MikeLigalig.com

A massive international sea search has so far turned up no trace of the jet, though Vietnamese authorities said late yesterday that a low-flying plane had spotted a rectangular object in waters about 90 kilometers (56 miles) south of Tho Chu island, in the same area where oil slicks were spotted Saturday. Search teams from Vietnam and other countries were asked to send boats to the area to examine the object. Authorities said earlier that they had spotted an orange object in the area that turned out not to be from the aircraft.

Airplane crashes typically occur during takeoff and the climb away from an airport, or while coming in for a landing, as in last year's fatal crash of an Asiana Airlines jet in San Francisco. Just 9 percent of fatal accidents happen when a plane is at cruising altitude, according to a statistical summary of commercial jet airplane accidents done by Boeing.

Capt. John M. Cox, who spent 25 years flying for US Airways and is now CEO of Safety Operating Systems, said that whatever happened to the Malaysia Airlines jet, it occurred quickly. The problem had to be big enough, he said, to stop the plane's transponder from broadcasting its location, although the transponder can be purposely shut off from the cockpit.

It's possible that there was either an abrupt breakup of the plane or something that led it into a quick, steep dive. Some experts even suggested an act of terrorism or a pilot purposely crashing the jet.

"Either you had a catastrophic event that tore the airplane apart, or you had a criminal act," said Scott Hamilton, managing director of aviation consultancy Leeham Co. "It was so quick and they didn't radio."

No matter how unlikely a scenario, it's too early to rule out any possibilities, experts warn. The best clues will come with the recovery of the flight data and voice recorders and an examination of the wreckage. US investigators from the FBI, the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration and experts from Boeing are heading to Asia to assist in the investigation.


Officials of Malaysia Airlines speak at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Photograph: Chong Voon Chung/REX

"At this early stage, we're focusing on the facts that we don't know," said Todd Curtis, a former safety engineer with Boeing who worked on its 777 wide-body jets and is now director of the Airsafe.com Foundation.

Military radar indicates that the missing Boeing 777 jet may have turned back before vanishing, Malaysia's air force chief said yesterday as authorities were investigating up to four passengers with suspicious identifications. The revelations add to the mystery surrounding the final minutes of the flight. Air force chief Rodzali Daud didn't say which direction the plane veered when it apparently went off course, or how long it flew in that direction, Some of the information it had was also corroborated by civilian radar, he said.

If the information about the U-turn is accurate, that lessens the probability that the plane suffered a catastrophic explosion but raises further questions about why the pilots didn't signal for help. If there was a minor mechanical failure â€" or even something more serious like the shutdown of both of the plane's engines â€" the pilots likely would have had time to radio for help. The lack of a call "suggests something very sudden and very violent happened," said William Waldock, who teaches accident investigation at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Arizona.


Buddhists hold a special prayer for missing Malaysia Airlines flight at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Photograph: AHMAD YUSNI/EPA

Why Malaysia Airlines jet might have disappeared

By Scott Mayerowitz (Associated Press)
March 10, 2014


An oil slick in the seas between Vietnam and Malaysia is seen from the air Sunday March 9, 2014. This is one of the two oil slicks Vietnamese air force spotted Saturday which authority suspected could be from the Malaysian airliner which disappeared Saturday on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Military radar indicates that the missing Boeing 777 jet may have turned back, Malaysia's air force chief said Sunday as scores of ships and aircraft from across Asia resumed a hunt for the plane and its 239 passengers. (AP Photo)

NEW YORK â€" The most dangerous parts of a flight are takeoff and landing. Rarely do incidents happen when a plane is cruising seven miles (11 kilometers) above the earth.

So the disappearance of a Malaysia Airlines jet well into its flight Saturday morning over the South China Sea has led aviation experts to assume that whatever happened was quick and left the pilots no time to place a distress call.

It could take investigators months, if not years, to determine what happened to the Boeing 777 flying from Malaysia's largest city of Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

Airport authorites posted a written notice asking relatives and friends of passengers to gather to a hotel about 30 minutes drive from the airport to wait for further information, and provided a shuttle bus service.

Another woman wept aboard the shuttle bus while talking by mobile phone, ” They want us to go to the hotel. It cannot be good!”

Malaysia Airlines has 15 Boeing 777-200 jets in its fleet of about 100 planes. The state-owned carrier last month reported its fourth straight quarterly loss.

The 777 had not had a fatal crash in its 20 year history until the Asiana crash in San Francisco in July 2013. All 16 crew members survived, but thee of the 291 passengers, all teenage girls from China, were killed.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/

The airline said it was working with authorities who activated their search and rescue teams to locate the aircraft. The route would take the aircraft from Malaysia across to Vietnam and China.

“Our team is currently calling the next-of-kin of passengers and crew. Focus of the airline is to work with the emergency responders and authorities and mobilize its full support,” Malaysia Airlines CEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya said in a statement.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with all affected passengers and crew and their family members,” he added.

At Beijing’s airport, Zhai Le was waiting for her friends, a couple, who were on their way back to the Chinese capital on the flight. She said she was very concerned because she hadn’t been able to reach them.


This screengrab from flightradar24.com shows the last reported position of Malaysian Airlines flight MH370

Sharuji said that the plane was flying at an altitude of 35,000 feet and that the pilots reported no problem with the aircraft.

Flight MH370 departed Kuala Lumpur at 12:41 a.m. Saturday (16:41 GMT Friday) and was expected to land in Beijing at 6:30 a.m. Saturday (22:30 GMT Friday), MalaysiaAirlines said.

The plane was carrying 227 passengers, including two infants, and 12 crew members, the airline said.

China-bound Malaysian jet vanishes with 239 aboard

Associated Press
March 8th, 2014

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia  â€" A Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200 carrying 239 people lost contact with air traffic control early Saturday morning on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, and international aviation authorities still hadn’t located the jetliner several hours later.

The plane lost communication two hours into the flight over Vietnam at 1:20 a.m. (18:20 GMT Friday), China’s state news agency said. The radar signal also was lost, Xinhua reported.

There were rumors the plane had landed safely, but Fuad Sharuji, Malaysian Airlines’ vice president of operations control, told CNN that they were untrue and the airline had no idea where the plane was. AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes sent a tweet saying that the radio failed and all were safe, but the tweet was later deleted.

the truth is out there...

there are some things one can believe, though, because they're easier to believe.

