Spanish

The biggest problem for Spanish olive trees is neither costs nor climate change: it is ‘ghost oil’

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Something smells bad in the olive oil market. We knew it for a long timebut it is now with the collapse of prices at source (almost 46%) that everyone has become nervous. The figures do not add up and the bill will not be paid by the large olive oil groups, but by the small producers. For this reason, on June 15, a COAG representative stood in front of the microphones and reported that 81% of olive oil Tunisian was entering Spain undercover. But how do you put 65,500 tons of oil under the radar? It has not been easy to determine, the truth is. But if the organization is right, the oil ship has more than one leak compromising its future. But it doesn’t have it. Always according to the COAGa good part of that oil comes from Portugal. But the ‘Portuguese way’ does not add up: with the data from the 2024-2025 campaign, Portugal produces between 160,000 and 195,000 tons of its own and imported only 3,406 of Tunisian oil. Those 3,406 tons cannot explain the 131,877 that it re-exports to Spain. Some part yes, but not all of it. And then? The problem seems different. It looks like ours, in fact. Because what COAG does seem to be right about is that a good part of the oil that entered the country did so under a special regime: that of active development. It is a formula of the Customs Code of the European Union that allows the importation of non-EU merchandise without tariffs or VAT as long as it is transformed and exported again. What the producers point out is that a good part of the oil that arrives in Spain to be “perfected” ends up being sold in the country without appearing in the statistics (marked, in fact, as community). The consumer does not notice it substantially in the price, but it is noticeable at the source. And a lot. But there is more. A few years ago, honey became a problem. Nobody really knew what they were eating in Europe. The key to this was to mix it up. Above all, because with completely insufficient regulation, it was enough to put “mix” so that there was nothing more to ask. This was attempted to be resolved with Directive (EU) 2024/1438 (the “Breakfast Guidelines“) which has not come into force in Spain until June 14, 2026. Among many other things, Brussels demands that the package states where what is inside comes from. Easy, clean, effective and… …non-existent for oil. The big problem, as almost always, is traceability. Not that we have problems, but that there is almost no real interest in doing it. As we have said many times, the Spanish agricultural market is a giant with feet of clay and now is the time to think if we want it to be something else. In Xataka | Something strange is happening with the price of olive oil and farmers have just denounced it: there are up to 2.8 billion at stake

Fernando Sáenz, one of the best ice cream makers in the world, puts the dots over the i’s, “Mercadona has modified the palate of the Spanish people”

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A few days ago, Fernando Sáenz, one of the best ice cream makers in Spain (and, quite possibly, the world) gave an interview that left everyone confused. It’s not just that Mercadona “has its clientele totally dedicated,” it’s that they have “modified the palate of the Spanish.” Coming from an ice cream maker famous for its strange gourmet flavors like ‘fig shade’, one might think this is a typical “elitist chef vs. super normie” outburst. And it is possible, yes; but what if it’s true? Can a single chain shape what a country eats? Who Fernando Saenz? An ice cream authority: the head behind sellaSera, in Logroño and one of the key suppliers of the best elite restaurants in the country (from Mugaritz to El Celler de Can Roca through Quique Dacosta or Eneko Atxa). Best Pastry Chef in Spain from the Royal Academy of Gastronomy, Best Sweet Space in Madrid Fusion and Prix ​​Chef Pâtissier 2025 of the International Academy of Gastronomy. In other words, not only is he someone who knows the world of ice cream deeply, he is someone who thinks about it deeply. Therefore, such a harsh statement is worth examining. Because Mercadona has a lot of power. After all, almost one euro out of every three spent in supermarkets she takes it. Not only that, between 2018 and 2023, the manufacturer brand references on their shelves fell 45%. Increasingly, Mercadona is judge and party in what is sold or not: its size allows it to do something that almost no competitor achieves and that is to convert each assortment decision into a change in habits on a national scale. And how does that change the “taste” of an entire country? It doesn’t just happen with ice cream, of course. But the sustained strategy of “short assortment and dominated by own brand” reduces the number of flavors, formats and recipes to which the regular buyer ends up being exposed. It’s not so much that ‘taste’ gets worse, as that the frame of reference becomes narrower and more homogeneous. In fact, some experts such as Howard Moskowitz talks about “hijacked palate” due to industrial dynamics. Can’t we do anything? We are trying to do it, in fact. In recent years the National Reformulation Plan has managed to reduce sugar, salt and saturated fat in most packaging categories, according to a study from the CEU San Pablo University; and Mercadona has reformulated its own products downwards. Ironically, Saénz puts his finger on the sore spot because one of the few categories where reformulation has not yet worked is ice cream. A palate at two speeds. The reduction in assortments is causing the industry to begin to concentrate on two levels: large stores and specialty stores. The “middle class” is dead and the problem may come in the long term: a generation raised on a narrow menu sets expectations that are difficult to move. Image | Fernando Saenz | DAP In Xataka | Spain’s favorite ice creams are from Mercadona and have no “brand”. And there is a Valencian company making gold with them

