Galería Ulices Open Air Art Fair
Today through Sunday, Plaza San Rafael de Escazú, 280-9121.

“Le Petit Faust”
Performed by the children's choir of Paris, France, today and tomorrow, 8:30 p.m., National Theater. 

Live Puerto Rican jazz for free
Puerto Rico's Conservatory of Music Jazz Trio at José Figueres Cultural Center, 5:30 p.m., next to San Ramón church, Alajuela. Information: 447 2178.

The date was Feb. 15-16 at the Aurola Holiday Inn in San José. The event was a real estate expo and conference. The only problem: The man who collected money from would-be participants seems to have disappeared without ever holding the expo, the participants allege.

“He took our money for the event but never organized it,” said Jan Kozak, marketing manager of the Hacienda El Dorado condos in Santa Ana. “If there were 10 of us, that would add up to a fraud worth $16,000.”

At least a handful of businesses say they gave money to U.S. citizen Calvin A. Robinson Jr., who said he represented Suncoast Investors Realty LLC. That company was dissolved in 2007 by the state of Florida for failure to file its annual report.

Robinson could not be reached for comment.

Representatives from top Canadian universities are setting up stands at the Costa Rican-North American Cultural Center (CCCN) today for the first Canadian college fair ever hosted at the center in San José's Barrio Dent.

Some 15 private and public colleges including Concordia in Montreal and the University of British Columbia in Vancouver are here scouting for young minds. Anyone interested in enrolling can introduce themselves to university representatives at the event starting at 6 p.m.

The fair is open to students looking to study abroad either during a bachelor's or postgraduate degree, according to Cilia Chaves, senior education adviser at CCCN.

Many of the college reps arrived yesterday to tour Costa Rica's bilingual high schools and were greeted by Canadian Ambassador to Costa Rica Neil Reeder, said Chaves.

Chaves said it's uncommon for Ticos to study abroad in Canada – “maybe because they haven't heard about (the opportunities to do so).”

The college fair, she said, will be similar to U.S. university events the CCCN has organized in previous years at the Marriott hotel.

For more information, phone the cultural center at 207-7566.

Police arrested 14 people yesterday suspected of arranging illegal adoptions in which the mothers were allegedly paid to give up their babies, according to Costa Rica's Judicial Investigation Police (OIJ).

OIJ Chief Jorge Rojas said at a press conference that the detainees – all Costa Rican nationals – included a lawyer, a family court judge and two social workers employed at a San José clinic. Police did not reveal the suspects' identities.

Among the detainees, were also people believed to be would-be parents who had paid a sum of $10,000 to mothers in financial need, The Associated Press reported.

Chief Prosecutor Francisco Dall'Anese said that some of the mothers involved suffer from drug addiction, ACAN-EFE reported.

Police said an investigation into the adoption scheme began early in June 2006 and at least three babies have been “adopted” through the scheme, but police suspect there may be more.

“This trafficking is prohibited by law. Even though it was a direct deal, in which the mother handed over the child, it was in exchange for money,” Rojas said, as quoted by AP.