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[Agnostic Ed Babinski's words will be in blue]
In an earlier paper I made note of my post and portion of a book of mine (about 100 passages): "The Bible's Teaching on Abortion."
[ME, in the last dialogue] Psalm 51:5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.
[What was conceived was David ("me"). As soon as he began to exist, he had iniquity (original sin)]
The "I" and "me" of a blastula that is capable of splitting into twins or reabsorbed back into a remaining twin, is not the "I" and "me" of the adult that comes much later.
The zygote, blastula, etc., knows nothing. Do you remember "yourself" before you were even conceived? Do you have memories of being a zygote, then a blastula? Neither did the ancient Hebrews know anything of that sort of thing.
Neither were they interested in when brain activity began or when such activity became organized in various stages. But we know more about such matters today, and debate the abortion question.
That is all perfectly, utterly irrelevant. The question is identity and essential nature and non-arbitrary starting-points of what develops into you and I, not personal consciousness. I was challenged to show where the Bible teaches human life or personhood beginning at conception and I did so, with that passage and these others:
Jeremiah 1:5 (RSV) Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.
[What was "formed" was indeed Jeremiah. That takes it right back to the very beginning. The Jews may not have known their biology, but God knew about it. But the Jews could say, "God formed me" without knowing all the details. Now, if God knew Jeremiah even before he was conceived, he could hardly have not been Jeremiah when he was conceived, as if he existed more so before he was conceived than after. Therefore, he was a person from the instant of his conception]
Numbers 5:28 But if the woman has not defiled herself and is clean, then she shall be free and shall conceive children.
Isaiah 49:5 And now the LORD says, who formed me from the womb to be his servant, . . .
Luke 1:36 And behold, your kinswoman Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.
Neither do we impute "sin" to every human starting at conception. Nor do we impute that some "fall" in the past has something to do with pain and death to all animals.
Yeah, atheists and agnostics don't, but so what? They don't determine Christian theology. They usually don't even understand it in the first place. Babinski is certainly no exception to that rule.
Second, the Psalmist is abasing himself by claiming he was a sinner starting as early as conception [NIV trans] "Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me."
Self abasement is something you did before approaching a king back then, you even used hyperbole as to how bad or wrong you were, and how right the king was, to further contrast whatever action it is that you are seeking forgiveness for, so that the king sees you're repentant and grants you your wish. The more abasement the better.
The psalmist seeks mercy/forgiveness for things done in THIS life, but casts his sins back in time hyperbolically, thus lowering himself even further before asking for mercy, by declaring his "sinfulness" even while in the womb, NIV:
3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge.
5 Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
6 Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place.
7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.
Nice theory, but Scripture has to be interpreted in its overall context and theological background. The fall goes back to Genesis, of course. It was well known to David. It is explained in more detail in the New Testament (Romans 5:12-21; 1 Corinthians 15:21-22; cf. Gen 3:15; Jn 12:31; 14:30; 2 Cor 4:4; Heb 2:14; 2 Pet 2:19).
The concept of the fall of man or original sin was a part of historic Judaism as well as Christianity (see, Jewish Encyclopedia, "Sin"; section: "Original Sin"). The universality of sinfulness, hinting at original sin and profound fallenness, was present early on in the biblical literature and the Jewish mind. For example:
Genesis 6:5 The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
Genesis 8:21 . . . the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth . . .
1 Kings 8:46 . . . there is no man who does not sin . . .
Psalm 14:1-3 [another of David's own psalms] The fool says in his heart, "There is no God."
They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds,
there is none that does good.
[2] The LORD looks down from heaven upon the children of men,
to see if there are any that act wisely,
that seek after God.
[3] They have all gone astray, they are all alike corrupt;
there is none that does good,
no, not one.
Ecclesiastes 9:3 . . . the hearts of men are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live . . .
Isaiah 64:6 We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.
Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately corrupt; who can understand it?
Nice try, then, but no cigar. It's simply more agnostic / atheist atrocious eisegesis of Scripture.
Dave, Other scriptures that you cite show only that they believed in God's foreknowledge of specific prophets He was sending. That's what they believed.
God said to Jeremiah: "I formed you in the womb" (Jer 1:5). That is part of creation, not merely abstract foreknowledge. To miss the import of that is to look all around the sky at high noon on a sunny day and miss the sun.
They also believed that God could send lightning bolts, his voice was thunder, he moved clouds, sent famines, plagues, armies, and that if a nation did not worship Him properly — by not setting up temples, sacrificing animals, etc., that led to bad things happening, which is exactly what the nations around Israel also believed concerning their own gods, and the necessity of temples and sacrifices.
That's neither here nor there. Whether you believe their doctrines or not, the fact remains that the Bible presents preborn children as human beings; persons, and says that God formed them from the beginning of their existence. You may disbelieve any number of things that the Bible teaches, but to deny that the ancient Jews and the Bible believed and taught this is at best a head-in-the-sand moment; at worst deliberate denial of what is plain as day. Thus we see a passage like:
Isaiah 44:2, 24 Thus says the LORD who made you, who formed you from the womb . . . Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, who formed you from the womb . . .
Whenever God kills masses of people by directing famines, diseases, floods, hail, earthquakes, invading armies, whatever, some of those He is directing his wrath at are pregnant women. Of course that's mass murder, not "abortion" we're talking about. But there is no concern shown for adults OR fetuses in such cases, no exceptions. God is an equal opportunity slaughterer and shows no "favor to the unborn."
Now we're back to the "wicked God" routine. This is garden-variety stuff that neglects to see that God as Creator has a prerogative over the life and death of His creatures, and also the prerogative to judge corrupt cultures. Man is not God. We don't have that right, but God does. See these excellent articles by Protestant apologist Glenn Miller:
"Shouldn't the butchering of the Amalekite children be considered war crimes?"
"Why couldn't Israel take in the Amalekites like they did foreign survivors in Deut 20?"
"God is Wrathful, Vengeful, Jealous, and Angry every day–and you want me to have a relationship with Him?!"
"How could a God of Love order the massacre/annihilation of the Canaanites?"
"What about God's cruelty against the Midianites?"
"Was God being evil when He killed all the firstborn in Egypt?"
Same with other laws in the OT regarding sexual activities of women that might very well have involved her conceiving a child. The child's life is never of any concern, the women are executed without waiting to see if they had been carrying a child or not.
It's of more concern to execute adult women in such cases than show concern for the unborn.
Since they didn't have the technology to keep premature children alive, nothing could be done about that. If there was execution of a pregnant woman under Mosaic Law the child was a victim of judgment in the way that there are always innocent victims in judgment (in some sense of the word, or relatively so). This doesn't overcome the fact that the preborn child was considered a human being. It also doesn't condemn such a child to hell. If there is an afterlife, the perspective on everything changes.
This is why an atheist condoning abortion is a particularly heinous, wicked thing, because the atheist believes that this life is all there is, and yet he or she is still willing to deprive the smallest and most defenseless among us of the only life he or she would ever have. The solace of the Christian is that man can only destroy a body but not an eternal soul.
Babinski then continues on with his hard cases. But questioning hard cases does not resolve the fundamental question: whether the thing itself (abortion) is right or wrong. Whenever there is any moral absolute whatever, there will always be hard cases that can brought up. But it is a dodge of the basic question:
1) Does the Bible teach that the preborn are human and persons? (yes).
2) Does the Bible teach that murder of persons is evil and impermissible? (yes).
[ergo, abortion is forbidden in the Bible]
That was the original discussion, and nothing Babinski has brought up overcomes these facts in the slightest degree.
We ought to return to my first post, the discussion of "abasement hyperbole" in Psalm 51.
That Psalm only mentions that the psalmist himself was a sinner in the womb, not that everyone is.
In fact other places in the Bible it speaks only about SOME but not all people being born wicked. I guess such statements were made before the Christian doctrine of "original sin" declared that everyone is "wicked" from the womb:
The New Testament does make this more clear, as it does many doctrines, but there were many indications in the Old Testament that came very close to doing so. We wouldn't expect the full development of the doctrine the further back we go.
Speaking a third time about "abasement hyperbole in Ps. 51," there are also reverse hyperbolic statements found in the Bible, not about "sinning in the womb," but about how it's "better never to have been born at all, or have been miscarried." Even the book of Jeremiah employs such hyperbole. There are verses you're not likely to ever see quoted on signs as a pro-life rally:
Cursed be the day wherein I was born: let not the day wherein my mother bare me be blessed. Cursed be the man who brought tidings to my father, saying, A man child is born unto thee; making him very glad. And let that man be as the cities which the LORD overthrew, and repented not: and let him hear the cry in the morning, and the shouting at noontide; Because he slew me not from the womb; or that my mother might have been my grave, and her womb to be always great with me. Wherefore came I forth out of the womb to see labour and sorrow, that my days should be consumed with shame? – Jeremiah 20:14-18
[This is the only Biblical passage that directly and indisputably mentions a practice that we would today think of as "abortion," but notice, Jeremiah is cursing a man for NOT aborting the fetal Jeremiah.]
This is typically Jewish wailing in the midst of great suffering (compare Job). This proves nothing with regard to abortion. To the contrary, there are at least passages that directly refer to the murder of a child in the womb:
2 Kings 8:12 And Haz'ael said, "Why does my lord weep?" He answered, "Because I know the evil that you will do to the people of Israel; you will set on fire their fortresses, and you will slay their young men with the sword, and dash in pieces their little ones, and rip up their women with child."
