The #icebucketchallenge

Petr Vanbeeck-Hastings challenged Tomais and me in the ALS #icebucketchallenge. So this is the picture Tomais made of us today.

We challenge Ebbe Altberg, WayneNZ and Holter Rez. The three of you have 24 hours to complete the challenge!

Don't forget to visit the ALS website to learn more about the disease What is ALS? And while you are there please consider making a donation!
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And here is my tweet on the same subject!

@Petr_V challenged @TomaisAshdene and me #icebucketchallenge. We challenge @ebbealtberg, WayneNZ and Holter Rez. pic.twitter.com/QoVIBDfTWx
— Bock McMillan (@BockMcMillan) August 23, 2014

Petr on Pride

The Chair of Second Pride, Petr Hastings-Vanbeeck shares his final thoughts on the past year as an elected member of the board.

Petr also, sadly, discloses that he does not intend to run for re-election in the coming elections.



Read Petr's post Confessions of a Digital Daddy Bear; PRIDE.

Shake It, Petr!

Petr at Pride 2014 - Video Maker

Chairman Petr dons a pearl thong, my Jesters Hat and shows us how it's done!

Don't forget to turn on the music. This is done by passing your cursor over the Kizoa-frame and clicking the loudspeaker.

I have never seen anyone display my wonderful creation in this amazingly defiant and self-confident way, with the obvious exception of myself of course.

Second Pride Hugs, Days 1-3

Tomais Ashdene

Karl Kalchek

Petr Hastings-Vanbeeck

Jak Calcutt

JJ Goodman

Eric Quimby

Come back for more Second Pride hugs, and why not try giving a few yourself!

Random Thoughts

"Hands-To-Hold" by Tomais Ashdene

I started my four week long, glorious and wonderful vacation at 12.00 PM local time today. Well I didn't get away from work until a bit later, but who cares. It's going to be wonderful, just to relax and recuperate and enjoy my two lives. I am also going to try to use this opportunity to get back into a proper blogger mode, I have been slacking in my happiness of being married to Tomais.

The vacation was planned to coincide with the celebration of Second Pride Festival, which starts on Friday, because I so want to enjoy the festivities this year. The board of Second Pride made it despite all the many obstacles we have had along the way. I must confess that there were times I actually didn't believe we would have a festival.

The opening of the festival also coincides with the Swedish celebration of Midsummer. On Midsummer's Eve tomorrow I am taking my old parents to one of my nieces homes to meet the rest of the immediate family to celebrate in the traditional manner, loads of pickled herring, fresh strawberries and snaps. It will be great for them to get out of the house and meet their grandchildren and great grandchildren.

The other day, I was upset when i learned that a ghoul from the past has showed it's ugly head again. One would think that almost a full year would be enough to get over losing an election and move on with ones life, especially since the ghoul himself once told me personally "that he really didn't have time for all this with his important first life studies and the rest of his busy life". But nonetheless, here he is back spewing his ugliness and viciousness on the Internet again. I have decided I do not wish to waste time or energy on him and his small army of supporters anymore.

I have been thinking about the two largest gay organisations in SecondLife, Second Pride and the Gay Archipelago. Mostly I have been wondering about the strange armed peace there seems to be between them. I know the history of course, but so many years have passed by now that there really should be openings for some mutual support and collaboration. I have noted and welcomed the news that Gay Gor, which is a part of the Gay Archipelago, will participate in the festival again this year. (It will be so fun to see them in action again! I really loved it at the last festival.) I have also noted that Petr made a peace gesture by attending the send-off party for Garth Raleigh, the former lead of Gay Archipelago. Other than that I haven't seen any tangible progress in the dealings between the organisations.

"The Dark Knight" by Tomais Ashdene

Yesterday I learned that that The Dark Knight (a.k.a. Batman for those of you who aren't well-versed in Superheroes) has actually had two Robins? The first one left to become "Nightwind" (never heard off) and was replaced by another young man. (Today I was told that there have actually been s-e-v-e-r-a-l Robins, oh my!) That's what you learn from being married to a man like my hubby. That man makes me so happy and calm and safe. Who would have thought that a year ago?

I don't like the fact that my doctor has sent me to get a CT scan to check on my pneumonia. Once the doctors start looking closely, who knows what absolutely unrelated things they may find with their high-tech instruments.

About the Gay Archipelago again, I was saddened to note not long ago that this venerable club of sim-owners seem to have drastically lowered the standards of whom to allow within their circle. The venerable club must believe it can control any damage that could be caused to their reputation from that recruitment by their meetings being completely secret and having none of their dealings exposed to public scrutiny. Let's hope they are not in for a surprise.

