— Begin quote from ____
*Dyr Nasad waves to Anumia
— End quote
*Julian Anumia waves back
UPDATE XXXVI
April 18th, 2010
27th Congress, 27th Cabinet, 22nd Senate
Population: 542 Strong & Proud Nations
Executive Government
President: Falconias
Vice-President: Carracalla
Supreme Chancellor: HEM
Chief of Staff: Swakistek
Grand Admiral: Eklypso
Foreign Minister: Common-Sense Politics
Interior Minister: Karthikking
Culture Minister: Cathal Brugha (formerly known as Fortana)
World Assembly Delegate: Demataria
Legislative Government
Senate Speaker: Asianatic
Deputy Senate Speaker: Common-Sense Politics
City Council Mayor: Rougiers
Senators:
Anumia (Independent)
Asianatic (Independent)
Common-Sense Politics (Independent)
HEM (Independent)
Karthikking (National Conservative Party)
Kazaman (Independent)
Lethen (Independent)
PhDre (Independent)
Swakistek (National Conservative Party)
Judicial Government
Chief Justice: Cordova I
Associate Justice 1: Anumia
Associate Justice 2: Jusduckria
Associate Justice 3: Pope Lexus X
Attorney General: Peaceful Llamas
[hr]
Message from the President
by Falconias
Friends and family of Europeia:
As my term draws to a close, some of you and many of us have witnessed one of the most bizarre, roller-coaster terms in Europeian history. We have all witnessed the population drop to 530, over 100 nations since the start of the term; then hold steady and increase slightly when the Ministry of Interior reached an all-time low when 1/3 of the Senate was suspended for failing to meet their quota. The Navy experienced a flurry of activity until its Grand Admiral disappeared; then staggered as his replacement struggled to find the discipline required for the job. The re-organization of Foreign Affairs has been kept private from most ears in Europeia, and the Culture department’s new look has been trial-and-error in its best times.
However, I am confident that this region has come out on the better end a stronger one. I’m still in office as President, heading into the election; and population has started to increase in the last week, the Culture event has finally drawn serious attention with the Talent Show and the Debate Contest, the Navy successfully raided Arrakis this week, and the much-awaited embassy reports are beginning to surface. The region has reached the end of the dark tunnel and for the first time in my term, even with the election looming, I am able to relax.
Now I look ahead to the future. I am confident that I will be able to be re-elected. Assuming I do in fact become re-elected, feel free to visit us early and often; we will have more foreign guests visiting in our popular NationStates Celebrity Week, people available to help you with real life school work in our new Tutor Club, and there will be the same old constant riveting politics from all sides. We’re a real interesting region; come check us out.
Until next time,
President Falconias
[hr]
Elections Loom
by Sopo
Election season has struck Europeia again, and it has not come quietly. With Senate and Presidential elections occurring simultaneously, there are plenty of positions up for grabs- if you know how to get them.
The Presidential elections quickly came to the forefront while elections for Senate were placed on the back burner. Falconias, the incumbent one term President from the National Conservative Party, emerged from the starting gate to seek reelection. His challenger? Rougiers, Independent, current Mayor of the City Council and, briefly, former Grand Admiral under none other than Falconias. After a long squabbling match over the issues, including Falconiass poor first term and Rougierss lack of experience, the candidates moved on to the first official debate, via MSN. The debate, moderated by Jusduckria, Sopo, and PhDre, was observed by many in the region. It focused on hot-button issues such as the banning of Aexnidaral, the referendum on the Attorney General position, and the cabinets of the respective candidates. Ultimately, no winner was agreed upon, although many tried to select one. While the election has been characterized by voter apathy, the polls remain tight.
President Falconias when learning of his former Grand Admiral choosing to run against him
The Senate election, on the other hand, has been rather quiet. The majority of the candidates are qualified individuals, and it could be stated that there is an overabundance of good candidates. In the latest poll (from The Sun), 7 Independents and 3 NCP members are slated to win seats, meaning that the Senate size increase (from 9 members to 10) would benefit the NCP, winning them one more seat than they hold currently. The poll numbers are a disappointment to the smaller Europeian Moderate Party and United Nationalists for Europeia, who are not projected to win any seats whatsoever.
The Vice Presidential debate is scheduled for today, between Earth22 (of the Rougiers camp) and Modern Sin (running mate of Falconias). The Presidential debates are still ongoing.
Presidential/Vice-Presidential Candidates:
Falconias/Modern Sin (National Conservative Party)
Rougiers/Earth22 (Independent)
Senate Candidates:
Anumia (Independent)*
Asianatic (Independent)*
Cambover (National Conservative Party)
Cary (Europeian Moderate Party)
Common-Sense Politics (Independent)*
Falconias (National Conservative Party)*
HEM (Independent)*
Jahka (National Conservative Party)
Jusduckria (Independent)
Karthikking (National Conservative Party)*
King Satya I (Europeian Moderate Party)
Lethen (Independent)*
Modern Sin (National Conservative Party)
Nlhp (Europeian Moderate Party)
PhDre (Independent)*
Rougiers (Independent)
Sopo (Europeian Moderate Party)
Swakistek (National Conservative Party)*
-
- Incumbent
[hr]
Election Time in Miniature!
by Asianatic
- Incumbent
The season of elections kicked itself off again with mid-term elections for the position of Chief Justice. Two candidates emerged: incumbent Cordova I and former Associate Justice Jusduckria. The pair kept it a civil campaign, with the election originally looking like it would swing towards newcomer Judsuckria, who garnered the endorsements of several older members of the region, in the name of keeping the High Bench fresh. However, incumbent Cordova received a boost from campaign-manager and newcomer Aexnidaral.
The polls closed with some pretty decisive results:
— Begin quote from ____
Jusduckria 14 ] [40.00%]
Cordova I 21 ] [60.00%]
— End quote
Both candidates stayed gracious and polite throughout the entire campaign, garnering the respect of many. Congratulations to Cordova I on another deserved win, as well as the strong campaign put up by Judsuckria.
[hr]
April Fools and Easter Jokes: Too Far?
by Earth22
On April 1st, Europeia’s entire forum was changed upsidedown. President Falconias changed the forum skin to be the same one of the Founderless Region Alliance (FRA) as well as changed his and his cabinet groups to match those rankings of the FRA. The title of the forum was also changed to the “Falconian Regional Alliance.” The prank went quite well and fit perfectly as a humorous rebuttal to the accusations of Onderkelkia and many others of President Falconias being an FRA spy.
Unfortunately, the joke went a bit far when Falconias changed his avatar and signature to match those of arguably his biggest critic, Onderkelkia as well as changed his own name to Onder Kelkia. Out of the posts made, many of them were in the same tone with similar word choice then the real Onderkelkia. Though protest was made against this by the real Onder, all pranks of April Fools ended with HEM signing on stating that it was a ‘Character Assassination’. Europeia as a whole seems to be rather split on whether it was a joke or really an attack, and the thread holding this discussion can be seen http://z6.invisionfree.com/Europeia/index.php?showtopic=16116.
The Anumian Empire also ran its way through Europeia, though mostly overshadowed by the Falconias Regional Alliance, the joke was still quite funny, though the reaction to it in Europeia did not compare to many other regions in which the joke extended to.
After the Onderkelkia/Onder Kelkia April Fool’s Day Joke and the fallback from that, Easter was quite a surprise. President Falconias changed his avatar to that of Onderkelkia, but the man in the avatar was in a bunny suit. The avatar had the words “Easter is but an FRA conspiracy. I am undercover.” across the bottom of it. Falconias posted that it was just a joke and that if Onder wanted it removed, he would. The thread with all of this in it went from a Happy Easter thread to a thread questioning Falconias as to whether he is an FRA spy, to whether he was a good President and what went on in the last term, to a discussion on religion. The thread can be seen http://z6.invisionfree.com/Europeia/index.php?showtopic=16142.
[hr]
Europeian Legislative Happenings: More, More, More…
by Jusduckria
This term has been fairly busy, in regards to legislation. Currently before the City Council for discussion and eventual adoption are four bills:
-The First Amendment to the Attorney General Act: The subject of a controversial attempt at repeal, the proposed amendment to the Attorney General Act would give more authority to the Attorney General, making them the official legal advisor to the Executive branch, as well as the primary legal advisor for individual Europeian citizens. This amendment would also change things so that the Chief Justice of the High Court of Europeia appoints the Attorney General, and not the the President.
-The First Amendment to the Charter of Rights: This also has origins in the recent attempt to repeal the Attorney General Act. The proposed amendment more clearly defines and regulates plebiscites and referenda, since referenda and plebiscites werent really defined prior to this amendment, save for the repealed Bill of Rights.
-The Reintroduction of the Warrant and Arrest Bill: Tying in to the amending of the Charter of Rights, it was realized that there isnt a very clearly defined process for the issuing of an arrest warrant. The Warrant and Arrest Bill had been previously repealed; however, due to the clarity and detail it has been proposed for revival.
-The Third Amendment to the spum Control Act: In an attempt to limit the posting of links to offsite content, this amendment was proposed. It is currently still being debated, and, as it currently stands, it is difficult to ascertain what is really being discussed.
The City Council had also previously discussed the Sixth Amendment to the Culture Minister Act, which was dropped when it was discovered that the proposed amendment had already been previously adopted. Much attention had been given recently to the proposed Repeal of the Attorney General Act, which had been heavily debated and was voted down by the Council. The Council also voted in favor of the First Amendment to the Europeian Criminal Code, which added the charges of Defamation, Malicious Prosecution, and Perjury, and changed the crime of Threatening Conduct to Assault. Also discussed in the Council was the Fifth Amendment to the Mandatory Recruitment Act, which would have provided for more strict punishments when not meeting quota, and which was voted down.
The Senate is currently discussing the previously mentioned First Amendment to the Europeian Criminal Code. Of the legislation proposed by Senators, they are also debating the Fifth Amendment to the Removal Act, which would streamline the process of removing Senators, as well as the Speaker of the Senate; and the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution, which would expand the number of Senate seats to 10. They are currently voting on the Martial Law Act 2010, which expands upon how to continue operating the government and the region in a crisis, and under martial law. They have discussed several other bills and issues since the last regional update, examples of which include the treaty between the Republic of Europeia and the Kingdom of Ireland, a proposal by President Falconias to overhaul the Interior Ministry, theSecond Amendment to the Senatorial Absence Act which would have modified the process and how to deal with absences, and the Third Amendment to the Constitution, which deals with the process of removing and choosing Supreme Chancellors.
[hr]
Operation Sake Bomb: Navy Scares Natives Out of Arrakis
by Falconias
At 4:00 GMT sharp, on the early morning of April 16th, the Europeian Navy swiftly executed Operation Sake Bomb. 6 soldiers from the Europeian Navy were online at update to raid Arrakis, including a very intoxicated Common-Sense Politics who recited Johnny Cash lyrics throughout the entire operation.
This was a great moment for the Europeian Navy, as sailors had struggled since Eklypso took over to find a strong footing in NationStates military. Falconias’s Naval Academy had taken a step to the side after criticism over its usefulness, but this was a great experience for some of the newest sailors in the Europeian Navy.
Unfortunately, as a result of the raid, natives of Arrakis appeared to be frustrated with the state of its region, which had been raided twice in the last few months, and packed their bags and moved to the region Dune. Eklypso ordered the immediate withdrawl of the Europeian Navy, but the natives did not return.
Eklypso awarded all sailors on the mission with the Operation Sake Bomb medal:
Experts predict the Navy has the resources to raid once or twice more before the conclusion of the term.
http://www.naval-technology.com/projects/supcobra/images/cobra3.jpg
Grand Admiral Eklypso commands a Cobra attack helicopter at the break of dawn.
[hr]
That’s all for this week, folks! Have a great one, and hope to see you soon.
Just a note from the President here: it is highly likely that you will begin to see updates more often. At the top of the month, expect a small news update; and in the middle of the month, expect a full update that includes opinions, analysis, news, polls, pretty images and the like.
Long Live Europeia!
UPDATE XLI
August 4th, 2010
29th Congress, 29th Cabinet, 24th Senate
Population: 547 Strong & Proud Nations
Executive Government
President: PhDre
Vice-President: Jusduckria
Supreme Chancellor: HEM
Grand Admiral: Heras Savaer
Foreign Minister: Asianatic
Interior Minister: Carracalla
Culture Minister: Pope Lexus X
World Assembly Delegate: Demataria
Legislative Government
Senate Speaker: Swakistek
Deputy Senate Speaker: Sopo
City Council Mayor: Peaceful Llama
Senators:
Anumia
Asianatic
Swakistek
Lethen
Asperta
Lord McEntire
Cary
Areopagitican
Jusduckria
Sopo
Judicial Government
Chief Justice:Oliver Grey
Associate Justice 1: Anumia
Associate Justice 2: Hyanygo
Associate Justice 3: Cordova I
Attorney General: Skizzy Grey
Europeians become Stock Brokers
Europeians have been seen coming to work with briefcases, checking stocks online, and generally being snotty thanks to the creation of the Europeian Stock Market Game. The decision to begin the online market was likely an attempt to calm the ever present screams for an economy. Despite the initial pleasure with the stock market, the cries for the economy have resurfaced, with a plan even being drafted! We’ll update you on the economy talks when the news becomes available. There is, however, information about the stock market game available, so I’ll talk about that!
Sell Enron! Sell Enron! SELL ENROOOOOOOOOOooon!!
Pope Lexus has had incredible success, making 13.65% on his initial cash and placing in first. Lethen is dead last, as he has lost 0.46% of his investments! Y’all are more than welcome to partcipate! You’ll beat Lethen for sure! The game ID is below:
Site: http://www.virtualstockexchange.com/
Game ID: http://vse.marketwatch.com/Game/StartViewGame.aspx?id=Europeia
Password is: europeia
An Irish Scandal not Involving Drunkards
Amalric Richardson, former Minister of Democracy and prominent politician in the Commonwealth and previous caretaker of the Kingdom of Ireland since after the Commonwealth’s collapse, has deprived the Irish of their rights. He did so for his own selfish purposes: to boost his political power and undermine that of his opponents. The President of Europeia has issued an statement explaining and condemning his actions as well as supporting a new Irish leadership:
— Begin quote from ____
Citizens of Europeia, Citizens of Ireland, friends, foreign dignitaries,
Earlier today, individuals from our allies, the Kingdom of Ireland, came to Europeia with information that revealed that Irelands Acting Taoiseach, also root admin and regional founder, was limiting the ability of some citizens to post in the regional forum. The Kingdom of Irelands government has deprived citizens of their fundamental right to free speech, particularly removing the ability of politically active members to post in election-signup threads. The Acting Taoiseach further used his various government positions in order to stifle political opposition, enforce his rule, and ensure that he remain in power. These egregious violations of the fundamental right to freedom of speech, along with the Acting Taoiseachs use of root admin in order to threaten politically active citizens of Ireland, has resulted in the citizens of Ireland creating a new forum.
…
As the Kingdom of Irelands only ally, Europeia has a responsibility to stand by the citizens of the Kingdom of Ireland and recognize the legal government of the Kingdom of Ireland.
…
It is the belief of Europeia that when one forum and government body have lost the confidence of its citizens, that the new forum and new government body formed by the majority, is the government of said region. Europeia will no longer view the Kingdom of Irelands previous Acting Taoiseach as Irelands legal government, and welcomes the new legal government of the Kingdom of Ireland and looks forward to continued years of friendship and goodwill.
Thank you,
President PhDre
— End quote
Despite his actions, Amalric still ranks as the Irish people’s second least favorite person.
Excerpts of An interview with PhDre, President of Europeia!
Please note that this transcript has been edited and abridged for space. A full version of the interview may be viewed at the Europeian Inquirer, in the LethoMonarchy Media Center.
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome, President PhDre! Thank you for your time, PhDre.
So, to start, what is your view of the City Council as a body? With particular regard to Mayor Old Ogastein’s recent comments, should it have greater legislative power? Representation in Senate? Or even less legislative power, such as requirement of Presidential approval for all Ordinances?
The City Council was an excellent opportunity for me to hone my legislative abilities and improved my awareness of regional issues and the complexity of Europeian Law. I’m heartened to see that the citizens in the City Council fighting for a greater voice in Europeian affairs, and many of them have turned to the Grand Hall to discuss Senate debates and offer pointers on Senate legislation. Councilors who engage in constructive debate are a testament to the power of the CC to mold legislators and train the next generation of Europeian leaders. However, the balance between the CC and the Senate as it stands is appropriate - the CC was not envisioned as a dual legislative branch with equal powers as the Senate, and I feel that its current relationship with the Senate is sufficient. I also don’t think that ordinances need approval by the President - I like to see the Council sustaining itself as a self-sufficient body, and excessive intrusion by the Office of the President is unnecessary.
You’ve had a couple of weeks in office now. What have you actually done? Do you believe that you’ve been fulfilling the promises of your platform?
I don’t think it’s possible to deliver every policy that one campaigns on in a two week period, but I will say that I believe that this administration is on its way to accomplishing many of the policies and goals that were set - of course there will always be obstacles to achievement, but I’m confident that the team will gather the momentum we’ve been building to deliver excellent in the next few weeks.
Okay. Now, the Navy. Is Heras Savaer really the messiah of the Navy? Will he bring our Navy back to success, how will he do it, and in what kind of timeframe?
I hesitate to describe any individual as a “messiah” - Sav alone cannot fix what needs fixing in our Navy. I do believe that he is a leader who can reform and improve the quality of sailors, but our potential will be tied to the dedication of Europeians who serve in the Navy. Already the Navy has embarked on numerous missions, and Sav has started guides geared to teach sailors various tricks regarding raiding, etc. The timeline we have for getting the Navy up to par is accelerated, however it must be noted that it is difficult to lead without sailors who are dedicated and ready to head the call to serve their region - we must learn discipline before we learn advanced tactics, etc.
Has the success of SummerFest been as expected? Overall, would you consider the event successful, and why?
Definitely, definitely would consider SummerFest to be a real success so far. Already SummerFest has seen more posts than last year’s SummerFest, in part because a lot of individuals have made a serious effort to help out in the absence of Minister Lex. We’ve got foreign dignitaries stopping in, and generally speaking it’s a nice break from the monotony of summer, breathes life into the region, etc.
Excellent. Well, thank you for your time, Mr President!
Falconias…Who?
A few weeks ago, Falconias posted his large speech in many regions across NationStates. His famed, but not really cared about, “Operation Lone Wolf” was Falconias’s awkward mission of claiming IPs and generally pissing off people from many regions. Here is a small blip of his speech:
— Begin quote from ____
Greetings, former friends and family in the Founderless Regions Alliance, as well as all the raiders, feederites and assorted others that may happen to stumble across this post,
I have a story for you all today. Some of you will spend a great deal of time attempting to scrutinize this lengthy post; trying to determine fact versus fiction, under-spoken versus over-exaggerated, white lies and deceit. Don’t bother. What you are about to read is the truth; the report from Operation Lone Wolf.
So now I look to the future. I don’t expect to be accepted back into the FRA, at least not right away. There is plenty of unsettled dust fettering about, and this will undoubtedly shake things up as far as foreign relations are concerned, and will cause a bit of a stir in Equinox and Europeia.
I’m back though, and available for duty. I feel that the time has come for me to play openly on the defender side again. I have completed my service in intelligence, and my career working behind enemy lines is over.
Viva la FRA.
