The first lap of Relay for Life of Second Life (July 18-19)

The first lap of Relay for Life of Second Life (July 18-19) honors cancer survivors and caregivers from around the world.

Survivors and caregivers walk the first lap to put a face to the battle against cancer. They've been on the "front lines" in a battle on cancer, and are here to tell their story.

With around 60 days left until Relay for Life of Second Life, the Survivor/Caregiver Committee has opened registration for the first lap.

For more information on Relay for Life of Second Life, visit relayforlife.org/secondlife.

To register for the 1st lap, please go to that site and click on "Survivor & Caregiver 1st Lap Registration".

Any questions about the first lap or the Survivor/Caregiver Committee, please email dwendooley@gmail.com

We would also like your picture, but we don't have much time left. Harper Montgomery Needs your Pictures! Profile, Real Life…doesn't matter! Send them inworld or to Harperleemontgomery@gmail.com.

The following are the guidelines.

Guidelines for Survivor Photos

1. Must be you. it doesnt matter if its sl you or rl you or pencil drawn you..its just how you would like yoursel represented on the wall for all to see. We do not attatch names to the photos..so please do not send me a picture of your sl mazerati or a plant..unless of course..you choose to wander the sl realm as a ficus tree..then of course..feel free to send me your leafy loveliness. Also..please be sure that the pictures you send me for posting on the wall are P.G. This means no naughty bits or text included. Any photo deemed inappropriate will not be posted on the Survivor Wall.

2. Title the picture "Your Name--Survivor"

for example..mine would say:

Harper Montgomery--Survivor

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New Music - Jay Brannan - In Living Cover

On Tuesday, July 7, Jay Brannan is releasing a new CD, In Living Cover, with covers of such great songs as The Freshman, Blowin' In The Wind, and Zombie as well as some new material. I am hoping to make it to a show in Annapolis, MD, on Thursday, July 9th.



That is the cover of Zombie he did earlier this year at a gig in Ireland. I really love Jay's voice. If you are interested, you can get a free preview at Rhapsody by clicking here.




If I make it to the show, I will be sure to post about it, and hopefully get a picture or two. You can also get more information at his website or visit his online store.

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New Music - Aaron Beaumont - Nothing's Forever (Not Even Goodbye)

OK, this is my oddest find to date - by story, not by talent. The other day, I received a MySpace Friend Request with a little note that said 'I'm one of the ones that, surprisingly, you discover you actually like. At least, that's what everyone else says. :)' Silly, yes, but it worked. I have often either ignored or rejected just such requests, but that made me laugh and so I checked him out - how could I not? And I'll be damned he wasn't right, and his music did interest me.



So, the first thing I noticed was his humor - the note showed me that - and he was cute, and I have already admitted to my shallowness in that area. Yes, he is more adorkable than adorable, but I am good with that. And then there is the music. It is this odd combination of ragtime, pop, string quartet, and a touch of EMO vocals that I just found endearing and charming. Kinda retro, with no real specific period attached, more nostalgic with a dose of today.




The first on my hit parade is a little ditty named Julia, a ragtime-ish number with charm and spirit. He is definitely added to the list of indie boys, and has several videos available on YouTube, all performance based, so not necessarily of the highest quality. His voice has the quality that reminds me of the singers from The Killers or Keane, while singing in a different style. I know, that sounded weird when I typed it as well.



While my description makes him sound all gimmicky, I don't get that impression while listening to all his music. He has a wonderful musicality, a greater understanding of the music - a love for it. The boy knows what he is doing. He goes beyond the 21st century goofball playing ragtime to an artist with his music, be it a rag or flat out pop styling. I really like The Park Bench Song, Any Other Way, and Those Were The Days.



You can listen to his music by clicking on the song titles above, or visiting his MySpace page.

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Spotlight On...OnlyHalfCrazy Gumbo

OnlyHalfCrazy Gumbo (OHC) played recently at the Falling Waters venue, together with her side kick, Heckova Hampster (yes, you read it right...Hampster, I can't make this stuff up!).

OHC is a live singer with a wide selection of songs thanks to the wonders of backtracks. She performs a variety of covers ranging from Rock, to Country, some blues, some showtunes, and jazz, performing tunes by some of her influences in life, such as Pat Benatar, Stevie Nicks, Judy Collins, Linda Ronstadt, The Beatles and Journey, as well as Shania Twain and Sheryl Crow.

