Roleplay Reel
by Iraelia, Citizen
One of the most important aspects of NationStates is role play. After all, the premise of the game is acting as your nation's leader and answering issues to determine the status of your nation. Of course, that's just about, answering issues. However, for those whose minds are entranced by fiction, there exists more than just issue answering, there is role play. There are many ways to role play in NationStates: on the NationStates forum, in your own RP world, but the most prominent form of role play in The North Pacific exists in the world of Eras.

Based on The North Pacific forums and operating their own discord server, Eras RP has been used as a setting for about three years now and is open for anyone in TNP to join. Order is maintained by a team of role play moderators who ensure that people are obeying the rules of North Pacific RP. While things have slowed down recently in Eras, a lot of important events have occurred in the past few months that will shape the future of role play in Eras.

The biggest such event currently ongoing, though somewhat stalled due to the two key people being busy with real life, is the Council for the Reaffirmation of the Alliance of Northern Unions (ANU). In Eras, many nations have banded together to form alliances and unions in order to strengthen their nation?s position in the world. The two largest alliances are the Pan-Gotic Union (PGU) and the Phoenix Union (PU). The PGU is a union of nations that are ethnically Gotic, the Eras equivalent of German. The PU is a union of nations that are positioned on the Phoenix Strait, an area of strategic and economic importance in Eras. The predecessor to the PGU, the Northwestern Union (NWU), had been working on an agreement with the PU which would form the Alliance of Northern Unions (ANU). However, before either party could ratify the agreement, the NWU was disbanded and replaced by the PGU. Now that the PGU is firmly situated, members of both the PU and the PGU have gathered at a conference to discuss the actual ratification of the ANU. However, the proposed alliance is seeing significant opposition from powerful nations like the Ilian Coalition and Xentherida, members from within the proposed alliance, and it's future is most definitely in question.

Another important event that has been transpiring is the formation of the Trillium Compact (TC) which is the successor to the Trillium Accord (TA), and is an organization of democratic nations designed to further the goals of national sovereignty and voluntary cooperation between nations. The TC, having just been ratified, has now gone searching for new members to join their ranks. These proposed nations are Iraelia as an Associate Member and Goyanes and Syrixia as Observer Members. Many of these proposed members have received criticism from some sitting members of the TC. Syrixia is a self described autocracy and fails to meet the important democratic requirements in the eyes of the Ilian Coalition, Xentherida, and the Hastfradic League. Goyanes, while democratic, has strong allegiances to the PGU and PU which has off set several members of the alliance. Iraelia is also a democracy, but a history of racial tension in the nation has put the TC on edge. Needless to say, these nations will have to fight tooth and nail for entrance into the TC.

On a more local level, there have been several ongoing national role plays. One such story is Modergen, a character RP within the nation of Goyanes which centers around a terrorist attack on a newly built subway station in Goyanes by an organization seeking to re-institute dictatorial rule to the nation of Xentherida. They bomb the station under the guise of fascists from the nation of Ninhundland, a neighbour and sworn enemy of Goyanes, in the hopes that it may lead to war and further their end goal. Another active story is Yavneh Roya which is a traditional Iraelian holiday celebrating independence from the nation of Syrixia. This Yavneh Roya, the Prime Minister of Iraelia invited nations of the world to celebrate with the Iraelian government. The final major event that is ongoing is the Post Crown Conflict wherein Eras had recently gone through a major conflict where the nations of Samaria and Scallendovia declared war on the nation of Cogoria. The conflict has devastated the region and resulted in the destruction of Scallendovia. As a result, both Cogoria and Samaria have sent representatives to the Merillian League, acting as a neutral third party, to sign a peace treaty. Both nations signed the treaty, and the conflict has finally come to an end.

This has been Roleplay Reel #1.



Discord Analysis
by Atlae, Deputy Minister of Home AffairsThis column does not represent the views of the Government of The North Pacific.
There have always been things that separate regions, from the truly dedicated to the inactive ones, and is practically mandatory for activity: a means for communication. Many regions simply utilize their RMB to communicate, while others talk offsite on platforms such as IRC, Skype, or Discord. Today, we?ll be discussing Discord, specifically for the feeders, or the Pacifics.

