Gareth Henry values lessons learnt at Puerto Rico International

BY RUDDY ALLEN Observer staff reporter

Friday, December 26, 2014    

JAMAICA’S number one male badminton player Gareth Henry crashed out of the Puerto Rico International Tournament when he was beaten by Howard Shu from the United States of America (USA) in the third round of the competition in Puerto Rico on Monday.

Henry played valiantly and could have upset the number one seed Shu, but seemed to have lost his focus and went crashing in a thrilling three- setter 21-18, 21-23 and 14-21 in his last international tournament of 2014.

Henry, however, should gain some valuable points for his world rankings, which will now boost his process of qualifying for the Olympics set for Rio 2016.

“I really thought I was going to win this one, but tactically I wasn’t at my best. Many points I had the upper hand in and didn’t capitalise on them as I wasn’t aggressive enough in the front court to finish them. Then I rushed too many overhead shots and made a little too many unforced errors in doing so.

“But that is what makes the difference against players of this calibre. I must work on finding the balance now,” Henry said.

As the 2014 tournament circuit ends, Henry is ready to shuttle into 2015 as he gets prepared for Rio 2016. He now heads to Indonesia for eight weeks of intense training.

“Disappointed with the loss, but I took a lot from it. This was my final tournament of the 2014 circuit. I will hopefully get two proper months of training in Indonesia with the help of the Jamaica Badminton Association (JBA). I am very excited about the possibility as I will finally receive good sparring and training of the highest level,” Henry noted.

Earlier in the competition, Henry easily defeated Germany’s top player Nilis Kloeppel 21-17 and 21-11 in the first round before he went on to beat Puerto Rican Ivan Morales 21-12 and 21-7 in the second round.

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Gareth Henry values lessons learnt at Puerto Rico International

Puerto Rico profile

24 October 2013 Last updated at 09:33 Hispanic, Afro-Caribbean and North American influences meld in Puerto Rico, a self-governing commonwealth that belongs to the United States.

The tropical Caribbean territory is urbanised, industrialised and relatively prosperous.

The US invaded and occupied Puerto Rico during the Spanish-American War of 1898, ending centuries of rule from Spain. The US saw the island as a strategic asset and ran it as a colonial protectorate.

Under American administration Puerto Rico saw growth and development. But nationalist sentiment sometimes spilled over into violence, notably in the 1930s and 1940s. Nationalists staged an armed attack in the US Congress in 1954.

Historic San Juan is made up of colonial homes and cobbled streets

A series of bombings and killings in the 1970s and 1980s were blamed on a pro-independence group, the Macheteros, or Cane Cutters. The group’s fugitive leader was killed by federal agents in 2005.

Puerto Ricans voted in a November 2012 non-binding referendum for full membership of the United States as the 51st State. Sixty six percent of the votes favoured statehood versus 33% for a sovereign free association with the US, and 5% for independence.

Any constitutional change requires approval by the US Congress and president. President Barack Obama has already indicated that he will respect the Puerto Rican decision, and has called on Congress to take steps in that direction.

Continue reading the main story Politics: Puerto Rico is a self-governing overseas territory of the United States at present, but has voted in favour of full US statehoodEconomy: Tourism is an important earner

Profiles compiled by BBC Monitoring

Puerto Rican voters, who elect a governor for the island, have tended to favour parties that support the union with the US. Puerto Ricans do not pay US income tax, and the island receives federal funds.

There is an established cycle of migration between Puerto Rico and the US; hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans have lived and worked in New York and other cities.

The once substantial US military presence has been scaled down with the closures of a major naval base and a bombing range. Rancour over the latter grew after a civilian employee was killed by a stray bomb.

Puerto Rico is vulnerable to hurricanes, like the one sweeping across the territory in this August 2011 satellite image

Explorer Christopher Columbus claimed Puerto Rico for Spain in 1493, heralding an influx of Spanish settlers. The newcomers, and the diseases they brought with them, decimated the territory’s Taino indian population.

The main settlement, San Juan, became an important Spanish outpost. Slaves were brought to the island in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Puerto Rico’s landscape is varied, and includes rainforests in the north-east. The territory is prone to hurricanes.

