Domingo, 10/1/2016, The women’s jail has a pavillion with a 1500 volume library for reading, El Chapo has been recaptured, Mexico is starting the process to extradite El Chapo

Hola, Todos – 

Pagina cultural – 
Exposición – “Montañas y ríos sin fin” (Mountains and rivers without end) will open on 14/1 at 19:00 in the Museo de Arte Moderno.  The exhibit will include video art, sculpture, painting, etc.

Música – a concert by Spanish singer Simón Benítez on 15/1 at 21:00 in the República Sur.  HIs program will include bossa, funk & (I finally found and actually remembered the “and” symbol on this Spanish keyboard!) swing.

Tributo – there will be a tribute to Joaquín Sabina (a Spanish singer) this Sat, 30/1 at 21:30 in La Parola.

Articles about –

An experimental music festival that opens Monday, 11 for 10 days.  Musicians are using traditional western instruments in unusual ways – such as playing the piano strings and not the keys (would that change it from a percussion to a stringed instrument?)  Their first concert will be tomorrow at 20:00 in the Museo Municipal de Arte Moderno (MMAM).  ((‘m going to start using MMAM and save some typing.)  The concerts will be in MMAM, Orquesta Sinfónica de Cuenca and Museo Pumapungo, all free and all at 20:00.

El Observador, a bi-monthly Cuenca magazine has dedicated several pages to poetry, an article about the Plaza San Francisco, and more.  (I’m guessing you’ve figured out from the magazine’s name that it’s in Spanish.)

Exhibit and workshops at the Centro Cultural Municipal El Ángel and Museo de la Casa de Chaguarchimbana.  The exhibit has works from 32 iron craftsmen (and if I remember correctly, one craftswoman) from the Las Herrerías neighborhood and Azogues.  Hours are Mon-Fri from 8-13:00 and 15-18:00 and Sat and Sun from 9-14:00.  There will be training classes for the iron workers in design and new products.  There will also be 15 day workshops for the public in gastronomy, looms, cold porcelain, balloon art, theater, and more.

The CRS (the jail) women’s pavillion has a 1500 volume library for reading, research, recreation and self education.  It’s run by two inmates with help from 4 others.

Otras cosas –

Titular – Labor artesanal de micro empresarios se aloja en hoteles (Products of micro-crafts businesses are in hotels) – 9th semester students from the U of Cuenca, School of Hospitality, Department of Tourism have a project, “Boutiques itinerantes” to showcase work of craftsmen at 4 hotels – Coronel, La Castellana, Los Balcones & San Antonio where Remigio Capelo is promoting his tequila de penco.  (Did you just perk up and take notice when you saw the work tequila?)

Titular del ayer (yesterday’s headline) – “El Chapo” recapturado. (El Chapo recaptured.)  (Remember?  This is the guy who dug himself out of a maximum security pen.)

Mexico – is starting the process to extradite El Chapo to the US. Meanwhile, El Chapo is going back to the same prison he broke out of.  (Sounds like Homeland Security – always protecting us against the last threat.  So they’ve closed off the tunnel.  Will he use a roof exit next?)

Ecuador – will pay $979 million to Oxy by April.  A first installment of $100 million was paid in 21/12/2015.  (I think this is what TPP is going to look like.)

Another jail story – there’s a new option for classes in metalworking and forging (like ironwork, not like fake money – this is, after all a place to be rehabilitated.).

EMAC – is fixing the “balcón turistico” (tourist balcony – it’s a scenic overlook) in Cullca.  (It’s supposed to have as good a view as Turi.)

Actualidades – 

Articles about –

Shuar and Achuar music.  Anthropologist, composer and guitarist Juan Carlos Franco researched the music of the Shuar in Morona Santiago as part of a national project to save living patrimony.  (Much nicer than exterminating the people in the way of “progress” and then trying to study their culture.)  He presented a CD with photos, interviews, videos and transcribed music.

A survey by biology students at the U of Azuay showed that 82.1% of respondents wanted to learn more about climate change.  (And here’s your Spanish for the day)  97.2% responded “si” when asked, “Cree que los efectos del cambio climático ya han comenzado?” (Do you think that the effects of climate change have already started?). And when they were asked, “Cuál es la principal causa del cambio climático? (What is the principal cause of climate change) they answered:  Human activities – 81.5%, human activities and natural causes – 3.4%, and natural causes – 15.1%.  (Wonder what a similar survey would show for the US public and for the US legislature, broken down by party affiliation.)

Las Mascaradas 2016 – included humor, irony and creativity. One photo shows a comparsa dressed as a sixpack of Korona. (And on a side note, would anyone be interested in marching in a gringo contingent next year on the theme of “El Bueno, Lo Malo y Lo Feo?” (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly).  I talked to someone at the Amistad Club in 2014 and anyone can march, the fee structure depends on the size of the group, and he snickered when he heard the theme.)

Also articles on El Niño (nothing you couldn’t get on Google if you were interested) and Bosch (the painter, not the company that makes tools and appliances.)

And that´s all for today so Hasta Mañana –

Jeanne