A Roman Holiday, a Rezzday, and Partying 'Till You're Purple

Sometimes so much happens in a weekend, it takes time to describe it all. That was the case with Saturday February 21 and Sunday February 22. Those two days saw quite a bit from the Roman Lupercalia to the opening party of "Paint Second Life Purple" to the rezzday party of noted Bay City resident Marianne McCann, and more. Somehow Bixyl Shuftan managed to attend those and more, but wasn't able to finish writing about what happened until just now.

Read more in Events.

Tales From Podex: Money After Mardi Gras

By Bixyl Shuftan


It was a fairly typical mid-February day in the Podex Exchange. Even though it was winter, people still had a need for Lindens, whether for clothes, a new look, or just tipping the local DJ. And so they kept coming. And this being February, there was another reason: Valentines Day. Men, and some women came by to get Lindens for the purpose of getting something for their sweetheart, whether it be flowers, jewelery, or renting a private place for a day or two. They made some good business up to and during February 14.

But Valentines Day wasn't the only reason people were getting Lindens. There were fundraising events, such as the Second Life science-fiction convention which collected cash for cancer research. Then there was the big party that took place shortly after Valentines Day: Mardi Gras. Coming so soon after the day associated with romance, Some were calling it the singles' counterpart of the better-known holiday. And people would spend money for fancy outfits, or in the case of the guys for beads.

It was at one point that the attention of the tellers was drawn to a couple visitors at the door. Both were women, but one didn't have any feet but instead from the waist down had a serpentine, snakelike body, wearing a black and red dress. The other was a bit more normal, having legs, but was covered in white fur with a tail and rounded ears. She was shorter, wearing a purplish dress, and a lot of beads.

"Um, can we help you?" one of the tellers asked.

"Yes," spoke the shorter lady, "We're going shopping to get dresses for tonight's party, and we're likely to need a few more Lindens."

"Certainly, Ma'am. Just fill out this short form, and we'll make the trade through Paypal, Ukash, direct bank transfer, Bitcoin Wallet, and a number of other ways ."

The two stepped over, the smaller lady walking and the taller using her tail to push herself over.

"So what currency will you be using to exchange for the Lindens?" the teller went on?

"British Pounds," the white-furred lady answered.

"Certainly. Just put down the ammount you wish to exchange for, and the transfer should just take a few minutes."

"I have a bit of currency in another virtual world," the taller woman asked, "I don't suppose I could bring some of that over?"

"We can transfer and exchange with several other virtual world currencies to Second Life Lindens. We added the Adult Grid, Mobius, and Lost Paradise not long ago."

It didn't take long at all for the exchange to be made, and the two ladies soon had their Lindens.

"There you go," the teller told them, "Please come again soon."

"We probably will. Too bad no one will throw us Lindens like these beads earlier."

"From a Mardi Gras parade?

"Yeah. One of the floats pushed me into the water. I had to take of my shirt to wring it dry, and all of a sudden the guys nearby started tossing these beads at us."

They had a good chuckle, and the women went on their way.

The Podex Exchange is located at the Coda sim at (45, 218, 61), with a website at http://www.podex.info/. Jacek Shuftan is the CEO. Besides Second Life Lindens, it deals in the currencies of nine other virtual worlds.

Note: The preceding is a fictional story, written for the dual purpose of advertisement and entertainment.

Bixyl Shuftan

SL Video: "Lady Gaga - Bad Romance"

(Click here if the video doesn't play)

By Dimitri Litvinkin, Dec 2009

Veterans Isle Raises Over 180,000 Lindens for Charity

On Sunday February 22, Frets Nirvana and other musicians took part in a benefit concert at Veterans Isle. The event ran from 5PM SL time to around 9PM (Midnight EST). Besides Frets, Zak Claxton, JimmyT29 Dukes, and Noma Faulta also took part.

A total of 181,500 Lindens were raised in the four hour live music event. The money will go to the Homes Four Our Troops charity.

Review: The Anthroxtacy Fox

At about the time Grease Coakes was reviewing the furry fox avatar from Avatar Planet, one of the Newser's readers informed us where to find another brand: Anthroxtacy. Often called "AX" for short, the company also had a club in addition to it's store. But sadly the place closed down and so did the only place many people knew of where they could get these particular avatars. Although no longer updated or with customer support, the avatars are available at a cheaper cost. Grease went over and got one, giving it a look-over.

Read Grease's review in Design.

The Magic Of Trance Club : A Club for Trance Lovers !