2 Kings 15:16 At that time Men'ahem sacked Tappuah and all who were in it and its territory from Tirzah on; because they did not open it to him, therefore he sacked it, and he ripped up all the women in it who were with child.
Amos 1:13 Thus says the LORD: "For three transgressions of the Ammonites, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment; because they have ripped up women with child in Gilead, that they might enlarge their border.
Abortion as such is not discussed in the Bible, so any explanation of why it is not legislated or commented on is speculative.
Nuclear war and any murder by gunfire or by gas in a Nazi concentration camp are not discussed, either, so let's also go commit those acts wantonly and without ethical justification and call it a "choice" and carp on about how the Bible is supposedly silent about it.
There is no biblical proof-text against abortion.
It's simple deduction: Person (small, preborn one) + forbidden murder = forbidden abortion, which is murder.
Psalm 139:13-18 is less relevant to the issue than most people think; a careful reading of that psalm reveals that the "mother" in whose "womb" the psalmist was known by God is Mother Earth (notice the parallelism between "my mother's womb" and "the depths of the earth" in the inclusio of vv. 13-15).
This was answered already in a combox comment.
(And as for praying in public outside abortion clinics, I don't suppose Jesus would have been into that much either, based on his statement that it was better to pray inside one's closet.)
This is very dubious exegesis. Here is the relevant passage:
Matthew 6:1-6 "Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them; for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. [2] "Thus, when you give alms, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. [3] But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, [4] so that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. [5] "And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. [6] But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
This is not an absolute prohibition of public prayer, but a typically Jewish hyperbolic condemnation (with strong contrast to make the point) of prideful prayer for thew purpose of drawing attention to oneself. All Jews prayed publicly in synagogues and (at that time) at the temple.
Jesus Himself prayed in public when He was baptized:
Luke 3:21 Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened,
Anna the prophetess was commended because she "did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day" (Lk 2:37). Peter and John went to the public time of prayer in the temple (Acts 3:1). Paul prayed in the temple (Acts 22:17). Jesus illustrated his principle again with a parable: this time involving two men who were both praying in public, but who had greatly contrasting interior dispositions:
Luke 18:9-14 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others: [10] "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. [11] The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, `God, I thank thee that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. [12] I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all that I get.' [13] But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, `God, be merciful to me a sinner!' [14] I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for every one who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted."
Again, it isn't public prayer, but arrogant, prideful, selfish prayer that is condemned. How much profound ignorance can be bound up in one foolish atheist / agnostic statement! It takes time and work to do it but the rewards are immediate, and the lie is exposed as the colossal whopper that it is so often revealed to be.
At any rate "abortion" is never as high a priority as the issue of salvation and right doctrine. The same goes for the O.T. which features commands like, "He who does not obey the priest shall die [be put to death],"
Now, of course, secular society is very advanced and enlightened. Now we murder the preborn child up to nine months for any reason whatever. No one can even question. The child can be the "wrong" sex, have some birth defect that renders him or her unworthy to be born, might be unfortunate enough to be conceived by a woman too young and not ready to have a child, or to a poor person or to someone who wants a career instead, or to a woman as a result of an immoral sexual liaison that she wants to conceal by means of murder. How far we have come from those primitive Christian tribes and from that pagan Greek moral simpleton Hippocrates, who forbade doctors participating in abortions!
(originally 12-15-10)
Photo credit: Image posted on 8-5-13 [Flickr / CC BY 2.0 license]


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Roasted Bone Marrow with Parsley, Caper & Fennel Salad
If you like fat, you'll like roasted bone marrow. If you're the kind of person who's more of a Jack Sprat than his missus, you might want to give this one a miss(us)
I however, am a bit of a fat lover. I love me some wobbly bits. The crunchy top of the roasted lamb rack, confit anything, buttery toast, anything glisteny and oily gets me going. So that's why bone marrow is one of my favorite foods. It's like the velvetiest most consistent fat you've ever come across. It's just meaty & rich enough to feel like something apart from just plain old beef tallow.
Incidentally, I share my love of veal marrow with Anthony Bourdain, who would choose this dish as his last meal on earth. I think I would too.
I serve it with a salsa that is salty, acidic and clean tasting. A lot of people like raw onion with this but I feel like it's there to mask the flavor of the marrow rather than complement it.
So this is rather easy. As in, so easy I shouldn't be giving you a recipe.
Serves 3-4 (or one me!)
- 8 veal marrow bones, cut longwise.
- 1 baguette, sliced on the bias
- 2 tablespoons capers
- 1/2 fennel
- 1/2 bunch continental parsley
- White wine vinegar
Place the bones, marrow side up, on a baking sheet. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the bones in, they're only going to need to roast for 10 minutes so get to assembling the rest of the stuff.
While the bones roast, chop the fennel, capers and parsley until they are quite fine. Combine with a splash of white wine vinegar and some of the caper juice. Taste, it should be quite tart.
Slice the baguette on the bias. Take the bones out when the marrow starts going jiggly. Put the toast in under the grill until lightly toasted. Serve everything together with a teaspoon and a little dish of coarse, flaky sea salt. Scoop the marrow out and eat on the toast, with lots of napkins on hand.


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(Pocket-lint) - The Pentax Optio WG-2 is a waterproof compact camera that stands out from the crowd. It comes in two variants: here we're reviewing the model without the GPS.
The waterproof compact camera market is now well populated, providing plenty of choice for those who want a camera that will take the odd knock, go swimming with you, or just get plain messy.
But does Pentax's take on a waterproof compact offer anything different, or does the quirky design get in the way of practical application?
As soon as you look at the Pentax Optio WG-2 it stands out from the crowd. It's a distinct shape and style. Where most rugged compacts look like, well, slightly bloated compact cameras, the WG-2 looks more like something you'd find clipped to Batman's belt.
There's a range of interesting colours available, we had the all black model to review. It's angular lines offer up a rubberised finish and although slightly whacky, there is plenty of grip on offer.
But in running with a quirky design, there come some slight oddities. The 16:9 display on the rear is slightly unconventional and you get the feeling that this is part of what dictates the 61.5 x 122.5 x 29.5mm frame. Testing on a sunny day, we found that we couldn't make out much detail on the rear of the camera. Composing shots is generally fine, but once you've got sunscreen smeared on the rear and the sun reflecting off it, you really can't preview your photos very well.
However, the design also means that the lens sits in the centre of the front of the camera, rather than in a corner. This has some advantages, namely that it's easier to keep clear when gripping the camera with gloves, although that logic doesn't quite follow through to the controls, which are really too small, particularly for use with cold weather gloves.
The central location of the lens also means that lining up self-portraits seemed to take a little more effort - the point and hope principle returned less well-framed shots than we get from a regular compact, but this is probably something you can adjust to.
There is another oddity with the design and that's the location of the screw thread for a tripod or mount. This is located on the far right of the underside, meaning that the full weight of the camera is then working against you. It weighs 194g loaded with card and battery.
For conventional tripod mounting this makes no difference, but when we came to mount put the camera on a handlebar mount, it meant more bouncing added to the equation. It's not a point that will effect everyone, but worth considering.
The body is well sealed, with catches to secure the battery/SD card slot on the bottom and to keep the HDMI port closed on the end of the camera. It lacks the double locking mechanism of something like the Panasonic Lumix FT4, but we gave the Pentax Optio WG-2 plenty of rough treatment and didn't have a problem with the arrangement.
And yes, this camera sinks, so if you're in deep water, clip it on or buy a float.
Controls and features
The top of the WG-2 offers the power and shutter button. Both are rubberised like the surrounding area and feel a little spongy, so need a firmer press than you might first expect to take the shot. Unlike many rivals, there isn't an instant video capture button.
However, the WG-2 does have a green customisable button that you can set to video mode, although this is video toggle, rather than instant capture. Still, that gives you video with two button presses, rather than having to use the mode selector.
As mentioned, the controls in general are a little small. The zoom lever and playback button feel a little crammed in because of the slightly unconventional shape of the body. Compare this to the larger controls of something like the Fujifilm Finepix XP150 and the Pentax seems to be at a slight disadvantage.
Control of the shooting functions is split between major controls on that four-way button on the back, allowing flash, self timer and macro toggles, with face detection options cycling through on it's own button.
The shooting modes covers everything from auto shooting through program to bespoke scene modes for underwater use, including video. Additional settings can then be accessed through the menu button, for example if you want to tweak conventional photo features like ISO, white balance or saturation.
It sounds slightly more confusing than it actually is, because in reality, the modes work pretty well and switching modes (particularly for underwater use) is fast enough not to present a problem. The settings menu offers you enough freedom to make a range of changes too, like limiting the auto ISO range, for example, but doesn't extend to proper manual control.
There is a 16-megapixel sensor at the heart of the camera, with the 5x lens offering 28-140mm (in 35mm terms). As with other waterproof models, the lens is housed internally. The zoom is fast enough, although as we mentioned, the small controls meant we had a tendency not to use it and it isn't available during video.
We found that focusing was usually accurate, with various focusing mode controls available if you can't get it to snap on to exactly what you want. In general we didn't have a problem with it, although it's not fantastic with moving subjects, a little too slow to focus and shoot, so isn't so great for real action shots. It means the camera feels a little slow, that spongy shutter button exacerbated by the delay in capture.
