WC72 RP Thread

[Apox]

There was a hostile silence across the table. Gavin Hughes knew why he'd been summoned to the AFB headquarters in Dwile, and, to be perfectly honest, he wasn't happy about it. To his right sat Jorge Guardia, his assistant manager, who looked similarly unimpressed at being here.

Opposite him, sat Jooles the Sophisticated, draped in an elaborate silk robe, he was the Head of the AFB. One either side of him sat Rufus Marlinghume, the deputy head of the AFB and on the other was Jackie Dandra, the Minister for Sport in Apox. Gavin had been to enough of these "little chats" to know he was about to be grilled, in great detail, about every minutiae of qualifying.

The feedback and discussion itself wasn't what pissed him off to be fair. No, it was more, the sense of meddling the AFB was attempting to impose on him and his system. He had a system, and, to be honest, it had worked pretty well so far in his tenancy as national team manager.

"Right, so Gavin, how do you feel qualifying has gone so far?" Rufus was a pretentious little prathead, and Gavin had very little time for him indeed. He usually found a way to make whoever he was talking to feel very small, puffed up on his own special sense of importance and pomposity. He took a second to compose himself before answering,

"To be honest, it's been going ok. The first two games were good results, and the Turori loss wasn't overly surprising, they've got a lot of talent in that team..." He was cut off by Rufus before he could continue,

"But what about the Boslenia game? How can you defend that?" Gavin breathed deeply before continuing. He knew Jorge would be glaring at Rufus, Jorge was much more of a straight talker than him, which was great on the football pitch, but perhaps less advantageous in a meeting with high up members of the board.

"Well, it was a little bit of a shock to be honest, but, these things happen from time to time. They set out to prevent us from scoring, and perhaps fielding a formation with 10 defenders helped in that respect. We could, and probably should have broken through them, but, alas, they held strong. At least we didn't lose." There was a silence in the room, before Jooles, a far more respectable character in Gavin's mind, spoke up.

"I appreciate the work you're doing for the team Gavin my boy, I really do. However, with the sides, ahem, raised expectations from a few successful tournaments, you can imagine how disastrous it might be for our nations confidence, if we were to, say, not qualify for the World Cup, hmm?"

"I have every confidence in my team and every confidence that we'll qualify," said Gavin bullishly. Jooles smiled, Rufus continued to look disgruntled and Jackie, well, she never really contributed much to these minutes. It was perfectly clear that she didn't give a toss about football, or even sport in general really. No, she was a new Member of Government House and had seized at a chance to get her foot on the ministerial rungs and head towards power, even if it was a minor position in a field she didn't really care about. Bloody politicians.

"You'd better hope you qualify, because if you don't..." Rufus had started up again, but Jooles was quick to intervene,

"Rufus! Where will making petty threats get you?" Gavin and Jorge both sat bolt upright, having been lounging in their chair previously. Jorge, silent up until now, spoke up,

"I'm sorry?"

"Are you seriously implying that failure to qualify for the World Cup would mean the sack? After all we've accomplished with the nation team?" Gavin finished off. Jooles looked distinctly uncomfortable, while Rufus continued to look smug. Jooles, after a pause, spoke again,

"Well, it's rather early in qualifying to say old chap, but, after recent performances, the nation has come to expect a certain level from the national team. To not qualify would, well, it would rather bring us right back down to the usual "also-rans" and "pretty decent" category." Gavin was not pleased.

"So, you're saying that my.. our success in running the national team, could yet usurp us at the first possible downfall?"

"I'm afraid that that is the decision which has been taken." Gavin was incensed now, and he and Jorge both stood up at the same time, startling the other three people present in the room. Gavin, gesticulating wildly, launched into a rage filled rant, which Jooles tried in vain to stop,

"So this is what I get for years of service to our country through the national team?! Toiling to bring us up from the depths, from the low in which I inherited the team?! I tell you what, not only are we going to qualify for this bleeding World Cup, we're going to bloody win it as well! And even if we do win, who's to say I want to stay on as the manager? Who says I'll sign a new contract? I might have had enough!!" And with that he turned to leave, but upon reaching the door, turned back around,

"And Rufus, fucking come back down of your little pedestal you've created for yourself. You're nothing but a whiny little bitch and you've got no real power so go and shove your inflated ego up your..." He was half marched, half dragged from the room at this point by a mildly embarrassed Jorge Guardia, who had come to his senses faster than Gavin, and had realised that insulting your superiors is probably not a good thing to do. As they marched away and Gavin had time to calm down, a growing sense of realisation and dread hit him.

"Well, I've really put my foot in it now."

[Star United States]

www.stariannews.sus
Welcome to
Starian News Channel

---

Home | In Today | Weather| Government | Health | Districtwide | Regional | World | Sports

BREAKING NEWS
The Government confirms membership in SETO
as international airports reopen!

SUS in SETO?
"What is going on?!"
by Tatiana Andréa Garcia

Many Starians are asking themselves at this very moment: "What is going on?!" Apparently, Star United States has been a member of SETO, or the Southern Esportiva Treaty Organization since th beginning, however, has decided to keep it a secret until today. The Supreme Council and the Council of Directors finalized their first meeting today and they have reached a conclusion. SETO is composed of: San José Guayabal, Gloriax, Star United States (as revealed today), Holy Republican Empire, and Coconut Isle. The opposing side, which currently lack an official name, is composed of: Gregoryisgodistan, The Royal Kingdom of Quebec, and Patistan.

Accordingly, Gloriax and Star United Syayes have not declared war. Starian membership in SETO was revealed today through a presidential speech, which is as following:

"Good evening my fellow Starians, I have an important announcement.

As everyone is aware, Southern Esportiva currently finds itself in a period of chaos. The government of Star United States frowns upon and disapproves the actions of Gregoryisgodistan and the actions taken by The Royal Kingdom of Quebec and Patisitan in supporting Gregoryisgodistan.

The Starian stance is clear. Our country cannot and will not support those who completely annihilate other states, such as the Gregoryisgodistani attack against Hicaña. As a member of SETO since the beginning and as an advocate for human rights, Star United States supports the opposing force to the trialliance created by Gregorysigodistan, The Royal Kingdom of Quebec, and Patistan.

Further Starian actions are currently being debated by the Supreme Council and the Council of Directors. Up to this point, our fleets have been repositioned in predesignated locations and our international airports haven been reopened under high surveillance.

More information is to come as more decisions are taken. Thank you and have a goodnight!"

With that announcement, as President Avana stated, provided the Starian stance on the ongoing war in Esportiva. Furthermore, the actions of the government are uncertain. The government could pull the isolation card or declare war. Many fear that a breach of Section E of the Starian-Guayabalense Free Trade Agreement may encourage, or even force, Star United States to enter the war.

Currently, most, if not all, of the battling is occurring between San José Guayabal and the Holy Republican Empire against Gregoryisgodistan, The Royal Kingdom of Quebec and Patistan. These governments claim that thousands of lives have been lost and this number is increasing every second.

Esportiva, brace yourself.

[Chiata]

The 3rd Division was positioned several kilometers from San Salvador and far away in the distance, explosions could be heard. However, the bulk of the force was too far away to hear small arms fire. A few Gregoryisgostani planes had been spotted on the horizon, but the Air Wing stationed with the marines proved to be enough for them to keep their distance. On one occasion, a large bomber was approaching the line that was being constructed. Two fighters were scrambled and gave pursuit. The first air to air missile failed to destroy its target because the pilot launched chaff just in time. The missile detonated in the chaff and caused a disturbance in the stability of the bomber. However, the pilot was skillful enough to gain back its altitude. The bomber began to move away faster and faster. It appeared that it could escape. However, the fighters kept pace and the second missile met its mark. The mass of soldiers on the ground yelled and cheered. The bomber had run out of chaff to throw out, so it was a helpless bird in the sky. That first kill would have larger implications than first realized.

Morale had been boosted a lot as the Chiatan marines travelled through San Jose Guayabal. There were many towns along the roads that were used to transport the soldiers by truck. At every town, people lined the streets to watch the soldiers go by. They always cheered and some sounded horns and through confetti. It was strange to think of it. Here the Chiatans were, from the opposite side of Esportiva, and these people were as grateful for them as they were for their own soldiers. Most of the soldiers couldn't even understand what the Guayabalese were saying. Every once in a while, the convoy would have to have to stop in order to refuel. David was shocked at how low the fuel prices were in San Jose Guayabal. "It's because they get the oil here, while we have to buy it from someone else," answered Kenneth. Some of the more daring lads would quickly climb out of the truck and find someone to dance with. Everyone thought it was hilarious and the sergeant would tell the soldier "that their leave was over and it was time to get back to the front."

Not all of the ride was parades and parties. There were long stretches where there wasn't a town in sight. The soldiers would quickly pick up a tune and it would bounce from truck to truck, off key, of course. Most of them were religiously originated. " 'Cause it's kinda a Crusade," remarked Clifford. Now, in the present, David could still remember one of those catchy tunes. It was about a battle, too.

Joshua fit the battle of Jericho
Jericho, Jericho
Joshua fit the battle of Jericho
And the walls came tumbling down

Good morning sister Mary
Good morning brother John
Well I wonna stop and talk with you
And tell you how I come along

I know you heard about Joshua
He was the son of Nun
He never stopped his work until,
Until the work was done

Joshua fit the battle of...

Of course, after many repetitions of the song, it quickly became repetitive. As a result, the soldiers would make up their own lyrics.

You may talk about your men of Woodville
You may brag about your men Nor'
But there's none like Chramer
At the battle by San Salvador

Chramer fit the battle by Salvador
Salvador, San Salvador
Chramer fit the battle by Salvador
Guess who they're gunna vote for

Chramer is the current Secretary of War, the one who advocated so much for war. Consequently, he was still in Villitova while the soldiers were in San Jose Guayabal, digging trenches and laying wire. The 3rd Division was setting up a good perimeter that could be used as a fallback point for the forward Guayabalese troops. The main part consisted of two rows of trenches with kilometers of barbed wire spread around.

"Why aren't we laying anti-personnel mines in front of our position," asked David. "They could do some good damage if the Gregoryisgodistani soldiers charge all clumped together, as they say. One of the mines, when triggered, could pop up and shoot off enough grape shot to kill a dozen and a half of them"!

"We don't got thee permission to do that," replied Cpl. Kenneth. "You see, once these mines are active, it's awful hard to get rid of 'em. Imagine if we had to advance all of a sudden. We'd have to navigate through our own minefield. Plus, the mines will stay there active for years and years. All it takes is one accident while a child was looking for ammo casings and there'll be a slew of protests."

