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    <title><![CDATA[Ara Balears in English - society]]></title>
    <link><![CDATA[https://en.arabalears.cat/etiquetes/society/]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[Ara Balears in English - society]]></description>
    <language><![CDATA[es]]></language>
    <ttl>10</ttl>
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      <title><![CDATA[The grammar of security]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.arabalears.cat/opinion/the-grammar-of-security_129_5750597.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p>Donald Winnicott (1896-1971), a British pediatrician and psychoanalyst, intuited and studied that the need for security accompanies human beings from the first moment of life. He explained the need to feel "held" by the environment in order to grow and live with confidence.Literally ‘<em>to hold’</em> in English means: ‘to sustain’, ‘to contain’, ‘to protect with the hands’. But Winnicott gave it a much deeper psychological meaning. When a small child is physically and emotionally held by the mother, is fed, protected, comforted and understood, they develop a basic sense of trust in the world. This is what Winnicott called ‘<em>holding’. </em>They have the intimate feeling that the world will not collapse under your feet. Thanks to this ‘held environment’, the child can play, explore, grow and build themselves. Without this ‘<em>holding’</em>, anguish, insecurity and emotional fragility appear. On a social and global level, societies also need a kind of ‘<em>holding </em>collective’. I mean that we like to feel that there is order, to have reliable institutions, accepted and shared norms, a certain stability and an invisible network that sustains this coexistence. If this support fails –or we perceive that it fails– then the obsessive demand for security arises. It may sound daring, but security is not just about having police or not having crime. It is also trust, cohesion, a certain credibility, a sense of identity belonging... It is having the perception that someone upholds the collective framework. Perhaps modern societies are not only seeking more security, but to recover the feeling of ‘<em>holding</em>’: feeling that the world is still capable of holding them.Why have I chosen <em>The grammar of security</em> as the title of this article? Well, because security is also a language. There are symbols, emotions, perceptions, narratives, and even scenographies of power. We must be able to talk about security without falling into alarmist discourse, nor into the naivety of denial. How can we reconcile the need for protection and the boundaries between freedom and control? I also chose the word 'grammar' because it was very recently that I discovered the figure and legacy of Gianni Rodari, and I have been fascinated by him. In confidence, <em>The grammar of security</em> transmits resonances of <em>The Grammar of Fantasy</em>. Winnicott fits in perfectly, and applying it to a social and contemporary topic seemed audacious to me.Let's refine a bit more; in sa Pobla –in any town– when we see a dirty square, a broken streetlight, a dark street, we observe how it is transmitting an emotional message to the population. And in the face of these real events that trouble us so much on social networks, the theory of James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling fits in very well, which more or less stated that small signs of disorder can generate the perception of abandonment and insecurity even if the real level of delinquency or criminality is low. Obviously, the use of current information channels can be manipulated and redirected towards the interests of corporations, political parties, etc. It is one of the important challenges facing current societies: the abuse of manipulation and easy populism. This abuse in order to achieve "power". It seems we have reached one of the most poignant paradoxes we have today: "The more protected a society is, the less tolerant it is of uncertainty"<em>". </em>But, deep down, in a very internalized space, over the years of my police activity I have observed that people do not just ask for physical protection. They ask to feel that the world is still understandable, orderly, and governable. We return to my town; last April, in sa Pobla, four low-intensity criminal acts, or minor delinquency, occurred. The perpetrator was quickly identified and brought before the judicial authorities; he was a repeat offender and quite well-known. Some of the affected parties and others used social media and amplified their fear. Some political parties saw an opportunity to gain visibility, increase their presence, and use it for political purposes. This happens every so often, almost cyclically. It is certainly legitimate, but in reality – dealing with a sensitive issue – they are 'playing' with the emotions and fears of the citizens. The result was that in the following weeks there was an increase in the perception of insecurity and fear among the townspeople. Evidently, political consensus among all forces on security matters has not yet matured enough and – at the municipal level – it is practically non-existent. The defense and joint work for the citizens will still have to wait.However, let's stop and get to the facts. The municipality of sa Pobla, its town hall, has allocated an average of between 10% and 11% of its initial budget to citizen security in the last five years. This