silent

Lorazepam’s silent epidemic

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Every night the gesture repeats: Slide the drawer, take the pill, let it dissolve slowly under the tongue. It is not an exception, but a generalized tendency that has made anxiolytics in part of the daily medicineness of many people in Spain. A custom that reflects more than an insomnia epidemic: an entire society that drags emotional discomfort without sufficient tools to manage it. A booming consumption. Names such as Lorazepam, Alprazolam or Diazepam have ceased to belong exclusively to medical language. Today they are part of the usual vocabulary, a reflection of an increasingly widespread reality: the generalized use of anxiolytics to manage stress, insomnia or daily anxiety. According to data from General Council of Psychology of Spain and the Organization of consumers and users (OCU)more than 42% of the population has consumed benzodiazepines in the last five years. While, 59% of young people between 25 and 29 years have taken anxiolytics in recent years. It is not a generational exception: it is a normalization of discomfort with recipe. There is always a base diagnosis. Sometimes, the pill comes to calm a timely discomfort, a difficult night, one day that overflows. Without therapy. Without real follow -up. Only the quick recipe, without time or resources for something else. Dr. Luis Gimeno Feliu, family doctor at the San Pablo Health Center (Zaragoza), Explain in an interview with El Heraldo that “there is a great rush in primary care for the lack of personnel. That leads the patient to the easy resource. The problem is that benzodiazepines create dependence quickly. The ideal is to use them shortly and occasionally, but in Spain they are consumed indiscriminately.” A blow of reality. The continued use of these substances entails real risks. According to the same OCU survey, 65% of consumers have been taking them for more than six months and almost 40% recognize that they would like to leave them. The problem, as indicated in the report, is that many patients do not have adequate psychological accompaniment or real therapeutic alternatives in the public health system. The easy recipe. In this context, we have talked with the clinical psychologist Alejandra by Pedro González Who identifies multiple causes that explain this trend: work stress, precariousness, housing crisis, constant hyperconnectivity and sequelae of confinement have generated a social scenario that favors discomfort. “The health system often responds with a quick recipe. Psychotherapy is more expensive and less accessible, so the anxiolytic becomes the simplest option, even if it is not the most appropriate,” he warns. The demand for psychological care has increased, but the public system cannot absorb it. “The most immediate and cheapest solution for many primary care doctors is to prescribe a drug. Not because they want, but because there are not enough means to offer quality psychotherapy from the first level welfare,” he explains. An anxious generation. For De Pedro, it is not exaggerated to talk about an “anxious generation.” Current society – he explains – encourages immediacy, extreme self -examination and poor tolerance to discomfort. “We are seeing young people with very little capacity to manage frustration, who feel overwhelmed by daily demands and that pathologize symptoms that are completely normal,” he says. Clinical psychologist Fernando Azor, In statements collected by El Confidencialreinforces this idea: “The problem is that many people have not learned to tolerate the physical sensations of anxiety. Taking a pill relieves, but reinforces the idea that these sensations are unacceptable.” To this is added the overinformation through the Internet and social networks. “Many patients come to consultation with a self -diagnosis under the arm and expectations of instant solutions. They are frustrated when something does not work quickly. They live with the alert pilot always on and look for a pill that turns off the alarm,” says De Pedro. The social face of the problem. The report Posted by Infocop (General Council of Psychology of Spain) adds a structural dimension to the phenomenon: the consumption of anxiolytic is triggered between women, older people, unemployed or with lower income. Women consume between 1.5 and 3 times more anxiolytics than men, and 19% of them have at least one package at home. In addition, 13.8% of women have anxiety disorders compared to 7.4% of men. The pattern is clear: the greater the social vulnerability, the greater the consumption of psychopharmaceuticals. Dr. Gimeno, From El Heraldohe insists: “Many consumption of anxiolytics are a consequence of social problems. They should be treated with social responses, not only pharmacological, not even psychotherapeutics.” More awareness, but also more confusion. Although the visibility of mental health has increased largely thanks to social media and networks. Mally digested self -help, misinformation and the tendency to convert any emotional discomfort into a medical pathology concern professionals. “We see people who come to consultation with poorly applied techniques, unrealistic expectations and accumulated frustration,” says Pedro. The health model, in addition, remains focused on reducing symptoms, not on the approach to the origin of suffering. “We do not have a system that helps people understand what is behind their anxiety. Quick solutions are sought, but discomfort is still there,” he adds. The stigma is still present. Despite progress in public consciousness, stigma still exists. “Some patients are ashamed to say that they take pills; others, to admit that they go to the psychologist. It depends a lot on the environment and generation,” says the psychologist consulted. What seems clear is that emotional suffering is more present than ever, and that the answer cannot remain only pharmacological. Solution or patch? The debate is still open. For many patients, the anxiolytic has been a lifeguard. But the risk is to become a silent routine. “If there is no therapeutic work in the background, the problems will return. Because the medication does not change your thoughts, or your links, or your lifestyle,” Alejandra de Pedro concludes. While consumer figures continue to increase, mental health psychologists and professionals coincide in a common message: soling the symptoms is not enough. If it … Read more

