Embassy of Global Right Alliance

Here's you new Embassy, we look forward to hearing from you regularly.

Thankyou very much! I'll have an ambassador posted to you ASAP.

The first thing I have for you is the latest edition of the GRA's Military newspaper, The Swords and Phoenix. Our proper Foreign update should be out in a week or so. I'll add that the GRA is currently gripped by election fever, as the campaign for the next President has begun. There are three candidates running: Joe Bobs (me ), Seneca21, and Old Zertaxia.

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Editors Note

The editor would like to apologise to its readers for the lack of editions over the last few weeks. He was unfortunately detained by invader accomplices known simply as ‘University Deadlines’. However thanks to his belief in the defender cause he rose up, and shouting ‘I will not be beaten!’ while systematically knocking back deadline after deadline before escaping over the word count mountain ranges and across the exam desert to the freedom of graduation. Looking back upon his achievement he is quoted as saying ‘I am become death, the destroyer of words. Fear me for no longer am I a student, but a man!’ He then strode into the office to begin writing the latest edition of The Swords and Phoenix.

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GRADF Soldiers Celebrate Promotion!



Soldiers Joe Bobs, Nuclear Test Facility, Xendau and Lower Bowmania receiving their promotions.

It is with great pleasure that The Swords and Phoenix reports that members of the GRADF have recently surpassed the number of missions required for promotion! New recruits Nuclear Test Facility and Xendau have both been promoted to the first rank of Private following the end of their initiation periods while Lower Bowmania has been promoted to the position of Private First Class and old hand Joe Bobs has become the latest Second Lieutenant. The Swords and Phoenix would like to extend its congratulations to all and hopes to see many more promoted within the near future.

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LKE once again embarrassed as Free Thought Remains Free!



Not for the first time, Defender Cat laughs at the LKE.

The Land of Kings and Emperors show their ineptness at the art of raiding as, once again, they are beaten back from the region of Free Thought, a region they have long had desires for. Towards the end of 2009, the LKE showed their griefing tendencies when they attempted to destroy the region, stating that the natives of Free Thought had ‘insulted their flag’. This of course was viewed as pathetic by the majority of the Nationstates community and as such a Liberation proposal was passed by the Security Council. The invaders soon showed they didn’t have the stomach for a fight as they left proclaiming they had won some sort of victory by denying any liberation attempt for a short amount of time. This time however there was no such proclamation by the invaders as the GRADF moved in swiftly to neutralise the threat.

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GRADF Helps Protect Diana, Mohammed Al Fayed reported to be pleased.



The dreaded invader paparazzi.

There were no conspiracy theories regarding the English Royal Family this time around as the GRADF managed to successfully defend the region of Diana from the growing hoard of invader paparazzi that had congregated just outside the regions main hotel. Moving in quickly and efficiently the GRADF and members of the FRA Rangers managed to successfully banject the paparazzi to Kandy’s where they are currently reporting on the breaking news story that Kandy is pregnant with Falconias baby. This has prompted Nationstates most prominent conspiracy theorist Onderkelkia to suggest that they might soon be subject of an ‘unfortunate accident’ initiated by the FRA. The Swords and Phoenix will keep you updated with this news story as it breaks.

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The Franco Spanish Empire and Azhukali apply for FRA Membership!



The Franco Spanish Empire and Azhukali are hoping to become the latest members of the biggest defender alliance in the game.

This past week has seen two regions apply to become new members of the Founderless Regions Alliance! The Franco Spanish Empire and Azhukali are both young regions who have been approached by the current Regional Recruitment Officer Joshua for potential membership of the FRA. Currently both applications are up for discussions within the Regional Assembly with discussion ongoing but overall quite receptive to both.The Swords and Phoenix wishes both regions all the luck in the world and looks forward to commentating upon their achievements in the future should they be accepted!

Invaders sing the blues as the GRADF boot them out of Austria!



Old Zertaxia getting a tad excited about being in the same country as his favourite musical.

For a short period of time, those famous hills were not filled with the sound of music but with the sound of crying invaders as the GRADF moved quickly to prevent the region of Austria from falling into the hands of The Golden State Empire. Just a few weeks before this successful defence by the GRADF, TITO also banjected members of The Golden State Empire all the way to Kandy’s from Austria as well proving that Invaders are slow to learn from their mistakes. Overall seven members of the GRADF were deployed to help keep Austria free from imperialist invaders. In a response to invader propaganda, in which they pretended to be long term natives in order to gain support for their own actions, General Sedge proclaimed, ‘If I see you make any attempt to annex Austria - or indeed any other region against their will, I'll have our military crush you.’ The Swords and Phoenix encourages the invaders to take note of this message, for the GRADF will never stand idly by while you continue your old fashioned imperialistic ways.

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And now for something completely different as the GRADF defends Random!



The two defenders who have yet to be named.

Said one defender to another,
‘'Raiders aren’t what they used to be,
The raids they do, they are so few,
And Defenders stop every one that they see!
Indeed raiders are weak,
Their techniques are antique,
They moan to the mods at least once every week!
They moan about things which soon become weary,
Such as the recent favourite regarding an FRA conspiracy theory!
This in itself has been championed by Onder,
And it really makes you wonder,
Over his supposed sanity
And his ability,
To conduct a raid without looking silly!’’

The other defender laughed when he heard of this news,
‘'Didn’t you know,’’ he said, ‘'that this is all true?
The reasons the raids are so small and so few
Is that the FRA is controlling what invaders say and what invaders do!
Take Random for instance, which saw them move in two by two,
The GRADF you see already knew,
What indeed raiders were going to do!
And so once more they fled with a whimper,
And the GRADF were once again declared the winner!’’
So raiders take note, and we will give you this one for free
That Defenders control everything that you do and everything that you see.

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The FRA Welcome the Franco-Spanish Empire to its Ranks while confusion reigns over the application of Azhukali.



The respective regional flags of TFSE and Azhukail.

The FRA welcomed in two new regions to its ranks this past week...Or did it? While the Franco-Spanish Empire has been accepted and welcome fully, there is a great deal of confusion over Azhukali’s application. Indeed, while the Regional Assembly of the FRA approved its application, natives of the region proclaimed that they didn’t even know that they had applied in the first place! It is unclear just now how the situation will end, however The Swords and Phoenix will keep you updated with all the latest news.

The FRA acceptance without an application situation is.. amusing

Basically what happened is that the regional leader of Azhukail applied to the FRA but didn't actually get the approval of the other members of the region before doing so. Foolish thing to do, but still!

The Global Right Alliance Official Foreign Update


Due to moans and groans from many regions on the vast length of our updates, this one has been cut down a bit. It's still pretty long...

We would like to alert you to the GRA Forum Directory, which explains all the various subforums and important threads, and highlights threads of particular interest to those new to the forum.


Elections and Government

In an attempt to make this month's update shorter, I'll be skipping a lot of what happened this month. Politics in the GRA changes by the hour, so I'll only mention the biggest issues:

The GRA Economy - The GRA has begun to install an economic system. The idea began as a way to reward people for taking part in government jobs like ambassadorships and the Civil Service. As a large proportion of GRAers aren't involved in role-play, the first question was what could cash earned be spent on? Possible solutions include advertising space on the forum, entry into various quizzes and games, auctioning one's signature or avatar, and many other possibilities. The second question was a name. Options have included 'Dipes', after a long inactive father figure of the GRA, 'Nix', from 'Phoenix', the GRA's symbol, but consensus has emerged on 'GRAPES', GRA Preferred Economic System. When put into action, there will be a wage structure for all government workers and departmental budgets to be voted on by the People's Assembly.

