Why does everyone hate my video?

Strategic blunder is probably the best description of the last week's decision to publish Jessica Tozer's 30 minute interview with General Keith Alexander on YouTube. What were they thinking?

After the strangely-edited video was placed in the free-fire zone of open public YouTube ratings, the General has been subjected to continuous withering enemy fire from viewers. Apparently  Keith "collect-it-all" Alexander's vision of NSA unconstitutional blanket surveillance is not popular. As of this writing, the video has 247 "likes" and 14,889 dislikes. 

Doesn't Alexander have someone in PR to advise against this sort of doomed propaganda social media outreach? With a 98% downvote rating, the NSA will need more than a oddly-staged video with narco-ambient background music to persuade the public.

Or is this part of an effort to throw Alexander under the bus? Cowboy Keith seems to have some enemies in the security establishment based on a recent less-than-complimentary piece in Foreign Policy. A convenient scapegoat might be useful to distract the public from deeper systemic issues.

Alexander poses with his co-star: a yellow extension cord

Even after putting aside the motivation for the video, I was left with questions. It would be interesting to know why someone couldn't find a better chair for the General Alexander to perch on for this video. I understand Alexander enjoys the Star Trek motif at Fort Belvoir's "Information Dominance Center", but his chair in this video is less than impressive.

I'd also like to know why yellow extension cord on the floor is effectively a co-star in the video. The yellow power cord appears frequently as the camera pans back and the editors try to vary the scene without ever showing Ms. Tozer speaking.

YouTube voting irregularities?

Despite an overwhelmingly negative reaction from YouTube viewers, a certain amount of paranoia has been evident in the comments, along with some odd fluctuations in the voting. If you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear - unless you are critical of the current regime.

time to rally the Booz Allen contractors for more upvotes?

While it was recently announced that Gen. Alexander is planning to retire from the NSA next year, and despite the undeniable allure of the private security contractor revolving door, we can hope that the General can find time to join forces with Rebecca Black to sing a "Friday" duet.

Just think of the YouTube ratings they could achieve.

The cyberwar between the Anonymous hactivists and recording and motion picture industry interests heated up earlier today when the www.copyprotected.com site was hijacked to display an anti-MPAA message in support of the embattled Pirate Bay bittorrent tracker site, then redirected viewers to the piratebay.org site.

As of this writing the MPAA’s site continues to display a "Payback is a Bitch" image and a rather wordy manifesto which is reproduced at the end of the article for those who are not quick enough digest the screed before being automatically redirected to the thepiratebay.org site.

While the irony of an MPAA site directing visitors to a bittorrent tracker site is undeniable, it takes a quick hand to capture the carefully footnoted text, and a detailed analysis of the arguments advanced by the unnamed persons will have to wait for another day.

copyrightprotected.com is owned by the Motion Picture Association – and p0wned by hactivists

This incident marks a change in tactics now that Anonymous seems to have moved beyond simple denial of service attacks. The Sunbelt Software blog speculated that the copyprotected.com site had been subject to DNS cache poisoning – an attack which would cause the site’s traffic to be redirected to a rogue server – but other believe this to have been an SQL injection exploit. In any case, it is unlikely that the MPAA is pleased with the result.

google cache image of copyprotected.com before…

…and after

Now that 12 hours have elapsed, presumably the MPAA will regain control of their site at some point soon and remove the Operation Payback message. Meanwhile, in the war for media attention the hactivists are beginning to gain ground.

The text of the Operation Payback manifesto from the copyprotected.com site:

To whom it concerns,

Over the past years, we have borne witness to a technological revolution. The individual has become free, in the most extreme anarchistic sense, to share ideas. Some of these ideas are shared behind proxies, darknets, or similar "closed doors". Nevertheless, the ideas are out there. There have been similar instances of such revolutions of the mind. Their effects on society are inestimably great. As in past times with the invention of the printing press, so it is today that the people embrace this revolution, this new "anarchy" of freedom to share, while their autocratic rulers seek to crush this freedom.

In spite of censorship in the form of copyright law and other restrictions, the people have succeeded in distributing content to the poor, the underprivileged and the oppressed. The most numerous pirates are Chinese, as content filters restrict a vast amount of information in their country. Pirates are also numerous among the poor, as this demographic cannot afford things like college books or entertainment. Indeed, while often ignored by those interested only in bread and circuses, a vast amount of educational literature is available to the everyday pirate online. Piracy democratizes knowledge and makes education affordable.

History repeats itself. There was a time when powers that be attempted to silence the printing press, the blank cassette and the recordable CD. All of these previous attempts at censorship have failed, and future attempts of this nature are doomed to failure. Indeed, the sequestration of human knowledge for the benefit of extremist capitalism is treason against the whole of humanity. All should have the right to listen to a melody, experience a plot and learn from the aggregate of human knowledge available online.

The man on the street already knows this. He knows it when he illegally [1] gives his unused software to a friend or acquaintance. He knows it when he gives that old college book to a person in need. However, he also knows that something is wrong.

He knows that something is wrong when the artwork of little girls is raped in the name of copyright [2]. He knows that something is wrong when solicitors use copyright to blackmail thousands of people sharing information [3]. He knows that something is wrong when corrupt organizations seeking to stem the free flow of information lie through their teeth, produce false documents and spread misinformation about their opponents [4].

He knows that it is not right when his leaders inexplicably support massive capitalist enterprises over the majority opinion of their own people [5]. He know they are wrong when they use illegal means to get what they want, while hypocritically deprecating their opponents for doing the same [6].

If one were to pursue the propaganda of various community-reputable organizations such as…

• The Motion Picture Association of America [MPAA]

• The Recording Industry Association of America [RIAA]

• The British Phonographic Industry [BPI]

• The Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft [AFACT]

• Stichting Bescherming Rechten Entertainment Industrie Nederland [BREIN]

…They would come across many a morality play suggesting that, if they "pirate" a film or an album, they are depriving a simple artist, actor or crewmember of their rightful wage. This worker won`t be able to break even for their next lot of groceries because the pirate robbed them of their money.

Of course, these organizations carefully omit the fact that only a small percentage of the profits made by big media ever make it to those who actually produce it. Do they ever disclose how small of a percentage most script writers, novelists, etc., actually make? Of course not, and there is a reason why. Do these anti-piracy organizations truthfully disclose how much they receive in donations, and from whom? Of course not, and there is a reason for this also.

In the end, our DDoS efforts have been compared to waiting for a train [7]. What must the people do to be heard? To what lengths must they go to have their pleads taken seriously? Must they to take to the streets with noose and handgun before those in power take notice?

You are forcing our hand by ignoring the voice of the people. In doing so, you bring the destruction of your iron grip of information ever closer. You have ignored the people, attacked the people and lied to the people. For this, you will be held accountable before the people, and you will be punished by them.

We will not stop.

We will not forget.

We will prevail.

We are anonymous.

1. [1] http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/09/first-sale-doctrine/

2. [2] http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100722/09434710323.shtml

3. [3] http://technews.am/conversations/techdirt/acs_law_asks_those_who_deny_infringing_to_incriminate_themselves

4. [4] We DID NOT attack thepirate party, we ARE NOT affiliated with anti-scientology activism, andThe Pirate Bay has not organized this.

