96 in NS, 45 active on the forums
-
the name of your Ambassador (if known)
Not known yet, might be me, might be someone else -
a link to your forum
http://z4.invisionfree.com/EquinoxNS/index.php?act=idx
Thank you for your interest. Since becoming delegate, my approach to embassies and foreign relations has been to let things ride until there is an elected government in place.
So, Delegate voting starts today. It may take 4 or 5 days until the new delegate has a process in place to manage these requests. Thanks, in advance, for your patience while we work through the transition.
OK, no problem.
I approve of this embassy.
Woah, I must have missed this. Thanks for approving, do we create our own threads or do you do it for us oh great one? 
lol. Feel free to create your own. I might make separate boards for embassy nations though - for the feeders and those who update
Ok, thanks.
Walks in, turns light on, walks to desk and sits down
Welcome to Equinox’s embassy in The East Pacific! If you need anything, then just ask 
If you need me, I’ll be in that nice bar across the street.
Stands up, walks to door, turns light off, walks out in the direction of the bar
May I present to you the Equinox Weekly* Telegraph!
*Weekly does by no means guarantee that the EWT will be released every week 
[hr]
February Elections Looming
ELECTIONS, ELECTIONS, ELECTIONS!
You know what time it is, folks! IT’S ELECTION TIME, BABY!
These elections should be especially interesting for two reasons: 1, that none of the incumbent Cabinet members are running; and 2, there are two new positions to be fought over, Ministers of Culture and Finance, as previously mentioned.
The schedule for the February Elections are as follows:
February 15 - 19: Cabinet Nomination Period
February 20: Cabinet Primaries
February 21: Cabinet Secondaries
February 22 - 26: Senate Nomination Period
February 27 - 28: Senate Elections
Let’s take a look at the different categories.
CHIEF JUSTICE
Joshua(Axiom Guild) Joshua, a long-time contributor to the region and a citizen favourite, is considered to be a strong contender for the Chief Justice position. Joshua was the first Chief Justice in Equinox, and the only one besides Ann.
Whigdom(Axiom Guild) Whigdom is another Axiom Guild member who is well known in Equinox and Peaceian (as Second Basemen) for his intelligence, quirky political remarks, his comic avatar, and his light hearted and usually off topic contributions to regional discussion.
FOREIGN VICEROY
J Delight (Jethnea Guild) J Delight is popular in the Jethnea Guild and throughout Equinox, and was a Senator last term. J also brings some serious experience to the table, as the current Minister of Foreign Affairs for the much larger region, Canada.
Ann(Axiom Guild) Ann has recently taken some political criticism for switching guilds mid-term and an overall inactive showing as Chief Justice. However, due to her extensive foreign experience and connections, Ann is considered a strong candidate.
Scotchpinestan (Lords Guild) was also nominated but declined.
MINISTER OF FINANCE
Atreidond(Axiom Guild) Atreidond, a little known face in Equinox, submits an impressive resume and is a favourite to win the Minister of Finance position. He currently has no other official challengers but has lots of experience in similar positions in another region.
Hadisthe(Axiom Guild) Hadisthe has not answered his nomination as of yet, but is considering running. Hadisthe is an active and influential face in the region, and was previously Imperial Advisor.
MINISTER OF CULTURE
KevinWasserman(Axiom Guild) KevinWasserman is one of the few powerful “born-and-raised” Equinoxians; that is, a nation who was created, recruited to, and “grew up” in Equinox, and he has become an influential native in the region, making him a strong candidate for Minister of Culture.
Antracia(Ministry of Silly Walks) Probably the only member of the incumbent Cabinet that was active throughout the term, Antracia is another regional favourite, and a long-time MSW member. Antracia is a strong candidate for this position as another nation close to Equinox.
Jahka (Axiom Guild) was also nominated but dropped out to be in the Senate.
CHANCELLOR
Morrenstien(Axiom Guild) Morrenstien is the only candidate currently running for Chancellor, and perhaps it should remain that way. Morrenstien has received nearly unanimous support from the region to run for the highest elected position, Chancellor. Morrenstien is not only another “born-and-raised” Equinoxian, but a previous Chancellor as well, and did well to get the region on its feet. Morrenstien is a hard worker and driven to succeed and is the overwhelming favourite against just about any potential opponent, but none have surfaced to challenge him, or even been nominated.
SENATE
More information about the Senate will be in next week’s edition of the EWT, but currently it appears as if The Graz, Jakha, Karputsk, Pope Lexus X, Scotchpinestan** and **Hadisthe among others will be running for Senate, as they have all abstained from running in the Cabinet elections, along with the losers of the Cabinet elections.
Needless to say, this will be a VERY tightly contested election, as only 4 of the 9 seats are elected.
Lexus Stands Down; Axiom Guild equals Lords Guild in Senate
Lexus announces his resignation to the press
On the afternoon of February 8th, Senator Pope Lexus X, who was also Speaker of the Senate at the time, announced his resignation from the Senate and Speaker position.
“I don’t have the time to be a Senator, let alone the Speaker,” Lexus said. “My free time will go dramatically down-hill over the next two weeks, so you are better off looking for a replacement. I hope I did my job to the level you wished, and I wish you the best of luck in the future.”
This came as a shock for most Equinoxians, as Pope Lexus X was a highly popular person in the region and a much-cared about Speaker.
