maintain

Tokyo is one of the few cities in the world that has managed to maintain housing prices. His secret: build

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“If you can’t solve a problem, make it bigger.” This oft-repeated maxim (and mistakenly coined for Dwight D. Eisenhower) can be good advice when it comes to housing: Expanding the scope of a problem can make new solutions possible. Japan is the world’s best example of an advanced industrial democracy with abundance of affordable housing with low carbon emissions. To build. The key to Japan’s success is its unusual degree of national control over zoning and building rules. Centralized authority trumps local housing obstructionism. Tokyo builds more housing in a year than all of California or all of England, which have 3 or 4 times its population. In the largest megalopolis in the world, the way Rents stay low in the long term is to build. National decisions. The political scientist Grant McConnell wrote on the classic articulation of the view that the national government is more likely to solve difficult problems than state or local governments. Small can be beautiful, the reasoning goes, but it can also be provincial, backward and oligarchic. This logic fits well with the housing issue: Putting much more at stake, all at once, in one big fight, rather than piece by piece in hundreds of separate local fights, could disrupt the housing war. More homes around the world. The world has provided some examples of this. Japan has had extraordinary success in housing construction. He has long been a leader and expanded his leadership even further in recent years. Germany, Austria and Switzerland have always had good records, behind Japan but still performing well. France has stepped up, at least in Paris. These countries generally employ rule-based (or “by right”) building permit systems: if your plans check the stipulated boxes, building authorities have no choice but to sign. The Anglo-Saxons. On the other hand, English-speaking countries, including Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States and New Zealand, are lagging behind. Their permit systems are often more discretionarygiving local officials the power to approve or reject buildings at will. In many parts of these countries, especially their large cities, housing is expensive because it is scarce. For now, the Anglosphere suffers the worst housing shortages and prices. The Japanese case. The Asian country is the best example of the maxim of “magnifying” problems. Japan’s national government controls the use of land and buildings to a greater extent than national authorities in other countries. This control has grown in recent decades, even as other nations have gone into lockdown. The number of homes built per year in industrial democracies has fallen by more than 60% since 1970, according to The Economist. Meanwhile, housing construction in Japan has remained solid at all timesbroad public interest in abundant housing has triumphed over obstructionism. What did they do? To boost construction and lower prices, Japan redoubled efforts to allow more housing construction. He resorted, in particular, to administrative changes in building codes. “To help the economy recover from the bubble, the country eased the regulation of urban development,” explained Hiro Ichikawa, a construction development advisor. in the Financial Times. “If it hadn’t been for the bubble, Tokyo would be in the same situation as London or San Francisco.” Build, build and build. The results, in abundant housing, low prices and low carbon urban formswalkable and transit-focused, are notable. The city of Tokyo had 13.5 million residents in 2018. But the city built 145,000 new residences that year. Tokyo’s achievement was particularly surprising considering that the prefecture has very little vacant land, so almost all of those 145,000 homes were located in an existing neighborhood. The astonishing pace of housing construction in the capital has continued for years. Tokyo routinely builds more new homes than all of California (which has three times its population) or, in some years, all of England (which has four times its population). It has increased housing construction by 30% since the turn of the century, even as its population peaked and began to decline in 2007. disposable houses. It is true that Japan demolishes houses much earlier than other industrialized countriesso a large portion of their housing starts are replacement housing. But the much criticized Japanese culture of “disposable houses” It is actually one of the secrets of its success. Japan’s rigorous and up-to-date earthquake safety laws, plus a cultural attachment to new homes, mean that tiny houses in Japan often depreciate completely in just 30 years and are replaced soon after. Because housing is renovated quickly, the country has a much better chance of installing larger buildings. In parts of the US, where buildings typically have an economic life of 100 years, you only have one chance per century to replace a house with an apartment building. In Japan, you get three. More housing. The prefecture has tripled its stocks of housing in the last 50 years and has expanded the number of residences in the city by about 2% annually since 2000. In fact, its overall housing unit growth rate was three times faster than London or New York in the 2010s. Among the 14 megacities around the world, only Singapore and Seoul surpassed Tokyo in the pace of overall housing growth. Thanks to the Japanese program to govern housing, Tokyo Prefecture and the world’s largest metropolis have completely avoided residential closures. Japan seems to have learned the maxim attributed to Eisenhower: if you can’t solve a problem, make it bigger. In Xataka | In its crazy rise in housing prices, Madrid has just broken a barrier: that of the most expensive apartment in its history In Xataka | Tenants and owners are not the same type of Spaniards: some pay €400 more than others for the same home Image | Yu Kato

