Breezes enter the roleplay world of Samarkand

Never in my wildest dreams did I think, upon entering this beautiful City of Samarkand, that I would find a place like no other. From the Hall of Justice to the pavilions filled with fountains, and to the gardens and tavern, the romance of the city overwhelmed me. I opened my arms and embraced this world.
I recently was honored by our most gracious and lovely Khanum to become the Shafi of Samarkand to help with the healing of our warriors , to bring solace to those in need, and to bring laughter to the hearts of those who belong to our beautiful Kingdom, built by our most gifted Khagan Creyes.

In the near future our beautiful Queen Lanalii and her beloved Khagan Creyes will bring forth the long awaited Heir of Samarkand. How we will rejoice!

And my heart also bursts to share with you , the coming of yet another babe, one which I bear, to Samarkand. The illustrious Saadi and his most devoted Shafi wish for you to share with us the joys of these two new bundles of love.

Imagine the laughter, the lessons to be learned from the young to the wisest in our Samarkand. To have the powers of wisdom lying in the arms of Saadi , the child will be so proud, Lady Yorkie will be the proud Nanny . We are blessed to have her near. She is my loving friend.I can hardly wait to hear the cooing from the 2 new babes seeing the love and adoring smiles from the proud parents. Share with us ye citizens of Samarkand.

Shafi Bree

Mafia Hit Foiled by Inmate

Within the 24 hours of famed Mafia boss, Adolphe Freschi, incarceration at Ghul Federal Prison, two inmates had been attacked. In the first incident, Mere Babenco, also recently arrived, was the target for a mafia hit. Mere (aka 'songbird') had been telling anyone that would listen that she feared for her life. The Freschi family were trying to stop her from revealing the full extent of the mob's business. Few within the prison took any notice, until a scream went out in the exercise yard.

Mere had been stabbed, blood pouring from a chest wound. Everyone froze, except for one. Baron DeSantis (aka Sink Freak) rushed to her aid, shouting for a guard to help. Mere was rushed to the sick bay were Baron battled for over an hour trying to save her. Three times her heart stopped and each time he brought her back from the brink of Death. Twelve pints of plasma were used during the highly tense & emotional battle, the Baron screaming for proper equipment and supplies. (Due to lack of Federal funds, the sickbay is woefully under equipped, a source revealed to me).

DeSantis was then 'made up' to a 'Medic', which is just as well, for less than a day later an attempt was made on the life of another inmate, YumTum Dumpling.

In what at first appeared to be a feinting spell, YumTum, a close friend of Baron, was taken to the sickbay. On examination, a small puncture wound was found and the tip of some object subsequently removed. It appears that the weapon, as yet unfound, had been coated with a poison. Analysis revealed it to be the secretion from an Amazonian Tree Frog. How that was obtained is anybodys guess, but smuggling is not unknown to happen within Ghul. Baron yet again battled to save the life of his friend, eventually succeeding after screaming at the guards to contact the neared toxicology centre for an antidote. The guards surprisingly co-operated fully with DeSantis and so YumTum was saved.

The authorities within the prison would not comment other than to say there had been two 'incidents', a full investigation was underway & that Warden Gavin Hird along with Judge Seimens were awaiting the medical reports from Baron DeSantis.

Does this all have something to do with Freschi being inside? Or are there two factions within the inmates themselves? A source said that recently some strange conversations had begun between prisoners. The source further revealed that the new medic had been seen in his cell, slumped over paperwork, a jug of moonshine laying empty beside him. Seems Baron DeSantis knows a smuggler too.

Mafia Boss Behind Bars: Sings Like A Canary

Tuesday 25th March 2008

The once proud and arrogant, almost untouchable, head of the biggest mafia families is now behind bars. I had the dubious pleasure of meeting him within minutes of his arrival. Doughboy or Mr Pilsbury as he has been named by fellow inmates immediately tried to ‘Lord it over’ us. Well, as you now know, I have a short fuse. This guy lit it on sight.. Gee Where does Adolphe Freschi think he is..The Ritz?
Within minutes we were verbally abusing each other…. Phew he thought he was tough.puleeze.
The Sink Freak laid into him so much that the bloated excuse for a human ended up begging to be put back in his cell (which thankfully is well away from mine).
I am pleased to announce that Freschi has been driving us nuts..he cannot stop talking and all the evidence is piling up against him and his former family members. I have finally come to terms with the fact that prison is a cleanser of the soul, and if true, the cleanest person has got to be Freschi.
In a way he is doing me a favour, I need do nothing..the 'Family’ will do it for me.
Sorry, had to keep it short as the pigeon (my last one) is only little, but have more news, as all hell has broken loose in here. …There you go birdy. fly man fly.

Breezes Thoughts

I was flying through the skies and what did I see? Way far away, a tiny speck, curiously I ventured forth to find what mysteries I might find.

Lo, wow, it was a suspended avatar, and much to my surprise I knew this cute little speck.

Yep, out of all the thousands of things it might have, well sure was a surprise. I could not budge her, wake her , as far as I know she is still there.

I miss her, I am trying to wake her family to fix her.

In the meantime I shall go sit at the lighthouse with its beacon flashing signals for her to find the way home.

Ah such a lovely garden and restful grounds, no-one around, I decided to get all ready to swim the ocean blue, when all of a sudden did appear the beautiful butterfly, it hovered near, whirring close, skittering when I was startled.

I uttered how beautiful you are my little butterfly. Thinking it was just an addition to the garden I just smiled to think the lovely birds now have a friend. The bunnies are hiding their Easter eggs and I shall scatters greens and carrots for munchies for my little friends.

Zoom here comes the butterfly, lightly touching my shoulder. oh it tickles , haha, how sweet, the colors iridescent , matching my Luna dress for mermaids like me.

A new friend is watching me. yes an avatar opened my eyes to the invisible titles of Second Life. Never suspecting someone is watching over me, to see what delights I see, I feel the nearness the winds soft breezes flowing through my hair, the mist from the sea is calling my name, I look to the heavens, the fluffy white clouds, the angels are all around and smiling for me.

My stars are still speaking go forth Breezes there is still lots to see.

