On Sunday, September 27th, Stand up 2 Cancer In Second Life relaxes the climax of two weeks of music and fund-raising aright acorss the grid in support of the global efforts of Stand Up 2 Cancer (SU2C).
Organised by Still Braveheart, the event has this years been supported by over 150 artists and more than 40 venues. Since launching on September 12th. an incredible L$2,700,685 has been raised through the concerts and events just through in-world donations alone (the totals raised through the UK and USA team pages still have to be tallied). This means hitting the L$ 3 million total on the last day is entirely possible!
Things will kick-off at 10:00 at LC Live! with the conclusion of the SU2C in SL Date Auction – your chance to go on a 2-hour date with an SL performer, venue owner or personality. I’ve also heard a whisper that there will be a very special auction prize as well, so be sure to be at LC Live!
Bones Writer Performs “Stand Up” – the anthem for Stand Up 2 Cancer in Second Life 2015
The Dirty Grind over Jasmine’s Hollow will be helping to close-out SU2C in SL 2015 on Sunday, September 27th
All donations made during Stand Up 2 Cancer in Second Life will be divided equally between Stand up 2 Cancer’s work in Canada, the UK, and the USA. Those who prefer, can donate directly to Stand Up 2 Cancer in the UK and the USA by visiting the SU2C in SL UK team donation page or the SU2C in SL USA donation page.
Stand Up 2 Cancer provides an innovative approach to ending cancer, which puts funds directly where they are needed: into leading-edge cancer research and treatment, and undertaking aggressive research programmes. 100% of all donations made through SU2C goes directly into funding this work, none is lost to “administrative costs” or put aside for CEO or executive salaries, etc. So you can be sure your donations are going directly to where they can do the most good.
This is a great opportunity to support efforts to bring about an end to cancer. so if you’ve not already done so, don’t forget to hop over to one of the venues and enjoy some great entertainment and support a great cause!
Be sure to visit LC Live! before 10:00 SLT on Sunday, September 27th, 2015, and bid for a date with one of SL top live performers or venue owners!
It’s time to kick-off another week of fabulous story-telling in voice, brought to our virtual lives by the staff and volunteers at the Seanchai Library. As always, all times SLT, and events are held at the Library’s Second Life home at Bradley University, unless otherwise indicated.
Sunday, September 27th
13:30: Tea time at Baker Street
The Valley of Fear, The Strand Magazine, 1915. Illustration by Frank Wiles
“I am inclined to think—” said I.
“I should do so,” Sherlock Holmes remarked impatiently.
I believe that I am one of the most long-suffering of mortals; but I’ll admit that I was annoyed at the sardonic interruption. “Really, Holmes,” said I severely, “you are a little trying at times.”
He was too much absorbed with his own thoughts to give any immediate answer to my remonstrance. He leaned upon his hand, with his untasted breakfast before him, and he stared at the slip of paper which he had just drawn from its envelope. Then he took the envelope itself, held it up to the light, and very carefully studied both the exterior and the flap.
“It is Porlock’s writing,” said he thoughtfully. “I can hardly doubt that it is Porlock’s writing, though I have seen it only twice before. The Greek e with the peculiar top flourish is distinctive. But if it is Porlock, then it must be something of the very first importance.”
He was speaking to himself rather than to me; but my vexation disappeared in the interest which the words awakened.
“Who then is Porlock?” I asked.
“Porlock, Watson, is a nom-de-plume, a mere identification mark; but behind it lies a shifty and evasive personality. In a former letter he frankly informed me that the name was not his own, and defied me ever to trace him among the teeming millions of this great city. Porlock is important, not for himself, but for the great man with whom he is in touch. Picture to yourself the pilot fish with the shark, the jackal with the lion—anything that is insignificant in companionship with what is formidable: not only formidable, Watson, but sinister—in the highest degree sinister. That is where he comes within my purview. You have heard me speak of Professor Moriarty?”
So opens The Valley of Fear, which first appeared in serial form within the pages of The Strand Magazine between 1914 and 1915, before being republished as a full length novel. Set prior to the events of Holmes’ apparent death in The Final Problem, the story serves to explore more sinister activities undertaken as the behest of that criminal mastermind, Professor Moriarty.
Join Caledonia Skytower and Kayden Oconnell as they continue with the second in a 6-part reading of what became the fourth and final Sherlock Holmes novel.
