Kalistan

[Doc]

Empress Publishes "Contra Democracy" in AJET
Article responds to Valruzian President's Deliberative Democracy piece
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
July 31, 5721


Her Imperial Majesty addresses symposium on Kalistan's diminished role in the 58th Century

Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Carolina II Ananto, the last of the real absolutist rulers in Terra, had a piece published in The Anantonese Journal of Economics and Theory, called "Contra Democracy: The Dangers of Moral Equality as a System of Government." This article is Her Imperial Majesty's first peer-reviewed political theory article to be published in a scholarly journal.

"The article, written by Her Imperial Majesty, and submitted last month was a direct response to the scholarly piece published by President-Chancellor of Valruzia, Mr. Gawel Sandów in The Valruzian Journal of Political Thought," said journal editor Dr. Quentin Malacarra. "She submitted it using our online portal, and throughout used plural pronouns so her reviewes just thought that there was more than one author. The only one who knew that the Empress had submitted the article was myself and her. It was correctly formatted, within word limits, and dealt with a topic of current interest, and so it was assigned to five political theorists on our editorial staff who assessed it for its potential contribution to our field, its scholarly merit, and it potential audience. Three of five gave it a provisional pass, one reviewer rejected it and advised revision and resubmission and one rejected it flat out. Ultimately, the editors agreed to pass it with significant revisions, mostly around style and organization. The biggest critic wanted it to include more citations from work outside of the President's paper alone."

Following the process, the Dr. Malacara said it was pushed to publication for a couple of reasons. "First, Her Imperial Majesty had an incredibly fast turn around time on the revisions, which made it easier. She did her revisions and had it resubmitted via the portal within 24 hours of getting her notes back, while it took all five reviewers more tan 3 days to give the final thumbs up. Next we wanted to place it in this month's edition because the President-Chancellor had published his article last month, and the debate is still fresh. Third, I knew it was the Empress, so I figured she should take some priority in terms of scheduling."

Dr. Malacara said that the article is even handed. "If anything I would agree with one of the reviewers that there is perhaps too much praise in the piece for the work of the Valruzian President. His article was good, but there were a number of things I expected the Empress to address that would take him to task, and her argument ended up being that the flaw in his argument is the conflation of the "should" with the "is". That's something theorists should not do, of course, but she could have been more forceful in ripping into democracy and taking a stand. Instead, she treated the President as a collogue with whom she has an academic disagreement, not as an advocate of a foreign and bad political ideology."

Others found the disagreement, carried out in the academic press to be something of a curiosity. "I don't think I have seen anything like this," said Political Science Professor Dr. Wallace Multon of Kaliburg Polytechnic. "Usually, the newspaper is the domain of politicians making their case to the public. Academic journals are not for the plebian reader. Perhaps she thought Kalistan's theory journal was an appropriate place to answer an argument made in the Valruzian political theory journal."

Professor Carina Chan of Suldanor Duchy University said, "I think she gave [Valruzian President Sandow] what he was asking for really. He was calling for the opportunity to consider political ideas not with heated rhetoric, but with careful reasoned discourse. It may not have direct policy implications in either of our country, but she took his argument seriously, noted where she agreed, and answered him where she did not. I would say that those who read the exchange will benefit from the conversation, even if it is only in understanding that there are different views on democracy, and neither come from the liberal perspective--a fact I am particularly thankful, because we have a bit too much of that in this world."

Her Imperial Majesty has begun giving more public appearances where she speaks at some length about the nature of the Kalistani system. "She may believe that few actually understand our system outside Kalistan," said Professor Chan. "There is a lot of evidence for this: Absolutism has declined across Terra. Kalistan is the only nation with an explicitly absolutist regime now, as the remaining monarchies have moved toward more constitutional, limited regimes and have introduced some degree of democracy. Kalistan is unlikely to ever follow suit willingly, but this does not mean that Kalistan is or should be treated as a pariah. So it is imperative for Her Imperial Majesty to push back on some of the narrative that we are this closed off nation which nobody should deal with. Debates like this, with a consolidated liberal democratic state like Valruzia are healthy: If liberal democracy can withstand it, so much the better for democracy, and if absolutism can stand up to similar pushback, so much the better for our political system."

In addition to supporting a debate around democracy, the publication of this article buttresses Her Imperial Majesty's local reputation as something of a Philosopher Empress. "She has a bachelor's degree in philosophy and a degree in linguistics with an emphasis on Etymology," said Multon. "I am sure she regrets not going farther in school, but her publication of a peer reviewed piece in the most prestigious academic journal in Kalistan is a sign that she is staying up on her studies and practicing her discipline. If this piece sparks a larger debate around democracy, an honorary doctorate for Her Imperial Majesty wouldn't be too far fetched an idea. She has lived what political scientists study for nearly three decades already."

You can read "Contra Democracy: The Dangers of Moral Equality as a System of Government" at The Anantonese Journal of Economics and Theory. where the full text is available for download.

@LaModa

[Doc]

Crown Prince Returns from World Tour
Future Emperor greeted at all stops
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
August 13, 5721


Minor Crown Prince William-Malcolm Isaac Ananto-Rosenfeld Arrives at Kaliburg International, followed closely by security

His Highness, The Minor Crown Prince William-Malcolm Isaac Ananto-Rosenfeld returned from his first unaccompanied tour of the world in time to start the school semester in Kaliburg. The Crown Prince was accompanied by several of his personal friends in Kaliburg, along with Sir John Bright, who was appointed as chaperone for the journey. The trip took him to four continents in Terra, and allowed him to meet first hand the people of the world.

The first leg of the trip took him to Hutori where her visited with his adopted Uncle, His Highness, King William XVII of Hutori and aunt Queen Diane. He stayed with the Hutorian royal family for three days, taking the opportunity to tour the Hutorian Capital and countryside, and then relocated to the Ananto residence on the Island duchy of Sutton. There he was greeted by locals, who threw a party to introduce the young Prince to the youth of the island and establish a personal relationship between the Crown Prince and the Island's population.

Following his departure, the Minor Crown Prince participated in the growing tradition of Kalistani royals dropping in to Luthori unannounced. The party took a commercial flight from Axeminster to Fort William, where they presented civilian passports. Granted entry to the country on a tourist visa, the Kalistanis spent two days touring the Luthorian Capital. They also had the opportunity to take in a show at a Luthorian music club and eat genuine fish and chips from a Luthorian fast food vendor. The following day, they escaped the country, though the Crown Prince was greeted at the airport by a throng of young women who were waiting for him there, after one of them said they had spotted and recognized him the previous day. The reception committee elected a Miss Janine Roderick of Fort William to speak for them, and Miss Roderick requested that the Crown Prince remain in the country for another day so that they may take him and his party on a proper tour of Luthori, and to show the Crown Prince a side of Luthori that he would never read about in any travel books. The Crown Prince graciously thanked them for their invitation, before Mr. Bright stepped in and informed the girls that the Crown Prince needed to board his plane, and he would have to take a rain check. Miss Broderick was able to pass her personal information to the Crown Prince before he was ushered away.

The Entourage then arrived in Bridgemont New Englia, where the Minor Crown Prince was greeted by a small delegation from the New Englian Government. The New Englians were eager to show off their nation to the young Kalistanis. "I would say the Englian Government rolled out the red carpet for the Crown Prince," said Mr. Bright. "They were keen to show off the wonderful spots in the nation that they would like to promote as tourist destinations. His Highness was eager to indulge them, wanting to take in the full experience of the North East Dovanian coast." The weather while the Party were in country was favorable to the Crown Prince's visit, and he spent a few days seeing various historical sites, spending time on the beach, and enjoying the local cuisine. The Crown Prince said the stop over was his favorite on the entire trip and looks forward to returning someday to see the rest of the nation. Upon departing, he thanked the New Englian delegation who had been appointed to accompany him on his visit. This is the first time a Kalistani Royal has been to New Englia.

