News .....

Singing fishermen land a whopper of a record deal



Agence France-Presse
First Posted 09:20:00 03/19/2010

Filed Under: Entertainment (general), Music, music


LONDON—A group of sailors from Cornwall in southwest England has landed a major record deal after a music executive heard them singing sea shanties in a local pub.

The Fisherman's Friends have signed with Universal Music -- whose roster includes Lady Gaga, Amy Winehouse and Take That -- for an estimated one million pounds (1.12 million euros, 1.53 million dollars), news reports said.

The 10 mariners, who have been singing together for more than 15 years, were planning to release an album on their own label, until record producer Rupert Christie heard them performing while on holiday in the Port Isaac area.

Now the musical fishermen, lifeboatmen and coastguards are set to storm the charts when their album is released in April, two months before they are booked to appear at the Glastonbury music festival.

"We don't really know what to expect, to be honest -- we're just making it up as we go along," said fisherman Baritone Brown, one of the group's members who are mostly in their 50s.

"We are booked in for a few festivals, we've got a slot at Glastonbury, but I don't really know too much about it. We might just be playing behind the bar."

More, younger US kids are 'extremely obese'—study


By Karin Zeitvogel
Agence France-Presse
First Posted 09:12:00 03/19/2010

Filed Under: Children, Health, Diseases, Research


WASHINGTON—More US children are becoming extremely obese at a younger age, putting them at risk of dying decades younger than normal-weight children and of suffering old-age illnesses in their 20s, a study warned Thursday.

Extreme childhood obesity, which was defined only last year by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), affects 7.3 percent of boys and 5.5 percent of girls, the study by leading US health care provider Kaiser Permanente showed.

That translates into more than half a million children in California alone, where the study was carried out, being classified as extremely obese, or having a body mass index (BMI) -- calculated by dividing a person's weight in kilograms by their height in meters squared -- greater than 35.

A 12-year-old boy standing five feet (1.52 meters) tall and weighing 180 pounds (82 kilograms) would be considered to be at the lower limit of extreme obesity under the CDC criteria.

He would be carrying around 50 percent excess body weight, "which is really a lot," said Corinna Koebnick, a researcher at Kaiser Permanente's department of research and evaluation and lead author of the study.

"This study is all about health, not about looks," Koebnick told AFP.

"Extreme obesity is a serious health problem, and we want these children to have long and happy lives.

"But without major lifestyle changes, these kids face a 10 to 20 years shorter lifespan and will develop health problems in their 20s that we typically see in 40- to 60-year olds," Koebnick said.

"We know that obesity in children or adults leads to a higher rate of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and fatty liver disease, and these are serious issues that we can expect extremely obese children to face at a higher rate and probably much earlier than other children."

Researchers looked at the health records for 2007 and 2008 of 711,000 children and teens in California, aged two to 19, for the study, which is the first to provide a snapshot of just how prevalent extreme obesity is in US children today.

"Seven percent of boys and five percent of girls are extremely obese, and in some ethnic subgroups, we found as many as 12 percent of kids were extremely obese. I think those are scary results," Koebnick said.

Around 12 percent of black teenage girls and Hispanic teen boys were extremely obese, the study published online in the Journal of Pediatrics, found.

Boys tend to become extremely obese younger than girls -- at age 10 rather than 12 -- but girls have two peaks of extreme obesity, the second coming at 18 years of age.

In addition to finding a worryingly high level of extreme obesity in US children, the researchers found that 37 percent of US kids were overweight -- defined by the CDC as having a BMI greater than 25 -- and 19 percent were obese, or had a BMI over 30.

And the trend seems to be for kids to become extremely obese rather than just moderately obese or overweight, Koebnick said, although she stressed that more research needs to be done to confirm the trend.

Kaiser Permanente is a founding member of the non-profit Partnership for a Healthier America, which was set up earlier this year to generate support for First Lady Michelle Obama's campaign to push back childhood obesity in a generation.

French mother sentenced to 15 years for killing six babies



Agence France-Presse
First Posted 09:04:00 03/19/2010

Filed Under: Crime, Murder, Punishment


COUTANCES—A court on Thursday sentenced a French mother to 15 years in jail for smothering or strangling to death six of her newborn babies.

Celine Lesage, 38, risked a life jail sentence with no possibility of parole for 18 years for first degree murder. Prosecutors had demanded a 16-year-jail term.

