China is undertaking a far-reaching overhaul of its health care system as its cities reel from the financial pressure of three years of strict Covid policies
The two main types of insurance in China are employee hospitalization insurance and residents insurance.Credit…Gilles Sabrié for The New York Times
Almost everyone in China has had at least some health insurance since new policies were introduced a decade ago. Now China has begun pursuing a second wave of changes.
The new policies, which have triggered protests in several big cities like Wuhan, are aimed at covering deficits in local employee health insurance plans and reducing inequality between cities and rural areas.
Who has health coverage in China?
China has two main kinds of health insurance: employee hospitalization insurance and so-called residents insurance.
The employee hospitalization insurance is the better of the two and used by a quarter of the country’s population. It covers the urban employees and retirees of state-owned enterprises, as well as the current employees of some private-sector businesses.
In contrast to the United States, employee insurance in China is not managed by companies. Instead, a municipal government typically forms an employee insurance pool to cover hospitalization and a few outpatient expenses.
Companies typically contribute to the pools an amount equal to as much as 9.8 percent of a worker’s salary. Employees do not contribute to the insurance pools themselves.
In addition, those who qualify for employee plans typically have what are called personal health accounts. The money in them can be spent on medicine and further outpatient treatments.
Covid-19 in China
The decision by the Chinese government to cast aside its restrictive “zero Covid” policy at the end of 2022 set off an explosive Covid outbreak.
Death Toll: While a precise accounting is impossible, rough estimates suggest that between 1 and 1.5 million people died of Covid during China’s wave — far more than the official count.
Digital Finger-Pointing: The Communist Party’s efforts to limit discord over its sudden “zero Covid” pivot are being challenged with increasing rancor on the internet.
The employee insurance pools currently forward about a third of the money they receive from employers to personal health accounts, and spend the remaining two-thirds on hospitalizations and other expenses. Employees also put about 2 percent of their paychecks into their health accounts until they retire.
Until this month, Wuhan’s employee insurance plan kept forwarding about $38 each month to personal health accounts even after employees retired and their employers were no longer contributing. Wuhan has just cut those monthly transfers to less than $12, saving money for the overall health plan.
The less fortunate three-quarters of China’s 1.4 billion people have urban or rural residents insurance. Residents insurance is for farmers and migrant workers, as well as for children, who are seldom covered by their parents’ health insurance plans. It is also for the many workers whose private-sector employers are not making contributions for them.
Many companies use loopholes or outright evasion to avoid making insurance contributions for their workers. In the past decade, China’s government has been cracking down on companies that flout the rules.
People with residents insurance generally do not get personal health accounts.
Less than 4 percent of China’s population has no health insurance at all. This portion tends to be migrant gig workers who live at the fringes of society.
How much is covered?
Not much.
Chinese health insurance plans have narrow restrictions on what is covered, high co-payments and very low coverage maximums. Employee insurance paid out an average of $544 in 2020 for each person covered. Residents insurance paid out an average of just $116 in 2020 for each person covered.
How did the system run into trouble?
Chinese law says that when a municipality’s pooled employee insurance fund runs a deficit, the city government has to cover the shortfall.
Many of these funds now face deficits. They covered many costs associated with China’s elaborate “zero Covid” campaign for nearly three years, including extensive medical isolation and testing.
In Wuhan, a city making some of the sharpest insurance changes, the pooled employee fund has faced especially high costs.
What is changing in China’s health care?
While the pooled employee funds in many cities are depleted, personal health accounts across China have accumulated more than $130 billion. So the central government wants municipalities to put less money into personal health accounts and redirect some of that money to hospitalization funds.
At the same time, the employee pooled hospitalization plans are taking responsibility for more outpatient expenses for serious illnesses and covering more purchases of medicine.
The rules on spending money from the personal health accounts are also being changed. Beneficiaries will be allowed to direct money to their parents, spouses and children, including family members who live in rural areas. In villages, an illness like cancer can ruin the finances of an entire family.
People with personal health accounts are also finding it harder now to use the money for themselves. Retirees must now spend at least $75 out of pocket each year on medicine and outpatient expenses before they can claim partial reimbursement from the employee insurance pools. Workers who are still employed must spend at least $100 of their own money.
Average income for urban retirees is about $6,000 a year, not including personal savings. Rural retirees live on far less, but also grow some of their own food.
New York Times – February 23, 2023
AB – It looks vaguely similar to the American health insurance system.
Ukraine has long relied on Russian weapons for its armed forces. Now it is scrambling to get Soviet-era ammunition for those weapons, with the help of manufacturers even in rural corners of Eastern Europe
The small mountain town of Kostenets, Bulgaria, will soon start producing shells for Soviet-era artillery for use by Ukraine’s military.Credit…Nikolay Doychinov for The New York Times
KOSTENETS, Bulgaria — The job is straightforward, dangerous and will soon be open to applicants: filling a 122-millimeter Soviet-style artillery shell with explosives that will turn it into a lethal projectile.
For the residents of Kostenets, a dying mountain town in western Bulgaria, it’s a welcome opportunity despite the risk of death. It means more jobs at the Terem ammunition plant on the outskirts of town.
The factory stopped making the 122-millimeter shells in 1988 as the Cold War came to a close. But soon the assembly lines will be running again. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has turned Soviet-era arms and ammunition into critically important matériel as western nations seek to supply Ukraine with the munitions it needs to foil Moscow’s assault.
And so in January, 35 years after the last 122-millimeter shells left the Terem plant, the company recommissioned production.
Small towns in Bulgaria, with its large pro-Russian population, might seem unlikely linchpins of Ukraine’s military effort. But one year into the war, despite an influx of sophisticated western arms, the Ukrainian military still relies primarily on weapons that fire Soviet-standard munitions. The United States and its NATO allies don’t produce those munitions, and the few countries outside Russia that do are mostly in the former Soviet orbit.
That has Western countries scrambling to find alternative sources, pouring millions of dollars into workarounds that keep the transactions quiet and avoid political fallout and Russian retaliation. And that brings them to some of the more remote areas of Eastern Europe, like Kostenets, and the small town of Sopot, roughly 50 miles to the northeast, which is home to another state-run arms factory.
Representatives from the U.S. embassy quietly attended the ribbon-cutting last month for the new production line in Kostenets, which took place outside the plant, a rundown low-slung building in a corner of the town. With the new jobs it’s adding, the plant could become one of Kostenets’s biggest employers.
“This is a big deal for the town,” said Deputy Mayor Margarita Mincheva.
Margarita Mincheva, deputy mayor of Kostenets.Credit…Nikolay Doychinov for The New York Times
Sopot, too, has seen its fortunes improve since the invasion. It is home to VMZ, an arms company that employs much of the local work force. On a recent Friday the dull thud of explosions rattled windows — they were likely tests of freshly made munitions, the town’s mayor said.
Over the years VMZ has been a main source of income for Sopot’s residents, the mayor, Deyan Doinov, added. “Probably there isn’t a single family in town whose members haven’t worked or are not working at the plant,” he said. “Virtually we have no unemployment — only those who do not want to work are jobless.”
Bulgaria has historically close ties to Moscow, though it has been part of the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization since the early 2000s. Last summer, revelations that Bulgaria supplied weapons to Ukraine, despite a strong opposition toward arming Kyiv, ignited a furor in the country’s politics.
Bulgaria’s projected arms exports last year soared, exceeding $3 billion, around five times the sales abroad in 2019, according to government estimates from data gathered in October.
But it is hardly the only country quietly contributing to Ukraine’s war effort. Luxembourg is supplying Ukraine with arms that originate in the Czech Republic. Brokers with cash from the U.S. are scouring factories in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Romania for shells. And Britain has formed a secret task force to arm Ukraine, according to a document The New York Times obtained and officials familiar with the task force’s work.
The importance of such sources is growing as Ukraine burns through ammunition at an unsustainable rate — one that Jens Stoltenberg, the NATO Secretary General, said last week was “many times higher than our current rate of production.”
“This puts our defense industries under strain,” he added.
The entrance to the VMZ munitions factory in Sopot, Bulgaria, this week.Credit…Nikolay Doychinov for The New York Times
In recent months, Ukraine has fired between 2,000 and 4,000 artillery shells daily, but would like to fire more so it can retake territory captured by Russia. At one point last summer Russia was firing as many as 50,000 shells a day. But that number has dropped since then, and Russia, too, is suffering from an ammunition shortage.
The U.S. is boosting its own production of artillery shells sixfold to fill the gaps. But it mostly makes ammunition for the NATO-standard howitzers it has sent to Ukraine.
Once the invasion began last year, Ukraine and its allies started buying up Soviet-style arms wherever they could find them. State-owned Ukrainian companies asked brokers in the U.S. and elsewhere for tanks, helicopters, planes and mortars, according to documents obtained by The Times.
Would-be suppliers emerged from the recesses of the global weapons trade to meet demand. Last June, a Czech arms seller offered Ukraine ammunition and a dozen Soviet-model ground-attack jets built between 1984 and 1990 for about $185 million, the documents show.
Both Britain and the U.S. have financed deals using third-party countries and brokers in cases where manufacturing countries don’t want to be publicly identified as providing weapons to Ukraine, people familiar with the effort say.
The secret task force created by the British defense ministry focused on getting Soviet-style ammunition, say people familiar with the effort, a task that became harder as the war went on and big suppliers ran out of stock.
Last June, Britain made a deal with to buy 40,000 artillery shells and rockets made by the government-owned Pakistan Ordnance Factories. Under the terms of the deal, Britain would pay a Romanian broker to buy the Pakistani weapons, documents show. The transaction’s official paperwork said the weapons would be transferred from Pakistan to Britain, with no mention of Ukraine, a document obtained by The Times shows.
The deal fell apart after the Pakistani supplier was unable to deliver the ammunition, said Marius Rosu, the export chief of the Romanian broker, Romtehnica.
An artillery piece on display in front of the VMZ factory in Sopot.Credit…Nikolay Doychinov for The New York Times
Such problems are common in deals relying on brokers and far-flung manufacturers. Mr. Rosu said his company does not send weapons to Ukraine. He said customers elsewhere may buy weapons from Romtehnica and later send them to Ukraine.
“That is not our problem,” he said.
Officials from Pakistan Ordnance and the government ministry that oversees it did not respond to questions about the proposed deal.
Bureaucratic loopholes and pass-through arrangements give Bulgarian officials political cover while fueling Ukraine’s war effort — though the cover is thinly veiled.
“Given that the war in Ukraine is still raging, where do we think that the shells are going to be exported to?’‘ said Lyuba, a 41-year old grocery store saleswoman in Kostenets who declined to provide her last name. “It’s not rocket science to figure out that its production is going to Ukraine.”
Bulgaria’s arms industry has occupied a peculiar role since the waning days of the Soviet Union. It provided arms to both sides of the Iran-Iraq war and to Libya, among other customers, and after the Soviet Union fell it supplied rebels in Angola and the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka.
Even after Bulgaria joined the European Union and NATO, its arms industry continued pumping out Soviet-caliber ammunition. That created opportunity after the U.S. sent troops to Afghanistan and Iraq. American allies in those countries used Soviet-era weapons, and the U.S. bought ammunition from Bulgaria to supply them.
After Syria’s civil war began in 2011, Bulgarian munitions appeared there — likely part of the campaign to arm groups fighting the Syrian regime.