The next stop was Xsampa, where the party visited the famed People's Palace, former home of the Xsampan Monarchy in Metz-Leonid. They also paid their respects to the lost at the Nuclear War memorial, which memorialized the people who were murdered by nuclear terrorism more than 100 years ago during what the Xsampans refer to as the Bargas Chenpo. The city was a delight to the Crown Prince who viewed it as the most exotic of all the cities on the tour. The party sampled the strange food, took in the colorful and musical culture of the city, and even saw a ballet in the Capital of all Xsampan performers. One day, the Minor Crown Prince decided to go shopping to select some jewelry featuring the famed Xsampan rubies to present to his mother, Her Imperial Majesty Empress Carolina II Ananto and great Aunt, Her Highness, Princess of the Empire Nicolette Ananto-Collins as Presents. He reportedly spent more than K$72,000 Imperial Pesos on matching necklace and earring sets for both women, the largest single purchase of the trip. The Party also took the opportunity to surf at Gramdkarpo on the Xsampan east coast, which is a favorite spot of Kalistani Tourists to Xsampa due to the high and long waves on the shore.

The Party then intended to visit Gaduridos, but the local situation in Gaduridos is still very uncertain with regard to Kalistani royals. "We simply did not feel that the nation could provide enough security to an Ananto royal at this moment," said Mr. Bright. "His Highness remembers what happened when the Royal Family visited Gaduridos during the King's coronation, and it was likely that His Highness would be immediately recognized. The general belief is that Gaduris cannot tolerate the sight of a Kalistani, and without evidence to the contrary, we just decided to skip the nation entirely and move on to Egelion."

Once in Egelion, the Crown Prince took the opportunity to visit the Capital. He was greeted by a delegation sent by the Emperor Leon Alexander and Empress Isabella. He introduced himself as the Crown Prince of Ananto and Kalistan and was granted a short audience with the Emperor and Empress, who invited him to sit for tea. The short conversation between the two royals was meant to serve as a formal introduction. "His Highness felt that it was important that he introduce himself personally to the Emperor in the North, rather than be introduced by Her Imperial Majesty, the Empress, or some other third party. He explained that he was very curious about Egelian naval deployments in the Anantonese Ocean and this would certainly be something his mother would also be curious about, but his real interest lie in artillery, specifically its use on the battlefield: He declared that, whatever is happening at sea, God stands on the side with the best artillery. The Emperor listened to the young man politely but held his personal thoughts about the young man close to the vest."

Following the meeting, the party toured the beautified cities of the realm, taking in the sights, the sounds, the food and the libation of the Egelion's capital district, as well as venturing out into the country under the able and enthusiastic direction of their Egelian guides. In all, the Party was in Egelion for four days.

The last stop on the itinerary was the allied nation of Valruzia. The Crown Prince skipped a stay in the Valruzian Palace Kulka-Kozyra, and stuck to Nowagard primarily. He was hosted by the Valruzian government and showed around Kampania, and even spent some time touring the Kampania National Park, which is one of Seleya's most beautiful stretches of protected wildlands. He also went to Szary Kamien, of course to visit the official birthplace of the Kalistani Music Industry. Szary is a favorite tourist destination for Kalistanis visiting the nation. He and his companions toured the Valruzian wine district centered on Proczyce, and enjoyed the company of young Valruzians who had got together to accompany the Crown Prince on his tour of the nation.

"It is this kind of fraternity between the people of our two nations which wins Valruzia major points in Kaliburg," said Mr. Bright. "The simple gesture of welcoming and the sharing of common interests that His Highness enjoyed in Valruzia sets them apart from all other nations on the trip, because Kalistanis almost feel at home in Valruzia. The language may be tough to get, but there is a particular Seleyan spirit that pervades on this continent that is not found anywhere else in the world, especially toward Kalistanis, who most nations view with hostility if they acknowledge us on any level to begin with. We found none of that here. It was easy for the Crown Prince to let his guard down and be at ease with these, our natural friends, and of course the tourism in Valruzia did not disappoint either."

Ultimately, the Crown Prince spent more than a week in Valruzia before finally returning back to Kaliburg this week. Here he parted ways with his travelling companions and made his way home to debrief. He will begin preparing to start his final year in school later this week. His sisters are reportedly "jealous." House Ananto sent letters to thank those governments who hosted the Crown Prince, and to offer to reciprocate should any of their members want to visit Kalistan on a similar world tour.

@TheRepublic

[Doc]

Prince William Formally Begins Royal Duties
As Crown Prince reaches Majority, Empress begins preparation to step down
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
April 4, 5722


Crown Prince William Ananto-Rosenfeld hits Majority

His Highness, Crown Prince William Ananto-Rosenfeld achieved his majority in March of this year, House Ananto announced this month. "What this means is that His Highness is now eligible to serve without a regent if required," said Lady Christina Ananto-McKinley, speaking for the Royal House. "A formal ceremony acknowledging the event occurred at the Imperial Seat this week. The Ceremony conferred upon the Crown Prince a number of titles, including Crown Prince (eliminating the Minor aspect of the title), which was presumptive previous to March, as well as entitlement to the County of Dah, currently held by Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Carolina II Ananto. The Crown Prince will be fully inducted into the Eternal Order of the Gray Smoke at the rank of Royal Knight Companion next month during annual Order Day Celebrations in Eveari."

His Highness the Crown Prince, normally quite taciturn, apparently had no intention of letting the momentous step forward in his career daunt him. When he was asked if he felt different now that he was fully entitled, he answered, "I still have so much to do before my mother is ready to retire. I've got to finish school, and then finish the NSP, then maybe go to college, then maybe get married, then who knows, She's gonna be around for a while. I'm not measuring any drapes yet. Thanks that's all."

Others were far more excited for the Crown Prince's majority. "In a quick move, he becomes Terra's most eligible bachelor," said gossip columnist and crown watcher Tara Overton. "He's a handsome, rich and well connected young man who is constantly, if somewhat reluctantly seen in the company of the many single women around Kaliburg. When he's not out skating, he's at accompanying a young debutante to some social event. He has been a focus of the young High Social scene for years, and no young woman has been able to land his attention for long. It is inevitable that many more will now set their sights on him, hoping to someday move to the center of Kalistani society and privilege." The Crown Prince, for his part, claims to care far more about skating than dating-- he has frequently claimed to interviewers that girls distract him from what is really important, and that is honing his skills at the skatepark. Presumably, his imperial education doesn't distract him nearly as much.

House Ananto said that the Crown Prince's intends to enlist into the Kalistani Regular Force this July. "His Highness has already been in contact with a military recruiter here in Kaliburg, and he has sought clearness over the question from the Brethrenists in both Kaliburg and Eveari," said Lady Christina Ananto-McKinley. "Her Imperial Majesty has reluctantly agreed with the recommendations of the Committees and both meetings that the Crown Prince ought to be given the opportunity to follow his leadings as millions of others do yearly. The Eveari Meeting even passed a minute in support of the Crown Prince's enlistment:

"The minute said "Friend Willy Ananto has undergone clearness on the decision to enlist with the active Military of Kalistan. Brethrenists uphold the inherent value of all voluntary service to this nation, and appreciate our young Friend's decision to fulfill his duties to his society. If our Empress is concerned that her child will die in a war as a result of his enlistment, the Eveari meeting humbly reminds Friend Carolina Ananto that she is in a unique position to prevent war, and may do so with our joyous support."

The recruitment officer who is working with the Crown Prince has contracted with him to join an artillery unit in the Regular Force, where he will be trained as a surveyor. The Crown Prince will be eligible to do off duty education while enlisted, and said he may be interested in that to shorten the amount of time he will spend in college when he completes his enlistment. Lady Christina Ananto-McKinley said of the enlistment, "It may be a good thing for the Crown Prince to gain military experience. He believes that if a monarch must ask people to fight and die in a war, that person should have some conception of what it would be like to be asked to do that. As regional relations continue to stagnate end entropy, the Crown Prince feels it is better to be safe than sorry."

