Video of "Children Soldiers" an HRF Festival Exhibit

I'd attended several of the many HRF events this past sunday. My last stop was at the one Siri Vita hosted. She had Al Hoffman in concert and her own exhibit focusing on "Children Soldiers". While there I was introduced to film maker Robertt Avro, who made a film of the exhibit. Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwyfcbM3oF0

Living Nativity at Candy Cane Lane

Jill Mackenzie, is celebrating the fifth anniversary of her Candy Cane Lane in SL with a special production. Jill has written for SL a "Living Nativity" play. I caught yesterday's performance and enjoyed the energy and commitment the cast had put into the twenty minute production. The actors appear on stage in a nicely built manger and in costumes created just for the production. While the acting is limited to poses and the use of text chat to convey their lines, the twenty or so avatars present enjoyed themselves and stayed around after to chat with Jill and the cast. There is one more performance scheduled for Saturday Dec 20 @ 5:00 PM PST (SLT).

SLSC SOS Campaign Event

The picture and an update arrived from Ina Centaur via group notice:

"SOS Campaign Co-chair Fauve Aeon is holding a seasonal soiree... beginning with medieval-Renaissance music and dance, a brief monologue of the most strange transformation of Lucianus to Claudius, and a live auction of several limited and one of kind items."

Lucianus Messing @ Caledon Highlands.

Lizbet's Picks: Skating Through Second Life

I got my first set of roller skates in Real Life when I was 5 years old and I was the last kid on the block in the ‘80s to give up my “quad” skates for roller blades. I still love to roller skate on the boardwalks in Southern California. But in Second Life, I’m a confirmed ice skater. It’s soooo much more elegant. And when you ice skate in a virtual world, weak ankles and those nasty freezing temperatures are never an issue.

Most ice skating parks have free or very inexpensive skates available. And most skates have a skating animation already built in. Unfortunately, while the available skates at a random park may be acceptable for the fellas, they’re not always the kind that a fashionable girl avie would be caught dead in. I prefer to wear my original white leather Paris 1900 skates with white fur boots :). If you don’t already have a favorite pair of skates, stop by Pick #1: Skate and Date Ice Skating and get a decent looking free pair there.

1. Skate and Date Ice Skating

SLURL: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Dalarna/212/120/337

Skates: Nice looking free skates available in a couple of different colors.

Music: Pop

I like this rink because it is a small, classic, traditional-style city rink. If you like to socialize, come to the Group Skate every Sunday from 7-8:30pm. The owners and regulars are very nice and fun people who will make you feel quite welcome. The rink offers a simple couple skate animation and a bunch of cuddle poses scattered upon the benches around the rink.

2. Blue Roan Skating

SLURL: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Lentil/149/169/31

Skates: Free skates available

Music: Rock/Pop

There are free skates available from the little stand to the West of the landing point but I don’t know many girls who would be willing to ruin a pretty outfit by wearing them. This is a small ice pond with an intimate feel, completely encased in white fir trees. There are both single and couple trick skating animations right at the entrance. Most skating animations (like these) take you on a predetermined course around the park . If you hop on one of the “trick” animations, you will also display your impressive flexibility and dazzling array of Olympic-level skating feats.

3. Kounak Ice Skating

SLURL: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Kounak/244/55/25

Skates: There are no free skates here. Stop by Pick #1 above first to grab a nice pair of freebies if you need them.

Music: Romantic pop

This is a particularly beautiful skating pond and my very favorite in SL. The twisting turquoise ice (wait for it, lol) is in gorgeous, undulating textures fading off into one of those fabulous SL moon-reflecting oceans and surrounded by glacial peaks. You’ll always be encased in a delicate sparkly snowfall. There are no skate animations here so you’ll need to be wearing skates to actually, you know, skate. But if you aren't wearing skates, there are still lots of dance pose balls. And dancing on this pretty ice pond is almost as much fun as skating on it.

4. Earthly Ice Skating Pond

SLURL: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Earthly/79/227/22

Skates: There are no free skates here. Stop by Pick #1 above first to grab a nice pair of freebies if you need them.

Music: Reggae pop

Count on my landlady Lasla Mannock to create a truly lovely ice rink on a whim. A small rink smothered in snowflake flurries and surrounded by ocean and stars. You may also enjoy the pretty poolside bar and Jacuzzi while there.

5. La Musique

SLURL: http://slurl.com/secondlife/La%20Musique/51/39/22

Skates: There are no free skates here. Stop by Pick #1 above first to grab a nice pair of freebies if you need them.

Music: Pop

If you’re following a landmark, you’ll land at La Romantique ballroom first. Use the TelePort sign to get to the ice rink. There, you’ll also find a cuddle rug by a roaring fire and an igloo hideaway. Musique Gable is a wonderful designer and there are so many charming spots throughout her SIM. Please explore and take the little train, too, if you can find the depot.

6. Mandalay Bay

SLURL: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Mandalay%20Bay/240/201/24

Skates: Free skates available

Music: Romantic Easy Listening

Click BUY on the big poster of the couple skaters to get your free skates. Then drag your box onto the ground and click to OPEN your box and copy the skates into your inventory. You’ll be given a nice set of white skates for women or blue for men.

