Kalistan

[Doc]

RSMoK hits recruitment and training goals for 4885
Resumes Role as Irregular Auxiliary for Kalistani Regular Force
Bozo River AGCC, Ananto
July 31, 4885


Militia Sergeant Paul Brittany explains exercise parameters to his squad

Captain Beverly Thomas, of the Revolutionary Socialist Militia of Kalistan, said that the Militia has met its recruitment goals for the Year. "We are proud to report that we are at full compliment now," said Thomas. "Recruit training is going quite well, and we are happy to report that we are capable of acting as an irregular auxiliary to the Regular Force after all these years."

The Captain, who speaks for the Militia, informed the assembled representatives of the Press, that the mission of the Militia is to do what the Regular Force cannot, and to serve as shock troops in the event of an invasion. "Our mission has historically been to serve as highly mobile, lightly armed partisans, designed around hit and run and general demoralization operations. The aim of the militia is to gradually whittle away at the morale of the invader, with surgical strikes, to make the enemy less willing to fight the regulars who are waiting for them." The partisans also perform reconnaissance and strategic political activity behind the lines in the event of an invasion. "If we can make the invaders less willing to fight, because we pick off one or two of them every time they leave the base and deny them the ability to effectively return fire, and meanwhile work on them psychologically while they remain in their base, it is only a matter of time before they are turning on their officers who inform them that it is their turn to die. The goal at the end of the day is to make it impossible for the officers to command their troops to do anything except return home."

During modern warfare, partisans may not even carry firearms into combat but might instead be trained to work on an enemy's encrypted communications, with the aim of crippling invading forces' command and control. "We are training as well in the new frontiers of electronic warfare, where we can keep our partisans well away from the front lines and still allow them to execute protocols which could potentially take control of certain military vehicles, or disrupt GPS positioning and delay the arrival or reinforcements," said Thomas. "It all serves the strategy of making the opponents blind and confused, and ultimately terrified and unwilling to continue to prosecute warfare in Kalistan."

The Militia is also historically associated with the development of artillery firebases during warfare which serve to occupy key firing positions that command valleys and approaches to Regular strong points. "The artillery we are using, while older, is still excellent for its purposes, and can deliver accurate fires from up to 12 miles away without any challenge. Given that these guns do not rely on anything more than brute force and math to aim, we remain entirely outside of modern enemies' efforts to counter us with electronic warfare techniques." The artillery, in a combat situation, is designed to soften advancing lines up, or to shell them as they retreat.

The Militia also maintains a hybrid decentralized command structure. In peacetime, the Militia retains its own command structure, but in wartime, the Militia, while having its own officers and its own uniform insignia which are separate from the Regular force, nonetheless sees its constituent parts attached to regular units, who discuss political strategy with their irregular counterparts, and leave the execution of this strategy to the militia units. "The way this command and control structure is created, we have freedom to utilize our operational strengths without worrying necessarily about the strategic and tactical concerns faced by those governed by Laws of War. This gives us a lot of latitude and new avenues to explore in support of the Regular Force. Regular forces, especially invading forces, must rely on unified C&C, which can be easily disrupted. Meanwhile a decentralized, cellular design, allows our units to operate independently and make full advantage of opportunities as they arise."

At sea, the Militia Navy has restored the LAFA techniques which have so successfully served it in the past. LAFA is "Lightly Armed, Fast Attack", and the primary unit of the LAFA irregulars has traditionally been the Pack, of about 5-6 lightly armored sea worthy boats, all of which have a .50 cal M2 machine gun mounted to the the deck, as well as two small surface launched torpedoes designed to breech hulls of modern sea craft. "What the LAFAs sacrifice in armament," said Thomas "they make up for in maneuverability and speed. A Pack can engage an enemy and perhaps cripple them, and then pull back in less than 5 minutes, and the ships are so small that they don't often draw the attention of aerial or visual reconnaissance." While these ships are not immune to electronic reconnaissance, they can usually get close enough under fire to deploy their weapons, occasionally to dramatic effect.

All in all, with the Militia in place, the Republic is a little safer from threat of any invasion. Joint training between the Militia and the Regular Forces is scheduled to begin this winter.

[Doc]

KRTVN Radio 6 and ODEN K to sponsor a new GanJam
"It's about damn time!" says local stoners
Luxon, Ananto
September 1, 4885


Gaduri band Los Angeles Rojos, who recently successfully toured the Republic, scheduled to Headline Night 1 of the GanJam

"Hell yeah, we're signed to play," said Kevin Albertson, lead singer of the band he refers to as "Kaliburg's Hardest Working Band' Brown Paper Bag, of the new Channel 6/ODEN-K sponsored GanJam which is scheduled for May of 4886. "We wouldn't miss that show for the world! When we heard the rumor that they were going to be doing another show, I called my buddies at Channel 6 and was like 'Who do I have to kill to get on this show?' ...you know? Thankfully he was like "nobody" cause I would have... "

Indeed the rumors have proven to be true: KRTVN 6 is now working with ODEN-K to organize a new GanJam, the first in the series of famous concerts in generations. Music lovers across Kalistan were elated. Fan Mike Jones, puffing a cone of the National Product, said when interviewed, "It's about time! I have only read about these concerts, but I thought they were gone forever. But now, I will get to go to one? What? I mean..." His friends who were hanging out with him outside The Republic's Offices agreed with him and one another. They all declared their desire to attend.

The Radio station and ODEN formed a joint planning committee in organize the Event. Committee spokesman Wayne Kingston gave a brief press conference about the upcoming show:

"KRTVN Radio 6 and ODEN-K are thrilled to be sponsors of GanJam 4886, to be held at the Global Music Hall of Fame Amphitheater in Luxon. The concert is scheduled for three nights, May 29, 30, and 31 of next year. We will have three nights of music, and have decided to also do an RF Overnight for those who want to party until the Sun comes up. On our first night, we will feature Hip-Hop and Rock Acts, and this will be followed by the RF Overnight. Scheduled to headline Night 1 is the Hip Hop Act Riot Crew, the hip hop supergroup featuring members of Revolucion, Burning Money, and Dope Prophets. Both Salgo and Brown Paper Bag will also be playing on Night 1, as will other great bands and artists.

