Cuenca foundation festival, Liquor sales could be suspended, Food anthropology, Jeanne retires

Domingo, 1/4/2018

Hola, Todos –

Happy Easter and Happy April Fool’s Day.

Pagina cultural –

Upcoming agenda event –

Teatro – Juana Estrella will return to the AtrapaSueños Cultural Space from 4-6/4 a las 20:00 with “Mujereando,” her tribute to women who marked history, development, and a vision of society.

Articles about –

Straw hats – Charo Iglesias, a hat specialist from Spain is having training sessions with weavers’ associations in Azuay and Cañar to talk about innovation and design in their products. She spoke about face shape and features and hats to flatter as well as colors. She also said that the weavers are making their hats for an international market including places with “cuatro estaciones” (4 seasons – your words for the day). <Who’s going to wear a Panama hat in a Nordic winter?>

Taller – A workshop on how to write a short story with illustrations was given yesterday.

Taller de Contact – From 5-8/4 at 15:00, 10:00, and 16:00, there will be a Danza Contact workshop in the Rizoma Plataforma Disidente on the lower levels of the CCE. It’s for people interesting in moving, feeling, listening to yourself and communicating with your body. Cost: $40.00. <Still want to go?>

Música – A new band, “La Enemistad del Camarón Brujo” (The Enmity of the Shrimp Witch) <A Shrimp Witch sounds like something Ron Popeil would sell that deveins and peels shrimp in nanoseconds with just the push of a button.> will play a special concert el 6/4 a las 21:00 in the Rizoma. They will play experimental music. <Which could be good or could be noises wandering around in search of organization.>

Otras cosas –

Titular – Sangurima y Vélez los más destacados del arte religioso (Sangurima and Vélez the most outstanding in religious art)

Fundación de Cuenca – The Municipality has printed 20,000 copies of the schedule of 214 activities for the 461st anniversary of the founding of Cuenca. The activities will start hoy and end el 30/4. The highlights include international artists and will be from 11-15/4. The agendas will be distributed starting miércoles, 4/4, and on line at www.cuenca.gob.ec. The Mega Feria (like a county fair midway) will be at the Complejo Deportive de Totoracochan. This is a booze free feria. You will not be admitted if you’re already drunk.

Dry Cuenca* – Police have discovered a counterfeiting ring that is printing fake seals and labels for alcohol. These bottles have already been mostly mixed in on the shelves and need to be removed. While the government workers are doing this, alcohol sales will be suspended for a period possibly as long as 2 weeks.

Pakistan – Ecuador is looking at Pakistan as a potential market for flowers which they currently import from Holland. Ecuador is hoping to sell directly to Pakistan.

Election observers – A delegation from the Ecuadorian CNE (Consejo Nacional Electoral) is in Costa Rica observing the run off elections today.

Pot hunters* – There are clandestine tour operators called pot hunters. They find out where the police will be burning marijuana seized in raids and arrange last minute tours to be downwind when that happens. The cost of the tour includes transportation and a picnic lunch. <Probably heavy on the salty and sugary snacks.>

Water – Since el viernes anterior, 600 families in Santa Isabel are without potable water, and 1,700 families don’t have water to irrigate after a “sifón” (trap) in a water supply line broke.

Actualidades – As usual, if the description of an article interests you, go to www.elmercurio.com.ec to read the whole thing. <Or run it through your translation program and then read it.>

Antropología alimentaria desde Saraguro, Loja (Food anthropology from Saraguro, Loja) – Sacred Foods that Cure was a project done in 2017 in Cañar, Azuay and Loja with the Universidad de Rosario in Argentina. The article talks about the Saraguro and their myths, rites and gods over planting, harvesting and eating as well as the fieta de la Supalata.

An essay about the Colegio Centenario (Benigno Malo?) and other stuff.

An interview with Luis Carpio – This retired teacher and martial arts instructor has written a book, “Historia Verdadera del Inicio de la Práctica del Judo y del Karate en Cuenca” (True Story of the Beginning of the Practice of Judo and Karate in Cuenca).

Intercultural – The article is titled, “Oriente ecuatoriano y sus culturas milenarias” (Ecuadorian East and its millenary cultures) – It is about the Selva Amazónica. To start – did you know that one tree in the Amazon can have has many species of ants living on it as in the whole of the British Isles? Or that one hectare of rainforest has as many species of frogs as in all of North America? <Well now you do. Those sceptics among you can run it through Snopes and see if it’s true.> 40% of the world’s fresh water flows through the Amazon basin. <PLEASE, don’t tell Nestle.>

Deporte y Salud – The article is titled, “El rugby, un deporte que evoluciona” (Rugby, a sport that evolves) and is about rugby in Cuenca. The UPS and UDA have rugby teams and there are private clubs.

Actualidades –

Aires de Bandoneón – This Argentine group will launch its first CD at an event on 5/4 a las 20:00 in the teatro Pumapungo. Also on the bill are Sandra Argudo, “Los Bandoneones Cuencancos,” and the Quinteto Polifónico, with the Verónica Padrón dance group. Tickets available at El Surtido and La Victoria stores. Cost: $15.00.

Internacional –

Perú – Over 26,000 officials and government workers have been investigated in Peru in the last 5 years. 3,671 have been sanctioned.

Descuentos y compras –

Universidad de Cuenca – The Feria Regional del cuy 2018 will be el miércoles, 11&/4 at the Department of Agricultural Sciences on the Yanuncay Campus. <On the uphill side of 12 de octubre entre Don Bosco y la Autopista>.

And that´s all for today. As of today I am retiring. I have been translating El Mercurio for almost 5 years and the original reasons no longer apply. I am wondering what it will be like to have two extra hours each day, 6 days a week. I could take a class in something, go to the gym, go swimming, watch TV or a movie, AND go to a concert. And recuperate the next week.

Thank you for reading these posts.

Jeanne