great

9,000,000 dollars that prevented a major catastrophe in the great recession

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On October 28, 1929, the Down Jones index collapsed almost 13%. It was one of the most devastating days of Wall Street and the ‘Black Monday‘who marked the Great Depression of 1930. The consequences worldwide were devastating, but it is a cyclical that was repeated in 2008 and that He threatened just a month ago. The financial crisis of 2008 was one of the greatest economic shocks in recent history, and in it there was a history as chanante as representative of the operation of the banks. The 9,000 million dollars check. Collapse. He Origin of the recession was … United States. The banks spent years emitting massively high -risk mortgages (credits to individuals who were not going to be able to pay them) and packaged those operations as opaque products and poorly qualified by valuation agencies (they had more risk than it was said). They were the calls “Toxic assets“That banks and funds from all over the world had bought. It is what caused rampant speculation and an artificial real estate bubble. And all the elements led to the fall of several financial institutions as powerful as Lehman Brothers. The banks stopped lending money, affecting both the entities and companies themselves. There was no money, the stock market fell into chopped jobs and governments had to inject billions to avoid the collapse of the financial system. Aid! Between it was Morgan Stanleyone of the world’s largest investment banks (the US Big Four with Lehman Brothers, Goldman Sach and Merrill Lynch) who needed the same as the rest of the entities: a rescue. The great independent entities sought how to get billions to continue operating, and the state of Morgan Stanley It was critical. After flirting with some banks, including a Chinese controlled by the state, they put their hopes in Mitsubishi UFJ. It is one of Japan’s biggest banks and, after intense negotiations, agreed to inject a stratospheric amount. 9,000 million. It is said soon, but with that figure they would get 21% of Morgan Stanley and an annual dividend of 10%. They would be done with a good piece of the American banking cake and Morgan Stanley could continue to operate, but there was a problem: there was no way that the amount arrived in time to avoid collapse. In fact, everything pointed in one address: if that money did not arrive, the bank would disappear. Time ran against a Morgan Stanley who, in a matter of days, saw how his shares fell from 60 dollars to less than $ 10. Transfer and holidays. We were in 2008 and the methods were the same as today (that does not speak well of traditional banking, precisely). The negotiation between the entities was urgently held a weekend and if you are one of those who make transfers, you already know what that means: banks do not make transfers on the weekend or holidays. Due to Columbus dayIn addition, they were going to be closed until Tuesday and, in addition, a transfer took between two and three days. It may, by then, Morgan Stanley no longer existed. In addition, the entity needed to make the announcement of the fusion as soon as possible to relieve the load a bit and show the investors that there was light at the end of the tunnel. The solution was as archaic as effective: paper and boli. Of joke. In the negotiation, one of the members of the Morgan Stanley team commented a “what a pity that you cannot simply extend a check. account That attendees laughed, but it was a laugh followed by something like “a moment, it can work.” And what if it worked: if Mitsubishi could face extending a check of 9,000 million dollars, nothing prevented Morgan from depositing it at the bank before the markets opened on Tuesday morning. Thus, they could announce the fusion, they would have the money on the account, the investors would be happy and the end of the story. Round. Japanese negotiators called the central, they found that they did have the ability to extend that check and the result was as follows: A role that guaranteed that Morgan Stanley received an injection of 9,000,000 dollars and that caused an increase in the price of shares of $ 9.68 to $ 17.92 when the markets opened on Tuesday. The operation had gone well for both and today, Morgan Stanley has a capitalization of 190,000 million, while Mitsubishi’s investment today exceeds 40,000 million. A round business that, rather than for history itself, is curious for how a piece of paper (the most expensive in history, could be?) It was imposed on the limitations of the Banks computer system. In fact, in the documentary that the firm made About their history a few years ago, they recognize the most important of this matter: they were lucky. Images | Mortan Stanley In Xataka | “A hole we have never seen”: 25% tariff

The US has become the great “donor”

