Assange raises NZ$80 million through collaboration with crypto artist Pak
Jailed journalist Julian Assange has recieved a massive boost to his campaign to regain his freedom, raising a record-breaking NZ$80 million in less than a week on the Juice box crypto platform.
Renowned crypto-artist Pak collaborated with Assange, to produce NFT artworks which have been used solely to raise money for Assange’s defence and other press freedom and humanitarian causes.
The artwork came in two parts. A 1/1 edition titled ‘Clock’ which counts the days which Assange has spent behind bars, and an open edition titled ‘Censored’ which allows buyers to craft their own unique message which gets ‘censored’ with a line through it.
Assange is fighting against extradition to the US for publishing secret documents which exposed state crimes. This is an unprecedented case that Amnesty International and other human rights groups are warning threatens global press freedom and freedom of information .
Tens of thousands of people have joined AssangeDAO to raise the 16593.05 ethereum used to win the art auction in support of Assange. AssangeDAO moderator JB said in a statement ‘this is tens of thousands of people coming together to show real strength – the Power of the People. In less than one week, we have shown that decentralised and distributed peoples can band together to fight injustice.’
Up on the big screen: New Zealand startup CloudCannon graces inspiring film “Outside the Valley”.
Follow the tales of homegrown tech startup CloudCannon in the upcoming international documentary film “Outside the Valley”.
Created by award-winning documentary producer and director Hunter Weeks, along with start-up legend J. Ryan Williams, the film Outside the Valley is set to hit the big screen in Dunedin on June 1st, 2021, 6PM at Rialto Cinemas.
The feature highlights the intriguing journey of startups from challenging norms and doubts, to succeeding in a cut-throat competition in the midst of a global pandemic. The documentary film Includes Dunedin’s very own CloudCannon, a software company on a mission to develop tools that enable companies to build and manage remarkable websites.
CloudCannon was spearheaded by founders George Phillips and Mike Neumegen and continues to create massive impact from this side of the world by supporting global enterprises, including many Silicon Valley companies, with their content management needs.
“We’re honoured to be part of this documentary. CloudCannon is serving customers around the globe and doing it from Dunedin, it’s exciting to see other companies succeeding from unlikely places. Sharing our story to help inspire others to take the same journey is really empowering to say the least,” Neumegen says.
Learn more about the documentary and screening schedules worldwide through OutsideTheValley.tv and cloudcannon.com.
About CloudCannon
CloudCannon makes building and managing static sites simple and easy by bringing all of the required elements together into an ‘all in one’ platform. Organisations seeking to leverage the performance benefits of static sites can use CloudCannon to connect to Git, automate a Jekyll or Hugo build on CloudCannon and host their site on CloudCannon’s global CDN all for one monthly price.
Return of Missing Sculpture Urged – Stations of the Cross by Llew Summers
A reward is offered for information leading to the safe return of one of the Stations of the Cross, carved by sculptor, the late Llew Summers.
Llew’s partner and artistic executor, Robyn Webster says that while she is immensely grateful that the church authorities have managed to retrieve all the other Stations, the loss of one means that the set is now incomplete. It is assumed to have been stolen.
Webster said: “These Stations, commissioned to mark the centenary of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, were of immense importance to Llew. He carved only one set, and they held great significance for him. Without the missing Station, it is less likely that they will find a home in the new cathedral. We still miss Llew deeply and to lose even one of these wonderfully original works full of the humanity and pathos of Christ’s journey to the cross would be an added blow – I hope it can be safely returned.”
The missing Station is number 5 ‘Simon helps Jesus carry the cross’
PIONEERING DECENTRALISED SECURE MESSAGING PLATFORM MANYONE ANNOUNCES STRATEGIC RELATIONSHIP WITH UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON CENTRE BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY
Vancouver, Canada – February 25th, 2021 – Manyone Inc., a pioneering technology venture in decentralization and digital identity, is delighted to announce that it has entered into a new strategic relationship with the globally renowned University College London (UCL) Centre Blockchain Technology (CBT).