1.  that the accused ended up apologizing to the judge.
2.  that senator tito sotto did all he could to save his brother and close friends from a possible death sentence.  (who wouldn't?)
3.  that the elder cayetano (father rene of the current senators cayetanos) had his name propelled, through name recall, to the national consciousness because of his pro bono case for the victim.  otherwise, he was just an 'abogado de kape', the opposite of 'abogado de campanilla'.
4.  some reports said that the accused settled out of court with pepsi paloma; the amount: 300k.  other reports said the starlet got nothing because it went to her pro bono lawyer.  either way, this specific tidbit of the sordid story can no longer be proven because...
5.  pepsi paloma, aka delia smith, the person who could have told the truth and probably nothing but, committed suicide on may 31,1985.

-from various readings

phobia sa wedding dress?  wow.  thanks for the story, rnald01.  tagalog nga at medyo nahirapan ako, pero natiis ko pa ring tapusin ang pagbasa.  sayang naman pag hindi ko malaman ang ending.  baka hindi pa ako makatulog.  salamat uli, sir.  sa uulitin...

such thoughts and feelings can still haunt us even if we're beside our special someone, lorenz.  it goes to show that redemption is a very personal commitment.  or so i think.  smile.  you're a great person.

uy, nanggawas na ang mga actors.

i'll think of quantity of friends only when i run for senator of our republic.

Gibraltar
British territory in the Southern point of Spain, Gibraltar is a powerful naval base that connects the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean between Spain and northern Africa.

Manhattan, New York City
A great view of Manhattan from the sky.

Field Hay Rolls
Hay is a grass, legume or other herbaceous plant that has been cut, dried, rolled and stored for use as animal fodder, particularly for grazing livestock such as cattle, horses, goats and sheep.

Sunset on Sri Lanka
Sunset on a beach in Sri Lanka.

The Taj Mahal
The construction of the Taj Mahal began in 1631 and took more then 12 years to be completed around 1643. In 2007 the Taj Mahal became one of the seven wonders of the world.

Meanwhile, this dude was probably looking for the nearest bathroom.

http://www.cracked.com/

Wikipedia
"So, uh, what mileage do you get from these things?"

The photo was taken by Reuters correspondent Terril Jones, who figured that no one would care about it once he noticed that someone else had photographed the same situation from a far better angle. Jones didn't publish the photo until 2009, after reading a New York Times retrospective on Tank Man, but the most mind-blowing part is that it shows how deliberate the unknown man's actions were. He didn't just cross the street one day and run into some tanks -- he saw them coming a mile away and intentionally stayed there to block their passage.

So, despite the first guy's amused expression, these guys aren't just jogging: They're escaping from tanks. The second, even more significant detail is the lone man who can be seen between the trees behind Chuckles here -- a lone man standing in the middle of the street, carrying two grocery bags, in front of some tanks.


"The gypsy lady said that when the time came, I would know what my nickname means."

Yes, that's the (still unknown) dude from the famous photo of the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989, seconds before he planted himself before a bunch of tanks sent to disperse protesters and forced them to stop there for an awkwardly long time.

Tank Man Begins


NY Times

If someone posted this image in your Facebook feed, you'd probably glance at it for half a second and assume that it's a completely normal photo of two guys running in the park (even though they have some perfectly good bikes right in front of them that they could use instead). However, once you look at the background, two odd little details stand out. The first one, of course, is that there are tanks coming from the upper right corner:


Where's the Tiananmen Square Tank Man when you need him?

U.S.-based TV anchor quits Russian station during newscast

Reuters â€" 23 hours ago (06 March 2014)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Washington-based news anchor for the Russia Today television network quit her job on air on Wednesday, telling viewers she could not be part of a Russian government-funded station "that whitewashes the actions of Putin."

Citing on-air comments earlier this week by another U.S.-based Russia Today presenter, Abby Martin, that Russian intervention in Ukraine's Crimea region was "wrong," Liz Wahl told viewers that "as a reporter on this network, I face many ethical and moral challenges."

"My grandparents came here as refugees during the Hungarian revolution, ironically to escape the Soviet forces," Wahl said, adding she was "very lucky to have grown up here in the United States."

Wahl added she was the daughter of a military veteran and her partner was a doctor at a military base "where he sees everyday the first-hand accounts of the ultimate prices that people pay for this country."

"And that is why personally I cannot be part of a network funded by the Russian government that whitewashes the actions of Putin," she said.

"I'm proud to be an American and believe in disseminating the truth and that is why after this newscast, I'm resigning."

Russia Today could not be reached for comment. The multilingual news and information network broadcasts in more than 100 countries.

(Writing by Peter Cooney; Editing by Jan Paschal)

http://ph.celebrity.yahoo.com/

what happened to her lips?

we'll just pray for the best.  like having more asses without holes.

baby panda is lonely so papa panda had to wear shoes.

yes, doggie-doggie, thoughtful doggie!  cheers for all the dogs in the world!

cute.  but is it a camera or a ladies' bag?

John Paul II and Benedict XVI were professors of theology. Francis is a former janitor, nightclub bouncer, chemical technician and literature teacher.

And behind his self-effacing facade, he is a very canny operator. He makes masterly use of 21st century tools to perform his 1st century office. He is photographed washing the feet of female convicts, posing for selfies with young visitors to the Vatican, embracing a man with a deformed face. He is quoted saying of women who consider abortion because of poverty or rape, “Who can remain unmoved before such painful situations?” Of gay people: “If a homosexual person is of good will and is in search of God, I am no one to judge.” To divorced and remarried Catholics who are, by rule, forbidden from taking Communion, he says that this crucial rite “is not a prize for the perfect but a powerful medicine and nourishment for the weak.”

