Kalistan

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Princess Regent meets with Gaduri Viceroy at Playa de Paz
Winter Mansion provides welcome vacation for Royal Family
Playa de Paz, San Luis Baltusia
November 20, 5686


The Princess Regent met with Lady Anantonia Alvarez-Urquizo to discuss the coming year in Gaduridos

Her Highness, Princess Regent Nicolette Ananto-Collins travelled to Athosia this week to begin her long awaited vacation. Her Imperial Majesty, Empress in Waiting Carolina-Katherine Michelle Ananto-Connor went along with her. This was the Empress in Waiting's second visit to the Athosian holding- The Late Emperor and Empress almost never went to the House which was kept in operation by Princess of the Empire Mary Ananto-DeLaurentis. The Regent's new spokeswoman, Lady Ursula Gattlin announced the visit from Playa de Paz.

"Her Highness the Princess Regent and Her Imperial Majesty, Empress in Waiting Carolina-Katherine Michelle Ananto-Collins will be in residence here for the next two weeks to try to fight the onset of winter in Kaliburg. Playa de Paz still has nearly full sun during this part of the year while days tend to get darker in Kaliburg, and nights last a long time. The Princess Regent said she has long looked forward to the warm sun and ocean breezes afforded by the Ananto Home in Athosia, but has been on light duty in Kaliburg since March so that the Empress in Waiting could catch up on the school she missed. Her Highness is eager to sunbathe and to do some surfing. She also aims to teach the Empress in Waiting about windsurfing, which is an option she requested for her visit off Playa de Paz. She said she would like the Empress in Waiting to learn about leisure, and its necessity as part of this job."

Before really setting into the vacation, the Princess Regent held an informal audience with the Viceroy of Gaduridos, Lady Anantonia Alvarez-Urquizo. The two talked about deepening Kalistani commitment in Gaduridos, and more importantly how to prevent it from turning into dependency. "The Viceroy discussed that Gaduris want to be able to stand on their own feet, and while specific interests in Gaduridos appreciate the inflow of direct investment, the tendency is to allow the inflow, which stifles local industry and innovation. She said this has been a problem for years, and further Kalistani commitments to Gaduridos run the risk of turning the nation into a dependent colony. Kalistan cannot solve all of Gaduridos' problems, nor should they try to because that discourages local solutions to those issues. The information was news to Her Highness, who found the conversation very enlightening."

Lady Gattlin said that the Viceroy had tried to have this conversation with the Emperor and Empress, who seemed dead set on tying Gaduridos even tighter to Kalistan. "The Viceroy explained that a middle approach should be taken and Kalistan would serve both nations better if Gaduridos knew that Kalistan had its back as it developed, but didn't feel like Kalistan was trying to do everything. She said that the two nations had been sister nations for more than 110 years, and literally nobody alive remembered when Gaduridos was ever anything else, so Gaduridos wasn't going anywhere, but Gaduridos is also a nation that takes pride in its national development and its relations with other nations in the world, and also likes doing things for itself."

The Viceroy reminded the Princess Regent of Gaduri's local autonomy, and said this was a vital characteristic of Anantonese Imperial Relations. She added that this is the main selling point of the Anantonese Imperial Arrangement. "It is easier for Gaduridos to hand their foreign policy and security to Kalistan, but the trade off is that Gaduridos controls its domestic policy," said Lady Gattlin. "The Princess Regent said she appreciated the Viceroy's candid words regarding our two nation's relationship, and said she would work tirelessly to be the partner that Gaduridos wants, because it is of primary importance that Kalistan and Gaduridos work together, especially since other regional players have been working diligently to surround and contain Kalistan within the Anantonese Ocean. The Viceroy said Gaduridos was cognizant of that fact and joined Kalistan in its concern for those actions."

She also said her office had initiated a public relations campaign to begin familiarizing the Gaduri People with the new Empress. "The goal, said the Viceroy, is to raise the profile of Her Imperial Majesty, the Empress in Waiting, among the people of Gaduridos. The effort involves both social media and legacy media campaigns targeting primarily families with young children to introduce people to the Empress in Waiting, to show her as a living and breathing person, rather than some abstract living in a far away place, to show how she is, in a lot of ways, not all that different from their own children, to kind of give part of her biography to the people, and to encourage people to learn about her, to learn about our 110 year partnership and to learn about her role in our society. It encourages the nation to count the Empress in Waiting as one of their own. The Viceroy said it was tasteful, accurate, and has succeeded in introducing the girl to the Nation.

"The Viceroy reports," continued Lady Gattlin, "that those who answered the poll question 'Do you know who this is?' correctly increased from 18% when her office did a baseline poll in January to 42% in September, and those who responded positively to the question 'Does her story inspire you' has increased from 2% in January to 27%. Online fan pages and discussion around the Empress in Waiting is also up double digits from the start of the campaign. The Viceroy said that the campaign will continue through the end of 5687."

The Viceroy is the Princess Regent and the Empress in Waiting's guest at Playa de Paz for the next two weeks, and during that time, they will be visited by the Chancellor of the Empire and the Foreign Minister, as well as Her Highness Princess of the Empire Mary Ananto-DeLaurentis, who will take up winter residence at the seaside chateau upon the Princess Regent's departure in early December.

@TheRepublic

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La Moda talks to ODEN Cartel Chief Viscount Andrew Rohrbach
"The Princess is getting better every day," says husband of Regent
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
January 8th, 5687


Viscount Andrew Rohrbach, Director of ODEN-K tours the Cannabis warehouse at Port Davon, Kaliburg following 5685 Harvest

Viscount Andrew Rohrbach, who is the Director of ODEN-K and husband of Her Highness, The Princess Regent Nicolette Ananto-Collins, and adoptive father of Her Imperial Majesty, Empress in Waiting Carolina-Katherine Michelle Ananto-Connor sat down with La Moda to talk about his unexpected first year in office as the defacto Regent Consort. It's been just a year since the Empire of Ananto and Kalistan was tragically robbed of the late Emperor and Empress, and the Minor Princelings, leaving Princess Nicolette as the Regent, and promoting the Minor Princess to Empress in Waiting.

(La Moda's) J(ack) L(awrence): Thank you Lord Rohrbach for sitting down with me and talking today.

(Viccount) A(ndrew) R(ohrbach, Courtesy Count of Luxon): It's my pleasure, Mr. Lawrence. I am glad we could make time to get together.

JL: First of all, as our readers know, its been just over a year since our nation lost our leaders, and two of their three children in that tragic plane crash.

AR: Yes, last week...

JL: How are you and your family doing, as we acknowledge this grim anniversary?

AR: I was deeply affected by the shock of the loss, but I guess I can say I was fortunate enough to be married into this family, so I could recover a little easier, and be there for my wife and our daughter, who was my niece at the time before we adopted her. The Empress in Waiting, she is a kid, and I know she knows how final death is, but she was the center of everyone's attention, and I think the decision to let her go back to school and letting her talk with grief counsellors and work through the finality of it all has really helped her. My wife, well... she took a little longer, and when we were sure Carolina would be ok, our focus shifted onto Nicolette almost exclusively.

JL: Yes, she was was ordered by the Chancellor onto Light Duty. Was that related?

AR: Yes, she was trying to work and trying to be a mom of a grieving 12 year old, and her life changed so rapidly, and she had lost her brother and sister in law and her nephews, and she just sort of shut completely down. She was in shock, for months after the accident. Soon after we got to Kaliburg, we had a scare... things got a little touch and go and we realized we were dealing with something far more serious than just the grief everyone else was working with. The Chancellor ordered her to go onto Light Duty, we got some help with life in Cliff House and some help with Carolina, and I was able to move a lot of my responsibilities around so I wasn't travelling as much. And she went into some pretty serious therapy, and worked through some real serious mental health therapy, some with me, some with Carolina and me.