— End quote
http://bestofepicfail.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/cheese_fail.jpg
Falcs biggest contribution to Europeia? The tradition of Fake Executive Orders at the end of each Presidents term
However, the FRA did (kind of) allow Falconias back into their defending arms. Why? They’re idiots Because they are a forgiving defending groups that are easily bribed by IP addresses and such.
Across Europeia, our President PhDre and citizens have been outspoken about the message given. Some upset, others apathetic, others not giving a frog’s behind.
From our President:
— Begin quote from ____
On an unrelated note, I would like to briefly address the Lone Wolf actions perpetrated by a former President. It is my belief that Europeia should attend to more pressing matters as we move forward. I truly believe that his words do enough damage to his credibility here and abroad the less time that we as Europeians spend cursing his name or obsessing over his every word, the better. We recognize that our trust has been violated, but we must stand stronger than ever before together as a united community.
— End quote
From a devoted citizen:
— Begin quote from ____
When I first saw Falconias’s post, all I could think was “tl;dr.”
I have no animosity towards Falconias in the slightest. Sure, he probably should stop staring in mirrors and a constant marathon of Sean Connery. Should he stop masturbating to images of his own avatar? Probably, but it’s really not my call.
I wouldn’t punch him in the face. In America, it’s frowned upon to physically intimidate the mentally handicapped.
— End quote
So there you have it folks. Another drama filled moment by another boob in NationStates. To bad nobody wanted to grab it. We’re tearing up already.
Election Gossip Heating Up!
Europeia has been abuzz during the past few days, as we creep towards election season. Here are a few exerts from around Europeia…
Sure Europeia has some Conservatives, except the average age of their Presidential tickets is 18, not 81.
President PhDre will not run for re-election
— Begin quote from ____
Inevitably, I came to the conclusion that I would not run for a second term or run for Senate. When my term ends, I will take with me not the artificial political achievements of obtaining the Speakership or the Office of the President, but the memories of those whom I can call friends. I will attempt to frequent the Europeian forums, however for the foreseeable future I do not see myself returning to political life in NationStates.
— End quote
Jusduckria to seek Presidency?
— Begin quote from ____
A high ranking government official who is close to the Vice President leaked that a series of closed door meetings taken place by the Vice President. It was reported that Jusduckria assembled his old Senate campaign team, alongside some EuroSide Executives to a meeting that was not published on the official agenda.
— End quote
Sopo to lead NCP ticket?
— Begin quote from ____
Top level NCP staffer say that Sopo will be leading the top of the ticket, with Swakistek and OO fighting for the Vice Presidential spot. The staffer also said that Swak was contemplating a semi-retirement from top tier NCP activities.
— End quote
[hr]
This foreign update was written by Junior Ministers Eklypso, Kazaman, Swakistek, and Old Ogastein and compiled by President PhDre.
Thank you for joining us for another installment of this Europeian foreign update. We hope, as always, that you enjoyed it, and we wish you the best of fortunes in the sparse time until our next missive.
As always, we may always be reached for comment and inanity on http://z6.invisionfree.com/Europeia/index.php, and EuroToday’s still active and running, despite opinions to the contrary!
http://twitter.com/eurotodayhttp://twitsig.com/EuroToday.jpg
Thank you for the update 
UPDATE XLII
September 3rd, 2010
30th Congress, 30th Cabinet, 24th Senate
Population: 537 Pretty-Damned-Awesome Nations
Executive Government
President: Anumia
Vice President: Asianatic
Supreme Chancellor: HEM
Grand Admiral: North East Somerset
Foreign Minister: Swakistek
Interior Minister: Asperta
Culture Minister: Jusduckria
Welfare Minister: Sopo
World Assembly Delegate: Lethen
Legislative Government
Senate Speaker: Swakistek
Deputy Senate Speaker: Jusduckria
City Council Mayor: Oliver Grey
Senators:
Asianatic
Swakistek
Lethen
Asperta
Edinu
Common-Sense Politics
Jusduckria
Sopo
Judicial Government
Chief Justice: Hyanygo
Associate Justice 1: Klatonia
Associate Justice 2: r3naissanc3r
Associate Justice 3: Skizzy Grey
Attorney General: Common-Sense Politics
Record Turnout Produces Razor-Thin Anumian Victory
On August 11, Supreme Chancellor HEM delivered his routine speech calling for general elections to produce a new Europeian president. After his term marked by responsible and common-sense government, President PhDre announced he would not seek a second term in office. The flood gates were opened and the stage was set for one of the Republic’s most close and exciting presidential contests.
After months of incessant prodding, 5,003,275-term Senator Anumia threw his hat into the ring with the backing of his new party as well as his running-mate and former President, Asianatic. An hour later, former presidential candidate Sopo presented himself as a candidate with former City Council mayor, Old Ogastein, rounding out his ticket.
Meaning no offense to my good friend Sopo, this humble correspondent and many others saw this set of circumstances as a run-away victory for the old man, Anumia. However, this sunny forecast was soon to be spoiled when Chief Justice Oliver Grey left the bench in the hopes of winning the Goldenblock.
Ollie impressed many with his views on leadership which he articulated flawlessly throughout the campaign. Adding outgoing and popular president PhDre to the ticket certainly didn’t hurt. He also entered the race with a solid base of support, polling dead even with Anumia who presented a platform with more substantive policy plans. Sopo quickly became a third wheel.
The eve of the election had Europeia buzzing. However, even when the polls were closed, the record number of voters would have to wait longer still to name their new chief executive. Anumia had garnered the most votes but not the more than fifty percent majority he needed to wrap it up.
— Begin quote from ____
Anumia/Asianatic (Union of Europeia) - 21 (43.75%)
Oliver Grey/PhDre (Independent) - 19 (39.48%)
Sopo/Old Ogastein (Independent) - 8 (16.67%)
— End quote
http://www.sewingtheweb.com/images/hairout.jpg
Oliver Grey was unimpressed that he had to withstand a further few days of waiting for the result.
Per Europeian law, a run-off election was required between the top two vote-getters. After his valiant and honourable efforts, Sopo was cut from the race and a gruelling 36 hours stood between an anxious populace and the closing of the polls.
Grey jumped out to an early lead but it wasn’t enough. In the end, Anumia stood above the rest. After a campaign marked by constructive debate and discussion, a run-off, a record turnout, and one crucial vote Europeia had finally elected its next president and we wish him all the best this upcoming term. The final results looked like this:
— Begin quote from ____
Anumia/Asianatic (Union of Europeia) - 24 (50.06%)
Oliver Grey/PhDre (Independent) - 23 (48.94%)
— End quote
Europeian Media Man strikes out with semi-witty parody
In what he claims to be ‘a stroke of genius’, the Editor-in-Chief of the Europeian Inquirer released a parody of the most over parodied video in the world…Downfall.
Appearing in one of five Election Specials, which were accompanied by a whoppingly large number of preliminary polls, the video poked mild fun at Sopo, the Presidential candidate who placed third in the elections and was thought by many to have had little chance of winning, even from early in the campaign. It was, however, made in good humour by the Editor-in-Chief, who remains great friends with the man who is being caricatured in this video.
A video taken by a few rebellious staffers in the office of Presidential candidate Sopo.
The City Council picks up a few strange glances from passers-by
The City Council was rocked by turmoil early in the term, when Mayor Peaceful Llamas was impeached for inactivity, and under the terms of the City Council Charter, Deputy Mayor Edinu took over the reins for the remainder of his Mayoral term.
However, the Council was once again scrambling to find a leader when Edinu was elected to the Senate…leaving the posts of both Mayor and Deputy Mayor concurrently vacant.
A number of Senators offered their thoughts and advice to the City Council on how to resolve this situation, but eventually, it took Presidential intervention to sort out the dilemma- recent Executive Orders affecting the City Council include the significant changes of EO 57, and also the pivotal Executive Order 59, the first of President Anumia’s term. EO 57 instituted a process by which a Councillor may be impeached by a 2/3 vote of the City Council Assembly. EO 59, on the other hand, specifically dealt with the elections processes for the Offices of the Mayor and Deputy Mayor, thus expressly attempting to resolve the City Council crisis.
As a result of all of this, Mayoral turnover has been uncharacteristically spectacular. Oliver Grey now has control over this Assembly, and has indicated his desire to implement some drastic changes to the City Council Charter. While these changes have been met by largely mixed feelings, time will tell as to whether these proposals will end up being implemented and approved by the Senate.
The Rise and Fall of Political Parties
During the most recent election campaign, many new political parties have formed and one well established party has crumbled to the ground after losing several key members. The National Conservative Party era in Europeia has officially ended. The party rose to power in previous elections but many retirements and loss of membership has caused the party to gradually discombobulate. Over time, the NCP has lost members and influence, recently coming to its demise as administrators archived their private forums. Many former members either became independent or joined other parties in Europeia.
Administrator HEM archives the National Conservative Party in typical Europeia style.
When Anumia announced his presidency, he also opened the Union of Europeia and citizens of Europeia came running out of their homes to meet their Messiah. With his large influence, Anumia gained many supporters, both old and new, to accomplish his two goals.
— Begin quote from ____
- Get Anumia elected President
- Stay Groovy
— End quote
Eventually, Anumia was elected President but there are some doubts about the groovy part. Master of Politics Swakistek is said to be dressing up for a massive UoE disco to meet this objective, but some members are reportedly shielding their eyes for fear that he will break his usually high standards of dress in a desperate attempt to attract attention.
President Anumia (aka Disco Jesus) accomplishing the last of his two goals?
Newly elected Mayor and unsuccessful presidential candidate Oliver Grey also recently began another party in Europeia, the Rhinoceros Party. According to their manifesto, the Rhinos state that:
— Begin quote from ____
The only aim of the Rhinoceros Party is to showcase the ridiculousness of the system in all its glory. We will strip away the layers of stuck-up and leave bare the pointlessness of it all. So sit back, strap in, and enjoy the ride, and who knows, at the end maybe you’ll win a free car.
— End quote
Clearly, this party is around to… party. It includes a Party Dominatrix who will whip you into shape and a Senatorial Betting Pool to identify and award points for errors that they make. To join, all it takes is one simple statement. In the words of many members, “I AM SPARTACUS!!!”
An interview with President Anumia: the Messiah
http://faculty.molloy.edu/smayo/4-Julius%20Casear.gif
New Europeian President Julian Anumia (pictured above) agreed to sit down with us for an interview. Actually, begged us for one is more like it. We reluctantly agreed, and the following is said interview. Anumia is a long-standing institution in Europeian politics, as well as internationally, and his term as President is highly anticipated.
EuroFA: Thank you, President Anumia, for the interview. Your victory was hard-fought and close-won. Do you see a united Europeia moving forward? What steps will you take to ensure that no animosity is harbored for either side of this divisive election?
Anumia: Unity and a concentrated stepping-forward of our region is precisely what I am after in this term. Certainly this will not mean the censure or derision of alternate opinions, but I hope to convince all or at least the vast majority of Europeians of my vision, then bring it into being. I doubt there will be much residual animosity from the election - Ollie and I are good friends and PhDre is one of my favoured grandchildren (would have been a son, but that rotten Kazaman swiped him first!), and we are more likely to work together than against each other - I have already discussed sorting out the City Council with Ollie and am seeking to find more foreign business for PhDre to dig into in this term.
The Europeian Navy has been said by some to be in need of reform. What do you plan to do in this area to encourage sailor recruitment and revitalize the military sector?
<font color=“red”>As I said in my platform, I was able to run a large military recruitment drive in Hampshire to great success, effectively tripling the operational force there in a short period of time (granted, I do not expect a -tripling- of our force here - that would be a rather fanciful suggestion were I to make it). If I could do so there I am confident of my ability to do so here. A recruitment drive and other matters shall be worked out and implemented in the future as the term progresses; with my recruitment and the abilities of someone who is an old hand at military matters as my Grand Admiral, I believe (and certainly hope) that we shall see improvement in our military fortunes over this term.
Your party, the Union of Europeia, won big in the elections, can you let us in on any legislative plans that the Union has for the coming term?
The biggest plan for the time being shall be the reformation of the Awards system, which I intend to present for the Senate in due course. As for anything else: :ph43r:"
What’s one thing you’d like to accomplish as President to consider yourself “successful” this term?
I really want this term to be one where people feel genuinely valued and wanted in the region, right down to simple citizens with a helpful idea. If I can build our region, and have people feeling good about their good work, I will be happy. Failing that, I’m also happy with a complete takeover of the region.
Got any post-inauguration party plans?
Well, Sopo could probably do with a new brother or sister. ‘Earthie…’</font>
[hr]
This foreign update was written by Junior Ministers Eklypso, The Final Rome, Common-Sense Politics and McEntire, and was also written and compiled by Minister Swakistek.
Thank you for joining us again for another torture session issue of the Europeian Foreign Update. We hope, as always, that you enjoyed it, and we wish you the best of fortunes in the sparse time until our next missive.
In case you are wanting to personally kow-tow to Anumia, or merely wish to throw tomatoes at innocent bystanders, our evil genius lair may be found on http://z6.invisionfree.com/Europeia/index.php, and our EuroToday Twitter account remains an excellent way to keep abreast of Europeian news and current affairs.
Thanks for the update
UPDATE XLIII
September 24th, 2010
30th Congress, 30th Cabinet, 24th Senate
Population: 654 Bloody Brilliant Nations
Executive Government
President: Anumia
Vice President: Vacant
Supreme Chancellor: HEM
Grand Admiral: North East Somerset
Foreign Minister: Swakistek
Interior Minister: Asperta
Culture Minister: Jusduckria
Welfare Minister: Sopo
World Assembly Delegate: Lethen
Legislative Government
Senate Speaker: Swakistek
Deputy Senate Speaker: Jusduckria
City Council Mayor: Oliver Grey
Senators:
Swakistek
Lethen
Asperta
Common-Sense Politics
Jusduckria
Sopo
Judicial Government
Chief Justice: Hyanygo
Associate Justice 1: Earth22
Associate Justice 2: r3naissanc3r
Associate Justice 3: Skizzy Grey
Attorney General: Common-Sense Politics
Huge Population Boom; a credit to our recruiters
At the time of writing the last Foreign Update, Europeia had a population of 537. Currently, we are very pleased and proud to report that the population of Europeia has surged to 654 nations since that time!
With the help of our recent recruiting competition, extraordinary work by our Minister of the Interior, raised public morale and the incredible work of dedicated recruiters such as Abbey Anumia, Europeia has catapulted itself back on to the front page, overtaking Europe to claim the Number 9 position, and leaving us once again as the 2nd largest user-created-region in NationStates!
Europeians have reacted to the Government’s request to try and raise our population very enthusiastically indeed…
This truly remarkable feat is a credit to our Ministry of the Interior and all of the other recruiters who have helped to sustain Europeia with the lifeblood that is recruiting. Thank you, everyone.
AutumnFest 2010 kicks off
Europeia has recently had the pleasure of hosting our interregional partners Hampshire and Gatesville for a three-way festival, to commence on Saturday!
The festival, entitled AutumnFest 2010!, is largely being facilitated by the Europeian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in conjunction with the Europeian Ministry of Culture, the Gatesvillian Foreign Affairs Advocate and the Hampshire Minister for Foreign Affairs.
http://open.salon.com/files/threeway1242867199.jpg
Europeia, Hampshire and Gatesville meet up to discuss the three-way.
It is planned that the festival will include some activities running throughout the week, such as a Survivor competition and a Recruitment Competition, as well as a new game every day! Participants who win events will also earn points both as individuals and for their regions, to deliver an AutumnFest Individual Champion and an AutumnFest Regional Champion.
The event has already had good reception, after having been public for but one day, with many Citizens from all three regions eagerly awaiting its commencement.
The Resignation of a Great Europeian
Earlier in the week, Europeia was saddened to learn of the resignation of a great Europeian, Asianatic, from both the Vice Presidency and the Senate.
Asianatic has been in Europeia for an extremely long time, and has contributed much to the region. As an extremely talented lady who has served extended terms as President, Vice President, Speaker of the Senate and Minister for Foreign Affairs, among other roles, her loss from the Cabinet and the Senate is a significant loss for Europeia.
At this time, we’d like to thank Asianatic for her service, and we hope that, as she has indicated, we will continue to see her around on the Europeian forums, despite her absence from public offices.
A Mid-Term Update on the Anumian Administration
After the resignation of Vice President Asianatic, President Anumia will have to appoint a successor, and as the decision is under consideration, the author of this article looks back at the past half-term, with the assistance of Vice Chancellor PhDre, and Abbey Anumia.
Asked about a general impression of the Administration, both Abbey and PhDre responded that there hasn’t been a great deal of communication this term, as also noted in the article ‘State of the Executive’, by the Editor of the Europeian Citizen. However, individual Ministers have taken steps to rectify this lack of communication, and it is also speculated that a Presidential State of the Republic address is on the way.
It has also been suggested that the appointment of a new, more active Vice President may alleviate some of these concerns about lack of interaction between the Citizenry and the Executive.
The star success of this Administration has widely been acknowledged as the Ministry of the Interior, with a substantial population boom and many additional initiatives as well. As Abbey Anumia points out, “I’m a litlle (sic) biased, being a JM there, but I feel interior has been, with the competition, JM of the month, and a fairly big recruitment and population surge.”
Foreign Affairs is also regarded as another successful branch of the Anumian Administration, with Common-Sense Politics commenting in State of the Executive that “Foreign Affairs got off to a quick start as well. Swakistek put a fair few changes into effect immediately.”
“FA, with AutumnFest, has just become really promininent, and I’m really looking forward to AutumnFest,” agrees Abbey Anumia.
PhDre also added similar thoughts, stating that “Certainly, I think one area in particular is the upcoming AutumnFest - it’ll be a nice change of pace for the region and something that was explicitly organized by the administration for Europeia.”
Two of the areas of this Administration that have not been so successful, however, are the Navy and the Ministry of Culture, although President Anumia and officials from these departments state that activity will be arriving shortly. Vice Chancellor PhDre mentioned that “Right off the bat - the Navy and Culture are two Ministries that have been wilting this term. I feel there’s a lack of initiative by the heads of those Ministries, but obviously I don’t have the whole picture and I really hope that we see more from both.”
Minister of Culture Jusduckria has, reportedly, some new initiatives in the pipeline, although we have only just begun to see some of these, with the establishment of EuroGames earlier this week.
Wake up Jeff Jus, everybody’s Wiggling!
As Common-Sense Politics also commented in his article, “The [Ministry of Culture] JM thread always seems to be busy however we’ve yet to see a single substantive project emerge to this point.”
With rather obvious lag and little visible achievement in these two departments, it is hoped that activity will pick up shortly.
Senate Shakeups
The Senate, this term, has debated few bills, although after the reduction in size to eight, the remaining member base is said to be smaller, but more active.
Senator Edinu, however, was removed for inactivity by his colleagues, after having been AWOL for some days, and not having met his mandatory recruitment quotas.
As also detailed earlier in this Foreign Update, Senator Asianatic resigned for personal reasons. The result is two hotly contested by-elections, with a number of well qualified candidates running for the two vacant seats, and tensions running high inside the Oval Room.
Senator Edinu: AWOL
Currently on the agenda in the Senate, the Europeian Awards Act 2010 is largely receiving good vibes from the Senate, and is likely to be passed later this term, albeit in an amended form. This legislation was written by President Anumia, and has the main purpose of instituting Ovations and Triumphs as the highest civilian and military awards of the region, respectively.
Under the proposal, these would require the approval of the President and an absolute majority of Senators, although those who receive Ovations or Triumphs will then be named ‘Honoured Citizens’ for life, and will then receive the Order of Republica and a spot in the Europeian Hall of Fame.
