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How Radio María has silently won a community of millions of faithful

May 9, 2025 by usatoday24

Radio María is one of the most important radio phenomena in Spain. With a community of listeners that are counted by millions worldwide, its history is not exempt from controversies. However, when the entire country succumbed to last week’s blackoutRadio María endured firmly without interrupting its programming. This is how this unique dissemination chain of Catholic thought works. Stop Radio María. He Past black that left the whole country disconnected did not affect all radio stationswhich made the little and old -fashioned transistors In very precious goods. Among the chains that endured the envy with, among other means, electricity generators such as Those of HospitalsThey were RNE, Zero Onda, La Cope wave BE. But among all, Radio María highlighted for its apparent modesty: indefatigable, it was still arriving at all points in Spain thanks to its large number of repeaters, 2,000 worldwide. A figure comparable to that of any large radio chain. Maria for the world. The devotees of the station will not be surprised: Radio Maríaof Italian origin, it is heard in points of Spain where the rest of the chains, even the big ones, arrive with difficulty, thanks to the 225 stations that have distributed throughout the country. And even beyond: it has 93 radio stations in the world, reaching points as remote as Asia or Oceania, which add 11 stations. Radio María presumes 500 million listeners (potential) that are sustained thanks to a network of volunteers that make possible the propagation of the radio faith: since 1998, since 1998, World Family of Radio Maria It is a non -profit association that brings together all these stations. A radio consecrated to faith. Radio María was born in Italy in 1983, as a parish radio in the diocese. Safe and priests wanted to develop an evangelization work with explicitly religious programming. This has been respected in radio growth throughout the world, and is noticed in its Spanish incarnation, where it arrived in 1999. On its grill the religious dissemination programs with all the spasible approaches (Jívenes, elders, marriages, psychology, theology, sacral music, news related to the Pope and the Church) and, of course, the religious acts, with prayer programs and two daily masses. Armando Lío. One of the aspects that Radio María takes care of is its relationship with younger Catholics. It has a program, in fact, entitled “Armando Lío”, such as Hakuna’s slogan, the Youth Catholic Activism Association that He congregated 85,000 people in Cibeles chanting their religious pop hymns. Although Radio María is little given to facilitate audience figures for its programs, the attention on their grill to spaces oriented to the youngest public, such as’Armando Lío‘,’Breaking molds‘Or also musical’Sing and walk‘They are proof that generating a community that supports the project is an important objective for the survival of the station. Niche community. Radio María is the perfect example of how beyond the attention of the great media and the general public live very numerous and involved communities, to the point of sustaining one of the most effective and listened radio stations of the country only with donations. “Our goal is to reach everywhere and we act to achieve it. It may sound very rare, but we do not move for the number of possible listeners or the possibilities of a station, we have some principles different from those of conventional radio,” said Quintanilla in the confidential. Undoubtedly, a criterion that has led the station to highlight in a situation as adverse as a national blackout. How is financed. It is the big question, the great enigma around Radio María. Officially, the station makes it very clear on its website: Maintaining the issuance costs 573 euros at the time, and the options for the faithful are multiple: periodic or punctual donations, income and transfers, checks, bizums .. until the fiscal deductions that correspond by donations are specified, which make up the 99% of the issuing income. The other leg of support to Radio María is the network volunteerwhich also admits multiple variants: in the promotion, in the dioceses, from home … Currently, they have more than 1,500 volunteers throughout Spain, which generate 90% of the programming. However, doubts also arise. Recent doubts. Of course, not everything is very clear accounts: yesterday The Superior Court of Justice of Castilla y León annulled the order by which the Board had awarded 124 radio licenses, 27 of them to Radio María. One of the reasons for the complaint, filed by the being, is that the stations were awarded irregularly: both Radio María and another of the main beneficiaries, the eleventh hour (owned by the Adventist Church), are non -profit stations and the bases of the Award Contest spoke of “provision of commercial audiovisual services.” Radio María and the eleventh hour monopolized 30% of the licenses awarded. Everywhere. Diffusion strategies like this or how to buy Rodrigo Rato in 2012 six radio licenses For a million euros They assured him total coverage in the Balearic Islands are those that have guaranteed his brutal expansion. Although its president, José Manuel Díez Quintanilla, affirms that certain activities that root the illegality They are a thing of the pastRadio María has taken advantage of its non -commercial condition to invade foreign frequencies or expand power above what was allowed, which earned them in their day the occasional fine like one of 126,000 euros from the Junta de Andalucía In 2012. Header | Jacob Hodgson in Unspash In Xataka | Listen to the radio on the mobile: options to do so and main problems of each

