The SFL Super Bowl Is This Weekend!

Get your tickets for the first SFL Super Bowl!

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Machinima Feature: Second Tribute To JLo "On the Floor" -An EvaDivaSmalls Production

Second Life is full of creativity that mimics the real world.  Here is a great example of how you can even be a Superstar in your favorite music videos!

For more videos like this visit http://www.youtube.com/user/EvaDivaSmalls

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Machinima: Project DIRECT- Oregon Writing Project- The University of Oregon

Learn more about Project DIRECT by visiting their Youtube Channel!

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SL ARTS & LITERATURE: Project DIRECT Builds Vital Connections Between Educators

It is that season when mortar boards soar through the air, and thousands who once were students now declare themselves graduates. On the SL grid, a quieter commencement has taken place as a group of 20 educators from rural schools throughout Oregon (the real one) mark their first year as part of Project DIRECT.

Since November 2010, Second Life has been the major thrust of Project DIRECT (Distance Innovations for Rural Educators using Communication Technologies), a program within the Oregon Writing Project, which is part of University of Oregon’s Center for Advanced Technology in Education. The goal of this program is to enhance the abilities of participating teachers to integrate technology into their practices and their classrooms.     

The picture above only looks like a “kumbaya” circle.  The educators participating in this first class of Project DIRECT quickly turned their once monthly initial commitment into weekly Wednesday sessions of networking and resource sharing.

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Designer Dossier : Mami Jewell / AZUL

Mami Jewell is a well recognised name in the world of fashion in Second Life along with her brand AZUL. AZUL is undoubtedly a personal favourite fashion brand of mine in the formal gown and cocktail dress category. It would be very difficult not to look amazing in one of Mami’s creations.


You couldn’t wish to meet a nicer or more generously natured person than Mami Jewell. I sincerely thank her for taking the time to be interviewed where others have declined. She certainly does not appear to have let her very obvious talent for design go to her head in any way.

Mami came to Second Life in March of 20007 after hearing about it from a Brazilian friend of hers. The opportunity to create something virtually really intrigued her, so here she is. She herself hails from Japan. This lovely lady loves creating in SL and cannot abide any form of drama.

In November 2007 Mami opened her first AZUL store. Deciding she needed some guidance, she was taken under the wing of the wonderfully talented menswear designer, edo Tone, and after 6 months of his tutelage she graduated far more confident of what it is possible to do from a design perspective in SL.

Mami is renowned for the gowns she has designed for a number of the finalists of the Miss Virtual World contest run by The BOSL group , such as Miss Virtual World 2009 Mimmi Boa , three of the finalists for Miss Virtual World 2010 including 1st Runner-up Sora Tatham. Most recently she designed the formal gowns for Miss Virtual World 2011 winner Serene Faith, 1st Runner-up Louise McWinnie, 4th Runner-up Tania Tebaldi and a top 12 finalist Blossoms Sweetwater.

Accolades that have come Mami’s way: at the beginning of 2010 she won the VAIN INC.’s readers’ choice for Best Female Formal Wear of 2010 and more recently she was selected in April 2011 as the BEST FEMALE FASHION DESIGNER in the BOSL AWARDS 2011, plus “-AZUL- Sora” was selected as one of the 20 most beautiful dresses ever designed in Second Life.

Mami concluded our interview by saying “I’d like to thank the many people who have been working for ‘Help Japan’ in SL, and those who have made donations for Japan, particularly those who purchased my items put out to help Japan! As you know, we are still having a hard time because of the earthquake that happened on 3.11 and the ensuing tsunami and problems with the power plant. But we do believe Japan will keep on advancing towards revival. Thank you so much for your help!”

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You Got Served! SL Tennis!

Stacey was long overdue and very happy to find SL Tennis.

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Unity Productions Wows with I WAS WITH HIM

In the summer of 2010, I was lucky to connect with a few wonderful people on Second Life to form the faith-based group Unity Productions [UP]. Since 2010, UP has performed many soaking worships and has taken part in other SL events; they have also performed two well-received productions: Come Away My Beloved and The Creation Story.


Come Away My Beloved



The Creation Story Commercial



But it is UP's latest production, I WAS WITH HIM, that propels them beyond their past productions and moves them into realms not before tried in SL by faith-based groups and organizations.

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Losing weight the Second Life Way

Ok, so we all know that we can do almost everything in SL that we can do in the real world and guess what, that includes losing weight apparently.

In 2009 Celeste DeVaneax the Sr. IT Manager, Support & Deployment and Creative Director of Club One Island, at Club One, one of the premier fitness club networks in California opened Club One Fitness in Second Life.