First stop, the North Pacific. As a control, let?s analyze TNP. It has a general channel, #the-agora; a debating channel #poolside (formerly #the-ring-of-fire); a gaming channel, #tnp-gamers-union; a music channel, #music-hall; and a spamming channel, #the-sewers. It?s RP, however, is located on another server dedicated to TNP RP. As for its governmental and regional functions, #magicality-grand-plaza and #regional-assembly-private are reserved for citizen-only activity, and #world-assembly, discussing WA activities. TNP has 8 voice channels, all of them accessible except for the ones reserved to the Security Council and the Administration.

Next is the East Pacific. Its Discord is much less active as its citizens prefer Skype, using it to talk about RP, politics, and as a general chat. However, they do have channels akin to TNP?s, with a general channel (#hotel-california), a gaming channel (#gaming), a music channel (#hall-of-music), and of course, a spamming channel (#spam-games). Unlike TNP, they have an RP channel similar to TNP?s but held within TEP?s main server, called #tep-evolved. However, it is not active much due to most RP talk on a Skype chat, also called TEP Evolved. Its only citizen-exclusive channel is #the-plaza, and their April Fool?s nuclear command center was held at #strategicaircommand. TEP has only two voice channels, General and Music Hall.

The Pacific, commonly referred to as NPO (New Pacific Order), has a quite active Discord server, with a general channel (#pacifica_harbour), a music channel (#radio_pacifica), and a spamming channel (#spam_fields). It has its roleplay in its server, (#roleplaying_discussion), and has a channel called #bot_development, which is hopefully self-explanatory. The Pacific also has a citizen-only chat called #the_square. It has three voice channels, dedicating a general, gaming, and a music channel.

The South Pacific, whereas, is very active when it comes to Discord. Like the previous regions, it has a general channel (#lampshade-bar), a gaming channel (#games), and a spamming channel (#coconut-grove). However, it has two channels dedicated to RP: #bantam-harbour and #roleplay-discussion. The latter is an advisor chat where one gets questions answered, while the former is a much more recent development, RPing within the Discord server (much like the recent trend of RMB role-playing in TNP?s RMB). TSP, however, has 8 citizen-only channels about regional government (TSP refers to residents as citizens, so Legislator is the equivalent). It has 8 voice channels, two of which are restricted to the regional government.

The West Pacific is our last stop for now. It has a very active Discord and a considerably less active Skype. As usual, it has a general channel (#the-lounge), a music channel (#karaoke_lounge_and_tiki_bar) not just for Karaoke Friday, and a spamming channel (#the-clubhouse). It also has a politics channel (#politics_and_stuff), a military recruitment channel (#twpaf_recruitment), and another channel called #celebrate-twp (the purpose is hopefully obvious). It has 5 roleplay servers, dedicated to Discord RPs of differing genres. It also has a channel dedicated to D&D (Dungeons & Dragons). It has #hall_of_nations as its citizen-only channel and has 4 voice channels (one general, one Karaoke Friday, and two D&D).

To conclude, we have seen many different utilizations of Discord. What each of the servers has in common is some general and spamming channels and a regional politics chat which makes it a characteristic of their region. While activity among them varies, it certainly sets them different from regions that do not have Discord servers.

North Pacific Army Bulletin
by Iraelia, Citizen
This month, only four operations have been performed. This has been the first month under which Darcania has been the Minister of Defense.

The first operation was a training op in Novis Vandium. Six soldiers made it in and the operation was a success.

The second operation was a training op in the regions of Warzone Australia and Warzone Sandbox. Four soldiers took part and both operations were a success.

The third operation was a training op in the regions of Puppet and abandon nations dump and The New Old South. Only the operation into the Puppet and abandon nations dump was successful. Five soldiers took part in this operation.