One area we were impressed with focusing was in the underwater modes, which returned some very impressive results. We took the Pentax Optio WG-2 to Hampton Open Air pool (thanks guys!) to see how it performed in the water and the results speak for themselves.
It's worth noting that the underwater modes change the colour balance of shots, so things will appear over-saturated at the red end out of the water - something to bear in mind when you climb out.
And out of the water the Pentax Optio WG-2 performs well too, offering up some great, typical, holiday snaps. It performs well in bright conditions, although like most compacts, you'll find fringing on high contrast scenes: a roof edge against the sky for example.
As the light drops and the ISO rises, you'll find that shots get softer and noisier, which could be a problem for anyone wanting to print larger images, but isn't uncommon for this type of camera. The same applies to video, with the Full HD mode offering great results in good light and becoming less impressive when things get gloomy.
You also get only digital stabilisation, which doesn't help in lower light conditions and the lack of any real controls (like aperture) for example, means you're at the mercy of whatever the camera wants to do, up to a point.
The battery gives you about 260 shots, which isn't a huge number, so you'll need to keep a charger handy or find a spare on long days out.
If you're looking for top-notch photos, with the option of getting wet too, then you'll find that buying a cover for a better compact camera will garner you the best results.
However, there is still a lot going for the Pentax Optio WG-2. With the exception of the somewhat slow capture, some of the results we've achieved have been impressive and the underwater results are really good, perfect for those looking for holiday snaps without the hassle.
The design may instantly turn people off, however. To some extent it is practical, like the central lens, but in others awkward, like the small controls. Like so many things, considering how you are likely to use the WG-2 will aid you in your decision. For us, we found that we prefer a more regular design, like that from Fuji or Panasonic.
Overall, if you're in the market for a waterproof, dustproof, shockproof, crushproof camera, it's certainly worth considering, but you might want something slightly less quirky and with slightly faster capture.
Thanks to Hampton Pool for letting us shoot in its open air pool, if you're in the area, it's well worth a visit.


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|Raya Yai or Racha Yai Island is the major island in Andaman Sea;
one of the most beautiful tropical islands in the world with fantastic beaches and unspoiled coral reefs.
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|Beach Bar
Sabay Beach Bar is situated on the beach at Kon Kare Bay where a selection of refreshments and snack is available for those who wish to spend their time relaxing on the beach.
Sa-Bieng Restaurant is our main restaurant beautifully situated it offers a picturesque view over KonKare Bay. Here we serve a wide and varied selection of Thai, Chinese and European cuisines. You can enjoy fresh seafood cooked to your personal preference. We specialize in healthy eating using the freshest of local produce from both land and sea. Vegetarian dishes are a specialty and dietary requirements can be catered for. A feature of Ban Raya is our specially selected menus at both lunch and dinner but an A La Carte menu is always available and meals can be serve at any time from 08.00 till 22.00. The restaurant has an extensive drink and wine list available.
Billiard anytime you feel free, try Billiard with your family or your friends.
Club House
Saranta Club House is located on hill top facing the beautifully designed infinity pool overlooking the Andaman Sea, a place people feel comfortable to gather and enjoy a selection of refreshments and snacks that are available, or if preferred a lunchbox can be made for those wishing to take a stroll on the beach or around this picturesque.
Logo Shop
Logo shop where you can buy souvenirs ,snack ,toys and personal accessories. Snorkeling equipment can also be rented from the shop.
Motorcycles Motorcycles are available at Logo shop. The rental fee is 500 THB /day /bike.
Spa Green Sari Spa is opposite front desk , after diving or swimming try tradition Thai massage , a treatment massage or repair your skin after the sun there for a perfect relaxation beneath a calm atmosphere.
Swimming Pool Satisfying with swimming at our fantastic pool which is located in front of Saranta Club House on the cliff overlooking the Andaman sea and also KonKare Bay View.
Internet Cafe' Internet Service Open daily from 08.00am. - 10.00 pm. Offers full in - out data through Satellite system with high speed and WI FI system service.
Library A small cottage with various books that you can enjoy reading and relaxing anytime you want.
|Motorcycle Rental
|Swimming Pool
|Beach Bar
|Club House
|Scuba Diving
Diving Daily Dive Trips on Racha Yai Island, we offer you top quality diving in a non-crowded and relaxed atmosphere. We avoid big boats, crowded reefs and always dive in small groups. Because we are already located just beside all the best dive sites, another advantage is that you don't have to spend half of your day traveling to the reefs.
If you want to do a beach dive, just gear up, jump in and you're at the dive site. When going with boats to the other reefs around the island, the trip still takes maximum of 15 minutes. This way you can easily make 1-3 dives every day, and still have time in between to enjoy the beaches and nature of the island
Snorkeling the best attractive snorkeling and scuba diving point of the island located down to Kon Kare Bay. Just only a few minutes from your room walk to the sea you can explore the fantastic marine life, plentiful coral reef, colorful fishes with the crystal clear water. You can feed small fish with your own hand. Snorkeling equipment also available at our "Logo shop"
Natural walking
Natural walking Enjoy a gentle stroll around the island taking in all the beauty that nature has to offer you along the way.
|Free diving


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HOUSTON – Aurelien Collin was not a popular guy in Houston before Sunday night. After his 73rd-minute winner that's not likely to change.
The Sporting KC center back – who has drawn the ire of several Dynamo players in the past – struck again versus Houston, heading in a goal to earn his team three points and end Houston's record home unbeaten streak at 36 games in all competitions. Sporting became the first team to win in Houston since June 18, 2011.
Seth Sinovic found Collin on a long throw-in into the penalty area and the center back flicked the ball past Houston goalkeeper Tally Hall, despite the best efforts of Corey Ashe to clear the shot off the line.
The result draws Sporting even with Houston on 20 points, putting them in second place in the Eastern Conference, with both teams plus the Montreal Impact sitting a point behind the New York Red Bulls.
OPTA Chalkboard: Sporting's backline holds firm in physical contest
After Collin's goal, the Dynamo switched to a 3-4-3 and immediately saw an increase in their pressure.
In the 80th minute rookie Jason Johnson, who had entered minutes earlier nearly saved the Dynamo's streak. He put a bouncing header off a corner kick over Sporting goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen, only to see Paulo Nagamura move across well to clear off the line.
A minute later, Ricardo Clark lined up a shot that tested Nielsen but the Dane was up to the task with a diving stop. Andrew Driver had a close call in the 84th-minute, striking a left-to-right shot inches wide of the far post.
Though the game was action packed in the final 15 minutes, the start was much more metered.
The first half was a stalemate with more physical challenges than clear looks on goal, not much of a surprise for two teams that knew each other extremely well after playing nine games in the past two seasons.
Sporting had more of the game early and more shots to show for it. Oriol Rosell and Claudio Bieler both had looks from the edge of the penalty box but their low liners through a crowd both wound up in the belly of a well-stationed Hall.
Although Sporting outshot Houston 7-3 in the first half, Houston picked up the energy in the final 15 minutes.
Brad Davis forced Nielsen into his only save of the half when he curled in a 25th-minute free kick from 30 yards out, only for the Dane to make the save sliding to his left.
Collin's lunge on Clark, which brought about the chance, earned the Frenchman his fifth yellow card of the season, meaning he and Rosell – who saw his fifth yellow of 2013 for persistent infringement – will both miss out on Sporting's trip to D.C. United with a mandatory one-game suspension.
Houston are also back in action next week, and will host the New England Revolution in a rematch of the 2006 and 2007 MLS Cups.
Houston Dynamo (6-3-2; 20 points) vs. Sporting KC (6-4-2; 20 points)
MLS regular season
May 12, 2013 BBVA Compass Stadium, Houston, TX
Attendance: 19,004
Scoring Summary:
Sporting Kansas City: Aurelien Collin 2 (Seth Sinovic 1) 73
Houston Dynamo: Tally Hall; Kofi Sarkodie (Brian Ching 77), Bobby Boswell, Jermaine Taylor (Eric Brunner 46), Corey Ashe; Adam Moffat (Jason Johnson 77), Ricardo Clark, Brad Davis; Andrew Driver, Will Bruin, Boniek Garcia
Substitutes not used: Erich Marschedier, Mike Chabala, Alex Dixon, Luiz Camargo
Sporting Kansas City: Jimmy Nielsen; Mechack Jerome, Aurelien Collin, Ike Opara, Seth Sinovic; Oriol Rosell (Lawrence Olum 61), Paulo Nagamura, Peterson Joseph; Jacob Peterson (Kei Kamara 55), Claudio Bieler (C.J. Sapong 87), Graham Zusi
Substitutes not used: Eric Kronberg, Benny Feilhaber, Chance Myers, Josh Gardner
Misconduct Summary:
SKC: Aurelien Collin (caution) 24
HOU: Andrew Driver (caution) 29
SKC: Oriol Rosell (caution) 40
HOU: Corey Ashe (caution) 71
Referee: Chris Penso
Referee's Assistants: Chris Strickland, Mark Cahen
4th Official: Daniel Fitzgerald


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Non-violent popular resistance is not new to the Palestinian people. It was practised in the famous six-month civil disobedience strike of 1936 and reached an impressive level during the First Intifada, forcing the Israeli government to negotiate with Palestinians, although the results were lost due to the Oslo Accords.
