Monday 23 February 2009

What Future can Palestine Expect?

by friend of SLLU, Jenny Haston


The recent attacks on Gaza have brought Palestine back into the front pages of the international news. The humanitarian crisis in Gaza, brought on first by a siege lasting months, and much worsened in the last two weeks by air strikes as well as ground incursions, are a terrible crime. Life in Gaza is becoming unliveable. But this is far from the only problem Palestinians face. A ceasefire is urgently necessary, but this cannot be the end of our demands.


The future for Palestine does not look good. At each point in which the PA demonstrate their willingness to compromise and concessions are made, Israel pushes them further, never making any concessions of their own. The apartheid wall, a well known symbol of what the occupation stands for, is still under construction in the West Bank. The large majority of the wall’s route is not on the internationally recognised 1967 border, but a route chosen by Israel which annexes large chunks of crucial Palestinian land, dividing villages and depriving Palestinians of agricultural land they need to survive. Where it is being constructed, land is confiscated, houses demolished, people are separated from their friends, families and jobs in nearby areas which suddenly become inaccessible. Where people demonstrate peacefully against this wall, they are often injured or killed by the Israeli army.


The wall is only the beginning of the story. On the other side of the West Bank, the Jordan Valley is also occupied by the Israeli military and is colonised by settlers. This means the border with Jordan is under Israeli control, leaving Palestine with no passable border that is not controlled by Israel. The catch all excuse of “security reasons” is still used to cover this aspect of the occupation, despite the fact that it Jordan is far from Israel. Between the wall in the west and the occupied Jordan valley are a series of roads for Israelis only. These effectively cut the West Bank up into smaller, more manageable sections. Israel is able to cut off the road links that remain by means of roadblocks, military outposts, settlements and checkpoints.


Settlements are another problem faced by all Palestinians. On one or two occasions, the Israeli government has made a token display of their efforts to evict what they call “unauthorised settlers” – a phrase which ignores the fact that all settlements over the 1967 borders are illegal. The building of settlements continues, and has grown hugely during the years of peace negotiations, despite Israel’s promises to reduce settlements. Their construction is a visible attempt to control the area. The clearest example of this is in the West Bank near to Jerusalem, where the expansion of settlements cuts deeply into the West Bank and destroys the territorial continuity of Palestine in this area. Another example is in Hebron, where a settlement is built in the middle of a Palestinian city. Here, far from the rest of Israel, the worst extremists have formed their outpost. In the past months, there have been fierce riots, especially in Hebron, when Israel evicted a single house of this settlement. The riots extended to Nablus, other areas of the West Bank, and even in the Old City of Jerusalem, involving hundreds of settlers.


Once the wall is completed, to enter any of these West Bank areas, non-citizens will need a second visa. This means it will be very easy for Israel to stop people from going to Palestine altogether. People suspected of being peace activists are already often stopped from entering at the Israeli border. If they were to need a second visa, it would mean many having to find a way of bypassing the wall illegally (as many Palestinians already have to do to find work) in order to get to Palestine. Important international links, such as the international students program I participated in last year with 50 other students, would more or less cease to exist. Essentially Palestine would become a few enclosed areas, isolated and inaccessible, much as Gaza has been in recent years.


The new plans for Palestine also include the development of joint industrial zones throughout the West Bank. International funding for these has been discussed in recent conferences in Paris and Annapolis. These developments are being promoted as a way of developing the Palestinian economy and creating jobs. In reality, they will lead to increased liberalisation and cheap Palestinian labour in these areas. Palestinians already earn only a quarter, on average, of what Israelis earn. The way in which these industrial zones operate means that the only form of labour will be casual day-labour, severely undermining workers organisation and any gains it has made. The involvement of Israel in these joint enterprises will lead to Israel profiting from products which they can claim are Palestinian made when they are exported and sold.


All of this is being carried out through the “peace process”, negotiations that have been continuing for the past 20 years, often involving other nations as well as Israel and Palestine. These negotiations are heavily weighted against Palestinians, who are pressured into huge compromises, while Israel is under no such pressure. Apart from Israel’s own superior military force, they also have the support of the USA, which has never been conditional on Israel meeting their obligations under international law. The US refuses to even speak of the situation as an “occupation”, and whether Republican or Democrat, the government in power has consistently followed a pro-Zionist line. It would take huge popular pressure from Americans to change the governments tactics, and there is little sign of this at the moment. While the EU is more moderate in its language, it still supports Israel. Even when events turn more extreme, the response is mild. While there is some criticism, there is little in the way of action.


