Kalistan

[Doc]

Kalistan welcomes Hutori's The Gang
Band seeks to soak up Republican Music Scene, immediately invited onto Music 7
Kaliburg, Ananto
February 1, 4890


The Gang performs on Highly Rated Nightly Show, on KRTVN TV 7

Hutori surf punk band The Gang, who finished second at FOMAT X in Gaduridos arrived in Kalistan recently, with the intent to visit and tour Kalistan and experience all the variety in the Kalistani Music Scene. The band is expected to remain in Kalistan for "some time" though their stay is reportedly indefinite. The Gang said "We want to see the Kalistani Rock Scene in its fullest. For rock musicians, this is like a pilgrimage, and we are the pilgrims."

Upon learning that The Gang was in Kalistan and would be here for some time, representatives from KRTVN TV 7, now referring to itself as M7, stated that it asked the Hutori band to perform on its famous late night all music show, "The Nightly Show- With Dave Spellerman". The group agreed and played a short set for the live audience, which turned out to be one of the most highly rated episodes in the program's 4 year history. "I mean, these guys were literally just off the plane in Kaliburg, and someone tipped us off that they were coming in, so we all went down there," said producer and show booker Bobbi Greene. "And we just asked them. They kinda laughed and asked us if we were serious. 'Yeah, Spellerman wants to meet you guys.' I said to them. So I think they decided to just humor us and walked with us downtown. It was a long walk but they said they wanted to stretch their legs. Then they got to the studio, and I think they were actually rather surprised that 1) we actually had a show, 2) it was actually quite famous in the the Republic, and 3) we actually had to push back Jenny Huerta to put these guys on."

The in studio performance, which was recorded around 3:00 in the afternoon, in front of about 600 fans who had come to hear Jenny Huerta, went off very well. The disappointment of Huerta's fans melted as The Gang played their FOMAT entry, which is well known in Kalistan, "Rock Stars", following it up with other favorites like "Early Morning" and "Just want all of you Baby" before breaking into a brand new song, which they decided to premier on Kalistani TV: "Hiking Cross The Sun." "We were inspired to write this after we met La Sol at FOMAT," said The Gang's Lead Singer Kevin Budnig. "We hung out a lot in Gaduridos, so we figured we'd write a song that included a bunch of inside jokes." The song refers to hippies, and smoking herb, and apparently refers to some of the odder sights the band and the Kalistani singer saw at FOMAT.

After the mini-set, The Gang was interviewed by Spellerman. "Bobbi, the producer told us that Spellerman only interviews the band if he really likes them," said Bugnig. "It was pretty cool that he came up and interviewed us. And we had no idea that what we thought was some little show, with like 600 people in it was being watched by something like 10 million Kalistani's that night." By the next day, promoters from across the country were trying to book time with them to have them come do concerts from the Yoshimi Valley to Eveari in Ananto. "We turned down most of them," said Budnig. "We're here as tourists. We want to see the shows, not be in them. but I think we agreed to a couple little shows on the bill with Brown Paper Bag, I think, and something else, in like Sulari or something." The Gang said the shows they are looking forward to are the La Sol show this summer, and some of the RF shows. "Yeah, we might visit the Clubs," said Budnig, "But just visit them, of course. Its a different experience from what is in Hutori. We've only been here a couple days and have already seen some real wild sh--."

The Gang's stay in Kalistan is expected to be at least several months, but they might just stay until FOMAT XI. "Yeah, we'd really like to see our friend [La Sol] open the show and at that time, that will be the hottest ticket in the world." The Gang is also expected to go check out ARC records while they are in the Republic. "We want to see how they do things, you know kinda get some ideas, especially how they pay their artists on the backend and everything..."

Kalistan welcomes The Gang, because, though Kalistan is a nation that is almost lousy with musicians, the one thing the Republic needs more of is foreign musicians coming and visiting the Republic. "Fans go nuts for things that sound different and interesting," said Greene. "Anywhere these guys go, they're welcomed. Kalistanis treat visiting musicians, especially ones that did so well at FOMAT and other major international events, like kings. It was that way when Erica Secord came down here at the beginning of the century to record with us. It was that way when Los Angeles Rojos came up from Gaduridos, and for The Gang it will likely be no different."

The Gang Performs "Hiking Cross the Sun" on The Nightly Show, on M7

[Doc]

Griselda Diaz and Hola Unicorn! records first album with LTD
Hola Unicorn! Brings KME to Alternative
Sulari, Suldanor
February 15, 4890


Hola Unicorn!, the Gaduri Alternative and Electronica band fronted by singer Griselda Diaz, records their first album in Sulari for LTD

Griselda Diaz, the Gaduri singer who was a featured singer with the Los Angeles Rojos at Gan Jam 4886, has returned to the Republic to record her first record with her Alternative Rock band Hola Unicorn!. The lyrics will all be in Egelian, and as such, represnts the first serious extension of the Egelian language into the Alternative music scene since KME came alive in the Republic nearly a decade ago.

