Spiritus


Spiritus Foreign Dispatch

Dispatch #2

[hr]
The Government of Spiritus

President: Wintermoot
Vice President: Charax
Minister of Culture: Wintermoot
Minister of Defense: Charax
Minister of Foreign Affairs: Cormac
Minister of Immigration: Tim
Minister of Information: Wintermoot
WA Delegate: The Salaxalans

Regional Assembly

Speaker Pro Tempore: Tim
Representative: Ceardia
Representative: Georgie
Representative: Sovreignry

Supreme Court

Chief Justice: Cormac
Associate Justice: Nomination Pending
Associate Justice: Nomination Pending
[hr]
Election Season Brings New Administration and Regional Assembly

We’ve just wrapped up another election season here in Spiritus and we’re proud to announce that Wintermoot and Charax have been elected the new President and Vice President of Spiritus! We have also elected a new Regional Assembly, with Ceardia, a promising newcomer to NationStates and aspiring WA author, being elected alongside veteran players like Georgie (himself a newcomer to Spiritus), former President Tim, and Sovreignry – the only representative from the previous Regional Assembly term to run for reelection.

This election was a changing of the guard, so to speak, with both presidential tickets comprised of candidates who have for the most part gotten their start in NationStates right here in Spiritus. Wintermoot and Charax emphasized community building, cultural events, and forum activity as the centerpieces of their platform. Their platform also noted the need to maintain an open and welcoming community in Spiritus and an independent approach to foreign affairs, even while maintaining the defender alignment of the Spiritus Defense Force. Their electoral opponents, The Salaxalans and Dr. World, emphasized many of these same themes and also put forward a plan to be more inclusive of the on-site community.

In his Inaugural Address (which may be seen here), President Wintermoot announced his new cabinet appointments. These cabinet appointments bring a mixture of veteran experience and new blood to the executive branch. Noting his commitment to building stronger regional culture in his platform, President Wintermoot has taken direct responsibility for the Ministries of Culture and Information for the beginning of the term to ensure that these ministries begin moving in the direction he envisions.

With our new administration in place and new Regional Assembly representatives elected, bright times are ahead for Spiritus and we look forward to sharing more from our new team soon!

[hr]
Culture Shifts Into High Gear

The Spiritus cultural scene has seen several new developments since our last update. Our Diplomacy League is still underway, with another game of Diplomacy kicking off recently under the direction of Dr. World and The Salaxalans. We have also started a new game of Mafia on our forum which is also being directed by The Salaxalans. Meanwhile, President Wintermoot has been working with Georgie, Dr. World, and others to get the Spiritus community involved in Minecraft.

The new Ministry of Information will also be making contributions to our cultural atmosphere, kicking off the Spiritus Weekly News and developing guides for both new NationStates players and those who have played the game but are new to Spiritus.

With an active IRC channel, a thriving RMB community, talk of Spiritus Skype nights, and other exciting ideas our culture has shifted into high gear and is sure to provide a lot of exciting events and activities for our citizens!

[hr]
SDF Troops Involved in Major Liberations


SDF Troops Prepare for a Liberation

The Spiritus Defense Force (SDF) has participated in several major liberations since our last update. The most significant of these was the liberation of The South Pacific on 30 April 2013 following the ten day coup perpetrated by Milograd. The SDF was proud to work with the Coalition of The South Pacific and the many other regions and organizations that participated in that liberation (a full list can be found here). Spiritus is strongly committed to protecting the right of regional natives to self-determination in the Feeders and Sinkers and in founderless regions throughout NationStates.

SDF forces have also been involved in the following liberations:

[ul][li]Death Star on 22 March 2013 with the Founderless Regions Alliance and The United Defenders League;
[li]Furry Federation on 05 May 2013 with the Ten Thousand Islands Treaty Organization, the Medjai Guard of Osiris, the FRA, and The UDL;
[li]The Brotherhood of Muslim Nations, The Arab League, and Iraq on 07 May 2013 with the Jomsvikings of Balder, Sovereign Confederation, the FRA, and the UDL.[/li][/ul]
The Spiritus Defense Force has also been actively participating in defenses and restorations (detags) at update and is fast becoming a valuable partner in the defense of founderless regions throughout NationStates.

