Negative inflation again, Tame losses total $105 million, Jet fuel subsidy, Cell phone reception blocked near jail, Venezuela outlaws opposition parties

Jueves, 9/11/2017

Hola, Todos –

Pagina cultural –

Upcoming agenda event

Concierto – Gabacho Maroc will perform el próximo martes a las 20:00 in the Teatro Sucre. The group plays a fusion including world music, jazz, ganacvx oui and more. <Yes, I had to look up ganoui/gnawi.>

Articles about –

Festival de la Lira – Mexican poet Minerva Margarita Villarreal won the Golden Lyre for “Las Maneras del Agua” (The Ways of Water).

San Francisco Plaza – 12 artists are part of a Taller de Intervenciones Callejeras and are putting theory to practice by painting the plywood fencing around the plaza. The project is almost finished.

CCE – CCE has a project called “Vitrina” (Showcase) for young creators. The space will be on the ground floor on Pres. Córdova where EMUVI used to be and in two large rooms in the basement.

Otras cosas –

Titular – Fiscal acusará a Glas (Attorney General will accuse Glas) – Carlos Baca Mancheno presented charges of conspiracy for Glas’ implication in the bribery by Odebrecht. Glas was one of 13 people charged and is the highest ranking politician to be charged. <So far?>

LATAM – Starting on 4/12, the airline will increase the number of flights on the Quito-Cuenca-Quito route. There will be 3 daily flights from lunes a viernes and 2 on los fines de semana (the weekends – more for you to remember). They will offer an introductory fare of $59 in diciembre. Pres. Moreno has signed an executive decree that will reduce fuel costs by 40% for those airports administered by DAC and Corpac. <Corpac administers the Cuenca airport.> For more information see article in CHL.

CRS-Turi – Cell phones were blocked at the jail, but the blockage is affecting neighbors since the it includes an area 300-400 m. beyond the jail itself. The Ministry of Justice has asked Arcotel (Agencia Reguladora de las Telcomunicaciones) to calibrate the “inhibitors.” <How would you like to be a neighbor and see someone in an orange jump suit in your back yard and you can’t even call for help.>

Referendum – CREO, led by Guillermo Lasso, announced its “7 Veces Sí” (Yes 7 Times) campaign in support of the referendum, and made it clear their support was not for Pres. Moreno.

TAME – The General Manager, Octavio Pérez, reported that between 2012 and 2016, the airline lost $109 million. He listed factors contributing to TAME’s deterioration including moving the Quito airport to Tababela which increased operating costs, the elimination of fuel subsidies to all companies, and the entrance of other companies into profitable routes where TAME had previously enjoyed a monopoly on air transportation. <Time to pull the plug on TAME as an airline and let it go back to the air force which apparently doesn’t understand competition.> A CREO assemblyman asked that TAME be declared an emergency so that the Government can intervene. He said the aircrafts’ engines need to be repaired and that will cost $5-6 million. <TAME just got even scarier. I can hear it – pilot to whomever – “Cancel this flight – the plane won’t start.” But that’s better than ,”Hey, tower – the engine just cut out on me.”>

Tranvía – <indirectly, anyway> – Preparations for the sale of the property at the Cayambe base are being finalized. The contract requirements have been written and include improvements the city needs to make such as fencing and a road and conditions the buyer has to meet. One condition will guarantee that the property will remain in local hands, and the use has to be logistical and warehousing, but not manufacturing. The city expects to get $23 million from the sale which will help fund the completion of the Tranvía.

Empty lots – Owners of empty lots are required to keep them fenced and clean. If an owner does not do so; EMAC can come in, clean the lot and charge you a fine of $10-100, the costs of their work, plus a 30% surcharge <sounds like a penalty to me>. One problem is finding the owners, some of whom do not live in the city or even in Ecuador.

Fiestas – Ricuarte is honoring San Carlos Porromeo with a fiesta from hoy hasta el domingo. There will be the usual activities <masses, food, music, dancing, contests> starting at 8 or 9:00 and going until19 or 20:00 on viernes, sábado y domingo.

IPC (Índice de Precios al Consumidor – Consumer Price Index) – The IPC for households in Cuenca is 105,88 <105.88 what> which represents a monthly inflation rate of -.07%. The “canasta familiar básica” (basic family basket (of goods and services)) is $736.23 and the canasta familiar vital (vital family basket) is $494.82. Family income with 1.6 workers is $700.00. A family is defined as 4 people.

Internacional –

Venezuela – 60% of the stores in Venezuela have closed in the last 5 years. Businesses weren’t able to sell enough to pay their employees and have gone 2 months without being able to get foreign exchange through the Central Bank, although they can through the black market. The Government blames the “guerra económica” (economic war) on the Opposition, the US, and private businesses.

The official Asamblea Nacional Constituyente unanimously approved the removal of parties and political organizations that promote facism, hate, intolerance, and discrimination. Such organizations would not be allowed to register with the Electoral Council and if already registered, their registrations would be revoked. <Sounds like Maduro is setting up a system that would leave his party as the only choice in the next election.>

And that´s all for today so Hasta Mañana –

Jeanne