The rest of the world has only taken small steps in the direction of helping Palestine. It is crucial for us to recognise the “peace process” for what it is: an attempt to normalise the occupation. This will not lead to a functioning Palestinian state, and therefore cannot lead to a peace that will last. A two state solution will face problems, but if international law is respected and Israel withdraws to the 1967 borders, an important first step will have been taken. For this to happen, a change in policies from America and Europe will need to put pressure on Israel, or at least to stop donating the means for Israel to have such a huge military advantage over every other country in the Middle East.

Add to del.icio.usAdd to Technorati Faves♦ ♦Stumble ThisRedditSlashdot it

Thursday 19 February 2009

Gaza relief convoy - Stop the War Coalition





Add to del.icio.usAdd to Technorati Faves♦ ♦Stumble ThisRedditSlashdot it

Summary - SL Left Unity Feminist Network Meeting 15th February 2009


No topic was decided upon at previous meeting. A few suggestions were considered and we decided to opt for discussing feminism itself :)

To help start things off we watched the video linked to below, entitled 'What is feminism anyways':

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3kk0kRD8C8

We spoke initially about perceptions of feminism and how the word -and it's true meaning - has been appropriated by, for example, right wing groups and is often perceived as a perjorative term.

Everyone in the group then had an opportunity to give insight into their journey/entry into feminism, which included:
discovering a name for something they had always known;
exploring alternatives to what was happening in our own lives;
experiences of inequality and discrimination - often in the workplace;
witnessing what women around us had been through;
dissatisfaction at life and options;
positive family influences;
through educational opportunities;
working in feminist organisations;
anger at injustice

Our words..
"..It was a gradual thing for me. I just realized nothing I was doing was for me and I was unhappy. And just seeing how much every woman I know has been through.."
'..I had to deal with "I can't hire you because you may get married and leave "...'
'..Those kind of things wake you up. I was told that they weren't sure about hiring me, they wanted to know if I had a responsible babysitter..

We spoke for a time about anger and how difficult that can be for women to express and how to try and use it positively. Some of us spoke of our wish not to be angry but to aim to work for consensus and cooperative working.
Some comments from the discussion:
"Anger as a motivator is good. As a modus operandi, it's probably counterproductive"
"i do not think it should be repressed more than anything if it is NOT a temper tantrum but logically and passionately presented"

The positive aspects of feminism in our lives were apparant:
"..powerful feminist role models"
"..I have been a NOW Chapter president for a number of years"
"..Not having to be a doormat.."

Some of us talked about the work we had been involved in as part of the women's movement, in Women's Shelters doing research, organiser for NOW groups, Women's Studies, Rape Crisis Centres.. Others talked of their desire to get more involved in feminist activism.

There was some consideration of how we might use the potential of SL to undertake activism, and utilise the possiblilites allowed by bringing women from all over the world together. It was noted that SL can be used to reinforce positive behaviours and practices, and that there are other social justice groups with whom we can work together. Following on from previous discussions about practical tasks (info kiosks etc) we can do here, we had a group member volunteer to start putting together a vendor with useful information/guides/support etc..

Next meeting Sunday 22nd February at 12 mid-day SL time

Add to del.icio.usAdd to Technorati Faves♦ ♦Stumble ThisRedditSlashdot it

Tuesday 17 February 2009

Women in the Palestinian / Israeli Conflict: An interview with Alexjo Magic.

Date: Saturday, Feb. 21
Time: 12pm SLT
Location: Port Spinoza Wetlands


Introductions: Alexjo Magic Is working on PhD in Women's Studies - on the unheard voices of israeli women in the Israeli - palestinian conflict. She is the founder of the Women in Black in Haifa, and has been a feminist peace activist for over 20 years.

This will begin as an interview and turn into a question / answer session. Aucience members are asked to submit questions in IM, and the moderator will do his/her best to get to all of them.

Come and learn from a first-had witness what the realities are like in this war-torn part of the world.

There may be some music to follow! So stay tuned!

Contact Peace Train group or Siri Vita inworld for further info.

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Spinoza%20South/245/62/22

Add to del.icio.usAdd to Technorati Faves♦ ♦Stumble ThisRedditSlashdot it

Obama series...

Another in our Obama letters/prose/poems series...

I Wanna Obama

I wanna Obama
I know that it is wrong
He belongs to another
People say he is too young for me
That he’ll work all the time
And that he would find out soon enough that
I didn’t even vote for him.