The world is preparing to harvest 36% fewer pistachios. This is great news for Spanish farmers

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2025 is not being an easy year for the pistachio. TO the effects of the Iran war, the closure of Hormuz and the swings The price of the fruit now adds a more than likely puncture in the global harvest. This is what at least the main producer organization, the INC, expects, which foresees a drop of 36% in the amount of fruit harvested worldwide. Although it’s not strange that crops rise and fall, conditioned by the climate or the cycles of the trees, the sector’s estimate is interesting for another reason: it confirms that Spain is reinforcing assumption. And everything indicates that it will gain ground this campaign. What has happened? That the International Nuts and Dehydrated Fruits Council (INC) has recognized that the 2026/2027 campaign does not look particularly good for pistachio. At least if we talk about production. Although the sector expects an increase in the cultivation of walnuts, hazelnuts or raisins, in the case of pistachios it anticipates a ‘puncture’ of 36% on a global scale. Translated into tons, that means that production would go from 1.1 million harvested during the 2025/2026 campaign to 701,050 t in the 2026/2027 campaign. Country Campaign 2025/2026 (tons) Campaign 2026/2027 (tons) USA 722,670 350,000 Türkiye 114,600 156,400 Iran 225,000 130,000 Syria 13,350 35,000 Spain 9,500 11,500 Greece 6,500 8,500 Australia 3,000 5,500 Afghanistan 2,600 2,700 Italy 4,700 1,000 China 320 450 World production 1,101,740 701,050 What is the reason? Although a drop of 36% may seem alarming, the data should be handled with caution. Pistachio cultivation is conditioned by the vecería, which means that there are campaigns in which the trees are loaded with fruit and others in which the harvests are much scarcer. It is one of the handicaps with which the sector plays. Hence there are voices, like that of Juan Gallegofrom Ibero Pistacho, who ensure that a drop of 36% “is within the norm.” Nor is it strange that part of the harvests are saved from one year to the next precisely to compensate for the ‘puncture’ of the years highly marked by the harvest. Does only that factor influence? No. The INC data, advanced by the EFE agency, allow us to focus more and observe the great differences that exist between producing countries, each conditioned by its own challenges. For example, in California, the world capital For pistachio, a 52% drop in the harvest is expected due to flowering problems. The ‘photo’ is not good in Iran either, which is suffering the consequences of the high temperatures of the previous campaign and expects its production to be reduced by another 42%. And what happens in Spain? Here the panorama is somewhat different. Although our production is light years away Compared to the US or Türkiye, the INC estimates that in Spain the 2026/2027 campaign will close with 21% more fruit harvested. In practice, this would mean going from 9,500 tons in the 2025/2026 financial year to 11,500 in the 2026/2027 campaign. The data is interesting because it not only consolidates Spain as the fifth world producer, it also allows it to dream of closing the gap on the podium. The forecast of the INC shows a decline in crops in the US and Iran, the first and third producers on a global scale. And although a priori Türkiye (the second supplier) will see its harvest increase by 36%, it remains to be seen if the strong storm that suffered in May has damaged the trees and will reduce the harvest. How is that possible? That the Spanish crop grows while it declines in other countries with large pistachio plantations, such as the US, Türkiye or Iran, is actually little surprising. Spanish farmers They have been increasing for years the number of hectares dedicated to this crop, especially in Castile-La Manchawhich concentrates a large part of the national production and 77% of the surface. The growth of the harvest in Spain during the next campaign (2026/2027) is only a reflection of that bet. The data from the Ministry of Agriculture show that the planted area in Spain has skyrocketed in recent years to exceed 85,800 hectares in the 2024/2025 campaign and that production has grown by more than 70% in just a few years. Looking ahead to the 2026/2027 season, the INC expects a harvest of 11,500 tons. Not all sources agree on this information (in the sector there are those raises it to 16,000 t), but in any case the background photo is always the same: Spanish production is increasing. What to expect now? The million dollar question. For now, and beyond the short-term fall in harvests due to the rainy season, both the US and Iran they hope to increase its production thanks to the increase in plantations. Specifically, California hopes to boost its average capacity by 40% in the coming campaigns and Iran and Türkiye are already considering approaching 300,000 tons in the medium term. Regarding the price of the fruit and whether or not prices will be altered by the 36% drop in production, there are different opinions in the sector. The Italian analysis company Areté warns of a market with “strong tensions on supply and prices” given that the demand for pistachios has been growing for years. Others, like Gallego, acknowledge that “there may be a small increase in cents,” but clarifies: “All of us who are in this sector are interested in the product remaining stable and being consumed.” Not only the generosity of the crops comes into play. The price is also affected by other factorssuch as instability in Iran, the closure of Hormuz or the influence of war on the cost of inputs such as fuel. Images | Brenan Greene (Unsplash), Brad Spry (Flickr) and USDA In Xataka | Fruit seems like the perfect summer dinner. The problem is that it is not as good an idea as it seems.

