I'd like to nominate my car as "Used Talossan Car of the Year".
I drive a 2007 Ford Mustang. It previously belonged to my stepdaughter, who passed away from cancer. Look, I'm not a car guy, never have been. I want something to get me from point a to point b reliably, and that's it. I don't care what it looks like as long as it runs and won't cost a lot of money for repairs. Preferably something I can repair myself. (Okay, there was one car I owned I actually loved...a 1979 Jeep CJ5. Had an inline six engine. Learned to drive stick on it, and I could fix it myself. I'm not naturally mechanically inclined, but I replaced the carburetor, U-joints and a bunch of other stuff all by myself, using just a Haynes manual as a guide. I was proud of myself for that. Plus, it was fun to drive.)
Anyhow, this Mustang. I don't get the appeal. I can't tell you how many times people have complimented me on it. "Wow, nice Mustang, man!" How are you supposed to reply to that? "Thanks, but I just drive it. I had no part of its design or production." I usually just say "Thanks" and leave it at that.
I'm 52 now, and some people probably think my owning this sports car is some kind of mid-life crisis thing, when it was just a vehicle I got because my stepdaughter died, and no one else wanted it. It runs okay, that's all I'm concerned about.
The speedometer hasn't worked since I've had it (maybe five years now), so I've been driving it around the whole time without actually knowing how fast I'm going. I guess it's a testament to my driving skills that I haven't been pulled over by the cops. (I've only ever had one speeding ticket in my life.) My wife once pulled up an app that tells you how fast you are driving, and kept her eye on it when we drove out of town. "I'll let you know when you're speeding," she said. She never mentioned it again until we got back home, and said "That actually impressed me. You pretty much drove the exact speed limit the whole time."
The Mustang has body rust, the muffler is falling off. Sometimes in the morning the button on the gear shifter doesn't want to work. The gas gauge also occasionally quits working. But it gets me to work and back, eventually. It's mostly reliable. My brakes are still good, they saved me from plowing into a couple of deer crossing the road the other day.
(Since we're talking about cars, one of my coworkers recently got a 1962 Rambler. You know all those stories about the old lady keeping her dead husband's antique car in the garage for decades, and it's in pristine condition? This was one of those stories. My coworker grew up next to the old lady, and would mow her lawn for her. She finally died, and the family wanted to clean out her stuff. They offered the car to my work pal, since he had mowed her lawn for years without accepting any pay. They wanted $3000 for it, and threw in an old Cadillac as well. Well, luckily he had the money, and snapped it up. The Caddilac wasn't in that great a shape, but the Rambler looked like it had just rolled out of the factory. Pristine. My pal had to use dry gas to start it, but it drove fine. He went and got historic plates for it. All this happened right in time for the "Super Cruise", which is an annual car show they have here in my town.

Today, Propaganda reminded all people interested in our Kingdom about how to immigrate, on X, Threads, Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram.

Quote from: Glüc on May 10, 2026, 07:16:14 AMCocteau Twins - Heaven or Las Vegas

80's sounding (apparently its from 1990) dream pop with shiny bright vocals, post-punky basslines, and indecipherable lyrics. I was only vaguely aware of them before. I did not expect to be this blown away.

Best tracks (in tracklist order): Pitch the Baby, Iceblink Luck, Fifty-fifty clown, Heaven or Las Vegas, I Wear Your Ring, but probably it's best to experience the whole thing from start to finish.

I've always loved Cocteau Twins, and this album is wonderful. Cherry coloured Funk is also a great track. Liz Fraser is such an unforgettable vocalist, she also featured in Massive Attack's Teardrop.

I thank the applicant for there submission, please allow me to read in full and deliberate with socity to confirm your membership.

Quote from: Crement Itravilatx on February 13, 2026, 08:54:39 PM

Quote from: Tierçéu Rôibeardescù on February 11, 2026, 07:30:02 PMAzul, so sorry for the slow reply.
Membership nearly requires a from of presentation of your work, be it a lecture (as previously offered) or a piece of written work on a topic of your choice. If its about talossa or something related to the Kingdo, even better.
I myself have yet to finish my own written work for presentation, but Im working on it, I hope to have it done by the end of the month.
I hope to eventually compile a few of pieces into a form of academic journal at some point.

