town

A tiny Spanish town with 13 houses can’t take it anymore. A murder has turned it into the capital of crime tourism

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High in the Catalan Pyrenees, among clouds, forests and cows grazing in the rain, Tor risesa village of just thirteen houses where three decades ago a crime occurred that forever marked its inhabitants. In 1995 appeared the body of Josep Montanéknown as Sansa, with an electric cable around his neck and the corpse dragged to his kitchen. It was the third murder in fifteen years in a place too small for so many deaths. Today it seems the decoration of the mythical “A crime has been written”. National myth. History recovered this weekend the new york times as an example of a type of tourism which has been added in parallel to that of sun and beach. What seemed like a rural reckoning became, over time, a a national story about greed, secrets and institutional abandonment. the mountain, shared since 1896 by the town’s families under an ancestral agreement, had become the object of dispute between those who dreamed of a lucrative ski resort and those who wanted to preserve their peasant life. The conflict, fueled by smuggling interests and disputes over ownership, culminated in the judicial grant of the mountain to Sansa and, five months later, in her death. Then came the cultural phenomenon. From tragedy to true crime. The Catalan journalist Carles Porta, then a young reporter, was the one who turned the Tor crime into a media obsession. It started with a television report In 1997, he continued with a book in 2005, a podcast very successful in 2018 and a documentary series in 2023 that transformed the small town into the epicenter of Spanish “true crime.” Porta, fascinated by Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood, found his own Holcomb in that Pyrenean valley and turned the story in an industry. Over the years, the public’s fascination with unsolved crimes attracted visitors from all over the country: curious people, mystery fans and hikers who wanted walk the stage of the murder, staying at Sansa’s old house or posing in the places where the police found evidence. Some even recreated the crime scene. with cables around the necka morbid parody that the neighbors watch with a mixture of bewilderment and resignation. Tor Municipality Crime tourism. The Times remembered that media notoriety brought money, but also disfigured life in Tor. In summer, the streets are filled of cars, the houses become scenery and the neighbors become involuntary characters in a story that never ends. In the Alins family hostel, at the foot of the mountain, phrases by Porta and bottles of liquor with quotes from his book hang, while the visitors ask relentlessly “who killed Sansa.” Merce Turallols, who was a girl when the body appeared, admits that fame has benefited the family business, but he confesses that the residents can no longer stand the circus: in the busiest months, you can’t even park and eccentric tourists tour the town disguised as victims. And more. “One arrived with a rope around his neck,” they remembered in the report. Porta himself, now producer of documentaries for Disney Regarding other cases, he recognizes that Tor’s has become his personal legacy, a phenomenon without end. The man assures have new clues (a possible hitman who lives in Miami) and the intention to close the case with a fiction series, but the people, who never saw justice or rest, feel that the journalist has exploded its tragedy to the limit. Town turned into a stage. Thus, going through Tor today is like going through a museum of rural crime: the local guide point out the places where the body was dragged, the house where a hippie committed suicide, the abandoned car of some smugglers, the meadows where neighbors charged tolls to those who crossed with goods from Andorra. Everything has become anecdote for visitors who seek excitement, while local people demand something as simple as mobile coverage or tranquility. Pilar Tomàs, who lives across the street from Sansa’s old house and was the one who found him dead, serves homemade food in her restaurant full of strangers. He appreciates the increase in clients, but would like a life without cameras nor curious. He joked in the media that if Porta has benefited so much from the case, he could donate at least enough for a telephone antenna. The rise of crime tourism. The call “dark tourism”sordid or thanatotourism has ceased to be a rarity and has consolidated itself as a global trend that turns tragedy into destiny. From the streets of Barcelona’s Raval, where the crimes of Enriqueta Martí either of the “Arropiero”even the towns devastated by the civil war like Belchitethe tourism industry has been able to capitalize on human fascination with death and evil, an interest as old as the shows of the Roman circus. According to the criminologist Vicente Garridothis attraction responds to the mixture of fear and curiosity in the face of the unknown, but today it takes the form of guided routes, theatrical visits and immersive experiences where the visitor seeks to understand (or feel) the echo of horror. New narratives to enhance it. Series and podcasts true crime have reinforced this phenomenon, generating a media aesthetic that romanticizes murder and transforms the victims and executioners into cultural characters. In Spain, theplaces like Torwith their story of unresolved deaths, symbolize that dilemma between memory and commodification: what for some is an economic opportunity and visibility, for others is the trivialization of a tragedy that is still alive. He crime tourism It grows, and with it the ethical question that accompanies it: how much knowledge and how much morbidity there is in looking head-on at the scenes of horror. Image | jqmj (Queralt) In Xataka | Sordid tourism: 17 places for those who travel looking for horror In Xataka | Italy’s tourism has a challenge worse than massification: mafia souvenirs. has started to ban them

Monistrol de Calders is a town of 700 residents. Now someone wants to turn it into the first Chinese cemetery in Spain

