AROUND TOWN

Meetings & Lectures

Unitarian Universalist Fellowship

Recent San Miguel transplants Mike and Kathy Hayes offer a report on the role and conduct of civilian contractors in Iraq at this Sunday’s Unitarian Universalist Fellowship service.

Both are US Air Force retirees who served in the Middle East during the first Gulf War in 1991. They have recently returned from Iraq after 2 1/2 years as civilian contractors with Kellogg, Brown & Root (KBR), a former subsidiary of Halliburton. They share their experiences, including why they went, what they saw and heard and how they feel about it now.

The UU Fellowship meets every Sunday at 10:30am at La Posada de la Aldea, Ancha de San Antonio 15 and welcomes people of all ages, races, religions, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Visitors are invited to attend the service and then join the UUs in the hotel restaurant for brunch. 

The Mexican economy at Midday Rotary

Rafael Gonzalez Aguilar, fund manager at Intercam Casa de Cambio, is the guest speaker at the Midday Rotary Club on Tuesday, November 6. Rafael talks about the current economy, the valuations between currencies and the prospects for the future of the Mexican economy.

The Rotary Club of San Miguel de Allende-Midday meets every Tuesday at the Villa Jacaranda Hotel, Aldama 53. Check-in time is 12–12:25pm and the meeting starts promptly at 12:30pm. Visiting Rotarians, those interested in Rotary, and all members of the general community are invited to attend this meeting. Rotary is an organization of business and professional persons united worldwide who provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help build goodwill and peace in the world. Lunch follows at 1:30pm in the hotel dining room. For more information, please go to the Rotary Club website: www.rotarysma.org. 

Santa Fe Photographic Workshops lectures series

On Monday, November 5, two extraordinary photographers present their work for the third evening in a series of lectures presented by the Santa Fe Photographic Workshops. The lectures by Sebastian Belaustegui and Ralph Lee Hopkins at the Teatro Angela Peralta are free, open to the public and start at 7:30pm.

On Wednesday, November 7, the Santa Fe Photographic Workshops are thrilled to have Eddie Soloway and Bob Sacha present their work.

Eddie Soloway’s photographs are the expression of his passion and commitment to the natural world. His photography celebrates found moments of beauty, the virtue of contemplation and moving slow, and distilling the elements of form, light and color. In all of Eddie’s photography he uses only natural light, without filters.

The Santa Fe Photographic Workshops is thrilled to have Eddie back for his 14th year; he continues to inspire photographers from around the globe.

For more information about this and other workshops in San Miguel, visit www.santafeworkshops.com. 

Global class war to be discussed by Jeff Faux 

The Center for Global Justice is pleased to present a public talk by social critic Jeff Faux, Wednesday, November 7, 50 pesos, Teatro Santa Ana. He is a founder of the Economic Policy Institute in Washington, the US’s leading research organization on the economic conditions of workers and their families. He will discuss his recent book The Global Class War—a provocative critique of NAFTA.

Jeff Faux, author of six books, connects these dots to reveal the big picture of a class war between a global elite that has ripped up the social contract that had allowed the benefits of capitalism to be broadly shared with national populations and now marches around the globe in search of cheap labor and resources to fuel corporate profits. This is the process known as globalization. Thanks to NAFTA, Mexico has been one of its prime targets. 

But working people in the US and Canada are also losers. Over the last several decades, real incomes have stagnated or declined while incomes of corporate CEO’s have soared. Jeff Faux will discuss the new class politics this makes possible in his November 7 talk titled “The Global Class War— Why most Americans, Mexicans and Canadians are losing and what we can do about it.”

Faux shows how NAFTA, the WTO and similar “free trade” agreements are really deals among the global elite establishing “the constitution of a single global economy” that codifies a Bill of Rights that protects just one kind of citizen—the large transnational corporation. At the same time, it prohibits effective protections for workers, consumers and the environment. In other words, it trumps the democratic will of citizens.

