Mediobogdum

Better late than never!  Your presence on the rmb and the forum is most welcome and I hope your stay in the region will be a long and prosperous one 

Better late than never!  Your presence on the rmb and the forum is most welcome and I hope your stay in the region will be a long and prosperous one 

Hey Dark. Are you ever going to find a new signature photo so we don't have to look at the Photobucket ad all the time? 

Altae, you have to do what you have to do... as others have said, most of us probably spend too much time on NS because it can become addictive.  You have done a tremendous job for TWP in many areas and we wish you a speedy return, but only WHEN you feel comfortable to do so. Great to see that you will retain your map place. 

The origin of the name punk daddy begins in 1992.
 I was a 14 year old kid who loved to act and was acting in my first High School play. I was very insecure this particular year and there were some girls I liked who were making fun of me. Playful fun but I told them, “well you know what they say about black guys, right?” For those that don’t know, “they” say black guys are well endowed. From there I gained the nickname, Big Don. “Don” is PD’s real first name.
In my junior year, I played the role of Daddy in a play, was way more secure in myself, and those same girls changed my nickname to Big Daddy. When I went to college I joined a web chat as Big Daddy. However, I was very precocious as gained a nickname – Punk Daddy – from the older folks who thought I was just a kid who should go back to school and not talk to them about matters of the day.
I like Big Don, Big Daddy, but I liked Punk Daddy the most because I felt like most people in my world wouldn’t associate me with that name. And I like being different. So when I joined NS back in 2004, I had been using Punk Daddy for years and it became my first nation name.
-------------------------------------------------
This post isn’t really about my name but about punk daddy’s daddy. He passed away on August 21st. I’d venture to guess that both Darkesia and Eli are aware as they are my friends on Facebook. It was a pulmonary embolism that took him out. From the moment he woke my stepmom to tell her he was having trouble breathing to the moment he died was about 40-45 minutes. I did some reading on massive embolisms and they strike suddenly and they are not easy to treat once symptoms start showing.
In the days prior to my dad passing away I had texted him this “I want you to live to see that day” regarding seeing me, his son, reach a particular level of financial success he and my mom had tried to attain (and failed) back in the early 90s. He didn’t respond to that text which wasn’t unusual, so don’t read too much into that. My last text to him was “TGIF!”, it’s funny that’s the last message I sent to my father.
He was my best friend. He could tell me things others couldn’t. As the oldest son, I took on the responsibility of writing his obituary. It was not easy but I knew that I had to do it. The final result was something I’m sure he would have enjoyed.
I’ve also had bad job news and my oldest son is also having some health issues. It’s been a trying time. But my head is still up and I wanted to share with you all where I was.
PD

I have no words, only tears and hugs.

*hugs*
I am so sorry for your loss and troubles PD. I truly am.   Thank you for sharing.
Apparently August was a bad month for us. I lost my father on August 14th. Long suffering from Heart Failure and Kidney Failure, it's good the suffering is over, it was an ugly death, they said it's worse suffering than cancer. I'd been taking care of him since May, once he could no longer walk or stand. His final decline began last November. He was the only person that I talked to on the phone, we were our last family connection. Everyone else was gone. He was the last of his generation. Now, my daughter and I are the last of my immediate family, the end of my surname.  My world is much emptier now. It's strange that the phone no longer rings from his calling, and he's no longer there to share things we would. I've lost 17  friends and family members in two years. Oldest was 82, youngest was 28. Several in my age range among those gone. Parents, half-brother, cousins, high school friends, college friends, gone. I can count the few distant family members on one hand, most I haven't seen in 30 or 40 years. I always knew I'd have to watch everyone else die, but never expected it to happen so soon or so fast. I don't think of myself as old, though my daughter keeps telling me I am. There's not much left of my interpersonal world. And now I'm picking up the peices of their lives, before I can create a new life for myself. I am the repository of all the family history, all the family memories. Things like the bronzed baby shoes of my great grandmother. The gold nugget my great-great grandfather found in Alaska. Notes from ancestors that are unsigned, who knows who wrote them. My grandparents school grade reports, etc etc. I have memories of my great-grandparents, I knew a Civil War veteran that was captured and interred in a Confererate POW camp.  (He said the prisoners were fed as well as the guards.....poorly.  They ate grasshoppers.) It ends with me. My daughter didn't know our family, doesn't have the memories, and someday she will marry, and I will be the last of my name.
All those memories lost, like tears in the rain - Bladerunner
But I am trying not to live a self-pity party. Life goes on.
These are tough times. I have all that was left behind, a massive amount of work to take care of it all, sort it all, figure out what to do with it all.  By myself, and for what purpose? It's a little lonely to be honest. And difficult given my disabilities/health. Many months of sorting things out lie ahead.
But, I am not grieving as badly as I expected. I grieved throughout his suffering, so the end was a moment of peace and relief. I heard the death rattle, watched his last breath.He did not fear death, it was not his nature. Nor did he want to be mourned. He did have a day of tears and regrets a few days before he passed. Both my parents before they died made a point of making sure I knew that they felt they lived a good life, were satisfied, and were proud of me. Grief is a very personal thing, and we all must travel that path in our own way. Let no one tell you how to grieve.
I was not satisfied with the obit that I wrote, but it was fine, others have complimented me on it.  It's just that it's impossible to summarize a life in a paragraph. It's so insufficient, yet what more can you do? 
I like these lyrics....
...father, I'm in need of your hand
so I can face the world bravely
and father, do you understand
what it is you mean to me

