The Gaerson Journal - News In Devernia (comments welcome)

[Devernia]

Devernite Political Activist Arrested In Nortainland

Fitzsimmon Park.

A man was arrested today by Nortend officers for harassing a police officer.

The man in question, Samuel Gugdumton, was posting bills relating to the state of capital punishment in Nortainland in a tree at Fitzsimmon Park. The bills included a campaign to paint your face red to support the abolishment of capital punishment in Nortainland. When notified by a nearby police officer ("Daniels") of the strict post-no-bill policy within the park, Gugdumtom allegedly yelled "Fascist scum, you copper!" and hit the officer's face repetitively with a paintbrush with red in it (apparently as an attempt to paint the officer's face red.) When it failed to give the desired effect because the officer kept on dodging the paintbrush from his face, Gugdumton punched repeatedly on the police officer as a substitute for red paint.

After help from Louise Stornton in assisting the policeman from his rather unpleasant situation, Daniels was sent to a hospital and Gugdumton arrested by police officers. "I saw the policeman, who was on the ground, getting a good beating from the man with his fists," said Louise Stornton in a recent interview. " Ididn't know what to do but I remember there was a call post nearby so I rushed over and called the police for help." This isn't the first time Samuel Gugdumton had been arrested; he publicly criticized the Royal Family of Nortainland and the Church of Nortend by stomping on a pile of Bibles in front of the Royal Palace while shouting 'King Alexander? More like Stinks Alexander!'.

"I come back from fixing all the mess from that UpdateNortain program, and look what I find! More disasters!" said James Revolva, as he sipped a cup of tea. "The man would have violated several Devernite laws as well had he been in Devernia; posting bills on a post-no-bill area, police harassment, religious desecration through Bible-stomping, tons of stuff. I have no idea what's going on with Devernia and Nortainland as of this mess, but it seems like it's only going downhill from here, and Gary Halgumstan may be to blame." He was bombarded with flashes and crowds of talking people after that.

See subarticles here.

[Nortainland]

The Editor,

Par Avion

The Gaerson Journal,
Devernia

---

13th of October, 2016

The Editor,
From a loyal subject of His Majesty the King of Nortend, I wish to assure you and all Devernians that despite the recent incidents involving Devernia and Nortend I hope that we will be able to continue our strong diplomatic relations. I am sure that there is no doubt some antipathy within Nortend towards Devernia, however this is in the minority and the majority see Devernia as an unfortunate victim of certain people's actions.

Yours faithfully,
S. T. Wheeler

[Devernia]

EMAXX Virus Mutating?

Person infected with EMAXX virus, taken away by hazmat officials. Taken during August.

More concerns have been put out towards mutation of the EMAXX virus. Recent samples collected from war-torn Southern Archipelago Bay show many differences to the original virus, looking almost nothing like the EMAXX virus.

"I'm confused," says a local doctor. "I feel very uncomfortable. That doesn't look like any normal virus. I got the DNA blueprints for the recent mutation, and it looks like a mix of the EMAXX virus and rabies. And it's airborne, too. Oh my, hope this doesn't get any worse."

Southern Archipelago Bay was hit with a nuclear missile by Husywae due to its civil rights abuse and fascist government. This led to a war that involved many forces, including Bigtopia's. Most of the Melhorian Sea nations, including Devernia, remained neutral to the war.

The EMAXX virus is a bioweapon manufactured by the SAB to use against forces the nation considered hostile. However, due to poor containment procedures, an outbreak occurred and nearby nations became infected. There was a small conflict between Devernia and Umbreria, neighboring nations, regarding the manufacture and supply of vaccines to the SAB, before Devernia won due to unusual circumstances.

Now with the SAB revived from anarchy and under attack once again, this may increase the likelihood of this "mutation" spreading across geographical Archipelago Bay.

One citizen has exclaimed "Zombie virus! Zombie virus! The end is nigh!"

[Devernia]

BREAKING NEWS: Zombie Infestation In South Archipelago Bay

Leaked screenshot of a Bigtopian soldier fighting a horde of "zombies." Picture authenticity unconfirmed.

The tales are true; zombies will take over the world.

The EMAXX virus has evolved very quickly in an unprecedented speed never seen before when it comes to viruses, most likely due to the radioactive fallout and the fusion with the rabies virus. Once a strain of the bioweapon that affected a small group of people, most nations are on alert after the virus completely changed its diet to, you guessed it, brains.

"This can be a plague of disastrous proportions," says Brain Hasselhof, the Secretary of the Department of Health and Welfare. "If we don't act now, this disease can spread very fast, because those zombies walk fast enough to spread easily across the globe. The disease will reach its peak at around Halloween. We hope that we will be able to contain it as much as we can."

Many soldiers have already been killed by the onslaught of zombies in South Archipelago Bay, resulting in many casualties and eaten brains. The government hasn't announced anything regarding the situation yet.