Wesley Regenbogen is back with another club review. Recently, he had a look at the Magic of Trance club. Also called MOT, the club plays only trance music. So what did Wesley think of the club?

Read Wesley's review in Places.

Press Release: "The Little Prince" at Pure Luxury

The Little Prince

By

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
                            

Directed

By

Szerewp.Loon

 aka

Andy Loon
                                        

Produced

By

Xavier Thiebaud

Owner of the A List

Date: February 28th
Time: 12pm SLT
Where: Theatre On The Hill
Dress Code: Formal Black Tie & Gowns

You are cordiality invited to join us in our interpretation of the most beloved story known world wide and translated in over 100 languages. The Little Prince

We encourage everyone to arrive early, as seating is limited and will fill up quickly.

Theatre On The Hill, Pure Luxury (185, 143, 37)

"The Poultry Report" Second Life Blog Moving Due to New Blogspot Policy

Bay City residents are familiar with Uccello Poultry, or "Uccie" as she's commonly called. Besides being involved in local activities, such as her recent winning of the title "Miss Bay City," she also runs a blog about various things and doings, mostly about Second Life, "The Poultry Report." Adult content is part of her postings, such as the weekly "Topless Tuesday" posts. Unfortunately, such content is affected by a new policy of Blogspot, or Blogger, on which her blog runs. Starting March 23, all blogs that run under Blogspot that contain sexual content such as nude pictures or videos with bare breasts and sex organs or sexual activity will be listed as "private." This means they can been seen only by the blog's owner, or those with whom he or she has actively shared it with. This means that "The Poultry Report" would suddenly have a much smaller audience.

Rather than take down the "Topless Tuesday" and other nude pictures, Uccello made the decision to move her activity to a new location. Following her entry on Wednesday February 25, "The Poultry Report's" new posts will be at https://poultryreport.wordpress.com/.

Perhaps it is easier to objectify bare chests on women than it is on men and likely this will always be so. It is an erogenous zone, after all. And as much as I decry the inequality between men and women on this issue ... I can understand some of the reasoning behind Blogger's policy change. I can't help wonder, though, if Google/Blogger will crack down on violent images. Which is more harmful ... a picture of a woman's breast being caressed or one being carved at with a knife? Frequent exposure to anything will desensitize a person to the stimulus it provides. ...  Frankly, I'd rather see more breasts  ... Since my efforts with The Poultry Report have to been focus on Second Life I'll abstain from delving into the nanny state concept behind all of this. Perhaps I'll tackle it in the future if I can find an SL tie-in.

The Second Life Newser also uses blogspot as a platform, but as the publication has a "workplace safe" policy, Blogger's move will have no effect on who can view it. 

Hopefully, Uccie's blog will do well at it's new location.

Bixyl Shuftan

Press Release: M&M New Release Week 9

*DRESS RT Rigged for 5 sizes + fitted

M&M Creations; Fashion Landscaping Decoration Mesh, DoubleMM (222, 127, 77) - General

Visit M&M Creations to discover new releases and of course much more of our huge collection.

ALSO for sale as original mesh (dae files) in our webshop:
www.doublemcreations.org

M&M Creations Main Store, DoubleMM (178, 77, 76)
www.doublemcreations.org

Be creative and always feel free to inspire us!

M&M , 10 & Marcthur

One Hot Party at "The Vinyl"

Thursday February 19 was "Best in Fire" at the classic rock club "The Vinyl." At 6PM, a number of residents dropped by to listen to the talented Perri Prinz spin a number of tunes in theme with the event. Most were wearing outfits to match the theme such as red or flame patters, or sporting demonic avatars or flame animations. The dance floor was also flickering with red hot flames, "Don't worry, it's concrete underneath."

DJ Perri played a number of smoking hot tunes, such as "Heat Wave," "Hot Line," "Disco Inferno," "Some Like it Hot," and Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire."

Love, is a burnin' thing,
And it makes, a firey ring.
Bound, by wild desire,
I fell, into a ring of fire.

I fell into a burnin' ring of fire.
I went down, down, down,
and the flames went higher.
And it burns, burns, burns,
the ring of fire, the ring of fire.

About two dozen attended the party that night. The prize that night for the best appearance in theme was raised to a red-hot $1250, of which Nikolinni Mhia was the winner.

"The Vinyl" has regular events held twice a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6 to 8 PM SL time, and is located in HV Community (67/207/4051) .

