Large Sailfish caught in Pattaya

by Peter Rettke

As part of the Pattaya Game Fishing Club monthly competition, Frank Collins of the local ‘Fish & Trips’ on Soi Yodsak organized tourists and local fisherman to participate in an extended fishing trip set to leave Pattaya before midnight on Thursday, September 7th on the ‘Talay-Tong’ skippered by Captain Dang.

Also on board was Australian professional photographer Peter Rettke who captured the action with both photographs and video.

Frank Collins (right) and Peter Rettke marvel over the huge, 2.72 metre, over 59 kg sailfish.

In the early going, not too many fish were being caught. One big cobia, some garfish and sharks being the notable catches. But as the sun rose, the fishermen started to catch yellow-fin tuna, a large king mackerel, sweet lips, red snapper and a sharp-toothed long tom. Things were looking very promising, as we could see big fish moving about and soon had a good hook-up. Unfortunately the line broke so we quickly got on with the fishing, which we all knew would have to a team effort to be successful.

When the next hook-up came, Captain Dang seized the rod and we saw the sailfish leap high out of the water. An American tourist took the rod first and from the way the fish was fighting we knew we hooked a big one. Someone yelled, ‘He’s fighting like a man’ and we knew that that this was going to be a long hard fight.

Captain Dang decided to run the boat up to the fish, as we were not making much headway winding in. This meant transferring the angler and rod to the bow of the boat. It was very tricky business, as one wrong move would result in the loss of the fish.

Frank Collins took the rod several times, and after about an hour we had the fish up to the bow of the boat.

When we saw the sailfish we could indeed see that it was a big fish. The fish ‘ran’ again and the crew poured water on the reel, as it was so hot it was in danger of seizing up.

Another 30 minutes and we again had the big fish up to the bow of the boat. Everyone kept back and held their breath as we prepared to gaff the big fish. Finally it broke the surface beside the boat and we could see his huge fin well clear of the water. Captain Dang successfully hooked the gaff deep into its tail and managed to get the tail up to level of the deck. Upon his command the crew seized the fish and with a mighty effort hauled it onto the forward deck. There were yells of excitement as we all looked at the beautiful colours running down the massive silver and gold body. It had been a hard fight.

The sailfish was 2.72 metres long and at Frank’s ‘Fish and Trips’ it ran off the scales (over 130 lbs or 59 kg).

Host country takes most Veteran medals

Asian Open Veteran’s Tennis Championships 2000

Host country Thailand took nearly all the top prizes in the Asian Open Veteran’s Tennis Championships 2000 held at the Siam Bayshore Resort in Pattaya.

Winners and runners-up from the women’s doubles age 35 and over pictured with National Lawn Tennis Association President Col. Phidsanu Antakornsiriphot.

Of the over 200 men and women over the age of 35, representing 10 different countries spanning the globe who competed throughout the week in singles and doubles events on the hard courts of the Siam Bayshore Resort, all but two of the first place prizes went to Thai nationals.

Nonetheless, all who attended agreed it was a great time.

Countries represented include Thailand, Germany, Japan, Taipei, Sweden, Australia, Singapore, Switzerland, Indonesia and the USA.

Results

Men

Doubles ages 35 and over: Thonchai Jongkhwinij and Nash Ladda (Canada) beat Anont Benchchotchuang and Sutas Khunapheumsiri, 6-1, 3-6, 6-2.

Doubles 40 +: Pranot Duangudom and Sakchai Khowapitakted defeated Prabhas Chombhusri and Narong Pornhomintarasopon, 2-6, 6-4 and 6-4.

Doubles 50 +: Phiches Boritisa and Sutham Phannopakorn defeated Phongsak Phunsri and Chanyo Sunthornnet, 7-5, 6-4.

Doubles 55 +: Chusak Phanmonee and Phisal Phimphahu defeated Cornado Ko and Hesailik Labu (Indonesia), 7-5, 6-3.

