Construction increases in city; Motorcycle ownership up 127%; Marriages drop as divorces increase; ‘Dollar for dogs’ campaign; Medical marijuana controls

Hola, Todos –

Actividades –

Old news from sábado, 11/6/2022

Cita de saberes y artes en Pumapungo (Rendezvous of knowledge and arts in Pumapungo) – To celebrate Inti Raymi, there will be events starting el lunes, 13/6 in the Museo and Parque Arqueológico Pumapungo. The “Andesmanta-Desde los Andes” event will have dance, music, art and ancestral knowledge of the Cañari, from the Amazon and of Inti Raymi. The event’s organizer, Bryan Jara, said on el 18/6 there will be a music presentation a las 19:00 in the Teatro Pumapungo. On el 19/6 a las 10:00, dance groups such as Expresión Cultural Vida Nueva and the dance group from the U. Católica de Cuenca will perform. A las 12:00, there will be an Inti Raymi ceremony in the Complejo del Pumapungo. For last, a las 13:00, the group Los Ñukanchis will perform. All activities are free with limited capacities.

Titular –

Building starts in Cuenca are increasing following two years of declines.

Nuevas figuras en motocros (New figures in motocross) – The 2nd qualifying round for the Provincial Motocross Championships was held at the MX Track in Chaullabama. <I’m done, consistent with my no sports translating policy.>

Cuenca –

Sector de la construcción registra “efecto rebote” (Construction sector registers “rebound effect”) – A slight rebound of 3% in 2022 is expected for the construction sector. This is due to the resumption of projects delayed during the health crisis and to remittances sent to purchase real estate which grew 31% in 2021 to $4.362 billion. Henry Astudillo, president of the Cámara de la Construcción de Cuenca, said the industry was affected by measures to contain the pandemic and 2020 was worse than 2021 with both years showing negative numbers compared to pre-Covid years. Some of the causes were a decrease in public investments in construction and increases in building materials. He emphasized that the Free Trade Agreement which the Government expects to sign with China this year, should include conditions that would protect Cuenca which is an industrial city.

Matriculación de motos subió 126.85% de 2016 al 2021 (Motorcycle registrations up 126.85% from 2016 to 2021) – According to the municipal business, EMOV EP, in 2016, 6.951 motos were registered in Cuenca. This grew by 126.85% to 15,768 in 2021. In the first 4 months of 2022, 4,572 were registered. <And I bet a lot of them have some kind of delivery box mounted on the back.> In the same time period, vehicle registrations rose from 78,960 in 2016 to 86,107 in 2021. Between enero y abril of this year, 24,627 vehicles have been registered. <Interesting that I’ve heard gringo claims of being responsible for driving the housing market, but nothing about gringos supporting the automotive sector. Maybe it’s because not enough gringos know enough Spanish to pass the written driver’s test.>

ARCSA verifica productos con cannabis (ARCSA checks cannabis products) – Technicians from the Agencia Nacional de Regulación, Control y Vigilancia Sanitaria (ARCSA) are intensifying controls to check products containing cannabis to see that they do not exceed the permitted percentages. In general, the permitted percentage for foods is 0.3%, and 1% for medications. The Asamblea Nacional reformed the penal code to allow cannabis for therapeutic, paliative, and medical uses, and for alternative medicine. Patients need to show they are suffering from an illness confirmed with a professional diagnosis. <A prescription from Dr. Feelgood might not make the cut. Any volunteers out there to test for efficacy of the medications?>

Atención por un dólar para mascotas (Care for a dollar for pets) – The Tu Mascota Ecuador, also known as Tu Mascota por Un Dólar, is going to various provinces to treat pets for a symbolic dollar. Susan Guerrero, a veterinarian, started this campaign 12 years ago and she has been to 8 provinces in Ecuador with groups of volunteers. She started the project 14 years ago when she was diagnosed with an incurable cancer. She offered God a life in service in exchange for a little more time. <Sounds like God got an offer even he couldn’t refuse.> As a vet, the only way for her to repay that opportunity was to treat animals. She offers 2 packages of services. The first is deworming, a medical ear cleaning against mites, nail cutting, and a bath against fleas, ticks, and mange. The 2nd package is a medical exam with an ultrasound and laparascopy, and if needed, saline solution with medications are also administered.

Cifras de matrimonios y divorcios (Marriage and divorce statistics) – The Instituto Nacional de Estadísticas y Censos (INEC) published the Registro Estadístico de Matrimonios y Divorcios, Mayo: 2022. From 2020 to 2021, the marriage rate went from 22.4% to 21.1%, and the divorce rate from 8.3% to 12.7%. <Understandable for couples who’d never had to be stuck in the same house 24/7 for a whole year.> In 1997, the average length of a marriage was 12 years, and in 2021, it was 15.7. Of the men who married in 2021, for 84.6% it was their first marriage. For 89.0% of women, it was a first marriage. In 2007, the average age for first marriages was 28 for men and 25 for women. Currently, the ages are 31 for men and 29 for women. <Ecuadorians are catching up to the Irish for marrying late.> In 2021, the Sierra registered the largest percentage of marriages with 47.5% while the Galápagos only registered 0.4%. The Sierra also had the highest rates of divorce with 47.4%.

Sucesos –

Curso internacional de Búsqueda y Rescate (International Search and Rescue Course) – An international course in Búsqueda y Rescate en Estructuras Colapsadas (BREC) started yesterday morning in the Escuela de Bomberos de Cuenca, “Crnl. Efraín Vásquez Tálbot.” The training will run until 19/7. 31 firefighters from different cities and provinces including Cuenca as well as from Uruguay and Paraguay are participating. <I fervently hope they never have to use this knowledge.> The course is supported by the Organización de Bomberos Americanos (OBA), which is the largest international cooperative institution among firefighters in the world.

There was also an open house called “Respuesta Ante un Terremoto” with different aid organizations offering information on prevention, response, and recuperation from large adverse events. For example, the Servicio Nacional de Gestión de Riesgos (National Risk Management Service) had a earthquake simulator vehicle to show how to prepare for dangerous events. The Cruz Roja taught people how to make a family emergency plan and the importance of a emergency backpack. <Like that earthquake kit people living on the Pacific coast were all supposed to have. I should have brought mine with me, but it lived in the back yard and I couldn’t lift it.>

And that’s all for today so hasta ? –

Jeanne