The Equinox constitution states that when a Senator is removed from office (King Falconias interpreted this to include one’s own removal), the next Senator with the most amount of votes gets office. The next was technically Morrenstien, however because he had already been appointed by the Axiom Guild, the replacement Senator was Rocktml, a loved long-time native of Equinox, most famous for creating and running the popular Equinox soccer league.
This gives the Axiom Guild a total of 3 seats, which equals them with the Lords Guild who until now had the most power in the Senate. This lowers the Jethnea Guild to just one seat, putting them with the Unitas Guild and the Ministry of Silly Walks.
MSW Leader Ann and Hospitlar Cross the Floor
In a move that even caught King Falconias by surprise, the co-leader of the Ministry of Silly Walks, Ann, crossed the floor to join the Axiom Guild on Sunday afternoon.
Ann, who is known throughout NationStates as predominantly a raider, appears to be attempting to convert to defenderism amidst a power struggle inside of the game.
Karputsk is left as the sole leader of the Ministry of Silly Walks, who for a length of time appeared to be the best candidate for a raider guild in Equinox. However, under Karputsk’s leadership, the direction that the guild will take is unclear, as the guild has already failed to do anything except pretend to be important.
Karputsk did have some comments for the EWT. When asked if he had any comments, he replied, “Yes… it won’t make a difference, she did [Fark] all anyway.” Followed by an emoticon that is widely recognized as a very happy face.
The Minister of Silly Walks did however have a considerable amount of power this term; the entire elected Cabinet (Chancellor, Chief Justice and Foreign Viceroy) were all members of the Ministry of Silly Walks at the time of the election.
In related news, former Axiom Guild member Hospitlar left his long time home, which was coincidentally the Axiom Guild, to join the Jethnea Guild. Hospitlar is the first member to join the Jethnea Guild through Equinox since Jethnea joined the region as a guild.
Minister of Culture and Minister of Finance
Last Tuesday, King Falconias unveiled Executive Order #004, also known as Amendment III, or for those unfamiliar with the amendment, the introduction of the Minister of Culture and Minister of Finance.
The Minister of Culture is a position that supervises the incoming nations to the region, and welcoming them to the forums; promoting activity on the RMB and on the forums; and running and supervising events in and outside Equinox that promote the well-being and attractions of Equinox.
The Minister of Finance is a slightly more unique position to NationStates; the Minister of Finance will not only be responsible for supervising the Stock Market, Bank Accounts, Credit companies and other financial activities, but in the next term or more, the Minister of Finance will assist the Cabinet in planning a whole economy for the region of Equinox including taxes, allocation and spending, et cetera.
The following is the whole official amendment:
**
In Other Equinox News**[ul]
[li]The highly controversial treaty failed in the Senate, only obtaining 3 AYES of 9. It was predicted that the treaty would fly through Senate but fail to be passed by the guilds, but this was not the case.
[li]Falconias has become temporary Speaker in the Senate.
[li]King Falconias introduced Executive Order #005 on Wednesday, an amendment to the constitution sought by J Delight and Ann to ensure equal political rights to citizens of all genders.
[li]The Crusaders of Justice gained international attention recently, after their invasion of South America to, ironically, protect it from invaders and hostiles from DEN and Nicaragua. The so-called “invasion” was led by staunch defender Falconias, who is also the King of Equinox and as a result Equinox has recently received a wave of media criticism targeted at Equinox’s lack of raider militants.
[li]In other CoJ news, the Crusaders of Justice region has been founded by an impersonator pretending to be the Crusaders of Justice and spreading invader propaganda.
[/li][/ul]
Equinox Premiership Playoffs
It’s playoffs time in Equinox, in the Nox Cup.
The playoff bracket is as follows:
Notably, King Falconias’s team (Capital FC) failed to make the playoffs.
All results and scores are available at:
http://equinoxpremiership.webs.com
That’s all, folks!
Cheers
Falconias
Editor and Author, EWT
For your reading pleasure:
A NEW LOOK FOR EQUINOX
GOVERNMENT
Executive
King: Falconias
Chancellor: Morrenstien | Imperial Advisor: Whigdom
Foreign Viceroy: Vacant | Chief Justice: Joshua
Minister of Finance: Atreidond | Minister of Culture: Antracia
Senate
Speaker: Karputsk
Diamete | The Graz | Hadisthe | J Delight
Karputsk | Nationalize | Rocktml | Scotchpinestan
Today, March 22nd, is a new day for Equinox.
Our forums underwent a successful (although, unintentional) conversion from InvisionFree to Zetaboards over a period of 12 painstaking hours last night, and of course, our skin was lost with it. But not to worry! I have uploaded a few different skins, including a very fresh, oriental-inspired look for Equinox based on the “Beautiful Elegance” skin.
The current default skin is “Etavarium,” and thanks goes to Ann for helping me with this skin. I normally don’t like dark skins, but this looks good.
The theme will apply to all Equinox government publications, and I hope to use it throughout the future.
If you are not from Equinox, stop by and have a look!