That put Bulgaria at odds with Russia, which supported the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Russian assassins poisoned a Bulgarian arms dealer in 2015, and since then a series of unexplained explosions have rocked Bulgarian arms companies.
A flower shop in Kostenets. Some residents fear the production of munitions used in Ukraine might make the town a target for Russian reprisals.Credit…Nikolay Doychinov for The New York Times
Lyuba, the saleswoman, said the presence of the Terem arms factory, which was shaken by an accidental explosion in 2014, makes Kostenets a Russian target.
“We are ordinary people; we will probably never know what exactly they are making there,” she said.
A fortuitously timed election helped ease the way for Bulgaria to become a major supplier to Ukraine. In the fall of 2021, during Russia’s buildup to the invasion, a new, reform-oriented party took power. Kiril Petkov, the Harvard-educated prime minister, decided it was a moment that Bulgaria could turn away from Russia and toward the west.
“We wanted to be on the right side of history,” he said in an interview this month.
Mr. Petkov’s governing coalition included an historically Russia-friendly party that balked at sending arms to Ukraine, so they came up with a workaround that would let Bulgaria deny, officially, that it was arming Ukraine: The government would approve exports to other European Union countries, including Poland. Once there, the weapons could travel to Ukraine without Bulgaria being involved.
Sales picked up and factories boosted their output. Bulgarian ammunition soon accounted for one-third of Ukraine’s supplies, Mr. Petkov said.
Mr. Petkov’s government fell a few months later, when another party left his coalition. But by then, there was enough momentum that exports continued, even as other politicians in Bulgaria criticized the decision to help fight Russia.
A Russian-made Lada car in Kostenets. Credit…Nikolay Doychinov for The New York Times
Across the jagged snow-covered mountains in Sopot, residents who worked there said VMZ has increased production since Russia invaded Ukraine, and the plant now runs from Monday through Saturday.
“VMZ has been and is an integral part of the town’s life,” said a 63-year-old employee who has been working there for more than four decades and who declined to provide his name for fear of retribution. After all that time, he said, his body still tenses up on days the company tests explosives.
And like VMZ, whether the people of Sopot decide to acknowledge it or not, the war in Ukraine has become a part of their day-to-day lives.
“It’s going to sound cynical if I tell you that I want peace,” he said solemnly. “But at the same time I work at an arms factory.”
Additional security measures are being implemented in parts of the country, and schools have been advised to switch to remote learning.
A funeral for a Ukrainian soldier in Bila Tserkva, near Kyiv on Wednesday.Credit…Emilio Morenatti/Associated Press
Ukraine is bracing for a potential surge of Russian attacks timed to the anniversary of the war on Friday, urging schools to hold classes remotely and people to avoid large crowds.
Schools across Ukraine have been advised to switch to remote learning through Friday by the country’s education minister, Serhiy Shkarlet, who said Russia’s history of striking schools and other civilian gathering centers such as residential buildings and hospitals put classrooms at risk.
For the past few days, President Biden and President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia have accused each other of prolonging the war and making it harder to find a peaceful solution.
Inside Ukraine, in the southern port city of Kherson, which was liberated by Ukrainian forces in November, the city council advised residents to avoid unnecessary trips outside and asked humanitarian groups to avoid large gatherings
Additional security measures are being implemented in the wider Kherson region in preparation for a possible Russian escalation, the regional state administration said. From Thursday to Sunday, many public institutions will work remotely, and law enforcement officers will patrol areas where crowds might gather.
Here’s what else to know:
A Russian official in eastern Ukraine accused Kyiv of planning “provocations” starting on Thursday, and that Ukrainian forces were preparing “shelling or even terrorist attacks.”
E.U. ambassadors on Wednesday failed to agree on new sanctions to impose on Moscow. Talks are scheduled to continue on Thursday, and several diplomats expressed optimism that a package would be approved by Friday, which is their self-imposed deadline.
The U.N. General Assembly on Thursday will probably vote on a resolution calling for Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukraine and for a peace deal that recognizes Ukraine’s sovereignty and rejects any territorial gains by Russia.
Pope Francis called the war “absurd and cruel” in his weekly remarks ahead of the anniversary. “What is built on rubble will never be a true victory,” he said, calling for peace talks to begin.
After reviewing the information in this guide, we continue to stand by our picks. We also added an FAQ section below.
February 2023
A fireproof safe is the kind of thing you buy hoping its capabilities are never put to the test. But if the time comes, chances are, the safe will be worth far more than you paid. We’ve tested more than a dozen safes over the years, even burning five of them in a controlled fire, and we’re sure Honeywell’s 1114 Lightweight Fire and Waterproof Chest is the best document safe you can get for your home or office. It’s independently rated to last longer in higher-temperature fires than other safes of its size, and it will keep its contents dry longer when submerged in water. That means it has the greatest potential among document safes we’ve seen to keep your stuff—including irreplaceable documents, photos, and essentials like passports and birth certificates—secure.
It’s important to note that although there are safes that offer a greater degree of fire protection, they aren’t designed specifically for documents as our picks are, and they have other disadvantages. For starters, they cost at least three times as much as our top pick (and often several times more), and they weigh so much (at least 100 pounds) that they’re difficult to move once in place. Plus, according to a fire expert we spoke to, their two-hour-plus protection ratings offer diminishing returns since most house fires are out within about an hour.
The 1114 is certified to withstand high-temperature fires for twice as long as the competition, but it weighs 42 pounds and has the footprint of a mini fridge.
The Honeywell 1114 Lightweight Fire and Waterproof Chest is independently verified by the safety organization Intertek to keep personal items safe during a fire for up to an hour—twice as long as the competition—in conditions as hot as 1,700 °F. A house fire can peak at about 2,000 °F, but this kind of heat occurs at the highest points in your home, namely the attic or at least the ceiling. It’ll be cooler down near the floor, where you keep your safe. Honeywell also says the safe will keep spray and flood water out for 100 hours. It’s large enough to hold both letter- and legal-size sheets of paper without your having to fold them. The additional protection makes the 1114 noticeably larger and heavier than other safes of similar capacities—it weighs 42 pounds and takes up the same amount of floor space as a mini fridge. But we think the price and size are worth tolerating because this safe gives your stuff a greater chance of surviving a disaster.
Measurements: 20 by 17.2 by 7.3 inches (WDH) Weight: 42 pounds Intertek ETL fireproof rating: one hour at 1,700 °F
Larry McKenna, a fire protection engineer at the US Fire Administration, told us you should “get the best [safe] you can afford.” The Union Safe Company Waterproof And Fire Rated Document Safe, sold exclusively at Harbor Freight, is the best option if you can’t spend $100 on a safe or if you have limited floor space. It’s large enough to hold 8.5-by-11-inch sheets of paper without the edges curling, and it’s rated to withstand a 1,550 °F fire for 30 minutes. That’s half the endurance and a significant reduction in temperature protection compared with our top pick, so choosing this safe means you’re at greater risk of losing the contents if disaster strikes. But every fire is different, and this safe is certainly better than no safe at all. On the plus side, it has a much smaller footprint than the Honeywell and weighs only 28 pounds, so it’s easier to move if necessary. Just be careful with the keys: Unlike every other brand whose safes we tested, Union Safe explicitly says it can’t replace lost keys.
Measurements: 17.3 by 14.6 by 6.5 inches (WDH) Weight: 28 pounds UL fireproof rating: 30 minutes at 1,550 °F
Large enough to hold hanging folders and tough enough to last up to an hour in a fire, at 80 pounds the 1108 weighs twice as much as the Honeywell 1114.
The Honeywell 1108 Fire/Water Large File Chest is a larger version of our top-pick safe, with the same one-hour fireproof rating. This 84-pound behemoth is designed to hold both letter- and legal-size hanging file folders, which is convenient if you have a lot of documents or simply want to keep your things organized. But it is a huge hassle to move.
Measurements: 20.1 by 16.9 by 13.4 inches (WDH) Weight: 84 pounds Intertek ETL fireproof rating: one hour at 1,700 °F
The 2037F is large enough to hold file folders and documents, but it has only a 30-minute burn rating. We recommend it only if you’re looking to save a little money or don’t have the space for a giant safe.
The First Alert 2037F Water and Fire Protector File Chest is the most affordable model designed to hold letter-size hanging file folders. It has a 30-minute fireproof rating, and over years of testing this category, we’ve been impressed with First Alert’s safes due to their reliably solid build quality and affordable prices for the level of protection they offer. Unfortunately, many of them have been discontinued, so be sure to grab the 2037F if it interests you.
Measurements: 16.25 by 13.25 by 13 inches (WDH) Weight: 39 pounds UL fireproof rating: 30 minutes at 1,550 °F
The 1114 is certified to withstand high-temperature fires for twice as long as the competition, but it weighs 42 pounds and has the footprint of a mini fridge.
Large enough to hold hanging folders and tough enough to last up to an hour in a fire, at 80 pounds the 1108 weighs twice as much as the Honeywell 1114.
The 2037F is large enough to hold file folders and documents, but it has only a 30-minute burn rating. We recommend it only if you’re looking to save a little money or don’t have the space for a giant safe.
Nick Guy worked with fire professionals to accurately simulate a house fire and learn how safes perform in real fires. His father and grandfather are both volunteer firefighters with 80 years of combined experience. Together, the three designed, built, and burned a testing rig that approximated a house fire as closely as possible. Guy also interviewed John Drengenberg of UL to understand what the certifying body is looking for when it tests safes, and spoke to Larry McKenna, a fire protection engineer at the US Fire Administration, who explained how hot fires get and how long they can last.
Who should get this
Document safes are meant to provide protection from fire, water, and (to a degree) theft for people who wish to keep important belongings secure in an office or at home. They’re best for hard-to-replace or valuable documents—such as passports and birth certificates—or small items like hard drives or USB sticks. Most people can find good use for a fireproof safe, whether they want to be ready for travel or major financial transactions, or if they just want to add an extra layer of safety for a drive full of treasured digital photos.
Safes trap humidity, so it’s important to air them out on a regular basis, and some manufacturers recommend keeping important items, including jewelry, sealed in airtight containers.
Fireproof safes are not meant to be burglarproof or to serve as impenetrable time capsules. If you have jewelry, precious metals, or anything else of high value that you don’t need frequent access to, consider a safe that is anchored to your floor, or even a safe-deposit box at a local bank. It isn’t nearly as easy for a thief to get into a bank vault as it is for them to enter your house. These document safes are also not gun safes and should not be used as such.
Safes trap humidity, so it’s important to air them out on a regular basis, and some manufacturers recommend keeping important items, including jewelry, sealed in airtight containers. We address this issue further in the Care and maintenance section below.
How we picked
For this guide, we didn’t look for expensive professional installations or gun safes but rather smaller, fireproof safes that fit under a desk or in a closet. This is the kind that’s heavy and secure but still ready to be lifted and moved if necessary. A document safe needs to be fireproof and watertight (so “floodproof,” too), with a locking mechanism that keeps opportunistic intruders out.