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text:
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Tom Brady threw three touchdown passes and ran for a score as the New England Patriots embarrassed the New York Jets with a 35-point second quarter in a 49-19 victory Thursday night.
After a scoreless opening quarter, the Patriots (8-3) went on a touchdown spree while taking advantage of several mistakes by the hapless Jets (4-7). New England scored four touchdowns in just over 6 minutes — including three in a 52-second span.
Brady threw for three touchdown passes and had a scoring run. New England turned four New York turnovers into touchdowns as they piled up 35 points in the second quarter to break the game open.
Brady opened the scoring with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Wes Welker on the first play of the second quarter, and the Jets made it easy for the Patriots after that.
Shonn Greene's fumble gave the ball back to the Patriots, and Brady needed only one play, an 83-yard pass to Shane Vereen to put New England up 14-0.
Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez fumbled on New York's next possession, and Steve Gregory scooped up the loose ball for a 32-yard return and a 21-0 lead.
And the Jets gave them one more.
Joe McKnight fumbled the ensuing kickoff and Julian Edelman ran it in from 22 yards, New England's third touchdown in a 52-second span.
Brady hit Edelman with 56-yard scoring pass with 3:08 left as the Patriots widened the lead to 35-0, and Jets fans started chanting for Tim Tebow to replace Sanchez.
The Jets finally scored on Nick Folk's 32-yard field goal with 3 seconds remaining.
In the third, the Jets heard a chorus of boos from the home crowd when they failed to score on four tries from the 3 with Greene stopped on fourth down from a half-yard out.
The Jets did wind up with two points on the exchange when Patriots running back Stevan Ridley was called for a chop block in the end zone, giving the Jets a safety that reduced the Patriots lead to 35-5.
The safety gave the Jets possession of the ball, and they converted for their first touchdown with 4:41 left in the quarter. New York needed only four plays to cover 71 yards with Bilal Powell running in from 4 yards.
In the fourth, Brady sneaked in from the 1 to give New England a 42-12 lead.
The Patriots played without star tight end Rob Gronkowski. He's expected to miss at least a month because of a broken left forearm.
New England activated tight end Aaron Hernandez. He missed the last three games because of an ankle injury.
Patriots coach Bill Belichick needs a victory to become the eighth NFL coach to reach 200 wins.


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Why This Book Should Win: "A Breath of Life" by Clarice Lispector [BTBA 2013]
As in years past, we will be highlighting all 25 titles on the BTBA Fiction Longlist, one by one, building up to the announcement of the 10 finalists on April 10th. A variety of judges, booksellers, and readers will write these, all under the rubric of "Why This Book Should Win. You can find the whole series by clicking here. And if you're interested in writing any of these, just get in touch.
A Breath of Life by Clarice Lispector, translated from the Portuguese by Johnny Lorenz and published by New Directions
This piece is by Will Vanderhyden (aka Willsconsin), student in the University of Rochester's Translation Program and translator of Carlos Labbé's Navidad and Matanza, which will be released in 2014.
Before I talk directly about why I think Clarice Lispector's A Breath of Life deserves to win this year's Best Translated Book Award, I want to offer a little background about how this novel's English publication came about, mostly because it strengthens my overall argument, but also because it deals with issues relevant to literature in translation more broadly. (I realize that readers of Three Percent might already be familiar with much of the following information regarding Lispector and her English translations, so if you are one of those readers, please forgive the lengthy digression).
Although she is considered by many to be the greatest Brazilian writer of the twentieth century, Clarice Lispector has never enjoyed a large English language readership. She is wildly popular in Brazil, revered and adored to the point of idolatry. Her strange, captivating prose, epic life story, and striking beauty have made her a legendary national icon. Her books are sold in vending machines, her face adorns postage stamps, and her name appears regularly in all sorts of literary and popular media. But for whatever reason—be it the challenging nature of her work, the fact that she's a woman, flat English translations, or a general lack of interest in Brazilian literature—she has never enjoyed the popularity among English readers of other Latin American Boom writers like Jorge Amado, Julio Cortázar, and Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
Over the last several years, New Directions and Benjamin Moser—author of Why This World: A Biography of Clarice Lispector, a finalist for the National Book Circle Critics Award in 2009—have been working to change that. In 2011, New Directions published Moser's retranslation of The Hour of the Star (the last novel Lispector published during her lifetime), and in June of 2012 they published a series of four new translations of Lispector novels, all edited by Moser. This series includes retranslations of three of her most well known books—Near to the Wild Heart (translated by Alison Entrkin), Aqua Viva (translated by Stefan Tobler), and The Passion According to G. H. (translated by Idra Novey)—as well as the first English edition of A Breath of Life (translated by Johnny Lorenz), a novel which was published after Lispector's death, and assembled, organized and edited by her close friend Olga Borelli.
In the introduction to A Breath of Life, Moser refers to New Directions series of Lispector translations as "the most important project of translation into English of a Latin American author since the complete works of Jorge Luis Borges were published a decade ago." According to Moser, the original English translations of Lispector's work were woefully inadequate, flattening out, "correcting," and explaining the strange grammar, idiosyncratic syntax, and surprising word choices that define Lispector's style. Lispector's own response to an early French translation of Near to the Wild Heart, which upset her because of the liberties it took in translating her style, provides definitive support for Moser's sentiment, in a letter to her editor at the time she wrote:
I admit, if you like, the sentences do not reflect the usual manner of speaking, but I assure you that it is the same in Portuguese. The punctuation I employed in the book is not accidental and does not result from ignorance of the rules of grammar. You will agree that elementary principals of punctuation are taught in every school. I am fully aware of the reasons that led me to choose this punctuation and insist that it be respected.
Though he acknowledges that, to some extent, translators invariably tend to smooth out oddities and correct "errors" present in original works, for his own translation of The Hour of the Star and for the other Lispector translations he edited for New Directions, Moser aimed for the greatest fidelity possible to the syntax and grammar of her Portuguese originals. In the afterword to The Hour of the Star, he writes: "The translator must therefore resist the temptation to explain or rearrange her prose, which can only flatten it and remove from it the 'foreign' aura that is its hallmark, and its glory."
Lispector has clearly carved out her place in the canon of world literature. Her unique artistic vision, innovative narrative style, and philosophical insight situate her comfortably among the best writers of the twentieth century. And in light of the aim—and what I believe to be the success—of the Moser/New Directions project, the comparison to the translation of Borges' complete works, which might come off as overblown at first glance, seems to me entirely appropriate. Because A Breath of Life is the only title in the New Directions series that is not a retranslation, it is the only one eligible for the BTBA. Which is not to say that it necessarily represents the significance of the entire project, but at the same time, its importance as a translated book cannot be fully appreciated outside that context.
So, finally, A Breath of Life. This novel, like much of Lispector's work, delves into the relationships between thoughts, sensations, words, facts, and objects; into the ways language constructs and mediates what we call reality. It is structured as a sort of dialogue between a male "Author" and Angela, a character he creates. In short, alternating passages, the two voices reflect on the nature of time, meaning, death, and on the relationship between author and character, between creator and creation. As the "Author" states:
Angela and I are my interior dialogue: I talk to myself. Angela is from my dark interior: she however comes to light. The tenebrous darkness from which I emerge. Pullulating darkness, lava of a humid volcano burning intensely. Darkness full of worms and butterflies, rats and stars.
If the novel had a plot, it might be described as the "Author's" struggle to understand Angela and his relationship to her, and Angela's struggle to understand herself and her relationship to the "things" of the world. But it all takes place inside; there is no action, no grounding in the world, no "real" handhold.
The structure of an interior dialogue between author and character—which might be thought of as defining a split in Lispector's mind, a divided self—undermines the distinction between form and content, laying bare the ways in which not only fiction and fictitious characters, but the "facts" of the world in which we live, and our identities, what we call "selves," are fabrications of language. As the "Author" writes: "Reality does not exist in itself. What there is is seeing the truth through dream. Real life is merely symbolic: it refers to something else." And: "I wouldn't exist if there were no words." And: "Angela goes from language to existence. She wouldn't exist if there were no words."
If all this sounds really abstract, well, it is. Many questions are raised and very few unambiguous answers are given. Angela tells us:
I know the secret of the sphinx. She did not devour me because I gave the right answer to her question. But I am an enigma for the sphinx and nevertheless I did not devour her. Decipher me, I said to the sphinx. And she fell mute. The pyramids are eternal. They will always be restored. Is the human soul a thing? Is it eternal? Between the hammer and the blows I hear silence.
There are many such quotable lines and Nietzsche-esque aphorisms, but in itself this probing into the nature of reality, identity, and meaning is not really what gives this book its power. It is the way Lispector's style is able to render these ideas not only thought but also felt. The structure and rhythm of her sentences, the surprising juxtapositions, and subtle, provocative rearrangements of ordinary language are able to tap into something primordial that transcends the limits of ordinary expression. And here we readers of Lispector in English are indebted to the extraordinary work of translator Johnny Lorenz and the vision of Benjamin Moser, who, by holding true to Lispector's unconventional grammar and syntax, sustain the jagged, hypnotic musicality that makes her prose so intellectually rewarding and so viscerally resonant.