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In recent months we have proven to what extent the commercial policy of the United States affects the rest of the world (and vice versa). The threat of a commercial war between Europe and the North American country has been markedly diluted but has made us reconsider the role that international trade plays in our daily actions. Because this affects details that sometimes we would not suspect. The United States is the main exporter of medical products in the world, something that may not be so surprising. This is true if we talk about medical equipment, but It is also If we talk about something as particular as Blood plasma. Because yes, this key component of our blood also thickens international accounting data in some countries. First of all, perhaps it is convenient to clarify what is exactly plasma. Blood plasma is essentially the liquid part of the blood. In this liquid where red blood cells, leukocytes or white blood cells, and platelets are suspended. The plasma It is mainly composed of water, proteins such as immunoglobulins, coagulation and albumin factors, in addition to salts that exert electrolytes. We can obtain blood plasma through donations in two ways. One, through plasma donations (plasmapheresis). In this process, blood is extracted to the patient, blood from which the plasma is separated and removed at the same time that the rest of the liquid components are returned to the donor. Plasma can also be obtained from conventional blood donations. According to Explain the Transfusion Center of the Community of Madridthe plasma obtained from conventional blood donations is enough to meet all transfusion needs of patients. However, at least in Spain, the plasma extracted by this route is not enough to produce hemoderivates from the proteins present in the plasma or PDMP (PLASMA-DERIVED Medicinal Products), important in treatments not related to blood or plasma transfusions. Where there is lack, there is business. And this is example the United States. During the last yearsblood plasma has represented around 2.5% of exports in this country. Although the pandemic significantly limited the availability of this vital fluid in the North American country, in 2022 plasma exports They were 2.69%. And this is due to a huge rhythm of collection. According to A study Posted in 2023 in the magazine Transfusion Medicine and Hemotherapy, about 67% of plasma volume collected in the world was obtained in the US. In contrast, Europe contributes about 14%. Interestingly, Europe is the largest plasma supplier recovered (extracted from complete blood donations). Money issue? The disparate situation on each sides of the “puddle” has led some to consider the compensation model prevailing in Europe. The reason is that, In the USpaying for blood plasma is perfectly legal, while in the countries of our environment, this possibility is more limited. In Europe the idea of ​​non -enrichment from the human body and its parts prevails, a position also defended by the World Health Organization. This does not exclude payments in some contexts or Nor does it guarantee Transparency in the legislation of all European surroundings countries. The debate on whether this is the best model has been open for some years. “The EU legal framework for blood and blood components was not developed with the need for an increase in collection of plasma in mind ”, defended a couple of years ago Maarten van Baelen, executive director of Plasma Protein Therapeutics Association (PPTA) Europe, in Declarations collected by Politic. “A growing need for plasma medicines and a growing dependence on the US plasma requires a change in policy to face how we collect and increase plasma collection in Europe.” For others, the payment for donations has a difficult ethical lace: it is common that the idea of ​​paying for an organ as a liver or an eye is uncomfortable, but is.how or where to draw the limit? It is a question that, as long as we are not able to answer in a consensual way, can limit our If someone might seem predisposed to defend the existence of this type of market would be economists. Because also for these there is some debate. On the blog and homonymous book FreakonomiksStephen Dubner and Steven Levitt considered this issue. They did it by mentioning two studies with diverse resigades but not necessarily opposite. One of them, published in 1970 by Richard Titmuss, in which a counterintuitive effect was observed, that payments not only did not contribute to improve donations, but rather on the contrary. He Second studymore recent, published in 2013 in Sciencenoted that the rewards did work, although these rewards They did not have to be monetary: The study also contemplated forms of compensation such as free days or gift checks. In Xataka | The heart of a 58 -year -old man has just made history: pumps blood with a titanium armor and magnetic levitation Image | Lucas Oliveira

In his second trailer, ‘Gta VI’ aims to exploit one of the great ideas so far absent in the franchise: love

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Although it sounds strange at this point, the Second trailer of ‘GTA VI‘points to something unexpected: Rockstar has matured. Or at least, he intends to continue with his purpose of making games more adults than those who gave him fame, an intention that started with ‘Red Dead Redemption 2‘. For the first time in the franchise, we see unthinkable maturity notes a few years ago. Hello to love. The plot core of ‘GTA VI’ will undoubtedly be the love story between Lucia and Jason, something unusual in a franchise full of promiscuity, prostitution, unsatisfactory marriages and lonely antiheroes and without time for love. This is what Rockstar tells us in the official synopsis: “Jason and Lucia always knew that the letters were against them, but when a blow that seemed easy to go wrong, they are trapped on the darkest side of the most sunny place in America, in the midst of a criminal conspiracy that extends throughout the state of Leonida, and forced to depend more than ever of each other if they want to go out alive.” Goodbye to the cartoon. If something puts on the table the new trailer of ‘GTA VI’ is A graphic realism never seen in the serieseven though we could be talking only about kinematics. And that realism has to bring hand in hand A change in the arguments that develop. Let us remember what the characters of ‘GTA III’, ‘Vice City’ or ‘Liberty City’ were: excessive, big heads, of schematic movements, almost cartoons. That has ended, and emotionally, the characters have to live up to it, in the same way, as we pointed out in their day, The demands of female representation have changed. A clear inspiration. Before we know more details about the argument (there are already rumors that Jason It could be an undercover policeman), the clearest reference of GTA VI are Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrowthe couple of robbers of banks who lived a bloody romance in the Chicago of the thirties. In this trailer we see Jason and wore a bank together, the first picking up the second when it comes out of jail, and sharing some beers, a sunset and some passionate scenes that perspire a certain unusual tenderness in the ‘GTA’ games. But a shadow looms on them. The thing may not end well: Rockstar games, especially the recent ones, usually deal with betrayal, one way or another. In ‘GTA v‘, where we were driving alternately to the three protagonists, in the end we were asked to choose between betraying our classmates or accepting a last mission with them. In ‘Red Dead Redemption’, betrayal when the protagonist seemed to have reached peace was inevitable. And in this ‘GTA VI’, if we alternately control the protagonists in the ‘GTA V’ style, the player could have to resort to a similar decision: loyalty to his partner or fulfill a mission. The model is ‘Red Dead Redemption 2’. It is the most sophisticated and deep game at the level of characters that has set rockstar to date. He left behind the grotesque composition of the protagonists of ‘GTA V’ and opted for emotion: in ‘RDR2’ we see Arthur Morgan learn with the player valuable lessons about betrayal, responsibility and – while he faces his own death, and as it is inevitable taking into account the title of the game – redemption. If Rockstar looks for a reference for maturity and adult characters, his own masterpiece is his model. A logical trajectory. From ‘Red Dead Redemption’, published fifteen years ago, the detour to more mature and adult arguments is indisputable. He was followed by the police key ‘La Noire’, the turn of ‘Max Payne’ in its third part towards personal hells and the second installment of ‘Red Dead Redemption’. Only ‘GTA V’ and, obviously, the verbenero ‘GTA online‘, to which you have to feed apart, they have left that line. But even recognizing that the fifth installment of the franchise is a look at more frivolous and caricaturescos times, posed unprecedented issues and approaches in the criminal saga. For now, noise and fury. For now, all this are conjectures, such as The brilliant idea that all we are seeing is the start of the game and Jason dies in the early hours of history. We cannot deduce from the second trailer what are going to be the key points of the argument, but the official information makes it clear that the relationship between Lucía and Jason (include or not deaths, betrayal or something else) will be openly romantic. And what is clear from the tone and visual style of the trailer is the potential of the game of giving an unprecedented impulse to the depth of the stories that are told in video games. And Rockstar is not known for letting this type of opportunities pass. Header | Rockstar In Xataka | The delay of ‘GTA VI’ goes far beyond a mere change in the calendar. It is an earthquake for industry