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Monistrol de Calders is a town in the Moyanés region, in the province of Barcelona. He last census The INE places just under 800 registered residents there, a small community without the slightest trace Chinese immigration. Despite that, the lack of ties with the Asian giant or the specter of depopulation, Monistrol is about to become a prominent place on the map of the European Chinese diaspora. And for a very special reason, too. A group of investors wants to build there, in an old farmhouse, the first cemetery feng shui of Spain and one of the few that exist in Europe. The ideal candidate. Monistrol de Calders may not be a very populous municipality, but it enjoys a privileged location in the heart of the Catalan countryside, between the Pla de Bages and the Sierra de San Lorenzo. Mountain. Streams. Sources. Pine forests. ç The town is not only idyllic. Some time ago a group of Chinese investors living in Catalonia saw in it Anything else: an ideal place to give shape to a project that they had been meditating on for some time, to build a feng shui cemetery, a space in which the growing chinese immigration could watch over their dead. In Moyanés as in Qingtian. They were not only convinced by the setting, the atmosphere and the location of Monistrol. The mayor of the town, Arturo Argelaguer, explains to The National that the promoters liked something else: “Orographically it is very similar to the part of the country where they originate, the region of Qingtian“. The area also has a special symbolic value, since it is the place of origin of much of it of the around 350,000 people of Chinese origin who reside in Spain. That in Monistrol as such there are no neighbors from the Asian giant matters little. After all, the town is half an hour by car from Manresa and less than an hour and a half from the center of Barcelona, ​​where there is a large immigrant community. The idea of ​​building a cemetery there in which to lay vigil for their dead pleased the investors so much that in june They even invited Quingtian to a delegation led by Argelaguer. The visit culminated with a Monistrol-Dongyuan twinning. And what do they want to do? The idea is to build a multi-denominational cemetery, “open to all”, although following the guidelines of feng shui so that the Chinese community can say goodbye and mourn their deceased while respecting their own traditions. There they can leave offerings, burn incense or hold long celebrations, practices that in other Spanish cemeteries can cause problems. “In Monistrol we have found a calm natural environment. There are no factories or pylons and positive energy can flow,” recognize to The Country Carlos, businessman and vice president of the Qingtian Association in Catalonia. The idea is to create a cemetery with capacity for around 80,000 graves of different types, which includes everything from niches to pantheons and columbariums. The cemetery will also have an extensive area of ​​trees. From farmhouse to necropolis. Proof that the cemetery promoters are serious is that they have already made a move. The National assures who have bought a farm of almost 59 hectares in Monistrol de Calders and presented a project on which the Generalitat must now rule. For now, the investors have managed to arouse enthusiasm in the City Council, which boasts of having achieved three commitments of the company: the construction of sports facilities in the town, prioritizing residents when hiring personnel for the works and contributing between 20,000 and 40,000 euros annually to local entities. If it goes ahead, the cemetery will also serve to rehabilitate a relevant piece of Monistrol’s heritage: the Païssa farmhouse, the land on which the promoters have set their eyes. The farm would be investor ownershipbut right now she is busy and with a judicial process underway. The ultimate objective is that of its more than 587,400 m2, more than half (56%) are dedicated to the cemetery. The rest will be used for general services and a large area of ​​around 223,900 m2 will be reserved for a forest area, with pine forests. A unique project? Although the project still has to clear the processing that remains ahead, it starts with an interesting business card: it would be the first cemetery designed based on the principles of feng shui in Spain and one of the few that exist in the whole of Europe. The Country only appointment in fact one, in Zwolle, Netherlands, which opened its doors just over 10 years ago. In Spain, the new cemetery will arrive at the height of the expansion of Chinese immigration, which has been increasing for decades to surpass the 200,000 people in 2022. Not only is their number increasing. Over time, the community has been nourished by third, fourth or fifth generation Spaniards with Chinese roots, people who do not consider returning to Asia and want to be buried and mourn their dead in Spain. Until now, the perspectives were different: either the mortal remains were repatriated to China, with the cost (and distance) that this entailed, or the families were resigned to saying goodbye to their loved ones in traditional Western cemeteries. Images | Jayde Keroi (Unsplash), Maximus Beaumont (Unsplash) and Google Earth In Xataka | Chinese immigrants have always been a mystery for Spain. The podcast ‘A Chinese and a half’ is solving it from within

Carratraca was a small town in Malaga with 800 inhabitants. Now it will be the largest natural theme park in Europe