Doubles 60 +: Thonglo Cherdkiatpol and Jankanok Suwanasobha defeated Danai Chulachad and Sumet Jenjedsada, 7-5, 6-2.

Women

Doubles ages 35 and over: Suttasinee Sirikaya and Sirikanya Hunsiri defeated Yusuko Siba and Isumi Saito (Japan), 6-1, 6-2. The two tennis stars were formerly on the Thai National Tennis Team.

Doubles 40 +: Sirikanya Hunsiri and Suttasinee Sirikaya defeated Chalatip Tulawatanajit and Naparat Bunyawanich, 6-1, 6-2.

Doubles 50 +: Chaleeya Rattakul and Chalatip Tulawatanajit defeated Yenee Yenee and Yumi Kalsam (Indonesia), 6-1, 6-2.

Singles age 35 and over: Yasuko Siba (Japan) defeated Kornkanok Pinbhibal, 6-0, 6-3.

Schumacher’s supremacy

Coulthard’s crass cronyism

Michael Schumacher showed again just why he is the highest paid Grand Prix racing driver in the world, with a display of complete dominance in the United States GP. Nearest rival Mika Hakkinen in the McLaren Mercedes scored no points after an engine blow-up while his team mate, Scotland’s David Coulthard, put on one of the worst displays of poor sportsmanship seen at top echelon GP driving.

The race began on a damp track, with all but Herbert in the Jaguar opting for wet tyres. With Schumacher having dominated Qualifying, it was a surprise to see Coulthard take the lead at the start. By 2 laps, the Scot had raced away to a 2 second advantage over Schumacher with Hakkinen another 2 seconds behind the Ferrari.

However, word came back that Coulthard had indeed jumped the start and had to come in for a 10 second Stop-Go penalty. He immediately slowed right down, almost causing Schumacher to run into the back of him, allowing Hakkinen to catch up. Coulthard then would run flat out down the straight, blocking the Ferrari, then slow down again through the twisty infield section. Team tactics perhaps - but poor sportsmanship definitely.

However, by lap 6 Schumacher had muscled through with a daring manoeuvre at the end of the straight and then Coulthard pulled immediately to the side to let Hakkinen by as well. Raspberries could be heard all over the world.

As the track dried, drivers all plunged for the pits to change to dry tyres - all except Schumacher who just continued to run away. When they settled down, Frentzen in the Jordan was up to 2nd, Diniz (Sauber) 3rd and Happy Hakkinen 4th, having taken forever to pass a Minardi. Mika being unable to understand that back markers only have to give way when they’re being lapped - not when they’re both racing for the same position!

However, Hakkinen’s luck ran out with his engine saying enough on lap 26 and it was all over bar the shouting. Schumacher continued to storm on, never relinquishing the lead, even when in for pit stops, he was so far in front.

His team mate, Barichello eventually inherited 2nd place after a string of mishaps for those who had been in front of him. 3rd after a gritty drive was Heinz-Harald Frentzen, who held off the fast but erratic Villeneuve in the BAR.

So the World Championship will be decided over the next two races (Japan 7th October and Malaysia 21st October), with only Schumacher on 88 points and Hakkinen 80 in the running. It will be interesting to see what tactics Coulthard will adopt for the last two!

Delaney’s final competition makes way for Shenanigans Inaugural on Octoberr 3rd

VFW Post 9876 moves up after winning three

Pattaya Sports Club Friday Bowling League

The VFW Post 9876 team captained by Fritz, with Keau and Otto, captured three points from a game TQ 1 Bob team to move up in the PSC bowling standings and is now tied for third with Cafe Ole.

League leader Lewiinski’s once again managed to win two points, this time against a game Cafe Kronborg.

The league continues to tighten up as the last place team Three Sisters won three points for the second successive week.

Maybe it was because of the rain but it seems pins were hard to knock down on this Friday afternoon. Only Mio (House of the Golden Coin) managed to hit them often enough to bowl the best game of the day with a credible 202 game and 537 series.