I think we turned a corner in September, and we were even able to arrange a vacation to Athosia last month which really did her a lot of good. She's still very sad, but I think she's really doing a lot better. The sadness isn't as crippling for her now, and she can actually do a lot more for a lot longer. I think she really would like to seriously get to work by February, and I think as long as we continue on this trajectory, the Chancellor will lift her Light Duty and let her fully take fiat authority.

JL: Is the Princess of the Empire Mary Ananto-DeLaurentis still staying with you both at Cliff House?

AR: Yes, she is really wonderful. She is working with the Empress in Waiting to begin teaching her about administration. Obviously, there is a lot that she can't teach: Nicki will have to teach her that when its appropriate, but the Princess of the Empire spends evenings with Carolina on what she calls "outtings." And those outtings will go to the National Assembly to watch the legislature from the gallery, or to the Government offices to take tours and learn what each of the Ministries do. They sometimes go to the Gaduri Mission, or the Hutorian, the Valruzian or the Lodamese Embassies, and the Embassy staff are always very polite to the Empress in Waiting and welcome her and show her whatever she wants to see.

She is very curious about what things are like in other countries, the differences between our people, and she has really learned so much in the last year: She went from asking questions about if people in other nations eat the same things we do to asking who their country is connected with, and what that country brings them. These are pretty advanced questions for a 13 year old, but Carolina is very serious about learning how the government works: I think when her brother was to become the Empress, the focus was on him, and she was sort of expected to just do something else, but she was always curious, and before her curiosity was sort of treated as something to be humored, now its being actively fed by literally everyone around her, and she's really thriving. The Princess of the Empire is the perfect person to indulge her along these lines.

JL: How is she doing in school?

AR: The Empress in Waiting is doing just fine in school. Obviously, there are some limitations to her social life, but these are talks we are having with the Chancellor about how far we can push the protocol so that she can grow up as normal as possible, and have as many safe and fulfilling interactions with her peers as she can before the door slams shut when she takes the throne.

JL: There were some discussion before the loss of the Emperor and Empress about the Hulanevek Diamond. Are there any plans...

AR: Excuse me. Let's not talk about the Diamond. It's in the Museum of the Empire. That's all.

JL: Alright. Then let's move to something about you. How's ODEN-K?

AR: ODEN-K is doing very well. International sales, especially to Keris and Majatra are booming for some reason. We don't tend to ask, but larger orders, especially for recreational analgesics. This is above and beyond the pharma we provided during the Keris War. I'd say that during the recession, international recreational drug sales were the one industry in Kalistan that was overperforming. I suppose hard times lead to Drug use. We were also seeing increasing sales from our sister organizations in Hutori and Tel Bira. It is what it is. People love drugs. ODEN as a cartel exists to sell them drugs. Their own national laws clearly don't stop drug use or drug importation, and those users and retailers need a supplier, and ODEN is the single largest international wholesaler in Terra. Its a recession proof industry.

JL: Where would you say ODEN makes the majority of its money from? Domestic users or International Users?

AR: International users, certainly. The international appetite for drugs from ODEN dwarfs our local consumption. Look: If you can walk into any dispensary you like in Kalistan and buy safe, clean and also, I will add, potent drugs for almost nothing, the whole, you know, chic thing about doing something illegal goes away. I can sell a gram of cannabis here in Kalistan for about 25 cents. Cannabis is actually cheaper than tobacco which we have to import a lot of to keep up with demand. And we get it from Growers at cost +2 percent. Our markup to Kalistanis is virtually nothing. That same gram will go in a country where weed is illegal for anywhere from 12 to 20 Imperial--We only sell it to them for half that, but still. And we grow this stuff in Kalistan by the ton and its the best cannabis on the planet because we've been growing it for thousands of years in this nation and sort of know how to do it a lot better than a bunch of stupid potheads in their little grow kits in the closets of nations where its illegal.

That's just marijuana. Don't even get me started with opium and heroin, coca and cocaine, shrooms and acid. I mean, there's just not even any comparison. Average consumption of substances has been way down for a very long time in Kalistan, but internationally, there is an insatiable demand, because its so hard to come by and certainly nearly impossible to do so legally in many of these regressive nations.

JL: So consumption is way down in Kalistan then?

AR: Yes, way down. You can only take so much LSD. We see periodic spikes: About a decade ago it was cocaine and MDMA. Heroin use is way down, but raw opium consumption is fairly steady. Cannabis and alcohol run about even, and consumption is pretty flat. The other weird ones, your Ketamines and DMTs and synths, those are always niche markets: we usually have excess supply of those and send them with international traffickers to pass on to their customers as sweeteners. Tobacco consumption is lower, because prices are a bit higher. Wine and rum specifically are always high and along with cannabis, these are our big three here in the Empire. Opium is a distant fourth. We keep the highest quality stock for the Anantos, but there is a fairly large market primarily centered in the upper classes in general.

JL: What sorts of drugs do you personally use in your home?

AR: We have become t-total in Cliff House. It's important I think for Nicki's health that we just sober up, so she's not dealing with that as well. But we do keep a supply of raw opium at home, which is necessary for informal audiences. The Empress in Waiting has not been introduced to that part of her office yet, but the Princess Regent has abstained now for more than six months.

JL: Are there any plans to expand ODEN?

AR: There are always plans to expand ODEN.

JL: Will other nations be joining soon?

AR: I said there are plans to expand it, as in we are ready to expand it, we want to expand it. Countries should see it as being in their interest to expand ODEN: The Treaty specifies non-compete, non-importation into ODEN nations, so if Tel Bira wants to produce meth, and set the price internationally, they do that, and we don't: We only require that it be high quality and pure, and carry ODEN markings that identify it as the Cartel's product, and that we can obtain the product from them for our own markets at the same price we would set if we made it ourselves. I treat Tel Biran authorized distributors as if they are Kalistanis and sell them what they want at Kalistani prices, and they get a guaranteed market and a guaranteed price in exchange.

So if a nation doesn't want Kalistani drugs supplying their users, they can try to create laws, but let's be honest, we know how effective laws are at preventing drug trafficking. The other way they can do that then is to join ODEN. We don't export to unlicensed purchasers of member nations. Some drug dealer from Hutori can't come to Kaliburg, to the ODEN warehouse, and pick up 8 tons of marijuana: We'd need authorization from their Government before that sale was ever even considered. For a non member: It's easier to buy weed in Kaliburg than it is to buy coffee, because they just show up with a boat and cash and go away with the drugs, no questions while to get a cup of coffee, they'd have to present themselves to customs, and then get a cab, and it is just a big mess after that. We definitely hope other nations will join ODEN and get their drug problems under control, but that's their problem, not ours. We're just selling weed. By the bale...

JL: Has any nation ever had a problem with the fact that ODEN is supplying most of the world's recreational drugs? Has anyone ever sued Kalistan over ODEN?

AR: I don't know.

JL: Lord Rohrbach, with respect, you are the director of ODEN in Kalistan. You don't know?

