Interstellar Relations, Monday, 5th Period
As the students filed in, they could see the SmartBoard activated again, this time with a map of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol. Twelve seats were marked with signs, one for each colony. In addition, a packet of papers awaited each student, including an outline of the Colonial government, a copy of the Articles of Colonization, and a few backdated issues facing the system.
Roslin hovered near the desk at the front of the room, arms folded, one hand gripping a cup of a hot liquid. She smiled tautly, adjusting her glasses as the clock ticked to two p.m. “Okay, kids, let’s make sure we have a seat. Those of you in the marked seats, put the signs aside for now. You’ll need those next Monday. Today - we’re launching into the bookkeeping side, so maybe we can have a little fun next week.
“The government of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol,” she continued, gesturing to the map behind her, “was established by the Articles of Colonization approximately fifty-two years from this point. It establishes three branches of government: executive, legislative, and judicial.
“A little different from that of our current location, the executive branch of the Colonies consists of the President, the Cabinet, and the Vice-President. The president is elected by popular vote; the vice-president is nominated by the Quorum of Twelve, and then elected to office, also by popular vote. The line of succession follows down through the vice-president, and the Cabinet, who act as advisors. As Secretary of Education, I was actually 43rd in line.”
She tapped on the screen and the map of the Colonies was replaced by a diagram, showing the links between the executive and legislative bodies. “The Colonial legislature is a bicameral system, consisting of an upper body and a lower body. In this, it's actually more similar to the British parliamentary system than the
American system.
“The upper body, known as the Quorum of Twelve, is like an elected House of Lords. There are, as the title suggests, twelve members, each one an elected representative from the Twelve Colonies.
“The lower body is called the People’s Council. It provides the proportionate representation, similar to the House of Commons.”
The lecture continued, with the former president outlining the judiciary system, and discussing the relationships between all the branches. This was highlighted by yet another chart on the board.
“And that, as they say, is that.” Laura powered off the screen with a remote control, then the lights came up. She adjusted her glasses across the bridge of her nose one more time. “Now...any questions about the system or the issues facing the system?”
She then dismissed the class a few minutes early, a reward for putting up with the dry lecture.
[OCD coming up -- have at. If you wish, pick a Colony from the list linked at the top of the lecture. If not, I'll randomly assign before class next week. If you're left without a colony, don't worry. I have a different job in mind for you....]
[ETA: Not sure what's going on with the links. They're showing up fine in the code, but seem to be adding on something I *so* didn't sign off on. Check the OOC thread for the updated links if these continue to be a problem.]
Roslin hovered near the desk at the front of the room, arms folded, one hand gripping a cup of a hot liquid. She smiled tautly, adjusting her glasses as the clock ticked to two p.m. “Okay, kids, let’s make sure we have a seat. Those of you in the marked seats, put the signs aside for now. You’ll need those next Monday. Today - we’re launching into the bookkeeping side, so maybe we can have a little fun next week.
“The government of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol,” she continued, gesturing to the map behind her, “was established by the Articles of Colonization approximately fifty-two years from this point. It establishes three branches of government: executive, legislative, and judicial.
“A little different from that of our current location, the executive branch of the Colonies consists of the President, the Cabinet, and the Vice-President. The president is elected by popular vote; the vice-president is nominated by the Quorum of Twelve, and then elected to office, also by popular vote. The line of succession follows down through the vice-president, and the Cabinet, who act as advisors. As Secretary of Education, I was actually 43rd in line.”
She tapped on the screen and the map of the Colonies was replaced by a diagram, showing the links between the executive and legislative bodies. “The Colonial legislature is a bicameral system, consisting of an upper body and a lower body. In this, it's actually more similar to the British parliamentary system than the
American system.
“The upper body, known as the Quorum of Twelve, is like an elected House of Lords. There are, as the title suggests, twelve members, each one an elected representative from the Twelve Colonies.
“The lower body is called the People’s Council. It provides the proportionate representation, similar to the House of Commons.”
The lecture continued, with the former president outlining the judiciary system, and discussing the relationships between all the branches. This was highlighted by yet another chart on the board.
“And that, as they say, is that.” Laura powered off the screen with a remote control, then the lights came up. She adjusted her glasses across the bridge of her nose one more time. “Now...any questions about the system or the issues facing the system?”
She then dismissed the class a few minutes early, a reward for putting up with the dry lecture.
[OCD coming up -- have at. If you wish, pick a Colony from the list linked at the top of the lecture. If not, I'll randomly assign before class next week. If you're left without a colony, don't worry. I have a different job in mind for you....]
[ETA: Not sure what's going on with the links. They're showing up fine in the code, but seem to be adding on something I *so* didn't sign off on. Check the OOC thread for the updated links if these continue to be a problem.]