is a relatively high ratio if we compare it to the rest of the municipalities in Spain. This means that – for the governing team – it has been an important priority when designing its municipal policies. Each inhabitant of Huialfàs spends approximately one hundred and five euros annually on local security. State-level security expenses are outside these figures. This would be an objective fact, but it is very far from the perception that many people from sa Pobla have.There is a lot of work to do and –above all– a lot of work to explain, to make understood. Personally, I would like to delve into the next article on the role played by the Local Police and our privacy that we are losing, in this complex and interesting mosaic. To summarize, we can conclude that the great drama of modern societies is not only real insecurity, but the constant need to feel protected. And the inevitable question that remains is: Why does an objectively secure society continue to be so afraid?<em>Note: This week I have ended my labor and social contract with the Local Police of sa Pobla. It has been more than forty-four years of dedication. In the beginning, I was a young man with more curiosity than training, these were different times. I have tried to give back to my town all that it has given me. The feeling of gratitude is enormous. The finite landscape and the faces of the people who have already departed have also accompanied me. I have made mistakes many times and I apologize to those I may have hurt or harmed. Life goes on and we need to savor it and share it. Until the next article, thank you.</em></p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Pere Perelló]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.arabalears.cat/opinion/the-grammar-of-security_129_5750597.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Thu, 28 May 2026 05:31:07 +0000]]></pubDate>
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      <title><![CDATA[The nun aunt]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.arabalears.cat/opinion/the-nun-aunt_129_5748424.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p>In our home, as I suppose in 70% of Mallorcan families during the 20th century, we had a nun aunt. Ours was my grandfather's sister. I had always called her “the nun aunt”, but she had a civil name: Magdalena Bernat Gomila, and she was from the congregation of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary (forgive the pomposity of the name).</p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Maria Escalas]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.arabalears.cat/opinion/the-nun-aunt_129_5748424.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 26 May 2026 05:30:46 +0000]]></pubDate>
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      <title><![CDATA[The extinction of the lizards]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.arabalears.cat/opinion/the-extinction-of-the-lizards_129_5747461.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p>The Pitiusa lizard (a little animal that needs no introduction to anyone who has set foot on Ibiza or Formentera) is in an advanced state of extinction, according to research by the Centre for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (CREAF) published in the scientific journal <em>Ecology</em>. The reason for this situation is the introduction to these islands of a species of snake, called the horseshoe snake, which is a predator of lizards and has literally devastated them in Ibiza, where it already occupies 90% of the habitat. The horseshoe snake is a snake that can grow up to two meters long and is capable of swimming, so it also moves to nearby islets to continue devouring the lizards it finds there. The destruction is so advanced that very soon, perhaps this very summer, the population of Pitiusa lizards may be considered extinct. Obviously, this has an ecological impact that is in no way minor. The extinction of endemic species, such as the lizard in Ibiza and Formentera, leads to a serious alteration and impoverishment of the entire ecosystem of the area.Another piece of evidence is that the horseshoe whip snake, no matter how well it swims, did not reach the Pitiuses on its own. It has done so (the same CREAF study documents it) through the importation of olive trees. Olive trees to repopulate the island's forest park? No: olive trees as decorative trees to embellish chalets and second homes, like palm trees and other species that tend to be to the taste (of terrible taste) of the inhabitants of urbanizations, coastal municipalities, and other dreamlike environments. 'Chaletism', as Miquel Cardell calls it, is a peculiar religion, which also demands its ritual sacrifices. Among them, the importation of foreign trees that often arrive infested or inhabited by specimens of invasive species.The lizard-eating snakes give us such a transparent metaphor that it doesn't even need explaining. It's an example of how a society that bases its way of life on consumption and idiotic ostentation ends up destroying its environment (and therefore harming itself, as a society) without even being aware of it. Even worse, a society made up of individuals who, when warned of the destruction they cause, react by taking refuge in denialism, questioning the authority of scientists and attributing dark interests to them. An infantilized society, made up of adults convinced they have the right to everything (to whatever they please) and