L'amour Diversity Magazine Iss 9 Dec 2016 by Ava Jhamin

ISSUE 9, DECEMBER 2016

Celebrating uniqueness not trends!

y t i s r e v i D t a f f a t S e From Th

Dani Plassitz May 7, 1971 - December 13, 2016

With the Angels

Sometimes in life, RL and SL, you are lucky enough to meet kind, gracious and fun people that weave their way into your heart…Dani Plassitz for me was one of those people. I have known Dani Plassitz, an Avi Choice Award Nominated Designer for formal wear and Avi Nominated Live Performer, for five years, and my life, in both lives is richer for this. Dani passed away suddenly on December 13, 2016. I spoke with her on December 11 and was lucky

enough to preview the gorgeous gown she was making for MVW UK, and then we talked about cookies and baking. Dani was not only a talented designer and performer in SL, she could cook and would often make me hungry looking at the beautiful cakes and cookies she baked. I always thanked her that I did not live close by! Dani studied textiles and fashion and brought her incredible talents

to SL creating an iconic store that epitomized beauty. She was a thoughtful designer and worked hard to keep up with the latest fashion trends and the most recent SL upgrades like mesh bodies. Unlike some designers in SL, Dani was not stuck on just one design style, each of her creations was unique and different and showed the same care to details that many designers miss. Dani had an eagle eye for detail and texturing. Dani was a very multifaceted woman. Some of us are born really talented. Not only could Dani design and

bake, but she truly had the voice of an angel. She has been dubbed as the “Kate Bush” of SL. Her voice is melodic and beautiful like those of Faith Hill, Carole King, Carly Simon all rolled up into one incredibly sweet woman. She had no problems hitting notes and was a gracious performer that interacted with her audience. She will truly be missed by so many on Second Life, and she was truly a woman who showed us all how to live life to the fullest and never take anything for granted. —Sita Writer

Rest In Peace Our Second Life Angel Sometimes the Lord puts Angels here on earth. Thank you Lord for Dani Plassitz. Everyone on the grid and especially in the fashion industry knew Dani. I know there will be many memorials and services for her both in the fashion and live music industries. Dani was someone that was just “Good” inside and out....I am honored to have known her in the industry and to call her my friend. I will be doing another tribute to Dani in the L’Amour Diversity February issue.

If anyone would like to speak about her, please send to Ava Jhamin on a notecard with your name with the text “Tribute to Dani Plassitz” on the notecard. I know that Dani is leading the worship and singing her heart out in heaven. Rest in peace sweet woman and know that you truly were a blessing and very loved in Second Life. My humble condolences to Dani’s husband, the rock of her life. Also to all her real life family, our prayers are with you. —Ava Jhamin

Publisher/Editor’s Note

It is a very exciting time for L’Amour right now. With all that is L’Amour going very strong and during a time when a lot of people will look back on the year and count there blessings. I want to reflect first and foremost on the blessings that I have. I am blessed with an amazing staff in all the companies of L’Amour. I am blessed with amazing friends and family that I wouldn’t trade for anything. I am blessed with training some very amazing models who I know will go out there and kick ass. I have been blessed once again to have people believe in my work that I was voted for the third straight year for

Issue 9, December 2016 | L’Amour Diversity Magazine

an Avi Choice for L’Amour University of Fashion, L’Amour Productions, and L’Amour Diversity Magazine. I am honored to have been nominated, as I know how hard we all work on everything that we do and accomplish within all that is L’Amour. But I do want to acknowledge the people that took the time to nominate L’Amour. Thank you. It’s been a very busy time also because, YAY AND STUFF, MMI is about to start. This will be the third year for L’Amour Mr. & Miss Model International. I have also been blessed with amazing human beings representing L’Amour as the Ambassadors of L’Amour and L’Amour MMI. I am very excited to

see what 2017 bring for MMI, the one of a kind competition that is all about the contestants representing who they are.

Celebrating uniqueness not trends! ISSUE 9, DECEMBER 2016 STAFF

I am also very excited about some of the other stories for our December issue. We have stories such as Christmas Cards From Around the World, an editorial piece with the wonderful Models of Diversity and the amazing designs of both Shoenique and J&W Jewelry who came together to start an amazing empire. Be sure to read The Joy of Trees featuring Christmas tree styles of SL; the outcome of the US Presidential Election as told by the people on the grid; the fundraising totals from Models Giving Back that includes Cirque De L’Amour fundraising efforts, a Project Bento update and much, much more. Don’t forget to join ISSUU and follow and like L’Amour Diversity Magazine. Also visit lamourproductions.org to stay up-to-date with all that is L’Amour.

n i m a h J a Av Ava Jhamin CEO Publisher/Editor L’Amour Diversity Magazine

PUBLISHER/EDITOR Ava Jhamin CREATIVE DIRECTOR Jena Adder FASHION EDITOR Trinity Aironaut WRITERS Ahn Avion, Ava Jhamin, Jena Adder, Queen MaiaCer Lysette, Rhiannon Colclough, Sita Writer PHOTOGRAPHERS Alex Avion, Ava Jhamin Resmay Bloodstorm-Coba, Trinity Aironaut DIVERSITY MODELS Ava Jhamin, Ahn Avion, Alex Avion, Bai Nigtfire, Cyberdawg Foxclaw, Jena Adder, Rienna Rieko, Resmay BloodstormCoba, Sita Writer, Tony Lee Desrosiers, Trinity Aironaut, VanessaDelRio Underwood, Vichonette Constantine ON THE COVER Rhiannon Colclough, Bai Nightfire Resmay Bloodstorm, Ava Jhamin. Photographed by Trinity Aironaut. The views and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Publisher. ©2016 L’Amour Productions. All rights reserved. Second Life® is a registered trademark of Linden Research, Inc.

L’Amour Diversity Magazine | Issue 9, December 2016

Contents

12 Mr. & Miss Model International 2017 A Retrospect on the MMI Competition

by Ava Jhamin.

20 Spotlight - J&W & Shoenique Designs The Magical Merge of Ellie Monk

and Wenadrenia Soderstrom. Learn about their incredible business partnership and friendship.

24 Holiday Special Feature Christmas Cards from Around the World. Holiday pictorial featuring Diversity models wearing J&W and Shoenique Designs. 46

Christmas Around the World - Read how our friends around the world celebrate Christmas.

The Joy of Trees - Find some of the most beautiful Christmas trees on SL.

66 Community - US Presidential Results The Results Through The Eyes of

the People!! For & Why?

Word from Model’s Giving Back - Results Jamee Sandalwood shares the final tally, including results from Cirque de L’Amour.

Issue 9, December 2016 | L’Amour Diversity Magazine

74 Arts & Entertainment - The Lesbian Tea House Maia Mimulus gives us insight into

the popular club for women.

82 When Art Becomes Fashion by Ava Jhamin. Sabine Mortenwold and Honey Bender talk about their recent exhibit at Galeria Mexico.

94 Fashion - Boo-T-Full B. Barbie Style Show Rhiannon Colclough recaps the scary and fun

B. Barbie Style Show by L’Amour.

102

32nd PAZZO Style Challenge Winner.

106

FashionDish Chats at Model’s Workshop.

112

Model’s Workshop Styling Challenge October and November Winners.

116 Role Play - Creating A Family of Choice The Kingdom Between Two Seas

by Queen MaiaCer Lysette.

124 Technology - Bento Update: Where Are We Now? Rhiannon Colclough provides an update on the Project Bento. 125 Social - Libel, Anonymous Sources, and the Internet If you think you can slander someone’s good name

online without consequences...think again.

L’Amour Diversity Magazine | Issue 9, December 2016

Mr. & Miss Model International – A Retrospect By Ava Jhamin L’Amour Productions Mr. & Miss Model International is unlike any [competition] in SL, as you will represent “YOURSELF”. You will participate in competitions (runway, photo, and group events) that will highlight you as a model, stylist, individual. The submissions of your designs, photos etc., will reflect who “YOU” are as an SL avatar. Our goal is to celebrate the uniqueness of each of us. To celebrate who we are, where we come from, and share with others our mission for SL. We invite you to participate as this competition is open to anyone in SL regardless of schooling or lack thereof. If you reside in SL you are welcome to be a part of our

Issue 9, December 2016 | L’Amour Diversity Magazine

competition. No voice verification!!! YOU BE YOU.” Rhiannon Colclough, writer for Diversity Magazine, wrote about last year’s MMI and stated, “As you can see, it is less about evaluating excellence in modeling (although there is certainly that!) and more about seeing the persona behind the avatar. Are you funky? Casual? Formal? Avant Garde? Emo? Goth? What best represents YOU?” Come to MMI and show us who you want to represent in Second life. Lack of better words I don’t give a rat’s ass who you are behind the keyboard. Who are you here in Second Life?

I am so very blessed to have these two incredible human beings for their 2016 reign.

What are the passions you bring to the table? The first year I had Adonis Hansome and Lady Falina Katz, who throughout the year represented the essence of what a Mr. & Miss Model International should be. I love the fact that with any of the contestants or winners, I want free thinkers and people that have an opinion. Otherwise I would have a bunch of robots going around representing L’Amour MMI and I don’t want that. I know both with the first and second year winners they have heart, they have their beliefs and have strong opinions about a myriad of subjects...and I wouldn’t want it any other way. The second year brought me again two amazing human beings for my Mr. & Miss Model International: AriannaJasmine and Maxtor Frisk.

Again, like the first year, I have two human beings who have their opinions and bring it to the table time and time again. The MMI 2016 winners also automatically become members of the Board for MMI 2017. Both Arianna and Max always came with such amazing ideas and new blood for the 2017 season. L’Amour MMI for the second year had the honor of doing our first Public Relations at Model’s Workshop on December 1, 2016 at both 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. (slt). We had the honor of sitting down with all who attended and talking about MMI. We introduced the amazing team of L’Amour: Cyberdawg Foxclaw, MMI COO, and AriannaJasmine, reigning Miss Model International. We spoke on MMI and Cyberdawg, who was first runner up in the first MMI competition, spoke on his experience as a contestant and Continued next page...