5. [5] http://www.which.co.uk/news/2010/01/acs-law-letter-writing-continues-197714

6. [6] http://torrentfreak.com/anti-piracy-boss-denies-dos-attacks-torrent-site-refutes-claim-100912/

7. [7] http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/09/22/acs_4chan/

The manifesto of the aforementioned operation is quite interesting in that it reveals how anarchic behavior may ensue when policies, in this case those that relate to copyright issues, are inadequate to respond to the needs of the contemporary age. Quite interesting that such criticism would be voiced by a group that was born out of the message boards of 4chan infamous for its crass humor and profanity. But at the same time, you don’t have to be a genius to see the obvious. In the absence of functional regulators or laws, related parties are ravaging the loot while waving the banner of "doing good." And the manifesto announced by Anonymous, cited in full in Slyck in its entirety, demonstrates this chaos. The relevant section is as follows:

“There have been a massive lobbyist-provoked surge in unfair infringements of personal freedom online, lately. See the Digital Economy Bill in the UK, and “three strikes” legislation in the EU which both threaten to disconnect internet connections based on accusations supplied by the music and movie industries. In the USA, a new bill has been proposed that could allow the USA to force top level registrars such as ICANN and Nominet to shut down websites, all with NO fair trial. Our tactics are inspired by the very people who provoked us, AiPlex Software. A few weeks back they admitted to attacking file sharing sites with DDoS attacks.”

The problem, perhaps, is not just the inadequate copyright laws, but also the inability of the industry to adapt itself to the contemporary needs of our culture. In a recent interview with TorrentFreak, Fritz Attaway and Craig Hoffman, the two of the top suits of MPAA, admits that the large part of the problem "is developing new business models that consumers will access legally and find that experience superior to illegal access." While the two are optimistic and believe that the industry is doing an excellent
job in attaining that goal, the latest events that transpired prove that we have a long way to go.

In the meantime, the groups are seeking justice in any way they can and no one is too sure who is the sheriff in town is or even if there is one. As is the case with most cyber-protests, it is not even clear who the victim is.

To fight back against the anti-piracy lobby, Anonymous did what it does best: to initiate one of the largest cyberwars to date and, to maintain momentum, says Tom’s Guide, the group sought out more members by sending out flyers and recruiting people through Facebook, Digg, Reddit and other sites and made sure they had access to the tools they needed. Who is on the menu? The aforementioned associations, MPAA and RIAA, The British Phonographic Industry (BPI), The Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft (AFACT), Stichting Bescherming Rechten Entertainment Industrie Nederland (BREIN), ACS:Law, Aiplex, Websheriff, and Dglegal. Ultimately, what happened on the Internet, did not stay on the Internet. The initiative ended up being far more consequential than it initially was thought to be, exposing scams, personal information of hundreds of people, ACS:Law’s dirty laundry, and… well… the names and information of those who illegally downloaded gay porn… or porn… Come on… admit it… we’re all one big happy family here ;-P Well, you get the idea.

The stench of the mess is so potent that it may require some radical cleaning up that requires
more than fining people and putting them into jail.

The story starts like this: The Operation Payback was initiated when RIAA had hired AiPlex Software, an India-based company working on behalf of Bollywood studios, who admitted to using not-so-kosher techniques to fight piracy including launching DDoS attacks. You see, Aiplex is not the first or only company resorting to strategies like this. Seeing that their very own tactics were being used against their beloved p2p sites, Anonymous decided to take the matter into its own hands. And, as they promised, Anonymous took down the Web sites of RIAA, Aiplex, and ACS:Law, the law company that was hired to hunt down the infringers. So they did.

The real damage to ACS:Law, however, came after the DDoS attack when, in their haste to put everything in order, they exposed the backup of their confidential files containing the e-mails of its only lawyer, Andrew Crossley, in addition to thousands of personal records that were handed over by ISPs, including Sky, BT and Plusnet. And this information appeared on the website, unencrypted. Ooops, sorry!

This unfortunate faux pas led to the company’s gory tactics being revealed to the hacker world who eagerly downloaded all this good information. Apparently, ACS:Law had been extracting money from the alleged infringers by encouraging out-of-court settlements. The firm’s confidential (and now not-so-confidential) business plan shows that, while the amount of money demanded in the letters varied depending on the rights holder, the number of letters sent out by the law firm has turned its business into "a numbers game," so the payments of between £300 and £500 quickly added up into a handsome sum.

Crossley, whose clients were mostly in the porn industry, came up with what seemed to be the perfect scam: track down BitTorrent infringers, convert their IP addresses into real names, and blast out warning letters threatening litigation if they didn’t cough up some cash. Except that the scheme had its flaws.

Unless you are aggressively following the threats, people don’t take you seriously and if you are too aggressive, they bond together and resist collectively (both of which were the case here). Not to mention, the average file-shares don’t have extra of cash laying around to begin with, otherwise they would buy the movie in the first place. On top of this, according to a the same leaked business plan, only a fifth of money collected from damages paid was given to the rights holders, turning the law firm, which keeps 80% before paying ISPs and IP tracking companies, into cash cows.

And so last week, the Internet witnessed ACS:Law going down in a spectacular fashion.

But not before shaking down other companies. Everything seemed to come down like a house of cards. British Telecom (BT), the owner of PlusNet, admitted to sending to ACS:Law unencrypted personal data of 500 users who had been suspected of illegally downloading porn following a court order. But because they sent the data unencrypted (hoping that the unprotected files would be securely stored by ACS:Law), they breached the Data Protection Act, in addition to violating the very same court order they
were following because the order had specifically stated that PlusNet should send this data in an encrypted form.

The story doesn’t end here.

After the collapse of ACS:Law, Gallant MacMillan (another law firm famous for hunting down infringers) rose up to the occasion to take over where ACS:Law has left off… and declared that it will use whatever method necessary to bring down the file-sharers and went to court to subpoena the IP addresses of additional suspected infringers. Seeing what had happened to BT, the ISPs weren’t so hot in delivering this information when presented with flimsy proofs. Guess what happened to Gallant MacMillan and its client, the Ministry of Sound? Yup, you guessed it! Their sites went down, though they had a little bit more dignity than ACS:Law when doing so. If you are interested in the details of the entire operation, you can find them here.

Already, the data leak is bringing important questions into the limelight, questions that exceeds copyright issues, but also, as you can suspect, verges upon privacy violations. Privacy International lost no time is expressing outrage by the breach and decried it as a “travesty of data security.” The quality of the standards set forth by The Digital Economy Act of England, while deemed to be satisfactory, is questioned as a result of all the dust that Anonymous brought up following its DDoS war.

Even if ACS:Law’s evidence (sending warning letters by turning ISP into customer names) would be sufficient under the current regulations, it would still may not be considered as acceptable evidence in court. Privacy International is already seeking legal advice about the possibility of bringing charges against BT for contempt of court. If found guilty, the firm could face a fine of up to half a million pounds if it is found in breach of the Data Protection Act.

Anonymous may very well have had the noble intentions expressed in their manifesto… and/or the reason could be as petty as one of these organizations getting in the way of them downloading illegal content and they just got mad. But does it really matter? It is a precarious juncture, really. While we see the undeniable power of networks when mobilized, we also see that no one really is in charge… the group has a mind of its own. The hive mind is powerful, yes, but can we call its operation successful in anything other than causing mayhem? In other words, was there a long-lasting purpose other than taking down the entertainment industry websites? As Darlene Storm says in Computer World, "Perhaps the biggest purpose it served was the warning shot heard around the globe about the collective power of anonymous people." One of the commentators insists:

"Well guess what? Anonymous isn’t as simple as a bunch of teenagers who want free music. Why did they attack Scientology, for example? Why are they attacking these websites now and why are they planning a gigantic assault on any organization which supports the ACTA or COICA internet censorship legislations? The answer lies in their simple slogan, "knowledge is free". They attacked Scientology because Scientology tried to silence free speech in the form of anti-scientology videos on YouTube. They attack ANYONE who attempts to apply any sort of "control" or "regulation" to the internet. Look at their homes, the "chans", 808chan, 4chan, wherever, for proof – there’s no order! It’s free flowing, stream of consciousness. Posts are barely even ordered into topics or subjects, it’s literally a wild west of total freedom of thought and expression. Anonymous believes the internet should be 100% free from any form of control by governments or organizations, and they are willing to stand up for this even if it means they go to jail (as some have in the past)."

