Walpurgisnacht Event Tonight, 10PM

The Folk say that Walpurgisnacht, the night before Beltane (May Day), is one of the times of the year when the veil between the mortal world and that of the spirits grows thin, and can be crossed easily.  In days of old, to prevent dark spirits from snatching away good souls and dragging them off to infernal realms, people would dress as the demons, devils and imps to disguise themselves - after all, why would an infernal seize one of its own?

Europans serving here in the Consulate of Europa Wulfenbach bring a version of this tradition, and provide bonfires, music and wild dancing in frightening and fantastic costuming until the light of the dawn comes and we are all safe again. Children may find this event too frightening.

Our musical host will be DJPiper Steampunk.

Please join us for this, our ninth annual celebration at 10pm SLT.

Caledon Kittiwickshire (81/150.24)

Cartoon of the Day

With thanks to Havana

By Bixyl Shuftan

A Busy Weekend

There's a lot going on this weekend. For Burn2 fans, there's the Burnal Equinox event going on in the Burning Man- Deep Hole sim. This year's theme is "The Sacred and the Profane."

Today also marks the last day of events at the Fantasy Faire. Yesterday was the tiny Jail and Bail, in which Clover Dezno and Druscillla Ferraris were in the clink, along with a few others such as Saffia Widdershins for "illegal twerking." About 208,000 Lindens was raised.

And there's the Relay for Life Club Crawl. Yesterday was the first half of the event, with the Happy Vixen and Club Cutlass (pictured above) holding events. The two clubs raised  about 30,000 Linden dollars today for Team Sunbeamers, bringing their total to 140,000 Lindens. Other teams did well too. Mel's Maniacs raised thousands of Lindens and are currently at just over 24,000 in total raised, almost at Rising Star status. Team Bonanza Country reached Gold rank, and Team Go the Distance, the organizers of the Club Crawl, reached Platinum.

The Club Crawl continues today, with the Happy Vixen going from 4 to 7 PM SL time at Purrfection Estates (236, 219, 24), and Xanado from 7 to 9PM SL time at HV Community (67/207/4051) .

Bxyl Shuftan

Announcement: The Relay for Life Club Crawl Schedule

The Relay for Life Club Crawl Schedule is finally out.

SATURDAY
Bonanza Country           10am
Club Amaranth              12pm
Club Waya                       1pm
Cays                                4pm
Happy Vixen                    5pm
Perri's Xanadu                 5:30
Big Daddy's Club             6pm
Ledgends                          7pm
Tight Ends                        7;30 (Adult rated sim)  PG event
The Club                           8pm
Club Cutlass                     8:30
Soul Sensations                 9pm


SUNDAY
Bonanza Country             3pm
Soul Sensation                 4pm
Cays                                 5pm
Happy Vixen                     6pm
Perri's Xanadu                 7pm
The Club                          7:45
Ledgends                          8:15

Random Padar Darrow Team Captain
TS Darrow Co Captain
Cathy10 Longoria  Event planner

*  *  *  *  *

Club Cutlass, The Happy Vixen, and Xanadu, will be having events for more than just their short times in the crawl


Club Cutlass

Saturday April 29
2-4 PM SLT DJ Cynthia: School Daze
4-6 PM DJ Shocky: Prom Night
6-8 PM DJ Dusk: 70's Night
8-10 PM DJ Snowy: Midnight Dance

Sunweaver Bay (114/117/757).

The Happy Vixen Beach Club

Saturday April 29 from 4 to 6PM
DJ Snowbuns, Best in Purple
Sunday April 30 from 4 to 6 PM, DJ Snowbuns

Purrfection Estates (236, 219, 24)  

Xanadu
Saturday (TBA)
Sunday 7PM to 10PM? , DJ Snowbuns

HV Community (67/207/4051)

Announcement: Roma Spring Festival

Saturday 29th
10am - Cerealia Ritual & Corn Maze
The Cerealia is the Roman festival honouring the Goddess Ceres - she who holds sway over the fruitfulness of the Earth entire, and without whom Flora's efforts would be in vain. In keeping with this ancient tradition, we will be having a ritual in Ceres' honour, followed by a challenging Corn Maze. The first, second, and third to find their way through the maze from the entrance to the exit will win prizes - but you must find Proserpina and retrieve Her token before you can exit! Can you beat the Labyrinth in time? Come find out!
Collegia Isle, ROMA Vinovium (154, 151, 550) - Moderate
Maritima Water, ROMA Vinovium (109, 105, 1225) - Moderate


12pm - Festum Veris Egg Hunt
 In Flora's honour, we will have a sim wide egg hunt in Transtiberim. Every egg contains a prize, and some even have cash, so don't miss it!
Transtiberim Path, ROMA Transtiberim (58, 34, 45) - Moderate


1pm - Floralia Ritual and Flower Building Contest
Come celebrate the Roman version of Easter with us! The Floralia is the festival of the Goddess Flora, patron of flowers and spring fertility. In Flora's honour, we will have a ritual, followed by our Floralia Flower Building Contest. Basic building materials will be provided - and the contest winner will recieve a $L1000 prize!
Maritima Water, ROMA Vinovium (105, 105, 550) - Moderate
Maritima Water, ROMA Vinovium (132, 131, 550) - Moderate

