Kalistan

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Empress Halts Luthorian Embassy Plans
"Normalization on Hold", said Kalistani Ruler
Kaliburg, Ananto
February 8, 5487


Empress delivers stern speech about lack of reciprocity from Luthori

Her Imperial Majesty, the Empress Nicolette I addressed the National Assembly on a number of topics, the most important being a halt in Kalistani-Luthorian Relations.

"We have determined that we have been hasty in looking for opportunities to normalize relations with Luthori, and now we have ordered the normalization plan with Luthori to be placed on indefinite hold," said Empress Nicolette. "It was our desire to see if there was a way to begin to work on long standing issues we have had with the Crown in Luthori, but it now appears that there is not sufficient action in the Luthorian Government to do their part to bring our two nations together. Consequently, we have ordered our Foreign Minister to withdraw all standing diplomatic offers made toward Luthori and shall continue operations based on the Status Quo ex ante, retaining our consular offices in Downtown Fort William. But we will not be sending an official ambassador to Luthori, nor shall we begin work on any new formal diplomatic or economic arrangements with that nation. Now shall we be receiving any last ditch ambassadorial nominations to our Nation."

The announcement was not a shock to those who are aware of the Empress' thinking on the matter. Reports suggest that Kalistani's Empress is annoyed with the unwillingness of Luthori to even begin formal meetings about diplomatic exchange. "Those close to the Empress said she is piqued regarding Luthori's complaints over the Kalistani Press not kowtowing to the privileges of a foreign monarch," said one person close to the Empress, speaking on condition of anonymity. "In Kalistan, we all know that our Empress bows to no foreign sovereign, and yet, even the Empress has realized that when Kalistan puts all the effort into creating a new basis for a relationship, while Luthori does little to nothing, that suggests that the Empress of Kalistan wants the good relationship far more than the Government of Luthori. And a one-sided relationship such as this suggests that the Luthorians believe that the power dynamic in this situation seems to be inverted."

The Foreign Minister reported that Her Imperial Majesty's orders have been carried out. Work on the nearly completed Embassy in Fort William has ceased, and Kalistani builders have returned home. "Foreign Minister Smith has always had questions about the supposed deals that Kalistan has discussed with Luthori," said the anonymous source. "What is in it for Kalistan? That was the question the ousted Conservative Deputies asked years ago, and nobody seemed to have an answer. Did Luthori think that having Kalistan's recognition would give them some sort of prestige? Who knows? It seems that the Empress believed she could just will good relations with Luthori into existence, when that now appears to have always been impossible." Consular operations at the Kalistani post in Ft. William remain in operation, and the anonymous source says back channels with the Luthorian Government remain in place should the Luthorian Government want to resume talks. "Unfortunately, for the Luthorians," said the source, "any future negotiations will start at a negative to the Luthorians. Trust lost, and opportunities squandered, are not easily recovered."

While it is apparent that the good will of the Empress toward the Artanian country is now gone, Her Imperial Majesty reportedly continues to look forward to opportunities closer to home to take. There is word that a budding formal cooperation between the KNP funded research program into biodegradable plastics at the University of Kalistan, in Yoshimi and researchers at Lourenne's University of Dulaune is already happening, and researchers are thrilled to get to work with some of the leading bioscientists in Dovani on this green project that both nations can benefit from, as they both have long benefitted from oil extraction in the Strait. It is unlikely that the Empress will actively seek to resolve Kalistan's longstanding issues with Luthori in the near future.

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University of Kalistan inaugurates partnership with University of Delaune
Lourenne laboratories bring valuable bioengineering expertise to Biopolymer Program
Delaune, United Kingdom of Lourenne
April 8, 5487


Kalistani Bioengineering Graduate Student Lindsay Johnson tests plants for natural plant oils in Yoshimi

The KNP backed BioPolymers project, launched two and a half years ago, welcomes a new Partner in the effort to discover plant-based and renewable sources for oils which can be converted both to biodiesels and plastics. So far, Kalistani scientists working at the University of Kalistan in Yoshimi, Duchy of Suldanor, has noted promising sources in the seeds of several flowering bushes which are either native to Suldanor, or do very well when introduced. Now, the University is joined by Lourennais researchers from the University of Delaune, in Delaune, Carrolleux, Lourenne, who will be conducting complimentary and parallel research on plant based polymers. A friendly competition to identify the most efficient sources for oils which can produce biopolymers has been kicked off, and Kalistani students look forward to working in both countries with their Lourennais colleagues.

"Its so exciting that a world leader in green and renewable technologies like Lourenne is on board with this project," said project leader Dr. Brittney Giovanni. "We know that Lourenne has a long history of creating sustainable, environmentally friendly energy resources. They have excellent research infrastructure, and being able to work with their scientific establishment will lead to major breakthroughs. Additionally, Lourenne's soil composition and diverse climates will allow us to expand our search for efficient sources of natural oils that can serve as building blocks for polymer research."

