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Waste Management Forum
June 2, 8:30 a.m., auditorium, Agronomy School, UCR, San Pedro. Info: 2511-5730.

Art Camps
Tues., Wed., through June, Bello Horizonte, Escazú. Info: 8346-3030.

III Comuni Arte Festival
Features a surprise play, June 2, 9 a.m., Manuel del Pilar School, San Antonio de Belén, Heredia. Info: 2293-5944 Ext. 323.

“(Ciudad)”
Photography exhibit by Talía Rangil, showing the places of different poor cities of the world, through June 7, Spanish Cultural Center (El Forolito), Barrio Escalante, Av. 13, Ca. 31, 2257-2919, www.ccecr.org.

Free Making off the Costa Rican Film “Donde duerme el horror”
June 2, 6 p.m., Plaza de la Cultura, San José.

The Costa Rican Association of Engineers and Architects announced Monday that “urgent intervention” is needed to improve the newly opened Caldera – San José highway.

The route, which cuts driving time between the capital and the Pacific coast to 45 minutes, was opened in January, 35 years after it was first proposed.

Among the findings of a report released by the association, which was finished in May, is that the roadway requires shoring up to avoid mudslides in the rainy season.

“Engineers observed good number of problems relating to stability along the route,” reads the report, pointing to risk factors such as steep slopes, poor quality of materials and susceptibility to erosion. The organization said the route puts travelers in danger unnecessarily.

“It's a question of time before a mass of materials drops (near Atenas), provoking the closure of the roadway for several days, along with the destruction of barriers that have already been installed,” reads the report.

Up until now, government action in fixing the route has been “passive,” according to the engineers, but President Laura Chinchilla told the daily La Nación that repairs to the Caldera highway are a priority for her.

The association recommends undertaking a detailed analysis of indentified risk sites, installing an automated system for monitoring weather conditions, installing an early-warning system, maintaining a system to monitor problem areas and improving signage.

Mudslides have already caused several injuries and one death on the route.

Several Costa Rican organizations protested outside the Foreign Ministry on Tuesday in response to Israel's raid on Monday of an aid flotilla carrying 10,000 tons of humanitarian goods headed for blockaded Gaza.

Two protesters held a Palestinian flag, while next to them, a woman carried a poster of an Israeli flag with the Star of David replaced by a Swastika. The sign read: “We hope to break relations with the genocidal state of Israel.”

Close to 20 people showed up at the steps of the Casa Amarilla, the headquarters of the Foreign Ministry, on a rainy afternoon. But cars that drove by the protest occasionally honked their horns or flashed “thumbs up” in support of the protesters.

“We're joining the international community in our outrage,” said Isabel Macdonald, executive director of the Friends' Peace Center. “We're angered by what happened. “We're in solidarity with all these activists.”

Tens of thousands of people protested around the world today. On Monday, Israel raided a flotilla of boats carrying about 600 activists from 20 countries. At least nine activists have been confirmed dead. All but approximately 45 of the activists remain detained in Israel.

“We must take action because Israel is asking for action,” said Dr. Abdul Sasa, a Palestinian who has lived in Costa Rica for 38 years. “And the world needs to make them see the consequences – to teach them that there are international rights.”

In spite of the protests, responses from Costa Rica and the United States governments were notably reticent. Both countries expressed “deep regret” about the loss of lives – but said they would not comment further until an investigation on the incident was completed.

The groups protesting in San José were demanding a meeting with Foreign Minister René Castro to discuss options such as boycotts affecting Israel or the possibility of eliminating diplomatic relations with the Middle Eastern country.

The Israeli Embassy in Costa Rica's only comment was a copy of the statement that the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, Gabriela Shalev, made before the UN Security Council today.

Shalev insisted the activists had weapons, saying “These are not activists of the peace.” They came to Israel “to send a message of hate and instigate violence.”

“The results of the events from last night are tragic and unfortunate,” Shalev added. “And Israel laments every loss of innocent life. But the country cannot jeopardize its security.”

Costa Rica's left-of-center Citizen Action Party presented a motion to the Legislative Assembly condemning “the disproportionate and lethal force used by the Israeli army against a humanitarian mission.”

LEARN MORE ABOUT PALESTINE :

What: Presentation on the history and current issues concerning Palestine

Who: Professor Muriel Schmid, University of Utah

Where: Friends' Peace Center at the Casa Ridgeway in downtown San José, Ave. 6, Calle 15

When: Thursday, June 3, at 4:30 p.m. for an English presentation and 6 p.m. in Spanish.

For more information call: 2222-1400 or 2233-16168

As part of its celebration of its 20th anniversary and of World Environment Day, Costa Rica's Earth University will plant a million trees throughout the world.

To accomplish the feat, the university will tap into the motivation and technical know-how of its close to 1,500 alumni, who are spread around the world. Trees will be planted in 26 countries, including all of Latin America and the Caribbean as well as in China, India, Uganda, Mozambique and beyond, said Karla Mena, the event's organizer.

Since its founding, Earth has focused reforestation efforts on its campus. However, for this anniversary year they established an initial goal of planting 200,000 trees throughout the world to “help the planet breath easier,” said Mena. When they surpassed that amount months ago, they bumped it up to a million. Mena says the new goal is about to be met. This is the first time Earth has organized a worldwide event drawing on its alumni.

To help support the cause, trees can be purchased through Facebook and Twitter, as well as through the university's website: www.earthsiembraelfuturo.org. The campaign is sponsored by CNN and Cummins, an international engine manufacturing and distribution company based in the U.S. state of Indiana. A number of businesses in each country are supporting local efforts.

Earth University is an international, private, nonprofit institution founded upon the belief that through conviction and commitment, people can solve the problems facing humanity and the planet. Earth offers study opportunities for young people from throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as from underdeveloped areas in Africa and Asia, so that they may become agents of change in their communities. The current student body of 400 represents 25 different countries.