Yosemite Brunch

By Gemma Cleanslate

It is always a treat to get over to Yosemite for any reason, exploring, horseback riding, shopping. Sunday morning I was lucky enough to have time to make it to the brunch that is held on the first Sunday at 10:00 slt. The Coffee Shop is the site for breakfast and is nicely set with a big buffet waiting, Eggs, sausage, pancakes, sandwiches, cappuccino... and other goodies are for the choosing.

There was a roaring fire in the fireplace next to which fleegle Mumblewood was taking a nap. 

Jadyn Firehawk , the owner  invites and says “These meetups are low-key social gatherings with casual conversation and friendly people to meet.“ There is also a campfire meet held on first Friday at 5:00 pm slt to suit the varied timezones and all are invited to both or either.  

There was a nice group of visitors attending the brunch and having conversations that were eclectic. Reference to the weather around the USA, the possible incoming storms next week, and wild fires in California. This led to more conversations about Yosemite and the actual good that wild fires do there in the area of the Sequoias . By clearing the understory it allows new sequoia to grow. Jadyn supplied a few links to view the so called firefall that has a long history at the park. Some who have been to Yosemite talked about their experiences of the sight of the giant trees, the new ones growing and the size of the seeds.. like footballs! The visitors joined in the conversation as they were interested in the topic. It was all very informal. 

Yosemite has also added new 7Seas fishing areas in the region. This whole area of the park is covered by servers.What  a wonderful place to sit in nature or ride a horse or just wander and fish to raise your experience points while enjoying the surroundings. 

Getting around at Yosemite is very easy. There are wonderful TP stations where visitors can choose a location and get there immediately. Visitor guides are available at the TP boards so grab one to keep. It contains all the areas to visit and the landmarks. Stop at the visitor’s center to get an idea of the real Yosemite and pick up lots of information about the wonderful park itself.Jadyn had set up a wonderful display of stones for us to take with  Then choose where you would like to visit. 

This will put you at the new fishing pond at the Visitor Center where you can start your adventure. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Yosemite/134/147/2653 

Gemma Cleanslate

Off the Beaten Track – Two Places to Go to Talk or Meditate

By DrFran Babcock

We all know that being in Second Life is like pouring "Miracle-Gro" ® on your emotions. Things can get intense very quickly. Where do you go when you need to be alone, or to talk it out with someone?

I am going to share two less known places with you. Everyone knows the top romance spots, such as those listed in the Destination Guide (http://secondlife.com/destinations/). There are 59 listings in the Romantic Places section, and if you go to most of them, you will not be alone. If you want an environment that supports dialogue or solitude, come with me. My bias for original mainland will be apparent in this article, but I write so that I can share my bias.

Solitude Bluff (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Kama/88/96/39 ) – an ideal place for two to talk.

One of my oldest friends in Second Life introduced me to Solitude Bluff in 2007. This is not a place with the bells and whistles most of us expect in a virtual world. Instead, you will find two deck chairs, a deck, views of the water in front and in back (it is a bluff), and remarkably not a sculpt or mesh in sight. A few Library plants dot the horizon. This is not a very promising set-up until you need to use it. If you have to have a heart-to-heart, or you want to sit with a friend and console him or her, this is the place to go. Take a deck chair, have your companion take the other, and let the conversation begin. Slowly, subtly, as the sun rises or sets, and you begin to notice the sound of the waves crashing on the shore and the birds chirping, your heartbeat will slow. You will be free to concentrate on typing or talking, and your problems will start to be sorted out.

Solitude Bluff is the work of Lazarus Marat, a resident who joined SL on October 8th, 2005. I have never seen him around in world, nor have I ever gone to Solitude Bluff and found that there were others about. It is where I go when I need to think, to talk to a friend, or just to let the sound of the waves calm me down. Check it out when you need a place where the words you are saying are more important than anything else.

The Caves on Ethereal Teal (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Teal/106/249/21 )

The Second Life color sims came online in 2003, on the original continent of Sansara. Over the past nine years, they have experienced a lot of change. The sim of Teal was originally the site of a large amphitheater where Philip Linden would hold crash-inducing Town Hall meetings that were starting to be phased out when I was rezzed. A resident who has been around since 2004 now administers most of Teal: Jopsy Pendragon. Jopsy oversees the famous Particle Laboratory, and breathtaking Cloud Chateau—a stunning demonstration of what the particle system can do.

In my opinion, the best part about Jopsy is his continued enthusiasm for Second Life demonstrated by his response to my query about the caves on Teal: “…I keep thinking of all the things I still want to do with them.”


