AROUND TOWN

Meetings & Lectures

Unitarian Universalist Fellowship 

At this week’s meeting, Gregory Diamant discusses “The Biblioteca at the Crossroads.”

What is the role of a library in the twenty-first century? What is the specific role of a library in the unique community of San Miguel? How can the Biblioteca continue to fulfill its mission of serving Mexican youth and improve as a center for our diverse community?

Diamant moved to San Miguel four years ago from New York, after a career managing footwear and surgical instrument manufacturing businesses. Three years ago he began volunteering at Atención as a proofreader. Soon after, he was asked to join the Biblioteca board as vice president. He was elected President of the Board in March 2008.

The UU Fellowship meets every Sunday at 10:30 a.m. at La Posada de la Aldea, Ancha de San Antonio 15. Visitors are invited to attend the service and then join the UUs in the hotel restaurant for brunch.

Mac Users Group

The San Miguel Mac Users Group meets Monday, October 20, at 3pm in the Biblioteca’s Sala Quetzal to explore the topic of email, arguably the most universal computer application.

Linda Whynman, assisted by other Mac-experienced users, discusses the differences between web-based email accounts (Yahoo and Hotmail) and computer-based applications (Mac Mail and Entourage) that download your incoming mail directly to your computer. You’ll learn about receiving and sending documents and photos as attachments. Particular emphasis will given to Apple’s versatile Mail program and how it works. No charge, everyone welcome—contact Nonni Markeset (nonniem@mac.com) or Jon Sievert (jon@humblepress.com) for information.



Midday Rotary Club 

On Tuesday, October 21, Horacio Zepeda Garay, former manager of the Mexico City International Airport, speaks about methods of protecting travelers and their belongings at airports.

Zepeda is an expert in airport operations and aviation fuels. He graduated from UNAM in accounting and business management. He has worked as an accountant at Banamex, Guanos y Fertilizantes de Mexico and at Aerosevicios. He was finance manager at Nacional de Combustibles de Aviacion and National Railroads of Mexico, and manager of operating services in airport systems for the Republic of Mexico.

The Rotary Club of San Miguel de Allende-Midday meets every Tuesday at Hotel Real de Minas at the intersection of calles Ancha de San Antonio and Stirling Dickinson. Check-in time is 12–12:25pm and the meeting starts promptly at 12:30. Visit www.rotarysma.org  for more information.

Classes & Workshops

Conference on sustainable, low-income housing

Grupo Tierra and Tierra y Cal host a conference Thursday–Saturday, Oct 23–25, at the Biblioteca Pública on “A Systems Approach to a Sustainable, Low-income Housing Development.” The first two days are hour-long presentations, 9am–7pm, on brick kilns, energy, drinking water, lime, adobe and 11 related topics. Saturday is a field trip to the site, demonstrations and lunch at Angelica’s. Visit www.tierraycal.com  for further information.

How to Launch Your Publishing Career

Susan McKinney de Ortega’s two-day workshop helps writers get their work published in magazines, anthologies, websites and blogs. The workshop explores self-publishing, contests awarding prize money and sites that pay for stories. The workshop runs Thursday–Friday, October 30–31, 10am–1pm. To see your name in print by the end of the month, contact Jody Feagan at San Miguel Workshops, jody@sanmiguelworkshops.com  or 152-0478. 

New classes at Actors Workshop

San Miguel Actors Workshop announces new intensive acting classes on Tuesdays and Fridays, 2–5pm, from November 11 through December 5. The series of eight classes, limited to 10 participants, is 1,500 pesos; call 154-0352 to register.

The workshop includes physical, vocal and emotional warm-ups for a fun, improvisational, method-based approach to the craft of acting, building on each participant’s unique life experience in a safe, professional and creative environment. Artistic Director Alan Jordan has been a professional actor/director in Canada and the US for 35 years, appearing in Hill Street Blues, Dallas, Falcon Crest and 100 other productions. Jordan directs Iguana Productions in San Miguel (Sex, Lies & Quilting and The Love List). Visit www.theatersanmiguel.com  for more information on Jordan and Iguana Productions. 

Tours & Excursions

Saturday Adventure Tours 

After the vacation last Saturday, the Adventurers are ready for adventure. This week they visit one of the first in-town grand Casonas, as they were called in colonial times. This has been lovingly restored, retaining the cantera arches, columns and fireplaces. The dining room in the center of the home, facing the patio, retains its original Moorish arched door. Most of the patio has been taken up with a pool, not original, but a modern touch. The many bedrooms each have the modern amenity of a bathroom.

