CEPET gets a matching grant towards its journalism programs
By Alexis White
Reading
John Burnett
Fri, Mar 16, 6pm
Bellas Artes Auditorium
50 pesos
CEPET, the Center for Journalism and Public Ethics (Centro de Periodismo y Ética Pública), has been offered a US$5,000 matching grant by a San Miguel de Allende resident who wishes to remain anonymous. The donor will match dollar-for-dollar (up to $5,000) contributions given to the San Miguel-based organization.
Leonarda Reyes, founder and director of CEPET, said that while a deadline has not been set, she hopes that the urgency of CEPET’s work will inspire those in the community, who recognize the vital role of journalism in Mexico’s future, to help CEPET meet this fundraising challenge within the next few months.
“We are tremendously thankful for this opportunity,” Reyes said. “Its successful completion would give an enormous boost to our two most important programs: organizing and implementing freedom of information training seminars for journalists throughout Mexico, and monitoring as well as bringing great awareness to freedom of the press (freedom of expression) issues in Mexico. When journalists are attacked, it is vital that the journalism community be quickly alerted,” Reyes explained. “The monies that CEPET would receive through this matching grant definitely would go a long way toward helping raise the awareness level among journalists and ultimately, in the country of Mexico” she added.
CEPET is a nonpartisan and nonprofit organization. Its mission is to promote independent investigative and public interest journalism that will contribute to a more informed society in Mexico. Toward this end, CEPET sponsors training seminars on Mexico’s Federal Law of Transparency and Access to Public Government Information, (Ley Federal de Transparencia y Acceso a la Información Pública Gubernamental), which was enacted in 2002. These workshops are conducted in partnership with IFAI, (El Instituto Federal de Acceso a la Información Pública), an independent agency charged with implementing and overseeing all aspects of the law. Four such regional seminars already have taken place, with upcoming ones scheduled for Chihuahua, San Miguel de Allende, Hidalgo and Sinaloa.
The promotion of freedom of the press (freedom of expression, as it is known in Mexico) is an equally important CEPET program. Since its establishment three years ago, CEPET has played a significant role in the monitoring and communicating of freedom of the press issues in Mexico. Because of its efforts, CEPET was a 2007 nominee for the “Defender of Press Freedom” award given by the international journalism organization Reporters without Borders (Reporters sans Frontiers).
CEPET’s freedom of information activities require intensive work by Reyes and volunteers throughout the Mexican media community. The organization’s national network includes editors, reporters, columnists and writers who come from more than three hundred daily and weekly newspapers; 1,600 magazines; and thousands of radio and television stations in Mexico. CEPET’s membership also includes Mexican journalism professors and students.
John Burnett, as a guest of CEPET, introduces audio field reports and readings from his book, Uncivilized Beasts and Shameless hellions: Travels with an NPR Correspondent. Burnett’s long career has put him in the center of virtually every major story of our time. He has reported from Waco, Kosovo, “Ground Zero,” Pakistan, Afghanistan, Baghdad (which he entered with the US Marines First Division when the invasion began), and New Orleans. Tickets available at the door.
If you would like to contribute toward the matching grant or additional information about CEPET, please contact Ms. Reyes at
leonare@cepet.org.
Biblioteca Pública elections
The Biblioteca Pública holds its annual election on Tuesday, March 6, 2007, between the hours of 11am and 2pm in the Sala Quetzal. Members should bring their up-to-date Biblioteca cards.
La Biblioteca Pública presentará sus elecciones anuales el 6 de marzo, 2007 durante el horario de 11am a 2pm en la Sala Quetzal de la Biblioteca Pública de San Miguel de Allende A.C., Insurgentes 25, zona centro.
Los socios deben traer sus tarjetas actuales de la Biblioteca Pública.
Are you eligible to vote?
Article III of Revised Bylaws of Biblioteca Pública, November 8, 2006
C. Voting Members.
i) such member is at least eighteen years of age
ii) in the case of a new member, his or her dues have been current for at lest six weeks. Past members whose membership has lapsed may vote if they renew their cards at least one day before the election.
Election of board members for Biblioteca Pública, March 2, 2007
Gregory Diamant, candidate for Vice President of the Board
It has been a great honor to have served as Vice President of the Board for the past fifteen months. I have participated on other Boards in my career but I must state that this is the most dynamic and productive group I have served with. Our accomplishments have been most evident and will become more so in the coming year.
Under the vibrant leadership of the President of the Board, Ali Zerriffi, new computers have been installed in the Sala Infantil, the office of Atención has been updated, two new websites have been initiated and are successfully operating, the Café has substantially increased its volume, La Tienda has successfully reopened with a new face and to much acclaim and our cultural events, organized by the inimitable José Luis Mendoza, are attracting an increasing and enthusiastic audience. In addition, our bathrooms have received a long overdue rehabilitation and our project to change and improve our library software is proceeding apace. Our new general manager, Miguel Kegel, is working with our enthusiastic staff, collectively reviewing our procedures and making many improvements.