Citizens were already dying in droves on the border. If they didn't have mines in front, could they hold the enemy at bay? Suddenly, it seemed rank toting commanders actually did have problems to face. David's thoughts were interrupted. For the first time, small arms fire began to echo in the distance.

OOC: Original song by Golden Gate Quartet

[Kandorith]

Prayers Have Been Heard


Kandorith 4–3 Polar Islandstates

P Group 6                            Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 United States of Devonta             4    3   1   0    11    4   +7    10
2 Kandorith                            4    2   2   0    13    9   +4     8
3 Polar Islandstates                   4    2   1   1    13    9   +4     7
4 Communicar                           4    1   2   1     6    7   −1     5
5 Crystal Empire                       4    1   1   2     8   10   −2     4
6 Coreyo                               4    1   1   2     5    9   −4     4
7 Nizov                                4    1   0   3     2    5   −3     3
8 The Greater Vakolicci Haven          4    0   2   2     2    7   −5     2

With Xí-tiang not ruling out Kandorith would be able to defeat Polar Islandstates, the unimaginable happened, Kandorith defeats them in a last minute goal. Total disbelief, even among the Kandorese fans; who can only attribute the win to prayers being heard. Kandorith has been drawing the latest matches but, with the match against Polar Islandstates they seem to be back on track. In an amazing seven goal match, Kandorith came out on top, defeating the number three of the world.


"Unbelievable, but I never doubted this team" A very proud Xí-tiang exlaimed during the press conference. "I have always said this team we have build would be the best Kandorese national football team ever seen, it seems I was right. I did not joke when I told this team had the potential to defeat even the toughest opponents, like Polar Islandstates, the boys have proven themselves in last night's match for sure. From this victory we will build, and with this victory we will move forward to become an even greater team for Kandorith." The coach proudly exclaimed before leaving the press conference hall.


A very confident Kandorese side is now on the prowl for more wins, it seems the Red Dragon has been awakened again and it's hungry for goals. It will be a wait for the upcoming matches to see if the Kandorese goal machine is indeed in motion again, but if it is anything like the last World Cup campaign, there will not be any disappointment for the fans. Kandorith has been struggling before last night's match indeed, but it seems the tougher opponent has brought the team up to their top level, which surely they will stay at having the toughest match played.


This team was already crowned as the golden generation of Kandorese football and with the current younger players in the team, they have been performing even better. Defeating a top ten team is no joke, especially not to the Kandorese; as they have not been a well performing team until recently. The morale is at an all time high and what's left for Kandorith is to hold either the second position or perform as they did against Polar Islandstates to directly qualify; which would be a first time for Kandorith still, as the direct qualification was snatched from the team in the previous World Cup qualification campaign.

[Stvoto Latoli]

Section: Home Page
Section: Local News
Section: Business
*** Section: Sport ***
Section: Entertainment
Section: Opinion

Humiliated!

15 November 4014 - Stvoto Latoli's disastrous World Cup 72 campaign sputters on as the much-maligned back three conceded no less that seven goals in a match in Esportiva that often threatened to spiral out of control. Yttribian referee Mathias Morrison had his work cut out for him as the frustrated Golden Crows began throwing in a plethora of reckless tackles as the slaughter continued. Naturally, the Bustards retaliated, and they collected several cautions as well. All in all, Morrison had to show his yellow card eleven times (but, thankfully, never red) in a game that could easily have ended seven-one save for Nataliaja Irmedheghi's meaningless consolation goal. Things need to change for the Gold-Whites, and fast - that's why rumors abound that the midweek game versus Zenic will see a formation change to a more defensive 4-5-1, bringing on young Kuaku Gheberihiq as a replacement for the elderly Heji'šagheru Eji.

7 - 2

Information

Venue: Home Covert, Chippenham, The Sarian
Attendance: 82,000
Referee: Mathias Morrison (Yttribia)
Man/Woman of the Match: Horacio Lopez (The Sarian)

Managers

The Sarian: Daniel Bauer (Runtenbach)
Stvoto Latoli: Brendan al Tameer (Stvoto Latoli)

Squads

The Sarian: Soleil; Stone (Lee 69'), Peters, Yates, Bermudez; Norton (MacNevin 69'), Masters, Oster, Lopez; Yap, Shaw (Fletcher 85')
Stvoto Latoli: Lyu; Gilmore, Uchatheppujaghu (Kourouma 36'), abd al Raziq (Kyle 47'); al Amri, Bei, O'Bearga (Ya 50'), Shegalo, Eji, Irmedheghi; Athey

Goals

The Sarian: Peters 6' 31', Lopez 20' 32', Bermudez 49', Yates 57', Norton 59'
Stvoto Latoli: Shegalo 29', Irmedheghi 90'

Next Match

Opponent: Zenic
Venue: Trogu How, Tobyumosyu, Stvoto Latoli
Stvoto Latoli's Projected Starting XI: Lyu; Gilmore, Zowbowbyuthi, abd al Raziq, Gheberihiq; al Amri, Bei, O'Bearga, Shegalo, Irmedheghi; Athey
Referee: Aurélien Moineau (Ariddia)

[Ceni]

http://imgur.com/x7bI4Ro

[Recuecn]

[OOC: This RP can be read as a continuation of this.]

Gerald sat, head in hands, lost in thought. Here he was only a couple hours before what looked to be the biggest game in four years, if not more. The home match against Osarius. Gerald had no hopes of winning, but Tremblay was counting on him to be in goal to keep the scoreline respectable. And now Samantha was in labor. Gerald had been in the country only one week of the last month, and most of that had been spent training, talking to the press, preparing for the home game... in short, away from home, and Samantha. Samantha said she didn't mind--she understood, she said. Gerald knew it wasn't true. And he knew he couldn't miss the birth; it would crush her. He remembered the phone conversation he had had last week.

"How are things at home?"

"Fine."

"I miss you."

"I miss you too."

"We tied another game last night. A shut-out."

"I saw."

"I wish you could have been there."

There was silence on the other end of the line. Gerald spoke again. "What's new? What's been happening at home?"

"Nothing." A sigh.

"Well, I love you! Talk to you soon."

"Love you too."

"Bye!"

Samantha had already hung up.

She obviously missed him. And now she was in labor... labor! Gerald jumped up, dashing his reflections. No time to lose! He grabbed his phone and ran to his car. He screeched out of the driveway while punching in the digits to Tremblay's number.

"Hey, coach! Samantha's in labor. I've gotta be with her, I've left her alone for too long. So I won't be able to play, or show up at all, tonight."

"Uh, ok then..."

"Great! Thanks for understanding! Bye!"

Gerald hung up and threw the phone onto the passenger seat. He pulled up at a florists. He dashed inside, grabbed a rose, and shoved some money at the girl behind the cash register. She was rather flustered. Gerald left without taking his change.

"Have a nice day?" the girl called after him.

He jumped in the car again to drive to the hospital. His phone, still on the passenger seat, was ringing. Gerald picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Gerald! It's your coach! Whaddaya mean you're not playing tonight!? I forbid this!"

"But coach! My wife's having a baby!"

"And you did not think to tell me this more than three hours before our biggest game?"

"I didn't know! She didn't go into labor until just a few minutes ago! I get home and there's a not on the table, 'Honey, I took a taxi to the hospital!'"

"Putain! Gerald, you didn't even tell me she was pregnant!"

"I'm sorry! There's nothing I can do about it now!"

"Look, I understand. I feel for you. I see what's going on. But you have to play tonight." Tremblay was basically yelling.

Gerald enunciated clearly, emphasizing every syllable. "If you understood, you'd know I CAN-NOT PLAY TO-NIGHT. I'm really sorry coach." He hung up.

By now he was at the hospital. He hurried towards the double-doors, still clutching his rose--then stopped. He looked at the rose in his hands. What is this, a date? he said to himself. What the heck am I doing? He flung the rose into a trash can and went in.

"Quick! What room is my wife in! She's having a baby!"

"Calm down, sir," said the receptionist. "What's your wife's name?"

*************************

"Is she okay? What's happening?" Gerald had found the room his wife was in, and was interrogating the nurse outside.

"She's just fine, Mr. Firaut, but the labor is going a bit slower than expected. You can go in to see her, but you must be calm." The nurse opened the door for him.

Samantha and Gerald spoke at the same time.

"Gerald!"

"Samantha!"

Gerald brushed aside the doctor who was assisting, taking her hand. She did not seem quite as pleased to see him.

"What are you doing here! You have a game!"

"I can't play! I have to be with you! How could I leave you?"

"By walking out that door and driving to the stadium! I don't need you here! Can't you see I'm busy! Go!"

"Another round of contractions is about to start," said the doctor.

"I can't leave you!" cried Gerald. "I've been away so much..."

"Go! I forbid you to stay!"

"Sir, you should probably leave now," said the doctor, taking Gerald by the arm. "Your presence is not aiding your wife."

Gerald resisted slightly, but reluctantly allowed himself to be pushed out the door. "I'm not leaving," he muttered to himself. He took guard outside the door, peeking in through the crack.

The doctor went back in to Samantha. "He looked like he was about to have a break-down," she told her. "Births are like that. They show who's really stronger."

Gerald's phone started to go off. It was the coach. Gerald silenced it and turned it off. "I'm not playing tonight," he repeated to himself.

[Flardania]

我々は、ポイントを得たが....。
Kitsunes Finally Gain a Point With Draw But are Shockingly Dead Last in Group 16
Français|日本語|한국의|English
FBC News | Flardanian Broadcasting Corporation

---

Report by Aoki Muranaka

After the recent dread and disbelief which has overcame the beloved Kitsunes, the national team as finally manage to take away a point following their nil nil draw to Maklohi Vai. After playing well in two losses Flardania and being robbed in their home match against much lower ranked Hodife. The Kitsunes traveled to 73rd ranked to try and gain a point crucial to staying alive in this tournament. It was certainly difficult has the team was understandably out of form. Ayame Fujisaka led the defense brilliantly and goalkeeper Miyoko Houjyou would be damned if she allowed herself to concede any goals, earning her first international matchball. It was a defensive stalemate that got the Kitsunes on the board and hopefully with more confidence as they prepare to face 25th ranked Apox at Ilias Garden in Kairaku. With the excellence of scheduling Flardania has to face a significantly superior team that is feeling pressure at home. It is as if some force of evil that is against the Goddess Ilias is trying everything within it's power to kill the Kitsunes momentum. Manager Hikaru Kyosuke had this to say.