Press Release: Talking Science - Asteroids, Comets, and Meteors, Oh My!

As the Dawn Spacecraft nears the dwarf planet Ceres, we are learning more about this enigmatic object out in the Asteroid Belt. We already know that it expels water plumes... Could it also hold a warm liquid water ocean under its surface? We will talk about why some things are called asteroids, but other things are called comets, and what the links between them are. We will also talk about different kinds of asteroids, and where they might all come from.

7 PM PST (SLT) Thursday at the Meridian Cafe!

Prism Lila (140/27/351)

Cartoon of the Day

Taken at the National Space Society's meeting at the Sci-Fi con. This is probably what one feels like when you hear that someone in your workplace is going to be let go.

By Bixyl Shuftan

"Air" at LEA 27

Gemma Cleanslate was recently at the new exhibition at the Linden Endowment of the Arts area at LEA27. Here, artist FreeWee Ling, describing herself as a "kid in God's Legoland," has a number of her creations in a series of exhibits with themes such as Ancient Greece. So what did Gemma think?

Read Gemma's article in Places.

Review: Avatar Planet Foxes

Grease Coakes recently came across Avatar Planet, one of the numbers of makers of anthro or "furry" avatars on the market. This includes a fox avatar, which he got. So what did Grease think of his new vulpine look? He had a few things to say.

Read Grease's review in Design.

Lunar New Year in the Nisean Realms

On Thursday February 19, The Nisean Realms pony area held it's Lunar New Year event. Although a roleplay event for those in the community, visitors could attend as observers.

We are entering the Lunar New Year of the Ram (Horin: ahem, Ibex). Gather around the Ibexian Commons to take part in the festival, be part of the land's magic, and perhaps even see some fireworks.

 Following the event, I had a few words with the pony playing the part of Emperor Horin. He told me the ceremony went without problems, followed by some fireworks and some unplanned revelry, "The (roleplay) finished out with a snowball fight after the lunar orb was brought through the gates ... one kicked snow at the other, it devolved. It of course is not a night to be too stern. everyone eventually joined in. Even Crim/Stormcloud ... the airforce I must say is quite effective."

Emperor Horin also showed off one of the new NPC pony constructs, to help give the impression of a more populated area when fewer residents are around. They certainly looked like a pony avatar, just completely still. One nearby local commented upon seeing it, "Daw! They look soo cyooot!"

As for the roleplay's plot, "Well, there was a bit of a surprise (for this character). Raikou Hake-sensei, who I've been attempting to catch- erm - speak to for some time now showed up. It wasn't a hitch, but it does move the story further along toward reversing some things and bringing the Spring of Knowledge back. You'd know that character as Amehana." What had happened to the spring? "It's disappearance is linked to the desertification of the area around the Ibexian capital (the desertification isn't shown in sim beyond the stepps looking drier than the coast). During the reign of my father the land became unhappy and started to withdraw the magic around the capital keeping the area more fertile. As time passed it continued. When I won the throne I made some decisions due to grief that further displeased the land. It is my hope that working with Raikou will unlock the key to fixing things."

And so the adventures at the  Nisean Realms continue

Bixyl Shuftan

Events this Week in the Sunweaver Clubs

With Mardi Gras week over, February is coming to a close. But there's still plenty to dance to at the Sunweaver clubs. Hop over to The Vinyl's formal party and "Best in Blue" events. And at Club Cutlass, head over for "Best in W" (Bush Jr mask optional), Friday Fantasy, or just come over and get "Superpowered."

Read more in Events this Week.

"Lundi Gras" Boat Parade at New Toulouse

Besides the "Samedi Gras" parade in the city streets, it seems the 1920s New Orleans themed community of New Toulouse held a "Lundi Gras" parade in the waters of the bayou. Several boats, rafts, and other things that floated took part in this aquatic version of the Mardi Grads parade. The proclaimed "King of the Carnival" King Blake proclaimed:

It is commanded that the residents of New Toulouse and all who visit her adhere to the following decree:
… that the residents and observers of the capital city shall embrace this evening’s riverine pageantry and put forth their great determination in attending the magnificent spectacle of maritime craft that shall sail upon the great Missedabracket River;
… that a local priest shall preside over the ceremony at its commencement for the blessing of the fleet and to ensure our entrusted fishers, trawlers, piscators, and those with rod and reel a safe and bountiful season;
… that those in gracious attendance shall show no tolerance and put forth their licentious efforts in the bountiful spirits, grandeur, and pleasures that await following the evening ceremony.

