Mason

[quote name='youwish959' timestamp='1303675702' post='2698655'] Wrong, you spied. How nice of you to omit that. [/quote] I'm not purposely omitting anything. I've been all over and my memory is clouded. Spying isn't something I condone, and I'm not sure what I would've gained by doing it, but I'm curious to hear more. What I do remember is getting upset over many of us trying to move up the ranks and Ivan continuing to bring in his buddies and put them in the top spots we were working so hard for. I publicly stated my disapproval in the forums (which we were encouraged to do in NSO), and it landed me in trouble. At this point, it doesn't really matter. This whole thread is about admitting to many mistakes made and people wronged, and my apologies for doing so. I can assure you I'm not the person I once was and spying, whether I actually did or didn't, isn't something I have a taste for these days.

[quote name='Cager' timestamp='1303609697' post='2698120'] So does this mean you're not going to be able to tell me what the numbers mean? [/quote] They were the code to activate sleeper cell agents to unleash Nova 6, as well as Mason being brain-washed into being one with a mission to kill JFK, which he supposedly did, according to the cutscene at the end where he tells Dragovich "You even tried to make me kill my own President!", and Dragovich replies "Tried?"

[quote name='Tiberious' timestamp='1303608534' post='2698111'] I hope you didn't take anything I said in the other post too negative. I will admit I felt left down with BCOM and UNSC when you bailed on us. But I know you have it in you to be a good leader, just don't give up so easy. All I hope is you do it right this time for the sake of those that still follow you that I consider friends like Semper. I will say that this post does lay some of my fears to rest. I hold no ill feeling towards you and am rooting for GUN the whole way. I have found a different path with ÆSIR that I am happy with but I watch you guys from the sidelines with interest, hoping to see you succeed. I'm always around somewhere if any of GUN needs anything. [/quote] Makes me feel better. I appreciate the kind words. I'm honestly not one who likes having enemies and I'm frankly ashamed of many of my past actions. Some of them are more recent than others, but hopefully it's not too late for a new beginning.

[quote name='Tidy Bowl Man' timestamp='1303559362' post='2697659'] I remember you in the NSO. [/quote] That's right, I forgot about that one. I traveled there, also, right after it was formed. But, ultimately I had a falling out with Ivan over the way things operated and ended up in war with them.

[quote name='Sandwich Controversy' timestamp='1303532959' post='2697419'] It's true, most of the current players wasted their teenage years on this game. Since we've all grown up, we have better things to do. Those of us who were already adults now have children joining baseball teams to take care of and other such things. [/quote] The above posts are correct. Not to mention that technology via the internet has escalated rapidly. In 2006, we didn't have Facebook or all the games that come along with it. There was a different culture and less options for people who enjoy spending time in front of their computers. CN was also fresh and still developing, both technically and politically. Admin, himself, has stated he never expected the game to last as long as it has. As players who have been around a while and understand what's right/wrong about the game, what could be improved upon, etc., in the end I doubt it would matter much. It's still a web-browser text based game and these games can't compete anymore. Think about it. There are millions playing "Farmville" and things like that, but 20k playing CN. That's crazy, but it's true. So, we've got what we've got and we have to make the best of it. As players, we may sway the opinions of a few with points such as Londo and others have made, but you can't convince an entire community to change the way they play the game. Only game mechanics can have that affect and we all know it's not going to happen. Yes, CN was a much more vibrant and young community full of activity and interest as we all did our parts in creating the future and were excited to see what would happen tomorrow. Truth is, in this realm, and in others, you can't bring back the past as much as you'd like to sometimes.

Nevermind. Using the wrong forum, for one.

