The earthquake in Japan: the most expensive natural disaster in history

The violent earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan on March 11 could cost 140,000 million euros ($ 200,000 million) to the third world economy, the highest bill so far for a natural disaster, according to a Thursday bank Goldman Sachs.

"We believe the total cost of damage caused by the earthquake (and tsunami) March 11 could rise to 16 trillion yen,"wrote Goldman Sachs economists.

This bill will be higher than the Kobe earthquake in 1995 (9.6 trillion), considered so far by Goldman Sachs as a "natural disaster" most devastating in economic terms.

The calculation is, however, lower than official estimates by the Japanese government, under which the disaster could cost 200,000 million euros to Japan's economy.

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Collecting objects can be pathological?

In principle, provided that this hobby is grown in a controlled manner, collect objects is beneficial from a psychological point of view, allowing skills and develop very positive attitudes to the individual, as the constancy, order, patience or memory , Among others. But doing it in an exaggerated manner is a symptom of obsessive compulsive disorder (one of its variants is known as Diogenes Syndrome ") and addiction to shopping, two mental illnesses that affect approximately 12% of the population.

Francisca Lopez Torrecillas, a professor in the Department of Personality, Evaluation and Psychological Treatment, University of Granada and an expert on addictions, warns that in recent years "has encountered a major increase" in cases where collecting has led to exaggerated obsessive-compulsive disorder or an addiction to shopping. The researcher pointed out that features such as an excessive need for control, perfectionism and meticulousness and order "are very common in people who have a hobby collecting objects, but are also closely related to the aforementioned psychological disorders. "

López Torrecillas says that collecting grows into an obsession, and therefore a problem, "in those subjects with a personal vulnerability", ie they have low self-esteem, poor social skills and disorders when face setbacks. When this feeling of ineffectiveness, "the compulsive collecting helps them feel better. "

WWF celebrates its 50 birthday with stamps of threatened animal species

The WWF environmental group, currently one of the leading environmental advocacy organizations in the world, turns 50 in 2011. And to celebrate, in the United Kingdom have launched a collection of ten postage stamps of the most endangered animal species, which include the African elephant, black rhino and polar bear. Also appearing on the stamps commemorating the Lycaon, a mammal of Africa with very similar features to those of a dog deemed the carnivore with a greater degree of sociability and cooperation, and the Russian Amur leopard, the most endangered big cat across the globe, because in order to ensure the survival of the species would need 100 copies and are currently just over 30.

The Iberian lynx, mountain gorillas, red pandas, golden lion tamarin and the Siberian tiger complete the list.

Thanks to muyinteresante