An Invitation From The Gay Archipelago

Hello! My name is Garth Raleigh and I am the Lead of the Gay Archipelago in Second Life (fondly referred to as the GA). I'm writing to you today to extend an invitation to YOU to JOIN in the planning and operation of the upcoming LGBT Winter Festival in Second life!

The GA is widely considered to be the leader in the LGBT Community in this virtual platform and, as in past years we're getting set to present the SL Community with a major festival which will be enjoyed by thousands of people - from all over the real world and all over Second Life!

There'll be fun and entertainment for each and every taste; music, shopping; exhibits - and well......whatever YOUR ideas are can become reality. This IS Second Life, after all. ㋡

Like people? Like to make new friends? Enjoy learning new skills? Community-minded? Have talents that you would like to lend to the LGBT Community in Second Life? OR.......Not sure, but you like to be involved somehow?

✩ THIS INVITATION IS FOR YOU!! ✩

I will be hosting an informal 'organizational' gathering this weekend (SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2013 - 12:00pm NOON) at the GA Clubhouse on the GA Coronal Region.

I'm inviting you to come and join the Festival Team Group in one of several areas. Here's a brief summary for you to consider where we have openings:

    ◆  PUBLICITY/PUBLIC RELATIONS & PROMOTION

        ◆  EVENTS PLANNING / MANAGEMENT

            ◆  BUILDINGS & GROUNDS

                ◆  MARKETFAIR MANAGEMENT/OPERATIONS

                    ◆  FESTIVAL SPONSORSHIP COORDINATION

                    

                        ◆  FESTIVAL SIM MANAGEMENT/SECURITY

HOW DO YOU GET INVOLVED? Contact me (or Othon Weiland, GA Publicity Lead) directly with an IM or a notecard and let us know you wish to join in with the creation of this wonderful & traditional event for the LGBT Community - the largest and ONLY LGBT Celebration of its kind in SL.

After we hear from you, we'll make sure you have a nice chair to relax in while we talk, laugh and brainstorm together as a group (we'll pass you the LM too).

Can't make the meeting planned? No worries - there will be more. You are always welcome. Stay in touch!

Be safe. Be Proud!

Garth Raleigh
Lead, Gay Archipelago

Othon Weiland
GA Publicity Lead

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.

From Judas to All His Friends

Judas (a.k.a. Atreyu or Craig Jules, a loved child has many names as the saying goes in Sweden) made me and his other friends this beautiful music video as a friendship gift. I am now sharing it with you all.

The music is Boyce Avenue's cover of "I'll Be There For You" by The Rembrandts.

The Barilla Boycott (Updated)

Poor Guido Barilla, he has had a hell of a long weekend due to his big mouth and airing his thoughtless bigotry.

One would think that chairpersons of large International companies had staffers to coach them and guide them at every step, especially when meeting the media, but somehow it is refreshing to sometimes actually hear one of them speak his honest opinion, even if it is to the detriment of his family and their business.

The guardian.com.uk has this brilliant summary of how it all started going sour for poor Guido on Thursday:

Guido Barilla, who controls the fourth-generation Barilla Group family business with his two brothers, sparked outrage among activists, consumers and some politicians when he said he would not consider using a gay family to advertise Barilla pasta.

"For us the concept of the sacred family remains one of the basic values of the company," he told Italian radio on Wednesday evening. "I would not do it but not out of a lack of respect for homosexuals who have the right to do what they want without bothering others … [but] I don't see things like they do and I think the family that we speak to is a classic family."

Asked what effect he thought his attitude would have on gay consumers of pasta, Barilla said: "Well, if they like our pasta and our message they will eat it; if they don't like it and they don't like what we say they will … eat another."

In response, Aurelio Mancuso, chairman of Equality Italia, accused Barilla of being deliberately provocative. "Accepting the invitation of Barilla's owner to not eat his pasta, we are launching a boycott campaign against all his products," he added.

Although poor Guido, his family and the company have since worked tirelessly trying to rectify his faux pas with a written statement and a video of poor Guido being forced to read the statement (both posted prominently on the company website), these attempts however don't have the same honest ring to them as when he spoke from his heart. They therefore fail miserably in convincing anyone.

Bock in SecondLife recommends all its readers (gays and straight allies) to follow the recommendation of poor Guido Barilla himself and refrain from purchasing any products belonging to that particular group of bigoted misogynists and homophobes. I am joining the Barilla boycott and will certainly not be forcing my pink money on products from a company that doesn't accept me and my kind. The thing I will miss most due to this decision is actually not the pasta, but my preferred "knäckebröd" (the Swedish hard-rye crisp bread) from Wasa.

The brands in the Barilla Group are
Barilla,
Mulino Bianco,
Voiello,
Pavesi,
Academia Barilla,
Wasa,
Harry’s (France and Russia),
Misko (Greece), 

Filiz (Turkey),
Yemina and 

Vesta (Mexico)
---

Update September 30, 2013
Josh Rimer, a Canadian YouTube Marketer, has made a parody of poor Guido's insincere apology. My thanks to Anonymous for informing me about it in the comments to this post.