Looks like Net Neutrality has a forceful defendant. Hats off. But the question is, what would happen if this force decides to use its power for things other than worthy causes? Do we have means to control it?

by Cayce Urriah

The first major Star Wars Roleplay was Korriban, created by the Dark Lords of The Sith, the first Sith group in Second Life. Shortly after, The Jedi Alliance formed the sim New Holstice. In this era, late 2005, combat was fairly primitive. Using lightsabers with push scripts, combat was resolved with whoever pushed their opponent the farthest.

gathering of Mandalorians in the shadows of the Jedi Temple on Ruusan

The first neutral sim where players of all types (not just force users) could play was Dantooine, which came to be in early 2006. Created by Cellmaster Alexander, Revan Muromachi and Veronna Prevost of the Ac’Trayth Jedi order, it was also the birth place and main hub for the SWC (Star Wars community) as it later came to be known as the SWRP.

Ossus and Naboo came soon after in 2006. Ossus was a Jedi place of learning, where numerous notecards written by Jedi players were stored. Naboo was a roleplaying sim that was also a shopping mall. The first SWRP combat system, RCS, was born on Naboo, and allowed players to fight with definitive outcomes. Then Little Mos Eisley was born, at this time a mainland parcel owned by Helga Eusobeo. The New Order of Jedi (NOJ) were born and moved through several small parcels before creating a large sim, Yavin IV.

Mid 2006 brought Telos IV, a snowy world under Imperial control. When Telos was destroyed, it became Manaan, which was later destroyed as well. The first major Mandalorian clans came to be in this period: Clan Ordo, Skiratta, Mereel and several others. The first major Hutt cartel under the command of Smookah the Hutt came to prominance in this period.

a pair of Sith engage a pair of Jedi agents attempting to infiltrate Byss

The first Byss came in late 2006, the new home of the Dark Lords of The Sith, and home of 99% of the Sith in this era. Eventuallly the DLoTS moved to a new sim and made Ziost in early 2007, after Byss was sold to a Gor sim.

Korriban had been abandoned in the distant past, and was remade by Desirae Carter in mid 2007.

A community named United Galaxies was founded by some old players from the various SWRP communities, and created a Coruscant / Kashyyk dual sim in early 2008. NOJ lost Yavin in a split that created the Kalway Order of Jedi, and moved to the Kashyyk portion of the main UG sim.

In mid 2008, a new combat system named DCS2 was created and spread through numerous sims. Shortly after, the DLoTS recreated their old sim of Byss, with much nicer graphics, and it still stands today.

rogue’s gallery of scum and villainy lurking around Mos Espa

In late 2008 Malachor V was made and the Trayus Academy was formed, being renown for it’s numerous riddles and traps that one had to pass through to explore it. Korriban was sold off due to disinterest by the owner.

In early 2009 UG fell apart and their sim was sold off. The NOJ moved to a sim called Ruusan that still stands. In this era, the prominent sims were: Ruusan, Byss, Little Mos Eisley, Naboo and Malachor V. Byss and Ruusan had an extended period of war, with the Sith turning Jedi padawans, and Jedi battling Sith on many fronts. Galactic Unity was created, a community with strict, and somewhat questionable standards of roleplay and avatar limitations. Their sims popped up rapidly and became the standard of roleplay for many people. They had Coruscant, Onderon, Nar Shaddaa, and Talus. A website simply refered to as United Mandalorians was created at www.mandoade.com, serving as a forum and community for Mandalorian roleplayers.

In mid 2009 Little Mos Eisley became the most populous of sims, as many talented roleplayers flocked there to run their smaller groups. The Mandalorians had a war with two factions going for each other’s
jugulars: The United Mandalorians who followed the Traviss cultural beliefs and the Galactic Unity Mandalorians, who were the older Clans from before SWRP became populous, who were atavist fallbacks to the Mandalorian Wars era. The sim Blood Moon was created, and the owner, Gistya made a deal with the owner of United Mandalorians to change the site into www.SWRP.net, which became a community and resource site for the entire Star Wars Roleplay community.

Late 2009 brought a mass exodus of good roleplayers from Little Mos Eisley, as administrators made their positions clear, that they cared more about making the money that the rent of their parcels brought,  than they cared about the storyline.

Sisters of the Imperial Knights fend off the dark on Dromund Kaas

In early 2010 Galactic Unity shed most of it’s sims, and rebuilt Coruscant. Nar Shaddaa became solo, and left the GU storyline. A Kamino sim was created by the Galactic Dominion, who then began to expand to several others. The owner of Byss created a second sim named Dromund Kaas, full of riddles and tests to serve as a fun quest sim for anyone to explore.

Spring 2010 brought the death of Galactic Unity, as the sims were sold off and left the Star Wars community. Blood Moon was scrapped as Dangergirl and Gistya created a new Korriban sim, using the genius of their lead builder to create a masterpiece of design. Ruusan was also rebuilt to a new design by an amazing builder.

Summer 2010 brought something unseen before in SWRP – the Mandalorians came together and the two sects disolved into one behind the new Mandalore the Bloody. The Mandalorians proceeded to go to war against the Galactic Dominion on the planet Nal Hutta, for control of the mines.The GD was sent packing and the Mandalorian forces strip mined the planet and moved on to Mos Espa on the world of Tatooine, where they now reside.

Picture this. It was Sept. 17 and I was kicking back with a glass of Ransom Gin on ice
while celebrating the publication of my article on WikiLeaks in The Nation, when the mojo
wire crackled to life. I had incoming email via an anonymous remailer routed through
Belgium. “Hi, I’m Julian Assange” it began. I poured more gin and began to read.

Julian liked the article, it seems, but objected to two points, one of which concerns us
now (the other is a topic for another missive).

the "five human rights groups including Amnesty" is misleading and has fooled
many. One man a US national at the Asian office in the UK national office
of Amnesty, rounded up a few contacts at four other organizations, and then
sent us an email repeating the Pentagon line — already well aired –, which was
then also concurrently leaked to an known "opposing" reporter at the Wall St
Journal. Amnesty was forced to state it was not an official statement, just an email
contact…

After digesting the memo, the fact checker at The Nation and I looked into the matter. In
the first place, while talk of the letter from the human rights organizations was all over
the media and Internet, all roads led back to a story by Jeanne Whalen in the Wall Street
Journal. Furthermore, Amnesty International did deny being a signatory. More curious,
however, was that the signatory for the Open Society Institute (a Soros operation) had
just received her law degree from Harvard in 2007 and was listed as a program officer on
the Open Society Foundation website. Was she really speaking for OSI (OSF), as the
Wall Street Journal had claimed? I wrote to the reporter with these questions. Following
is her response in full.

Peter,

Hello. I heard from your colleague Kate yesterday, and can’t say more than I
told her, sorry — that we don’t share details of our reporting with other news
organizations.

Best, Jeanne

Jeanne Whalen
The Wall Street Journal
10 Fleet Place
Limeburner Lane
London EC4M 7QN, U.K.
office: +44 207 842 9217
mobile: +44 7747 117 486

I replied at some length in my friendly Midwestern way:

Jeane,

To reiterate. I do not work for The Nation. I teach philosophy at Northwestern
University. While I wrote an article that recently appeared in The Nation, that is
the only time I have written for The Nation and I am not now writing an article
for The Nation, or anyone else. I do, however, plan on teaching about these
events in the future and I would like to have the facts right. If Kate is the same
Kate that fact checked my article then she is a lovely person but she is not my
colleague. If she is investigating the matter I assume it is because The Nation
wants to prevent further errors in reporting.

