Airline problems, Feminicide, Hogar Tadeo Torres orphanage, Cultural strategic plan, Back to school

Domingo, 13/8/2017

Hola, Todos –

Pagina cultural –

Passed agenda event –

Ruta Patrimonial – On 11 y 12/8, the city started a Patrimonial Route that started at the Museo de la Catedral Vieja. Participants visited different sectors of the Centro Hístorico.

Articles about –

Hogar Tadeo Torres – The Tadeo Torres orphanage was funded by Tadeo Torres in his will of 1881 which directed the executors to found an orphanage with the bulk of his estate. To maintain the orphanage, he bequeathed a house in Cuenca with all the furniture, 2 haciendas in Chulluabamba, and 3 herds in Baños including all the peons, furniture, workers and animals to be sold for the maintenance. <Peons and workers? Did Ecuador have slavery or was the encomienda system just slavery by another name?) The orphanage was on Solano and 12 de Abril where the culinary school is now. Another building bearing the Tadeo Torres name now functions as a nursing home. The orphanage is currently located in Capulispamba.

Cantonal Strategic Plan for Culture to 2030 – As part of the Pilot Cities program, the city is spearheading this plan which is a tool to establish a wide spread democratic cultural vision. Input will be taken from the Asambleas Ciudadanas (Citizens’ Assemblies) and the arts community. The following meetings will be scheduled:
16/8 – Centro Cultural El Prohibido – Public art from 15-17:00 and Living art from 17:30-19:30.
17/8 – Museo de Arte Moderno – Design and applied arts from 15-17:00 and Musical arts from 17:30-19:30.
18/8 – La Komuna (Coronel Tálbot y Pres. Córdova) – Arts and technology from 15-17:00 and Relational art from 17:30-19:30.
A draft of the project will be at www.cuenca.gov.ec starting el próximo miércoles. <Ecuadorian time?>

Otras cosas –

Titular – Adelantan compra de uniformes y utiles (Purchases of uniforms and supplies under way) – Start of school is a few weeks away and parents are out getting the list of school supplies and uniforms. <But hold off on the shoes – don’t want kids outgrowing them before the year even starts. Do people still do that – buy stuff a little big so the kid can grow into it? Or do kids just get new clothes whenever they outgrow the old ones? Or do they get new clothes whenever the “it” color or style changes?> Depending on the grade, kids need from 21 to 28 things including paper, pencils, makers, erasers, notebooks and “materiales de aseo” (cleaning materials) <Kids at the school where I help out have their own toothbrushes and toothpaste and a washcloth.>

Feminicide – A psychologist, sociologist and a women’s rights activist from the Geografía Crítica collective published a map with the incidence of violence against women in each province. There were 8 feminicides in Azuay between 1/1 and 2/8. From 2015 to date, 11 deaths were classified as feminicides in Azuay. The group said one of the strongest causes is the patriarchal social structure.

Toad rediscovery – A “sapo” that was thought to have gone extinct 30 years ago was rediscovered by a group of students in a joint project with the U. of San Francisco de Quito and the London Natural History Museum. The discovery was made at the Reserva Orquideológica Drácula in Carchi near the Colombian border.

“Guayas” – The 3 masted tall ship, part of the Ecuadorian navy, visited La Habana, Cuba as part of a teaching voyage. <I’d think that the students would learn a lot about the sea, winds, and heavens, but not so much about modern warfare.> The ship has a length of 78.40 m. and a draft of 4.5 m. The boat was named for both the river and the first steamship built in South American in 1841 which is part of the Ecuadorian coat of arms.

Electric shock – A worker at 3 de Noviembre y Calle Totoras was killed when he received a shock of at least 2,000 volts as he was making electrical connections to a public utility pole.

Airline woes – Passengers on Dynamic International Airways experienced problems due to flight delays from Guayaquil to the US. Several flights have been delayed for as much as 24 hours and passengers have filed complaints with Ecuador’s civil aviation authority.

Internacional –

Argentina – Sunday’s primary elections will be a test for Pres. Macri. The open primaries will determine the candidates for the 22/10 general elections when about 1/3 of the Senate (24 seats) and almost 1/2 of the Deputies (127 seats) will be open. The Government will face a coalition led by former president Cristina Fernández who could use this election to become a presidential candidate in 2019.

Venezuela – Several countries in Latin America, including those critical of the Venezuelan government, have rejected force as a solution to the crisis in Venezuela. These countries, which also condemned the breakdown of democracy in Venezuela, included Colombia, Perú, México and the Mercosur block of Brasil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. Nicaragua and Bolivia supported the Venezuelan government. Pres. Trump said he hasn’t discarded a military option. <Did you move down to South America thinking the US would start something here that would eventually make S.A. look like the Middle East?>

Panamá – The Parliament has approved a pioneering law in Central America which prohibits the use of disposable plastic bags by any type of business. Small businesses have 12 months to comply and large stores 24 months. Options are biodegradable bags and reusable bags. <And hats off to the gringo shoppers I see who bring their own bags when they go to the market or the Supermaxi.>

And that´s all for today so Hasta Mañana –

Jeanne