Thank you, my goal is to make the required presentation for membership within the first few months of citizenship.

Madam President @Tierçéu Rôibeardescù

Please consider the following an official request to join the Royal Society for the Advancement of Knowledge by Crement Itravilatx.

Quote1.  I became a citizen of the Kingdom of Talossa on 16 February 2026.

2.  I hold a Master of Education from Simon Fraser University. The Talossa-focused area I wish to explore in my research is:
        a.  Small nation policy-making in promotion of a pro-human future as we develop and refine artificial intelligence.

3.  I am posting a link to my initial lecture below for the Royal Society titled: "The Embodiment Dance for Grief: An Autoethnographic Inquiry into Nishimonai Bon Odori and Indigenous Drumming."

Please inform me if you need additional information.

I vote No on The Freedom of Conscience Act and No on the Vote of Confidence.

Just some thing I thought of while we were out test driving some cars. With New Talossan Car Of The Year and Used Talossan Car Of The Year.

Quote from: Françal I. Lux on June 05, 2026, 11:09:47 AM

Quote from: Breneir Tzaracomprada on June 04, 2026, 06:14:08 PMMr. Speaker, this enquiry is for the Culture Minister, @Françal I. Lux , and is a follow-up to his reply from last month:

Quote from: Françal I. Lux on May 05, 2026, 10:24:33 AM

Quote from: Breneir Tzaracomprada on May 04, 2026, 10:58:48 PMMr. Speaker,

This enquiry is for the Culture/Finance Minister.

On April 14, Minister @Françal I. Lux informed the nation of his return to service. Minister, if you could please advise the Ziu on your plans for the Culture and Finance portfolios now that you are back.

Thank you for the question.

Mr. Speaker, my main priority for the next month is resuming my previous plans for the Culture Ministry. With the help of S:reu Malt and under the supervision of our Ladîntsch Naziunál, the Ministry of Culture will be sponsoring a translation project, first to update the Talossan version of the Organic Law, and, if all goes well, the gradual translation of the nation's statutes.

Minister, what updates are there to the translation project currently underway with MZ Malt and the Ladîntsch Naziunál?

Thank you for the question,

Mr. Speaker we have unfortunately encountered delays due to personal reasons, but I haven't lost hope and will continue to push for it to at least begin before the end of this month.

I thank the Minister for his reply and send well wishes to those experiencing personal issues. As a courtesy, I am letting the Minister know I will follow up next month.

Quote from: Breneir Tzaracomprada on June 04, 2026, 06:14:08 PMMr. Speaker, this enquiry is for the Culture Minister, @Françal I. Lux , and is a follow-up to his reply from last month:

Quote from: Françal I. Lux on May 05, 2026, 10:24:33 AM

Quote from: Breneir Tzaracomprada on May 04, 2026, 10:58:48 PMMr. Speaker,

This enquiry is for the Culture/Finance Minister.

On April 14, Minister @Françal I. Lux informed the nation of his return to service. Minister, if you could please advise the Ziu on your plans for the Culture and Finance portfolios now that you are back.

Thank you for the question.

Mr. Speaker, my main priority for the next month is resuming my previous plans for the Culture Ministry. With the help of S:reu Malt and under the supervision of our Ladîntsch Naziunál, the Ministry of Culture will be sponsoring a translation project, first to update the Talossan version of the Organic Law, and, if all goes well, the gradual translation of the nation's statutes.

Minister, what updates are there to the translation project currently underway with MZ Malt and the Ladîntsch Naziunál?

Thank you for the question,

Mr. Speaker we have unfortunately encountered delays due to personal reasons, but I haven't lost hope and will continue to push for it to at least begin before the end of this month.

Wishing you and your family strength in this time. 🤍