Like a warrior you always conquered
every battle you had to face
And through the hard times
when life was a bitter fight
it's you who would give
so unselfish you lived
A tribute to the world that blood
Is thicker than water

I'm tryin' to say that I love you
I'm tryin' to say that I miss you 
Oh, father   I'll leave a paraphrased a note for everyone else, it's an old saying:
Enjoy and appreciate those close to you as long as you can. You never know when the Universe might need them back.
*hugs, cries*

Sorry I was only available part time but still a great time   We need to have a different strategy next time and NOT be the front runner for everyone to target in mid-game, Build up our shields first even though all the newer players want to blast the heck out of all and sundry!  Gatling Gun Syndrome...
Thanks Altino and all the team for getting us involved and to Badger for allowing me to listen in on the chat on the N-Day voice channel... it was an event to behold   Next time I might even add a few sage words as it will be my 3rd N-Day by then.
I now have another great banner to add to/replace one of my 204 banners!  Siberian Badgers with Caek

Have you ever sat back in the evenings, eyes closed and your favorite "lets be evil" hat on, and wished that you could only be given the opportunity to relentlessly barrage NationStates with nuclear missiles that left even the moderators shaken? Yeah. Me too. Gracefully, we were recently given such a chance! For NationStates' second Nuke Day, The West Pacific teamed up with Osiris, The East Pacific, and Karma to form a Superfaction. The designated server for the event reached nearly a hundred members and our faction had nearly 1,300 nations in it. Needless to say, we dominated. 

Onlookers watch in fear as Syberian Badgers with Caek ransack their nations with nukes
SBC spent the entire first half of the game at the top of the leaderboard. The most common complaint from our team was from those making Shields - the world was too afraid of the massive arsenal of Nukes we were gathering to even shoot at us, and their jobs seemed boring because of it. We spent hours blowing other factions to smithereens and being begged for mercy. Here are just a few of the messages we received from enemy factions in their desperate attempts to end our waves of nukes: 

- Founder of The Peoples Red Army. We did not have mercy. They were destroyed.

- Member of USSF. Hint: No.

- Member UPPERCUT. We did accept this one! GCRs gotta stick together.

- Member UDS. We didn't ally with them, but did cease fire and switch targets as good faith to UPPERCUT.

- Member The Galactic Defense Force. Easy target, man, sorry!
 
SBC finished off the event with alliances with UPPERCUT, Glitter Squad, Friendship and Explosives, and Collaborating Defensive Alliance. We remained on the Leaderboard until around 6am, when the leaders of SBC finally had to call it quits and go to sleep. We couldn't stay up forever! We awoke to find ourselves to have fallen all the way down to 26th place and though we fought valiantly, there wasn't enough time on the clock to make it back onto the Leaderboard. That's what we get for sleeping until an hour before the event ends... Still, SBC managed to dredge itself up from 26th place all the way to 15th place in the span of 30 minutes! A glorious victory, if I do say so myself. We even managed to absolutely cream the Mods' faction, DEAT From Above, and will forever be memorialized as aggressors to their faction and also the guys who ultimately blew the place up.
 

Mods angrily grumble as SBC steals their caek and nukes their houses
 
SBC ended the game with the 3rd most nations and 3rd most strikes (nukes that landed successfully) in the entire game, but with the most nuclear radiation in the game, with nearly 20,000 more radiation than the next closest faction - Jak Attack, who were the big faction to beat during our last Nuke Day in April. Despite being very obviously the key faction to attack, SBC managed to keep on the Top 20 and take the world by storm! Everyone did a very good job, and we can't wait to do that much better next year. 
 