We have second to second the data on the great blackout in Spain. They complicate everything even more

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The great blackout of April 28 left us all with more questions than answers. Now, with the “black box” of the electrical system in the hands of the researchers, the preliminary data, far from offering a simple explanation, have added a level of complexity to an unprecedented energy crisis. To begin with, what seemed like an abrupt power fall was rather a sequence of three impacts. We knew of two disconnectionsbut as confirmed by Vice President Third Sara Aagesen, there was a third incident exactly 19 seconds Before the blackout, at 12:33. This first shake, located south of the Peninsula, adds to the two already known in the southwest, which triggered the cascade of the network. Although the system was able to absorb this first alteration, its existence adds a new layer of intrigues to an intricate technical autopsy. Researchers face the forensic analysis of about 70,000 critical points that show data every 20 milliseconds. Unraveling the exact sequence in those five fateful seconds between 12:33:16 and 12:33:21, and now also in the previous 19 seconds, is what light will shed on the questions that Red Electrica still does not answer. What was the first domino card to fall? How did the rest of the system react? Were the backs failed? The volume and granularity of information They predict months of workas happened after the Texas blackout in 2021 or that of Italy in 2003, where the final responses took months to arrive. Fortunately, there is a deadline, imposed by the European Commission: Spain has three months to deliver its conclusions about the blackout and A resilience plan that, predictably, will have implications at the paneuropeo level. Collapse anatomy 12:32:57 on Monday, April 28. First blow. The frequency of the peninsular network experienced a slight fall, a few hundredths below 50 Hz. The system absorbed the oscillation in milliseconds, as in normal circumstances. But it was a first warning: a first loss of generation in the south of the registered peninsula 19 seconds before energy zero. The Investigation Committee has already baptized it as the “third event”, although chronologically it was the first. Has been discovered after scrutinizing in detail the log of Eléctrica Red, which monitors those 70,000 critical points by turning data every 20 milliseconds. 12:33:16. Second blow. A new and powerful oscillation in the southwest dynamite the available operational reserve. The frequency sinks this time below critics 49.85 Hz. Given this fall, converters of an important part of the photovoltaic generation begin to disconnect automatically to protect the equipment. 12: 33: 17-12: 33: 21. KO Technical. In just four seconds, the frequency fall is accelerated unrecoverable. The interconnection with France jumps, and then that of Morocco. The network loses 15 GW of power, the equivalent of 60% of the peninsular generation at that time. Then go black. Spain and Portugal sign their first energy zero. 03:30 on Tuesday, April 29. To restore service from black, network operators carry out a Black-Start unprecedented, first starting the pumping hydraulics, followed by combined gas cycles. Red Eléctrica announced that 99.95% of the supply It had been restored 15 hours after the blackout. No one in Europe had risen from scratch a network of this size with such a high proportion of renewable energy. Renewables in the epicenter of debate While technical research progresses with stealth, the public debate is a Theories Polvorín Waiting for answers. The hypothesis of a cyber attack He has flown the crisis from the first moment, despite the fact that Eduardo Prieto, director of Operations of Electric, will discard it sharply. Beyond that, the growing weight of renewables in the energy mix (More than 50% of production in 2024) has placed solar and wind energies in the eye of the hurricane. Its intermittent nature and its lack of synchronous inertia (the ability of conventional plants to stabilize the network thanks to its great rotating masses) They make the most vulnerable system to frequency imbalances. The electricity grid must maintain a constant balance between generation and consumption, operating at a frequency of 50 Hz. An important mismatch can compromise the entire infrastructure. Renewable sources, depending on the sun or wind, and connecting through power electronics (famous investors), do not have that mechanical inertia. Since there are solutions such as energy storage (batteries or pumping centrals) and “Grid Formers” (investors designed to stabilize the network), the question is whether the system is sufficiently adapted to renewables. A May 2024 Report Published by the Electric Red itself, not suspect. Entitled ‘General Criteria for the Protection of the Spanish Electrical System’, warned of the need for Adapt protection criteria before “the change in the generation mix of the current electrical system due to the massive entry of renewable energy sources.” The text recognized that, in areas with high generation penetration based on power electronics, “situations could occur in which the behavior of some of the current protection functions was not expected”, being able to lead to the “disconnection of large amounts of renewable generation”, causing possible serious imbalances. American analyst Russ Schussler It has been warning for years that replacing synchronous generators with investor -based resources (wind, solar) increases the risk of blackouts, and that the lack of inertia is a key factor. Jordi Sevillaformer president of Electrica, believes that the National Integrated Plan for Energy and Climate Peque of “Too Renewable Messianism” without sufficiently attending to these technical problems and the lack of investment. Images | Endesa, Fernando Rodríguez (RTE data) In Xataka | The total blackout of Spain has a suspicious number 1: a stabilization of the poor electricity grid

