Polls are something I've been meaning to incorporate into TN for a while now. Figured we'd get divisive off the bat. :P

I note that this bill would make the first sentence of the modified clause a lie.  "The Senäts shall have equal powers with the Cosa in respect of all proposed laws" will no longer be true.  There will only be two categories of bills for which the Senäts will be equal to the Cosa.  That might be something you want to fix.

Quote from: M:sr Pôl dal Nordselvă, D.Div, M.Ed on June 23, 2025, 05:47:21 AMCan you explain to me why having an upper house that has the authority to reject bills or send them back down is a bad thing? I can perhaps understand the ability of the Cosa to override but do we need to strip them of power in order to accomplish the same purpose?

I thought this was still a good question that didn't actually quite get answered.  The explanation went into the nature of the change in detail, but without saying why it was desirable.  Why would we want to do this?

Quote from: Mic'haglh Autófil, O.Be on January 17, 2026, 04:23:17 PM

Quote from: Antaglha Xhenerös Somelieir on July 21, 2025, 05:14:02 PMHonestly I don't mind the "send back" concept, however I do think that after this stage, the Senate should be able to amend the legislation as part of its role as a reviewing chamber before sending the legislation back to the Cosa. Or even just sending the reasons (both requiring a majority of senators to agree on what is send to the Cosa) it has been rejected. Although this is a more complicated system, but might be a sort of middle ground solution. And help with making the senate feeling more useful than it realistically is at the moment.

As Senators are already permitted to describe their reasons for voting against bills, I'm not sure any sort of official reconciliation process might be necessary, but I'm open to hearing what others think before sending this to the CRL.

Delighted to see this is moving now.

Quote from: Antaglha Xhenerös Somelieir on July 21, 2025, 05:14:02 PMHonestly I don't mind the "send back" concept, however I do think that after this stage, the Senate should be able to amend the legislation as part of its role as a reviewing chamber before sending the legislation back to the Cosa. Or even just sending the reasons (both requiring a majority of senators to agree on what is send to the Cosa) it has been rejected. Although this is a more complicated system, but might be a sort of middle ground solution. And help with making the senate feeling more useful than it realistically is at the moment.

As Senators are already permitted to describe their reasons for voting against bills, I'm not sure any sort of official reconciliation process might be necessary, but I'm open to hearing what others think before sending this to the CRL.

I have been thinking of inserting the latest Fora Talossa video on the Fora Talossa wiki page but am not certain if that capability exist.

@Danihel Txechescu As our resident tech guru, do you by chance know if this is possible. I didn't want to jump in and just fiddle around before asking.

I am going to re-up this appeal for donations to the BHAID.

The King has given to cancer research in his own personal affairs. And the Seneschal has agreed to transfer the reimbursement for sending the Seneschal's Chain of Office to the BHAID as a donation.

Folks, there is a great deal of need in the world and, I know, Talossa's capability to meet that need might be greatly limited but it is not nonexistent. Please join me in contributing to one of the Kingdom's longstanding organizations. As a reminder, the first $100 dollars in donations will be matched by me.

During the recent Informal Session, MC Miestra Schiva posed a Terpelaziun to the Minister of Propaganda, which was answered in his absence by the Seneschal. "Does the Minister now believe that Breneir Tzaracomprada, condemned unanimously by the last Ziu for sexual harassment, is now a fit and proper person for the Ministry of Propaganda to collaborate with?" The Seneschal's response was genuine, but one that we feel reveals a difference of standards between this Government and the Opposition.

Essentially, the Government's position is that it is improper for the Government to refuse to work with any Talossan, regardless of their conduct. Certainly, it would be inappropriate for the Government to refuse to work with someone due to a simple difference of politics, but this is not a difference of politics, this is a rehabilitation that has not yet been earned. The Seneschal himself has agreed that S:reu Tzaracomprada has yet to offer any apology for his conduct that appears genuine. His response went so far as to liken a refusal to publicize S:reu Tzaracomprada's media channel to a refusal to publicize newspapers published by members of the Opposition. The latter would indeed be inappropriate, as it would represent a stifling of the free press. The former, however, is not tied to what S:reu Tzaracomprada believes, or what he says, but the things he has done. It is his actions that have earned him his current status as a pariah, not his views.

The issue comes back around to what the URL has repeatedly identified as the Progressive Alliance's flaw: an inability -- or a refusal -- to separate the personal from the political. This is an important skill to cultivate in politics, and it would be in the interest of the country if more parties were capable of doing so. Criticism of one's actions and views are taken as criticism of character, and this has led to the sort of political atmosphere that is now unfortunately common in Talossa.

This may surprise some, but we feel it would actually be a good thing for Talossa in the long run if S:reu Tzaracomprada were able to rehabilitate his public image. But the first step must come from him -- a genuine apology to his victim. Perhaps a period of "laying low", so to speak, following his apology. Letting time heal wounds. Unfortunately, the usual responses in times like these are blatantly passive-aggressive in tone, complete with smiley emoticons to really drive home that he does not care to redeem himself. Doubling down, as he does, gives us little confidence in his prospects. Continuing to shun him until he considers his actions would be significantly more effective when it extends to government action. Unfortunately, this Government seems content to give him what he wants anyway. The URL recognizes that doing so minimizes the discomfort he has caused his victim, sweeping everything under the rug for the sake of false positivity yet again.

Quote from: Iason Taiwos on January 17, 2026, 02:45:03 PM

Quote from: Breneir Tzaracomprada on January 17, 2026, 01:04:01 PMDid anyone else get into this show? I enjoyed it, it was a slower paced show but there are many outstanding mysteries that I am wondering about for the second season. Vince Gilligan has done a remarkable job creating a villain (?) that is somehow nice and accommodating.

I haven't watched it yet, but the fact that it's by Vince Gilligan and has Rhea Seehorn in it is enough to make me give it a try. (If you watched "Better Call Saul", you'll remember how extremely slow paced it occasionally was...but I thought it was great.)

Please let me know what you think. Rhea just won a Golden Globe, I think, for her performance.

Quote from: Breneir Tzaracomprada on January 17, 2026, 01:04:01 PMDid anyone else get into this show? I enjoyed it, it was a slower paced show but there are many outstanding mysteries that I am wondering about for the second season. Vince Gilligan has done a remarkable job creating a villain (?) that is somehow nice and accommodating.

I haven't watched it yet, but the fact that it's by Vince Gilligan and has Rhea Seehorn in it is enough to make me give it a try. (If you watched "Better Call Saul", you'll remember how extremely slow paced it occasionally was...but I thought it was great.)

Did anyone else get into this show? I enjoyed it, it was a slower paced show but there are many outstanding mysteries that I am wondering about for the second season. Vince Gilligan has done a remarkable job creating a villain (?) that is somehow nice and accommodating.