Jacó Art Festival
Through Sunday, www.festivaldejaco.com.

Newcomers Club of Costa Rica Meeting
With talk on “Language and Customs of Latin America,” by UCR professor Geovanna Murillo, 9:30 a.m., for directions and information contact 2416-1111, 2265-1703, newcomerscr@yahoo.com.

Sports physiotherapy workshop
For doctors, physiotherapists, students, trainers, general public, led by Dr. Claudio Carrizo, Tuesday and Thursday, 6-9 p.m.. Info: 2283-3787, 2280-8639.

Parque en el Espacio in concert
Rock, part of the Mundoloco concert series, 9:30 p.m., Jazz Café, Escazú. Info: 2288-4740, www.jazzcafecostarica.com.

Domino's Pizza surprised employees and customers this weekend shutting nine San José area establishments and offices, according to media reports.

Managers were unavailable for comment Monday after repeated phone calls to the Domino's headquarters in San Francisco de Dos Ríos, east of San José. During a visit in the afternoon to the site, The Tico Times discovered employees from the warehouse rental company Eurocor sweeping up mounds of dust outside an empty storage facility with empty second floor offices above.

“Friday, without telling anybody, the partners gave the order to get all the equipment out of the establishments,” finance manager Francisco Solano told the daily La Nación.

The surprise move resulted in 130 employees, who were caught off guard as well, La Nación reported.

MANAGUA – A Nicaraguan cigar maker is having a smoking success with a new brand in the United States, using the name of the North American giant's new president.

“Habanos Obama” cigars are selling at a rate of 10,000 per month, according to Mike Ramírez, one of the owners of Granada 1524 Cigars Inc, which distributes the products made at Segovia Cigars, in the northern Nicaraguan town of Estelí.

The Obama smokes have been a “huge success” since their launch during the U.S. electoral campaign, Ramírez told news agency EFE.

The bulk of Obama cigar sales have gone to California, Texas, New York, Florida and Las Vegas, as well as several cities in Europe and Asia.

For Segovia Cigars manager David Ahgmed Fernández, it's not just in the name. Fernández said the secret is in the cigars' “smooth and novel” blend, and “also that the cigar is a big Habano made in Nicaragua.”

A state bank announced Monday a series of highly attractive loans for small businesses and would-be homeowners, an effort to reduce defaults and seduce new borrowers.

Beginning in March, Banco de Costa Rica will decrease interest rates on new home loans by 3.25 percentage points. Interest rates on loans of up to ¢50 million ($91,000) for small- and medium-sized businesses will drop by 5 percentage points.

Responding to a request by President Oscar Arias, the bank will also cut by 2 percentage points interest rates on existing home loans and loans for small businesses. The new policy began Sunday and will be in place for two years.

Under both programs, during the first year, rates for home loans will be capped at 15 percent and rates for small businesses will be capped at 17 percent. The rates apply only to loans in colones, not dollars.