Classes & Workshops

Holistic cooking class

Chef Celine has been cooking for over 20 years. She’s classically trained, having apprenticed in Paris at Le Dome restaurant. Over the past 5 years, she started to study with Anne Marie Colburn at the Natural Gourmet Institute for Food & Health in New York and is now a certified Holistic Health Counselor and professor at the NGIFH. She found a new love in teaching and escaped the service end of things. Celine will hold a two-day intensive cooking course on healthy meals. One day will focus on creating calcium-rich meals without dairy and the other day will focus on meals without gluten. These workshops will be held on November 7 and 8, from 10am–3pm and includes lecture, group participation and a lunch. It is being held at Casa de la Cuesta on Cuesta de San Jose 30. It is sponsored by Natura (formerly known as Bee Natural).

Tours & Excursions

Saturday Adventurers

Adventurers will be charmed by “Casa Encantada,” from the soaring arches seen upon entering to the many marble baths, through room after room until the Jacuzzi room, where you may be shocked. A mural of life-sized bathing beauties in various stages of undress is the focal point! It’s a favorite spot for the gentlemen to have their photos taken beside one of the beauties. Pulling the men away, we continue on to more bedrooms upstairs and to a close-up view of the Parroquia. Now out through flower-filled scenery to Rancho Morera, a real horse farm where thoroughbreds and quarter horses are bred to be racehorses. Any lovers of “horseflesh,” this is your tour. You will be told how the horses are cared for and pampered, until they are ready to be sent to the Hippodrome in Mexico City, where the real training to win on the track will begin. We will visit the tastefully decorated home of the owners, where you might pick up some original ideas. A suggestion—take your camera! This tour leaves from inside the Jardín, a
cross from the Parroquia at 10:30am.

El Charco tour

Every Tuesday morning, discover the marvels of cacti and other Mexican plants as well as the history of El Charco with Mario Mendoza, vice-director of the Garden. 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 and lasts about 2.5 hours. Bring a hat and water. Space is limited, so reserve by calling 154-8838 or email charcodelingenio@gmail.com. 



VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Does your nonprofit need hands? Send your short requests to edit@atencionsanmiguel.org  with “Volunteer Opportunities” in the subject line.


Jazz Fest

The upcoming Festival de Jazz y Blues (November 21–25) needs your help. Antonio Lozoya and Doug Robinson have teamed up to build a world-class event, and have lined up a sparkling roster of acts. Some generous sanmiguelenses have already committed to ushering, selling souvenirs, and putting up posters. So we now need volunteers for a few specialized tasks: 

Drive to the León airport in your own car to pick up or drop off a featured performer. Contact Mike Hager at rendenzvous4music@yahoo.com.  Persuade local restaurants to feed a few hungry musicians gratis. Contact Antonio Lozoya at sanmigueljazz@yahoo.com.mx.  Sell incredibly cost-effective ads in the Festival program to local businesses. Contact Antonio Lozoya at sanmigueljazz@yahoo.com.mx.  House a well-behaved musician in your own home or casita for a few nights. Contact Doug Robinson at jazzooo@aol.com. We also need financial sponsors to underwrite talent. If you are willing to sponsor a musician or an act, contact Doug Robinson at jazzooo@aol.com  or Antonio Lozoya at sanmigueljazz@yahoo.com.mx. 



“Leading With English” needs volunteers to teach English in Jalpa

Forgotten Child International has had such a positive effect on school children of the Jalpa community, that we have been invited to be a part of the Elementary School curriculum. This program focuses on leadership skills through English language acquisition for 3rd through 6th grade children. “Leading with English” uses a unique combination of interdisciplinary, experiential and hands-on approaches to teach English which are reinforced by teams of English speaking volunteers. It’s rewarding, for the children and volunteers. We are looking for a 6-week commitment of volunteering on Tuesday and Thursday from 12:15 to 3:00pm starting October 2. This includes driving time out and back. We can help with transportation. Please get in touch: info@forgottenchild.org. Jalpa is a small community of about 1,500 people about a 30 minute drive along the “Road to Independence” (the old road to Queretaro) nestled in a beautiful valley full of wild flowers this time of year. We are a non-profit organization whose mission is to identify leadership amongst underprivileged, rural children living in central Mexico by working with community leaders to develop alternative paths toward economic, spiritual and educational wellbeing http://www.forgottenchild.org.