I am not asking for details of your reporting. I am asking you to tell me what is
actually the case. It is my understanding that Amnesty International did *not*
sign the joint letter. Is that now also your understanding? It is my understanding
that the person associated with OSI that signed the letter, Erica Gaston, was
a minor player that was not authorized to speak for OSI. Is that also your
understanding? It is also my understanding that there were only four signatories
to the letter in question. Can you confirm that?

Finally, I am unclear on what "details of our reporting" means, but I don’t see
why that should prohibit you from sharing the letter in question. Maybe I’m just
working on the academic model of inquiry here, but what good would be served
by hoarding that document? Would somebody be put in danger by its release?

She has yet to respond.

Yesterday, finding myself at a dead end I turned to the only person you really can turn to
in a situation like this – that most baller of baller journalists, the infamous founder of the
Alphaville Herald – Urizenus Sklar. I caught up with him in google chat.

Ludlow: Uri babez are you there? I need your help!
Urizenus: Yeah I’m here. Luddie you should be here too. The Herald Yacht is just now
cruising through the Bosphorus. We are picking up Burcu Bakioglu in a few hours and
are then going to play Set with Moot and some of his 4chan friends.

Ludlow: That’s great Uri, but I have a problem here.
Urizenus: Do tell.

I filled Uri in on the stonewalling from the WSJ, and Uri paused to think for a bit.

Urizenus: Hmmm, you know Luddie, I hate to say it but there are two possibilities here.
Either Jeane was played, or she is part of the game.
Ludlow: Played? Wait… what game?

Urizenus: You see Ludz, the government is smart enough to already know exactly what
you said in your article – that killing Julian would be pointless. WikiLeaks is a robust
and dynamic network with thousands of “nodes”. It’s like fighting the hydra – you cut of
one of its heads and two more grow in its place. The only option is to change the subject.
So, instead of having people talk about the war and evidence of war crimes in the leaked
documents you get them to talk about something else – like how Julian put innocent
civilians at risk.
Ludlow: Ok…

Urizenus: But how to do that… It is not persuasive to get a government official to do it
so you Astroturf something using well-known and respected human rights organizations.
Ludlow: How do you do that?

Urizenus: Well, obviously you aren’t going to get the organizations to officially sign off
on something like that, but human rights organizations are full of thousands of people,
and many of them are conservative and others are, frankly, plants.
Ludlow: Plants?

Urizenus: Ludmeister, you have been in the Midwest for too long. Absolutely. Human
rights organizations are full of intelligence agents and people that would like to get
into positions of power in, for example the U.S. State Department. Do you think they
wouldn’t do a favor for Hillary or Barak?
Ludlow: Um…

Urizenus: Let’s back up a bit and start with the Wall Street Journal. Who owns it?
Ludlow: Rupert Murdoch

Urizenus: Yes, my old nemesis Rupie. We had some great sailboat races in the
day …*sigh*… but I digress. Do you know who the signatories of the letter were?
Ludlow: Well yes, I know two: Sarah Holewinski of the Campaign for Innocent Victims
in Conflict (CIVIC) and Erica Gaston of the Open Society Foundation.

Urizenus: And you already know that Gaston got her degree in 2007 and is not likely
authorized to speak on behalf of Soros’ foundation.
Ludlow: Yes…

Urizenus: But did you know that she had co-authored a paper with Holewinski and was a
protégée of Holewinski?  She also worked with CIVIC for a while.
Ludlow: Um, no…

Urizenus: Luddie you need to know these things. Reporting 101. Connect the dots!
Ludlow: Right, dots.

Urizenus: So I assume you didn’t know that Holewinski was a fellow of the Truman
National Security Project
Ludlow: What’s that?

Urizenus: It is an organization that pushes the Democrats’ view on intelligence and
military matters.
Ludlow: Is that bad?

Urizenus: It is what it is. But if you want a taste of what they are about you should read
the Christian Science Monitor op/ed that Holewinski wrote with Jim Morin, who is “a
2001 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where he majored in military
history, focusing on counter-insurgency and low-intensity conflict”, is also a member
of the Truman National Security Project, and was an Infantry Platoon Leader and then
Company Commander in Iraq and Afghanistan. Here is the quote from their op/ed that
got my attention.

Protecting the population isn’t political correctness; it’s a vital military objective
and a distinct advantage over an enemy that uses civilians as shields. The drop in
civilian casualties is a mark of success.

Ludlow: It’s all so confusing. These people look like human rights advocates on paper,
but then it seems that on closer inspection their political agendas are more complex.
And then what was the role of the WSJ reporter Jeanne Whalen? Was she in on the
astroturfing or did someone use her? I still don’t know. It’s such a mess we may never
get to the bottom of it.

Urizenus: Lud, what is the first thing I taught you when you came to work for the
Herald?

Ludlow: In the hall of mirrors that is the interwebs, we may never know the truth.

Urizenus: And what is the first question I asked you?

Ludlow: How big is your game?

Urizenus: Luddie, the game just got bigger.

by Metallicoe Keng, war correspondent

Last Friday, two of Silver Hawks leaders, Bicket Burt and Dayna Lavilleresigned from their positions in Silver Hawk leaving Corwin Lockjaw and Fay Franzos in control of SH. The Silver Hawk military that oncestood on two SIMs now resides on the one full SIM: Silver Side. I caught up with Dayna Laville on Silver Side Bay, the SIM she reclaimed from Silver Hawk after she left last week.

Silver Side – home of Silver Hawk

Metallicoe: So Dayna, what was the reasoning behind you leaving Silver Hawk?
Dayna: I didn’t like what Corwin and Fay wanted to do, and I was tired of arguing. A conflict of interest, you could say.

Metallicoe: What direction did Fay and Corwin want to take SH in? What caused the arguments?
Dayna: We always argued, but the thing that did it was the MBC Alliance. That was the breaker.

Metallicoe: The Mercenary Brother Commandos? Why did you disagree with the prospect of an alliance with them?
Dayna: No input about it. I found out from a notice. Then had to ask one of my officers about it…

Metallicoe: So they left you in the dark? Would you have disagreed with it if they had informed you?
Dayna: Yes I would have disagreed. I agree to disagree among us four. But when I am or feel like I am left in the dark about important SH decisions it frustrates me.

Metallicoe: Why would you have disagreed?
Dayna: I don’t want to get into why. It’s over.

Metallicoe: I understand. Did they not inform Bicket?
Dayna: From what they tell me, yes they did.

Metallicoe: Why did he leave, then?
Dayna: Same reason I believe. He also wrote a resignation notice. I think his explains more how we felt though. Mine is just general resignation.

Dayna’s Resignation Letter

So Silver Hawk members are left with two commanders, a full SIM, and an alliance with the Mercenary Brother Commandos. Dayna told me that herself and Bicket did not plan their resignations, they merely happened at the same time. Dayna, left with her homestead SIM attached to SH’s main SIM, Silver Side Bay, hopes to embark on a new project, staying active in the combat community but ‘without the drama’, as inevitable as it can be.

I next spoke with Silver Hawk Officer pjrey Writer, to gather a sense of the reaction to the resignation of their two leaders, and the alliance with MBC, lower down the ranks.

