"Your Mother Has Cancer"

Deaflegacy told be recently it was her mother's birthday. It was a happy occasion in the past, but today it was a sad reminder as she had passed away almost five years ago, from cancer. In her article today, she writes about her last time with her mother, and goes on to say the cause of her death is why she supports the Relay for Life in Second Life.

Read Deaflegacy's story in People.

Space Remembrance Day at the National Space Society

There are some events in which every American who was alive and more than a few years old knows where they were when they heard about it. Two involve the space program. One was when men finally landed on the moon. The other was a tragic event, when seven astronauts were killed when the space shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after takeoff. Just as space fans celebrate the triumphs of exploration, they also take a little time to remember those who were lost. On Monday, the National Space Society had their "Space Remembrance Day" discussion.

Read the story in Events.

"Your Mother Had Cancer."

Deaflegacy's story today is a personal one.  It was almost three years ago in which she faced one of the saddest moments of her life, the passing of her mother from cancer. Here, she describes a little of what happened, including on the final day in which they told each other goodbye.

Read Deaflegacy's story in People.

Caspertech Vendor Collecting Donations For Victims of Pulse Massacre

On Sunday morning in Orlando Florida, the Pulse nightclub was attacked by a killer whom gunned down a number of people and took several hostages before finally being shot and killed by police. With 49 people dead (not counting the killer) and 53 injured, the event was one of the worst cases of mass-murder in the United States. The gunman, the son of immigrants from Afghanistan, pledged loyalty to the ISIS terrorist organization. As Pulse is a gay nightclub, the incident is being described as both a hate crime and an act of terrorism.

In Second Life, Casper Warden of Caspertech has made a kiosk to help residents donate to a fund to help the victims of the crime. The money collected goes to a GoFundMe page set up by Ida Vishkaee Eskamani of Equality Florida, a political activist and nonprofit organization. Linden Lab mentioned Caspertech's kiosk in the official Second Life blog.

The Second Life community comes together in incredible, compassionate ways that serve as a badge to show what amazing, diverse, and accepting communities we have all over the grid. ... In light of the tradegy that struck Orlando nightclub, Pulse this past weekend, Casper Warden of CasperVend has set up a kiosk in his mainstore to collect donations for the GoFundMe set up by Equality Florida to benefit and support the victims of this horrific event.

The vendor includes a disclaimer that the withdraw fees for converting Linden dollars to real-world currency will be applied to funds collected. All charities collecting money from Second Life wishing to avoid the fee need to contact Linden Lab and work out an exemption.

The Lab has also included the location of Caspertech in the Destination Guide, which is located at Izanagi (184/81/134).

Casper has also made his kiosk available on the Second Life Marketplace for free, which can be found (here). Already others have gotten copies of and making use of them, such as Furry Fashion.

In light of the tragedy that struck Orlando nightclub Pulse this past weekend, Casper Warden of CasperVend has set up a kiosk in his mainstore to collect donations for the GoFundMe set up by Equality Florida to benefit and support the victims of this horrific event. FF is also getting involved with donation kiosks set up across the sim ...

As of now, Furry Fashion has at least one kiosk set up at Furry (203, 197, 59). There will almost certainly be other locations publicized in various groups and websites. Hamlet Au and Strawberry Singh have also written about the kiosk. 

Bixyl Shuftan

Memorial For Flight 804 Victim Nikoli Redmayne

Last Wednesday night, May 18, EgyptAir Flight 804 went missing over the eastern Mediterranean Sea on it's way from Paris to Cairo. With aircraft debris and human remains found in the vicinity of where it vanished, it is clear the airplane crashed into the sea. There were no signs of any survivors. Among those on board was Second Life resident Nikoli Redmayne, one of the leaders of Relay for Life team Spirit of Sherwood Forest. He was reportedly in Second Life for a total of nine years with this and a previous account.

High above the Stheno sim, a memorial was set up in honor of the late Relayer.  It consisted of a tomb in the middle of a field of flowers in s desert, with Egyptian flags, and signs for EgyptAir and Relay team Spirit of Sherwood. At the entrance were two obelesks with ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs carved into them, with a memorial wreath next to one, and the other a table with several candles, a book where people could place signatures, and Nikoli's picture.

For those wishing to pay their respects, the memorial is at Bella Pointe, Stheno, (138/126/3550).