Three major brands—First Alert, Honeywell, and SentrySafe—make most of the fireproof safes you’ll find for home use, and there are a few others with smaller selections. Here’s what we looked for when deciding which models to test and pick:
Independent fireproof rating: Most fireproof safes are tested and rated by UL and by the inspection firm Intertek, which uses the “ETL” mark. We spoke to John Drengenberg, consumer safety director at UL, about the organization’s testing procedures. He said UL tests to different ratings depending on what kind of rating the manufacturer wants. Testers put the safes in a furnace at a specific temperature, for a specified amount of time; a safe-maker can request tests at different temperature and duration marks. Then the testers drop the safes three stories before placing them back in the furnace for more heat testing. Most household safes are rated to last 30 minutes at 1,550 °F, a standard based on modern firefighting response and how a fire typically moves through a house. This is a common certification from both UL and ETL. The next level up is 60 minutes at 1,700 °F, which offers a greater degree of security. Part of the testing evaluates how suitable the safes are for different kinds of contents: The internal temperature must stay under 350 °F to keep paper safe, while digital media has a failure threshold of 125 °F. Tape recordings and film slides fall in between at 150 °F. Larry McKenna, a fire protection engineer at the US Fire Administration, an entity of FEMA, told us that the temperature at a room’s ceiling can reach 2,000 °F during a fire, though there’s a gradient, with the highest temperatures at the top. He also said that a room will burn for about an hour to an hour and 15 minutes if not addressed. His advice: “Get the best [safe] you can afford.” He also noted that modern, petroleum-based furniture burns faster and hotter than traditional wooden furniture (video).
Waterproof rating: UL and Intertek don’t test how waterproof safes are, so we had to rely on the companies’ claims about their safes’ ability to keep water out. We’ve tried to independently verify these claims by spraying them with a fire hose and attempting (unsuccessfully) to submerge them in a bathtub. So far, none of our picks have allowed water inside.
Security: We don’t expect the safes in this category to be burglarproof, but a good locking mechanism is important. We made sure that the keys or keypads could consistently open the locks.
Build quality: A well-built safe is likely to keep your stuff safer, and at the very least it provides peace of mind. In past testing, we found that certain models of safes had pieces that easily snapped off, so we didn’t consider similar models this year.
Size: We considered two sizes of safes: those designed for documents, and larger models for hanging file folders. For the former, we considered only those safes that were large enough to hold at least letter-size paper without our having to fold it. Not everyone needs to hang file folders, and smaller safes are less expensive, so this is the size we recommend unless you know you need something larger. We also considered how much space the safes took up and how heavy they were.
Price and availability: We found that spending at least $50 can get you a safe certified to stand up to a fire for at least half an hour, but we also considered more expensive safes that promised a greater degree of protection. It was also important that the models we tested be available from reputable retailers with free or low-cost, flat-rate shipping; safes are so heavy that paying the actual shipping cost would be prohibitive. In addition, safes regularly go in and out of stock at various retailers, so we did our best to confirm that the models we’re recommending are generally available.
How we tested
Photo: Kimber Streams
We trust UL and Intertek’s testing procedures, but for our initial round of testing in 2016 we wanted to see for ourselves how our safe finalists (First Alert’s since-discontinued 2030F and 2603DF, SentrySafe’s CHW30100 and FHW40200, and Honeywell’s 1106) stood up to a house fire and what they looked like afterward. So, with the help of trained fire professionals, we built a 4-by-8-foot room out of plywood and two-by-fours, and we installed drywall inside to radiate heat. Then we filled it with flammable couch cushions, a carpet, cardboard, and some wood, put the safes in (video), and lit it (video). Kimber Streams
We should note that this test was not an attempt at total destruction. We were looking for success, not failure. A safe could have failed for any number of reasons unrelated to its construction, such as how firefighters handled it. In this test, a safe that protected its contents proved that it was up to the task.
A professional firefighter putting out the flames. Photo: Lizz Schumer
We filled each safe with the same contents: five printed photos in an envelope, a newspaper, a flash drive with various video files, and a DVD with a movie file burned to it. Within minutes, the fire was up to about 1,300 °F. We let it run its course for about half an hour before asking firefighters to put it out with a fire hose. When the safes (or what remained of them) were cool to the touch, we opened them to check out the aftermath, including if any water from the fire hose had seeped through. We also examined the safes’ overall build quality, including checking the body for obvious weak points and seeing if any pieces broke during normal use, and we considered their size and weight while attempting to carry them.
In subsequent rounds of testing, we didn’t subject safes to the same fire-box test, but we did use what we learned from the 2016 burn to inform our picks. The safes’ fireproof ratings—which we found to be totally accurate last time—and physical build quality have determined our more recent recommendations. We lifted the safes, loaded them with paper and folders, and looked for weak points such as cracks or parts that might break off. As we examined them, some of the safes literally fell apart. We also tried to submerge them in a bathtub to test if water would seep through, but, well, safes float.
The 1114 is certified to withstand high-temperature fires for twice as long as the competition, but it weighs 42 pounds and has the footprint of a mini fridge.
The best fireproof document safe to protect belongings from fire and water is the Honeywell 1114 Lightweight Fire and Waterproof Chest. It can survive hotter fires for longer than any other home or office document safe we’ve found from a reputable brand, and Honeywell claims that this safe should keep water out for 100 hours. Its interior is long enough and wide enough that you should be able to fit documents of any standard size, including letter, A4, and legal. (If you need to store hanging file folders, see our also-great picks, the Honeywell 1108 and First Alert 2037F.) Thoughtful design features such as a securely attached lid, plus hydraulic hinges that prevent your fingers from getting crushed when you close it, set it apart from the competition.
Intertek rates the Honeywell 1114 to withstand temperatures of up to 1,700 °F for an hour while keeping the internal temperature under 350 °F. That’s superior to the 1,550 °F and 30 minutes most other safes (including our budget pick) are rated for, and though it’s not a guarantee of security, the rating means the 1114 should keep more of your stuff protected in more situations. According to Larry McKenna of the US Fire Administration, a room will remain on fire for about an hour to an hour and 15 minutes if it’s not otherwise put out, and temperatures can reach up to 2,000 °F. McKenna says that since heat rises, those higher temperatures will be at the top of the room, and it’ll be cooler down where safes are usually kept, so the protection the 1114 offers will likely be enough in many circumstances. (Again, every fire is different, and there’s no guarantee.)
The Honeywell 1114 is large enough to hold unfolded letter- and legal-size documents. Photo: Nick Guy
Additionally, Honeywell promises digital-media protection, as well as waterproofing under a meter of water for up to 100 hours. However, those two claims are based on Honeywell’s own testing, not the work of a third party like Intertek.
The hydraulic hinges prevent the heavy lid from slamming down on your fingers. Photo: Nick Guy
We appreciate the lid’s hinge system, which stops the heavy lid from potentially crushing your fingers as it closes. It’s still possible to slam the lid shut, but if it’s knocked down accidentally, it’ll slow down a few inches from closing. In our testing, we’ve seen this feature only on larger safes from Honeywell, not on any other brand’s models. Additionally, this Honeywell safe has latches on either side of the lock that provide an extra degree of security in keeping the lid shut.
The 1114 has an internal capacity of 0.39 cubic feet, with the interior measuring 14.8 inches wide by 12 inches long by 3.8 inches tall. That makes it shorter, but wider and longer, than most document safes. It’s large enough to hold unfolded sheets of paper.
Honeywell offers a seven-year manufacturer’s warranty on the 1114—an improvement over the five-year warranty that accompanies our runner-up safe. Honeywell also promises a “lifetime after-fire replacement guarantee.” If your safe is damaged in a fire at any time, the company will replace it (but, important to note, not the contents) for free with the same or a similar model.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
The Honeywell 1114 (bottom) is larger and heavier than our budget pick (top), but it offers greater potential protection against fire and water. Photo: Nick Guy
With a footprint 20 inches wide and 17 inches long (about the same as a mini fridge), the 1114 may not be a great fit in small apartments or other living situations where there’s not a lot of floor space. With its size and higher fireproof rating comes weight, as well: Moving this 42-pound safe around isn’t as easy as moving a smaller, less protective option. You might see that as a good thing if you consider it through the lens of both fire and theft protection, but the 1114’s heft can be inconvenient if you have to move the safe around when you need access to your stuff.
The 1114 lacks a digital keypad, a feature that, though not essential, would offer a way to get into the safe without a key. None of our other current picks offer a keypad, either, but it’s something we keep an eye out for since we’ve found it to be a convenient alternative to a physical key.
A document-sized budget pick: Union Safe Company Waterproof And Fire Rated Document Safe
The Union Safe Company Waterproof And Fire Rated Document Safe is a good alternative if our top pick is out of stock, if you are on a tighter budget, or if you have less floor space. The safe, sold exclusively by Harbor Freight, has a lower UL certification than our main pick, the Honeywell 1114: 1,550 °F for 30 minutes versus 1,700 °F for 60 minutes. That’s still pretty good, as house fires often burn within this temperature range, and firefighters in many areas of the US are able to respond within minutes. But although this safe will ably protect your valuable documents in many fire situations, we’ve concluded that a higher degree of protection is worth spending more for, if you can afford it.
Union Safe Company says its safe is designed to keep out water for 24 hours during full submersion—significantly less than the 100 hours Honeywell promises for our top pick, but still quite good. Though this safe may not survive an extensive flood, it should at least keep out any water used to extinguish a fire.
Unlike the Honeywell 1114, this safe doesn’t have latches to keep it shut, but its double-locking mechanism feels secure. You have to turn the tubular key and then the knob around the keyhole to open or fully lock the safe. This step allows you to move the safe around without worrying about the lid popping open, even when it’s unlocked.
The Union Safe Company safe’s locking mechanism offers two degrees of protection. Photo: Nick Guy
Union Safe Company’s offering has less storage space than our top pick. It’s still large enough to fit an unfolded sheet of letter-size paper, but it has a much smaller footprint, as due to its 17.3-by-14.6-inch dimensions it takes up only about 73% of the floor space that the Honeywell does (1.75 square feet compared with 2.4 square feet). This budget option is also much lighter, weighing only 28 pounds to the Honeywell 1114’s 42 pounds, and it has a handle that makes it easier to carry.
The major downside to this safe is that Union Safe Company does not provide replacement keys if you misplace yours—a sticker on the front of the safe warns buyers of this contingency. Although that won’t be a problem for most people most of the time, it could be a big headache if you lose your keys.
A bigger option for file folders: Honeywell 1108 Fire/Water Large File Chest
Large enough to hold hanging folders and tough enough to last up to an hour in a fire, at 80 pounds the 1108 weighs twice as much as the Honeywell 1114.
If you have a lot of documents and want to organize them in folders, the Honeywell 1108 Fire/Water Large File Chest is the best choice. It has all of the same attributes as our main pick, the Honeywell 1114, including the ability to survive a fire at up to 1,700 ºF for an hour. The main difference between the two is the 1108’s ability to accommodate both letter- and legal-size hanging file folders within more than a cubic foot of storage space. The result of that extra space is that the 1108 is the heaviest safe we’ve tested, weighing more than 80 pounds. That makes it tough to move around even with the small grips carved out along its outer edges.
The Honeywell 1108’s interior is designed to accommodate hanging file folders. Photo: Nick Guy
A runner-up for hanging files: First Alert 2037F Water and Fire Protector File Chest
The 2037F is large enough to hold file folders and documents, but it has only a 30-minute burn rating. We recommend it only if you’re looking to save a little money or don’t have the space for a giant safe.
