Joe Bobs
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Posts posted by Joe Bobs
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Special Founderless Regions Alliance Update
New Cabinet Elected
August is election month in the FRA, and the new Cabinet is as follows:
Arch Chancellor Joe Bobs
Vice Chancellor Tim
Chief of Defence Dyr Nasad
Minister of Intelligence Frattastan
Regional Liaison Officer People United Together
Speaker Wibblefeet
Joe Bobs was previously Vice Chancellor following the resignation of Jonewest and also Regional Liaison Officer. Tim has served as Regional Liaison Officer earlier this year. Dyr Nasad is the incumbent Chief of Defence, having previously served also as Minister of Intelligence for many terms. Frattastan has previously been Chief of Defence for a very long time as well as Arch Chancellor. People United Together has previously served as Regional Liaison Officer. Wibblefeet has been Speaker of the Assembly since early FRA Rangers were seen defending villages from the raiders of Attila the Hun.
A Return to Our Roots
I, Joe Bobs, am announcing a new focus for the FRA, a return to and expansion of the ideals that the FRA was founded upon. The FRA was originally founded partly as a Defender organization, partly as a non-military body with an aim of ensuring the success, vibrancy and development of its member regions. The FRA is going to return to these roots, but also expand its vision to help non-member regions.
How can we do this? It is sadly true that we do not have unlimited resources, it is unrealistic to suggest that any region can come and state that activity is low and we will send a group over to spur your forum or RMB into activity. What we can do is provide advice from some of the most successful region builders in the game. We can help you draft a constitution, help you build a diplomatic network, help you ensure the security of your region, or help you with various other elements of the game. We are making a commitment to information proliferation, the sharing of the experience and knowledge with those energetic new players who want to forge a new region, or for the seasoned players who are finding their footing in a changing landscape.
I also want to assure you this is not a recruitment tool. We are offering help to regions with zero obligation to join the FRA. If a region chooses to join, that’s great, but it’s not something for which we are pushing. My hope is that the FRA becomes the organization you can turn to for help, whether that’s the Rangers for defence, or the FRA for help with your region. The FRA is committed to ensuring the continued survival of NationStates and the variation and vibrancy of its communities. What we get out of it is a more enjoyable NS world that we inhabit.
As part of this commitment to the communities of NationStates, I am also announcing the creation of the Regional History Library, this will be a section of the forum open to all containing the histories of as many regions as possible. Through this library we hope to be able to catalogue and exhibit the extraordinary breadth of communities in NationStates.
I am also delighted to announce Tim as my Vice Chancellor. Tim is one of the leading figures of the Defender and indeed the NationStates world, and as Founder of Spiritus knows a thing or two about region building. Along with the rest of the FRA Cabinet and others in the alliance, he and I will be working on ensuring this new vision is successful.
If your region needs help, in whatever form that may be, please do not hesitate to contact me via telegram at Joe Bobs or visit the FRA Forum.
FRAvision 2014
FRAvision is coming soon! An invitation will be winging your way very soon. -
My apologies in advance for the fur he leaves around. If you have any droids to fix, he'll sort them out, but he's been known to tear people's arms off when annoyed (or given bagels).
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If every region had a standard BBcode I would be soooo happy...
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Why not Darkesia?
I know what you mean Westwind. In my vote, when I listed the organisations, I forgot the RLA at first!
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Calling all NationStates players!
You are invited to take part in The Great Influence Survey 2014, assessing which regions and organisations are the most influential in NationStates now and throughout history. Please fill in the questions below and send your telegram to Joe Bobs or post in this thread. Regions can be game or user created regions.
You MUST vote with your WA nation. Votes cast by non-WA nations will not be counted. Apologies, this was the only way to ensure one vote per person.
Please note, all answers will be published unless you explicitly state otherwise. If you do not wish to have you vote published please state DO NOT PUBLISH MY ANSWERS. If you do not wish your name to be listed in the list of respondents, please state DO NOT PUBLISH MY NAME. You can put both if you choose.
