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Christopher Chaun Bennett has two jobs, two work spaces, and what to an outsider might seem like two separate lives.
At the Jubilee Christian Church in Mattapan, he's the energetic, outgoing maintenance man, adored by clergy for his work ethic, happy to break down and set up tables, fix busted sinks, and wield the vacuum cleaner he calls "my best friend."
In the fashion world, Bennett, 31, is the creator of custom-made, high-end bow ties, worn by the likes of pop diva Beyoncé and actor Kal Penn, and priced on his website between $200 and $750.
It's a show-stopping contradiction that at first glance makes no sense, even to church staffers who found out about Bennett's bow tie business after he took the job in early 2015.
"I said to him, 'Why are you here?'" Chris Sumner, executive pastor at Jubilee, recalled recently. "Where is this coming from? He's working maintenance in our building!"
But both jobs make perfect sense to Bennett. He says maintaining the church gives him as much satisfaction as hand-crafting a bow tie.
"Raw process is what I find to be amazing about everything," Bennett said in the janitor's office in the church basement, pausing to extol the virtues of the vacuum cleaner. "I tell everyone I'm all about process."
To demonstrate the process of making a bow tie, Bennett opened his tiny atelier in Hyde Park, located a 15-minute walk from the church.
It's in his room, a few feet from his bed, in the two-bedroom apartment he shares with his mother. It's another seeming contradiction for a designer who gets written up by fashion magazines and has a publicist in New York.
From a drawer cluttered with ties and patterns, Bennett took stretches of red and turquoise leather and cut them into even strips with a pair of shears, "really, really sharp ones from Japan," he said. Then he ironed the leather — "I can't live without my steam iron!" — and set it aside to take a phone call from his sister at the hospital.
She was about to undergo spinal surgery, and he said a prayer for her over the phone — "My family often asks me to pray," he said — and returned to his work. He folded the tie, and stitched it with his sewing machine.
And suddenly, little more than an hour after he started, the bow tie was completed, a piece he said he would sell, "somewhere between $195 and $225," if he chose to.
At the moment, he wasn't thinking about that.
"I just like it," Bennett said. "This makes it worth it. That's very pretty."
Bennett said he's always enjoyed figuring out how things work, and making them work well.
And that's the story of his first bow tie.
It was 2009, and Bennett, an aspiring actor, was looking for the right thing to wear at a preview party for "Business is War," a film he starred in that was written and directed by his friend and fellow Bostonian, the late Kemal Gordon.
Bennett had picked an outfit and he wanted an oversized raw denim bow tie to go with it. But he couldn't find one.
"Knowing what I wanted, if I couldn't get my hands on it one way, I'll figure out another way," Bennett recalled. "I have a fairly technical kind of mind. I've always built things. I could just look at something and tell how to put it together."
So he got some denim and made himself the tie. His found his first customer soon after he made his second tie. Bennett was wearing it in New York's SoHo district when he was confronted by Roberto Carrillo, who was strolling the streets, taking in fashions and trends.
"I stopped him and said, 'Excuse me, I have to know, but where do you get that tie?'" recalled Carrillo, now 33, who manages a bar in Washington, D.C.
Bennett told him he'd made it, and Carrillo offered to buy one.
"We exchanged numbers [and] a week later I was the owner," Carrillo wrote in an email.
After Gordon's sudden death in Jan. 2010, Bennett quit filmmaking and dedicated himself to his bow ties. Bennett honed his craft and built a following. Through New York acquaintances, a stylist for Beyoncé chose one of his "Finale" ties for her performance on Oprah Winfrey's farewell gala in 2011.
Since then, he estimates, he's sold "hundreds" of ties, which is a lot, but not enough to survive on. He'd held various jobs in Boston and New York, many in fashion retail. But after his mother, Martha, suffered serious burns in an accident, he moved in to take care of her.
"I did prefer to be in New York," Bennett said. "The industry is vibrant and filled with opportunity. My plan may have been one thing ...."
But the janitor job at Jubilee Christian Church, where he and his mother worship, presented itself.
"In the end it's really about my doing God's work, serving," Bennett said.
The church, he said, is flexible about hours, and understands when he needs to take business trips to New York. Sumner, who bought a made-to-order tie from Bennett, said the church benefits from his enthusiastic approach. The two often discuss fashion, and Sumner half-jokes that he's excited to know an up-and-coming star in the fashion world.
"He's going to be great and I want to get on early," Sumner said.
David Filipov can be reached at email@example.com. Follow him on Twitter @davidfilipov.


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The Obama administration would like to persuade farmers that they can replace their federal crop subsidies with payments for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
It isn't an easy sell.
The administration not only needs the budget savings from cutting farm subsidies. It also needs the support of farmers — and their allies in the Senate — to win passage of a cap-and-trade system to limit carbon emissions.
And the only way to get the agriculture sector behind a cap-and-trade bill is to persuade farmers that the benefits they'd get would outweigh the expected higher prices they'd pay for diesel, fertilizer and other oil products.
So far, farm groups aren't ready to buy the deal.
The administration's proposal to phase out some farm subsidies is dead in Congress.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack tried to sell farmers on the idea that they could make up the money from future carbon payments. But he couldn't even get the National Farmers Union, normally aligned with Democrats, to go along.
Vilsack, even as he conceded last week that the subsidy cut was in trouble, insisted there "are unlimited opportunities" for farmers to benefit from a cap-and-trade system "so long as agriculture is at the table" when Congress writes the law.
Vilsack is telling farm groups that the carbon payments could be worth an astounding $100 billion a year, a claim based on a report by the 25×25 Steering Committee, a group promoting the development of renewable energy. By comparison, USDA paid farmers $12 billion in subsidies last year, and the nation's total net farm income was $89 billion.
The problem is that there are major unanswered questions as to how and whether farms could qualify for such payments.
One way farmers could get them is by stopping or reducing their tillage, keeping plant matter in the soil, or by converting cropland to grass.
But many farmers already follow no-till practices and may not qualify for payments. The whole point of the cap-and-trade system is to reduce future greenhouse gas emissions, so why pay farmers for emission reductions they've already made?
And what about growers who farm in areas less suitable to no-till practices? How do you get them to support a cap-and-trade plan?
Another key issue is enforcement. Who will make sure farmers are doing what they're paid to do?
"As we go to the Hill and start posing these questions to congressional staff, they're always astounded about how many questions need to be answered," said Jon Doggett, a lobbyist for the National Corn Growers Association.
The nation's largest farm group, the American Farm Bureau Federation, has been especially skeptical of cap-and-trade legislation. Energy prices are almost certain to "go up far in excess" of whatever payments farmers receive, the group's president, Bob Stallman, said recently.
"Everything looks sort of negative (for farmers) with regard to climate change legislation, as opposed to any positives," he said.
A good measure of where farm country is on the issue should come in a few weeks. The House Agriculture Committee plans to hold hearings this spring and survey farm groups, universities and businesses on the issue.
The committee doesn't have jurisdiction over the legislation. It's under the purview of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which is chaired by liberal California Democrat Henry Waxman.
But the agriculture committee does plan to write a bill of its own to define how agriculture is treated.
That alone is a sign of how much is at stake for the farm lobby. And how tough of a job the administration has on its hands.
Philip Brasher is a reporter for The Des Moines Register. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
What is cap-and-trade?
A cap-and-trade program would force industry to reduce its use of fossil fuels by imposing caps on greenhouse gas emissions. Electric utilities, oil refiners and other companies that exceed the caps would have to reduce their emissions or buy credits. Those credits could come from farmers and others who reduce emissions through such measures as storing carbon in the soil or generating alternative energy.

subset: commoncrawl


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Fake College Soliciting Applications, Fees Online
Students who applied to the University of Redwood had a bit more to be disappointed about than the rejection letter that they all received in the mail. They were also cheated out of their application fees, time and effort, because the university wasn't simply being highly selective about accepting students—it just didn't exist.
The Web site featured photos of a beautiful green campus and a list of faculty and staff that were plagiarized from the site for Reed College in Portland,Ore. It also had a mailing address for potential applicants to send their applicants and fees to, based in California. The phony college site for Redwood is still up and running, but Reed College is taking steps to get it shut down to save unsuspecting college hopefuls time and money.
Kevin Myers, Reed College spokesperson, said the school was made aware of the impostor site when a colleague of a Reed faculty member was searching online for the contact information of another faculty member, and stumbled upon Redwood's site.
"It was clear right away to us that Reed wasn't the target of the scam, nor were our prospective students," Myers said. "But it was clear there was a scam going on and we felt obligated to get the site taken down."
Myers said he alerted the local Torrance, Calif., police department where the school's mailing address is, as well as Arizona law enforcement, because the site was registered to the owner using GoDaddy.com, based in Arizona. The California address listed on Redwood's site is for a mail forwarding company, which told Meyers that the client is based in China.
A cease and desist letter was sent to GoDaddy.com, and the Redwood site was removed for 10 days according to Meyers, but then put back up. There is no way for potential applicants to submit money through the site, but they are still able to view the applications and mailing address online.
As of right now, Myers said there is speculation that the site was created by someone living in China, soliciting applicants from overseas.
"Its just speculation but we believe there is someone in China posing as a University of Redwood official doing presentations with the site," he said. "We suspect they may either say, 'Mail your application with the fee to us,' or they may have a person there that says 'Hand me a check and I will get you in.'"
There is no way to tell how many prospective students applied to the school, or how much money was collected. While Reed's lawyers continue to try to get the site closed, Myers said what is more important to the school is that the public is made aware of the scam.
"I hope that when people do a Web search of the University of Redwood, these stories come up," he said. "That is our motivation in trying to get it shut down."


