Fuel spill in the Cajas prompts investigation; 4-day work week idea gets cool reception; Suspected robber burned to death; French jazz at Casa de la Cultura

Domingo, 27/10/2024

Hola, Todos –

Actividades –

Jazz de Francia y Ecuador en festival (Jazz from France and Ecuador in festival) – Jazz lovers can enjoy a night of music and rhythm el martes, 29/10 at las 18:00 in the Teatro Casa de la Cultura (Luis Cordero y Pres. Córdova) at the 7th edition of the Festival Django Ecuador. You will hear the sounds of saxes, guitars, and violins from the “Minor Sing” from France and the Guayusa Jazz Trió from Ecuador. Free.

Ecuador business owners are skeptical of a government proposal to switch to a four-day work week. (El Mercurio)

“Motivación”: muestra de Julio Montesinos (“Motivation”: exhibit by Julio Montesinos) – As part of the holiday activities, on el 1/11 the muestra pictória (picture show?) “Motivación” will open in the Salón del Pueblo “Efraín Jara Idrovo” of the Casa de la Cultura Ecuatoriana Núcleo de Azuay (Mariscal Sucre y Benigno Malo) at las 19:00. The exhibit will be open all month and you can go to www.cceazuay.gob.ec for more inforation about this and other exhibits. Free.

De El Mercurio del sábado, 26/10 (1 article):
Agenda de actividades en Cuenca (Calendar of activities in Cuenca) – Various activities have been planned for Halloween in Cuenca. El 31/10 a las 21:00, “Hocus Pocus” will be held in the Club Victoria. The Casa del Terror will be at the Millenium Plaza, also el 31/10 from 15:30 until 19:00. The Wayra Plaza will have an elaborar calabazas (pumpkin making) for Halloween on el 31/10 from 17:00 to 19:00. Entrance to that activity is with a factura for any value. <So you could get in for the price of a bottle of water, candy bar or one apple.>

Titular –

De El Mercurio del viernes, 25/10 (1 article):
Control negligente vulnera al Cajas (Negligent control violates Cajas) – On el miéroles, a truck carrying 14 containers with about 4,200 gallons of fuel overturned in the Cajas near Illincocha lake. Verónica Polo, manager of ETAPA denounced the owner of the truck. Technicians sampled water from the lake and others close by to see if they had been polluted, In spite of transporting dangerous substances prohibited in the zone, the truck succeeded in passing the control booth unstopped and undetected. As part of the denunciation, there will be an investigation into the guards, and proceedings to remove <is that a nice way to say “You’re fired?”> them are ongoing.

The guards are employed by a private company and said that the crossing arm was raised because there was no electricity and so vehicles could pass freely. <And they were probably looking at their phones instead of the traffic and an Abrams tank could have gotten through.> Polo said that she is asking the Comisión de Tránsito del Ecuador (CTE) to restrict heavy cargo vehicles to prevent repeats of the accident. Mayor Zamora asked the City’s Comisión de Gestión Ambiental (CGA – Environmental Management Commission) to propose mechanisms to prevent recoccurances. He said it is not normal to transport fuel in this way and hopes that there will be an investigation to find out if this is a legal form of transport or if there could be a network of another type behind it. <Like drug gangs branching out into the gasoline business?)

Environmental laws have prohibitions in protected areas such as the Cajas. You can’t enter with arms, hunting equipment <meant to stop those who want to bag themselves a condor?>, prohibited chemical substances, explosives or inflamable substances, wastes, alcoholic beverages and psychotropic drugs. <So no picnics in the Cajas with a glass of wine.> Aso not allowed are various species of vegetables, vegetative material, and animals that threaten the integrity of the area except for pets in determined spaces.

Cuenca –

Cabalgata como pregón por la Independencia de Cuenca (Cavalcade as an announcement for the Independence of Cuenca) – Close to 1,000 horses were in the Cabalgata Pregón de Independencia de Cuenca ayer. The ride started from the ex-CREA, followed Loja and 12 de Abril avenues and different streets to the Centro Histórico. There were also carros alegóricos (floats – your word for the day), classic cars and carriages. Delegations from different clubs and haciendas from various provinces as well as cantons of Azuay participated.