University graduate students have already identified canola oil as a very efficient source of biodiesels. "We are also experimenting with soybean oil," said Giovanni. "Our first crop of soybeans was promising, but we are engaging our genetic engineering department to develop soybeans that produce even higher yields. We are also looking at olive oils, but we do not grow olives in Kalistan: this could be something we could work on in Lourenne, if their soil and climate supports the growth of olives for oil." Other promising sources of plant based oils for biodiesels are palm, sunflower and corn oils. "Widescale cultivation of many plants that we might consider otherwise is not environmentally sustainable. Palm, for example, requires a huge geographical footprint and a lot of water, and that sort of undermines the purpose of creating green polymers."

Giovanni says scientists are looking into chemicals necessary to link monomers from vegetable oils and plant oils into polymers, making them flexible, and take on the properties of plastics for consumer products, industrial applications, and manufacturing. "The trick is to find an environmentally friendly catalyst material that will cause these monomers to link and plastify. We look forward to working with Lourenne on this. We know how to do it with crude oil, but we still have a lot of research and experimentation to do on the plant based sources."

While breakthroughs are still several years away, the work should go quicker with Lourenne's addition to the project. "We are a lot closer on the biodiesels," said Giovanni. "We're basically waiting for the high yield soybeans to be crafted, cultivated and then planted on a large scale. The plastics will be more of a challenge." Giovanni also noted that large scale biodiesel infrastructure is being built separately in and around Lucid Valley, which is nearest to the experimental fields, and is above the Morass. "KNP is planning on cutting the ribbon on the first biodiesel factory in as early as July of next year, and it should be ready to begin processing soybean and other plant oils to create a high octane biodiesel additive to regular diesel at first," said Giovanni. She also noted that KNP and MoCo are working on starting to test new diesel engines that can run on pure biodiesel, without any petroleum as a base.

"The new MoCo engines are probably a decade away," said Giovanni. "KALMILINCO will also begin working on biodiesel replacements for their diesel electric fuel cell powersources." Both of those projects are much longer term than the KNP research program. Meanwhile, now that Lourenne is onboard, the bioplastics program is viewed as an almost certain eventual success.

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The Kalistani Dual System in Medical Care is Evaluated
Ancient, mostly-socialized system reviewed and found "healthy"
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
October 17, 5487


Primary Health Clinics like the Lolla Center Clinic in Downtown Kaliburg are widespread in Kalistan

A comprehensive review of Kalistan's Health System, completed earlier this week, gave Kalistan's medical system a B+, noting strengths and areas for improvement. The long standing "Dual System" which provides medically necessary primary, preventative, specialist and dental care for all Kalistanis through a tax supported National Health System (NHS) while allowing private medical practice that is highly regulated for all elective care, is viewed as a model for public and private cooperation in the health sector. The survey of all of Kalistan's Hospitals, inpatient nursing units, elder care, and clinics was requested by the National Ministry of Health and Social Services, and was conducted by the independent medical services advocacy group KaliCare, based in Vrassa City.

In the survey, both patients and doctors, from all five Duchies were surveyed in a comprehensive battery of questions. In addition, surprise tours of medical facilities were conducted at randomly selected clinics and hospitals across the nation, which included a cross section of both urban and rural care facilities, and staff were interviewed from both public and private institutions. The results of the study shows that Kalistan's dual system offers a number of significant advantages over a fully privatized system in terms of access for patients and healthcare outcomes, despite significant challenges it creates in areas of doctor retention, specialist training and availability and advanced medical technology.

"Most of the strengths of the dual system lie in access for patients and positive health outcomes," the survey reported. "Kalistanis access the medical system far less often than in countries with a fully privatized, for profit medical system, due to a strong emphasis on preventative and therapeutic medicine, rather than restorative medicine. Kalistanis utilize the health system to stay healthy, and rarely require treatment for advanced illness. This frees specialist resources up for serious injuries and chronic illness, care that would not be available to large numbers of patients in fully privatized systems without significant cost to the patient and/or insurance system. Consequently, though Kalistanis can see the doctor whenever they need to for no cost, they rarely actually need to see a doctor. People stay healthier longer, and paradoxically access the medical system less often, though they have unlimited free access to it. The cost savings are returned to the system."

While patient health outcomes and access are strong suits of the Kalistani system, there is downward pressure on doctors' salaries, and specialization is quite limited in Kalistan. "Since private clinics cannot possibly compete with the public system, due to cost savings in the public sector, private elective health care is often reserved to individuals who can afford often pricey private health insurance plans. The premiums of this private insurance are almost always significantly higher in Kalistan than in countries with a fully privatized system, due to a much smaller risk pool in Kalistan. As a result, though Kalistanis have unlimited access to medically necessary specialist care, they often go abroad for elective specialist care--it is thought to be less expensive to pay for specialists for elective care abroad out of pocket, than to pay to maintain private insurance here in Kalistan."