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Core Functions
Trail Management and Support
Community Engagement
We are the Trail Guardians for over 1000 miles of trails in Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia & Virginia, including 240 miles of AT. Our territory begins in Central Pennsylvania at Pine Grove Furnace, continues thru Maryland through Harpers Ferry and West Virginia, and extends to the southern end of Shenandoah National Park.
PATC has primary responsibility for maintaining these trails 1000+ miles of trails, and maintaining shelters along the trails, as well as leading hikes. Our work includes:


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This page is one of the most frequently visited on our website, with some visitors returning several times. So we have made the information available as a pdf. To download click the red PDF button on the right
Understandably quite a number of people wish to know whether there are contraindications for hypnotherapy – and if so, what are they. The straight answer is Yes and below is outlined conditions where this applies.
But, as with so much in life, the full answer is rather more complicated than just a simple Yes or No. So this page will also try to explain in a little more detail.
It may be helpful to start by considering a condition which may not appear to be a contraindication. The client's own attitude to the therapy.
Some people are extremely nervous, even scared of the idea of experiencing hypnotherapy. They may fear losing control, or revealing innermost secrets, or drifting into some esoteric world.
Such fears are unnecessary because for most people hypnotherapy is a pleasant, gentle, and extremely safe experience.
However for those for whom hypnosis arouses strong, persistent feelings of anxiety – even after meeting and talking over these concerns with a therapist – it would probably be best to seek some other form of therapy.
Then there is a range of ailments where hypnotherapy is appropriate, and often highly effective, but where it should only be provided if the condition has been diagnosed and confirmed by the client's own doctor. These include asthma and irritable bowel syndrome.
Moving up the scale we come to the area where hypnotherapy is contraindicated. These include:
Pathological personalities
Alcohol or drug psychosis
Epilepsy and narcolepsy are conditions usually regarded as contraindicated. On rare occasions the Therapy Partnership has helped patients with epilepsy but only after consultation with their GP and the doctor's approval
Bi-polar conditions and clinical depressive illnesses or those exhibiting suicidal tendencies.
Serious heart conditions may also be contraindicated.
Hypnotherapy during pregnancy
Hypnotherapy is successfully used as a relaxation technique during pregnancy and can provides an effective method of pain control. However there remains some controversy over whether it should be provided during the first semester.
Women smokers often wish to stop during pregnancy for the benefit of their unborn child, which is very sensible. There is a strong argument that hypnotherapy is more appropriate than nicotine replacement for pregnant women.
However while the Therapy Partnership believes hypnotherapy is safe for women at any stage of pregnancy it suggests those seeking hypnotherapy during the first trimester – the first 12 weeks of pregnancy – should first consult their GP or obstetrician then proceed on that advice.
Ensuring correct diagnosis with some conditions
As mention earlier, hypnotherapy can be extremely effective with IBS and bruxism (teeth grinding or clenching). The Therapy Partnership has long-term experience of helping clients with both these conditions.
However prior to hypnotherapy it is essential that these condition have been diagnosed and confirmed by the client's GP, consultant or, in cases of bruxism, dentist.
Not least because the symptoms for IBS can be similar to completely different but potentially more serious ailments.
The Therapy Partnership has specialised in helping people control their asthma but again a requirement of therapy is that the patient's doctor or asthma clinic is informed of progress.
Similar considerations apply to hypnosis to help cope with physical pain such as migraine. We experience pain for a reason and so it is essential that a doctor has first investigated the cause.


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If you were pulled over recently in Virginia, there's a chance you may have been part of "Operation Border to Border," a huge crackdown by police and highway patrol agencies. The effort by law enforcement is in its third year and it is an extension of the nationwide traffic safety campaign, "Drive to Save Lives."
More than 33,000 individuals in the U.S. died in 2013 because of traffic accidents, so Operation Border to Border aims to prevent unsafe driving practices and raise awareness of automobile-related deaths.
Seven state police and highway patrol agencies spent a weekend really focusing on preventing traffic crashes along the 791 miles of U.S. Route 15 and the 124 miles of Route 17 from Florida to New York. They conducted saturation patrols, sobriety checkpoints, vehicle inspections, and other enforcement initiatives. In Virginia, the effort resulted in 887 total summons and arrests; there were 253 in Loudoun County and 112 in Prince William County. Police say most incidents involved speeding and seat beat violations.
It is clear that Operation Border to Border has the best of intentions and was created to help keep the roads safer for everyone. That does not mean, however, that every ticket they handed out or arrest they conducted was done legally. In big multi-state crackdowns like this, some officers are a little too eager to pull people over, hand out summons, and arrest individuals to increase their numbers.
If you were one of these people who got pulled over and are now facing a Virginia traffic violation conviction, there's a chance things were not properly handled by law enforcement and your charges could be dropped or minimized. Schedule your free consultation with Easley Law Firm in Fairfax and find out whether or not you may benefit from the assistance of an experienced traffic violation attorney.


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This Restaurant Banned Kids Under 5 Years Old And Business Is Booming Despite Outrage
A fine dining restaurant in North Carolina is receiving backlash for banning children under the age of five — but business is booming.
I kind of dread taking my son out to eat, mostly because it's like pulling a random cat out of a bag - you just never know what kind of cat you're going to get.
Are you going to get a well-behaved, nice cat who wants to sit down patiently and eat their food? Or you gonna get a grumpy one who keeps jumping up onto the table knocking everything over? Are you going to get a cat that wants to claw your face off every time you try and suggest they not act like a piece of crap?
It's really not a fun experience and one that I like to try and avoid. On the rare occasions he is a good boy (and manages to sit still for a whole 30 minutes, which is incredible) I try and remember that behavior like that isn't the norm and I do my best to limit the amount of time he spends flailing and crying (I'll take him outside the restaurant to let my friends and wife enjoy their meals in peace) so as not to disturb the other people who paid good money for their meals.
And this fine dining restaurant in Mooresville, North Carolina decided to solve that problem by banning children under five altogether.
What drove Caruso's manager, Yoshi Nunez, over the edge was when a family's young child was being unruly, blasting their iPad's volume to the max. The family was asked multiple times to turn down the iPad's volume and told that other guests were being disturbed. The parents ignored the plea.
"That was the incident that triggered the entire thing," Nunez said in an interview with The Washington Post.
Nunez finally asked the family to leave the restaurant as they couldn't get a handle on their kid and were being rude themselves. The decision set into motion a new policy: no kids under five allowed in the restaurant. People online are either applauding the restaurant's decision or expressing their displeasure with Caruso's.
However the restaurant isn't bothered by any of the negativity - as they've seen a huge spike in diners.
Typically, they'll have 50 customers packed into their restaurant on a regular evening. Now, they're getting 80 or more customers a day.
"Banning children has always been a topic in the industry and every owner says, 'I wish I could do it. Our owner has the full support of the staff. We work here to make a living, too, and we support our owner 100 percent," Nunez said.
For Caruso's, the ban definitely works as it describes itself as a "traditional, classy, intimate" joint. Not exactly TGI Friday's.
The Italian fine-dining restaurant isn't the only establishment putting the kibosh on young kids. Alexandria, Virginia has a sushi bar for adults 18 and older and a Mexican restaurant in Houston, Texas started handing out cards to parents that instruct them on how their kids should properly behave.
At the end of the day these restaurants may lose out on a few customers for turning away customers with kids, but...
...it's not difficult to imagine that there are lots of couples who are looking to go out and eat in a relaxed, quiet atmosphere and if they know a restaurant won't have kids running around with phones and tablets blasting cartoon songs, then that might appeal to them. In the case of Caruso's, the ban seems to be good for business.


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The Net Return™ introduces its new 12ft / 3.65m Wide Golf Simulator Series.
The Simulator Series 12 has so many benefits including:
What is NOT included:
Simulator Series Specifications
Check out the features of the Simulator Series in this Video ( SS 8 model shown)
Simulator Series 10 and 12 assembly instructional video
You will want to use a 16:9 Aspect Ratio with our Sim Series 12.
You may also want to take a look at a distance calculator for your projector, there is a great one here -
Any questions? Give us a call +61 2 8102 7876, or drop us an email - let's get your installation right the first time...
Amazing product from Net Return went to warehouse to hit golf shots before purchasing the golf mats. Great customer service from HT as well also bought golf trays from Country Club Elite.
Great customer service from the team at The Net Return Australia. Products delivered on time with easy install instructions. I highly recommend.
I have recently bought Golfzon Wave simulator from the net return team. HT had been very pleasant from the beginning and walk through installation process with patient.
I love the product and i think this is an excellent simulator for playing such a beautiful game.
I would recommend The Net Return team to all my friends when it comes to quality and customer service. Outstanding!!!
Smart design and good as my expectation. However, it is really sad purchased them right few days before Black Friday sale.
Great service
Just like the real thing, fat shots are not forgiving like the mats you hit off at your local driving range .
I'm loving my new Skytrak+. I the metrics are super accurate to real life. Easy to setup connect. Never had the previous model, but I'm super impressed by this version. I highly recommend it.👍👍👍
Thanks for your great service! The mat is excellent too, far better than my $100 cheap one!!
Bought the homev2 on marketplace and when ordering accessories received a call to confirm my purchase. I wasn't on their customer list, and the call was to make sure that I hadn't accidentally ordered the wrong item thinking I had ordered the net. I was provided alternative options to better suit my setup that saved me money and arrived at my doorstep without any issues. I have since bought a skytrak plus through the netreturn. Shortly after ordering I received a call to advise the last unit had just been sold and that a refund would be provided if I didn't want to wait a week for new stock. I waited and the Skytrak+ arrived within the expected time. The Neteturn staff have been amazing to deal with and completely transparent when discussing my orders and options. Great customer service provided and would recommend
The Golf Club 2019 (TGC2019) Golf Simulation software for SKYTRAK
Fantastic projector!!!
I was a bit hesitant in purchasing the net return and mat . But due too the cost of going too the range it's an investment that I needed. Not only have I saved dollars at the range I have consistently improved my swing over these few months. The mat I purchased as well has given me better feel for ball striking. I couldn't ask for better service from John and HT they were very understanding of my situation. Thank you both
TheNetReturn has exceeded my expectations in both functionality and ease of use. From setup to daily operation, the experience has been seamless. The customer support team is responsive and helpful, making it even more worthwhile. If you're in the market for a high quality net at an affordable price, don't hesitate to go for TheNetReturn
Country Club Elite® by Real Feel Golf Mats® 1.5m x 1.2m
My net arrived 2 working days after I ordered it. It was easy to put together, took literally 5 mins and works beautifully. Great quality, I highly recommend the net return Australia.