'It was good to finally escape a point especially against a higher ranked team which was part of the initial strategy of winning the game we are supposed to win and attempting to at least draw against the stronger team. Unfortunately for us after the horrible game we had last time at home have to return home against a much stronger and experienced team that is feeling pressure...speaking of pressure I can understand the pressure to not lose to lower teams but I can understand the pressure of keeping jobs that these higher ranked teams have. I think the Apox manager Gavin Hughes is a brilliant man but at the same time if his team doesn't qualify your can be sure there is a long waiting list of people ready for his job, that's just how it works at this level. However it's a bit comical because a team ranked 25th can recover in my opinion. While there are 300+ teams ranked below teams like Apox, Star United States, Quebec, and Unified Sunrise Islands that would give anything to be in their positions and always be expected by the media to qualify, so I think those athletic associations should show these managers and players a little more respect. And to stop offending the other managers who are working hard to try and bring their teams to the spotlight."

It was almost an uncharacteristic response by the manager to discuss the politics with the sport but one can speculate it's to take the mind off of the headache this next match poses for the fans at home and abroad.

Want more News?

• Dorian Crisis expected to conclude soon 5,600,182 views
• Emperor to attend Funeral 3,398,996 views
• Wedding of Dirigeant Arata Kasuga, fast approaching 1,577,031 views

[Szavoda]

Continued from here

Katarina’s Apartment, Kreceva, the following week

Katarina’s life had returned to mundanity. Nick had driven her all the way back to her flat from the Euran border, some 400 miles, and then had driven back again. It was a massive hassle for him, but Katarina wouldn’t complain when people went out of their way for her.

After glamourous nights out in Eura, Katarina now had to make do with take-away and Szavda soap operas. She’d had dinner with friends on a couple of nights, and went to a local bar on another, but she’d generally spent the rest of her injury leave by herself, mulling over a decision on her future. She was kept company by her dog Kuchen and her regular prescription of painkillers. It was early winter in Kreceva and that meant one thing: rain. Lots of it. It wasn’t the dramatic, lashing rain, rather persistent, quiet rain which made doing things outside not impossible, just unpleasant. She went swimming a couple of times – her apartment block had a gym in its basement with a pool – as it was the only serious form of exercise she could take with her injury, and visited the military doctor who told her what she already knew: that she’d be off serious duty for another two weeks, but could return to base in a week to get back in the swing of things.

The days passed rather languidly, without the strict military structure of the army, her life rather meandered along – a new TV and DVD player accounted for some of the lost time. As the days passed, the pain in her shoulder decreased and she was more able to do active things to fill the time: a game of squash at her local sports club, several trips to the gym where she had got a personal best on the 10km of the treadmill. All this time she pondered on whether to join Clyne. The morose weather had put her in a mind to leave Szavoda, at least for a while, combined with the fact that she’d have to move back up to Travanera, where the rule was you took off 20 degrees from Kreceva , made her want to spend some time away from her homeland. Plus the pay would be brilliant. She’d skyrocket into the country’s top pay bracket, something which most people wanted to avoid, but considering she’d be earning much more than most in the country, it wasn’t so much of a bother. It was some point on Wednesday evening that she finally decided to join up, but she’d still take the free dinner – and hopefully drinks at a club – from Nick beforehand.

Eventually Friday rolled around and once again it was grey and overcast. Whilst there was no rain initially, it always threatened, and in Szavoda, when it threatened, it always came down. True to his word, Nick was at her apartment complex at 7pm on the dot. Katarina had booked a table for two at 7:30 at a restaurant in Kreceva’s trendy Graznic District – she was not well connected enough to wangle a couple of seats in a fancy restaurant downtown at short notice. Nick wore a shirt and trousers, whilst Katarina wore what she described as a ‘stylish cotton poncho’, a sort of loose-fitting all-in-one dress which hung loose around her legs.

They were sat at their table by the waiter and Nick immediately got down to business, even before ordering wine, which was a surprise for him.

“So, Katarina, your decision. What’s it going to be? We have our Winter Party coming up in three weeks, and we have to know how many chairs to hire.”

...

“It’s a yes.”

[Albaie]

It was at this stage that Vincent Deberen finally succeeded his boss as manager at Dubrack's Town Celtic with Sportern as his assistant. Within a season fielding young skilful pacey players mixed with older stalwarts Deberen managed to secure the first quadruple in Albaie football since his final season as a player when he had led the retiring Dubrack's Town Celtic team of his day to their most famous quadruple. The Albaie quadruple consists of the pre season Dubrack's Shield played between the winner of the league and the cup final ( the runners up if the winner also won the cup ), the Imperial Bank Premier League, the Albaie Cup ( played between all the teams in the Imperium no matter the league they are in ) and the Emperor's Cup ( contested only by teams in the Imperial League which is teams that play on an Imperium scale not regionally ). The fact that Vincent Deberen managed to do this in his first season was not just record breaking but phenomenal considering his main striker was the 16 year old Robert Tererent, a name now almost as famous as Vincent Deberen before him.

Mark Deberen, Vincent's son and other Vincent's brother had that season actually moved from Dubrack's Town Celtic were he was a youth coach to Maras Wolfs where he become manager. Mark Deberen had very much like Young Vincent Deberen been hailed as his father's future heir to footballing greatness but a few weeks before his first team debut had had his leg smashed in a horrific tackle while playing against cross town rivals Albaie Rangers.

Since then Mark had been coaching the youth teams and gaining experience and his coaching badges before he struck out to the Imperial Championship to make a managerial name for himself. The same season as his father won a quadruple Mark won the Championship with his side heavily built around Dubrack's Town Celtic loanees and other young players.

The next season despite winning a treple Vincent was unable to stop his son's promoted side from clinching the title on the final day of the season when the two played each other with Maras Wolfs winning the league by one goal despite losing on the final day. The Maras Wolfs team was a masterpiece in hit and run tactics as Mark relied on pace and opportunity taking to lead a meagre side to being the best in the Imperium.

Mark became not only the youngest manager to win the Premier League but also the first to win it after being promoted. At the end of that season Sportern was poached to become the new Lord High President of the Albaie Football Association and Vincent managed to convince his son to come back to his boyhood club and sure enough Mark left his recently title winning side to move home to the capital as assistant to his father and as head of the youth development program. Without Deberen Maras Wolfs quickly struggled and after a few season of mediocrity dropped back down to the second division.

Together the father-son duo have not only managed to build a team that has not lost a tournament since losing to Maras Wolfs in an unprecedented period of dominance at the top of the game but also a phenomenal back room staff headed by Earl Edward 'Lucky' Mercer who was another Deberen prodigy who suffered career ending injuries but this time in a car crash who has now gone on to become an internationally recognised coach. Mercer not only coaches the goalkeepers at senior and junior level but is also Mark's assistant in all matters.

[New Wolfopolis]

Wolfpack upsets SJG, 4-3

Hey! Amidst all this time-freeze madness, did you know there's a WCQ going on?

The New Wolfopolis Wolfpack, fresh off a defeat at home to an unranked side yet to submit a roster, was up against their second-toughest opponent of the qualification stage: San José Guayabal. The Wolfpack came in with a winless record, after scrapping together two draws in the first two matches to two teams who I've never heard of. Their third match should've been an easy victory, but the Wolfpack was slaughtered by Nurovo, 4-0. Needless to say, the spirits going into this match were not high. Any small shred of hope of qualifying for the cup proper had been disintegrated by the time the team walked out of the Campana Bowl, defeated by Nurovo. And yet, they found the strength to go to San José Guayabal and play the heavily favored Guayabalanese.

And in the first half, they found more reason to be discouraged. 15 minutes in, a beautiful sequence of passing by La Selecta gave Jonathan Faña an easy tap-in goal. Commentator Jacob Heart had this to say: "Oh, doesn't this look dangerous. Bregoo makes a nice run, taps it to Fraser. Fraser on the left wing, beautiful cross to Zelaya down the right side. Zelaya working his magic, looking at that right corner. Taps it to Faña, One-nil. Absolutely marvelous passing by San José Guayabal. Zelaya really looked poised to shoot, and Nicholson had no way of stopping that. Wonderful, wonderful goal.

SJG just kept going from there. Just eight minutes later, Sean Fraser had doubled the La Selecta lead with a header off of a corner kick. 2-0 was the score, and the Wolfpack wasn't feeling great. Possession was being bossed around by SJG, and they could barely get a shot off. At that point, New Wolfopolis had only put up 2 shots, both missed the target. By the end of the half, only one more. New Wolfopolis had a free kick in the 25th minute that was beautifully lobbed by Bob Good into the penalty area, but the header by Harlan Spears went straight into the arms of Abraham Terrazas. They went into the locker room two-nil down and with things not looking up.

But if there's one man on this Wolfopian team you can trust to re-energize the match, it's captain Nicholas Pollard. Three minutes into the half, Nicholas took a strike from quite the distance. Once again, Jacob Heart: "And the Wolfpack setting up for another offensive possession, let's see what they can do with it. Pendleton dribbles in, can't find any room. Passes across to Spears. Spears quickly passes back towards Pollard. Pollard takes a crack and OH YES! HE'S DONE IT! A MAGNIFICENT VOLLEYED GOAL FROM NONE OTHER THAN NICHOLAS POLLARD! BEAUTIFULLY STRUCK, LANDED TOP-RIGHT CORNER, KEEPER HAD NO CHANCE! 2-1 now, the 'pack is back in it!"

And back they would come. For just four minutes later, Pollard was able to dispossess Bregoo at about half-pitch, and feed the ball through the defense to Sidney Pendleton. He cruised into the box, past all those from Guayabal, but Sebastián Núñez. He was able to catch up to Pendleton, and slid right into the back of his ankles. It was a straight red for Núñez, which set up a penalty for New Wolfopolis. Pollard let Pendleton take it, and Pendleton smashed it into the left corner for the equalizer. It was 2-2 with about forty minutes still left to play. New Wolfopolis were certainly on high spirits at this point, having just drawn equal to a side they never hoped to draw, being up one man, and having the game ahead of them.

However, their momentum seemed to quit there. Spears, who hadn't done much but miss shots up until that point, was subbed off for Foster, who didn't do much of anything (for a while). Then, after a period where both teams would consecutively get stifled trying to score, O'Connell was cautioned for a big hit on Zelaya, and quickly subbed off for Rolland Rogers. Not long afterwards, the deathly blow happened. Jacob Heart: Things are going well for La Selecta, can they convert this chance? Haedo, Saucedo, now Haedo again. Forward to Zelaya, he can't get through. Back to Haedo and OH MY GOODNESS WHAT A STRIKE! Haedo about 20, 25 yards out hit that one with conviction, just passed the outstretched fingers of Nicholson and into the low right corner, and surely the Guayabalanese have won it now.

But surely not, for the Wolfopians put up a convincing run on the next kickoff. Pendleton's shot was inches wide of the far post, for a Guayabalanese goal kick. But Terrazas was cautioned for timewasting right afterwards, and nearly sent off for argument. The goal kick was possessed by New Wolfopolis, who drove right down into San José Guayabal territory. And in the eighty-third minute, New Wolfopolis had equalized again. Similar to the first SJG goal, Pollard had driven into the box, drawn the goalkeeper out to deal with him, then tapped it to Foster for an easy finish.

