Good. I got your attention. Shouting such statements in these streets usually does.

I am a bit disappointed if I am honest. The community is settled. People walk these streets for longer than perhaps they ever have before, life is good and everyone is raking it in.

As such, having been mailed every now and again over the pond, I expected this place to be absolutely bouncing. Discussions, a bit of role play for people to enjoy, perhaps a few pissy arguments which always passes the time.

Hardly anything in the last week has been spoken here. It's not very good really is it? There are still echos of a conversation which was finished 12 days ago. There were days that that figure would have been hours.

At this point you are already planning some witty response where you drag me down the street telling me to do something about it?

Yeah. Dream on.

I don't think it's the fact that people are not willing to come to the streets. I think it's more they are either worried about the response or unsure of what to write. A lot of subjects have been covered. Some are quite close to the bone. Some they perhaps do not seem like they warrant a discussion. They worry they will be ridiculed for bringing up subjects or perhaps the manner in which they discuss it.

So I am going to use this as some sort of marker for the budding writer in our community. What do you, as the 'audience', wish to see more of on these streets?

News? Debate? Role Play? Information? Anything else?

The potential is very obviously in the current community. Perhaps a helping hand will inspire new and old to come out here again?

Well Gene, I consulted ancient family journals and it seems that your distant relatives tried to stifle the creativity that you now want for these Streets.

It's good you've seen the error of these ways.

What do people want on these Streets?

IMO, people want a good newspaper, an undergroup group's statements, lively arguments, reasons for deaths and announcements of wars.

A better question to ask is this: Why have the streets been quite quiet? 

I agree with some of your points, Gene, but one stuck out for me, and that is the being ridiculed part. Back in the days of my forefathers the streets were a lot more strict than they are now. A simple stutter, Grammatical error or an already covered subject from a speaker and a whole rabble of people would line up to insult them. If anything, I think that the streets are better nowadays with regards to this matter. People are allowed the occasional error and speeches are not watched like hawks.

However, I do see a decline in the streets, but I will not comment on this as I admit that I have done nothing to try and stop the decline from happpening.

Lately nobody seems to be talking about and describing their life in this thing of ours. What I like about wars, aside from the excitement of competing for turf and money, are the subsequent explanations and discussions regarding them. However I think it's a shame if people speak in public only after wars. I think we should try and come out to the street more because we mustn't let the streets die. As I'm telling this I guess I should be first to do it but I'm not exactly a good speaker myself.

My journals of my fathers say differently. But the past is that and we will have to agree to disagree.

As for you question. The things you mention are obviously there in times of unrest in our world. While it is settled they are in rarity. For the record that is what I usually get involved in hence why I asked what else we could see. Perhaps others are the same as myself and speak better as a reaction than a catalyst?

I also agree with you Viagra. The streets are less strict but standing in front of your peers and addressing them is always a risky business. So perhaps not as worrying as before but for street 'virgins' still an issue?

That is interesting Padrino and a good idea. Perhaps a return to 'An audience with..' series could see a return.

In addition, I'd also be interested in reading interviews with this thing of ours' top dogs and legends. I'm interested to know how they started and how they earned the position they have now.

Mr Kuku

I can't recall a time when our Quattro driving bent coppers blood line was a stifler in our streets. With my family line having been taken for a spin in the ancient Quattro a number of times I can only really recall this blood line being a streets speaking advocate.

Unfortunately the streets are most busy in times of trouble or conflict. Original works are rare because the topic base is quite limited which results in the rehashing of old topics.

As has already been touched on, activity in the streets is linked to activity in our world. When everything runs smoothly, there is little scope for interesting topics of conversation. As things run smoother for longer and longer periods, there is less and less to discuss. This leaves us with only original works, which are largely dependent on the mood of any street lover at any given time, and generic debates about aspects of our lives, which, as there is no requirement for progression linked to the streets, rarely get too much attention.

There is no quick fix to this issue and I doubt things will be changing anytime soon. In the mean time, there is a street party being hosted by the R_CAS, you should stop by.

Couldn't have put it better than Mr. Knowles did.

World activity = Street activity.

Always has been, always will be. People harp on about the "good ol' days" but they seem to forget the fact that in those day there were no bodyguards, no forts and less money floating around. Therefore, more conflict developed for people wanting to further themselves in this world. Which in turn created more to talk about, which created more disagreements and debates in the street.... which turned back into people dying faster and people talking about it again. Perfect cycle.

The only fix to the 'problem" (I don't view it as a problem, more of an annoyance) is to swell the numbers with the current tools we have available, which has slowly but surely been happening the last few months. Sometimes we just simply have to face facts... there is only so much to talk about without going around in circles. There are a few creative heads out there who generally try to do the best they can, but it's just not enough to satisfy everyone without the obvious talking point... conflict.

Perhaps conflict is the only thing that gets the creative juices flowing as both of you say.

But then perhaps that is just an accepted claim from the majority. The discussion wasn't so much about why the streets are quiet. It seemed a relevant point. I see that as a by product of people not knowing what they can share with the world.

I reckon there are a fair few people out there with ideas but worried about how they will be received.There will also be people with an idea of things they want to see that can fulfilled by sparking someones interest by mentioning it here. A few good ideas have been put forward already and if I saw someone mention something I had a good idea for I'd be far more inclined to share it.

For the past few weeks, we where treated to some excellent newspapers. They where the true highlight of any action on our streets, but alas the printing presses have gone quiet for the time being. Its my hope that they'll come to life again sooner than later. Prehaps in the future, the Gwarble Barble, or some off shoot of its kind will reappear

I pop back and fore more as a visitor then anything else, feigning a death to escape any consequence for my crimes.  The truth is i see a lot of inactivity and the fact over the last few weeks the amount of trusted members i have seen in the obits, or high ranks retiring kinda says a lot for the state we are in.   The truth is i talk to people generally in coffee shops and they are fed up of simple things with the way of life, bg's, dead streets, inactivity of members, finding good recruits.  I looked around earlier and it said the average criminal only works 2.6 hours a day when i think of the 18 hour days i have put in during the past for all the new or returning blood allegedly entering our ports do they have the same drive as the past or is the lul across everything and is it simply the foreign exchange markets limiting what they can do, the lack of motivation a leader gives or simply the fact the old grey building always look the same.

shrugs and wanders back to work

It always amazes me the amount of people that think appearing on our streets for a very brief period gives them any sort of insight into the activity of the place. It really doesn't.

Our world always has cycles where things may be somewhat quiet, thats not unusual. In fact i'd go as far to say its necessary. Calm before the storm, if you will. There is always this magical recollection of a time where the streets where buzzing with fervant activity, sadly its not really the case. There streets always had their ups and downs and likely always will.

I think at this moment we have some decent mafioso contributing to the streets. It wasn't so long ago that the Godfather of New York came out to chat with all of us, too. That might sound silly pointing that out, but seldom do we see Godfathers out in the streets giving their thoughts unless its in retort to something about them personally. These are busy people, so its not a slight on them that they seldom make these appearences, simply a bit of deserved praise for when they do.

As Alexander mentioned also, we have had a number of Newspapers of late. Sure, none were of the same style as the Gwarble barble, but they were good in their own rights. Hopefully these will return soon to give us something to read while drinking our morning coffee.

Overall, I wouldn't say there is anything currently wrong with our streets at this moment.