Read more: TIME's Person of the Year 2013 Pope Francis, The People's Pope | TIME.com http://poy.time.com/2013/12/11/person-of-the-year-pope-francis-the-peoples-pope/#ixzz2vED0qyKe

A Tibetan Monk carries a portrait of spiritual leader the Dalai Lama during festivities marking the last day of the Tibetan New Year, or Losar, in Kathmandu, Nepal.

http://www.voanews.com/

British parliamentarians Lord St John of Bletso (R) and Julian Huppert MP (2nd R) take part in the annual parliamentary pancake race on Shrove in central London.

http://www.voanews.com/

A stock trader dressed up as nun works at the traditional stock exchange carnival in Frankfurt, Germany.

http://www.voanews.com/

Javan tiger

The Javan tiger (Panthera tigris sondaica) is an extinct tiger subspecies that inhabited the Indonesian island of Java until the mid-1970s. It was one of the three subspecies limited to islands. (wikipedia)


Javan tiger photographed by Andries Hoogerwerf in Ujung Kulon National Park, 1938

Caspian tiger

The Caspian tiger (Panthera tigris virgata), also known as the Hyrcanian tiger, the Mazandaran tiger is an extinct tiger subspecies that had been recorded in the wild until the early 1970s, and used to inhabit the sparse forest habitats and riverine corridors west and south of the Caspian Sea, from Turkey, Iran and east through Central Asia into the Takla Makan desert of Xinjiang, China. There are no individuals in captivity.

The Caspian tiger was formerly found in Chinese and Russian Turkestan, Afghanistan, Iran, and Turkey.

The Caspian tiger together with the Siberian and Bengal tiger subspecies represented the largest living felid and ranked among the biggest felids that ever existed. (wikipedia)


Captive Caspian tiger, Berlin Zoo, 1899

sadly extinct now:

Bali tiger

The Bali tiger (Panthera tigris balica), harimau Bali in Indonesian, or referred to as samong in archaic Balinese language, was a subspecies of tiger which was found solely on the small Indonesian island of Bali. This was one of three subspecies of tigers found in Indonesia, together with the Javan tiger, which is also extinct, and the critically endangered Sumatran tiger. It was the smallest of the tiger subspecies.

The last specimen definitely recorded was a female shot at Sumbar Kima, west Bali, on September 27, 1937. However, a few animals likely survived into the 1940s and possibly 1950s. The subspecies became extinct because of habitat loss and hunting. Given the small size of the island, and limited forest cover, the original population could never have been large. (wikipedia)


The hunting party of Baron Oskar Vojnich with a Balinese tiger, shot at Gunung Gondol, NW Bali, Nov. 1911

ooops, wrong character.  it's a rhinoceros.  or a tiger in halloween costume?

Sumatran tigers are critically endangered. At the turn of the century, there were as many as 1,000 tigers on the island. Today there are as few as 350 left in the wild. They live only on the island of Sumatra, where their habitat is rapidly shrinking, replaced by oil palm and coffee plantations. The decline of their natural prey species brings them into conflict with livestock owners, and incidents like this weekend's make it even harder for locals to live side by side with these intimidating predators.



Sumatran tigers are also lucrative targets for poachers, who can sell their body parts to Asian "medicine" markets. According to Panthera, one of the world's leading big-cat conservation groups, about 50 Sumatran tigers were killed every year between 1998 and 2002. Over three-quarters of those tigers ended up on the illegal wildlife trade market. And since 1990, three subspecies of tigers have gone extinct: the Bali tiger, the Caspian tiger, and the Javan tiger.

http://www.takepart.com/

The men are reported to have been gathering rare agarwood in Mount Leuser National Park, for incense and perfume, when one of their traps, set to catch deer for their dinner, caught a tiger cub instead. The injured kitten apparently attracted adult tigers the way a fallen toddler attracts moms at a playground. But these moms didn't whip out the Neosporinâ€"they chased the unintentional trappers up trees. One of the six men reportedly fell out of his tree and was, tragically, mauled to death. The other five men sent text messages back home, but were unreachable with what some reports say were as many as seven tigers standing guard.

On Monday the five men were finally saved by a team of rescue workers, police, and trained animal handlers. They are reported to be in weak condition, having survived off rainwater during their tiger-enforced captivity.

Critically Endangered Sumatran Tigers Trap Five Men Up Tree for Days

After being circled for almost a week, the men are finally rescued.


Would you be able to survive five days up a tree with a pack of these staring at you? (Photo: Andrew Winning/Reuters)

By Joanna M. Foster
July 09, 2013

It's easy to admire the majesty of tigers when you're on your couch watching NatGeo, or smugly sitting behind several feet of glass at a zoo. But would you still think they were pretty kitties if tigers had chased you up a tree and kept you there for days, circling watchfully below?

That's exactly what happened in Sumatra to a group of men who were rescued Monday from an unimaginable five-day ordeal involving the world's rarest tiger.

Shere Khan

"We had two handlers there that are trained by me, they know what to do, so he was in complete control at all times. It's not like we walked in there, turned him loose, and said go see everybody," Basile said.

Basile, who is raising the now five month old cub to be part of his wildlife education center, was charged with three misdemeanors, including reckless conduct and possession of a dangerous animal. He believes the whole incident has been blown out of proportion, especially by some of the international press.

"People were getting the assumption that I brought a 500 pound tiger into the bar, well he's only 45 pounds," said Basile.

http://www.myfoxchicago.com/
(Photos by FOX 32's Craig Wall)

FOX 32's Craig Wall with Shere Khan

People who saw the tiger that night said it was a little disconcerting seeing what is usually considered a wild animal.

"I was a little scared, like I was surprised to see somebody with a tiger, like just walking the streets like it was a normal thing, like a dog or something," said Ethan Autman, a witness to the scene that night who recorded video of the animal.

Basile said that he took the tiger to the bar to promote Wild Fest, an upcoming event he was taking part in with other wildlife educators where people get to see the tiger up close. He said at no time was anyone in the bar in danger.

Tiger in bar blown out of proportion, owner explains his side

Mar 04, 2014
By Craig Wall


John Basile and Shere Khan

CHICAGO (FOX 32 News) - John Basile likes to take his Siberian Tiger Shere Khan for walks outside, so the cub can play with his Great Pyrenees dog pal Max. It's not a problem at Basile's Big Run Wolf Ranch in Lockport.

However, On Sunday February 16th, Basile took the tiger to Uncle Richie's Bar in town and it caused a bit of a stir.

"I don't know if I had permission, the owner was not there, so I brought him in the back door, and he stayed for 15 minutes and then the music was too loud and too many people, too many distractions, so he started getting a little cranky so I took him out," said Basile.

How Basile or the ranch acquired a tiger, an animal native to the Himalayan foothills, is a mystery. "A tiger in the U.S. can be purchased online or in person for as little as $300," Born Free USA CEO Adam Roberts said last week in a statement.