[hr]
Busy First Session in the Regional Assembly

The Regional Assembly had a busy first session as perhaps the most active branch of our government during the first term. It began by passing its own flexible but organized procedural rules and quickly shifted to more important matters. During its first session, the Regional Assembly passed constitutional amendments to streamline Regional Assembly elections, to define the region’s military alignment as defender and to prohibit non-Warzone invasions absent a declaration of war, and to fix a loophole that would have allowed Regional Assembly representatives to be appointed to the Supreme Court. The Regional Assembly also passed legislation to create a WA endorsement cap, to regulate political parties, and to establish standards for the acceptance of citizenship applications.

The first session of the Regional Assembly also saw ratification of our first treaty, the Arnhelm Declaration of Recruitment Standards. The Arnhelm Declaration is an interregional agreement to prevent UCR recruitment between signatories. The Arnhelm Conference was organized by Europeia in February and so far the Arnhelm Declaration has been signed by at least thirteen UCRs, including Spiritus. The Declaration is still open to any UCR that wishes to sign and more information can be found here.

The second session of the Regional Assembly is also off to a strong start with the confirmation of Cormac Locksley as the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Spiritus. We’re sure we will be seeing much more from the Regional Assembly this term!

[hr]
By the way…


A monument to The LKE’s greatness by their loyal subjects in Moldavia

In March, Spiritus and The Land of Kings and Emperors participated in a recruitment competition and it was determined that the loser of the competition would note the results in their next foreign update. True to our word, we would like to acknowledge that The Land of Kings and Emperors won the competition and to congratulate them as the superior recruiters. The competition was good for both regions and we look forward to some of our recruits kicking the UIAF’s butts all over update very soon. :stuck_out_tongue:

Unfortunately, this will be the last such competition between our regions because His Supreme Majesty Onder Kelkia, Emperor of The LKE, by unquestionable right Hotspudarr of Moldavia, etc., etc., saw fit to unceremoniously ban our previous Vice President from The LKE’s forum without so much as a word of consultation between our governments. We look forward to more fruitful relations with actual independent regions who aren’t afraid of our defender cooties.

[hr]
#spiritus: Sooper Srs

[hr]
Thanks for Reading!


Spiritus Foreign Dispatch

Mid-Summer Edition

[hr]
The Government of Spiritus

President: Wintermoot
Vice President: Charax
Minister of Culture: Wuufu
Co-Minister of Defence: Charax
Co-Minister of Defense: Karputsk
Minister of Foreign Affairs: Tim
Minister of Immigration: Tim
Minister of Information: Wintermoot
Minister of WA Affairs/Delegate: The Salaxalans

Regional Assembly

Speaker Pro Tempore: Ceardia
Representative: Tim
Representative: Sovreignry
Representative: Leutheria
Representative: Wuufu

Supreme Court

Chief Justice: Cormac
Associate Justice: Isidor Anumia
Associate Justice: Salaxalans
[hr]
A New Regional Assembly brings New Activity!

http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tdn.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/9e/19e7c7aa-b716-58cf-812b-8ffaee56dbe8/51f7d6362a1bc.preview-300.jpg

Wuufu eyes the new bill carefully as Representative Leutheria eyes V.P Charax

Yet another Regional Assembly Election was recently wrapped up in Spiritus, electing our Third Regional Assembly. Through bloody elections, competitive campaign threads, and many heated emotions, Spiritus finally received its latest tributes. First up, we had two of the Stooges (Tim and Ceardia) being re-elected to their Second Consecutive Term. We also had the Third Stooge, Sovreignry, being elected to his Third Consecutive Term; making him the only Regional Assembly Member to have served on all three of the Regional Assembly boards. Joining the Three Stooges in the endeavor were Leutheria and Wuufu, both active faces in the Cultural Aspect of Spiritus. Both have quickly proven themselves to also be very able Legislative figures.

The Regional Assembly quickly flew into overtime, as Amendments and Bills started flying from the Representative’s noggins and onto the debate floor! Among these are bills concerning topics such as Electoral Procedures, Electoral Rights, and even a potential treaty with the other half of the dynamic Spiridor duo; Mordor.

