Category Archives: Sealand

Many people are putting up their Christmas trees already and windows are beginning fill up with festive decorations.

The only downside to getting in the spirit this early is keeping your tree looking fresh until the New Year - especially if it is real one.

Fortunately, there are some tips that can help keep your tree in pristine condition for weeks.

And there is one important hack that can be a real help stop needles turning brown and dropping off, according to experts from Scottish Christmas Trees.

Simply cutting off a few centimetres of your tree base can break the 'natural seal'. This means water is absorbed more easily, stopping needles from dropping or turning brown before the festivities are over.

People are advised to put their Christmas tree in water as soon as they get home before cutting the base in a bid to make it last up to six weeks.

Most species of Christmas trees can only last for around six to eight hours without water after a fresh cut - so it's important to keep it hydrated.

Once you get the tree home, keep it in a bucket filled with water in a cool location away from heat - such as radiators - or cold draughts.

The tree may drink anything between two pints to a gallon of water a day and could dry out and die if it is neglected.

Scottish Christmas Trees have come up with a handy checklist on their website to ensure your real tree looks healthy for weeks:

See the article here:

Vital Christmas tree hack that 'breaks seal' and keeps it alive until New Year - Scottish Daily Record

By lying about his vaccination status, Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Brown put his teammates at risk, made a fool of his head coach and embarrassed the entire Tampa Bay organization.

Head coach Bruce Arians and general manager Jason Licht have only one course of action: cut Brown from the team.

The Buccaneers made the decision last season that they could live with the alleged sexual misconduct, harassment and assault claims against Brown when they signed him last October. After all, Tom Brady wanted him there and believed Brown would fly straight under his watch.

In November 2020, Arians stated that Brown was on a strict "one strike and you're out" policy with the Buccaneers.

"He's been a model citizen," Arians told SiriusXM at the time. "If and when he's not, we'll move on. He knows that. Our team knows that. I don't really think we're going to have any problems. We haven't had any so far and I really would not anticipate any."

When Brown was first alleged to have asked for and received a fake vaccination card, Arians was indignant that not only was it untrue but that it had nothing to do with football.

"None whatsoever," Arians said. "We did our due diligence. The league will do theirs. The statement says everything. I really don't think it's a story, and it has nothing to do with theGiantsgame."

He further claimed the allegation was a non-story on the Rich Eisen Show.

"There is no story. Yeah, [Brown] says he's vaccinated and has a card, just like everybody else on our football team," Arians told Eisen. "There's a trust factor that goes along with it, and we did our due diligence on everybody. The league will look into the matter and do their due diligence, but it's really no story."

Arians now looks foolish for taking Brown at his word. The team's medical staff looks equally foolish for being duped by a fake vaccination card when the league investigation found not just one but three cards all to have been forged.

Comparisons have already started between Brown and Aaron Rodgers. There's a massive difference between the two situations. It seems most, if not all, of Rodgers' teammates and coaches knew he was unvaccinated. The league did as well. Rodgers, according to the league's investigation, adhered to the protocols for unvaccinated players a large majority of the time. He chose to be intentionally misleading when asked publicly so that he could avoid being asked more questions.

Brown lied to his teammates, his coaches and the team's medical staff. He went through the building and enjoyed the perks (at least in the NFL) of being considered a vaccinated individual. These two situations aren't even particularly similar.

Not to mention ... this is a federal offense. Jail time is unlikely, but a fine and/or probation is possible should the government decide to bring Brown up on charges. You could argue he's the highest-profile name in America to have been found using a fake vaccination card so far. According to the FBI's website, using a fake COVID-19 vaccine card is "unauthorized use of a government agency's seal" and a violation of federal law.

It would be difficult, from a football perspective, to release Brown. He has two 100-yard receiving games this season and looked to be returning to his old self before his ankle injury sidelined him in October. The Bucs, who are 5-0 this season with Brown in the lineup and 3-3 without, want to repeat as Super Bowl champions, and they'd have a better shot at doing that with Brown than without.