You may list ABSTAIN for as many options as you wish.
Thankyou for taking part.
Most Influential Regions Today:
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Most Influential Regions Ever:
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Most Influential Inter-Regional Organisations Today:
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Most Influential Inter-Regional Organisations Ever:
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Sorry, I don't know you.
*goes to put him in 'enemy of the GRA' masking*
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Apologies Westwind. I did get that from somewhere though. In one of the rites, I forget which, someone went AWOL for a bit and someone else said 'they would have to wait two weeks if they forfeit'.
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There's a magaizine for the Security Council?
I jest! Congrats Westwind! -
Somewhat of an understatement Westwind!
Welcome to TWP!
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You do indeed! Has a flag and everything!
I've been flexing my new found admin powers and learning HTML, we now have an awards system, a shop and an economy too!
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There is no leaving NS....I've been incorporated into the game.
We once got Sedge to post his photo in the GRA, it looked like this:
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Marsupial coup?
Penguin Kangaroo!!!
- Eli and Mediobogdum
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Global Right Alliance News
Early July 2014
Hello from the GRA!
The GRA was founded in 2005 and refounded in 2007, with our population peak in 2010 at over 500 nations. We are a founding member of the FRA. We are known for our political innovation, including the infamous 'rotatorship' (rotating dictatorship), and also for our "unique" character. We're so badass, our volume dials go to 12. That's right.
In the immortal words of Jonewest, 'f*ck common courtesy, this is the GRA.'
New GRA Cabinet Announced!
A meeting of the GRA Cabinet... photos of toilet breaks have been restricted.
Speaker and First Minister Joe Bobs has announced changes to the GRA Cabinet, the executive of the region who are answerable to the People's Assembly. The new Cabinet is as follows:
Internal Affairs Minister Fighter4u
Deputy Internal Affairs Minister WookieO
Foreign Affairs Minister Angusp (aka Bodegraven)
Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Wibblefeet
High General of the GRADF Shizensky
Congratulations to our new government executives!
Uropa Day
To all friends of the GRA, we proudly invite you to...
Uropa Day!
10th July 2014
Yes, this Thursday we will be celebrating the Gadfly of the GRA, Uropa. To those who have not met Uropa, he is one of the longest serving GRAers, responsible for the democratisation of Parliament in the early days of the region, and led the Uropan Revolution of late 2010. As well as holding many other positions in the region over the years.
We will be celebrating by:
A nation hunt game: Joe Bobs will be leaving a trail of breadcrumbs across NationStates, leading to a nation hidden somewhere. The clues will relate to facts about Uropa. The first to find the nation, enter the password and return it to the GRA will be victorious.
Fight Club: The GRA Debating Hall, aka Fight Club, will be hosting some classic debates in honour of Uropa, including Israel and Palestine, Colonialism, and whether the US invasion of Iraq was just.
Everyone will insult each other as much as possible, ideally using classic Uropa put-downs.
And Uropa will be inducted into the GRA Hall of Fame.
So please, come and join us for this celebration!
Embassy Changes
Th GRA has made changes to Embassy Row. The following embassies have been awarded the distinction of being upgraded to High Embassies:
10,000 Islands, Canada, Caprecia & Nysa, FRA, Gay, Lazarus, New Warsaw Pact, The North Pacific, The Rejected Realms, Renegade Islands Alliance, Texas, The West Pacific, Wintreath, Yggdrasil
All other embassies retain normal embassy status, but will not receive a permanent, fixed ambassador from the GRA, though will still receive all updates and regular visits from the Speaker, Foreign Affairs Minister and Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister. The choice of embassies is solely a reflection of the activity of the embassy subforum, the regularity of receiving updates, or the status of the region as an ally. All High Embassies have their flag show on Embassy Row.