The fourth and final operation was a training op into the regions of both The New Pacific nations and Warzone Africa. Both operations were a success. Six soldiers took part in the operations.

This has been your monthly NPA Bulletin.

Monthly Memoirs
by Kasch, Vice Delegate
Monthly Memoirs is back again for July! This month, I put a spin on the questions and how they were submitted. This July, you got to ask the questions! Overall, 5 questions were asked and 22 answers were received! We had questions submitted from members in all corners of the community.

Here are those questions:
Quote: 

• From Brend0g to all TNPers: What has been your best experience in the North Pacific?
  
  
  
• From Wicheye to all TNPers: How much time do you give NationStates per day on average?
  
  
  
• From Owenstacey to all citizens: If you could run a new region with any one other TNP citizen past or present, who would it be and why?
  
  
  
• From Atlae to the staff of the Ministry of Communications: Why did you decide to be a part of Communications?
  
  
  
• From Atlae to all TNPers: If TNP was somehow suddenly disbanded overnight, where would you stay and why?
  
  

See: http://imgur.com/a/TzNSH

IDU [main] flag
Cheese Festival flag
Film Festival flag

As the description above says, this thread is for talking about the 'national animals' of IDU members.


LIST

Bears Armed (Mainland) / Bears Armed Mission => Goldilocks _ endemic (recently spread to some related nations), wild & tamed _ "favourite main course"
The Ursine Northlands => Hare (species still needs to be defined) _ wild _ "favourite main course"
Raven Mail => Bunny _ native, wild [& domesticated] _ "can occasionally be seen sifting through garbage"
Brocken Brackh => Bunny _ native, wild [& domesticated] _ "can occasionally be seen sifting through garbage"
Roumberre: => Wild pig _ native, wild _ "favourite main course"
Philosophical Pandas => Bamboo vole _ native, wild
Old Ceorana => Elk _ native, wild _ "favourite main course"
Flying Armed Bears => Passenger pigeon _ native, wild _ "soars majestically"
LionsAndTigersAndBears => Jitterbug _ native, wild _ "frolics"
The Lonesome Pine => Squirrel (= 'Gray Squirrel') _native, wild _ "favorite main course"
Defaultdom => 'the animal'

Figured I should drop in. Imagine my surprise when I found I had registered at some prior date! Anyway, it's nice to see some familiar names. Hello to all and sundry!

Regional Assembly Highlights
by Owenstacey, Deputy Speaker
The Regional Assembly has been very active over the last month, with three votes going to the floor and another three currently under discussion.

The first vote on the floor was the Election Reform Bill which was briefly mentioned in last month's edition. The main premise of the bill was to create a group of election commissioner, that is confirmed by the RA, to take control of all elections in a six month period. As well as this, the Attorney General election would move to the General Election cycle. The bill proved to be very popular and passed convincingly with 16 voting for, 6 voting nay and 10 abstaining from the vote.

The second bill to go to vote was the Delegates? Day Bill. This was a much simpler bill than the last and was proposed to change the to not only spread out the holidays but move it to a date that had a little more meaning to the day. The proposed date, 9th September, is important to Delegates in The North Pacific because it was the date of the first transfer of power under the first ratified constitution. When reaching the floor the bill was hugely successful with The North Pacific Citizens, of whom 29 voted aye, 4 abstaining and no one voting nay.

The final vote was the Election Commissioner confirmations brought to the RA as a result of the Election Reform Bill. These confirmations were brought to the RA for discussion after Pallaith, The North Pacific?s Delegate, announced Crushing Our Enemies, SillyString, Darcania, Eluvatar, Syrixia, and Siwale as his choices for the positions. After a short discussion, the vote was brought to the floor and all of his choices were passed with a large majority with each only getting one nay vote.

There are currently three bills under discussion: the Mandatory Ministers Bill, the Regional Officers Clarification Bill and the Copyediting the Constibillocode.