Lesage, a petite brunette who has a teenaged son, on Monday admitted before the judge in the Channel town of Coutances to killing the six infants between 1999 and 2007.

"I realize that I killed my babies, the children that I had with my two partners, but it's too difficult," she said during the hearing. "I want to understand but I can't."

She was arrested in October 2007 after her partner and father of one of the murdered babies discovered rotting infant bodies in garbage bags in the basement of their apartment building.

Investigators described Lesage as a shy woman with no apparent mental problems who claimed she lived in fear of her ex-partner and father to five of the murdered babies, accusing him of being violent.

But the investigation did not find that her ex-partner, 39-year-old plumber Pascal Catherine, had a "domineering attitude", according to court documents.

Lesage later told the court that she could not explain why she had killed the babies.

Last June another Frenchwoman, Veronique Courjault, was sentenced to eight years in jail after admitting to killing three of her own babies, burning one corpse and hiding the others in the family freezer

Italian bishop asks for 'forgiveness' over pedophilia scandal



Agence France-Presse
First Posted 09:03:00 03/19/2010

Filed Under: Churches (organisations), child abuse, Crime, scandal


ROME—The bishop of the northern Italian city of Bolzano on Thursday asked for forgiveness after victims of past child abuse in his diocese came forward in the past few days.

"In the name of our Church, I can only express my most sincere regret and above all ask the victims for forgiveness on behalf of the offenders," Karl Golser said in a statement published on the diocesan website.

"Sexual abuse and violence are a great crime, especially when they involve children and youth. These acts are particularly shameful because the Church presents itself with high moral standards," he said.

A man who as a teenager spent a summer in a monastery near Bolzano in the 1960s told the local press last week he had been repeatedly abused by monks in exchange for small amounts of money.

Bolzano is the capital of Alto Adige, also known as Southern Tyrol, a German-speaking province on the border with Austria, where a series of revelations of sexual abuse perpetrated on minors within religious institutions has shaken the Church since March 9.

Widespread child abuse by clergy, compounded by evidence of a cover-up by their superiors, rocked the Irish Catholic Church late last year.

Since then, new abuse scandals have swept other European Catholic churches, including those in The Netherlands, Switzerland and Pope Benedict XVI's native Germany.

The diocese of Bolzano put up contacts and an email address on its website for victims to come forward and speak up about past abuses.

The Internet initiative was set up "in order not to give the impression that the church wants to keep quiet or hide something. Other kinds of aid will follow," Golser said.

Dubai hotel frees Sammy the whale shark



Agence France-Presse
First Posted 08:41:00 03/19/2010

Filed Under: Animals, animals, Hotels & accommodation


DUBAI—A rare whale shark that was a hotel attraction in Dubai has been returned to the wild, the resort said Thursday, following an international campaign against the captivity.

Sammy, a freckled whale shark that is an internationally protected species, had been kept inside a lobby aquarium at Dubai's upscale Atlantis resort since September 2008.

The 14-foot (4.2 meters) female, was returned to the Gulf waters where it had been "rescued" said the hotel, where guests pay up to $7,500 a night for a top suite.

The shark was a top crowd puller, but also attracted unwelcome publicity for the hotel, after animal rights groups began a worldwide campaign to free Sammy.

A "Free Sammy" Facebook campaign attracted more than 26,000 members.

The hotel announcement came as a 175-nation Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) met in nearby Qatar.

Atlantis said that the shark had been tagged for monitoring and research.

British hospital to treat Internet-addicted teens



Agence France-Presse
First Posted 08:39:00 03/19/2010

Filed Under: Internet, Computing & Information Technology, mobile phones, Hospitals and Clinics, Addiction


LONDON—British teenagers who cannot tear themselves away from the Internet, computer games or their mobile phone can get help from a new addiction service, a spokeswoman said Thursday.

A private London hospital has launched Britain's first dedicated technology addiction service for what it dubbed "screenagers", after parents complained their children were flying into a rage when told to turn off their computer.

Help will be offered through intensive in-patient, day care or group therapy to children as young as 12, although it is aimed at 15 to 17 year olds, amid increasing concern about the amount of time they spend in front of a screen.

"I've been contacted by parents who see their children going into a rage when they're told to turn off their computer," Richard Graham, lead consultant at Capio Nightingale Hospital, told the London Evening Standard.

"Some end up having to call the police."

He said children played some computer games for the social contact, adding: "It gives them a sense of connection so they end up playing all the time."

