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Spiritus Election Coverage

by The United Imperial Collective of Kialga

Election time has once again encompassed Spiritus. On the block? - Chief Executive Feirmont and his team. During his last election, Feirmont toppled his opponents 12-1-1. This time, however, it was a tighter 8-4 win over sole opponent Seraph.

Feirmont’s second campaign was less meaty than his first, obviously satisfied with what came of his first.The key points for his at home plan this time were the Four R’s: Roleplay, Recruitment, integRation, and Retention. Feirmont recognized the discord server’s laid back feel, but noted that these Four R’s revolved around each other. Getting roleplay off the ground meant being attractive to newcomers coming in from Recruitment and making sure they get integRated into the region well. Making something enjoyable forum- and gameside means that Retention rates would improve in due course.

Looking outwards, Feirmont made sure to congratulate Delegate and Champion Handshaker Salaxalans on his work over the last term. From cleaning house on empty embassies to reaching out to old and new friends alike to organizing a diplomatic team, Feir had nothing but praise for Sal. The focus of this term is to continue on these accomplishments, bolstering new friendships and strengthening the older ones, continuing the upward trend of friends.

With the announcement of his cabinet, there were not many changes to the appointees of last time. Feirmont maintained Sal as the Champion Handshaker, TimothySnyder as Attorney General, and Kialga as Lead Editor. A new face was brought in to take over intraregional events and roleplay, former challenger Seraph. Seraph has been assigned the office of CEO of Regional Fun, with Feirmont citing their creativity and bringing fun and entertainment to the region.

Many look forward to a second term just as prosperous as his first as Feirmont takes the reigns once again.

Read dispatch

page=WA_past_resolution/id=344/council=2
Will it even work?
Raiders are still there.

Kepler-0085 wrote:

page=WA_past_resolution/id=344/council=2
Will it even work?
Raiders are still there.

All that liberations do is stop the password protection. It needs some defenders to move in, and repeal the liberation so they can password it. I actually voted against that one, as it was scheduled to pass after all the embassies shut, so is just useless. Site admin apparently had to remove all the embassies manually, as the system was struggling. Either way, there are no more embassies. Do defenders actually even still exist? It feels like a 'military' is now something regions use to gain popularity, but nobody ever defends any of these places. Personally, I don't think The Embassy will be properly liberated until the raiders get bored.

The conservationists and tree huggers wrote:

However, the unbalance of atmospheric carbon dioxide might not be because of the type of energy we are using, but rather the amount of energy we are using. The human population has skyrocketed in the recent century, and so has the world’s carbon emissions. An estimate for how many people the planet can support is around four to 5 billion people. There are almost twice as many people in the world as that, over seven and a half billion people. If the world wanted to cut down on carbon emissions it would be heeded because of its massive population. Some may argue that the world population will only continue to go down from here, but most scientists interpret that the world population will peak at eleven billion, almost three times that of the scientific prediction for the human carrying capacity. The world’s carbon emissions are not going down, simply because the world’s population is going up. If population wasn’t the problem, then the world would have an easier time lowering carbon emissions. Maybe Thanos was right.

Humans don’t all produce the same amount of carbon and thus diffusing the blame between them all as a singular group is inappropriate. We aren’t talking about someone who recycles vs doesn’t either. Corporate entities produce most of all the carbon on the planet. Even if you say, well there is demand for these products-the entity in question is responsible for how and what it produces not consumers. Raising or lowering the human population seems like it would correct the issue because companies respond to how many people exist to consume their products. But all it would take is greater standards to hold them accountable. The US is the worst of it from a population standpoint but China is also very bad.

Kepler-0085 wrote:

page=WA_past_resolution/id=344/council=2
Will it even work?
Raiders are still there.

Reading between the lines one of the guys who formed The Embassy was a former Black Rider an old raider group and it looks like he may given the password to the present raiders now he was unable to maintain it, so Defenders are probably not very interested in it.