SENATE ELECTIONS
Late last month, Equinox held its 2nd Senate Election under the Third Constitution. 11 people contested the 4 elected seats in the Equinox Senate:
Approximate Psychosis (Independent)
Diamete (Axiom Guild)
The Graz (Lords Guild)
Hadisthe (Axiom Guild)
J Delight (Jethnea Guild)
Karputsk (Ministry of Silly Walks)
KevinWasserman (Lords Guild)
Mekhet (Axiom Guild)
Nationalize (Ministry of Silly Walks)
Rocktml (Axiom Guild)
Tommattox (Jethnea Guild)
After 5 days of intense nominations and debate, the citizens of Equinox elected the Senate as follows:
[6] APPROXIMATE PSYCHOSIS (26.1%)
[5] DIAMETE (21.7%)
[12] THE GRAZ (52.2%)
[14] HADISTHE (60.9%)
[8] J DELIGHT (34.8%)
[12] KARPUTSK (52.2%)
[9] KEVINWASSERMAN (39.1%)
[1] MEKHET (4.3%)
[4] NATIONALIZE (17.4%)
[13] ROCKTML (56.5%)
[7] TOMMATTOX (30.4%)
23 citizens voted, 1 of which only selected 3 Senators from the ballot, for a total of 91 votes cast.
Following the election, each guild appointed one Senator to complete the 8-person Senate:
Axiom Guild: Diamete
Jethnea Guild: J Delight
Lords Guild: Scotchpinestan
Ministry of Silly Walks: Nationalize
Thus, giving the Axiom Guild the plurality with 3 seats, the Lords and MoSW with 2 each, and the Jethnea Guild with J Delight as their lone Senator.
JAHKA WINS NOX CUP
On March 8th, 2009, Jahka’s Billikens took on Antracia’s Centime Thunders A.F.C. in the final of Equinox’s biggest sporting event, the Nox Cup, which is the championship finals of the Equinox Premiership League.
http://www.nationstates.net/images/flags/uploads/jahka__2.jpeg
3
1
Final score was 3-1 in favour of Billikens, held at the Iron Bay Stadium in the centre of Falconias Prime.
More information at:
http://equinoxpremiership.webs.com/index.htm
A huge thank you goes to Rocktml for running the EPL this season!
ANN STEPS DOWN AS FVR
http://media.collegepublisher.com/media/paper340/stills/e2x09vhf.gif
Former Foreign Viceroy Ann addresses the media
Ann announced her resignation from the Foreign Viceroy position today:
— Begin quote from ____
I hereby resign as Foreign Viceroy of Equinox, I have not been as active here as I could be and I have not served to my full capacity as FVR. I still love you all, and I’ll still be around. :wub:
Signed,
Ann Windsor-Grey von Stoiciveich
— End quote
Citizens and political commentators were quick to jump on Ann’s fading commitment to the position, and it is expected that a new Foreign Viceroy will be elected soon.
RECRUITER MEDALS INTRODUCED; DIAMETE HONOURED
A few days ago, King Falconias introduced a line of medals for Equinoxian citizens deserving of the honours, for their recruiting services to Equinox. The medals introduced are as follows:
From left to right: First Order Recruitment Medal, Second Order Recruitment Medal, Third Order Recruitment Medal, Fourth Order Recruitment Medal, Fifth Order Recruitment Medal
Each medal is awarded progressively based upon thousands of letters sent (i.e. First Order is awarded after 1000 letters have been sent.)
Diamete, as it currently stands, has sent over 4,000 letters, and more than any other player in NationStates since Charles has allowed his recruitment system to go public.
As such, Diamete was awarded the First, Second, Third and Fourth Order of Recruitment.
POPULATION SKYROCKETS; RECORD HIGH CITIZEN BODY
Mainly due to the aforementioned efforts of Diamete, the population of Equinox has skyrocketed from 89 nations 2 and a half weeks ago, to 194 nations today, fast approaching the 200 nation plateau. Proportionately speaking, Equinox is currently the fastest growing region in NationStates.
Following a citizenship purge of all inactive citizens without a living nation in Equinox, Equinox still retained a record amount of citizens: 62 registered active legitimate citizens. Of these, 38 citizens were considered to be “highly active” on the forums, also a record high, and one of the highest active participant bodies in NationStates.
EQUINOX ACCUSED OF RACISM; SPARKS INTER-GUILD FEUD
Following the invasion of Aryan Reich by the Genesis Defence Project, a well-known anti-Nazi organization, and the subsequent defence by the Crusaders of Justice, a nation known as “International Front” accused Joshua of sending him telegrams claiming the Holocaust was a lie and anti-Jewish messages, and then accusing the entire region of Equinox as being racist and Nazi sympathists.
King Falconias submitted a statement that summed up the opinions of defenders across NationStates, but for the first time in known defender history, the invaders had no cheeky reply:
— Begin quote from ____
Yeah so here I am, the King of Equinox, to respond to this:
“EQUINOX ENDORSES WHITE POWER”
No we do not endorse white power. Nor are we anti-Jewish. I am partially Jewish myself.
But let’s pretend, just for fun, that Equinox is full of jew-hating, white power-endorsing, trigger-happy KKK sympathists. Because, obviously, we must be, if one guild defends a nazi region like all defenders have been doing for about 7 years. (Not that you’ve been playing that long, not even close.)
So anyway, if we are all racist evil bastards, what are you going to do about it? Cry to the moderators?
I have a better idea, I dare you and your pathetic gang of imperialist judgemental wannabes, to come and invade Equinox. That is, if you have half a brain to figure out where Equinox is. Hint: it’s located in Equinox.
Or better yet, report us to the moderators! Oh wait, no, you already tried that and instead it was YOU who got smacked by the moderators for destroying regions just because of an affiliation. Ba-zing. It’s called freedom of expression, and freedom of affiliation.