Expansion of the Judiciary, Political Parties and an Elected Legislative House - There has been much criticism of the present party system, as, until recently, parties have not organised to the extent of putting forward and supporting candidates or presenting legislative platforms. One solution to this has been proposed, to have a second legislative chamber, alongside the People's Assembly (the PA is the GRA's current legislative chamber, in which all citizens vote on legislation). Critics have said this would reduce democracy and end the principle of 'one person, one vote' in the region. Supporters say that it will allow for more new players to become involved in government, encouraging them to stick around and to inject some new blood into the government. Uropa, in particular, has claimed that the GRA's government does not encourage involvement of new players at the highest levels. The system would mean that parties could train and put forward candidates, and formulate and propose their own legislation, giving the parties a new sense of purpose. Another option is to expand the judiciary, from the current one Chief Justice, to three.

Third Wall Bloc - The GRA has joined the Third Wall Bloc, a group of regions dedicated to seeing an end to Rule IV, the rule which states that Security Council Commendations and Condemnations must apply only to role-play and not game-play subjects, including that they can only apply to nations and not players. The GRA is firmly against Rule VI, and is committed to voting against any proposal which conforms to the Rule.



Election Fever - Currently, three of the four elected positions in the GRA are being nominated for, campaigned for or voted on. Firstly, Presidential nominations opened on 15th May. The candidates are Joe Bobs, Seneca and Old Zertaxia. Joe Bobs has proposed a large scale expansion of government, introducing several deputy ministries, and has also set goals for when the Township Program and GRA Economy will come into effect. Seneca has been accused of copying Joe Bobs campaign, which he denies. Seneca has also proposed expanding the use of the GRA irc. Old Zertaxia has not presented a campaign at all for the Presidency. He is, however, the sole person running for Speaker of the People's Assembly, which is being voted on as we went to press. The Speaker election was called when Pidgeon Island resigned, which he did so in order to run for Chief Justice. He is currently unopposed. The President election is on 1st June, and the Chief Justice on 10th June.


Court Trials

Sedge vs. Uropa - This month, Sedge took Uropa to court as Sedge accused him of attempting to vote twice in the Presidential Election in March, in which Uropa and Sedge ran. Sedge accused Uropa of controlling a second account, and presented several circumstantial pieces of evidence. However, Chief Justice Jivdom said that, as Sedge couldn't show an IP match, he could not prove beyond reasonable doubt that the other account was definitely Uropa, and Uropa was found not guilty. During the trial, Jivdom requested in the intel department that a lot of intel be made public, rather than just what the prosecution chose to. This has led to a major split in regional opinion, with Uropa and Jivdom leading the call to make intel more open, and Sedge and Lower Bowmania leading the side saying intel must remain secret.

Uropa & The Reuscher Empire vs. Sedge - TRE and Uropa accused Sedge of illegally banning Angoila (see last month's update's 'The Great Angoila Scandal'), however, Sedge claimed that since Angoila did not have a nation in the region at the time, he was not a resident, and, since the GRA's laws refer solely to citizens and residents, Angoila did not have any rights at the time. Jivdom found that there were no laws condemning Sedge's actions, and Sedge was found not guilty.


Laws

The following laws have been passed since the last update:

Endorsement Cap Foundation Bill
Emergency Powers Act 2010
The Third Wall Bloc Membership Bill 2010
Global Right Alliance Township Program Bill

The following laws are currently being debated on:

Expansion of the judiciary
Elected Legislative Chamber
Reduction of Nomination Period

Political Parties

There are currently four parties in the GRA, as follows:

Liberal Party
Leader: Jivdom
Membership: 10
Regional Positions: President; Chief Justice; (Recently resigned Speaker);

Conservative Federalist Party
Leader: Seneca
Membership: 8
Regional Positions: None.

Nationalist Union of Trade and Power Party
Leader: WookieO
Membership: 12
Regional Positions: Delegate; GRADF Lieutenant; GRADF Head of Ranks

Freedom Party
Leader: To Be Confirmed (The Freedom Party formed very shortly before this update went to press.)
Membership: 4
Regional Positions: Vice-Delegate


Recruitment and Population

At the time of the last update, the GRA was home to 434 nations, the 13th most in the world. At the time of writing now (28th May) the region contains 558 nations, the 12th most in the world (an increase of 124). We were 11th, but Region Inc seem to have had a population boom equal to our own. Sadly, it seems Europeia have replaced the 'GRA population' stat in their forum header with a 'Region Inc population' stat. However, we will not let this dismay us. We'll catch Region Inc soon enough. The top recruiter remains Sedge, but he is being caught up by others, especially Chin Chillas.


GRA Defence Force (GRADF)

GRADF news continues to be covered by the game's premier defender-zine, The Swords and Phoenix:

Issue 6
Issue 7

The following have been promoted in the last month:

Joe Bobs - Second Lieutenant
Chin Chillas - Second Lieutenant
Lower Bowmania - Corporal
Auul - Private


Foreign Affairs

The GRA is proud to announce new embassies with:

Liberty Alliance
Region Inc
The West Pacific?
The South Pacific?
The North Pacific?
The Pacific
Gay?

There are also seven pending embassy requests.


Newbie Awards

Each month, the GRA hosts an award ceremony for those new players who have most impressed. This months winners were:

Best Contributor: Aaron Burristan
Most Entertaining: Kaiseresc and Wopruthien
Most Promising: Aaron Burristan
Most likely to be burned at the stake: Govindia
The Next Sedge: Exploding Mice and Aaron Burristan
The Next Uropa: Govindia and Kaiseresc
The Next Arov: MrKWTerentopia and IanCooperFTW
Best Role-Playing: MrKWTerentopia and Kaiseresc and Auul and Jalton
Best Defender: Xendau
Best Overall Newcomer -
Gold: Exploding Mice
Silver: Aaron Burristan
Bronze: Kaiseresc

OMAHD Bar

As usual, the OMAHD Bar is a hive of activity, from big debates to spam games. Of note this month: Jalton began his Battleplan quiz, in which he presents a plan of a battle from history and you have to guess what it is. The GRA has several history and military buffs who are vying for number one position in this tricky quiz! Other subjects of interest have been Joe Bobs' recipes, music (mostly metal), and how to revise.


Joe Bobs in the kitchen.

There have been a number of big debates, including what is fast becoming a GRA standard: Israel/Palestine. Other debates have included the worsening of North and South Korean relations, abortion, capital punishment, the existence of God, creationism vs evolution, immigration, the Gulf oil spill and the British elections. So, basically, everything that anyone has ever debated over! If you have views on, well, anything, head on over to the GRA and we'll be glad to tell you why you're wrong.

One debate of note was 'What do you live for?', which had a super-serious tone, and caused many GRAers to step out of their normal argumentative, misanthropic state and talk about love, joy, life and death, with the serious cat:




Bits and Bobs

Avatar themes - This month's avatar themes have included Great Works of Art, The Ancient World, Hot Actresses (which several members opted out of, and some chose to de-discriminate by choosing male actors) and this week's theme, Far Eastern Culture.

