Hello friends and allies! It's been a few months since our last update so without further delay, here's what's been happening in The Rejected Realms!

Officer Elections - The Previous Term

During the previous term, 98X resigned from his position as Media Officer due to real life obligations. Tomb and Koth ran for the vacant spot however Tomb would be the one elected as Media Officer, putting out one issue of The Monthly Reject in that time. During that time, Spider Jerusalem also resigned from his position as Culture Officer due to real life obligations. Madaloria ran for the position and had a successful term following his successful planning for the Constitution Day festivities. No longer wishing to serve as Speaker, Tim resigned his position. Guy was elected Speaker in a confirmation vote.

Officer Elections - Now

The Church of Satan and Madaloria ran for and were re-elected to their prior positions. Joining them were newcomers Nobodies and Werpdrarg, all of which ran unopposed. The Church of Satan has resumed his prior job as Foreign Affairs Officer. Madaloria resumes his prior job as Culture Officer. Nobodies now serves as Media Officer in charge of The Monthly Reject. Werpdrarg serves as Outreach Officer. With so many fresh faces in the cabinet, it's hard to say how things will progress.

RMB Activity

The month of March saw no shortage of malicious spam resulting in more suppression of posts and moderator intervention in that month alone than seen over the last several months. It's hard to say why that is but it is hopefully an isolated incident.

March also however was the month in which we would celebrate Constitution Day. With good planning by Madaloria, the festivities were successful, seeing increased (positive) RMB activity from several friends and allies across NationStates. A belated "thank you" to those of you that attended. We were happy to see you there!

Tiebroken

After the end of the previous election, we at TRR found that our tie-breaking procedure sucks. Initially if there was a tie in the elections, the candidate who joined the regional forums earlier shall be favored. While everyone on NationStates has an account on our forums (I mean who doesn't right?), the candidate that registered first is automatically favored in procedure. Taking into account the permanency of the registration date and flexibility of applying for citizenship, the Assembly amended the Election Act by having the tiebreakers broken in reference to the vote of current officials. If the votes by the officials were not cast, the candidate with the longer continuous citizenship ultimately wins.

Poll-It-Bureau introduces Citizen of the Week
Polls are popular among Rejects; to incentivize registering for citizenship, the Poll-It-Bureau introduces Citizen of the Week. The Delegate, under some arbitrary criteria, selects a citizen to have polling powers for that week. Citizens can poll Rejects over a wide range of topics from politics to cuisine.

Our first Citizen of the Week is Jeffersonborg, popularly known as Codger elsewhere. He is credited for the suggesting this idea, and he is notoriously known by Rejects for his hate for freedom. His poll regarded a prison warden of The Rejected Realms; one day you find a Reject trading in contraband, containing matches and pamphlets calling for greater democracy in the region. What would you do afterwards? The results were quite interesting.

Our second Citizen of the Week is Bowiemoria. He is known for his enthusiasm about BBQ, and made a poll about the favorite type of BBQ items. He invited players around the world to vote as well.


TRR Issues Committee?s goal is to create quality, original issues and improve the experiences of Rejects and nations worldwide. TRR?s first issue was announced around January 2016 when sedge mentioned the recent addition of Issue #483. Submitted in May 2015, the processing took 3 delegate terms; the long, tedious wait was eventually realized. Congratulations to all that contributed to this achievement. Below in the spoiler is Issue #483 and the options the players can pick. If received in-game, you?ll notice on the bottom right ?Issue by: The Rejected Realms Issue Committee.?

Issue #483
#483: Do You Want Fries With That? [The rejected realms issue committee; ed:Sanctaria]

The Issue
Mobs of disgruntled employees picket fast-food chains across @@NAME@@, tossing cheeseburgers at customers and burning their uniforms ? all in the name of dignity and fairer wages.