************************************************************************

Sunday 30th
10am - Veneralia Ritual
Our festivals begin with a ritual for Venus Verticordia, "The Changer of Hearts" - to petition Venus for support and aid in one's lovelife. After the rite, Venus invites you to Her romantic al fresco (all'aperto) banquet, where we'll share food and have readings of love poetry as well - so bring your favourite poems or even those you've written yourself!
ROMA Gardens, ROMA (149, 201, 53) - Moderate


12pm - Festum Veris Grand Feast
Our Spring Festival culminate with the Festum Veris (Spring Festival) Grand Feast - come dance under the springtime stars with us! We will also have live music by Max Kleene. We promise cool tunes, wild dancing, and all around good fun - so come let your hair down in true ROMA fashion!
Transtiberim, ROMA Transtiberim (199, 194, 29) - Moderate


1pm - Legion Bread Race
The Legion has to run on a mission but they need bread! The citizens must help them getting items to cook bread and bring it to the soldiers. The top 3 relay racers will win prizes!
Legio XIII Fort, ROMA Transtiberim (85, 186, 41) - Moderate

Press Release: Burnal Equinox - The Sacred and Profane - April 28-30

What does this mean? The sacred–profane dichotomy is an idea posited by French sociologist Émile Durkheim, who considered it to be the central characteristic of religion:

"Religion is a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things, that is to say, things set apart and forbidden."

In Durkheim's theory, the sacred represented the interests of the group, especially unity, which were embodied in sacred group symbols, or totems. The profane, on the other hand, involved mundane individual concerns. Durkheim explicitly stated that the sacred/profane dichotomy was not equivalent to good/evil. The sacred could be good or evil, and the profane could be either as well.

The sacred represents the interests of the group, especially unity, which is embodied in sacred group symbols, or totems. The profane, on the other hand, involves mundane individual concerns.

As you enter the playa you will see individuals here and there, alone, moving further in, pairs and couples, until finally at the far corner you reach the stage, a hive for activity and community.  paths leading in, are symbolic of heading to a sort of place/person of worship... yellow brick road.  It is just an iconic path most would know and in terms of sacred, it went to the Emerald city to the home of the wizard who was like a spiritual leader, high powered spiritual leader that was in the end, a mundane man.

* * * * *

For more on the festival, check the Burn2 website at https://burn2.org/. Or you can just head straight to the Deep Hole sim where the event is taking place.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Burning%20Man-%20Deep%20Hole/224/92/25

SL Video: "Yanfes!" Trying Dancing at the Han Festival"

(Click here if the video fails to play)

From Fair Saeed on April 6, "Using costumes and items sold at YANFES held in Second Life from April 1 to 30, 2017. I tried composing Yosakoi dance at YANFES venue too! Everyone who cooperated, thank you (, ..), Pekorit "

Hat Tip: Hamlet Au

News and Commentary: Linden Lab Among Tech Companies Filing Brief Against Trump's Executive Order On Skilled Worker Visas

By Bixyl Shuftan

In early February, Linden Lab issued a statement concerning President Trump's executive order at the time concerning several Middle Eastern countries. Branded a "Muslim Ban," eventually a judge blocked part of the order and eventually Trump dropped in in favor of a slightly different executive order later on. Recently the White House has found a new target: the H-1B visa program that allows skilled foreign workers to come to America. Linden Lab was among over 150 tech companies to sign a brief sent to the US District Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, calling for the executive order to be blocked.

Congress in 1965 prohibited discrimination in immigration decisions on the basis of national origin precisely so that the Nation could not shut its doors to immigrants based on where they come from — but the Order does just that. Moreover, the President’s authority under the immigration laws must be exercised reasonably, and is limited by the detailed standards enacted by Congress to address a variety of issues, including preventing entry of terrorists into our country. The Order overrides those standards without sufficient justification. Finally, the President lacks authority to impose sweeping, long-term changes on the entire system governing eligibility for entry into the United States by immigrants and non-immigrants; such changes require notice-and-comment procedures conducted by one or all of the Secretary of State, the Attorney General, and the Secretary of Homeland Security.

The brief would also refer to calls on restrictions on immigration in the past, such as a quote by Woodrow Wilson whom criticized immigration from Southern and Eastern Europe saying the people had "neither skill nor energy nor any initiative of quick intelligence." And on laws based to restrict it which were mainly based on prejudice on these people in addition to Asians, Jews, and other groups, such as the Immigration Acts of 1917 and 1924. It branded Trump's new executive order as an abandonment of "the principles that have undergirded U.S. immigration policy for more than half a century," "unlawful," and "substantively unreasonable."

Although some such as Hamlet Au call the order part of the "Muslim ban," the country that benefits most from the program is India, which has a mainly Hindu population. Plus the H-1B visa program has been criticized for quite some time on the grounds of allowing companies to allow businesses to lay off native-born workers in favor of cheaper foreign workers. The most notable recent example of this was when Disney told 250 of it's workers they would soon be laid off and their last assignment would be to train their replacements.