L’Amour Diversity Magazine | Issue 9, December 2016

joining the board of MMI in his new role as Chief Operations Officer. I was touched very much by what they both said, and I want to share it with the L’Amour Diversity readers. Also, please note that never ever do I tell anyone what to say or how to

act. They are the chosen ones for a reason, and that comes out during the competition. With Arianna and Cy that was just the case. I do this because I want the good (or bad) about MMI to always be right out there for all to see.

AriannaJasmine (Reigning Miss MMI) I chose to enter the competition because of the promise of transparency and feedback,

Issue 9, December 2016 | L’Amour Diversity Magazine

which I was very happy to see was exactly what happened. We had meetings every Monday after that week’s challenge and we were given our scores and the judges’ feedback as well as where we placed for that week of the competition.

There was a great deal of support from the team. If I had a question I could go directly to anyone on the team including Ava and I’d have an answer most times immediately, but even if I had to wait a bit, it was always answered. This was helpful when I had a styling question because I wanted to make sure I wasn’t breaking the rules. Although I’m very focused and quiet when I’m doing something like a

fashion show or especially during the competition, the group of contestants were awesome. They drew everyone out, we talked and laughed and I made several good friends that I have a strong bond with because of doing this competition. The competition allowed me to be who I was through it all. I didn’t have to compromise anything of what I am or what I like. I styled per who I am, taking chances at times because that’s part of my personality so it really felt good to be able to be true to myself and compete. I didn’t think I’d get as far as I did. I thought maybe if I was lucky I’d place in the top 10 but when I did well and when Ava announced my name as winner I was shocked (LOL). It felt amazing and it always will. I’ll never forget it! Finally, there are so many reasons to enter this competition. For the fun and joy, for the learning and growing experience, for the bonding and making friends and for the amazing confidence you find within

yourself. But my advice is go into this competition thinking you will get all of that and if you do place or even win that’s just the icing on the cake!

Cyberdawg Foxclaw My time with MMI started on a whim, basically. Two years ago, I saw the advertising for the first MMI and was curious to see how far I’d get, considering I’d been out of the modeling world for a couple years. I’m not really into competitions, but this one seemed different, in that you didn’t have a lot of hoops to jump through, and that appealed to me. I competed in the very first MMI, back in 2015 and came in first runner up, which was a lot further than I thought I’d get. From there I went on to join the Board last year and was very active behind the scenes, between judging and helping build sets and score tabulation and the list goes on. This year, I am honored to have been named COO, and it is our goal to make this year bigger and better than ever.

Fo MMI Rules and event schedule, visit us at lamourproductions.org

L’Amour Diversity Magazine | Issue 9, December 2016

M M I 2 0 1 7 O F F I C I A L P L AT I N U M S P O N S O R

Spotlight

The Magical Merge of Ellie Monk and Wenadrenia Soderstrom By Sita Writer Wenadrenia Soderstrom and Ellie Monk are one of those wonderfully rare teams in SL that have pooled their resources and created a new brand: J&W and Shoenique Designs. As Wenadrenia explains, “I met this lovely lady named Ellie Monk; she reviewed one of my designs that I had given her as a gift. She contacted me with an opportunity that I just couldn’t pass up. We decided that in merging our businesses we would help each other as well as customers by offering them quality fashions at a reasonable price.” Ellie adds, “When I saw Wena’s designs, I was amazed and wanted her to match up her jewelry with my outfits. I knew this would be a successful business because we are friends and on the same page with the same goals.” As content creators and fashion designers, Ellie and Wenadrenia inspire each other and enjoy challenging each other; this motivates the quality of their designs for J&W and Shoenique. For Wenadrenia, her motivation goes a bit deeper. “There are many that

Issue 9, December 2016 | L’Amour Diversity Magazine

have inspired me in the past, so many in fact that I can’t list them all. If I had to name one designer from my past it would be Rfyre, and for present Shoenique Designs and Prism. Most of all, in terms of inspiration, Ellie Monk stands out the most. She pushes me past my limits everyday...I love her for that.” On a personal level Wenadrenia is also inspired by her real life grandmother. “The beauty my grandmother showed me and the beauty she taught me to look for in nature gives me endless ideas for my creations.” Ellie is inspired by Wenadrenia and by her clients. “I am most proud of our customers’ feedback—they love the merge. I am inspired by being able to offer our customers outfits that include matching jewelry—they seem to really like this aspect of our service. My goal is to be at the top of our game and I know we can be.” Wenadrenia is a veteran model and a Miss SL Fashion gal. “Back in 2009 when running for MISS VIRTUAL WORLD

Wenadrenia Soderstrom and Ellie Monk J&W and Shoenique Designs Continued next page... Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Amour Diversity Magazine | Issue 9, December 2016

Wenadrenia and Ellie - Two peas in a pod :)

I needed items that were not sold on SL market place and I could not afford to purchase custom designs. I had already been building runways for BOSL, Opium, Look and other modeling agencies, so I asked myself “how hard could it be to build accessories?” So, there it is...I even designed my outfit from hair edit all the way to my feet for my custom for MISS GERMANY.” Wenadrenia decided to become a fashion designer shortly after that when someone wanted a set of jewelry that she created. “I was amazed how much ladies and gentlemen liked my designs even the primitive ones.”

Issue 9, December 2016 | L’Amour Diversity Magazine

Ellie and Wenadrenia want to bring exciting, elegant and affordable fashions and accessories to SL. We all know that there are many designers that have merged, but Ellie and Wenadrenia have fun and are very much alike. “We seem to be on the same page all the time and it is uncanny how similar our RL is, including our RL partners/ husbands. Ellie is my Yin and I hope I am her Yang in fashion. We are ARTsy as most would say because we dabble in many aspects of the art and design world.” As for the future, they plan to design some wedding items including tiaras, wedding rings

and other accessories. With the holidays around the corner, stay tuned for their new winter design collection. Plans are also on the books to explore “light” BDSM, and to design items that are more out of the box and not just a standard collar. Looking toward spring, they will be concentrating on interchangeable mix and match designs, as well as a collection of gowns and accessories that have not been seen on the grid. “We hope to be able to catch the eye of a Miss SL contestant and to be given the challenge of designing gowns for pageant contestants. We also want to dabble in wedding apparel and accessories.” There are always lessons to be learned in SL and those that learn their lessons well tend to grow from them and evolve. Wenadrenia tells Diversity, “I think the biggest lesson I have learned is that all our customers are diverse. Ellie and I do our best to be of service to them. If we don’t know what the solution is to a problem, then we research it. As of this moment, there isn’t a problem we haven’t solved because, no matter what, we support each other.” As for Ellie, “I have learned to be patient, caring and to provide great customer service. We want

all of SL to know and respect our brand.” Ellie and Wenadrenia want to make an impact on SL and it is something both have discussed at length. They want to create fashion in SL at a great price and to see their fashion everywhere. They want to be known for kindness, charity. Most importantly they want to be known as the designers that any customer can come to solve a fashion issue. Wenadrenia notes, “I want Diversity readers to know that I am not just a random person that wants to design and make money, I am a designer that wants to be a huge presence in the fashion world of SL by creating designs that are out of the box...not your “vanilla” as some say. I want to be that bacon chocolate maple. I want to be flavor and statement.” As for Ellie, “I’m creative as well as unique and I want to bring my uniqueness to everyone.” n

Main Store Landmark: J&W and Shoenique Designs

L’Amour Diversity Magazine | Issue 9, December 2016

Christma

from Around the W

Holiday Special Feature

as Cards

World

As we celebrate Christmas around the world, the Diversity Magazine models offer their special Christmas Card Greetings in the language of their native or adopted tongue, wearing designs from

J&W and Shoenique Designs Photographed by TrinityÂ Aironaut

Merry

Christmas Ava Jhamin ENGLISH

Outfit: Shoenique Diversity Red Exclusive Gown J&W Jewelry Diversity Collection Red Ruby

メリークリスマス Bai NightFire JAPANESE

Outfit: Shoenique Babs Red Cocktail Dress J&W Jewelers Empress Collection Ruby and Pearl Set

Outfit: Shoenique Gown (Aeon White) J&W Jewelers Elizabeth Collection Diamond

Joyeux Noël Jena Adder

FRENCH CANADIAN

God jul

Resmay Bloodstorm SWEEDISH

Outfit: Shoenique Gown Zorenta White Gown J&W Jewelers Zorenta Collection Autumn Sapphire

Outfit: Shoenique Jureal Turquoise Set J&W jewelers Jade Coll Green Jade Jewelry Set

F rรถhliche Weihnach Rienna Rieko GERMAN

Buon Natale

Trinity Aironaut ITALIAN

Outfit: Shoenique Kianna Gown In Lavender J&W Lavender Amythest and Diamonds Journey End Collection

Glædelig jul’

VanessDel Rio Underwood DUTCH

Outfit: Shoenique Whisper Blue Goown | J&W Jewelers Kimme Midnight Sapphire Collection

счастливого Рождества Vichonette Constantine RUSSIAN

Outfit: Shoenique Gown Thandi Black | J&W Fenris Collection (Black Onyx)

Holiday Special Feature

Christmas Around The World By Ava Jhamin When I was deep in thought for what I wanted to do with L’Amour Diversity for the December issue, one thing struck me big. With Second Life being so diverse, especially in the people that are on Second Life, I thought how fun would it be to have our staff go to their SL friends from other countries and see what their traditions are for the holidays. So, enjoy Diversity readers Christmas Around the World. Some may call it Christmas like we do in America, but what do other countries call it. I know from way back that Jesus Christ’s birthday was the reason for the season...but is it?

