In the evening of Wednesday, May 9th, I received a message from Administration informing me that, as an elected Member of Parliament, I had been placed “under review” as a consequence of multiple complaints about some of my posts/activities in the last few weeks preceding that message.

No timeline about that review was given in the message.

It was informing me that as a consequence, and until that review would be over, I would not be able to join the other Members of Parliament Elect and work on the SLACK platform created for us on which we have been invited to gather and work to prepare for the first Parliamentary session to take place on June 24th in Vienna.

I was offered the option to either choose to keep that review quiet or decide by myself whomever I wanted to share this piece of news with.

In a spirit of transparency, I decided to share, with my constituents and with the other Asgardians who might be wondering what is happening, the extent of my current situation.

Still in that spirit of transparency, I also decided to render public, to that effect, the reply to be sent to the person from Administration who had informed me about that review. That message is posted here below as a reply to that post and has already been posted on the Facebook group "Asgardia General Official".

Dear fellow Asgardian Citizens!

We're back for our fourth update, less than an hour from the end of the First Parliamentary Elections of Asgardia!!

DISCLAIMER : this is like a screenshot of the elections at a given time. Please note that the data change all the time (new votes are added or removed) and therefore might get outdated really quickly! The information that follows is based on the data retrieved from https://asgardia.space/en/asgardians/?mp=on&page=1 at the above mentioned date and time.

Reminder: the elections have been announced to end at Midnight Paris time (France) . That means March 9th 11pm UTC .

Here is how the voting progress has gone throughout the day:

March 9th, 09:47 UTC
252 candidates 22298 votes

March 9th, 16:45 UTC
251 candidates 22694 votes

Sergei Menshchikov changed his candidacy to become a Government Candidate.
He was then in position 9 with a gap of 25 votes at the time to make it to the 6th seat of District #7 - Russian and have a chance to join the next stage of the election process, namely the interview with the CEC and the Head of Nation personal endorsement.

We wish him good luck as a Government Candidate!

March 9th, 19:10 UTC
251 candidates 23001 votes

March 9th, 20:15 UTC
251 candidates 23063 votes

March 9th, 21:20 UTC
251 candidates 23162 votes

Below, you will find a table answering the following questions:

What is the age average of the Candidates in each District?
How many Candidates can be elected for each District?
How many Candidates are actually running in each District?
How many votes would it take to be elected?**

• (1) *PLEASE NOTE: being among the candidates with the most votes making them within the number of seats available in the District they run in doesn’t make them Members of Parliament. It makes them eligible to go to the next stage of the process of the elections: the interview with the Central Electoral Commission and the Head of Nation.
• (2) **It was announced, at the time the Candidates who were running for the leadership elections were transferred to the Parliamentary elections, that for their candidacy to be valid, a candidate needed then to have at least 3 votes. We speculate here with that same number.

That's it for this post! In a few minutes, the voting should be closed and Candidates will only have to… hold their breath until April 1st , when the list of names of the First Parliament of Asgardia will be rendered public!

Last important piece of info, the link to go back to vote and a reminder HURRY YOU HAVE ONLY MINUTES LEFT TO VOTE!!!!
– you cast as many as 150 votes for as many as 150 candidates for Parliament. So, choose your team in Parliament!

– go vote now! >>> https://asgardia.space/en/elections-districts/

Dear fellow Asgardian Citizens!

Back for our third update, one day before the end of our elections. We’ll first see today the progression of votes based on data retrieved today, March 8th, 7:34am UTC.
And today, we will show interesting data about the languages of our candidates.

DISCLAIMER : this should be considered as a screenshot of the elections, a snapshot taken at a given time. Please note that data change all the time (new votes can be added or removed all the time) and therefore might get outdated really quickly! The information that follows is based on the data retrieved from https://asgardia.space/en/asgardians/?mp=on&page=1 at the above mentioned date and time. I will provide updates every few hours on my blog. Stay tuned, enjoy, and please leave comments below!

How many Parliamentary Candidates were running on March 8th, 7:34am UTC?

There were 252 Parliamentary Candidates.

How many votes had been cast at that time?

There were 20702 votes cast over the 13 language Districts and the 252 candidates.

What has the progression of votes been over the last 48 hours?

Languages

As you can see in our table above, we have some monolingual candidates (meaning, they can only speak one language) but we also have many polyglots!