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Plan Your Minnesota Family Vacation At Scott's Peaceful Valley Resort
If you are looking for a Minnesota family vacation you have found the perfect resort.
We are a family friendly resort. Families come to stay and enjoy the relaxing, carefree atmosphere provided. The kids can play and swim in a safe and protected environment.
Parents bring a book, sit by the lake and let the kids play!
Our beach is child friendly with a protective rock wall from waves and boat traffic.
Fire pit near the lake is a beautiful way to have a fish fry or spend the evening roasting marshmallows. Never done a fish fry? No problem, we can help you.
We have all the cooking needs (guide skillets, cooking utensils, etc.) for enjoy cooking your freshly caught fish over an open fire. If do not want to cook over an open fire we have propane cookers available for your use.
Fishing off the dock is fun for the kids, especially when they catch the "big one".
Fun in the Crane Lake Area
If you desire to venture out into the north country by land vs. boat there are numerous things to do and see within an hour from our Crane Lake resort in Minnesota.
Click on the following links for detailed information:
Outdoor Activities in Crane Lake - From fishing to snowmobiling, Crane Lake, MN offers something for everyone.
Regional History & Points Of Interest - Learn the history the unique ecosystem of the area at the Bog Walk in Orr. Tour the Minnesota Discovery Center to learn about the heritage and history of the people from the Mesabi Range at Chisholm. Visit where iron ore was first mined at the Soudan Underground Mine State Park at Soudan.
Visit The Wild Side - See the black bears in their natural surroundings at the Shute Wildlife Sanctuary in Orr.
Back To Nature - Hike or bicycle the numerous scenic trails in the surrounding area to remote waterfalls and gorges
Fun Trips - Test your luck at Fortune Bay Casino at Tower.
Day Trips fron Crane Lake:
Looking for some other alternatives in and around the Crane Lake area?
- Lake Vermilion – Soudan Underground Mine State Park
- Looking for something different to do? Try 9 Holes of golfing.
Vermilion River Golfing https://vermilion-river-tavern.business.site
- Orr/Pelican Lake https://www.orrpelicanlake.com/
- Bear Sanctuary, Orr https://www.americanbear.org/
- Elephant Lake – Melgeorges https://www.melgeorges.com/
- Fortune Bay Casino https://fortunebay.com/


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Wondering about the number of letters in Bengali and Hausa alphabets? When you compare Bengali vs Hausa alphabets you will understand the number of alphabets in both the languages. Because lesser the number of alphabets, faster the language to learn, find all the Easiest Languages to Learn. Bengali and Hausa Alphabets are collection of symbols or letters used for writing. Bengali alphabets contain 51 letters and Hausa Alphabets contain 44 letters. The writing direction of Bengali is Left-To-Right, Horizontal whereas the writing direction of Hausa is Not Available. Bengali and Hausa Alphabets are the basics of Bengali and Hausa languages. Check the detailed comparison of Bengali and Hausa.
Compare Bengali and Hausa alphabets and find out scripts used by Bengali and Hausa language. Bengali and Hausa scripts are the methodology and rules for writing. Scripts used by Bengali and Hausa languages are Bengali, Brahmic family and derivatives and Latin respectively. After learning alphabets in Bengali and Hausa you can also learn useful Bengali greetings vs Hausa greetings.
If you are comparing Bengali and Hausa alphabets then you need to find out Bengali vowels vs Hausa vowels too. The number of vowels and consonants in Bengali are 11 and 40 and number of vowels and consonants in Hausa are 12 and 32. Language codes are unique and are two or three letter codes assigned to each language. Check out all the language codes of Bengali and Hausa language codes.
Is Bengali harder than Hausa? No language is hard or easy to learn as it depends on individual interest and efforts for learning that language. When you decide to learn any language, you need to find out time required to learn that language and levels in that language. As mentioned above, while comparing Bengali and Hausa Alphabets the number of alphabets in any language decides hardness in learning that language.
It's important to know Bengali and Hausa alphabets because for learning these languages, alphabets are the starting point. The levels in Bengali language are 2. And time taken to learn Bengali language is 44 weeks. While the levels in Hausa language are 5. And time taken to learn Hausa language is 44 weeks.
© 2015-2023. A softUsvista venture!


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Russian figure skater Yulia Lipnitskaya has retired at the age of 19 following a battle with anorexia.
Lipnitskaya's mother, Daniela, told Russia's Tass news agency on August 28 that her daughter informed Russian skating officials of her retirement several months ago.
"Yulia informed the [figure skating] federation of her decision to retire in April right after her return from Europe, where she underwent a course of treatment for anorexia," the agency quoted the 19-year-old skater's mother Daniela Lipnitskaya as saying.
Lipnitskaya won gold in the team event at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi when she was 15, becoming the youngest Olympic skating champion since 1936.
Lipnitskaya also won silver at the world championships in April 2014, which was her last major event.
She became a symbol of the Sochi Olympics for many Russians, especially after President Vladimir Putin praised her performances.
But she complained in November 2014 that she had lost her freedom and felt "constant stress" when trying to live up to her fans' expectations.
Poor performances at Russian nationals meant she wasn't selected for major championships.
Her last season was hampered by injuries, including a fall on an icy street which caused her to miss the nationals.
Another Russian figure skater, Yulia Antipova, saw her weight drop dangerously to 24 kilograms because of anorexia. Medics at the Israeli clinic where Antipova underwent rehabilitation in 2015 said it was a miracle the skater did not die.
On August 27, Yevgeny Plushenko, coach of Russia's Olympic individual champion Adelina Sotnikova, said she wouldn't defend her title next year due to injury.


