Kalistan

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FOMAT Organizing Committee says FOMAT XIX on for next year
Minimum Country Commitment Achieved after a decade of effort
Kaliburg, Ananto
May 1, 5081


Organizing Committee chairwoman Monique Xavier announces FOMAT XIX at GMHoF in Luxon

Meeting the minimum requirement for organizing a new FOMAT in Kalistan has been a tough sell over the years. Many countries boycotted the last few events of the legendary music contest, and the contest has not been held in 112 years. But FOMAT Organizing Committee Chairwoman Monique Xavier, who is currently curator of Collections at the Global Music Hall of Fame in Luxon Ananto, announced last week that more than five nations besides Kalistan had committed to sending musicians to a new FOMAT to be held in Kalistan.

"We are happy to announce that we have firm commitments from at least five nations to send music to FOMAT, and Kalistan has therefore volunteered to host the event," said Xavier at a Press Conference. "FOMAT XIX's theme is 'A New Day', and this theme, which is reflected in the Festival's official logo, aims at restarting the beloved festival to encourage music arts in the World."


FOMAT XIX Logo: "A New Day"

Xavier announced several changes to the format of the festival. "First off, we decided that the festival should be a cooperative event rather than one which features competition as its centerpiece. While that did drive the event to focus on the competition, it also lead to national boycotts, bad feelings, and diminution of the spirit of the event, which is to showcase the World's best music." In addition, the Committee announced that instead of just being one night, FOMAT XIX would be a week long festival designed to attract music fans from all over the world to get together, meet one another, and listen to music they might not always have access to. "The name is festival of musical arts. It should be a festival. And if Kalistan knows one thing, it is how to put on a huge music festival."

This festival format also fulfills one long term Kalistani ambition, which is to host an international music festival along the lines of the GanJam. "The good thing about using the FOMAT festival is that we can attract countries that do not show our attitudes on drugs to Kalistan to play music here. It is reasonable that countries should come to the center of popular music and play their music for the whole world to hear."

The week long festival will feature national pavilions where countries can showcase their national music scenes. "We hope festival goers will tour the different pavilions, learn about styles, history, and flavors of music from around the world, and listen to great bands playing." said Xavier. "Exposing everyone to the music of the world will be a benefit not only to the Kalistani music scene, but will cross pollinate and lead to sharing of music styles and palates for everyone in attendance." The pavilions will also feature vendor stalls where bands can sell their records and merchandise, and promote themselves. "And of course there will also be food," said Xavier with a laugh. The entire event will culminate in a show on the main GMHoF stage, where each country will nominate a band to perform a sample of the popular music from their country. "This will be the first time in over one hundred years artists from so many different countries shared the same stage. It is a real treat to even think of."

Committee fundraising has adequately covered the entire cost of the festival as well as the cost of transportation for the band and its road crew, as well as a plane load of fans who will travel to the event free of charge. "We also will make the entire event free admission and will provide lodging for the entire week in and around Luxon. We also encourage people to take time out from the Festival and tour Kalistan with inexpensive charter flights going from Luxon to Kaliburg and Sulari." The goal is to boost attendance, both domestic and foreign.

"We know that the show will seem kind of weird without the competition aspect," said Xavier, "But I think we have enough to do around the festival that the final event will be a nice chill way to kick back, relax and enjoy some music one final time before heading back home again. Hopefully our festival, which eschews the competition and the controversy, and relaxes rules on submission of contestants, will inspire more non-competitive FOMATS in the future, and more countries will seek to volunteer to host FOMATS in the future."

The festival is expected to draw more than 50,000 music fans from around the world.

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Los Coyotes to represent Kalistan at FOMAT XIX
KME Artists from Sulari to play their 5081 hit "Ningún Perdón"
Sulari, Suldanor
March 1, 5082


Los Coyotes, seen here overlooking Sulari at dusk, record for LTD Records, and were chosen because of their "chill sound and fun atmosphere"

Adult Contemporary KME rock band Los Coyotes has been selected to represent the Republic next month at FOMAT XIX. The group beat out seventeen other nominees to claim top honors in a listener poll held in January by KRTVN M7.

"We are happy to get the chance to represent the Republic at the festival," said lead singer and rhythm guitarist Dave Angel Cruz. "We didn't even know we were nominated until (bassist) Bobby (Verde) told us to check M7, where they were doing the poll. I was like 'What? Ain't that show for kids? But no. Looks like we won the vote. So, I guess we'll go to Luxon."

