State of Mind

Spaniard Alberto Porta has declared himself a country. Porta, who now goes by the name Zush, says he got the idea from a schizophrenic he met in a mental hospital in 1968. “Evrugo Mental State” consists of one inhabitant — himself — and he has issued himself a passport so he can move around. Zush has grudgingly adopted a state flag. “I don’t need flags and hymns,” he says, “but the only way people accept that you have your own state is by using symbols of state. It’s purely for diplomatic reasons.” (Reuters) ...The only way to expand his population is to develop a multiple personality — which somehow seems likely.