In Memoriam Ebbe Altberg

Yesterday we got the sad news that Ebbe Altberg, a.k.a. Ebbe Linden, had passed away the day before. 

My thoughts and condolences first go to Ebbe's family, friends, and coworkers at Linden Lab in their loss, but also to all residents of SecondLife. 

Ebbe was a game-changer for Secondlife when he came to us as the new CEO of Linden Lab in 2014, especially when it concerns the relationship between the Lindens and us residents. 

Inara Pey has expressed my feelings eloquently and much better than anything I can achieve so I refer you to her blogpost; Living in a Modem World, In Memorian: Ebbe Altberg.

Dej In Memoriam 2020

Ars in Memoriam 2020

Joseph Douglas Wilson Jr., in SecondLife known as Ars Northmead.

★ April 21, 1953 (First life)
★ October 25, 2006 (SecondLife)

† March 12, 2010

Ars Forever, Forever Ars!

Ars In Memoriam 2019

Joseph Douglas Wilson Jr., in SecondLife known as Ars Northmead.

★ April 21, 1953 (First life)
★ October 25, 2006 (SecondLife)

† March 12, 2010

Ars Forever, Forever Ars!

Ars In Memoriam 2018

Joseph Douglas Wilson Jr., in SecondLife also known as Ars Northmead,

★ April 21, 1953 (First life)
★ October 25, 2006 (SecondLife)

† March 12, 2010

"Ars Forever, Forever Ars"

Ars In Memoriam 2017

Joseph Douglas Wilson Jr., 

in SecondLife a.k.a Ars Northmead

★ April 21, 1953 (First life)

★ October 25, 2006 (SecondLife)

† March 12, 2010

9-11 In Memoriam

There was something "spectacular" over the acts of terrorism we all witnessed on live broadcasting on September 11, 2001. Events that usually unfold under the cover of darkness or in remote places were happening before our eyes.

I am guessing most of us, who are old enough, have a vivid memory of where we were and what we were doing when we got the news fifteen years ago.

I had just been released from hospital the day before  and was still on sick leave. My father called on the phone and told me to turn on the TV because there was something going on in America. Swedish television was also broadcasting live.

Just a few seconds after I had turned on the TV-set - and before I understood what was going on - the television screen showed a passenger airplane flying suspiciously low close to the tower that had been hit first. Then I saw the plane steering right into the second tower, flames erupting around the hole that had been caused in the structure halfway up on the building.

 I was baffled, shocked, sad, angry and frightened. After seeing that I remained in front of the television all that day and well into the night to follow the news. There were many speculations concerning the amount of casualties, so once the true numbers were released I was strangely relieved that they were much lower than the initial speculations. 

2,977 people died in the attacks and many more were wounded, it's a scary thought that I could feel relief at such a high toll.  

In my mind's timeline there will always be a before or after 9-11, Everything changed, or at least my outlook on everything changed,

---

I will always remember that day and all the lives that were lost and disrupted. May the dead rest in peace!

In Memory of Utøya and Oslo - July 22, 2011

On this day 77 children, teenagers and adults were massacred by a crazed fascist on a killing rampage in Oslo city centre and on the island of Utøya in Norway.

Remember the victims!

Ars In Memoriam 2016

Joseph Douglas Wilson Jr., 

in SecondLife a.k.a Ars Northmead

★ April 21, 1953 (First life)

★ October 25, 2006 (SecondLife)

† March 12, 2010

Photo: Pencil variation of an original photo by Kent Hutchinson of KH Photography.

Remember the Victims

On this day four years ago a right wing extremist and xenophobe went on a rampage and killing spree in Norway, first killing 8 people in Oslo City center and later killing 69 more, mostly children, on the island of Utøya.

Remember the victims!