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Carratraca is a small town in Malaga that does not reach the 800 neighbors. Yeah ‘Evolution Park’ It meets its objectives in a short time, however, it will have a unique facility in Spain and an international reference: a theme park dedicated to nature that (among many other claims) wants to be equipped with the longest aquarium in the world and the largest aviary in the country. Along the way, by the way, it aspires to mobilize a million-dollar investment and generate a volume of employment that is equivalent to 45% of the entire population of Carratraca. One figure: 786. They are the neighbors who (according to the INE) are registered in carratracaa small municipality in the Guadalteba regionprovince of Malaga. There, in the heart of the Sierra del Agua, is where an ambitious project has begun to take shape that aspires to become a benchmark beyond Malaga, Andalusia or even Spain: Evolution Parka theme park dedicated to nature that, according to the data outlined by the Board, it will have the longest aquarium in the world and the largest aviary in the country, among other attractions. What exactly will you offer? The regional government presents it as “a nature theme park”, a large facility located on the slopes of the Sierra de Aguas and Sierra Blanquilla that aspires to become into “a reference center for sustainable tourism”. That is at least the philosophy’s rhetoric. If we look for specific details, it comes with reviewing the Andalusian newspaper archives. After all, the project is not new: takes years on the table, although its future seems to have cleared up in recent months thanks to the endorsement administrative. Animals, cabins… and a ‘mega aquarium’. Although the latest What has emerged from the park is that it will have “the longest aquarium in the world”, the largest aviary in Spain, a natural history museum, planetarium and 360º cinema. The Andalusian press has been making some progress for some time. keys of the project. For example, it will have animals, although it will move away from the traditional concept of a zoo. There is who points In fact, it will also act as a wildlife rescue center, recreate habitats and be the biggest theme park of the nature of Europe. In April SOUTH pointed out that the enclosure will include themed accommodation (such as African-style cabins), a museum with replicas of extinct animals made by paleoartists, a simulator type ‘Flying Theater’ or a train that will allow visitors to move around the enclosures and observe the animals safely. Regarding the aquarium, he pointed out that it will measure about 80 meters long. All in one large farm of the Sierra del Agua located just four kilometers from the urban center of Carratraca and connected through the A-354 highway. The town is located about an hour’s drive from the center of Malaga. Another figure: 10 million. Although the initiative seems to have aroused enthusiasm in the Board and the City Council, in reality it is a private proposal which will start with an investment of three million of euros and will end up mobilizing around 10 million. Behind is Ecological and Recreational Estate Arroyo las Cañas 2013. The diary SOUTH clarify that to give shape to the project, a land of around 200 hectares was chosen within the municipality of Carratraca and that the idea (at least today) is to have the project ready in four years. “It’s not just sun and beach”. If the future park is in the news today, it is because its promoters have managed to go beyond paper and infographics. The laying of the first stone of Evolution Park was celebrated on Thursday, a symbolic ceremony which, however, is interesting for two reasons: first because it confirms that the project is alive; second, because it has demonstrated its institutional support. The Minister of Tourism, Arturo Bernal, attended the event, for example, and highlighted that the complex “will generate an economic and social impact” that will make the small Malaga town “a new benchmark for nature tourism.” 350 jobs. A curious fact about Evolution Park is that it aspires to generate a volume of jobs that is equivalent to almost half of the population of Carratraca (780 residents), as it was responsible for underline yesterday the Junta de Andalucía. “This unique project in Europe, with a private investment of 10 million, will promote the creation of more than 350 direct and indirect jobs,” celebrated the leader, who insisted that Evolution Park will help diversify the tourist offer of the entire province. “Projects like this are the best proof of why Andalusia is a leading and reference destination. A destination that is not only sun and sand, but also mountains, culture, heritage, sustainability and life.” Images | Andalusia Tourism, Ian Schneider (Unsplash) and Ministry of Tourism and Foreign Andalusia (X) In Xataka | The coast of Huelva has been touristed for decades. Now one of its last virgin areas will become a megaurbanization

In a town of 2,000 inhabitants on the edge of Ourense something strange happens every summer: it is filled with millionaires