Linden Lab's stake in the H-1B visa program is obvious, being able to attract foreign talent to work with them in the United States. But considering how Islam is so often linked to terrorism, such as the attacks France has suffered in the past few years, and an attack in Fresno California by a convert, those against Trump's executive order may want to pursue a different strategy in persuasion than link it to his effort to limit immigration from certain countries in the Middle East.


Sources: Yahoo News, New York Times, New World Notes, Business Insider, Redcode   

Bixyl Shuftan

Club Cutlass, The Happy Vixen, and Xanadu To Take Part In The Relay For Life Club Crawl

Last week, we announced Relay foe Life team "Go the Distance" was organizing a "Club Crawl." Yesterday, the organizers of the event announced that thirteen clubs were taking part, the event starting 10AM SL time on Saturday, April 29, and would go on to 10PM Sunday April 30.

Multiple clubs and teams are participating in the 1st Annual RFL Club Crawl hosted by Go the Distance. Please support these clubs with your attendance and donations into their kiosk this weekend. Landmarks will be sent this weekend. Questions or want more information contact Cathy10 Longoria or Random Padar. 

Unfortunately, we haven't gotten the full schedule for the event, at least not yet. But we can tell you when three of the clubs involved, Club Cutlass, the Happy Vixen, and Xanadu, will be having their events. Instead of tips, DJs will be performing for donations for Team Sunbeamers and Team Go the Distance.

Sunnies;  Club Cutlass, Happy Vixen and Xanadu are all on the list for the first annual Club Crawl.  Cutlass will be running from 2 pm to 10 pm SLT time.  DJ Cynthia, Shocky, Dusk and Snowy, will be providing the tunes.  Since it is an RFL event, The contest can run, but there will be NO TIPPING, all funds are needed for the kiosks and we are splitting them with the organizing team

Club Cutlass

Saturday April 29 from 2 to 10 PM,

DJs: Cynthia, Shockwave, Dusk, Snowbuns

Sunweaver Bay (114/117/757).

The Happy Vixen Beach Club

Saturday April 29 from 4 to 6PM, DJ Snowbuns

Sunday April 30 from 4 to 6 PM, DJ Snowbuns

Purrfection Estates (236, 219, 24)  

Xanadu

Sunday 7PM to 10PM? , DJ Snowbuns

HV Community (67/207/4051)

The Crawl will most likely be stopping by these clubs for only part of the time they're running. But by all means come by and enjoy the music from some talented DJs.

Reader Submitted: At The Fantasy Faire

 All this week, the Fantasy Faire has been going on. Among those stopping by, Sunbeamer team captain Rita Mariner. She recently stopped by a music event in the Sanctary RP area.

For more on the Fantasy Faire, go check out their blog at https://fantasyfairesl.wordpress.com/.

Pictures by Rita Mariner

Announcement: Univ of Hawaii, Astronomy Presents: "Seven Seas for Seven Brothers"

Friday, April 28th at 9:30 PM PDT
Institute for Astronomy - U. Hawaii Astronomy Amphitheater: 

And on the web: http://tinyurl.com/ifamaui

Trappist-1, a red dwarf star 40 light years from us, was known to host three planets. Last year, four more were discovered, making a total of seven planets for this little star. All seven are possibly habitable with water oceans. This sci-fi-like system, so different from ours, suggests an exotic yet pleasant place for people to live ... but is it?

Alliance, Chaminade University (49, 205, 4002)

By Dr Mark Willman

News and Commentary: Linden Lab Changing From Open Beta to Open Alpha Release

When Linden Labs first gave an estimate in September 2016 of when their next-generation virtual world Sansar would be in open beta, the date given was January 2017. In early Janurary, the date was described as "after March." Later in January, the date given was sometime in "the first half of 2017," meaning as late as June 2017. But when the Irish Times wrote about an interview they did of CEO Ebbe Altberg, they reported that Sansar would be in an "open alpha" release sometime this summer 2017. At what point it would go into beta was unexplained.

What this suggests is not only is Sansar currently at "an early stage of development," as Hamlet Au commented, but that they are having more difficulties and delays than anticipated. When Linden Lab placed an ad for Linkedin for a software engineer to help them develop a voxel-based terrain editor, Hamlet was initially quite impressed. But with these delays, he feels they should "have hired someone to build that maybe two years ago." This is on top of existing doubts about Sansar, it beginning to remind him of the old "Blue Mars" virtual world of several years ago, which was fading into obscurity after less than two.

So when will Sansat be complete? Hamlet was thinking that might not be until sometime in 2018. How will users react to an unstable open alpha Sansar that crashes more than Second Life? Probably not very well.

