Lazarene Gazette November 2021

Eldarion · Nov 16, 2021

THE OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF LAZARUS
Issue 15 • 11/15/2021 • 3 Pages

EDITORAL: WE ARE BACK
The Lazarene Gazette has been on a big hiatus, so this is the first issue in a while
By @New Rogernomics

Lazarus has been very absent in gameplay and on the Nationstates stage, most likely because while Lazarus was going on being Lazarus, the Gazette had not been published as often once I had left. Though that statement is really a journalistic understatement. It has not really been published at all since I left. So maybe it is my interest or desire at this given moment to put an issue out there that makes me write this, or general frustration that I am re-living periods of Lazarene history where I was the only one really around to to publish the Gazette, thinking pre-People's Republic of Lazarus here, or as Fratt has reminded me recently, "I am old", thanks for that Fratt, I didn't already know I've been here too long.

Thus this editorial is going to be pretty short, in the hopes of getting this issue published sooner, or as Fratt thinks, before I drop dead, and get my name written on a tombstone.

In this issue, we have updates on past elections, how Lazarus once again managed to prosper in the field of region-wide genocide otherwise known as having the most dead on Z-Day, and some updates on regional controversies. We had a few polls, census takers dodged pizza delivery trucks headed for Treadwellia our Delegate, whom still Mmmphs away on the RMB. We also established a new forum on XenForo, and the little bees that ran myBB were laid off and forced into early retirement, we tried to get a comment from them...but all we got was a lot of buzz, and the regional bee sting statistics probably shot up.

What are you waiting for? Find a comfy chair, grab a cup of your favorite hot chocolate (maybe add marshmallows...mmm, tasty!) Scroll down! Read those special words with your special eyes! I hope you enjoy the rest of the Lazarene Gazette.

Z-Day Left Lazarus Deadly Serious
Special Report on the Event
By @New Rogernomics

"Brains, why do we have those things anyway? Why are we truly here at all?", was an existential question that the zombies did not really care about, though we hear the reporter that asked the zombie horde this question became a lovely second course, and the grieving family of the reporter are in our thoughts...or we hope so, we think they became Soylent Green. So in a way they are still with us.

LazCorp through the Lazarus Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at the start of the outbreak, released the following advisory message to the region: "LAZARUS, 30 October 2021 - Since mid-October, LCDC has been working with nations to contain outbreaks of a severe form of ‘rabies’, and in maintaining the security and safety of those travelling and residing in the region. Despite best efforts to contain the outbreak, within hours, some infected medical staff broke through quarantine measures, and mixed with the general population eventually spreading the outbreak to dozens more people. Those infected become overly-aggressive and violent. Attempts at communication and re-socialization have failed. Groans, slurred speech, muttering of ‘braaains’, staggering, lunging, and attempts to bite others, is the limit of the communicative abilities of those infected. The disease is spread through close contact, usually through a bite from the infected, or from an exchange of fluids with infected persons. Residents of the region are advised to avoid the infected, and inform authorities immediately".

What was most disappointing in view of the Lazarene public polled during Z-Day however was the lack of mmmph's spoken by the zombie population, the price of gas to fill vehicles during the period, and overwhelmingly the general scale of death and mass genocide, from nations extinguishing each others populations - zombie and non-zombie citizens alike. Before zombies began to overwhelm nations however, nations were polled as largely thinking everything was fine and that everything was under control, though we believe opinions may have changed, perhaps as a result of one's dead relatives turning a family reunion into an impromptu dinner party.

Though it seems that either not enough followed this advisory or decided to take it as a challenge, as the numbers of infected continued to rise. It was fortunate for the region of Lazarus that after losing most of its residents they spontaneously revived, albeit several times. It was also noticed that Z-Day's outcome had reduced large sections of the regional population to confusion, as their family members tried to compare the vegetative state of the regular television viewing, light-beer guzzling, public, and their local accountancy firm, to that of zombies calling for "braaaains!", as both seem as devoid of life. We tried to get a pulse from the members of our local accountancy firm at news time, but were unsuccessful. Recently we hear that someone at the firm may be striving to become a lion-tamer, but has settled for joining a bank, if this is true, we wish them well.

