"Let's set up a portal between Dublin and NYC - what could go wrong?"
+ Got something you give a shit about? Wanna turn it into a business?
My angels!!! I’m currently up in Auckland and guess who the hell I got to see yesterday…. LONDON LAURA!!! She’s moved back to NZ, which I guess means we have to find a new name for her. Let’s get musing on that.
I’m up here for a week of meetings which means I also get to see Slam Dunc, AND get the old band back together (gonna give Close Friends a listen to some music I hope!!!) Hope your weekend was cute, love u to death xxxxxxx
⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖ IN THE NEWS⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖
The NYC-Dublin portal is really showing the worst of us
Trust the human race to find a way to ruin a wholesome art installation!!!
For those who haven’t seen it, a portal has been set up in Dublin and New York to show a 24/7 live stream of what is happening between the two cities:
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While the idea of the project was to “unite citizens via technology on either side of the Atlantic Ocean,” instead, “mischief makers” (on Ireland’s side) took it upon themselves to flash everything from “their bare bums to swastikas and a photo of the Twin Towers in flames on 9/11.”
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This is why we can’t have nice things 𓆩♡𓆪
Got something you give a shit about? Wanna turn it into a business?
Ok so you know I’m obsessed with young people - I reckon we honestly have the best ideas and are capable of the most epic shit - but having people to lean on, access to LEGITIMATELY helpful resources, and just being inspired by some of the smartest damn people who have built their own businesses, is literally sooo important (take it from me and my village of mentors 🥺)
Here in New Zealand, we’ve got some of the craziest fast-growing companies (that were started by people under 30), like the one that helps global brands track their health, the one that connects millions of car part vendors to millions of available car parts, and the one that hundreds of thousands of Kiwi and Aussies are using to build inter-generational wealth.
Anyway, you get the idea - so if you’re under 30 and want to start a business (or just have a million ideas swimming around in your head) then plz come and hang out with me and some other SICK entrepreneurs at these hot and free and fun events!! Kicking off in Auckland, we’ll then be heading to Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin - check it out!!
Where and when??
The first one is Auckland, Tāmaki Makaurau, 16th May.
The TALENT:
Here’s a lil about who I’m gonna be speaking with:
Grace Stratton, who gives a shit about ensuring fashion brands are truly inclusive and accessible for disabled people as the founder of All is for All.
Dean Hall, who gives a shit about developing gaming experiences that meet the needs of their users. He’s the Founder of RocketWerkz and created DayZ, a best-selling PC game.
Ezekiel Raui, who gives a shit about the mental wellbeing of youth in Aotearoa. He is the Head of Foundation at One NZ, where his job is to help reduce the number of rangatahi experiencing exclusion and disadvantage in Aotearoa.
Melinda Gates is quitting the Gates Foundation
This story is developing but here’s what I know. Melinda Gates, who co-founded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (the largest of its kind) with her then-husband Bill Gates, has said she will be stepping down as co-chair.
Speaking about the resignation, Melinda posted this statement to Twitter (X):
And here’s just a little bit of context about the foundation via the BBC:
The Gates Foundation is among the most powerful groups in public health. It spends billions of dollars every year on initiatives aimed at eradicating infectious diseases, reducing poverty and combatting climate change.
According to the foundation's website, the couple donated more than $36bn (£28bn) of their own wealth to it from 1994 to 2018.
Trump Trial: Michael Cohen says he paid hush money at Trump’s discretion
Ahh yes, the trial that feels like it’s been going on for a million years already. In today's Trump update, his former lawyer Michael Cohen is testifying. Here are the main points, via the BBC:
Cohen alleges Trump told him to be prepared for "a lot of women" who could come forward when he entered the presidential race
The court has heard Cohen organised cash for a former Playboy model "at the direction" of Trump
Cohen paid porn star Stormy Daniels $130,000 (£104,300) to stay quiet before the 2016 election about claims that she and Trump had sex in 2006
So many of us have grown up having everything available and accessible to us all the time - which is AMAZING for so many reasons, but there is a cost to free things - even if you can’t see it.
In a world that feels more mystifying by the day, where journalists are constantly being laid off, and misinformation spreads faster than a leaked Harry Styles song, finding media that you trust, understand and actually want to read is so important.
I know you value what I do - so many of you email me saying how much you love the newsletter, thanking me for explaining topics you might not have heard of, and telling me how much it means to you that you’ve got a friend on the other side of this thing (🥺🥺🥺) If you believe in paying for the media (or the person???) you love, then please consider becoming a supporter.
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PS, if you wanna chat to me about anything I’ve written today, your latest crush, or if you just want a pen pal, reply to this email and we can be friends 𓆩♡𓆪
Left Ireland to travel and suddenly we get the portal which the world is obsessed with and everyone is posting pics of the Northern Lights from their bedroom windows... It was me holding us back all along
I wish more billionaires actually cared about helping the world