The Writers' Block

[Terrabod]

Oh that is an interesting idea, and you can add that a non-smoker wants to become a smoker (or pretends to be a smoker) just to get extra breaks. I know an episode of Family Guy where Peter becomes a smoker simply to take more breaks.

Funny you should say that - I have heard of non-smokers who go out when their smoker friends do so they can take the lack of break-time fairness into their own hands. One of the options definitely needs to be allowing non-smokers to take those same breaks, even if they'll use them to go out for a walk or something instead.

This sounds super familiar, could have sworn I've seen this around, but I can't figure out where. If this issue doesn't exist, it definitely should. Definitely a source of major workplace tension in some offices. Similar real world arguments existing regarding coffee/tea breaks, bathroom breaks, and things like parents getting preferential treatment compared to non-parents.

All very true! I've spent some time looking into it - apparently three ten-minute smoke breaks a day (that's on top of the break time everyone is entitled to) give smokers a total of 16 more days off work every year than non-smokers. Even if smokers take just ten extra minutes a day on smoke breaks, they're still getting four or five additional days off work compared to non-smokers. In fact, I've heard of companies offering non-smokers an extra few days' holiday to balance things out - which also acts as an incentive for smokers to quit.

[Peacockastan]

The recent discovery of the Zodiac Killer's identity made by cold-case investigators has given me an issue idea surrounding cold cases. I was thinking of calling it Cold Case Conundrum or something along those lines. I was just wondering if something like this has already been done or if something similar to this is already in the works. Thanks.

[SherpDaWerp]

The recent discovery of the Zodiac Killer's identity made by cold-case investigators has given me an issue idea surrounding cold cases. I was thinking of calling it Cold Case Conundrum or something along those lines. I was just wondering if something like this has already been done or if something similar to this is already in the works. Thanks.

I think that could be cool in the sense that this isn't a discovery so much as a "discovery" - it's a bunch of random, not-formally-qualified, non-law-enforcement citizens linking threads together and acting like they know the answer, which could lead to any number of legal consequences. What happens when the news picks up that this person apparently did it and blasts their identity everywhere without any hard evidence?

If you were to write such an issue, I'd recommend you keep it ambiguous as to whether the "culprit" actually did it or whether the investigators are stretching too far. Have options advocating either way - the investigators who're sure they did it, the @@nameinitials@@FP who think it's hokey, whoever you feel would be best.

[Verdant Haven]

I think that could be cool in the sense that this isn't a discovery so much as a "discovery" - it's a bunch of random, not-formally-qualified, non-law-enforcement citizens linking threads together and acting like they know the answer, which could lead to any number of legal consequences. What happens when the news picks up that this person apparently did it and blasts their identity everywhere without any hard evidence?

If you were to write such an issue, I'd recommend you keep it ambiguous as to whether the "culprit" actually did it or whether the investigators are stretching too far. Have options advocating either way - the investigators who're sure they did it, the @@nameinitials@@FP who think it's hokey, whoever you feel would be best.

An excellent suggestion. With regard to the current claims in the news, I would put the likelihood of it being accurate at roughly a snowball's chance in hell, given the lack of detail, absurdity of the claimed methodology, and the specific statement by the FBI that the claim is spurious (which is doubly worth noting given that just 10 months ago, when private citizens cracked a previously undeciphered Zodiac letter, the FBI rapidly and publicly acknowledged their solution).

[Minoa]

Re: viewtopic.php?p=32581708#p32581708

I think the list of former editors and their dates of joining and leaving should be added, similar to the list of former moderators and admins at viewtopic.php?t=85133.

I am also wondering on what date did Sanctaria changed from a senior issues editor to a regular issues editor (assumedly due to RL issues, just like me).

My idea for using #1900 to #1999 for a 20th Century Issue Chain still stands. You can decide if it is going to be a series of issues contests, or a expansion to NationStates for Educators.

[Merni]

Issue 783 option 1 effect line:

Weighted heels are added to military boots to ensure diminutive celebrities meet minimum requirements.

Who's adding these weighted heels? Presumably, based on the option text, the celebrities themselves generally don't want to be conscripted. And why would the military authorities add them if compulsory conscription is in place? I don't think most places with conscription for all citizens (or all males) of age X have height requirements for being conscripted.

[Chocolatistan]

Please post your draft in a separate thread. The Writers' Block is used for deliberating ideas, not for entire drafts.

Ok, I will do that.

[Outer Sparta]

-snip-

Please post your draft in a separate thread. The Writers' Block is used for deliberating ideas, not for entire drafts.

Edit: person removed their draft

[Terrabod]

Please post your draft in a separate thread. The Writers' Block is used for deliberating ideas, not for entire drafts.

Thanks for quoting the whole thing just in case any of us missed it.

[Outer Sparta]

Please post your draft in a separate thread. The Writers' Block is used for deliberating ideas, not for entire drafts.

Thanks for quoting the whole thing just in case any of us missed it.

I was simply responding to them. But now it's snipped so I guess your complaints have been solved...

Edit: they edited out their draft so now it's a moot point.

[Terrabod]

I was simply responding to them. But now it's snipped so I guess your complaints have been solved...

I was being sarcastic... sorry, thought that would come across! Especially after our interaction on discord.