The Debate
1. "MERRY MEALS, MERRY WORKERS!" chants a pubescent protester. "For far too long have our families starved because of pitiful wages. I mean, really, what are we supposed to do with one @@CURRENCY@@ a day? Eat it!? @@NAME@@ needs to set a new minimum floor for wages, and protect workers ? the least that can go wrong is a little bump in the price of your Big Max - what's the big deal?"

2. "Oh the horror! THE HORROR!" gasps the McRonalds CEO as he watches a video of protesters deep-frying the company mascot. "Not Ronald! Anyone but Ronald! They've gone bananas! @@LEADER@@, their complaints are ridiculous, I assure you. They should be grateful for the wage they get for, what, flipping a few burgers? Give me a break. I implore you to send in the police and stop these mouth-breathers from scaring away our custom- eh, I mean, to protect our citizens, of course..."

3. "The problem isn't wages, darling," says a 'chatty cathy' working the counter at Papa Pallocci's Pizza Pagoda. "It's all the 'part time' hours - the 'seasonal' work, 'overtime', 'no overtime', 'zero-contracts' ? before you know it, we'll all be working part-part-part-time! We should go back to a simple work-week for all us slaves to the retail industry. 8-5. Sure, it'll make places hard to staff, but who wants a burger at midnight anyways?"

4. "Eww, fast food," says @@RANDOMNAME@@, sipping a glass of almond milk to wash down a fresh kale salad. "We should just get rid of it altogether. Who could be bothered with those cheap, greasy trans-fats? Yuck! Gluttony gone amok as far as I'm concerned. We should aim for a higher standard of food: vegetarian, vegan, organic. C'est magnifique!"


News In Brief

*Islanders of the 10000 Islands visited the Rejected Realms in January, celebrating with tacos & BBQ.

* CG complains for more coffee, and Jeffersonborg complains for less freedom.

*Sirius3108, one of the largest class regions in NationStates, has established embassies with the Rejected Realms!

*Codger proposed forming a "Like Legion", a group dedicated to liking quality RMB posts.

*Initials for the Rejected Realms: TRR or tRR?

Greetings from Goddess Relief Office/Yggdrasil. A nation from Forest posted a note on Yggdrasil (I also have a nation in Forest) about free BBQ, em some WA stuff...and I spoke to Sciongrad about joining.

Nice forum theme you have here.

:duck:

:wave:

Sciongrad invited me. How is everybody doing here? I suspect I already know many of you.

In keeping with custom, my avatar is a Catholic man whose character, I feel, matches that of the forum in some way. For you, I've picked Dr. Helmut Kohl.

The idea in this game is that one person posts the start of a reasonably well known phrase -- a famous quotation, the title of a book or film or song or whatever, the opening line or two of a poem, a traditional saying, or something else that they could reasonably expect a fair number of people to know -- and the next person to post then completes that phrase differently from its proper form but in a way that still looks plausible and [hopefully] is funny. That player then posts the start of a phrase for the next person to complete, and so on.
I'll do a couple of answers to start off, as examples.
Have fun!
(and, please, keep it clean...)


"When in the affairs of nations it becomes necessary..."

Super proud that despite being one of the newer players Nova Sodor's IT sector is the currently ranked as being second largest in the IDU.

In line with with our guiding philosophy of 'Innovation, enterprise and sustainability' I see the products manufactured by this sector as being innovative, dynamic and modular.

Despite being primarily geared for the consumer market they are state of the art in line with our nation's third place ranking in terms of scientific advancement.

"and I now pronounce this festival open."

The audience applauded perfunctorily as the CIDUS Secretary-general performed what would probably be one of his final official duties, and then started wandering around the exhibition hall, examining the various cheeses and cheese-related products that had been entered into this event.


