Category Archives: Micronations

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As the founder and Executive Director of Social Evolution, Max Borders is relentlessly seeking to liberate people and resolve social problems through innovation. Much of what drives him has been informed by his work as co-founder of the Voice & Exit event and as the former editor at the libertarian non-profit Foundation for Economic Education (FEE). Max is a futurist, a theorist, a published author and an entrepreneur.

Through his work with Social Evolution, Max is championing the following beliefs:

Here at BTCManager, we had a chance to interview Max about his aims and visions around todays emerging world of decentralization.

I started Social Evolution for two basic reasons.

First, I was frustrated with politics; how acrimonious it makes people, as well as the fact that most people think elections, legislatures and bureaucracies are the only means of making social change. I know there is a community out there that agrees that politics is a big, destructive illusion.

Second, and relatedly, I know there is a group of people out there already building new protocols for peaceful human interaction; systems that are decidedly less centralized and hierarchical. Social Evolution: the digital hub (forthcoming publication) will be an intellectual and spiritual home for this group. I want to unite and galvanize them.

I had been editor of FEE.org for years, and it was probably the best job I ever had. But I knew at some point I needed to create something different. I needed not to get too comfortable. I decided to build a media organization, a digital hub, that lies at the intersection of innovation and culture. I am in the process of building that hub; Social Evolution.

Sure. Decentralization has a certain inevitability to it. Just as I believe the technological singularity is coming, I also believe the social singularity will emerge as well. Thats not to say there wont be conflict. There will be convulsive wars between the old and new structures. Hostile state actors will be saboteurs, where possible, and there will be a lot of fallout. But decentralization is going to continue.

The blockchain is not just about decentralization. Its about disintermediation. And that means removing middlemen. And by middlemen, I dont just mean bankers. I mean all the great hierarchical mediating structures operating today; in media, government, corporations, and education. These structures are already showing their cracks.

But as they collapse there will be a great displacement. The middlemen will kick and scream on their way out because these obsolete structures butter their bread. They will have to transition. But first, they will try to reinsert themselves through various means, including attempts to ban or regulate the very technologies supplanting them.

Great question! A lot of people hear legal technologies and think there is some kind of app for dispute resolution or contracts. Im sure those are in development. But the law itself is a kind of technology because it involves a set of protocols or rulesets. And some of these rulesets are better than other when it comes to creating incentives to be productive. In countries with corrupt legal systems, the incentives are predatory. In countries with less corrupt legal systems, the incentives are to be productive. We can see this when you look at the difference between Venezuela and Hong Kong, for example. And put more cheekily, the US itself runs on DOS (Democratic Operating System). Isnt it time for a better social operating system?

So one of the more interesting developments in recent history are special economic zones (SEZs). These can be ports or territorial carve-outs, like Dubai or Shenzhen. A decade from now, it might be more speculative micronations, such as seasteads. As new SEZs come online, they can adopt new legal technologies, which is simply to say novel forms of law, which might be implemented with the help of bits and bytes. But given the corruptibility of people, one can imagine that the most competitive SEZs will use the blockchain for as much as they can because the most competitive and attractive SEZs for investment will be the least corrupt.

I believe well see five things. They are:

Social Evolution is for subversive innovators, those prepared to create systems of human interaction that have never before been possible. Our culture will coevolve with those systems. Social Evolution can be a standard bearer for a movement dedicated to liberating people and solving social problems through innovation (not politics).

My great hope is that we can be a major catalyst for peaceful social change. One day I want to get an email every day that reads: Because I read article X on Social Evolution, I started working on project Y that has revolutionized Z. Without the inspiration you provided, wed still be doing things the old way.

The geeks will inherit the earth.

Go here to read the rest:

Harnessing The Power of Decentralization: Max Borders of Social Evolution Speaks - Inside Bitcoins

Hoagland is a Territory of the Empire of Austenasia located south of the American city of Cleveland, Ohio, comprised of an area of uninhabited grassland. Although it has no inhabitants, Austenasian law is enforced by its Governor, Pope Euclid I.

The name Hoagland is an alternate version of the land's former name, Hoogland, which in turn is from the Afrikaans word meaning "highland".

This region was most likely inhabbited by the Erie people before the mid-seventeenth century, and became part of Ohio in 1803. As much of what is now Hoagland is under wires from an electrical grid, land was cleared in 1998 by the electrical company to access the wires on the grids. Many people took advantage of this opportunity and cleared land for fields. In 2006 a housing development was proposed, but was quickly rejected for a number of reasons. Historical satellite images reveal that a road gave direct access to the field in 1952, but had been overgrown by 1967. The field was used for practicing sports until 2014, when it became New Normandy.