These efforts have been magnificently presided over by Vice President Charax and by Ceardia, who was named the Speaker Pro-Tempore in light of the Vice President’s Leave of Absence for RL matters. Both gentlemen have been doing a fantastic job, and will hopefully continue to serve the region as best as they can.
[hr]
Damn, is Spiritus Cultural or What?

As if the Culture Scene couldn’t get any bigger in Spiritus, it seems that it has! With the appointment of Wuufu as the new Minister of Culture, the Culture Ministry continues to blossom and the culture scene in Spiritus continues to expand at a rapid pace.

Mafia games are happening in Full Swing, pitting the Spiritans against each other in fun-for-the-whole-family manipulation, with a new game starting almost as soon as the previous game ends. The Salaxalans has been doing a fantastic job maintaining these games, adding new characters and new twists to keep everyone on their toes. So far Spiritus has seen One Mafia Victory, One Town Victory, and one very unexpected Serial Killer Victory. Game IV is now in full swing with nobody sure what to expect next.

Besides Mafiia, Spiritus has also continued to show obsession with various games by continuing our Diplomacy league and making magnificent creations on the the Regional Minecraft Server (hosted by the lovely Georgie). Even more exciting is the Steam Group and Community that we’ve also built! In fact, Spiritus is soon expecting to have a Regional Team Fortress 2 Night. Want to join? Join Spiritus! Furthermore, the RMB Community also continues to thrive, with Salaxalans tossing fun discussion topics into the mix every once in a while. Overall, both the Forum and the RMB are as active as ever.

The IRC Channel, #spiritus @irc.esper.net, has shown even more growth over the past few months! Now holding an active community of 15-20 Spiritans + Assorted others, the channel is one of the most active NS IRC Channels and radiates a warm and welcoming presence to newcomers. The latest addition to the channel is Tammy, an IRC Bot customized by Minister of Culture Wuufu. Aside from doing the usual IRCbot options, and the basic Nationstates oriented ones, Tammy has custom replies to all the Spiritans and can even host games of Uno right in the #spiritus channel. Even more things have developed out of the #spiritus channel such as Regional Cards Against Humanity Games, and various other fun little things!

More cultural ideas are rolling in every day, of course, such as this little gem from our Vice President

[hr]
SDF Continues the Good Fight

http://www.veteranstoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Marines_Operation_AllenBrook-320x246.jpg

Spiritus Defense Force Units charging into Osiris, dodging bans.

The Spiritus Defense Force has been busy the past few months, with both asserting their control over the Warzones and with liberating Founderless Regions from the clutches of Invaders. The most recent, and largest, of all these Liberations has been the liberation of The Khemetic Republic of Osiris from those lovely lowlifes over in Gatesville Inc. After [The Dourian Embassy](NationStates | The The The The The The The The of The dourian embassy) gave his Delegate Nation over to Gatesville Inc, following his loss in the Osiris Pharaoh Election, a brutal coup and purge ensued. As one of the first regions to both pledge support for Osiris, and to declare war against Gatesville Inc, SDF Members were a constant presence within Osiris. Whether it was throwing non-WA’s in, to antagonize JAL, or placing sleepers to bypass the Gatesville sniper nests, SDF shone and represented the best qualities of Spiritus in themselves

The SDF has also been active on the battlefield in other places, participating in the following Liberations, and even being the Majority Force for some of them:

[ul][li]Roman Empire on 15 May 2013
[li]Madison Wisconsin on 16 May 2013
[li]Natan Region Annexation, The Condederacy, and Disciples of Christ United on 20 May 2013
[li]St Abbaddon on 21 May 2013
[li]Persis, The Imperial League, and Blackrift on 26 May 2013
[li]NATO Resistance Movement and The Wuundergap on 27 May 2013
[li]Das Imperium on 20 June 2013
[li]Alteran Empire and The Democratic Republic of Friendship on 24 June 2013
[li]The Global Revolutionary Workers Union on 27 June 2013[/li][/ul]

Participating with other regions/organizations such as Mordor, UDL, FRA, TITO, and the defunct Sovereign Confederation, the Spiritus Defense Force has been working hard at making Nationstates a safer place for Founderless Regions. However, Kick the Codger has proven to be a new Regional Sport for SDF members, as yelps of Codger ring around the Warzones (now stamped with SDF logos).

