Gov’t releases sealed docs from Coopera case, Big Octoberfest planned, Brazil’s economy tanks, Local kid win in Chinese math competition

Miércoles, 14/8/2019

Hola, Todos –

Actividades –
De la pagina cultural –

Museo de sitio Manuel Agustín Landívar – This museum remains closed due to lack of funds for archeological staff and to research and catalogue some 200 ceramics and stone pieces in the collection. There is some money to maintain the site.

Book launch – “Perú, Arqueología de los Andes” by Pedro Iberico Portocarrero will be launched mañana a las 18:00 in the Sala Comunitaria of the Museo Pumapungo and in the parque Pumapungo. From 18-20/9, there will be a “Simposio Internacional de Arqueología Urbana” at the Pumapungo. The symposium will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the arrival Max Uhle, the father of archeology in Ecuador. Registrations for the symposium open tomorrow. <And now you know why Max Uhle, who doesn’t have an Ecuadorian name, has a street named after him.>

Oktoberfest is coming up. A cold girl anyone?

Taller – There is a contemporary dance workshop from Wednesday to el 16/8 in Adagio Centro de Danza (Calle Pueblo de los Quitus, behind the Megatienda del Sur < Av. de Las Américas y Loja – hectic, but less intimidating than the Feria Libre.>) with dancer Marcelo Javier Guaigua who is member of the National Dance Company of Ecuador.

Del cuerpo del periodico –

“Chill & Chela Octoberfest” – This festival featuring food, music and craft beer companies will be el 27 & 28/9 on the terrace of the Hotel Oro Verde. There will be 80 styles of beers from 15 cervecerías artesanales <Is there any gringo here who doesn’t know that cerveza is beer?> The festival is pet friendly and will have live music and dj sets. <Polka bands? Or will they not get that authentic.>

Otras cosas –

Titular – Reabren caso Coopera (Coopera case reopened) – Two former officials of the Correa administration, Doris Soliz y Patricio Rivera, are being investigated as part of the Coopera case which is considered the largest money laundering case in el Austro (the South – of Ecuador – remember Austro, I will be using it from now on. Associate it with Banco del Austro if that helps.>

The announcement was made today along with declassification of information about the cooperative. Years of confidentiality about the liquidation of Coopera were applied by the previous government when the law stipulates only 180 days in these cases. <Makes you wonder what they were hiding.> The coop accumulated losses of $50 million and was closed in 2013 because of mismanagement of the funds of 130,000 affiliates. The secretario Nacional Anticorrupción described a triangular movement of funds between Venezuela and Ecuador via tax havens.

Math talents shine in China – A 13-year-old from Azogues won second place, and 2  8-year-olds from Cuenca won first and second places in their age categories at Aloha Aritmetic, an international competition for math calculations. The programs uses el ábaco (abacus – your word for the day. Not all words need to be ones you use often.> to train the kids to make mental calculations. Over 800 kids from 40 countries competed and the 13 year old made 70 mental math calculations in 5 minutes.

Politicians – Prefects and mayors have been in office for 3 months and and are seeking to put their stamps on their administrations.

Major events in the first 3 months for Cuenca mayor Pedro Palacios were:
15/5 – completing the first session of the cantonal council without electing a Vice Mayor.
28/5 – announcing an austerity package that included reducing the fleet of cars from 85 to 28, using up printed office supplies left over from the previous administration until they’re gone <So in 2 months when you go to the city and need a copy of something and they tell you they ran out of paper, this is why.>.
4/6 – declaring an emergency in the Los Pinos barrio in the ciudadela Jaime Roldós due to a large landslide.
13/6 – announcing plans for unfinished work on the Tranvía project.
22/7 – Pablo Burbano, Palacio’s delegate voted against a mining referendum proposed by the prefect. <How good do you think the relationship between the canton and the province is going to be from here on out?>
26/7 – Luis Alberto Guerrero (a judge?) accepted an acción de protección and ruled the cantonal council has to elect a Vice Mayor <I think from one of the two women on the council>.
Major events for the prefect of Azuay, Yaku Pérez Guartambel were:
14/5 – inaugurated with a traditional ceremony performed by yachak Yuro Parayaku in the Pumapungo.
5/6 – conformed the Consejo Provincial with the 15 mayors and 7 council people más electos (most elected <most votes?>) by the rural parishes.
4/7 – was not invited to a work session in Cuenca with VP Otto Sonnenholzner. <So relations with the federal gov’t aren’t going to be good either?>.
12/7 – there was opposition in the Consejo to his proposal to eliminate the Tasa Solidaria. <Bad relations with his own council, too?>
22/7 – did not get a majority vote in the council for his referendum to prohibit metal mining. <I guess the answer to the previous question is “yes.”
5/8 – submitted a proposal for a mining referendum to the Corte Constitucional.

USAID – Representatives of the Ministerio de Exteriores (U.S. State Dep’t) and USAID will meet el viernes en Quito. This will be the first biannual meeting between the two parties in over 5 years and the goal will be to prioritize areas of cooperation.

Mundo –

Brasil – Brazil is at risk of entering a new technical recession that puts the economic recovery of the country during Pres. Jair Bolsonaro’s first year in question. Growth this year won’t exceed 1% and unemployment is at 12%. The GDP in april and june decreased .13% from the 3 months previous. In the first quarter of 2019, the economy fell .2% from the last quarter of 2018. 3 consecutive quarters of negative growth constitutes a technical recession.

And that’s all for today so Hasta ? –

Jeanne