The Bucs also couldn't retain Brown while cutting safety Mike Edwards, who along with Brown and former Bucs receiver and current free agent John Franklin III, was found to have also used a fake vaccination card. Cutting Edwards and not releasing Brown would be a naked admission that Brown is too important to release no matter if he violated federal law, lied to his team and put teammates' health and safety at risk.

But at some point enough is enough. Several NFL teams had decided "enough" on Brown last season. The Bucs figured he was worth it, and on the field, he was.

Now his immaturity and selfishness have embarrassed another franchise, and there's only one way the Buccaneers should turn.

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Antonio Brown shouldn't get a pass this time around after duping Buccaneers regarding COVID vaccination - CBSSports.com

Established by the Legislature on Jan. 6 and approved by Governor Charlie Baker days later the commissions focus is Massachusetts 19th-century seal, which depicts a colonists arm holding a sword above the image of an Algonquian warrior. Its draped by a Latin motto that roughly translates to: By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty.

The current iteration of the imagery was established by the Legislature in 1885, but has long been criticized by Native Americans and others as a racist depiction of oppression and a memorialization of the slaughter and attempted genocide of indigenous people.

When lawmakers adopted language creating the commission during the waning hours of their last two-year session, they realized a proposal former state Representative Byron Rushing had first pushed in the 1980s.

Our nations history has been pretty one-sided for a pretty long time. Thats the whole point of why were here. We have been overlooked for over 400 years, Brian Weeden, chairman of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, told his fellow commission members during a meeting Nov. 18.

It has left the commissions members with a high-profile task: to study features of the 136-year-old seal that may be unwittingly harmful and make recommendations for a new or revised design.

The panels goal is to ensure the motto and seal emblazoned across everything from the state flag to countless reams of state government stationery faithfully reflect and embody the historic and contemporary commitments of the commonwealth to peace, justice, liberty and equality, according to the language.

Thats a mouthful. Thats a lot to do, said Melissa (Harding) Ferretti, chairwoman and president of the Herring Pond Wampanoag Tribe and a commission member. I dont think were totally clear ourselves what well see in the end. We dont want to erase our vision from the seal or the flag, and further erase us from that picture. At the same time, it would be wonderful to see something more respectful.

The shorthanded commission has yet to dig into its charge in earnest. Despite a March deadline to make selections for the commission, Baker didnt submit the last of his five choices until late August. State Senator Bruce E. Tarr, the chambers minority leader, has yet to name his only appointee to whats supposed to be a 19-person panel. (A spokesman for the Gloucester Republican said he hopes to have his pick wrapped up very soon.)

There have been other logistical challenges, spurred in part by the lingering COVID-19 pandemic. The commissions meeting on Nov. 18 was its first since mid-July, the only other time its convened. And while members voted to establish co-chairpersons including one from a tribal community the commission has yet to select who theyll be.

In the interim, the panel missed an Oct. 1 deadline to produce its recommendations. The state Senate passed language resetting it for July 31, but lawmakers tucked the change into a sweeping $3.8 billion spending package that remains tied up in closed-door negotiations.

That means getting a new date has, too, been delayed.

State Representative Nika C. Elugardo, a Jamaica Plain Democrat who co-sponsored a bill to create the commission, said she believes a strong end result is still more important than the commissions speed, though she acknowledged slow progress can be frustrating and should be frustrating.

If it is a tortoise and hare situation, the tortoise wins the race, said Elugardo, who doesnt sit on the panel but has tracked its progress. What we dont want is a mule that comes to a dead stop.

Setbacks have been common, if not the rule, for legislatively created commissions. A panel created to weigh expanding the public records law, for example, disbanded at the end of 2018 after two years and one extension without an agreement. A separate commission created under last years police accountability law to study Massachusetts civil service statute didnt hold its first meeting on time.

