Lunes, 30/5/2016: City names future pedestrian streets in Centro, Opera festival, Price of globalization, Russian ballet

Hola, Todos –

Pagina cultural –
 
Ballet – The Ballet Ruso will perform “La Bella Durmiente” (Sleeping Beauty) this Wed, 1/6 at 20:00 in the Teatro Pumapungo. Tickets available in the Museo Pumapungo (Calle Larga y Huayna Cápac).

Microteatro event – 5 theater works will be presented simultaneously on Thu, 2/6 in 5 salas.  The event starts at 19:00 in the Salón del Pueblo at the CCE (Sucre y Benigno Malo).

Tattoo conference – A public conference titled “El tatuaje. Un amor controversial en el cuerpo” (The tattoo.  A controversial love on the body.) will be this Fri., 3/6 at 19:00 in the Espacio Psicoanalítico Cuenca (Sucre y Miguel Vélez in the San Sebastían park sector).

Articles about –  

La danza árabe – Arabic dance is taking over the world with the Festival Internacional de Danzas Árabes which had a show last St. with dancers from cities in Ecuador. Besides Latinamerica, the dance is popular in the US, Russia, France, Italy and Asia (Well that was a boring little item.)

Reading marathon – There will be a 10-hour marathon to promote reading this Wed. in the Museo de la Ciudad (old Escuela Central) starting at 9:00.  Besides reading there will also be a show of illustrations, collage workshops, and drawing.  (These are stories for kids so maybe they’ll be at a level some of you Spanish learners could understand.  Especially if they’re classic stories where you already know the plot.)

“Opera Fest” 2016 – The “Cuenca Opera Fest” started Mon. at the U of Azuay with workshops for choruses and soloists.  There will be two galas on the 15 & 16 of June in the Teatro Sucre with the Orquesta Sinfónica de la Universidad de Cuenca, youth & children’s choruses at the José María Rodríguez Conservatory, and the Coro Polifónico del UDA.  (Are there operas that won’t sound funny when sung by children?)

Otras cosas –  
 
Titular – Últimas ventas con IVA al 12% (Last sales with IVA at 12%) – The new 14% IVA rate goes into effect on Wed., 1/6.

Study – A study by Priscila Hermida on the long-term effects of natural disasters found the areas of health and education were where most attention was needed. The long term effects after a 1976 earthquake in Nicaragua were shorter stature and a lower level of schooling.

Dia de la Niñez ecuatoriana (Ecuador Children’s Day) – The Assembly declared 1 Junio Children’s Day and highlighted the need for special attention to kids in emergency conditions.
 
Energy generation – A project called “Electrificación y Descentralizaca de Energía Renovable” (Electrification and Decentralization of Renewable Energy) is being designed to benefit the earthquake zone.  The generation systems will use solar or wind power and a micro-grid system to distribute energy. It can power a small community.  According to CER (Centro de Energías Renovables), there are 250,000 living in communities without electricity, including those affected by the quake. 7878 (Sounds like a leap into the future similar to cell phones where even people in poor, countries without a lot of “wiring” could have phone service.  Forget about Con-Ed – each town will have it’s own power plant.)

Plan de Movilidad – The new Mobility Plan for Cuenca includes more pedestrian only streets in El Centro and increasing parking on the outskirts of El Centro.  There will be the most traffic restrictions in the area bounded by Sangurima, Tarqui, Vargas Machuca y Pres. Córdova.  (So the Tranvía street closures were just practice for new restrictions?  Oh, boy – after the Tranvía work there’ll be street and sidewalk work.) Eventually, Padre Aguirre, Luis Cordero, Benigno Malo and Borrero will become pedestrian ways from calle Larga to La Mar. (So if Benigno Malo is pedestrian, how will cars get out of El Centro going south?)  A study showed at least 40% of the traffic in El Centro is through traffic of cars coming from outside going to destinations outside of the Centro Historico.

Medical appointments – The Ministry of Health has implemented a system to make medical appointments by phone.  Call 171 from public phones and cell phones M-F from 7-19:00, Sat, Sun & holidays from 8-14:00.  You can make various appointments in different specialties in one call.  You get assigned an appointment at the health center closest to your house.  The system is active in Checa, Llacao, Machángara, Octavio Cordero Palacios, Paccha, Paraíso, Ricuarty, San Joaquín, Sidcay, Dinincay, Une-totorachocah, Uncovia, Centro de Salud Barrial Blanco, and Centros de Salud No. 1 & 2.  (I really don’t think you should attempt to negotiate this system if your Spanish isn’t really, really good.)

Your sliver of life article today is about – a porcupine that was found by the Policia Municipal in the Feria Libre sector.  It was taken to the zoo for a checkup and care.  (I wonder if it was being sold in the pet section or the food section?  Probably be hard to skin a porcupine, though.)

Business page –

An article about –

Globalization is menacing the expression of Latin American cultures.  One of the consequences of new technology is the loss of peoples’ identities and cultures. When the same handicrafts, supposedly locally made, show up in different countries, how are young people to know what their personal heritage is?  (Made in China should not be their cultural identity.  A fellow who weaves ikat shawls in Gualaceo is the last of his family to practice that art.)

Internacional –
 
Perú – According to an Ipsos poll, Fujimori is leading by 4.4% going into the second round of voting with 53.1% abd 46,9% for Kuczynski.  Another poll showed Fujimori with 43%, Kuczynski with 38%, 12% voting en blanco o nulo (not checking either candidate, voting for none of the above, or scribbling) and 7% undecided. (That’s one out of 8 who don’t like either one. Wonder how “none of the above” would do in the US elections?  Be a heck of a statement if it won.)

Perú – A State of Emergency was declared in the Apurímac region due to a drought caused by El Niño.

And that´s all for today so Hasta Mañana –
 
Jeanne