wasp, is met. What do they propose? That this elimination technique be reconsidered and look at the scientific evidence, since “environmental problems are complex and can rarely be solved with quick and easy solutions.” It is not a solution as such to the damage that these invasive wasps can cause, but it is to put an end to the indiscriminate killing of other insects that do a job in our ecosystem. What is evident is that, as we mentioned a few paragraphs ago, for a kind of outsider to arrive and establish itself so quickly in a territory is something devastating. And the Asian wasp is a perfect example. Images | Clame Reporter, Didier Descouens In Xataka | After centuries of disappearance, there are people releasing beavers into the Tagus and other rivers in Spain. The problem is that we don’t know who

We have been thinking for years that, after the midlife crisis, old age is synonymous with happiness. This researcher thinks it’s a hoax

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We are happy during adolescence and late youth, but as the years go by we become increasingly sadder, more unhappy, more miserable. At some point, in our late 40s to early 50s, we hit rock bottom. And once there everything tends to improve. “It’s statistics,” we said. What we did not suspect was that the statistics could be ‘trick’. Happiness is U-shaped. “Happiness is a slippery slope until we hit the bottom at some undetermined point in middle age. From there, it climbs back to the levels of youth.” That’s what I said a 2008 study than by Blanchflower and Oswald with data from more than half a million people. Over the following years ( here an example from 2017), studied in some detail how firm this U-shaped trend was; Everything seemed to indicate that this was the case. Until Fabian Kratz and Josef Brüdel from the Ludwig Maximalian University of Munich they realized of a small – possible – problem. Wonkblog A fundamental problem. What if happiness steadily decreases with age and what we see in the aggregate graphs is just a statistical effect? Kratz has been studying for years happiness and, as explained in New Scientistis increasingly convinced that the U simply does not exist. Reviewing the scientific literature, the authors found studies that justify a “stability“in happiness throughout the years; a”increase” or progressive descent; a inverted U; a U normal; and a curve like of waves (promotions, relegations). The problem is “that all studies on age and happiness have incurred biases that have distorted their results.” The other form of happiness. By correcting them, Fabian Kratz and Josef Brüdel came to the conclusion that it is true that happiness shows some stability around the last 50, but it does not rise at any time. Kratz and Brüderl (2021) But why? It is important to keep in mind that this work is essentially methodological. But Kratz’s central idea is that previous studies they didn’t realize that “after a certain age, happiness seems to increase only because unhappy people have already died.” The least happy people they tend to die before, which would cause an overrepresentation of the happiest at older ages (literally, as said our colleague Andrés Mohorte, pure survivor bias). According to this theory, “that old popular story” through which retirement would open a window towards a fuller and more satisfying life is just that, a story: a lie. Or, perhaps, a strategy. Because, in short, “there is a lot of evidence about how humans experience a bassoon psychological in middle age” (Blanchflower and Oswald, 2007; Steptoe, Deaton and Stone, 2015; Graham and Pettinato, 2002), but there is very little about the relationship between that downturn – that unhappiness – and quality of life. As we said quite a few years ago“we’re about to see what happens to the millennials when they become unhappy” and maybe that is behind a part generational battles. But facing the future with the certainty that things are going to improve is not the same as facing the future with the certainty that things are going to get worse. The science of happiness has never been so depressing. Image | Garloncio In Xataka | If the question is “where is the secret to happiness,” an expert believes it is hidden in these 15 statements

In the 19th century they were not particularly sad, but no one smiled in the photos. Although they had reasons for it