Even though tigers are an endangered speciesâ€"with a wild population of fewer than 3,200 individualsâ€"as many as 7,000 tigers live in private captivity in the U.S. alone. Most of these are crossbreedsâ€"mixes of the six remaining subspecies of tigerâ€"and therefore useless for conservation breeding.

more at http://news.yahoo.com/guy-pet-tiger-walked-bar-happened-next-224051594.html

Uncle Ritchie is lucky he isn't now known for something else bloody. Basile's tiger had already bitten a woman once, when he brought it to the same bar in December, according to St. Louis news station KSDK. That attack was never reported.

This time, though, police did take notice. "Well, it surprised me there's a tiger in the bar," Chief of Police Terry Lemming told the station with very professional understatement. Basile has been charged with two misdemeanorsâ€"reckless conduct and possession of a dangerous animal. He is due in court on March 28.



Big Run Wolf Ranch bills itself as a "non-profit, federally licensed educational facility” that focuses on “the education and conservation of North American wildlife." It is home to 10 wolves, several of which were born at the facility, as well as a black bear, a mountain lion, and three coyotes. CBS Chicago, however, describes the facility a bit differently: It’s really “a jumble of cages.”

A Guy and His Pet Tiger Walked Into a Bar â€" Find Out What Happened Next

By John Platt
Takepart.com March 4, 2014

Of all the things one might expect to see on a city street at 7:30 p.m. on a Sunday night, a tiger on a leash probably isn't one of them.

That's what several people in the Chicago suburb of Lockport encountered on Feb. 16 when John Basile, owner of the Big Run Wolf Ranch, took his pet tiger cub, Shere Khan, for a casual stroll. After crossing the Ninth Street Bridge, which prompted several stunned gawkers to snap his photograph, he even brought the tiger into Uncle Ritchie's Place, a bar known for its Bloody Marys.


My name is Khan, Shere Khan

along racial divides?

If this laundry list feels intimidating, consider that these lifestyle changes are quite synergistic. Eating more fruit and non-starchy vegetables generally results in increased fiber intake -- thus killing two birds with one stone. It may also help you lose weight, in which case that's three items you can knock off the list from one single change. Similarly, drinking less alcohol and getting more exercise tend to contribute to weight loss. If you take a combined calcium and vitamin D supplement -- or up your intake of low-fat dairy products fortified with Vitamin D -- you'll address two risk factors in one fell swoop. Eliminating nitrite-preserved meats like bacon and hot dogs may help reduce your intake of total red meat as well, thereby magnifying the risk reduction.

Finally, if you have a loved one who's 50 or older, nag him to get his routine colon screening. Colonoscopy not only detects cancer early -- when it's most treatable -- but also enables the removal of pre-cancerous polyps before they can turn into cancers. So offer to drive your 50-something friends to and from their procedure, and assure them that while the prep for a routine colonoscopy may be mildly unpleasant, it need only be done once every five to 10 years in healthy people. Colonoscopy is done under sedation; it's a short procedure that's not at all painful. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Tamara Duker Freuman, MS, RD, CDN, is a registered dietitian whose NYC-based clinical practice specializes in digestive disorders, celiac Disease, and food intolerances. Her personal blog, www.tamaraduker.com, focuses on healthy eating and gluten-free living.

http://news.yahoo.com/

9. Take a vitamin D supplement. Low levels of vitamin D in the blood have been identified as a risk factor for colorectal cancer. Since Vitamin D is not a particularly prevalent dietary vitamin, many people require some degree of supplementation -- at least during the non-summer months. This is particularly true of people: who live north of 40 degrees latitude (Washington, D.C.-ish); who avoid the sun in summertime or wear sunblock; who have darker complexions; and who do not consume fortified dairy products (or non-dairy equivalents) regularly.

10. Drink your milk. If you like and tolerate cow's milk, here's some good news: Consuming it regularly may have a modest protective effect against colorectal cancer. Higher intake of dietary calcium (including from supplements) and liquid milk in particular has been associated with decreased risk of developing colorectal cancer compared to lower intake. Importantly, relying on cheese as the primary source of calcium may not be the optimal strategy to help reduce colorectal cancer risk. Research suggests that high intakes of cheese may actually have the opposite effect, possibly due to its concentrated saturated fat content.

7. Eat more fruits and non-starchy vegetables. Now that you've freed up all that space in your diet from cutting back bacon and red meat, what will you replace it with? How about fruits and non-starchy vegetables -- such as dark leafy greens, beets, squashes, bell peppers, tomatoes, asparagus, carrots, cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli and green beans? These foods seem to have a protective effect against colorectal cancer, likely as the result of a combination of factors that includes their antioxidant content, fiber and species-specific phytochemicals. Research has shown that people with diets highest in fruit and non-starchy veggies have lower risk of developing digestive system cancers (including colorectal) compared to people whose diets contain the least amount of these foods. Garlic may be particularly beneficial, so use it liberally.

8. Get plenty of fiber, preferably from whole foods. Beyond the specific benefits of fruits and veggies, dietary fiber from other plant-based sources may confer a protective benefit against colon cancer. Fiber is non-digestible plant material that travels through the length of the intestines and arrives to the colon intact. Once there, it may trap dietary carcinogens in the stool, escorting them out of the body expeditiously before they have the chance to cause trouble. Fiber also provides fuel to the resident bacteria living in our guts, which produce cancer-preventing byproducts called short chain fatty acids. Fiber-rich foods like beans, seeds, nuts, oatmeal and bran cereal are preferable to fiber-fortified, highly-processed foods because the bulk of research investigating the chemoprotective effect of high fiber diets examined fiber from whole foods -- which tends to differ from the laboratory-made types of fiber added to functional foods. Snack on edamame, dry roasted chickpeas or popcorn instead of 90 calorie fiber bars or brownies. Have oatmeal with nuts instead of a packaged cereal bar for breakfast. Choose lentil or split pea soup for lunch instead of a sandwich.