But I’ll tell YOU something, I will report YOU to the moderators if you continue to go around NationStates spreading the word that we are racist and hate jews or endorse nazism, etc., because it is extremely detrimental to our region. Also stop making immature comments about Joshua, I know the guy, and I am quite positive that he did not telegram you claiming the holocaust was a lie.
Equinox has a guild, called the Axiom Guild, who run the Crusaders of Justice. I am sure that you have witnessed, for many seasons now, that we defenders, defend all regions regardless of political affiliation. So really, what are you trying to accomplish?
Give it up now because the only ones that are going to be deleted will be you.
You are not freedom fighters, you are a nuisance, and it is actually YOU who violates criminal law by violating the average player’s right to express their thoughts and opinions.
Cheers
Falconias
King of Equinox
— End quote
His sole response, in a PM: “You are not Jewish.”
Lol.
Falc 1, Anti-Nazis 0. (Nazis 0 as well.)
However, internally, Equinox experienced conflict between guilds for the first time in its history. The Ministry of Silly Walks was quick to denounce Axiom Guild’s occupation of Aryan Reich, bringing unwanted attention to Equinox. In response, after the Axiom Guild left Aryan Reich, the Spanish Inquisition (military of the Ministry of Silly Walks) assisted The Black Hawks and The New Inquisition in invading Aryan Reich, and kicking out the Axiom Guild remnants.
…AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT
Disclaimer: I do not hate animals.
Thanks for reading!
Cheers,
Falconias
King of Equinox
GOVERNMENT
Executive
King: Falconias
Chancellor: Morrenstien | Imperial Advisor: Karputsk
Foreign Viceroy: Jahka | Chief Justice: Whigdom
Minister of Culture: Antracia
Senate
Speaker: Scotchpinestan
Diamete | Nationalize | Hadisthe | J Delight | Sopo
Atreidond | Walking-Contradiction | Scotchpinestan | Brynach
Comeback Special
Like a dopey person’s retort, it’s taken a while, but we’re back! </cheesy> Anyway, the EWT, after a long period of absence, is back. So what’s been going on in Equinox in the last couple of months?
Sage Guild Re-Materialises
A cloud of dark magic has enshrouded Equinox, as the long-time dead Sage Guild has been resurrected. Founded (and re-founded) by long time citizen Brynach, he quickly gained the 2 supporters necessary to create the guild. The Guild has made a huge impression in the region, with its amazing artwork and dark magic theme. Sage strongly asheres to the paths of spamming and spying. An odd combination but one that may just work. The EWT wishes the magic-themed guild the best of luck.
The Sage Guild starts their recruitment drive.
Multi Guild Woes
When the Sage Guild started, some of its key members also retained their membership in other guilds. This sparked a debate about whether multi-guild membership should be allowed. Whilst there was no law against it at the time, it was argued as being akin to being a member of multiple political parties, i.e. if everyone’s a member of every guild then there’s no point in having them. It was argued against, however, that not everyone would join every guild and that most of the time the guilds don’t naturally oppose each other in ideologies. It was also suggested that it should be left to the guilds to decide whether or not their members can be members of other guilds. This was all brought to an abrupt halt by King Falconias issuing an executive order stating that citizens can be a member of one guild and one guild only. This has caused outrage with some members and there have been threats of a senatorial veto and even a court case. Whilst it remains to be seen how and if the order will be challenged, the region is split almost fifty-fifty on the matter.
Hadisthe vs. Morrenstien
After Chancellor Morrenstien attempted to use his powers of overseeing the cabinet in the Axiom Guild, where Foreign Viceroy Jahka had had a small confrontation with another memeber, Axiom Guild head and Senator Hadisthe confronted the Chancellor about this, stating that Morrenstien had no jurisdiction over the workings of the guilds. In the resulting heated debates, Chancellor Morrenstien resigned from the Axiom Guild, where he had been a member since its inception, instead choosing to settle in the Lords Guild. Senator Hadisthe issued an official challenge to Morrenstien’s Chancellorship, although, at this time, it seems as though the situation has calmed down enough not to require a snap election. Finally, and to have the last word on the issue, Justice Whigdom ruled that the Chancellor does indeed have no jurisdiction without there first being a violation of federal law (as there was not, in this case).
Morrenstien and Hadisthe prepare to battle it out.
Economy on the Road to Rebirth
After converting to ZetaBoards, Equinox’s coded economy system was blown to smithereens. The existing system did not survive the transfer and its code was not compatible with ZetaBoards. As part of his Campaigning for re-election as Minister of Culture, Antracia pledged to re-instated the economy. Likewise, other members also expressed interest in getting it off the ground again. Because of this, the Economic Recovery Board (ERB) was convened, to discuss the resurrection of the Equinox economy. The ERB consisted of Minister of Culture Antracia, former Minister of Finance Atreidond and Nordlijnonia, who had shown himself to have some good ideas about the matter. The ERB quickly got to work and and produced a proposal for the senate in just over two weeks. The Senate is currently discussing the proposal and hopefully it will come to vote soon.
Equinox Awards
The first quad-annual Equinox Awards have begun. They seek to reward the region’s most valuable members and to encourage them, and others to be valuable members of the community. The winners will each recieve a shiny Falc statuette to take home and put on their mantelpiece. The Awards are currently in the nomination stage. After this, there will be a vote to ensure the winners are truly the region’s favourite!