Breezes

(Picture by Strawberry holiday from our free to copy flickr group)

Drive by Agony Group Establishes Presence in Second Life

By Nazz Lane

Through a friend, I had recently been introduced to Carmen Gray of the Drive by Agony group in second life. Both of our schedules had been full but we'd finally been able to connect setting up a date and time when we'd both be on-line. We met at her place, the Life Learning Center along with Hope McAlpine and Hiliary Grant for this interview.

"Hello Nazz, I'm so glad we could finally catch up with each other." Carmen said in greeting as I arrived at the center. "My pleasure Carmen, and my apologies for having had this take as long as it has, real life has been hectic of late." I replied and then continued: "I know you've been busy as well, getting organized for the group's activities. I won't take up too much of your time." She smiled and replied, "We can take as long as you need Nazz. It's important that we get the word out about our plans. Why don't you have a seat and we can get started."

NL: Carmen can you tell me, what is your role in Drive by Agony?

CG: Nazz, I'm the Founder of the organization "Drive by Agony". The group has been in SL for nearly eight months now and in real life since 1988, our web site is www.drivebyagony.net .This is the Life Learning Center where the groups SL programs will come from.

NL: What is the group's mission?

CG: Our group's mission to increase awareness about the impact of crime in the US and to honor the victims of crime. Our activities culminate in a yearly event, bringing communities into action through a March and Demonstration for the legislators in Washington to take action. We need to increase awareness about the cost of crime it brings upon victims, the medical bills and education about how to bring the harmony in our nation and create a safe place for our children. This year's March will occur on April 19th and we have a full program planned for that day in second life.

NL: The real life group has been in existence for nearly 20 years now, what has been the focus of the group in SL?

CG: My focus has been to figure out how to bring the materials, the set up, the focus and the mission of the group into SL. When you come into SL you are like a baby and it is difficult. So I had to learn first then force myself to get involved in the community of the virtual world and learn to balance the two.

NL: How successful do you feel you've been in doing so Carmen?

CG: I feel good about it. The ups and downs and mistakes like in RL help you to grow.

NL: What have you learned about running a group in SL that is different than in RL?

CG: Wow! Where do I start *smiles* Well you learn how to deal with different cultures up close and personal. It's like you do not see each other but you can feel each other's hearts which I think is better. You can connect with people a lot faster from around the world that share a common cause of helping others. Working with others in various ways, you can share and support each other no matter what your cause is and feel free doing so *smiles* comfortable.

NL: What other activities is the group planning for the next few months?

CG: A grand opening of this facility is one that is in the planning stages, HIliary just finished most of it and people will be able to come and meditate, receive counseling and support. We'll offer anger management services and parenting classes. We also have a natural health care store next door to help. This facility will offers the SL resident an opportunity to come and speak with me about personal feelings of pain associated with tragedies in their lives, also learn how to control their anger and be a part of change in preventing violence. They will also have the opportunity to come and learn from the information about our purpose, and what we will be providing for victims of any crime.

9 questions for ... Morpheus Linden

This time we've interviewed someone from the Linden family. Linden Lab has sent us one of the best people they have, Morpheus Linden. He leads a team, called Studio Lux, that works on the back-end billing integration. For example, he and his crew have worked on the infamous but necessary technical part of the introduction of VAT to Europe's Second Life residents.

Please note that some of the usual 9 questions seemed a bit inapropriate for an employee of Linden Lab, so we had to change them a bit for this occasion. Thank you Morpheus, for our pleasant conversation and answering these questions so openly and honestly. And thanks Dee Linden for setting it up. I owe you at least a virtual glass of fine champagne. :)

That said, let's get to the 9 Questions and Answers ...

Question 1: Why did you choose THAT name for your avatar? Do you still have a picture of your newbie days?

Morpheus: Morpheus comes from the name of the Greek God of Sleep. I'm fascinated by sleep, and dream in particular and the implications they have on epistemology. Dream is very much like an alternate reality. In that reality, how do we know what's true or real? Given that uncertainty, how can we then make assumptions about knowing reality in this life?

I'm also a big fan of Neil Gaiman's 'Sandman' series of graphic novels. I feel like they are an excellent example of the dangers of categorical behavior. To a casual observer, "it's just a comic book" but in fact, there's a tremendous amount of depth, interplay and thought there such that I would categorize as literature in a way that most novels published today are not. I feel the same way about Second Life and the way it might seem like "it's just a game" to a casual observer, but the depth, complexity and potential here dwarf the category "game."

There's a quote from a Nineteenth century French poet, Gérard de Nerval that goes, "Dream is a second life." So, when it came time to choose a Linden name, Morpheus, god of sleep, was the obvious choice for me.

Of course the bad-ass from the Matrix didn't hurt the decision either. :)

Question 2: How long were you in SL before you felt you could function and work your way in SL? Did you go through some kind of training at LL in this aspect?

Morpheus: I've been involved in virtual worlds in some way or another for a long time. In 1991, I was one of the founders and administrators of an "LP" MUD. My graduate computer science work was within the Virtual Reality group, and I went into the games industry shortly after graduate school. So, while the particulars of the interface were (and sometimes still are) challenging, the fundamentals of a virtual existence are fairly well ingrained.

There are a couple of ways that the Lab trains incoming Lindens, but I didn't get anything more than an initial shopping trip with Jeska Linden upon joining. I remember when someone first pointed out how to create a landmark in order to return somewhere. I was astonished, because up until that point, I'd pretty much gotten around in-world without those pesky menus. To me, having to go "out" to a menu broke the proverbial "fourth wall." I was surprised that something so fundamental was outside of the immersive interface.

It was over a year later that I finally attended Char Linden's "bootcamp" for new Lindens. I picked up a few tricks from her like turning off the online friend notification. What a blessing that turned out to be. As a Linden, one accumulates a lot of "friends." (Preferences > General > Uncheck: Show Online Friend Notifications)

So, how long? It was probably a couple of weeks before I felt like at least a comfortable tourist. I don't know that I yet feel like a native though almost two years later.

Question 3: Did you know about SL or did you even have an account before you started working for Linden Lab?