5. Eat less red meat. There is strong evidence supporting high intake of red meat as a risk factor for colorectal cancer. One large study that examined the diets of adults aged 50 to 71 showed that people with the highest intakes of red meat -- an average of 5 ounces per day -- had a 24 percent greater risk of developing colorectal cancer compared to those with the lowest intake -- an average of about half an ounce per day. It has been proposed that multiple mechanisms may be at play, including the type of iron found in red meat (heme iron) and increased exposure to carcinogens called HCAs that are produced when red meat in particular is charred or cooked at a high temperature. If you can't imagine life without red meat, try thinking of red meat as a garnish to veggie-heavy meals such as stir fries or salads, rather than a center-of-the-plate affair. And consider lower-temperature cooking methods such as braising, boiling or even sautéing instead of broiling or grilling.

6. Avoid foods preserved with sodium nitrite. As you go about reducing your meat intake, start with "pink" processed meats like bacon, salami and hot dogs. These foods -- as well as other processed lunchmeats -- are commonly preserved with sodium nitrite. When sodium nitrite encounters stomach acid during digestion, it may convert to a compound called a nitrosamine, which is a known carcinogen. Indeed, both high intake of nitrites and processed meats have been associated with increased risk of colorectal cancer compared to lower intakes. If you choose to consume processed meats, look for nitrite-free products, such as those marketed by the Applegate Farms brand.

3. Get moving! Sedentary lifestyles are associated with an increased risk of digestive system cancers. Evidence supporting a significant protective effect of physical activity on colorectal cancer risk is particularly strong. The body of available research suggests that the most active adults have a 40 to 50 percent reduced risk of developing colon cancer, compared to the least active adults. Importantly, the protective effect of exercise appears to be independent of weight status, meaning that regular physical activity appears to reduce risk of colon cancer even in people who are overweight or obese. So if regular exercise hasn't yielded the weight loss you've hoped for, don't be discouraged: There are substantial health benefits to physical activity that may not show up on the scale.

4. Get serious about weight loss. Obesity is a strong risk factor for colorectal cancer, and researchers estimate that risk increases about 15 percent with each five additional points of body mass index beyond the upper end of normal range. So, for example, weight loss that results in a reduction of BMI from 35 to 30 would be expected to result in about a 15 percent risk reduction.

As scary as these stats may sound, a large percentage of cases are preventable. Here are 10 lifestyle changes that may be of benefit in colorectal cancer risk reduction:

1. Reduce your alcohol intake. When it comes to cancer prevention, less (alcohol) is more. Alcohol use is a known risk factor for colorectal cancer -- among other cancers -- with risk increasing as alcohol intake increases. If you choose to drink, try limiting your intake to no more than one drink daily.

2. Quit smoking. Smoking is not just a risk factor for lung cancer, but for all digestive system cancers, including colorectal, stomach and esophageal. Make the decision to quit this month, once and for all.

10 Ways to Help Reduce Your Risk of Colon Cancer

US News
By Tamara Duker Freuman
March 4, 2014

March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month: a perfect time to direct attention to the tail end of your digestive tract. Contrary to what many believe, the colon isn't an inert hollow tube that simply serves as a reservoir for waste until you can find a toilet. Rather, it's a complex organ that performs the essential function of facilitating balance of fluid and electrolytes in the body in addition to its role in storing and eliminating waste. Equally important -- if not more so -- the colon hosts a crucial ecosystem of bacteria that plays a vital role in health. Unfortunately, many of us fail to appreciate just how central the colon is to our health and survival until something goes wrong.

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S., claiming the lives of more than 50,000 Americans annually. The vast majority of cases occur in people over age 50, and African Americans have the highest rates of colon cancer incidence among all racial groups.

Today’s tourists are numerous, and most visit the Rano Raraku quarry, which yielded the stones used for almost all of the island’s moai. Rapa Nui’s ancient inhabitants left the quarry in a fascinating condition â€" it is home to some 400 statues, which appear in all stages of completion.


wanderingtrader.com

Meanwhile, across the entire island, many moai are reversing the creation process and deteriorating rapidly from priceless carvings back into plain rock. The volcanic stone is subject to weathering, and intensive conservation efforts are needed to help preserve Rapa Nui’s stone legacy in its present, awe-inspiring state.

http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/

It is generally thought that the Rapa Nui’s demise resulted from an environmental catastrophe of their own making.

It’s not clear when the islands were first settled; estimates range from A.D. 800 to 1200. It’s also not clear how quickly the island ecosystem was wreckedâ€"but a major factor appears to be the cutting of millions of giant palms to clear fields or make fires. It is possible that Polynesian rats, arriving with human settlers, may have eaten enough seeds to help to decimate the trees.

Either way, loss of the trees exposed the island’s rich volcanic soils to serious erosion. When Europeans arrived in 1722, they found the island mostly barren and its inhabitants few.


www.enjoyourholiday.com

Rapa Nui’s mysterious moai statues stand in silence but speak volumes about the achievements of their creators. The stone blocks, carved into head-and-torso figures, average 13 feet (4 meters) tall and 14 tons. The effort to construct these monuments and move them around the island must have been considerableâ€"but no one knows exactly why the Rapa Nui people undertook such a task. Most scholars suspect that the moai were created to honor ancestors, chiefs, or other important personages, However, no written and little oral history exists on the island, so it’s impossible to be certain.


mentalfloss.com

A Polynesian society blossomed in this unlikely locale after hardy souls somehow navigated a fleet of wooden outrigger canoes to this tiny speck in the vastness of the Pacific Ocean. Here, in isolation some 2,300 miles (3,700 kilometers) west of South America and 1,100 miles (1,770 kilometers) from the nearest neighboring island, the Rapa Nui developed a distinct architectural and artistic culture. That culture reached its zenith during the tenth to 16th centuries, when the Rapa Nui carved and erected some 900 moai across the island.

Easter Island

   
Photograph by Christian Wilkinson, My Shot

Giant moai statues dot the grassy flanks of an extinct volcano on Easter Island.

Site: Rapa Nui National Park (Easter Island)

Location: Chile

Year Designated: 1995

Category: Cultural

Reason: Easter Island’s silent stone figures are a monument to the seafaring skills and unique culture of ancient Polynesian peoples.

Local folklore

In some areas of the country, some people believe that balete trees are dwelling places for supernatural beings like kapre or tikbalang. In some places, sorcery rituals are known to be performed inside the chambers formed by the tree. Also among others, some superstitious folks suggest not bringing balete as decorative plants inside a house as they allegedly invite ghosts.

