Murder in jail, Little demand for electric cooktops, Women’s Day events, Highway repaving project, Tree planting

Jueves, 8/3/2018

Hola, Todos –

Pagina cultural –

Today’s agenda events –

Teatro – “Cuando llegue Rosa” (When Rosa arrives) by Carlos Gallegos and starring René Zavala, will be hoy a las 20:00 in the “La Guarida” Centro Cultural (Mariscal La Mar y Luis Pauta).

Articles about –

Muestra de fotografías – The Alianza Francesa and the Foto Club Cuenca are opening “Mujeres Fotógrafas 2018,” a show of fotos opened Thursday at the Alianza Francesa. There are about 50 pictures taken by Ecuatorianas and resident foreigners.

Día de la Mujer – There was a talk, “Mujer en la historia” (Woman in history) Thursday at the Casa Tomada collective who are women from África, España, Ecuador and other countries. They are dedicated to defending women’s rights and the rights of nature.

The foto show “Vidas intensas” (Intense lives) will open in the Centro Cultural Municipal Casa de las Posadas. The show contains portraits of 40 important Ecuadorian women.

“Mujer, Arte y Ciencia” – This conference opened Thursday at Saladentro, a multifunctional cultural space. There is also an art show in the space.

Concierto – There will be a concert Friday a las 21:00 in the Centro de Convenciones Mall del Río to celebrate 50 years of the artistic life of Gustavo Velásquez. He is one of the legendary voices of cumbia in Ecuador. Cost: $12.00.

Otras cosas –

Titular – La mujer aún lucha por sus derechos (Women still fight for their rights) – Women are still disadvantaged in society and the labor market is still viewed from a masculine logic. According to Adriana García, a professor at the U. of Cuenca, an 8-hour day is the norm which neglects the essence of society which are the children. Flexible hours for both parents would allow for better child rearing. Women earn 25-30% less than men, and men find it difficult to have women as leaders. Women are addressed as señorita, señora or Juanita instead of by their academic title and this is also a form of discrimination.

Killing at jail – A prisoner in the maximum security wing in the Centro de Rehabilitación Social (CRS) in Turi was killed. Police were conducting a search for an illegal weapon in the jail when the prisoner who supposedly provided the information about the weapon shot and killed another prisoner.

Road work – The repaving and signage work on the vía Cuenca-Girón-Pasaje is close to completion. The project was started el 15/9/2014 and was supposed to be finished in 12/15 and is scheduled to be finished in 3 semanas (weeks – I can’t remember if this was one of your words to memorize.) The cost of the 139.6 km long project was $31,262,479. Residents and users of the road are happy.

Cocinas a inducción – There is very little demand for induction ranges even though buyers get an incentive of 80 kilowatt hours free every month through 2024. Store owners say there is no interest in the induction ranges and buyers complain that there are no benefits and their electric bills go up. One buyer said her stove was more faster, more efficient, easier to clean, and the food tasted the same. She noted that her electric bill did increase $5.00.

Ancestral water management – An international conference, “Prácticas ancestrales en el uso productivo del agua,” (Ancestral practices in the productive use of water) is meeting in Quito with experts from Ecuador, Spain, Bolivia, Colombia and Mexico. Albarradas (dikes?), tajamares (breakwaters?), construction of reservoirs and wetlands, and irrigation ditches were ancestral methods of managing and conserving water. Albarradas are also known as artificial lentic wetlands which go back 2,000 years in Manabí and the Santa Elena penninsula. These bogs were created with layers of dry rock, compacted sand and other erosion preventing elements. The oldest vestiges of the practices were found in the Valdivian areas and date back 4,000 years. A representative of a growers association in Paltas, Loja spoke about building highland wetlands to recharge springs, increase production and impede evaporation. These rainwater pools are usually accompanied by a system of catchment ditches and sedimentation lagoons, and are “planted” with water plants known as “gramas” which prevent evaporation, oxygenate the water and prevent something from rotting. This system in Paltas has received Unesco recognition as a eco-hydrological demonstration site.

Reciclaje es obligatorio (Recycling is mandatory) – EMAC announced that people are obligated to separate garbage from recyclables. Use the blue bags for recyclables and the black bags for garbage. Also throwing your garbage off the tops of houses or edificios will get you a $100 fine.

Tree planting – People interesting in planting trees are invited to come to Paseo 3 de Noviembre y Jacarandá behind the Hotel Oro Verde el sábado a las 8:30.

Descuentos y compras –

Chevy – Chevy Aveo Family with only $3,000 down, Grand Vitara SZ from $27,990, and Chevy D-Max High Country for $44,990.

And that´s all for today so Hasta Mañana –

Jeanne