CDS Election Campaigning: 恭子 Kyoko (Samara Barzane)

By Bixyl Shuftan

Different communities have different ways of how things are run. For the Confederation of Democratic Simulators, the community has elections twice a year in which local citizens (those who own land in the community) chose who will be in the Representative Assembly and who will be their leader: the Chancellor. This election, two people are running for Chancellor. They are Drewski Northman, and 恭子 Kyoko (Samara Barzane). The part of Kyoko's display name written in Japanese kanji also spells "Kyoko."

Sunday November 11 saw two events in which both candidates had a chance to explain themselves to the voters. Drewski had his at 11 AM. Kyoko's was the second one, taking place at 2:30 PM SL time.

I'd like to invite  you to join me for an informal discussion of my platform (attached) and listen to what YOU want to see (and help make happen) in C.D.S. Ask away, but I want to hear from you too!

Kyoko has also put her case for being elected, as well as her goals, on notecard. Her campaign could be summed up as "Respect, Responsibility, and Resourcefulness."

I am running for the honor of serving you as the Chancellor of C.D..S. for the 30th Term.

I have been a citizen of the C.D.S. since 2015 and am currently serving as PIO Head and as a member of the Land Use Commission. Last March’s successful Celebrating SL Women 2018 was planned by Brooke Brandenburg and myself. I have owned and managed The Art Cafe in Locus Amoenus since 2015 and was recently made an Estate Manager

An SL member since 2007, I have worked at a number of SL jobs, which included customer relations as well as store and sim management, marketing, public relations and events. Employers have included store Elikapeka Tiramisu of ETD (now [e]), Roslin Petion of Fleur and designer Mills Michinaga. I owned and managed Park Galleries from 2008 to 2011 and continue to exhibit my own artwork in C.D.S. and elsewhere.

I also owned and operated a translation agency, and served as sim manager for a shopping sim taking care of rentals, marketing, public relations and events. Active in Relay for Life of Second Life since 2008, I was sponsorship chair in 2011.

In that role I raised $11,000 US for Relay for Life of Second Life. These experiences have included the development of program and marketing strategies suited to Second Life. Throughout these work experiences I have interacted with diverse SL individuals and groups.

What I stand for:

RESPECT
As Chancellor I pledge to respect each citizen, as well as the history and structures of C.D.S

RESPONSIBILITY
I pledge to take responsibility for my assigned duties in a timely manner and for any mistakes that I make.

RESOURCEFULNESS
Finally, I pledge to be resourceful in problem-solving, in the judicious use of C.D.S. assets and in seeking out citizen skills to support the C.D.S. vision.

SPECIFICALLY
- Work with key members of the executive and citizenry to develop and execute a marketing strategy for Land Sales and Citizen Retention
- Encourage the Land Use Commission to continue its creative vigilance with regard to our simulators.
- Continue a program of varied events that appeal to our citizens, as well as promoting C.D.S. to others. I will also encourage citizen participation in creating new events.
- Meet with citizens for both social and discussion purposes on a regular as well as ad hoc basis.


The event was held at the CDS Amphitheatre in Colonia Nova. Earlier in the day, Kyoko had held a Maiko dance event, "Odori No Aki,: there. Now, the place was the site of a political event. Rosie Gray, whom was Chancellor earlier this year, told her, "Thanks for organizing the Maiko dance event, I thought it was really interesting, and something totally different for here." "You are welcome," Kyoko told her, "They are good people."

More people arrived, and they sat on a circle of chairs on stage, "Rosie, if we need more chairs can you move us around?"Kyoko waited a few extra minutes for more to arrive, then "OK, why don't we get started? First thank you for coming and welcome. I have a few remarks prepared, (what candidate doesn't *laughter*) But I thought I would start with a couple of stories.

"My poster slogan is Respectful, Responsible, Resourceful. You, of course, will be the just of whether I treat others with respect. It is my intent. But there are other things to respect here at CDS, our vision of democracy in a virtual world, the integrity and functioning of our political structures, as well as our traditions that pull us together.


"Okay, responsibility.  A story. I was recently made an Estate Manager. One of my first acts was to turn this amphitheatre into a water parcel." That statement got a few chuckles from some of the others around, "ha-ha." Kyoko continued, "I was so embarrassed, flattened all the land to the water (laughter). I contacted Rosie and Sudane Erato and confessed, pleading for help, and offered to resign. Their response? They said, 'don't worry. We've done worse.' That told me a lot about the quality of the people caring for our sims. And I will always take responsibility when I goof." Rosie remarked, "None of us is perfect." Kyoko responded, "Rosie while true, that was a lovely goof I made (laughter)."

It was about this moment Han Held (Hannah Marie Tempestwolf), the current Chancellor, arrived. She remarked, "they said they've done worse and I TP in, 'Speak of the devil and you see her horns.' ... I can vouch that you've got the skills, temperment and education and background to do very, very well."

Kyoko continued, "OK, resourcefulness. We don't always have a lot of money lying around for events. As a result two of our Oktoberfest events, The Pub Crawl and Friedsee by horseback were citizen-generated, a load of fun and, free. There are so many ways to to make that happen again and again. And that's one way we can be resourceful. For those of you who attends this afternoon's event, Odori No Aki, remember the last folktale about the frogs. The moral  there was that it is people who make a community thrive. And we have the people, I know."

"I had more prepared," Kyoko spoke, "But I'm happy for questions, suggestions ideas. The floor is yours." Keila Forager had the first question, about getting buyers for vacant land, "Thank you.  What are your plans to reduce the 'yellow' on the map?" After a few comments about a new keyboard, Kyoko answered, "Not my favorite color. One of the main tasks of the incoming chancellor will be to turn those to green or later snow. My three prongs if you will are Marketing and citizen retention. It takes a community to build a community. While it's the chancellor's task, it is also the task for all of us. What do we value about CDS? What might need to change?" She glanced at her papers for a moment, "Let me look at my notes a sec. ...The three prongs are marketing, outreach, and events. They are all connected. In marketing we need to refresh and refocus our advertising. I have some ideas, but the more the merrier. As for outreach, as I mentioned we should encourage citizen generated events.

"Outreach, develop ways to cooperate with other communities on items of mutual interest. Whether it's events of project we both support, that's a gain for both communities in life and vitality. Cooperating with other communities should not involve poaching, but a reputation as a good community to work with helps drive interest and hopefully more green and less yellow. I've already talked about events as a community project under resourcefulness. Marketing involves selling us, obviously. But outreach and events help sell us also. As the frogs (in the play) said, a community is it's people. We all need to step up. If I am not elected I will not disappear. I will keep working for the well-being of (the) CDS.

