It's a very exciting time to be presiding over a Ministry in Zenith right now.

We are experiencing great advances lately, far better than any time since I've been a member. With new nations streaming in every day, our Ministry of Development is working around the clock to get these new nations trained and prepared. Indeed, our MoDev, JazHayre definitely deserves an award for hardest working member of this term. His efforts along with his staff are having a noticeable and powerful impact on our alliance. It's simply amazing to see. We're even attracting some hardened players.

All I can say is that this is such a refreshing change from a few months ago when we were bleeding members left and right. The atmosphere then, right after the war, was claustrophobic and choked; with doubt swirling in our midst as the laughter slowly seeped away to be replaced with dark muttering about our future. It was grim times, indeed.

I learned a lot about what makes an alliance survive by watching the after affects of the war. And this is what I gleaned- The number one attribute for a successful alliance is this: Determination. By not giving in when things look bleakest, when close friends abandon you, when some of your strongest nations strike out on their own to leave you behind, these are the moments when you are tested the most and these moments can either bring you to your knees in defeat or be one of your finest hours. But it depends on how badly you want it. By soldiering on and refusing to quit no matter what there will always be hope.

And now that perseverance is paying off. Not only do we have new blood in our veins, new life breathed into our lungs, but we are presiding over two great advances in our foreign affairs. One, the Peace and Love Train Accords, a bloc is being formed with our respected ally The Foreign Division and our mutual protectorates, with more partners on the way. Two, we are proud to be part of the group effort to assist The Phoenix Federation's protectorates while TPF serves out their terms. It was the least we could do for our good friends and it is a privilege to be of service.

Also, we are helping spearhead the revitalization of our economic bloc, SNOW.

Of course, that doesn't mean that things are just sailing along. In fact, there is a lot of work behind done behind the scenes, the majority of it by our Triumvirate, and the pressure is cranked up everyday to not only perform the usual duties but to also branch out to creative brainstorming and thinking outside the box. In fact, I have to admit that all these going-ons are underlined by a pervasive daily stress. Any new venture is, to a degree, a roll of the dice. You can hedge the bets by planning strategically and performing well but sometimes there is no model to follow and you just have to follow your gut feelings. But riding the crest of chance is half of the fun!

These are exciting times, to say the least.