THE ISLANDER - English Edition - Shalotte News (Open, MT)

[Shalotte]

SHALOTTE'S FAVOURITE NEWSPAPER NOW IN ENGLISH SHALOTTE'S FAVOURITE newspaper is now available in English, The Islander has revealed. Hints that an English version of the national newspaper was on the way have been leaking out of the family-owned publisher for some months now, after the owner of the company claimed "we are looking into it and figuring out what it would cost to do". More requests for an English translation of the Islander were lodged than for all other foreign languages combined. Higher tier students studying English language at the School of Alauna have been tasked with the work of translating the newspaper's content, as part of an agreement to give them valuable work experience. The translated publication will only be available on special order, however. "I do not think we have enough of a following outside of Shalotte to warrant mass printing of an English edition at the moment," Craeg of Ythlynn, owner of The Islander, explained. "We are only a small paper, equivalent in size to some regional papers in other countries. We simply can't afford to print them in bulk without a guarantee that they will sell. "Unlike some foreign newspapers, we make all of our money from sales of the paper itself, not from advertising. With a circulation of less than 60,000, we can produce English versions on request, but not in large numbers. "But let's not forget that this is a great day for this paper - we are now an international publication, the first in Shalotte's history!" Craeg added. It is anticipated that the paper will primarily be ordered by foreign politicians, students, and others who might have a special interest in Shalotte. "We are also partnering with a foreign company to put the English version on the 'internet'," Craeg said. "I do not understand some of the terms they used, but they will apparently scan a copy and then 'update it' onto the web. "They will run the entire operation for us, and they will arrange and collect the subscription fees. We'll get a few rings back from that arrangement, but we will let them keep the bulk of the money. We understand that expensive technology is required to do this work." The Internet, or 'world wide web', is a global communications network used extensively by foreign nations. It involves computers sending signals down wires, which are received very quickly. It allows foreigners to share information over large distances. Shalottes interested in seeing the Internet at work are encouraged to visit the Gaeltyn building, where the only Internet connection in the country is installed. If successful, the plan to upload The Islander to the Internet will represent the first time a Shalotte citizen has had professional content published onto the web. English copies of The Islander are now available on special request by writing to The Islander's Distribution Dept, Mercadean Street, Alauna, The Royal Isles of Shalotte. It will take approximately two days to translate and print your copy, plus delivery time via the regular plane shipment. The third party company contracted to upload the paper to the Internet, called 'PapersAGoGo', will release details on how to subscribe to the online edition in a separate announcement tomorrow. Page 1

I have marked this thread as open as I welcome anybody posting news from their own countries if such is relevant to Shalotte (it could happen, you never know!), or responses to articles The Islander has published.

Let me know if you have any feedback, too! I'd love to improve it. Images in news is one thing I'll be looking at in future. Assuming I can think up much news...

[Shalotte]

FARMERS DABBLING IN HEMP CULTIVATION IN AN effort to diversify their output, and perhaps export some products and bring in some money, some farmers on the outskirts of Alauna have been trying their hand at growing hemp. Hemp is a durable plant that has been banned by numerous other countries, ostensibly due to its association with illegal drugs. Despite this association, hemp contains negligible quantities of the mood-altering chemical found in cannabis, but it is extremely useful for a wide variety of applications ranging from ropes to aircraft panels. The acidic soil and poor climate of Shalotte's islands limits the variety of crops that can be grown successfully, but recent trials - using hemp acquired abroad by the Gaeltyn for the task - have found that it can indeed be cultivated, and appears indifferent to the cold temperatures. "We won't be able to make much," Hagar of Ghelock, who owns a farm two miles north of Alauna, told The Islander. "We still have to make enough food for the island after all, and I'll not stack all my cheeses in one cart. But it could be a nice secondary crop. "Hopefully it'll bring in some extra rings that I could spend on our children." The Mon'gaeltyn, Riagán of Damnoni, is enthusiastic about the idea, and has been one of its biggest promoters over the past two months. He feels it is an opportunity for Shalotte to gain a new, exportable product. "If we can get each farm to grow and cultivate a quantity of [hemp], we should be able to cobble together a decent amount that could be exported," Riagán said. "We aren't going to capture the market by any means - we still need food, and Shalotte is not very big - but Gods willing we could bring in some much-needed currency, which would help a great deal with some of our larger projects." While there are certainly industrialised nations out there which could make use of extra hemp in various industries, there is some concern over its legality. With many countries around the world banning the cultivation and use of hemp and hemp products, Shalotte's farmers could end up with a cartload of plants that nobody is willing or able to buy. "That's fine," Riagán commented. "We could use them if nobody else wants them, and we will learn a lesson in the process. But we have to try new things." Page 1

[Shalotte]