"Queríamos hacer un disco que capturara el sonido de la alternativa kalistaní, pero con un toque de Gaduri," said Diaz. "Era natural que quisiéramos volver a Kalistan para grabar este disco." Following the 4886 GanJam, Diaz began working out a deal with La Tienda Discos Records to record an alternative album in the Republic, but initial deals fell through when Diaz herself felt that she couldn't make the record as a solo singer. "Así que armé a mi banda, hicimos algunos shows en Gaduridos, obtuvimos nuestra confianza y luego, cuando estábamos listos para empezar, LTD dijo que estaban listos para grabarnos."

The Singer and her new band, Hola Unicorn! returned to Kalistan in late 4889 to record their first record, "Toda la Noche" The record combines the bass and guitars with keyboards and cavernous production to produce a solidly Alternative Record. "The best thing about this record," said promoter Gail Montange, "is that is is really the first record slated for major distribution which takes a solidly Kalistani alternative sound, on the one hand and pairs with with a Gaduri Band, singing in Egelian. We usually find a lot of Egelian in dance music, and of course we do import a lot of music from Gaduridos which does very well in the Republic. But this is the first time a Gaduri artist has done a record that falls solidly into the more Kalistani production and instrumentation styles of music."

The band insisted on using all Kalistani technical personnel on the record. Said Diaz, "Queríamos ese sonido que está asociado con la radio Kalistani, pero no pensamos que pudiéramos hacer ese disco en Gaduridos, porque tienen una forma casi diferente de hacer discos allí. Por eso era tan importante para nosotros venir aquí para hacer este disco. Si lo hubiéramos hecho en Gaduridos, tendría una textura y un sonido muy diferentes." The texture she referred to has to do with a lot of the production choices made in mastering. "We worked with a lot of overdubs and echo effects on this record to make it kind of dreamy, but still had that driving bass which is associated with the Gaduri roots," said Montange. "She even brought that up forward a bit, just to say, kinda, "We're just doing something a little different."

The result is a 13 song LP which clocks in at just over 42 minutes. The songs range from fizzy guitars and distorted synths, with a solid driving bass rhythm on "Cuando la mente se va" to a more dance oriented electronica which has a heavily flanged guitar backing up and providing highlights for the keyboards in the lead single "Sabes que Te Quiero." the subject matter of the songs deals with emotions, love, resistance to the pressure to conform, and even the feeling of being lost at your own Party. "A veces solo necesitas esconderte en tu propio baño," says one of the lines in the song "Perdido a plena vista". "En general, este disco es un álbum conceptual," said Diaz. "Se supone que describe la variedad de emociones y, como la euforia, la depresión y etcétera, que las personas pueden experimentar en el transcurso de tan solo 24 horas."

It is far different from her work with Los Angeles Rojos a few years ago, when Diaz showed up with the Gaduri band at GanJam. But it does tap into a Kalistani Electronica and Alternative sound, and brings a whole new language to the genres, which themselves have largely, for some reason, not been very attractive to Musica Egelian artists. "Quiero decir, para mí," said Diaz, "KME es la música para bailar, divertirse, y disfrutar de la vida. No cantan mucho sobre las emociones más oscuras y, en general, cuando no tienen ganas de bailar. Pero a veces, eso es solo un hecho de la vida y lo aceptamos en nuestra música."

Hola Unicorn!'s album, "Toda la Noche" was released today on LTD records, and is currently in heavy rotation on Radio 1, making Hola Unicorn! the first Egelian language band to break big on the Flagship Republican Radio Station.

Hola Unicorn! recording tracks for their record "Toda la Noche" at LTD Studio in Sulari in Novemeber

[robmark0000]

Major Investments In Kalistan, Profits Are Expected

The Liberal Economist Is A Libertarian Newspaper Focusing On Domestic And Foreign Economics



LTG To Operate Joint Venture With Kalistan Investors

The Liberal Economist Is A Libertarian Newspaper Focusing On Domestic And Foreign Economics

[Doc]

Major Earthquake strikes Kaliburg
More than 5600 unaccounted for, Premier feared dead
Kaliburg, Ananto
March 7, 4892


Major earthquake impacts housing district near Revolution Plaza, Damage to Infrastructure said to be "complete"

"It looks like a bomb went off down here... its just unbelievable..." said a breathless and incredulous fire chief. Albert Donnelson responding to his seventh natural gas explosion in as many hours in Kaliburg's Imperial City neighborhood. "We have whole blocks just utterly destroyed." The explosions were secondary effects of a major earthquake on a long dormant cadet faultline that runs close to Devon Bay, and is responsible for its deep water characteristics. The earthquake measured 7.8 struck at 4:38 AM, KST, and was centered 3 miles off shore in the Ananto Strait. The depth of the quake has been estimated to be about a quarter mile deep in the earth, and was felt as far away as Gendaris, on the mainland. Tsunami warnings were initially issued for the entire Republic coast along the Ananto Strait, and have just been cancelled without incident.