The GRA continues in its merciless and eternal war against Falconias.

This month saw the return of Dalleria, an old-time GRAer who had been absent for many years. We welcome his return! This month also saw the arrival of a somewhat less welcome visitor...

Uh oh! It's Govindia! Hide the children!

Yes, everyone's favourite creeper turned up in the GRA this month. He was slammed instantly, and promptly left. However, he then tried to add Old Zertaxia on facebook, much to Old Z's horror, leading Old Z to ask 'Is [Gov's real name] Govindia? If so, he just tried to add me on fb'. Gov's creeper sense was set tingling, and he promptly returned, and then reported the GRA for what he considered a break of Zetaboards ToS, as Old Z used his real name. The offending content was removed, and Govindia was subsequently banned.

So concludes this update, brought to you by Foreign Affairs Minister Joe Bobs.
29th May, 2010

Howdy all!

Just thought i would pop over to our embassy and say hello seeing as i have just been appointed the new Foreign Affairs Minister for the GRA following the election of JB to the position of President.

I wont be making a great deal of changes, so don't worry, but its always nice to come over and say hello to people!

If you have any questions about anything, please don't hesitate to drop me or your ambassador a PM and we will get back to you as soon as possible!

NC

Yep, I'm now President. *puts President hat on* Hello TNP!

Hello The North Pacific, I'm the new Deputy FA minister for the GRA

*waves at EM*

And here's the new S&P!



Onward Fluffy Penguins, Marching As To War!



The Global Right Alliance's Special Attaché for Reparations and Finances (center), pictured here with his loyal body guards ‘bubble’ and ‘squeak’.

As news of the recent declaration of war between the Global Right Alliance and the Land of Kings and Emperors began to emerge the NS world stood still in awe and amazement! Citizens of the GRA lined the streets in their droves to hear the Speaker of the Peoples’ Assembly, Old Zertaxia, announce that the Assembly had voted in favour of war following the decision of the LKE to declare hostilities upon the FRA and its member regions.

The once proud but now largely forgotten imperialistic region declared on the 18th of May that the FRA had made an attempt to take control of the region ‘The United Kingdom of Britain’ and as such a state of war now existed between the two groups. In response the FRA Arch Chancellor issued a retort stating that the FRA Rangers had only moved in as a response to what seemed to be an LKE invasion against a region which had just recently declared its independence from the empire of those dastardly defilers otherwise known as the LKE.

Amid great cheering by the public, Old Zertaxia announced the terms that a ceasefire could be agreed. It was announced that ‘Alejandro, Assistant-In-Charge of Sexy Time (Special Assistant to Deputy Hot Stuff) and Special Staff to one Citizen Old Zertaxia of the Global Right Alliance would take the throne upon peace being declared while all and sundry accounts and/or assets of the Dastardly Defilers shall be signed over and presented forthwith to the Global Right Alliance's Special Attache for Reparations and Finances (pictured above).

It is yet to be seen if the Land of Kings and Emperors will agree to the demands.

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Invaders once again try to cheat their way to victory! Defenders sit back and laugh!



Invaders feel the great weight of the Mighty Foot of Mod in the region of katasia

Once again invaders fail to understand the rules of warfare as multiple members of one invader group were recently booted out of the WA following rules violations in the region of Katasia. Members of the GRADF moved in to prevent the region from falling into invader hands yet they need not have bothered as, within moments of the operation beginning, the Mighty Foot of Mod came down and squished any attempt at rule breaking by the unscrupulous cheating raiders. The Swords and Phoenix would like to remind invaders everywhere, that if you can’t play by the rules, don’t bother showing up as you are just embarrassing yourselves.

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GRADF Soldiers honoured in latest award ceremony!



The spotter of the month and the soldier of the month award for the month of May respectively.

There was much rejoicing within the GRADF recently as First Lieutenant Joshua and Second Lieutenant Joe Bobs were award the spotter of the month and the soldier of the month award respectively.

Joshua, who has been with the GRADF since March spotted no less than four invasions at update during the month of May and has been a valued soldier since joining the ranks, going on no less than 25 missions since he joined. Joe Bobs is also a long term member of the GRADF and has been on 20 missions himself since he joined in March himself. During the month of May he participated in 12 missions which led to General Sedge praising him for his attitude and professionalism.

The Swords and Phoenix would like to congratulate both soldiers and hope that they continue to lead the way in the fight against invaders!

A war eh? Keep us posted

Well Eluvatar, it seems the GRA is certainly winning the war, as it has been reported to us that a number of LKEers have changed their avatars to that of the fluffy penguin. But anywho...


GRAer 0079 has issued what will be the first of a series of interviews with other GRAers. This publication has already gained great popularity and has been included in the GNN newsletter, with the promise that all future '0079 Meets' will also be included. Enjoy!

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0079 Meets...



Exploding Mice, Minister of Foreign Affairs!

(I apologise for the lack of explosion in the picture. I didn't want anything gory. )

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Those of you who might have been waiting for a new issues of The Swords and Phoenix, I'm sorry to say that it isn't. This is a project inspired by Joe Bobs, the current President of Global Right Alliance, who is also a former Minister of Foreign Affairs. I, DoubleOSevenNine, decided to give it a twist and start a series of interviews of members of the GRA, as the region is home of many "intersting" people.

You'll probably ask, "Who the hell are you?" I'm a newbie, and I'm a member of the GRA. I'm not so interesting as the people I'd like to interview.

Seriously, the following interview is better than this blurb. Enjoy!

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DoubleOSevenNine (0079): Please introduce yourself, sir, but keep it brief so that I can ask you more questions.

Exploding Mice (EM): I'm Exploding Mice (or Mr. Volatile Rodents as a certain interviewer calls me ). I've been a member of the GRA since returning to Nation States in mid-April, and am currently the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs. (Interviewer Note: EM has since been appointed the Minister of Foreign Affairs, due to Northern Chittowa's resignation.) I had been inactive for a period of several years. Before I'd helped to run a region called "City of London", holding various positions including delegate and ambassadorial roles.

0079: Ah, so this isn't the first time you've played NS. Why did you go inactive back in the days? Why did you decide to come back? (By the way, this isn't my first time playing NS either, LOL, but I'm not the one who is being interviewed at this moment...)

EM: I went inactive for a few reasons. The main one was the region I was in at the time (believe it was called "USK", something like that) was dying out. Considering I was doing my A-levels at the time (2 year course before university for any non-British readers) I really didn't have the time to rebuild a region.

Approaching the end of university a few weeks ago, I stumbled across the NS site for some reason (quite possibly wikipedia), and decided to start up again. I created a nation which was immediately recruited by the GRA, it looked a good region, so joined up. I then got EM re-founded, and started to rise up through the GRA ranks to my current position of Deputy FA minster (a certain interviewers mini-boss if you like )

0079: Speaking of "rising up through the GRA ranks", it seems like you've been doing a very good job, Mr. Mini-Boss. You are one of the people who pretty much swept up the Third Newbie Awards, and as you said, you're now the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. How have you managed to accomplish so much in such a short time? Also, how do you manage the tasks you've got? As a newer newbie with my share of stuff to do, I've really gotta ask...

EM: I've been fairly active since joining the GRA and tried to get involved in different parts of the region. There was some tough competition at the newbie awards and I was delighted to pick up a couple. The GRA it seems is easily persuaded by "free" and "chocolate".