A Breath of Life deserves to win the BTBA because it is the only entirely new part of a translation series that reintroduces a canonical writer to English readers; but also because it is a beautiful, original, and deeply intelligent book by a writer who leaves us, like the sphinx, mute and wondering at her genius and her mystery.
(As far as wrestling goes, no contest: Lispector will seduce all comers with her feline eyes then crush them with the weight of her brain).


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Social is pulling me back into its life!
Im getting stronger but still have dissociative disorder! My intellect is coming back; meaning, Im connecting to it again; its not in a separate dissociative state. Its starting to show itself; its the young real child me! the one that thinks and feels and intellectualizes and does well in school and with people and life; the real direction; its coming out now; little little bits!
What was missing; the real me; the real intellectual me! The direction me!
Social; Im being pulled into it!
I'm being pulled into social;
The goal is to be up in close in the tension of women; in her grill! telling stories of vulnerability! Stories that let my feelings out around women! I know Ill start crying, no matter what direction I go! and I guess that will happen until I let all the pain out!
At the top of things; Im only interested in quality women that I can let my feelings out! I want no fakers!
Interactions; talking, approaching, standing in front of; feeling good about myself; showing my feelings in front of women!
The goal is the center of society and people! The center is the safest place.


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Forty-one years. Until now, that's how long it had been since Baltimore's baseball and football teams thrilled fans by making their respective playoffs in the same year.
In January, the Ravens played New England for the AFC championship, and lost to the Patriots. Earlier this month, the Orioles advanced to the American League Division Series, bowing to the New York Yankees.
For the first time in decades, Baltimoreans can wear the colors of two teams with equal pride. Orange one day, purple the next. A Ravens jersey with an Orioles cap. It wouldn't make the cover of GQ, but it captures the mood of the city — and harkens back to happy days of yore.
In January, 1971, the Colts won Super Bowl V, defeating the Dallas Cowboys. Nine months later, the Orioles, defending world champions, reached the World Series before losing to the Pittsburgh Pirates in seven games.
There's more. That April, the Baltimore Bullets advanced to the NBA finals for the first time, then fell to the Milwaukee Bucks. And the Baltimore Clippers finished with the best record in the American Hockey League, before losing in the Calder Cup playoffs.
At no other time in the city's sports history did so many clubs peak in unison.
"Every team was riding high. It was a great time to be a professional athlete here," former Colts running back Sam Havrilak said.
Nor was their success a seismic blip. The Colts were dynastic, having won 75 percent of their games during an eight-year span dating back to 1964. The Orioles boasted four 20-game winners (Dave McNally, Jim Palmer, Mike Cuellar and Pat Dobson) in 1971, when they won 100 or more games for the third straight year, a feat matched by only two other teams in major league history.
Appreciative fans took note.
"Every restaurant we [players] went to, on an off day or after a ball game, it was tough to buy your own dinner," said Pete Richert, then an Orioles pitcher. "Baltimore isn't a big-money town, but people took care of us."
Their Super Bowl victory, though a comedy of errors, raised the stature of the Colts, already the city's favorite sons.
"Anytime you went downtown, someone would recognize you, even if you were on the kickoff team," defensive tackle Fred Miller said. "People would shake your hand and ask you to sign a cap, shirt or even a napkin."
It was a year of civic pride, celebration and continuity — though the Orioles' prosperity did nag at the Colts, said Bob Vogel, the team's All-Pro tackle.
"When they [the Orioles] made the playoffs, it was a mixed blessing," Vogel said. "For several weeks, we had to practice at McDonogh School, whose facilities were pedestrian, at best."
Also, he said, the Colts' grounds crew couldn't lay turf on the infield at Memorial Stadium until baseball season ended.
"We'd play on Sundays in October and get all that sand, gravel and grit in our pants. But we suffered in silence," Vogel said.
No matter. On Jan. 3, 1971, the Colts (13-2-1) defeated the Oakland Raiders, 27-17 to win the AFC championship. Rowdy fans pelted the Raiders with snowballs from a blizzard that had hit Baltimore two days before.
The Super Bowl victory, in Miami, triggered little fanfare back home. Most of the Colts flew to Bermuda for a week's vacation, courtesy of owner Carroll Rosenbloom. Not that the players were particularly jubilant, having been upset by the New York Jets in the title game two years earlier.
"I'd bought a new suit to wear after the game, if we won," second-year receiver Eddie Hinton said. "So, afterward, I was sitting in the locker room, in my underwear, wondering what to do because the players were brooding.
"'Did we just win the Super Bowl?' I asked. 'Yeah, kid,' a veteran said. "The game we should have won two years ago.' "
Nonetheless, 2,000 shivering fans stood in 19-degree cold at wind-whipped Friendship Airport to greeted the handful of Colts who returned to Baltimore on their Eastern Airlines charter after the game. Mayor Thomas D'Alesandro was there, as was comptroller Hyman Pressman, who recited this verse:
"You'll have to forgive us for bubbling over,
We're floating on air, and soaring in clover,
We're charged with a hundred-million volts,
From two world champions — Orioles and Colts!"
Despite their success, players on one team seldom hobnobbed with those on the others.
"We'd have a few beers with the hockey players and go see them play," said Miller. "Never understood the game, though.
"But when you're young and raising a family, there's little time for much else. Plus, we all had off-season jobs," said Miller, who worked for a local forklift company. "At the workplace, we were just regular Joes, no different from the guys who sold cars or worked at Bethlehem Steel. We just happened to play football for part of the year. And the fans appreciated that."
Dick Hall, an Orioles pitcher, was also an accountant and did the taxes for Colts linebacker Mike Curtis. Slugger Boog Powell attended the Super Bowl, cheering the Colts from his seat on the 10-yard line. Vogel became friends with several Orioles and approached McNally (21-5 that year) with a proposition.
"I always thought I'd like to stand up to the plate against a major league pitcher," the Colts' 250-pound lineman said.
McNally's response?
"I'd stick in in your ear," the left-hander said.
The Orioles finished with an 11-game winning streak and 101 victories, despite four rain-outs that were never made up. Yet despite having won the World Series in 1970, they averaged less than 14,000 in attendance and only topped 1 million in their next-to-last home game.
"People assumed we were going to win it all. It was almost a matter of fact," Powell said. "There was talk of, 'Why should we buy tickets for the regular season when we can hold out and go to a playoff game?'
"An awful lot of good baseball fans believed nobody had a chance against us. We kind of felt that way, too. Maybe we shouldn't have."
The Orioles played Oakland for the American League pennant. The A's arrived and were greeted at the airport by several high school bands and a group of Playboy bunnies. Banners strewn around town trumpeted "Baltimore — City of Champions, Flagtown U.S.A."
The Orioles took that flag in three straight games, the last one on the road. Again, 2,000 fans armed with signs and banners stood at the airport in a drenching rain to welcome the AL champs home from Oakland at 1 a.m. Three Pikesville housewives engulfed Powell, showering him with bouquets of flowers while squealing, "Boog, you're beautiful."
Though tame by today's standards, an Orioles "pep rally" in Hopkins Plaza kicked off the World Series. More than 8,000 people gathered to eat crab cakes, meet the players, hear the U.S. Post Office Dixieland Jazz Band and watch a performance by The Great Kreskin, a magician who wowed the crowd by finding a baseball that had been hidden in the plaza. City Council President William Donald Schaefer led all in Orioles cheers and declared it "Sink The Pirates Weekend" in Baltimore.
Other politicians joined the act. Governor Marvin Mandel (Maryland) wagered a bushel of Chesapeake Bay crabs on the Series, while Gov. Milton Shapp (Pennsylvania) put up a bushel of mushrooms.
The crabs scuttled north. Pittsburgh took the Series, 4 games to 3.
In hindsight, said Powell, the revelry then paled beside the excitement stirred up by this year's Ravens and, now, the Orioles.
"I've never seen anything like the crazy fantacism that's here now," he said. "In 1971, people took [the Orioles' success] for granted. This is different. It's like the Mardi Gras at Camden Yards, maybe because it's been so long since we had a winner."


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I was sitting in a majlis with a group of women when our chat on world affairs was interrupted by an urgent knock on the door; a knock that opened more than just a passage into the rest of the house. "We ran out of coffee!" I heard a male voice in distress telling the hostess as she opened the door just a tiny crack to see who it was. It was her husband, who was hosting a similar majlis in another corner of the house, with the husbands of the women here. The hostess went out to help him, leaving the door wide open to a room full of annoyed women. Several of them ran to the door to close it, because "there are men in the house".
Naming a woman as the next secretary general of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) will solve the standoff between Qatar and the other GCC states over the name of the next official for the top post, a Saudi activist and columnist has said. "Since there seems to be a crisis that is likely to prolong over the name of the top official, the possible solution I see is to choose a female secretary-general with a high academic and diplomatic profile. I do not think that selecting a qualified woman will cause opposition since there are many women who have recently held high political positions," Hatoon Al Fassi, an expert on women's rights and a columnist with a Saudi newspaper, wrote.
حت عنوان "واحة الإفلات من المحاسبة والعقاب"، يصدر مركز القاهرة لدراسات لحقوق الإنسان اليوم تقريره السنوي الثاني حول حقوق الإنسان في العالم العربي خلال عام 2009. ويأسف مركز القاهرة لدراسات لحقوق الإنسان لأن يعلن للرأي العام، أن حالة حقوق الإنسان في هذه المنطقة، تتجه إلى المزيد من التدهور، حتى بالمقارنة مع الوضع المتدهور عام 2008. يستعرض التقرير أبرز التطورات ذات الصلة في 12 بلد عربي، هي مصر وتونس والجزائر والمغرب والسودان ولبنان وسوريا وفلسطين والعراق والسعودية والبحرين واليمن.
