Rotary Club of Conifer Meeting July 19, 2016

Barry Schwartz

 

Barry Schwartz made an excellent presentation about his visit to Myanamar (formerly Burma) with Bette last fall. Their visit consisted of a 9 day river cruise, along the Irrawaddy River with an extra few days.  Each day they stopped in another town or historic location.  Barry entertained us with an impressive group of photos taken in their many stops along the Irrawaddy.  They boarded their cruise in Mandalay and finished in Yangon and spent extra time in those cities.  Barry noted that both cities were major commerce centers and they were able to stay in first class accommodations both places.  Travel both to and from the US took 24 hours, more than a mildly stressful trip!

 

Myanamar is Buddhist, and Barry discovered that it is a way of life for the people, Tibetan Buddhism beliefs are based in moderation and restraint: “do no harm, help others, cultivate merit”.

 

The country is rich in natural resources and it will be a good trading partner for the US.  It was isolated for years from the Western world because of its military dictatorship governments.  Their history since World War Two is of political conflict and power struggles in the country.  For the first time since then the country is now enjoying a fragile Democracy that was put into place in April this year.  Barry noted optimism among the people that the oppression of the past will not return.

 

 

50/50: Ed Steinbrecher