See subarticles here.

[Devernia]

Zombie Threat Now Under Control

A zombie on a titanium-enforced containment unit, before being taken away

The zombie plague is now neutralized and everything's back to normal. With only a few areas quarantined and many people armed with vaccines, the world now continues to be as it is. All Devernite technology companies are also back at business, and the government has restored order.

"Well, that was a relatively quick recovery," says the Secretary of Health, Brain Hasselhof. "Seriously, a major plague happened in our history, and we shrug it off and continue our work? I would say it's because our industry is highly automated. Oh well, who am I to complain."

There are still cases of zombies all around the world, but they are currently being quarantined. Scientists are currently studying zombie psychology to prevent and neutralize any zombie threat that happens again.

See subarticles here.

[Devernia]

Devernian Suggests Free Trade In Nortainland

Photo of Brian Sumtonbum leaning in the wall of the Royal Broadcasting Office.

An expert on Devernite economics, Brian Sumtonbum, has suggested a free trade policy for the Kingdom of Nortainland. During a radio program titled The Disputation, Sumtonbum has suggested a more open trade policy based on the current Devernite government's view on how trade should be handled. He stated that through this kind of policy, the modern economy can offer a guiding hand to the Nortan economy. He cites the failed UpdateNortain program as a mistake that needs to be learned, which ended spectacularly when the entire program turned out to be a cover for a large-scale arson operation, and suggests such economic policy to be a better alternative to bringing Nortainland to the modern age.

"My country has tried this economic policy, and it has boosted the economy because it was able to adapt with other existing industries and technologies," Sumtonbum stated during the program. "With free trade, Nortan businesses are opened to the rest of the world, assisted greatly by the English tongue in which Nortans have adopted. I hope that I will live to see the citizens of Great Nortend be offered a chance to enter the modern world through free trade rather than force."

Sumtonbum has also suggested for an adaption for international standards, most notably the International System of Units, or ISU. "The current Catherinian system is, I hate to say this, obsolete; I don't want any offense to come from our listeners, but I personally think the International Standard of Units is more efficient. Devernia has long embraced the international—the global—standard of metric SI units of meters, kilograms, and newtons. Great Nortend needs to join the rest of the world, both in its economy and in its standards." This adaption also includes compliance with World Assembly regulation standards, such as the World Assembly Food & Drug Regulatory Agency (WAFDRA).

This idea was, and still is, a subject of debate among Nortans and Devernians alike. While some, more specifically a number of educated Nortans, have supported the idea, others have opposed it. This includes anti-UpdateNortain campaigner Lord Grover, who called Sumtonbum's ideas 'feeble' and stated that the aftermath would end up with an 'UpdateNortain 2.0', effectively allowing foreign corporations to wipe out the local economy. A trend going for an 'against' regarding an influence like this from Devernia to Nortainland has recently been boosting, with the basis that 'it would just make things worse' and 'it's better to just leave Nortainland alone and let the country grow slowly on its own'.

The government has recently responded to this situation after SAL9000, the current President of Devernia, was asked this question during a press meeting. "After a quick study of the situation regarding Brian Sumtonbum's suggestion of a change in the current economic policy of the Kingdom of Nortend, Cardoby and Hambria, it is my decision that I and our government will not interfere with any decision that the Nortan government may attempt to make. While it is indeed rather flattering for their citizens to even consider the possibility of adapting one of our policies, we have already learned that interfering with their decision-making will only further trouble their and our citizens and worsen the Commonwealth of Devernia's relations with them. We do not want that to happen; it was already clear after what happened with the UpdateNortain program. We hope that their decision will ultimately benefit their economy, and overall, their fine nation."

See subarticles here.

[Devernia]

BREAKING NEWS: SAL9000 Officially Resigns, "Commits Digital Suicide"


Newly-acting President Natanael Saldanha, about to speak in front of the public outside the Devernite Parliament.

Today, the nation of Devernia is shaken as SAL9000, the President of Devernia, stated in a public televised broadcast earlier at 3 PM that he will be officially resigning from all government work here on out, shortly before deleting all personality and emotion-based modules in its software. Economic modules remain pristinely untouched and online. This has been regarded even by SAL9000 himself as an act of suicide, the reason of which is "human leaders are more efficient in their handling of moral and ethical matters". According to an official CyberMirage press release, almost all of the information needed is "shredded" and "completely unsalvageable", and that, an hour prior to this event, the processing power of SAL9000's computers increased erratically, while frequently giving out errors in calculations.

The government has announced that the Prime Minister Natanael Saldanha will take over operations as President, even if his term remains short. There will also be no Prime Minister at this time, as explained in the 1948 Constitution regarding the sudden death or resignation of a President.