And Stephen would be so pissed off
I know that Jack would tell me that I just being an old fool
Bob? Actually Bob wants him too, but can’t say so
The Liberals would be very mad at him then

But you know what?
I don’t care what any of you think!
Or even if later you will all say
“See, he’s not turned out to the man you thought he was”
Just now
And I feel this very deeply
I wanna Obama
Really I do

Forest Arbizu
Belfry Theatre, November 23, 2008

Add to del.icio.usAdd to Technorati Faves♦ ♦Stumble ThisRedditSlashdot it

Culture novels - a blue print for a future society?

Iain M. Banks - a Scottish author - has written a series of novels based in and around a "socialist" system of the future. Do SLLU members feel this is a society we are headed for? do members feel it is a leap too far? Do members feel it is a system too anarchic to allow?

Thoughts to Plot Tracer/Smoke Wijaya/ Zoe Parness/ Ernest Newman

Notes on the Culture by Iain M. Banks - http://www.cs.bris.ac.uk/~stefan/culture.html

Add to del.icio.usAdd to Technorati Faves♦ ♦Stumble ThisRedditSlashdot it

Wednesday 11 February 2009

SL Left Unity Feminist Network meeting notes...

CLICK ON PHOTO FOR SLURL TO FEMINIST SPACE:


This was the third meeting of the SLLU Feminist Network and again it was really well attended. The topic for discussion was stalking in SL.

Experiences were shared. These ranged from unwanted attention, persistent ‘spying’ from neighbouring parcels, appearing in homes without invitation, fear of alts being created to continue ‘spying’ undetected, attempts to restrict contact with others to threats of distributing rl photos and information.

One issue was the pressure women were sometimes under to give out more information about rl than they were comfortable with including email addresses, skype names and using voice.

There just wasn’t enough time to recount everyone’s experiences.

It was clear however that these experiences were both common place and at times emotionally distressing. Some women have left SL as a result or have ditched their avi and started all over again.

The ‘mechanics’ of SL were discussed. The ability to ‘hide’, be ‘invisible’, track people’s on line status, muting, home security systems, radar systems etc. In some cases bans from sims had worked and in others abuse reports had been used but with little success.

It seemed that the most important factor in dealing with these events was having someone to talk to and being believed. In some cases it was only the intervention of a third party which helped put an end to the stalking activities.

The ‘official’ advice from Linden is to collect evidence, use the Abuse Report System and then avoid and ignore the stalker.

******************************************

The following suggestions were made:-

-a support group for people being stalked
- something that seems more "official"....so and so has sought the intercession of the Feminist Network. We have a report on your actions. You are being asked to cease and desist
- a forum to come and share experiences (and a blog) with personal narratives is also important so as to make it visible and raise awareness
-help in producing abuse reports
-also on the technical side to increse privacy and security of citizens inworld
-join other groups working for increasing 'invisibility'
-writing a post on stalking might be a small but important thing to do
-what if we put together a sort of kit? if we had a kit what should be in it?
-information on how do things like file an abuse report, where to get radar, things like that
-an advice notecard
-a kiosk at some place like orientation island
-tell them that people hang out at the slave silk store....tell them what slave silks are and let them know it's ok to say no and what to do if the person persists with info in a notecard that just said...IT'S OK TO SAY NO ...they may not run into a problem till they've been here a bit. But they might remember that notecard they got

*****************************

So ... we need help with this

Send us anything you think will be useful in a support kit
Send us your stories if you are happy to share them (no names of course)
Send us details of any other support you know about

Come to next Sunday’s meeting, same time (12 noon) same place.

( That reminds me ... can any premium members who could donate tier please contact Plot Tracer... we need this to keep our space here ... thanks)

More info here:-
http://www.selfhelpmagazine.com/phorum/read.php?22,98427,98427#msg-98427
http://secondlife.com/newsletter/2006_05/html/police_blotter.html
http://www.wiredsafety.org/gb/stalking/

*************************************

The meetings are fun too ... not all doom and gloom ....

: hiya :) how's you?
:Got a bad cough :C
: oooh snap
: me too
: coughs germs everywhere
: I have an antivirus programme that takes care of those
: sl seems short of hankies
:There must be sneezing anims?
: It's what we really need to make SL complete. Gestures for illnesses
: skins with spots
: ewww
: I have seen gestures for barfing
: lovely
: someone gave me an apple once
: And you made the fatal mistake of trying it?
: it wasnt pretty
: I bet not. You weren't living with 7 little men at the time, were you?
: I think I may have heard this story . . .
: if only ...i have only found 6 so far :)
: The seventh is under the bed. They always are
: be good if they did some cleaning while they were there
: Well, that's the good thing about them. They collect dustbunnies
: You just need to shake them out the window
: i knew there was a use for men
: always a good way to start a Feminist meeting ...jokes about men :)

And a final PS

A friendly guy was working nearby and kindly moved further away so we could talk in private. He popped back to say goodbye.