Morpheus: I was peripherially aware of Second Life from shortly after it launched, but didn't pay close attention to it until I was job hunting in spring of '06. At that point, a friend-of-a-friend had blogged about her new job at Linden Lab and how they were still hiring (We still are! See this link). I decided to check it out more thoroughly. As a virtual world with strengths like user created content where users retain the intellectual property rights, I thought that Linden Lab might be a good match for my skills and interests. At the time, they were celebrating their 100,000th resident. Of course, now we have grown by two orders of magnitude and have a concurrency over half of what was then the total number of accounts!

So, I spent some time in-world in preparation for (and during) my interview process, but I was not a "proper" resident before becoming a Linden.

Question 4: Where do you hang out most (in-world)? What is special about that place?

Morpheus: I wish I had a better answer for this than I do. A large percentage of the time that I spend in-world is meeting with other Lindens. My team is split between multiple locations and so all of our meetings are in-world. The same is true for the other teams and working groups I'm in. Acknowledging the distributed nature of our organization, Linden Lab HQ is actually comprised of 4 connected islands in-world. So that's where I spend almost all of my in-world time.

Question 5: Can you still go into SL just for leisure, or is it all work? What kind of leisure do you like best in SL?

Morpheus: I can and do spend time in-world for leisure both as myself and as an alt. Not nearly enough, of course. The world changes around me so quickly, I rarely manage to get my bearings before I'm lost again, but that's actually a great thing. I think the strength of Second Life is in its residents, so when I'm in world, I'm either just chatting with people, or exploring. Sometimes, I like to just pull up the world map, pick somewhere, TP there and wander around. Sometimes I'll just go to the top classified ad from the search page and start there. Otherwise, I'll just find my way to a club and hang out for a little while, and hope they have a good dance ball b/c I've still not really loaded my AV with animations.

Question 6: How do you feel the original concept of 'your world, your imagination' works in today's SL?

Morpheus: I think it's still strong. After all, what Second Life is today is due to the creativity of the Second Life residents. We try to keep Second Life as open, available and accessible as we can. All of our work is about enabling the residents and trying to do so in a way that allows us to remain a viable business entity.

Question 7: How do you see your future within SL and Linden Lab?

Morpheus: Alas, I'm famously poor at predicting the future, so I'll keep this one brief: "Long, engaging and challenging!".

Question 8: There's a rumor that Lindens try out all the new poseballs when access is restricted for Lindens. Is it true? And if not, what do Lindens do when they are alone in SL?

Morpheus: LOL, I love that! It cracks me up because in one sense, it seems perfectly reasonable, but little could be farther from the truth. In my experience, if the world is "Lindens Only" then it's because one of two things is happening. Either
A) we're in the early part of bringing up revisions to the server architecture in which case we're doing what's called a "Smoke Test" in QA parlance; A test which tries to cover a broad range of activities, but does not probe with much depth.
or
B) something has gone horribly wrong with some piece of back-end infrastructure, and we're only willing to risk corruption on our own accounts while we're troubleshooting.

That said, I simply love this Haiku from Jeska one "release day" back when we would regularly be down for 6-ish hours every other week as we pushed out a new server release (link here):
Internal testing
Sit on your pose balls, laughing
Eating your ice cream

Question 9: What oneliner or thought would you like to share with our readers, that reflects how you see SL?

Morpheus: It's a great time for Second Life. We've made some amazing changes since I got here: Flexi prims, sculpties, voice, a usable search. We open sourced the client. We've got windlight just out and Havoc 4 and Mono on the way. And yet we still have an amazing set of challenges in front of us in the realms of stability, usability and openness.

So my one liner for how I see SL? "May you live (your second life) in interesting times!"

BARON CONVICTED…

It started as just another day in Ghul Federal Prison but, Friday 21st March 2008, for Baron DeSantis the day was going to turn out as anything but normal.
Sitting in the exercise yard, he was quietly reading one of his many books on law when the prison Investigator, Vince Beardmore, approached him. Baron looked up and smiled when he saw Vince. The smile was wiped from his face when he was told that the day of judgement had arrived.
“DeSantis, stand up and turn around, Judge wants you in the court.NOW” Vince stated.
Manacles were placed on Baron’s hands, which had been moved behind him. A chain was attached to his ‘confinement collar’ and he was taken out of the yard. The other prisoners stood and watched as he was led away. Shouts of good luck echoed around the otherwise silent courtyard.

What follows is the actual transcript from the trial. Due to the horrific nature of his crimes, certain portions have been removed . What remains, however, is the exact record of the proceedings.
It should be noted that the judge thought it prudent NOT to appear in the courtroom itself. Instead he conducted the proceeding by video/audio link from his chambers. This may be because of the Baron’s renowned volatile temperament and the shocking nature of his crimes. Standing upright and facing where the judge would have been sitting, he had an almost arrogant stance. The investigator to one side, chain still attached, waiting to pounce on him if he got out of line.

