[DRAFT] All Bark and No Bite

[Chickensland]

Hi guys, I already submitted this issue but it's been taking a while and I think it ended up in the dump pile. Can you guys help me draft it?

Title: All Bite and No Bark

Introduction: A recent outbreak of purple ants, @@NAME@@'s hungriest and most vicious ant species, has left @@NAME@@'s forests damaged and withering. People are outraged after @@CAPITAL@@'s oldest tree became the contents of ant stomachs.

Option 1. "SAVE! THE! TREES!" shouts @@RANDOMNAME@@, President of the I Heart Nature organization, arms full of print t-shirts. "It's time to help my organization spread awareness, @@LEADER@@! People need to be in the know about what's going on in our environment, and what better way than our t-shirts and merch to enlighten them!"
@@HE@@ stops a car moving past the sidewalk. "Hi! How are you doing? How about these shirts?"

Fallout: People wearing shirts that state their love for the environment hold picnics and set up tents in parking lots.

Option 2. "Perfect, just perfect!" laughs @@RANDOMNAME@@, a famous construction tycoon, putting a lit cigar to @@HIS@@ mouth. "Now we don't need to cut all these trees down for our next project. The ants will do it themselves!" @@HE@@ puffs. "@@LEADER@@, just tell the public you can't do anything. It's not deforestation, it's just a natural event you can't do anything about! And if we save on the tree-cutting costs, that gives us some dough left over for you and your staff..." @@HE@@ quietly slides a few thousand @@CURRENCY@@ onto your desk.

Fallout: @@NAME@@'s flora is overrun by ants as government officials enjoy expensive dinners.

Option 3. "We have to kill those pests now! All of them!" hisses @@RANDOMNAME@@, a Maxtopian anti-ant activist. "Those very ants destroyed my village back in Maxtopia. I'm telling you, @@LEADER@@, this is not a problem that can be solved by legislation. Ants do not understand words, they understand this!" @@HE@@ sprays a can of Ant-B-Gone into the air and inhales deeply, @@HIS@@ face breaking into a smile. "Ah... revenge is a dish best served pressurized."

Fallout: Streets of @@NAME@@ are torn up while exterminators search cracks in the cement for a single ant.

Option 4. "No pesticides, please!" coughs your infamously fragile Minister of Organic Solutions. "That won't work. We need to kill the ants with an all-natural solution. Otherwise, we're not helping the environment. We're just adding another problem to the... the..." @@HE@@ passes out from the pesticide fumes.

Fallout: The government of @@NAME@@ has to hire an entire workforce to smear vinegar on damaged trees.

Option 5. "Euwww!" grimaces @@RANDOMNAME@@, a travel blogger after being shown a picture of the ant invasion. "Gosh, @@LEADER@@, this is bad for @@NAME@@'s tourism. Our trees will be half-eaten and brimming with icky creatures." @@HE@@ puts up sunglasses on @@HIS@@ head and takes a picture of the sky. "It'll just look awful and there'll be bad reviews all over about @@NAME@@. I have a good solution for everybody - how about we just barricade certain areas that aren't so visible, and work on restoring the places that tourists mostly go to, like in @@CAPITAL@@? That'll save us money and ensure that nobody sees the ugly trees."

Fallout: @@NAME@@ from space is two different colors due to an ant infestation that was only half treated.

[Australian rePublic]

This post will be quite laconic. This is a reflection of my personality, not your work. I'm sorry if you find this offensive, as it's not my intention.

Hi guys, I already submitted this issue but it's been taking a while and I think it ended up in the dump pile. Can you guys help me draft it?

There's your problem right there. In future, please post drafts here before submitting

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Why is this problem, it's just part of the circle of life and natural food chain. Are these ants introduced pests? Are the preditors of these ants dying off? If neither, then how is this a problem at all?

Also- they just killed the nation's oldest tree- well how old is the tree. If that tree dates back to the Jurrasic period (or even earlier than that), then that truely is tragic, but how was it able survive millions of years up until now? This question is especially true if the ants are native. If the tree is only a couple of decades, or even a couple of centuries old, who really gives a crap? (Unless it has significant cultural value, e.g. being the tree with the apple that fell on Isaac Newton's head or something like that, in which case, it's value is unrelated to its age

[Chickensland]

This post will be quite laconic. This is a reflection of my personality, not your work. I'm sorry if you find this offensive, as it's not my intention.

Hi guys, I already submitted this issue but it's been taking a while and I think it ended up in the dump pile. Can you guys help me draft it?

There's your problem right there. In future, please post drafts here before submitting

---

Why is this problem, it's just part of the circle of life and natural food chain. Are these ants introduced pests? Are the preditors of these ants dying off? If neither, then how is this a problem at all?

Also- they just killed the nation's oldest tree- well how old is the tree. If that tree dates back to the Jurrasic period (or even earlier than that), then that truely is tragic, but how was it able survive millions of years up until now? This question is especially true if the ants are native. If the tree is only a couple of decades, or even a couple of centuries old, who really gives a crap? (Unless it has significant cultural value, e.g. being the tree with the apple that fell on Isaac Newton's head or something like that, in which case, it's value is unrelated to its age

I appreciate your feedback! Noted about posting here before submitting.

