Category Archives: New Utopia

Many housing authorities in Arizona refer Section 8 voucher holders to such third-party websites as Socialserve to find available rental units. However, the authorities provide no oversight regarding scams on these websites. In MiAsia Pashas case, the scammer gained access to the home through the Show Yourself In tool on the Progress Residential website and provided the unique entry code to Pasha, who lost more than $1,000. (Photo by Tirzah Christopher/Howard Center for Investigative Journalism)

The north Phoenix house that scammers used to rip off MiAsia Pasha was listed on Socialserve again a few days later, but with different contact information. (Photo by Tirzah Christopher/Howard Center for Investigative Journalism)

PHOENIX Dozens of private landlords walked through the arched doorways of the colonial revival red brick building on a bright spring day to hear the governments pitch for its Housing Choice Voucher program.

City leaders had recently quadrupled the financial incentive for private landlords to participate in the Housing Choice Voucher program, commonly known as Section 8, which is one of the most prevalent ways to secure affordable housing. To help spread the word, the Phoenix Housing Department offered an open house at Memorial Hall at Steele Indian School Park on March 29.

Private landlords serve as gatekeepers for tenants whove received vouchers, providing the final step in the process. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which funds Arizonas more than $200 million program, suspends any entity, including private landlords, found to be engaged in corrupt or criminal activity in the program.

But the majority of Arizonas roughly two dozen public housing authorities, which manage the program for HUD, lack a formal process for approving private landlords, according to a Howard Center for Investigative Journalism review of their policies. And Arizonas competitive housing market only complicates matters for voucher holders.

MiAsia Pasha, 69, knows well the hurdles some voucher-holders are facing. She lived in the same HUD-subsidized rental home for about a decade before the landlord asked her to move out in January.

Months of rejections and couch surfing followed, so Pasha asked to attend the Memorial Hall gathering in hopes of finding a landlord who would accept her voucher.

Its like Ive got a stigma on my name, or on my voucher, that says Im not worthy to have my place, said Pasha, a lone tenant among the sea of landlords. I had no idea that I was going to have so many doors slammed in my face, I was not prepared for that at all. And Im in shock.

The voucher program subsidizes private rent for low-income families. It usually requires tenants to contribute 30% of their income toward rent and utilities.

However, long waitlists in Arizona mean it can take applicants years to receive their voucher, even before they begin the long process of finding a landlord who will accept it.

Most Arizona housing authorities give applicants 60 days to find a landlord and undergo background checks. Applicants may apply for voucher term extensions, if necessary. The average amount of time an applicant has to find a landlord is 120 days.

According to the federal Fair Housing Act, housing providers may not discriminate against anyone on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status or disability. In 2016, HUD released guidance to apply the Fair Housing Act to people with criminal backgrounds, making it illegal for landlords to deny applicants solely based on their criminal history. Even so, housing experts in Arizona say, criminal backgrounds can cause landlords to deny applicants.

Maxine Becker, an attorney at Wildfire Community Action Agency in Phoenix, says the housing market is too tight for landlords to consider applicants with criminal backgrounds.

If youve got an eviction, if you have a criminal history, I think most of them are just going to move right on and find someone who doesnt carry that risk, Becker said.

Most Arizona public housing authorities make landlords responsible for screening prospective tenants, including criminal background checks. And landlords can turn down tenants on just the basis of an arrest or being named in a warrant.

Landlords often use private companies to run background checks, Becker said, and those companies dont have to comply with the same standards used by housing authorities during the voucher approval process. For example, the Arizona Department of Public Safety, which oversees and distributes criminal background records, is legally required to maintain accurate and complete information. Private companies are not.

They just buy the data in bulk and then they sell it to landlords who can go through it, Becker said.

The house that was involved in the scam still being toured by prospective tenants is on East Utopia Road in north Phoenix. MiAsia Pasha said that her desperation for an affordable place to live caused her to fall for the scam. (Photo by Tirzah Christopher/Howard Center for Investigative Journalism)

Brett Matossian, founder of Re-Entry by Design a program that helps formerly incarcerated people said housing scarcity in Arizona allows landlords to easily exclude applicants with criminal backgrounds.

Theres not enough supply and theres more than enough demand for them to be fairly picky, Matossian said.

Recent HUD data showed a 13% decline nationally in landlord participation in the voucher program from 2010 to 2018, and a 1.3% drop in Arizona units leased to voucher holders since December 2019.

To encourage owners to participate in the voucher program, a few cities offer financial incentives. Mesa and Chandler give a one-time payment of $1,000 to new landlords. Chandler also provides a $400 lease renewal bonus for landlords who already are participating.

The Phoenix Housing Department, the largest in the state, oversees more than 6,000 units, almost 30% of all units in Arizona. The Phoenix City Council voted unanimously in February to quadruple landlord incentives from $500 to $2,000, which the housing authority estimates will help secure an additional 425 rental units by August.

Really, anyone who has a property, whether its a home, an apartment complex, a duplex, and who is interested in accepting vouchers as a form of payment, can participate in our voucher program, said Elenia Sotelo, a housing manager for Phoenix who organized the landlord open house in March.

But the voucher program structure drives participants toward an unregulated system rife with opportunities for exploitation. Without a formal approval process for landlords, housing authorities have little control over who participates in the program. And an already vulnerable population of tenants is forced to trade one set of risks for another.

The Socialserve website has scam warnings on every page: Two specific instructions are that payments must not be done through an app, and to check whether the listing is available on other websites. (Screenshot via Howard Center for Investigative Journalism)

Just three days after the landlord open house, Pasha stood outside a home on the corner of Utopia Road, awaiting the keys to her new residence, relieved to have finally found a landlord who would accept her voucher.

She found the home on Socialserve, a nationwide nonprofit that helps people with vouchers find willing landlords. HUD requires all housing authorities to maintain a list of places either a physical list or on a website that accept vouchers. To meet this requirement, the Phoenix Housing Department lists Socialserve on its website.

So do housing authorities in other Arizona cities, even though Socialserve posts warnings about potential scams involving listed properties. Neither the housing authorities nor HUD have any oversight of such third-party websites.

At 10:30 a.m. on April 1, the day Pasha was to take possession of the home, she sent the landlord a rental deposit, totaling more than $1,000, and waited for him to meet her at the house on Utopia. Fifteen minutes later, she gave him a call.

He never answered his phone, Pasha said. It was off. And I was devastated, literally devastated.

Although Pasha has worked with an emergency shelter provider since 1991 and sits on the board of CASS (Central Arizona Shelter Services), she had fallen victim to a rental scam. The Howard Center found that images of the rental home which actually is owned by Progress Residential, a rental home provider were used to create a fake listing on Socialserve.

This scam works when the scammer gains access to the rental unit and shares it with a potential tenant a ruse that has become even more popular as contactless home tours have grown in popularity. In Pashas case, the scammer asked for photos of her ID and used those to obtain a PIN to access the doors digital combination lock, giving her access to the home during her search.