If you need to store hanging file folders and don’t want to spend more than $100 on a safe, the First Alert 2037F Water and Fire Protector File Chest is a good choice. With a 0.62-cubic-foot capacity, it’s large enough to hold letter-size, but not legal-size, folders. It has the same ratings and characteristics we’ve observed over years of testing—namely, great build quality and affordable pricing compared with the competition—that have made First Alert’s safes such strong contenders when they’re available. (Many have been discontinued over the years we’ve been updating this guide.) Compared with the Honeywell safes, this model is not rated to last as long in a fire, but it’s still certified to withstand fires at temperatures up to 1,550 °F for 30 minutes. It’s also smaller, lighter, and easier to move around—just 16.25 by 13.25 inches and 38.9 pounds—and less expensive.
Care and maintenance
Humidity can be an issue with these safes, as they tend to capture and hold in moisture, which can damage the contents. It’s a problem that multiple safe companies mention in their documentation and other materials.
First Alert’s safes have stickers that read, “[Be] sure to place important paper documents, currency, jewelry, and other delicate items in an airtight, dishwasher-safe container.” The company says to ventilate the safe by opening it for 20 minutes every two weeks. SentrySafe offers a similar warning, suggesting an airtight container for “jewelry with working parts, watches, stamps, or photos.” It also specifically says not to keep pearls in its safes. Honeywell’s instruction booklet says to air its safes out once a week for 30 minutes.
Humidity varies in different regions and seasons, of course, but we recommend following the manufacturers’ instructions. Set a reminder (say, a recurring calendar event) to check on the contents of your safe every two weeks to see how humidity is affecting its contents. Every safe we’ve tested has come with a large silica-gel packet inside, and though none of the instructions we’ve read specifically mention leaving the packet there as a solution to the moisture issue, it’s worth doing so to help regulate the humidity, along with taking the other recommended steps.
Other good fireproof safes
If the Honeywell 1114 goes out of stock or jumps in price, go with the SureSeal by FireKing SS104 is physically identical to the Honeywell 1114 other than the color of the branding on the front. They’re the same safe. The SS104 was more expensive than the 1114 at the time of our research, and it went out of stock while we were writing this guide. If it’s back in stock and less expensive than the Honeywell 1114 when you’re shopping, pick it instead.
If the Honeywell 1108 goes out of stock or jumps in price, and you’re OK with letter-size storage, choose the SureSeal by FireKing SS106. This is a smaller alternative to the Honeywell 1108 that can hold letter-size folders, but not legal-size.
The competition
Document safes
Honeywell’s 1104 is our former top pick. It’s the same size and shape as the 1114, but it usually costs more and is rated to keep the contents dry for only 24 hours, versus 100 hours for our current pick.
Honeywell’s 1103, 1503, 1533, and 1553 are all variants of the same model with different latches and locks. Although they’re generally strong contenders, their interior dimensions are slightly too small to hold an 8.5-by-11-inch sheet flat, and at this writing they cost more than our budget pick from Union Safe Company.
The SureSeal by FireKing SS1103 is a smaller version of the SS104 (and therefore the Honeywell 1114). It’s expensive for its 30-minute fire rating, and stock was inconsistent when we were researching the category.
We’ve seen generally good construction across the First Alert product line for the past several years. All of the safes are rated for 30 minutes at 1,550 °F, built with the same great design, and relatively affordable. Unfortunately, the company has discontinued many of its safe models over the years we’ve been maintaining this guide. For example, we previously recommended the 2030F, and we stand by it as a great safe—if you can get it. The smaller 2017F and the 2602DF, a former budget pick, are no longer being made. If you can find a First Alert safe in a size that works for you at a price you’re willing to pay, it’s likely a good bet. We just can’t be confident enough in the stock to recommend all models.
We’ve had too many problems with safes from SentrySafe over the years we’ve been working on this guide to be able to recommend any of its models. The CHW30100, for example, has a locking mechanism installed on a plastic faceplate that you can pry off by hand—without much force, the whole mechanism can pop off in your hands when the safe is open. Although we didn’t test the safes extensively for theft protection, this isn’t a reassuring sign of design quality.
The CHW30100 also let water in during our burn-room test. As we mentioned earlier, it’s possible that damage from handling could have occurred, but in this specific test, this model failed. Though we would’ve dismissed it anyway because of its faceplate, this performance shortcoming only cemented our decision.
Water got through to the contents of both SentrySafe models we tested. Photo: Kimber Streams
The SentrySafe HD2100 and CFW20201 both have the same design flaw. Their lids are attached only by small nubs on either side of the hinge, and the material is pliable enough that you can actually break the lid off, with less force than you might anticipate. You should expect a certain degree of build quality from something that’s going to house your most important documents, and these safes do not deliver. As for other SentrySafe models, although we didn’t test them, the CHW20101, CHW20201, and CHW20121 are all variants on the same design, so we wouldn’t expect different performance. Additionally, the first of two HD2100 units we tested arrived with cracks in its body. SentrySafe representatives told us the company recently had manufacturing problems that could have resulted in this issue, and that it has since switched back to its prior system, which should prevent this issue from happening.
The SentrySafe SFW082F features a battery-operated keypad, but the manufacturer recommends only using high-quality, non-rechargeable batteries with an 8 to 10 year lifespan. We worried about being unable to retrieve valuables from a safe with a temperamental design—especially if a fire or flood were to occur—and decided not to test this model.
The SentrySafe Hd4100Cg claims to keep documents safe even when fully submerged for up to 72 hours, but our Honeywell 1114 pick handily outdoes it, keeping water out for up to 100 hours.
The SentrySafe Sfw123Dsb, meanwhile, costs twice as much as our main pick, but is only certified to keep up to 8 inches of water out for 24 hours.
The AmazonBasics Security Safe Box comes in sizes ranging from 0.5 to 1.2 cubic feet. But unlike the models we tested, it is not fireproof or waterproof. Though it may keep unwanted hands off your important documents, it won’t protect anything if disaster hits.
SereneLife’s SLSFE14 was the top seller in the “wall safes” category at the time we looked in early 2020, but it’s only heatproof, not fireproof or waterproof.
Hanging file folder safes
The Honeywell 1106 is much more expensive than our budget file-folder pick, without the longer fire-resistant benefits of our top file-folder safe.
SentrySafe’s FHW40200 exhibited the same faults as the CHW30100. Its faceplate came right off with a tug, and water damaged the contents in our fire test.
We can’t recommend the SentrySafe HD4100. Even though it has a more solid fit and finish than other safes we’ve tested from the company, the issues we’ve seen are so widespread and serious that we’re reluctant to suggest any of SentrySafe’s models.
Frequently asked questions
Are all safes fireproof?
Some document safes aren’t fireproof, as they’re only marketed to securely lock up your valuables. If you want a safe that’ll keep out the flames, look for one that’s been tested and rated by UL and by the inspection firm Intertek, which uses the “ETL” mark. These fireproof safes aren’t totally fireproof, though; instead, they’re designed to resist a certain degree of heat for a specified amount of time. For example, Intertek rates our top pick, the Honeywell 1114, to withstand temperatures of up to 1,700 °F for an hour while keeping the internal temperature under 350 °F. (Paper documents will generally ignite at around 424 to 475 °F.)
Are fireproof safes also waterproof?
UL and Intertek, two organizations that test and rate fireproofing, don’t test how waterproof safes are. Wirecutter relies on the manufactuers’ claims about their safes’ ability to keep water out. We’ve tried to independently verify these claims by spraying them with a fire hose and attempting (unsuccessfully) to submerge them in a bathtub. So far, none of our picks have allowed water inside. If you’re concerned about waterproofing, you can keep delicate valuables like irreplaceable documents and jewelry in an airtight container inside the safe.
How do you prevent mold in a fireproof safe?
UL and Intertek, two organizations that test and rate fireproofing, don’t test how waterproof safes are. Wirecutter relies on the manufactuers’ claims about their safes’ ability to keep water out. We’ve tried to independently verify these claims by spraying them with a fire hose and attempting (unsuccessfully) to submerge them in a bathtub. So far, none of our picks have allowed water inside. If you’re concerned about waterproofing, you can keep delicate valuables like irreplaceable documents and jewelry in an airtight container inside the safe.
Safes trap humidity, which can cause mold. To avoid mold damage, many safe manufacturers recommend airing out their safes for 30 minutes every week. It’s also a good idea to place important items, like jewelry, in airtight containers within the safe.
Sources
John Drengenberg, consumer safety director at UL, phone interview, July 29, 2016
Larry McKenna, fire protection engineer, US Fire Administration, phone interview, September 11, 2018
New York Times – February 19, 2023
AB – It is easier to deal with water damage: basements are safer, for thefts too.
Los cambios suceden en la antesala de los comicios presidenciales de 2024 y son parte de un patrón de desafíos a las instituciones democráticas en el hemisferio occidental.
Miles de personas acudieron al zócalo de la Ciudad de México en noviembre en apoyo de los cambios electorales propuestos por el presidente Andrés Manuel López Obrador.Credit…Luis Antonio Rojas para The New York Times
Los legisladores mexicanos modificaron el miércoles el sistema electoral del país, dando un golpe a la institución que supervisa las votaciones y que hace dos décadas ayudó a sacar al país de un régimen unipartidista.
Los cambios, que reducirán el personal del organismo electoral, disminuirán su autonomía y limitarán su capacidad de descalificar a los candidatos que quebranten leyes electorales,son los más significativos de una serie de medidas adoptadas por el presidente de México que socavan las frágiles instituciones independientes, y forman parte de un patrón de desafíos a las normas democráticas en todo el hemisferio occidental.
El presidente Andrés Manuel López Obrador, cuyo partido controla el Congreso junto con sus aliados, argumenta que las medidas ahorrarán millones de dólares y harán que las votaciones sean más eficientes. Las nuevas reglas también buscan facilitar que los mexicanos que viven en el extranjero emitan su voto en línea.
Pero los críticos —entre ellos algunas personas que han trabajado con el presidente— dicen que los cambios son un intento de debilitar un pilar clave de la democracia de México. El líder del partido del presidente en el Senado ha calificado de inconstitucional la medida.
Ahora se avecina otra prueba: se espera que en los próximos meses la Suprema Corte de Justicia de la Nación, que se ha convertido en el blanco frecuente de la ira del presidente, evalúe una impugnación a las medidas.
Si los cambios se mantienen, las autoridades electorales mexicanas afirman que podría dificultarse la realización de elecciones libres y justas, incluida la contienda presidencial clave del próximo año.
“Lo que está en juego es si vamos a tener un Estado de derecho y una división de poderes”, dijo Jorge Alcocer Villanueva, quien trabajó anteriormente en la Secretaría de Gobernación durante el gobierno de López Obrador. “Eso es lo que quedaría en riesgo, la certeza de que el voto va a ser respetado”.
El organismo de supervisión, llamado Instituto Nacional Electoral (INE), ganó reconocimiento internacional por facilitar elecciones limpias en México, allanando el camino para que la oposición ganara la presidencia en el año 2000 tras décadas de un gobierno dominado por un solo partido.