We also tried to get access to the natural habitat of a small tribe of couch potatoes at news time as well, but were promptly told to "get off their lawn" by a shotgun-wielding redneck. This of course is not meant to offend rednecks, we personally know many rednecks who are fine and outstanding citizens, and do not in fact have red necks, and are well-meaning and compassionate members of society. Gazette reporters were not just saying this at a barrel of a gun, as we always have believed this, and the ransom note thrown through the window by a brick this morning into the offices of the Lazarene Gazette was sheer coincidence. We would never give in to blackmail.

Lazarus Ceases to Exist Early on N-Day
Special Report on the Event
By @New Rogernomics

LazCorp through its Managing Director delivered a message to region, "FELLOW LAZARENES, Terrible times have fallen upon Nationstates. As we speak, millions of innocent citizens are annihilated by the nuclear weapons of a thousand fearsome foes. But Lazarus stands strong! We have joined the CATGIRL HIVEMIND and our region shall endure with the unity of feline femininity in our hearts! Please Join THIS FACTION page=faction/fid=6 and THIS DISCORD to join the noble fight against those who seek to destroy us! GLORIES! Good god I have drunk too much. BEST REGARDS, CUSTADIA MANAGING DIRECTOR", as N-Day got underway, The regional faction had been decided this year to be part the Catgirl Hivemind, a faction that was decimated fairly quickly this N-Day.

It did not take long for the nuclear weapons and shields to be depleted, and the annihilation of Lazarus was well assured, though as soon as it began it was over, and the nations of Lazarus had their populations miraculously restored to life. This was not really noticed by many regional residents however, as these sorts of miraculous revivals occur all the time in Lazarus, and to some it was just the usual price you pay for living in a sinker. The people least happy about this are the insurance companies, who banked on nuclear annihilation, and instead had to deliver trillions of insurance policies with a skeleton crew, and weapons companies struggling to explain why the big red button they spent billions or trillions on installing in their offices does not work in destroying their worst adversaries.

Insurance companies are gradually doing their best to recover the funds they distributed during the disaster, under their "Act of God Clause", but while this would normally work in other regions, an "Act of God" is a regular occurrence in Lazarus. At news time they have settled for taking everyone's first born child, and a cloud of locusts descending on Lazarus to take this years crops. The settlement is being contested however by the Non-For-Profit Organization for Precise Reporting of Death Statistics or OFPRD, not be confused with the Non-For-Profit Organization for Precise Re-acting of Extra-Judicial Deaths or OFPRED that is phonetically similar, even though both are mainly funded by the weapons industry. The reason for their contesting of the settlement, is that were the claims to be declared invalid, nuclear weapons would have a negative or neutral kill ratio, risking many weapons companies falling into bankruptcy when their customers realize their weapons don't work to effectively destroy another nation, if they push that big red button. The really silly nature of this case has not gone un-reported, as the Gazette has diligently worked to not just make this all up.

McChimp Elected in Special Prime Minister Election
Takes Office After former Prime Minister Moe Resigns
By @New Rogernomics

Yet another election in Lazarus

The Speaker of the Assembly opened standing for a special election to replace Moe, after they accidently resigned through their nation ceasing to exist, and the two candidates, John Laurens and McChimp stood for election on August 25th. The election was held on August 25th, and McChimp was elected the next Prime Minister on August the 28th after receiving 72.72% of the vote, the other candidate John Laurens received 11.18% of the vote, and Re-Open Nominations received 9.09% of the vote.

Prime Minister McChimp appointed joWhatup as Director of the Regional Guard, Domais as Director of Shareholdership, Moe as the Director of Public Relations, and Debussy as Director of Internal Management. These nominees having been approved by the Assembly serve as the current cabinet of Lazarus.

