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Electrifying Elections

Sat, 02 May 2020 15:23:23 +0000

Electrifying Elections
By @Domais
Edited by @Treadwellia, @Debussy and @Mzeusia
Permission granted for release by @Roavin

May 1st, 2020

The Shareholders of the Lazarene Corporation could not have expected the electrifying excitement in the Board Meeting room on the second floor of Corporate Headquarters, yesterday. There was less than a day left in the election for Managing Director of the Corporation, and there was a tie, with six votes for each McChimp and joWhatup. This resulted in discussion about a special election. However, Human Resource Officer Wymondham recast his vote in favor of joWhatup. Alas, the special election was not to be, as joWhatup now had enough votes to win the election. Before all this, we had a debate, a standing period, a campaign period, and there were two other candidates in this election, Domais and Chanku, and each got a single first-round vote, not enough to make it any further in the election.

The Managing Director ran on a public relations policy of building bridges with fellow neutral regions. He also stated in his campaign that he would reestablish the department of World Assembly Affairs, promote more on-site Gazette action, an unchanged regional roleplay, and keeping the Guard virtually unchanged. The Corporation will have another Managing Directorial election in four months’ time, and the Gazette congratulates joWhatup for his victory.

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Fri, 03 Apr 2020 23:29:57 +0000

Which region or organization are you from?: Lazarus/LazCorp

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Article Title: Warzones Inc.

Add Author/s: By @"Domais"

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Add Article Text: Two days ago on the 1st of this month, Warzones Incorporated was unveiled to the world by the Managing Director Imaginary. This was just the latest push by our Corporation to increase its influence in the Warzones and earlier attempts were made but none of them got off the ground, as many people in the Warzones did not trust the Corporation as they had been raiding them. So it was a surprise to see that three of the six Warzones had already joined including Warzone Asia which had been up until yesterday affiliated with the NPO and even held an in-game embassy with them, that is now being withdrawn. The reason for Asia's membership is democracy and it is doubtful that the current delegate of Asia Alnorud, himself a citizen of the NPO was in support of such a motion. The other two Warzones that have joined as of writing this commentary are Warzone Africa and Airspace. Africa's reasons for joining this organization are in due part to them being raided by the East Pacific and being unable to hold a native delegate, while Airspace which had been up-until-yesterday under LazCorp occupation for over a month jumped at the opportunity of the occupation coming to its end.
The agreement ends LazCorps raids on Incorporated Warzones (which is the fancy term for member Warzones of Warzones Inc.) and pledges LazCorp's support in defending such regions from hostile take-over. LazCorp also pledges to assist Incorporated Warzones with the development, security and Foreign Affairs of Incorporated Warzones (Only with the blessing of the respective Warzone). In return Incorporated Warzones must assist the Gaurd when possible, advertise Warzones Inc. on their World Factbook Entry, secede to the diplomatic demands of LazCorp, and have LazCorp's discord be the only publicly listed off-site chat on their World Factbook. In accordance with this LazCorp created new channels on its Discord to facilitate the Warzones.
This arrangement is not a law and is therefore not legally binding inside LazCorp.

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Sun, 22 Mar 2020 07:27:51 +0000

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Article Title: Tub's beard appeases buyers everywhere

Add Author/s: By @Mia

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Add Article Text: In Lazarus, Mia's citizens ran for joy at shipping as Tub's beard was regularly shaved and sold over Tubsy on Tubbnet as gratefully provided by Tubbius, the glorious Santa as Lazarus well knows. When shaved of his beard, Tubbius could only gratefully laugh as it immediately grew back. Mia, from The West Pacific, gratefully and diplomatically sells the beard across regions as Tubbius' beard spreads Tubb magic wide and far from a glorious region called Lazarus.

When asked about the beard, customers merely could be said to be weeping of joy as they relived their greatest childhood memories, courteous of the almighty Tubbius gifting children and adults with tufts of his beard they proudly wear as mustaches. Everywhere in the world, people can now be seen sporting these mustaches of poofy white magic.

Some even say they bring back magic of the good old days as people ride the high and lows of the provided entertainment from Tub's beard. When interviewed, children that had never met Santa Tubbius were suddenly converted to Tub believers. Support the Tub beard fund, help him regularly shave it so everyone can enjoy the profit of Tubbius' beard.

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Tue, 03 Mar 2020 03:11:37 +0000

Which region or organization are you from?: Lazarus/LazCorp

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Article Title: The Foreign Report

Add Author/s: By @temmi

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Add Article Text: The Foreign Report hopes to bring news from distant lands to the people of Lazarus, so we can stay up to date with all the new things happening with our friends from afar!

Osiris

Guardian Appointments: Wymondham and Ham were confirmed and appointed to the Council of Guardians. https://osiris.valthost.com/viewtopic.ph...t=30668740

Heiress Apparent Confirmed: Recently Pharaoh Anabelle confirmed Rigel as the Heiress Apparent in Osiris. The position will serve as Delegate if Anabelle steps down and serves in her place. In the confirmation thread, Anabelle had this to say:

“Rigel has been a member of Osiris for a very long time and has shown that she truly cares about our beloved community and region. I have no doubt that she will be an amazing Pharaoh and will bring Osiris to new heights.” - https://osiris.valthost.com/viewtopic.ph...t=30668721

Rigel was also recently appointed as Vizier of Community Affairs. This position oversees culture, integration, and Osiris’ regional newspaper – The Osiris Oracle.