AR: We don't acknowledge international lawsuits over anything. So if there has been any law suits, they haven't been brought to my attention. It's immaterial anyway: Within Kalistan, Kalistani law is what governs our interactions, and ODEN is the organization that is charged with all legal drug sales within the Empire of Ananto and Kalistan, and internationally, according to the law we actually pay attention to. We are extremely tightly regulated by our Government and the Ministries of the Interior, or Health and Social Services, and of Justice to ensure that we do our job and vigorously go after independent actors who are trying to build a black market. Drugs are available very inexpensively in legal ODEN dispensaries, which further suppresses any black markets that might form. There's no incentives to try to cheat this system and a lot of disincentives within Kalistan. At that point, my concern about the law ends. What other non-ODEN nations want or do is of no consequence to me or this Organization. Nor does ODEN have any responsibility for what happens to these drugs once they leave Kalistan. That is between the buyer and seller at that point.

JL: Well, I think we're out of time, Lord Rohrbach. It has been a pleasure.

AR: Of course. The pleasure is all mine. Peace.

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Empress in Waiting Formally Attends first Session of National Assembly
Princess Regent, released from Light Duty, says Kalistan needs "renewal"
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
March 1, 5687


Three Generation of Ananto Women arrive at National Assembly

The National Assembly welcomed Her Imperial Majesty, Empress in Waiting Carolina-Katherine Michelle Ananto-Connor to the Chamber today in a purely ceremonial event for the reconvening of the Assembly. Her appearance in the Chamber was long awaited as Deputies have been lobbying the Chancellor for more than a year for the chance to meet the young Monarch. As Her Imperial Majesty is still only 13 and has not reached her legal Majority, she was invited to take a seat near the Chancellor of the Empire, rather than in the Legislative Seat where she will sit in the future, for the duration of the Session, where she was able to observe the proceedings and speak with the Chancellor during the meeting. She was accompanied to the Chamber by Her Highness, Princess Regent Nicolette Ananto-Collins, who was scheduled to speak on behalf of the Empress in Waiting, and Her Highness, Princess of the Empire Mary Ananto, who took a seat in the Peers Gallery. Upon their appearance, the Deputies rose to their feet, and solemnly bowed, and then when all three Anantos had taken their respective places, they gave a respectful and enthusiastic ovation, welcoming the Princesses back to the Chamber in their new roles, and welcoming the Empress in Waiting, most especially to the National Assembly.

When the Chancellor called the session to order, she offered the rostrum to the Empress in Waiting to rise and address her Assembly. As practiced, Her Imperial Majesty, the Empress in Waiting wordlessly waved her hand across her chest, signaling to the Chancellor that the Princess Regent would take the floor in her stead. This small ceremony was her first official act as Empress and it went off absolutely as scripted. The Princess Regent rose, approached the Rostrum and lowered her head toward Her Imperial Majesty out of respect for the office, and then proceeded to deliver her first address to the National Assembly as Princess Regent of Ananto and Kalistan to an absolutely silent House of Deputies.

"My Lady, Her Imperial Majesty, Empress in Waiting Carolina-Katherine Michelle Ananto-Collins, Most Excellent and Honorable Chancellor of the Empire, My Lady Ericka Donahue, Countess of Vrassa, Gathered Deputies and Peers, I thank you for welcoming me to speak on behalf of our Sovereign and Empress. I want to thank you all first, for the trust you have placed in me, and in Her Imperial Majesty's Government. It means so much to me that you wish to carry on my Late brother's legacy in this way. I will not let by Brother and my Sister-in-Law's memory down, I will not let Her Imperial Majesty down, and I will not let you all down. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart."

Over this year I have had the opportunity to do a lot of thinking. I have had the chance to meet with many of you and find out what your priorities are. And I have come to one conclusion. When my adopted daughter, Her Imperial Majesty, takes up her rightful spot as the Empress of our Nation, I want to leave her with several projects that are well on their way to completion, so she may oversee them until the end.

Domestically, our system is getting older. We have had to divert a lot of our resources that usually goes toward maintaining our infrastructure into maintaining basic existence in Kalistan during the Recession. Now by all estimation, we are five years behind on deferred maintenance. This is certainly something we need to tackle, and dedicated a lot of time and money into catching up. The problem with deferred maintenance is that if I say 5 years, it will take 10 or 15 years to complete, just because we not only have to catch up on the deferred maintenance, but also do our current maintenance. So this is a long term project ahead of us. Part of it will be a thorough investigation of the roads, bridges and rail lines, as well as our dams, power supply grids, and power generation facilities. This project will begin this summer in Kalistan and will wind up in Ananto by the end.

I would also like to see us begin to invite foreign investment to begin expanding our heavy industry in this nation. One of the issues we had during the recession was a failure of our supply chains. Increased heavy manufacturing will help us re-onshore our supply chains, to ensure that we are not reliant on other nations for essential components necessary for those things Kalistanis use every single day. This initiative will lead to thousands of new jobs over the next couple decades, and will help us further tighten the labor market to ensure worker power across the nation. We will do this through both public and private investment in both the public and private sector.

Internationally, I would like to see the Empire of Ananto and Kalistan continue to reach out to other nations to improve our ties with the world. As my brother and sister in law held, bilateral relations are most suitable to Kalistan, and this will be the course I continue to pursue. We would like Kalistani businesses to have a chance to compete abroad, and we would like excess capital in Kalistan to flow outward so profits and dividends can return here and enrich our people. We'd like to return to export led growth as a strategy for maintenance of our ZPG doctrine, and be a net exporter once more. More than anything, we would like to forge new ties with our neighbors in Lodamun, and work with the Viceroy in Gaduridos to ensure that they always have what they need from Kalistan, whether it be assistance, or staying completely out of the way.

We are also planning to continue a project that was just inaugurated last year which is the expansion of the First Regular Navy in the Northern Anantonese Ocean. The first elements of the permanent personnel commitment to the Luncasi Naval Logistics and Supply Center in Luncasi Kizenia are in place, the dry dock facility and deep port expansion has been begun and we are already starting to clear the water way for the new Luncasi Commercial Port. On land, as a joint project between Kalistan and Kizenia, civil engineers are making great progress on expanding the rail network through Luncasi to service both the logistics center and the eventual future Luncasi Commercial Port. Like our own infrastructure projects these will continue apace for the next few years.

We hope to keep expanding our diplomatic capabilities outside of our region. It feels that certain nations are attempting to encircle our Empire with the aim of isolating us and strangling us. To this end, not only do we seek to ensure that Kalistan has connections with other nations around the world, but that we are building reliable alliances aimed at checking that growing power and retaining the current balance of power in our region, which is, at this moment, in Kalistan's favor. Our nation may need to take extraordinary measures. We might have to look for unorthodox solutions to our security needs that some would prefer we ignore.

But I will not shy away from legitimate offers to help Kalistan retain its prominent place in our region, nor will I tolerate this Empire and her interests being sidelined by some upstart with a golden tongue. Kalistan has a long defend its interests, because we can't count on anyone else to do it for us. And we will continue to do so, by any means necessary. We would encourage others to seek friendly relations with this Empire, rather than doing everything within their power to constantly irritate our relationship. It's very easy for others to work with Kalistan. We make it very easy, and the only thing we ever ask is that you respect our interests and make room for them in the calculations of your own. Not hard to do at all. It surprises me every day that more nations do not seek to take advantage of our hand of friendship and cooperation. I seek to remedy that. I reiterate the call of the former Foreign Minister, Mr. Henry Greene, and invite the world to Kaliburg to talk with us.

This nation will continue to work, on all fronts, to improve the quality of life for all our Citizens. I owe it to Her Imperial Majesty to do just that. I have no greater duty than to leave her a greater country when I leave office that I got when I was put into this office. And I do affirm as Your Princess Regent, that this will be my solemn and solitary duty until such time that My Lady is able to assume her majority and her full Birthright. And I will not deviate from that task. Together, with your help, and the help of the People of this nation, we can accomplish these great things, and we will, so help us God. Thank you."