Unfortunately, downtown Kaliburg was not so lucky. Suffering the brunt of the quake, the Capital City experienced severe damage, and has been suffering aftershocks for the better part of two days now. All electricity and heating services are damaged, and losses to human life are estimated to be catastrophic. The quake struck at while most of the capital slept and as a result, in neighborhoods destroyed by the quake, the death toll was elevated.

"We estimate that close to 6,000 residents of our city are either trapped in debris, or are dead," said CIty spokeswoman Darren Kelsy James. "It is the belief of the Crisis Management team that one of the missing residents is the Premier of the Republic Marguerite Beloit." Her neighborhood, the middleclass neighborhood called Imperial City, known for its revitalized and stylish rowhousing and steep inclines, was among the hardest hit neighborhoods and nearly than 90 percent of the single family homes in that neighborhood have been utterly destroyed. "It is not yet safe for rescue workers to enter the neighborhood too far to begin looking for survivors, especially given the utter destruction of the infrastructure and the periodic secondary gas explosions from underground pipes damaged by the quake," said James.

The City estimates that it will be three more days before enough of the gas mains can be closed to prevent loss of life of the rescue workers. "I've never seen anything like this," Said Fire Company 82 Chief Josephine Fernandez. "I have had to hold back some of my guys, just because if they go in there, it is a high probability that they too will die. Fires rage unchecked in parts of the town which are absolutely inaccessible by our trucks, and the best we can hope for is to find some survivors in this rubble."

For her part, the Premier has not been seen since the evening before the earthquake, and aerial reconnaissance showed houses near the wreckage that used to be the Premier's house burning unchecked. "We have not had contact with the Premier for more than two days, said Spokeswoman James, "and while we are hoping that she somehow survived the destruction... well, we'll just leave it at that." The Premier, who has served as the head of Government for more than a decade now, oversaw the restoration of the Socialist Party to dominance in Kalistan, revitalizing the economy, the culture, and the military.


Premier Marguerite Beloit, photographed Last month, now feared to be among the dead in mostly destroyed Imperial City, Kaliburg

The National Assembly building, and many other public buildings down town were heavily damaged in the quake, and both the Davon Sea Dunes National Park, Port Davon, and Kaliburg International Airport suffered significant damage. The Airport is down to one single runway, and its use has been limited to emergency use only. Those seeking to leave the Capital are advised to fly from Luxon, or from Dulnerstaad, and the National Ferry has begun taking people from Ananto to the mainland already, but has limited the number of vehicles which may board. "The last thing we want is for people to crowd the streets to get to the Port when the port itself is do messed up," said Spokeswoman James.

Power in the capital remains out for about 86% of customers, which doesn't pose much of a problem during the day, when temps will reach 65 during the day, but at night, without the ability to heat the homes, 45 degree overnights forecasted for the next week could pose a problem for some of the elderly and infirm. All people who do not need to remain in the capital have been advised to leave the capital and stay outside the region, and stay tuned to further updates with regard to developments.

Local amateur radio and shortwave stations have begun operating from emergency generators in other parts of the Republic, and aiming their propagation at the capital for those who have access to batter Shortwave radios. These stations have begun serving as information channels, where spokespeople from various emergency services will contact the radio operator, who will then broadcast updates. As the use of shortwave radio is someone common in the Republic, those with battery operated radios are advised to keep their dials tuned to the Kalistani channels for information and instructions.

Details of the damage and destruction are sketchy at this moment, and The Republic will do its part to keep the world apprised of the situation in Kaliburg, from our bureau in Eveari, and our reporters on the ground in the capital. Please stay tuned to this developing situation.

[Doc]

Kaliburg completes damage assessment following quake
Official Death toll reaches 6400 in Capital, K11.2 Bn in damage
Kaliburg, Ananto
March 16, 4892


Fires rages across residential areas in Kaliburg and Port Devon areas for a week following quake

The aftermath of the Kaliburg Earthquake are still felt across the capital. This home of more than 7 million people has become a ghost town as most residents have opted to evacuate the capital for other parts of the Republic as emergency services, damage assessment teams and the Socialist Party's Militia have taken control of the streets. The President of the Republic, Reynaldo Carrangus, has declared a State of Emergency, and has activated additional resources from other parts of the Republic to come to Kaliburg and begin the cleanup.