The Europeian Awards Act serves a couple of other major functions, as well, establishing medals for outstanding service in the Ministries of Culture, Foreign Affairs and Welfare, and also reinstating the use of honorific titles.
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President Anumia and Senate Speaker Swakistek fly by to airdrop some new proposals into the Senate.
Swakistek, Speaker of the Senate, has also recently put up some additional legislation for discussion, which could also give a much needed boost to Senate activity levels. It is hoped that with discussion on this legislation, things in Senate might pick up a bit.
ERN crashes Woodstock, raids RFN
In the past few weeks, after nearly have a term of inactivity, two raids were successfully performed by the Europeian Republican Navy.
The first, a raid on the Royal Federation of Nations, was led by experienced Rear Admiral Earth22. In association with Unknown and the New Britannian Empire, our valiant military took this region easily.
“Kiss my shiny high-heel boots, 'fendas.” -Rear Admiral Earth22
The second was led by Admiral Common-Sense Politics, with the sole assistance of Ensign Swakistek, and resulted in the crashing of Woodstock. As the Admiral commented, "Swak and I were bored so we thought we’d drop in for some music and LSD… "
Perhaps we need to institute some more boredom into the lives of ERN sailors in future? 
High Court Hullabaloo
Europeian citizen Jerrymania was charged on September 10 with harassment, obscenity and defamation under the Europeian Criminal Code for alleged continual suggestion of a relationship of a romantic nature between himself and Earth22. Chief Justice Hyanygo is presiding over the case, with Attorney General Common-Sense Politics prosecuting. Jerrymania originally chose to represent himself, pleading not guilty to defamation, but guilty to harassment and obscenity, which carry an 8 month and 48 hour ban as a maximum penalty, respectively.
After he had trouble understanding the confusion surrounding his guilty plea, Attorney Notolecta, seen as a rising star, stepped in as Defence Counsel. After a smidgen more of confusion over the Statement of Facts, it was signed by both parties, with the court accepting Jerrymania’s pleas of Nolo Contendere on the two aforementioned counts. For the count of Defamation, opening statements have been issued, and CSP called Earth22 to the stand. In her testimony she stated:
— Begin quote from ____
I’ve been taught to get out of situations that make me feel uncomfortable by leaving the scene of the uncomfortable feeling or finding a way to avoid what/who is making me feel that way. Jerrymania’s comments towards me have made me feel uncomfortable on the forum and in real life. I’m not just a typing bot, I’m an actual person with feelings who is here voluntarily like all else in NS. Things that hurt me here hurt me in real life too.
— End quote
http://lcjb.cjsonline.gov.uk/area3/images/Victims%20and%20witnesses/Going%20to%20Court.jpg
Earth22, victim of the alleged crimes, giving testimony in the High Court.
In the confusion over some links in the statement of fact, however, Attorney General CSP got himself into some legal hot water after telling Jerrymania to “shut [his] mouth and observe the procedures of the court”. CSP was then charged, ironically, with not shutting his mouth or observing the procedures of the court.
Presiding Associate Justice Skizzy Grey pointed out that legal precedent for charging someone with contempt of court as its own offence is shaky. The case was dropped by Acting Attorney General Ogastein, but Jerrymania was granted leave to pursue it if he chose to. He declined, however, and the case was dropped.
EuroUpdate wishes a happy ending to all those involved. But not in a masseuse kind of way.
[hr]
This foreign update was written by Junior Minister McEntire, and was also written and compiled by Minister Swakistek. Thank you also to PhDre and Abbey Anumia who assisted us in the compiling of content for this update.
Thank you for joining us again for another torture session issue of the Europeian Foreign Update. We hope, as always, that you enjoyed it, and we wish you the best of fortunes in the sparse time until our next missive.
In case you are wanting to personally strangle our Minister for Foreign Affairs, or merely wish to piss off the natives, our evil genius lair may be found on http://z6.invisionfree.com/Europeia/index.php, and our EuroToday Twitter account remains an excellent way to keep abreast of Europeian news and current affairs.
UPDATE XLIV
October 22nd, 2010
30th Congress, 30th Cabinet, 24th Senate
Population: 709 Nations of Unparalleled Awesomeness
Executive Government
President: Anumia
Vice President:Vacant
Supreme Chancellor: HEM
Grand Admiral: Common-Sense Politics
Foreign Minister: Swakistek
Interior Minister: Asperta
Culture Minister: Henry
Welfare Minister: Sopo
World Assembly Delegate: Lethen
Legislative Government
Senate Speaker: Swakistek
Deputy Senate Speaker:Vacant
City Council Mayor: Ogastein
Senators:
Swakistek
Lethen
Sopo
Asperta
Rachel Anumia
Henry
Common-Sense Politics
Cordova I
Judicial Government
Chief Justice: Hyanygo
Associate Justice 1: Earth22
Associate Justice 2: r3naissanc3r
Associate Justice 3: Skizzy Grey
Attorney General: Oliver Grey
Skyrocketing Population Delights Europeia; North Korea ‘not amused’.
After a report that Europeia’s population had jumped from 537 to 654 at between our two most recent updates, we’re now incredibly pleased and proud to be able to report that Europeia is now in RECORD NUMBERS in terms of population.
Thanks to our most awesome Minister of the Interior, Asperta, as well as Government officials and citizen recruiters throughout the region, we passed our former record of 709, rising to a new high of 723 before falling briefly back to settle at 709 again at the time of the writing of this update.
For a time, Europeia also skyrocketed into 8th place on the front page of the World Population Rankings, overtaking The Rejected Realms, however, a somewhat strange population surge for TRR left us sitting back in 9th place after this brief stint.
http://www.google.com/technology/pigeon_system.jpg
The employment of pigeons as recruiters in our Ministry of the Interior has resulted in huge boosts in efficiency and effectiveness…there are now plans to permanently phase out all humans in Europeia, to be replaced by pigeons.
However, we are still extremely proud of our recruiters, and it is a credit to the people of our region that we’ve been able to boost our population by so much, so fast.
As Abbey Anumia, one of our top recruiters, said; “Recruiting has to be a team effort, no one person can do it on their own if you’re to keep up with the flow of new nations.”
“Just by looking at the region’s nation count, if it’s gone up, I’ll recruit some to keep that going, if it’s gone down, then I’ll recruit with the mindset of fixing that.”
AutumnFest 2010 comes to a close
Between the twenty-seventh day of last month and the first of this one, citizens from Hampshire and Gatesville popped over to the forums of Europeia for what we now know as Autumnfest 2010.
Whether the many participants were competing in daily events, observing shininess being doled out in the Lethen Ceremonial Hall, or taking part in some friendly banter in the PhDre Conversational Oasis, a good time was had by all.
After a week of games and other events, Europeia came out on top with 215 points to Gatesville’s 125. Hampshire came in third with 30.
Individually, Spooky Orion of Gatesville seized the greatest number of points for his region, winning the AutumnFest Championship! (Here is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yKxDCCcBxs to Spooky’s winning entry in the AutumnFest Video Competition; enjoy!)
Seanzyland snagged the AutumnFest Champion from Hampshire prize, and Abbey Anumia was AutumnFest Champion from Europeia; our top scoring Europeian of the festival!
The event culminated in the signing of a tripartite Europeia-Hampshire-Gatesville treaty, and we’re extremely pleased to be able to embark on more intimate relations with the signing of this treaty.
We had a great time with our friends from these two grand regions, new and old and look forward to another opportunity to come together under circumstances as fun as these.
Cultural Masterpieces awe Europeia
Europeian culture has been bolstered with streaks of ingenuity and creativity as many of us reveal our artistic side…
The Aurora Art Gallery is acquiring a sizeable collection of artistic works from Europeian artists, and was recently opened by its namesake, former President Asianatic.
The Ministry of Culture is also very eager to show off the wonderful work of our citizens, and thus, I now present to you the winning piece from the AutumnFest Literary Competition, written by Abbey Anumia.
Bon appetit!
— Begin quote from ____
The Unthinkable Nightmare
It started as an ordinary day, I was just about to head out the door for uni, but when I put my hand on the door handle, there was already one there. Before I knew it I was bound, gagged, and in the back of a van, not knowing what my fate was.
I woke up in a concrete cell. It was miniscule, and all the most depressing shade of grey. The walls were so rough it hurt to run my hand across them and the only vaguely comforting thing I could find was a single white pillow, laid on a single concrete slab of a bed. I looked at the solid metal door, and saw openings in the bars like part drawn blinds. I could find little comfort in this place, and the smell of the soldiers feast wafting through the bars just made it worse. I could hear the soldiers laughing, and other prisoners screaming. I didnt even know how much time had passed, as my only light was the clinical artificial light that crept through the bars of the door. I could be underground for all I knew.
As the time passed, I got more and more hungry, and increasingly delusional. I pictured my mothers face, her beautiful and silky blond hair, her soft, smooth and comforting skin, and her wonderful smile as an image of her drifted through my mind. I remembered the times we walked along the gushing river Tyne and didnt really appreciate the wonder that it brings. Its only when you are faced with true adversity that your whole life gets put into perspective. My views on the world before this dreadful imprisonment seem almost pathetic and completely ignorant of the world outside the UK.
I kept on hearing these voices, but they were in no intelligible tongue, not even vaguely related to any language Id ever heard. I guessed they were soldiers from their voices, and that they enjoyed what they did to us, as they laughed when they peeked through the bars to see me suffer. Then, after a seemingly immense period of time, I was brought my first meal. It was like slush, and it didnt smell much better either, but I knew I had to eat if there was any chance of me ever leaving here. It didnt really taste of much, however, for me, right then, it was all I had. I drunk the water, despite the fact it looked like theyd taken it from a local stream, and I savoured the feeling of the food sliding down my throat and the water refreshing every part of my body.
Sometimes I thought about those soldiers, and what they might think of me, and the others trapped around me. Are they completely callous? Do they have any sort of conscience? I guessed not, as I heard another scream, shortly followed by the tinny slam of another cells metal door. Then I started to wonder as to why they hadnt done this to me, am I any different to the others? Why are they here? Is it a prison or a camp designed solely for the purpose of hurting, torturing and killing those that have done nothing wrong?
The images of my parents flashed once more into my mind, and I started to sob. That food had refreshed me, but at the same time, made me wonder about the horrific things that were happening around me. Id survived by simply trying to live, and stay sane, and not challenge what this place was. Now I was thinking, I had so many questions to ask, but no-one to answer them. I was always going to think of the worst possible scenarios, so maybe its not as bad as it has seemed. Maybe Im just here because of the most silly of mistakes, and maybe Ill be released when whoever made it realises what they have done.
These wonderful thoughts didnt last long though, as inside, Id always knew, that that wasnt the case. No matter how much I hoped it was, I knew, deep down, that it never could be. But then, of the voices outside, I heard somebody new speak, that I could understand. They were speaking English; they sounded English, had somebody come to end my sorrows? I tried to understand what they were saying, but before I could concentrate, my cell door opened, and that person said the most wonderful words, Youre going home.
When I stood up and started walking, that wonderful man had to support me, as I was incredibly weak. But once I got past the complex of cells, and I saw the sky for the first time since this happened to me, I was overwhelmed. The sight of the beautiful sparkling sapphire sky absolutely blew me away. The feeling of the frosty grass crunching beneath my feet and the sight of the emerald trees with that beautiful snowflake covering was the most incredible sight that I had ever seen. You dont realise what you have until you lose it.
By Abbey Anumia
— End quote
Europeia Gears Up for the General Elections!
As Europeia prepares for our General Elections, a number of noteworthy and highly regarded Senate candidates have stepped up to the starting gates…
Our Presidential race, however, is far more interesting. Both Common-Sense Politics and Ogastein have announced an intent to stand for election, however, the latter is languishing in Preliminary Polling as he is said to be finding it increasingly difficult to find a Vice President who’s willing to run with him.
In Europeian Inquirer Preliminary Polling, Common-Sense Politics was returned with a vote of 75%, in contrast with Ogastein’s 25%. Although the platforms haven’t been released yet, and particularly considering Ogastein’s apparent failure to have found a Vice President, it is clear that he will be looking to make up a lot of ground in a short space of time if he wishes to have a chance of seizing the region’s top job.
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Encouraging a higher voter turnout…
In a Europeian Inquirer Expert Panel Conference, Vice Chancellor PhDre commented that “I’d say that Ogastein may have been overeager in announcing his intent to seek the Presidency without first having a solid running mate” and that “it doesn’t look good for a candidate to jump out the gate without a running mate.”
A number of Europeians have also expressed discomfort with the possibility of these General Elections becoming a one horse race. Aftermath Entertainment News ran polling, which left a result of 20% of respondants strongly unsatisfied with the current field of candidates, and 15% somewhat unsatisfied. With 15% of voters saying that they are neutral/unsure, this is a worrying situation indeed, and the discomfort with the field of Presidential candidates is only likely to get worse if Ogastein is forced to pull out of the race.
Vice Chancellor PhDre added that “At a time when many feel NationStates is shrinking around us, Europeia is bigger than ever, and having an unopposed candidate would be in my mind a real loss in terms of how we can move forward, and I do hope that we don’t end up with a single candidate for Office on election day. I respect CSP as a candidate and a friend, and I don’t think he would want to win in such a manner, and I dont think we as Europeians should want that either.”
Indeed, while this election campaign is unlikely to be as hotly contested as the last, it will pose formidable challenges. Only time can tell what the outcome of these potentially tumultuous times will be.
President Anumia: Messiah or Moron?
As President Anumia’s term comes to a close, it is as yet unknown whether or not he will seek reelection, and if not, what his plans are for his political career.
Indeed, he has only responded with an ominous ’ :ph43r: ’ when asked about his plans by inquiring journalists.
As his time in the Goldenblock draws to a close, however, we’re going to take a look at the term that was.
As we said in the first Foreign Update of the term, there were high expectations of the Anumian Administration, and not a few Europeians have now said that they are quite disappointed with the apparent lack of achievement.
Is President Anumia (aka Disco Jesus) in need of dance classes?
As Abbey Anumia said in a Europeian Inquirer Expert Panel Conference, “I have to say I’m a little dissapointed. After the nail-biting election, I was ecpecting (sic) more.”
The Europeian public is apparently most displeased with the lack of communication on Anumia’s part during his term, as confirmed by Aftermath Polling and many other commentators.
After Vice President Asianatic resigned, President Anumia’s preferred replacement was also twice declined the confirmation of the Senate, and this ‘nomination-gate’ has also been an embarrassment for his administration.
Abbey Anumia commented on how this lack of communication stemmed to create other problems, saying that “if we don’t hear from the President, we’ll assume he’s not doing anything, even if he is. It also means we don’t know the reasons behind nominations, leading to the rounds of rejections.”
Minister of Culture Jusduckria and Grand Admiral North East Somerset, both of whom were criticised as ineffective, inactive and incompetent, undoubtedly also contributed to the low public opinion of President Anumia. Both of these Cabinet Ministers received exceptionally low Approval Ratings of below 50% in mid-term polling conducted by the Europeian Inquirer, before they were both replaced.
Vice President Asianatic was also markedly absent from the political scene before her resignation mid-term, and probably did not help the President’s public image.
However, President Anumia’s term has been surely not without its fair share of successes.
The record population boom, brought about through the extraodinary efforts of Minister of the Interior Asperta and his gang of Junior Ministers, is undoubtedly the finest mark that his Administration leaves Europeia with.
He is also due a fair amount of credit for the work that he completed in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with Minister Swakistek, to reform the Europeian Foreign Service, host the AutumnFest celebration and complete diplomatic negotiations with Hampshire and Gatesville for the signing of a new tripartite treaty.
“I didn’t steal the cookies from the cookie jar…” -MoFA Swakistek
Minister of Culture Henry and Grand Admiral Common-Sense Politics have also done commendable work to increase activity in their departments after the work (or lack thereof) of their predecessors, and have helped to turn things around in their respective Ministries.
Thus, the term of President Anumia has most certainly been a rollercoaster of ups and downs, and with the election upon us, Europeia seems set to have a new leader. It is yet to be seen what the outcome of our elections will be, however, and we may well have a new opinion of President Anumia’s term after we have another, more recent Presidency to compare it to; this shall most certainly be worth watching in the coming term.
The Aftermath of a Free Press?
The Europeian media has certainly heated up, particularly with the revitalisation of Aftermath Entertainment News, and its move into commentary on Europeian affairs, as well as real life news.
The past month or so has seen a large increase in activity around the LethoMonarchy Media Centre, as many journalists shuffle in and out of buildings and many hecklers return repeatedly to certain offices, armed with eggs and tomatoes.
President Anumia and Vice President Asianatic before the rise of Aftermath Entertainment…
Aftermath Entertainment News has been armed with opinion articles, written by anonymous articles in the Three Eyes segment. These have generally addressed the more controversial of topics, although a remarkably large number of these articles seem to be pointed at the Administration of President Anumia.
Some Europeians say that the free press is an excellent thing, and allows for democratic opposition and criticism of our elected leaders. President Anumia himself, as well as others in his Administration, have openly stated the need for there to be accountability and criticism of the Government.
However, others have openly criticised Aftermath Entertainment News as being too one-sided and critical of the Anumian Administration.
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Vice Chancellor PhDre battles it out with President Anumia in a bloody and vicious fight.
In an article that sparked much argument and debate, Henry, Editor of the Henry Times, said that; “In fact, it is to be marveled at, the talent of Aftermath and especially Director PhDre, to turn any negative into a positive. He has truly shown himself to be a master magician, using sleight of hand to cover up any inconsistencies in himself and his paper by redirecting them into sympathy from the public and poorly guided attacks by his opposition.”
This article was met with much criticism from prominent members of the Europeian community, many of whom feel that the article was inaccurate and exaggerated.
In defence of Aftermath Entertainment, McEntire said that “This is ridiculous. You seem to be on the a similar tear against Aftermath that you’re accusing him of being on after Anumia. Aftermath is an opposition newspaper, and it’s fueled some great discussions. If everything was completely fair and civil, this region wouldn’t exist, because it’s a game, and people won’t tune in unless it’s interesting, i.e. not completely bland. So calm down.”
http://whitesharkdives.com/CMSImages/two-great-white-sharks(3).jpg
Henry and PhDre prepare for another round…
PhDre, Editor of Aftermath, also said that, “I dont (sic) think Henry’s comments about me or my newspaper deserve serious thought or attention; they’re inflamatory, speculation, and completely incorrect.”
Fortana, Editor of the Phoenix’s Eye, criticised both Aftermath and the Henry Times. “Aftermath has been shown to be deliberately targeting the current administration in a smear campaign against Anumia. While The Henry Times is vehemently in favour of the current administration (Henry is MoC however).”
The Europeian media are most certainly at peak livelihood, and it is going to be interesting to observe how this ‘media war’ plays out.
[hr]
This foreign update was written by Junior Minister Common-Sense Politics, and was also written and compiled by Minister Swakistek. Thank you also to PhDre, Henry, Fortana and Abbey Anumia who generously provided some of the content in this update.
Thank you for joining us again for another session in the sensory deprivation tank issue of the Europeian Foreign Update. We hope, as always, that you enjoyed it, and we wish you the best of fortunes in the sparse time until our next missive.
In case you are wanting to personally disembowel our Minister for Foreign Affairs, or merely wish to take a shotgun to Vice Chancellor PhDre, our evil genius lair may be found on http://z6.invisionfree.com/Europeia/index.php, and our EuroToday Twitter account remains an excellent way to keep abreast of Europeian news and current affairs.