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Neither Puerto Banusnor the resorts Caribbean, nor the coast of Malta, nor the exclusive Palm Islands from Dubai. When the Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim Helú It’s your turn to plan your summer vacation, one of the destinations that is always on your calendar is Planea hidden town in rural Ourense. And he’s not the only one. In the summer, magnates such as Amancio Ortega or Olegario Vázquez Grañasenior managers of El Corte Inglés and Abanca or even the cardinal of Mexico City, Norberto Riverawho came to considered papal. On its streets it is also not unusual to find a Rolls-Royce or Bentley. And all in a municipality that does not reach 2,000 neighbors. Welcome to Avion Seen on the map, Avión does not attract particular attention. The town is located in the Ribeiro regionbetween the Faro and Suído mountains, in the province of Ourense. In summer it is common for maximum temperatures go over 35º and to enjoy the beaches of the Rías Baixas you need to get in the car, take the highway and travel a good handful of kilometers. Its statistical data does not stand out on the Galician map either. The demographic winter has not passed Avión by, which over the years has seen how his census was deflating until you stay in less than 1,800 inhabitants. The percentage of population under 20 years of age in the municipality is only 5.66% and its aging rate far exceeds that of the rest of the region. As far as economy is concerned, Macro data recorded In 2021, an average gross income of 16,410 euros, below the capital of the province, which was close to 26,800. And yet, for years it has not been strange to find great magnates spending the summer in Avión. And no, the term “great magnates” is not a figure of speech nor is it an exaggeration. newspapers like Vigo Lighthouse either The Voice of Galicia They usually cover in detail how the Augusts go by in the town of Ourense, so we manage a fairly long and detailed list of businessmen, senior managers and authorities who have been seen in its streets and bars. Of all, perhaps the most striking is Carlos Slima Mexican billionaire with Lebanese roots who sneaks in often in the TOP 10 of the wealthiest people in the world. Forbes estimates that together with his family he has a fortune of about 85.7 billion of dollars. He is not the only fan of Avión, a regular destination for Vazquez Grañaone of the richest men in Mexico. Through its streets has also been seen to the founder of Inditex, Amancio Ortegaclosely linked to Galicia and which also stands out as one of the fortunes more overwhelming of the planet. Are they the only ones? No. The Galician press leaves a good list of personalities who at some point have paraded through the streets of the town of Ourense. The list is long. And curious. Vigo Lighthouse explains how in August 2014, coinciding with the celebration of the local festival (San Roque) and the anniversary of Olegario Graña’s wife, one could see in Avión a Miguel Rinconknown as “the king of paper” in Mexico by the Bio Pappel firm; the captain Alberto Abedfrom FlyMex; Isidoro Alvarezformer president of El Corte Inglés; or the cardinal Norberto Riveraa powerful prelate who entered the pools to Pope in 2005. Carlos Slim, orange tie, in the center. (Commons) The most curious thing about Slim or Vázquez Graña’s summer vacations in Avión is that the tycoons do not seclude themselves in mansions to enjoy the isolation and move discreetly from their heliports. Not at all. They use their Rolls-Royce and BentleyTrue, but they are also seen in the town’s bars to sit at the table to eat seafood or play a game of dominoes. And no, again that’s not a figure of speech. In August 2013 could be seen Carlos Slim, Vázquez Raña, Rincón and the notary Daniel Goñi playing with the black and white chips on the rubber of the Moncho bar. The print was repeated a year later and in 2017 The Country I recaptured a similar quote at the O Luar bar. Of course, there is no lack either food and music. The town even celebrates a mexican partywith mariachis included. But… Why Plane? That’s the big question. Slim lands with his private jet at the Peinador airport, in Vigo, and travels to the small town of Ourense. Why there and not to some paradisiacal destination or some secluded beach in his native Mexico or Lebanon, from where were originally your parents? The key is in the history of Avión, to be more precise in its very strong ties with emigration: during the 20th century, not a few of its neighbors were forced to pack their bags, get on a transatlantic liner and cross the ocean to find a life in Latin America. Some did well, quite well. And they or now their descendants they keep the link with the town. The case more paradigmatic and that largely explains Carlos Slim’s time at Avión is that of Vázquez Raña. “Our parents left here when I was little. As in many towns in Galicia, there was no future. The mosquitoes ate us. And on the unpaved roads our feet sank in animal excrement,” relates to Vigo Lighthouse Ricardo Hermida, a hotelier who emigrated to Mexico. In Avión they not only reconnect with their roots. There, despite the increasingly frequent coming and going of television cameras, reporters and photographers in search of the best snapshot, they enjoy a tranquility and naturalness that is difficult to achieve in other destinations. “In Mexico I move around in an armored car with six bodyguards; in Avión I am free, otherwise I wouldn’t come here,” admits Vázquez Graña. The expression “the Airplane method” is not ours, but Alberto Dacasaa Mexican businessman with Galician roots and a regular summer resident in the town of Ourense. Last year he released a … Read more