no responsibility towards others, with no idea of the common good or desire to have one, and who get angry and throw tantrums when someone tries to show them what they are doing wrong.The extinction of lizards invites us to think about our own extinction, but not at the hands of immigrants arriving by raft, but under the weight of the greed of many of our fellow citizens. Politicians are not entirely responsible: those who live on Mediterranean islands that were once privileged, thinking they are merely stages for their whims, also have a fundamental part in it. If they are told anything, they will still answer that they have already paid taxes (many of them do whatever it takes not to pay them). Many Majorcans, Minorcans, Ibizans and Formenterans have a relationship with money – an obsession – that is pathological, harmful, toxic, and destructive. Even the lizards know this.</p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Sebastià Alzamora]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.arabalears.cat/opinion/the-extinction-of-the-lizards_129_5747461.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Mon, 25 May 2026 05:30:51 +0000]]></pubDate>
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      <title><![CDATA[Santi Taura reveals the millionaire turnover of his restaurants and catering]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.arabalears.cat/society/santi-taura-reveals-the-millionaire-turnover-of-his-restaurants-and-catering_1_5707886.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/9935e27d-dab5-4c71-86b3-2b8869b0e3e7_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.png" /></p><p>The Majorcan chef Santi Taura (Lloseta, 1976) has revealed that his gastronomic businesses as a whole generate “almost six million euros” a year. He explained this during his participation in the podcast <em>Puente Banana</em>, where a question about his group's turnover appeared on screen, prompting the chef's response.</p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Ara Balears]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.arabalears.cat/society/santi-taura-reveals-the-millionaire-turnover-of-his-restaurants-and-catering_1_5707886.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 15 Apr 2026 07:36:28 +0000]]></pubDate>
      <media:content url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/9935e27d-dab5-4c71-86b3-2b8869b0e3e7_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.png" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <media:title><![CDATA[The cook Santi Taura.]]></media:title>
      <media:thumbnail url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/9935e27d-dab5-4c71-86b3-2b8869b0e3e7_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.png"/>
      <subtitle><![CDATA[The Mallorcan chef explained it on a podcast and details the turnover of his gastronomic group in Mallorca]]></subtitle>
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      <title><![CDATA[UGT accuses IB-Salut of allowing drivers with a B license to drive ambulances weighing more than 3,500 kg]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.arabalears.cat/society/ugt-denounces-irregularities-in-the-new-ambulances-of-ib-salut-poorly-adapted-vehicles-exposed-to-sun-and-rain_1_5656877.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/d3744fa8-c63d-460b-aaab-07d23907bc90_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" /></p><p>The UGT union has denounced the Balearic Islands Health Service (IB-Salut) for dismantling parts of 55 new ambulances to reduce their weight to less than 3,500 kilograms so they can be driven by technicians, many of whom only hold a Class B driver's license. Among the removed components are hydraulic ramps and essential seats necessary for transporting people with reduced mobility. Javier Marín, head of Healthcare Transport for UGT Balearic Islands, explains: "After analyzing the documentation of the modified and weight-reduced vehicles, which we can call 'van taxis,' we discovered a very serious issue. For three months, ambulances weighing over 3,500 kilos have been driven by technicians using both a car and a driver's license. The Health Service claimed that the modified vehicles weighed less than 3,500 kilos and could accommodate up to six passengers. This poses a serious risk to workers, patients, and public safety." "It's like they're taxis taking people from one place to another because, ideally, they only allow people without any physical limitations to get in," adds Vicente Nadal, UGT delegate at GSAIB Ibiza and Formentera. UGT sources point out that most of the vehicles used for scheduled patient transport weighed over 3,500 kilos, requiring a Class C license, which most drivers don't have. To try to fix this problem, IB-Salut modified the ambulances, eliminating vital technical improvements. Thus, "they've become simple vans with four seats in the back and two in the front," the union denounces. </p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Jaume Cladera Mas]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.arabalears.cat/society/ugt-denounces-irregularities-in-the-new-ambulances-of-ib-salut-poorly-adapted-vehicles-exposed-to-sun-and-rain_1_5656877.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Mon, 23 Feb 2026 12:47:08 +0000]]></pubDate>
      <media:content url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/d3744fa8-c63d-460b-aaab-07d23907bc90_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <media:title><![CDATA[Ambulances parked outside the old Can Misses hospital.]]></media:title>