This partnership will support research conducted by UCL CBT’s Senior Research Associate, Dr Geoffrey Goodell, to explore and evaluate end-user technology systems, infrastructure, business imperatives, and regulatory policy to support the privacy, dignity, and market power of individual persons in the emerging digital economy. The research is aimed at identifying the requirements and approaches for systems whose features specifically support the advancement of truly consensual trust relationships, the empowerment of local communities, and the public interest.
Vancouver-based Manyone believes in empowering solutions and technologies with the potential to produce a new, distributed internet where everyone can feel safe, secure and in control of their digital identity.
Dr Paolo Tasca, Founder and Executive Director of the UCL Centre for Blockchain Technologies, notes that, “On behalf of UCL and the Centre for Blockchain Technologies, I am delighted to begin our new partnership with international industry partners Peer Social Foundation and Manyone. We are grateful for their support and recognition of the impactful research being done to meet our shared ambitions. Thanks to their generosity we will continue our proud tradition of enabling academic research with real-world application.”
Michael Cholod CEO at Manyone and Executive Director of The Peer Social Foundation comments, “As a dedicated group of decentralists, our teams look to find ways to free communication from manipulation and control by protecting individual, business or governmental digital identities. Part of that mission is to work with the most respected and knowledgeable people in the field. The team at UCL represent some of the best thinkers in the area and we’re honoured to work with them.”
Dr Geoffrey Goodell, Senior Research Associate at UCL Centre for Blockchain Technologies, specifically ads that, “The funding from The Peer Social Foundation and Manyone will provide vital resource to explore and evaluate user-controlled identity management, decentralised social networks, and tokenisation as vehicle for authorisation without identification. Our partnership will support the advancement of trusted relationships in the digital economy, the empowerment of local communities for the benefit of public interest. I am excited to deepen our collaboration and share our insights.”
Manyone, with offices in Vancouver, Canada and Stockholm, Sweden are looking to launch the first decentralised secure messaging solution by Mid-2021.
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Manyone is a pioneering technology venture that aims to deliver private secure networks and private digital identities, to increase personal and enterprise productivity and digital security. Manyone actively works with The Peer Social Foundation on education and research into topics of interest to consumers and enterprise. The Peer Social Foundation and Manyone believe in empowering a distributed internet where everyone can feel in control of their digital identity. They do this by delivering a self-sovereign digital identity and decentralized communication and sharing platform for enterprise and consumers. A critical component of this is to work beside and support vital education, R&D and the open-source community to connect people, business.
Find out more here: www.manyone.one http://blockchain.cs.ucl.ac.uk/
Entrepreneur challenges business owners to help save the environment
Paste & Publish, a New Zealand based content marketing agency announced today that they are setting aside 5% of revenue to provide pro bono work to selected environmental projects that wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford professional help.
Paste & Publish Founder, Callum Armstrong, says that this commitment is important because our natural world is in a state of crisis.
“I believe that it is our responsibility as business owners to help create the future we want to leave for our children.
There’s no silver bullet in the fight against climate change, but every little bit of help makes a difference,” says Armstrong.
“That’s why we have built philanthropy into our business model – to ensure that as we grow, so does our positive impact on the planet.”
The first project that will receive support from their 5% pledge is The Reforestation Fund. This fund, which is set to launch later in the year, provides sustainable and ethical brands with a way to help the environment as part of their offering.
Companies who support The Reforestation Fund donate a small amount from every sale on selected products, and are allowed to display the fund’s endorsement in return. Money raised is used to help community projects that plant native forests and support groups that look after our native plants and wildlife.
The Reforestation Fund co-founder, Anna Wentsch, says that people are looking for ways to support the environment, and that the services provided by Paste & Publish will empower TRF to make it easy for people to do just that.
“We are extremely grateful for the support that Paste & Publish is providing by designing our brand identity and rebuilding our website.
This will set up the foundations for us to connect people and companies with our natural world,” says Wentsch.
Armstrong says that companies who design philanthropy into their everyday operations experience a wide range of benefits. They often see higher rates of customer retention and trust, happier staff who know they are doing good in the world, increased sales and less reliance on price based competition.