Renfe has a contract of 4,000 million euros in its hands. And no Spanish company gives you the trains you are looking for

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Renfe is preparing to choose the lucky company that will supply at least 30 high-speed trains. It is the most expensive tender in the company’s history, with around 4,000 million euros at stake. It is also the litmus test to see if Spain once again positions itself as a leading country in high speed. The contract. 1,362 million euros insured and the possibility of reaching 1,777 million euros. That’s only with the purchase. Because if we take into account the cost of maintenance, a long-term contract is estimated at 4,000 million euros. This is the contest to which anyone can apply. As long as, of course, it is capable of delivering 30 high-speed trains and is open to the delivery of another ten units if the Spanish company so requests. It is one of the previous steps to launch a Madrid-Barcelona line in less than two hours. A comprehensive renewal of the line thanks to a Spanish invention and new trains capable of reaching top speeds of 350 km/h are essential. Quickie. In substance and form. Because in order to comply with the specifications of the Renfe contract it is essential that the trains can run at a maximum of 350 km/h as we say. Inside they will have to accommodate 450 passengers, have a space for transporting bicycles and a cafeteria car. But in addition, Renfe wants the chosen company to deliver at least five units in the first 40 months once the contract is signed. At the latest, the last unit of the fleet of 30 trains will have to be delivered before month 78. That is, the company will have to have everything ready in less than six and a half years and after three years Renfe has to begin to reap the first fruits. “Citizens would not understand”. That is the warning that José Ignacio Jainaga, president of Talgo, has issued in statements collected by The Mail. And the obligations included in the contract specifications leave this Spanish company in a very complicated position according to experts. In fact, Jainaga wanted to highlight the efficiency of its trains, which it considers are capable of offering an efficiency “35%” higher than rivals, but it has not talked about deadlines or being able to reach the aforementioned 350 km/h with its trains. Despite this, he considers that citizens “would not understand that the regulator, the operator, and ultimately the Government, do not consider Talgo’s solutions as the best adapted to the priorities of Spanish society.” CAF, another company specialized in the construction of trains, would also be outside the conditions required by the contract right now, they explain in The Basque Journal. The company has the approval for its trains to run at 300 km/h in Spain since 2020 (the most advanced reach 320 km/h top speed) but with such tight deadlines, CAF would be left out because it would not be able to develop a new platform in time. Without a trace of Spain. Both CAF and Talgo understand that with these conditions they will not be able to compete in a contest that is considered one of the most attractive in Europe. At the moment, it does not seem that either company can offer such fast trains within the planned times. CAF, as we say, does not have a platform capable of reaching this speed. Talgo, on the contrary, managed to reach 360 km/h with their Talgo Avril but they are limited in their approval to reach a maximum of 330 km/h. But, in addition, the relationship between Talgo and Renfe is not going through the best moment. The Avrils arrived with reliability problems that hit the ceiling with the fissures in Madrid-Barcelona. Renfe considers that, since they are under warranty, Talgo must fix them but this company says that the problem is generated by the infrastructure. In addition, Renfe sanctioned Talgo with more than 100 million for being late in delivering these trains. A punishment that Ignacio Jainaga, president of Talgo, claims to have been resolved although no further details have been given, stated in The Confidential. Beyond Spain. In the midst of these controversies, Óscar Puente, Minister of Transportation, did not hesitate to show interest in trains that are manufactured far from our borders. It makes sense because, according to the experts referenced in the previous media, only Hitachi or Siemens seem really well positioned to be able to compete for this project. Before the bidding rules were announced, Puente toured the factories of these companies. He appeared, for example, at the Siemens factory whose Velaro Novo Yes, it can operate at more than 350 km/h. Hitachi has the ETR 1000 that Trenitalia uses for Iryo and that reach a top speed of 400 km/h. But, also, Puente also traveled to China where he praised the CRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles trains because they are capable of reaching the aforementioned 350 km/h but, above all, he praised their ability to deliver them in record time and at a much more competitive price. He came to point out that: “Chinese manufacturers deliver trains at half the price in a period of six months to two years, while the European industry offers them to you for 60 months. I am the politician who buys and I don’t have 60 months” However, this possibility has been put into more doubt because the European Commission is investigating this company because it considers that the Chinese State has doped it financially, which could leave it out of Renfe’s famous 4 billion euro contract. Photo | MaedaAkihiko In Xataka | “They deliver trains in six months at half the price”: Renfe needs new AVE and is clear that China will give them to them

