Thursday, February 25, 2016

Thursday February 25, 2016 Coopera

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Thursday February 25, 2016
The morning started off with my taking the PC to a place called TecMarket at the recommendation of one of the local computer repair experts.  We need a place that can experiment with switching hardware parts to find out which one is causing the freezing problem.
Our little Lupe slept well through the night but was in distress in the afternoon again so we took her back to the vet.   The main fellow was there and we left her there for 3 hours for tests and more x-rays.  When we returned they had diagnosed anemia along with an enlarged spleen that was playing havoc with the other organs and affecting her breathing.  An emergency operation was recommended so what were we to do,.. of course we want to save our baby.
Tonight, at a downtown hotel, all the affected Perjudicados de Coopera were called to attend a meeting/press conference by local Azuay Assemblyman Oswaldo Larriva, who was previously in charge of a Government commission investigating wrongdoing on several fronts including the Coopera fiasco.  Last year he submitted his report and it was refused by the Government.   He promised to give us a copy of that report but reneged on that promise.  He is a nice guy who is either honest, or wants to be honest but, in the end, he is still a politician.  He got removed as the head of that commission and now is effectively out-of-favor with the Correa government.  For all the hoopla involved tonight, he only briefly mentioned Coopera at all and claims there is $60 million unaccounted for, which would pay off all the investors.  The reason for this news conference (attended by other powerful politicians of the province) was to call for a provincial commission to get answers to many issues involving corruption, etc.
The meeting was effectively over around 8:15 so I took a chance on meeting up with the biker gang, because they almost never leave before 8:30, and was successful.  13 bikes were ready to go.  We gassed up and headed through Misicata towards Banos again.
We were at the big Banos church when my phone rang and I got the bad news that our little Lupe had died on the operating table.  It made me regret my prediction of yesterday.  I made it home in 15 minutes flat and Cristina and I went to the clinic to retrieve our baby's body.  This is very heart-wrenching for us so I am not going to say any more.   It has been an especially hard month for us.

I hope you enjoy the photos.  That was the day's excitement,   Cheers, Al 

Some other Azuay bigwig to introduce Oswaldo Larriva

Oswaldo Larriva complaining about inaction over obvious corruption

He is calling for a Provincial commission to investigate

There were 13 bikes for tonight's ride

Banos is always a favourite stop

There is cheap food at vendors across the street

Lots of bikers come here

Many domes on this church

It is well-lit and can be seen for miles

R.I.P. our little baby Lupe