New Treaty: Osiris and The East Pacific recently ratified a new treaty named The Treaty of Tranquility. The treaty establishes a mutual alliance between Osiris and The East Pacific for purposes of formalizing and strengthening a friendship that has flourished between the two regions. - https://osiris.valthost.com/viewtopic.ph...#p10043822

The West Pacific

A New Manners: The West Pacific recently made internal changes to their government system and processes. Specifically, they consolidated the ministries of the region. They now function with four ministries: Cultural Affairs, World Assembly & Recruitment, Foreign Affairs, and Military Affairs. Additionally, they’ve recently established a new regional university which is now working with its first round of students. The Manners of Governance is the constitution/guiding document for The West Pacific. The new one can be read here: https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=1315698

Deputy Elections: With the new changes to the Manners of Governance and the changers to ministries, TWP held their first election cycle for the Deputy positions within their government. You can few the full results of the elections here: https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=1318187

Festivities: The West Pacific just wrapped up an international festival called Festival of the Three Perfections. The event was the second of their annually-held, arts-focused festival/competition that was open to any region in NationStates to participate. I spoke with Minister of Community Affairs Fujai who worked to organize the event on more details about what it was and their thoughts:

“It's based on the Three Perfections of Chinese art, which refers to a gathering of poetry, calligraphy, and painting in a single artwork. For our purposes, we modified them to Poetry, Writing, and Art, with three additional categories in each (free verse, haiku, and limerick in poetry; handwriting, essay, and short story in writing; and graphic design, photography, and sketches and paintings in art)

Of all the annual and one-off festivals TWP holds, this one is my favorite because I get to see all the amazing creations people from across the NSVerse put together. It's really incredible to see so much creative power in one place. While there are winners, the true goal of the festival is to foster the creative energies of NS in an inclusive and welcoming environment where everyone can enjoy the presence of others”

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Mon, 17 Feb 2020 07:57:13 +0000

Which region or organization are you from?: Lazarus/LazCorp

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Article Title: PRIME MOVERS: Courelli

Add Author/s: By Marcus Vespasian (Zapatian Workers State)

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Add Article Text: ZWS: Allow me to introduce myself. I am Zapatian Workers State, though you can call me ZWS. I'm a journalist for the Lazarene Gazette, and one of the columns I write is "PRIME MOVERS," which is an interview series focusing on important or influential NSers. This time around I thought I would conduct an interview with a member of the Admiralty Board of the Red Fleet and tried Sierra Lyricalia. However, he's not responding to me, so I was hoping that you would be more receptive

C: sure, yeah

ZWS: Cool, we'll start right now

Q1: Courelli, it is widely known that you are a member of the Admiralty Board of The Red Fleet, an organization whose power is widely felt in the domain of politically-motivated R/D. As the name implies, the Red Fleet is a Marxist-Leninist region. Can you tell us a little about the internal organization and administration of the Red Fleet?

C: The Fleet has a wide range of ranks, ranging from Sailor, the standard enlisted rank, to Fleet Admiral. The rank system is based on the principle of "to each according to their contribution" -- simply put, the more you participate in the Red Fleet, the quicker you'll progress!

Promotions and general Fleet policy are decided by the Admiralty Board -- TRF's central decisionmaking body -- which is comprised of the Fleet Admiral (myself) and the Squadron Admirals.

Currently, the Red Fleet has two squadrons: Huey P. Newton Squadron for our comrades from the Americas, and Sankara Squadron for our comrades from Europe, Asia, Africa, etc.. Each squadron is headed by, as previously mentioned, a Squadron Admiral (or sometimes two). Currently, the Squadron Admirals are comrades Sierra Lyricalia and Ubertas for Huey P. Newton Squadron, and comrades Ayanka and Trabardia for Sankara Squadron. Squadron Admirals are responsible for much of the day-to-day work of TRF, such as tracking operation participation and training Sailors and Officers in their squadron.

ZWS: Q2: Can you elaborate a little on the official selection process of designating the Fleet Admiral and individual Squadron Admirals? In specific, are the Admiralty Board's decisions made through the procedure of democratic centralism, direct majority vote, or some other method?

C: Members of the Admiralty Board are selected by the Admiralty Board itself. I was first promoted to Squadron Admiral of Huey P. Newton Squadron by Fleet Admiral Caelapes (a.k.a. Misley) and Sankara Squadron Admiral Freien. Upon the retirement of comrade Caelapes, I was promoted to Fleet Admiral via the same procedure.

Regarding votes, the Admiralty Board usually acts on consensus; that is, we hammer out a proposal we all can agree to, unanimously. Sometimes, this is easy -- such as when considering promotions of outstanding Sailors. Other times, the process can be more lengthy -- although an example doesn't come to mind. Overall, I'd say the Admiralty Board is a mighty fine team -- I'm lucky to have such dedicated comrades alongside me in the antifascist fight.

ZWS: Q3: The Red Fleet boasts of being the scourge of fascism on the NS seas. Is there any one fascist organization that presents more trouble than the rest or any particular military operation that you have partaken in and are especially proud of?

C: Regarding fascist organizations: while we take all fascist threats seriously, we are particularly amused by the constant fascist attempts to create their own interregional military (akin to an "anti-antifa"), the latest being "The Interregional Axis." This alliance, like all other fascist alliances, will inevitably end as a failure, brought down by their own internal squabbling and power struggles.

Regarding military operations: I am still particularly proud of the destruction of The Iron Confederacy. Within minutes of Hispanyo (TIC's Founder) being deleted by NS moderators, TRF officers were already working with our colleagues in Antifa to plan the downfall of the region. Little did we know that this would turn into a days-long attrition run, as TRF sailors (alongside Antifa troops) attended every update for days, slowly chipping away at the fascists' influence until they had no choice but to succumb to our might. Every single TRF sailor showed utmost dedication to our mission, and, if I remember correctly, were awarded the Order of the Partisan Star, TRF's medal for exceptional dedication and solidarity in the antifascist struggle.

ZWS: Q4: In addition to anti-fascism, the Red Fleet's ideology is fiercely anti-capitalist. However, the greater Antifa alliance is not explicitly anti-capitalist and does not restrict its membership solely to socialist members and regions (e.g. The Kingdom of Great Britain). Does this cause any tensions on occasion, and how would the Red Fleet reconcile its anti-capitalist mission if an avowedly capitalist region were to attempt to join Antifa?

C: Yeah, it has caused some tension before, unfortunately. Not too long ago, the Antifa admin team (which I am on) instituted a blanket ban on political/ideological conversations (aside from anti-fascism, of course) in an attempt tp reduce the likelihood of any potential hostility. I believe that it has worked.