      <media:thumbnail url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/d3744fa8-c63d-460b-aaab-07d23907bc90_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg"/>
      <subtitle><![CDATA[The union claims that deficiencies in weight, equipment, and storage cause delays of up to 30 hours in hospital transfers.]]></subtitle>
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      <title><![CDATA[Between therians and anti-vaxxers: how far are we willing to go in being deceived?]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.arabalears.cat/opinion/therians-chemtrails-flat-earth-theory-and-measles_129_5656539.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/b96b05f0-dfeb-4bb7-9c1a-fb162e1ad601_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" /></p><p>These past few days, the whims of the algorithm have decided to make my <em>feed</em> Instagram phenomenon of <em>therians</em>These are people who feel an "inner connection with real animals." In other words, they feel like animals. If they are dogs or cats, they walk on all fours. If they are snakes, they slither with the elegant, scaly undulation of those forked limbs that so many people find unpleasant. Apparently, the phenomenon is viral in Argentina. Perhaps these are people who have realized that trying to be human under the chainsaw regime is impossible. But you don't have to go that far: in some schools in Mallorca, there are already families who empathize with these peculiar identity needs of their children.</p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Antoni Riera]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.arabalears.cat/opinion/therians-chemtrails-flat-earth-theory-and-measles_129_5656539.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Mon, 23 Feb 2026 06:45:45 +0000]]></pubDate>
      <media:content url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/b96b05f0-dfeb-4bb7-9c1a-fb162e1ad601_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <media:title><![CDATA[Dozens of teenagers filming two boys dressed as dogs at Arc de Triomf.]]></media:title>
      <media:thumbnail url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/b96b05f0-dfeb-4bb7-9c1a-fb162e1ad601_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg"/>
      <subtitle><![CDATA[]]></subtitle>
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      <title><![CDATA[He who changes his head scratches himself]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.arabalears.cat/opinion/he-who-changes-his-head-scratches-himself_129_5642699.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p>Last week, Professor Gabriel Bibiloni, whom we who knew him when we studied Catalan Philology at the University of the Balearic Islands held in high esteem, <a href="https://en.arabalears.cat/society/linguist-gabriel-bibiloni-denounces-linguistic-discrimination-at-consum-catalan-speakers-are-unprotected_1_5630926.html" target="_blank">He was the protagonist of an event</a> which, beyond the annoyance it caused him, the shop assistant who served him and the managers of the establishment where it happened, is a reflection of the humiliating agony and scandalous contempt that we Catalan speakers must live with when we leave our tribal pebble, what is now called "the comfort zone".</p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Antoni Riera]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.arabalears.cat/opinion/he-who-changes-his-head-scratches-himself_129_5642699.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Mon, 09 Feb 2026 06:45:29 +0000]]></pubDate>
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      <title><![CDATA[Desire]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.arabalears.cat/opinion/desire_129_5627342.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p>In this first article of the year, desire compels me to write. At the end of the year, we take stock of life, both our own and that of the world we inhabit. As we begin another, we formulate desires, usually desires for change. Although there can also be desires, immutability, and certainty in reality, the only thing that becomes clear is precisely that the only certainty is uncertainty and change.</p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Margalida Ramis]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.arabalears.cat/opinion/desire_129_5627342.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Sat, 24 Jan 2026 07:30:51 +0000]]></pubDate>
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      <title><![CDATA[Is being a civil servant enough to be a teacher?]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.arabalears.cat/opinion/is-being-civil-servant-enough-to-be-teacher_129_5616396.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/a97e6f3e-1305-4377-9407-41dc8fb348f9_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" /></p><p>In just over half a century, society has undergone profound transformations that have radically altered the main agents of socialization. The family, the street, the world of work, and the media no longer play the same role they did decades ago. This change cannot be interpreted through the lens of nostalgia for an idealized past, often imbued with a conservative and even authoritarian morality, as has also been the case in our own society. Many of the social changes of the last century, both in Europe and in Spain and the Balearic Islands, have been clearly liberating and humanizing.</p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Nel Martí]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.arabalears.cat/opinion/is-being-civil-servant-enough-to-be-teacher_129_5616396.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 13 Jan 2026 06:45:17 +0000]]></pubDate>