While she spoke, others had questions. Keila wondered about if the CDS was in the Linden Destinations Guide, and Rosie told her they were, showing them the link to the Neufreistadt sim. But Lyubov remarked, "I've never found us in the Guide." Then in response to cooperating with other communities she asked, "Do you have come communities in mind, that may share interests?  Steampunk? Victorian roleplay? ... What would be a measurable goal, or achievement, after your six month term?" Keila asked, "I think retention should be an issue also.  Once you get new citizens, how you plan to keep them.   Aside from Rosie here, I've just recently met everyone else and have been a citizen since June this time.   I've been part of CDS off and on since 2007."

Kyoko went on, "Yes, I'm a retired university professor, and student retention is a big worry. A place to start is why we each are here, what makes us stay, what makes us come back? For me it is a community that works together." "And what makes us leave?" Keila threw in. Kyoko responded, "Oh yes that one too Keila. Why do people leave? We need to understand that. ... As for metrics, I'm a philosopher, not a statistician (wink). I would hope that we make a lot of progress on banishing the yellow, that we work together as a community. I will aim for as much non-yellow as possible. If the RA were to want to see a measuring metric that is fine. But often when we seek a number we miss options to  reach the same goal by a different route."

Kyoko them commented, "Can you tell I've been on too many assessment committees? Did I miss a question?" Lyubov commented, "I'm speaking only for myself, not for the RA (smile), but thank you." Kyoko continued, "Of course my job as chancellor is to keep a sharp eye on fiances and other matters. I will do that  to the best of my abilities. But we need the citizens to work together to help us grow, not just in numbers and (money), but in community. I'm not naive. I've been in many communities both real and virtual. The important thing is not to get bogged down in the past, but to look forward. We have amazing sims and that's one of our biggest selling points. I will be as available and consistent as is humanly possible. But I will be working with you to find the energy we need to be even better than we are."

Keila remarked, "Nor could I find a list of places to visit while here, do we still have that too?" Kyoko answered, "The Land Use Commission is working on that right now, and I am hoping we'll have a working list by the next term. Rosie and I will also accept suggestions for places to list." Kyoko apologized for any typos made, "I just get excited about the projects."

Kyoko then brought up, "Do you want to know why I decided to run?" There were answers of "Yes." The candidate then began to explain, " I've been in CDS since mid-2015 as a gallery owner and resident, with absolutely no intention of running for office. I mean absolutely no intention. Rosie knows how absolute (wink). So what changed my mind? A sense of duty and a higher calling?" Lyubov grinned, "You were drafted." Kyoko answered, "Not that simple really, although my arm is still untwisting." Lyubov kept grinning, "Rosie, keep it twisted tight! don't let her go!" The former Chancellor chuckled, "Haha, no I didn't twist her arm at all." Kyoko responded, "You darn near broke it off." There were more snickers from the others.

The candidate continued, "Over time I came to appreciate the democratic ideal that drives C.D.S., and began to notice the citizens who were working for the well-being of our community. Art Cafe was part of my hoping to provide a resource for C.D.S., its citizens and our visitors. As Public Information Officer for the 29th term I attended most of the Resident Assembly meetings and was overwhelmed by the quality of our elected representatives and the care they were taking with the welfare of C.D.S. Additional experience on the Land Use Commission has only reinforced that realization. Our representatives really care. My 'vision' for C.D.S. comes from these experiences; that we need to find ways to keep the C.D.S. project fresh and vital, and that we ought to explore future options together. The fact is, the bulk of the Chancellor's job is paperwork and details, all important, in keeping the engine humming, but not glamorous. I mean no one in their right mind would run for Chancellor (laughter). The opportunity for the chancellor to effect much change in 6 months is smaller than you may think. But the avenues that ARE open are ones we can travel together and get some things done. "

"OK here we circle back to where we started. The areas we can affect most easily are marketing, outreach and events. All three are inter-connected. Of course I have some ideas and dreams for C.D.S., but my biggest hope is that we will work TOGETHER to develop these new approaches. Working together we can be more than the sum of our parts. Our major resources are the belief that democracy is possible here and the outstanding beauty of our sims. The Land Use Commission works hard to keep our sims fresh and functional. I've had a wonderful time wandering the sims lately, finding many amazing locations to enjoy, AND list for your enjoyment (wink). If elected Chancellor I promise to be accessible and responsive to your concerns and ideas, especially for marketing, outreach and events, because those are the most accessible means we have to grow as a community."

The meetup would go a little longer. But eventually it was time for it to end. So people went their separate ways.

The polls open on Saturday November 10 at Noon SL time, and will close a week later, on November 17. The election results will be announced on November 24.

Bixyl Shuftan

The CDS Election Process, Part One

By Bixyl Shuftan

Communities in Second Life are run in different ways. Some are run only by the estate manager who does things only his or her way and won't listen to feedback. Others take on one or more managers and make an effort to listen to the local residents. But the Confederation of Democratic Simulators has an actual government and a set of rules in which it's citizens have a say in how things are run in the community. While the CDS stands out in other ways among regions in Second Life, such as it's hilly landscape, it is the democratic process there that it's known by.

I had a few words with two of the region's prominent residents, Museum curator Hannah Marie Bloodtempestwolf (Han Held), and the CDS Chancellor Rosie Gray. I met up with Hannah first. "We're self-governed," she told me, "We have a representative assembly that makes and oversees our policies, a chancellor who assists with that, works to publicize the CDS and sets policies in a more autonomous way, and the "scientific council" which is our judiciary which makes sure the other two branches act within our constitution, basically settling disputes. Right now we're setting up for the 29th election of the RA and Chancellor. Folks will be campaigning for office from may 5th until the 12th. Then the polls open on the 12th and close on the 19th, and  the next term (the 29th) begins on May 19th. The cool thing is that anyone can walk in, become a citizen and end up in the government. Heck, I did."

What are the requirements for citizenship in the CDS? "That's easy. Citizenship is based on property ownership," Hannah told me, "We have different sizes of parcels for sale, all of them give the benefit of granting citizenship. One becomes a citizen by renting a parcel with us (smile). Election qualifications are a little more complicated; but not much more. Basically if you became a citizen before the election deadline, you can run for office. If not, you have to wait for the next election. That's all.. The Scientific Council also handles our elections, and the dean hands out a notecard with the dates and qualification requirements on it."

She handed me a copy of the card, which had information for the next Representative Assembly election, the 29th, and the election of the Chancellor. The qualifications for who could run for office and vote were determined on April 2nd and April 12th by a census of the landowners at the time. The deadline to declare running for office was May 2. The date for posting the official list of candidates by the dean was listed as May 4, though inworld group notice and on their Internet forum, with the stast of the campaign on May 5. The election campaign will last a week, and the polls open at Noon SL time on May 12. To give time for the citizens to vote, the polls will be open for a week when they finally close at Noon SL time on May 19. On May 26, the dean will announce the names of the new Representative Assembly and Chancellor.