New Normandy was founded as a colony of West Germania by Grant Hawkins on 17 January 2014, declaring independence from the United States of America. However, in September later that year, Hawkins declared independence from West Germania due to a lack of communication from its leader, renaming New Normandy the Empire of Nova Atlantis. On 11 January 2015, the now independent land joined Adammia as the colony of Adammic Columbia.

After a year and a half in Adammia, Hawkins renamed the land Hoogland and declared allegiance to the Holy Roman Empire. However, on 14 November 2016 this decision was reversed, and the territory returned to Adammia as Adammic Columbia until 10 June 2017.

After several weeks as a terra nullius which had de facto returned to the United States of America, the territory - now renamed Hoagland - was annexed by the Empire of Austenasia by the request of Hawkins, who as Pontifex Maximus is known as Pope Euclid I in the Empire. Euclid was appointed Governor and Baron of the land, which was received as an Austenasian Territory due to having no permanent population.

Go here to see the original:

Hoagland - MicroWiki - micronations.wiki

There are small nations, and then there are micronations. The Republic of Molossia, which is in Nevada, US, is one such micronation.

Molossia has a paltry 33 citizens and not even all of them are people some are cats and dogs. It has its own border control, rules, currency and traditions.

The self-declared sovereign entity is not officially recognized by legitimate governments around the world. however, it has its own president, His Excellency Kevin Baugh, whom his wife Adrianne describes as a "benevolent dictator."

Self-declared President of Molossia Kevin Baugh. Photo: Daily Mail/Jamie Kingham

The welcome message. Photo: Daily Mail/Jamie Kingham

President Baugh stamps passports of visitors. Photo: Daily Mail/Jamie Kingham

READ ALSO: These brave Somali women attend college despite poverty and culture

Besides President Baugh, who has ruled for 40 years over the 5-acre territory, and First Lady Adrienne, other citizens include their seven children, two grandchildren and other relatives.

President Baugh, 54, dresses in a ceremonial outfit complete with medals during special occasions, including raising his nation's flag. He stamps the passports of visitors and says Molossia pays taxes, which he calls "foreign aid," to the US government.

In an interview, President Baugh, 54, said: "I love being dictator; it is fantastic but it is also intentional. When I remodelled Molossia, I chose to be a dictator."

He also conducts regular tours of his nation. Photo: Daily Mail/Jamie Kingham

He has ruled the 5-acre country for 40 years. Photo: Daily Mail/Jamie Kingham

The President with his wife, First Lady Adrienne, and their daughter. Photo: Daily Mail/Jamie Kingham

READ ALSO: Research reveals African countries with the best English speakers

Watch more about the micronation below.

Have something to add to this article or suggestions? Send to news@tuko.co.ke

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Meet President of Molossia, a micronation of just 33 citizens with its ... - TUKO.CO.KE

Prince Paul created his principality after a stoush with Mosman council in 2004. (principalityofwy.com)

The self-proclaimed leader of a micronation on Sydney's North Shore says he has a plan to ease hostility between the US and North Korea.

Prince Paul Delprat of the Principality of Wy told nine.com.au the tiny kingdom could act as negotiator between Trump and Kim Jong un through the power of art.

"If only humour could govern international relationships and if only art prizes could be the way that people solved their problems. If only Mr Trump and Mr Putin and the leader in North Korea all painted," Prince Paul said.

"And every year the Principality of Wy could hold an exhibition of all the country's leaders and they would all abide by the decision, there would be no more wars."

There was a healthy amount of jest in the "royal's" comments, reflecting his light-hearted outlook on life and the way he governs.

His tiny kingdom unofficially seceded from Mosman in 2004 after a bitter stoush with local council over a driveway.

"When we did create our little principality out of a true sense of injustice, people were prepared to say 'hey, listen to them and give them a go'. We had support from the most extraordinary corners and it's ongoing," he said.

Prince Paul's micronation is one of many that exist in Australia. Micronations claim independence, but are not officially recognised by the state.

The self-appointed royal leads with his wife, Princess Susan, and their children.

He believes it is not the size of the kingdom that counts, but how you rule it.

"There is an old saying, 'an Englishman's house is his castle'. Well, I just took it that extra step," he said.

"Deep in the psyche of Australians is a little bit of Ned Kelly. We all look at Ned in his armour and his defiance of authority and let's face it, there's a little bit of him in all of us."

When the Prince attends events and ceremonies he often wears his formal regalia of a crown, robe and sceptre.

"We do dress up when we go out on occasion and people like us coming in formal regalia to various functions," he said.