Number of candidates who listed only one language on their profile:   64

Number of candidates who listed two languages on their profile:         97

Number of candidates who listed three languages on their profile:       49

Number of candidates who listed four languages on their profile:         24

Number of candidates who listed five languages on their profile:          12

Number of candidates who listed six languages on their profile:             5

Number of candidates who listed seven languages on their profile:        0

Number of candidates who listed eight languages on their profile:          1

How many Parliamentary Candidates are running under a District which language they have not listed?

Number of candidates who are running in a district which language they haven’t mentioned on their profiles:
Turkish (1 candidate)
French (1 candidate)
Arabic (3 candidates)
Portuguese (1 candidate)
Other (4 candidates)

That's it for this post! Once again, if you would like to see other information compiled in the data, feel free to make your request in the comments below. I cannot promise it will be feasible but if it is possible to do so by contrasting and compiling the available updated data, I will do it for you!
Next update in a few hours... I'll keep you posted!

Last important piece of info, the link to go back to vote and a reminder as our election ends tomorrow, March 9th:
– you cast as many as 150 votes for as many as 150 candidates for Parliament. So, choose your team in Parliament!

– so, go vote now! >>> https://asgardia.space/en/elections-districts/

Dear fellow Asgardian Citizens!

Back for an update since our first post yesterday. We’ll see today the progression of votes based on data retrieved today, March 7th, 7:54am UTC.

DISCLAIMER : this is like a screenshot of the elections at a given time. Please note that the data change all the time (new votes are added or removed) and therefore might get outdated really quickly! The information that follows is based on the data retrieved from https://asgardia.space/en/asgardians/?mp=on&page=1 at the above mentioned date and time. I will provide updates every few hours on my blog. Stay tuned, enjoy, and please leave comments below!

How many Parliamentary Candidates were running on March 7th, 7:54am UTC?

There were 252 Parliamentary Candidates.

How many votes had been cast at that time?

There were 19058 votes cast over the 13 language Districts and the 252 candidates.

Why is there one more candidate today?

The profile of one candidate from District 13 (Other) didn’t appear on the available statistics at the time of retrieval yesterday and was therefore not counted yesterday (maybe the candidate had suspended their candidacy for a day?). Their profile being up and running today, we have again 252 candidates for our current statistics today.

Is there any important change to mention?

It appears that 2 candidates from District 13 (Other) moved their candidacy to District 3 (Turkish), probably by changing their language of choice on their profile.

What is the progression of votes between the two days?

That's it for this post! Once again, if you would like to see other information compiled in the data, feel free to make your request in the comments below. I cannot promise it will be feasible but if it is possible to do so by contrasting and compiling the available updated data, I will do it for you!
Next update in a few hours... I'll keep you posted!

Last important piece of info, the link to go back to vote and a reminder:
– you cast as many as 150 votes for as many as 150 candidates for Parliament. So, choose your team in Parliament!

– go vote now! >>> https://asgardia.space/en/elections-districts/

Dear fellow Asgardian Citizens!

If like me, you are curious and wish to know a bit more about the election demographics, then you might be interested in the following information I compiled, based on the available data retrieved today, March 6th, 6:27am UTC.

DISCLAIMER : this is like a screenshot of the elections at a given time. Please note that the data change all the time (new votes are added or removed) and therefore might get outdated really quickly! The information that follows is based on the data retrieved from https://asgardia.space/en/asgardians/?mp=on&page=1 at the above mentioned date and time. I will provide updates every few hours on my blog. Stay tuned, enjoy, and please leave comments below!

How many Parliamentary Candidates were running on March 6th, 6:27am UTC?

There were 251 Parliamentary Candidates.

How many votes had been cast at that time?

There were 16675 votes cast over the 13 language Districts and the 251 candidates.

How many countries are represented in the elections?

If we consider Hong Kong as a country, there are 64 countries in which reside our current Parliamentary Candidates, across the 13 language Districts.

What is the list of these countries, how many candidates in each of them and how many votes have been received per country?

That's it for this post! If you would like to see other information compiled in the data, feel free to make your request in the comments below. I cannot promise it will be feasible but if it is possible to do so by contrasting and compiling the available updated data, I will do it for you!

One last important piece of info, the link to go back to vote and a reminder: you cast as many as 150 votes for as many as 150 candidates for Parliament. So, choose your team in Parliament!

Go vote now! >>> https://asgardia.space/en/elections-districts/

The idea that this project, which is what it is, will gain any sort of recognition, is nonsense.

What the heads of this project, and those being elected to server as parliament members, should be focused on, instead, is establishment as a functionally independent entity with the ability to enter into relations with other sovereign entities.