"As you can see from that," Hannah told me, "there's a period **before** campaigning where folks can declare themselves to the SC. It's after May 5th that the debating, etc., starts up." I asked what were the issues for this election. She answered, "At this point we've hashed out a lot of issues, and we're going over some of the old laws and trying to make things run more efficiently. We have a couple of bills before the RA that address how we handle buying and selling regions, for instance. ... basically seeing if we need to change things. There's some ambiguity about dates and things like that. It's all kinda arcane. There isn't huge over-arching issues at the moment, though there have been historically. At this point, citizens have their pet concerns that they run on. We won't know until the campaigning starts and people say 'I'm Joe Candidate, vote for me because X.'"

I asked what issues there were in the recent past. Hannah answered, "Things like establishing a commission, starting a history group that talks about the history of the CDS. There was the history group. There was the replacement of the historic Rathaus with a new, more efficient and prettier Rathaus. Before that there was the decison to buy Friedsee, our latest region. Then on the first RA I was on, we had to decide what theme the region would have and how it would be laid out. Other issues are things like starting a marketing campaign. I wanted ads on SLU (a popular SL forum), so I ran on that. I was elected and we put some on there. And I retired. *laughs*" "A lot of our issues are local;" Hanna told me, "though one representative has pushed for us to have Pride marches and marches against prejudice. We also had a celebration of Women in virtual worlds a couple of months ago." I asked if gay pride and prejudice were issues in the representative's home area. "No, it was more of a reaction to the rise of the Alt-Right, I think," she answered, "It was about the same time as Trump's election, a couple months later, the march against hate, I mean."

I then brought up that US elections in recent years have gotten a bad reputation, and asked how well-mannered elections in the CDS were. Hanna answered, "Well, before I got here in 2015 there were elections that were very combative. They reflected things that were going on at the time. I'm thinking of circa 2010 or so when we were considering a merge with another estate. There was a culture clash, both of literal cultures but also management styles as well.  That's history, though. In my time the elections have been a lot, lot more quiet and nearly uneventful." I asked more about the culture clash, and she told me, "The estate we were considering merging with was Al Andus, which was set up more in the style of an Islamic caliphate, or so I understand. I don't think there was religious differences per se as much as 'this is what we consider a quorum' kind of diffences. Of course, that was like, five or six years before I joined the CDS. In the end, the CDS and the citizens of Al Andalus voted against merging. There was a lot of heat about it at the time, from what I understand. Long story short, two groups that 'have always done it that way' didn't want to budge on how things were ran."

Asking about more recent elections, Hannah told me they weren't nearly as heated, "Not since Feb 2015. *grins* At this point, most of us have known each other several years and most things have been hashed out. We have differences of opinion, but nothing terribly radical, as far as I can see."

That was about all Hannah had to say, wanting to give Chancellor Rosie Gray a chance to speak. The three of us would meet later, the details in the next article.

To be continued,

Bixyl Shuftan

Correction: Al Andalus, which was named after the Muslim kingdom in what is now Spain, was originally misspelled as Al Andus.

Post-Election Support Group For Democrats

By Bixyl Shuftan

The results of US Presidential elections always bring out cheers from those who won and some sadness and sometimes a little anger from those who didn't. For instance in 1992 with the election of Bill Clinton, Democrats called it a new generation coming to power while Republicans often moaned the White House was in the hands of a skirt-chaser. But the 2016 election season had been an especially intense one. Both major political parties fielded controversial candidates, and partisans again and again stated the election of the opposing candidate would spell disaster for the country. On Election Day on Tuesday November 8, the country went to the polls, and in a tight election that wasn't decided until almost Midnight SL time, the Republican candidate Donald Trump was declared the winner.

For conservatives, many were celebrating and/or breathing sighs of relief. But many liberals took the results with shock and dismay. While that Trump was a political rookie was occasionally a source of worry, more often many feared his over-the-top statements made during the campaign were a sign that he and his allies would make an effort to roll back their rights.

It was several days later that Evangeline Ling, the leader of the Hillary Clinton HQ in Bay City during the election, decided to do something about these fears. So she announced in the Clinton HQ group, "We are launching our post-election support group appropriately named SAFETY PIN. The purpose of this group will be to provide a safe space for people negatively impacted by the election to process it and to support each other." On Thursday November 17 came another notice, "We will be launching our 1st support group meeting on Tonight, November 17th at 7:00 PM SLT Please come join us. Then if you would like to take some time to process your fears, hopes, and experiences about this election.  It's been a stressful week for many of us I know. If you know a friend who is struggling with this in SL please bring them with you."

The location of the "Safety Pin" meeting was in a two-story skybox high above Bay City, above a spot marked by the symbol of the Clinton campaign, and a car with it painted on the hood. Evangeline greeted the number of men and women present. The people there expressed a great deal of fear about the future, some for their physical well-being in real life. Seeing me, Evangeline requested that everything stated in the meeting be off the record, as well as no pictures published from inside the building on the second floor unless the subject gave his or her okay later. But she did say she'd be willing to talk later.

Later on, Evangeline told me she had been doing security for the Clinton HQ, and had to deal with quite a large number of griefers. Of the Trump supporters, "it's too easy to just say they are all a bunch of malevolent racists. I see them in the categories." The majority she felt were "white working voters mostly concerned about the economy and changing the system. Hillary failed to really fully address their concerns so they went with Trump who was a big FU to the system. I actually have a great deal of empathy for them."

The second group she felt were mainly motivated by their hate and/or fear of Clinton, "they might not even actually like Trump. My Stepdad thought he was a total idiot, but voted for him anyways because he was not a Clinton." The third group was the "Alt-right," which she felt was a sanitized name for white supremacists and other outright extremist groups that were essentially fascist, "they will be the ones throwing out antisemitic memes, Pepe the frog memes, neo-nazi memes, etc. They are very social media driven."

"My biggest fear of this election is that Trump has made people in the Alt Right more comfortable in being OUT about their hate." She described an incident at a Chili's restaurant in Texas in which a black veteran had his meal taken away, "Chili's has since apologized to the vet and removed the manager. But why did this have to happen? ... Trump has, even if not directly or intentionally, emboldened those with those views."

I asked her where the idea of the safety pin as the group's symbol come from. Evangeline told me, "we decided to go ahead and use the safety pin since it became such a phenom in real-life. It actually was a symbol people used after Brexit in the UK." When I brought up that some conservatives were poking fun at it, she answered, "They were going to make fun of us no matter what we called ourselves."

On her Flickr page, Evangeline had a message for Trump supporters. "If you are celebrating today congratulations you have gotten something you wanted and as much as I disagree with your choice there is a part of me that is happy that somebody found some joy in this decision. But right now there are many things that you are doing that will cut off a person like me for a very long time, possibly permanently." Among her comments was one about illegal aliens, or "undocumented immigrants," which I asked her about that, saying conservatives were highly unlikely to change calling them the former, her answer was, "we will continue to call that an offense against human dignity to refer to a person as an illegal."

So what did she think lay ahead? "I think two years of disappointment for sure," she answered, "Then I'm putting hopes that we can take back the Senate, and maybe lighten up the House a bit." She was hoping Tim Ryan of Ohio would be the next Minority Leader of the House, "he has a plan to reclaim moderate blue collar voters ... who may have tilted Trump this year. ... But honestly, I will not breath easy until Trump is totally out of office altogether.

