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| Waaaaay
Offshore These autonomous freezones have no shores |
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| When you sit back, close your
eyes, and imagine the first successful autonomous freezone, the first thing
that comes to mind is probably at least 10 miles square – and on solid
ground. That’s not the picture that is being drawn at this moment.
The Principality of Sealand – located 6 miles to the east of England is
a WW2 guntower in operation as a data haven. |
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| Although the country is too small
for a colony of any size, it is becoming a refuge from regulators of all
stripes - an internet refuge, that is. Now offering anonymous remailers,
mailing list servers, and a referrals program, Sealand has some high-profile
backers including Avi Freedman of Akamai and Sameer Parekh of C2Net Software.
Most of its current clients are in the areas of finance and casinos. Rather
than administering internet servers, Sealand lets its clients do their
own administration, and would prefer to sell a rack to a hosting company
and resell the service. Single server packages currently start at $750
per month. |
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| Another coast-less autonomous freezone
project that seems to be making some headway is Freedomship. |
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| On January 12th
and 13th, a free “Meet the Management” conference was held at
the Belleview Biltmore Hotel in Clearview, Florida. The event is said to
have attracted a wide audience - including backers and aficionados. |
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| Interested parties were offered
the opportunity for individual meetings with company brass. A 12-foot
model was on display. The Freedomship - which will be built offshore -
is being marketed as an offshore city. |
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| Over 4/5ths of a mile long (4500
linear feet), this multi-level barge will slowly circle the globe and
remain within international waters. Airplanes and boats will bring residents
to shore and visitors aboard to visit its gigantic duty-free shopping mall
and other attractions – including a library, hospital, schools, banks,
10,000 hotel rooms, restaurants, warehouses, manufacturing enterprises,
parks, waterfalls, aquariums, the stern marina, &c. |
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| To date, over 8 years and
15,000 man-hours have been put into concept development, feasibility and
marketing studies, engineering design, construction site searches, and
financial analyses. The company employs 4 full timers and 100 individuals
assisting on a part time basis. |
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| Perhaps the most exciting news
regarding floating cities is The World of ResidenSea – the first residential
cruise ship. The World is scheduled to depart Oslo this month, and cruise
to exciting ports throughout the world – following the sun’s annual vertical
transit so as to remain in the most pleasant climate. |
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| While docked, The World will
serve as a premiere resort in a prized location – the marina. This community
sets itself well apart from the rest. In order to qualify for a residence
you will need a net worth of at least $5 million. That’s supply and demand
folks. Not to worry. More vessels are in the cards. |
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| John Kosanke
is a founder of the libertarian freenation movement, the director of Las
Portades, and the creator and editor of FreeNation Update, a webzine dedicated
to providing current information about anarcho-capitalism. FreeNation
Update is in its 3rd issue, online. |
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