A Word from the Chair of Second Pride

With only eleven days until the Second Pride Festival starts I would like to direct my readers to an excellent post by Petr Hastings-Vanbeeck, the Chair of Second Pride, on his blog "Confessions of a Digital Daddy Bear".

Petr Hastings-Vanbeeck's contribution to the Flickr "Stop the Hate" campaign.

The post I suggest you give your special attention is "Second Pride Festival is coming soon" 

Second Pride Festival 2014 - Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DETAILS OF THE NINTH ANNUAL SECOND PRIDE FESTIVAL ANNOUNCED

CELEBRATION SET FOR JUNE 20- JUNE 29 2014

LARGEST EVENT OF ITS KIND IN SECOND LIFE AND VIRTUAL REALITY

Second Pride Headquarters, Second Life – May 20, 2014

Contact: Petr Vanbeeck, 2014 Second Pride Chair
Email: petr.vanbeeck@gmail.com

Second Pride, promoting and supporting the LGBT community in Second Life since 2006, is pleased to announce the ninth annual Second Pride Festival, set for June 20 -29 2014. The festival will showcase LGBT merchants, artists, entertainers and their friends and allies. Festival details and registration information can be found at www.second-pride.com.

Second Pride is the first and largest event of its kind in Second Life and virtual reality. The event, to be held at 3 sims including the Second Pride regions, is eagerly awaited by the Second Life LGBT Community and other Second Life residents who wish to celebrate diversity in all its aspects. Nine days of dance events and other parties will feature Second Life’s top DJ’s and other entertainers.

Petr Vanbeeck, Second Pride Chair, is confident that the 2014 event will be the best Second Pride ever. “The festival will feature a custom designed parade complete with interactive floats and balloons which will be open on a 24 x 7 basis throughout the celebration” says Vanbeeck, “and will include such a major exhibit of virtual art in several formats and in several themes, including Gay Gor”.

Second Pride is pleased to be working with Patron Sponsors: Fire Island, Vanbeeck’s, Twink Nation; Platinum Sponsors: Celebration of Male, Bock in Second Life, Gay Gor Hub; and Gold Sponsor: Starbuck’s Lair Gay BDSM Dungeon. We would like to extend a special thank you to: Fire Island Lifestyle, who are sponsoring the vendor/entertainment sims and our media partner for this event is SL Live Radio (http://black.neostreams.info:8167).

For more information:

Web Site: second-pride.com

Facebook: facebook.com/SecondPride

Twitter: twitter.com/SecondPrideSL

###

Second Pride: Continued Trials and Tribulations (Edited)

This is probably old news for many of you, but as I have failed to report on it earlier I am doing so now.

Andy Long

Jagger Naughton

Last week we saw new changes on the Second Pride board as the board approved the resignations of Co-Chair Andy Long and IT Director Jagger Naughton. Both resignations cited "personal reasons" for this move.

Merrick Genesis

World Undercroft

At the same meeting two other board members, the Events Director Merrick Genesis and the Marketing Director World Undercroft, positions were discussed for "failure to attend meetings for three consecutive sessions without prior permission from the Chairman of the Board". Further discussion will take place at the next meeting when the board may also decide to release them from their positions.

Baz Ceawlin

The board also appointed Baz Ceawlin as new IT Director. As he has previously been a reliable board member we should be hopeful that he will stick with it until the next election.

After this "annus horibilis" with all the coming and going of members of the board, the Second Pride board now, apart from Baz, Merrick and World, consist of these reliable and stalwart people who will hopefully stay with us trough the fast approaching Second Pride festival period.

Petr Hastings Vanbeek, Chairman
a.k.a. "Big Daddy"

Marge Beaumont, Treasurer
a.k.a. "No Nonsense Marge"

Sutry Long, Security Director
a.k.a. "Sutry the Strong"

Karl Kalchek, Community Relations Director
a.k.a. "The Little Helper"

Jak Calcutt, Build Director
a.k.a. "The Best Little Hugger in SecondLife" & "Master Builder Extraordinaire"

P.S. I have corrected this post after receiving some feedback from members of the board.

Out With the Old Leads, In With the New

Together with Tomais and Guyke I payed a visit yesterday to the Gay Archipelago bash to say thanks and good bye to their outgoing Lead Garth Raleigh and PR Lead Othon Weiland and welcoming in the new Lead ricogenu Resident and Parvin (Xcept Atlas).

