Probability of El Niño rises; Country risk reaches historic low; Electricity and water shut-offs; Zoo needs funds for rescued animals; Chinese Culture Week

Apologies to you, dear readers, for the gap in these posts. 3 weeks ago, delivery of the paper stopped. The first call to El Mercurio got me some rapid-fire Spanish and the only thing I understood was “there is a problem and we’re working to solve it.” The person who answered the second call at least asked me for pertinent information – name, address, cedula #, etc. Then I got a voice message from the delivery person who asked for a photo of the house and a couple of days later, I got the paper. There may be translation and formatting problems because my mouse stopped working.

The Yurak Allpa Zoo in Tarqui is presenting a cultural, and gastronomic fair, “Yurak Fest.” June 20, as a fundraiser for the care and feeding of the rescued animals housed there. (El Mercurio)

So, are you bored? –
(De El Mercurio del viernes, 5/6) – Documental sobre pescadores (Documentary about fisherfolk <is that politically correct enough? or is to too woke for those of you who believe that fishing is a man’s job?>) – The documentary ISOSPAM: el orgullo de pescar y el derecho a soñar (ISOSPAM: the pride of fishing and the right to dream) is about the history of small scale fishing in communities between Manabí and Esmeraldas. The film, presented by the UPS (Universidad Politécnica Salesiana), shows the challenges the men and women face which include decreasing marine stocks, the effects of climate change, and threats to their territories. <I guess those threats would be Chinese factory fishing and narcotics gangs.> The film also highlighted the cooperation, sharing of knowledge and community work that strengthens the means of support for 18 fishing organizations and 13 communities along the coast. The ISOSPAM project has benefitted more than 800 fisherfolk through conservation processes, commercialization, and strengthening productivity.

(De El Mercurio del sábado, 6/6) – El vidrio se transforma en arte (Glass transformed into art) – The show “Corazón y vidrio: la expresión interior a traves del mosaico” (Heart and glass: interior expression through mosaics) by Father Julio Vázquez Vega, is on exhibit at the Galería de la Alcaldía. The works are composed of thousands of glass tiles on wood. The religious themed works fragment and reflect light, transforming the surface into a space for contemplation.

(De El Mercurio del sábado, 6/6) – Semana Cultural de China vivirá Cuenca (Chinese Culture Week in Cuenca) – From the 8-12/6, Cuenca will be the scene of the Semana Cultural de China, an initiative promoted by the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China with academic events, exhibits, films, and cultural acts. The agenda starts with a master conference, “Dialogue China-Ecuador: Relations, Cooperation and a Shared Future” at 15:30 in the Auditorio Mario Jaramillo. <No date given.> On the same date, the show “China Innovates: Expo of Technology and Movilidad of the Future.” This will run on el 8 & 9/6 at EDEC EP (San Blas sector). The activities will end with a series of Chinese films from the 10-12/6 in the Planetario Municipal at 19:00. <Doesn’t sound too inspiring. I’d like to see one of the Chinese circuses with the population of a small village all riding on one bike.>

Curious? –
(De El Mercurio del viernes, 5/6) – ARCSA clausuró una farmacia (ARCSA closed a pharmacy) – ARCSA closed a pharmacy in Cuenca for selling medicines and medical devices without a sanitary registration and presumably falsified. During an inspection, technicians identified irregularities related to the provenance and authenticity of the products. One case involved an injectable medication labeled as sodium chloride with a Peruvian registration number. When checked against the Digemid agency list of Peru, it found that the registration applied to an antibiotic. <Does this mislabeling, etc. have ties to the gossip about pharmacies being centers of money laundering? Illegal drug dealers aren’t particularly known for the purity of their products.>

(De El Mercurio del viernes, 5/6) – Las probabilidades de El Niño suben al 80% (The probability of El Niño rises to 80%) – The probability of El Niño arriving at the coasts of Ecuador between julio y agosto is at 80%. Vladimir Arreaga, forecasting director of Inamhi (Instituto Nacional de Meteorología e Hidrología) said that an abnormal change in the surface temperature of the ocean and weakening winds are factors that signal the proximity of an El Niño event. If the ocean heating continues, it is expected that coastal rain will intensify while there will be drought in the sierra and the Amazon. <And drought in the Andes, too? Better make sure that those rechargeable light bulbs you bought during the last drought are still working.>

(De El Mercurio del viernes, 5/6) Riesgo país en mínimo histórico (Country risk at a historic low) – Ecuador reached a country risk of 396 points, the first time in 11 years it has been below the bar of 400 points. The Ministerio de Economía y Finanzas said that this result reflects the strengthening international confidence in the Ecuadorian economy, which was boosted by responsible management of public finances, macro-economic stability, and institutional credibility. <In other words, the IMF said jump, and Ecuador asked how high.> This indicator measures how much of a risk investors feel that lending money to Ecuador will be.

(De El Mercurio del sábado, 6/6) – Cortes de luz y agua en varias zonas habrá hoy (Electricity and water shut-offs in various zones today) – This would be old news for those of you who were in one of those various zones. The shut-offs were programmed. Water was shut off in the northern part of the city served by the El Cebollar plant. It was for work to interconnect various new pipes along av. De Las Américas between Nicanor Merchán and Luis Cordero. Programmed electrical cut-offs were part of interventions to the national electrical infrastructure to prevent possible effects from El Niño. The Government also said that consumption corresponding to the periods in which the power was shut off will not be billed. <Explain to me how you can consume power that you are not receiving?>

(De El Mercurio del sábado, 6/6) – Zoológico necesita fondos para animales rescatados (Zoo needs funds for rescued animals) – The Yurak Allpa Zoo in Tarqui will have its first product, cultural, and gastronomic fair, “Yurak Fest” el 20/6 from 10:00 at the zoo. It is a fundraiser for the care and well-being of the rescued animals housed there. The program will include an exposition of horses and eagles, artistic performances, and dance groups. Alberto Vele, owner of Yurak Allpa, said the goal is to raise $5,000 to improve the habitats of the different species permanently living in the zoo. The zoo has been in operation for more than 20 years and has sustained its activities mainly through admission fees, and the support of visitors. <Sorry, this should have been in the “Bored?” section, but I can’t figure out how to copy it without a mouse.>
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Information in this column, including dates, times and locations, is courtesy of the El Mercurio newspaper. Comments between the carrots, or guillemets (< … >), are the personal opinions of the author and not part of the news translation.