The Rejected Times

[Glen-Rhodes]

TSP and Europeia didn't have any problems involving Independence until a small handful of people who have a problem with Independence got high up in TSP.

Europeia wasn't on TSP's foreign affairs radar until you guys invited us to host the Independence Conference. There wasn't a problem, either, until you guys gave us an ultimatum that we choose between our defender allies and our Independent-imperialist allies. This is all a matter of public record, especially considering that it was the Coalition Assembly itself that ultimately decided TSP's response.

In a roundabout way, I suppose it is because Unibot and I were in the Cabinet. You guys created a self-fulfilling prophecy: by believing we had a defenderist agenda, you eliminated all other possible actions except the ones that went along with the agenda you believed we had. Anybody could have predicted our region's response to being given that ultimatum.

As I said earlier in this thread however, we don't have any issue with TSP's newly stated policy - indeed, greater detail is usually welcome.

I'm glad to hear Europeia doesn't have an issue with it. But for the record, our policy isn't new. We've been following it for years.

What is not appreciated is the concerted attack on the concept of Independence that started with the title of Unibot's gloating article, and has continued with statements from him, yourself, and a couple others thereafter in this thread.

You know, I don't really appreciate being called manipulative, being accused of stealing elections, being the center of conspiracies to turn TSP defender, and all that other stuff, either. Perhaps we should all just grow some thicker skin.

[RiderSyl]

What is not appreciated is the concerted attack on the concept of Independence that started with the title of Unibot's gloating article, and has continued with statements from him, yourself, and a couple others thereafter in this thread.

You know, I don't really appreciate being called manipulative, being accused of stealing elections, being the center of conspiracies to turn TSP defender, and all that other stuff, either. Perhaps we should all just grow some thicker skin.

Comments aimed at an entire concept are not comparative to comments aimed at you personally. And an entire concept cannot "grow some thicker skin".

[Glen-Rhodes]

Comments aimed at an entire concept are not comparative to comments aimed at you personally. And an entire concept cannot "grow some thicker skin".

A concept can't be offended by comments, either.

[RiderSyl]

Comments aimed at an entire concept are not comparative to comments aimed at you personally. And an entire concept cannot "grow some thicker skin".

A concept can't be offended by comments, either.

Correct! Unlike you not appreciating comments made about you, the concept of Independence cannot be offended by comments about it. Therefore, your reply to Anumia didn't make sense.

Glad we're on the same page now.

[The Rejected Times]

Issue XXX. October 30, 2014.

Contents

World Assembly Movie Studios: Ten XXX Titles (Gruenberg)
Xoriet set to become the New TEP Delegate
How to Prepare for the Zombie Apocalypse (Starrie)
TRR Passes “Elections Act” Reform
Hobbes? Solorni? Who Does Deserve A Commendation!? (Unibot)
“Zombie Preparedness Act” Stirs Controversy in TNP
Introducing: The NSG Peace Prize (Risottia)
A Post-Independent World (Unibot)
Rising Stars 4: Lenny (Joe Bobs)

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World Assembly Movie Studios: Ten XXX Titles
FEATURE | GROANBERG

Over the years the raunchy film studio known as "The World Assembly" has gained notoriety as a purveyor of high, medium and low grade smut, varying wildly in quality, production values, and involvement of hypothetical biochemically alternative incestuous space aliens. In this special "XXX" issue of The Rejected Times, we take a look back at ten titles that steamed up the windows of the Strangers' Bar.

1. "Rights and Duties"
Seeking to set itself apart from its previous incarnation as NSUN Films Inc., the WA opened with a bang, its first title "The World Assembly" gaining enthusiastic reviews for its lavish production values, huge starring cast, and furious up-against-the-fourth-wall action. Its second film, "Rights and Duties of WA States", however has not stood up so well, with many seeing it as a generic copy of the "Rights and Duties of UN States" rattled off in under 18 hours. Nonetheless, this kind of knock-off is a tactic the WA has occasionally returned to, with "Nuclear Arms Possession Act" (starring a seductive double agent trying to steal some nuclear secrets through the tantalising use of her "wrong hands"), "Universal Library Coalition" (seeing the debut of one of the WA's most prolific performers as "Sexy Librarian #3"), and more recently "Individual Working Freedoms" (set in a sweatshop and featuring a disturbing number of goats).

2. "Adam and Steve's Honeymoon Video"
A strangely vanilla offering, one of The World Assembly's earliest films involves a gay couple getting married, yet the honeymoon scenes feature no sexual content. This was probably because at the time the WA passed the Freedom of Marriage Act to require equality in civil marriage contracts between heterosexual and homosexual couples, it had not actually got around to legalising being gay. Though this was later resolved, it spoke to the WA's preoccupation with a very narrow political culture.

3. "Just Off The Bus"
A highly exploitative series seeming to take advantage of young women (and men, and hyperintelligent pot plants - this is the WA, after all) just off the bus at the WA Headquarters, looking for their big break in stardom and willing to surrender their dignity for diplomatic immunity and a few measly universal currencies. Most ended up emotionally scarred by the resulting MetaGaming violations, and the series was attacked for being essentially a form of prostitution. Owing to the Clean Prostitue Act - which ended an increasingly boring back-and-forth in the WA between legislators trying to mandate universal legality of prostitution and those trying to repeal their laws - the series is currently on hiatus, as the legality of prostitution is currently a national prerogative.

