Electric buses will feed the tram; Bike registration project underway; 100% capacity allowance boosts local business; Pandemic hurt Chordeleg craftsmen

Lunes, 18/4/2022

Hola, Todos –

Actividades –

“Lo Invisible”, un filme que retrata la depresión (“The Invisible”, a film that portrays depression) – This film by Ecuadorian Javier Andrade will premier in Quito on el 21/4. It received good reviews in the Festival de Cine de Toronto, Norway, Spain, and other festivals in the US. It is about a woman affected by severe postpartum depression who decides to escape from her routine. She becomes invisibilized and absent from her family and society.

Titular –

De visitante el Cuenca triunfa (Cuenca triumphs as visitors) – Deportivo Cuenca beat Macará in the Estadio Bellavista de Ambato. <You’re on your own for any more information.>

Cuenca –

Eleven electric buses will provide passenger connections for the tram. (El Mercurio)

70% de los hoteles ocupados en Azuay (70% of hotels occupied in Azuay) – See article in CHL for more details.

Aforo al 100% contribuyó a la reactivación de negocios (100% capacity contributed to business reactivation) – Before the Foundation of Cuenca and Holy Week holidays, the Cantonal COE authorized 100% capacity for public and private events. Also, bars and discos extended their hours to 3:00. Food services establishments were allowed to serve alcohol with food. These resolutions were issued given the high vaccination rates in the city. The Consejo Cantonal de Salud said up to last week, 92.36% of the population has had 1 dose, 90.24% the 2nd, and 40.05% the 3d. <I hope you all enjoyed this new freedom and stayed out partying to 3 am. Or until your body told you to stagger home to bed.>

Buses eléctricos se incorporarán en Cuenca (Electric buses will be incorporated in Cuenca) – The Municipio of Cuenca will be incorporating a fleet of 12 electric buses which will be linked to the tranvia terminals, integrating the service. <But probably not the payment system.> Mayor Palacios said that there was a debt swap agreement with the Socieda Alemana GIZ in which the funds would stay in Ecuador in lieu of payment. Cuenca proposed a project in different phases, and won $10 million euros that does not have to be repaid. The GIZ also delivered a pre-feasibility study with which the process of awarding a contract can be done in the 2nd half of this year. The buses could be incorporated in 4-6 months depending on who wins the bid and how long it takes to build and deliver the buses. <If it’s anything like the Tranvía, expect the buses to hit the streets sometime in 2029.>

Consulta si está en el registro pasivo (Check if you are in the passive registry) – As of now, you can consult the web page of the Consejo Nacional Electoral (CNE) to see if you are on the Registro Electoral Pasivo. This is a list of people who did not vote in the last 4 elections which were the 2018 referendum, the 2019 midterm elections, and the 1st and 2nd rounds of the 2021 general elections. If you are on this list, you cannot vote in 2023. If you want to vote in the 2023 elections, you have until 24/5/2022 to complete the qualification procedure at one of the 24 CNE offices or on line at www.cne.gob.ec. This upcoming election is to elect new mayors, prefects and vice-prefects, council members, members of the parish juntas, and members of the Consejo de Participación Ciudadana y Control Social (CPCCS). <I wonder what happens if Lasso gets a question to eliminate the CPCCS on a referendum and it gets scheduled at this midterm election?> The political parties and movements also have procedures and a schedule to hold their primaries.

Registro voluntario para bicicletas (Voluntary bicycle registration) – The Empresa de Movilidad (EMOV EP) is building a data base of bicycle users in Cuenca, and a system of voluntary registration of bikes. Manuel Gallegos, an environmental engineer said bike riders need to register and be part of this initiative. It will help to have actual data on the number of riders, and later the most used routes to identify problems and alternatives that will provide better security for bike riders. To register, go to www.emov.gob.ec, go to servicios, and then fill in the data on you and your bike(s). Lastly, upload a photo of the bike, and confirm the registration. In case your bike is stolen, those who are registered can share on the social networks of all of the companies that make up the municipal corporation.

Olores: la vainilla gana (Smells: vanilla wins) – <What? Not chocolate or coffee?> A study published in Current Biology identified vanilla as the most pleasant scent to people regardless of their cultural or geographic origin. Vanilla was followed by ethyl butylate which smells like peaches. <So if you buy peach juice are you drinking a liquid that “contains real peach pulp” but is flavored by ethyl butylate?> The smell that most people agreed was the least agreeable was isovaleric acid which is in many foods such as cheese, and also in foot sweat. <Does anyone else think that dogs’ feet smell like popcorn?>

Region –

Chordeleg, cuna de los artesanos y fábricas de calzado (Chordeleg, cradle of craftsmen and shoe factories) – Making footwear and jewelry is the main source of income for the inhabitants of Chordeleg canton. The Llavar and Las Colinas sectors are full of workshops and factories dedicated to shoemaking. These businesses suffered an economic blow during the pandemic with one shoemaker saying that his production fell from 120 or more pairs per week to not even 80. <I guess with 2 years of pandemic and no one going anywhere, we weren’t wearing out our shoes even if we could find an open shoe store. Now I want to go shoe shopping.>

Nacional –

Australia apoya el ingreso de Ecuador al Trans-Pacifico (Australia supports Ecuador’s entry into the Trans-Pacific Partnership) – Ambassador Arturo Cabrera presented his credentials to David Hurley, the governor general of the commonwealth of Australia. An official communication signaled that representatives of both countries were in agreement to strengthen bilateral relations. It also mentioned Australia’s support for Ecuador’s entry into the Tratado Integral y Progresivo de Asociación Trans-Pacifico (CPTPP) which is the largest commercial trade agreement in the world, and includes Australia, México, New Zealand, Singapore, Vietnam and more.

Descuentos y compras –

El Mercurio – 2.6 liter, 1300W Air Fryer with nonstick basket and 1 year garantee – $69.00 plus IVA at all El Mercurio offices. All credit cards accepted.

And that’s all for today so hasta ? –

Jeanne
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Editor’s note: Jeanne’s Periodico is a translated digest of news from the Cuenca daily newspaper El Mercurio. If details, such as event dates and times, do not appear in the translation, they did not appear in the newspaper (please don’t ask her for them). The text between the carrots, or guillemets (< … >), is Jeanne’s personal opinion and not part of the news translation.