I made a mistake, Pasha said. I got caught up in desperation.

She alerted Socialserve and Progress Residential and filed a report with the Phoenix Police Department.

One of Progress Residentials top priorities is the safety and security of its residents and potential residents, the company said in a statement to the Howard Center. We have a dedicated team focused on researching and investigating any reports of fraudulent activity or potential scams.

A supervisor at Socialserves call center said that, in addition to the warnings on its site, the company removes scams when made aware of them, but otherwise it cant prevent them.

Two weeks later, the Howard Center spotted the same property back up on Socialserve. But the rental listing had a new landlords name, phone number and email.

MiAsia Pasha lost more than $1,000 in a scam involving a home in north Phoenix owned by Progress Residential. Pasha alerted Socialserve and Progress Residential and filed a report with the Phoenix Police Department. (Photo by Tirzah Christopher/Howard Center for Investigative Journalism)

The agreement between landlords and housing authorities is known as the Housing Assistance Payments contract, or HAP. It gives both parties a great deal of autonomy, shields public housing authorities from any liability for renters behavior and gives private landlords significant freedom in choosing tenants.

Landlords are accountable for the actions of their tenants. If they accommodate disruptive behavior, they can be banned from participating in the program.

But they also can evict tenants for any number of reasons, if the owner determines that the household member has committed the criminal activity, regardless of whether the household member has been arrested or convicted for such activity. The regulations set no standard of proof for such a determination.

Evictions, which can be as serious a hurdle to affordable housing as a criminal record, also are left to the landlords discretion. Unlike some criminal offenses that can be expunged, set aside or sealed, removing an eviction from a tenants record can be a lengthy and expensive process.

We need to expunge evictions, said Julie Gunnigle, the Democratic candidate for Maricopa County attorney whose law firm partnered with the Arizona Poor Peoples campaign to provide legal services for people facing eviction.

Im not even sure that it matters, because your voucher doesnt cover the actual cost of housing, because rent has exploded, she said. I just really dont see the options. And it looks so hopeless.

Pasha said her experience with Socialserve triggered the same sense of helplessness she felt in 1991 when she said she was diagnosed with HIV and later formed a drug habit as a way of coping.

I am living sofa-to-sofa right now, and after 10 years of having your own place, its a little different, she said. It makes me want to go out and do drugs, but thats not who I am now.

Research has shown that unstable housing can trigger a new substance abuse problem or worsen an existing one. Although Pasha was not driven to relapse, she sees the impacts of desperation and scarcity every day.

She continues calling landlords every week, hoping the voucher is her key to affordable housing. The gatekeepers dont seem to think so; she says they hang up on her as soon as she reveals her voucher status.

Were not stupid people, Pasha said. We just need a place to stay. Why cant we have a chance?

If you or someone you know is facing housing discrimination or believe your rights have been violated, you can file a complaint by calling HUD at 1-800-669-977 or visiting the How to File a Complaint page on HUDs website. You can also contact a fair housing organization in your area.

This story was produced for the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at Arizona State Universitys Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, an initiative of the Scripps Howard Foundation in honor of the late news industry executive and pioneer Roy W. Howard. Contact us at [emailprotected], visit us on Twitter @HowardCenterASU.

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Private landlords have become the key to subsidized housing - Cronkite News

Imagine, if you will, that the Paradox offices in Stockholm are a giant space cruiser. After light-years of peaceful travel, the crew are suddenly startled by the warning signs of imminent attack flashing on every monitor. Theres no time for goodbyes, so whats the one item grand strategy Stellaris new game director Stephen Muray grabs before he rushes to the cramped escape pods? I have to save the Mercedes Romero Body Pillow. A real hoopy frood would have grabbed a towel, but Ill have the comfiest escape pod of them all.

An industry vet with 20 years under his belt, mostly in the MMORPG space, Muray joined the Stellaris team in 2019 as a designer on the Ancient Relics story expansion, carving out the rock aliens of the Lithoids Species Pack before moving to his new role as game director this past March. I share a great deal of (former game director) Daniel (Moregrd)s views on what Stellaris needs and where I should be guiding it. He left me Stellaris in a great state the Custodian Initiative has been a tremendous success.

The Custodian Initiative, announced last June, saw a hiring effort and a restructure of the Stellaris developers into two teams. One would continue to work on new content, while the other tackled hotfixes and free updates. Like a self-replicating tide of killer robots, the game has grown exponentially over time, and the Custodian Initiative ultimately means two things: players spend less time stranded between quality of life updates, and Paradox doesnt need to interrupt the development flow of larger expansions. The team naturally dont want this growth to alienate a chunk of their player base, so what does the balancing act in deciding what content should be free vs. paid look like?

Stellaris. Credit: Paradox.

Our general rule is that systems should be free whenever possible, says Muray, Though the bulk of the content related to them can be gated behind the expansion. He gives the example of Ancient Relics, a paid DLC packed with multi-tiered stories and gameplay consequences, released alongside a new archaeology system free to everyone. This gives us freedom going forward to revisit things, like how we later added a site in the Hauer system. Its a bit tricky to find the balance sometimes, says Muray, and Paradox tends to prefer making more content free than not which sometimes affects the overall value proposition of the DLCs.

Despite being at it on Stellaris for six years, were still working out some of the nuances. Murray gives the creation of Hive-Mind empires as an example Most recently with Overlord, we ended up wanting to make one of the Origins for Hive-Mind empires, which require Utopia to play. We had a bit of a debate on how to handle this before deciding that it would require both Utopia and Overlord.

Ultimately, Muray says he wants the team to be able to work on whatever cool ideas they come up with. His job is to find a place to put them, whether thats part of a free update or paid expansion. Either way, this new, quicker cadence of development just means more opportunities for the team to get creative. As for ways Murays approach differs from previous directors? I might embrace narrative and roleplaying more than some of my predecessors. Theres nothing better than a wonderful emergent story.

Stellaris. Credit: Paradox.

Emergent stories, of course, are where much of Stellaris magic stems. Whether roleplaying as ravenous psychic space bugs or the federation from Star Trek, the game can go from Le Guin to Adams to Lovecraft in a single play session. By not writing off a specific tone as too dark, weird, or even silly, players are free to fill the vastness of space with their own personal narratives.

Virtually every sci-fi trope that exists is fair game, which gives us an absolutely incredible degree of freedom, says Muray, back at our fourth anniversary, Moregrd described Stellaris as an exploration-focused space-fantasy strategy game that explores dystopian and utopian themes in a playful and light-hearted manner. Though we dabble in the absurd from time to time, it can break immersion so we try to keep those moments relatively rare. Since Nemesis, the expansion that allowed the player to become a tyrannical galactic threat, Muray says theyve tilted a bit more towards the dystopian side. Id like to go a bit in the other direction and lean towards stories that emphasize the utopian sense of wonder, though still leaving room for a bit of existential horror or depravity, of course.