Prime Minister: McChimp
Director of the Regional Guard: joWhatup
Director of Shareholdership: Domais
Director of Public Relations: Moe
Director of Internal Management: Debussy

Moe Elected in Special Prime Minister Election
Takes Office After former Prime Minister Whatermelon Resigns
By @moe

The previous election in Lazarus

The Speaker of the Assembly opened standing for a special election to replace Whatermelons after they resigned from the post near the end of May, citing "spending less time on NationStates". Moe was initially the only candidate to stand for election. Ryccia also stood for the position, but later withdrew their candidacy. In their platform, they talked about their plans to improve different areas in the region, including the Regional Guard, foreign affairs, and increasing the number of active citizens. The election was held 5 days later, on May 25, and Moe was elected the next Prime Minister after receiving 62.5% of the vote.

In his opening address, Moe appointed joWhatup as Director of the Regional Guard, and Frankender as Director of Shareholdership, promising to appoint suitable candidates for the remaining offices as soon as possible. Later on, HEM was appointed as Director of Public Relations, and Constie/John Laurens was appointed Director of Internal Management. All of the nominees have been since approved by the Assembly, and currently serve as the current cabinet of Lazarus.

Prime Minister: Moe
Director of the Regional Guard: joWhatup
Director of Shareholdership: Frankender
Director of Public Relations: HEM
Director of Internal Management: Constie/John Laurens

Note: This was meant for an earlier issue of the Gazette, so this was the previous Prime Ministerial election and cabinet.

RECALLS, CONTROVERSY, AND THE PRL
By @New Rogernomics

Concerned citizens watch the Discord and Forum

Unexpectingly for most of the region, a citizen (shareholder) of Lazarus, John Laurens called for a recall vote against the Delegate of Lazarus, Treadwellia, Vice-Delegate New Rogernomics, Prime Minister McChimp, and his whole cabinet, which caused considerable controversy in the Assembly (Board Meeting Room) and the LazCorp Discord server. It received a rather negative reception, whether due to the time it was posted, around 1:23 AM EST (6:23 AM UTC) on a Saturday, or due to the wide scope of the recall proposal. Prior to the recall proposal, there had been no indication or mention of concerns by John Laurens that was coming either to the Delegate or to the Prime Minister. This controversy was compounded by a proposal from John Laurens to restore the People's Republic of Lazarus as a theme of Lazarus, and a dispute between John Laurens and Wymondham over the recalls that led to an invalid moderator action, and the suspension of John Laurens from the Lazarus moderation team.

Note: Formal approval from the Assembly Speaker was not able to be reached at news time for specific quotes from citizens in the Discord Server and the Assembly, so this story will be followed up in the next issue. In a earlier version of this article it referred to a mandate change as well by John Laurens, this has been corrected.

WHAT CAN LAZARUS DO?
An FA commentary by a semi-retired fool:
By @Ryccia

Disclaimer: I haven’t been as active or readily informed in FA as I was, so my comments may be outdated or totally wrong.

Lazarus is not exactly a diplomatic titan nowadays. Compared to the major players, it’s a backwater. However, that’s not exactly an insult, and it may even be good for us. You see, in FA, a region must have a clear and concise vision. One of the defining issues of the game is R/D. For example, TSP’s interests explicitly lie with the defender sphere of influence and with its potential expansion, whether that be in terms of numbers or political prominence. Osiris may not be as proactive with a “raider” agenda, but I don’t believe XKI will be their bedfellows anytime soon, and thus Osiris holds implicit raider-based interests to some degree. Of course, I’m not saying that R/D is the sole matter of contention, or that even it is the primary concern of the day for all major regions. There’s WA affairs, domestic affairs, and so on that shape a region’s FA perspective. However, the point is that R/D, while it may not be as omnipresent as in ages past when defenders, raiders and later Independents tore each other to shreds in bitter rivalries, remains relevant in the modern era.