The step of a Levantine town hall

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Surely once traveling through some point in Spain you’ve seen a Plate hanging on the facade of a historic buildingCity Council or train station indicating the altitude of that place with respect to the sea ​​level In the city of Alicante. Because Compare the altitude of a city like Pamplona or Soria with respect to the Levantine city is a question that has a scientific answer and that we are going to inevit today in Xataka. The first thing to keep in mind is that sea level is not the same or constant by the different tides, Nor is it much less the same throughout the earth. That is why each country takes as Reference level a specific point of its territory. It is what is known as zero level. And any altitude that you want to calculate in that country will be made compared to that data. Nor can we forget that The technology we have now compared to what existed two centuries ago it is not even for the same. Then there were no altimeters, which we now see anywhere: the car, the mobile, gas stations … that made calculating the altitudes of any place was a very laborious work that required an infinite patience. The task of choosing that reference point also occurred in Spain. Specifically, he fell to the National Geographic Instituteinaugurated in 1856, which was entirely dedicated at that time to elaborate precise topographic maps of the country. In a publication of the institution in the 10th Hispanic-Portuguese Assembly of Geodesia and GeophysicsThey explain that Alicante’s choice was not a coincidence. This article mentions that for the measurement to be as stable as possible, a low point had to be chosen so that negative heights were not produced, hence the sea level was chosen. So a site was sought on the Spanish coast in which The variations between low and pleamar were the minors possible. That is, I had to have Little maritime oscillation. That already completely ruled out some cities of the Cantabrian, because in places like Santander or San Sebastián the sea level can vary up to four meters during the day. Four years of manual measurements With that in mind, the scientists thought of the coast and the waters of the Mediterranean. Precisely Alicante, is inside a baywhere the daily variation of sea level is just a few centimeters. It was also found that this city was the best in terms of weather criteria, atmospheric pressure or seasonal variability. But the most curious thing about the IGN’s decision was not the choice of the city, but the specific place where they decided to establish the zero level. To know exactly where to locate it, They made daily measurements from 1870 to 1874 by handhelping only a strip on the queen stairs located in front of the port of Alicante. After almost four years of work, it was decided to establish that right point on the first step of the interior stairs of the City of Alicante. Specifically it was determined that this exact step It was 3.41 meters above sea. There a plaque was installed that says: “NP 1”. That is, precision level 1. since then, all the altimetry in Spain was measured according to the difference with this point, adding 3.41 meters. “From there, the altitudes were transferred to the rest of Spain through leveling lines and branches that would form the first high precision leveling network (Rednap),” Explain the institute In the report. Obviously, over time and the continuous expansion of the port network in Spain, the Mareographers have changed site, other new ones being built to achieve a continuity of the data series. In fact, today there are 10 operational stations throughout the country: Alicante 1, Alicante 2, Cartagena, Almería, La Coruña, Alborán (Isla de Alborán), Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Island of Tenerife), Puerto de la Cruz (Isla de Tenerife), Los Cristianos (Isla de Tenerife), Puerto del Rosario (Isla de Fuerteventura). Image | Dean Milenkovic In Xataka | Two provinces, four municipalities, three regions: the most complex town in Spain is also that of Feijóo In Xataka | The Júcar Hydrographic Conference has been sacrificing thousands and thousands of fish from its reservoirs for months. And the worst thing is that it makes sense

When the town next door is your landfill

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Some residents of Santa Oliva cross the town next night with their garbage bag, reports 3cat, Catalan Public Radio. They are not visiting, they are going to throw it into the Albinyana containers so as not to have to separate their waste. The panoramic. The Baix Penedès region has become the epicenter of a garbage war between municipalities. Each town has its own collection system: Traditional containers. Smart containers by card. Door -to -door collection. The result is chaos where some neighbors practice what the authorities have baptized as “garbage tourism”: bring your waste to the people next to dodge the recycling standards of the strictest municipalities. The situation has climbed to the Kafkian. In Cunit, The Local Police opens and inspects the bags deposited outside the container in search of receipts, letters or any document that delates to the offender. They have already put more than 200 fines that range between 300 and 3,000 euros. Why is it important. This conflict perfectly reflects the gap between the technological and environmental ambitions of administrations … and citizen resistance to change. Smart containers that require card to open or door -to -door systems with strict schedules guarantee to increase recycling rates. But they also generate a visceral rejection in part of the population, which does not want or cannot have five different containers at home. The result is a spiral of absurd behaviors: Neighbors who sabotage smart containers to leave them permanently open. Others that drive kilometers to throw garbage in the neighboring town. And police converted into waste detectives. Yes, but. Legally, “garbage tourism” inhabits a gray area. Using the container of the neighboring town is not always illegal if its local standards are respected, although it is an abuse of the service that others pay with their taxes. The clearly illegal thing is to throw bags out of containers or do it inside whether there are municipal norms that prohibit use to non -residents. The context. The problem is not exclusive to Baix Penedès. In Sanxenxo (Pontevedra)the cleaning company also analyzes abandoned bags seeking to identify offenders, with fines of up to 600 euros. In Villena (Alicante)the police have identified twelve people in seven months. The municipalities defend that these systems reduce costs and improve recycling. But in Cunit there are neighbors who have not pick up the card for two years to open smart containers. The mayor speaks of “neglect.” The neighbors see it different. Between the lines. Recycling digitalization is creating new marginalized: older who do not understand smart cards, neighbors without a car for the clean point, workers with time -to -door incompatible schedules. “Garbage tourism” is only the symptom of the imposition of technological solutions without social consensus or alternatives for those who are out of the system. In Xataka | The subsoil of historical cities hides a great garbage vacuum. The problem is that you have to punch Outstanding image | Barcelona’s Decrease

There was a day that Volkswagen wanted to have “the Bentley of the town.” It went wrong