Sweden is investing millions of euros in a silent war. The enemy to beat: an epidemic of solitude

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Sweden has declared a war, one that seems to worry especially to its authorities, which has been speaking for years and in which it is willing to invest millions and millions of euros. The enemy to beat? The loneliness. It makes all the meaning if you take into account that A sensitive part of its inhabitants suffers unwanted isolation, especially between the younger and older layers of society, and there are who considers To Sweden the loneliest country in the world. After all, loneliness is a “Public Health Problem” And something else: complicates the efforts of the authorities for Strengthen your defense civil. The loneliness numbers. It is not the same to live alone than feeling alone. Just as not all societies face loneliness in the same way. Throughout the last years, however, different agencies have published studies that give us an idea of ​​the scope of both phenomena in EU countries, including Sweden, a nation that has declared war to unwanted isolation. In 2017 Eurostat published A study which shows that more than half (52%) of Sweden households are formed by a single person, the highest percentage of all EU countries and significantly above the community average, which is around 33%. If what we are talking about is a population, statista calculates that 26% Of the Swedes live without any company, data that only exceeds Finland (32%). Do you feel alone? The thing changes slightly if we talk about loneliness, unwanted isolation. The percentages can dance based on the source and the approach, but confirm that the sensation is present in Swedish society. CE surveys show that most or all the time feel alone in the country Between 16 and 17% of the people, while The data of 2024 of the public health agency reflect that 13% of the population claims to have that feeling “occasionally” and 6% invades “often or constantly.” “Almost two million Swedes over 16 suffer isolation. 26% of children from 3rd to 6th year say they feel alone in school. One in three young adults experiences loneliness and isolation, as well as 40% of women and almost 30% of men over 85 years old,” needed The Government in 2023. “A health problem”. Sweden is not the only one country that deal with loneliness, but there the data is consistent enough for its government to have declared that involuntary isolation is “A public health problem” And want to stand up. “It is a growing problem and the elderly experience it more frequently,” warns The Minister of Social Security, Anna Tenje. On the table the executive has reports that show that the isolation affects above all to certain groupsas elderly, young people or unemployed people. A fact: 27 million a year. Convinced of the challenge that supposes, in Stockholm they have decided to move from words to the facts. In 2023 the government activated A triennial plan (2023-2025) that is around 300 million of annual Swedish crowns (around 27 million of euros) to support initiatives that “fight and prevent” isolation. In February the Public Health Agency even presented A strategy “Against loneliness and favor of the community.” And what are you doing? Your strategy touches several sticks. The government a few months ago advertisement For example, the distribution of 49 million Swedish crowns (4.4 million euros) between organizations that work precisely to reduce loneliness. It is not the first initiative in that line. Over the last years he has allocated funds to campaigns Health -centered, promote The socialization of the elderly, their stake in sports activities or The study of the phenomenon and its approach from different areas, such as The business either The educational. “Taking care of friends”. For now, Sweden has received recognition from WHO, which He has cited it as an example for initiatives deployed in the country. A few days ago the newspaper I monde He dedicated a report to a specific one: “Vanvard” (“Taking care of friends”), which is taking pharmacies employees to dedicate part of their day to fight loneliness. At the end of 2023 the Ministry of Social Affairs also promoted the creation of A business network With about twenty companies that work with the same purpose: to end marginalization. Defense earrings. I monde Slide Another key idea: loneliness is not only “a public health problem”, it also implies an obstacle in a country that He is strengthening your civil defense system, as well as Other nations Nordic. That effort collides with a complex reality: isolation. More than half Of the Swedes they barely know their neighbors. With that backdrop, last year the Swedish Civil Contingency Agency promoted a campaign with A slogan That speaks for itself: “When we know each other, it is easier to help us.” Images | Magnus Östberg (UNSPLASH), Eurostat and EC In Xataka | Loneliness is already a matter of public health. We have more and more evidence that animals help us to placate it