Overall, this month has been a busy one for the Regional Assembly with multiple bills being introduced and voted on with some major changes being made to TNP law.
North Pacific Army Bulletin
by Iraelia, Citizen
Since the last issue of The Northern Lights, the North Pacific Army was notably less busy, with only three operations have occurred compared to the seven that occurred last month. This has been the first full month that the newly appointed Minister of Defence, Sasten, has led the NPA.

The first NPA operation was a raid on Warzone Asia along with the West Pacific. The raid was attempted at the major update and failed due to mistiming. A second attempt was made at the minor update, but soldiers from the Grey Wardens got in before us.

The next attempted NPA operation was a raid on Novis Vandium intended to liberate the region, which was a success. Six NPA soldiers took part in this operation.

The final NPA operation was a raid on Anterra. We once again raided the region with a West Pacific-North Pacific coalition, but some defense forces had beat us into the region and our forces suffered a six second mistime. Five NPA soldiers took part in this operation.
Communications over the Years
by Kasch, Vice Delegate
The Ministry of Communications is certainly not a stalwart of the government in comparison with ministries such as Defence and Foreign Affairs - both legally required along with Home Affairs. It has, however, earned a well-deserved vein in the strong, beating heart of the North Pacific, has faced and overcome a barrage of immense challenges in the past, from the cogency and literary acme of The North Pacific Wire to the inconsistency and inadequacy of previous ministers.

But the important question is: where did it all begin?

One of the primary associations made with Communications is the publishment and production of regional news. Before any recognizable elections took place for the minister position, writers and editors were already keen to make an impact. The first step in establishing a regional news platform appeared towards the end of July in 2004. Forum user Multaan opened a thread announcing the creation of 'TNP News Central, A new source of news.' A forum area where users could post news and articles independently.

The second step towards and official news publishment for the region was taken on September the 8th, 2005, when Tresville announced the North Pacific Wire, an off-site blog where Tresville and other contributors wrote articles and posts for the whole region (and other communities) to see. TNP Wire saw unprecedented success, spearheading the publication of news in the North Pacific for a majority of 2005 and saw a re-opening in May 2007. Overall, over 60 items were published by TNP Wire - a feat which has not yet been matched.

A Communications Ministry was a requirement in the constitution of the North Pacific Confederation back in 2005. Elections for the position took place much longer before this was an established legal document, however. The first of these elections was in August 2004. The accepted candidates for the election of the Minister of Communications were Sydia, Hiooland and Cathyy. The results of the election are shown below.

CandidateVotesPercentageSydia2964.44Cathyy1328.89Hiooland36.67
Sydia won the first election for Minister of Communications over 12 years ago. It is unclear what Sydia did during their term as the minister because I was unable to locate any sources of information on the Old Blue forum in relation to it.

The dozens of the ministry can be unequivocally identified through independent research conducted on Old Blue. Tresville, Hersfold, Erastide, Sydia, WishyWashyWonder and Ator People were stanchions of the ministry who kept it upright and strong for so many years. There were others who have been lost in the floods of countless archives, but who most probably had similar influence.

Over the next year or so, more of these elections took place and more ministers were elected. To round off 2005, the Regional Assembly approved a forum move from S2 (Old Blue) to S13 (our current forum).

TNP Wire vacillated between various states of success and failure over the next decade or so. It was managed by countless different ministers all tasked with similar jobs. There was a structure to news publication, but to form an organized, chronological report would take hours upon hours sifting through pages of archives trying to find some sort of timeline. Even then, it would go from a news item to a fully-fledged novella - something for another day, I suppose.

In 2014, under the Delegacy of HMS Unicorn, a new publication emerged named 'The Northern Lights'. This effectively ended the fitful reign of TNP Wire and begun the era of cleaner and more organized newspaper publishment. Below is the index of all the issues published by TNL.

Issues Index

1. Issue XII, June 2nd
   
2. Issue XI, March 1st
   
3. Issue X, February 1st
   
4. Issue IX, October 5th
   
5. Issue VIII, April 27th
   
6. Issue VII, November 6th
   
7. Issue VI, February 26th
   
8. Issue V, January 10th
   
9. Issue IV, October 27th
   
10. Issue III, August 2nd
    
11. Issue II, June 29th
    
12. Issue I, May 25th
    

[reserved]

Greetings from the great nation of Kreath, the land of a thousand owls.