Him: hey girls
Us: we're still in a meeting :)
Him: I'm going home...
Him: seeya another time
Him: pretty preety you are...
Him:think .... if you were not feminists
Us: lol
Him: lol
Him: good night
Us: was that a compliment?
Us: I need an eyerolling animation . . .
Him: kisses for all
Us: mind you ...we do all look pretty good ..so he does have a point :)
Us: so we are too pretty to be feminists
Us: I'll work on that. I have an ugly skin somewhere
Us: And big boots
Us: And hairy armpits . . .
Us: You know, the "feminist uniform"
Us: im wearing mine
Us: the boots ...not the arm pits
Us: one has to work to get certain men understand that we're feminists for their sake … that there's something in it for them … like happier women

Add to del.icio.usAdd to Technorati Faves♦ ♦Stumble ThisRedditSlashdot it

Tuesday 10 February 2009

Arab-Israeli Conflict - opinion

from Bugme Diavolo, SLLU activist.

The Arab-Israeli conflict is at a crucial turning point, this is accompanied by a change in strategy, which appears to have occurred on the Israeli side, as manifest recently in the current events in Gaza. A collective strategy of Arab states was more or less in place after the Second World War, and into the Cold War era, however, it seems to have reached a standstill or some claim it does not even exist.
A collective strategy that serves to 'contain' Israel wherein Arab states on the perimeter, and a further outer ring of nations serve as a band was a strategy implemented, if indirectly, since 1948, however, it is apparent that such a ploy cannot be executed today; certain countries have reached normalization with Israel, moreover, from a weak standing, and the IDF's reach extends beyond Israeli borders. The United States' relation to Israel has been outlined in a previous post-albeit partially- however, it is important for any discussion regarding the ongoing conflict. The significance of energy and petroleum in the region is paramount, however, the interest now resolves around the middle eastern and eastern parts of Asia, therefore, going beyond the limits posed by the geography is of strategic significance. In a report that dates back to 1996 titled 'A Clean Break', which calls for Israel to 'rejuvenate its national idea 'and this by 'replacing Israel’s socialist foundations with a more sound footing', because 'no amount of weapons or victories will grant Israel the peace its seeks', but rather 'when Israel is on a sound economic footing, and is free, powerful, and healthy internally, it will no longer simply manage the Arab-Israeli conflict; it will transcend it.' More practically, the report acknowledges the need to/for:
- '....removing Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq'
- '...weakening, containing, and even rolling back Syria'.
- 'peace through strength'.
- 're-establishing the principle of pre-emption'

As it regards the Palestinian conflict, the implications of the call to 'transcend' it altogether, are manifest in the recent strife in Gaza and the ongoing meetings between the representatives of the PLO and Israel's foreign minister. These events are demonstrations of a policy which aims at establishing a status quo which is executed unilaterally, a demonstration of this is provided in the 2005 Disengagement Plan implemented by former Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, and in which eight thousand settlers were evacuated with no bilateral negotiations or arrangements reached. Furthermore, the ongoing talks which were initiated in Annapolis, are not truly negotiations since practically none of the core issues(borders, security arrangements, refugees), have been 'put on the table', meaning they have not even been discussed as Israeli negotiators admit, moreover, Israeli grip on the West Bank has increased. The recent conflict in Gaza also follows the guidelines of the unilateral approach, also what is worthy of attention is invoking NATO into the memorandum of agreement signed by US secretary of state and Israeli foreign minister and the arrival of European leaders to the region, which makes the prospect of a resolution which includes the Palestinian or Arab side even dimmer. Another nascent trend is one undermining the notion of a two-state solution, a demonstration of which is a report for the Washington Institute for Near East Policy which proposes two alternative solutions to the conflict arguing that the parameters for achieving the two-state solution are even less attainable. A further trend is the declining support for a two state solution by the Israeli public, a majority of which supported the idea in the year of 1997(less than a third of the Jewish population supports such a resolution).

Protesting against inhumane or unethical acts of violence cannot rely solely on transitory events or what they invoke, neither should it obscure the broader and complex context, and raising awareness should go beyond stating plain facts that elude people's attention due to the nature of the media, to elucidate the regional developments taking place. These considerations are indeed valid, but even more due to the changing circumstances in the region.

Add to del.icio.usAdd to Technorati Faves♦ ♦Stumble ThisRedditSlashdot it

Monday 9 February 2009

Letter to Obama

Continuing our series of Obama letters from SLLU members. This one is from Green Hawks.