The strokes have become a huge silent health problem in Spain. And there are ways to limit risks

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Every year 90,000 cases of strokes are produced in Spain that leave 23,000 deaths on average, According to the data of the Spanish Society of Neurology. This number could be significantly reduced, after all, many of the Risk factors which are associated with this type of event correspond to behaviors and habits that we can modify. Before reviewing what the risk factors are controllable or not, associated with the stroke, maybe it is appropriate to consider us What exactly is an stroke. The stroke or stroke (stroke) occurs when the blood flow that reaches a part of the brain is interrupted or drastically reduced. There are two types of accidents: ischemic and hemorrhagic. The former are the most common, are produced by the blockade of one of some circulatory route, for example by a clot or its narrowing as a result of fatty deposits. Hemorrhagic strokes for their part are produced by the breakage of a blood vessel. There is no exact list of risk factors that are related to these episodes since there are numerous overwhelms and interconnections Among these factors. Nor can we make an accurate distinction between the factors that we can control and those that do not. A clear example is that of diabetes. This disease is a risk factor in the appearance of ICUTS. Suffering or not this disease is not under our control, but we can avoid factors that in turn are linked to it. Despite the difficulties when delimiting these concepts, experts estimate that controllable risk factors are associated with 60% and 90% of the risk of suffering a stroke. That is, avoiding these factors we can reduce very significantly the risk that this type of event will be triggered in our brain. And what are the risk factors on which we have the greatest control? According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute From the United States, controllable risk factors include blood pressure, obesity, physical inactivity, poor diet and tobacco. According to the American medical institution Johns Hopkins Medicinea blood pressure of 140/90 or higher is a factor that can condition our probability of suffering such an accident. Obesity, food and physical inactivity They are clearly interconnected risk factors. Smoking is one of the Risk factors More widely mentioned, but alcohol and some recreational drugs such as intravenous or cocaine are also related to an increase in the risk of suffering from an stroke. Some legal substances such as the contraceptive pill have also been related to an increased risk of stroke. With anxiety, depression and stress, something similar occurs than with other diseases: we have a certain degree of control, but this can be very limited depending on the circumstances of each person. Something similar happens with the environment in which we live: although residing or working in contaminated areas can aggravate our risk of suffering from an stroke, changing work or residence is often not in our hand. What we cannot change Some of the risk factors that we associate with the stroke totally escape from our control. Maybe age is the most important: Age. As we become greater the possibilities of suffering a stroke are increasing. Sex is another factor linked to the appearance of this disease and in a unique way: it is fine at an early age men suffer from these accidents more frequently, the greatest life expectancy of women means that throughout life these suffer more such problems. Different ethnic backgrounds can lead to different levels of risk: in the United States African -American, native and Hispanic people have a higher risk of suffering a stroke. Finally, Genetics And family history can also be considered risk factors, especially in cases where a family member has experienced one of these events at earlier ages. In addition to the risk factors, it is worth remembering what are the main symptoms that accompany these events in order to better identify an stroke and improve the chances that whoever suffers it receives medical assistance on time. There are a few key factors that can help us Identify an stroke quicklybut there is also a challenge of symptoms that can also be associated with strokes. Among the Key symptoms There are the loss of strength or sensitivity in the face, arm or leg, which usually swams to a single side of the body; Confusion in speech, for example in the use of unconnected words; sudden loss of vision; dizziness, loss of balance or the appearance of a severe headache without a clear origin. In Xataka | We have a new and promising treatment against the consequences of stroke (and has been created in Spain) Image | Anna Shvets