they want those who receive it to work to maintain it

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The new minister president of land Saxony-Anhalt (equivalent to an autonomy in Spain), the social democrat Sven Schulze, has shaken the social debate in Germany with a controversial proposal: that the beneficiaries of the Bürgergeldthe German basic unemployment income, carry out community work for municipalities to “compensate” the aid and maintain the subsidy. The German right sees this as a way to reinforce the individual responsibility of those who receive the benefit, but experts warn of the legal and practical obstacles that would be involved in forcing beneficiaries to carry out this community work. Schulze’s idea. He newly elected Minister President of Saxony-Anhalt from the end of 2025 and member of the CDU (the German conservative party), launched his proposal in an interview with the diary Bild am Sonntag: that the people who receive the Bürgergeld (unemployment benefit), do useful tasks for their town councils and communities. “There are services that can be provided and that are justified by the money received. For example, volunteering in a community, raking leaves or removing snow in winter. Why can’t healthy people who are currently unemployed also do it?” declared the German politician. According what was published by Die ZeitSchulze is so convinced of his idea that he plans to test it first in his region of eastern Germany, criticizing the federal government’s bureaucratic excuses for not imposing it generally. He Bürgergeld and jobs at one euro. He Bürgergeld (literally, citizen money) is the basic economic aid that Germany has been giving since 2023 to those who have already exhausted their unemployment benefits and they have no income sufficient, replacing controversial Hartz IV (officially Arbeitslosengeld II). This benefit covers basic needs such as food, rent and clothing that are calculated at about 563 euros per month per person while they find a job. For their part, the so-called “one euro jobs”: these are subsidized temporary jobs where the State adds between 1 euro and 2.60 extra euros per hour to the employee’s minimum wage in tasks of public interest such as park maintenance or social assistance. That is, these “one euro jobs” would act as a complement to the unemployment benefit they already receive. The problem: in Germany you can choose your job. Schulze’s proposal involves making “one euro jobs” go from being voluntary to mandatory for those who receive unemployment benefits (except for the sick or new parents). This measure revives the old demands of Carsten Linnemann, general secretary of the CDU, who since 2023 has been calling for a reform that allows those who have been receiving aid for more than six months to be obliged to do community work. The main problem with this claim is that, to apply it, it would be necessary to modify the German Constitution. The German Magna Carta details in its article 12 that citizens have the freedom to choose employment and prohibits forced laborexcept in public emergencies or judicial penalties. So the unemployed cannot be forced to work against his will. Doubts about the effectiveness of this measure. The IAB Institute analyzed in 2023 jobs at one euro and concluded that they give structure and routine to unemployed people far from the labor market, but they have a negative impact on those who have options to reintegrate into the labor market since the time they must dedicate to these community jobs is not being invested in looking for stable employment. The CDU argues that the measure would free up municipal budgets and teaches the value of the effort, but opponents see it as a stigma for the most vulnerable employees, ignoring root problems such as lack of training. The political debate in Germany. With the CDU/CSU strengthened after the last federal election, conservative leaders such as Friedrich Merz call for cuts in subsidies for those who reject job offers. Towns like Barnim (Brandenburg) or Greiz They are already testing local versionsalthough with lawsuits for illegality. From progressive positions, SPD and Greens call it demagoguery that distracts from investing in education and daycare and accuse the CDU of promoting precarious jobs for 80 cents an hour. In Xataka | Collect unemployment benefits and a salary simultaneously. The new reform makes it possible, but with conditions Image | Unsplash (Christian Wiediger, Eva Evada)

Thousands of workers were needed to build the colossal Golden Gate. Just to maintain it you need 200 people