Balete Drive in New Manila, Quezon City, named after a gargantuan balete tree that used to stand in the middle of the street, is allegedly one of the most haunted places in the city. The tale of a white lady appears at night hailing cars that drive by have been circulated since the 1950s. (wikipedia)

Balete tree (also known as Balite or Baliti) are several species of the trees in the Philippines from the genus Ficus that are broadly referred to as balete in the local language. A number of these are known as strangler figs wherein they start upon other trees, later entrapping them entirely and finally killing the host tree.

Also called hemiepiphytes, initially, they start as epiphytes or air plants and grow several hanging roots that eventually touch the ground and from then on, encircling and suffocating the host tree. Some of the baletes produce an inferior quality of rubber. The India rubber plant, F. elastica were earlier cultivated to some extent for rubber. Some of the species like tangisang-bayawak or Ficus variegata are large and could probably be utilized for match woods. The woods of species of Ficus are soft, light, and of inferior quality, and the trees usually have ill-formed, short boles. (wikipedia)

A 400-year old balete tree in Barangay Campalanas in the town of Lazi, in Siquijor province is believed to be the oldest and the biggest in the province. What is also unusual about this tree is the spring that emanates from the base of the tree and flows straight into a man-made pool. (wikipedia)





images from http://www.pinoytravelfreak.com/

A balete tree locally called "Millenium Tree" in Barangay Quirino, Maria Aurora, Aurora province in the Philippines is claimed to be the largest of its kind in Asia. It is estimated to be about 600+ years old and 60 metres (200 ft) tall with its roots about 10 metres (33 ft) to 15 metres (49 ft) in diameter. It is possible for adult people to squeeze into the center of its root network. (wikipedia)


The “Millennium Tree” at Balete Park in Brgy. Quirino in the town of Maria Aurora in Aurora province

The balete tree inside the OISCA Farm in Lumapao, Canlaon City, Negros Oriental, Philippines is estimated by botanists from Silliman University to be around 1,328 years old. It would take at least 42 men to encircle its trunk. At the heart of this wide tree trunk is a cavity where lizards, bats and many insects have made it their home. With fireflies lighting it at night like a year-round Christmas tree, it is one of the city's main tourist attraction. (wikipedia)

A dog dressed up in a panda outfit takes part in an exhibition called "Pandas on Tour" in front of the Taipei City Hall on March 2, 2014.

http://www.voanews.com/

Papier mache pandas, created by French artist Paulo Grangeon, are seen displayed outside the Taipei City Hall in Taiwan as part of an exhibition called "Pandas on Tour".

http://www.voanews.com/

Participants march during Sydney's annual gay and lesbian Mardi Gras night parade in Australia. Some 10,000 revelers on 144 individual floats marked the journey down Oxford Street, hub of the city's gay and lesbian nightlife, in a vibrant show featuring drag queens, political parodies and plenty of glitter.

http://www.voanews.com/

A woman plays a piano in a street near Kyiv's Independence square, Ukraine. Pro-Russian forces tightened their grip on Crimea as the Kremlin vowed to help restore calm on the restive Ukrainian peninsula and Washington warned of "costs" to Moscow should it order in troops.

http://www.voanews.com/

Members of the opening committee perform at the Opera Ball in Vienna, Austria, Feb. 27, 2014. The 18 to 24-year-olds spent weeks rehearsing for a performance that lasts just three or four minutes but had a huge audience at home and abroad.

http://www.voanews.com/

A participant in the competition for the longest ash is dizzied by the smoke of his cigar during the XVI Cuba Cigar festival, in Havana, Feb. 27, 2014.

http://www.voanews.com/

Göreme was inhabited as early as the Hittite era, circa 1800 to 1200 B.C. and later sat uncomfortably on the boundary between rival empires; first the Greeks and Persians and later the Byzantine Greeks and a host of rivals. This precarious political position meant that residents needed hiding placesâ€"and found them by tunneling into the rock itself.

The site became a religious refuge during the early days of Christianity. By the fourth century Christians fleeing Rome’s persecution had arrived in some numbers and established monastic communities here. The monks excavated extensive dwellings and monasteries and created Byzantine frescoed paintings in cave chapels beginning in the seventh century, which endure in well-preserved isolation to this day.


excellentworlds.com

Göreme is rich with history, but not all of Cappadocia’s troglodyte dwellings are museums. Some still serve as homes and others as hotels, which offer a truly unique hospitality experience.

The primary threats to this World Heritage site come from the forces that created it in the first place. Erosion is returning some human endeavors to a more natural state, and extensive preservation efforts are meant to ensure that the wonders of Göreme survive for another millennium. With increased tourist trade, however, humans have brought modern development and damage or destruction to some of the ancient sites they once created.


planeandjane.com

http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/

Erosion shaped the incredible landscape of the Göreme valley, but thousands of years ago humans took a cue from Mother Nature and began carving an incredible chamber and tunnel complex into the soft rock. Beginning in the fourth century A.D., an urbanizedâ€"but undergroundâ€"cultural landscape was created here.


wikipedia/commons

Ancient volcanic eruptions blanketed this region with thick ash, which solidified into a soft rockâ€"called tuffâ€"tens of meters thick. Wind and water went to work on this plateau, leaving only its harder elements behind to form a fairy tale landscape of cones, pillars, pinnacles, mushrooms, and chimneys, which stretch as far as 130 feet (40 meters) into the sky.


www.ephesuscappadociatour.com

But human hands performed equally incredible works here. The rocky wonderland is honeycombed with a network of human-created caves; living quarters, places of worship, stables, and storehouses were all dug into the soft stone. In fact, tunnel complexes formed entire towns with as many as eight different stories hidden underground.

Cappadocia


Photograph by Paule Seux, Hemis/Corbis

For more than a thousand years, people have made their homes in the soft rock of Cappadocia.

Site: Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia

Location: Turkey

Year Designated: 1985

Category: Cultural, natural

Reason: This rocky landscape is honeycombed with networks of ancient underground settlements and outstanding examples of Byzantine art.

Turkey Troglodyte Town
In the middle of Turkey, the region named Cappadoce is a land of fairy chimneys...soon expanded into troglodyte villages and towns, cave houses and underground cities.

Paradise Beach
A sandy seaside area covered with coconut trees in Sri Lanka.

Meteor
Luminous phenomenon due to the entry to the earth atmosphere of solid bodies coming from the space.

Verdant public garden
A green labyrinth in concentric circles in the Royal Botanical Garden of Hamilton in Ontario, Canada.

