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Julaton decks Marcos but loses title

By Joaquin Henson PhilBoxing.com Sun, 18 Mar 2012

MANILA, Philippines - Unable to cope with the work rate of a volume puncher, Ana (The Hurricane) Julaton failed to capitalize on an early knockdown and yielded her WBO female superbantamweight crown to hometown favorite Yesica (La Leona) Marcos via a unanimous 10-round decision at a jampacked Teatro Griego Juan Pablo Segundo in San Martin, Mendoza, Argentina, Friday night (yesterday morning, Manila time).

Julaton scaled 122 pounds for the bout and Marcos, 120 3/4. Referee Roberto Ramirez Sr., a Puerto Rican, and the three judges Cesar Ramos and Jose Roberto Torres of Puerto Rico and Ignacio Robles of Panama came from neutral countries but their Hispanic bias was evident. Ramirez slapped a point deduction on Julaton in the fifth round despite only one prior warning and curtailed the Fil-Ams momentum. In the end, the judges scorecards reflected a one-sided fight that wasnt nearly as indicated. Ramos and Robles had it 98-92 while Torres, 98-91, all for Marcos.

While Marcos deserved the win, the margin of difference in the scorecards was a shocker. The Star scored it 95-93 for the Argentinian.

Marcos began the bout shooting from the hip in a rip-roaring start that had the big crowd cheering lustily. Julaton tried to take the initiative by coming forward but Marcos countered with precision. Fending off Julaton, Marcos pushed her down and Ramirez ruled a slip. In the second round, Julaton landed two left hooks on the jaw and floored Marcos for a mandatory eight-count. Towards the end of the round, it was Marcos flailing away and pressuring Julaton. In a major adjustment, Julaton opened the third round keeping Marcos at bay with her left jab. Instead of charging in, Julaton stayed a safe distance away to take advantage of her length. Marcos had no antidote for Julatons strategic switch and didnt turn the tide until the fifth when Ramirez docked a point from the champion for a low blow.

Asked for his opinion, Filipino referee Danrex Tapdasan said Ramirez deduction seemed to be premature. There is no hard and fast rule as to when to slap a deduction but the most common practice is you deduct on the third infraction. It is of course upon the referees discretion. Usually, a referee gives two soft warnings before a hard warning. A lot has to do with how much damage is inflicted as in the case when a fighter has to be given time to recover from a low blow. The foul has to be damaging for the referee to order a point deduction.

Ramirez ordered a point off Julaton although the damage was inconsequential. Julatons body attack was stymied because of Ramirez intervention.

Marcos, turning up the heat a notch, went on to take the next three rounds as she repeatedly threw punches from all angles. Julaton parried a lot of the blows but couldnt keep up with Marcos work rate. For every punch that Julaton unleashed, Marcos retaliated with three or four. In the ninth, Julaton found the range with her right hand and kept pumping the left jab as Marcos slowed down. But in the final canto, Marcos was back in stride and never retreated in engaging Julaton in a furious finish.

For the last few years, people on Sudbury Street in Marlboro I live nearby have been talking about a big project that would install a sewer system, fix broken water lines and repair the street and install sidewalks. The total cost and scope is a bit unclear, somewhere between $14 million and $18 million. And its approval going into a March 26 meeting of Marlboros 11-person City Council hinges on one or two votes that are up for grabs.

This project was first proposed in 1997, to address two problems. Sudbury Street is a very narrow and hilly street with a speed limit of 25 mph. But commuters speed down the street at 40 mph, on their way to Route 20 a shortcut to Route 128 and the Mass Pike. Add in the big trucks that use Sudbury Street to deliver their loads, and you get potholes and danger for those who want to go for a walk.

Many of the houses on the street were built in the 1960s, and their septic systems are starting to fail. When they do, residents may fork over up to $50,000 to replace them. The proposed project would allow those who have not yet been forced to replace their systems to hook up to the new sewer line for a connection fee of as much as $5,000, plus $484 annually a relative bargain compared to a whole new septic system, though far more than the $200 cost of pumping their septic tanks out every few years.

The proposed project would be very disruptive to people who drive through or live on Sudbury Street. Thats because the project calls for digging up Sudbury Street, shutting it down to traffic. There would be other problems, such as construction noise, as well as the possible loss of water, electricity and cable service during the process.

In a March 5 meeting of the five-member Marlboro Finance Committee, a motion to advertise a bond proposal to finance part of the project was approved in a 3-2 vote. Mark Oram, a councilor-at-large who voted for the project, told me in a March 11 interview that he favored the project because residents wanted it, and despite the high capital expenditures involved, the citys excellent bond rating a March 5 Standard & Poors report gave the citys general obligation debt a AA+ long-term rating would finance the project at a low interest rate.