I am happy to have been invited to join this great union where the ideals of Freedom are held with the highest virtue, and I look forward to working with the many great nations of this union with a common goal of seeing the betterment of all peoples across the region.

General Election Results
by Brend0g, Citizen
The second General Elections of 2017 proved to be interesting and exciting. Every four months, January, May and September, The North Pacific (TNP) elects the Delegate, Vice Delegate and Speaker of the Regional Assembly (RA) in what is known as the General Elections. With the elections starting on May 1st, there was excitement as the three highest offices were up for grabs, and a new generation of players entering government service.

The Delegate position was sought after the most, with the incumbent delegate, Plembobria unable to run due to only being able to serve 2 consecutive terms as the delegate in accordance with the constitution. With the incumbent out, former Delegate Tomb, former Speaker Pallaith and long-time citizen Mall declared candidacy for the position. Tomb and Pallaith had considerable support for the entire election, both battling it out to become the delegate.

Pallaith ran on the platform of continuing the increased activity with new ideas and more collaboration between ministries. Tomb ran on the campaign of greater access to TNP. Pallaith would win with 55% of the vote due having the establishment votes whilst Tomb has votes of newer players to TNP. Ultimately due to some issues in Tomb's campaign during the final days of voting, it was a major blow to his chances of becoming the Delegate.

Meanwhile, the Vice Delegate race was interesting, with Kasch, former Minister of Communications, running on a joint ticket with Tomb. The other candidates were Nasania and r3naissanc3r. r3naissanc3r would later try and withdraw his candidacy but unable to as voting had already begun.
Nasania ran on a platform of "Security, Efficiency and Order" and Kasch ran on four main points: continue the World Assembly Development Program (WADP), maintain the structure of the Security Council, continue the security checks and provide reassurance and security if the delegacy is threatened. Kasch won with a majority of 69% of the vote, due to public support and popularity around TNP which made him much more known than Nasania.

Lastly in the speaker?s race, was Bootsie, a former speaker, and Owenstacey, the deputy speaker, who is a newer generation. Both Owenstacey and Bootsie ran on continuing Pallaith?s work, the effectiveness and activeness of the Speaker. They both wanted to continue releasing the digest, appointing a few deputies and maintaining the staff. Bootsie did win the speakership with a majority of 73%. Overall, experience was the key to Bootsie?s success.

The citizenry had a choice between a more experienced candidate or a new generation of rising players. Ultimately a new generation was welcomed to the Delegacy and Vice Delegacy whilst Bootsie came back to TNP political life with the Speakership.
Regional Assembly Highlights
by Mystery Player, Citizen
The Regional Assembly experienced decent activity this month, with 2 bills going to vote, and another one currently under discussion. The RA has also undergone a leadership change this month, with a new Speaker being elected.

The first bill proposed was to approve the amendment to the CAIN treaty. However, the bill was opposed by most of the Citizenry with discussion centered on CAIN itself, and if it should be supported rather than the actual vote. There were multiple reasons for this, mainly that The North Pacific does not require CAIN to effectively fight the Nazis and the argument in favor of the amendment, that The North Pacific should take a leadership role in CAIN, proved unconvincing and the vote failed to pass in a 14-27-13 vote (Aye-Nay-Abstain.)

Another bill, which also went to vote, was the Security Council Reform Bill. The primary changes this bill proposed is that it requires the Vice Delegate to maintain the number of endorsements the Delegate has, minus 1/5th of all World Assembly members in the region, as well as allowing Security Council members to be exempt from influence requirements if approved by a 2/3 vote. The bill easily passed, with an 18-2-16 vote in favor.

A bill, which is close to voting, but not yet at vote at the time of this writing, is the Election Reform Bill. Major changes in this bill include Election Commissioners' requiring approval by a majority vote in the Regional Assembly, and allowing any citizen to petition against an action against the rules of the Election Commissioners' or the law. The bill, after being edited for nearly three months, seems to have support from the Citizenry.