Do defender groups exist anymore? Probably not in any effective form, there are few game mechanics that defenders can use to make any real impact on raiders. That can't be good even for raiders in the long term. If there is going to be a form of raiding/war it needs be a bit better thought out than it is now, it seems to have just evolved instead of being actually planned.

how we produce energy and use it to propel transportation does matter, but its how many of us there are that is the multiplier, and that makes birthrate vs lifespan the problem. and i don't think most people would be willing or interested in shortening their life span, but lowering human birthrate is doable. and when the tradeoff becomes obvious that our ever increasing human population spells its own doom of humanity as a species, i do believe lowering the human birth rate by some impartial means may become increasingly attractive.

we could do everything with cleaner forms of energy, and that would help a lot, but all life, or at least all advanced life, still depends on the diversity of all other life forms, and crowding them out, is the result of there being so many humans. it like locus. you know those swarms of grasshopper things. as long as humans keep thinking its a great thing for there to keep being more of them, you get to a point eventually, where the rate of consumption has exceeded nature's rate of renewal, that there just isn't enough of what humans need to exist to continue doing so.

the excuse has been made that we can always improve rates of food production, but that's only one part of the picture. and these zootic plagues are another aspect of it, of our crowding out the diversity of habitats required for diversity of species.

Why I vote in Security Council resolutions: https://i.imgur.com/SVLHQGN.png

Effazio wrote:

Why I vote in Security Council resolutions: https://i.imgur.com/SVLHQGN.png

This whole 'Commend Northern Borland' is the only time I've bothered to pay attention to an SC resolution for ages. Apart from that, narrowing the 'Because I care' sector and widening the 'Get rid of the red 1' part would make it more accurate to me. Aside from liberations, which are just regions unhappy about a raid, I think the whole thing is pointless. Feel free to viciously rebuke me on this, but my personal opinion is that it is a badge hunt.

Effazio wrote:

Why I vote in Security Council resolutions: https://i.imgur.com/SVLHQGN.png

I agree with that 100%, except that for me there's the added burden of "and people expect me to do something as the WA Delegate," despite that I often don't have an opinion or even have no real idea of what it's about. I feel like my forte is the General Assembly.

Many times with SC things I wait until a handful of early voters have decided, and I usually just go with the majority (like in this case). And that of course means that most people after me will vote with me, unless something Significant is happening, so the earliest 5-10 voters in principle end up carrying the day.

I am ALWAYS VERY HAPPY for feedback with Security Council votes, because I seldom know the backstory or the lore of something, and I'm often just trying to simultaneously follow the interests of the region's citizens and also give guidance for future similarly apathetic/"low information" voters. I'm very happy for all feedback, but especially with SC resolutions, it is helpful.

Edited for grammar.

Garbelia wrote:

This whole 'Commend Northern Borland' is the only time I've bothered to pay attention to an SC resolution for ages. Apart from that, narrowing the 'Because I care' sector and widening the 'Get rid of the red 1' part would make it more accurate to me. Aside from liberations, which are just regions unhappy about a raid, I think the whole thing is pointless. Feel free to viciously rebuke me on this, but my personal opinion is that it is a badge hunt.

you aren't necessarily wrong in my opinion, but I also don't necessarily agree with you either. Liberations are important for freeing active regions that were raided, however condemnations and commendations are pretty useless in my opinion and can often end up commending and condemning the wrong people (i.e. North Borland.)

I have no problem with giving a badge to the player behind the 3 Borlands. They've created 3 contrasting nations with world class stats in 3 contrasting ways. A precedent for this kind of badge was set with the commendation for Kindjal, and the achievement of doing something close to that 3 times over is considerable. But there's something odd about the resolution that passed, even though I realise it's supposed to be tongue in cheek. A condemnation for East Borland would have been a classier form of recognition.

Turns out there was a West Borland, but it CTEd 10 years ago. I wonder what the theme there was.

Dr Teeth wrote:

Click to show...

Reading between the lines one of the guys who formed The Embassy was a former Black Rider an old raider group and it looks like he may given the password to the present raiders now he was unable to maintain it, so Defenders are probably not very interested in it.

Do defender groups exist anymore? Probably not in any effective form, there are few game mechanics that defenders can use to make any real impact on raiders. That can't be good even for raiders in the long term. If there is going to be a form of raiding/war it needs be a bit better thought out than it is now, it seems to have just evolved instead of being actually planned.

Where are you getting the notion of the connection to the Black Riders? The player who was tricked into giving the pass to raiders was neither involved in forming the region, nor did they have anything to do with its incredible activity these last couple years.

Anyone who has kittens here?

