Syria, Putin & Shaolin Monks

"Shaolin munks in training", Steve McCurry

I lost focus for awhile there, sorry about that. The madness of this world engulfed me and I lost the drive.

Day after day, week upon week we have heard and seen the news of how the Syrian regime is slaughtering it own people by the hundreds each day and denying the The Red Crescent/The Red Cross permission to go into the Homs area to help the 100 000s that are wounded and lack medical care. All this continues while the world is watching, blocked from any action by the vetoes of the Russian Federation and the Peoples Republic of China.

In Russia we can also follow the maneuverings of the present Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, once and hopeful future president, as he tries to regain the presidency by blatant lies and scare tactics.

About a week ago we saw a staged pro-Putin demonstration in Moscow of 150 000 people, only to hear hours later that the people taking part had either been offered 300 rubles or under threat from their employers that they would lose bonuses or other benefits if they did not take part. Yesterday we were told that an attempt by Chechnyan terrorists to murder Putin had been revealed. Amazingly this attempt had been revealed early in January 2012 but the news did not break until 6 days before the upcoming presidential election.

Don´t we all recognize these actions from not so distant Russian history? Putin is more and more growing into his role of the new "little father" of the Russian people or the new Stalin.

Still there are wonderful things in the world, like shaolin monks, love, music, snowdrops (I saw the first ones today) and SecondLife and many, many other things. I and we must always try to remember that.

Just Because It´s Cute

Dalan Wells (the giant) welcomes his man Brandon Morgan home

I found this on J.M.G and it made me feel better, read the background story USMC Homecoming.

As one of the guys calling himself Rusty, on the factory floor says in the comments: "Because you're not really home until you're in the arms of the one you love."

Cantankerous

I am feeling tired and in a cantankerous mood today, so I have stayed away from most people, my own blog and most of the other blogs too.

However I did go to the Second Pride meeting that was held today, picture above.

My buddy Ziggy Starsmith seems to be in the same mood judging by his post "Happy Sunday" on the subject of Linden Labs last move on the issue of TPV´s (Third Party Viewers). I don´t agree with him, but you should still read it.

Oh by the way Ziggy, congrats on the new computer! 

Phone Scam

I had heard about this scam for awhile, but nothing remotely adventurous ever happens to me so I didn't think more of it.

The guy calling me early this morning spoke broken English in an Indian or Malayan accent and told me he was from a "Microsoft Support partner". I could hear he was in a call-center of sorts because there were many talking around him.

The company had received a warning that my computer had been infected with some really bad virus. I was not to worry though because he was calling to help me remove it from my computer. If I would please start my computer he would help me at once and my computer would be virus free in a few minutes.

I was relieved that I had heard of this scam, so I knew exactly what to do. I thanked him kindly for his amicable offer and told him I had the situation under control. As I said "Goodbye" to him he was shouting at me not to hang up.

If it had been later in the day (phoning before 9 AM on a Saturday morning is criminal. or should be) and I had been more alert I think I would have listened to him and then pretend to start a sex chat with him. I would have begun by telling him he had a sexy voice. Next I would ask what he was wearing and and what his body stats were. After that I would ask him to remove a garment, just for me... etc., etc.

Payback Is A Friend From the Past

I saw this on J.M.G. and felt the need to re-post it.

Isn´t it totally hilarious when old girlfriends remembers ones sins from the past on a social forum as one is  trying to be "holier than thou"?

I cannot help loving Courtney, purely platonic of course as I am not into women... (Clarification I do not want to risk losing  my membership in the Rhino Writers group.)

RL Photo Exhibition & A Colorful Rezday

On Thursday I was invited by tthe gallery owner Aake Roffo to a exhibition opening at his gallery at Yadkin. The exhibition was called "Houses in RL" and featured the first life photography of Kaja Lurra, well known sim landscaper in SecondLife.

I liked the pictures a lot and even bought a beautiful one showing some old beautiful blue tapestry. As I am mostly a people person here are some pictures of the visitors at the exhibition.

My buddy Emarald Harvey and his sweet avantgarde wife Zigadena Gabardini

Party people

Beautiful Svessa Hax  flanked by Aake Roffo and NE0 Timeless

After the gallery opening I had originally planned to retire because I had a early morning meeting in first life on Friday, but Kandinsky Beaumont and Apmel Goosson convinced me I would have time to drop in at a rezday party.

The rezday party was for SaveMe Oh, famous and/or notorious performance artist in SecondLife. She has made her whole public existence inworld into art by behaving rudely and by being obnoxious and cantankerous. Sometimes I find it amusing and am wholeheartedly entertained, at other times not so much.

Apmel and Kandi had been appointed as my caretakers by my little sister Millimina Salamander when she went off on a first life adventure for a couple of days. When I learned this I could not refuse them any more so I crashed the rezday party.

Luckily Apmel had warned me beforehand that it would be colorful, but what I saw when I was teleported in was the most amazingly bright cacophony of colors in all imaginable shapes and forms. It was a veritable bombardment of the visual preceptors (i.e my eyes). Occasionally we would also have shoals of sharks attacking us. I presume the shark is her totem-animal, but I am not sure.

I enjoyed the experience thoroughly but after about half an hour my sight was suffering from an overdose and it was time for me to sneak of to bed.

The rezday girl SaveMe Oh

At Ewa´s Mardi Gras

Tonight I dropped in at my friend Ewa Aska´s Mardi Gras celebration at the Gimli Theater. The event was packed with avatars from Sweden, Norway and everywhere else when I arrived but I had "grey issues" so the pictures I took where pretty useless.

The picture above is from later in the evening, when the crowds had thinned out, and shows me enjoying the music of DJ Peppe, who was a good surprise. He played great slow music that put the couples in a romantic mood, if they weren't there already.

An acquaintance of mine complained "Not all of us have someone to hug!". When I offered him to come to me, he just laughed and teleported out of the place. Imagine... well, better luck next time perhaps...