The MIT has just placed us closer to the great milestone in quantum computers: error correction

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The rapid development you are experiencing Quantum computing He is gradually dismantling the opinions that question the potential of this discipline. One of the biggest challenges to those who face is the need for quantum computers to be able to amend your own mistakesand three different studies defend how close we are to achieve. A Australian quantum research group, another Dutch and a third Japanese team published in Nature In January 2022 as many scientific articles in which they explain in detail the procedure they used to put superconductor cubits that have precision greater than 99%. When errors are so rare it is much easier to correct them. In the other saucer of the balance, Gil Kalai remains erect, an Israeli mathematician and teacher at Yale who He has predicted that quantum computers will never be able to amend their mistakes. According to this researcher, the increase in the number of states of quantum systems and their complexity will cause them to end up behaving like classical computers, so the superiority of the former will end up evaporating. The MIT has taken a firm step forward Before we investigate the achievement of scientists from the Massachusetts Institute (Mit) It is worth briefly reviewing what one of the companies that is contributing the most contributing to the development of quantum computers: IBM has achieved in the field of errors. The itinerary that published in December 2023 He anticipated that before the end of 2024, the Heron (5K) platform endowed with error mitigation would be ready. And this company He fulfilled his promise. The main problem facing quantum computers in the field of error correction is noise, understood as the disturbances that can alter the internal state of the cubits and introduce calculation errors. The strategy for which many of the research groups that are involved in the development of quantum computers are opting for monitoring the operations carried out by the cubits for Identify real -time errors and correct them. The problem is that from a practical point of view this strategy is very challenging. The mitigation of errors allows the cubits to carry out their calculations even if they have errors and only at the end of the process it is inferred what the correct result is However, there is an alternative path. It is known as ‘error mitigation’, and, very broadly speaking, instead of monitoring in real time what happens in the cubits allows them to carry out their calculations even if they have errors and only at the end of the process it is inferred what the correct result is. This technique is already delivering very promising results. In fact, this characteristic is what allows the quantum processor to argue the other quantum chips developed by IBM so far. What MIT researchers propose in the article in the article that they have published in Nature Communications It is a different approach to the correction of errors. In fact, in their text they describe how they have achieved Attach artificial atoms and photons with the purpose of using this mechanism to process quantum information at a higher speed than the prototypes of current quantum machines. This peculiar type of coupling between light and matter can be used to make very robust cubits and capable of processing information up to ten times faster than a quantum processor such as those currently available. Yufeng Ye, the main author of this article, He maintains that “This technology would eliminate one of the bottlenecks of quantum computers. It is usually necessary to measure the results of the calculations between error correction rounds.” In this statement this scientist has done something very important: he has established a relationship between the strong coupling of light and matter that can presumably be used to produce a new type of cubits and error correction. “This strategy could accelerate the moment in which we will reach quantum tolerant to failures and we can develop real applications with practical value,” says Ye. It sounds really good, although we should not overlook that what these scientists have done at the moment is a demonstration of fundamental physics. The challenge from now on is to bring this technology to practice. Image | IBM More information | Nature Communications In Xataka | We already touched the quantum internet with the tip of the fingers. This German experiment is a successful

The bottle has been reigning for years as the great wine format. Now competitors have come out: the tap and cardboard

