Quote:The proposal seems like a sound one likely to be good for promotion of trade.  Jumhuriat al-Badara is quite prepared to cooperate should that initiative be pursued at some point.

Quote:In point of fact, revenues have produced a sufficient surplus for budget expansion.  The Ministerial Council has addressed this eventuality, and the first use of the surplus this revenue cycle will be to restart the production of laboratory grown meat.
 
This process has long been available but never made an effective business.  Believe the Kundrati Union tried after learning the process from Deltaria some years ago.
 
Be that as it may, we think it could be very useful in emergency situations such as disaster relief and aid for refuges which Terra regularly creates.  The thinking is a government owned facility is where we begin probably with a university operating it.  If investors want in so much the better.

And that will not exhaust the surplus this year. The Ministerial Council has decided some military aircraft purchases from New Dawn Nashwa will be the second use of the surplus.

Quote:Yes, think we will be ambiguous about whether to shorten the name to Free Radicals, a party which was operating here about 900 years ago, or keep the faction name for the party.  Either way, our mission will change somewhat.
 
Our faction was acting as a bridge between the members of the Majlis who really wanted governmental institutions to be working again and those members who really wanted to prevent a return to massive corruption, benefits only flowing to the rich and powerful, and domination by the oligarchy.
 
With several actual parties wanting to run things, believe there is a need for us to have a slightly different mission.  We will be presenting ourselves as technocratic problem solvers protecting the safety net and individual liberties.


We have credibility in shaping and making the structure of the government workable particularly in restoring the safety net and financial stability.  In a multi party system such as ours, predicting outcomes is difficult; but I can say we expect to do well on the next round and are talking to potential coalition partners.

Quote:Of course.  You are likely thinking of the General Intelligence Service (GIS).  Its head is picked by a Governing Board.  Consisting of whom? And who selected them? And funded by whom? Probably the government. But possibly by parts of the oligarchy.  The GIS did restore Al’Baharia to the nation on good terms.  So honestly there is little appetite to make GIS more accountable. 
 
But there is another. Qat Oil Services (QOS) saw that nationalizing everything was likely so it went international.  Built and serviced oil rigs off Rildanor and in in Lake Majatra. Helped the Kafuris get their oil operation going again.  So we could nationalize them or regulate them to the nth degree and how would they respond.  QOS would leave again leaving a vast hole in our expertise, employment  and operating capacity.
 
What all do they do? They do not refine crude oil. They do occasionally purchase oil leases.  They provide exploration, drilling and extraction services to oil lease holders.  Sometimes as joint ventures and sometimes as contractors for services.  They have a transport fleet for crude oil, liquefied natural gas and refined petroleum products.  And they market crude oil domestically and internationally in their own name and as agents of others.

A majority of our crude oil passes through QOS at one stage or another.    And who knows where all they have invested. Or in what industries or institutions.  So do not think we want to suggest QOS go on its travels again.  Certainly not now.

Quote:Absolutely. And it will start again where it did 800 years ago.  At the National Institute of Technology Zoology Department. It will receive funding from appropriations to the Education Ministry. The purpose of the project is to grow chicken meat from stem cells with a view to making a lab grown product available to food markets in Jumhurat al-Badara.
 
The impetus for the project is, first of all, that the environmental impact will be far less than raising and feeding chickens for slaughter, and second, eliminating the killing of the birds would seem to be more humane than the current practice.  Further, it is likely in the long run lab grown meat will be less expensive than meat from slaughtered animals.
 
The project is expected to be expanded to other meat eaten by the Jumhuriat al-Badara population such as beef and fish.  It is generally believed chicken is the place to start because taste and appearance issues have been resolved.  The project is not intended to appeal to vegetarians but people who eat meat.
 
Stem cells from the outside of living chickens are taken and initially grown in petri dishes in a laboratory.  When the project reaches production scale it will be produced in giant meat fermenters so production facilities will resemble a brewery or greenhouse depending on what is ultimately the most effective method.  The biological end product is meat; chicken in this case which looks like chicken and tastes like chicken.

Quote:That is an unlikely outcome for several reasons.  The primary one is friction was present between the Working Institutional Group (WIG) and the Metzists of Majatra (MM) since the coalition was formed and it has only grown worse with the passage of time.  Do not believe any chance they will serve together again.
 
Second the Dufazi can fairly be described as the solely owned proprietorship of the Abadi Cleric Moqtada al-Dufaz who is quite old and very close to death. They really are not participating in anything but the death watch around him.  Since they hold a lot of power in Al’Salmania Muhafazah and a lot of influence among Abadis we expect the Dufazi to continue but not be part of the current negotiations.
 