Should an avowedly capitalist region join Antifa, we'll keep on doing what we're best at: rooting out fascism across NationStates. That doesn't make TRF any less committed to anti-capitalism -- it just means that we won't let the most formidable anti-fascist alliance in the game be brought down by internal squabbling.

ZWS: Q5: Per Marx's injunction against superstitious and religious beliefs as the opium of the people, one might imagine that the Red Fleet is also antagonistic toward regions based on theological systems. One that comes to mind is Right to Life, represented historically by the prolific and widely popular WA reformer United Massachusetts. Do you have any comment on this?

C: It's my opinion that NationStates has more pressing issues to tackle. Furthermore, if my memory serves me correctly, United Massachusetts & RTL participated in the Antifa operation in The Iron Confederacy. It was a surprise, to be sure, but a welcome one -- "fash-bashing" can truly bring together the seemingly-opposed.

ZWS: Q6: Do you have any advice for the poor and oppressed wage slaves of LazCorp about how their current form of government may be improved? For instance, a recent issue has been the political elite's hesitance to legislate a more highly dynamic and adaptable military policy, preferring a small task force whose sole purpose is to conduct mock operations. As a consummate and active raider who would know the occupational geopolitical risks better, do you think that this insistence upon total neutrality might be too limiting or naive?

C: In all honesty, I'm not too familiar with how Lazarus operates, so I think I'll sit this one out. I'm always interested in learning, though! I'll be sure to keep an eye out for developments on this issue in the future.

Solidarity with the poor and oppressed wage slaves of LazCorp, though!

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Sun, 16 Feb 2020 12:18:20 +0000

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Article Title: Educational Bulletin: The Anatomy of the Eye

Add Author/s: By Marcus Vespasian (Zapatian Workers State)

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Add Article Text: Hello once again to the good people of Lazarus!

You may or may not know me as Zapatian Workers State, but I've been a proud shareholder of LazCorp since last summer/fall. Having written a few interview columns for the paper, I thought I would try something different this time. That is this time I'm publishing an educational/informational bulletin within the paper. Today's topic concerns the anatomy and physiology of the eye!

Let's begin, shall we?

The first thing to know about the structure of the eyeball as it rests in its orbit within the skull is that it can be characterized by a tripartite division between a superficial fibrous tunic, an deeper pigmented tunic, and farthest to the interior, the retina. To start out with, the fibrous tunic of the eye is largely generated by fibroblasts in embryonic development and can be further subdivided between the sclera, which is the opaque "white" of the eye, and the centrally located, transparent cornea, which refracts light as it passes through. Per the laws of optics, travel of light from the air (a lower-density material) into the cornea (a higher-density material) causes the angle of refraction for the light rays to be fewer degrees separated from the axis perpendicular to the cornea than the incident angle at which the light hit the cornea. This aids in preliminary focusing of light. The pigmented tunic of the eye consists of the choroid, which is a layer of vascular connective tissue containing dark pigments to absorb wavelengths of light that pass through the retina, the ciliary body, and the zonular fibers. The function of the ciliary body and the zonular fibers concerns the lens, a structure comprised principally of collagens which helps to further refract light passing through the cornea and focus it upon the retina. The ciliary body is a smooth muscle under control of the parasympathetic nervous system, whereas the zonular fibers are structures that connect the lens to the ciliary body. In its relaxed state, the ciliary body exerts tension force upon the zonular fibers, pulling the lens taut, whereas its contraction relieves tension upon the zonular fibers and allows the lens greater flexibility. This aim is of course to better enable the lens to focus incoming light upon the retina and improve visual acuity. When people report eye strain, what they actually have is usually ciliary body strain.

Before I begin discussion of the retina, I would discuss several other anatomical structures of the eye. The lens can be used to further subdivide the eye into an anterior segment (reaching from the lens to the cornea) and a larger posterior segment (reaching from the lens to the retina). Both of these delineated areas are filled with an aqueous, jellylike fluid that helps the eye keep its full volume through hydrostatic pressure and facilitates the refraction and focusing of light. The fluid that occupies the anterior segment is known as the aqueous humour, while the fluid occupying the posterior segment is called the vitreous humour. There is a minor difference in consistency, with the aqueous being somewhat thinner as a liquid than the vitreous. (Believe me, you would know if you dissected a cow eye.) In addition, the anterior segment of the eye can be sub-divided into an anterior chamber, reaching from the cornea to the iris, and a posterior chamber, reaching from the iris to the lens. Make sure not to get confused, as the posterior chamber of the anterior segment is still located anteriorly to the posterior segment. As for the iris, as most know, it contains a pupil and exists for the purpose of restricting passage of light through that pupil and blocking light rays that do not run in parallel with one another and would consequently impair visual resolution. The iris is a manner of smooth muscle controlled by the autonomic nervous system, consisting of an inner iris under parasympathetic control, which constricts the pupil with its contractions, and an outer iris under sympathetic control, which contracts to dilate the pupil. Naturally, it is desirable that the pupil should expand in situations which naturally activate the sympathetic nervous system, namely fight-or-flight scenarios, in order so that more light can reach the retina. Of course, the iris also contains pigmented molecules that gives rise to eye color, and it is the total lack of pigment in albino individuals that causes the color of the retina, posterior to the iris, to make the iris appear as red in these individuals.

Next, we may discuss the retina, which may very well be the most fascinating part of the eye, and is the eyeball's innermost layer. The retina is a sheet of photoreceptors (classified into rods and cones), bipolar cells, retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), and the axons from RGCs converging at the optic disc as they leave the eye into the optic nerve, which is also the second cranial nerve. The retina is a prime example of convergent signaling in a neural circuit. To begin true discussion of the retina, it is worth classifying the regions within the retina. Simply put, from deepest to most superficial, we have the ganglion cell layer, the inner plexiform layer, the inner nuclear layer, the outer plexiform layer, and the outer nuclear layer. Photoreceptors, which begin the circuit, are located in the outer nuclear layer and synapse with bipolar cells in the inner nuclear layer, which in turn synapse with RGCs in the ganglion cell layer. Horizontal cells in the outer plexiform layer and amacrine cells within the inner plexiform layer regulate the signal as it is transmitted from photoreceptors to bipolar cells to RGCs.