As for taking inspiration from outside the game, Muray says that its all about the classics. The recent surge in popularity of sci-fi in the media has filled us with a lot of energy. Dune returning to prominence again right as we were working on something subject related was very nice, and there are regular debates and discussions about The Expanse, Babylon Five, 40K, the various incarnations of Star Trek. Currently Im rereading (Ian M. Banks) Culture books, but that doesnt necessarily correspond with planned features or changes in Stellaris. (Tinfoil tidbit: the Culture books deal with a futuristic anarcho-communist society, which may or may not play into the utopian themes Muray mentioned earlier.)

Stellaris. Credit: Paradox.

Whatever themes or stories make their way into Stellaris still have to gel with the mechanical needs of the game, of course. The most recent expansion, Overlord, deals thematically with both majesty and projection of power, but not without structurally changing how players interact with the galaxy. A struggle you have as an expansive empire is being able to respond to threats in a timely manner, says Muray, stability requires the ability to protect what is yours, and to reassure your subjects that theyve made the correct choice by being loyal to you. If you cant protect and project confidence, then all of these stars were yours only on paper, not in reality.

Two of the megastructures added in Overlord are intended to help with that problem. Hyper Relays are a fairly early game technology which greatly diminish travel time across the network, and the Quantum Catapult is a late game megastructure that can toss your fleets virtually anywhere in the galaxy, with a bit of scatter. As an Overlord, says Muray, this means you can quickly react to faraway threats. Getting back home, that might take a while.

When the team creates a new expansion like Overlord, what comes first: the theme, or the immediate mechanical needs of the game? Muray says its all of the above. Weve had subject contracts on the Design want to do list since back in Federations, but realized it was a pretty massive task that wouldnt fit unless it was the core of an expansion by itself. We explored positive diplomacy in several areas in Federations, then negative diplomacy through espionage in Nemesis, and felt that now would be a good time to look at how diplomacy could work between parties with explicitly unequal power.

Stellaris. Credit: Paradox.

Im curious how that to do list evolves over the course of a six year project like Stellaris. What unexpected directions has the game gone in since that original grand vision and what happy accidents have emerged as result? One of our greatest strengths is that were not afraid to change and improve, or challenge previous decisions, says Muray. The earliest days with tiles and FTL modes are still recognizable as a distant ancestor of the current game, but there have been so many things that have changed.

As for happy accidents, I decided to mess around with the Lithoids up until then, Species Packs were purely cosmetic, but we were adding a little mechanical meat (of sorts) to our rock people. We internally acknowledged yeah, well probably have to add mechanics to all future Species Packs going forward, but we would never go back and revisit Humanoids and Plantoids. Well the 3.1 Lem update certainly proved that wrong. Conversely, some ideas have been on the to do list for a long time. Subject Contracts have been on the we should do this list since Federations. The Quantum Catapult idea was even older than that.

Even while Stellaris offers glittering, strange, and sometimes terrifying visions of the future that awaits us beyond the stars, the team looks toward the six year projects own future. Murray isnt making any promises, but it doesnt sound like he and the team are anywhere close to running out of ideas. Id be interested in doing more with our pre-FTL civilizations, like subjugation was pre-Overlord, it feels like an area thats underutilized and could have so much more built around it. Factions and leaders are another area ripe for improvement. Mechanically, with the Custodian Initiative. Id like to revisit fleet combat for a balance pass to find ways to reward more diverse fleet compositions, as well as take a pass on Espionage and perhaps Trade and Crime.

Stellaris. Credit: Paradox Interactive

Muray says players are keen to see more done with their empires internal politics, too. I cant blame them. Theres so much more we could be doing with it than we do now, but itll take time. Just like how external politics was broken out over three expansions, to do it justice itll take more than one to flesh out the empires themselves. Well also want a way to keep it from being oh, another system that gestalts dont get to play with, so that nearly triples the optimal quantity of content.

Hed also like to explore more ways to make uniting or conquering the galaxy with friends easier The Imperial Fiefdom origin in Overlord is pretty cool because multiple human players that select it will all begin as subjects under the same Indolent Overlord, and weve spent a bunch of time improving automation and experimenting with tutorial systems, but I think theres still a whole lot more we can do to make the game more accessible.

Any chance of more character-focused stories like Paradox other grand strategy behemoth, Crusader Kings 3? People frequently ask why Envoys die and get replaced, when really theyre primarily a resource limiting how many things your diplomatic bureaucracy can handle at a time. Its mostly for flavour, and so you get a name when the Hive Mind next door eats them after being delivered a strongly worded letter. Mmm. Flavor. But leaders, says Muray, have never been a major focus for Stellaris. We dont want to get as deep as Crusader Kings with complex interpersonal connections and the like, but it might be interesting to see if wed actually be better off with fewer, but more interesting leaders? Im not sure if its right for the game, but its the type of thing that would provide incredibly entertaining design discussions.

How has it been, seeing such a huge project over such a comparatively huge span of time?

Like a giant space cruiser thats under fire. Were all doomed, says Muray, reading ahead to the question I opened with, then changes his mind. Weve been on a journey of exploration, finding and defining ourselves in a galaxy full of wonder. Im very proud of how far weve come from those first steps into the stars.

Stellaris is available on PC, Xbox, and PlayStation consoles you can read NMEs review of Overlord here.

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Quantum futures: Stephen Muray on embracing roleplaying, Blorg body pillows, and six years of 'Stellaris' - NME

Choosing your first smartphone can be quite a challenge, especially if you are on a tight budget. Of course, you want everything that you see on the best devices, but without sending your bank balance into overdraft mode. Sounds like tech utopia? Well, it isnt, because the phone that taught us all to Never Settle has now come out with a phone that is ideally suited to be your first ever smartphone. After killing flagships, adding new dimensions to the premium segment and redefining the mid-segment of the smartphone market, OnePlus has now come out with the perfect value for money phone for those who want the OnePlus experience without compromises, at a surprisingly affordable price the OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G. At Rs 19,999, it has everything that you would need in your first smartphone. And much more besides.

So if you are in the market looking for your first smartphone and want everything for as little as possible, here are seven reasons why the OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G could just be the phone you are looking for:

An eye-catching designYour first smartphone will turn heads if it is the OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G. The phone comes with a brilliant display in front with slim bezels, but what will really turn heads is the subtly dual textured back, with lines on the upper half. Whether you opt for the classy Black Dusk or the more colourful Blue Tide, your phone will attract gazes of admiration. It is also very slim at a mere 8.5 mm. Use of high quality materials ensures that this is a phone that is comfortable to hold and use.

A terrific displayThe OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite comes with one of the best displays in its segment. It comes with a 6.59 inch full HD+ display with 120 Hz refresh rate. That makes games and shows a visual treat and even reading plain text, sheer joy. The high refresh rate of course makes scrolling butter smooth!