The inspiring speech drew an ovation from the Deputies, and established confidence in the Princess Regent, who many Deputies had privately whispered might not be up to the task, given her happy-go-lucky lifestyle, lack of formal training, and recent battles with mental illness and depression. Many Deputies cheered wildly, and chanted "Caroline Caroline" in the benches, and the Princess Regent smiled, some would say for the first time in a very long time, and waved at the packed house. After a moment, she walked to the Empress, bowed formally and opened her hand, and the Empress in Waiting stood, took her hand and the two began to walk to the Lobby. All Deputies went silent, reverently bowed their heads until the time that the two had left the floor and then erupted in ovation once more.

A sense of national pride and optimism radiating from the National Assembly is now palpable across the nation. The Princess Regent begins her first full day of work tomorrow.

@TheRepublic

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Art infects Metal on Progressive Major Label Debut from Sulari's Martel Strokes
Progressive Metal makes a return to Alternative Charts
Sulari, Duchy of Suldanor
March 18, 5687


AtWar is a hard hitting underground synergy of Art, Noise, Metal, Math and Progressive music that has a rabid Stoner Fanbase

The fourth LP, and first major label release from Sulari's Martel Strokes titled AtWar was an unanticipated response to the Art and New Wave hegemony which has dominated Kalistan's record racks and airwaves for the past decade or so. Rather, one could say that it is the bastard child of those and about half a dozen other sub genres which have been circulating. While the staunchly underground (until now) band has routinely escaped careful classification, there can be no doubt about it: the band has a massive stoner fan base, and represents something of an anti-RF which has been percolating, and occasionally bubbling into the mainstream. And this week, their most recent release hit number 14 on the Hot 100 Album Charts, the most prestigious music poll in the Empire. It debuted two weeks ago at Number 93.

"This is a band with solid metal cred," said critic Kristi Valdes, of KRM. "But Martel Strokes has also incorporated groove with its feet solidly in the dance tradition, as well as psychedelic industrial metal in its trippy production and something one might even call skits(?) in the middle of the record, where some menacing Dundorfian narrator gives the recipe for hashish-infused chocolate chip cookies (Track 10's "Und Keine Ei"), as well as progressive traditions and song structures, as well as a lot of Art, with a lot of its non-traditional instrumentation and tuning, like another 'skit' where a romantic piano motif plays over a beach sound, with Egelian voice actor Rafael Muñoz-Alarcón, speaking heavily-accented Vrassan into an answering machine, reads one of the actual pieces of hate mail the band received earlier in its career."

The album is essentially super loud and technically complex math rock with weird time signatures and polyrhythmic beats, and there is definitely not a lot of bands doing this at the moment in Kalistan. "It borrows from thrash," continued Valdes, "it borrows from Noise, it borrows from Alternative. And yet, even with all those roots in all those genres, it still isn't a 'something for everyone' band. The people who like this band just love this band, and the people who don't get it tend to really hate it, even if you are a fan of any one of those subgenres itself. And the people who love this record, 1) all smoke tons of weed, and 2) hope you will love this band too. On the one hand, it doesn't take itself too seriously at all, and is weird and kind of funny in parts, and on the other hand, you could say it takes itself way too seriously, like it has no chill at all."

Some would argue this music is a backlash against the New Wave of RF driven club music, which is primarily consumed by and is primarily preferred by female fans, especially young female fans. "Go to a Martel Strokes show any night in Sulari and you probably aren't gonna see a woman or a girl within two miles of that place," said Valdes. "Its agro, and even kind of a little emo, really. It sounds like the lead guitarist plays his instrument with a hammer on occasion. The staccato crunch of these guitars and machine gun quality of the drums sounds pretty industrial at times, really doesn't attract a lot of female fans, and occasionally sounds like music for dudes who can't get dates."

But this is not to say that Martel Strokes attracts no female listeners--Record sales themselves put the lie to that. "I think the girls who may drift toward this band often like guys who are into it, but the ones that choose it themselves are probably tired of being treated like idiots by the pop music industry in this nation, and want something a little more challenging. Speaking for myself, that's what I found attractive about it. It asks me to think a little-- It's head music--music for smart people. I appreciate that, even if it is abrasive."

The band itself proved to be notoriously elusive when we tried to get them to comment on their record's success. During the interview with lead singer Kevin Brandon of Sulari, he didn't really have a lot to say:

KRM: Kevin, this record represents a major departure for music these days, away from the largely electronic driven sounds of RF. Can you tell us what you were going for here?

KB: No.

KRM: No?

KB Yeah. No.

KRM: Do you have any influences that inspired you to make music like this?

KB: Yeah.

KRM: Who were they?

KB: Musicians...

The interview went downhill from there.

Brandon and the band's hostility toward the music press aside, what is clear was that the band's rabid fans have been at the center of pushing this non-standard band to the forefront. Following release of the record, ARC, the label that signed the band to record this album, announced that they intended to work with the band to create videos, but word got out, and there was a massive three day online campaign by their fans which saw more than 85,000 posts in just 65 hours where fans threatened to boycott ARC if Martel Strokes released videos from this record. Most of the messages involved comments like "Don't steal our scene" and "If you want to see the band play, go to their shows and support actually independent artists" and "Videos are fascism. No Sell out."

The Campaign ended with a message from Martel Strokes' verified KaliBirdApp account where the band reaffirmed its commitment to never make a video for any song on the album. The post also included a link where people could go to download the record for free, using the code "#ArtIsNotForSale." The band's response caused the label to very publicly threaten to sue to recuperate recording, promotional and distribution costs of the very expensive record (some say it cost more than ₭1.2 million imperial rubles to record, most of which was fronted by the label,) but an agreement was settled in four days and the post was taken down. It was estimated that the record was downloaded more than 250,000 times during the four days, leading to massive physical media sales, and propelling the underground album into the upper reaches of the top 20 in just two weeks.

Audio videos have been released by ARC so the album can keep exposure on streaming services, which seems to be the compromise reached between ARC and the band. All the controversy around the album has made this one of ARC's best selling LPs in years when controlling for length of time it has been out. And it threatens to make the misanthropic stoner Art rockers household names. To further promote the record, ARC and Martel Strokes have agreed to release one song as a single to radio. It's an unlikely choice on an album of unlikely choices. It's called "The Shakes" and is about a cataclysmic seismic event breaking southern Suldanor off of the rest of Kalistan Proper and sinking it to the bottom of Ananto Strait. It is a not-serious-serious allegorical criticism against hyper-materialism and consumerism in coastal Suldanor.

"What a weird topic for a lead single," said Valdes. "But: It's number 36 this week on the Radio 1 Top 40 Singles chart, so, it must resonate with some people."

You can check out Martel Strokes' AtWar recorded and distributed by ARC right here in full, and check out the "Video" such as it is for the single "The Shakes" below as well as the B-Side "My Shadow" right here.

[Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHcmnowjfrQ]
Martel Strokes' "The Shakes", the first, and likely only single to Radio from the new album AtWar

[Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIuZUCpm9hc]
B-Side "My Shadow" which threatens to crack the Top 40 Singles Chart right behind "The Shakes": it sits at 68 right now in the poll

@KalistaniRawkMonthly

[Doc]

Regent and Empress relocate to Luxon for the Summer
"The Empress is learning about fun," said Princess Regent, as some eyebrows raise
Luxon, Grand Duchy of Ananto
May 31, 5687


Princess Regent and Empress in Waiting get ready to hit the Waves on Luxon Swell

Her Highness, the Princess Regent has shunned strong council from the Chancellor of the Empire this month, and has relocated herself and Her Imperial Majesty, Empress in Waiting Carolina-Katherine Michelle Ananto-Collins to her home on Luxon Bay so the Royal Family can take advantage of the surfing season.

