Domingo, 12/3/2017: Poor law enforcement leads to bus accidents, Rivers are at dangerous levels, Quinoa history

Mar 12, 2017 | 0 comments

Hola, Todos –

Pagina cultural –

Upcoming and ongoing agenda events –

Martes de cine – The movie on 14/3 at 19:00 in the Alianza Francesa will be Lumumba, directed by Raoul Peck.  It will be shown with Spanish subtitles and is free.

Articles about –

Video game – A joint project by the Department of Arts at the U. of Cuenca and the Ministerio de Cultura has been on the “boards” for a year and half.  The video game called “El Gran Viaje” (The Great Journey) is about a 15 year old Cañari boy at the time the Incas invaded Cañari teritory and takes place in Shabalula, a Cañari settlement near where Sígsig is today.  The game will be introduced on miércoles, 22/3 a las 19:00 in the Museo de Pumapungo.  It will be there for a month, and visitors can play it.  The development of the game was done by volunteers who are now looking for investors to bring it it to the public.  If you’re interested in investing, call 098 735 0168.  (Too bad the game is historically and archeologically accurate – it would sell better if the players could rip the beating hearts out of war prisoners and play fútbol with them.)

Book launch – “Perspectiva Periodística Mundial” (World Journalistic Perspective), by Adolfo Parra who was also inducted into El Ateneo Ecuatoriano, was launched in the Hotel Felicia.

Auditions – The folk dance group Wayrapamushkas of the U. of Cuenca will hold auditions on sábado, 18/3 from 10:12:30 and 14-16:30 in the Unidad de Cultura (av. 12 de Abril 5-199 y Solano).  Wear workout clothing and fill out a registration form, available the day of the auditions.  U of Cuenca students can use this activity to fulfill 60 hours of gym and preprofessional practice requirements.

Otras cosas – 

Titular – Alertas ante ríos crecidos (Alerts in the face of flooded rivers) – Don’t get too close to the rivers.  (You don’t want those 12 tentacled water monsters dragging you in.)  As of last night, the Río Tarqui was in a pre-alert stage which is when the river is close to exceeding normal flows.  An alert signal is when there is a possibility of overflowing.  The other 3 rivers are flowing normally although the flows are increasing.

Road safety – Guillermo Abad, director of the Justicia Vial (Road Justice), was interviewed.  He said that “siniestralidad” (accident rate – your word for the day) has increased 6.8% each year for the past 10 years.  Traffic accidents are the leading cause of death in Ecuador, and the problem is not with the Ley de Tránsito which is strict, but ANT (Agencia Nacional de Tránsito), which is permissive.  (As so many gringos have complained – there’s no enforcement.)  He mentioned bus accidents in which people were killed, but the bus company’s operations were only suspended while the case was investigated, or the company only received a 30-day suspension. (I wonder if the victims’ families ever received any monetary reward for their losses?)

Sony Music – Executives are touring the locations most representative of Ecuador with the objective of programming future audiovisual productions in the country.  (No reason The Hobbit couldn’t have been filmed here instead of NZ.  We’ve got farmland, rivers, mountains and even active volcanos.)

Chilenos – The Chilean Consulate in Guayaquil was in Cuenca registering Chileans who, for the first time, can vote from outside of the country.  The Consul estimated that there are 8,500 to 9,000 Chileans living in Euador, with 400 in Azuay.

Actualidades – articles about –

Jaime Jimbo – The sculptor has been making and restoring religious sculptures for over 40 years in his workshop on Luis Cordero y Pío Bravo.

Centro Cultural Abraham Lincoln – The center on Pres. Borrero between Jaramillo y Vásquez, was started in 1957 by a group of young people who wanted to learn English.  Polibio Arce, one of the surviving founders said that at that time, Cuenca was a little city, semi-Colonial, and with a society full of prejudices.

Colina Villonaco – The “Parque Eólico de Villonaco en Loja” (Villonaco Wind Farm in Loja), located at 2,720 m. above sea level,  has 11 turbines capable of generating 30% of the energy demands of Loja, Zamora Chinchipe and Gualaquiza.  It’s also a tourist attraction.  (The photo shows visitors crossing a paved area, leaning into the wind.  A couple are wearing those colorful knit “ski masks,” and all are bundled up in heavy sweaters or jackets.

Intercultural – The article is about the history of quinoa (An Andean superfood) and amaranto or Kiwicha (amaranth) (The next Andean superfood – it has twice as much calcium as an equal volume of milk and about as much protein.  So have it for breakfast, lunch and dinner in copious amounts and forget what Susan says about balanced diets.  Eat it and be more powerful than a locomotive, leap tall buildings in a single bound and be faster than a speeding bullet.)

Sports and Health – The article is about training cycles.

Internacional –

Colombia – El papa Francisco (Pope Francis) will visit Colombia from 6-10/9 with the goal of serving as “misionero de la reconciliación” (Missionary of reconciliation).  His “tour” is called “El Primer Paso” (The First Step), which Colombia is making towards a strong and lasting peace.  In another article, a book of “Mensajes Pastorales” (Pastoral Messages) from the Pope during his Latin American visit is available at Librería Hermano Miguel (Bolívar 7-64 y Luis Cordero – phone: 283 1060) for $15.00.

Guatemala – The powerful Guatemalan Business Summit called for a thorough investigation into the deaths of 38 girls in a fire in a group home on Wednesday.  19 died of smoke inhalation at the home, and another 19 died in hospital from severe burns.  4 children will be taken to a hospital in Galveston when it’s decided they can travel.  The director of the Secretaría de Bienestar Social (Secretary of Social Welfare) has been prohibited from leaving the country by the Secretary of Criminal Policy of the Public Ministry.  (So the responsibility goes all the way to the top?  The head honcho doesn’t get away with saying “I had no idea what my underlings were doing.”)

And that´s all for today so Hasta Mañana –

Jeanne

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