Due to the recent General Elections, Bootsie has been elected as the new Speaker. Bootsie has had experience in the Speaker's office before, having been a Deputy Speaker multiple times, and has served as Speaker in the past. As for Deputy Speakers, Owenstacy has been reappointed as Deputy Speaker, having run against Bootsie in the most recent election. A newcomer to The North Pacific in general, The Hundred Worlds has also been appointed as a Deputy Speaker.

Overall, this month has been an active one from the Regional Assembly with multiple reforms proposed and supported, as well as major decisions being made by the Citizens.
The Spotlight #3: An Interview with Vice Delegate Kasch
by Scorch & Kasch, Min. Communications & Vice Delegate
Scorch: Hello and welcome to the Spotlight segment for The Northern Lights, Issue XII. Today, I am joined by our current Vice Delegate, Kasch.

Kasch: Thanks for having me, Scorch.

Scorch: It's great to have you on the Spotlight for this issue. Let's get started. What do you think was your greatest accomplishment last term as Minister of Communications?

Kasch: Establishing a platform in which frequent users of the Voice Chat can use their speaking capabilities for a better purpose in terms of regional communication. What was that platform? The Northern Broadcasting Service, or NBS for short. I really hope it is revitalized and used to its full potential this term, it has a brilliant team of broadcasters and helpers behind it, so I think putting it out there for future ministers would be my greatest accomplishment.

Scorch: It really was a great way to spread regional news and give opportunities to Voice Chat users. How has the transition to Vice Delegate been after the election?

Kasch: The transition will happen when it happens. I am making my effort, and so is Pallaith. We knew it was going to take some time. Plembobria has broken records with his endorsement count, and Tomb held a strong WA presence as well, so getting Pallaith to where he needs to be is of course a great challenge that we are willing to solve.

Scorch: It has always taken some time for the new Delegate and Vice Delegate to pass up the old officers. I wish you luck in reaching the necessary endorsement levels. What are your goals as Vice Delegate this term?

Kasch: My goals can be viewed in my campaign platform. But to summarize - I want to continue Tomb's work on increasing representation for the SC members, provide better opportunities for the Keepers of the North, be consistent and reliable with all security checks, and provide reassurance and security to the Delegacy. Anything else would just be extra projects, but I am focused 100% on the Vice Delegacy and everything that comes with it.

Scorch: I'm glad to hear it. What are your thoughts on the new cabinet appointed by Pallaith?

Kasch: I am extremely pleased with all of his appointments! All of them have the capabilities to perform massively well this term.

Scorch: Who has been your most influential mentor in NationStates so far?

Kasch: There are those who have made me who I am today in NationStates, those who have helped me with everything I have done, offered encouragement and guidance when things were tough, there were those who, despite how busy and how frantic their own lives were, took hours of their time to mentor and teach me what I know today.

Kasch: But who is the most influential? Nobody other than Lord Ravenclaw. If you ask him, when I started in this game, I joined Discord and he was one of the first people I reached out to. It made sense to me to think that the current Delegate would be able to help me with almost every little issue I had and every trivial question, but nevertheless, he was patient and answered all of my questions with great dignity and nobility. I looked up to him more than anyone else, and it is because of him that I have become so involved with Executive Council, and done everything I have up until this point.

Kasch: There are many more I could have mentioned, but for the sake of the question, I will leave it at this.

Scorch: Lord Ravenclaw has been a mentor to so many and I am glad to hear that he has affected your NS career as positively as he did. What led you to want to be involved in the TNP government?

Kasch: I have immense respect and adoration for this community and everything it represents, so the only way I knew I could show it was through the government. My work in the government is all a 'thank you' to the North Pacific, in a way.

Scorch: What are some things you feel are unique about TNP?

Kasch: The history and the loyalty. There are few regions with the historical significance and might of the North Pacific. Our best and most influential members are veterans and have been around for many years. Only a few of them live to tell the best and funniest tales of the past. But it is the sense of community and integrity that I feel is unique from other regions on NationStates.