I have been working intensively on all of these projects; particularly on those that concern Atención, information technology and building and maintenance issues, where I have been able to use expertise gained in my business career to guide committees formed to implement improvements. I am looking forward to the coming year and its challenges: Among them are installing the new library software with chief librarian Juan Manuel Fajardo and his team and putting the entire catalogue online with the added ability to search the catalogue, reserve books and check and renew memberships from the comfort of home. Another challenge we are undertaking concerns upgrading and coordinating the entire computer system and installing and extending our accounting software to all of our enterprises in order to achieve greater financial controls.
The Biblioteca is not only a library, but the primary cultural center of our community. Most importantly, its mission to support Mexican youth in their educational and cultural pursuits remains at the forefront of our concerns. We hope to rejuvenate the Rural Library Program founded by Stirling Dickinson and, in conjunction with other organizations, increase the reach of our very successful scholarship programs.
As in all things concerning the Biblioteca, our superb staff relies on you, our public, in your roles as contributor, volunteer and participant to realize our aims. In the coming years, we are going to actively seek out the increased contribution of the total San Miguel community to help us form and achieve our goals. To that end, I urge you to vote, come to our monthly Board meetings, and volunteer your time to our wonderful Biblioteca. For my part, I thank you for your support and I look forward to working diligently to contribute to our mutual success.
Ken Rowland, candidate for Treasurer
I am running for the position of Treasurer. For the last year, I have served as Assistant Treasurer. Because I was very active in the budget process for the 2007 fiscal year, I am aware of the challenges and opportunities provided by our finances in the coming year. I have the understanding to meet the Treasurer’s responsibility to monitor our financial position during the year.
When people hear I am on the Biblioteca Board, they do not generally respond with budget or policy questions or comments. They ask about the interpersonal relationships between board members and with members of the community. Immediately, I want to say that the current Board enjoys positive relationships all the way around, and I am sure this will continue. However, because in the past disagreements have become obstacles to progress rather than opportunities to explore options, I feel it incumbent on me to address my approach to the issue.
My approach to managing conflict comes from Aikido, a noncompetitive martial art. I have practiced Aikido since 1985, and am currently a teacher. Aikido silently and dramatically teaches us that aggression is never necessary, but it is sometimes encountered. Aggressive response only continues conflict. By accepting it and redirecting the energy of it, all conflicts can be harmlessly solved. Feeling passionate about a certain idea, people sometimes become hostilely aggressive in pursuit of their objective. They need to be allowed their point of view, need to feel understood, and redirected away from a combative stance.
The Biblioteca is on track to fullfilling the vision of Stirling Dickenson, and many others, in becoming not only a first class library (“The Library of the Future”), but a meeting place of the cultural diversity of San Miguel. We hope this year to be able to give a million pesos in scholarships to local youth and expand the wonderful educational opportunities offered to students of our community. With your vote, I will be a part of this progress.
Feel free to contact me: rowlandken@hotmail.com
or 152-3709.
Time Out for Literacy
By Matthew Gollub
| During a three-week stay in San Miguel last summer, I volunteered to read with local kids at the Biblioteca Pública. The staff at the Biblioteca thanked me profusely for my time. But I honestly feel that I’m the one who benefited most from the exchange. |  |
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My first benefit was the peaceful refuge from the heat and crowded downtown streets. Each afternoon, I would plop myself down by a shaded table in the Biblioteca’s courtyard and invite my “pupils” to bring me any books they wished.
A second bonus was to partake in their joy as I had children read aloud from their books in Spanish. The Biblioteca has a surprising number of high quality picture books. Though most appear to be “well loved,” they still open doors; their artwork and words still amuse and refresh.
A third advantage to volunteering was the opportunity to improve my Spanish. I started studying Spanish when I was in 7th grade. Now, in my mid-40s, I feel comfortable speaking, but unfamiliar words inevitably crop up. I’ll ask anyone, even children, to clarify new words. My pupils’ improvised definitions of bathroom idioms left me in stitches. I also gained insight to their lives and culture while discussing how the stories related to them.
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A fourth benefit—and this is a big one—was finding a meaningful way for my 10-year son old to interact with local kids. Jacob understands very little Spanish. He does, however, know the phonetic rules to decoding, i.e. reading Spanish. |
Jesús (age 12), Luisa (around 11), and Guadalupe (around 8) found this remarkable because in Mexico it’s so common for kids to understand Spanish but to have trouble sounding out written words!