UPDATE XLV
November 3rd, 2010
31st Congress, 31st Cabinet, 25th Senate
Population: 731 Nations of Unparalleled Awesomeness
Executive Government
President: Common-Sense Politics
Vice President: Oliver Grey
Supreme Chancellor: HEM
Grand Admiral: Swakistek
Foreign Minister: Carracalla
Interior Minister: Asperta
Culture Minister: Rachel Anumia
Welfare Minister: Abbey Anumia
World Assembly Delegate: Lethen
Legislative Government
Senate Speaker: Lethen
Deputy Senate Speaker: Jusduckria
City Council Mayor: Ogastein
Senators:
Swakistek
Aramor
Lethen
Jusduckria
Asperta
Abbey Anumia
Carracalla
Judicial Government
Chief Justice: Hyanygo
Associate Justice 1: Earth22
Associate Justice 2: r3naissanc3r
Associate Justice 3: Skizzy Grey
Attorney General: Pope Lexus X
BOOM! Europeian Population Reaches Beyond the Clouds; Casts Massive Shadow Over Entire World
Well, this is the third consecutive Foreign Update in which we are extremely pleased to be able to report another massive, massive population boom!
Earlier today, Europeia once again eclipsed all of its previous records and is currently sitting at an enormous 731 nations, in 9th place on the World Population Rankings.
Ministry of the Interior statistics on the number of recruitment telegrams sent each week, courtesy of MoI Asperta.
This is unquestionably due to the continuing efforts of our recruiters; in the first week of the term, recruiters reportedly sent 1404 recruitment telegrams, according to Ministry of the Interior statistics. This total is approximately 273% of the total for Week One of last term, which pales in comparison with only 516 TGs sent.
Special credit is also due to Junior Minister Aramor, who sent a whopping 911 telegrams during that time period. A colossal effort.
Lord Docomo, also one of Europeia’s star recruiters, was awarded with his First and Second Recruiting Stars and Recruiter of the Week for his efforts during the past week. The dedication and attitude of service demonstrated by these amazing recruiters is well summarised in this quote;
“Meh, award, no award it doesn’t really matter. The ultimate prize is to see this region grow even bigger” - Lord Docomo.
The Ministry of the Interior recently introduced a new recruitment telegram as well, and this is said to be an enormous improvement in effectiveness from our old version. According to the Ministry of the Interior statistics, it reportedly brings home 4.7% of recruited nations in comparison with the old telegram, which only had a 1.8% success rate.
http://www.allposters.com/IMAGES/PTGPOD/808483.jpg
Ministers Asperta and Swakistek discuss the rewrite of the Europeian recruitment telegram
Ministers Swakistek and Asperta played a major role in this project, which has been in the pipeline for some time, and both are extremely pleased to finally see it come to fruition and be of use to the Europeian region.
Swakistek commented that, “It’s really good work that’s being done by our awesome recruiters and staff in the Interior Ministry, but you can’t expect workmen to do good work if you give them awful materials. You can have the best builders in the world, but if you give them weak bricks and dilute cement, the house will fall down in no time.”
“Therefore, Minister Asperta and myself have embarked on this project with the intention of helping our recruiters to achieve more for the same effort, and to give them better materials with which to build the house. As we are happy to report, the project has been an enormous success, and we’re very happy with the results.”
Europeia is the AWESOMENESS!
We wondered what made Europeia such an attractive home for newcomers to NationStates, and so we decided to ask one of the newbies here why he came over and how he’s found the region so far. He’s already a champion recruiter in the Ministry of the Interior, and we want to share his thoughts with you all. 
— Begin quote from ____
Being a new member on the forums to a large region can be discouraging. You want to contribute but you dont want to intrude.
When you work up the courage to give some insight into the matter at hand, you worry that your ideas might be blown over or that your contributions go unnoticed. But not in the great region of Europeia! Europeia is a very friendly, welcoming and
very active region! I’ve only been involved in Europeia for about three weeks, and I have interesting conversations, made political progress; but more importantly I’ve made valued friends during my short time in Europeia.
In the past regions I have been involved with, the only conversations/activities that went on in the forums were all politics. Hardly any chit-chats, games
or just your plain ole BS’ing. But with Europeia, there are plenty of conversations to get involved in; both serious and the most random conversations ever.
Europeia is a regions full of opportunities; literally. I look forward to my time here in Europeia. I hope to make many more friends along my journey and hopefully I will be able to contribute to this great region called Europeia in one way or another.
— End quote
Elections…Elections…Elections?!
On October 17, Supreme Chancellor HEM called another set of General Elections for the Presidency and Senate of Europeia. Common-Sense Politcs (CSP) was among the first to announce his bid for the throne with Lord MacEntire as his VP.
He was shortly followed by Old Ogastein (OO) who also announced his intention to run for President. Unfortunately for OO, at the time of his announcement, he was still without a Vice President on his ticket, and this would prove an embarrassing error to jump the gun and announce his intentions without finding a running mate.
In a Europeian Inquirer Expert Panel Conference, Vice Chancellor PhDre added that “I’d say that Ogastein may have been overeager in announcing his intent to seek the Presidency without first having a solid running mate” and that “it doesn’t look good for a candidate to jump out the gate without a running mate.”
Unusually for Europeia, the normal dissecting of the candidates’ platforms did not occur, nor was there a fierce debate between supporters of both candidates.
The discussions were mainly focussed on the validity of OOs bid for the Presidency without a VP. Under Europeian law, a Presidential ticket must have both a President and a Vice Presidential candidate on it to be Constitutionally valid, however, Ogastein was finally able to find a willing running mate in Jusduckria, and the debate on the issue ebbed away.
As from that moment, it was an official 2 man race for the top job. Just hours before the voting booths were about to open, CSP launched his final platform and a quick debate was organised by Swakistek between the two candidates.
Preliminary polling by the Europeian Inquirer also showed huge swings towards Common-Sense Politics, even at the early stages of the campaign.
— Begin quote from ____
Common-Sense Politics 15 ] [71.43%]
Ogastein 6 ] [28.57%]
— End quote
http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/2039/250pxwillbailey.jpg
Common-Sense Politics giggles like an idiot as he watches the final votes coming in…
This trend continued, when contrary to the last election where the race was decided in the final hours, CSP quickly emerged as the winner with the following final result:
— Begin quote from ____
Common-Sense Politics/McEntire (IND) 22 ] [70.97%]
Ogastein/Jusduckria (IND) 9 ] [29.03%]
— End quote
The Senate elections were also held on the same day and it was up until a few days prior to the start of the voting that only 7 candidates had announced their willingness to stand for 8 seats.
It was only after Lethen started to threaten citizens with imprisonment in the Europeian gulags ( ) in his usual friendly manner that more people stepped forward and during Election Day the citizens were able to vote for 8 senators out of a group of 16 candidates.
Retiring Senate Speaker Swakistek had originally announced his intention to leave the Senate at these General Elections, but later decided to recontest his Senate seat (but not the Speakership) in the interests of maintaining a balance in the legislature between experienced and newer members.
http://www.bollywood.ac/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/deepika-hot-0111.jpg
Senator Swakistek enjoys his few minutes of comfort before he decides to get up from the couch and recontest his Senate seat…
The composition of the Senate after the elections was indeed highly satisfactory to those seeking such a balance, with Swakistek, Asperta and Cordova I being reelected, the return to the Senate of Carracalla, Jusduckria and Lethen, and the debut in the legislature of Abbey Anumia and Aramor.
However, shortly after assuming his duties, Cordova I was hit by RL issues and had to resign, causing the need of a by-election.
Two giants from Europeia and NS, Ollie Grey and Pope Lexus have each announced their interest in taking over the vacant seat, as did two other less prominent candidates…
However, when appointed to replace inactive Vice President McEntire, Oliver Grey left the race, and while voting continues at the time of writing, it now seems highly likely that Europeian legend Pope Lexus X will be returning to the Senate.
Devilish and Deadly Debate…
Confronted by Swakistek, Editor-in-Chief of the Europeian inquirer, a few hours before voting, both Ogastein and Common-Sense Politics generously agreed to give up their time for a short Presidential debate on the eve of our Europeian General Elections.
— Begin quote from ____
Swakistek: Ladies and gentlemen!
Swakistek: Welcome to the Europeian Inquirer Presidential Debate.
Swakistek: Each candidate may answer the question and give one rebuttal each.
Swakistek: Rebuttals are not permitted in answers.
Swakistek: If each candidate could now give an opening statement?
Common-Sense Politics: Ogastein, do go ahead.
Ogastein: Europeia needs positive change and that’s what I’m hoping to deliver. You can vote for a candidate who seems to be promising more of the same or you can vote for me - Someone with different ideas to make Europeia a better place. Thank you.
Swakistek: Thank you, Ogastein.
Swakistek: CSP, an opening statement?
Common-Sense Politics:Contrary to what my opponent will have you believe, I’ve been an outspoken critic of this past administration on multiple occasions. My policies about are about moving forward, not looking back. Anyone who has read anything I’ve posted this election season can clearly see that. I have the ability and experience to make all those goals and aspirations happen and I think that’s what this election should largely be about.
Swakistek: Excellent.
Swakistek: Thank you, CSP.
Swakistek: And now, the first question.
Swakistek: Could each of you talk about your choice of VP? What are their strengths and weaknesses?
Swakistek: Why did you choose them?
Swakistek: Remember, you are allowed one rebuttal each but no rebuttals in the answers.
Common-Sense Politics: Who would you like to answer first?
Swakistek: Either.
Swakistek: Whichever of you can post here first.
Swakistek: It doesn’t really matter, since no rebuttals are allowed in answers.
Common-Sense Politics: I chose McEntire well before I posted my intent to pursue the presidency. I believe he in an individual that possesses all the abilities we could want in a VP. He’s intelligent, well-spoken, knowledgable. More importantly though, he has a drive to make Europeia better than it ever has been. That’s been a quality I’ve looked for in selecting all of my cabinet. He’ll serve as a liaison to the Senate
Ogastein: I chose Jusduckria as my Vice President because he and myself hold a personal connection. We talk easily and effectively and I have no doubt that the communication between the two of us will be no problem throughout the term. Jusduckria’s strengths lay in the legislative aspect of the region, hence why he is my liaison to the Senate. His weakness is likely his inactivity in previous executive roles. Despite, these previous missteps, I know for sure that Jusduckria will prove to be one of the strongest Vice Presidents Europeia has ever seen.
Swakistek: Rebuttals?
Common-Sense Politics: Could I finish?
Swakistek: Oh, sorry.
Swakistek: Of course.
Common-Sense Politics: As I was saying, McEntire will serve as my liaison to out legilsative community. That little tidbit conveniently found its way into the platform of my opponent shortly after I made it known. He’ll also aid in the management of the cabinet and advise me personally.
Swakistek: Okay. Rebuttals?
Common-Sense Politics: Sure. I have no doubt that Jusduckria will can serve as an excellent deputy, actually. I’ve worked with him for awhile now and he’s one of our best. His failures over this past term to alarm me, though. Also having already served as VP, I’m curious as to what else he can offer that he hasn’t already. Beyond that, it was a good choice and I have no problem with it.
Swakistek: Ogastein?
Common-Sense Politics: do*
Swakistek: I thought that would be what you meant.
Ogastein: I find it quite interesting that McEntire seems to well-spoken and intelligent, yet we’ve barely seen him in the two topics of platform that my opponent has posted. I haven’t seen him comment on campaign policy, it’s all quite concerning, really. I am also quite concerned about the fact that McEntire has never served in an executive position in Europeia before, perhaps he’ll get some on the job training?
Swakistek: Okay, second question.
Swakistek: Could you briefly summarise your plans for Foreign Affairs and the Navy? What are your objectives, and how will you achieve them?
Common-Sense Politics: Those are two very broad questions that are diffcult to answer via one or two MSN posts, Swak. In addition, our platforms have already outlined much of the answers to these questions. I was hoping we could touch on some topics that weren’t included in the platforms. Your thoughts, Ogastein?>
Swakistek: Oh, okay.
Ogastein: I have to agree with CSP to a degree, however, I will summarize them quite quickly as the question asked.
Ogastein: I’ve already started on Foreign Affairs…
Common-Sense Politics: Fair enough.
Swakistek: Sure.
Swakistek: Go ahead, Ogastein, and then we might move out of the Platforms arena and approach some other issues.
Ogastein: For Foreign Affairs I want to have active tight knit foreign relations with fewer regions then we’ve previously seen in this region. Unlike my opponent, who thinks seeking out more regions when we already have embassies with many well regarded regions, I will not seek out many new embassies. Instead, I will focus on pruning and strengthening the embassies already have.
Ogastein: On the Navy, I want to appoint a strong minded, experienced individual to lead the Navy into a new era. Publicity will be a big focus of mine going into the next term as I believe many citizens don’t truly know what the Navy does.
Swakistek: Mhm, right.
Swakistek: Now, tell us what you think your particular strengths and weaknesses are as candidates. Critique each other.
Swakistek: And also critique yourselves, of course.
Common-Sense Politics: I’ll be civil is you will…
Common-Sense Politics: if*
Ogastein: I’ll be civil
Swakistek: Civility would indeed be welcomed and encouraged here.
Ogastein: until rebutals (evil laugh)
Swakistek: chuckles
Common-Sense Politics: Alrighty. Ogastein is a hard-working Europeian. Of this there is no doubt. However, I don’t believe he possesses the qualities, abilities, or knowledge to lead us forth at this particular moment in our history. In order to run an awareness campaign regarding the Navy, you must first know something about the Navy and maybe even care about its existence and progress. OO does not as his very public statements have shown.
Common-Sense Politics: I’ll leave it at that, I suppose.
Swakistek: Oh, and you can each feel free to defend yourselves in your rebuttal.
Swakistek: Ogastein?
Ogastein: CSP is a very lovely person and experience politician in our region. I have no doubt that he will be able to deliver as he has lead our region through some of our toughest times. I, however, think that his absence this past summer and his recent return has left him a little out of touch with the region. He’s proposing similar things to last term when it’s clear we’ve been operating at
Common-Sense Politics: How gracious of you, Swak.
Ogastein: status quo for far too long. I have no doubt that he is a strong leader and will make a fine President.
Common-Sense Politics: I’ve been emersed in the executive, legislative, and judicial happenings of the region for two months since my return. I would hardly call that recent or limited. I feel that OO is really reaching on this one. My record speaks for itself. Over the past year, I’ve proven to many that I can execute the duties of this job at a high level. That’s precisely what I’ll do. My opponent does not have such a record.
Ogastein: While I am not a personal fan of the Navy, I don’t think it takes a rocket scientist to know how to make any branch of government a success - if you have passion, you can make it happen. This past term you have seen my success as a leader in Naturalization, we shattered several records that have been set for several terms. Furthermore, the City Council has calmed down in the term in which I’ve taken over. I think this is a fair testament to my leadership abilities. In the past term, CSP served two weeks as Grand Admiral. I think he needs to get his feet wet again in the region before he can really be a strong leader.
Common-Sense Politics: That’s not an attack, just the way i and many others see it.
Swakistek: Okay.
Ogastein: That is perfectly fine, CSP
Common-Sense Politics: Hold on.
Ogastein: you’re entitled to your viewpoint
Common-Sense Politics: I’ve served as Attorney General, a Senator, the Grand Admiral, as well as my duties in FA. Get my feet wet? That is utterly ridiculous and quite frankly offensive.
Common-Sense Politics: That’s just in the past two months.
Swakistek: Shall we move on now?
Ogastein: If we’re loud more than one rebuttal as CSP just took advantage of
Ogastein: I’d love to respond.
Swakistek: Sure, then.
Common-Sense Politics: Have at it.
Swakistek: I’m quite enjoying watching this, actually. Feel free to keep discussing for a little bit, if you want.
Ogastein: I’m sorry but your time as both Attorney General and the Grand Admiral has been within the span of two weeks. I don’t think that’s getting your feet wet, sorry.
Swakistek: Okay, one moment.
Common-Sense Politics: I think you’re calculator is off, but fine then.
Swakistek: Shall we have some closing statements then?
Ogastein: My point is it’s only been a few weeks.
Swakistek: Erm…okay.
Swakistek: Any final words, last propaganda for the voters, etc?
Common-Sense Politics: bites tounge Do move on.
Ogastein: I think we have moved on, CSP
Ogastein: we’re writing closing statements.
Swakistek: What do you think Europeians are looking for in a President at these upcoming General Elections, and how are you the best person to fulfil those criteria?
Common-Sense Politics: I posted before that…
Swakistek: Closing statements now, ladies and gentlemen.
Swakistek: CSP, Ogastein?
Ogastein: I’m still writing, sorry chief
Common-Sense Politics: Anyway, the bottom line is that people want a top executive who knows how to get the job done and has the tools to get the job done. My speeches and platform expand on these ideas and I won’t ramble on here. I think the choice we have to make tomorrow is a very clear one. I have the ability, the drive, the knoweldge and the tools. The voters will have to decide if OO does.
Swakistek: Sure, sure, take your time, OO, and thank you, CSP.
Swakistek: (No rebuttals for the closing statements.)
Ogastein: In these past few months, I’ve been actively involved in this region as Mayor of the City Council and Head of Naturalization. In both of these areas we’ve seen results that show I am a solid leader. CSP has been in positions such as Attorney General and Grand Admiral for such a short period we have no seen results.
Ogastein: My platform is a detailed account of what I want our region to be. It’s been posted for a sufficient amount of time so that people and comment and critique it. It did not take me a week to put finishing touches on my platform. If finishing touches take a week, what will a whole term feel like?
Ogastein: I have the expertise, the skills, and the ability to be the President of Europeia. I acknowledge that I am a risk and may not be the most conventional choice. I know for sure, however, that if tomorrow you vote for me - I will deliver results. I will make Europeia a better place. I will not long settle for the status quo. I’m delivering change to the region.
Ogastein: So tomorrow, you have a decision - vote for the same or vote for a change. Thank you.
Swakistek: Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. That concludes today’s Europeian Inquirer Presidential Debate.
— End quote
We also spoke to both candidates after the debate and asked whether they had any additional statements.
Ogastein said that, “I think what you have speaks for itself,” whereas CSP gave a more extended response.
“Forgive me if I sounded a bit brash during the debate. Having been asked less than a minute before it begun to participate and being given a twenty minute timeframe was fine. However having to listen to Ogastein mislead the voters in the manner in which he did, truly irked me. It’s no secret that he and I have never really gotten along and I think I may have let that animosity slip out a bit.”
“His characterization of my record and my intentions border on boldfaced falsehood and his perception of the office of president as well as the challenges our region is facing is equally as troubling. I don’t know how else to say it, really. I would hope the voters can see through it.”
The Cabinet Carnage (is avoided as they all get to work )
After confirmation by the Europeian Senate, the Cabinet Ministers generally all sought to address the Europeian public, and receptions were largely positive, with optimism evident throughout.
The sentiment is also largely that President Common-Sense Politics has appointed an excellent and skilled Cabinet, and this has largely been supported by the excellent work of the Ministers, despite us still being early in the term.
When asked about the Navy, Grand Admiral Swakistek said that; “Well, I think that the Ministry has been going fairly well. Apart from the fact that my masking took a long time to arrive, I’ve had the chance to make a few administrative changes and implement the new training program, as I outlined in The Exciting ERN. We’ve also got a few raids in the pipeline, although as I’m sure you’ll understand, we haven’t been able to do any yet due to the delay in my masking.”
