MWBuzzOddStuff: Breaking news: Marry me!

TRUE LOVE: Jillian Pavlica with her fiance, Vince Ramos. – Twitter

AN AMERICAN newsreader broke the news of her own engagement live on air when her boyfriend hijacked the autocue during a weekend news bulletin.

Jillian Pavlica, an anchor for Alabama news station FOX54, was told by her producer that there was a breaking news story and she needed to read what was written on the screen in front of her.

But mid-way through the "breaking news" item, Pavlica twigged that she was reading her own wedding proposal live on air.

She started by saying directly to the camera: "We have some breaking news to report to you. FOX54 has just learned that a Huntsville news anchor is being proposed to on live TV right now ..."

She started laughing, then weeping, as her fiance Vince Ramos walked on set and her colleagues left them to their moment.

But it was far from private, with the cameras still rolling and their engagement becoming the regular "good news" story at the end of the show.

Stunned: The news anchor was left stunned after realising that she had read out the first part of the proposal on live television. – Fox54

Ramos told his bride-to-be that he'd been waiting for the right time to propose.

"Finally, all of our pieces are falling together and I can't picture a day in my life not waking up with you by my side," he said, before getting down on one knee.

Jillian Pavlica, will you marry me?"

She said yes, thankfully.

FOX54 reported that Pavlica's producer, Dana Conley, told her that she had written a breaking news script and put it in the teleprompter. She instructed Pavlica simply to read what was in front of her.

Later, Pavlica tweeted: "Did I just really get proposed to live on air??? Umm.. why yes.. I think I did?!?!?! Holy cow!

"I can't breathe. Ahhhhhhh"

"Still can't believe I'm engaged. We've been together 6 years and I'm just thrilled. Thank you all :)."  - Sydney Morning Herald

Popping the question: Vince proposed to the news anchor telling her that 'all our pieces are falling together' – Fox54

MWBuzzOddStuff: Why did the elephant seal cross the road?

Sea mammal goes walkabout in Brazil

A MASSIVE  elephant  seal held up traffic for more than an hour after going on a walkabout in Brazil.

But at least the sea animal politely used the pedestrian crossing when it waddled out of the Atlantic Ocean on Saturday afternoon

The surprising sight attracted a large crowd in the coastal city of Balneario Camboriu in the southern state of Santa Catarina.

In an effort to keep it hydrated police officers and firefighters splashed water on the 10ft beast as traffic ground to a halt along busy Avenida Atlantica. 

t initially moved quickly across the road before slumping down in front of a waiting car.

The confused animal, estimated to weigh over half a tonne, finally sloped off back to the water after nearly 90 minutes in the sun.

It is unknown why this giant beast decided to leave the ocean - elephant seals spend most of their lives at sea and only return to land to mate.

There are two types of elephant seal, southern elephant seal and the smaller northern version.

It is named after the males' snout which resembles the trunk of an elephant.

The males can grow to be 16ft long and weigh over 6,000lbs

Their harems can contain several dozen females, which are somewhat lighter on their feet being a fifth of the males’ size - they are normally about 10ft long and weighing in at around 2,000lbs

They can hold their breath longer than any other cetacean animal – they can stay under water without air for up to two hours.

They were almost hunted to extinction in the 19th and 20th centuries but since then the population is estimated to have recovered to about 700,000 members. - MailOnline

MWBuzzOddStuff: Groundhog off the hook

Phil knows … Groundhog handler Ron Ploucha holds Punxsutawney Phil aloft after he indicated when spring would come. - REUTERS

PHIL IS off the hook. A winter-weary Ohio prosecutor who filed a tongue-in-cheek criminal indictment against the famous Pennsylvania groundhog over his "prediction" of an early spring has dropped the charge.

Butler County Prosecutor Mike Gmoser said Punxsutawney Phil has a "defence with teeth in it" since the animal's handler is taking the blame.

The Groundhog Day celebration in Punxsutawney, about 100km northeast of Pittsburgh, attracts worldwide attention each year.

But when Gmoser filed his indictment last week after snow was forecast to fall after the official start of spring, renewed attention made it feel like February 2 all over again.

Bill Deeley, president of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club's Inner Circle, said on Monday the furry prognosticator had actually predicted six more weeks of winter, but he mistakenly announced an early spring because he failed to correctly interpret Phil's "groundhog-ese".

"Now it turns out, Punxsutawney Phil is little more than a scapegoat," Gmoser wrote in the dismissal.

That's a sharp contrast to last week, when Gmoser had written: "Punxsutawney Phil did purposely, and with prior calculation and design, cause the people to believe that spring would come early."

Deeley said Tuesday that going after the groundhog probably gave prosecutors some relief from the challenges they normally face bringing murderers, drug dealers and other criminals to justice.

Meanwhile, Phil seemed unfazed by the charge.

"No, he's not worried," Deeley said.