The veteran KME musicians have a dedicated and very loyal following over their more than 15 years of making music in Suldanor and Odufaray. They have more than 10 albums to their credit, and play festivals across the Republic. The song the band will be playing is featured on their most recent album La Patria which was released by LTD last year. "We sing more frequently in Vrassan, but we chose 'Ningún Perdón' because it kind of has a Gaduri sound that people can really dance to. And it is kind of reggae infused as well. It's actually a pretty catchy tune, and Kalistan is known for bringing interesting tunes to FOMAT." We really look forward to playing for an international audience."

Los Coyotes will be taking a break from their touring schedule to go to the Festival. "It's kind of a cool thing. We've played the Hall many times, of course, but this time the whole world will be watching. I definitely want to check out some of the pavillions," said Cruz. "My wife and kids will be there too. It should be a lot of fun."

FOMAT XIX will be broadcast live around the world from the Global Music Hall of Fame in Luxon, Ananto on terrestrial, satellite and internet sources on April 30 of this year.

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Kalistani Merchant Captain Marcus Creighton to Trade in Majatran Sea
Trade Mission aims to demonstrate Kalistani good will toward Majatran Nations through sales of food, clothing, ODEN products and Weaponry
Sulari, Suldanor
May 8, 5083


Veteran Sea Captain Marcus Creighton to head Kalistani Trade Mission to Majatra

The Ministry of Trade and Industry has commission Comrade Captain Marcus Creighton to sail a trade Armada to Majatra, to stop at various ports along the coast of the Majatran Sea. "We were informed that Kalistani ships sailing in the Majatran Sea would be obliterated before we made a single cent," said Creighton. "However, that was years ago and things have changed. We will sail the Majatran Sea and sell Kalistani goods at all friendly ports."

Creighton intends to fly Kalistani Colors for most of the trip, but in the event of interdiction efforts, they will reserve the option to reflag the vessels. "We don't know of any code which restricts the colors we fly in the face of hostile actors," said Creighton. The manifest that is to be sold might be considered contraband in several nations along the route, and the fleet will attempt to evade or dissuade interdiction as it sails to its trade ports.

"We expect to be carrying significant quantities of ODEN product, to set up floating markets in international waters. Since ODEN doesn't import drugs to foreign countries, we just want to bring the market closer to potential buyers." In addition to ODEN goods, the Kalistani fleet plans to bring surplus KALMILINCO products. "Deltaria finds itself at war rather frequently. Surely there are actors there who need guns, ammunition, anti aircraft shoulder fired rockets, and the like. Supply and demand is a thing." Creighton will also bring things like field rations, military clothing and boots, and is empowered to write contracts for larger shipments with individual and private actors in the region.

The Armada expects to leave later this month, and is keeping its route to Majatra largely a secret, to deter interdiction or delay, but it is believed that they will be travelling by way of the Aldegar Canal.

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Marcus Creighton's Fleet sails the Wide Majatran
Fleet Visits ports in Potensi, Barmenia, Vanuku, Kalopia, Kafuristan, Badara, Cildania, and Jelbania; heads for Solentia
Majatran Sea, Majatra
October 10, 5083


Nearly 20 ships, primarily oil tankers remain of Marcus Creighton's Fleet following successful sales in Majatra

Aiming to crack open Majatran trade for the Northern Anantonese Economic community and expose the continent to the superior quality of Kalistani Goods, the fleet that departed Kalistan earlier this year under the command of Captain and CEO Marcus Creighton has nearly completed its mission.

"We left Kalistan with hundreds of millions of rubles worth of cargo," said the now legendary Captain Creighton who is nearing the end of the fleet's journey through the Majatran Sea. "We sailed over the Northern Anantonese and Mad Dog Oceans in May, and arrived in the Majatran Sea by May 31. Luckily, we were unhindered along the way: A flotilla of more than 50 trade and supply vessels like this has never, to my knowledge been assembled on the surface of the ocean before! During the cooler months we made many stops, but spent most of our time living life on the calm Majatran Sea." Creighton bragged that the fleet flew the Kalistani Republic Colors the entire trip and did not need to reflag any of the vessels. "We were expecting some resistance to our being in the region. But. It never seemed to materialize and we passed the days and nights entirely unhindered."

