SamNorth Posted October 8, 2019 Posted October 8, 2019 (edited) OCTOBER 2019 HOME | WORLD | STALGORA | POLITICS | BUSINESS | TECH | SCIENCE | OPINION | TRAVEL IN THIS EDITION News Election In Stalgora Pg. 5 A Military Buildup in the North Pg.6 A Changing Economy Pg. 7 Culture Bring Me The Sea - Pt 1 Pg. 8 Bring Me The Sea - Pt 2 Pg. 9 Profiles ARCHIVE Spoiler Coming Soon Edited October 16, 2019 by SamNorth (see edit history) 2
SamNorth Posted October 8, 2019 Author Posted October 8, 2019 (edited) -POLITICS- Kariana Vinteress and the Federalists Win Major Boost on Election Night CAPTION: A Stalgoran Citizen Casts their Vote on Election Day October 7th, 2019 HAVGARD - Kariana Vinterness and the Federalist have won a major victory on election night, with the Premiere taking 61% of the national vote against rival SNP candidate Rikard Holt. The Vice Premiere took the reigns of the Federal government following the tragic assassination of Premiere Tore Ryland during the Summer Coup last year, and she had enjoyed a high approval rating leading up to the election making Sunday night's results unsurprising. SNP challenger Rikard Holt conceded defeat in the late hours of Monday morning, announcing his intention to concede the election to Premiere Vintress. He congratulated the Premiere by phone after his speech, and vowed to his supporters to form an opposition party in the new session of the Senate later this fall. Accepting her victory aboard State Flight One, Premiere Vinterness was en route to the capital after holding a rally in her hometown of Volkden. She was joined by her running mate and recent SNP party member Rikard Alstrom. It was Vice Premiere-elect Alstrom's defection from his party that many saw as the killing blow to the SNPs hopes of reclaiming the Premiere-ship from the Federalist Party. In her acceptance speech, Premiere Vinterness congratulated her opponent on a well fought race and welcome he and his party's opposition to her government in the coming years of her term. She also stated that she hoped that she could "...be a Premiere for all of Stalgora, Scandinavian, Slavs, and Germans alike." The Premiere will face an uphill battle internationally at least when it comes to the local region. In the wake of the Summer Coup last summer, the government was faced with the very real threat that neighboring Skandinaviskrike represents on both the political and military stage. Shortly after the murder of Premiere Ryland, The Republic Intelligence Agency (RIA) linked the coup attempt to a fringe group within the SNP and headed by a member of the former Socialist Party's own Rok Stinar. A member of Premiere Ryland's own cabinet, the Stalgoran national had been linked to the Skandinaviskrike's Folksgard, and is believed to have fled Stalgora for his adopted homeland. Meanwhile, tensions continue to mount along the border with Skandinaviskrike, as Stalgoran troops work to expand the military presence in the border region. Just last week, Premiere Vinterness formally reactivated the Expeditionary Fleet and budget spending on the military continues to increase in the face of escalating tensions in the region. With the Stalgoran people decidedly behind the Premiere, she takes office in her first official term following the murder of Premiere Ryland in an uncertain and dangerous time for the region. HOME Edited October 8, 2019 by SamNorth (see edit history) 3
SamNorth Posted October 8, 2019 Author Posted October 8, 2019 (edited) - STALGORA - Fleet Buildup Along Northern Border Ramps Up CAPTION: The Fleet Submarine Construction Facility at Jotunfjell Naval Base October 7th, 2019 . JOTUNFJELL - The steel rolls in on heavy trains in the early morning as the workers take a different path from the navalbase's namesake city tucked into an inlet off of Jotunfjord on the northern border. It has been nearly four years since the last naval contract for a submarine had been awarded and many of the employees have moved on to new work. A majority of the workforce are new hires that present a new challenge for Kovat Heavy Industries and their Jotunfjell Naval Shipyard. The work at Jotunfjell will eventually give birth to the first of a new generation of Submarine intended to counter the growing threat presented by the Skandinaviskrike Marinen whose military patrols off the coast of Jotunfjell and other Stalgoran costal cities has seen a marked increase in the last few weeks. The aging population of twenty Type XVI submarines struggle to provide the high tempo operational schedule the Navy is now demanding, and both Premiere Vinterness and Fleet Admiral Marco Olonev see the Submarine Force as the first step in a vital rejuvenation of Stalgora's aging military. In the coming months, naval yards at Havgard and Kursik will begin expansion on their existing facilities as the nation attempts to grapple with woefully oudated infrastructure. In time though, these yards will begin new frigate and corvette projects to join the thirty new Type XVIII submarines. However, the explosion of new work in the city has been met with wavering opinions among locals. Mayor Elana Kol welcomes the naval contracts. "Jotunfjell's industry has always been at the very heart of the Stalgoran economy. Its good to see both the companies based here as well as the city itself gaining the support of the government again." Tobin Hurtsfeld, a foreman at the shipyard, has a less optimistic opinion on the matter. "New workers mean young blood in the city, and young blood always brews trouble." Hurtsfeld says, a father of six far too aware of his eldest daughters. However, at the intersection of these clashing opinions, there is still common ground. Fighters from the naval air station located on the base roar into the sky overhead, off to intercept a Skandinaviskrike aircraft that has breached Stalgoran airspace; and as the roar of their engines fades into the distance, everyone can agree that the military buildup is necessary if Jotunfjell and Stalgora are to hold back Skandinaviskrike aggression in the region. HOME Edited October 8, 2019 by SamNorth (see edit history) 5