Best IDU Cheese

Trivian Cheddary Creamy Yellowy Spicey Cheddar (Trive 38)
Boricuastani Cheez-esqueTM-Brand Processed Cheddarish-Flavored Cheese-like Product (Boricuastan)
Bison-Brii Cheese ('in both 'Cave' and 'City' versions, both with or without juniper berry-flavouring) (Bears Armed)
Brown Cheese (Gnejs)

Best Imported Cheese to IDU
Kl?llen?ot?n (Yelda)
Fluffy CloudTM Cream Cheese (Omigodtheykilledkenny)
Fyrgbom (Zybodia)
Chili Con Queso (NewTexas)


Best Cheese-Related Product
Trivian Cheddary Creamy Yellowy Spicey Cheddar Pizza (Trive 38)
Trivian Cheddary Creamy Yellowy Spicey Choco-Cheddar Cheescake (Trive 38)
Fluffy CloudTM Orange Cheese Pie (Omigodtheykilledkenny)


(Last edit, 01st March: Two [slightly] late arrivals added to 'Best Imported Cheese' category...)

As I mentioned on the RMB, Lieb and I had an amazing 48 hours on Sunday and Monday. I promised to post two of the images of that weekend (one published online by a media outlet, the other taken on my IPad.)



Attachments:

• Hillary_and_Lieb_and_I.jpg (77.74 KB)
  
• Lieb_and_I_Des_Moines_Register.com.jpg (56.21 KB)
  

I hereby declare this thread open.


The festival will be held in Democracity, the capital of [nation]The IDU[/nation].


Festival Rules
1. Nations may submit as many cheeses and cheese related products as they like.

2. Only cheeses that are produced in nations that are members of the IDU may submit entries into the Best IDU Cheese category.

3. Cheese from nations that are not officially members of the IDU, but whom import cheese to any IDU member, must be submitted to the Best Imported Cheese to the IDU category.

4. Any product (dish or otherwise) from any nation may be submitted in the Best Cheese Related Product categories, though it is recommended that entries into the Best IDU Cheese and Best Imported Cheese categories list some of the popular food dishes that the cheeses are frequently made into. Cheese related products need not be edible, but can include tools used to prepare or cook cheese or even drinks that go well with certain cheeses.

5. No product may be submitted into more than one category; however, a specific cheese related product may be entered even if the cheese used to make it has been submitted under either of the Best Cheese categories.

6. Entries should describe the cheese, so that judges may come back to review what the tested.

7. Up to one judge will be appointed from each nation that submits any entries, and then the judges can vote for one Best IDU Cheese, Best Import Cheese to the IDU, and Best Cheese Related Product.

8. Winning cheeses and cheese related products may use the International Democratic Union Cheese Festival logo, called the Cheese Ribbon, on their products for as long as they like, but should display the years that their cheese won on the logo.



__________________________________________________________________


For reference, details of the first ICF:

http://archive.nswiki.org/index.php?titl...e_Festival

http://archive.nswiki.org/index.php?titl...e_Festival



:Bear:

New Super Pac helps elect Delegate SillyString
by mcmasterdonia, Political Correspondent
For the first time in the history of the North Pacific a Super Political Action Committee took on a major role within the North Pacific General election for Delegate. The September General Elections were a highly anticipated event, with Delegate Zemnaya Svoboda announcing months in advance that he did not intend to seek reelection for a second consecutive term. Political leaders around the North Pacific rallied and began to prepare for the inevitable fierce campaigning that was to come.

This led to a new political action committee emerging onto the political landscape. The P.A.C called "Sillisary for the North Pacific" was formed by former Delegates Eluvatar and McMasterdonia, and former Vice Delegate and TNP Stalwart Democratic Donkeys. The P.A.C was committed to drafting Silliary Slinton to run for the Delegacy of the North Pacific. The bio for the P.A.C stated the case for electing Silliary as Delegate off the North Pacific:

"SillyString has served as Acting-Delegate, Vice Delegate, Court Justice, Deputy Speaker of the Regional Assembly, Regional Assembly member, and Security Councillor during her time in the North Pacific region. A practicing lawyer, law reformer, and mentor, SillyString has dedicated herself to a significant number of roles since joining the North Pacific in April 2013 and has proven her strong ability and dedication to every challenge set before her."