18:00: Selections from Pinocchio
An illustration from 1883 and the original Le avventure di Pinocchio, drawn by Enrico Mazzanti and coloured by Daniel Donna
Caledonia Skytower settles down at Magicland’s Golden Horseshoe to read selected adventures from the famous story of Pinocchio, the wooden puppet who comes to life through the granting of a wish, and who then has various adventures and misadventures along his path of life.
It’s a story we’re all familiar with in one way or another, and probably largely as a result of the 1940 Walt Disney adaptation of the tale, which is rated today as both one of the finest Disney features made, and one of the greatest animated films of all time.
But, how many of us are familiar with the original Adventures of Pinocchio, published in 1883 by author Carlo Collodi? For those all too familiar with Disney’s rendering of the little puppet who wants to be a boy, there is much in the book that is familiar – but also much that is very different.
So – what will Caledonia bring? Pinocchio’s adventures as seen through the eyes of Disney, or as put to paper by Collodi – or perhaps a mix of both? Or will she cast her net wider?
Be at the Golden Horseshoe to find out!
Monday September 28th, 19:00: A Night in the Lonesome October
It is the start of the Haunted Month, and the Seanchai staff are marking the arrival and passage of October with readings of Roger Zelazy’s A Night in the Lonesome October. The latter is the last of Zelazy’s published works, and 31 of its 32 chapters (the first being an introductory chapter) each take place on a night in October.
The book is satirical in nature, and is written in the first person – the narrator being Snuff the dog, the companion of none other than Jack the Ripper. The central theme of the book is that once every few decades, when the moon is full on the night of Halloween, the fabric of reality thins, and doors may be opened between this world and the realm of the Great Old Ones. At this time, men and women with occult knowledge gather at a certain location to engage in The Game – an attempt by some to open the doors, and others to hold them closed. Should the Openers ever win the game, the Great Old Ones will come to Earth, remake it in their own images and enslave or slaughter the human race in the process.
Through the month of October, the Players in the game – all archetypal characters from Victorian Era Gothic fiction – form alliances, make deals, oppose one another, and even kill off opposing Players, until the night of October 31st, when the ritual takes place and the fate of the world is decided. Each Player has his or her familiar, an animal companion with near-human intelligence which helps them complete the numerous preparations required to be ready for the ritual on the final night. The majority of the story describes the interactions and discussions of these animals, as described from Snuff’s viewpoint.
Tuesday September 29th,19:00 The Life and Times of The Thunderbolt Kid
Kayden Oconnell reads from Bill Bryson’s memoirs of his childhood, growing up in Iowa in the 1950s. However, given this is Bill Bryson, these are no ordinary memoirs.
Born into an era when “automobiles and televisions and appliances (not to mention nuclear weapons) grew larger and more numerous with each passing year, and DDT, cigarettes, and the fallout from atmospheric testing were considered harmless or even good for you”, the young Bryson held a daydream typical of so many American youngsters of the time: to be a superhero.
For Bryson, this meant spending time wearing a football jersey emblazoned with a lightning bolt together with a towel for a cape whilst spending time righting imaginary wrongs, overcoming evil-doers, travelling faster than a speeding bullet and leaping tall buildings in a single bound and being known as The Thunderbolt Kid.
And it is through the eyes of this childhood alter ego that Bryson allows us to witness his home and family life as he grew up in 1950s Des Moines.
Wednesday September 30th 19:00: Serafina and the Black Cloak
Caledonia Skytower commences a reading of Robert Beatty’s spooky mystery thriller.
Serafina lives a life of total secrecy. While her father may be the maintenance man for the great house of the Biltmore Estate, the wealthy owners of the estate have no idea that he lives in the basement of the house – and much less that his daughter lives there with him.
Not that this is a problem for Serafina; she is quite at home exploring the great house and its grounds whilst avoiding being seen. There’s certainly no need for her to venture into the great forest beyond the estate, and with which, he father has said, lie many dangers.
But when the children on the estate start vanishing, Serafina is forced to join forces with the young nephew of the Biltmore’s owners, and discover the identity of the one they believe to be behind the disappearances of the other children: the Man in the Black Cloak. But in order to do so, Serafina must enter the forest her father has warned her against; and within that forest lies a deeper secret Serafina must confront: that of her own identity.
Thursday, October 1st
19:00: Patrick’s Path
Caledonia Skytower reads a story from her upcoming volume A Trio of Irish Tales II.