This disparity ensures that most Kalistanis often do not seek elective health care. This is a mark against Kalistan's system and is one of the primary points against Kalistan's health score in the survey. "Kalistanis often cannot afford elective cosmetic surgery, for example," the report said. "This really depresses this industry, and as a follow on, causes there to be fewer doctors who specialize in reconstructive surgery, hence fewer doctors with comparatively lower levels of skill in reconstructive surgery which is considered medically necessary, such as burn care or prosthetics. There just isn't a lot of money in the field and doctors know that financial security is often tied to primary or preventative care rather than restorative care, so few opt to specialize." This can lead to long waiting periods for specialized care, even medically necessary specialized care, unless one has the resources to access the private system in Kalistan or abroad.

"Kalistanis are justifiably proud of their health care, as most patients, doctors and staff surveyed reported," said the report. "The access and ease of navigation of the system were two main highlights. Patients accessing the NHS reported waiting less than 1 hour to see a doctor in cities, and less than 4 hours in rural areas, compared to up to 1 day in the private Kalistani sector and several days in fully privatized foreign systems, and often tended to establish long term patient/provider relationships with their primary care providers. Additionally, medical professionals gave the Kalistani system high marks because of the flexibility of licensing allows nurse practitioners, registered nurses, and residents to act as primary care providers across the Empire, provided the oversight of a certified medical doctor on staff at the facility who can review care provided. This allows medical professionals to begin practicing primarily therapeutic and preventative medicine (like nutrition, sports and occupational medicine) without bearing the cost of having to complete a full medical doctorate. Elder care and end of life care, including hospice and doctor-assisted elective euthanasia services also received very high marks by patients, doctors, and staff."

The report also highlights Kalistani's access to advanced pharmaceuticals. "ODEN-K oversees the pharmaceutical industry in Kalistan," says the report. "Through their longstanding relationship with the Medical System, Kalistanis have access to the newest drugs that many advanced countries do not yet have access to. Full national support for drug research ensures that Kalistan is among the world's leaders in new and innovative drugs to treat the symptoms of even idiopathic diseases and ailments." Additionally, there is a strong emphasis on natural drug substitutes and homeopathic remedies in the Kalistani pharmaceutical menu. "Kalistanis are well known for utilizing non-pharmaceutical methods of treatment, and chiropractic, reflexology, acupuncture, as well as numerous tinctures, salves, and teas are available for those who do not want to use what is considered 'standard treatment' in many fully privatized systems."

While drug access is highly rated, Kalistan suffers from a lack of advanced medical devices. "The world has advanced well beyond x rays, ultrasounds and cat scans for treatment," said the report. "But given Kalistan's lack of promotion of specialization and high regulation of the private sector medical providers, there is not a lot of impetus to create advanced medical treatment devices. Consequently, though Kalistanis do not often get really sick, and thus require super advanced technology, when they do, the causes are often missed until it is too late. Increased investment in medical technology nationwide can help to decrease preventable death in Kalistan. Kalistan lags at least a generation behind even moderately advanced countries in the area of medical technology."

Overall, the Kalistani Medical System, both public and private components were rated very high. The Public sector NHS was given a normalized weighted score of 89 out of 100, while the Private sector medical providers lagged only slightly behind at 87 out of 100, with cost being the main difference. Her Imperial Majesty's Minister for Health and Social Services delivered the results of this report to the National Assembly, and proposed a program to improve medical technology be created to try to bridge the gap between Kalistan's medical technology and places like Lourenne, Gaduridos and Lodamun.

[GreekIdiot]

Beiteynu
"Centralised militarism is over"; Kohav urges other states to take the lead - June 5489

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The Republic Sits Down with The Empress
Her Imperial Majesty talks Diplomacy, Economy and Retirement
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
October 7, 5492


Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Nicolette I Talks with The Kalistani Republic

It's been a quiet decade in the Empire for Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Nicolette. While watching for breakthroughs in Bioplastics and monitoring the increasing north south trade flows over the new Trans-Seleyan Railway from Lodamun, through Kalistan, all the way to the borders of Mordusia, the Government of Kalistan has finally gotten around to ratifying a new Friendship Agreement with Artanian nation Dundorf which points at greater cultural, diplomatic, and commercial ties with the growing northern power. Empress Nicolette, now in her early 60s, has been Empress for nearly 35 years, and as her first born, Crown Princess Nicolette nears her age of majority, the current reigning monarch shows no sign of slowing down.

In this rare interview with the Kalistani Press, Her Imperial Majesty Empress Nicolette talks with Kalistani Republic reported Marcia Down in Kaliburg.