The P.A.C pointed to Silliary's "strong leadership" and her pro-reform agenda as key talking points in favour of her election. Many members of the North Pacific quickly rallied to the cause of the political action committee - with more than 16 members joining the committee. Members included Minister of Culture Lennart, Security Council Member and one-time Delegate Romanoffia, Speaker Crushing Our Enemies, and Malvad, Former Minister of Culture and Education.

Members of the P.A.C changed their avatars in a campaign pledge to support Silliary Slinton for the Delegacy. This decision was a key factor in Silliary's decision to campaign for Delegate. She acknowledged that she was "out-numbered" by the mass showing of support and said:

"Thank you all for your support! It has been instrumental in my decision. I hope I do not let you down." - Sillisary Slinton

Ms. Slinton was joined in the election campaign by Bootsie Sanders - then Minister of Communication. Mr Sanders campaigned encouraging TNPers that together "Let's do more" to improve the forum community, recruit new members, and increase activity in the Ministry's. While the campaigning was intense, Silliary Slinton was sworn in as the new Delegate of the North Pacific. Her Worshipfulness Pauline Bonaparte was elected Vice Delegate, following Flemingovia's decision to withdraw from the runoff election. Following Madam Delegate Slinton's election she promptly appointed her new cabinet - McMasterdonia O'Malley as Minister of Defence and Education, Kialga as Minister of Communications, Pauline Bonaparte as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tomb as Minister of Home Affairs, and Lennart as Minister of Culture & Entertainment.

The Return of The North Pacific Army
by mcmasterdonia, Military Correspondent
The North Pacific Army has once again returned to a strong period of activity and operational success. The new Government led by Delegate SillyString was quick to make the North Pacific Army a priority for the administration. Recruitment efforts are a focus of the new Minister of Defence, McMasterdonia, and the Minister of Home Affairs & NPA Chief of Staff, the Democratic Republic of Tomb. In the last month, the North Pacific Army has been involved in multiple operations, including the defence of the West Pacific, the invasion of the Greater German Reich, and the liberation of Warzone Australia.

The West Pacific operation saw a large coalition of GCR forces & friends coming to the aide of the West Pacific, who were in open rebellion against the regime of then-Delegate United RussoAsia and forces from DEN. United RussoAsia had handed control of their nation to DEN's Knot, also known as Ivo, who later briefly gave control to Cormac Stark. The operation saw the North Pacific send in approximately 11 soldiers, who were constantly moving in and out, in a game of ping-pong with the sitting Delegate. This is the largest operation the North Pacific Army has been involved in since May. It would appear that the aggressive recruitment style of the Minister and his team is paying off, with many new recruits being the most eager participants in the operation. The RMB saw a huge amount of activity during this time, but most importantly, the operation fostered new found friendships between TNPers and West Pacificans, showing a possible greater future for cooperation and partnership between the two regions.

The training operations conducted by the NPA leadership team have extended into spotting for foreign invasions. Last month, the North Pacific Army joined with allies in the Taijitu Citizens' Militia and pre-emptively defended several regions. NPA officers could see a DEN-affiliated force of approximately 16 updaters staging in Nugut, and deployed to Middle Earth, Asia, and Belgium, in order to preemptively defend those nations from DEN. DEN then surprisingly "liberated" the region of The Eternal Realm from the forces of Auralia. (They have not, of course, actually restored the region to its pre-invasion state.)

The North Pacific Army continues to go from strength to strength, and it is fully expected to be an active and prosperous term for the North Pacific Army and the region. NPA High Command is currently working on a number of proposals that will cover both NPA membership reform, and a broader NPA communications policy. Stay tuned for future updates.