Source: New World Notes , The Irish Times

Bixyl Shuftan

Registration for Raglan Shire Artwork Now Open

Raglan Shire is noted as the location of Second Life's best known communitiy of "Tinies," not to mention the over-the-top antics of it's residents. It has yearly events every month, it's tenth anniversary being last month. But one event attracts many residents from across the Grid: the Raglan Shire Artwalk. This year, the Artwalk runs from May 14 to June 18, and the registration for interested artists has now opened.

Residents of Second Life may show their artwork during this time.  Reproductions of RL artwork (painting, drawing, digital fine art, printmaking that can be imported and put on a prim) are encouraged, along with SL photography, manipulated photography and sculpture. ... Each year we have had over 100 artist participants exhibiting in spaces over several sims. This year, the 12th ArtWalk, we hope for a good turnout and will include space in the newly renovated Raglan Shire, in Heron Shire forest, and in other sims in the cluster if needed. The 2D artwork will be displayed along hedgerows around Raglan Shire, and sculpture in designated areas of the forest on Heron Shire.

Entries opened on Saturday, April 22, and artists and photographers have until May 7 at 9PM until registrations are closed. Those whom resistered in time will be notified of their setup locations starting on Tuesday May 9. Setting up the art runs from 9AM on Friday May 12 and all day Saturday May 13. The Takedown is from one minute after 6PM on June 18 to Tuesday June 20.

For the announcement from Raglan in full, Click here. For a list of the requirements, Click here.

Bixyl Shuftan

Scenes From The "Bid The Lindens Bald" Party

Last week, the "Bid the Lindens Bald" fundraiser came to an end. The tally of the totals was marked by a party, which saw the Lindens on the third place team present losing their hair, along with a few others. The Newser was there, and took a number of pictures.

See the pictures in Events.

Cartoon of the Day: Head Linden

Taken at the "Lindens Jail and Bail" at the Fantasy Faire. Dropping by there, the lag was so bad, most avatars were only half-rezzed or just nametags. While I wasn't able to get the total amount raised as the kiosk never rezzed to me, someone told me the amount was close to 250,000 Linden dollars.

By Bixyl Shuftan

Update On The Rusty Garter Saloon

A few months ago, we wrote about the "Rusty Garter Saloon," a cowboy-themed venue in the Caledon II sim. Recently, there has been a change in ownership. Blake (Palmerblake), the owner of the saloon, along with the location's Patty Poppy (Autopilotpatty Poppy), will no longer be operating the establishment. The last event under their direction was on Friday April 14. But fans of the saloon need not worry. One of the people coming by to enjoy the place, Soaron Ronin (soaron.fazuku), stepped up to continue to run it.

Chatting with Soaron some, he explained that the transfer had been done, "ll is sorted.. just small details." He had no plans to change anything, "The saloon remains as is.. just a new owner that likes to keep the place running." He would need to find a DJ, but he expected that wouldn't take long. I asked him if he had any role at the saloon before. His answer was, "Wanderer, as most of my SL life." So would it be a problem for him to have to take care of a fixed location? He told me no, "Well I got time, so not a problem." He told me that visitors to the saloon should expect to see him act in-character, "I keep the OOC (talk) to a bare minimu."

The "Rusty Garter Saloon" has events "every other Friday" at 7PM SL time.

Caledon II (112, 69, 22)

Bixyl Shuftan

Steelhead Update

Work on the Steelhead Community's home of Steelhead Bay continues. Besides Club Gearz, they now have a new place to dance, their new theater. On Friday April 21, it had it's first event in the form of a "Mad Scientists' Ball," with Fuzzball Ortega playing the music.

Shortly afterwards, Fuzzball gave a brief announcement for the community, saying that Loki Eliot was helping him with building and touching up the streets, "Bear with us as we get that situated." They were also adding street lamps to help light up the place at night. But there was one other issue at hand.

"Something may or may not be living in the bay," Fuzzball stated, "Apparently, folks have been seeing something surface every three minutes or so." He would later post the picture to the left on Facebook, "I think it's some old log floating in the bay......"

So is it "Swamp Gas" as someone suggested. Or does Steelhead have it's own sea monster? Perhaps time will tell. Or perhaps the "old log" will float away to other shores.

Bixyl Shuftan 

Events This Week at the Sunweaver and Furry Fashion Clubs

It's a busy week of events with the Sunweaver and Furry Fashion Clubs. This weekend, something new. The Happy Vixen and Club Cutlass will be taking apart in the Relay for Life Club Crawl.

Club Cutlass: Queens and Kings, Really Red, 70's Night/Club Crawl

Happy Vixen: Silver and Gold, Heroes and Villains, Fashion Diva, Fandoms, Club Crawl, Club Crawl, CAYA

Furry Fashion: Hip-Hop, Leather, Latex, and Lace, Scalies, Robots, Hats and Headgear, Hippies vs Hipsters, Nocturnal, Cyber, Winged/Flight

Xanadu: TBA, TBA

Read the schedules in SL Clubbin'.

Announcement: First Annual Mad Hatter's Dance For Life

Please join us for fun filled time
May 6,
4-5pm Sophie live blues singer
5-8 DJ Luis
and 
May 7th,
 4-6pm  DJ Mike, Rock and Roll music
6-7pm Ms. Lark , with her gorgeous voice Live

Take the Rabbit Hole to hidden room, walk the maze to the Wonderland. Please Join us and lets Dance for Life for those we know.