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Although I've lived in the same cottage in a quiet corner of the Cotswolds for thirty years, I'm better travelled than this statement might suggest.
- By the age of 9, I'd made a road trip with my family across the USA from Philadelphia to Los Angeles, visiting more states than many US citizens.
- Before I left school, I was a seasoned pan-European solo traveller by train and plane, flitting between Frankfurt, where I lived aged 14-18, to England and the Netherlands to visit family and friends.
- By the time I was 40, my career in journalism and PR had paid me to travel to many European cities and to join conventions in Hong Kong and on a Caribbean cruise ship.
- Since 2000, I've spent many holidays Greek island-hopping in the small sailing yacht in which we owned a small share (more affordable than it sounds – just £3k!) or touring Scotland and northern mainland Europe in our camper van.
Reading to Travel
While my wanderlust has abated as I've got older and have fewer places left on my bucket list, I still like to "travel by book", reading about distant lands, whether in fiction in the form of novels and short stories or in non-fiction via travelogues and memoirs.
I enjoy revisiting places I've been and which I love (eg to the Scottish Highlands and Islands in Compton Mackenzie's Whisky Galore), and I also welcome the chance to virtually visit countries I'm never likely to reach in person (eg to Iceland with Bjorn Larssen in Storytellers)- such as anywhere that is host to venomous snakes! While not a habitual reader of fantasy, I've also had some pleasurable trips to places that are the stuff of myth, from Homer's Odyssey to Lucienne Boyce's To the Fair Land.
While so many of us face continuing travel restrictions, I thought it would be fun this year to make the theme of the monthly guest posts on my blog "Travels with my Books", interviewing author friends all around the world about the settings of their books.
First Stop: Fiji!
I'm delighted to begin the series with about as distant a destination as possible from my English village home: Fiji, in the company of B M Allsopp (Bernadette).
I first discovered her compelling and colourful Fiji Islands Mysteries when Bernadette emailed me out of the blue to offer a review copy, having discovered my English village mysteries on the internet. Despite the distance, and although we're unlikely ever to meet in person, we have become firm friends. I so enjoyed the chance her first book, Death on Paradise Island, gave me to learn about Fiji through the first adventure of her Inspector Josefa Horseman and his sidekick Sergeant Singh that I've now read all of her books and eagerly anticipate new additions to her series.
I hope my conversation with Bernadette will encourage you to take a virtual trip to Fiji too. Join her mailing list at www.bmallsopp.com and you can even get two free books to sample her work!
Hi Bernardette and welcome to my blog. Can we please kick off by pinpointing your books' setting on the globe?
Spin your globe to the vast blue segment of the Pacific Ocean. Trace down the 180-degree meridian to south of the equator and you'll find Fiji above the Tropic of Capricorn. You'll notice the International Date Line diverts east from the meridian here, so that Fiji, some other islands, New Zealand and part of the Russian Far East are in the same time zone. The sun truly rises in Fiji first!
What a neat claim! Next, can you please give a nutshell summary of your books?
My Fiji Islands Mysteries are police procedurals featuring Inspector Joe Horseman, washed-up Fiji rugby star, and Sergeant Susila Singh, a driven woman defying the odds. Their partnership grows as they strive for justice in their fragile paradise.
What makes Fiji such a great setting for your stories?
My stories wouldn't exist without Fiji because they have sprung from my own experiences there. As a huge fan of exotic crime fiction, I aim to give readers the same sense of discovery that I enjoy with authors like Alexander McCall Smith (No 1 Ladies Detective Agency series set in Botswana).
What is your relationship with Fiji, and how much of your life have you spent there?
I lived in the South Pacific islands for 14 years, including four in Fiji, where I taught at the University of the South Pacific in Suva. I love Fiji!
What is special about the people native to Fiji?
The first settlers were unsurpassed navigators who arrived around 3,500 years ago from islands to the west, perhaps from as far as New Guinea. Indigenous Fijians now comprise 58% of the population and own most of the land through a traditional hierarchy of hereditary chiefs. Fijians are courteous and dignified while also vital, smiling and friendly. Renowned in the nineteenth century for the quality of their boats and houses, many traditional skills still thrive, as do elaborate ceremonials surrounding the chiefs.
Does your protagonist or other characters come from Fiji?
My main series characters are Fijians from different ethnic backgrounds. The only foreign series character is the Australian pathologist, Dr Matt Young, who has lived in Fiji for over 20 years. His late wife was Fijian and he considers Fiji his home.
What are the distinguishing features of Fiji in terms of geography, geology, flora, fauna or any other detail you care to mention?
Most of Fiji's 320 or so islands are of volcanic origin and fringed by coral reefs. The biggest four islands have rugged mountains and support rainforest, grassland and wetland habitats for diverse plants and animal species. Although native mammals are restricted to just four kinds of bats, a number of beautiful birds, reptiles and plants are found only in Fiji. Of these, the red shining parrot and the crested iguana feature in my first book, Death on Paradise Island.
What are your top tips for any readers planning to travel to the setting of your book?
As Fiji is economically dependent on tourism, the people are suffering terribly from the current Covid-19 travel restrictions. When the world opens up again, why not escape to these glorious islands? Here are my top tips for when you do!
- Unless you thrive on hot and very humid weather, I recommend the months from April to October, when the temperatures are moderate, cool breezes blow and the risk of storms and cyclones is small.
- Fiji offers much more than sand and coconut palms. You can gently snorkel over a dazzling coral reef, visit a rural village school, scuba dive with feasome sharks, play golf… and much more.
- Don't spend all you time in one of the big international hotels, lovely though they are. If you hate backpacker beach huts, there are 5-star boutique island getaways where you'll experience traditional culture and still luxuriate.
- Don't hesitate to chat to the locals. Wherever you go, Fijians will always be welcoming and wonderfully friendly.
"Only in Fiji" – name three things that could only exist/happen there.
- Uniformed police officers direct traffic wearing a starched white skirt (sulu) with a saw-tooth hem. The dress uniform of the Fiji Military Forces is similar.
- The whole country stops when the Fiji rugby team is playing an international game. Except on remote islands with no TV or Internet reception, the entire population is glued to a screen.
- Fijians readily acknowledge their ancestors were feared cannibals not so long ago. They are not at all embarrassed to talk about such customs but are very thankful times have changed.
Where is your latest book set?
Death Beyond the Limit, the third in the series, is set in Fiji's capital of Suva, the beautiful mountainous island of Ovalau and at sea.
Where will your next book be set?
Fiji – the precise location is still a mystery.
Thank you so much for that lightning introduction to Fiji, Bernadette, and thanks also for kindly allowing me to share the following extracts from your books for a further taste of Fiji.
Start Your Journey to Fiji Here!
The Prologue from Death on Paradise Island
A crested tern swooped down to the edge of the fringing reef, attracted by the flutter of white in the water lapping the exposed coral. But the tern flew away disappointed, for this was no fish, just a scrap of cloth. The cloth was torn from the uniform worn by all the Paradise Island staff for the marine reserve celebrations: tailored white tunic patterned with black coconut palms and rugby balls, worn with a black sulu, the Fijian wraparound skirt.
If the tern investigated the white flapping further, it would find the cloth scrap still partly attached to the tunic and the girl wearing it. She had washed in from the sea and was caught by the jagged shelf below the coral overhang. The delicate coral was merciless, abrading her golden-brown skin as the waves tossed her back and forth until the tide retreated.
So it was a small hermit crab who first discovered the dead body of Akanisi Leletaku, who had so proudly arranged the floral decorations for the festivities. The crab picked its way over her uniform and scuttled into her open mouth, where it began to feed on the soft tissue.
© B M Allsopp 2021
Detective Horseman tells the story behind his name – Death on Paradise Island
'But I like my ancestor's story better. Legend has it that he was a survivor of a ship wrecked on a reef off Vanua Levu. A few men managed to get ashore, where they were clubbed and prepared for the ovens.' He paused, trying to gauge if they were really interested.
'Come on! Truly? I'm sure all those cannibal stories are highly exaggerated for ghoulish tourists,' McKenzie protested, ever the diplomatic host.
Horseman glanced at Adi Litia, who calmly replied, 'Not at all, Ian. The victors ate all the enemy killed in battle, for a start. The chiefs' cooks roasted anyone put to death for offending the law or the chief too. There were even raiding parties whose main purpose was to bring back meat. All Fijians praise God for sending the brave Christian missionaries to deliver us from those evils.' She put a forkful of rare steak into her mouth and chewed it with strong white teeth.
McKenzie subsided into a stunned silence.
Horseman went on. 'My ancestor clung to some timber and washed up in a different bay. He came to on the beach as he was being nuzzled by a horse, part of his ship's cargo. The club-wielding warriors were keeping their distance, terrified. You've got to remember, none of them had ever seen a land animal bigger than a pig.
'The chief's men reported the wreck to him, and he came along to inspect the flotsam and jetsam for himself. It was true love at first sight. The chief would have given anything for the horse—guns, war canoes, slaves, women—anything and everything. My ancestor sensed the chief's desire and stayed close to the horse for protection. He stroked and soothed the traumatised animal, and kept repeating the word Horse, trying to placate the Fijians. Desperate to convince the chief of his value, he climbed on the horse's back and showed off his riding skills before the gob-smacked Fijians. Up and down the beach. Bareback. Trotting, galloping, wheeling and rearing. Impressive.
'The upshot was my ancestor became the chief's horseman, groom and riding instructor. He was given a house and at least one wife, and lived long enough to have several children. Only one son had children himself, and he adopted his father's title as a surname, which has been passed down in the European way until today.'
'Are you sure you're not making this up?' asked Pat McKenzie, suspiciously. Another glare from her husband.
'No, but it might have been made up a long time ago. Who knows now? Six generations have passed since then. But we're here, and my ancestor's word for the animal was horse, so I guess he was from Britain, Ireland or America.'
'The first horse in Fiji—a fabulous story.' McKenzie spoke softly, awed.
Adi Litia laughed. 'Fijians believe it. I hope it's true.'
'There are a lot of us now, and we're officially classified in Fiji as kailoma, part-European. The leaves on my branch are mostly Fijians, so I look Fijian. I've cousins in Australia who look completely European. We're all Horsemans, though. Or should it be Horsemen? Our clan can never agree on that, especially the women.'
© B M Allsopp 2021
Inspector Horseman arrives at Tanoa village, where a man has been murdered – Death By Tradition
Mist shrouded the river, thinning as it rose to the hilltops. The hazy river bank opposite curved to the point where the bridge crossed.
To the right stood clusters of houses and a church. Further up the slope was a terrace with a school and a grassed rectangle with bamboo posts at either end. This would be the rara, the ceremonial space that in small villages doubled as a rugby field, both functions equally vital. Here and there were washing lines and small sheds. At the beach below the bridge, women washed clothes, slapping them rhythmically on the smooth river stones. Others tended fish traps, watched closely by a couple of thin dogs. A typical backblocks village—picturesque, placid, dull. But this one harboured an unusual and dangerous killer.
To the left of the bridge, the land rose steeply to a high outcrop of rock, a near-vertical cliff. The stone at the top had been shaped, maybe boulders hauled up to increase the height. Horseman recognised the ruins of a precolonial hill fort. His hackles rose as he gazed through the mists of time at bloody battle scenes. Rough battlements would have protected the Tanoa defenders hurling spears, shooting arrows, throwing missiles with deadly accuracy. What better site to spot attackers from down river? What better site from which to repel them?
© B M Allsopp 2021
For More Information & Free Books
To find out more about B M Allsopp and her Fiji Island Mysteries, visit her website at www.bmallsopp.com. Her website also includes a gallery of beautiful photos of Fiji and a section of useful resources.
If you join her mailing list at www.bmallsopp.com, you can even get two free ebooks!
You can also follow her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/B.M.Allsopp.author/ and on Twitter at @bmallsopp.
Next month: join Helen Hollick for a piratical journey around the Caribbean!
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General information
Australia's Gold Coast (in Queensland) is a city, made up of various districts, that is incredibly popular with tourists from within Australia and all over the world. You will have to be okay with the fact that you won't find much peace in the city itself (for a bit of quiet, you might want to consider going to the Gold Coast Hinterland), there will be tourists everywhere. The Gold Coast is filled with theme parks, and is of course very popular because of the many beaches and fantastic surfing spots.
How to get there
The best and fastest way to get to the Gold Coast is by plane. You also have the option to travel there from another city by train. However, this takes quite a long time – and long train trips usually also cost a lot of money. If you intend to take the train, be aware that you'll lose a whole day (depending on where in Australia you travel from, it might even take more than a day).
How to get around
Once you arrived in the Gold Coast, you have a few options on how to get around. There are a few districts that are nice to walk around in, but of course you need to get there first.
You can either hire a rental car, take the tram, a bus, or hire a bicycle. There are also many taxis around, but of course that would be a more expensive option than public transport or hiring a bike.
Public transport is very good, and buses run all day long (there are, however, more frequent buses during the daytime hours).
Best times of the year to visit
The Gold Coast is in a part of Australia that is mild all year round. In winter, it is around 21 degrees Celsius on average, and in summer it's 26 degrees Celsius. The winter is usually quite nice, while summer months often come with storms, so winter, early spring and late autumn might be your best bet to avoid more serious storms.
A speciality of the region – theme parks and dubious ticket offers
As already mentioned: there are a lot of theme parks in the Gold Coast. And they are very popular. Once something turns out to be a people magnet, others would like to cash in on it, too. That's just the way the world works. This is why there are people who offer free entry tickets to theme parks. But wait – there's a catch. Before you get to one of those free tickets, you will have to sit through a special event (which usually involves heaps of sale pitches), and at the end, you will have to sign up for some programme, or buy something, before you can get your free ticket. Then the ticket is not so free any more, and many people end up paying more for a product/service they did not want in the first place. While the theme parks are fantastic, those scammers are not – yet they are a common sight in the Gold Coast. Please avoid them – there are enough official special offers for reduced ticket prices.
The sights and activities you shouldn't miss
Surfers Paradise Beach: This is one of the most popular beaches in the Gold Coast of Australia. The further North or South you go from the part that is packed with tourists (why they always build huge groups in the same spot along a beach is a tourist mystery that will never be solved), the more likely you'll be to find a spot that is a little more peaceful (which means, you have a few metres of space around you). This is one of the best beaches for people and surfer watching.
North Burleigh is a beach for people who like it more peaceful. But there are jellyfish, so you can't swim there. If you would simply lie at a beach though, this is your option if Surfers Paradise is just too crowded and touristy for you.
A tour to the Hinterland: To get away from the beaches and the city, you should either go on one of the many tours into the Hinterland, or organise your own tour.
Gold Coast Whale Adventures: If you would like to see the beach from a different perspective (which is from a ship), and would also like to see some whales, you should head over to Gold Coast Whale Adventures.
Warner Bros Movie World: You'll have heard the name – and if you love movie worlds and would like to become part of some Warner Bros Movie, then you shouldn't miss a visit to this theme park.
Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary: This is for the animals lovers. The more money you're willing to spend, the more of an experience you can have in this wildlife park. There are crocodiles, snakes, birds, and the usual koalas and kangaroos. If you're willing to pay the price, you can also take part in some close encounters.
Sea World: If you like sharks, dolphins, polar bears, and other creatures of and from around
the world.
Top bars and night clubs
Surfers Paradise has an abundance of bars and night clubs to choose from. Simply walk down the main street and you can choose from hundreds of cool cocktail bars, sports bars, classic taverns, lounge, hotel bars with chic interior. We recommend visiting a different one each night you are on the Gold Coast to really appreciate the mix and style available here.


