Jueves, 18/5/2017: Rock fall closes highway at Josefina, HD televisions made in Cuenca, Museum tours, Symphony concert

Hola, Todos –

I will not translate the paper next Thu., Fri., or Sat., and depending on when I get back to Cuenca, maybe not Sun. either. I will be working on a project serving a more helpless and deserving population than gringos who can’t or won’t read their own paper. Even though El Mercurio provides home delivery and you, too, could read it while you sip your morning coffee.

Pagina cultural –

Today’s header event –

Teatro y instrumentos musicales –  From Thurs. to sábado, the Teatro Infinito group will present “Historias de amor y de muerte” (Stories of love and death) at 20:00 in the sala “Alfonso Carrasco” in the CCE.  In the same place and on the same days at 16:30, there will be workshops on building musical instruments.  <What can you build in an hour and half?  A grass blade raspberry blower?)

Articles about –

CCE – The new President, Martín Sánchez, has assumed office and will conduct a management audit/inventory.  <And even that was more than you really wanted to know?)

Día Internacional de los Museos <Does anyone dare raise his hand to say he couldn’t translate that?  At least anyone who’s read this column even a little.) – The theme for this year’s observance is “Decir lo indecible en los museos” (To tell the unspeakable in museums), and histories of abuse, violence and slavery will be told. New exhibits will be at the Museo Pumapungo, Museo de Arqueología de la U. de Cuenca, Museo de los Metales, and la Casa Museo María Astudillo (Bolívar y Hermano Miguel).  Thurs., the project “Espacio para los sentidos” (Space for the senses) was in the Catedral Vieja, guided tours at the Museo de la Ciudad, and the work Museo Experimental Are Moda “Esto no es un zapato” (This is not a shoe) in the Casa Museo La Condamine.  Friday, the OSC will perform at 20:00 and there will be guided tours of the Museo Remigio Crespo Toral from 18:00.

Workshops – There will be a cycle of workshops on reading and writing for primary and secondary education on jueves y viernes from 8-14:00 at the U. of Cuenca.

Música religiosa – There was a concert Thurs. in the iglesia de las Conceptas.

Museos – Museums are trying to attract families to visit.  <Groom a new generation of museum goers and supporters.  Better when started young.  Although getting dragged through museums as a child didn’t make me into a museum goer.>

Otras cosas – 

Titular – Cierran tráfico por La Josefina (Traffic through La Josefina closes)  The vía El Descanso-Gualaceo in the El Descanso-Puente Europea section has been closed due to falling rock.  It will be closed for 10 days while a controlled removal of rock that it likely to fall is done.  The alternate route for light vehicles is the vía Pastopamba-sector la Virgen which is one way for traffic coming from the east into Cuenca.  <So how do all those drivers go home?  I guess they go with the heavy traffic.>  The alternate route for heavy vehicles is Paute-Bulán-Matrama and Gualaceo-Chordeleg-San Bartolomé-El Valle.  The vía Guangarcucho-Jadán-Gualaceo is a problem since it carries long distance buses, tankers and heavy trucks and is down to one lane in the El Progreso sector.  <The foto shows half of the downhill side lane way down the hill.  <Traffic safety to keep drivers from going over the edge looks like regularly spaced boulders in what’s left of that lane.  Can’t run over one of those like you can run over a traffic cone.>

Consejo de Administración Legislativa (CAL – Legislative Council of Administration) – The 4th member of this powerful Assembly committee was elected and comes from the CREO-SUMA alliance.  <This is your civics lesson for today.  Since it’s only been 5 min. since I Googled this, I still remember it.  The Google link takes you to the Constitution so don’t bother if you don’t have Spanish.>  The committee is made up of the Assembly President, 2 Vice Presidents and 4 Assembly members based on the number of seats held by the different parties.  This committee plans the activities of the Assembly, schedules legislation, creates special committees and writes the Assembly’s budget.

SOLCA – 4 new pieces of equipment have been installed at SOLCA to treat cancers.  These include 2 particle accelerators, a miniature accelerator, and brachytherapy equipment.  <Too many medical terms for me to be able to translate this article.>

Fire – There was a fire at a manufacturing plant in the Parque Industrial early yesterday morning.  There were no injuries.  <Nor was there any info about what kind of factory it was.  So if you live downwind and are suffering repiratory problems, you might want to find out.>

Business page –

TVs – La Corporación Grupo Ortiz, owned by the Cuencano Ortiz family, is making digital TVs in their Racar plant for the international (Chinese) TCL brand.  The factory has made 300,000 TVs in the 3 years since they started assembling them.   They are sold at the Coral and cost about $350 for a 32″ TV.

Bath & Home Center – The chain has a compaign “Relax para Mamá” with up to 50% discounts on baths, faucets and bath furniture.

Amenidades –

Urban Fest – There will be a festival of urban music on 1/6 at 19:30 in the coliseum at Benigno Malo High School with Puerto Rican performers Funky, Alex Zurdo, and Melvin Ayala.  Get your tickets at la Victoria stores.  Cost:  $10 and 15.

Deportes –

Copa Nacional BMX – About 60 Azuayans are leaving today to compete at the Metro Pista in Quito.

Fishing – An open catch and release fly fishing tournament will be this sábado from 14-18:00 in the “Bizcocho” lakes at the Rancho Hnos. Prado in the Cajas at dm. 39 on the Vía Cuenca-Molleturo.  The winner will be determined by the lengths rather than weights or number of fish caught.  So far, there are 3 groups of participants – Club Cuenca Willow Creek made up of cuencanos y extranjeros, Club Cuatro Ríos and Entre Amigos on Facebook. <The foto shows Marlon Naranjo showing off a fish taken from a lake in El Cajas, but the background sure looks like a lot like a stretch of the Yanuncay just upstream from Solano.  Which makes me wonder if this fish actually came from Supermaxi and he’s just holding it closed.>

And that´s all for today so Hasta Mañana –

Jeanne