Obama Open letter,

>>>>>Rose Tinted Glasses

Obama is to be sworn in tommorrow! woot :D

There is alot of hope pinned on Obama, some already swept with Obama mania, which is great tho; all should be wary as with all politicians!
In todays age of torture, war & erosion of rights.

"We aren't engaged in any negative protest and in any negative arguments with anybody. We are saying that we are determined to be men. We are determined to be people. We are saying that we are God's children. And that we don't have to live like we are forced to live." -

Martin Luther King


>>>>Obama Oil
Obama has promised to change a number of exective orders issue by Oil man Bush;one being selling a state park in Utah to Oil drilling company.

CNN -Obama may intervene

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Lo7SzRoYHZs


Yahoo AP - Obama Declines to comment

http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2008Nov25/0,4670,NationalParksDrilling,00.html


Actor Robert Redford, a longtime environmental activist, called the lease sale "morally criminal.

Obama has promised to veto many of Bush`s Exective orders, will he act?


>>>>>>>Obamas Appointees

Obama`s Latest Appointee

1. Obama`s Latest Appointee is current Chairman & Bank President of the Federal Reserve Bank Timothy F. Geithner. Democrats are in awe as this is the primary architect of the Bush administration’s response to the financial crisis!

2. In the first major appointment of his administration, President-elect Barack Obama has named as his chief of staff Congressman Rahm Emanuel, a dual Israeli/USA citizen?
Kashkari was a Vice President at Goldman, Sachs & Co. now head of the U,S Treasury

􀀁

>>>>>Goldman Sachs & JP Morgan caused US Economy Meltdown

The tag team of JPMorgan as the monster and Goldman Sachs as its harlot represent a powerful pair that is more responsible for destroying the entire US financial system than 95% of the American public has any awareness. The colossus of JPMorgan is a monster, a predator, nurtured by pond scum. It has gobbled up Chase Manhattan, Manufacturers Hanover, Chemical Bank, Bank One, and more over the past two decades.

http://www.marketoracle.co.uk/Article6826.html


􀀀

>>>>>>>Obamas Men : Important disclosure

Whilst many would like to believe Obama is going to make things better.. there is certain facts about him and his chosen cabinet that now fit in with his career history with the elites.

Webster Tarpley is an Accredited Historian & is a regular authority to History channel and to political world history as well as many books.

Understand today what to expect...

Part 1: The Men Behind Obama : runtime 9:05 mins
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=MouUJNG8f2k&feature=related
Part 2: The Men Behind Obama: runtime 10:05 mins
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=e-KJCMWcoms&feature=related

􀀂

Add to del.icio.usAdd to Technorati Faves♦ ♦Stumble ThisRedditSlashdot it

Sunday 8 February 2009

SLLU's 2nd Birthday Party a great succes!

SLLU's second birthbay party yesterday at the Unity Station was a great success. Our line-up contained several of the best live artists in Second Life; Lyn Carlberg, Russell Eponym, the Virtual Live Band and Maximillion Kleene. From the start on we had a large crowd, continiously pushing the sim to its limits, celebrating SLLU's existence and the skills of the artists. Besides the usual lag and one "hijacked" stream (which got solved by help of people present giving use of their stream), there have been no problems and the event has been a success to the end, where we closed with a fashion show by Aeris Betsen and DJ Jasonx.
Some pictures from the party:

Add to del.icio.usAdd to Technorati Faves♦ ♦Stumble ThisRedditSlashdot it

Saturday 7 February 2009

PAAAARTY! Today!



TODAY!!! 7th Feb 2009
12.45am-1.45pm Unity Stn
Lyn Carlberg
is from Wales, land of song, dragons and druids. He sings and plays a Martin electro-acoustic guitar, and has been performing live in SL since Sept 2007.


1.45pm Unity Station

Russell Eponym (Russell Taylor Ashby) is a British folk singer currently resident in the US. He was one of the first live musicians in Second L ife and has performed in most of the major venues.

3pm Unity Station

Virtual Live Band
are playing at the SLLU Unity Station... a rawking gig on the Left Unity group's second birthday!
Virtual Live Band is a real life band of 4 members from 3 different countries and 4 different locations playing at the venues of Secondlife. They use Ninjam Software to synchronize and stream their music into the Virtual World of Second Life.
Virtual Live Band is the first band of this kind and the only band in Secondlife to work in this way.

4pm Unity Station

Maximillion Kleene
Maximillion Kleene's Fan Group is called Rhythm Collective

Maximillion Kleene is...