During the day, Creighton's fleet would send container ships into ports of various neutral countries in the basin: Over all, elements of the fleet weighed anchor in eight different countries in the region. Licit sales were in the billions of rubles all told, as the continent was flooded with inexpensive Kalistani foodstuffs, consumer electronics like cell phones and televisions, petroleum, clothing, luxury items, pharmaceuticals, and drugs. "We sold LOTS of alcohol to this continent, as well as tons of marijuana which had been hermetically sealed in hundred pound bales designed for the long trip oversea. We sold all 25 MOCOs we had on the trip to one collector in a day. It was a feeding frenzy!" At night, the fleet was constantly servicing smaller independent trading vessels who would pull sloops, freight steamers or whatever would float up to the fleet to buy smaller lots of cargo.

"We sold thousands of rifles," said Creighton. "That continent is positively awash in Kalistani small arms which was surplus from decades of KALMILINCO production. Millions of rounds of ammunition, some of it, shall we say, past its expiration date. Who knows if it will work, but we were clear and they often got the stuff at a discount." The fleet also sold tons of the array of ODEN products from the floating marketplace. "ODEN makes it a point to not import things into countries who are not ODEN members, but there is nothing in the charter that says an enterprising sea captain such as myself can't fill up at 250 foot yacht full of cocaine and sell it to consumers out in international waters." Creighton was explicit that he is not a representative of ODEN.

Overall, Creighton sold off most of his fleet's cargo over the four months he has been at large in the Majatran Sea. "The food went first of course," said Creighton. "Then the containers, the guns, the bullets, the marijuana... all sold in good time. The most difficult to sell was oil. Primarily due to a relatively large supply locally, but also because there are not a lot of facilities around the sea which can handle it. This region is in some serious need of development: Most of the facilities we found were in pretty serious need of repair and upgrading. We were able to sell about a million barrels over the summer, which of course was good." As ships emptied, their crew returned them to Kalistan. "Most of what we have left is oil and pharmaceuticals, as well as supply and refueling ships. All told, we are down to about 20 ships, most carrying petroleum."

Creighton said his fleet's last stop will be Solentia, which he hopes to make port at by mid-Month. "We know there are sanctions placed on the Island due to their crazy politics and so forth. But we don't really pay attention to sanctions. International law won't stop an old salt like me." Creighton noted that his trip made so much money for his enterprise that he is prepared to sell the remainder of his refined petroleum stocks, which he estimates at between 2.3 and 3.4 million barrels, at below cost just to dump it on the market. "What we don't sell off in Solentia, we will return to Kalistan with and return to KALNAPECO."

Creighton said he expects to return via the Aldegar Canal. He estimates that he broke even on the venture in early July, and his profit is expected to be more than 1 billion Rubles. "Of course I will pay taxes..." said Creighton, with a wry smile. "To Kalistan." Creighton's voyage is on track to be the most immediately profitable Kalistani Corporate venture ever, in terms of earnings over time, and Marcus Creighton will certainly be long remembered and hailed as a nautical hero in the Republic and across the Anantonese Ocean.

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Kalistani Physicists develop theoretical Fusion Reactor
Use of massive magnets may someday allow Republic to generate millions of megawatts of clean energy
Kaliburg, Ananto
October 12, 5083


As Deuterium Gas, derived from seawater, is injected into a fast moving magnetic field, it forms plasma which can be used to supercompress Hydrogen Atoms, leading to creation of massive amounts of clean energy

Physicists at the Kaliburg Polytechnic University in Kaliburg have developed a theoretical fusion reactor which is many times smaller and requires significantly less energy to operate, to allow the supercompression of hydrogen atoms. Lead researcher Dr. Janice Schmidt, of Sulari, announced the breakthrough at a symposium on exploration of green energy alternatives in Kaliburg last week.

"Our team has built on the work done several centuries ago in Valruzia, Gaduridos and Jakania, which were extensions of their nuclear fission programs. The farthest along examples of their fusion programs were foundations of fusion reactors, but there was no evidence that functioning fusion reactors, especially commercially viable ones, were ever actually built. We think our breakthrough, in theory, could lead to a big change in that reality."