(Kalistani Republic Reporter) M(arcia) D(own): Good afternoon, Your Highness, and thank you for taking a few moments to talk with us.

(HIM) E(mpress) N(icolette): It is a pleasure to finally get to speak with you Ms. Down.

MD: For the sake of our readers, Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Nicolette has granted me a special dispensation to ignore formal protocol when speaking with the Empress and refer to her as "Your Majesty". In doing so, I will be addressing Her Imperial Majesty directly, a rare honor and privilege for me, in order to make this interview more of a conversation with Her Imperial Majesty than a report.

EN: This is true. We are but a simple Brethrenist, and yet, the Enabling Act binds us as well as you. We welcome informality when possible, as it decreases the wall that separates us from our people, but alas, it is so rarely possible, and the institution of our office and title requires it. Please then, continue.

MD: Your Majesty: The first question is that some have noticed that the Government has been rather quiet these last few years, despite all the things going on in the world. Following the collapse of talks with the Government of Luthori, there were reports of discussions with Dundorf around strengthening diplomatic and cultural ties, Beiteynu has reached out to the Empire for potential military cooperation, and Kalistan was rated as a Rising power in Lourenne. Yet our government has not officially responded in the press. Is the Government working on these matters currently?

EN: You do have a point, Ms. Down. I assure you, things are moving forward, especially with Dundorf. Our Foreign Minister has moved the Dundorf-Kalistan Trade, Culture and Friendship Treaty to the floor of the National Assembly. There was a bit of a hickup around elections in Dundorf before it could be advanced there, and We were looking for a sign to go ahead. That treaty was negotiated in Kalistan by Dundorf and Kalistani officials, and We supported it entirely. The other matters are not too old for us to pick back up still, and move forward.

MD: Your Majesty, as your government is showing forward movement with Dundorf, is there any potential for renewing talks with Luthori?

EN: We have always been slightly more favorable toward Luthori than neutral. If you will recall, Ms. Down, several of our Deputies resigned over our original moves toward improving relations with Luthori. The disagreement between those Deputies and our own Government hurt the integrity of this Regime, but thankfully they took the patriotic route and resigned rather than continuing to stand against our efforts. You can imagine the frustration, likely on both sides of that discussion when Luthori didn't meet us half way. However, we are also encouraged by what we are reading in their press regarding our Nation, and want to continue to explore any opportunities that might present themselves, should Luthori have a genuine change of heart concerning Kalistan. Our grievance with them is thousands of years old. We believe that Kalistan and Luthori should try to find a way to come to some terms that we can both live with, that will allow us to cooperate on areas of mutual interest, and to become, perhaps, less bitter adversaries? We can start there, if they are interested. We would obviously welcome any steps they should make toward opening that discussion.

MD: Moving on, would Your Majesty please comment on any progress regarding the Biodiesel and Biopolymer programs in Yoshimi?

EN: Obviously, Ms. Down, there are a good number of scientists in both Yoshimi and in Delaune who can give you far more information than we are capable of saying. We are not trained in bioengineering. However, our Science Minister, who keeps us apprised on the program, informs our Premier that they have found acceptable sources of oil producing seeds that produce enough oil to replace up to 85 percent of our petroleum needs in Kalistan. The issue, if we understand it properly, is not that the scientists couldn't identify a proper plant species, but they needed one which could produce oils for diesel fuel and plastics at the scale that Kalistan uses it. This is very good news for the program, and it is also true that the first large scale planting of that crop, which is a hybrid of the good old fashioned soybean and canola seed, which yields 1.5 gallons of oil per bushel, and can be widely cultivated in both Odufaray and Ananto, is already underway. The polymer program is currently continuing its experimentation, but xylan and cellulose from both corn and algae both seem to show great promise. Kalistanis do not eat a tremendous amount of corn or corn products, but the researchers think it will grow well in Vrassa, and large scale algae production in Suldanor already seems to be yielding plastics. Its all a very complicated process, but we are quite satisfied on the work Kalistani and Lourennais scientists are doing.

MD: May I ask You Majesty about how your family is doing? We understand there was a bit of a health scare with the Prince Consort recently. Would Your Majesty be willing to speak on that?

EN: Absolutely. About a week ago, The Prince Consort was taken to Eveari General, where the doctor reported that he had what was called a Cardiac Arrhythmia. Apparently, Victor's heart was misfiring perhaps once every three hours. It was just enough to be noticeable and concerning to Victor, and he sought medical treatment for it. The doctors said it was the result both of age, and of Victor still trying to act like a young man, though he is now well into his 60s. The Doctor advised the Prince Consort to slow down his activity to a more moderate level, no more daredevil antics that he is so fond of doing, and act more his age. Meanwhile, they will continue to monitor the issue. It was scary for everyone. But Victor seems to be very fit otherwise, and we would like him to stick around a few more decades if it is possible.

