Another months brings exciting new changes for the RIA. We continue to see expansion in just about every facet of the region, with no indication of things slowing down!
Great House Report
The RIA's Great Houses have been working to increase their regional influence. Each house is working to define its purpose in the region, which will be sure to provide several options when new members decide to join a house.
House Hamster appears to have found its focus areas in RIASF activity and the region's commerce. They also aim to have a strong presence in the political system and are already working on a road map for the elections in March. Two businesses created by members of House Hamster, Hamster Gaming and Lottery and G & T Incorporated, have had their business licenses approved by the Commerce Committee and are open for business.
Kittens is widely regarded as the laid back, easy going house. They are currently in the process of developing the direction their house will take. They will focus on less serious aspects of the region than the other houses, concerning themselves with fun, games, and other activities for members of the RIA.
The Sauropods are quickly becoming the most active and influential of the 3 Great Houses. Their proposal to take over as the curators of the Library of Treason and Plot has been approved and they have been hard at work archiving as much of the region's history as they can get their hands on. Their house will focus on educating new members of the region as well as increasing the importance of knowledge throughout the RIA, going so far as possibly offering tutoring lessons on real world subjects. Their activity and involvement in various regional programs is setting them up as front runners in the next House ranking.
The Senate Report
The first Senate of the new RIA has been working hard to set the tone for future representatives. Several issues have already been proposed and are being discussed in the Senate Chambers, with citizens providing much input for their representatives in the Capitol Lobby.
Measurement of House Influence - The senate is working to determine a quantifiable method to measure House Influence. Each action a house commits would award it points, and the House rankings would be built from this. The goal of the quantified measurement is to move from the current subjective methods and to ensure objectivity when scoring each Great House.
Regional Animal - For nearly 10 years, the hamster has been the official regional animal of the RIA. However, recent discussions have been introduced to the senate to select a new animal that will better represent the region's culture and history. The phoenix was first proposed, but there was still a desire to stick with the hamster in order to maintain the historic link. The consensus now appears that the two will be combined. The fire hamster is likely to be the next regional animal, representing the phoenix's qualities of resurrection and while holding on to the hamster's link to our roots.
RIASF Update
The RIASF continues to grow and maintain its presence in the field. Sailors have worked with several other defender regions to assist in large liberations, as well as the passing of information between agencies to help each other prevent raids.
Tangaroan Islands has been promoted to the rank of Midshipman, making him a junior officer in the RIASF. He'll be working closely with experienced defenders from various organizations in order to further hone his skills as he begins to lead the RIASF's minor update division. Dacia has been promoted to Sailor, having clearly demonstrated that he is prepared to exceed the RIASF's expectations of professionalism and discipline in action.
RIA Prepares to Celebrate 10th Anniversary
March of 2014 will mark the Renegade Islands Alliance's 10th year of existence in NationStates. We are inviting our friends from all over NationStates to join us we celebrate our region's history. The celebrations will include several games and activities, including raffle tickets for more video games than we've ever given away before! The grand prize in the raffle will be Bioshock Infinite, and we can't wait to give it away!
Population Report
The RIA has experienced another growth spurt, surpassing 240 nations and entering the top 40 regions by size. With 60 additional members since our last update, we've been experiencing a healthy increase in Regional Message Board discussions. New nations are slowly finding their way on to our forum and getting involved in the extra programs our region has to offer.