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Europe's youngest nation, Liberland, will be the first physical/hybrid country - an extension of the real-life land for citizens to live, work, and play

MIAMI, April 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Mytaverse, the immersive platform known for delivering true-to-life 3D experiences, announced today a collaboration with Liberland and global design firm Zaha Hadid Architects to build "Liberland Metaverse" - an extension of the real-life country for its citizens to live, work and play.

A view of the Liberland Metaverse as powered by Mytaverse

The unique Mytaverse technology creates a space where Liberlanders feel like they're physically together when actually not. The virtual space leads to reduced carbon emissions thanks to a reduction in travel, and business becomes more sustainable, streamlined, and even convenient. This unprecedented move into the metaverse marks the first time a country is offering a hybrid of both the physical and virtual to its citizens thus resulting in a permanent existence on the Mytaverse platform.

For the past six months, Mytaverse has worked with Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) to bring the Liberland project into what is called a "cyber-urban" metaverse. The virtual city both enables and empowers novel use experiences, a trait that has made the firm of Zaha Hadid Architects famous. Today, visitors to Liberland Metaverse can experience a 5-story "Cyber Incubator" currently being used - in place of a traditional urban planning committee - for Liberland officials, investors, and architects to meet to discuss and design buildings for the physical and virtual space while tracking ownership on blockchain technology.

"The high-fidelity and photo-real Liberland Metaverse anticipates the physical realization of Liberland. It is not either a game or fiction. The physical and virtual together form a continuous social reality. That's one of the core premises of the project," explains Patrik Schumacher. "One of the main draws of Liberland Metaverse is that it is, like a city, a shared platform and caters to an evolving, diverse, and self-organizing community of those deeply interested and invested in Liberland".

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Liberlanders will create personalized hologram avatars that can run, jump, wave, dance, and more. Webcams on avatars can be activated, thus allowing for private, face-to-face conversations between small groups or live presentations. The high-quality content on the Mytaverse's unique pixel streaming technology enables citizens to enter using only their browser on their PC or Mac - no need to install an app, no need for any fancy hardware. Anyone can access their land, join meetings, or events just like being there - regardless of their computing power.

"Today will be long remembered as we break ground in the metaverse," said Vit Jedlika, President of Liberland. "We're building a dynamic space where we can continue to contribute to the economic development of Liberland and let citizens feel the urban development progress. Liberland Metaverse will be our citizens' virtual home, drawing all our engaged communities together in an enriched extension of our country."

Thousands of Liberlanders will have 'anytime-anywhere' access to the platform via one click, move seamlessly from activity to activity, and have true-to-life interactions with each other. For example, their virtual self might walk to pitch a small business idea at the Cyber Incubator, then to a conference at the auditorium, and next to their digital plot of land. Experiences will mirror the physical Liberland world - from cultural/social events and sports to education and essential government functions.

"We built Mytaverse to offer a lifeline for businesses facing travel restrictions during COVID. Having proven our concept with very successful projects revolving around conferences and trainings last fall, we are now expanding to offer companies more sustainable and comprehensive metaphysical solutions similar to what we have created in Liberland," said Kenneth Landau, CEO, and co-founder of Mytaverse. "We're at an exciting point where we've had incredible growth and now looking at the next level of impact for our platform by further evolving it to bring this new country to life."

Liberland Metaverse is now live on Mytaverse. Beginning April 16, Liberland citizens will be able to register businesses, order passports, and e-Residency cards, or rent an office space in the central business hub in Liberland Metaverse. For more, visit mytaverse.com and the Mytaverse YouTube channel. View the Mytaverse press kit here.

ABOUT MYTAVERSE

Founded in 2020 by Kenneth Landau and Jaime Lopez, Mytaverse is a platform radically changing how we do business, enabling people to meet in an immersive, true-to-life 3D world. Built to meet the demand for hybrid and augmented reality meetings and workspaces, Mytaverse uses best-in-class technology to deliver fully immersive environments. The hardware-agnostic approach enables users from anywhere to enter through only a browser on a PC, Mac, or mobile device. For more information, visit http://www.mytaverse.com.

ABOUT ZAHA HADID ARCHITECTS

Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) redefined architecture for the 21st century with a repertoire of projects that have captured imaginations across the globe. Receiving the highest honours from civic, professional, and academic institutions worldwide, ZHA is one of the world's most consistently inventive architectural studiosand has been for four decades. These 40 years of research are inscribed within every design that encompass an unwavering optimism for the future with concepts of inclusivity and integration. Marrying innovative design methods with ecologically sound materials and sustainable construction practices, ZHA does not look at the disparate parts, but works to understand them as a whole.