Team Standings Lewiinski’s TQ 1 Bob Cafe Ole VFW Post 9876 House Of The Golden Coin Snowman Cafe Kronborg Three Sisters

Points 28 - 16 24 - 20 23 - 21 23 - 21 22 - 22 21 - 23 19 - 25 16 - 28

18 Sep Results 2 - 2 1 - 3 2 - 2 3 - 1 1 - 3 2 - 2 2 - 2 3 - 1

Bruce Lawrence wins at Pattaya

Pleasure Dome Retains Mickey Mouse lead

Pleasure Dome defeated the Rising Sun in week 10 of the Mickey Mouse Darts League to maintain their slim lead atop the standings.

Beer Put, meanwhile, took the match but went home thirsty after losing the beer leg to Mick’s Place, but nonetheless took sole possession of second place.

Palmer’s recorded a mild upset, taking the match and beer from Yorkie, sending Yorkie down into a tie for third. Yorkie, which once held a share of first place, suffered their second straight loss.

In other week 10 action, Cheers took the match and beer over Devonshire.

Ian from Rising Sun still holds the league’s highest out to date, 138.

This week (29 Sep) sees Cheers v Mick’s Place, Beer Put v Pleasure Dome, Yorkie v Rising Sun and Palmer’s v Devonshire.

Week 10

	Won	Lost	B/L	U10s
Pleasure Dome Beer Put Yorkie Rising Sun Cheers Palmer’s Mick’s Place Devonshire	8 7 6 6 5 4 3 1	2 3 4 4 5 6 7 9	7 5 5 5 4 5 5 4	54 73 62 58 71 64 47 91

Heavy hitters needed - on the green!

TAGGS... golf from The Haven

Monday, September 18 - Siam Country Club (Bogey)

1st: Jeff McLaury, All Square
2nd: Mike Dabanovich, 2 Down
3rd: Malcolm Clare, 3 Down

The gentlemen from The Haven found themselves with a transportation crisis on Monday, the 18th of September. The shortage or cars necessitated a last minute change to nearby Siam instead of the scheduled Khao Kheow. American Jeff McLaury said that had he known that TAGGS was going to play Siam he would have brought his especially heavy mallet putter. He swears he can make his normal putting stroke with the big putter and still get the ball to the hole on Siam’s notoriously slow greens. If that is true, the damn thing must weigh as much as a sledgehammer.

It turned out Jeff didn’t need his Big Bubba. Playing off eleven, Mr. McLaury finished his match against the card at “All Square” and that was good enough to win the competition. In second place, Mike Dabanovich finished at “2 Down” and edged out Malcolm Clare who finished at “3 Down”.

Friday, September 22 - Pattaya Country Club (Stableford)

1st: Harry Riley, 37 points
2nd: Malcolm Clare, 35 points
3rd: Jeff McLaury, 32 points

After finishing the 17th hole at Pattaya Country Club with a wash and zero points, the prospects for a win were looking pretty slim for Harry Riley. Teeing off on 18, Harry had 33 points and was a Stableford point down to playing partner Malcolm Clare. Instead of a rabbit out of his hat, Harry pulled out a birdie. This birdie was a big old net eagle worth four points, and Harry took home another Knotted Putter trophy from The Haven.

With his net bogey on eighteen, Malcolm went from one up to two down and had to settle for second place with 35 points. Jeff McLaury finished third with 32 points.

Lewiinski's-Orchid defeats The Haven

Four-Ball Match Play

Lewiinski’s-Orchid Golf Society remains undefeated in the monthly matches against the The Haven. On Wednesday, September 20, eight teams from each venue played a Four-Ball Match Play at Laem Chabang. Lewiinski’s-Orchid won five of those matches and retains the title of best bunch of golfers in close proximity to Beach Road between Soi 13 and Soi 13/4.