10. Discipline


Photo: J i J y

When growing up with a pet, children learn a great deal about discipline. If they have a dog at home, they learn to train it and teach it how to listen. It’s been scientifically proven that having a dog helps children learn about discipline. Some would argue that cats discipline their owners naturally.

There are many sound reasons why children benefit from owning pets. There are many life skills they learn as a result of caring for another being and committing to the responsibility. As an added bonus, children would be able to share their youths with automatic best friends.

http://womanitely.com/

9. Learn About Commitment


Photo: Sarah Korf

Growing up with a pet is a huge commitment on the part of the human.  Pets are not things children can just put on shelves when they get tired of taking care of them.  They need to be fed, cleaned, exercised, played with, and otherwise loved every single day.  Having a pet is a total commitment and cannot ever be treated as a part-time job.  This teaches children to commit and follow through with the task.

8. Learn About Consequences


Photo: Muffet

Caring for pets can teach children a great deal about consequences.  When pets are not cared for properly, the results are real and easy for children to grasp.  If fish are not fed, they die.  If dogs don’t exercise, they get agitated.  When cats are ignored, they will seek revenge and do something mean.  If a gerbil or hamster’s cage does not get cleaned out, it will start to really smell bad.

7. Improve Reading Skills


Photo: Svadilfari

Many children are more comfortable reading aloud to pets than they are other humans.  Perhaps it is because pets do not judge â€" pets do not correct the children and make them reread.  The bottom line to improving reading skills is to practice it repeatedly.  The more children read, the better they get at it.  At younger ages, it is best for children to read aloud so that they can hear themselves.

When pets are used to help children read, they essentially support the improvement of fluency.  The oral practice children experience when reading to their pets helps them become fluent readers, resulting in better comprehension of what they are reading.

6. Relieve Stress


Photo: YL Tan

Along the same lines of keeping children calm, dogs are also great to have around as stress relievers. Being around dogs can be extremely therapeutic for the entire family. Just cuddling with the family pooch can bring about a sense of safety and security for children, let alone the rest of the family.  Often, people turn to their dogs for comfort.  They make good sounding boards as they are good listeners and never talk back.  They never try to give advice when it is not wanted.  They are simply there as calming influences for people who are flustered and stressed out.

Although cats are not as compassionate, as pets, they can still help relieve undue stress.  There is something to be said when cats cuddle up.  Their soft coats and purring can help their owners feels a sense of calm.  There are gentle sides to cats â€" they just don’t like to show it very often.

5. Calm


Photo: Rocky Mountain Feline Rescue

Pets tend to bring about a sense of calm for children.  Some youngsters are more relaxed around their pets than other humans. Like adults, children turn to their pets when they are feeling sad, angry, or otherwise upset.  Magically, pets will bring peace to the situation and provide their humans with unconditional love.

4. Exercise and Play


Photo: nikoretro

Pets, especially dogs, need exercise and play.  The activities that children participate in with their pets are usually physical.  This allows boys and girls to stay fit.  In general, families spend more time outside when they have pets.  The sunshine and fresh air are good for everyone. Learning about the need for exercise for pets to stay healthy helps children apply the same concepts to their own well-being.

3. Less Prone to Allergies and Asthma


Photo: Scott & Elaine van der Chijs

Multiple studies over the years have shown that children who grow up with pets are less prone to develop allergies and asthma.  When exposed to pet dander and other allergens before the age of one, children tend to develop stronger immune systems.  Results published inClinical and Experimental Allergy state that boys who grew up with indoor pets were half as likely to develop severe allergies later on in life.

2. Self-Confidence


Photo: rabble

Along with responsibility for a pet comes the building of self-confidence.  When children are successful at raising their pets, they feel good about themselves.  In turn, their self-esteem increases and they carry a confident air about them.  They are, in a sense, proud of their accomplishments.

1. Responsibility


Photo: Acy Varlan

Children with pets develop a sense of responsibility and care for others early on in life.  Pets need care and attention all the time.  They depend on their humans to feed, entertain, and exercise them.  Children who are active in raising their pets usually learn how to be empathetic and compassionate. Learning how to be responsible for another creature will allow the youngsters to better take care of themselves as well.

It is important for pet owners to help their children take care of the pets, gradually releasing responsibility to them over time.  When they are young, children can help their parents fill the water or food bowls.  As they get older, the assistance can gradually increase.

10 Reasons Your Children Should Own a Pet

Feb 10, 2014
Jennifer Houston



Decade after decade, the debate continues â€" is it good for children to grow up with pets?  There are many positive reasons why children should own pets.  Not only do pets teach children many life skills, they are also wonderful friends. Check out 10 reasons why your child should have a pet.

Pegaga is the Malaysian term for Centella asiatica. The botanical name for Papaya is Carica papaya. They are neither the same plant nor are they related.

As has been pointed out in the quoted thread, the symptoms of dengue fever tend to last 5-6 days. The person whose case was discussed above had already been in hospital for three days and presumably had been ill before hospitalization. Therefore the juice "treatment" would have occurred at the tail end of the illness, right before nature takes its course and the symptoms would have subsided naturally because of the immune system fighting back, just as explained by the doctor in the story.

I would warn anyone against considering Pegaga or Papaya as an alternative to seeking professional medical treatment in case of dengue fever, as this could be life-threatening.

http://message.snopes.com/

21 July 2009 post 2 from a certain AnglRdr    

Yeah, me too. If papaya leave juice was so successful in treating the hemorrhagic symptoms of dengue, I would imagine such news would be shouted from rooftops.


22 July 2009 post 3 from joewein

I've done more research. The core of that email started as a thread posting on a forum in January 2005, which matches it word by word ("You may have heard this elsewhere but if not I am glad to inform you that ...", "It's simple and miraculously effective!!"), except it was making the claims for a completely different plant:

Quote:

Pegaga Juice - Cure for Dengue

You may have heard this elsewhere but if not I am glad to inform you that pegaga juice is a natural cure for dengue fever. As dengue fever is rampant now, I think it's good to share this with all. (more at http://message.snopes.com/showthread.php?t=48383)

the other side, as a cautionary measure

FROM SNOPES.COM

21 July 2009 post 1 from a certain joewein:
   
Dengue fever and papaya juice

A chain letter about juice from papaya leaves as a miracle cure for dengue fever seems to be circulating in India, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore and other countries.