SHALOTTES GET READY TO CELEBRATE ALSA'S BIRTHDAY IN LESS than two weeks' time, on 1st December, Alsa II will celebrate her 21st birthday, and Shalottes across the islands are planning to celebrate with her despite the harsh winter having already set in. While Alsa, the Domnaeni of Shalotte since 2012 and notoriously self-conscious, has tried to downplay the significance of the occasion, the Gaeltyn has forced the issue by declaring it a national holiday. When Riagán, Mon'gaeltyn, announced that they were going to put aside public money to lay on a small public festival in Alauna, however, Her Faithful Grace quickly stepped in and offered to pay for the whole celebration with her own finances. Today some details of the plans were unveiled by the Gaeltyn. According to their statement, there will be an all-day celebration in Selgovae Square, just off Mercadean Street, where a traditional folk band will play music and an area for dancing will be laid out. There will be two feasts in adjoining public houses, one at midday, the other towards the end of the day, the food for which has been donated by bird hunters and farmers across the country. Riagán, who is also the Tyrrn of the capital city, also said that the town would be arranging a series of physical contests, with 200 barter rings on offer for the winner. All Shalottes have been invited to the Alauna festival by HFG Alsa II herself. While Alauna promises to be the focal point of the day, other settlements are laying on events of their own, so don't worry if you can't get to the capital. If the storms subside a little, Hadarin Bay is planning to hold a series of similar, but smaller, events, culminating in a traditional boat race across the bay. Meanwhile, the people of Feldear are hosting a feast and musical performances in their own central square. We spoke to Her Faithful Grace briefly this morning, and asked her what she thought of the fuss being made over her birthday. "So long as people have a good time, I suppose it is fine," she said. "I am flattered that people think so highly of me to do all this." When asked what kind of presents she'd like for her birthday, she asked people to donate money to her charity, the Shalotte Development Fund, instead. Page 1

[Shalotte]

AFFAIRS WITH FOREIGNERS - GAELTYN ESTABLISHES EMBASSY PROGRAMME THE GAELTYN has announced that, after years of wrangling, the Royal Isles shall have a foreign affairs department, complete with a new programme for forming embassy exchanges with foreign states. This is not a new idea. While Shalotte has remained nonaligned throughout its history, it has often had something to say when it comes to international incidents. However it is only in recent years that increased access to technology such as a telephone line has allowed anybody to actually hear those opinions. But without a foreign affairs department, it has always been the Mon'gaeltyn who has had to represent Shalotte's interests. Now, the Gaeltyn says, it is time to formalise things. "We have no formal representation in other countries, nor do they have formal representation here," Mon'gaeltyn Riagán told The Islander. "Shalotte's voice therefore has little volume to the outside world. "It is time for us to change that, and establish a proper framework to make sure Shalotte's interests can be properly represented." Critics include the Draeryn, the religious authority in Shalotte, which claimed that "[Shalotte has] no business meddling in outside affairs" in a particularly scathing attack on the Gaeltyn's plans. "We are alone in the Debruné, and that is how the Illuoch-taer meant for it to be," the High Draér said in a statement earlier. "The outside world is not interested in Shalotte, and neither is Shalotte interested in them. That is the way it should stay. "The Gaeltyn is wasting valuable time and rings on something of absolutely no benefit to islanders," she added. "At best, we risk our way of life being interfered with and corrupted. At worst, we risk drawing the ire of the [unholy] warmongers of the world." The High Draér finished by calling on Domnaeni Alsa to "use her righteous powers as Domnaeni of Shalotte to curtail [the Gaeltyn's] plans before it is too late". Domnaeni Alsa had no real opinion on the matter, however, other than her usual statement that she "trusts the Gaeltyn to manage [her] affairs appropriately". It is not yet clear who will be appointed to lead the new foreign affairs department. The Gaeltyn has signalled that they intend to build three new buildings on the outskirts of Alauna to be used as chanceries for potential embassy delegations, however. Page 1

[Shalotte]