ABOUT LIBERLAND

The Free Republic of Liberland (hereinafter "Liberland") is a sovereign state located between Croatia and Serbia on the west bank of the Danube River. On some maps, this area is referred to as "Gornja Siga". The nearest towns are Zmajevac (Croatia) and Baki Monotor (Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, Serbia). This parcel of land came into existence due to a border dispute between Croatia and Serbia. This area is not claimed by Croatia, Serbia, nor any other nation or private entity. Furthermore, it remained unclaimed since the dissolution of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1991. In fact, for many decades, it has been uninhabited and no claim was ever made to this piece of land. It was therefore terra nullius a no man's land until Vt Jedlika and Jana Markovicova proclaimed it as the Free Republic of Liberland on 13 April 2015. Liberland has set its boundary with ample margin from neighboring countries to ensure that it does not infringe upon the territory of Croatia or Serbia. The total area is approximately 7 km and is now the third-smallest sovereign state, after the Vatican and Monaco.

Press Contact:Melissa WhitworthLightspeed PR/Mmelissa@lightspeedpr.com

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Mytaverse and Zaha Hadid Architects Build First Libertarian City in the Metaverse - Yahoo Finance

The deadline to register to vote in the upcoming May General Primary Election is fast approaching. Voters must register by Monday April 25. Morgan County residents can register to vote through the Morgan County Board of Elections and Registration (BOER) office, located at 237 North Second Street in Madison.

The General Primary Election is slated for Tuesday, May 24, but local voters will have the opportunity to cast ballots early with Advance Voting kicking off on Monday, May 2 and ending on Friday, May 20.

Early voting hours will be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, with early voting available on two Saturdays, May 9 and May 14, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. All early voting is done at the BOER office.

On election day, Tuesday, May 24, there is no voting at the BOER office and all voters must cast ballots at their assigned polling places in the county.

Your county polling location may have changed since the 2020 elections. You can confirm your election day polling place by going to mvp.sos.ga.gov or calling the BOER at 706-343-6311.

Morgan County voters will be able to cast ballots on several high-profile statewide races in 2022, including the race for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, a U.S. House of Representatives seat, and one of Georgias U.S. Senate seats. Local voters will also decide two State Senate seats for District 17 and District 25 along with one State House of Representatives seat for District 114.

Locally, voters decide two contested races, one for a county commissioner seat and the other for a board of education seat.

As long-time County Commissioner Andy Ainslie retires from office this year, three candidates have filed to run for his seat in District 2 two Republicans and one Democrat.

Republicans Keith Wilson and Blake McCormack will face off in the upcoming primary election on Tuesday, May 24. The winner will run against Democrat Bob Baldwin in the Nov. 8 General Election for the open seat on the Morgan County Board of Commissioners.

In November, Democrat Dr. Claudia Crenshaw will square off against Republican Incumbent Dr. Forest Pagett for the District 5 Board of Education seat.

Morgan County voters will have to make choices on several state and federal races, with no shortage of candidates running for the seats.

In the race for Georgia Governor, two Republican titans will face off in the May 24 Primary Incumbent Brian Kemp and former U.S. Senator David Perdue. Other Republicans have also qualified to run, including Catherine Davis, Kandiss Taylor, and Tom Williams.

The winner will take on Democratic challenger Stacey Abrams in the Nov. 8 General Election, as well as Libertarian Shane Hazel and Independent Al Bartell.

One of Georgias U.S. Senate seats is up for grabs, as Democratic Incumbent Raphael Warnock faces Democratic challenger Tamara Johnson-Shealey. Republican challengers have lined up as well for the seat, including Gary Black, Josh Clark, Kelvin King, Jonathan McColumn, Latham Saddler and Herschel Walker. One Libertarian has qualified for the Senate seat, Chase Oliver.

In the race for Georgia Lieutenant Governor, Democrats Erick Allen, Charlie Bailey, Tyrone Brooks Jr., Tony Brown, Kwanza Hall, Jason Hayes, Derrick Jackson, R. Malik, Renitta Shannon have qualified to run. On the Republican side, Burt Jones, Mack McGregor, Butch Miller, and Jeanne Seaver qualified. Libertarian candidate Ryan Graham also qualified.

In the race for Georgia Secretary of State, Republican Incumbent Brad Raffensperger will square off against Republican challengers Jody Hice, a former U.S. Congressman, David Belle Isle, and T.J. Hudson. Democrats running for Georgia SOS include Dee Dawkins-Haigler, John Eaves, Floyd Griffin, Bee Nguyen, and Michael Owens. Libertarian Ted Metz is also running.