4. "Let's Get Fur-sical"
An attempt to resolve the will-they/won't-they drama surrounding non-humans - or "sapient beings" in WA parlance - and their status in international law, this production features everything from aliens, vampires, and zombies to magical flying sparkle ponies and environmentally conscious football playing bears. Yet despite being played on near continuous loop in the WA Headquarters to brief new players on forum roleplaying etiquette, there is little sign of the WA ever passing a non-humans rights act, and confusion about the status of The Charter of Civil Rights and its mysterious "inhabitants" is ongoing.

5. "Bareback Mountain"
The World Assembly has become controversial for producing films featuring actors not using protection, but the practice should not be surprising. Despite legalising abortion - twice - and voting not to repeal the legalisation of abortion - at least four times at the latest count - the WA has never got around to legalising condoms, or any other form of contraception. It's a strange set of priorities given widespread RL consensus that the promotion of contraception is perhaps the single most important tool for fostering sustainable development.

6. "At Home With The Johnsons"
The family themes in this have proved incendiary, yet six years on, there is little sign of the Sexual Privacy Act - which requires that all WA nations legalise incest - being repealed. Yet for all the popular support it enjoys, the resolution has proved not to be ideal, and separate resolutions on rape and sexual autonomy, child abuse, and child pornography were felt to be necessary even after its passage. Should the WA ever repeal the Sexual Privacy Act it would likely be replaced just as swiftly as was the NSUN's Sexual Freedom resolution - but what that means for the Johnsons, an alien species whose DNA magically makes them able to inbreed without genetic consequences, remains to be seen.

7. "Auralia vs. Everyone"
A particularly graphic production that the moderators seem strangely uninterested in checking, this features a massive supporting cast. From a popular series that has included such titles as "Glen-Rhodes vs. Everyone", "Connopolis vs. Everyone", and "Unibot vs. Everyone, No Really, Absolutely Everyone" (Volumes I-III).

8. "Feeder Frenzy"
Title confusion meant this movie - originally meant to explore the "feeder" subculture - evolved into a more BDSM-themed exploitation pic. In the film, the helpless, submissive General Assembly is forced to kneel, beg, and wear a collar (made of hundreds of WA endorsements) in order to sate the depraved appetite of a brutal gang of dominants, the GCR delegates, whose sadistic whims reduce the poor legislators to whimpers and tears. A particularly horrifying scene features several delegates sporting huge, throbbing, veiny endorsement counts teaming up to "stack" the cowering GA.

9. "Secrets of the Cabal"
A documentary patched together using multiple leaked videos from the infamous UNOG/Antarctic Oasis/moderator/Jew/feminist/Illuminati sex-dungeon, home of the conspiracy that all right thinking people know is truly pulling the strings of the WA. The film includes footage of everything from political gamesmanship to live gnome sacrifices, and it is rumoured that one of the actors in a "No Army" rule scene is none other than Secretary-General Catherine Gratwick, doing something anatomically indescribable to a WA peacekeeper.


Catherine Gratwick (above).

10. "An Erotic Guide To The Modcave: In Praise Of The WA Moderators"
Unfortunately, this film appears to be unavailable, and the only remaining copy has been taped over by eight straight hours of Gruenberg drunkenly ranting, screaming, and performing unmentionable misdeeds on a dolphin in a violent orgy of destruction, filth and rules lawyering. As such, we instead bring you a bonus review of a classic from the archives:

"Abortion Legality Convention"
Before the WA was the NSUN. Its films were even more variable in quality than the WA's: at its best it surpassed anything its successor had to offer, while at its worst, it was downright embarrassing. With grainy film stock, shaky camerawork, and way too much hair, its productions can now seem a little dated. Much of this perhaps reflects the rampant drug use known to have existed among the performers at the time, with many abusing such substances as "common sense", "creativity", and most notoriously, "sense of humour". Thankfully, such practices have been firmly stamped out by a zero-tolerance policy in the modern WA. Abortion Legality Convention survives as a relic of a different era, when the endemic drug use so addled a group of legislators that they mistakenly thought that preventing a universal mandate on abortion somehow supported national sovereignty, rather than the complete opposite, and the film must be a severe source of shame to the Modern NatSovs who've since cleaned up their act. The Tom Waits-heavy soundtrack stands up to repeat listening, however.

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Xoriet set to become the New TEP Delegate!
COMMENTARY | TRR STAFF

The vote is set to close within only a few hours in Christie Island with Xoriet, at the time of writing, leading 15-5 against her competitors, British Grand Pacific and Dalimbar.

While some commentators had been expecting a quiet election with Ramaeus being elected as the incumbent, The East Pacific Delegate Elections have proven to be a very dramatic affair after all! Eyebrows had first been raised when Todd McCloud, ‘TEP Heavyweight’ entered the delegate race against Ramaeus. The last time that an incumbent delegate had been challenged successfully in an election in The East Pacific was in November 2012, when Todd McCloud ran once more against A Mean Old Man, the incumbent. Todd McCloud in his campaign literature spoke of striking more of a balance with military affairs and resolving existing diplomatic issues with Taijitu and Lazarus.

Unthinkably however, the campaign would be turned upside-down when it was revealed earlier last week by Cormac Somerset than Todd McCloud, Ramaeus, British Grand Pacific and others had organised a plan to send like-minded players to join The South Pacific and manipulate its elections through entryism. The plan, known as “Operation Brave Toaster”, garnered public outrage and a stern condemnation from The South Pacific government which has recently published a statement decrying these actions and recognising some of those involved as persona non grata in The South Pacific.

