More Places for US Presdential Candidates in Second Life

In September, the Newser reported on two places in Second Life build to support US Presidential Candidate Donald Trump. Recently, a few more have been built.

I heard about a "Trump Manor" in the Lionheart Ahadi sim, and heading over, found a large house with a wall around it with a number of Trump campaign signs on it. There were also a couple cars inside, one for estate management, the other which had the image of the candidate on it. Clicking on the gate, it opened, but after I stepped inside, I got a warning from the security system that I had 30 seconds to leave or be given the boot.

I managed to get in touch with the manor's owner, JP Laszio, a member of the "Trump Organization," and one of the people behind the Facebook page, "Donald Trump Thinks Your Waifu Is S***." She stated that the orb had been set up due to griefers and less than reasonable political activists, and if I wanted in to get in touch with her so my name could be added to the list of those allowed in.

More on the discussion with JP will be up later. To get to the manor, head to Lionheart Ahadi (71/38/29). Just contact her if you want inside.

With three areas for "The Donald," what was there for his opposition? The answer was in the Caspoli sim, where I found the "Bernie Sanders SL Headquarters." It was a patio lined with a number of pro-Sanders signs, some praising him, some mocking his opposition. The largest sign was a statement as to how he would pay for his proposals (a series of new taxes and eliminating certain tax breaks). The building is owned by Mac.Wind (Macaria Wind) head of "Vote Bernie Sanders 2016."

Upon entering, I was handed a notecard:

Open to all to enjoy - Group members wearing their group tag are welcome to set home and leave full perm Bernie gifts for the group. Please keep drama and negativity to a minimum and stick to the facts. Ask yourself: What would Bernie do/say?

We all run in to folks who either don't know Bernie or are skeptical about him. These Links to Bernie info including sample articles and facebook pages should be helpful in getting one started on their Bernie Journey. 

Have a Berniful day!

The headquarters is in Caspoli (127/33/34)

Searching to see if there was a place for candidate Hillary Clinton, I found one in the Pandorus sim. Porting there, it was a dark, small, rusty place with barbed wire fence and a walking skeleton. The clearest statement of the owner's intentions was on the map. This wasn't a place for a candidate, but against one.

More on the Trump Manor, and presumably the Sanders HQ later.

Hat tip: Hamlet Au

Bixyl Shuftan

Trump Campaign in Second Life

In 2008, when Second Life was still the darling of tech and mainstream media, the US Presidential election found it's way into the Grid with the supporters of various candidates during the primaries setting up "headquarters" where people could pick up shirts. At the US Capitol Hill building, as well as Cafe Wellstone for Democratic supporters and the Straight Talk Cafe for the Republicans, people could listen in and discuss the debates, and on Election Night people gathered to watch the results of the polls state by state, the Democrats cheering their victory and the Republicans resolving to win next time. Four years later, the attention of real life media had gone elsewhere, and only one of the two political parties had to choose a candidate, so there was less political activity on the Grid, with fewer supporters, and no neutral location as Capitol Hill was gone, but more retoric thrown against each other.

With the 2016 campaign under way, so far only a handful of candidates have stepped up to campaign for the Democratic nomination to replace the outgoing President, while the Republicans have a long list. A search for locations for the two leading Dems on the Grid revealed nothing, though the current leader in the polls for the Reps did. Typing in "Trump" revealed two locations. One was the "Donald Trump Campaign" at Portland Main (218,231, 11), where one could pick up a shirt and check a campaign Facebook page.

Another location was "Donald Trump For America," Seokcheon (164,251, 49), on the Second Life mainland, where there were two prominent signs on the road.

The election is still well over a year away, so a *lot* can change. But one thing is certain, supporters of candidates will be making their voice heard.

Bixyl Shuftan

Black Hills Forest

Grey Lupindo's travels recently took her to Black Hills Forest. The sim owner is French, but the land is a tribute to America. One can see builds of the Statue of Liberty and Mount Rushmore there. Plus there's a zoo, a number of historical photos on display, and more.

Read Grey's article in Places.

And It's Obama, Again

Last night, Second Life residents watched the election returns not only on TV, but also got together at locations like the GOP HQ, Cafe Wellstone, and Obama HQ. It was just after 8PM SL time in which the winner was declared. President Barrack Obama had won, overcoming a weak economy with an unemployment rate that would have brought down previous incumbents.

Stay tuned for an in-depth look at election night on the Grid.

Election Day

On Monday while boating on the Blake Sea in the Mizzen sim, Gemma Cleanslate got a reminder of what season it was. She spotted another boat heading her way, and as it got closer, she noticed a certain someone's picture on the sail: the Republican candidate for US President, Mitt Romney. The boat itself had no one aboard. Scripts made it go automatically on it's course, as a floating billboard for the election.

Second Life Newser will not endorse either candidate for office. What we do ask is that people get out and do their civic duty and vote.

For those wishing to discuss the election in Second Life, one can go to the hangout for Democrats/liberals and progressives at Cafe Wellstone in the mainland Pini sim (56, 78, 45) , or the meeting area for Republicans/conservatives at The Republican Party of SL Headquarters in the Sunset River sim (180, 198, 23).

Go out and go vote.

Bixyl Shuftan (image from Gemma Cleanslate)

The First 2012 Presidential Debate in Second LIfe

Last night, Oct 3, the first Presidential debate was seen on TV, but it was also seen in Second Life. At least it was watched in two locations: Cafe Wellstone and the Republican Party in Second Life HQ. So how did the different audiences react and who won?

