Father's Day Orchid Fair
Orchid show, tropical garden, food, potting demonstrations, exotic birds and more, Fri. through Sun., Botanical Orchid Garden in La Garita, Alajuela, 800 m south of La Fiesta del Maíz restaurant, info: 2487-8095, www.orchidgardencr.com.

ULatina Jazz Festival
Through Sun., including master classes and concerts.Radcliffe Choral Society 7:30 p.m. at Eugene O'Neill, CCCN.

French Film Festival
“L'homme de sa vie,” Fri. and Sat. at 3 and 5 p.m.; “Transylvania,” Sun. and Mon. at 3 and 5 p.m.; “Le serpent,” Tue. And Wed. at 3, 5 and 7 p.m., Variedades Theater.

'Antes de que Amanezca'
Theater and dance show by Teatro Baco, 7:30 p.m., Mexico Institute.

2nd Early Music Festival finale
Grupo Ganassi performs opera “Venid, venid deidades” at 7 p.m., Spanish Cultural Center, 2271-4090.

Dance show: ‘El Cumpleaños de la Infanta'
Fri. at 8 p.m., Sat. and Sun. at 11 a.m. and 5 p.m., National Theater.

Dance show: ‘Quepos: Una Historia en Movimiento'
7 p.m., Nuestro Sabor restaurant, Quepos, 8839-0770.

Julian Marley in Guápiles
Son of reggae legend Bob Marley sings with Tico singer Michael Livingston, tonight at 6, La Marina, Guápiles.

Organic agriculture workshop
By Group Los Congos, Sat. and June 21, Cartago, 8819-3173.

Kurt Dyer in concert
Rock, 10 p.m., El Observatorio, Barrio La California.

Son de Tiquizia in concert
Salsa, 10 p.m., Jazz Café, San Pedro.

Julian Marley in San José
Club Capone, El Pueblo, Barrio Tournón, tickets at Tribals Tattoo and Mr. Rasta at Mall San Pedro, 2221-4233. 

4th ‘La Gran Manzana' race
8 km, 8:30 a.m., Hispanoamérica University, Tibás, register at Runner's stores, On the Road, Centro Sport, 2236-0325, 8370-0932.

‘Wizard of Oz'
Puppets, Sundays 11 a.m., CCCN, 2207-7555. 

Happy Father's Day!

MANAGUA – Comandante Dora María Téllez has decided to continue with her hunger strike, today entering its 10th day, following a ruling Wednesday afternoon by the Supreme Electoral Council (CSE) to cancel the legal party status of her Sandinista Renovation Movement (MRS) and the Conservative Party (PC).

The CSE ruled that the two minority parties did not comply with all the legal requirements to participate in the upcoming municipal elections – a claim MRS and PC claim is a political lie authored by President Daniel Ortega to eliminate political competition.

Téllez, a historic Sandinista guerrilla leader and the former president of the MRS, declared her hunger strike more than a week before the CSE made its final decision, warning that Ortega was conspiring to establish a dictatorship. Her protest has inspired hundreds of mostly young Nicaraguans to take to the streets in support of democracy and in protest of the Ortega government.

On Wednesday night, hours after the council made its decision, a group of several dozen protesters overpowered a police line protecting the house of CSE President Roberto Rivas, whom they claim is a lackey for Ortega. Police and protesters clashed as demonstrators shouted at Rivas' home and painted anti-government graffiti on the street.

Other groups targeted the official Sandinista media station, Multinoticias, by flipping one of its company cars over in the middle of the street.

Opposition lawmakers in the National Assembly, meanwhile, brought black flags to the assembly floor yesterday to mark the death of Nicaragua's democracy.

More protests are planned for the coming days, as the climate heats up. Ortega, meanwhile, has been largely absent from the public eye for the past month, and has yet to comment on the unrest.

Former Sandinista directorate leader and MRS head legislator, Víctor Hugo Tinoco, told The Nica Times last night that Téllez's protest has “removed the people's fear” of Ortega. He said that the struggle that is mounting on the streets is similar to the early stages of the uprising against the Somoza dictatorship in the 1970s. Though Tinoco said the MRS will exhaust all its legal channels, he said the fight will be won “in the streets.”

President Oscar Arias formally has accepted Peter Cianchette, a Maine businessman and politician, as U.S. ambassador to Costa Rica.

Cianchette, 46, who met with Arias yesterday at the Casa Presidencial, said his priority is to help Costa Rica join the Central American Free-Trade Agreement with the United States (CAFTA). The country ratified CAFTA in an October referendum but has not yet passed all the laws required to enter the pact.

In the coming weeks, Cianchette (pronounced chin-KET) will meet with ambassadors and government ministers. He will speak to the Costa Rican-American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) and tour the country, said Magda Siekert, a public affairs officer at the embassy.

Cianchette, who has never before visited Costa Rica, spoke to reporters yesterday in English while an embassy spokeswoman translated.

“I am now … going to work very hard at learning Spanish, and (will try) to learn as much as possible about the country and its culture and its heritage,” he said.

Cianchette served in Maine's state legislature from 1996 to 2000 and was state chairman for George W. Bush's presidential campaign in 2004.

He is a partner in the private investment firm CHK Capital Partners and president of The Cianchette Group, a public affairs and business consulting firm.

He now lives in San José with his wife, Carolyn, and their children, Evan and Maria.

Costa Rica's national soccer team will play Grenada tomorrow in a qualifying match for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

The Ticos traveled yesterday to the Caribbean country with a heavy burden, failing to have won a game all year. And after 11 non-wins, hotly contested coach Harnán Medford was not overly optimistic ahead of tomorrow's match.

“We're facing a club that beat the best team in the Caribbean, Jamaica (in a friendly 2-1). Let me say it again: It won't be easy,” Medford told reporters yesterday.

Costa Rica's 20-strong roster includes Rolando Fonseca, considered the country's all-time best striker, who plays for Guatemalan club Comunicaciones.

Tico strongmen also include striker Bryan Ruiz and midfielder Randall Azofeifa, both of Belgium's Gent club, as well as Chicago Fire defender Gonzalo Segares and Danish team Odense Boldklub's midfielder Cristian Bolaños.

The Costa Rica-Grenada rematch is set for June 21 at Ricardo Saprissa Stadium in the northern San José district, Tibás.