Manifestantes marcharon en distintas ciudades del país contra los cambios electorales propuestos por López Obrador.Credit…Luis Cortes/Reuters
Sin embargo, desde que perdió unas elecciones presidenciales en 2006 por menos del 1 por ciento de los votos, López Obrador ha sostenido en repetidas ocasiones, sin aportar pruebas, que el instituto ha perpetrado en realidad fraude electoral, una afirmación que se asemeja a las teorías de conspiración de fraude electoral propagadas en Estados Unidos y Brasil.
El principal asesor para América Latina del presidente Joe Biden aclaró posteriormente que el gobierno reconocía el resultado de aquella contienda. La embajada de Estados Unidos en México ha estado enviando informes a Washington en los que se evalúan las posibles amenazas a la democracia en el país, según tres funcionarios estadounidenses que no estaban autorizados a hablar públicamente.
Pero si bien algunos legisladores han expresado su preocupación por los cambios en materia electoral, el gobierno de Biden ha dicho poco sobre el tema en público.
El gobierno estadounidense considera poco ventajoso provocar a López Obrador y confía en que las instituciones mexicanas sean capaces de defenderse, dijeron varios funcionarios estadounidenses.
El presidente mexicano sigue siendo extremadamente popular, y Morena, su partido, va a la cabeza en las encuestas de las elecciones presidenciales de 2024. Es muy probable que uno de los protegidos políticos de López Obrador quede al frente de la candidatura presidencial del partido.
Esa dinámica ha ocasionado que muchos en México se pregunten: ¿por qué impulsar cambios que podrían suscitar dudas sobre la legitimidad de las elecciones que se espera que favorezcan a su partido?
“Lo que se buscaba era ahorros”, dijo el vocero del gobierno, Jesús Ramírez Cuevas, en una entrevista, “sin afectar el funcionamiento del INE” . El presidente tiene una política de austeridad de “cero déficit”, comentó, y preferiría gastar los fondos públicos en “inversión social, la salud, educación, infraestructura”.
Venta de artesanías en la marcha a favor de López Obrador en Ciudad de México en noviembreCredit…Luis Antonio Rojas para The New York Times
López Obrador ha dicho que quiere agilizar una burocracia inflada.
“Se va a mejorar el sistema de elecciones”, dijo López Obrador en diciembre. “Se logran compactar algunas áreas para que se haga más con menos”.
Muchos coinciden en que el gasto podría recortarse, pero argumentan que los cambios adoptados el miércoles afectan la base de la función más elemental del organismo electoral: supervisar el voto.
Los funcionarios electorales argumentan que las modificaciones los obligarán a eliminar miles de puestos de trabajo, incluida buena parte de las personas que organizan las elecciones y gestionan la instalación de casillas electorales a nivel local en todo el país. Los cambios también limitan el control de la agencia sobre sus propios gastos y la capacidad del instituto para inhabilitar a candidatos por infracciones de gastos de campaña.
Uuc Kib Espadas, consejo del INE, dijo que las modificaciones podrían tener como resultado “que no se instale un número significativo de casillas privando de su derecho al voto a miles o cientos de miles de personas”.
Ramírez Cuevas calificó dichas inquietudes como “una exageración” y dijo que “no va haber despido masivo” en el INE.
Pero el presidente mexicano no ha disimulado su desdén hacia la institución que su partido ahora tiene en la mira.
Luego de que las autoridades electorales confirmaron su derrota en 2006, López Obrador impulsó a miles de sus seguidores a manifestarse en protestas que paralizaron la capital durante semanas.
Al final pidió a sus seguidores salir de las calles, pero nunca dejó de hablar de lo que él llama “el fraude” de 2006.
López Obrador rodeado de seguidores en un mitin en noviembre.Credit…Luis Antonio Rojas para The New York Times
“El presidente de México tiene una especie de resentimiento contra la autoridad electoral”, dijo Alcocer Villanueva, el exfuncionario de la Secretaría de Gobernación. “Ese resentimiento lo hace actuar de una manera irracional en este terreno”.
López Obrador no siempre pareció decidido a reducir al órgano electoral.
Alcocer Villanueva contó que cuando fue coordinador de asesores del secretario de Gobernación, de 2018 a 2021, él y su equipo propusieron analizar posibles cambios electorales, pero el presidente decía que no estaba entre sus prioridades.
Luego, el organismo de control electoral empezó a ser un obstáculo para la agenda del presidente.
En 2021, el INE inhabilitó a dos candidatos del partido gobernante por no declarar aportes de campaña relativamente pequeños, decisiones que algunas personas al interior de la institución cuestionaron.
“Era una sanción desproporcionada”, dijo Espadas Ancona.
Pronto, el presidente empezó a dedicar mucho más tiempo a hablar del organismo electoral, por lo general de forma negativa. Para 2022 mencionaba a la institución en sus conferencias matutinas más del doble de veces que en 2019, según el instituto.
Ha señalado al organismo como “podrido” y “antidemocrático” y convirtió en blanco de sus ataques al líder del instituto —un abogado llamado Lorenzo Córdova— a quien el presidente ha calificado como alguien “sin principios, sin ideales, un farsante”.
Desde que no logró llegar a la presidencia en 2006, por una diferencia de menos del 1 por ciento de los votos, López Obrador ha atacado a las autoridades electorales.Credit…Luis Antonio Rojas para The New York Times
Córdova, quien fue nombrado por el Congreso de México, ha tomado protagonismo en su propia defensa, al responder directamente al presidente en un torrente de entrevistas en medios de comunicación y conferencias de prensa.
“Es una estrategia política muy clara y evidente: vender al INE como una autoridad parcial, sesgada”, dijo Córdova en una entrevista, utilizando las siglas de la institución. “¿Cuál es nuestro dilema como autoridad?, ¿cómo manejamos esto? Si no decimos nada, públicamente, estamos convalidando el dicho del presidente”.
Los críticos del presidente han aplaudido la disposición de Córdova a enfrentarlo. Pero algunos en México se preguntan si Córdova ha encontrado el equilibrio adecuado.
“El tono del presidente del INE debe ser con más discreción y de no responder con tanta víscera y con tanto coraje”, dijo Luis Carlos Ugalde, quien dirigió la agencia de 2003 a 2007
, y añadió: “Genera que del otro lado, del lado de Morena, haya más ganas, más ganas de atacar, de destruir al instituto”.
Córdova se mantuvo firme en su enfoque.
“Es muy fácil juzgar desde fuera”, dijo Córdova. “Al que le ha tocado conducir esta institución en el peor momento he sido yo”.
El mandato de Córdova termina en abril. El Congreso, controlado por el partido del presidente, elegirá a cuatro nuevos consejeros para el organismo electoral.
A University of Cambridge study has identified a wooden object found at the Vindolanda fort in northern England as a dildo dating from the era of Emperor Antoninus Pius
The Vindolanda phallus.ROBERT SANDS
The emperor Hadrian (76-138 AD) ordered the construction of a vast defensive system in the north of the province of Britannia in the year 122 AD to protect Rome’s troops against the warlike Picts and to extend its imperial domination over the island with greater security. This structure would later become known as Hadrian’s Wall, an impressive military complex stretching 73 miles from the North Sea to the Irish Sea and protected by moats, towers with permanent garrisons of troops, forts for infantry and cavalry, a road for internal movements and imposing gates. The most famous of all these constructions is the Vindolanda fort, which was first excavated in the 1930s, and in whose peripheral landfill numerous objects providing information about the military and social life of its inhabitants have since been discovered.
The troops stationed there lived with their spouses. One of the most recent items found at the site was a wooden sex toy – the first-known such discovery from the Roman world – which was initially considered to be a tool for darning. However, Cambridge University archaeologists Rob Collins and Rob Sand note in their report “Touch wood: luck, protection, power or pleasure? A wooden phallus from Vindolanda Roman fort” that it was almost certainly a dildo, possibly belonging to the wife of a high-ranking military commander.
The study conducted by Collins and Sand, which was published last Monday in the academic journal Antiquity, notes that the anaerobic conditions of the ditches where the fort’s inhabitants dumped their waste have allowed numerous organic objects to be preserved, “including wooden writing tablets and a pair of leather boxing gloves.” Between 1970 and 1980, for example, more than 500 wax tablets were found containing everything from invitations to a birthday party to requests for more beer to be sent to the soldiers.
In the Roman world, two- and three-dimensional representations of phalluses were very common. They held not only an erotic function, but also a magical and apotropaic one. It is relatively easy to find them on mosaics, frescoes, crockery and walls. Most of them were made of metal, stone, bone and, occasionally, ceramics. They have been found on the walls of public and private buildings, but the most numerous ones were portable. These could be worn as earrings or pendants, but they were also crafted with decorative handles.
Finding large wooden dildos is a rare occurrence, say the experts, noting that when they are discovered they are generally made of stone or metal due to the easy decomposition of wood. That is to say that they have been produced, but do not survive the ages. However, conditions at Vindolanda “have preserved some 2,000 portable wooden objects, primarily dated to later first- and second- century AD contexts,” the study notes.
The erotic toy found at Vindolanda, which served as an auxiliary fort to Hadrian’s Wall itself, has been registered under the name W-1992-1062. It is six inches (16 centimeters) long and was carved from ash wood. It has a wide cylindrical base and its end represents the glans. However, the exact original measurements are impossible to determine, write the Cambridge researchers: “Archaeological wood is prone to shrinkage and warping, and all measurements given here are post-conservation, probably representing an underestimate of the original dimension.”
The Vindolanda fort was made up of nine separate constructions of different sizes and was in use between the end of the 1st century AD to the middle of the 5th century AD, although it may have been repurposed and remained active until the 10th century AD, long after the Romans had abandoned Britannia. Its eventual demolition sealed the deep ditch-like refuse dumps that surrounded it and created the perfect conditions for the preservation of objects left there. The dildo in question has been dated to between 165 and 200 AD, placing it within the reign of Antoninus Pius, Hadrian’s successor. In addition to the dildo, 217 sandals, 25 beauty accessories, 14 combs, 22 pencils for wax engraving, eight weapons, five coins and four game pieces were found in the same ditch.
The Cambridge University study notes that “repeated use of wooden objects can damage or smooth their surfaces, depending on the intensity and frequency of handling and/or the time over which they were used. Other factors, such as the transfer of sebum from the skin during handling, may lead to the polishing of surfaces,” as is the case with the Vindolanda find. “A handle from a framesaw, also made of ash, for example, suggests that repeated gripping during the sawing motion, combined with the oils from the skin, has smoothed the wood, The original carved surface of the handle shows signs of a polishing effect, the surface retains a slight sheen, and it feels smoother to the touch at exactly the point where the user’s grip would have been strongest.”
“The object’s overall level of preservation is generally very good,” suggesting that it was not “exposed to the elements for any extended period before deposition,” the report continues. “The wooden phallus may originally have been positioned to project from, and provide protection for, the entrance to one of the key buildings inside the fort, such as the commanding officer’s house (praetorium), the headquarters building (principia) or the granaries (horrea). The lack of surface weathering, however, suggests that, if used in such a way, the phallus was either kept indoors or in a sheltered location, or at least was not placed in an exposed position for any appreciable length of time.”
The researchers conclude that, by virtue of the wear on the object, which is more pronounced on both ends than in the middle, it was used by a woman to stimulate herself and not by a man, but that no “definitive interpretation” of the Vindolanda phallus is possible.