Katie Robie, a new councilor, was being courted for her vote going into the March 26 City Council vote on whether to advertise the $14 million project. Ms. Robie pointed out that eight votes are needed to pass, and on March 11 she thought that six councilors would vote in favor.

Ms. Robie appeared to be weighing the additional costs of the project against the need to fix Sudbury Street and provide residents with a cheaper way to process their waste.

Ms. Robie estimates the project cost at $14 million including $4 million for the street construction with $300,000 for street design, $5 million for sewer construction and $2.2 million for the water project. Bond duration would vary by sub-project: street construction (10 years), sewer (30) and water (40).

Then there is the cost to individual taxpayers. She said that estimates were $162 more in annual taxes for Marlboro residents for all the various construction projects in the city $70 of which would be for the Sudbury Street project.

Mike Ossing, chairman of the Finance Committee, voted against the proposal. On March 11, he said that he thinks the project will cost $18 million, and he does not know how much for each sub-project. Due to Marlboros many other projects, he does not think now is the time to do the Sudbury Street one.

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Marlboro sewer project not a done deal

Havana retiree Maria Antonia confesses that she would be starving without the free lunches doled out by her neighborhood Catholic church.

The 69-year-old widow has a $12-a-month pension that barely covers six to eight days worth of food per month, and she has no relatives abroad who can send her a few extra dollars.

"A free lunch is a life-saver when a pound of pork costs more than $1," says Maria Antonia. "The Church to me is not just a temple or a Mass. It is a way of surviving."

As Cuban ruler Raul Castro cuts government subsidies on the food and health sectors in an attempt to boost the all-but-stalled economy, the Roman Catholic Church is trying to fill the growing gaps in the island's unraveling social welfare net.

With millions in aid from Catholic exiles and groups abroad, parishes are increasingly running soup kitchens and health and education programs, and working with troubled families and HIV-positive Cubans.

"The needs are growing, and the state has limited resources," said Maritza Sanchez, director of Caritas Cubana, the island's branch of the worldwide Catholic relief, development and social service organization.

The good relations between Castro and Cardinal Jaime Ortega also have cleared the way for improved cooperation on issues like humanitarian programs and human rights - like the release of about 125 political prisoners in 2010 and 2011.

Even after Fidel Castro declared the government atheist, seized Church properties and expelled hundreds of priests and nuns in the early 1960s, he allowed some Catholic religious orders to run several hospitals and nursing homes.

Among them are a psychiatric hospital and the Santovenia and Golden Age homes for the elderly in Havana, plus the San Juan de Dios hospital and the Padre Olallo nursing home in eastern Camaguey. Nuns also staff the San Lazaro Hospital for lepers in Havana, although the government owns it.

Church-run nursing homes are so well regarded that they have unofficial waiting lists for admissions, said one parish volunteer. Some elderly seeking quick admission have even offered to turn over their homes to the Church or lay nurses.

Link:
Cuba's Catholic Church tries to fill gaps in social safety net

Spain is littered with vacant lots and half-built apartment complexes, where developers ran out of money when the construction bubble burst.

But in one Madrid barrio, neighbors are putting an abandoned tract of urban space to creative use.

Behind a chain link fence, in a dusty weed-filled lot between two soaring apartment blocks, Emilio de la Rosa is planting vegetables.

"Different types of products garlic, beans, tomatoes, lettuce," he says. "We're teaching our children where tomatoes come from not from the grocery store, but the ground."

A generation ago, this was farmland just outside Madrid's city center. But Spain's economy boomed in the 1990s, and municipalities sold off land to developers. Credit and labor were cheap, and condos went up fast.

Then the bubble burst, leaving Spain littered with half-built houses, or land cleared for construction that never began. That's allowed de la Rosa and his neighbors to obtain a one-year permit to create an urban garden, on land slated for development.

"The idea is, with this type of land OK sure, it might be built on tomorrow, but today it's not going to be, because look around at all the empty housing here," he says. "So this is a timely project. This land has spent a ton of years empty. So fine, if they want to build a commercial center here, go for it. Just give me one year to grow my seeds."

More Houses Than Families

People here joke that Spain's construction boom left the country with at least two houses for every family. More than 600,000 homes are for sale nationwide. But the real surplus could be much larger. Most aren't on the market. They're owned by banks, or developers who've gone under.