Nikita Weymann of the community newsletter "The Tattler" described the event:

This old bird has seen a lot of odd things floating in the waters of New Toulouse, but on Lundi Gras there was a new addition to the flood of Carnival activity: the Krewe du Canard held a little bayou regatta. The vessels were varied, ranging from Blake Palmer’s fishing boat, to Henri Godenot’s float-styled pirogue, to whatever sort of Jules Verne-type craft the Whitefalcons were piloting. Admiral Callidus Waydelich showed up in an inner tube; one would suspect the Mondragons had more impressive naval technology than that, especially after seeing that flying elephant float they made for Samedi Gras. 

The parade sailed along the river, amusing the spectators on the deck of the Mama Cree. Then the Duck Armada sailed back to its home pond, and the krewe members went to the Toulouse Caboose, where they proceeded to get polluted. DJ Q got them dancing, Doc Avalon got them drinking, and Lundi Gras may never be the same, especially if the boat parade becomes a regular Carnival event.

More pictures can be seen in Maggie Hawksby's Flickr page (here). 

Source: The Tattler

New Toulouse

Last Tuesday in Second Life was Mardi Gras in Second Life. One of the places holding a parade, as it has every year for a time, is New Toulouse. A residential and roleplay community, it reflects New Orleans in the 1920s. Fritter Enzyme took a look at the place once "Fat Tuesday" was over, and even when it's most famous event wasn't going on, found there was a great deal for visitors to see.

Read Fritter's review in Places.

Facebook Accused of Suspending Accounts of Native Americans, Asking They Use "Real Names"

Although many Second Life users are perfectly happy with using their real-life names on Facebook, for others they would prefer to use their account names as what they post is mainly about what they experience in the virtual world. Unfortunately for the latter, Facebook's official policy is that users must use their real life identities as their profile name. As it turns out, their "Real Names Only" policy isn't just affecting users of the planet's most populated virtual world. Some American Indians have complained Facebook refuses to recognize the names they use in real life as real names, and have their accounts suspended for using them.

Read more in Extra.

What a Weekend

Yours truly had a busy weekend in Second Life, from the Roma Lupercalia, to the opening party of Paint Second Life Purple, to the Second Life Science Fiction Convention, and Marianne McCann's Rezzday party, and more.

So much to see, and so little time to write about it. Before yours truly could explain things in detail, it was time to rest up for his day job in real life for Monday. So the scoop on what happened sadly will have to wait.

Bixyl Shuftan

Press Release: Burn2 Burnal Equinox March 27-29

Burn2 is pleased to announce the upcoming event Burnal Equinox, which takes place March 27 through 29th this year. The Theme is "Balance."

Equinox is the time when the day and night are of equal length. It is also the start of both Spring (Northern Hemisphere) and Autumn (Southern Hemisphere). In the virtual world, we can mix all things together, so we can have bats flying down to sip the nectar from the new spring flowers in the daytime, or autumn leaves transforming into buterflies at night. Our only limitation is our imagination.

This event is a short but bright and exciting burst on the calendar. It will feature new and experienced artists, live musicians, DJs, and performers all working to an interesting theme. All are welcome to join the celebration.


Artists and builders are invited to sign up for a plot and build to the theme. DJs, live musicians, and performers are also welcome to apply to play during the event weekend.

Please let us know when you have included us in your publications as we link back to online TV, magazine and blog posts at Http://www.burn2.org/media_coverage. We would love to include you! Just email a link to your content to communications@burn2.org, and we'll include it.

Burn2 is the virtual extension of the Burning Man festival and community into the world of Second Life. It spreads Burning Culture and the Burning Man Ten Principles all year round. Burn2 is one Burning Man regional, out of more than 100 first world Regional groups.

We encourage you to use the following labels and hashtags when you write about the event: Burn2, #burn2. We will promote those tags to make it easier for people to find your content.

Want more information? Check out these resources:

Website: http://burn2.org/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BURN2BURNER
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/BURN2BURNERS
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Burn2.SL/
Regional Page: http://regionals.burningman.com/regionals/cyberspace/second-life/

Contact People:
Communications: communications@burn2.org
Steering Committee: steering@burn2.org
Burning Man Regional Contact: secondlife@burn2.org

Cartoon of the Day: Gone Bananas

Taken at the Mardi Gras in Snackpack. Looks like Rezzdammit has been encountering some rather unusual costumes. And no, she wasn't singing "It's Peanut Butter Jelly Time."