For now, the Crown Prince will enjoy his last few months of civilian life. "I feel physically fit, healthy and am generally happy," he said in a March interview. "I've seen some of the world, met a lot of great people, and missed the ones who aren't so great. I feel that when my time finally does come, my mother and my nation will have prepared me well to pick up the Flag of Empire and carry it forward to pass it off to the next generation." While there is nothing in anything he has said that hints at his attitudes on major political issues of the day, he has had the luxury of remaining outside of politics up until now. But going forward, the people will expect him to move himself to the center, where he belongs. He will be given that opportunity when Her Imperial Majesty decides to loosen her own iron grip on the state, something she currently shows absolutely no inclination to do.

"Her Imperial Majesty will outlive you and I," said Lady Christina Ananto-McKinley. "She is prepared to reign into her sixties if she wants to. And the other nations of the world will simply need to get their heads around that fact."

@TheRepublic

[Doc]

Minor Princess Debuts in Kaliburg
Her Highness tells her opinion to the Press for the first time
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
May 10, 5722


Her Highness, the Minor Princess, makes her Debut at Spring Formal held at the National Theater in Kaliburg

Her Highness, the Minor Princess Jennifer-Ericka Rebecca Ananto-Rosenfeld has entered Kaliburg High Society and has agreed to speak with La Moda for her first interview. "Being out in Society has its perks," she says. "I don't have to ask my mother everytime I want to go out, or every time a reporter wants to speak with me. I understand why there are rules, and I suppose not having the press hounding little kids is a positive thing, but I am 16 years old now, and I have my own opinions."

The Minor Princess sat down with La Moda's Corinne Edwards for the interview, held at Cliff House on Wilson Hill.

C(orinne) E(dwards of La Moda): Your Highness, it is a pleasure to finally get to meet you.

(Her Highness, the Minor Princess) J(ennifer-Ericka Rebecca) A(nanto-Rosenfeld): It is my pleasure. Thank you for coming to my home.

CE: First things first, how does it feel to be out in Society?

JA: It is really a blast. I mean there are still rules and everything, but debuting is such a milestone for so many of the people I know. For years I watched people I knew go through their own debuts and then they started dating and got a lot more freedom and I sort of really wanted that. I was a late bloomer, you might say, and spent a lot of time sick when I was younger, and I used to read magazines a lot, like of all the society women, with their finery and jewelry and all the gossip and everything. I was just in awe of them. And when I was 14, I wasn't sick so often, but I was still really skinny, and wondered how I would ever fit into like one of those gowns, and everything. Now, I feel great, and I look great and I really like myself and have a positive self image and just in time for my turn to be in the magazines. It's great how things work out."

CE: You've been in the press before though, haven't you?

JA: Oh that dreadful photo, yes. I looked positively goulish. That was just a couple years ago, but it was taken when I was just getting past whatever was going on in my guts. I think the doctors said it was an autoimmune thing-- But it didn't feel like eating anything for like years and I couldn't keep on any weight or anything, and I was so weak. I went to the hospital a few times and they said eventually it was something like a gluten allergy, but not that, something else. Anyway, we changed the diet to basically a vegan diet, though I do eat fish now with it, and whatever was going on cleared up. I was basically poisoning myself with something in my diet for years. I started gaining weight immediately and I started putting on muscle mass too. I could work out, I could run, I could do all this great stuff, and I caught up quick. But that picture was taken when I was just finishing up with all that. Its kind of scary how thin I was when I was 12 and 13...

CE: Did that illness affect your mental state?

JA: Well, it was just something that I couldn't do anything about, and that was the hardest part. I am a kind of person who likes to be in control of things, I like to know that I am not in a situation I can't do anything about. I like to be able to learn about things so I can understand how they are affecting me or how they can control me. I then figure out how to turn the tables, you know- If I know how they work, I can bend things to my own uses. But this was something we couldn't figure out for years. They gave me anti-biotics, basically every kind you can think of. The doctors even prescribed medicinal cannabis to try to get my appetite up. They did tests, took like a gallon of blood from me, checked everything under the sun, you have no idea. I'm not going to tell you, but let's just say, nothing can gross me out now. When we found out it was about the stuff I was eating, stuff I had been eating my whole life that my body was rebelling against, that was something I could control. Long story short, if it affected my mental state, it made me tougher, it made me kind of addicted to having that kind of control over my life, and it gave me the opportunity to learn a lot about how nutrition works in the body.

CE: So then, describe your diet for our readers. There might be someone out there who is undergoing the same thing.

JA: Well, its basically whole foods. I stay completely away from processed foods, processed wheat is a no-no for me. I stay away from a bunch of added sugar in stuff, and a bunch of fortified vitamin sprays. I eat almost exclusively farm fresh vegetables: I get to spend a LOT of time at farmers markets in the summer, and we have a home garden planted here which I get to go out into and just pick stuff off the plant and eat it right there. It doesn't get any fresher than that. I don't get to eat a lot of bread, sadly, I miss that. But my mother will make me a loaf of potato bread which I can use to scratch the itch. She makes it from scratch, its very simple and also very basic. Salads, chickpeas and legumes, lots of fruit and nuts, and I am allowed to eat as much fish as I could possibly consume. Kalistani fisheries have been restored so that we produce some of the highest quality fish on the planet, and its really good for me. I can go through three pounds of fish in a week: I can bake it with some lemon and herbs, or make it into fritters, or eat it as sushi. I have become quite the fish sommelier- I have learned how certain fishes pair with other foods.

CE: You should write a fish cookbook!

JA: Ha, I've never thought of that.

CE: Well, its good you were able to get on top of your health issues. We are all glad you are still here.

JA: The feeling is mutual. It feels great to be healthy.

CE: So besides your diet, what are some of your other interests?

JA: Well, I would say I am very interested in history, and also politics. I think I could talk for hours about politics with my mother. She's probably the best person in the world to talk about politics with. She's so smart.

CE: What sorts of things do you all talk about?

JA: We talk about how the government works a lot of the time, but we also talk about what good government is in general. When she was a little girl, her parents focused almost exclusively on her older brother. And they didn't really talk to her about government or administration or anything like this. She was the middle child, and she was sick one time, and that was when her parents, my grand parents and her brothers flew to Kundrati and then their plane crashed. So she was kind of left to sort of have to learn all that stuff real fast. She decided early on that my sister and I would be part of my brother's education. Problem is, I think I took after her while my brother, who is going to be Emperor, took more after my aunt: He'd rather skate all day, while I am in here trying to take this stuff seriously and learn it, and someday he'll be the Emperor and he'll wish he was out skating at the skatepark with his dumb friends, while I'll know all about the government, and won't have anything to do with all that knowledge.

CE: One thing we could do is get your ideas on the record here, and then someday you can look back at them and see if they changed.

JA: That would be neat. I don't think they will. There's only one correct answer to most political questions in Kalistan, I have decided.

CE: Alright then. Tell our readers your theory of government.

JA: My theory of government is that government exist to preserve order in society. That order is necessary for people to live a good life. Disorder and division in society is tolerable and will happen. Disagreement doesn't mean weakness. It just means difference of opinion. And opinions can be different as long as the structure is maintained. Like, disagreement within the structure.

CE: So you are not for democracy.

JA: Certainly not. All we have to do is look around us and we can realize just how miserable people who live in democracies really are. Take a place like Gaduridos, for example.

CE: Gaduridos? Maybe...

JA: They have a democracy there. Yes, they have a king, a new king. But they have always insisted that they should be a democracy, even when they were a constituent nation in the Anantonese Empire. They have this weird fetish for democracy. And while they were with us, they refused to allow Kalistan to correctly order their society because they had to keep their democracy. And their nation got worse and worse and worse until they were becoming a problem for our nation, dragging Kalistan down the drain with them. So my mother had to cut them off. And as soon as they get free, they start having elections again, name a king and marry him to another Empire. What does that say?

CE: Errr, I'd rather you tell me what that says, Your Highness. I'm not an expert on Gaduridos.

JA: It says to me that the democrats in Gaduridos don't have the first idea what's going on, and just resented Kalistan so much that they would rather poison a perfectly good and natural relationship with us than actually straighten their country out, follow the correct path and correctly order their society. They prefer chaos and democracy to correct order and peace.