Scorch: What is your favorite position that you have served in so far?

Kasch: Minister of Communications. Not only did I do some of my best work, but I genuinely enjoyed the process of creating issues and organizing broadcasts. It was a very comfortable few months, and I got to work with some brilliant people.

Scorch: It sounds like a great position . What led you to look for a game like NationStates?

Kasch: I've always been interested in politics and leadership, but I never knew where to start and discuss it with other people. As someone who is always incredibly curious, I decided to check out some games that involved politics and fictional nation creation. Part of the inspiration I had for joining NationStates was due to the writing and nation outline elements. Publishing factbooks and dispatches quickly became my favourite part of the game. I joined NS the same way most others did - political interest, internet connection and curiosity.

Scorch: Is there anything that you wish was different about TNP?

Kasch: I wish more of us were historically informed. A majority of the newest generation have no idea about what has shaped the region, and it is important for them to understand when things happened and what happened. When you know the past, you can learn from the mistakes and look to the future. I've always wanted to write historically for the North Pacific, I've always wanted to research and report on it. Maybe one day I will have the time.

Scorch: I really like that idea. I might just use it myself . What is one aspect of NS that you wish to learn more about?

Kasch: History. It has and always will fascinate me how regions have come and gone and the effects that it's best players and nations have had over the years.

Scorch: What other region do you find the most interesting?

Kasch: Europeia, they do everything just as well as the best, but what makes them unique is the UCR elements of it, and how that influences so many areas of regional operation.

Scorch: Last question. What do you want to be known for?

Kasch: My work ethic and my dedication not only to the region in-game but the community and the players itself.

Scorch: I would love to see you do that. I appreciate you coming on the Spotlight today, it was great having you and I wish you luck during this next term.

Kasch: Thanks for having me, Scorch.
My Perspective on Endotarting
by Kasch, Vice DelegateThis column does not represent the views of the Government of The North Pacific.
In this article, I'll be sharing some of my thoughts on the term 'endotarting', how much it has impacted me as a player, why it is such an important term, and how many communities have been shaped around it, the North Pacific is a brilliant example.

For many people in the North Pacific, this term is of increasing relevance to the World Assembly scene. It's the backbone of the World Assembly and the main factor for most resolution success. The reason for this, in short, would be that the more endorsements a regional Delegate has, the larger portion the Delegate has over the total vote.

To begin, I must first explain what endorsing actually is. The basic definition is 'the act of clicking the 'Endorse [Nation]' button at the base of a WA nation's home page, given that the endorsee is in the same region as the endorser.' Though to truly get a grasp of endorsement, and the parameters around it, the golden rules must be understood.

• The endorser must be in the WA.
  
  
• The endorsee must be in the WA.
  
  
• The endorser and the endorsee must both be in the same region.
  

Here's some 'Tourist Guide' infromation for the city where the Festival will be hold & the surrounding district.

____________________________________________________________________________


SOUTHERN REDWOOD
This is a large territory, belonging (as its name clearly suggests) to the influential ?Clan Redwood?, whose northern edge is located a moderate distance south of Council Groves. It has been important economically and politically since quite early in the history of Bears Armed. The landscape basically slopes upwards from north-east to south-west, from the WideWindle?s valley to the SouthWall Mountains and the foothills of the High Ranges.
Tourists would reach this area by rail, from either Council Groves (around, or with a ferry trip across, the Long Lake) or the ?Northern Redwood? area, probably passing through the lands of ?Clan BerryGlades? (?the fruit-basket of BearHome??), or possibly by road from the ?Mid-Surra? valley which lies to its south (although that choice would probably be only as part of a tour that was lasting for longer than just two weeks).