Today the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies released its second annual report on the state of human rights in the Arab world for the year 2009. The report, entitled Bastion of Impunity, Mirage of Reform, concludes that the human rights situation in the Arab region has deteriorated throughout the region over the last year. The report reviews the most significant developments in human rights during 2009 in 12 Arab countries: Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Sudan, Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Yemen. It also devotes separate chapters to the Arab League and an analysis of the performance of Arab governments in UN human rights institutions.
You can read and download the Political Islam on Line article by Raouf Ebeid here


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Jan 22
Latest Second Life News
Here are some vidoes posted on Youtube.
Sep 11
Second Life Shakespeare Company Presents One's a Pawn of Time
Press Release received via email
Date: 09 September 2008
CONTACT: Maedin Tureaud
Beginning this Friday, September 12, the Second Life Shakespeare Company (SLSC) presents a modern play to open their Autumn 2008 season. The play, One's a Pawn of Time, is a fast-paced and clever one-act play about relationship drama that may arise through hasty time travel. Written by Mike Dederian, the play is directed by Rob Knop (Prospero Frobozz in SL) and will feature the voice actors of Second Life residents Jeremy Jester, Lorne Harlequin, Kinji Lockjaw, and Maedin Tureaud.
Performed in Second Life, most of the shows will be free to attend, and audience members will be required to turn on the voice feature in order to hear the dialogue, though microphones must be strictly turned off. Two of the shows, promoted as "very low-lag", will require a ticket fee to limit the audience size. Set in the confluence of 4 island simulators, the SL Globe theatre is ideally situated to accommodate large audiences and stage performances that are as low-lag as possible. In keeping with SLSC convention, the set, costumes, and avatars are custom-made for the play. Ina Centaur, artistic director at SLSC, confirms the tailoring of details: "The set for the production continues the RL tradition of preserving the structure of the Globe stage in set design and also our SL tradition ofe xtravagance in visuals."
The custom features of the set continues with innovative on-stage advertising. As this isthe first non-Shakespearean play produced by the SLSC, it has provided them a unique opportunity to experiment with interactive and dynamic advertising. Centaur also says, "The set is filled with details and interactive 'incognito' advertisements blended into the stage in the form of fake movie and rock band posters, newspapers, books, photos, and magazines, to amuse and inform those who zoom around and explore as only a virtual audience might." To arrange in-set advertising, contact Ina Centaur directly.
Director Rob Knop has directed in RL, but this will be his directorial debut in Second Life. He has been active in the Hamlet and Twelfth Night productions and got a taste for thepossibilites available. He's also very keen on his choice of play, too: "This play bears some philosophical similarities to Second Life. Second Life combines game-like elements with social interaction and potential for serious creative discourse of real life. The play is light entertainment, with humorous dialog and a somewhat absurd situation, but being about time travel it challenges our assumptions about the linearity of reality… just as having our lives partly in Second Life challenges traditional assumptions about the single-threaded nature of our real-life identities."
Knop has more than just the actors to prepare; he will also be responsible for immersing the audience in the play. For audience members who choose to participate, he will be able to dynamically direct and move their cameras, real time, following the action as it unfolds. This allows the audience a "hands-free" experience, their view zooming around the stage and focusing on actors and events as necessary. Knop is encouraged by all of the innovative ways in which theatre in SL is expanding and becoming viable entertainment.
Maedin Tureaud, who will play Lucy for several performances, is excited by the prospect of seeing theatre in SL become prominent and well-attended events, and is enthusiastic about the possibilities available. "Theatre in SL is a unique and exciting opportunity to simultaneously reach audiences all over the world, specifically those people who are unwilling or unable to attend real life productions. The virtual stage presents engaging challenges, and this new platform for cultural and artistic events is bound to capture imagination and harness talent in the future as the virtual universe becomes ubiquitous."
Kinji Lockjaw, who also plays Lucy, is happy to admit that the biggest challenge for her is the fact that it's her first SL play. She remains positive though, and states, "I'm very excited about [...] getting to work under the direction of Prospero and working with such great actors," a sentiment expressed by the other three actors, as well. The fast-paced dialogue in the play ensures that the actors have achieved a good rapport with each other and will be able to generate energy on the SL stage, a crucial aspect of the real world stage,too. Opening night performance of One's a Pawn of Time begins at 7pm SLT on Friday,September 12. Subsequent performances are: Saturday, Sept 13 at 11am, Sunday, Sept 14 at 3pm, Tuesday, Sept 16, at 1pm, Fri, Sept 19, at 7pm, Sat, Sept 20 at 11am, Sun, Sept 21 at 3pm. Ticket fee assessed. For more information on this and future productions, join the SL Shakespeare Companygroup in-world.
Second Life URL: Second Life Shakespeare Company
Popularity: 23%No comments
Sep 4
Open House on Lighthouse Learning Island
From a Group Notice:
Lighthouse Learning Island will hold an Open House from 5-6pm (SLT) /8-9pm (EST) on October 20th. Lighthouse Learning Island is an island dedicated to K-12 educational learning communities. There will be representatives from each of the 5 school districts and 3 educational service centers present to talk to you about the ways they are using Second Life to support and enhance teaching and learning.
You can find out more about Lighthouse Learning Island here: nausetschools.org/lighthouselearning
Popularity: 23%No comments
Jul 2
Watch the next Solar Eclipse in Second Life
Here is something pretty cool, and even if you don't use Second Life, you'll still be able to enjoy it. On August 1st, the next solar eclipse will happen, and, if you live in the US you won't be able to see it live, but thankfully, San Francisco's Exploratorium science museum will be streaming it live inside Second Life.
Second Life users can view the 45-minute Webcast, starting at 3:30 a.m. PDT August 1, on the virtual world's so-called Exploratorium Island. Avatars can also gather at the Pi Day Theater at the Sploland Sim, at the Science School Sim, and at the Spindrift Sim. The eclipse will be accompanied by video and commentary of Exploratorium and NASA scientists.
Starting July 1, Second Life members and their real-life makers can use Exploratorium Island to learn about solar eclipses, Chinese culture, and solar science. Source:
Non Second Life users will also be able to watch the solar eclipse on the exploratorium website.
On August 1, 2008, a total solar eclipse will occur as the new moon moves directly between the sun and the earth. The moon's umbral shadow will fall first on Canada, then zoom across northern Greenland, the Arctic, central Russia, Mongolia, and into China, where an Exploratorium team will be waiting. Our fifth eclipse expedition brings our team to remote Xinjiang Provence in northwestern China, very close to the Mongolian border, where we'll Webcast the eclipse live. Please check back, as the date nears, for more details.
Check here for more details.
Popularity: 45%6 comments
Jul 2
Second Life News for July 2, 2008
From: AIDS.gov Second Life (Part 2 of "We Are Living in a Virtual World") Quote from the site - This week we build on our June 10 post about virtual worlds and focus on the well-known site, Second Life. To better understand how Second Life can help share HIV information and provide support to those who are HIV-positive, we continued our conversation with our colleagues from the NIH-funded Health Info Island, Lori Bell and Carol Perryman.
From: SL iReports Economic pressures threaten surfing sims Quote from the site - Economic pressures are taking their toll on surf sims in Second Life and it seems certain that more surf sims will close during the coming months, according to the Second Life surfing blog SurfWatch. Rezzable, one of Second Life's leading sim owner/developers, announced the closing of Surfline Aloha and Surfline Epic sims at the end of June, just a couple of months after completely redesigning and relaunching the surf sims.
From: LifeLongLearningLab Second Life Roundtable: Best Practices, Security Concerns, and Future Developments Quote from the site - The Second Life Roundtable: Best Practices, Security Concerns, and Future Developments was held in Second Life on Monday, June 30, 2008, as part of a week-long celebration of Second Life's fifth anniversary.
From: My New Media Weblog Second Life - My World Quote from the site - Finally I am excited about Second Life. My opinion about it is changing form a pessimistic position to a more optimistic one. Second Life allows people to communicate and the fact that your avatars are present, it makes the communication visually interesting.
From: Business Wire CIGNA Creating a Virtual Health Care Community Quote from the site - Today CIGNA, a leading health service company, is announcing the development of a virtual health care community. This computer-simulated world is situated on a Second Life island, where seminars, interactive displays, educational games and virtual health consultations help foster real and sustainable behavior change that improves health.
From: Second Life Good Morning from San Antonio! Quote from the site - Talk about sensory and emotional overload!LOL Yesterday, at 8:30 a.m. the entire DEN in SL LC presented together face-to-face. Although most of us had the opportunity (fortune) to meet face-to-face on Saturday night (I landing late and cursing the shuttle service to the hotel — I was the last stop), Celestia met some of the LC for the first time only 45 minutes before the presentation.
From: SLWTF Be one with the ball Quote from the site - There are few things that make me happier in Second Life than finding set of Japanese regions I haven't encountered before. I'm going to spend the next few posts extolling the wonderful, wacky weirdness we've all come to expect.