As to managing tasks, it's something as boring as simply being organized! I currently oversee about half of the GRA's embassies (with NC taking the other half). I try and look at each one every couple of days. Providing our ambassadors have been doing their jobs (which they normally do *applause*) it's not to time-consuming.

0079: Nice. By the way, you seem to be a football (soccer for the Americans) fan. I guess you've been keeping an eye on the World Cup -- what matches have you watched? I won't ask which team you're cheering for, since it's very obvious...

EM: When I've been available, I think I've seen most of the games, missed a few due to work. The England game last Friday was easily the worst match I've seen of the tournament, and I'm English! (At least the rugby team cheered me up by beating the Australians )

0079: LOL, while I'm not a soccer fan, I've definitely heard some bad things about that particular match. I hope the next one will be much less bad.

So... What's in store for Volatile... I mean, "Exploding Mice", NS- and GRA-wise?

EM: Well, I've managed to drag myself away from the GRA's spam threads (although I'm not sure watching the World Cup is a more useful way to spend my time...?). As to what's in store, who knows? I'd like to keep building the GRA's reputation through NS (as cheesy as that sounds!).

0079: LOL, very well. I wish you good luck.

Before I finish this interview, I'd like to ask who you'd like to see interviewed, and a question you'd like to ask that person. Please inspire me, o the Volatile Ones!

EM: How about Uropa, probably one of the more controversial figures in the GRA. As to a question, that's your job, not mine.

0079: That's an interesting suggestion, though a rather tough one. And thanks so much for not helping me, you Volatile Rodents. But I'll give you a chance to say whatever you want to say so that we can really be done with this interview, AT LONG LAST.

EM: The only thing I'd like to do is express my annoyance at 0079 for pestering me with PM's for the last few weeks.

As to a new interviewee, how about Joe Bobs? He seems to like the idea and who better to interview than the GRA president? Question "What first drew you to the GRA" or something along those lines.

0079: I appreciate the response of a MUCH higher quality. I'd also like to thank you for showing me the reason why I should NEVER interview a soccer fan during the World Cup.

I kid. It's been fun interviewing you, despite the many delays. I wish you good luck on... whatever the hell you do, LOL!

EM: "Whatever the hell you do".

You may want to check the name listed by FA minister.

0079: Yes, I'm aware of your current position, Boss, but who knows what else?

Thanks for putting up with me pestering you, sir. It was fun, at least for me.

Still no update on the fact that The Franco Spanish Empire got forced out of the FRA, eh?

@ BW: Whilst we are an FRA member, it's not really up to the GRA to comment on that. But it was a real shame.

Anywho, new update:

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The Global Right Alliance Official Foreign Update
The NS diplomatic world can relax, I suspect this won't be as long as some of Joe Bobs updates/novels!

Elections and Government

Much has changed in the last month in the GRA, hence why this update is being written by Exploding Mice.

Presidential Election

The month started with a Presidential Election, the candidates were Joe Bobs, Old Zertaxia, and Seneca.

With 21 votes cast, Joe Bobs won 18, Seneca 2, with 1 abstentation, Joe Bobs was therefore elected as President of the GRA.

With a new president came a new cabinet, after several resignations, it now stands as

President - Joe Bobs
Internal Affairs - Jivdom
Foreign Affairs - Exploding Mice
Intel - Jonewest
Recruiting - Chin-Chillas

There where also several deputy ministers appointed:

Internal Affairs
Deputy Minister for Activity: DoubleOSevenNine
Deputy Minister for Culture: Lower Bowmania
Deputy Minister for the Economy: Jivdom

Foreign Affairs
Deputy Minister for Townships: Old Zertaxia
Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs: WookieO

Intel
Deputy Minister for Internal Intelligence: Jonewest
Deputy Minister for External Intelligence: Chin-Chillas

Chief Justice

After the resignation of Pigeon Island as GRA Chief Justice, a new election was held for the postion. The Candidates were Bad Writers, Halcyon, Lower Bowmania, and Seneca.

Bad Writers - 4
Halcyon - 0
Lower Bowmania - 10
Seneca - 3

Hence, LB was elected as Chief Justice of the GRA.

Court Trials

There was one court trial this month. With Jivdom and Pigeon Island defending against charges that PI, as Chief Justice, demanded access to the intel forums. Jivdom used admin powers to grant this.

Verdict was

Charge One, the violation of the Constitution of the Global Right Alliance Article 2, Section 3.F with regards to Pidgeon Island: Guilty

Charge One, the violation of the Constitution of the Global Right Alliance Article 2, Section 3.F with regards to Jivdom: Not Guilty

Charge Two, the unauthorized enforcements of the Zetaboards Terms of Service/Terms of Use with regards to Pidgeon Island: Guilty

Click to expand...

Laws

The following laws have been passed this month:

Perjury Act 2010 - To create the offense of Perjury, defined as knowningly giving false information during the judicial process

Global Right Alliance Central Bank Act - To provide co-ordination and stability to the Global Right Alliance’s economy

Political Parties

NUTP
Leader : Wookie
Membership : 10
Positions Held : WA Delegate, FA Minister, Deputy FA Minister

Conservative Federalist
Leader : Seneca
Membership : 4

Freedom Party
Leader : G-Tech
Membership : Around 4, but there has been no activity this month.

GRASP
Leader : Love & Honour
Membership: 8

There is also the Vanguard Bloc, a recently formed party with the stated intention of keeping the military and intel departments secure and independant.
Leader : Sedge
Membership : 22

Recruitment and Population
The GRA has experienced a considerable population drop this month, falling from 558 nations at the last update to 402 nations at the time of writing. Technical problems and some of our more active members going away this month has hampered recruiting efforts.

GRA Defence Force (GRADF)

GRADF has been very busy this month, participating in over 20 missions since the last update.

Foreign Affairs

Foreign Affairs have also been busy this month, with the resignation of the FA Minister.

Closure of embassy with region Unknown

Given the recent incident of forum destruction committed by an Unknown, and the region's failure to condemn the members, the GRA executive has decided to close diplomatic relations with Unknown. Forum destruction is an act going beyond the invader/defender conflict and is strongly condemned by the GRA.

GRA President Joe Bobs released this statement:

The actions of Unknown have led to the destruction of the forum of an ally and of a friend of the Global Right Alliance. Furthermore, the fact that Rougiers has not been punished by Unknown, and their refusal to accept any part of the blame for this tragedy, leads us to the decision to close our embassy with Unknown and sever all diplomatic ties. We completely and utterly condemn Rougiers' actions and forum destruction wherever it takes place

OMAHD Bar

The OMAHD bar has been very quiet this month...or not! Busy as usual, unsurprisingly, the football/soccer threads have been particuarly busy. So busy that they were condemmed to their own sub-forum as they displease Old Zertaxia

0079 Meets...



Joe Bobs, President of the GRA!

(Credit for the Swords, Phoenix, AND PENGUIN image goes to Jonewest.)

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I, DoubleOSevenNine, a GRA newbie, have been surprised and shocked beyond words at the positive responses on the first installment of "0079 Meets..." I don't know what to say other than "Holy crap, thanks a lot!"

The obvious next task was to interview another person to keep the series going. While I received many suggestions, I couldn't forget about the man who inspired me to get something done, LOL.

Hence, I present you an interview with the aforementioned man -- Joe Bobs, the current President and the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Global Right Alliance!