I, my hubby and Avacar Bluestar

Petr Hastings Vanbeeck, Chairman of Second Pride

Rico, the new lead of GA

Othon, Garth, Parvin and Mitch (Garth's husband)

Guyke at the side of solid and hot DJ Rocky Constantine

When we started feeling cramped and sweaty in our suits Tomais and I decided to go let our balls hang loose  for a while in the constantly balmy breezes at Boystown's Sunday Beach Party with Ryder Yowman and host Lee McKay. The view was exquisite!

Second Pride - Finally A Full Board Again

I have been remiss in my bogging to keep you updated on Second Pride, if you desperately need someone to blame I suggest you speak to Mr. Tomais Ashdene.

However, there was a board meeting last Thursday (which I unfortunately could not attend due to timezone hassles) that presented quite a few interesting developments. If you should wish to read the complete and unadorned minutes please visit the Second Pride website, Meeting Minutes of SP Board Meeting Nov 20, 2013 (url).

Here are my personal reflections on what occurred.

The attending membership was informed that Damian Tar had chosen to resign as Chairperson of the Second Pride board. He was duly thanked for his services to Second Pride.

This news saddened me greatly. Damian has been treated abominably by parts of the gay community, both in the election process and afterwards. He has received countless vicious and unreasonable personal attacks ever since he declared his intention of running for Chair. Damian has not even been granted the common decencies, that are fundamental principles of every democratic society, the right of being considered innocent until proven guilty or the chance to be heard in his own defence. Instead he has been judged, condemned and hung out to dry by the mob in whispering campaigns on social forums with little or no mercy shown.

I have grown to like, respect and admire Damian, but I can also see that in the end the hostility and focus on his person took away his and the boards ability to perform the important work they are elected to do. With the added burden of his sickness it is understandable that he, for his own good and the good of Second Pride, finally decided to step down. Like the board, I wish Damian all the best for the future.

Petr Hasting-Vanbeeck was appointed to replace Damian as chairperson.

Petr is a hardworking, no-nonsense and charming man who is well equipped to handle this position. I trust him and his level headedness to assure that the board's focus now is turned to the business at hand.

Andy Long was appointed to the position of Secretary/Co-Chair. I welcome this appointment also, although I will implore the new secretary to in the future spell my last name correctly, i.e. McMillan with two capital M's.

Sutry Long was appointed to the vacant position of Security Director. I am certain that Sutry will be an asset in the boards continued work.

So we finally have a full board again, lets get some work done people!

IT Director Jagger Naughton informed that Baz Ceawlin had agreed to become his co-chair.

At the meeting Petr then commenced to announce the creation of an ad hoc committee to review the bylaws of Second Pride.The committee is to be co-chaired by board directors Karl Karlchek and Marge Beaumont and include "Doc Spad, Bock Mcmillan (sic!) and one more as yet unnamed committee member".

Second Pride Board Reshuffles

It's been awhile since I was able to attend a Second Pride board meeting, but I follow whats going on closely by reading the agendas and minutes that are posted at the Second Pride website (url).

Lately there have been a few interesting developments that I would like to report for those of you who do not have the time, inclination or patience to read minutes.

Tylo Mabellon (picture), who was elected to the Marketing Chair, has been voted off the board for having missed more than three consecutive regularly scheduled meetings without notification. 

I am hoping that Tylo is well, despite having failed to respond to the questions from the board. He is a pleasant man that worked well as marketing director during the last board.

Merrick Genesis (picture) was voted in to replace Tylo as Marketing Chair at the board's latest meeting on November 13, 2013.

The elected Security Director Gaius Tripsa (picture) was voted off the board at the last meeting for having missed four consecutive regularly scheduled meetings without notification. 

An open call has been made for parties interested in taking over the Security Chair to submit a notecard to the secretary/co-chair Petr Hastings-Vanbeeck as soon as possible. The applications will be posted on the Second Pride website for discussion and comments by the membership.

I don't believe that losing Gaius as a board member is a loss to the board in any way. From what I have observed Gaius has since the elections mostly been destructive and acting as a puppet for the losing faction in the election. He has invariably tried to cause as much havoc and damage as he possibly could whenever or wherever he could, both at meetings and in-between them.

So far two applications have come in and have been posted on the forum. One of the applications is from a European man, Tylendel Falconer, and the other is from an American woman, Sutry Long. As I see it both of them would be qualified and a welcome addition in diversifying the board, whether it be to broaden its geographical base or to improve the gender balance.)

Petr Hastings-Vanbeeck urged the other members of the board to consider appointing co-chairs, so that no-quorum meetings can be avoided in the future. Petr also announced that Andy Long (picture) had agreed to be his Secretary Co-Chair for 2014. 