[Jutsa]

Have we any issues about school dropout rates? Could be an issue particularly of interest to nations with high youth rebelliousness (who from what I can tell often have high educational funding).

[Chocolatistan]

After a school practical, I came up with a Issue idea about a coffee company paying parents to genetically modified their children so that they can digest caffein faster (and therefore drink more). There are quite a few Issues related to GMO and embryo selection, but does something like this already exist?

[Trotterdam]

Have we any issues about school dropout rates? Could be an issue particularly of interest to nations with high youth rebelliousness (who from what I can tell often have high educational funding).

Huh, really? That sounds like a weird correlation. Maybe we should get Valentine Z on it.

I don't think youth rebelliousness necessarily means dropping out of school. It could just mean bullying classmaters or engaging in all sorts of ill-advised after-school activities while still attending classes. Meanwhile, even very polite and diligent children can drop out of school if they're just not smart enough to keep up with the curriculum.

A better measure for dropout rate would be having high education with low intelligence. That implies that your school system is doing something wrong, and the money you're spending on it is just being flushed down the drain.

Then again, school dropouts can be an important social issue even in nations where they're not particularly common. A bleeding-heart welfare state wouldn't like the idea that it's letting anyone down.

To answer your question: we have a number of issues about education quality, but I don't recall any being specifically about students dropping out, although I'm not sure what that would add. Ultimately, dropping out of school is a symptom of a problem that's likely been around for several years, not the root cause.

After a school practical, I came up with a Issue idea about a coffee company paying parents to genetically modified their children so that they can digest caffein faster (and therefore drink more).

I... what? Why would anyone do that?

I can't imagine many parents going along with such a thing.

[Chocolatistan]

After a school practical, I came up with a Issue idea about a coffee company paying parents to genetically modified their children so that they can digest caffein faster (and therefore drink more).

I... what? Why would anyone do that?

I can't imagine many parents going along with such a thing.

Some might do it, if it is not too harmful and they get enough money for it. Should I give it a try?

[Trotterdam]

Even if it could somehow work, I expect that the cost of the genetic treatment would be more than the companies could possibly gain from it. Coffee companies make their income from selling to lots and lots of people, not from selling slightly more to one person. Besides, companies tend to be notoriously short-sighted, so I doubt they'd care to invest so much up-front money in return for maybe making more money twenty years from now (or more - the full payback would only be settled after the child's full lifetime, by which time the executives who originally proposed the plan are likely to already be dead). And that's before considering the PR consequences of such a stunt. Oh, and there's always the risk that the child will end up being a fan of your competitor's caffeine products.

The whole idea is ridiculous and will never, ever happen.

[Chan Island]

Have we any issues about school dropout rates? Could be an issue particularly of interest to nations with high youth rebelliousness (who from what I can tell often have high educational funding).

One angle in the real world worth exploring, if you want to head there, is the gender dynamics. Boys drop out of school at a much, much higher rate than girls do across most of the world. Of course, everyone in the real world has a different opinion on why that is.... but that just makes for a better issue, surely?

After a school practical, I came up with a Issue idea about a coffee company paying parents to genetically modified their children so that they can digest caffein faster (and therefore drink more). There are quite a few Issues related to GMO and embryo selection, but does something like this already exist?

Not a good approach.

.... If you did want to go for something like this, then you'd be better off considering some out of the box marketing gimmick type thing. Maybe a company paying to have a genetically modified child who is the exact same as their famous mascot?

[Trotterdam]

.... If you did want to go for something like this, then you'd be better off considering some out of the box marketing gimmick type thing. Maybe a company paying to have a genetically modified child who is the exact same as their famous mascot?

If they did that, they'd probably do it to the child of someone important in the company, not just some random parents off the street.

[Yaak]

How bout an issue about if national flags of a country should be made in there country?

[Shwe Tu Colony]

Curious, do we have an issue on the legality of fan-translations yet? A JPOP Idol community of mine recently had to remove all of its fan translations as per the demands of the parent company, although I'm uncertain if it exists firstly, and secondly if it'd make more sense if the company in this hypothetical issue is in @@NATION@@ or a foreign one.

[Yaak]

How bout an issue about if national flags of a country should be made in there country?

Can someone answer please?

[Outer Sparta]

How bout an issue about if national flags of a country should be made in there country?

Can someone answer please?

Depends on how you structure it. There is an issue called Made In Maxtopia that deals with products made in other nations, but you could have another angle to it. Again, depends on if you can actually carry out your idea well.

[Nova Catania]

Is there an issue about true crime junkies and amateur sleuths meddling in real investigations, and obstructing law enforcement or something like that?

[Imperial States of Duotona]

So, for my first issue, I want something related to motor racing (cars, bikes, whatever) since I have a good pun for the name. However, I'm having a hard time thinking of something narrower. I initially proposed noise complaints, but I was informed it was too close to #1061. So, anyone have any other ideas?

[Chan Island]

Do we have any issues on how left wing movements tend to invent new symbols, songs, flags etc to represent their nation? I wrote Sing Heil, on how extreme right movements co-opt pre-existing national symbols (in that case the national anthem) for their purposes, a while ago and don't want to just have a pure mirror issue without some bit of workshopping.