---

DoubleOSevenNine (0079): Hello, sir! I'm honoured to interview the man who gave the name "0079 Meets..." for the publication. But for those who may not know you, can you introduce yourself first? (Please keep it brief.)

Joe Bobs (JB): I'm Joe Bobs, President of the Global Right Alliance. Before this I was Foreign Affairs Minister under 3 administrations. I'm also an Officer of the GRADF. Back in the before time, in the long long ago (i.e. 2005/6) I was Delegate of Q102, Founder of the Anti-Racism and a Congressman here in the GRA. I started playing NS in 2005, but was inactive for much of 2007-9.

0079: Thank you for the intro! There's a question Exploding Mice requested at the end of the first installment of "0079 Meets...", and it happens to be something I'd like to ask you as well.

What first drew you to the GRA?

JB: I was first sent here as an ambassador from Q102. I didn't know any other regions at the time, and some people in Q102 thought it was a bad idea. I was quite the socialist back then (the GRA was more right-wing/conservative based in those days), but when I got here I was quite quickly taken under the wing of the SDP (Socialist Democrat Party) and somewhat mentored by Dipes and Love and Honour. I remember having some big arguments with South Land over some issues, and also Uropa, and in fact I think I remember clashing horns with Old Z back in those days too. The SDP eventually persuaded me into becoming a citizen and eventually running for Congress In summary, I think I'd say that what's so attractive about the GRA is that everyone is treated as an equal. You're expected to fight your corner and defend yourself no matter who you are, no one gets an easy ride, but that's what makes it unique. When you've spent 20 pages arguing with someone until you want to smash your computer, you're a lot more committed to that community than you otherwise would be.

0079: Fascinating!

But it's interesting that you've mentioned spending 20 pages of arguing, because you now seem to be known as the nice guy of the GRA, LOL. What would you like to say about that?

JB: Well, I was younger back then, and more argumentative. I've become more laid back over the years. Also, the GRA has changed. Then, it was a much smaller group of people and the central activity were the arguments around RL politics. Now, the region is much more complex, there's a lot more going on. Also, I've been FA Minister then Pres for most of the time since the revival, both positions which require diplomacy.

0079: I don't know about others, but personally, I feel quite relieved that one doesn't have to be argumentative in order to enjoy themselves in the GRA.

I've been meaning to ask you for some time -- what the hell is with the penguin? Penguin and Joe Bobs seem synonymous for some reason, and I've failed to figure it out on my own. Your answer to this question will certainly make my day.

JB: When I first came back in Jan/Feb this year, I started with the fluffy penguin as my avatar, which people seemed to love, and allowed me to win arguments simply by saying 'look at the fwuffy penguin!'. It's my avatar on every NS forum I'm on (except it sometimes changes in the GRA for our avatar theme weeks). Thanks to the fwuffy penguin's inclusion in our Declaration of War against the Land of Kings and Emperors, the fwuffy penguin has become even more famous. Also, in the GRA, several members have had their own emoticons created, and mine is a penguin. Plus, in one of the first Swords and Phoenix issues, there was a picture of a penguin as me.

And yes, it's good that the GRA has been able to keep its character whilst also opening itself up for a wider range of activities.

0079: Ha, I was going to to add a note later about the penguin emoticon, but you beat me to it! Nevertheless, you made me (and possibly the readers as well) chuckle with the story behind the famous (infamous?) Joe Bobs Penguin. (Interviewer Note: If you want to know what we're talking about, visit the GRA forum, and type ":jb:" without the quotation marks while posting.)

I'll ask something less silly this time -- what is it like to be the President of the GRA? This region is full of stubborn, opinionated, and happily argumentative people, so I imagine it's probably a very tough job to have...

JB: For me, the answer to how to run the GRA was about organising the government properly, making sure every department was properly staffed with competent people and having enough people to handle all the work. Before, many things had slipped by. For example, Internal Affairs was so occupied with maintaining activity, no work had been done on building a GRA history or any other cultural things, hence the division of IA into Culture and Activity (and then also Economy).

I find that generally people won't attack you if you're competent and active. There's been a problem over the last two weeks, as I've been almost entirely away, and in that time, many other people have dropped out or also been away, or gone inactive. However, now that the Ministerial positions have all been filled, I think things will return to normal. Well, normal for the GRA.

The tough part is keeping all those plates spinning. You need to keep an eye on all the different aspects of government, and make sure you're proactive in all aspects.

0079: You have no idea how much I freaked out at all those people being "absent", but thank goodness the Cabinet is now full.

Now that you're back and got the Cabinet sorted out, what are your plans for the near future (as far as the GRA is concerned)?

JB: There's a lot to be done! Beginning the Township Program is a priority, as well as expanding the economic system and ensuring it doesn't stagnate. The §100 citizenship bonus will be issued soon, which should allow more people to be buying and also selling. I'd like to have an advertising space up soon so that can add something to the economy, as well as subforum rental. Another top priority is recruitment. This has slipped a lot recently (though without the normal slip in activity, which is good). We need to get all the old recruiting team working again, and also get some more new players to start. There's also our activity program, which you'll be heading up, 0079. Those are the top priorities as far as the executive is concerned.

0079: Wow, that answer was so "Executive" of you, sir!

I almost forgot to ask you -- how about the Fourth Newbie Awards? Is it going to happen anytime soon? There are a few ambitious newbies (including myself) out there aiming to snag an award or two. If it does happen at some point, do you think you'll be able to organise it yourself this time around? I just had to ask you about this, not only as an interviewer but also as a concerned newbie...

JB: I just realised yesterday we were overdue one. Obviously, been busy with the executive side of things recently. I think we're well due for one now. One should be due soon. For overseas readers, the GRA holds monthly (or now, bimonthly) awards for newbies, with categories ranging from 'Most Entertaining' and 'Most Promising' to 'The Next Sedge' and 'Most likely to be impaled on a stake'.

I'm thinking of introducing a few new categories, perhaps 'Best contributor to Foreign Affairs / Internal Affairs / Recruitment' and 'Best Arguer'.

0079: Cool, and with new categories? Even better!

Before I finish this interview, I'd like to ask who you'd like to see interviewed, and a question you'd like to ask that person.

JB: The two people I'd most like to see interviewed are Old Z and Uropa, but I'd also like to see some interviews with newer players too. Sosostris would be good. Oh, and Wookie! Interview Wookie.

I'd like you to ask Wookie, what role do you think the NUTP plays in GRA politics?

But thanks very much for this 0079, you're an excellent interviewer!

0079: Holy crap, did you read my mind or something? You picked four of the very people I'd like to interview at some point. Either you did read my mind, or I am incredibly simple-minded, LOL.

Well, Mr. President, it has been my pleasure interviewing you. Also, I'm shocked beyond words that this interview took less than two days! If there are lots of people like you, I'll have to retire the series in no time.

Is there any other "random" comments you'd like to make before we wrap this up?

JB: Just to tell our overseas readers, come visit us in the GRA if you want to see a truly unique region, with one of the most accomplished governments, finest militaries and individual characters in all of NationStates. Whilst we can't guarantee a warm welcome, we can guarantee an unforgettable NS experience.

0079: And I especially second the "unforgettable NS experience" bit!

Thank you very much once again, Joe Bobs! And please hurry up on the Fourth Newbie Awards, LMAO!