The theoretical reactor doesn't utilize massive magnetic buildings the way other experimental fusion reactors have, but instead is much more compact, requiring far less energy to operate. "A smaller size and smaller power requirement has the potential to make the Kalistani Reactor, when built, commercially viable, and could change the face of the planet," said Schmidt. This theoretical reactor employs columns of fast moving plasma which is pinches and compressed, will allow for the creation of conditions similar to the center or the sun, in a very compact reactor and will cause the fusion of hydrogen atoms into helium which will generate massive amounts of energy. "In theory, we could create as much energy from 8 ounces of seawater as is created by burning several barrels of oil," said Schmidt. "The idea that we could one day generate relatively infinite amounts of clean energy for next to nothing is very exciting, and we see this theoretical reactor as the first step."

The Ministry of Science has already begun investing in the project, and while the reactor is only built within a computer simulator at this point, with further significant investment, a working prototype is expected within the next six years. "The math is there, but, the technology to realize this in the real world is going to take time to develop and build. At the current rates of discovery, six years is a fairly conservative estimate." KalMD, Kalistan's leading electronics company, is also expected to invest significant capital into the project.

This discovery technically opens the door to nuclear power research, which is controversial in the Republic, but allows the Republic to avoid the highly unstable and environmentally destructive fission power which is common in other nations. "We want to ensure the public that we have also simulated breakdowns in containment and plasma fields, and the worst thing that the theoretical reactor produced was inert steam, which cooled and dissipated very quickly. Since the reaction is caused by the plasma within the containment field, sans containment field, there is no more plasma and no more reaction, and therefore, there is no possibility of an explosion or a meltdown like you would seen in currently designed fission reactors. This should allay fears of catastrophic nuclear destruction among the conscientious people of the Republic."

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Premier Announces new Green Energy Initiative
Solar Power and Wind Power to be subsidized as Republic researches Hydrogen Fusion
Kaliburg, Ananto
March 8, 5084


Premier Bjorksdattir poses for a selfie with with KalEnergy CEO Caleb Jackson at Green Energy Conferencein Kaliburg

The Republican government has put its full weight behind green and biofuel programs and looks to the passage of legislation aimed at making Kalistan a less petroleum dependent nation.

“Today I announce a new Green Energy Initiative,” said Bjorksdattir, visiting the offices of the MoET. “It is our goal to make the Republic independent of the environmentally destructive byproducts of fossil fuel use.” The occasion was a meeting of Republican Government officials, energy industry executives and investors, and environmental and science stakeholders, and was designed to generate a new sustainable focus for the Kalistani Energy sector. “We will create a two phase, multi-faceted approach to help us accomplish our strategic aim of moving away from fossil fuel consumption, not only in energy generation, but also commercial and industrial production.”

The first phases of environmentally sustainable replacement will be overseen by KALNAPECO, the national petroleum Company, who have been mandated by Government Supervisors to begin developing clean replacements for oil use in the Republic. “During phase one, we will rely on public and private investment to begin new solar and wind energy generation projects across the Republic. We also want to explore geothermal energy in Kalistan where we still have many geological hotspots as well as wave-and-tidal based generation plants. This task has been given to KALNAPECO to develop and build as an explicit replacement for Oil consumption in the Republic. Foreign investment is welcomed in this project, in research and development, as well as deployment of clean energy systems.”

The Premier announced she expects phase one should last nearly 5 years and will lead to a replacement of 50 percent of domestic oil and gas consumption. It will require massive amounts of private sector investment to get large scale photovoltaic and wind turbine centers off the ground. “We see these investments as a loan to the Republic which will be recaptured following completion.”

Phase two is even more ambitious. “While we are phasing out oil usage in our homes and factories, we will focus on research of new products, such as the theoretical fusion generator, as well as new forms of plant based plastics, electric automobiles and hydrogen based power plants for capital ships. Ultimately our goal is to phase petroleum usage out as completely as possible.” Asked what will become of KALNAPECO when the Republic no longer uses petroleum the Premier answered frankly. “Personally I must admit we may never be able to stop using petroleum completely. There will always be a role for petroleum exploitation, especially in the export market. But removing domestic demand will ease pressures on our supply, help us restore our environment, and provide for unlimited clean and cheap energy to power out cities and countryside for the next several hundred years. This is a fantastic reason to support this initiate even if you hate the environment.”