Asking about future meetings, Evangeline told me the next one would be on Friday November 25 (today), the day after Thanksgiving, at 7PM SL time, feeling some right-wing minded family members would be rubbing it in at the family gatherings, "We are gonna get out our post Thanksgiving detox that day after any potentially explosive dinner table convos. ... My thoughts are Uncle Archie needs to lay off Meathead this Thanksgiving and stick a turkey leg in it." After that, events would be on a floating schedule, with plans for two events in December, "after that we might go down to one meeting a month, will have to see."

Since the first support group meeting, the situation in politics continues to change. The protests in the streets in many cities seem to be quieting down, though the worry remains. The President-elect is still selecting members of his administration, some choices seen as sound, others raising eyebrows. Evangeline may have her support group meetings around for a while.

Hamlet Au has also written about the support group, his article here.

For those wanting to be at the support group meetings, contact Evangeline Ling for a landmark.

Bixyl Shuftan

Steelhead Elections: Interview With Jobias Barthelmess

By Bixyl Shuftan


When Steelhead held it's election campaign for mayor recently, there were three candidates. Besides the incumbent TotalLunar Eclipse, two challengers came forward to run for the office. They were Willow Leafstorm, the owner of the Green Fairy club, and Jobias Barthelmess, whom was most well known for his attempted shooting of the community's sheriff Fuzzball Ortega. Jobias has been associated with other misdeeds, but none of those were proven. He also has a known bias against nonhumans, a definite negative in this community were elves, fae, weres, furs, nekoes, humans, and others socialize and do business freely. During the debate, Jobias was mocked by many of those in the audience, and even he himself admitted he wasn't the most popular candidate.

The elections went on as planned on August 6, with most feeling Jobias didn't have a chance at winning. But when the results were announced at the town meeting a week later, the results shocked the crowd. Jobias had gotten the majority of the ballots! How could he have gotten this, many openly wondered, feeling the votes had somehow been tampered with. While Lunar argued for calm, some such as Willow would hear none of accepting the "scoundrel and criminal" as mayor.

Soon afterward, I was going by the newly opened Steelhead public schoolhouse when I noticed two adults inside talking. Getting closer, I noticed they were Lunar, whom had built the place, and Jobias. Lunar saw me, and invited me in. Turning to the man in black, "Mr Barthemless, unless you're officially in office you can't fire anyone." Jobias regarded me momentarily, "Oh, *that* Fox News," then turned to back to Lunar, "Once the recount's done, however, and I'm sworn in office …" Lunar sighed, "Yes, after you've been sworn into office, the oath is taken, the paddling of fish then you're mayor." "Now, please, leave us," Jobias told the elven figure, "Your ears are distracting me. Finish my Town Hall!" Lunar stared at the mustached man for a moment, then simply commented, "Alright, play nice. Take care Bixyl." He then walked to the doors and left.

Bixyl Shuftan: "Good evening Jobias. It seems congratulations are in order."

Jobias Barthelmess: "Yes, well, THEY are demanding a recount. But, not to worry, I shall be sworn into office soon."

Bixyl Shuftan: "Oh yes, as I recall, your apparent victory took many by surprise."

Jobias Barthelmess: "And yet, I was declared the winner. Which is a good thing, because one thing that Steelhead City has been lacking is proper leadership, as well as utilizing the surrounding land properly."

Bixyl Shuftan: "How has it been lacking in leadership? And what's wrong with how it uses it's resources?"

Jobias Barthelmess: "Well, not to offend, but let's just say that there are times that good old fashioned HUMAN know how works best in situations."

Bixyl Shuftan: "Oh, please explain?"

Jobias Barthelmess: "It's just the natural order of things. Nothing more needs to be said."

Bixyl Shuftan: (raises an eyebrow) "What natural order of things, might I ask?"

Jobias Barthelmess: "Humans are superior. Look at some of the great minds of our time. Professor James Moriarty, Human. Doctor Fu Manchu, Human."

Bixyl Shuftan: "Hmmm, so those people are examples you're giving as superior humans?"

Jobias Barthelmess: "But of course. And, like me, are misunderstood."

Bixyl Shuftan: "Ah yes, it does seem your apparent victory has caused much discussion. Perhaps .... we could put a few matters to rest with this interview."

Jobias Barthelmess: "Yes, thank you."

Bixyl Shuftan: "To begin with, how did you decide to come to Steelhead?"

Jobias Barthelmess: "Merely traveling along, and ran across this town. Not realizing that Ortega had been living here for sometime before I arrived."

Bixyl Shuftan: "You knew of Marshal Ortega before coming here?"

Jobias Barthelmess: "Oh yes. His true name is Ortegavich. I had made an attempt at leadership in the past. The ruler of Moldavia, which is located in Eastern Europe, was, much like here in Steelhead, not utilizing his country to it's fullest potential. Ortegavich's wolf tribe, as well as other tribes, over threw me, and placed the buffoon I replaced back in power."

Bixyl Shuftan: "So your problems with him are because he's one of this particular tribe?"

Jobias Barthelmess: "That and a mangy mutt. They made him Marshal of this town, and yet, he's obviously useless."

Bixyl Shuftan: "How is he useless?"

Jobias Barthelmess: "All these others claiming that THEY protect Steelhead. Obviously, he's not right for the job."

Bixyl Shuftan: "One would think a werewolf would be quite useful in detering crime."

Jobias Barthelmess: "Attracting fleas, perhaps. It's time for changes in Steelhead, bringing industry here, making Steelhead the place to bring a bright future for mankind. Oh, yes, and of course, all non humans to wear collars. No particular reason, just something Professor Moriarty had suggested." ((Cuz I'm EEEEVIL!))

Bixyl Shuftan: *raises an eyebrow* "Collars? I assume you mean something other than shirt collars?"

Jobias Barthelmess: "No, I mean collars, like the one the Elf was wearing. It will keep them in line."

Bixyl Shuftan:  *keeps a straight face as he takes notes, but his tail flickers and bristles in an irritated manner* "Exactly what seems to be the problem as far as humans, and the various other races are concerned?"

Jobias Barthelmess: "It just does not seem natural."

Bixyl Shuftan: "Going back to the industry, what's wrong with the economic rate of growth the region already has?"

Jobias Barthelmess: "I mentioned this at the debate. They could do so much better than what they've done. Look at New Babbage. That's a prime example of what Steelhead could be. ONce I'm officially sworn in, trees in Steelhead and Nevermoor will be chopped down and large factories will be built. Also, in St. Helens, there will be strip mining. May also have the mines of Boomtown re-opened."

Bixyl Shuftan: "Why were those mines closed, might I ask?"

Jobias Barthelmess: "I'm not sure. I'll have to ask the Elf at our next meeting."

Bixyl Shuftan: "As for the strip mining and forest felling, well, there seemed to be a great deal of resistance to the idea at public meetings."