[RP Feature] Floresque Elections
by Myroria, Role Play CorrespondentThis column does not represent the views of the Government of The North Pacific.
Floregasque election: Ruling party wins reelection, shakeup in Ward 6
EDITORS' NOTE: The following article has been omitted from the Floregasque Edition of the International Gazette in order to meet the guidelines of the Undesirable Propagation Unit.


FLORESQUE, FLOREGASQUE REPUBLIC - Official results from Friday's general elections have been published, with the ruling National Unity Party (NUP), controlled largely by the Gonfaloniere Alessandro d'Avelocci and his close family, winning 14 of the 15 seats in the Signoria. The party has won every election since its formation in 1948, and the Aveloccis, the richest family in Floresque, have controlled the city-state's government in one form or another for almost 200 years.

The opposition, led by the Workers' Party (WP), held onto the one seat in the legislature that many analysts view as a concession given to them by the NUP-dominated government.

The big surprise of the night was the stunning victory of opposition candidate Catarina Tiraboschi, who won the election for ward-mayor in Ward 6. Ward 6, traditionally considered an NUP stronghold, is located near the prosperous Business District in Ward 5. Tiraboschi's victory may startle some hardline conservatives in the Signoria, who are already rumored to be skeptical of the Gonfaloniere's moves to liberalize lower-level elections in Floresque.

Tiraboschi has been dogged consistently by rumors that she supports the Tenants' Representation Front (TRF), an opposition organization suppressed by the Floregasque government for "anti-civil activities". Tiraboschi has consistently declined to comment on these rumors, an ambivalence that may be concerning to the security-minded NUP.

The Gonfaloniere, if he was shaken by the opposition's success in Ward 6, did not show it. He said he was "ecstatic to see how well our party has done", and thanked the people for "the continued mandate they have given us".

Turnout in the election was reported to be 81%; like all electoral figures from the Republic though, this should be considered suspect. International observers view elections in Floresque to be largely fraudulent, charges that the Gonfaloniere and Signoria deny.

The results of this latest election make clear that, in spite of the Gonfaloniere's apparent attempts to hold fair elections for lower-level positions, opposition parties have a long road ahead of them to reach equal footing with the Avelocci-dominated National Unity Party.

Series: Interview with Cormac Stark (Part 1)
by Lord Ravenclaw, Gameplay CorrespondentThis column does not represent the views of the Government of The North Pacific.
The North Pacific's own Lord Ravenclaw sat down with fellow citizen of The North Pacific and fellow Pharaoh-Emeritus of Osiris Cormac Stark to discuss some events in the recent past as part of a series of interviews to be exclusively posted by The Northern Light.

This is the first part of the Interview. Part two shall be about The West Pacific and Part three shall be about a controversial but important issue facing NationStates players in our world.

This interview was originally conducted at the start of October 2015 and details events before that time.



Lord Ravenclaw: Thank you for joining me Cormac Stark, Pharaoh-Emeritus of Osiris.

Cormac Stark: Thanks for having me!

Lord Ravenclaw: You've done a lot over the past three years, would you be able to remind our readers of your origins in NationStates? I understand that the feeders weren't your first home.

Cormac Stark: Well, my origin, aside from a very brief stay in 10000 Islands, was in a now mostly forgotten region called Exshaw, which was founded by Durkadurkiranistan II (aka John Ashcroft Land among older Feederites) as an imperialist region. From there I got involved with other imperialist regions like The New Inquisition and The Land of Kings and Emperors, as well as independent Europeia.

Cormac Stark: I also founded my own region, Asgard, in 2012, it was fairly short lived but much publicized. Of course all of that changed in September 2012 when I switched to defending, but we don't need my whole life story.

Lord Ravenclaw: I seem to recall something about Asgardia during that period as well, what was the story with that?