A productivity guru went to visit Disneyland. And there he found the secrets of silent productivity

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Recently, Cal Newport was in Disneyland. Newport is one of the great productivity gurus, and its most widespread thesis is that of Power of the concentration of the deep. His analytical eye allowed him, tail comes, get some interesting lessons about productivity even in the middle of a theme park. First, it describes the experience of attractions as “hyperreality”: worlds that are impressive and artificial at the same time, designed to offer a purified and safe version of the real adventure. Disney has perfected that creation of artificial experiences, and also productivity through the design of systems that eliminate cognitive friction. Something of what We already talked in the past. Every detail of the park is designed so that the visitor does not have to make too many decisions and can concentrate their mental energy on enjoying. Some examples: The posters are placed just where they are needed. The queues serpente so that it is more difficult to estimate their real length. Employees anticipate the questions that visitors usually ask. The show schedules are designed to distribute crowds without noticing manipulation. Even garbage containers are strategically located so you never have to load with remains. It is a great accumulated example of the philosophy of Do not understand productivity how to do more thingsbut to eliminate everything that does not matter to do well what does matter. And something deeper: Newport connects this experience comparing it to what happens when we use our mobile. Instagram, X or Tiktok offer us diluted versions of real experiences: The morbidity of traveling without traveling. Outrage without consequences. Entertainment effortlessly. Pirates of the Caribbean in 6 inches. The difference is that Disney designs for our well -being as a visitor (and potentially so that we want to return or so that we have easier to spend there). Social networks design for our addiction as a product. Disney wants you to go happy after a couple of days, social networks want you to never leave. And that is the lesson that we can apply: in the same way that Disney designs experiences that minimize the cognitive burden of its visitor, We can design our days to minimize trivial decisions. Automate the routine, systematize the repetitive, eliminate what it distracts. The mantra of creating an environment where we can concentrate on what generates value, and not simply work more hours. In Xataka | 99 Undecuted Tips on Productivity Outstanding image | Xiaozhen bread in Unspash