De El Mercurio del viernes, 25/10 (1 article):
‘Pico y placa’ laboral no convence a todos (Pico y placa’ work does not convince everyone) – A proposal from the Government to adjust the workday according to outage schedules has generating different reactions in the productive sector. The measure would increase the workday to 10 hours over 4 days a week, not to exceed 40 hours a week. Andrés Robalino, executive director of the Cámara del Industrias, Proucción y Empleo (CIPEM – Chamber of Industries, Production and Employment) said any tool that could mitigate the economic impact on the productive sector would be viewed favorably. He thought that micro and small businesses could adapt to these new hours, but not all businesses. He mentioned industries such as cement, ceramics, food, cardboard and paper that operate continually, those that need ovens, lots of electricity, or depend on refrigeration as factories that could not adapt. He talked about businesses that are paying the same salaries even when their employees are working fewer hours and that if things aren’t solved there will probably be massive layoffs.

Propuesta inviable si falta la luz (Proposal unfeasible without electricity) – María Augusta Cando, owner of “Cando Sport” said the ‘pico y placa’ proposal would be applicable only if there was a guarantee of electricity for 10 consecutive hours. She said she only has 6 hours of electricity a day which won’t allow her to cover 10 hours. Her sector is in its busy season due to sports activities, but she depends on electricity. She has changed work hours to 4-5 hours a day for her 6 employees. She is compelled to pick up her employees from their houses at night or madrugada (very early morning) to complete their work hours which is exhausting for everyone. She did buy a $4,000 generator which was not in her budget. <Seems like the Government didn’t think this pico y placa thing through at all. Takes a voice from the trenches to tell it why it won’t work. Especially since this latest 14 hours of cutoffs would leave 10 hours for work, chopped up into 3 segments leaving no time for sleeping, eating, getting the kids to school, etc.>

Tema –

De El Mercurio del sábado, 26/10 (1 article):
Vainilla, el ‘oro orgánico’ (Vanilla, the ‘organic’ gold) – Ecuador, known for its biodiversity and natural richness, has captured the interest of foreign investors, particularly in the agricultural sector. An example is the project to produce organic vanilla in the Manglares Churute ecological reserve. This venture, called Vanilla Holding, led by agronomists Esteban Ochoa Herrera and Francisco Andino with US investor Luke Groeneweg has succeeded in positioning itself as a reference in the international market. Ochoa said that the foreign investment has been a key in the success of the project which now has a hectare dedicated to cultivating vanilla which is made from an orchid native to the region. The capital has enabled them to overcome financial barriers and has magnified the virtues of the Ecuadorian soil, allowing a high value crop with large potential in international markets. <Maybe now bakers can get good vanilla here that’s real and not this funny synthetic stuff. Can you imagine it in the the ice cream at Tutto Freddo or Monte Bianco?>

Another innovative aspect of the project is its employment of women in a zone where there is a lot of machismo and women normally do not work outside of the home. <Maybe women were hired because they work for less pay than men?> Vanilla Holding is the only totally organic producer of vanilla in the country. It uses sustainable agricultural techniques and has adopted a focus to be a carbon neutral business. It plans to expand by 1,500% in the next 5 years.

Sucesos –

Un sospecho de robo murió quemado en Taday (Robbery suspect burned to death in Taday) – The body of a man burned after participating in an attempt to rob an ATM machine in Taday parish in Azogues was left in the middle of the street. Two vehicles used by the gang implicated in the attempted robbery were also burned by residents of the zone. The residents also managed to hold 5 delinquents who were saved from lynching. Alex Trujillo, chief of Subzone Cañar No. 3 said that they were alerted in the madrugada of sábado by a 911 call reporting a group of people trying to rob an ATM in Taday. Police went to the site, but were not allowed in by residents. Preliminary reports said there was a person who was burned. 5 suspects were neutralized by the community and saved by the police. Of the 5 arrested, 2 had long criminal histories. A police spokesman said they are waiting to come to an agreement with the residents fo Dinased agents and the Unidad de Criminalística (UCM – Criminalistics Unit) to collect the body. According to the Policía Nacional, the criminal gang was located in Azogues and also operated in Azuay. The arrestees are also be investigated to see if they were involved in the robbery of a Jardín Azuayo Cooperativa in Shiña, Nabón las 11/10.

And that’s all for today so hasta ? –

Jeanne