Team Sunbeamer "Bid Me" Results

For close to a month, Team Sunbeamers has had a number of "Bid Me" events going. Numbering ten at first, including one that was actually an auction, the number of the fundraisers was soon raised to thirteen. Finally on Friday, April 21, at 8PM, the kiosks for the events were frozen, and the amounts calculated. Team captain made an announcement of the results the following day, in the cases of events involving more than one kiosk only the amount of the winning one announced.

1. BIXYL 1100L goes Tiny Fox
2. VIDEO - 7600L Winner DUSK
3. GREASE - 700L - Goes Original AV
4. SHOCK - 1270L - Stays Wolf
5. GIL - 1250L - Goes JAILBAIT
6. PERRI - 1100L - Chocolate bunny
7. SNOWY - 5800L - Rita
8. BRANDI - 1000L - Little Mouse
9. RITA - 1200L Goes Rat
10. Christine: 1000L - Rita
11. Vicki - 1000L - Rita
12. Kacey - 1000L - Rita
13. Clover - 1000L - Rita

Of the video auction, Dusk Griswold gets to chose the theme of Nydia Tungsten's next video, as well as the dancers or actors. Some, including Rita and myself, are stuck in new avatars for a week. Though as yours truly does some work on journalism, on some occasions such as when doing interviews I'll be temporarily back in my usual avatar.

The Sunbeamer team has been described as "creeping towards Silver." In the past three weeks, the team has raised about twenty thousand Linden dollars, the team total as of when this article was written adding up to 122,700 Lindens (Totals page). .This upcoming weekend, Club Cutlass and the Happy Vixen, two clubs of the Sunweaver and Angel communities, of which most of the members of Team Sunbeamers make their home, will be a part of the Club Crawl. Future planned events include an air show, a road rally, a tribute party for the late Artistic Fimicloud, and others.

Go Relay!

Bixyl Shuftan

Press Release: Relaystock

May 12, 13 and 14, 2017 in Relay dAlliez

It's time to get out the tie-dyes, love beads and 60s outfits once again!  RelayStock is BACK! 

The Relay Rockers announced today plans for the 4th annual gathering of the teams at Relay For Life's favorite multiteam event RelayStock 2017.  Started by the team in 2014, RelayStock is a chance for Relay teams to come together, kick back and Celebrate, Remember and Fight Back before the closing push toward Relay Weekend and the close of Passport To Hope, the 2017 Relay For Life of Second Life season.

"it's been one of the highlights of past Relay seasons, and I fully expect the same for RelayStock 2017" said Arizona Ballinger, 2017 Relay Rockers captain. "I love seeing the entire sim filled with relayers dancing and hanging out.  When you land and see all the team banners flying across Relay dAlliez you can see just how much  Relay means to so many people."

Entertainment stage slots of 90-120 minutes can be reserved by registered Relay Teams, and will feature DJs and Live performances.   Keeba Tammas and The Tiny Maniacs will take the stage Sunday May 14th at 2pm. followed by T1Radio's Relay Rap talk show.

 Teams can reserve either a small tent or VW 'hippie bus' with up to 200 prims for kiosks, vendors or what ever decorations they wish.

Online and Stage Reservation Requests can be made at:  https://goo.gl/9veVJz

Direct all questions to arizona@t1radio.com or trader@t1radio.com
or contact  Arizona Ballinger or Trader1 Whiplash in world.

Cartoon of the Day

Taken at the Giant Snail Race at Raglan Shire. Although redshirts didn't have such a high death rate in later series, the joke from the original Star Trek series persisted. So one would think survival in itself was the real trophy.

By Bixyl Shuftan

Announcement: This Week At The Seanchai Libraries

**SUNDAY, April 23rd, at 6 pm: MAGICLAND STORYTIME: The Wind in the Willows begins with Caledonia. 


**MONDAY, April 24th, at 7 pm: Alan Dean Foster's A MIRACLE OF SMALL FISHES with Gyro Muggins

**TUESDAY,  April 25th, at 7 pm: Selections from Neil Gaiman's NORSE MYTHOLOGY with Caledonia Skytower.

**WEDNESDAY, April 26th, at 7 pm: TOLKIEN TALES - Selections from The Lord of the Rings Trilogy with Corwyn Allen, Aoife

Lorefield, Kayden Oconnell. (also presented in Kitely)
  
**THURSDAY, April 27th:

        ~ @7PM: Monster & Myth: THE CHIMERA Concludes with Shandon (also presented in Kitely)

        ~ @ 9PM: SEANCHAI LIATE NIGHT: contemporary Sci-Fi with Finn  Zeddmore (back at Seanchai on Bradley U)


-----------

NOTE:  This week we are at Fantasy Faire in SL - benefiting Relay for Life -  except where marked specifically below.  Wednesday and Thursday Sessions will be presented in both Second Life and Kitely. 