Metallicoe: Hello pjrey, could you tell me your thoughts on the resignation of two long-time leaders of Silver Hawk?
Pjrey: I don’t think out loud. I can tell you that we’ve been incredibly busy here and had a lot of people enlisting and returning. We have plans for a new base; we’re currently in the idea stages but one proposal is a prison theme where the enemy must escape.

Metallicoe: And what’s your view on the new alliance with MBC? Do you think it was a good move by High Command?
Pjrey: Sure, it’s nice to have an ally who is primarily a different time zone, means we can compensate for the lulls in activity.

Metallicoe: Have Silver Hawk and MBC been on any assaults together since the alliance?
Pjrey: No, so far just helping out with defence. We’ve been really busy lately with recruitments and base changes so aside from a few smaller assaults we’ve been quiet. That will change soon though.

So, it seems Silver Hawk will be facing a base change alongside the shift in command. Next, I thought I’d have a chat with Bicket, to see his thoughts on the matter. Since his resignation, his profile would suggest he’s joined the Tetra Combine, the group formed out of the rebellion within the Echelon Union a few weeks ago. Upon contacting Bicket, he didn’t want to talk to us about his resignation and was very dismissive. Suspicious. For the record, he doesn’t want to talk to us. It’s not that I’m being biased. We’ll leave out his side of the ordeal, and respect his privacy. It is a shame how some people don’t trust us. I was, however, able to get a hold of his resignation letter:

It seems Bicket left under the same loose terms as Dayna. Changes in the military, which perhaps he wasn’t too keen on. To gather an accurate response, I contacted Corwin Lockjaw, one of the two now in command of Silver Hawk.

Metallicoe: Hey Corwin, what’s your feelings about Bicket and Dayna leaving?
Corwin: I am saddened by their departure. However, since they have left, several old members have returned, and we have gained new members which have strengthened us considerably.

Metallicoe: How did the alliance with MBC come around?
Corwin: Through negotiations over several days. Bicket and Dayna were both aware of it

Metallicoe: Dayna told me she wasn’t aware of it, and you kept her in the dark?
Corwin: When she was told, before the alliance, her words were, “whatever you guys decide”, so she may have put her involvement in differently, I’m not sure. And Bicket left over a different issue

Metallicoe: Oh, what was your understanding of the resignation of Bicket then?
Corwin: Essentially, he left because I would not follow his order to demote an officer. An officer that has since been ejected from Silver Hawk.

This is interesting. New information. Bicket left because Corwin wouldn’t demote an officer? Corwin told me that the officer was originally a Senior NCO. He continued to explain how Bicket ejected and banned him for riding a motorcycle on the base. Interesting. Could this be why Bicket refuses to comment on these current affairs? In Corwin’s eyes, this is a silly squabble. Corwin re-enlisted him, and promoted him to an officer. He assures me the NCO was in line for officer-ship before the squabble with Bicket. Bicket objected to this re-enlistment, and thereafter left Silver Hawk. Anyway, back to the alliance.  “Yet another silly argument, and we move on”, Corwin tells me.

Metallicoe: Why did you decide to ally with them, over other militaries without allies?
Corwin: As an insurance against several swarming attacks we had suffered, prior to that. To be accurate, against their reoccurrence. I admire Dav Broome, the leader of MBC, and his recent drive to ‘clean up’ his army. To my knowledge, we are the only two militaries in the alliance.

Metallicoe: Will Silver Hawk and Mercenary Brother Commandos be attacking other militaries together, as well as defending each others SIMs?
Corwin: Both armies are interested in fair combat, so that would depend on the opposing armies numbers.

Metallicoe: Does the new alliance have a name? Are you open for negotiation with other militaries, if they were interested in allying with you and MBC?
Corwin: Call it the SH CBM alliance if you will! And no, we are not open at present. We are not building an empire. Merely a pact of mutual co-operation.

Metallicoe: Alright. So, what changes do you and Fay plan to bring to Silver Hawk?
Corwin: We intend to build on the strong base we already have. Also, we plan to improve our relations with other militaries. Improving our reputation is important, as it has gone downhill as of late.

Focusing on the new alliance between SH and MBC, I took a trip down to the Commando’s base, in the full SIM of, appropriately named, ‘MBC’. I’ve heard of the Commando’s before, but have never seen any of their members in New Jessie, or attacking a military in the community. Perhaps it’s the time zone, but either way, their SIM seems to always have at least one member wandering around. Crossing the bridge embellished with Spanish flags, I spoke with Saraochi Uriza, overlooked by what appeared to be a crusader. With a sniper rifle.

Metallicoe: Hello Saraochie, what’s your take on the alliance between the Commando Mercinaries and Silver Hawk?
Saraochie: It’s a pact of non-attacking force, but helping each other out.

Metallicoe: Do you think the alliance was a good idea?
Saraochie: Yes.

Metallicoe: Why did MBC choose Silver Hawk over other militaries?
Saraochie: The fact that Silver Hawk are in the same position as us. We have lost personnel because of useless drama. Silver Hawk thinks like us, and they have roughly the same ideas.

Metallicoe: In your view, what will you and Silver Hawk gain from the alliance? What will the two groups do together?
Saraochie: For now, just defending each other. But, we’re also forming friendships.

Well, it seems like both parties agree on the alliance, because they share the same idea. Here, Saraochie seems to be referring the incident with the motorbike on Silver Hawks side, with useless drama. I do like the idea of an alliance over similar outlooks on the community. And,  the fact that the different in Time Zones between Spain and the USA exists, further makes another case for why the alliance could suceeed. Granted, there is a small communication barrier between some of the MBC and Silver Hawk, but nothing that can’t be solved with a bit of patience.

This was an interested article. Bicket, leaving over a squabble with a motorcycle and an NCO. Dayna, for disagreeing with an alliance with the Mercenary Brother Commando’s. And so, Silver Hawk continues. On it’s full sim. Bicket makes a name for himself in Tetra, still inactive, and Dayna works on whatever project she embarks on, in her still damage enabled SIM of Sliver Side Bay. And now, off to bed said Zebadee. Goodnight.

[this report reprinted from the New Jessie War Journal by permission of the author]

by Pixeleen Mistral, National Affairs desk

In the wee hours of New Years Day 2009, the Justice League Unlimited’s base was overrun by 3 members of the PN griefers, who defeated 9 JLU members to take control of the Hall of Justice on Justice Island sim for several hours, setting fire to buildings and defacing the JLU’s stronghold.

The news of the shocking default for the JLU anti-griefer vigilante group on their home sim at the hands of the notorious PN came to the Herald by way of filmmaker TheGreatGigantor – a known sympathizer – who said “ 3 lone PN members stone walled the justice league sim for nearly 5 hours and fought off the justice league members for 3 hours with only happy cat machine guns – we beat them down like dogs”.

Despite the obvious bias in Mr. Gigantor’s account, it is clear based on the pictures provided that somehow JLU’s locked-down sim defenses were thwarted. The question is how. 

During the attack ccording to TheGreatGigantor, “Chiengmon Chieng of the Board of directors for Chairman Cheng used his magical Nigra powers to hax the land for the Nigras use”.

This suggests either some sort of hacked SL client – or possibly one of the oldest tricks in the metaverse – group infiltration followed by humiliation. Could it be that disaffected members of the JLU turned against the group’s leadership? There have been persistent rumors of dissatisfaction with Kalel Venkman’s rule – could some departing JLU members opened the door for the PN trouble makers?