CE: Perhaps an alternative is that they see democracy as the correct way to order their society?

JA: That's ridiculous, Ms. Edwards. Democracy is never the correct way to order anything. I don't mean to contradict you here, and I mean no disrespect, but Absolutism is the only way to correctly order a society. It makes it so the people are truly free. It's the only way that can.

CE: Perhaps, but I think there may be a number of correct ways to order the society, absolutism being the one which works best for us, but maybe Gaduridos has a different way of doing things.

JA: Their way is wrong.

CE: Perhaps we might shift subjects, Your Highness.

JA: Well, let me say one more thing about this. And this is something that I and my mother don't necessarily agree upon, but I am confident that I am right. Democracy and constitutionalism makes everything upside down. For everyone, not just Kalistan. It puts the people who are least competent, least skilled, in charge of everything. Those articles about how bad democracy is, they are right. Power is like water: it is only meant to flow down hill. That's the natural way of things. It would be weird if it went the other way, and yet this is exactly what these democrats try to make it do. To give people power over their government. It just seems perverse, don't you think?

CE: And your mother disagrees with that?

JA: Absolutely. She seems to believe that people pick their own ways of doing things. I wish I could make her understand what I am trying to say. But she is probably too much of a philosopher to ever agree with this. We've had some debates over this, and I don't feel sometimes that I can say what I mean but she always says, "Be reasonable. Imagine if the entire world were like you say it should be. You probably would only be happy if you were the Empress of that world. But if you were one of these illiterate peasants that you think inhabit all these countries, you wouldn't like it very much."

I can see that, but she's wrong: I think people crave a ruler, a person to liberate from the trouble of having to make all the decisions for yourself all the time. I see it everyday across Kalistan: People constantly sacrifice the freedom of choice between 900 relatively generic, indistinguishable options in a market if they know that one of those options is actually good. They all go with that good one and ignore the other 899 and would be stupid if they didn't. If you extend that fact to the government, you have to ask, who needs 6 or 8 equally terrible milquetoast popular parties when they are all garbage? People just need one good party, one who will get things done, and the others are just static and noise then meant to distract people from picking the one good party. We have that system in this country. So people do not have to waste their entire life trying to determine which of 8 different parties is going to hurt them the least and usually ending up picking the one that is actually going to hurt them the most.

CE: So Your Highness believes that democracy is bad because it gives people too much choice? Isn't more choice better than less?

JA: When your choices are all liberal pabulum, then no, having 4 equally bad options is not better than only having one bad option. Gaduridos just saw this when their labor party split into a hundred parties. Now PdT voters will have to decide between three Parties who agree on 98% of things, but for whom the last 2% are absolutely critical differences. How can anyone ever live in a system like that? It's abhorrent.

CE: Perhaps its a good thing that your mother, the Empress, and you continue to debate this question rather than settling it.

JA: Haha, don't even get me started on how much she likes most of her subjects...

CE: Indeed...

JA: I would tell her to invade Gaduridos, personally, get it back on the right track, with us. That would cure them of that democracy fetish they seem to be incapable of escaping.

CE: I think Lady Erika Donahue once expressed that sentiment.

JA: I am named after her, you know, Lady Erika.

CE: I suppose you are, Your Highness.

JA: She was a great woman: I admire her courage and conviction. And I also greatly admire Lady Melanie too. She has her mind in the right place on a lot of these issues.

CE: Would it be safe to say you align with the Nationalist line then, Highness?

JA: Without question! It's really the only legitimate position to have on the topic of our nation's interests. Kalistan is first, everyone else comes next.

CE: Well, Your Highness. I can honestly say, this interview has been an experience. I don't think I have ever met such a passionate young woman in my years of reporting for La Moda, who expresses her opinions with such force.

JA: I am my mother's daughter. Have you ever met her?

CE: I have never had the opportunity to meet Her Imperial Majesty, the Empress before.

JA: We could set it up for you. I know Lady Houston (Her Imperial Majesty's Personal Secretary), she'll set it up for me if I ask her to.

CE: Your Highness, that is very thoughtful of you, but I am a style reporter. I think an interview with the Empress is a little outside of my beat.

JA: Well, I guess we didn't talk much about style.

CE: No, but I feel that you had a lot to say, and we could make the argument that the expression of opinions, especially the opinion of a young woman such as yourself, who is at the very start of your intellectual journey in life, falls under a style. Attitudes change with the times, much like fashion, and it would be very interesting to see how yours change over time.

JA: I doubt they will. I'm pretty certain.

CE: That may very well be, Your Highness.

JA: Well, my mother always says only a fool never changes his mind. So I suppose there is a possibility. Either way, I did enjoy speaking with you. We will have to do it again, and I promise, next time I will stick to the topic.

CE: It was a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness. I hope you will continue learning from your mother. All of her people, at least, believe that she may be among the wisest people in this nation and you certainly could not want a better teacher than the Red Empress.

JA: I will. And I wish you a wonderful rest of your day.

CE: Thank you Your Highness. I wish you a wonderful rest of your day too.

Editor's note:

Given the several subjects covered in this interview, which our interviewer said she found to be one of the most unique she had ever done in her life, and in the interest of ensuring that this interview did not paint the Royal Family in a negative light, we submitted the unedited draft to Her Imperial Majesty's office before running it, and asked her secretary to pass it to the Empress for comment. The goal was to determine if anything the Minor Princess had said anything that would represent official disagreement with Imperial Policy. For her part, the only section the Empress asked us to not print was the rather long digression on "turning Baltusia into a plantation to support Kalistani Athosia," saying that might prove to be unnecessarily incendiary, though she explicitly did not forbid us from referring to it here. The rest of the article was annotated extensively, with spelling, word choice and typographical errors noted and corrected throughout, and style suggestions made on nearly every sentence. The author said she felt that the Empress had corrected the draft as if she were a Vrassan school teacher grading a student's essay.

The returned work contained a handwritten message, in, of course, a very unique calligraphy which is associated with Her Imperial Majesty. We have to assume that the note was indeed written by the Empress, and it read:

"Dear Editor. Our daughter is learning. We request patience from your readers. She has a strong mind and a kind heart, and may very well surprise you all some day. Thank you for treating her and her thoughts seriously--they are reflective of some of the currents in our society and while we may on occasion see things differently, we would be dishonest if we pretended that they did not exist.- CA-C."

@LaModa

[Doc]

Kalistan welcomes Utaristan to Green Terrra Initiative
"Grant aims to help Dovani nation become leader in Green Energy Production," says Initiative Spokeswoman
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
September 8, 5722


The Green Terra Initiative will be assisting Utaristan take lead in Green Energy Production in Dovani

The Green Terra Initiative has formally approved a major grant to the Government of Utaristan, in Dovani. The plan involves the Dovani state creating a steady supply of rare-earth metals to Kalistan, which will be converted to renewable, ecologically sustainable energy generation equipment like photovoltaics, wind and hydroelectric turbines to be reimported to Utaristan and then assembled with technical assistance from Kalistan experts in the field. The program, called the Utaristan Renewable Energy Sector Development Plan, will be funded at 49.9% by Green Terra, and the other 50.1% will come from a mix of funds from Utaristan's Energy Institute and from the Utaristani Government.

"This is precisely the sort of program Green Terra was organized to fund," said GTI Spokeswoman Jill Johnson in Kaliburg this week. "We understand that there are some difference in political ideology here, but global climate destruction by the Petroleum producers does not discriminate based on ideology, and neither should the response. Helping Utaristan provide positive alternatives to toxic, polluting petroleum usage is not only in the interest of GTI and Utaristan, but the entire world, and this grant shows that we will work with anyone who is making a serious effort to move away from petroleum, and create sustainable, long term and ecologically friendly alternatives to oil."