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Kakushi%20Pasu/135/62/42

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Bradley%20University/100/209/28

www.seanchailibrary.com

https://www.facebook.com/SeanchaiLib

"We bring stories of all kinds to life, in VIRTUAL WORLDS."

All stories told in open voice. All times SL/PT

SL Video: "Not Quite Human"

(Click here to see the video)

From Nydia Tungsten on April 18, "This was inspired by "Dream Song" you can find her talent here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GsAH..."

This video is a departure from Nydia's typically happy and fun fare. Humankind no doubt has much to be proud of. Alone among the animals can groups of them change the land as they see fit, to farm the land and store or trade food so lean times do not mean starvation, to understand the universe around them, even to fly and (temporarily) leave the planet. And he has more than intelligence. He is one of the few animals that can see in color, and has among the lowest rates of infanticide of animals.

But ...

The road to modern humans was a bumpy, sometimes perilous one, that involved climate change that turned the land of his ancestors to dry dust, that at one point shrank his numbers to what today would be considered an endangered species. Mankind did survive, but did it come at a cost? While we've become smart enough to cooperate to survive, we've also become ruthless enough to destroy other tribes that we see as being in our way, holding grudges that last for generations, centuries, even millennia.

There are those whom see the ability of humans to get along as having limits that are just too hard-wired to overcome, that we will forever be a species divided among it's tribes that at best can get along only when there's a common enemy, and once again bicker and fight once that enemy has been defeated. And then there are those who say "No," that time again time again, Man has risen past such hate even even there is no advantage, and even disadvantage, to do so, that our future is not one of eternal warfare but of overcoming our differences and channeling our aggression to less destructive activities such as sports.

So who is correct? How do you define what it is to be human?

Comments by Bixyl Shuftan

RFL Fantasy Faire Opens

The Fantasy Faire sims are now open. Fifteen regions of various well-designed landscapes. Although many of the places are essentially shops, the sims are designed so beautifully, the event is a must-see for any resident.

The event describes itself as "The largest fantasy-related event to take place in Second Life, Fantasy Faire brings together fantasy enthusiasts, creators, performers and designers for eleven days of commerce, special events, live music concerts with special emphasis on fund-raising for Relay for Life of Second Life."

Some of the places are more-or-less what one would expect at a Fantasy event, aside from much more detailed. Others are a bit darker, from the dark circus at Anansi, to the post-apocalyptic
San Mora, to the Orcish stronghold of Chaddul Ro. There is a great deal to see.



For a look at what awaits you, here's a video by Whisper Mizin of the sims.

For a list of the events, check out the calendar. Among those today the "Lindens Locked Up" Jail and Bail from 2-4 PM at Egregore (181/178/41) , At Opal Flight (214/59/41) are the following:

11AM – 12PM: The Night Theater
1 – 2 PM: Lady Garden Cabaret
3 – 4 PM: The Monarchs
5 – 6 PM: Misfit Dance & Performance Art

There is also the Literary Festival, the Fairelands Quest, and various roleplay classes and events.

For more information, check out the Fantasy Faire blog at https://fantasyfairesl.wordpress.com/. 

 Fairelands Junction (91, 125, 60)

Eye On The Blog: Email Verification

For Second Life users, the ability to receive group notices and Instant-Messages in one's email can be a relief as it allows one to keep track of them without having to log in. Plus when one gets more than a few Instant-Messages when offline, email can be the only way to get them as only a few will be stored for one to see when logging back on, the extras capped.

For Linden Lab, having to keep track of the emails of so many accounts can be a daunting task. And if the account of a new user, or alt, is made-up or unused, which has the potential of getting Second Life flagged by an Internet Service Provider as a sender of spam. So recently, Linden Lab recently announced "over the next few months we will be converting all the sources of email in Second Life to not even try to send to an address that has not been verified."

To verify your email address, go to your Account: Change Email Address page. Go to the "verify" link next to it, and click on it. You should then get a verification letter in your email. Click on the link there to verify your email address. After that, and refreshing your page, the word next to your email address should change to "verified."

For more information, check the community notice in full here:
https://community.secondlife.com/blogs/entry/2155-making-email-from-second-life-more-reliable/

In addition, Inara Pey wrote about the email verification as well.

Bixyl Shuftan

Announcement: This Week at the Science Circle

Saturday, April 22th at 10 AM PDT

"Unsung Women in STEM" by Phil Youngblood, USA
In text and voice.

The contributions of women to science has long been underrepresented or unrecognized. This presentation highlights significant ‘unsung’ accomplishments in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) by 16 women over the course of the last two centuries, together with the struggles they faced while working in historically male-dominated fields of study and practice.