"He's getting three square meals a day, and a lot of rest."

He also said the community appreciated all the extra publicity, which he said "you couldn't put a dollar figure on". Gmoser's office said he had also received hundreds of calls.

Deeley wanted to be sure Tuesday he wouldn't be the prosecutor's next target, but Gmoser said it was time to move on.

"Truly, I have really serious work to do in Butler County," he said from his office in Hamilton, some 25 miles north of Cincinnati, even as snowflakes dropped from the skies.

"Let's end it on a high note."

He assured Ohio's lesser-known fuzzy forecaster, Buckeye Chuck, he won't face prosecution for his own erroneous prediction. Chuck, it turned out, was granted immunity after agreeing to cooperate with the state.

"I'm kind of done with animal cases," Gmoser said.

"Maybe another prosecutor can go after the Easter Bunny.’’  - AP

Can’t sleep … These two fishermen in Parang came back from Mambulao Bay about three hours ago after a long night of chasing fish in April 2012. But instead of hitting the sleeping mat (banig) for a much-needed rest, they remained up, tending to their fishing gear, which they will haul off back to the sea the following night. Meanwhile, their wives had taken off with their husbands’ catch – a total of 15kg or so – which they had shared equally, to peddle around the neighborhood of Parang. Fish is in demand despite their price going a bit higher these days, and it will sell in no time at all. This means it won’t be long when the fishwives would be home with lunch and dinner foodstuff they would buy from the wet market in poblacion. Over the years, their daily catch has decreased in volume, thus affecting their income. But their families still get by somehow and survive for another day.

 

Still a good business … This fisherman’s wife, whose family lives by the beach of Parang, is sorting out charcoal just delivered by a farmer from Tumbaga, a sitio in San Rafael, Mambulao, in April 2012. Charcoal has remained in demand as it is more affordable than kerosene and this has been another source of meager income for her, apart from the cash she makes from selling fish caught by her husband. A non-governmental organization (NGO) currently involved in a reforestation project in Larap learned from the local folks that charcoal-making has been the main cause of the destruction of the community mangrove forests. They said, there’s no other source of income for the local people except to chop down mangrove trees for firewood, which they sell at the community market for P250 a sack. Normally, to fill a sack, it would require chunks of charcoal from at least six young trees with trunks measuring at least 4 inches in diameter. – MWBuzzpics by ALFREDO P HERNANDEZ

LATEST: DOTC delays construction of P3.4-B airport

LEGAZPI CITY: The Aquino administration target to finish construction of the P3.4-billion Bicol International Airport before 2015 suffers from a snail-paced implementation being carried out by the Department of Transportation and Communication.

Albay Governor Joey Sarte Salceda said construction of the international airport was delayed by three years.

“Construction of Bicol International Airport is three years delayed and we could not afford to wait any longer for the DOTC green light. The delays will badly affect rapid economic and tourism growth,” Salceda told The Manila Times.

Earlier, two other Bicolano lawmakers led by Albay Rep Al Francis Bichara, chair of the House committee on foreign affairs and CamSur Rep Salvio B Fortuno, chair of the committee on Bicol recovery and economic development sent a letter to Transportation Secretary Joseph Abaya expressing their concern over the delay in awarding the contract for airside facilities which are apart from the terminal facilities that would be bid out separately and its impact on the P900-million project fund allocated two years ago.

The Bicol solons asked Abaya to intervene and ensure the immediate implementation of the project to take advantage of the coming summer season which is most favorable for construction works.

The international airport site lazes on a 300ha tract of land in Alobo village, Daraga town.

The project was slated for completion in 2014.

But several months after a bidding was done, the DOTC has yet to award the project contract.

The DOTC bids and awards committee opened the bids submitted by two parties on Oct 22 last year. The lower bid was for P718 million, or 20% below the DOTC floor price.

Construction of Bicol International Airport was conceived by then president now Pampanga Rep Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and was pushed through by President Aquino under the private and public partnership (PPP) scheme.

Salceda chairman of Regional Development Council said the President Aquino infused P780 million to expedite the project’s construction.

The new airport covers the villages of Alobo, Inarado, Kinawitan and Burgos with a panoramic view of Mayon Volcano as background.

The Bicol International Airport, identified as a major infrastructure priority project in the Medium Term Development Investment Plan and the South Rail and Bicol River Basin, is the touted a most critical aspect for Bicol region’s development since tourism is one of the catalyst for rapid investment and economic growth here, Regional Development Council chairman and Albay governor Joey Salceda told The Manila Times.

Total project cost is P3.4 billion to be funded locally through general appropriation act (GAA) of DOTC and supposed to be completed by last year.

However, until now no solid structure is being put up. – Manila Times

LATEST: ‘Eraptions’ still wow ’em in campaign

Estrada … he could still pack ‘eruptions’ in his campaign sorties

By CHRISTIAN

V ESGUERRA

BAGUIO CITY:  An old face in Philippine politics emerges on stage, not at all as rundown as the Baguio Convention Center here, waving to the raucous crowd with one hand in his pocket, his typical pose.

