AROUND TOWN;
June 8, 2007

Meetings & Lectures

Unitarian Universalist Fellowship

Mike Herbert, a co-founder of San Miguel’s LifePath, discusses “Natural Ways of Preventing Pharmaceutical Side Effects” at this Sunday’s UU Fellowship Meeting.

Many health care practitioners are unaware of the need for natural supplements to counteract the side-effects that commonly occur with conventional drug therapy. Taking prescription drugs can lead to dangerous deficiencies of essential vitamins and minerals your body needs to maintain health and wellness. This educational talk addresses some of the major prescription drugs and the nutrients they deplete, in order to minimize the potential dangerous side-effects.

Herbert combines his background in allopathic medicine with his current passion for complementary medicine to bring healing to the community of San Miguel de Allende. He has had formal training in emergency medicine, corrective bodywork, herbology, and nutritional counseling. Mike has been a licensed massage therapist and body worker for 11 years and is currently in school completing a doctorate in naturopathy.

The UU Fellowship meets every Sunday at 10:30am at La Posada de la Aldea, Ancha de San Antonio 15. People of all ages, races, religions and gender orientation are welcome. Visitors are invited to attend the service and then join the UUs in the hotel restaurant for brunch. For more information about Mexico’s only chartered UU Fellowship visit portalsanmiguel.com/lifestyle/unitarians/unitarians.html.

The Midday Rotary club

Donald Patterson, Director of Environment and Ecology, for San Miguel de Allende is the featured speaker on June 12. In the prior administration he served in the Department of Urban Development.

Patterson received his BA from Seattle Pacific University and did post graduate work in administration at Western Washington University in Bellingham.

He also earned a Master of Fine Arts at the Instituto Allende. During his time at the Instituto he began reading about Mexican history which led to him studying archeology. This in turn led him to spend 10 years in Mexico and Guatemala on archeological projects. 

Patterson discusses his three-year plan for the Department of Environment and Ecology. The Midday Rotary Club of San Miguel meets every Tuesday at 12:30pm in the upstairs theater at the Villa Jacaranda Hotel (Aldama 53). Visiting Rotarians and all others are invited to attend. Lunch follows at 1:30pm. For more information, check out the website: www.rotarysma.org. 

Botanical Garden lecture

On June 14 at 9am at the Botanical Garden, Wayne Colony, retired geoglogy professor at Clark College, gives a slide presentation about the 90 million year old geologic history of San Miguel with a major emphasis on the origin and distribution of the volcanic rocks found within the Botanical Garden. Wayne has given this lecture before and it is well attended so reserve your place by emailing nzerriffi@yahoo.com. 100 pesos general public; 70 pesos El Charco members.

Classes & Workshops

Conscious Intimate Conversation 

Claim the power of your words with conscious, intimate conversation skills.

We all have habits and routines we are not even aware of that feed the “Babble Virus.” With Conscious Language skills you’ll be certain your communication is clear.

We’ve been programmed by society’s socially and politically correct manner of speech.

We make all kinds of assumptions because we don’t have the skill to ask without judgment or condemnation of self or others. The work of Robert Tennyson Stevens and others can give us the tools needed to turn this around.

Learn and practice a new way of communicating. Ask, find your voice, be clear. Join “Intimate Conversation: the Power of your Words” Thursday, June 14 at 5pm at LifePath, Recreo 80 and Thursday, June 21 at 4pm in the Sala Quetzal at the Biblioteca Pública. A 50-peso donation is requested 

For more information, or private sessions contact: naturescradlecollectivo@gmail.com  or call 044-415-149-0153.

Tours & Excursions

Saturday Adventurers

A great adventure today, as first we go to Ana Theil’s glass foundry. This is where she turns her penchant for collecting odd pieces of rusty machinery, old pieces of burnt wood, anything old and rusty, along with her molten glass, into one-of-a-kind exotic sculptures. First we visit her foundry to see and feel the high temperature of her kilns, and then it’s on to her gallery and garden to see the results of Ana Theil’s tremendous talent.

From there we head to Hacienda La Laguna to visit this remarkable home, its patios, the truly spectacular bougainvillea and the vegetable gardens which produce the artichokes, broccoli and asparagus sold under the Madraza family label Conserva San Miguel.

This tour leaves from inside the Jardín, across from the Parroquia, at 10:30am.

Botanical Garden tour

Every Tuesday morning, discover the marvels of cacti and other Mexican plants as well as the history of El Charco with Mario Mendoza, Assistant Director of the garden. The tour includes a visit to the nursery which contains many rare species and is not usually open to the public.

Entrance fee is 30 pesos (waived for members) and the tour is 50 pesos. All proceeds benefit the garden. The tour is in English and starts at the main entrance at 9am, lasting about 2 hours. Bring a hat and water. Space is limited, so reserve by calling 154-8838 or email charcodelingenio@gmail.com. 