What reveals the silent withdrawal of its tankers

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The United States launched a series of bombings on nuclear facilities in Iran on the weekend. Tehran’s reaction did not take long: Parliament raised close the Ormuz Straita road through almost a fifth of the oil and gas that is exported by sea in the world. Although the final decision is in the hands of the supreme leader, Ali Jamenei, the threat has already shaken the maritime routes of the Persian Gulf. This Monday, at least one Chinese oil tanker began to turn around, As reported The specialized OilBandit account. Other boats would be delaying their routes or diverting. Although the blockade is not yet official, the domino effect has already begun. For China, the main energy partner of Iran and the main buyer of its crude, the risk of a escalation is not only economic, but also diplomatic. The forcefulness of China. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has urged the international community to “maintain stability on the critical routes of the Persian Gulf” and requested efforts to descale the conflict, According to The Wall Street Journal. Spokesman Guo Jiakun has assured that Beijing maintains communication with Iran and other actors involved. In addition, China has described the waters of the Gulf as “important channels of international trade”, stressing that their security is a common interest, According to Europa Press. Meanwhile, Washington has explicitly asked Beijing to act as an intermediary. “They depend largely on the Ormuz Strait for its oil,” said Secretary of State Frame In the same press agency. A vital route. China is the main buyer of Iranian crude, so an eventual closure would put that strategic source in check. In addition, due to US sanctions, many of Iranian exports arrive in China through Third countries like Malaysiawhat complicated the follow -up. Even so, estimates cited by The Wall Street JournalChina would absorb up to 90% of the oil exported by Iran, which would represent about 10% of its total imports. A true energy bottleneck. The impact goes further. The Ormuz Strait carries between 17.8 and 20.8 million barrels of crude oil per day, 20% of the world liquefied natural gas (LNG) and a third of liquefied oil gas. Of that volume, the Energy Information Agency (EIA) has estimated That 84% of crude and 83% of LNG end up in Asian markets, with China as the main destination. Also, neighboring countries such as Qatar, Eau, Baréin, Kuwait and even Saudi Arabia depend on this step to export hydrocarbons. Any closure would have immediate repercussions. An uncomfortable position. China has intensified its calls to the dialode, but the situation places it in an uncomfortable but strategic position: that of mediator. Beijing, which has cultivated an “unwavering friendship” With Tehran and signed in 2021 an economic cooperation agreement for 400,000 million dollars, which guarantees preferential access to oil and gas at competitive prices, such as has detailed EFE. However, the United States expects China to take another step. “If someone can convince Iran, it is China,” said Marco Rubio in his statements. The question is whether Beijing is willing to assume that role, or if you prefer that others manage the pressure. And now what? The Strait is still open, but the markets have already reacted. The Brent crude exceeded $ 80 per barrel, and according to Lloyd’s List, cited by Reutersinsurance premiums to navigate the area are increasing, even without a formal closure. The tension already translates into additional costs and urgent logistic decisions. The Iranian National Security Council must still rule on the recommendation of Parliament. For its part, China has been cautious. Meanwhile, observes cautiously. As you remember South China Morning Postalready experienced the impact of interruptions on the Red Sea due to the attacks of the Yemen Hutis. A blockade in Ormuz could replicate – or even exceed – that level of disruption. But … can it be reinforced? It should be remembered that China has strategic reserves of oil and gas that would allow you to temporarily cushion a supply cut. And if other Asian countries remain temporarily without supply, they could end up buying gas or oil through infrastructures and commercial channels controlled by China. Besides, Not to mention its energy diversificationthat could give him margin. But for now, the stage is uncertain. Chinese ships begin to turn. The routes adjust. And in a strip of just nine kilometers wide, the energy balance of the planet staggers again. Image | European Space Agency (Flickr) and Pxhere Xataka | The question is no longer whether it will attack, but if they will fulfill their threat: 9 kilometers of water keep the planet in suspense

In 2021 a volcano spent three days in eruption without anyone finding out. Now it helps us ahead of the silent volcanoes

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Knowing how to read the signals that a volcano gives before erupting can make a difference between a scare and a tragedy. Some volcanoes make it easy for experts who know how to read these clues but others erupt without prior notice. Or maybe just we couldn’t decipher your signs. At least until now. A new tool. A team of researchers He has devised A new mechanism to model the behavior of some volcanoes. This tool, its creators stand out, will serve to more effectively monitor the eruptions of some volcanoes reducing the risk associated with these natural phenomena often so violent. Some special usefulness in the case of “silent” volcanoes. “Despite great advances in monitoring, some volcanoes erupt with minimally detectable or even without them precursors, significantly increasing the risk of nearby populations,” pointed in a press release Yuyu Li, co -author of the study. As explained by LI herself, some of these volcanoes are located not only near communities, also near important air traffic routes. Silent volcanoes. For the development of its tool, the team resorted to the Veniaminaf volcano, located in the North American state of Alaska. This is one of the so -called “silent” volcanoes, volcanoes whose eruption is not preceded by the signals that are generally associated with an imminent or close eruption, such as earthquakes or the deformation of the soil in the surroundings of the Magma Chamber. Veniaminof’s is just an example that We can find In this family of silent volcanoes that also includes some closer such as Stromboli in Italy or Popocatepetl in Mexico. Looking inside the volcano. But among all of them, the Veniaminof volcano is perhaps the most paradigmatic. Not because only two of the 13 rashes that have leaded since 1993 have been planned, but because in 2021 he achieved the milestone of erupting without anyone noticing Until three days later. The team responsible for the study analyzed the internal conditions that make it a silent volcano. Factors such as a slow supply of magma and a warm host rock are key in this regard. The monitoring of the volcano was carried out for three summers prior to one of the silent eruptions of the volcano, that of 2018. A model to get ahead of the eruption. The result, a model that conforms to the state of different variables that can condition the probability of the burst of the magma, such as the volume of the reserve, flow conditions of the magna, depth of the reserve or the form that it acquires is. Thus they could estimate what kind of conditions could be linked to a silent eruption and which ones were not. The team found that soil deformation could help prevent some eruptions of the volcano but that the relationship between underground magma and rashes were somewhat more complex than it might seem. The details of the study have been published In an article In the magazine Frontiers in Earth Science. The following steps. Monitoring the numerous silent volcanoes distributed throughout the world will not be an easy task. For now, the resolution gives a clue to what are the volcanoes to monitor more closely: volcanoes with small and warm reserves and slow magma flows, explains the team. In Xataka | In 2021 a volcano spent three days in eruption without anyone finding out. Now it helps us to unmask the silent volcanoes Image | Alaska Volcano Observatory Photo Gallery