Now we must discuss the nature of photoreceptors and how they communicate information about vision. It is important to note that rods are adapted for a system of scotopic ("night") vision whereas cones use a system of photopic ("day") vision. This becomes relevant in that different pigment molecules are located within rods and cones. Cones use the pigment photopsin and come in three varieties: S-cones, which recognize short wavelengths of light as "blue," M-cones, which recognize medium/intermediate wavelengths as "green," and L-cones, which recognize long wavelengths are "red." The final output of color vision in the primary visual cortex of the brain is ultimately dependent upon the combined output of these 3 cone types. Then, rods use a pigment called rhodopsin, which exists as a complex between opsin and another protein named retinal. Light absorption by rhodopsin causes the conformational change in retinal from cis-retinal to all-trans-retinal, resulting in retinal dissociating from opsin and activating a signal transduction protein named transducin to activate the effect of phosphodiesterase enzymes. The function of phosphodiesterase is to convert cAMP (cyclic adenosine monophosphate) and cGMP (cyclic guanosine monophosphate) into regular AMP (adenosine monophosphate) and GMP (guanosine monophosphate). Within rods, cGMP acts as a second messenger in a signal transduction cascade to modulate the openings of Na+ channels and depolarize the rods to a point of tonic glutamate release. With phosphodiesterases active, cGMP levels are reduced, but in the dark, cGMP levels and Na+ influx increase. Unlike in most excitatory glutamatergic neurons, release of glutamate by rods into the synaptic cleft separating them from bipolar cells causes hyperpolarization in bipolar cells by binding to a certain class of GPCRs (G-protein-coupled receptors), ultimately terminating signaling. Consequently, in the dark, rhodopsin levels accumulate in rods, cGMP levels rise, tonic glutamate release increases, and bipolar cells experience hyperpolarization. In the day, rhodopsin is "bleached," cGMP levels fall, tonic glutamate release decreases, and bipolar cells no longer experience hyperpolarization and signal RGCs. This outcome in the bipolar cells is attributable to a phenomenon known as rebound firing, where the threshold for the openings of voltage-gated Ca2+ channels is relatively low, allowing any return to a state of resting membrane potential following a period of hyperpolarization to initiate momentary burst firing and transitory depolarization. (If you don't know what I'm talking about, don't worry, I'll get around to explaining neurons and action potentials in the future.) So now you see (or maybe not) why cones signal in the daylight while rods are mostly active at nighttime. In the retina, rods and cones are differentially distributed, with the highest proportion of cones and lowest proportion of rods being located in the fovea centralis, the area associated with the most vivid color vision. The fovea is located within the macula lutea, which is the area of the retina associated with "central" vision. By extrapolation, one might then correctly guess that proportions of rods increase as one goes out further towards the periphery of the retina; in fact, much of perceived color vision at the periphery is not "real" but a massive interpretive work by the brain using clues from areas of color which it is actively processing. This can be exploited in quite a few optical illusions. Lastly, there is the mucous membrane known as the conjunctiva, which covers over the sclera, and the lacrimal gland, which produces tears which are in turn drained into the nasolacrimal duct.

Alright, I think that covers pretty much everything relating directly to the anatomy of the eye. I realize there is a lot of highly specialized medical and scientific terminology some of our readers may not be familiar with, but I'm hoping that if this gets published it arouses people's natural curiosity to want to ask questions and know more!

Until next time, Marcus Vespasian signing out.

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Wed, 29 Jan 2020 08:04:58 +0000

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Article Title: PRIME MOVERS: United Massachusetts

Add Author/s: By Marcus Vespasian (Zapatian Workers State)

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Add Article Text: ZWS: Q1: United Massachusetts, for the benefit of our readers, how would you describe the main crux of your policy in your distinguished career of representing the East Pacific before the World Assembly during the reign of "mad" Queen Yuno?

UM: Gladly. In short, I sought to turn the East Pacific into a sort of "WA Haven." By this, I mean a couple things -- (a) I wanted lots of people to engage with World Assembly issues, (b) I wanted an experienced WA team that could properly advise the Delegate, and © I wanted more people in the region to become authors. To this end, I actively sought out WA talent from all over the game, and tried to reach out to as many budding authors as possible, some of whom ended up joining the team. The idea was to create a virtuous cycle: better advisers produce better citizen-legislators produce better results produce more citizen legislators. We were actually quite successful at this, in my estimation: there was a good period of time where the majority of resolutions passed were churned out by our WA Ministry. I also came in at a time of waxing political power for The East Pacific, and sought to use that: it's no secret that I'm somewhat envious of the WA system TNP has established, and we tried to emulate them, particularly insofar as we sought to use the WA as a diplomatic tool to create partnerships. SIEGE comes to mind -- it was our attempt to lay "siege" upon the WALL with an alternative WA block.

ZWS: Q2: Aside from your work in organizing the East Pacific's WA Ministry, what were some major issues that you personally tackled in resolutions which you drafted and/or supported personally, and how successful do you believe you were in changing the landscape of the NS world through your endeavors in the long-term?

UM: Boy, that's a difficult question. In terms of general interactions, I think I'm most proud of my work in bridging the divide between religious and LGBT+ persons on NS. I'll admit I don't know how successful I was, but it's a hard thing to measure. As a gay Catholic, issues surrounding sexuality and faith can be hard to navigate, but that doesn't mean we can't have substantive, fruitful discussions. I think there is a lot of pressure of LGBT+ people to abandon their faith and for people of faith to reject LGBT+ people -- there is this constant narrative pushed on every side that sexuality and faith are naturally in conflict. I think that for a lot of people like me, dealing with issues of faith is the hardest part of navigating my gay identity, and constantly being told that we have to pick one part of ourselves and cast aside the others isn't helpful. To this end, I like to think I was able to promote more dialogue, to at least show people that there is another way. I think this came in terms of moving the needle in Right to Life somewhat on acceptance for LGBT+ people -- we ended up trying to open relations with quite a few LGBT+ regions, which I'm always grateful for. In terms of resolutions, I've authored/coauthored a set of LGBT+ rights resolutions that I'm quite proud of: Ban on Conversion Therapy and Affordable Transgender Hormone Therapy. I'm also proud of my work on Freedom of Religion and Freedom of Expression, which codify important "first freedoms."

