PROG 83
URL 73
GREEN 22
IDT 17
IND GREEN 5

Azul all,

If the Zuoaves wiki page is to be believed, @Iac Marscheir is currently a private of the Zuávs da l'Altahál Rexhitál, and @Barclamïu da Miéletz is currently a private second class. Depending on how "cultural exhibitions" are counted, that means both citizens are somewhere between tragically underpromoted and criminally underpromoted. To even attempt to enumerate each and every exhibition would be to itself minimize their tremendous energy and spirit.

Therefore, as El Capitán da l'Altahál, it is my pleasure to announce that:
- S:reu da Miéletz is hereby promoted to Sergeant
- S:reu Marscheir is hereby promoted to Master Sergeant

Join me in congratulating these two exponents of Talossanity.

We seem to be on a three-year schedule with these, so now would be a good time for one

Azul,

I see that various Talossans who have been elevated to the knighthood have been granted helms and/or mottos to add to their Coat of Arms. Can I inquire as to whether it would be appropriate to ask to be granted one or both of these at the next Day of Honors, and  if so, if I could have the assistance of the College in rendering them?

As Grand General Secretary of Maritiimi-Maxhestic, I have appointed @C.d.I. Nouacastra-Läxhirescu, MSC to fill the vacant Senate position

Azul all,

I am honored that the Ziu has seen fit to appoint me a Judge of the Uppermost Cort.

As is fitting and proper for a Judge, I hereby:
-Resign my position as Minister of Finance, with thanks to the Seneschal and the rest of the Cabinet
-Resign my position as Senator for Maritiimi-Maxhestic, a post I have held for almost seven years, with great thanks to the people of Talossa's most eminent province (happy Maritiimi-Maxhestic Istuporaziua by the way)
-Resign my membership in the Free Democrats of Talossa, with thanks to everyone I have collaborated with in political matters.

I hope I won't have too much to do in my new position, but when I do, I pledge to rule as justly (and quickly) as is in my power.

WHEREAS, the Organic Law directs that His Majesty's Government submit a Budget by the second Clark of the current term of the Cosă,

SECTION A - Financial Report

THEREFORE, His Majesty's Government notifies the following financial report to the Ziu:

QuoteThe funds of the Kingdom are held in accounts with the following balances (based on reporting from the Burgermeister of Inland Revenue as of 1 May 2025):

Wells Fargo Checking: 417¤20 (US$626.00)
Wells Fargo Savings: 872¤43 (US$1,309.08)
Ally Bank Checking: 60¤03 (US$90.08)
PayPal: 67¤52 (US$101.81)
Venmo: 16¤40 (US$25.00)

Total: 1,434¤39 (US$2,151.97)

Between the 1 May 2025 Treasury report and the previous Treasury report as included in the Budget for the 60th Cosă, the following changes had occurred:

Registration Fees: 16¤40 (US$25.00)
Donations: 16¤40 (US$25.00)
Expenditures authorized by the Budget for the 60th Cosa: -75¤20 (-$113.00) for gift card prizes and ID cards

FURTHERMORE, His Majesty's Government hereby submits to the Ziu a request for the appropriation of funds from the Royal Treasury, totaling 300¤ (US$450), for the specific purposes and subject to restrictions as outlined herein:

- Ministry of Culture: 66¤40 (US$100) for cultural grants
- Ministry of Technology: 133¤20 (US$200) for speculative webhosting costs
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs: 33¤20 (US$50) for expenditure by the Bureau of Humanitarian Aid and International Development
- Ministry of STUFF: 33¤20 (US$50) for the issuing of ID cards
- Prime Ministry: 33¤20 (US$50) for supplemental funding to other appropriated funds, and for small expenses (eg. postage) by the Government and Royal Civil Service

FURTHERMORE, notwithstanding the above allocations, no funds shall be disbursed without a notice of disbursement having first been transmitted to the Ziu at least fourteen days prior to the disbursement, except that disbursements solely for the purpose of postage may be made with no less than 24 hours notice. Notices shall contain details of the purchase and a cost estimate for the purchase, or the total amount paid if seeking funds for reimbursement. Copies of receipts and/or invoices will be provided upon request to Members of the Ziu.

FURTHERMORE, any funds allocated by this section shall be retained in the Royal Treasury's accounts by the Burgermeister of Inland Revenue until such time as they are disbursed. Funds not disbursed prior to the end of the term of His Majesty's Government shall remain in the central fund.

SECTION C - Investment Policy

FURTHERMORE, His Majesty's Government hereby directs the Burgermeister of Inland Revenue to continue investing all held funds, except for an amount of liquidity needed for day to day operation up to half of the total of appropriated funds as listed in this Budget, into a high-interest savings account unless or until otherwise directed or advised by act of the Ziu.

Ureu q'estadră så,
Miestră Schivă, Seneschal

If you claimed a seat (either by post or by ballot) then you are eligible to participate here.

I think our first order of business is electing a Grand General Secretary

I claim my seat

Join us on Discord to help us count down the 2025 Talossan Music Top 20.