MD: And The Princelings? How are they doing? We have heard so little about them since they were born, and our readers are very curious about how they are growing up and learning.

EN: We are so glad you asked. As you know, The Crown Princess Nicki, as we call her at home, has just turned 17, and while she is technically an adult now, we are insisting that she remain in school before joining the NSP next year. She is learning quite a lot about her future role as Empress, but she is also a teenager, and as such, also has a rebellious streak. She is into punk rock, even some of the more, shall we say, subversive stuff, but also understands that there is a time for that while she is young, but has also come to accept that sooner rather than later, it will be time for her to accept more duties befitting her title as Crown Princess. And her brother, our son Victor looks up to Nicki so much. He is a very serious kid: He studies and looks forward to being part of the Quiz Bowl Teams in High school this year. He also enjoys go, very much, and while he has no interest whatsoever in bowling, sadly, he can easily defeat both of his parents in Go. He shows a lot of potential in science and math, and is also beginning to explore Kalistani Law, especially constitutional law. He asks us questions all the time about the structure of the government, and We believe perhaps he is a little envious of his older sister and is trying to keep up with her. The future is very bright for both of them and we look forward to seeing what they shall accomplish.

MD: Did your Majesty say that The Crown Princess was planning to go into National Service?

EN: Of course! All of her friends and peers are going into National Service. It is expected.

MD: I understand it is expected for the commoners. And I assumed Your Majesty also did National Service before entering Government, because that was before your coronation.

EN: Ms. Down. We all join the NSP. It is not an option. Not contributing to one's nation, as you know full well would be a complete disgrace for every young adult. Even those who are fortunate to be born to families with famous last names. We did National Service, The Prince Consort did National Service, the Anantos have all done National Service. It is a matter of personal pride and integrity to complete your civic duty honorably. You know this, we have no doubt.

MD: Of course Your Majesty. I did not mean to offend.

EN: No offense taken. It is our hope that you will in fact print this exchange specifically, in case any of your viewers have been persuaded by liberal elements in this society, who claim that National Service is something negative akin to forced labor. While those elements do exist in this society, it is lucky for all of us that they are not in any way influential on the direction of this society. Could you imagine what Kalistan would look like if the Liberals had their way and were able to abolish things that made us great as a nation, and proud of a mutual history and experience?

MD: No Your Majesty. I dare not dream of something like that.

EN: It makes one shudder to even utter it.

MD: Indeed, and agreed, Your Majesty. Does Your Majesty have plans to retire from office, once Her Highness the Crown Princess is able to serve?

EN: As We are only 61 years of age, and are in good health, we feel it is a bit premature to discuss retirement. We shall ensure that Nicki begins assuming Imperial Duties during her enlistment with the NSP, and gradually will move more responsibility to her, but that is still a few years off. Meanwhile, there is still plenty of work to do in our Tenure.

MD: Of course. Moving to a new topic, Your Majesty, what is the prospects for Inter-Seleyan cooperation?

EN: Our Foreign Minister is currently looking at a proposal from Gaduridos concerning a Seleyan Economic Community. There are significant issues with the proposed language which would, at the present time prevent us from endorsing it or joining it. Things such as free movement of labor and capital would pose some pretty hefty barriers to Kalistan. But, the proposal is still brand new. We certainly are open to alternatives, and look forward to working with Gaduridos and other Seleyan Nations in finding something that we can all work with. This last few decades have been an era of unprecedented cooperation in Seleyan, and we hope to contribute to that cooperation, for the prosperity of us all.

MD: One last question, Your Majesty. Is there another GanJam on the horizon?

EN: Haha. We would encourage you to speak with ODEN about that. While we would certainly welcome a new Festival, it would seem that ODEN might have other priorities. We cannot speak for the Cartel on any level, as they are their own thing. But we feel it would be pretty cool if they did.

MD: I agree Your Majesty. I want to thank you for speaking with me today. It has been a singular pleasure.

EN: The pleasure has been ours. We shall look for more opportunities to speak with The Republic in the future, yes?

MD: I am certain that the Paper would take every chance it got, and the People of Kalistan will also welcome it.

EN: Indeed. Good day, Ms. Down.

MD: Your Majesty.

[Robert F. Kennedy]

Luthorian fan club calls upon the Starving Artists band to come play to Luthori.

