When SecondLife Sucks

Today was horrible for me in SecondLife. Nothing, absolutely nothing worked.

My inventory didn't load completely, my own profile and everyone else's too went totally blank, teleports didn't work, in short it was a really miserable experience.

I tried all the usual tricks that we old hands use, cleared my caches repeatedly and re-logged about five times, but it still sucked big time. The only thing that did work amazingly - because it usually doesn't - was the Swedish group chat.

Perhaps its caused by all the new stuff my friends at Linden Lab are loading into my world, that I have read about on other blogs but don´t completely understand yet, like mesh and this new sort-of-Facebook-in-SecondLife thing called "My Second Life" (You can read more about "My Second Life" on Nanaki Raymaker´s blog "Rezzed This Way").

Well, I decided to logout of SecondLife and log in to first life a while before going to bed. I am hoping everything will be back to normal tomorrow.

Defender - An Important Democratic Function

 

The renowned Norwegian lawyer Geir Lippestad has been appointed as public defender for Anders Behring Breivik. He has accepted the task, after due deliberation and discussions with his family and friends.

For accepting this appointment Lippestad has received scorn, contempt and even death threats from parts of the general public - and parts of the media as well - who do not seem to understand the important role of a defender in a democratic state and for the rule of law.

In every democratic legal system everyone who commits a crime is considered innocent - at least by the state if not the general public and the media - until proven guilty in a trial.

All democratic legal system also apply the adversary process of trial in which the prosecutor and the defendant (mostly trough his defense lawyer) compete to convince the court (or in some cases the judge or the jury) of the guilt or innocence of the defendant and what a suitable sentence should be according to law.

The prosecutor has the burden of proof, it is the defense lawyers task to see to it that the prosecutor fulfills his task and that the court before passing judgment is made aware of any facts or circumstances that are beneficial for the defendant.

Through this process we try to avoid condemning someone for a crime they have not committed and that we have convincing evidence - beyond a reasonable doubt - when we do find someone guilty of a crime and sentence them to serve an appropriate punishment.

It is always important that we bear in mind that the role of the defender is to defend the alleged criminal, not the crime.

Wonderful and Funny Jeff

Ever since I encountered Jeff Ellsworth's blog and even more so after meeting him at the Second Pride this year, I get the best vibes from this guy.

I highly recommend you make it a habit to check out his blog "Jeff Ellsworth - Witnessing A Second Life" regularly. He is always up to something goofy or hilarious. The best thing is that he often uses his beautiful naked body to make his pictures even more interesting. It always makes me happy to visit on Jeff´s blog - and he chooses the best music to illustrate his latest theme.

The two pictures above are from Jeff´s "Hairy Potter" post, but there is lots of other things to look at, for example "The Geek in the Pink".(picture below).

Who Lights the Stars

Tomorrow there will be a silent moment at 12 PM in Norway and Sweden in memory of the victims on Utøya and in Oslo. Life will somehow go on after the incredible atrocities in Norway.

We must remember there are still good things in life. There is still happiness and love and wonderful children laughing and glorious sunshine and everything that is good in the world. There are still good people that make life worth living.

Listen to Eva Dahlgren ask who lights the stars and who turns the winds. Let her voice help you to start the healing. Let her lift your soul.

Remembering the Massacre

Stavkirken in Second Norway today.

Don´t Forget To Vote

The registered members of Second Pride have from Saturday July 23rd until Saturday July 30th to vote for the Board of Second Pride 2012.

For easy voting first login on the Voting Platorm, then use the links for the different positions that are conveniently provided in the e-mail that has been sent to you from Second Pride.

Bock McMillan says: <---------------------VOTED!

Scandinavia in Mourning

As the dust is starting to settle after the horrific atrocities in Norway yesterday,. We are all more or less in a state of complete shock in the whole of Scandinavia.

Our hearts go out to our grieving brothers and sisters in Norway for the awful massacre that was perpetrated yesterday. We are all watching the news directly transmitted from the Norwegian television NRK and are all in tears and utter dismay.

As far as has been reported so far, this is what happened.

Anders Behring Breivik, 32, an ethnic Norwegian and right wing extremist who is also a Christian fundamentalist and a islamophobic nationalist had a field day yesterday.

It all started with a bomb exploding outside a government building in central Oslo at 3.26 PM on Friday. The explosion killed at least seven people and seriously injured ten others. A tall blond man dressed as a policeman was seen close to the location.

The first reports of the massacre on the island of Utøya, outside Oslo, started coming around 18.25 PM on Friday.

The Norwegian Social Democratic Party´s youth organization was having it´s yearly summer camp on the island and had gathered 560 Norwegian and International youths.

Anders Behring Breivik, dressed in a police uniform, called on the youngsters to gather around him for news about the bombing in Oslo. As they did so he proceeded to start shooting them down, one by one. When the youngsters scattered all over the small island to take cover, and hide or attempting to swim away from the island, Anders Behring Breivik started to seek them out in their hiding places and shoot them execution style, one after the other.

He walked around seeking out his victims and shooting those he found in cold blood for approximately an hour and a half before he could be stopped.

Picture shows Anders Behring Breivik shooting at the beach (Photo by Marus Arnesen, NRK)

The death toll on the island is presently at 85 confirmed dead, but it is expected to increase as there are still many listed as missing.

Anders Behring Breivik was apprehended by The Norwegian Police´s Special Forces. He has been taken into custody and is now being questioned by the police on the events.

Our thoughts and love go out to the murdered and injured, their families and friends and to the whole Norwegian people at this time. This is the worst massacre that has happened in the Nordic countries in modern history and is an attack on democracies everywhere.

We will stand together, side by side, with our Norwegian brothers and sisters, to defend our common beliefs and against the aggression of the right wing extremists, the Christian fundamentalists and the islamophobes and xenophobes.