There is already a precedent for the United Nations to reject Asgardia's desire to join the organization, as the UN treaty regarding use and exploration of the Earth's waters (Law of the Sea), rejects artificial structures as something that can be recognized as a state (read about the Sealand dispute to learn more about the subject).

To wrap this up, I don't believe we should be pushing for recognition. Recognition as an independent entity is irrelevant to whether or not we ARE an independent entity.

Operation: Treasury

By Ivan Rosel & Ross Cheeseright | 21/02/2018

Introduction

In the text of Decree 15, HoN Dr. Igor Ashurbeyli announced that he would bring an end to the funding of the nation, with all funding due to wrap up by the end of the year. The purpose of Operation: Treasury is to start exploring ways for Asgardia to develop its own funds.

Aim

To mobilize and organize a think-tank of volunteers from  the community with a view to source viable methods of funding Asgardia in both the pre and post formation of Parliament, and to help deliver the vehicles and services required for Asgardians to generate income and trade with one another.

Objectives

1. Operation: Treasury will seek to bring into the fold any Asgardians who think that it is something they might be able to help with.
2. This Operation will seek to explore, address and propose and implement both short-term and long-term solutions regarding the financing of the nation.
3. The operation will be comprised of independent citizens, parliamentary candidates and government candidates, but no current ranking officials or members of Asgardia NGO.
4. Within the scope of this operation will be the research and establishment of revenue-generating businesses or solutions, project proposals and reports.

Scope

As we are not currently permitted to raise funds on behalf of Asgardia, the think-tank will be limited to conducting research, making proposals or developing projects that have the involvement or the formal agreement of Asgardia’s copyright holders / Asgardia NGO.

Transparency

One of the primary goals will be the absolute transparency of the operation and every effort shall be made to share the details, costs, income and expenses of any projects that are run. Furthermore, all reports, investigations and research will be shared with the community, with Parliament and Asgardia NGO.

First Step

The first step we are taking is to notify the community of this think-tank and start to gather together volunteers so that we can conduct meetings and brainstorming sessions to come up with some solutions to the financial problems that we’re facing as a Nation.

How you can help

If you would like to join Operation Treasury and work with us to build up a catalogue of research, investigations, reports and solutions then please let us know and volunteer some of your time. We’re especially interested in:

1. People with a background in finance
2. Innovators
3. People with a background in logistics or international trade
4. People who genuinely want to help Asgardia succeed

Contact us

Please comment below or contact Ross Cheeseright or Ivan Rosel directly if you would like to be involved.

That may sound to you as an evidence but I came to realise that it is not one for every Asgardian citizen. First, I saw comments about “Members of Parliament should be volunteering, not paid” then a citizen saying in the AGO on Facebook [ bit.ly/AGO-FB ] that in the aftermath of Decree 15 [ bit.ly/Decree15 ] a first move should be to “scrap the salaries” of future Members of Parliament and other future Government workers.

In times of financial distress such as the one we entered with Decree 15 , I can understand the idea. But then, if you were a candidate for a position that you know is going to be overwhelming and time consuming –not the standard 9 to 5– work, how would you feel if you were told that actually, you should be doing that FOR FREE because the current finances are too low to finance your salary?

I can’t speak for you as after all, for what I know, you could be a retired person with a good monthly pension with a lot of spare time, no family responsibilities anymore or with no more house mortgage to pay, the kids’ college fund fully paid off, and all of that with a good health! (don’t we all wish that? )
But from where I stand, well, I’d say things are different. I would just not be able to take care of my family working to debate and enact laws in a 24 time zone job (day and night: no solution proposed there as yet, that’s for another blog post), working through 13 possible languages, with a calendar of priorities (not set yet) to spend the first few weeks of work (first month maybe?) just getting organised on the actual law enacting and voting procedures themselves.

As I mentioned, I don't know for you but I would just have to decline to take the position, being actually seriously pressured by my wife and some friends to “come down back to Earth and quit dreaming”. To them, the daily (and nightly!) time I already dedicate to Asgardia and the belief I share that the building of the Nation with the current constraints will actually work makes them think I’m mad, or involved in a kind of game, and I know I’m not the only one in this situation [ https://asgardia.space/en/blog/23874-my-husband-is-crazy-says-my-wife-non-agardian-family-support/ ]...