Grand Admiral Swakistek, President Common-Sense Politics, Vice President Oliver Grey and Foreign Minister Carracalla discuss which random region to air-drop teaspoons and hippopotami over.
Minister of Culture Rachel Anumia, a new entry into the Europeian Cabinet, mentioned that; “So far, we’ve been laying the groundwork for the term have started doing weekly theme days. I’ve started working on or starting to think about ways to get the Hall of Fame, the Europeian Broadcasting Cooperation and the Role Play active and fun. Then throughout the term, the goal will be to expand on all of that ground work as well as organize the winterfest and newspaper awards. Look for having theme days every week!”
Ministers Asperta and Carracalla also released detailed Opening Addresses outlining their plans for the upcoming term.
President Common-Sense Politics, centre, with his Cabinet.
Lord Docomo captured the gist of public opinion around the work of the President and his Cabinet in this quote, “As of now, CSP seems to be managing things better than Anumia was. Although, I personally think that CSP should of (sic) choosen a better VP. Having the VP resign all of a sudden may have dropped his “approval” and may affect him in the course of his term. But who knows, may be of no issue. We’ll see in time.”
Although the inactivity of his original Vice President has certainly swayed his Administration slightly, both his chosen replacement Vice President Oliver Grey and appointed Attorney General Pope Lexus X have been confirmed unanimously by the Senate, and we hope to see the Administration deliver some excellent results very soon.
Perfect Oblivion
And now, ladies and gentlemen, a short poem from the legendary namesake of the Aurora Art Gallery.
Asianatic, former President and awesomely awesome Europeian who has given much to her region and whose contributions have been immortalised with the founding of the Aurora Art Gallery, named after this brilliant individual.
I sprang from within the studio,
From the high-paneled mirrors and the smooth round barres,
Perfectly in my own sphere as existence blurs into abeyance.
The buffed pink satin whirling on the marred gray floor,
The concrete thud of falling back down to earth after flying through the air.
The familiar strains of ethereal music echo in the space around me
My fingers stretching to reach past the stars into that perfect oblivion.
I can float on that cloud later for hours
As my body sings with satisfaction for a good class.
I come from the studio, my heart dancing after me.
[hr]
This foreign update was written and compiled by Junior Minister Swakistek, with contributions from Minister Carracalla and Lord Docomo. Thank you also to Asianatic, Rachel Anumia, PhDre, Asperta, Common-Sense Politics and Ogastein who generously provided some of the content in this update.
Thank you for joining us again for another sentence of fifty lashes issue of the Europeian Foreign Update. We hope, as always, that you enjoyed it, and we wish you the best of fortunes in the sparse time until our next missive.
In case you are wanting to personally imprison Junior Minister Swak in a lonely dungeon, or merely wish to take a chainsaw to President Common-Sense Politics, our evil genius lair may be found on http://z6.invisionfree.com/Europeia/index.php, and our EuroToday Twitter account remains an excellent way to keep abreast of Europeian news and current affairs.
UPDATE XLVI
November 29th, 2010
31st Congress, 31st Cabinet, 26th Senate
Population: 824 Nations of Incredible Incitement
Executive Government
President: Common-Sense Politics
Vice President: Oliver Grey
Supreme Chancellor: HEM
Grand Admiral: Swakistek
Foreign Minister: HEM
Interior Minister: Asperta
Culture Minister: Rachel Anumia
Welfare Minister: Abbey Anumia
World Assembly Delegate: Lethen
Legislative Government
Senate Speaker: Lethen
Deputy Senate Speaker: Jusduckria
City Council Mayor: Asianatic
Senators:
Aramor
Lethen
Jusduckria
Asperta
Abbey Anumia
Karthikking
Swakistek
Ogastein
Judicial Government
Chief Justice: Earth22
Associate Justice 1: Hyanygo
Associate Justice 2: r3naissanc3r
Associate Justice 3: Skizzy Grey
Attorney General: Jusduckria
Introduction from new Foreign Minister
Howdy folks, I hope you enjoy this newest regional update that we have prepared for you. I just wanted to offer a small introduction as the new Foreign Minister of Europeia.
I am HEM, I’ve been in the region for a little while now. ( ) It is my honor to be serving out the term within this Department after the sad resignation of Carracalla due to real life busyness.
My goal of this term is to get closer to our friends across the world, and make as many new ones as possible. I invite all of you to keep an active embassy and always help each other stay in touch regarding various regional affairs.
Thanks for your time, and enjoy the update!
Election of a new Chief Justice
So, after a single term incumbent Chief Justice Hyanygo stated that he would not seek a second 70 days as the head of the Europeian judicial branch. This left the field wide open for the next judiciary election.
However, competition wasn’t fierce for Earth22, who was the only candidate to state her intent and campaign for the post. She eventually went up in the ballot box against the default “Abstain” option, and won in an incredible landslide.
The new Chief Justice enjoys her political victory in a Goldenblock hallway
Media Frenzy Galore!
The Europeian Media, long renowned for it’s volatile and unpredictable activity rate has spurred up again since our last update, with an article from the Henry Times and other various innovative outlets.
As it goes, Henry had published an article questioning the ability of this magnificent and supreme government, questioning if any large progress have really occurred within the region. The article was reacted to members of the Europeian Senate, citing several large legislative changes that were currently under debate. This includes an amendment which would alter how the judicial branch works, shifting away from an election model toward an appointment and approval model.
The debate casually moved back between several parties until an unexpected figure emerged: former Grand Admiral North East Somerset had a few things to say about stains being thrown at his record, and he voiced them loud and clear to the region. The debate promptly shifted between him and his notorious detractors. NES allegated that his failures had much to do with uncooperative attitude from Unknown, while President Common-Sense Politics defended the record of compromise he held as a member of the navy leadership and the ineffective work NES had done within the Navy. Things eventually fizzled out, but clearly events are not dull within the media, eh?
http://library.thinkquest.org/C0111500/spanamer/media/images/photos/kid.jpg
Things never get boring…
Population Boom!
Europeia since its time of founding has had, as many regions do, population decreases and rises. We at Europeia have recently had an enormous population surge. This surge of over a hundred nations allows our Community and our Navy to expand helping us to make a larger impact on the world stage.
Europeia is humbled that we are this appealing to nations ( ). By us growing in population, it gives you a chance to see how you can gain more members, through our positive population increase. Hopefully the strong work of our Interior Department will continue, and see our region soar to new heights ahead.
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The entry boat into Europeia
President gives major addresses
On November 10th, President Common-Sense gave a State of the Republic address, outlining the advances undertaken by his administration hencefar. Some key points made involved the population boom in Interior, the strong work of retention in Welfare, and the improved performance of the Europeian Navy. An exert of his conclusion can be found below:
— Begin quote from ____
“We can and will continue do so but if you, the average citizen does not take advantage of these opportunities to advance, to contribute, and to have fun then our spirit, the things that make this region so unique and attractive, will die. Its up to all of us, office holders and new citizens to take part. Ive just told you what myself and my government is doing. Now, decide what you will do.”
— End quote
The President also gave a major address on The United Kingdom incident, stating his support for the uprooted natives and his opposition to the revived king of the region. While he expressed sympathy for the goals of the newly re-dubbed, “King George”, he states that the means and methods used by the monarch are not in tune with the wishes of the people, and a subtle violation of the PhDre doctrine, formed after the seizing of power by a head of state in The Republic of Ireland. An exert can be found below:
— Begin quote from ____
“Moving forward, we will offer assistance wherever we can should it be requested. We offer our full and unfettered support to the exiled members of TUK in whatever course of action they deem in their interests whether that be reconciliation or rebuilding.”
— End quote
A month of stunning oratories by our Head of Government!
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The President prepares to give the speech with his “assistant”.
UPDATE XLVII
January 16, 2011
32st Congress, 32st Cabinet, 27th Senate
Population: 956 Nations
Executive Government
President: Oliver Dion-Grey
Vice President: Julian Anumia
Supreme Chancellor: HEM
Grand Admiral: Swakistek
Foreign Minister: McEntire
Interior Minister: Asperta
Culture Minister: Pope Lexus X
Welfare Minister: Ogastein
World Assembly Delegate: Lethen
Legislative Government
Senate Speaker: Ogastein
Deputy Senate Speaker: Jusduckria
City Council Mayor: McEntire
Senators:
Earth22
Asperta
Jusduckria
Ogastein
Rizchang
Synelia
Vacant (2)
Judicial Government
Chief Justice: Peaceful Llamas
Associate Justice 1: r3naissanc3r
Associate Justice 2: Abbey Anumia
Associate Justice 3: Jusduckria
Attorney General: Skizzy Grey
[hr][hr]
Presidential Election Recollection
Europeia saw one of its most memorable Electoral Seasons as we experienced troubles heretofore unforeseen. Tensions rose and many members cried out, both in response to candidates platforms and to responses to the candidates platforms.
The Electoral Season began with our previous President, Common Sense Politics (CSP), entering the race for President with previous President Julian Anumia as his running mate. While many were planning to vote CSP into office for a second time, there were a few who believed there should be more comptetition to prevent him from winning by default. Lord McEntire entered into the Presidential race with previous Culture Minister, Rachel Anumia, as his running mate. For both parties, time was well-spent on the preparation of the platforms and in fielding the questions pitched their way. There were quite a few hard questions asked; with many that shared common themes.
Two and a half days before voting began, CSP dropped out of the running, wishing to execute a much needed break instead of pursuing the road that many expected him to. Being no easy feat among men to know ones limit, this decision came as bittersweet news to the citizens of Europeia. With only Lord McEntire left in the running, others decided that they would enter into the race.
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It came to be in the final 36 hours that local Justice, Skizzy Grey, entered the race with a fantastic platform; with previous Chancellor & well-acclaimed journalist for the local ‘Aftermath’ Newspaper, PhDre, as his running mate. Soon after, in the final 24 hours before voting, previous President and beloved legislator, Oliver Dion-Grey, entered the race with Julian Anumia as his running mate.
Throughout the voting process, these candidates continued to receive questions, though the attention of all became drawn to the platform of Skizzy Grey when he was questioned about a current treaty with an allied friend. Though he answered to the best of his ability, there were a few members present for whom the answers rubbed the wrong way. Members that shared dual-citizenship in both regions cried out ‘foul’ about rumours having been mentioned that were untrue and lost some of his support.
With Lord McEntire being the underdog and Skizzy Grey losing a bit of the support that he had come to gain; it came to be that Oliver Grey, with his much acclaimed political history and fielding of questions throughout the day, was elected. It still was not an easy election, by any stretch of the imagination. Even with all that had occurred in such a short time, the voting was incredibly close most of the day with Skizzy and Oliver battling it out in the polls. In the end, Oliver reached the 51% majority that he needed to win, and saved the community from having a run-off period of voting.
This coming term has already held many surprises and it’s hardly found its feet just yet, but there is much hope that the recent chaos will culminate into the finely-tuned machine we’ve become accustomed to seeing.
Senate Elections? What Senate Elections?
Throughout all of the excitement of the Presidential election, the Senate campaigns and elections went by, largely unnoticed. During voting, the majority of attention remained upon the Presidential polls. Even here and now, it gets but the briefest of mentions in comparison, and only to remark that we now see an array of new faces into our Senate Chambers. Very little is known about some of our new Senators and they come into the game a bit untried and unproven.
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New Senators’ Portraits
Results-wise, the Senate elections saw nine people running for eight spots. Incumbents Jusduckria, Ogastein, Asperta and Rachel Anumia ran again along with Sopo, Earth22, Rabelliad, Synelia and Riczhang. With the exception of Sopo, none of the non-incumbents had any previous senate experience. Macarian campaigned as well but was not on the ballot due to an error.
Jusduckria, Ogastein, Rachel Anumia, Synelia, Riczhang, Sopo, Asperta and Earth22 were all elected to the Senate. Despite being overshadowed by the Presidential elections and perceived as not having enough star members, the Senate has been surprisingly active and feisty so far. Europeia looks forward to fresh faces in its Legislative Branch shaking things up!
Oliver Dion-Grey: Man with Some Plans
New Europeian President Oliver Dion-Grey finds himself leading into this term with some large shoes to fill. Literally, former President CSP’s shoe size is 15. He has, however, taken to heart the message of communication which we saw in the last term and throughout the elections, and he is being anything but aloof about his plans for the region. The President has already given a major address and started a Culture feature known as Goodnight, Europeia, where he addresses the region every night to inform them of his progress. Warm milk and a bed time story to come? Stay tuned.
On the front of Interior, CSP holdover and star Europeian Asperta has continued his success in the department. The man who saw the realization of the Europeia 800 and 900 population goals has fended off the pesky holiday season and has gained nations since the beginning of the term. Only time will tell if activity picking up in NationStates for the El Farto Dayo will lead to another boom, and maybe get our regional population into the quadruple digits!
Foreign Affairs has seen a spotlight on engagement with our fellow regions in a real way. President Dion-Grey is set to meet with many regions such as LKE to discuss infusing more diplomacy into Europeian Foreign Affairs. If you’re reading this, that means that the update office is also running smoothly. Former President CSP started the term as Foreign Minister, but unfortunately was unable to continue due to fatigue. President Dion-Grey appointed former Presidential hopeful McEntire in his place. This switch has brought the establishment of the Office of Embassies and Ambassadors, led by Director Earth22, to handle domestic Ministry matters.
You can read about the Navy in other parts of our friendly Foreign Update. The Culture Ministry has been put under the aegis of powerhouse former President Pope Lexus X, and has seen a spike in activity that we’re sure will sustain. Welfare, a relatively new department whose task is welcoming new members, will again be headed by Sopo, and is coming up with new and innovative ways to retain our membership.
President Dion-Grey’s desk
As you can see, this is an administration full of old fogies veteran members who will take this region to even greater heights. The President and his team look forward to a beautiful and prosperous term, and a bright future for our region and our allies!
Navy Gravy
The ERN has celebrated the El Farto Dayo with an enormous amount of respect-garnering fire power! Since our last update on the ERN they have successfully raided a total of eight regions! The highlights were:
A Fleet Fleet
ERN successfully raided the vast futuristic region Technopolis in a bid to gain newly developed technologies to update our what was aging fleet.
Iran was shocked as the ERN hijacked the profitable Middle Eastern oil supplies. The ERN was rapidly running out of oil to power the ships, and raided Iran to get oil supplies America watch out!
The ERN raided the Soviet Union, with the Angles of Unknown and the Military of New Earth providing late reinforcements. The Soviet Union fell once more.
It has been an eventful few weeks for the ERN, but with a El Farto Dayo comes new targets, but thats not all. The El Farto Dayo also brings new problems, so the critical question; will the ERN still be holding strong in 2011? Watch the Euro Foreign Update to find out!
Senate is in it to Win it
Wait! Before you skip this section just because it’s about legislation, dont! You never know what you might discover. There are currently two pieces of legislation in front of the Senate this term so far.
The first is the Culture Minister Amendment Act which is if passed going to redefine some of the duties of the Culture minister which has been a grey area now for some time. The Amendment would basically take the Culture Minister out of anything that’s not directly related to Cultural events (ie non-governmental portions of the forum). It was heavily debated in the first reading but passed 6-0-1 and was signed into law.
The second piece is the Forum Administration Act 2011 which although had a rocky start now has the support of the majority of Senators. Even Supreme Chancellor HEM voiced his thoughts on this one-sided debate:
— Begin quote from ____
What a riveting debate
— End quote
The last piece of legislation signed in 2010 was the Repeal of the Europeia-The United Kingdom Cultural Agreement which was stricken to the political turmoil of TUK.
The Important Legislative Decisions Begin
[hr]
Contributing to this update were Foreign Minister McEntire, and Junior Ministers Henry, Rabelliad, and Rachel Anumia, as well as editing by Swakistek.
Europeia’s forums can be found at: http://z6.invisionfree.com/Europeia/index.php?
Thank you, once again, for reading through the haps in Europeia! The Vietnamese slave orphans Junior Ministers who wrote this truly appreciate it. Keep tuning in, and have a very Europeian day!
UPDATE XLVIII
March 1, 2011
33rd Congress, 33rd Cabinet, 28th Senate
Population: 928
Another Election Season Draws to a Close
In recent days, Europeia elected its 28th Senate. Asianatic, Asperta and Jusduckria were re-elected, and outgoing President Oliver Dion-Grey won a seat also. They will be joined by newcomers Tikal and Tyranna Lucina. Tikal rose to prominence through her outstanding work in the Welfare Ministry. Ty has become a fixture in Europeias social circles recently and has extensive political experience in The New Inquisition, a close Europeian ally.
In the presidential election, Earth 22 and running mate Common-Sense Politics coasted to a surprisingly lopsided, first-ballot victory over two opponents.
President Earth
Following the traditional swearing-in ceremony, President Earth delivered her inaugural address. An excerpt follows:
We are all Europeians. This is our region. This is our community. Whether you voted for me or not, you are still a Europeian, and you have an equal stake in the success of our region. Each of us, old and new, must step forward. Each of us must bear what we can, because many hands will make this light work. And in turn, each of us will reap the rewards of an ever-greater region. Let us step forward as the greatest user-created region of all time.
Today, my fellow Europeians, we need to look at ourselves and the world anew. As the torch of leadership passes to a new set of elected officials, let us put aside our differences and stand as one.
Europeia.
One word carries so many meanings. If you ask Google, it leads you right back to our forums and our NS page. Urban Dictionary is even less helpful. I guess thats because the definition of Europeia isnt something you can find online, although thats where our community is.
I ask all Europeians to look to your hearts. How do you define Europeia? I see true politics and true community-- a community Im proud to say Im part of-- but more than that, I see something I love and care about. I see people that I love, trust, and care about. That makes me want to work hard to make this region all it can be. I hope it makes you feel the same way.
Following her address, President Earth announced she would be retaining her predecessors Cabinet: Asperta will serve his fourth term as Interior Minister and be joined by fellow returnees Gustavus Adolphus Rex (Culture Minister) and Tikal (Welfare Minister). The President also appointed Asianatic to fill the vacant position of Foreign Minister and named Oliver Dion-Grey as her Grand Admiral. The Senate swiftly confirmed all these choices.
In the Judiciary, Peaceful Llamas resigned to pursue what was ultimately an unsuccessful bid for the Vice Presidency. As primus inter pares, Abbey Anumia is discharging the functions of the Chief Justice until that position is filled.
For those of you who cant get enough Europeian politics (and if thats you, why arent you on our forums??), theres more political commentary toward the end of this update.
The Europeian Navy: Making Raiding Fun
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Two of Ollies new recruits.
Upon taking control of the Navy, Grand Admiral Oliver Dion-Grey has been a flurry of activity. When asked about the direction he was taking the Navy in, he said, “I think that a strong community will be more attractive to the average bystander than a list of victories. When we can demonstrate to others that the Navy is a close-knit group of comrades in arms, an organization of honour and integrity as well as strength, we’ll be able to attract more Europeians to service.” Under this focus, Grand Admiral Dion-Grey intends to organize the Navy into smaller units, called Ships after the naval theme, and to bring naval members together through more personal training and development. The Grand Admiral finished our chat on the same note he started with. “Community is the key,” he said, "If we’re all close together, the officers will find a real pride in being part of the Navy. That said, we’re still going to get out there and mix it up; Europeia’s Navy has the potential to be the best in the game, and once we’re all pulling on the same rope, we will be.
Dead People Are Cool
While he was serving as President (!!), Oliver Dion-Grey organized a Quotable Dead People Tournament. Sixteen notable, quotable-- and dead-- people were selected and placed in a March Madness-style bracket. Europeians voted for the winners in each round, offering their favorite quotes from their favorite dead people and debating the contenders relative merits.