"It was my choice," said the Princess Regent from her home. "The move coincided with the end of (Her Imperial Majesty, Empress in Waiting) Carolina's freshman school year. We will live and work here this summer, (ODEN-K Director) Andrew will resume his full commute schedule, and the Empress and I will commute into Kaliburg three days a week, and then will return to Kaliburg in late August. Carolina will not miss her friends: They will be welcomed to stay with us over the summer as schedules permit. But Her Imperial Majesty has been a very diligent in her studies this year and has done very well both in school and in her training with her Grandmother and the Chancellor, and now its time for her to learn how to have fun, like a 14 year old should." Her Highness said that the Chancellor argued that the move back to Luxon was a bad decision given the head space the Princess was in when she left Luxon two springs ago, but the Princess Regent waved off the concern, saying she is doing much better and is no longer on Light Duty.

The Princess Regent's choice of "fun" activities, which include, among other activities in the beach resort town, surfing on the Luxon Swell, raised some concerns about the Empress in Waiting's safety. "Luxon is a notoriously difficult wave to surf for a beginner," said sports writer Mike Jones. "Her Highness, the Princess Regent may be an excellent teacher, and I do not doubt she will take every effort to ensure that the Empress in Waiting is safe, but it seems the Swell is an unnecessary risk, especially given easier beaches like Sunset which are closer to Kaliburg." But it was clear that the Princess Regent wanted to return home to Luxon.

"We are taking a risk, yes," said the Princess Regent. "But I also know she (the Empress in Waiting) is eager to learn about surfing, and I have spent years teaching kids on this wave itself. The curriculum involves getting used to the board in water that nobody will ever drown in unless they are unconscious: the main waves break much further off shore than where we practice, and even on the wildest days, this water is no deeper than waist deep, and the waves are more foam than face. The Empress won't be hurt, and I am not about to let her take risks that I wouldn't let any of my other students ever take in a million years." The Regent says she intends to surf the actual Swell to demonstrate techniques, but the Empress will not be allowed past where she can touch the bottom, and meanwhile will also need to work on her swimming.

"I gotta get back into shape," she said with a laugh. "I got a bit soft over the last few years, and really lost my edge. I'm never going to surf competitively again but I need to work on my stamina. I gotta work off all those years of smoking weed and eating acid. That tends to cut down on the exercise schedule." She says she wants to use this summer to get back into "fighting shape," and to encourage her adopted daughter to adopt healthy eating habits, "... Carolina eats like crap. I loved my brother and sister in law, but they were far too indulgent with this child. She doesn't eat hardly any vegetables, and just likes macaroni and cheese and pizza, and so we're gonna work new foods into her diet, and bring a lot of them back to mine, and we're going to talk about how they can help her hair, and her skin, and her eyes, and strengthen her bones and muscles, and everything. We both getting healthy and strong together!"

The Empress in Waiting will still be in the capital for three full days in the week, from Monday to Thursday Morning, and will continue observing the Government. The Princess Regent will also join in the sessions so she feels confident in her role as the Regent. But just because she and the Empress in Waiting are in Kaliburg doesn't mean they will wait until their return to Luxon to surf. "Sunset beach is just 20 minutes down the line from Kaliburg. I want to take the Empress surfing as often as possible," said the Regent. "Being in the water is so rejuvenating, and I think encouraging a love of the ocean in our Monarch is only a positive for our nation." Princess of the Empire Mary Ananto-DeLaurentis will continue staying at Cliff House over the summer, and will use her weekends to travel or relax in Kaliburg, rather than returning to Eveari. She announced that she will stay in Kaliburg for at least another year, and will also begin working with House Ananto to find a replacement for the retiring Lady Helen Ananto-Reynolds, who is expected to step down next year.

While in Luxon, the Princess Regent also wants to spend some time in the Global Music Hall of Fame. "Carolina is pretty curious about music, and Luxon is home to a museum that talks about and teaches about the greatest music in Terra, from all countries. We can see concerts there, meet and listen to artists in residence, and do all the hands on stuff there. It takes about three days to get through the whole museum, and its been a while since even I have been there, so we're probably going to go back repeatedly over the summer."

As the Princess Regent relocates to Luxon for the summer, Deputies are slowly returning to their own constituencies to work. The Government will remain in Kaliburg over the summer, but the Chancellor of the Empire, Lady Ericka Donahue anticipates that she will make at least one trip to Luxon a week to discuss things with the Princess Regent. The Empress will return to Kaliburg in mid August to prepare for the school year. "She, and I are really looking forward to the Invitational first," said the Princess Regent. "It's truly a great event: I enjoy it every year, and Carolina said that if she learns to surf well enough, it will be exciting to watch because then she'll know what the sport aspect of surfing is about."

@LaModa

[Doc]

Chancellor announces new Round of Naval Construction
First Regular Navy and Regular Marines to be Aggrandized
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
July 7, 5687


Chancellor announces naval construction to begin in Kaliburg in August

The Chancellor of the Empire, Lady Ericka Donahue has finally announced the beginning of the newest round of naval construction. "Due to increased security demands on the 1st Regular Fleet in the Northern Anantonese Ocean, we are finally beginning naval construction," said the Chancellor before the National Assembly. "Her Highness, the Princess Regent has approved plans from Her Imperial Majesty's Defensse Ministry and KalMilInCo to either re-commission or newly construct a Surface Combat Group which will act as a rapid response force in the region, and will be stationed at the Luncasi Naval Logistics Center, when completed. This Surface Group will allow the Defense Ministry to better calibrate its resources throughout the rest of the Ocean, to better secure our portion of the world against external threats and better enhance the security of our neighboring nations."

The Chancellor laid out the plan in phases. "The new Group will consist of a new Kaliburg-C Class destroyer, 2 recommissioned and one new Luxon Class Guided Missile Cruisers and 3 Bekenial III Multipurpose Frigates, repurposed from the 2nd Fleet. A compliment of supply, patrol and logistics ships will also be attached to the surface group but will be responsible to assist with supply of the entire 1st Regular Fleet from Luncasi and Port Swedes. The Second Fleet will receive 2 recommissioned and 2 newly constructed Ontiveros Class Frigates to replace the Bekenial ships."

The Chancellor said that the recommissioned ships were part of the decommissioned 4th Expeditionary Fleet which was completed about 15 years ago. Many of the ships of the navy were sent to Port Elga where they awaited deconstruction, but the ships which will go to the new Surface Fleet are ones that were not dismantled, but held in reserve. "We do need to refit the ships we are recommissioning," said the Chancellor. "Their armaments, electronics and etc., were removed when they were sent to Port Elga to be stripped and dismantled, but rearming and refitting them for additional service will allow us to deploy them within six months rather than six years. Meanwhile, we will get busy with the new construction at Kaliburg Ship Yards. Each ship will take about 9 months to lay in and then another 15 to 18 months to finish construction, so we're looking at 2 years on the new Destroyer and new Frigates." The support and logistics ships will be built concurrently in Port Elga and at the Shipyards at Puerto Gaduri, in Ciudad de Gaduri. Once the compliment of the Surface Combat Group is launched completely, the replacement Frigates for the 2nd Regular Fleet stationed at Yoshimi Naval Station will be constructed.