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There are few symbols as recognizable of the United States as the golden gatethat colossal orange bridge inaugurated in 1937 that crosses the San Francisco Bay. And no wonder: 1,280 meters of bridge hanging on two 227-meter-high towers with 600 thousand rivets each. It enters through the eyes and also, it also sounds. The subject of countless photographs and an extra in numerous films and series, it is also the place chosen by many people. to end his life. The colossal construction of the Golden Gate. When the Golden Gate opened almost a century ago, it was considered an architectural landmark that combined engineering and modernity. And no wonder: the work lasted more than four years, cost more than 35 million dollars (from the 1930s) and the construction techniques were cutting-edge. However, they faced challenges such as the turbulent currents, the hurricane winds and the dense fog in the area. Not to mention its proximity with the San Andreas and Hayward fault. One of the solutions was to make the structure of the Golden Gate something dynamic and not rigid, which allows it to better deal with wind and tide (literal). In addition, it is designed so that the two towers absorb the tension generated by the passage of vehicles through the suspension cables. One of those towers had to be built in the middle of the open ocean, something exceptional at the time. High turnover and a lot of security. Although its construction is carefully documented and there is an extensive graphic archive, there is no record of how many people worked on its construction beyond the fact that there were 10 contractors with their respective subcontractors, there was a lot of turnover (note: we were in the context of the Great Depression) and that at the peak of the work there were hundreds of men working, with critical roles such as structuralists, divers, spinners to weave the cables and painters and riveters. Unfortunately, 11 people died during this imposing construction. And this despite the fact that its chief engineer, Joseph Strauss, stood out for its commitment to job security: They installed a safety net under the bridge that would save those 19 workers who became part of the Halfway-to-Hell club (halfway to hell). 200 people for maintenance. Although the exact figure is unknown precisely due to the turnover and number of contractors, there are estimates which point to figures between 4,000 and 8,000 workers who participated directly in the construction between 1933 and 1937, which seems plausible. What is most striking is that for its maintenance about 200 workers are needed among engineering professionals, metal workers, painters, mechanics, electricians, communications technicians, street and garden maintenance, among others. The maintenance team. In the age of AI and automation, San Francisco Bridge Maintenance pulls trades with a multidisciplinary team led by a captain who oversees patrol activities 24 hours a day. As a curiosity, since 1937 there have been 11 captains. As a summary, these are the main positions and their functions: Painters and metal workers. They work at height and in confined spaces. They are responsible for painting, sandblasting old paint, and repairing corroded steel and rivets. Structural Engineers: They carry out visual and sensor inspections of each of the thousands of rivets and cables, in addition to ensuring the operation of the machinery. Safety and Traffic: With a flow of 100,000 vehicles daily, accidents and breakdowns are the order of the day. It is a 24/7 operational service to avoid collapsing the city. Why so many people. As we have seen in the previous point, maintenance logistics is specialized and has a certain complexity being at altitude, it requires always being available and the environment is aggressive. Paint the Golden Gate It has its own, hence it has its own section within the bridge website. To begin with, it is not painted every so often, but rather it is painted continuously and in parts. And maintenance is selective and based on priority: it is a battle against corrosion. The combination of the humidity of the Pacific and its high salinity is a ticking time bomb for steel. Although they chose the International Orange tone because of how well it integrates with the environment and its visibility, this paint protects the steel from UV rays and humidity. On the other hand, inspections of its expansion joints and seismic dampers are frequent to ensure that it can flex without breaking due to vibrations and earthquakes. In Xataka | More than 2,000 people had committed suicide at the Golden Gate. The solution has been as simple as it is shocking for those who throw In Xataka | In 1976 Boston built its most amazing skyscraper. Until its windows became lethal guillotines Cover | Photo of Maarten van den Heuvel in Unsplash

An electric car is 54% cheaper to maintain than a combustion car. And it may not compensate because the data has a trick

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The cost of a car is not what you pay for it, it is the sum of many other factors. It is what it costs you to fill the tank, what it costs you to repair it and, why not, what you get back once you have decided to get rid of it. Are there reasons to go electric? Yes, many. Also to stay in the combustion. It depends on what you value. The data. An electric car saves up to 54% in maintenance compared to an equivalent gasoline car. Those are the accounts of Autobild that are spreading in recent days among the media. His comparison pointed to a Volkswagen ID.3 with a Volkswagen Golf VII 1.6 TDI from 2016 and a Volkswagen e-Golf, also from 2016. Why does an electric car have less autonomy than advertised? The result is that maintaining the electric car was between 40 and 54% cheaper than versions with combustion engines. According to their calculations, the revisions for the diesel version ranged from 393 euros to 547 euros. The plug-in hybrid had a price in its reviews of between 161 euros and 275 euros. The electric maintenance book required maintenance of between 200 and 300 euros. Of course, the stops were less frequent and, according to their calculations, as the kilometers passed, the pure electric was between 40 and 54% cheaper than its combustion “brothers.” Because? They give several reasons. First of all, as we have seen, because the reviews They are less expensive and less common. Fewer components have to be replaced in them, so it is necessary to invest less money. Among his accounts are oil changes (almost non-existent among electric cars), the total absence of possible breakdowns of a combustion engine and also the replacement of wear elements: timing belts, spark plugs, particle filter… In addition, they pointed out that some elements suffer less wear over the years and kilometers. For example, they predict a longer useful life for disc brakes because, especially in the city, most of the braking is absorbed by regenerative braking. and the day to day. There is another invariable fact: on a day-to-day basis, an electric car is almost always cheaper than a gasoline car. In the city, the electric car consumes less than a gasoline or diesel car. This, in addition, is exposed to a greater number of breakdowns with switching on and off every few kilometers. But if you want to do the math. An electric car in the city can easily move at 10-15 kWh/100 kilometers. That means that, with a domestic charge at 10 cents/kWhwe are talking about between one euro and one and a half euros per 100 kilometers. In the city, compared to a hybrid that consumes 4 liters/100 km we are talking about more than five euros difference per day. If it is a gasoline that moves at around 7 l/100 km in the urban environment, the difference goes up to nine euros. It is in long-distance getaways where the circumstances are equal. If an electric car consumes 18-20 kWh/100 km and refuels at 0.50 euros/kWh, we are talking about between 9 and 10 euros to travel 100 kilometers, figures very similar to gasoline. Charged in an ultra-fast plug at about 0.80 euros, we are talking about gasoline or diesel winning by a lot. Yes, but. That is to say, electric car is cheaper. Almost always, but not always. First, because that first comparison that has gone viral has something of a trick: the data is from 2021. The electricity figures posted above, for example, are current and less favorable to the electric car. However, as we have seen, those who use the car in the urban environment are very likely to find it worth opting for this technology. Of course, the latest data that are collected from ADAC (the German RACE) are not so optimistic. In that case they talk about a saving of between 20 and 30% in favor of the electric car. That is, they continue winning but the margin is narrowing. And if…? Calculating what one saves with an electric car is not entirely simple. For example, right now you can calculate how much money you would save in regulated parking areas in those cities where there are discounts on parking. And you can do the math thinking that the MOVES III Plan but, in some autonomous communities, this is not entirely safe. But not only that, when calculating what a car costs we can keep in mind its selling price, whether there is a premium for the electric version, the expected savings with our type of use and the kilometers to be traveled… but, What happens if we want to sell the car? In that case, the electric car seems to lose out. At this time, it is a technology that devalues ​​quickly because batteries degrade over time (range is reduced) and innovations are making cars obsolete in a very short time while new models reduce their prices. That is to say, the second-hand market has everything to continue losing money with the electric car. So what do I do? The first thing we recommend in Xataka is that you have very clear what kind of use you are going to make the vehicle. Be as rational as possible or, at least, be very clear about what you value above all else. If you like a passionate car and money doesn’t matter to youget the vehicle that you like the most. Here, however, we are here to talk about money. If you want a adjusted car, calculate the daily kilometers you travel, the types of outings you do and make calculations of the battery size you need. Of course, if a small car with 50-60 kWh capacity is enough, keep in mind that you will have to make concessions when you travel. In that case, only you set the price for your time. With all this in mind, do the following math: Cost … Read more

