The Santi Asoke Buddhist Reform Movement

The Santi Asoke Buddhist Reform Movement Of Thailand

This image was taken during the fascist People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) anti-government protests of 2008.

These 8 nuns were sitting on the footsteps leading up to the Makhawan Rangsan bridge waiting for a senior monk. He was listening to speakers on the stage setup directly on Ratchadamnoen Avenue in front of the United Nations compound in Bangkok. The nuns were sitting in various stages of impatience.

The Santi Asoke (สันติอโศก) was established by a former television entertainer and songwriter Phra Bodhirak after he "declared independence from the Ecclesiastical Council in 1975".

He had originally ordained within a monastery recognized by the Thai Sangha, but soon left with a small following to form this group, which he sees as a mixture of both Therevada and Mahayana Buddhism.

Described by Donald Swearer as "a radical sectarian movement" that "reflects the forest tradition's ideals of simplicity", the tradition also claimed an early influence from Buddhadasa, which it later rejected. 

Asoke later turns to play a part in politics. Phothirak has taken part in several anti-government protests, including that of the Yellow Shirts against Samak Sundaravej in 2008. - Wikiepdia

Moments after this photo was taken they realized that they were being photographed and their composure changed sharply.

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Amsterdam City Revisited

Classic Dutch Architecture

Amsterdam is such a great city. One of my own personal favorites. Having made one earlier visit during the 1990's, I have been eager to return ever since. I was working in neighboring Switzerland at the time so I booked a flight and spent a long weekend in Mokum. The flight was quick and uneventful. I arrived at Schiphol and quickly made my way to the station under the airport. I arrived at Amsterdam Central Station and saw this view as I stepped off the train.

I arrived late in the evening just as the sun was setting behind one of the imposing cathedrals next to the central train station. I stepped out of central station to encounter this scene on the Damrak.

Evening crowds on the Damrak

As you walk down the Damrak you will see a line of buildings off to your left across the canal where they park the tourist boats.

Reflections from canal

There were numerous street festivals going on. People were drinking en mass on boats in all of the canals.




Beautiful blue skies behind the Royal Palace and Obelisk in Dam Square near the Amsterdam Central Station.




Boats line this quiet residential neighborhood not far from the Museum district in Amsterdam. A cathedral tower rises in the background.




Beautiful mansions  along sides of a major canal near the Vondelpark and Museum districts. I really enjoy exploring old European cities, especially the ones which survived the world wars. I enjoy the reflections on the canal water.



The stone cathedrals, palaces, statues and sculptures from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries are connected by watery bands lined with beautiful, mature trees.




The water and green space promotes a sense of tranquility among the hectic bustle of city life. The city planners control and prevent change rather than exploit it. The canals are relatively clean compared to the ones around my home in Bangkok.

The bells on the bicycles rang incessantly. One would expect that collisions between wheels and pedestrians would be more common but there remains a sense of order & rhythm arising from the chaos.



Bicycles parked in front of a headshop in the red-light district. These head shops sell practically everything. The Dutch are a very progressive people compared to the rest of the world.



Sex is everywhere in this city. The red light district offers something for practically everyone. The narrow city streets puts all involved parties within close proximity of each other.

Amsterdam street art on local shop house. Strange, colorful splashes of creativity among an medieval city. The Condomerie (Condom Store) and GreenDayz Coffee shops on the Warmoesstraat road.

Warmoesstraat 141, 1012 JB Amsterdam, Netherlands

The city is lit quite beautifully at night. Tourists come out in droves to take photos of all the landmarks around the city's biggest squares.



The boats, bicycles, cars, trams and trains keep the city buzzing with an eclectic sense of movement.


The city is rich in history and works of art can be found prominently displayed all over the city.

Keystone artwork under a bridge in Vondelpark. The Vondelpark is 120 acres of beautiful nature located west from the Leidseplein and the Museumplein..