About Paste & Publish
Based in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, Paste & Publish provides content marketing services to companies that want to grow. They help brands to attract their ideal customers by creating high value strategic content, and using sales funnels to convert them into paying clients. To find out more, visit www.pasteandpublish.com.
Exciting New Zealand-Based Freelance Website Answers Roaring Freelance Economy
SkillConnect connects businesses and freelancers in an erupting remote work environment
New Zealand, (February 5, 2021) — SkillConnect is an exciting new freelance website that was created to answer the incredible demand for remote work opportunities brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.
While the website is operated in New Zealand, it presents businesses and freelancers with an opportunity to work with each other from virtually anywhere around the world. Account registration is free for both businesses and freelancers.
Officially launched in late 2020, SkillConnect was built from the ground-up as an innovative freelancer platform that is easy to use for both businesses and freelancers.
The site actively evolves and adapts to changes in demand, services, and feedback from its users. As the site continues to grow, more features will be added to better serve its users.
The hiring process for a freelancer is notably simple, and can be broken down into four steps:
- Post a job or project
- Connect with freelancers
- Chat and share files
- Pay only after the project is completed or upon mutual agreement
With the demand for freelance work on the rise, SkillConnect seeks to supply the demand for freelancers, both in New Zealand and abroad, “More people than ever are looking for opportunities to use their skills to make money online,” says the founder of SkillConnect, Sathya Parlapothula.
“There is also a huge demand for freelance work, particularly from small businesses who want more economical options to hiring full-time employees. The fit and the opportunity were both there to make this successful,” Sathya Parlapothula says.
About SkillConnect
SkillConnect is a New Zealand-based online freelancing site that connects businesses and freelancers all around the world. It was launched in November 2020 and continues to see a growing number of registered freelancers and businesses.
For more about SkillConnect, visit:
www.skillconnect.co.nz
For more information, please contact:
Name: Sathya Parlapothula
Email: hello@skillconnect.co.nz
PM backs youth and diversity in Christchurch local govt campaign
Peoples Choice-Labour campaign launch, Oxford Terrace Baptist Church, 288 Oxford Terrace Christchurch, 1:00pm 31 August 2019.
The Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is backing diversity and youth with the People’s Choice-Labour Local Government campaign, People’s Choice chair Keir Leslie said today.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern today released a short video backing the People’s Choice-Labour local government campaign. The Prime Minister highlighted the fact that the Christchurch People’s Choice Labour campaign involves two under 30 candidates standing for Christchurch City Council seats. Jake Mclellan (27) is standing for the Christchurch central seat while Zahra Hussaini (28) is standing for the Waimari Council seat.
“The People’s Choice-Labour campaign not only has a wide range of candidates from diverse backgrounds but is also backing younger candidates,” said Mr Leslie.
“We have two candidates under 30 standing for winnable city council seats.
“Jake McLellan has already served three years on a community board and brings a passion for local Government and a desire to tackle the big issues such as climate change, social inequity and water issues.
“Zahra Hussaini is another great candidate. Ms Hussaini is a Muslim, a Farsi interpreter, and has a huge interest in tackling ecological and climate change issues.
“Ms Hussaini is both committed to bringing Christchurch’s diverse communities together to facilitate positive change and also looking at ways to future proof our city for the challenges faced by a changing climate.
“We believe that The People’s Choice and Labour 2019 Local Government campaign is the most -diverse and inclusive local body campaign in New Zealand history,” Mr Leslie said.
“Gathered in the heart of Christchurch on the last day of August are candidates that represent many different faiths and ethnic backgrounds but with one common purpose. That purpose is bringing Christchurch together.
“Our candidates are committed to working together for the good of the people of Christchurch. O ur priorities are clean water, tackling climate change and keeping the city’s assets in public ownership.”
For more information:
Keir Leslie, Peoples Choice Labour Chair – (027) 309 3322
Kevin List, Media advisor – (021) 426 902
Jake McLellan – (027) 844 0296
Zahra Hussaini – (021) 118 4042
Authorised by Jake McLellan, 6 Braddon St, Addington, Christchurch.
ENDS