Every week, millions of flies are released on the Valencia Community and, although it does not seem like it, it is a sensational idea

April 27, 2025 by usatoday24

The Valencia war against the Mediterranean fruit fly dates back more than thirty years and is A constant reminder That going to war against an insect is never easy. It is not a reminder that is needed, the truth. Hundreds of regions around the world fight their particular conflicts with All kinds of insects, fungi or bacteria. If Valencia is important, it is something else. For a factory in caudete of the sources. An army of flies. Since at least 2017, the one we know today as Valencian Center for Genetic Fight It has been releasing hundreds of millions of flies weekly to combat pests. The technique is not new, but in this Valencian municipality they have led it to its maximum expression. Not for nothing is the largest bioplant in Europe and the second largest in the world: a reference in what is called “sterile insect technique”. Sterile insect? Yes, it is “a method of biological pest control that is based on raising males of the same species to fight that they are sterilized by irradiation.” These sterile males They are released to the fieldwhere they compete with wild males due to mating with females, “reducing plague levels by not giving rise to offspring.” Is a solution that “has been used in agriculture of multiple countries and in various flies and beetles. In addition, it is studied to fight against mosquitoes, in particular the Aedes“vectors of diseases such as dengue and chikungunya.” And is it viable? According to the Valencian example, it seems that. Although the regional government Spend about eight million Of euros a year, it has become a key piece in the defense of a sector that moves more than 10,000 million only in the region. As explained in the country: “In recent years there has been a very pronounced decrease in hectares of citrus treated with chemicals through aerial media (from about 330,000 at the beginning of the 21st century to just a few thousands of hectares today).” That is, it is a relatively cheap and quite effective project that also allows Very specific interventions And safe: “Since sterile males generally only appear with females of their own species, little effect on ecosystems is expected, unlike insecticides, which are toxic to many different species.” An increasingly present future. A few years ago, Manuel F. HerradorProfessor of the UDC Civil Engineering School, he said that in the future, they will be horrified how much of our way of building was summed up in two words: brute force. Something like this will happen when technology historians look at how we cultivate during the 20th century. Now, little by little, we are recovering (and creating) other ways to intervene in the nature much more intelligent, powerful and effective. Font caudete is just the beginning. Image | AlvesGaspar | THAT In Xataka | These mosquitoes are genetically modified to resist the four dengue virus serotypes and avoid their propagation

how the LGBTI community of Seville lives the passion of Holy Week from within

April 16, 2025 by usatoday24

In 2019 a video was viralized which showed a group of young people by teaching the Virgen de los Dolores in a procession of the Holy Week of Seville. The delivered of the compliments (“Queen of Holy Tuesday!”, “The whole neighborhood for you!”) And the tone with which they were thrown unleashed all kinds of comments, many of them openly homophobic and, above all, Plumophobes. In any case, they did not surprise those who are used to Holy Week in the Andalusian capital and their intimate relationship between the Catholic fervor and the very personal LGTBI militancy of many of the devotees of the images. To scream, young. Actually, the phenomenon of the “chillaores”, as these young people are known, has nothing again, as they believe some guardians of the essences of Holy Week (although it is true that it is now when the Church has been in favor of “Cut Hysterisms”). For example, in 1916, Eugenio Noel already I documented phrases As “this virgin goes through the crotch to all the virgins of Seville” shouted to the passage of hope Macarena. Humble neighborhoods. These cheers had a lot of social vindication in their day, since both the Triana and Macarena neighborhood were popular areas that adorned their virgins as a challenge to the aristocracy of the central processions. There the screams with a corrosive point made sense, intolerable for central (and ecclesiastical) power. Today Seville is a very different citybut customs bloom again: Noel talked about how at Madrugá “the cathedral does not close, the taverns either, and the life of the brothels is more active than ever.” Holy Week is a performative activity, whether it opts for dawn and extreme sobriety. “Dolores beautiful!” This was what Jesus Pascual realized when he saw the viral video. He began to investigate the strong LGTBI component of Holy Week in Seville and embodied it in a documentary entitled as the cry that the launched by the Chillaores of the video, and that can be seen in Filmin and Prime video. The result is an amalgam of influences that make clear the popular nature of Holy Week in Seville and how symbols can be reinterpreted without losing anything of its original meaning. At the same time paradoxically corrosive and traditional, ‘Dolores beautiful!’ He is revealing especially when the self -denominated “shellfish shelves” speak of the tradition of the steps and the bearers as a land paid for gay feeling. Two ways to see it. In Dolores beautiful! It is said that “there are two religions: that of Rome and that of Seville.” It refers to Catholicism and the multiple ways of understanding its iconography, where the Virgin Mary, pure femininity and maternal symbol, is both symbol pio and diva to dress like a folkloric (another eminently Andalusian environment that The gays have made their owndespite the traditionally homophobic opposition of the most immobilistic church and Spain). Rodríguez Ojeda, referent. In the documentary it is mentioned, as an essential reference, to the embroidery Juan Manuel Rodríguez Ojedarecognized homosexual that revolutionized Holy Week at the end of the 19th century. Among his essential works are The mantle of the Virgen de la Macarena (which was revolutionary in his day, to distance himself from the most sober mantles seen so far) or the costumes of the Roman century, which decorated With feathers and leotards. This color and precious made a lot to inject from an unheard of sensitivity queer to the Holy Week of Seville. In fact, with him a prototype gay participation was established in artistic work, jewelers to virgin dressing rooms. Your double morals, thanks. Although this homosexual presence is open and recognized, in many cases declared, there is still some tension: integration is there, but the signal also: the Church demands “moral” behaviors to homosexuals and divorced. The cries to the Virgin are thus a form of claiming a reality that, due to the presence of the Church, cannot be official: once again, as happened before in cinema and in music, Sensitivity Camp serves as a statement of intentions (and as the construction of an alternative family environment in the face of your own rejection). New times for the Baroque. In recent times, new artists and movements that claim this reality have emerged. Carlos Carvento Merge Sevillan mantillas with attitudes of Drag Queen; groups like PALIO PROJECT they fight for trans visibility in the brotherhoods; And finally, scandals like the Holy Week poster of 2024 From Salustiano García, who questioned the iconography of Christ, they open debates that help to make visible a struggle of aesthetics and wills that have been bubbling into the brotherhoods. Header | Europa Press In Xataka | Why the LGBT+ Pride Day remains necessary, explained by its protagonists

