Open Circle
Ambassador Carlos Gonzalez-Magallon presents “Andrés Manuel López Obrador: His First Six Months as Mexico’s President” at the next meeting of Open Circle, Sunday, June 16, 10:30 a.m. to noon on the patio of the Lake Chapala Society (LCS).
AMLO was swept into the presidency of Mexico by a wave of outrage brought on by two main issues: insecurity and corruption. Often labeled as a populist, he earned the presidency by addressing these key issues during the campaign. For instance, he promised to diminish corruption and to reduce violence during his first three years in office. On the economic front, he promised to put an end to neo-liberalism and replace it with economic policies that would redress economic and social disparities. His all-out attack on neo-liberalism created anxiety among domestic and international investors that was somewhat diminished when he appointed capable and orthodox officials to run the economy. In short order he was able to push through Congress the adoption of the National Guard, his main instrument to tackle insecurity. At this point it is too soon to guess whether he will succeed against the formidable challenges that lie ahead.
Gonzalez-Magallon served in the Mexican consulates of St. Louis, Albuquerque, Nogales and Houston. He was a Mexican delegate to the United Nations and a junior officer to the Mexican Embassy in Washington, DC. He also served in Colombia and Greece, was ambassador to Yugoslavia and New Zealand, and was Mexican consul in Osaka, Japan.
Information: opencircleajijic.org.
LCS courses
These courses, for LCS members only, will keep you in the know:
• Mexican traditional fermented beverages: Monday, June 17, 11 to 12:30 p.m.
• Mexican manners: Tuesday, June 18, 1 to 3:30 p.m.
• Preserving your assets in Mexico: Fridays, June 21, 28, July 5, 12, 19 and 26, noon to 1:30 p.m.
• Study to get or renew your Jalisco drivers license, Monday, June 24, 11:30 a.m. and then go to Guadalajara Tuesday, June 25, 7 a.m. to obtain your new or renewed license.
• Mexican hot cocktails: Tuesday, July 2, 1 to 3 p.m.
The costs and course descriptions for each course are available at lakechapalasociety.com or at the LCS office.
Lake Chapala Birders
Friday, June 21, 8 a.m., the Lake Chapala Birders will meet at Donas Donuts to carpool, leaving immediately for the Sierra de Tapalpa (90 minutes away). The group will bird from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and then have lunch in Tapalpa and complete the bird list. Expect to see higher-altitude birds such as acorn woodpecker and slate-throated redstart and, if lucky, a trans-volcanic jay. Bring your own refreshments for the morning. The group will return to Lakeside about 5 p.m.
If you plan on going, email John Keeling at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. least 48 hours ahead of time mentioning if you can provide a vehicle for the carpool.
Lake Chapala Birders is an informal group of bird observers led by John and Rosemary Keeling. Information: chapalabirders.org.
TED Talks
Social Psychologist Elizabeth Dunn presents “Helping Others Makes Us Happier – But It Matters How We Do It” at the next Ted Talk, Tuesday, June 18, noon to 1:15 p.m. in the Lake Chapala Society Sala. Open to LCS members only.
Research shows that helping others makes us happier. But in her groundbreaking work on generosity and joy, Dunn found that there’s a catch: it matters how we help. Learn how we can make a greater impact – and boost our own happiness along the way – if we make one key shift in how we help others. Hosted by Susan Weeks.
Lakeside Freethinkers
The focus at the next meeting of the Lakeside Freethinkers, Wednesday, June 19, 4 p.m. at La Nueva Posada is the relationship between freethinkers and the environmental crisis. Climate change is the most serious catastrophe the world faces and for which we have only a few years left to solve it.
Dinner and additional discussion usually follow the event.
The Lakeside Freethinkers define a “freethinker” as a person who as an atheist, agnostic, secular humanist, or skeptic. They believe that individuals should not accept ideas proposed as truth without recourse to knowledge and reason. They reject belief in the supernatural and rely on science and reason to guide their lives.
To attend or obtain information, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
LCS bus trips
The Lake Chapala Society is offering a bus trip to Galerias Mall and Costco, Thursday, June 20.