[9:23] Aldwulf Siemens: This is court is now in session
[9:23] Aldwulf Siemens: The Honourable Judge Aldwulf Siemens presiding
[9:24] Vince Beardmore: answer the judge Baron
[9:24] Aldwulf Siemens: ((is he lagging?))
[9:24] Vince Beardmore: ((dont know))\
[9:24] Vince Beardmore: Baron??
[9:25] Vince Beardmore: answer the judge
[9:26] Aldwulf Siemens: ARE YOU BARON Ce SANTIS?
[9:26] Aldwulf Siemens: *De
[9:26] BD: Yes Sir
[9:26 BD: DeSantis Sir
[9:26] Aldwulf Siemens: Right
[9:27] Aldwulf Siemens: you are before this court charged with 5 Murders
[9:27] Aldwulf Siemens: how do you plead
[9:27] You: yes Sir, at least 5 sir
[9:27] Aldwulf Siemens: Guilty or Not Guilty
[9:27] BD: not guilty Sir
[9:27] Aldwulf Siemens: I see
[9:27] Aldwulf Siemens: I have here your confession?
[9:28] BD: drug induced Sir
[9:28] Aldwulf Siemens: do you dispute its contents?
[9:28] Aldwulf Siemens: Very well
[9:28] Aldwulf Siemens: Investigator Beardmore
[9:28] BD: not exactly sir
[9:28] Aldwulf Siemens: you were the primary officer in his case
[9:28] Vince Beardmore: yes sir i was
[9:29] Aldwulf Siemens: please state the facts
[9:29] Vince Beardmore: This man confessed at least 5 murders. He told me he had sliced a throat
[9:29] Vince Beardmore: drove over another man and shoot one in the head
[9:29] Vince Beardmore: further I have his confession sir
[9:30] Vince Beardmore: and an conversation with another prisoner
[9:30] Aldwulf Siemens: I see
[9:30] BD: Sir he's a snitch sir..inadmissable sir
[9:30] Aldwulf Siemens: do you state on oath this confesssion was not drug induced?
[9:31] Aldwulf Siemens: Silence Baron
[9:31] Aldwulf Siemens: very well
[9:31] Aldwulf Siemens: Baron
[9:31] BD: plead the 5th Sir
[9:31] Vince Beardmore: I do your honour
[9:31] Aldwulf Siemens: let us examine your confession then baron
[9:32] Aldwulf Siemens: It seems you returned home from work
[9:32] Aldwulf Siemens: and caught your partner with three other guys?
[9:32] Aldwulf Siemens: romping on the bed?
[9:32] BD: yes sir
[9:32] Aldwulf Siemens: and it states here
[9:32] Aldwulf Siemens: you thought
[9:33] Aldwulf Siemens: "revenge is a dish best served cold"
[9:33] BD: ah, correct Sir
[9:33] Aldwulf Siemens: “I can not believe how easy it was”
[9:34] Aldwulf Siemens: “one quick slash across the throat”
[9:34] Aldwulf Siemens: you state
[9:34] Aldwulf Siemens: was that correct?
At this point, the trial was halted for a moment, due to lag
[9:35] BD: Sorry Sir..please continue
[9:35] Aldwulf Siemens: revenge a dish best served cold
[9:35] BD: yes Sir
[9:35] Aldwulf Siemens: the first was easy - a quick slash across the throat
[9:36] Aldwulf Siemens: is that correct?
[9:36] BD: yes Sir
[9:36] Aldwulf Siemens: do I need to describe all the other murderous acts?
[9:37] BD: for the record Sir..think it would be best..then i can explain them sir
[9:37] Aldwulf Siemens sigh
[9:37] Aldwulf Siemens: so no1 you cut his throat?
[9:37] Aldwulf Siemens: correct?
[9:37] BD: slightly sir, yes
[9:37] Aldwulf Siemens: slightly deadly I would say
[9:38] BD: well. yes sir
[9:38] Aldwulf Siemens: you dismembered him
[9:38] BD: all hazy on that part sir.what with the vodka and all Sir
[9:38] Aldwulf Siemens: you seem fairly clear in your statement
[9:39] BD: well.it comes back eventually Sir..the memory and suchlike sir
[9:39] Aldwulf Siemens: shall we accept he was killed by you?
[9:39] BD: yes sir
[9:39] Aldwulf Siemens: right 1 down
[9:39] Aldwulf Siemens rifles through copious papers
[9:40] Aldwulf Siemens: next it seems you enticed two more men
[9:40] Aldwulf Siemens: to a meeting
[9:40] Bd: they volunteered their...services Sir
[9:40] Aldwulf Siemens: you placed an add for a threesome it says here
[9:40] BD: correct Sir but THEY answered it sir
[9:41] BD: self inflicted Sir
[9:41] Aldwulf Siemens: so you met one
[9:41] Aldwulf Siemens: and you drove him to a picnic area
[9:41] BD: yes Sir
[9:41] Aldwulf Siemens: and you engaged in homosexual sex
[9:42] Aldwulf Siemens: and
[9:42] Aldwulf Siemens: "shot the f**ker in the head"
[9:43] Aldwulf Siemens: 2 down
[9:43] Aldwulf Siemens: ok
[9:43] BD: well that bit I DO remember Sir.man it was wild
[9:43] Aldwulf Siemens: "no 3 was easy I ran him over, and maybe it was the third time I reversed over him that did it"
[9:43] Bd: traffic accident Sir
[9:44] Aldwulf Siemens: reversed over him three times?
[9:44] BD: the clutch slipped Sir
[9:44] Aldwulf Siemens: and the gearbox it seems
[9:44] Aldwulf Siemens: from reverse to drive at least 3 times
[9:45] BD: yes Sir.jeez can't get a decent mechanic these days sir
[9:45] Aldwulf Siemens: watch your tongue sir
[9:45] BD: Sorry sir
[9:46] Aldwulf Siemens: I am satisfied that no3 was a premeditated act of murder
[9:46] Aldwulf Siemens: and not careless driving
[9:46] BD: counts silently in head
[9:46] Aldwulf Siemens: now No 4
[9:46] Aldwulf Siemens: you set dogs on your lover
[9:47] BD: it was his 'scent' sir..drove my dog's mad sir
[9:47] Aldwulf Siemens: it says here
[9:48] Aldwulf Siemens: you bought them deliberately for this act
[9:48] Vince Beardmore: he also confess that to Maxwell during his arrest . its in his file too sir
[9:49] BD: no Sir..I dispute that Sir...I bought them when I got out from that ridiculous charge of flashing Sir..I did NOT get them to cause harm to anyone Sir
[9:50] Aldwulf Siemens: it states here you gave the command to the dogs to kill him
[9:50] BD: My ex just didn't like them sir....and they did not take a liking to him Sir.well eventually they did Sir
[9:51] Aldwulf Siemens: Enough Baron
[9:51] BD: Well.... ok I did say 'cut' but I was shaving sir and my razor slipped Sir
[9:51] Aldwulf Siemens: you were not shaving
[9:51] Aldwulf Siemens: you were having sex with your ex lover
[9:52] Aldwulf Siemens: I have had enough of your pathetic excuses
[9:52] BD: OK Sir..you have me on that one Sir
[9:53] Aldwulf Siemens: I have sufficient evidence here to convict you of 4 murders
[9:53] Aldwulf Siemens: I will allow the 5th to remain on file
[9:53] Aldwulf Siemens: Baron DeSantis
[9:53] Aldwulf Siemens: I find you guilty of the premeditated murder of 4 men
[9:53] BD: gulp
[9:54] Aldwulf Siemens: 4 acts coldly planned
[9:54] Aldwulf Siemens: 4 acts coldly executed
[9:54] Aldwulf Siemens: before I pass sentence
[9:54] Aldwulf Siemens: do you have anything to say
[9:54] BD: counts in head...No sir
[9:55] Aldwulf Siemens looks at court papers
[9:56] Aldwulf Siemens: I sentence you to 5,000L$ fine
[9:56] BD: yes Sir
[9:56] Aldwulf Siemens: and 90 days in jail PLUS existing time served
[9:56] Aldwulf Siemens: that’s 90 days from now
[9:57] BD: Oh man..
[9:57] Aldwulf Siemens: take him away officer
[9:57] Vince Beardmore: yes sir
[9:57] Vince Beardmore: come Baron