Nvidia is going to give your chips to the push you need to maintain their domain

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Nvidia is preparing to open the door to the door to The photonic silicon. Just a few hours ago it has started in Palo Alto, California (USA), the Specialized Conference in Semiconductor Engineering and High Performance Computing ‘Hot Chips’. And the company led by Jensen Huang has not let out the opportunity to announce that in 2026 its platforms of artificial intelligence (AI) latest generation They will use photonic interconnections to reach higher transfer speeds between GPU clusters. Most of the designers and manufacturers of integrated circuits are working on the development of silicon’s photonic. Douglas Yu, a TSMC executive with responsibility in the field of systems integration, explained In September 2023, what disruptive capacity has this technology: “If we manage to implement a good system of integration of silicon photonics we will trigger a new paradigm. We will probably be placed at the beginning of a new era.” Nvidia has just taught her letters Before moving forward we are interested in intuiting with some precision what we are talking about. The photonic silicon is a discipline that in the field that concerns us seeks to develop the technology of this chemical element to optimize the transformation of electrical signals into light pulses. The most obvious field of application of this innovation is the implementation of high performance links that, on paper, can be used both to solve communications between several chips and to optimize the transfer of information between several machines. Advanced packaging technologies with which the main semiconductor manufacturers work, such as TSMC, Intel or Samsung, can benefit a lot from a communication mechanism between very high performance chips. And the big data centers in which it is necessary connect a large number of machinesalso. However, there is a particular discipline that has a projection of the future overwhelming and the one that would be wonderful about the advantages proposed by the photonic silicon: AI. CPO technology reduces energy consumption to just 9 watts per port This is precisely Nvidia’s commitment. In the clusters of the thousands of GPU they must work in unison, so it is essential to connect them using high performance links. It is possible to solve this challenge using traditional copper cables or optical modules, but these two solutions introduce very important inefficiencies in the infrastructure. The most problematic are the loss of energy and bottlenecks. Data transfer can consume up to 30 watts per port, which increases the dissipation of energy in the form of heat and increases the probability of a failure. In addition, latency limits the scalability of clusters as the GPU number of data centers increases. To solve these inefficiencies NVIDIA will integrate the optical components that require photonic interconnections In the same encapsulated switching chip. This technology is known as CPO (Co-Packaged Optics) and reduce energy consumption to only 9 watts per port. In addition, it minimizes signal loss and improves data integrity. It looks really good. NVIDIA has confirmed that it will integrate CPO technology into its Quantum-X infiniband and Spectrum-X Ethernet interconnection platforms during 2026. However, there is something important that is worth not overlooking: CPO will not be an extra. When it arrives, it will be strengthened as a structural requirement of the next generation of data centers for AI in a clear attempt to increase the competitiveness of hardware platforms for NVIDIA. Image | Nvidia More information | Tom’s hardware In Xataka | Intel and TSMC lead the revolution of photonic chips. His problem is that China has just done fully in this war

