Ambassadors recalled, $2.5 billion agriculture investment, Maduro implicated in Odebrecht scandal, Hail storm brings out the picture takers

Domingo, 20/8/2017

Hola, Todos –

Pagina cultural –

Finished agenda event

Fotografía y danza – The Womens’ Front of Defenders of Pachamama (Mother Earth) is continuing its fight against large scale mining. El pasado viernes, in the plazoleta de La Merced, it presented a photo exhibit showing areas around Quimsacocha and a workshop in dance performance.

Upcoming and ongoing agenda events –

Caravanas Culturales – The Cultural Caravans will continue with one in the parish center of Sinincay Monday. <My guess is that would be the main church.>

Festival La Orquídea – The call for entries to the film festival will be open until 30/8. Go to www.festivalorquidea.com for submittal requirements and categories. The festival will be from 13/11 to 1/12.

Articles about –

Documental – The film Mi Tía Toty; its national premier in Cuenca, Quito and Guayaquil; and its subject were the topics of the article. <It’s showing at the Multicine Milenium Plaza.>

Arte a la Calle – El Prohibido Centro Cultural started the program for making art in public spaces. There will be performances and workshops open to the citizenry cada sábado (every Saturday) from 10-18:00 on the La Condamine pedestrian way and the plazoleta de El Vado.

Las Voladoras (The fliers) – This musical comedy will be part of the XI festival Escenarios del Mundo (11th Stages of the World Festival) which will be from 20-30/9.
Otras cosas –

Titular – Granizo cubre zonas del norte de Cuenca (Hail covers northern zones of Cuenca) – After the hail stopped, Cuencanos went outside to take pictures and play. Authorities asked drivers to slow down and turn on headlights before they suffered a “Wmishap they would regret.” <That’s the literal translation.>. Flights were delayed. <Can’t argue that a hailstorm is a flight delaying event. At least in Cuenca – maybe not Buffalo or Minneapolis.>

Back to school – Parents and students are not only buying school supplies, but are getting technological items such as computers, calculators, and musical instruments. High school students are shopping for basic computers while university students want something more powerful. Prices are ranging from $250-750.

Agricultural sector – In Quevedo yesterday, Pres. Moreno rolled out the Gran “Minga Agropecuaria” (Great Agricultural Minga), which will invest $2,500 million to develop agriculture in the next 4 years. <Quevedo might be where you need to go for good Chinese food.> The rural development plans include credit, training, agricultural kits, technological institutes, land titles, irrigation plans, farm and ranch insurance, marketing, research, and mechanization. The goal is to deliver 300,000 escrituras (deedslñ..1) to agricultural producers by 2021, create 50,000 new jobs in “el campo” (countryside), and lift 190.000 “campesinos” (country people) out of poverty.
Moreno also announced another emblematic program, Casa para Todos (Home for Everyone) which has plans to deliver 1,000 houses in Quevedo.

Ambassadors – Six ambassadors have been recalled from duty including a traveling ambassador on a special mission; the ambassador to Cuba and Jamaica, housed in Cuba; to International Organizations in Austria; to Venezuela and Guyana, Trinidad y Tobago, and Surinam; to the US; and to Qatar, Syria, Kuwait and Jordan.

Public ad – Camino del Tejar will be closed from 21/8 to 4/9 from calle Del Membrillo to Los Hornos for sewer work. The road will reopen with one lane from 4/9 to 11/9, and be completely open after 11/9. Traffic on Del Tejar between Calle de Los Hornos and Cesár Andrade will be restricted to residents only. Bus 8 will detour onto Ordóñez Lasso as far as calle San Miguel de Putushí 9 to get around the work.

Police – 11,487 applicants for the Policía Nacional are taking psychological tests which are pass or fail. The applicants also have a medical and fitness test, a Prueba Integral de Confianza (Comprehensive Trustfulness Test) which includes
drug, socioeconomic study, pschological interview, and polygraph tests. <From the accompanying photo, it looks like everyone showed up for the interview in a suit and tie.>

Your civics lesson for the day is – 23 political groups in 17 provinces were cancelled by the CNE for not getting at least 3% in their jurisdiction in the last two elections. <Now you know why the ballot isn’t cluttered with lots and lots of tiny little one-issue or one person parties.>

Internacional –

Venezuela – In a phone link to the Cumbre de Procuradores y Fiscales de América Latina (Summit of Attorney Generals and Prosecutors of Latin America), former A.G. Luisa Ortega said that the investigation by her department showed that Pres. Maduro is involved in the Odebrecht case.

Descuentos y compras –

Tía – back to school specials – every $5 in school purchases enters you into a raffle for 60 laptops and backpacks.

And that´s all for today so Hasta Mañana –

Jeanne