The luster wears off quickly and after the initial hype is gone, you see your member's activity level dip off, along with yours. It begins to feel more like a job and becomes frustrating and disappointing. The only way to survive that period is to have a real love for what you've created and keep your head up. Keep recruiting, prepare to send out thousands of recruitment messages, pick up a handful of members from it and lose 4/5ths of them before you can train them well enough to hold their interest. That sounds harsh, but it's reality in today's Bob. If you're willing to accept that it will most likely take a solid year to get anything going, then go for it. Some other things you can do to help, and all are seriously time consuming: Live on IRC. Network through IRC. Get close to other micros through IRC and hope they decide to throw in the towel and join your alliance. Send diplomats to visit others OFTEN and routinely. Offer more than an embassy for others to use who visit your forums but aren't members. When they do visit, engage them, talk to them, be friendly. As you see, it's all about constant communication, which most don't have the time to shoulder all on their own for a sustained period of time. Trust me, I know all about it. But, if you can be devoted enough to your alliance to pull it off, then I wish you well. It's tough.

[quote name='Duncan King' timestamp='1303399088' post='2695548'] I wish GUN the second the best of luck, but so much luck that the GUN1 guys in NATO decided to join up. I like being allied to that lot. [/quote] I don't poach, so I wouldn't even approach them, but I'd settle for forgiveness if they would consider it. I wish things would've been on better footing and we could've got the old gang back together, I admit.