Overlooking the noisy scenes and nightlife around the Warmoesstraat.

Steep staircase in typical Amsterdam building




Explore Amsterdam Yourself



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Grand Fireworks Display at the Geneva Festival 2013

GRAND FEU D’ARTIFICE DES FÊTES DE GENÈVE

The Grand Fireworks Display of the Geneva Festival - Saturday 10 August, 2013 10pm

I made my way down to the lake. The crowds were incredibly large. I should have secured a better spot several hours beforehand.  All of the roads around the lake were closed and were filled with tens of thousands of spectators who had come to view the festival's grand finale. Groups of people kept bumping into the legs of my camera tripod while the sensor was exposing.

I found a spot on the Pont de Bergues which spans the Rhone river and connects the Ile Rousseau with the mainland. Feeling a bit claustrophobic I decided to pack things up and find another location.  I walked over to the Square de Alps, a small park along the water and found a place to sit on the grass and shot these images from there.

 


Proceedings were opened by the Portuguese company Grupo LUSO Pirotecnia de Almada with a journey through traditional and contemporary music characteristic of Portugal. The second half  was staged by the Pyrostars de Genève company on the theme “Conquests and Conquerors’’.

Website



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Fêtes de Genève

The Geneva Festival (Fêtes de Genève) is the height of summer activities for the city of Geneva. With millions of visitors enjoying the beautiful weather, live music, arts, fireworks, wine and French food on Lake Geneva.



Every evening the crowds gather at one of the 3 main stages in parks which line the lake to listen to the live musicians perform and to sample the eclectic mix of food available from vendors.



The summer weather does not last long and the Swiss and French people make the most of it while the can.



Ships and planes past the Jet d'Deau on Lake Geneva during the festival. More information along with the program can be found on the festival's official website. http://www.fetesdegeneve.ch

Scenes from Geneva, Switzerland

The city of Geneva is located on the banks of Lake Geneva at the mouth of the Rhone river nestled among the Alps.

The Paquis District from Lake Geneva 

The food, languages, people and architecture could not be any different than those of my adopted home city in Bangkok.

Gare de Cornivan

Sometimes when I have free time away from work I wonder the streets past the train station down to the lake. 

Rue de Laussanne near the Gare de Cornivan 

The lake is calm and the people gather at its shores to drink wine and eat french food. The eclectic mix of people and their openness to culture and language is very different from my life in Asia. 

Jet d'Eau on Lake Geneva 

As time permits, I will explore the city and document her streets, people and culture with my camera and posts those images here. 

The Grottes Apartments 

The architecture is quite beautiful here and the green space, clean air and beautiful mountain scenery is something that I am not used to. 

The Broken Chair 

I enjoy the fact that the city welcomes people from all over the world. There is artwork all over the city.



The city is orderly and runs like clockwork. There are no traffic jams and the public transportation is efficient and trustworthy. The city provides free public transportation cards and my commute to and from work costs less than it does in Bangkok.

Street art in Geneva

I have only just begun to explore this great city and country and hopefully will be able to provide a series of images illustrating the beauty of this peaceful city and country.




Perhaps it is the cool weather that summers in Switzerland offer which is the biggest draw. I ponder how life must be here in the winter. For now I will enjoy my time and document the city.

View of Lake Geneva 

Rue de Lausanne, Geneva

Due to professional commitments I have only begun to explore the city of Geneva and will do so at greater depth over the coming weeks. Here is the view of my current location near the Gare de Cornavin train station in central Geneva. 

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Jet d'Eau, Lake Geneva

Jet d'Eau, Geneva Switzerland © 2013 Michael LaPalme

The Jet d'Eau is a large fountain in Geneva, Switzerland, and is one of the city's most famous landmarks. I have had the good fortune to be able to spend some time this summer in this beautiful city working on a software development project for a client. Hopefully I will have some time in the coming weeks to explore and photograph this city in greater depth.

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