21:00: Seanchai Late Night
With Finn Zeddmore.
—–
Please check with the Seanchai Library SL’s blog for updates and for additions or changes to the week’s schedule. The featured charity for August / September is Water for People, “When one person or one family has clean, accessible water, their lives are changed. But when entire regions and countries have water, the world is changed.”
It’s time to kick-off another week of fabulous story-telling in voice, brought to our virtual lives by the staff and volunteers at the Seanchai Library. As always, all times SLT, and events are held at the Library’s Second Life home at Bradley University, unless otherwise indicated.
Sunday, September 20th 13:30: Tea time at Baker Street
The Valley of Fear, The Strand Magazine, 1915. Illustration by Frank Wiles
“I am inclined to think—” said I.
“I should do so,” Sherlock Holmes remarked impatiently.
I believe that I am one of the most long-suffering of mortals; but I’ll admit that I was annoyed at the sardonic interruption. “Really, Holmes,” said I severely, “you are a little trying at times.”
He was too much absorbed with his own thoughts to give any immediate answer to my remonstrance. He leaned upon his hand, with his untasted breakfast before him, and he stared at the slip of paper which he had just drawn from its envelope. Then he took the envelope itself, held it up to the light, and very carefully studied both the exterior and the flap.
“It is Porlock’s writing,” said he thoughtfully. “I can hardly doubt that it is Porlock’s writing, though I have seen it only twice before. The Greek e with the peculiar top flourish is distinctive. But if it is Porlock, then it must be something of the very first importance.”
He was speaking to himself rather than to me; but my vexation disappeared in the interest which the words awakened.
“Who then is Porlock?” I asked.
“Porlock, Watson, is a nom-de-plume, a mere identification mark; but behind it lies a shifty and evasive personality. In a former letter he frankly informed me that the name was not his own, and defied me ever to trace him among the teeming millions of this great city. Porlock is important, not for himself, but for the great man with whom he is in touch. Picture to yourself the pilot fish with the shark, the jackal with the lion—anything that is insignificant in companionship with what is formidable: not only formidable, Watson, but sinister—in the highest degree sinister. That is where he comes within my purview. You have heard me speak of Professor Moriarty?”
So opens The Valley of Fear, which first appeared in serial form within the pages of The Strand Magazine between 1914 and 1915, before being republished as a full length novel. Set prior to the events of Holmes’ apparent death in The Final Problem, the story serves to explore more sinister activities undertaken as the behest of that criminal mastermind, Professor Moriarty.
Join Caledonia Skytower and Kayden Oconnell as they commence a 6-part reading of what became the fourth and final Sherlock Holmes novel.
Monday September 21st, 19:00: Solis
Gyro Muggins concludes Alfred Angelo Attanasio’s 1994 thought-provoking novel Solis.
What happens when you gamble your own future on the far future, and opt to have your head and brain frozen in the hope that one day, perhaps centuries to come, it – you can be revived?
That’s exactly what Charles Otis decided to do – only things don’t turn out so well. Found discarded but still in a cryonic state, his brain is purchased sans head and installed in a deep space ore carrier as its primary processor.
Until, that is, he is discovered and rescued by those sympathetic to his plight. And so the story takes a turn to matters of the legal status of a disembodied brain, restored for a specific purpose and of unknown origin; paid for, and – at least they would have it – owned by the corporation that purchased the brain, and which has little interest in any past identity the brain might have had.
Tuesday September 22nd,19:00 The Life and Times of The Thunderbolt Kid
Kayden Oconnell reads from Bill Bryson’s memoirs of his childhood, growing up in Iowa in the 1950s. However, given this is Bill Bryson, these are no ordinary memoirs.
Born into an era when “automobiles and televisions and appliances (not to mention nuclear weapons) grew larger and more numerous with each passing year, and DDT, cigarettes, and the fallout from atmospheric testing were considered harmless or even good for you”, the young Bryson held a daydream typical of so many American youngsters of the time: to be a superhero.
For Bryson, this meant spending time wearing a football jersey emblazoned with a lightning bolt together with a towel for a cape whilst spending time righting imaginary wrongs, overcoming evil-doers, travelling faster than a speeding bullet and leaping tall buildings in a single bound and being known as The Thunderbolt Kid.
And it is through the eyes of this childhood alter ego that Bryson allows us to witness his home and family life as he grew up in 1950s Des Moines.