"RF Overnight will be something that we want to try this show to see about the feasibility of this style for future shows. Since these bands tend to be more adult oriented, the show will likely attract fans of the RF clubs in Kaliburg and Sulari to the largest livest RF show ever. Already booked to headline the Overnight is Tonya X, who is scheduled to take the stage at sunrise. Other acts include Christina Shakespeare, and Dave and the Drugs. We will have a full RF lineup and body paint will certainly be welcome, but of course, clothing will be optional.

"Night 2 will feature KME as well as three Gaduri Bands who will play the Jam as guests of LTD Records. We are excited this year to already have the commitment of three Gaduri bands: Cumbia Maestros Los Angeles Rojos, who toured Kalistan recently to sold out shows, as well as Sonara Explosion and Chaparra, the superhot Dance Musician. The Gaduri Bands will be guests of LTD Records in Kalistan and Los Angeles Rojos will headline the night. Kalistani Acts already booked for the show include La Sol, La Mas Mala, crooner Franco del Rey will also play. Night 2 will likely be a fan favorite for years to come."

Brown Paper Bag, self-declared "Kaliburg's Hardest Working Band" to Headline Night 1 of the new GanJam

"Finally, Night 3 will feature a return of Reggae and Funk to the GanJam. Headlining Night 3 and Closing the Show will be the Kaliburg Dub Alstars, who recently scored the first number 1 for a Reggae Artist in years with their anti-war anthem "Bedtime for Babylon". Also playing are roots veterans Goat's Beard and the 12 piece funk band Landmine, who are known for appearing at their shows with a smoke machine fueled by five pounds of the National Product, and which fires a massive cloud of smoke in time with the bass.

"In addition to the music, which is the main draw of the show, We will also see a restoration of the Arts Pavilions, which haven't been part of the GanJam for a very long time. This year, sculptures by Cathy Alverez, Bjorn Matthiessen, Donald Folksong, and Amy Black will be featured, as well as performance art by the Dahriel 5, and Nate Copper. Lots of other art will also be on display from across the Republic. The Art Pavilion used to be a main feature and since it is set apart from the main festival, it provides people will a nice place to take a break or to have some come down time from the previous night's activities.

"Tickets for the show go on sale in January, and can be purchased online from ODEN-K or KRTVN Radio 6. Additionally, KalAir will be offering group packages and other deals on flights from across the Republic and across the world to Kaliburg International Airport, with shuttle service to Luxon. We are trying to organize a subsidy with KalAir right now which might make all international travel to the festival free with ticket purchase. The Three Day pass is K95, while each day pass is K40. The Third Night is, as always free to all comers."

The news of the new GanJam was met with elation across the country. We look forward to covering it.

[Doc]

AeroKal to begin building commercial airlines once again
Higher fuel efficiency leads to extended range of transcontinental lines
Yoshimi, Suldanor
February 12, 4886


AeroKal nears completion of the new fleet of KA4X Transcontinental Airlines in December of Last year

The Kalistani Aircraft industry has been humming since the KALNAFERCO reauthorization was begun last July. Following delivery of the first sheet aluminum and steel compenents, AeroKal reopened its doors and all new machines, robotics and finishing processes began assembling aircraft.

"We've had to make nearly all these components in house," said AeroKal's Chief Operations Officer Justine Fishman. "AeroKal is essentially a vertical monopoly at this point, with everything from designing and engineering, to component delivery, to assembly being carried out right here on our Yoshimi campus." Within the last year and a half, AeroKal has become the largest employer in Yoshimi, and currently employs more than 10 percent of the workforce in the Yoshimi area.

"Hiring and training was carried out along with the nascent widgets production which makes all the little plastic and metal pieces necessary to actually piece together functioning and comfortable passenger liners," said Fishman. "Most of the work is automated, but we still employ hundreds of technicians who oversee the operation of the robots, and conduct visual QC for the parts. Our goal for our statistical process controls is a fail rate of less than .01 percent. If we ever hit more than .01 percent fail rate in a single production cycle, we will shut down the entire line, and figure out where the issue is located before we restart. These little widgets do everything from allowing a passenger to signal for an Attendant, to lock the seat back for comfort, and since all of this is built in house, we have the ability to not only maximize our quality control to the degree statistically possible, but also ensure excellent JIT production."

The plant also contains a Jet engine works, which not only produces but tests different jets. "We work here in conjunction with KALMILINCO, and we will be building their turboprops as well as our own. Since our fleet is designed initially to be no more than 10 individual planes to each country we fly to, we will also have plenty of time to design military jets. In return, we receive government subsidies for fuel efficiency, energy return, and reliability."

The most important and technically advanced part of the new AeroKal Factory in Yoshimi is the avionics plant. "We have recently began working again with the old company KalMD," declared Fishman, "to design a new generation of radar and HUD for our commercial pilots. Of course this will have military applications as well, but the civilian version will allow the plane's vitals to be displayed, along with navigation information, realtime weather information, and flight data like altimeter and pitch readings in a non-obtrusive way. The aim is to give Pilots as much information as they will need to successfully operate the vehicle without needing to look at a panel of dials." Fishman pointed out that the ubiquitous dash panel will remain on the flight deck as a backup, in case the HUD goes down for some reason.

"But the visiting public will likely never see all the inhouse shops," said Fishman, "but our assembly line is our pride and joy and we'll happily show this part off. It employs the most actual people, who physically assemble the aircraft, from start to finish, from the stamping of parts in the machine shop to the riveting and painting there about a quarter of a mile away. On the line there are no less than 150 different work classifications, all of whom play an essential role in the manufacture of these aircraft. They are aided by machines, but under no circumstances do machines do the work of assembly of these aircraft. They always have human hands on them, from start to finish, and of this we are extremely proud."

