Announcement: This Saturday at The Science Circle - "2019 CRISPR Year in Review"

"2019 CRISPR Year in Review"

Saturday January 4
10 AM to 11 AM SL time

Every year there are new advances in genome engineering. In this talk, the most important and interesting news in CRISPR-based gene editing from 2019 will be presented. Come learn about Technology Advances, New Tools, Intellectual Property, and Target Genes and Modified Organisms from a practitioner in the field.

Dr. Stephen L. Gasior

For more information, Click Here

https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/The%20Science%20Circle/67/129/32

Paradise Eiland

On Saturday November 26 a new location will be opening, the Paradise Eiland Retreat and Event Center. It is a place of healing using alternative New Age therapies for bodily and spiritual ills. Becky Shamen was informed about the place and decided to see for herself how the place could help someone. So what did she think?

Read Becky's article in Places. 

SL Video: "The Drax Files: World Makers - Episode 28: Whiskey Monday"

(Click here if the video fails to play)

From Draxtor Despres: "'The anonymity in this virtual world gave me the bravery to be very very real. I was able to overcome a lot of issues by expressing myself creatively in Second Life!' Artist and photographer Whiskey Monday credits the agency over her digital alter-ego for being able to come to terms with her depression and ultimately contribute to her personal healing process:

"'When you suffer from mental health issues it is difficult because of the stigma attached to it. People generally do not know what to say and often tend to give - albeit well-meaning - useless advice to make you feel better. In Second Life I am able to engage with others on my terms and write my own story with complete control over it because I choose the level of exposure. That is the way it should be, especially in social media!'

"Using the creations of others, Whiskey Monday builds sparse yet emotionally complex 3D scenes in SL, which she tweaks until a world emerges that expresses her deepest feelings Often dark and brooding, she manipulates the 3D assembly until she finds - as she puts it - a 'level of intimacy that allows the viewer a window into her soul.'

"Unlike many other immersive artists, Whiskey does not invite the community to explore this digital installation freely but only takes one still image, representing her very own interpretation before deleting the scene. The fleeting moment of truth and vulnerability indeed, captured, as a single frame story! Only in Second Life……

"For more information about the art of Whiskey Monday check out her flickr page at https://www.flickr.com/photos/whiskeymonday/ As always big thanks to Marianne McCann for managing extra actors on the ground & big thanks to all the background folks who patiently followed my tedious directions. May you emerge from the cutting room floor over time!"

SL Video: "The Drax Files - World Makers [ Episode 22: Virtual Health Adventures]"

(Click here if the video fails to load)

The latest Drax Files, "“Second Life is the perfect place for amputees to overcome emotional trauma by sharing stories and realizing they are not alone!” says Sandra L. Winkler, assistant professor at NOVA University in Florida, teaching occupational therapy.

Her Virtual Health Adventures project is using Second Life to find out if virtual reality can offer a better learning environment for amputees than a traditional website.

Dr. Winkler’s 3-year study is funded by the United States for Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality  and is currently mid-way through the 3-year study period.

She adds that while it would be too early to state conclusions on the project, preliminary results clearly show that virtual worlds with their unique ability to create a sense of "being-there", are a powerful tool to facilitate a peer-network: a place where amputees from all over the world help others [veterans of wars and non-military amputees alike] and offer emotional peer support to families.

"Second Life offers a space where clinicians can learn from patients what they might not be able to glean from textbooks", Sandra Winkler says: a space where amputees can share insight into their lives so that able-bodied students or any other interested party can experience what it feels like to lose a limb.

More information at http://www.virtualhealthadventures.org/ [this video will also be presented in modified form at http://www.icdvrat.reading.ac.uk/2014... ]"

Press Release: Survivors of Suicide

We are a group that provides in world support to those dealing with depression and/ or the loss of a loved on to suicide.  We can make the world a better place together. We have been around since 2009, we are an active group.

Join us!

Survivors of Suicide Depression Support group offers
* Daily positive living and healing articles
* 24/7 Peer support via the groups chat
* Join a community that understands what you are going through, as the are also
* Education about depression and depression related issues
* Referrals to real life resources
* Don't be alone

We have a club house with lots of healing and self help note cards from past posting.  It is a great place to hang out and has greedy greedy and una games out for all to enjoy.  Feel free to come and enjoy and explore. 

Please tell others about SOS buy having it in your profile and./or handing out SOS 1 prim signs that stores, clubs and places in SL can put out to help more people find us.  Talk us up to any bloggers you know and magazine people.


Any help you can provide will be most welcome.

Also seeking a place to host a immersive educational art exhibit about suicide. It will be a walk through exhibit. If you know of anyone with sim space to host this for a month, I would love to know.  Thank you.

Schoomere (161, 48, 23)


Krissy Sinclair
Founder of Survivors of Suicide

Depression Support Group in Second Life

Most of us know someone who's feeling the blues. But what if it's more than just simple "down" feelings? What if the depressed feelings keep occurring? Where does one turn? There is one such group in Second Life people can turn to. Named the "Survivors of Suicide," the group offers to lend an ear and listen to what mental wellness problem you have of any kind, or if you need advice about someone else.

Read more in People.

Anya Ibor of “Fearless Nation” and the “Fearless Festival”

During the events of Veterans Day week was the "Fearless Festival," organized by Anya Ibor, the head of the "Fearless Nations" group. Second Life Newser met up with her, and she had a few things to mention, such as the helping her group does for those with post-tramatic stress.

Read more in Events.

The Post That Should Not Be Ignored

Facebook has been an interesting way for friends and I to keep in touch, those in and out of Second Life. And in some cases, a chance to stay in contact with friends taking a break from the Grid, though games and an occasional shared joke.

Because of it’s volume, we occasionally hear about Facebook posts in the news. A few weeks ago a student left a short suicide note as a post before jumping off a bridge. It was certainly strange. One seldom if ever believes any post that shows up on your page will be anything like that.


So imagine the surprise when I logged on, and find that one of my Facebook/Second Life friends posted, “Goodbye. Please forgive me, I love you all.”

The post was hours old. Fortunately, she had a number of friends, at least one whom she entrusted her address. It was this friend whom within minutes of the post dialed 911 and alerted her city’s emergency services. They found her, overdosed, but caught it in time, and rushed her to the hospital. She was safe.

This isn’t the first time someone I knew brought up suicide. Once in real life and once in Second Life, a friend talked about doing away with himself. People whom have often leave warning signs, such as this. And what one should do is take such talk seriously, talk to them, and get them to change their minds. For someone in Second Life, with whom contacting real life help might not be an option, one can get in contact with a therapist or a group therapy group. Even if the friend won’t see them, one can talk to the therapist for advice (Industria Dowler was the one I contacted for advice on my friend). It can take a while to get a depressed friend to turn around, but it can be done.

For now, I can be thankful my friend was found in time, and is now in safe hands.

Bixyl Shuftan