Our afternoon reading sessions lasted from around 4 to 5pm. Our selections varied from very easy to very hard, from word books and story books such as “Clifford the Big Red Dog” (in Spanish), to non-fiction texts about colonies of bees. Jacob and Jesús often took turns reading one book while the girls and I took turns reading another. Soon I not only learned each child’s nickname (“Lulu” for Luisa, “Chucho” for Jesús, etc.) but which words were likely to give them trouble.
Getting to know these kids even briefly added dimension to my stay in San Miguel. It seems that kids who hang out in the library tend to do well in school. They’re smart, patient, and grateful for the opportunity to read and interact with a kindly grown-up. If the students are old enough to read out loud, being a volunteer “reader” is really about listening. Smiling, keeping a sense of humor, and giving lots of encouragement is the key. If you can “model” reading in Spanish with lots of expression, all the better. Sometimes, we would draw pictures based on the stories. Other times, Jacob and I would teach our new friends English phrases.
| I believe this sort of individualized nurturing is the literary equivalent to providing mother’s milk. In school, kids generally receive instruction in a room with at least 20 to 30 other students. | |
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In private, their reading skills and confidence may develop but otherwise wither in the harried atmosphere of a class.
A final benefit to volunteering touches me on an even more personal level. My wife and I are blessed to have one wondrous child. But when I offer my attention as a reading tutor, to laugh at illustrations, to explain a lyrical rhyme or phrase, I feel that for a moment, in some small way, I am helping to help raise more than one kid.
Matthew Gollub is an award-winning children’s author from California.
He has donated a set of his books to the Biblioteca; additional copies are available for private purchase. The author may be reached at
mg@matthewgollub.com.
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Tips for Volunteering as a Literacy Tutors
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| English and Spanish editions of books donated to the Biblioteca by Matthew Gollub: The Twenty-five Mixtec Cats, Los veinticinco gatos mixtecos The Moon Was at a Fiesta, La Luna se fue de fiesta Uncle Snake, Tío Culebra The Jazz Fly (book w/ audio CD) Gobble, Quack, Moon (book w/ audio CD) Superabuelo (book w/ audio CD) |
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School kids can change our collective destiny
Conference
Consciousness Based Education
For a new Middle school & High school
Saturday Mar 3, 4pm
Bellas Artes auditorium, second floor
Hernández Macías 75
free
If you have kids, if you are an educator, or simply concerned about education today, come to the free public conference on Consciousness Based Education tomorrow Saturday March 3, at 4pm, in the Bellas Artes auditorium, second floor. You will learn about the new Middle school and High school to start here in San Miguel de Allende and its Consciousness Based Education system, a curriculum that increases IQ and develops the full brain of the students, while increasing academic performance.
Consciousness Based Education has 30 years of classroom experience. It is grabbing the interest of educators, parents and students all over. From the US to China, Argentina to Sweden, students of all economic background are welcoming the new way of learning. The New York Times named it best idea of 2005.
Guest speakers Dr Daniel Seymour, International Director of Consciousness Based Education for Latin America, and Dr. Elsa Maciel Navarrete, Programs Director for Escuela sin Estres in Mexico, will give conference participants an overview of the system and why it’s been so successful. They will also include an overview of Transcendental Meditation (TM), a natural and easy to practice meditation technique that is applied to academic settings through the Consciousness Based Education program.
“Did you know that students typically graduate with less grey matter than when they start their academic years?” asks Dr Seymour. “Consciousness Based Education resolves that and brings much more to students of any culture and any economic background.”
More than 600 independent scientific research studies show that students of this program find education more relevant to them as students. They grow in inner happiness and improve their grades without the stress and anxiety normally associated with school.
Dr. Elsa Maciel Navarrete explains that the Consciousness Based Education program develops the students full brain physiology and increases their brain wave coherence: “It doesn’t get any better. We know that everything good about the brain depends on it’s coherent functioning, so it is easy to understand why a system of education which naturally unfolds the creative potential of the students and spontaneously allows the brain to maintain a high degree of coherence throughout the day, can have such an amazing effect on the students life and on the entire school system.”
Dr Seymour emphasized that “spontaneity is very important to success in anything. Students of Consciousness Based Education improve their performance without strain. They become better at whatever they like, without being affected by the stress and pressure inside and outside school. That’s a key motivator for students and parents everywhere.”
New research studies show that when a small group of students practice an advanced program of Consciousness Based Education called Yogic Flying, the increase brain coherence that they gain individually, spreads throughout the city or country (if the group is large enough). Dr. Seymour commented that investors and wellwishers of society are privately taking Consciousness Based Education to the level of national security because they realize that school kids can change their country overnight by reducing the intense collective stress that stops countries from enjoying true national unity and economic progress.