[hr]
Super Fun Time!


Now you’re scared

As you can see, this is a crossword puzzle! The clues are posted below:
These may either involve mini-facts out of the Dispatch or just common NS knowledge. Either way, good luck!

[spoiler]ACROSS
2. It’s a lie
6. Spiritus Chief Justice
8. Killed the Witch King of Angmar
9. Customized the IRCbot
12. The 10th Doctor
13. Creator of FriarTuck
14. The Dynamic Warzone Duo
16. Son of Odin
17. The First Avenger

DOWN

  1. The Spiritus IRCbot
  2. Time and Relative Dimension in Space
  3. Donkey said he’d make these in the morning
  4. High Queen Poobah of Gatesville INC
  5. Arch-Chancellor of the FRA
  6. Founding Month of Spiritus
  7. President of Spiritus
  8. Acronym for the Spiritus Military
  9. RP First Name of our President
    [/spoiler]

The First Region/Person who fills out the crossword puzzle correctly will get this prize: Tim will write you an NS Song Parody on the song of your choice
The Second Region/Person who fills out the crossword puzzle correctly will get this prize: An Emoticon on the Spiritus Forum dedicated to them
The Third Region/Person who fills out the crossword puzzle correctly will get this prize: A shiny for their Forum Signature

So what are you waiting for? Get solving!

Telegram Submissions to Tim Locksley-Stark

[hr]
#spiritus: Quotable…

[hr]
Thanks for Reading!

Just letting everyone know that I’m the new ambassador from Spiritus!

Tee hee. Ignore this. :slight_smile:

^Ignore :wink:

Dawsinian, the ACTUAL Ambassador will materialize eventually.

Oh good, I thought you were the new one… :stuck_out_tongue: :wink:

Hey All! :slight_smile: New Ambassador here :stuck_out_tongue:

Welcome!

Welcome to TEP! You’ll never want to leave, just warning you.

We will steal you from Spiritus https://groups.tapatalk-cdn.com/smilies/52127/1536592187.0794-smiley.gif?ttinline=truehttps://groups.tapatalk-cdn.com/smilies/52127/1536592188.0653-smiley.gif?ttinline=true

Seriously, you’re only allowed to post updates. Casual conversation is strictly prohibited! https://groups.tapatalk-cdn.com/smilies/52127/1536592186.951-smiley.gif?ttinline=truehttps://groups.tapatalk-cdn.com/smilies/52127/1536592187.0794-smiley.gif?ttinline=true


[hr]
The Government of Spiritus

President: Wuufu
Vice President: Tim
Minister without Portfolio: Charax
Minister of Integration Toms
Minister of Culture: Wuufu
Minister of Defense: Karputsk
Minister of Foreign Affairs: Tim
Minister of WA Relations: The Salaxalans

Regional Assembly

Speaker Pro Tempore/Representative: Toms (Inactive SPT)
Representative: Tim
Representative: Sovreignry
Representative: Butterspring
Representative: Horse
Representative: The Saturnian Republic
Representative: Ceardia

Supreme Court

Chief Justice: The Salaxalans
Associate Justice: Isidor C. Anumia
Associate Justice:Vacant

Sorry for the irregular post, but it appears I have an Ambassador to smack for ignoring the posting of updates here.
Here’s the latest.

[hr][hr]http://i.imgur.com/Tezx5R5.png
Spiritus Foreign Update: The “Holly Jolly Christmas” Edition.