ZWS: Q3: You mention your affiliation with Right to Life in reference to LGBT issues. Right to Life, for some, is a controversial region, yet most of this alleged controversy seems to have escaped your person as regards your standing in the GCRs. Do you have any comment on why Right to Life is viewed with suspicion in some circles, and how your affiliation with it affects your public image and persona?

UM: Firstly, I wouldn't say that the controversy from RTL has escaped my person. It has followed me wherever I go, and I made that choice. I've had people refuse to work with me on account of my involvement in Right to Life, I've had some call me a sexist for being a member of it, and the list goes on. When a cause is important to you in real life, though, stuff that people say in an online game can't get to you. I'm a member of Right to Life because I believe that ending abortion is the prime human rights struggle in the modern West, and I'm not afraid to say as much. I think RTL is viewed with suspicion by some largely on account of its political stance. I understand this suspicion -- it makes sense to not be fond of those who espouse an opinion you dislike as their fundamental ideology. But I think there is something to be said about why there is only one true single-issue region in the game, and one that has had quite the impressive run thusfar. I think it has something to do with the energy of the movement for life in the real world; it takes real dedication to a cause to be able to say "I'm going to define my politics and my NS participation around this single issue, because that's how important it is to me."

ZWS: Q4: In what other ways has your Catholic faith influenced your activity aside from Right to Life? For instance, how may it have been reflected in your role vis-a-vis the World Assembly, apart from LGBT issues?

UM: I don't think I could answer this in a book. My faith defines pretty much everything I do on NationStates, and that's particularly true of the WA. By this, I mean to say that my politics derive from my understanding of Catholic Social Teaching, and everything I do in the WA tries to flow from that source. Some call this problematic, but honestly, I think that if the Gospel is correct, if Jesus actually died for your sins and rose from the dead, if God actually made you in his image, and if there actually is an objective moral good, the only rational choice would be to surrender your entire lives to those truths. I am convinced of the truths of the Gospels, and I am thus convinced that they ought to be the center of my work on NationStates. From my endless push to repeal so-called "Reproductive Freedoms" to my pursuit of procedures for codifying just war theory, I have tried to put faith at the heart of my legislation.

ZWS: Q5: You have spoken much now about your social policy positions, especially as relate to LGBT and abortion. However, now I ask how your campaigns have impacted in the World Assembly in the realm of economic reform.

UM: Well, I actually think a lot of economics issues were settled by previous authors before I came in, such that it was hard to find growing room for an economic agenda. But nonetheless, I've had one. I fully support the repeal of "Individual Working Freedoms," a resolution currently on the books that stops the WA from taking substantive action to protect labour rights and set workweek legislation. It codifies the problematic arguments made by laissez-faire liberals in some very sketchy RL cases (think Lochner v. New York), and it also prevents us from actually completing what would be a tremendous resolution to establish paid parental leave. I think Individual Working Freedoms was largely put in place because WA regulars hated seeing poorly-thought-out workweek resolutions. I'm in the process of drafting a replacement to put up on the forum before we repeal. Frankly, I think I "repeal-now-replace-later" attitude is perfectly tolerable for this situation, but some disagree, so right now, our efforts are on that. I'm also hoping to go after Big Tobacco in a coming resolution, but those plans are under wraps!

ZWS: Q6: You were present when Queen Yuno was ousted as autocratic ruler of the East Pacific and replaced with Fedele, and subsequently, also present upon Fedele's own fall from grace. What do you make of these momentous events in recent TEP history and how would you characterize the viability of the current government?

UM: Well, Queen Yuno was never ousted or autocratic -- that was a joke we spun in the "Liberate TEP" resolution that we had launched as an April Fool's Joke. The whole world recognised that Yuno had a democratic government, and this was obviously true given the drama surrounding the first election of Fedele (and believe me, there was all the drama fit for a democracy!). Yuno was a genuinely great leader, and I think history has largely vindicated her already, and for good reason -- under her leadership, TEP went from a fifth-rate feeder to the second-most powerful region in the world. It spread its global influence, organised real and fun activities, and even passed a self-liberation! It's kind of sad to see what's happened since Fedele got into office, but it started with the purging of plenty of my friends on false OOC pretenses and the subsequent importation of questionable personalities, both from LWU and beyond. Honestly, through this whole situation, I'm a Yunoist at heart, because I think that Yuno demonstrates what a delegate should look like: proactive, joyful, diligent, passionate, the list goes on. I can only hope the current government will embody some of those qualities going forward, and having worked with Marrabuk and Libertanny extensively, I think they represent the best of the wave of talent that came alongside Yuno. Combine that with the "Old Guard", who have defended TEP for so long and were our best line of defence against Fedele, and I think you have a strong recipe for a successful government.

ZWS: Q7: For one last question, would you impart any advice to the good people of Lazarus from your experience among the prime movers?

UM: Stick with what you believe in. For far too long, I tried to navigate the waters of geopolitics like any good politician would. It is tiring, fake, and makes the game less fun. Find an area you enjoy, a cause to champion, and just go out there are do it and take what arrows may come. Also, if you ever come around to a regional redesign, just saying I've floated out some pretty genius ideas...

Form submission: Article Submission Form

Wed, 22 Jan 2020 20:12:53 +0000

Which region or organization are you from?: Lazarus/LazCorp

Select an Article Type: Commentary -

Article Title: CATCHING UP WITH IMAGINARY, PM OF LAZARUS

Add Author/s: By @"New Rogernomics"

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Add Article Text: Q: What inspires you about Lazarus?

