skbl17

Editing this long-winded post, listening to great anime OPs, and filling out class surveys for my college (ugh).

Nice! As for the bolded/underlined text...why not? I'm interested in learning more about Crystalia; I may even move there in the future!

Bumping this because I find the premise pretty interesting. A realistic country, eh? Name: Republic of Atlantia (République Atlantique in French - lit. "Atlantic Republic") Capital and largest city: Victoria Bay (pop. 698,587) Language(s): English is the only official language. While it is not recognized as an official language, French is spoken by 30% of the population as either a first or second language. Due to the country's proximity to Venezuela, Spanish is also used in some government and business circles. Currency: Atlantian dollar ($ is used in daily parlance, but A$ is used in all official documents). All numbers given in this post are given in U.S. dollars; the exchange rate between the A$ and the US$ is considered to be 1 A$ = 1.20 US$. Demographics: According to the 2010 census, the population of Atlantia stands at 3,260,937. Roughly 50% of the population is considered white, 21% is considered South Asian, 17% is considered African/black, 10% is considered Hispanic, and 2% is considered East Asian. 12% of the population is under the age of majority of 18, while 8% of the population is above retirement age (set as 70 during the 2009 welfare reforms). Flag description: The national flag is composed of two stripes, each of equal height and length. The top stripe is light blue, but the bottom stripe is navy blue. The navy blue stripe is accented with waves as the top border. A sun-like shape is placed behind the navy blue stripe. The flag is meant to describe the country's location: on the sea. Location: Atlantia is located east of Trinidad and Tobago, with the northwestern tip of the country located between Tobago and Barbados, but closer to Tobago. The republic shares maritime borders with Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, and Guyana. Type of government: The island nation is a constitutional parliamentary republic, with the national government meeting in Victoria Bay, the capital. There is a president, but he serves a largely ceremonial role; most political power is vested in a unicameral parliament, namely the 80-seat Council of Delegates, and the independent judiciary, led by the Supreme Court of Appeal. Most political power is concentrated in the capital due to the unitary style of government the country uses; local municipalities do exist and wield some powers, but their jurisdiction is mostly limited to land use, business licensing, zoning, police services, fire services, and code enforcement. The national government also has a Cabinet, whose members are appointed by the president (as one of his few duties) and confirmed by the Council of Delegates. Currently, the ministries that make up the Cabinet are: - Ministry of Agriculture and Fishery: Responsible for inspecting food, regulating fisheries, cooperating with foreign counterparts in agricultural policy, and enforcing all legislation pertaining to the agriculture industry. - Ministry of Business, Commerce, and Trade: Responsible for enforcing all government legislation pertaining to businesses (outside of licensing, that's up to municipalities,) regulating trade, and cooperating with foreign counterparts in trade policy. - Ministry of Civil Defense: Responsible for defense of the country's borders. - Ministry of Education: Responsible for regulation of the country's public education system. - Ministry of Finance: Responsible for maintaining the national monetary supply and tax code, enforcing the country's fiscal and monetary policies, and monitoring the national bank (ANB). - Ministry of Health and Welfare: Responsible for regulation of the country's public health system and insurance system, monitoring hospitals, regulating the country's welfare systems, inspecting medicine, and cooperating with foreign counterparts in medical policy. - Ministry of Immigration and Foreign Affairs: Responsible for enforcing national immigration policy, maintaining relations with foreign countries, and inspecting all imports. - Ministry of Infrastructure: Responsible for regulating the country's civil infrastructure in the fields of telecommunications, transportation, and utilities. - Ministry of Interior Affairs and Heritage: Responsible for maintaining the local government system, supervising elections, funding tourism initiatives, and promoting national history and culture. Economy: A sizable chunk of Atlantia's economy is centered around tourism and services. Much like its western neighbor, Trinidad and Tobago, tourism does not make or break the country economically, as Atlantia also has a large IT and logistics sector. The nation's nominal GDP is estimated to be about $87.9 billion - $26,983 per capita - but due to the relatively high cost of living, the GDP as measured in purchasing power is lower: $79.8 billion ($24,485 per capita). Much of the country's economic prosperity has been attributed to a boom in IT, trade, and logistics in the 1990s and early 2000s. However, while experts generally agree that the country's economy is still growing at a rate of ~2.5-3% per year, the huge growth rates and incredibly low unemployment rates seen during the turn of the millennium no longer exist due to global economic weakness. Three holidays: The biggest holiday in Atlantia is Foundation Day (July 7), which marks the day that the republic gained its independence from the United Kingdom. Other notable holidays include Constitution Day (October 16), which marks the birth of the national constitution, and the republic is one of a handful of former British colonies that still celebrates Victoria Day (May 24). "Brief" history: Much like other islands in the Caribbean, the modern history of Atlantia begins in the late 15th century, with Spain colonizing the islands in 1497, incorporating the island chain into its larger colony of New Spain as the Islas Columbianos (lit. Columbian Islands). Their claim, however, lasted until the late 1700s, as French settlers migrating from French colonies in the Lesser Antilles took control of Atlantia and, for a few years, established an independent French republic (République Atlantique). The British Navy, as part of actions taken during the Napoleonic Wars, attacked the islands in 1795. As part of a calculated scheme to preserve some semblance of French political power in the islands, the government capitulated on June 15, 1795. The scheme paid off: the republic would lose its sovereignty, with the British taking control of all defense and foreign affairs while also retaining the right to intervene