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When you step on a restaurant there are certain images you assume as normal. “Normal” is for example that if you ask for a cane the waiter goes to the tap in the bar and throws it with greater or lesser art. And “normal” is that if you want is a wine (Let’s put a river) That same waiter takes out a bottle and serves 150 ml in a glass. However in a time when the cane It is falling cape Things also change in viticulture. Although the bottle remains the queen is increasingly “normal” that this wine is served with a tap, cardboard or kite. And it makes sense. Of bottles and boxes. That we carry years decades associating good wine and category restaurants to good bottles does not mean that the bottle, as such, is the only way to keep it. Not even serving the client. Hoteliers have other options, such as Bag-in-Box either Keykegsthat basically rethink the way of packing and handling the broths. Instead of doing it in the lifelong bottles that close with a cork use cardboard boxes provided with a valve and with a polyethylene bag inside. Or a system of metal bariletes and taps similar to the one used for decades to serve beer reeds. Click on the image to go to Tweet. Image question. The system is not new. As explained already in 2016 Fernando Marinas, from Finca La Estacada, The Grific Wine (Wine on Tap) exists for a long time and stainless steel barrels and Disposable PET type Nor are they a novelty for companies in the sector. In the US, its use can be in fact traced to the 80s. The novelty is how they are expanding through the bars and shops in Spain and (the really curious) how that formula tries to shake the stigma that often associates cardboard packaging to poor quality wine. A tap wine, please! Although the bottle is still the undisputed queen of the sector and it will be difficult for the cards to replace them in homes, in the hospitality it is increasingly easy to meet tap wine. In a context marked by A remarkable increase In bulk wine imports, hoteliers have decided to give a chance to the Bag-in-Box and the taps. It can be checked with a rapid review of the Spanish press, but also the foreigner. In recent years, coinciding with his popularity during confinement have dedicated articles The Guardian either The Telegraph. Recently The country published Also a report in which he cited as a half example dozen premises spread over Spain in which they serve as if they were beer. And the list is only that: a small sample. There are companies Betting on bottling in keg And bars that when they are asked for a wine already give the option to serve it in different formats (glass, half jug or jug) directly from the tap. “A new language in the world of wine”, summed up a year ago Iago Pazos, of Abastos 2.0, in The voice of Galicia. “It doesn’t mean they are worth less”. The pending tap wine does not have so much to do with the product itself, logistics, transport or distribution to hoteliers as with their image. To expand, the wine packaged in Bag-in-Box and served just like the reeds must shake the prejudices that for years associate the format to the low quality broths. “They are careful wines. That they are in a box does not mean that they are worth less. On the contrary: they reach places where they were not before,” claims in The country Maite Sánchez, from the Arrayán winery. So that this idea can producers have a complex and nothing simple task: break with decades of hegemony of the bottle and its success among the clientele. He recognizes it The Galician host Juan Fernández, owner of a place with 10 taps. “We take the wines already served, in a glass or jar and there are people who look at it suspicion. Then they try it, they find that the wine is the same or better than the bottling and they already accept it. We have a work of promotion and didactics.” But … why? The million dollar question. One thing is that the wine can be transported in cardboard and served with taps, just like beer; But … Why resort to that format if the bars lead a lifetime working with bottles? For format promoters the answer is easy: the plus they provide. “Everything is advantages”, Fernández emphasizes About his wine. “It has no contact with oxygen or light and therefore the wine does not evolve and retains all its properties. And there are no risks, such as damaging the cork.” Marine too stands out Format strengths, both for warehouses, which save the expenses of the bottling, and for hoteliers or consumers, who end up being favored by that same cut. “Stainless steel does not generate product flavor migration such as other materials, which ensures that the product will maintain its organoleptic properties throughout the distribution chain,” duck. In the case of Keykeg Marinas points the same qualities, although “unlike the steel barrel does not last so much in stock.” The footprint outside the wineries and bars. In his analysis he also recalls the “ecological savings” that allows the format. “Each 20 -liter barrel equals 26.6 bottles, corks and less labels,” List Before listing other “practical advantages”, such as ease when inventoring and transporting barrels, the speed of the service or the generation of less waste in the premises itself. Of course, it clarifies that not all wines are equally suitable for the format. The most appropriate in their opinion are young people with a few months in barrel. There are producers who They claim In addition, the wine carbon footprint in bags and cardboard format is (much) less than the traditional packaging, with its bottle and cork. How much? According to Oliver Leaby The Bib Wine Company, about … Read more

We have just lived the first great blackout of the renewable era. The debate is now how to get the last one