Jon Vegard Lervåg, 32, Oslo * Ida Marie Hill, 34, Oslo * Hanne Ekroll Løvlie, 30, Oslo * Tove Åshill Knutsen, 56, Oslo * Hanna M Orvik Endresen, 61, Oslo * Kai Hauge, 32, Oslo * Anne Lise Holter, 51, Våler * Kjersti Berg Sand, 26, Nord-Odal * Karrar Mustafa Qasim, 19, Vestby * Andreas Edvardsen, 18, Sarpsborg * Ronja Søttar Johansen, 17, Vefsn * Emil Okkenhaug, 15, Levanger * Åsta Sofie Helland Dahl, 16, Sortland * Monica Iselin Didriksen, 18, Sund * Rune Havdal, 43, Øvre Eiker * Tore Eikeland, 21, Bergen * Espen Jørgensen, 17, Bodø * Karin Elena Holst, 15, Rana * Aleksander Aas Eriksen, 16, Meråker * Victoria Stenberg, 17, Nes * Ruth Benedicte Vatndal Nilsen, 15, Tønsberg * Isabel Victoria Green Sogn, 17, Oslo * Ida Beathe Rogne, 17, Østre Toten * Elisabeth Trørnnes Lie, 16, Halden * Monica Elisabeth Bøsei, 45, Hole * Håvard Vederhus, 21, Oslo * Carina Borgund, 18, Oslo * Ingrid Berg Heggelund, 18, Ås * Tarald Kuven Mjelde, 18, Osterøy * Porntip Ardam, 21, Oslo * Andrine Bakkene Espeland, 16, Fredrikstad * Torljus Jakobsen Blattmann, 17, Kristiansand * Jamil Rafal Mohamad Jamil, 20, Eigersund * Tina Sukuvara, 18, Vadsø * Fredrik Lund Schjetne, 18, Eidsvoll * Steinar Jessen, 16, Alta * Lejla Selaci, 17, Fredrikstad * Henrik Rasmussen, 18, Hadsel * Thomas Margido Antonsen, 16, Oslo * Mona Abdinur, 18, Oslo * Anders Kristansen, 18, Bardu * Gunnar Linaker, 23, Bardu * Ismail Haji Ahmed, 19, Hamar * Trond Berntsen, 51, Øvre Eiker * Sharidyn Svebakk-Bøhn, 14, Drammen * Silje Merete Fjellbu, 17, Tinn * Hanne A.Balch Fjalestad, 43, Lunner * Bano Abobakar Rashid, 18, Nesodden * Syvert Knudsen, 17, Lyngdal * Diderik Aamodt Olsen, 19, Nesodden * Simon Sæbø, 18, Salangen * Synne Røyneland, 18, Oslo * Birgitte Smetbak, 15, Nøtterøy * Margrethe Bøyum Kløven, 16, Bærum * Even Flugstad Malmedal, 18, Gjøvik * Tamta Lipartelliani, 23, Georgien * Kevin Daae Berland, 15, Askøy * Silje Stamneshagen, 18, Askøy * Hanne Kristine Fridtun, 19, Stryn * Håkon Ødegaard, 17, Trondheim * Sondre Furseth Dale, 17, Haugesund * Henrik André Pedersen, 27, Porsanger * Eivind Hovden, 15, Tokke * Rolf Christopher Johansen Perreau, 25, Trondheim * Sverre Flåte Bjørkavåg, 28, Sula * Eva Kathinka Lütken, 17, Sarpsborg * Maria Maagerø Johannesen, 17, Nøtterøy * Modupe Ellen Awoyemi, 15, Drammen * Lene Maria Bergum, 19, Namsos * Guro Vartdal Håvol, 18, Ørsta * Marianne Sandvik, 16, Stavanger * Andreas Dalby Grønnesby, 17, Stange * Sondre Kjøren, 17, Orkdal * Bendik Rosnæes Ellingsen, 18, Rygge * Gizem Dogan, 17, Trondheim * Snorre Haller, 30, Trondheim * Johannes Buø, 14, Mandal

Ars Forever, Forever Ars!

Joseph Douglas Wilson Jr., 

a.k.a Ars Northmead

★ April 21, 1953 (first life)

★ October 25, 2006 (SecondLife)

† March 12, 2010

Five years have passed since that awful day when my lovely Ars died.

A long time afterwards I actually thought I would never recover from that experience, but - little by little and ever so slowly - I came back to life and finally I could love again. I do so without feeling any guilt and with the knowledge that my Ars would approve.

