Category Archives: New Utopia

When The Wing was founded in 2016, the female-focused social club's brand of bubblegum pink, bite-size feminism was a novelty for women across the globe. It had famous members, exclusive networking events, and A-list slumber parties and promised to bring together change makers who embodied the start-up's mission: to be a warm, welcoming utopia for real womenall womenwho redefined what it means to be powerful.

But by 2020 the picture-perfect feminist oasis was called into question after the company was accused of creating an environment that mistreated Black women and other women of color, per The New York Times. Now newly appointed CEO Jennifer Cho is here to lead The Wing's next chapter.

I think the conversation around inclusivity is all about continuing to learn, says Cho, who was brought in as the company's chief marketing officer in 2021. I make sure I am intentionally asking questions with people that I'm meeting that are different than me. You need to be intentional about that curiosity and continue to learn, and I thought I could do that with the team here at The Wing.

The Wing's coworking spacessix currently in operationare known for their feminist-hero-titled conference booths, color-coded books, and pressed green juice. These amenities felt revolutionary when the company first opened its shiny, Instagram-friendly doors, but the idea of work has radically shifted since then. Cho's vision for the company is not only to empower a woman-led workforce but to also redefine what it means to come into an office in a post-COVID world.

What I was so inspired by when I first walked into a Wing space was the feeling that I can walk in and be my most productive self, she tells Glamour. I was finding a spot to sit, looking around, and thinking, Hey, I can actually have a relationship or some type of connection with everyone that I see in this space. I was craving that social connection and working somewhere that wasn't my guest room. I was craving having a coffee with someone who wasn't my husband or my dog.

While the future of a formal return to office in lieu of Zoom meetings in dresses over sweatpants (something Cho jokingly admits is still her WFH uniform) is still up in the air, the idea of pushing a female-led company forward has long been a driving point for women imagining a better world.

Below, we talked to Jennifer Cho for Doing the Work about the beginnings of her career working as an intern alongside Eminem, her experience growing up as the child of Korean immigrants, and more.

As I get older, I remember all of the things my parents told me about raising the bar and advocating for myself, and those are all things I want to transfer. As I get older, I also become more appreciative. I mean, I'm a first-generation immigrant and the first to go to college here. So I think authenticity is all about how comfortable you feel with the decisions you make, like, can you go to sleep at night? Do you feel good about those decisions? A lot of that really comes back to my upbringing. My dad always told me to never be the smartest fish in the pond. Once you feel like you are, go find a new pond and make sure you're uncomfortable. Continue that learning journey. I think that is one of the pillars across my entire career.

One thing I see as a consistent theme is that women just figure things out. We're problem solvers by nature. So if there's a task at hand, we apply the knowledge we have, whether it's traditionally earned or learned or whatever that is, and then we leverage tools around us in order to find the right solution.

I'm so proud of the education we've done around what our spaces can bring and how they can support our members and our guests, things like our physical spaces, especially in this postpandemic world that we're living in now where the future of work has completely changed. Whether it's finding a workspace or meeting someone at a professional development event or learning about crypto somewhere other than at a high-price NFT conference with a bunch of men. I'm also really proud of the culture we've built internallyeverything from establishing our culture code, in addition to our house rules, and making sure that we're enforcing those not only in our spaces but also internally as a corporate team.

In my family there were only two options explored: being a doctor or a lawyer. I went to a magnet program in high school that focused on medical sciences. In lieu of knowing what I exactly wanted to do, I did what would get me the best education. I went into the medical sciences program, only to learn after four years of advanced classes in biology and science, including 700 hours of volunteer work at different hospitals, medicine wasn't what I wanted to do. My parents were supportive at that stage of my journey, and they said, Okay, that's cool, but now that you're going to college, now you're going to be a lawyer, because that's really the only other option. So now you've decided your fate. I was a political theory major, which was the broadest form of law, and my career started because I got an internship my junior year of college at Columbia, where I was interning for an entertainment law firm. So this was me, again, thinking of how can I check the box on a legal internship, but also make it fun for me. It was a legal entertainment firm and they managed this guy named Eminem who had a rap label coming out. Then, obviously, the Marshall Mathers L.P. blew up.