The Government of Spiritus

President: Wuufu
Vice President: Tim

Minister of Culture: Wuufu
Deputy Minister of Culture: Vacant

Minister of Defense: Karputsk
Deputy Minister of Defense: Leutheria

Minister of Foreign Affairs: Tim
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs: The Saturnian Republic

Minister of Information: Horse
Deputy Minister of Information: Vacant

Minister of Integration: Toms
Deputy Minister of Integration: Vacant

Minister of World Assembly Affairs: The Salaxalans
Deputy Minister of World Assembly Affairs: Libertarian Librarians

Minister Without Portfolio: Charax

Regional Assembly

Speaker Pro Tempore / Representative: Toms
Representative: Sovreignry
Representative: Charax
Representative: Horse
Representative: The Saturnian Republic
Representative: Butterspring
Representative: Leutheria

Supreme Court

Chief Justice: The Salaxalans
Associate Justice: Isidor C Anumia
Associate Justice: Ceardia

[hr]
Regional Assembly Passes Controversial FRA Membership Act
The Spiritus Regional Assembly recently passed a controversial Act permitting the President to file a membership application with the Founderless Regions Alliance. Sparking heated debate across the various Halls of the RA, this Bill went under quite a bit of fire before passing. Passed 5-4, and supported by a close Majority of the Citizenry (as seen in the Non-Binding Citizen Vote on it), some predict it will usher Spiritus into a new age of R/D prosperity. Others say the exact opposite, some want Spiritus to stop doing R/D altogether, but only time will tell what will actually happen. President Wuufu Valerius Vitus signed the Bill into law, but stated that he will hold off on filing the application itself until we can focus internally, uniting Spiritus as a community again. However, the bill was struck down as unconstitutional by the courts, and yet another battle has begun over the constitutionality of the bill. Libertarian Librarians has made several comments on the ruling in support of the bill. More will be reported as it comes.

[spoiler]http://cdn.unfriendable.com/2012/12/30/unfriendable.com_104094_1387480770.jpg
[/spoiler]
[hr]
Spiritus Joins the World Fair; Plans Booth
Spiritus FINALLY joined the World Fair, beginning on the 3rd of January, lasting until the 10th of January. What Spiritus will do in the fair is still being debated by the region, but expect it to be as wacky and fun as the region itself. Some of the ideas being debated are:
TF2 night
Grooveshark music stream
Haxball night
Yucata games night
Movie Night
Roast of Spiritus
A official thread for the ideas will be held shortly, with ideas having only been murmurs. Hopefully, within this month, ideas will be solidified, giving Spiritus a concrete plan going into the World Fair. Hopefully, in this World Fair, Tim won’t run across the stage naked… whacks Tim on the head

[spoiler]http://www.questionablecontent.net/comics/2605.png
[/spoiler]
[hr]
President Wuufu Begins “Week Before Christmas” Festival; Fun Was Had; Many Snowballs Thrown; Ceardia Frozen in Snowman
Beginning on the 15th, Spiritus celebrated the season of giving with its “Week before Christmas” festival. The celebration, lasting from the 15th to the 21st, celebrated all things Sprititus: fun, insanity, and friendship. Wuufu, the Minister of Culture, announced the idea rather suddenly, but even then, the celebration was a blast. Whether it was Horse beating everyone in Haxball, Wuufu playing amazing music on Grooveshark, or the RP snowball fight held on the forum, much fun was had, and friendships only grew between the members of the region, much needed after the prior few weeks. The biggest hit of the festival was the Snowy Competition, in which members either submitted poems, songs, or images that most reminded them of the holiday. The winner has not been announced yet, but the contest has been closed, so official results will be posted to you, our embassies, consulates, etc., when they come in.
Here is the winning poem, submitted by Legonimis:

[spoiler]Untitled, by AJH
A rosy cheeked demon
Of unfettered greed
A festive reminder
To all those in need
Of what little they have
Of what all they lack—
Warm food in their belly
Warm clothes on their back.

To the lonely and forlorn
A wintry token
Of days best forgotten
Of sadness unspoken
No tree, no holly,
No bauble, no present
Just helpings of guilt
For not being pleasant.

The ads, the sales,
The flyers, the gifts
As if money and trimming
Can heal all the rifts
'Tween child, parent,
Husband or wife
Closing old wounds
Erasing past strife.

Cookies and carols
Eggnog and songs
Do nothing to aid
In righting the wrongs
Of beatings, of scoldings
Of apathy, of tears
They sooth not the anger
Allay not the fears.

Christmas should never
An anxiety bring
In place of great joy
Or a desire to sing
Yet bring that it does
For many the soul
Our hearts, like our stockings,
Are darkened like coal.