Tourism is an important money-earner; the island receives millions of visitors each year and is a port-of-call for cruise liners.

The San Felipe del Morro castle in San Juan is a UN World Heritage Site

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Puerto Rico profile

Miley Cyrus out-twerks Nicki Minaj with fake backside in Puerto Rico

Miley Cyrus delivered an eloquent commentary on Minaj’s twerking antics without saying a single word when she hit the stage at the Puerto Rico Coliseum on Friday night.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, Tuesday September 16, 2014 – Miley Cyrus and Nicki Minaj are both adept at putting the “bum” into “album,” but the former claimed she would leave twerking to the likes of the latter after the Trinidad-born rapper’s “cheeky” performance promoting her new single “Anaconda” at the MTV Video Music Awards.

Cyrus nevertheless delivered an eloquent commentary on Minaj’s twerking antics without saying a single word when she hit the stage at the Puerto Rico Coliseum on Friday night.

The former child star treated fans in San Juan to the racy romp with which her Bangerz tour has become synonymous, but it was her new assets that stole the show as she bent over and displayed an industrial-size prosthetic bum.

The 21-year-old star ensured that fans were allowed plenty of time to admire her new addition as she stopped and pointed to her fake rear-end while performing selections from her hit album Bangerz.

Even her male dancers seemed enthralled by her expansive assets, as one bareback hunk was pictured gaping at the singer as she bent over in a provocative pose mimicking Minaj’s “Anaconda” routine.

(Credit: JustinBieber News/YouTube)

The concert also featured Cyrus’ trademark repertoire, from spraying water into the cheering audience, to a riveting performance by her famous backing dancer, Amazon Ashley.

The tour heads to Mexico this week for performances in Monterrey, Mexico City, and Zapopan, before kicking off the South American leg with gigs in Brazil, Chile and Argentina.

A concert by the Wrecking Ball girl was banned in the Dominican Republic.

The government commission that oversees public performances in the Spanish-speaking country scrapped the concert, which was originally scheduled for Saturday, on “morality grounds.”

Detailing the reason for the ban, the commission said in a statement that Cyrus often, in its words, “undertakes acts that go against morals and customs, which are punishable by Dominican law.”

The ban failed to phase the “We Can’t Stop” girl, who was named MTV’s Best Artiste of 2013, and whose riveting duet with Robin Thicke at the MTV Video Music Awards (VMA) became one of last year’s most talked-about entertainment events.

According to MTV, the VMA duet on “Blurred Lines” and “We Can’t Stop” was 2013’s most watched video on its websites, while the MTV artiste site devoted to Cyrus had more visits than any other artiste’s.

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Miley Cyrus out-twerks Nicki Minaj with fake backside in Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico"s debt cut to junk

11 February 2014 Last updated at 13:13 ET Puerto Rico’s jobless rate is twice that of the US and it’s economy has been in recession since 2006 Fitch Ratings joined Standard and Poor’s and Moody’s in cutting Puerto Rico’s debt to junk status, as the island’s debt problems worsen.

Puerto Rico’s debt is 93% of the island’s gross domestic product – a ratio that is higher than that of Spain.

The island’s economy has contracted every year since 2006.

Also on Tuesday, Puerto Rico said it planned to issue general obligation bonds to help with liquidity problems.

Although Puerto Rico’s tax-free status has been appealing to investors, recently it has struggled with increasing pension obligations and a sluggish economy.

Continue reading the main story In 1898 the Spanish lost the Caribbean Island at the end of the Spanish-American war and it came under US control In 1917 its people became US citizens – they are allowed to serve in the military but still do not have the right to vote in US presidential elections The country is a self-governing territory of the US but the US Congress and the president have ultimate control, providing social services, foreign policy and defence Puerto Rico has a congressional representative who does not have voting rightsBecoming a state would see the Puerto Ricans having to pay federal taxes – currently they are exempt – but they would have the same rights as those on the mainlandThe current unemployment rate is 14.7% – twice that of the US.

“Recent downgrades have triggered new liquidity requirements and lowered expectations for the market available for the commonwealth’s debt going forward,” Fitch said in a statement, citing last week’s downgrades by Standard and Poor’s and Moody’s.

Although the island is a territory of the US whose residents are granted US citizenship, it does not have the same status as other states and municipalities.