Part of the grant involves credits paid for by GTI funds to Kalistani companies to convert the raw ores into useable alloys for generators. "There is a value added situation here, where some amount of REMs does not easily translate to a per turbine cost. It's not a one to one trade, so in order to prevent Utaristan from creating a trade deficit, the grant intends to cover the difference between the value of the imported metals and the exported generators. This is where a majority of the GTI funds will go, while Utaristani funds will cover the transaction costs on their side. This way it all balances out." Kalistani money will also go to cover the technical assistance offered to the Utaristani Government. "Of course KPO engineers will be joined by Kalistani industry experts for the installation and training on operation in Utaristani, without cost to Utaristan, as part of the grant."

Kalistan is currently the world's leader in sustainable renewable energy. And it is the hope of GTI that Utaristan take the lead in Dovani. "Utaristan can be an important example to surrounding nations, some of whom may not be paying much attention to the successes we have long celebrated in Kalistan. For those seeking to make a similar change, it is our hope that Utaristan also takes up the role of THE green energy hub of Dovani, taking what they have obtained from Kalistan and then translating it to a Dovani Market. Nothing could be better for Terra more than to seeing green, sustainable and most importantly clean and renewable energy become the norm in Dovani." The current grant contains more than a hundred million Imperial Pesos for education not only about how to maintain a sustainable energy grid but more importantly, how to expand it. "GTI would love to see the final project of this grant be the construction of a factory where Utaristan can put its own REMs to work to create its own turbines and photovoltaics and become self sufficient in this sector, but also to begin exporting this technology to their neighbors, to similarly free them of the curse of petroleum as well."

Johnson said that KPO also plans to scout out areas for potential hydroelectric projects to make a formal proposal to the Utaristani Government. "KPO operates eight separate high dam projects across Kalistan and Ananto, which provide not only clean energy for tens of millions in Kalistan, but also amazing national recreational and tourist opportunities. Dam building is something we know how to do, and a way that Utaristan can signal to the world that they are serious about significantly reducing demand and reliance on fossil fuels." Johnson said she has no idea whether Utaristan will want to work on programs for hydroelectric energy production.

"We welcome the People of Utaristan as partners in this never ending fight for a cleaner environment," said Johnson finally. "In joining us and winning this Grant, the People and their representatives in the State are taking a major affirmative step forward for a clean and healthy environment for themselves and future generations. We find this struggle worthy of partnering in, and we stand ready to assist the People of Utaristan in whatever way we may as they move to the next step in creating sustainable and clean energy for their nation and for the Continent."

The news created major movement in the KalSiE, as oil futures traded sharply down, and futures for petroleum based products went sharply up. Analysts believe the divergence suggests that over the long term, a lower oil price will drive some oil producers to limit production of expensive crude by undermining profitability, and will therefore reduce the supply to secondary producers of refined oil products. The GTI offered no comment on this trend in the Kalistani markets. The price balance had not been restored by the end of the day, as Kalistani investors began slowly selling off their oil contracts.

@TheRepublic

[Doc]

Rugby in Kalistan steps up
National Union in discussion alongside preliminary talks for International Competition
Port Swede, Duchy of Vrassa
October 12, 5722


Kaliburg United RFC vs. Eshar "Blues" in last season's Club Championships

In Kalistan, the sport of rugby is generally perceived as "Football's psychotic little brother," but new international competition options that are on the horizon aim to elevate the sport's profile in the Empire. The sport, currently supported on the club level, is no where near as popular or as publicized as Kalistan's Imperial Football League. Sponsorship money also does not tend to go to Rugby players, especially since careers tend to be more nasty, brutish, and short for rugby players than they are for professional football players. As a result, rugby is intensely enjoyed by a fraction of the population, while many do not know about it.

"It's kind of wild, because a lot of the things that people say turn them off about football, those don't exist in rugby," said Mark Martinez, who is the captain of the Port Swede Consolidated RFC, known locally as the "Blacks" due to their Black and White jerseys. "We play Sevens in our club settings in Kalistan, which means shorter, more compact halves. That's basically 15 minutes before stoppages per match, but we can usually get a match done in an hour of play. Sevens focuses on speed and agility and quick points, and is perfect for the rough and tumble sorts that have no patience for the strategic aspects of football. And best of all, each Club fields a male and female team, and so fans are never disappointed. It's the perfect alternative to Football, but we just hope to get more viewership and more support for our clubs."

A recent discussion among rugby federations in several nations, including Kalistan, Valruzia, Lodamun, Luthori, Mordusia, and Bianjie has hinted at the organization of International Competition, which would likely be Rugby Fifteens, rather than Sevens. "We do plays Sevens here in Kalistan, but during the annual club tournament, we also have a Fifteens Exhibition for the fans made up of players from the three Ananto Clubs on one side and the six Kalistani clubs on the other side. They play for bragging rights. The clubs have got to be very selective in who they let play in the Fifteens exhibition, because players who are used to playing hard for 14 minutes need to slow it down and play more strategically, more similar to football, in an 80 minute match. People coming off the field after a fifteens match look like they've been in a war. But I believe at the international level this may be what we end up playing, so having that little bit of experience will be an advantage."

Martinez said the discussions are preliminary at the moment, but how ever they turn out, successful international competition will bring more awareness to the sport at home. "A Kalistani National Team will certainly draw a lot of attention, in a way similar to the world cup for soccer does. Its to the advantage of our sport that more people pay more attention to it. Right now our clubs are self supported and have to get advertisers and sponsors, and many of the athletic brands would rather put their money behind football. But this is a rather parochial sport, while Rugby has the potential to generate international appeal. Plus who doesn't take pride in their national teams going out and defeating other national teams?"

The nine teams of the Kalistani Rugby federation will certainly have a spot at the table of the creation of any national teams. "I imagine our team's owners and managers won't want their clubs poached by a well funded National Team, nor do we want to form some kind of farm system for the National Team. The Sevens Clubs are where the real rugby players are in Kalistan, and I would feel awful if I lost some of my best friends to a money team. When you play in a club, you play for pride, and end up with beer and pizza money sometimes. You can get any meathead on the planet to play for salary. So we need to be part of the discussion, to make sure its done right, so its something that is mutually reinforcing, and not undermining for the sport."

There would be other issues that Kalistanis would have to overcome as well. "I imagine they wouldn't let people who use drugs play on the international level either. Even Dah is frowned upon in other nations. So that's an issue the Clubs would have to deal with too." And then there would be the issue of gender equality. "We'd want both men and women to have a national team, and be able to compete as equals in any international tournament. Not focus all on the men and ignore the women, like some international sports do. If a woman can be the Empress, a woman is certainly qualified to play Rugby."

Martinez says he is optimistic about the potential of International competition. "In all I think Kalistan would do well. There's still a lot of unknown variables, but it would certainly be something I'd want my team to participate in, even if its as a spectator. Hearing that there is the possibility to compete internationally has got a lot of the Swedeport team excited, as I know it does for every Club in the Empire."

@LaModa

[Doc]

Minor Princess Speaks to Kaliburg Nationalist Club
Short Speech focuses on the Youth's perspective
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
November 8, 5722


Her Highness, the Minor Princess introduces Lady Melanie Alvarez-McLinn at Nationalist Club fall Meeting

Her Highness, The Minor Princess Jennifer-Ericka Rebecca Ananto-Rosenfeld spoke this week at the Fall meeting of the Kaliburg Nationalist Club.  She was an invited guest of Lady Melanie Alvarez-McLinn who was scheduled to be the key note speaker, and was asked to try her hand at oratory before the largely friendly audience.  The Minor Princess took the opportunity to present a short speech to introduce Lady Alvarez and talk about the demands of Kalistan’s youth for more aggressive challenging of nations who are actively polluting the environment.  Below are her introductory comments:

"Thank you Mr. Kinnison for the kind words.

I am here to perform the function of introducing the Chancellor of the Empire, Lady Melanie Alvarez-McLinn.  She is a woman who needs absolutely no introduction from me.  Her courage and tirelessness in the promotion of our National Interest greatly precedes her, and of course you all know her as an active member of this Club and of the Nationalist movement in our nation.  She is one of my many mentors, and like my mother, she is a political hero of mine personally.  One may be so lucky as to grow up to be half the woman she is, and a tenth of the leader. 