A draw was not good enough for SJG, and they needed to do something big to try to push themselves towards a win. They did just that. Right after the New Wolfopolis goal, head coaches Paulo Oliveira and Alfredo Herrera decided to pull their own captain, Rodolfo Zelaya. And, in my opinion, they were justified to do so. He hadn't done much throughout the match, save for a couple assists, and it was good to get a fresh set of legs out there to try to defeat New Wolfopolis. And their bold strategy almost paid off. In the ninetieth minute, Juninho Dos Santos had a good run on a counterattack. Here's Jacob Heart once more: "Oh no. Oh, no. Dos Santos is past Rogers, past Carlisle, past Lim, through on goal, and a BRILLIANT SAVE BY ZACH NICHOLSON! A WONDERFUL DIVING SAVE TO KEEP THE WOLFPACK'S HOPES ALIVE!

And now was the time for the famous Wolfpack counter-counterattack. Nicholson picked up the ball, fired a long throw to Clement, who gave a through ball to Pollard, who made a nice run towards goal. However, there were enough players on defense for La Selecta to be able to stop Pollard. He maintained control and gave a good pass to substitute Domingo Foster. Here's the call from Jacob Heart: "Pollard, stops hard in his tracks. Fires over to Foster. Foster steps up, fires, and GOOOOOOOOOOOOAL! NEW WOLFOPOLIS HAVE SCORED AGAIN! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT! TWO MINUTES INTO STOPPAGE TIME, NEAR THE GAME'S END, AND THE WOLFPACK HAVE SURELY WON IT! OH MY GOODNESS! THE HANDFUL OF WOLFPACK FANS WHO HAVE TRAVELED HERE FROM NEW WOLFOPOLIS ARE GOING ABSOLUTELY MAD! AND THERE'S THE FINAL WHISTLE! NEW WOLFOPOLIS FOUR, SAN JOSÉ GUAYABAL THREE! ABSOLUTELY UNBELIEVABLE. THIS IS THE STUFF OF LEGEND." The stuff of legend indeed.

New Wolfopolis comes home to face Ko-oren in the next match, arguably their toughest opponent in the qualifying stage. Ko-oren, to this point, has not dropped a single point, or in fact allowed a single goal, winning all four of their matches by an average of two goals.

[Patistan]

The best news channel their is

Today's headlines

"Hello I am Khalid Rasool with today's headlines.

"Patistani National Assembly support Gregoryisgodistan in overwhelming vote"

"Yes that is right, our very own leaders are going against the majority of the populace. Out of the 350 man assembly, 325 members agreed to support Gregoryisgodistan and stand with Imran Khan and his cabinet. In the remaining 25, 5 people were absent while 5 more abstained from the vote. The remaining 20 members were independents who all voted against supporting Gregoryisgodistan and instead supporting SETO. The most vocal person from the independents was in fact Imran Khan's own cousin, Khalid Kudbudin who was appalled by the decision and actually surprised everyone by saying this at a interview...

"I don't care if that as**** is my cousin, that dumbshit has made a decision which will haunt Patistan forever, that idiotic fuc*****, who the hell does he think he is that bi***"

He continued like that for another 20 minutes....

"Patistan-San Jose Guyabal sign NAP"

What might just be the biggest news concerning the war is that Patistan and San Jose Guayabal have signed a Non-Aggression pact even though being on opposite sides, this came after Imran Khan received a phone call from Queen Margaret concerning his speech, the two leaders then agreed upon not being aggressive against each other due to the fact that both nations are very similar and a 1-on-1 war would prove catastrophic for both countries. This has been taken positively by the public of Patistan who were thinking that San Jose would be their only proper rival/problem during the war.

"Hicanan Population outraged"

In what was a predictable reaction the Hicanan community, mainly settled in Nevo Esperanso has been holding protests all day long against the decision to support Gregoryisgodistan. The Hicanan community leader, Gonzales Rivo, who is a native Hicanan has insisted the Hicanan community to start a civil disobedience act against the government until they change the decision. Imran Khan has repeatedly told the Hicanans to remain clam and instead of protesting remain peaceful as it is a hard time for everybody in Patistan.

"Troops move to Gregoryisgodistan"

20,000 Patistani troops have been relocated to Gregoryisgodistan to defend the country. The contingent also includes 30 aircraft's and 20 tanks. The squandron's leader is General Zia Akbar, who is third in charge of the Patistani army. Their has been speculation that the Free Republics might attack or launch an air raid at Patistan at any moment. Furthermore speculation has been made that Patistan would be the one attacking a nation. Star United States, yes a country which hosted the Runner Cup with Patistan only a year ago. Star United States have publicly announced their support for SETO and are hence on Patistan's radar. Major cities like Tachi and Tahore have been fortified and thousands of bunkers have been made. The capital Tamabad is a place where no ordinary man can go now due to the level of security deployed.

That is all for now, whatever happens may Allah be with you. This is Khalid Rasool

signing of with PNN news"

[Associated Godlands]

God Hates All Teams In The World Cup!!!

(OOC: It should be obvious that these are not my actual opinions)

After exhaustive research, Associated Godlands's Queen, Shirley Phelps-Roper, has concluded that God hates every nation participating in the World Cup. She has provided a reason why for each nation:

Part 5:

Octinstine
God hates all nations in the region The Land of Kings and Emperors.

Vermark
God hates that in Vermark's demonym, the "e" in their name is replaced with an "a".

Gylias
God hates the sun on Gylias's flag, as the glow that God casts over humanity is greater than any any sun can cast.

Furellum
God noticed that Furellum's national religion,is not Christianity.

Garifunya
God hates flags that are black, with a single red stripe to the far left.

Sarrbia
God hates palm trees.

The Fallenmark Islands
God hates nations that label themselves as a commonwealth.

Flardania
God isn't too fond of any aspect of Flardania.

Xzyxrouw
God does not enjoy spelling this nation's name.

Varmelle
God hates the letter combination "armelle".

Paymina
Paymina seems a bit... Muslim.

Lons
God hates words that aren't plural that end with s.

San Llera
God hates names with two consecutive l's where it's pronounced like a y.

Walkany
You know who created that flower on your flag, Walkany? God!!!!!!

Albaie
God hates three consecutive vowels.

Maretta
God hates the enablers that are the people of Maretta.

Britonisea
God hates Brits.

Szavoda
God prefers diagonal slashes from the top left corner to the bottom right corner.

The Greater Vakolicci Haven
God just hates so much about The Greater Vakolicci Haven

The Sword Bloke
God hates the fact that The Sword Bloke seems to worship an owner of a shop.

And with that, Part 5 is complete! Stay tuned for Part 6.

[Eura]

GOVERNMENT OUTRAGED BY ELECTRUM PLANS FOR SARGOSSAN BASE
Foreign Minister Yarley summons Electrum Ambassador to explain "incalculably poor decision"

The Euran government launched a scathing public attack on Electrum tonight that has overshadowed the predominance of the South Esportivan Crisis, demanding that Electrum cease its plan to retaliate against the Floriana Dam project by constructing a Sargossan base in Electrum.

The Electrumite Ambassador to Eura, Evonne Namatjira, has been summoned with immediate effect by the Foreign Office to explain the actions of her country after the government in Centralis announced that it planned to construct a major air base for Sargossa near the border with Rio Oscuro, but importantly within spitting distance of the border with Eura. Euran government policy has been to prevent any potentially hostile major power in Rushmore, especially Sargossa, from building any sort of military facilities east of the Kytler Peninsulae within Rushmore. Sources that the Emplor has within the ministry suggest that the Prime Minister himself, Michael Judge, is confounded as to what prompted this extreme measure by Electrum which was directed at Valladares but nevertheless has agitated Eura even more. It is also believed, though unconfirmed, that unsurprisingly the Polarian government is furious at the plans and has lobbied Bastion to pledge their support for any attempt to prevent the scheme.

The plan by Electrum was the latest development in the ongoing dispute over the Floriana Dam project in Rio Oscuro, supported by Valladares and contracted to the Royal Kingdom of Quebec without Euran or Electrumite approval. Though Eura has struck a neutral tone so far, if not slightly leaning in favour of Electrum, this sudden about face in strategic direction by Centralis over the issue has reportedly completely swung the Liberal Party's majority government and its policy on the issue. It is now believed that already the Euran government may enter negotiations to reduce the barriers for work visas for Euran's to work on the dam project, as Eura's protest to Electrum is ongoing. Amy Yarley's statement, made just a few minutes ago, made the government's stance explicitly clear. 'Electrum is a neighbour we treat well and respect greatly. As their larger northern neighbour we provide them with invaluable trade, hard working migrants, a virtually impenetrable military shield for both their nation and their trade routes, and we were trying to help them over the dam dispute. However, their actions signify either desperation in their bid to stop the Floriana Dam project, or a sudden shift in strategic orientation that can only be described as a serious betrayal.'

Yarley made it clear that whatever Electrum's reasoning for the protest, Eura would not allow "under any circumstances" the military base construction to go ahead. Though this situation is dramatic it is not thought military action is on the cards, but this certainly could represent a major break in Electrum-Eura relations. There is no doubt that for Electrum to carry out the airbase project it will need Euran approval and co-operation due to the logistical and economic barriers that Eura could place in the way of the project, which at this time appears to be improbable. Meanwhile the Social and Capital parties, according to our esteemed reporters and sources, are quickly backtracking on their previously staunch support of Electrum over the dam project, with a Social Party spokesperson reportedly having said at a press conference just minutes ago that "the context of the issue has changed completely". The Capital Party, if the rumour's on Bastion Greens are true, may even consider their stance on "annexationism" and Euran nationalists in northern Electrum if they believe that Parliament will deem it worthy of discussion, though this is believed to be unlikely unless Euran nationalists make political gains in northern Electrum.

In Electrum itself there has been no official reaction to Eura's sudden strengthening of its stance yet, likely due to this only becoming public hours ago. So far however it seems that media reaction online in Electrum has been one of surprise at the decision the government there took, which was not anticipated by any political commentators or analysts. Words and phrases such as "barmy" and "complete common sense deficit" have been thrown around as opposition media and critics slammed the government in Centralis for what one blogger is calling "a bizarre and sudden evaporation of all strategic logic in the minds of our leaders", though more pro-government commenters have put on a brave face and demanded that Electrumites show loyalty in the face of "the big bad wolf north of the wall". Electrum has a coalition government and its most restless party, the Greens, are yet to respond specifically to Eura's change in position, however they were already unhappy at the decision to build a desalination plant near Junin and may take drastic measures if they believe that relations with Eura will be irreparably damaged by the current government line. Whatever it does next, the Electrumite government has clearly realised they were losing control of the Floriana Dam situation, and picked a radical solution to deal with it. It appears that solution has backfired badly. What they do next is largely an unknown, but in the mean time at least it will give Michael Judge's Euran government something to deal with while South Esportiva begins to burn.