I’d like to thank my family, and the academy, and…
Hall of Fame
The Equinox Hall of Fame is where the names of the greatest citizens to grace Equinox are entrenched and written in stone for all eternity, for the new and old to pay their respects. This week, two new members were announced to be given the honour of being inducted. Key members Joshua and Morrenstien join founding members Falconias and Pope Lexus X in being members of this prestigious hall. The EWT congratulates Josh and Morr on their success and wishes them continued happiness in Equinox.
It’s Clobberin’ Time!
After regional RP took a dip recently, it looks like it may pick up after frequent RPer Island Union created a Superhero RP, where players can live out their superhero (or villain) dream lives.
http://www.jonco48.com/blog/superheroes.jpg
Island Union and Antracia try out their new costumes.
Commendations!
After the shiny new Commendations/Condemnations feature was introduced to the WA, Equinox was nominated for a Commendation. Unfortunately, it failed as it didn’t gain enough approvals 
In addition, Equinox WA Delgate Scotchpinestan has stated that, because it is his (and many other WA members’) view that the C/Cs violate WA rules (mainly by metagaming), he will not be voting for any until this issue is solved.
Comic Relief
Some Calvin and Hobbes to end the issue:
http://blog.ideaworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/calvin_and_hobbes.jpghttp://farm1.static.flickr.com/2/1869299_a96476631c.jpg
Thanks for reading!
Minister Antracia, (new) EWT Editor.
Thanks for the update.
lol, where do you find those pictures?
The Internet, where else
IN TODAY’S EWT
READ: WE’LL BE COMING WEEKLY!
CABINET LANDSLIDE ELECTIONS
LORDS TAKE SECOND STRAIGHT SENATE PLURALITY
KING AND QUEEN? IT’S OFFICIAL!
FROM THE WEDDING
REPORT FROM THE CABINET
GOSSIP WITH NORD
READ: WE’LL BE COMING WEEKLY!
We are pleased to announce a return to our weekly format!
We have a staff reporter team of almost a dozen Equinoxians who are writing and compiling articles for the EWT!
This issue will be a little short due to time constraints, but be sure to check out next week’s issue as well.
CABINET LANDSLIDE ELECTIONS
Falconias, Election Coverage Reporter
Equinox citizens headed to the polling stations June 20th to cast their vote in the first half of the election, the Cabinet elections. The election featured some competitive matchups that were sure to yield interesting results, no matter what they were.
The Chancellor election was the most anticipated election to have ever occurred in Equinox. Mid-term, Axiom leader Hadisthe challenged fellow Axiom member Morrenstien, also the Chancellor at the time, for the position of Chancellor. Hadisthe questioned Morrenstien’s ability to lead the region into prosperity rather than just supervise it. Morrenstien was insulted enough to jump ship from Axiom and join the Lords Guild, instantly raising Lords’s profile and making them arguably tied with Axiom for the most powerful guild in Equinox. King Falconias denied the challenge, because by the end of the debates there were only two weeks left in the term. Needless to say, Hadisthe and Morrenstien were the two candidates for the upcoming election, and people watched intensely as ballots were cast.
The next interesting election was the Chief Justice election, where much loved-hated Nordlijnonia, of the Axiom Guild, known to most as Bromannikha, faced local spam favourite Nationalize, of the Ministry of Silly Walks. Nordlijnonia was highly touted for his legal expertise and natural personality befitting to a legal career, while Nationalize was seen as more down-to-earth and less aggressive in debates.
The only other contested election was between much-loved Karputsk of the Ministry of Silly Walks, and oft-absent Island Union of Lords, the only Lords guildperson to run for a Cabinet position.
Finally, the fourth and final election was for Minister of Culture, where two-term incumbent Antracia was the only candidate and the odds-on favourite against any potential fellow candidate in the region.
The results are as follows:
Chancellor
[16] HADISTHE 66.7%
[7] MORRENSTIEN 29.2%
[1] ABSTAIN
Foreign Viceroy
[7] ISLAND UNION 29.2%
[17] KARPUTSK 70.8%
[0] ABSTAIN
Chief Justice
[9] NATIONALIZE 37.5%
[14] NORDLIJNONIA 58.3%
[1] ABSTAIN
Minister of Culture
[20] ANTRACIA 83.3%
[4] ABSTAIN
Ballots collected: 24
http://i.ehow.com/images/GlobalPhoto/Articles/11522/26256311-main_Full.jpg
Morrenstien reacts as he reads his notice to leave office
If you suggested Karputsk and Nordlijnonia would have won their respective elections, that probably would have been a safe bet. However, there were a great number of people in the region shocked at the outcome of the Chancellor election; not necessarily that Hadisthe won, but by such a large margin. Nationalize garnered significant support outside of the Ministry of Silly Walks, likely from Nordlijnonia’s political enemies.
LORDS TAKE SECOND STRAIGHT SENATE PLURALITY
Falconias, Election Coverage Reporter
The June 2009 Senate election featured the smallest field ever, of just 6 candidates. However, the election was certainly not short on hype and drama.
4 of the 6 people running for 4 seats had been previous Senators (3 of them incumbents), and a 5th was Morrenstien, defeated Chancellor. The 6th was Island Union, recently defeated by Karputsk in the Foreign Viceroy election, and seen as a potential Senator in this election. 4 of the 6 candidates were Lords, also, which guaranteed that Lords would walk out with a plurality, and a majority if all 4 were elected.