The Premier intends to couple this investment initiative with corresponding legislation in the National Assembly. The initiative begins in April.

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Grit Band Chasm takes top spot on Hard Rock Album Charts
Renewed interest in flagging genre brings spotlight back to Port Swedes
Port Swedes, Vrassa
April 18, 5084


Chasm is the first major Grit band to make it into the Album charts

Grit rockets Chasm, the mostly female hard rock band from Port Swedes, has come into their own and have revived interest in a music genre many critics took for dead.

“The grit scene has always been alive in Port Swedes,” said Chasm front woman and rhythm guitarist Kathleen Harding. “I mean. While the country turned it attention to thrash, pop punk and all that, we never stopped rocking.”

The genre, which rise to prominence nearly two hundred years ago along with the alt folk movement in Kalistan has indeed lived on in Swedes clubs, which largely resisted other trends. But a major PR push and serious fan support behind Chasm’s debut album, VDR’s “Double Daniel” is what made the difference this time around. “When VDR signed us and we recorded the new record,” said bassist Madalyn Von der Platz, “music was kind of at a lower point. There hadn’t been mush in the way of loud rock. Luckily we hit right when there weren’t many other options around.but we’ll take it.”

“Double Daniel” which is an uncertain reference, began climbing the Albums chart early this year and quickly moved into the top twenty. Critic Zara Jones said “This record expresses the rage that every 17 year old girl feels. You feel like they want things to change, they got priorities, they’re impatient. They are angry and disaffected.”

“Double Daniel” finally entered the top 5 two weeks ago and this week cracked the Number One spot, taking the title away from pop rockers Satanalist Fingernail Bamboo Torture, whose album “Flaying the Flesh” was a favorite of a small but wealthy segment of the population, many of whom bought several copies of the record to boost it’s chart position. “Double Daniel” is expected to sell internationally and songs from the album are already spinning in Radio 1.

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Kalistani Physicists overcome first practical obstacle for Fueling Fusion Reactor
New Plant to breed Tritium using plasma-Lithium reaction
Kaliburg, Ananto
October 18, 5086


Tritium breeding, a process of creating tritium for fusion reaction

A major obstacle to building a working practical fusion reactor has been overcome this week in Kaliburg. Three years ago, physicists demonstrated the theory of compact fusion in a z-pinch reactor. The physicists, building on previous knowledge that was obtained as other nations tried to build working fusion reactors, specified that the appropriate fuel for such a fusion reactor was deuterium and tritium.

Deuterium, which is a stable non radioactive hydrogen isotope with one neutron and one proton is found naturally in seawater in a proportion of 33 mg per liter of water. It is remarkably easy to separate deuterium from water to create what is known as "heavy water" where deuterium isotopes replaces hydrogen atoms in water, and can then be used to supply deuterium to the fusion reactor.

Tritium, on the other hand is incredibly rare. It is usually caused by sunlight hitting air molecules and shearing off hydrogen to create an unstable, marginally radioactive isotope with two neutrons and one proton. The isotope decays quickly, and while it is found in trace amounts in ground water, it is neither common, nor easily seperatable from regular water. As a result, acquisition of tritium has been a major limiting factor for the progress of the Kalistani Z-Pinch Fusion project.

A normal source of tritium is a nuclear fission reactor. However, Kalistan does not have one, and will not build one, due to their extremely harmful environmental potential side effects. And shipping radioactive isotopes over the sea eliminates the economic attractiveness of the entire project.

This question confounded the developers who are working on building a practical reactor in Ananto for years. "It was an amazing hurdle to overcome," said project lead Dr. Janice Schmidt. "We had no idea how to acquire the needed source of tritium reliably. If we took all the naturally occurring tritium in the world, it would power the reactor for a year. That would hardly suffice." But a breakthrough in recent months has potentially solved the problem for the reactor project. "We found that if an atom of lithium was bombarded with a neutron we could actually breed tritium, which could then cycle back into the reactor. This was a discovery made by graduate student Victor Davis, and has been confirmed in laboratory studies."

"We found that if we introduce lithium atoms into the blanket that surrounds the plasma stream which we need to contain the reaction," said Davis, "we find that loose neutrons are occasionally ejected from the plasma stream, and interact with the lithium atoms to produce the tritium. We can then feed those back into the reactor, where they combine with deuterium to create helium and various free neutrons that feed back into the plasma stream. It is a virtuous cycle which is fueled then by easily obtainable deuterium, and easily obtainable lithium, both of which are found naturally in sea water. We find then that the sea will provide all we need in the way of clean and virtually limitless energy."


