Contributors

In "Prince of the Outback" (page 34), Andrew Heaton tells how the Principality of the Hutt River won its political independence. Heaton, 29, is a former congressional staffer who has changed careers to write "funny science fiction novels, à la Douglas Adams," with the first to debut this fall. He also writes a weekly humor column for his website, MightyHeaton.com. Asked why he picked the modifier "mighty," he explains that he's "skilled at helping people see issues in a new light" through his "sense of humor and industrial strength rhetorical flourish." Also, "some schmuck also named Andrew Heaton registered his website before I did."

Vera Soliman is reason's Spring 2013 intern. Soliman, 22, previously interned with columnist Stephen Moore on The Wall Street Journal's editorial page. The native of East Lyme, Connecticut, enjoys cooking, baking, and playing with her two dogs; in her spare time, she can be found "devising a plan to break all of Paul Krugman's windows" and listening to old-school and underground rap.

John J. Walters is reason's Burton C. Gray Memorial Intern for spring. Before coming to reason he worked as a researcher and writer at the Maryland Public Policy Institute. As a student at Loyola University, he co-authored Econversations: Today's Students Discuss Today's Issues, a textbook on basic economic principles published by Pearson. Walters, 25, describes himself as a "gear head" and is a founding member of the motorcycle club Moto Baggins, which boasts a logo of Lord of the Rings wizard Gandalf "riding a chopper, beard flowing majestically in the wind." Walters joined the Army Reserve in January, and he'll start six months of training this summer.