Both Todd McCloud and Ramaeus would apologise for their actions – Ramaeus calling them “inexcusable”. Soon after, both would withdraw from the race leaving room for a late entry, Xoriet, to change the race completely. Xoriet has led the East Pacific Sovereign Army (EPSA) through one of its most active and successful terms and has been highly regarded as one of The East Pacific’s greatest military leaders, but also as an individual of considerable decorum and diplomacy.

When The Rejected Times spoke briefly with Xoriet, she seemed surprised by her support, but she also sounded confident and committed.

“I had intended not to seek the Delegacy unless I truly believed that I could beneficially fulfill this most important role for my region,” says Xoriet. “I believe that at this time, I can achieve this. Even so, the support I have received from my region-mates has both surprised and humbled me.”

The campaign thus far has focused both on internal and foreign affairs issues more generally which underscores the broad challenges that the future delegate will have to overcome: a decline in roleplay in The East Pacific, plus allegations of corruption internally, unresolved diplomatic issues and declining credibility abroad. However, Xoriet inherited many existing problems in the EPSA when she became leader there and one might reckon that voters believe she will once again lead The East Pacific towards a brighter future.

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How to Prepare for the Zombie Apocalypse
FEATURE | STARRIE



Starrie, The Rejected Times's statistics guru examines past data to find how regions can best prepare themselves for "Z-Day"...

We will take a look at last year's October Z-Day, and see if it can prepare us for this event. Unfortunately, I don't have any of the data from the zombie virus, only the superweapons.

This plot shows the total population affected by superweapons each minute from the start to the end of the event, with seconds on the x-axis and millions of people on the y-axis. Besides what seems to be a server meltdown at around 28000 seconds, there appears to be two hills, probably influenced by day/night cycles.



In this graph, the amounts are split into cure missiles (blue), zombie hordes (yellow), and tactical zombie elimination squads (red). Cure missiles are by far the greatest influence, but hordes have alarming success initially.



If we split the components up and normalize them to 1, we see that cure missiles follow the bimodal distribution, while TZES is slightly skewed towards the second half of the event, and zombies are overwhelmingly used during the start.





That doesn't necessarily mean more nations are using zombie hordes than cure missiles, it is just that zombies seem to be far more effective than missiles and TZES at first. This plot shows the average population affected by a single superweapon, with millions of population on the y-axis and 10's of minutes on the x-axis. Generally, hordes are more effective than missiles are more effective than TZES.



As a whole, superweapons tend to rise in efficiency until they reach a peak, then decay gradually until the end.



A small fraction of nations tend to have a disproportionate effect on the larger world. This is a plot of the nations which contributed to the event, and their cumulative millions of population affected. Population in millions is on the y-axis and number of nations is on the x-axis. We can see that about 5% of the nations cured 75% of the cured population while the bottom 60% only cured 10% of the population. This is reflected in the zombie nation plot and especially the death nations plot. If you're recruiting nations for your zombie defense, pick quality over quantity.



Don't worry about killing too many civilians. Only 2 trillion, or 1% of the deaths last Z-Day were due to TZEs. The rest were presumably caused by zombies.

About a third of all nations participated in this event with at least one superweapon, affecting a total of 30 trillion population. This is about 14% of the total population. By comparison, 20% of the population survived last year's attack. While superweapons aren't the only zombie mechanic, they seem to be very effective.

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TRR Passes “Elections Act” Reform
COMMENTARY | TRR STAFF



The Rejected Realms has passed a major overhaul of its electoral system just this past week with the Elections Act. The electoral reform included a constitutional amendment which gives greater freedom to the Regional Assembly to alter the format of elections, while the “Elections Act” radically alters The Rejected Realm’s electoral system.

In the past, The Rejected Realms decided all of its elections by the traditional First-Past-the-Post model, but in the future, the Elections Act dictates that Delegate Elections will be decided by instant-runoff-voting (IRV) and Officer Elections will be decided by the equivalent voting method for elections between multiple officials, namely, preferential-block-voting (PBV).

Instant-Runoff Voting, advocated by some of the region’s most prestigious members, including Guy and Christian Democrats, prevents the “spoiler effect” in elections, while ensuring that all elected officials have support from, not just a plurality, but majority of voters.

“Change has been integral to The Rejected Realms for some time,” explains Unibot, Delegate of The Rejected Realms. “This new Elections Act will help ensure that officers enter into office with a stronger mandate and that voters have more options at the ballot box – they’ll no longer have to compromise through voter strategies and such. I’m really proud we were able to make this reform happen and I’m excited to see its impact on our future elections”.

The next officer elections between Brunerist and Kyorgia for the vacant office is expecting to occur sometime shortly – but the real test of the new voting system will come with future races between three or more candidates.

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Hobbes? Solorni? Who Does Deserve A Commendation!?
Top Ten Players Who Haven’t Been Commended
COMMENTARY | GOOEYBOT

“Repeal “Commend Hobbesistan”” has passed, 6,310 votes to 2,295, but the resolution proved to be an uphill battle for the resolution’s proponents. Commendations are often sensitive subjects because attacking the content or the reputation of a nominee can be seen as tantamount to attacking the nominee. “Commend Solorni”, which is currently being drafted by r3naissanc3r, has proved to be no less controversial, given the nominee’s thin record of positive contributions and her habit of spending most of her time “shit-posting” – not to mention, a clause or two included in the proposal by r3naissanc3r solely to promote independentism over other ideologies (i.e., “blind ideologies” as r3naissanc3r puts it).