Imaginary: That is a really good question. I spent a really long time thinking about that in the past. You know, after choosing to invest so much time into one region, it would be rather silly not to put things into perspective for yourself. I think it comes down to three things for me: the community, the culture and my past.

I spend a lot of time just hanging out on the RMB; a lot of players focus on discord or the forums nowadays but a lot of friendships and gold can be found right here, on the site. I think this way I feel really connected to the whole community, onsite and offsite. Both wildly different worlds, and I love them equally.

The culture is also very unique to Lazarus. It's certainly no NPO or TSP. Lot of depth, lot of things to get involved in, yet at the same time it doesn't feel cluttered. Always a piece of blank canvas that one can express oneself on, and of course, last but not least, I used to be a spy in Lazarus. I need not add anything else!

Q: If there is one food you could take with you, what would it be?

Imaginary: Sliced pizza. Portable, enough to quell ones hunger and can always be shared to make a new friend.

Q: What are your hopes for 2020?

Imaginary: I am... hoping for successful elections this year! Hopefully after that in the next year... New opportunities will arise for me to try my hand at making Lazarus even better. Being involved for a while I think I can see what things could be changed and implemented, so big plans there! I'm hoping to have as much fun as I had this year, scare all the drama away and subdue many Warzones with our ever expanding military.

Q: Do you have some final words of wisdom for us this winter?

Imaginary: Do not eat the yellow snow! Stay warm, wear your hats and enjoy the holidays. You will not be prosecuted for taking a bit of time off from lazarus to spend some time in the outside world this time...Will love to see you all back here sooner or later.

Form submission: Article Submission Form

Fri, 17 Jan 2020 23:02:46 +0000

Which region or organization are you from?: Lazarus/LazCorp

Article Title: Interview With New Rogernomics

Add Author/s: By @"Debussy"

New Rogernomics is a workhorse. In every corner of the region, there is some contribution from Roger – his latest being a guide to citizenship. He is the go-to forum administrator, our Chief Operating Officer (COO), and recently appointed advisor for citizenship. A long time Lazarene, joining the region on September 4th, 2007, Roger has been a member for 13 years. The Gazette sat down with Roger to found out more about our COO.

What was the first region you joined?

Roger Wrote:Around 2006, I joined a small region called Trans Atlantice, and eventually become UN Delegate there, which was the precursor to the WA.

How many times have you become a Delegate?

Roger Wrote:Once in Trans Atlantice, and once in Lazarus.

How long were you Delegate?

Roger Wrote:In Trans Atlantice for at least a few months, before the region merged with another UCR. In Lazarus, I ran for election in September 2015 and was elected Delegate of Lazarus on the 28th of September, or as Sovereign as it was known then. I was delegate till the end of December of that year.

Why were you Delegate for only 4 months?

Roger Wrote:That was the period of term for the Delegacy back in the Humane Republic of Lazarus.

Did you run again or decide not?

Roger Wrote:I decided not to run again, as I was mostly satisfied with forum administration duties. I became a forum administrator around the time I was Delegate, and continued as an administrator till the Celestial Union civil war.

Is there anything eventful or memorable about your time as Delegate?

Roger Wrote:We had fun role-play during the Z-Day event, I mostly just voted on WA resolutions and gathered endorsements, and I pushed somewhat for improving of relations with the New Pacific Order, which was a policy that the WA delegate after me, Loftegen, would pursue further. Loftegen served as Delegate for two terms. Also, Funkadelia and I came to rhetorical blows over inter-regional recruitment policy.

What was this policy and how did you come to blows over it?

Roger Wrote:Well, it became problematic as it was a policy that was not my own, but I was forced to defend, as I was only made aware of it till months into my Delegacy. Funkadelia, who was the Delegate prior to my term, had allowed Kazmr to run a secret recruitment campaign against The Pacific. Recruiting in other Game Created Regions was not very acceptable back then, and is not really today.

I was tired of this going on, on my watch, so I discussed with Kazmr over making what was going on public, and trying to push for the option for all GCRs to be able to recruit from each other.

Funkadelia was really opposed to making this public, and was angry because I had not informed him, in his opinion.

This eventually led to a GCR recruitment conference, where I supported this idea that GCRS should be able to recruit from each other.

Funkadelia publicly attacked my administration as Foreign Minister during the conference, and Kazmr and I took the flak for the policy.

Eventually though, most agreed to let the issue slide, and a few well-known players came to my defense. When charges were put forward that I was being malicious about recruiting in GCRS. Mostly, it didn’t really stick, as I was clearly inexperienced.

Do you still support the policy of recruiting from other Game Created Regions or was this apart of what you were forced to defend?

Roger Wrote:Recruiting from Game Created Regions is still an unresolved issue to this day, I am not against GCRs recruiting from each other to this day, though realistically it looks like GCRs would have to sign recruitment agreements with each other, as not all GCRS agree. The NPO was not against the policy at the time, though obviously with the NPO and Lazarus at war, such an accord would be impossible these days.

Any other memorable events you would like to mention?

Roger Wrote:I think the most memorable part of my term was the Z-Day event, where I role-played the government response to Z-Day, and another faction played as a religious Zombie Empire faction that argued becoming a zombie was a gift best shared.

Eventually I declared a communist revolution of robots against the zombie menace. So many Lazarenes were dead by that point though, and the event ended. Was a lot of fun, I haven’t really experienced another Z-Day like it since.

Do you have any dispatches or texts from that event?

Roger Wrote:This was the regional message I sent out when Z-Day was starting.

[spoiler][/spoiler]

And when it was ending.

[spoiler][/spoiler]

Here is the Gazette entry from that month too.

Belschaft led the religious faction.

[spoiler]
Quote:Greetings, brothers and sisters, Today is a glorious day, for Lazarus stands first before the great goddess [violet], with more followers having accepted her gift of undeath than any other region. Whilst we are still faced with the resistance of a few deluded heretics who cling to their mortal lives, and a new communist robot insurrection, our victory is inevitable. Trust in the wisdom and benevolence of [violet] and you shall be gifted an eternity in which to glorify her. All that is left is to spread her gift to those few unenlightened souls who yet resist, and Lazarus shall forever prosper under her divine rule.