Teens will be encouraged to switch off technology and interact with people face-to-face rather than online, a hospital spokeswoman said, and also helped with any problems caused by their habits, including cyber-bullying.

She cited research showing that adults who spent too much time online suffered physically and mentally, while young people became agitated and had difficulty concentrating, and ultimately could become depressed.

"Mental health services need to adapt quickly to the changing worlds that young people inhabit, and understand just how seriously their lives can be impaired by unregulated time online, on-screen or in-game," Graham said.

In a statement, he said he hoped the service "will address the underlying causes of this addiction to transform screenagers back into teenagers".

Sandra Bullock cancels UK premiere amid marriage rumors



Agence France-Presse
First Posted 08:37:00 03/19/2010

Filed Under: Entertainment (general), Celebrities, relationships and dating, Cinema


LOS ANGELES—Actress Sandra Bullock abruptly canceled Thursday a planned visit to London for the UK premiere of the film "The Blind Side" for which she won an Oscar, amid speculation about her marriage.

Jesse James, Bullock's husband of nearly five years, apologized to his wife and children amid reports he had a months-long affair with a heavily-tattooed model.

In a statement released to People magazine, he denied the "vast majority" of the "untrue and unfounded" rumors against him.

"There is only one person to blame for this whole situation, and that is me. It's because of my poor judgment that I deserve everything bad that is coming my way," James said.

"This has caused my wife and kids pain and embarrassment beyond comprehension and I am extremely saddened to have brought this on them. I am truly very sorry for the grief I have caused them. I hope one day they can find it in their hearts to forgive me."

In a Warner Bros studio statement, Bullock, who won her first best actress Oscar this month for her role in "The Blind Side," said the trip to Britain had been canceled due to "unforeseen personal reasons."

"I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused and thank you for your understanding and continued support of the film," she said in a Warner Bros studio statement.

James's alleged mistress, Michelle "Bombshell" McGee, told US gossip magazine In Touch that she had an 11-month affair with Bullock's husband while the actress was in filming for her Oscar-winning performance.

She claimed the pair met up after James responded to her request for information about modeling on his television show "West Coast Choppers."

"He started saying, 'Do you want to hang out?'" and she traveled to Los Angeles to meet him a week later, she said.

McGee said James was ambiguous about his relationship with Bullock.

"We ended up on the couch," she told the magazine. "He wanted to watch movies, but I asked him, 'What's going on with you and Sandra?'"

"He said, 'She doesn't live here. She has a house in Austin. She is filming, and I can't talk about it,'" which McGee said led her to believe the couple was separated.

McGee told the magazine that she and James began sleeping together that night and continued their physical affair for the next five weeks, texting each other several times a day.

Representatives for Bullock declined to comment on the report and James's lawyer could not be reached.

People magazine, another US celebrity gossip publication, reported that Bullock had moved out of the couple's shared home in southern California several days before the In Touch article emerged.

Bullock, 45, and James, 40, met in 2004 on the set of "Monster Garage," a show he presented on the Discovery Channel. They married a year later in July 2005.

The union surprised a number of Hollywood observers because Bullock's reputation for being low-key, discreet and mature contrasted with the bad-boy image cultivated by James.

The tattooed James, a distant relative of the legendary 19th century US outlaw of the same name, had been married twice previously, including to a porn star against whom he fought a series of messy legal battles.

The couple have no children of their own, but care for James's three children from his two previous marriages.

Reports of marital strife came as Bullock celebrated her most successful year yet, receiving a slew of awards for her role as Leigh Anne Tuohy, a feisty southern matriarch who mentors a troubled teenager.

James accompanied her to a series of publicity and award events, applauding as she swept honor after honor.

At the Golden Globes, she dedicated her best actress win to him.

"There is no surprise that my work got better when I met you because I never knew what it felt like for someone to have my back. So, thank you," she said.

Tattooed model claims affair with Sandra Bullock's husband



Agence France-Presse
First Posted 08:02:00 03/19/2010

Filed Under: Entertainment (general), Celebrities, relationships and dating


WASHINGTON—A heavily-tattooed model has claimed an 11-month affair with the husband of Oscar-winning actress Sandra Bullock, who abruptly pulled out of movie promotional events in London on Thursday.

Michelle "Bombshell" McGee told In Touch magazine that she and Bullock's husband Jesse James began their affair as the actress was filming "The Blind Side," the movie for which she won a Best Actress Oscar this month.

