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HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]: 

Women With a Mission say Thank you to Canon Thailand

Guests treated to traditional Austrian varietals during wine tasting at Wine Cellar

Finding out about skin cancer at weekly PCEC meeting

Tickets still available for PILC Black & White Ball

TAS Bangkok elects new committee

Women With a Mission say Thank you to Canon Thailand

Rosanne Diamente
With the overwhelming generosity of our supporters throughout the year and the goodwill of Canon Marketing (Thailand) Company Ltd, Women With a Mission has been able to purchase a digital copier at a substantially reduced price to assist children at risk living on the Thai/Burma border gain access to educational materials.

Rosanne Diamente (2nd left) and the Canon Marketing (Thailand) Company Ltd team present the donated copier.
The digital copier is being used to print text books in several languages (Burmese, Thai and English), as developed by World Education (www.worlded.org), for distribution to 54 (mostly make-shift) community schools struggling to meet the educational needs of 8,000 children.
Women With a Mission is a non-affiliated, not for profit, private group committed to providing children of all ages, social and cultural backgrounds the necessary tools to receive a proper education and access to daily nutritional needs.
Women With a Mission has a long-term commitment to this project and assisting these children reach their full potential. We are always grateful for your support.
To find out more about Women With a Mission or to contact: www.womenwi thamission.blogspot.com and/or [email protected]


Guests treated to traditional Austrian varietals during wine tasting at Wine Cellar

Michael Albers
Reinhard Murer, managing director of Food com (Thailand) Co., Ltd., recently invited local wine lovers to a wine tasting at his noble Wine Cellar, where he presented a selection from Austria’s Spätrot Gebeshuber winery.

(L to R) Reinhard Murer, managing director of Food com (Thailand) Co., Ltd., his spouse On, Hans-Peter Blumer, distributor, and vintner Johannes Gebeshuber.

Austrian viticulturist Johannes Gebeshuber and his spouse Johanna are specialized in Zierfandler and Rotgipfler varietals. The area at the foothills of the Vienna Woods provides excellent growing conditions for the grapevines, which can be seen by the numerous international awards the winery has won. That evening, connoisseurs could taste 6 of the finest Gebeshuber wines - 4 whites and 2 reds.
Marking the beginning were 2 dry vintage wines (red/white), which quickly put the illustrious guests in high spirits. To each wine served, Gebeshuber gave detailed information about its characteristics and fermenting process. In-between the servings, tasty appetizers were distributed, neutralizing the palate for the next sample.
Next was a white Zierfandler/Rotgipfler ‘Reserve’ 2005, multi-layered and with a long finish. A gentle aroma of coco and lemon grass can be sensed, making it a complement to Asian cuisine.
They subsequently served ‘Grosse Reserve,’ a white also from 2005, matured in oak barrels over 18 months. It has a refreshing scent of tropical fruits with a touch of vanilla.
Another ‘Grosse Reserve’ presented is the full-bodied red Pinot Noir/St. Laurent 2005. It captivates with its intense taste of cherry and berries as well as its smooth tannins and is best served to venison and goose dishes.
The tasting was completed with a white Zierfandler/Rotgipfler ‘Spätlese’ 2006. Its exotic fruit aroma coupled with its perfectly integrated residual sweetness make this one of the winery’s favorites, unfolding its full potential after many years of maturing.
All mentioned and many other fine wines are available directly at the Wine Cellar in Naklua Soi 12, tel. 038 226 054.


Finding out about skin cancer at weekly PCEC meeting

Sarayut Sanguanpokai, PhD, Superintendent of Pattaya Police, was the first honored guest speaker for the December 14 Pattaya City Expats Club meeting at the Amari’s Henry J. Beans Restaurant.

PCEC member Sermsak (right) welcomes Police Colonel Sarayut Sanguanpokai, PhD (left), the new Superintendent of Pattaya Police, and Dr Nada Tephawattanasuk, M.D. (center), head of the dermatology section at Phyathai Hospital Sriracha.

