NationStates Jolt Archive

Sarzonia's Vice President for Business and Commerce Janis Hedge woke up late on a rare Saturday morning off. She shuffled down the steps wearing her bathrobe and pink bunny slippers that were clearly not the attire of a Cabinet official about to head to the Gray House for a weekly Cabinet meeting. She grabbed the coffee pot and poured herself some specially brewed Artitsan coffee, taking a sip and grabbing a copy of the Woodstock Daily Mail and sitting down to a relaxed morning.

As she slowly lifted the coffee mug to her lips with her right hand, her eyes narrowed when they came upon a story buried toward the bottom of A1. Petrol prices draining wallets, patience, the headline read. She read the story of petrol prices that neared the $2 per litre level and read statements of outrage by individual citizens. She rolled her eyes at the monotony of the comments. Can't anyone come up with a fucking original argument here? she thought.

Before long, she saw a sidebar that nearly caused her to spill her brew. The sidebar highlighted Sarzonia's increasing dependence upon foreign oil, particularly from Ottoman Khaif. The sidebar noted that nearly 60 percent of Sarzonia's oil came from that nation, and she saw the statistics that suggested that things would only get worse.

Beep!

"Fuck," she said bitterly when she heard the telltale beep of her e-mail client warning her that she just received an e-mail. She ambled over to the laptop set up in the dining room and noticed that Vice President for Finance Carol Weinberg just e-mailed her with an attached proposal.

"Wonder what she's got cooking today," she said out loud as she opened the attachment, wary that Weinberg in all her technological ineptitude would have sent her a worm that would take several days of repair to her computer system. Rather than that, it turned out to be a paper from Rypien State College on the advantages of alternative fuels. Even though technical papers from uni students held little interest for Hedge, she read anyway.

Her eyes widened when statistics pointed to the increasing demand on petroleum that the military would place on the supply and the strain on the already thinly-stretched imported and domestic provisions that both civilian and military uses placed. She knew the popularity of hybrid automobiles in Sarzonia and the research into hydrogen fuel cells to replace petroleum in automobiles.

The comment from Weinberg at the end of the message was an unmistakable call to action. Hedge knew the time to strike for developing Sarzonia's alternatives to petroleum as a fuel source for civilian and military purposes was drawing near. Slowly dragging herself from her seat, she trudged up the steps and slammed the door to her bathroom, fading back to the wall as the hiss of steam and the rush of water enveloped her in warmth. She had a job to do and she was being asked to do it today.

"So much for a day off," she said ruefully. Submitting an announcement of Sarzonia's new environmental policy couldn't wait for Hedge to keep a beauty parlor appointment.

“…Given the latest prospects on hydrogen use in cars and other vehicles, I see no reason why these will ever replace oil, and associated products. You can’t turn hydrogen into pesticides, plastics or any other products that requires oil. It’s a myth.” The speaker of the Oil Limitation Congress in Rupelmonde, a small city on the outskirts of the Freestate Rooi-Nassau stood on a lone platform above the listeners, concentrated and writing down notes for the local newspapers, as well as the major (inter)national newspapers.

“In conclusion, my dear gentlemen and ladies, I see no leads that tell us to switch to a hydrogen powered economy. Rather, limitation of oil use and promotion of local farming communities sustaining themselves, instead of being dependent on a large scale logistical machine running on oil, seems to be a good solution. The charts I have here show that 45% of the Guffingfordian population is already able to support themselves and their family.” More notes were penciled down onto paper, while the men and women of the press continued to listen to the speaker. Now it was time for them to ask the speaker some questions.

“So Mr. Barnhardt, you are insinuating that the citizens living in the rural areas of Guffingford should, in addition to the farms they already maintain to feed the population, keep their own livestock and crops to support themselves? That sounds a bit odd, given the fact that they don’t get any government support.”

“I agree it sounds weird, but this is an excellent way to preserve food and water. What I have seen, and this is a documented fact provided by the Board of Water Consumption & Desalination Facilities, the water in Guffingford is not spoiled by toxic waste, by-products of chemical industries, car factories or what have you.”