To keep the matches fair, only 75% of the handicap differential was allowed, with the best golfer in each Four-Ball playing off scratch. In each of the eight matches, the scratch player came from Lewiinski’s. Their average hadicap was 13, while The Haven’s average was 18. None of the matches went to the eighteenth hole. The largest winning margin went to the Lewiinski’s-Orchid duo of Mike Morris and Terry Summers who won their battle seven up with five to go.

Good golfers will find a way to win. The better the golfer, the more imaginative those methods become. A case in point would be Steve Mascari. Steve is playing off five and he knows how to win. On Wednesday he won paired with Ray Ryan even though he had killed a goodly number of brain cells in a birthday celebration the night before the competition. He seemed to have great difficulty with the wide-open spaces of a tee box. It may have been the brightness of the sun. But get him into the rough, scrunched under a tree limb or on the side of a 45-degree slope, and man could he hit some golf shots. One of his opponents was last seen heading for the showers at Laem Chabang muttering obscenities under his breath.

Results:

Julian Clarke/Neil Cameron (Lewiinski’s) won 2&1 over Russell Finch/Stephen Beard (Haven)

Malcolm Clare/Mike Dabanovich (Haven) won 3&2 over Clive Bruce/Steve Ross (Lewiinski’s)

Stan Fry/Ivan Plunkett (Lewiinski’s) won 2&1 over Stephan Hoge/Neville Steward (Haven)

George Jackson/Harry Riley (Haven) won 4&3 over Dan Lundberg/Lol Ewin (Lewiinski’s)

Norman Brooks/Muffy Kerr (Haven) won 2&1 over Rick Sharp/Ray Matti (Lewiinski’s)

Steve Donovan/Dave Meadows (Lewiinski’s) won 4&3 over Ossi Viljanen/John Bullock (Haven)

Mike Morris/Terry Summers (Lewiinski’s) won 7&5 over Keith Fortt/Jeff McLaury (Haven)

Steve Mascari/Ray Ryan (Lewiinski’s) won 3&2 over Jimmy Little/Vic Cross (Haven)

Country House left as sole unbeaten

After 10 weeks of the Pattaya Sports Club Monday Darts League, there is now only one undefeated team left. Pleasure Dome lost, leaving Country House as the only unbeaten team.

Id from Country House holds the league’s highest out of the season, 118.

Id has also scored two 180s this season, as has Steve from Pleasure Dome, Egon from Cafe Kronborg, Thong from Ding Dong and Alex from Kennel Dogs.

The league is gearing up for the PSC Darts Championships to be held on Sunday October 15th and Monday October 16th.

Week 10

	Won	Drawn	Lost	Points
Country House Pleasure Dome  Cafe Kronborg Ding Dong Bunker 5 0 3 10 Mick’s Place Thistle  Kennel Dogs  Londoner	10 9 7 7 6 3 3 3 1	0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0	0 1 3 3 4 7 7 7 9	20 18 14 14 12 6 6 6 2

Mascari nicks the first Ratchaburi Tour

The Lewiinski’s/Orchid Golf Society recently did a tour of the Ratchaburi area for the first time.

The first day started with a Stableford round on the beautiful Royal Ratchaburi course. Steve Mascari won the first day with 42 points, followed by Bill Collis in second with 41 points and Dave Porter in third with 39 pts.

The second day was stroke play at Dragon Hills. Rick Sharp came out the victor with a net 63, with Clive Bruce & Bill Collis tied for second at net 67.

The third day was back to Stableford, this time at Sawang Country Club. The winner was Steve Donovan with 45 pts, followed by Dave Porter in second with 41 pts and Bill Collis in third with 40 pts.

Many were still in contention on the final day, a stroke competition on the very tight Krungthep Kreetha in Bangkok. Clive Bruce won the fourth round with a net 69. Larry Nicholas finished second with a net 72, and Steve Mascari came third with a net 73.

This left the overall result very close, but the winner was Steve Mascari with a total of 31 pts. Joint 2nd were Clive Bruce & Bill Collis with 30 pts.