      <media:content url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/a97e6f3e-1305-4377-9407-41dc8fb348f9_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <media:title><![CDATA[For many students, the use of Catalan in the school setting is the only way they have access to the language available to them.]]></media:title>
      <media:thumbnail url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/a97e6f3e-1305-4377-9407-41dc8fb348f9_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg"/>
      <subtitle><![CDATA[]]></subtitle>
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      <title><![CDATA[Demographic replacement has no solution]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.arabalears.cat/opinion/demographic-replacement_129_5600190.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/2c85243f-dc72-407c-bcf8-6206544663d0_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" /></p><p>Among some progressives, talking about demographic replacement is frowned upon. <a href="https://en.arabalears.cat/opinion/flat-earther-presides-over-the-parliament_129_5597992.html" target="_blank">Because Vox says so</a> Regarding immigration from Muslim-majority countries, they find the concept tainted. The same applies to immigration in general; they believe it's also inappropriate to call immigrants "immigrants" because that's what xenophobic neo-fascists call them. So they've decided that "migrated people" or "migrants" is more humane, even though the different words—logically—define different situations for the person: "a person is a 'partner' and an 'immigrant' wherever they arrive." However, whatever they call it, it doesn't change the nature of the fact: demographic replacement is a reality. And it is because the enormous number of immigrants who have arrived during the last half-century has transformed the pre-existing social structure. The expert in population evolution, Pere Salvà, said—in an interview with me published in September—that the islanders who lived in the province in 1975 now represent—taking into account natural increase—25% of the total registered population.</p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Miquel Payeras]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.arabalears.cat/opinion/demographic-replacement_129_5600190.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Mon, 22 Dec 2025 18:30:24 +0000]]></pubDate>
      <media:content url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/2c85243f-dc72-407c-bcf8-6206544663d0_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <media:title><![CDATA[Mallorcan singer Rels B during his performance at the Mallorca Live Festival 2024.]]></media:title>
      <media:thumbnail url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/2c85243f-dc72-407c-bcf8-6206544663d0_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg"/>
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      <title><![CDATA[Do you want to live in a country governed by yourself?]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.arabalears.cat/opinion/do-you-want-to-live-in-country-governed-by-yourself_129_5598731.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/f9ce7893-f0e2-4cea-b2fd-8f7f2a7f7ea9_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" /></p><p>Groucho Marx is credited with saying he would never want to belong to a club that would have him as a member. I often have to reassure my friends, when we talk about politics and I unleash my often openly boorish thoughts, that they should relax, that deep down I would never want to live in a country governed by someone who thinks like me.</p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Joan Cabot]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.arabalears.cat/opinion/do-you-want-to-live-in-country-governed-by-yourself_129_5598731.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Sat, 20 Dec 2025 18:15:36 +0000]]></pubDate>
      <media:content url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/f9ce7893-f0e2-4cea-b2fd-8f7f2a7f7ea9_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <media:title><![CDATA[Charles Chaplin in 'The Great Dictator'.]]></media:title>
      <media:thumbnail url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/f9ce7893-f0e2-4cea-b2fd-8f7f2a7f7ea9_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg"/>
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      <title><![CDATA[Fold]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.arabalears.cat/opinion/fold_129_5578696.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p>Many are now wondering what could have happened to cause the rise of right-wing national populism, which is currently jeopardizing the normal functioning of democratic institutions. There are fears that the triumph of these options will lead to an erosion of democracy, the rise of repressive and regressive policies, clearly anti-progressive, like those that propelled Donald Trump, or those currently being implemented in countries such as Hungary, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, etc., or, I would add, Cyprus, Scotland, or even Israel.</p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Melcior Comes]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.arabalears.cat/opinion/fold_129_5578696.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Sun, 30 Nov 2025 18:15:59 +0000]]></pubDate>