At this point DeSantis was led away, to be taken back to his cell, still manacled and stunned at the savage sentence. Even Governor Hird was shocked at the lengthy term, so much so that he immediately changed all the mattresses for fresh ones. Well we must congratulate the authorities for apprehending what is now obviously a dangerous criminal. Perhaps he will repent at his leisure while he spends the next 90 days, studying law inside Ghul Federal Prison. A copy of the killer’s confession can be obtained from Baron DeSantis (convict) but it does not make for pretty reading I can assure you.

Footnote: If, at some future point, evidence is found relating to the 5th case then he will be tried for that in addition to present term. Any information you may have regarding this mysterious alleged murder, should be addressed to Vince Beardmore (Investigator for Ghul Federal Prison)

Breezes Thoughts

Relay for Life Clothing Fair. I do hope each any everyone of us in SL goes and buys as much as you possibly can. The designers have gone full force to bring us everything Fabulous, what a great group of people we have here.
The goal set is 5 million Let's even break that goal.

We want to see a couple of guys in dresses. I will not mention any names but we are going to see a pretty terrific show I am sure if this goal is met.

All the 4 sims and it will take forever to see it all. So get going.

We will help RFL be the most contributed Charity in the World.

We love you all.

You cannot begin to imagine the long hours of organizing that has been done by all for this event.

Cheers and Love to you all.

Bree

Wanted !!!

Therapy in Second Life - Support for Healing

I recently stumbled across a mental health therapy group in Second Life - "Support for Healing," based on the sim of the same name: SupportforHealing.

Stated on their card: "Supportforhealing is a group of people that believe that recovery from depression, emotional trauma, and mental and physical illness can be greatly enhanced by loving kindness and friendship. We are not aligned to any religion (our volunteers come from all spiritual backgrounds) and believe in the equality of all people."

Making some inquiries, an interview was arranged with one of the leaders of the group, Industria Dowler.

Bixyl Shuftan: So when did you first get the idea of a support group for mental health in Second Life?

Industria Dowler: Well, the founder, John Palmer (Zafu Diamond in SL) started SFH as a website forum. He figured that people get treatment from professionals, they have families and friends, but sometimes they go home to an empty house and need additional support.

Industria Dowler: At some point he heard about SL and decided to start SFH here.

Bixyl Shuftan.: Did those on the website all come here, or did it start small and grow?

Industria Dowler: I think it started small and grew. Not everyone who uses the forums comes to SL and not everyone who comes to SL uses the forums. But they are both available for people who need them.

Bixyl Shuftan: How many people usually come to the support groups?

Industria Dowler: For the depression groups I run it ranges between 5-30. There are usually more in the beginning of the meeting and they tend to leave slowly and more come in.

Bixyl Shuftan: Are there other groups here?

Industria Dowler: Yeah, there are groups for anxiety, weight loss, relationships, women, and GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender) issues.

Bixyl Shuftan: The island itself is pretty detailed. How long did it take to build?

Industria Dowler: I'm not sure. It was mostly built by Luna Bliss along with Zafu and a few others. I know it's gone through changes since I've been here. I imagine there will be future changes at some point since there is some unused space on the island.

Bixyl Shuftan: Do you think the environment helps with the people in your group?

Industria Dowler: I think to some extent. It's easier to feel comfortable in a nice environment. And when people are comfortable they are able to share and can get the support they need.

Plus it's a good place to relax and many members say they feel creative when they are here.

Bixyl Shuftan: Creative? People can build things here?

Industria Dowler: They used to but we've had issues with griefers and people leaving things behind. At some point I plan to make an area on the island dedicated so people can build and whatnot. But people were leaving things all over and it took away from the general aesthetics.

Bixyl Shuftan: Does anything happen on your island besides the group sessions?

Industria Dowler: People often hang out here. Occasionally, we've had other events. Last year we had a celebration for summer solstice and we had a DJ and there were other events.

The Thinkers host their meetings here although they aren't affiliated with us. The founder is a Buddhist so he has a small parcel dedicated to talks about Buddhism. There is also a member who hosts a discussion group about Buddhism occasionally.

Bixyl Shuftan: How did the Celebration for the Summer Solstice turn out? Was that the most unusual thing that happened here?

Industria Dowler: Apparently, there was a great turn out and they said it was a lot of fun. I couldn't make it myself. :(

Unusual? Probably compared to the typical support groups. We try to do something fun and relaxing once in awhile. I'd like to set up a part of the island for people to play and hang out. No set plans for that yet, though.

Bixyl Shuftan: Back to the sessions, what would you say were among your more unusual cases?

Industria Dowler: Well, I don't like to go into detail about other people's personal things but we deal with the whole gamut. Mild symptoms, severe symptoms, medication issues and questions, questions about therapy, people feeling suicidal. But we always encourage people to see professionals because we can't take the place of that. We can only improve the healing process by being here for people to talk or listen.
We get people with serious RL issues, people who want to discuss SL issues, and of course griefers.

Bixyl Shuftan: I take it the griefers can be downright annoying.

Industria Dowler: They can, but we take care of them quickly.

The group's website is www.supportforhealing.com . To join the group in Second Life, just use the Search for it, and join. The current membership was listed at over 850. The group also accepts donations, "any donations, even a single linden are welcomed. You can make donations on the island via the 'wells', Zafu Diamond, Twickle Rosebud, Specky Zaftig, or Industria Dowler. Also look for our fundraising vendors on the island where you can purchase items and the proceeds go to SFH."

"Thank you so much!"