McGee said she met James after he responded to her request for information about modelling on his television show "West Coast Choppers."

"He started saying, 'Do you want to hang out?'" and she travelled to Los Angeles to meet him a week later, she said.

McGee said James was ambiguous about his relationship with Bullock.

"We ended up on the couch," she told the magazine. "He wanted to watch movies, but I asked him, 'What's going on with you and Sandra?'"

"He said, 'She doesn't live here. She has a house in Austin. She is filming, and I can't talk about it,'" which McGee said led her to believe the couple was separated.

McGee told the magazine that she and James had sex "two or three times" that night and continued to sleep together for the next five weeks, texting each other several times a day.

There was no public acknowledgement of the affair from either Bullock or her husband, but Warner Bros studio reportedly issued a statement on the actress's behalf, saying she would not attend the London premiere of "The Blind Side."

"Due to unforeseen personal reasons, a trip abroad to support the opening of The Blind Side has been deemed impossible at this time. I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused and thank you for your understanding and continued support of the film."

People magazine reported Thursday that Bullock was no longer living in the southern California home she shared with James, citing an unnamed source who said the actress had moved out several days before the infidelity claims.

Reports of the marital strife came as Bullock, 45, celebrated her most successful year yet, receiving a slew of awards for her turn as Leigh Anne Tuohy, a feisty southern matriarch who mentors a troubled teenager, in "The Blind Side."

In an emotional Oscars acceptance speech, Bullock did not directly acknowledge her husband, who gave her a standing ovation and whistled as she took to the stage to receive the honor.

But in remarks that paid tribute to her late mother, she thanked her for having "allowed me to have that," nodding to her husband and smiling broadly.

Bullock wed James, a distant relative of the legendary 19th century US outlaw of the same name, in 2005.

He had been married twice before, including to a porn star, and has three children from two different relationships. Bullock and James have no children together.

Voters told: Know your precinct, list bets before voting


By Anna Valmero
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 07:51:00 03/19/2010

Filed Under: Eleksyon 2010, Elections, Infotech


MANILA, Philippines—An official of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) urged voters to know their clustered precincts and prepare a list of their candidates ahead of the May automated polls to prevent delays and long queues.

“We encourage our voters to know their clustered polling precincts and have a list of their preferred candidates with their corresponding numbers so they can finish voting early on May 10 and avoid long lines, especially during the time near the close of polls at 6p.m.,” said Comelec commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal.

Voters can inquire now about their clustered polling precinct with the Election Officer or Election Assistant at the Comelec office of their municipality, city or district where they are registered, said the poll official.

On Election Day, voters can proceed to help desks of the accredited citizen's arm Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) to be stationed in all polling places nationwide. Comelec partnered with PPCRV for the conduct of the May 10 polls.

By April, voters would receive their voter information sheet (VIS) in a form of a sample ballot, which would contain the voter's name, clustered precinct and name of the polling place or school. The VIS is an exact replica of the official ballot to be filled up by voters, containing the list of national and local candidates minus the security features.

“Voters can use the VIS or sample ballots that would be mailed by mid-April to practice shading the ovals as a means of voting. The filled-up sample ballot is the only “kodigo” or list of candidates that Comelec will allow to be carried by the voter inside the polling precinct, nothing else,” said Larrazabal.

If a voter wishes to create a list of his preferred candidates this early, Larrazabal said that voters must know the full name and assigned number of the candidate or party list group to avoid confusion and errors among candidates with the same surname, said Larrazabal.

“A voter should know the name and assigned number of the candidate. When they shade the ovals opposite the candidates' name, they cannot make mistakes because the marker pen has permanent ink so they should be sure that they are voting the right candidate,” said the poll official.

The list of senators include two bets with the same surname, Emilio Mario Osmeña of Promdi party, who is listed as senatorial candidate number 39 and independent candidate Sergio "Serge" Osmeña III, listed as candidate number 40.

As a last reminder, Larrazabal said voters must take care not to fold or put spurious marks on the ballots, which might compromise the security markings and invalidate the ballot.

To practice shading the special paper ballot, download a sample form at INQUIRER.net

KUMPLETOS RECADOS NA!
... sa failure of elections
Nina DINDO MATINING, REY MARFIL, TINA MENDOZA, ROSE MIRANDA, JUN TADIOS at BOYET JADULCO


Kumpleto na ang mga sangkap at lantad na rin ang mga senyales ng ‘failure of elections’ at pananatili ni Pangulong Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo sa poder ng kapangyarihan dahil hindi ito mapapalitan sa Mayo 10 ng taong ito.