It has gone from dying for work to the “silent resignation”

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He demographic aging In Japan he is forcing to make deep changes in their work culture in order to improve employee working conditions to improve their productivity Without exhausting employees. Japanese employees have been forced to choose between have more social life or a successful work career and the data suggests that there is already a winner. According to published The Japan Timesa survey revealed that an increasing number of young people from generation Z has opted for the “Silent resignation“: Do the minimum to meet the schedule and requirements of your work, but showing an absolute lack of commitment to the company. A cultural change. According to data from a survey conducted to 3,000 employees by the Professional Race Research Laboratory of the Mynavi Employment Search Platform, 46.7% of employees between 20 and 59 years claimed to have opted for the “silent resignation”. More than 70% of employees who claimed to find themselves in this situation admitted that they had no plan to adopt a change in attitude. “We observe that the ‘silent resignation’ is becoming the new standard. As the values ​​diversify, it is important that companies accept the diversity of people’s values ​​and offer flexible work styles that adapt to them,” explained to the Japanese environment Akari Asahina, one of the authors of the study. Less motivated workforce. This high percentage is indicative of a demotivated workforce that no longer obeys a work culture based on loyalty and the benefit for the company, as has happened for decades in Japan, but is more concerned about balance Between work and personal life. According to the data of a 2024 Mynavi survey that publicby the Japanese medium Mainichi53.6% of respondents were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with their current use. 49.2% of respondents claimed that their dissatisfaction was due to salary And, among them, the most dissatisfied were young people between 20 and 30 years old. 35.2% of them assured that had changed jobs For this reason. “In the past, an employer paid a fair salary and provided benefits for people to remain in the same company until retire in statements to DW. Generation Z wants more personal life. Among the youth of generation Z is also imposed by the desire for greater conciliation between personal and professional life. “Many young people saw their parents sacrifice their lives for a company, doing many extra hours and, in practice, renouncing their private life. They have realized that this is not what they want,” said Professor Kawakami. “I do not hate my work and I know that I have to work to pay the rent and invoices, but I prefer to meet with my friends, travel or listen to live music. I know that my grandfather and even the generation of my parents thought that they had no choice but to work hard and earn more money, but I do not understand that way of thinking,” Issei explained, a 26 -year -old boy to DW. “Quiet ambition” arrives in Japan. According to what was published by The Japan Timesthe authors of the survey have detected that one of the consequences of that lack of commitment of the workers coincides with the symptoms of the call “Quiet ambition“Or silent ambition. This phenomenon, especially present among the members of generation Z consists in the lack of interest of the youngest to ascend, since that is a minimal economic reward in exchange for a considerable increase in responsibilities and workload. In other cases, on the other hand, it is not an active negative to ascend, but rather the lack of opportunities to advance in the professional career which causes employees to give up and stop striving more than strictly necessary to fulfill their contract. More time to create a family. Japan is taking measures to encourage birth, making sure that its workforce has time outside work to socialize and reconcile working life with family care. These policies are beginning to permeate in generation Z that no longer sees work as their grandparents or parents do. SCMP It echoed of the effective work hours of Japan in November 2024. According to Takashi Sakamoto, Analyst of the Recruit Works Institute, the annual work hours in Japan They had been reduced 11.6% in the last two decades, from 1,839 hours from 2000 to 1,626 hours worked a year in 2022. The largest decrease occurred in the strip of workers between 20 and 29 years. “Many young people saw their parents sacrifice their lives for a company, doing many extra hours and, in practice, renouncing their private life. They have realized that this is not what they want,” Professor Kawakami explained to DW. In Xataka | Japan has aged so much that retirement is no longer an aspiration: more and more people work after 70 years In Xataka | “They are much more daring.” Image | Unspash (Emma Ou)