In the end, Napoleon Bonaparte defeated George Orwell in the final, with Winston Churchill edging Mahatma Gandhi for third place. Heres a selection of quotes from the winner:
Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.
Four hostile newspapers are more to be feared than a thousand bayonets.
The French complain of everything, and always.
Doctors will have more lives to answer for in the next world than even we generals.
Take time to deliberate, but when the time for action has arrived, stop thinking and go in.
If one of Napoleons aides replied Cest quelle a dit to that last quote, history did not record it.
No wonder they named a complex after this guy.
EBC Revival: Love is Everywhere
Gustavus Adophus Rex has revitalized the long-dormant Europeian Broadcasting Corporation. In addition to his own estimable contributions, Gus has recruited a dedicated staff-- Rachel, Skizzy Grey and Willem Jefferson. Together, they have assembled a series of regularly scheduled features, so that EBC provides Europeia with quality creative content every day.
Gus is unquestionably the EBCs brightest star, but his writing is in-depth and doesnt lend itself to excerpting. Therefore, we offer you this Valentines Day special edition of A Taste of Skizz, Skizzy Greys curiously titled column:
In the wake of the Tiger Woods scandal a little over a year ago, Kansas City sportswriter Jason Whitlock did some excellent reporting on the VIP hostess scene. These hostesses get paid boatloads of money by extremely wealthy clients to find women that meet certain requirements and bring them wherever the client ismost often, Las Vegas. The women receive an all-expense paid trip to Vegas and access to all the VIP amenities; in exchange, theres a tacit agreement the women will make themselves sexually available to the client. Starfkers are a dime a dozen, so if youre the hostess for a guy like Tiger Woods, your job is easy. As someone who thought one of the selling points for celebrity was how ridiculously easy it is to get laid, it blew my mind that Tiger actually paid tons of money to dispense with the miniscule effort it must take for him to get an attractive woman from the bar to his bedroom. I guess he wanted a transactional experience, and was willing to pay a lot of money to get it.
An astonishing percentage of men pay for sex at some point in their lives, so Im aware a few readers have had their own low-rent version of the Tiger Woods Experience. For the rest of us, Valentines Day is the closest well get to transactional sex. If youre in a steady relationship and buy the customary flowers and chocolates, youre practically guaranteed to get laid tonight, even if she might otherwise not be in the mood. If you buy her a nice piece of jewelry, or had the forethought to make reservations a month ago at her favorite restaurant, she might even do that super-hot, slightly nasty thing she knows you really like. And even if your relationship is in its death throes, your partner probably will grudgingly put outbut youll have to initiate it, and I personally wouldnt blame you if you decided to save your sweat for your morning workout.
Whatever your situation, I hope you enjoy your Valentines Day. If its a platonic holiday for you, enjoy it to the maxI had a blast helping my son make homemade Valentines for his classmates, so I definitely see the fun in that. If youre in the honeymoon phase of a relationship, enjoy the magic tonightand every night, because honeymoon phases dont last long. And if youre in a comfortableor even tiresomerelationship, enjoy tonight for the opportunity it brings, and as you reap your transactional reward, feel free to utter the words from the knock-off commercial: I am Tiger Woods.
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Gus and his minions. Not pictured: Rachel
The Outer Limits of Metaphysics: Fake Pundits Comment on Fake Elections
During the recently concluded campaign, there was considerable consternation about the lack of political commentary from the regions news outlets. Henry rose to the challenge, displaying his usual wit and uncompromising style. He wrote these words as voting was winding down, and the scope of the unexpected Earth/CSP landslide was becoming apparent:
First off, does anyone else find it funny that the people winning our Presidential election are two people who have recently put in the least amount of work towards Europeia? Yeah, one of them is a legal guru and the other was recently our President, but shall we take a look at why they’re actually winning?
Their competition. Rachel Anumia and Fortana; two people whom the region either doesn’t take seriously enough, or takes too seriously. Even with Earth and CSP being mostly inactive this past term and not contributing much, the changed Rachel Anumia still stands very little chance to get inaugurated. During the past term or two, Rachel has shown a change in demeanor and how she presents herself on top of becoming one of the best legislative minds that we’ve had in the Senate in a while (not counting those who have repeatedly been in the Senate and long since lost any fire or desire to do a whole lot).
Fortana, on the other hand, has held quite a few positions in other regions where he has performed his duties admirably and really only runs into a blockade here in Europeia when it comes to getting anything done politically. The fact that he’s gotten his Economy idea off the boat at long last, in defiance of those policing the waters, shows just how dedicated he can be towards seeing something through to the end.
The fact that they both are outstripped by a team-up of people who haven’t done much recently, but are well liked, just goes to show how far our Democracy has fallen into a popularity contest.
That being said, I think that both Rachel and Fortana should have been able to read the situation in Europeia better to realize where they would best be suited for the moment. I think Rachel should have definitely continued her career in the Senate for the time-being, perhaps take on another Ministry role should it be cast her way and to continue eradicating the events of the past months from peoples minds. It’s a testament to how hard it is to dispel first impressions, which I hear can be quite a bitch.
Fortana has never really been taken seriously here, and even though I have trouble understanding why that is or how it started, and even though I think it unfair; I think he should have taken that into account before trying to run for President out of the blue and without trying to work harder to dispel in peoples minds the idea that he isn’t a good choice for higher office.
The Presidential Race and how it’s turning out is nothing short of completely predictable, no matter how you look at it.
Our Senate race, or lack thereof, is even more predictable. Nothing really gets changed in the Senate. New ideas are hardly ever committed. When something is changed, it’s slow to be agreed upon and usually just an amendment. It’s been a long time since anything new was actually able to be introduced. I think that the biggest part of this is what Carracella remarked upon: We’ve hit the wall in what people here have assumed our destiny to be. There are people here who don’t think we can take Europeia any further down the road, or refine her any further.
Simply put, we’re stuck in a rut because we think we’re perfect. After 4-5 long years, Europeia has reached what it set out to do. Who really wants to join the senate only to have their ideas ear-marked for the trash bin because they don’t coincide with peoples view of the perfect Europeia? After a while, who is really left who cares enough to try?
Nothing is ever perfect. Nothing is ever finished. Europeia is far from having nothing left to do and even further from utopia. I think that a lot of our problem in that regard is that we listen too much to the people who say that we are. I think that we should instead begin to listen to people who do have ideas; who do wish to take Euro to a next step instead of allowing it to stagnate in the mistaken belief that we have hit the final wall.
I’m not talking about change for the sake of change, but change for good reason, backed by good arguments.
We still have work needing to be done in shaping up our foreign affairs. We still have work to do in the Interior, in Welfare and Naturalization. We have work to do in the Senate, refining our laws and making new ones. There is always work to be done. There will always be work needing to be done. We will never hit that wall where the only thing needing to be done is maintenance of what we already have in place. Never.
Controversy is good. It stirs activity and makes people pay attention, but at the end of the day, it’s a shock factor and little else. Eventually, it will lose its ability to shock people. Stop trying to fill the gaps with controversy. It isn’t the answer. The problem is that we’ve hit a mental blockade where people can’t really see the next step. The answer is that we shouldn’t stop looking for ways to improve Europeia. The answer is that we shouldn’t just limit ourselves to what one; or a few; thinks to be an improvement. You say you’re open to all sources, but there are those you discount based on personal bias, no matter what you say to the contrary, and the elections as they stand right now only serve to confirm that bias.
You have no one to blame but yourselves. How’s that for controversial?
Europeia has a tradition of wide-open debate. Henrys words did not offend, but as you can imagine, they stirred the pot. North East Somerset offered the most eloquent rebuttal:
Interesting points, but I don’t really fully agree with any of them. I don’t think it’s a popularity contest, I think Europeians are electing the credible candidates here, the unequivocally better candidates to put it bluntly. There is certainly a sound case to say that over the last term Earth-CSP haven’t been massive frontline contributers, but clearly they are capable of being so we have seen in the past, so I don’t see that as a huge sticking point. I don’t think Fort has put across a particularly coherent campaign, and I don’t think this was the right time for Rachel to run. To me, personally, and he is a nice chap, so I really don’t mean to demean or insult, but Fort lacks a certain quality I expect of a Europeian President - that maybe other regions would not - that’s not to say he cannot grow the quality. Lethen was an erratic and slapdash young chap when I first met him and he…hmm, maybe not a good example…
However, I think this will go down as the election where VP’s really made a difference. Not so much who they were, although that is obviously significant, but their timing. The fact the two losing camps presented a last minute campaign without VP selected at the start really served to separate and distance them from the ultra-prepared and organised candidacy of Earth. I think that was the ultimate reason why we see such a colossal gap in the votes between Earth and the other two candidates. Neither PL nor whoever Fort picked I can’t even remember offhand, posed such a cutting and professional figure as CSP, whom has become a bit of a household name, I’m sure he would like to think so anyway, though the Senate election might take him back down to Earth - pardon the pun.
Regarding the nothing changing issue, I certainly don’t see the need to adjust laws unless there is evidence that the status quo is not working. But that doesn’t mean that achievement stops, not all achievement is derived from law, or from the Senate. As you mentioned there is a great deal more Europeia can do, in several fields, and the candidates in the election campaign have addressed this and made proposals. I agree those who think we are perfect or in any way near what we should be aiming at should be ignored, but that doesn’t mean we should avoid celebrating what we have achieved so far. Hopefully the next government will go some way towards doing that, and I know that they will prioritise bringing on our next crop of leaders, giving them the know how they need to lead the region in the future, an incredibly important task, which I am sure will not be forgotten.
Time will tell whether Henry or NES was right. Whatever the outcome, we will report it to you-- but if youve read this far, arent you interested enough to come to our forums and see for yourself??
UPDATE XLIX
March 15, 2011
33rd Congress, 33rd Cabinet, 28th Senate
Population: 976
A full list of current office holders is available at the bottom of this update.
You Don’t Have to Be Kinky to Role Play
Culture Minister Gustavus Adolphus Rex has revived the Europeian theater, with the ambitious goal of quickly restoring its once-proud place as the foremost role-playing venue in NationStates. To that end, Gus is launching two role-play scenarios simultaneously. One is “From Europeia With Love,” based on the serial novel by the same name that has captivated the region. In the role-play version, Europeia is embroiled in civil war; characters choose a persona and a place to live in Goldenblock City, where they can engage directly in the battle to save Europeia from hostile forces or do their best to avoid the war and live their workaday lives.
http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2010/191/9/5/Eleanor_Lamb_by_PinoyWolf.jpg
A botched plastic surgery turned a Harrison Ford look-alike into this hideous creature.
The second role-play is not a new scenario, but a revival of an scenario created by Oliver Dion-Grey in Imperial Britain that outgrew that region’s dedicated but small role-playing community. Called “Hogwarts,” this scenario is loosely based on the Harry Potter novels, but rather than trying to replicate the plot of those well-known novels, it allows players to create storylines of their own in a fantasy world inspired by J.K. Rowling’s novels.
Both scenarios are just getting underway. New players are needed and will be welcomed with open arms. So, if role-playing is your cup of tea, come to Europeia and join the revival on the ground floor.
One last note: for the uninitiated, forum-based role playing is not the same as traditional role-playing games. Your humble correspondent used to play Dungeons & Dragons and other role-playing games, but gave them up when he discovered his penis had uses besides urination. Forum-based role playing is less like traditional RPGs than it is like collaboratively written serial fiction. So if you like to write, or if you like to act-- or ideally, both-- you will likely enjoy forum-based role playing.
The Europeian Navy: More Conquests than Wilt Chamberlain
The Europeian Republic Navy has continued in its flurry of activity from the moment the hammer dropped on http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z92/psychoticbarber/EuroNavy/scotlandmasthead.png
three days after the start of the term. We showed our impressive speed with a raid on http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z92/psychoticbarber/EuroNavy/snopesmasthead.png
, a region which updates a mere 33 seconds after the start of the update. We showed our indomitable spirit after missing three regional updates in a row to finally settle on http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z92/psychoticbarber/EuroNavy/rlyehmasthead.png
, where Cthulhu lies sleeping.
We also showed that dirty raiding is more fun, with twin strikes on http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z92/psychoticbarber/EuroNavy/vorlonmasthead.png
and http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z92/psychoticbarber/EuroNavy/Tahitimasthead.png
. We showed that we can play nicely with others, as we split a victory in http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z92/psychoticbarber/EuroNavy/SPACEmasthead.png
with Unknown and The Black Hawks. We showed our nerdy side with an open-source assault on http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z92/psychoticbarber/EuroNavy/linuxmasthead.png
, and last but not least, we showed our willingness to teach newer raiders a lesson with a pointed strike on http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z92/psychoticbarber/EuroNavy/theholyordermasthead.png
.
With such a varied experience over the past two weeks, it’s hard to really convey it with snappy sentences and clever pictures; you’ve got to be here to get it. The Europeian Republican Navy is exciting, fun, and you never know what you’re going to do next. Thankfully, neither do the Defenders.
This ain’t your grandpa’s navy.
Trading Places at the EBC: Willem Gets Laughs, Skizzy broods
The European Broadcasting Corporation continues to thrive under the leadership of Gustavus Adophus Rex,with Rachel, Skizzy Grey and Willem Jefferson laboring alongside Gus to produce quality content on a daily basis. In recent weeks, however, there has been a marked change, almost as dramatic as the turnabout in the classic movie Trading Places. Willem, who entered Europeia as an aspiring intellectual, has emerged as one of its foremost humorists. Meanwhile, Skizzy Grey, who is infamous in Europeia for injecting bawdy humor everywhere from spam forums to presidential campaigns, has taken a sudden introspective turn. While Willem’s humor relies to some extent on inside jokes, Skizzy’s new style requires no knowledge of Europeia to appreciate. Here (following the jump) is a recent EBC submission, ominously titled “In my time of dying”:
The real Skizzy, not some stinkin’ sunflower.
Our concept of self is an artificial construct. One need not be a Buddhist to embrace the fundamental truth of this observation. I am not a nihilistI exist but that I exists only relationally. I am a product of my experiences, of my relationships, of my values, of my circumstances. Because all those things change constantly, there is no unchanging I. Indeed, to the extent our sense of self is meaningful, it is a self that goes through an endless series of deaths and rebirths. The self that exists in one moment is gone the next. Efforts to impose continuity on this process dont survive logical scrutinytheres not a cell in my body that was there the day I was born; theres not a thought in my brain that was there when I was an infant, or even a child; theres not a single aspect of my character that hasnt changed multiple times over the years. I am always dying and being reborn. The question isnt whether this happens, but whether it happens for good or ill.
In the fall, I took my son to Boston Common for an outdoor worship service. Prior to the service, we provided lunch to the homeless people who had gathered to pray. My son and I developed a system for distributing lunches: as the line moved, I asked what people would like to eat (there was a choice of sandwiches), then I gave my son the right sandwich and had him hand it to the recipient. It worked wonderfully. Maybe my son learned something that will stick with him, but more immediately, the people received their free meal with a dignity I could not possibly have afforded themthe delight on their face was unmistakable, and it was a lot more profound than the wow, what a cute kid sentiment that young children often evoke.
I understand the distance between my brain chemistry and a homeless persons is no thicker than a ct hair. Unfortunately, after 37 years living in this society, some part of societys wrong-headed judgments have become part of me. Something in my eyes would have betrayed those judgments to many people in that lunch line. These judgments, as loathsome as I find them to be, are part of who I am.
In recent weeks, Ive realized that Im a profoundly selfish person. My selfishness manifests itself in many ways. I measure the worth of other people mostly by what they can do for me. I am motivated to do work I enjoy, I can be prodded to do work that must be done right away, but if I have work to do thats neither interesting nor pressing, theres not a snowballs chance in hell it will get done, no matter how handsomely Im paid to do it. And in large part because of my profound selfishness, my marriage will never be anything more than a child-rearing artifice. After eleven years of struggle, my wife and I have hurt each other too much to hope for more than that.
It gets worse. Recently, Ive realized that my daughterDaddys little girl, my pride and joyis already dead for all intents and purposes. No, my daughter isnt going to die imminently; she has several years of life left, maybe more. But the girl I held in that neurologists office that awful day six years ago, the girl who endured a bone-marrow transplant with courage I can only imagine having, the girl whose excitement was palpable when she met Mickey Mouse on her Make-A-Wish trip to Disney World, the girl I look forward to holding in my armchair every Christmas morningshes gone. Forever. Im not her Daddy anymore. Now, Im the father of a child who sometimes shows affection for me, but more often doesnt; a child who sometimes giggles when an old friend visits, but more often turns away to watch TV; a child who once inspired many teachers, therapists and aides to go beyond the call of duty to reach her potential, but whose newer aides mostly see her as someone to be babysat and kept out of trouble.
In other words, the self I like to see when I look in the mirror either never existed (the hardworking person who cares about homeless people), or is perishing before my eyes (the good husband, the proud father). This is all part of the natural, continuous cycle of death and rebirth. And it would bother me less if I wasnt so invested in a notion of self that is disconnected from reality. If I ever was the person I always wanted to be, that I would perish instantly. Heres hoping the ugly person Ive discovered I am at the moment perishes no less quickly.
Elections, Conferences, and Constitutional Conventions
Indycar Racing has joined the Europeian Senate, defeating four rivals to capture the Senate seat vacated by Tikal. Like fellow freshman senator Tyranna Lucina, Indy’s reputation in Europeia was built mostly in the region’s social forums with regular activity and rapier wit. Tikal also resigned as Welfare Minister and was replaced by Europeian veteran Telthas. Tikal kept quiet about the reasons for her resignation, but she has remained socially active in Europeia. We hope Tikal will soon be able to regain her position as a rising star in Europeian politics.
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Indycar Racing, Europeia’s newest senator
Proposed structural changes to Europeian governance are plodding along in their early stages. A judicial conference-- the second in Europeia’s history-- was convened by Chief Justice Abbey Anumia. Attendance was somewhat disappointing because of the timing, which was not convenient for many North American Europeians, but those who attended the Conference universally applauded Abbey for convening it and praised the work done there.
On a more high-profile front, a public debate is ongoing about a rewrite of the region’s constitution. Senators and other leaders have taken unusual steps to open the debate to all citizens, and many citizens-- including some not normally known for political activism-- have participated vigorously in the ongoing debates. The changes will not alter Europeia’s fundamental structure as a democratic republic with separate executive, legislative and judicial branches, but many details are up for grabs. The final constitution will likely be submitted to a public referendum after it is approved by the Senate and President.
Who’s Who
Because we know some of you miss that massive masthead.
President Earth, Europeia’s Head of Government
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Supreme Chancellor HEM, Europeia’s Head of State
Executive Government
Supreme Chancellor: HEM
President: Earth22
Vice President: Common-Sense Politics
Grand Admiral: Oliver Dion-Grey
Foreign Minister: Asianatic
Interior Minister: Asperta
Culture Minister: Gustavus Adolphus Rex
Welfare Minister: Telthas
World Assembly Delegate: Lethen
Legislative Government
City Council Mayor: Rachel
Senators:
Asianatic
Asperta
Indycar Racing
Jusduckria (speaker)
Oliver Dion-Grey (deputy speaker)
Tyranna Lucina
Judicial Government
Chief Justice Abbey Anumia
Associate Justice: Jusduckria
Associate Justice: Swakistek
Associate Justice: Silver Steps
Attorney General: Skizzy Grey
UPDATE L
April 1, 2011
33rd Congress, 33rd Cabinet, 28th Senate
Population: 1,048
A full list of current office holders is available at the bottom of this update.