Bixyl Shuftan

Breezes Thoughts

Oh my starry skies were trying to talk to me, sighs does Bree. I was sitting in a canoe on a raging stormy day. You ask - 'why dear would you venture out on a day like this?' I will tell you if you will not interrupt me again - you chatterbox secondself. mmmmmmmph! I bet you all have moments like Bree, cause without some distraction how boring it would be.

Sorry, hah, got off the trolley track again. The sea and the skies, yes, well, I was out there in this sodden canoe because my love decided he need some delicacy from the sea .

Seeing as how I do everything he wishes, I found myself in a canoe without a paddle. Yes, well that is another story. The bottom of this reef I know is full of oysters. Yep, and in those oysters is a shiny black pearl.

heheh I am not entirely crazy. I get to reap a brand new necklace out of him. He needs oysters for some reason, I believe he told me why, but I being very poor of memory have forgotten.

MMM me thinks as I think of one delightful evening I remember the reason. Ooooooohhh yes. I think he enjoyed a huge serving.

Okay, have you ever tried standing, much less jumping out of a bobbin canoe? Tain't easy my friend! I dood it though. Plunged into the reef and had some octopus try to get friendly with me. 'Keep you tentacles to yourself you crazy mixed up lonely Octipi. Stick to your own species' I plea. 'I am after the bed of oysters.'

Octi raised his big old eyes at me and gurgled 'Why baby- if you are in want of oysters this much to refuse my tentacles embracing thee , then I shall help you My Lady Bree.'

I glugged in happiness to have made yet another friend.

You see my dear friend SecondLife can find you all sorts of new adventures - let yourself go forth and explore indulge and you will, maybe, win a beautiful black pearl necklace like me.

Breezes

Who Can You Turn To?

I have been an SL resident for nine months now. In that time I’ve become aware of some of the emotional conflicts that can arise for residents. These can be negotiating the demands of both RL and SL on our time or, more commonly, trying to navigate between the strong emotional ties formed in SL and our RL commitments and expectations.

Having juggled these demands myself, at times I have felt isolated. Who can one talk to about these conflicts? It seems unfair to burden SL friends overly with problems. But who in RL who doesn’t play this ‘game’, would understand just how real these emotional dilemmas are?

SL’s Jack Leisen , a counsellor in RL, has had his practice inworld for about a year now. The counselling rooms in his SL practice in Nefetiti are serene spaces: large windows give an uninterrupted sea view and the sounds of breaking waves form a peaceful backdrop to our conversation.

We talk easily about the variety of motivations that bring people into Second Life. The game’s lack of a specific end goal mirrors RL. Therefore, just as in RL, each resident has to decide on some level what he or she intends to get out of the experience. We both marvel over residents’ ability in SL to form those deep emotional ties so very quickly. Jack credits this to the ‘disinhibition effect’: RL social barriers are removed and we are in control of how much we show or hide of ourselves, so we feel less inhibited in showing and sharing our emotional responses.

Of course, the lack of RL information about our SL friends allows us to fill in the gaps about them in a way that we want…so often we see the person that we want to see. We also tend to see each other at their best and that can accelerate relationships hugely. So when SL relationships sour, perhaps when we realise that we have made mistakes in assuming too much about each other, we can experience very real feelings of loss and confusion. And it might not end there for us. “When the loss of an SL relationship occurs,” Jack explains, “it can be a dramatic and significant loss in an individual’s life which can often trigger other issues within ourselves, whether it is something that we are currently struggling with, or a difficulty that has been long buried.”

So clients may use counselling for addressing SL-specific issues. Or they may already be using Second Life itself as a stepping stone to addressing issues that are uncomfortable in an RL identity. “I think another opportunity in here is that people come in avatars that may represent parts of themselves that may not be available to them or the people around them in RL, " says Jack. "It’s possible that people in RL find parts of their identities too traumatic to bring to RL and maybe SL might offer a different kind of environment that opens up that possibility."

We can log on to Second Life to escape from RL for a while or we can log on to help us face it. And possibly we log on to find ourselves. Whatever the motivation for seeking counselling might be, it is comforting to know that problems here don’t have to be tackled alone.

Jack Leisen can be found in 'Search' or you may wish to visit his inworld offices here for further information on counselling in both worlds.

Blood-Soaked

After that disturbing and mysterious package that was left in the office depicting Baron's troubles, I was unable to shake the queasy feeling that overtook me. Unable to concentrate on my work I left the office and headed home. Baron's voice began to ring in my ears. I thought "alright calm down." and sat down for Meditation outside in the garden. Screams of panic crept once again into my mind as a shiver went over my body as if a ghost were touching me. And then the flash. Blood. Blood Blood! It seemed to be everywhere, on the ground, the walls and me. Every Occultist hopes for such vivid images, but when you get them sometimes they are too much. Before I had a chance to catch my breath and stop shaking, another voice seemed to rattle my mind in a soft whisper. So I decided to go visit Baron in jail. I really didn't get too far. Fear and panic over-ran me as I waited for them to bring him into the visitor's area. Something did not want us to see each other, and for once I can say it was more then lag that kept me from rezzing for him, even though I was standing behind him for a good 10 minutes. Nor would it let me take photos of him. Hmmm. I think we ticked off the ceiling gods now.

Photos by reporter Dashwood Dayafter

REPORTER'S REPUTATION IN SHREDS: As was 4th Victim?

Clarke Kent & Baron DeSantis..not two names normally found in the same sentence. Both are mild mannered reporters, both hide a secret. The Baron's however is something that should have stayed a secret.

I got into my office at the newspaper and found a brown envelope had been hand delivered, no return address or sender's name. Security had x-rayed it, so it was safe. I opened it up and as I did so some photographs fell out. Inside the envelope remained a sheet of paper. Jeez, what was this? The photographs showed an inmate hands behind his back, shackled, laying with his back to the camera. The second showed a sign beside a door, it read T-03. The third and final pic showed what appeared to be a torture device of some kind. Stunned and puzzled, I read the sheet. Oh my God, this can't be right I thought, this is a sick joke.

As I read on, my stomach churned and my head spun. The sender, possibly an ex-inmate, claimed the following;

"I found part of the Sink Freak's confession in the exercise yard but had to hand it to a guard. Man, your buddy DeSantis is in the real s**t now mate". Signed a friend.