TheGreatGigantor’s account continues, “Chiengmon Chieng, Chairman Cheng, and FagLantern Core of the Patriotic Nigras felt the Justice League have been left alone for far to long. Thus they waged an epic Battle between 3 brave Nigras and 9 Justice League SUPAR Haros… It was a hard fought battle (Considering JLU couldnt harm the nigras at all). Happy Cat was fired and many JLU fell dead to the ground”

Unfortunately for the JLU, they face an asymmetric threat from the PN – an amorphous group with no permanent base using throw away suicidal avatars who think nothing of a permaban. This attack is likely to raise the level of PN – JLU violence. As the metaverse looks with hope toward a new year, concerned residents can only hope the fighting can be contained on Justice Island, before it spills over into peace-loving residential region.

The 2nd of December is the day that will be come to be known as the Day the longest and biggest Alliance in SL MIlitary History fell apart. I am, of course talking about the Ascendant Iniative. Now it seems that the Spartans, 39th M.H.T.F. Blackwatch, the Guerilla Rebels and other members of the A.I became aware of certain relations between the Alliance Navy and Vanguard Armed Foces (a group which has now died) and broke all ties with the A.N. A final goodbye was published in the group notices by Spartan King Bruno Ziskey he states “due to an unholy alliance between Jim Herbst and Christoph Naumova, AN is being funded by Christoph in exchange for VG being allowed to join the AN, even while their groups are hidden.” And that while he does not wish to become hostile towards to group, he thinks Admiral Jim Herbst and Commander Luca Vasiloptia were responsible for the group’s demise.

Admiral Herbst made a counter notice saying “There was no goodbye” and in fact:

“I want to set the record straight: we do not accept money from Christoph Naumova.
Don’t believe me? I’ll show you the financial records”.

With the history and reputation of the Ascendant Iniative in mind I first went to Spartan King Bruno Ziskey who at first appeared to be the instigator of this sudden break.

Vegna Fouroux: Okay so what has caused this sudden break with the Alliance Navy?
Bruno Ziskey: Did you receive a copy of the note I sent out?

Vegna Fouroux: Yes, we understand it was due to your believe that AN were in the bed with VG but why the break now? why not earlier? or why not an attempt at resolving the problem?
Bruno Ziskey: 1. I didnt know about this until recently and did my own investigation. 2. It turns out 2142 and GR have been wanting to leave AI for a while but didnt, I’d suggest talking to them about that and 2. If AN is being funded by Christoph and couldnt be suppoted otherwise, it would die anyways without Chris’s help..and I dont want to be an ally to a group infested with VG. I demoted a spartan for trying to get Ordo to support a new sim for us when we were in Gliding, and my feelings havent changed with allies about that

Vegna Fouroux: Okay, so since the AN is now so infested with VG will you enact a blockade or will you simply open hostilities?
Bruno Ziskey: we’re neutral
Bruno Ziskey: Thing is, I dont want to fight AN unless I have to. I’ve been their allies for so long that even the thought of breaking away from them agonized me. I mean, we’ve had a year and a half together. Thats longer than any alliance in SL
Bruno Ziskey: But…..its the AN I like, but not the leadership. They’ve gone too far, alienated too many people and sadly enough allies.

Vegna Fouroux: Okay now tell me about this new group you, along with the 39th, the Guerilla Rebels and other various groups are forming? this “Commonwealth”
Bruno Ziskey: yeah Democracy, purely
Bruno Ziskey: No one group will run it, all major decisions like rules and new allies will be made by vote
Bruno Ziskey: a proposed idea is for meetings once a week, and each group plays host in turns per week
Bruno Ziskey: but this isnt final – we’re still working out charter, rules etc

Vegna Fouroux: So in your opinion was the fact that the Alliance Navy dominated proceedings of the Ascendant Iniative the reason it didn’t work as well as it could have?
Bruno Ziskey: To be honest, AN didnt control AI as much as everyone thinks, AN just organized things more often. The big problem was AN not properly communicating with their allies to make sure everythings well and good. People like Luca pissed off a lot of people in their allied groups…not something that should happen between allies.
Bruno Ziskey: Also, AN at times didnt respond to calls for help during attacks by enemies
Bruno Ziskey: So some allies felt alone and unprotected

Vegna Fouroux: Ah I see, did the recent Iron Symphony attack “Operation Iron Overture” have any bearing on the split?
Bruno Ziskey: Nope

Vegna Fouroux: Well for example did the A.N reply to calls for help during it?
Bruno Ziskey: Nobody called AN for help
Bruno Ziskey: we all just directed ourselves by everyone asking who needed help and going there

Vegna Fouroux: Okay well thanks for talking to me Bruno, is there anything else you would like to raise?
Bruno Ziskey: Yes. People seem to get the idea that Sparta is somehow the focal point of all this and that we’re leading this new alliance. I’m NOT the sole one responsible for this, it was a group decision by the other AI members and me, besides AN. Also, I am not in control of the Commonwealth, nor will I or any one person/group be. It will be a pure democracy, as all group leaders will have a say, even the little guy. Also, everyone can stop “thanking” me. I didn’t want to break this alliance, but I had no choice but to do it. The AN was my idol when we first became allies. I wanted Sparta to be just like them. Big, organized, professional, kickass. The AN of today is NOT the AN I allied with. I only wish there was something that could have been done…but the leaders of the AN themselves are to blame. Not all of them but some. It makes me feel awful doing this.

Well that cleared the air somewhat now I had to the other perspectives. What did the A.N really make of all this behind the group charters and notices? Who were the key players in the other former A.I groups.

To answer all these questions I first went to the 39th. Often seen as a bit of a maverick within the community they have been very anti-AN in the past. Going so far as to declare AN Marine Commander Luca Vasilopita “Unwelcome in Castle Munro.”
With all this I turned next to Hikyuu Kawashima Lt. General in the 39th:

Hikyuu Kawashima: don’t really concern myself with politics

Vegna Fouroux: Who would I go to right now in 39th to get the juicy stuff
Hikyuu Kawashima: probably Squeeze, but 39th’s HC in general feels that politics is just drama

Vegna Fouroux: any other generals actually online?
Hikyuu Kawashima: nop

Vegna Fouroux: Basically all I really want to know is why you and the 39th have decided to break with the Alliance Navy. I have Bruno’s reasons but what are yours?
Hikyuu Kawashima: we left the AI only because we felt it unecessary to have a better relationship with people you never fight and never talk to your enemies cause theyre not in your clubhouse
Hikyuu Kawashima: we knew the AI guys well
Hikyuu Kawashima: so we figured they’d be good opponents
Hikyuu Kawashima: since we have open forms of communication

Vegna Fouroux: So this business about the AN having certain dubious dealings with the Vanguard doesn’t bother the 39th?
Hikyuu Kawashima: again
Hikyuu Kawashima: politics = drama
Hikyuu Kawashima: we came here to play and fight
Hikyuu Kawashima: the 39th dont act or think like the rest of the armies, so you’re going to find our responses vary
Vegna Fouroux: Ah, so you’d be no friend of Sparta either? Who seem to be heavily involved with the politics of this aswell?

At which point I was told that whatever Sparta was doing the 39th supported but the 39th Blackwatch has always maintained that it will not fuel the political debate since they believe it to be drama.

Now to get the third perspective of the story, I turned to Luca Vasilopita. Often a controversial figure with the Military Sphere for his outspoken remarks and behaviour. I found him tonight making tea and in deep reflection.

Vegna Fouroux: I’m sure you’re aware the Ascendant Iniative has broken. Now your name came up in Bruno’s “Final Goodbye” as having driven the group into a hole. What do you make of all this?
luca Vasilopita: As an individual, I have my own personal opinions on the subject. But, as a member of the Alliance Navy, and as a veteran of the group for more than two years… I feel I must dispell his statement as mere bandwagon attitude, and an excuse.
luca Vasilopita: He states that both Jim Herbst and MY leadership lead to this demise of the Alliance Navy, but you’ll note… I have been in command for two years, and I have lead many plus and minus months for my own Marine Division.
luca Vasilopita: Is the current state of the Alliance Navy down to any two people? Not really. I believe it is like the respiratory system. Inhalation and exhalation represents booms and dips in what we consider to be good times and bad times.
luca Vasilopita: Bruno Ziskey is clearly using names as a form of accountability pinning. It’s just not viable to blame the more recent state of affairs on ‘breathing’.