Jobias Barthelmess: "Ah, the primitives fear change. Not to worry, they'll get used to the idea."

Bixyl Shuftan: "Durring the meetings there were a few references to your, previous activities in Steelhead. Could you explain what these activities were?"

Jobias Barthelmess: "Ah….well…..I had a ......... " *fidgets*

Bixyl Shuftan: "Yes?" *has pencil and paper in hand*

Jobias Barthelmess: "Nervous breakdown."

Bixyl Shuftan: "Nervous breakdown?"

Jobias Barthelmess: "Yes, that's it. Nervous breakdown."

Bixyl Shuftan: "Interesting, Please explain."

Jobias Barthelmess: "Slightly delusional, it seemed I wanted to harm the mangy mu......I mean, Marshal Ortega. Apparently, I did shoot him with a silver bullet. But I've no memory of this." *tries to look innocent*

Bixyl Shuftan: "Oh yes, I believe Lunar mentioned it, and at the debate, you admitted to this."

Jobias Barthelmess: "But the doctor's at the sanitarium in Caledon took care of me, and I'm quite alright now."

Bixyl Shuftan: "I see." *takes notes* "Also, Lunar mentioned you had a few debts."

Jobias Barthelmess: "A Barthelmess repays all his debts. If I have any, I assure you, they WILL be paid off."

Bixyl Shuftan: *takes more notes* "Then there's the matter of the youth of the town. As I understand your plans mentioned at the debate were, less than well received."

Jobias Barthelmess: "Well, we can't have them running about, unattended. So, working in the proposed factories, and in the mine would be quite useful to them. Have them earn their keep, learn to be part of the workforce. Some of them smell bad already, so they're used to sweat and grime, obviously."

Bixyl Shuftan: "Well, if them running around is the question, why not just keep them in school, like the one we're in now?"

Jobias Barthelmess: "Well, they're not always in school, now are they? Can't lock them in here 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Already checked into that, I can't get away with it.....I mean.....Ummmm....NEXT QUESTION!" *pulls out a hankerchief and wipes his brow, muttering, "this reporter's good." *

Bixyl Shuftan: *has trouble keeping from cracking a grin and takes more notes* "Yes, um, as I recall, there were some concerns about voter security, about how the box seemed a little flimsy. Any comments?"

Jobias Barthelmess: "Well, the Elf said all votes would be safe in the box. If they're concerned about the box being flimsy, they should blame him. Not me."

Bixyl Shuftan: "Hmmm, it was my observation it was he who thought it looked flimsy."

Jobias Barthelmess: "Well, *I* didn't put it there. I had suggested helping out with the elections, but was rejected. Thankfully, I was allowed to run."

Bixyl Shuftan: "Curious how you chose to run under, what was it, the Villians Party?"

Jobias Barthelmess: "That's what they refer to me as. A villain. Myself, Moriarty, Fu Manchu, Thomas Edison….."

Bixyl Shuftan: *raises an eyebrow* "How is Thomas Edison a villain?"

Jobias Barthelmess: "Gaining credit for 'his' invention. " ((He stole the lightbulb.))

Bixyl Shuftan: "So, in your opinion, there needs to be more villains in politics?"

Jobias Barthelmess: "If you mean those poor misunderstood soles that were labeled as villains? Yes. Perhaps some to run news sources as well. The truth needs to be told."

Bixyl Shuftan: "Well, I shouldn't comment about my establishment's competition *restrains a smirk* "Let's see, being a villain, how well acquainted are you with the town's lawyers?"

Jobias Barthelmess: "The one's here are too nice."

Bixyl Shuftan: "Too nice? Please explain?"

Jobias Barthelmess: "Just like many others in this town. They're too soft. One of the reasons this city is so behind others, and not living up to it's full potential."

Bixyl Shuftan: "Like Remmington Pion, who ordered this special election?"

Jobias Barthelmess: "Yes. I believe he favored the elf to win the election. None of them realized how well liked I really am in Steelhead."

Bixyl Shuftan: "Interesting. In the debates you admitted you had some problems with your image."

Jobias Barthelmess: "Well, I will admit that I'm surprised to be the victor, but the results seem to be clear, and once the recount has been done, it will be made more clear. I AM the new mayor of Steelhead City, and a new dawn shall rise on this Pacific Northwest town."

Bixyl Shuftan: "Yes, after the recount. And as I understand it, a number of the others are demanding a very thorough count of the votes, including Willow Leafstorm."

Jobias Barthelmess: "Probably jealous because she didn't win."

Bixyl Shuftan: "She does seem very determined to keep an eye on you."

Jobias Barthelmess: "Yes, well, if that truly bothered me, I wouldn't be in Steelhead."

Bixyl Shuftan: "Let's see," *looks at his notes* "Was there anything we haven't covered?"

Jobias Barthelmess: You have my plans for Steelhead? Factories, mining, etc. Bringing a bright future to Steelhead. ((Poor misunderstood soul that I am)) I believe that we covered everything.......and some that will place me in a negative light."

"Now I have grown bored of your questions. Go, place your article."

Bixyl Shuftan: "Allright, see you at the recount. I'm sure it'll be ... interesting."

It was about then that I left the schoolhouse, and looking behind I could see Jobias slipping out, and heading away into the shadows.

Since the interview, the controversy over the Mayoral election continues. There's been talk of organizing a group of "Brownjackets" to make sure Jobias doesn't get the job. It's doubtful collars will be part of the group's dress code.

The next town meeting at Steelhead is Tuesday night, August 20th.



Editor's Note: The town election campaign was set up as a community roleplay, with "the Jobias Barthelmess character was created for the sole purpose of having an avatar that folks would love to hate."

Bixyl Shuftan

Interview with TotalLunar Eclipse

By Bixyl Shuftan

With the Steelhead mayoral elections this week, Second Life Newser was able to get a hold of the two candidates expected to have a good shot at winning. Last week, we interviewed leading challenger Willow Leafstorm about the election and what she would do if victorious. This weekend, I sat down with TotalLunar Eclipse, the incumbent candidate. Besides the election, we talked about how he and his wife Tensai ended up in Steelhead and their history there.

Bixyl Shuftan: For those readers who know little about Steelhead, how would you describe yourself?

TotalLunar Eclipse: Physically, I am a moon elf that has taken up being an apprentice mason.

Bixyl Shuftan: How did you come to be in Steelhead?

TotalLunar Eclipse: It was an accident, Tensai and I were running from an angry mob, and we took whatever train could take us to wherever wouldn't ask us too many questions. We took the train to the end of the line, and it was Steelhead."

Bixyl Shuftan: Interesting. What may I ask sparked this angry mob?

TotalLunar Eclipse: (chuckles), At the time I was the hired hand and Tensai was the scientist. Mad scientist I should add. And that was near seven years ago.

Bixyl Shuftan: And getting to Steelhead, how did things go?