Ruinenlust wrote:

I agree with that 100%, except that for me there's the added burden of "and people expect me to do something as the WA Delegate," despite that I often don't have an opinion or even have no real idea of what it's about. I feel like my forte is the General Assembly.

Many times with SC things I wait until a handful of early voters have decided, and I usually just go with the majority (like in this case). And that of course means that most people after me will vote with me, unless something Significant is happening, so the earliest 5-10 voters in principle end up carrying the day.

I am ALWAYS VERY HAPPY for feedback with Security Council votes, because I seldom know the backstory or the lore of something, and I'm often just trying to simultaneously follow the interests of the region's citizens and also give guidance for future similarly apathetic/"low information" voters. I'm very happy for all feedback, but especially with SC resolutions, it is helpful.

Edited for grammar.

If you're ever interested in my opinion on SC proposals, it's usually expressed in the South Pacific's Voter Recommendation Dashboard, which is published to this dispatch for each new vote (it's a permanent link, rather than a new dispatch for each proposal):

SC Recommendation Dashboard: Vote FOR 'On the Supremacy of the Potato' | OWL

by The South Pacifican Government of Office of WA Legislation

 GENERAL ASSEMBLY   SECURITY COUNCIL 

Recommendation   Analysis
 


On the Supremacy of the Potato

---

Author:	The Salaxalans
Discussion Links:	Forum thread TSP Discord

---

✓ VOTE FOR

 Recommendation

OWL recommends voting  FOR  the at-vote resolution, "On the Supremacy of the Potato". The Delegate has been asked to cast their vote accordingly.

Please find below the Office's Analysis for an examination of the resolution and the reasons for the final recommendation.

---

 The Office's Analysis

Acclaiming potatoes as a widely enjoyed, versatile, and important food, the at-vote resolution "On the Supremacy of the Potato" would declare potatoes the WA's official food. Its arguments include further nods to several potato-related events in NationStates history, such as an Issue, their role in the incumbent WA Secretary-General's 2020 election campaign, and the multi-time N-Day "Potato Alliance" faction, among others.
While pie, ice cream, and especially cake 🍰🍰🍰 are objectively superior to the potato in every way possibly imaginable, the Office finds this to be only a minor concern, since an international increase in demand for potatoes after the passage of this resolution would in turn leave more of the aforementioned desserts free to delight South Pacifican taste buds. We specifically acknowledge the potential of the potato to be used in recipes for the same, combining their benefits.
Furthermore, if ignoring the lack of a sentence subject, the proposal is adequately written and incorporates the illustrious history of potatoes in NationStates well. Especially as a fellow member of the N-Day Potato Alliance and treatied ally of the centre of all potato efforts Spiritus, the South Pacific is happy to support the promotion of potatoes.

Thus, OWL recommends a vote FOR the at-vote resolution, "On the Supremacy of the Potato".

Read dispatch

I was involved in setting up the Office that creates these recommendations, and we tried to place a focus on explaining background behind the proposal a well as collecting together opinions from prominent figures from around the world. So it might be helpful to look at even if you don't agree with the recommendation.

Dr Teeth wrote:

Do defender groups exist anymore? Probably not in any effective form, there are few game mechanics that defenders can use to make any real impact on raiders. That can't be good even for raiders in the long term. If there is going to be a form of raiding/war it needs be a bit better thought out than it is now, it seems to have just evolved instead of being actually planned.

You are highly mistaken. Defender groups are actually doing quite well right now -- and experiencing a bit of an ideological revival. You still have The Grey Wardens, of course, who generally field some of the most skilled updaters, but TITO from 10000 Islands is massive, and I personally know that the SPSF of the South Pacific is thriving. 10000 Islands, The South Pacific, The Rejected Realms, The Union of Democratic States, Free Nations Region, and Spiritus all joined together just a few weeks ago to form the Partnership for Sovereignty, which is a new defenderist-focused WA bloc. Defending has never been as easy a task as raiding, but it's absolutely effective against raiders' efforts both at update and in the WA.

Northern Wood wrote:

Where are you getting the notion of the connection to the Black Riders? The player who was tricked into giving the pass to raiders was neither involved in forming the region, nor did they have anything to do with its incredible activity these last couple years.

