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DispatchFactbookCulture

by Hms unicorn. . 686 reads.

Regional Identity Crisis in The North Pacific

Back-Story:

Olvern walked down the secret hallways of the Cultural Headquarters. He saw dirt and cobwebs all over the ceiling and the floors - clearly even the cleaning staff has not visited this area in a long while. He finally stopped at the door that said: No Entry - Cultural Ministry Staff Only. Digging his pockets, he took out a rusty key, and slotted it into the keyhole, opening the door. A creaking sound echoed through the hallways as he opened the door and entered the room. In the room stood only one drawer, with the words "Regional Identity" printed nicely on it. He carefully opened the drawer, only to realise that what he wanted to find was never there in the first place.

It dawned upon him: we need to do something about this.

What's happening?

Roughly every week, the Ministry of Culture will be holding a vote on an aspect of our Regional Identity (e.g. Regional Dish). Nominations will be held on the forum for four days (on a separate thread), and a vote on the nominated stuff will be scheduled through a poll on the TNP regional page on NationStates, lasting three days, somewhat similar to what we have originally done with the Regional Dishes poll.

We hope that everyone will play a part by actively participating (voting and nominating), and together we shall resolve the Regional Identity Crisis!

October 21: And it's resolved!

After an intense series of nominations and votes, the crisis is over! In its conclusion, the nations of The North Pacific chose The Northern Light as the official regional nation. This nation will serve as a monument to celebrate the resolution of the crisis, and as a reminder of the struggle of the nations of The North Pacific throughout its duration.

[LinkForum announcement]


Period 1, May 21 - 27 | Regional Dish: macaroni and cheese with bacon | LinkNominations | Poll

Following the conclusion of the poll for regional dish, Delegate Hms unicorn made the following announcement:

"To officially confirm: After pooling together the results of the forum and regional polls, macaroni and cheese with bacon has emerged as the winner with 45 votes. Jamaican rum chicken came second with 31, and waffles third with 20.

To celebrate the event, I've instructed the Minister of Foodstuff and Drinking to arrange free servings of mac and cheese, prepared of course with generous doses of bacon, outside the Delegate's Mansion in Magicality City. To spice things up, we will also be offering unlimited free rum---I've picked some of the best barrels from the mansion's expansive and well stocked-up cellars just for this occasion."


Period 2, May 31 - June 9 | Regional Anthem: The Clash - I Fought The Law | LinkNominations | Poll

Following the conclusion of the poll for regional anthem, Delegate Hms unicorn made the following announcement:

"It is official! The region has decided that I Fought The Law by The Clash should be the regional anthem. The Clash received 30 votes, while another regional staple, Tradition from the Fiddler on the Roof movie, was the runner-up with 13 votes. Finally, I Love You from Barney & Friends received the love of 8 voters and came third.

To celebrate the event, I've instructed the Minister of Bands and Choirs to install musicians and singers all over Magicality City, performing I Fought The Law non-stop for the next 48 hours. Each neighborhood will be listening to its own adaptation of the song---from punk rock to acoustic lounge to classical, we have it all! Make sure to walk around the city and sample all the versions."


Period 3, June 10 - June 19 | Regional Animal: McMasterdonian Lion | LinkNominations | Qualifying Poll 1, Qualifying Poll 2, Final Poll

Following the conclusion of the poll for regional animal, Delegate Hms unicorn made the following announcement:

"So, as you probably all noticed, voting for regional animal is now over. After three polls, the McMasterdonian Lion has been declared the official regional animal, by a landslide: 47 votes, compared to nine votes for the tied-second Tortoise and Tardigrade.

To celebrate the event, I've instructed the Minister of Fauna to set up adoption centers for out adorable McMasterdonian cubs throughout Magicality City. By adopting abandoned McMasterdonian lion babies, you help keep the species strong and robust! What happens to the McMasterdonian lions once they grow up into full-fledged adult lions is up to you, but releasing them in Magicality City is not an option."


Period 4, June 20 - July 2 | Regional book: Go the F*** to Sleep - Adam Mansbach | LinkNominations | Qualifying Poll 1, Qualifying Poll 2, Final Poll, Runoff Poll

Following the conclusion of the poll for regional book, Delegate Hms unicorn made the following announcement:

"It took us a record of four polls, but we finally have a book! Go the F*** to Sleep by Adam Mansbach won the runoff with 29 votes to become our official regional book. Against it in the runoff we had The Stranger by Albert Camus, which received 25 votes, while previously the entire Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling had come third with 11 votes (against 25 for the first and second that moved to the runoff).

To celebrate the event, I've instructed the Minister of Books and Printers to prepare a "TNP official book" special edition of Go the F*** to Sleep. This limited edition will be distributed for free by the official TNP bookstore at 2 Delegate St., Magicality City, right next to the Delegate's Mansion. Hurry up and come to claim your copy! The Ministry will also be making sure that all other bookstores in Magicality City are well-stocked with copies of the book, to cope with what I am sure will be overwhelming demand."


