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SPABAs for Sept. 27th to Oct. 3rd


Good evening, eCanada. The Awards for Best Articles of the Week (October 4th to October 10th) are coming to you one day later after all the eating, and the drinking, and the turkey, and the pumpkin pie, and then some more turkey. With the cranberry-glaze hangover lifting, this is how The Shameless Plug saw the winners of this past week:




Gold Plug

“Why Canada Can’t Go Wrong Today” by Nosyt of Knowing is Power.

The Plug: Nosyt is political without getting political. Make no sense? Yes, I suppose so because Nosyt seems to be one of the rarities of being very patriotically active in a party of his choice (his being the CSD), yet remaining amicable with and even well loved by supposed opponents. Perhaps it’s this attitude that helps keep eCanda balanced despite the heightened tensions that spring up around election time. Wait, this sounds more like a plug for Nosyt than his article. Let me end by saying he brought a very balanced, relevant look at each candidate in the presidential election and provided some helpful background for a large number of voters who, just before casting their ballot, may have felt like this…

Best Lines: “My basic conclusion is the same as the title. Canadians, you can't go wrong tomorrow. I'm still trying to decide who to vote for, and in a worst case scenario, I may even flip a coin :/ All 4 candidates are perfectly capable of the position, and honestly, I wish I could see them all win 😃
But that can't happen, as in an election there are winners and losers.”

So kill me for doing this; it just can’t be helpe😛 “~Hyuu~”




Silver Plug

“Winners, Losers, and Lessons: Scorp's Post-Election Summary” by Scorpius of Scorp’s Election Analysis.

The Plug: Some may see the irony in placing Scorpius next to Nosyt immediately after discussing partisan politics. While Nosyt may form covalent bonds with the elements of eCanadian politics, you might say Scorpius is a polarizing force that charges up the exchange of electoral electrons. Okay, bad metaphors aside, this article offers an insightful look back at the recent elections that offers some valid tips for campaign managers. Scorpius, He Who Stirs the Pot, deserves credit for his analysis, since it raised but only minor disagreement from the parties involved. You can tell this article was particularly good because even Bruck (Scorpius’s sworn nemesis) said something nice about it.

Best Lines: “Aside from the obvious extra votes that come with a 2nd party backing your candidate, increased cooperation builds alliances, provides more campaign workers to help out, and is one of the most obvious ways to help a candidate get elected. I'd be damned if you could show me a candidate in the history of the eWorld who's won with the support of only 1 party. Cooperation is the name of the game in elections, and in government. Though this is a partisan system, that doesn't mean we should never forsake each other.”




Bronze Plug

“Top 10 Epic Wins in eCanadian History” by Adasko of The Spiral.

The Plug: Adasko’s article “Top 10 Epic Fails in eCanadian History” almost took a prize plug in last week’s SPABAs, so it’s a pleasure to see Adasko complement the previous one with an even more epic take on the Top 10. This time there was little disagreement over what should not have been included and what else should have made the list. Adasko’s selections and explanations provide an informative glimpse at the most defining events in the past 8 months of eCanada. “Epic Fails” and “Epic Wins” make good reading for any new citizen looking to pick up some key history or for any older citizen looking to wane nostalgic. Yes, I also realize the conflict of interest of plugging someone who has in turn plugged my article, yet I’m that confident “10 Epic Wins” will live on as a referential marker along the bumpy road of eCanadian history.

Best Lines: “Vote for Plugson, probably the best eCanadian journalist!
Just JOKING! All 10 were a treat but I had a fond recollection when reading #6: “ It was April 2009 when the probably most epic electoral battle of our time has occurred. The incumbent Bruck was running against the former dPM in Zanalan's government, the founder of the Democratic Action League, Dominik. It was a strong campaign, with loads of mudslinging from both sides, with one of the most epic AB articles being a prime example.” (ah, those were the days)



Notable Plugs

“USA Gathering Its Strength, War Analysis by Country” – by Aeros of Defense Intel Review
Mini-plug: This article really divided the panel of judges, which only consists of one person, so it was quite the argument. My fair-play self said any person writing an excellent article of relevance to eCanadians should be eligible for an award, while my rah-rah Canadian patriot self said a “Yankee” could never take a SPABA (with exception to Scorpius but that’s RL, a completely different matter). The solution was to give this article a big thumbs up without letting Aeros know how close he made. So any Canadian who prides themselves on eRep matters should read this article because it is a great testament to how we came back from the brink. And DON’T tell Aeros about this here article.

“Special Edition: The Canonization of Jacobi – Part 3”
mini-plug: The Shameless Plug could not pass up a mention about the article that nearly toppled a government. Okay, it really wasn’t that close (7-2😎 and the article itself wasn’t the problem but rather a series of miscommunications and PR issues. So read the article with a strong grain of salt and a willingness to smirk at the quirkiness of eCanadian politics. Best lines: “lol I have never actually laughed while firing someone before. Thanks for making that a lot less... awkward.” Thank the FSM we are all past that mess. Amen.


“In Defense of Q2/3/4 Hospitals”
Mini-plug: John A. Kelly has made it a habit of putting out punchy, thought-provoking articles that make us rethink certain set ideas. He presents some promising arguments on why we should not neglect the “strategic, demographic, electoral and economic benefits” of less than Q5. I may not be completely convinced about this reasoning, though I do think the questions raised in this article deserve further attention.

“ What do YOU want from the new Prime Minister?”
Mini-plug: A good reminder that with the end of the elections comes the real work, making sure improvements are made in the eCan. Government’s policy and practice, and that we in the media and citizenry remind our elected officials what we need done. What makes Lucky_Strike’s article interesting for me is hat it wants to put the passive voter back in the driver’s seat of the post-election scene by reminding us to ask those important questions.

Time to sleep off that turkey tryptophan, which I was sad to learn was an urban myth. Luckily, there is wine to compensate for my reluctant disbelief.
Congrats to all winning and epic articles, and best of luck to all the spring chickens rising up in the media module. G’nite!