in the country's internal affairs "should such an action become necessary". With that, the country was transformed into a nominally autonomous protectorate of Great Britain. The island chain remained a nominally independent protectorate until 1917, as France was nearly overrun in World War I. As a "necessary security precaution", the British took over the protectorate's government, transforming the "Atlantic Republic" into a crown colony. Despite the fact that the French did not control the islands, the British feared that imperial Germany may have recruited collaborators in the protectorate's government, which was not the case. With the British fully in control, some changes were made to the political and social structures of the country: English was made a compulsory language alongside French, driving was moved to the left, an appointed Governor took over the position of the former President, the British parliament now had the authority to override the local assembly if need be, and the English name of the colony was changed to "Atlantia". The changes were accepted, but the people retained a small feeling of independence, a feeling that intensified during and after World War II, when some of the colony's regiments performed what were seen as heroic deeds in Europe. This led to a growing sense of nationalism, leading to the colony's rejection of a political merger with other British Caribbean colonies in the West Indies Federation. The wave of decolonization sweeping Africa, Asia, and the Americas soon arrived at Atlantia's doorstep. After months of negotiations between London and Victoria Bay, Atlantia was granted independence on July 7, 1959, with the country's current constitution coming into force on October 16, 1960. The now-independent country initially adopted English and French as national languages, and continued most British colonial policies - the Privy Council, for example, was not removed as a final appeals court until 1989 - while tourism continued to be the backbone of the country's economy. However, in 1991, a progressive Prime Minister learned of the potential behind logistics, namely the growing information technology and trade sectors. As such, the government reoriented its economic policy towards fostering new trade links, boosting education, creating an IT sector, and realigning its tax regime to be more favorable to startups, small businesses, and even corporations. Today, Atlantia is described as one of the most prosperous countries in the region, with a booming and diverse economy, stable population, and high standard of living, despite the fairly high cost of imports. French is no longer an official language due to a shift in demographics, but is still spoken by a noticeable chunk of the population. The country's future looks bright, but time will tell how long Atlantia can maintain its economic and social prosperity. Defense: After spending its first years of postwar independence relying largely on a small paramilitary force and the protection of the U.S. military, the country increased its military spending in 1983 as a reaction to the U.S.-led invasion of Grenada. Today, the Atlantian National Defense Force (ANDF) is a small but effective fighting force, composed of 11,420 active troops, a small paramilitary force of 1,000 members, and an additional 5,300 reservists. Under the national constitution, the president serves as the commander-in-chief, but all military actions must be approved by the Council of Delegates. Conscription has been outlawed since January 1, 1992; the ANDF has had to rely on volunteers since that date. The U.S. military operates one small military base on Columbus Island, and occasionally participates in military exercises with Atlantian forces. Land area: 24,928.7 km2 (15,490 mi2) - comparable in size to Macedonia or Rwanda. Education: Atlantia's education system is one of the most developed in the Caribbean. The national constitution guarantees every citizen and legal resident the right to a public education. A estimated 99.2% of the population is deemed to be literate, and 68% of the adult population holds at least an associate's degree. The public school system, regulated by the Ministry of Education, is composed of hundreds of primary and secondary that combine to provide an education for an estimated 418,000 students. There are seven flagship universities in the country, the largest of which (the University of Atlantia) serves 18,760 students on its main campus on the outskirts of Victoria Bay. Climate and geography: Atlantia's maritime position near the Equator gives it a tropical climate, similar to that of surrounding nations. There are two seasons: the "dry" season, in which precipitation is not abundant and the country can go days without receiving a drop of rain, and the "wet" season, where rain is highly abundant and thunderstorms are frequent. Summer temperatures average out at 32°C (89.6°F). The country is outside of the Atlantic hurricane belt; despite its maritime position and rainy climate, hurricanes rarely make landfall in Atlantia. The country is composed of 10 islands, of which only three are large enough to have a non-negligible impact on national identity. The largest of the islands, Elizabeth Island, is located in the west and is home to 56% of the country's population, the newest cities, and the capital, Victoria Bay. Most of the country's business takes place on that island. The second largest island, Jarvis Island, is located to the northwest, and is located between Tobago and Barbados. Jarvis Island is home to 14% of the country's population, is the smallest of the three main islands, and is the most tourist-dependent. Finally, there is Columbus Island, located to the east of Elizabeth Island, and is home to 30% of the country's population, the most historic cities in the country, and the highest point, the 320m (1,050ft) high Point Louis. Political parties: There are three major political parties in Atlantian political discourse, but there is one regional party that makes waves in the national political system on some occasions (the amount of seats each party holds in the Council of Delegates is given in brackets): - Atlantian People's Party (APP): A fiscally moderate-to-conservative, socially moderate political party, the APP has been the primary force in national politics since 1988, and has been in government since the elections of 1991. The party is largely credited with introducing policies that allowed the country's recent economic boom to take place, but has faced some criticism over its 2009 welfare reforms and its slow response to the economic crisis of 2008. (45 seats) - Liberal Progressive Party (LBP): A fiscally moderate-to-liberal, socially liberal political