By Bixyl Shuftan

Press Release: Homes For Our Troops Benefit at Veterans Isle

Frets Nirvana and US Military Veterans Group announces the February 2015 benefit for Homes For Our Troops in Second Life! 

Frets Nirvana, the premier guitar artist in the virtual world Second Life and the US Military Veterans Group announce the the second benefit in 2015 in Second Life for the Veterans Support Organization, Home For Our Troops . 

Frets Nirvana states:  “HFOT is a privately funded 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization building specially adapted, mortgage-free homes nationwide for the most severely injured Veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan. Most of these Veterans are multiple amputees, paraplegic, quadriplegic or suffered severe traumatic brain injury (TBI).  These homes restore some of the freedom and independence our Veterans sacrificed defending ours, and enable them to focus on their family, recovery, and rebuilding their lives. Since its inception in 2004, over 90 cents of every dollar spent by Homes for Our Troop has gone to directly support Veterans. ”

Home for Our Troops benefit concerts feature premier Second Life talent monthly at Veteran’s Isle.  The concert on February 22, 2015 is scheduled from 5-9 PM PST.  Featured artists will be Zak Claxton, JimmyT49 Dukes, Frets Nirvana and Noma Falta.

ABOUT HOMES FOR OUR TROOPS  - HFOT builds homes as a departure point for Veterans to rebuild their lives, and once again become highly productive members of society. Despite their life-altering injuries, many Veterans have embarked on new careers, completed their college degrees, or started families. Empowered by the freedom a mortgage-free and specially adapted home brings, these Veterans can now focus on their recovery and return to their life’s work of serving others. Many have embraced their roles as motivational speakers, sharing their messages of persevering through tragedy with groups and classrooms around the country; others take to a national platform to promote awareness of veteran suicide, homelessness and PTSD. Their incredible stories are the driving force for the work for HFOT.

To learn more about the Homes For Our Troops visit https://www.hfotusa.org

Second Life Science Fiction Convention

From Friday February 20 to Sunday March 1, the Second Life Science-Fiction Convention will be taking place.

"Attention all sci-fi lovers, join the 2015 Sci-Fi Convention! This annual event returns with 6 regions with 10 days of exhibits, sci-fi-based creations, and events in support of Relay For Life of Second Life, an official charity of the American Cancer Society. For more information, be sure to visit."

For information, check out the official website at: https://slscificonvention.wordpress.com/

Fhloston Parside (130/128/22)

SL Video: "Godzilla Eats Las Vegas - Part 1"

(Click Here if the video fails to show)

From Chantal Harvey and Lorin Tone, "Composed and Conducted by Eric Whitacre http://ericwhitacre.com/

Commissioned by Thomas G. Leslie
Manager: Claire Long...Thank you, Claire!

Narrator: Lauren Weyland

Produced and Directed by Lorin Tone and Chantal Harvey
Machinima by Chantal Harvey
Second Life Adaptation by Lorin Tone

Sets, Props and Avatars: Madcow Cosmos, Marcus Parrott, Ledje Gorky, Cailin Mistwalker, Xon Halostar, Xoph Adamczyk, Colin Nilsson, SweetDevil Magi, Razgriz Makarov, Meijui Tokyoska, Arms Dealer : Catten Carter, Desert: Fruit Islands, Lorin Tone

With special thanks to: paramparamm Papp

Crew/Actors: Atrebor Zenovka, PetLove PetShop, Nash LaVille, DMom2k Darwin, Judi Newall, LadySlipper Constantine, Taralyn Gravois, Fox Obviate, SkydiverJimbo Fall, SkydiverPeni Fall, Honour McMillan, Eisie Etchegaray, Xon Halostar, marleeoneal Resident, Marianne McCann, Pygar Bu, Eisi Etchegarray

http://ericwhitacre.com/
http://mamachinima.eu

Press Release: Paint SL Purple - Feb 21 to March 7

WEBSITE:  www.relayforlifeofsecondlife.org

LOCATION:  American Cancer Society (219/138/26)

It is time to paint the grid purple!! Paint SL Purple, the official lead in to the 2015 Relay For Life of Second Life season, will take place between February 21 and March 7, 2015.  Throughout this time, Second Life avatars are invited to paint their homes, businesses, clubs, and land purple, wear purple clothes, purple hair, and even purple skin!