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      <title><![CDATA[New men, women of the same old]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.arabalears.cat/opinion/new-men-women-of-the-same-old_129_5550076.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p>Perhaps one of the defining features of the 21st-century human experience is the discomfort many people feel (or we feel) in relation to our bodies and the anxieties that arise in the realm of identity. It is the "sufficiency of having a name, / the filth of having skin, / the filth of a womb struggling / with all the children they will not have," as Maria Sevilla says to <em>Pulp teeth</em>, and which rests on centuries of virtually unquestioned cisheteropatriarchal system, extremely rigid gender norms and a paradigm that has only just begun to change in decades.</p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Sebastià Portell]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.arabalears.cat/opinion/new-men-women-of-the-same-old_129_5550076.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Mon, 03 Nov 2025 18:30:36 +0000]]></pubDate>
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      <title><![CDATA[Against evil]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.arabalears.cat/opinion/against-evil_129_5520248.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p>Not many days ago, a woman posted a very dejected image on social media of one of the many parks Manacor has available for the enjoyment of its citizens. She lamented that, due to the water shortage, the City Council, or whatever entity was responsible, had stopped watering the lawn that gave so much life to an outdoor space so frequented by families with their children, or by owners with their dogs. At that point, one of those furious commentators blurted out: "They've had to stop watering because the Moroccans go to the free fountains to get water and get it stuck." Not a word about the swimming pools, the golf courses, or the hotels.</p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Antoni Riera]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.arabalears.cat/opinion/against-evil_129_5520248.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Mon, 06 Oct 2025 20:00:38 +0000]]></pubDate>
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      <title><![CDATA[Zweig vs. Calvin]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.arabalears.cat/opinion/zweig-vs-calvin_129_5513666.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p>Christianity, the religion that has shaped Western civilization for two millennia, suffered a severe setback a little over five hundred years ago with the Protestant Reformation. In many places, the Reformation was seen as a liberating moment and an affirmation of the value of human conscience, although in others it met with violent reactions. But the Reformation has many shadowy areas, and one of the darkest was the theocratic regime imposed by Calvin in the city of Geneva, brilliantly recounted by Stefan Zweig in his book <em>Castellio vs. Calvin</em> (The Second Periphery, 2025).</p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Joan Mesquida]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.arabalears.cat/opinion/zweig-vs-calvin_129_5513666.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 30 Sep 2025 17:16:15 +0000]]></pubDate>
      <subtitle><![CDATA[]]></subtitle>
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      <title><![CDATA[The left loves Vox]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.arabalears.cat/opinion/the-left-loves-vox_129_5497953.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p>Now that the new political year is beginning, I'd like to say something undeniable: it seems the left likes the PP and Vox to govern. As the poet and activist García Montero put it: the left-wing parties are "very interested" in the existence of Vox, a party they believe needs to be "protected." Because the more noise the fascists make, the more mobilized the left is. Yes, yes, you didn't misread me. When the right is in power, the progressives seem to light up like St. John's rockets: assemblies, demonstrations, banners, statements... A real festival of social energy. </p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Joan Pau Jordà]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.arabalears.cat/opinion/the-left-loves-vox_129_5497953.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Mon, 15 Sep 2025 17:30:26 +0000]]></pubDate>
      <subtitle><![CDATA[]]></subtitle>
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      <title><![CDATA[I went to Mallorca and thought of you]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.arabalears.cat/society/went-to-mallorca-and-thought-of-you_1_5482242.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/d395e3b6-15c0-4f8d-9ca0-28e0df9ffaa3_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" /></p><p>If certain football matches, the ultimate expression of the flat EEG, can be called "classics", with the same or greater reason this name can be used for souvenirs in kiosks and stores. <em>souvenirs</em> that have been in circulation for decades. Untouched by the passage of time, unfazed by changing fashions, impervious to oblivion, affected, if at all, and only by the wear and tear caused by the sun, postcards, towels, and T-shirts bearing the name of Mallorca have reigned supreme in their territory forever.</p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Sebastià Alzamora]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.arabalears.cat/society/went-to-mallorca-and-thought-of-you_1_5482242.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Fri, 29 Aug 2025 17:30:20 +0000]]></pubDate>
