The aging of the population and a poor pension system has a new symbol in Japan: grandmothers are rented

During the last months, the great drag crisis Japan with the aging of its population has been expressed in multiple formats. For example, in the field they are becoming Schools in hotels And more and more elderly for living in jail. In fact, the situation is such that the shortage of young labor has turned retirement into an aspiration of the past, with a large group of over 70 years keeping your work life Active The latest: the nation has begun to rent grandmothers. Grandmother for hours. As we said, in the context of a society that ages quickly and where loneliness and isolation They have become structural phenomena, Japan has witnessed the emergence of a unique and deeply revealing service: Ok obaachanan initiative that allows rent grandmothers For hours to fulfill as varied functions as teaching to cook, take care of children, accompany a loving break or simply provide emotional support. Behind this phenomenon, which might seem picturesque at first sight, underlies a series of economic tensions and social that clearly draw the fragility of the social contract in the Third Japanese age. With More than 9.3 million of people over 65 years old still active (That is, one in four elders continues to work after retirement age), many are forced to seek new forms of income against pensions that are barely enough to meet basic needs. For these older women, OK Obaachan represents not only an economic way, but also a form of Keep feeling usefulpresent and linked to society. A human catalog. The service, offered by the Client Partners companyis presented as a multifunctional female personnel (a kind of task and company company) and offers grandmothers to a cost of 3,300 yen per hour (More transport). The current template includes about 100 women between 60 and 94 yearswith diverse profiles and skills that cover From the kitchen, calligraphic writing or family mediation, to the simple ability to listen, advise or do affective presence. What began as a practical project has become an experience deeply human: Some grandmothers accompany people who want to leave the closet in front of their parents, others participate in academic research on social evolution in Japan, and there are those who simply help cope with everyday life. Some of the “rental grandmothers” Grandmothers of all colors. He Customer profile It is as wide as that of the grandmothers themselves: young people without family, lonely adults, people looking for a maternal figure, or even couples in the process of rupture that require a conciliatory presence. The range of services covers from functional to emotional, and in many cases the symbolic. Social reactions. What’s doubt, the appearance of the service has generated reactions found In Japanese society. While some value the possibility of receiving advice and affection from an experienced person, others express discomfort Before commercialization of human ties. In fact, they have appeared comments on networks social ranging from praise to the idea of ​​”feeling needy” to irony about the physical risk for the elderly or even the complaint about the lack of an equivalent service for men. Because, in effect, ok obaachan is exclusively feminineboth in its template and in its parallel services of “rental friends” or “rental relatives”, all managed by a company that It is defined as “Manitas company only for women.” They counted the media premises that, although there is a male version called Ossan Rental (Centered on middle -aged men, between 30 or 40 years), its approach is different and more informal, and does not reach the level of visibility or sophistication of the service focused on grandmothers. Grandmothers as a symptom. The proliferation of this type of services cannot be analyzed without attending the demographic backdrop that makes them possible. We have gone counting: Japan is one of the countries more aged of the world, with an inverted population pyramid, rates of minimal birth rate and a longevity that exceeds 85 years on average. Traditional family structures are They have eroded: Unipersonal households They multiplyintergenerational links They weakenand community fabric It is fragmented. In this scenario, older people not only face economic uncertainty, but also an existential vacuum. Initiatives like OK Obaachan They workas well as a kind of emotional economy, in which rent affection (either On the contrary), listening and the human heat that was previously given in the family. Far from being a marginal curiosity, the phenomenon embodies an adaptive response (and, of course, commercial) to a deeply structural need. Radiography of the present. If you want, although the boom Ok obaachan Point to the endearing, functional or even ingenious, deep down it is a sign of cultural transformation. The figure of the grandmother, traditionally associated with the home, the transmission of values ​​or the emotional refuge, has become a professionalized resourcenegotiable and temporal. What was previously free and spontaneous is now organized, is invoiced and reserved for hours. A RARE Av of professionalization of tenderness that speaks both of the spirit of resilience of older women and the void left by a Hyperravalized societywhere every need (even affective) must be covered For a transaction. Japan, as in so many Other trendsit is possible that anticipating a phenomenon that could be reproduced in other industrialized societies. In an increasingly individualistic world and agedperhaps the question is not why there is a grandmothers service for rent, but why the hell we need so much. Image | Miki YoshihitoClient Partners In Xataka | The aging of the population in the field has taken Japan to an unprecedented proposal: converting schools into hotels In Xataka | The aging of the population is causing Japan to make an unprecedented decision: welcome digital nomads