More information about Phil's presentation at: https://sciencecircle.org/upcoming-presentation/
          
Join us at http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/The%20Science%20Circle/61/126/32

"Bid The Lindens Bald" Raises Nearly One And A Half Million LInden Dollars

What has clearly been the most successful Relay for Life "Bid Me" event in Second Life history came to it's conclusion at 2PM SL time yesterday at Wednesday April 20 in the Relay dAlliez sim. Twenty eight Lindens in three teams put their hair on the line for the cause of raising money for the American Cancer Society. Bidding was slow at first. But in the final days the cash was pouring in. And the results of the three teams are:

Customer Accounts: 719,182
Concierge: 352,485
Land Ops/LDPW: 399,735
 
Total: 1,471,402

The Lindens whom will be losing their hair, for a time period of close to a year, are:

Boris Linden
Derrick Linden
Izzy LInden
Kai Linden
Lillian Linden
Madori Linden
Theresa Linden
TJ Linden
Vix Linden
Whitney Linden

The money raised is counted as a part of the Relay Rockers team, which originated the "Bid Me Bald" events, and has the noted Relayer Trader Whiplash of T1 Radio as part of their members.

Congratulations to all involved.

Bixyl Shuftan

Resceduled: Songbird At Grendle's Today, "Bid Me" Events For Sunbeamers Extended

Due to unforeseen events, two events in Second Life will be happening at different times than originally scheduled.

On Saturday April 8, Songbird (Songbird1028 Sorbet) was scheduled to give a live music performance at Castel Bufo (AKA the "Fool's Castle") over Grendel's Children in the Avaria Tor sim. Unfortunately, the event was postponed due to technical difficulties. It has been rescheduled to today, April 20, at 12Noon SL time, "One last chance to break the dinosaurs while listening to the Amazing Songbird!!"

To get there, get to the Grendel's telehub, then sit on the nearby rocket for a quick ride to the castle.

Avaria Tor (133/135/302)

*  *  *  *  *

The "Bid Me" events being held by the Relay for Life's Team Sunbeamers were originally scheduled to end last night at 8PM following the conclusion of the party at Club Cutlass, where the kiosks for the event are located. But team Captain Rita Mariner is in the hospital for kidney stones, possibly for a few days. So the conclusion of the "Bid Me" events has been postponed until her return, possibly at 8PM Friday April 21, or Saturday April 22.

The Newser wishes Rita Mariner a quick and reasonably painless recovery (at least as painless a recovery one can expect from kidney stones). In the meantime, people are encouraged to make further donations for the Relay for Life at Club Cutlass's "Bid Me" events.

Sunweaver Bay (114/117/757).

Bixyl Shuftan

Announcement: Giant Snail Race in Raglan Shire Saturday April 22

Hey Tiny Folks this week the Giant Snails will be running across the Raglan sims.

This is a Relay For Life Event all Moneys collected will go to the American Cancer Society

Giant Snail Arrows should start appearing soon. The theme is Sci Fi. The Snail is free. Any donation gets you a scarf to race. Scarf = Ticket. Just put some money in the Kiosk here.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Gullwing%20Coast%20Racers/165/116/777

and you will get your scarf. Suggested donation 500L Anythings fine though . Hope to see you all there.

The theme is Sci Fi. So decorate your full perm snail. Try the course out should be mostly there by Thursday.

Cartoon of the Day

While on the Madpea Easter Egg Hunt, I came across this coffee stall. Perhaps the name comes from the caffeine, but the place was a little scary at night.

Bixyl Shuftan

Kristin Linden And The "Bid The Lindens Bald"

The "Bid the Lindens Bald" event ends today. The event has been a success with the total raised in the hundreds of thousands of Linden dollars. Occasionally, one or more Lindens could be found at the location. The Newser was fortunate enough to run into one: Kristin Linden. Even for a Linden, her avatar was unique. She was willing to talk and explain a few things.

Read more in Events.

Ari's Piano Recital

It was almost a year ago in which Deaflegacy wrote about her favorite piano player: Arisia Vita, or just Ari as he prefers to be known. He is still playing piano music around places. Deaf was recently at his weekly recital in Perfect Paradise, which has drawn a regular audience.

Read Deaflegacy's article in People.

Announcement: The Relay For Life Club Crawl

Hi there, hope all is well with you. The Relay For Life team that I am part of, Go the Distance, is hosting a Club Crawl April 29-30, It is a fund-raiser for Relay For Life that would consist of the Go the Distance team and others moving from club to club, spending a specific amount of time at each club throughout the weekend. The club with the highest amount of donations in their kiosk by the end of the weekend wins the Club Crawl. Awesome accolades for the winning club! If you and your club would like to participate please contact Cathy10 Longoria and/or Random Padar. Sign Up https://goo.gl/forms/oH5TJlfIgSgUwq213 Deadline is April 24!

Expectations of the club...DJs and hosts of the club volunteer their time accepting no tips according to the the RFL guidelines. A Go the Distance kiosk will be placed at the beginning of the event. In the event the club belongs to another team a donations will be shared using a dual team kiosk. Event will be PG rated.  Advertise within their group. Clubs can have special contests, extra DJs, live singers, etc during the weekend to increase their odds of winning.