It is a long slow process to construct a completed aircraft. Each craft takes about 10 months to build, and more if there is a stoppage in the components plant. But at any given time, there is an aircraft in some phase of construction. Here, sheet metal is being stamped out, here the metal ribs of the craft are being cut and fitted, here the frame is taking shape, and down the line a way, the precision cut metal is being riveted onto the frame. Since the Plant opened and materials began being delivered, AeroKal has already manufactured 3 KA4201 aircraft. They have been delivered to KaliAir Hangars in Kaliburg, and have already made multiple flights to airports in Dovani, Keris and to other destinations in Seleya. "At the rate we are working, with 4 round the clock shifts, we shall satisfy Kalistan's commercial demand in about 4 years," said Fishman, "including reserve craft. And now that the Aluminum has been renationalized and is being delivered regularly, the price of the aircraft has gone through the floor, allowing us to pass on some of the savings to our customers and the rest to our workers in the form of dividends, benefits and amenities."

AeroKal shows tremendous potential for growth once the domestic demand is satisfied. "We would eventually like to market our Transcontinental Line to other nations," said Fishman, "Especially given the superior quality we create here as well as our lower price point. I believe we can compete even with established firms overseas, and look forward to the opportunity to sell abroad in just a few years."

[Doc]

GanJam 4886 Goes off with a Hitch
Overnight RF Concert marred by freakouts and chaos
Luxon, Ananto
June 2, 4886


Chaos at the Festival briefly interrupts the show as House Lights brought up early in morning

The re-inaugurated GanJam will long be remembered for what it was and what it was not. Over 3 days, more than 60,000 music fans attended the concert, with the highest daily attendance going to Day 3, with a total of 42,620 visitors counted.

The festival, sponsored by KRTVN Radio 6 and ODEN-K got off to an excellent start with music entertainment featuring Rock and Hip Hop musicians. The First notes of the show were played by Show Openers Brown Paper Bag, who played to a already crowded Main Amphitheater. Their interesting blend of melodious dream pop and blistering guitar feedback, heavily pedaled shoegaze really brought the crowd in and gave them music to mosh to. "We want to put the roll back into rock and roll" declared bassist Tamara Stevens between songs. "Something you all can dance to."

The show openers did not disappoint, and on Day 1, a total of seven bands played sets which were on average of 45 minutes each, ranging for the normal Kalistani Style of Alternative Rock to hardcore and politically conscious hip hop. Rock veterans Salgo also played the show, in what was likely one of their final shows. "We are getting up there in age," said Salgo singer Janice Tarkington. "Our drummer is nearing 60. Its time to let the Kids take up the mantle." Nothing in Salgo's set suggested that they have lost any talent as they aged, and if this is to be their last major concert, they are definitely going out as the premier rock band of the last couple decades. The final band of the evening was Riot Crew, whose set criticized cops, and essentially declared war on commercial radio. "Blow up your Radio!" Declared lead singer M9. "Blow up that bulls--t."


Salgo ends their career on a high note, opening for Riot Act who headlined Night One of the GanJam

Soon after Night 1 Headliners Riot Crew left the stage, and the stage dressing was changed for RF overnight, problems with the show began. "We think a lot of the problems were caused by the mixture of drugs and alcohol and the whole RF vibe," said Night Organizer Robert Young. "Since RF tends to be a rather insular culture, there was some tensions immediately that way, where the RF crowd wanted to move up front, and the other folks who were there really didn't want to yield." Fights, fueled by cocaine and hard alcohol soon began breaking out near the stage, but those early skirmishes were quelled by the arrival of Overnight Openers Dave and the Drugs, who played a show full of lasers, frenetic robotic dance moves to true RF Funk beats and rhythms, and smoke effects. The crowds seemed to really enjoy the next few Acts, which included a set by RF Diva Christina Shakespeare.

Soon after Shakespeare left the stage around 4:30 am, however, apparently a group of RF Fans thought that they should begin some sort of orgy in the middle of the crowd. At first, they were a mild annoyance for other concert goers, but when some non-RF attendee was pushed over a couple who was copulating on the ground, punches were thrown and then the crowd erupted into a general melee between electronica fans dressed in club clothes and RF guys in silver body paint and sequins or dressed as space overlords, and women wearing v neck bathing suits. The next act, Barbarella, had already taken the stage and pleaded for peace from the stage and soon the stage managers turned the house lights up to witness a swarming melee of people fighting and shoving. "It was like watching the Ocean during a storm... Seriously, all these naked gay space aliens fighting all these danceclub cokeheads, swelling and rolling like waves... It was wild!" said Barbarella Lead singer Jemaine Gregory. "I've never seen any crowd act like that."

Concert Security waded into the crowd to remove the most pugilistic offenders and it took nearly a half hour to calm the crowd down to the point where the concert could continue. From the Stage, Barbarella yelled, "Now y'all behave!" They played their set, and the mood of the crowd had changed, so that when Overnight Headliner Tonya X took the stage, the fans were finally having fun again, and danced until the sun rose around 7:40am. Lots of people were seen hugging and shaking hands and showing fraternity by the light of the early morning sun, and it was clear that the Festival was back on track.


Overnight Openers Dave and the Drugs, with the immensely popular hybrid RF Funk style

As the ravers were sleeping off their wild night back at their campsites, the "Normal" crowd was waking up and checking out the Art Pavilions which were spread all across the outskirts of the Festival Grounds at the Global Music Hall of Fame. This year the Art Commission asked Artists to come up with artwork that showed off Kalistan's culture, with a special focus on leisure activities. Artists from across the nation submitted proposals and more than 50 artists were subsidized to create art work for the Festival, which was displayed in the various pavilions. The media ranged from painting to sculpture to performance, and artists from all corners of the Republic came to display their artwork.