There are many points of view with which ants eating trees could be seen as a problem:

a. The nation's forests are one of the reasons so many people from abroad visit. The trees are expected to be taken care of. Tourists walk down a leaf-strewn path in your nation, camera straps slung around their necks, cooing in awe at all the wonderful nature around them. And then they see all the trees swarming with ants.

b. Trees are used to make so many things. They are cut down for wood to make tables and paper. But the ants have eaten through so much bark, many trees that they could've used for those things are now just rotting and eaten.

c. There are other organisms that are affected by the ant invasion.

I didn't specify the biological and ecological factors explaining why the ants are eating the nation's trees. But I think that's an unnecessary detail. The issue is: What will we do now that our trees are being eaten? not: Where did all these ants come from?

Why would anyone care which tree dumped an apple onto Mr. Newton's noggin? Similarly, why wouldn't the oldest tree in a country be of significant cultural significance? Why is anything significant? I won't go around asking people on the street that. I think I can safely assume that some people in a fictional country will be angry that their oldest tree is gone.

Have a little imagination! Your expectations are too rigid. NationStates is an escape from reality. Of course, it has to be realistic to some extent, but how many of the issues do you see here can you really say make 100 percent factual real-life sense?

[SherpDaWerp]

It seems like this is based on the Australian Fire Ant "crisis"-ey thing: see here.
Either way, I would suggest reading up more on that. I don't think there's been any issues directly about imported species, but I may be wrong.

[Australian rePublic]

This post will be quite laconic. This is a reflection of my personality, not your work. I'm sorry if you find this offensive, as it's not my intention.


There's your problem right there. In future, please post drafts here before submitting

---

Why is this problem, it's just part of the circle of life and natural food chain. Are these ants introduced pests? Are the preditors of these ants dying off? If neither, then how is this a problem at all?

Also- they just killed the nation's oldest tree- well how old is the tree. If that tree dates back to the Jurrasic period (or even earlier than that), then that truely is tragic, but how was it able survive millions of years up until now? This question is especially true if the ants are native. If the tree is only a couple of decades, or even a couple of centuries old, who really gives a crap? (Unless it has significant cultural value, e.g. being the tree with the apple that fell on Isaac Newton's head or something like that, in which case, it's value is unrelated to its age

I appreciate your feedback! Noted about posting here before submitting.

There are many points of view with which ants eating trees could be seen as a problem:

a. The nation's forests are one of the reasons so many people from abroad visit. The trees are expected to be taken care of. Tourists walk down a leaf-strewn path in your nation, camera straps slung around their necks, cooing in awe at all the wonderful nature around them. And then they see all the trees swarming with ants.

b. Trees are used to make so many things. They are cut down for wood to make tables and paper. But the ants have eaten through so much bark, many trees that they could've used for those things are now just rotting and eaten.

c. There are other organisms that are affected by the ant invasion.

I didn't specify the biological and ecological factors explaining why the ants are eating the nation's trees. But I think that's an unnecessary detail. The issue is: What will we do now that our trees are being eaten? not: Where did all these ants come from?

Why would anyone care which tree dumped an apple onto Mr. Newton's noggin? Similarly, why wouldn't the oldest tree in a country be of significant cultural significance? Why is anything significant? I won't go around asking people on the street that. I think I can safely assume that some people in a fictional country will be angry that their oldest tree is gone.

Have a little imagination! Your expectations are too rigid. NationStates is an escape from reality. Of course, it has to be realistic to some extent, but how many of the issues do you see here can you really say make 100 percent factual real-life sense?

No, you seem to be misunderstanding me. Why is it a problem now? Why hasn't been a problem over the past million years whilst the ants evolved to grow their ecosystem

[Chickensland]

I appreciate your feedback! Noted about posting here before submitting.

There are many points of view with which ants eating trees could be seen as a problem:

a. The nation's forests are one of the reasons so many people from abroad visit. The trees are expected to be taken care of. Tourists walk down a leaf-strewn path in your nation, camera straps slung around their necks, cooing in awe at all the wonderful nature around them. And then they see all the trees swarming with ants.

b. Trees are used to make so many things. They are cut down for wood to make tables and paper. But the ants have eaten through so much bark, many trees that they could've used for those things are now just rotting and eaten.

c. There are other organisms that are affected by the ant invasion.

I didn't specify the biological and ecological factors explaining why the ants are eating the nation's trees. But I think that's an unnecessary detail. The issue is: What will we do now that our trees are being eaten? not: Where did all these ants come from?

Why would anyone care which tree dumped an apple onto Mr. Newton's noggin? Similarly, why wouldn't the oldest tree in a country be of significant cultural significance? Why is anything significant? I won't go around asking people on the street that. I think I can safely assume that some people in a fictional country will be angry that their oldest tree is gone.

Have a little imagination! Your expectations are too rigid. NationStates is an escape from reality. Of course, it has to be realistic to some extent, but how many of the issues do you see here can you really say make 100 percent factual real-life sense?