Ive never sat on a commission thats met a deadline, said state Representative David T. Vieira, a Falmouth Republican and a state seal commission member.

Still, he questioned whether an extension to July 31 even will provide enough time. If its going to be done right, we need to engage the public, Vieira said. I also dont think its something that can be done in a handful of months.

Commission members, all volunteers, also are grappling with what their actual charge involves: to recommend elements for a new seal and motto, or to design a new version for lawmakers and the governor to consider. Some doubt the latter is possible.

We dont have the expertise to do that, Leonid Kondratiuk, director of historical services and militia affairs for the Massachusetts National Guard and a gubernatorial appointee, said at the Nov. 18 meeting.

State Representative Antonio F. D. Cabral, a New Bedford Democrat, has informally convened the commissions first two meetings as the House chairman of the Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight. But he said its unfair to expect the committee staff to also do all the legwork the commission would need.

If were going to do this in a very professional way . . . then its going to require staff support. Its going to require, probably, some kind of budget to accommodate what needs to be done, Cabral said at the meeting, suggesting Bakers appointees could appeal directly to him.

A spokeswoman for Bakers office declined to comment.

Cabral, who is also a commission member, said in a statement that his committee would continue to offer support and resources to help the panel. The task of examining the state seal and motto might not be easy and might require facing some unpleasant truths of our history and, at times, that may be uncomfortable, he said. But I feel this conversation is important.

Matt Stout can be reached at matt.stout@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @mattpstout.

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Nearly a year later, panel rethinking Massachusetts state seal is behind schedule and still shorthanded - The Boston Globe

A new advertising campaign aims to raise awareness about the cultural importance and benefits of Canadian seal products.

The campaign, from national non-profit the Seals and Sealing Network, began on November 8. It includes a series of blog posts and videos highlighting the sustainability of seal harvesting and the health and community benefits of seal oil, meat, and fur.

There was a lot of misinformation throughout the past decades about seal and seal products, Romy Vaugeois, national coordinator of the network, told Cabin Radio of the project.

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We need to start by educating Canadians about the fact that seals are not extinct, theyre abundant but also that seal products exist, and theyre out there, and theyre really good for health and for the environment.

Vaugeois said though the campaign is nationwide, it particularly targets Ontario and Quebec, as surveys indicate those provinces are the biggest markets open to seal products.

Gerri Sharpe, an Inuk artist and advocate who lives in Yellowknife, is featured in one of the campaigns videos. She explains seal is important to her as she is from Gjoa Haven, Nunavut, where people are known as Netsilingmiut, or people of the seal.

I am of the seal, she told Cabin Radio.

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Sharpe hopes the video will help people see the sustainability behind seal, the importance that seals have to Inuit, and how sales of seal products can benefit Inuit artists and communities.

She also expects the campaign to help in the fight to lift bans on the import of seal products in the European Union and United States.

Though the import of seal products is banned across the EU, there is an exemption for products harvested by Indigenous hunters. Those products are required to have certification from the Nunavut, Northwest Territories, or Greenland governments.

A report published by the European Commission in 2020, reported by Nunatsiaq News, found the exemption had done little to alleviate the bans negative impact on northern economies.

Alongside the ad campaign, the Seals and Sealing Network administers Proudly Indigenous Crafts and Designs, an e-commerce platform for seal fur and leather products made by Indigenous artists. The platform has partnered with NWT Arts.

Johanna Tiemessen, the NWT governments manager of arts programming and traditional economy, said northern artists on the platform had seen more traffic to their websites and social media since the sites launch, which was helped by an influencer campaign.

The influencers, who are on TikTok and have social media platforms and a huge following, become spokespeople for the use of seal and the sustainable use of seal, and the cultural aspect of it, she said.

Tiemessen said the campaign is important as Indigenous harvesting practices have been negatively impacted by colonization, bans on seal products, and a decline in support for the fur industry.