Lazarus’s complete and utter inaction on this important realm of interregional politics stems from its history and from its position in the NS world. As a GCR, it will naturally be drawn to GCR affairs, thus tying it to NSGP’s style of politics. Moreover, as a region influenced, subjugated and even torn apart due to R/D feuds*, Lazarus has learned from its scars. At times, it has been an independent power in a wider network of shared interests and values, and in others it has been a puppet to said networks. Whether it was the defender-francoist (heh) PRL, the short-lived NLO, the defender HRL and then CU, the raider-aligned UDoL coup government and the humiliation that was the Wolfist Khanate, the Lazarus that emerged from the devastating civil war was a region traumatized by R/D and the toxic role it played in domestic affairs, as well as a region where many of its more veteran players had left or retired soon after the Twelfth Mandate was established. In short, Lazarus neutered itself deliberately, seeking internal stability and security. The Regional Guard’s charter alone should prove this point, as it is, in effect, an almost ceremonial military due to its legally imposed impotence. As a result, what objectives can Lazarus even form? Other than basic goals such as security and baseline friendship with other foreign powers, Lazarus is unable or perhaps even unwilling to develop any further ambitions. Perhaps I am too paranoid for my own good as well, but that’s why I never did anything major regarding alliances with GCRs when I was a Minister: I was too afraid to rock the boat too much, as I was aware of, or perhaps more accurately haunted by, the history of ages past.

Willingly constrained as it is, it’s not as if Lazarus didn’t try to wander off and attempt to experiment. A prime exemplar of such experimentation was Lazarus’s pivot to the Warzones. As a reaction to the war against the NPO, Lazarus sought to expand its influence in the warzones, either by political or military means. However, this eventually failed, or at least proved insufficient. One only needs to remember when the NPO earned more political and military capital in those regions as Lazarus proved impotent to commit to its obligations and ambitions long-term. Even if both sides were extremely eager and did try to establish something lasting and concrete, or if Lazarus was hellbent on establishing its rule by military force, it wouldn’t have endured. By their nature, the Warzones are chaotic places, where domestic security plays a special and vital role in those places. Due to the Guard’s neutering by design, it was never going to develop into a numerous force large enough to defend these regions from outsiders. There’s no incentive for any person remotely worth their salt in R/D to even try to make a limp and restrained military their main objective, even if they genuinely care about it. The Guard, by consequence, both lacks the troops and trained officers interested enough to truly invest into it to allow it to grow further. It can’t, and it won’t, and as such these military restrictions limit Lazarus's political clout by design.

What of WA affairs? Now, I must admit here that I am not the smartest when it comes to WA politicking. However, even if Lazarus became interested enough to venture into this field, it wouldn’t be a great power by any means. The Feeders have more endorsements, and thus more clout when it comes to these issues. The Feeders are also more active than the Sinkers** by social design, as they receive new nations who are naturally more eager to involve themselves in the game. This magnitude of potential talent will obviously be higher in the Feeders than in the Sinkers, and thus their capability to produce more WA writers and politicians with an interest in these matters will be higher. Moreover, R/D tends to rear its head around on WA politics. Liberations are often used by defenders to gain some military advantage. With commendations and condemnations usually going to people who were involved in R/D to some degree, whether they were prominent militarily, politically or both, and due to military actions such as “quorum raiding” being a recent phenomenon, would Lazarus be able to stomach it all, or take the necessary R/D steps towards becoming prominent in this field? I’d wager not.

Now, this all sounds bleak and dreary. However, I see the status quo as preferable. As I’ve stated, perhaps I’m way too paranoid, but this inaction and lack of prominence on the interregional sphere is one of the contributing factors to our current peace. Of course, there are other factors, such as the PR disaster that would befall any organization who tried to subvert Lazarus once more and get caught, the fact that the separation of the Delegacy and the Prime Ministership allows for longer-lasting stability due to neither office having the legitimacy or the raw mechanical power to seize control in a coup, respectively, and the fact that Lazarus simply isn’t as big of a juicy target for politicking as it was in the past. By not taking the risk of allowing yet another R/D drama to break the region into a million pieces again, we may not be as relevant as we used to be, but at least we aren’t gambling the region away.

Serenity involves calm. This tranquil state of affairs…isn’t it what we seek? Every region has their own interests and values that they uphold when dealing with others abroad. I'd like to think that our own peace is one of those.

Ryccia, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Former CLS member

*Of course, the Francoist NPO was also involved for its own reasons separate from the R/D dichotomy (or trichotomy? Eh), and the Rahl family also played a part in this era. Domestic players could also be independent agents in Lazarene politics.
**Only Lazarus, Osiris and Balder are being analyzed here.