After the round the group travelled back to Pattaya for the presentation at the new Classroom Sports Lounge, complete with a free buffet put on by Stan Fry.

Other Lewiinski’s/Orchid results:

Treasure Hills September 15th (Stableford)

1st: Dave Porter, 39 pts
2nd: Rick Sharp, 38 pts

N.P. Hills September 18th (2 man better ball Stableford)

1st: Phil Groves & Julian Clarke, 68 pts
2nd: Steve Donovan & Terry Summers, 61pts

Burapha September 22nd (Stableford)

1st: Murray Kerr, 41 pts
2nd: Clive Bruce, 39 pts
3rd: Steve Donovan, 31 pts

Mike McKay cards 42 Stableford points

Golf from Cafe Kronborg

Monday 18 September - Phoenix (stroke)

Fifteen golfers took part in a stroke competition on the Mountain and Ocean courses at Phoenix Golf and Country Club.

Derek Brook came in first with a net 64. Philippe Berra was second with a net 67, followed by Hanna Kemila 3rd with a net 68 and the club champion Bengt Vinterskok 4th with a net 71.

Near pins went to Denis Curtin on M8 and Dave Richardson on O5.

Thursday 21 September - Khao Kheow (Stableford)

On Thursday, 21 September, 20 players turned up at Khao Kheow to compete in 2 flights of Stableford.

Philippe Berra took 1st place in the A flight with 37 points. Second was John Murdoch with 33, then Ebrahim 3rd with 32 points.

Mike McKay had a stupendous 42 to take 1st in the B flight. Martin Daly was second with 39, followed by John Swanson with 35 points.

Near pins were: Philippe Berra at A3 and B3, Gerry Dubin at A5, and Mike McKay at B8.

Next week’s venues: Green Valley on Monday the 1st of October and Bangpra on Thursday the 5th of October.

Don’t forget Saturday morning friendly at Siam leaving Cafe Kronborg at 0900 to tee off at 10 a.m.

News on the golf scene

from Mike Franklin

On Friday, September 22nd at Natural Park Resort, the Thai-Ger Line Golf 2nd Anniversary golf tournament, organised by Fabian and Aree, teed off late morning and, as a result, suffered a heavy monsoon storm mid-afternoon, the tournament having to be judged on just thirteen holes that all players completed. However, there was a good evening back at Bavaria House which made up for the appalling weather.

PSC Golf, I am told, is introducing a new Monthly Medal starting on Wednesday 11th October at Laem Chabang. You sign-up for this with Khun Or at the PSC Office, Soi Diana. There is no entry fee; all you pay is green fee and caddy fee. There will be four divisions with three prizes in each division and lots of technical prizes. Tee-off is from 09.30 a.m., and do remember when you sign-up to say if you need transport. The field is limited to 80 players.

Lewiinski’s/Orchid Society is now playing four days weekly on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday -leaving at 09.45.

The Haven, Soi 13, continues to go out Monday, Wednesday and Friday leaving 08.30, and the Bunker, Soi Chaiyapool has competitions on Tuesdays and Fridays leaving at 10.00 a.m. And remember that The Bunker, through the initiative of Roy ‘Tiger’ Mitchell, is now making weekly outings to the Par 3 golf course at the Asia Hotel. A good opportunity to improve your short game. Go and see Roy at the Bunker. Competitions every Thursday leaving the Bunker at 2.00 p.m.

Lewiinski’s/Orchid had the third of their regular matches against the Haven last week, played on the A & B courses at Laem Chabang and interrupted by some heavy rain. The format was Pairs Better Ball and Lewiinski/Orchid pulled it off again, winning five to three. Steve Mascari provided a fine buffet back at Lewiinski’s, although he was unwell and unable to enjoy it himself. A comment was heard in the bar that Steve ‘Bulldog’ Ross threw his match just to make the result look not quite so bad for the Haven Team, who now trail two and a half points to a half after three matches played. Very generous, our Steve, and a statistical wonder detailing the comparative strokes allowed for each side as Stan ‘The Man’ listened patiently to this oratory. However, all very enjoyable, and played in good spirit.