This is an opportunity for seal, the use of seal, the cultural importance of seal, and the ability to make an economic income, she said.

Thats really important to Indigenous peoples who use seal.

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Originally posted here:

Ad campaign urges people to 'see the sustainability behind seal' - Cabin Radio

I love pumpkin pie -- but not just any pumpkin pie.

It has to be my mother's pumpkin pie, made with her unique thick and dry crust, and it has to be enjoyed only on Thanksgiving Day.

It's a Purcell family tradition, after all, and tradition is the reason Thanksgiving is my favorite American holiday.

The very first recorded Thanksgiving occurred in November 1621 when the Plymouth colonists enjoyed their first corn harvest and invited the Wampanoag to share a three-day feast to give thanks for their bounty and to express their gratitude to the tribe for helping them adapt to, and survive in, the new land.

According to History.com, there's some controversy over the first Thanksgiving.

Similar events may have taken place earlier in other parts of North America and, given the bloody conflict among Native Americans and European settlers that took place over many years, there's also disagreement about how peaceful and friendly the first thanksgiving really was.

For the next few centuries, as America flourished, individual colonies and states celebrated various kinds of thanksgiving events.

It didn't become an official holiday until 1863, when, in the midst of the destructive Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November.

It didn't take much time after that for Thanksgiving to evolve into its current customs and formalities.

My great grandfather, who came to America from Ireland in the 1880s and his wife, whose parents came from Alsace Lorraine, likely celebrated it the same way my extended family still celebrates it.

They ate too much turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry sauce and fresh-made muffins.

They found room for a piece of pie covered in whipped cream, then sat around the messy dinner table sipping coffee, talking and laughing and feeling thankful for their bounty.

Their tradition didn't involve NFL football games, as ours now does, nor my mother's version of pumpkin pie.

Truth be told, the staples that many of us enjoy each Turkey Day were not a part of the first Thanksgiving.

In 1641, when Governor Bradford wrote a book about the history of the Plymouth settlement, he described the bountiful spread at the first Thanksgiving.

He wrote that the settlers and the Wampanoag consumed geese, duck and venison -- and likely lobster, seal and swans.

They had no potatoes, since they didn't yet grow in North America.

There was no cranberry sauce, because the colonists didn't begin boiling berries with sugar until 1671.

There wasn't any bread because they had no ovens. And though pumpkins were plentiful, it's doubtful they had the butter and wheat flour they needed to make pie crust.

So how did the country end up with a day devoted to gorging ourselves on turkey and all the fixings?

In the late 1840s through the 1860s Sarah Josepha Hale, an editor of a popular magazine, lobbied hard to have Thanksgiving proclaimed a national holiday. She succeeded.

She also published many recipes that featured the turkey and trimmings that are now the core of the traditional Thanksgiving meal.

But the specifics of how we arrived at our annual Thanksgiving feast are not so important.

What's important is that the day always be a common celebration that unites Americans -- a day in which we honor past generations and pass on our shared, ever-evolving rituals to the next.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have a piece of pumpkin pie to devour!

Tom Purcell is an author and humor columnist for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Email him at [emailprotected]

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A tradition to be thankful for - El Dorado News-Times

Current Prince of Sealand

Michael Bates

Bates in 2015

Michael Roy Bates

Notable work

Lorraine Wheeler

Michael Roy Bates (born 2 August 1952), also known as Prince Michael of Sealand, is a British businessman and self-published author. He operates a micronation[1] called the Principality of Sealand, which he inherited from his parents Paddy Roy Bates and Joan Bates. He has claimed the title "Prince of Sealand" since 2012.[2]

Michael Bates was born to Roy and Joan Bates on 2 August 1952. On 24 December 1966,[3] at the age of 14, Michael joined his father Roy in occupying HM Fort Roughs, where they established a pirate radio station.[4] Michael left his boarding school to visit the platform and ended up never going back, stating, "I thought it was a six-week adventure, not 34 years."[5] On 2 September 1967, Roy declared sovereignty over the platform, and moved his family permanently to Sealand, including wife Joan, son Michael, and daughter Penelope.[4] Michael was a key participant in the battle to retake Sealand from the perpetrators of an attempted coup.[citation needed]