The best processor in its class, and plenty of RAMPowering the OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite is the best processor in the segment, the Qualcomm Snapdrgon 695, paired with 6 GB or 8 GB of RAM, depending on the variant you choose. No matter what game you want to play, from good old Candy Crush to the latest PUBG instalment, this phone can handle it. You will also be able to run multiple apps and switch between them easily. No lags!

Great cameras, front and backThe 64 megapixel main camera that spearheads the triple camera arrangement on the back of the OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G delivers great details and colours. Want to snap yourself for a change? The 16 megapixel front facing camera serves up selfies that are by far the best in this segment.

A long-lasting battery that charges fast as wellA look at the slim figure of the OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G might give the impression that it packs in a relatively smaller battery. But that is not the case. The phone comes with a 5000 mAh battery, which is one of the largest seen on a OnePlus phone. It easily lasts for more than a day, and in best OnePlus tradition, gets charged super fast too, thanks to a 33W SUPERVOOC charger in the box.

Clean uncluttered UIYou can have all the features you want in a smartphone but they are of little use if the device itself is difficult to use. That is not the case with the OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G. It comes with the cleanest interface around, OxygenOS on top of Android 12. This makes it one of the easiest phones to use. Perfect for those who want to use their first smartphone, rather than get intimidated by its features.

Future ready with no compromisesThe OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G comes with every feature a person would want in their first handset. It has not only the current connectivity favorites like Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and GPS, but also retains that old favourite, the 3.5 mm audio jack. Storage stands at an impressive 128 GB, with a microSD card slot as well for expanding it. And support for 5G means that your first smartphone will be ready for the future as well.

With so much going in its favour, it would make very little sense for anyone to settle for anything other than the OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite for their first smartphone.

Originally posted here:

Seven reasons that make the OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite the perfect first smartphone! - The Indian Express

Leinster is following the lead of Munster and the GAA by entering into the world of virtual reality only this time through the door of the Metaverse.

Munster continues to innovate in the gaming and esports space through Munster Rugby Gaming while the GAA are in the pre-release phase of its NFT collection and now Leinster are building the first digital environment for fans.

The Metaverse, or virtual space, is a somewhere that digitally exists to allow fans to meet, collaborate and socialise, engage with players and club sponsors, build relationships with stakeholders and even do business with like-minded users and all without leaving their homes.

Leinster has joined with innovation partners BearingPoint to explore the capabilities of Metaverse technology and the immersive opportunities it will present to supporters as it builds that augmented reality or virtual space.

For traditionalists, the notion of a digital stadium or area where you spend your social time engaging in your favourite team or sport might seem nonsensical but its already the norm for 350 million children who subscribe to Fortnite.

The PlayStation and Xbox game offers a place where friends can meet, socialise and congregate in a safe and comfortable world with like-minded folk.

Like Leinster, Manchester City are building a digital utopia with Sony, where a virtual version of the Ethiad is currently under construction for the 99% of global City supporters who will never get to see team play live, in person.

Imagine being able to go to Sundays title decider against Aston Villa, soaking up the pre-match by visiting the various entertainment suites on offer and all with a group of friends with whom you share the experience.

Away from matchdays, the Metaverse will allow exclusive access to members for various activations - a jersey launch, or the unveiling of a new signing, where fans are part of that live experience, where they can try on that jersey (virtually) and order it, or meet the new player and even speak to them.

Eric Chevallet, Head of Immersive Lab at BearingPoint told The Pitch that as the Leinster Rugby Metaverse evolves it will be the fans who decide what it should contain, what they should have access to and what they want to experience.

Were at a very innovative stage, we have some strong ideas and opinions of what should be there and some decisions we might get, wrong, but in the end the fans will help form what makes sense for them and what doesnt, he explained.

The most important first step from our forming a Metaverse with Leinster is to learn what the fan expects and what he or she wants to do once theyre in that space.

Initially there will be technical and rights issue limitations that need to be overcome to operate at scale for live matches, but once achieved, the virtual matchday experience for those unable to attend will allow supporters real-time involvement in such occasions.

While Leinster is the first Irish sporting body off the blocks into the Metaverse, Munster Rugby are not planning to enter that space just yet Munster Rugby Gaming is continuing to build audience through gaming partnerships with Williams F1.

Although you can reasonably expect that once Leinsters leap into the Metaverse begins to make sense, Munster wont be too far behind.

Big betting urges evidence-based regulation

FLUTTER has urged that any decisions around gambling regulation must be evidence based in the wake of tough new recommendations to ban betting firm ads, up to 9pm.

While broadly welcoming the publication of the Pre-Legislative Scrutiny Report by the Justice Committee, which recommends that children cannot be exposed to all forms of advertising, the sports betting giant raised a number of points of concern.

Primarily it wants regulation to be based on facts and actual data, but did not declare if it believed that this is or isnt the case currently, and it has also raised questions about the funding of the regulatory authority.

This weeks report was certainly low on actual data and was largely compiled with witness testimonies from stakeholders both in favour of and opposed to the betting industry.

One statement in the pages, from the Health sector read: It is hard not to see a gambling advert when turning on the radio, TV or (when looking) at social media.

However there was no data to back up this statement, and therefore the big firms are now on edge.

In a statement to The Pitch, Flutter said: In considering recommendations put forward by the Committee, Flutter has consistently expressed the view that to be effective, new measures introduced should be evidence based.

Further examination would be welcome of each suggested measure to ensure they are both practical and effective.

What little data is contained in the report around advertising and marketing, as well as usage and problem gambling, has been taken from UK surveys, generally.

Of added concern is the funding of the Authority, which is clearly causing anxiety amongst big betting, after Minister of State for Law Reform James Browne previously indicated that the office of the Regulator might be self-sustained through funding from the gambling industry itself.

Of primary importance is the adequate resourcing of the Authority (Regulator), continued Flutter, which owns Paddy Power, Sky Bet and Betfair.

By its nature, effective regulation, irrespective of the sector, is expensive and requires a sophisticated, thoughtful approach. The ability of the Authority to regulate effectively is of crucial importance and will require a significant commitment of resources and expertise.

Who sucks up that expense and how it is funded will be another key question in what is a complex legislative process, which is ambitiously aiming to pass into law by next year.

Volleyball Ireland is nation's best sporting body

EVERYONE loves a giant-killer in sport, but few come as big off-the-court as Volleyball Irelands coronation as the Best National Governing Body at the Clubforce Irish Sport Industry Awards.

This week the organisation scooped the NGB award at the Federation of Irish Sport-backed prize ceremony in Dublin, ahead of all other sports, as the one which is experiencing the largest scale of increase across all federations.

It has almost doubled participation numbers over the past four years, and is the most ethnically diverse of all sports, with 69% of participants, foreign nationals Tallaght Guardians won the Premier Division title with 12 players hailing from 11 countries.

