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https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20260330-slowjamastan-the-worlds-newest-nation-youve-never-heard-of>
“Between the date palm farms of California's Coachella Valley and the Mexican
border, a sunburnt stretch of desert the colour of worn khakis extends as far
as the eye can see. This arid no-man's land is dotted with knee-high scrub
bushes and spindly branches. The air vibrates with the steady hiss of insects.
And shimmering in the distance, there's a submarine.
This is The Republic of Slowjamastan, the world's youngest micronation. Spread
across 11 acres that unspool like a long ballad, these scorched badlands occupy
territory drivers typically pass without a second glance. Yet, step inside and
the real world slips away. In this "country", Crocs are constitutionally
banned. Reply-all emails are forbidden by law. Speeding is permitted, but only
if you're racing home with tacos. The national animal is the raccoon.
At the centre of it all is Randy Williams – also known as the "Sultan of
Slowjamastan". When he's not lording over coyotes, desert iguanas and roughly
25,000 "citizens" who call his desert dictatorship home, he's the programme
director for Z90 and Magic 92.5 radio stations in San Diego and is known across
the airwaves as "R Dub". Since 1994, he has also hosted the radio show
Sunday
Night Slow Jams, which is now syndicated to more than 250 stations worldwide.
A passionate traveller, Williams spent years on a quest to visit every United
Nations-recognised country. By early 2020, he was down to one final stop. Then
the world went into lockdown. Grounded like everyone else during the global
pandemic, Williams was restless. There was too much time and nowhere to go, but
his mind continued to move at the speed of a jet plane. That's when it occurred
to him: "If I can't visit another country, why not create one?"”
Via Susan ****
Share and enjoy,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