There is no desire
To muffle or smother
The Yuletide merry
Santa gives to another.
We simply remind you
In this most merry of seasons
That we hang no tinsel
And we have our reasons.[/spoiler]
[spoiler]http://i.imgur.com/7tBXztm.png
[/spoiler]
[hr]
Spiritus Elections Around the Bend; Potential Government Shake-Up in Store
In Spiritus, the Presidential elections, occurring every four months, are set to begin at the opening of the new year. The candidates for this race are Wuufu, with Toms as his Vice President, and Charax, with Butterspring as his Vice President. Wuufu, once VP for Wintermoot and current Minister of Culture, is the incumbent President after Wintermoot resigned from the position and left Spiritus. Charax is the current “Minister Without Portfolio” and a Regional Assembly member. Toms is the current Minister of Integration, Regional Assembly Speaker Pro Tempore, and an author of several Spiritusianite laws. Butterspring is a Regional Assembly member. The Straw Polls say that this race should be a competitive one!

For the Regional Assembly race, as of now we have 8 candidates. Those candidates are, in no particular order: Libertarian Librarians, Sovreignry, Denth Rowan, Dolphin, Legonimis, The Saturnian Republic, ArbiterSlayer, and Horse. With many former RA members choosing not to step up for re-election, this will be an RA full of fresh faces, something that critics have said has been lacking recently.

[spoiler]http://cdn.unfriendable.com/2012/12/30/unfriendable.com_104100_1387482728.jpg
[/spoiler]
[hr]
Horsey’s Thing of the Month: Super Crate Box
So, while scrolling through the bowels of the internet, I stumbled across this game, called Super Crate Box. This game, while low in graphics, is loaded with fun. The objective: collect the crates, and do the THINGS does the things. The game’s main character, which alternates between different characters (just models, nothing else), try and stop creatures from going into a fire. Your job is to stop them, lest they become faster and faster, and become able to kill you easier. Each new crate allows you to grab a new weapon, ranging from the katana to a minigun, or even a flamethrower. Enemies range from small little skulls, to giant green…things. I don’t even know what they are . The game, as I will try and keep it, is free to play, but does require a download to play. I strongly recommend you play the game, and the link below will take you to the game.
http://www.supercratebox.com/

And now we leave you with this lovely little webcomic:

[spoiler]http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/mario.png
[/spoiler]
Update written by Tim and Horse.
Grammar fixed by the Salaxalans: Professional Grammarian.
Editing done by Tim

Thanks for the update.

Ambassadors need a good smacking once in a while :wink:

— Begin quote from ____

Thanks for the update.

Ambassadors need a good smacking once in a while :wink:

— End quote

Indeed. Apologies for the absence of updates.
I’m acting Ambassador to TEP (once masked) until I find a replacement.

You should be masked soon.

I’m here and masked now. I swearz I will post on time.

Swear on the precious.


Spiritus Foreign Update: The “Most Glorious Tim ” Edition.

The Government of Spiritus

President: Wuufu
Vice President: Toms

Minister of Culture: Wuufu
Deputy Minister of Culture: Vacant

Minister of Defense: Karputsk
Deputy Minister of Defense: Vacant

Minister of Foreign Affairs: Tim
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs: The Saturnian Republic

Minister of Information: Horse
Deputy Minister of Information: Vacant

Minister of Integration: Toms
Deputy Minister of Integration: Vacant

Minister of World Assembly Affairs and World Assembly Delegate: The Salaxalans
Deputy Minister of World Assembly Affairs: Vacant
Vice Delegate: Libertarian Librarians

Minister Without Portfolio: Vacant

Regional Assembly

Representative: Libertarian Librarians
Representative: Sovreignry
Representative: ArbiterSlayer
Representative: Horse
Representative: Dolphin
Representative: Legonimis
Representative: The Saturnian Republic

Supreme Court

Chief Justice: The Salaxalans
Associate Justice: Isidor C Anumia
Associate Justice: Ceardia