Period 5, July 3 - July 28 | Regional currency: Pacific Dollar | LinkNominations | Qualifying Poll 1, Qualifying Poll 2, Final Poll

Following the conclusion of the poll for regional currency, Delegate Hms unicorn made the following announcement:

"Very belatedly, I am announcing that we have selected the Pacific Dollar as our official regional currency. It won the final poll with 35, with North Pacific Silver coming second with 30 votes, and r3n Cash and the North Pacific Dubloon coming joint third with 8 votes.

To celebrate the event, I've instructed the Central Bank of The North Pacific to start minting coins and printing bills so that we can begin circulating our currency in the region. The Central Bank will also be issuing special "starter kits", pouches with a predetermined number of coins, so that our nations can familiarize themselves with the new currency. You can of course start using those coins in your transactions, but those of you into coin collecting may want to keep them intact - I imagine they will soon become valuable collectibles."


Period 6, July 29 - August 23 | Regional video game: NationStates | LinkNominations | Qualifying Poll 1, Qualifying Poll 2, Final Poll

Following the conclusion of the poll for regional video game, Delegate Hms unicorn made the following announcement:

"As you may have noticed, we selected NationStates as our official regional video game. It received 40 votes, with Papers, Please coming second with 29 votes, and The Elder Scrolls Series third with 13 votes.

To celebrate the event, I've instructed the Minister of Internet and Firewalls to arrange for a new, TNP-specific browser where the homepage is fixed to the NationStates site. NationStates will no longer be blockable by firewalls and other such programs within TNP. All our citizens are encouraged to visit the page and play the game for at least an hour per day. And of course, remember to stay and be active in TNP while playing the game!"


Period 7, August 24 - September 1 | Regional movie: Pulp Fiction | LinkNominations | Poll

Following the conclusion of the poll for regional movie, Delegate Hms unicorn made the following announcement:

"As you likely have seen, we selected Pulp Fiction as our official regional movie. It easily won our poll with 38 votes, Shawshank Redemption second at 25 votes and Dead Poets Society third at 16 votes.

To celebrate the event, I've instructed the Minister of Movies and Entertainment to prepare a wide distribution of Pulp Fiction to all cinemas throughout the region. Cinema theaters in Magicality City have been instructed to play Pulp Fiction non-stop for the next month, and no other film will be shown, to avoid distracting our citizens from trying to figure out what the mysterious briefcase contains. The Ministry will also be organising free Ezekiel 25:17 recital lessons (according to Jules Winefield), as well as twist lessons ala Vincent Vega style (bolo tie mandatory)."


Period 8, September 27 - October 6 | Regional motto: "Where the democracy is strong, the debate robust, and the rum plentiful." | LinkNominations | Qualifying Poll 1, Qualifying Poll 2, Final Poll

Following the conclusion of the poll for regional motto, Delegate Hms unicorn made the following announcement:

"As I am sure you've noticed, we have a winner for official regional motto. As it happens, it's the same as what we've been semi-officially using as our motto for two years now, with the recent addition of an Oxford comma: "Where the democracy is strong, the debate robust, and the rum plentiful.". It won by a wide margin, 62 votes. Second came another variant of the winning entry, "Where the democracy is strong, the women are beautiful, and the rum is plentiful.", with 17 votes. In the third place, we had "It's a trap!", "Never eat yellow snow", and "In The North Pacicifc, we like to keep a bottle of rum handy in case we see a snake, which we also keep handy.", all tied with 6 votes.

To celebrate the event, I've instructed the Minister of Regional Identity and Security to organize regular recitation sessions in several spots around Magicality City. These sessions will provide an opportunity for our citizens to come and reaffirm their loyalty to our fair region, by shouting out loud our regional motto and embracing it with their hearts. They will also provide an opportunity for the Ministry to identify and take appropriate care of those not-so-loyal citizens who choose to skip the recitation sessions. We strongly encourage you to find the nearest location and schedule regular attendance."


Period 9, October 7 - 21 | Regional nation: The Northern Light | LinkNominations | Poll

Following the conclusion of the poll for regional nation, Delegate Hms unicorn made the following announcement:

As you've probably noticed, we have a winner for official regional nation. This one! The Northern Light was chosen with 58 votes. Second came North pacifican nations with 29 votes.

To celebrate the event, I've instructed all of the Ministers of the Executive Government to relocate to The Northern Light and start making adjustments. The Minister of Fauna is making sure that McMasterdonian lions thrive in the forests of The Northern Light. The Central Bank of The North Pacific has moved its operations to The Northern Light and has started minting and distributing Pacific Dollars from there. The Minister of Regional Identity and Security is making sure that the inscription "Where the democracy is strong, the debate robust, and the rum plentiful." can be conspicuously seen all over The Northern Light. And of course, The Northern Light will be flying our regional flag, as appropriate for the official regional nation.

All nations in The North Pacific are welcome to open embassies with The Northern Light. The Northern Light will maintain open borders and all citizens residing in The North Pacific are welcome to visit it. May it stand as a testament to how we all worked together to resolve the Regional Identity Crisis.

Hms unicorn

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