Domingo, 17/4/2016: Ecuador ranks 5th for energy independence, Man killed in Centro, Beware the drone, Warriors roll

Hola, Todos – 

I hope you aren’t too shaken by yesterday’s quake. For those of you in high rises – was there much swaying? 

Pagina cultural – 

Upcoming things –

Revista Avance (the magazine Avance) – The 293d edition is available and features Cuencano poet Efraín Jara and masks and carvings of Sri Lanka.

Taller de danza (dance workshop) –  The intensive workshop “Danza desde el vacío” (Dance from a vacuum), will be Mon. at 10:00 in República Sur (Pres. Córdova 5.55).  For more info or to register, call 098 352 9242.

Exposición fotográfica – “La mochila del litoral” (The coastal backpack) will open on 21/4 at 18:00 in the Museo Pumapungo and run for one month. The fotos show social innovation in various Afro communities along the Pacific coast of Colombia.

Articles about –

“El cuerpo presente” (The present body) – This performance art workshop will be Mon. from 8-14:00 in Sono (Pres. Borrero 6-83) for artists and other interested people.  Cost: $15.00.  Arrive before 8:00 because the doors will be closed at 8, and not opened again until the workshop is over.  (I guess the organizers know about Cuenca time.  Although if there’s another quake I’d hope they’d open doors to let people out if need be.  I wonder if the guy who paints himself silver and pretends to be a statue is a performance artist or just another busker?)

Cine de Carlos Naranjo – there will be a film series of cinematographer Carlos Naranjo in the Sala de Conciertos (Concert Hall) in the Casa de la Cultura from Tue, 19/4 to Fri, 22/4 with shows at 10:00 for high schools, and at 19:00 for the general public.  From 26-29/4, Carlos Naranja will offer an intensive workshop in audiovisual production.  Register in the Departamento de Comunicación at CCE (Pres. Córdova y Luis Cordero).

Otras cosas –

Titular – Pánico por sismo y alerta de tsunami (Panic due to quake and tsunami alert) (If you’ve been watching TV you know more than was reported. I think the paper was going to press just about when the earthquake hit.)

Man shot – on Fri, night at about 23:50 at Hermano Miguel and Honorato Vasquez. He was killed instantly by two people on a motorcycle which was found a short distance away.  The alleged mastermind was apprehended in Cuenca. The investigation was helped by videos from ECU-911 cameras.

Guayusa – The plant grows in the provinces of Napo, Orellana y pastaza and is used to make tea and also in indigenous rituals. “La Ruta de la Guayusa” is a community tourism project where visitors can consult with a shaman if you have bad dreams and receive a cleansing based on a drink (whoopee – a cleansing that includes booze), herbs and guayusa.  The company Runa, offers visitors to Archidona the opportunity to learn more about this ancestral drink. La Libertad in Napo Province is also involved in guayusa.

Energy security – Ecuador ranks 5th in the world for energy security and 1st in Latin America with the second lowest cost after Paraguay.  (I guess the US is secure as long as they keep the biggest military force.)  The Coca Codo Sinclair plant will send electricity to the El Inga substation outside of Quito through a 500 kilovolt line.  Just Coca Codo will reduce air pollution by 3.45 tons of CO2 per year, the equivalent of taking 1,200,000 cars off the road (not that Ecuador – or even China – has that many cars to take off the road). 90% of the country’s electricity will be produced by the rivers.  (God willing and if the creek don’t run dry…)

ANT – La Agencia Nacional de Tránsito (unscramble the words and you have your translation – all cognates) no longer requires copies of your cedula and voting certificate to do paperwork with ANT.  (Remember that when you register your car – unless they change the requirement before your matricula is due.)

Hogar de los Abuelos – This project has opened a second location on Loja y Alfonso Borrero with a capacity of serving 70 seniors.  To be part of this project you need to be over 65, fending for yourself and be living either alone or with other seniors. (I’m translating this because this is something available to you – in Spanish.  Motivated yet?  I’m trying to entice, coax, shame, or scare you into learning the language of the country in which you live – whatever works.)

Actualidades – 

Articles about –

La Casa de la Provincia – The building was given to the city by the Comunidad de las Madres del Buen Pastor (Community of the Mothers of the Good Shepherd (Would they all be named Mary?)) and restored.  It had previously functioned as a women’s jail, girls’ juvenile hall and school.  On the corner of Tomás Ordóñez and Simón Bolívar, there is a wooden cross which has been replaced over the centuries, but was originally put at the site where the indigenous worshiped.  The conquistadors did that to substitute Catholicism for the original religions.

La Toreadora – this lake in the Parque Nacional Cajas has a lookout point and path around the lake that can be walked in 2-3 hours.

Drone – Cuenca has a drone mounted with a camera that can take pictures with a resolution of 4K (4096 x 2160 pixels – I guess that’s good).  (So if you see a drone buzzing (do they buzz?) overhead during a festival, smile. They’re taking pictures and not dropping bombs.  If you see a drone with the Stars and Stripes, better take cover.)

Deportes –

Warriors – (The Oakland Warriors, if you please) are doing well and beat the Houston Rockets 104 to 78.

And that´s all for today so Hasta Mañana –

Jeanne