"They see it adding a little bit of colour to the occasion and we are very happy to oblige with that."

Prince Paul says despite the number of micronations scattered across the country, he has little contact with his fellow pioneers.

There were thought to be 12 micronations in Australia at the peak of the movement, but over the years those numbers have dwindled.

One of Australia's other notable micronations is the Empire of Atlantium.

It started as a bit of fun between three Sydney cousins as a way to break away from society in 1981.

His Imperial Majesty George II (George Francis Cruickshank) told nine.com.au he may have taken his parent's advice to "change the world" further than anticipated.

"My parents raised me with the idea that in Australia, with the right amount of luck and right amount of application anyone could really achieve anything," he said.

"I think what they meant was that they wanted me to go off and join a political party to change the world, but what I did was paint a black and white border line in the backyard and create Atlantium."

For many years Atlantium was simply an affectation shared amongst family members and a few of George's university friends until the launch of the internet.

"People suddenly discovered us. We were suddenly everywhere from Peru to Azerbaijan and we discovered that there were all these people who thought Atlantium was a great idea and wanted to be a part of it," he said.

"Our population exploded from about 10 to well over 1000 in the space of a few months."

In 2006 Emperor George acquired part ownership of a property 300km south-west of Sydney and he dubbed it the Province of Aurora.

"We now have a territory that is about twice the size of the Vatican and about half the size of Monaco, so one of the world's smaller countries. We have a government house, a post office and a number of monuments."

Emperor George has used his status as leader of a growing empire - which now has more than 3000 citizens - to push for social change including marriage equality, assisted suicide, abortion rights and unrestricted international movements.

The tiny nation has its own anthem, the Auroran Hymn and its own currency with coins and banknotes.

Emperor George said his neighbours seem to enjoy living next door to the town's "local eccentric".

"My neighbours are perhaps bemused and slightly confused by the fact I'm running my own country across the road from their properties and that I have Australia's only pyramid monument in my backyard," he said.

The emperor dispelled a common misconception that micronations were somehow except from paying taxes based on arcane interpretations of the Magna Carta and ancient laws.

"There is no way that one country can secede legally from the Commonwealth of Australia. The way most micronations disguise this is by declaring their tax payments as 'tribute payments,'" he said.

"Australian maintains sovereignty. We dont believe we are independent of Australia, we say that our territory is sort of like the status or an embassy."

Nine Digital Pty Ltd 2017

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Australia's hidden micronations: It's not the size of the country but how you rule it - 9news.com.au

The first Liberbeer was produced at the end of last year in the Kruohor brewery by a brewer who was recognised in 2016 as the most perspective brewer

The Liberbeer party took place recently in Osijek, hosted by the Fabrique bar&grill, conveniently located in Freedom Square, a logical venue for a beer that celebrates freedom. Liber beer is the official beer of Liberland a self-proclaimed state on the Danube River, in between Croatia and Serbia. It is interesting that Croatia claims Liberland is not part of her territory, and Serbia wants nothing to do with it.

The owner of this beer brand is Czech Jaroslav Falta, also owner of the beer e-shop Pivogrando, craft beer store and bar Galerija Piva and craft beer bar Ale!

Liberland is a controversial topic and some in it see a threat and a factor of permanent instability on this unpredictable geopolitical area, a security danger to the constitutional order, but others see in it an opportunity for tourism development and revitalisation of a demographically and economically devastated area. Micronations are not new, and have coexisted in western, democratic societies for decades, some generating significant economic benefit to the local community. Liberland has become known around the world and gathers hundreds of people at its conferences. Tourism connected with Liberland could generate thousands of overnight stays annually in Osijek and Baranja.

The first Liberbeer was produced at the end of last year in the Kruohor brewery by a brewer who was recognised in 2016 as the most perspective brewer. Jaroslav has the ambition to establish a global network of small breweries with local distribution. Besides the Czech Republic, he is also interested in finding partners in Croatia, Serbia and other countries.

The beer is of excellent quality and made from selected flower cones of hops, and water from Rudna Gora on the Czech-German border. Liberbeer is unfiltered, unpasteurised and contains no artificial additives. Jaroslav says of his beer that it seeks to blend the best traditions of Czech brewers with the global trend of craft beer.

They currently offer two beer styles_ Liberbeer Indian Pale Ale with 6.5% alcohol, and a bitterness of 57 IBU. It contains three types of hops Nelson Sauvin, Summit and Sorachi Ace, and two types of malt Marris Otter and T 50. Liberbeer lager has 5% alcohols and a bitterness of 25 IBU, contains hops Saazar, Sladek and Perle, and malts Pilsner and Munich. Liberbeer is sold in glass bottles of 0.5 and 0.75 litres, plastic bottles of 20 litres and kegs of 30 litres.