Japan has encountered a problem with the aging of their growing foreign community: they cannot bury them

March 3, 2025 by usatoday24

Japan and their society have been immersed in a process of transformation where the role of “foreigner” every time It is more important. Waves arrive in the country, and in many cases to stay. The clearest example is giving with many Chinese who They arrive not to returnbut it is exponential to all nations. This is resulting in the population of advanced foreign residents is increasing, and with it, of deaths. A problem that nobody saw. I told this one Nikkei weekend. Foreign residents in Japan are dealing with serious difficulties in burying their loved ones. The reason? The Cremation predominancewhich has become the norm in the country. He 99.99% of the deceased In Japan they are cremated, according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, which leaves those who require burial for religious reasons or simply by tradition with very few options. The problem is especially critical for Muslim and Christian communitieswhich consider unacceptable cremation. The situation is aggravated as the foreign population ages and grows the demand for burial spaces, which has turned the issue into an increasingly urgent challenge for the nation. Examples of a crisis. In the medium report they had a case that occurred last January after the death of A Pakistani man in Kanagawa which unleashed a frantic search for a cemetery that allowed its burial. His family, with limited resources, could not repatriate his body, and after multiple rejections and high costs, they finally managed to bury him in the Cemetery Honojo Kodama in Saitama, for a amount of 300,000 yen (around 2,000 euros), paid by friends of the community. There are more similar cases that are repeated throughout the country. For example, that of a Korean Christian woman 80 years old who died in October, and his son took a month and a half to find a burial site. During that time, his body had to be stored in a police installation. Factors that hinder burials. There are several keys to understanding the controversy around the shortage of cemeteries that allow burials. The first one already said: the predominance of cremation. Japan has gone from burying their dead to incinerate them almost entirely in the last 50 years. In 1913, only 31% of the deceased were cremated, but by 1934 it had already become the majority practice due to health concerns and lack of space. But there is more. Another problem is derived from The scarcity of landsince the large amount of land necessary for cemeteries in a country with limited space is a key obstacle. Also the Environmental concernssince there is fear that burials contaminating groundwater (although there is no clear evidence that supports said statement). Finally, it points to the local community resistancesince in many regions residents oppose the construction of new cemeteries, which has frustrated several projects. The aging of the “foreigners” and the future impact. Japan currently houses 3.41 million foreign residentsof which 220,000 are 65 years or older, an increase of 150% in the last decade. The aging of this population implies that the demand for burials will only grow in the coming years. In this regard, Professor Hirofumi Tanada, an expert in the Muslim community in Japan, estimates that there are around 350,000 Muslims in the countryfacing problems similar to those of other religious minorities. Tanada warned that in 10 or 15 years could be even more difficult Find places of burial, which will intensify the crisis. Regional disparity in the availability of cemeteries. Another of the problems of the problem. Japan presents strong regional inequalities In access to cemeteries. Namely: while in the Kanto region (which includes Tokyo and its surroundings) there are four private cemeteries that allow burials, in regions such as Tohoku and Kyushu have none. Again: despite the growing need, the efforts to create new cemeteries have found obstacles. Last December, the governor of Miyagi proposed to build a cemetery in the region, but received an avalanche of calls and emails from Citizens expressing your opposition. The attempt of a Muslim cemetery. It happened in 2018when the Beppu Muslim Association in Oita Prefecture tried to build a cemetery in the town of Hiji. After seven years of negotiations, they finally agreed with local authorities and residents to build the cemetery in municipal land, with conditions such as the limitation of the use of the cemetery to residents of Kyushu and a regular monitoring of water quality. However, The project was canceled When a new mayor revoked the sale of the land, citing environmental concerns. This left the Muslim community without viable options in the region. Proposals and barriers for a solution. Professor Khan Muhammad Tahir Abbas, director of the Beppu Muslim Association, told that the lack of cemeteries not only affects foreigners, but also Naturalized Japanese and converts to Islam or Christianity. Since 2021, requests have been presented to the Ministry of Social Welfare requesting the creation of adequate cemeteries for religious minorities. However, to date, Japan has not adopted No clear policy about itarguing that differences in customs and beliefs make it difficult to implement a standard solution. Meanwhile, other countries have managed to integrate religious burials into their funeral infrastructure. In Norway, the United States, Canada or Singapore, among others, specific sections have been designated in public cemeteries for Muslims and other religious minorities. A challenge that the nation cannot ignore. With the Foreign resident figures In hand, Japan is facing a problem that cannot be ignored. The lack of accessible cemeteries For this group it is a challenge that will only be aggravated over time. Although the cremation remains the norm, the aging of the foreign community demands a more inclusive answer by the Japanese government. As They explained in Nikkeiif the nation wants to fulfill its objective of being a more diverse and cozy society, it should facilitate solutions that allow religious minorities to bury their dead with dignity. This requires overcoming the local opposition, adapting funeral policies and developing adequate infrastructure, as other nations with … Read more

