NationStates Jolt Archive

TDC reporter Marius Bluefeather sat in a well decorated private room in the Paradise City International Airport. He was waiting for Shirley Jameson, the Head of Stockholder Relations for General Resources, a company operating both from the Republic of the Red Isles, as well as Leafanistan. Marius patiently thumbed over his notes and did some last minute tweaks to his questions, and then sat back in his chair and waited for Miss Jameson.

This would be TDC's first interview with somebody out of the Confederacy, and it would also be published in the first edition of TDC to leave the nation. Marius knew the interview had to be top notch, and hoped he could live up to the expectations of his editors.

TDC reporter Marius Bluefeather sat in a well decorated private room in the Paradise City International Airport. He was waiting for Shirley Jameson, the Head of Stockholder Relations for General Resources, a company operating both from the Republic of the Red Isles, as well as Leafanistan. Marius patiently thumbed over his notes and did some last minute tweaks to his questions, and then sat back in his chair and waited for Miss Jameson.

This would be TDC's first interview with somebody out of the Confederacy, and it would also be published in the first edition of TDC to leave the nation. Marius knew the interview had to be top notch, and hoped he could live up to the expectations of his editors.

The Blue and Gold private jet from General Resources Conglomerate soared in gracefully. The Gulfstream G500 landed on the runway with a loud screech and slowed to a stop. From the window of the room all that could be seen were 3 men and 3 women emerging. Then the centerpiece, the focus of the article stepped out wearing an oddly modest dress.

They boarded an open-top car and drove toward the terminal and were soon inside.

The men left the room almost immediately upon entry and shut the door. Jameson turned her head inquisitively as the female assistants pulled out fancy sensors, capable of detecting stray radio frequency transmissions.

Jameson leaned down toward the seated reporter, giving him a nice view of herself, and asked a simple question.

"Is this room bugged?"

The reporter rose to shake her hand when the question startled him.

"Uh...no ma'am...but this is an interiew, most of what you say will probably be published in an international newspaper, now for the questions, if you don't mind. What is your secret to letting the stock of General Resources skyrocket under your watch"

The reporter rose to shake her hand when the question startled him.

"Uh...no ma'am...but this is an interiew, most of what you say will probably be published in an international newspaper, now for the questions, if you don't mind. What is your secret to letting the stock of General Resources skyrocket under your watch"

"Easy", she said, and suddenly her voice was much more seductive sounding. "I have to work at it, just like anyone else."

The 3 female assistants moved quickly. Soon they were holding Bluefeather down. He was picked up and carried to a couch. Before he could say anything another girl was called over by Jameson. They rapidly disrobed and were now lying close to the flustered reporter.

"Should get to know each other now?"

Marius was by this point thrown into an utter state of confusion.

"Now just what the hell are you trying to pull here? What is all of this? Why are these women naked here? This is a crime here you know"

Marius was by this point thrown into an utter state of confusion.

"Now just what the hell are you trying to pull here? What is all of this? Why are these women naked here? This is a crime here you know"

The men on the outside could be heard running up and down the hallways as one of the girls talked into her earpiece. The rapid disrobment was followed with an equally rapid rerobement.

Shirley quickly moved toward a chair and a small coffee table and sat down, doing the last of her buttons. One of the men had opened the door and was holding a small cooler.

She brushed aside one of her bangs, and spoke as if she was annoyed.

"We apologize for difference between our cultures. I was not briefed properly before I left. It was all rather sudden. I was in the middle of another appointment."

She looked at the cooler which was letting out a small mist from the dry ice inside.

"Would you like a drink Mr. Bluefeather?"

Marius looked back to his notes and shook his head as he tried to figure out what just happened.

"No...no thank you. So is there anything else you can say about the growth of your company? Maybe a good little tip for all those people out there. Tell me, why should I invest in General Resources?"

Marius looked back to his notes and shook his head as he tried to figure out what just happened.

"No...no thank you. So is there anything else you can say about the growth of your company? Maybe a good little tip for all those people out there. Tell me, why should I invest in General Resources?"

"Um, can I get a second to have my men retrieve the charts, usually they've had more time to set up."

She opened the cooler revealing a large variety of bottled beverages and two glasses.

"In the meantime Mr. Bluefeather, lets enjoy a nice drink. I prefer the sparkling Orange Apricot juice." She picked up the glass and a girl poured a bottle of said juice into the class. She lowered it again with a quick nod to the girl. "What would you like?"

In the background a man fiddled with a collapsible stand for a pile of poster boards sitting disorganized on the floor. Another assistant joined him in setting up the presentation. One of them leaned over to Jameson and asked her a quick question.