Rock/Pop/Alternative solo acoustic stylings, covering well loved
classics to newer, hip stuff and an eclectic mix in between...
-----------------------------------------------------------------
A versatile vocal style, with a full toned acoustic sound...
from soft and melodic to pulsing and energetic
-----------------------------------------------------------------
...a seasoned musician hailing from Niagara Falls, Canada

5pm Unity Station

FASHION SHOW BY AERIS BETSEN - owner of "the Muse"
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Soupault/128/117/23

Details on sllu - we are a left unity group and have been on sl for 2 1/2 years. Our aims and principles are here...
http://slleftunity.blogspot.com/2009/01/for-friend-and-foe-alike.html

Add to del.icio.usAdd to Technorati Faves♦ ♦Stumble ThisRedditSlashdot it

Friday 6 February 2009

Extra SLLU Birthday treat - TODAY!!!


SonicEspaces/09

Wildo Hofmann aka Christine Webster plays UCHUU in SL tonight
The 6th February at midnight in Europe for the SLLU’s Second B-Day Party 09

Where : IN SL : Unity Station Second Life Left U, Oculea (158, 152, 43)
SLURL direct acces : http://slurl.com/secondlife/Oculea/158/152/43/

On the web trough Itunes or Winamp paste the following adress in the "Open stream" field from the "advanced" menu : http://213.251.160.178:9000/live01

new album UCHUU is available on CDbaby.com

Add to del.icio.usAdd to Technorati Faves♦ ♦Stumble ThisRedditSlashdot it

Thursday 5 February 2009

SLLU PARTY - LIVE MUSIC AND MORE THIS SATURDAY!



7/2/09
12.45am-1.45pm Unity Stn
Lyn Carlberg
is from Wales, land of song, dragons and druids. He sings and plays a Martin electro-acoustic guitar, and has been performing live in SL since Sept 2007.


1.45pm Unity Station

Russell Eponym (Russell Taylor Ashby) is a British folk singer currently resident in the US. He was one of the first live musicians in Second L ife and has performed in most of the major venues.

3pm Unity Station

Virtual Live Band
are playing at the SLLU Unity Station... a rawking gig on the Left Unity group's second birthday!
Virtual Live Band is a real life band of 4 members from 3 different countries and 4 different locations playing at the venues of Secondlife. They use Ninjam Software to synchronize and stream their music into the Virtual World of Second Life.
Virtual Live Band is the first band of this kind and the only band in Secondlife to work in this way.

4pm Unity Station

Maximillion Kleene
Maximillion Kleene's Fan Group is called Rhythm Collective

Maximillion Kleene is...

Rock/Pop/Alternative solo acoustic stylings, covering well loved
classics to newer, hip stuff and an eclectic mix in between...
-----------------------------------------------------------------
A versatile vocal style, with a full toned acoustic sound...
from soft and melodic to pulsing and energetic
-----------------------------------------------------------------
...a seasoned musician hailing from Niagara Falls, Canada

5pm Unity Station

FASHION SHOW BY AERIS BETSEN - owner of "the Muse"
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Soupault/128/117/23

Details on sllu - we are a left unity group and have been on sl for 2 1/2 years. Our aims and principles are here...
http://slleftunity.blogspot.com/2009/01/for-friend-and-foe-alike.html

Add to del.icio.usAdd to Technorati Faves♦ ♦Stumble ThisRedditSlashdot it

Wednesday 4 February 2009

Obama Letter, and notes from latest Feminist Network meeting

Dear President Obama

You must know that all around the world there are great expectations that you will deliver the changes you promised and more.
It’s not just that your election signals the end of the Bush years – any Democratic victory would have achieved that – and it’s not only that you are the first black US President – although I don’t under-estimate the significance of this particularly for black Americans.
Your campaign has raised hopes throughout the world.
Hopes that you will lead an end to American false imprisonment, torture and military aggression and unconditional support for the aggressive acts of the state of Israel.
Hopes that you will discourage the demonisation of people of the Islamic faith.
Hopes that you will ensure that American foreign and trade policies do not continue to contribute to death, disease and poverty in many parts of the globe.
Hopes that you join the rest of the world in combating climate change.
Hopes that you will bring peace to the people of Iraq.