There was a post on The Embassy board that suggested the founder may return and kick everyone out as in the Chicken overlords raid, Lilly had said great someone give him a ring and mentioned two of his other (cte'd) nations on looking a bit deeper he had some Black Rider factbooks and dispatches there.

If someone had been tricked where are they protesting about being tricked? Wouldn't moderators be interested in that? I was in a region a while ago where the founder was tricked out of his password the raider kicked everyone out and left the region to cte but the mods opened it up again for us.

Mount Seymour wrote:

You are highly mistaken. Defender groups are actually doing quite well right now --

snip

Defending has never been as easy a task as raiding, but it's absolutely effective against raiders' efforts both at update and in the WA.

Thanks some of that I didn't know I based my statement that in normal times if you look at Plum Island they will be opening 100's of raided Embassies and Defenders closed maybe 20 or so, I am looking for a more permanent end to raiding, more than the embassy table tennis that goes on, I have been in one or two raider groups but lurking in the background to try and achieve more

Dr Teeth wrote:

If someone had been tricked where are they protesting about being tricked? Wouldn't moderators be interested in that? I was in a region a while ago where the founder was tricked out of his password the raider kicked everyone out and left the region to cte but the mods opened it up again for us.

Not everyone is interested in airing out their gameplay dirty laundry for the rest of NationStates to see. They've personally reached out to involved parties about what occurred, namely that they'd been contacted by the Traveling Wilburys region with offers to help out, unaware that they were actually raiders using that identity to ingratiate themselves. The Wilburys, themselves, openly admitted to as much in the GP server.

The native also gave the password to non-raiders who expressed interest in helping out, which would have been a pointless gesture if all they were looking to do was turn the region over to raiders.

I have no clue about the specifics of whatever region you're talking about, but my understanding is that raiders employ the tactic of tricking natives into giving up passwords often enough. And I've not heard of moderator intervention in such cases. Maybe in cases with circumstances that warrant further action, but I don't know.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cko3dBWiyus

Raiding and that kind of thing is a very strange part of nation states.

Alright folks, it's time for the second weekly weekend waking wombat, which means I'm back for two days.
Can some kind soul summerize whatever happened in forest and nationstates while I was gone?

The Cypher Nine wrote:

Raiding and that kind of thing is a very strange part of nation states.

Similar to the real world. There are cool regions developing for the better, and also there are regions the only ability of which is to raid and ruin the former.

The most serene republicans wrote:

Alright folks, it's time for the second weekly weekend waking wombat, which means I'm back for two days.
Can some kind soul summerize whatever happened in forest and nationstates while I was gone?

You're not really missing much. The Embassy was raided, and the WA subsequently liberated it. Oh, and the website crashed a couple days ago.

Feline Masters wrote:

Anyone who has kittens here?

I wish I did. Actually I’d prefer a more adult cat, because unfortunately they are far less likely to be adopted. Adult Cats Lives Matter

Imperium helvetiorum wrote:

You're not really missing much. The Embassy was raided, and the WA subsequently liberated it. Oh, and the website crashed a couple days ago.

Wait when did it crash? I’ve been kinda ignoring NS for the last few days because I have so much homework to get through

Dr Teeth wrote:

Reading between the lines one of the guys who formed The Embassy was a former Black Rider an old raider group and it looks like he may given the password to the present raiders now he was unable to maintain it, so Defenders are probably not very interested in it.

Do defender groups exist anymore? Probably not in any effective form, there are few game mechanics that defenders can use to make any real impact on raiders. That can't be good even for raiders in the long term. If there is going to be a form of raiding/war it needs be a bit better thought out than it is now, it seems to have just evolved instead of being actually planned.

*whistles in old Black Rider*

Nah but in reality, as others have pointed out, the situation is a bit the opposite. Raiding's in a weak position nowadays.

And the Embassy story is very bog standard.

Dr Teeth wrote:

a more permanent end to raiding

There will never be one. Raiding is not against the NS rules.

The most serene republicans wrote:

Alright folks, it's time for the second weekly weekend waking wombat, which means I'm back for two days.
Can some kind soul summerize whatever happened in forest and nationstates while I was gone?

Stuff, and also things!

I rarely pay attention, so I probably shouldn't try to help with this. I can make something up though, if you want?

Feline Masters wrote:

Anyone who has kittens here?

I have two middle aged cats, one elder cat and one kitten with a very pretty face and a very annoying voice