Viernes, 30/9/2016: Political update, Calle Santa Ana, TAME reps called to testify before Nat’l Assembly about April accident

Hola, Todos –

Pagina cultural –

Today’s agenda events –

Reading – “La Casa Encantada” (The Enchanted House) project, directed to children, and which combines play with reading, was at 10:00 in the “Pedro Páramo” bookstore.

Festival Eurocine – “Fátima”, a story about a Muslim mother of 2 children and the conflicts they live through trying to integrate into European society, will screen at 19:00 today at the Alianza Francesa.

Conferencia educativa – Philippe Meirieu spoke today at 10:00 about schools and education.

Articles about –

Calle de Santa Ana – The pedestrian way between the Catedral de La Inmaculada and the Seminario San Luis is 30% complete. The paving is an old style of construction called “amorcillado,” and old 19th century drainage channels into which water from the Catedral flowed were discovered and will be visible through reinforced glass.

Mes del Adulto Mayor – Activities to celebrate the Senior Citizens’ Month hae been planned for October including  an event where seniors can talk about their live experiences on 20 & 21/10 (Assuming they can remember them), the opening of the Galería “Las estrellas de ayer siguen brindado su luz” on 26/10, a magazine launch on gerentology on 27/10, and a musical show on 28/10.

Día del Pasillo Ecuatoriano (Ecuadorian Pasillo Day) – will be celebrated tomorrow. 1/10 is the birthday of Julio Jaramillo, one of the most well known singers of this type of music.  On Sat, 8/10 at 20:00 there will be a show in the teatro Carlos Cueva Tamariz with Consuelo Vargas, accompanied by the Trío Pambil.  Tickets available at Librimundi and Areldi.

Sesiones Pumapungo – Independent musicians and bands will be at the Museo de Pumapungo today at 19:00 with three bands playing a program of fusion from rock to electronic.  Free.

“Ánima” – This show by Gabriela Parra is showing in the vestibule of the teatro casa de la Cultura.

Otras cosas – 

I am making a foray into translating some political news, but I’m guessing at a lot of things since I don’t have the background knowledge an Ecuadorian who’s been hearing this stuff his/her whole life would have.  I am also not translating the names of the parties since their English names aren’t really relevant and you can Google the translations yourselves if you’re interested.

Titular – Tibán, declina; Viteri desplaza a Carrasco (Tibán declines; Viteri displaces Carrasco)  (This is for all of you political junkies.  As background, the various political parties (Hey, we’re in Ecuador where there is no two party choke hold-on power.) are in the process of forming alliances and naming presidential, vice-presidential, assembly and Comunidad Andina (?) candidates for the Feb., 2017 elections.)  The coalition forming behind Paco Moncayo is taking hold.  Yesterday the Pachakutic movement (I think it’s the largest indigenous political body) decided to go into the elections as part of the Acuerdo Nacional por el Cambio (ANC) after which precandidato (hopeful) Lourdes Tibán declined not to run. I think the coalition may also include Izquierda Democrática, although not all the provincial directors are in agreeement with this alliance.  I think that Conaie and Ecuaruari (two other indigenous parties?) are also behind Moncayo.  The vice-presidential candidate will be picked at the convention which will be attended by delegates from 22 groups which are part of ANC.

Cynthia Viteri was named presidential candidate for la Unidad which is a coalition of the Social Cristiano and Avanza parties, and the Concertación, Madera de Guerrero and Juntos Podemos movements, although Juntos Podemos chose not to attend.  This made it impossible for Paúl Carrasco, prefect of Azuay, to also seek the nomination.  Surveys showed him with 8.2% while Viteri reached 12%.

Between 2,500 and 3,000 AP (Alianza PAIS which is Pres. Correa’s party) supporters will go to Quito to the Convención Nacional to name the pres. and VP candidates. The cantonal director of AP said that Lenín Moreno, ex VP, and Jorge Glass, current VP, are popular with the party and the citizenry.  Last Mon. was the deadline for each province to send a list of options, from which the national commission will pick the most suitable.  The provincial conventions where the slate will be officialized, will be in the middle of Oct.

Quinto Encuentro Minero-Energético (5th Mining-Energy Meeting) – The meeting between Perú y Ecuador was held yesterday in Bocapán to exchange experiences in the development of mining, electricity and hydrocarbons.  The possibility of exporting natural gas from Perú to Ecuador will be studied.

Economics – The FMI (International Monetary Fund) predicted that the Ecuadorian economy will continue to contract until 2020 and not begin to recover until 2021, and then only at the modest rate of 1.5%.   The rest of the article is an interview with Jaime Carera, director executivo of the Observatorio de la Polítical Fiscal (Executive Director of the Observatory of Fiscal Policy)

Agendas – 25,000 agendas for the fiestas por la Independencia de Cuenca will be printed.  There will be 200 events you can go to (if you have a lot of energy, don’t need sleep and have perfected the science of cloning).  You can download the agenda from www.cuenca.gov.ec.  (If I can get a copy, I will translate the events for those of you who have absolutely no Spanish at all – not even cerveza or gracias. The rest of you should be able to figure the agenda out – if you can read dates and times.  I was figuring it out after I’d been here a month with the help of a dictionary.)