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If something has shown us the history of the car is that it is completely irrational, extremely competitive and very conservative. The electric car is demonstrating it clearly. The number of brands has triggered and China wants to make a foothold on European soil. The reality is that Only Tesla seems to have found the way Correct and China is moving in Europe … but with Combustion engines. That conservatism is not new. Raising a brand from scratch is only possible with a huge economic effortsustained and almost blind for years and years (like Tesla)with the help of state media (as Xiaomi and its association with one of the national Chinese car companies). But it is also almost impossible to change the perception that the client has of you. Winning to the client and ascending on the ranks of the market can take decades. A good example is Hyundai and Kia that have some of the best -selling cars In our country but they had to start earning market share selling cars much cheaper than those of the competition. But rapid movements, those who want to position a brand in a higher segment almost from nowhere or those that seek to compete with premium brands with a model that equals features but also in price is generally a call to failure. There is a good handful of examples and the Volkswagen Phaeton is undoubtedly one of the most representative. History of a failure Luckily for those who like cars and unfortunately from manufacturers, the purchase of a car is irrational. It has an inevitable part of aesthetic taste but also for quality perception, affinity with the brand and construction of an image and a history based on the past. That makes, for example, Renault fails with Vel satisf either Avantime Although they were very good vehicles that tried position yourself above the generalists. Nor has Stellantis (and before PSA) achieved return to DS to your luxury past Despite the multiple attempts. And something similar happened to Volkswagen Phaeton. By order of Ferdinand Piëch, then president of the Volkswagen Group, the Germans wanted to assault the premium market with a Berlina that was called “The Bentley of the People”. The intention was to stick with the Mercedes S, BMW 7 series and, curiously for being part of the group, with the Audi A8. The bet was so strong that the possibility to match (or improve) in equipment and materials to its rivals with a more adjusted price was not even tan. It was directly to resemble all fronts (also in price) and in the executives of Volkswagen they took a tortazo. In fact, the Volkswagen Phaeton Not even was a version of Audi A8. Yes, he shared some aluminum panels with the Berlina of the four hoops, as explained in Km77 In the early 2000s, but for development it departed from a blank sheet and even The Volkswagen Dresde factory was builtknown for their Glass structure and for being the one that, discontinued the Phaeton, covers the complete electrical models of the company. In that assault on the heavens, the Phaeton was sold above 66,000 euros for what the German triad looked from you. A Audi A8 It was sold at that time slightly below 69,000 euros. A BMW 7 series It started from 67,500 euros. He Mercedes S Yes it was significantly more expensive, starting from more than 71,000 euros. In those early years of the new century, all German luxury Berlins shared two things: they all had versions above 120,000 euros. And they all had gigantic engines. And the Volkswagen Phaeton was not going to be less. Its most “small” engine was already a V6 in diesel and gasoline versions. From there, it could only be dreaming. Volkswagen’s bet was also sold with a V8 4.2 gasoline, the famous V10 5.0 TDI and an endless W12 6.0 of gasoline that was sold with 420 and 450 hp versions. The average consumption of the latter was around (with the homologations of that time) 14.5 liters/100 km on average. And of equipment, the Phaeton was not badly served: heating seats, electric with memory and massage, bi-xenon headlights, four-zone heshlyzizer, indoor in the skin topped with wood and the possibility of replacing the rear seats with two sidewalks to improve comfort. Developing the car, therefore, was not going to be easy. At least this is attesting to 1,100 million euros that, according to Autoweekthe Germans invested in their development. From Automotive NewsHowever, they raise the figure to 2,000 million euros. But despite the expensive development and the good of the product, selling the Phaeton was not simple either. To the point that, according to this last medium, the Germans lost 28,101 euros for each unit sold. Keep in mind that the company had made a effort huge in machinery, employees and a new factory (The Dresden crystal plant) To launch a car that would meet the quality of a vehicle of its price range. It is said that Ferdinand Piëch delivered a series of unnegotiable requirements to put the car on the street among which was the ability to maintain the interior temperature at 22ºC circulating in a sustained way at 300 km/h with an exterior temperature of 50ºC. And all despite the car was limited to 250 km/h. Only for overestimating the capabilities of the car and that there was no open door to the client’s disappointment. But the market did not respond despite the fact that Volkswagen reached up to 100 patents during its development. Estimates that aimed at 20,000 units sold a year were impossible to meet. Even as the years passed. Because during the decade and a half that the car was on sale only 84,253 units were sold. Volkswagen’s most optimistic forecasts, collect in DiariomotorThey could exceed 35,000 units sold. And, as exceed, the 50,000 cars sold. Seeing one of those people’s bentley was not as complicated as seeing a true Bentley but of course it … Read more

