Talking Trade: Delegates from Central America and the European Union yesterday began the first round of talks for an association agreement between the two regions. They're meeting through Friday at the Ramada Herradura Hotel, just outside San José.

It's official: the “yes” vote won in the nationwide referendum on the Central American Free-Trade Agreement with the United States (CAFTA) held Oct. 7, according to the Supreme Elections Tribunal (TSE).

Two earthquakes shook Costa Rica yesterday. The first originated south of the central Pacific town of Quepos at 1:33 p.m. and measured 4.2 on the Richter scale, according to a statement from the Volcanological and Seismological Institute of Costa Rica (OVSICORI), based at National University (UNA) in Heredia, north of San José.

Wine Expo
Today through Thursday, 1-9 p.m., Hotel Real Inter-Continental, Escazú. Info: milagro.obando@eka.net.

Face-Painting Workshop for Parents
Starts today and runs three consecutive Tuesdays, 6 p.m., Centro Cultural del Este, Guadalupe.

Experts and students from around Latin America converged yesterday to ponder the question “If Latin America could invest $10 billion during the next five years in improvement projects, which would have the greatest social impact?” at San José Consultation, a forum being held at the headquarters of the Central American Institute of Business Administration (INCAE) in Alajuela, northwest of San José.

During the three-day conference, these leaders will define the 10 biggest challenges facing the region and propose solutions, according to a statement from Casa Presidencial. They will present their findings Thursday.

The conference is sponsored by the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) and the Copenhagen Consensus Center.

Vice-President Laura Chinchilla, who is filling President Oscar Arias' presidential shoes this week while he's in China, spoke yesterday during the event's inauguration.

“I know that all of you will work with absolute dedication to not avoid any of the problems that urgently need resolving, none of the dreams that remain to be realized and none of the promises that remain to be met,” she said.

-Tico Times

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

Poets, songwriters and other creative minds can put their talent to a cause and enter a contest to win a trip to Isla del Coco National Park, Costa Rica's treasure island 365 miles off the Pacific coast.

As part of a campaign to create awareness about this biological wonderland, several groups are sponsoring the contest, including the environmental nonprofit Marviva, the Isla del Coco Conservation Area, the Friends of Isla del Coco Foundation, Conservation International and several private businesses.

Anyone older than 18 years old can enter the contest by writing a verse, rhyme or simply thoughts on Isla del Coco and sending it via a cell phone text message to 2626 through Dec. 2 at midnight, according to Marviva spokeswoman Andrea Solano.

The message must be no longer than 160 characters with spaces included and costs ¢500 (about $1) to send. Money raised will go toward the maintenance of ships belonging to the Ministry of Energy and Environment (MINAE) that patrol the park.

“The idea is to make it fun for people to be inspired to write a short text like a verse, rhyme, thought or bomba about any aspect related to the national park. It can be about its natural riches, its importance to Costa Rica or the need to protect it from its main threats, such as illegal fishing,” explained Marviva communications director Betsy Murillo.

All messages submitted will be analyzed by a jury made of three specialists in literature. They'll select the best two entries and award their authors with a trip for two to Isla del Coco. The winners will be announced Dec. 7.

This second phase of the three-month campaign also involves putting posters in bus stops around the San José area and advertising on radio and TV stations with the goal of motivating citizens, the private sector and the government to take responsibility to protect the park.

For more information on the campaign, visit www.tuislacoco.com

It's official: the “yes” vote won in the nationwide referendum on the Central American Free-Trade Agreement with the United States (CAFTA) held Oct. 7, according to the Supreme Elections Tribunal (TSE).

In a lengthy, detailed statement issued yesterday, the Tribunal released the results of its manual vote count. It declared that 1,572,684 citizens voted in the country's first referendum (59.2% of eligible voters); 8,609 of these ballots were null and 1,603 were blank. Of valid votes, “yes” side won 805,658 and the “no” side won 756,814.

Since more than 40% of eligible voters turned out, the results of the election are binding, according to a statement from the TSE.

Two earthquakes shook Costa Rica yesterday. The first originated south of the central Pacific town of Quepos at 1:33 p.m. and measured 4.2 on the Richter scale, according to a statement from the Volcanological and Seismological Institute of Costa Rica (OVSICORI), based at National University (UNA) in Heredia, north of San José.

The second earthquake occurred at 3:40 p.m., originating from the same spot and measuring 4.4 on the Richter scale. Both were felt in San José.