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The results are still trickling in for Washington's I-522 GMO labeling vote, but unofficial results still reveal that the measure was defeated.
This may leave many wondering: what now?
If the food industry giants, who just spent millions to make sure GMO foods were not labeled, in Washington have anything to do with it, the next step is to make sure that state-level labeling movements aren't even an option in the future.
That's right, kids: the big food industry doesn't even want the issue of GMO labeling to come to a vote at a state-level anymore. It's part of their plan to be sure that GMOs triumph.
Michele Simon, a public health lawyer, obtained internal documents from the Grocery Manufacturer's Association (GMA) that indicated the solution to fighting GMO labeling is to "pursue statutory federal preemption which does not include a labeling requirement."
According to Simon, "The food industry's ultimate game plan to stop the bleeding in the state-by-state onslaught of GMO labeling efforts is to lobby for a weak federal law that simultaneously preempts or trumps any state-level policy. While we have known that industry would want to put an end to the public relations nightmare happening state by state, this document for the first time reveals the lobbyists' specific strategy."
Simon explains that, in typical cases of this sort of movement, "preemption," or the basic understanding that a higher law rules over a lower law (federal over state, for example), the following pattern emerges: "A grassroots movement builds over time to enact local or state laws to protect public health or increase the minimum wage, or some other social goal, and industry fights these efforts for years, until they can no longer win. At that point, corporate lobbyists either get their own weak bill passed, or work with advocates to pass a compromise version. In exchange, this new law will preempt or prevent any state or city from passing a different or stronger law. It will also negate any law already passed. Forever."
But something is quite different in what the GMA hopes to do: the food industry wants to make it illegal for states to pass their own laws about GMO labeling with nothing given on their part in return.
"Usually, there is some underlying legal requirement that industry must follow for the concept of preemption to even make sense," Simon writes. "The idea is to require some action by industry, with the trade-off for companies to follow one standard instead of 50."
In other words, the food manufacturers will lobby for federal law banning state GMO labeling, while at the same time not having any requirement to label their GMO food products – ever.
Talk about having your GMO apple pie and eating it, too. Let's continue to scrutinize big food's agenda, Green Monsters, before we all end up having to eat their GMO-laden pie.
Image Source: sarabethb1/Flickr


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Let's Storm the Gates of Hell
From November through February, we seem to move from one celebration to another.
Thanksgiving to Christmas…New Year's Day…MLK…Super Bowl Sunday…Valentine's Day…Presidents' Day…there always seems to be something to commemorate.
But it is the "memorial" that is stuck right in the middle of them that should gain most of our attention. Sadly, it is a brief moment in time that passes without much fanfare.
January 22, 1973, is the REAL 'Day That Will Live In Infamy'. We "commemorate" that day every year; 42 of them so far, just like Memorial Day, Flag Day, and Pearl Harbor Day. These are the times when we remember our dead.
The only difference is that most of our days of remembrance involve past times when a large number of American's died. Roe-V-Wade day commemorates the killing that continues yet today.
Babies are still being murdered. Women's lives are still being destroyed. It is a ghastly rampage of murder that still has not ceased. Yet every January 22nd is "pro-life" day, while the bodies continue to stack up like cord-wood.
God forgive the church for our calloused comfort with this child killing.
Try as I might, I cannot think of a greater evil than abortion. It is the seminal issue of our day. Abortion has destroyed America. Nothing else even comes close. Children are our future. God says they are a blessing. Why would we kill the blessing? Why does the church permit it?
There is nothing more evil than killing one's offspring. You will not find anything to match it in the animal kingdom. Dogs don't kill their babies. Cows don't. Even the wretched vulture sits on her eggs until they are hatched. It is the natural inclination of all parents to protect their children…even the unborn ones.
Only humans kill their children. Only humans have "evolved" far enough to know how to slaughter their progeny. Only humans know how to turn a womb into a tomb.
A skunk wouldn't do it. A snake wouldn't do it. A Tasmanian devil wouldn't do it. It just ain't natural.
Only a human being could perform such a diabolical deed.
Today is January 22nd Why don't I feel like celebrating by "Marching for Life" while death continues unabated?
I have been to the "March for Life" more times than I can count. I have attended events around the nation and have spoken at "rallies" commemorating the slaughter of the unborn. (Funny, isn't it? We call events fighting the scourge of child-killing "rallies"…but rallies for what?)
Forty two years of "rallies." Forty-two years of child sacrifice. An entire generation of Americans has been destroyed because of the church's acquiescence to "choice." It is the church's fault, you know. Child killing continues only because "the church" permits it to continue.
My wife and I spent last weekend in St. Louis as part of an event commemorating the slaughter. It was held downtown on the steps of the Old Courthouse. We wanted to do it out in the open, publicly, to awaken the heart of Americans to the slaughter still taking place right before their eyes. Our event was held to memorialize the dead, not to 'march for life'. It was to honor those who never took a breath of air.
Ironically, the Old Courthouse in St. Louis is the same building where the infamous Dred Scott decision was handed down. You remember that decision, don't you? The one where the "judges" judged that Mr. Scott and his wife were not "people."
Chief Justice Roger B. Taney declared in his decision:
"In the opinion of the court, the legislation and histories of the times, and the language used in the Declaration of Independence, show, that neither the class of persons who had been imported as slaves, nor their descendants, whether they had become free or not, were then acknowledged as a part of the people, nor intended to be included in the general words used in that memorable instrument…They had for more than a century before been regarded as beings of an inferior order, and altogether unfit to associate with the white race, either in social or political relations; and so far inferior, that they had no rights which the white man was bound to respect; and that the negro might justly and lawfully be reduced to slavery for his benefit."
Four years later, as a judgment from a higher court in Heaven, America was plunged into a great "Civil War" which cost the lives of nearly 700,000 American citizens. If slavery cost America 700,000 lives, what will be the price of 70 MILLION unborn lives?
"The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether." -Psalm 19:9.
Our "judges" once ruled that Negroes were not people. Ironically, this is the same argument that they make today for unborn babies. Unborn babies aren't people, so it is OK to own them and to kill them. Unborn babies, too, have become property.
Instead of wasting all of the time, energy, and money to "March For Life" in Washington, don't you think it would be a better idea to simply "March to Planned Parenthood" and demand that the killing stop? What if every one of the nearly 1 million marchers who will descend on Washington today would make the commitment to simply show up outside the killing centers and demand abortion be stopped?
What if every Bishop in America ordered that the churches be closed until the killing stops? What if they told their congregations that Mass would be held outside of the abortuary until it closed? How long would it take to close them down if millions of Catholics got serious about the deaths?
What if the Evangelical pastors did the same? What if your pastor said that there would no longer be "worship" services in your church until baby murder stopped? What if they took their praise and worship teams and their choirs and their silver-tongued preaching and proclaimed God's Word at the very gates of hell? I'd give them a week…maybe two at the most.
What if the churches got together and each one took a particular day of the week where their congregation would hold services outside the abortion mill? What if seven days a week the slaughter-pit was bombarded by the praise and worship of faithful Christians on the streets proclaiming liberty over the spirit of death that is haunting America?
The greatest of all evils is taking place under the watchful eye of the church. Politicians won't stop it. Marching to Washington won't stop it. I think it is time we tried a different strategy.
Instead of "marching for life" in Washington, it's time to "march against death" at your local killing center. Jesus told us that the gates of hell would not prevail against the church.
It is time to storm the gates of hell…
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- Jeb Bush Pro-Life Record Leaves Something to be Desired
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- Hiding Our Eyes From the Truth
- Kermit Gosnell Isn't the Only Butcher Out There