ON THE ORGINS OF SOVEREIGNTY:
An analysis of Sovereignty under Regional Sovereigntism and Inherent Sovereignty
By Anonymous

Within NationStates there are many ideas on where Sovereignty comes from, who has the rights to sovereignty and what exactly sovereignty is. These ideas can, generally, be grouped into three categories: Mechanical Supremacy, Military Supremacy, and Inherent Sovereignty. Where-as Mechanical Supremacy (And Military Supremacy) are both intertwined and rely on the game itself, Inherent Sovereignty is based on the idea that at some level Regions have Inherent sovereignty, and it is through Inherent Sovereignty that we can get a better understanding of the game, and provides a more complete sovereignty.

Inherent Sovereignty itself is based upon the idea that at some level, a region has sovereignty by virtue of itself. In the past, an absolutist position was taken, in that a region by fact of its own existence, has sovereignty and should be respected. However, this position itself is flawed as it fails to account for potential reasons for violation of sovereignty and account for those that do harm. Therefore, a branch of Inherent Sovereignty formed, generally called Sovereigntism -- the idea that sovereignty itself derives in part from the Community aspect of Regions.

Sovereignty -- and the right to it -- ultimately is derived from a community, because a region by itself -- without a community, ability to form a community, or desire to form a community is effectively worthless. This is why raiders, especially in the past, do not particularly target regions without a community for destruction beyond potential tag raiding, and is why the Warzones ultimately failed in the original purpose -- only really seeing much actual use in recent years with the establishment of Warzone Communities. Therefore, even those that do not hold to the idea, still hold to the core conceit -- that a community (or the ability to do so) makes a region valuable. However, there is still the question of the extent of sovereignty -- and what exactly sovereignty entails.

Sovereignty itself extends to all edges reasonable, in that a region that is sovereign has the right to independence, self-determination, self-defense, the right to be free from outside influence, and that of sovereignty itself. However, should a region endeavor to violate sovereignty -- either endemically through raiding or through war -- the right to sovereignty ends to a point. If a region declares war -- either formally or through acts of War -- the right of the region to sovereignty ends in relation to the region(s) under which their endeavorment occurred. This is because the community -- either in whole or in part -- willingly took action that broke a right. A region retaliating, does not necessarily lose its right to sovereignty inherently as the action was likely unconsensual-- the region that had its rights violated did not willingly do so. Therefore, a region responding to an act of war or declaration with measured retaliation does not lose such a right -- as it was exercised in self-defense and was not done so entirely willingly. However, a region that regularly, willingly, and flagrantly violates sovereignty itself has abrogated its right to sovereignty by virtue of its repeated violations of other regions through its community, and similarly any region that spreads and/or causes harm to others lacks sovereignty due to Community's expressed desire to harm others. The community has willingly chosen to lose its sovereignty.

With all this said, there is still the question of coups and how sovereignty derives from and effects those -- and other potential questions that occur in the region, but potentially raise issue. A community that creates, establishes, and upholds regional law have sovereignty backed by their legitimacy of regional law. sovereignty of a region itself emanates from -- and thus ultimately resides in -- the community and the exercise of regional power occurs through legitimacy. Upon a violation of the legitimacy due to a violation of the community's laws with Mechanical Power to disestablish the laws or the community, the right of sovereignty -- and thus freedom from interference -- rests with the community and not with those that violated the law.

Mechanical Supremacists and Military Supremacists would object, as they hold that sovereignty (and legitimacy) extends from game mechanics. However, to do so ignores the fact that NationStates is NOT just a mechanical game, but is a social game as well. If it were -- in fact -- a mechanical game then Regions would be valuable in of themselves, and in fact the Warzones would see much more plan than they currently do. However, by the fact that this is not the case, there is an undeniable aspect to the game that requires an accounting of that. To do so is to ignore an entire aspect of the game that is important to keeping people playing. Therefore, the picture painted by those groups are at best incomplete.