Installations were open between RF Overnight and into Day 2, as well as before Day 3 music kicked off. More than 25,000 people visited at least one of the Art pavilions, and various contests and incentives took place just for the pavilions. In the Psychedelic Pavilion, all visitors were micro dosed with LSD and were made to sit through a 30 minute multimedia exhibition while the acid kicked in before they were welcomed to view the art.


"Dah Man on Day Off" by Oil painter Francesca del Valle


"Bicycle Day" by photomosaic artist Allen Hoffman, which features more than 10,000 individual pictures of people riding bicycles

The Art Pavilions also had samples of Kalistani cuisine and featured some more unusual types of music which were not being featured in the main shows. It also had spoken word poetry,jazz exhibitions from around the Republic and performance art troupe Dahriel 5, whose performance piece called "The Cycle of Life" demonstrated birth growth, wisdom and finally death in a gripping kinetic style.

Day 2, the Kalistani Musica Egelian showcase featured KME artists. Franco Del Rey opened the show with his hit "La Corozon", which described the tension a person feels when they love someone that they know is not good for them. Del Rey's music set a nice tone for the entire afternoon which also featured such KME artists as La Mas Mala, who's firey hip hop song "86" burned the house down, as well as La Sol, who sang the Egelian version of the song she will be performing in Gaduridos at FOMAT "Cancion de Amor." La Sol showed why she was the undisputed queen of KME during her duet with Jenny Huerta, when she converted a well known opera Aria into Egelian and incorporated it into the Song "Asesina de mi Corozon."

Most importantly, on Night 2, three Gaduri bands played the show, which is a first for the GanJam. The fan favorites of the night were clearly Headliners Los Angeles Rojos, who were FOMAT IX winners, and have toured Kalistan extensively. "We just loved that cumbia," said concert goer Brit Smith. "The cumbia is so fun to dance to, and really is just a fun rhythm either way. And Los Angeles is such a great band anyway!" By the time Los Angeles Rojos took the stage, the tensions of the previous night were forgotten and crowds were thoroughally enjoying themselves. But crowds were equally enthusiastic about Sonara Explosion, whose set was nearly flawless, showing them to be true experts of their music stylings and pop and dance queen Chaparra, who gaving a sizzling performance that led to massive sales of her records being bought at the show and online.

"Wooo, Chaparra! She's my new favorite!" said a fan who called herself "Light Star". "I love all her music, and that dancing... oh my god, they need to get her up here to tour this country!" But what is far more likely is that LTD Records, who brought the Gaduri Bands up to play the Jam, are interested in signing one of singers from Los Angeles Rojos, Griselda Diaz to the label. "We realize that, one, she normally does indie and electronica music, and not Cumbia, and two, it would be a fantastic opportunity to get her and her band to create records for the Kalistani market as well," said Label A&R rep Horatio Valenzuela.


Kalistani Fans show mad love for Gaduri pop singer Chaparra at GanJam's Night 2

Night 3 began around 2:30 PM and featured Reggae, Dub, and Funk, three main and long standing styles at the GanJam. The long tradition of Reggae Bands playing the Jam was kicked off with the Roots sounds of Small Axe, who paid tribute to the older mento and early ska influences in Reggae. "We aboslutely loved Small Axe," said punk fan French McAdams. "I mean, you get so much with that band!" 10 bands played Night 3, including the Funk 12-piece band Landmine, whose set was probably the funkiest of the entire concert.

"We are happy to report that ODEN K sold more of the National Product during Night 3 than any other night," said ODEN spokesperson Cathy DAngelo. "Over the whole show, we sold more than 25 tons of herb and more than half of this was sold on Night 3 in preparation for these bands. The smoke was so thick in the air at times it looked like a layer of fog had settled in over the concert, and thankfully, winds picked up a bit around 10 to kinda clear the air, literally."


Kali Ranks plays his first Jam among massive clouds of smoke created by the consumption of heroic amounts of the National Product

Goat's Beard rocked the Concert as well, and the Dancehall artist Kali Ranks blasted the audience with thick bass and blistering fast delivery, but the Show's Closer, Kaliburg Dub AllStars. who took the stage just after 2 am proved to be completely hypnotic. Their lush production, auditory tracers, and slow fade strobe effects treated the audience of 40,000 stoners and reggae fans to a visual and auditory alternate dimension. "The way they cut up all kinds of music to slip into their songs," said Travis Belson, who was at the show, "well, I mean, it was almost like they took live recordings of the other days and mixed them in." In true form, KDA did indeed use clips of audio from Night's 1 and 2 to mix and produce into dub versions. Probably the most amazing version they did was of the Los Angeles Rojos song "El Liston" which somehow separated out the vocal tracks, the bassline and the orchestra which accompanied the band, and flipped them around, stretched them out and added tracers to the soundtrack to produce a cumbia dub riddim which blew many minds.

The show finally closed at 3:36am. All in all, besides the "naked gay space alien" near riot on RF Overnight, the show was a fabulous success. It portends well for the future of GanJams in Kalistan. "If we can still pull of a 40K, 3-Day 40 band festival, and only have one incident, I'd say, given the amount of drugs that were sold at this show and used at this show, I'd say that is pretty good!" said D'Angelo. "It's our hope to once more make the Jam a regular thing, and maybe next time we will have more acts from other nations who are willing to come to Kalistan and play the Jam with our local bands!"

[Doc]

Kalistan to Ink Investment deals with Endralon
Several Joint Venture and Licensing deals now in the final stages of Negotiation
Kaliburg, Ananto
Feb 3, 4887


Foreign Minister Mosswell briefs reporters on the new Kalistani joint deals with Endralonian Capitalists

Foreign Minister Sharice Mosswell and Trade Minister Michelle Martinez met with representatives of 4 major Endralonian firms in Kaliburg last week. The capitalists were in the Capital to discuss investment opportunities in Kalistan, and the Socialist Government was able to negotiate favorable terms for the Republic which will dramatically expand Endralonian investment in The Republic.

