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.

The craft beer sector in the Balearic Islands is going through one of its most delicate periods after years of hard work and the boom of a decade ago that boosted sales and the industry. Far from the image of expansion that characterized the years before the pandemic, small producers and brewers report a continuous decline in consumption and are struggling against increasingly burdensome and restrictive regulations. They denounce that this crisis has led to the disappearance of many historic brands and is constantly suffocating those that remain. "We haven't recovered from what we had before COVID, not by a long shot," warns Miquel Amorós, founder and owner of Mallorca Beer Co., a company that currently produces in an emblematic location that was once another industrial site: Menestralia, in Campanet. However, the brewer maintains that currently, "every day is a fight to avoid closing down."

The Manacor City Council presented Pedro Puche Andreu, the first head of the new Urban Planning Department, this Friday. He was recently appointed by the full council with the unanimous support of all 21 councilors. This marks the culmination of the process to create the new technical body, established to address the challenges arising from the municipality's growth and reduce permit processing times. Manacor Mayor Miquel Oliver emphasized that this appointment "closes a process that had been ongoing for far too long" and allows for "the definitive filling of a key position to strengthen the Urban Planning area." He stressed that "urban planning must be as efficient as possible" and that the accumulated shortcomings in the department "have caused delays that we want to reverse." According to the mayor, Pedro Puche's dual experience, both in the City Council and in the private sector, has been a determining factor.

The Balearic government's ministers now have the authority to request that civil servants in their departments work more overtime than the legally mandated limit of 80 hours per year. This stems from a government agreement reached last Friday and published this week in the Official Gazette of the Balearic Islands (BOIB). This measure will allow the government to streamline its work during peak periods. At the proposal of the Minister of Labor, Public Service, and Social Dialogue, Catalina Cabrer, the government has delegated to the ministers the "power to authorize exceeding the annual limit on overtime for civil servants assigned to their respective ministries," the agreement explains. The resolution, signed by President Marga Prohens and Second Vice President Antònia Estarellas, deems it "advisable" to give ministers leeway for "reasons of efficiency and administrative agility."

Located on the land adjacent to the Royal Monastery, the Demons' Mill is one of Mallorca's most significant hydraulic engineering works. Unlike the watermills typically used for grinding grain, which were usually built taking advantage of the terrain's topography, this one was constructed entirely by hand. Now, the current owners of this engineering marvel, led by Antoni Aguiló, are taking steps to promote its complete restoration and lament the lack of interest from the authorities.

When you enter the school, they ensure everyone's safety. At lunchtime, they prepare and serve the meals. And when everyone leaves, they make sure the classrooms are spotless. They are the cooks, the custodians, the cleaning staff, and the cafeteria workers. They all improve the lives of teachers and students, and without them, schools couldn't function at their full potential.

Workers from different sectors have mobilized in recent months to demand fair working conditions. Those from the TIB (Spanish Institute of Industrial Property) called an indefinite strike, which ended on Friday, after reaching an agreement with the intercity transport concessionaires in Mallorca. Subcontracted ground service workers at Palma Airport threatened to "cause a total collapse" in August if their situation did not improve. Teachers at Palma's outsourced daycare centers also went on strike in April to demand equal pay with the rest of the municipally managed centers. These three examples share a common and significant feature: they involve bidding by public administrations to offer services through private companies.

Of the 7,976 tons of plastic Of the 1,333 plastics required for agricultural activity, 1,333 are converted into waste each year. The agricultural sector in Mallorca generates 40% of the plastic waste that would be expected, according to manufacturers, thanks to its reuse and more efficient management by farms, according to the study. Analysis of the use and management of plastics in the agricultural sector of MallorcaPrepared by the Association for Organic Agricultural Production of Mallorca (Apaema) with the support of the Mallorca Preservation Foundation. Due to the reduction in the useful life of plastics, farmers have stopped burning or burying the waste they generate "thanks to services such as free collection on farms and the availability of municipal green points"