Jueves, 28/4/2016: Ecuador removed from ‘black list’, Possible tram extension, Arts and gastronomy fair

Hola, Todos – 

Pagina cultural – 

Upcoming events –

Taller de acuarela (Watercolor workshop) – Sat from 10:30-12:30 in the café bar “El Salón” (Luis Cordero 6-75 y Pres. Córdova). This watercolor painting workshop is for children 4-12, and includes all materials.  For more info or to reserve a spot, call 099 570 0644. Cost: $5.00

Dance – There will be a dance event called “Todas las artes, todas las vidas” (All the arts, all the lives) Sat. from 14-18:00 in the Teatro Sucre. Independent dance groups will present latin, urban, contemporary classic and Arabic dance.

Ongoing or finished events –

Theater – “Espadachin Zabala” plays today at 20:00 in the Teatro de Bolsillo (Pocket Theater – your words for the day.  I leave it to you to figure out which word is which.) at 20:00 in the Sono (Pres. Borrero 6-83). Cost: $5.00.

Articles about –

“Water Chronicles” –  This work will be shown 3 times from today to Sat. at 20:00 in the Capilla del Museo de Historia de la Medicina.  The work was inspired when Javier Andrade Córdova, director of scenic and musical arts at the U of Cuenca, talked to his 76 year old mother about the Tomebamba flood, Cuenca’s biggest catastrophe in the 20th century.  (The picture of the set shows a film of actual water that the performers are rolling around in.  Hope it’s a warm evening so they don’t all come down with pneumonia.

Recital – The OSC will pay homage to 21 ex-members of the orchestra in a concert Fri. at 20:00 in the Teatro Pumapungo. This 12th performance will mark the end of the 2016 first season.

Benefit performance – “Las Marujitas, entre memorias y efemérides” (Las Marujitas, between memories and ephemeris or diary)  The show is tomorrow at 19:30 in the university theater “Carlos Crespi” at the Universidead Politécnica Salesiana (UPS). Donation: $20.00.  Tickets are available at Ai Center locations in Milenium Plaza and the Mall del Rio or on the day of the event.  Attendees will be asked to fill out a form with contact data so UPS can send a report on where and now the donations were spent.

Exhibit – Magy Peña is showing “Geometría Sagrada” (Sacred Geometry) until 16/5 in the Fundación CEDEI (Gran Colombia 11-02 y General Torres).  Her paintings includes symbols that predate writing.  On 6 & 12/5, there will video forums on the “Circulo de las cosechas” (Crop circles.)

Homage to Rubén Darío – An homage to this Nicaraguan poet, journalist and diplomat was this morning.

Otras cosas –

Titular – Constructores piden màs plazo para el tranvía (Builders ask for more time for the tram)  This additional time would not apply to El Centro.  There is a map in micro-print that summarizes various stretches of work.  Go to www.elmercurio.com.ec to look at it.  (Good luck reading it without a microscope.)

Reactivation Plan – A plan to benefit the fishing, agriculture, construction and small businesses sectors damaged in the quake was adopted yesterday.  It includes credit with preferential terms, a temporary freeze on debt payments, and restructuring debt.

Freedom of the press – has fallen world wide with Ecuador falling into the “no freedom of the press” category due to official censorship and a greater concentration of media ownership. (That second problem applies to another country a lot of us are familiar with.)

Intellectual rights violations – Ecuador has been removed from the “lista negra” (black list) after reforms that restored procedure and criminal penalties for pirating at commercial scales.

Alluriquín – the city has started cleaning up the mess the flood left behind, and is assessing the losses and damage. 5 people are still missing and water and electricity have yet to be restored.

Pedernales – The mayor expressed his gratitud to the world and Ecuador and asked the Pedernalans to “hang in there” and lead the reconstruction. He said that it will take 6 months to remove the debris.  It is currently being taken and dumped outside of the city where people are picking through it for any usable items.

International aid –

China – has donated 5,400 tents, 10,000 folding beds and water purifier. The first of 5 aid flights arrived in Quito yesterday.

Spain – 255 specialists including rescue workers, doctors, firefighters, and logistics experts arrived yesterday with 16,756 kg of technical equipment.
Canada – announced another $900,000 which will bring its total contribution to $2 million Canadian.  Part of the additional money will go to the Organización Internacional para las Migraciones (International Organization for Migrations) which will provide tarps and toolkits to the victims.

Feria – “Mercat” is an art, gastronomic and cultural fair from tomorrow to Sun. at the Quinta Verenice (av. Primero de Mayo y Francisco de Carvajal).  hours are 14-20:00 tomorrow and 11-20:00 on Sat and Sun.  There will be 70 exhibitors including Liz Ordóñez Mata, designer, Pacari chocholates, Moma jabones soaps and Live Green Superfoods.  For more information, email danivintimillat@gmail.com and merc-art@hotmail.com.

Centro Histórico – 200 patrimonial structures in El Centro and adjoining zones were inspected and no damage other than minor, non-structural cracks was found.

Cruz Roja –  The Red Cross is asking for donations of “regalar una sonrisa” (give a smile) to children on the coast.  The “smiles” will come in a box containing a toy; treats that won’t deteriorate with heat (so no chocolates or ice cream); crayons, paints and modeling clay; a notebook for painting; an item of clothing and a story. You can take the donations to the Red Cross on Borrero between Padre Aguirre y Juan Jaramillo.  The gifts will be channeled through a group of psychologists at the U of Cuenca. The Dean says the boxes will be used in psycho-social interventions.  (Is interventions technical term and is there a layman’s term?)

Algunas construcciones ¿castillos de naipes? (Some buildings – house of cards?) – A long article about construction in Cuenca. The Director of Urban Control has 7 inspectors and 7 plan checkers.  And the inspectors don’t have structural experience – they check elevations and “los retiros” (withdrawals?).  (Sounds like his department is severely understaffed.)

The Dean of the Engineering School at the U of Cuenca says many owners choose to save money by not getting a soils test ($300-500) or a structural study ($1-3/ sq. meter) and go straight to an architect and a maestro (builder)  Houses of 2 or 3 levels don’t need to have an approved structural design.  The worst is when the builder doesn’t follow the designs.  (Maybe living in a tent is the safest option around.) 

Internacional – 

Venezuela – There were a series of protests against power and water outages and the scarcity of food that turned to vandalism and looting.  (Sounds like Venezuela on a normal day is like the coast after a disaster only without the looting and vandalism.)

Bolivia – Police repressed a protest by about 500 disabled people at the Government Palace with chemical gases.  (Tear gas? Against people in wheelchairs?))

And that´s all for today so Hasta Mañana –

Jeanne