While growing at an extraordinary percentage rate, the numbers playing volleyball are still quite small with 1,498 licensed players (from 870 in 2018) and approximately 8,000 players participating across 923 primary and post primary institutions.

For Gary Stewart, the former general manager and newly appointed Chief Executive of Volleyball Ireland the challenge isnt just keeping the numbers of participants growing, its getting access to facilities and clubs. Like basketball, volleyball doesnt own its own facilities, and is dependent on community arenas and halls to host training and matches.

Our big challenge is meeting demand, five years ago the challenge was getting kids into clubs, now many of our clubs have waiting lists, explained Stewart. In getting access to facilities, we now need six or seven hours a week from the two to three that we used to need before and thats something we dont have control of.

Its a nice problem to have, but we do need more facilities, and it is something that could work jointly with Departments of Education and Sport, in getting more school halls opened after school hours.

Stewart and Volleyball Ireland made headlines earlier this year when it was the first sporting organisation to welcome Ukrainian refugees through its integration programme, where new members could register free of charge.

For an organisation of just five staff, Stewart believes Volleyball is about to mushroom and explode as the growth numbers continue to impress and with a shiny Best NGB gong in hand, whos to argue?

KEY AWARDS FROM THE CLUBFORCE SPORT INDUSTRY AWARDS

Best Sports Sponsorship: Sky Ireland and FAI Womens National Team

Best use of Communications Platform in Sport: Her Sport, media platform dedicated to women in sport

Best Initiative to Promote Women in Sport & Physical Activity: Swim Ireland Women in Sport Leadership Programme

Best Initiative to Promote Inclusivity in Sport & Physical Activity: The Sanctuary Runners inclusive running community

Local Sports Partnership of the Year: Sligo Sport and Recreation Partnership

National Governing Body of the Year: Volleyball Ireland

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The Pitch: Leinster make their leap into the Metaverse - sport's new frontier - Irish Examiner

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Based on the hit 2003 book of the same name by Audrey Niffenegger, which also gave us the 2009 movie with Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams, this new mini-series adaptation of The Time Traveler's Wife - which you can stream with yourNOW Entertainment Membership - is going to give viewers that old-school passionate romance mixed with its own unique brand of heartbreak.

The story revolves around love story and marriage of Henry (Theo James - Divergent, Underworld) and Clare (Game of Thrones, The Good Fight), and the difficulties that their relationship faces. Henry has a rare genetic disorder that causes him to involuntarily travel through time. So as he ages in a linear fashion, he disappears and reappears in Clare's life when she is different ages.

But these two time-crossed lovers aren't going to let something as monumental as literal time travel get in the way of their destiny.

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The new adaptation is being entirely directed by David Nutter, who was behind some of the biggest and best episodes of Game Of Thrones, as well as some highlights for The Sopranos, The X-Files, Shameless and Entourage.

Additionally, this adaptation is being written by Stephen Moffat, the guy behind the recent resurgences of Doctor Who (with Christopher Eccleston) and Sherlock (with Benedict Cumberbatch).

They've also amassed a great supporting cast, including Kate Siegel (The Haunting of Hill House, Midnight Mass), Josh Stamberg (WandaVision, The Affair), Desmin Borges (You're The Worst, Utopia) and Jaime Ray Newman (The Punisher, Dopesick).

The first episode of The Time Traveler's Wife is available to watch with your NOW Entertainment Membership from Monday, 16 May, then stream weekly every Monday.

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The new version of The Time Traveler's Wife is going to give you all of the feels - JOE.ie

The similarities between the art of Grace Jones and David Bowie are apparent for all to see, and the pair are two of the most iconoclastic figures popular culture has ever seen. Without their work, the kaleidoscopic future that we now inhabit would be very different.

Starting with his real breakthrough in the 1970s, David Bowie railed against established social mores by unleashing his artistic vision unto the world.His music was a vivid and atmospheric palette that infused glam rock with an attitude that, until that point, the world had never seen.

He was androgynous, challenging and had an uncompromising self-awareness. He showed everyone that gender, aesthetics, and art, in general, can be whatever you want them to be and that fluidity was the key to reaching the future. Moving forward, the worlds acceptance of the mundane was to be challenged across culture, with imagination coveted as the key to achieving a post-modern utopia.

Whether it beZiggy Stardust, Station to Station,Scary Monstersor later works, Bowie invariably made experimental and progressive music that was so unique that it remains incredibly influential to this day. Duly, for someone so groundbreaking, he carved out an area in music that so many of our other favourite artists would go on to also inhabit.

One of these was Grace Jones. Making her name in the hedonistic Studio 54 scene of disco-era New York, Jones fused experimental music and stark aesthetics in a similar way to Bowie, owing a lot to the haute couture of iconic fashion houses such as Yves St. Laurent and Kenzo who shed modelled for before her time as a musician.

As she moved into the 1980s, Jones started to move away from her outwardly disco sounding work of the 70s, still creating music for clubs, just this time, it was more futuristic, with increasingly complex textures aided by heady electronic sounds. Retrospectively, her music bridges the gap between that of Bowie and the Icelandic queen of pop, Bjrk.

How fitting is it, then, that one of Grace Jones best-loved cuts from the 80s is her cover of the David Bowie and Iggy Pop penned song, Nightclubbing? Released as a part of her 1981 album of the same name, the song was originally written by Bowie and Pop for the latters 1997 debut solo record,The Idiot.

Arguably, Jones version surpasses the original, making it more languid and spacey whilst still managing to honour the industrial sound that made Pops version such a fan favourite. Listen to Grace Jones Nightclubbing below.

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Revisit Grace Jones' cover of David Bowie and Iggy Pop - Far Out Magazine

It was an act of pre-planned sedition, and the continued inability or unwillingness of the Department of Justice to bring the hammer down on those who attempted to overthrow democracy itself may yet be the thing that kills that democracy. Those who organized the "march" had planned it specifically to interfere with the ability of Congress to function. The evidence clearly shows that the organizers and allies used the resulting violence as part of a larger plan in which Trump would then issue a declaration restoring "order" by seizing faux emergency powers. The organizers included Republican lawmakers inside the Capitol, Trump administration officials, Trump himself, Republican strategists, Republican lawyers, and violent militia groups acting in a coordinated fashion with the others.

The Daily Kos Elections Team talks with Joe Sudbay about the big primaries and all of the redistricting nonsense on The Downballot podcast

Everyone who so much as crossed a single toe into the Capitol building itself should be rotting in federal prison for at least the next several years, but only a handful are charged with the sedition that each one of them so clearly intended. Most have been given probation or other light sentences, then left to return to their guns, their fellow extremists, and innumerable Republican campaign trails.