On whether Sealand is a sovereign state, Bates stated, "We have never asked for recognition, and weve never felt the need to ask for recognition. You don't have to have recognition to be a state, you just have to fulfill the criteria of the Montevideo Convention which is population, territory, government and the capacity to enter into negotiation with other states. We can and we have done all these things. We've had the German ambassador visit at one point to discuss something: that was defacto recognition. We've had communication with the president of France many years ago, but we have never asked for recognition and we dont feel we need it."[6]

In 2015, Bates published a memoir about his experiences with Sealand called Principality of Sealand: Holding the Fort.[7] Bates presented a discussion of his book at Estuary 2016, an art, literature, music and film festival.[8]

In September 2017, Bates held a dinner to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Sealand, stating, "We're perhaps the most undemanding state in the world. We don't force anybody to worship any god or religion or anything. Maybe that's why we've lasted so long. Hopefully I'll be around for the next 50!"[9]

Bates resides in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, within the United Kingdom. He wanted his three children to attend English schools.[6]

Bates runs a shellfish company that harvests cockles mainly for the Spanish market.[3] The business, called Fruits of the Sea, is run by Bates and his sons James and Liam.[10] He also has a daughter named Charlotte. All three children are with his former wife, Lorraine Wheeler. As of 2017, Bates's partner is Mei Shi, a former Major and professional soldier in the Chinese army.[11]

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Michael Bates (Sealand) - Wikipedia

The city of Sarasota is moving forwardwith a plan toupdateitslogo and seal.

OnNov. 15,theCity Commissionapproved a$25,000contract withSarasota-basedcompanyDreamLargefordesign services.

DreamLarge, abusiness that provides marketinghelpand other services to nonprofits,plans to refresh the city logo.The companywillalso run a community initiative that will result in a designcompetition, in which the public can submit potential designs for the seal.

The currentseal depictsa fish andother objects, along with the words May Sarasota Prosper and the yearthe municipalitywas incorporated, 1902.

Background: Is it time for Sarasota to have a new logo and seal? City commissioners think so

In other news: City of Sarasota's hosted rental proposal draws opposition from residents

I think our seal is just in desperate need of an update,CommissionerHagen Brody said.

Brodyalso wants to update the city logo, as he believes Sarasota is such a different city than it was in the1980s, when the current logo was created.The logo depictsMichelangelo's David, a replica of which stands at theJohn and Mable Ringling Museum of Art.

MayorErik Arroyo also said heisntattached to the David design of the city logo.

When people think of Sarasota, they dont just thinkof the Ringling Museum anymore, Arroyo said.Theres so much more here.I would argue that the bridge the Ringling Bridge is more iconic tothe city ofSarasota than the Ringling Museum.

CommissionerKyle Battie would like the seal and logo to represent the citys diversity. He noted thatArroyo is the citys youngest ever mayor and is also an immigrant.BattiealsonotedthatAfrican Americans hold leadership positions in the city, including himself.

I think the city is kind of working in that order and in that direction, in terms of wherewe are, he said, adding the city is trying to become more progressive, diverse and ambitious.

JenAhearn-Kochvoted against a contractwithDreamLargebecauseshe didnt know how much it wouldcost to roll out a new city seal and logo. Shethoughtit could beexpensive.

City ManagerMarlon Browntold the commission thathe didnt want to commit to acertaincost. He noted that thepricewilldepend on the complexity ofthelogo that'screated.

Hesaid the new seal and logo will be phased in.Wheneverthe city buys new uniforms andvehicles, the new logo will be placedon thoseitems.

Therefore, the rolloutmay not cost any more than the city normally spends on placing its logo on vehicles and uniform, Brown said.

