Washington Informer

"WBA, IBF, Boxing Commission Agree "Capital Showdown" Met Standards

The Committee on Small and Local Business Development, chaired by At-Large Council member Vincent Orange, voted to approve the report on the "Capital Showdown" Championship Boxing match between Lamont Peterson and Amir Khan.

The report revealed the integrity of the officials' scoring was affirmed and complied with standards of the sanctioning bodies. On Friday, Feb. 3, the Committee on Small and Local Business Development held a public oversight hearing to receive testimony from interested parties in the "Capital Showdown" Championship Boxing event held on Dec. 10, 2011. Invited to testify before the Committee were the DC Boxing and Wrestling Commission, Events DC, Golden Boy Promotions, the World Boxing Association (WBA), the International Boxing Federation (IBF), Home Box Office (HBO), Washington area professional boxers, including Lamont Peterson and Anthony Peterson and their manager/trainer Barry Hunter.

Each of the organizations provided representatives for the hearing, except HBO and the WBA. However, the WBA provided written testimony for the record. The testimony presented by the DC Boxing and Wrestling Commission, the IBF and the WBA, all affirmed the actions of the officiating scores and judges complied with their standards.

Since the December fight, the outcome of the match has been engulfed in controversy regarding the title changing hands to Washington's own Lamont Peterson, who defeated the reigning champion Amir Khan. Several allegations raised by key players regarding the conduct of ring officials, the scoring of tally sheets, and the overall integrity of the boxing match were laid to rest.

Witnesses from the DC Boxing and Wrestling Commission and IBF gave testimony affirming the conduct of the ring officials and the integrity of the scorecard being preserved. Further, testimony by WBA revealed that their supervisor evaluated the scoring of two judges as "good," and of the other as "very good," and evaluated the performance of the referee as "regular."

A major contention was laid to rest, when the DC Boxing and Wrestling Commission Chairman Scottie Irving said, "I'm absolutely, positively sure there were no changes to the scorecard." Daryl Peoples, President of IBF, a major world sanctioning organization said, "There were no irregularities as far as scoring goes." The referee is operating within his right to call a push a fowl. He further provided testimony referring to the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act, that all referees and judges must be "certified and approved" by the local boxing commission responsible for regulating the match.

Moreover, counsel for the promoter, Golden Boy Promotions, states he could not point to anything specifically that would change the outcome of the fight. The scorecard governs, and its integrity was validated.

"The findings of the report on the "Capital Showdown" boxing match between Peterson and Khan will serve to permanently remove the black eye on the District of Columbia and restore our reputation as a legitimate boxing venue, while setting the record straight on our ability to convene boxing matches with professionalism, fairness and integrity," said Orange. "The scorecards show Peterson won and there is no dispute between the sanctioning bodies, the IBF and WBA, which contradicts that decision."

Prince George's County council member Karen Toles was recently pulled over for driving 50 miles over the speed limit.

The incident occurred Feb. 22 when Toles was stopped for driving 105 mph in a 55 mph zone. She reportedly said in a statement that she was late for an appointment. Toles added that she considered moving violations serious matters and that she regretted the incident. She received a warning for speeding but was issued a ticket for recklessly switching lanes.

Toles, who represents several portions of Prince George's County -- including Capitol Heights, Seat Pleasant and Suitland -- had been driving on the Beltway near Branch Ave. before she led officers off and through two lights before stopping

The non-profit organization that former D.C. Council member Harry Thomas used to funnel funds for his personal use, lies in limbo, with its administrators having to explain to a City Council committee why the fund should continue to exist.

Thomas resigned in January after pleading guilty to embezzlement charges that involved some $300,000 that had been earmarked for youth sports programs. He is awaiting sentencing in May.

While the Children and Youth Investment Trust Fund has been beneficial providing much- needed programs for D.C.'s youth, trust witnesses have testified that changes have been put in place to avoid repeat instances of embezzlement, according to a published report.

Millicent West, who served as the fund's CEO during the time Thomas stole from it, was replaced. However, in the wake of a federal investigation of the fund, West resigned as director of the District's Homeland Security and Emergency Management office, stating to Mayor Vincent Gray that she didn't want to be a distraction amid an ongoing corruption probe that surrounds the City Council.

Legendary R&B singer Smokey Robinson will be the guest artist for this year's Duke Ellington School of the Arts' concert series benefit. The event will be held at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, March 3 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

In addition to this concert, which will offer a national platform to promote the value of the arts, D.C.'s own Duke Ellington School of the Arts students will be performing with Robinson.

As a D. C. public school, much attention will be placed on the value of public education and the importance of using the arts as a vehicle for reaching urban youth who might not otherwise graduate from high school.

Ellington, which accepts talented youth from every ward in the city without regard to academic grades, boasts a graduation rate of 98 percent and a college acceptance rate of 95 percent.

For ticket information, contact the Kennedy Center Box Office at 202-467-4600 or at kennedy-center.org.

Auburn, NY -- You are probably sitting right now while reading this information. Technology advancements in computer science, video gaming and internet surfing has led us to a more sedentary lifestyle. Combined with hours sitting behind a desk, driving and watching television makes "sitting" the most predominant position we are in most hours of the day. A University of Minnesota study found that from 1980 to 2000, the percentage of time people spent sitting rose by 8 percent and this was before the advent of some of the newer technologies we enjoy today.