Read more in Events.

Politics in Second Life

Four years ago in 2008, it wasn't too hard to find reflections of the US Presidential Election in Second Life. During the Presidential Primaries, a number of places on the Grid were set up for candidates by supporters. At Capitol Hill, showings of the debates, as well as election night's returns, were shown and moderated. And of course there were the Republican and Democrat hangouts, notably the Straight Talk Cafe and Cafe Wellstone.

Today in 2012, this year's election doesn't seem to have quite the same impact here. Part of it may have to do with the real-life media spotlight largely off of Second Life. Also the Capitol Hill sim is gone, and with it the most noted spot of neutral ground debates had. And then there's the theme to the election itself. Four years ago, we had a crusty old war hero against a promising up and coming young candidate. Today, the President's once shiny promises have long been replaced by gritty realities, challenged by a candidate whom while competent seems more than a little bland. And of course there's the deepening partisan divide. Drama-shy residents may be more than a little reluctant to get involved in discussions they fear may quickly become heated.

For those interested in participating in political discussion, there are still some places one can go to. For Democrats/liberals and progressives, there is Cafe Wellstone in the mainland Pini sim (56, 78, 45), next to the highway. For Republicans/conservatives, with the closing of the GOP Cafe (formerly the Straight Talk Cafe), their place with the most traffic seems to be The Republican Party of SL Headquarters in the Sunset River sim (180, 198, 23). Second Life Newser does not yet have weekly schedules of either location.

Do you the readers have any stories of political debate in Second Life, or know of another location where it takes place regularly? By all means let us know.

Bixyl Shuftan

The Dusty Streets of Dodge City

Gemma Cleanslate recently went to an active recreation of a Wild West community: Dodge City. In this roleplay area, the residents reenact life in the American West in the 1870s. From Cheyenne braves, to soldiers in Fort Hawker, to outlaws, and of course the townsfolk trying to make a living, the place has many kinds of people, and is still looking for more.

Read Gemma's article in Places.

Happy 4rth of July

The Statue of Liberty, replicated at the Magic Folsom sim (20, 11, 21)

Happy Independence Day from the staff of Second Life Newser

Over 500K Lindens Raised for Japanese Relief at “Go for Japan”

On the weekend from Saturday March 19 to Sunday Mach 20, the “Go for Japan” fundraiser took place in Gwampa's Dance Camp. Also known as the Pacific Crisis Fund Benefit Concert, the event lasted for over 40 hours involved many musicians, and raised over five hundred thousand lindens for the American Red Cross for their efforts in Japan following the recent earthquake and tsunami that devastated the country.

The event was set up at the four-corner meeting place at four sims, Pango Pango, Zeide Kamp, Gwampa Castle, and Bali Bali. The stage was set up at the Pango Pango corner with the official location of the event at Zeide Kamp (238, 241, 21), even though two other sim corners were available for the audience. Besides dancing around in the grass, one could also sit on some pillows in Bali Bali, or lie on some other pillows floating over Zide Kamp and Gwampa Castle.

There were a few dozen musicians taking part in the fundraiser. Among them were Lyn Carlberg, FunkyFreddy Republic, Lexie Luan, CraigLyons Writer, and more.

On the night of Sunday March 20, the total raised slowly crept up to the half million mark. Finally while Edward Kyomoon was playing, the total amount raised reached 500,000. The sight was greeted with applause and cheers of “Woooot!!” Edward continued to sing, and at the end told the audience, "Thanks for all your generosity, helping out the Red Cross," before handing the stage to Grif Bamaisin, the last musician of the event.

As even the most casual of news readers knows, the earthquake and tsunami wrecked enormous damage to Japan. One estimate of the economic damage puts it as 180 billion dollars. Some entire small villages were wiped out. One estimate puts the number of dead and missing at over 16,000, a toll almost always seen from a disaster striking a Third World country, not one of humankind’s most advanced societies. Curiously unlike previous disasters such as Haiti, there have been few fundraisers in real-life in comparison. With Japan having a debt more than twice the total dollar amount of it’s economy, fundraisers like “Go to Japan” will be a welcome relief.

For a link to the American Red Cross, Click Here.

Bixyl Shuftan

Linden Bears for Japan Tsumani/Earthquake Reflief

With Japan devastated by the worst earthquake ever recorded there, and the ensuing tsunami that sent a wall of water that swept miles inland, people are looking for ways to help. Linden Labs is among those collecting funds for charity, by selling teddy bears with proceeds going to the Red Cross.

Our thoughts are with all of those who are suffering in the devastation caused by the earthquakes in Japan and the tsunami in the Pacific. We encourage all Second Life Residents to support the relief efforts however they can, and we would like to help.

We have created a couple of special Linden Bears (one sitting, one wearable) and set them for sale. We will donate all proceeds from sales of our bears to the Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami Relief efforts of the American Red Cross.

Prices for the bears range from 300 Linden dollars to 3000L.

Pint and Krams’ Cherokee Wedding

On this Valentines Day, we offer a story of a wedding ceremony in Second Life. Pint Hoyes and Kram2593 Footman decided not to have the usual kind if wedding in modern American society, but a virtual Cherokee wedding ceremony.

Read the details in People.