Hydro plants may be concessioned, Vaccine brigades hit the street, U. of Cuenca admissions scandal, Home for the elderly is leaking

Martes, 9/7/2019

Hola, Todos –
Actividades –

De la pagina cultural –

Revista – The magazine “Resaltador Digital” will be presented mañana a las 19:00 in the Piazza del Río at the Mall del Río.

Charla – There will be a talk on “La ciencia y el lenguaje de los símbolos como punto de partida para el intercambio de conocimientos y el diálogo” (Science and the language of symbols as a starting point for the exchange of knowledge and dialogue) mañana y jueves a las 18:30 in the Planetario Municipal. It will be given by the Allpa Fest Cuenca Holística collective.

Cine de la India – From ayer (yesterday) until el viernes, there will be a session on Indian film and philosophy from 18-21:00 in the Hugo Ordoñez Auditorium in the law department at the U. of Cuenca. At the end of the session attendees will receive a participation certificate showing 15 hours.

The Coca Codo Sinclair hydro plant may be concessioned, the government says.

Otras cosas –

Titular – Sopladora está en lista de concesiones (Sopladora on list of concessions) – The Sopladora hydroelectric plant, along with Coca Codo Sinclair, are on the list of public businesses to be concessioned to the private sector. Sopladora does not have a reservoir, but depends on water flow from Mazar y Molino. The Minister of Energy hopes to receive about $800 million for Sopladora and $1,500 million for Coca Codo. He recognizes that the country is being pressured by the FMI (International Monetary Fund) to collect $1,000 million by the end of 2019. Labor groups are opposed to privatizing these government assets.

Goteras (leaks) – The Hogar “Cristo Rey”, more commonly known as the Asilo de Ancianos (Home for the Aged) is leaking. The facility is run by the Congregación de Hermanitas de los Ancianos Desamparados (Congregation of Little Sisters for the Abandoned Elderly), and houses 140 ancianos (elderly – your word for the day.) <I think anciano may be even older than tercera edad which as far as I’m concerned, starts in late middle age.> The order needs a lot of money to make the repairs, and has planned a raffle for a Yamaha motorbike, refrigerator, or 43″ TV provided by a “buen samaritano” (good Samariton) on 25/8. Tickets cost $2.50.

U. of Cuenca – A group of students and their families sued the U. of Cuenca to set aside the entrance exam for the medical and health school taken by 8,201 applicants. This was the test that was allegedly purchased by some parents and students and then leaked on social media before it was given on 31/5. Test takers in other schools of the university are also demanding that they be allowed to retake admission exams. The U. of Cuenca is asking that the test and results stand.

Bridge work – <Not the kind that goes in your mouth.> The Cámara de Construcción de Cuenca (CCC) did a study which showed 4 bridges on he vía Cuenca-Azogues-Biblián in the Nulti sector need to be reinforced since they are sagging. The bridges were built in 2008 and are now showing deformations which are increasing.

Vaccines – The Ministerio de Salud Pública is sending brigades out into the neighborhoods to vaccinate children under 8 against measles, polio and diphtheria. They are working from 8-17:00 in the Distrito Sur (South District). The campaign will last until 30/9.

Intermittent road closure – The vía Gualaceo-Plan de Milagro-Limón was closed yesterday morning due to mist and rain. MTOP is generally allowing cars through from 6-7:00 and 17-18:00, but not if conditions are unsafe. The road was opened to traffic yesterday between 8:15 & 12:00. At 12:30, new slides were reported and road clearing machinery was not able to operate due to the bad weather. <How did they know that at 12:30 it would be unsafe again?> However, there is a contractor who is doing slope stabilization with dynamic barriers at different levels to control falling rock.

Páramos – It seems as if only researchers, biologists and environmentalists understand the importance of the páramos since they know that the páramos supply water to thousands of Cuencanos. The páramos is a very fragile eco-system which acts like a sponge that absorbs water and then feeds it to ETAPA’s water treatment plants. But they are being affected by human action: forest fires caused by people, cultivation, and extreme sports which is a new problem. It takes 30 to 40 years to recover from each tire track made by a moto or 4×4. A Cuencana researcher specializing in studies of high mountain zones will be going to Switzerland in septiembre to learn what is happening to páramos because of climate change.

Business Page – SRI started free training on how to fill out a tax receipt, a tax return and issue electronic facturas. Anyone including natural and legal persons, Ecuadorian or foreign, engaging in economic activities whether permanent or occasional, needs to register in the Registro Único de Contribuyentes (RUC). <Does that count people who sell stuff at the ferias? I doubt more than a handful have a RUC.>

And that’s all for today so Hasta Mañana –

Jeanne