Congressman Jody Hice is vacating the U.S. House District 10 to run for Georgia SOS. A crowded field of candidates has emerged to win his seat. Republicans running include Timothy Barr, Paul Broun, Mike Collins, David Curry, Vernon J. Jones, Marc McMain, Alan Sims, and Mitchell Swan. Democrats running include Jessica Allison Fore, Tabitha Johnson-Green, Phyllis Hatcher, Femi Oduwole, and Paul Walton.

In the local state representative races, candidates have lined up to compete for two State Senate seats and one State House of Representatives seat.

For State Senate District 25, currently held by Burt Jones who is vacating office to run for Lt. Governor, candidates running to replace him include Republicans Rick Jeffares, Leland Jake Olinger II, Daniela Sullivan-Marzahl, and Ricky Williams, and Democrat Valerie Rodgers.

For State Senate District 17, Republican Incumbent Brian Strickland is running for reelection, facing Republican challenger Brett Mauldin. The winner will go to run against Democratic challenger Kacy Morgan in the Nov. 8 General Election.

State Rep. Dave Belton will not seek reelection for District 114. Republicans Wendell McNeal and Tim Fleming will face off in the May primary election for their partys nomination. The winner will face Democratic Challenger Malcom Adams in November.

Georgians will vote on the next Attorney General, with Republican incumbent Chris Carr running for reelection, facing challenges from Republican John Gordon, Democrats Jennifer Jordan and Christian Wise Smith, and Libertarian Martin Cowen.

Georgians will also vote for Commissioner of Agriculture, Commissioner of Insurance, State School superintendent, and Commissioner of Labor.

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Register to vote in the May Primary before the April 25 deadline - Morgan County Citizen

As Keene resident and libertarian activist Ian Freeman awaits trial on federal charges related to his bitcoin-exchange business, two of his alleged co-conspirators have signaled they will enter guilty pleas.

Renee and Andrew Spinella, both of Derry, are scheduled for change-of-plea hearings Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Concord. Their shift from not-guilty pleas to pleading guilty would mark the first time any of the six alleged co-conspirators have admitted wrongdoing.

Freeman, Colleen Fordham of Alstead, Aria DiMezzo of Keene and a Keene man who legally changed his name from Richard Paul to Nobody have all pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Prosecutors claim Freeman and his alleged co-conspirators violated federal law by running an unlicensed virtual currency-exchange business that handled more than $10 million in transactions over several years.

According to the government, Freeman and other co-defendants used personal bank accounts and accounts in the names of purported religious entities like the Shire Free Church, the Crypto Church of NH, the Church of the Invisible Hand and the Reformed Satanic Church to conceal the nature of their business while directing customers to falsely report that they were donating to churches or buying rare coins, not purchasing cryptocurrency.

The government arrested the six in March 2021. The FBI conducted several searches in Keene one day that month, including at 73-75 Leverett St. and at two properties on Route 101.

Those properties are linked to the libertarian activist group known locally as Free Keene, which has ties to some of the defendants. The Route 101 searches were at 661 Marlboro Road, at a business called Bitcoin Embassy N.H., and 659 Marlboro Road, which is owned by Shire Free Church Holdings LLC. The FBI also conducted an operation at a local convenience store, with an employee at the time telling The Sentinel agents removed a Bitcoin ATM.

Court records indicate the defendants trial is scheduled to begin Nov. 1.

All six alleged co-conspirators were charged with conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money-transmitting business, and all but DiMezzo also face a charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

Renee Spinella additionally faces two charges of wire fraud and Andrew Spinella faces a single additional charge of wire fraud. Court documents do not indicate what charge or charges they are expected to plead guilty to.

Freeman also faces charges of operation of an unlicensed money-transmitting business, continuing financial-crimes enterprise, money laundering and six counts of wire fraud. The continuing financial-crimes enterprise charge carries a 10-year mandatory minimum sentence.

Unfortunately the way the federal government works is they do their best to intimidate people by stacking on as many charges as possible, Freeman said Saturday.

Freeman said he has not been allowed to talk to his co-defendants, but has heard that the prosecution threatened the Spinellas with additional charges to force them into a plea deal. The Sentinel has not been able to confirm this. Court documents do not indicate any additional charges. Renee Spinella was not immediately reachable by phone. Neither Andrew Spinella nor his attorney were immediately reachable Saturday for a request for comment.

Freeman said he does not expect that the Spinellas will cooperate with the government, despite the scheduled guilty plea.