After emcee John Fishback welcomed our distinguished visitor, Colonel Sarayut greeted the mostly expat audience as welcome guests of Thailand. He said that although he has been the Pattaya police chief for about two weeks, he was very familiar with the area as he was previously the Banglamung police chief. He said that if any of us had a problem that we could call on him at anytime.
Emcee John Fishback then introduced the featured speaker Dr. Nada Tephawattanasuk, M.D., head of the dermatology section at Phyathai Hospital Sriracha, who is also a very beautiful lady that brightened up the meeting. Dr. Nada is well experienced in her field having received her medical degree from Khon Kaen University and having further studied in Sweden, the UK, and the USA. With the aid of pictures and diagrams, Dr. Nada provided some very interesting and useful information about detecting skin cancer, a subject of great interest to fair skinned expats living in Thailand. She then followed with a description of Thermage, a beneficial non-invasive procedure for tightening up the skin to remove unwanted wrinkles.
Dr. Nada explained that skin cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer. Skin cancer, if left untreated, can be very dangerous. However, she assured the audience that if detected early, it is curable. The two most common types of cancer are basal cell and squamous cell cancer. Basal cell is the most common and accounts for around 90% of skin cancers diagnosed in the USA - one million cases annually; whereas, about 250,000 squamous cell cases are similarly diagnosed.
She told the audience that as we age, the more likely it is we will develop basal cell or squamous cell carcinoma. She explained that Actinic Keratosis is a pre-malignant condition of thick, scaly, or crusty patches of skin and is most often caused by exposure to the sun. The face and scalp are the most common areas affected. It can be scratched off, but it usually grows back. A cutaneous horn is a single overgrowth (protrusion) that develops over time, which may overlay a skin cancer.
Another skin area that should be carefully watched for is atypical moles. She noted that moles may be brown, tan, pink, or the same color as the skin; but the entire mole is usually one color. She described the ABC’s for detecting skin cancer: A - Asymmetry - draw a line down the center, both should be similar in shape and size; B - Border - blurred edges are a cause for concern; C - Color - is more than one shade present; if so, a cause for concern; D - Diameter - if it is larger than 6mm (size of a pencil eraser), it is a cause for concern; and E - Elevated - if the mole is elevated, it needs to be evaluated.
Dr. Nada recommended that you do a self examination once a month and see a dermatologist once a year as a means of detecting skin cancer. If skin cancer is suspect, the dermatologist will usually remove the growth and send a portion for laboratory examination. The key is prevention and early detection. For prevention, she said if you are going to be out in the sun you should use a sunscreen - water resistant and rated 15-30 if minimal exposure and at least 50 if exposure will be more than 2 hours. She then asked for questions, of which there were several.
Dr. Nada then discussed Thermage treatment as a non-invasive way to tighten skin and contour tissue. Thermage is a treatment that works by using heat from a radio frequency device to tighten or lift skin. It does not replace a facelift, but has facelift benefits without the cost, pain, anesthesia, incisions or down time. In fact, Dr. Nada explained that Thermage is usually one treatment (although there may be many “passes” in the process) that lasts from 20 minutes to two hours. Although some benefit is quickly noticeable, it continues to improve the skin over time with full benefit taking about 6 months. She showed several before and after pictures for the face, eyelids, mouth, and abdomen.
Following Dr. Nada’s presentation, Gavin Waddell, our fellow member with the Phyathai Hospital Sriracha’s International Department, had a brochure handed out listing the hospital’s December promotions. He also briefly described the benefits of calcium scoring for detecting calcium deposits and plaque that might be affecting one of the four main heart arteries. This procedure is done with their 64 slice CT machine. It is done in about 20 minutes and unlike more in depth CT scans, does not require any contrast medium (dye) or other preparation. The special price for this scan, good till December 31, is 1,500 baht.
Emcee John Fishback then updated everyone on upcoming events and called on Hawaii Bob to conduct the always informative and sometimes humorous Open Forum where information is shared on living in Pattaya and Thailand.


