Fans of local and organic foods will soon have a fresh option for their Saturday morning ritual.  Beginning Saturday and continuing each Saturday throughout the year area farmers, artisans and specialty food producers will gather in Uvita to bring to the southern Pacific coast their products.

Five of the six countries, including Costa Rica, which signed the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) with the United States, have now ratified it. Oscar Arias, Costa Rica’s Nobel Laureate president, signed the agreement in November 2007, after the pro-CAFTA forces in his country won a hard fought election by a margin of approximately 3 percent. The necessary and enabling legislation is now moving slowly through its National Assembly despite resistance from its opponents. The pro-CAFTA legislative super majority of 38 has managed to hold tight. But, if one member of this center-right alliance becomes ill, or incapacitated, a vote cannot be cast. The opposition has been allowed to present its objections, and then the super majority reacted by holding tenaciously to its pre-ordained position. Although the referendum supporting the treaty revealed a fairly even split in the electorate, it would be fair to say that the majority of the electorate wishes that the opposition would throw in the towel by a margin of about two to one, according to a recent poll taken by La Nación, Costa Rica’s major newspaper. However, a tiny defection would deep six the treaty, and so the majority hopes for a quick ratification of the agreement.

SAN JOSE, April 30 — San José Posíble, a re-urbanization and beautification plan executed by San Jose’s two-time mayor Johnny Araya, will now include the construction of a Chinatown in downtown San Jose along the Paseo de los Estudiantes. The mayor, who recently traveled to China, announced the plan on Monday after securing a $2.5 million donation from the Chinese government to work on the second stage of San José Posíble. China will also supply architectural support to design the Chinese neighborhood in traditional Chinese iconic form.

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Comparing to last year, more people in Costa Rica are satisfied with the government of Óscar Arias, according to a poll by Demoscopia published in Al Día. 44 per cent of respondents think the president has done a good or very good job in leading the country, up 5.4 points since July 2007.

Canadians by nature are a cautious bunch when it comes to real estate and financial matters.

So it says a lot about the tiny Central American country of Costa Rica that it has caught the attention of a growing number of Canadians looking for recreation property.