On Thursday, July 4, LCS heads to the town of Amatitan and the Tres Mujeres tequila distillery.
Check the LCS office or website to sign up and learn the departure times and cost of the trips. Registration and payment can now be made online.
Spanish communication
The Difficult Journey requires all your Spanish skills.
This event simulates arriving at the Mexico/U.S. border and preparing a trip to Mexico City. Travel through the border zone experiencing realistic travel-oriented situations while conversing with native Spanish speakers. Visit the bank, pharmacy, restaurant and go through immigration and customs. You’ll soon be ready to travel anywhere your Spanish takes you.
This is not a class, but an opportunity to practice your Spanish in a stress-free and friendly environment. You will learn more words and phrases along with the activity. A few sample documents such as passport, traveler check, immigration forms, etc. The people you will interact with are volunteers from the local Mexican community. They all want you to succeed.
Enrollment until June 20, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the LCS office.
Lakeside Singles
Single or not, join in the fun at a Lakeside Singles get-together upstairs at Manix, Wednesday, June 26, 4 to 6 p.m. RSVP to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Canada Day
The Royal Canadian Legion Branch 1 Chapala is celebrating Canada’s 152nd birthday, Monday, July 1, at the Centro Cultural Gonzalez Gallo (old train station) on Avenida Gonzalez Gallo in Chapala. The party goes from noon to 4 p.m. with hamburgers, hot dogs, salads and birthday cake. Music is by DJ Phil with dancing and door prizes.
Special invited guests will include Dr. Carlos Lomeli, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s delegate in Jalisco and a former federal deputy, former Jalisco legislator Anahi Olguin, Chapala Mayor Moy Anaya and his wife Marianna Villenueva Ochoa; Canadian Vice Consul in Guadalajara Jonathan Steblin and U.S. Consulate General Robin Matthewman, among others.
Tickets, 250 pesos, are available through June 25 at O’Rourke & Asociados in Centro Laguna or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Vacation time for kids
If you know children from seven years of age up, invite them to the Chapala Public Library, which is offering a free summer program for children July 8 through August 9, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, visit the library at Juarez 508 in Chapala or call (376) 765-2571.
Medical professionals
The Lake Chapala Society is sponsoring a presentation by the Jalisco Comision Estatal para la Proteccion Contra Riesgos Sanitarios (Coprisjal) to help medical professionals of all stripes understand the forms and paperwork that must be completed to receive permission to advertise their services. The presentation will be given by Coprisjal staffers Ramon Avalos Huerta and Ana Maria Panduro on Wednesday, July 10, noon to 3 p.m. Each of the talks will last an hour and be followed by another 60 minutes of question-and-answer time.
Invited are doctors, dentists, therapists, massage therapists, retired living and nursing home administrators, pharmacists, laboratory managers, etcetera.
Insight Meditation
The Heart of Awareness Insight Meditation Community offers multiple opportunities each week for silent meditation: Sunday, 9 a.m., Wednesday, 4 p.m. and Thursday, 11 a.m. There are no fees and all sessions are open to the public, regardless of experience or affiliation. Chairs and cushions and brief written instructions on meditation for beginners are provided.
Monday, June 17, the film “Defining Hope,” will screen. It brings viewers into the lives of eight New Yorkers from diverse walks of life, face-to-face with their own mortality. As patients at Calvary Hospital, a pioneering New York City hospice, they, along with their families and the nurses who care for them, offer illuminating lessons on what is most important in life and give rise to a stirring call to redefine end-of-life care.
Wednesday, June 19, the meditation period will be followed by the third segment of a “Retreat” series titled “Compassion in Polarizing Times,” taught by Dungse Jampal Norbu, a teacher in the Mangala Shri Bhuti sangha. The teacher will guide you through practices to cool off anger and take a walk in another’s shoes. The video will be followed by a discussion period.
The Tuesday Practice/Study group has been taking a break but will resume beginning July 2. The book is yet to be chosen. The group meets weekly from 3 to 5 p.m. A yoga class suitable for beginners and advanced students, is offered Thursday, 9 to 10:45 a.m.
The center is at Guadalupe Victoria 101, Ajijic. Information: heartofawareness.org.