He alleges that the photographs show the isolation cell in the Tower (a punishment Block) where Baron was held for three days and that the prisoner shown IS the Baron. The scene of events, allegedly, went like this.

BD had just entered the cell block, from having exercised and witnessed a crazed guard firing rounds off within the block. A judge was present and did not try to stop him. At this BD flew into a violent rage, verbally abusing both Guard and the, by then, two judges. Needless to say the Judges concerned (who have not been named for some reason) were forced to restrain BD and send him to isolation.

The note further alleges that after having been in solitary for three days, BD was taken out and allowed in the yard for some air. The guard (who again is unnamed) seems to be a favourite of BD. He was comfortable to talk to this Guard and let something slip. The guard immediately stated that having heard what he had just heard, it may be a good idea if the Baron got whatever was bothering off his chest.

The something that slipped out, allegedly was that Max and Liam, the Baron's Dobermans had attacked, killed & eaten a man. (He had bought the dogs after being released on a trumped up charge of 'lewdness' and had named the dogs after two Guards). The letter goes onto say that the alleged victim was the fourth in a series of brutal and cold blooded revenge killings.

The sender suggests that this is why Baron DeSantis is constantly showering and washing his hands. The classic Lady Macbeth syndrome, trying to wash away the blood he sees in his mind.

I tried to contact the prison but was informed that as the prisoner DeSantis was ready and awaiting trial, they could not possibly comment. They did however inform me that he had been moved back into general population, was taking part in boxing tournaments and is now studying LAW!!!

I have since found out that the authorities, in attempt to discover evidence, have demolished BD's house and gallery, along with yacht. No bodies or other evidence was found. Investigators did, however find two, sleepy, rather overweight dogs.

Well…the trail date has not been set as yet. I shall try and contact our friend and see if there is any truth to this shocking new revelation.

SL Burnout

It's been talked about before in both RL newspapers and even this one...people so addicted to SL they loose everything.
I came to SL back in September for a workshop. I was actually a week late but decided to stay anyways. What happened then was my second life overtook my real life. I ;like a lot of in-worlders let my avatar become my identity. I would spend sometimes 20 hours straight in-world a day. Things became so intense that I had no choice but to quit SL altogether for awhile. What did I do while I was gone? I got my real life balanced. With so many of us mixing our real life careers and romances with SL, burnout is bound to happen. So what were the signs I ignored for weeks before I realized I had to do something? 1) Spending more then 5 hours at a time just drifting around SL
2) Having more then a 1000 photos of SL in my computer
3) Letting the dishes pile up in real life
4) Being more upset about being dumped in-world then I did about one in real life
5)Having more then 2 jobs in SL
I got myself unhooked for awhile and now I am back refreshed.

Photos by reporter Dashwood Dayafter

DISCLAIMER : MY SYMPTOMS MAY DIFFER FROM YOURS.

Breezes Thoughts

I was wandering around one afternoon, with nothing in mind but solitude.

Suddenly out of the blue I heard music drifting across the land. Walking nearer to the sound , I came upon a dancing group of people dressed as gangsters and Molls.

Ah, I never been in this atmosphere before. 'Come Bree be brave go on in.'

I stood watching this crowd of folk having a fine time, shoulder holsters, gun molls all sorts of things, Pinstrip suits, I clapped my hands.

Oopps, fell over a man on the floor, nobody was even noticing me. I knelt down to see if I could help this poor guy 'praise be' he had a knife piercing his chest. well of course I must help, but wait a minute, no one spoke to me, people dancing merrily having a fine old time.

Bang a shot rang out whizzing not far from me, laughter arose and the music stopped.

Yep, SL had bumbled the stream and lights went dim , sounds were stifled, when out of the blue the wounded man gazed at me saying "Lovely Lady where have you been all of my life?" He arose, wow the blood stained shirt appeared to be pure white again, but I had stains on my clothes, I said to myself 'This cannot be seen' so I decided to fix myself.

I surely did that, yes naked I was in front of this dancing bunch of gangsters.

I got so nervous I clicked on teleport home, not remembering I had no home. Yes I was so new , no where to go. What should I do? Aha I see the sea 'No one will notice me down here' I think to myself.

Please don't think that my friends. You see unbeknownst to me, this stranger had followed me into the sea..

Oh I was so flustered but he pleaded "Please do not be afraid lovely lady"

I quickly turned and in laggy SL this was a sight to behold. I was kindly treated and taught how to clothe myself rapidly.

He asked me to dance, what under the sea? What kind of life have I discovered?

I will tell you my friends, the most delightful life in Fantasyland.

Lovely people I want you to know that being kind to others will reap you long lasting friendships.

Bree

Through the SL Looking Glass

Regular SL- Newspaper readers may know my deep interest in how and why residents choose their specific SL identities. Those identities are primarily visual and we can find that others react more or less positively, according to our avi’s choices of clothes, hair and build. Now, maybe I am wrong but a lot of us here play it safe. We hustle to the skin and body shops as soon as we have scraped together enough Lindens, and we buy ourselves an ideal human figure. We spend time searching for hair far removed from the dreaded bowl cuts and mullets that mark out the noob in our midst.

And I did it too. It’s only recently that I have started to think about the impact that adopting a different body shape or skin ‘condition’, for example, vertically challenged or aged, would have on my own perception of myself in SL. And to be a furry… Well my mind boggled.

Now, I don’t like it when my mind boggles. I want to want confront that confusion and, dare I say it, fear. So I leapt at the chance when the Avatar Identity Research Centre sent notification of a lecture given about furry identity. The lecture promised to discuss avatar identity when expressed through furry, quad (four legged animal shape) and tiny avatars. Of course the topic is huge and the assembled audience (a representative cross-section of neko, quad, furry and human avis; sorry if I missed the tinies present) were keen to air their own experiences of SL. Worryingly, quite a lot of time was given over to the discussion of anti-furry behaviour from griefers in human form, with furry avatars experiencing a range of prejudicial treatment from being barred from nightclubs to grief in IMs.