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The debate in public opinion is served for the coming weeks, at least Until the conclave arrivesat which time it will be limited to the specialized circles of the energy sector. Bloomberg analyst Javier Blas, He has baptized What happened in Spain and Portugal as “the great green blackout of the era of renewable energy.” Although the authorities have not yet offered a definitive version, the debate has intensified. Until now. The official version is still preliminary, but Red Eléctrica de España has offered a technical reconstruction of what happened. According to the latest information, the fall was not the product of a cyber attack or sabotage, but of the failure chain of several systems in a context of high renewable penetration. In a matter of seconds, about 15 gigawatts were disconnected, approximately 60% of the consumption of electric demand, due to a sharp drop in voltage, known as “voltage hole.” This type of active fall automatic protection systems that disconnect power plants and substations to avoid greater damage. According to Financial Timesthe lack of inertia – the capacity of certain infrastructure such as turbines to stabilize the network— He worsened the problem. And since Portugal partially depends on the Spanish supply, the blackout immediately extended to the entire neighboring country. Despite this, Beatriz Corredor, president of Red Electrica, He has warned that “it is not correct to relate the incident to the penetration of renewables”, defending that these technologies work stable and that the Spanish electrical system is resilient. He also pointed out that millions of data are being analyzed to clarify the exact causes of the blackout and reinforce the response protocols. Debate is reopened. A few weeks ago, the discussion in the energy sector revolved around Scheduled closure of the nuclear centrals planned for two years. However, the blackout has catalyzed a more visible ideological shock: renewable vs. nuclear. Such as has detailed eldiario.es, what happened has fed tensions among those who defend the energy transition against those who want to keep nuclear as stable support. In that same article, Jorge Sanz, the former president of the Commission for Energy Transition, has declared that one of the factors was the massive disconnection of renewables before a voltage hole. However, like has pointed out Renewable expert Xavier Cugat in his networks, Sanz has omitted a relevant fact: The existence of the Srap (Automatic protection response system), already operational and with several real and solar wind capacity gigawatts. A crucial tool that, although it did not avoid the blackout, is part of the effort to improve the technical response of renewables in these situations. But there is an unstoppable reality. According to Irenain 2024 92.5% of the new electrical power installed worldwide was renewable. That is, twelve times more renewable than nuclear, gas and coal together were installed. Clean energies are already the norm: they are cheaper, safe and in many countries, almost the only option that is being expanded. There are already concrete examples: countries like Paraguay, Iceland or Norway They work with 100% of renewable generation. The address is clear; What is at stake is how to manage this transformation without compromising system stability. What is the way? As has explained for RNE The head of the Rey Juan Carlos University, Eloy Sanz, which the Iberian Peninsula is an “energy island” with Very little international connection. Spain and Portugal need an integration much stronger With the rest of Europe to share surpluses, balance demand and strengthen system safety. To this is added the need to continue investing in storage, such as batteries, Reversible pumping plants either Green hydrogen. Finally, the development of technologies such as Synthetic inertiaalready deployed in countries such as Denmark, which simulate the stabilizing effect of old thermal plants or other strategy such as Synchronous Power Controlwhich allow renewables to also contribute to the stability of the network without the need for batteries or physical inertia flyers. Ignoring this has a price. As He has summarized Javier Blas in his column with crudeness: “The design of the network, the policies and risk analysis are not yet up to the management of an excess of renewables.” It is not an attack on clean energy, but a call of attention. The error would be to abandon renewables by a blackout, nor were fossil fuels left after Blackout New York in 1977. But we must learn. The future of energy will be renewable, but it cannot be naive or ideological. Image | Unspash Xataka | The problem is not that Spain depends much on renewable energies: it is not interconnected with Europe

Of course ‘the Simpsons’ also predicted the great blackout of Spain. At this point you have stopped having merit