Nobody here did anything wrong. These are victimless so-called crimes, he said. I expect they will not be cooperating with the state because we all believe the state is evil.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Georgiana L. MacDonald has previously alleged that hordes of cybercriminals bought virtual currency from Freeman in an effort to avoid detection by banks and government regulators.

The government also claims in court documents Freeman allowed an undercover agent to exchange around $20,000 in cash for bitcoin after the agent told him he was dealing drugs. Freemans lawyer, Mark Sisti, has previously told The Sentinel he doesnt know where the governments claim about an undercover agent is coming from. He said he has seen evidence of Freeman refusing to deal with criminals.

DiMezzo, also reached by phone Saturday, said the Spinellas have to do what is best for themselves even if that means entering a plea deal with the government.

In the libertarian philosophy as long as they are making the decision that is best for them the world is best served, DiMezzo said.

While she said she believes a jury will find no evidence of the alleged crimes, certainly, if they agree to be star witnesses to the prosecutors, that certainly will have an effect on other peoples cases.

But a guilty plea is not evidence of guilt, DiMezzo argued, claiming, as Freeman did, that the federal government stacks charges against defendants to bully them into pleas.

Its hard to accept a guilty plea as an actual confession of guilt in the modern court system, she said. Whether theyre guilty or not, [defendants] accept the deal to make the bigger threat go away.

Continue reading here:
Two expected to plead guilty in cryptocurrency case - Concord Monitor

Gina Lyu just finished her afternoon university class at the University of Toronto. It had been a long, tiring day. Standing by a downtown bus stop, she was waiting for the right bus to take her home and was fiddling with her phone to pass the time.

Lyu is a fourth-year international student from China who studies management. While she was engrossed in replying to a friends message about a weekend party, a man approached and turned to face her.

She lifted her eyes as he came closer and closer.

Are you Asian? the man asked, looking Lyu up and down.

He looked directly into her eyes. I thought Asian girls were super young and beautiful.

It was not the first time that Lyu heard of cases of racism and bias being thrown around in Canada. But it was the first time that she had been reduced to a race herself.

Yellow fever is an uncomfortable and at times scary phenomenon that some Asian women (and men) experience when they are approached by others in a sexual manner because of their race. Though it is not well documented, some journalists and academics have explored the issue, which appears to be on the rise in Canada.

I stiffened at the sound of his oppressive and targeted words. My brain froze at that time. I didnt even know what to do, Lyu said in Mandarin over a coffee.

It was the most helpless moment for me, Lyu said in a video interview with the Toronto Observer. He was my fathers age, and he tried to touch me, and I ducked. The only lucky thing was that it was in the afternoon, and not at night.

In fact, the sexual and physical assault didnt happen to me, but I still felt sick, and the feeling lasts a long time.

Asian women (and men) are the target of individuals who only focus on Asian traits in this context.

To some extent, this is not only a problem in terms of dating and relationships. As in Lyus case, at times strangers make Asian victims feel unsafe.

Some scholars who study this phenomenon have argued that yellow fever cannot be considered the equivalent to other (sexual) preferences, Xiaobei Chen, a professor of sociology and associate chair at Carleton University, said in a phone interview.

Instead, it must be understood as desires that are at least partly shaped by racist constructions of Asian women.

WATCH | Observer reporter Chudi Xu explains yellow fever:

A report from the Stop AAPI Hate Coalition, a U.S. nonprofit organization that stands against racism, found that in 2020 and 2021, women in the United States reported hate incidents 2.3 times more than men (68 per cent).

A report conducted by the Chinese Canadian National Council Toronto Chapter (CCNC Toronto) found that a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, there had been 1,150 cases of racist attacks in Canada. Asian women were the victims in nearly 60 per cent of all reported cases.

Some of the victims, like Lyu, didnt call the police after their encounters, so the actual figures could be even higher.

The pandemic has triggered a new wave of violence, followed by the social movement #StopAsianHate which began in March 2021. That month, a man in Atlanta, Ga., went on a shooting spree that killed eight people, including six Asian women.

In the aftermath of the Atlanta shooting for days the police and the media described the incident as caused by sexual addiction rather than seeing it as a hate crime against Asian woman, said Chen, the sociology professor.

It is a very blatant example of how the media, even in the context of horrific tragedy still play a role in perpetuating that discourse.

Students such as Lyu experience not only physical endangerment from individuals who claim to have preferences, but also long-lasting psychological damage.

Many people are trying to address yellow fever on social media. One TikTokker who calls herself haileyych is trying to counter it by showing examples. One of her videos tells the audience that it is time to admit that what individuals claim as preferences are thinly veiled racist attacks.