"Excuse me, Mr Bluefeather? My assistant wants to know if you have a DVD player in the room?"

"Well, sure, what is this drink here? Orange Apricot you say? And yes, there is a DVD player just behind me, beneath the plasma TV on the wall there" he said, pointing to a large flatscreen on the wall behind him.

He then looked down at his note pad and scribbled a bit down, and prepared his next batch of questions.

"Well, sure, what is this drink here? And yes, there is a DVD player just behind me, beneath the plasma TV on the wall there" he said, pointing to a large flatscreen on the wall behind him.

He then looked down at his note pad and scribbled a bit down, and prepared his next batch of questions.

"Of course Mr. Bluefeather." She shot an accusing glance at the assistant causing the young girl to jump a little and rush toward the television. She reached into the cooler and removed some tongs and picked up some rather bubbly looking ice cubes.

"These are Antarctic Ice Cubes, cored from an ice sheet near the South Pole at a depth of 20 meters. It is likely this water has never been enjoyed for millions of years. Because of the way it froze it takes a lot longer to dissolve and makes a pleasant crackling noise, much like a soda pop."

She took a long sip and licked her lips. "As you can see we spare no luxury in treating our esteemed guests."

She peered into the cooler at the other drinks and gestured toward the bottle Mr. Bluefeather had become interested in. She smiled and said "This is a bottle of Lorina, a sparkling Lemonade. The company was founded in the 1800's in the heart of France. It is a perfect summer drink."

"So this is your secret, eh?" Marius said smiling. "Beautiful women, exotic beverages, and seemingly no cost is too much for your clients. I like the way you operate"

He then took a sip of his drink, and went back down to his notepad to write down some more notes.

"So what is on this DVD here?"

"So this is your secret, eh?" Marius said smiling. "Beautiful women, exotic beverages, and seemingly no cost is too much for your clients. I like the way you operate"

He then took a sip of his drink, and went back down to his notepad to write down some more notes.

"So what is on this DVD here?"

She smiled and motioned for her assistant to pour more drink to ensure the glasses were always full.

"This is an introductory movie for our beginning shareholders. This is the same one you can order for free from our website if you are interested in investing in General Resources."

The room darkened as one of the female assistants turned down the lights and the movie started.

It opened with a powerful blast from the brass section, and the General Resources Logo flashed on the screen.

"General Resources Conglomerate! We know you are excited to invest in us, but let us explain who we are, what we are, how we operate, and where we will be going in the future."

"At General Resources Conglomerate our Vision Statement is 'To serve the needs of man to the best of our ability' and true to our calling we have made that possible by being the most diversified multinational in history."

"Everything from consumer goods such as the shampoo in your shower, the clothes you wear, and the MP3 players you listen to, and industrial goods such as heavy machinery, and raw materials is made, mined, produced, or acquired via General Resources."

"We started out as a small mining company called General Resources Inc. that produced mining equipment. Our first large breakthrough was a major business deal with Sierra Visions Inc. the then dominant business organization to operate their mines for them. After a corporate restructuring we merged with Sierra Visions Inc. and changed our name to General Resources Conglomerate to reflect our change in goals. We no longer served just the mining community but the entire business community as a whole. We control all aspects of life, and it is theoretically possible to just buy goods from General Resources and its subsidiaries and live a comfortable life."

The video continued to explain the various aspects of General Resources Conglomerate and then ended with an optimistic view of the future of General Resources Conglomerate being the dominant force in the business world for the good of mankind and for its shareholders.

The video ended and the room's light returned to normal. The assistants politely clapped as Ms. Jameson turned toward Mr. Bluefeather and asked what he thought of it.

"Brilliant video! I tell ya! I very well might just buy a share myself! Now, would you mind telling all of our readers the name of your website or anyplace else we can purchase a share of General Resources? Ad also, would you mind telling us the general price of each share?"

"Brilliant video! I tell ya! I very well might just buy a share myself! Now, would you mind telling all of our readers the name of your website or anyplace else we can purchase a share of General Resources? Ad also, would you mind telling us the general price of each share?"

"Well Mr. Bluefeather, the investment in General Resources Conglomerate is a steep one if you aren't a Leafanistani Citizen with access to our B Level stock. Even with the B Levels it is still a significant investment. Now General Resources is listed on the Concord Exchange or CXE and is under GRT.A. I believe it opened at 154,850 and zero parts in Leafanistani Paterians. Now this means a market capitalization of 309.70 billion Paterians. And with the Paterian trading at 1.88 USD it is a large investment. But consider that we opened 4 years ago at only 50,000 LFP a share and have tripled in value and in the past month we have grown nearly 30%."