Who am I? To most of you...nobody. Many will read and ask "Who are you?", and that's ok. I never tried to be the best known or most popular player, but like everyone else, I have my own little corner of the Cyberverse and no matter how small that corner may be, that still makes me a cog in the wheels that keep CN spinning. So, for anyone who does know of me or care to read this little exposé, I'm going to use my 15 minutes to travel down a road paved with good intentions that didn't always come to fruition. Recently, I re-established the Global United Nations. Doing so led to some negative, albeit well-deserved, comments and criticism from people I used to call "friend", and it got me thinking. I thought about the bridges I've burned, people I've let down, and mistakes I've made in the course of my 4 years here on Bob. And, I'm not going to lie. You don't know me and never were my friend, well, I honestly don't care much about what you think considering you're in no position to judge. But for those that were and fall in the aforementioned categories, honestly, it hurts. It bothers me to reflect on my career in CN and see how many of my own actions have affected others, and not in a good way. When this is said and done, it may not have changed how they feel about me at all. My hope is that it will, but at the least, I can say I took it upon myself to try to do the right thing for once and stay on that course. This story isn’t to cover every chronological aspect of my time in CN. It’s to tell the unbiased truth of mistakes I’ve made, people I’ve wronged, and a few highlights along the way. Shall we begin? [u][b]Reagan/Zhaan/Ethan Hunt/Gabe Logan/Skywalker/Mason[/b][/u] Several months into playing CN, I partnered up with some other people to form the Global United Nations (GUN). Up until this time, I was just a no0b getting my feet wet and trying to stay out of trouble. In that first few months, I spent a very brief time in FAN (due to my RL friend that was in FAN and introduced me to CN), BoSS, GOLD, and NPO. I want to say I began the game as Reagan and used it during my stint in FAN and BoSS, before re-rolling as Ethan Hunt and joining NPO, after which I re-rolled again as Zhaan and formed GUN. But NPO and Ethan may have been after GUN. I’m not sure. Anyway…why so many changes so early on? I can’t recall exactly. Knowing me, it was boredom, and maybe some rookie mistakes that led me to want to re-invent myself. Unfortunately, this would become a pattern …only spread out a little more. GUN was my first stable act. By stable, I mean it was the first time something felt like “home” in CN, and I was surrounded by people I had only met online, but that had built solid friendships with. People I respected, and that respected me. Most of the charter members had already become friends in CN’s sister game of the time, Cyber Citizens. We built and grew an alliance at a time that was much different in CN than what it is today. A group of relatively unknowns with only moderate experience were able to come together and make something flourish that wouldn’t stand much of a chance in the modern landscape. We did well for the first few months. There were 3 of us who pretty much ran the show. Myself, mglockwo, and oldboy. Others were coming on board who were very talented and really helping the alliance grow. People like Fallin and Tupac were developing tech programs and contributing to areas in ways that were outstanding. Truth was, and we kept it in private conversation, but at the time, these guys were a hell of a lot smarter than we were. I remember discussing it in private chambers (we didn’t really use irc much back then), and the three of us agreeing that we basically didn’t even understand the complexity of what GUN was getting into or how to manage it. GUN was becoming a tech selling powerhouse, new members were pouring in, FA was rolling, and so much was going on that I remember Oldboy and I agreeing that we wanted to step back and let others lead the alliance who understood the mechanics of CN more than we did. We ended up taking an “Emeritus” status in the alliance. This was really the beginning of the end of my credibility as a solid leader in CN. GUN soon began to self-destruct. Not because of us not being the leaders anymore or anyone else who took over. Had to do with several issues. Those who had worked hard to establish some of our more complex programs ended up leaving for a while, but we made the mistake of not training others to take over and keep things running . Once productive elements in GUN began to collect dust and with mglockwo’s departure, recruitment slowed dramatically. GUN also faced a conflict that erupted due to one of our Singaporean members (we had a large influx of them recruited by Fred5 from somewhere), offended someone else and long story short, the GUN-BLEU war came about. If I recall, I had already left by the time the war took place. My first noteable mistake. Many felt I abandoned the alliance. I felt I wasn’t competent enough to be the leader they had pictured me as and I wanted to gain some more experience. If my memory serves, it was during that time that I re-rolled and joined NPO as Ethan Hunt. But, it could have been before I ever started GUN, as I stated in the opening paragraph. Really can’t recall. Then the largest and most feared alliance in the game, I thought it would be the perfect place to learn more about the game and how to set up and lead an alliance. I did learn some, mostly just about how they were structured differently than the democracy we had built and how things worked, but I also remember feeling like a peon and again, not fitting in very well. I can’t say exactly when this was other than to tell you I was only there a month or so and during that time, Dilber became the new Emperor. There’s a lot after that which gets real hazy. My memory isn’t exactly razor-sharp. I know that after GUN, I formed TROY, which I think was the second time someone had done the theme and it didn’t last long. I also jumped around to other larger and smaller alliances for brief times, usually just to learn more about what worked and didn’t work for each of them. And, each time I learned something new. And, sometimes I was over-eager and felt I knew more than they did so I would put my foot in my mouth and come off arrogant and piss people off. This was the case during a brief stay at Genesis, for one. I don’t even know which nation I had or name I used at that time, but I learned a little more about humility. At one point, I joined ODN under the name of Gabe Logan. That was honestly my best experience outside of GUN. I was only there a couple of months or so and at that point, I had been out of CN for a couple of months before returning, assuming