From here to a different kind of art—Charley Hall employs handicapped persons in a glass-engraving factory. They engrave on anything that’s glass, from vases to glasses, bottles to salad bowls, even to glass tabletops. This should not be missed.

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

Botanical Garden tour

El Charco del Ingenio (Jardín Botánico) offers two-hour tours on Tuesdays at 10am sharp. A hat, water and good walking shoes are recommended. Fees are 50 pesos for members and 80 pesos for nonmembers. Private tours are available for 150 pesos per person (minimum five). 

The easiest way to Jardín Botánico is by taxi. Staff will call for a taxi for the return trip.

Reservations are not necessary. Information: nzerriffi@yahoo.com.  

Audubon Bird Walk 

Audubon’s third-Sunday birdwalk is October 19, meeting at 8am at Instituto Allende. Nonmembers are welcome with a donation of 100 pesos. We venture on hikes 3–4 hours long to special locations for birding, such as El Charco del Ingenio and a Río Laja bridge in Montecillo de Nieto. Bob Graham and M.C. Anderson lead this month’s walk near Presa Allende on the Guanajuato road. Cars are available but anyone contributing more transportation will be welcomed with great appreciation.

Bring water and binoculars. New Audubon birding booklets for identification are 50 pesos. Getting up early for these walks is worth the effort—you see great birds and enjoy the comraderie of new friends.

Audubon is always looking for guest birders to lead walks. Visit http://www.audubonmex.org  or call Linda Whynman at 152-2139.

Performances & Events


Auditions for Mame

Auditions for the Broadway musical Mame are on October 27, 10:30am–1pm, in Teatro Santa Ana for performances February 9–15. Needed are actors and singers, ages 20s to 70s; a boy 10–12 years who can sing and act; and a man who has or can do an accent to play the houseboy. Singers of any age also are needed. Please come prepared to sing and/or read. Rehearsals begin in December. For information, call 152-2603 or email judyinmx@cybermatsa.com.mx. 

Authors’ Sala celebrates Beat writers

“A Celebration of the Beat Writers” on December 13, 5–10pm, an historic Authors’ Sala event, includes author readings and a Beat Cabaret Dinner Show.

Through the good offices of Harry Burrus, our honored guests will be John Cassady and George Walker. John is the son of Neal Cassady, the muse behind Dean Moriarity from Jack Kerouac’s On the Road. George was a close friend of Neal Cassady and Ken Kesey, and one of the original Merry Pranksters. He was on the legendary bus “Furthur” with them on their 1964 US cross-country trip and traveled to Mexico with Neal two times in the late sixties. Cassady died in San Miguel in February 1968.

If you have any associations with or personal stories about any of the Beat writers, we would like to hear from you. Write to Susan Page: susan@susanpage.com. 

Proofreaders needed for Atención

Sharp-eyed people needed to proofread newspaper copy weekly. We have a crew reading galleys on Tuesday, but need two more people with copy-editor inclinations to read manuscripts Thursday or Friday afternoons. Background in editing or technical writing preferred. Contact Suzanne, John or Kennedy at the Atención office on the second-floor terrace of the Biblioteca, or email edit@atencionsanmiguel.org. 



Films & Videos

Meditation Center

On Thursday, October 23, 5:30pm, the Meditation Center at Callejon Blanco 4 screens Be Still and Know with Adyashanti, a well-known teacher of nondual reality. The author of Emptiness Dancing, The Impact of Awakening and My Secret is Silence, Adyashanti offers spontaneous and direct nondual teachings that have been compared to those of the early Zen masters and Advaita Vedanta sages. The Center is Buddhist oriented and open to all forms of silent, still meditation. A donation of 20 pesos is suggested for films. Please try to arrive early as seating is limited and arrivals after 5:30 disturb others.

Control Room

Shalom San Miguel/Forum presents Control Room, a documentary that peers into the controversial and often dangerous operations of the Al Jazeera news network, the most accepted informational resource in the Arab world, though it often enrages its own people. Filmmaker Jehane Noujaim gains extraordinary access to Al Jazeera journalists and examines the risks they confront daily as they report on the beginnings of the war in Iraq from their point of view.

We invite you to think about the film’s implications and to exchange opinions and information in our always lively post-film refreshment session.

The film is Monday, October 27, at 5pm in the Hotel Quinta Loreto TV Salon, Calle Loreto 15. Your 50-peso donation helps ShalomSMA continue its outreach programs.