Wednesday September 23rd 19:00: The Penderwicks on Gardam Street
Caledonia Skytower concludes Jeanne Birdsall’s 2014 volume about the Penderwick family, the second in the series.
When the four Penderwick sisters learn that, encouraged by his sister-in-law and the wishes of their late mother, their father is going to start meeting other women, they fear the worst, and so enact the Save Daddy Plan. They set their Dad up with dates he won’t get on with, while he, also not overly convinced of things, goes out on pretend dates.
However, things start to change as the sisters meet and get to know Ben from next door, and his mum, Iantha. Added to the mix the adventures and challenges each of the four sisters face, and it turns out to be quite a series of events and changes for the Penderwicks – one of them very much turning out for the best.
Thursday, September 24th, 19:00 The Banshee’s Comb
With Shandon Loring.
—–
Please check with the Seanchai Library SL’s blog for updates and for additions or changes to the week’s schedule. The featured charity for August / September is Water for People, “When one person or one family has clean, accessible water, their lives are changed. But when entire regions and countries have water, the world is changed.”
Stand up 2 Cancer In Second Life, organised by Still Braveheart, this weekend reaches the half-way mark in a marathon series of concerts and DJ sits taking place at over 40 venues across the grid and which features over 150 artists, performers and DJs.
The events are to raise funds for Stand Up 2 Cancer (SU2C) and their ground-breaking and innovative approach to ending cancer, which puts funds directly where they are needed: into leading-edge cancer research and treatment, and undertaking aggressive research programmes. 100% of all donations made through SU2C goes directly into funding this work, none is lost to “administrative costs” or put aside for CEO or executive salaries, etc.
Since launching on September 12th, Stand Up 2 Cancer in Second Life 2015 has already brought-in donations of almost L$800,000 (approx US $3,200) in the course of its first week through in-world donations alone (people can also donate directly through the SU2C SL Team web pages – see the links at the end of this article), which has been a phenomenal response for SL residents.
The best way to keep fully abreast of SU2C activities in-world is via the Google calender of events and via Still Braveheart’s blog. – and remember, SU2C runs right through until Sunday, September 27th. In the meantime, here’s the weekend’s line up, which may be subject to last-minute changes.
As always, all times SLT. Where a time or venue has ” against it, it means it is the same as the last entry to provide either.
It’s time to kick-off another week of fabulous story-telling in voice, brought to our virtual lives by the staff and volunteers at the Seanchai Library. As always, all times SLT, and events are held at the Library’s Second Life home at Bradley University, unless otherwise indicated.
Sunday, September 13th 18:00: Pinocchio
An 1883 illustration from the original Le avventure di Pinocchio, drawn by Enrico Mazzanti and coloured by Daniel Donna
Caledonia Skytower settles down at Magicland’s Golden Horseshoe to read selected adventures from the famous story of Pinocchio, the wooden puppet who comes to life through the granting of a wish, and who then has various adventures and misadventures along his path of life.
It’s a story we’re all familiar with in one way or another, and probably largely as a result of the 1940 Walt Disney adaptation of the tale, which is rated today as both one of the finest Disney features made, and one of the greatest animated films of all time.
But, how many of us are familiar with the original Adventures of Pinocchio, published in 1883 by author Carlo Collodi? For those all too familiar with Disney’s rendering of the little puppet who wants to be a boy, there is much in the book that is familiar – but also much that is very different.
So – what will Caledonia bring? Pincchio’s adventures as seen through the eyes of Disney, or as put to paper by Collodi – or perhaps a mix of both? Or will she cast her net wider?
What happens when you gamble your own future on the far future, and opt to have your head and brain frozen in the hope that one day, perhaps centuries to come, it – you can be revived?
That’s exactly what Charles Otis decided to do – only things don’t turn out so well. Found discarded but still in a cryonic state, his brain is purchased sans head and installed in a deep space ore carrier as its primary processor.
Until, that is, he is discovered and rescued by those sympathetic to his plight. And so the story takes a turn to matters of the legal status of a disembodied brain, restored for a specific purpose and of unknown origin; paid for, and – at least they would have it – owned by the corporation that purchased the brain, and which has little interest in any past identity the brain might have had.
Tuesday September 15th,19:00 Not That It Matters
AA Milne by Howard Coster, 1926
Corwyn Allen concludes AA Milne’s 1919 collection of humorous essays. Best known for his tales of Wnnie the Pooh, Christopher Robin and the 100 acre Wood, Milne in fact wrote widely in bother fiction and non-fiction.
