STATE OF THE NATION - March 2013


Greetings all,

 

I'm pleased to say that March 2013 was a very active month in Byzantium Novum. We gained 20 new Citizens! That is almost double our usual monthly average, and it gives us a current total of 372 officially registered Byzantine citizens. 

I'm especially pleased to greet our several new Citizens from Komi, Russia, who are part of a local organization working with Byzantine era reenactments. Welcome to you all!

 

We have continued to gain more Facebook contacts, and several folks have joined our various Yahoo group discussion lists. We're communicating with more people each month and that is helping our Micronation gain more notice.

 

The Byzantium Novum Senate was quite active this month, progressing with much discussion and also voting on 11 appointments and reappointments for various Counts in our local communities worldwide. Many thanks to Baduila Chalkas, Senate Clerk for tabulating and posting the votes!


Speaking of our worldwide community, Byzantium Novum maintains a worldwide map located at http://www.communitywalk.com/byzantium_novum/map/543922 . Each new Byzantium Novum Citizens gets a Citizen number, which is listed on this map.


This month, a Citizen in Tennessee, USA posted this to their Map location: "This is a place in a middle of nowhere surrounded by other cities of nowhere. If anyone happens to be located near here I would love to meet up!"


To me that amusing and honest post really goes to the heart of what Byzantium Novum is trying to achieve worldwide. Most of us have started out "alone" in our Eastern Roman cultural and historical interests.... but it doesn't have to be that way, and won't be like that forever!


We are sincere in our goals to build real world community for those interested in "Things Byzantine." Therefore we very much encourage all Citizens to reach out to others in their local area! The more Byzantium Novum grows, the more real world Byzantine community and friendships all of us can have.


Our Senate stands ready to help people find local Byzantine interests, and the Byzantium Novum Chancellery has been making great efforts to provide help and information for our various local Villages, Colonies and Provinces.


The month of April begins Byzantium Novum's annual commemoration of the Siege of Constantinople, which lasted from April 6th to May 29th, in 1453 AD. In keeping the memory of this event we look to celebrate Byzantine history and tradition rather than to renew ancient conflicts. This story will always raise public interest regarding the Eastern Roman Empire, and public interest is what is needed to build NEW Byzantine community with its own new peaceful and positive story!


I wish everyone a wonderful Spring!


-Marcus Cassius Julianus

Senate President, Byzantium Novum