- MORE HEADLINE NEWS -

> SPORT - Sinclair unstoppable as Eura hammer Star United States
> WORLD - Gregoryisgodistan appearing to suffer "heavy losses" in attack on HRC say analysts
> RUSHMORE - Another Polarian freeze and oil shock has potential to "start major economic crisis" if it occurs
> EURA - Government commits to expansion of public housing construction by 12%
> WORLD - Whittorian Islands and Euran zone of Syndicatia to be sorted under new political authority of "Euran Oceania"

[Sandwich Territories]

Continuing this from here.

I have called the Ekklesia into extraordinary session because there are serious, very serious, choices of policy to be made, and made immediately, which it was neither right nor constitutionally permissible that I should assume the responsibility of making.

On the third of July last I officially laid before you the disgusting actions of the Ryzzle Government that on and after the second day of July it was its purpose to put aside all restraints of law or of humanity and use its forces to destroy any forces that sought to halt their reconquest of the nation of Ruzzle; a nation that they consider to be theirs in terms of land claims. That had seemed to be the object of the Rytz government in earlier diplomatic conflicts, but since June of this year the Rytz Government had somewhat restrained the commanders of its land and air forces in conformity with its promise then given to us the sovereignty of Ruzzle was not to be disregarded and that if there was to be an invasion of Ruzzle, there was to be appropriate reasoning that was explained to the regional community beforehand, and that it would continue to follow the regional regulations of peace in most circumstances. The precautions taken were meager and haphazard enough, as was proved in distressing instance after instance in the progress of the cruel and unhuman business, but a certain degree of restraint was observed. The new policy has swept every restriction aside. Non-Rytz supporters of every kind, regardless of affiliation, and regardless of purpose, are now being targeted by the Rytz government in multiple forms: without warning and without thought of help or mercy for those on board, and without regional communication to discuss even minimal issues between nations and their citizens. Even hospital ships and ships carrying relief to the sorely bereaved and stricken people of Ruzzle have been threatened with attack with the same reckless lack of compassion or of principle. I was for a little while unable to believe that such things would in fact be done by any government that had hitherto subscribed to the humane practices of civilized nations. Interregional law had its origin in the attempt to set up some law which would be respected and observed upon the seas, where no nation had right of dominion and where lay the free highways of the region.... This minimum of right the Rytz Government has swept aside under the plea of retaliation and necessity and because it had no weapons which it could use at sea except these which it is impossible to employ as it is employing them without throwing to the winds all scruples of humanity or of respect for the understandings that were supposed to underlie the intercourse of the region. I am not now thinking of the loss of property involved, immense and serious as that is, but only of the wanton and wholesale destruction of the lives of noncombatants, men, women, and children, engaged in pursuits which have always, even in the darkest periods of modern history, been deemed innocent and legitimate. Property can be paid for; the lives of peaceful and innocent people cannot be. The present Rytz land, air, and naval warfare against non Rytz-supporters is a warfare against mankind.

It is a war against all nations. Sandwichain ships may be sunken, Sandwichian lives taken, in ways which it has stirred us very deeply to learn of, but the ships and people of other nations will have been sunk and overwhelmed in the waters in the same way. There has been no discrimination. The challenge is to all mankind. Each nation must decide for itself how it will meet it. The choice we make for ourselves must be made with a moderation of counsel and a temperateness of judgment befitting our character and our motives as a nation. We must put excited feeling away. Our motive will not be revenge or the victorious assertion of the physical might of the nation, but only the vindication of right, of human right, of which we are only a single champion.

When I addressed the Ekklesia on the third of July, I thought that it would suffice to assert our neutral rights with arms, our right to use the seas against unlawful interference, our right to keep our people safe against unlawful violence. But armed neutrality, it now appears, is impracticable. Because crimes against humanity are in effect outlaws when used as the Rytz armed forces have been used against peaceful existence, it is impossible to defend the innocent against their attacks as the law of nations has assumed that nations wronged through war would defend themselves against unjust invaders, visible units giving chase upon the open sea, air, or land. It is common prudence in such circumstances, grim necessity indeed, to endeavor to destroy them before they have shown their own intention. They must be dealt with upon sight, if dealt with at all. The Rytz Government denies the right of neutrals to use arms at all within the areas of the sea which it has proscribed, even in the defense of rights which no modern publicist has ever before questioned their right to defend. The intimation is conveyed that the armed guards which we have placed on our ships and people will be treated as beyond the pale of law and subject to be dealt with as pirates would be. Armed neutrality is ineffectual enough at best; in such circumstances and in the face of such pretensions it is worse than ineffectual: it is likely only to produce what it was meant to prevent; it is practically certain to draw us into the war without either the rights or the effectiveness of belligerents. There is one choice we cannot make, we are incapable of making: we will not choose the path of submission and suffer the most sacred rights of our Nation and our people to be ignored or violated. The wrongs against which we now array ourselves are no common wrongs; they cut to the very roots of human life.

With a profound sense of the solemn and even tragical character of the step I am taking and of the grave responsibilities which it involves, but in unhesitating obedience to what I deem my constitutional duty, I advise that the Congress declare the recent course of the Rytz Government to be in fact nothing less than total war against the government and people of the Sandwich Territories; that it formally accept the status of belligerent which has thus been thrust upon it, and that it take immediate steps not only to put the country in a more thorough state of defense but also to exert all its power and employ all its resources to bring the Government of the Kingdom of Ryzzle to terms and end the war.

What this will involve is clear. It will involve the utmost practicable cooperation in counsel and action with the governments now at war with Ryzzle, and, as incident to that, the extension to those governments of the most liberal financial credit, in order that our resources may so far as possible be added to theirs. It will involve the organization and mobilization of all the material resources of the country to supply the materials of war and serve the incidental needs of the Nation in the most abundant and yet the most economical and efficient way possible. It will involve the immediate full equipment of the navy in all respects but particularly in supplying it with the best means of dealing with the enemy's submarines. It will involve the immediate addition to the armed forces of the Sandwich Territories already provided for by law in case of war at least five hundred thousand men, who should, in my opinion, be chosen upon the principle of universal liability to service, and also the authorization of subsequent additional increments of equal force so soon as they may be needed and can be handled in training. It will involve also, of course, the granting of adequate credits to the Government, sustained, I hope, so far as they can equitably be sustained by the present generation, by well conceived taxation. I say sustained so far as may be equitable by taxation because it seems to me that it would be most unwise to base the credits which will now be necessary entirely on money borrowed. It is our duty, I most respectfully urge, to protect our people so far as we may against the very serious hardships and evils which would be likely to arise out of the inflation which would be produced by vast loans.

In carrying out the measures by which these things are to be accomplished we should keep constantly in mind the wisdom of interfering as little as possible in our own preparation and in the equipment of our own military forces with the duty- for it will be a very practical duty-of supplying the nations already at war with Ryzzle with the materials which they can obtain only from us or by our assistance. They are in the field and we should help them in every way to be effective there.

I shall take the liberty of suggesting, through the several executive departments of the Government, for the consideration of your committees, measures for the accomplishment of the several objects I have mentioned. I hope that it will be your pleasure to deal with them as having been framed after very careful thought by the branch of the Government upon which the responsibility of conducting the war and safeguarding the Nation will most directly fall.

While we do these things, these deeply momentous things, let us be very clear, and make very clear to all the world what our motives and our objects are. My own thought has not been driven from its habitual and normal course by the unhappy events of the last week, and I do not believe that the thought of the Nation has been altered or clouded by them. I have exactly the same things in mind now that I had in mind when I addressed the Senate on the twenty-second of January last, the same that I had in mind when I addressed the Ekklesia on the third and fourth of July. Our object now, as then, is to vindicate the principles of peace and justice in the life of the world as against selfish and autocratic power and to set up amongst the really free and self-governed peoples of the world such a concert of purpose and of action as will henceforth insure the observance of those principles Neutrality is no longer feasible or desirable where the peace of the world is involved and the freedom of its peoples, and the menace to that peace and freedom lies in the existence of autocratic governments backed by organized force which is controlled wholly by their will, not by the will of their people. We have seen the last of neutrality in such circumstances. We are at the beginning of an age in which it will be insisted that the same standards of conduct and of responsibility for wrong done shall be observed among nations and their governments that are observed among the individual citizens of civilized states.

We have no quarrel with the Rytz people. We have no feeling towards them but one of sympathy and friendship. It was not upon their impulse that their government acted in entering this war. It was not with their previous knowledge or approval. It was a war determined upon as wars used to be determined upon in the old, unhappy days when peoples were nowhere consulted by their rulers and wars were provoked and waged in the interest of dynasties or of little groups of ambitious men who were accustomed to use their fellow men as pawns and tools.

Self-governed nations do not fill their neighbor states with spies or set the course of intrigue to bring about some critical posture of affairs which will give them an opportunity to strike and make conquest. Such designs can be successfully worked out only under cover and where no one has the right to ask questions. Cunningly contrived plans of deception or aggression, carried, it may be, from generation to generation, can be worked out and kept from the light only within the privacy of courts or behind the carefully guarded confidences of a narrow and privileged class. They are happily impossible where public opinion commands and insists upon full information concerning all the nation's affairs.

A steadfast concert for peace can never be maintained except by a partnership of democratic nations. No autocratic government could be trusted to keep faith within it or observe its covenants. It must be a league of honor, a partnership of opinion. Intrigue would eat its vitals away; the plottings of inner circles who could plan what they would and render account to no one would be a corruption seated at its very heart. Only free peonies can hold their purpose and their honor steady to a common end and prefer the interests of mankind to any narrow interest of their own.

We are accepting this Rytz challenge of hostile purpose because we know that in such a Government, following such methods, we can never have a friend; and that in the presence of its organized power, always lying in wait to accomplish we know not what purpose, there can be no assured security for the democratic Governments of the world. We are now about to accept gauge of battle with this natural foe to liberty and shall, if necessary, spend the whole force of the nation to check and nullify its pretensions and its power. We are glad, now that we see the facts with no veil of false pretense about them to fight thus for the ultimate peace of the world and for the liberation of its peoples, the Rytz peoples included: for the rights of nations great and small and the privilege of men everywhere to choose their way of life and of obedience. The world must be made safe for democracy. Its peace must be planted upon the tested foundations of political liberty. We have no selfish ends to serve.