At the meeting the question was raised on why the board had changed the normal time of the board meetings from Sundays at 11AM to Wednesdays at 7PM. The reply given was that this "is currently (the) time when we can definitely get all the board together to be able to hold a meeting with quorum."

I certainly hope that the board will consider the question of what time to hold its meetings carefully in the future, when they have replaced all the vacancies and non-attendees and also appointed co-chairs, because the new time of the board meeting only accentuates the impression that Second Pride is solely an American affair, which I do not believe is quite the impression the board wishes to convey.

Lazy Sunday

The laird rests while his guardian angels Butch and Guyke watch

Rest and recreation is essential for a man like The Much Honored Bock McMillan, laird of Southern Charm, prince of Cascade Falls and sovereign ruler of The Commonwealth of Southern Enchantment with Outer Territories and UN Protectorates.

Noblesse oblige, so between his laden social calendar, his lairdly duties and his investigative blogging (or being a general busybody as some call it when he doesn't report as they would wish he reported) take a heavy toll on even a strong man.

Yesterday an opportunity for some rest opened up, as the board meeting of Second Pride was not unduly prolonged, although some unsuccessful attempts were made.

The present board of Second Pride (with the exception of Tylo Mabelion), from left
to right Jagger Naughton, Petr Hastings-Vanbeeck, Damian Tar, Gaius Tripsa,
Karl Kalchek, interim build director Jak Calcutt and Hotboy Lockjaw.

The board announced that it had received two applications for the vacant positions as Treasurer and Build Director. It was decided that the candidate statements would be posted on the Second Pride website for membership review and that the board would later vote on the issue at a public meeting on Wednesday night October 2, 2013, at 6PM SLT.

The candidate statements are already posted here: Second Pride; Board Candidate Statements (url).

Although I will not spoil your fun when going there to check out the applicants, I must say that I welcome them both. The two would, in my not so humble opinion, be a tremendous asset for the Second Pride Board in its future work.

Life Is A Cabaret @ Spinners

Yesterday I gave ya'll the prologue, well parts of it, because I said nothing about the many, many hours I spent shaving my face and every nook and cranny of my body. In some hard-to-reach places I even had to beg for assistance by an unnamed hair-remover. But let's forget about those traumatic moments now, suffice it to say that it takes some pain to be pretty.

Guykita, Butchette and the radiant Bocquerelle arrived to the venue on the specified time only to find that we were the only three in full drag, well except for Andy Long and his beautiful husbands, Story and Sutry. Not only that but - to add disaster to discomfort - it turned out there was an alpha layer on the ballroom floor that made Butchette's and my amazing gowns from Paris Metro disappear. "Alpha on alpha, just doesn't work, as every noob knows!", said Butchette (or something to that effect) as we moved on to the stage (which was non-alpha).

Guykita, Butchette & Bocquerelle
Photo by Butch Diavolo 

Butchette looking absolutely divine
Photo by Butch Diavolo

Isn't it amazing what can be accomplished with highlights and lowlights? Just look at Butchette's wonderful bosom, who would think that if you saw him from the side he was as flat chested as he always is.

The radiant Ms Bocquerelle, lairdess of Southern Charm etc.
Photo by Butch Diavolo

Story, Andy & Sutry Long

Kharissa, Pieni & Larz Kas

Poor little Pieni, was threatened by Butchette to be skinned and made into shoes. Brave little Pieni was not frightened by the bully because - as I was told later - "Lol he wuld have been in real trouble then. I has sharp teethies and twelve protective uncles. AND aunties and cousins. Hehe".

After a grueling two hour period eventually more and more people started showing up in the requested attire, although some were still not confident enough.

Former Second Pride Chair Doc Spad with one of our DJ's for the evening Karl Kalchek. 

Ms. Regina Yifu (in a creation she made herself) joined Butchette and me in a dance

Andy Long, the second DJ of the evening, surrounded by wives and a sister

We even had the pleasure of being joined by the renowned SecondLife
performance artist SaveMe Oh for a while (before she was kicked out
for creating lag with her sheep and meadows rezzed all over the ballroom)

Butchette, I and my brother in-law Dej with some of SaveMe's sheep

A dazzling beauty whose name I am afraid I have forgotten.
I am not even sure if she was in drag or is a woman.

Well known party goer, illustrious blogger and curmudgeonly Co-Chair of
Second Pride Petr Hastings-Vanbeeck (someone has to keep the others in line)

Hotboy Lockjaw, our last DJ for the evening, for the occasion dressed as Ms Dolly Parton