Anne Snabes covers city and county government for the Herald-Tribune. You can contact her at asnabes@gannett.com or (941) 228-3321 and follow her on Twitter at @a_snabes.

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'In desperate need of an update': City of Sarasota plans to revamp its seal and logo - Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Aditya Seal and Anushka Ranjan are all set to tie the knot today. The couples wedding is said to be an intimate affair with only close friends and family involved.

Ahead of the wedding, the sangeet ceremony of the two was quite a star-studded affair as Alia Bhatt, Vaani Kapoor, Athiya Shetty, Krystle DSouza and others attended the pre-wedding celebrations. Pictures and videos from the ceremony have been going viral.

We can see Alia Bhatt looking drop-dead gorgeous in a red lehenga as she joined Akansha Ranjan for her sisters sangeet. Vaani Kapoor looked beautiful in a light pink Anarkali and she also shared selfies with the bride-to-be. Krystle also stunned in an orange ethnic outfit.

Aditya and Anushka have been in a relationship for the past four years. Aditya finally went down on one knee and popped the question to Anushka in Paris in October 2019. Talking about his marriage he had earlier said, It feels like I will move in with my girlfriend after a few days and embark on a new adventure. We wanted to get married sooner, but then we waited for the pandemic to get over.

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Celebs graced the sangeet ceremony of Aditya Seal and Anushka Ranjan - The Tribune

I love pumpkin pie. But not just any pumpkin pie.

It has to be my mothers pumpkin pie, made with her unique thick and dry crust, and it has to be enjoyed only on Thanksgiving.

Its a Purcell family tradition, after all, and tradition is the reason Thanksgiving is my favorite American holiday.

The first recorded Thanksgiving occurred in November 1621, when the Plymouth colonists enjoyed their first corn harvest and invited the Wampanoag to share a three-day feast to give thanks for their bounty and to express their gratitude to the tribe for helping them adapt to, and survive in, the new land.

For the next few centuries, as America flourished, individual colonies and states celebrated Thanksgiving in various ways.

It didnt become an official holiday until 1863, when, in the midst of the Civil War, President Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November.

It didnt take much time after that for Thanksgiving to evolve into its current form.

My great-grandfather, who came to America from Ireland in the 1880s, and his wife, whose parents came from Alsace Lorraine, likely celebrated it the same way my extended family still celebrates it: They ate too much turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry sauce and fresh-made muffins; they found room for a piece of pie covered in whipped cream, then sat around the messy dinner table sipping coffee, talking and laughing and feeling thankful for their bounty.

But the staples that many of us enjoy now were not a part of the first Thanksgiving.

In 1641, when Gov. William Bradford wrote a book about the history of the Plymouth settlement, he described the bountiful spread at the first Thanksgiving.

He wrote that the settlers and the Wampanoag consumed geese, duck and venison and likely lobster, seal and swans.

They had no potatoes, since they didnt yet grow in North America.There was no cranberry sauce, because the colonists didnt begin boiling berries with sugar until 1671.

There wasnt any bread because they had no ovens. And though pumpkins were plentiful, its doubtful they had the butter and wheat flour they needed to make pie crust.

So how did the country end up with a day devoted to gorging ourselves on turkey and all the fixings?

In the late 1840s through the 1860s, Sarah Josepha Hale, the editor of a popular magazine, lobbied hard to have Thanksgiving proclaimed a national holiday. She succeeded.She also published many recipes that featured the turkey and trimmings that are now the core of the Thanksgiving meal.

But the specifics of how we arrived at our annual Thanksgiving feast are not so important.Whats important is that the day always be a common celebration that unites Americans a day on which we honor past generations and pass on our shared, ever-evolving rituals to the next.

Now if youll excuse me, I have a piece of pumpkin pie to devour.

Tom Purcell is syndicated by Cagle Cartoons.