party, the LBP has been the main opposition party since the 1990 merger of the Social Liberals, the Progressive Party, and the New Frontier Party. While the party has been stuck in opposition since 1991, they have, on occasion, successfully pressured the APP government to introduce social reforms, such as LGBT rights and universal healthcare. (26 seats) - National Conservative Party (NCP): A fiscally conservative, but very socially conservative party, the NCP was very strong in national politics for decades, even while the country was under British rule, as its platform of conservatism resonated with large segments of Atlantian society. However, the NCP began to falter in the 1930s during the Great Depression, and eventually fell out of favor with much of the public during the postwar years. While the party still holds some seats in the Council of Delegates, most of the party's more sane, fiscally conservative members defected to the APP as that party rose to prominence in the late 1980s and early 1990s. (6 seats) - Union Party: While it is nothing more than a regional party, the Union Party is a populist, fiscally moderate party that is very strong in local politics, especially in rural areas in the eastern isles. In fact, in the 2008 elections, the Union Party took 9 seats in the Council of Delegates, making the party a national political force for the first time in its history. Ironically, the Union Party is the oldest active political party in the country, having been founded as the Union League in 1876. (3 seats) Life expectancy: The country's well-developed health system has allowed Atlantia to achieve a life expectancy of 77.9 years. Women (80.2 years) have a higher life expectancy than men (75.6 years). Unemployment rate: The country's official unemployment rate currently stands at 4.4%. For much of the 1990s and 2000s, unemployment remained at all-time lows of 2-3%, but the economic troubles of 2008 led to an economic slowdown and a rise in unemployment, peaking at 6.9% in March 2009. Despite the decreasing numbers, the government's opposition (LBP, NCP, and Union) occasionally question the unemployment figures, as the calculations do not take into account those adults who have registered as unemployed, but then drop out of the labor force. According to the NCP, the "actual" unemployment figure is closer to 8%. Miscellaneous: - LGBT rights: Atlantia is fairly progressive on LGBT rights, but not quite to the extent of some European countries. Same-sex sexual activity was legalized in 1991, when the Council of Delegates repealed all national buggery laws, and sexual orientation was added to the nation's anti-discrimination laws in 2004. Civil unions were legalized in 2009, but a bill to provide marriage to same-sex couples failed in 2013. Adoption, IVF, and military service are also open to LGBT people. - Crime: Despite its prosperous economy, Atlantia still has a bit of a crime problem, with most of the country's homicides and assaults being drug-related. As of 2012, the national homicide rate is estimated to be 7.1 per 100,000 inhabitants, lower than it was in 2009, but at the cost of an increased prevalence of petty crimes (car break-ins, theft, etc.). Crime rates were highest in the communities east of Victoria Bay, where the homicide rate hit 20.4 per 100,000 inhabitants during the summer of 2011. The death penalty was last used in 1987, and was abolished on June 1, 2000 after all remaining death row prisoners were commuted to life sentences. - Driving: The country has driven on the left since 1917, when the British established a crown colony in Atlantia. The Ministry of Infrastructure maintains a vast network of paved streets, national roads, and a (semi-private) tolled expressway system. - ISO code: RA (a reference to the country's former French name) - Top-level domain: .ra - Calling code: +1. Atlantia is a member of the North American Numbering Plan; 821 is used as the area code. - Media and telecommunications: Atlantia is home to ten television stations and 32 radio stations. The public broadcaster, ART (Atlantian Radio and Television), was established in 1959 and owns two television stations and three radio stations; private companies operate all other television and radio services. Digital television transmissions have utilized the DVB-T2 standard since ART One launched its digital high-definition service in 2011. However, analog television service will continue until July 1, 2019, when analog transmissions will cease. All radio services are still provided in analog; no digital radio standard has been chosen. Newspapers remain a popular method for disseminating information, despite the presence of television, radio, and the internet. The most popular daily paper is the Atlantia Standard, with an estimated 532,000 copies sold daily. Internet service is widely available, open, and free. Since the telecommunications market was opened to private companies and shared-line access in 1986 as a result of the privatization of state-owned ATW (Atlantia Telephone Works), there has been abundant competition in the telecommunications sector; twelve phone companies all offer dial-up, DSL, and fiber service to communities at reasonable prices. However, the cable sector is non-competitive and somewhat pricey; there are two cable companies that serve exclusive territories: Atlantica Cable serves Jarvis Island and half of Elizabeth Island, while Columbus Communications (through its subsidiary company Flow Atlantia) serves Columbus Island and the eastern half of Elizabeth Island. Undersea fiber links connect Atlantia with other countries in South America, Europe, and North America. Wireless phone service has been available since 1996, when ATW launched a wireless phone network in and around Victoria Bay. Since then, the mobile phone market has exploded in popularity, with the number of mobile phones overtaking the number of landlines in 2010. Currently, four companies are licensed to provide mobile phone services: ATW, Digicel Atlantia, Cable & Wireless (through its LIME subsidiary,) and a-mobile. There is no government-mandated media censorship, but laws against child pornography are enforced through the use of private filters by the ISPs. All telecommunications and internet services are regulated by the Ministry of Infrastructure's Telecommunications Office. - Time zone: UTC-4. Atlantia does not practice daylight savings time due to its proximity to the Equator. - International organizations: Atlantia has been a member of the United Nations since December 19, 1959. In addition, the country is a member of most UN-related organizations (UNESCO, UNICEF, etc.), the IOC, FIFA, CARICOM, and the Organization of American States. Man, that was a long post!

