Yuri Armstrong

http://www.space.com/common/media/video/player.php?videoRef=NEOnauts2 This is very exciting for supporters of the manned space program. Finally we are preparing to leave LEO instead of continuing our operations there. We stand to gain a lot from such an asteroid mission, which could occur in the 2020-2025 timeframe: -The Japanese Hayabusa mission is a perfect example of the inefficiency of robotic exploration probes. It reportedly returned a few bits of asteroid dust which will be studied in the coming months. But a manned mission can deploy a lot more science experiments and bring back pounds of asteroid samples for study here on Earth. -By landing on an asteroid and exploring it we have furthered our capability to resist a possible asteroid strike on Earth. The more methods we have of deflecting or diverting an impact asteroid the better. -We will have a definite boost in national pride and excel far ahead of the other space programs as we will be the only space program to have not only landed on a celestial body but have done it twice. -Mars, Phobos, Deimos, Ceres, and other such missions will be deep space exploration that require long mission timelines. By doing an asteroid mission we get more experience on how to do these future missions well. The future of space exploration and eventual colonization begins here. -This goal is pretty far off, but the commercial space industry is growing and one day it may take on the challenge of mining an asteroid. John S. Lewis states that an asteroid 1 mile in diameter could hold as much as $20 trillion in precious metals. -By deploying the science experiments and studying the samples we can learn a lot about our solar system and our planet. A lot of science work could be done here which unmanned missions just aren't capable of. If you want to get real science done then send real scientists, not robots who usually fail at their goal and don't return very much data.

Hopefully the technology will come about one day to eradicate this terrible disease. I feel sorry for your friend and others who are afflicted by this. It is harsh reality but the only way to over come it is to keep advancing our medical technology, one day this plague will no longer be a threat to us.

The global radiation right now is 5.00 which I'm asumming is it's highest. Who is to blame for the huge amounts of radiation, and how can I alleviate its effects on my environment?

So if there's no cap, won't the number one nation always be number one? I mean sure there are wars but over 200K nation strength, I don't think any of us will get that high any time soon. I asked this question because it seems like in most games once you max everything out you have essentially "won" the game.

At what point, does the infrastructure you buy, begin to pay for itself,

Hopefully this will show NASA that the world will not wait for us to take the next big step in space. Other countries will be progressing along and not only do they have some ambitious plans, they also have the political commitment to get it done. The politicians here seem to think that there's no point in going back to the moon and we should just dither in LEO. I fear that we will one day get a rude awakening when we see a chinese flag being planted on the moon. The politicians here, that includes President Obama, need to grow a backbone and do something ambitious in space. Constellation was bold and had a vision. And now it seems like we will be staying in LEO for a while, until 2025 when they will hopefully land on an asteroid (but no doubt there will be considerable debate and squabling when it comes time to work on that) If we could go to the moon in the 60's, right after the dawn of the space age, who's to say we can't go back there today? Or even go to Mars and beyond? There's a lot out there, and I expect to see a second space race between NASA and CNSA. RoskoCosmos will probably not do as much as either of those two, but will probably help NASA, same goes for the ESA. It looks like JAXA also has plans of their own to build a robotic moon base by 2020. I think our best chance right now is the private space agency. They won't be going past LEO but they will definitely cause more interest in space, which is what we need to get the government to do bold things again.

Is it possible, in this game, to max out everything, the infrastructure and improvements, land and wonders, etc,

It may be posturing, but at least a lot of good comes from it.

They should receive protection for a couple of weeks after the alliance disbands. After that though they'd probably be considered fair game for tech raiding.

I don't know if shameful is the right word, but the guys in the 60's and 70's were progressing a lot faster than we are now. If NASA had been smart enough to use the Mars Direct plan we could've already had manned habitations on Mars. Instead, they gave George Bush Sr. a $450 billion Mars ticket that consisted of orbital construction facilities, moon refueling stations, orbital drydock staions, and massive spacecraft that carried all of its provisions. When they did that the Mars plan was banished to a netherworld of political and economic impossibility (It's pretty sad though that we're willing to spend $700 billion a year on the "defense" budget and not $450 billion for a Mars landing) If anyone is interested about the "live off the land" approach that Mars Direct takes, you should read the book "The Case for Mars" by Robert Zubrin. That plan only costs $50 billion, for comparison the Apollo program cost about $170 billion in today's money.

http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/china-first-space-station-construction-100817.html It's great to see another nation taking their first steps in space. Space stations and satellites used to be pure science fiction, now it looks like we're going to have two in orbit at the same time. Taikonauts are planned to arrive at and crew the space station in 2012. While it is good to see another country expanding its presence in space, this should be a reminder to NASA to pick up the ball and keep things going. While we are retiring the space shuttle and having endless debates about the next type of launch vehicle, not to mention the public-private squabbles, other countries will be constantly making progress. As Neil Armstrong said, if we fall behind in our progress to expand our presence in space and return to the moon, then our program will be come of second or even third rate stature.