People's Assembly: Breaking rocks in the hot sun, they wrote the law and, the law's done!
For the first time in weeks, the People's Assembly has no law on the voting floor. This is after weeks of rapid legislating, with the People's Declaration of Assembling (the GRA constitution) Election Amendment, creating a quarterly election for Speaker, an amendment to extend voting from 48 to 72 hours, The GRADF Act, The GRA Security Act, The FRA Representative Act, The Citizenship Act and The World Assembly Delegate Act.
"With this bout of legislation cleared", commented Speaker Joe Bobs, "I can focus my energies on organising cultural events, improving the region-forum connection, and building relationships with our overseas friends." However, paparazzi investigators believe Joe Bobs has been spending his energies in less productive ways...
Elections Announced!
On 18th July, the nomination and campaign period for the next Speaker election will open, with voting taking place on 1st - 4th August. Watch this space for more news as the rumour mill begins to churn out possible candidates!
GRA wins Mundus Prize in Independent Order
The GRA has won the First Mundus Prize for best joke in Independent Order. Joe Bobs and WookieO entered on behalf of the GRA, and the winning joke was as follows:
Sherlock and Dr Watson have gone camping, and are falling asleep in their tent. A few hours later, in the dead of night, they wake up and Sherlock turns to Watson.
"My dear Watson, look up at those stars twinkling in the inky black sky. Look up and tell me, what do you see? What does this tell you?"
"Well, it tells me that the universe is an unfathomably large place. That space extends for infinity. That up there are billions of galaxies stretching like clouds of dust across the vast canvas of the cosmos. That our own Milky Way is but one small corner, and that itself is filled with billions of stars, each one so beautiful in our sky, but it's really just an unfeeling, unknowing gigantic nuclear explosion. That the sky is filled with unseen malevolent forces of nature that plow on their inevitable path towards the death of all being, that humanity and all we hold dear are like blades of grass to them, to be swept aside as the dance that has been danced since the dawn of time plays out.
"It tells me that each one of these stars is a vast number of lightyears away and that the stars themselves are probably long dead. I am reminded that when the light I am seeing now began its journey to my eye, dinosaurs roamed the earth, and that tells me that existence truly is futile. We will never be able to transcend such distances and will not communicate with another planet, or find our God up in the Heavens, and we will never escape of this cold, unforgiving rock we call the Earth, and that we are slipping inevitably towards our own demise. Our lives are short and cruel, and so is our planet, so is our galaxy, so is being."
Holmes was quiet for a while as he stared up at the sky.
"Yes, well that's all very nice Watson, but more importantly it means someone has stolen our bloody tent!"
By Joe Bobs
Finally, the GRA maintains its eternal war against Falconias.
Written by Joe Bobs with contributions from WookieO. -
Hey Angusp!
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Good news!
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*waves* Hey Rom!
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Is it not working for you Westy? Odd, it didn't work for Wookie in the GRA either, but it works fine for me on every forum?
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I think you've struck on something Westwind. Maybe the recent April Fool's was a coding test for a trade element!
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Global Right Alliance News
Late June 2014
Hello from the GRA!
The GRA was founded in 2005 and refounded in 2007, with our population peak in 2010 at over 500 nations. We are a founding member of the FRA. We are known for our political innovation, including the infamous 'rotatorship' (rotating dictatorship), and also for our "unique" character. We're so badass, we make Chuck Norris look like a slightly less tough Chuck Norris. That's right.
In the immortal words of Jonewest, 'f*ck common courtesy, this is the GRA.'
We're going to legislate like it's Article 19 Section 99
The People's Assembly of the GRA is on a rampage not seen since Jonewest first became sexually active (known across the world as 'The Second Baby Boom').