That is not dead which can eternal lie. And with strange aeons even death may die.

- Belschaft, Prophet of the Great Goddess [violet] and Zombie Overlord of Lazarus
[/spoiler]

This has been great. Thanks for sitting down with us, Roger!

Form submission: Article Submission Form

Fri, 10 Jan 2020 22:36:51 +0000

Which region or organization are you from?: Lazarus/LazCorp

Select an Article Type: Opinion -

Article Title: PRIME MOVERS: Benevolent Thomas

Add Author/s: By Marcus Vespasian (Zapatian Workers State)

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Add Article Text:

ZWS: Hello there

Benevolent Thomas: howdy

ZWS: Are you up for a brief interview for The Lazarene Gazette?

Benevolent Thomas: Sure.

ZWS: Alrighty then.

Q1: I've heard from reliable sources that you were an instrumental figure in developing the techniques of defending which are currently widely used across NationStates. Can you shed a little light on what first motivated you to get into defending and give us a few highlights of your defender career?

Benevolent Thomas: The first region that I got involved in had embassies with both the Region of Reunited Muslim States and 10000 Islands. My region watched, with sadness, the destruction of RORMS while the natives of the region pleaded for aid. Before the destruction of RoRMS, I had no awareness of the invasion game, which came as quite a shock to me as my region was founderless as well. We received regional updates from 10KI which mentioned the activities of TITO. I decided that it was time I joined the fight in order to protect my region and all others like it. I created Benevolent Thomas and moved right into 10000 Islands with the sole aim of joining TITO. My proudest moments are the refoundings of Australia and Hogwarts and the creation of both the Fort Triumph Marshal Service (currently disbanded) and The Order of the Grey Wardens.

ZWS: Q2: From your experience, is there a marked difference in psychology between raiders and defenders, or are both mostly motivated by the thrill of defeating one another in the field?

Benevolent Thomas: There's a fundamental difference. Invaders find joy in NationStates at the cost of other people's enjoyment of it. Defenders are natives that have decided to take a stand against these groups. The Grey Wardens and several other groups like to payback the favor of invasion when the opportunity arises.

ZWS: Q3: In all your time as a defender, who would you count as your closest ally in your mission and why?

Benevolent Thomas: Deadeye Jack. They've been a close friend for nearly a decade and the player I trust the most. They support my endeavors and keep my more reckless impulses in check. FTMS, Hogwarts, TGW, Jack is the glue that held and continues to hold everything together. I'm happy to see that the world at large is experiencing how wonderful they are.

ZWS: Q4: On the flipside, is there one raider that you believe is heinous above all, or who qualifies as your personal archenemy?

Benevolent Thomas: No. Its the griefer ideology that I hate, not the people. The individuals that I grow to loathe usually find themselves DoS sooner than later for reasons we all agree are intolerable.

ZWS: Q5: What is the largest and most impressive military action gameside that you personally coordinated, and when did it occur?

Benevolent Thomas: I was part of the coordination for the liberation and refounding of Hogwarts. The region had been taken by LWU and I believe refounded by them. I had two native nations in the region that I had moved back after LWU had refounded it that had amassed quite a bit of influence. I was WA-immobile at the time iirc and passed the nations off to TITO and the FRA (1 each). I got everyone on board with taking the region over once LWU's founder in Hogwarts had CTE and watched in awe as they conducted the mission perfectly. We then sat on the empty and locked region for a bit and we decided to pull off the refound on Xoriet's birthday. She is a big HP fan and also a member of LWU. It was a coincidence, but I like to think we did it to tease her. I forget which defender it was that was the one to found the region once it CTE, but they gave the pw to Jack and I and we established a roleplaying community there with a few gameplayers that were also fans of the Magical World. This was 2015. Hogwarts late-summer.

ZWS: You've been a great interviewee so far, but I promise this is the last question

Q6: In addition to being the founder of The Order of the Grey Wardens, you were also once the Delegate of Lazarus at one time. Can you recount some of the major events which occurred under your Delegacy and give our readers an impression of what the responsibility of the position was like?

Benevolent Thomas: Nothing happened under my delegacy. Many would call it a failure. I got hit by a massive hurricane just after the election and I was without power for several weeks. When I finally was able to log in again, the region had stagnated once again. The hurricane had caused major disruptions in my life and I had grown jaded with my experience on NS, so I resigned all my positions and walked away from the game. I wouldn't return for about half a year. This is actually the most active I've been since then (Nov 2016).

ZWS: Wow. Well, um, this has been a great interview. I hope to see it published. Thanks for cooperating and best of luck to you.

Benevolent Thomas: Thank you. Good luck with the Gazette

[spoiler=Original Text, Admin Edit]Add Article Text:

ZWS:

Hello there

Benevolent Thomas:

howdy

ZWS:

Are you up for a brief interview for The Lazarene Gazette?

Benevolent Thomas:

sure

ZWS:

Alrighty then

Q1: I've heard from reliable sources that you were an instrumental figure in developing the techniques of defending which are currently widely used across NationStates. Can you shed a little light on what first motivated you to get into defending and give us a few highlights of your defender career?

Benevolent Thomas:

The first region that I got involved in had embassies with both the Region of Reunited Muslim States and 10000 Islands. My region watched, with sadness, the destruction of RORMS while the natives of the region pleaded for aid. Before the destruction of RoRMS, I had no awareness of the invasion game, which came as quite a shock to me as my region was founderless as well. We received regional updates from 10KI which mentioned the activities of TITO. I decided that it was time I joined the fight in order to protect my region and all others like it. I created Benevolent Thomas and moved right into 10000 Islands with the sole aim of joining TITO. My proudest moments are the refoundings of Australia and Hogwarts and the creation of both the Fort Triumph Marshal Service (currently disbanded) and The Order of the Grey Wardens.