Second Life avatars  can pick up the official Paint SL Purple kit at the American Cancer Society Island. This special kit contains purple freebies to help you celebrate the week. Avatars can  contact Nuala Maracas or Leala Spire in world to obtain a copy of the free kit or they visit the following slurl: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/American%20Cancer%20Society/219/138/26

The official Paint SL Kickoff party will be held on Saturday, February 21, 2015  on American Cancer Society Island from 4pm - 9pm. DJ Dee Wolfe will kick off the party at 4 pm slt, followed by Special Guest’s Satin & Erin. DJ Dianne Wycliffe will close the part out from 7pm to 9 pm slt. All parties will take place at the following location:  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/American%20Cancer%20Society/42/211/609

Search for Paint Second Life Purple (PSLP) in the Second Life event listings to find other parties that are taking place all over the grid throughout this special week.

About Relay For Life of Second Life
Relay For Life is the signature event of the American Cancer Society and has been active, and continually growing in Second Life for 10 years. In 2005, the first Relay For Life of Second Life (RFL of SL) was attended by a few hundred avatars and raised almost $5,000 US dollars for the American Cancer Society. As of July 2014 RFL of SL ranks number 17th out of 5000 teams worldwide in donations received. We have brought in over 2 million US dollars to help with the fight against cancer. This year our Relay weekend will be held on July 17th and 18th.

About the American Cancer Society
For 100 years, the American Cancer Society has been working to create a world with less cancer and more birthdays. Together with our millions of supporters, the American Cancer Society (ACS) saves lives by helping people stay well and get well, by finding cures, and by fighting back. The American Cancer Society is a nationwide, community-based, voluntary health, and international organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives, and diminishing suffering from cancer, through research, education, advocacy, and service.

For More Information:
www.relayforlifeofsecondlife.org

www.cancer.org/involved/participate/relayforlife/second-life

Return to the God’s House of Prayer Church

About two years ago, Grease Coakes paid a visit to the House of Prayer church. He recently decided to check in on the place to see how it was doing. Indeed the church had changed, such as the chapel now being an outdoor one. But an even bigger difference was they had gone from having furred avatars in the flock to telling those coming by only human appearances were welcome.

Read Grease's story in People.

Two Mardi Gras Events

Tuesday February 17 was Mardi Gras, the day in real life parties and parades are held in many areas around the world, the most notable celebration in the United States being in New Orleans. Second Life Newser found out about two parades of the event, one from a place known to have them in years past, the other that we hadn't heard of before.

Read more in Events.

JasX Games Part 3

Locke Esgal continues his review of JasX games. In Part three, he looks at two games that represent different levels of success: jFish and Fright. Jasdac Stockholm had a few comments as to why one of the games succeeded and the other fell flat.

Read Locke's story in Design.

Press Release: "Fractal Nature of the Universe" Talk at UH Astronomy

UH Astronomy: "Fractal Nature of the Universe"

By Dr. Paul Coleman
Friday, Feb 20th at 8:30 PM PST
Institute for Astronomy - U. Hawaii Astronomy Amphitheater:  (49, 205, 4002)
Alliance, Chaminade University: CUH Alliance (58/206/25)


This talk will explore the Universe through the mathematical framework of fractal geometry.  We will also discuss some of the resistance to these ideas that the author has encountered in modern cosmology.

New Installation at LEA 26

Gemma Cleanslate was at the unveiling of the new exhibition at the LEA 26 sim. The opening in itself was quite an experience. But so was the sim itself, with it's numerous instruments. There was also a movie set there which was the spot where noted machinima maker Chantal Harvey's latest video, "Godzilla Eats Las Vegas."

Read Gemma's article in Design.

Press Release: Relay For Life Castle Contest

TEAM STRANGE JOURNEYS
Presents

2nd Annual CASTLE CONTEST in support of RELAY FOR LIFE OF SECOND LIFE

FIRST PRIZE: $L100,000 Linden
Second Place  Prize: $L50,000 Linden
Third Place Prize: $25,000 Linden
Fourth Place Prize: $10,000 Linden
Fifth Place Prize: $5,000 Linden
POPULAR VOTE CONTEST (Voted by the people)- First prize $L10,000
***ALL PRIZES WILL BE DONATED TO A RELAY FOR LIFE KIOSK, TOWARD GENERAL OR A TEAM OF YOUR CHOICE***

Last year, we had over 20 teams involved. We had about 15 castles. We had music, live events, contests, parties and tours! We also had a BID ME BALD in real life contest!!!