The cheapest way to maintain a Mazda RX-7 is to stuff a diesel engine. And yes, there are those who have dared with it

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Rotary engine, scamotable headlights and a silhouette, simply, perfect. The third generation of Mazda RX-7 is not only a sculptural carit is a fundamental pillar of the Japanese automobile culture that came to us in the 90s. For those who grew up those years with Gran Tourism under the armJapan became an absolute reference when building our most precious memories. They were years of matagigants such as Honda NSX or the Nissan Skyline GT-Rdomain in the World Cup in Rallies of Subaru and Mitsubishiand the tunning with greater taste that has been seen with the Toyota supra, Mitsubishi Eclipse or the Mazda RX-7 (among many others that I leave) by flag. As if that were not enough, later the iconic would arrive Mazda RX-7 by Dominic Toretto In the first to all gas, I would return with Han in Fast & Furious Tokyo Drift And, meanwhile, we could drive it in the aforementioned Gran Turismo or in the Need For Speed, if we want to follow that tuning aspect. It is not surprising that the public has love to a car that was not only beautiful. He was also spectacular for his peculiar engine and his delicious sound. All that has been lost with this peculiar restoration. A DIESEL MAZDA? “I bought it two years ago and it was nothing more than a chassis (…) had no engine, or gearbox, or interior …” With these words, the Arnold declaration begins, a Polish that Account on the Nightride YouTube channel (Almost a million subscribers), the story of his Mazda RX-7. The words of the owner of this mythical sporting have the halo that seems to be exculpating their sins in the confessional. “I started with the aesthetic part”he recounts when he says that only after modifying his exterior and resembling him to aesthetics Touge (The Japanese seventies fashion to skid on the mountain roads that is collected in films such as Fast & Furious Tokyo Drift or in the famous initial manga d) It was when he thought what he would do with the engine. The third generation of Mazda RX-7 is famous for set up a rotary engine biturbo that reached 280 hp. In addition to a very light chassis, the car quickly became saint and sign of Drift lovers. It was a car that had everything, a brutal aesthetic, a rare engine and a sound that remembered the mythical Mazda 787b That was done with the victory in Le Mans. “I wanted the car to be controversial”. And what if it has been. Not precisely because of the aesthetic carbon fiber package based on the needd Speed Underground. Arnold decided that nothing would cause more impact than forgetting the rotating engine and seating a six diesel cylinders. Yes, you have read well. I know you need time to digest it. Can you keep reading? The six -cylinder diesel came from a BMW 5 E39 series. With the smile of who knows that has committed a crime He has achieved his goal, he says on the camera: “I wanted to have a car with a shocking engine under the hood. And it was shocking, because it works in a Mazda RX-7”. And then, with a smile, he explains that he valued many types of engines but that was finally decided by the six BMW diesel cylinders. A reliable and cheap engine. No other engine that I could use was so cheap and gave it so much performance. But he also confesses, “I liked to anger people.” Looking at the good side of things, Arnold says that the project was born with the idea of being “a cheap drift car” that could complement with the other RX-7 that, this yes, has a rotating engine in its garage. But the project became more expensive. He raised the power from 184 to 270 hp and installed a rear differential, also from BMW that he customized. He assures that he continues to use it as a car for Drift but, finally, so much attention for the detail has made it a vehicle to use on a day -to -day basis. With his beautiful image his diesel engine will not attract attention … until someone misses the particular howl of the newspaper. “Some love him and others hate him”says at the end of the video. Well, Arnold, we imagine that on that balance there are many more on one side than in the other. But at least we stayed that the chassis of a Mazda RX-7 was returned to life and now dazzles those who find it down the street. Photo | Jacob s and BMW In Xataka | Mazda 6e, first impressions: to give up what seemed inalienable to become a missile against Tesla Model 3