A bank convinced the people of a poor town in the US to spend their savings. Now it’s full of millionaires

Stories of Lucky blows and Millionaires There are manybut they almost always have a common denominator: We speak in singular. Therefore, what happened in a small town in Florida whose families were going through serious difficulties to get ahead is so special. Even today, the enclave continues to look like a bland and inhospitable town. But do not deceive you, there is still a large number of millionaires among people. And all Thanks to Coca-Cola. Quincy and the banker. This is the name of the people of one of the most fascinating stories of the United States economy. There, in the midst of the great depression of the 20s and 30s and with part of the census in serious difficulties, a figure appears that was going to change everyone’s life. His name: Pat munroea cunning banker, a businessman who noticed a key detail to convince all citizens. It didn’t matter how impoverished they were in Quincy or how serious the financial situation of families was, the man observed that almost religiously, people spent until the last penny in a good glass of icy coca-cool. What if that devotion made it a blow of luck? Coca-Cola in the stock market. The sugary giant began to quote in stock market in 1919 to $ 40 the actionbut a conflict with the sugar industry and its bottlers caused a 50% drop soon, when it reached 19 dollars per share. In other words, there was a time in the story in which Coca-Cola quoted for less than the cash in the bank and its actions were extremely cheap. And among others, Munroe was at the right time. The bargain of the century. What did he do? Invest. The man He began acquiring Coca-Cola actions As if there were no tomorrow. However, he did not do it alone. He encouraged all his acquaintances and friends of acquaintances in the town to buy a participation in the company. Focusing on the final profits and the power of the brand, Pat Munroe continued and continued buying. And while doing it, he kept telling everyone who were willing to listen to him in Quincy who also bought. He took advantage of the confidence and respect that the community had towards him and undertook a crusade to get anyone who could go up to the Coca-Cola train. Loans for shares. The man was so sure of his success that every time a person went to his bank to ask for a loan, I encouraged him to accept another in exchange for actions. Farmers, shopkeepers, teachers: absolutely anyone who could spend money was tempted by Munroe. For the banker, that Coca-Cola’s action was at $ 19 each was an opportunity that no one in the city should escape. That is why he did not get tired of buying and, almost equally important, to stand firm in the decision regardless of the market fluctuations that occurred in the short term. The ball. Finally, the banker’s observations were a historical success. Quincy, an eminently agricultural city, not only remained afloat in difficult times thanks to Coca-Cola dividends, brought a wealth that is still studied in universities. In fact, the enclave became the richest city per capita in the United States for a while, and dozens of its inhabitants were nicknamed “the millionaire secrets of Coca-Cola”. People who trusted the good eye of Munroe and invested all their money (and the one they did not have), and who kneaded huge fortunes with those first actions, which then transmitted from generation to generation, making them the millionaire eponyms of Coca-Cola, some who, effectively, established whole dynasties of financial prosperity that transcended generations. How much we are talking. It is difficult to speak in total terms, but for us to get an idea of ​​money, in 2013 it was made An assessment study of what happened in Quincy. The results found that a single action with reinvested dividends were worth 10,000,000 dollars. $ 270,000 in cash dividends would be sent before taxes to the owner by sending a check worth $ 67,500 in March, June, September and November of each year. In this way, if the great -grandmother and great -grandfather on duty had acquired a round lot of 100 shares for between $ 1,900 and $ 4,000, depending on the purchase price, they would now have more than one billion dollars, excluding the effects of taxes on assets. Money for crisis. That investment has meant a lifeguard every time a hard time is approaching. When the local economy was supported by coca and the crisis arrived, tail dividends. In fact, these assets have supported the city in all recessions since then. When the crops failed, it was the money of the Coca-Cola that kept the people used. When the national economy collapsed, it was Coca-Cola’s cash that allowed people to remain in their homes. When the times were good and Coca-Cola was cheap, they bought more actions. Quincy today. It is a unique story, by unusual. All families that kneaded a fortune then passed it to their children and grandchildren, in some cases through direct donations and in others through the use of fiduciary funds. Even the bank where everything started has a Coca-Cola on exhibition And, until a few years ago, an amazing 65% of the fiduciary assets under administration were still invested in Coca-Cola shares. Quincy’s appearance today does not differ much from the era of great depression. It is still a quiet and eminently agricultural city with a population of less than 10,000 inhabitants. But do not fool your sight, some of the grandchildren whose families raised an empire, that of the secret millionaires of Coca-Cola. Image | Pxhere, Ebyabe, Pxhere In Xataka | The 100,000 million club: the exclusive group of 14 millionaires that has doubled its members in 2024 In Xataka | There are rich and ultra -ups: countries with more millionaires, centimillionaires and milmonarios of the world counted in a graphic *An earlier version of this article … Read more

