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The Northern Lights - Issue XII, June 2nd
General Election Results
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
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
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 :P. 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 :P . 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
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.
Now that the term has been defined & explained, I'll express why and how it has vastly impacted my NS experiences. Upon my founding in the North Pacific, I learned quickly how a few endorsements could shift a vote in the World Assembly and how influence oiled the engines of security for all regions. Over the first few days in the North Pacific, I endorsed almost every single WA nation there was, give or take a few. This was a massive accomplishment for me. I was able to gain 460 endorsements at my peak, in only 40 days. I thought I'd soar into the top 10 most endorsed nations within that week, but little did I know how one thing could change all that.
I knew how interesting the raiding and defending aspects of gameplay were, so when I eventually joined the forum and learnt of the NPA, I knew it'd be worth the shot; and it was my first operation, that I realized my WA nation would inevitably be stripped of its glorious WA Status, leaving me as I'd begun in NS: no endorsements, nothing to feel special about, and in such a peculiar way - a sense of refreshment.
I wouldn't rejoin the WA properly for another 8 months. I had temporarily rejoined when I wasn't on operations with the NPA, but not with any commitment. In my WA endorsements graph, there are bumps of activity between the two dates of proper WA activity, it is obvious that rejoining was never a serious thing over that time. Since then, my various methods of endotarting (of which some will be detailed later on in the article), have drastically changed from the brute force, all-nighter endosprints to the systematic, alphabetical and efficient.
Endotarting has a huge impact on all nations, regardless of WA status. Resolutions in the World Assembly directly influence WA nations, and can even change national classifications depending on the resolution. In NationStates, a vast majority of the top 50 most endorsed nations are from the North Pacific. Rogue Delegates have a harder time ejecting/banning otherwise innocent nations, meaning that potential coupers will always find it much harder to damage a region if most of the nations have high endorsement counts.
The effects on security and regional stability are hugely present with endotarting, and the two go hand in hand when it comes to raiding. It is easier to destroy a region if the WA isn't prominent. The more endorsed WA nations, the less chance of being raided - and vice versa. Regions with low influence and endorsement counts are targets for raiders because it's easier for them to kick/ban nations, as less influence is required.
But how does endotarting shape an entire community, don't players do that? Well, it's a bit of both. For this section, one of the best examples known to NationStates is the World Assembly Development Program in the North Pacific. Originally developed by former WA Delegate r3naissanc3r (HMS Unicorn) over 2 years ago, the program has massively increased WA activity and endorsement levels within the North Pacific. Without the World Assembly Development Program, the top 50 most endorsed nations would be completely different to what it is today. This is the same for other regions, where development programs similar to TNP's have been used. Many communities are shaped by their preference to high WA activity levels.
Now that the wider reach on NationStates and the communities in particular have been discussed, I'd like to explain some of the endotarting methods that I've used over the months and how they have changed and been adapted to my style of gameplay.
The first one was relatively straightforward - find a WA nation, scroll down, endorse them and click on a nation who has already endorsed them. Repeat the process until complete. This lets me endorse about 60 - 80 people an hour if I tried. My second method was used when I downloaded NS++, I'd go to the endorsement page, open about 25 tabs with WA nations in them and endorse them all consecutively. This allowed for about 100 more endorsements per hour, and this was eventually how I would endorse people. The third method involved my discovery of the endotarting resources on the forums, namely: Endorse the North Pacific and Endotarting Queries.
And with that, I conclude my article on the perspectives I have on endotarting, regional security and the WA in general. I hope you've enjoyed reading this as much as I have enjoyed writing it!
North Pacific Army Bulletin
In the months since the last issue, the North Pacific Army have conducted seven operations with at least seven troops taking part in each operation. This demonstrates the activity that the North Pacific Army can maintain on a regular basis.
At the start of March, the NPA were deployed to The Rejected Realms to assist them with a Delegate transition. This was a really successful operation in which sixteen troops participated. This number set the tone for a really active period for the NPA.
Following this, on the 18th March, the NPA conducted a Detag Training Operation where they detagged four regions successfully. With this being a training operation numbers were expected to be quite low, however, the NPA exceeded expectation and were able to deploy eleven troops. This demonstrated how well Gladio, the Minister of defense, has been able to recruit and develop a very strong army able to deploy anywhere at any time.
At the start of April, the NPA decided to deploy to Warzone Europe - a protectorate of one of The North Pacific's allies. This was also a successful operation, with nineteen NPAers getting involved.