Strategies to maintain motivation

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Academic stress can become an overwhelming burden for whom They face an opposition either They take a doctorate. The pressure to achieve excellence and comply with adjusted deadlines can affect both Emotional well -being like him intellectual performancewhich does nothing but aggravate his situation. However, there are strategies based on experience and scientific evidence that can help recover mental control and enjoy that training process instead of suffering it. Rory Lambe, is a doctoral student at Trinity College Dublin, and explainedin Nature How did academic demands face without being consumed by stress, through strategies that have allowed him Maintain motivation and mental health. Seek social support and share experiences Lambe emphasizes the Importance of not isolating and to seek support in colleagues, friends and family. “Talking to other doctoral students helped me realize that I was not alone in my concerns,” he says. Share experiences and emotions with people who They cross similar situations You can relieve the feeling of loneliness and provide practical solutions to problems that you could not solve for yourself. Research From the University of Michigan they have shown that social support is a key protective factor against academic stress. According to these research, students who have a solid support network present a 40% less of anxiety and depression symptoms compared to those who feel isolated. In this sense, the Socialization with other people That they share that situation of opposition or doctoral preparation helps empathize and feel more supported. Clear limits between work and rest According to Lambe, “working late, or even the weekend, can be inevitable when the demands are maximum, but should not become the norm.” Therefore. strictly separate the time dedicated to work of free time It makes a big difference in mood and mental clarity. This strategy is backed by studies by Sabine Sonnentag and Charlotte Fritz, which shows that the ability to disconnect mentally of work during free time is associated with a significant reduction in cortisol levels and other physiological stress indicators. Disconnection helps recover psychological resources and physical, improving mental health and cognitive performance when it returns to work or study and returning the ability to concentrate. Lambe had in his article that maintaining a good routine at your schedules And practicing mindfulness helped him maintain work discipline, avoiding lengthening the study days until the early morning or holidays. In addition, al Maintain that order In his routine, the researcher claimed to be more resilient at the problems that arose. Celebrate small achievements Preparing oppositions or a doctorate is not a sprint but a background race, so it is relatively easy to lose sight of the long -term purpose. Learn to value small daily advances Help stay in the road map. “It is easy to lose motivation if you only focus on the ultimate goal. Celebrating small achievements helps maintain high morals,” said Lambe. He GRADIENT OF OBJECTIVE EFFECT It is a key element to maintain motivation in long -term projects. The Scientific literature On this psychological phenomenon describes that the perception of closeness to the goal influences behavior and effort level, so the motivation is increased to obtain a reward in dopamine. That is to say, if very long -term objectives are raised, perception is diluted of advance and, therefore, the motivation to continue and increases discouragement is reduced. On the other hand, set short -term objectives as small achievements, this advance is perceived better. Recognizing progress, however, helps to strengthen self -esteem and reduce the feeling of failure. Enjoy what you are learning Maintain perspective With a list full of tasks and objectives to meet or issues that study is not easy. Lambe recognizes that he often hit the day to day and forgot something fundamental: “I was so focused on what I would like to do once I finished, that I forgot that it is important to enjoy what I am doing now.” Knowledge derived from Study the agenda From an opposition or a doctorate they will be the foundations for the future of your professional career in the future. The Self -determination theory by Richard M. Ryan and Edward L. Deci describes the benefits of the change of perspective it implies Convert the “I have to study” for “I want to study”reinforcing psychological well -being and motivation by assuming the process as a personal and genuine choice, not as something imposed. In Xataka | If you have wondered how much free time you need to be happy, science has an answer Image | Unspash (Daniel)

The mountains of Aragon are plagued by Christian crosses. Now there is a battle to tear them down or maintain them