This is all I can remember off the top of my head. Things I used to like: - The Sonic the Hedgehog series. I used to be a fairly big fan, but I don't really care for it at all nowadays. Most of the (imo, crappy) modern games and the fanbase drove me away. - Believe it or not, Comcast. When I first got Comcast's internet service, I was ecstatic! Finally, no more DSL or dial-up! My love affair with the company ended after I heard about this and this. As an avid internet user and someone who doesn't support media cross-ownership, I no longer trust or like them. - School buses. I used to be an avid enthusiast, but now I don't really care much for them. Maybe the fact that I never rode one in high school contributed to the demise of my inner enthusiast. - CNN, back when it was watchable. Now it's just utter crap, like most of the other cable news channels. - The Weather Channel, back when it was all about weather. Now it's just a microcosm of cable television in 2014: reality TV (but with some weather mixed in,) bad morning shows, and overly peppy live weather programs that aren't even about weather ~60% of the time. Network decay, indeed. Stuff I hated, but now like: - A substantial swath of magical girl anime. I used to be part of the whole "ha, it's girly, so it sucks!" group, but then I started watching MLP, so I couldn't really paint such a broad brush like that anymore. Once I got back into anime, I actually found that there are some shows in the magical girl genre that are actually good in their own right, and contain good and/or thought- or emotion-provoking moments. - MLP, but just G4 and the Rainbow Castle special from G1. You're not going to get me to admit it in public, though. - Social media. If you told me in 2012 that I would be a Facebook and Twitter user, I would laugh; I wouldn't be caught dead with "those people" who use social media to post endless pictures of food. Some school-related events in 2013 shattered that illusion. Now I actually consider Facebook and Twitter pretty good websites to keep in touch with friends, even if they are grating at times. Of course, I still hate Snapchat, but I've already made my position clear on that.