---

Shortly after this interview ended, Joe Bobs started accepting votes for the the Fourth Newbie Awards. Lo and behold, one of the new categories happens to be "The next Joe Bobs" -- LMAO!

0079 Meets... Wookie!

---

0079 Meets...



WookieO, the WA Delegate of the GRA!

(Many thanks goes to Joe Bobs for finding this image somewhere, LOL.)

---

After the fun and successful interview with Joe Bobs, I had to deal with finding the next victim. (This is one task that never gets easier...)

Fortunately, WookieO not only volunteered for the trouble, he also gave me a good reason to have a chat with him. Here's the "reason":

During the Fourth Newbie Awards Ceremony, Wookie approached me with an offer to join the NUTP, a political party in the GRA that he heads. Wookie is the "Best Overall" newbie for the First Newbie Awards, and the NUTP has since become home of Newbie Awards winners. Since I won the "Best Overall" for the Fourth, it made a lot of sense that he asked me to join up as well...

---

DoubleOSevenNine (0079): Hello, sir! Thanks for becoming the victim... err... Thanks for accepting this interview!

To start it off, please introduce yourself -- but be sure to keep it brief.

WookieO (Wookie): Howdy and thanks for choosing me to be the next GRA member to be grilled, with your Spanish Inquisition style techniques.

Soooooo, well I'm WookieO, current World Assembly Delegate and Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister of the Global Right Alliance. I have dabbled in Internal Affairs in the past, but I am a relative newbie in this region, so I'm still making my mark.

0079: Thanks for the intro, Wookie. As a fellow "relative newbie", I'm curious why you decided to join the GRA, though I must admit that you made a very good choice...

Wookie: I'm really not entirely sure what drew me to the GRA...... I must've had a TG from someone like Sedge or Old Z perhaps, but I can barely remember what happened yesterday, let alone 6 months ago!

We all know however that recruiting a nation in the first place is only half the battle, and I think what kept me in the region was the constant bickering and banter on the GRA forums.

Despite what may appear as a lot of people insulting each other left, right and centre, there can be some incredibly funny moments and I think.... deep down..... everyone's having a big ol' love in really.

0079: "A big ol' love," eh? Interesting, considering that you're supposed to be able to rip my arms off without much trouble.

Which reminds me, what's with the name? Are you a big Star Wars fan? A Chewbacca fanboy?

Wookie: Now, now.... I'd only rip your arms off if I was really peeved.

Hmmmmmm..... my name. Although I do like a bit of Star Wars action (who doesn't really?), I'm actually more of a Star Trek fan.... you can't beat a bit of Uhura with her fingers in her ears, or some Vulcan mind meld fun!

But you were asking about my name..... well it's been a nickname of mine in RL for some years now. Probably due to my absolute disdain for razors and the window shattering noise I make when I snore.

0079: NERD.

Anyway, you forgot to mention in your introduction that you're also the leader of a political party in the GRA -- the Nationalist Union of Trade & Power (NUTP). Can you tell me a bit about it?

Wookie: Oh blimey! How did I managed to miss that out??!??

The NUTP is a political party that I set up in the GRA very soon after I arrived. When I joined the region there were the Conservative Federalists and the Liberals. I didn't feel that I fit nicely into either of those two parties, so decided to go it alone and soon found myself with a large following!

A lot of people ask me whether we are a joke party or whether we actually have any proper political viewpoints at all (other than the anti-bagel stance, which of course is top of our agenda).

I think the best way to describe us is as liberal conservatives, with no time for idiots and a passion for inter-regional politics. Most of our active membership is made up of GRAers who play a role in the Foreign Affairs Dept, be it as a minister or ambasador. The NUTP wants the GRA to be known throughout the NS world and we're actively trying to make that happen.

0079: Interesting. To be honest, I wasn't aware of the "liberal conservatives" aspects of the NUTP.

I'd like to ask the very question Joe Bobs wanted me to you -- what role do you think the NUTP plays in GRA politics?

Wookie: That's a good question and I'm not really sure how to answer it!

But I'll try......

I don't generally get the party whip out when it comes to legislature or elections unless I deem it very important, so the NUTP members are on the whole free to vote any which way but loose.

However because our members are like minded there's often a consensus on voting issues, which is good to see.

After a vote of our membership we also agreed to an affiliation with the Vanguard Bloc, therefore the NUTP continues it's theme of being involved with foreign affairs, by showing our backing of a secure military and Intel dept for the GRA. Much of the region's work in NS is overseas with the GRADF and the NUTP wants this to continue to be the case.

Soooooooo.... the role the NUTP plays in GRA politics is a very important one I'd say. We have a relatively large, active membership and we want to see the GRA progress and thrive even more than it already is...oh, and we want to outlaw bagels, that's a top priority!

0079: It's unfortunate that I'm rather fond of bagels...

Which reminds me -- you've had quite a few winners of the previous Newbie Awards in the NUTP, and you're a Newbie Awards winner yourself. How did the NUTP become the home of some of the most outstanding GRA "newbies" as well as a political party?

Wookie: On occasion I do consider dropping the anti-bagel stance, I think it would mean a huge increase in membership for the party.... but then I see a lascivious cream cheese bagel winking at me, tempting me like the spawn of Satan it is....and then I realise I've been right all along.

On the newbie issue, I think perhaps it's because both the GRA on a world scale and the NUTP on a smaller scale offer something a bit different, a bit strange and a bit offbeat too.

Maybe it's also because I can be incredibly persuasive, suave and of course my movie star good looks always help.

Sometimes we all need to blow off steam, be grumpy old men/women and the NUTP offers a perfect platform for that, plus a hidey hole from the big bad ancient GRAers like Old Z, Uropa and PI.

0079: Heh... The "grumpy old" ones are quite cool, but I've gotta admit that I sometimes find them too cool for my little newbie mind.

But, hey, what do you have against bagels? Especially those with cream cheese? I don't understand the anti-bagel stance at all, because I happen to like bagels a lot!

Wookie: Don't get me wrong, by no means was I singling out cream cheese bagels, it was merely an example of the lengths that the bagel nation will go to, to take you over to the dark side!!

I love bread.... I love bread based products too, and I generally love absolutely everything that comes out of a bakery.

The bagel though is an abomination. That funny smell, the hole in the middle that tries to mimic a doughnut, and the rather aloof continental European attitude that surrounds all bagels.... it's just too much for me to take sometimes.

During my university days, I once found myself alone in the kitchen with a bagel. I thought.... "Hey, maybe I'm wrong.... maybe these chaps aren't that bad after all...."

I ate the bagel.



Next thing I know, I'm waking up in the public toilets at Leeds train station, stark bollock naked, cuddling a life size waxwork of Margaret Thatcher!

I've lost two whole days and there's a rather weird rash on my chest...... from that day onwards I vowed to rid the world of bagels.

0079: *rolls eyes*

Oh, well! While I still can't understand the anti-bagel sentiment, I do appreciate that you've got a sense of humour. In fact, I envy you for the sense of humour! How did you acquire it? I'm very curious, as I'm far from being so humourous.

Wookie: I don't think I ever acquired a sense of humour.... unless it was the time I bought the "Yellow & Highly Dangerous Joke Book" from the corner shop when I was 6 years old...... that was a good book.

Q. What's yellow and highly dangerous?
A. Shark infested custard.

See?

