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Trying to ponder human consciousness
Master of Ceremonies Richard
Silverberg introduces the day’s guest speaker.
Human consciousness is evolving, but still remains
imponderable. This, in essence, was the message delivered to the Pattaya
City Expats Club at their Sunday, December 4, meeting. Master of Ceremonies
Richard Silverberg introduced guest speaker Michael Flinn, a life-long
scholar in the history and development of human consciousness, religion,
art, civilization and human behavior. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree
in Social Sciences and a Masters degree in Art History from the University
of Oregon. He has also studied at the Naropa Institute and with various
alternative teachers.
Michael was an Instructor of Art History at East Carolina
and Old Dominion Universities during the tumultuous 60s and 70s. Michael has
also traveled extensively around the world for years photographing the art,
architecture and cultural traditions of various countries. His photographs
are in the collections of major universities and have been featured on the
Discovery Channel. He has lectured and given slide presentations throughout
the United States. He now resides in the Philippines.
Michael Flinn’s message to
the Pattaya City Expats Club is that “Human consciousness is evolving, but
still remains imponderable”.
Michael started his presentation by explaining how he got
into art and philosophy after he discovered his original plan to study
business was “not his bag.” After he graduated in 1964, he traveled to
Europe where he found solace in the abundance of great architecture and art;
not at all like modern architecture which he views as a nightmare. He found
Europe more relaxed and appealing with its history, great art, and
magnificent buildings. Over a period of years, he also traveled to Turkey,
the Mideast, India, Pakistan, and other locales. He said observing people in
abject poverty makes one wonder how these conditions exist and led to his
further studies of human consciousness.
PCEC member Nathan Russo
advises members of the activities of the ‘Blue Water Sailing’ special
interest group.
He then described how the Greek philosophers were
generally the first to explore the consciousness of self. He noted that the
Christian Bible was written in Greek and that the Greek word “Metanoia” was
translated to the English word “repent.” But, he said the word actually
means change of consciousness. It was the pre-Socratic and later the
Platonic philosophers that delved into this change or evolution of
consciousness. Later, after World War II, you had the existentialists that
didn’t deal with the concept of God, but rather the understanding of one’s
self; a consciousness of being. A person creates themselves. In essence, he
felt that no matter how much you study, you will not really gain a full
understanding of human consciousness as it is imponderable.
After Michael entertained comments and answered questions
from the audience, Richard Silverberg called on Roy Albiston to update
everyone on upcoming events and to conduct the always interesting and lively
Open Forum where questioned are asked and answered about expat living in
Thailand; Pattaya in particular. The Pattaya City Expats Club meets every
Sunday at the Amari’s Tavern by the Sea Restaurant where all are welcome.
For more information about their activities, visit http://www.
pattayacityexpatsclub.com.
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Indian travel agents find no floods in Pattaya
Manoon Makpol
Ten New Delhi travel agents toured Pattaya, seeing for
themselves that Thailand’s flooding crisis has not affected one of the hottest
holiday destinations for Indians.
Pinki Arora, the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s
representative for Northeast India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal, hosted the
tour industry meeting Dec. 3 at the Pattaya Marriott Resort & Spa. After getting
a briefing about the floods and the impact on Pattaya, the agents toured local
hotels, visited tourist attractions and shopping centers.
“There is no crisis, as is the common perception at home,”
said Manheer Singh Sethi, head of Holidays by Sahibji. “I am not afraid and
there are no diseases. After the Indian agencies have inspected the area, they
will return to invite Indians to vacation in Thailand in 2012 and hopefully will
focus on luxury hotels.”
The Indians got a taste of some of the city’s best hotels,
including the five-star Centara Grand Mirage Resort Pattaya. They also saw Nong
Nooch Tropical Garden, the Alangkarn Theatre and Walking Street.
The marketing strategy was to place importance on helping
agencies create good relationships with customers in India. The emphasis was
placed on mid- to upper-end hotels and showing Pattaya as an ideal destination
for Indian weddings.
“We would like to promote destinations such as Centara Grand,
Nova Platinum Hotel and Dusit Thani Hotel, focusing on relaxing activities,
ocean sports, weddings and restaurants,” Pinki said.
She said obstacles to Indian tourism have been visas, airline
schedules and language. The city plans to increase the amount of tourist
information available in Hindi.
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Foreign Chambers present funds to help underprivileged children in Thailand
Foreign Chambers of Commerce in Thailand including the
Australian-Thai Chamber of Commerce, British Chamber of Commerce Thailand,
Franco-Thai Chamber of Commerce, Irish-Thai Chamber of Commerce, and New
Zealand-Thai Chamber of Commerce recently presented 258,000 baht in cash to
Naksuu Tigers (Thai word for ‘Noble Warrior’) with its Rugby programme
“Changing Lives Forever” that works for underprivileged children in the slum
communities of Bangkok. The money was raised through sponsorship of the
Combined Chambers Rugby World Cup Series of Events.