Save A Mexican Mutt (SAMM)

Is a charitable organization that rescues, spays/neuters, provides veterinary care, socializes, and transports highly adoptable Mexican street dogs to the United States for adoption. We need volunteers to foster dogs for up to six weeks and to transport dogs to the United States. If you live here full or part-time and can provide a temporary loving home for one of the many dogs in line to be transported to their forever homes or are traveling to Texas, New Mexico or Colorado by car and can transport one or more dogs with you, please contact Kelly Karger at info@saveamexicanmutt.org and see our website at www.saveamexicanmutt.org. (Save A Mexican Mutt is a US 501c3 charitable organization. Donations to SAMM are tax deductible on your US federal tax return.)



Hosts needed for Jovenes Adelante fundraiser

Jovenes Adelante, a local non-profit providing university scholarships to low income students from the San Miguel area is sponsoring a “Get to Know San Miguel” trip for residents of the Ajijic-Lake Chapala area over the weekend of November 23–25. All proceeds will help fund additional university scholarships.

A bus leaves Ajijic on Friday morning, with a Jovenes Adelante member as host, arriving that afternoon in San Miguel, and the guests will return Sunday afternoon. This will be an event-packed weekend with entertainment, accommodations in local homes and meals included.

For more information about the trip, or if you are interested in being a host family and providing guest accommodations for Friday and Saturday night, and breakfasts Saturday and Sunday mornings, email jovenesadelante@gmail.com or write to Jovenes Adelante at La Conexión Box 49A, Aldama 3, San Miguel de Allende or call Nancy Dobbs at 152 7353 for more information. Tell your friends in the area that tickets will be available at the Lake Chapala Society ticket booth.



Field volunteers needed for Patronato Pro Niños

PPN, one of the oldest and most vibrant charities in SMA, is looking for a selective group of volunteers who would be willing to dedicate two or more mornings per month to go out to the outlying areas of the municipality of San Miguel de Allende to visit schools, talk about the work that PPN is doing to assist children with medical and dental problems, and to invite those children who need medical attention to the office of PPN for evaluation and assistance at little or no cost to the family. The volunteers ideally would either be reasonably fluent in Spanish and/or have a car/truck/SUV which can withstand the back (mostly unpaved) roads of the municipality. If interested, please contact Steve Livingston at steve@stevelivingston.com with your name and contact information. 



Feed the Hungry looking for screening volunteers

Feed the Hungry is looking for volunteers to help with the preventive medical screening of our school children. We are looking for persons with one or more of the following skills: Bilingual persons, drivers with access to vehicle with high ground clearance willing to drive out to the ranchos, computer data input persons. This medical work is being conducted in cooperation with Patronato Pro Niños for the children our organizations serve. For more information please contact us on 152-2402 or contact@feedthehungrysma.org.



Volunteers needed to help organize San Miguel Walk 2008

The 5th Annual San Miguel Walk Against Domestic Violece takes place on January 24, 2008. The San Miguel Walk funds the Violence Prevention Program at CASA, Centro Para los Adolescentes de San Miguel de Allende, A.C., a local non-profit organization that has been serving the poor, particularly adolescents, rural women and their families, through health, social service, education, and environmental outreach programs since 1981. We are looking to form a team of dedicated volunteers to help out with advertising, publicity, fundraising and outreach. Please contact Shelley at shelleybull@gmail.com  or 044 415 114 8648 for more information.



Pro Música

Pro Música de San Miguel A.C. puts on more than 30 classical music concerts throughout the year in the city. We are looking for volunteers to fulfill various roles. These include helping out as ushers at St Paul’s church and other venues during concerts, selling tickets prior to the House and Garden Tour at the Biblioteca on Sunday mornings, helping to organize suppers in private homes after concerts for our musicians and patrons, and assisting with publicity, marketing and fundraising. We are a fun group of people to work with and the music is fantastic! Contact Pro Música’s President, Michael Pearl, at 152-2688 or email him at mpearl5493@aol.com.