The Silver Route seemed like the perfect train for the Spanish west. They seek to recover it with one objective: forget about Madrid

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Cáceres and Salamanca are separated by just 200 kilometers but the journey takes seven hours in the best of cases and requires passing through Madrid. We talked, of course, about going by train. And the capitals of these two provinces represent one of the biggest railway holes that our country has. The situation is not unique in Spain (from Murcia to Granada you also have to go through Madrid) but perhaps it is more bloody because one day there was that option that structured the west of Spain. It was known as the Silver Route. Now, more than 40 years after its closure, there are those who continue fighting for its reopening. A line that was born sentenced From Seville to Gijón, passing through Mérida, Cáceres, Salamanca, León or Oviedo. The Silver Route It was designed as a railway corridor for passengers and goods away from the large Spanish economic centers. It was about finding an alternative so that not everything went through Madrid, Bilbao or Barcelona. And, curiously, its origin must be sought very far from these cities. It was in Paris in 1877 when the contract was signed to build a railway between Palazuelo (current Monfragüe station) and Astorga, they explain in The Extremadura Newspaper. The project was ambitious as it passed through a lot of unpopulated area in its attempt to connect the north of Extremadura with Salamanca, Zamora and León. Yet, the line went ahead in the last years of the 19th century. Between 1893 and 1896, the four sections that would end up forming the most representative axis of the line were inaugurated from south to north. This was the backbone of a road that connected to the south with the Mérida-Seville section and the Venta de Baños-Gijón in the north. Without a large city to drive it and without direct access to a large port, the line was falling into ostracism. First, because the State did not find sufficient reasons to modernize it and, at least, electrify it. And without investments, the tortuous path became less attractive for passengers and companies. The axis survived the Civil War but beforehand an investment had been requested that never arrived. In 1933, the iron bridges were replaced by steel ones but no major efforts were made. In the following years, they point out in the local mediaderailments and accidents multiplied due to lack of investment. For decades, once sentenced, the line remained open but in 1984 its definitive closure was confirmed. By then, the trains were barely running at 50 km/h, an average speed lower than that recorded during their opening. A train bus accident in 1981 in which a woman died put the finishing touches on a decision that began decades ago when no one wanted to invest in the western axis. Let it come back! Today, the connection between Cáceres and Seville, passing through Mérida, continues to exist, although it is a single-lane railway and is not electrified. The connection between Salamanca and Gijón is also maintained. But how you can see on this Adif mapa hole separates Cáceres and Salamanca. From Plasencia, you will see a green line leaving towards the north. In Salamanca, another leaves in a southerly direction. Are they projects to recover this train? No, they are Greenwaysconditioning of the old railway section to convert them into easy paths for walking, running or cycling. What some institutions have been demanding for years is that these Greenways are not the only vestige that remains from those days. In 2023, the city councils of Salamanca, Cáceres, Béjar, Plasencia Guijuelo and Hervás together with the Chambers of Commerce of those first three cities signed an institutional declaration demanding the return of the train. “Employment, creation of opportunities, logistical development, diversification of the productive system and stopping depopulation,” with these words they began a text to justify their demands. It pointed out some technical issues such as that the section between Plasencia and Salamanca has 4G network coverage on 90% of the route. But, above all, it was remembered that the new train could be an alternative route for the transport of goods in the western area, capable of connecting the Atlantic ports in the north with those in the south without passing through Madrid. This was the premise, in fact, with which the idea of ​​resurrecting the West Corridorunder the Government of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. A project that, as they remember in the text, was not carried out. in the diary Today They collected information that the Gijón Chamber of Commerce put on the table in 2022 to defend this line: it could capture up to 625,000 journeys for goods which now carry trucks going up the A-66, also known as Vía de la Plata. Beyond unfulfilled promises (in addition to Zapatero, José María Aznar also promised to reopen the line after Felipe González closed it to passengers in 1984 and to goods well into the 90s), one of the biggest problems that this Western Corridor has is that it does not fall within the plans of the European Union as far as the railway is concerned. The Trans-European Transport Network ignores this and maintains that hole already mentioned between Cáceres and Salamanca and Salamanca and the south of Asturias if it is not passing through Valladolid. Regardless of whether we are talking about a passenger or freight network, the result is the same. That is why from the Corredor Oeste platform, together with the city councils and the rest of the local organizations, They have been organizing mobilizations and meetings to press and get the project taken to Europe. According to his calculations, it would hardly be necessary to invest 1.9 billion eurosvery far from what is being invested in other corridors such as the Mediterranean, which already exceed 8,000 million in investment. They also defend that the new Silver Route railway would be key to connecting the Atlantic Corridor, which does have European approval, with the Spanish south, offering a … Read more