The Liberbeer party was visited by large numbers of free-thinking individuals, as well as many beer lovers. The promotion also attracted beer influencers such as Danijel Bouri, co-founder of the first Osijek craft brewery Black Hat and one of the foremost homebrewers in the region.

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Liberbeer Beer with a Taste of Freedom - Total Croatia News

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Principality of Sealand - Peter Kirkland

Aim for it! Sealand will enter the G8!

Sealand: (holding up a fist) My punches are really strong! Do you wanna see?

Ladonia: (panicked) No, don't!

Sealand: Sometimes I ride the goat while swabbing the deck, and that is not a euphemism for anything.

Principality of Seborga

So you must be little Wy! Hmmm, maybe I'll hit on you after a couple hundred years go by.

Principality of Wy

Did you think we're buddies? But I'm different from you... I've been re-cog-ni-zed!

Republic of Kugelmugel

Declaring my independence is...ART!!!!

Republic of Molossia

Sunnovabitch! You formally entered the country?!

Principality of Hutt River

Paying your respects to me, your senior, is simple etiquette, yes?

Republic of Nikko Nikko

A Halloween Party? I certainly would like to go, but I've already withdraw from nation status, so...

Voiced by: Dallas Reid (EN)

Nikko Nikko: If you believe and try your best, your dreams will come true, won't they, Japan?

Japan: What on Earth did you try your best at?!

Ladonia

The only one with the power to gather all the micronations is a true blue like me!

Link:

Micronations / Axis Powers Hetalia - TV Tropes

(Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images)

It started with a tweet about President Trumps decision to pull us out of the Paris Climate Agreement. Professor Chaplin who is the Chair of American Studies Department at Harvard and the James Duncan Phillips Professor, tweeted this:

That tweet somehow got picked up by Senator Ted Cruz, who, in the spirit of curiosity and intellectual inquiry, sought to clarify what Professor Chaplin meant. He asked, Dear Professor Chaplin, your tweet struck me as odd, given that we all usually think of July 4, 1776, as the birth of our nation. Can you clarify what you mean?

Just kidding! He completely dismissed her, and then in the right-wing press, was described as having owned her.

That led to Professor Chaplins clapback:

I jumped in because it was clear that Senator Cruz wasnt looking for intellectual debate, or he wouldnt have started out with the ad hominem and condescension. As one of my colleagues wrote, What did Senator Cruz say that was wrong? My reply was:

And then discussion degenerated. I dont have time to do a thorough statistical analysis, but the vast of majority of replies (at least to me) were insults. There were a few who came to Professor Chaplins defense, seeking to elaborate on her points (if they went to her twitter feed, they would have seen some more discussion). Many came to Senator Cruzs defense. But, at this point, the discussion became partisan, and all hope for any understanding was lost.

So, let me try to sum up the two positions, not doing justice to either side.

A country requires international recognition to exist. I could declare myself the great state of LawProfBlawg, but no one is going to acknowledge my country. I wont be a player on any international arena, and I might very well get invaded. Throughout history there were many nations that lacked international recognition, such as the Republic of Lakotah, the Principality of the Hutt River, or other micronations. Some countries have varying degrees of international recognition, which makes the notion murkier, but it is still a necessary condition for statehood. Professor Chaplin takes a more eloquent position here.

A country begins at conception. Perhaps Orin Kerr said it best in his tweet:

In other words, the Declaration of Independence created the United Colonies, which then undertook a name change on September 9, 1776, to the United States of America. The only trouble here is that the founders spoke of free and independent states, so perhaps then we should be talking about multiple countries. Regardless, by the time of the Articles of Confederation and later the Constitution, it was very clear they were a single country, the good ol US of A.

Blog length makes my summary of both arguments incomplete, with many unanswered questions. For example, was the Confederate States of America a country? It did declare independence, and under the second standard, would have to be historically recognized as a country. Under the first standard, the Confederacy was not a country because it received no international recognition. But there are countries that exist without full international recognition. In short, its murky.

While the answer may be murky a few things about the great debate are clear:

I wondered about the gender implications of the debate. I wondered if this is what it is like to be a female faculty member at a University.

I wonder why Im even calling it a debate. Professor Chaplin was doing what most of us do on Twitter. She wasnt expecting a Cruzian call-out. She was expressing outrage at the United States, a member of the international community since birth, pulling out of that community. Even as other tweeters got involved, it was never a debate. It had all the trappings of the famous Monty Python Argument Clinic.