Cormac Stark: Well, after I joined the UDL in September 2012, Isidor abdicated the throne of Asgard in frustration, and Jagermeister assumed the throne. He ultimately ended up destroying the forum after being made root administrator and abandoning the founder account. I tried to relocate the community of Asgard to Asgardia after that, but unfortunately the damage had been done and it was over for that particular region and community. We're getting into some seriously obscure history here now!

Lord Ravenclaw: Not to get too far off topic, but who was Jagermeister? Forum destruction is a horrible act and people who do it shouldn't go unpunished.

Cormac Stark: He had been a newbie to Exshaw and had come with us to Asgard. He was very prominent and active in Asgard, and all the turmoil when I joined the UDL hit him pretty hard. I've also been told since then that he had some very serious stuff going on in real life, and I've forgiven him for the forum destruction. As far as I know he stopped playing after the forum destruction and hasn't been back.

Lord Ravenclaw: How unfortunate; it's troublesome when real life interferes with our virtual communities - something we know only too well. I hope he's in a better place now.

Cormac Stark: Me too. He was a nice guy, except obviously for that incident, and I wish him all the best.

Lord Ravenclaw: As I understand it, you were first brought to the Game Created Regions because of the World Assembly of all things, would you mind enlightening our readers as to why?

Cormac Stark: Well, in July 2012, Asgard invaded Christmas and after a lengthy occupation imposed an invisible password. Mahaj, then a Lieutenant in the UDL, proposed a liberation resolution and Asgard did its best to fight it. It ultimately passed, but by a narrower margin than most liberation resolutions, so I became convinced that Asgard could actually defeat defenders in the Security Council if we became more involved in more influential regions, i.e., the Feeders and Sinkers. So that was initially why I got involved in The North Pacific and Osiris, in 2012.

Lord Ravenclaw: So, the World Assembly was your passage into two very different regions. But as we both know, you have a long history in Osiris. What happened there?

Cormac Stark: Well, I got involved in Feeders and Sinkers to co-opt their influence for my own ends, but it was actually they who ended up co-opting me. I made friends in both TNP and Osiris, but particularly Osiris, and particularly the Pharaoh at the time, Earth (Lyanna Stark). So over time I became less interested in using these communities and more interested in actually participating in them, and that was especially true in Osiris.

Lord Ravenclaw: Speaking of Stark, what's the history there? You just mentioned Lyanna, so is it mere coincidence or are you two related in some way?

Cormac Stark: It actually was coincidence at first. Stark is popular from Game of Thrones, and my family in Exshaw and Asgard started using it well before I knew anything about Earth. We did later become related when Unibot adopted me as his son, and Earth became my step-mother. There have been some disownings since then. NS families are silly.

Lord Ravenclaw: Onto a different topic and back to Osiris for a little while.

Cormac Stark: Sounds good.

Lord Ravenclaw: How did you go from coming to the desert star of NationStates in order to influence the WA Voting Pool and end up where you are now?

Cormac Stark: Good question. I'm not sure I know the answer, honestly. I was in the right places at the right times or the wrong places at the wrong times, depending on your perspective. I had some legislative and minor executive jobs before I was first elected Pharaoh. I ran for Pharaoh sensing something was off, at a time when people were very discontent with the incumbent, and beat the incumbent for the first time in Osiran history. He couped, of course, and the rest is history. Since then I was until February of this year integrally involved in every major event in Osiris, especially co-founding of the Osiris Fraternal Order.

Lord Ravenclaw: What changed?

Cormac Stark: What changed is I deliberately committed treason to get a lengthy ban from Osiris, because it had become not good for me, and vice versa. I had always said I didn't want to become like a certain other Osiran power player that the OFO permanently exiled - and when I saw myself becoming him, I exiled myself.

Lord Ravenclaw: It's interesting you say that; arguably, there have been eight players over Osiris' history who have had huge impacts on the region - not always for the better either. However, all of them with the exception of two are no longer involved in Osiris. Where does the region go from here?