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Sat, 14 Feb 2009
Security Hyperventilating.
Just today, David Cournapeau and Lev Givon found a bug in all versions of libsamplerate up to and including 0.1.6. The bug causes a segfault and is basically the same as a bug I thought I fixed last year that resulted in the following entry in the ChangeLog:
2008-07-02 Erik de Castro Lopo <erikd AT mega-nerd DOT com> * src/src_sinc.c Fix buffer overrrun bug at extreme low conversion ratios. Thanks to Russell O'Connor for the report.
That bug fix went into version 0.1.4 of libsamplerate which was released on July 2nd, 2008. As a result, I was contacted by computer security firm Secunia Research on July 3rd and asked the following questions:
- What is the maximum impact of this "buffer overrun"?
- Can this be exploited by malicious people to e.g. cause a DoS (Denial of Service) or compromise a vulnerable system?
- Under which circumstance is this exploitable and are there any mitigating factors?
I replied with a reasonably full explanation and stated that while this bug, if triggered, would crash the program, it was not, in my opinion, exploitable. Secunia Research was happy with my explanation and analysis and I thought that was that.
However, in November of 2008 there was a flurry of security advisories which quoted the above ChangeLog entry but got the security implications completely wrong. The curious thing was that no-one, not a single person contacted me or the project mailing list to ask about the severity of the problem.
The earliest of these advisories I can find was dated November 3rd and appeared on the Openwall OSS-Security mailing list. However, by December 2nd, the Gentoo security team was saying:
"A remote attacker could entice a user or automated system to process a specially crafted audio file possibly leading to the execution of arbitrary code with the privileges of the user running the application."
I on the other hand, remain convinced that this bug is not exploitable under anything other than purely theoretical circumstances.
Since I have now found another variant of the same bug I decided I should document the problem more fully than last time. The problem occurs deep in a rather complicated piece of code that looks like this:
static void prepare_data (SINC_FILTER *filter, SRC_DATA *data, int half_filter_chan_len) { int len = 0 ; /* Calculation of value of len elided. */ len = MIN (filter->in_count - filter->in_used, len) ; len -= (len % filter->channels) ; memcpy (filter->buffer + filter->b_end, data->data_in + filter->in_used, len * sizeof (float)) ;
The problem is that under conversion ratios near the lower bound of allowed values, the variable len can end up as a small negative value (I saw values in the range [-20, -1]). That small negative number then gets multiplied by 4 (sizeof float) and then passed as the third parameter to memcpy.
However, the third parameter to memcpy is of type size_t which is an unsigned value the same size as sizeof (void*). In the C programming language, when a small signed value is converted to an unsigned value, it gets converted into a very large positive value very near the maximum representable positive unsigned value, ie 4Gig on 32 bit systems or 2 to the power of 64 on 64 bit systems.
Due to the conversion, the memcpy tries to write to a huge chunk of memory (nearly 4 Gig on 32 bit systems, and a hell of a lot more on 64 bit systems). Under a protected memory system (Linux, Windows NT or later and Mac OSX), the only way this bug could possibly exploitable would be if the memcpy returns.
However, since the memcpy is trying to overwrite the vast majority of the CPU's memory space, the chances of the memcpy returning are essentially zero for any sane operating system. Instead, the process containing the call into libsamplerate will attempt to write outside its allocated memory space and will therefore be terminated by the operating system with a segmentation fault.
I have now fixed the function containing the memcpy so that it checks the value of len and returns from the function if it is outside a sane range.
Now I do think that security researchers and security specialists at Linux distributions do a very important and rather thankless job. I also think that in this case some of them fell down rather badly. Secunia Research did the right thing and asked me about the implications of the bug. The others, extrapolated incorrectly, from very little information and got it wrong, without ever contacting me. I'm hoping that the ChangeLog entry (below)
2009-02-14 Erik de Castro Lopo <erikd AT mega-nerd DOT com> * src/src_sinc.c Fix a segfault which occurs when memcpy is passed a bad length parameter. This bug has zero security implications beyond the ability to cause a program hitting this bug to exit immediately with a segfault. See : http://www.mega-nerd.com/erikd/Blog/2009/Feb/14/index.html Thanks to David Cournapeau.
will prevent the kind of security hyperventilating I saw last time. The new version of libsamplerate, version 0.1.7, has just been released.
Update : 2009-02-15 11:19
David Cournapeau informs me that Lev Givon, as a user of David's libsamplerate Python bindings, reported this bug to him and that it was actually Lev that found the bug.
Posted at: 22:58 | Category: CodeHacking/SecretRabbitCode | Permalink
Sun, 11 Jan 2009
libsamplerate 0.1.5.
There is a new release of libsamplerate available here. This release contains some improvements to the optimisations that were mentioned in this blog post.
After announcing the previous optimisation work on the Secret Rabbit Code mailing list someone asked for a special case optimisation of 6 channels for doing the 5.1 surround sound format. Then there was also a request for an 8 channel special case for doing 7.1 surround.
I added the 6 channel special case immediately and then found another optimisation for the multi-channel case which uses a horrible hack called Duff's Device in the inner most loop. The results for these optimisations can be seen on the following throughput graphs:
Obviously, the special cases for 1, 2, 4, and 6 channels have significant improvements, especially for 4 and 6 channels. The general multi channel code path is used for 3, 5, 7 and more channels. Interestingly, if one draws a line through the 1, 2, 4 and 6 channel through-puts for and then a line through the general multi channel through-puts, they intersect at about 8 channels, suggesting that there is very little to be gained by adding a special case code path for 8 channels.
The only downside of this new release is that it uses a C construct that is part of the 1999 ISO C Standard which the Microsoft C compiler does not support. Windows users that want to compile libsamplerate should either use GNU GCC or the Intel compiler with the -c99 command line option.
Posted at: 20:47 | Category: CodeHacking/SecretRabbitCode | Permalink
Sun, 14 Dec 2008
Rabbit Optimisation.
For some time I have known that the sinc based converters in my sample rate conversion library Secret Rabbit Code might benefit from a particular optimisation which reuses the filter coefficients where possible, rather than recalculating them. The good news is that I finally managed to get around to performing this optimisation work and the results are reasonably impressive.
The old converter used what was basically a single channel converter on each channel in turn. Since part of this single channel operation involved calculating the filter coefficients on the fly it was pretty obvious that if more than one channel was being processed, it would be possible to calculate the coefficients for the first channel and reuse them for all the rest. Once that was done, the inner loop can be special cased for commonly used channel counts like 1, 2 and 4 while having other channel counts handled by a generic function that can handle any number of channels. These special cases contain straight line code where the generic function contains a loop.
As can bee seen in the throughput graph for the SRC_SINC_BEST_QUALITY converter, this optimisation resulted in modest throughput improvements for 1 channel, a big improvement for 2 channels and an outrageous more than doubling of throughput for the 4 channel case. Even the generic multi-channel case, represented here by 3 and 5 channels showed a modest improvement. It should be noted that the filter coefficients are the same for the old and new versions so the only changes in performance are due to the optimisation.
These results were obtained on a 3 plus year old 1.1 GHz Pentium M laptop. More recent machines should show much better absolute results but similar proportional improvements. The other sinc-based converters will also show similar proportional improvements.
A new version of Secret Rabbit Code containing this optimisation should probably be released some time during the next couple of days.
Posted at: 08:16 | Category: CodeHacking/SecretRabbitCode | Permalink
Sat, 18 Oct 2008
Foobar 2000 and the Rabbit.
Foobar 2000 (see also the Wikipedia entry) is a media player for a legacy operating system commonly known as Microsoft Windows. Secret Rabbit Code is an audio sample rate converter that I wrote, and released under the terms of the GNU GPL in 2002.
As the sole author and copyright owner of Secret Rabbit Code I have also made it available under a commercial use license (PDF) that is currently earning me a small income. However, developing Secret Rabbit Code was difficult, took a huge amount of research and the development of many prototypes which were thrown away. Now, after 6 years, that income is coming close to covering the cost of developing that initial version. It still has some way to go to cover the cost of the subsequent maintenance and the improvements I have made.
In 2005 I became aware that someone had released a binary only plugin for Foobar 2000 that used Secret Rabbit Code to do sample rate conversion. The fact that this was a binary only release was not the only problem. There was also the problem of Foobar being under a license that was not GPL compatible.