"We met with CEOs from four companies," said Mosswell in a press brief following the successful conclusion to the meetings. "We met with Eight Continents Airlines, Lievenian Trade Group, Buy and Use Corporation, and The Fashion Company. We also met with Sárközy Hotels briefly at the beginning of the week. Our goal in the talks was to encourage the Endralonians to invest in Kalistan, and of course, their mission was to secure business in the Republic. Of course, this relationship makes sense, given our geographical proximity, and will provide benefits for both the Endralonian capitalists, and the people of the Republic."

Details of the deals with four of the five countries (the proposal of Sárközy Hotels was dismissed out of hand as not workable, due to the Government's policy on real estate in the Republic,) were delivered in a white paper from the Trade Ministry.

1. Eight Continents Airlines will begin flying directly to and from Kaliburg, offering service to places that KalAir does not fly. The relationship is meant to compliment each other and make Kaliburg a destination for transit for people flying to and from Endralon, and allows Kalistani travelers to tap directly into ECA's extensive transit network. There is also the possibility of ECA taking over air freight operations from KalAir in the future, so the major airline in Kalistan can focus on passenger service. ECA carriers will be licensed to fly in and out of Kalistan and will be subject to normal customs restrictions as well as preferential gating fees at Kaliburg International Airport.

2. LTG Music, will be formed as a jointly owned venture between various Kalistani investors and Lievenian Trade Group, which is a major media conglomerate in Endralon. Already, the deal has attracted the interest of Kalistan's oldest record company, KMI, who has offered to put up Kalistan's majority stake in the firm. LTG music will gain a foothold in Kalistan as the premier provider of Satellite and on Demand music services, as a new option for music and news listeners who would like an alternative to terrestrial radio. KRTVN spokespeople have welcomed the deal, saying that the two services can complement one another: Since the charter for KRTVN is rather rigid with regard to formats that it can provide, and cannot provide on-demand service in any fashion, the new player in the Satellite and On Demand sectors will increase consumer choice and satisfaction. For its part, KMI executives have pointed out that the deal to found the joint corporation does not privilege any provider's content and does not give KMI an advantage over its competition, primarily ARC or LTD records. The deal is intended to be content neutral, which KMI believes will nonetheless provide it ample return on investment.

3. B&U Greenways- This new Joint venture between Buy and Use Corporation and Kalistani Organic Grocery chain Greenway aims to expand the offering of premium health food and specialty food in the Kalistani Market. Greenway, a small grocery store, has served a local clientele in Luxon, Xanadu and Dahriel for years, but with ample capital investment, has languished in its attempts to expand much outside of these markets. B&U's merger with Greenway not only provides Endralon a foothold in the specialty food market in Kalistan, but also provides Greenway with enough capital to begin expanding its franchise into new markets on the Mainland. Greenway usually caters to the tastes of yuppies who seem to believe that there is something special about artisan coffee beans, or that 12 grain bread is somehow more healthy for you than 9 Grain bread, but market research shows that there is a large number of these people who are not being served by traditional grocers, especially on the mainland, and B&U Greenway now stands in an excellent position to exploit the peculiar tastes of the middle class.

4. DTC- A fully owned subsidiary of the Endralonian Fashion Company, Dudás Textile Corporation has received the license to sell high end and haute couture fashion in Kalistan. The concession is relatively small compared to the other deals, but allows Kalistanis who value fashion to now supply their own demands. DTC represents the first fashion house materials to be offered in Kalistan, and at the moment, can only be acquired made to order by individual consumers. It is the hope of the Trade Minister that the introduction of high fashion to the Republic will inspire Kalistani designers themselves to begin to create fashion as well, for less select markets. "Let's face it: Normal Kalistani Daily wear is a Tour T Shirt from their favorite band, and cargo surf shorts. And it has been for centuries. I mean, its what I am wearing currently. Its very functional, but perhaps if the people see something different, maybe they will start to want to vary their own styles and then who knows. Maybe they will want to dress up when they go out to dinner, instead of just leaving formal attire to the politicians and famous people? Anything is possible."

These developments signify positive developments for Kalistani consumers and the expansion of the Dual Economy. All four firms fall into the Private Sector, and therefore no special Government investment is needed. Of course, at both the joint firms, Kalistani Labor and salary laws, as well as all environmental regulations will be enforced. But the expansion of consumer choice, possible now that the Public Sector is rebuilt, has become a priority of the Government of the Republic, and is sure to be met with a cheer from the Kalistani consumer, who will see his standard of living increase without much of a corresponding cost of living increase at all.

Final details of these deals are expected to be concluded in coming weeks, as trade representatives from Kalistan return to Endralon with the Capitalists.

[colonelvesica]

Hutori to Co-Develop Guided Missile Cruiser with Kalistan

[Doc]

Kalistani Naval and Trade Reps in Hutori to deepen Cooperation
New attitude toward Trade to lead to large benefits for Kalistani Industry
Axminster, Adelia, Hutori
June 1, 4887


Kalistani Trade Representatives meet their Hutorian counterparts to discuss investment in Kalistan

The Kalistani Trade Ministry has recently taken a more active approach on accepting foreign investment in Kalistan. Following a successful package of investments from Endralon, The Kingdom of Hutori was the next nation to make an effort to develop new brands and markets in the Republic. To this end, several trade representatives were designated to travel with Hutori along with a pre-scheduled Military mission to discuss investment opportunities with leading firms in Hutori.

The visit was initially planned to further discuss the specs of the new 5100 class missile cruisers which are being developed between Hutori and Kalistan. "We of course wanted to put the final touches on our plans for the ship development," said Naval attache Brenda Stuart. "Kalistan is building the basic ship with an ultra modern hybrid diesel and fuel cell powerplant, which is fairly similar to the one we utilize in our Indica Class Submarines. Whereas in the Subs, this system, which utilizes hydrogen produced via hydrolysis of water to generate power for the electric motors of the ship, is employed to produce silent running necessary for proper sub operations, in the Cruiser, the process will be used to increase fuel efficiency, lower operating costs of the ship and allow for a significantly longer run time over pure diesel engines, without requiring an atomic powerplant.