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Any relevant event in the history of humanity in recent decades It has previously appeared in ‘The Simpsons’. It is a phrase made, almost a meme that has acquired the category of popular wisdom and that is counted between the oldest collective knowledge samples of the digital era. Of course, Monday’s blackout in Spain and Portugal has become part of the long list of ‘The Simpsons’ predictions: it is neither very tight nor very accurate, but that does not prevent the myth from continuing to fatter. The blackout in ‘The Simpsons’. A couple of episodes that make supposed reference to the Backman last Monday. In ‘The last day of Springfield’, issued in 1998the city runs out of light, with traffic lights and unusable phones, and the nuclear plant where Homer works. Of course, chaos and anarchy take over the streets, something that did not happen here. Besides, In 2023 it was issued The episode ‘How beautiful is to pipify it’, where Springfield suffers a blackout for a fire in the nuclear plant. Here the consequences are almost apocalyptic, and Lisa tells the story in the distant future, explaining that the city lights candles every year to commemorate the events. The explanation of the prophecy. Either simple: These two blackouts do not make any reference to Spain or to the date on which it occurred. Simply, they are blackheads that end up leading to the Apocalypse, a trope of science fiction that have exploited recent series such as ‘Blackout’ or ‘The collapse’, or the movie ‘Leave the world behind’, but which we have also seen in very previous films: ‘The domino effect’ is one of the most notorious, but there are also based on real blackouts, such as ‘Blackout in New York’ or ‘Summer of Sam’ of which the American city suffered in 1977. Why ‘The Simpsons’ always succeed. According to Matt SelmanExecutive producer of the series, it is a mixture of knowing how to use the probabilities, historical knowledge and the study of human trends. The scriptwriters investigate in the past and extrapolate, until they end up. Or in another way more simpsonian, study and satirize “the stupidities of the past” to anticipate their repetition. They are logical extrapolations to which the impressive longevity of the series is added, which only multiply the possibility of coincidences, which is known as “Large numbers law“: The more episodes there is, the more likely the apparently unlikely becomes. When the phenomenon began. The meme began to popularize in the middle of the first decade of this century. Without a doubt, the first great impact of the series was the alleged prediction of the attacks of the Twin Towers. It was in the episode of 1997 ‘New York City vs. Homer Simpson ‘, where a brochure with number 9 appears and the twin towers forming a 11. It was interpreted as a reference to 11-S, although The explanation is very simple: The two towers together resemble a 11, the chance is that the attacks were on that date, and not to guess ‘The Simpsons’. Predictions for all tastes. Since then, ‘The Simpsons’ have predicted the future, and the truth is that sometimes the coincidences are stupid. In season 11, for example, the presidency of Donald Trump was mentioned, and in 10, the purchase of Fox by Disney (clear examples that the predictions are possible if an acute satirist observes carefully observes the signs that the current one sends). The complete list is virtually infinite: smartwatchesthe video calls, the performance of Lady Gaga in the Super Bowl, the Higgs Boson formula (amazingly close to the real), the three -eyed fish in the contaminated waters of Springfield, and a highly contagious epidemic that begins in Asia. We want fictions to explain it to us. We already told it A collation of the ‘Blackout’ series and how your search has become a trend after the real blackout: our thought is structured to look for significant patterns and connections between facts, even when these are the result of chance. These patterns help us explain what we do not understand or the phenomena that are rationally inconceivable or surpass us, and are marked by narratives, series and movies. And that ‘The Simpsons’ anticipate incomprehensible phenomena (such as the 11-S attack or Donald Trump’s triumph) helps us to rationalize them. Header | Disney In Xataka | Disney+ has had an idea: to broad

Why many have felt more released than ever during the great blackout

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In Madrid, during the longest hours of the blackout, Andrés had a “rare” sensation similar to that of the pandemic, as of the world arrested, of much slower time, of silence. In Malaga and without radio at home, Matías thought it was something local and began to water the plants. They were two hours of absolute inner peace. In Ciudad Real, if data or portable, Alex sat with his dog to enjoy the breeze that entered the window. And it was not the outside world. It could not be: in the houses there was the same usual noise, the streets were more full than normal, the universe continued to turn. What was happening? Peace in a world in ruins. Because that is the first thing that comes to mind: the paradox that in seemingly negative (or even tragic) situations such as blackouts, The pandemics Or external events of this type, people experience a rare sensation of peace, liberation or decompression. However, psychologists, sociologists and anthropologists make it clear that the paradox is only apparent. Actually, we are so accustomed to living in lives full of labor commitments, studies, social activities; lives immersed in a constant information flow … that such an event disrupts us deeply. Or, rather, it destabilizes us: as experts in behavioral activation therapies tell us, our day’s activities are as emotional anchors. Without them, we are much more susceptible to external incidents; whether positive or negative. The surprise, of course, is that they are sometimes positive. We could study it with great detail during the pandemic. For example, a group of researchers from the University of Cambridge They discovered that one in three young people had felt happier during the confinements. But he did not reduce them: it’s something, in fact, We find surprising frequency. But … why? It has theorized a lot about why (less social and academic stress: less loneliness, absence of bullying, more hours of sleep or more physical exercise during confinement …), but they all end up in the same place. To the elimination of the aversive elements of everyday life and the increase in pleasant activities, something else adds: the absence of responsibility. That is the key piece that allows to accept inactivity with less resistance. It is not free that among the health, for example, this type of phenomena were less frequent during pandemic (even when they were sick). The feeling of guilt or responsibility did not disappear and, in fact, it became a problem. What leads us to a question … What if the problematic is normal? In 1922, Dorothy Thomas realized a very curious detail: Unlike what we might think, mortality seemed to follow a “procyclical” pattern. That is, as the economy goes better, more people die. It is so. It is something we have seen one and again: The last great Spanish crisis is a good example. The evidence is solid: economic growth has as a direct consequence that people die more. As explained in the Silesia collective“There is something in the political-economic system of capital circulation and goods that, when accelerating, destroys the health of populations.” We do not usually repair them (because the benefits are high and because economic crises are not “good for health”) but it is so. Can something similar happen to mental health? It is a plausible hypothesis. As we explained a few weeks ago, ‘tiredness’ has become something ubiquitous in our societies. Practically half of the working population or they feel high levels of stress or have suffered burnout. We have built some social environments where a hyperproductivity centered lifestyle prevails (Toxic productivity), multitasking and permanent overload; where “feel the pressure of being productive at every moment of the day – always a list of slopes and guilt for not fulfilling it -” has become the new normality. And in a source anxiety, insomnia and extreme exhaustion. Losing all that can be a way to recover everything else. In fact, what they have demonstrated again these twelve hours of darkness is that, For many people, it is. But it also demonstrates the difficulty we have to ‘take control’ of our own life imbued as we are in increasingly complex socio-economic systems: only a historical event seems to give ourselves to recover it. Image | Own elaboration In Xataka | Bottle, improvised meetings and auditoriums: the blackout, in addition to chaos, brought an unexpected festive atmosphere

