Tell It to the Judges: A small crowd of protesters gathered outside the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court (Sala IV) in San José yesterday to demonstrate against the Central American Free-Trade Agreement with the United States (CAFTA), with some participants posting handwritten signs to express their position. The Sala IV is scheduled to hand down a decision in July regarding whether the pact is constitutional. Later in the day, the protest moved to the Supreme Elections Tribunal, then to the Legislative Assembly.

2nd Oro Verde Ecotourism Fair:
Food, cultural presentations, mascaradas , June 15-17, Miramar, Puntarenas. Info: 639-8923, 639-9020, 398-0128.

Environmental Festival
Talks, drawing contest, June 15, 11 a .m., Rancho UNAPROA, Longo Mai, San Isidro de El General. Info: 771-4239.

Gala Presentation of the Play “Orgasmos ”
Comedy, special guest Dan Iraely, author of the play, Thurs.-Sun., 8 p.m., Torres Theater, Av. 8, Ca. 11/13. Info: 258-6078.

“Sleeping Beauty” Ballet
Performed by Ballet Costarricense Juvenil and Ballet Estudio Cascanueces, June 15-16, 7 p.m.; June 17, 11 a .m. and 5 p.m., National Auditorium, Children's Museum, end Ca. 4. Info: 258-4929.

Blood Donation Drive
Organized by Rotaract San José Noreste Club, June 16, 7 a .m.-6 p.m., Hospital México, La Uruca. Info : 898-3485.

Cajun Dinner
Cajun and Creole cuisine by chef Bob Williams from Baton Rouge, June 17, 2-6 p.m., Big Mike's Place, Escazú. Reservations required. Info: 289-6087.

NO to CAFTA Festival
Including a masquerade and cultural shows, Desamparados Park. Info: 885-2789, 250-9576.

Surfrider Party
Including live entertainment, music, food, June 16, 7 p.m., Laguna del Cocodrilo Lodge, Tamarindo, wiki@tamarindocommunity.org

By Katherine Stanley
Tico Times Staff | kstanley@ticotimes.net

Following flooding that damaged hundreds of homes and dozens of offices near San José, the National Emergency Commission (CNE) declared a red alert in the area, as well as lesser alerts in other regions of the country.

A statement yesterday afternoon from the CNE indicated that the flooding, caused by six hours of heavy rains Wednesday – on average, 46 liters per square meter – affected 3,000 people throughout the Central Valley and damaged 300 homes and 13 bridges. In addition, a tornado in Cartago, east of San José, damaged 43 homes and sent two people to the local hospital.

The daily La Nación reported that the floods caused at least one death: that of Julio César Mena, 68, whose body was found in the Ciruelas River near El Roble de Alajuela.

The cantons hardest hit were Desamparados, Belén, Alajuela, Cartago, Flores and Heredia, though incidents were also reported in Alajuelita, Guadalupe, Moravia, Tibás, Aserrí, Coronado and Liberia.

CNE president Daniel Gallardo said the commission has already invested more than ¢10 million (approximately $19,231) in supplies for shelters to house 45 displaced residents of Belén, north of San José, and Alajuela, west of the capital.

Belén and Flores, Heredia, as well as central Alajuela, are still on red alert; Desamparados is on yellow alert; and the entire Central Valley, the Central Pacific, Southern Zone, and southern Caribbean region are on green alert.

What does that mean? CNE spokesman Reynaldo Carballo told The Tico Times that all residents of those regions, particularly those who live near rivers, should stay vigilant. Meteorologists indicate current conditions are typical for the May-November rainy season, Carballo added, but local and national emergency workers are preparing nonetheless.

By Blake Schmidt
Tico Times Staff | bschmidt@ticotimes.net

LIBERIA, Guanacaste – Astronaut and rocket scientist Franklin Chang told The Tico Times yesterday that he and his lab tech crew just took one step closer to the lab's goal of putting into flight an innovative new technology: a plasma space rocket.

The space rocket, which is being designed here at Chang's Ad Astra Rocket Lab on rolling green farmland just outside Guanacaste's capital, would have an array of uses in space – from powering the space equivalent of tugboats that would fix busted satellites, to a more cost-efficient rocket for the earth-orbiting International Space Station, to powering faster and more cost-efficient trips to Mars.

On Monday, the lab crew got their model plasma generator to operate for a milestone three hours, a major gain considering that the longest steady state operation the generator had reached before was two minutes.

Chang, who shares the world record for the most space missions at seven, told The Tico Times that the model plasma generator designs will be used to build a complete plasma rocket engine prototype in the company's sister lab in Houston, Texas, by the beginning of next year. Chang hopes to put his plasma rockets into space by 2010.

“We've taken a major step forward in achieving this goal,” Chang said.

Plasma, dubbed the fourth state of matter, is electrically charged elements at extremely high temperatures at which no compounds hold, as in the center of the Sun. Ad Astra has figured out a way to harness plasma using magnetic fields.

See upcoming editions of The Tico Times for more of our exclusive interview with Chang.