The Changing Lives Forever rugby programme has been
running for over a year and there have been more than 200 kids who have
joined the programme (weekly attendance averages about 100 kids). The kids
get picked up and dropped off from 4 different slum communities around the
city of Bangkok. The club helps provide opportunities for the kids to
achieve more, outside of their normal circumstances, discover the passion
for the game and dream of what their future might become.
Presenting at the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit Hotel are
(left to right) Nikki Cox, President of New Zealand-Thai Chamber of
Commerce; Bobby Wills, representative of Changing Lives Forever; Telea
Fakaua, representative of Changing Lives Forever; Sopo Fakaua, Academy
Director of Changing Lives Forever; Grant Signal, committee member of New
Zealand-Thai Chamber of Commerce; Andrew Lammont, Commercial Director of
Thai Asia Pacific Brewery Co Ltd; Gregg Hirano, Vice President and Country
Manager of MasterCard Worldwide; and Tiranaed Chariyavat of the Irish-Thai
Chamber of Commerce.
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PCEC members attend Surin Elephant Round Up
There is always elephants and
pageantry at the annual Surin Elephant Round Up.
Many Pattaya City Expats Club (PCEC) members
and their guests were off on another of their periodic excursions; this time an
overnight trip to the Surin Elephant Round Up.
Member Richard Smith arranged the trip which had a total of
30 participants in the group. They departed early on November 18 by chartered
tour bus; breaking up the trip with a stop at Phanom Rung Stone Castle in
Buriram Province. This is one of the most beautiful Stone Castles in Thailand.
It is a Khmer temple complex set on the rim of an extinct volcano at 1,320 feet
above sea level. It was built in the 10th to 13th centuries in the Lopburi
style. The PCEC members spent some time touring the complex that Thailand’s
Department of Fine Arts spent 17 years restoring to its original state. Then it
was on to Buriram to check into their hotel, have dinner, and spend some free
time walking around and socializing.
One of the many shows on offer was a
tug of war between and elephant and humans. The elephant won, of course.
It was up early the next morning for the trip to Surin to see
the Elephant Round Up show on November 19. The PCEC members thoroughly enjoyed
the display and pageantry and thought the Round-Up was spectacular with about
250 to 300 elephants and many townspeople participating in the show.
They saw the major battle between the Burmese and the Thais,
with all the beautifully decorated people and elephants. The show was punctuated
by explosions of shells from the artillery, and included mock battles on the
field between ground soldiers and with the elephants.
PCEC members pose for a group
picture during their visit to the Khmer Phanom Rung Castle complex on the way to
Surin.
The final part of the show was to bring all the elephants,
nearly 300 of them on the field so all the audience could see was a sea of the
gray backs of these huge animals.
After the show, there was an opportunity to walk around and
do some souvenir shopping as well as a chance to feed some of the elephants that
were strolling around before heading off to the Queen Sirikit Silk Center in
Surin. Here the PCEC group had the opportunity to see silkworm breeding and silk
cloth making. In fact, the group dallied a bit longer than planned and missed
their planned midnight arrival back in Pattaya by a couple of hours.
About 300 elephants parade before
the audience at the end of the Surin Elephant Round Up.
PCEC Member Judith Edmonds admiring
the view from a Phanom Rung Castle doorway.
Several PCEC members strolling
around after the show take the opportunity to see a baby elephant up close.
PCEC members take the opportunity to
do a little shopping after the show.
PCEC Members Gary Hacker, Richard
and Janet Smith meet with some of the local Surin participants in the Elephant
Round Up.
PCEC Member Stuart Saunders offers
some food to one of the elephants after the show.
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Securitas-led coalition
continues flood-relief efforts
Ajjima Chaowalithumrong (left),
fund manager of the Father Ray Foundation, accepts a delivery of donated rice
from Securitas relief coordinator Samraan Naeprong.
Manoon Makpol
A local coalition of private companies and associations led
by Securitas Security Service (Thailand) Co. continued to bring relief to Thai
flood victims, again delivering aid to inundated families in central Thailand
and Bangkok, along with necessities to the Redemptorist Vocational School.
Securitas General Manager John Cole and coordinator Samraan
Naeprong donated 300 bags of rice to flood victims in Bangkok’s Rangsit Canal
neighborhood Dec. 4-6 and 120 bags of rice to the Redemptorist shelter.
The school set up a relief center and now is a temporary home
to 154 evacuees, 35 of whom are handicapped, 38 are children and four are senior
citizens.
Securitas and the Sawang Boriboon Thammasathan Foundation and
the Soi Khopai Community presented 300 packs of drinking water and relief bags
to families in Rangsit and Pathum Thani-Rattanakosin.
Samraan said volunteer organizations will continue their work
as long as there is a need. Donations of cash and supplies are still being taken
and Sawang Boriboon will distribute the goods to those most in need, he said.
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