Two Spanish preppers tell us how they lived yesterday’s great blackout

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Five seconds. It is what was needed to 60% of Spain’s energy vanished This April 28. At 12:33 in the morning 15 GW of generation were lost in the system, causing a total blackout that caught many without the necessary elements To face an absolute disconnection situation in which the radio was the only window to the information. But there are those who did not spend the dark night or eating food remains of the refrigerator. They are people who have gone preparing for this type of situation And they tell us how they lived it, their tricks and that everything were jokes in their surroundings until they had to ask for a flashlight to spend the night. “What happened yesterday cannot happen again. And he can never happen again,” I commented Pedro Sánchez, president of Spain, at the press conference on April 29. Little by little it comes to light Information about the blackout that left us from those 12:33 on Monday, without electricity on the peninsula and without mobile data to communicate. To the afternoon lake, the system, Thanks to emergency servicesbegan to relive little by little, but this is something that forces us to review something as fundamental as, it can be, undervalued: The weak points of the Spanish Electric Red. Now, not only authorities must act: citizens also have something to say thanks to preparation. But, of course, The idea of ​​giving supplies And to prepare a survival kit does not appear in our mind from one day to another without something that triggers that idea. Miguel Morales is one of those people who have a series of elements at home so it can happen. “He gave me by because, after Covid, it became clear that the difference between a critical situation and a house holiday was just how you were prepared,” he tells us. Isra Fernándezpartner of Applesferais another one of those preparations for whatever comes. In his case, that spark to start creating his kit was very previous. “I’ve always been a bit ‘tarado’ with this ‘, but maybe … the 11S. He caught me out of the institute and touched my head. Then, my friends and I were always with” And if one day something happened like in ’28 days later’? ” As clarification, ‘28 days later‘It’s a zombie apocalypse movie. But although he September 11, 2001 I could turn on that spark, as in the case of Miguel, the Covid was the climax. “We supplied and could help neighbors and friends,” Isra tells us. It had gas camping, canned food, survival rations and thirty liters of water. I told myself “If you have to go, I’m here prepared” During that period, “there were people who had a really bad and others who until well” thanks to those supplies they had at home, Complete Miguel. But … what supplies? In the case of a pandemic, non -perishable foods, many in can to make homemade hornos, are “The most useful thing you can have”he tells us. And, before a blackout like yesterday, the trick was to pull batteries. “I have two batteries and both were used yesterday. Isra comments that it has 50 AA and 50 AAA batteries, and both mention the radio. Whether batteries or crank, became something essential. “Although at the beginning it was limited to reading Red Eléctrica tweets, when the coverage fell were quite key to remain informed,” says Miguel. Apart from being able to charge with sunlight, these flashlights provide a good atmosphere inside the house | Photo by Miguel Morales Isra points out that, where appropriate, it is not batteries, but of crank. Thus it does not depend on batteries and its model (this) It is loaded by kinetic energy, solar or by power to feed a 10,000 mAh battery that, in addition to the point of light, serves as a charger. It also has AM/FM radio and compass. Isra’s flashlight Within that preparation, a very important point is food. Again: not so much for events that last a few hours, such as the blackout, but for others that can be expanded months or even weeks. Isra details an absolute arsenal of food, composed of four drums of water, honeyboats, peanut cream and 10 kg of powdered milk, as well as 20 legumes and fruit cans in syrup, stating that “the ideal would be to have about 100, mainly peas, chickpeas and food with vegetable protein.” Not everything is technology: there are also candles | Photo by Miguel Morales The Gas Camping is also a good idea because there are very compact equipment that allows you to heat food in this type of situations, but they are also interesting to use from time to time for certain dishes if in your kitchen you have hobbles or induction. And Miguel tells us that he spent the day with three types of food: meals prepared in can, instant noodles and fruit. Now, How do you collect that amount of cans? “During the last six months, in each purchase I have included long -lasting products. So I have not had to make a fat purchase and I have distributed the expense,” says Miguel. Of course, not everything is to have the material and there are a series of tricks to spend the day as well as possible in these situations. Sunflower oil, for example, does not work only for cooking, but to use fuel in the gas campsite if a blackout is dilated too much and you run out of gas. Canned cans not only serve to save foodbut to make homemade hornillos. Isopropyl water and alcohol garages | Photo by Miguel Morales On the flashlights, Miguel states that beyond those of focus, those that have a wide beam are more helpful to create atmosphere in a room than those that have the directed beam and there is another factor: the blackout may be or what makes us dust off the emergency kit does not catch us at home and … Read more

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