Enough about Jonewest's libido! The GRA has passed the Judicial Powers Act, which in what we believe is a first in NationStates politics, gives the People's Assembly (which is a direct democracy legislature in which all citizens take part) the power to be judge, juror and executioner. All trials will begin with a brief vote to elect a Foreperson, who will administrate the trial and keep things moving. The Assembly then acts as the jury, voting on a guilty or not guilty verdict. Essentially, a trial takes on a similar form to an election, as accusers and accused alike will not only plead their case but can attempt to sway public opinion through politicking, the media and back-room deals, much as in the real world. The Law also grants many inalienable rights to GRA citizens.
The Assembly has also passed an Amendment to the People's Declaration of Assembling (PDoA), requiring the Speaker, who is head of government, to name a successor upon entering office. This is to prevent the kind of difficulties the region faced following Old Zertaxia's departure. Current Speaker Joe Bobs commented, "as the first Speaker to have to name a Successor, I feel it's important to give it some thought in order to set a precedent that can be followed by future leaders." The law requires the Speaker to name at least two sequential successors, the second in case of the absence of the first, and requires a Successor to coordinate an election should the Speaker leave without warning. The region waits with baited breath to see who Joe Bobs will name.
The People's Assembly is also working on numerous other pieces. Going to vote at the time of going to press is another amendment to the PDoA which will amend the voting period from 48 to 72 hours, following a number of late ballots being cast in a recent vote. Other laws at drafting stage are Fighter4u's WA Delegacy Bill and Joe Bobs' GRADF Bill, FRA Rep Bill, Intel Bill and Election Amendment.
Uropa Day
GRAers celebrate Uropa Day.
The GRA would like to announce that 12th July is Uropa Day! We will spend the day celebrating the ginger Gadfly of the GRA with many activities and games and would like everyone to come and join us.
Uropa runs into some trouble inflating the balloons for his big day.
The Day also celebrates the opening of Parliament, an event that happened in July 2005 when Uropa, new to the region, forced the open discussion of all bills, something which had previously been done in private. This event is one of the historic moments of GRA history which helped define the region's dedication to free speech.
What exactly will we do to celebrate? Erm, we don't know yet. This looks like fun though:
GRA on Broadway and the West End!GRA Productions Presents...
A People's Assembly Studios Presentation
Directed by Joe Bobs
The GRA: A Founding
Be DAZZLED by the story of the region's founding.
Be AGHAST at the actions of the villain New Emerica.
APPLAUD our heroes Old Zertaxia and South Land!
That's right! The GRA will be putting on its first performance, and all actors will be required to IMPROVISE their lines in scenes roughly laid out by Director Joe Bobs.
The story of the following characters (somewhat dramatised and exaggerated):
New Emerica - the antagonist, bent on power and increasingly leaning towards fascism. A McCarthy-esque anti-Communist who squashes all resistance.
South Land - one of two protagonists, our hero is the chief resistance to Emerica and a crusader for democracy.
Old Zertaxia - also a protagonist, the idealistic young hero who is brave in the face of Emerica's might, and dreams of what the GRA could be.
Pascalini - the main opposition to Emerica, a vocal opponent, who leaves when the going gets tough, leaving our heroes to fend for themselves.
Cristia Agape - Pascalini's main ally, who helps pull him away from saving the GRA.
And of course, who could forget...
Alejandro! - Old Zetaxia's tireless man-servant, provides the light relief and does a few musical numbers.
Date of performance to be confirmed. We do hope many of our friends from overseas will come and check it out!
Fight Club Launched
The GRA has launched its very own Fight Club, a place where great debaters can battle keyboard to keyboard in a holds barred match for victory. Rules are as follows:1. Do NOT talk about fight club.
2. OK, talk about fight club. In fact, help promote it as the greatest debate hall in NationStates!
3. Fight club is a space for big debates tackling the issues of the day and those things we just love to argue about.
4. Everyone is equal in fight club. Whether you've been here since 2005 or you arrived yesterday, it doesn't matter. Old timers can't use their status to intimate others, but newbies shouldn't expect to be treated with kid gloves. It's a battle of logic, intellect and rhetoric.