TotalLunar Eclipse: Steelhead was perhaps the most friendly place we've ever been to. They saw mad scientist, and accepted it readily (smiles).

Bixyl Shuftan: So you found many like-minded people here?

TotalLunar Eclipse: We found many open minded people here. Everyone has a different tale to tell and they're unique in their own right.

Bixyl Shuftan: And how did your tale go in the first few years?

TotalLunar Eclipse: Steelhead is where I began my trade, building and stonemasonry. I focused on that and Tensai focused on her science.

Bixyl Shuftan: As a builder, what projects have you been the most proud of?

TotalLunar Eclipse: Lately? The new station, the RFL build which is the new city hall.

Bixyl Shuftan: The Relay build was made into a permanent building? Interesting. I take it some Relayers will be pleased to hear that.

TotalLunar Eclipse: Yes, that's our new town hall. It is not down yet as I have to make it more useful to what we need it for but it is the same.

Bixyl Shuftan: What other builds have gotten attention over time?

TotalLunar Eclipse: The sun pagoda in Shanghai, Vista House and Multnomah Falls and the landscaping in St Helens and Nevermoor. Ahh, the building we are in now, this is the new schoolhouse.

Bixyl Shuftan: Looks good. I take it this will be able to suit the needs of all the local youngsters?

TotalLunar Eclipse: Yes, two classrooms so we can have areas for labs, etc.

Bixyl Shuftan: Laboratories? Are these what would normally be found in schools, or are there accommodations for, "mad scientists" in training?

TotalLunar Eclipse: We have our own grade of mad scientists or sons/daughters of notable mad scientists. So science/technology is something we have to focus on.

Bixyl Shuftan: How did you become the mayor of this community?

TotalLunar Eclipse: Would you believe for the longest time I was not? The founder of Steelhead, Kattryn Severine was mayor. Though she left SL a very long time ago, only checking in with Tensai and I on occasion. Finally she released Steelhead to me in full ownership not too long ago. So technically I've been Mayor only about a year.

Bixyl Shuftan: One year ago, what would you say are your best accomplishments as mayor?

TotalLunar Eclipse: Expanding Steelhead Six times its original size.

Bixyl Shuftan: Impressive

TotalLunar Eclipse: Thank you

Bixyl Shuftan: Were there any happenings you had a part in you'd like to mention? Any negotiations with neighbors?

TotalLunar Eclipse: We have had relations with other Steamland sims we'd like to strengthen and grow upon. Steelhead is a city of friends and that friendship has lasted a very long time for Second Life.

Bixyl Shuftan: Any incidents while you've been mayor?

TotalLunar Eclipse: Yes, in Shanghai there were mobs that took a great deal of time to clear out and many disappearances that are still left unsolved.

Bixyl Shuftan: How were those dealt with?

TotalLunar Eclipse: We had a team of undercover investigators and those who infiltrated the mafia. We were able to catch them at the crime and arrest them

Bixyl Shuftan: Mafia? Sounds serious.

TotalLunar Eclipse : (nods) A dangerous fae with her ear more to the floor than mine own.

Bixyl Shuftan: What fae was this?

TotalLunar Eclipse: Aoi Steamweaver is her name. She and her band of fae mercenaries finally returned to China.

Bixyl Shuftan: So she seems to be gone for good?

TotalLunar Eclipse: I do hope so though we are never fully aware if that family will return or another family will come in to take its place.

Bixyl Shuftan: Going to more recent matters, what inspired that bet between you and Jimmy Branagh?

TotalLunar Eclipse: Oh. just teacher against student in my mind. Obviously a very bad move, heh.

Bixyl Shuftan:  (chuckles a bit) So it seemed like a harmless publicity stunt. At least until someone, as the story goes, found a technicality in the local law.

TotalLunar Eclipse: (nods) The lawyers are so finicky.

Bixyl Shuftan: For the record, which lawyer was this?

TotalLunar Eclipse: Remington Pinon, my personal legal consultant and lawyer in Steelhead.

Bixyl Shuftan: Whom were you expecting to be running against before the candidates were announced?

TotalLunar Eclipse: To be honest, no one. This position requires long hours, a lot of time invested into it and I do little else beside it. Most know to stay away from government position.

Bixyl Shuftan: Two challengers stepped up, Willow Leafstorm, and Jobias Barthelmess. How much of a surprise were they?

TotalLunar Eclipse: Willow was not a suprise as she'd expressed interest in the politics of Steelhead before. Jobias though... I am rather surprised he would subject himself to public ridicule after the incidents he involved himself in.

Bixyl Shuftan: I think one such incident was mentioned at the debate, but for the readers could you describe them, or at least the more noteable ones?

TotalLunar Eclipse: As a rule I do not slander people especially opponents but Jobias has been involved in past transgressions involving Fuzzball Ortega and his desire to rule Steelhead.

Bixyl Shuftan: At the debates, I believe there was mentioned an incident involving a silver bullet.

TotalLunar Eclipse: Yes, he shot our sheriff and as you know Fuzz is a lycan. So silver is quite lethal.

Bixyl Shuftan: Well, the sheriff is obviously alive and well. Was he a bad shot, or did something else go wrong?

TotalLunar Eclipse: Fuzz outwitted Jobias, he was never in any danger. But... Jobias has done his time and since then has led a relatively quiet life.

Bixyl Shuftan: Willow expressed some concerns about what Jobias would do if elected, although felt he stood almost no chance of winning.

TotalLunar Eclipse: He is not a favorite among many. His intolerance for those of us who are not human blood is quite evident.

Bixyl Shuftan: And even among humans, I understand he's not seen much better?

TotalLunar Eclipse: No, he hires henchmen only to not pay them, gets out loans and such to fund his former terrorism ways and doesn't repay. So banks are unwilling to lend to him anymore.

Bixyl Shuftan: Between you and Willow, this seems to be a campaign of limited stakes. Her only issue about you, if one can call it that, is being both Steelhead's builder and mayor at once is too taxing and strenuous.

TotalLunar Eclipse: At this point of time it is quite taxing on me but that's why I have ambassadors that run things for me. I will be utilizing them more in the upcoming months. That is if I win *smiles*

Bixyl Shuftan: So you feel Willow has an even chance of besting you?

TotalLunar Eclipse: I shouldn't say anything concerning other's candidacy. *smiles* But I feel she is a good speaker and has given her speeches and ideas a great deal of thought.

Bixyl Shuftan: Gotcha. Well, other than what you already mentioned, what would your goals be under another term as mayor?

TotalLunar Eclipse: I am taking what Willow has said to heart and utilizing my ambassadors more, finding different ways to advertise the sim and getting more citizens involved in its upkeep. I always feel like I am imposing asking someone to do something, but I should get out of my shell and let others assist.

Bixyl Shuftan: Let's see ... I haven't brought up Tensai until now. What has she thought about the election?

TotalLunar Eclipse: She chuckles under her breath about it, says I shouldn't do things... exactly to the law.