I find the absurd funny, the juxtaposition of things that you wouldn't normally associate together.

I love Monty Python, Eddie Izzard and the Blackadder series for example.

0079: Oooh, stuff I don't understand...

Since you couldn't tell me exactly how you "acquired" a sense of humour, could you at least tell me how you ended up becoming a WA Delegate?

Wookie: I pretty much fell into being the WA Delegate for the GRA.

As a newbie to the region I wanted to get involved and at the time Old Zertaxia was looking at appointing a Vice-Delegate to assist with his duties. I offered my services and was taken under the old codger's wing.

Following Old Z's decision to retire from the World Assembly, I put myself forward as the new Delegate. After an uncontested vote, in which my electioneering skills were severely put to the test, I came out as the GRA's choice for the position!

0079: Niiiiice. How do you like the job? Hell, what is it like to be the WA Delegate of the GRA?

Wookie: I love being the GRA's WA Delegate!

It's like being the Queen.

I get to wave a lot, make myself known throughout NS world and yet my powers are mostly for show.

Whilst the World Assembly is the be all and end all for some regions/nations.... the GRA has a rather laissez faire attitude to the WA. We dabble in it, but it's not of prime importance.

0079: Well, the attitude may be laissez-faire, but I'm sure the GRA appreciates your hard work! I do, anyway!

So, what are your ambitions, NS- and GRA-wise?

Wookie: Hmmmmm...... my ambitions, eh?

I'd like to take a stab at being GRA President at some point. My attempt to do so a few months ago fizzled out like a damp squib, but I was quite green then.

I've got a better grasp of the region now and also, through my role as Deputy FA Minister, know more of what's going on in the rest of NS too.

0079:So... We have a penguin for the President at the moment, and we might have a Wookiee for a president... Damn, I've certainly joined one hell of an interesting region!

Speaking of our interesting region and the people (creatures?) in it, who would you like to see interviewed, and what would you like to ask that person?

Wookie: I knew this question was coming...... and it's a tricky one......

I'd love you to interview Uropa and ask him exactly what it is that's stuck up his arse!



Seriously though, I think Uropa would be a good candidate.

What I'd like you to ask him is (considering he loves to pick holes in everything the GRA government does)..... if he were President, what major things would he be doing differently to the current regime?

0079: Wow, everyone I've interviewed so far has mentioned Uropa! I do hope I'll get to interview him someday, though I can't promise anything at this point.

Something I forgot to ask -- what got you to start on "Inside a Wookie's Mind"? Why do you do it? *chuckles* Are you going to continue writing more of it?

Wookie: One of the first things I read when I joined the GRA was A Few Minutes with Old Zertaxia which I found very amusing.

Once I'd got the NUTP off the ground I thought it would be sensible to give the party a similar newsletter and thus "Inside a Wookie's Mind..." came about.

I hope to keep them coming too, but I don't want to flood the market, so the next one will probably be a month or so in the pipeline.

Oh, and I think someone should give Old Z a kick up the backside and get him to write some more of his ramblings!!

0079: Yeah, that old guy's got style. Imagine my delight when Old Zertaxia himself complimented on "0079 Meets..."

While I'd love to interview him, I'm afraid that I'll definitely pester him and say, "More of 'A Few Minutes with Old Zertaxia', pretty please?" or something like that.

By the way, Wookie, this turned out to be the longest interview I've conducted so far for "0079 Meets..." You're so fun to talk to that I failed to keep track of the length! LOL... As much as I hate to end this, I'll have to.

Go ahead and make some random comments, please.

Wookie: It's been emotional 0079!

Thanks for picking me for this third installment of "0079 Meets...."

I hope this interview shows that I think the GRA is populated by absolute twonks truly spiffing people and I detest enjoy every minute I spend here.

0079: And thank you, Wookie, for being an annoying awesome interviewee! You certainly deserve the 15 minutes of fame my respect not only as an overall funny guy, but also as a GRAer.

Keep up the good work! It's unfortunate that I haven't had the pleasure of working closely with you, but I truly hope our paths will cross soon again!

---

Indeed, this interview turned out to be longer than the previous ones -- but I hope the readers will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed interviewing Wookie!

Hi everyone

I'm the new ambassador for GRA.

My GRA nation name is Love and Honour could my forum user name be changed to reflect this.

I'll will hopefully be keeping the fine region of The North Pacific up-to-date on the skulduggery in GRA



L&H

-------------------------------------------------
First of all I apologise for the delay in publishing this, still, good things come to those who wait (I hate that phrase, it just sort of fits here)

Elections and Government

Presidential Election & new cabinet
The GRA conducted a presidential election this month. In an exceptionally close vote, WookieO was elected as President of the GRA. Final results, from 21 voters:

WookieO:11
Jivdom :10

Cabinet
President - WookieO
Vice President - DoubleOSevenNine
Internal Affairs - Ennill
Foreign Affairs - Exploding Mice
Intel - Chin-Chillas

Recruiting & GRADF General are to be confirmed, both had been given to Sedge
(see below)

Township Program

The township program has been making good progress since the last update, with the region Liberalia opening official discussions with the GRA.

The talks have initially mainly focused on citizenship and residency, perhaps not the most thrilling of topics to read about, but essential in trying to establish a framework with which to progress.

Sedge

One of the GRA's most active members, and forum admin Sedge, left the region recently. This caught many of us by surprise. Although he was one of the more contentious figures in the GRA, he did put a lot of time and effort into the region. The executive would like to take this oppertunity to thank those who worked to repair Sedges modifications to the forum before leaving.

Court Trials

Chief Justice Lower Bowmania has been busy this month

Joshua v Rougiers:

In the matter of Joshua Vs. Rougiers with regards to the violation of "The NationStates Convention on Espionage and Warfare": Guilty

Click to expand...

Love & Honour v Sedge/Old Zertaxia:

In the charge against Sedge, for violating the Political Party Act by interfering in hidden Party Threads: Not Guilty

In the charge against Old Zertaxia, for violating the Political Party Act by interfering in hidden Party Threads: Not Guilty

Click to expand...

Uropa v Sedge:

In the matter of Uropa Vs Sedge, with regards to the removal of the plaintiff's citizenship and subsequent removal of posting rights, the court finds Sedge:

Guilty
Sentance
As such, the court rules that Sedge warning level should be raised three points with one point removed at one-month intervals.

Click to expand...

Uropa v Sedge (2):

Trial regarding the alleged illegal restriction of Uropas forum rights by SedgeIn this matter of Uropa vs Sedge, with regards to the limitation of Uropa's forum access, the court finds Sedge: Guilty

Sentance
The court orders that Sedge be considered ineligible for citizenship for a period of 30 days, should he reapply. In addition, his forum warning level shall be increased by two marks, both removed after a period of three months.

Click to expand...

Laws
The following laws/amendments were passed this month

Amendment to the Perjury Act 2010

To improve the working of the act

Click to expand...

Protection of evidence Act 2010

To make illegal the act of tampering with evidence

Click to expand...

The PA also passed a vote to officially open talks with Liberalia regarding the township program.

Recruitment and Population

The GRAs regional population has remained relatively constant this month. With it moving from 402 nations at the last update, to 394 now.

Activity has been a little disappointing, we hope it is just a drop over the summer holidays due to various members being away.

GRA Defence Force (GRADF)

The GRADF is currently undergoing some reorganising after Sedges departure, we hope to have some more information on this in the next FA update.