Trance-Atlantic Goes Pink

Your pink taxi! (SLurl)

The Next Step

The time was exactly 8:10 on a beautiful and sunny Tuesday morning when I suddenly found myself laying full length and facedown on the cobblestones outside the main railway station of Malmö.

I had been hastily making my way from the railway station to my sweet, old, Hungarian doctor's surgery nearby, for one of my regular visits. It is still unclear to me whether I tripped on a curb or slipped, but somehow I had barely prevented myself from smashing my teeth and nose on the ground. I could however taste the dust and grit from the street on my lips.

At first I was simply embarrassed and grumbled to myself in my native tongue "satans, helvetes, förbannade, djävla skit", then slowly I started checking sensations from my body to ascertain its condition. I felt a slight pain from my right hand and and wrist and from my right knee, otherwise everything seemed OK. As onlookers hurried to my assistance and asked how I was doing, I slowly rose to my feet again, dusted myself off, smiled shyly and told them that I had been lucky and everything was fine.

The visit with the doctor was good. I could honestly tell him that I was feeling excellent and that I had not had any mood swings since before the summer. He, in turn, informed me that my observations were corroborated by the results of the blood tests, which apparently showed vast improvements from the lifestyle changes I had made.

However, the beneficial news and my lousy results on a Spirometry test that had been conducted recently, moved him on towards urging me to "take the next step", which of course is the favorite subject of any one from the medical professions when they encounter a smoker, i.e. to quit smoking.

My doctor knows me well enough by now than to try to badger me, so the dear man spoke softly and convincingly with me for about twenty minutes and finally made me agree to "move forward". I have now made a commitment to quit smoking and also have the Champix-medication to help me in doing it, whenever I decide to start the cure. It will be my secret and I am not telling anyone, except a few chosen ones so that they can keep their eyes open to signs of recurring depression and other negative side effects.

Later the same day, after lunch, I began feeling stronger pains from my right wrist, especially if and when I tried any rotating movement, and I also noticed a pronounced swelling of my hand and around the wrist. These problem have continued during the rest of the week, but are now slowly getting better. As I am completely right handed, this at the time being means that I prefer chatting in voice and that my last remaining sexual thrills are totally - albeit temporarily - screwed. Hopefully this will soon pass so I can stop feeling sorry for myself and start the new project in making beneficial changes in my life.

Fantasy Gay Pride 2013, September 27-October 6

From a press release kindly supplied by Garth Raleigh, the lead of Gay Archipelago

Fantasy Gay Pride opens on Friday September 27 and ends on Sunday October 6

Your ride to the Fantasy Gay Pride (SLurl)

Every year a small group of creators get together to create a weeklong celebration of everything LGBT. Their aim is to promote acceptance of all positive sexual orientations and of all genders. All sexualities are very welcome to the festival to raise awareness of these issues worldwide - all on a unique, one time only island, created for this event.

Find your inner Fae! A fantastic and intriguing land with creations and magic never seen before from our very talented fantasy and fae designers.

Come and immerse yourselves in legend and wonder, ancient Archetypes we all hold deep in our psyches... the curious... the strange... the challenging... Our fae nature resonates to these strong and subtle primal earth energies. These ancient powers.

We fight for global LGBT rights - there are still countries where gays are attacked and tortured and being gay is punishable by imprisonment or death. But we are glad the movement for marriage equality is growing and going from strength to strength, as more and more countries embrace and champion it. We will get there, LGBT people will be accepted everywhere - we will demand it as a fundamental human right and have a great deal of fun doing it!

The program of events

*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*
Friday September 27

• 1PM Sim Opening With Wolfgang Glinka - Gay Poet & Novelist 
• 2PM-4PM Celebration Dance at the Castle - DJ Dance with DJ Shay Sunnyside- Princes and Princesses
• HUNT! ongoing Sept 27- Oct 6

*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*
Saturday September 28

• 12PM (noon) Hammerfla Magic
• 1PM "The Fairy Who Loses His Wings" Fairy Show by Whinge & Pluckett (Karalia Halostar & Greville Oh)
• 2pm to 4pm - DJ DANCE (Shay Sunnyside or Starhawk Starostin)

*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*
Sunday September 29

• 12PM (noon) Brendan Shoreland
• 2PM-4PM - DJ DANCE - DJ Lysana Celtic Myths and Legends

*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*
Monday September 30 

• 8AM Wedding of Gog Nirvana and Rian OHanlan
• [no performances]

*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*
Tuesday October 1

• 1PM Wolfgang Glinka - Poetry
• 5 PM Anek Fuchs

*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*
Wednesday October 2

• 7PM "The Fairy Who Loses His Wings" Fairy Show by Whinge & Pluckett (Karalia Halostar & Greville Oh)

*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*
Thursday October 3

• 4PM Anek Fuchs

*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*
Friday October 4

• [no performances]

*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*
Saturday October 5

• 12PM (noon) Hammerfla Magic
• 1PM Key Drammond
• 2PM-4PM - DJ DANCE (Shay Sunnyside or Starhawk Starostin)

*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*
Sunday October 6

• 10AM  Max Kleene
• 11AM Keeba Tammas
• 12PM (noon) Brendan Shoreland
• 2PM-4PM - DJ DANCE- Astoria Luminos "Fairy Tales"