This rather presents me with a small quandary then:  If my task is to introduce a person who needs no introduction, and yet I am expected to speak for a little time, how do I complete these mutually exclusive tasks simultaneously?  I asked her what she would suggest and she asked me to say a word about youth issues in Kalistan.  I admit, in this area, I am certainly no expert, and so she declared it a challenge for me to do my research and take an opportunity to learn about the youth.  Naturally, therefore, I asked my peers.

Young people in Kaliburg want to be inspired.  They feel that politics happens around them, and to them, but never includes them.  Never includes us.  It's always adults talking about the future, but never actually consulting people who are very much the future of this nation.  My mother is, well, she is who she is.  But she is not who she was born to be.  And at some point, she wondered why the adults were always the ones talking about the youth, but never with the youth.  I wonder the same thing and so do my friends.

When the adults talk about what our national interests are, they do not talk about what they should be, very often.  The kids today do not want a polluted environment.  We want a clean environment, and we want to see those who are destroying it punished for that crime against the future.  We want peace:  We don't want to see our future squandered at the alter of the war machine.  We want good jobs, work that we can feel proud of, work where we can say "This is what I contributed to my nation today.  This is how I helped my people.  This is how I fed my family."

Lots of kids I spoke with today didn't feel that our Government, and forgive me, Lady Alvarez if this seems like criticism, but its what I found--They don't feel that our government is doing enough to clean the environment.  Kalistan has clean air and clean water, but an oil spill in Gaduridos will poison half of our country and will wipe out our fish stocks that we rely upon in the Southern Approaches.  What are we doing to encourage Gaduridos to stop producing oil?  My peers see no efforts on our part to encourage our so called allies from stopping to exploit oil.  Gaduridos is not the only nation who calls themselves friends of Kalistan through agreements like Altea Accords---Egelion exploits the Rossfada Formation and sells that oil throughout the world while it continues to militarize with abandon though there is no threat whatsoever from any quarter that it needs to defend against, while Nadiya burns crude oil like it is infinite with no regard to the environmental destruction they are causing.  It almost looks like we associate with those polluting nations because security is more important than clean air, when we should be putting pressure on them to at least cut back on that.  It seems easy enough to me.

One of the largest polluters in Kalistan is our own Military.  We have cut petrochemicals almost completely out of the picture to the degree we are able.  We limit our usage of kerosene jet fuel.  We run our navy on hydrogen fuel cells, and our land vehicles are run on electricity.  But have we ever stopped to count the environmental destruction we are doing with expended ordinance?  There are places like Bozo River Training Base which are positively littered with exploded ordinance--they live fire more than 300 days out of the year there.  Have we ever considered that ordinance is toxic to the land?  The chemicals necessary for causing explosions are incredibly poisonous, and this is not counting the physical destruction they do to the landscape.  Some estimate that if we abandoned Bozo River today, that place would not be fit for human habitation for 1000 years.  And Green County is otherwise so pretty and natural.  And that sort of thing is going on all over this nation.

Along with these things, we are only now just getting a handle on mining waste.  In Neveras, did you know there is a resevoir with enough heavy metals in it that if it flooded and got into the water shed, it would kill everything within 300 square miles of that place?  Can you imagine that?  This environmental pollution was caused by our own KALNAFERCO in their relentless quest to tear mountains out of the ground to get at iron ore and other ores, and process those ores into steel.  They are one of many companies, even national ones, who, despite our best efforts, focus more on production than the damage they are doing to our future, to the world me and my friends will inherit.

When will we make ecology our National interest?  When will a clean world direct our National Policies?  Nothing in the world could be better for our nation than clean air, land and water, where our resources are responsibly and sustainably shepherded for the betterment of my generation, my childrens' generation and their childrens' generations into infinity.  We live in abundance here in Kalistan and we do better than most, to be sure, but we still need to do more.  So I call upon my mentor, and should I also say, my friend, whom I love and respect like an aunt, to do more, for these kids in this country who are counting on you.  Don't leave us a filthy planet when you retire.  This  matter is not only an imperative for the present but also for the future.  Whatever you are doing right now, you need to do more.  Everyone does.

And those people who refuse to do more, those nations who gleefully pollute our planet for their profit, these are the people who would smother us under a blanket of toxic air, turn our seas into a dead hellscape of acidic sea water that burns when we swim in it, and so spoil our land that less grows from it now than before, until we all starve because we can no longer grow food--These people are not our friends.  They are trying to actively kill Kalistan's children.  I don't particularly care what their motivation is:  They are hurting Kalistan and they are not our friends if they hurt Kalistan, even unintentionally.  But when you point it out, and they still tell you they don't care, their money is more important than your children's lives, lungs, and skin, these can not be said to be Kalistan's friends at all but our enemies.

It is my hope that this message finds listeners in this room--I don't expect liberals would care at all, which is why I am not delivering this speech to that lot.  My mother has heard it a million times from me.  She knows how toxic some food has become to her own child.  But she is only one woman.  This should be a national priority.  You are nationalists, it is time you actually start standing up for Kalistan's kids.  We are your future.

Thank you for indulging me this long.  I will now let you have the real speaker for the evening.  This is Her Excellency, descendant of the Empress Nicolette I Ananto the Great, Countess of Lucid and Chancellor of our Empire, a woman who truly needs no further introduction and a woman who I look up to and hope to be more like when I become an adult, your Keynote Speaker for this Fall Meeting of the Kaliburg Nationalist Club, Lady Melanie Alvarez-McLinn."

The Minor Princess stepped down and shook the hand of the Chancellor as she stepped onto the dais to great applause by the more than 600 attendees at the dinner.  The Chancellor's speech began by mentioning that she had a whole speech prepared, but it is impossible to follow such a stirring and passionate speech without acknowledging the accomplishment.  "This was the Minor Princess' first public speech," explained the Chancellor, "and I am sure it will be studied for decades by future rhetoric students for its eloquence, pathos, and reason.  Her Highness has illuminated for us, as Nationalists and Institutionalists, our agenda going forward and we look forward to welcoming her to our ranks in just over a year when she hits her political majority."

Following the keynote speech, during the reception, many of the attendees took the opportunity to introduce themselves to the Minor Princess.  While personal photos were forbidden at the event, the jostling for her attention was clear.  Lady Alvarez meanwhile was seen talking with representatives of KPO and KFO who happened to be in attendance, as well as numerous reps from the energy sector, all of whom were enthusiastic to talk with her about ideas they might have for acting on the Princess' charge.

The Princess will remain in Kaliburg until mid-December, when schools go on break for the New Year, and then will travel with the Empress and the Prince Consort, and her sister, Her Highness the Minor Princess Victoria-Monica Miriam Ananto-Rosenfeld to Athosia for a short vacation over the new year before returning to Kaliburg in mid January.  Meanwhile, most everyone in attendance agree, she stepped out into public in a major way and has a major career ahead of her, whatever way she chooses to go.

@TheRepublic

[Doc]

Kalistani Imperials prepare to represent Kalistan abroad
National Team will play in Six Nations Tournament in Valruzia
Yoshimi, Duchy of Suldanor
January 30, 5723


The 15 man starting line up began practice in Yoshimi last November, skippered by Sulari's Dak Conway (front)

"We are a pretty motley bunch," said Kalistan Imperials Skipper Dak Conway. "We come from all over the Empire and represent the best of the club teams." Conway was on hand to give a comment or two about the new Kalistani national Rugby squad's excitement about playing in the upcoming Six Nation's Team, in Valruzia later this year.

"We formed last November and all met up in Yoshimi to start practicing together as a single team," said Conway during a break in drills. "Union is quite a bit different from sevens, which is what we all play. So there are some different types of things we have to do on the field to get used to one another. I mean, like we all know each other from club play over the years. We all go back and we're great friends, and like being able to say yeah I know how this guy plays, and his tells when he's getting ready to toss back to me, and when I need to give it to this guy to get the try. Its a real advantage. But Sevens are roughhouse... Fifteens are more serious."