Places to see in Southern Redwood

a/ he city of ?Urrath-am-Barrah?, which was the capital city both of ?Clan Redwood? and of ?Bears Armed? as a whole during the Monarchic Period: although it has now been superseded in its political roles it remains very important as a cultural and commercial centre. Particularly worth seeing are its medieval & later defences, including a large castle that?s called ?The Tower of Urrath? (and that still houses both the Crown Jewels and the Royal Armoury, which are open to the public?), three separate Palaces that are now primarily museums (although the descendants of the last Kings have retained a hereditary right to live in the East Wing of the largest of these, which is known simply as?BearKing?s-Home??), the grounds of those establishments (with the one at BearKing?s-Home including both the ?Royal Botanial Gardens? and the ?Royal Menagerie?), ?WhiteHill? which is where the ?Great Council? ? the forebears of today?s ?High Council of Clans? ? commonly met during Monarchic times, the Ursion Church?s cathedral of St Grregh-the-DragonSlayer, some showrooms of the Smith-Folk (The 'SmithFolk' are a non-Ursine people, whom some of you might think should be called 'Dwarves'... but they themselves object MOST STRONGLY to that name, saying that Humans apply it to things that are smaller than they should be whereas they themselves are just the right size and it's other people who are too tall: If you absolutely must call them anything except 'SmithFolk' then it's "Nibbelungher?, thank you very much. In their showrooms you can purchase jewels, fine blades, mechanical toys, clocks and watches, scientific instruments, and other works of craftsmanship...) , the Royal Opera house, the Alberre Hall (which is the site of many great concerts), various other concert halls, and museums, theatres, casinos, and restaurants.

b/The ?Free City of Barra-Barra? is situated just across the Evening River from Urrath-am-Barrah, to which it is linked by three splendid bridges. It was established as an enclave where the leaderships of the Clans could maintain residences and missions, close to the Royal Court but with special immunity from Clan Redwood?s laws. This is worth visiting for its fine old buildings, which are in a wide variety of styles, and its restaurants that feature every cuisine from Bears Armed and some from further afield too?

c/The valley of the Evening River also contains a scenic lake that is called ?Lake Peaceful, situated at its junction with WideWindle, and ? upstream from Urrath ? ?Long Island? (which is mostly a Clannal park, preserved for its natural beauty, but was formerly a Royal hunting-ground) and its neighbour ?Short Island?, a lake called ?the Pool of Berroam? (located a few leagues away from the actual river) which has historical and religious significance to the Ursines, and the town of ?Imborrah? which is the administrative centre for this territory nowadays.

d/ One of the best-known of the natural wonders that can be seen in this territory is a large wood that is composed mainly of Redwood trees. This has special significance to Clan Redwood, and visiting outsiders are advised to be respectful of that fact.

e/ The industries of Bears Armed include a prosperous Treacle-mining & refining sector, and one of the country?s main treacle-fields partially underlies this territory. Tourists are invited to visit the works at ?Kam-Barrwich?, see the industry in action, and sample its products (which include a form of Rum?).

f/ While you are at that treaclefield, why not also visit the Museum of Palaeontology at Rah Berrar whose displays include many of the fossils and sub-fossils that have been extracted from the local treacle-pits through the years?

g/The hills to the south of Urrath-am-Barrah contain several large systems of caves, including the one where a near-legendary hero named ?Urthrro ?Vurra?? was born and where he subsequently sheltered for a while during the war to overthrow the tyrannical wizards who ruled the ?Purple Empire?; nearby, at the town of ?Barrwoo?, a set of well-painted murals tell his life-story in pictures.

h/ At the southern edge of this territory, the route to the Mid-Surra valley runs through a gap in the mountains that is called ?Ba?h Khaia? (i.e. ?Bloody Pass?). The district around it contains numerous old fortifications and historic battlefields, several sites where works of the region?s pre-Ursine civilisation remain visible, and even a few unique species of plants and animals.


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:Bear:

Skoden's Deputy Prime-Minister was assassinated. They have blamed Russian Mafia Government, a long time enemy. So far RMG has denied government action, stating in a public address that it was not a government action, simply a citizen, who's hatred for Skoden drove him to murder. What will happen next? Stay tuned to IDU News Network for the latest.