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Kalistan News in Brief: Crown Princess Nicolette Graduates from High School
Kalistani Indie Rock band The Starving Artists to tour Luthori; Suldanor Cleans up from a Huricane
Eveari, Grand Duchy of Ananto
May 10, 5493


Crown Princess Nicolette Graduates from High School in Eveari

Princess Nicolette Completes Secondary Education, Prepares for National Service

Her Highness, The Crown Princess Nicolette, who will eventually succeed her mother on the Kalistani Imperial throne, has reached a major milestone first. Her graduation from Eveari Public High School in Eveari was marked by officials in the Eveari School District. Princess Nicolette graduated with 135 other young adults, completing the National Curricular requisite classes on time, with a 3.52 GPA. While this is not was not a high enough GPA to earn her a "with distinction" designation on her Diploma, her parents, who were in attendance, were nonetheless very proud of the Crown Princess as she walked across the High School stage and received her Diploma. The ceremony was followed by a large graduation party held at the Ananto Estate in Eveari, where Princess Nicki invited more than 40 friends. Also on hand was the Prime Minister, the Minister of Education, and several deputies who represented Ananto, all there to congratulate the Crown Princess and wish her good luck as she proceeds to adulthood. The Crown Princess has already declared her intent to enter the National Service Program before pursuing post secondary education, and will be mustered into the Service in early July. "I think I would like to learn something about building aqueducts and water systems," said the Crown Princess. "I think it is very important that people have access to water, and I want to learn how to maintain them and build them. I am fascinated with flowing water. I think it is a good metaphor for life. I heard this one thing: You can never step into the same river twice. I think that idea is fascinating, and it really motivates a lot of my art." Following National Service, the Crown Princess says she wants to learn engineering. "Or music," she said with a smile. "We'll see. I have some time." Congratulations to the Crown Princess for her achievement.

The Starving Artists to visit Luthori

In a Nod to Rock and Roll Diplomacy, Eshar Underground staples The Starving Artists have agreed to play 6 shows in the Luthori Empire. The Starving Artists were Kalistan's entry into the most Recent FOMAT, but finished a dismal second to last place. But it appears that their performance created a small but dedicated fan base in Luthori. "Yeah, we sorta just found out about the scene over in Luthori," said lead singer Andre Arnhart. It was kind of a surprise to all of us. I think our fan mail was going to like, my old apartment, or something, and we just found out that people were still listening to our music there. And so when we heard they wanted us to come visit, we basically hounded our label til they agreed to fund the tour." Indeed, LCR, who has been releasing TSA's music for the last decade has agreed to fund and promote a six night mini tour of Luthori, to include shows in Fort William, Sewallston, and Shippington. Also included is the Sulari-based alternative rock band Coral Reef Guillotine, who will be opening for TSA. "The guys in Guillotine are hilarious," said Arnhart. "Their song 'Cool Kids' is like unhinged. I think the Luthorians will really dig them." The Tour is scheduled to begin in September.

Yoshimi Weathers the Storm

The tropical storm which hit Baltusia as a full Category 4 Hurricane, and devastated the Santiago coast, also did moderate damage in the coastal city of Yoshimi. Several houses near the coast on the Yoshimi Peninsula received major flooding from the 2 and a half foot storm surge, while major flooding and 10-15 foot waves were reported in Yoshimi itself. "We were lucky to be spared the brunt of the storm," said Gregory Astor, Count of Lucid, who supported the Grand Mayor of Yoshimi in both preparedness and disaster response. "We are making sure that the more than 2 dozen families who lost their homes in the flood are being relocated to long term shelter while we assist them with rebuilding their lives. We are also advising residents in lower areas on the peninsula that even on the leeward side, storm surges, especially of storms that go south, will continue to pose a problem. Yoshimi Peninsula is really a large sandbar which was an ancient levy of the Lucid River as it emptied into the Odufaray Sea. There's not a lot of elevation that residents can use to escape even minor storm surges. Ideally, I'd like to clear the residents out of that part of the County, but doing so involves property and this whole headache. So right now we are working to rescue people who experience flooding as it happens." Kalistan has offered several Million KRB to Baltusia for disaster relief, and has offered to temporarily house displaced Baltusians in Lucid while their homes are rebuilt, should Baltusia wish to take the Empire up on its offer. Said the Count Lucid, "We would welcome the Baltusians here who have suffered from this natural disaster. Lucid City is just an hour away from the hardest hit parts of the Santiago coast, and we have more than enough room for guests here."

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Lady Newburg Expresses Empress' Greetings to New Lourennais King
Prepares for visit of Hutori Crown Princess
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
September 8, 5493


Prime Minister Kelly Newburg-LaRoc discusses Government activity in the coming year

Lady Kelly Newburg, the long serving Prime Minister and head of Her Imperial Majesty's Government, was interviewed at her home in Kaliburg for the periodical journal "Modern Statecraft". During the interview, Lady Newburg discussed several items on the agenda for the coming session of the National Assembly.

On the Domestic front, Lady Newburg announced new plans to revitalize Kalistan's highway network. "It has been centuries since Kalistan dealt with our highway situation," the Premier said. "A single artery runs north to south in Kalistan Proper, with branches going inland at Eshar and Yoshimi. This highway system has served Kalistan but more or less ensures that almost all economic development occurs within 50 miles of the coastline. We would like to expand our limited access, Duchy, and County highway systems to connect towns to one another rather than to only the Duchy Seat, to allow for more efficient transit and transportation of cargo. This is a growing priority that Her Imperial Majesty's Government is beginning to study and will likely be working on it for at least a generation."