You think your flight is managed by an airline, but in reality it sends a silent giant from Linear City: Amadeus

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From its central offices in Linear City, to eastern Madrid, Amadeus controls the largest travel reservation system on the planet with an almost suspicious discretion. This technological colossus, which barely sounds in the Spanish daily conversations beyond salmon pages, It is the invisible technological brain of global tourism. When you reserve a flight, a hotel room or a rental car, it is very likely that Amadeus technology intervenes at some point in the process. Its software processes billions of daily transactions According to your own data —Ans consultations, reserves and technical efforts, and connects more than 2,500 airlines and 800,000 hotels with their clients in almost all countries in the world. The 2025 first quarter data confirm your strong position: Benefit of 364 million euros (+12.3%). Revenues of 1,632 million euros (+9.1%). Unseen. The really interesting thing is how Amadeus has built a global model without giving up its European identity: Madrid is still its strategic center. Nice (France) is its ideas laboratory. And Erding (Germany) processing data. In this way he has created a viable alternative to the Californian or Chinese model. And without making too much noise. The contradiction. While the company celebrates the historical results published on Friday, the Stock Exchange He punished his shares with a 5.3%drop. The company has recognized that aerial incidents, weather problems and government developments in the United States have affected its reserves, and has cut its growth forecast due to the impact of the dollar-European exchange rate. In perspective. In times where in Europe Technological sovereignty is increasingly worried – Another question is how in time this concern comes – Amadeus is practically an anomaly. It has shown that it is possible to build critical technology with Spanish DNA and compete worldwide. Growth has been especially strong in Asia-Pacific, where reserves rose 10% and embarked passengers increased by 12%, consolidating this region as its main expansion engine. The next. Its net financial debt is at 1,875 million euros, now equivalent to 0.79 times its ebitda Of the last twelve months, 23.7% less than a year ago. As He has pointed out his CEO, Luis Marotothe company is confident in counteracting current challenges with price increases, collection of new customers and extension of services, while keeping attentive to the global uncertainty environment. The elimination of your debt instead of taking advantage of good inertia to try to grow out of control leaves us another reading between lines: Amadeus, rather than for the next quarter, is preparing for the coming years. Outstanding image | Amadeus In Xataka | The Empire of the PowerBanks of rent everywhere: the Chinese solution that should not take to reach Spain