9 Australia 2

Twylabear: Christmas for us is in summer so our Christmas is usually hot, but this doesn’t stop us from celebrating and having a great day. In our households we would open our Santa sacs first thing in the morning (LOL), generally before we even had breakfast. Then my mother would start cooking lunch—we normally had a late lunch and all the family would

Issue 9, December 2016 | L’Amour Diversity Magazine

be at our house. This was a tradition that had been passed down through the generations. We would eat roast chicken, turkey and pork in the Webber (you call it a grill). We’d also have ham and many roast vegetables. We would have many desserts to follow like Pavlova and a Christmas cake that was made three months before. Much like y’alls thanksgiving I guess. We all have Christmas crackers on the table and after lunch we would generally pop these and read out the jokes. On the other side of my family we would also have a very large Christmas. We would always make sure we have orange duck and Kangaroo, but also other meats done on the barbecue. Christmas is very large here...it is the one day of the year where everything is closed. You can’t get fuel for cars or anything. Traditionally we put up the Christmas tree on the 12 November when the official Christmas pageant is on, as this

represents the Christmas season and the Magic cave where Santa lives is finally open. We sing Christmas carols but have snow specially made as we don’t get snow here. December for us represents the end of the working and school year. The day after Christmas is Boxing Day and that day for us is full of having BBQ’s and some will brave the Boxing Day sales.

9 Greece 2

Greek111alexandar Flux: Greece pays more attention to Easter because of the traditions of Greek Orthodox. We don’t celebrate Christmas as much as Easter, but Christmas is on January 7th when we believe that Jesus was born.

9 Mexico 2

Owl Braveheart: In Mexico, there exists several traditions and styles, but in great form the Christmas party begins on December 12th with the party of the holy Virgin, where millions of Mexicans walk the streets, places, cities and towns to sing for the virgin Las Mañanitas. After this the Posadas will begin on December 16th with nine days of parties—nine days because nine months is the normal pregnancy time, already announcing that the Virgin comes pregnant and will have a Son.

Alexander went on to say that in all USSR old countries, old eastern church believes, along with 20% of the Greek population, that Christmas is on the 7th of January.

In several houses the people ask for posada, walking with an angel, Saint Joseph and Saint Mary, singing to ask for a place in that house—can they receive them, give candies and give warm ponche of fruits. Also the piñata will appear. The piñada means the demon, Lucifer. That’s why the traditional piñata is the star with seven arms, meaning the seven sins. The person that try to break it will become blind.

The one week difference has always been a point of contention in which the western countries refused to recognize the old eastern church’s belief and instead celebrates Christmas on the 25th of December.

The piñata moves to right, left, front to back, up and down...in all directions. It is moved by two persons on each side of the rope because the demon can be so clever and move around you in all directions. Once it Continued next page...

L’Amour Diversity Magazine | Issue 9, December 2016

is broken and the devil is defeated, comes only God and receives all the candies and fruits from inside that come out and rain over you. The last posada is Christmas eve, where we hear the mass. It is family day. After the mass will be the family reunion, the dinner, and of course the image of the holy kid is put in the nacimiento of the house to celebrate Christmas.

9 Holland 2

Stangler Boa, VanessaDelRio Underwood’s husband is from the Netherlands where they call it Sinterklaas (Dutch pronunciation: [sɪntər’klaːs]) or Sint-Nicolaas. He was a mythical figure with legendary, historical and folkloric origins based on Saint Nicholas. Other names for the figure include De Sint (“The Saint”), De Goedheiligman (“The Good Holy Man”), and De Goede Sint (“The Good Saint”) in Dutch; Saint-Nicolas in French; Sinteklaas in Frisian; and Kleeschen and Zinniklos in Luxembourgish. Sinterklaas is celebrated annually with the giving of gifts on December 5th, the night before Saint Nicholas Day in the Northern Netherlands and on the morning of December 6th, Saint Nicholas Day itself, in the (Roman Catholic) southern provinces, Belgium, Luxembourg and Northern France (French Flanders, Lorraine and Artois). He is also well known in territories

Issue 9, December 2016 | L’Amour Diversity Magazine

of the former Dutch Empire, including Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, and Suriname. He is the primary source of the popular Christmas icon of Santa Claus. Other holiday figures based on Saint Nicholas are celebrated in some parts of Germany and Austria (Sankt Nikolaus); Hungary (Mikulás); Switzerland (Samichlaus); Italy (San Nicola in Bari, South Tyrol, Alpine municipalities, and many others); parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia (Sveti Nikola); Slovenia (Sveti Nikolaj or Sveti Miklavž); Greece (Hagios Nikolaos); Romania (Moș Nicolae); Albania (“Shën Kolli” (Nikolli), among others.

9 Philippines 2

Ahn Avion wrote about two of his favorite countries. The people like to celebrate Christmas for as long as possible! The playing of Christmas carols in shops can start in September! The formal Christmas celebrations start on the 16th of December when many people go to the first of nine pre-dawn or early morning masses. The last mass is on Christmas day. The Christmas celebrations continue to the first Sunday in January when Epiphany or the Feast of the Three Kings is celebrated. In the Philippines the early masses held before Christmas are called the ‘Misa de Gallo’ or ‘Simbang Gabi’ in Filipino. Most Filipinos are Christians

with about 80% of people being Catholics. It’s the only Asian country with so many Christians. Because of this, Christmas is the most important holiday in the Philippines. December is one of the ‘cooler’ months of the year in the Philippines. The Philippines only has two real seasons, wet (June to October) and dry (April and May). December is one of the months in between the wet and dry seasons. Christmas customs in the Philippines are a mixture of western and native Filipino traditions. (Christianity became widely known in The Philippines in the 1500s when missionaries from countries like Portugal and Spain traveled to the area.) So, people in the Philippines have Santa Claus (or ‘Santa Klaus’), Christmas trees, Christmas cards and Christmas carols from western countries! They also have their own Christmas traditions such as the ‘parol’ which is a bamboo pole or frame with a lighted star lantern on it. It’s traditionally made from bamboo strips and colored Japanese paper or cellophane paper and represents the star that guided the Wise Men. It is the most popular Christmas decoration in the Philippines. Christmas Eve is very important in the Philippines. Many people stay awake all night into Christmas day! During the evening on Christmas Eve,

Christians go to church to hear the last ‘simbang gabi’ or the Christmas Eve mass. This is followed by a midnight feast, called Noche Buena. The Noche Buena is a big, open house, celebration with family, friends and neighbors dropping in to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! Most households would have several dishes laid out and would normally include lechon (roasted pig), ham, fruit salad, rice cakes (bibingka and puto bumbong are traditional Christmas foods) and other sweets, steamed rice, and many different types of drinks. The Philippines has eight major languages, here’s how to say Merry Christmas in some of them! In Tagalog Happy/Merry Christmas is ‘Maligayang Pasko’; in Ilonggo it’s ‘Malipayon nga Pascua’; in Sugbuhanon or Cebuano it’s ‘Maayong Pasko’; in Bicolano they say ‘Maugmang Pasko’ in Pangalatok or Pangasinense they say ‘Maabig ya pasko’ or ‘Magayagan inkianac’; and in Warey Warey you say ‘Maupay Nga Pasko’.

9 China 2

In China, only about one percent of people are Christians, so most people only know a few things about Christmas. Because of this, Christmas is only often celebrated in major cities. In these big cities there are Christmas Trees, lights and other decorations on the streets and in department stores. Santa Claus is called ‘Shen Dan Lao Continued next page... L’Amour Diversity Magazine | Issue 9, December 2016

Ren’ and has grottos in shops like in Europe and America In Chinese Happy/Merry Christmas is ‘Sheng Dan Kuai Le or 圣诞快乐 in Mandarin and ‘Seng Dan Fai Lok or 聖誕快樂’in Cantonese. In China, Santa is known as ‘Sheng dan lao ren’ (Traditional: 聖誕老人, Simplified: 圣诞老人; means Old Christmas Man). Only a few people have a Christmas Tree (or celebrate Christmas at all!). If people do have a tree it is normally a plastic one and might be decorated with paper chains, paper flowers, and paper lanterns (they might also call it a tree of light). The Christmas Trees that most people would see would be in shopping malls! Christmas isn’t that widely celebrated in the rural areas of China, but it’s becoming more well known. The strange thing is that most of the world’s plastic Christmas trees and

Issue 9, December 2016 | L’Amour Diversity Magazine

Christmas decorations are made in China, but the people making them might not know what they are for!!! A tradition that’s becoming popular on Christmas Eve is giving apples. Many stores have apples wrapped up in colored paper for sale. People give apples on Christmas Eve because in Chinese Christmas Eve is called “Ping’an Ye” (平安夜), meaning peaceful or quiet evening, which has been translated from the carol ‘Silent Night’. The word for apple in Mandarin is “píngguǒ” (苹果) which sounds like the word for peace. Some people go Carol singing, although not many people understand them or know about the Christmas Story. Jingle Bells is a popular Carol in China! People who are Christians in China go to special services. Going to Midnight Mass services has become very popular. http://www. whychristmas.com/cultures/ n

M M I 2 0 1 7 O F F I C I A L P L AT I N U M S P O N S O R S Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Amour Diversity Magazine | Issue 9, December 2016

Holiday Special Feature

f o y o J e h T

s e e r T

By Sita Writer

Issue 9, December 2016 | Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Amour Diversity Magazine

As the holiday season approaches many of us celebrate this festive time of year by putting up a Christmas tree. The evergreen fir tree has traditionally been used to celebrate winter festivals both pagan and Christian for thousands of years in real life, so why not start your own holiday traditions in Second Life! Pagans used branches of the fir tree to decorate their homes during the winter solstice because it reminded them of renewal of life immortalized in the shades of spring green. On December 17, the Romans used fir trees to decorate their temples at the festival of Saturnalia, in honor of the deity Saturn. This holiday was known for gift giving and merry making in a carnival like atmosphere and is thought to be a precursor to the holidayÂ we celebrate today. The first documented use of a tree at Christmas and New Year celebrations is a toss up between the cities of Tallinn in Estonia in 1441 and Riga in Latvia in 1510. A group of merchants known as the Brotherhood of Blackheads put a treeÂ up in the town square and people of the town danced around it! The 16th century preacher Martin Luther was the first person to bring a Christmas tree into a house. The story goes that he was walking through the forest and looked up to see the stars shining through the tree branches. He was so taken with their beauty that he went home and told his children that it reminded him of Jesus who left the stars of heaven to come to earth at Christmas. Continued next page... Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Amour Diversity Magazine | Issue 9, December 2016

Today, the fir tree is synonymous with Christmas, and most cultures have either a tree or some kind of festive greenery in the house. From sprayed branches, to foliage garlands and wreaths with candles in them, almost everyone has a symbol of the outside on the inside of their homes. Over the years decoration of Christmas trees has evolved. In Germany, the first trees were decorated with gingerbread and gold covered apples; later glass makers created

Issue 9, December 2016 | L’Amour Diversity Magazine

beautiful ornaments. In Britain, the first Christmas trees were made popular when Prince Albert set up a Christmas tree in Windsor Castle for his wife, Queen Victoria. In the U.S., the popularity of the Christmas tree evolved when a drawing of Queen Victoria’s Christmas tree was published in Godey’s Lady Book in Philadelphia in 1850. In SL there is every imaginable Christmas tree available, and even some unimaginable trees as well!