El autor chileno, uno de los más influentes de la poesía viva en español, celebra en un nuevo prólogo la maestría de su compatriota y premio Nobel en ‘Residencia en la tierra’
El poeta chileno, Raúl Zurita, en 2018.AGENCE OPALE / ALAMY
Son imágenes, alas soledades. Neruda: el último cabo de las palabras
Entre plumas que asustan, entre noches,
entre magnolias, entre telegramas,
entre el viento del Sur y el Oeste marino,
vienes volando.
(Alberto Rojas Giménez viene volando)
Es uno de los más prodigiosos poemas jamás escritos y el solo hecho de que él y el libro que lo contiene existan es un milagro. Más atrás, está la alucinante visión de un comienzo:
Como cenizas, como mares poblándose,
en la sumergida lentitud, en lo informe,
o como se oyen desde el alto de los caminos
cruzar las campanadas en cruz…
Es el inicio de “Galope muerto”, el primer poema de Residencia en la tierra, y el efecto es inmediato: alcanzamos a vislumbrar las trazas de un nuevo génesis: el tono, la textura de la imagen, su blancor, su inmensidad, y nuestra experiencia es nuevamente la de estar frente a un monumento imposible: nada de Residencia en la tierra estaba predicho. A diferencia de Borges, por ejemplo, cuya obra, superlativa sin duda, está de una u otra forma contenida dentro del horizonte especulativo de un mundo que ha creado la teoría de la relatividad y las geometrías multidimensionales, por lo que no es inverosímil deducir, borgeanamente, que si este no hubiese escrito “Las ruinas circulares” o “El Aleph”, alguien, otro Borges, lo habría hecho; nada, absolutamente nada había en una cultura ni en una historia ni en una lengua que hiciese presagiar que ese conjunto de poemas que van desde “Galope muerto” hasta “Josie Bliss”, que cierra el segundo volumen de Residencia, pudiera ser escrito, pero fue escrito. Es decir, fue escrita la letanía inmortal de Alberto Rojas, fue escrito como un naufragio hacia adentro nos morimos, de “Solo la muerte”, fue escrita el agua de origen y cenizas de “Walking around”. Fue escrita la luminosidad instantánea de un nuevo nacimiento junto a la oscuridad informe e incancelable de una nueva muerte.MÁS INFORMACIÓN
Como se sabe, los poemas de las dos Residencias fueron compuestos entre 1925 y 1935, y fundamentalmente mientras Neruda se desempeñaba como cónsul en el oriente, en Rangoon primero, luego en Colombo y en Batavia, la actual Yakarta, período que todos sus estudiosos coinciden en señalar como clave para su obra y su vida. La afirmación es indiscutible y al mismo tiempo vacía; las circunstancias biográficas informan de un punto blanco de la escritura, pero no dan cuenta de su sombra, esa rectificación central de los datos que ejecuta el arte sobre la vida y que es exactamente lo que llamamos Rimbaud, Whitman, Borges, Neruda. Pero incluso más allá de ello, hay algo que sucede específicamente con la poesía, algo que no ha sido aún formulado y que la hace profundamente refractaria al vicio de las interpretaciones. Paralelos al mundo, los grandes poemas representan el último límite del lenguaje, no hay nada más allá, y por ende son en sí la interpretación final, el último cabo de las palabras.
No es inverosímil deducir, borgeanamente, que si Borges no hubiese escrito “Las ruinas circulares” o “El Aleph”, alguien, otro Borges, lo habría hecho; nada, absolutamente nada había que hiciese presagiar que ese conjunto de poemas que van desde “Galope muerto” hasta “Josie Bliss” pudiera ser escrito
No hay otro diálogo con la poesía que no sea el de la emoción y la inferencia (pero esa emoción y esa inferencia han levantado naciones, han creado pueblos, han anunciado los interminables Apocalipsis). Podemos imaginar entonces los paisajes y los escenarios de las Residencias; esas cenizas, esos mares poblándose y frente a ellos a un ser aún sin nombre que en un instante, al ver las rompientes barrer una y otra vez la playa desierta, comprende de golpe que ellas continuarán estando allí, levantándose y cayendo interminablemente, pero que hay un amanecer en que él ya no las verá y hace el más trascendental de los descubrimientos, aquel que está inserto en cada partícula de lo que somos (en estos dedos que teclean dificultosamente, en las canciones que pongo en la madrugada para evitar la angustia, en mi escepticismo, en tu sed María): descubre la muerte, e inmediatamente después descubre el lenguaje, que es, antes que nada, el conjuro que los seres humanos lanzan frente al hecho absoluto, incomprensible, aterrorizante, de que debemos morir. El primero de esos conjuros es lo que llamamos el poema.
Es el hecho poético central y la aparente extrañeza de la geografía nerudiana, sus catres que flotan, sus tiendas de ortopedias, son los conjuros que el lenguaje le arroja a la muerte para posponerla y en ese enfrentamiento radical, irrecusable, se movilizan todas las esferas de la existencia. Somos hijos de esa confrontación, somos hijos de la muerte y del poema. Tendidos entonces entre la muerte y la vida, los poemas de las Residencias nos hacen ver que en esa lucha titánica, devastadora, inacabable que libran entre ellos esos dos hermanos gemelos, el lenguaje y la muerte, la historia de la poesía es la historia eternamente derrotada y eternamente renovada de los conjuros con que el lenguaje trata de posponer el deber de morir.
Pablo Neruda, premio Nobel de Literatura en 1971, en Praga, en una fotografía sin datar.CTK / ALAMY
Los poemas de Residencia en la tierra, en su pasmosa particularidad, en su registro único, en su fidelidad a los sonidos que efectivamente Neruda escuchaba, se funden con las palabras de nuestra vida, dándole a la lengua que hablamos, a aquella lengua para nosotros datada, la posibilidad simbólica de un nuevo inicio. De una nueva alternancia donde los seres y sombras que hablan en estos poemas, en sus jergas de muertos, en sus campanas sin sonido, en sus océanos de origen y cenizas, son a su vez los miles y millones de fragmentos de experiencias, de fracasos, de erotizaciones, de mujeres orinando y de funcionarios menores que transitan por las calles de Rangoon y otros que deambulan entre sastrerías y ropas tendidas, herméticos como un cisne de fieltro, los que sumándose uno a uno van conformando la humanidad que habita en las Residencias. No es una voz, es ese compendio gelatinoso, casi infinito, de sangre, nervios, cultura, sueños, recuerdos, inesperados heroísmos, defecaciones y esperanzas que desaguan en el lenguaje, lo que comparece en esta síntesis que señala a la vez los límites infranqueables de un vacío. Neruda es Neruda porque es la humanidad entera, la humanidad entera es la humanidad entera porque es un vacío, Neruda es la humanidad entera porque es el vacío que la muerte va dejando en las palabras:
Pero la muerte va también por el mundo vestida de escoba,
lame el suelo buscando difuntos,
la muerte está en la escoba,
es la lengua de la muerte buscando muertos,
es la aguja de la muerte buscando hilo.
Instalado en el corazón de la lengua solo Pablo Neruda, vale decir, solo esa cifra, ese tiempo que llamamos hoy Pablo Neruda, pudo escribir Residencia en la tierra, pero pudo hacerlo porque sus lectores son seres heridos, sangrantes, que van siguiendo en las líneas de estos poemas las estaciones de su sangre y de su muerte. Residimos en la tierra, vale decir, residimos en la verdad desnuda de esta escritura, no en su retórica, sino en ese laconismo esencial que tiene lo irremediable: somos seres muertos prestados por un segundo a la vida, vivimos, morimos, y es esa condición extrema y paradojal lo que nos reiteran una y otra vez las obras cumbres: la Comedia de Dante, el Quijote, Shakespeare, Dostoievski, Whitman, Rimbaud, los Cantares de Pound, la Residencia en la tierra, el Canto general de Neruda. En otras palabras, lo que estas obras nos muestran es que no somos habitados solo por nuestros sueños, tal como no somos castigados solo por nuestros crímenes.
En un mundo que ha multiplicado al infinito el presente de Troya, y que tiene al planeta al borde del colapso, lo real, lo pavorosamente real es el vacío que dejan las palabras una vez pronunciadas
Detrás de “Solo la muerte” no hay nada más que la muerte. Condenados a no olvidar (la destrucción de Troya no sucedió, está sucediendo y Homero no es sino la ondulación de su devenir), hurgamos en ese pasado sin tiempo donde la inmensa fantasmagoría que sobrevuela Alberto Rojas Giménez, esos “mares sin nadie”, esos “solo entre muertos”, esos “para siempre solo”, vienen volando sin sombra y sin nombre, sin azúcar, sin boca, sin rosales. Más aún, es como si esos entes abstractos, muertos, transformados en conceptos en ese presente perpetuo que constituye la poesía, hicieran que ella sea la última interpretación, mostrándonos de paso que lo humano (insisto en llamar así a ese mar, a ese desborde) no solo no es el dueño de la lengua que habla, sino que, al contrario, está apresado en una invención de las palabras. En un mundo que ha multiplicado al infinito el presente de Troya, y que tiene al planeta al borde del colapso, lo real, lo pavorosamente real es el vacío que dejan las palabras una vez pronunciadas, el manchón negro que dejan las palabras una vez escritas, el ruido infernal de los bombardeos, de las masacres, de los millones de emigrantes muriéndose en las fronteras que dejan las palabras una vez escuchadas…
Entendemos entonces que la poesía no es el confesionario del yo, es el confesionario de los otros.
Alberto Rojas Giménez viene volando. Son imágenes, alas, soledades…
Allí está el mar. Bajo de noche y te oigo
venir volando bajo el mar sin nadie,
bajo el mar que me habita, oscurecido:
vienes volando.
Oigo tus alas y tu lento vuelo,
y el agua de los muertos me golpea
como palomas ciegas y mojadas:
vienes volando.
Vienes volando, solo, solitario,
solo entre muertos, para siempre solo,
vienes volando sin sombra y sin nombre,
sin azúcar, sin boca, sin rosales,
vienes volando.
Son imágenes. Es un tono, un timbre, un temblor. Anclado en un tiempo indiscernible, un ser aún sin nombre comprende que las estrellas que había visto hace un instante son la máxima refutación del tiempo y de la historia.
Raúl Zurita. Ospedale Maggiore, Milán, 16 de julio de 2019.
Este cereal ancestral, resistente y muy nutritivo se convierte en un arma para contrarrestar los estragos de la dependencia comercial, agudizados por la pandemia y la guerra en Ucrania, y para resistir a los efectos del cambio climático en países asiáticos y africanos
Maria Chagwena, una agricultora de Zimbabue, muestra un cuenco con granos de mijo en el distrito de Rushinga, al noreste de Harare, capital del país, en enero de 2023TSVANGIRAYI MUKWAZHI (AP)
Contiene fibras, vitaminas y antioxidantes. Es hipoglucémico y apto para celíacos. Crece en contextos en los que otros cereales no sobreviven: sin apenas agua, en suelos degradados, con temperaturas de hasta 60 °C y con pocos fertilizantes. Por si fuera poco es sabroso y puede cocinarse de múltiples maneras. No, esto no es un publirreportaje. Entonces, ¿cómo hemos podido vivir dando la espalda a este superalimento? Más que un secreto bien guardado, el mijo es un cereal olvidado y a menudo despreciado, una realidad que la Organización de la ONU para la Alimentación y la Agricultura (FAO) quiere transformar. La Asamblea General de la ONU declaró 2023 Año Internacional del Mijo y, lamentablemente, el contexto no podía ser más apropiado, en un mundo vapuleado por los coletazos de la pandemia y por la invasión rusa de Ucrania hace exactamente un año. Los dos países se encuentran entre los principales exportadores mundiales de trigo y maíz y el enfrentamiento ha hecho que las cadenas de suministros tradicionales se tambaleen, los precios suban y el hambre castigue a un mayor número de personas.