Up to 80 percent of Americans experience some form of back pain at some point in their lives. Each year approximately 15% of all adults are treated for such problems as spinal stenosis, herniated disks and lumbar pain. According to the WWMR Research Group, there will be a projected 100 million individuals suffering from some form of back pain by 2018. They also estimated that in 2008 $17 billion was spent on back pain growing to $23 billion by 2018. This research also notes of a great need to develop novel therapies that are safe and effective with fewer side effects than currently marketed products and drugs.

In a New York Times article published earlier this year entitled Sit Up Straight Your Back Thanks You by Leslie Alderman, Dr. Daniel Mazanec, Associate Director of the Center for Spine Health at the Cleveland Clinic said "The majority of back pain is the result of muscle and ligament strain or weakness, and can often be prevented by developing core strength and proper posture." The article also goes on to say that maintaining good posture not only helps you look better, it improves muscle tone, makes breathing easier and is one of the best ways to stave off back and neck pain, not to mention the dreaded dowager's hump of old age. In that same article, Mary Ann Wilmarth, Chief of Physical Therapy at Harvard University Health Services states "Posture is the key, if your spine is not balanced, you will inevitably have problems in your back, your neck, your shoulders and even your joints."

A new product has been in design & development for several years called The PerfectSit®. The PerfectSit® is a patent pending product that is unique because it is the world's first one piece, custom molded, combination integral lumbar support and coccyx relief system. Liz Roberts from Memphis, Tennessee, who's been using the PerfectSit for 4 months says, "My back pain went away because I found an easy way to improve my posture using the PerfectSit at work for several hours a day during the work week."

The PerfectSit® is a structural orthotic training device meant to put you in an optimal sitting position. Everyday spent using The PerfectSit® helps you train your brain to be conscious of your sitting posture as well as training your body's muscle memory and core structure to maintain excellent sitting alignment. It comes with optional comfort pads that are designed to be adjustable to the individual consumers' physiology when sitting. The unique structural geometry of The PerfectSit® addresses both the s-curve support for the lumbar portion of the spine while sitting, combined with a complete length, imbedded split seat technology feature that promotes less stress & impedance on the coccyx (tailbone).

For additional information please go to www.ThePerfectSit.com – Sit Better...Feel Better, your back will thank you!

D.C. Residents can File State and Federal Taxes for Free

D.C. residents who need help preparing and filing their 2011 state and federal taxes will not have to look far for relief. Beginning on Monday, February 27, the D.C. Department of Employment Services (DOES) Project Empowerment program, in conjunction with MyFreeTaxes.com, will prepare and help individuals or families self-file their taxes online for free.

"This is the first year that DOES has collaborated with MyFreeTaxes.com to offer D.C. residents an alternative to trying to figure out how to properly complete tax forms," said Charles Jones, Associate Director for Project Empowerment. "We want to make sure that all D.C. residents who need assistance preparing and filing their taxes receive help. The good news is that they will not be charged a penny."

Any individual or family that earns under $57,000 a year will qualify to receive help preparing and filing their taxes online by trained tax volunteers for free. Individuals who want to take advantage of the service will need to bring a social security or individual taxpayer identification Numbers (ITIN) for each family member and working adults; W2s; 1099s and other income forms; childcare provider name, address and tax ID; and bank routing and account numbers for checking and saving accounts.

Trained tax volunteers from the United Way's National Capital Area will assist individuals file their taxes. The tax service will be available to District residents at the DOES headquarters located at 4058 Minnesota Avenue N.E. adjacent to the Minnesota Avenue Metro station on the Orange Line. The days and hours the service will be offered next week are below:

Monday, February 27 – 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Tuesday, Feb. 28 – 12:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 29 –12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Thursday, March 1 -- 12:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Friday, March 2 -- 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

"Our mission primary mission at DOES is to help D.C. residents find jobs," said Jones. "At this time of year when taxes are on everyone's mind, we think it is important for DOES to let all residents know we are here to help them and will work with Myfreetaxes.com to make their tax filing process as easy as possible."

MyFreeTaxes.com is a service provided by the One Economy Corporation, the Walmart Foundation, the National Disability Institute's Real Economy Impact Tour, and United Way Worldwide.

For more information contact: David Thompson at 202-671-1904 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Over the next few weeks, Metro will host six public meetings around the D.C. Metro area where members of the public can provide formal testimony regarding the budget and fare proposals.

Preceding each of the formal public hearings, Metro will host an hour-long Open Forum with multimedia stations to engage stakeholders and solicit public input.

The open forum will include a video presentation on Metro's rebuilding program, tables staffed by senior Metrobus, Metrorail, MetroAccess, SmarTrip and police officials who will be available to talk with participants and answer individual questions.

There will also be a third station where computers will be available for an online survey regarding Metro's priorities, as well as to submit written comments.

The open forums will be from 6 p. m. to 7 p.m., followed by the public hearings.

Mayor Vincent Gray has issued a statement in reaction to Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell going on the record in support of D.C.'s budget autonomy.

In the Feb. 22 letter to House Majority Leader Eric Cantor and Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa, Gray states that, "I welcome Governor McDonnell's recognition that it's only fair and makes sense for the District of Columbia to have budget autonomy and I thank him for his outreach to House leaders.

"The Governor agrees that, among other reasons, the negative impact on the region that would result from a federal government shutdown, combined with the unnecessary disruption of District services, is basis enough for the District government to have control of our own taxpayer raised funds. This encouraging news comes on the heels of President Obama's inclusion of his support for budget autonomy in his budget legislation.

"I am delighted that momentum is building toward the District achieving the autonomy it deserves. However, as I noted in my State of the District Address, these are just steps along the way for the District to be afforded the right that every other state and city enjoys and we will continue to fight until the 618,000 residents of the nation's capital win full autonomy and democracy."