They're Back: Matt Damon, George Clooney and Brad Pitt are back on the big screen as Linus Caldwell, Danny Ocean and Rusty Ryan, respectively, in Ocean's 13, which debuts today at theaters around Costa Rica. See today's Weekend section of the print or electronic edition of The Tico Times for theaters.

Fans of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series around the world are eagerly awaiting the release of the seventh installment in this addictive series Saturday, and Costa Rican followers wouldn't dare miss out on the action.

“Tinta ”:
Play (in Spanish) by Pluie theater group, today through Aug. 5, Fridays and Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 6 p.m., Teatro Giratablas, across from Kentucky Fried Chicken, Barrio La California. Info: 253-6001.

“Two Tropics, One Quilt”
Quilting exhibit, today through Aug. 23, Costa Rican-North American Cultural Center, Barrio Dent and La Sabana branches.

Guanacaste Classic Golf Tournament
8 a.m., Hacienda Pinilla; Guanacaste; tomorrow, 8 a.m., Reserva Conchal, Guanacaste. Info: 680-3000.

Actuar Tour to Chira and Venado Islands
Today and tomorrow, reservations at 223-8509.

Annual Animal Blessing
Bilingual ceremony, 11 a.m., Unity Center, Piedades, Santa Ana, 350 m. south of the Shang Hai restaurant. Info: 203-4411.

Tablado Night
Performed by Argentinean dancer Aixa Igielbgerg accompanied by the group Soloflamenco, 10 p.m., Cuartel de la Boca del Monte, Barrio La California. Info: 221-0327, 883-6555.

By Dave Sherwood
Tico Times Staff | dsherwood@ticotimes.net

Wildlife experts from various Latin American countries convened in Santo Domingo de Heredia, north of San José, yesterday to discuss the possibility of establishing a biological corridor for jaguars.

The project, sponsored by the Wildlife Conservation Society, a nonprofit environmental group based in the United States, would seek to link jaguar population centers with others nearby through a system of forested corridors offering suitable habitats.

Representatives from a wide range of countries in the jaguars' range attended the meeting, from the United States south through Mexico, Panama, Venezuela and Brazil. Invitees included environment ministers from the respective countries as well as natural resource agency representatives and environmental groups.

Agenda items during the meeting, which ran through last night, included opportunities for education, strategies for conserving important lands, and research for quantifying the use of these corridors.

According to Dr. Alan Rabinowitz, a biologist who has been studying jaguars since the late 1970s, the corridors would stand to benefit all species, not just jaguars.

“This isn't just about good habitat – it's about good land-use planning and preserving the way of life of people that live in these corridors,” said Rabinowitz.

The Costa Rican government registered a financial surplus of $64 million during the first half of 2007, according to Finance Minister Guillermo Zúñiga, who yesterday called this figure an “optimistic” sign of the country's financial outlook and said he is “very satisfied.”

The minister attributed the surplus to an improvement in tax collection and controlled spending in priority areas.

Finance Ministry statistics indicate that the government's income as of June was $1.8 billion, an increase over the same period in 2006, when it registered $1.4 billion.

The government's total spending including interest on debt reached $1.7 billion from January to June, an increase over the $1.4 billion registered during this period in 2006.

The government's main income so far this year has been customs taxes ($680.5 million), followed by income tax ($448.4 million) and sales tax ($348.5 million), among other taxes.

Zúñiga said 51.8% more income taxes were collected during the first six months of this year compared to last year thanks to an initiative to enforce tax collection.

The government's main spending was on remuneration ($633.6 million), followed by interest on debt ($433 million) and pensions ($248.8 million), among other costs.

The minister said that, excluding interest on debt, the country generated a financial surplus of a little more than $497 million.

Despite these positive figures, Zúñiga said it is almost certain Costa Rica will close out 2007 with a financial deficit, since during the second half of the year the government must pay Christmas bonuses ( aguinaldos ) and invest more in pensions and infrastructure.

-ACAN-EFE

Fans of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series around the world are eagerly awaiting the release of the seventh installment in this addictive series Saturday, and Costa Rican followers wouldn't dare miss out on the action.

Librería International bookstores around the San José area will be holding Harry Potter festivals beginning Friday night complete with games, magic shows, face painting and more, according to a statement from the chain.

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” will go on sale at midnight Friday.

The series has been a bestseller in Costa Rica, ranking among the 10 top-selling books in the country. The national inventory of newly released books usually run out within one week. More than 1,200 customers have already reserved their copies of the seventh installment at Librería International stores, the statement said.

Since the first Harry Potter book was released in 1997, more than 325 million copies have been sold, and the books have been translated into 64 languages.

Harry Potter festivities will be held at Librería International stores in the Multiplaza, in the western suburb of Escazú; Terramall, east of San José; Paseo de las Flores in Heredia, north of San José; and the western suburb of Santa Ana.