5. Anyone can start a thread, feel free to.
6. Expect to get your argument torn to pieces, don't get upset about it. Whilst I'd like people to refrain from personal attacks that aren't relevant to the argument, it's inevitable. If someone does that, ask why their argument is so flawed they have to resort to cheap tactics. Don't cry about it.
7. We should remember that this is the purpose of this forum, try not to let debates here sour you to someone you disagree with outside this forum.
Current debates include sexuality, the existence of God, Capitalism vs Communism and Freedom vs Security.
Hall of Fame Reopened - Lower Bowmania Elected
The Hall of Fame, the highest honour that can be bestowed upon a GRAer, has been reopened. It had only two members, Magesty and Jen O the Hill, until this month Lower Bowmania was added to its reverent chambers. His dedication plaque reads as follows:Lower Bowmania was President of the GRA during the Spring of 2010, overseeing the most rapid expansion in activity and population in GRA history, and served a Vice President under Joe Bobs in the second most rapid expansion in the region's history, during the Gilded Age.
He was Mayor of the Brotherhood, the only successful graduate of the Township Program, working tirelessly to bring the region of Brotherhood from near death to a vibrant and successful region.
He was one of the leaders of the left-wing of the GRA for many years, often considered the most palatable member by the right for his intelligent, constructive and non-reactionary arguments.
He will be remembered by many for his statement during the Rinius debacle when his outrage was one of the few statements that both sides (pro-free speech and anti-Nazi) of the argument agreed upon.
He has held multiple other positions in the region's history, including judge, congressman, Foreign Affairs Minister, Internal Affairs Minister and positions in the GRADF.
We hereby commit Lower Bowmania to the Hall of Fame in thanks to his service to the region.
Role Play Short Story Competition: Your Nation's Founding
We have begun what will be the first of many short story competitions. We are asking for submissions on your nation's founding. There is no word limit but we ask for reasonableness, and stories may take whatever form you choose, be it a satirical prose or an epic poem. Entrance is open to all, citizens and visitors alike.
Other News
WookieO has been appointed Deputy Minister for Internal Affairs. When asked to comment he replied "Mwroooah, raghrwoor".
Joe Bobs has published Chapter One: The Foundation Era (all four parts) and Chapter Two: The Zertaxian Revolution, of the History of the GRA series. The book is already 15,000 words long, and only two of nine chapters have been released!
The Foreign Affairs Office has introduced ambassadorial rankings:
1 Embassy - Charge d'Affaires
3 Embassies - Envoy Extraordinary
5 Embassies - Ambassador Extraordinary
10 Embassies - Ambassador Plenipotentiary
Joe Bobs was named an Ambassador Plenipotentiary whilst Jonewest and Fighter4u were named as 3 Embassies - Envoy Extraordinary and WookieO as Charge d'Affaires following his appointment as ambassador to Yggdrasil.
Joe Bobs has been appointed as as Admin of the GRA forum, and has waged war on clutter, allowing his obsessive compulsive mind to clean up the forum as he has so many grubby student's houses in the past, initially inciting confusion and reluctance but ultimately gratitude from his friends. Over 50 pages of threads have been sent to the archives dating back to 2005, whilst the clear up allowed us to find some gems that were in need of gravedigging.
Finally, the GRA maintains its eternal war against Falconias.
To paraphrase Pidgeon Island, "a dead chipmunk's p*nis could create better Foreign Affairs Updates".
Written by Joe Bobs with contributions from Fighter4u.
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Maybe they would rebrand it?
I think the next gen NS would have regional forums built in, and would have something for war.
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Westy mentioned 'the game that shall not be named'! My eyes!!!
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Founderless Regions Alliance
in Inactive Embassies
Posted
No problem GE.
Thanks IH! And whatever abbreviation is fine, I think JB is the most common.