To get a feel for what is most likely to happen next, two stories from the rapidly failing state of Idaho give an unpleasantly detailed look at just how vigorous the American fascist movement has become. The New York Times focuses on the entirely deserved travails of the Idaho Republican Party, which has embraced fascist extremism wholeheartedly only to find that their less extremist officials have little hope of holding out against the venomous terrorist-adjacent batshit extremist white nationalist pro-fascist scum that the party embraced in their long-term efforts to demonize anyone in the state not willing to do the most extremist thing at any given moment.

The party is now a den of militia-premised violent extremism. it has been taken over by white nationalists who identify not just with the state's growing fascist militia groups but with the tattered remnants of the John Birch Societya segregationist, misogynistic conspiracy group that was once akin to the current "QAnon" movement, but one that flourished back in the times when unhinged conspiracy rants had to be mailed out from one person to the next behind actual postage stamps. The poster child for this new pro-fascism Republicanism is the state's own Lt. Governor Janice McGeachin, now infamous for staging her own petty coups every time the state's hard-right sitting governor so much as goes out for a cup of coffee.

The story of the Idaho Republican Party is quite simple. The party continues to embrace the state's most dangerous proto-terrorist networks, white supremacist cults that have moved to the state and set up shop there with the specific intent of toppling the American government and founding a white nationalist ethnostate premised on shooting anyone who objects. The party endorses radicals who promote violent solutions. Itis unashamed about putting the endorsers of terrorist rhetoric on school boards or in other local positions because backing anti-American militia crackpots is considered the lesser of two evils when considered against the purely imaginary dangers of supposed "critical race theory" being taught in the public schoolsschools that much of the movement believes shouldn't exist at all.

So you've got Republican candidates for office showing up at events in which other speakers are leading prayers asking for God's support for their attempts to secede from America to form their own nationalist murderstate, and anyone left in Republican circles who thinks that might be grotesque behavior now labels themselves a "traditional" Republican and struggles to explain to voters that despite their own party's willing embrace of this batshit nuttery, embracing terrorism-premised ethnostate rebellions is Bad, actually, and what the hell are the rest of you people even thinking.

The second look into Idaho's collapse into what seems likely to become a failed state is a much longer and more comprehensive writeup from Huffpost's Christopher Mathias, one that examines what the guts of Idaho's rapidly surging extremism actually looks like on the ground.

The most important takeaway is that the extremists make no effort to hide their eagerness to embrace terrorismnot just to achieve their desired white nationalist utopia, but against any public official, private citizen, or stray school-aged children who offer up objections. Far-right activists brag not just about their intentions of wiping America out and replacing it with a fascist state, but about their access to doting Republican leaders who continue to back them no matter how radical the movement becomes.

So, as one example, a racial justice protest by a group of local high schoolers suddenly finds themselves opposed by "40 men in camo gear carrying AR-15s" telling them they "deserved to be raped" for staging their rally. The militia stains were backed by a Republican county commissioner, who had requested a public counter to the high schoolers, and if you are beginning to believe that there's no evident means of de-radicalizing Idaho's violent underbelly aside from sending in armed federal officials in to clean house the hard way, you're not likely to be alone.

This is what the new anti-democratic, pro-fascist, pro-violence bent of Republicanism looks like. It is not a question of avoiding violence; the people with pictures of guns on their hats and clothing are intent on using violence, real or threatened, against anyone who might oppose them. To be a non-radical government official in Idaho means facing violent threats over anything from textbooks to mask guidance to vaccines to local ordinancesthreats which will be either ignored or endorsed by Republican candidates looking to consolidate power.

Both of these Idaho reports focus, perhaps as necessity, on individual officials who are either promoting the radicalization or attempting to oppose it. Much of the radicalization can be traced to profoundly mean two-bit local Republican powerbrokers like Brent Regan, a valuable ally to anti-semites, white supremacists, and assorted other terrorism-adjacent extremists. Less examined is the plain truth that none of these white nationalist thugs and other human poisons would be getting anywhere if a very broad chunk of the state's Republican voters didn't back those things. They do. McGeachin hangs out with the would-be architects of a terrorism-premised white nationalist state and pays no price because the Republican church-goers of her state want someone at least as extremist is she is to be in a top government position.

For all the talk about fascist outsiders traipsing into Idaho to transform it into White Nationalist Disneyland, you don't hear many accounts of them facing widespread public opposition from the good Christian salt-of-the-earth locals who don't want white nationalist terrorism, just the white nationalism part. Those are the people who may or may not have power to stop domestic terrorism cells from flourishing in their own towns, but they absolutely have the power to prevent such cells from gaining Republican Party-backed representation in their local and state governments.

And yet:

The state of Idaho provides us with what may be a very accurate picture of what the rest of Republicanism will soon look like, as the party refuses to back down from its own attempted coup, as it continues to work feverishly to sabotage investigations into the violence it caused, as it brazenly passes law after law putting new asterisks on presumed civil rights, and smugly brags as a judiciary stacked with movement ideologues nods and claims none of those things are rights to begin with. There's no effortinside Fox Newsto stop hosts from broadcasting false claims used to justify new terrorist movements. The Republican officials who have encouraged militia thugs to turn out to oppose protesting schoolchildren have not been wringing their hands at how far downhill things have gone since then.

Most to the point, however, both the nation's media and the nation's government has signaled that violent insurrection is not, in fact, so antithetical to our nation's democracy that it cannot be tolerated. It is being tolerated. It is being pressed for, still, and none of the people doing the pressing are paying any significant price. The architects walk freeand, through lawyers, simply ignore congressional and law enforcement demands to tell what they know.

That lack of urgency, treating a party-backed descent into fascism as a status quo issue in which congressional panels shuffle along in relative obscurity and individual saboteurs rallying to thwart the transfer of presidential powers get hurried through our courts while largely dodging the question of how it was that each of them got there, is almost certainly working to boost Idaho's own seditionist fervor. If you can intentionally storm the Capitol and successfully, for a time, thwart the outcome of a democratic election, and even that is met with no great resistance from the government you were trying to topple, then as an extremist it would seem quite reasonable to treat the episode as little more than a practice run. The militia groups threatening schoolchildren in Idaho will hardly be quaking in terror if a few of their members are slapped with middling sentences for doing what their entire militias are premised on doing.

And the Republican Party officials who continue to back the notion of erasing elections when the votes coming in from non-Republican American cities go to candidates who are not their own have no reason whatsoever to balk now. There is no national shunning. Chuck Todd and Meet the Press will banter with the advocates for sedition on what new tax policies might look like. Local far-right gadflies who have screamed for scrubbing out votes are elected to new positions; those unwilling to back such crimes continue to be tossed out.

The press has acted with cowardice from beginning to end, treating democracy and overthrow as competing theories of government that must each be balanced against the other.

The Republican Party has acted as fervent backer of fascist insurrection, and continues to, and pays no price.

The Democratic Party pretends at normalcy even after coup, still waiting for "decent" Republicans to find their soul rather than acknowledging that anti-election extremism coupled with faux-populist hoax is the soul of Republicanism as currently practiced.