Have we actually scratched the barrel of who to commend? Yes – and I have no idea why when there are loads of genuinely great potential nominees which have continued to go unrecogonised by the World Assembly. What nominees did you have in mind, might you ask?

10. HEM

The founder of Europeia and Supreme Chancellor. HEM made a very important decision early on in his career in Europeia to distance himself from the governing of Europeia, but nonetheless, his distant leadership and personality has always been a force that has drove Europeia to reach the heights it has.

Honourable mentions: The remarkable thing is Solorni is being commended for her rather unremarkable terms as Europeian president, while Pope Lexus X, Anumia, Common-Sense Politics and many others are going unrecognised… ?? Hell, even “Commend Europeia” makes sense!

9. Frattastan

Former Arch-Chancellor of the FRA and former Delegate of The Rejected Realms; Frattastan is an all-around defender extraordinaire, known for his quiet, but witty demeanour. Indeed, Frattastan has garnered a lot of respect from people all across the ideological spectrum for his humble, but devoted nature.

8. Great Bights Mum

Perhaps no one has garnered quite the same amount of respect in The North Pacific as Great Bights Mum – a friend to all, Great Bights Mum has been widely seen as a true patriot to the region, but also a community leader whose wisdom rarely goes without consideration. Serving several terms as delegate of The North Pacific during its formative years, while fighting some notable battles to free the region, Great Bights Mum is a regional hero and I think you’ll see a future resolution to commend her in the same vein as “Commend A Slanted Black Stripe”.

7. Ravania

During my tenure as Chief of the Band in The United Defenders League, I saw many people come and go who were amazing, but few could compare to Ravania – it’s no surprise to me (or anyone) that he is now leading The United Defenders League given his tremendous energy and commitment to the good fight. Perhaps the most consistently reliable defender since Free4All at the height of his powers, Ravania is someone you can always count on to have a “sleeper” stashed away in a region or have an answer to a technical question. And on a personal note: you have to be a real powerhouse to motor through the detag missions like Ravania would.

6. Jenrak

Sadly we’re not able to commend Jenrak for their extraordinary service to International Incidents as a forum moderator, but it is possible, however, to commend Jenrak for being a community leader who has greatly assisted in bringing International Incidents together and emerging as one of NationStates’s most respected, quality roleplayers, especially in the Future-Tech (FT) arena.

Commendations for roleplayers, written in an ambiguous manner which equivocate between their IC and OOC accomplishments are also extremely fun and challenging to write.

5. Grub

I’d say Grub would be the most controversial name here, partly because he has a reputation of being hard to get along with, perhaps. Nonetheless, Grub has founded and led one of the strongest and most consistent User-Created Regions in NationStates History – that’s gotta count for something! Running a region like 10000 Islands isn’t easy and I’d love to see a commendation that revealed a “Day in the Life” of Grub – showing some of the little things he has been doing for the past decade to help contribute to his region’s success.

4. Zwangzug

Only three nations have even appeared in three NS World Cup finals three times in a row, but Zwangzug did one better: she won all three! Zwangzug (also known as Aguazul) has been one of the leading community figures in NS-Sports for many years as a player, organiser, scorinator and mentor. You might also recognise Zwangzug as a regular Issue Author/Editor/Contributor or for her work in organising the NS-Sports tournaments in the past two NationStates World Fairs.

3. Evil Wolf

I’m not sure whether Evil Wolf would prefer being commended or condemned. But nonetheless, I doubt there is an invader that other invaders have tried to emulate more than Evil Wolf – mischievous and taunting, Evil Wolf has made a lifelong career of encouraging defenders to tear their hair out. Nowadays he’s been more recognised, perhaps, for his service to The North Pacific where he has served as delegate, relaunched the North Pacific Army, helped recover the region from JAL’s last coup and stood on the region’s Security Council.

2. TAO

What can I say about TAO? Nay, what can I not say about TAO? In short, TAO is the paradigm of cool that every gameplayer tries to be. Not only has this suspicious penguin been one of the creative minds behind The West Pacific and its Intelligence Branch at the height of its powers, but C.O.P.S, the most famous inter-regional treaty in NationStates history is also one of his brain-childs; not to mention, a more recent liberation maneuver in Osiris which ended the Osiran Imperium.

1. The Archregimancy

So, again…what’s the secret to being one of the coolest players ever to play NationStates? Well, let’s start in real life by getting your doctorate in archaeology. One of the most level-headed, creative and genuinely lovely people to contribute to NationStates: “Arch”, as he has come to been known as, is a community staple of both the NS General and the NS Sports communities, respectively. In NS Sports, playing as “The Holy Empire”, Arch has participated in every NS World Cup from the very first one in 2003; he also has won the most recent World Cup (four titles in sixty-nine World Cups – Hah!). In NS General, Arch sifts through the (often) mindless debates to probe the discussion with his perspective as an archaeologist, providing historical knowledge with a charming, sweet and disarming presence. I can’t think of someone more deserving of recognition from the World Assembly for their many years of contributions to NationStates.

Do you agree with my list? Who else would you include? Thanks for reading!

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“Zombie Preparedness Act” Stirs Controversy in TNP
COMMENTARY | TRR NEWS

Crushing Our Enemies and SillyString have brought forth a controversial bill in The North Pacific, called the “Zombie Preparedness Act”. Thus far it looks as though the bill will pass narrowly, 20-13, with nine other voters abstaining.