15 people voted in this election, and here are the results:
[11] DIAMETE: 73.3%
[5] ISLAND UNION: 33.3%
[10] J DELIGHT: 66.7%
[9] KEVINWASSERMAN: 60%
[11] MORRENSTIEN: 73.3%
[12] SOPO: 80%
Ballots collected: 15
On the ballot, citizens may select up to four choices for support to the Senate. 13 of the 15 selected four choices, and 2 people selected only 3. The result was the tightest Senate election ever to occur in Equinox. Amazingly, despite his 60% support to be elected to Senate, KevinWasserman did not win a seat and Lords had already appointed Scotchpinestan with their appointee seat, leaving both KevinWasserman and Island Union looking in from the outside.
KING AND QUEEN? IT’S OFFICIAL!
King Falconias
I am very pleased to announce that after copious amounts of pressure from the citizens of Equinox, I have found myself a wife and a Queen of Equinox, Lady J Delight!
I am not normally one for RP marriages but every King needs his Queen and we are a very happily married NS couple. 
Thanks to everyone for the massive turnout, including whoever created the Optimus Prime and Megatron accounts and crashed my wedding! :lol:
FROM THE WEDDING
The Graz, official forum creeper and stalker
The Riotous Adventures of Falco the Great, Part One
Just the other day, in pomp and splendor, the great King Falconias went from being the most eligible fendachelor in NationStates to the humble and devoted husband to the new Queen, J Delight.
http://www.hahastop.com/pictures/Crazy_Cake.jpg
A caek, chosen to symbolize that closest to the new couple’s hearts besides each other, the chaotic and erratic kingdom of Equinox, that was on display as one of many consumed by the masses at Falco’s wedding.
The ceremony, attended by several dignitaries even in the raider world (though Tiberius HEM was careful to attend accompanied by a small army of guards), attracted the attentions of spammers and crashers as well. Saudi Burmia was disrupting the ceremony long before it derailed, mostly when the drunken Elvis impersonator/justice of the peace forgot to distribute the rings, which had been glued together by the best man, also intoxicated, out of boredom.
After the ceremony was complete, Elvis offered a mad-lib participatory homily, then passed out on the podium while King Falco oversaw the distribution of the caek (making sure that Chancellor Hadisthe poisoned as few political enemies as possible), then was whisked away for a weekend of PG-13 activities with his new bride.
Karputsk, former Chancellor and the King’s best man, leads a beach party following the ceremony.
REPORT FROM THE CABINET
Hadisthe, Chancellor and Cabinet Reporter
This week was the first real week for the Hadisthe administration, and many things got off the ground. First, cabinet members now maintain blogs to constantly update anyone interested. These blogs are updated when things come up, which may be every day or once a week or even once a month. You can check them out by viewing the “Profile Information” within a cabinet member’s forum profile and clicking on his blog. Second, all legislation passed by the Senate is being inspected by the Chief Justice for unconstitutional clauses. Upon a flaw’s discovery, suggestions will be made to the Senate to fix them. This should allow the legal system to run a little more smoothly. Third, the foreign affairs area is undergoing a complete overhaul. The Foreign Viceroy is now searching for ambassadors. Fourth, the Department of Finance has gotten off its feet and is in full flight. You can sign up for an account and start making money in the Equinomics area. Last, but not least, the Minister of Culture is working to make the EWT the best paper on the web. Don’t forget to read every issue to find out what’s going on!
Until next week,
~Chancellor Hadisthe
GOSSIP WITH NORD
Nordlijnonia, Gossip Columnist
Word on the street this week is that King Falconias and J Delight spent government funding on a secret honeymoon getaway. Falc had an announced absence for a few days which conveniently corresponded with about 13 hours during a night when J Delight was inactive. Coincidence? Of course not.
Upon further investigation it was found that the Department of Finance reserves were completely emptied. Some may blame that discovery on the fact that the DoF had no money prior to Falc’s absence, but those people simply would not be thinking of the most obvious of options: Falc broke into the Royal Bank of Equinox, stole the money, and then ran away with J Delight to their private Island (Union).
As scandal rocks the throne there comes to mind one even more extremely important question: does this getaway mean the arrival of little Falc-ettes? or J De-tykes? One thing is for sure. The royal J Falc couple is on a rampage of unbridled passion at the expense of Equinox and her citizens.
Until next time,
Falconias
Editor-in-Chief
Antracia
Director of Staff
wonder where i’ve seen this before! 
You haven’t - your eyes deceive you.
IN TODAY’S EWT
CULTURE LIVE INTERVIEW: HADISTHE
GUILD POWER RANKINGS
NOT MUCH ELSE
CULTURE LIVE INTERVIEW: HADISTHE
Interviewer: Antracia, Minister of Culture
After winning his first Chancellorship a couple of weeks ago, Hadisthe has got straight to work. We caught up with him to ask him a few questions about Equinox and NationStates in general.
EWT: Thank you for agreeing to conduct this interview; it’s an honour to speak to you.
Hadisthe: Thanks for inviting me. I’m glad to have this opportunity to speak with you for the paper.
EWT: So, most of our readers will be familiar with your name, but tell us a bit about yourself.
Hadisthe: Well, I started my nation in August of 2006, I believe. I started in Westmoore, but after a summer of low activity found myself in The Last Kingdom. That’s where I really learned to play and got a lot of experience. A little later, when I shut down TLK, Joshua told me about Equinox, and we bonded since we had similar backgrounds. And now here we are.
EWT: What is the best part of the game for you?
Hadisthe: The community. It’s really weird, but some of the people I know on NS I’ve known longer than RL friends. I enjoy being part of an evolving community, especially a vibrant and active one like Equinox’s.