Jesus Maldonado, who teaches urban planning at a university in Madrid, uses this example of open land and half-built houses to teach his students what not to do in the future. "With the already-built houses, if developers can no longer pay, they get transferred to banks, which will eventually sell them," he says. "Sure, they'll lose money on the deal. But it's better to lose a little bit even half your money than the whole thing."

Continued here:
After Spain's Construction Bust, Gardens Bloom

1:00 AM

AUGUSTA

Three families homeless after apartment house fire

A fire chased three families out of an apartment building on Hospital Street on Friday afternoon, but no one was injured.

Augusta Fire Department Battalion Chief Ed Charles said the state Fire Marshal's Office is investigating how and where the fire started in the four-unit building at 208 Hospital St.

The fire was reported at 2:43 p.m. and was burning strong when firefighters arrived five minutes later.

"I'm not sure how that got past everyone that was driving up and down the highway," he said. "When we got there, there was fire showing over the top of the roof."

Hallowell resident William Bowden, who owns the building, said he bought it four years ago and had put in a new roof and windows. Three of the units were occupied, and he planned to renovate the empty apartment so he and his wife could downsize by moving in.

"I've been a landlord for 35 years, and this is the first fire," Bowden said. "I've never had to deal with anything like this."

Bowden said he believes that residents of all three occupied apartments were home when the fire started. They all made it out safely.

Excerpt from:
Dispatches

BANGKOK, Thailand - Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, a market leader and award-winning innovator in consumer electronics, showcased its diverse array of new products at the Samsung South East Asia, Oceania and Taiwan Forum 2012 in Bangkok. Embracing its commitment to push the boundaries of innovation and consumer experience, the company shared its strategy to expand its Asian markets.

The company introduced it 2012 product catalogue and its vision to deliver connectivity and content across all of its devices - from TVs to mobile phones, tablets to Notebook PCs and cameras to home appliances.

''The lifestyles and demands of the new age consumer today are rapidly changing. They are looking for innovative products that enriches and accommodates their lifestyle, be it for entertainment, personal or corporate needs,'' said Gregory Lee, President and CEO of Samsung Asia.

''And we will continue to ensure that our products are always one step ahead through new product innovations, continued investment in research and development in Asia including the recently launched Product Innovation Team (PIT) in Singapore.''

In 2011, Samsung Electronics achieved record sales of $143 billion. In Southeast Asia, the company achieved 41% market growth in 2011 and retained its number one position in TVs, monitors, and refrigerators.

It also became the number one brand for mobile phones and smartphones, for the first time.

Additionally, Samsung shared the worldwide launch of its CSR platforms under the banner of Hope for Youth in Southeast Asia. In Taiwan, the company collaborated to create the Hope Classroom after-school program, providing volunteers' time, and 1.5 million digital devices, to give disadvantaged children access to e-learning programs and digital education activities.

Similarly in Vietnam, Samsung has created Smart Libraries in suburban areas, providing laptops, Tabs and Smart TVs loaded with educational content, to help children in need.

In Indonesia, Samsung has partnered with Yayasan Cinta Anak Bangsa (YCAB), a non-profit organization, to create an Engineering Academy, providing underprivileged children with industrial skills and training for future employment.

Samsung Smart TV: Ultimate Quality, Content

More here:
Samsung Pushes Boundaries With New Products In Third SEA Forum

North Ogden Wind gusts fuel blaze; two escape unharmed.

Fire caused more than $1 million in damage to a North Ogden house on Saturday.

A neighbor called to report smoke coming from a house at 282 E. Lomond View Drive about 4:35 a.m., said North View Fire Chief Dave Wade. The two people living in the house were able to escape, and no one was injured.

Wade said he was "pretty sure [the fire] had got a good head start on us before we arrived."

Wade said the roughly 10,000-square-foot house had several additions and the fire did at least $1 million or more in damage.

"It is pretty well destroyed," Wade said adding that any area of the house that didnt have fire damage had smoke or water damage. However, some of the garage and the ATVs and vehicles inside were salvaged.

When fire crews arrived, they could see only light smoke coming from the house. As they began to attack the fire, flames went up the inside of the walls and into the attic and continued to spread. Wade said strong gusts of wind "contributed to moving that fire around also."

After about six hours, 20 firefighters from across Weber County were able to contain the fire enough to bring in a backhoe to knock down the walls to make sure the fire was out.

The North View fire marshal and inspector Saturday were investigating the fires cause. Wade said they believe the blaze may have started on the main level or in the basement near the front of the house.

cimaron@sltrib.com

Originally posted here:
Fire causes $1 million in damage to northern Utah home