the new identity and joining ODN. To this day, I am still most impressed with the structure of ODN and how willing the long-standing members who were and many who still are in leadership, helped me as a new member and the way their programs were designed to advance those who wanted it and were willing to put forth the effort. I’d say I gained more experience in those two months than at any other time to date. I ended up working as a Deputy under Arsenal during his time of leading FA, shortly before he became the Secretary-General. Class act. And, I was gaining respect within their community and had real opportunity there. But, again, I blew it, striking out early to go back to GUN. [b]Allow me interject here to offer some explanation. CN was my first introduction to online gaming. I had never been in an alliance or knew anything about offsite forums. But, I have always been artistically inclined, as well as curious about how things work. My skills in forum creation, being an admin, and all of that were absolutely zero when I began, but it fascinated me and I wanted to learn more about how to design and how to operate things behind the scenes. Before GUN, I began experimenting with my first alliances over in Cyber Citizens. I downloaded GIMP and got my first taste of creating graphics on a computer. I enjoyed the challenge of learning in these areas, and I enjoyed it more than leadership. Being in charge, a leader, allowed me “creative control” over whatever I was developing at the time. This is where my biggest problem has always been. Leadership was more about that and less about actually leading people, making political decisions, etc. And, when I would get an alliance set up the way I wanted, all graphics in place, forums just right, and nothing left to do creatively, I would lose interest. Then I would seek out somewhere that was doing it bigger and better than what I had done so far and try to learn from them. That is the ultimate truth behind my motivation to alliance-hop, and it’s a sad reality for anyone who is looked up to as a leader to admit that he was less concerned about leading his people and more concerned about “making something cool”. [/b] So, yeah, I also created Starfleet and Imperium. I joined a couple of other micros, including Blackstone, something to do with the mafia, and probably another I’m leaving out. Each time, due to the fascination with either the theme, the graphics, something I wanted to learn to help me improve on my next creation, or whatever. When a project would go stale, I would get to missing GUN and my friends there and “go home”. At first welcomed, and then not so much. My coming and going for short times led a lot of people who once highly respected me to lose faith in me and it was replaced with contempt, disgust, hatred, disappointment, you name it. Looking back, I remember going back to GUN having learned from my travels and wanting to bring fresh ideas to the table, but the membership was uneasy with me. They knew I would leave again. Many who had remained faithful to one alliance didn’t appreciate someone, founder or not, coming back in and trying to force new ideas and take over things like they had that right. You know, at the time I thought I did. But, I didn’t. GUN wasn’t mine anymore. It belonged to them and I had lost my place among them. It takes time to regain trust and rebuild friendships and loyalty. Time was something I never afforded any alliance much of. I’m going to tell you right now, despite recent quips against me, because I understand where they come from, as I’ve just stated, that whether you like certain people I mention below or not, these are good people. These are people who contributed a lot to developing GUN, helped a lot during her rough times, and/or were the ones trying to hold her together until the bitter end. These are people who once made a decision to join an alliance I created and then gave to that alliance more than I ever did. People who once admired me, respected me, and advised me. These are people who have every right to feel betrayed by me and that I want to offer a sincere apology to, beginning with Zenergy. For getting in a pissing contest with him and pulling the domain name after I was gone, effectively shutting down the GUN forums for a time, as well as the irc name-calling and everything that turned one of my closest allies into an enemy, I apologize. For enticing him to join me in Starfleet after his longevity and dedication to GUN, only to shut it down, man, I really apologize. Zen was one of my best friends and GUN and most trusted but I screwed him over, and I can’t apologize enough to ever make it right. And to those below for not standing by you through the hard times, for handling matters wrongly when I returned to GUN and for forcing my position on all of you, I apologize. And to those in the list below, you know who you are, for everything you did for GUN during your time and how much I appreciated it, and for letting you down as well, I apologize. Orangeblood Fallin Tupac Chocolate Cookies Airgialla Joe of Arc And any other member of GUN who took offense to my actions, I owe all of you a heartfelt apology. Shadix, you came along after GUN, but experienced the shake up with UNSC, and you’re still here. Through CC in the past, and in CN present, you’re a class act. Tito, you’re the one guy that’s probably caused me more trouble than I have you, but you’ve grown a lot and I’m glad to have you on board, both as an original GUNner and now. Finally, I want to thank my oldest friend in the game, Semperfidelist. Call it blind faith, deeper understanding, stupidity, ignorance, or whatever you like, but Semper has been an inspiration and motivator in ways I can’t describe. His friendship and loyalty, sticking by me well beyond when I deserved it or anyone else would have, is inexplicable. I don’t have the words to thank you enough, my friend. That’s it. Flame, point fingers, ask questions. Doesn’t matter at this point. I’ve said my peace, cleared my conscious, and hopefully learned a thing or two from my mistakes. Hindsight is always 20/20, they say. One thing I have learned is that forums, graphics, and all the bs doesn’t make an alliance. The people do. Take care of your people and they’ll take care of you. Hopefully, that mantra can lead me on a new path in CN. This may only be a game, but it’s real people behind the screens investing their time to play the game, enjoy it, and as in real life, they depend on each other and look for leadership, friendship, and trust. I broke promises. I betrayed trust. I’ve let a lot of people down along the way on my personal quest to get better and all I did was get worse. That’s why I felt this was necessary and I thank you for your time.