Thanks to all the golfers and families who supported the PSC sponsored Children’s Raffle at the Jesters Care 4 Kids Children’s Fair. The raffle raised B57,000 for the Kids, ably assisted by Harry Riley, Neera and staff from the Bangkok Pattaya Hospital. Well done team!

Looking further ahead into October - the 7th TQ Masters takes place on the 20th, only a few weeks away and always a popular tournament and fun day out, competing for the coveted TQ Green Jacket, currently held by Dale Drader. Make sure you sign-up early for that one at TQ, Beach Road, or see me.

We are then into November and the month kicks off with Bjarne Nielsen’s PSC Banana Scramble on Thursday November 2nd. More details about that as soon as they are to hand.

Have you considered Golf Insurance? Have you ever had a Hole-in-One and wished you had insurance when you picked up the bar bill?

Seriously, insurance against player injury, loss or damage to golf equipment as well as Holes-in-One, is a good idea. There are two Golf Insurance policies that I’m aware of at present. The first is through AXA International and details can be seen on the PSC web site. AXA offers a 10% discount to PSC Members.

The second policy is called ‘Golf Lover’ Insurance and a leaflet giving full details is available through Jack Levy at the Northern Thai office opposite the Royal Garden Plaza. Or call Jack on his mobile 01 624 2702. Check them out!

Squash! There must be some fit golfers out there that would like to play some social and competitive squash. Well Pattaya Sports Club has a Squash Section now, run by Rik Oudshorn. The members meet at Ambassador City on Tuesdays and Thursdays around 6.00 p.m. and all standards of player are welcome. The really keen players get together on Sundays at noon. Home and away team matches are due to start in October, one a month against 3 or 4 squash clubs in Bangkok. Membership is mixed, and I am told it’s a very friendly crowd too. If you would like to know more, contact Rik by e-mail at: [email protected] or call his mobile 01 862 9062, or local telephone 494 149.

More News on the Golf Scene in a couple of weeks - in the meantime, keep the ball in play!

Fitness Tips: Warning time (Part 1)

by David Garred
Club Manager Dusit Resort Sports Club

G’day Pattaya,

This week I have part 1 of portions of a disturbing report to pass on to you about a sugar substitute.

There is quite a lot of technical terminology in this report excerpt, so if you find it dry reading, I can well understand. Let’s just say that it is seriously bad for you.

If you are using it as an artificial sweetener to cut down on the calories you ingest then it is time to get back into using sugar and get out from behind the desk and go for a walk. That will burn the calories from sugar and greatly reduce your exposure to the health risks listed below.

Aspartame is the technical name for the brand names NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, and Equal-Measure. Aspartame was discovered by accident in 1965, when James Schlatter, a chemist of G.D. Searle Company was testing an anti-ulcer drug. Aspartame was approved for dry goods in 1981 and for carbonated beverages in 1983. It was originally approved for dry goods on July 26, 1974, but objections filed by neuroscience researcher Dr John W. Olney and consumer attorney James Turner in August 1974, as well as investigations of G.D. Searle’s research practices caused the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to put approval of aspartame on hold (December 5, 1974). In 1985, Monsanto purchased G.D. Searle and made Searle Pharmaceuticals and the NutraSweet Company separate subsidiaries.

Aspartame is, by far, the most dangerous substance on the market that is added to foods. Aspartame accounts for over 75 percent of the adverse reactions to food additives reported to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Many of these reactions are very serious, including seizures and death, as recently disclosed in a February 1994 Department of Health and Human Services report.

A few of the 90 different documented symptoms listed in the report as being caused by aspartame include: headaches/migraines, dizziness, seizures, nausea, numbness, muscle spasms, weight gain, rashes, depression, fatigue, irritability, tachycardia, insomnia, vision problems, hearing loss, heart palpitations, breathing difficulties, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, loss of taste, tinnitus, vertigo, memory loss, and joint pain.