Bixyl Shuftan: (chuckles a bit) That covers most of our questions. Though if you don't mind, might I ask about that device on your wrist?

TotalLunar Eclipse: My typewriter? Certainly, its a beautiful device made for me. With moon elves the males, after a certain maturity, become empathic. And they lose their ability to speak, it's all telepathic. This is just a voice enhancer, as I am getting older and my voice is losing its volume.

Bixyl Shuftan: Oh, sorry to hear that, Lunar.

TotalLunar Eclipse: That's alright about my voice, it is replaced by the coolness of this device.

Bixyl Shuftan: Was there anything else you wanted to mention?

TotalLunar Eclipse: Anything else? Nay, just that I would be very honored to steward Steelhead again as I have for years prior.

Bixyl Shuftan: If that's everything, thank you again for your time.

TotalLunar Eclipse: Thank you Bixyl.

The Steelhead mayoral elections begin on Tuesday August 6, and the voting closes On Friday August 9th. The winner will be announced at the Tuesday Town Hall meeting.

Bixyl Shuftan

Steelhead's Mayoral Elections: Willow Leafstorm

In The Steelhead Community these days, the big event is the campaign for the job of mayor. Three candidates are competing for the job. They are incumbent TotalLunar Eclipse and two challengers, Willow Leafstorm (Zoelass Resident), and Jobias Barthelmess. I recently had a chance to talk with Willow about the elections.

"I'm hoping the elections will be interesting and turn out lots of people to vote," Willow told me just after meeting up with her. Talking about how the campaign got started, it went back to June 23rd when Lunar and one of the youngsters, Jimmy Branagh both entered the Sumo wrestling matches. Lunar made a bet he couldn't lose, saying if Jimmy won he'd be mayor for a week. And as it turned out the scrappy street urchin beat him.

As luck would have it, it wasn't just as simple as making Jimmy honorary mayor for a week. Willow explained, "Through some technicality in the Steelhead bylaws, Lunar would have to be re-elected to his position of Mayor in order to be re-seated as Mayor. Of course this meant that there would have to be elections. At first everyone thought it was just going to be nominations, but then there was an application process. The Baron (Klaus Wulfenbach) had expressed interest in running, but had missed the application deadline. … some people weren't willing to run in the first place. Then we discovered that this Jobias Barthelmess had applied."

As for the third candidate Jobias, Willow described him as a classic mouthstached black-hatted villain, "He is a scoundrel and rogue … he couldn't even come to the meeting when they announced the candidates. Truly bad form." Of his plans, "He is determined to destroy the trees in St. Helens and set up factories and Strip mine Boomtown. Then he wants to 'rid Steelhead of all undesirables and only allow the right people to live in Steelhead.' I take it to mean from his statements that includes all non-humans including fae. I can not let him do that."

Willow had more reasons to run besides the man in the black hat, "I just want to help out my community. Not just the fae that live here, but Nevermoor as well. We have not been represented in the Steelhead council. There are a number of Steelhead Ambassadors, but as far as I can tell none from Nevermoor. We are a newer region in Steelhead with a newer population. Many of, if not all, of the Ambassadors are ones that have been here for at least 5 or more years."

And what would Willow's goals be as mayor? "First would be to make sure each region would be represented with councilors. Next, organize the community to help promote Steelhead to bring people in to Steelhead and have volunteer greeters. There are also empty lots in Steelhead city, I think we need to put something in them until they can be rented like park space or structures. Nobody, explores empty lots. Plus, we need more landscaping in the city. Toss in a few trees and add some flower beds. Things that will attract people to our town and want to move here."

"Finally," the challenger stated, "I noticed as I fly around there is a lot of prim trash out there. We need to clear the skies of the debris. … I was going to fly home from an event a few weeks ago and I took a leap from the platform where the dance was held and nearly smacked myself on a piece of floating prim. These things get away from people as they build and just hang around in the air. That stuff just collects after a number of years." She wondered if while building, some things just floated away from some building sites when the builder's attention was occupied, "Then there are things that former residents leave up there. Half completed projects and skyboxes."

Of the upcoming debates, Willow spoke, "I still have to polish up my statements. It would be nice to know in advance what the questions asked would be." The fae then grinned, "Jobless Bathtubmess doesn't have a chance." I asked if she expected turnout to be heavy, "It's hard to say, it depends if the rest of the community is going to sit up and take notice. I have been getting my voter base motivated to vote." Asking her who she thought her voting base was, her first response was the residents of Nevermoor, then she added, "any other non-humans who don't want to see Barthelmess win. As I told Lunar at last Tuesday's meeting, May the best fae win."

Our time soon came to a close. I asked Willow what else she had to say. She concluded, "Just that being mayor and also responsible for building and maintaining a town like Steelhead is a big job for just one person to handle. And of Course Vote Willow Leafstorm for Mayor."

We then parted ways. We would meet again a couple days later on Friday August 2nd for the debates. The election itself takes place on Tuesday August 6th, will ballots able to be turned in until Friday August 9th. The winner of the mayoral race will be announced on Tues Aug 13th.

Bixyl Shuftan

An Interview with Hatton Hunghi (Hatton Humphrey), Talk Show/Podcast Host

Talk shows are something people think of being on the radio rather than on the Internet or Second Life. But they can be found here on the Grid. One such show is "East Coast Conservative," hosted by Hatton Humphrey and Ken Johnson, which besides podcasted on the Internet and the Red State Radio Network and on several locations in Second Life. Hatton Humphrey is also known in Second Life by his avatar, Hatton Hunghi, and has a place for the show at the mainland Pop sim. Recently, he contacted me, and we soon agreed to an interview.

When I arrived at his location, Hatton Hunghi greeted me, "Well, this is my new 'home' in Second Life. Let me give you the tour. The first was a prefab that I shoehorned stuff into." The room we were in looked like a cozy den with a couple chairs and an American flag on the wall. He called this his basement.

Hatton paused momentarily, " One of the things that happened recently was a bit of a change in the presence of the GOP in Second Life. Much like what happened in 2007 between the pro and anti McCain folks, there are once again two different GOP groups with individual locations and events. Understand, i've been streaming the recording sessions for my podcast into SL since 2007; I've seen a lot change in the groups and support."

Hatton pointed to a wall, which had six signs on it, "This wall is something I've put up to provide 'equal access,' three groups and three landmarks. Though any group or location that wants to be on the board and fits the description can get a spot or three." With just six in the upper left corner, the wall looked a bit bare, "I'd love to see this thing filled up. But we'll talk about that more later, on with the tour!"

We stepped outside, the adjacent Second Life Highway clearly visible with an occasional bus driving down it, and walked the stairs to the top, where there was a semicircle seating stand: the theater, "It's custom built by a couple of GOP members, my building skills are about as good as my graphics. I constantly say me and graphics equals stick figures. People think I'm joking until I point out the show's logo is an example of my graphics skills … I'm a technologist and programmer by trade, graphics has never been my strong suit."