"Today, we begin to rebuild Kaliburg," said President Carrangus. "It will be a long and arduous process, and for those displaced by this disaster, we know it will seem like an eternity, but we wish to report that aerial reconnaissance shows that we have taken our first steps toward moving forward. The fires which have raged unchecked in our residential areas and our commercial zones for a week now seem to be buring themselves out, and the firefighters, working tirelessly to contain them and prevent them from spreading have gained the upper hand over the blazes. We are now in the process of extinguishing the last major hot spots and will finally begin to search for survivors in earnest over the entire city, by, I think they said, this afternoon..."

Early search and rescue teams, accompanied by highly trained sniffer dogs, who are trained to find people stranded in high altitudes in Neveras, have been brought to the capital to help aid the rescue team's in their work in finding survivors. The dogs have a keener sense of smell and hearing than the people do and serve to amplify calls for help, or to identify spots where the victims did not survive. One such location was the home of a young man, Abdul Khan, in the Zappa City District north of the Port was partially destroyed when an overpass of the spur of the National Highway which runs into Kaliburg collapsed. The other residents of the house escaped unharmed, but it seems that the overpass caught the man's bedroom, utterly flattening him and everything immediately around him.

Another loss to the Republic has been the Premier. Her home is in a badly burned section of Imperial City where structural damage provided kindling for unchecked fires for more than 5 days following the quake. While the Premier's house was not itself burned, it was collapsed by a nearby natural gas explosion following the earth quake itself, and it is more than likely that the home was previously either weakened or demolished by the earthquake. A spotter dog was able to locate the mortal remains of the Premier, who died in her home with her husband and toddler son. The Republic will schedule a day of mourning for the Lost Premier next week, and all Republican Flags will fly at half mast to honor the more than 6400 confirmed dead in the Nation's Capital.

As Kaliburg begins to recover, there were reports earlier this week of a tsunami caused by the quake striking out as far as Keris, hitting the Dolgavan coastline and wiping out several low lying villages. Kalistani officials sought to reach out to the Dolgavans to ask if there was any way Kalistan could lighten the burden of this country who now shares our tragedy. "Given our location and the fact that we are going into the rainy, but warmish Spring months, we have a lot of emergency aid which would not be appropriate for Kalistan which may be offered to Dolgava. We now share a bond of mutual suffering, and I think with mutual aid, we can persevere together," said President Carrangus. There has been no word just yet on whether Dolgava will require or accept any Kalistani aid for their Tsunami victims.

"We have also gotten offers of support from Lodamun so far, and we are attempting to work out the details of how this aid would be delivered and what it would consist of," said President Carrangus. "It is still very early in the process, and we are going to be cleaning up for a long time." The President said the Republic will focus primarily on reconstruction assistance, and will disincentivize resettlement. "We eventually want our people to return home," said the President.

The migration of refugees from the City while clean up begins has begun to wane now that most people who do not need to stay in the capital, either because they are essential to recovery, or have no where else to go, have left. "The Capital City, like most large cities, has a moderate problem with homelessness and joblessness. The Republican Service Program has gone around and attempted to locate these individuals who are stuck here in Capital and cannot leave, and have invited them to join the clean up efforts across the Capital. We have enlisted more than 5000 people to assist with search and rescue and damage assessment teams, and as a result, our manpower resources in identifying and assessing needs on a block by block basis is well met."

To help maintain security in the capital, the Socialist Party's Militia has been brought into town, and has established security bivouacs in some of the worst hit neighborhoods. "The Militia camps exist as patrol bases," said the President. "Since police and fire resources are stressed by this catastrophe, the Militia is here to fill in as an auxiliary. They do not have the power to arrest or detain, but they do have the power to patrol along with teams in other capacities, discourage looting and other sorts of crime by presence, and generally give those workers who are trying to start the work of recovery security to know that they can continue their work in all conditions." The Militia has also been stationed in other areas as well across the capital to serve as patrol units, reporting crimes in less damaged neighborhoods to police units.

Power is still mainly provided by portable generators, which are a blessing for most, but a curse for some. One of the buildings in Zappa City that was utterly demolished by the quake was the operations facilities of KRTVN TV 7, known as M7, the station that plays music videos, has music related talk shows, and has a popular morning and evening show which broadcasts throughout the Republic. When the Quake hit, M7 was playing Tonya X's 4887 video for "Bouncin", a thick bass RF track that scored some moderate success at the peak of KME in the Republic. Unfortunately, those watching the station at the time, in this early morning hour, noticed that following the end of the video, it began again. KRTVN reps have worked out the likely reason for the issue: Apparently, the station programmer who was putting the day's programming into the computer, was preparing to execute a new manifest, when the earthquake hit, causing the building to collapse on top of the engineer. The demolished building, however, powered by an external generator, which is, itself geothermicly powered, continued to operate and broadcast the Tonya X video, having no new instructions to execute.