Lady Newburg also addressed four high profile corruption defendants, who were recently arrested and are about to be tried. "The Ministry of Justice is preparing the case against four Deputies, two from Suldanor and two from Ananto, who were found to be accepting bribes will attempting to further pro capitalist legislation through the National Assembly," said Lady Newburg. "When the plot was uncovered, due primarily to the admission of one of the conspirators, the four deputies were immediately arrested. We have also arraigned no less than 12 liberal businessmen, who combined control more than ₭1 billion in investments and deposits, and who have been bribing these four deputies for more than 3 years in an effort to sponsor legislation that would roll back worker rights in favor of the profiteering motivations of these businessmen. Our Government has been cooperating closely with investigators in Her Imperial Majesty's Ministry of Justice, and as of right now, this corruption scandal does not touch any of her Majesty's Ministers in the cabinet." The corruption scandal, which is rare in Kalistan, has the political press rivetted, and there have been suggestions that the corruption rises fairly high in Institutionalist Party leadership.

On the Foreign Affairs front, Lady Newburg expressed Her Imperial majesty's congratulations on the coronation of a new Lourennais King. "Her Imperial Majesty never fully recognized the former King of Lourenne as legitimate," said Lady Newburg. "I don't think I am making any news with that announcement. Her Imperial Majesty has called Maximilien the V a 'usurper' on more than one occasion and has always favored restoring Catherine to the throne. After it became clear that Catherine had expired, the Empress continued to keep Maximilien at arm's length. But now that the previous king has abdicated in favor of his son, the Empress seems to be much warmer toward the new King. She expressed during our recent weekly meeting that she approved of the regular order of succession in Lourenne, and wished me to express a welcome to Leopold to visit Kalistan at his leisure."

Newburg also expressed optimism at the eventual arrival of Hutori's Crown Princess. "Her Imperial Majesty has been informed that the Crown Princess is expected to accompany her father to Kaliburg within the next year on business, and at that time, the Empress hopes to officially receive the Queen-presumptive to renew Kalistani ties to the Northern Kingdom." Newburg also mentioned the likelihood that the Empress will expand the Peerage in the Order of the Grey Smoke to include a foreign Peer for the first time. "Induction into the Order of the Grey Smoke is a tremendous honor for any Kalistani. Peerage is equivalent to honorary nobility in Kalistan, and while we aren't entitled to the same sort of deference or privilege as the Empress herself is, the position comes with a large amount of Prestige and a small pension." Unlike noble titles in titles of nobility in Kalistan, peerage is hereditary, and so the title can be passed down to future Hutorian Monarchs and doubtless Her Imperial Majesty would include a small plot of land and a cottage with any bestowal of peerage to the Crown Princess.

When asked about the Kaliburg Conference for a TMU, Lady Newburg acknowledged that the Conference was for the most part defunct. "The issue is enforcement of a terran monetary unit," said Newburg. "We may have buy in from a handful of countries; Deltria's feedback has been excellent to allow us to clarify the functions of the TMU." But what is lacking, according to Newburg, is a way to 1) enforce the TMU as opposed to some other currency as the single transferrable currency, and 2) an easy mechanism for updating the values in realtime, to accurately reflect financial and monetary developments in each country. "Without this ease of use, the TMU will never be used by anyone. It is a hurdle that we don't know how to get over, so further discussion of the TMU, at this point, will probably remain theoretical."

And at any rate, Newburg acknowledged that more countries have begun adopting the Franc regime. While having the Franc as the international standard is practically easier than developing a whole new market based on a theoretical currency, said Lady Newburg, and, given the current almost hegemonic role of Lourenne in the world system, makes more sense than using the LOD in that role, "adopting the Franc rather than working on the TMU undermines the efforts to establish an international currency that is divorced from any national economy or monetary policy. Unfortunately, and regrettably, this is the path more and more nations are taking, and creates future jeopardy for pegged countries should the Franc ever experience trouble in the future. For now, though, we have to call those discussions on the TMU on indefinite hiatus." Asked about the Empress' feelings on the failure of the TMU conference, Newburg acknowledged the Empress' disappointment, "But," she added, "It's just the status quo really, with the financial markets in Fortress Kalistan still on autarkic lock, and the rest of the world adopting a new version of the LOD, from Lourenne instead of Lodamun. Its no different than before we began work on the TMU."

As the current generation of governors in Kalistan begins to head for the exits and the new generation lines up to take their place, Lady Newburg admits that she is satisfied with the actions of the current Government. "We know that Kalistan is governed best when we have dispensed with the dilatory and wasteful fratricide of highly political contests for control of the Government, and highly politicized public policy. We look for an orderly and continuous transition in the coming years, and are excited about the new opportunities and ideas that this sort of change and evolution create in Kalistan.