We desire no conquest, no dominion. We seek no indemnities for ourselves, no material compensation for the sacrifices we shall freely make. We are but one of the champions of the rights of mankind. We shall be satisfied when those rights have been made as secure as the faith and the freedom of nations can make them. Just because we fight without rancor and without selfish object, seeking nothing for ourselves but what we shall wish to share with all free peoples, we shall, I feel confident, conduct our operations as belligerents without passion and ourselves observe with proud punctilio the principles of right and of fair play we profess to be fighting for.

It will be all the easier for us to conduct ourselves as belligerents in a high spirit of right and fairness because we act without animus, not in enmity towards a people or with the desire to bring any injury or disadvantage upon them, but only in armed opposition to an irresponsible government which has thrown aside all considerations of humanity and of right and is running amuck. We are, let me say again, the sincere friends of the Rytz people, and shall desire nothing so much as the early reestablishment of intimate relations of mutual advantage between us,- however hard it may be for them, for the time being, to believe that this is spoken from our hearts. We have borne with their present Government through all these bitter months because of that friendship,-exercising a patience and forbearance which would otherwise have been impossible. We shall, happily, still have an opportunity to prove that friendship in our daily attitude and actions towards the millions of men and women of Rytz birth and native sympathy who live amongst us and share our life, and we shall be proud to prove it towards all who are in fact loyal to their neighbors and to the Government in the hour of test. They are, most of them, as true and loyal Sandwichians as if they had never known any other fealty or allegiance. They will be prompt to stand with us in rebuking and restraining the few who may be of a different mind and purpose. If there should be disloyalty, it will be dealt with with a firm hand of stern repression; but, if it lifts its head at all, it will lift it only here and there and without countenance except from a lawless and malignant few.

It is a distressing and oppressive duty, Ladies and Gentlemen of the Ekklesia, which I have performed in thus addressing you. There are, it may be many months of fiery trial and sacrifice ahead of us. It is a fearful thing to lead this great peaceful people into war, into the most terrible and disastrous of all wars, civilization itself seeming to be in the balance.

But the right is more precious than peace, and we shall fight for the things which we have always carried nearest our hearts,-for democracy, for the right of those who submit to authority to have a voice in their own Governments, for the rights and liberties of small nations, for a universal dominion of right by such a concert of free peoples as shall bring peace and safety to all nations and make the world itself at last free. To such a task we can dedicate our Eves and our fortunes, every thing that we are and everything that we have, with the pride of those who know that the day has come when Sandwich is privileged to spend her blood and her might for the principles that gave her birth and happiness and the peace which she has treasured. God helping her, she can do no other.

[The Royal Barangay]

---

SPORTS NEWS
First test passed; Time to put the arrogant Volcanocs in their place
by Sonia Aldique

While the tension in South Esportiva rising due to the war between SETO and Gregoryisgodistan, the Agilang Dilaw played the Cannons of Jeru FC at the Estadio Olimpico, full of armed security personnel. The Barangayans managed to eke out a 3-2 win to remain perfect and keep pace with the leaders, Legalese at the summit of Group 17.

The match was a stunner in its own right. The Cannons actually opened the scoring, with ROAW blitzing the Barangayan defenders before slotting it nicely past Marty Balido on the 15th minute. Three minutes later, the hosts equalized courtesy of a Robin Linsangan free kick that was swooshed into the top corner and out of Duck Hoss' reach. The two teams exchanged chances, until the 50th minute came as Rizaldy Marbas, in his second appearance in World Cup Qualifying, managed to lob the ball over Hoss after the former Onipilip known as Sabram Ydlazir was on a 1-on-1 with the Jeru FC keeper.

The Agilang Dilaw extended the lead to two goals fifteen minutes later by a Erick Khan header. The central midfielder, who has assisted most of the Barangayans' goals in recent matches, got one of his own after substitute Bernard Taguiam gave a good cross from a set piece. The Agilang Dilaw however were reduced to 10 men as Wenefrido Oliva was sent off after two yellow cards in the 73rd minute. This gave the Cannons a chance to get back in the game, which they did one minute later, as it was ROAW again scoring the goal. But the defense of the Barangayans kept steady as they remained perfect with Legalese.

The Barangayans will travel away to face Volcanoc, ranked 187 in the latest KPB rankings. The Volcanoc media were arrogant such that they viewed that the Agilang Dilaw are a 'below average' team. For the information of the Volcanoc inhabitants, The Barangayans went toe to toe with the Nepharims last campaign, despite losing to Taeshan, the third seeds, they managed to avoid defeat against lower ranked teams, and they'll hope to do better than last time as to win all their matches. Period. Despite playing away, the Barangayans have already scored 4 goals, one against Octinstine and three against Electrum Diplomatic Offices. The Volcanoc team could also suffer the same fate IYKWIM.

Ktnxbye.

P.S. and oh, if you want new kits for the next campaign then contact Libertad here.

[Carialus]

"COMMAND, this is Delta-Juliet-Tango-Siena. Flying lead for Boiler One. Do you copy? Over."

"Delta-Juliet-Tango-Siena, this is COMMAND. Command is affirmed. Proceed to taxi. Over."

Gauthier Monjeau released the parking break. As Lieutenant Commander, he was in charge of six plans behind him. Gauthier gentle throttled forward and moved into position on the flight deck aboard the aircraft carrier Sainte Jean. Being first in line, he had the least space to take off.

"COMMAND, this is Delta-Juliet-Tango-Siena. Primed for take off. Over."

"Delta-Juliet-Tango-Siena, this is COMMAND. Proceed for take off. Over."

Gauthier planted the breaks. He clicked to turn on the jet engine. Slowly, it hummed to life. Gauthier held the break as the jet heated up became more powerful. If he had started the jet with holding the break, he would have slowly rolled forward until he pick up spit, wasting precious deck space. When the time was right, Gauthier let go of the break and the fighter lurched forward. The intake made a sucking sound as it gathered in oxygen, vital for the jet engine. The end of the flight deck was approaching. Just a little more speed... The wind rushed under the wings. Gauthier felt the fighter begin to rise. Out of deck! The cushion of air supported by the deck collapsed and the plane dipped down. Gauthier pulled the stick upward, resulting in the pitch rising. The jets chugged on and soon the fighter was skimming all to close above the waves. Slowly, the plane rose up and Gauthier began to fl circuit loops around the Sainte Jean.

"COMMAND, this is Delta-Juliet-Tango-Siena. Atmosphere is good. Send up my boys. Over."

"Delta-Juliet-Tango-Siena, this is COMMAND. All fighters in Boiler 1 are clear for takeoff. Over."

Each fighter has a four letter call sign. Gauthier's was DJTS. Over the radio, the phonetic alphabet was used for clarity. Soon, all seven fighters were in the air and flying loops. Gauthier switched to the squad's signal.

"Straighten up, men. Were getting into step down formation. We attack in roughly forty-five minutes. We reach bingo fuel in one hour, so we only have one run at this."

The fighters got into formation and formed a seven plane V. Each fight was "stepped" down a little from the one in front of it. That way, the commander could be seen by everyone in the squad. Bingo fuel is when the there is only enough fuel to get back to the aircraft's base. If there is less than Bingo fuel, then the aircraft can't make it back to base.

"Good luck. Good hunting. Godspeed"

Gauthier pushed forward on the throttle, all the way to the maximum level. The others followed suite. The sound barrier was broken as they passed Mach 1. Their fighters could go up to Mach 1.8. They would need all the speed they could get as they raced to surprise the Chiatans.

[The Saint James Islands]

world news
|omerica| |politics| |esportiva| |world| |sports| |culture| |science| |travel| |weird world|

---

reliable and trustworthy | 28 december 2018

---

police to advised to increase security at omerica wc home qualifiers
federal home minister: esportiva has become “too unstable to take any chances”

Port Michael, Kalsden — Stadia owners and cantonal authorities have been advised to increase security measures at stadia in response to the ongoing Southeast Esportiva crisis.

“This is not in response to any particular threat,” federal Home Minister Maryanne Aiken said in a parliamentary statement on the advisory. “This is in response to general feelings of unease about travel to Esportiva in the wake of the SETO-Holy Regime [Gregoryisgodistan] war. We want to assure people that no harm will come to them in Omerica despite the unfortunate events transpiring in the southeast.”

Despite complaints from the opposition Nationals about overreaction by the Socialist government, the National governments of Kalsden and Philibiscostal and the Socialist government of Georgetown, the cantons in which Omerica home qualifying games for the football World Cup, have announced their intent to heed the Ministry’s advice.

“The canton of Kalsden will take the advice of the Commonwealth Home Ministry seriously,” Kalsden’s Interior Minister Georgios Weitdal said to press earlier today. “We will not be placing personnel around the grounds of Prins Mikäel Pärk, but to ensure the utmost safety and comfort of our guests from the Holy Empire, Kalsden Police will be cooperating with the Commonwealth Security Service and the management of Prins Mikäel Pärk to ensure that any breaches of the peace are neutralised within the realm of the law.”

The management board of Port Michael club Royal Michaeltown also announced its intent to undertake extra security measures, with a press release indicating that the club “wish[es] to assure the safety of the Imperial Opera Company and all fans travelling to Kalsden from the Holy Empire.”

However, the TAO has indicated that it will not undertake any measures to ensure the security of the Omerican national team abroad. “Outside the possibility of retribution from San Llera for the events of Omerica’s away qualifier there, we do not believe that any nation in Group 14 poses a significant threat to Omerican players,” a TAO statement revealed. “We do not seek to undertake expenses unless it is demonstrated that such measures must be taken for the sake of Omerican players.”

According to sources from the TAO and relevant clubs, the Prins Mikäel Pärk, Stadium Saint George and Arena la Rouge will remain open as normal until 36 hours before the game, at which point, valid game tickets will be required to enter. A “zero-tolerance” policy for fan misbehaviour is suspected to be in place.

Televised coverage of Omerica’s World Cup qualifiers will continue as normal on UCN2 and coverage of Primerliig will continue as normal on UCN1, TV7 and Network Nine.

---

for your reading pleasure

• Health Ministry: “No concern” over Hicaña nuclear fallout ▶
• UCN Philibiscostal office raided, bootlegging ring cited in warrant ▶
• Kalsden police arrest three in connection with November house fire ▶
• #EsportivaWar: Who stands where in Southeast Esportiva? ▶

comments
the submissions box is open. sign in or register to leave a comment!
showing 1-5 of 61 reload

---

Jacqueline Moreaux 31▲ 28▼
Classic overreaction, socialists

Aleksänder Weitdal 4▲ 39▼
great my cantonal government is in the pocket of hennesseys socialists, time to vote liberal i guess

Kläüdia Blaawplaas 42▲ 2▼
@Aleksänder Weitdal: Learn to use some punctuation and capitalisation, please.