Let’s Party: “Culturefest” Celebrates Renewal of Old Ties
In honor of their new “Treaty of Friendship,” old allies Europeia and The New Inquisition held a three-day cultural exchange. Fortana flashed his Irish brogue with a voice recording of himself reciting the names of colorfully named characters from both regions. Fort’s audio debut inspired other renditions of the same list and sparked a spirited debate over how to pronounce the surname of TNI Reich Chancellor (and Europeian citizen) Tyranna Lucina.
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The lovely Tyranna
New Europeian Foreign Minister Skizzy Grey took the opportunity to appoint himself ambassador to TNI and to publish a special, self-deprecatory edition of his regular EBC column there. The denizens of TNI treated Skizzy kindly, even as they questioned his sanity.
All in all, it was a good time where new acquaintances were made and old ties were renewed. Tyranna and Europeian President Earth are applauded for their work to bring the treaty and festival to fruition so swiftly!
Burn Out, or Fade Away? A Legend Retires, For Now.
On the heels of a lauded presidential term and in the midst of simultaneous, successful stints as Grand Admiral and Senator, Europeian legend Oliver Dion-Grey abruptly retired.
Ollie wouldn’t have missed the reference in the headline.
In a tender farewell speech, Oliver plainly stated his reasons for retiring:I didn’t think that I’d be writing this message for some time, or possibly ever. As some of you may have noticed, I have been tired for some time in Europeia, and it’s time for me to move on. This is not a failing of Europeia’s, I think. In their lives, people go through many stages where they may need different things. For the nearly two years I’ve been here, Europeia has been an important part of my life, and I love it dearly, and will be sad to leave it.
I am coming into a stage in my NationStates life where I don’t know what I want, I don’t know what’s going to make me happy. I think the only way for me to find it is for me to wander, and to experiment. Oliver Dion-Grey will go wandering, with the blessing and love of Aessiris. I won’t rule out the possibility of returning someday, but it may be some time down the line…
To my comrades of the Navy: You are doing fantastically. You can succeed without me. You have the tools and the knowledge. Grow the Navy. Recruit actively. Be a community together, and be responsible, intelligent raiders, and you will do wonderfully.
To all of Europeia, I say much of the same. You are fantastic, and brilliant, and Europeia will continue to grow. I’ll be watching, I’m sure, from a distance, and rooting for you all. I will miss you deeply. I don’t want anyone to feel responsible for this action: the only one responsible is me. It’s time for me to go now, and find whatever it is I’m yearning for. I hope to see you again, when I’m ready for a place like Europeia once more.
With deepest feelings of respect, admiration, and solemnity,
Goodbye.
Oliver Dion-Grey
We miss you already, friend.
One PAX FRUIT: A Fresh Voice at EBC
When Culture Minister Gustavus Adolphus Rex steps back, his revival of the EBC will likely stand as both his first and greatest achievement. Gus’s early work at EBC continues to pay dividends, most recently with The PAX FRUIT. Created by Europeian newcomer Kotharis, The PAX FRUIT is a conscious satire of perhaps the greatest satirical publication of our age (The Onion).
An excerpt from the maiden issue of The PAX FRUIT follows. Enjoy.Much has been said about the recent success of the Europeian Navy under recently passed Grand Admiral Oliver Dion-Grey. They had conquered regions with impunity for the glory and good of the Republic, and things were going swimmingly. But now, part of the way through the current electoral cycle, the Navy and its new leadership are facing down a new challenge: defending its citizens from the appearance of a vicious and deadly sea monster, the Kraken.
The Kraken is a monster of myth and legend, gargantuan in size and capable of substantially damaging even the Navy’s most sturdy ships. The Kraken has claimed our former Grand Admiral to its tentacles, and now it has set its sights on the Europeian government. Just in these last few weeks, it has claimed the lives of Senators Andrew Jefferson, Tyranna Lucina, Jusduckria and Foreign Affairs minister Asianatic. As it stands, that leaves half of our Senate and a substantial minority of the Cabinet lost to the slippery tentacles of the beast.
Power Play: Europeian Giants Return to the Senate
After a series of resignations unexpectedly opened three seats in the Europeian Senate, former Presidents Anumia and PhDre and current Chief Justice Abbey Anumia entered the fray and won the open seats, defeating two other candidates.
Past President PhDre is one of Europeia’s three new Senators
The by-election, convened and held swiftly in accordance with Europeian law, radically transforms a Senate that had been dominated of late by newcomers. To varying degrees, the three successful candidates held themselves in contrast to the recent trend; the results suggest voters may have become wary of electing newcomers to the region’s highest legislative body.
Anumia stated the case for experience most bluntly:Recently, we have turned away from this path. Recent times have seen a stern push in a different direction; a wild rush to throw our newest and least-experienced members as high up along the political chain as possible has seen our political culture as a whole abandon traditions and policies that served our Republic for years without fail; now, without conditioning or aid, our youngest citizens are catapulted into a world of duty and responsibility at a rate that would have been considered foolish, even scandalous, less than a year ago, while the older and experienced citizens are retiring or shifting out of politics in droves, citing a need to “let the newcomers have some room.”
The end result is a legislature without direction or confidence, and the Senators we thrust too early into the spotlight are left floundering without aid from those with the wisdom to help. Couple this with the recent trend pushed forward of “utter and uncompromising precision over practicality and interest” has seen activity in our Senate dry up and the throughput of legislation in the past few months drop to zero. The Courts are afflicted by a similar problem, and the matter is obvious: we have become so caught up in attaining “perfection” (or as close to it as possible) that we have ground our legal system - in both legislative and judicial spheres - to a boring, unimaginative, and inactive halt.
It is high time therefore that we see a return of some of our better and wiser traditions, and it is time that our Senate wakes up and remembers its potential. Once more, the Senate must become the guiding hand of the Republic, and allow its resolutions to make their full effect in both domestic and foreign affairs. We must remind ourselves that the Senate should not be the first port of call for every new member who gains citizenship, and we cannot nitpick ourselves into oblivion. We must fight to reclaim the spirit of the Senate of old, and in our new age of greater enlightenment, size, and influence, we must not be afraid to allow the Senate to exert its proper influence, within this land and abroad.
Once more we must see our experienced citizens serving in the Senate. Once more we must look at all candidates with a critical eye, to ensure we elect the best and brightest. Once more we must seek to properly introduce our new citizens to our legal system, and support their political advancement in Europeia without giving them a free ride that too often results in a crash. Once more, we must see honour, authority, and duty fully-restored to the rank of Senator.
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Don’t s–t on this, pigeon!
Who’s Who
You don’t need to have a program to know the players, but it doesn’t hurt.
President Earth, Europeia’s Head of Government
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Supreme Chancellor HEM, Europeia’s Head of State
Executive Government
Supreme Chancellor: HEM
President: Earth22
Vice President: Common-Sense Politics
Grand Admiral: Griff
Foreign Minister: Skizzy Grey
Interior Minister: Asperta
Culture Minister: Gustavus Adolphus Rex
Welfare Minister: Rachel Anumia
World Assembly Delegate: Lethen
Legislative Government
City Council Mayor: Rachel Anumia
Senators:
Abbey Anumia
Anumia
Asperta (speaker)
Free Politic
Indycar Racing
PhDre
Judicial Government
Chief Justice Abbey Anumia
Associate Justice: Swakistek
Associate Justice: Silver Steps
Associate Justice: Peaceful Llamas
Attorney General: vacant
My apologies about the last couple of updates, here is the most recent:
UPDATE LIII
June 1, 2011
34th Congress, 34th Cabinet, 29th Senate
Population: 1,005
A full list of current office holders is available at the bottom of this update.
End of an Era: Resignations Trigger “Paradigm Shift”
About a week ago, in the space of a few hours, the abrupt resignations of Supreme Chancellor HEM, President Earth, and WA Delegate Oliver Grey shook Europeia to its foundations. HEM returned the next day, though he has not reassumed his role as Supreme Chancellor. At this writing, neither Earth nor Oliver has been seen in Europeia since shortly after their resignations.
In accordance with Europeia’s constitution, Vice President Skizzy Grey assumed the presidency. He quickly appointed Rachel Anumia to fill the vacant office of Vice President. About twenty-four hours after taking office, President Grey addressed the region and reflected upon the “end of an era”:
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President Skizzy GreyAdversity has tested the character of this region. So far, we have met the challenge. My confidence in this region and its people has increased tremendously since I reluctantly took the mantle of leadership. I am proud to call you my friends.
Rest assured, I don’t underestimate the challenges we face… I recognize an end to an era. That era … was the most successful era in Europeia’s history to date. Our population grew; our military became the game’s greatest raiding force; our cultural offerings proliferated; and our politics were genteel, almost to the point of blandness. In recent weeks, we have seen erosion of those achievements: population is down; the Navy is not at peak strength; our cultural output has withered; and our politics have turned nasty. The things that brought us our current success have proved incapable of sustaining that success. A paradigm shift is underway, and we need new ways of thinking.
In the days since the flurry of resignations, Europeia has been energized – recruitment has picked up, activity has flourished across the regional forums, and the Senate has taken up a flurry of new legislative proposals. Europeia hopes its departed citizens return home, but in the meantime, the people have mobilized to fill the big shoes those departed citizens left behind.
Legendary Leader Receives Europeia’s Highest Honor
Europeia recognized one of its Founding Fathers, as legendary leader Pineapleboy was inducted into the region’s Hall of Fame.
Lincoln, Churchill … Pineapleboy
Another Europeian giant and Hall of Famer, former President Pope Lexus X, delivered the induction speech:Pineapleboy was one of the first citizens in Europeia, joining on the 22nd of April 2007. Pine was actively involved straight away, running in elections and commenting on legislation and the affairs of state. His abilities were clear from the start. Pineapleboy was elected for two terms as the 8th President of Europeia from August 27th until November 24th 2007. He left his office as the most popular President in Europeian history, and the longest serving at that time. During his terms in office, he was regarded as “active, stern and fair”, being also remembered for his drive for the protection of rights and extension of term limits… Pine faced several foreign and internal difficulties as well along the way, all which were dealt with promptly and efficiently. His legacy as one of the best Presidents is by no means surprising.
In a time of change in Europeia, it was good to remember the dedication of Europeia’s first generation, whose perseverance laid the foundation for the region’s present greatness, which must be sustained by a new generation of leadership.
Food Fight: Raiders, Defenders Square Off
As a region that emphatically places itself outside the raider-defender axis, you might not expect partisans from either side to make much noise. You would be wrong – precisely because of its independent stance, Europeia is home to many prominent players on both sides of the divide. These rivals provided a fireworks show in recent weeks.
Rachel Anumia, an outspoken advocate of Europeian independence, harshly critiqued the Founderless Regions Alliance – the mother-ship of defender organizations – for its handling of the late 2010 coup in The United Kingdom, where Rachel was once a prominent citizen.
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Rachel picks the best avis.Looking back, I wonder what we actually gained. Security was a minus; [FRA] rarely helped and if they did it was like pulling teeth. This is despite joining FRA makes your region more of a target and telling us that theyd help (a very FRA theme). I wasted time being a rep (in TUK it was the PM and MoD), time better spent in the actual region itself…
TUK went downhill when we put more time into FRA and less time into the region itself. FRA was an issue it was never a solution. Others and I spent time trying to fix the whole FRA issue like we spent time trying to fix the FA, recruiting and other real issues facing TUK.
Now, my biggest issue with FRA. When our Founder took over the region youd think that given that it was the government which had joined FRA that they would stand with the government. The government, which put time into FRA and that, loaned its time and its soldiers for FRA. Yet, there was nothing.
Defenders took issue with Rachel’s assertions, particularly the claim that the FRA failed to come to TUK’s aid. This excerpt from a post by FRA veteran Chin-Chillas is representative:
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Why can’t all the 'fendas be as cool as C-C?The threads where TUKs membership was discussed and rescinded by the RA were all available to all TUK members who were registered on the FRA boards, including yourself. TUK’s membership was rescinded just over 24 hours after the initial request was made by PASD. It was never ‘denied’, there was just a short discussion period where various viewpoints were brought to the table.
As the debate unfolded on multiple fronts and got heated – the civility manifested in the foregoing excerpts wasn’t maintained by all participants – a few Europeians without a stake in the outcome posted this emoticon:
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That led former President Common-Sense Politics to question whether openly treating
the debate as a spectator sport (as opposed to quietly treating it that way, which a lot of Europeians did) conveyed disrespect for the citizens:While I’m here I can’t help but notice that the popcorn emoticon, being used during a passionate argument, is a bit of a patronizing gesture toward those involved. Both parties were clearly very invested in what they were discussing and to cheapen those emotions and this transaction of ideas to a catfight for us to enjoy is well…quite lame in my eyes. Just some food for thought.
Citizen (and TNI Reich Chancellor) Tyranna Lucina responded:
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And a good laugh was had by all!
Who’s Who
Here’s how things look now that the dust has settled.
Executive Government
Supreme Chancellor: Lethen
President: Skizzy Grey
Vice President: Rachel Anumia
Grand Admiral: Asperta
Foreign Minister: Anumia
Interior Minister: Hyanygo
Culture Minister: HEM
Welfare Minister: McEntire
World Assembly Delegate: Abbey Anumia
Legislative Government
City Council Mayor: Lethen
Senators:
Anumia (speaker)
Asperta
Hyanygo
Indycar Racing
McEntire
Peaceful Llamas
Rachel Anumia
Subron
Judicial Government
Chief Justice Swakistek
Associate Justice: Abbey Anumia
Associate Justice: Peaceful Llamas
Associate Justice: Silver Steps
Attorney General: Jusduckria
Also I just read your embassy in The Pacific is apparently in danger of being closed down.
Kind Regards,
UPDATE LIV
July 4, 2011
35th Congress, 35th Cabinet, 30th Senate
Population: 881
NS Regional Power: Extremely High
Current Government of Europeia
Executive Government
Supreme Chancellor: HEM
President: Rachel Anumia
Vice President: Asperta
Grand Admiral: Common-Sense Politics
Foreign Minister: Anumia
Interior Minister: Asianatic
Culture Minister: Panlu
Welfare Minister: Ogastein
World Assembly Delegate: Abbey Anumia
Legislative Government
Senators:
Indycar Racing
Anumia
Sopo (Speaker)
Subron
McEntire
Fortana
City Council Mayor: Asylum
Judicial Government
Chief Justice Swakistek
Associate Justice: Abbey Anumia
Associate Justice: Peaceful Llamas
Associate Justice: Cordova I
Attorney General: Jusduckria
[hr]
New Leadership for a New Era
After a tumultuous term, Europeian voters opted for stability, electing Vice President Rachel Anumia to the presidency by a shocking 2-to-1 margin over five-time President Pope Lexus X and veteran citizen Henry. Rachel’s running mate, Asperta, is Europeia’s new Vice President.
The election capped a meteoric rise for Rachel, who rose from a junior ministry position to the region’s highest office in just over three months. In that time, Rachel has built her reputation on an impeccable work ethic, which carried her to victory despite a superb campaign by the estimable Lexus.
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President Rachel Anumia
In her inaugural address, Rachel looked toward the challenges facing Europeia:
Elections and perhaps more so this election, are a time of refocusing, renewal and a chance for a fresh start… There was an opportunity amidst the danger of the crisis and as a community, we took it. We need to continue rebuild and grow, not only as a region but as a community by continuing to welcome new members with open arms, giving them the opportunities and help to succeed.
In the Senate, the electorate also opted for familiar faces, re-electing incumbents Anumia, Indycar Racing, McEntire and Subron and choosing the familiar Fortana and Sopo to fill the other two available seats. After a Speaker race between the incumbent Anumia and challenger Sopo that was so close as to be a draw, the President selected Sopo to take the chair, and he immediately appointed his predecessor as Deputy Speaker.
Return of our Beloved Founder
As our previous Foreign Update explained, the Supreme Chancellor and Founder of our Republic, HEM, recently resigned his position during a tumult, and though he returned to the region shortly after, he did not immediately retake his position as Supreme Chancellor. The position was held for the last month or so by the previously long-standing Vice Chancellor, Lethen, who managed the duties of the Chancellery expertly in the official absence of his predecessor.
A few days ago however, he handed the Chancellery back to HEM, giving a speech where he said:
“…Europeia began to heal, and it is still healing. There are still spats, yes, but an open nature and honesty are keys to a healthy relationship. Europeia is its people, and we will all do so much better if we are fair and honest with one another without being too petty or vindictive. Bottling up feelings, holding grudges, etc. only serve to hurt yourself and, eventually, others whenever you feel the need to publically vent or lambast…”
“…And to continue the healing process, I am going to name HEM as my second Vice Chancellor. While many will say the dust has settled, that he never had to resign as Supreme Chancellor in the first place, etc. etc. I still think that re-appointing HEM into an office so intimate with his former position may be bothersome to some. Will anything be said here? Perhaps not, most likely things will be said in private and behind closed doors. Either way, the appointment will stick; I told HEM to lay low for some time after Resignation-Gate happened, and its been far too long…”
"…So now we have this that I present to you all. Healing is a matter of finding courage, and it is also a matter of time…but yes, Hippocrates was correct, it is a matter of opportunity.
It is on that note that I officially resign as Supreme Chancellor, and appoint HEM as my successor. He may retain myself and Swakistek or not, that is his decision.
Welcome back, old friend."
Lethen’s announcement was met with unanimously-positive sentiment, and gratitude from the citizenry for the job he did during his brief time in the top spot. Thank you for the service, Lethen, and welcome back HEM!
Coming to Europeia
Our Republic prides itself on being open and welcoming to our new members. With an entire Ministry dedicated to encouraging newcomers to the forum, and helping them settle in and feel a part of the community, we try our best to integrate and naturalise all of our incoming citizens into the life of our Republic.
As part of our efforts to continually improve our Government programs, we asked a new member who had recently obtained citizenship what his first impressions were in coming to Europeia:
“My first impression of Europeia was just WOW. I mean, a fully functioning Forum. A WIKI, an awesome story, I just love it. As of now, being torn between two Nations, I almost want to drop my other one (Rhoacolin) because I think I can get a lot done with Muzcova. And I also think that the best place for me to do that is here in Europeia. I have to say that this region is amazing and I am glad that they contacted me.”
-J. Harl
Thanks, J. Harl! We at Europeia hope all incoming citizens feel the same as you do.
[hr]
Brief and Fun Updates:
-Europeian Senate discusses changes to improve its world-renowned judicial system, refuses to fund giant inflatable gavels for the Justices
-Areopagitican proposes “The Hootch and Toddy Ordinance” to clamp down on humour in the City Council, is promptly hauled away by the fun police when the Ordinance reaches the Senate
-President Rachel Anumia makes plans to attract new recruits to the Navy, secret photographs of a skimpy khaki outfit leaked from within the Goldenblock
-Outgoing President Skizzy Grey gives Anumia an Ovation for his long-standing work in Europeia, Anumia reported as momentarily humbled, shocks Republic
-Vice Chancellor Swakistek gets new glasses, doesn’t improve his stand-up routine
-Earth22 returns to Europeia after an absence, sales of naughty magazines plummet
UPDATE LV
August 15, 2011
36th Congress, 36th Cabinet, 31st Senate
Population: 738
NS Regional Power: Extremely High
Current Government of Europeia
Executive Government
Supreme Chancellor: HEM
President: Sopo
Vice President: HEM
Grand Admiral: karthikking
Foreign Minister: Earth22
Interior Minister: Abbey Anumia
Culture Minister: James Hanover
Welfare Minister: Ogastein
World Assembly Delegate: Abbey Anumia
Legislative Government
Senators:
Oliver (Speaker)
McEntire
Jusduckria
North East Somerset
Klatonia
ACKJVR
City Council Mayor: Rachel Anumia
Judicial Government
Chief Justice: Cordova I
Associate Justice: Peaceful Llamas
Associate Justice: Bootskitten
Associate Justice: Vacant
Attorney General: Jusduckria
A Message from the President
This Message has been rated PG 13 for bad humor
Greetings, friends and allies!