First, my apologies to Starfleet for a slight derail. It's fine, DK. I understand where you're coming from. I'd see it the same way. Just for the record, I didn't found Blackstone or lead it. I was a member and I rose in the ranks. UNSC to GUN wasn't entirely a new alliance, either. Yes and No. We're the same guys but we changed our theme and got new forums. I do appreciate your confidence in the past, and that's why I admit I was shocked to see your post but again, I get where you're coming from so no hard feelings. Truth is, I have been through a lot of ups and downs, [ooc]in-game and personally[/ooc], that affected my actions as a leader and the things I've done. I do have a track record that isn't what I would've wanted it to be. I owe apologies to a lot of people I've offended or wronged, and I don't blame any of them for being pissed with me. [ooc]Lastly, I'd mention that my name changes are never something I've hidden behind. In fact, I've publicly stated each time who I was before. Each time, however, was because I'd get ready to leave the game and delete, only to return shortly thereafter and for whatever reasons that I can't explain, just decided to go with a new name.[/ooc] Well, recognizing all of this, I hope I can stay true to myself this time around and even more so to the remaining few who have held on and kept faith in me.

[quote name='Duncan King' timestamp='1303228986' post='2693619'] Haven't heard of any of you, and that concerns me quite a bit because as a Trekkie, I want to see a Star Trek alliance flourish here. However, I suppose that you not being involved with Zhaan/Mason/whatever the heck he calls himself now is probably a good thing as he founds and changes alliances (and names) as often as most people change socks. Live long and prosper! [/quote] Stay classy, DK.

ODN is nothing like the old Pacifica was. I say old because I truly don't know Pacifica as she is today, but I have always known ODN to house decent people who try to be fair to their members and thrive in this world. Nobody makes it without pissing in someone's cornflakes every once in a while, but hey, ODN is still classy.

Hmmm. Lacks of substance. I'm guessing the majority of ODN'ers never saw the screen shot of the actual exchange between CoJ and a member of TFE, but rather took their leadership's word that you were badgering TFE, which I didn't personally take to be the case based on the screenshot. That aside, the entire edition is based on OsRavan wanting to force an apology and some lulz clause, to which the Senate was "meh" on. I can certainly understand wanting to set the record straight on how things actually went down in that convo, and I think you achieved that, but you probably could've done it with far fewer words and the need to use spies to show reactions within ODN. Nothing there that is damning to ODN. If anything, I hate to say it, but it makes you look worse for going beyond your initial purpose and blowing something less trivial out of proportion. Oh well. Nice graphics, though.

Ahh...[url="http://forums.cybernations.net/index.php?showtopic=62024&st=0&p=1653469&hl=starfleet&fromsearch=1&#entry1653469"]brings back memories[/url]. I definitely wish you well on your mission. This was probably my favorite theme, but my timing was off. May you live long and prosper. o7

Good luck to TFD, an honorable alliance. Congrats on your new charter and government.

[quote name='Tupac' timestamp='1302460662' post='2687947'] Mason (Zhaan) you worked so hard against the old GUN in its dying days when we wouldn't accept your forced ascension to power. You call yourself a founder but you were inactive for 90% of its existence. I would hardly call Zhaan a gunner. More like an alliance hopper. I totally agree with Zenergy, shouldn't be longer then a month. Let the alliance be dead, the real GUNners called it quits last year. It doesn't need any more dragging through the mud. [/quote] To the contrary, I came back twice because of the disappointment I felt watching my creation be destroyed by the stagnation of the inept leadership and so called GUNners that did nothing for the alliance beyond hiding behind it's AA. During those return trips, I tried to revive the community and that is what was met with hostility. You were content with being nothing more than a shell of an alliance. Oh yes, I worked against GUNners because I wanted to help the alliance, not hurt it. In my return, despite resistance, I still managed to push for and get a completely new charter and form of government. More activity and interest took place each time I came back than any time I was gone. But, yes, both times I left again because I got sick of the bs and pathetic attitudes of the membership. It's not what GUN was intended to be. There were never more than a handful willing to be on board for making GUN a decent alliance again, and even those few realized what they were dealing with and were afraid to make things happen without me prodding them on. So, what do we have here? A bunch of bitter ex-GUNners that let your alliance die without a true fight and mad because I decided to reform it without you? At 7 members, we've already got better quality than the whole of those of you who were left when you shut it down. There was a time when you, Tupac, and others like you, were the pride of GUN. But you accepted defeat and I left before then because you no longer embodied the spirit of what it meant to be GUN. Just a bunch of stubborn over-the-hill CNers riding on the coat-tails of a name that used to demand respect. Go ahead. Place your bets.