Dr. Janice Schmidt, Project Lead on the Kalistani Fusion Project

The Republic has been working on building the Z-Pinch reactor for three years now. Several different designs have been hypothesized and the sheared flow plasma Z-pinch, which borrows the technology that has already been employed for other sorts of chemical processing, has been found to be not only the most compact design, but also perhaps the most efficient, in terms of energy. When built, it is believed that the energy out to energy in ratio of the Z Pinch Reactor will be greater than 1, meaning that it will produce more energy than is required to run it, and that stumbling block has prevented fusion reactors that were begun in other nations from producing energy on a commercially viable basis.

"Moving entirely off hydrocarbons is still years away," said Schmidt. "But this method of acquiring tritium in quantities that will allow us to power Kalistan for centuries puts us one major step closer to that dream."

Schmidt notes that the project is still waiting for significant external investment. "Grants from the Tech Ministry, and investment from KalMD have kept the project going for three years," said the Doctor, "But when it comes time to actually begin to build the first practical reactor, we will need a lot more money than what one government ministry, KALNAPECO and one technology firm can kick down to us. It would be a major setback if we had the theory and the were ready to start testing it and the project was shelved due to lack of funding. If other energy firms are interested in working with us to develop this exciting new technology, we would most certainly welcome it."

Schmidt noted that she expects testing to continue. "We are currently figuring out the containment field. We know how it works, but, we need to actually see the plasma flow operate in a stable way that will allow the reaction to last long enough to begin generating energy. We still have several theoretical mountains to climb. But we are moving ahead and are greatly bolstered by the resolution of the fuel source question."

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Physicists setback by failure of containment plasma
Fusion reaction lasts a mere 18 nanoseconds, before collapsing
Bozo River Experimental Reactor, Ananto
August 14, 5087


Dr. Janice Schmidt, Director of the SFZPEFR Project at Bozo River

The Sheared Flow Z-Pinch Experimental Fusion Reactor which was completed in July was fired up for the first time last week, and while conditions within the Pinch approached the pressure theoretically needed to shear off electrons and allow for fusion of deuterium and tritium isotopes, the reactor’s containment field very quickly destabilized, leading operators to quickly shut down the reactor to preserve the limited tritium fuel.

“We observed a infinitesimally small fusion reaction within the pinch,” said project lead Dr.Janice Schmidt. “As exciting as this is, it only lasted 18 nanoseconds, and produced the tiniest spark of energy, not nearly enough to provide either a self sustaining fusion reaction that we seek, nor enough to begin the tritium replacement cycle that we need to allow the reactor to continue. So we ordered the reactor shut down to preserve our limited and valuable supply of tritium. We will attempt to adjust the plasma shear flow, to stabilize it, and try it again.”

Schmidt said that her team believed that the issue was the instability of the containment plasma. “What’s needed here it to keep the plasma in a constant stream to increase the pressure within the fusion chambers. This is a feature of the z-pinch, which compresses the fuel to increases the pressure and temperature. But when this plasma itself has ripples in it, that creates distortions in the fuel compression and causes containment failure.”

The setback is not theoretically insurmountable. Schmidt said that the answer is in supercooling the containment chamber. “We do believe that supercooling the electrical system within the plasma. Doing so, up to a degree or so above absolute zero will allow the electrical current to travel through the plasma with next to no resistance, creating the necessary magnetic field that will compress the plasma within the containment unit and finally achieve the desired fusion reaction.”

Schmidt noted that a new infusion of cash into the project from KALNAPECO will allow the project to research methods for creating the supercool conditions for such conductivity. “We may be set back a year or so, depending on sufficient funding. But, I think ultimately this will just be another hurdle to over come, and I think we can do it.”

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A Day (and a Night) with Premier Bjorksdattir
The Republic catches up with the ambitious Socialist leader
Kaliburg, Ananto
September 30, 5087


Premier Bjorksdattir pushes ahead with aggressive energy policy

The Republic spent the day with long serving Socialist Premier Agnethe Bjorksdattir recently. From her days as an embattled Party Leader in the wake of the Officers’ Corruption scandal to bringing Kalistan to the verge of infinite clean energy, the Premier has grown into her office and is a strong, steady and confident leader. We asked her about her agenda going forward.

