Mountain Temple

This mountain temple is one of my favorites. I hiked to the temple the first time I came to Thailand. At that time there was one small temple building and an ancient chedi. The new temple building, in this picture, houses several large white Buddhas. The building has simple clean lines and an amazing roof structure.



This Buddha makes his home in a man-made cave at the same mountain temple. This is an example of a fairly uncommon white Buddha. Most of the Buddhas in Thai temples tend to be gold.

History

We all may be witnessing one of the most powerful uniter and speakers the world has ever seen. There is no doubt we are experiencing one of the most historic events in world history, the first black (and white) president.

Watching Barack's acceptance speech today, I flashed back to the nights our family gathered around to watch the much anticipated television series "Roots" in the year 1977. As a young boy, my emotions ran wild watching Kunta Kinte struggle through the beatings and chains of slavery wanting only freedom and to love. The most dominate emotion was sadness. It was sadness for what black people had been put through because of the color of their skin and the ignorance of their fellow humans.

Time will tell how the presidency will treat Barack, but for now he is a beacon in the darkness for countless people around the world. A beacon to all ethnicities.

Good luck to the United State's new first family, and to President, Barack Hussein Obama ll.

Deadly Box Jellyfish

An official warning issued by the Phuket Marine Bological Center (PMBC) confirms that the potentially deadly box jellyfish have arrived in the waters around Phuket, Thailand.

The box jellyfish were found in a fish trap. The jellyfish prefer the shallower brackish waters. A two-day collection recovered another eighteen more in the same area.

This follows a reported death of a Swedish Tourist in the waters off Koh Lanta. In early April another person was reportedly stung in these same waters.

The box jellyfish can have a potentially deadly sting. The toxin from the tentacles can travel to the heart in four minutes, causing cardiac arrest.

Regular household vinegar is one of the best medicines. Vinegar can slow the toxins entering the blood stream lessening the effect of a sting.

Local authorities recommend bringing a small bottle of vinegar to the beach in case of a box jellyfish sting. This method also works on other types of jellyfish stings.

If anyone is suspected to have been stung by a box jellyfish, apply vinegar to the sting. If the victim falls into cardiac arrest, begin CPR immediately.