Internet access democratized knowledge you were rich or poor. AI is destroying that conquest step by step

$ 250 per month for using the most advanced AI. That is The figure that Google has put. Six months ago, OpenAi set his in 200. A few days ago Anthropic expanded Claude’s few limits with another 200. In any case It’s not just about paying for technology. It’s about buying power. And, therefore, to mark distances. Until recently, to talk about ia was talking about universal access. The free chatgpt or gemini versions were far from their older sisters, yes, but allowed to try, learn, benefit from their abilities even if it was a bit. Today that has changed. The powerful version is no longer available to everyone. It has been encapsulated after a monthly three -digit subscription that does not even start by ‘1’. It is the beginning of a new gap: Not between those who use AI and those who do not, but between those who can automate their tasks, think with help, execute complex flows … and those who do not. What Google or Openai offers is not just a better chatbot. Is an operating system of intellectual work. An assistant who not only responds, but understands the context, recalls, acts, generates, automates. Tools like Deep Research (OpenAI) or Project Mariner (Google) represent the decisive step towards Autonomous agents. They execute tasks that previously occupied days of human work. And in many cases they do better. With that, productivity is redefined. But inequality is also redefined. The question It is not only what this technology can do, but who can afford it. Because we don’t talk about a luxury. We talk about a tool that multiplies the performance of those who use it. An invisible advantage but that impacts everything: from the quality of work to the speed with which objectives are achieved. Who accesss these models lives in another learning curve, in another economy of results. Who cannot pay them, is trapped in a slower, less capable, more limited version of himself. This has a clear echo in history: the machinery of the industrial revolution also multiplied productivity … but at first only for those who could afford it. The same goes for now. The advanced AI begins to consolidate as an elite infrastructure. As if at the beginning of the Internet century, they were only available for those who paid $ 3,000 a year. And that changes the knowledge map. Because These tools not only report: they model how you learn, how it is decided, how it competes. Its effect is not immediate or visible, but cumulative. Day after day, those who access them will work with less friction, to make better decisions, to delegate more tasks, to generate more and better content. The others only observe, as much with access to the good, but not maybe. And they lag behind. The future is already priced. In Xataka | Google has become the most leading company at night. And the main winner is Android Outstanding image | Xataka with Mockuuuups Studio, Openai