Coach Megan Denning, hired because she was the winningest coach in Rugby Sevens league, men or women, is stressing stamina. "These guys can run pretty hard for 14 minutes. Any idiot can. But when you're out there for 80 minutes, not including stoppage and overtime and all this... its a different ball game. And the rest of the world plays fifteens as much as they play sevens. So we have catch up to do. Plus Rugby is way more popular in other country. I was reading that Valruzia has 140 clubs. Besides school teams, we have nine semi pro clubs in the Kalistani Rugby Federation. That's it, and these guys are the best in their positions on those teams."

The National team is considered a professional team, in that the members are making a salary for the year. "We're used to pizza money," said Conway. "That's life in the semi pro league. I'm a bus driver by day... well, was anyway. Now I am making like 300 Pesos more a week than I was on the bus, so I may as well play Rugby for a living." Current corporate sponsorship is fairly limited: KMD and Dah Surf Co have signed on as corporate sponsors, while the Sulari Bookmakers Association has put significant money into the Team. "They had to turn ODEN down, sadly," said Conway. "Imagine how that would look if we went to Valruzia sponsored by opium growers!"

The team has undergone extensive physicals to ensure they are up to play at a professional level. "We have been poked and prodded by the docs quite a bit," said Conway, "and we had to do this combine to see if we had the skills. But I think more they were looking for discipline and endurance: Every last one of us club players can do all that stuff, but it was more can we do it fifty times and not give up. I guess those of us who made it were just the guys who could take getting yelled at for ten hours."

Conway and the Kalistani Imperials will head to Valruzia for the start of the upcoming tournament this spring. In the meanwhile, Yoshimi has become Rugby Headquarters this winter. "Yoshimi is about the only place we can play Rugby in the winter. The weather is nice here: We can still move around in shorts and not get pneumonia or hypothermia. The Yoshimi club was nice enough to let us take over their facilities in the winter, and by the time they start up in the Spring, we'll already be on the road."

If the Kalistani Imperials do well this year in Valruzia, attention and sponsorship is guaranteed. "Miramar and AeroKal have donated flights for the team, as well as hotel stays for the tournament. And each of the clubs have chipped in trainers and sports med guys who will travel along with us to keep us patched up. Now its all on us. I think we're ready!" said Conway.

@LaModa

[Doc]

Thomas Jones teams up with Kaliburg punk Matt Newell for new album
The Glam Machine is new direction for Art Rock veteran
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
February 18, 5723


Collaboration allows Newell and Jones both to explore new directions

Matt Newell, who has long held a place of honor among the punk scene in Kaliburg, joined forces with long time Art Rocker Thomas Jones to release a new record on KMI called The Glam Machine. This is Newell's first major label release, and Jones' nineth, but the first new music he's put out since 5717's Visions of Dystopia.

"Visions was my step into pop music," said Jones. "It sold a lot of records, but it kind of crushed my soul. Because at heart, I would like people to like what I make, not the other way around, I don't want to make what people like. It's the perennial struggle of the artist, for sure: Create or eat. I'm one of the rare ones who now has enough money so I don't have to choose. I guess Visions... did that for me, so I can't say it was a completely terrible experience."

On collaborating with Jones, Newell was amused. "It's not really something I ever really intended to do, but I met him at a show... I don't know I think I was pretty f--ked up that night. But... so anyway, like my drummer said he told me that Thomas Jones was here and asked if I wanted to meet him, and I think I pretty much made a complete ass of myself. So the next day, before I started my normal routine, I get a call from some dude who says he's Thomas Jones, and he says 'Look, your drummer introduced us last night or whatever, and I was wondering if you wanted to come and make a record together.' And I was like 'Yeah right.' So he gave me this address, and it was KMI and I was like is this dude for real?"

Turns out, Jones has been in what he called a creative "funk" for years and was looking to revitalize his creative energy. "Collaboration with new artists was something that never really occurred to me in the past," Jones said. "I'm a bit of a perfectionist about some things, and working with Matty here was an opportunity to play kind of a more collaborative, supportive role than to always control everything. You have to share creative decision making, which was a newer experience. But the result is really something different, a new direction. And I feel excited about playing music again."

On this record, Newell took up a lot of the song writing duties, while Jones did a lot of the instrumental work and took production duties. "I was challenged to write actual songs," said the punk rocker. "When we go out on stage usually, its all raw power, straight forward rock and roll aggression, simple songs, etc. I brought a lot of that into the studio and Tom was like 'Yeah, so that's like half a verse. Where's the rest of it?' and at first I was saying, 'No man, that's the whole song.' and he would answer 'Yeah, but a song is not just a riff repeated a hundred times in a minute and a half. We need a song.' So I learned a lot about writing, and everything, and I found that there was a lot more I could bring to the project which I didn't even know I had in me."

Newell said that the challenge of actually having to write an album's worth of music, and then the crafting of the work in the recording studio actually forced him to take things a bit more seriously. "I even stayed sober the entire time I was in the studio with Tom," he said. "That was hard, but I knew he had his own thing with drugs, and it was pretty early on when someone was like 'Dude this is like your big chance. Don't blow it over some gak..' Like, keep it together you know... And I did. I'm pretty proud of myself to be honest."

Musically, the album returns to familiar ground for Jones while definitely moving the ball forward from Newell, whose music is often written off in the indie press as "just noise" or "juvenile," or as he puts it, "The best review any of our records ever got was where the girl said 'The best part about this record was that it was so short.' Even I had to laugh at that one." The Glam Machine is labeled as Art Rock, and you can certainly hear Jones' earlier styles here, but inflected by Newell's punk sensibilities.

"I think you might describe it as a return to Jones' Nordhaus days," said critic Allison Wilson, "There are elements of Noise Alternative, electronic, and glam on this record, and the production techniques that Jones used for Nordhaus are in a lot of ways recycled here. I think, however, instead of calling this a conservative choice here, the Nordhaus period was reflective of a time when Jones was going back to fundamentals, and in a lot of ways, that's where punk lives. Working with Newell probably created an opportunity for Jones to pull back from those experiences to create a weird, interesting, and compelling album that I might even refer to as progressive punk more than art or glam."

The most glam that The Glam Machine gets is in the lead single, "We walk like a Ghost." This song has such a driving beat that sounds like a very controlled heartbeat, an irrepressible bassline, and an overly distorted noisy guitar line that sets the stage. It also features Jones on a funky piano that gives the song a swank and a swagger that Jones hasn't displayed in his music since his pre-Nordhaus albums. "Definitely glam all the way down on that one," said Wilson. "The song talks about strutting from club to club in Kaliburg. And the song definitely describes this as a regular activity engaged in by a lot of people, we get the distinct impression that the people they are talking about are glamorous dudes. It's got too much testosterone to be anything but men, and too much sass and pizzaz to be straight."

Jones said, "Yeah, well, Matt wanted to do a glam song, so I said 'you've come to the right place, man.' We came up with the song at a bar in Lolla, where we saw these really macho looking guys just hanging out, and they looked like they were in some kind of of gang or something, they all had like the same kind of clothes on, tight jeans, and shaven heads and mirror sunglasses and shirts that had offensive words on them, and were all doing the same things, and trying to pick up girls and getting shot down because they were just too extra with their 'Look at me, I am a manly man' act. And we wondered like if these guys just all go to bars together, and what they do in secret, like when they don't have their alpha male personality going on. Like do they just walk around Kaliburg from bar to bar and try to pick up the ladies and know they're gonna get shot down because they're just like losers, and so they would rather hang out with one another? It was this whole thing, and we decided we were just going to assume they were all secretly gay, and were just putting on this show for each other so they could prove to one another how not gay they were. This song is definitely about those guys, but I don't think they'll ever listen to it, because glam rock is too gay or something."

The album was generally positively reviewed in the music press, including here, where Wilson called the album "a refreshingly weird outing for both, a little pedestrian for Jones, but by far Newell's best work to date, while the pairing is so seamless that you can definitely hear both artists' influences in each song, and can't imagine the song without both of their influences combined here." The album debuted at #62 on the Radio 1 Album charts, and both Newell and Jones said this was just fine. "I've never had an album in the charts," said Matt Newell, while Thomas Jones said, "Yeah, no more top 10s for me. That's just too much pressure to satisfy the wrong people. I am glad I am feeling refreshed and rested and am happy to be making music for myself again." There's no word about whether there will be a follow up or if this will just be a one off: "It's what we are doing right now," said Jones. His older fans too are just glad to have new music by Jones that largely abandons his forays into pop.