The Zombie Preparedness Act sets out to establish the protocol for The North Pacific’s executive to follow during Halloween or other Zombie events, although the act is vaguer and refers simply to “outbreaks of infectious disease”. It requires resident input through the use of polls to determine how the executive responds to such outbreaks.

More controversially, however, the bill authorises the delegate to ban and eject residents within a “reasonable manner” to pursue these disease control plans. Conventionally, this behavior could contradict the Bill of Rights – however, the Zombie Preparedness Act defines an outbreak of infectious disease as an “actual emergency” which actives the notwithstanding clause of the Bill of Rights, allowing for violations of the Bill of Rights within a reasonable manner during actual emergencies.

There is some debate surrounded whether the use of the “actual emergency” language is even necessary given the ejections arguably could follow within the existing discretion afforded to The North Pacific’s delegates.

Some have taken issue with the broad language of “outbreaks of infectious disease” as opposed to something more specific like “Zombie outbreak”. Others criticised the proposal’s lack of respect towards the Bill of Rights, the unnecessariness of banning residents and the moratorium on citizenship expiration for those whose nations leave the region during the outbreak.

r3naissanc3r, Delegate of The North Pacific, would abstain on the vote and did not get involved with the ongoing constitutional debate. The Rejected Times, however, did speak with him regarding the Zombie Preparedness Act earlier today.

“As far as I, and by extension the Ministry of Culture, are concerned, the bill doesn't enable the delegate and government to do something they couldn't do without it,” explains r3naissanc3r. “So our preparations for the Zombie Apocalypse are not affected by the outcome of the vote. It was originally discussed within the Ministry of Culture. I mentioned then that I considered it unnecessary, but also that I'd defer to the Ministry staff at large to decide. Eventually, COE decided to propose it to the RA on his own. “

Constitutional debates aside, r3naissanc3r expects, however, that leading his region through this Zombie Crisis will be an “exciting experience”!

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Introducing: The NSG Peace Prize !
FEATURE | RISOTTIA



The acclaimed NSG Peace Prize is on its fifth year now, but not everyone is "in the know". Risottia, head of The NSG Peace Prize Committee, explains just what exactly the "NSG Peace Prize" is...

The NSG Peace Prize ("NSG" is short for NationStates General) was born in the wake of the uproar stirred by the Nobel Peace Prize being awarded to Barack Obama. Many generalites voiced rather strong opinions about that choice, both in favour and against. If anything, this showed that there were lots of ideas - often conflicting ones - about what the "criteria" for a Peace Prize should be, and that the NS community was quite able to debate them, with the vis polemica that has made NationStates, and NationStates General in particular, famous among some of the most opinionated and politically-minded citizens online.

As the NSG Peace Prize Committee, we decided to devise a simple set of criteria for the nominations, leaving the task of nominating deserving recipients -- and selecting one above everyone else -- to players themselves. This has proven rather effective, some troubles notwithstanding. The nominators and the poll voters have made interesting choices, ranging from satirical ones -- the first edition was awarded to North Korea's president for not attacking South Korea -- to some that even anticipated the Nobel Prize, like last year's prize being awarded to Malala! (Yes, in a true hipster fashion, we can say that we did it before it became mainstream).

However, for the final results of this year's NSG Peace Prize, the Pro-Democracy Campaigners of Hong Kong (43%) was declared the winner against tight competition from Pope Francis (33%); the other two finalists included the International Committee of the Blue Shield (15%) and The French government (10%).

The winner was declared on Oct 27, 2014.

The Committee wishes to thank all the players that contributed. We also invite everyone to vote in next year's poll! The sixth edition will begin next year, as always, in October.

For the Committee
Risottia (Chair).

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A Post-Independent World
COMMENTARY | GOOEYBOT

Did you hear that? That’s the sound of the political vultures grinding their teeth – ready to bite into their prey as we all watch the once great and seemingly omnipresent institution of independentism wither and decay. As the coffins are prepared, its old proponents flee this dead weight ideology like rats on a sinking tradeship. This week, The South Pacific has voted to drop its old “independent” label having reached an astonishing consensus on the matter. While, this year alone, not just one but four other Game-Created regions have dropped the “independent” label at some point or another – while Osiris has flirted with invaderism, Lazarus and The Rejected Realms have officially declared themselves “defender” and The East Pacific has passed “The Identity Act” which rejected the region’s old “independent” moniker.

Bearing this in mind, it doesn’t come as a surprise that the old proponents of independentism would meet in a desperate, emergency “time out” session to discuss strategy and recuperate. But I for one could not help but find the Independence Conference excruciating – not because I have a problem with Independentism, although I do, that’s the point of this article, however, it eventually took over a month for the conference to conclude – it was expected to end after one week! It began as a Conference, but at this rate it ended as a Sabbatical. The product? A rehash of inconsistent talking points that have been invented to counter the logical flaws that independence's critics have pointed out along the way.

As far as conferences go, this one wasn’t just unsuccessful, it was dead on arrival – in weeding out any regions which might have disagreed with Europeia and its colleagues over the general vision of independentism, the Independence Conference ensured it would proceed as a meaningless political artifact whose produce will go no more noticed than some muted flatulence in a windstorm. Because who honestly cares if Europeia and their allies think this or that about independentism? Not only is it laughably paradoxical for anyone to expect that an independent region would recognise a definition established by foreign powers, none of the regions involved are exclusively authoritative subjects on what “independence” is or is not.