Tickets still available for PILC Black & White Ball

Saturday, 17 January 2009

For those of you who have not yet booked, Pattaya International Ladies Club (PILC) members are still selling tickets!
The PILC Black & White Ball will be held Saturday 17 January 2009, in the Grand Ballroom at the Dusit Thani Resort. The fun begins at 6:30pm with cocktails, sparkling wine & canapés, followed by a lovely 3+ course menu with free flowing beer, wine and soft drinks provided throughout the night.
Tickets are 3,500 baht per person, and you can contact Rachel on 08 1782 6118 or at [email protected] or Jacinta on 08 6997 0671 or at jacintachamberlain@gmail. com to make a reservation.
There will be a jazz band and a DJ playing alternately during the evening, a short auction, and each guest will receive a complimentary photograph to commemorate the night, as well as a massage voucher, and a small gift.
This is our biggest fundraiser for the year, without which we would not be able to do so much of the wonderful welfare work that makes our club so special, so please support us by coming along, letting down your hair and kicking up your heels!


TAS Bangkok elects new committee

Elfi Seitz
The Thai Austrian Society has been in existence since 1985 with buoyant women and men bringing the society to life to foster friendship between both countries, which have culturally and socially so much in common.

(Right-left) the newly elected President Veronika Thanan, former President Nat Kitiyakara, Vice-President Sophie Tanpura and Elfi Seitz, PR.

Membership consists not only of Austrians but many Thais who held high diplomatic posts in Austria, studied there or did business there for a while.
For a few years activities have been a bit restricted due to a lack of personnel and time. However, members now want to revive the club and many new activities are planned including festivals, parties, cultural gatherings and much more. Austrians like Thais know how to celebrate.
On November 26, club president Nat Kitiyakara, who has done so much for the club, convened an annual general meeting in which she passed on the scepter to a successor. At the same time, a vice-president and a secretary were also voted for in order to form a committee.
The meeting was held in Bangkok at Pullman Hotel’s Glen Bar, thanks to the active efforts of Counselor and Head of Mission Arnold Obermaier, and it was attended by His Excellency Arno Riedel, Austria’s Ambassador to Thailand. Former ambassador Dr Warawit Kanithasen emceed the function.
The Austrian Embassy made available many bottles of wine and a raffle was also held with many prizes to be won. The wine was magnificent and the atmosphere was amicable among the 30-plus guests who came to this first meeting. The hotel provided a cold buffet which everyone pronounced delicious.
Superb musical entertainment was performed by Sophie Tanapura, one of Bangkok’s best opera singers, and her team. It was a real feast for the ear.
Nittaya Patimasongkroh, chariwoman of the YWCA Pattaya center, Rudolf Scepka, painter and artist, Franz Zechner and myself were also present as was Franziska Chawla, office manager for Deutscher Hilfsverein. They also brought along wonderful prizes. Rudolf Scepka gave away two necklaces, a ring, a pin and earrings from his own collection. Nittaya donated 18-carat golden earrings and I brought along six one-year subscriptions to Pattaya Mail and Pattaya Blatt as well as 10 massage vouchers, donated by Bernd Fischer. As many more great prizes were raffled, no-one went home empty-handed.
Finally it was time for the election. It became obvious that women’s power was on the inevitable rise and six women were eventually chosen who then decided among themselves who would become president, vice-president, and secretary.
Veronika Thananan, the former vice-president, who has been working for the club since its beginning, is the new president. Opera singer Sophie Tanapura became vice-president and I will take care of public relations. A secretary as well as all other committee members will be appointed at the next board meeting.
Ambassador Arno Riedel congratulated everyone, and with champagne donated by Nat Kitiyakara, people clinked glasses to the newly-elected before everyone happily made their way home.