In one Facebook group, Libertarian Guys With Asian Wives, about half of the posts promote having an Asian wife and emphasize the benefits of marrying one.

I think it is kind of weird to have racial preferences when dating, the YouTuber Celiac Attack said in a reaction video after he browsed the Facebook groups posts. He read out a comment in one of his videos: Why do you keep pointing out your wife is Asian if you arent some kind of fetishist though? Why isnt she just your wife?

WATCH | Celiac Attack takes on Libertarian Guys with Asian Wives:

Asian women have long been viewed as supple and submissive. Several studies on Hollywood movies probed how they hypersexualize Asian women and desexualize Asian men.

In a recent interview with CBC News, film scholar Celine Parreas Shimizu described how movies, such as Madame Chrysanthme (1887) and Madame Butterfly (1904), planted the seeds of the trend of servile submissives, suffering, diminutive Asian women in early mass culture.

Its something many Asian women actively want to change, including Chen, the sociology professor.

I think for Asian women, we should define ourselves and narrate our own story, rather than be defined by others, she said. It is a lifelong process.

After the encounter at the bus stop, Lyu opened the Uber app and hailed a ride so she could leave as soon as she could. During the ride, she began processing what just happened to her. She began to shake.

When asked how she would respond if she had the chance to go through it all over again, she said, I would fight back. And take a picture of him to remind my other friends.

Read more from the Observer:

Related

Read more here:
How 'yellow fever' is affecting Asian women in North America - The Toronto Observer

Libertarian: Handouts Goosed Inflation

Four Federal Reserve economists cite DCs pandemic-related cash handouts to explain why US inflation has been much worse than other nations since early 2021, reports Reasons Eric Boehm. Uncle Sams fiscal support measures ... may have contributed to this divergence, the economists write. Few other nations handed out cash directly to citizens as America did, notes Boehm. And the big blow came in 2021, when Team Biden pushed through a round of $1,400 checks as part of the American Rescue Plan, including for people who werent even poor. All that cash is now chasing the same number of goods. Thats a recipe for inflation straight out of any economics textbook.

When I think about Americas wide-open southern border with Mexico and the utter lawlessness such chaos represents a record two million illegal immigrants streaming in last year and thousands more every day I consider the politics, John Kass writes at John Kass News. More than 100,000 Americans died from drug overdose last year, most of them young, most were victims of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids smuggled over the southern border. Heres how it works: China makes fentanyl. Banks and the Mexican drug cartels make fortunes pushing the synthetic opioid across our wide-open Southern border, using border crossers as their mules. And American young people die, without much reaction from the American political class or the media that protects that class.

The United States southern border isnt just shared with Mexico its shared with the world, observes Jesse Hardman at the Los Angeles Times. While working along the border, Ive met migrants from Afghanistan, Syria, China, Eritrea and many more countries. If theres trouble anywhere on the globe, residents from that region will soon be arriving at the US-Mexico border. People fleeing human rights abuses, poverty and war say they see the US as a place they can get work and be relatively safe. Indeed, in the four months before Russia invaded Ukraine, US Customs and Border Protection nabbed about 6,400 Russians and more than 1,000 Ukrainians. People travel across the world through deadly terrain and under horrible conditions to a border they likely wont be allowed to legally cross because its their last hope.

Elon Musks move to buy $2.64 billion in Twitter stock and become the largest individual stakeholder appears based in his libertarian values as they pertain to free speech, argues Joe Concha at The Hill. And in that space free speech is the whole ballgame especially since social media, including most notably Twitter, not only dismissed ... but censored the Hunter Biden laptop story. Twitter employees fear Musk may inflict damage to the companys culture, but that culture has freely embraced censorship while shunning due process, so if Musk is a threat to that, its a good thing. Two-thirds of Americans say [social medias] had a mostly negative impact on the country, and one big aspect of that is the assault on free speech.

The New York Times Bret Stephens slams the Boston Athletic Associations move to ban Russian and Belarusian residents from this years Boston Marathon. The BAA declined to say what responsibility the banned athletes have for the policies of their government, and whether exceptions would be made for runners who made public statements denouncing the invasion of Ukraine. Yet we know not all Russians and Belarusians support their leaders a point the BAA should seek to honor, not ignore. And: To reduce citizens of a state to an identity with the politics of their government is ... a gift to people like Putin. Americans are supposed to believe in openness, competition and fair play. ... It would be nice to see the BAA celebrate those ideals.

Compiled by The Post Editorial Board

Originally posted here:
Handouts goosed inflation and other commentary - New York Post