El objetivo de la ONU con esta iniciativa es ambicioso: impulsar el consumo de este cereal no solo en hogares de Nueva Delhi y Dakar, sino en los de Madrid y Nueva York, y para ello es necesario aumentar la producción y subrayar las virtudes de estos granos ante agricultores, consumidores y sobre todo gobiernos, para que pongan en práctica políticas que incentiven los cultivos. “En muchos lugares el mijo se considera un alimento de pobres. Cuando esos países aumentan su nivel de ingresos empiezan a introducir cereales diferentes”, asegura Ana Islas Ramos, una responsable de nutrición de la FAO.
Jestina Nyamukunguvengu camina entre un campo de mijo perla, en el distrito de Rushinga, en Zimbabue, en enero de 2023.TSVANGIRAYI MUKWAZHI (AP)
Mijo perla, mijo común, mijo de cola de zorra, mijo japonés, mijo pequeño, mijo koda, mijo marrón, mijo africano, mijo de Guinea, fonio, sorgo y teff. Todos son mijos y todos son diferentes. Tienen miles de años de antigüedad y se les llama granos tradicionales, es decir, que no han sufrido manipulaciones y mutaciones en esta larga andadura, aunque sí se han visto desplazados paulatinamente por el maíz, el trigo o el arroz, menos nutrientes, pero mucho más populares. Según la FAO, el mijo solo representa el 3% del comercio mundial de cereales y sus mayores productores son India, Nigeria, Níger y China, que también son sus grandes consumidores. En países como España, aún se asocia a pienso o a alimento para gorriones.
Es una solución ideal para que los países aumenten su autosuficiencia y disminuyan la dependencia de la importación de cerealesMakiko Taguchi, experta en agricultura en la FAO
En el lanzamiento del Año Internacional del Mijo, el director general de la FAO, Qu Dongyu, recalcó que puede ser una poderosa herramienta para cambiar la vida de miles y miles de pequeños agricultores, “luchar contra la inseguridad alimentaria y el cambio climático, promover la biodiversidad y transformar los sistemas agroalimentarios”. Impulsar su cultivo y su consumo es también contribuir al progreso de la agenda de los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible (ODS). “Es una solución ideal para que los países aumenten su autosuficiencia y disminuyan la dependencia de la importación de cereales”, agrega Makiko Taguchi, experta en agricultura en la FAO.
Elisabeth Faure, directora del Programa Mundial de Alimentos (PMA) en India, hace hincapié además en que “el cambio climático obliga a repensar las cadenas de suministro para evitar los transportes de larga distancia y a fomentar los cultivos adaptados al entorno local”. La responsable subraya a este diario la necesidad de apostar por “alimentos con importantes virtudes nutricionales y con menos efectos perjudiciales para la tierra, que minimicen el uso de insumos químicos nocivos y, lo que es más importante, que impliquen a las comunidades locales”. “Y el mijo es un ejemplo de solución a estos retos. Es un cultivo para el futuro”, explica.
La comida para pobres no existe
Según Islas Ramos, el mijo, al ser un grano entero, aporta más fibra y nutrientes que otros granos refinados. “Por ejemplo, el mijo perla posee más ácidos grasos, se podría hacer hasta aceite con él, y el mijo cola de zorra tiene un aporte importante de proteínas”, cita.
Llevar este grano a todas las cocinas del mundo es justamente el objetivo de una de las embajadoras de este Año Internacional del Mijo, la chef sierraleonesa Fatmata Binta, premiada en 2022 con el Basque Culinary World Prize (BCWP), una especie de Nobel de los fogones. La chef, que ha diseñado una cocina nómada que muestra internacionalmente las costumbres y sabores de la cocina fulani, la mayor tribu nómada de África, ha lanzado un reto para cocineros o amantes de la cocina: hacer una receta con mijo, grabar un video y publicarlo.
“Me han respondido muchas personas y no solo chefs. El fonio, que es el mijo que yo uso más, comienza a conocerse y gusta porque es un alimento completísimo, aunque en la mentalidad de algunas personas todavía se crea que es un alimento de pobres. Es un error hacer esas clasificaciones, la comida para pobres no existe”, explica desde Accra, donde su fundación cultiva fonio, capacita a mujeres fulanis y apoya proyectos comunitarios. Para hoy, Binta prone una ensalada de fonio, preparado tipo cuscús, con tomate, mangos, kale, cilantro, perejil, menta y una vinagreta de miel. Y de postre, thiakry, sémola de mijo con yogur, miel y jengibre.
Cambiar los hábitos
Actualmente, el PMA brinda apoyo a pequeños agricultores en países como India y Zimbabue y su trabajo incluye la defensa del cultivo de los diferentes tipos de mijo, sobre todo en periodos meteorológicos extremos. “El año pasado, por ejemplo, en octubre comenzamos a preparar a los agricultores de una región de Zimbabue para la sequía que llegaría en febrero. Distribuimos estos granos tradicionales, les ayudamos a construir pozos y les dimos información. Yo misma fui a ver la zona meses después y donde se sembró mijo, la planta estaba perfecta, mientras que el maíz no resistió”, explica María Gallar, portavoz del PMA en Zimbabue.
La gente prueba el mijo y le gusta, pero en un país como Zimbabue, por ejemplo, y en general en el sur de África, el maíz sigue siendo el reyMaría Gallar, portavoz del PMA en Zimbabue
Pero el gran desafío, en palabras de esta responsable, es “cambiar los hábitos de consumo”, sobre todo en países del sur de África. “La gente prueba el mijo y le gusta, pero en un país como Zimbabue, por ejemplo, y en general en el sur de África, el maíz sigue siendo el rey. Nadie se va a la cama sin haber comido su sadza, una pasta hecha con harina de maíz. Cuesta mucho cambiar lo que uno come, es como si a nosotros nos quitaran el pan”, explica.
Por otra parte, Islas Ramos también subraya que el mijo, al ser un grano pequeño, es más difícil de trillar y de limpiar y además necesita más tiempo de cocción, lo que puede hacer desistir a familias con pocos recursos, que prefieren usar menos leña y cocinar arroz. “Por eso necesitamos una visión de conjunto y ver qué se puede hacer para facilitar el consumo de los mijos”, subraya la experta en nutrición.
Pese a las reticencias y las dificultades, este cereal va ganando adeptos poco a poco. “A la gente con la que trabajamos le va muy bien cultivando mijo. Lo ven sus vecinos y también se apuntan. Estamos hablando de una agricultura de subsistencia, pero paralelamente, también comienza a haber esfuerzos para que empiecen a vender una parte”, recalca Gallar.
Maria Chagwena, una granjera de Zimbabue, aventa el mijo en su propiedad, en el distrito de Rushinga, cerca de la capital del país, Harare, en enero de 2023TSVANGIRAYI MUKWAZHI (AP)
Un alimento “inteligente”
Los números comienzan a mostrar que algo está cambiando poco a poco, aunque aún queda camino por recorrer. En India, la producción de mijo ha aumentado de 14,52 millones de toneladas en 2015-16 a 17,96 millones de toneladas en 2020-21, según el PMA. En el caso del fonio, por ejemplo, tanto la superficie cultivada mundial como la producción han aumentado significativamente, según la FAO. En 1994 se produjeron algo menos de 250.000 toneladas de fonio y en 2021 se rozaron las 700.000 toneladas.
En estos días, la misión de India ante la ONU inauguró en la sede de la Organización en Nueva York una exposición sobre las bondades del mijo. “Es algo más que un alimento, es un alimento inteligente”, aseguró la embajadora india ante la ONU, Ruchira Kamboj, refiriéndose a su versatilidad y resistencia.
Al promover las virtudes del mijo, la FAO también confía en que si los cultivos prosperan significará una mejora de las condiciones de vida de pequeños productores, especialmente de mujeres y jóvenes. Faure subraya que en India, el mijo funciona muy bien “en una agricultura familiar, en comunidades tribales donde las mujeres trabajan la tierra y se necesitan pocos insumos, como fertilizantes, agua y pesticidas, pero se alcanza un alto rendimiento, ya que el grano no se pudre con facilidad, ni siquiera cuando llueve en exceso”.
“El 86% de los agricultores indios pertenece a la categoría de pequeña y mediana escala y el fomento del mijo podría beneficiarles directamente”, estima.
En Zimbabue, Gallar también subraya la necesidad de involucrar siempre a las mujeres en los proyectos de siembra y de promoción del mijo: “Si están embarazadas, el cereal les puede dar los aportes nutritivos necesarios y también es importante que tengan toda la información sobre el mijo porque son ellas las que se siguen ocupando de la alimentación de los hijos”.
Centenares de pequeñas piedras halladas en una cueva del sur de Francia habitada por humanos modernos indica que ambas especies se encontraron milenios antes de lo que se creía
En la gruta Mandrin se han encontrado varios centenares de artefactos de sílex.PHILIPPE PSAÏLA
La historia de los primeros encuentros entre neandertales y humanos modernos podría depender de centenares de piedrecitas halladas en una gruta del sur de Francia. Talladas con mimo, estas piedras de sílex serían puntas de flechas, según los autores del descubrimiento. Datadas hace unos 54.000 años, se trataría del ejemplo más antiguo de su uso en Europa occidental. Entre los estudiosos de la evolución humana hay consenso en que el arco y la flecha fue una tecnología que dio una ventaja competitiva a los humanos modernos sobre los neandertales. De confirmarse, supondría que los sapiens llegaron a los dominios de los neanderthalensis milenios antes de lo que se creía. Pero la duda se extiende entre otros científicos.
En febrero del año pasado, un grupo de científicos franceses publicó un estudio que levantó tanta polvareda como escepticismo entre los paleontólogos. En aquel trabajo, detallaban el hallazgo de varios dientes en una gruta del valle del Ródano, en Francia. Todos pertenecían a neandertales, salvo uno: un diente de leche incompleto de un niño de no más de siete años. Sostienen que pertenecía a un Homo sapiens, es decir, a un humano moderno. Estimaron que debía tener 54.000 años. El problema con esta datación es que implicaría adelantar varios milenios la llegada de los cromañones a Europa occidental. De ahí la relevancia de este nuevo trabajo, publicado en Science Advances, que añade un segundo argumento, las flechas, un invento de los humanos modernos.
Desde hace unos 300.000 años, los territorios europeos fueron el dominio de los neandertales, que se extinguieron hace unos 40.000 años arrinconados, según parece, en la península Ibérica. Aunque es un tema debatido, para los científicos, estos humanos habrían sucumbido en un proceso en el que la expansión de otros humanos, los modernos, fue clave. Durante ese periodo, los sapiens salieron de África por Suez y se expandieron por el resto del mundo, llegando al occidente europeo en la parte final del Paleolítico medio. Las pistas más seguras se encuentran en Alemania e Italia hace entre 48.000 y 45.000 años. Apoyar el vuelco a esta historia en un único diente es, al menos, comprometido.