Cathy10 Longoria
RFL Go the Distance

Events This Week at the Sunweaver and Furry Fashion Clubs

It's another week of events at the Sunweaver and Angel clubs and the Furry Fashion Lounge

Club Cutlass: Best in "P", Gone Green, Fantasy Night

Happy Vixen: Easter Redux, Badass in Black, Hospital Hijinks, Horse and Pony, CAYA

Xanadu: TBA, TBA

Furry Fashion: Science Fiction, Tinies and Chibis, Monsters, Hybrids, Blue and Yellow, Felines, Disco, Zombies vs Survivors, Green/Celtic

See the schedule in SL Clubbin'.

Press Release: The Halfway There Fair, May 5 - 7

RELAY FOR LIFE OF SECOND LIFE REACHES THE HALFWAY POINT!

Relay For Life of Second Life Relayers invite your to celebrate with them as the Relay season reaches its halfway point.

The SLURL for the event: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/American%20Cancer%20Society/125/82/21

Starting at 6 p.m. SLT on Friday, May 5, a Small Town Festival will be held on ACS Island and continue through the evening of Sunday, May 7. Come play with the team-hosted games, participate in a Gotya event, enjoy entertainment and awards ceremonies and much more.

“Halfway There celebrates the achievements of our Relayers so far this year and shouldn’t be missed,” said event Chair Nuala Maracas. “Our teams and sponsors have been pouring their hearts into the season to help our American Cancer Society defeat cancer.”

The second half of the Relay season looks to shape up to be unforgettable with exciting and fun events scheduled between now and Relay Weekend on July 15 & 16.

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 13 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 ranked number 17th in donations received among more than 5,600 relay events held worldwide. As of January, 2017 RFL of SL celebrated raising 3 million US dollars to support the mission of the Society to 'Save Lives, Celebrate Lives and Lead The Fight for A World Without Cancer!

About the American Cancer Society

For more than 100 years, the American Cancer Society has been working to create a world with less cancer and more birthdays and is the world leader in the fight to end cancer. Together with our global partners and millions of supporters, the American Cancer Society carries out its mission to Save Lives, Celebrate Lives, and Lead the Fight for a World Without Cancer.

For More Information:

www.relayforlifeofsecondlife.org

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

"Bid The Lindens Bald" Ends Wednesday

 Only a few days left to make a donation to the Linden "Bid Me Bald" Event. Twenty-eight Lindens and Moles, organized in three teams, are involved in the unique event in which for the first time members of Linden Lab's finest are putting their hair on the line. Put your Lindens in the kiosk of the team of your choice: Concierge, Land Operations and LDPW, and Customer Accounts departments. The loser gets their heads shaved.

Occasionally, one or more of the Lindens will show up for an event at the Bid Me location at the Relay dAlliez sim. Fuzzball Ortega took this picture of three , Ami, Tommy, and Corky Linden, who showed up for one event earlier this month.

https://community.secondlife.com/forums/topic/404561-bid-the-lindens-bald/

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Relay%20dAlliez/100/20/23

Image Credit: Fuzzball Ortega

An Eventful Easter Weekend

Yours truly had a busy time this Easter weekend. There wasn't much time to write, so what I ran into on the bunny trail will have to wait a little before it can be described in detail. Among what happened, Madpea's Egg Hunt, the Relay's paintball match, the Easter parties at Club Cutlass and Xanadu, and more.

Bixyl Shuftan

Relay For Life Fantasy Faire, April 20-April 30

* * Fantasy Faire 2017, April 20 – 30* *
A Benefit for the American Cancer Society

Celebrating its ninth year, Fantasy Faire 2017 is the largest gathering of fantasy designers, enthusiasts, roleplayers and performers in the virtual world. From Thursday, April 20 to Sunday April 30, treat yourself to eleven days of shopping, live music concerts, DJ parties, auctions, hunts, Literary Festival, dance and theater performances, fantasy art, events and roleplaying as thousands of Second Life residents and creators bring their own visions together to support the American Cancer Society’s vision of a world without cancer.

Avatars, clothing, furnishings, gadgets and exclusive items are available from more than 200 of Second Life’s top Fantasy Creators across ten stunning shopping sims designed by some of the visionary artists behind many of the hottest spots on the Second Life destination guide.

The Fantasy Faire 2017 is made possible by the generous support of our Sim and Event Sponsors, which will be detailed on our website with more information about them.

Fantasy Faire 2017 will be open to the public April 20 – April 30. The SLurl to the event can be found on the website on the opening day. We welcome you to come and join the story.

For more information please contact:
Elizabeth Tinsley or Sonya Marmurek in world
or via email @: fantasyfairesl@gmail.com

Are you or a loved one battling cancer? Find out how many ways the American Cancer Society is there to help. Visit cancer.org or call (US) 800-ACS-2345.

Email: FantasyFaireSL@gmail.com

Website: http://fantasyfaireSL.wordpress.com/
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/groups/fantasyfairesl/
Plurk: http://www.plurk.com/FantasyFaireSL
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FantasyFaireSL
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/fantasyfairesl/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FantasyFaireSL
RFL in SL: www.relayforlife.org/secondlife

American Cancer Society SLurl:
http://slurl.com/secondlife/American%20Cancer%20Society/127/103/21