[quote name='Schattenmann' timestamp='1302020303' post='2684698'] Was GUN the alliance that did a lot of largescale techdealing? [/quote] I believe so, but I wasn't with the former GUN for much of the last 2 years of it's existence.

[quote name='zenergy' timestamp='1301899961' post='2683880'] Meh. I put the over/under at a month. [/quote] Thanks for your support.

[quote name='MFC' timestamp='1301884602' post='2683750'] Hope someone uses shout to mglockwo as a CB for war, he was not a fan of many [/quote] Wasn't aware of that. It's been a very long time since I've last spoken with him.

[quote name='goldielax25' timestamp='1301885453' post='2683756'] Did not like your last incarnation, but from one green team member to another, I hope you see success for the betterment of the sphere. [/quote] Thanks. I do, too. We're happy to be on Green and wouldn't want it any other way.

[quote name='Mr Damsky' timestamp='1301857905' post='2683529'] Cue a certain VE member ironically insulting GUN for disbanding then reforming. And good luck. [/quote] I appreciate it. In all honesty, Hadrian's concerns have nothing to do with any past VE affiliation. We were both in Blackstone Commission together. BCOM faced the same issues the UNSC came up against, and I walked away. With the UNSC, it started strong as many new alliances do, and also faded fast...as many new alliances do. I put forth a lot of work into UNSC and after trying to rally and giving specific instruction to my top government, there was no action from the majority of them and this went on for two weeks. I got frustrated, considering there were only 13 of us left, and only 2-3 doing anything, so I declared UNSC disbanded and shut down the forums. I deleted and left. It was the wrong move. After a cooling off period, I came back with a new nation and apologized to those left that I had let down. The ones left apologized as well and we discussed our options...merging, disbanding, keep going as UNSC, or forming a new theme and carry on. Thus, GUN was reborn. The membership of GUN have my solemn vow that if I decide to throw in the towel, the alliance administration will be turned over to those who wish to carry it on. Our first elections will also be held at the beginning of May. They can decide who they want to lead. I'm fine with any role and I'm just happy to call GUN home once again.

[quote name='Hadrian' timestamp='1301821583' post='2683367'] Zhaan, stop it. No, I am serious, enough of your !@#$%^&*. You created UNSC only to suddenly bail on everyone halfway through, citing OOC reasons (which I frankly don't believe). Why should anyone expect you to do better this time? [/quote] BTW, not sure where you're getting your story from, but you're way off base.

[quote name='Hadrian' timestamp='1301833182' post='2683384'] Semper, as a close friend it pains me to see you blindly following Zhaan into what is entirely likely to be another failure. You want my advice? Coup the !@#$%^& and lead GUN yourself. [/quote] GUN is designed to hold elections for its leadership, so the people get to decide who leads them. I understand how things appear from your side of the table and I've sent you a pm. However, these guys can carry GUN on long after I'm gone if that's their choice. I can assure you I won't take it away from them.

[quote name='King Charge' timestamp='1301798477' post='2683257'] Very nice to see this! Congrats guys. Do you have a forums link? [/quote] The link is globalunitednations.com Thanks, Gearhead and everyone else for your support. We'll try to make you proud.

