Tram prepares for phase two tests, Adoption red tape strands kids in orphanages, 30 injured in bus accident, Report speeding buses

Lunes, 28/1/2020

Hola, Todos –

Actividades –
De la pagina cultural –

Art congress – The Congreso de Critica, Filosofia y Teoría del Arte Contremporáneo (Congress of Criticism, Philosophy and Theory of Contemporary Art) started today and will end el viernes. The event will include 3 types of activities: conferences, exhibits and book launches. Tomorrow, the 2nd day will be at the Museo de Arte Moderno. The 3d day will be at the Casa de la Bienal de Cuenca with projects that are or are not considered art. There are also 5 exhibits at different venues – la Sala Proceso, MMAM, Museo de los Metales and the U. of Cuenca Museo Universitario. The book launches were today and will be el jueves a las 12:00 and 16:00 in the Casa del la Bienal.

Teatro – “Amore,” a monologue by actress Yanet Gómez will be presented in the Sala Alfonso Carrasco on 5 & 6/2. <Sorry, I don’t understand what the show is about, but somehow she uses her body to express her inner self.> Get your ticket by calling 099 879 4052.

A bus accident on the Panamericana Sur in Zhucay injures 30. (El Mercurio)

Mural workshop – Until 31/1, there will be a workshop about ceramic murals in the Casa Patrimonial El Alfarero. Classes are from 15-17:00.

Exposición India Sagrada – An exhibit of artistic objects from India and sacred objects of Ghandi will open este jueves a las 19:00 in the Museo Pumapungo. Free.

Del cuerpo del periodico –

Carnaval in El Valle – El Valle will present the 4th Maluay cultural festival on 9/2, the 13th Carnavales El valle on 16/2, and a cultural festival in the Izhca Yaku tourist center on 23/2.

Día de los Humedales (Wetlands Day) – Wetlands Day has been celebrated worldwide since 2/2, 1997. <I bet Punxsutawney Phil gets more attention than wetlands on 2/2.> The Environmental Ministry of ETAPA is organizing a visit to the wetlands in the Parque Nacional Cajas so people can learn how wetlands function. It will be el viernes, 31/1 a las 8:00, with two meeting places – at the entry point La Toreadora or the entry point Llaviucu. In addition to these scheduled visits, technicians will share information about this ecosystem.

Wedding and event exhibit – “DI QUE Sí,” suppliers for weddings and events will be at the Centro de Convenciones in the Mall del Río el 14, 15, & 16/2.

Otras cosas –

Titular – Sospechan un primer caso de coronavirus (Suspected first case of coronavirus) – See Tuesday’s CHL for the story.

EMOV manager quits – The manager of the Empresa Municipal de Movilidad (Municipal Mobility Company), Juan Carlos Aguirre, announced his resignation yesterday amid criticism of the administration. He said in the 8 months since he started heading EMOV, he had not one meeting with the city to clearly establish what the administration was looking for. Mayor Palacios had as his legal advisors, an outside firm from Quito with no knowledge or feeling for the serious problems in EMOV. Ligia Gutiérrez, who took over from Aguirre, said the problems were at a macro level in the city and not just with EMOV. <So if you’ve been wondering what the mayor has been doing, the answer seems to be nothing.>

Adoptions – Many people are discouraged from adopting due to the long and often tedious process, with couples or singles waiting for at least 2 years. There are two phases, one with the Unidad Técnica de Adopciones del Ministerio de Inclusión Económia y Social (MIES), and a second judicial phase. Adopters need to prove their psychological and medical suitability to adopt a child, and it is the time this takes which needs to be shortened from 2 years to 1 year. In 2018, there were 3,000 children in shelters in Ecuador and only 84 adoptions. In Cuenca, there are about 300 children in shelters, half of whom can be adopted. In 2019, only 16 kids were adopted. The director of the Legal Office at the U. of Cuenca thought that more than legal reforms, what is needed are policies that encourage a culture of adoption. Foreigners are the ones who are most looking to adopt. <At least the process would weed out those old male foreigners looking to adopt a cute teenager.>

Accident – A collision yesterday afternoon between an interparrochial bus and a pick up truck on the Panamericana Sur in the Zhucay sector resulted in at least 30 injuries. The bus passengers boarded at the Feria Libre and were going to Cumbe. The cause of the accident is being investigated and it is suspected that one of the vehicles invaded the opposite lane. The whole front end of the truck was destroyed, and the force of the impact pushed the bus against a rock after which it rolled onto its side.

Controls in buses – The Agencia Nacional de Tránsito is telling passengers to write down the license plate of the interprovincial or intracantonal bus before you board. This precaution is if you need to report an incident such as exceso de velocidad (speeding – your word for the day to use the next time you’re on a speeding bus) which you can do by calling 911.

Tranvía – The Unidad Ejecutora del Proyecto Tranvía (Tramway Project Executing Unit) expects to have a report by the end of the month on the results of the tranvía testing. Currently the main problem is technical failures in the ground feeding system. This 3rd rail is under ground and one of the most vulnerable points in the system. This third line is used in El Centro to avoid overhead cables in the historic districts. <Too many people putting pennies on the rail and shorting out the line?> If the report comes back favorable, the next phase of testing will be qualifying the conductors who need practice hours. The testing will continue until the second half of the year at which time it is hoped the Tranvía will start operating commercially. <Who’s going to start the pool for the start date and year?>

And that’s all for today so hasta ? –

Jeanne