Prices range from simple to elaborate, from free to hundreds of Lindens. Medieval Fantasy Inworld Store Marketplace For a traditional Mesh Snowy Decorated Christmas Tree, check out the tree created by Medieval Fantasy. This tree has very low land impactâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; it is only ten prims and has highly detailed textures that are so realistic.

This snow covered tree is a must have for outdoor landscaping with its beautiful mantel of snow and its elegant Christmas balls, bows and bells. In addition to trees you will find many other holiday inspired items. Heart Homes (Marketplace) Merry Christmas Tree (family) Merry Christmas Tree (PG) Another favorite tree fun for couples and even families is created by Heart Homes and is called Merry Christmas Continued next page...

Continued next page...

Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Amour Diversity Magazine | Issue 9, December 2016

Family Tree. This tree is only 4L and comes loaded with options from putting candles on and off to creating a scene with festive sparkles, light chains and decorative toys. There are also 59 animations and 19 props. The couples version comes with 67 animations and 8 props and is only 4 prims. New this year from Aphrodite at Heart Homes is a fabulous Merry Christmas Couples set with fireplace, couch, coffee table and Christmas tree. The items are all copy and come loaded with fun animations and activities, as well as the sweetest love prim Christmas tree ever! Antreas Alter Inworld Store For a contemporary tree, check out the work of Antreas Alter. Here you will find many contemporary trees including one made from glass and lights. This Christmas Tree is decorated with customizable, 3D-object LED light bulbs that also comes with a programmable HUD. There are also traditional trees here and even brightly lit palm trees! House of Avro Inworld Store For nine years in a row, Christmas Decorations at the House of Avro has been in existence. Here you will find

Issue 9, December 2016 | L’Amour Diversity Magazine

a great variety of Christmas Trees of every shape color and size, small or large, brightly colored or traditional, you will find many trees here in this whimsical pop up holiday sim. Julia Hathor Woodland Animal Tree - Marketplace For outdoors, there is the Woodland Animal Christmas Tree created by the talented Julia Hathor. This tree is elaborate and has many animals surrounding it making it a striking centerpiece in any outdoor environment. A dove and raven lower a glistening star onto the treetop and woodland animals, a bear, wolf, bunny, squirrels, & prairie dog decorate the tree. It even comes with animal sounds, wind and chimes. Julia has given up her sim after 11 years, but this wonderful tree is still available on Marketplace. Christmas Trees by Fallen Marketplace For a gothic look, check out Christmas Trees by Fallen. The deadly holiday tree has dead and burnt remnants of what was once a decorated holiday tree that will look great in any gothic setting. It is only available on marketplace. However you celebrate the season, or even if you don’t, always remember… don’t worry…be happy! n

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Community

The Results Through The Eyes of the People!! For & Why? By Ava Jhamin So, the results are in and whether you like it or not Mr. Donald Trump is now the President of the United States for the next four years. I decided it would be fun and interesting to go back to the same people that were in the previous article in October’s issue of Diversity to get their thoughts on the outcome of what was one of the most heated elections of our time between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Let’s once again read what each of them said when they were in the position of voting, and what the people of Second Life say about the new US President. QUEEN MAIACER LYSETTE - I am voting for Dr. Jill Stein of the Green Party. I am tired of the same typical rhetoric of the Democratic and Republican parties.... both will lead this country to nowhere. Dr. Stein is the only candidate who is

Issue 9, December 2016 | L’Amour Diversity Magazine

taking climate control of this planet seriously by advocating to “Create millions of jobs by transitioning to 100% clean renewable energy by 2030, and investing in public transit, sustainable agriculture, and conservation.” Even if this plan is not viable, at LEAST, she is concerned about the welfare of our environment. Queen MaiaCer Lysette Voted Now that my depression has lifted, I want to share the two main actions I have taken in my personal life now that Trump is our President-elect. 1) I have updated my Last Will and Testimony. I am sure that this is a futile gesture since I expect that Trump will lead us into a nuclear war and there will be no-one left to inherit my estate. According to the Huntington Post, “Trump…on national security

questions…often reveal either ignorance or disdain for military expertise and the codes of conduct that govern the armed forces.” They continued with this observation. “Trump’s pronouncements on foreign policy, combined with his years of broadsides, have set off a very real fear within military circles about what might happen...In the last two months, I spoke with dozens of people in the national security realm—current and retired officers, veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and former White

House, State Department, Pentagon and CIA officials. The words they used to describe their mood: Terrified. Shocked. Appalled… at a candidate…with such little respect for the military.” 2) I am hiding my money in a safe and assessable place. Most of my limited savings will have to go to health care. This is what Trump had to say about health care. “… We’re going to repeal it, we’re going to replace it, get something great. Repeal it, replace it, get something great!” Continued next page...

L’Amour Diversity Magazine | Issue 9, December 2016

The Nation further goes on to say. “For those who thought Donald Trump, someone who spent two years on the campaign trail promising to protect programs like Medicare, might consider keeping that promise, let today’s news

“

poor for so many generations... how smart can they be? They’re morons.” AVA JHAMIN - I am voting Gallagher because I think both candidate suck. We could either

I said to myself, if they can stay so poor for so many generations...how smart can they be? They’re morons. –Trump

disabuse you of that notion…. Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan are perfectly aligned, and ready to make Medicare phaseout the signature proposal of his presidency.” As I finish this piece, my depression has returned. I envision a limited existence, where those of us who survive the fall-out and destruction of a global war will have no access to whatever healthcare system is still in place. I see no future for my grandchildren and greatgrandchildren. Let me remind you of what Trump said about the majority of people who voted for him. “I said to myself, if they can stay so

Issue 9, December 2016 | L’Amour Diversity Magazine

”

have a man that is going to start World War 3, or a “Politician. I don’t think we have had a decent president since Kennedy. Ava Jhamin Voted - When it came time to vote, a few of the debates were leaning me in the direction of Clinton. I did vote for her and knew by 9:30 that night that Trump was going to win it. My thoughts are I am leery as hell, but there now is no more choice so let’s see what he does. I do wonder how many of the total of American DID NOT VOTE at all. This to me was the scariest of all, because those people could have made or broke the presidential election. Again, I knew going into this, we had one that says what he pleases some

good, some bad, a lot blown out of proportion, and with Clinton “a Politician, so it’s your time Donald lets see if you can put what you spewed into action and see where our country is in 4 years. SUKI REXEN - am voting for Hillary Clinton because she is the lesser of the two evils, and I feel Donald Trump is very wishy washy and a misogynist. Suki Rexen Voted - Well I am still happy I voted for Hillary. Maylou Angelo said “A person will tell who they are within the first 10 minutes of meeting them. You just have to listen.” Trump has told us who he is, over and over, and yet, people still support him. I am amazed. Shocked really. While I don’t think, he is “evil” nor akin to Hitler, I have learned that it should never be about voting for the “lessor of the two evils” and it should always be about voting for who is in alignment with how I think and see the future.

RHIANNON COLCLOUGH - I am voting for Clinton, mostly because at least I know what she plans to do - Trump is not anyone I would want making diplomatic visits or policy decisions...can you imagine him having access to nuclear weapons? The candidate I really wanted was Bernie, but you can’t always get what you want and right now, for me, it’s most important to keep Trump as far away from the White House as possible. I don’t agree with all of Clinton’s policies, but I agree with enough of them that I could be comfortable with her in the White House. Rhiannon Colclough Voted I ended up not voting at all, I was so depressed by the knowledge that the Democratic Election board had cheated Bernie from the Democrat nomination. Plus, I live in a red state that solidly went with Trump; didn’t hurt that he chose our old governor (who is also an idiot of the first water) as his running mate. n

L’Amour Diversity Magazine | Issue 9, December 2016

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Community

Word from Model’s Giving Back - Results From the desk of Jamee Sandalwood Jamee Sandalwood and the Models Giving Back had a wonderful year for 2016. L’Amour Productions and Cirque de L’Amour is proud to have been part of the amazing work that was done this year.

Rock Your Rack 2016 Final Totals The final numbers have been tallied for Rock Your Rack 2016. We at Models Giving Back would like to thank each and every person that was involved in or shopped at the Rock Your Rack event from Designers, Artists, Musicians, Builders, Models, DJ’s, Live Musicians, Shoppers, and the behind the scenes team who made it possible. Without any of you these numbers would not be possible. The final Linden total for Rock Your Rack 2016 was $745,791L. That translates to $2,635 USD which was donated to the National Breast Cancer Foundation this year. Most of that total was achieved through the actual event sim, however there were some special participants

away from the sim we would like to acknowledge at this time. Club Evolution raised $21,050L for $81.36 USD Cirque de L’Amour Event raised $48,883L for $188.41 USD Tango’s raised $76,000L for $292.71 USD in honor of Peggysue Short and her battle with this vicious disease. Go Peg! We are with you!