First off, I emailed the ISP in France where the binary was being hosted and asked for the download to be taken down. I also tried to track down the author of the plugin since authorship was not obvious from the download. Within a day or two I was able to track him down via the Hydrogen Audio forums.
The final result of the discussion on that forum was that I decided I would write and release a Secret Rabbit Code based plugin for Foobar. This of course involved development for windows on windows a platform I rarely if ever use and which I actually prefer not to work on. However after some 10 or 12 hours work I had a working plugin that I posted on my website. I also added a Paypal donation button on the page hoping to get paid for the time and effort I put into creating the plugin.
Unfortunately, the donations have been few and far between. Since 2005 when the plugin was released I have only had about 10 people pay the measly US$10 I am asking for. That is despite the fact that I have proven interest in this plugin. The page has had over 30000 hits since 2005, and I get an email every couple of weeks asking if there is a more recent version using later versions of Secret Rabbit Code or a version for other versions of Foobar 2000.
So here's how it stands:
- I don't use Windows or the Foobar 2000 program.
- As someone who has been coding on Unix and Linux for well over a decade and rarely touches windows this work was a rather painful and unpleasant exercise.
- I spent my precious time developing this plugin for a platform I don't use
- For the 10-12 hours work I put into this plugin I have received about US$100 which means I got paid US$8 to $10 per hour for my time. This is a small fraction of my normal salary as a professional software engineer with well over a decade of experience.
- The fact that I release the Rabbit for free (as in free beer) under the terms of the GPL is irrelevant. I use dozens of GPL and other FOSS (Free and Open Source Software) programs every day and I consider the Rabbit and my other project libsndfile as my paltry contribution back to the FOSS cause.
Since most users of this plugin don't think I should be paid for my work creating it for use with Foobar on Windows, I currently have no intention of releasing a new version of this plugin. When and if I get a decent stream of payments for the work I have put in so far I will roll out a new version and maybe even an updated plugin for other versions of Foobar.
I will answer Foobar related emails from people who have donated or work for companies that paid for a commercial use license. The vast majority of other emails regarding the Foobar plugin will be directed to this blog post.
Posted at: 09:21 | Category: CodeHacking/SecretRabbitCode | Permalink
Sun, 30 Mar 2008
libsamplerate 0.1.3.
About a week ago I released a new version of SecretRabbitCode (aka libsamplerate).
The major change was that the new improved SINC based converters I blogged about here are now the default. There were also a couple of minor bug fixes.
The fine people at Infinitewave have now updated their test results to include the new converter and it shows Secret Rabbit Code comes very close to the best of the commercial converters in terms of quality.
Posted at: 15:11 | Category: CodeHacking/SecretRabbitCode | Permalink
Sat, 08 Mar 2008
Progress on the Rabbit.
For over three years now, I have been working on (on and off, but mostly off) a new algorithm for doing audio sample rate conversion in Secret Rabbit Code. The idea for the new algorithm has been rattling around in my head for most of that time, but the problem was always the implementation. While I am making progress it has been slow.
However, a public comparison between a large collection of converters showed that while the conversion quality of Secret Rabbit Code was good, it was nowhere near state of the art.
In order to see if I could get Secret Rabbit Code closer to state of the art quickly, I decided to revisit the existing converter during the xmas/new-year break.
The existing converter had a set of digital filters whose coefficients were generated by a small program written in GNU Octave. My first task was to convert that program to Ocaml which has become my favourite language for technical computing. I then spent quite a bit of time finding and analyzing where the filter design program was loosing precision and finding work arounds. Finally, I spent even more time looking at how the different filter design parameters interact with one another and with the conversion algorithm itself.
Fortunately, all this work has paid off. The result is new versions of the SRC_SINC_MEDIUM_QUALITY and SRC_SINC_BEST_QUALITY converters. The old versions of these converters have been renamed to SRC_OLD_SINC_MEDIUM_QUALITY and SRC_OLD_SINC_BEST_QUALITY. The old versions will be removed once the new versions have been fully validated.
So far, the new converters seem to have significantly improved signal to noise ratio as can be seen from the following to spectrograms (using the methodology described here). It should be obvious from these plots that the new versions of the converters have significantly less artifacts (the purple and blue bits) than the old converters.
Obviously, conversion quality is not the only criterion to evaluate sample rate converters; conversion speed can also be important in some situations. In my preliminary testing, the updated Best SINC converter runs up to 25% slower than the old one. The new best converter also uses significantly more memory than the old one. Storage of filter coefficients has gone up by a factor of 20, which is now over a megabyte for best quality converter alone.
In the tables below I've listed the SNR, throughput speeds and bandwidths as measured by the test suite (the snr_bw_test and throughput_test programs) distributed with the code for a couple of different CPU types.
1.1 GHz Intel Pentium M (32 bit) with 2048 KB cache
|Converter Name
1.8 GHz AMD Opteron 265 (64 bit) with 1024 KB cache
|Converter Name
1.86GHz Intel Core Duo (32 bit) with 2048 KB cache
|Converter Name
A pre-release containing these updated converters is available for download here. Once they have been tested a little more widely I intend to replace the old versions of the converters with the new, higher specification ones.
Anybody who wants to discuss this further should join the SRC mailing list and discuss it there.
Finally, once a version of Secret Rabbit Code with these new converters has been officially released I can get back to the new converter algorithm which should at least match the what I have here in terms of quality but run significantly faster and use at least an order of magnitude less RAM.
Posted at: 14:50 | Category: CodeHacking/SecretRabbitCode | Permalink
Tue, 30 Jan 2007
SRC Comparison.
One of my Free Software projects is Secret Rabbit Code, aka libsamplerate, aka the Rabbit, a library for performing sample rate conversion (Wikipedia) on audio signals. Recently, a company in Canada did a comparison of a number sample rate converters in professional audio software and also included the Rabbit in that test.
The tests were carried out by generating a input signal at a sampling rate of 96 kHz, configuring each sample rate converter to to do a conversion from 96 kHz input sample rate to 44.1 kHz output sample rate and passing the input signal through each converter and capturing each converter's output. The input test signal was a sine wave which sweeps from a low frequency of about 100 Hz at the start to a frequency of 44.1 kHz at the end. Finally, a spectrogram is then generated from each output signal.
The spectrogram of the output of Secret Rabbit Code's Best Sinc converter looks like this:
The spectrogram shows time in seconds along the x-axis and frequency in Hertz along the y-axis. The colour indicates the signal strength at each point in time and frequency, with white being the strongest signal (0 decibels) and black being the weakest signal (-180 decibels).
The tricky thing about the sample rate conversion process is that for any given sample rate fs, the highest frequency signal that can be correctly represented is at fs/2. When sample rate converting from 96 kHz to 44.1 kHz, all frequencies above half of the destination sample rate must be removed during the conversion process. Failure to do so will result in audio distortion and noise in the output signal.
Looking at the spectrogram of the Rabbit's output, its easy to see that the the main sweep (in bright white) clearly goes from some low frequency at the start to 22.05 kHz (half of the output sample rate) at 5 seconds. After about 5 seconds, the input signal's sine wave frequency goes above half the destination sample rate and the Rabbit does the correct thing and almost completely removes it.
The rest of the colour in the spectrogram is an artifact of the conversion process but by referencing the colour scale, its possible to confirm that all of these artifacts are 100 decibels below the level of the main signal. Ideally they shouldn't be there at all, but if they are the should be as low as possible.
Anyone who has read this far can now go to the comparison page pick any two converters and compare them. They can also confirm for themselves that although the Rabbit (Best Sinc) wasn't the best converter among the ones tested (that award would have to go to r8brain and iZotope), it certainly didn't disgrace itself either. A number of the commercial converters in expensive software packages (like Sony Vegas and Digital Performer) didn't perform all that well in comparison.
The good news is that the existence of commercial closed source converters that are better than the Rabbit gives me some incentive to come up with a better converter for inclusion in the Rabbit.
Posted at: 23:18 | Category: CodeHacking/SecretRabbitCode | Permalink