[hr]
Election Time in Spiritus; New Members Enter into the Regional Assembly; Wuufu and Toms Take the Reigns of the Executive Branch; Tim Clearly Using Wuufu as a Puppet
This month marks a new beginning for Spiritus, especially in government. With the departure of longtime Citizens Charax and Denth Rowan, a few new members were required to run for elections. As our bi-monthly RA elections began, our Presidential election, which takes place every four months, began as well. The candidates for the Regional Assembly were Legonimis, Horse, Libertarian Librarians, Dolphin, The Saturnian Republic, Sovreignry, Denth Rowan, and ArbiterSlayer. This lineup is rather unique, as most of the members who ran had not been part of the past RA session, which has not occurred in quite some time. All candidates ran a great campaign and put in a lot of effort; clearly they bribed people to get votes, or are secretly Mall, Venicio, and Halacones, trying to take over Spiriuts. Or they’re just really good people, but probably not. The results of the election:

[spoiler]Legonimis - 22 Votes
Horse - 20 Votes
Libertarian Librarians - 19 votes
Dolphin - 19 Votes
The Saturnian Republic - 18 Votes
Sovreignry - 18 Votes
Denth Rowan - 11 Votes
ArbiterSlayer - 11 Votes[/spoiler]
The tie was broken due to the departure of Denth Rowan, meaning ArbiterSlayer took the final position in the RA.

On the executive side of the election, Wuufu and Toms ran against Charax and Butterspring, while Milograd and Karp ran a joke campaign. Wuufu and Toms, both experienced members in Spiritus, and both already holding important positions in Spiritus, were a great combo. Charax and Butterspring, another good combination, fell apart at the seams after a comment made by Butterspring regarding how he would promote activity in and lead the RA, essentially stating that he didn’t care about the RA.

That comment, in the minds of many Spiritans, is what made up their minds regarding who to vote for. And, as I mentioned earlier, Most Glorious Chairman Milograd and ebul FRA plant Karp under a joke banner. The campaign, the love child of Vladimir Lenin and Mao Zedong, was a enormously funny campaign, and I suggest everyone read it http://w11.zetaboards.com/Spiritus/topic/9930103/2/#new. Results for the Presidential election:

[spoiler]Wuufu/Toms - 17 Votes
Charax/Butterspring - 5 Votes
Milograd/Karputsk - 2 Votes[/spoiler]
My sincerest congratulations to every single candidate, and may this be a great new term!

[hr]
[spoiler]http://i.imgur.com/tOY7bQs.png
[/spoiler]
[hr]
Live Game Nights Begin Again; Collective Groan Heard by Citizens Across Spiritus
This month marked the return of Live Nights in Spiritus after a few months of clear neglect from our lazy President, Wuufu. However, unlike its predecessor, which which consisted only of Grooveshark nights (which usually ended in cats singing), this time we have GAMES. Clearly, this is the intellectual revolution of 2014. The schedule, which only has one permanent piece on it, is constantly changing. From Haxball to TF2, games abound in this environment. While not too many people have shown up int it’s youth, there is hope that this will lead to a boom in Spiritain culture and activities, which have been quieter recently.The most successful night for this weekly event was the Grooveshark night, where we went from French Pop to Swedish Power Metal many times, with every variation you can think of throughout the evening. No kittens singing though, sent Spiritus kitten cuteness levels to a dangerously low amount… The next night was Haxball night. For those unaware what Haxball is, imagine 2D Football. Now imagine that being laggy as hell, and you get Haxball. The night belonged to Horse (me), as I went undefeated that night! We will update you all as these cultural events continue.

[hr]
[spoiler]http://i.imgur.com/BHDKQyeb.jpg
[/spoiler]
[hr]
Denth Rowan and Charax Renounce Citizenship, Citing Multiple Issues Within the Spiritus Community
This month has been a rather tragic one for Citizens of Spiritus. Denth Rowan, longtime member of Spiritus and author of several Regional Assembly resolutions, renounced his Citizenship on January 9th. Charax renounced his Citizenship that day, citing many problems in the community; not wanting to be part of this, he renounced his Citizenship and resigned from all government positions. Charax was a member of the Executive with the position “Minister Without Portfolio” and had previously been a Regional Assembly Representative and Vice President; both Charax and Denth Rowan will be missed.

My personal condolences to Charax and Denth, and may they prosper wherever they end up.