Dates for Rock Your Rack 2017 have already been set for September 30 through October 14, 2017, so mark those calendars! Registration for designers, musicians and bloggers will open in June of 2017, so watch our Facebook page and website for details as to when that will open. We have already been planning exciting additions to next year’s event and hope you will partner with us to reach even higher totals in 2017. n L’Amour Diversity Magazine | Issue 9, December 2016

Arts & Entertainment

The Lesbian Tea House By Ava Jhamin Sometimes Second life can be just as it is in real life. I know that since I have been on Second Life, there have always been places where lesbians can go and enjoy dancing and just hang out with long time friends. But what makes this club unique is that it is for anyone, as the owner says, who wants to come and chill. One of the very best clubs is the Lesbian Tea house. I sat down with Maia Mimulus, the owner of the Lesbian Tea House, to give the readers of L’Amour Diversity an insight into this unique, fun club. Ava: What brought you to SL, Maia? Maia: I originally joined SL with my real live ex in 2006 after we saw a story on CNN. After a marriage breakup and time away from SL, I missed it and wanted to return but couldn’t play my original avi, so Maia was born in May 2008. Without my ex around I was free to be me and do the things I wanted to do: create and make my mark here. Ava: Can you tell the readers of Diversity why you started the Lesbian Tea House?

Maia: Well I didn’t start the Teahouse, it was originally a small refuge for the women of Gor started by founder Sapphia Decrot as an offshoot of her Silks business in SL. The region’s name of Silks reflects this heritage. I bought the Teahouse in 2010 with business partner Vavavoom Denimore, owner of then No. 1 SL destination Lesbian Paradise when Sapphia needed to leave SL, I bought Vava’s interest out later that year. The reason I bought it and have continued it to this day is because I recognized that it was and is a very special place in SL—not because of the building or what is inside, but because of the people who come to the Teahouse that make is so special. Ava: Can you tell us what the Lesbian Tea House is all about for people who might not know of it? Maia: Teahouse is many things to different people. It is a women’s club for all women in SL. For most it is a meeting place, it is a romantic place for couples, it is a chill out place for some, and for so many it is their “home base” in SL. There are few other places in SL that can claim to have continued relatively unchanged for so long with so many members who have been there for many years. Continued next page...

Issue 9, December 2016 | L’Amour Diversity Magazine

To illustrate that, of my 16 volunteer staff members, 10 of them have been on the staff team at Teahouse since before I bought it six and a half years ago. We have no gimmicks at Teahouse, no contests or cash giveaways. There are no bots. People come to Teahouse because they want to be there, they donate to keep it open because they love it so much and the staff help out for not one linden in return because they want to give back and help keep it going. So many friendships have been formed at Teahouse, including those that have led to real life relationships. Ava: What are some of the events that the Lesbian Tea House does? Maia: The Teahouse itself never does events except for seasonal fashion shows. Teahouse is an international

Issue 9, December 2016 | L’Amour Diversity Magazine

meeting place, a romantic place, a chill out place, so it is open 24/7. We do have a dance club associated with the Teahouse in the same region—Essence, The Teahouse Ballroom. Essence like Teahouse is always open, however, we do hold a few hosted events each week with our wonderful DJs—Blues night on Tuesdays, our Sunday night formals in the ballroom, and each Thursday is our fun themed event, a different theme each week with custom built set help out in the street outside the ballroom. Teahouse is for women only, however, we do welcome gentlemen to Essence provided they are with a partner (any partner, we have some gay couples attend, but single males do not work well in a women’s club). Ava: I know that being a lesbian on Second Life can be challenging as men will disguise themselves as woman for kicks. What are your thoughts on this Maia? Maia: I think it’s a sad fact that the word “lesbian” in SL is often associated with sex and perverts. I did not name the club—if I could change it I would not use the L word in the name at all because of that. Regarding men playing women in SL, through owning the Teahouse for over six years, I likely have had more first hand experience dealing with

this issue daily than anyone else in SL, but my feelings about it have changed little over the years. The rules at Teahouse seem strong against males playing females because they must be. If they were not it would be overrun by pervy guys in dresses getting the kicks.

prohibit behavior that would attract males using both our rules, and by encouraging voice chat in the main gathering area. This ensures that most our members are female. After all it would not feel much like a women’s club if most members were not women.

I am fully aware that a good number of visitors to teahouse are likely males in RL, but thats OK. That’s the case all over SL. There are so many people playing the opposite gender in SL we would be naive to think that we could “police” it and only have RL female players, voice verify is not even remotely reliable, video verification is not going to be accepted by anyone in SL, and the truth is why would we want to do that? If an RL male has a genuine interest in playing a female avatar in SL for whatever reason, and they can be accepted by the community, then why not—that is part of the magic of SL. To make this work the Teahouse is not an adult rated region, and I have zero tolerance for avatars that are clearly about nothing but sex. We literally kick out several of these types every day. So, I guess it is fair to say that RL gender is not relevant unless an avatar makes it relevant. If a male fesses up or discloses RL gender on their profile then it no longer works. People immediately treat them differently and we have little choice but to ask them to leave. We make every effort to make the teahouse welcoming to real women, and discourage or

Ava: Do you feel any negativity towards other folks with regards to the club and being a lesbian? Maia: Not at all. I’ve always tried to be tolerant and accepting of others and how they chose to enjoy SL and try to encourage others to do the Continued next page... L’Amour Diversity Magazine | Issue 9, December 2016

same. The Teahouse rules reflect this, as does the behavior of our staff. I don’t like man haters and I do not tolerate my staff to treat them with disrespect. We do not permit male avatars at Teahouse, and this included “bois”—RL females using male avatars and skins. This rule has caused some drama, but we do not have it because we have a problem with it or because

for female avatars only. If an RL female choses to play a male avatar then we respect that, but Teahouse is not the place for them to do that. We do welcome bois if they wear a female skin. Ava: Have you seen changes in the general population on Second Life regarding gay and lesbian clubs? Maia: Yes and no. There seems to be less animosity against the Teahouse because we have the word lesbian in the name. I feel that this has improved over the years, but I am not sure it is because of a change in attitude across all of SL or because little by little the Teahouse has become noticeably less of a place that has the pervy sex element and more about all women, fashion and friendship. We still get resistance from mainstream designers to support the club or our mall, and there is at least one well known modelling agency/ school who insists that models do not have our groups or picks visible on their profiles. Ava: Are you forthright with people in Second Life about who Maia is?

we do not like butch or boi lesbians. On the contrary, many of my dearest friends are bois. We have the rule simply because it is a women’s club

Issue 9, December 2016 | L’Amour Diversity Magazine

Maia: I think so yes. I’m not a role player—I am just me. My relationship with my RL and SL partner Lexi is very open to our regular members and we tend to mix RL and SL perhaps a little more than we should. I try to stay involved in the Teahouse day to day

and be accessible to both staff and our visitors. Ava: If you could tell our readers a misunderstand of this whole subject what would it be? Maia: Teahouse is just a community of women who enjoy the company of other women without the presence of males. It is about being a woman in SL—the fashion, the friendships, the conversation. Although some undoubtedly meet there for intimacy, it is not a sex place and we do not permit those avatars with no depth that are only just for sex to stay there. For some it is still a refuge—a place they can go with a friend or to meet

a friend without the presence of male avatars. We have many members who are not lesbian who frequent the Teahouse. Yes, there are those who don’t get it or like it, and we often get hostility from males because they are not permitted. All we ask from those who choose not to come or are not permitted is the same respect we show to them and let those who do choose to come to the Teahouse to enjoy their SL the way they enjoy it. n

Links & Landmarks: Lesbian Tea House (Women only)

L’Amour Diversity Magazine | Issue 9, December 2016

Arts & Entertainment

When Art Becomes Fashion By Ava Jhamin I have been going to the Galeria Mexico for as long as I can remember. If you’re friends with Owl Braveheart, it’s a no brainer that you will come to the openings of this amazing showplace for art. Here’s a little background on the wonderful Galeria Mexico in both Spanish and English. La Galería México (ubicada actualmente en Ometeotl sim, en Second Life ) es un espacio abierto a todo aquello que significa cultura. Spanish: Como curador, tuve el sueño de dar a conocer la riqueza de la cultura mexicana, asumiendo que para un mas efectivo acercamiento a ésta es necesario un punto de encuentro con las diversidad cultural Universal. Por ende, se ha convertido con el tiempo en un espacio abierto para todo artista profesional que desee mostrar su obra, sin hacer distinción de nacionalidades, estilos o propuestas. Así han expuesto

artistas de: México, EE.UU., Canadá, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Dinamarca, Holanda, Inglaterra, España, Francia, Italia, Bélgica, Noruega, India y Australia. Desde su apertura a la fecha ha albergado la obra de: pintores, escultores, diseñadores gráficos, artistas virtuales y músicos. La Galería al estar ubicada en un mundo virtual como es sl ( con mas de 20 millones de usuarios) cuenta con la ventaja de accesibilidad desde todo el mundo proveyendo una plataforma de exposición global e interrelación entre artistas y públicos de las mas diversas nacionalidades. En la galería se busca proyectar tanto a artistas con un talento consolidado en ambos mundos como a artistas emergentes que inician su praxis en Second Life. La galería, en septiembre pasado cumplió 5 años funcionando ininterrumpidamente comprobando de esa forma su visión y recibiendo Continued next page...

Issue 9, December 2016 | L’Amour Diversity Magazine

Honey Bender Owner, CEO and Designer at Faster Pussycats and Sabine Mortenwold real life artist.

Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Amour Diversity Magazine | Issue 9, December 2016

SABINE & HONEY’S EXHIBIT AT THE GALERIA MEXICO

a mas de 100,000 visitantes de todo el mundo estableciendo relaciones culturales y comerciales entre los artistas y sus públicos. English: The Galeria Mexico (in the sim of Ometeotl) is an open space for everything culture. Owl speaks openly and lovingly about the sim. Like the curator, he had the dream to let others know the richness of the Mexican culture, knowing that, it is necessary a point of contact with the global vision of the culture.

Issue 9, December 2016 | L’Amour Diversity Magazine

With the time turned into an open space to all professional artist that want show his/her work, making a difference between nations, styles or propositions. In that form, already we had exhibitions in the gallery artists from: Mexico, USA, Canada, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Puerto Rico, Denmark, Holland, United Kingdom, Spain, France, Italy, Norway, India, Australia, etc. Since it´s opening we showed work from painters, sculptors, graphic designers, visual artists and musicians.

Being a gallery in a virtual world, like SL (with over than 20 million users), we have a great access from all the world, giving a global platform of exhibitions and relation with artists and persons from all these nations. The gallery wants give promotion to artists with a clear talent in both worlds, and to artists that begins his/ her praxis in second life.

“

by Honey Bender, Designer of cutting edge designs and Owner and CEO of Faster Pussycat. So, when Sabine came to Honey with her idea of mixing art and fashion, they combined their art and designs into some of the most fab clothes and art work that I have ever seen. I sat down with these two amazing ladies over cocktails and girl talk.

Last September, the gallery had five years’ exhibitions...and receiving over 100,000 visitors from all over the world.

Last September, the gallery had five years’ exhibitions without interruption, having a great experience with its vision, and receiving over 100,000 visitors from all over the world, having cultural and commercial relations between artists and their visitors. I know firsthand as an art lover how much this sim means to Owl and his team at Galeria Mexico. For me as a writer and artist buff I love going around and seeing the amazing work artists in Second Life. When I heard about Sabine’s exhibition I knew that I just had to go. A new kind of art came to The Galeria in November 2016, in the form of Art by Sabine Mortenwold an amazing artist in real life, and fashion

”

Ava: What brought you both to Second Life? Sabine: I was bored and stressed when I lost my job in 2008 and needed something to take my mind off worrying about a job. One of my friends, Trader Whiplash, had told me about SL years before and I decided it was time to check it out again. I immediately loved the graphics here and exploring. Honey: Chance. I read about it in a newspaper article back in 2006 and thought it sounded like a place to explore artistic possibilities. So, I thought I’d give it a shot. It was quite a lot more than what I bargained for. Continued next page...

L’Amour Diversity Magazine | Issue 9, December 2016

POWER OF MYSTICAL THINKING

Ava: Tell me what you started to do when you came to Second Life? Sabine: At first I just explored around and went to a couple of clubs. I made some friends who are still my very best friends in SL almost immediately and that made being here more fun. I had been in SL for about six months when I heard people talking about modeling and I started exploring that and taking modeling classes. Honey: I was a dancer for a few months or so, then after two months I was picked up by Bianca Darling who ran Aspire Models and I started modeling professionally in October

Issue 9, December 2016 | L’Amour Diversity Magazine

LEAVES FLOATING ON WATER

2006. That didn’t earn me any lindens but I got to explore awesome designers’ work and study design. Ava: Can you tell the Diversity readers how you both met? Sabine: I have a bunch of Faster Pussycat clothes. Probably almost everything Honey has ever designed since way back when I first started here. We started chatting after she had liked my posts on Flickr with her outfits and I told her how much I loved her clothes. I mentioned that I was an artist and had worked with Vikeejeah at Loovus before and would love to work with her.

RICHNESS OF TAPESTRY

Honey: Through modeling. Ava: How did you both come to do the art of Sabine with the designs of Honey? Sabine: As I said above, I mentioned that I had worked with Loovus previously when Honey went to look at my art at one of the locations where I was showing it. I gave her some paintings to play with and we talked about what might be a possible idea for some new clothes with my art and her designs. I love her vintage clothes and she came up with a fun “disco’ style outfit, and some other great mix and match pieces as well as a beautiful gown.

Honey: Well I must give Sabine the credits here, because she generously offered me some of her artworks as textures, asked me if I wanted to play around and perhaps design something using them. I was extremely flattered. Ava: What was the process of taking the designs and incorporating them on the clothes? Sabine: I provided Honey with the paintings and she worked her magic. Honey: For me it was deciding on a trendy theme, and i chose to go for a deep, heavy baroque vibe using velvet and taffeta-type textures in jewel colors, with gold embroidery Continued next page... L’Amour Diversity Magazine | Issue 9, December 2016

and embellishments to enhance the richness of Sabine’s palette. Ava: Can you share with our readers if the experience added a new or different dimension to your friendship? Sabine: Well, I was thrilled and honored that she was willing to work with me and to create the fun pieces that she did. I think Honey is awesome! Honey: Well yes, I have totally discovered Sabine’s RL art, and her enormous production and unique style, it’s been a total revelation to me. Ava: How was it showing over at The Galeria?

Sabine: It is going well! We had a good turnout at the opening. The show will be up through Christmas. I am always so happy and thrilled to have people love and enjoy my paintings. People loved Honey’s designs and I wore the beautiful draped gown she made. Honey: I loved it! I have always enjoyed fashion that balances on the edge between art and design and to see the clothes there along with the paintings is a thrill. An ultimate fashion/art-installation. Ava: Thank you so much Sabine and Honey for sitting doing this article on your amazing artistic designs. You are truly an inspiration to us all on Second Life. n

Visit Sabine and Honey’s Art & Fashion exhibit on display at the Galeria Mexico through the holidays.

Issue 9, December 2016 | L’Amour Diversity Magazine

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Fashion

Boo-T-Full B. Barbie Style Fashion Show By Rhiannon Colclough SHOW CAST: Models: Cyberdawg Foxclaw Bai Nightfire Dakota Lavarock Andyy Lenoir Rienna Thorne Resmay Bloodstorm Owl Braveheart Liberty Lighthouse - Model Director Paige Darkfury - Show Invitations RedHawk Chronowire - Set Builder Ava Jhamin - Set Design/Producer/Director Lira Savira - Photography

The biggest fun of Halloween is, in my opinion, the costumes—it’s like playing make-believe that even adults can indulge in! Now some may argue that SL is like Halloween all year long, and I can see that, but something is still special about Halloween, something that sets it apart even in SL...and that was nowhere more evident than the Boo-T-Full B. Barbie Styles show, on October 30, 2016. It was a fun and fantastical show that displayed the amazing costumes from B. Barbie Style. Ava Jhamin, CEO of L’Amour Productions and the hostess for the show, came out on a giant animated spider and had a great deal of fun, explaining to the audience, “This furry lil critter is my spider companion Clive. If all the people in the audience make sure that you have you’re inworld voice on, Wind light set to Continued next page...

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midnight and all gestures off, Clive will be a good little spider.” She then introduced the models and others who had helped with the show. The first walk featured Cyberdawg Foxclaw and Bai Nightfire doing a double walk as the Ninja Male Black and Ninja Female Black, respectively. Cyberdawg Foxclaw wore the Ninja Male, in a spandex body suit with all the silver rivets and detailing, including a layered detailed collar. He completed the look with ninja boots and mask. Bai Nightfire wore the female version of the Ninja with mask, head scarf, sash, fingerless long gloves and boots. The next walk was also a double walk, with models Anddy Braveheart and Owl Braveheart going out together in two versions of the same outfit: Skully Male, with mask and jeans. The mask is made of steel and copper, and the Skully wide sleeve tank has the same designs as the mask. Anddy wore the brown version and Owl the black. Both wore classic 5-pocket jeans with artfully added bloodstains, the perfect addition for Halloween. The third walk introduced Dakota Lavarock as a single walk as the Sorceress in orange. It was a beautiful v-neck satin gown with layers of black on the outside, draping down the back and going into panels of yummy black satin. On the inside, it is lined with orange satin, making this gown

not only a beautiful gown but a piece of art. The silver piece on the waist pulled it all together. The look was completed by the stiletto shoes in orange with silver chains and spikes. Walk four introduced the Natasha pantsuit in two versions in a double walk, Rienna Thorne wearing the Burnt Orange Natasha and Resmay Bloodstorm wearing the Autumn Gold Natasha. Color blocks of oranges, browns, and shade of black on Rienna and greens, browns and shades of black on Resmay made these pantsuits really stand out. The legs, wide and reminiscent of the 1950’s, showed off the matching shoes, and matching scarves pulled together the entire look. Owl, wearing the Nathanal in Red, came out in walk four. Nathanal is a lumberjack-gone-preppy look, with a button down Pendleton shirt with hues of reds and oranges. The sleeves, long but rolled up, make for a very casual gorgeous look, finished with the 5-pocket jeans with...is that a hint of blood on the jeans?? This outfit will certainly make you look twice! The next walk featured both Bai and Resmay wearing the Lillith mermaid style gown, Bai in Red and Resmay in silver. The gown was very reminiscent of Morticia Addams, with the long train, and the crisscross spider webs with spiders enhanced the dangerously sexy allure of the dress. Continued next page...