Second Life Resident Nikoli Redmayne Among Those In Missing Egyptain Airliner

By Bixyl Shuftan

Last night in the Relay for Life group chat, Julia J. Waugh - Van Drake (Aphroditestarr) announced that one of the leaders of her team, Spirit of Sherwood Forest, had been caught up in a dramatic real life event with a likely tragic ending. "I just got some really bad news. ... One of my RFL team leaders Nikoli (Redmayne) was on Flight 804, the Egypt plane that is missing. ... He is my SL brother too, has been a dear friend for years. I just found out from his partner who is headed over to where the families are meeting up" Julia went on to request prayers from the group, For those of you that pray, can I have your prayers sent?  I am hoping so so bad that the plane is just off course or out of range, and not completely crashed." The Relayers responded with shock surprise, then statements of sympathy, "Praying for him, all the passengers and crew and their families and friends." "I can only hope that one day, we wont have to suffer anymore."

Flight 804 was an EgyptAir Airbus A320 carrying 66 passengers and crew from Paris to Cairo. The plane vanished from radar screens over the eastern Mediterranean, close to halfway between Alexandria the island of Crete. The Greek Defense Minister stated that while the plane had been cruising at 37,000 feet, it made a 90 degree turn to the left and plummeted, making a 360 turn to the right, and lost contact when it was at 10,000 feet. While there were reports of debris near a Greek island, they were later found not to be from the aircraft. While terrorism is suspected, as of the writing of this article, what happened to the plane or the status of those on board is unknown. Nikoli Redmayne was one of about thirty Egyptian passengers. The Airbus A320 has a capacity of about 150, and is described as having "an amazing safety record."

Talking with Julia, she had more to say about Nikoli Redmayne (NikoliOasis), "He has been doing (the) Relay with me for seven years now. Our biggest hope is that the planes are just out of reach and not crashed. My heart begs it to be that way. I just can't imagine the worst right now." She told me that he had originally came to Second Life nine years ago under a different avatar, "He got that av a few months back because his old one got hacked. But he has always gone by Nikoli."

Julia went on, "He was born and raised Egyptian. ... As a child he had a cancerous tumor that was removed after one round of chemo and has been cancer free since. ... He married his partner that was from the US, so (he) lived here in the states for the last couple of years. He went back to Egypt this past January because of deaths in his family. ... Seven years ago I pulled him into my team with two other friends of mine who have passed recently from cancer. He never wanted to be a captain or a co-captain, so he was just our 'Team Leader.' He was in charge of keeping his eyes open for different events for out team to sign up for. This group is a family, and he was definitely the fire that got all of us moving. We lost our two most inspirational members in the last twelve months to cancer, so he decided to take over the role this year and keep everyone moving in their honor."

The news had only recently reached the Spirit of Sherwood team, "I spoke to his husband who is absolutely hysterical, and it was put to me to let our family and team know. Once that was done we agreed that it should be asked in the RFL group for prayers."

Details are still coming in on what happened to the airliner, but it is appearing that this man who survived cancer and has spend years helping to fight it may have met his end to a different enemy.

Update: Shortly after this article was written, aircraft debris, including seats, luggage, and human remains, were found in the sea in the eastern part of the search area.

Sources: BBC, Reuters 

Bixyl Shuftan

Nydia Tungsten Speaks on Recent Events

How does one respond when one of your best friends, or perhaps your mentor, has to deal with not just her way of communicating with the outside world being severely disrupted, but also the tragic loss of a parent? This was the question faced by the friends of Nydia Tungsten as she faced these blows last night. But the support of her friends kept her going. Not just the financial support by one friend, but also the emotional support of so many friends. A few days ago, Nydia contacted me, asking to speak about the matter.

Read the story in People.

Reaction to Nydia's Tragedy

After the announcement of the passing of Nydia Tungsten's mother on Tuesday Night, friends from around Second Life have given her messages of condolences on her Facebook account. Among her Angels group in Second Life was this announcement by Ranchan Weidman:

I have been asked to pass this along to all Angels. Nydia's mother has passed on.  She expresses her love of all the angels, and cherishes every one she has met.  

In this time of full mourning, please remember to keep Nydia and her real life family in your thoughts and prayers.

We are here for you Nydia. 

Next to Nydia's home, Mouse Hold Manor Sora Anubis Kraditzio Shizuka (jamestkirk2323) and Umbra75 Bigbear erected a cross for the mother of their friend and her real-life family. Several people left candles and flowers at the base. The memorial is at Sunlight Bay (230/51/24).

Nydia's problems have only grown recently when her mother's funeral insurance suddenly told she and her family they would not be paying for the actual burial, threatening an expense they can barely afford. With this latest development, talk about how to send flowers has turned into how they can help their valued friend and neighbor.

Bixyl Shuftan

Sad News About Nydia Tungsten

Nydia Tungsten has made a name for herself in the Sunweaver community over the past several years. Part wild child, part wise woman, one wasn't always sure which side they'd run into, or a little bit of both. Her mixture of naughtiness, wisdom, humor, and a willingness to always listen to one's friends in their moments of need, has long earned the "little white vixen" a place in the hearts of many. Because of her name and steadfastness, she's sometimes been called the "Steel Vixen."