a documentary that delves into what ‘Michael’ did not want to tell and an excellent Spanish thriller

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If you thought that ‘Michael’ fell a little short when it came to offering a complete portrait of the artist, this week Netflix has a docuseries that promises to reveal some of the secrets left to tell. This, without a doubt, is going to be a dark week on Netflix, because it is joined by an excellent Spanish-style thriller and a British series that recovers a very controversial real case. Series Michael Jackson. The verdict The premiere of this three-part docuseries comes at the most controversial moment possible: it coincides with the renewed interest in the figure of the artist after the success of the biopic ‘Michael’, who was accused precisely of whitewashing his figure and avoiding the controversial lawsuits for abuse that surrounded him in the last years of his life. The series reconstructs the 2005 trial based on testimonies from jurors, journalists, eyewitnesses and individuals linked to both the prosecution and the defense. There are dimensions of the case that the public never saw and this documentary tries to provide more material to continue the discussion between the artist’s fans and those of ‘Leaving Neverland0, whose director, by the way, does not agree at all with the conclusions of this Netflix proposal. Premiere: Wednesday June 3 He witness ‘The Witness’ seeks to continue the success of ‘Adolescence’, and moves in the same terrain: created by Rob Williams, the series reconstructs the murder of Rachel Nickell in 1992 from the point of view of her partner, who becomes a single father and decides to focus his entire life on protecting his two-year-old son, the only witness to the crime. The series focuses on an investigation peppered with errors and decisions that generated great controversy at the time. It stars Jordan Bolger, who we remember for his excellent participation in ‘Peaky Blinders’. Three episodes for a high-grade true crime miniseries. Premiere: Thursday June 4 Other series New Amsterdam – June 1 My Hero Academia (Season 6) – June 1 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit – June 1 Evergood – June 2 The King of Queens – June 4 Full time fans – June 4 This is how you will learn – June 5 Movies The unknown Adapting the novel of the same name by Rosa Montero and Olivier Truc, this thriller shows us the discovery of a gagged woman in a container in the port of Barcelona who does not remember her identity. He survives an assassination attempt in the hospital and becomes the center of a police investigation that revolves around his amnesia. Gabe Ibáñez (‘Autómata’) signs this film for exclusive release on Netflix that stands out for its spectacular cast, which includes people like Candela Peña, Ana Rujas, Pol López and Manolo Solo. Premiere: Friday June 5 Other series Milky☆Subway: The Galactic Limited Express – The Movie – June 1 The drawback – June 1 The murder of Rachel Nickell – June 4 Poldi – June 4 Oh, mom! – June 4 Mexico 86 – June 5 Turbulence in the office – June 5 The babysitter – June 5 The High Knights -June 6 In Xataka | Stephen King unequivocally recommends Netflix’s new number 1: it is “an absolute pleasure”