Ikaika Mate 28▲ 8▼
@Aleksänder Weitdal: It’s called “not being an overly partisan jerk”, thank you very much.

Tim Potter 28▲ 35▼
*sigh* Hennessey’s Socialists running this country to Hell with their paranoia, I see. Vote National in 2019, folks!

[New West Guiana]

Park Place, FC United training grounds

Bill Cass drove from his home in University Heights a suburb of Gemsbrook to St. Johns, today he was alone he drove up to meet with John Ute the manager of FC United one of the better clubs in the national premier soccer league. Bill after getting out of his car knew that Ute was not one to waste time, nor did he enjoy with people playing around with him, nothing but strait talk with him.

Cass walking into the small entrance of the training center, a young man is sitting at a small desk, Bill asks that he has a meeting with John Ute, and is shown the way to his office. Utes' office is quite large split into a small sitting room with four simple dinning room chairs around a small coffee table. On the other side sitting behind a large U-shaped desk with a laptop and a stack of papers sitting in piles. Ute glaced for a second as he heard the door open, then went back to his work, typing furiously. Cass stood near the door for a few more moments, until Ute spoke only one word, "second."

Closing his laptop then jotting down a few notes and re-shuffling a stack of papers, he walks over to the round of chairs. Ute was no small man at all, very physically fit and didn't let his age of fitfy show even a bit, with a shaved head and wearing his normal black golf shirt and khakis, he walked over to where Cass had took a seat. Ute sat in the chair across from Cass, fling his hands forward then clasping them together, "So what do you need Bill"

Bill starting to twiddle his thumbs sighs, "Well John, a few days ago I was called into Todd Ziens office.."

John putting his hand up interrupting Bill, "Whoa, hold up for a second, Todd Zien? Look Bill, I bet right now the one reson why you're in my office is that you want me to join his team. Bill I don't work for Zien, that crazy lunatic, he does whatever he wants and demands everyone to cover his tracks."

Bill startled by this asks, "What do you mean?"

"Todd Zien is known by those in the most inner circles for being manipulative, he puts on this show of force by being upfront and sounding meaningful, after a while though he starts to show his true colors nothing but a madman demanding more and more. I among many was shocked to see that WG sports actually hired him to be the lead man, no wonder hour national teams have flat out sucked. His craze for always winning and only winning puts enormous pressure on the coaches and teams to only win, anything short is failure which under Zien isn't tolerated."

Looking down Bill sighs loudly, "John, I know this very well, I know that he demands only wins and that losing isn't tolerated."

"Bill look I would love nothing more than to be the head of our national team, but I will not bend to the will of Zien. I have several other issues, but for now I will say what I did."

[HopNation]

I’m not certain of what just happened there, but once again our Hops lay a massive egg on the road. I mean who is this Krytenia said anywho. Okay okay so they’ve been around for a while but have just been a bit absent from the football scene for a little bit. I’ll give them a little credit in that they are getting off on the correct foot with a sort of comeback tour if you will. They certainly caught our Hops off guard and for some reason Schmidt decided to not go with the usual high pressure start and well what do you know it backfired big time. Sam Barcali started things off within the first minute of play with a rather nice cross that found Rijin’s head and the back of the net. Radcliffe would add one more to the Krytenia lead and well before the half would end too.

It was a dismal start for our lads as they looked out of place on the road and the crowd was surly in their heads by now. The second half would give some light to our play despite the opposing report of long ball and counter attacks and that the game was much the same throughout with Krytenia maintaining their pressurized forward assault. Subanos and the posts did wonders behind a lackluster defense that hasn’t played this bad in, what the hell am I talking about they played that bad a number of times last cycle and it cost us a playoff berth into the cup. Put it this way we were lucky to have such a splendid keeper between the wickets in this match. Schytaing did have a another goal in this match, coming not to long into the second as once again he anticipated a poor back pass. He collected the ball to find the keeper well out of place and easily sent the ball into the net to gain one back.

Nearing the 66th or maybe the 67th minute Raefwar and Valrauncion would have an unfortunate collision which rendered both of them unable to continue, for at least this match perhaps even longer; I didn’t catch the post-match medical report. From what I did catch it was clearly unfortunate for both of them as a pass came through the defensive mid gap. Valrauncion turned to sprint through and onto the rolling pass just as Sid stepped into the space to clear but it was too late as Valrauncion’s speed put him directly in the path of Sid’s clearing efforts. From the film it looked to be a direct chest to chest collision but in slow motion it was clear they met face to face, literally.
With both players attended to and the blood cleaned up play would resume and with about ten minutes played after the stoppage Krytenia would widen the lead back to two goals. This time it was the substitute Will Oss that placed a great shot past a stunned Subanos.

With a red card shown to Vinny Frenz, Schytaing given a penalty kick which would be saved by the keeper to only see a great effort from Myer slam the ball in. Our Hops back within one again, but perhaps it was just too late in the game to do much more damage. As soon after the final whistle blew and the fans back home were in utter shock at the poor performance that our Hops produced once again on the road.

I’ve said it many times throughout all my writings that if we don’t find a way to get the job done when away from our coveted arena then we’ll have little luck in getting back to any kind of cup run. It is also why I’ve been in hiding for the past cycle and a half now. I drew a great deal of backlash from executives of our beloved print media and was in some ways exiled for it. Though the hiding was by choice I still fear for my life so I still cannot reveal all and will not reveal where I am writing to you from just know, my loyal followers of print I will and always will love our Hops but some changes need to take place in order for us to succeed. I will bring you more when the time is right, but for now know I am in a safe place and that more qualifying action will come in a few days time.
Go Hops Go!
RG

[San Jose Guayabal]

The war of San José Guayabal and it's allies against the cruel and barbaric regime of Gregoryisgodistan was in a point that there wasn't a chance to go back and stop this war, the recent massacre caused by Guayabalense forces in Greg God island just made that LAG issued publicly a threat to throw a small scale nuke on the Guayabalense Fuerzas Armadas, something that was just considered as a joke from the Queen Margaret I, and Her Royal Highess decided to start a movement to "clean the Homeland of the Scum" and preserve the national culture and identity, so, it was decided to do a counterattack to kick out of San José Guayabal the soldiers of the Gregoryisgodistani Army, but that would not be possible without the help of the brave army of the SETO block, the army of Chiata who decided to do a backlash together with the Guayabalense army and start gaining terrain.


The first place that received intervention was the city of Khabarovsk, located in the North Coast, 660 kilometers away from San Salvador, there was a fair long trip to the capital but that Gregoryisgodistani forces shall not be taken as a joke considering their strong arsenal of weapons, flighty stronger than the Guayabalense one but they had not a key factor that made the Guayabalense army and their allies more stronger, he factor of having an efficient intelligence bureau, and some tactic units able to cause some terrorist attacks when needed to the hostile Gregoryisgodistan, who was causing a chaos to the neihbouring nations with their unreasonable politics and extremely corrupt tinpot dictatorship system that has governed the nation since its birth as a sovereign nation.


The National Defence committee prepared an emergency meeting in order to create a general plan to follow the orders of the Queen in terms of the ongoing war with the slaves, and that meant they fast actions shall be taken fast in order to preserve the security in the rest of the nation, that could change fastly depending on how he actions develop in the cities of Khabarovsk and Uluazapa.


The committee had their meeting with opening words of the Queen regarding " The opportunity to defend our nation from foreign invasion and finish for once this cycle of war, because the Guayabalenses are tired of suffering the negative aspects caused for the lack of reasoning from the nation of Gregoryisgodistan and the lack of capacity to govern a nation." then the Prime Minister Camargo took a microphone and started to talk about possibilities to solve the issue of the war "To start, we should liberate Uluazapa and Khabarovsk soon just to send he out of the natuon and have more chances to attack the slaves easier, because this should be done fast" then the PM gave his microphone to the Armed Forces general Marco Saavedra, who was appointed by order of the Queen after some bad decisions of the previous General.


The different personalities present on the meeting hall, they were seeing if liberating Uluazapa and Khabarovsk would be a good idea for the resolution of the war and most of them were agreeingnin that, fighting along with a Chiatan squad in order to do the plan as faster as possible in order to manage reaching all the goals planned to the Operation "Costeña" ehich eas setted to start that same day, May 1st of 2200, at the middle of Labour Day, a wise plan to start the attack with a cover of people celebrating the day and the proceed the operation.


Everything was setted so fast and the manifestation in the occupied cities started as normal, Gregoryisgodistanis thought that he manufestation was normal, despite going with trucks where they had their weapons in order to attack and that's hoe the operation started, the people simulated to take "food" and then theybtook their weapons at different zones of Uluazapa and Khabarovsk, and the Operation Costeña started, the peoole took their weapons, even the locals and started shooting and killing any Gregoryisgodistani who were on the streets, the casualities happened so fast, causing the major amount of casualities as possible, somewhat like a cleansing but it was "liberation" Guayabalenses would have liked to start a dialogue but Gregoryisgodistanis weren't able to act civilized, mainly due to the wrong decisions of their "Perfect Leader"

Threebhours were needed to finish the operation, the Gregoryisgodistani forces were ambushed fast and they have perished, at least 1,400 soldiers were killed while three Guayabalenses died on the fight, a low sum of people that showed he effectivity of the soldier squad, mainly due to the highly trained Chiatan soldiers who took part on the fight as allies, San José Guayabal has not won the war yet, there was more things to fight, including the Guayabalense aim to reach the Capital District soon but they had an ace under their sleeve.

At the same meeting at the National Defence commission buildings, the Colonel and General Marcos Saavedra decided to put an ace in the table, a quite risky decision but would work easily, it was a terrorist attack on the National Stadium of Gregoryisgodistan on the game ofnthe Foot Slaves against Kaboomlandia, a risky operation that woyld require two people to act like a Lone Wolf and cause an attack at the end of the game, moment when every Gregoryisgodistani must leave the match due to the harsh laws there that punishes leaving the stadium soon in the game.


The attack started as normal, in a high discression and also a lot of efficience on it, all was orepared beforehand, the people were entering to the venue and the Guayabalenses left in strategical positions abandoned backpacks with explosives that can be controled remotely. The match finished and it happened as expected, 1,200 casualities happened at the exit and 4,200 persons injured because the bagpacks were placed on all the exits, people was burned even because there was oil and there is also a situation of one person killed by a flying leg who hit his head.


The olan worked perfectly, he Guayabalense authorities were happy regarding what happened there in both interventions, and people was waiting in order to see the second step on the war against Gregoryisgodistan.