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The dress even includes wings - so wonderfully alluring! For walk seven, Cyberdawg and Rienna came out in the Sultan and Belly Dancer outfits, respectively. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fun to try out styles from movie lore, and nothing is more iconic of the early days of movie magic than the Sultan and his Belly Dancer! Cy wore the B. Barbie Sultan complete outfit, which started at the dark red turban on his head, then segued into a sultan vest in red, gold and black, sultan balloon pants in the same colors and belted tightly at the ankles, then finishing with red sultan loafers with touches of gold. Rienna wore the Belly Dancer, which consisted of a pinkÂ and gold bikini top with matching arm bands and skirt and exquisite detailing overall. Owl and Bai returned to the stage for walk eight, Owl as the Angel de la Muerte, a leather jacket and pants set in red and black, the jacket open to the waist with straps of silver and red hanging down, with matching strips of red and silver along the outside of the pants. Bai wore a devilish suit, with bright pink spaghetti straps tight to the body hugging bodysuit. The suit is cut in a V all the way down right past the navel, lined with eye-catching black. She finished the outfit with pink horns and a pink trident and tail. Walk nine was another double walk, with Dakota & Rienna. Dakota wore the BOSL Wench outfit, with black corset top with detailing over a ruffled orange shirt and an orange ruffled skirt. She finished the look with the B. Barbie Mesh boots in Continued next page... Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Amour Diversity Magazine | Issue 9, December 2016

black, complete with buckle and big cuff at the top of the boot. Rienna wore the BOSL Something Wicked gown. The gown, in leather satin, has spider splashes on each breast, a form-fitting skirt with laced red pieces and silver rivets on the upper calves that flares just enough to add elegance and fun whimsy to the look; it finished with mesh peep toe heels in red and black. Walk ten had Cy and Anddy both wearing the Giles suit, Cy in Burgundy and Anddy in Purple. The outfits include a crisp white tailored shirt with pushed-up arms, a baroquestyle vest with a lot of color and gold buttons, matching tie, tailored matching pants and mesh shoes. The outfit was very sexy and a blast for any man who likes some color in his wardrobe!

Finally, Resmay and Anddy came out on the runway, Resmay as a vice cop and Anddy as a SWAT officer. I can’t imagine anyone not wanting to have either of these two come rescue them...or arrest them, even! Resmay’s outfit, a leather halter dress with only a few very strategic straps in the back, had cuffs on the front; Anddy in a very macho SWAT ensemble that probably made quite a few female hearts flutter, also brought the lawabiding swagger to the runway. After the models and the designer came back for a final walk and bows, the audience the same costumes scattered throughout the set...just a little more inspiration for getting that Halloween feeling! It truly was a Boo-T-Full time at the B. Barbie Style Show. n

See more photos of the event on the L’Amour Productions Flickr.

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Challenge yourself... Contact Bai Nightfire

Fashion

32nd PAZZO Style Challenge So much fun was had at the 32nd Pazzo Style Challenge on October 30th. The theme was Halloween Your Way. The Winner was Lanna Axel, and we had a two way tie with meishagirl and twylabear. The Winner received 500L gift card from B. Barbie Style who was our sponsor. They also

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received a 500L gift card from Chop Zuey and a 250L from L’Amour Productions. We would like to thank all of the models who participated in this round. alwaysonit Lanna Axel anastasianin meishagirl catsmeow17 twylabear

Lanna Axel, Winner of the 32nd Pazzo Style Challenge - Halloween Your Way.

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Sabine Mortenwold FashionDish Committee Chairperson Photo by Jena Adder

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Fashion

FashionDish Chats at Model’s Workshop By Jena Adder, Model’s Workshop COO & Co-Owner Model’s Workshop runs an amazing program called FashionDish. It mimics the chat sessions created by Founder Monica Balut years ago when models gathered to chit chat about fashion, offer tips and avatar support to help with productivity, and it was also the perfect opportunity to meet and build relationships with others in the business. These sessions were very helpful to me when I was a new model, so in February 2016, with the blessing of Co-Owners Suki Rexen and Monica Balut, I resurrected the program and recruited a very good friend and model, Sabine Mortenwold, to lead it. Sabine and I put our heads together to come up with the name FashionDish, and created what is now one of our most successful programs at Model’s Workshop. FashionDish chats are monthly, informal discussions about

happenings, issues and changes in the modelling and fashion community. The sessions take place at 10AM and repeated at 5PM (slt) every first Monday of the month. Sessions are conducted in text (Nearby/Local Chat) to give everyone in the room an equal playing field—voice tends to dominate a discussion, and unless everyone is on voice, those using text can sometimes feel excluded from the discussion. Guests are encouraged to share their experiences, ask the tough questions and speak freely about the challenges we face as models in today’s fashion world, as well as discuss as a group solutions to help resolve or maybe simply accept change. Continued next page...

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Model’s Workshop welcomes healthy debate. However, we do not tolerate shaming, defaming, name calling or bullying at the FashionDish chats. We ask our guests to be respectful of each other when responding to comments they disagree with.

“

well attended and probably one of the hottest topics of the year. The discussion on Fashion Show Scripts in September was also another popular topic with lots of varying opinions about the effectiveness of text in local chat

...one of the rare occasions where people can gather for a friendly discussion about things that affect the fashion industry.. Model’s Workshop does not take sides and invites everyone in fashion to participate regardless of affiliation or relationships. Over the year we’ve had some very heated debates…and some truly inspiring ones. Our first session was on February 1, 2016 and was all about Styling for Pageants in SL. We invited models who participated in pageants to share their experience and styling tips to help others who were undecided about entering a pageant. In March it was all about Color. Sabine discussed the various uses of color and showed us how to use the color wheel. In April we discussed a very controversial topic, Nude Modeling, which was very

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”

to describe the goings on in a fashion show. We also ran a survey on the topic that resulted in 61% of respondents (39) telling us that they DO pay attention to the text in local chat at fashion shows, however 49% prefer to listen to an MC on voice if offered, and only 15% prefer text if both were offered. These findings are very telling, and we hope to do more of these surveys in conjunction with a FashionDish topic in future. Other topics discussed over the year include, Blogging (May), Model Pay (June), Runway vs Events (October), and Agency/Model Loyalty (November). Each session saw members from all areas of SL fashion coming out to express their opinions or to simply listen in.

Model’s Workshop FashionDish is one of the rare occasions where people interested in fashion can gather for a friendly discussion about things that affect our industry. We are very satisfied with the results so far and plan for more exciting topics in future. Join the Model’s Workshop Group in world and visit us at modelsworkshop.wordpress.com for details about the next FashionDish chat session and to stay up-to-date

on all of the other great programs offered at Model’s Workshop. n

Links & Landmarks: MW Headquarters MW Blog MW Facebook Page

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Next Challenge: January 18, 2017 at 5PM SLT. Theme: Time Traveler.

SAORI KIDO REY (SAORI440) - WINNER

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Dia De La Muertos Styling Challenge Model’s Workshop, October 2016 Saori wears a costume inspired by the Lady of the Dead or better known as ‘The Catrina’. Saori based her styling on a Victorian modern style: a crop black top, chain necklace and a long siren skirt. She complements the outfit with gloves, an umbrella and a rose headpiece. Issue 9, December 2016 | L’Amour Diversity (Photo by Magazine Jena Adder)

VENUM AMES - WINNER Literary Characters Styling Challenge (Belle from Beauty and the Beast), Model’s Workshop, November 2016 Venum was inspired by Belle from The Beauty and the Beast, which she recently watched for the first time! She chose to style Belle simple and romantic, choosing vibrant colors for the gown to contrast her skin. She added a vial necklace, roses and a lion’s head ring to L’Amour Diversity Magazine (Photo | Issue 9,byDecember 2016 emphasize the fairytail’s symbols. Jena Adder)

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Role Play

Creating A Family of Choice

The Kingdom Between Two Seas By Queen MaiaCer Lysette

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promotion in favor of reminding you of your past failures. “Now don’t screw this one up like you did with that one ten years ago, Remember?”

Queen MaiaCer Lysette Now that Thanksgiving in the USA is behind us, and Christmas is fast approaching, you may have found that stress surrounds the holidays with real life family. You are not alone. It is not unusual for individuals to find themselves returning to childhood behaviors and unfulfilled expectations when coping with family. Those without immediate real life family often find the isolation of holidays daunting and depressing. Whether it is for health reasons, financial limitations, or the loss of loved ones that one is alone, depression can be the result. But, maybe one is better off without cousins who still bully you and call you offensive childhood names, from when you were five, or the aunt who ignores others’ congratulations of your new

Per Ross Rosenberg, M.Ed., LCPC, CADC, a national seminar trainer and psychotherapist who specializes in relationships, “You might be hanging out with the wrong people.” As the one individual family, rather than the nuclear family are growing, the concept of family continues to expand. What you need is a new family. Bella DePaulo, in Nautilus Magazine, states “Research by social scientists paints a very different picture. Most singles, studies show…(they) cultivate large, diverse social networks—often with more zeal and commitment than the married demographic they’re displacing.” Per Wagner, as reported in Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, “Unlike computer games, Second Life® does not have a pre-defined purpose and allows for highly realistic enactment of real life activities online.” {Wagner, C. (2009). “Action Learning with Second Life - A Pilot Study.”. Journal of Information Systems Education. 20 (2): 249–258.} Continued next page...

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Further studies report that “virtual lives and physical lives are not independent, and our appearances and actions have both online and offline consequences.” SL “users are engaged in a range of healthrelated activities in SL which are potentially impacting reallife behaviors.” {Boulos, M.N.K.; Hetherington, L.; Wheeler, S. (2007). “Second Life: an overview of the potential of 3-D virtual worlds in medical and health education.”. Health Information & Libraries Journal. 24 (4): 233–245. doi:10.1111/j.14711842.2007.00733.x The Kingdom Between Two Seas (KBTS) fits the research components. KBTS is a family unit that encompasses both a Second Life® Bloodlines Clan, Blood Between Two Seas (BBTS), and a non-Bloodline group of likeminded individuals that comprise a family of choice. Sociologist generally speak of two main family concepts, the family of origin (The family into which one is born) and the family of procreation (The family into which one marries). Both embody the nuclear family style. In addition, the sociological structure also defines a family of supportive individuals who are there for you and are

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available in most situations. This is your family of choice (sometimes also called your Alternative Family). These are the individuals who drop what they are doing and come when you need them. Dr. Kathleen Young, a Clinical Psychologist Specializing in the treatment of trauma and its aftermath, speaks of the need for supportive relationships. “Family of Choice can serve all the same functions you wish your family did/could.” Carol Juergenson-Sheets, a social worker and certified life coach concurs. She states that if one’s family… “causes you to feel depleted, it is time to create your own family of choice.” Susan Ahern has written a book about these kinship relationships, entitled Family by Choice, Creating Family in a World of Strangers, with co-author Kent G. Bailey, professor of psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University. Ahern contends that “People need close ties with other people… and if this is not possible with one’s own family--because of geographic or emotional distance--then creating an intentional family can fill the gap.”