We are told that the Department of Justice, the independent portion of government tasked with responding to criminal acts by American citizens against each other, is on the case. And the clock ticks ontoward a November election that may render their careful deliberations moot as pro-insurrection candidates vow to immunize the top criminals from whatever charges prosecutors might yet announce.

There is literally no reason for the Idaho Republican Party to disengage from the state's pro-sedition, pro-terrorism wingat least until acts of terrorism start popping up in the state with enough regularity or impact to cause the federal government to step in and erase whichever militias crossed those lines. Republican lawmakers will continue to carry guns to protect themselves from their own far-right. School board members will continue to face personal threats of violence after Republican-backed smear campaigns, and local officials will continue to face Republican-backed opponents who appear at white nationalist conventions and bow their heads with everyone else as the crowd prays for the violent erasure of all those who oppose them, or might oppose them, or who they simply do not like.

The real question is not how this ends, because it will absolutely end with violence. The Republican Party in Idaho is absolutely assuring that. The only question is how the violence will unfold, how many victims there will be, how many of the victims will be Republicans that the party pretends to give a damn about versus other Idaho residents that they don't, and which of the names currently appearing in these two news stories will end up dead at the end of it, elevated to martyr status by Tucker Carlson and/or whatever collection of dimwitted fascists remain.

This will end with the feds having to take action, because the Idaho Republican Party is rapidly becoming a front for the state's far-right militia groups and the whole premise of those militia groups is to push against the boundaries of what's considered terrorism and what's not until there's no choice left but to get into a shooting war. Even the state's Republicans can see things bending that way, but so long as it provides a momentary election advantage, they're still content to ride that extremist wave.

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The Idaho Republican Party is merging with domestic terrorist groups, and it's not going to end well - Daily Kos

Historia Inc. has announced The Caligula Effect 2 PC Steam version and its release date.

The juvenile school RPG The Caligula Effect 2 PC version will be coming to the Steam Store on June 23, 2022 10 AM JST/ June 22, 2022 6PM PDT. This will be released as well on the Epic Games Store at a later time. Aside from the release date, a new costume, Retro Tatefushi Uniform, will be included for free when the game launches to commemorate the 6-year anniversary of The Caligula Effect series.

The Caligula Effect is a juvenile school RPG series titled after the sense of guilt and exhilaration that one feels from doing something they shouldnt. It explores two core themes, characters who are afflicted with the suffering of the current era known as Modern Pathology, and a thrilling scenario centered around the phrase Killing your idols. The Caligula Effect series has received a lot of attention from its initial release in June of 2016 on the PlayStation Vita, its subsequent anime adaptation, and a follow-up game that featured additional elements, The Caligula Effect: Overdose.

The Caligula Effect 2 carries over two core themes from the original, its unique battle system, and songs by Vocaloid-P musicians, and adds an all new story and cast for a completely new experience. The Caligula Effect 2 has been available from publisher FURYU on the PlayStation4 and Nintendo Switch since June 24th, 2021, and now historia Inc. is handling sales on the Steam and Epic Games storefronts.

No RegretsThe mysterious virtual doll, Regret.The virtual world, Redo, that she created, in which the regrets of the past are erased. Its a world where the thoughts of if only it went differently or if I had done that instead that plague us all, become a reality.

In an ideal world separated from past regrets, the main characters who noticed the deception of this world gain the help of another virtual doll and form the Go-Home Club with the intent to return to reality. Taking on the creator of this virtual world, they embark on the most difficult walk home from school imaginable.

The real-world lives of your friends in the Go-Home Club are full of pain and trauma that are difficult to face. Why are you trying to return to your harsh reality despite that? is something only you can begin to explore. There may even be some among the group whose true self you as a player just cant accept. Youll need to take personal responsibility and a no regrets attitude if you want to move forward

A turn-based combat system where you can assure the success of each move you select. Used right, it allows you to build teamwork and get out of jams.

Standing in the way of the Go-Home Club are The Obbligato Musicians who want to protect their utopia. Awaiting in dungeons where brain-washing songs play on a loop, they are joined by people who have been enchanted by the music and regard the Go-Home Club as traitors to be defeated. Meanwhile, the Go-Home Club, along with Kis singing, fights back. The in-game music is provided by popular composers who are active on video sharing platforms.

Character Composers (listed in no particular order):kemuShota HorieAyasePolice PiccadillyKairiki bearnulutNeruTSUMIKIcosMo@BousouPsasakure.UK

An old style Tatefushi Academy(the school attended by the Go-Home Club) uniform that no longer exists, will be added as a new costume. You can change costumes via the newly added costume field in the equipment screen. Youll be able to change outfits right from the start of the game, so its a feature that can be enjoyed by new and old players alike.

*The Retro Tatefushi Uniform is also planned to be added to the PS4 and Nintendo Switch/Lite versions in future updates.

The Caligula Effect 2 PC Steam version launches on June 22, 2022. Epic Games Store version coming soon.

Source: Press Release

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The Caligula Effect 2 PC Steam Version Announced with Free Costume - Sirus Gaming

Article by: LINDSAY KOHLER, LEAD BEHAVIOURAL SCIENTIST - SCARLETTABBOTT | Published: 18 May 2022

LINDSAY KOHLER, LEAD BEHAVIOURAL SCIENTIST - SCARLETTABBOTT28 April 2022

We all reflect upon the future of work, but focus on where and when we work, not how we work and what new leadership looks like. Whether in the office five days a week or zero days a week no longer matters, what does matter is that systemic and deep-rooted processes and structures at work, are much simpler to change than previously thought. However, approaches to succession planning too will have to adapt to altered frameworks and flattened hierarchical structures.

During lockdown and the rush to remote working, collaboration between different parts of the business became more difficult and created communication barriers and unnecessary levels of bureaucracy, which reinforced silos within the business. Reflecting on all that we have experienced, those businesses that insist on returning to the old working hierarchy model risk losing talent, as well as access to the innovation and creativity that alternative working models unlock. A more fluid work structure allows teams to change tactics more quickly and adapt more easily to shifting demands. It also allows more room for experts from other departments to move around teams as needed. That said, leaders must go in with eyes wide open, a distributed workforce and the hierarchy that emerges to best support it needs clear accountability. Ambiguity in job duties and ownership arises more easily in a distributed workforce, so constant communication on expectations is key. So, what alternative hierarchical models will emerge and how might this impact succession planning?