Check out the video for "We Walk Like a Ghost" from the new Newell-Jones album, The Glam Machine, released on KMI.

[Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAxOq_wT2P8]
"We Walk Like a Ghost" from Matt Newell and Thomas Jones' new release The Glam Machine on KMI

@KalistaniRawkMonthly

[Doc]

Chancellor of the Empire blasts oil states in Nat'l Assembly
Empress wants a Environmental Summit, says Lady Alvarez-McLinn
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
March 10, 5723


Chancellor of the Empire says Pollution is Kalistan's biggest threat

"Kalistan has long strove for security on all fronts," said Chancellor of the Empire, Lady Melanie Alvarez-McLinn, "but one persistent and pernicious threat we cannot prevent is other nations polluting our waters and our air. Global pollution is a global problem and it is well past time that others take this problem as seriously as we do." The Chancellor said that others should be forced to bear the costs if they wish to pollute. "Destroying the lives of people in other nations so you can make money will no longer be profitable," said the Chancellor. "You don't just get to throw your garbage over your neighbor's fence because you don't think you should have to deal with it yourself. That is not how neighbors co-exist."

The Chancellor said that Her Imperial Majesty's new, far more nationalist oriented government is exploring ways to punish those nations who refuse to move off of oil, especially those in the Anantonese Region. "Kalistan is home to the Green Terra Initiative, which is the carrot. But we do not posses a stick, and that is what we are now looking at. We can bribe other nations to do what they should do anyway--Green Terra can cover some of that burden. But we should not have to reward those nations who are doing what they shouldn't be doing to get them to change their ways. They just shouldn't be doing that stuff. They shouldn't be allowed to engage in economic activates that put other nations at risk."

The Chancellor named a few of the biggest threats to Kalistani environmental security during her speech. "Our list includes neighbors like Gaduridos, Egelion and Nadiya, all of whom profit from the extraction of oil in this world, and all of whom possess the potential to greatly damage Kalistan's environment even though we, uniquely among the nations of this region, have moved off petroleum and have adopted sustainable, clean energy and industrial practices." But, she added that Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Carolina II Ananto is not ready to level sanctions at polluting nations. "The Empress is far more optimistic than I am that we can bring these nations along and encourage them to adopt a measure of burden sharing, rather than jumping directly to hard sanctions. And as always, she has the final word on all policy matters in this nation, so we will try it her way."

The Chancellor said that the Empire is in the initial stages of working on an international conference to discuss the problem with our neighbors. "Most of the world ignores Kalistan when we point out things that are obviously wrong," said the Chancellor. "But they seem to enjoy the opportunity to work together to solve problems when they feel they have a stake in both the process and the outcome. To this end, rather than simply complain about it, which is easy for the nations of the world to ignore, once we figure out a workable idea for burden sharing, we will affirmatively invite them to discuss the situation and help come up with a solution that takes all interests into account, rather than just their own. And those nations who ignore us then will demonstrate that they have no interest in ending their polluting ways and we will more easily be able to identify those we can work with and those we never will."

To this end, the Chancellor said that the Empress has directed all embassy and Consular staffs to reach out to their counterparts in their host nation to pass the word up the chain that Kalistan is interested in developing a climate summit to come up with a workable solution to air and water pollution, and a global climate regime aimed at neutralizing and reversing the destruction that unlimited exploitation and burning of fossil fuel has caused. "The goal would be to get nations to take their own steps to resolve for themselves this situation," said Lady Alvarez-McLinn. "Nobody wants another international organization telling others what to do. But we want serious solutions, solutions that move the world away from oil dependence once and for all. We can have a clean world, and we can bring everyone along."

She added that just because Kalistan doesn't rely on petro-chemicals for much outside of some industrial solvents and aircraft fuels, this doesn't mean that the Empire will sit back and tell others to just do it. "We will definitely put a credible commitment on the table during the conference. What that commitment looks like will depend on the direction that the conference takes, but this is a global problem and Kalistan is part of the community, so Kalistan must be a part of the solution."

The Chancellor compared profiting from pollution to profiting from other forms of crime, implicitly declaring pollution of Kalistan's air and water a crime in and of itself. "Just like we provide meaningful labor to individuals who might otherwise turn to selling drugs or mugging people. It is up to us all to address this systemic issue, and Kalistan, for one is ready to get to work. We have our act together. It's others who need to catch up to us. And we are willing to help. And if they don't want our help, we'll try to compel them some other, less mutually beneficial way. But we are no longer going to just sit here and wait for people to do what they are supposed to be doing."

There are some who may find Kalistan's position to be condescending, the Chancellor said. "These nations may look at us and say it appears that we are judging them. It shouldn't merely appear that way: We are judging them. They are doing wicked, selfish, and destructive things. Just as we do not let vandals spray paint our house, we should also not let other nations pollute our atmosphere and Oceans. Because it is wrong for them to do so. I don't particularly care if oil DOES provide some income for their nation. That income comes at everyone else's expense. And it should be up to the world to help them find substitutions for socially undesirable activities."

The Chancellor finished up her speech with the following: "Let's be clear: The Conference is Her Imperial Majesty's idea. I personally have nothing but contempt for nations who profit at Kalistan's expense. But the Empress, for her part, believes there are still honest people outside of this nation. So she will get her way, and I will do what I can to support her vision of cooperation with people who have shown no inclination to date to cooperate with us. She still believes in them."

The speech today came at the end of a series of bills providing funds to Her Imperial Majesty's Ministries of the Interior and of Infrastructure to begin identifying and cleaning up the industrial waste sites from Kalistan's national industries. The package is called the Princess Jennifer Ananto-Rosenfeld Omnibus, named in honor of the Minor Princess Jennifer-Erika Rebecca Ananto-Rosenfeld, who made an impassioned call upon the nation to clean up its act with regard to industrial waste and pollution here at home. The speech animated the Nationalists, who took the matter up as a cause aiming to revitalize the legislative agenda for the National Assembly.

A separate set of initiatives is scheduled for May to direct the Regular Military to begin policing its training areas, including the temporary closure of Bozo River Combined Arms Training Center's Maneuver Area, the largest such designated live fire area in the world, for expended ordinance removal. And then in June the Deputies will take up bills to create measures to make Kalistan 100 percent Carbon Neutral within 30 years.

"When the Princess is hitting her prime," said the Chancellor last February, "Kalistan will have the most stringent and enforced environmental protection laws in the world, where we not only use our resources responsibly, but look constantly to how we can do something cleaner, more efficiently, and in a way which preserves our nation for her seven greats grandchildren. The Environment of Terra has no greater champion than the Minor Princess."

In joining the fight for a clean environment, the Minor Princess joins a proud tradition of conservationism stretching back to the Princess of the Empire Michelle Ananto-Sandoval, who took up the cause of restoration of the ecosystem of the Ananto Strait as a cause of her entire life. It was followed by Empress Mary, who was responsible for planting untold millions of redwood trees which grace the northern slopes of Vrassa, Ananto and Odufaray now covering millions of acres that had been stripped clear centuries ago and down through Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Carolina II Ananto, who launched the Green Terra Initiative to give other nations an option to explore alternative, sustainable and clean energy options to knee cap petroleum demand in Terra.

This major push for environmentalism at the National Policy level is a first in recent Kalistani history, and is supported by Nationalists, who see it as a matter of protecting Kalistan, moderates who view it as a positive step for the government to be taking for something positive in the Nation, and socialists who argue that a clean environment is necessary for a healthy workforce, helping to ease the burden on the medical services throughout the nation while providing steady, good, skilled work for tens of thousands of Kalistan's workers. Needless to say the Omnibus passed the National Assembly with no serious opposition.

@TheRepublic