The only town founded and built by Chinese and for Chinese

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In the month of March We count A curious and unexpected movement, one that, in addition, had already happened in New York and that was now extended throughout Japan: neighborhoods with Chinese than Japanese. The truth is that if we have to talk about surprising migratory movements with Beijing as the protagonist, none as the one occurred a century ago in An enclave of the United States. Origins and context. The story remembered this week The BBC. On the banks of the Sacramento River, in the heart of the fertile but once inhospitable Californian Delta, Locke was born in 1915 as the only town in the United States By Chinese for Chinese. Its history goes back in the mid -nineteenth century, when gold fever attracted thousands of search engines from the province of Guangdong, in China, with the promise of A “GAM SAAN” or “Mountain of Gold”. Soon, hostility, discriminatory taxes like him Foreign Mine’s Tax from 1850 and violence pushed them towards other trades: the laying of the transcontinental railroad And, above all, the agricultural transformation of Delta thanks to his experience in draining marshes and building dikes. Between 1860 and 1880, they recovered more than 35,000 hectares, laying the foundations of an agricultural emporium, although without property rights by laws such as the Alien Land Law 1913 and the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. Lockle Foundation. In October 1915, A fire He razed Walnut Grove Chinatown, displacing hundreds of families. Among the victims was Lee Bing, prosperous merchant of Zhongshan origin, who led with others an agreement with the landowner George Locke Jr. to lease nine acres and lift A new settlement. So Locke emergedinitially known as Lockeport, under a system of “Ground Rent” which charged 5 dollars per month for residential lots and 10 for commercials. Between 1915 and 1917, 45 wooden buildings were built, mostly unpainted and with sheet metal roofs, which still retain the rustic aspect of the old west. The community grew rapidly with workers used in farms and conserves, and was endowed Chinese schoolshops, hotels, restaurants and game rooms that would operate for decades. Cultural and economic splendor. During its peak, between the 20s and 40s, the enclave housed some 600 inhabitants, almost all Chinese, and it was described as The “Monte Carlo de California” for its intense activity in the clandestine casinos. It had nine grocery stores, six restaurants, a cinema, a hotel, mills and guest houses, in addition to male associations such as the Jan Ying Association. The Chinese school not only taught calligraphy and language, but preserved Cultural identity in an environment marked by discrimination. That community fabric allowed Locke inhabitants to prosper despite not being able to possess the land they occupied. Demographic decline. The repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act In 1943 he opened opportunities outside the Delta, and the new generations They emigrated to cities close. In the 60s the population decreased dramatically, but social cohesion kept the people alive. In 1990, Locke was declared National Historical Monument for being the most complete example of Chinese-American Rural Agricultural Community. At the beginning of the 21st century, problems such as the collapse of the septic system and the lack of ownership of the land threatened their future, until in 2004 the Housing and Revitalization Authority sacrament bought, repaired and resorted The plots to residents and descendants, ensuring their permanence. Preservation, tourism and new life. Today, Locke keeps standing much of its original buildings, converted into museums such as The Dai Loy (former game hall), the Joe Show School House wave Jan Ying Associate Building. The restaurant To The Wopsinaugurated in 1934 as the first non -Chinese business, it remains a meeting point. Artists and new settlers live with the descendants of the founders in a bohemian and quiet environment, visited on weekends by tourists who arrive by the panoramic view of River Road. Thus, more than an architectural vestige, Locke is a resistance symbol And adaptation, testimony of how a discriminated community managed to build its own refuge, preserve its culture and leave an indelible mark on the history of the Delta de California. Image | Wayne Hsieh In Xataka | A phenomenon that has already happened in New York is spreading throughout Japan: neighborhoods with younger than Japanese In Xataka | The labor crisis in China takes many young people to the same challenge: living with less than $ 70 per month for food

A small town in Holland has the solution to mass tourism: to fool Google Maps

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Mass tourism has unable consequences for residents. Recently we talked about the Avalanche of tourists who go to the lavender fields in Brihuega. In the Parkbuurt neighborhood, located in a small coastal town in Holland, they also have problems with tourism. Specifically because, in the most influx days, it is impossible for them to park. The neighbors have got to work to solve it with a very ingenious method. Fed up neighbors. Parking in Parkbuurt was not a problem until tourists arrived. Especially on weekends, its streets are filled with cars and neighbors, fed up with not being able to park normally, as they say in NH News. What they did was start reporting street blockages on Google Maps so that the app sending visitors to other areas. Google Maps to Rescue. It is the navigation app most used in the world And its function to report incidents on the road makes it perfect for this type of actions. A single report would not take effect, but with neighbors organizing to send reports at the same time the thing changes. The streets of the neighborhood appear as cut in the app and that makes visitors go to other areas. Answer. The trick has worked for them, but it has had some unwanted effects. Gert-Jan Bluijs, councilor of the municipality, is not funny and ensures that this measure has generated more chaos in other adjacent neighborhoods. The neighbors defend themselves from criticism ensuring that it is a peaceful measure that only apply on weekends, during the week they were not applying it. They see it as a way of exerting pressure to do something from the City Council. At the moment, what the City Council has done is to place a sign at the entrance of the town asking visitors to deactivate Google Maps. More cases. It is not the first time that similar tactics are used to combat tourist saturation. A few months ago something similar also happened in Holland, near the area of the Keukenhof Tulipanes gardens. This same year, we knew that Barcelona had eliminated a Google Maps bus route so that tourists would not collapse it. The result was good in that bus line, but others collapsed. The other face. We have seen that navigation apps can be a tool to divert traffic, but they can also be the cause of the problem. Years ago we told you how Waze’s suggestions ruined the tranquility of some neighborhoods. The app, now GOOGLE PROPERTYsuggests faster routes and diverts traffic through streets that used to be little busy. In Xataka | Iceland is so tired of tourism that it has decided to stop it drastically: fringing its visitors Image | Rudi Arlt in Pixabay

