Still Jazzin' it Up: The Costa Rican International Jazz Festival continues through Sunday with musicians including this group from New York University performing around the country. See the Calendar section of today's print or electronic edition of The Tico Times for more show times and locations.

Owners of corner stores, or pulperías, and other retailers now have access to special financing to help them switch to modern technology, thanks to a joint program of Banco Popular's Community Development branch, the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Commerce and the Chamber of Retailers, according to a statement released by Casa Presidencial yesterday.

Cartago Dance Festival
With dance groups from Cartago and around the country, trainings and performances, today through Sunday, auditorium of Casa de la Ciudad, Cartago, entrance ¢1,000 ($2). Info: 840-5089, 550-2340.

Art Market
Today through Tuesday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., near Plaza de las Artes, San José.

Expo-Casa
Exhibit of household items, furniture, real estate, 3-10 p.m.; tomorrow, 10 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Plaza Herradura Hotel, Ciudad Cariari, Heredia, 204-7204, 204-7326.

Recycling Collection
9 a.m. to noon, Barrio Roma, 300 meters south of Pop's in La Sabana. Info: 848-4891 

Grand Prix Canine Agility
Today and tomorrow, 9 a.m., Pets' Paradise, Heredia. Info: 382-8285

Music at the Beach
Bob Benjamin Zúñiga and Brian Burback, rock starting at sunset, 6 p.m., Rip Jack Inn, Playa Grande. Info: 653-0480.

Credomatic Music Festival
Features, Bach Academy ( Germany ), Aug. 11, 8 p.m., National Theater, San José. Info: 221-9417.

International Youth Day
Including concerts, national dance contest, fashion parade with cartoon characters, 10 a.m., National Culture Center (CENAC), San José, Ave. 3/5, Calle 11/15. Info: 256-8315.

Free Concert
Eole Dixtour Quintet and Kirill Gliadkovsky, 11 a.m., Las Mercedes Church, Grecia.

By Amanda Roberson
Tico Times Staff | aroberson@ticotimes.net

In-and-out Internet connection yesterday continued to plague about 650,000 users of Radiográfica Costarricense S.A. (RACSA), the state-owned Internet provider, according to RACSA spokesman Mario Zaragoza.

Problems began Monday following a mechanical malfunction that occurred Saturday at RACSA's headquarters in San José.

“At this moment, technicians are working 24 hours, and we hope the problems are resolved by the end of the afternoon,” Zaragoza told The Tico Times yesterday at 3:30 p.m. Technicians will continue to work through the weekend if necessary, he said.

The bulk of those affected connect to the Internet via telephone, although RACSA also received a few complaints from cable modem users.

Costa Rica is getting ready to receive 7.4% more cruise ships this season than the previous one, according to Tourism Minister Carlos Benavides.

Training programs are under way to provide cruise ship tourists better security, an issue that took the national spotlight in February when a tourist fresh off a ship in the Caribbean port of Limón killed a man who attempted to rob a bus carrying him and 11 other tourists (TT, Feb. 23).

“For a few months, we have been working with Tourism Police to have better security at ports and increase the number of police in these areas,” the minister told the daily La República.

The Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT) is projecting that Costa Rica will receive 232 cruise ships during this season, which runs from October through April, a 7.4% increase over the 216 cruise ships that arrived last season.

So far, 138 ships are scheduled to arrive to Limón, up from last season's 127, while 94 are scheduled to arrive to the Pacific port of Puntarenas, also an increase over last season's 89.

Tourism is one of the main drivers of the Costa Rican economy, bringing in about $1.6 billion per year from 1.6 million visitors.

-ACAN-EFE and Tico Times

Owners of corner stores, or pulperías, and other retailers now have access to special financing to help them switch to modern technology, thanks to a joint program of Banco Popular's Community Development branch, the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Commerce and the Chamber of Retailers, according to a statement released by Casa Presidencial yesterday.

The agreement will give this sector access to credits to purchase software and hardware needed to transfer their paper records to an electronic system.

“There are a significant number of retailers in the country who need financial assistance to improve their commercial activities to be able to provide Costa Rica society with better quality products at better prices,” said Vice-Minister of the Economy Jorge Woodbridge. “That's why it's imperative that they get equipment that allows them to use technology in their businesses and become more competitive.”

The agreement is expected to benefit more than 20,000 small retailers around the country by providing them with more efficient ways to charge customers, keep records and track inventory, the statement said.