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It’s strange to come across a current photo in which no one is smiling. If we see her, we assume that something is happening: either she wants to give a serious image, or something happens that we don’t know about, or the intention is precisely to go against it, not to smile. However, there was a time in which the usual thing was not to do it, not to show the slightest emotion in the photographs. What is the reason for this attitude? Were they so sad in the victorian englandSpain at the beginning of the century and so on? Actually, there is a very simple explanation. The exhibition. We all know that in the early days of photography, that is, between about 1840 and 1880, cameras required people to remain completely still for several seconds, or even, in the most primitive photos, minutes. Maintaining a natural smile for so long was uncomfortable, and fatigue ended up turning a natural smile into a stiff grimace. Furthermore, any movement resulted in a blurry image, which ran the risk of the model appearing in the photo with a blur on his face like a specter from beyond the grave. Hence the much simpler and more accessible custom of remaining with a relaxed gesture. Decent photographs. But there came a time when photographs did not require more than a moment of exposure, and there were still models with long faces. What was it due to? In reality it was not a technical question, but rather a question of how photography was understood. Perhaps with a vision inherited from when a portrait was a canvas that took days to create, required effort for the painter and model, cost money and could not be reproduced, but rather remained a unique piece. For all this, the portrait was clothed with a certain solemnity. It didn’t matter that these new portraits were much simpler and faster to do: They preserved the aura of dignity and special occasion of the oil paintings. Example: the dead. The legendary photos of the deceased or post-mortem photography They are a perfect example to understand how the medium was perceived for a time. They were a surprisingly common practice during the 19th and early 20th centuries and had a very clear purpose: being still a medium that was not widespread, photography was the only opportunity that many families had to preserve a portrait of the deceased, since they had not been able to do it while they were alive (and with the high infant mortality rate of other times, even more so). Furthermore, with this aura of dignity and pomp that the photograph had, it was incorporated into the elaborate mourning process. Victorian. Smile bad. In the 19th century, smiling openly in public or in portraits was often associated with frivolity, lack of seriousness, or even drunkenness. Educated and respectable people maintained a serious composure. If you have ever seen material from the tone period, let’s say, libertineyou will see what contagious smiles. It’s not that in the 19th and early 20th centuries people didn’t know how to smile: it was the circumstance in which photos were taken. That is why photos have been found taken in more familiar settings, at parties with very close relatives or close friends, where some of this rigidity is lost and people smile widely. Smiling badly, part two. And if we started with a reason as prosaic as “it’s easier not to smile than to smile,” we ended up with another equally practical reason: smiles one hundred and fifty years ago were terrible. The dental hygiene It was much worse than today and the dentures were full of holes, at best. When it came to passing on to posterity, it was normal for the models to decide not to show their teeth. Photo of Lia Den in Unsplash In Xataka | A tractor engine and three floors: this is the Victorian steampunk house that is touring the United States

Immediately afterwards, they gave China a new railway record

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China has been celebrating these days, as the National Day festivities have coincided with the Mid-Autumn Festival. And like every year, there is a larger influx of people who take public transportation from what is already usually China. In this aspect, its railway system has once again set a record. On October 8, China Railway Zhengzhou Group transported more than a million passengers in a single day, establishing a new historical mark and demonstrating once again the capabilities of its high-speed train infrastructure. Quite an achievement. During the entire festive period (October 1 to 8), China Railway Guangzhou Group moved 21.8 million passengerswhich represents an increase of 5% compared to the previous year. The first day of the festivities marked a milestone, with 3.5 million travelers in a single day. The data from the Ministry of Transportation reveal that about 82% of Chinese travelers chose the high-speed train as a means of transportation during these dates. Featured cases. The Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong line recorded 955,000 trips during the festive period, with an increase of 29.35% year-on-year. On October 4, this connection transported 135,000 passengers in one day, 40% more than the previous year. According to A spokesman for the passenger services department of China Railway Guangzhou Group, “the coincidence of National Day with the Mid-Autumn Festival caused a significant increase in passenger flow, mainly driven by tourism and family visits.” Click on the image to go to the post How have they achieved it? To manage such a volume of passengers, the railway authorities deployed an operational strategy which included extraordinary trains, connections with multiple units, circular routes were established, night services increased on days of higher demand and additional carriages were coupled to regular trains. During the holidays, the Guangzhou Railway Group operated an average of 3,419 trains of daily passengers, with 358 extra services. Increasingly popular destinations. These data, however, reflect only part of the picture. The Ministry of Transportation amounted to approximately 1,240 million interregional travel during the first half of the festive period, reaching historical highs. Only on Saturday, October 5, 301.29 million trips were registered, 6.1% more than the previous year. Frontline cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen were the most popular destinations, along with tourist enclaves such as Chengdu and Xi’an. High speed train as favorite. These records once again cement high-speed rail as the backbone of transportation in China, while also reflecting the vitality of the country’s tourism and mobility sector. The Chinese railway network, which is crowned as the largest in the world at high speed, it does not disappoint in infrastructure capacity and operational efficiency, especially in times of mass events. In Xataka | China has just redrawn the map of strategic minerals: its new rules on rare earths target the United States

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