Special thanks to @Chron for staying up until 5am with me to help keep us on the leaderboard, @Les Claypool for sneaking behind enemy lines and turning factions who were on our backs against each other, and @Maria Isaraider for being the best and most dedicated nuke sender in the faction! 
 
Please feel free to take this forum badge that @Bran Astor made for everyone in TWPAF who participated in the event! Once again, great job everyone!

 

That is the problem, Dark.  There was no discussion or opinions sought on how things were to develop in the region regarding guardianship, as far as I can tell.  Certainly not with me but I had a foot in both camps being brought online as an adjunct to the Old Guard and moving along with changes being introduced by the New Guard.

frankly the Guardian forum only died with the latest regime.
 
Previously it was where the team worked out the plan for the team.
 
 
That is over unfortunately with the obvious discordant results.
 
Couldn't help the word choice, too funny

There is a genuine problem of using Discord for some of our daily regional control.  What Discord has done is to effectively is to split the region into two factions with some discusssions being carried out in both discord and our off-site forum.
Whilst it is agreed that we have encouraged a new way for business to be discussed and carried out, and as a result we have new players becoming involved.  The downside is that we now have no clear direction for procedures for  the region.
I would suggest be that we need to have just a SINGLE place to discuss the various topics i.e., either in the forum OR on Discord NOT both.
 

That is the problem, Dark.  There was no discussion or opinions sought on how things were to develop in the region regarding guardianship, as far as I can tell.  Certainly not with me but I had a foot in both camps being brought online as an adjunct to the Old Guard and moving along with changes being introduced by the New Guard.

There is a genuine problem of using Discord for some of our daily regional control.  What Discord has done is to effectively is to split the region into two factions with some discusssions being carried out in both discord and our off-site forum.
Whilst it is agreed that we have encouraged a new way for business to be discussed and carried out, and as a result we have new players becoming involved.  The downside is that we now have no clear direction for procedures for  the region.
I would suggest be that we need to have just a SINGLE place to discuss the various topics i.e., either in the forum OR on Discord NOT both.
 

That is the problem, Dark.  There was no discussion or opinions sought on how things were to develop in the region regarding guardianship, as far as I can tell.  Certainly not with me but I had a foot in both camps being brought online as an adjunct to the Old Guard and moving along with changes being introduced by the New Guard.

That is the problem, Dark.  There was no discussion or opinions sought on how things were to develop in the region regarding guardianship, as far as I can tell.  Certainly not with me but I had a foot in both camps being brought online as an adjunct to the Old Guard and moving along with changes being introduced by the New Guard.

I'm sure that Davelands will be with you shortly to discuss this issue.  Thank you for being so diplomatic about it

If I could get Speaker of the Hall masking, that'd be greatly appreciated. 

Here is a complete list of all the members of the Hall of Nations!
(109 members and 4 pending)
Can we check to make sure that everyone is properly masked?
 