In atomized times, the Spanish generation Z is finding a strange refuge in ‘Los Serrano’ and ‘No one here lives’

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“I’m looking forward to the long weekend and finishing the season. The Serranos“A 15-year-old student I recently taught recognized me. Yes, 15 years. Possibly the combination of that phrase and that idea gives us a short circuit: we are talking about a series that ended in 2008; when she hadn’t even started kindergarten. I couldn’t contain myself and as someone who did grow up with Diego Serrano, the brush and the boom for Fran Perea, I had to ask him where that passion had come from. It came through clips on TikTok. That content of a few minutes and loose decontextualized fragments were not enough, and they turned something that began as a simple curiosity into a true marathon to know in detail what happened to Eva and Marcos, the most famous stepbrothers on TV in the 2000s. A fiction as iconic as that, but for generation millennialhad found its new primary audience in Generation Z. I was surprised, of course, but the idea stayed in the back of my head, like a specific issue to which I should not give more importance. Like when your friend tells you that she is pregnant and suddenly you start noticing people on the street and you discover something that we could almost classify as a baby epidemic; Shortly after, another teenage student, whom we will call Victoria, shows me her pending homework on her tablet. Between irregular verbs and vocabulary to learn, I look at the wallpaper: nothing less than ‘Santa Justa Klan‘, the fictional (and not so fictional) group that was formed in ‘Los Serrano’. At this point, I was already ‘mode’Queen’s Gambit‘, projecting theories on the ceiling about something so strange to understand and that he was also seeing everywhere. Just a few weeks ago, at the next table in a restaurant, a group of university girls revealed in their talk that this is not just about ‘The Serranos‘. To a certain extent, declaring yourself a fan of ‘There is no one who lives here‘It is understandable with the common thread that it has with an already veteran series, but still in broadcast, like ‘The one that is coming‘. The thing is that they start quoting ‘The boarding school’, ‘Physics or Chemistry‘, ‘The ship’ or ‘Paco’s men‘, debating passionately about how the revival Prime Video of the first one does not have one bit of the quality of the original. Once again, I could not contain myself, and I assailed them with my doubts about how they had arrived at these fictions so typical of my generation and not so much of theirs. The same pattern: discovery on social networks, the possibility of watching all seasons on platforms or even through those fragments, and the echo chamber that is created in classes and groups of friends. That week-by-week phenomenon effect that we’ve barely seen since ‘Game of Thrones‘, is being achieved organically in the middle classes of Spain. Some actors are still relevant today, and although it is difficult to think that all the youth have come to ‘El Barco’ by looking at the IMDb of Mario Casas or ‘El Internado’ doing the same with Ana de Armascould make sense in certain cases. None of that: it is the series itself is what hooks you so many years later. This is how Catalina, one of these girls, recognizes it: “I’m finishing The Boarding School; When I do it I plan to tell my little sister to start it.” The generational contrast is more than evident, and the lapidary phrase that unsettles an entire generation millennial who, like me, has grown up with ‘Three meters above the sky‘ and ‘SMS without fear of dreaming‘ is pronounced by Sara, to whom her friends were highly recommending ‘El Barco’: “Ah, but Mario Casas went out there? I had no idea.” From meme to marathon The furor over the story of Lucas and Sara from ‘Paco’s Men’ or the crazy theories that ‘El Internado’ sparked now do not begin on television, waiting week after week for a new chapter. Rather the opposite occurs; Like almost everything in recent years, it all starts with the mobile. If before you watched a series and then it was when the meme festival began on the networks, now the journey is the other way around, from the meme it goes to television. And whoever says meme says fancams or fragments of interviews that awaken interest in those fictions dosmileras. “I started watching the story of Teté and Guille in parts on TikTok and I couldn’t stop,” one of my students reminded me. So, the clip opens the door and the series does the rest, becoming almost an involuntary trailer. And, really, this fragmented and instant format is very much in line with the current consumption model. Everything has to be quick, that captures your attention in the first seconds and encourages you to consume something, of whatever nature. So it is no coincidence that the algorithm works as a perfect cultural programmer for generation Z, a tool that prioritizes the high emotional or humorous charge it has in the love drama of Lucas and Sara or in the phrases from Bethlehem to his greatest ally. This resurgence poses a very curious paradox: in the era of rapid consumption, these young people return to long, choral series designed to be watched without any rush. We are also talking about fictions that achieved audience figures that were unthinkable on current television (‘There is no one who lives here‘ either’ The Serranos‘ reached 7,000,000 spectators), so all the merit of their revival It cannot fall on social networks or on the virality of certain clips. In a sea of ​​platforms and on-demand content, available at any time, something unique and special must have that 2000s television imagery. One of the keys is probably the ID with the characters. Even today, many university students from Generation Z find in Belén or Emilio from ‘No one lives here’ that reflection of work … Read more