Thats not the fault of Twitter. Those with differing viewpoints refuse to seek common understanding, as traditional debate becomes an increasingly lost art. The loss will eventually destroy us, if it hasnt already.

UPDATE (2:45 p.m.): After hearing from Senator Cruzs staff members, I must add that I was remiss in not pointing out that Senator Cruz did lay out his argument in two subsequent tweets:

I would characterize this more along the lines of the conception argument, but might eliminate the problem of what to call the Confederacy (because they lost). Ill incorporate my previous assertions to apply to these tweets as well.

LawProfBlawg is an anonymous professor at a top 100 law school. You can see more of his musingshereand onTwitter. Email him atlawprofblawg@gmail.com.

Excerpt from:

When Did We Become A Country? The (Not So) Great Chaplin/Cruz ... - Above the Law

A micronation is an entity intended to replace, resemble, mock, or exist on equal footing with recognised independent state. Some micronations are created with serious intent, while others exist as a hobby or stunt.

Micronations should not be confused with internationally recognised but geographically tiny nations such as Nauru, Vatican City, and Monaco for which the term 'microstate' is used.

The term 'micronation' literally means "small nation". It is a neologism originating in the mid-1990s to describe the many thousands of small unrecognised state-like entities that have mostly arisen since that time. It is generally accepted that the term was invented by Robert Ben Madison.

The term has since also come to be used retrospectively to refer to earlier unrecognised entities, some of which date to as far back as the 19th century. Supporters of micronations use the term "macronation" for any UN-recognized sovereign nation-state.

Micronations generally have a number of common features, although these may vary widely. They may have a structure similar to established sovereign states, including territorial claims, government institutions, official symbols and citizens, albeit on a much smaller scale. Micronations are often quite small, in both their claimed territory and claimed populations although there are some exceptions to this rule, with different micronations having different methods of citizenship. Micronations may also issue formal instruments such as postage stamps, coins, banknotes and passports, and bestow honours and titles of nobility.

A criterion which distinguishes micronations from imaginary countries, eco-villages, campuses, tribes, clans, sects, and residential community associations, is that these entities do not usually seek to be recognised as sovereign.

The Montevideo Convention was one attempt to create a legal definition distinguishing between states and non-states. Some micronations meet this definition, while some do not, and others reject the Convention altogether.

The academic study of micronations and microstates is known as micropatrology, and the hobby of establishing and operating micronations is known as micronationalism.

Micronations have been known to be termed as a 'cybernation', 'fantasy country', 'model country (or nation)', 'new country project', 'pseudonation', 'counternation', 'ephemeral state', 'online nation' and many other variants.

Micronations may also be classified, although many different systems are used across the micronational world. One of the most commonly used systems is the Boodlesmyth-Tallini System of Cclassification.

The 17th century saw the rise to prominence of a world order dominated by the concept of the nation-state, following the Treaty of Westphalia. However, the earliest recognisable micronations can be dated to the 18th century. Most were founded by eccentric adventurers or business speculators, and several were remarkably successful. These include the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, ruled by the Clunies-Ross family, and Sarawak, ruled by the "White Rajas" of the Brooke family. Both were independent personal fiefdoms in all but name, and survived until well into the 20th century.

Less successful were the Kingdom of Araucania and Patagonia (1860-1862) in southern Chile and Argentina, and the Kingdom of Sedang (1888-1890) in French Indochina. The oldest extant micronation to arise in modern times is the Kingdom of Redonda, founded in 1865 in the Caribbean. It failed to establish itself as a sovereign nation-state, but has nonetheless managed to survive into the present day as a unique literary foundation with its own king and aristocracy although it is not without its controversies; there are presently at least four competing claimants to the Redondan throne.

M. C. Harman, owner of the UK island of Lundy in the early decades of the 20th century, issued private coinage and postage stamps for local use. Although the island was ruled as a virtual fiefdom, its owner never claimed to be independent of the United Kingdom. Thus, Lundy can at best be described as a precursor to later territorial micronations.

From at least 954 AD, the town and nearby monastery of Seborga in northern Italy was a self-governing state. However, in 1729 it was supposedly annexed by Sardinia-Piedmont; this is disputed as the Seborgans reviewed the facts and discovered that they had been accidentally left out of every treaty in that area's history due to what has been described as "some kind of clerical error," and even Mussolini admitted that Seborga did not belong to Italy. Thus, in 1995 Seborga asserted independence and currently runs its own affairs.