Forum Name / TWP Citizen Nation
Big Bad Badger / Big Bad Badger
Davelands / Davelands
Willania Imperium / Willania Imperium
Lamb / Sad Wolf
Elegarth / Elegarth
quietdad / QuietDad of TWP
Saint Mark / The Holy Principality of Saint Mark
Bran Astor / Bran Astor
Neenee / Neenee
Drall / The Imperial Grand Drall
Aelitia / Oynyena
Overthinkers / Overthinkers
Casedia / Casedia
Adytus / Sonotus
Jeekwigges / Jeekwigges
Iskapsia / Iskapsia
tyty111 / Boejoe
Ghurka / New Republic of Ghurka
The Garfieldites / The Island Kingdom of the Garfieldites
Poterrae / Poterrae
Sygian / Sygmund
MaxSuchar / MaxSuchar
Afpakiranistan / Gorillapigs
The 4th Reicheck / The 4th Reicheck
Fujai / Fujai
Fellos / Fellos
Olgritch / Garvilken
Yy4u / Yy4u
Rylipphinesia / Rylipphinesia
Granite Heights / Granite Heights
Mediobogdum / Mediobogdum
Tropical Isles / Tropical Isles
TunApocalypse / Tunapocalypse
Willinois / Willinois
Arotania / Arotania
Wampummariut / Wampummariut
Derps / Cuddly Koalas
Iron Harbinger the Fateless / Ambre-Lapin
Imbergamostan / Imbergamostan
Futh Lohan / Futh Lohan
Tortaiga / Tortaiga
Eli / Wickedly evil people
States of Glory / States of Glory
Pollandonia2 / Pollandonia2
Yuno / Yuno Owl
Paris / TheParis
Lyliarchy / Liliarchy
FedoraDan-Skymoot / Skymoot
Alistia / Order of Hospitallers
Far Rivia Hilolak / Far Rivia Hilolak
Malvacka / Saddox
RCN/WA Crazy Nation / Random Crazy Nation
Bhang Bhang Duc / Bhang Bhang Duc
laururana / Laururana
MAA / Mutual Advancement Agreement
Powerboat_Racer / Offshore Racing
Colonge / Colonge
Triestine / Triestine
Small Huts / Small Huts
Ark / Arkadian Infantry Division 1
Serrus / Serrus
West Aton Sicand / West Aton Sicand
Frourraw Gregund / Frourraw Gregund
Rigel / Bellahtrix
Alsatian Island / Alsatian Island
Kade W. Vasentius / The Treaty
Arthur Draig Kirkland Vasentius / Saint Draig
George Rahl-Voldun-Mountbatten / George Mountbatten VI
Bertaeyn / Bertaeyn
Nordic Arbor / Scodarat
Drestynite Valteris / Falchinora
Drachmaland / Drachmaland
Moneyness / The Moneyness Cheetah
Nyx Romefeller-Lancaster / Nyx Romefeller-Lancaster
Kawaii / Kawaii Schoolgirl
Altino / Altincredible
Darcania / Fellbull
Shane / Ontland
Katie / Rybeck V
Prudentius / Prudentius
Newgratia Republic / Newgratia
Luminaros / Luminaros
Jason Wiggin / Dernitve
Satya Romefeller / indian malaysia
Infernal Fires of Hell / Great Infernal Fires of Hell
Byford / Byford
Atlae / Middle Teala
JRJR_SLAYER / Imperium of Josh
Mondses / People's Democratic Mondsesian Republic
Karenus / Karenus II
WaRlorder / Niwhand Felers Islands
Epittyus / Epittyus
Strat / Paladinius
Petree / Petree
*** Application Pending *** Pagan Empress / Pagan Empress
Chron / Kelnachron
Marilyn Manson Freaks / The Spooky Kids
The People's Premier / The People's Republic of Bronfland
Infinitya / Infinitya
Tyrannim / Tyrannim
Numpties / Numpties
Moreloth / The Dominion of Moreloth
Royal Chaos / the royalist lowlands
A3TH3R / Abcba
Andre / Novyandrea
slr303 / The Island of New Amsterdam
The Stormtrooper Corps / The Stormtrooper Corps
Leo Drakan / Pacific Roulette
Talidania / Escuadron 201
GalacticKiss / Sweet Lolita
*** Application Pending *** Remdor / Republic of Remdor
*** Application Pending *** Impedric / The Rogue Nation of Impedric
*** Application Pending *** Lucifer / Venus the Morning Star
 

I guess that means you don't hang out with Mary any more?
think about it... ;-)

Order done, pick it up Altino! *rings bell*
*gives Medio gold stars*
I'm getting put to work everywhere these days.  Oh well, better than the alternative.  I've got my retirement plans all coming along nicely.  Raids, coups, purges...you know the fun stuff!  Still have a couple of things to do here though.  So it will be some time.  

Well, we hope to be able to do somewhere around four a year!

What, you did military masking, or gave me two gold stars  Oh, I just noticed you are now Admin ... Way to go, Badger!!  Taking the load off Winnie now that Westie is away?  Getting ready for retirement from Delegate duties already? LoL

Update on European Foreign policy, 13 June 2017
As the region has grown to over 1000 nations, now being the 16th largest in NationStates, there have been recent changes in our government:
All ambassadorial positons in the Diplomatic Corps have been reassigned. You can find the list here: https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=529118 There will be a new Foreign Minister Also, we will now regularly post Regional Happenings and Policy Updates to the regions we have embassies with. These Updates will be issued quarterly, meaning there will be January, March, June and September Updates. These will include data about region growth, changes in government, etc.
Feel free to ask me any questions you have about Europe.
Sincerely,
The Peninsular, European Ambassador

Thanks!
How about "Where justice is served (with a side order of snark)"