Different businesses and industries will, of course, have different models that emerge as predominant, but many will discover that traditional hierarchies are an inappropriate framework to base a distributed workforces leadership structure on. One key reason for this is that it better lends itself to distributed networks of power. Networks are decentralised and often lack visible leadership or figureheads, which comes with many benefits. However, a cautionary note on going too far in the other direction is that the opposite of a traditional hierarchy is one that is completely decentralised and solely reliant on self-organisation and self-management to work. The most famous example of this so-called Holarctic style is the shoe retailer Zappos, which rolled out a no job titles and no managers organisational style, only to find out quickly that wasnt the workers Utopia it had envisaged. One downside to having no formal power structures is that informal power structures emerge, often with no accountability, creating an environment, where bullying and harassment can thrive. So, the winner is likely to be a blend of the two styles, one that favours skills and competency.

Importantly, succession planning in the future has to be about skills, not favourites, as seen in the traditional succession planning culture, which was based on direct lines of reporting and grooming someone for a particular role. Indeed, Harvard Business School research shows that the concept of an old boys club at work is real and found that men managed by men are promoted faster than any other group. One caveat is that this research was conducted when physical presence in the office was still the norm and it is too early to tell if a shift to hybrid working will reduce the promotional effects of proximity bias. But the point is, promotions of the past were largely based on factors that, in many cases, had little to do with competency and efficiency.

So, what measures will we use to identify potential successors and base promotions on going forward, if not the markers of high visibility to peers or best friendship with the boss? Skills and impact, of course, because the prominent skills needed to propel a business forward become more obvious when everyone is less physically visible. Those with business-critical skills versus those in close proximity to the powers that be will rise into positions of power, based on the respect they gain as subject matter experts. But this rise wont follow traditional hierarchical structures. Rather, more heavily matrixed organisations will emerge because of this shift in what traits a business values in a leader and how it chooses who leads. A matrixed structure helps to embrace leaning on the most qualified person to make a decision, rather than x the most senior person.

Matrixed organisations arent necessarily new, go back to 2016 and a Gallup poll reported that 84 percent of employees had experienced matrix working at some point, to differing extents. But matrix organisations will become more common in a distributed workforce and one driving reason for this is that a key area that matrixed organisations thrive in is collaboration. Embracing new ways of collaboration and collaborating with more people across the organisation was one of the pandemics key wins. This is because a distributed workforce evens the playing field between remote-only and onsite workers and simply functions more cohesively, if the organisation structure is matrixed. So, the burning question is, do we still need bosses in a distributed workforce? The answer is yes and likely more than one because in matrixed organisations, employees have more than one direct reporting line. But this manager will not look like the bosses of yesteryear because, while teams that self[1]organise dont require a manager to assign work, they still need someone to encourage, mentor and help develop their skills. So, an increase in leadership coaching among people at all levels of a business not just the C-suite will become more common. Above all else, adaptation, flexibility and resilience will be the keys to making a matrixed hierarchical model thrive and distributed working encourages all three. As we adjust to the changes required in succession planning, leaders must take a moment for self-reflection and focus on being a force of support for their people, enable them to do their best work and move out of the way, rather than being a hindrance. We need to go the extra mile to clarify roles within the new structure that emerge in the business. The alternative is to double-down on control, cling to outdated management models and risk losing talented people.

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SUCCESSION PLANNING - The Matrix Resurrections - Print Issue 211 May 2022 | Article of the Week | theHRD - The HR Director Magazine

Utopia Deck for Beginners, Ancient Gears with a new toy, and LIGHT Fairy.

Beginner Deck: Utopia Deck

1 ZW Lightning Blade1 ZW Tornado Bringer3 Zubababancho Gagagacoat3 Utopic Onomatopoeia1 Dodododwarf Gogogoglove2 Astraltopia1 Tin Goldfish1 Kagetokage3 Maxx C3 ZS Ascended Sage1 ZS Armed Sage1 ZW Pegasus Twin Saber

3 Onomatopickup3 Onomatopaira1 Hyper Rank-Up-Magic Utopiforce2 Double or Nothing!1 Xyz Change Tactics1 Chain Summon2 Book of Moon1 Monster Reborn1 Reinforcement of the Army1 Zexal Construction

1 Numbers Protection1 Halfway to Forever1 Hi-Five the Sky

1 Number 99: Utopia Dragonar2 Number 39: Utopia2 Number 39: Utopia Double1 ZS Utopic Sage1 Number 39: Utopia Rising1 Number F0: Utopic Draco Future1 Ultimate Leo Utopia Ray1 Number 4: Stealth Kragen1 Number S39: Utopia Prime1 Number F0: Utopic Future1 Number 100: Numeron Dragon1 Number 38: Hope Harbinger Dragon Titanic Galaxy1 Number S39: Utopia the Lightning

New Product Deck: Ancient Gear Deck Featuring Unlimited Free Radio Jamming

3 Ancient Gear Wyvern3 Ancient Gear Hunting Hound2 Ancient Gear Reactor Dragon2 Ancient Gear Golem2 Ancient Gear Frame2 Ancient Gear Box1 Ancient Gear Golem Ultimate Pound3 Infinitrack Anchor Drill

3 Unlimited Free Radio Jamming3 Geartown3 Ancient Gear Catapult2 Ancient Gear Fusion1 Ancient Gear Fortress2 Heavy Forward2 Chicken Game2 Twin Twisters1 Polymerization1 Overload Fusion1 Terraforming1 Set Rotation

3 Ancient Gear Howitzer1 Ancient Gear Megaton Golem1 Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem2 Chaos Ancient Gear Giant2 Ancient Gear Ballista1 Union Carrier1 Barricadeborg Blocker1 Heavy Armored Train Ironwolf1 Gear Gigant X1 Dingirsu, the Orcust of the Evening Star1 Divine Arsenal AA-ZEUS Sky Thunder

My Favorite Deck: LIGHT Fairy Deck

Support battles with Honest!

3 Honest3 Barrier Statue of the Heavens3 Condemned Witch3 Star Seraph Sovereignty3 Star Seraph Scepter3 Star Seraph Scout3 Hecatrice3 Kurikara the Immovable Avatar2 Herald of Orange Light1 Power Angel Valkyria1 Archlord Kristya

3 Ties of the Brethren2 Pot of Prosperity1 Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen1 Forbidden Droplet1 Forbidden Lance1 The Chorus in the Sky1 Double or Nothing!

2 Fallen Sanctuary2 Solemn Judgment

1 Baronne de Fleur1 Celestial Knightlord Parshath1 Hip Hoshiningen1 Accesscode Talker1 Knightmare Unicorn1 Knightmare Phoenix1 Starliege Paladynamo1 Number S39: Utopia the Lightning1 Number 39: Utopia1 Evilswarm Exciton Knight1 Number 39: Utopia Double1 Castel, the Skyblaster Musketeer1 Number 41: Bagooska the Terribly Tired Tapir1 Constellar Omega1 Constellar Ptolemy M7

Master Duel (Fusion Festival):

Performapal + Odd-Eyes + Magician Deck

Ritual Beast Deck

Predaplant Deck

Fossil Deck

Red-Eyes Deck

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The Organization | [Deck Recipes] May 15th, 2022 - YGOrganization