From: The Industry Standard Cigna deploys a Second Life island for health education Quote from the site - Hoping to make healthcare education hip, Cigna Healthcare is announcing today it has created a virtual environment in the Second Life virtual world to educate people on how to improve their health.
From: Linux Insider Virtual Worlds: And the Children Shall Lead Quote from the site - Virtual worlds like Second Life may not claim as much traffic as top social networking or video-sharing sites, but opportunities are there, writes Parks Associates' Michael Cai. One relatively strong area is youth-oriented 3-D virtual worlds, where gaming comes into play.
From: The Journal Gazette Virtual ventures pay off Quote from the site - To save money in these tough times, universities, conference planners and global companies have started holding gatherings for far-flung employees and students in the online world known as Second Life.
From: A taste of Second Life Inquiry in a Networked World - LTEA2008 in Second Life Quote from the site - Last week I attended a couple of sessions at the "Learning Through Enquiry Alliance (LTEA) Conference 2008 - Inquiry in a Networked World", held by the University of Sheffield, CILASS (Centre for Inquiry-based Learning in the Arts and Social Sciences).
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Popularity: 23%No comments
Jul 2
Culture of Virtual Worlds
From a notecard inworld:
Journal of Virtual Worlds Research
Special Issue: Culture of Virtual Worlds
Deadline: September 30, 2008
Publication Date: November 20, 2008
Guest Editors
Mark Bell, Indiana University
Mia Consalvo, Ohio University
Early users of virtual worlds trumpeted their potential to bring together like-minded groups to create community, to encourage social activism, and to explore facets of identity. Over the past 20 years, we have seen virtual worlds develop from text-based to graphical, and from 2D to 3D interactive spaces. Some spaces have focused primarily on game-related activities, from MUD through Ultima Online and World of Warcraft, while others have concentrated on social aspects of being, allowing users to define their own goals, and often create many parts of the spaces they inhabit–from LambdaMoo to The Palace and Second Life. Virtual worlds have also become big business at the same time as some worlds remain resolutely tied to different goals. Yet what of the cultures that have grown up in, around, and through virtual worlds in this same time period? What do we know about that culture, or more accurately, those cultures and how to define them?
Individuals, groups, and corporations are exploring the potentials of virtual worlds, and what is created in that process says as much about our everyday lives as it does about our times spent online. But what do we know? Because of their richly detailed spaces, virtual worlds tend to encourage specific sorts of participants and players, along with expectations about behavior and culture. Yet at the same time, we cannot know how participants will create a livable space, develop a unique culture, until it happens. How is that process occurring in today's virtual worlds? What do we know about past virtual worlds to guide us? We are slowly learning about how identity shifts and mutates online, yet isn't as free-floating as early theorists claimed. What of users who are in game-centric versus non-game centric places–how does game versus non-game make a difference in who uses the space, how, and why? Likewise, we now see virtual worlds with transnational user bases. How does that impact the culture, the creation, and the experience of virtual worlds. What happens when virtual worlds emerge, when they expand quickly, and when they die, either slowly or suddenly? What happens to users and how do they make sense of those experiences? How do developers play a role in managing all those expectations, and how much can they actually control? These questions are only the tip of iceberg, just as today's virtual worlds are at the forefront of emergent design of 3D spaces.
This special issue of the Journal of Virtual Worlds Research is dedicated to exploring the issue of culture in virtual worlds. We welcome articles from academic researchers and practitioners in areas such as communications, sociology, psychology, anthropology, information systems, political science, game studies and cultural studies.
Topics of interest include (but not limited to):
• Definitions of Virtual Cultures
• Ethnographies of Virtual Worlds
• Social mechanics and networking in Virtual worlds
• Historical development of Virtual Worlds
• Identity
• Differing goals of play versus non-play centric spaces
• Emergent practices, player-generated content, activities
• Dynamics of economies
• "Serious" uses of Virtual Worlds
• Transnational game spaces, player groups
Guidelines and Deadlines
We welcome submissions in the form of essays, papers, original research, interactive online exhibits with accompanying detailed descriptions, and other forms of scholarship.
For specific submission instructions visit: http://jvwresearch.org
Deadline for Submission: September 30, 2008
Publication: November 29, 2008
For further information contact:
Mark Bell, Indiana U, firstname.lastname@example.com
Mia Consalvo, Ohio U, email@example.com
About the Journal
The Journal of Virtual Worlds Research is an online, open access academic journal that adheres to the highest standards of peer review and engages established and emerging scholars from around the world. The Journal of Virtual Worlds Research is a transdisciplinary journal that engages a wide spectrum of scholarship and welcomes contributions from the many disciplines and approaches that intersect virtual worlds research.
Popularity: 28%No comments
Jun 24
Kids5B – Celebrating 5 years of kid avatars in Second Life
Kids5B – Celebrating 5 years of kid avatars in Second Life
Press release June 21st 2008 – Written by Johnathan Raymaker
Read this online at : http://www.kids5b.net
Download as PDF from : http://www.kids5b.net/pdf/kids5b-press-release-june-21.pdf
During this years Second Life birthday celebrations (SL5B) one of the most highlighted communities in Second Life will present themselves on two highly entertaining and informative Sims. Thanks to the initial exclusion of the kid avatar community from SL5B by Linden Labs, individuals from around the diverse kid avatar community have come together to create an amazing presentation of the many activities these Second Life residents engage in.
Kids5B has attracted a good number of existing kid avatar groups that already have a firm base in Second life. The Goonies, an adventurous group of kid avatars have created a home base in the typical style from the movie. The Boy Scouts of Second Life have laid out a wonderful camp area. Various adoption agencies have setup display points informing the public of their activities. Dance and music clubs that cater to the kid avatar community have also shown up to present themselves to the larger Second Life public.
One of the biggest joys of being a kid avatar is the lack of adult restrictions when it comes to expressing your imagination. This community is thriving with great builders and artists and these aspects of the community have their place too at Kids5B. Take for instance the magical forest atop the hill, with hidden references to many fairytales or the delightful Glow Garden that lets you step out of this world for a few minutes. Don't miss out on the awesome skate park, allowing everyone visiting to have a go at some great moves on the board.
The entire Kids5B Sim build up is a tribute to the creativity of this community, as expressed in the Aztec area, the downtown build up, the old European village or the fantasy rich kids village. Within these built up area's a great number of exhibitions of arts takes place. Rai Fargis has his Rag Dolls displayed; Marianne McCann has her latest series of SL photography set out.
Of course, being a kid is about fun too. And Kids5B provided entertainment in droves. The main stage will be the place to come see the many live performances arranged for Kids5B, with a great line up during the weeks including The Mudslingers, Janor Slichter, Robie Bloch, Nick99 Razor and many more. Get on one of the trains or use the rafts the go round the sims. Grab a skateboard and show off your skills. Get on that Ferris wheel and see the area from up high. And for the ultimate fun, go through the 'transmogrifier' and be transformed into a kid avatar for a day, and experience the world through the eyes of your smaller self.
Last but not least, a number of the exhibits focus on one of the most needed things about the kid avatar community: Information. Thanks to sensationalist journalism the general Second Life population and beyond have been misinformed about the context that this community operates within. You will find displays by kids about the impact of their role-play within a Second Life family, and displays in which kid avatars explain why they became a kid in the first place. One display is devoted as gallery to the large number of web logs actively maintained by members of the kid avatar community.
We invite you to come and experience our celebration of 5 years of kid avatars in Second Life with us during the fifth Second Life Birthday celebration. It will be one event you don't want to miss!
For more information and event-scheduling see: http://www.kids5b.net
Or contact one of the following residents in world: Rai Fargis, Johnathan Raymaker, Sage Kostenbaum, Koffeekid Smalls, Skippy Beresford, Daniel Regenbogen or Sacha Mange.
Popularity: 22%No comments
Jun 24
Second Life News for June 24, 2008
From: metanomics How to find young shareholders on Second Life Quote from the site - ArcelorMittal is quite some company. It is the world's largest steelmaker. Lakshmi N. Mittal, the Indian London-based billionaire industrialist as Wikipedia says, acquired and merged steel companies all over the world, until now with great success. However, there is a point of concern: who wants to be shareholder of the company? Young people are not interested, so it seems. Can the company seduce them using Second Life?
From: BusinessWeek McKinsey's new article on open innovation Quote from the site - I just read the McKinsey Quarterly's just-published article, "What's New in Open Innovation?" — it's available online. Most of the article features an overview of what's been going on in terms of businesses co-creating with customers and consumers. You know, "user-generated content" or "crowd-sourcing."
From: Discovery Space 10 Spacey Things to do in Second Life Quote from the site - Rocketing to the International Space Station, seeing an asteroid wallop Mars or witnessing the Big Bang might seem like things you'd do in a dream. Thankfully, there's Second Life – a virtual world inhabited and created by its residents – that offers a chance to do all of these and more… for free.
From: PRLog Metanomics Begins Second Season on SLCN.TV Quote from the site - Metanomics, the web's premier program about the business and policy of virtual worlds, begins an exciting second season on Monday, June 23rd at Noon PST. For the kick-off program Metanomics host Robert Bloomfield (Beyers Sellers in Second Life) features USC's Second Life and the Public Good Community Challenge, with guests Douglas Thomas (Doctor Ludovico In Second Life), Associate Professor at the USC School of Communication, and Rik Panganiban (Rik Riel in Second Life) from Global Kids.