The MM and the Free Radical Supper Club (FRSC)  look like they have reached an agreement and we expect the Forgotten Abadi Majatrans (FAM) to join them.
 
The WIG leadership had expected the Dufazi to be functioning and work with them to put together a governing coalition, but this plan obviously has come to nought.  WIG will be sitting this one out.
 
The question seems to be whether FRSC, MM and FAM can attract enough Independents to make a majority and form a government or whether they will need my party, IV, in order to reach a majority.
 
IV leadership is meeting very soon in my office to consider how  we would respond to an offer should it come.  My own view is there will be an offer to join a governing coalition led by FRSC’s Abdul Aziz as Chancellor.

Quote:Under our new governing coalition, Chancellor al-Marwan is serving now as Minister of Religious Affairs.  A meeting was scheduled with the First Master Drusus Antonius of the Contemplative Monastic Order of Occidentalium, an Auroran Patriarchal Church (APC) monastic order recognized by the Arch Patriarch 600 years ago which is overseen by the APC Archbishop of Atyr.
 
Traditionally in Jumhiriat al-Badara, religious affairs were handled out of the Chancellor’s Office. The Order’s First Master has not met with the Government since the fairly recent creation of the Religious Affairs Ministry.  Accordingly we thought it appropriate in this case for us both to meet with him.
 
He essentially wanted to be sure the Order was operating within the current state of the law as we saw it.  We assured him that the Government regarded it as a part of a recognized religion and that its activities seemed to be within the scope of activity authorized by the Majlis.
 
We reviewed a number of activities.  Conducting prayer, contemplation and discussions on seeking a loving spirit are certainly permissible.  Also accepting Badaran novices and employing Badarans in compliance with our wage and hour and work place safety laws.
 
Production and purchase of necessary sustenance is permissible. Also production of mustard, herbal remedies and wine were permissible but there two caveats with respect to those activities; proceeds therefrom was subject to taxation as income and, if the herbal remedies were controlled substances, they were not exempt from prohibition or the necessity of a prescription from a physician.
 
Wealth management of which the Order had a considerable amount was also permissible but again profit might well be taxable as a capital gain.  Repayment of loans for expansion efforts in Dundorf and Kanjor was not taxable if principal but interest thereon was taxable.  Outright grants were not taxable.
 
First Master Antonius assured us records were quite intact and a review for possible tax liability by officials would be welcome. Since there are statutes  of imitations on tax due which has not been established as a judgment lien or a liquidated account held by the government, this does not appear to present much of a problem.
 
Quite frankly, I can say we look forward to the Order continuing to operate as a positive for our community as it has in the past.

Quote:First, we are a small nation trying to conduct our affairs so that we are not attracting attack either because we have gotten crossways with somebody or because we look like easy pickings. Generally wanting to trade with most everybody and respecting other nation’s sovereignty has worked pretty well in that regard.
 
Second, if at odds with somebody our first line of defense is diplomacy to try and settle disputes. As a member of MATO and Majatran predecessors as mutual defense organizations, many will hesitate before attacking us thereby inviting counterattack by our allies.  Admittedly, when we were swarmed by masses of foreign religious wingnuts intent on our destruction, deterrence failed.  But thanks to our allies, reinforcements were eventually cut off so the invaders could be defeated in detail.
 
Third, we maintain some air power including fighters, missiles and unmanned combat aerial vehicles to lessen the effects of bomb or missile or drone attack.
 
Fourth, we have combat vessels, largely consisting of frigates, to contest an amphibious landing as  well as aerial gunships, helicopters and aircraft with ground support capacity to assist our Army as it opposes enemy combatants coming ashore.
 
Finally, Defense Command together with Interior’s Central Security Organization and the General Intelligence Service have contingency plans in place to make it virtually impossible for any foreign invader to ever govern Jumhuriat al-Badara.
 
Again we believe avoiding trouble through diplomacy is our primary way to peace.

Quote:Yes, of course there are.  But not what one might think. Our oligarchy is not going to sell out our Sovereign People for a few extra Dinar.  But there are a few things we would really like and could convince ourselves the price of getting them was not too high.
 
For instance, the Defense Ministry occasionally daydreams about a plane Trigunia and Deltaria developed that would plug the biggest hole in our defenses.  And another developed for Majatran defense that would be extremely useful.
 
But independence and cooperation are what we are pursuing, not some foreign power to dominate us and exploit our citizens.