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Tom Purcell: A time to be thankful for our traditions - The Daily Freeman

Founder of the Principality of Sealand

Patrick "Paddy" Roy Bates (29 August 1921 9 October 2012), also known as Prince Roy of Sealand, was a British pirate radio broadcaster and micronationalist, who founded the Principality of Sealand.[1][2] He was a major in the British Army during World War II.[3]

Bates was born in Ealing, London in 1921.[4] He served in the British Army, rising to the rank of major, and was injured several times.[5] He served in the Battle of Monte Cassino in the Italian campaign, and had been with the Eighth Army in North Africa.[6] He then became a fisherman.

He then moved into broadcasting via a pirate radio.[7] In 1965, he ousted the pirate station Radio City staff who had occupied Knock John Tower, a Maunsell Sea Fort (a World War II British naval defence platform).[8]

Using the military equipment that was left on the platform, Bates used an old United States Air Force radio beacon to broadcast his station.[9] From Knock John Tower, he ran Radio Essex from 1965 to 1966 and succeeded in becoming the first pirate radio station to provide 24-hour entertainment.

The station changed its name in October 1966 to Britain's Better Music Station (BBMS) after Bates had been convicted of violating Section One of the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1949. Bates was then fined 100 for his continued illegal broadcasting. Due to insufficient funds, BBMS went off the air on Christmas Day in 1966.[7][10]

Bates moved his operation to the nearby Roughs Tower, another Maunsell Fort further out beyond the then boundary of the United Kingdom's territorial waters, but, despite having the necessary equipment, he never began broadcasting again.[7]

On 14 August 1967, the Marine Broadcasting Offences Act of 1967 came into effect which forbade broadcasting from certain marine structures, namely platforms such as Bates's.[11] 19 days later, on 2 September 1967, Bates declared the independence of Roughs Tower and deemed it the Principality of Sealand.[3]

Ronan O'Rahilly of another pirate radio station, Radio Caroline, along with a small group of men, tried to storm the platform that Bates claimed. Bates and company used petrol bombs and guns to thwart O'Rahilly's attempt. As a result of the conflict, the Royal Navy went to Roughs Tower and were the recipients of warning shots fired by Bates's son, Michael, when they entered what Bates claimed to be Sealand's territorial waters.[3]

Bates and his son were arrested and charged in a British court with weapons charges. The court threw out the case, claiming that the British court did not have jurisdiction over international affairs as Roughs Tower lay beyond the territorial waters of Britain.[3][12]

Bates took this as de facto recognition of his country and seven years later issued a constitution, flag, and national anthem, among other things, for the Principality of Sealand.[2][13]

In 1978, a German businessman, Alexander Achenbach along with other Germans and Dutch, invaded Sealand and took Bates's son, Michael, hostage. Bates and others then launched a counterattack in the early hours of the morning to recapture the fort. He held the German and Dutch men as prisoners of war. As one had accepted a Sealand Passport, he was held and convicted of treason while the rest were released.[1] Germany then sent a diplomat to Britain to ask for intervention but Britain claimed they did not have jurisdiction. Germany then sent a diplomat to Sealand directly to negotiate the release of the prisoner.[3] He was released, and the act of diplomatic negotiation was claimed by Roy Bates to be de facto recognition of Sealand, which Germany has denied.[5][14]

Bates retired and lived in England during his later life. His son Michael was then in charge of the administration of Sealand as "Prince Regent", although he lived on the British mainland.[3] On 9 October 2012, Paddy Bates died quietly at a care home in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex[15] after having suffered from Alzheimer's for several years.[16][17] His funeral took place at Southend-on-Sea Crematorium.[18]

He was survived by his wife Joan and their children, son Michael and daughter Penny.[16] Michael reacted to his father's death by recalling him as a "huge, huge character".[15] "I might die young or I might die old, but I will never die of boredom", Bates said in a 1980s interview.[15]

See the article here:

Paddy Roy Bates - Wikipedia