A meteorologist has analyzed 30 years of Spanish skies to see if you should worry about not seeing the eclipse on August 12

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Can you imagine spending a fortune on a trip? to emptied Spain to enjoy a show that will only last a couple of minutes and at the moment of truth the clouds arrive and prevent you from seeing it? That will be what will happen this summer if we are unlucky enough that the skies in the totality zones of the August 12 eclipse become cloudy. Unfortunately, until 3 or 4 days before we will not know what will happen. Weather predictions cannot be made any further in advance, what more would we like. However, you can do an analysis of what has happened in previous years, right in that place and on that date of the year. The meteorologist Benito Fuentes has been in charge of doing it and we can see the results in your X account (formerly Twitter). 30 years of observations. The meteorologist has analyzed what happened on August 12 at 8:00 p.m. in the Spanish skies over the last 30 years. Although the totality of this year’s eclipse will be reached around 8:30 p.m., the eclipse itself will start at 7:30 p.m.. That’s why he chose 8:00 p.m. The bad thing is that in your analysis you can see that in some of the points of the totality strip, half of August 12 have had too many clouds to be able to see an eclipse with peace of mind. Not all clouds are the same. The meteorologist has paid special attention to medium and low cloudssince the high ones allow the passage of light, so that it could be seen when the eclipse “turn it off”. Just a little cloudy skies. Another important fact that the meteorologist clarifies is that, due to the time at which the eclipse will take place, quite close to sunset, a few poorly positioned clouds are enough to ruin the show. It is not necessary for the skies to be completely cloudy. He has used 35% cloud cover as a threshold from which to start worrying. Not all positions are equal. Precisely also because of the time close to sunset, the clouds that would spoil the eclipse are those that are towards the west, where the sun sets. A few clouds to the west would be much worse than a completely closed sky above our heads. Don’t panic. These data are not a prediction, far from it. Just because half of the August twelfths have been problematically cloudy in the last 30 years does not mean that this year will be cloudy as well. With the predictions that can be made in the previous days, it will be possible to recalculate to a certain extent. the place to observe the eclipse. It’s not worth worrying ahead of time. That little bit of mystery and uncertainty also makes what is to come very interesting. And the good thing is that, if we can’t see it, we can always go hunting for the other two components of the Iberian trio of eclipses. Image | Magnific/NASA In Xataka | A third of Spain will be completely dark for a minute or two. The astronomical event of the century is approaching

this week, a remake of an explosive thriller, a disturbing documentary and very recent Spanish cinema