Ito ang pananaw ni Gabriela partylist Rep. Luzviminda Ilagan matapos bigyan ng Korte Suprema si Arroyo ng kapangyarihan na mag-appoint ng susunod na Chief Justice ng Korte Suprema ng bansa.


Ayon kay Ilagan, dahil sa desisyon ng Supreme Court, nakumpleto na umano ang lahat ng elemento sa pinangangambahang failure of election sa Mayo.


“It’s already complete. We’re just waiting the announcement of failure of election,” ani Ilagan sa panayam kahapon.


Ilan pa aniya sa mga ‘recado’ ng napipintong “failure of elections” ay ang pagtalaga ni Arroyo kay Gen. Delfin Bangit bilang bagong chief of staff ng Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).


Kasama na rin nito ang palpak o walang kasiguruhang automated election ang pagpasok ng mga pekeng partylist sa darating na halalan.


“Habang ang lahat ay naka-focus sa election, pinapwesto naman ni Presi­dent Arroyo. Ang susunod niya ay ang maging Prime Minister siya,” diin pa ni Ilagan.


Naniniwala naman si Anakpawis partylist Rep. Joel Maglunsod na sakaling magkagulo sa darating na eleksyon, tiyak umanong ang magiging unang kakampi ni Pangulong Arroyo ay ang Korte Suprema.


“Mukhang patungo tayo d’yan, kung magkakagulo o kaya ay may question about election results, no doubt ang SC ang unang kakampi ni President Arroyo,” pahayag ni Maglunsod.


Mula sa Laoag City, kinalampag kahapon ni Sen. Francis ‘Kiko’ Pangilinan ang Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) na huwag basta isuko ang ibinigay na kapangyarihan ng SC kay Arroyo na mag-upo ng susunod na punong mahistrado.


“Don’t be a rubber stamp of the Supreme Court, file a motion for reconsideration on the SC ruling allowing PGMA (President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo) to appoint next CJ,” ani Pangilinan.


Aniya, isang collegial body ang JBC at dapat lamang pagdesisyunan kung sumasang-ayon sa ruling ng SC ang JBC dahil maaaring palabasin sumasang-ayon ang mga ito kung hindi maghain ng motion for reconsideration.


“The JBC as a collegial body should vote on whethe­r or not it agrees with the SC decision and if it has the vote favoring opposition to the ruling, it should file a motion for reconsideration with the SC,” dagdag pa ng Liberal Party (LP) solon.


Ngunit naniniwala naman si Sen. Francis ‘Chiz’ Escudero na malabo nang mabaligtad ang desisyong ito ng SC.


Nagbanta ang mga kongresista na uulanin ng mala­wakang kilos-protesta ang naging desisyon ng Korte Suprema na puma­yag na bigyan ng kapangyarihan si Pangulong Arroyo para magtalaga ng susunod na Chief Justice ng bansa.


Ayon kay Liberal Party senatorial bet at Akbayan partylist Rep. Risa Hontiveros, isasagawa nilang ngayong araw (Biyernes), ang unang “street battle” kasabay ng pana­wagan sa SC na ikonsidera ang kanilang desisyon.


Binuweltahan naman ng Korte Suprema kahapon ang mga kritiko nito at sinabing maghain na lamang ng motion for reconsideration sa halip na batikusin ang mga mahistrado na pumabor sa pagbibigay kapangyarihan kay Arroyo na magtalaga ng susunod na Chief Justice.


Ipinagtanggol ni SC Spokesman Atty. Midas Marquez ang desisyon ng SC sa nasabing isyu, aniya, independent ang bawat mahistrado sa nasabing usapin at nagkaroon ng deliberasyon at botohan.


Hindi rin naitago ng Malacañang ang pag-aray sa mga negatibong reaksyon sa SC decision pabor sa Pangulo.


Ngunit maging ang Simbahan kahapon ay nagbitaw ng pahayag na tututukan nila ang iuupong Chief Justice ng Pangulo upang masigurong ang interes ng samba­yanan ang mananaig at hindi ang interes ninuman.

Carpio o Corona lang?
(Rose Miranda)


Bagama’t wala pang isinusumiteng shortlist ng mga nominado ang Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) kay Pangulong Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, sarado na umano sa dalawang pinagpipi­lian ang punong ehekutibo sa katauhan nina Associate Justices Antonio Carpio at Renato Corona, dalawa sa pinaka-senior magistrates ng Korte Suprema.