I use the caves when I have deep thinking to do. Generally, I go to a portion of the huge caverns from which I can see the waterfall, and sit along the edge of the underground stream. The caves are quite extensive, with lots of glowing crystal-like surprises, and hidden nooks. Of course, exploring with a companion is a great idea as well, but I love the dark and comforting feeling of the caves, the knowledge that I am sitting in the earliest parts of Second Life, and the safety that comes with my belief that they will be around for the years to come.

I realize that there are at least hundreds of thousands of hidden-away spots in Second Life, but I have shared with you two that I know and use. The SL Newser is always interested in your input. If you know of a hidden place (especially on the Mainland) that deserves a mention, please contact me: DrFran Babcock.

Happy exploring, and may you find peace of mind. Visit the Cloud Chateau: A demonstration of the things that particles can do: (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Hina/25/37/748) .

DrFran Babcock

Netera’s Coffee Lounge

I recently checked out a small coffeehouse in Second Life, a little corner of the grid in which people can go to chat, and every Saturday two people are invited by the owner for an interview in front of an audience. This place is Netera’s Coffee Lounge.

Netera Landar is the owner of the Coffee Lounge, “I’ve met so many talented people, its unbelievable. We’ve been doing this for months.” A writer, she had gotten in Second Life at a writers’ guild. She tries to get other writers as guests for her show, but does not always find them receptive, “we get a couple poets sometimes.” She then got the idea of allowing musicians to talk to their fans, about nine out of ten saying yes, “Two a week, back to back, they can share the audience.”

On the Saturday I dropped by, the guests were two David Csiszer and KatRose Serendipity. David sings live on the Grid, guitar and vocals. His entry into virtual worlds was through reading about them off a cereal box. He first checked out a place aimed at children, but looked for others, eventually finding Second Life. He appears at Nantucket, and gave a song for the audience, “I wish I was Superman, I wish I was Peter Pan ...” With someone showing up in a Batman avatar, the song seemed appropriate.

KatRose Serendipity described herself as a “veteran of the music scene” known for “sultry themes.” She had been touring for past ten years, but recently slowing down, appearing mostly in Second Life. She heard about SL through Yahoo chat, where her friends there encouraged her to get on. She was hesitant at first, eventually did, but found it so laggy she put it aside, telling her friends she needed a better computer. A few months later, she returned, a friend helping her set up in the Grid and soon did a performance. The friend also helped her with her appearance, before the help, “I looked like an 8 foot elf.”

The audience close to a dozen to a dozen and a half present. Netera explained “this was a medium-sized audience ... its been much bigger.” She told me she had up to 50 residents with some popular singers. Of the coffeehouse, she explained she put some effort into the the interior decorating “to bring life into the place.” Among the touches were some virtual snacks, such as coffee and donuts to help lighten the mood. The coffee vendor, snacks, and other drinks are to the right of the door going in. To the left is a small reading area, with a few books on the table. in the center is the seating area for the event audience, and in the back of the place is where Netera holds her interviews.

Netera told me long before Second Life, she had been a community leader on AOL for several years, holding a chat for writers. She had also written for a local paper in one of Chicago’s papers for about 20 years, currently the society editor. She had been scared of going on Second Life at first, going to message boards then IMVU looking for friends, her real-life friends always being busy.

Eventually a couple told her about Second Life. She downloaded the program one day, and learned things such as “how to stay dressed.” She had to figure things out on her own, eventually ending up at places like Book World and MilkWood. She spent more time at Book Island, talking to people, listening to Mystery and Native American Writers. It was here she came up with the idea for the coffeehouse.

Following the interviews and the majority of the audience leaving, Netera and I chatted a little about various places in Second Life, Philip Linden’s speech, and other subjects. We talked about the roleplay areas in Second Life, such as Versailles, the roleplayers, “they create their own worlds .... fantasy, historical, ... Western, Gor.” Someone in the audience who stuck around to chat was Janeel Kharg, whom was with Ankh-Morpork, a place in Second Life inspired by Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels.

Netera's Coffee Lounge offers both interesting guests, and after the interviews are over some interesting people in the audience one can chat with. It is located in the Terric sim at (40, 140, 29).

Bixyl Shuftan

Chat at the GOP Cafe

With the upcoming US Congressional elections in the news, I decided to give one of the political sims a visit. So I hopped over to the GOP Cafe, and stumbled upon a meeting just as people were arriving. It was a somewhat small meeting with just several people showing up, but no shortage of opinion.

Among the first subjects was the Republican candidate for governor of New York state, Carl Paladino, talking about his TV commercial campaign, and the incident with a newspaper columnist. Someone brought up that the election was even more important because with the recent census, the voting districts would be redrawn, and “redistricting is influenced by governors.” Although catching up, Paladino was still behind in the polls.

