The Proposed Agenda shall be as follows:

1. To confirm the minutes of the 37th Annual General Meeting
2. President’s Opening Address
3. The Honorary Treasurer’s Report
4. Appointment of Auditors
5. The appointment of Tellers for any poll or show of hands which may required.
6. SUF Constitution (Revision)
7. Election of Office Bearer’s for 2011/12
8. Any other Matters*

Please inform your representatives to be punctual. Thank you for you co-operation.

The strategies to manage risk include transferring the risk to another party, avoiding the risk, reducing the negative effect of the risk, and accepting some or all of the consequences of a particular risk.

Certain aspects of many of the risk management standards have come under criticism for having no measurable improvement on risk even though the confidence in estimates and decisions increase.

source: www.wikipedia.org

The normal atmospheric condition we all experience on dry land is called normobaric pressure. When divers go under the surface, the pressure of the water and air above them increases with depth. This additional pressure causes several changes in the way a human body processes blood gases like oxygen and nitrogen.

If a diver surfaces too quickly, the gases in the blood can convert to bubbles and cause a very dangerous situation called the bends, or decompression sickness. A hyperbaric chamber, sometimes called a decompression chamber, can return a diver to the same depth and pressure experienced during the actual dive. This procedure in the hyperbaric chamber allows the nitrogen in the bubbles to escape naturally, leaving only absorbable oxygen.

A hyperbaric chamber’s usefulness is not limited to decompression sickness. Certain diseases, such as diabetes or anemia, do not allow blood cells to become supersaturated with oxygen at normal atmospheric pressure. By placing the patient in a hyperbaric chamber and administering pure oxygen, doctors can increase the amount of oxygen cells carried off through the bloodstream. Patients suffering from gas gangrene or flesh-eating bacterial infections can also benefit from the hyperbaric chamber’s increased atmospheric pressure.

In the United States, hyperbaric chamber treatments are recognized as safe and effective for a handful of medical conditions. European and Scandinavian countries have approved a wider use of the hyperbaric chamber, especially when used in conjunction with oxygen therapies. Treatment in a commercial hyperbaric chamber can be fairly expensive, and some divers with compression sickness can require dozens of treatments. Medical professionals are still debating any other benefits derived from hyperbaric chamber treatments, including reduced effects of aging and improved mental stamina. There are companies worldwide which can provide private hyperbaric chamber models for home use.

source: www.wisegeek.com

Players wear a diving mask, swimfins and a snorkel for play. Safety gear includes ear protection usually in the form of a water polo cap, a mouthguard, and a glove for the playing hand (to protect against pool-bottom abrasion and, in some designs, knuckle protection against puck impact). Players may choose to wear a protective glove on both hands as the current rules permit a player to switch the stick between hands mid-play.

The stick is relatively short (according to recent rules, not more than 350mm in length, including the handle) and is coloured white or black to indicate the player’s team. In tournament play, the colour of the stick and cap are randomly assigned to each team before every game.

The puck is approximately the size of an ice hockey puck but is made of lead or similar material (Adult size weighs 3 lb (1.3-1.5 kg), Junior 1 3/4 lb (800-850 gm)) and is surrounded by a plastic covering, which is usually matched to the pool bottom to facilitate good grip on the stick face while preventing excessive friction on the pool bottom. The puck’s weight brings it to rest on the pool bottom, though can be lifted during passes..

The goals (or ‘gulleys’) are three metres in width and are sited at opposite ends of the playing area on the pool bottom.

source: wikipedia.org

The festival has many different names specific to each country, such as Songkran in Thailand and Pi-Mai Lao in Laos (translates as “New Year”), Chaul Chnam Thmey in Cambodia, and Thingyan in Myanmar. The New Year is celebrated in other South Asian countries, based on the astrological event of the sun beginning its northward journey. Traditional dance, singing and cultural shows are performed together during the festival. Religious activities in the tradition of Theravada Buddhism are also carried out at both Pagoda and Monastery. Young people visit elders to pay respect during this period.

On April 15, 2010, a series of bomb explosions during the Burmese water festival killed 9 people and injured 170 near Kandawgyi Lake in Mingala Taungnyunt Township in Yangon, Burma (Myanmar).

At least 349 people were killed and hundreds injured in a stampede in Cambodia that broke out while thousands were celebrating a water festival on an island in a river in Phnom Penh late on 22 November 2010.

The Thai New Year (สงกรานต์ = Songkran in Thai language) is fixed every year from 13 to 15 April. The Burmese New Year Thingyan is announced by the traditional calendar of Myanmar Team and normally falls around 13 April. Cambodia celebrates the Cambodian New Year from 13 to 15 April. The Lao New Year is celebrated every year from 13 to 16 April.

“Water Festival” is often a confusing term for foreigners in Cambodia because the Khmer New Year in April is not normally referred to as “the Water Festival”, unlike equivalent new year celebrations in neighboring countries. Rather, the “Water Festival” in Cambodia usually refers to the festival Bon Om Thook

And I am honored to post the first entry of our blog. Watch this space for more updates on SUF.

Cheers,

SUF Webmaster