All you people are trying to do is keep the practice of raiding innocent, sovereign nations going on for a little bit longer. You may insult me all you like, but that has not changed my purpose. I will be abiding by the rules and laws Nemesis sets forth for its member nations, and I will assist tech raid victims to the best of my ability and within the laws and reccomendations of my alliance.

[quote name='nippy' timestamp='1281978955' post='2418023'] LIKE I SAID....learn the ways of the world. 'Assisting them monetarily' is precisely the kind of interference I am referring to. Your own narrow mind seems unable to grasp the fact that [b]you're now in an alliance[/b], so learning what is expected of you as an alliance member should be your FIRST priority...[/quote] It would be Star City's funds giving the aid, not Nemesis'. It is not my first priority to assist them, my first priority is to assist my alliance. But I will help them in whatever way I can just as some in this thread have assisted me. [quote]not planning on conducting your own self-serving interference in other alliance's affairs.[/quote] Self-serving? How is giving foreign aid and using an aid slot self serving? [quote]Also, you better believe that your claim of having protection over another nation will gladly be tested by any number of techraiders out there. What are you going to do....go to Nemesis government and complain that a nation you've extended personal protection over is being attacked? That's why there are treaties, protectorates, etc. Personal protection never works. [/quote] Your mind is still stuck on war, I guess that is all the goons think about. You keep brining up Nemesis without realizing that I am not asking for their assistance and endorsements. If I extend a hand of personal protection over someone, I will take care of the situation myself without complaining to the Nemesis government. And this would be through mulitple ways, diplomacy, foreign aid, etc. I'm not going to believe that all tech raiders are unreasonable. In fact, Mr. Nixon accepted my peace offer this morning, so that goes to show that raiders can be reasoned with.

[quote name='nippy' timestamp='1281978474' post='2418011'] ...and I will laugh when you get your $@! chewed by your alliance's government for provoking us. Seriously, learn the ways of this world before your tears and your mouth get you somewhere you can't back out of. Nemesis has been kind enough to take you in, don't make them regret it by big the little mouthy child hiding behind his big brother. [/quote] Who said anything about provoking? You assume too much, you are just trying to make me look bad because you're angry that I came out of the tech raid essentially unscathed (but we shall never forget the 181 men who died due to the greed of a war profiteer). I meant I will assist them monetarily and help them find an alliance, or offer protection to their nation from future raiders. There are lots of ways to assist victims of tech raids, though I suppose narrow minded war profiteers such as yourself think only in terms of war. Also, that will be an action taken by Star City, not the government of Nemesis. It is not their stated purpose to help victims of tech raids, so there is not much point in bringing that up.

[quote name='Jakome' timestamp='1281972213' post='2417941'] Feel free to help any of these guys http://www.cybernations.net/search_wars.asp?searchstring=Declaring_Alliance,Receiving_Alliance&search=Goon%20Order%20of%20Oppression%20Negligence%20and%20Sadism&anyallexact=exact [/quote] That is despicable... why are you raiding people in alliances? When I have the chance and my nation is larger I shall aid them in whatever way possible.

I'd like to announce that Mr. Nixon has wisely accepted the peace offer and this senseless war has come to an end! Though I lost brave men and territory in the initial attacks I am happy to see that peace is the order of the day. In appreciation for those who helped me, I shall pass on my assistance to those being tech raided every day. My nation is also now a member state of the alliance Nemesis, so I now stand together with other nations against those who would seek to profit from war on my country.

[quote name='Caleb279' timestamp='1281909043' post='2417012'] I didn't ignore that. No, you don't.[/quote] Think about it though. Nobody collects taxes or builds infrastructure and technology during the war because they would likely just lose it during the war. So therefore growth stops for 7 days while you try to drain technology and money from your victim, and while it may be the same as if you had grown for 7 days it probably wouldn't surpass it. You don't need war to grow and be successful, as GPA has proven. [quote]Correct. Reps are only paid when you're actually at war, and you lose said war. The winners get to bask in success. You are the loser. If, say, GOONS ever got pissed because of this you would be the one paying reps. Schoolyard bullies prosper here, as in real life politics. Deal with it. [/quote] Actually I gained quite a bit during this war without attacking once, and I am confident I could destroy Mr. Nixon's nation if I were a similar man as him. But I have chosen not to counterattack and to choose the route of peace. It appears Nixon though is too cowardly to keep attacking yet to proud to accept peace, so it seems then that our war will expire with no clear winner. Still though, what he did was wrong, and he should give back what was taken illegaly.