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Aragon lives his peculiar “Cruces War”. One that has begun in the mountains of the region, has jumped to the administrations and threatens Finish in the Courts. And all following a crucifix of several meters installed in the Sierra de Albarracín, a construction that has divided part of the Aragonese political class and society: for some it is a symbol that It must be preserved for its heritage, historical and symbolic value; For others, an element that must be withdrawn by representing a danger or directly crash with the aconfesionality of the State. The debate is served. The beginning of everything, a ray. If Aragon has faced his particular “battle of the crosses” for a few weeks, it is for lightning. A few months ago, In September of 2024, the Sierra de Albarracín suffered a storm that affected THE CROSS OF BEZASa monument of several meters high and several steps located on top of a rock. The cross did not fall, but it was affected by a ray that, Precise Diario de TeruelHe broke part of the concrete and gave a scare to a guard. What happened? The episode was a problem for several reasons. The ray was supposedly splintered part of the stone that covers the metal structure of the cross and the fragments fell near a guard. Enough for the Provincial Environment Service will send a letter to the town hall in which he proposed to withdraw the monument. Among other reasons alleged that it acts as a lightning rod during storms, a risk that could now increase that its metal is air. “An environmental risk”. The regional report in which it was argued that the cross represents “An environmental risk” convinced the Consistory, that He gave green light to demolition. Beyond the danger it can represent, the cross is popular in the area (it names the Peñasco on which it rose), but it is not especially old nor is there a clear unanimity about its historical value. The monument was installed in July 1939in memory of battalion 135 Bailén, but Alfonso Casas, expert in the Spanish Civil War, I explained recently In an interview with Diario de Teruel that in his opinion “it is not properly a vestige of the war.” Moreover, in his opinion he also does not have a special artistic value. And the debate arrived. Not everyone thinks the same. The decision to tear down the cross He didn’t like it For example to Christian lawyers, who a few days ago filed an appeal before the contentious-administrative court of Teruel. Its argument is simple: the cross has been in the same state for several decades (they presented a video in which they ensure that it can be seen how in the 80s the structure already had the pampering damages that now blame the lightning), so there is no reasons to remove it from the rock. “This monument, erected in 1939, reaches three meters with the base and is an important symbol of Christianity in the valley,” Highlight entitywho complains that “everything that recalls that Spain is and must remain Catholic” produces “a strange hives” in institutions. To reinforce his claim he has also initiated a collection of signatures that backed by more than 13,300 people. Beyond the Cruz de Bezas. So far the case is interesting but basically affects the municipality of Bezas and its neighbors. If you have caught the attention of state media It is because the debate has climbed and that September ray has put in the point of view other religious monuments distributed throughout the Aragonese mountains. One of the key actors of that debate has been Vox, which He has taken advantage to go beyond the decision of demolition of Bezas. His spokesman in the courts of Aragon, Alejandro Nolasco, has advanced Two party decisions. First, claim in the courts to keep the Cross of Bezas. Second, promote an initiative for “all historical and artistic goods that the Taliban of the PP and PSOE want to destroy” are declared BIC. “We are going to live times in which the crosses are going to tear down putting environmental, landscape excuses. Of course, free way for mills and plates.” “Contributes to degradation”. Vox has already proposed to achieve BIC’s tag (and armor) sights Located in the Old Pueblo de Belchite, Los Pinares de Venice, Monzón, Barbastro or Teruel, where he also wants protection to The cross located in the Plaza del Seminario. However, another group that advocates something very different: the Movement towards a secular state (Mhuel). In fact the entity has launched A campaign to demand the withdrawal of religious symbols distributed by the Summits of Aragon. “Aragonese mountains are fragile spaces that already suffer strong pressure from human activity,” The association arguesthat insists in that the presence of metal crossings affects the ecosystem and are a danger for hikers, especially during storms. “The installation of artificial elements contributes to the degradation of these spaces, many cataloged.” The great background debate. It is not the only argument that Mhuel wields, which also points to the great background debate: religious symbols in the middle of the mountain. “The presence of Christian symbols in public natural spaces contravenes the principle of aconfesionality of the State collected in our Constitution,” ditch: “The mountains are heritage of all citizens, regardless of their beliefs, and must remain free of religious symbols that represent only one part.” Hence the entity advocates extending Bezas’s criteria. But … how many are there? Good question, difficult answer. Bezas is not the only cross that crown rocks or peaks. In La Peña Oroel There is another very popular, just like that of The top of Anetowho jumped to the media in 2013 after the Benasque City Council decided to withdraw it to repair it. In 2024 Today Aragon needed That in the mountains there are different types of crosses with a religious or civil value, from indicators of sanctuaries or hermitages to guides for pilgrims, tributes to deceased or … Read more

Texas installed millions of solar panels on rural land. To maintain it they have had to hire 3,000 sheep

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When one of the world’s largest solar plants was installed near his home, sheep herder JR Howard never imagined it would end up being a golden opportunity for the sheep business. Context. Despite being the main oil producer in the United States, Texas has made one of the country’s strongest bets on renewable energy to the point of surpassing California in solar production. In Milam County, just outside of Austin, is the fifth largest solar photovoltaic park in the world. Owned by SB Energy, this installation covers 1,600 hectares of rural land in solar panels, generating up to 900 W of clean energy power. 3,000 sheep. Under the shadow of hundreds of thousands of solar panels, not only insects that were previously threatened proliferate, like bees. Grass also grows healthily, which requires maintenance. The solar industry tends to rely on gas-powered lawnmowers to remove grass, which defeats the fundamental purpose of renewable energy. But SB Energy opted for a more sustainable and traditional solution for the maintenance of its land: a flock of 3,000 sheep. why sheep. In addition to the economic benefits, sheep reach grasses that lawnmowers can’t reach, such as those that grow in small crevices. No less important: the sheep happily chew whatever day it is, rain or shine. But the proliferation of grazing animals on solar farms is not unique to this Texas facility, but is part of a broader trend in the agrivoltaic industry sometimes called “solar grazing.” an opportunity. To JR Howard, solar grazing has changed his life. His sheep farming business has been industrialized and he now has 8,000 animals and 27 employees. An image that is repeated in 27 states in the United States, according to the American Solar Grazing Association, which reports 60 new agrivoltaic projects with grazing by small herbivores. The solar industry is a golden opportunity for sheep herders, who have seen the wool and breeding business in general decline. Agrivoltaics makes it possible to take advantage of sunny land both to generate electricity and to maintain livestock, herds of goats and sheep or grow food. Image | AgriSolar Clearinghouse In Xataka | Minnesota installed solar panels on two huge crops. Five years later, they are a paradise for bees

