Expert warns of increasing cyberattacks; Kids without parents at U.S. border soars; Tenants kill landlord; Bolsonaro accused of crimes against the Amazon

Miércoles, 13/10/2021

Hola, Todos –

Actividades –

Una “Liga del Dibujo”, del papel a realidad (A”Drawing League,” from paper to reality) – 4 illustrators, cartoonists, and designers have organized an event to show people that there is more to their art than Marvel or DC comic book characters. The exhibit will open el viernes in the Casa de las Posadas a las 17:00, and will run to el 15/11. There will also be a series of conversations about the different branches of illustration including comics, manga, and graphic novels. Between 1-3/11, there will be a space where the public can draw and learn from the experience of the members of the “Liga del dibujo.”

Artes se toman el Museo Universitario (Arts take over the University Museum) – The University Museum is gradually returning to face-to-face activities with a schedule emphasizing participation by students, graduates, and artists in Cuenca. There is a miércoles en el museo, in which every 2 weeks, there will be presentations of theater, music and poetry. Octubre started with 2 virtual events and continued today with 2 concerts at 19:00 & 20:00 featuring the rock band Terra. On el 15/10, the exhibit “Proyectos Imposibles para curar la pandemia” (“Impossible Projects to Cure the Pandemic”) will close with the Coro Polifónico of the U. of Cuenca performing. On el 27/10 at 19:00 and 20:00, there will be a poetry recital with Camila Peña, winner of the Premio de Poesia Hispanoamericano Francisco Ruiz Udiel. The activities in noviembre will be part of the celebrations of the Independencia de Cuenca.

Cuenca internet security expert Vadim Avdeev warns that cybercrime is incerasing.

Candidatas a Reina de los Barrios de Cuenca (Candidates for Queen of the Neighborhoods of Cuenca) – On el sábado, 23 de octubre, a las 20:00, the election and coronation of the Reina de los Barrios de Cuenca 2021-2011 will be held in the coliseo of the Sindicato de Choferes Profesionales del Azuay. There are 8 candidates for the crown.

Titular –

Menores, sin padres en la frontera (Children at the border without parents) – Between 10/2020 and 8/2021, a total of 3,504 Ecuadorian minors went without their parents to different sectors of the border between the US and México. There were 119 in 10/2020 gradually increasing to 570 in 8/2021. During the US fiscal year from 10/2019 to 9/2020, there were 619 children and teens found at the border without their family. Pablo Almeida, an attorney and researcher of migration, said at least 60% of the 3,504 minors left from the Austro (south) of the country. Most of those kids were from Azuay and especially cantons such as Cuenca, Gualaceo, Santa Isabel, Girón, Chordeleg, and Paute. The main reason was to reunite with their parents. He called family reunification a a practice typical of our society. <It’s a tragedy that the parents had to leave in the first place. But what do you do if your choice is between leaving the kids or feeding the kids?>

Cuenca –

Ataques cibernéticos or ciberataques (cyberattacks – as if you hadn’t translated that for yourself already) increased with double the number of frauds between 12/2020 and 1/2021. <Doubling in one month?> Felipe Quezada, a systems engineer, defined a cyberattack as a deliberate and malicious invasion of the information system of a person or business, with different goals, principally economic. Therefore there is a need to take precautions to avoid being a victim of these crimes. <I’m not going to translate all the precautions since I’m sure you know them better than I do. Actually, some of you present yourselves as knowing everything better than God does.>

Bancos deben tener un mejor sistema (Banks should have a better system) – Vadim Avdeev, principal of Avdeev Lab Cyber Security, thinks the only way to protect oneself against cyberattacks is if banks create a better system since there is only so much an individual can do. <Back to paper, land line phones, and snail mail which still wouldn’t solve the problems at a bank.> He mentioned internet providers as another problem since they can also be hacked. The pandemic showed another problem when people dedicated themselves to information crimes. The big problem at some providers are employees who can collect and sell information on the black market. For security at home, Avdeev recommended installing another router separate from the one from your internet provider. This would function as a converter and you should configure it yourself <Me? For whom just turning the computer on is an accomplishment?> or have it done by a trusted person. Another way information is stolen and sold on a large scale is by network adminstrators who have the best access. This is where problems with banks appear. He also warned to take care when using WiFi especially public networks.

Habrá lluvia y frío (There will be rain and cold) – The Instituto Nacional de Meteorología e Hidrología (Inamhi) is forecasting rain and cold at least for the rest of the month in the interandean alley which includes Azuay. The days will be cloudy with less cloud cover in the interior, isolated rains, moderate wind, and a sensation of cold in the coast. In Azuay, the skies will be partially cloudy to cloudy with precipitation, isolated lloviznas (drizzles – our word for the day), and some foggy days. <Those will be the days you want to drive down to Guayaquil or the coast.> There will also be high ultraviolet radiation between 13 & 16 UV which is considered extremely high.

Sucesos –

Matan a víctima durante robo (Victim killed during robbery) – A 70 year old man, owner of a rental house in Totoracocha on calles de los Colorados y Puruhaes, was killed by 2 criminals who posed as prospective tenants for a room for rent. The criminals demanded $15,000 to leave the victim alive, and when the money wasn’t given, they hit him, causing his death. He was accompanied by his daughter who was subdued and tied up. She managed to get loose and called 911. The criminals then went to another house owned by the victim where they stole a pick up and fled. The Policía Nacional found passports for 2 Venezuelans at the scene and are searching for them as presumed perpetrators of the crime. <So you landlords out there might want to consider bringing your biggest and meanest looking friend with you when you show an apartment. Full biker gear would be appropriate.>.

Region –

Cambios al interior de terminal (Changes inside the terminal) – Users of the Terminal Terrestre de Cuenca should pay for their intercantonal and interprovincial bus tickets only at the windows. This measure has been in effect for a couple of weeks to optimize service and to verify that passengers are paying the official fares. The bus companies should have sales offices in the terminal to sell tickets to riders. You should see posters at the windows, as well at the turnstiles going into the boarding area telling you to purchase your ticket at the offices before boarding the bus. However, there are still some cooperativas which are rounding up their fares including the “Santiago de Gualaceo” line which is collecting $1.30 when the official fare is $1.27. <Buyer beware.> A representative of the line claimed that they had authorization from ANT. The provincial director of ANT said that this was not true and transport companies can not charge more than the official fare. She asked passengers to report this behavior, and show proof, such as the receipt for the ticket. <Why would a sleazy company issue a ticket proving it overcharged its customers?> Bus companies who round up can be sanctioned with a fine of 6 SBU’s (Salario Básicos Unificados) or $2,400.

Eliminar “enganche” (Remove “hitch”) – Since EMOV EP has been administering the terminal, it hopes to bring control to the 50% fare discounts for seniors, disabled persons, and children. It also plans to eliminate the “enganchadores” who call passengers to get on their buses. Juan Aguirre, the general manager of EMOV EP, said there are 56 sales spaces, of which 27 are windows to buy tickets.

Mundo –

Denuncian a Bolsonaro por crímenes contra humanidad (Bolsonareo accused of crimes against humanity) – An Austrian non-profit has accused Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro in the Corte Penal International (International Criminal Court) of crimes against humanity for his widespread attack against the Amazon. The 300 page complaint form AllRise urged the ICC to open an investigation to prosecute Bolsanaro and members of his Government. The document showed that the Bolsonaro’s policy of destruction of the Amazon has caused huge damage at local, regional, and international levels and will cause an additional 180,000 deaths from this year to 2100 due to CO2 emissions attributable to Bolsonaro’s administration.

And that’s all for today so Hasta ? –

Jeanne