EWT: What are your favourite memories from playing the game?
Hadisthe: That’s a tough one. I’d say logging into the FRA forum as a defender rather than an invader for the first time was pretty memorable. Also, a member from The Last Kingdom once said “wow cow” on the region’s chatbox.
EWT: lmao. So what attracted you to Equinox?
Hadisthe: After The Last Kingdom was shut down, I didn’t have a place to go. I hadn’t ever considered my options in the event of its downfall, so I didn’t know where to go. Joshua invited me to Equinox after seeing my post on the FRA forum declaring my intent to join the FRA Rangers–something that I haven’t done. When I got here, Joshua gave me a job and some trust, and that kept me in the region.
EWT: And since then, what positions have you held here apart from your newest one?
Hadisthe: I was first Deputy Justice to Joshua. After the second constitution was ratified, I lost that job, but Joshua kept me in Axiom as Chief Crusader (second-in-command of the Crusaders of Justice). Soon after that, Josh was abducted by aliens or something and the guild voted me in as Guildmaster. I was Imperial Adviser to Karputsk, ambassador to Tokugawa Japan, and a two-term elected Senator.
EWT: So what is it about the region that you like so much to have stayed for this time?
Hadisthe: Well, we’ve had a few arguments, but we’ve always stuck together and move forward. Equinox’s guild system offers a unique way for people to group with people they identify with while allowing them to work with other groups with similar, yet different interests. It’s the constant evolution of our region and the culture that we’re developing day by day that has enthralled me for so long.
EWT: Speaking of arguements, tell us (briefly) about what sparked the initial challenge you made to Morrenstien’s Chancellorship.
Hadisthe: That’s something that I probably handled incorrectly. It came off as a personal stab at Morrenstien, but it wasn’t. I wasn’t getting revenge for his leaving the Axiom Guild. Actually, I had wanted to run in that election, but I missed the nominations so I wasn’t on the ballot. I was urged to challenge him by some people, just to have a new election, but I said I wouldn’t do it because he was a fellow Axiom member. After he left the guild, my reason for not challenging was void, so I did it. I certainly wasn’t trying to get revenge. I genuinely wanted the job.
EWT: What do you think set you above your esteemed opponent?
Hadisthe: Honestly, I have no idea. I was in Canada for the nominations. I literally didn’t even know we were having elections. When I logged on to see I was on the ballot, I asked Falc when elections were, and he said “today lol.” Next time I logged in, I found out I won. I don’t know what it was, but I hope I don’t lose it.
EWT: Many thought that Morrenstien’s victory was assured, many more were surprised by the large margin by which you won. Would you like to take a guess at the reason behind the people’s votes?
Hadisthe: My only guess is that the cookies at Morrenstien’s rally were stale. Beyond that guess, I’m clueless.
EWT: Nice. In your campaigning, you emphasised bridging the gap between executive and legislative. How do you intend to do this during your term?
Hadisthe: When the nest Speaker is elected, I will attempt to work with him to establish a federal agenda. With that done, we can figure out what the executive branch can do to make things easier for the Senate and what the legislative branch can do to aid the cabinet in its work. I wish I could say more, but we’ve got to get all the positions decided before I can proceed.
EWT: Equinox has seen a dive in in-game population of late, do you think this situation needs addressing, or is our forum activity good enough to carry on as is?
Hadisthe: One of the misconceptions about regions is that population is everything. Active population is what matters, and that grows much more slowly than we’d like. Over time, we gain members and they stick with us. We shot up in population because we were recruiting, but those members were not active, so they began to cease to exist. I don’t think it’s anything to be worried about, because we’re not dying, we’re merely settling back to our active population, which I’m positive will continue to grow.
EWT: We are seeing more guild apathy and in a region based around its guilds, this is undoubtedly a bad thing. What do you think should be done to rectify the situation?
Hadisthe: I think the apathy is a result of a lack of emphasis placed on certain things. Amendments for example–we’ve had almost as many amendments as we’ve had regular bills and perhaps more. Amendments to the Constitution are almost commonplace and lack major significance, so the turnout is low in the vote. I don’t think the problem is the apathy, but the scolding manner in which we’ve dealt with it. I think if we tried to encourage guild activity rather than scold inactivity, we’d be much more successful.
EWT: The Axiom Guild, of which you are head, is the most domineering guild in the region. In comparison, all the other guilds are pretty much dead. Do you think this has a bad effect on the other guilds?
Hadisthe: The domineering or the death?
EWT: Mainly the death, lol, the domineering’s part of the next question…
Hadisthe: Okay, then I’ll address the death. I think the dead guilds are great. They’re perfect examples of the goal of the guild system. People absolutely refuse to abandon their guild because they’ve bonded with the members of it, and it doesn’t matter how bad it gets. However, now that they’ve proved they’re bonded, I think they should build up. But no, I don’t think it has a bad effect.
EWT: Do you think the renown that the Crusaders of Justice has got reflects badly upon a region that tries so hard to be neutral?
Hadisthe: As head of the guild and its military, I spend a lot of time working with other regions and other militaries. Many times they misunderstand the guild system and think that the Crusaders are Equinox’s army. I immediately correct them, and I strive to make it clear that the Crusaders are not Equinox’s military, that Equinox has invader guilds, and that Equinox does not have a regional army.
I guess my answer is yes, but upon providing information (which people should be pursing on their own), no.