[center][img]http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l271/falconsfan_1/announcementbanner.png[/img] May 20th, 2007. The day GUN was announced to the world.[/center] During the course of GUN's existence, she saw many changes. GUN rose to unexpected heights within her first few months, but soon become a victim of her own growth and internal issues. Began as a peaceful alliance, GUN faced it's first real conflict when declared upon in June, 2008 by the coalition of BLEU. Less than a month later, GUN surrendered, but the problems plaguing the alliance carried on. The next two years saw forum changes, changes in leadership and structure, and a controversial switch from the Green Sphere to Aqua which elevated tensions between GUN and VE. Throughout these events, membership steadily declined. Plagued by reputation, changes, war, loss in membership, and in-activy, even the efforts of several key loyalists were unable to turn GUN around. Over 3 years after her entrance into the world, on August 5th, 2010, [url="http://forums.cybernations.net/index.php?showtopic=90232"]GUN was officially disbanded[/url]. It wasn't all bad, though. "GUNners" did manage to forge a couple of solid friendships, including that of her allies in NATO. Many former GUNners reside there today, choosing to call NATO home after GUN. Despite the troubles GUN faced during its former tenure on Bob, remarkable bonds were formed among her loyal members and GUN held a unique distinction among those members that would never be forgotten. To this day, there are former members who still carry GUN remembrance phrases in their Bio. That's the type of camraderie that is rarely found anymore. As one of the two original founders of GUN (then known as Zhaan), I am proud that something I created turned out to be a place many people in the community called home, made lasting friendships, and still holds a special place with them to this day. GUN was created with that dream in mind. Although she faced many conflicts and obstacles, the original Charter, direction of GUN, and bonds of loyalty and friendship among those who formed her set the tone for the unwavering spirit found among many of her members who remained until the end. To those members, I thank you for keeping her spirit alive. [center]April 2nd, 2011. The day GUN emerged a new alliance with an old vision. One of peace, prosperity, and strength through friendship and co-operation.[/center] Founded by 3 former GUNners, and a handful of other members who together formed the UNSC banner, the decision was made to change our theme and our course. The protection that was extended to the UNSC by the World Federation has been carried over to the GUN affiliation. In addition, GUN is once more an alliance of the Green Sphere. Anyone interested in joining GUN who is over 4k NS may join without changing their current color sphere. New nations will be required to begin on Green. [i][b]So what else is different about GUN?[/b][/i] We hope to have learned enough from past mistakes to re-invent GUN as an alliance worthy of respect and honor. The structure has changed, and the entirety of the contents of the Charter can be viewed by the public on the GUN forums, located at globalunitednations.com. GUN will be led by a Secretary-General, elected every 3 months along with a 3 man Security Council, which in this version will serve as a Senate responsible for confirming the Sec-Gen’s appointments of Ministers, as well as deliberating over changes and direction of the alliance. GUN will also undertake efforts to bring you the latest news and information on the alliance in a new publication, titled “In Scope”. Over time, we hope to extend the content of this publication to include our take on world affairs. If you noticed the banner at the top of the announcement, you might have seen that we’ve modified our original UN logo to better represent the alliance: [center][IMG]http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l271/falconsfan_1/gunshield1-1.png[/IMG][/center] The crossed guns at the bottom represent our unification in arms and the single star represents the beacon of light that is the vision of GUN. We encourage you to visit us in our public irc channel, #gun (on coldfront), and request an embassy with us in our forums. We are aware that Bob is tougher and colder than it used to be. Growing a new alliance in this day and age is no small feat. Regardless of what we do or don't achieve in numbers, we will always have our bonds to hold us true and keep our aim steady. We don’t know what the future holds, but with your support, and the dedication of our members, we feel we can achieve any goals we set forth. o7 GUN! In honor of the original co-founder of GUN, m[b]glock[/b]wo, wherever you are today, we present you a custom GLOCK: [center][IMG]http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l271/falconsfan_1/CustomGlockPistol.jpg[/IMG][/center]