Open Circle
Sunday, July 9, Ed Tasca will present “Mark Twain: the Anti-Bigot” at the Open Circle in the Lake Chapala Society (LCS) Sala, 10:30 a.m. to noon.
Tasca will discuss some of the Mark Twain legacy that he couldn’t fit into his more playful homage to Twain, “Mark Twain, Uncensored,” which was performed last August at Lakeside Little Theatre (LLT). Today’s more serious commentary explains the fierce and outspoken social critic Twain had become – about social and ethnic injustices, the arrogance of power, and the bigotry aimed at the disadvantaged masses in the late 19th Century. Although his incisive wit and fearless political satire made Twain’s work beloved internationally, it was the lesser-known serious observations and insights underlying his work that made him immortal.
Tasca is a writer and occasional performer at LLT and the Naked Stage Theatre. Of his career as novelist, playwright, and humor columnist, he says, “I’m most proud of the fact that I still sometimes get party invitations.”
For more information, see opencircleajijic.org.
LCS seminar
Lake Chapala Society members are invited to attend a TED seminar, hosted by Susan Weeks, on “Evolution, and the Ecstasy of Self-transcendence”, by Psychologist Jonathan Haidt, on Tuesday, July 11, noon to 1:15 p.m. in the LCS Sala.
Haidt asks a simple, but difficult question: why do we search for self-transcendence? Why do we attempt to lose ourselves? In a tour through the science of evolution by group selection, he proposes a provocative answer.
Martial arts fight night
Pugilists from Jalisco, Guanajuato and Aguascalientes will duke it out at the Mixed Martial Arts Xstream Tournament scheduled for Saturday, July 15, 7 p.m., at Ajijic’s Huerta de Serna events center.
Employing techniques from fighting disciplines such as Taekwondo, Karate, Judo and Greco-Roman wrestling, 22 contestants will enter the cage to vie for championship belts to be awarded in three weight classes. The 11 full-contact matches on the bill will be composed of three rounds, each lasting three minutes.
Advance tickets are on sale at the Family Fitness Center, Plaza Bugambilias, priced at 100 pesos for open seating and 200 pesos for the VIP zone. General admission at the gate goes up to 130 pesos. Snack foods and drinks will be available on the premises. The venue is located on the highway west of the village proper, just beyond the local cemetery.
LCS Bus Trip
The Lake Chapala Society hosts a bus trip to Guadalajara’s Galerias Mall, with its adjacent Costco, Sam’s and Super Walmart stores, Thursday, July 27. Major retailers include Best Buy, Sears and H&M, while restaurant choices include Cheesecake Factory, PF Chang and Applebee’s.
Cost is 350 pesos for members and 450 pesos for non-members. The bus departs promptly at 9:30 a.m. from the sculpture in La Floresta.
Lakeside Assistance BBQ
Ranger BBQ will put on a fundraiser for the Lakeside Assistance Group, August 26, 1 p.m. at the Centro Cultural Gonzalez Gallo. This group works with U.S. and Canadian firefighters and other groups to bring used-but-quality equipment to the volunteer fire departments in north shore Lake Chapala towns. The cost to ship containers filled with this equipment is about U.S.$4,000. Tickets for the BBQ are available from Vince Britton at American Legion Post 7.
Rotary
Chapala Sunrise is one of over 35,000 Rotary Clubs, with over a million members around the world, all dedicated to local and international service. Among the community projects currently being driven or supported by Chapala Sunrise Rotary are the SAFE Scholarship Program for needy lakeside children, the Mr. Hammer carpentry program, which teaches valuable life and career skills to disadvantaged Mexican youth, providing laundry appliances for Villa Infantil, and programs that provide firefighting equipment to the local bomberos and clean drinking water to local villages.
If you’re interested in joining or learning more about Chapala Sunrise Rotary, there will be a wine and cheese mixer, August 4, 5 p.m. Meet the members, enjoy live music, and learn how you can make a difference in your community. Call Blair Ferguson, (333)142-3038 or Pam Davis, (331)430-9029 for more information.
Buddhists
The Heart of Awareness community’s regular meditation and teaching session is Wednesday, July 12. The formal meditation begins at 4 p.m., followed with the second in a series of four video teachings, entitled “Life Hurts: Responding with Rain”, by Zen teacher Teah Strozer, which ends at 6 p.m. This week’s talk is How Meditation Helps.”
The community offers silent meditation opportunities several times each week. Sunday, July 2, (and every first Sunday of the month) the Center is open from 9 a.m. to noon for three rounds of sitting and walking meditation. Participants are welcome to come for all or part of this extended practice period. The center is open every Monday from 9 to 10 a.m. and Thursday from 11 a.m. to noon for an hour-long silent meditation, consisting of sitting and walking.
The Heart of Awareness is grounded in the teachings center is located at Guadalupe Victoria 101 in Ajijic. For more information go to, heartofawareness.org, or call Janet Reichert, (331)043-4669.