The Sinking of Tuvalu
April 28, 2004 1:41 PM Subscribe
It's sad and strange tale. Maybe the Tuvalans could move to SeaLand?
It's just like WaterWorld. Only without Kevin Costner.
Maybe they could buy some barges and drift around off the coastlines of mainland countries, commuting to mainland day jobs in fast powerboats? ........or :
Is their national sovereignty attached to their sinking island ? Or is it portable and - if so - could they just find an investor to loan them the money for a big yacht, hover just beyond the declared territorial waters of whatever country, and run a libertarian gambling casino like some American Indian tribes now do, except with drugs and prostitution as well ? Couldn't they also host a sleazy international bank, like the infamous BCCI ?
Just thinking out loud.
posted by troutfishing at 2:16 PM on April 28, 2004
It's just like WaterWorld. Only without Kevin Costner.
Maybe they could buy some barges and drift around off the coastlines of mainland countries, commuting to mainland day jobs in fast powerboats? ........or :
Is their national sovereignty attached to their sinking island ? Or is it portable and - if so - could they just find an investor to loan them the money for a big yacht, hover just beyond the declared territorial waters of whatever country, and run a libertarian gambling casino like some American Indian tribes now do, except with drugs and prostitution as well ? Couldn't they also host a sleazy international bank, like the infamous BCCI ?
Just thinking out loud.
posted by troutfishing at 2:16 PM on April 28, 2004
just sinking out loud, troutfishing.
Yes, I am going to hell for this.
posted by blindcarboncopy at 2:29 PM on April 28, 2004
Yes, I am going to hell for this.
posted by blindcarboncopy at 2:29 PM on April 28, 2004
This already happened to Andy Kaufman's native island nation, Caspiar.
posted by bingo at 2:39 PM on April 28, 2004
posted by bingo at 2:39 PM on April 28, 2004
Most people who live in Tuvalu will probably move here (New Zealand). There would already be more people from Tuvalu in Auckland than on the island (and I imagine that goes for Niue and Tokelau too).
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 2:47 PM on April 28, 2004
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 2:47 PM on April 28, 2004
languagehat, thanks for the previous posts. In case anyone skiped reading it because they know the story, Maney is a great writer it's a pretty funny article and it has some recent updates.
trout, BCCI.. good idea for white collar criminals banished to sinking islands. Pirates used to do that, leave someone at low tide on a sand bank as high tide comes in they drown. They would leave a pistol with a single shot to be nice.
joe's_spleen, somehow seems appropriate New Zealand would host the population of the worlds first virtual country given it recently created the worlds most elaborate virtual world.
posted by stbalbach at 4:41 PM on April 28, 2004
trout, BCCI.. good idea for white collar criminals banished to sinking islands. Pirates used to do that, leave someone at low tide on a sand bank as high tide comes in they drown. They would leave a pistol with a single shot to be nice.
joe's_spleen, somehow seems appropriate New Zealand would host the population of the worlds first virtual country given it recently created the worlds most elaborate virtual world.
posted by stbalbach at 4:41 PM on April 28, 2004
All these pacific micro-states amaze me. So determined to be independent nations (often with populations less than that of my university campus) in their own right, when it would be so much easier on their lives to give up sovereignty to Australia or New Zealand. That's patriotism.
posted by Jimbob at 6:56 PM on April 28, 2004
posted by Jimbob at 6:56 PM on April 28, 2004
Damn, I forgot to make snide remarks about how much control Nauru has already given to Australia.
posted by Jimbob at 7:01 PM on April 28, 2004
posted by Jimbob at 7:01 PM on April 28, 2004
the dot-com bust story of the .tv domain is interesting, but the island sinking just makes me ask - how much longer can the US administration pretend global warming doesn't exist? tuvalu is sinking, 40% less ice cover in the arctic, hudson bay not freezing fast enough for polar bears to maintain presence in churchill, ross ice shelf goes caput... i mean, seriously: how the hell can anyone look at the evidence and not be concerned?
we aren't all on low-lying pacific islands, but large parts of the US are near sea level. guess we won't really care until the submarine ride at disneyworld is done with an actual submarine.
posted by caution live frogs at 9:49 AM on April 29, 2004
we aren't all on low-lying pacific islands, but large parts of the US are near sea level. guess we won't really care until the submarine ride at disneyworld is done with an actual submarine.
posted by caution live frogs at 9:49 AM on April 29, 2004
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posted by languagehat at 1:50 PM on April 28, 2004