Here is a version I received recently:

Subject: Dengue fever remedy
Date: Wednesday, 15 July, 2009, 3:53 PM

PASS THIS INFORMATION TO AS MANY AS YOU CAN, IT MAY SAVE
LIVES.

Dengue Fever Remedy

I would like to share this interesting discovery from a
classmate's son who has just recovered from dengue fever.
Apparently, his son was in the critical stage at the ICU
when his blood platelet count drops to 15 after 15 liters of
blood transfusion.
His father was so worried that he seeks another friend's
recommendation and his son was saved. He confessed to me
that he gave his son raw juice of the papaya leaves. From a
platelet count of 45 after 20 liters of blood transfusion,
and after drinking the raw papaya leaf juice, his platelet
count jumps instantly to 135. (more at http://message.snopes.com/showthread.php?t=48383])

I have not found any medical sources that back up this claim, only dozens and dozens of forwarded emails with no clearly traceable origin, so I'd be extremely skeptical about it.

Verdant public garden
A green labyrinth in concentric circles in the Royal Botanical Garden of Hamilton in Ontario, Canada.

i won't exchange the opinion of cats and dogs about me for the opinion of people who can be fickle.

Putin is reviving the Brezhnev Doctrine, in which the Soviet Union declared that it could invade any country that tried to escape its domination. The Brezhnev Doctrine was summed up as “once you go Communist, you never go back.” Putin’s version is a bit cruder. The Putin Doctrine is: once you become a kleptocratic dictatorship subservient to Moscow, you never go back.

more at http://thefederalist.com/2014/03/03/the-eighties-called-do-we-want-their-foreign-policy-back/

At the White House Monday night, President Obama met with members of his national security team, including Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State John Kerry, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, National Security Adviser Susan Rice and others to discuss the crisis.

Earlier, Obama said Russia is "on the wrong side of history" and warned that the U.S. and its allies are examining steps to "isolate" the country. Obama, before a meeting in Washington with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said the world largely is in agreement that Russia is "in violation of international law."

He said Moscow's actions are deeply troubling, and said this would be a "costly proposition" for Russia if it continues down this path.

"We are examining a whole series of steps -- economic, diplomatic -- that will isolate Russia," Obama said.

more at http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/03/03/obama-threatens-to-isolate-russia-on-ukraine-though-few-back-military-option/

Does Crimea create a precedent for other Ukrainian cities?

The circumstances in the eastern Ukrainian cities of Donetsk and Kharkiv are comparable to the situation in Crimea. There have been pro-Russian protests in both predominantly Russian-speaking cities. In Donetsk, some 100 demonstrators stormed the regional administration building on Monday.


The entrance to the Donetsk regional government building was damaged by pro-Russian protesters The entrance to the Donetsk regional government building was damaged by pro-Russian protesters

Correspondents described how the protesters in Donetsk chanted, "Putin, come". Russian troops are said to be stationed over the border and President Vladimir Putin has spoken of sending the military on to "the territory of Ukraine" without specifying where.

Is there a 'humanitarian crisis'?

There have been unconfirmed reports in Russian media of 675,000 Ukrainians streaming across the border into Russia since the start of the year. But one Russian TV report on the "humanitarian catastrophe" illustrated its story with a Polish border crossing unrelated to the crisis.

http://www.bbc.com/

Is the government anti-Russian?

Part of the problem is that the government sworn in last week had little connection to Ukraine's more Russophile east. One of its first actions was to repeal a 2012 law recognising Russian as an official regional language. The decision was widely criticised across Ukraine.

Were Russian citizens in danger in Crimea?

Last week, there were disturbances in the Crimean capital, Simferopol, when pro-Moscow protesters and supporters of Ukraine's new leaders confronted each other outside the parliament building. After reports had emerged of Russian troops taking up positions across Crimea, Moscow accused Kiev of sending armed men to destabilise the peninsula. It was already in Russian hands.


Mark Lowen and Daniel Sandford report from the police cordon separating rival rallies in Simferopol

What about the role of 'radical extremists'?

Moscow has regularly complained that the protests in Kiev's Independence Square were hijacked by the far right, who have since gone on to take power in a new government that includes "undisguised Nazis". Two groups, Right Sector and Svoboda (Freedom), are frequently mentioned and there are regular references to wartime nationalist Stepan Bandera, seen as a hero to some but accused by others of being a Nazi collaborator linked to massacres of Jews and Poles.


File pic of protester holding portrait of Bandera. Nationalists see Stepan Bandera as a pro-independence hero but Russia and the West see him as a fascist

The far right was a minority element in the protests that attracted a wide cross-section of support from Kiev and other cities. They were, however, often involved in the most violent confrontations and nationalist symbols were frequently visible in the square.


Far right armed with bats patrol Kiev

The nationalist Svoboda (Freedom) party has four posts in the government. Oleksandr Sych is deputy prime minister and Oleh Makhnitsky becomes acting chief prosecutor. It also runs the agriculture and ecology portfolios but its leader, who has been accused of anti-Semitism, is not in the government.


Svoboda protest in Kiev (27 Feb) Svoboda's leader is not part of the government but has four members in the government

The extremist Right Sector is not represented. Protest leader Andriy Parubiy has become chairman of the National Security Council. While not seen as far right, the ousted president has called him an extremist.

So what is Russia's response?

Initially, Russia denied breaching the Budapest Memo. But Moscow now says the situation is continuing to worsen in Ukraine after the seizure of power by "radical extremists", threatening the lives and safety of residents in Crimea and other south-eastern regions. It also points to the new government's "trampling" on the 21 February agreement signed by ousted President Viktor Yanukovych.


Ukrainian ousted President Viktor Yanukovych, second right, and Ukrainian opposition leaders, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, right, Vitali Klitschko, left, Oleg Tjagnibok, second left, The deal was signed by the ousted president (2nd R) and opposition leaders

What happened to the 21 February agreement?

When the president fled Kiev, the opposition moved in to fill the power vacuum. But earlier that week, in a bid to calm the crisis, both sides had agreed a deal to restore the 2004 constitution and reduce the president's powers. That deal was signed by Mr Yanukovych and opposition leaders as well as by three EU foreign ministers - but fast-moving events soon rendered it out of date. It is not clear if it was ever signed by the Russian official present.