"The Surface Combat group is meant to function as a rapid response unit," said the Chancellor. "It's not meant to fight pitched battles. It is instead designed to respond in an emergency to buy the rest of the fleet time to arrive in theater. It will also perform various activities in the Northern Anantonese Ocean such as recon and shadowing of movements in theater, escort operations, complement our on shore missile defense systems, and deterrence. The surface group itself isn't enough to take on an entire advancing navy, especially one with modern air on station from an aircraft carrier, by itself. But it does pack enough firepower to make engagement costly for whoever decides to try it. This is the essence of Kalistani Naval Doctrine: We may not win, but we definitely will make the loss as unnecessarily costly as possible, so the victory when obtained, will not be worth the cost in lives and materiel for the other side."

The Chancellor stated that the addition of the base lease in Luncasi made the expansion possible. "Of course the Luncasi base is not a permanent fixture for Kalistan in southern Kizenia. But in keeping with the general spirit of keeping the Southern Coast completely demilitarized, Luncasi was designated a Naval Logistics Center. The base itself possesses only two battalions of Imperial Marines as permanent personnel; While the Surface group is in port, they will be considered training personnel, and the only regularly stationed naval vessels will be the Logistics and Support ships. But Bozo River CAGTC, which serves as home to the 1st Fleet really cannot accept new ships, and Port Swedes it itself also a Logistics Port. Without Luncasi, the 1st Fleet would not be able to enlarge its mission in this fashion."

The Chancellor also announced that the Marine Corps will add two additional regiments of Naval Artillery. "One Battalion will be attached to the new Surface Group, while other Battalions will be spread across the various anti-ship batteries, OTH radar installations, in Ananto, and new Missile Defensive batteries planned across Ananto and Vrassa." The Chancellor said the new force size increases are necessary as a precaution. "We note the vigor that Lodamun adopted in Missile defense, and as we see that as the next hot theater in warfare, this is about Kalistan getting prepared, in the event that an unknown commodity comes into power somewhere in our neighborhood and decides to start firing either conventional, or heaven forbid, unconventional missiles at people."

The Chancellor concluded her speech on procurement and recommissioning of a significant portion of the old 4th Fleet: "Her Highness, the Princess Regent believes that it never hurts to be prepared, and as with the Navy, our goal is to make any attack on the Empire or Northern Seleya as painful to the attacker as we possibly can: the cost of war against Kalistan is now and always far more costly than any gain they will get from attacking, and the tactics must always be absolute demoralization of the enemy, through whatever means handy." She also announced that the Princess Regent will travel with the Chancellor of the Empire, and Her Imperial Majesty's Foreign and Defense Ministers to Lodamun in August of this year to renew talks about intelligence sharing and defense cooperation, and Northern Seleyan Security. Her Imperial Majesty, Empress in Waiting Carolina-Katherine Michelle Ananto-Collins will remain in Kaliburg during the trip, where she will be preparing for the coming school year.

"The Regent also doesn't want to take a chance travelling internationally with the Empress in Waiting at this point," said the Chancellor. "She is skeptical of air travel, but Lodamun and Kalistan are connected by passenger rail, so those concerns are alleviated."

@TheRepublic

[Doc]

Kalistani FM Says Empire is moving closer to Fortress Kalistan
"Classic Defense in Depth more necessary now than ever," says Harney
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
October 1, 5687


FM, Sir Thomas Harney announces diplomatic arm of what he calls Fortress Kalistan

Her Imperial Majesty's Foreign Minister, Sir Thomas Harney, OAE, delivered a major policy speech within the National Assembly this week that declared that Kalistan's various foreign policy stakeholders have settled on the policy that they have tentatively called "Fortress Kalistan."  The idea, which is actually quite old, is a restatement of classic Kalistani policy designed to make it possible for Kalistan to survive in a world which is generally hostile toward it.  The FM laid out its basic principles on the floor of the National Assembly.

"As we look around us, we see what all nations see:  a handful of trustworthy friends, a handful of states who are rapidly setting themselves up to either rival or eclipse our nation, and the vast majority of nations in the world that simply do not care.  Terra is rapidly entering into a bipolar or tripolar structure, which we find to be quite hostile to Kalistan's desire to promote our own national interests in our region of the world.  While the world will do this, it is imperative that Kalistan take the steps it needs to take to ensure that we don't get caught up in the struggles between major powers elsewhere.  The classic strategic defense in depth doctrine we are starting to call 'Fortress Kalistan' is more necessary now than ever."

The Foreign Minister discussed Fortress Kalistan as a "multi front campaign" to ensure that Kalistan is able to promote its own interests regardless of what is going on around it.  "It involves every Ministry in Her Imperial Majesty's Government to coordinate its effort to approximate what nations consider to be total war.  Effort within each ministry to ensure that Kalistan is not buried under the tidal wave of great power politics, where we simply become a puppet state, like Rildanor became, or Kizenia is about to become, of Amudim has been for decades at this point, with sovereignty in name only, but otherwise, used by some foreign power as a virtual colony and a base from which to project its military.  Kalistan may be only be a regional power:  We certainly are not the hegemon we were when Canrille disappeared from the earth and left a massive vacuum that needed filling.  But we do possess enough capacity within our realm to defend our interests here at home, even if we had to take on one of these great powers alone."

On the military front, the Foreign Minister noted that a regular and vigorous training schedule was planned.  "We are going to invite our regional Partner in Lodamun to join us in naval and ground exercises next year, when we visit next month," said the Foreign Minister.  "Their interest in a pacific Anantonese is as great as ours, and this is a mutual interest between our two nations."  The foreign Minister said that the exercises are meant to shake off whatever rust the Regular Navy has, and re-hone the blade of the Kalistani Regular Force.  Combined with the expansion of the first Fleet and Marine Corps and reorganization of the Second one, Kalistani Naval power will serve as the first wave of defense.  The Foreign Minister also stated that the Empire will be looking into ramping up production in land-based naval interceptor fighter jets and multi-role fighters aimed at neutralizing naval air. 

He also said the Militia will begin training with both the Regular Navy and the veteran Regular Army forces back from the war.  The Regular forces and the militia will refamiliarize themselves with irregular warfare operations, unconventional and asymmetric warfare and sabotage, espionage, and systemic demoralization operations, and will begin actively working on acquiring more anti-missile technology from neighboring states.  "We seek to neutralize the advantages the nations around us possess, to make it so they cannot hold our nation hostage to threats of violence in a wartime situation," said the Foreign Minister.  "We may never go toe to toe, gun to gun with an aircraft carrier, but we may not have to if we can cripple our opponent, either through munitions or through unconventional warfare that employs every tactic that most regulars avoid to deny those things that allow enemy combatants to recover from high stress situations.  Things like sleep, things like safe food and water, things like security.  We don't have to kill them:  Killing them takes one man, maybe three men off the line, but demoralization is infectious and can take whole units completely off the battlefield at a time.  Ultimately, our goal will be to make any attack on Kalsitani territory or citizens so incredibly costly that attack is not even a realistic option for any non-suicidal nation.  As they said of old, we may not win the war, but the war will be so bloody that the other side won't count it as a victory either but as a tragedy."