These are the autonomous communities that maintain the discounts

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Yesterday, January 22, 2025, the Government failed to carry out the Omnibus Decree that contemplated the pension increasethe extension of the MOVES III Plan and its aid to the electric car or the public transport subsidywith free or discounted multi-trip passes and tickets. The latter has had a direct consequence among those who use public transport daily because they have seen how the same transport passes that were discounted yesterday have now returned to their official prices before the discount. Óscar Puente, Minister of Transport, assured yesterday that public transport passes acquired before the refusal was given Omnibus Decree of the Government will maintain the advantages until the end of the first quarter (when said subscriptions had to be renewed) since the user had the “acquired right” with the purchase of the titles. However, those who had not obtained the titles before yesterday’s vote will not have these purchase aids. Aid that also affects regional titles. In the latter case, the transport subsidy is maintained if the town councils or autonomous communities responsible for them undertake to extend their contribution. Some of them have already confirmed that this will be the case. The autonomous communities that will maintain aid for public transport in 2025 Just a few days ago, with the first hours of 2025, the Government confirmed that it was extending aid to public transport until June 30, 2025. A measure that It would cost us 1.6 billion euros and that came with another promise: a single public transport ticket for all of Spain starting in the second half of the year. Aid for public transport, however, reached citizens through two sources. In those of state ownership (such as free quarterly subscriptions for Media Distancia with predefined origin and destination, the 50% reduction in the price of Avant multi-trip tickets or the free state-managed bus lines), the aid has been completely eliminated as it does not have the support of the Congress of Deputies. However, passes and multi-trip tickets of municipal or regional extension within the same autonomous community had double funding in the aid. The responsible organizations that wanted to benefit from the aid had the obligation to offer these multi-trip passes and tickets with at least a 50% discount. In order to apply this discount, the regional government was obliged to commit to a minimum aid of 20% of the original price and the State would support with the remaining 30% until reaching that minimum 50% reduction. Without the contribution of the State and the extension of aid, the autonomous communities and town councils have three options: Eliminate aid for public transport Maintain your minimum contribution of 20% or the one you have been applying until now Assume the State’s part and maintain the 50% discount, accepting that the entire final amount has to come from its coffers. In this context, some autonomous communities have already confirmed that they will maintain their aid to public transport in one way or another: Community of Madrid: It will maintain the 60% discount that its users already enjoyed. The regional government matched the State contribution and, therefore, the reduction in the final price was 60%. Government spokespersons in the region have confirmed that They will maintain the aid “for the moment” and therefore the prices They are still the ones you find in this link.Catalonia: At least temporarily, aid for public transport in Catalonia is maintained. It has been confirmed by Metropolitan Transport Authority (ATM) who claim that prices are maintained at a 50% discount “until the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility officially publishes or communicates” the withdrawal of its 30% state aid. From then on, the ATMs of Barcelona, ​​Lleida, Tarragona and Girona will maintain the 20% aid that corresponded to them until now but the state contribution will be lost. the Basque Country: As stated EFEaid for public transport in the Basque Country will also remain at a 50% discount until the Government of Spain confirms the withdrawal of its part of the aid. At this time, 20% of Basque aid is provided, 10% by the Autonomous Community and the remaining 10% by the provincial councils and town councils. Regarding the application in each City Council, in Bilbao the 50% discounts are maintained on the barik card and in temporary titles until February 20. After this date, if the State does not maintain its 30% aid, the reduction will be 20%. In San Sebastián it has been confirmed that the 50% discounts are maintained although no date has been specified and in Vitoria they will be maintained, at least, until January 31, according to Basque Chronicle. Valencian Community: According to The Sixththe Generalitat Valenciana is studying to what extent it can maintain transport aid, which, for the moment, will continue to receive a 50% discount until next December 31. Andalusia: As stated Seville newspaperthe Junta de Andalucía will maintain, at least, the 20% discount on the price of passes and multi-trip tickets that it already supported with its funds. This discount is active throughout the Autonomous Community and, therefore, also in the Metro services of Seville, Málaga and Granada.Galicia: Pick up ABC that the Xunta de Galicia will also maintain transport aid at 50% until the end of January. From then on, the aid will be reduced to 20% corresponding to the section provided by the autonomous communities.Asturias: The Principality of Asturias has confirmed in X that the CONECTA card is used throughout the Autonomous Community will continue to maintain exactly the same current rates. The card can be recharged monthly up to a maximum of 30 euros (unused money is returned) and with it you can take trips that are divided into zones. Prices can be consulted at this link.Castile and León: Pick up EFE that the Junta de Castilla y León has confirmed that it will maintain public transport subsidies that depend on the regional contribution. Thus, the Avant service will maintain a 20% discount and metropolitan transport a 20% discount. Rural transport will … Read more

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