No, you seem to be misunderstanding me. Why is it a problem now? Why hasn't been a problem over the past million years whilst the ants evolved to grow their ecosystem

I understand what you mean about "why all of a sudden". Here are some possibilities:

The purple ants have always been in the country, but recently something's happened to the ants to make them act weird and go rogue.
For example, they've been sprayed with new pesticides that have actually made them stronger and also violent and hungry for trees.

Or, thinking of them as an imported species: The purple ants were recently introduced into the country as a zoo specimen, and then they broke out of their zoo cages and invaded the country's trees because they are naturally an aggressive, tree-eating species.

But I don't see the point of explaining why the ants are doing that. Any nation could have its own unique made-up reason and explaining it would just make things specific and take away from the vagueness and universal applicability of the issue.

[Bears Armed]

I don't think there's been any issues directly about imported species, but I may be wrong.

#355 'Alien Invaders', with its Woodeating Spikeball...

[Baggieland]

The premise here is that some ants have destroyed a tree. What's the issue of national importance that urgently requires action from LEADER?

I'm pretty sure there is already an issue about an invasive foreign species, so your best bet is to make it a native species. But you DO need to explain why these ants have started to go crazy; as that would be the issue LEADER needs to address.

You say that you don't want to be too specific in order to make this issue available to all nations. However, you have someone smoking a cigar, that requires the validity that smoking is allowed. You also have someone from Maxtopia, that requires the allows immigration validity. Although we aim to make issues available to as many nations as possible, having validity restrictions is often necessary.

You need to specifically say what's happened to the ants, and if that reason requires a validity, then so be it.

Finally, your option 1 is rubbish, how is some hippy selling t-shirts a policy option for LEADER?

[Baggieland]

Edit,

I don't think there's been any issues directly about imported species, but I may be wrong.

#355 'Alien Invaders', with its Woodeating Spikeball...

Thanks Bear!

[USS Monitor]

I think other folks have already given you adequate feedback on the draft itself.

But I want to mention that it hasn't been very long since you submitted this. No matter what you submit, it still takes longer than that to go through the process behind the scenes.

[Chickensland]

Title: All Bite and No Bark

Introduction: Due to an irresponsible farmer's use of hairspray on purple ants, they have now gone amok and started eating trees, leaving @@NAME@@'s forests damaged and withering. People are outraged after @@CAPITAL@@'s oldest tree became the contents of ant stomachs.

Option 1. "Perfect, just perfect!" laughs @@RANDOMNAME@@, a famous construction tycoon, putting a lit cigar to @@HIS@@ mouth. "Now we don't need to cut all these trees down for our next project. The ants will do it themselves!" @@HE@@ puffs. "@@LEADER@@, just tell the public you can't do anything. It's not deforestation, it's just a natural event you can't do anything about! And if we save on the tree-cutting costs, that gives us some dough left over for you and your staff..." @@HE@@ quietly slides a few thousand @@CURRENCY@@ onto your desk.
Validity: smoking is allowed
Fallout: @@NAME@@'s flora is overrun by ants as government officials enjoy expensive dinners.

Option 2. "We have to kill those pests now! All of them!" hisses @@RANDOMNAME@@, a Maxtopian anti-ant activist. "Those very ants destroyed my village back in Maxtopia. I'm telling you, @@LEADER@@, this is not a problem that can be solved by legislation. Ants do not understand words, they understand this!" @@HE@@ sprays a can of Ant-B-Gone into the air and inhales deeply, @@HIS@@ face breaking into a smile. "Ah... revenge is a dish best served pressurized."
Validity: immigration is allowed
Fallout: Streets of @@NAME@@ are torn up while exterminators search cracks in the cement for a single ant.

Option 3. "No pesticides, please!" coughs your infamously fragile Minister of Organic Solutions. "That won't work. We need to kill the ants with an all-natural solution. Otherwise, we're not helping the environment. We're just adding another problem to the... the..." @@HE@@ passes out from the pesticide fumes.
Fallout: The government of @@NAME@@ has to hire an entire workforce to smear vinegar on damaged trees.

Option 4. "Euwww!" grimaces @@RANDOMNAME@@, a travel blogger after being shown a picture of the ant invasion. "Gosh, @@LEADER@@, this is bad for @@NAME@@'s tourism. Our trees will be half-eaten and brimming with icky creatures." @@HE@@ puts up sunglasses on @@HIS@@ head and takes a picture of the sky. "It'll just look awful and there'll be bad reviews all over about @@NAME@@. I have a good solution for everybody - how about we just barricade certain areas that aren't so visible, and work on restoring the places that tourists mostly go to, like in @@CAPITAL@@? That'll save us money and ensure that nobody sees the ugly trees."
Fallout: @@NAME@@ from space is two different colors due to an ant infestation that was only half treated.

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Can someone please explain me validities and is there a list of them so I can better format this issue?

[The Transmondian Commonwealth]

Can someone please explain me validities and is there a list of them so I can better format this issue?

Validities are usually checked against stats or policies, but in rare cases they can also check stuff like custom fields.

But I think the premise is a higher priority. Validities are easy for editors to tinker with. But if the premise isn't sound then the draft will get rejected.