Notably, there is no provision for Puerto Rico to file for bankruptcy if it cannot raise money to repay its debts.

Puerto Rico’s governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla said he had asked the island’s legislature for the ability to raise up to $3.5bn in general obligation bonds to help the island pay its debts.

Although Mr Padilla has been successful in reining in costs by trimming pensions and raising taxes, that has not been enough to placate ratings agencies and investors.

An announcement of the bond sale is expected on 18 February.

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Puerto Rico"s debt cut to junk

World"s smallest dog is in Puerto Rico, says Guinness

News

Thursday, September 12, 2013 | 4:56 PM

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Guinness World Records has announced that the world’s smallest dog — at least when it comes to height — lives in Puerto Rico.The brown Chihuahua named Miracle Milly is shorter than a soup can, standing at 3.8 inches (9.65 centimetres) tall when measured from backbone to paw.She is nearly two-years-old and known for repeatedly sticking out her tiny tongue.Milly dethroned Boo Boo, a long-haired Chihuahua from Kentucky that stands 4 inches (10.16 centimetres) tall.Guinness also has a second category for world’s smallest dog when measured by length. That title is held by Heaven Sent Brandy, a Chihuahua in Largo, Florida, that measures 6 inches (15.24 centimetres) long.Guinness officials made the announcement Thursday.This photo released on Thursday by Guinness World Records, shows Miracle Milly, a brown female Chihuahua who is the smallest dog alive, in terms of height.

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2. Please understand that comments are moderated and it is not always possible to publish all that have been submitted. We will, however, try to publish comments that are representative of all received.

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World"s smallest dog is in Puerto Rico, says Guinness

Gov"t to probe wage increases for 19 Puerto Rican mayors

Entertainment

Friday, August 30, 2013

PUERTO Rico’s justice secretary is investigating pay raises given to 19 mayors in the US territory amid an economic crisis.Luis Sanchez Betances said Tuesday that the municipalities being targeted have 10 days to hand over all documents related to the salary increases.He says he began the investigation following public complaints and concerns about the effect the raises could have on the island’s crumbling public pension system.Sanchez says mayors will have to repay the money they earned if justice officials find their increases to be without merit.— AP

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Gov"t to probe wage increases for 19 Puerto Rican mayors

Puerto Rico allocates US$2m to fight citrus disease

Business

Friday, August 30, 2013

PUERTO Rico’s governor declared a state of emergency Tuesday and ordered the release of US$2 million to help agriculture officials fight a disease that has attacked citrus trees in the US territory.Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla said citrus greening has affected a large swath of the island’s citrus crop, located primarily in the central region. The island produces citrus including oranges, lemons, limes and grapefruits.Officials say the insect carrying the disease was spotted in Puerto Rico in 2001, but that actual signs of the disease were not discovered until 2009.The disease causes trees to produce green, disfigured and bitter fruits. Once a tree is infected, it dies in a couple years and cannot be saved.The disease has caused extensive damage in Jamaica and Florida as well.The Citrus Greening Disease has been threatening Jamaica’s $4-billion citrus industry since 2009. The Agriculture Ministry in 2011 ordered that all citrus nurseries be closed as part of efforts to tackle the disease, and joined with the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) in a project to reduce the impact on the Jamaican industry.Under the project, the FAO said it allocated close to $44 million of its technical resources to support the national response to citrus greening. The initiative was rolled out in sections of St Catherine and Clarendon, areas with high concentrations of small-scale citrus farmers. There are also plans in place to expand the project to citrus growing areas in other parishes such as St Mary, Trelawny, St James, Hanover, Manchester and St Elizabeth.The FAO reported in February that Jamaican farmers have been seeing improvements in the health of their plants, increased fruit yields and larger sized produce which they credit to the application of the citrus greening management practices that have been introduced under the joint project.— AP— Additional reporting by the Jamaica Observer

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Puerto Rico allocates US$2m to fight citrus disease

2 charged in $1.7m Puerto Rico Medicare fraud case

News

Friday, August 23, 2013 | 2:51

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Two men who ran medical supply companies in Puerto Rico have been charged with conspiracy to commit health care fraud in a US$1.7 million federal case.US Attorney Rosa Emilia Rodriguez said Friday that the suspects submitted at least 710 false claims to Medicare from 2008 to 2012 totaling more than US$2.5 million. She said the suspects would alter medical equipment such as cutting up and repackaging wound dressings and would then give them to patients before filing the claims. She said Medicare officials disbursed a total of $1.7 million that the government is seeking to recuperate.