"But we are lucky to have done away with the gridlock and backstabbing of liberal democracy," continued Lady Newburg, "hopefully once and for all in Kalistan. Our predecessors in the Socialist Party were far too tolerant of liberals for their own good. But we can see from the vantage point of decades of experience that the centuries wasted in pursuit of the idea that each ridiculous opinion held by some political hobbyist who called himself a voter was exactly as valid as the next stupid less-than-half opinion were actually a worse time for Kalistan, not a better one. Our job is administration of the State, and with the Empress at the head of that State, life is much simpler for everyone if we don't have to fight just for the privilege of doing what makes the most sense in carrying out Her Imperial Majesty's Policy."

Spoken like a true Institutionalist. The full interview with the Prime Minister is on newsstands across the Empire today and is the first major significant policy statement in a long time from Her Imperial Majesty's Government.

[Robert F. Kennedy]

Starving Artists make big impression in Luthori.

[Doc]

The Starving Artists announce new album
"Luthori Tour a success", says Mel Arnhart
Eshar, Odufaray
October 1, 5494


Mellie and Andre Arnhart, along with Bassist Nathan Black at M7 Interview

The Starving Artists, back from Luthori, have spent the last year and a half in LCR studios in Sulari recording their newest album called Metal on Metal. At a recent interview given to KRTVN M-7, the band announced the new album which ventures into Industrial and sounds much harder than their previous work.

"We were like uh really inspired by the different sounds in Luthori," said lead singer Andre Arnhart. "Their music scene was very interesting, and we were thrilled at the turn out for our shows there in the country. But this is, has, you know, given us a different direction to try and focus on. We heard some music there which sounded a lot like like a rusty saw blade sawing away on some lumber with a bunch of nails in it. Some experimental stuff, while we were out checking out some of the clubs. It sounded real industrial, and we were thinking that Kalistan didn't really do a lot of industrial and we decided to try it out."

Mel Arnhart, keyboardist and co-songwriter, said "Well, I am not sure whether there is a huge audience for music this loud in Kalistan. But I think the dissonance is really part of the process. We were kind of inspired I think by like what must be AI generated music. Like it is there, all the elements are there, but there is just something different, a little strange, a little foreign. It feels a little different from the things we've done. A lot of it was inspired by just the familiar but slightly different types of music we heard in Luthori. They definitely do not play music this loud there, but I mean it was a strange experience to be speaking to fans, and they just have different words for the same things, like conceptually the things are the same, but the words are different enough and Luthori is just different enough from Vrassan that you sometimes have to wonder if you just heard what you thought you heard."

The new album, which will be released next February, sees the band foray into not only industrial, but also electronica, dance pop, and psychedelic/acid rock. "We wanted to make a record that kinda spanned the entire alternative music genre," said Andre Arnhart. "There's a lot of noise alternative on here, for sure, but some of the songs are kinda of like you might call them dancey music, like we have a sequencer and everything. You'd have no idea but a lot of the voices were sequenced by Mel. They aren't even real- they're kind of this AI generative stuff. Its kind of this messy, creative stuff where we try to push music forward."

The lead video "You've Got Problems I can't Solve" features legendary metal guitarist Mike Knife, and falls solidly into the categories of noise acid rock. "Well, this one was specifically inspired by a great noise alternative band we saw in Luthori," said Mel Arnhart. "We were hanging out with these great kids in Fort William right after we got there and they were like 'You wanna check out this club' or whatever, and we went and heard this band, what were they called... like Bloody Blinder or whatever... something like that... it meant something like 'its easy' or something. Anyway, these guys had the biggest sound we've heard in like ever, it was so crunchy and loud and grindy. When we got back, and we started writing, I could swear we were accidentally ripping them off, so I had to buy one of their records, just to make sure that 'Problems' wasn't like a total rip off. Turns out it wasn't even in the same key or rhythm or anything, but you know that song is a total homage to that band."

The video for the song, which is already released and is playing on M7, is entirely generated by AI and features no actual humans or locations at all. "Yeah, we made a deal with this AI animator," said Nathan Black, who plays bass for the band. "We saw some of his stuff in a gallery in Gendaris, and thought man this is really cutting edge and weird, I thought Andre would really dig it for the record."

The new album will be released ahead of a Kalistani tour in the Summer. "We've had a pretty long career," said Andre Arnhart. "15 years... full of ups and downs, and we are still experimenting and pushing the boundaries. I'd say that's damn good all things considered." When asked if they would ever return to Luthori for another tour, both Arnharts said in unison, "In a heartbeat..."

Check out The Starving Artists' new video for "You've Got Problems I can't Solve, Feat. Mike Knife" from their upcoming 5th album Metal on Metal for LCR, coming in February.