None of Noboa’s energy ministers were qualified for the job; Rotofest music festival is underway; City noise ordinance advances; Firefighters have their day

Jueves, 10/10/2024

Hola, Todos –

Actividades –

“Rotofest” inicia hoy con siete horas de música electrónica (“Rotofest” kicks off today with seven hours of electronic music) – Cuenca will be the main stage for electronic and indie music with the XVIII Edition of the Festival Internacional “Rotofest” 2024. There will be artists from Ecuador, France, Puerto Rico, Turkey, Spain and Chile. There will be 3 types of activities including an academic component with a series of conferences, the artistic focus with two concerts in Cuenca and one in Yunguilla, and an economic axis represented by the Feria BZRT.

Inés Manzano is the fifth Energy Minister in President Daniel Noboa’s first year in office. She is trained as an environmental lawyer and, like her predecessors in the job, has no formal training in the energy field.

“Rotofest” will start today (jueves) a las 16:00 in the Parque de la Libertad with 7 hours of electronic music. On el viernes 11, there will be a day of alternative rock, and the closing will be el sábado, 12/10 in the Centro EcoTurístico in Yunguilla with 14 hours of electronic music. <If you’re not deaf already, you probably would be after 7+21 hours of electronic music.> In parallel, there will be the Feria BZRT on the esplanade of the Parque de la Libertad where 50 exhibitors will show the best of art and design. There will also be a Feria del Vinyl “La Música es Cultura” for the exhibition, sales and exchange of vinyl, acetates, picture disc, and more.

Titular –

Vuelven cortes de diez horas (Ten-hour blackouts are back) – Ten hours of blackouts each day from Wednesday to domingo was announced today, after which the schedule for next week will be announced. Antonio Goncalves resigned after announcing the new blackout schedule as Ministro de Energía y Minas after 3 months in the office, and was replaced by Inés Manzano who the Government said will lead the transformation of an expired (energy) matrix. She will execute renewable energy projects that the Government has already started which will guarantee sustainable and sovereign energy in the medium and long term.

Pres. Noboa has appointed 5 Ministers of Energy and Mines in his year in office. His first had a degree in International Relations and was Vice Minister of Governability in Pres. Lasso’s term; the second left office after he was accused of sabotage after the first set of blackouts in abril; the 3d was a civil engineer and is currently the minister of Public Works <How about that – an appointee to a ministry that’s related to the appointee’s experience.>; the 4th, Goncalves (the one just leaving his position), is an economist and occupied positions in the Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo. Minister Manzano, the latest appointee, is a lawyer specializing in Environmental Rights.

For Felipe Cisneros, an energy analyst, the decision of Pres. Noboa to appoint ministers of Energía with no experience in the sector shows the improvisation with which he is managing a sector in crisis. He said that there are experts with plenty of knowledge who weren’t taken into account and who have the skills to assume the job of minister of Energía. <Doesn’t say much about Noboa’s management skills. He’s lucky he was born rich.>

Cuenca –

Con abnegación y disciplina (With selflessness and discipline) – Today is the Día del Bombero (Firefighter’s Day). Historically, the fire department highlights the importance of their 250 volunteers who serve an important role in responding to emergencies along with the paid firefighters. The Benemérito Cuerpo de Bomberos Voluntarios de Cuenca (Meritorious Volunteer Fire Brigade of Cuenca) was founded in 1945 after a large fire on el 21/8/1945 burned down several buildings on Padre Aguirre and Pres. Córdova streets. The article featured several volunteer firefighters who tended to come from firefighting families with fathers, brothers, sisters in the bomberos. Their “day jobs” included an electrical engineer and a veterinarian. <Seems like Cuenca is an awfully big city for volunteer fire department, but I guess it started when Cuenca was a little town.>

Ordenanza de ruido (Noise ordinance) – The Concejo Cantonal had it’s 2nd debate on the Ordenanza de Control, Regulación y Sanción de la Contaminación Ambiental Originada por la Emisión de Ruido Proveniente de Fuentes Fojas (sic – Fijas?) y Móviles (Ordinance for the Control, Regulation and Sanction of Environmental Pollution Caused by the Emission of Noise from fojas <sic – Fixed?> and Mobile Noise Sources). If the ordinance is passed, it will apply to all industrial, commercial, crafts, worship, sports, and recreational activities; individual or services, domestic alarms, loudspeakers and other sources that emit noise into the environment. <Would that include the yelling from schoolyards? It would certainly cover the loudspeakers teachers use. How about barking dogs and crowing roosters?> The control entity will be the Comisión de Gestión Ambiental (CGA – Environmental Management Commission)

Nacional –

Noboa condecora a su padre (Noboa condecora a su padre) – At a dance in honor of his son, Álvaro Noboa, businessman and 5-time presidential candidate, received a decoration from Pres. Daniel Noboa who starred in his own sesión solemne commemorating the Independence of Guayaquil. Noboa senior received the National Order of Merit in the degree of Grand Cross for his business career, philanthropy, and social work benefitting the most vulnerable. <Is this the incentive for him to pay back taxes? Treat first and compliance second? Any dog trainer would tell you that that is not the way it works.> This is the first time since he became President that Daniel Noboa has participated in a public act with his father who skipped Daniel’s inauguration for health problems.

And that’s all for today so hasta ? –

Jeanne