Lunes, 4/1/2016: Road remodeling, New park, 2016: a year of political fever

Hola, Todos – 

Pagina cultural – 

Viajes a Francia (Trips to France) – (Here´s a whole phrase for the day)  “¿Quieres estudiar francés en Francia, pero no sabe cómo hacer? (Do you want to study French in France, but don’t know how?) The Alianza Francesa can hook you up with French classes at the Alianzas Francesas in France.  (So is being a polyglot on your bucket list?  The more power to you!)

El Museo Nacional – The Ministry of Culture and Patrimony started a project for an integrated reconceptualization of the spaces and discourse in the Museo Nacional in Quito.  (Sounds like an exercise in “What is a museum with a subheading of how do we get more people to come?)

Unificación – From Nov., 2004 the libraries in the Central, Yanuncay and Paraíso formed part of the Regional Documentation Center Juan Bautista Vázquez.  (So it’s a slow day for activities, but a library project from 2004?)

Articles about –

A positive year for culture in Azuay Province which got 16 winners in the Fondos de Festivales (Festival funding).

The Sala Numismática (Numismatic Gallery) at the Museo Pumapungo reopened in early 2015 with a collection of bills and coins and other forms of money dating back to the prehispanic epoch.  (I wonder if this exhibit dates back to when the museum was the Central Bank museum? It sounds like it could have started as a lobby display at the Central Bank.)

Calle Santa Ana which runs between the New Cathedral and the old San Luis Seminary will be remodeled.  A contract has been signed to rehabilitate the blocked off street as a public pedestrian space with lighting, sewer and drainage.  (Look for a brick wall to the left of Raymipamba Restaurant and about as wide as one of the arches.  I hope “uso peatonal” (pedestrian use) and “implementación del sistema eléctrico y sanitario de la vía” (implementation of the electrical and sanitary system of the via) don’t wind up meaning – a new public urinal where guys go piss after a hard night’s drinking.)

“Las Piedras de Chile” (The Stones of Chile)  by Pablo Neruda is being re-edited by Pedro Tabernero.

Correction – the Facebook page with photos of Cuenca, it’s places, history and people is called Cuenca Antigua and not Cuenca de Antaño. (So yesterday’s word for the day is even more useless than I thought. Let me know if any of you finds a need to use ataño (yesteryear) in general converstion.)

Otras cosas –

Titular – H. Ramos Allup dirigirá Asamblea en Venezuela (H. Ramos Allup (Sounds like a what a person from Maine says when they agree with you.) will lead the Assembly in Venezuela.)

A new park – parque De La Libertad (Liberty Park – Imagine the discussion about what to name the park – did irony win?), will be built in the old Cárcel de Varones. (Men’s Jail – Varón (man or male) another good word for the day.  The first time I heard it, I’d asked someone if she had kids and she told me una mujer and dos varones.  So this word may be of some use to you.)  The park will have 14,000 sq. meters of green space – about the same as parque De La Madre along with kids’ play equipment, a pool or fountain, and an interpretive exhibit of when it was a jail.

2016 will be a year of “calentura política” (political fever) for both supporters and opponents of the government.  (Now which country are we talking about?)  The Assembly will look at approving 47 laws.  (And you’ll have to go to El Mercurio’s website yourself to get more info if you’re a hopeless political junkie.)

A month to Carnaval – and vendors in El Arenal are selling chisguetes (Google says it’s aftermarket spray, and I get different meanings if I look it up in Spanish – forcefully expelled liquid – or English – a swig of a drink.  If you combine the examples of how to use the word which were ejaculate and swig, you could imagine something you wouldn’t do in the middle of El Arenal.  Or maybe your mind is purer than mine.), espuma (Cariocas – spray foam – it’s what whole families will be wearing come Carnaval – and you, too if you don’t jump out of the way fast enough), and maicena (corn starch) in wholesale amounts.  (Now that I’ve more or less read the article, a chisguete might be a water pistol.  Watch out for those, too.  Or get one of your own to defend yourself with.)

Police are investigating – a rape of a 22 year old which occured along the Paseo de los Cerezos and Paseo 3 de Noviembre. Neighbors are asking for more police presence and better street lighting.

Amenidades – 

Internacional – 

Venezuela – will not be exporting gas to Colombia.  Colombia has been exporting 39,000,000 cu. ft. of gas to Venezuela daily for 8 years, a little more than 3% of its daily output. Colombia was supposed to start receiving gas from Venezuela this year according to an agreement between the two countries.

Panama – the widening of the canal is supposed to start in May, 2016.

Deportes –

Dakar Rally – the first phase of this road race was cancelled due to rain and safety concerns.

And that´s all for today so Hasta Mañana –

Jeanne