Here he passes observation on wide range of topics, starting with a reflection upon his own writing, “Sometimes when the printer is waiting for an article which really should have been sent to him the day before, I sit at my desk and wonder if there is any possible subject in the whole world upon which I can possibly find anything to say.”
With considerations ranging from why a gentleman’s collar might squeak, or the fact that Isaiah most certainly didn’t carry a notebook, with assorted thoughts on goldfish and daffodils along the way, this is a book of essays wide-range in topic and content. Some of it may, nigh-on a century since the essays first appeared in this book, appear dated and as solidly dated and trapped forever in the opening decades of the 20th century. Other are perhaps as relevant today in their insights and commentary as they were when freshly written. All of them come with Milne’s familiar humour and jovial observations.
Wednesday September 16th 19:00: The Penderwicks on Gardam Street
Caledonia Skytower opens the pages of Jeanne Birdsall’s 2014 volume about the Penderwick family, the second in the series.
When the four Penderwick sisters learn that, encouraged by his sister-in-law and the wishes of their late mother, their father is going to start meeting other women, they fear the worst, and so enact the Save Daddy Plan. They set their Dad up with dates he won’t get on with, while he, also not overly convinced of things, goes out on pretend dates.
However, things start to change as the sisters meet and get to know Ben from next door, and his mum, Iantha. Added to the mix the adventures and challenges each of the four sisters face, and it turns out to be quite a series of events and changes for the Penderwicks – one of them very much turning out for the best.
Thursday, September 17th
19:00 The Banshee’s Comb
With Shandon Loring.
21:00 Seanchai Late Night
With Finn Zeddmore.
Friday, September 18th Avast! There Be Pirates!
Coming on the eve of International Talk Like a Pirate Day, Seanchai Library brings us a deck full of salty tales of plucky plundering, piratical plots and more! Arrrrrrr!
11:30 Saturday, September 19th, 11:30: Folktales at Seanchai IW
to mark the opening of the new Community Library Estate, and their new Exhibition on Folk Tales. Shandon and Caledonia will tell stories at 11:30 am followed by a Dance Party at Noon.
Please check with the Seanchai Library SL’s blog for updates and for additions or changes to the week’s schedule. The featured charity for August / September is Water for People, “When one person or one family has clean, accessible water, their lives are changed. But when entire regions and countries have water, the world is changed.”
The Giant Record Player at Khanada will be the location for a special celebration at the Duran Duran universe in SL
On Friday, September 11th, Duran Duran, the English rock band out of Birmingham, issued their 14th studio album, Paper Gods. In a career spanning some 36 years. albeit with various line-ups and changes of face and style along the way, the band has enjoyed remarkable longevity.
They’ve also had a long association with Second Life. The Duran Duran Universe was launched by duranduran.com in-world on June 16th 2011, although planning for it goes back to around 2006. It comprises four regions, each with icons from the Band’s long history:
Tlon, an entertainment Island, featuring an eyeball that ‘follows’ the users (“Being Followed“), a Mediterranean Spa and the Cinema Eye
Azizi, an urban style Island, on the lines of a cosmopolitan city which includes the unmistakable Lipstick Tower which has to be explored to be believed
Sanhedralite, the nature island
Khanada, the region where “users can visit each band member’s dressing room (designed by the band members themselves)”.
The Lipstick Tower in Azizi features (among other things) a display of art by SL artist jjccc Coronet
It is to Khanada that attention is being drawn for Saturday, September 12th, when from 13:00 SLT, a celebratory party will take place at the Khanada Giant Record Player. The event is of course organised by the folk responsible for running the regions on the band’s behalf, and no assumptions should be made that members of the band will actually be there. It does, however, give Duran Duran fans the opportunity to get together and mark the launch of Paper Gods.
The dress code is obvious: light pink or light blue (although I’m sure a flamboyant uniform would also be acceptable 🙂 ). Lipstick (for the guys) entirely optional.
and that only leaves me to leave you with the title track from the album.
On Sunday, September 27th, Stand up 2 Cancer In Second Life relaxes the climax of two weeks of music and fund-raising aright acorss the grid in support of the global efforts of Stand Up 2 Cancer (SU2C).
The Dirty Grind over Jasmine’s Hollow will be helping to close-out SU2C in SL 2015 on Sunday, September 27th
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 