In March 2010 I, did just that Our original family concept was developed when land purchased by this writer was utilized as a refuge and entertainment center for friends. At that point, members of the family encompassed individuals with no ties to bloodlines. In June

all members, while portraying an 18th century kingdom where women are equal to men. Think of the family as living in a State and the clan as a separate city within that State. The Kingdom Between Two Seas is the land for

“

The object of the Role Play is to have fun and build a family unit, here in Second Life®, for all members, while portraying an 18th century kingdom..

”

of 2010, I joined Bloodlines and expanded my family of choice. On November 27, 2010, the name of the original family structure became The Kingdom Between Two Seas, a Modified 18th century role play, based on the real-life ancestors of the founder with changes incorporated with the co-founder. Many, but not all, members of the kingdom are direct descendants from various so-called royal lines. The object of the Role Play is to have fun and build a family unit, here in Second Life®, for

Blood Between Two Seas (BBTS), a Bloodlines Clan. BBTS is just one part of the Kingdom. The family currently consist of 63 active members of which only 10 are vampires. The rest are Lykan, humans with huds, and humans without bloodline huds. To be invited to join our family is a rare privilege. We seek only those who are in tune with our beliefs of loyalty to our family of choice, service above self, and honor above all. n

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Technology

Bento Update: Where Are We Now? By Rhiannon Colclough L’Amour Diversity, back in March, printed an article about Project Bento, how it would revolutionize how avis move and interact...and it is perhaps time to revisit Bento and see if it is everything promised, or more a concept still in execution. I took a Bento-ready head (from Altamura, but Akeruka also advertises one), Bento-ready hands (from Vista), and signed on with the Bento-ready SL viewer.

the head huds control the facial expressions. If I could include a video with my experiments in facial expressions, it would show you more readily how the face suddenly becomes more expressive, able to more closely approximate facial movement in RL.

Right now, the SL viewer is the only Bento-ready viewer; if you don’t have the SL viewer, you look incredibly strange - think mesh before mesh-enabled viewers, only worse. Hands turn into stretchedout strings and blobs, like wearing taffy on your hands. Heads shrink and settle somewhere into the avi’s lower back. It is not a sight for the faint of heart! However, if you do have the SL viewer, you can embark on the adventure that is Bento. You can move from hand gesture to hand gesture with the hand hud;

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I can’t do that - but I can show you with the pictures I took how the hands move and look so much more lifelike than before. The end result is, though, that until Bento heads and hands become more common and the other major viewers become more Bento-enabled (reports are that Firestorm is almost ready to push out a beta version of a Bentoenabled viewer soon), Bento is not going to be a factor in the lives of most of SL’s denizens. Unless you want to look like a cross between a wax museum accident and a headshrinker’s victim, it’s doubtful you’ll want to employ any Bento products until (almost) everyone can see you properly. Once Bento is a part of your SL life, it’s going to be like mesh - you will wonder how you lived without it before in SL. You can be so much more expressive; think of how you’ve always wished to be able to give an OK sign - or flip someone off! - well, now it is possible! And this was just the face and finger avi bones...imagine what else will be possible in the very near future! Bento is closer and closer all the time to becoming part of your SL reality, helping to make SL more fun and life like for you. n

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Social

Libel, Anonymous Sources, and the Internet By Rhiannon Colclough It’s likely we’ve all, at one time, been the victim of gossip, innuendo, or downright lies spread around behind our backs. The feeling of powerlessness that accompanies such an experience is horrible, and likely we’ve also wished we could find those responsible and get satisfaction from them; certainly, a full retraction, at the very least, of the falsehoods spread about us. It might be hard to accomplish, but it is such a feeling of power to force your detractors to “eat their words” and make things right. There is a legal recourse as well... because such actions by others, if based on falsehood, is called libel. Libel is “a method of defamation expressed by print, writing, pictures, signs, effigies, or any communication embodied in physical form that is injurious to a person’s reputation, exposes a person to public hatred, contempt or ridicule, or injures

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a person in his/her business or profession.” https://www.law.cornell. edu/wex/libel Furthermore, libel is also defined as some communication that “...injures a person’s reputation or causes the person to be shunned or avoided.” http://journalism.about.com/od/ ethicsprofessionalism/a/libel.htm Libel is also false; if the accusation is true, it can be proven and therefore is not libelous. It must also be communicated to someone other than the victim of the libel. Therefore, any version of printed communique

- even a web site - can be a locus for libel. Now, because of the anonymous nature of the Internet, people assume that anything can be printed on the ‘net and there is no fear of reprisal. However, that assumption may be based on a faulty belief in “‘net anonymity.” Anonymity, whether in print or on a screen, is a relative term, and we all may have less anonymity than we think. And despite the long history of anonymous sources in journalism, there is a general distrust of anonymous sources, and for good reason. As one article writer expressed it: “That’s one problem with anonymous sources: They often get it wrong because why make sure you have it right when you will not be held accountable for what you say. And even if it is accurate, readers cannot judge the value of the material for themselves if they don’t know the source. Many sources hide behind anonymity to take cheap shots without anyone knowing they have an axe to grind or a dog in the fight. And even more importantly, the frequent and often unnecessary use of anonymous sources reinforces the mistrust readers already have for journalists. http://www.poynter. org/2014/anonymous-sources-leavingjournalisms-false-god-behind/249037/

Yes, many good deeds have been done in the name of anonymity Deep Throat, for one of the most famous examples - but other, less savory deeds have been done as well - think Janet Cooke and her completely fictionalized account of a child heroin addict. She claimed to have “anonymous sources,” all of which were completely invented. How can we be certain that the words we read are the truth, or someone’s fictionalized account of events? The recent rash of“fake news” that may have changed the direction of the US elections is another example of the effect lies can have on people. Because words are so powerful, the US Constitution has established the First Amendment, protecting certain categories of words while allowing other categories of words to be challenged. “Different types of speech, whether anonymous or not, receive different levels of constitutional protection. Because of its significance in this country’s history, political speech is accorded the highest level of protection. Commercial speech, which is expression related solely to the economic interests of the speaker/ writer and the audience, is given a lesser level of protection and will Continued next page...

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not be protected if it is misleading or related to unlawful activity. Defamatory speech, generally, is not entitled to any First Amendment protection.” http://www. wardandsmith.com/articles/internetlibel-legal-recourse-anonymousbusiness-defamation So, if someone decides to spread falsities about someone else, it is not protected speech. The victim

And if you are counting on the “net anonymity” mentioned earlier, it might be much more illusory a protection than you think. According to the First Amendment Center, “Those who anonymously damage the reputations of others on the Internet may have a rude awakening. They’re not as anonymous as they believe.” We’ve seen a number of cases in recent months in which judges have upheld subpoenas that give libelsuit plaintiffs the identities of those

“

Those who anonymously damage the reputations of others on the Internet may have a rude awakening. They’re not as anonymous as they believe.

”

may also be able to have legal recourse even if s/he cannot prove any harm was done to him/her or her/his business. “If the slander or libel consists of statements about your business or profession and the words are defamatory by themselves, without further explanation, it is considered defamation ‘per se.’ That means you do not need to prove in court that you or your business were damaged by the defamation; such damages are presumed.” http://www. wardandsmith.com/articles/internetlibel-legal-recourse-anonymousbusiness-defamation

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who have been posting ugly things about them...any notion of being protected just because you don’t use your name is misplaced.” http://www. firstamendmentcenter.org/onlineanonymity-no-sure-thing-in-libel-cases According to Bloomberg News, “Anonymous gossip on Web sites...has raised issues about defamation online. Some state attorneys general are also concerned that anonymous posts can lead to harassment, assault, and other public safety concerns. To date, Web sites have been protected by section 230 of the Communications Decency

Act. Some state attorneys general are considering suing Web sites under consumer fraud statutes for violating the Web sites’ own terms of use that limit the posting of abusive comment. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/ articles/2008-04-30/the-dark-side-ofweb-anonymity Not only that, but as another article writer put it, “There have only been a handful of libel and defamation lawsuits filed involving the Internet so far, but as the Net grows, the number of lawsuits will probably increase. If the few court battles that have been decided involving libel and defamation on the Net are any indication of how the law will be applied to the Internet in the future, it’s worth your time to learn what’s libelous or defamatory on the Internet and what’s not.” http://www.writing. upenn.edu/~afilreis/defamation-incyberspace.html

nature of the communication it published.” http://scholarship. shu.edu/cgi/viewcontent. cgi?article=1077&context=student_ scholarship So no, you can’t print libel and then hide behind a “I didn’t know” defense. Legally, you don’t have any solid ground for that and may find a very rude awakening at the wrong end of a lawsuit. So, we are not as powerless as we might have been led to believe when Internet trolls, fakers, liars and scammers try to destroy us. We have the law on our side. Hopefully, very soon Internet nastiness will be an unpleasant memory and the Internet can fulfill its promise of reliable and useful information. But until that day, but until that day, there is legal recourse to help protect ourselves from the worst the Internet can do. n

And, if you claim innocence because “I just printed what someone wrote me”...well, get ready to retain a lawyer. Defamation laws also allow for third parties to be held accountable. “If a third party republishes or distributes a defamatory communication then they too can be held liable... If the third party republishes defamatory content, then it is liable whether it knew of the defamatory

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