But the Independence Conference was not just intrinsically flawed – oh no, no, no. Its organisers managed to take what should have been a relatively simple self-promotive international event and instead, they transformed it into an embarrassing omnishambles – a time-bomb that went off so prematurely, its organisers will walk away from this conference drenched in anal discharge, praying that the filth washes off them before the next Presidential Elections. The conference organisers intially denied entry to not just The South Pacific and Osiris, treatied allies of Europeia, but The West Pacific, one of the founding regions of independentist thought. This decision was not only a fantastically efficient way of vexing three birds with one gratuitous stone throw, but it also underscores the first of three major logical and methodological issues with Independentism.

1. Excludability

First and foremost, independentism suffers from being more exclusive than any of the other ideologies in NationStates. It is more politically stratified than the other more ‘broader’ and older ideologies like defenderism and invaderism; there are no regions out there that entertain the farcical idea that they are an authoritative voice on what it means to be “defender” or “invader”. Thus it can be said that defenderism and invaderism operate like mass ‘tents’ – big coalitions trying to maintain a diverse set of regions under one roof for their general cause, which differs a great deal from independentism. Independentism, not requiring a ‘big tent’ for any major military campaigns, sees the excludability of other regions from independentism as a necessary tool for political coercion.

However, most rational regions would benefit more greatly from hovering around one of these more inclusive, mass groups like defenderdom or invaderdom – which offer greater political freedom, set less conditions on diplomatic acceptance and even make political offers and incentives to try to entice regions to stay within the coalition. Abstaining from these mass coalitions in favour of a stricter network of allies who have more comprehensive expectations of your region, while offering less incentives to stay within the network is largely an irrational foreign policy.

2. Materialism

If we follow independentism’s logic, the independent state is the rational state. Realists, having tried to copy real life, believe they can justify all of their region’s behavior. However, they have got it wrong. In NationStates, the rational state avoids harm, but it does not necessarily refrain from acting when benefits are unclear or negligible. Why? Because there aren’t really material interests in performing many actions at all – few treaties offer concrete benefits and few invasions or colonies offer anything substantial to regions.

As some who is generally quite positive about diplomatic arrangements and treaty-making, I’ve always been disheartened by ‘realists’ who ask the vapid (and inevitable) question about every treaty: “how does this serve our interests?” The reason that this question can be sometimes very difficult to answer is because there is rarely a direct material value in interregional engagement in NationStates – thus there is a serious tension between Independentism’s realism and NationStates’s non-materialism.

In all actuality, we normally pursue interregional engagement because of preferences or personal visions and interregional leadership, or cross-regional interpersonal relationships. We can still apply reason and political strategy to this decision-making process, but independentism fails to anticipate that the decision-making process is often more likely based on “soft” preferences as opposed to “hard” core interests because of the lack of material value in any or all traditional interregional schemes.

3. Asymmetry

Independentism dictates that the rational region is neither an “invader” region nor a “defender” region, but in practice, rational regions reach a natural equilibrium where they are either closely aligned with invaders or defenders in practice. This divergence between theory and practice occurs because there is a structural asymmetry between invader and defender regions, but also between different regions.

For example: defenders require more active updaters for liberations, whereas invaders require more ‘pilers’ for occupations. Since players can only be active during some periods of the day, naturally defenderdom needs more players than invaderdom – a higher demand for players in general. This has the product of ensuring, (i) defenders are more dependent on the participation of players, whereas invaders are in a better position to reject the participation of players and thus wield greater political leverage over potential participants, (ii) larger armies with scarcely committed soldiers are more valuable in invaderdom, whereas armies of highly committed soldiers are more valuable in defenderdom.

Another difference between defenderdom and invaderdom that is often overlooked is the “Halo Effect” which benefits invaderdom and severely affects defenderdom. Because defenders often present themselves as being principled or good, they will face harsher criticism and political damage from a media fallout. Whereas invaders have, time and time again, received little political costs for attacking even their own treatied allies.

Defenders compensate by investing in media production and emphasising their editorial line, which suggests when defenderdom is strongest, it will by nature of its situation, maintain a robust connection with news media.

Bearing these asymmetries in mind, maintaining cooperation with both invaderdom and defenderdom relies solely on the good grace of invaders and the desperation of defenders -- it is not sustainable as a martial policy. Invaders will include neutral parties into missions insofar as they are needed or that their participation may play a role in securing that group into invaderdom. "Mister Nice Guy" as a general invader policy ends when it becomes clear the neutral party is a “free rider” that will not commit to invaderdom. Rational regions will therefore align naturally towards invaderdom and defenderdom, not simply for political and cultural subsidies, but also because they are given little choice but to choose between one sphere or the other – therefore regions will align instead with which sphere suits their interests, their regional members’ preferences and the role that the region’s leadership sees their region playing on the interregional stage.

The fact that the “theory” behind independentism has largely unraveled before the eyes of commentators over the past few months should not come as a surprise – it was always based on specious reasoning. Perhaps the greatest sin of independentism overall is that it has generated the blinding, ideological hatred of regions on various sides of the military alignment which independentism sought to overcome – foreign policy under independentism does not mature, but instead, becomes more infantile. In it's place, I believe we are already seeing the future ideas of a post-independent NationStates starting to emerge with the legalistic, civic and labeless military policy of the Identity Act in The East Pacific, plus the rejection of materialism in Post-Francoism in The Pacific. If this great political transformation comes to pass, I propose that a post-independence world will emphasise diversity and subjectivity where independentism promoted objectivity and exclusiveness; questions of ethics, which have long troubled our regional discussions shall be shifted from militaries to foreign policy, such that regional militaries will be defined not by labels, but in term of their legal and civil obligations to the state and to civilians, while discussions of philosophy, preferences and visions for one's region will become a common and regular topic for future elections.