A stabilization of poor electricity

In 2024 23.2% of Electricity of the Spanish Energy Mix It had a wind origin; 20%, nuclear; 17%, photovoltaic solar; 13.6%, combined cycle; 13.3%, hydraulic; and the rest proceeded from the burning of coal or other renewable sources. The accounts are very simple: during the year we have left behind More than 50% of electricity production It had a renewable origin. And presumably In 2025 the total energy balance It will not be very different. The Government of Spain has created an investigation commission that seeks to identify the causes of the total blackout that we suffer throughout the country on April 28. However, during the last days in the media and social networks Some experts have indicated the need for a country with such a high production of Energy of renewable origin have an effective stabilization system. The intermittent nature of renewable sources justifies this thesis. The Spanish energy mix needs a stabilization system of the robust network The figures that we have reviewed a few lines above Nuclear energy for the moment too holds an important contributionalthough in this article we are interested in repairing a very relevant difference between both forms of electricity generation: its continuous or intermittent character. Nuclear reactors produce energy in an essentially constant way as long as it is not necessary to undertake Fuel recharge or carry out installation maintenance operations. However, wind and photovoltaic energies, of course, depend on the availability of wind and solar radiation. This obvious behavior explains Why are intermittent energy sources. However, there is something that is not obvious: the electricity grid must maintain a permanent balance between generation capacity and consumption. The electricity grid must maintain a permanent balance between generation capacity and consumption This simply means that wind farms, nuclear plants, photovoltaic solar facilities, combined cycle plants and hydraulic plants that are connected to the Spanish electricity grid should be able to deliver at all times the electricity that is being sued. Otherwise there would be an imbalance between the generation capacity and the consumption that could trigger very important problems in the electricity supply. I could even justify a total blackout like the one we experienced just a week ago. The two parameters that we are interested in knowing to understand why this imbalance is problematic are the frequency and voltage or voltage. The Spanish electricity grid, like those of our European neighbors, works with alternating current at 50 Hz or cycles per second. When we investigate the panorama, the panorama is complicated a bit, but not too much. Electricity is distributed throughout the Spanish territory through a high voltage network that has 44,000 km of 220 kV and 400 kV lines. Once electricity is close to the points where intermediate substations will be consumed are responsible for reducing the voltage to 132 kV. In medium and low voltage networks, electricity has a voltage of 15 to 30 kV, and, finally, local transformers reduce it to 230 volts for domestic use in our homes and shops, OA 400 volts for industry and large consumption centers. The problem appears when for the reason that is the electrical infrastructure undergoes a significant deviation of frequency or voltage. Synthetic inertia systems that mimic the behavior of rotating masses can also help renewable to correct the imbalances between demand and generation quickly An important imbalance between the planned generation for renewables from meteorological models and real generation can cause it to occur an excess energy that is not assumed by consumption. Renewable sources do not have a mechanical inertia system that allows them to quickly correct that difference, so it is possible that a deviation of the frequency and tension of the ability to compromise infrastructure performance is tried. The nuclear and thermal plants, however, have a rotating mass that acquires the inertia necessary to cushion the sudden changes of their generation capacity. Fortunately, these imbalances can be avoided, but to do so it is essential to have energy storage systems or reversible pumping to deliver or absorb power when necessary. Synthetic inertia systems that mimic the behavior of rotating masses can also help renewables correct the imbalances between demand and generation quickly. Such a heterogeneous energy mix As Spanish can work properly, but it is essential that you have a stabilization of the robust and efficient electricity network. Otherwise the quality and reliability of the electricity supply will be compromised. Image | Kindel Media In Xataka | What is the “energy zero” and why the supply can go suddenly but it takes hours to recover In Xataka | The blackout in Spain raised the possibility of a cyber attack. The EU rules out

Should the same fine pay the same poor as a rich? Spain is already serious that the DGT puts progressive sanctions