Orange has a silent plan to reign in Spanish telecos: get with all Masorange

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Orange has begun to contact international investment banks, according to Expansionto prepare an offer for 50% of Masorange that does not control. It has reserved 4,400 million euros – processes of the megadividndo generated during the merger – specifically for that operation. The main vendors would be the providence funds (14.8%), KKR (13.4%) and Cinven (12.1%), together with Spanish minority shareholders. Why is it important. This movement can mark a turning point in the Spanish telecommunications market, where Orange wants to go from being one more competitor – the third operator, in fact – becoming a dominant giant. Give continuity to the process initiated with the fusion of MasMóvil and Orange Spain that culminated with Masorange. If materialized, this operation could influence competition, prices and services offered to millions of users Between the lines. He Timing The operation speaks for itself. Although the shareholders pact establishes that until September 2025 the works for a possible OPV cannot be formally initiated, Orange is already moving file. This anticipation shows the strategic importance that the French gives to the Spanish market … … but also its determination to avoid any possible complication or competitor interested in this participation. Orange CEO, Christel Heydemann, already dropped clues during the last presentation of results When mentioning that “the OPV was not the only option” and remember that they kept the 4.4 billion intact to “maintain all open options.” A clear sign of your will to explore other ways beyond the OPV. In perspective. This operation marks the final episode of European consolidation, where three large groups – Deutsche Telekom, Telefónica and Orange – are gradually creating an increasingly structured continental oligopoly. Spain, considered so far one of the most competitive markets in Europe and with relatively low prices, can begin to raise prices in the face of lower competition. Movistar, meanwhile, Has Vodafone Spain in the Diana and Digi. For Orange, converting Spain into its second most important market after France has enormous strategic value: It allows you to diversify risks to the regulatory pressure of your domestic market. And makes him gain financial muscle on the European stage. And now what. Although the formal operation cannot be closed until March 2026 (when the two -year period expires during which the sale of shares according to the fusion pact) is prohibited, everything indicates that Orange and the funds will prefer a direct sale instead of an OPV. An IPO to brush would complicate both parties: Orange would have a subsidiary quoted with greater obligations of rePorting And the funds would be forced to sell packages progressively. The greatest question is not whether Orange will complete the absorption, but how the Spanish market will be once you have total Masorange control. And, incidentally, if regulators will have something to say about this concentration of power in a sector as special as that of telecos. Chair change in Brussels, from Vestager to Riberayou can remove obstacles with European consolidation on the horizon. The key is no longer so much in itself, Orange will complete the operation, but how it could impact the Spanish market if consummated. And, incidentally, if regulators will have something to say about this concentration of power in a sector as special as that of telecos. In Xataka | The service that nobody wants to give but we all pay: this is how the universal internet works in Spain Outstanding image | Orange

It was an abandoned nuclear power plant. Now he has a second life as the most silent acoustic laboratory on the planet

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Two gigantic cooling towers of almost 150 meters high flank what clearly seems to be a nuclear power plant in a rural Washington area. It is actually the acoustic laboratory NWAA Labs, one of the most silent buildings on the planet. An abandoned nuclear power plant. The laboratory was built on the vestiges of a pharaonic project that never saw the light, the nuclear washington Projects of Elma. Plants 3 and 5, part of what was intended to be the largest nuclear energy complex in the United States, were abandoned in the 80s without fissting a single atom. Designed to resist all kinds of impacts and earthquakes, the structures would have been extremely expensive to demolish, so the NWAA Labs adapted to them. The reactor is the reverberation chamber, the turbine room is the anecoic chamber and the old reactor control room is the laboratory control room. The facilities, still marked, remain a “disturbing” maze. The ideal facilities. The NWAA Labs is a project by Ron Sauro, an electrical and mechanical engineer formed in Stanford that combined its beginnings in NASA with being the keyboardist of the group The Rivieras, authors of a gold record in 1963. After a life designing sound systems, Sauro saw the unique potential of this nuclear power plant abandoned to bombing proof. The outer structure, with walls of 1.5 meters thick and eight layers of reinforcement bars, is designed to support an earthquake of magnitude 10 and the direct impact of an explosion of 10 megatons on its roof. The interior structure is isolated from the surrounding terrain by a ditch that minimizes the transmission of vibrations and noise. In another ditch within this, a circular and steel circular container is erected, originally intended for the nuclear reactor. The entire installation rests on a sandstone layer of more than 3,000 meters thick. An almost absolute silence. Thanks to these structures, the NWAA Labs presumes to have the two largest reverberation cameras in the world. Salas where the sound bounces up to 28 seconds without absorbent material, which allows to measure the sound power of a source or the absorption capacity of a material. In addition to the reverberation cameras, the laboratory has anechoic cameras designed to absorb sound and simulate a space without reflections. In these rooms, silence is almost absolute. The background noise is -43 dB (below the human hearing threshold). In the old turbine room, 198 meters long by 106 wide by 24 high, the reflections take so long to arrive (more than 160 ms) that do not interfere with some measurements. Who uses this laboratory. The NWAA Labs performs tests for the audio industry. The speakers are 20% of their business: over here more than 3,000 speakers of some 300 professional brands and high fidelity have passed. But it is also offered to other industries, which prove construction materials, acoustic insulation here, and even noisy washing machines or aircraft cabins. The laboratory also attracts musicians, video game and filmmakers, fascinated by their acoustics and post-apocalyptic aesthetics. Image | Walter Siegmund (CC By 2.5)

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