ZWS:

Q2: From your experience, is there a marked difference in psychology between raiders and defenders, or are both mostly motivated by the thrill of defeating one another in the field?

Benevolent Thomas:

There's a fundamental difference. Invaders find joy in NationStates at the cost of other people's enjoyment of it. Defenders are natives that have decided to take a stand against these groups. The Grey Wardens and several other groups like to payback the favor of invasion when the opportunity arises.

ZWS:

Q3: In all your time as a defender, who would you count as your closest ally in your mission and why?

Benevolent Thomas:

Deadeye Jack. They've been a close friend for nearly a decade and the player I trust the most. They support my endeavors and keep my more reckless impulses in check. FTMS, Hogwarts, TGW, Jack is the glue that held and continues to hold everything together. I'm happy to see that the world at large is experiencing how wonderful they are.

ZWS:

Q4: On the flipside, is there one raider that you believe is heinous above all, or who qualifies as your personal archenemy?

Benevolent Thomas:

No. Its the griefer ideology that I hate, not the people. The individuals that I grow to loathe usually find themselves DoS sooner than later for reasons we all agree are intolerable.

ZWS:

Q5: What is the largest and most impressive military action gameside that you personally coordinated, and when did it occur?

Benevolent Thomas:

I was part of the coordination for the liberation and refounding of Hogwarts. The region had been taken by LWU and I believe refounded by them. I had two native nations in the region that I had moved back after LWU had refounded it that had amassed quite a bit of influence. I was WA-immobile at the time iirc and passed the nations off to TITO and the FRA (1 each). I got everyone on board with taking the region over once LWU's founder in Hogwarts had CTE and watched in awe as they conducted the mission perfectly. We then sat on the empty and locked region for a bit and we decided to pull off the refound on Xoriet's birthday. She is a big HP fan and also a member of LWU. It was a coincidence, but I like to think we did it to tease her. I forget which defender it was that was the one to found the region once it CTE, but they gave the pw to Jack and I and we established a roleplaying community there with a few gameplayers that were also fans of the Magical World. this was 2015. Hogwarts late-summer

ZWS:

You've been a great interviewee so far, but I promise this is the last question

Q6: In addition to being the founder of The Order of the Grey Wardens, you were also once the Delegate of Lazarus at one time. Can you recount some of the major events which occurred under your Delegacy and give our readers an impression of what the responsibility of the position was like?

Benevolent Thomas:

Nothing happened under my delegacy. Many would call it a failure. I got hit by a massive hurricane just after the election and I was without power for several weeks. When I finally was able to log in again, the region had stagnated once again. The hurricane had caused major disruptions in my life and I had grown jaded with my experience on NS, so I resigned all my positions and walked away from the game. I wouldn't return for about half a year. This is actually the most active I've been since then (Nov 2016).

ZWS:

Wow. Well, um, this has been a great interview. I hope to see it published. Thanks for cooperating and best of luck to you.

Benevolent Thomas:

thank you. Good luck with the Gazette

[/spoiler]

Form submission: Article Submission Form

Sat, 18 May 2019 12:02:55 +0000

Which region or organization are you from?: Lazarus/LazCorp

Select an Article Type: Commentary -

Article Title: ARTICLE TITLE HERE

Add Author/s: By @"Your Name Here"

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Form submission: Article Submission Form

Wed, 15 May 2019 08:23:27 +0000

Which region or organization are you from?: Lazarus/LazCorp

Select an Article Type: Commentary -

Article Title: Dancing to Game-Side | Laz OS

Add Author/s: By @imaginary

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Add Article Text: When I was Director of Public Relations for Lazarus I felt like it was my job to be everywhere important and talking to everyone important and their brother. At this point in NS, that means my job was basically hanging out on Discord. Which, don't get me wrong, is nice sometimes. But I felt like I wasn't playing this game. I was dancing somewhere else.

I kept seeing people talking in other regions like Osiris about how they were building their communities, and that made me want to do that too. I wanted to do things on a more basic level and meet people who hadn't been echoing around the same halls of NSGP forever.

So I tried to think of what would be cool to do actually on-site in Lazarus. My first thought was more cultural activities. That seemed obvious because everywhere else that's tryhard does it. I set up a map for the region and I was thinking about doing some other things like having daily topics and monthly art contests.

I was also sort of thinking in the back of my head that the really cool part of this was actually organizing everything and setting things in motion. Like, how could someone not be turned on by that? I didn't want to deal with finding stuff for people to do and asking them to do it all the time like when I was in Public Relations. I wanted to do the things I thought up to do, but at the same time I wanted other people to be able and encouraged to do the same thing - to think of their own idea and run with it - because I was finding it so amazingly fun. (Give me break and please don't laugh if you feel like I'm making too big of a deal out of this, I haven't done culture/gameside stuff for years and I'm super excited!! Actually, do laugh, it's good for you...)

With this in mind, I created Laz OS. This gives the Internal Management Department space to:

organize culture and security-minded projects in order to develop Lazarus's game-side community,
encourage less experienced players to mess around with ideas they may have (which inspires old, lame and boring folks like me with possibly mind-blowing new ideas),
keep the resident backbone of our region more informed and engaged since Laz OS is totally on-site and thus easily accessible!

That's pretty much all I wanted to go over in this article. Laz OS just started so I can't give a whole lot of information on how it's effecting the region. So far only one project has been started by a non-Internal Management person. As expected, not everything they're doing is how I and probably most long-time gameplayers would do it, but that's okay. It's still really cool that they're doing stuff for the region at all and I can't wait to see how they grow from the experiences they have working on their own project. One thing that especially makes me happy is how others in the region who aren't even involved in the government have been so encouraging and supportive of both his and my projects.

I'd also like to note that Lazarus's RMB activity has doubled since Laz OS was launched 8 days ago. Thanks for reading.

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Tue, 14 Aug 2018 04:06:31 +0000

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Sun, 29 Jul 2018 17:00:37 +0000

The Official Newspaper of Lazarus

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