Tuesday, April 1
15:00 Talossan Time (two hours before election results)

Quote from: Glüc da Dhi S.H. on January 14, 2025, 04:01:56 PM(Elections in 2 months, so I guess it is that time again, hint hint)

For reference:
http://wiki.talossa.com/Talossan_Music_Top_20
https://wittenberg.talossa.com/index.php?topic=3199.0

2025 TMT20 Nomination Rules

Nominations are now open. Everyone (including guests and prospective citizens) is invited to nominate songs to form the 2025 edition of the Talossan Music Top 20.

The competition will consist of 150 songs. 100 songs have qualified automatically based on their performance in the 2024 TMT20. Therefore, there will be a total of 50 new nominations.

For now we will start with 3 nominations per person. If we don't have enough songs by Noon TST on January 26, everyone will be free to nominate one new song every 12 hours.

We are voting on the written combination artist (or composer) + title, rather than the specific version that is being linked to, in case people do not like that version.

If you can, please include a link to YouTube or some other video or audio file of the song. Otherwise I will find a link myself, but I might not always find the best version.

All genres of music are welcome. Nominating an entire symphony is probably not a good idea, but go for it if you want, I guess.

Do not worry about nominating songs because they are not popular enough (or because they are too mainstream). You do not get a prize if your song wins. If you get someone to listen to a song or genre he did not know or like before, that is nice too. We all seem to love our 70s rock classics, and if your all time favorite song happens to fall in that category, go for it! But if it does not, adding some diversity to the list is just as good. Just nominate whatever song you think deserves to be in the list for whatever reason.

Over Christmas and New Year's I had the extraordinary privilege to travel to a few places in East Africa, including Zanzibar (an island group off the coast of Tanzania). As fans of Queen will know, Freddie Mercury was born in Zanzibar, and there is a small museum there in his honor, in one of his childhood homes.

Fellow Talossans,

It is my honor and privilege to address you as Captain of the Zouaves of the Royal Bodygaurd on this most joyous occasion, the accession of our new King of Talossa by the grace of God, Txec R.

The purpose of the Zouaves is to foster cultural achievement in Talossa. I have always regarded our community as a place where you can create and explore in a way that is not possible anywhere else, not just in politics but also in journalism, music, rhetoric, and other fields.

There is no one I trust more in this regard than the King. The King has always been a dogged promoter of Talossans of all stripes, and I have full confidence that he will continue to be now that he has this most weighty and influential of positions.

¡Så vivadra el Regeu!

Azul all,

The Ministry of Justice is seeking Community Jurists in accordance with Lex.G.1.2.1:

QuoteAny citizen of Talossa who has satisfied the Ministry of Justice of their knowledge of Talossan law and jurisprudence, and of their good character, may be recommended to the King or to the Cort pü Inalt to be named as a Community Jurist (CJ)

If you are interested, please send me a private message.

Ian Plätschisch
Attorney-General

FROM THE OFFICE OF THE CHANCERY

Under Section J.2 of the el Lexhatx, it is the responsibility of the Secretary of State or their designated representative to act to "maintain a minimum level of acceptable behavior" on Wittenberg. This is generally understood to mean enforcing "Wittiquette" when necessary.

Rule 8 of Wittiquette states, "Don't be a troll or otherwise post in a way that is intended solely to annoy people or infuriate them."

Beginning on October 17, S:reu @Breneir Tzaracomprada has made a series of posts (https://wittenberg.talossa.com/index.php?topic=3586.0) which any reasonable person would be compelled to admit violate Rule 8.

S:reu Tzaracomprada is hereby formally warned to desist from this behavior.

Enforcement of Wittiquette is always a touchy subject and I fully expect endless protestations. S:reu Tzaracomprada is invited to take legal action against me if he feels I have acted inappropriately.

Ian Plätschisch,
Deputy Secretary of State for Administration of Wittenberg

WHEREAS the Talossan Music Top 20 has been held every year since 2015 and is one of the Kingdom's premier cultural institutions; and,

WHEREAS songs that have enjoyed great success in the TMT20, such as Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen, Gimme Shelter by The Rolling Stones, and Sultans of Swing by Dire Straits, deserve to be officially recognized;

THEREFORE Lex.F.4.1 is added, which reads:

QuoteThe Talossan Music Top 20 Hall of Fame honors songs that have won the Talossan Music Top 20 multiple times, making them the most popular in the Kingdom. Honorees currently include:

4.1.1 Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody (winner in 2015 and 2017)
4.1.2 The Rolling Stones - Gimme Shelter (winner in 2020, 2022, and 2023)
4.1.3 Dire Straits - Sultans of Swing (winner in 2021 and 2024)

Ureu q'estadra sa:
Ian Plätschisch (Sen-MM)
Tric'hard Lenxheir (Sen-VD)

Make sure to join us on Discord on Monday (July 1st) at 4PM TDT as we count down Talossa's top songs of 2024 and potentially chat about the election as well.

It is not to late to vote in the TMT20 Final if you have not already.

FreeDem - 80
PROG - 57
DIEN - 23
PdR - 15
COFFEE - 10
IND - 10
OPEN - 5

Senators,

Please cast your vote here.