A short while after the previous deployment, the NPA were forced to deploy to Warzone Europe again, this time to help restore it after it was demolished by The Grey Wardens. The operation was successful with eighteen troops deploying as well as troops from other allied regional forces
Right after this, the NPA conducted two short training operation in Qocleusia and Warzone Australia. They were both successful with seven troops taking part in each operation.
Finally, in what became Gladio’s last operation as Minister of Defence, the NPA took the region Imperium Figarium and held it for four days. The operation was very successful on all fronts with eighteen NPAers taking part in the operation.
In summary, the NPA took part in many operations, showing how active the NPA can be on a regular basis.
New Cabinet
Elections are finally over, and the new Delegate (Pallaith), has chosen his new picks for the cabinet! After some deliberation and second thinking, the positions were taken by a fresh, new group of players all excited to make their difference and impact in the community.
For Home Affairs, Pallaith selected Siwale.
Siwale has performed immensely well in all areas of the North Pacific during their time in our community, but no other ministry has seen his level of dedication and commitment. Characteristically, Siwale is reliable, hard-working and consistent. He won't back down from any challenge, no matter how stressful, complicated or strenuous.
Many on the forums know him as the sloth, but we can be sure that he'll be working at a much faster pace than that of his avatar. Not soon after his appointment, he appointed abc, wicheye and Brend0g as deputies - three great picks.
This was a brilliant selection, and only means brilliant things for Home Affairs!
For Communications, Pallaith selected Scorch.
I couldn't have been happier with this selection, having personally served in this capacity last term. I know Scorch will do all that he can to secure a successful term and will employ his own skills and logic to kick the ministry back into gear following the two issue absence towards the end of last term. Scorch is a well-known, respectable and reliable player, and should be trusted in their capability to administrate and manage the Ministry of Communications.
Scorch has appointed Nasania and Brend0g as his deputies.
For Defense, Pallaith selected Sasten.
Many expected this position to go to the regular, and extremely efficient, respected Gladio. It seems, after many terms in the position, Gladio needs a well-earned and needed break from the Ministry. We may see his work and dedication continue, but it is very important to recognize that without Gladio, or the work he has done, the Ministry of Defense many not have been as reputable and consistent as it has been over the last four months. Sasten will definitely find a good challenge in trying to match that.
Sasten is a strong, trustworthy and fair selection for this ministry. He is level-headed, intelligent and will surely do well in his new role as Minister of Defense.
For World Assembly Affairs, Pallaith selected Sil Dorsett.
Sil has, for the last two terms, been one of the foremost figures in the North Pacific's WA influence sphere. He has worked with his ministry and successfully directed the authorship of many WA recommendations and votes. Sil is a brilliant member of our community and his service to the ministry will only hold great benefits. Sil is definitely the strongest pick for the ministry and should be trusted to continue the great success of the ministry last term.
Sil has appointed Wiggin as his deputy.
For Culture, Pallaith selected SillyString.
A lot of people were relieved to see this appointment. The Ministry of Culture had stagnated, and new leadership was what it needed above all else. SillyString knows most of what there is to know about great leadership, having served as WA Delegate already and in a large variety of other positions. SillyString has fresh, new ideas for the ministry, and will definitely be a positive driving force for everything culturally related. SillyString began the term around three separate areas of Culture: Roleplay, Holidays and Events.
SillyString has appointed Goyanes as her deputy.
For Foreign Affairs, Pallaith selected Sankami.
A newer face to the government, Sankami joined the forums on November the 1st, 2016 and has made great contributions to the ministries they've been involved with. We will have to wait and see what Sankami can do with this position. We must recognize that Foreign Affairs is a ministry that is taken very seriously and involves extensive organization and maturity. Sankami will have no problems in their capacity, and we can be assured that Foreign Affairs is in safe hands and is moving in the right direction.
For Lead RMB Guardian, Pallaith selected Mystery Player.
Extremely well-spoken, trustworthy, stern and knowledgeable Mystery Player deserves this position more than most. Their reserved, but noticeable presence is crucial, and their management of the RMB Guardians must be relentless, powerful and innovative. The RMB Guardians maintain the stability and conduct of the regional message board, so this group is not one for jokes and laughs.
Ministry Additions and Deletions
No ministries were added or deleted.
Publisher: Palliaith :: Executive Editor: Scorch :: Managing Editor: Brend0g :: Assistant Managing Editor: Nasania :: Graphic Artist: Imki + 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.