T(he) R(epublic): Comrade Premier, thank you for meeting with us.

A(gnethe) B(jorksdattir): Glad to do it. But don’t get too comfortable. We’re going out for coffee.

[This reporter and the Premier proceeded to get coffee]

AB: This place has the strongest coffee on the Square.

TR: You famously do not use drugs, but you make an exception for caffeine?

AB: I feel that drugs cloud the mind and keep me from hearing people when they speak with me, or hearing messages from God. As you will likely know I am a devout Brethrenist, and feel that drug use separates me from the Truth. So I opt o not use them. But caffeine doesn’t cloud the mind, so, I do not object.

TR: Do you object to other people using drugs? Even Other Brethrenists?

AB: Why would I?

TR: I’ll abstain for your sake.

AB: …or for your own.

TR: Lets talk a little more about your faith. Do you think faith in God and adherence to Brethrenist Practice has assisted you in your duties as Premier?

AB: I’m fairly certain it has. I’ve always been very conservative personally…. I’m not sure that’s the word I want. Maybe more like ‘reserved’, especially when it comes to issues like sex or popular culture or things like that. You don’t ever see me at a GanJam or at an RF Club in Lolla…

TR: You aren’t worried that Kalistanis will find that to be a bit prudish?

AB: We’ll if that’s what they call it, it is what it is. I just don’t prefer to have all my turn-ons and proclivities out in the press all the time. I like a little mystery.

TR: How about music? Do you like music?

AB: I AM Kalistani…

TR: Fair enough: who do you listen to?

AB: I listen to a bit of everything. I went to FOMAT and met the lead singer of The Gun Girls, Tracy Gungirl. Her band is great. She’s really into guns. And punk rock. Interestingly enough, Greta van Domme (co-lead singer and rhythm guitarist) is not into guns. She like beer.

TR: So you like pop punk then?

AB: Well no. I like them. But I’d say I’m more a hard rock girl. Not Thrash but I really liked the recent grit album from Chasm. That’s kinda my speed.

TR: Let’s switch gears. You had an ambitious agenda when you became Premier. How would you rate yourself?

AB: I would give myself a Low B. B minus. We got some pretty important things done. And yet there is a lot that I hoped to have done by now that I just never got any traction on. We’ve still got work to do.

TR: For example?

AB: ha! You ask me about my failures rather than my successes. Alright. I’d say we are behind on naval modernization. There have been several countries express interest in helping Kalistan put a modern navy together, but then they disappear whenever we express our readiness. I am not prepared to build a new navy out centuries old technology. What’s the point. And yet it seems nobody seems willing or interested in working with Kalistan on Kalistan’s time frame. So: I suppose we’re stuck with privateers and slow moving destroyers from four hundred years ago.

TR: Very well: what are you most proud of as Premier?

AB: Without a doubt, it’s our economic stability. Kalistan underwent full economic integration with one of the leading liberal economies in our region. It comes to no shock that Kalistan has long ago rejected core liberal tendencies, and yet the integration did not produce much fluctuation in our zero growth goals. Investment has been incredibly stable, with inflows and outflows almost matching. Workers remain free to come and go as they please between Kalistan and Lourenne. And even as international observers note downturns in Lourenne’s economy, those fluctuations do not much affect Kalistan or its Ruble at all. This is from careful stewardship and constant revision of best practices in our monetary policy. I’m very proud that my government has kept Kalistan at of near zero growth during my entire government.

TR: What’s next for the Republic?

AB: Clean Energy! This is where our focus is right now and we plan on remaining focused there until we have a working fusion reactor, and the infrastructure to deliver that energy to all homes in The Republic! Look, Michelle, I need to attend a meeting with the Cabinet. Perhaps we could continue this conversation tonight? My friends The Gun Girls are playing in Zappa tonight. You want to come to the show with me and then hang out with Tracy and I after the show?

TR: absolutely.

AB: Great. I’ll get you the details and we’ll continue our conversation there.

[At this point, the Premier took her leave. Nothing that happened later in the evening is printable except that the concert was enjoyable and a lot of fun was had by all, and the festivities continued long after the show ended. The Premier did not consume any drugs or alcohol the entire evening.]