"Seriously," said one viewer in Vrassa City, "I'm sorry for what happened in Kaliburg, but that video has got to go. It has been on a loop for like a week solid now, nothing but that video of Tonya X." The area around the M7 studios was so badly damaged that the building has not been able to be reached yet. "We hope to reslove the problem within a few days," said KRTVN, "but let's face it: A music video studio with a destroyed Shoutcast computer is certainly a lower priority than rescuing people. If you do not like the Tonya X video, we would suggest you simply avoid watching the station." Meanwhile, Tonya X has easily captured the Republican Record for most consecutive plays of the song, playing more than 3800 times since the earthquake hit nine days ago.

Almost as if to take people's mind off of the Tonya X situation, a local Rapper, Idris Olofuote, who is the Kalistani son of Ntoto immigrants to the Republic, said he is organizing a benefit concert for the Capital. "We're working with the GMHoF to get the show played there, so that we can raise some money for relief," said Olofuote. "So far we got La Sol to play, and we got some other hip hop acts too, and I think Brown Paper Bag, who was really happy to play the concert, have all signed on. Oh and also, The Gang is going to play, they were the first ones to be like 'Yo whatever you need man,' when they first heard about the show. We want to make it the Sound of Kalistan, to let everyone know we are all together, and all want to support the relief efforts for the Capital. But the show is going to be dope."


Up and coming underground MC, Idris Olofuote, organizing a Benefit for the Capital concert for late March

Olofuote, an underground MC from Lolla in Kaliburg said his neighborhood is still largely in tact. "You look at a lot of these neighborhoods, especially in the old City, and they look like God just took a wrecking ball to the place. And then there are other neighborhoods like mine, who were shaken and some windows were broken, but its almost like we weren't hit nearly as hard. So we're gonna band together with as many awesome musicians as we can get and do this relief show and open up phones for donations and broadcast it all over the world!" Olofuote said he is working out the final details on the show logistics. "We are aiming for last week of March, so we can start collecting this money and getting it to the National Service Program to help rebuild," said Olofuote.

Recovery efforts are just beginning in the capital, and it may be years before all things are fully restored.

[Doc]

Benefit for the Capital Concert a resounding success
Show broadcast on KRTVN 1, M7 finally taken off air for repairs
Luxon Ananto
March 31, 4892


Show Organizer Idris Olofuote and fellow MC Goldie at the Benefit for the Capital

Earthquake philanthropy was on full display at last night's "Benefit for the Capital" Concert from the Global Music Hall of Fame. Idris Olofuote, a Kaliburg MC who organized the concert reported astounding success. "We made more money than God, Last night!" the MC reported. "I am proud to report that thanks to the generosity of the people of Kalistan and the whole mutha f--kin world! we brought in more than 75 Million Rubles in pledged donations! It is literally more money than we know what to do with."

An estimated audience of 13 million Kalistanis alone, and an uncounted number of foreign viewers on KRTVN's satellite and Internet feeds watched the program and emptied their pockets for the relief of the victims of the earthquake. Olofuote reported that the money was to be donated to both public and private relief agencies currently working with earthquake reconstruction and temporary resettlement.


Hola Unicorn! opens the "Benefit for the Capital" with their song "Peeps"

"For like 2 minutes, I was one of the richest dudes in all of Kalistan!" Olofuote joked. "It's all now committed out, now. We gave most of it to the National Service Program, to bring the Homeless work programs fully under their umbrella. The rest went to the Friends Relief Committees in Ananto, who will work with District Governments I found the Brethren to be the group that held the lowest overhead on their charity and relief efforts: they have excellent connections with local groups to get people temporary housing and income maintenance for displaced families."

The Olofuote added, "And you know, the show was about the money, but the show was dope as F--K!"

The show, MCd by Olofuote featured full sets from 8 major bands. Sets were from Hutoris in Residence The Gang, Indie rockers Brown Paper Bag, hip hop crew Dopeset, Kalistani Pop Icon La Sol, the Gaduri band Hola Unicorn!, Kaliburg Prog Metal Hourglass, The RF Funk quintet Dave and the Drugs and Olofuote and MC Goldie. The music lasted almost ten hours, starting at around 3 Pm and going until after midnight, with Olofuote and Goldie closing the show. The show itself, most recently site of the International Music Festival FOMAT XI, was sold out within three minutes of tickets going on sale, all money going into Earthquake relief.