Sign up today to be involved with the 2nd annual castle contest! This is the preliminary sign ups. I know how it takes forever to make a castle to perfection, so sign up today and get started!!!

WHEN: June 13-20
WHERE: To be Determined
WHY: To Raise Money for Relay for Life


WHAT WE NEED...
*Castle Builders (please get an application from one of the people listed below, or from the notice in the RFL Volunteers group)
*Volunteers  (just IM me, will have a form when the event comes closer)
*DJs (just IM me, will have a form when the event comes closer)
*Hosts (just IM me, will have a form when the event comes closer)
*Home and Garden Builders (just IM me, will have a form when the event comes closer) (There will be a separate contest for homes and gardens, with prizes toward your teams)


***THERE WILL BE A 2nd ANNUAL CASTLE CONTEST WEBSITE OPENING SOON WITH MORE INFORMATION***


Thank you for all of your help!
Team Strange Journeys
Rowena Dubrovna, Captain
Sidonie Carlberg, Co-Captain
Cuddly Waffle, Co-Captain

Cartoon of the Day: Cupid on the Loose

Taken at Furry Fashion. Looks like someone's hoping Cupid's mischief strikes the girl before him.

By Bixyl Shuftan

Review of Madpea's "Buried"

Second Life Newser is happy to introduce our newest writer, Kiirya Lii (account name Kiirya Huntress). In her first article, Kiirya took on a challenge: Madpea's latest game "Buried." This is an adventure game in which you take on the role of a geocacher, someone who uses a GPS device to track down the locations of hidden items, whom is searching for a missing writer. So what did Kiirya think of the game?

Read more in Design.

France Portnawak

Fritter Enzyme recently took a look at France Portnawak. This picturesque sim boasts a number of places to explore, as well as some spots ideal for couples to relax on. There's also a lighthouse, and the local store has some freebie items. And there are the horse and boat rides. All to some nice relaxing music. The one small problem, at least for "anglophones," the signs and descriptions are all in French.

Read Fritter's article in Places.

Ash Wednesday Cross Tattoo

For those whom want their Ash Wednesday religious services reflected in Second Life, a few builders have made some ash cross marks, which are actually avatar tattoos. Among them, a freebie one by Edd Thor.

Tattoo layers are required. A selection of ten. Ash Wednesday is observed by some denominations as the beginning of the time of preparation for Easter. A cross made of ashes may be placed on the forehead, perhaps with the words, "Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return." To the best of my knowledge, the church clip art from which these crosses are derived are public domain. If this is an error, please notify me (Edd Thor). Please distribute these as you wish throughout the Second Life communities.

The tattoo can be found on Marketplace (Here).

Events This Week in the Sunweaver Clubs

This Mardi Gras week at the Sunweaver clubs, come on over to "The Vinyl" for a little "Wild and Crazy" fun. Plus there are other themes there and at Club Cutlass.

Read more in Events this Week.

Press Release: M&M New Release Week 7

DRESS DRAPE 1, fitted mesh

Visit M&M Creations to discover new releases and of course much more of our huge collection.


DoubleMM (179/77/76)

ALSO for sale as original mesh (dae files) in our webshop: www.doublemcreations.org

Be creative and always feel free to inspire us!

M&M

10 & Marcthur

Griefers Strike at Sunweaver Estates

On Saturday night, the Sunweaver Estates were the target of griefers. The incident took place at Club Cutlass after the party in which those still around were pummeled by flying drumsticks, which continued to chase them if they retreated. There was also a huge chicken bucket seen at the club, and something was uttering a racial slur.

Sunweaver Space suffered a griefer attack with self-replicating "chicken drumstick" noisemakers  multiplying all over the sim.  Their owners, ... , have been banned from the sims and the objects returned.  I *think* I got 'em all, but everyone check your parcels for unwanted/unknown objects, and I strongly suggest making sure your parcels are set to "group only" for object rezzing.

The objects were delt with by several locals with estate powers to clean up such objects.

Scenes From One Billion Rising

February 14 was Valentines Day in Second Life. It was also when the "One Billion Rising" event took place. Part of a global demonstration in support of women's rights across the planet, volunteers held smaller events and greeted visitors across four sims of walkways, artistic exhibitions, and a main stage where DJs performed music throughout the event.

See the pictures in Events.