TAME – The Assemblyman for Azuay has called for a representative of TAME to appear before the Assembly to explain the accident of 28/4.  He said there has been cross information with no one taking responsibility – some say it was the runway, others say the pilots, or the airplane, or a problem with the airline.  La Junta Investigadora de Accidentes (JIA – The Accident Investigation Board) is in charge of investigating the mishap. (Which is a mild word given the subsequent inconveniences (staying with mild words) to Cuenca and travelers.)

Gas trucks – In mid Oct, the trucks selling bottled gas will have to play music instead of beeping their horns.  (Read Friday’s article in CHL.)  (My nomination for the music is “Jumping Jack Flash, it’s a gas, gas, gas.)

Bridges – The city is looking at building 9 new bridges, both vehicular and pedestrian, some over the Yanuncay, one at the Parque Industrial over the Machángara, at El Batán, connecting calle Octavio Chacón with av. Los Migrantes, in the sector of the Plaza de Ganado (Livestock Market) and over the Tomebamba at the Balzay campus of the U. of Cuenca.    Some of these need financing for studies, some have been studied and one has permits.

Shooting – A youth was killed yesterday in a poolhall on Remigio Crespo near av. De Las Américas.  2 unknown assailants in ski-masks entered the pool hall and shot the victim who died instantly of head wounds.  (Now you know why your mother told you to stay out of pool halls.  The Music Man was right.)

Fiestas patronales – Both Jima in the canton of Sígsig and Sayausí are having fiestas in honor of their patron saints this weekend.  Both includes masses, music, fireworks, beauty contests, food and crafts.

Speed controls – Transit cops were on av. De la Indepenencia yesterday with a radar looking for speeders.

Cybercafés – The number of cybercafés has grown nationally from 1,355 in 2009 to 2,584 in 2015, but the business is no longer profitable with the increase in home access and free public access.  (Now something for you statistics junkies about internet access in Ecuador.)  Computers are in 30% of homes, 92.4% of households have at least one cellular phone, 34.7% of households have internet access, and 2,807,282 people access social networks over their smart phones.  (I was in the park the other day – there were about 8 people around me – all but one looking at their phones.)  At ETAPA which offers phone, internet and TV, 50% of their income is from internet.

CNT (La Corporación Nacional de Telecomunicaciones) has a Plan Ultra 1 Fibra Óptica at a speed of 10 megabits costing $24.90/mo. not including IVA with a promotion that gives you 15 Mbps for a year with zero installation costs and a Plan Ultra 2 with 25 Mbps for $36/mo. not incl. IVA.  CNT also has a GPON project using fiber optics available in the area of 3 Puentes, Av. 1 e Mayo, Don Bosco to Las Américas and also Machángara and Cdla. (Ciudadela) Ingenieros.  (Don’t ask me how to sign up – figure something out for yourself.  Try Googling CNT EP.)

Amenidades –

Movies – as usual, go to www.multicines.com.ec for show times and locations.  The following movies open this week.

2D Miss Peregrine Niños Peculiares – Esp y Sub.
2D Horizonte Profundo – Esp. y Sub.
2D Antes de despertar – Suspenso/Terror – Esp.  (Just in case anyone thought it was a romantic chick flic and not suspense and terror.  I guess this it the multi-plex’s warning.  Like parental supervision or no one under 18.)

The following movies are continuing.

2 & 3D Cigueñas – Esp.
2D Mi Amigo el Dragón – Esp.
2D Los siete magníficos – Esp.
2D Jugada maestra  Sub.
2D Juego sin reglas – Esp.

Internacional –

Brasil – Violence is tarnishing elections in Brasil with over 20 politicians assassinated in the last few months.  (Is the Donald sending his henchmen down to practice?) The last shooting was last night when a public official shot a mayor running for reelection at a campaign event.  The perpetrator was killed, as well as one of the mayor’s guards, and the vice governor of the state was injured.  And there were 3 other killings or attempts between Mon. and Thu.  (Dangerous to be a politician in Brasil.)
 
Colombia – Cierran campaña en Colombia (Campaign in Colombia closes) – The campaigning for or against a referendum to approve the peace accord signed by the government and FARC is ending ahead of Sunday’s voting.  Ex-president Alvar Úribe is leading the “no” contingent with the argument that actions such as killing and kidnapping police by FARC are not being punished.  He has been joined by Alejandro Ordóñez who is from one of the most conservative sectors of Colombian society.

The supporters of the peace accord are across the spectrum of the political parties.  If the “no” votes win, it would open up an avenue to renegotiate the accord. (But first everyone rearms.)

And that´s all for today so Hasta Domingo –

Jeanne