SamNorth Posted October 8, 2019 Author Posted October 8, 2019 (edited) - BUSINESS - ANALYSIS: The Energy Sector is Changing. Can Stalgora Change with it? October 7th, 2019 . REDIER - The machine seems as old as the land it is tearing up, and it is a metaphor for an energy sector that is starting to fade into history. The world is changing rapidly, and a growing thirst for green and renewable energy is reshaping the economic landscape of the world. With coal, oil, and natural gas finite, markets have begun the slow and steady shift towards more reliable energy sector assets. The question now becomes, can Stalgora remain the golden child of the Argic energy sector? The signs are clear with regards to the overall economic trend. Just last month, Novgard International signaled the shift as it split its energy sector re-investments 50-50 along the traditional and green energy sector. It was the first time that the nation's largest private bank did not maintain a majority in the traditional energies sector for its long term investments. Stocks reacted across Stalgora in response. Now many Stalgoran companies are scrambling to diversify. All over the lumbering machine, solar panels reflect the sun and the new direction of Stalgoran companies. Last month, Ryland Energies - the nations top oil company - swept up Elsewhere Solar in a hope to prop up its shares. Meanwhile, the government - a long time supporter of the nation's energy industry - has announced far reaching tax incentives for green, nuclear, and alternative energy sectors. Even Forge Mining - the operators of the massive machine pictured above - have turned the corner on this new industry. In the coming months, the massive machines dotting the landscape will finish mining the coal fields here, and Forge will begin construction on two massive solar facilities that will replace the aging coal plants two kilometers away. However, only time will tell if the shift is coming too late. With a world hungry for new sources of electricity, Stalgoran companies will need to act fast if they don't want to miss the world's green revolution. HOME Edited October 8, 2019 by SamNorth (see edit history) 3
SamNorth Posted October 8, 2019 Author Posted October 8, 2019 (edited) Part 1 - Bring Me The Sea A Profile of the Fishing Industry in Stalgora's Distant North October 7th, 2019 . Vaun Oker wakes up at 3:00 AM every morning. His small home is built on ancestral land near the the edge of the village of Vintergard. You won't find it on most tourist maps or on any of the major cruise lines' list of destinations; but it is people like Vaun and towns like Vintergard that take to the frigid waters of the Argic to feed the nation and the world. Vaun looks ten years older than he is. The sea hasn't been kind to him, and his face is a patchwork of wrinkles that read like a story. Stress lines, scars, and the passage of time have weathered his skin till it seems like leather, and his blue eyes stand out against the dark sky as he climbs down from his boats rigging. A cup of coffee sits patiently in the wheelhouse, the cold air sipping at its heat in the form of slowly rising steam. Vaun is pre-occupied with thought as he studies a weathered and beaten laptop. Its the close of the Argic Salmon season, and the numbers aren't quite adding up. "Its the big boats." He mumbles. I'm not sure if it is at me or if its to himself, but I understand all the same. Vaun and others like him are struggling to make ends meet as fishing in the region turns from the small scale traditions of the Scandinavians who call the region home to the Industrial scale of the urban centers further to the south. Its a reality that the farmers and the miners faced centuries before and now it has found its way to the pristine waters of the Argic Fjords. The massive fishing ships Vaun mentioned this morning dot the horizon as Vaun and the Sun Maiden make their way out of the Vintergard harbor. Vaun joins the migration of small ships from the bay on their way out to the distant fishing grounds, and the small ships bounce and weave in the rough seas of the Argic. Meanwhile, the looming "fish factories" stand fixed, unfazed by the heavy seas thanks to their sheer size. Vaun's ancestors fought giants, he tells me. It seems he is forced now to do the same. - Homestead - The smell of fish has followed Vaun home as he slips off his boots by his fireplace, and Caya - his oldest daughter - works on dinner. Her family is up from Jotunfjell where her husband took a job at the Navy yard two years ago. Work has never been better, and Caya has had a chance to put enough money away for her and the kids to visit. Her husband will join in a few days. The trend of the children leaving