The consumption of amphetamines in Spain is concentrated in an autonomous community. And we know it with a “single” trick

January 31, 2025 by usatoday24

The surveys are very useful for “taking the pulse” to the population, but they can also lie (or at least fool) in many ways. Not this is not a cooking thing and how its results are interpreted: sometimes the lack of truth comes from the basis, and asking for some issues can be very delicate. And a great example of this is found in illegal substances, such as drugs. OEDA report. He last report prepared by the Spanish Observatory of Drugs and Addictions (OEDA) and the Government Delegation for the National Drug Plan He investigated not only social perceptions about the drug use of Spaniards, but also in their consumption habits. One of the most striking results was the “differential clear” in the pattern of amphetamine consumption: and the report found that the consumption of this substance was concentrated in an autonomous community: Euskadi. Estimates on the consumption of this substance in the Basque Autonomous Community far exceed the state average and records in the regions treated in the report. According to these calculations, the consumption of SPEED (name with which reference is also made to this substance) oscillates, according to areas Between 700 and 2,100 milligrams A day for every 1,000 inhabitants, while in the rest of the areas of study the average estimated consumption was 24 mg/(day 1,000 inhabitants). Not as easy as it seems. Estimating the consumption of this and other substances can be complicated. In the case of illegal drugs, its illicit nature makes the task of investigating its consumption complicated through simple surveys. To this we must add the social perception of drugs as taboo, something that also applies to legal substances such as alcohol and tobacco. So how are scientists save the scientists studying these substances? OEDA reports They consult the population to know their perception of this type of substance (both legal and illegal). However, to know drug use habits follow another strategy: search in waste. Sewage. Specifically, in wastewater. Our body discards these substances or their metabolites (the compounds derived from the medicalization of a compound) through the urine, which implies that the tests end up in our wastewater and from there in the water treatment plants. The equipment responsible for the analysis took water samples in a series of purifying stations sewage (WWTP) distributed in various autonomous communities, 28 in total. The samples were taken over a week (usually in spring) in the years between 2021 and 2023. In some of the stations additional samples were taken in the second half of the year. Different habits. None of the substances analyzed presented a pattern of consumption as centered as the case of amphetamines, although in the case of cannabis, for example, some trends with the Catalan stations and the Canarian station can be interviewed indicating the areas of greatest consumption. On average, a consumption of 13 g/(day 1,000) of THC (tetrahydrocannabidiol) was estimated. The study of wastewater also gives us information about legal substances such as alcohol and nicotine. The median reading of the national WWTP ethanol showed an estimated consumption of 7.6 l/(day 1,000 inhabitants). In the case of nicotine on the other hand, the global median indicated a consumption of 1,641 mg/(day 1,000 inhabitants). Not only Spain. This type of analysis based on wastewater is not exclusive to Spain. At European level we can also find similar studies. Another recent study Performed by the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) analyzed consumption patterns in European countries and observed that Spain (as well as the Netherlands) showed a relatively high consumption of substances such as cocaine, MDMA, THC or ketamine. Of course, in this case, the study analyzed less water treatment stations: six located in different parts of the Mediterranean coast and one more in Galicia. The concentration of stations in the Mediterranean and absence of samples in other highly populated areas such as Madrid implies a serious limitation in this study if we want to extrapolate its results to the whole. In Xataka | Drugs, mental health and pre -Hispanic civilizations: the clash between modern medicine and millenary traditions Image | Colin Davis / Abdo Alshreef