Depends. If I find a post that is well thought out, on topic, and does a good job of explaining something, there's a very good chance that I'll brohoof it.

Off the top of my head, no Google, no Wikipedia, nothing. Capitals included in brackets. Maine [Augusta], Massachusetts [boston], New Hampshire [Concord], Vermont [Montpelier], Rhode Island [Providence], Connecticut [Hartford], New York [Albany], New Jersey [Trenton], Pennsylvania [Harrisburg], Delaware [Dover], Maryland [Annapolis], Virginia [Richmond], West Virginia [Charleston], North Carolina [Raleigh], South Carolina [Columbia], Georgia [Atlanta], Florida [Tallahassee], Alabama [Montgomery], Tennessee [Nashville], Kentucky [Frankfort], Ohio [Columbus], Michigan [Lansing], Indiana [indianapolis], Wisconsin [Madison], Illinois [springfield], Minnesota [st. Paul], Iowa [Des Moines], Missouri [Jefferson City], Arkansas [Little Rock], Mississippi [Jackson], Louisiana [baton Rouge], Texas [Austin], Oklahoma [Oklahoma City], Kansas [Topeka], Nebraska [Lincoln], South Dakota [Pierre], North Dakota [bismarck], Montana [Helena], Idaho [boise], Wyoming [Cheyenne], Colorado [Denver], New Mexico [santa Fe], Arizona [Phoenix], Utah [salt Lake City], Nevada [Carson City], California [sacramento], Oregon [salem], Washington [Olympia], Alaska [Juneau], and Hawaii [Honolulu] I'm a little more rusty on U.S. territories: District of Columbia [Washington], Puerto Rico [san Juan], U.S. Virgin Islands [Charlotte Amalie], Northern Mariana Islands [unsure], American Samoa [Pago Pago], and Guam [Hagatna?] I do a bit better in Canada, though: Newfoundland and Labrador [st. John's], Nova Scotia [Halifax], Prince Edward Island [Charlottetown], New Brunswick [unsure, but I'll guess Moncton], Quebec [Quebec!], Ontario [Toronto], Nunavut [iqaluit], Manitoba [Winnipeg], Saskatchewan [saskatoon?], Alberta [Edmonton], Northwest Territories [Yellowknife], British Columbia [Victoria], and Yukon [Whitehorse]. Australia too: Queensland [brisbane], New South Wales [sydney], Tasmania [Hobart], Victoria [Melbourne], South Australia [Adelaide], Northern Territory [Darwin], Western Australia [Perth] ...oh wait, this was about U.S. states, right? Sorry!