Why did she do it? According to Celeste “ There are so many barriers to successful weight management, and most of these barriers have nothing to do with the actual biological process of losing or maintaining weight and everything to do with the psychological barriers. These barriers can include feelings of resistance and fear to a multitude of things, real or imagined. All those negative feelings we experience when we think about losing weight, or eating more healthily, or working out, prevent us from getting started or staying motivated, and from being successful. This project goes beyond the usual weight loss tools and activities and addresses those psychological barriers in a virtual environment.”

Celeste is further quoted as saying “The mind does not know the difference between what is real and what is imagined.” Research and experience have proven this to be true time and again. Consider the experience of visiting a beach: the setting sun, the ocean waves, the distant call of sea gulls crying, will change the physical state of most people, generally resulting in a mood of relaxation. Technology has developed to the point of allowing us the option of visiting that relaxing beach every day, just by doing so virtually. I will agree that visiting a virtual beach is not exactly the same experience as visiting a physical beach. However, the mind does not know the difference between what is real and what is imagined, and a virtual beach is close enough to the real thing to cause psychological and physiological changes in the visitor.”

And now it appears that there are some results available from research done on this programme.

Participants in two 12-week weight loss programmes – one real and one online – lost similar amounts of weight.

Indiana University researchers told a conference that confidence and motivation built in the virtual gym continued in normal life. A UK psychologist said mixing online and real world support might work best.

Dr Jeanne Johnston, who led the study which was presented at the American College of Sports Medicine Conference in Denver, worked in partnership with Club One Island to devise a weight loss programme. Overweight and obese people were recruited to take part in either this programme, or a similar programme delivered more conventionally in a face-to-face setting. Both courses involved four hours a week at meetings either in Second Life or the real world.

Most of those taking part were women, with an average age of 46 in the Second Life programme, and 37 in the face-to-face group and over the 12-week period, both groups achieved similar weight loss – losing 10 pounds on average.

However, when the groups were surveyed on whether their overall behaviour had changed, those using Second Life appeared to have made more changes towards healthy eating and physical activity, suggesting that they might fare better in the future.

Dr Johnston said: “It’s counter-intuitive; the idea of being more active in a virtual world, but the activities that they do in a virtual world can carry over into the real world. The virtual world programme was at least as beneficial as the face-to-face programme, and in some ways, more effective. It has the potential to reach people who normally wouldn’t go to a gym or join a programme because of limitations, such as time or discomfort with a fitness centre environment.”

Dr Jeff Breckon, a researcher in exercise psychology at Sheffield Hallam University, said that there might be a role for virtual support of this type. He said: “There is still evidence that one-to-one sessions can lead to successful outcomes. There may be a place for this, perhaps as an adjunct to these sessions, rather than a replacement.”

Club One Fitness Center in SL is a stunning facility. It takes the form of a fully functional RL gym, with all the amenities. It is certainly worth a visit.

So there we have it fine people of SL no excuses now, time to get with the programme and lose those unwanted pounds!!

Location: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Club%20One%20Fitness/139/154/23

If you want further information contact Celestse at cluboneisland@clubone.com

Information taken from: BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation

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HEY YOU! Yea You! You Sexy Mother F*@#%r! It's a Celebration of the hot and bothering kind and YOU are invited- June 7th @ 7. Sponsored by The SL Enquirer & Black Soul Rhythms Radio

 There is no party like a Prince party so be sure to join us for  the Steamiest, most Sexiest Party of the year in celebration of one of Music's most eccentric & influential 80's Icons. 

LOCATION:

SLE's Rooftop Chill Lounge

http://slurl.com/secondlife/San%20Jose%20East1/208/79/42

Entertainment Provided by:

 Marjorie Dibou- "DJ DIBOU" 

BLACK SOUL RHYTHMS INTERNET RADIO

Streaming the Rhythms of Black Music Around the World

website: http://BlackSoulRhythms.com

email: info@BlackSoulRhythms.com

Hosted By

Charity Richez

Attire for this Event:  

Classy Sexy Cool in Purple

Contests

BEST IN PURPLE- 1000L
Doubled to 2000L as of June 7th.

SLE PRIZE DRAWING- 

Enter for a chance to win free advertising, spotlight features and prizes you won't find anywhere else!

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Fashion Quickie for avies with a Passion 4 Fashion- Lanai Jarrico Reporting...

I have been told I am tacky and I have no fashion sense by family members, little kids and even the elderly in real life but for some odd reason peeps always seem to ask wear I shop in Second Life...

Truth be told, I am shamelessly all up in many bargain basements and high end establishments. I am not above a good deal or  mitchmatching couture with freebies, and accessorizing with a pair of shades, bottle of champagne or a newspaper with swat action for anyone who dares cramp my style or insult my sense of fashion.

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