The 1960s and 1970s saw a 'micronational renaissance', with the foundation of a number of territorial micronations, some of which still persist to this day. The first of these, the Principality of Sealand, was founded in 1967 on an abandoned World War II gun platform in the North Sea, and has endured a military coup, court rulings and rough weather throughout its existence. Others were based on schemes requiring the construction of artificial islands, but only two are known to have risen above sea level.

The Republic of Rose Island was a 400 sq metre platform built in international waters off the Italian town of Rimini, in the Adriatic Sea in 1968. It is reported to have issued stamps, minted currency, and declared Esperanto to be its official language. Shortly after completion, however, it was destroyed by the Italian Navy.

The Republic of Minerva was set up in 1972 as a libertarian new country project by Nevada businessman Michael Oliver. Oliver's group conducted dredging operations at the Minerva Reefs, a shoal located in the Pacific Ocean south of Fiji. They succeeded in creating a small artificial island, but their efforts at securing international recognition met with little success, and near-neighbour Tonga sent a military force to the area and annexed it.

On 1 April 1977, bibliophile Richard Booth, declared the UK town of Hay-on-Wye an "independent republic" with himself as its king. The town has subsequently developed a healthy tourism industry based literary interests, and "King Richard" (whose sceptre consists of a recycled toilet plunger) continues to dole out Hay-on-Wye peerages and honours to anyone prepared to pay for them. The official website for Hay-on-Wye, however, admits that the declaration of independence, along with the later claim to have annexed the USA and renaming it the "US of Hay" were all merely publicity stunts.

Micronationalism has since evolved mainly into hobbies, and with younger participants. Although no all-compassing authority on micronations exists, nor any comprehensive listing, it is known that a number of widely diverse communities and sectors persist throughout the micronational world, often on the internet.

The internet provided micronationalism with a new outlet, and the number of entities able to be termed as micronations skyrocketed the beginning of the twenty-first century as a result. Exact figures may never be known, but it is thought that many thousands of micronations now exist throughout the world. However, with this new outlet of the internet came a large anomaly between micronationalists and micronations. Before the advent of micronationalism on the internet, micronations were few and far between, and were able to coax many hundreds of people in their citizenry. At present, most micronations are 'One-man micronations' or 'Egostans', with only one or two people being citizens of the micronation.

The majority are based in English-speaking countries, but a significant minority arose elsewhere in other countries as well.

In the present day, the following categories are generally accepted as being standard:

Micronations of the first type tend to be fairly serious in outlook, involve sometimes significant numbers of relatively mature participants, and often engage in highly sophisticated, structured activities that emulate the operations of real-world nations. A few examples of these include:

These micronations also tend to be fairly serious, and involve significant numbers of people interested in recreating the past, especially the Roman or Mediaeval past, and living it in a vicarious way. Examples of these include:

With literally thousands in existence, micronations of this type are by far the most common. They are ephemeral, and tend to be Internet-based, rarely surviving more than a few months, although there are notable exceptions. They generally involve a handful of people, and are concerned primarily with arrogating to their founders the outward symbols of statehood. The use of grand-sounding titles, awards, honours, and heraldic symbols derived from European feudal traditions, and the conduct of 'wars' with other micronations, are common manifestations of their activities. Examples include:

Micronations of this type include stand-alone artistic projects, deliberate exercises in creative online and offline fiction, artistic creations, and even popular films. Examples include:

These types of micronations are typically associated with a political or social reform agenda. Some are maintained as media and public relations exercises. Examples of this type include:

A number of micronations have been established for fraudulent purposes, by seeking to link questionable or illegal financial actions with seemingly legitimate nations. Some examples of these are:

A small number of micronations are founded with genuine aspirations to be sovereign states. Many are based on historical anomalies or eccentric interpretations of law, and tend to be easily confused with established states. These types of micronations are usually located in small (usually disputed) territorial enclaves, generate limited economic activity founded on tourism, philatelic and numismatic sales, and are at best tolerated or at worst ignored by other nations. This category includes:

New-country projects are attempts to found completely new nation-states. They typically involve plans to construct artificial islands (few of which are ever realised), and a large percentage have embraced or purported to embrace libertarian or democratic principles. Examples include:

Seasteading is a lifestyle of making the oceans, or at least water-borne craft, one's home. Most seasteads historically have been sailing craft, whether perhaps demonstrated by the Chinese Junk, modified canoes of Oceania, or even the famous Pirates of Libertaria. In modern times in the west the cruising sailboat has begun to be used in the same manner. The term seasteading is of uncertain origin, used at least as early as the turn of the century by Uffa Fox, and others; many feel that catamaran designer and historian James Wharram and his designs represent ideal seasteads. More recently, American sailor and ecological philosopher Jerome FitzGerald has been a leading and effective proponent of seasteading, mostly teaching the concept through the environmental/sailing organization "The Oar Club". The Seasteader's Institute in Hilo, Hawaii offers classes, boat-building opportunities, education in forage foods, diving, and other aspects of a Seasteading lifestyle.