If you would like to learn more, if you have an interest in being an investor or wellwisher of the new school, want your children to enrol, or want to learn more about TM, come to the conference or send an email to programs@escuelasinestres.org. For more information visit
www.escuelasinestres.org
Rainbow Maker, Fred Stern making a flag for the planet
By Atención staff
Rainbow Lecture
Fri, Mar 2, 5pm
Teatro Santa Ana
Insurgentes 25
Donations
Rainbow creation
Sun, Mar 4, 4:30pm
Parque Clouthier
Behind CERESO & new General Hospital off Salida a Querétaro
Atencion San Miguel: How did you begin making rainbows?
Fred Stern: I had always done public art works typically in the form of multimedia events and building lighting. I believe that one’s creative work should not be limited to the sanctuaries of museums and galleries. If art exists anywhere then it exists everywhere including the streets.
I viewed my early rainbows as sculptural pieces. They were three dimensional, they had an aesthetic. They just were not permanent. But, then again no one ever said sculpture had to be permanent. I received the first art in public places award given to an individual by the National Endowment for the Arts in the Art in Public Places category for my rainbow work.
In 1992 I was one of 50 artists invited to the UN sponsored Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro to present work. It was during one of those events that the rainbows moved from being a sculptural piece into political pieces. Ever since that event they have been in support of world Peace.
ASM: Do you think rainbows have a special meaning for us?
FS: Rainbows have a special meaning for people all over the world as can be seen by the myths and stories appearing in every culture. I personally see the rainbow as the planet’s true flag. If the planet were to have a flag it would not be made of cloth it would be the rainbow. When I created a rainbow over the United Nation’s building I essentially raised the planet’s true flag above the flags of all nations as a visual metaphor for world peace and global unity.
ASM: How do you make a rainbow?
FS: I work with local fire departments to pump water into the air to create an artificial rainfall when the sun is in the correct position. The water droplets then refract the sun’s rays to create the rainbow.
ASM: How large are the rainbows you make?
FS: There have been some as large as 650 meters across. The size depends on the capacity of the pumps, the winds and the viewer’s position relative to the water.
ASM: What were the most important rainbows?
FS: Without a doubt the rainbow over the United Nations Building was the most important one, and was created for National Japanese Television. I also created two moon rainbows using the light of the full moon. These rainbows were pastel ghost like rainbows. One was created for an Arab village in the mountains of Israel and the other for a group of children who have a genetic deficiency that does not allow them to be exposed to sunlight.
Each and every one of the 40 some rainbows have been special and magical.
ASM: Why a rainbow in San Miguel?
FS: This is the second time I have lived and taught in San Miguel. The first time my class formed the group Los Ninos del Paraiso. We presented a clown performance for 5000 children in the Plaza del Torros on Children’s Day. It is always good to give something back to a community I live in.
This rainbow at Parque Clouthier is in a barrio on the outskirts of town. It will be part of the celebrations for El Dia de la Familia. I believe that the world’s families are the primary hope we have for creating peace in the world and this is the perfect place and time to present a rainbow dedicated to World Peace.
The important thing to know about viewing the rainbow is that it is not a real object and the closer you get to it the smaller it gets. Children, or adults for that matter that are willing to get wet will find that as they walk into the water they will find themselves standing in the center of a full circle double rainbow. Parents are advised to bring towels and a change of clothes for their children. The more adventurous adults might consider doing likewise.
My only request of the community is that people coming to the event please bring the sun with them for without the sun there will be no rainbow. This rainbow entitled Suzanne’s rainbow is named for a very magical person and is dedicated to the memory of Elee Koplow one of Los Ninos del Paraiso. I also wish to thank Veronica Agundis of city Education and Culture and the fire department for their support in making this event possible.
ASM: How do people react when they see the rainbow? And the children?
FS: I have never gotten a bad review. The rainbow’s appearance is always a joyous and magic moment. These events, if anything all allow us to realize that anytime the sun is shining there is a rainbow somewhere around us and all we need is the magic dust of some water droplets to make it appear.
The children are the most joyous part of any of my rainbow events. When I create them on land with a fire truck the kids can not resist running into and playing in the water. They are the ones who get to stand in the middle of a full circle double rainbow
ASM: Water is a real problem in San Miguel, how much water do you use and what will happen to the water?
FS: I would not have guessed that with all the swimming pools in this town and the talk of a golf course. For the San Miguel event we will be using about 8800 liters of water. The water will be used to water the very dry ground in the park. At the event, I will request people attending to forgo showering for one day to make up for the water we will be using. Most of the rainbows I have done in other desert areas usually have had a net gain in water after the event.
ASM: And the next rainbow?
FS: Right now I am working on creating a series of events in Hiroshima and Nagasaki this August
More details on Fred Sterns rainbows can be found at www.rainbowmaker.us.