"Diplomatically, we are going to work to encourage others to consider joining important agreements like the Non-Aligned Movement," said the Foreign Minister.  "The goal is not to necessarily back up Kalistan in a battle, but to prevent great powers from incorporating minor powers into their ever expanding empires.  Killing an invader at sea isn't enough:  We need to also consider how we will deny them their life's blood, which are all of these little states who are meant to be used as cannon fodder.  What does some minor power gain from bandwagoning with a major power half a world away?  Its unclear, actually, unless they just like life in the shadow of a behemoth.  What does the major power gain from swallowing up a minor power?  They gain people, they gain resources, they gain access to projection around the world.  And all of those are a form of power that let them more or less terrorize everyone else into submission.  But organizations like NAM encourage people to remember that they aren't alone.  They can rely on other member states to step up and stand with them when the majors put pressure on them.  They don't have to stand alone." 

The Foreign Minister also said that his ministry will be re-evaluating some of our long standing relationships abroad to see whether they serve Kalistani interests any longer.  "Some nations actions demonstrate they have no desire to keep association with Kalistan, whatever they say to the contrary, and have no care for Kalistan in their own crass calculations," said the FM, though he did not give a clue about who he referred to.

Economically, Fortress Kalistan means ensuring the greatest amount of self-sufficiency possible, so that other nations cannot gain economic leverage over Kalistan.  "We also want to ensure that when we do have to trade, we can trade with reliable trade partners, over secure trade routes that great powers cannot interrupt at will.  This denies the ability of adversaries to starve us out, and ensures that even if the great powers of the world turn against us, we still have what we need as a nation despite their best efforts."  This includes, according to the Foreign Minister, increasing trade with Seleyan nations, none of whom is on the list of great powers.  "It also means that Kalistan is not susceptible to external economic shocks, which great powers often use as leverage to hurt nations they do not like and force concessions or capitulation.  Ending dependence and reliance on anyone that can be incorporated into one of these voracious monsters is important."

Finally, the political arm involves an increase in foreign intelligence gathering capability, as well as propaganda capabilities.  "Look:  in a war, the other side can and will paint the conflict in whatever terms they want.  We can't stop that.  But their comments are all propaganda, and we need to make sure we have our own running constantly.  We need to say the truth about what these coalescing blocs actually are:  they are global level power arrangements that are centered around one nation or another nation and serve those nation's interests, alone.  They aren't for the benefit of the entire bloc.  They exist for the benefit of the leader of that bloc.  Pure and simple.  It is cynical to claim otherwise.  And we need to call that out."  He said that Kalistan would not hesitate to attempt to frustrate those who wanted an easy path toward world domination while trying to sidestep Kalistan.

The Foreign Minister concluded his bellicose and pugilistic speech on a sober note.  "We have tried to play things the way the world would like us to do it.  We tried for 10 years, and we went nowhere with it.  We were ignored for it, when our doors and our hearts were open.  When we turned inward and said that strategy of reaching out to the world was not working, we were widely criticized for abandoning internationalism by many of the people who ignored us when we were were actually trying to reach out.  But in abandoning internationalism for regionalism, we said to the world, 'In Kalistan, Kalistani interests come first, last and always.'  It seems that states were upset by that:  Its as if they were saying that Kalistan should play the meek little minor power in a forgotten corner of the world.  But Kalistan does not belong in anyone's shadow--Our Empire is the Sun.  We are the Empire of Ananto and Kalistan, and we are now also Fortress Kalistan.  And that's what it is--  If nations of this world do not respect our Crown at least they will fear to try to take it.  And if our Empress is marginalized for this, at least Kalistan will be secure and prosperous.  And if nobody else is going to voluntarily consider our interests as they make their grim calculus around the world, we'll push our interests to the center of any discussion here ourselves."

The Foreign Minister's statement would have been received with complete silence if so many nationalist Deputies in the Assembly hadn't had a hand in discussing the provisions of the policy doctrine the FM enunciated.  It is also clear that this policy statement was made in coordination with Both Her Imperial Majsety's Government, the Chancellor of the Empire, and Her Highness, the Princess Regent Nicolette Ananto-Collins, who has expressed disappointment in recent months about the fact that few foreign envoys have made any effort to visit Kalistan, despite multiple public and diplomatic invitations to do so.  Kalistan's Princess Regent, Chancellor and Foreign Minister are expected to visit to Lodamun next month in a trip that was originally scheduled for August, but was delayed due to scheduling conflicts in Kalistan.  Instead the Foreign Minister's speech was met with somber clapping, as early optimism about easy times ahead faded from the room.

Following the speech, the Foreign Minister gave brief comments to reporters.  "There's not a lot to be optimistic about internationally.  The world is going down a dangerous road, and Kalistan is not quite ready for that yet.  We'll get there, but we won't get there in time to stop the inevitable, so we have to have that baked into our trajectory."  He made reference to the last time a bipolar situation occurred in Terra that involved a major war between Lourenne, the nation who had successfully set itself up as a global force, and Beiteynu, who claimed domination of the West.  "Eventually whoever the poles end up being this time, those nations are going to tangle, its a certainty.  Whenever someone mentions the word 'Canrille', I ask, has nobody learned anything from the past?  But it sure seems someone wants to revive that malevolent empire that sought to direct world affairs by itself, but died a natural death after a war where a bunch of nations who were being used by it fought against a different malevolent bloc bent on winning a extremely bloody pissing contest.  We need to be ready for when that happens again, because it seems like it always does.  Nobody ever learns."

@TheRepublic

[Doc]

Kalistan travels to Lodamun on Regional Business
"Time to drop by and say howdy," says FM Harney
Addisjah, Duchy of Vrassa
November 4, 5687


High Speed rail car makes its way toward the border with Lodamun on Princess Regent's First International Trip

A delayed visit to Lodamun finally took place today as the train carrying Her Highness, the Princess Regent Nicolette Ananto-Collins, along with Chancellor of the Empire Lady Ericka Donahue, Her Imperial Majesty's Foreign Minister Sir Thomas Harney, and Her Imperial Majesty's Defense Minister Lt. Col Morris Grant made its way into Lodamun and then on to Kensington to meet with Lodamese counterparts. "We thought it was about time to drop by and say Howdy to our very close regional partners in Lodamun," said FM Harney of the trip. "As this is Her Highness' first international visit as Princess Regent, the Chancellor and I have agreed to come along and help her with the fine details of high level visits of this kind to important allies."

The Foreign Minister said that besides the normal diplomatic handshaking and photo opportunities, the real meat of the discussions will be with the Lodamese Defense Force and Industry. The Kalistanis will meet with Director of the Strategic Defense Agency, Admiral Oscar Mioduszewski to talk about cooperation on Continental Missile Defense. "Kalistan is interested in the successes the Lodamese have had with the development of both the land and sea based anti-missile systems known as the enhanced THAAD and Typhoon," said Sir Harney. "The Typhoon especially, because it is a mobile battery that can be deployed rapidly following alert of an incoming threat. We think that we can put this system to great use, given the potential for integration with the KalSat Satellite network that keeps eyes on several major areas of the globe at all times. We are already able to detect the heat signature of launches with a fairly high degree of accuracy using our geosynchronous satellites, and machine learning algorithms, and tying that in with a missile defense system such as these will be a real enhancement to Kalistani security, especially given the threats which loom on our horizon."

The Foreign Minister also spoke about seeking to tie in Kalistan's OTH radar systems in Ananto and Marlingantos with the Lodamese HUTOR program. "This tie in would follow along similar lines with the cooperation between Kalistan, Lodamun and Dolgava to maintain undersea surveillance and tracking systems that aim to make it so that nothing moves in and around the Northern Anantonese Ocean without Kaliburg knowing about it." The current sonar and hydrophone nets stretch from the Strait of Karzon north of Lodamun into the southern reaches of the Dranian Sea north of Lourenne. "The Northern Anantonese Ocean is probably one of the most closely observed stretches of water on the planet," said Minister Harney. "This won't change that, it will just allow more people to help watch it."

