Miércoles, 27/4/2016: Doubts about Tranvia deadline, Flood causes deaths and destruction, Austerity measures taken

Hola, Todos – 

Pagina cultural – 

Upcoming events –

“Tan Distintos” (So Different) – directed by Pablo Arturo Suárez will premier on Fri. in the Multicines in Cuenca and Quito. It’s about the daily life of a family and how the relations among its members are affected by secrets. (Give me a movie intended for a 15-25 year old male audience – explosions, car chases, special effects – like Independence Day.  I  told you I’m a low-brow Philistine.)

Centro cultural Imay (calle El Batán y El Oro) – has weekend activities including a screening of “La Pelicula” (The Movie) on Fri at 19:00, a dance performance on Sat, and puppets on Sun.  (Be patient, the paper will probably relist these with show times the day they happen and too late for you to get to.)

“Dilate” – will premier today at 18:00 and run to Fri. in the centro cultural Avispero (Calle Larga 10-41).  The work “seeks to open spaces for reflection on the body as an object of mercantilism.”  (Would that be like using sexy models to sell Fords, chewing gum, and nail guns?)

Finished events –

A concert – by Swiss pianist Emmanuel Dominik Rohrhirs Thurs. at 19:00 in the auditorium at MMAM.

Articles about –

Carlos Naranjo – This experimental screenwriter and director is giving a workshop on audiovisual production that started yesterday and runs to Fri. . His documentaries and fictional short films are showing until Fri. in the Sala de Conciertos in the CCE from 10:00.

“Espadachin Zabaya” (Swordsman Zabaya) – is part of the Cuenca in Cuentos series by the Teatro Barojo.  It will be acted Fri. at 20:00 in el Sono (Pres. Borrero 6-83). It’s the story of Mariano Zabala, the son of a Spanish nobleman and an indigenous servant. He received his surname and a bit of education from his father (remember that in the 1770s his father wouldn’t have had to acknowledge him at all).  Zabala was a paladín (a fighter for noble causes – remember the old TV series?) during the colonial era of Cuenca, fighting for social equality and to defend the weakest and most marginalized segments of society.  He was also a ladies man. (So who killed him?  The powers that be or a jealous husband?)

Designer Johanna Muñoz – held a show, “Indumentaria contemporánea” (Contemporary attire) in Parque Calderón Tues.  The clothing incorporates embroidery and the finishes of traditional clothing in a line of contemporary clothing.  The exhibit was in Ricaurte today and will be in San Joaquín tomorrow.  After that it will be taken to a museum (unnamed) in Cuenca for a month.

Otras cosas –

Titular – Un río se desborda y causa otra tragedia (A river overflows and causes another tragedy).  The Río Damas overflowed in San José de Alluriquín at kilometer 79 on the vía Alóag-Santo Domingo after days of heavy rain.  4 people were killed, 5 are missing, there are 300 other victims and much physical damage including 80 destroyed houses.  The road was blocked with mud at least a meter high from a landslide.  11 buses and 8 pickups, some carrying aid supplies to Manta, were trapped. The water treatment plant was damaged and service suspended while the plant is cleaned.  (Mother Nature sure has been unloading on poor Ecuador recently – volcanoes, El Niño, earthquake and floods.)

Ley para Equilibrio de las Finanzas Públicas (Law to Balance Public Finances) – passed the National Assembly today.  It includes raising taxes on cigarettes, alcohol, and sugary drinks; encourages the use of electronic money; and increases fees on capital outflows.  The government hopes to raise $300 million in 2016. These taxes will include:
Sugary drinks – $.18/100 grams of sugar
Alcoholic drinks including artesanal beer – will be $7.24 per liter of pure alcohol. (I’m as confused as you are. I’m writing what I see except in English.)
Cigarettes per unit – $.16.
Phones, mobile and fixed – 15% except for internet (?)
There will be a refund of 2% of the IVA for whoever uses electronic currency and 1% for users of credit or debit cards. People with catastrophic illnesses or with disabilities can import certain things without paying taxes.

Cuenca tourism website – A new website, www.cuencaecuador.com.ec for all mobile devices, will show things of interest such as Patrimonio Cultural, services, security, consulates, libraries, car rental, and other tourist services.

Austerity measures – The Prefectura del Azuay adopted austerity measures this week including reducing contract workers salaries by 10%, suspending various projects, programs, travel and events.  It hopes to save $4,767,000 this year.

Comité de Reconstrucción – Through a meeting of the COE (Comité Nacional de Operaciones de Emergenzia), the government created a Reconstruction Committee which will articulate the aid and actions to help victims and to repair damage caused by the quake.  The committee will include ministries, local government and the private sector.

UN support – The United Nations made a worldwide call yesterday to help Ecuador raise $72.7 million in the next 3 months.

US support – The US will send help with a value of $1 million.  A plane with 83 tons of supplies has been sent and the US military is working at the Manta airport to set up a temporary mobile control tower.  The US Ambassador pointed out it’s difficult to send actual food to Ecuador, but a contribution of $10 would arrive quickly to the private organizations already working in Pedernales.  (Sorry, I have to comment, but I hope this isn’t all the US intends to send.  I wonder what the value of what Cuencanos have sent is?  Would it be $1 million?  That’s only about $2 per person including the rural parishes.  China will send $9.2 million and Peru sent 378 tons of stuff including a hospital ship.)

Schools – UNICEF reported that 280 schools were destroyed by the earthquake leaving 120,000 students without access to schooling.  It will install about 50 barracks which can get about 20,000 students back into class.  (What do you want to bet these barracks will still be in use 50 years from now?)

Tranvía – According to 3 council members, the Tranvía won’t be finished in July. They are proposing an unbiased committee composed of an architect, an engineer and a lawyer to analyze information.  (That sounds like the beginning of one of those “in a boat” jokes.)

Earthquake aid – ETAPA will hold an event this Fri starting at 9:00 in the Otorongo Plaza to collect non-perishable food, personal cleaning products, etc.  There will also be a health fair with various free medical exams and technical people who will explain what to do in an earthquake.  (I bet praying would be high on a lot of people’s list.)  It will close with a show at 16:00.

Road restrictions – The vía Loja-Zamora has had several landslides and in some stretches only one lane is open.  There are controls on the road and it is recommended you drive cautiously and respect speed limits.

And that´s all for today so Hasta Mañana –

Jeanne