More than 50,000 people under evacuation orders or notice for fire north of Los Angeles

January 23, 2025 by usatoday24

CASTAIC, California, USA — Nearly 20,000 people were ordered to evacuate Wednesday as a massive wildfire moved rapidly and tore through the rugged mountains north of Los Angeles, while arid Southern California endured another round of dangerous winds and two other large fires continued to burn. The Hughes Fire broke out in the morning and within hours burned about 8 square miles (21 square kilometers) of trees and brush, generating a huge plume of dark smoke near the Castaic Lake area, a popular recreation area located about 40 miles (64 kilometers) north of the devastating Eaton and Palisades fires that are still burning after three weeks. A 30-mile (48-kilometer) stretch of Interstate 5, a major north-south thoroughfare, was closed as flames swept across hills and into steep canyons. Crews on the ground and in air tankers tried to prevent the wind-driven fire from crossing the highway and heading toward Castaic, where most of the 19,000 residents were ordered to evacuate. Another 15,000 residents in the area were warned to be prepared to leave at any time, according to the Los Angeles County Police Department. Kayla Amara drove to the Stonegate neighborhood in Castaic to pick up items from the house of a friend who had left in a hurry to pick up her daughter from preschool. While Amara was packing up the car, she learned that the fire had grown in size and decided to douse the property with water. “Other people are also spraying their houses with water. I hope there is a house to return to,” Amara said as police patrols passed through the streets and flames engulfed trees on a hill in the distance. Amara, a nurse who lives in nearby Valencia, said she has been nervous for weeks as large fires devastated Southern California. “It’s been stressful with those other fires, but now that this one is close to home it’s just super stressful,” he said. To the south of the state, officials in Los Angeles began preparing for possible rain even as some residents were cleared to return to the charred areas of Pacific Palisades and Altadena. The windy weather was forecast to continue through Thursday and there was a chance of rain starting Saturday, according to the National Weather Service. “Rain is forecast and the threat of mud and debris flows in our fire-impacted communities is real,” Supervisor Kathryn Barger said during a news conference Wednesday morning. Fire crews filled sandbags for communities while county workers installed barriers and cleaned drainage pipes and basins. Red flag alerts for critical fire risk were extended until 8 p.m. Thursday in Los Angeles and Ventura counties. Authorities remained concerned that the two large fires, the Palisades and Eaton fires, could break their containment lines as firefighters continue to monitor critical locations. For her part, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass warned that the winds could blow ash and advised Angelenos to visit the city’s website to learn how to protect themselves from toxic air during the new Santa Ana wind event. Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer warned that the ash could contain heavy metals, arsenic and other harmful materials. “Even brief exposure can cause skin irritation and lead to more serious problems,” Ferrer said Wednesday, asking people to wear protective gear while cleaning. Low humidity, extremely dry vegetation and high winds occurred as firefighters continued to battle the Eaton and Palisades fires, which have killed at least 28 people and destroyed more than 14,000 structures since they began on January 7. Containment of the Palisades Fire was 68%, and that of the Eaton Fire was 91%. Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said Wednesday that his department continues to investigate 22 active missing person reports in both fire zones. All of the people reported missing are adults, he added. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is investigating the causes of the fires but has not released any findings. Several people who lost their homes in the Eaton fire have filed lawsuits, alleging that utility company Southern California Edison’s equipment started the fire. A judge overseeing one of the lawsuits on Tuesday ordered the company to produce data from circuits in the area where the fire started.

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