      <media:content url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/d395e3b6-15c0-4f8d-9ca0-28e0df9ffaa3_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <media:title><![CDATA[I went to Mallorca and thought of you.]]></media:title>
      <media:thumbnail url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/d395e3b6-15c0-4f8d-9ca0-28e0df9ffaa3_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg"/>
      <subtitle><![CDATA[Landscape postcards have always been very popular, and it's best to take advantage of this, because if the provisions of the Land Acquisition Law are implemented, the beautiful pictures of spectacular sunsets will soon be transformed into images of apartment blocks and commercial complexes.]]></subtitle>
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      <title><![CDATA[Generative paradoxes]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.arabalears.cat/opinion/generative-paradoxes_129_5478881.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p>This summer of wars against civilian populations and comedy of rulers, against whom we have come to believe we can only act virtually or in the street on a designated day, at times I have felt like Stefan Zweig: not so overwhelmed by his<em> world of yesterday</em> –with the fall of an empire, two world wars, exile, and censorship–, like a tantrum for ours, that of my generation. For adolescence dedicated to struggles we must continue to grapple with; for youth confused by globalization and frightened by economic crises and imminent climate change; for the pandemic and neo-fascisms, and the use of virtuality and artificial intelligence; and for the mature realization that we have submitted to and are working for a system that not only hasn't seemed fair and humane to us from the start, but that exploits us under the guise of guaranteeing rights (decent housing, public healthcare, retirement, Imserso trips) that we will no longer have access to in the future, even if we want them.</p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Laia Malo]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.arabalears.cat/opinion/generative-paradoxes_129_5478881.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Mon, 25 Aug 2025 17:30:11 +0000]]></pubDate>
      <subtitle><![CDATA[]]></subtitle>
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      <title><![CDATA[Vaccines are not ideology]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.arabalears.cat/opinion/vaccines-are-not-ideology_129_5469699.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p>Few public health strategies have as clear an impact as vaccines. They have been key to dramatically reducing diseases like measles, polio, and smallpox, and remain essential today against infections like COVID-19 and human papillomavirus. However, their potential extends beyond infection prevention.</p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Sebastià Franch Expósito]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.arabalears.cat/opinion/vaccines-are-not-ideology_129_5469699.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 12 Aug 2025 17:16:00 +0000]]></pubDate>
      <subtitle><![CDATA[]]></subtitle>
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      <title><![CDATA[Disruption in Marivent]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.arabalears.cat/opinion/disruption-in-marivent_129_5469019.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p>It doesn't happen to me all the time, but there are moments in our longing collective life that make me yearn for the malicious and often lucid pen of Llorenç Villalonga. The author of the <em>Disruptions</em>, of the myth of Bearn and the dystopia of touristified Mallorca refuted as Turclub in <em>Andrea Víctrix </em>He was also a broad-stroke caricaturist, loaded with bias and ideology, yes, but a caricaturist, nonetheless. He knew how to observe Mallorcan society with the cunning of the cats he liked so much (he had one, for example, that he called Moix), and then he portrayed it with the perfidy of a distorted mirror. Thus, the poet Aina Cohen was an alter ego of Maria Antònia Salvà, one of the best writers this island has ever produced, and a good part of the Mallorcan nobility of the time was scandalized to find themselves (or not to find themselves!) portrayed among the few dozen pages of <em>Death of a Lady</em>His novels were often parades of characters who moved between the grotesque and the ambivalent, between sarcasm and the nevertheless.</p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Sebastià Portell]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.arabalears.cat/opinion/disruption-in-marivent_129_5469019.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Mon, 11 Aug 2025 17:30:53 +0000]]></pubDate>
      <subtitle><![CDATA[]]></subtitle>
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