Performances & Events

New bilingual school open house

Worried about your children’s education after junior high school? A new bilingual high school, Sierra Madre Escuela Bilingue, is opening this autumn in San Miguel de Allende. You are invited to attend a social meeting and information session to learn more about this new school on Wednesday, June 13 at 6pm. The event takes place at 47 Alondra. To get there take the highway towards Querétaro and turn right into Fraccionamiento La Luz between the Chevrolet and GMC dealers. Go straight until the end and then turn left.

Please RSVP: 120-4884.

Hospice San Miguel’s first garage sale

Hospice San Miguel holds their first garage sale Saturday, June 16, 10am to 1pm at the Hospice house on Manuel Rocha 35 in La Lejona, two blocks behind the new Mega Donations already include clothing, books, appliances, household goods, decorative items and much more. Turn off the Caracol at The Matador Restaurant, go two blocks and turn left. We invite you to visit the sale and to learn more about hospice in Mexico.

In order to provide hospice services to the community, Hospice needs to raise money because there will be no Medicare reimbursement here in Mexico. Future plans include a monthly garage sale on the second Saturday of the month as well as other events.

If you have any donations for resale, you can bring them to Hospice House between 9:30am and 4pm Monday through Friday. Or we will be happy to pick them, please call 154-4287.

Riders win ribbons

Four San Miguel equestrians earned ribbons at the second competition of the Mexican Equestrian Federation’s Dressage Competition of the 2007 Circuit, held May 26 and 27 in Aguascalientes.

Dr. Eugenio Canales of Centro Ecuestre Canales, riding Cardenal and competing at Level Four, won Second Place on Saturday, May 26 and First Place, Sunday, May 27.

Also representing Centro Ecuestre Canales were Laura Bedore, 17, of Ann Arbor, Michigan, Iza Wachter, 13, of San Miguel and Carla Ortega, 12, of San Miguel. The girls competed in Level One.

Bedore, a student at Victoria Robbins school, rode the mare Nevada and won Fifth Place on Saturday and Fourth Place on Sunday.

Iza Wachter, 13, also of Victoria Robbins school, earned Fourth Place honors on Saturday on Vaquero and Fifth Place on Sunday.

Carla Ortega, 12, of Colegio Atabal, won Third Place on her horse Lucky both days. First and Second Place were occupied by two male adult riders from Aguascalientes.

San Miguel’s Comision Municipal de Deportes y Atención a la Juventud helped San Miguel rider Carla Ortega with travel expenses and entrance fees.

Films & Videos

Shalom SMA Film Forum

On Monday, June 11 at 4:30pm the Shalom San Miguel Jewish Forum presents the film Exodus Decoded. This documentary makes a compelling argument that the Exodus as reported in the Bible actually happened. The film is shown at the Quinta Loreto Hotel TV Salon, Loreto 15. There is a 50-peso suggested donation.

Volunteer Opportunities

Casas Hogares volunteers needed

San Miguel’s three children’s refuges—casas hogares (Mexiquito, Santa Julia, and Sollano)—need the help of the community in order to meet their many volunteer and special event opportunities this summer. Please call 152-3709 in SMA, 925-418-8003 from the US, or email robin@robinloving.com if you might be able to oversee an event or coordinate volunteers. You would be working with English-speaking volunteers and event participants and Spanish-speaking directors of each children’s home. Thank you!


Feed the Hungry volunteers needed

The Feed the Hungry program in San Miguel has need for volunteer drivers to deliver food commodities from our warehouse located in San Miguel to Feed the Hungry kitchens attached to various schools in poor neighborhoods located in and around San Miguel. Volunteer drivers provide their own vehicles for delivery on Tuesday mornings from 8–10am. This opportunity provides a wonderful chance for you to participate in a program providing a free, hot, balanced meal to over 3,000 children per school day. Please contact Duane Eriksmoen, Director Food Distribution at 154-6904 or deriksmoen@aol.com  or Al Kocourek, 152-5576 or penq1@aol.com. 

Volunteering at the Biblioteca

If you would like to volunteer to assist in any of the following departments, please see Elia in the Sala Infantil, Monday-Friday, 4–5pm, or send an email to volunteers@bibliotecasma.com and Judy Boston will get back to you. The departments with the most need are La Tienda, teaching English to kids, the Book Committee, English conversation with students, the computer room, the Sala Infantil with literacy programs and painting, administration, the Café, the House and Garden Tour, and Atencíon. A minimum commitment of 3 months is requested for most of these positions.

See you in the funny papers

Mark Saunders, creator of Atención’s “Más o Menos” cartoon, invites suggestions from readers for funny material about living in San Miguel that would lend itself to a cartoon. Selected ideas will be drawn by the cartoonist, and authors will be given credit as well as a signed copy of their cartoon. Please send your “expat” cartoon ideas to edit@atencionsanmiguel.org.