“So let me get this straight Mr. Barnhardt, the proposal you have sent to the Parliament has a fairly large chance of survival, just by saying farmers need to grow their own crops? I find it a good idea, and in these rural villages supermarkets are no longer necessary, except a farmers market where excess goods are sold. I think it’s a great initiative.”

“To be short, yes.”

Hoogenbosch Berig

Platinum demand soars after rumors of a Sarzonian increase of hydrogen powered cars reach the Guffingfordian platinum mining industry

After the recent surges in the State Gold Value, the gold market seems to be cornered between the ongoing struggle for cheap Guffingfordian silver, and the rising demand of platinum to create hydrogen fuel cells. Experts say platinum export quotas need sharper enforcing, and punishment to those who illegally sell platinum on the international market – Today The industry cannot keep up with the platinum demand, but supply remains sufficient for decades, many experts say. These are not claims to settle one's mind, or to put a damper on the rising inflation, but fact. The Änglenbach mines (namely the Apex Corporation being the largest) allowed nine separate and independent survey teams to scout and investigate the truthfulness of the claims, and their conclusion is unanimous: it is true.

Though the platinum reserves are enough to cover the hydrogen fuel cell demand for more than fifty years, foreign investment companies and individual buyers race to the northern wastelands of Guffingford to procure some of the massive platinum profits made. Since demand is rising not only in Sarzonia, the numbers of a fifty year supply are greatly exaggerated. This is true in the case of the Imperial Armies region, but not when you add global demand.

“If nations continue to buy shares of the mining companies currently active in Änglenbach, I think the price of platinum will reach $1200 per troy ounce by the end of this year. Keeping up with demand is difficult, since we have to go deeper, and it gets more energy intensive the deeper we dig. As oil prices steadily rise to record heights, then the price of platinum will also rise.” So says Mr. Jack Lee, manager and supervisor of the Section A3 Apex Mining complex, fifty kilometers north of Änglenbach. We will keep you updated.

Hedge checked her wristwatch whilst standing outside the door to the press room in the Cabinet building. 11:04 a.m. The press briefing by the Employment Services Vice President was running over and Hedge tapped her high-heeled foot impatiently.

"Art, can you just shut up already," she muttered as she looked at her watch again. The time only moved ahead by one minute, but she wasn't checking the time because of forgetfulness. No matter how hard she'd try, she couldn't will the time to go any faster. Finally, the door swung open at 11:08 a.m., and she stomped into the room to the droll monotone of the deputy to the Press Secretary announcing her name. She put on her best smile, quickly adjusted her hair, and walked out to the flash of lightbulbs.

Goddamn there's a lot of people here, she thought to herself. She realised that they weren't there to see Arthur Trautwig discuss the latest employment figures. Unemployment dropped to 1.6 percent throughout the country now that the Portland Iron Works and other industries in Sarzonia were back to selling to foreign buyers. The economy seemed ready to bounce back from its momentary wartime slump, especially in the event their Liberal Imperialist allies needed to purchase supplies from Sarzonia.

"Well, hope y'all can make yourselves at home," she said with a nervous laugh. She tried to set the mood of the room at ease, as much for her as for any of the reporters in the room, but she quickly pulled out her statement and turned to the first page. She knew it was time to get down to business and the reporters were there to see her explain her new programme. Even thought there isn't much to it, she thought ruefully. Even though it's going to pose more questions than it ever hoped to solve. She opened her mouth, deciding the sooner she spoke, the sooner she could get the hell out of that room.

"As you all know," Hedge began, using the verbal pause to give her a chance to collect her thoughts, "the price of petroleum has increased to $55 Sarzonian per barrel and the cost for Sarzonian automobile drivers has now exceeded $2 per litre. The government has been called upon to tap into the emergency petroleum reserves to provide some relief at the pump. However, that move is not economically or ecologically feasible. It is a band aid solution to a longterm problem that our excessive reliance on foreign oil has caused.

"The solutions I offer would create a longer-term solution and one that addresses the root causes of the problem of higher petrol prices. My programme for resolving this issue are as follows: One, I am calling upon Sarzonian automakers and foreign automobile manufacturers to increase production of hybrid gas-electric automobiles to decrease fuel use. Currently, sales of hybrid vehicles comprise 24 percent of all vehicle sales in the Sarzonian market. Our goal should be to have at least one out of every two vehicles on the road be hybrids within the next five years.

