Domingo, 20/12/2015: Gov’t checks noise levels, DUI crack-down, New football champs, Christmas music, Banks report profits

Hola, Todos – 

Pagina cultural – 

Festival de Villancicos – (remember villancicos? or did your tercera aged brain let you down again?) will be on Mon, (21/12) at 20:00 with the Cuenca Internacional Chorale in the Catedral Vieja (Sucre y Luis Cordero).

Concierto – la Rondalla Cañari (the Cañari story) will be on Tue, (22/12) at 20:00 in the Teatro Sucre. (Is that like the Christmas story with llamas and taitas instead of sheep and magi? Oops, here I am showing my ignorance again.)  (Just googled it – it’s a group of musicians who will present Ecuadorian music.)

Sinfónica – the Cuenca Symphony Orchestra will play a Christmas Concert on Wed, (23/12) at 20:00 in the Catedral Vieja.

Articles about –

The Coro (Choir) Santa Catalina which celebrates 30 years since it started in the Catalinas High School. They will perform a Christmas concert on Tues, 22/12 at 20:00 in the Catedral Vieja.

The Galería Versailles is offering vintage “afiches y estampas” (posters and prints – your words for the day. I should have held onto my Winterland and Fillmore posters.) Their posters are for classic movies. (calles Hermano Miguel y Pres. Còrdova).

El Grupo Musical Familiar (The Family Music Group) NIBUNIRA will present “Tour Regeso a Casa” (Homecoming Tour – and this has nothing to do with a high school football game) of Ecuador from 26/12 to 26/1/2016 to promote their CD, “Regreso a Casa.”  Cuenca will be one of their stops.

A meeting of 72 representatives from world class museums met in Cuenca to discuss professional issues (That’s a cop out to avoid mistranslating a list of stuff I don’t understand.).

Otras cosas –

Titular – Emelec or Liga de Quito levantan la copa, hoy (Emelec or Liga de Quito will raise the cup (trophy) today). (My decision not to translate fútbol is confirmed. I can figure out what a triunfo and an empate (win, tie) are, but what are reveses and caídas? New words (to me) for losses?  And I wouldn’t be able to translate NFL football terms to Spanish either.  Like a down isn’t the opposite of up and a 2 point conversion – how do you convert a point?)

Cuyker (pronounce it sort of like Quicker) – is a new multi-platform app created by two U of Cuenca grads where event organizers can announce social, cultural, sports, political, etc events for free. (I’m writing myself out of a job especially since you can read it in English or Spanish.)  You can download the app from GooglePlay and AppStore and it will work on Web, Android and iOS.

Noise levels – at different stores and commercial locations, especially in El Centro, are being measured. Businesses that exceed allowable noise levels will be notified. The Environmental Commission will also control sales of natural materials used in nativity scenes. (Baby Jesus is going to have to sleep on plastic Easter basket grass instead of endangered moss. Somehow, I don’t think he’d have minded. My personal belief is that Jesus would have been an environmentalist and maybe even a communist. Remember – he didn’t sell those loaves and fishes – he gave them away.)

Private banks – closed the year with less in savings, but this does not imply a less stable or reliable finance system, only that it has been affected, along with the rest of the economy, by the fall in oil prices. (I can write a sentence like that, but I have no idea if I’m using subordinate or object clauses or some other grammatical gobbledygook.) The banks earning the most in the period 2007-2014 were Banco Pichincha with $596,508,000; Guayaquil with $365,913,000; and Pacífico with$355,338,000. (So are these the “too big to fail” Ecuadorian banks? Or is Ecuador more coldblooded about bailing out banks who gamble and lose?)

Police page – (these are your sliver of life articles for the day. Life isn’t always all legal.)

The Orquesta Sinfónica de Cuenca played a Christmas concert for 100 men and 51 women inmates at the Centro de Rehabilitaciòn Social (CRS – Social Rehabilitation Center – jail).

Three people were arrested, and 3 pistols were found at a house on Rafael María Arízaga y Mariano Cueva which was functioning as a clandestine bar.

10 drivers were arrested for DUI on Fri. night in operations on Los Andes and calle Larga. The police concentrate on areas with a lot of night life because they know people drink and drive. (So take this as a warning – don’t drink and drive unless you like sitting in jail for a few days.)

An announcement for a symposium on nutrition, physical activity and public health organized by the U of Cuenca on 1,2 and 3 of Feb, 2016. Open to students, professionals, professors and researchers in the areas of Health, Phys. Ed, Architecture, Food Engineering (sounds like what Monsanto does) and Gastronomy. Go to www.snascuenca.com until 15/1/2016. Cost: $100 for students an $200 for professionals.

ADUANA (Customs) – auctioned off 19 seized or abandoned TVs valued at over $7,000.  (So now you know what happened to those 3d, 4th or more TV’s you imported without a license.)

Actualidades – 

Articles about –
Conserving Cuenca’s patrimony.

December music (villancicos – I’m nagging to help you remember) and colors.

The U of Cuenca which was founded on 15/10/1867 and whose first rector was Benigno Malo. (So now you know who the steeet and colegio are named after and you can haul it out at trivia night.)

Kurt Masur, director of the NY Philharmonic Orchestra.

Tourism in Cuyabeno, a reserve in Sucumbíos in the NE part of the Ecuadorian Amazon. The article says it’s worth the effort it takes to get there from southern Ecuador. First you have to get to Lago Agrio, then to Tarapoa by road where you can get to the reserve by either of two rivers – the Cuyabeno (2 hrs) or the Aguarico (9 hrs). The area has about 12,000 species of plants and 1320 of animals. The reserve’s main attraction is the flooded florest.  It’s also home to 5 nationalities: Sionas, Secoyas, Cofanes, Quichuas and Shuaras who offer community tourism.

Discuentos – 

SuperStock – 20% off – men´s, women´s and children´s clothing – Av. de las Américas y Juan Larrea.

Hacienca Uzhupud – New Year’s Eve dinner show – $89 adults, $20 children – 31/12 (just in case you missed the New Year’s Eve part) at 21:00 – includes a buffet, glass of sparkling wine, grapes (you eat 12 of them at midnight), dancing, Año Viejo contest, fireworks, open bar (now I’ve got your attention – just don’t drink the place out of business), a DJ and chicken soup at dawn (assuming you can stay awake that long).

Guillermo Vazquez Joyería – up to 50% off on all watches and jewelry (restrictions apply – like only merchandise over $1000?) – until 31/12 – Mall del Rio and Luis Cordero y Gran Colombia.

El Mercurio subscribers – can join the club de suscriptores for free – discounts and other benefits at different businesses – call 411-1786, ext. 213.  (So this is an announcement applies to me and how many other gringos that subscribe to the paper?  I only know of one other.

Marsella – textiles and accessories – up to 50% off – 21-24/12 – Av. 12 de Abril, sector coliseo, ample parking (Hey, there are lots of gringos who drive here.)

Mercedes (yes, the same Mercedes that makes vehicles) – special price – 3/4 OM366 bus motor – $5,500 incl. IVA. (But I can’t think of any gringos who are driving Mercedes buses.)

And that´s all for today so Hasta Mañana –

Jeanne