Former President Joseph Estrada—deposed in 2001, charged with plunder and pardoned seven years later—is in familiar territory. It’s another election season and the campaign is his stage in a continuing crusade to redeem himself.

At the age of 75, the movie action star turned politician was clearly in his element during the United Nationalist Alliance rally on Sunday night. He cracked one “Eraption” after another with impeccable timing and delivery, even if many of them had been heard before.

But with UNA candidates slipping out of the winning circle based on recent surveys, can a vintage Erap infuse life into their campaign?

Estrada believes he could still be a factor, especially with Vice President Jejomar Binay and Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile—the so-called three kings of the UNA.

“I’m doing my best to help the ticket,” he told the Inquirer in a recent interview.

‘Happy Easterada’

By March 30, the start of the campaign period for local candidates in the May elections, Estrada is expected to have more on his plate. He is running for mayor of Manila, and he’s up against reelectionist Mayor Alfredo Lim—filmdom’s “Asiong Salonga” taking on the man known as “Dirty Harry”.

Estrada’s proclamation rally is set at Liwasang Bonifacio on Easter Sunday, the eve of April Fool’s Day, in an event he dubbed, “Happy Easterada.”

In the meantime, he is all business with the UNA, whose senatorial lineup includes his son, San Juan Rep. JV Ejercito.

Given his own commitments in his mayoral run, Estrada could join only major UNA campaign sorties. But whenever he is around, he is the undisputed star of the UNA show, as was the case here last weekend. In motorcades and in the ensuing rally in the evening, he was the main attraction, the senatorial candidates his supporting cast.

Not that they mind it, especially with Estrada bringing the power of his political endorsement for each UNA candidate.

But first they all had to listen to his story.

Estrada spent the first half of his campaign remarks recalling how the ruling class (“naghaharing uri”) purportedly conspired to unseat him in 2001.

Apologies from Cory

Estrada is convinced he had found redemption when the late President Corazon Aquino, Novaliches Bishop Antonio Tobias (whom he mistakenly referred to as “archi-bishop”), and ex-Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Perfecto Yasay all apologized to him for Edsa II.

Videos of these apologies were shown on a huge screen providing a dramatic entrance for Estrada, who later told the crowd in Filipino: “I am confident to face you because I am innocent. I stole not a single centavo.”

It’s only after he had unburdened himself on the events of 12 years ago that he began making a pitch for the UNA candidates one by one.

“I won’t face you tonight and endorse them if they are tainted with any anomaly,” said Estrada, who made an amazing run for the presidency in the 2010 elections, placing second in the balloting.

With everything said and done, Estrada retired to his seat, yielding the spotlight to his son, the second to follow his footsteps to the Senate, and who knows where else. - Inquirer

LATEST: Heart disease Bicol’s No. 1 killer – DOH

LEGAZPI CITY: Heart disease, pneumonia, and hypertension are the top three killer diseases in Bicol, the Department of Health (DOH) here said yesterday.

Based on the 2011 DOH study on the leading causes of death in the region, 4,307 people died of heart ailment, followed by pneumonia with 3,483, and hypertension with 2,354 deaths.

Other killer diseases were neoplasms or tumors with 1,513 deaths, tuberculosis-1,357, trauma/injuries-1,353, kidney-953, cerebro vascular-791, diabetes-757, and septicemia with 595, during the same priod.

Gloria Balboa, DOH regional director, said death due to heart disease in 2011 overtook pneumonia which was listed to be the top killer disease in Bicol in 2010.

She said the death ratio indicated that eight out of every 100 population  in Bicol die of heart attack, while six out of 100 people die of pneumonia and four people out of 100 population die of hypertension.

The report shows that an average of 3,887 deaths annually have been recorded since 2006 due to heart disease, making it  the leading cause of death in Bicol.

The  other  leading illnesses that struck thousands of Bicolanos were acute upper respiratory infection, hypertension, influenza, diarrhea, kidney disease, acute lower respiratory tract infection, bronchitis, musculoskeletal disorders, asthma, and anemia.

Balboa when asked about the 2012 report by DOH said her office was still consolidating last year’s data as reported by various provincial health offices. She said such reports were prepared yearly.

Heart diseases are due to high blood pressure, obesity, smoking, psychological stress, and unhealthy lifestyle .

Heart diseases come in many types. These are: coronary heart ailment, cardiomyopathy or heart muscle disease, cardiovascular, ischaemic heart, inflammatory heart, and valvular heart disease.

To help address the problem, Balboa said the DOH will launch on March 14 the new Hataw workout, a 30-minute exercise that can be done at home to counter risks of heart disease and other ailments.

Balboa said “physical inactivity is among the four leading risk factors for global mortality.” – Bicol Mail