I found the assertion made during your campaign that your election somehow proves that any American can achieve their dreams by mere application of hard work difficult to swallow. You know that the existing inequalities and lack of access to basic rights mean that for many of your citizens the so called ‘American dream’ is nothing but a cruel myth.
They don’t even have a basic right to health care!
I appreciate that your priority will be finding a way through the current economic crisis. As you may have guessed I am one of those who remain convinced that the capitalist system is inherently flawed and is being, once again exposed as corrupt, anti-human and to be based on greed rather than on our proven capacity to co-operate with each other for the benefit of all.
However I am not one of those who would wish for life to get worse in order to encourage the desire for change.
I hope that your election and whatever you are able to achieve will prove that engagement in politics can make a difference and that once people embark on that journey .... who knows .... they may want more.
Yours in hope

Zoe Parness




Notes of the meeting of the SLLU Feminist Network on 1st February


This was part two of the discussion on ‘Virtual rape ...fact or fantasy’ and again lots of people came to contribute.

We were given the link to the Women’s Resource Hub where the discussion is also featured

http://womensresourcehub.wetpaint.com/page/SL+Left+Unity+Discussion+Page

This also includes links to Linden’s official policy on this issue (and the interesting subsequent debate). To quote ‘ other depictions of sexual violence including rape, real-life images, avatar portrayals, and other depictions of extreme or graphic violence, and other broadly offensive content are never allowed or tolerated within Second Life.’

One well argued viewpoint was that some of the role play within SL should be viewed within a similar framework to pornography, which contributes to a culture of harm or potential harm and that this was not a moral position but raised concerns about the normalisation and validation of certain attitudes and the impact this can have.

While there seemed to be broad agreement with this view there was also a discussion about women being empowered to develop erotic fantasy and about how far even these fantasies have been determined by unequal power relationships and social conditioning.

The following views were added:-
‘I remember a time when women were not able to freely express their sexual fantasy and to explore erotic stimulation’
‘Yes, it is one of the things I like about SL’
‘I don’t want to see all erotic play defined as pornography’
‘ I think it's important not to impose on a woman’s desire for sexual expression in the name of morality...there is of course a balance to be struck so as to avoid exploitation’
‘I think it's important to have more openness about sexuality and sexual desire: but I also think it's important to reflect on how desires are sometimes shaped’
‘I have never been sure about how far women's sexual fantasy has been governed by a kind of sexual conditioning ...e.g. how far our fantasies are still about pleasing men ... and how far SL might actually be a way of exploring this question further’

***********

We realised that we didn’t really have a working definition on any distinction between pornography and erotic material.
The following were offered:-
‘pornography has more to do with power over a target person whereas eroticism is more mutuality of pleasure’
‘the vast majority of pornography is about a power dynamic’
‘Erotic material is the use of words or images to enhance sexual pleasure while pornography is using similar images but they are primarily for sale and usually exploiting those involved in their production’

***********
The main concerns expressed about the rape role play sims were:-
-That there were no warnings given
-That this activity desensitises those involved
-That there are links between such enactments and rl sexual violence
-It was felt that the mere rating of a sim as ‘mature’ was an inadequate description.

We discussed other possible ways of warning about the content of sims supporting sexual violence and how such a suggestion might be received since it admits that such sims exist and we talked about the impact these activities might have on rl victims of sexual abuse and about how far rape role play reinforced and legitimised
negative attitudes.

The following ideas were generated:-
-A campaign for an in-world rape crisis and counselling service and/or information about existing services
-Sims supporting such activities being required to publicise support perhaps in the form of a kiosk or an automatically dispensed note card
-Linden being required to acknowledge the problem and contribute to support systems
-A conference on these issues (a grant for such a conference has been applied for)
-The need to collect information about resources and landmarks for sources of support

***********

There was further discussion about our responses to sexual slaves appearing in clubs shops etc, the whole Gor thing, going undercover as an ‘investigative reporter’ and bringing these activities into the light of day, the nature of sl marriage, reclaiming the night activity and a discussion about other oppressive behaviour which might take place within a relationship and which may result in intolerable behaviour including stalking activity.

An interesting theme developed on the level of emotional immersion in sl and how differing levels of immersion might colour behaviour and lead to emotionally disturbing encounters.

As well as following up on action and after various suggestions were made about next week’s topic the following was agreed for next Sunday.

'When sl love turns into obsession ... a feminist perspective'

Same time (12 noon)
Same place,
Sunday 8th February

Add to del.icio.usAdd to Technorati Faves♦ ♦Stumble ThisRedditSlashdot it

Tuesday 3 February 2009

SLLU BIRTHDAY PARTY THIS WEEKEND!




our regularly updated webblog is http://www.slleftunity.com


events so far: 7/2/09
12.45am-1.45pm Unity Stn
Lyn Carlberg
is from Wales, land of song, dragons and druids. He sings and plays a Martin electro-acoustic guitar, and has been performing live in SL since Sept 2007. Lyn likes to play a folky style like Paul Simon, Steve Earle, Gordon Lightfoot, Luka Bloom, Eva Cassidy, and loves bluesey-mushy-weepy romantic covers of Clapton, Dylan, Dire Straits, Elvis, and many others. Lyn also sings some traditional Irish and Welsh love songs and a few of his originals.