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The week of April 27 to May 3 comes packed with new releases on Netflix. The most anticipated title for action thriller fans is ‘The Fire of Vengeance’. In the documentaries section true crime highlights ‘Should I Marry a Murderer?’, a three-episode docuseries about a woman who discovers her fiancé’s dark past. And the gem of the week is the Spanish ‘Mi Querida Señorita’, produced by Los Javis. series Should I marry a murderer? The documentaries true crime are one of Netflix’s safest bets, and ‘Should I Marry a Murderer?’ He wants to continue the streak. The British-produced docuseries begins with a more or less conventional love story: a young forensic examiner meets a man through Tinder and the relationship progresses quickly until a commitment is made. One day the man confesses that he has committed a murder and the victim is still missing. However, the woman decides to keep the commitment while gathering evidence against him. The series is built from real testimonies, archival material and reconstructions of the case. The fire of revenge One of the platform’s most ambitious action bets for this spring goes beyond the simple remake of the blockbuster directed by Tony Scott and starring Denzel Washington in 2004. The series is based on the original novels by AJ Quinnell and proposes a renewed vision of John Creasy’s character, taking advantage of the episodic format: a former special forces soldier suffers from untreated post-traumatic stress disorder that keeps him on the brink of collapse. A former colleague offers him a job as a bodyguard in Brazil, where he develops an unexpected bond with the person he must protect. Other series you will go to hell – April 27 Rescue Me: Rescue Team – April 27 envious (Season 4) – April 29 Parenthood – May 1 30 Rock – May 1 Glory – May 1 Booba (Season 6) – May 1 Miraculous: The Adventures of Ladybug – May 1 Movies Gladiator II One of the great film releases of 2024 arrives this week in the Netflix catalog, returning us to ancient Rome to explore what happened after the death of Maximus, placing the action fifteen years after the duel in the Colosseum. The protagonist is the grandson of Marcus Aurelius and son of Maximus, and is played by Paul Mescal: captured and enslaved after the invasion of his home in Numidia, he is forced to fight in the arena while seeking revenge. A top-notch cast with Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington and Joseph Quinn stands out in this return by Ridley Scott to the universe that gave him one of his greatest commercial successes. My dear lady Free adaptation of the 1972 film of the same name by Jaime de Armiñán, which completely changed the image of José Luis López Vázquez, and which here delves into much more contemporary terrain thanks to the script by Alana S. Portero and the production by Los Javis. The story follows Adela, the only child of a conservative family, marked by silence about her intersexuality, a condition she is unaware of but that shapes her life. An unexpected friendship with a priest and other decisive events in her life take her from Pamplona to Madrid. The protagonist is Elisabeth Martínez, also an intersex actress who makes her debut here as the protagonist. Premiere: May 1 Other movies My name Agneta – April 29 Janur Ireng – April 30 Miraculous World: Paris, The Adventures of Shadybug and Claw Noir – April 30 Boys and girls – May 1 Exchanged – May 1 The son-in-law – May 1 In Xataka | Today the animated spin-off of the platform’s only powerful franchise premieres on Netflix: ‘Stranger Things’

Today torreznos are a delicacy of Spanish gastronomy. For years they were despised for being a shepherd’s dish

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The pattern is so consistent it’s almost laughable: the lobster “it was a punishment” for servants and prisoners In colonial New England, oysters were Dockers’ food in Victorian Londonthe oxtail was second meat, what you took home when there was no sirloin. All current haute cuisine is built, to a large extent, on the recipe book of survival. But the case of the torreznos is even more interesting. A day for history: November 19, 2024. On that day, the European Union enrolled the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) “Torrezno de Soria”. A PGI is, in essence, a seal that recognizes the reputation of a product. In this case, it recognizes the way in which the people of Soriano salt, marinate and cure white pork belly. A preparation that, moreover, moves almost five million kilos of bacon every year (growing almost 30% a year) and more than 20 million a year. Why is it more interesting? Today, Soria torrezno is consolidating commercially at a national and international level and it is curious because this process coincides with the end of domestic slaughter. And it is not an impression: the data from the Health area of ​​the Government of Castilla y León point to a 64% reduction in the number of home killings in the last decade in areas like Tierra de Campos. The interesting thing is that this decrease in slaughter is, in a way, the necessary condition that allows the industry to develop. This is how culinary nostalgia works: the same people who eat it today in trendy bars are usually the grandchildren of those who ate it not because they liked it, but because there was nothing else. Am I implying that the torrezno are not good? It wouldn’t occur to me. Only, as always, the story is more complex than it seems. The first written reference we have (or that, at least, I have been able to find) is a reference to the usefulness of torreznos to identify insincere converts. Then much more appears: bacon in Spain was not something frowned upon, it was something central to the diet… for ideological reasons. It was when the obsession with old Christians disappeared that the torreznos began to become a stronghold for the poor and shepherds. From there, the story (as I said) is a classic: offal, barnacles and sea urchin have gone from being ‘offal’ to being gourmet delicatessen. The torrezno too. Eating is something full of ideas. That is perhaps the most revealing thing about the Torreznos case, the confirmation that we eat with our mouths, yes; but above all we eat with ideas. The torrezno has only been able to be renamed as something gourmet once it has ceased to be anyone’s food out of obligation (out of that economic or political-social obligation). Maybe it’s the right time to think about how we think about food. Image | DAP In Xataka | Hearts, bowls of torreznos and raw milk: what the ancestral diet fad consists of

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