Tonya X, whose song "Bouncin" recently played more than 9000 times on M7 solicits Donation at the Benefit

It also featured guest appearances from a constellation of Kalistani personalities, some of them very famous but many of them either locally known or entirely unknown. Among the more well known people making appeals for donations was Tonya X, who's song "Bouncin" recently broadcasted a total of 9257 times overall since the earthquake on the malfunctioning M7 TV station before the station was finally disconnected from its power source late on the 28th, appeared before the crowd, who greeted her with laughs, and a mix of sarcastic cheering and a chorus of jeers.

The opening bassline of "Bouncin" began playing and Tonya X raised the mic to her mouth and said a single "Bouncin" and then the music cut off and the crowd, realizing the joke, roared a thunderous applause. "I am happy to report that M7 is off air now," she said, "and the reign of Bouncin is over!" The crowd showed their good spirit, with another thunderous applause, and Tonya X bowed before making one of the most successful pitches for donations of the night. "Donate money, or I'll ask them to reconnect M7!" The crowd joined a unanimous laugh, Tonya X acknowledged the mirth, smiled, waved and walked off stage to another round of tremendous applause.


The time period when Hutori's The Gang played drew the largest amount of Donations, and closed at around 10 pm

The Clerk of the Kalistani Yearly Meeting Rachel Yardley spoke before the crowd as well, asking everyone to maintain a minute of silence and reflect on the ones lost in the earthquake. A final total of the dead was settled at 7204 in Kaliburg. The Clerk maintained the minute of silence for more than two minutes and broke the silence with "And now, "Friends, please, if you are led to do so, please donate to the relief effort, and I want to thank Mr. Olofuote for letting me speak to you." The appeal was particularly poignant for a nation which is still predominantly Brethrenist.

Olofuote appeared several times during the show to hype the effort to raise money and announce when new bands were about to appear. Since his announcement of the Concert, he has become the best known public face of the relief effort in Kalistan, playing a number of shows and donating all the profits from his streaming and performing. "I mean, this country gave my family so much, and the Premier, she meant the world to my mother. I am sad that she died, so maybe we can continue her work through doing what we love and do best, you know?" Since the earth quake, Olofuote's tireless work for relief has propelled him to the Top five in record sales and made him a household name among Kalistan's Youth.

Now that the Benefit for the Capital is in the books, relief efforts continue across the Republic, as foreign assistance will now begin flooding into Kaliburg and the overwhelming work of clearing several square miles of debris shifts into High gear.

[jamescfm]

Jafarnejad rallies Seleyan support for Kaliburg in response to devastating earthquake

[Doc]

Kaliburg slowly recovers; International Aid pours in
Priority is homes, but National Assembly restored and elections are held on schedule
Kaliburg, Ananto
February 9, 4893


The National Assembly in Downtown Kaliburg completed repairs in time for General Election

nearly a year after a devastating Earthquake leveled huge sections of the Capital city of Kaliburg, the Republic reports that they are on track with recovery, have restored vital services and infrastructure to most parts of the city, and have restored public buildings. The National Assembly, which was severely damaged in the Quake has been restored and is now in operation once more, allowing the Government of Kalistan to meet once more in the capital. The International Airport has been reopened for commercial passenger traffic, and facilities at Port Davon are 65 percent operational, said National Service Program Restoration Team spokeswoman Dani Allen.

"We have split our work into two segments," explained Allen. "By far the majority of the assets have been dedicated to cleaning out the demolition in the neighborhoods of Imperial City, Zappa City, and Ellysia. By the time we had a handle on the fires and the damage last spring, we realized that we had grossly underestimated the damage to structures in those neighborhoods. It was then that we put out the call for heavy machinery and building materials from our friends in the international community rather than traditional forms of crisis relief, like money and food. And we would like to thank both the member nations of the Seleyan Intergovernmental Council, who came through for us in a big way thanks to lobbying and organization from Aldegar, but also our comrades in Keymon, Lodamun for additional medical personnel and financial assistance, Liore, Endralon, Dolgava, and all other countries who quickly heeded our call for help in our time in need. When the time comes for us to repay the kindness, the Republic will not forget the kindness shown our people by our fellows in the nations of the world."

In the city of 7 million, more than 50,000 single homes were damaged to the point of uninhabitability. An additional 10,000 apartment units needed to be demolished because of the earthquake, leaving an estimated 250,000 Citizens homeless in the Republic. Application for temporary housing skyrocketed after the quake, but the issue was not as critical as planners anticipated directly after the earth quake. "We lost a lot of dwellings," said Allen. "But the public sector was lucky in that about 75 percent of the displaced were able to find temporary housing with friends and family, or had second homes outside the city. In the end, we were able to supply trailer homes for families, housing another 35,000 individuals, and for the young and able, who have found temporary housing with the National Service Program, the Bivouac sites, maintained by the Militias south of Igloo have provided a secure and warm community for the more than 20,000 individuals commuting into the cities to work on recovery alongside the NSP."