Now, please don’t mistake my post here as a campaign withdrawal post or a complaining about the situation, NO, I am still in love with Asgardia, I am still believing heart, mind and soul in the future of our Nation and I am still willing to dedicate myself to finding solutions as a citizen and as a candidate for Parliament. I am also thankful for all that our Head of Nation has done so far for Asgardia. Without him after all, you wouldn't be reading this post here today. So, I just want to state here that future Members of Parliament and Government officers cannot just be “volunteering" .

And yes, I am aware that Decree 15 announced that our Head of Nation will be covering elected members of Parliament with a $500 salary (stipend?) for the months of April, May and June, and I am thankful for them. I am just rightfully worried that, just as the citizens who see that logically, such a salary cannot be sustained with the current finances in our coffers [ https://asgardia.space/en/order ]...

Quick calculation: 150 full time members of Parliament X $500 = $75.000 a month. We could continue paying our Parliament this $500 (not even covering my basic family expenses!) per member for 440k/75k = 5 full months!
Hurray!!

Really, fellow Asgardian citizens, we are in a bad shape …

So, if you are an over 40yo citizen of Asgardia and wish to do that Member of Parliament job for free, please, step forward in the comments, open your electoral campaign mentioning in your platform that you don’t want/need any salary: I promise I will support you and I can assure you that if your vision is sound, you will no doubt be elected.

Citizens, in the quest of finding financing solutions for our Nation, cutting off the salary of your lawmakers and government civil servants is not a rightful, productive, efficient or pragmatic solution.

Instead, I say it is time to gather our minds and come up with realistic solutions for financing our Nation .

[ to be continued ]

I always believe in the opportunity to create something bigger, something different from what we have.

Today as a new Asgardian, I want to change things and with my work and what I do every day, I know that I can become a great ambassador and even a good minister for this nation.

I will devote myself to ensure the development and the perennity of this Nation. To be sure that Asgardians around the world can express themselves, and have rights like every nation around the world.

I hope you will give me your trust and your vote, so we can build this great Nation, and let the peoples and species of all the universe heard our voices.

Thank you.

Sincerely, Theophile

Bonjour, je m'appelle Ebru Mélissa, J'AI 20ANS ET J'AI TOUJOURS ÉTÉ INTÉRESSÉE PAR L'ESPACE. L'ESPACE EST SI MYSTÉRIEUX. JE ME SUIS INSCRITE PAR CURIOSITÉE. JE TROUVE QU'IL N'Y A PAS BEAUCOUPS DE RENSEIGNEMENTS A PROPOS DE CE PROJET. C'EST POUR VIVRE DANS L'ESPACE? MAIS POUR VIVRE DANS L'ESPACE IL FAUT DE L'OXYGÈNE, DE L'EAU ET PUIS L'ESPACE EST DANGEREUX POUR NOTRE SANTÉ. QUELS MOYENS DE PROTECTIONS AVONS NOUS? SI QUELQUN PEUT ME CONSEILLER UN SITE AVEC TOUT LES DÉTAILS DU PROJET. PERSONNELLEMENT JE TROUVE LE PROJET MARS ONE BEAUCOUPS PLUS RÉALISTE. BIEN QUE LE PROJET ASGARDIA VIEN TOUT JUSTE DE SE CRÉÉ

Dear Asgardians,

That's a photo of us, our planet from the edge of our solar system, We could seems infinitely little compared to the attonishing vastness of the universe and indeed we are, but inside us, we can touch and grasp the infinity.

It was a long time i go that I saw this video from Carl Sagan, " A pale blue dot", and I think that nothing has inspired in me a sense of unity of mankind more than this video, if you haven't seen it yet, you should:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PN5JJDh78I&t=34s

My name is Marco Genovese and I'm 23 years old space passionate industrial engineer,  Being honest, the first time I saw Asgardia I thought it was a joke, but once i read the aim of our country and its values, i immediatly changed my mind; and now seeing the progresses that we made in this time i decided that i want to participate more actively in Asgardians life, because i believe in this project and i believe in humanity, in its power to create a just and equal society based on knowledge and self-expression.

Seing the enourmous diversity that identify our community, I think i would be a good representant, speaking on a mothertongue level: Italian, french, english and spanish and with a medium level on german and russian.

If someone decides to believe in me, as we all believed in Asgardia, i promess i will do my best to ensure the progress of Asgardia to his ultimate aim and its international recognition.

As humans we came from a random evolution process that took billions of years to take place but I think that what we really are is: The universe that become conscius of itself.

Greatings to everybody who achieved to read until the end,

Please don't hesitate to write me for any question or discussion.

Best Regards,

Marco Genovese