According to researchers and physicians studying the adverse effects of aspartame, the following chronic illnesses can be triggered or worsened by ingesting of aspartame: brain tumors, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, chronic fatigue syndrome, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, mental retardation, lymphoma, birth defects, fibro myalgia, and diabetes.

Aspartame is made up of three chemicals: Aspartic acid, phenylalanine, and methanol. The book, Prescription for Nutritional Healing, by James and Phyllis Balch, lists aspartame under the category of “chemical poison.”

Summary of how aspartate (and glutamate) cause damage

Aspartate and glutamate act as neurotransmitters in the brain by facilitating the transmission of information from neuron to neuron. Too much aspartate or glutamate in the brain kills certain neurons by allowing the influx of too much calcium into the cells. This influx triggers excessive amounts of free radicals which kill the cells. The neural cell damage that can be caused by excessive aspartate and glutamate is why they are referred to as “excitotoxins.” They “excite” or stimulate the neural cells to death.

Aspartic acid is an amino acid. Taken in its free form (unbound to proteins) it significantly raises the blood plasma level of aspartate and glutamate. The excess aspartate and glutamate in the blood plasma shortly after ingesting aspartame or products with free glutamic acid (glutamate precursor) leads to a high level of those neurotransmitters in certain areas of the brain.

The blood brain barrier (BBB) which normally protects the brain from excess glutamate and aspartate as well as toxins 1) is not fully developed during childhood, 2) does not fully protect all areas of the brain, 3) is damaged by numerous chronic and acute conditions, and 4) allows seepage of excess glutamate and aspartate into the brain even when intact.

The excess glutamate and aspartate slowly begin to destroy neurons. The large majority (75%+) of neural cells in a particular area of the brain are killed before any clinical symptoms of a chronic illness are noticed. A few of the many chronic illnesses that have been shown to be contributed to by long-term exposure excitatory amino acid damage include: Multiple sclerosis (MS), ALS, memory loss, hormonal problems, hearing loss, epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, hypoglycemia, AIDS dementia, brain lesions, and neuroendocrine disorders.

Next week: More adverse effects of artificial sweeteners. Until then, get out and do some exercise and enjoy the taste of real sugar, you will be much better off for it.

Carpe’ Diem

Pattaya to host International Triathlon

The National Triathlon Association and Pattaya City are organizing the Pattaya Triathlon 2000, scheduled to take place on October 22nd starting at 7.00 a.m. at the Pattaya Park Beach Hotel. Triathletes will be competing for a trophy from Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.

The triathlon competition is being organized to promote athletic activities and tourism in Thailand, and to display Pattaya’s capabilities of organizing sporting events on the international level.

The triathlon will be divided into three categories, starting with an Olympic Distance consisting of a 1.5 kilometer swim, 40 kilometer bicycle race and a 10 kilometer run. The second category is designated as a Sprint Distance, which will be a 750 meter swim, 20 kilometer bicycle race and a 5-kilometer run. Third category is a Short Sprint Distance involving a 400 meter swim, 10 kilometer bicycle race and a 3-kilometer run.

The swimming portion of the triathlon will take place off Pattaya Beach in front of the Pattaya Park Hotel. The bicycle and running portions will be along a stretch of roads from Jomtien Beach - Thepprasit - Sukhumvit - South Pattaya - 3rd Road and Pratamnak Road, ending up at the Pattaya Park Hotel.

Anyone interested in signing up for the Pattaya Triathlon 2000 can contact Wichit Sittnawin, President of the National Triathlon Association of Thailand, located at 76/8, Moo 4, Soi Senanikhom 1, Phaholiyothin in Ladphrao, Bangkok, or call (02) 578-4515. E-mail: Polihite@assianet,co.th. Early entries will be accepted until September 30.

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