Posts:
By Elias Aboujaoude Birthrates are collapsing across the developed world, and the numbers are stark enough to unsettle most demographers. Nearly three‑quarters of humanity already live in countries with fertility at sub-replacement levels, according to the United...
Charlie woke up late on Good Friday, which would not normally require explanation except that in Cuenca, Good Friday means Semana Santa is in full swing, the construction crew on the lot next door has taken the week off, and the particular form of alarm clock I have...
Ecuador’s Internal Revenue Service (SRI) is backing down on plans to charge a 15% value added tax on most dairy and bakery products. SRI said it was “correcting the interpretation” of its Wednesday announcement of new taxes that sparked complaints from dairy and...
Bored? (De El Mercurio del viernes, 3/4) Escuela presenta proyecto "Constelaciones estelares" (School Presents “Star Constellations” Project) - The Unidad Educativa Eugenio Espejo will present its multidisciplinary stage project "Constelaciones estelares" next...
By Luisa Torres As we age, the risk of falling increases and becomes increasingly perilous. A fall can be a real health setback for a frail, elderly person. And, more older adults are dying from falls today than 20 years ago. A recent study showed that more than...
The water levels at the Mazar reservoir and Rio Coca, the sources that power the country’s two largest electric generation plants, is dropping rapidly. On Thursday, Ecuador's Electric Corporation (Celec) reported that generation at the Coca Coda Sinclair plant is...
Ecuador is claiming it has achieved “concrete results” in its fight against organized crime, as the country joins forces with the United States to conduct an anti-cartel military offensive. On Wednesday, the government of President Daniel Noboa announced that...
Ever since John Milton wrote his famous poem 'Paradise Lost', something about the word “paradise” that should make a normal person hesitate, because it nearly always comes attached to a brochure, a visa category, a casino in the Bahamas, and a silence about how things...
In the Achuar territory, in the Ecuadorian Amazon, scientists and indigenous communities are driving a key change. The replacement of combustion engines with solar boats is beginning to transform the soundscape. In this regard, the noise that dominated the rivers for...
The Internal Revenue Service (SRI) has ordered retail outlets to begin charging the 15% value added tax on dozens of previously untaxed food items, including bread and most dairy products. The SRI says its order does not change existing tax rules and only provides...
The Cuenca-Molleturo-Guayaquil and Cuenca-Girón-Machala highways will soon become toll roads, President Daniel Noboa announced Wednesday. Plagued for years by landslides and sinkholes, both highways have suffered frequent closures, especially during rainy weather. "We...
You don’t notice these rules at first. Most people don’t even realize they exist. Life feels easy enough. The cafés are welcoming. The routines settle in. The city seems open. Then something small happens. A reaction you didn’t expect. A distance you can’t quite...
By Manuela Castro and Alessandra Freitas Along Vespucio Sur Avenue, one of the main strips of Santiago, Chile, a massive real estate billboard advertises a new housing complex: “Green areas, barbecue space, pet-friendly sector.” The growing focus on spaces for pets as...
Drug traffickers are perfecting their methods of evading controls at Ecuador's ports, according to the International Narcotics Control Board, a United Nations agency. “Traffickers of cocaine and other illegal drugs are avoiding detection at the ports with increasingly...
Bored? (De El Mercurio del martes, 31/3) En muestra pictórica se resalta rostros y paisajes (Art exhibition highlights faces and landscapes) - The exhibit, "Rostros, Naturaleza, Rincones: Ecuador en acuarela" (Faces, Nature, Scenes: Ecuador in watercolor) by artist...
There is something almost touching about a judge asking a simple question and getting no answer. Not a philosophical answer, not a constitutional answer, just a practical one. How, exactly, are you going to do this? That was the tone of US Supreme Court Justice Brett...
By Mark A. Mahoney, Ph.D., R.D.N. As we draw nearer to the end of National Nutrition Month consider some of the following ways to help improve our nutritional intake as we age. Healthy eating is recommended throughout life, but as we age certain factors can affect our...
As gasoline and diesel prices soar in most of the world, Ecuadorians are only seeing small increases at the pump. In a recent survey of Latin American countries, Ecuadorians were paying the lowest per gallon rates. The reason for the low prices is a 5% limit on...
Bored? - (De El Mercurio del sábado, 28/3) Semana de retiro de cuaresma (Lenten Retreat Week) - <Pardon me for using a translation program, but I have no idea how to translate the religious terms, not having been brought up Catholic. The Easter schedule of...
By Katie Surma By the time Olger Kitiar reached the ridge, his shirt was wet with sweat, clinging to his back. Built with the solid frame of a linebacker, he moved through the rainforest with a quick, even rhythm that defied the steep, slick climb. Then he froze....