The ones who do so while driving. :okiedokielokie:

A few types of weather: - I absolutely despise the weather between early March and late May. It's pollen season and primary tornado season; fortunately for the latter, things have been relatively quiet since the record-breaker that was the 2011 season. The hours before a severe outbreak are the worse: the dew points go up, the instability goes up, the dynamics are in place...all you can hope for is that the local meso setup is calm. - Summer months. I live in Atlanta; while it's not as hot and humid as some other parts of the southern U.S., it can still get quite hot and quite humid between July and September. We haven't hit 100F (37.8C) in three years, but with high humidity, you can't tell the difference between 85F and 90% humidity and 105F with 15% humidity. - Cold and dry weather. It's fine if we're coming off a string of super hot days, but in the dead of winter, I don't like cold and dry conditions. I'm cool with snow and sleet, but not ice.

Sunny and 19°C (67°F) right now in the heart of Atlanta. The funny thing is, today and tomorrow are going to feel downright hot compared to what's coming the next two weeks. Time to bundle up!

It would be nice to see, but in the end, I wouldn't care too much. I can't use brohoofs to buy anything, it's more of a reputation indicator, if anything.

Probably not. I personally don't approve of unacceptable grammar, and I can be a little strict at times, but I feel that I could uphold the rules, work well with other moderators and administrators, and make sure that every thread is in the right place and on-topic. Of course, my biggest constraint would be time. I don't post often enough on this site.

I've only lived in or visited two metropolitan areas with bus and rail systems: New York (was born there) and Atlanta. I've only been on MARTA once, before the ongoing anti-corruption and fiscal crusade the current GM is on, so I won't comment on that agency. As for the MTA, I'd say it's the best and worst. In terms of reach and availability, the MTA is amazing; there are but a handful of public transit systems in the world that have the same scope, connectivity, and reach that the MTA's various systems (subway, bus, LIRR, Metro-North, SIR) have. That's not to mention that a train always arrived at my stop no more than two minutes after I got there. Unfortunately, all the comments about rats and the dirty subway stations are true in many parts of the system. Even many newer and smaller subway systems are cleaner and more well-maintained than the New York City Subway.

I stay up past 3am on a regular basis. Unless I have some big exam or event the following morning, I don't bother going to sleep before that time. During the summer months, I've occasionally stayed up until well past 6am without any noticeable effects (well, other than waking up at 2pm in the afternoon).

I'm not an administrator or moderator, but isn't there already a subforum for threads like these? A thread like this will lead sooner or later to some kind of political debate over obesity, federal authority, or something about taxes. (And I see it already has.)

Corn Flakes! Corn Flakes? Yes, Corn Flakes.

Yes, especially when it comes to ebonics ("Aks" instead of "Ask", "bruh", "I/you is" instead of "I am/you are") and contractions (there is a difference between your, you're, their, they're, and there). I cannot understand how people who use such appalling grammar manage to graduate from grade school. That being said, I normally allow some latitude in text messaging, because I understand that text messages aren't meant for long, grammatically valid posts. Also, I understand if those who do not speak English as a first language make mistakes; it's not their native language, after all!