But even the strongest of steel bends when the weight is just too much.

In recent months, her mother has been in poor health, and recently it has taken a turn for the worst. Days ago, the doctors sent her home so she could face the end with family. She was not expected to survive much longer. Circumstances that have left Nydia in tears. To complicate matters, her pets knocked her computer off her table, breaking it. She has been keeping in touch with friends via Facebook, email, and g-chat though an old laptop that simply can't handle Second Life.

Finally on Tuesday night, her mother passed away, leaving the family in mourning.

Between these events, she has told her friends that she does not know when she will be back.

The Sunweavers, and the Newser, wish Nydia all the luck and strength in these most trying of times.

SL Video: "The Drax Files - World Makers [Episode 24: MadameThespian Underhill] "

(Click here if the video fails to play)

" 'Second Life levels the playing field when we interact with each other,' says actress MadameThespian Underhill who directs the virtual reality theatre troupe Artist Repertory Theatre in SL. A.R.T has been performing live theatre in the virtual world since 2008 with a cast that spans all generations and [physical] location. Professional TV and stage actors mingle with dedicated hobbyists and community theatre buffs to dress up their colorful avatars in homemade sets to produce drama, comedy, musical and improvisational theatre for a global avatar audience.

"In addition to the creative possibilities that a digital universe such as Second Life holds, MadameThespian is enthusiastic about its social aspects as well: 'The value for older people' she says, 'is wonderful because of the ability to interact with other people from all over the world of other ages. You are being judged by what you say - the pure essence of who you are!' And so you can often see the likes of Thinkerer Melville, 85, well-known benefactor of the arts in Second Life enjoying inter-generational dialogue with Madame and Mike Denneny, who at 22 years old is already a veteran in the virtual realm, having started as an entrepreneur on the Teen Grid in 2005. The theatre a place to express a deeper kind of truth about the human condition? Certainly a tradition in physical 'reality' but increasingly one that has impacted virtual reality just as much!"

*********

"Special thanks to Marianne McCann for a fabulous set building to frame this story. All other sets shown made by members and contractors from A.R.T.

"Thanks to Mike Denneny and Thinkerer Melville and all the fabulous extras: KennyLuck Luckless, Remi Maggs, Jenkel, Vick Forcella, Dove, Pygar Bu, Kris Spade, Not, Molly Montale, Avariel Falcon, SCarlett Luv, Drew, Adasyd Nino, Sven Homewood, Cayenne Republic, Fenn McMoragh, GoSpeed, ZevLuv, Wolfrum Windstorm, BeCreative Wildeheart, Wizardoz

"The A.R.T. ensemble consists of MadameThespian Underhill, Caledonia Skytower, Ada Radius, Corwyn Allen, Joff Fassnaught, Rowan Shamroy, Kayden O'Connell, AvaJean Westland, Sodovan Torok, Breyda Adored

"Montana Shakespeare production of "Romeo & Juliet" [2013] featuring MT Underhill as "nurse" was directed by Kim DeLong and filmed by Bill Otto. The excerpt from the rehearsal of "Much Ado About Nothing" [ 2014] was also directed by Kim DeLong."

A Tribute to The Airliner Tragedy

Last week, Flight MH17 of Malaysia Airlines crashed in the eastern Ukraine, has been the scene of conflict between the country's armed forces, and pro-Russian separatist rebels trying to break the region away from the country and unite with Russia.  The cause of the plane's demise was quickly found to be an anti aircraft missile. Although the Russians and rebels claim the Ukrainian government shot down the plane, there is evidence that the separatists, using Russian equipment were the cause of the disaster. Of the 298 people killed, the majority were Dutch citizens, resulting the country being in mourning. The airline, already in trouble from another of it's planes vanishing somewhere in the Indian Ocean earlier this year, may not survive a second disaster.

While on the Relay track, I came across this tribute to those who perished on the plane, showing the nationalities of those who were killed.

Press Release: Fundraiser Avatar for Conneticut School Shooting Tragedy

Athene Forder of "Goddess Apparel" informed Second Life Newser of an item at her store being sold for charity, to help with those affected by the recent school shooting in Conneticut.

This year, we have a lovely Avatar for you!

Holly has skin, eyes, shoes, hair, jewelry and a fab dress!  Each designed by some of my friends, and very festive!

Last year, we donated proceeds to the Red Cross. This year, we are raising money for the Sandy Hook Community. Personally, I can not think of anything worse than having to bury my baby, except having to bury my baby and figure out to pay for it.

We can't change anything, but maybe we can make it just a bit easier for them. In addition, if you wish to donate more, please send a notecard to me (I am keeping track of the donations for the designer group) and pay me directly.