Check out Lyn's Myspace site:
http://www.myspace.com/lyncarlberg

And listen to some of his music on
http://thesixtyone.com/lync

Videos on Youtube - search for Lyn Carlberg


1.45pm Unity Station
��
Russell Eponym (Russell Taylor Ashby) is a British folk singer currently resident in the US. He was one of the first live musicians in Second L ife and has performed in most of the major venues. Primarily influenced by the British and European folk tradition, Russell has played in bands and ensembles covering many musical genres and as a solo artist and street singer in London, Paris and Vienna.

As a musician, Russell's major influences include Davy Graham, Bert Jansch and John Renbourne. It is not surprising therefore that he is a versatile and accomplished guitarist. His unique sound is characterized by his meticulous fingerpicking style, his soft lulling voice and charming British stage presence. Russell also plays mandolin, banjo and harmonica, though it is as a guitar player that he has become so well known and popular in Second Life.

Russell is also a songwriter and poet and his many fine compositions have become regularly requested at his performances. His songs have an enchanting, lyrical quality and musical flow which have been likened to the sounds of 'summer mountain streams'. His repertoire also contains many songs by other writers such as Donovan, Dylan and Knopfler, but Russell always manages to recreate something in his inimitable style.

Russell also enjoys close contact with his audiences and will often take a few minutes to tell a story or to explain the meanings in a song. He is always articulate and always tasteful in his choice of words.

Russell is the eponymous hero of his own life.

http://www.myspace.com/russelleponym

For free downloads of Russell's recordings please go to:
http://www.thesixtyone.com/ukcowboysinger/collection/all/



3pm Unity Station

Virtual Live Band are playing at the SLLU Unity Station... a rawking gig on the Left Unity group's second birthday! For more information on SLLU go to http://www.slleftunity.com... for more information on the wonderful VLB go to www.myspace.com/virtualliveband and www.virtualliveband.com
Virtual Live Band is a real life band of 4 members from 3 different countries and 4 different locations playing at the venues of Secondlife. They use Ninjam Software to synchronize and stream their music into the Virtual World of Second Life.
Virtual Live Band is the first band of this kind and the only band in Secondlife to work in this way.

VLB
Contact Plot Tracer, Maggy Portello

4pm Unity Station
Maximillion Kleene
Maximillion Kleene's Fan Group is called Rhythm Collective

Maximillion Kleene is...

Rock/Pop/Alternative solo acoustic stylings, covering well loved
classics to newer, hip stuff and an eclectic mix in between...
-----------------------------------------------------------------
A versatile vocal style, with a full toned acoustic sound...
from soft and melodic to pulsing and energetic
-----------------------------------------------------------------
...a seasoned musician hailing from Niagara Falls, Canada
-----------------------------------------------------------------
...is a versatile, all-around rock performer with a sugary sound,
smooth groove, a little punk edge and alot of in-your-face ROCK!
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"is a FUN, PLEASANT, LISTENING EXPERIENCE!"
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"The essence of a song is it's heart and soul"
------------------------------------------------------------------
5pm
FASHION SHOW BY AERIS BETSEN - owner of "the Muse"
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Soupault/128/117/23

Details on sllu - we are a left unity group and have been on sl for 2 1/2 years. Our aims and principles are here...
http://slleftunity.blogspot.com/2009/01/for-friend-and-foe-alike.html

Add to del.icio.usAdd to Technorati Faves♦ ♦Stumble ThisRedditSlashdot it

Monday 2 February 2009

Imagine 20 Jan 2009

by DonJuan Writer


Imagine no Obama,

And no saying, "Yes, you can."

No saviour of hope and duty,

No symbolic man.

Imagine George Bush Junior,

Staying another term...

Seems we've been in the hands of a schemer,

Now it feels the vote has won,

Let's hope this day isn't just bullshit,

And this is something new under the sun.


Imagine a global president,

Saying, "God bless the Earth,"

Doesn't just keep it local,

Projects some human worth,

Imagine all those bailouts,

Tackling human need,

You may say I'm a dreamer,

Now I know I'm not the only one,

Let's hope this day isn't just bullshit,

Because I'm sick to death of the rule of gun.


Stop the fighting!

Add to del.icio.usAdd to Technorati Faves♦ ♦Stumble ThisRedditSlashdot it