Pero los mismos investigadores que encontraron el diente de leche hallaron en la misma capa de terreno unos 1.500 artefactos de piedra. Hechas en su mayoría de sílex o pedernal, hay hojas cortantes, lascas afiladas por ambos lados y un extremo romo y centenares de pequeñas puntas de forma triangular. Para ellos, debían ser puntas de flechas. Eso implicaría que aquellos humanos usaban arcos y flechas para cazar, una tecnología con la que los neandertales no contaban y que dio una ventaja competitiva a los sapiens. Las estudiaron con todo detalle, llegando a montarlas en nuevas flechas (ver imagen) y disparándolas sobre animales para ver su desgaste y compararlas con las de la gruta.
Los investigadores usaron varias de las puntas para fabricar sus propias flechas y dispararlas contra animales. Querían comprobar si las marcas de impacto observadas en ellas eran de usarlas como flechas.LUDOVIC SLIMAK
La investigadora de la Universidad de Aix-Marsella (Francia) y primera autora del estudio, Laure Metz, explica la relevancia de analizar estas piezas: “Al estudiar las puntas y todos los demás artefactos descubiertos en la cueva Mandrin, enriquecemos profundamente nuestro conocimiento de estas tecnologías en Europa y nos permite hacer retroceder la era del tiro con arco en Europa en más de 40.000 años”, dice la también científica de la Universidad de Connecticut (Estados Unidos). La comparación con lo encontrado en otras capas que se corresponden con la ocupación neandertal permite saber también qué armas usaban ellos. “El estudio muestra que los neandertales no desarrollaron armas propulsadas mecánicamente y continuaron usando sus armas tradicionales basadas en el uso de enormes puntas en forma de lanza que empujaban o arrojaban con la mano”, completa Metz.
“El arco ofrece una ventaja competitiva fundamental a las poblaciones familiarizadas con esta tecnología”Ludovic Slimak, investigador de la Universidad de Toulouse-Jean Jaurès, Francia
El autor sénior de esta investigación Ludovic Slimak, investigador de la Universidad de Toulouse-Jean Jaurès (Francia), destaca en un correo la importancia de las flechas que han encontrado: “El arco ofrece una ventaja competitiva fundamental a las poblaciones familiarizadas con esta tecnología” Entre sus argumentos recuerda que los arcos y otros sistemas de propulsión como las azagayas permiten cazar a distancia con gran precisión a gran velocidad y mayor eficiencia. “La lista es muy larga y aporta una gran diferencia con poblaciones que solo usaban lanzas pesadas lanzadas a mano, como los neandertales”, añade. Estos necesitarían un contacto cercano con sus presas, algo que complica la caza y la hace mucho más peligrosa. “Los arcos ofrecen un acceso seguro, fácil y casi infinito a las proteínas. Y esto debe haber tenido un impacto directo también en cuántas personas puedes alimentar y, por lo tanto, a cuántos niños puedes asegurar la subsistencia de manera segura”, termina Slimak.
Joseba Ríos Garaizar es experto en industria lítica de los humanos antiguos, antes en el CENIEH y ahora en el Museo Arqueológico de Bilbao. Es decir, estudia sus herramientas y armas de piedra, en particular las marcas que deja su uso en ellas. Para él, la hipótesis que plantea este trabajo es muy sugerente, pero cree que van demasiado lejos. “Está claro que algunas de las puntas tienen marcas de impacto, pero no todas. Pudieron formar parte de un arma propulsada, pero que fueran flechas es mucho decir”, asegura. Otra duda que le plantea este trabajo es la datación de las puntas. Para fechar el estrato donde las encontraron, así como al diente de leche, recurrieron al hollín de las hogueras acumulado en las paredes del refugio. La gruta Mandrin ha sido habitada durante milenios, pero no de forma continua. Así que se alternan capas de tizne con el carbonato cálcico depositado como el de las estalagmitas. Como si fueran anillos de los árboles, esto les permitió estimar que tenían 54.000 años.
“Está claro que algunas de las puntas tiene marcas de impacto. Pudieron formar parte de un arma propulsada, pero que fueran flechas es mucho decir”Joseba Ríos Garaizar, experto en industria lítica del Museo Arqueológico de Bilbao
Enrique Baquedano, director del Museo Arqueológico y Paleontológico de la Comunidad de Madrid, recuerda que esta técnica de datación hay que combinarla con otras y aun así, dice, “es una datación muy complicada”. Este científico coincide con Ríos Garaizar en resaltar lo sugerente de la hipótesis de los primeros humanos modernos con sus arcos y sus flechas. Pero también añade otro punto débil en esta idea: “Es un resultado muy potente, pero depende de un único diente de leche que ni siquiera está completo, está partido”. Baquedano, que recientemente publicó un trabajo sobre la caza y su simbolismo entre los neandertales, recuerda además que, “siendo cierto que ellos no tenían flechas, su industria lítica también incluye cosas muy pequeñas”
Al codirector de Atapuerca, Juan Luis Arsuaga, le gusta la idea de que sean flechas y de que fueran de los primeros humanos modernos que llegaron a Europa, pero “habría que probarlo”, dice en un correo. Como otros colegas, duda de la identificación que se hizo del diente de leche. En lo de las flechas no se mete, ya que, dice, es una cuestión que deben resolver los arqueólogos, no los paleontólogos como él. Para Arsuaga existen tres posibilidades: “O los neandertales utilizaban propulsores/arcos o los habitantes de la cueva Mandrin eran cromañones o las puntas de piedras no eran para flechas o azagayas, sino para jabalinas que se lanzaban a mano”.
Esta investigación tan relevante como cuestionada tiene un final no exento de ironía. El hollín de las paredes indica que aquella primera oleada apenas vivió 40 años en la gruta Mandrin. Después ya no hay más rastro de ellos en los estratos de la cueva que, siglos después, volverían a usar de nuevo los neandertales.
A la pregunta de por qué un grupo con una tecnología superior no sobrevive a la segunda generación, Slimak, que defiende su tesis desde que hace dos décadas empezó a excavar en Mandrin, recuerda lo siguiente: “La capacidad de llegar a un territorio no implica que tu población permanecerá para siempre en un territorio determinado. Una cuestión importante para las poblaciones nómadas que viven en pequeños grupos es poder crear una red de conexiones sociales sólida con las poblaciones aborígenes. Esto es fundamental, ya que la supervivencia de cualquier población nómada tradicional requiere del intercambio de genes para reproducirse y sobrevivir”. Aunque esto sucedió milenios después, como muestra el porcentaje de ADN neandertal en los humanos actuales, parece que no fue así con los sapiens de aquella cueva.
El histórico fallo, que certifica que el exsecretario de Seguridad trabajó para el cártel de Sinaloa durante casi 20 años, aumenta la presión sobre el expresidente Calderón y concede más gasolina a López Obrador contra la alianza opositora
El expresidente Felipe Calderón conversa con Genaro García Luna, durante una conferencia en Ciudad de México, el 27 de agosto de 2010.ALEXANDRE MENEGHINI (AP)
El “culpable” leído este martes por un juez de Nueva York contra Genaro García Luna va mucho más allá de la primera condena en EE UU contra un alto exfuncionario mexicano por corrupción y vínculos con el narcotráfico. La caída del máximo jefe de la policía y señor de la guerra contra las drogas durante el Gobierno de Felipe Calderón (2006-2012) impacta de lleno a la política mexicana y abre la puerta a un terremoto que amenaza con sacudidas en todos los frentes.
El histórico veredicto, que certifica que García Luna trabajó a sueldo para el cártel de Sinaloa durante más de 20 años, aumenta sobre todo la presión en torno al expresidente Calderón, cada vez más acorralado y con más dificultades para seguir sosteniendo que nunca supo nada de los negocios oscuros de su hombre de confianza. El desgaste del último expresidente panista arrastra también a su partido y, de rebote, al resto de la alianza opositora -PRI y PRD- que han optado por mantener hasta ahora un elocuente silencio.
Desde la otra orilla, en Morena no han tardado sin embargo en sacar la artillería colocando en la diana no solo a Calderón, sino también al anterior presidente panista, Vicente Fox, para quien también trabajó García Luna mientras con la otra mano ya había puesto en marcha sus tratos sucios con la mafia de Sinaloa. El fallo concede más gasolina todavía al discurso polarizador de López Obrador que reduce toda la oposición a un grupo indistinguible de corruptos. Una de las palancas que, en gran medida, le aupó al poder y que le sigue garantizando unos altos niveles de popularidad.
Más allá de la batalla por el relato, otra de las consecuencias es el evidente daño a la imagen de las instituciones mexicanas. Una mancha incrementada por el hecho de que otra vez han tenido que ser los tribunales estadounidenses los que han impartido justicia en caso de crimen organizado. Como máximo jefe de la seguridad mexicana, García Luna mantuvo además línea directa con EE UU como confidente y socio prioritario. Otro golpe al siempre delicado equilibro de poder y confianza sobre el que se sostiene la relación bilateral.
Desde la detención del exfuncionario hace más tres años en Texas, López Obrador ha buscado capitalizar el castigo estadounidense a la corrupción como una victoria propia. Una estrategia que contrasta con su defensa cerrada del general Salvador Cienfuegos, jefe del Ejército durante el último gobierno priista, y arrestado también al otro lado de la frontera por narcotráfico y lavado de dinero. Al Gabinete morenista no le importó entonces entrar al choque con la Casa Blanca y movilizó toda su maquinaria diplomática para lograr el traslado del exsecretario de Defensa a México, donde finalmente fue exonerado.MÁS INFORMACIÓN
En esta ocasión, López Obrador dejó claro muy pronto que no pensaba desaprovechar la oportunidad de cargar contra Calderón, probablemente su mayor némesis política. Desde la derrota por un dedo ante el panista en las polémicas elecciones de 2006, el actual presidente ha mantenido que aquello fue un robo. Además de culpabilizarle de la espiral de violencia que azota el país desde su decisión, al poco de llegar al poder, de sacar a los militares de los cuarteles para combatir en las calles al crimen organizado.
El juicio a García Luna ha sido un desfile de dedos apuntando a diferentes cuadros de la política mexicana, ilustrando con cientos de ejemplos las relaciones entre autoridades y criminales donde el dinero corrupto garantizaba una gigantesca impunidad. Desde exgobernadores hasta el propio expresidente Calderón, los señalados han salido a la palestra a negarlo todo. En el caso del exmandatario, fue el exfiscal de Nayarit, Edgar Veytia, que cumple condena en EE UU por narcotráfico, el que aseguró que las órdenes de proteger a la gente del Chapo venían directamente de la silla presidencial.
Una de sus últimas declaraciones públicas ha sido un texto publicado el fin de semana pasado en la prensa mexicana llamando a la unidad de las fuerzas opositoras contra López Obrador. El movimiento del expresidente no fue bien recibido por todos los sectores de la oposición, que atraviesa un momento crucial de cara los comicios estatales -en Estado de México y Coahuila- de este mismo año, la antesala de la carrera presidencial de 2024. Cada vez son más las voces que consideran que, hoy más que nunca, Calderón no es precisamente el compañero ideal para disputar a López Obrador uno de sus mayores activos y banderas electorales: la lucha contra la corrupción.
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