the villages is almost as steadfast as the arrival of the fish factories each salmon season, and the town seems to be shrinking as quickly as it sprung up a century before. The schools are less full each season, and Vaun struggles to find a deck hand who can stick through the hardwork and harder seas. "We are growing fat and lazy." He mentioned as he puffs on a pipe, its amber glow illuminating his face as he looks out at the horizon. "I'll be the last Oker'son to die here." He adds after a long puff at his pipe, blowing the smoke into the fading light of dusk. The cottage is a small, two bedroom spot. Caya and the two kids are held up in what passes for a guest room. A few years back, the house might have been more lively, but after Vaun's wife Sibi passed away, its turned into nothing more than a kitchen and bunk away from the Sun Maiden. Caya seems worried about her father, but there isn't much she can do. She has her own children, her own family, and her own life in Jotunfjell. Instead, she uses what time she has here to help tidy up where where she can, and get Vaun to see a doctor about his back which seems more troublesome this season than last. After she and the children are asleep, Vaun and I share a whiskey. Its bitter, but it warms you up. Vaun turns his head towards the cluster of traditional Stal burial markers. He stands, setting his glass down and makes his way up the path towards them. His wife's is up there. He still wishes her sweet dreams each night before bed. Edited October 8, 2019 by SamNorth (see edit history) 7
SamNorth Posted October 16, 2019 Author Posted October 16, 2019 Part 2 - Bring Me The Sea A Profile of the Fishing Industry in Stalgora's Distant North October 7th, 2019 . The sea spray catches in his beard and follows the lines of his face from his brow as the waves crash against the small boat. The sun climbs slowly from the horizon. It won't get far. Fall has arrived and sunlight will become fleeting until night takes over. Its the end of the fishing season and the pressure is on. "Not enough fish these days..."Vaun mutters, looking at the half filled nets being drug up from the depths. "Big boys scoop them all up before I can get any." He adds, almost as if he's just remembered that someone else is on the boat with him. He frowns at the horizon where the large factories churn away. They can stay at sea for days and never stop work, and Havgard's lawmakers have done little to stop the advance of Stalgora's vastly lucrative fishing industry. Back in town, the impact of the national corporate policies reach out of the sea into local shops and local markets. "That was Tor Anderson's shop." Vaun says, gesturing towards a boarded up storefront that's faded lettering still reads 'Grocery.' "Closed down not long after the big boxes opened up in Tovenhal." There are dozens of store fronts up and down main street that have shared the same fate, and for many of the people still living in Vintergard, the economic side is the other edge of the sword that is killing their town. With the younger population leaving and shoppers moving towards the larger retail stores or even internet purchases, another set of livelihoods are dying at the same time the small scale fishing industry is. The corporate friendly policies adopted by the Eld administration, while popular in the major cities and with younger voters, are a major strain on traditional sectors in the Stagloran countryside. Vaun's story is playing out across the entirety of the country. Germanic small scale farming has collapsed in the face of industrial scale farming operations in the Hinterland, and machine shops that once served local businesses and industry have closed as industrial powerhouses like Kovat centralize services and make it next to impossible for local workers to get the tools they need to repair their equipment. While some industries are adapting and small scale and locally produced items have seen a resurgence with younger populations, those jobs are still focused in the larger cities where the rest of the population is migrating to. Small towns like Vintergard still can't take advantage of those opportunities because people simply don't visit anymore. - Defiance - The day comes to an end like all the others. The sun set hours ago and the boat sits bobbing in the harbor. Vaun's boots are propped against the door frame and crowned in sea salt that crystallizes on their yellow, glossy surface. His pipe - as much a character in this story as Vaun himself - is lit and emits puffs of smoke with each long draw that Vaun takes. "Nope. Never leaving. I'll die either in this chair, on my boat, or somewhere in between." His voice is carries an air of dark humor as he considers his words. He is a drying breed and he knows it. Everyone who calls Vintergard home knows it. Its a stubborn adherence to tradition that weaves itself through every Stalgoran in some form or another that keeps Vaun and others here in this long forgotten fishing town on the edge of nowhere. As my time comes to an end here, I share a final whiskey with Vaun and thank him for his time, and I truly mean it. Time is the most precious thing out here. Towns and small scale businesses don't seem to have much of it left as industry in Stalgora shifts, and soon the sun will set on people like Vaun and places like Vintergard permanently. 5
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