Viernes, 9/9/2016: Tranvía progress report, Unpermitted home construction shut down, Maduro buys more guns and amo for police

Hola, Todos –

Otras cosas – 

Titular –

Yesterday’s Periodico was cut off by MailChimp, the eletter mailing service. Here are the other stories that didn’t make it into the last edition.

Tranvía – The “Patio Taller” (Maintenance Facility) is 75% complete.  The administration building should be finished by 3/11.  The yard on av. México and Unidad Nacional, will include covered parking for the trains, a train wash, repair and maintenance shops, and the administration building with a display from 24 cameras along the route.

Funny money – The US Federal Reserve will stop exchanging badly damaged paper money from Ecuador on 15/10.  It receives deteriorated bills every two months for a total of $12,000,000.  In the US, the life of a bill averages 7.5 years and in Ecuador only 2.8 years.  (Why and how are Ecuadorians so hard on their money?)  If you have badly damaged money you can exchange it at the Banco Central or a private bank until 15/10.  Badly damaged money includes torn bills stuck back together with excessive tape or glue, bills made whole by using other paper, bills with tape obscuring the numbers, and less than half of a bill. The Banco Central recommends not crumpling, wetting, marking or perforating bills.  You also should not write on, expose to fire, apply tape or staples, or use excessive tape or glue on bills.  (As if any of us had enough money to burn.)

Swastika – The Ministry of Justice sanctioned two officials after a report by the Public Defender for using a registration stamp with a swastika on it to register visitors to a detention center.  The Public Defender asked for an explanation, immediate withdrawal of the stamp and a public apology to the citizenry, and the Jewish, Russion, Gypsy, and European communities in the country.  (And there are still Holocaust deniers in the US.)

New water treatment plant – ETAPA announced that in 2018, it will be opening a new treatment plant in Guangarcucho, to the north of Cuenca, which will serve the zones of Nulti and Challuabamba and possibly Azogues.  The current plant has the capacity to treat between 1,800 liters per second (l/s) and 2,270 l/s in dry spells or 2,500 l/s in the rainy season.  The new plant has a capacity of 1,200 l/s.  (That doesn’t mean you can start flushing your used toilet paper.)

Feria – Businesses fronting La Mar between Cordero and Hermano Miguel held a street fair this Sat. from 11-13:30 to reactivate commercial activity in the Centro Histórico.  There was Danza árabe (Arabian dance – like belly-dancing?  That should certainly attract los hombres), music and stands with comida típica.

Clausuradas – 4 houses under construction in the north of Cuenca were shut down for lack of permits.  Personnel from the Dirección Municipal de Control Urbano (you translated all those cognates for yourself, right?) and the police pasted clausura notices.  (Maybe they were expecting to be met by irate and armed owners who felt they don’t need no stinkin’ permits?)  The houses are over 400 square meters, in a zone designated as a watershed.  Because of their size, there was extensive grading and earth moving in an area adjacent to an archeological protected zone.  (Owners with no sense of community or civic responsibility.)  The owners have 10 days to present exculpatory documentation (which I hope doesn’t mean a fat envelope full of greenbacks) and plans and specs.  If permits aren’t granted, the sanctions can be fines or demolition of the structures.

The Parish of San Joaquín, along with the Fundación Municipal Turismo has published La Guia San Joaquín which lists businesses, artesans and ecological agricultural locations with addresses and phone numbers.

Amenidades –
 
Movies – as usual, go to www.multicines.com.ec for show times and locations.  The following movies open this week.
2D Dragón nest: Guerrero Amanecer – Esp.
2D No respires – Esp.
2D Amigos de armas – Sub.
2D Mi papá es un gato – Esp.

The following movies are continuing.  All are en Español.  (So sorry that you aren’t learning el Español and won’t understand the movies.  But that was your choice.)
2D Escuadrón suicida
2D Star Trek: Más alla
2D Sin muertos no hay carnaval
2D Cuando las luces se apagan
2D Ben Hur
2D El Buen amigo gigante
2D Hugo fantasma travieso
2D Con alas pa volar
2D Kubo busqueda samurai
2D Club madre solteras

“Lo Sagrado y Lo Maldito” (The Sacred and the Damned) – Draco Rosa will be performing in Cuenca on Tue, 25/9 at 20:00 in the Teatro Carlos Cueva Tamariz.  Tickets are available at Musicalisimo del Mall del Río and on line at www.ticketshow.com.ec.  Cost:  $35.00, $50.00 and $69.00.

Internacional –
 
Venezuela – Pres. Maduro approved $25,000,000 for the acquisition of vehicles, arms and bulletproof vests for the Policía National Bolivaria, the national police force.  (Sounds like “Lurch” doesn’t plan to leave office quietly or peacefully.  I wonder if the arms that China sent to the earthquake zone were actually misdelivered?)

And that´s all for today so Hasta Domingo.  And if this email doesn’t get through in its entirety, it will be Hasta Domingo.  I’m not going for a three-peat.

Jeanne