A few felt the Republicans were being a little soft on the Democrat Party, “In peewee football there is a running-up-the-score sort of rule. Don't hurt the losers feelings too much. This isn't peewee football. We need to be hungry until it's over.” “The R's have often played by Marquis of Queensbury rules (strict set of boxing rules).” “Well said ....., we are dumb that way. ... better to stay a gentleman and lose than get down and win. American Politics is a one-sided bar fight. Repubs don't get it.”

They talked some about discussing politics with others, “For the average person, the best thing you can do is expose people to other views, and just help people understand that not everybody's a big lefty. It's amazing how many people hold contrary views but are afraid to share them.”

The “Tea Party” movement got it’s share of discussion, “Frankly we are already slacking off. Except the Tea Party folks.” “The main thing is, (we) need to keep the Tea Party alive past the election. This needs to be not just about getting people elected, but steering the culture.” “That's because for once, it's a big group that's not a political party, but a semi-philosophical party. They're finally treating the gross activities on the left as a moral problem, not a tactical election problem.”

Former President Bush got quite a few swipes, “ ... I sort of gave up on Bush.” “Bush went all squishy, but then he always was a 'progressive' Repub.” “Bush ran on a pretty far left social agenda. He was never going to be a Reagan.” “Look at the increased medical spending. Or the push for the ‘ ownership society,’ or yeah - the refusal to cut back on any kind of social program.” “Bush never vetoed anything for years.”

Bush’s handling of military affairs was also attacked, “A big one, he thought war was a moral issue. ‘ If you choose to make war, you must do it with everything you have’ : Sun Tsu.” “We need to cut our losses and get out.” “Should have canned Rumsfeld after six months, same mistakes MacNamarra made.” “I think war is a moral issue, but you also need moral certainty. You need to be willing to name the enemy - militant theocracy. Instead, he tried to fight a war against a tactic. The War on Terror was like A War on Bullets.” “The essential book, to understand how a war should be fought, is Nothing Less Than Victory, by John Lewis. He's a historian, shows the consistent historic outcomes of wars that have been fought partially, and wars that have been fought relentlessly. In each case, where a war was fought as a half effort, the war lasted longer, more lives were lost, and less change was effected.” “We lost the war.” “Time to pull out. We had our chance but without total war, you can’t win." “ You can, but it's damn difficult and damned expensive.”

But as much heat Bush was given, Clinton was hit harder, “He sold missiles tech to China, and reactors to North Korea.” “We keep forgetting the oath of Office. To protect and defend to Constitution... Clinton and Obama both have violated their oath.”

“Question: Impressions of Christine O'Donnel?” “I can't get excited about Christine.” “I am against anyone who thinks they should run my bedroom.” “Do you really think she'd invade your bedroom?” “No, but she has opinions about my bedroom that she would enforce if she could.” “Nobody gets it right 100% of the time. Tea Party messed up with her.” “She's one of a handful that gives people a useful handle for casting Tea Partiers as crazies or religious zealots.”

Someone thought, “Did everyone hear the Fed is going to undermine the dollar?” “They've already been monetizing the debt for a while. Bernanke said he'd absolutely never do it - and not a month after that, the first run of it.” “Actually, my business is 100% export so I really like the weak dollar.” “When we're so far screwed that we need a million dollar bill, I hope they put Greenspan and Bernanke on it so we can use it for darts.“ “Right now, companies are just doing stock buybacks instead of growing because they're scared pantless about inflation, but have nowhere to put the money.” “Even gold's a worsening bet. Too many buyers, and don't be at all surprised if we see special gold sale taxes start to appear, if not outright controlling ownership as happened under FDR.”

Of adversary countries, “It’s time to realize our enemy isn’t in Afghanistan, it’s China.” “Funny how China is literally colonizing the world, and the Third World applauds.” There was also tough talk about Hugo Chavez, “Chavez is playing out ‘Atlas Shrugged’ in slow motion. They actually had legislation preventing people from changing jobs a few years back!” “And all the middle class has already fled - the don't even have people left who know how to run the oil wells, which are that country's only resource. That's how Iran got involved in the first place. They had to bring in Iranian engineers, under Iranian government control, to run the wells.”

Of Iran’s nuclear plants, someone suggested infecting their computers, “infiltrators can be bribed to deliver comp viruses.” Of North Korea, “The big problem has been all these missiles they have along the southern border, buried in the line of mountains. It's not practical to bomb those out all at once. And they're pretty much all aimed at the South Korean population centers. So any attack starts with the destruction of South Korea.”

The chat lasted a little more than an hour. After that, everyone bid each other well and went their separate ways.

The GOP Cafe is in the Grand Old Party sim, north of the main entrance at Grand Old Party (166, 130, 23). The Cafe chats are every Thursday at 5PM SL time.

Bixyl Shuftan