This is the largest of the ponds on this list and much of what is beautiful and interesting in the park isn’t visible from the entrance. Hop on one of the singles or couple skate animations and you’ll be taken on a fascinating tour of this surprisingly detailed and expansive pond. You’ll go through ice caverns and mountain tunnels and icicle forests and city parks. I guarantee you’ll be as amazed as I was at how athletic and graceful you are!

See you on the ice!

~Lizbet

P. S. Most of my lists are also available as Notecards with regular Landmarks in-world. Just IM me! [I wish I could pretend I was one of those really popular people that you have to send notecards to! Someday maybe I'll have capped IMs, too...] ~LzL

Universal Rights Celebrated in Virtual Universe

The 60th Anniversary of the Declaration of Universal Rights is being celebrated by a huge festival in Second Life. More than 60 concerts mark the 60 years and the talents of 100 artists and musicians are part of the celebration. More than 30 SIMs reflect the 30 articles of the UN Convention.

SL Human Rights Festival

Benefit for Aleja Asturias

The note arrived from Gentle Heron telling me of Aleja's plight and that there was a benefit going on for her. Gentle asked if I could stop by.

The notecard read:

"Come to a benefit for Aleja Asturias, who is having some real life difficulties due to the death of her roommate and ex boyfriend/domestic partner. Muse Carmona who had already planned to hold a rezday party for herself on Sunday, Dec 7^th, but when she heard about what happened to Aleja, she decided to donate all proceeds of her second rezday birthday party to help Aleja in RL!"

Gentle Heron: Aleja needs everything. She doesn't even have her adaptive eating equipment. How cruel is that? They took her utensils.

Nazz Lane: Jesus

Gentle Heron: I know. She has her wheelchair and bed. She has her computer but they took the modem, they isolated her.

When I left the party / fundraiser, they'd already raised $280.00 USD.

For more information on Aleja's situation please see: http://superaleja.metaphorica.net/.

To donate via paypal see: http://superaleja.metaphorica.net/

You Can Vote to Help Families of the Missing and Unidentified

This just in from Kelly Jolkowski, president and founder of Project Jason:

Direct link at ProjectJason.org is http://www.projectjason.org/forums/i...26880#msg26880

To vote for Project Jason at Change.org, the URL is
http://www.change.org/ideas/view/establish_national_protocol_in_missing_and_unidentified_person_cases

Hello,

Most of you have heard of our Campaign for the Missing, a state by state effort to pass legislation which would positively impact how missing and unidentified deceased person cases are handled. (http://www.projectjason.org/legislation.html)

We’ve been successful mentoring volunteers with the passage of legislation in 6 states, with several more active. These efforts will continue on.

I recently learned of an effort called Ideas for Change in America. This is a is a citizen-driven project that aims to identify and create momentum around the best ideas for how the 111th Congress can turn the broad call for “change” across the country into specific policies. The project is nonpartisan, and is not connected to the Obama Administration.

In this effort, the top 10 rated ideas will be presented to the Obama Administration on Inauguration Day, January 20, 2009 as the “Top 10 Ideas for America.” The sponsor organization, Change.org, will then launch a national campaign behind each idea and mobilize the collective energy of a selected and related nonprofit, the millions of members of Change.org, MySpace, and partner organizations to ensure that each winning idea gets the full consideration of the Obama Administration and Members of Congress.

The “Top 10 Ideas for America” will be determined through two rounds of voting. In the first round, ideas will compete against other ideas in the same issue category. The first round will end on December 31, 2008, and the top 3 rated ideas from each category will make it into the second round. The second round of voting will begin on Monday, January 5, and each qualifying idea will compete against the qualifying ideas from all other categories. Second round voting will end on Thursday, January 15.

I have submitted “Establish National Protocol in Missing and Unidentified Person Cases” for consideration. It is now on the website and votes can be placed. It is listed in the Criminal Justice category.

http://www.change.org/ideas/view/est...d_person_cases

As you can see by the posted information and link to the protocol, this is the 2008 revision of the Campaign for the Missing legislation. While we have never pursued federal passage, this seemed like a good opportunity to make an attempt, or at least bring attention to our plight if nothing more. Education is important, with so many not having awareness of the situation as it exists, and what those of us who live with this experience daily. If we do not try, nothing will be accomplished, that is a certainty.

What I ask of you is your vote. It’s as easy as clicking on the link above, and then on the Vote button. There is also a widget you can copy and place on your website, blog, Facebook, or MySpace page. It will, however, take more than your vote. It will take you forwarding the link to your friends and family, and asking them to vote. It will take many of you adding the widget to your page.

My son, and thousands upon thousands of other sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, etc, might be an unidentified body lying in a morgue waiting to be buried or cremated without DNA analysis done. When that happens, and it may already have, my family may never have the answers we desire. We need to put a halt to this tragedy on top of tragedy and take whatever steps are necessary to ensure everything that can be done in these cases is done. (There is much more to it than DNA, but that is one of many key elements.)

Please vote, and forward this email to everyone in your address book.

Collectively, we are the voice for the missing, speaking for those who are not among us but who are forever in our hearts.


Kelly Jolkowski, Mother of Missing Jason Jolkowski
President and Founder,
Project Jason
www.projectjason.org

Help us find the missing: Become an AAN Member
http://www.projectjason.org/awareness.htmlAll missing persons are loved by someone, and their families deserve to find the answers they seek in regards to the disappearance.