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Spanish Film Festival
“14 kilómetros,” by Gerardo Olivares, July 19, 7 p.m., Spanish Cultural Center.

“Flores de madera y metal”
Sculptures by Tony Jiménez, opening July 19, 7 p.m., runs through July 31, lobby, Real InterContinental Hotel, Escazú.

Art camp
With Rosario Mendivil, July 19-23, Aug. 9-13, 8346-3030, ro.artcamp@gmail.com.

Photo exhibit: “Mute Music”
Photos by José Ignacio González, through July 30, Mexico Institute, 250 m. south of Subaru, Los Yoses.

The Talamanca-Caribbean Biological Corridor Association and the Recycling Association of the Caribbean announced this weekend that they have formed a new alliance to expand recycling services in the Talamanca, in Costa Rica's southern Caribbean region.

Each week, the Recycling Alliance will collect glass, aluminum, all types of plastics, cardboard, paper, car batteries and used cooking oil from homes and businesses in the Talamanca area.

On Mondays, the Recycling Alliance will collect recyclable items from Cahuita to Hone Creek; Tuesdays from Manzanillo to Rockin Jay's, just outside of Puerto Viejo; and Wednesdays from Puerto Viejo to Playa Negra.

On Thursdays the alliance will collect recyclable items from the Talamanca banana farms.

On the first and third Friday of every month, items will be collected from BríBrí, an indigenous community in the Talamanca mountains and on the second Friday of every month from Gandoca, a wildlife refuge on the southern Caribbean coast. On the fourth Friday of every month the alliance will visit several different indigenous communities in the area.

The Recycling Alliance is also developing plans with government officials to launch recycling education programs and build a waste treatment plant in Talamanca.

On July 31, the alliance will host a concert at the Super Hone Creek to inaugurate a new collection center in Hone Creek. The event will start at 9 a.m. and attendees are encouraged to bring recyclable materials.

For more information on the Recycling Alliance, contact the Biological Corridor in Hone Creek at 2756-8033 or 8319-2573.

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The Women's Club of Costa Rica is moving beyond midweek teas and brainstorming sessions to cater to the working professional.

On Saturday, it gave birth to the Professional Women's Network, a 50-plus-member subset that will work to support 9-5ers both professionally and socially.

According to Phylliss Crist, who spearheaded the initiative, working women have long asked for ways to get involved that better complement their work schedule. Most club meetings are held during the workweek.

“With this effort, we are looking for a way to include working women who haven't been able to join us in the past,” said Crist, during a break in Saturday's kick-off session at San José's Union Club.

As participants drafted a mission statement and elected a steering committee, the group of entrepreneurs, business executives, lawyers and nonprofit leaders conveyed a clear enthusiasm and hunger to network.

“My goal is to take this energy and not let it sit anywhere,” said interim leader Stacey Auch, who hopes the network will become a support system for women professionals.

The Women's Club of Costa Rica, a 70-year-old philanthropic organization that supports education and youth programs, will continue with its regularly scheduled midweek meetings. While most meetings are conducted in English, the group is also open to beginning English speakers.

Anyone interested in more information about the Professional Women's Network can e-mail Stacey Auch at barriobird@gmail.com.

The 21st edition of the Central American and Caribbean Games began Sunday in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, after tropical winds delayed the start of the competition originally scheduled for Saturday.

The two-week tournament, which concludes Aug. 1, features athletes from 31 countries competing in 39 events. The games take place every four years, with a range of sports such as volleyball, swimming, basketball, softball, badminton and fencing.

Aside from Caribbean and Central American countries, the tournament also includes Mexico, Colombia and Venezuela. Though the three countries are not considered part of Central America or the Caribbean, they traditionally have competed due to their proximity to the region. The Mexican team has won the competition eight times.

The only other country to win the competition is Cuba, which will not participate in the games this year. Though not confirmed, the Cuba team – winner of 12 of 20 previous competitions – is rumored to have pulled out because Puerto Rico is officially a territory of the United States. Cuban and U.S. relations have been frozen since the 1959 Cuban Revolution.  

The Costa Rican team consists of 160 athletes competing in 27 events, and might include another event should soccer be added to the games. Last week officials from the North and Central American soccer governing body, Concacaf, announced they would not recognize the soccer competition because the venues offered in Puerto Rico are considered inadequate. To try to salvage the soccer competition, the Central American and Caribbean Sports Organization (Odecabe) proposed Venezuela as an alternative host. Concacaf is expected to approve or reject the proposal in the coming days. The soccer competition would be played from July 22 to Aug. 1.

“It seems very improvised,” said Ronald González, interim coach of the Costa Rican men's soccer team. “Nothing has been communicated to me as of this time, but if we are going to play, we have a team ready to go.”

More than 5,500 athletes will compete in the Central American and Caribbean Games. The competition is expected to bring over $450 million in investment to Puerto Rico.