"Our analysts are sure this trend will continue and recommend that if you truly want a secure investment and you can afford the price you can invest. However a warning for anyone who wishes to sell their house for stock. Stocks are not as liquid as money in the hand and it is not advisable to jump into trading without consulting a broker.

"And Mr. Bluefeather I want to answer your original question if you still remember it."

She took a drink from her cup and an assistant rapidly filled it up again. The bottle was emptied and promptly thrown into a recycling bin. Another bottle was brought up from the plane's storage compartment and removed from its transport cooler to the large communal cooler.

"Yes, yes, of course, of course! How exactly were you able to get the jump in the value and number of stockholders?"

Marius took a sip of his drink again, and looked satisfied.

"This is some fine drink you have here, by the way. I would like to know where I can purchase a bottle"

"Yes, yes, of course, of course! How exactly were you able to get the jump in the value and number of stockholders?"

Marius took a sip of his drink again, and looked satisfied.

"This is some fine drink you have here, by the way. I would like to know where I can purchase a bottle"

"We aggressively advertised our shares before our IPO with a series of commercials called 'Plan B?' which showed various investments fail, including small businesses, fires, collapse of a real estate market to drive up concern for people's retirement savings. Then when we did our IPO at 50,000 LFP, investors jumped at the opportunity to have a 'rock-solid retirement'. Safe to say those who bought it a few years ago are now very satisfied to find their investment has tripled in value."

"We also advertised our foreign investments with a similar ad campaign and that is responsible for a 30% growth in the past month. By targeting major institutions in places like Kampfers, a new and upcoming market, to the Silver Sky, a long established market, we were able to rapidly increase our value."

"As for the drink Mr. Bluefeather, any well stocked beverage store should carry Lorina. It is a staple of the industry. But if you want some of the more exotic flavors, the Caesar brand of various premium fruit flavored products, a brand owned by General Resources, is becoming very popular. If you cannot find a local retailer, we'll be glad to ship you a bottle with free shipping and handling."

"Well that would be very kind of you, thank you. I feel that this interview is drawing near a close, but before you go, I must ask that all important question. What are your personal views towards the Griffincrest Corporation?"

"Well that would be very kind of you, thank you. I feel that this interview is drawing near a close, but before you go, I must ask that all important question. What are your personal views towards the Griffincrest Corporation?"

"Mr. Bluefeather, I am not allowed to discuss my own personal views of the Griffencrest Corporation. However, from a stockholder's perspective, the Griffencrest Corporation is a liability and I believe they are turning a small profit and their growth margin is too small. I think the shareholders should campaign for a change in their Corporate Strategy and structuring."

"The Griffencrest Corporation is spending too much and risking too much by sending its own ships out to sea with protection. They need to subcontract other companies, in the Confederacy or elsewhere to deliver it elsewhere. I suggest a large stable country with a very large and antagonistic military with plenty of allies. It is the only way to secure a good investment."

She nodded her head at the people who had assembled various graphs and bar charts and motioned for it to be disassembled. The DVD was removed from the player and the cooler was emptied of Lorina Sparkling Lemonade which was placed on the coffee table. A smaller cooler was brought in to carry it for Mr. Bluefeather.

"Now Mr. Bluefeather it is company policy to give you a written version of this conversation and a written version of the documentation along with a copy of the DVD we have shown you. There are order forms, website addresses, and my card in case you want to set up another meeting."

She also motioned for something to be brought over.

"We also have a personal gift for you," she said as the assistant opened a small jewelry box, "this is a 24 carat gold General Resources Conglomerate Pin with little diamonds for eyes."

"Most of our clients love it."

"O my! Well thank you Miss Jameson! This has been a lovely meting indeed. I do hope that we can do this again sometime, I only wish I had something to give you in return."

With that Marius rose to shake the hand of Shirley Jameson, and the first issue of The Daily Confederate would be rolling off the presses in a few hours.

"O my! Well thank you Miss Jameson! This has been a lovely meting indeed. I do hope that we can do this again sometime, I only wish I had something to give you in return."

With that Marius rose to shake the hand of Shirley Jameson, and the first issue of The Daily Confederate would be rolling off the presses in a few hours.

"Of course Mr. Bluefeather, and I apologize for the awkwardness of our initial meeting."

She snapped her fingers and the male assistants opened the door and she and her assistants left. Soon the jet was in the air and would disappear somewhere into the clouds.