A town in Toledo has tired of the squatters. So you are offering a new service to your neighbors to put them

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Escalona is A town of Castilla-La Mancha that does not usually monopolize holders beyond the regional press. For a while, however, it is usual to find news that relate it to the illegal occupation of houses. And not because there is a serious problem (which It has been). No. The reason is that City Council has undertaken A real crusade Against the Okupas, which has led him to activate a Municipal Planopen a special office, upload homes and, now, offer a Free service to the neighbors to expedite the evictions during The first 48 hours. At the moment it seems that it is not doing badly: the City Council presumes that illegal occupations have fallen more than 60%. Escalona at war. In Escalonaa municipality in the province of Toledo de 3,800 neighborsthey have declared him The war to the illegal occupation of housing. And with forcefulness. Both in fact that in 2023 (just one year after activating its ‘antiokupa plan’) the Consistory calculated that the problem had already been reduced 75% In the municipality and the number of crimes, 70%had also collapsed. Since then the Consistory has not stopped and recently insisted in the legal facilities which offers to evict homes. “There are no excuses”. The Escalona Crusade is not new. In fact, at least March 2021 can be traced, when the mayor Álvaro Gutiérrez(PSOE) sent A letter to the neighbors presenting the municipal plan against the illegal housing occupation. Your goal? Facing what, in the councilor’s opinion, is the “most difficult” challenge that faces the municipality: the squatters. “We cannot and do not want to look the other way. There are no excuses for illegal occupation,” starts. “Everyone has the right to housing, yes; but they must access it through legal instruments and social policies without harming the rights of others.” And what do you think? The plan It soon in entering into force and basically rests on three legs. The main one is the creation of a “illegal anti-exploits” municipal office, an department dedicated to offering free legal advice to the housing owners of the town, regardless of whether or not they are registered there. Its objective: to expedite the procedures and that the owners of affected houses act rapidly during the First 48 hours of occupation, which can speed considerably The eviction. With that purpose, the City Council of Escalona has created a “at risk” housing census and promotes the signing of agreements with both individuals and banks that have empty houses in the municipality. Thanks to them, the owners delegate their legal representation in the Consistory so that it can immediately denounce an illegal occupation in court. The objective is the same: shorten times and take advantage of the first 48 hours of the occupation to, In the words of the Consistorylook for the “express eviction.” Disused house, house upholstered. The second leg of the ‘Antiokupas Plan’ consists of an ordinance that forces to upholler or install special doors and windows in those homes that remain permanently empty. The measure, Gutiérrez clarified In his letter, he addresses mainly to the financial entities that have empty houses and without tenants in portfolio. “If they do not proceed in the stipulated time, the appropriate judicial file will begin so that the City Council can be carried out with the relevant judicial authorization,” The mayor warnsthat also warns of fines and sanctions for those who do not comply. And is it done? That seems. The City Council estimates that only in March 2022, with the newly activated antiokupa plan, the doors and windows of 40 homes distributed by neighborhoods and urbanizations of the town. And his intention was to continue doing it, blocking another 10 short -term buildings. In his Balance of 2023 He already spoke of more than fifty houses with the windows and doors closed to lime and song to keep the squatters away, a work that at least in some cases is done with local resources. Tightening via taxes. To prevent empty homes in the hands of banks, the ‘Antiokupa Plan’ also contemplates the creation of a tax designed for financial entities with buildings at risk. Its logic is very simple: if the owner (bank, vulture fund, etc.) refuses to install enclosures or upholster the house and neither does it allocate to social rental faces a special rate. “The first leg is to discourage the policy of fallen arms by financial entities to this serious problem with economic incentives,” The letter points out. In informing the building of buildings, the City Council in fact recalls that this is its last option. “We must remember that 100% of these homes come from financial entities, investment funds or vulture funds and that have been urged to rent to vulnerable families. The upholstered is the last resort to avoid its use for illicit purposes,” They claim from the Toledo municipality. City Hall … And something else. The third leg of the Plan relies on organizations and entities that go beyond the Consistory itself, such as the Civil Guard, the use of private security to “reinforce special operations against crime” in high season or expand the local police body with new places. And they are not the only resources of the City Council. Your plan He talks about agreements with “supply entities” to “expedite the supply cuts of illegal hooks of occupied homes.” Notarial powers. In May the local government made it easier for the owners of houses occupied to resort to justice by informing of a new municipal service, a free mediation so that any affected owner can benefit from the last legal news and empty your home in 48 hours. “The City Council offers all the owners of occupied homes assume the judicial and notarial costs if the notarial power is granted to submit the demand in the courts and thus expedite the eviction,” Inform The Consistory. “This new measure joins the plan against illegal occupations thanks to which, according to the information of the Civil Guard, … Read more

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