OMAHD Bar & Spam
Ah, what would all of the GRAs post counts look like without these forums! The sports forum has been particularly busy. With the start of the football (soccer) season taking over from the World Cup. The GRAs Xpert11 league is approaching its final stages, with 6-7 games to go [shameless brag of EMFC being in 1st ]

The Spam forum has been doing its usual job of boosting post counts across the GRA, with the array of spam games like "Guess who will post next", "Spam points", and "Count to 10000" [<- Only 8557 to go!]

Global Right Alliance Official Foreign Update-October, 2010

Salutations from the Global Right Alliance. Our region has been very, very busy lately. But not on NationStates. Our lives and general lack of caring has kept us from maintaining our region. That's why this update is so late and that's also why our ambassadors have been AWOL. But here it finally is. So take your time reading it, there won't be another one for months!

Leading up to our present situation has been an inactive president and a somewhat ineffective, despite all valiant and most appreciated efforts, presidency. As announced in our previous update, WookieO was elected president with the understanding of the region that he would be absent for two weeks, one-fourth of his term. However, he never came back and left our region without a president for over a month. When we finally created an amendment to enable ourselves to legally remove him from office, we elected Love and Honour to the presidency, after an intense campaign against abstain. We are very grateful to Love and Honour for stepping up and managing our region during that time of no one wanting to be president.

Except we were still in that time. After his term was up, there were no candidates for president, so for a while there, we were without leadership. Then one citizen offered his service, but because he wanted to put the Global Right Alliance Defense Force under his direct control due to its supposed inactivity, despite the fact that it was the most active part of the region. So the GRADF's General, Chin-Chillas, campaigned against him on a platform for continued independence of the GRADF and a much looser executive.

Chin-Chillas was elected and the GRADF was technically put under the direct control of the president anyways, but that was not the only thing that happened with Chin-Chillas. He reorganized the executive branch into a set of advisors, completely doing away with the system of appointed ministers, something that we have had since our peaceful revolution in February.

His system of advisors is a group of people that offer advice to him on how to structure the executive and what policies to adopt. Actually, there is not much known about what they do. But there are good effects of such a system, which technically has no official positions that have actual responsibilities. It allows individual citizens to step up and take charge over different duties and specific tasks. So instead of placing someone in charge of a department and keeping them really busy and destroying their real lives, citizens with can manage one part of a department and still keep their humanity.

As such, the only advisors that Chin-Chillas has is DoubleOSevenNine, a rare female in the GRA who is also the Regional Recruitment in the Founderless Regions Alliance; Lower Bowmania, a veteran of the GRA that is usually actively involved in the Peoples' Assembly, which is our legislature, and has held the office of Chief Justice, our sole judicial position, and Speaker, an important job in the PA; and myself, Sovereign Unity, an frequently NS quiter-I must have said I was going to quit NS more than ten times already- but I actually have a real job, Foreign Affairs. So it's hilarious to go around the NS world saying I'm an advisor and that somehow that correlates with embassies and ambassadors.

Anyways, the other branch of the government, the legislature, or really in our special case, the rest of the citizenry other than the President and Chief Justice, hasn't been busy either. After the end of Pigeon Island's second term as Speaker, he decided not to run. I eagerly accepted my nomination for Speaker, a position I have coveted since I started out in the GRA in February, and ran against abstain. During the election, I quit NS for three weeks, screwing the region over. Exploding Mice resigned the Foreign Affairs Ministership and ran for the empty Speakership. So now I informally have his position and he has the one that I had wanted. Irony, surprisingly common place in politics.

I had written that fancy impeachment section that removed the inactive WookieO and two more amendments establishing deputy positions who would assume the positions they were deputies to in cases of removal, resignation, or inactivity. During that time there was discussion of reform of the executive and legislature. When I left, the amendments were yet to be put up to vote, so when I came back, the region was even more inactive. I moved for them to be put up to vote, and with the exception of an amendment to the WA Delegate and FRA Representatives Act that I had also written but had forgotten about when I wrote the beginning of this paragraph, they failed because there wasn't even citizens filling the original positions let alone deputy positions. I'm glad about that failure, that would have been bad and unenforced.

I am mainly rambling now, but on we go. The reform that was mentioned above was again discussed and is now gaining momentum. That reform is specifically a legislative ministerial system of the executive and a lowering of the required majority to pass legislation. The ministerial system would allow the legislature to create executive policy directly and not indirectly through a presidential election. The lowering of the required majority still has to be balanced with a check that would prevent a minority to pass legislation while the majority was away and prevent the majority from running over the minority.

In the Judiciary, bad writers was, not were, elected to the Chief Justiceship and is the supreme arbitrator in the land. There was only one candidate and one vote, from Kaiseresc. Rumor has it that there was behind the scenes vote buying. With a land slide victory of one hundred percent, bad writers has a huge mandate from the region to apply to all of the cases that he hasn't heard so far.

Interestingly, WookieO is still our WA Delegate and apparently is maintaining his nation. He has yet to come back on the forums, but we would like to say thank you to him for doing maintaining the Delegacy. We honestly don't care what he votes for or against in the WA or if he even votes. I was running to replace him while I was running for Speaker, so I had also quit that race, leaving him the incumbent as we have a challenge system for our delegate. His position is an insignificant one, as we have a very active founder board protecting our region.

Also something that I should note is that our four parties have been completely and utterly dead. Now that's a shocker. Oh, and the talks with Liberalia to form a township have fallen through.

Our population dropped to around 250 and has been steadily increasing due to Chin-Chillas nearly sole contribution as a recruiter. Our population now stands at around 280.

The update is almost over so hold on. The GRADF, which has remained active after a short period of reorganization that was necessary because Sedge had destroyed important documents of the GRADF. Our relatively small Defense Force now repels raiders regularly and successfully in cooperation with the Founderless Regions Alliance, which we are a founding member of- we nearly have matching names!

Alas, Northern Chittowa has taken a break from the GRA and won't be writing a Swords and Phoenix issue this month detailing the exciting adventures of our military. Shout out to our root admin!

DoubleOSevenNine has been pretty busy with her FRA duties and real life so she won't be writing a 0079 Meets... either. Thank you for your service to our, um, NATO?

Expect move visits from myself and your ambassadors as our activity begins to pick up. Our region looks forward to your updates and for our regions' relations to become stronger.

I hope that you've enjoyed this rather lax and unillustrated update. I can get away with this somewhat satirical and wordy update because no one else wants to write it, and those that would can't. I've had fun, not really, but I have finally written this. Sorry for the length. See you next time, have a good night. Out.

-Sovereign Unity, Advisor to the President

Greetings from the GRA. Due to recent low levels of activity, our foreign affairs have been at a minimum. However, activity is picking up and the GRA is reentering foreign affairs.

I'm an Advisor to the President of the GRA, and will be handling our Foreign Affairs Department. I would like to personally say that I look forward to expanding our diplomatic relations and ties.

Unfortunately, we have few ambassadors, but luckily, your region is one of the very few that have an ambassador assigned to it.

If you need to contact our Foreign Affairs Department or need help with the embassy, feel free to use this thread. If the matter is sensitive or important, please private message or email myself. Thank you all for your hospitality and thank you for this embassy.

Closed due to inactivity.

If your situation changes, please feel free to re-apply for an embassy here.