---

Rising Stars 4: Lenny

FEATURE | JOE NOBS

In this issue of Rising Stars, we interview Lenny. Lenny is an up-and-comer in Lazarus. He has been playing NationStates for only a few short months but has already become a fixture in Lazarus. His impassioned support for the People’s Republic and loyalty to the region has made him a notable figure, alongside the energy he puts into his service to the Lazarene community. We sat down with Lenny to understand what makes him tick. (Interviewer’s note: This interview concluded in August 25th, and the content will not reflect changes in global politics after that date.)

What has been the biggest learning curve for you in NationStates?

I think it is the sheer amount of information about the history of Nationstates. Lazarus is fortunate that many distinguished players have collected information to enable new players to get to grips with the current state of gameplay. However as a new player, I have had to do a lot of reading in order to keep somewhat on top of everything that has happened. I think that this is what puts off most people but it is unavoidable given the age of the game.

What you say is certainly true, do you think more could be done to help disseminate useful information to new players?

Certainly there is more that can be done and also more opportunity for semi-structured learning and discussion. I would also say that the People's Republic has an important role to play in this. We must make sure that the Nationstates world understands the truths of history, not the oppressive propoganda of the Imperialists and Invaders. The People's Republic, as a region committed to the equality of all peoples throughout the Nationstates world is the prefect vehicle to liberate minds.

Who would you describe as your mentor?

Comrade Funkadelia, our Chairman. He has been an excellent support to me, always willing to bend his ear to my views and has encouraged me to serve our People’s Republic. Without his support, I don’t think that I would have stuck with Lazarus as long as I have.

What has been your biggest challenge so far?

So far, it has been serving as a Congressman in the People’s Congress. As a consultative body for the Party, the role of the Congressman is to both ensure that the Party is accurately enacting the general will whilst also ensuring that the principles of the Revolution are maintained. It has been a challenge to do this, but so far I have enjoyed it.

Where do you see yourself in a year’s time?

In a year’s time I would like to see myself as an experienced party official with senior responsibilities. I would also like to continue penning pieces on why Imperialism is not only an incoherent policy for a region and morally reprehensible, but is also a threat to every region in Nationstates.

Do you see yourself branching into a second or third region, alongside Lazarus?

No. The Revolution requires the full commitment of all workers and I intend to give Lazarus my 100% commitment. Of course, I am an Ambassador to another region and I fully support our membership of the FRA - but I believe that at present, the revolution is best served through working to improve Lazarus.

What area of the game would you most like to expand into that you are not currently involved with?

I would like to get more involved in military affairs. So far I have been a pen pusher, but now I would like to serve in the frontlines of our Revolutionary cause.

As a newcomer to the ImpVader / Defender side of things, what's your assessment of the current state of affairs?

It is difficult to see clearly given the huge amount of disinformation put forward on the ImpeVader side. However, I believe that the defender community still needs better organisation. Lazarus has a role to play in leading that march towards unity, and I believe that with organisational improvements and having justice on our side, the Imperialists and Invaders will eventually be defeated.

What advice would you give to newcomers?

Apart from embrace the truth of socialism and join the People’s Republic? I believe I would encourage them to jump in at the deep end – contribute and don’t be afraid of criticism. People in Lazarus have been very welcoming, even of my errors, and people appreciate those that try their hardest. It can be daunting when there are so many experienced players, but people shouldn’t hold back.

Excellent advice! Lenny, thank you very much for this interview, it's been very interesting.

---

[Blood Wine]

*breaks*

[Benevolent Thomas]

Very nice eddition I was a little disappointed by Gruenberg's article, but then again how dirty can you really make something in a PG13 forum? The Commendation article was very interesting. I wonder if Shizensky's name ever crossed your mind while you were coming up with that list? I've already lobbied a certain prolific SC author to get that one going. Seeing Ravania's name really did surprise me, but its not like he does not deserve to be considered for one. He really is a stellar defender. I'd actually be open these days to an all around Commendation of the United Defenders League for their overall contributions to defending. There's been quite a bit of contributions made to defending by many members of the UDL and when you put them all together it truly can be astonishing (I'm talking about tools and tactics mostly). My only wish is that Rav have more defenders to lead than he currently has, especially during update.

And Unibot, brace your anus for impact. The independents aren't going to take that article lying down

[Glen-Rhodes]

Congrats to Xoriet on the election! [FACE THROWING A KISS]

[Benevolent Thomas]

Congrats to Xoriet on the election! [FACE THROWING A KISS]

If you're happy to see Xoriet off the battlefield, you are not a true defender I just can't be happy for her or TEP. I just don't understand why defender juggernauts always end up settling for some crappy delegate gig.

[Rhina]

The independents aren't going to take that article lying down

As a former Independent, I've learned to accept that some people just want to see things in pure terms of black and white, and that there is no reasoning with them once they cross that threshold. My eyes just kind of glaze over whenever I see a Defender opinion of Independents as such.