Cormac Stark: The region goes up, I hope. When I pleaded guilty to treason, I urged the dissolution of the OFO because I believed its institutions were flawed, but I think I was wrong about that. It is the attitudes, not the institutions, which are flawed in Osiris. To make a very long story short, what needs to change in Osiris is that Osirans need to stop seeing themselves as being in perpetual crisis and start seeing themselves as a normal Sinker community again. If they can do that, I believe they will become more cooperative as a community and less reliant on the Pharaoh -- we're always more reliant on leaders when we feel we're in crisis -- and I think it will only be up from there.

Lord Ravenclaw: What do you think Osiris needs to do in order to become less reliant? We've seen at least one Pharaoh of the OFO, including myself; get panned for "not doing enough".

Cormac Stark: What needs to change is the perception that there are problems that one person needs to solve or a crisis that one person needs to address. Regional activity is not a problem, nor a crisis, but rather an opportunity, and it's an opportunity for the entire community. Again, what needs to happen is a change in attitude. The community of Osiris needs to stop seeing so many problems and start seeing all of the opportunities that are right in front of it. At the end of the day, all "activity" means is doing stuff together. When they start wanting to do that again, activity will follow.

Lord Ravenclaw: Can you see yourself returning to Osiris when your sentences expire?

Cormac Stark: I honestly don't know. I don't think so, but I won't rule it out.

Lord Ravenclaw: There have been talks of an unofficial government shutdown, to focus the attention of the community entirely on recruitment and integration efforts. Do you think an unofficial approach like that would help or hinder the community?

Cormac Stark: I think it would hinder the community. What Osiris needs from its government is optimism and a sense of creating opportunity, instead of hearing from the government that the lack of activity is a "crisis." Activity doesn't come from obligation or a sense of duty in a game, it comes from opportunities to have fun. That's what Osiris needs from its government, and it is the government's job to govern. It has a responsibility. We have essentially seen the government of Osiris shut down during the terms of several Pharaohs, and it has not empowered the community.

Lord Ravenclaw: On another note, in an editorial published by The Raven Post, you stated "Gone are the explosive arguments between prominent regional figures, dividing the community into "us vs. them" factions. Personalities will clash in any regional community, but Osiris seems to have turned the page on the chapter of its history that was characterized by divisive and ultimately destructive personality politics"; is this not a result brought upon by the fact that these powerful figures are no longer involved in the community?

Cormac Stark: I don't think so, no. Because after the people who used to have the explosive arguments and power struggles retired, other people would just step up to take their place. It was an institutional and cultural problem in Osiris. I didn't used to be one of the power players involved in the arguments and power struggles, but before the establishment of the OFO I became one of them, and even after Empire was exiled from Osiris, power struggles continued. But those have largely stopped and I do believe it's because of the strength of the OFO's institution, which makes actually winning factional power struggles impossible.

Lord Ravenclaw: Perhaps, although I think that it's more down to the fact that overall, there has been a more unified opinion and approach to Osiris recently, there is no longer quite so much disagreement with direction. So where do -you- go from here? I noticed that you've been endotarting in The North Pacific and were recently readmitted to their Regional Assembly.

Cormac Stark: That's what I'm doing. I don't intend to join (or re-join, as the case may be) any other regions right now, if ever, I'd like to try just focusing my time and energy in one place. TNP has always been welcoming to me, even with all of my past questionable behavior, and so it seems like a community I can contribute to without constant questioning of my motives and loyalties.

Lord Ravenclaw: Is it true that you are planning to reform the Regression Party? Also, is there any truth to the rumour that you are also courting the Queen of Balder? I've also been told that you are trying to undercut the North Pacific's economy and make a profit on the exports of North Pacific Spiced Rum?

Cormac Stark: No truth to any of those rumours, though I do hear Balder is lovely this time of year and the Queen is even lovelier.

Lord Ravenclaw: I have been asked some questions for you, if you wouldn't mind.

Cormac Stark: Sure.

