4th Inter-American Video Art Biennial
3:30 p.m., auditorium, Central Bank Museums, 2243-4219.

El Observatorio concerts
Vibes Live, reggae, Aug. 19; Boccalupo, ballads, pop, Aug. 20; Kurt Dyer, rock, Aug. 21, all at 9 p.m., El Observatorio, Barrio La California, across from Cine Magaly, 2223-0725.

Time's Forgotten in concert
Release of second album, “Dandelion,” 8 p.m., Melico Salazar Theater, tickets at Vértigo stores at Multiplaza Escazú and Mall San Pedro.

Just as fighting poverty and going green have become buzz words in political circles, tackling corruption has taken root here as a popular effort as well.

A leading political party rose to power on a platform promising to rid the government of malefactors. Public prosecutors initiated substantial cases against two former presidents on accusations of fraud. And more people, from both within and outside of government, are looking to derail those who have used their power for personal gain.

“We've seen a growth in the concern over corruption,” said Jorge Vargas, deputy program director for the State of the Nation, which framed a recent report on the study of corruption in Central America.

According to the study, Costa Ricans have a higher awareness of corruption in their government than citizens of other Central American countries. Twenty-three percent of Costa Ricans surveyed said they are aware of some act of corruption taking place over the proceeding 12 months – which is almost double that of any other Central American country. Twelve percent of Salvadorans said they knew of incidences of corruption and 6 percent of Panamanians answered in the affirmative to the same question.

But measuring corruption is not an easy task, said Costa Rican Chief Prosecutor Francisco Dall'Anese, as it comes in many forms; public and private, large-scale and in modicum, national and international.

The study did measure the per capita expenditure on corruption cases in the justice system and found that Costa Rica registered $28.3 spent on such cases per resident, compared to runners up El Salvador at $19.1 and Panamá at $12.3.

But variables such as the lack of any legal framework to protect witnesses who report acts of corruption and the differences between the laws and legal systems of each country make the figures harder to read.

“When you ask, what is the country with the most corruption in the world? It's difficult to answer because we don't know where (the country) is coming from or where it needs to go,” Dall'Anese said, explaining that there are no established benchmarks. “Therefore, we need further study.”

Dall'Anese did say he expects more conversation on the topic in the coming years.

“I think we are going through a transition now, in which corruption will no longer be accepted,” he said.

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega has the lowest favorability rating of any leader in the region, including deposed Honduran President Manuel “Mel” Zelaya, according to a CID-Gallup poll released Tuesday.

Despite being ousted by a military coup June 28, Zelaya is still viewed more favorably than Ortega, who has a favorability rating of 42 percent, good for last place among the seven presidents of the Central American Integration System (Central America plus Dominican Republic ).

The CID Gallup poll, which claims a 95 percent confidence rating, measures public opinion towards the presidents, and is not an evaluation of their performance or that of their government.

Topping the poll are the two newest presidents in the region, El Salvador's leftist President Mauricio Funes and Panama's rightwing Ricardo Martinelli, both of whom enjoy an 86 percent rating. In third place is Costa Rica's President Oscar Arias, with 70 percent, followed by Guatemala's Alvaro Colom, with 55 percent favorability rating.

The surveys, which polled at least 1,200 people in each country, were conducted between June and July.

StarTek Inc., a business process outsourcing company based in Denver, Colorado, has announced plans to open a call center in the Heredia free-trade zone, northwest of San José.

The call center, which will be housed in a 37,000-square-foot facility in Heredia, will employ 400 people in early 2010. The Heredia location will be the 20th call center under the StarTek name, which manages customer relations and technical help calls, primarily for U.S. telecom companies.

This is the second international venture for StarTek, which opened a call center in Manila, Philippines, last January.

“We chose to expand into Latin America for several reasons,” said Larry Jones, StarTek's president and CEO. “We found a large, well-educated, bilingual talent pool and a good business climate in Costa Rica. All of these factors are advantageous to our global growth.”

StarTek, which opened in 1987, employs over 8,000 people, including over 1,100 operators at its Philippines location. StarTek is currently traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol SRT. On Tuesday, it sold for $8.49/share.

According to the StarTek Web site, StarTek offers customer management solutions to businesses to improve relationships with customers and consumers. StarTek also aims to increase customer loyalty to, and the profitability of, the companies they service.