Some theoretical seasteads are floating platforms which could be used to create sovereign micronations, or otherwise serve the ends of ocean colonization. The concept is introduced in a paper by Wayne Gramlich, and later in a book by Gramlich, Patri Friedman and Andy House, which is available for free online. Their research aims at a more practical approach to developing micronations, based on currently available technology and a pragmatic approach to financial aspects.

The authors argue that seasteading has the potential to drastically lower the barrier to entry to the governing industry. This allows for more experimentation and innovation with varying social, political, and economic systems. Potential business opportunities include data havens, offshore aquaculture, and casinos, as well as the gamut of typical business endeavors.

There has been a small but growing amount of attention paid to the micronation phenomenon in recent years. Most interest in academic circles has been concerned with studying the apparently anomalous legal situations affecting such entities as Sealand and the Hutt River Province, in exploring how some micronations represent grassroots political ideas, and in the creation of role-playing entities for instructional purposes.

In 2000, Professor Fabrice O'Driscoll, of the Aix-Marseille University, published a book about micronations: Ils ne sigent pas l'ONU ("They are not in the United Nations"), with more than 300 pages dedicated to the subject.

Several recent publications have dealt with the subject of particular historic micronations, including Republic of Indian Stream (University Press), by Dartmouth College geographer Daniel Doan, The Land that Never Was, about Gregor MacGregor, and the Principality of Poyais, by David Sinclair (ISBN 0-7553-1080-2).

In May 2000, an article in the New York Times entitled "Utopian Rulers, and Spoofs, Stake Out Territory Online" brought the phenomenon to a wider audience for the first time. Similar articles were published by newspapers such as the French Liberation, the Italian La Repubblica, the Greek "Ta Nea", by O Estado de So Paulo in Brazil, and Portugal's Viso at around the same time.

The Democratic Empire of Sunda, which claims to be the Government of the Kingdom of Sunda (an ancient kingdom, in present-day Indonesia) in exile in Switzerland, made media headlines when two so-called princesses, Lamia Roro Wiranatadikusumah Siliwangi Al Misri, 21, and Fathia Reza Wiranatadikusumah Siliwangi Al Misiri, 23, were detained by Malaysian authorities at the border with Brunei, on 13 July 2007, and are charged for entering the country without a valid pass.

In August 2003 a Summit of Micronations took place in Helsinki at Finlandia Hall, the site of the Conference for Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE). The summit was attended by delegations such as the Principality of Sealand, Neue Slowenische Kunst|NSK, Ladonia, the Transnational Republic, and by scholars from various academic institutions.

From 7 November through 17 December 2004, the Reg Vardy Gallery at the University of Sunderland hosted an exhibition on the subject of micronational group identity and symbolism. The exhibition focused on numismatic, philatelic and vexillological artefacts, as well as other symbols and instruments created and used by a number of micronations from the 1950s through to the present day. A summit of micronations conducted as part of this exhibition was attended by representatives of Sealand, Elgaland-Vargaland, New Utopia, Atlantium, Frestonia and Fusa. The exhibition was reprised at the Andrew Kreps Gallery in New York City from 24 June29 July of the following year. Another exhibition about micronations opened at Paris' Palais de Tokyo in early 2007.

The Sunderland summit was later featured in a 5-part BBC light entertainment television series called "How to Start Your Own Country" presented by Danny Wallace. The series told the story of Wallace's experience of founding a micronation, Lovely, located in his London flat. It screened in the UK in August 2005. Similar programs have also aired on television networks in other parts of Europe.

On 9 September 2006, The Guardian newspaper reported that the travel guide company Lonely Planet had published the world's first travel guide devoted to micronations, the Lonely Planet Guide to Home-Made Nations (ISBN 1741047307).

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Micronation - MicroWiki

By David MurdockSpecial to The Times

There are certain subjects that hold an inexplicable fascination for me. I have no idea why or where or when, for example, I became fascinated with rock strata. I am, though. Love em. Ive actually traveled just to see interesting rock strata. Luckily, Etowah County comes equipped with seemingly endless strata, so I stay pretty well satisfied in that department.

Some of these fascinations become subjects of columns. Ive written two columns on roadkill over the years, for example. How many times Ive rhapsodized about the sky night, cloudy or otherwise lies beyond easy recollection. How many times have I gone on about the birds and animals in my yard or the view from the front porch? I quit counting.