Lord Ravenclaw: What prompted you to return and what do you think is the allure of NationStates? Also, who are you and why do you want "my" lunch money?

Cormac Stark: I was prompted to come back because I do miss people, friendships I've made over the years, and this remains the best way to communicate with them since we don't know each other in real life. I also feel like my time away did me a lot of good and I can participate in the game without the bad feelings I had before.

Cormac Stark: The allure of the game? I think it's different for everyone. For me, it's the friendships I've made that have lasted three years now. For others it may be something else.

Cormac Stark: And I'm Cormac and I want your lunch money for something sketchy and top secret. *smirks*

Lord Ravenclaw: Thank you for joining me Cormac Stark; it's been a unique experience in the two and a half years we've worked together.

Cormac Stark: It has indeed!

Lord Ravenclaw: Okay, is there anything that you'd like to let our readers know before this interview ends?

Cormac Stark: It's nice to be back in NationStates. I feel that my month long break did me a lot of good, that I've changed and grown in my attitudes toward the game, and I look forward to others seeing that as well. And of course thank you for the interview, it's been a pleasure.

SillyString's Silly Advice
by SillyStringThis column does not represent the views of the Government of The North Pacific.

Dear SillyString: I'm redecorating my room, and I want my room color to really express my personality. How would I go about choosing the perfect shade of color so that I won't have to repaint it again for a while?
- Painterrific

This is a dilemma that afflicts so many of our viewers, so I'm glad you asked it!

The first step you must take is to bring yourself to a good psychologist. After all, before you can begin choosing a color that fits your personality, you must first determine whether you have DID (dissociative identity disorder) and if so, how many personalities you need to match for.

With a diagnosis in your hand, your next step should be to take one of the many online "What color is your personality" quizzes. Though they appear simple, or even trite, these quizzes are designed with exceeding scientificity and can definitively match you to the right color for you. If you do indeed have DID, be sure that each one of your identities takes the quiz independently.

Armed with your scientifically verifiable personalized colors, you now need to turn those colors into paint. If you have only one identity, or if the colors of your multiple identities are all relatively similar, this isn't too hard. Take their average, get yourself to a paint store, and let the smart paintmongers do their job. They'll decide where you fall on the glossy-matte stage, and they can also estimate exactly how much paint you'll need. Once they whip you up a batch, simply apply paint to walls. You're done! Enjoy your lovely new walls.

If, on the other hand, the colors your identities are diagnosed with are significantly different, the averaging method will not work. When this happens, it becomes necessary to come up with an alternate solution that allows each one to be happy. My best suggestion is to rig up some sort of filtered lighting that will alter your perception of wall color, and then test various different shades of paint under these different lights. That way, whoever you wake up as in the morning will be greeted with their own preference when they turn on the right light. Easy peasy!

Alternatively, if you enjoy certain hard substances, you may choose to doodle on your walls with markers while under their influence. This will surely show off your inner... personality... in a way that paint never can. Good luck!

Seriously silly,
SillyString

The Northern Lights: Beauty in Truth
Publisher: SillyString :: Executive Editor: Kialga :: Graphic Artist: SillyString

The Northern Lights is produced by the Ministry of Communications on behalf of the Government of The North Pacific and distributed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Except where otherwise indicated, all content represents the views of the Government of The North Pacific.

Hi, everyone! I'm Cagontia, though there is a slim chance you know me better by what has traditionally been my main nation, Hekloslogravia. I've been on NS since February 2006, and was most active in the region of Aberdeen and its successor Uroca, though I was also active in Charis (the "c" in Uroca) and Nova Atlantica.

I really haven't been active in NS since 2009 or 2010, but I've done my best to keep a presence due to nostalgia if nothing else. For whatever reason I've become slightly more active and may chime in from time to time, though I'll probably just lurk a lot if that's ok with everyone.

Thanks for the warm welcome!

~Cagontia