One of the most entertaining performers in SL, OHC hams up the show and has a wonderful stage presence. She sings like she's actually alive! lol and definitely from the heart and soul with the signature of her own style. Her set included tunes by Fleetwood Mac, Prince (Purple Rain) and Bonnie Rait. And not to be outdone, the Hampster also sings (no lie!). He belts out his own rendition of George Thoroughgood's Bad to the Bone (watch out George!) and does his share of entertaining the crowd.

OnlyHalfCrazy Gumbo has been singing most of her life. Her genre of specialty varies from Classic Rock and Country with a smattering of Jazz and Blues intermixed.

A quote from her profile: "Sometimes I pretend I have a brain, but really, if you start taking me seriously, you are going to wind up seriously crazy!! Try not to do that, unless of course you are a half crazed groupie, then you've like, already done it!"

OHC is a surprising talent with a beautiful, strong voice and fun personality. Her audience is taken from laughter, to tears and back again. It's always a blast at an OHC show! The goal is FUN and laughter.

If you would like to have OnlyHalfCrazy perform at your venue, just contact her via IM and she’ll get back with you. You can find her myspace at http://www.myspace.com/onlyhalfcrazed or

http://www.soundsfromtheheart.com "if you want more verbose crap."

Shellie Sands

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New Music - SIRPAUL - Objectified

I first came across SIRPAUL on LOGO, and immediately liked the song and video for Do U. First thing I noticed was 'Wow, what a hot guy.' Yes, I can be that shallow. But it was the song that really got me - the driving beat with a certain humor I enjoyed. It drove me to find out more about him, going to MySpace, YouTube, iLike, and the other usual suspects. His particular form of electronica brings a certain rock feel and swagger I really like.



His latest song is Objectified, a driving club dance number about sexual desire. The video is a Matrix-style of quick cuts, computer graphics mixed with the chained and collared SIRPAUL singing about wanting to be objectified. The speed and urgency of the song are captured perfectly in the video. It is off SIRPAUL's recently released collection, Objectified (Deluxe Edition).



Along with Do U, Addicted is another favorite of mine. It is a hot and steamy song, captured well on tape. And there is the defiantly brazen Thrust, with a video that steams up my monitor on each viewing.

You can find more about SIRPAUL at his website, his MySpace, or his YouTube page.

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Worth Another Listen - Led Zeppelin

I love Led Zeppelin, and still listen all the time. My favorite song is Since I've Been Loving You. For me, the combination of Robert Plant and Jimmy Page were as close as I could get to a wet dream. They were my original Rock Gods.



Yes, they were the ones who started me on the dirty Brit boy kick, and it hasn't really abated. Even now, Robert Plant does things to me. He might be older, might weigh a little more, but when he sings, I get crazy. He recently did a CD with the queen of Bluegrass, Allison Krauss, called Raising The Sand,and it is spectacular. Check out Gone Gone Gone and Please Read The Letter.



Led Zeppelin loved to infuse blues and soul into their music. Robert's voice was made for the music they played, a perfect compliment to Jimmy's raging guitar. Listening to them makes me happy.



Rock Gods, I tell you.

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Cisco Live 2009

Knowledge is power.
This familiar adage has never been truer than it is today: in difficult economic times, it is knowledge that sets individuals and organizations apart. Knowledge is the differentiator that enables survival during the economic downturn and positions you for success when the economy rebounds.
Late Tuesday afternoon/evening I had the pleasure from a dear friend to be invited an event a first of its kind I had the pleasure of coming across in Second Life. The event was held at the Cisco Live Sim.
The name 'Cisco' is a company is real life company ( California based) one of the leaders in the information tech fields worldwide.
Cisco Live 2009 is a real life event that current runs from 6/27-7/2 this year being held in San Francisco Califonia. In addition to the real life events ongoing at the conference this year alongside the conference a virtual world aspect was introduced and brought into Second Life. After speaking with Tawni Ciscosystem, who works in the marketing department, here are some key points that have been introduced this year to the Cisco Live 2009 event.
The keynote speeches during the day are currently being streamed into Second Life to the Cisco Live Sim, there are various tech sessions held within Second Life with for various programmers and engineers and system admin specialists during the business day with various events to relax at the end of the work day.
If you work in the IT field you have the option to attend the conference in person In San Fran or the option to take part via Second Life Cisco Live 2009.
This event gives an employee a chance to make friends and enhance their skills, share and exchange information addressing problems that may arise in a real world setting.
For a major fortune 100 company to embrace Second Life as a business platform is a very creative move on their part, dont be surprised when you see more and business start to take roots and grow within Second Life.
If you have any knowledge of computers and networking and various equipment the name Cisco should ring a bell to you.

Taryn Gartner reporting from CISCO live in secondife

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