[hr]
[spoiler]http://i.imgur.com/v7MJlLZ.gif
[/spoiler]
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Controversial FRA Bill Is Still Bringing Controversy; Declared Unconstitutional Twice; Becomes Combo Breaker
As reported in last month’s update, the FRA Membership Act, passed by both the RA and a citizen Referendum, was struck down by the Supreme Court as being unconstitutional, citing the restrictions on declaring war on certain regions in the FRA charter bill as the main reason. This month, the attitude of the Chief Justice, the Salaxalans, changed. His statement shows disagreement with the initial ruling:

[spoiler]I’ve realized that we, the Court, have erred significantly in both our Ruling and Statement. Looking beyond the substance, the Ruling contained many flaws that were only haphazardly patched up with the Statement in such a way that rather bizarre and potentially harmful precedents have been set, including the ridiculous restriction on not declaring war (first we made nonaggression pacts illegal, then we revised it to prevent us from declaring war on regions that we have agreed to help by passing the damn thing?) and the portion that could be used as precedent to make illegal anything not specifically provided for in law. We’re striking the law based on half of a section that there isn’t a chance we’d ever go against anyway?[/spoiler]
As many began to rejoice (with Tim breaking out the good whiskey to celebrate) over the possibility of the court ruling being overturned, Associate Justice Ceardia smashed those hopes and dreams. His statement is as follows:

[spoiler]In light of the recent events due to the lack of precise language and specification in the original majority ruling in relation to whether revoking the Regional Assembly’s right to declare war is unconstitutional, the Court shall replace that section of ruling with different version.

It has been asked if the FRA Membership Act is unconstitutional since it refrains our ability to declare war. First off, in Article I Section vi it is stated that we are to renounce our right to declare war upon any region “the FRA is assisting through redevelopment or military assistance”. The Treaty revokes our right to declare war upon the regions subject to help from the FRA, despite such regions being referred to are non-signatory regions and therefore are not subject to the same restrictions as the signatory regions. Such regions aided by the FRA appear to be chosen by the internal government of the FRA and are subject to either little or no Spiritan influence.

Secondly, it is found that the RA is capable of refraining itself from declaring war upon specifically stated regions within non-aggression treaties. With the ratification of the FRA Membership Act, the Spiritus RA chooses to refrain itself from declaring war upon the current member regions of the FRA. However based on the procedures laid by the Charter of the FRA, Spiritus would have little influence on the acceptance of new member regions into the FRA, and without the direct approval of the RA.

Thirdly, it is found that the FRA regional assembly is empowered to make amendments to the FRA Charter, and assuming that the Spiritus RA won’t re-ratify the Treaty whenever it gets amended, it would also be found that it also transfers the Spiritus RA’s power to ratify treaties to be transferred to this external body. As well as that, Section 3 of the FRA Membership Act empowers the President to choose whom to serve a representative in the FRA regional assembly, and due to the procedures laid out in the FRA charter with the FRA’s RA having the power to make amendments to the charter, any little influence Spiritus has over any amendments made to the Charter is not officially approved by the Spiritus RA and is instead is approved by representatives chosen by the President, thus partially transferring the RA’s power to ratify treaties over to the President.

The Court hereby finds the Founderless Regions Alliance Membership Act as unconstitutional and is hereby declared null and void.[/spoiler]
And now we have to put the new whiskey away again. Thanks, Obama.

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[spoiler]http://i.imgur.com/xOSfKUa.png
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Horse’s Thingy of the Month: I Saw Her Standing There
While browsing the internet for fun, new video games, I came across this little game (that, of course, is free). The game, a platformer/adventure game, also has an ACTUAL story (which, for the most part, the games I suggested, have not.) You play as a boyfriend to a recently zombified girlfriend. Fearing for her safety, and the safety of others, you must put her in a cage. Every time she escapes, you place her back in the cage. As the game progress, so does the connection between you and the characters. You actually begin to care about the guy, and the girl zombie. The graphics, as with most games I suggest, aren’t that impressive. But, to be honest, I hope that’s not what people care about. I hope you guys play games for the story, or for the fun. As always, here is the link. Enjoy!

Thanks for reading!

Written by Horse
Edited by LibLib, Wuufu, and the Salaxalans