[Yttribia]

Ahhhhhh. The smell of a freshly printed paper. It's really one of a kind, the smell of printer ink out in the air. Plus, there was that scent of a historic speech in the air as well. Quentin, head of the Pelletier House of Yttribia, was preparing to take the stage in front of thousands crammed up at Central Square in Fontvieille. He was officially announcing to the nation that he would take over as Chairman of the Regal Party, and his plans to bring a monarchy to Yttribia. Quentin was dressed up to a certain extent, as he wore a well-tailored navy blue suit, with a black dress shirt, in addition to a white tie. He had his lucky purple socks on, which he wore whenever he lacked guts to do something. And who wouldn't lack guts to announce their intention to alter the political landscape of a nation drastically? Quentin barely was eligible to head a political party, just turning thirty a month ago. He had the money to back his campaign, as the guy literally blew his nose and wiped sweat with one and five note Periodens, but could he get at least half of the nation on his side? Yes, he had around 5.8 million supporters, but what about the almost forty million who didn't think that he could lead this country well, let alone believe in the idea of a monarchy? It was his goal to convince people that the quirky, awkward, son of a gun could run a nation.

The loud cheers coming from the crowd wanted Quentin to come out and deliver his speech. The woman hyping up Quentin as "the next king," and "your future ruler," and "our Saviour" really was running out of things to say. Quentin gave the hype gal the note that he was finally ready to deliver. With a gesture of the hand, the crowd was silenced. "And now, I would like to bring out the man of the hour...the future of our nation, Quentin!" The crowd went into a wild frenzy as Quentin came out of the curtain to see the plenty of supporters present. The aura of an event like that could be reminiscent of professional wrestling events, when the underdog finally wins the big title. It was that amazing. Quentin had never received that much love before until today; just three months ago, he was a relative nobody. Now here he was ready to speak about why he deserved to be the next PM, and eventually figure out a way to become King. The crowd went silent as Quentin began to deliver his speech.

"Erm...good evening. Ladies and gentlemen, I am Quentin. I am an avid bike rider, philanthropist, professional wrestling fan, and Yttribian. While I have regal blood within, I want to let you know that I am just like you. I lived an abnormal life as a kid, but I did the exact same things as many of you have done. Riding the Metro, heading to football matches, going to the same school as you may have, I'm just like many of you. While you may want me to become your King, I want to let you know this: Should I become King, I will guarantee that you will not have your democratic rights infringed upon. As King, I will have trust in the Parliament that will be fairly elected, and I will ensure that your voices will be heard, with more referendums and plebiscites. For years, our Parliament have been incompetent pieces of crap, with even custodial artists being members and leaders of our nation. Here is where I draw a line in the sand. It is time for evolution to take place. It is time for a new reign to overlook the nation. It is time for change. And I am that change."

The whole crowd erupted into a radical frenzy, as if the Second Coming has occurred. They really did seem to have faith in this man to restore the nation to political stability. It was there where the crowd had found their lord to lead the nation. Quentin, however, didn't feel the same way. He just happened to be a concerned citizen who wanted to fix his nation. He just happened to be associated with royalty. This was the story of Quentin, of the Pelletier house. This was going to be his brand new life for the next few weeks as elections and debates were going to take place. And if anything, he would have to face a united left and right, fighting against this monarchist movement. The state of politics was now changing. The question for Quentin was now if he was going to be a part of changing it for the better, or if he royally screws up.

[Valanora]

All the small things help in qualifying.

Results

[Vermark]

VIDENHAGEN PRESS

Introduction to Hanseaticism
Markus Leonardsson | Leader of Progressive Conservative Party
EDITORIAL

The human brain is one of the world's most astonishing marvels. It contains billions of neurons. These neurons have the ability to store the equivalent of roughly one million gigabytes. The brain harbors seventy thousand thoughts per day and reacts to stimuli at a speed of up to one hundred and twenty metres per second. Because of the brain, humans are able to analyze, sympathize, ponder, communicate, memorize, and perform countless other activities that allow the brain to function on a daily basis.

However, none of these actions would be possible without synapses, the connections between neurons. Every time a person creates a memory, a new connection between brain cells, called neurons, is formed. These synapses allow information to be passed throughout the brain. This is why what we see is connected to what we think about, what we say, and how we act. Essentially, the brain would be utterly useless without the existence of the connectors to facilitate its function.

Long ago, there was a civilization that saw the importance of facilitating connections. This civilization was the Hanseatic League. The Hanseatic League was a trade organization during the late Middle Ages. They consolidated their economic and military power and formed guilds for the mutual benefit of everyone. They believed in the importance of economic development. They believed that individualism and collectivism are not mutually exclusive. Of course, as a Nordic nation, Vermark shares the same heritage as the Hanseatic League, but there are many aspects of the Hanseatic League that can enable us to form an identity, grow and consolidate power, and create prosperity throughout the Social Republic.

I believe that the ideals of the Progressive Conservative Party of Vermark and the Hanseatic League are very much in sync. They are aligned with each other so much so that I believe that an ideology derived from the values and ideals of the Hanseatic League, Hanseaticism, should be designated as the doctrine of the Progressive Conservatives. The basis of these principles consists of economic advancement, individualism, and political attitudes that foster connections between people, places, and ideas.

Economic advancement should always take a two-fold approach. This means that we most focus on economic development as much as we focus on economic promotion. In other words, the goal of our economic policy should be to spread Varish economic influence abroad while simultaneously opening the Varish economy to foreign products and services. Free market trade is the only road that can lead a nation to becoming powerful. This means allowing ownership of collectives to become private and limited the amount of government-owned enterprises that operate within Vermark. This is not to say that we will abandon the Nordic Model. Rather, we will strengthen the economy in order to strengthen the welfare state; in other words, by allowing Varish businesses to thrive, the government will be able to generate more tax revenue as private enterprises also generate more revenue for themselves. By opening the economy, we will help the consumer and the business alike, while strengthening Vermark's economic prominence overseas.

Culturally, the importance of individualism must be more stressed to Vares across all of Vermark. For too long, Vermark has lumped itself into one single body of people. However, this neglects the amazing diversity that exists across Vermark. From the chateaus of the Mountains to the fields of the Prairies and then to the metropolises of the Coast, there is more than just one Varish culture. We should embrace this differentiation and allow for connections to be made across the sub-cultures of Vermark. We should encourage a plethora of different cultures to grow and interact with one another. As a result of these interactions, new ideas and ways of living will be generated. Think of a field of wildflowers which are given the ability to cross-pollinate; inevitably, the cross-pollination will result in flowers that are not only heartier, but also a more beautiful mix of their constituent elements.

In many ways, the political sphere will follow the cultural sphere. The core tenant of Hanseaticism is facilitating connections, and that tenant plays multiple roles in policy making. For one thing, it motivates certain initiatives that are crucial to the nation as well as the state. This includes investment in infrastructure in order to create more concrete connections. It involves not necessarily removing bureaucracy but rather streamlining it to work more efficiently. In an abstract sense, Hanseaticism applies to connecting ideologies to one another and embracing pluralism. To do this, we must deny that two opposing ideologies are mutually exclusive. For example, the idea that liberalism and conservatism cancel each other out is simply preposterous; instead, we must look at these two schools of thought as complementary to one another. This, of course, will be a contentious issue due to the divisions that Vermark has. It is paramount that we do not let Videnhagen's Academicism become at odds with the pragmatism of Agriholm. If we can enable cooperation between ideas that have previously been understood as opposites, it will not only be revolutionary, but it will allow Vermark to reach levels that other states can only dream about.

In this era, it is crucial to build bridges, not walls. This is what Hanseaticism is all about, and I believe that this Hanseatic path will lead Vermark to a bright future.

[Jeruselem]

Princess Laura and Laurina Dallas

Laura: This is Princess Laura Virginia Dallas for Naked News Jeruselem. We're in Sargossa, playing one of favourites in Group 14. I'm with Laurina Dallas, one of our midfielders.
Laurina: Oh yes, hello all
Laura: Unfortunately we lost 5-4 to the home here but saying that we lost honourably
Laurina: It was very hard work out there, both teams were really under pressure
Laura: Yes we conceded 5 goals which makes us one of worse defending teams in group 14
Laurina: We're also the one of the biggest scoring teams too, 16 goals equal with Sargossa only beat by the Holy Empire with 17

Laura: I guess it does reinforce we need to work on keeping out goals
Laurina: We're capable of scoring lots of goals as a plus
Laura: Yes, I wish we could just not conceded so many
Laurina: But at least we can score, unlike some other football team
Laura: Oh yes, Jeru FC lost 2-1 to Pays d'en Haut at home. They should win at home at least
Laurina: That's 3 losses for the boys from 5 games

Laura: They do have a better defense, conceding only 7 goals. BUT they've only scored 6
Laurina: I think they've lost all their games by 1 goal or something
Laura: It just means they could be in much better situation if they scored a few more goals
Laurina: Yes
Laura: Not the best day with both Jeruselem teams losing
Laurina: Happens lot lately

Laura: I'm disappointed with today but Sargossa really had to fight to win this game. It was far from a easy win
Laurina: Yes, on paper they should have really had a an easier win.
Laura: Scoring 4 goals against a team like Sargossa is no easy feat
Laurina: It was made easy as they had to push people forward to score goals
Laura: The fans got their money worth in goals
Laurina: Great entertainment but we still don't get any points

Laura: I'd be offended if we get called a boring team
Laurina: No such trouble with us with a boring tag
Laura: Mum sure has a lot of work to do with our defending
Laurina: Yes, in the past we scored few goals but defended well. Now it's the other way round
Laura: At least we're scoring goals
Laurina: Yes, we'd get totally **** if we didn't

Laura: Breaking news from Jeruselem, the CEO of Jeru FC has been arrested for fraud. Stealing money from the team
Laurina: Yes, I was shocked.
Laura: I'm not surprised. Jeru FC has been underfunded despite all the money the corporations seems to have.
Laurina: I hope the boys aren't affected too badly
Laura: Don't worry about them
Laurina: I was wondering where all money goes

Laura: I hope this changes a few things there. The boys get paid bugger all. The coach doesn't get much as well.
Laurina: I'm sure it's more than one person involved
Laura: Yes, Mum worked there before. Some real dodgy people doing the finances.
Laurina: Not the sort of news Jeru FC needs at the moment.
Laura: There's no allegations coaches and players are involved
Laurina: They'd be the last people to find out

Laura: They are sending in the auditors to Jeru FC see what's going on
Laurina: Hope they clean the mess up
Laura: Apparently, it's been going on for a while
Laurina: These things always have a seed in the past
Laura: I hope they find all the crooks
Laurina: What's the sentence for this kind of thing?

Laura: I don't know but I hope they locked up for good
Laurina: Yes
Laura: And even get shot, because we can
Laurina: That's a bit rough
Laura: OK it is but some people deserve to be shot
Laurina: True