Si Carpio ay dating legal adviser ni Arroyo samantalang si Corona ay dating chief of staff nito.


Aminado ang isang Malacañang official na hindi imposible kung nakakalamang man ang dalawa sa panlasa ng Pangulo dahil mas mataas umano ang kumpiyansa ng huli sa mga ito bilang pinagkakatiwalaang alagad ng hudikatura.


Maliban sa dalawa ay ikinukunsidera rin bilang mga nominado ang tatlo pang senior justices sa katauhan nina Conchita Carpio-Morales, Teresita Leonardo-De Castro at Arturo Brion. Nominado rin si Sandiganbayan Senior Associate Justice Edilberto Sandoval.


Ipinaalala naman ng palace official na ang nasabing listahan ay inisyal pa lamang lalo na’t hinihintay pa nila ang isusumite ng JBC.

Lingguhang oil hike larga
(Eralyn Prado/Rose Miranda)

Asahan na ang lingguhang pagtaas ng presyo ng produktong langis.


Ito ang ipinahiwatig ng mga kumpanya ng langis matapos ang ipinatupad nitong oil price hike nitong linggo.


Aminado si Chito Medina, spokesman ng UniOil, na kapag nagtuluy-tuloy ang pagtaas ng presyo ng langis sa world market ay asahang magtataas din ng presyo nito sa local market.


Gayunpaman, hindi pa masabi ni Medina kung magkano ang inaasa­hang itataas sa presyo ng produktong petrolyo sa susunod na linggo.


Samantala, mismong ang pamahalaan ang umamin na dagdag na pasanin sa sambayanan ang pinakahuling oil price increases sa bansa.


Ayon kay presidential spokesman Ricardo Saludo, dapat na subaybayan ang pag-akyat sa presyo ng langis at oil products dahil malinaw na dagdag-problema umano ito sa publiko na kasalukuyan pa ring dinaramdam ang epekto ng El Niño phenomenon partikular sa bahagi ng Mindanao.

Donasyon ng mga kandidato, ban sa Simbahan

(JTadios)

Paninindigan ng Simbahang Katoliko na huwag tumanggap ng donasyon mula sa mga pulitiko na tatakbo sa Mayo 10, upang iwasan na maugnay ang mga obispo, arsobispo at taong-simbahan sa ‘partisan politics’ na tinutuligsa ng Simbahan.


Sa isang kalatas, naghayag ng ganitong prinsipyo sina Bishop Martin Jumoad ng Basilan, Carlito Cenzon ng Baguio at Dinualdo Gutierrez ng Marbel.


Ayon kay Jumoad, ina­bisuhan na niya ang kanyang nasasakupan na tanggihan ang anumang donasyon mula sa mga kandidato.


“I will not accept any donations especially from politicians. It’s not right,” anang obispo.


Sinegundahan naman ito nina Cenzon at Gutierrez at sinabing hindi matutupad ng Simbahan ang mithiing malinis ang sistema ng halalan kung magpapakalugmok sa maruming pulitika ang mga alagad ng Simbahan.


“We are not going to accept it especially if we know that it came from bad sources,” ani Cenzon.


Ginawa ng tatlong obispo ang pahayag upang paalalahanan ang mga kapwa opis­yal ng Simbahan na huwag tumanggap ng donasyon sa mga kandidato sa nalalapit na pagdiriwang ng “Alay Kapwa” sa Marso 28.

lol..si jun lozada pumunta sa dipolog city..at sa school namin..weheheee..
Tapos boto mo ipatrol mo ako ang simula...sa schopol namin..weheheeee

kawawa naman yung starfish.wow impressive yung bata...300 hol hoops?

grabe yun ang talen

gudnight.ay morning pala...sleep na 'ko.

wala na ba kayong dyaryo dyan?heheheee

DALLAS - Dwight Howard had 17 points, 20 rebounds and five blocked shots and Mickael Pietrus made six of Orlando's 14 three-pointers to help the Magic to a 97-82 NBA victory over Dallas on Thursday.

France's Pietrus, available again after sitting out three of the previous five games because of a sprained left ankle, made all six of his three-point attempts as he scored a season-high 24 points.

Vince Carter added 19 points as the Magic won for the 14th time in 16 games.

