Auditions for Symphony Choir
Requirements: 18-45 years old, available for rehearsal Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays 6:30-9 p.m. Auditions are Wednesday and Thursday, 6-8 p.m., at Centro Nacional de la Música, Moravia, 100 m. west, 100 m. south, 100 m. west of former Lincoln School. Info: 2240-0333, ext. 304 (1-8 p.m.). 

Videoteca del Sur Film Festival
“El Otro” (Argentina), at 7 p.m., Sala Calle 15, Avenida 2, opposite Plaza de la Democracia. Free show.

Feng shui for love
With Iside Sarmiento, 6-8 p.m., House of Self Empowerment, Escazú. Info: 8378-6679, houseofselfempowerment.com.

Freestyle motocross star Jeremy Lusk died late Monday night of injuries sustained during a crash at Saturday's X-Knights competition at Costa Rica's Ricardo Saprissa Stadium, in Tibás. He was 24.

Lusk, of Temecula, Calif., suffered “severe brain trauma” and possible spinal cord injuries from the accident, according to Dr. Jorge Ramírez, critical care medicine specialist at Calderón Guardia Hospital in San José. A gold medal winner at the 2008 X Games, Lusk fell on his head while attempting a backflip Saturday evening, and arrived at Calderón hospital in a coma.

Doctors performed surgery, lowered his body temperature and maintained Lusk in a medicine-induced coma in attempts to reduce brain swelling, Ramírez said. After attempts to raise Lusk's blood pressure failed, he suffered a heart attack and passed away with his parents, wife Lauren, in-laws and fellow members of Metal Mulisha motocross team at his side.

At press time, hundreds of fans had posted messages on a Web site to raise money to help pay Lusk's medical costs, Prayforjeremylusk.blogspot.com, created by his supporters.

“He is now with our Heavenly Father and is at peace,” a posting on the Web site announced Tuesday. “We know he is performing sick tricks for all those in Heav en to crowds greater than we have ever seen. We will miss you Pitbull! ”

Faucet distributor Helvex became one of the latest companies to downsize in Costa Rica after it closed its plant in southeastern San José last week, leaving 20 employees out of work.

Economic fears in Costa Rica are palpable now as the number of companies announcing layoffs continues to rise, including such household-names as the publisher Grupo Nación and Domino's Pizza.

Sábila Industrial S.A., the owner of a plant located in Liberia in the northwestern Guanacaste province, where aloe was processed for medicinal and cosmetic products, shut its doors late in January, leaving about 160 employees out of work.

Annie Rivas, a security guard at Sábila, said the company had given letters to all of its employees on Jan. 28, one day before closing, informing them the plant was going bankrupt. “The next day they were gone,” Rivas said. “The majority of the employees here were single mothers.”

Judicial Branch spokeswoman Andrea Marín confirmed  on Tuesday that some former workers at Sábila Industrial have recently filed lawsuits against the company at the Labor Court.

Job hunters armed with resumes are expected to swarm Wednesday and Saturday into Grupo Boston in San José to meet representatives from the likes of PriceWaterHouseCoopers, a leading professional services firm.

The “Conexión Laboral” (work connection) employment fair has as many as 1,000 jobs in store for would-be employees on Wednesday, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and Saturday from10 a.m to 3 p.m., business newspaper El Financiero reported.

Besides the professional services giant, a host of companies such as McDonald's and credit-card company Credomatic will be represented.

The fair could be a relief to the more than 100 people on the waiting list at San José Municipality's employment office.

See employment training company Grupo Boston's map for details on how to get there: http://www.boston.ac.cr/index.php?p=sede&codsed=01.