Vegna Fouroux: So you would believe then that Bruno and the others should have stuck it out with the Ascendant Iniative?
luca Vasilopita: I believe that what Bruno has done is in his best interests. If he truely cannot trust the Alliance Navy, because he doesn’t, and has outright refused to sit down with Jim Herbst in order to straighten out fact from fiction, then he shouldn’t be in alliance with us.
luca Vasilopita: There are alot of fabrications in his ‘final note’.

Vegna Fouroux: So then you completely refute these allegations about your dealings with Vanguard?
luca Vasilopita: In his statement, yes.
luca Vasilopita: There are certain things that are true tied to such incidents, but none of them in his words are that black and white.
luca Vasilopita: Example; The Alliance Navy did accept former Vanguard members in as Recruits. We would do that for anybody who met the needed standards of recruitment though. We are an equal rights employer.
luca Vasilopita: Example; The Alliance Navy did accept a somewhat weirdly well placed sculpted pouch from Christoph, which we use as an optional element in our gear.

Vegna Fouroux: Ah I see, well Bruno says he will maintain a neutral stance with your group, will the Alliance Navy adopt this position also, or shall you declare war? I do of course take into account that you are not in charge of the group totally.
luca Vasilopita: War is meant for actions that are inexcusable. So far, Bruno has only stated that he is leaving and taking all his buddies with him. So long as there are no hostile actions by their ‘pact’ and the Alliance Navy, there will be no need for an armed conflict between us.

Since this entire incident was undoubtably based around the Alliance Navy, I decided to get another Commander’s thoughts on the matter; Fleet Commander Jason Backer.

Vegna Fouroux: What do you as Alliance Navy Fleet Commander make of all this?
Jason Backer: What I make of it? Honestly, if the information were true I could understand the decision. But it’s not. However we’re keeping our cool. We understand the AN isn’t perfect and I strive to make it better. Instead of sitting back and saying ‘Hey sod these guys, didn’t need them anyway’ we’re looking at the situation and saying ‘They feel this way, why? Lets improve ourselves as a result’.
Jason Backer: The money thing isn’t true. All our donations are run via our database so we have full logs.
Jason Backer: I personally just feel frustrated but accepting the decision.
Jason Backer: I still like the former AI Commanders
Jason Backer: Jordi is a nice guy and you can have a laugh with him, never had a problem with LordBob or Bruno.
Jason Backer: I wish them well, and hope to show them and the community as a whole that whats been said isn’t true, pull our act up in the areas we’ve been lacking and just strive to be a better group.

Jason Backer: Can I just add one thing in?
Jason Backer: We accepted VG not based on them being VG, but on their application. People who wern’t up to par didn’t get in. For all thats said about the AN we don’t condone things persons have said or done just to boost numbers.
Jason Backer: That would be very wrong.
Vegna Fouroux: Of course, myself a failed Alliance Navy Cadet knows that all too well.
Vegna Fouroux:

And finally I gained an audience with the Admiral and overall head of the Alliance Navy Jim Herbst:

Vegna Fouroux: Hello Admiral, so now I presume what has just transpired came as a bit of a shock to you?
Jim Herbst: You could say that, my big suprise was that Bruno “found this all out” and my friend of one and a half years chose to instead of talking to me, abandon the AI.

Vegna Fouroux: Why do you think the other groups followed suit?
Jim Herbst: They probably did want out, but didn’t want to feel alone in doing so. The AI wasn’t exactly a close-bonds kind of thing
Jim Herbst: for the most part the whole thing formed out of smaller groups wanting to not be picked on by the mercz and ordo incessantly.
Jim Herbst: It really came apart because of a few reasons

Vegna Fouroux: So is it definetly gone for good then? The Alliance Navy stands alone?
Jim Herbst: I wouldn’t say that
Jim Herbst: Right now we’re evaluating our course of action, my personal opinion is that the AI needed a “rebirth” as it were
Jim Herbst: and I would personally like to sort things out with 2142, GR, Sparta, and the 39th, and follow them to the commonwealth.
Jim Herbst: but it’s equally likely we’ll just find new allies. Or have none at all
Jim Herbst: before the AI, we had no real formal allies.

Vegna Fouroux: But how did all this come about. I mean if these allegations about VG are so untrue, where is Bruno getting his information from?
Jim Herbst: There’s some theories, but in a short conversation between me and Lordbob Boa the name Fox Mulgrave came up.
Jim Herbst: This information had to have come from rumors through the grapevine turned into “serious threats”
Jim Herbst: Christoph DID offer money to us, he offered supox to us as well, tier paid for the next 8 months already.
Jim Herbst: I personally turned down his offer.
Jim Herbst: The other fact is we did have a little financial trouble this month, but it was Hades Juran, not Christoph, where the money came from.
Jim Herbst: take out the names in both, and it is not a hard conclusion to falsely come to.

Vegna Fouroux: Ah I see, so this matter arose from general confusion and perhaps some outside malicious play. I suppose a major question would be that if you cannot join this commonwealth would war with sparta and the others be on the cards?
Jim Herbst: I wouldn’t know, honestly.
Jim Herbst: Bruno is my friend, and I consider Sparta to be the closest group of friends the AN has, come hell or high water.

Vegna Fouroux: Despite the fact that he has claimed you are responsible for leading the AN into a hole
Jim Herbst: What went on here was an error in communications.
Jim Herbst: If I can bring him around to my side of the story (he is not responding to my IM’s, though) I think things will be better.
Jim Herbst: I.. AM a little dissapointed that he got some information and just decided to drop us like a hot potato, but come on.
Jim Herbst: He is routing all concerns to his queen, Ivy, but she seems convinced I am a very evil man and will not be dissuaded.
Jim Herbst: about an hour ago she ejected all spartans from the AI group

However one must remember this sudden collapse has taken place immediately after a massive Iron Symphony assault upon all A.I sims “Operation Iron Overture.” And whilst the former A.I deny this has anything to do with it, there is never smoke without fire. And what does the Iron Symphony think about this? Is it exultant? Gleeful? Well here’s just some random comments this reporter picked up during his time on base:

“When the news broke”

G.gaffar Belar: claps
G.Cesca Finesmith: what? did they dis bound?
Cesca Finesmith: QUite a story.

(Two NCOs)

Anthony Lehane: I usually don’t come to conclusions without talking to people on different sides of the situation Vegna.
Anthony Lehane: It hasn’t even started to develop yet

(Marshal Merczateers)

billyyank Dagger: AN MUST FAIL!

(Enlisted Man)

Joshua Hoch: I actually respect the AN besides them shooting through the floor and walls
Joshua Hoch: during operation iron overture i got inside their trench and pawned some of them

(Enlisted Man).

And so an era has ended tonight. A great power has sundered. And no matter which side you chose to believe this can be accepted by all I think: things will never be quite the same again.

by Metallicoe Dezno

The Alliance Navy mech being developed

I was contacted today by Alliance Navy officer luca Vasilopita, who asked if i would be interested in seeing and reporting on some new AN equipment. Of course, being a gadgets and technology fanatic, I couldn’t decline his offer.