VEXILLOLOGY FOR BEGINNERS
Vexillology is the study of flags
By @Starian Union

The word is a synthesis of the Latin word 'vexillum' (flag) and the Greek word 'logos' (study). On this Article, I want to give you a bit more insight into the wonderful world of flag design. By studying and deconstructing the symbols of current-day countries, we can imagine our own which creates awesome flags to decorate our space and worlds. So here are some details:

Canton
A canton is 1/4th of a flag's field, usually in the top-left corner. This is also described as 'canton hoist' or 'canton sinister'.
Popular examples are the Australian and New Zealand flags, which feature the British Union jack in their canton.
this is a hold-over from their days as a colony, and many debates are ongoing on designing a new flag for these countries that does not feature the British flag.

Field
A 'Field' refers to the full front of the flag. A flag can be described as being 'on a field of red' to describe a solid color flag.
Solid field national flags are rare in the wider world.
The last official 'one color' flag was that of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, which consisted of a green field.
The flag was replaced by the old Kingdom of Libya flag after Ghadaffi's fall in 2011.

Sinister or Hoist
The Sinister or Hoist side refers to the flag's left side when seen from the front. This side is hung from the pole or 'hoist'

Dextera or Fly
Opposite of that, the Dextera or Fly side of the flag is the side 'flying' in the wind - the right half of the flag when seen from the front

Describing a Flag
Putting these terms together, Hoist refers to the vertical aspect of the flag, Fly to the horizontal aspect of the flag.
The outward dimensions of the flag are referred to as Width vs Length.

Pales
Pales refers to flags divided along the fly.
Popular flags include the republic tricolors like those of Italy, France, Belgium, and various South-African nations

Fesses
The Fesses flags, with horizontal bands, represent a focus on authority over republicanism.
They are most common in old European monarchies such as Austria, Germany, Russia and others.

Canton
As mentioned above, cantons are often associated with colonial holdings or sub-flags.
Popular examples include the British Naval Jack or old British colony flags.

Quarterly
Quarterly flags feature checkered patterns, often combined with an English Cross.
Popular examples include the flag of the Dominican Republic and various German states.

Border
Border flags feature a trim along the edges - often associated with a heraldic device.

Bends
Bends flags are split across their diagonal.
Popular examples include revolutionary anarchist flags, or the flag of Brunei.

Saltire
The saltire flag is crossed across both her diagonals - popular examples include Scotland and Gascony.

The Chevron flag features a triangle crossing half of the flag.
Popular examples include the flag of Cuba and various other island states.

Pall
The Pall flag is a combination of the Chevron with the Saltire.
The flag of South-Africa is a great example.

Symmetric Cross
The Symmetric, or English Cross, is split across both the hoist and fly side.
The flag of England is a good example.

Nordic cross
The Scandinavian Cross, or Nordic Cross as it is commonly referred to, is a cross with the hoist vertical placed on 1/3rd of the flag's length.
This flag is used by the Nordic Countries.

Greek Cross
The Greek Cross is sometimes wrongfully referred to as the Swiss Cross.
This symbol grew from the Orthodox Christian church and predates the formation of Switzerland by at least a couple centuries.

THE PRINCIPLES OF GOOD FLAG DESIGN:

Keep it Simple
The Rising Sun is a national symbol of Japan, and is wonderfully represented in this simple but effective flag.

Use Meaningful Symbolism
The Crescent and Star are the symbols of the Ummah, or Muslim people of the world.
The red and white refer to Turkey specifically as one nation under God.

Use only two or three basic colours
The tricolore, or tri-band Republican flag of France represents the national values of the French Revolution: Equality, Brotherhood and Freedom.

No Lettering or Seals
US State and county flags are notorious for offending vexillology principles, though a lot of reworked flags are underway.

Be Distinctive, or Be Related
The Flag of Italy references the French Revolution as the birth of it's own Republic, but switches out the French colour for decidedly Italian themes.

I hope you found this information helpful! With these basics, you are all set to get to work on designing your own flag to hang in your home. Good luck, vexillologists!

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Lazarene Gazette November 2021

Eldarion