"There is some hidden technology running behind the scenes here," he pointed to the talk show's sign, "the easel with the show notes is actually part of a networked notecard giver that runs grid-wide, and there is an intercom system that will relay local chat to any other box. There are similar, though not same shaped, intercom devices in each of the other GOP locations as well as easels. What this allows me to do is host the show from here but get SL input from any place that has the easel and the intercom. The system that we use to record the podcast generates an MP3 steam that can be loaded into the audio section to Second Life. I'll spare you the sausage factory on how it works (grin). In each place it's 'hidden,' here it's the (sign) frame. … that's a programming reference - nobody wants to know what goes on in the sausage factory just like nobody wants to know the technical details of how something works. Right now all the other intercoms are probably turned off. Notice how the frame changed to full bright? That means it's on. I'm checking to see if one of the others can turn on their end."

Looking back at the audience area, "nyway, seating was a concern and the risers are all sittable. At this point I'm not sure what full capacity is." He then walked a bit to a teleporter, "Okay, the last part of the spot is at the other end of the teleporter … This is something that I just started working on." We took the teleporter to a skybox, which he called a future showcase for conservatives, "It's bare at the moment, but plans are to put links and info about famous conservatives, links to writings by the founding fathers, information about what I call "Civics 101", videos produced by another SL member, things like that."

We then headed back to the show location's "basement. " Asking him what gave him the idea to do the show, Hatton informed this was his second talk show, "he first one was a drive-rant recording called the 'Nifty Things' report to go with the domain I owned, ithinkitsnifty.com - it was a play on a blog I used to read that was ithinkitsucks.com. Podcasting allows gives you the ability to put emphasis on words and ideas that writing does not."

"The East Coast Conservative podcast actually came out of a blog site as well. I served in the Navy with Ken Johnston, my co-host on the podcast. We started off with a blog site called the 'Three-Legged Dog,' an homage to Ken's real-life rescue dog Rocky. After some time we realized we were talking more about things on the phone than we were posting on the site and the idea of the podcast came about. … We recorded our first two episodes using Skype in 2007. However because of hardware problems only the first episode was published. We 're-launched' the podcast in November 2007."

The size of East Coast's Conservative's audience can vary "wildly," at least those whom listen through podcast downloads from the Internet, "During the 2008 elections we were as high as 350-375 downloads per week. In slow times it's been as low as 65-75 per week." With the 2012 Presidential election season, ratings have picked up again, "the long run of the primaries has helped." Besides the podcasts downloads and listening in through the website and Second Life, "we have additional distribution channels. Stitcher.com carries the show as does the Red State Talk Radio network. … it's more exposure for the show, though tracking can be a bit tedious. Between feedburner, talkshoe stats, google analytics, stitcher stats and monthly reports from the radio station, keeping track of the numbers can get your eyes crossed."

Hatton first began running the show from Second Life in 2008. The sim "was the home of the 'Republican Party in SL.' They were recording a podcast of their own, Conservative Matters with Ron Skytower, and I offered to bring my show in-world as well. That was in June of 2008, episode 32, and unless there's been technical issues, we've been doing it every week since then, except for the odd Christmas, Thanksgiving or other vacation."

Of the show's topics, "We open our podcast with a funny/odd/human interest story. Over the years those have been the most fun. For example, when there were shark attacks in Egypt on the Red Sea resorts, there was an article accusing the Israelis of planting the shark near those shores. Then a couple of weeks later we opened with an article about a Romanian that was on holiday at one of those resorts, got plastered, and jumped off a pier and landed directly on a shark, killing it. So those were each opening articles. But for me the interesting articles are those that make me appreciate some kind of positive in the world, which, due to the nature of our podcast, we don't get to talk about as often as I'd like."

When asked how rough the political talk can get, "It can, absolutely, and not always in ways you might be able to directly infer. Since we depend on news articles and the occasional blog entry for our content, a slow news week can be a bit of a challenge when it comes time to put together the program. And then there are times when there are tons of things going on and I have 40-50 articles to pick 7-9 out of for the content. Generally, though, the attitude and flow that Ken and I have established over the years lends itself to more comfortable conversation. We have regular listeners from many different political areas, including liberals, moderates, conservative democrats and libertarians."

For a time, the show was at the GOP sim, "I've always wanted 'my own place' for the podcast, and had planned to make the investment when Keen closed down. The owner of Sagamore (later renamed Grand Old Party) offered me free space. I'd been toying with the idea more and more over the last 6 months or so. Then there were some changes that happened within the support structure of the groups behind that sim and the decision was made to close it. That kinda sealed the concept for me. This spot is the podcast's second true 'home.' The Cafe and the Theater on Keen before it were broadcast points. We had built a 'radio station' on GOP and I was able to put things but there was a disconnection between the information and the recording location. Here that's not the case."

Asked about visitors of different persuasions coming by, "we do get some visitors. Being so new on the mainland I'm still building up a search presence for this location. On GOP or Keen I saw so many people go by, but they were there for that sim, not always my podcast. … if they came in as griefers they probably didn't stay for very long. Griefers were not tolerated on Keen or Sagamore. Sometimes we do get comments or contact from folks that don't agree with something we're saying. If the comments are worth mentioning then I'll address them in the recording. If they're just there to be an ass, that's a different story. But that goes back to the concept that I have about debate and conversation. If one has no other response than a rude one, they're not worth making my blood pressure medication work harder and SL has this nifty 'mute' button. A freedom of speech does not translate to a freedom to be heard (grin). That's one of the joys of modern media." When asked about the "Occupy" movement, "I've had interactions with Occupy folks on other podcasts but none directly on mine. And no, nobody's occupied Pop yet."

For now, there is nothing special planned for the nomination conventions or Election Night, "Right now we are sticking with the regular schedule. … Ken and I may opt for something different as time draws nearer, however for other dates I tend to join in with a round-table of other Republican/conservative podcast hosts for a special event."

For the moment, Hatton isn't doing much else in Second Life, "In the past I was involved in various religious debates but those got a bit heated at times. I've got a lot of different real-life things going on, between band (I'm a tuba player), church, work, kids and studying for a MBA. … I've come across some interesting places in SL but none that have ever made me consider sticking around. I am a little active in the US Military Veteran group, mainly when they need someone to confirm a Navy vet in the time frame that I served. It's been interesting to watch Second Life grow over the years. It's a very fluid environment and continues to surprise me in what folks can do with it. Politics in SL is also very fluid. SL provides a microcosm in which the whole spectrum of though can be found and, when amiable, shared."

"I'm working to provide a place where folks can learn about conservatism, talk about politics in a friendly manner and relax a bit. Though to be honest that last part is the least represented in what I've put together so far. This place will continue to grow. Being a land owner is a new experience and I'm sure I've only scratched the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what can and will be done here."

Second Life's East Coast Conservative location can be found at the Pop sim at (158, 21, 68), next to the Inter-sim Highway. The website for the show is at: http://www.eastcoastconservative.com .

Bixyl Shuftan