The Singularity Viewer : A Lightweight Viewer for Second Life

If you're like most Second Life residents, you've moved on from the official viewer to one of the alternatives. The most popular is Firestorm, which has more users than even the official client software. But suppose this isn't running quite right for you either. Fortunately, there's other third party viewers out there. Among them, the Singularity Viewer. Wesley Regenbogen decided to give it a try recently. So what did he think of it?

Read Wesley's article in Design.

One Week Left For Avi Choice Awards Voting

Hey folks. Just a reminder about the Second Life Newser being nominated for two awards of the Avi Choice Awards, "Best Media News Source" and "Favorite Magazine, Newspaper, or Periodical."

The deadline for voting is next Monday, February 23. The winners will be announced at a special event on Saturday February 28.

To vote, go to this page: http://avichoiceawards.com/vote-here-the-arts/ , and vote for the Second Life Newser under "Best Media News Source" and "Favorite Magazine, Newspaper, or Periodical."

Press Release: Ibexian Lunar New Year Festival Roleplay, February 19

Ibexian Lunar New Year Festival Roleplay
Feb 19th 2015
8 PM to 10 PM SLT
Entering the year of the Ibex (or Ram, or Sheep, but this is Ibex, and so the Ibex insert themselves wherever they can).
The Ibex Empire, Ibex Empire (177, 166, 25)

*  *  *  *  *

The Solar New Year has already happened in Ibex. Not everyone goes by that calendar though. Many Ibexians go by the Lunar Calendar. Thus Ibexians tend to celebrate both. The Lunar New Year tends to be a bigger affair since the Solar new year has so many things that happen around it to drown that celebration out.

The Ibexians honor the Lunar Pearl by gathering for moon viewing together and the enjoyment of feasting. It is traditional to compose haiku or poetry honoring the moon and her beauty. Moon and/or star related fashion and food are common. Those of the Starlight Samurai division may be seen in ceremonial procession with the Crystal Priests and the carrying around the country of the Lunar Orb, a very large perfect fire opal sphere. Musicians and singers perform their odes while dancers dance. In some towns of the empire special songs are performed via the clashing of horns, and for these even the kirins are sometimes seen partaking.

This will be an In-Character event, though spectators are welcome. If someone would like to DJ and collaborate songs for the stream or over voice (that are in keeping with either the Japanese, Chinese, Mongolian, Ainu, or Tribal African music styles, or are moon related but do not fit these) then please feel free to contact Amehana Ishtari. Performers are welcome.

This event culturally also facilitates the average Ibexian (and guests) in being allowed to assist in care of the main crystal of the land through an ancient process. In combining the chi (energy) of the love in the hearts of Ibexians, the light of the moon, the wisdom of the living of life seated in the mind and expressed through calligraphy brush, motion, and mouth a special type of energy then is gathered into the Lunar Orb and passed into the main crystal.

Word is that both Raikou and Emperor Horin plan to attend. If both actually do show then some very important events for the land will start unfolding as time goes on. The Imperial Treasury may even be dispensing special amulets created specifically for this year's events for attendants.

For best enjoyment make sure that you set your viewer to midnight. Although set for two hours on here it may run longer, or not. Scheduled at this hour so as not to risk conflicting with events for the Trotsdale Library.
----

Be watching. Raikou and Horin will soon be embarking on their quest to rebalance Ibex and reverse the in-lore desertification around the capital area. Part of the roleplay will revolve around the Capstone rune, but there will also be some adventuring required to gather particular items and artifacts. Those interested can send when they are most available so that semi-regular session can be scheduled.

Cartoon of the Day: Valentines Day

Cupid's on the prowl. Unfortunetly, by the time he gets to supermodels about to glance at a computer geek, he runs out of arrows. ;-)

By Bixyl Shuftan

More on Beckye Burnstein

 Remember Beckye Burnstein the "Visible Woman?" Well, like so many builders, she's still at it. She recently sent me a "Le Smart T-shirt" Coming in three sizes of Mesh, it's actually a couple dozen shirts in one.

 With the HUD controls, one can change the shirt to one of the couple dozen pictures stored. One can find the shirt, and other goods of hers, in her store (check her profile for the location of the place).

Beckye's also been sporting a child avatar lately. She says she may slowly grow it over time at the rate of about one year a month. She may eventually construct child-sized organs for it later, like she had for her adult form.

Her interest in child avatars goes beyond just clothing. She developed a racing group with child avatars in mind, the "SL Kids Racing Association." It has a racetrack at the Nightshark sim at (43/58/3511), and a Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/SLKRA?pnref=story

Beckye, in either form, is still at work.

Bixyl Shuftan