Colombian border could reopen; U.S. Latino voters support Biden; Lack of passengers, ‘pirate’ buses plague terminal; Cuencana doc honored in New York

Lunes, 19/10/2020

Hola, Todos –

Actividades –
De la pagina cultural –

Contadores de historias sacan patrimonio fílmico de bóvedas (Storytellers extract film heritage from vaults) – The VII edition of the Festival Latinoamericano de Cine de Quito (FLACQ) will be from 15-20/10. The festival will be presented in a virtual format with 19 short films and portions of classic and historic Ecuadorian films. The old films will be presented with comentators in the Japanese tradition of Benshis who used to read the titles in silent films, voice the actors, and comment on the film as it played. One of the films will be “El terror de la frontera,” produced in 1929 by a group of upper class youth from Ambato and Quito. <I guess you’re going to have to Google it if you want to see this festival.>

Museo virtual muestra riqueza de zonas rurales (Virtual museum shows wealth of rural areas) – The Intituto Interamericano de Cooperación para la Agricultura (IICA) inaugurated AgroArt, a virtual art museum where Latinamerican artists can show the richness, diversity, and traditions of rural areas through their works of art. Go to the museum at https://agroart.iica.int. <It’s worth the time to “walk” through the gallery.>

Del cuerpo del periodico –

Quevedeña, nueva Miss Ecuador 2020 (Quevedeña, new Miss Ecuador 2020) – Leyla Espinoza Calvacho, from Quevedo, was elected Miss Ecuador 2020 in a ceremony held in Manta. The 23 year old is a professional model and in her 3d semester in International Business.

Sections of the highway connecting Cuenca and Machala will be reconstructed due to landslides. (El Mercurio)

Xavier Crespo ganador para hacerle una canción a Cuenca (Xavier Crespo winner of the song to Cuenca contest) – Xavier Crespo won the contest held by the Dirección de Cultura del Municipio de Cuenca to write a song for the 200 years of Cuenca’s Independence. It is currently being professionally recorded and videoed and will be presented on 3/11. <Maybe it can be the new gas truck song. “Por eso te quiero Cuenca” is getting awfully old.>

Otras cosas –

Titular – La Cuenca-Pasaje se deteriora (The Cuenca-Pasaje deteriorates) – Two years after the Ministerio de Transporte y Obras Públicas (MTOP – Ministry of Transport and Public Works) signed a maintenance and improvement contract with the Chinese company Sinohydro, the vía Cuenca-Girón-Pasaje is deteriorating again with the most affected stretches from Girón on. One of the most critical points in the highway that connects Azuay and El Oro is at km. 86, at Pacchamama where a geological fault has destroyed 200 meters of paving. An undersecretary of the MTOP said that it cannot contract with another business because the project is one in a package of 10 with Sinohydro and the whole package would have to be terminated.

El terminal terrestre, ventas han disminuido en un 60% (The land terminal, sales have decreased by 60%) – Three months after its reopening, the terminal terrestre doesn’t have many passengers. Commercial spaces say their sales have fallen at least 60% and they are worried since they still have to pay rent. This is evident in the patio de comidas (food court) where very few people are circulating and fewer are buying meals. The owner of a candy shop blamed the economy and Covid. A conductor with the Express Sucre cooperativa said another reason for the scarcity of people at the terminal is informality, or pirate buses.

Reconocen a pediatra en EE.UU. (Pediatrician recognized in the US) – Gina Fernanda Reinoso Aguirre, a Cuencana who graduated in medicine from the U. of Cuenca and completed her residency in pediatrics at the Winthrop University Hospital in NY state, received an award in the US for her work and professional contribution. NY State Senator John Brooks issued a proclamation as part of the Mes Nacional de la Herencia HIspana citing her service to the Hispanic population.

Hoy, Día Mundial de Cáncer de Mama (Today, World Breast Cancer Day) – <I wonder if prostate cancer gets its own day, too?> So far this year, 20,500 patients with breast cancer have been treated at the José Carrasco Arteaga IESS hospital. The hospital has a team of 30 who make up the area called the Búnker de Oncología. <Did the bunker get named because it’s in the basement?> Chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and oncological surgeries have continued uninterrupted during the Covid pandemic. Breast cancer is the cancer most seen followed by uterine and endocervix cancers.

Un policía involucrado en estafa (A police officer involved in scam) – 12 people who were planning to celebrate becoming Agentes Civiles de Tránsito (Civil Traffic Officers) with the Empresa de Movilidad EMOV EP discovered that they were victims of a scam perpetrated by an active member of the Policía Nacional. The police officer was in the Distrito-Gualaceo and his current paradero (whereabouts – our word for the day) is unknown. The victims paid between $4,000 & $7,000 and reported that another public official appeared to be involved. The applicants also took physical, psychological, academic and medical tests. <They would have been better off starting a business. At least if they lost the money, it would have been more slowly.>

Internacional –

US – Crece la confianza de latinos en Biden (Latino confidence in Biden grows) – A poll of over 11,000 registered Latino voters conducted by the Pew Research Center showed that 2/3 favor Biden’s ability to manage health and economic issues, and take the decisions to reduce polarization. For Latinos, with a record number of 32 million eligible voters, the economy, medical attention, and the Coronavirus are the most important issues. <Sounds like everyone else – economy, medical attention and Covid.>

Colombia – Colombia estudia reabrir frontera con Ecuador a partir de noviembre (Colombia studies reopening the border with Ecuador starting in November) – Colombian president Iván Duque said that his Government is studying reopening the land border with Ecuador on 1/11 which has been closed since 18/3 because of the pandemic. He has spoken with Lenín Moreno and hopes to have a teleconference to talk to the Ecuadorian team. The closure of land, maritime, and river frontiers was extended until 1/11 last 30/9. Duque also said that he thought there could be a positive path given the opinion of experts and how the pandemic is acting in the Nariño province. He added that a secure reopening would depend on the citizens and the shared controls with Ecuadorian authorities.

And that’s all for today so hasta ? –

Jeanne