"We know how good we are," said Jameer Nelson, who scored 14 points. "We're not cocky or overconfident or anything, but we know we can beat anybody when we play our game.

"We played great defensively, pushed the ball and got good shots when we needed to."

Dirk Nowitzki led the Mavericks with 24 points, but it wasn't enough to extend Dallas' three-game winning streak.

Jason Terry and JJ Barea had 16 points apiece off the bench for the Mavericks.

Nowitzki's fellow starters - Shawn Marion, Brendan Haywood, Caron Butler and Jason Kidd - combined for only 20 points.

The Mavericks had beaten Orlando 95-85 in February in the only other meeting this season.

Orlando, who lead the NBA in three-pointers made and attempted, connected on only 4-of-25 from three-point range in that defeat.

"We got the same looks, we just moved the ball and shot with confidence," Carter said. "Some nights it's going to be like that."

"The thing that killed us were the three," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. "The last few times we've played them, we made a real effort to run them off the line and they missed shots they normally make."

Haye determined to avoid Ruiz slip-up

MANCHESTER - David Haye is on a relentless mission to box one of the Klitschko brothers in a world heavyweight title unification bout, but in the meantime he has not overlooked the threat of Saturday’s experienced opponent John Ruiz.

The World Boxing Association (WBA) champion, boxing's unofficial king of trash-talk, faces American Ruiz in his first defence after out-pointing Russian giant Nikolay Valuev for the belt in November.

Haye-Ruiz is the first world heavyweight title bout to be held in Britain for nearly ten years, since Lennox Lewis beat South African Francois Botha, and will be watched by a sell-out crowd of 19,000 at the MEN Arena in Manchester.

The heavyweight division has been described as going through a fallow period yet the big live gate that will see Haye-Ruiz follows the 50,000 fans that paid to see Wladimir Klitschko against American Eddie Chambers at the ESPRIT Arena in Dusseldorf, Germany, last month.

WBC champion Vitali Klitschko, 38, defends his title against Poland’s Albert Sosnowski on May 29 while IBF-WBO titles-holder Wladimir, 33, looks likely to next fight Alexander Povetkin, of Russia, in September.

Haye, 29, is confident of meeting one of the Klitschkos so long as he overcomes Ruiz, 38, a former two-time WBA champion.

"I know the super fights against the likes of the Klitschkos that I want will not happen if this fight doesn't go the way I want and I'm looking to make a statement against Ruiz," Haye told AFP.

"If the Klitschkos keep winning, fingers crossed. I have given myself 18 months to achieve what I want.

"I am not looking too far into the future. I am just focusing on making sure John Ruiz is dispatched in good style.

"Once he is out of the way I will sit back and look at the heavyweight landscape and see who fits where and try to make it happen."

The Londoner insists he is not taking victory over Ruiz for granted and even considers him a more awkward opponent than 7ft 2in Valuev.

"I learnt the lesson not to be complacent a long time ago," added Haye, whose only professional defeat came when he was stopped in the fifth round by fellow Briton Carl Thompson. "I can close my eyes and can still feel the pain of that defeat. I don't want to go down that road again.

"Going into the Valuev fight everyone was worried for me but this time everyone expects me to blast Ruiz out of there.

"I know technically Ruiz is more awkward than Valuev. Ruiz gets in close and wrestles you so in a lot of ways he's more dangerous than someone like Valuev who appears to be more dangerous because of his size.

"Valuev was seven stones heavier than me and nearly a foot taller so I didn't look to wrestle or hold against him, but Ruiz is basically the same size as me, so it won't be a problem for me to fight up close and get my shots off.

"He is an awkward dangerous character and very few people have looked good against him because he is so durable."

Haye enjoys winding up his rivals. He left the Klitschkos furious by wearing a T-Shirt showing himself holding their decapitated heads while Valuev was dismissed as "a circus freak" who "makes the Elephant Man look like Pamela Anderson".

Haye's baiting of Ruiz has been tame in comparison, calling the American "a caveman" with "no personality" but the challenger - known as 'The Quiet Man' - has shrugged off the criticism.

"He will not have said anything I've not heard before," said Ruiz. "I've heard it all before from A to Z. Anything he can come up with is no big deal to me.

"I’ve not got the greatest talent but my pure determination to be the best keeps me going. Every time I get a win there's always something negative that comes after it.

"I'm actually glad he is thinking about the fight because all he has been doing has been talking about fighting the Klitschkos."