Most major demolition in the city limits was completed by late August last year, and then rebuilding in the neighborhoods began. "We wanted to ensure that the neighborhoods with the lowest median incomes were the priorities of our efforts," said Allen. "At first, the choice to focus on the poorest neighborhoods was somewhat controversial, but when we explained that those who were the lowest incomes tended to have fewer resources, and that the local economy relied on our workers being at work to provide services for the other people in the Capital, the mood softened significantly. It also helped to explain to the people that the decision had already been made, and would continue on regardless of public sentiment, and if wealthy people wanted to jump to the front of the line, they could pay to rebuild their own house at any time."


NSP construction prioritizes vertical development when across the Northern neighborhoods

When it was possible property owners were asked whether they intended to move back into single family homes, or if they would consider four and five story condominium complexes instead of houses. "As we were planning our rebuilding efforts, some of the younger comrades argued strongly for vertical development in these neighborhoods," explained Allen. "Their argument was we should not just be rebuilding homes for people, but also the communities. We would need to build not only someone's residence, but also their neighborhood stores, and shops, and services. This discussion led us to ask residents about trading the single family home for two and three bedroom condominiums. In the space where we used to house six families, we would not house twelve, and move their neighborhood services closer to them, to encourage foot traffic and to open up green spaces." In initial surveys, among those intending to return home, something like 78 percent of individuals who had lost homes said they would prefer to live in a vertically developed space, rather than return to the block after block of rowhousing which was built after the Ananto War in the 4100s.

"It will allow us to economize both services and infrastructure, as well," said Allen. "Most of the residents said they looked forward to not having a car anymore and utilizing public mass transportation, and having more green spaces in neighborhoods." By far the most enthusiastic adopters were in the densely populated Zappa City neighborhood, followed by Ellysia. Residents in Imperial City were less warm on the idea, with only 45% of residents preferring to move out of single family homes. "We can still do some vertical development in Imperial City, and open some new parks, and the residents seemed to be more interested in this." As for Davon, residents there have, for the most part decided to rebuild their neighborhoods using private contractors. "The people of Davon were emphatic that they did not want their homes, which tend to be larger and more expensive, and include land, to be rebuilt by the NSP. That's fine, I suppose: We are happy to redirect those resources to rebuilding in other neighborhoods."

The Republic, resilient as ever continued rebuilding at a feverish pace, and around the clock in all weather, through the entire winter. "It was rainy and cold," said Allen, "but our members and the working parties which we are overseeing are resilient and they are happy to be out there helping their neighbors, and in many cases their own families. We are looking forward to this summer, when our production schedule will double, and we will have four shifts a day, operating around the clock, a real assembly line process, for sure. With our current schedule, we will have all four shifts in some phase of the home building process across the city. By the end of this summer, using prefabricated techniques, as well as the additional manpower machinery lent us by our neighbors, and our own assets, we expect that all single family homes that we will be constructing in Zappa City will be completed, something close to 6500 single family homes. We will then turn the Zappa City teams to building the condo complexes. The home construction in Imperial City will take a bit longer, probably into October, but on the other hand, Ellysia should be completed in May."

As the physical landscape of Kaliburg is repaired, the emotional and political landscape still bear scars. Following the positive identification of the remains of the former Premier Marguerite Beloit, the Socialist Party named an interim Premier, Harold Phipps-Bennots. Phipps was a senior deputy from Gendaris, who was known before election as a corn farmer in Odufaray. His premiership was meant to be a caretaker premiership, while the Party scrambled to replace the influential and hardworking late Premier of the Republic. The Interim premier handled his job effectively, ensuring that reconstruction was the top priority of the Government, and proposing two pieces of legislation, one outlawing forced marriage, and the second nominating Gaduridos for Seat C in the WC. But in November, President of the Republic Carrangus announced his retirement from office, citing health concerns, and Party officials decided to put Phipps forward as the SP's candidate for the Presidency. Phipps was easily elected against the new SDP candidate, and moved to the Head of State's Office earlier this month. Meanwhile, the SP's new leader, George Jackson, the 24 year old Deputy from Yoshimi Suldanor, was acclaimed by the National Assembly, and he picked up for Phipps in the Newly reopened National Assembly.