The lecture, led by Keris Koba, an RL sociologist, discussed why such anti-furism existed, touching on misconceptions about sexual proclivities and the separation between furry and human-form communities on SL. Now this separation may exist because humans, RL humans that is, tend to find and stay in groups of people with a shared interest. We find our blues clubs and a place to race our motorcycles. We dance to “our” music. There is safety in numbers and maybe we play for security in identity as well as escape from the shapes our Real Lives force us to assume. But does it mean, maybe, that separation encourages SL residents to be suspicious of anyone or anything that does not seem “familiar”?

We ran out of time in the lecture. Tinies remain uncharted territory for me. But I want to make sure that I have some experience of identities alternative to my chosen human form before I can comment. Will I be brave enough? We’ll see. In the meantime, if your curiosity is piqued, you can check out the AIRC in “groups”. I may see you at their next lecture.

By Ermine Cortes

Breezes Thoughts

Wake up wake up you sleepyheads. There is much to explore in this Fantasy World of ours.
Friends to greet, see how they are doing and give a word of cheer.
Throughout my day I pop all over this land of ours surveying the most I can find. I Love finding new ways to entertain myself. I dearly love to shop Oh yes, in a few short months I have accumulated a vast jumble of inventory. Driven my child (Dana) absolutely crazy with questions and thank goodness she can always find time to get me out of confuzzled messes.
JTJ is absolutely positive if it can be accomplished wrong then Mommy will find a way to do it.
No doubt he is right, is he not right all the time?
Most embarrassing moments Ha , I have had so many, I hope you all have had the excitement I have found. The fantastic friends I have met have changed my thoughts and dreams. I do believe dreams will come true. One thing I finally discovered lately, is that when meeting new friends, discovering their lives is most fulfulling, I hope I have made a difference in their lives as they have mine.

I am sorry to say, I have never had the patience to learn to build. I enjoy immensely the discovery of quiet lands, the beautiful scenery, the gift that builders have, the artists especially, the clothing designers, and the musicans, DJ's oh I have so many wonderful talented friends, they care not if I am talented, just being near with my chatter their smiles are my goal.
My closest friends hear my thoughts, comfort me in my time of need Laugh with me and dance with me. I love to dance, to chatter, be serious if need be but to make all of our days a wonderful fulfilling time.
I tend to ramble on don't I? Yes and I like to talk to myself - sometimes I even take my own advice, mmmmmmm yes I do. It can be quite exciting as one might imagine when you get to know me laughter is lurking near me.

You all might wade through this and wonder 'what in the world is Bree trying to tell us' well, I just want you to go out greet new folks explore this land. If you have a talent build on it. If you want to become something different Second Life can make it happen.

Friends and their wisdom are all over, just search the lands and fulfill your desires.

Bree XXX

Opening a Can of Wyrms

When I had heard about Baron DeSantis getting arrested, I was as outraged as anyone else. I thought of giving him a visit, but not exactly looking human, thought those Ghul jokers would lay charges on me for being an illegal alien. But as they were willing to let him go if enough was donated to the American Cancer Society, I went ahead with a contribution. I guess it was enough, they let him go.

After finishing up some business in my office, I thought about IMing Baron to say hello, see how he was doing. But someone called me first, my friend Sparklin Indigo. She invited me over, so I agreed and was teleported over ...

And I found myself not next to a tall beautiful blonde (a smart one), but a huge golden dragon. The next thing I noticed was that it seemed to be dancing to the music around us. There was snow on the ground, and nearby three Easter Island style statue heads dressed up whimsically with hats and scarves.

The dragon smiled, and spoke in Sparklin's voice, "Hi there, it seems wherever I go, people want to have a party." Around us, I could see other dragons, some large, some small, also dancing away. Other than one winged pixie, I was the only non-dragon here. Or rather, non-wyrm. A nearby sign read "Isle of Wyrms."

Sparklin had gotten herself a charm that allowed herself to take on the form of a dragon. And as everyone around us just wanted to have fun, I went ahead and joined in the dancing. It must've been quite an odd sight, a pixie, a foxfolk, and all those dragons dancing away.

Sparks and I talked about a few things, including Baron getting arrested and being let go after enough cash was donated to charity. I went ahead and IMed him again to see what was going on. I didn't get an answer right away, but he eventually did. I greeted him, and asked how he was now. Baron answered he was okay, all things considered, but was worried about the Ghul-ish police. It seems he had made a friend among the prisoners he couldn't turn his back on, and smuggled in something to help the inmate. He was now worried he might have been found out.

Concerned, I suggested to Baron he go somewhere the Ghuls couldn't reach him and contact legal help. He didn't think it was that simple, feeling that he'd have to keep looking over his shoulder. Then I heard him scream, "Noooooooooo!" Fearful he was going to go through that nightmare all over again, I tried to offer him a teleport, hoping the magic of this land would allow it to work against whatever those Ghuls had. Then I saw him appear in his tuxedo in front of us. He was safe.

So I thought. "Where am I?" he asked, looking around worriedly. "This is the Isle of Wyrms" I explained, telling him everyone around was friendly. It was then I realized he might still be in a little shock from his experience. And suddenly being dragged off to being in the middle of a bunch of big dragons, with sharp teeth and claws, might not be exactly comforting to his mind. I wondered if he might run away screaming. But instead, after making a few barely comprehensible statements about the cops closing in, he fainted.

Sparklin soon had to go, another friend of hers needed a hand, and then I noticed the pixie pushing Baron off to the direction of the river. I got between her and the ice-cold stream, "Where are you taking him?" She just winked at me, "I was only going to show him the fishies." Maybe the magic in this land would allow him to breathe, but even if so, I doubt waking up underwater would be the best thing for Baron's psychological well-being. So I wouldn't let her through, and she pouted and walked off. I pushed my fellow newsie a short distance to safety.

Seeing a nearby store, and thinking Baron was safe, I went over to check on something. Maybe it had a charm that would allow me to take on the form of a local for a decent price. I didn't find anything I needed for the moment, so I went back, and Baron was gone. He wasn't in the river, so apparently he had woken up and ran off.

Did I really help my friend? Maybe instead of the Ghuls, he was yelling from a figment in his imagination. Maybe what he really needs is a good therapist, minister, or bartender. And of course there's me. If he really is running from the Ghuls, they could try going after me for "aiding and abetting," as well as the kind of bovine by-product charge they slapped on Baron to throw him in to begin with.

I may have opened up a "can of wyrms" here.

Bixyl Shuftan