After all, a new love takes nothing away from an old love, nor does an old one take anything away from the new. Both my loves fill me with joy and happily coexist within my whole being.

Ars will live on as long as there are still people who remember him and love him and I am not planning on dying soon, neither are Guyke or Dej or any of the others who loved and were loved by him.

Photo by KH Photography

Memorial Services for Avacar Bluestar

Avacar Bluestar    ★ September 21, 2010 (SecondLife) - † November 14, 2014

Today, Saturday November 22nd on his birthday @ 3:30 PM SLT, join friends in celebrating the life of our dear friend Avacar Bluestar.

Directly following the service there will be a celebration and remembrance with DJ MissBigRed.

We lost our friend Avacar to complications from heart surgery on November 14th, 2014, we shall celebrate his life and legacy and the music he loved so much. Avacar was a pillar of our community so join us in this celebration

The Rose Garden at Greymyst Estates (SLurl)


Tomorrow, Sunday November 23rd @ 12 PM (noon) SLT, there will be a memorial for jointly Avacar Bluestar and Fabrice Snook.

To the Theater on the Hill (SLurl)

Matthew Shepard In Memoriam

Matthew Wayne "Matt" Shepard (December 1, 1976 – October 12, 1998) was an American student at the University of Wyoming who was beaten, tortured and left to die near Laramie, Wyoming on the night of October 6, 1998, and died six days later at Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado, on October 12, from severe head injuries.

On the night of October 6, 1998, Shepard met Aaron McKinney (then 22), and Russell Henderson (then 21), at the Fireside Lounge in Laramie, Wyoming. It was decided that McKinney and Henderson would give Shepard a ride home. McKinney and Henderson subsequently drove the car to a remote, rural area, and proceeded to rob, pistol-whip, and torture Shepard, tie him to a fence, and leave him to die. According to their court testimony, McKinney and Henderson discovered Shepard's address and intended to steal from his home, as well. Still tied to the fence, Shepard, who was in a coma, was discovered 18 hours later by Aaron Kreifels, a cyclist who initially mistook Shepard for a scarecrow.

The parents of Matthew Shepard talk about the painful memories of their son's death following a vicious gay bashing in October, 1998. He died October 12, 1998.

Judy and Dennis Shepard have become tireless fighters against hate crime. They also reveal why they decided not to pursue the death penalty for the men who murdered their son.

(Sources: Wikipedia & YouTube)

Doug in Memoriam 2014

Joseph Douglas Wilson Jr., a.k.a

Ars Northmead

★ April 21, 1953 (first life)
★ October 25, 2006 (SecondLife)
† March 12, 2010

Remembering Jace

Jace Lewis
★ October 6, 2005 - †March 31 , 2014

Yesterday friends of Jace Lewis were reached by the devastating news that he had passed away on Monday. Today a memorial place for him has been erected at Zeus by his family there.

If you wish to pay your respects this is the landmark to the Jace's memorial (SLurl).

My thoughts at this time go to Jace's family and close friends in first life and SecondLife.

Ars In Memoriam

Joseph Douglas Wilson Jr., in SecondLife better known as the avatar Ars Northmead, passed away peacefully on March 12, 2010, at 8.30 PM SLT. Doug died at hospital in Little Rock, Arkansas, of respiratory failure and complications due to double pneumonia.

In his first life Doug left behind parents, four siblings and their families. In SecondLife Ars left behind me, our son Guyke and Ars´s three brothers Andrey, Dejerrity and Jeb and very many friends. All of us miss him terribly in our lives.

Hey, my darling, I am back to sit and talk with you at Mirromere again. Somehow this is still where I feel closest to you, even if I know you are with me everywhere. The calmness of this place soothes me. 

Its strange really, today is two years since you passed away and sometimes it still feels like it was only two weeks ago. These two years have been rough, but I am doing much better now and am getting increasingly better as time lingers on. Nowadays I can even think of you, talk with you or about you without breaking up - most of the time. Other times are not so good, but those days are farther apart. 