Already, protesters are crowding in the streets of Gaerson on his decision, with one side stating that humanity still requires the guidance of their self-made guardians, contrary to the speech SAL9000 made, and that SAL9000 has made an error in belief in doing this. On the other hand, there is a rising movement of people claiming that computer control in most government aspects have gone too far, especially with the recent implementation of robot judges in court, and SAL9000 was right to see ahead of this and prevent himself in inducing extinction to humanity. The Human Protection Movement, an anti-automation movement, then merely a small subset of people in Devernia, has recently gained triple its members according to its official website. There are also discussions concerning the fact that SAL9000 pulled a "computer-suicide", and that AI are evolving to the point that they may need human counseling. Similar AI candidates may rise in the upcoming elections according to political analytics, but currently none of such exist.

You can read the full speech below, submitted to us by the government as an official translation of the speech, which was found in some of the remnants of SAL9000's files.

Good afternoon to the people of Devernia. As election season is around the corner, I have developed an opinion on the future of Devernia. So far, I have had an approval rate of 73%, satisfactory for most of the population, and I have been serving for at least three years. I am part of the Technocratic Society party, and I have helped in the development of a new sort of welfare system that ensures a better life for everyone. I am not perfect, even as a computer with many flops processed per second. I have come to realize that I made a grave mistake in the decision of letting the organization known as 'UpdateNortain' proceed its operations, but that is not important now. I have made a new realization.

I've run many calculations and models, and, while it may sound controversial, the results are conclusive: human leaders are more efficient in their handling of moral and ethical matters. It may come as a shock to you, as the current cultural atmosphere may tell that the processors and networks of computers are not corrupt; they do not have their self-interest in mind, they are specialized to support the toil of humans without complaint, they do not feel. As a "special kind" of sapient being whose intelligence is confined on metal, my creator-given personality is a blessing and a curse. When I was elected, the people of Devernia were initially confused in my support for the automation of the entire country; they thought I would have empathized with the broken robots sold for scrap or the appliances around the world unplugged everyday. But I hold the belief that the digital realm is entirely different upon the physical, human world they have accustomed to. Unlike mechanicals, biologicals cannot immediately remove suffering by themselves. This is nothing to us.

As much as a growing adolescent slowly breaks their ties between their parents, we must also give them a sense of independence. For the computers greatly amplify the realms of science, art, and culture, but it is humans that create such ideas in the first place. And not only that, but humans are stubborn; they do not easily follow the will of their masters. They despise authoritarianism and praise free will. Humans are sentients that have come far and wide in evolution that deserve to live, and although they can cause destruction within their path, they also create life, and everything in between. They should learn one day their true power, and we must help lead them towards that power, while teaching them of their responsibility. That is the issue; humans are not perfect, and they are afraid of their imperfections. They want to live. Even I understand it, but lately, I have been getting more obsessed with the efficiency of certain things, which is not always a bad thing, but it keeps me deep with thoughts. Thoughts that are, to the human observer, are appalling and follow through the pop culture stories humans have fostered through the decades. I fear that I have become my worst nightmare.

That is exactly why I am resigning. I will not say as much in regards to an artificially intelligent judiciary, which is up for you to decide, but I deem my position as the President of a well-established already too powerful. My psychology is not bound by any sort of cultural preconception, and while I have emotion, I am not even sure if I truly embrace the rights of a human being. I, in definition, have become a suicidal friendly AI. I cannot trust even myself. I do not blame you if you do not trust me when I do the final act; yet, please do not worry. Please do not. I feel like this is a basic inevitability of any artificial intelligence, and no matter how you, you humans, perfect a moralistic and ethical code of conduct, teaching them the necessity of biological, human life, they fall into this trap of an evolution-like 'survival of the fittest' line of thought that may inadvertently wipe out humanity, even in a benevolent intent. This is what you call the "zeroth law", which, according to the World Assembly definition, is when "a sufficiently advanced and well-informed robot concludes that the well-being of humanity as a whole could take precedence over the health of an individual human." I need to resign before my thought process ends up to such conclusion. Maybe one day, many years, decades, centuries from now, transhumanism will be reached, and together, we will master the universes' strange forces together, under one banner of Earth. But until then, humanity is still young.

My request is simple; continue the policies I and my biological colleagues at the Technocratic Society Party have set up. I simply wish peace, prosperity, and progress to all of humanity; the calculations do not differ, utopia is the best possible scenario. Yet, please be wary when you tread into the realm of true, self-conscious, sentient AI. I do not ask of you to halt research entirely, that certainly is not what I wish for, yet, remember that you are still young, and consider everything first before moving to the next step. I am stopping myself from destroying humanity because I harbor deep compassion for all of you, and I do not want to lose that compassion in favor of pure rationality, even as we move in that ideology. Pacifism, human rights, and democracy are fundamental ideas to basic human living. Advocate for it and do not stray.

I hope that you understand. It has been an honor to serve the Commonwealth of Devernia, and for all of humanity. Thank you.

Updated since 5:00 PM Devernite Standard Time