Finally, the last major topic of discussion during the visit is an invitation for Lodamun to join combined naval and ground exercises with Kalistan next summer. "We are currently rolling out our new strategic doctrine known as 'Fortress Kalistan'," said the Foreign Minister. "These exercises will be the first major test of the initial strategic and tactical facets of the defense part of that doctrine." The Foreign Minister said the exercises will take place in and around Bozo River CATC at Bozo River and will involve reactivated partisans of the Institutional Militia, as well as elements of the First Regular Navy and Army Group North. "We think Lodamun is one of the globe's pre-eminent naval expeditionary forces, and if anyone is going to punch holes in our tactics, it will be them. But these are opportunities for us to learn in a simulated war like setting--We learn from failure more so than success. And Lodamun is in a great place to help us, as they tend to utilize the mix of tactics that we are likely to see on the battlefields of the future."

The FM was realistic about Kalistan's chances in the war games that aim to simulate an invasion of the Island of Ananto: "Yeah, we'll probably lose this time. It's been about 40 years since the Regular Navy has seen actual combat, and then it was a disaster. Army Group North has been engaged more recently, but we had the easy part of that war. These war games will be beneficial because they will give our folks some experience against a respected partner: our longstanding friendship has allowed us to integrate a number of C&C structures, for example, left over from the Imperial days, which give us the opportunity to get more telling results from the exercises than we would if we were trying to find a signal in the static. I think it will be excellent for both Kalistan and Lodamun."

The Foreign Minister said the visit to Lodamun is expected to last for two weeks, and the Princess Regent is expected to be joined by her husband, Viscount Andrew Rohrbach for most of the stay. Her Imperial Majesty, Empress in Waiting Carolina-Katherine Michelle Ananto-Connor was not along for the visit, but remained in Kaliburg to continue school, and is in the care of her Grandmother, Her Highness Princess of the Empire Mary Ananto-DeLaurentis while the Princess Regent and Viscount are in Lodamun. Sir Harney said he is very optimistic for success in the visit.

@TheRepublic

[Doc]

Kalistani News in Brief: Kalistan Celebrates Valruzian Election Results
Empire joins Bankaut Agreement in Tel Bira; ADMIN breaks in Kaliburg
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
December 1, 5687


ADMIN, the electronic Art Rock band from Kaliburg, plays a show with Her Imperial Majesty in Attendance

Kalistan Celebrates Valruzian Election Results
The Kalistani political establishment was reportedly elated by Valruzian election results where the winning candidate, Urzsula Pawlik eked out a narrow win on the second ballot. Pawlik, an outspoken institutionalist and conservative, came into the elections in a fairly secure second behind the left wing populist candidate Dawid Kala. "Kalistan might have endorsed Tomasz Wilczewski, who was a known quantity in Kalistan given his role as former Ambassador to Kalistan, but Ms. Pawlick seemed to be a far more closely aligned choice for most Kalistanis, and today we have a reason to celebrate her election," said political scientist Professor Gregory Skowronek, of Sulari Duchy University.

According to Skowronek, Kalistan itself did not play any role in the election. "I know there was some talk about possibly setting up a PAC there to funnel donations to candidates, but when it became clear that many Kalistanis who have emigrated to Valruzia were on the left, Kalistani conservatives balked at the potential of using the funds for a candidate most of them did not want." But Kalistanis got their preferred choice without having to spend a single cent. President Elect Pawlik brings a strong desire for institutionalism and stability to the nation, and clearly has expressed interest in working with Kalistan and other Seleyan Nations.

"She ticks a lot of boxes for both the Kalistani Government, and for the Crown," said Skowronek. "We look forward to meeting with her after her inauguration and finding out how we can work together to build a stronger, more stable Seleya together." Anecdotally, the President Elect is reportedly quite popular within Kalistan--About 68% of the population asked said they both knew about the Valruzian Elections and were supportive of Ms. Pawlik's candidacy. "No doubt, she's gained a measure of celebrity in Kalistan, and I think her visit will really do wonders for Kalistani-Valruzian relations."

Empire joins Bankaut Agreement in Tel Bira
Her Imperial Majesty's Finance Minister, Dr. Louisa Argon visited Tel Bira this month to complete the negotiations with Tel Bira over the Bakaut Treaty. The Agreement sets up a fund based in Tel Bira that allows financial institutions to easily tranfer funds between themselves and across the world, without needing to sign a bunch of extra treaties with each nation individually. It reduces transaction costs between nations, and makes transactions smooth and reliable, obliviating the need for markups to cover risk of loss. And Tel Bira takes a fee per transaction for the service.

"Most importantly," said Dr. Argon, "It creates an almost completely independent standard for a single, universally convertible currency, at least among member nations. This currency is the standard medium of exchange from the Bankaut organization and is not tied to the health or well being of any particular national economy.. "As long as you have credits with the institution, your credits are worth just that. the Exchange comes when they tell you a credit is worth this much of your money, but its expressed in the credit itself, meaning this is virtually a universal currency." Dr. Argon said Kalistan would support that because it explicitly undermines schemes to set any particular nation's currency itself as the standard. "We say that with the Canrille Franc. We need to just not do that, because as soon as Canrille got everyone tied into that currency, the thing backing it, the Canrille Empire, collapsed immediately, leading to widespread currency crises. This system does not have a national currency backing it, so, it actually works as a market in the correct way giving a neutral third party medium to transfer funds between financial institutions."

Minister Argon was asked if she saw the Egelian representative who flew to Tel Bira immediately after she did or talked with him while she was in country. "I think Mr. Mondragon was landing as we were taking off," said Minister Argon. "When word got out that we had signed, I want to say that probably put pressure on the nation who is leading the globalist movement to our north to have to come in and sign it too. But no, we did not cross paths."

ADMIN breaks in Kaliburg
The electronic Art Rock band ADMIN has completed a series of very well attended shows in Kaliburg. The concerts were in support of the band's new EP Models on KMI. The band continues the movement to take the airwaves back from RF, while keeping a lot of the synths that made the New Wave of RF popular in the Empire. The band played seven shows at Kalistan's prestigious Zappa Ballroom, and one of the concerts was even attended by Her Imperial Majesty, the Empress in Waiting Carolina-Katherine Michelle Ananto-Connor who got to go back stage and meet the band personally.

"Her Imperial Majesty is tuning into popular music and developing her own tastes," said Imperial Spokeswoman Lady Ursula Gattlin to The Republic. "And in this venue, the Empress in Waiting gets to feel like a typical teenager, going to a show with her school friends, seeing a band she really likes, and then kind of flipping out over them."

Lead singer, primary guitarist and keyboardist Brad Smith, of ADMIN said it was an unexpected treat to meet the Empress. "Well, I'm just a few years older than she is," said Smith who is recently turned 20. "But I think we were both kind of intimidated. She didn't really say a lot, just that she loved the show, and she thanked us for playing and making music. Her friends were a lot more... I guess, enthusiastic. We spent way more time answering their questions and talking to them. But I think me and Mike (Donnelly, percussionist for the band) were kind of like 'you know, should we say something to her?' How do you really talk to someone like that? But that's not to say we were not thrilled that she likes our music. That's such an ego boost really, that the Empress digs our music. That's rad."

You can check out ADMIN's new single the Eponymous "Models" from their EP of the same name out now on KMI records below.

[Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9dSYgd5Elk]
ADMIN's "Models" was the centerpiece of their show set in Kaliburg this month