I was teleported into the AN research and development area, which many called the Motor Pool. On first glance, I could see various builds surrounding me, each very interesting and highly detailed. Here is a snippet of my chat with Officer Vasilopita;

Dezno: So Officer Vasilopita, what has the AN got in store for their members?
Vasilopita: Right, well there’s quite a big forward surge recently in recruitment. For all of the problems in the world(s) (Digital and Real), we seem to be seeing a lot of advancements here in the Alliance Navy.

Dezno: Is that an AN mech?
Vasilopita: Yes, the re-designing of the Alliance Navy’s armored projects is one of the new ‘advancements’ we’re working on to bring the AN back up to scratch with the demand for high tech gash and fluff. Things that are already in service, such as the new fatigues are available for viewing all around us. The mech is still in the development stage, however there is a working model that the creation team are fiddling with animation wise.

Dezno: What will the features of the mech be, what firepower will it have?
Vasilopita: Mostly direct fire type things such as twin linked machineguns, grenade launchers, and the odd dumbfire rocket. We’re trying to keep the ‘smart’ capabilities to a minimum on this thing for the moment. Excuse the pun with it, but we don’t want to run before we can walk.

Dezno: Will this mech create a new mechanical division for AN? Or will it be issued to the existing heavy weapons team?
Vasilopita: As a testbed, we will be creating a sub-division within the Marines. If the Section is successful, then we could see a more populated ‘Division’ for things like mech’s in the future.

Dezno: What else have you been working on?
Vasilopita: Mr. McKinley here is currently wearing the new issue Air Division uniform, complete with high detail skin suit underneath.

The new AD armour for AN

Dezno: Oh right, that looks great! Are those weapons on the floor to be issued to all enlisted personnel?
Vasilopita: When they’re eventually rolled out, they will be for heavy weapons teams within Fleet Division and Marine Division. What you see is a ‘post modernised’ version of the Browning M2 machine gun, and a little something we call the R-22 Railgun, they’re designed to be used as stationary gun emplacements for defensive situations.

A modern Browning M2 machinegun, and the R-22 Railgun

Dezno: So that gun will be rezzed then take control from an avatar?
Vasilopita: It’ll be attachment based, but only able to fire when deployed, forcing the avatar to be stationary when it needs to be fired. It’s a simple way of employing arms limitations in a group, making the immersion of a combat experience all the deeper – that’s what we hope at least!

Dezno: Oh, that’s fair. Will there be any specifically new advancements in technologies included within any new equipment by the AN?
Vasilopita: At the technical level, we hope so. Scripts for things such as the new landspeeder you can see on the rampart in front of us will bring about a new way to have physical vehicles in SL without breaching too many combat ‘regulations’.

The AN physics-enabled craft being built

Dezno: And to close, are there any more projects in development, not shown here, for perhaps other divisions?
Vasilopita: Absolutely, a prime example that would be hard to show you is the full Fleet refit currently being put underway. The full intention is to both roll out NEW ships, and upgrade the existing ones with more advanced scripts and technologies. It’s one of those pipe dreams that’s finally coming to life. There’s always been a bit of a stagnation problem with the Alliance Navy and equipment projects. This seems to be changing now that a few people have proven all it takes is a bit of elbow grease to get a project totally finished.

Dezno: May i ask, how many developers do you have in AN currently developing equipment and/or technologies to the advantage of AN and its combatants?
Vasilopita: I could only hazard a guess, but the more serious developers would probably ring in at about a dozen or so.

Dezno: And taking recruitment surges into consideration, how strong is the AN now statistics-wise?
Vasilopita: We’re just starting to see the first graduates, but at the moment we’re looking at about 26 recruits, which is steadily increasing by about half a dozen a week. I can only hope that we can match the numbers of the other groups, but with the benefit of the AN’s intense training and flair for being a bit ‘jammy’ with combat.

So, it seems like AN have some pretty exciting and effective equipment coming to AN personnel. Before I left, I seized the opportunity to ask luca about the new flight debates arising (story coming soon).

Dezno: Will AN be adopting any Air Assault/Defense changes to the upcoming debates over realistic flight patterns in aircraft?
Vasilopita: As of yet, the discussions on it have been very short lived. Although the prospect is one that the group as a whole is interested in, it’d be much more appealing than the current mouse assisted flight system. We’ve seen the dark side of that system in the past with groups such as the Vanguard zipping about in very annoying lines. Damned effective, but not very fun to fend off. Hopefully more ‘realistic’ systems would mean that Air Divisions across groups could benefit when it comes to dogfighting and so on. One can only hope at this point, but I do expect a bit more from this renaissance period within the military groups and community on the subject of aircraft.

Dezno: Thank you very much Officer Vasilopita, for showing me the new developments coming to AN soon.

So, it seems like AN are preparing to respond to the recent debates about flight patters/control too, along with other major militaries. If you would like to use some of the equipment mentioned here, or see it in action, you should visit Elshout with a gun and feel the wrath of AN!

by Pixeleen Mistral, National Affairs desk & Vegna Fouroux, military correspondent

Christoph Naumova – leader of the Vanguard Militia – has been frantically denying he was involved in a fur phone sex seduction posted to YouTube last week. At stake is Mr. Naumova’s reputation and leadership authority, now threatened by the emo yiffing documented on YouTube — a gay fur scene that might undermine his authority as supreme leader of the Vanguard military.

You want to spend all night with fennecy? Rawr… narf… nahm nahm… are you pawing?

Under the leadership of Mr. Naumova, the Vanguard military has developed a win-at-all-costs reputation which apparently led the Merczateers military to mount a counterattack via the newest weapon of mass reputation destruction – YouTube.

The YouTube video was apparently posted by Uildiar Kuhn – a prominent member the Merczateers. Herald reporter Vegna Fouroux contacted Mr. Kuhn for comment:

Vegna Fouroux: Many members have claimed it was a fake, in all honesty now, was it?
Uildiar Kuhn: no

Unfortunately, Uildiar Kuhn has been reluctant to discuss the video at length in-world, citing concerns about abuse report wielding Vanguard members, and ban-happy Linden GTeam game gods. Members of the Vanguard military who have not left in disgust are more willing to talk, as The Herald found on a visit to their base:

Tyenshinsi Takaaki: We all know its completely fake

Vegna Fouroux: How did the group come to the conclusion that this video was a fake?
Tyenshinsi Takaaki: We know christophs voice better then normal
BigBoss Zabelin: That isn’t his voice
Tyenshinsi Takaaki: ive known christoph since i join sl

Vegna Fouroux: so you remain convinced it was an attempt at defamation?
Tyenshinsi Takaaki: yes and i wouldnt say attempt
Tyenshinsi Takaaki: all it did was to attempt to make vg members to lose respect for him
Tyenshinsi Takaaki: ive been imed numerous times about the video and each time they think that its fake too. even enemy militaries think its fake. it just goes to prove that people out there are just emo’s that have nothing better to do with their lives then make fake videos.

What would motivate either a real fur phone seduction or – as the Vanguard faithful claim – a fake seduction clearly aimed at diminishing Mr. Naumova’s moral authority and leadership abilities?

When asked about motivations, land baron and Merczateer intLibber Bratigan told the Herald, “Christoph’s approach to combat has always been to utterly destroy groups. not just friendly fun combat games, he believes in total war and he’s tried to do that in the past, he got a guy into Armory Island employee group so he could steal copies of Operations’ vendors. He got a Mercz officer to defect and hypnotized him into open sourcing all the weapons he built for Mercz. He’s repeatedly tried to undermine the economic basis of mercz, and led false ageban AR campaigns against other military leaders and he’s also encouraged all the copybotting of military weapons the past 6 months.”

Was the YouTube seduction real – or virtual? In the hall of mirrors that is teh interwebs we may never know the truth.