"We are also using a new steel alloy," added Stuart, "which has a slightly lower carbon content, from about .20 percent to .18 percent, and a bit more manganese but also involves a exterior layer of interlaced carbon fiber overlaying a thinner metal hull. Meanwhile, the upper deck superstructures are constructed of steel-aluminum allow which saves about 60 percent of the weight and significantly resists corrosion, lowering maintenence costs and dramatically lightening the weight of the ship while altering its sailing characteristics. In doing so we both increased the protection of the ship from projectiles and damage, and decreased the weight of the ship by several hundred tons. This will improve the durability of the vessels over standard sheet metal hulls, increase fuel efficiency, and make it noticeably more maneuverable on the surface than similar ships of its class. While this does increase the costs of the project, and makes the ship look a bit different than standard construction would, it also represents a giant step forward in the concept of ship building."


Sheet Carbon Fiber Production at National Foundary being created for the joint-Kal/Hut 5100 Class Missile Cruiser program.

Additional advantages of the joint construction is the sharing of technology which brings the Kalistani Navy into the modern era with regard to surface ships. "Our current destroyer designs are antiques by any standard," said Stuart. "They still do what they are supposed to do, which is run anti-submarine warfare and pack a whallop on the surface. But in a prolonged battle, they will be out gunned, and outflanked everytime by a newer fleet. A new Missile cruiser design allows us to further our strategic doctrine of holding enemies away from Kalistani shores long enough to allow the Republic to mount an adequate defense, and to make naval combat as costly a proposition for our opponents that they will more often than not opt to not engage but seek peaceful solutions. Cruisers are excellent long range support craft, and Kalistan truly benefits from this joint project with Hutori."

The last of the 16 ships to be produced in Kalistan is expected in Hutori within 12 months, at which time the action will switch to Hutori for the armament. Kalistan of course will also begin sending its own unarmed 5100 cruisers to be armed in Hutori, the first departing the Republican Shipyard in two months. In all, Kalistan has commissioned 8 of these vessels for Republican surface duty, though more may follow as needed.

*****

As these discussions were being carried out, Kalistani trade representatives were discussing new investment deals in Kalistan.

"Today," began mission spokesperson Fredrika DiGarmo, "we have the framework of a deal which will open three new companies in Kalistan. In accord with Kalistani Law, all establishments will be 50.01% Kalistani Owned- 49.99% Hutori owned, with specific exceptions, where processes are licensed rather than constructed in Kalistan. We are enthusiastic about these arrangements, and welcome the investment of our Hutori Partners. These operations are as follows:

"1. We will be opening a joint programming firm with Lexington Entertainment, with the working title of 'LKG' for Lexington Kalistan Gaming for the purpose of developing open source games for the international and domestic market. As Kalistani Law requires that all source code remain open, here is an excellent opportunity to bring Hutori expertise and Kalistani innovation to the gaming world. LKG will focus strictly on building games that are made for other designers and players to mod extensively. The idea is to build communities around these games, ensuring that designers are well compensated, and ensuring that the experience is made much richer by the developers in the communities. Who knows what new ideas people can come up with on a stable and well designed platform, but we do not doubt that people will use these games to bring their own visions which far exceed the abilities of our programmers who are constrained to build something which not only will sell commercially, but also works together in a coherent engine. We also have word that Kaliburg Polytechnic is interested in building a designer major to attract those same developers to come learn how to make (and market) their own games.

"2. DMA Motors is interested in expanding into the Kalistani Market. Kalistani investors will work with the Hutori firm in three ways. First, Kalistan will permit the licensing of DMA dealerships in Kalistan. These will be stores where Kalistani dealers work with Hutori producers to sell DMA automobiles exclusively. Doing some market research, we find that while MoCo satisfies demands for regular utility automobiles, there is also a taste for foreign products, and there is a ready made demand for DMA electric vehicles which can compete even with MoCo electric vehicles to increase consumer options. The second entry into the Kalistani Market will be a joint venture plant to begin producing DMA automobiles in Kalistan. MoCo has an interest in investing in this, in hopes of ensuring that they actually participate in the decisions that will affect their own bottom line, but the lion's share of the Kalistani investment will come from private investors who see this as an opportunity to hedge on MoCo. The plant will be located in Suldanor, likely near the town of Reynoldia, which significantly opens the area up to economic development of all sorts in support of the new plant. And finally, a deal is being worked out with the major tech firm in Kalistan, KalMD's subsidiary KalTech, which creates ion batteries for consumer devices. KalTech will become the major supplier of lithium ion rechargables in DMA automobiles produced in Kalistan, an order which dramatically increases the Suldanor operations of the company, and has already led to a sharp rise in both KTH and KMD stock in the Kalsie.

"3. Two Hutori fashion houses, Nova Chic and Cooper & Probert are jumping into the nascent Kalistani Fashion market by opening retail outlets in Kaliburg and Sulari. These outlets, which will be operated by Kalistani Franchisees and will sell their respective brands exclusively, aim to supply high end fashion to prestigious customers, with the aim of eventually creating fashion which is more accessible to the average Kalistani. By selling high end goods in a retail outlet, even very prestigious ones, the brands themselves take a small prestigious hit, leaving the Endralonian firm DTG at the top of the game, but the trade off is in sales. Both houses have expressed a desire to provide high fashion at reasonable prices, the goal being to increase the exposure of the average Kalistani to fashion trends, and to put those trends into the reach of the normal Kalistani. In addition, these two Fashion Houses are planning on working out an arrangement in the near future with KalNaTexCo to begin buying high quality textiles from the Republic. This will encourage KalNaTexCo to expand its own operations within the Republic, bringing more acarage under cultivation in Suldanor and increasing the creation of all natural, synthetic and blend fabrics to sell abroad, likely making KalNaTexCo profitable for the first time in its history. It is also an option for the near future to open a fashion school somewhere in the Republic, where students in Kalistan learn from fashion designers in Hutori about design and fabrication techniques, both to supply the best and the brightest to the fashion industry, but also to improve the quality of the day to day clothing of our own people. This deal presents the best opportunity for long term growth in the Republic.