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2 charged in $1.7m Puerto Rico Medicare fraud case

Puerto Rico profile

20 February 2013 Last updated at 06:24 ET Hispanic, Afro-Caribbean and North American influences meld in Puerto Rico, a self-governing commonwealth that belongs to the United States.

The subtropical Caribbean territory is urbanised, industrialised and relatively prosperous.

The US invaded and occupied Puerto Rico during the Spanish-American War of 1898, ending centuries of rule from Spain. The US saw the island as a strategic asset and ran it as a colonial protectorate.

Under American administration Puerto Rico saw growth and development. But nationalist sentiment sometimes spilled over into violence, notably in the 1930s and 1940s. Nationalists staged an armed attack in the US Congress in 1954.

Historic San Juan is made up of colonial homes and cobbled streets

A series of bombings and killings in the 1970s and 1980s were blamed on a pro-independence group, the Macheteros, or Cane Cutters. The group’s fugitive leader was killed by federal agents in 2005.

Puerto Ricans voted in a November 2012 referendum for full membership of the United States as the 51st State. Any constitutional change requires approval by the US Congress and president. President Barack Obama has already indicated that he will respect the Puerto Rican decision, and has called on Congress to take steps in that direction.

Continue reading the main story Politics: Puerto Rico is a self-governing overseas territory of the United States at present, but has voted in favour of full US statehoodEconomy: Tourism is an important earner

Profiles compiled by BBC Monitoring

Puerto Rican voters, who elect a governor for the island, have tended to favour parties that support the union with the US. Puerto Ricans do not pay US income tax, and the island receives federal funds.

There is an established cycle of migration between Puerto Rico and the US; hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans have lived and worked in New York and other cities.

The once substantial US military presence has been scaled down with the closures of a major naval base and a bombing range. Rancour over the latter grew after a civilian employee was killed by a stray bomb.

Puerto Rico is vulnerable to hurricanes, like the one sweeping across the territory in this August 2011 satellite image

Explorer Christopher Columbus claimed Puerto Rico for Spain in 1493, heralding an influx of Spanish settlers. The newcomers, and the diseases they brought with them, decimated the territory’s Taino indian population.

The main settlement, San Juan, became an important Spanish outpost. Slaves were brought to the island in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Puerto Rico’s landscape is varied, and includes rainforests in the north-east. The territory is prone to hurricanes.

Tourism is an important money-earner; the island receives millions of visitors each year and is a port-of-call for cruise liners.

The San Felipe del Morro castle in San Juan is a UN World Heritage Site

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Puerto Rico profile

Man kills 5-y-o daughter in Puerto Rico; shoots self

Latest News

Thursday, July 25, 2013 | 4:49 PM

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Police in Puerto Rico say a man killed his five-year-old daughter and then committed suicide in what they described as a domestic violence case.Authorities identified the man as Manuel Pimentel and said his ex-girlfriend had requested a restraining order against him.They said Pimentel shot the girl shortly after telling his ex-girlfriend about his plans.The killing occurred Thursday in the San Juan working class neighbourhood of Santurce.Like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/jamaicaobserverFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/JamaicaObserver

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Man kills 5-y-o daughter in Puerto Rico; shoots self

Clinton urges Puerto Rico to lessen oil dependence

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – FORMER President Bill Clinton urged Puerto Rico to develop a renewable energy strategy and help lead the Caribbean in becoming less dependent on petroleum during a forum Tuesday in the US territory.