The Europeian people have honored me by selecting me as their next President. What does this mean for you? Mostly that you’ll be hearing quite a bit from me- whether you like it or not. If anyone out there would like to talk to me at any time, just shoot me a PM on the Europeian forums and I’ll give you my MSN address. I’m always happy to meet new people and learn about the happenings of other regions.
I have a big vision for Europeia, one that cannot come to fruition without our friends and allies. I have already been amazed this term with the interregional cooperation to find the porn spammers. Hopefully future cooperative endeavors will have a much lighter tone. Expect to see very active ambassadors from Europeia and more frequent updates from this point on out. We care about each of our colleagues and want you to know it.
Enough of the srs bznz though, I’ve got a joke: A man walks into a bar with his son, who is only a head. He carries his son in and they order a drink. The son swallows the drink and he magically grows a torso! The father enthusiastically orders him another drink, and this time he grows arms! Becoming very excited, the father orders him another drink and he grows legs. Amazed, the father orders a fourth drink to see what else could happen. The son slugs it down and falls dead of alcohol poisoning. The bartender says to the father, “I guess he should have quit while he was a-head!”
Haha, get it?
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President Sopo’s Goldenblock is eight miles wide.
Rising Star Burnt Out
Rachel, everyones favourite rising star, resigned as Europeian President on the 27th July. Her Cabinet had lost the confidence of the people and a series of polls by her Grand Admiral, Swakistek laid the nails into the coffin. The polling and report cards in which everyone could see just what everyone else was thinking sowed the seeds for either a resignation or a Vote of No Confidence. After weeks of Cabinet Ministers going in and out, and after weeks of polling, Swakistek put the Vote of No Confidence question on the poll. This is what the Europeian Inquirer said:
— Begin quote from ____
Now, it’s the question that a lot of people have been waiting to hear about.
We asked whether the performance of the Rachel Administration was sufficiently poor so as to justify a Vote of No Confidence, and 60% said yes. Rumblings have been circulating Europeia for some time, and it seems now even more certain that at some point, somebody is bound to move to such an effect.
— End quote
And that was that, shortly afterwards on the same day Rachel, sadly, resigned saying that If people want me to go, Ill go. Ive put in quite a bit into the region and in many ways; perception is the name of the game. Going into this, I knew it would be difficult and I wasnt as strong I needed to be. As per Europeian Law, Asperta, the Vice President, became President. Senator McEntire motioned for a Vote of No Confidence just in case. With Asperta strangely silent, the region was wondering what would happen next.
Asperta on July 29th, gave his encourage[ment to] the Senate to push through with a Vote of No Confidence, and give this term back to the people. And so a Vote of No Confidence was passed by the Senate shortly afterwards to re-energise the region and to let a government seek a fresh mandate for change. Because of the Vote of No Confidence, the entire Executive and Legislature were thrown out and fresh elections held.
But Asperta said it best about Rachels resignation:
— Begin quote from ____
It is never easy to see someone who has, I pray that you believe me, worked her heart out for all of us. Her labors for the region are worthy of praise, and her resolve to continue her service in the light of criticism is very admirable. This resignation was frankly something that I have not expected from her. I hope that you join me in wishing her the best of luck for her future endeavors.
— End quote
The Presidential Campaigns get Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
After the Vote of No Confidence the electoral gates were flung wide open for platforms of all shapes and sizes. Interestingly we had our very own troll ticket of Blumenwitz/Allied Alliances which led to some serious questions getting hilarious responses :
— Begin quote from ____
When you envision a great Europeia, shining at the very peak of its brilliance, what do you see? Describe it for me.
— End quote
— Begin quote from ____
A desk, a wall, some form of beverage off to my right, a window forward of me slightly to the right.
That’s what I saw about a year ago.
— End quote
Quickly we had our serious contenders : Sopo/HEM , Swakistek/Abbey Anumia and Ogastein/McEntire.
For the first time we had the Europeian News Network deliver a fantastic set of Presidential Debates. There was one question for each major policy area (Foreign Affairs, Interior, Welfare, Culture, and Navy) and one tailor-made question for each candidate.
Ogastein ran on the idea that Europeia needs to be picked up and replenished, Swakistek on asking why do we do the things we do? and Sopo on a bold new direction. Writing under the pseudonyms of Colonel Mustard, Mr. Green and Professor Plum, the Europeian News Network panel declared the race “too close to call”.
Then election day hit us. Unsurprisingly, Sopo was elected to the Presidency with 21 votes beating the Swakistek ticket on 10 votes, and suprisingly Blumenwitz on 5 votes and Ogastein on 3 votes.
Now Vice President HEM delivered a victory speech in which he promised to emulate Daft Punk :
— Begin quote from ____
My friends, thank you all so very much
President Sopo and I have been honored to hold your support in these General Elections. It was not an easy campaign – and do not let the numbers deceive you – it was no slaughter.
Swakistek and Ogastein are two of the brightest minds of the region. It is my belief that just as they will be a massive asset this term, they will also be lauded for the considerable candor and breadth of the ideas presented this election.
On a personal note, this region has trusted me with the office of Vice President on three other occasions. Perhaps this region would have been more reluctant to elect me had they realized how I finished not a full term any of those occasions.
In short, I have let this region down before. But I have ran this race not just to right prior wrongs, but to brush such sand aside, and help Sopo build the Europeia that we all dream of.
We all know the dreams. The hopes, the visions. We all know what we want this region to be. I am so familiar with such aspirations because of our humble upbringing. When I dreamed of a great Europeia so many years ago, it was this very region I saw.
But we can always do better.
We can always reach higher.
We can always fight harder.
President Sopo and I have every intentions of doing that. We will take the road less traveled, and we will fight the hard battles. We will make mistakes. We will screw up. But there is no easy way into the history books, and we have stiff competition.
But it is my hope that this entire term is remembered for it’s nuance. For it’s intelligence. For it’s openness. For it’s compassion, and yes, for it’s challenge.
We have a Senate of grand minds joining us. We have a City Council filled with active and thoughtful veterans and newbies alike. We have an Executive ready to lead.
I believe my friends, soon we will have a New Prosperity.
Thank you all so much, and God Bless.
— End quote
President Sopo and Vice President HEM bringing “The New Wave” to Europeia
Europeia Decides
A bit of a shakeup in the Senate Election
On August 5th, Europeia went to the polls to select a new Presidential Administration as well as a new Senate. In comparison to past elections, the field was packed, with 13 candidates vying for 6 open seats. Of the 13, a good portion of the candidates were relative newcomers to the region, which is always a welcome sight.
A number of Senators supported and endorsed the idea of having an Opposition to help hold the Government accountable, which caused the election to be more interesting and active. (For further information, see The Peoples Loyal Opposition located elsewhere in this update)
When all was said and done, the results were as follows:
(Candidates in bold were elected.)
Oliver 26 ]
Jusduckria 23 ]
McEntire 17 ]
karthikking 8 ]
Lia Moss-Firen 13 ]
Blake 4 ]
Caninope 10 ]
North East Somerset 21 ]
ACKJVR 14 ]
Blumenwitz 4 ]
James Hanover 7 ]
Peaceful Llamas 13 ]
Klatonia 20 ]
While the newcomers didnt do as well as one would hope, Lia Moss-Firen managed to tie veteran Europeian Peaceful Llamas, and was one vote away from causing a by-election.
The Great Re-Send successful but can’t withhold regional turmoil
On July 19th, The Great Re-Send began. The initiative encouraged citizens to re-welcome other citizens of the region who hadn’t yet made their way to the region. It started off very well, with over 60 nations re-welcomed on the first day. This success could, unfortunately, not continue as the region went through the turmoil of the abrupt change in government. As each day went on, less were welcomed and the initiative abruptly ended when the government was completely ousted from power. In the end, 160 nations were re-welcome to the region, a success considering the circumstances. Minister of Welfare Ogastein vowed to continue the progress, “I’ll be sending out 500 odd more telegrams if that’s what need be; anything to get our forum more active.”
Porn Spam
"Hello everyone, a quick message from your friendly neighborhood Europeian Vice President!
The recent porn spam attacks have been widespread. They have effected many regions, either personally, or through friendships. Evidence is still being locked together, but the EIA is confidently reassured by the progress we have made. We know people who are complicit in this affair, and even now we are working to bring them to justice alongside the perpetrators.
Just as we hope for international support during the attacks, we are pushing for a show of unity after. This is why Europeia will be looking to host the second Convention on Offsite Property. The details are being ironed out, but all regions will be weclome to send a delegation. We are going to tighten up regulations on what is defined as forum terrorism, while ensuring that certain people can be rehabilitated rather than resorting to such heinous crimes again and again.
Europeia stands in solidarity with the world community on this issue. Together we will end the threat of forum destruction for all regions, and together we will ensure those who have committed these foul deeds to be brought to justice. I urge anyone with information to come forward with it. You are free to telegram myself, King HEM, and you will not be named.
We will find justice for all those attacks, of that, you can be assured Europeia will accomplish.
The People’s Loyal Opposition
Westminster May Be Making In-Roads In Europeia
A note for the reader. The author of this piece is the Leader of the Loyal Opposition, and one of the main instigators of its existence. Any bias is unintentional, but likely inevitable.
On August 2nd, I published an article called The Shadow Cabinet, detailing the way that the Opposition in a Westminster system provides critique of the Political Executive, and noted that there was no similar mechanism in Europeia for such critique, and ultimately suggested we should probably have something like that. At the time, I was running for Senate, so I included it in my platform, and a few other notables followed suit. Four Senators with such opinions were elected, a majority in Europeia, and so the People’s Loyal Opposition was born.
I maintain that at this time it is still far too early to tell whether the idea is a success or not, but the Opposition has provided some critiques of Cabinet appointments, and begun to lay the groundwork for the introduction of a Question Period. Those opposed to the Opposition have decried it for reasons as varied as “impossible to be effective”, “all well and good now but wait til the bad Senators get back in”, and “grounded in a culture of irresponsible negativity that hurts others.” We’ve heard it all. Confidence remains high within the Senate, but only time will if this confidence is warranted.
The Update Team: Sopo, HEM, Oliver Marlowe, Hyanygo, Ogastein, Jusduckria, Griff Capulet, and Earth22 Marlowe-Capulet
UPDATE LVI
September 2, 2011
36th Congress, 36th Cabinet, 31st Senate
Population: 741
NS Regional Power: Extremely High
Current Government of Europeia
Executive Government
Supreme Chancellor: HEM
President: Sopo
Vice President: HEM
Grand Admiral: karthikking
Foreign Minister: Earth22
Interior Minister: Carracalla
Culture Minister: Fortana
Welfare Minister: Ogastein
World Assembly Delegate:Swakistek
Legislative Government
Senators:
Oliver
Jusduckria
North East Somerset
ACKJVR
Crist Seymour
Vacant
City Council Mayor: Elections Ongoing
Judicial Government
Chief Justice: Cordova I
Associate Justice: Peaceful Llamas
Associate Justice: Bootskitten
Associate Justice: Asperta
Attorney General: Jusduckria
A Note From the President
Yes, I’m still here.
Friends and Allies of Europeia,
The past few weeks have seens ups and downs, and I’m proud to say that Europeia is surviving a Sopo administration and going strong! There are still plenty of areas which need work, and now that I’m settling into my new life stage, I should have time to get to work on them. The Cabinet has really come together as a cohesive group, and I’m proud to be able to work with them every day. I continue to relish in my position as President, though it does come with it’s share of negatives. I am very excited about the remainder of the term and can’t wait to build on the progress we’ve already made!
Now, I won’t put you through quite the same punishment as last time (that joke was truly awful), but I will leave you with a thought: “She was only a whiskey-maker, but he loved her still.”
President Sopo addressing the Cross-Cultural Conference.
At the Heart of Europeian Politics - Senate Update
The first business of the term for the Senate is always the election of the Speaker. This was a clear cut race with Oliver taking 5 of the 6 available votes. The next matter at hand was dealing with the Cabinet nominations. All the core Ministries were approved, though the Minister of Information was rejected, as well as a Minister without Portfolio. Around this period, Bootskitten and Jusduckria were also approved by the Senate as Associate Justice and Attorney General, respectively. The Senate then moved decisively to Veto EO 70, which the President made to rename the Welfare Ministry to Integration. The Speaker Oliver accused President Sopo of reckless and offensive behaviour in not making the necessary alterations to the Acts affected by the change. The President soon withdrew the EO and around one week later, the Citizen Integration Ministry Act (2011) was passed by the Senate, which resolved the issues to the satisfaction of all involved.
Peaceful Llamas was approved by the Senate as an Associate Justice, as Lethen was approved access to the EAAC under EO68. The Fourth Amendment to the Separation of Powers Act was approved, which means Senators can no longer serve simoultaneously as Vice President. This prevent future Vice Presidential abuse of the Executive Order powers. The Legislation Accessibility Act (2011) which was championed by Senator Klatonia was also passed. The Act tasks the Senate to provide citizens with a comprehensible summary of laws, so that each citizen, whether or not familiar with legal language, may understand his or her duty and act accordingly. Business from the previous term in the form of the Judicature Bill (2011) was concluded with the passing of a version produced primarily by Skizzy Grey. There was public consternation over the length of previous proposals, and though the final version passed was more concise, it still exceeded 2,000 words in length. The bill comprehensively covers all details of Europeias world class Justice System.
One of the more controversial issues to be put before the Senate so far this term was the nomination of OnderKelkia as an Associate Justice by President Sopo. After a long and unconventional interrogation, the nomination failed with 2 votes for, 2 against, 1 abstention, and 1 not present. Senator Somerset who did not make any posts in the nomination thread, said the whole procedure was a farce that should never have been brought to the Senate citing the nature of the objections raised as “irrelevant”. Former Vice President Asperta was later nominated for the same role, and the Senate approved him unanimously after some discussion.
OnderKelkias foreign judicial experience was not enough for the Senate.
Recent opinion polls held by the Europeian Inquirer rated the Grand Admiral and the Minister of Cultures performance very poorly, and the latter was ultimately removed by the President. Fortana was nominated for the position and approved by the Senate. The retirement of Abbey from active service in Nationstates also meant that a new Interior Minister had to be found, and veteran Carracalla was called nominated, and promptly approved by the Senate. The opinion polls were not just focused on the Government, as they also featured a section for the Senate. The overall Senate rendered a rating of 64.8%, which was deemed to be decent, but not exceptional. The ratings for individual Senators are; Senate Speaker Oliver: 58.3%, Senator Jusduckria: 51.7%, Senator NES: 68.3%, Senator Klatonia: 55.0%, Senator McEntire: 63.9%, Senator ACKJVR: 50.6%.
Senator North East Somerset led the pack in Public Approval Ratings.
Senator McEntire resigned from the Senate during the opinion polling period, citing a lack of available time, and was replaced by Crist Seymour after a by-election in which the underdog defeated former Senate stalwart Peaceful Llamas, by 14 votes to 12.
The Speaker introduced an informal system of Critics to question Government Ministers on policy and progress, with each Senator assigned to a different Ministry, early in the term. However the idea appears to have floundered with neither Senators nor Ministers taking naturally to the concept. The Committee for Formal Scrutiny in Government was therefore set up, with the aim of formalising procedures, which may be the only way to make such a system of Executive accountability take hold properly. A Committee for the Creation of a Military Code has also been created, which is Chaired by Senator Klatonia.
The Executive Elections Act is currently in its Second Reading, and discussion is focused around the issue of how the President should be able to call early elections. The most recent proposal was the The Extreme Measures Act which proved highly controversial, and was rejected by all involved. The discussion however got particularly heated, and resulted in the resignation from the Senate of the Bill’s author Klatonia and also Oliver stepping down as Speaker after a failed attempt to bar Senator Somerset. The region quickly moved on from the debacle, but it proves Europeian politics can be dynamic and fast moving, when such matters arise.
Senator Crist Seymour thanking voters for their support. He promised to be the most fabulous Senator in the Senate!
Stay Classy: City Council
Recently the City Council of Europeia has seen new activity. Under the look of Rachel Anumia as Mayor, the City Council created its own newspaper. The Council Telegraph was newly introduced to the people of Europeia. Tyler Curone has been named editor of the Telegraph. The Council thinks this is a step in the right direction to bringing the inner workings of the City Council to the people of Europeia.
Also numerous discussions have begun inside the City Council. The C.C. has begun discussions on a decision to create a new bill that would bring changes to the Euro University. Also talks have continued on the fifth constitution. These talks have been going on for a while and are expected to continue. More updates to come from the City Council.
So for now, thats all from the City Council for now and we hope to bring you more soon in the near future. From everyone in the C.C., Stay Classy!
The Importance of The Republic Square in Europeia
For those of you who haven’t visited Europeia at some point, well, firstly, I’d encourage you to, because it’s a really lovely place and we’d love to see you pop by and say hello. To return to the topic at hand, though, The Republic Square is a relatively historical name for the forum in which most of the non-Government activity in Europeia takes place.
It’s been around for a while and is probably easily the most viewed forum in Europeia, despite its sitting in a fairly inconspicuous part towards the bottom of our main page.
The Republic Square serves no particular function. It’s barely ever used for any official purpose. However, I suggest that its very existence simultaneously embodies and unites our entire region…or at least our forum population. Crazy conversations and fun debates take place as Europeians get to know each other better.
The Foreign Ministry Spotlight
The Foreign Ministry has been the happening place the last few weeks. We’re in the middle of hosting a Cross-Cultural Convention, originally with Land of Kings and Emperors, The New Inquisition, The United Federation, and United Kingdom. We’ve discussed many different topics including: griefing, fun warzone games, and feeders. Also, FRA Arch-Chancellor Spartz was invited to join the discussion on ending TNI and LKE’s wars with the FRA. The United Federation left the Conference abruptly but discussion has continued on track without them. LKE and TNI have offered peace negotiations to the FRA and we all wait to hear back.
We’ve also rewritten parts of our Broad Foreign Policy. You can see the whole thing here, but the major changes include:
— Begin quote from ____
Extremism: Europeia takes a harsh stance against extremism, on either side of the spectrum. We strongly support battle mindset to remain on the battlefield, and cordial communications off of it. We strongly support inclusive communities. We condemn regions that preach hate and separation.
Acts of Terrorism: Europeia does not tolerate any sort of off-site terrorism, such as porn-spams, anonymous hate messages, and/or forum destruction. We condemn other regions that condone such actions, and seek for across-game punishment for terrorists.
After a punishment, we are not against opportunities for redemption as long as no laws are broken for the terrorist’s redemption.
— End quote
Europeia has opened new embassies with Jethnea and Avarene! We’d love to hear from our new friends and our old on our forums! Also, join us for End of Summer-fest!
Written By: Sopo, NES, Earth22, Swakistek, & PASD
http://z6.invisionfree.com/Europeia
— Begin quote from ____
We’ve discussed many different topics including: griefing, fun warzone games, and feeders.
— End quote
Are people not from the above regions able to attend this? ^______^