SHALOTTE TO SEND DELEGATE TO FRIEDEN-UND FREUDENLAND SUMMIT THE GAELTYN has announced that Shalotte will be represented at a summit in Sereneville, Frieden-und Freudenland, this weekend, to discuss the Royal Isles' entry into the Organisation of Forestian Island Nations (OFIN). OFIN is intended to be a loose conglomeration of island nations based in Forest, giving a stronger voice to some otherwise-small countries, and speaking up on their behalf around issues such as defence and oceanic pollution. It also controversially includes a free trade agreement, of which some Shalottes are wary. "Shalotte has stood alone for millennia," Aefi of Grathtae, Tyrrn of Prg'da'nae, told The Islander. "We don't need or want foreigners flooding our fair isles with their plastic tat and fancy gizmos. Our culture is precious, and opening it up to those big corporations they have abroad is a recipe for disaster." But the Mon'gaeltyn, Riagán of Damnoni, was more optimistic. "Free trade is nothing this Gaeltyn has ever prohibited," Riagán said. "In fact, if Shalotte is admitted into [OFIN], little will change in this regard. Foreign corporates simply recognise that there is no money for them here, so our culture won't be affected. "And the potential benefits to Shalotte, in giving us a stronger voice abroad, and allowing us to have some kind of influence in stopping the destruction of the environment perpetrated by foreigners, far outweigh any risks." Regardless of any objections in the Gaeltyn, Her Faithful Grace, Alsa II, Domnaeni of Shalotte, is apparently the driving force behind the Royal Isles' participation in the proceedings, making it mandatory. "[Alsa] is very interested in the benefits to Shalotte of a stronger voice in international affairs," Riagán said. "I am sending a Shalotte delegate on her instructions. I trust in her wisdom, and her compassion for Shalotte." The delegate being sent to Frieden-und Freudenland is none other than Aefi of Grathtae. Despite her misgivings about the organisation, "it is important that we have somebody who will fight for Shalotte's best interests," Riagán said. "I can't think of anybody better suited to that role than Tyrrn Aefi." The summit is set to take place this Áv Turuk [Saturday], and Aefi's attendance will represent the fight time a Shalotte has left the isles in almost five years. Shalotte's only plane, the Gaeltyn's Douglas DC-6 based at Alauna airfield, is currently being prepared for the journey. And, if Shalotte is admitted into OFIN, it will represent the country's first ever participation in an international organisation for it's entire history. Page 1

[Shalotte]

THE ROYAL EMPIRE OF SHALOTTE? Reports have been coming in of significant troop movements on the Isles de'Raena today, as residents from Dregnalfar witnessed soldiers of the Shalotte Slandérae making an amphibious landing and 'conquering' the island. Upwards of 25 armed Slandérae personnel were witnessed emerging from the militia's single patrol boat yesterday. Wielding their standard-issue Lee Enfield battle rifles, they made landing on the southern coast, then divided into two groups and approached the centre of the island in a 'pincer' movement. There, reports claim, they planted the sigil of Selgovae into the ground and declared that the island had been "liberated in service of our Beloved Mother". The sigil promptly blew over in the heavy winds currently whipping the islands. The islanders were reportedly somewhat confused, as they had been under the impression that the Isles de'Raena have been part of the Royal Isles of Shalotte for centuries. Attempts to communicate with the volunteer militiamen were met with silence, however, with one quoted as saying "it's a secret". This promptly led to speculation that the Gaeltyn was turning the Royal Isles into a militarised empire. Frantic calls for disarmament have been made, and the mayor of the Dregnalfar settlement accused the Gaeltyn of allowing "runaway military spending" and the formation of a "foreign-style military-industrial complex to take over our fair isles". As of 2022, the Slandérae receives no government funding, and is buoyed entirely by donations and volunteers. Its current strength is estimated to be just over 160 militiamen and women. Thankfully, the Gaeltyn has now released a statement to clarify that Shalotte has not become a militaristic empire, dedicated to conquering its own land. "The Slandérae was conducting its annual training," said Riagán of Damnoni in a statement to The Islander. "We've moved it forward this year due to the unstable global climate. "Specifically, they were practicing retaking one of our more vulnerable islands from a foreign occupying force", he added. "Unfortunately we were unable to rally enough volunteers at short notice to play the role of enemy combatants, so it may not have been an entirely realistic exercise." When asked about the accusations made against the Gaeltyn by the people of Dregnalfar, the Mon'gaeltyn said: "Every damn year we conduct training on the Isles de'Raena, and every damn year we have to convince those people that they're not actually being invaded." Since the Mon'gaeltyn's statement, the people of Dregnalfar have formed a group called 'Liberate Shalotte from the Military Junta', and most residents of the village are planning to travel to Alauna and hold protests in the capital. Page 1

[Diarcesia]

Hypurgeum Exoteric Conference Concludes: Diplomatic Relations with Shalotte a "Goal"

ARCESIUS, DIARCESIA — The Hypurgeum Exoteric has announced that they intend to initiate negotiations with the Royal Isles of Shalotte to establish mutual diplomatic missions. Gatherings of representatives from the respective parties will be held in locations in both countries.

"In light of the recent events, the Hypurgeum eagerly looks forward to the day formal diplomatic relations with the Royal Isles of Shalotte take effect. We encourage both governments to work towards fostering friendly ties and heightened cooperation," Hypurgess Exoteric Maxence Bone stated...

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Article by: Soter Jordaning
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