I think a lot about our years together, babe, when I first saw you, when I first heard you laugh, when we first kissed, when we first made love on those damn pose balls that weren't adjusted to our sizes, when you first told me you loved me and I confessed that I had loved you for the longest time and had gotten to love you more every time we met.

I remember how we went looking for our new home together in secrecy. Not telling anyone what we were doing or why we were doing it. The many, many, places we saw before we came to Southern Charm and saw the house on the waterfall and both knew at once that this would have to be it. It felt like home from the start. 

We had many good times, my darling Ars, and they are good to think about now. We had some bad times also, babe, but they never, ever, made us doubt that what was good between us would hold whatever came in our way. I have never been happier than when I have been with you, my Ars, you always made me feel safe, you made me feel clever and you made me feel worthy of your love. 

Did I ever tell you that I sometimes seem to forget what that wild and crazy laughter of yours sounds like? But you always come through for me, and the next night or the night after that I hear it in my dreams and get all warm and fuzzy allover again. Yeah, yeah, we aren't religious any of us but still, that's what actually happens.

Oh Ars, did I tell you today? Yes I know that you know I love you, but did I actually speak it out. Somethings need to be said out loud and repeated as often as it suits you. So whether or not I already told you, I love you so much Ars baby, always and forever.

Rest In Peace, Whitney

"God gave me a voice to sing with, and when you have that, what other gimmick is there?"

Whitney Elizabeth Houston 

August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012

In Memoriam - Ars

Haha Ars, my darling, yeah I do know you really hate boybands, but if you listen to the words you will understand why I thought this song was fitting in the light of recent events. (...and anyway I am feeling mushy and the alternative was Whitney Houston with "I will always love you", so just shut up!)

"No matter what they tell you
No matter what they do
No matter what they teach you
What you believe is true"

Six months is a short time, babe and I still miss you so very much. I always try to think of the happy times though and really I am getting better all the time, so please don´t worry about me!

Oh yeah, I got the message you sent me on monday through your friend Carson Darkstone, thanks for that sweetheart, it reached me when I needed it the most.No, babe, I am not going crazy nor did I find religion, I am just taking the liberty to interpret events as I chose!

Love you always, babe, and thanks for looking out for me!

Forever Ars, forever!
xoxoxo
Bock

9-11

The September 11 attacks (often referred to as September 11th or 9/11) were a series of coordinated suicide attacks by al-Qaeda upon the United States on September 11, 2001. On that morning, 19 al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial passenger jet airliners. The hijackers intentionally crashed two of the airliners into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, killing everyone on board and many others working in the buildings. Both buildings collapsed within two hours, destroying nearby buildings and damaging others. The hijackers crashed a third airliner into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C. The fourth plane crashed into a field near Shanksville in rural Pennsylvania after some of its passengers and flight crew attempted to retake control of the plane, which the hijackers had redirected toward Washington, D.C. There were no survivors from any of the flights.

The death toll of the attacks was 2,996, including the 19 hijackers. The overwhelming majority of casualties were civilians, including nationals of over 70 countries. In addition, there is at least one secondary death – one person was ruled by a medical examiner to have died from lung disease due to exposure to dust from the World Trade Center's collapse.

The United States responded to the attacks by launching the War on Terror: it invaded Afghanistan to depose the Taliban, who had harbored al-Qaeda terrorists. The United States also enacted the USA PATRIOT Act. Many other countries also strengthened their anti-terrorism legislation and expanded law enforcement powers. Some American stock exchanges stayed closed for the rest of the week following the attack and posted enormous losses upon reopening, especially in the airline and insurance industries. The destruction of billions of dollars worth of office space caused serious damage to the economy of Lower Manhattan. (Quote from Wikipedia)

Mourn the dead, celebrate the heroes and start building a new future with tolerance, respect and forgiveness!

We must also always remember that the terrorists are an extremely small minority in any community, religious group or society! In the words of the American president Barack Obama, "We don’t differentiate between them and us. It’s just us."

And yes in the light of this I must - and will - forgive my few enemies and wrongdoers for the petty drama they caused me and for hurting my feelings. I will accept them, I will respect them but I do not need to love them!

....
P.S. Recommended reading on the blog Joe.My.God "That day". A personal eyewitness account.