[quote name='kulomascovia' timestamp='1281906093' post='2416960'] The majority of nations attacked by GOONS do not bring the raid to the public. As such, they don't get any assistance. Cases like Yuri are rare. What mostly occurs is that GOONS raids a nation, nation vanishes off this planet after 25 or so days. [/quote] So in effect, tech raiding is actually hurting the game. I saw some blogs saying that every day we lose more members. Can you believe there were actually 40,000 nations at one time? Is it possible for this negative trend to continue? And more importantly, could stopping tech raiding, at least on new nations, help slow down or even reverse this trend? I for one, believe that it couldn't hurt to give it a try.

[quote name='LegendoftheSkies' timestamp='1281903219' post='2416910'] And he might not have gotten any of that had he not been attacked by GOONS' applicant AA in the first place. [/quote] The profit margin will probably be disputed since Mr. Nixon refuses to publish his likely biased war statistics. I for one do not enjoy spending 50k in bills each day to guard against further attacks. I do appreciate the aid and assistance I have received but I would have preferred that this whole thing didn't happen in teh first place.

[quote name='Jakome' timestamp='1281898172' post='2416838'] Congrats, GPA has significantly more ns than GOONS.[/quote] Exactly my point. They've survived this whole time without disbanding and have attracted lots of nations and growth. [quote]Reparations are paid when it is a better value to the raider than alternative option. You have 0 bargaining chips so it is a better value for mr. nixon to take your tech and money and call it a day. [/quote] Yeah, and that's wrong.

[quote name='Mofeta' timestamp='1281893978' post='2416786'] GPA has more NS than GOONS because it is 4 years old and full of older nations. 90% of the Nations in GOONS are less than a year old since we are a young alliance and recruit primarily from off-world. If you look at actual growth rates, GOONS has consistently outpaced GPA, precisely because many of us profit enormously from raiding and selling tech. [/quote] GOONS has been around for almost as long as GPA. Sure, they disbanded and then reformed, but that just goes to show that GPA is stronger and has more resolve than GOONS who called it quits. Basically my point is that you can be a big successful alliance without resorting to violence.

[quote name='Caleb279' timestamp='1281850425' post='2416433'] The point is, the biggest alliances have been involved in the most wars. War is good, get used to it.[/quote] I see you totally ignored my point about how much stronger GPA is than GOONS. You grow more when you're not constantly at war. [quote]grow up. It was a TECH RAID. Why would he pay you reps for achieving what he set out to do? That makes no sense. [/quote] So because it was a tech raid he shouldn't have to pay reparations? Under what situation do you think reparations would be appropriate? The attack can't be justified in any way at all. He took what was mine for his own personal profit and is no better than a schoolyard bully.

[quote name='Baldr' timestamp='1281841683' post='2416260'] I find it funny that Yuri is here complaining about the raid, but is joining Nemesis, who raids. [/quote] There are many raiding alliances out there. I will try my best to curb this terrible practice if granted entry. Nemesis personally offered me help and I appreciate what Poyplemonkeys has done for me, so hopefully I will be able to assist Nemesis in turn.

[quote name='Caleb279' timestamp='1281832024' post='2416177'] Is GPA or TDO the biggest alliance? No.[/quote] Maybe not, but there are countless other war like alliances that aren't as big as they are. GPA has 287 nations and 12 million strength. GOONS may have more members but only have 3 million strength. That just goes to show the peaceful alliance is stronger than the big greedy one. [quote]He'll never pay you reparations, nor should he. You keep using "ruthless and unpovoked" a lot. Didn't you say he only midnight blitzed you once? Quite your whining. [/quote] Why should he not pay reparations? I did nothing to instigate this attack. He did 4 consecutive attacks on me at once, and 181 men is a terrible loss to any nation, especially because they died in vain. I will not "quite" my "whining" because I am the victim of an unustified attack on my nation that was done for profit only. It wouldn'tve mattered if he only did one attack, it would still be bad because I did nothing to provoke it.

[quote name='Caleb279' timestamp='1281831363' post='2416167'] No, you're wrong. Once you get a little experience you'll realize that. War is vital, end of story.[/quote] Then explain the countless amount of neutral and peaceful nations who avoid war knowing that it brings only death and destruction to all involved parties. War is only vital in the defense of one's nation. [quote]Nope...they're directed at you. Those nations too inexperienced to defend their nation or join an alliance. Smart tech raiding= prospering nation. [/quote] I chose not to counterattack because I am a rational leader who does not take rash actions without first consulting all the options. I believed the best option here was to demand peace and ask for reparations. I do not demand reparations because I don't expect parasitic war profiteers to show any type of generosity or remorse. But let it be clear, this attack on my nation was ruthless and unprovoked. There is absolutely no justification for this, and reparations are the only way for Mr. Nixon to truly come to terms with what he has done.