We already have a number of clubs and games who have graciously allowed for our vendor to be placed in their place of business.  We will be collecting until new Years, and hope to post how much we were able to donate shortly after that.

So please, bring your friends,  pick up your copy, have them pick up a copy. If you are a business/club owner, and wouldn't mind our vendor in your place, please let me or Dryad Falls know. If you have friends who are business/club owners who you think would like to be involved, have them contact me, because I have to admit, I would really like to make this a worthy donation.

A personal note from Dryad Fall:  "Personally, many of you know until recently, I was a kindergarten teacher in CT...i'm several miles from Sandy Hook, but I promise you, this has hit me, and all my teacher friends with all the force of a bullet train.  So I readily admit, this would mean a lot to me!"

LM's:
Goddess Apparel Mainstore, Taupo (112, 200, 42)
Dryad Designs Apr 4/11, Wandering Spirits (32, 99, 21)

The vendors will be gone Jan 6

SL Machinima: Titanic, 100th Aniversary

A Second Life Titanic machinima, "This music video remake was created in remembrance of Titanic's upcoming 100th anniversary 2012 april 15th. At the same time this is a unique way to highlight the visual capabilities of SecondLife, using a real world example. All images are captured within the 3D-virtual world of Secondlife itself. Therefor, it is a technology benchmark and will generate related discussion."

Music by : Celin Dion (Titanic original)
Video by : RG Giano (Secondlife)

Sunweaver Landlady's Real-Life Family Suffers Tragedy

The following was sent as group notices yesterday and today for the Sunweavers.

Rita's RL sister's and her RL nephew and his family, GF, daughter and son, die in fire, this past Tuesday morning. Only one boy survives after jumping from second story window. Here is the link to the news: http://www.fox2now.com/news/ktvi-8-year-old-dies-two-days-after-fatal-fire-20110818,0,5069209.story

It appears there was a working fire detector in the house and it went off. Lauren (mother), perhaps Cameron too, were attempting to get the kids out of the house, but were overcome by the smoke, during the attempt. Only Dominic made it to safety. Sabine and Daaneth McGettigan are collecting for my sister and her loss, if you wish to donate to help out.

Memorial to the Fallen in Second Norway’s Stave Church

Last weekend, the country of Norway was hit by a nightmare when a ruthless killer set off a bomb in the capital of Oslo, killing eight, and then headed to a political youth camp on the nearby island of Utoeya where he proceeded to gun down children. The death toll there was originally estimated to be 85, but has since been reduced.

In Second Life, memorials often spring up in response to tragedy, and so one did in the Second Norway region. Checking the Destination Guide was a mention of a “Oslo Memorial at Second Norway.” The entry invited the readers to “Join the conversation and memorials for the victims of the recent attacks in Oslo at the Stave church in Second Norway, an active Norwegian community in Second Life.”

The link on the Guide led me next to the docks. Checking the map, I noticed a group of residents, and headed to it. I soon came across the Stave church, a type of wooden church built in Medieval times, almost all of the original ones found within Norway. Outside the church was a Norwegian flag at half-mast, and a wooden cross decorated with ribbon, plants, and a couple flags.

Inside the church were a number of people. Some were sitting at the pews, others closer to the altar. And around the altar, a makeshift memorial had been set up. There were numerous flowers and candles of all kinds, in addition to flags and teddy bears.

People continued to drop in to pay their respects, stay for a time, then head out. There were a mix of Norwegian residents, other Europeans, and some Americans. They pondered how, in a country noted for it’s Nobel Peace Prize, could this happen, “... What kind of world is this?! Tell me!” “A cruel and sad world.” “My heart hears you, and yes, too much sickness, too much.” “But when a person can look a kid in the eye and shoot them, and laugh, having fun with it, it is sick, it is cruel, it is evil.” Someone stated there were rumors early on that this was the work of a black immigrant.

The music played at the time avoided the bouncy tunes of other places I was at that day. Among the songs was "In the Arms of an Angel":


In the arms of an Angel, fly away from here

From this dark, cold hotel room, and the endlessness that you fear

You are pulled from the wreckage, of your silent reverie

You're in the arms of an Angel; may you find some comfort here


Some of the people paused to listen, “That’s one of my favorite songs.”

One resident, Nikita Mullery, stated, “It is allowed to put down a candle or flowers if you want to, but be sure it is not one with tons of prims in it, since many people want to put down a memory.” Others tried to comfort those with doubts about humanity’s better nature, “peace and love be with you,” “I wish you all peace and love, and healing.”

Dropping by hours later, there were still people coming and going at the Stave church, paying their respects to the fallen young and old.

The Stave Church memorial is at Norge (136, 149, 30)

Bixyl Shuftan