Episode Summary:

First, Celestia gets her aura read at a trade show, and then we talk about National Science Appreciation Day, Banksy being unmasked, and the continued fallout from Marq Evans’ movie “Capturing Bigfoot.” For our main segment, we dive into micronations. This wide array of self-declared states showcase many strange topics we love to examine: hoaxes, ostension, performance art, crime, cosplay, cults, tourism, and a touch of mental illness. From purported do-gooders like Greenpeace and even, believe it or not, Uri Geller, to criminals hoping to evade taxes or regulation, there are so many motivations for people to purchase, build, or claim some island and design themselves a flag. Got no land? No problem! You can occupy the open sea, a raft, a platform, a glacier, outer space or cyberspace! Or a transient realm like the space between sleeping and wakefulness. Why not! We look at a few examples from the different categories of micronations, and then Celestia and Ben recount being in a micronation themselves last year (which neither realized existed until now).