"Second, I am prepared to offer companies a subsidy to begin the study of hydrogen fuel cells or other alternative fuel means for automobiles. This money would take the form of a one time grant to be given to the research and development departments of Sarzonian automobile manufacturers. Should a fuel efficient, ecologically friendly alternative be developed, the Business and Commerce Office is prepared to provide a two year subsidy on the cost of such vehicles to allow even the less fortunate citizens of Sarzonia to afford them.

"Third, I am asking citizens to conserve fuel by taking public transit or only using their cars when they absolutely have no alternative. While this third measure may seem to be a common sense declaration, surveys have shown that non-essential automobile trips still make up 28 percent of all trips. People who take their automobiles to their places of employment when a well-developed public transit system exists, as it does in Woodstock, Portland, or Nicksia or people who drive to the market to purchase a newspaper when the store is one block away from their house use petrol that can be better used for essential trips to locations that do not have public transit, or for our military. It is time that we do a better job of conserving fuel and using better fueling methods to ensure the future of Sarzonia.

"I'm ready to take questions. You in the blue Oxford with the yellow tie?"

"Yes, Pete Quantrill from the Tacoma Times, you've asked people to conserve fuel, but what are you going to do about people who don't or who think it's not important?"

"You'd think people would find it important to at least save money," Hedge said. "I would also propose a petrol tax that adds penalties for excessive use over and beyond a set limit. That way, people who use too much gas get more of a pinch when they pay the bills. All right, you in the grey blouse?"

"Cami Croshetti from Channel 16 in Rypien, how is the government going to be in position to determine who's using too much gas? What about people in rural areas who can't get to public transit or in mountainous areas that get cold? Are you going to ask them to put up better insulation and put in a fireplace?"

"Well, the restrictions would be in place for those Sarzonians in urban areas," Hedge said. "In rural areas and in less temperate areas, we'll have meter readers determine how much fuel people are using. We'll also recommend people keep their thermostats at 19 degrees Celcius during wintertime and 25 degrees Celcius during the summer months. If people use more fuel than that, they'll have to pay a penalty on that usage. Those in rural areas won't be subject to the same gas taxes as those in urban areas. We're going to be intelligent about this. Okay Carter?"

Carter Finley, a 30 year veteran of the Woodstock Daily Mail and a man who was widely viewed as the dean of the Gray House and Cabinet beat, rose to the height of his 1.88 metre frame and spoke arguably the most difficult question Hedge would face.

"Madame Vice President, it's been rumoured that Sarzonia will have to contact Guffingford about platinum deposits to develop enough hydrogen fuel cells to meet demand. How do you justify Sarzonia's approaching an oppressive regime to initiate trade with them for this purpose?"

"Well, we're not necessarily going to look to Guffingford," Hedge stammered. "Uh, um, well, we... uh, we're going to, um, implement some sort of programme and we might not even use hydrogen fuel cells. It's, uh, inefficient as a fuel source and it's not likely to be a viable solution to the problems we're facing."

"But suppose we do have to approach Guffingford," Finley said. "That's going to put us right back into a position of economic reliance on another country and a country we don't and shouldn't have relations with if you follow the Administration's foreign policy. So if you are going to implement hydrogen fuel cells, how do you justify going to Guffingford?"

"Like I said Carter, there's no guarantee that we're even going in that direction," Hedge said in a tone that was increasing in agitation. "We're going to be searching all our options and that's going to be one that's going to get discussed long and hard. As for the implications on the External Affairs side, I'll leave that question for Mark Lorber and Grant Haffner to answer."

"That's all the time we have today," Press Secretary Heather Lloyd said as she walked in pointing to her watch. Thank God, Hedge thought as Lloyd's burst into the room saved her from a particularly difficult press conference.

"So much for a routine weekly press briefing," she said out loud, not aware that SNN was rolling its cameras. Before long, her comments, including her description of Finley using a term for a mountain animal often used for carrying farm supplies would be repeated and dissected by Sarzonia's loudest talking heads. So much for a routine press briefing indeed.