EWT: The finance system has recently got going after a long wait, how do you anticipate it developing?
Hadisthe: Nordlijnonia ran the economy in The Last Kingdom just before its closing, and he did a great job. I’m more than confident that it will develop into one of the greatest things Equinox has known. But that should be no surprise: this is Equinox–expect excellence.
EWT: Nice and cheesy. What do you think will be the biggest challenge to face you as Chancellor during this term?
Hadisthe: It’s tough to be transparent. When it’s not required, it’s hard to remember to report what you’re thinking and planning and doing. I’m really trying to keep my blog up to date and to keep people updated, but it’s proving itself slightly challenging.
EWT: What other main plans do you have for this term?
Hadisthe: I just want to work on boosting activity to new levels, to improve federal transparency, to bond the executive and the legislative branches, and to help everyone have fun. The rest is improvisation.
EWT: Do you have anything else you would like to say to the readers?
Hadisthe: I did not have sexual relations with that Falconias.
EWT: Nice, And finally, do you have a joke to amuse the readers with?
Hadisthe: How do you get Pikachu on a bus? A: You Pokémon!
EWT: A classic one I see. Well, thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule and I wish you the best of luck in your term.
GUILD POWER RANKINGS
Every week in the Equinox Weekly Telegraph, I will include a short review of each guild and its status in Equinox according to the amount of power and influence it wields. These week’s rankings are as follows:
- Lords Guild
Leader: KevinWasserman
Membership: 10 (6 active in last week)
Major Members: Senate Speaker Scotchpinestan, KevinWasserman, Senator Morrenstien, Senator Sopo
Nobody has said it yet, so I’ll be the first: The Lords Guild is now the #1 guild in Equinox. People still suggest the Axiom Guild comes to mind when you think of Equinox, but internally speaking, the Lords Guild is dominating. The turning point was likely then-Chancellor Morrenstien departing for the Lords Guild; while that move may have cost him some Chancellor support, he was able to join the Senate and raise the profile of the Lords Guild. The Lords Guild do not have a Cabinet member, but have the Senate plurality.
2. Axiom Guild
Leader: Hadisthe
Membership: 21 (6 active in last week)
Major Members: Chancellor Hadisthe, Chief Justice Nordlijnonia, Senator Diamete, Senator Tritium II, Jahka
The once-powerful Axiom Guild, with a formidable military, the Axiom Guild has fallen considerably since its roots. Notably, they have suffered tremendous losses in the last few months; Joshua disappeared again, Masterson has become inactive, Morrenstien left for the Lords Guild, Atreidond has left for camp for several weeks and Jahka has left NationStates indefinitely due to an enormous personal loss. Nonetheless, Axiom’s failure to recruit new nations into the guild or recruit at all has left them as the #2 guild and in danger of slipping to 3rd.
The most staggering statistic about the Axiom Guild is out of their 17 non-government members, only 2 have managed to be active in the last week (less than 10%), whereas the Lords Guild have 3 out of 7 non-government members active (almost 50%).
3. Sage Guild
Leader: Brynach
Membership: 8 (5 active in last week)
Major Members: Senator Brynach, Delegate The Black Virus
The youngest guild, the Sage Guild, which actually originally was founded in the First Era of Equinox but abandoned for several months, has found itself at the #3 spot. The Sage Guild lacks any “heavyweight” members; The Black Virus and Brynach are the only governmental members. However, TSG is also home to Mekhet/Halcyon, formerly of the Axiom Guild, Charles who is well known throughout NS, Wopruthien, and much-loved spammer Ferric Sun. There are fairly well-known names in the Guild but it hasn’t gotten off the ground. Without a military and a larger core, Sage may struggle to stay in the #3 spot.
4. Ministry of Silly Walks
Leader: Antracia
Membership: 7 (5 active in last week)
Major Members: Minister of Culture Antracia, Foreign Viceroy Karputsk, Senator Nationalize
Despite the MoSW having an extensive history, multiple popular names within the region (add Red Back and Approximate Psychosis to the list of members and two other inactives) and a structure, the Ministry of Silly Walks has little influence in the region. Despite multiple attempts to establish a military, the Lumberjacks have nothing to be especially proud of. There has been recent talk of a name change, but without any plans for recruiting, there won’t be much difference. MoSW needs to produce a solid raider military in order to regain the #2 spot it might have once had. The MOSW’s forum is by far the most inactive on the forum.
5. Jethnea Guild
Leader: Drop Your Pants
Membership: 11 (3 active in last week)
Major Members: Queen Senator J Delight, Drop Your Pants, Pope Lexus X, Hospitlar
Jethnea has found itself at the bottom of the pile in recent weeks. It’s most influential member by far is J Delight, who gained piles and piles of de facto power and influence after her much-publicized marriage to King Falconias. However, after that, Jethnea drops the ball a bit. Drop Your Pants, while much loved, has done little with the Guild except supervise it, and there hasn’t been much to supervise. There were high expectations for Jethnea when it merged into Equinox, and at one point, Jethnea was very powerful in the region with Pope Lexus X at the helm and in control of the government. Those days have passed however, and Lexus has become inactive, and the rest of the guild with him.
NOT MUCH ELSE
Because we basically had nothing else to work with this week, I’ll leave you with this:
http://failblog.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/fail-owned-tight-enough-win.jpg
Thank you everyone. Have a great week. The issue next week will suck even less!
Excellent update, Ministry of Silly Walks.