"All of these deals are tentative at this point, but on Kalistan's side, we merely need affirmation that they comply with our laws and then we begin putting together the capital investments within the Republic. The future is bright indeed for Economic Development in the Republic!"

The Kalistani representatives fly home tomorrow, deal in hand, and the first operations in support of these deals are expected to begin within four months.

[Doc]

Republican Studios Produces Concert Movie detailing Los Angeles Rojos visit to Kalistan
"Los Angeles Rojos: Kaliburg En Vivo!" to Premier in September
Sulari, Suldanor
July 17, 4887


Los Angeles Rojos from their 4882/3 tour of Kalistan

Just under 5 years ago, Kalistan was taken by storm by a visit from Gaduri Cumbia legends Los Angeles Rojos. Fresh off their FOMAT victory, and at the dawn of the Musica Egelian Movement in Kalistani Music, Los Angeles Rojos scheduled a tour which took the band all across the Republic and won both them and their style of music, Cumbia, legions of fans. During the tour, Los Angeles Rojos visited cities across the Republic, playing sold out shows and hosting a number of up and coming KME acts, most of which have gone on to superstardom themselves in the Kalistani market. But no show was bigger than the Kaliburg show, which capped the tour off, on January 7, 4883. The concert, which was held in the National Operahouse in Downtown Kaliburg, was attended by more than 15,000 people and was sold out in less than two minutes following the beginning of ticket sales. Because the show was so successful, a second show was scheduled, and was equally well attended. The tour was a fantastic success, giving impetus to a whole new style of music in the Republic, as well as leading to the development of the market for Egelian Language music that reached new heights at least year's GanJam, which was also attended by Los Angeles Rojos, who headlined Night 2 of the Festival.

In the old traditions of Kalistani film Making, Republican Studios has now completed a Concert Film of their tour in late 4882 into 4883. The movie covers the band's visit, culminating in the Kaliburg Show(s) and is composed of archival footage filmed contemporaneously to their visit.

Following the Los Angeles Rojos the entire tour was a film crew under the direction of amateur film maker and music journalist Henry Cienfuegos, who ordered his crew to take as much footage as the band felt comfortable with. "The musicians were true professionals," said Cienfuegos. "They often sat with me for brief little 5 minute sessions and when they were too tired from singing or wanted time off they told me to go away. We had a really good relationship the entire tour, and after only a short time, my camera crew and I vanished into the background of all the work and fuss going on around this tour. But whenever something big happened, someone from the band would always come looking for me to tell me about the event and usually bring me in to film it and the band's reaction..."

Cienfuegos acknowledged the hard work put in by the Band while they toured the country. "You know, every night after a show, they would have a meeting that would discuss where they were scheduled to play the next day. Sometimes they would get on a train that night, and there would always be a crowd waiting there. Each of them would sign maybe five autographs, shake a few hands, smile and wave and then they just got on the train... its all they had energy for. But the next morning, they were all awake early, doing radio interviews, doing sound checks, spending maybe an hour in makeup for the performance. Throughout the entire time, as exhausting as that routine was for them, they seemed to get energy from the crowd to fully power their show, and then it would be a grind again."

But Cienfuegos also reported that the band had lots of fun while in Kalistan. "There were so many times when the band was invited to someone's house for supper or something... And sometimes they would be able to accept, and then you saw their really fun, not-musician sides come out. When they were not working, you could tell that they just loved life and they were so happy to be able to do what they do. They talked a lot about their long careers and how it was nice to get the recognition they deserve, and to move into Markets that they hadn't had access to before FOMAT. But they would also talk about soccer, or politics, or strange things they had seen in Kalistan. You know, nothing was off limits."

In April of this year, Cienfuegos was brought into Republican Studios, where he was informed that they wanted to do a biopic about the Los Angeles Rojos. "I was the one with the most experience, probably in the whole Republic," said Cienfuegos, "and I think they wanted to hire me on as a consultant. So I basically said, 'Look, I got all this footage from their tour, with full access. Why not let me make your movie FOR you and make it a concert film instead, with highlights from the tour between songs?' I had never made a movie pitch before, and that was probably one of the worst pitches, but you should have seen those heads perk up at the suggestion." Cienfuegos was briefly excused and then when he was brought back in the Studio execs told him they loved his idea, and he could have whatever he needed to make the movie.

"Wow, my first greenlight!" said Cienfuegos. He did the paperwork and within a week was cutting film in painstaking process, hiring editors and processors, and joining the film makers' guild. "My life went to 0 to like 500 overnight," said Cienfuegos, who worked nonstop to create a first edit of the program. "The my editor, Dalia Veronika Gambol came in and said something like 'Henry, this movie is 4 and a half hours long. Do you know anything about the art of film making?' I looked at her and said 'Well I like to think I do!' and she just shook her head and asked me if she could work on a copy of the proof and we could compare." Over the next two weeks, Cienfuegos waited for Gambol to produce a new draft of the finished product, which came in at just over two hours.

"I was like 'Dalia, where is all this other stuff?' Where is the footage of how trying and hard this tour was?' She laughed and said 'Henry, trust me, alright? NOBODY wants to see Tomas brushing his teeth or Juana talking about hemorrhoids, not in Vrassan and not in Egelian. I guarantee it: they don't want that stuff in the movie either.' I reluctantly agreed to sleep on it, and went home. As I myself was brushing my teeth, in my undershirt and drawls that night, I thought, "God, she's right. It may humanize this group of superstars maybe even too much. We want to keep some mystique'. And she left enough of the humanizing stuff in the film, like them playing with the kids of some of their hosts during an off night, or the stress that caused a lot of tears some nights, that puts that human struggle of joy and pain in the context of this mind numbing and grueling tour."