As a current Raider, my opinion is simply that if Defenders want to antagonize Independents and push them toward our camp, that's perfectly fine with me. Just that fewer number of people to get in my way on a tag run.

[The Dark Star Republic]

I was a little disappointed by Gruenberg's article, but then again how dirty can you really make something in a PG13 forum?

My first draft contained significantly more fisting.

[Tano]

Slightly wish there were more innuendos, but not actually a bad article.

*feels slight bitterness on tongue*

Wow, I can't believe I just said that...

[Onderkelkia]

Only The Rejected Times could respond, to Europeia, Balder, Osiris, the LKE, Equilism, The North Pacific, TNI, Albion, The West Pacific and Ainur releasing The Independent Manifesto, with something so suggestive of utter and total detachment from reality as an article about a Post-Independence world.

But I for one could not help but find the Independence Conference excruciating

I have no doubt you did.

[Glen-Rhodes]

The independents aren't going to take that article lying down

As a former Independent, I've learned to accept that some people just want to see things in pure terms of black and white, and that there is no reasoning with them once they cross that threshold. My eyes just kind of glaze over whenever I see a Defender opinion of Independents as such.

As a current Raider, my opinion is simply that if Defenders want to antagonize Independents and push them toward our camp, that's perfectly fine with me. Just that fewer number of people to get in my way on a tag run.

I think the "black and white" retort will be the last thing to die.

Here's the truth. Defenders may see things in all white, raiders in all black. But Independents see things in a very specific shade of grey.

[Xoriet]

Congrats to Xoriet on the election! [FACE THROWING A KISS]

If you're happy to see Xoriet off the battlefield, you are not a true defender I just can't be happy for her or TEP. I just don't understand why defender juggernauts always end up settling for some crappy delegate gig.

BT, of course I will return to the field as soon as circumstances permit.

...Probably four months and eight days from now <.<

[RiderSyl]

If you're happy to see Xoriet off the battlefield, you are not a true defender I just can't be happy for her or TEP. I just don't understand why defender juggernauts always end up settling for some crappy delegate gig.

BT, of course I will return to the field as soon as circumstances permit.

...Probably four months and eight days from now <.<

In the meantime, think about all the RMB supression... Think...

[North East Somerset]

Did you hear that? That’s the sound of the political vultures grinding their teeth – ready to bite into their prey as we all watch the once great and seemingly omnipresent institution of independentism wither and decay. As the coffins are prepared, its old proponents flee this dead weight ideology like rats on a sinking tradeship. This week, The South Pacific has voted to drop its old “independent” label having reached an astonishing consensus on the matter. While, this year alone, not just one but four other Game-Created regions have dropped the “independent” label at some point or another – while Osiris has flirted with invaderism, Lazarus and The Rejected Realms have officially declared themselves “defender” and The East Pacific has passed “The Identity Act” which rejected the region’s old “independent” moniker.

Bearing this in mind, it doesn’t come as a surprise that the old proponents of independentism would meet in a desperate, emergency “time out” session to discuss strategy and recuperate.

Lazarus and TRR went defender over 6 months ago, and neither were Independent before. The idea that TRR was ever independent is utterly laughable. And TSP didn't drop the independent tag till last week. Your "time-out" theory is thus utterly baseless for a conference scheduled around a month ago.

The independence conference was a world apart from the defender led RSC in terms of success, and the list of signatories is considerably more illustrious. This whole article is desperate nonsense.

[Xoriet]

In the meantime, think about all the RMB supression... Think...

I might not be able to chase you personally, Syl, but I am not the only member of EPSA, either.

[RiderSyl]

Oh look, that whole Independence argument is starting up again.

[North East Somerset]

Its organisers managed to take what should have been a relatively simple self-promotive international event and instead, they transformed it into an embarrassing omnishambles – a time-bomb that went off so prematurely, its organisers will walk away from this conference drenched in anal discharge, praying that the filth washes off them before the next Presidential Elections.

Have you totally lost the plot? The sheer venom in this article is absurd for someone who claims to be a force for good. You are blinded by irrational dislike of independence for not conforming to your defenderist vision. How on earth can you talk about exclusivity when you publish stuff like this?

[Solorni]

The question is not a matter of if but when it simply won't even be worth replying to what Unibot writes. Each year the quality of his posts degrade and the detachment from reality increases. If you believe in what he's writing, you really need to get out there more because it is pretty nonsensical. There is no parallel for his ability to write at the level of someone finding out swear words for the first time and somehow being able to go on and on and on. I swear I lost a few brain cells trying to read this.

[Zaolat]

If you're happy to see Xoriet off the battlefield, you are not a true defender I just can't be happy for her or TEP. I just don't understand why defender juggernauts always end up settling for some crappy delegate gig.

BT, of course I will return to the field as soon as circumstances permit.

...Probably four months and eight days from now <.<

YES, YOU FINALLY GET TO LEGITIMATELY COUP THE REGION! I'M SO PROUD!

[Valrifell]

Who thought this was a good idea to publish? Did you seriously think that you wouldn't get flak for allowing that to publish?

[Xoriet]

Who thought this was a good idea to publish? Did you seriously think that you wouldn't get flak for allowing that to publish?

And when was the last time flak deterred TRT, Val?

[Kraketopia]

That opinion piece is completely unacceptable. I know the TRT is a rag to begin with, but that article takes it to a new low. Unibot is usually hilariously out of touch with reality, that's par the course, but this takes the cake. The next time you want to publish something, put a bit of pride in your work.