For reference:
http://wiki.talossa.com/Talossan_Music_Top_20
https://wittenberg.talossa.com/index.php?topic=2559.0

We have had TMT20s every year since 2015 (which was technically only nine years ago, but I'm calling this the 10th anniversary anyway). Thanks to everyone who has participated so far, and especially to @Glüc da Dhi for getting it going.

We have also been discussing whether some songs need to be retired, how to determine those songs, and how to replace them. After considering different criteria, I realized the only reason we are talking about this is because of the dominance of only two songs (for new citizens, those are Bohemian Rhapsody and Gimme Shelter). These are the only multiple-time winners, so I am instituting a new rule to retire multiple-time winners into the TMT20 Hall of Fame.

The two extra spots will be filled via the normal nomination process. The two newly available first round byes will be awarded to the two songs eliminated in last year's Round 2 with the greatest PPV (which are Southern Gothic by Dan Tyminski and Innuendo by Queen).

Also, Rounds 4 and 5 will be replaced by a single Semifinal round (see last year's thread for the details)


2024 TMT20 Nomination Rules

Nominations are now open. Everyone (including guests and prospective citizens) is invited to nominate songs to form the 2024 edition of the Talossan Music Top 20.

The competition will consist of 150 songs. 98 songs have qualified automatically based on their performance in the 2023 TMT20. Therefore, there will be a total of 52 new nominations.

For now we will start with 3 nominations per person. If we don't have enough songs by 17:00 TST on May 5, everyone will be free to nominate one new songs every 12 hours.

We are voting on the written combination artist (or composer) + title, rather than the specific version that is being linked to, in case people do not like that version.

If you can, please include a link to YouTube or some other video or audio file of the song. Otherwise I will find a link myself, but I might not always find the best version.

All genres of music are welcome. Nominating an entire symphony is probably not a good idea, but go for it if you want, I guess.

Do not worry about nominating songs because they are not popular enough (or because they are too mainstream). You do not get a prize if your song wins. If you get someone to listen to a song or genre he did not know or like before, that is nice too. We all seem to love our 70s rock classics, and if your all time favorite song happens to fall in that category, go for it! But if it does not, adding some diversity to the list is just as good. Just nominate whatever song you think deserves to be in the list for whatever reason.

Azul all,

We need a Senator who is not up for re-election this term to sit on the Electoral Commission. Any volunteers?

Azul,

May the Minister of Defense provide an update on any activities related to the Zouaves? They appear to have become dormant last year.

Senators,

Please cast your vote here.

Senators,

Please cast your votes here.

I rise with a question for the Finance Minister.

The Budget is required to be presented by the second Clark. We are all aware of the unfortunate circumstances which have prevented the budget from yet being introduced. My question is not so much "where is the budget" and more so whether there are any plans (such as a month of recess) to allow the Budget to be prepared in time.

Get ready for today's most important results reveal.

15:30 TST in the Discord voice chat.

TNC 111
FreeDem 75
Dien 14

TCAT is going so well that I thought it might be time to bring back the TFL.

I'd like to get an idea of how many teams we'd have before I commission the league, so if you're interested please let me know in this thread.

(For the uninitiated, it's just a fantasy NFL league).

It seems like just yesterday that we wrapped up the 2022-2023 Special Edition, but it is again time for the annual main event.

For reference:
http://wiki.talossa.com/Talossan_Music_Top_20
https://wittenberg.talossa.com/index.php?topic=1326.0

2023 TMT20 Nomination Rules

Nominations are now open. Everyone (including guests and prospective citizens) is invited to nominate songs to form the 2023 edition of the Talossan Music Top 20.

The rounds format will be the same as last year.

The competition will consist of 150 songs. 106 songs have qualified automatically based on their performance in the 2022 TMT20 or the 2022-2023 Special Edition. Therefore, there will be a total of 44 new nominations.

For now we will start with 3 nominations per person. If we don't have enough songs by 17:00 TST on July 21st, everyone will be free to nominate one new songs every 12 hours.

We are voting on the written combination artist (or composer) + title, rather than the specific version that is being linked to, in case people do not like that version.

If you can, please include a link to YouTube or some other video or audio file of the song. Otherwise I will find a link myself, but I might not always find the best version.

All genres of music are welcome. Nominating an entire symphony is probably not a good idea, but go for it if you want, I guess.

Do not worry about nominating songs because they are not popular enough (or because they are too mainstream). You do not get a prize if your song wins. If you get someone to listen to a song or genre he did not know or like before, that is nice too. We all seem to love our 70s rock classics, and if your all time favorite song happens to fall in that category, go for it! But if it does not, adding some diversity to the list is just as good. Just nominate whatever song you think deserves to be in the list for whatever reason.

Estimat Túischac'h,

Would the Most Honourable Seneschal please inform the Ziu whether he is planning to declare a month of recess at some point during this Cosa term? The planners of the Kingdom's foremost cultural institution, the Talossan Music Top 20, would like to coordinate the timing of the 2023 edition with the next election.

By my estimation, the 59th Cosa election will end October 1 if there is no recess, or November 1 if there is.