text:
The marvellous view of the Dolomites casted into large spaces, furnished with fine fabrics and local materials: it is the peaceful atmosphere – merging traditional and contemporary design – of our Junior Suite.
Enjoy the panoramic terrace with a breathtaking view of Croda da Lago, Becco di Mezzodì and Tofane! It is particularly recommended for those who want to spend a cozy holiday.
- Wi-Fi
- Direct dial telephone
- Hair dryer
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- Digital safe locker
- Mini fridge
- Microwave
- Electric kettle
- Free parking


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text:
Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde – 6 Things you didn't know about Her
In this article – Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde – 6 Things you didn't know about Her, we present an amazing biography of a Nollywood Super Celeb. Early Life, Education, Career, Achievements and more…
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1. Omotola – EARLY LIFE
Omotola Jalade, who was born on 7 February 1978 is who is originally from Ondo but resident in Lagos State. She is an actress, songwriter, philanthropist, model and a singer.
She made debut into Nollywood (Nigerian movie industry) in 1995, and has appeared in over 300 films to her credit ever since. Omosexy as she was fondly called is from a family of 5 (hetself, her parents and 2 brothers – Tayo and Bolaji), and happened to be the only girl in the family.
During an interview, she recounted she was pampered by her dad because she was the only girl in the family. She was born into the Methodist home of now late Mr. Shola Jalade who worked as the manager of Lagos Country Club, Ikeja.
In 1991, her father died and she was still in secondary school at the time. She disclosed in an interview that she was closer to her dad more than her mom. And after school she would prefer to go and stay with her dad at work instead of going home to meet her mom.
Omotola never planned to go into showbiz as she wanted to build a career in business management. But while waiting for her JAMB (Joint Admission and Matriculations Board) result, she started modelling to make ends meet.
Omosexy modeled for 2 years before going into acting. She is Nollywood screen goddess now.
2. Omotola – EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND
Little Omotola attended nursery school at Chrisland School Opebi, Lagos. She later proceeded to Oxford Children School, Santos Layout for primary school.
Omosexy moved to the prestigious Command Secondary School, Kaduna State. After her secondary education, she felt she needed to further her education.
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So, she studied Estate Management at Yaba College of Technology, Yaba in Lagos State. She was already doing so well in movie when she was in school.
3. Omotola – CAREER
A. Acting movies: Omotola was introduced into the movie industry when she accompanied a friend to audition. Her first acting role was done in 1995 in the movie, Venom of Justice directed by Reginald Ebere.
Surprisingly, as a young talented star, Reginald Ebere gave her a lead role in the movie. This kick-started what would later be a flourishing movie career.
In the same year, Omotola got her biggest break in the blockbuster, Mortal Inheritance. The film sold massively across Nigerian states. After this massive success, she never rested on her laurels as she did more blockbusters like The Woman in Me, Games Women Play, Lost Kingdom, Blood Sisters, etc.
At this point, she was rated one of the biggest faces of Nollywood movie industry. Her immeasurable inputs contributed to the growth of Nollywood across Nigeria and beyond.
The movie that shot her into her present status as one of the most influential people in the world was Ije: The Journey. She played alongside Genevieve Nnaji. This movie was the highest ever selling Nollywood movie at the time.
It was premiered in many cinemas across US, Europe, Ghana, South Africa and Nigeria. At each cinema, it attracted massive audience. The movie was shot in Jos, California and Los Angeles.
Also, Omotola starred in Nollywood blockbuster Last Flight To Abuja. This film sold more than many blockbuster Hollywood films like Spider Man and Ice Age.
Last Flight To Abuja is the 2nd highest grossing movie in West Africa cinemas in 2012. She has acted in about 200 films when she celebrated her 20th anniversary in Nollywood.
Omotola is arguably the biggest export of Nollywood. She is often compared with Genevieve Nnaji who has not done badly for herself in the movie industry.
B. Music: After she was reportedly barred from acting for charging high on movie makers before acting, she used the opportunity to try out her hands on music.
She once recounted she loved to sing and dance when she was a little girl. Now she decided to give her singing talent a try. In 2005, she released her debut album, GBA. This album was received by Nigerians with mixed feelings.
The album has some singles like Naija Lowa and The Thing You Do To Me. She later did another album with the likes of Paul P and Del B exhibiting their musical panache in the album.
This album was titled, My, Myself and Eyes. The album was mainly made of pop and rock genre. some of the songs on this album include Feel Alright feat Harrysong and, Through the fire featuring Uche
C. Reality Show: In what appeared as a bid to prove she was really multi-talented and not hyped; Omotola launched her TV reality show like the Kardashians' Keeping Up With The Kardashians in 2012.
She titled it, The Omotola: Real Me. It was aired on Multi-Choice DSTV. This show saw her travelling from one country to another just to make the show more interesting to numerous admirers and viewers around the world.
It was a 13-episoode really show that caught the attention of many viewers. This made her the first Nigerian celebrity to star in her own reality show. It is estimated that the show attracted some 150 million viewers.
3. Omotola – FAMILY/MARRIAGE
In 1996, Omotola got married to a pilot, Captain Matthew Ekeinde after he had known Omotola when she was much younger.
Captain Ekeinde proposed when Omotola turned 18. They had a proper wedding onboard a flight from Lagos to Benin in 2001 – it is one of a kind at the time.
Well, Captain Ekeinde is 10 years older than her. In 1997, Omotola gave birth to her first child. The couple had 4 kids together, and they are Princess, M.J., Meriaiah and Michael Ekeinde.
Her family lives in a comfortable mansion in Lagos. She is the first Africa celebrity to ever get 1 million likes on Facebook. Omotola is a very vocal actress that always criticizes government misrule on twitter.
4. Omotola – SUCCESSES
Omotola Jalade Ekeinde is always ranked one of the richest actresses of Nollywood movie industry. She is rumored to be worth close to N100million.
Her official website is www.omotola.tv. A chieftaincy title was conferred on her in 2013 in her hometown of Ondo State in South West Nigeria.
She was honoured by paramount ruler of her hometown Oba Kiladejo. Part of what propelled Omosexy to stardom was her stunning beauty and hourglass shape.
During one of her interviews on Ndani TV's The Juice, her hourglass shape was compared to that of Toolz. Her car's number plate is customized OMO-T.
5. Omotola – FILMOGRAPHY
Omotola has feature in over 300 films. Some of her notable films include Venom of Justice (1995), Mortal Inheritance (1996), Scores to settle (1988), When Love Dies (2003), Blood sisters (2003), Games women Play (2005), Ije: The Journey (2010), Ties That Bind (2011), Last Flight To Abuja (2012), Amina (2012), Hit The Floor (2013) and so many others.
Read: 15 Ways to Become a Celebrity in Nigeria
6. Omotola – ACHIEVEMENTS
She has won so many awards and has always been recognized in many fora. Some of the awards and recognition include:
The Movie Awards (1997), Global Recognition Award (2004), Africa Movie Academy Awards (2005), MTV Africa Music Awards (2014), Times' 100 Most Influential People in World (2013)


text:
Mom of slain flight attendant said she trusted her daughter's co-workers
The mother of the flight attendant who was found lifeless in a Makati hotel room said she allowed her daughter to attend a New Year's Eve celebration with friends and colleagues because she trusted them.
According to Emil Sumangil's "24 Oras" report on Monday, 23-year-old Christine Dacera was found dead in a bathtub on January 1st.
She was rushed to a hospital but declared dead on arrival due to ruptured aortic aneurysm.
Makati police said there were indications of foul play in her death.
"Meron siyang mga pasa, meron siyang mga contusions sa both knees and then meron siyang abrasions… pero isa lang 'yun na mahaba. Meron definitely sexual contact," Makati police chief Police Colonel Harold Depositar said.
The victim's General Santos City-based mother, Sharon, said Christine asked for permission to attend a New Year's Eve party with friends.
The victim even called her family past 12 a.m. on January 1.
"'Sinong kasama mo, 'nak?' 'Siyempre, 'yung mga friends ko po rin na flight attendant.' Sabi ko sino, so 'yun pinakita niya sa'kin mga flight attendants. So, in short, since I really trust my daughter, [sabi] ko 'Basta enjoy ka 'te ha, enjoy enjoy lang 'nak.'" she said.
"Wala akong any presumption na something will happen to my daughter, because siyempre ang kasama niya, mga kasamahan niya ring flight attendant."
Twelve hours later, the family was informed by Christine's friend, who was also in the hotel with her, that she had died.
"'Bakit, ano ba nangyari sa anak ko?' 'Namatay na.' So no'ng nagsabi siya na namatay na, 'Ha? Nag-usap pa kami kanina 12:34 in the morning.' Hindi ko alam kung anong gawin ko because physically, I'm not with my daughter," Sharon said through tears.
Authorities said Christine was with 11 other people, three of whom have been arrested and eight remain at large.
They are set to face charges for rape with homicide.
"Ba't kailangan gawin 'yun nila sa anak ko? I want to seek justice. Justice for my daughter na sana hindi rin 'yan mangyari sa anak nila. Ni-rape nila ang anak ko. Sana hindi 'yan mangyari sa kapatid niya, sa anak niya. Ayaw kong may mabiktima pa sila ulit," Sharon said.
The family also said they believed that Christine was set-up.
"Hindi inaasahan ng biktima na sa gabing 'yun, 'yun ang mga makakasama niya. Let's just put it that way. She was supposed to be with friends and she was not supposed to be with strangers. She was with friends and suddenly, dumami sila," the family's counsel, Atty. Jose Ledda, said.
Depositar said there were several bottles of liquor in the hotel room.
"Nag-invite sila ng friends of friends, something like that, 'no, and I think most if not all are gays also, bisexual, and then they had a party starting mga 10 or 11:30. It continues until the following morning," he said.
"May binitawang salita si Christine na tinanong itong kaibigan niya, sabi niya, 'Parang may nilagay si name doon sa drinks ko kasi nag-iba 'yung pakiramdam ko,'" he added.
Police said they were yet to confirm whether something was put in the victim's drink.
CCTV footage also showed Christine and one guy transferring to a different hotel room.
It was not until the following morning that the victim was carried back to her original room.
"Ang gusto lang naman sana ni Christine is magsaya no'ng yearend party na 'yun. Kung anumang kababuyan ginawa niyo sa anak ko, hindi deserve ni Christine 'yun… Wag niyo gawing baboy ang anak ko, tao ang anak ko," the grieving mother said.—Julia Mari Ornedo/LDF, GMA News