There are others I have never mentioned in the column my endless fascination with whaling, for example. That one, at least, makes some sense since Herman Melvilles Moby-Dick is not only one of my favorite novels, but one I teach several times a year. To mimic Melvilles phrasing, subjects like whaling have become fascinadoes to me seemingly unrelated subjects that trigger endless research. However, I recently decided to do something about some of the more odd ones that dont fit anywhere in the college classes I teach. I usually lead a class at the University of Alabamas Osher Lifelong Learning Institute every term, typically on a literary or cultural topic, but Ive decided to do something more quirky for the summer term. Were calling it Daves Summer Grab Bag, and the course begins at 3 p.m. Wednesday with one of my weirder topics, micronations.

A few years ago, I started tracking micronations in the press. A micronation is a legally non-existent country that has been formed for any of a variety of reasons by ... well ... dreamers, I guess. The most famous one near here is The Conch Republic. Back in the 1980s, the island of Key West seceded from the United States as a protest against a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint that the locals found burdensome. This protest was mostly for the sake of humor, a political satire, but it quickly became a tourist draw, and the Conch Republic currently issues souvenir passports that some people mistakenly believe are real.

Other micronations are sincere attempts to secede from host countries and form ideal governments, and still more were formed for a variety of other reasons (some not always benign). Anyway, I read any article on micronations I stumble across.

Well continue the next week with invasive species plants and animals either knowingly or unknowingly introduced to non-native environments that have since taken over or otherwise become an issue. Think kudzu.

Next up my fascinado with sleeping and dreaming. Im still pursuing the ideal, perfect nap, and I may be on the verge of a breakthrough in my research. Just the other day, I napped past my bedtime. I literally woke up 45 minutes after I usually go to sleep and didnt quite know what to do. So, I watched a movie and went back to sleep. I was just a little exhausted that day. Sleeping and dreaming has been a subject of interest for me since my days as a psychology student, so that ones quite old.

After that, a more recent one the city of Alexandria. Not the one down the highway, the one in Egypt. And not the Alexandria of today, but the Alexandria of antiquity, the one with the ancient worlds most impressive library.

From there, well look at ruins and abandoned places in general. Thats also a recent fascinado for me, dating back to a trip I took a couple of years ago when I stumbled across the Windsor Ruins during my meandering in Mississippi. That experience was profoundly moving, even spiritual, so I never pass up a good ruin or abandoned place now in my travels. Theres even a wish list of places to visit.

Lastly, the granddaddy of all my fascinados dating to my childhood Native American mounds. I wrote an article about them for Gadsden Style a while back, and Ill be giving a talk about my visits to all the nearby mound structures to finish the Grab Bag.

Please come out and join us at OLLI, which offers an opportunity to learn new things, meet new people and go to new places. There are no tests, no homework and no degrees required. For information on how to join OLLI and sign up for sessions, either call 205-348-6482 or contact Shirley Dupont at 256-442-3769. I hope to see yall there.

A correction to last weeks column on the Battle of Midway: Ensign George Gays squadron consisted of 15 Devastator torpedo bombers, not 10 as appeared in the article. Its odd, I had the correct number in the first draft and, for some reason, corrected it. The error is mine.

David Murdock is an English instructor at Gadsden State Community College. He can be contacted at murdockcolumn@yahoo.com. The opinions reflected are his own.

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DAVID MURDOCK: On fascinating things - Gadsden Times

With several important qualifications, a micronation is any entity which purports to be or has the appearance of being a sovereign state but isnt. Micronations are typically created and maintained by one person or family. Many exist solely on the internet, or in the imagination of their creators. Some have a more corporeal existence, making ambit claims over, or occasionally even physically occupying defined geographical locations albeit often tiny, remote or uninhabitable ones and producing physical artefacts such as stamps, coins, banknotes, passports, medals and flags. Micronations are generally viewed as ephemeral, eccentric and somewhat amusing by most external observers. Micronations should not to be confused with, which are small extant sovereign states such as the Andorra, Kiribati, Monaco, Nauru, San Marino and the Vatican. Nor should they be confused with, or exile government groups, which typically have many hundreds or thousands of active supporters, and are often engaged in armed campaigns in support of their aims against the governments of one or more sovereign states. The purpose of this website is to serve as a portal to the world of micronations, document the micronation phenomenon in as objective, accurate, comprehensive and accessible a manner as possible, and to facilitate communication between micronationalists and those interested in micronations.

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List Of MicroNations No Trouble - Don't Mess