The Footage from the newly edited version culminates not in them leaving the Republic after the last show, but in their historic performance in Kaliburg in February at the end of the tour. Songs from that show are interspliced throughout all the footage, and the movie increasingly focuses on the show, while presenting the tour as a progression to this show. Finally, the last three numbers of the show, shot with multiple cameras, are played in full, including their hits "Yo Te Quiero a Ti" which they won FOMAT with, followed by "Mis Sentimientos" featuring the singer Soledad and for the Grand Finale of the Concert, their smash hit "El Liston" which is probably one of their most popular tunes in the Republic. The closing credits roll over the wild cheers of the crowd.

"I discovered that I really really liked the finale of that show. It all built to this. Dalia really presented a compelling story, even though the film itself was a montage more or less. We had excellent cinematography at that final show, and the sound in that Theater was amazing, of course. But Dalia brought the story of the tour to life. I owe so much to her, and give her the credit for that, storytelling through editing."

"Los Angeles Rojos: Kaliburg En Vivo!" will be premiered in September of this year in Kaliburg. For the event, the Studio has invited various public officials from Republica Gaduri, including the nation's President and Prime Minister, as well as their minister of culture up for the Premier. "We have also invited Los Angeles Rojos up too, and hope sincerely that they will attend: I know the fans of the band and those who come to see the movie will love the opportunity to watch this movie with this very popular and influential band." said Cienfuegos. "We have also worked out a deal with the Band where they will earn perpetually from the sale and performance of this movie at a standard music royalties rate, plus acting scale residuals that are common for all Kalistani actors. The music royalties will be managed by LTD Records, and movie royalties will be handled via Republican Studios. Given that the movie cost the Studio almost no money at all to make, and minimal costs in printing, the majority of the profits can and should go to the band for making the movie possible in the first place."

The Republic has procured a clip from the program and from that landmark concert, and it has been released by the Studio, who hopes that if you like this sample, you will come to see the whole movie. "Though, the saved the best performances for the movie itself," said Cienfuegos with a smile

[Doc]

La Sol Wins FOMAT
Singer's Career goes Stratospheric
Kaliburg, Ananto
July 7, 4888


La Sol, the newly crowned Queen of Kalistani Pop wins FOMAT X with a Perfect Score of 50, Returns home to Massive celebrity

La Sol is on her way to being the greatest star in the constellation of Kalistani Musicians with her victory at FOMAT X. "We have brought the crown back to Kalistan!" she said as she debarked the plane to tends of thousands of her fans who were assembled at Kaliburg International Airport.

"I was just hoping to even get a glimpse of her," said one young fan. "What an honor, what a symbol of National Pride!" La Sol becomes the Third Kalistani winner of the international music contest, joining Madysin Shakespeare, who won FOMAT II and D'ante and the Revolutionaries, who won FOMAT 5. For Kalistan, this means, in the 6 contests Kalistan has competed, they have won half of them.

"We are so proud of La Sol! She is a national star already and to add this great honor on top of it. La Sol has now surpassed her peers and has entered superstardom, said KRTVN Radio 6 DJ Edward Guttierez. "We have already decided to dedicate a whole week to playing her music, with contests all leading to the grand prize of winning a meeting with La Sol along with your friends, and being on the radio together."

For La Sol's part she was glad that the show was finished. "I just got off the GanJam and then we had to get read for the FOMAT. But I was ready, and when I got there Gaduri people were so welcoming. I got to tour the whole country and got to meet hundreds of people, who treated me like I had already won the contest. I guess they knew who I was down here! It really made my stay here so much easier, and I went into the show rested and nonstressed. I could really feel the fans carrying me. And then, I slept for two days," she said with a laugh.

La Sol will take a few weeks off work, and then she plans to return to the studio to record her 7th full LP. "We're gonna try to do something a little different," said La Sol, who described this project as sort of a Reggae in Egelian effort. "This record is going to feature a lot of dub and roots musicians, and we're just gonna have a chill experience, smoke some good herbs, and just lay down some good tracks. People have been pushing me to do dance tracks for so long, that I'd like to try something different."

The new record, which will be released on LTD, has already begun to attract notice. Both La Sol and LTD have agreed to release early tracks as singles to keep the attention on the Singer. "I am happy that I don't really have to work anymore, and can now begin to do things which aren't guaranteed to be commercial successes. I can really spread my wings a bit and fly around, rather than worrying so much about whether this or that is going to hurt my career." Indeed La Sol could retire now, in her early 30s and she will have already had one of the most successful careers of any musician in her genre, and in popular music.

No matter what, with the FOMAT win, La Sol's life in Kalistan will change forever. She is officially a contender for the Global Music Hall of Fame, a topic which will be revisited when she nears retirement from the profession. And meanwhile, we want to join the rest of the nation in welcoming home our champion, who competed successfully against excellent musicians from around the world. Congratulations to La Sol.

Attention now shifts to Kalistan's Global Music Hall of Fame once more as FOMAT XI will be held in Kalistan in 3 Years. "A FOMAT committee is being formed, and we will make an official invitation to the world," said Committee spokeswoman Jeanette Larson. "The committee we are looking at is made of executive event planners, music industry people and local officials from around Luxon. We will select a three person judging pannel and will formalize a judging method. Then we need to retrofit the GMHoF to accomodate the more than 35,000 person crowd we will expect for the show, as well as locking on accommodations and so forth. We haven't done a FOMAT since Madysin was the reigning champion, so there is a lot we have to relearn."

[colonelvesica]

Carter Records & Lexington Entertainment to Team up with ARC for Distribution of FOMAT-XI, Hutorian Band, the Gang to Spend Time in Kalistan Before, During and After FOMAT-XI