“Quite interesting to say the least.” A smart looking lady, born in wealth and never had to work a single moment in her lavish and wealthy life, analyzed the Sarzonian press meeting like a psychologist, and turned her chair to the meeting. “Well my colleagues, a windfall opportunity is passing us by right now, if we manage to push them in the right corner, our companies can secure a deal that’ll bring…”

“Excuse me Miss Lazlo, but I think you are wrong here. Yesterday’s edition of the Hoogebosch Berig said that platinum demand can be met if it remains within the sphere of the IA region. We cannot throw business contracts around like we have an infinite supply beneath our feet, must I remind you of the oil crisis we have on our hands? Stevid has been making moves against our scouting units in the Middle Sea between our two nations. We cannot just ignore these happenings as slanderous and false.” Miss Lazlo was pissed. She was furious. This man is going to cost the Apex Corp. a lot of money.

“But please listen my good Mr. Van Garrett, all the statistics show we haven’t excavated the utmost northern wastes near Windhoek yet, and many survey teams have proven there’s plenty of platinum to be found. God knows what’s below the bedrock.” With this argument, she won some sympathy in the meeting, but the other participants remained doubtful.

“Miss Lazlo, you and I are both very aware of the pro’s and con’s of hydrogen. But please, can you explain to the members of the Apex board of commerce how we can compete with other nations and keep up demand when we signed an exclusive contract with the Sarzonian government to supply them with platinum each year, because a single hydrogen fuel cell only lasts a year, fifty percent of their cars? Sure it can be recycled, but look at the enormous costs involved.” Miss Lazlo was quiet. She had nothing more to say.

The meeting was over. Yet somehow the story wasn’t finished at all, things would become even more stressed.

Hedge looked at the reports various people among the think tanks and environmental protection lobbies had sent her way. She even looked at the information provided by the fuels industry. Her entire work week was devoted to developing an energy policy that made sense for Sarzonia. And her work week stretched a full 20 hours past its usual 80 hours. She spent 100 hours in the office, in before the cleaning staff and out after the last person normally would leave.

She hated the idea of calling together a committee to conduct a feasibility study. She knew Sarzo wanted action, not endless meetings. The President had plenty of meetings to go to already. The idea that he would sit with Hedge in environmental meetings for hours on end discussing minutiae that meant little to him was laughable in its face. No, this was Hedge's baby, even though the endless scientific babble was often over her head.

Damnit, we need an energy vice president, Hedge mused. That much was certain to her. Someone who could cobble together a sensible policy on energy through all the talk about hydrogen fuel cells or electric automobiles. Or even artificial petroleum. If there were some way to even create artificial petroleum in a process that reminded one of the way scientists create Splenda, she was hoping that would help solve the problem.

But the fact remained that Sarzonia, for all its focus on public transit was going to need more and more petrol at the rate it was going. The prices at the pump weren't going down anytime soon, not even with Sarzonia's new deal with Ottoman Khaif that gave the Portland Iron Works a new shipyard. Something else had to be done and soon.

Hedge opened one more folder, and it told of petroleum riches in Guffingford. But she also knew that if she tried to strike a deal with Guffingford without letting the External Affairs gang know what she was up to, Grant Haffner would be on her arse faster than a cheap prostitute in the Nicksia red light district. She knew Haffner's temperament was similar in some ways to Sarzo's. Whereas Mark Lorber was nice, almost too nice at times, and Nicole Lewis was often too brusque, both Sarzo and Haffner were somewhere in the middle. Both could be assertive when needed and both could be diplomatic.

But she also knew both men had tempers. And the last thing Hedge wanted to do was run afoul of either one.

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Official Statement, Incorporated Sarzonian Government
Office of Business and Commerce


The Incorporated Sarzonian Government hereby requests the attendance of scientists and engineers familiar with the subjects of developing alternate sources of fuels to enable us to begin the process of enacting a new energy policy that combines environmental responsibility with less reliance upon exhaustible fuel sources.

Until the Incorporated Government establishes a Vice Presidency responsible for Sarzonian Energy policies, I shall be the point of contact for such an advisory group. You may contact me at 17-3596-8549-6627.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation in this endeavour.

Janice Hedge
Vice President for Business and Commerce
Incorporated States of Sarzonia