An increase of up to 500%. That is what has been able to add in the Congress of Deputies with their proposal of law to implement the concept of progressivity to traffic sanctions. A measure that already applies in other countries and aims to match the balance. This is what we know. A Law Proposition. First of all, it is important to know What is a law proposition. This formula allows any parliamentary group to present a letter in which the modification of a law or the creation of an existing one is. Once presented, the government has 30 days to answer whether or not it is processed. If processed, the deadline for presenting possible amendments to the text is opened. In case of moving forward is when the final approval of the text is discussed in the Congress of Deputies. Here is the time to approve this proposition, which decays or that different modifications are included. The proposal to add. Therefore, the proposal to add is, for the moment, in the first step before traffic violations are forward. However, it is still important because it opens the debate to the approval of progressive fines in our country. As you can read in the text presented at the Congress of Deputies, the idea is that the one who has the most pay in case of committing an infraction. “It cannot be that for some a fine ruins the month and for others it is a calderilla,” said Enrique Santiago, spokesman to add, in words collected by The country. What is it? As we say, in which he pays more who has the most. But, to what extent. That is what would have to be defined and add its proposal: A 30% increase in the cost of the sanction “in response to the severity and transcendence of the fact, the background of the offender and his status as a repeat offender, the potential danger created for himself and for the other users of the road and the criterion of proportionality” A 150% increase for sanctioned offenders whose annual gross income is between 70,000 and 85,000 euros. A 300 % increase between sanctioned offenders whose annual gross income between 85,000 and 100,000 euros. A 500 % increase for sanctioned offenders whose annual gross income greater than 100,000 euros. In addition to increases in the payment of sanctions, the proposal also includes reductions for serious and very serious infractions: 30% reduction for those who prove income up to 1.5 times the SMI 15% reduction for those who prove income between 1.5 and 2.5 times the SMI What do we pay? At the moment, the DGT contemplates three scenarios to punish the infractions According to the Traffic Law: Mild infractions: up to 100 euros of sanction. Serious infractions: sanction of 200 euros. Very serious infractions: sanction of 500 euros as a general rule. Reiteration in alcohol or drug use is punished with 1,000 euros. Driving a car with detectors or radar inhibitors is punished with 3,000 euros. Current punishments for speeding How much would we pay? If we apply the proposal to add to the current sanctions, it must be taken into account that all speeding is a serious offense, although a penalty of 100 euros is contemplated for the milder cases. That is, to exceed the maximum permitted speed would entail the payment of the following fines: People who enter less than 1.5 times the SMI: 70 euros. People entering between 1.5 and 2.5 times the SMI: 85 euros. People who exceed 2.5 times the SMI and up to 70,000 euros: they could pay up to 130 euros “in response to the severity and transcendence of the fact, the background of the offender and their status as a repeat offender, the potential danger created for himself and for the other users of the road and the criteria of proportionality.” People who enter between 70,000 and 85,000 euros: 250 euros. People entering between 85,000 and 100,000 euros: 400 euros. People who enter more than 100,000 euros: 600 euros. In response to more serious speed, which is punished with 600 euros, we could talk about sanctions of up to 3,600 euros at the upper end. For fines for drug use, it would amount to 6,000 euros. And for the use of inhibitors and radar detectors they would be 18,000 euros. Does this apply in any country? Yes, different European Union countries have this way of acting in traffic but not all apply in the same way. The most obvious and known case is that of Finland, pioneers who apply this method since 1929 according to Pyramid Consultingspecialized in resorting traffic sanctions. Finland is also famous because in the early 2000s, a Nokia manager was sanctioned with a Fine of 116,000 euros for exceeding the maximum limit allowed at 25 km/h. It is not the only Finnish case, Anders Wiklöf, Finnish millionaire owner of Wiklöf Holding (A group of more than 20 companies that invest in all types of sectors), complained that only three fines 300,000 euros had cost him. And Finland is not the only country where this criterion is applied. In Sweden and in Switzerland he also pays the most and in Denmark, reductions of up to 50% are contemplated when paying fines so not everything is bad news, they collect in Cubic centimeters. And does it work? There are doubts that increasing what is paid for traffic infractions has a real effect on traffic accidents. Some studies They claim that applying progressive fines can reduce road deaths by 5% and 2% serious injuries. However, a meta -analysis It did correlate an increase in the payment of the sanctions between 50 and 100% of the cost of them with a 15% reduction in infractions. Despite this, it was not confirmed that there was a clear correlation between this reduction and a decrease in the number of accidents, dead on the road or injured. Photo | Jorge Fraganillo In Xataka | We already know … Read more

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