Kalistan is recovering well, but will be rebuilding for years. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of the people of Kalistan, and the aid and assistance of our overseas friends, we have taken huge steps toward being back 100%, and we will redouble our efforts until there are no more people without homes, parks, services and reliable infrastructure. It may take longer for our Republic to recover what was lost and some of us have lost far more than can ever be replaced by the NSP's work crews. For those people, we would also like you to know that the Republic will not forget you either. Our Republic's rebuilding may not help you forget, but it will help you continue to live on and may help your wounds heal after time.

[jamescfm]

Second International Mind Sports Championships attracts international attention

[Doc]

News Briefs:
Idris Olofuote tops the Charts, Caroline Vespa brings home Go Championship
Kaliburg Recovery on schedule to be completed by June
Kaliburg, Ananto
February 26, 4894


Caroline Vespa (3d) plays a preliminary match at the International Mind Sports Championship

As Kaliburg continues its recovery of the devestating earthquake of March 7, 4892, the rest of Kalistan continues to move forward. Kalistan sent a team to compete in the Intenational Mind Sports Championship, where the Kalistani team took fifth overall. Led by Eveari Go Club Captain Caroline Vespa (3d), The Kalistani team participated in Go, which Vespa took first place in, as well as Wordplay, which Sulari teen Jose Stuart won, and Mahjong. Kalistan's competitors were all Juniors and Seniors in High School, and said that the trip to Aldegar to participate in the international games was a highlight of their young lives. Said Jenna Cuthbert, a participant in the Mahjong tournament, "I think it was about the most fun I ever had. It certainly is a different experience when you are representing your country, compared to when you are just playing for fun. Also, seeing the country of Aldegar was very exciting, and I think I would like to go back to visit sometime. I made some new friends while I was there."

Vespa's win has drawn new attention to the International Go Association, which is an association that Kalistan is a founding member of. "Clearly, at 3 Dan A, I am not like the best player in Kalistan," said Vespa, "But when the call went out for someone to represent Kalistan at the IMSC, I jumped at the chance. We had a little tournament in my club, and I won, beating even a 4 Dan, and it was such a thrill to be able to compete against such awesome players from around the world!" Membership with the Kalistani branch of the Association has increased by 56% since Vespa won the title. Kalistan is very proud of our contestants.


Wally van Paul and Idris Olofuote hit Number One with their "screwed up" Single "On God"

Since the Benefit for the Capital, life has changed for Kaliburg rapper Idris Olofuote. It is safe to say that as his song with Sulari MC Wally van Paul called "On God" hits number one on Kaliburg charts, he is no longer underground. The song, which is the second single from his ARC debut Dopalism features van Paul, who raps brings some complex multisyllabic rhyme schemes, and van Paul especially uses a specific slang from the "Screwed up" subgenre which is popular in underground clubs in and around Yoshimi particularly. "Finna need a dictionary to clock my verse," said van Paul.

Olofuote, whose career blew up following the Benefit concert that he organized and helped direct, has generally enjoyed his success to date. "You know, though," he said, "Hitting number One with Wally, that's trill right there." Olofuote is also believed to be a show in for next month's FOMAT nominating contest. "At this point, I think Idris can put anything out," said KRTVN Radio 2's Programming Manager Don de Joya, "and people will go for it. But I gotta tell you, this song that he's about to drop and which I think will probably just blow away the competition in the FOMAT contest, really is pretty dope. He's a good MC anyway, but I think what he's got in store just takes it to the HNL."

Check out Olofuote's new single, "On God," with Wally van Paul, Kalistan's new Number 1 song here

Finally, The Capital is entering the last phase of rebuilding. With a scheduled finishing date of June 10, of this year, more than 90 percent of those who were displaced by the earthquake have been able to return home. NSP program Spokeswoman, Dani Allen, who has begun to limit her updates to major landmarks from her once a month briefing schedule, has announced that all work should be completed by the expected completion date.

"We've completed major construction throughout the neighborhoods, and there are a few more apartment complexes that we are finishing now, in the Zappa City area, primarily. Zappa has been known for multi-family units, and our efforts to rebuilds required extensive engineering to prepare to make them quake resistant. So, it took a bit longer, of course than the Condo complexes and the single family homes. But we are nearing completion, and by June of this year, will have the final 4000 units across Zappa and Ellysia built and ready for re-occupancy. Additionally, we have been able to award those individuals who were previously without homes new homes of their own preferred style as a way to thank them for volunteering when the Republic needed their help most. They have been granted deeds for the property they now live in, and own their own homes outright. It is the Republic's way of showing our appreciation for their hard work and effort on behalf of others in the Capital."

As the Capital finishes the last stretch in its long road to a return to normalcy, the Republic thanks the members of the NSP, and once more thanks the International Community for its willingness to aid Kalistan and help us rebuild.