Clinton said the island has the resources necessary to launch various clean energy projects that would also help drive down power bills, which are about twice that of the US mainland on average.“In the Caribbean you find, unbelievably, the highest electricity rates in the world on average,” said Clinton, who established the Clinton Foundation to target initiatives ranging from those that fight climate change and AIDS to those that support small businesses.He also warned the region would be one of the first hit by climate change effects.“The way we produce and consume energy cannot be maintained without severe, adverse consequences,” he said. “There is no question that the climate is changing at an unsustainable rate.”Puerto Rico depends on petroleum to generate nearly 70 per cent of its power, but the government in recent years has unveiled several renewable energy projects in a push to drive down costs and cut greenhouse emissions.Last year, officials unveiled the Caribbean’s largest solar farm in the southern coastal town of Guayama. The US$96 million project features more than 100,000 photovoltaic panels that can power some 6,500 houses a year. The project began operating in October and was built by AES Solar, a company based in Arlington, Virginia.The Caribbean’s largest wind farm also began operating last year in the southern coastal town of Santa Isabel. The US$200 million farm features 44 turbines that can produce up to 95 megawatts of renewable energy, enough to power some 30,000 homes a year. It was built by San Francisco-based Pattern Energy.In April, Gestamp Wind, a division of the Spanish Gestamp Renewables, unveiled a US$90 million wind farm in the southeast town of Naguabo that features 13 turbines that can power 9,000 homes a year.Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla said he aims to lessen Puerto Rico’s oil dependence to 40 per cent in five years by turning to natural gas.“We’re aware this plan requires a profound transformation in the way we produce, seek, distribute and consume energy,” he said.Clinton urged Garcia to also consider installing solar panels on buildings given the number of flat roofs that exist across the island. He said the territory could also help bolster its economy by manufacturing solar panels for customers in the Caribbean. He pledged involvement of the Clinton Foundation.Department of Natural Resources Secretary Carmen Guerrero said that a University of Puerto Rico study found the island has enough rooftops to meet all its energy demands through solar panels.“We have plenty of sun, wind, ocean,” she said. “Yet we are almost 100 per cent dependent on non-renewable energy sources.”The island’s current clean energy projects feed the state-owned Electric Energy Authority, which is mired in debt and has struggled with its own internal turmoil in recent years. Most of the projects were launched under the administration of former Gov Luis Fortuno, which sought to generate 12 per cent of Puerto Rico’s power from clean energy by 2015, 15 per cent by 2020 and 20 per cent by 2035.Fortuno also had sought to build a 92-mile (148-kilometre) pipeline that environmentalists long protested given that it would cross through fragile ecosystems and archaeological sites. Fortuno said the pipeline would have saved US$1 billion a year and reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 64 per cent, but his administration withdrew plans for the project last year after investing more than US$50 million in it.Garcia has said he seeks to produce 250 megawatts through clean energy by 2014, requiring US$500 million in investment that could generate some 500 jobs.He also said he expects to use natural gas to increase power production from 15 to 50 per cent by 2015, and to 70 per cent by 2017 without the use of a gas pipeline.Among the new projects launched is a US$30 million solar panel installation at the island’s main convention centre that would produce 5 megawatts an hour for a total of US$20.7 million in savings, Garcia said.Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi, however, noted that the large majority of Puerto Rico’s renewable energy projects have not been completed.“(This is) adversely affecting the island’s credibility as a destination for investment in these important projects,” he said.Former US President Bill Clinton (right) talks to economist Sergio Marxuach and Carmen Guerrero, secretary of Puerto Rico’s Natural Resources during a forum on renewable energy in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Tuesday. (PHOTO: AP)

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Clinton urges Puerto Rico to lessen oil dependence

Clinton urges Puerto Rico to lessen oil dependence

News

Tuesday, July 16, 2013 | 5:40 PM

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Former President Bill Clinton says Puerto Rico should develop a renewable energy strategy and help lead the Caribbean in becoming less dependent on petroleum.He said the island has the resources necessary to launch various clean energy projects that would also help drive down power bills, which are about twice that of the US mainland on average.Clinton said during a forum Tuesday in the US territory that the government should also consider manufacturing solar panels and installing them on buildings given the number of flat roofs that exist across the island.Puerto Rico depends on petroleum to generate nearly 70 per cent of its power, but the government in recent years has unveiled several renewable energy projects in a push to drive down costs and cut greenhouse emissions.

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2. Please understand that comments are moderated and it is not always possible to publish all that have been submitted. We will, however, try to publish comments that are representative of all received.

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Clinton urges Puerto Rico to lessen oil dependence