From: EEtimes Second Life creator: Virtual worlds achieving real results Quote from the site - Virtual worlds might seem like kid stuff, but they could end up making big contributions to society, according to Cory Ondrejka, senior vice president of digital strategies at EMI Music, told the Freescale Technology Forum in Orlando, Fla.
From: Electronics Weekly Warren Savage On: Our Virtual Future Quote from the site - A couple weeks ago I found myself standing on the floor of the Design Automation Conference in a circle of old colleagues, exchanging business cards and being updated on each other's careers and lives. One of our group quipped that "the people who come here never change, only the logos on the business cards." An astute comment nervously recognized as such by everyone in our increasingly greying group.
From: Ewing Fashion Agency EFA Celebrates Second Life's Fifth Birthday Quote from the site - From June 23rd to July 7th, Second Life will be celebrating its fifth anniversary. To mark this event, a number of designated sims were allocated to exhibitors. Ewing Fashion Agency's application was approved and with access to the "fashion" sim with less than three days before the sim opening, the race to complete the ehxibition was on.
From: Computer World Have your avatar call my avatar: Doing business virtually Quote from the site - What do Xerox printers, Fenway Park, green creatures and an executive zipping around with a personal jetpack have in common? Are you stumped? You might not be if you had an avatar.
From: E-Access Blog Charity Embraces Social Networks And Second Life Quote from the site - A leading charity is using a wide range of social networking and multimedia sites - Facebook, MySpace, Bebo, YouTube and iTunes - to provide support and information to parents of disabled children and help them contact each other.
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Popularity: 24%No comments
Jun 21
Avatrait To Be Featured At Global Art Event
Evanston, IL – 06/20/2008 – AVATRAIT, the leading advocate of the emerging genre of "Digital Impressionist" art from the virtual world of Second Life, is very pleased to announce that they've been invited to be part of the Rinascimento Virtuale show in Florence, Italy this fall.
Rinascimento Virtuale is an exhibit focusing on the art of virtual worlds, which will be featured at the Museum of Natural History of Florence from October 21, 2008 through January 7, 2009. This is a part of, and is opening in conjunction with, the third staging of the Festival della Creatività, an international art event that will take place October 23-26, 2008 at the historic Fortessa da Basso, and various satellite venues around Florence.
Greg Houston (Track Hax in Second Life), the founder of Avatrait, will be making a presentation during the Festival, detailing the growth of "Digital Impressionism", how the Avatrait Gallery arose as the premier site for this emerging genre within S.L., and how they have bridged the real and virtual worlds by bringing this new art (via high-quality framed prints sold through their web site) to a wider real-world audience.
Avatrait artists will be both represented by framed originals in the show and via a video production which will be a program element of the art fest. All of the Avatrait art featured in Rinascimento Virtuale will be donated for a charity benefit at the conclusion of the exhibit. In another first, a hardcover book will be released which will both detail the birth of this exciting new genre, and document the Avatrait artists' works in this ground-breaking exhibition.
The Avatrait Gallery is in Second Life here and on the web at http://avatrait.com.
Popularity: 23%No comments
Jun 21
Cisco CEO John Chambers Session in Second Life
Group Notice From: Autumn CiscoSystems
Cisco Chairman and CEO, John Chambers will be at the Cisco Bandwidth Stage in Second Life on June 24th at 11 AM SLT/2 AM Eastern to talk about the power of collaboration. Seating is first come first serve!
If you can't attend in Second Life, it will also be streamed live on the Cisco Virtual World Blog at http://blogs.cisco.com/virtualworlds.
Popularity: 24%No comments
Jun 18
SL Kids 5th Birthday Party: June 23 - July 7, 2008
KIDS 5th BIRTHDAY PARTY: JUNE 23 - JULY 7, 2008
Every year Second Life celebrates its birthday, and every year different child avatars or Second Life child groups want to take part in the ceremonies with their own projects. Last year, the group SL Kids had a photo exhibition, a huge sand dune, and several other things. Wanting to contribute in this year's festivities wasn't any different. Diverse cultures and communities from all across the grid asked Linden Labs if they could participate. When Linden Labs stated that kid avatars would not be allowed to represent themselves at the official 5th birthday celebration for Second Life, we decided to put on our own birthday party. As a result, Kids5B was born, celebrating 5 years of kid avatars in Second Life.
In the beginning, there was a simple plan to get a low prim SIM for the event, but thanks to two generous donors, we soon had two full prim SIMs available. Within hours the rough conception was finished, and construction developed at a totally crazy speed!
Kid avatars from all backgrounds have come together to make this a stunning display of what being a kid in Second Life means. From the youngest ones to the older teens, from the family kids to the street urchins, all will have a place at Kids5B. You will be amazed when seeing these prime examples of creativity!
We invite all avatars to attend, both adult and child. Kids5B will take place during the same time as the official SL5B celebrations, debuting June 23rd and running through July 7th. In addition to all the exhibits, we will have live performers, radio shows, rides and tons more! We will even have an Adult-to-Kid "Transmogrifier". If you are an adult avatar, and are brave enough, you can step into it and turn into a kid avatar yourself! Come on, we dare you! We don't want to spoil all the surprises, so we'll end here.
Now that Linden Labs has allowed child avatars to participate in their birthday celebration, we will also have a display at the SL5B. Make sure to visit us at Kids5B; it will be awesome!
-Kids5B- Celebrating 5 Years of Child Avatars in Second Life
Popularity: 17%No comments
Jun 18
Second Life News for June 18, 2005
From: SL iReports Blood is Thicker. Quote from the site - In Second Life there are many opportunities for Role Playing. Old West, Victorian Era, Domination/Submission and others. One of them is based on Vampires. The players in the game say their interest is similar to other super natural entertainment. Dracon Dyszel, 'Clan Voice' says, "Tell me do we all not have an affinity for the mythical?" Information from Bloodlines indicates there are five objectives in the game. Become a Vampire, by being drained and then replenishing your blood to full capacity.
From: Second Life Blog Play your own radio station with MediaMaster Quote from the site - I love followup. As Resident Enlightenment Manager, one of my prime responsibilities is to share useful + fun (usefun!) info that helps solve your problems and makes your Second Life smoother… and overall moar awesome.
From: Mary Mary Quite Contrary Meet the Author in Second Life Quote from the site - Cay Horstmann will be talking about his new book Core Java Volume II - Advanced Features and its predecessor Core Java, Volume I in Second Life at 9 a.m. PT
From: Learning technology teacher development blog for ELT Teaching Speaking in Second Life Quote from the site - For me, one of the main blocks to really developing online language learning courses has been the inability to supply real communicative speaking practice. VOIP software like Skype has certainly pushed the bounds of what is possible, as has the development of more effective web based video conferencing platforms, but in my opinion the biggest step towards making this possible has been the developments made in virtual worlds like There.com and Second Life….
From: eightbar Wimbledon 08 in Second Life, the build progresses Quote from the site - With Wimbledon looming large and already qualifying starting this week you may think we are leaving it a little late to complete the build and presence in Second Life. In many ways you would be right. However, we are all giving it some time, knowing full well that we will also build during the event.
From: The Daily Reveille University establishes virtual presence in Second Life Quote from the site - A recent Internet phenomenon has taken universities, businesses and even the Federal Reserve by storm. Second Life, a virtual world created by Linden Research, Inc., allows people to create avatars - virtual identities - to interact with that world and its residents.
From: SLiReports Are Virtual Gamers Mocking the American Cancer Society? Quote from the site - Is an outlandish mockery of the American Cancer Society happening right now? A truly bizarre thing has happened; it appears people have flipped their noggins and have forgotten this serious battle against Cancer.
From: Second Life Blog Who are Lindens? - Video Tip of the Week #37 Quote from the site - "Lindens" (not to be confused with Linden dollars, or L$) are employees of Linden Lab, the company behind Second Life. We're inworld as avatars too, and I advocate us to experience SL so that we both (1) share the enjoyment and (2) understand what's important to you.
From: Firefox news When Virtual Meets Reality: WoW, Second Life May Become Targets of Terrorists, CIA Quote from the site - That's how some are viewing the United States government's new plan to search out real-life terrorists in MMORPGs like World of Warcraft and Second Life.
From: WSJ Arcelor Ventures Into Virtual World Quote from the site - ArcelorMittal, the world's largest steelmaker by volume, plans to hold its first shareholder meeting in the virtual Internet world of Second Life on Tuesday as it attempts to reach out to younger shareholders.
From: Educause Connect 7 Things You Should Know About Second Life Quote from the site - Second Life is a virtual world with tens of millions of square meters of virtual lands, more than 13 million "residents," and a thriving economy. Large numbers of colleges and universities—or, in some cases, individual departments or faculty—are active in Second Life, not only for academic purposes but also for campus visits, recruiting activities for prospective students, and fundraising.
From: Savage Minds Ethnography of the Virtual Quote from the site - I just finished reading Tom Boellstorff's ethnography, Coming of Age in Second Life, which I first learned about on Anthropologi.info last year. I have to admit coming to this book with a certain degree of antipathy towards its subject. It always seemed to me that playing Second Life was much more cumbersome, time consuming, and less entertaining than reading the real estate or personals sections on Craig's List.
Popularity: 21%No comments