In hindsight, it's been interesting to see how winning was against the most visible competitor, which is exactly what battle rap is. If you think about the time period in music history and living in New York City in the 90s, it influenced so much in our culture. Being in that space allowed me to see the most extreme versions of misogyny as an Asian woman who certainly wasnt seen a leader within that space. For nearly a decade every experience revolved around having to prove myself. I was always saying, Hey, I'm a young woman, but look at the business that I'm bringing to the table to distribute your projects and make sure you won't get sued. Without me, you can't be you. I had to fight tooth and nail to carve out the justification for my role and payment. It was great preparation for the business world at hand, even though it was the most extreme version of it, in my opinion, at that time. Still nowadays, if you look at the number of female executives in the music industry, it's not great.

Coffee all day. If I'm going in somewhere, it's all about a good, intense nitro cold brew because I do enjoy the flavor of coffee. In order to replicate that at home, my husband brews coffee and grinds his beans. I have recently become obsessed with the canned Starbucks Nitro Cold Brew. I feel like I have, like, a tap in my house. I usually go through at least two a day, and I do try to switch to tea in the afternoonhibiscus, to be exact. I drink everything iced all through the winter.

There's an expectation in our society that everything needs to be perfect and every step you make has to completely make sense and be a part of a master plan. I think what's lost is that way of thinking doesn't give people the freedom to explore or make mistakes which is just as important as some wins people have in their careers. When I look at leaders and the decisions they've made and the judgments that you see in the court of public opinion, I always try to take a step back and understand what they had to navigate in order to be in that role and try to give a little bit of grace.

I do have a lovely playlist that when I have to kind of amp myself up to get into a meeting or fight for myself, I put it on. It's all of the best kind of beef records from 50 cent, G-Unit, The Game. I grew up in New York, so it's Biggie Smalls all dayI have all of his albums with a sprinkle of Tupac Shakur. I have a little bit of The Chronic Album and a little West Coast sprinkle, but I am East Coast all day.

We've tested these night markets and we're bringing them on the road. I'm Korean American, so to explain, night markets are a huge thing in Seoul. There's huge districts that only open at midnight and stay open until six in the morning. It's everything from impromptu K-pop concerts to food vendors to retail shopping. We did a night market in New York that we promoted for two days and had 350 people RSVP. This month, to round out AAPI Heritage Month, they were Asian vendors. With Pride next month, we're looking at redefining the scope of a night market and being inclusive to all the different founders and different business owners that are within our network.

I have been living in Vuori sweatpants. They have the softest joggers. I've literally been wearing a dress with those joggers underneath. My husband calls it my mullet. It's also been good to be able to spend some time in the morning and do readings that I really enjoy and then balance out with a morning workout.

I've actually branded my treat myself time as sluff time. I'm allowed to be in my comfortable clothes, have a beverage of choice, alcoholic or not, and watch so many K-dramas. I'm talking about the original ones that have the dramatic music with the sparkles that are animated. The more dramatic the love triangle, trapezoid, or octagon, the better. If you're just venturing out into K-dramas for the first time, I love Itaewon Class. That's a more like modern take on Korean rom-coms with some edgy stuff in there. I watch it like, Wow, I can't believe they did that. They're kissing on the first date.

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How The Wing's New CEO Jennifer Cho Unwinds - Glamour

David Byrne, a group of scientists and Radiolab co-host Latif Nasser will put their heads together on the eve of Byrnes new show world-premiering in Denver to divulge details about the mysterious production.

The Sept. 12 event, which will take place inside the Seawell Ballroom at the Helen Bonfils Theatre Complex, is the only chance to see Tony- and Grammy-winner Byrne in person and go way, way behind the scenes of the creative process and science behind his immersive experience, Theater of the Mind, organizers said in a press statement.

We are excited to partner with Radiolab and prominent neuroscientists from across the country to produce what will be an engaging and informative conversation raising money to support Off-Center programming, said Off-Center Curator Charlie Miller.

Tickets for the fundraiser range from $55 to $1,000, and the high-end premium VIP tickets may include a photo opportunity with Byrne, cocktails with the creative team, and reserved seating, organizers said.

A pre-sale period is open now for all DCPA subscribers, and tickets are on sale to the public starting on Friday, May 20. Thats the same day that tickets for the production go on sale, with prices ranging from $30 to $90 based on date, time and seating. Tickets for both events will be available at theateroftheminddenver.com.

The show, announced in November 2019 and originally scheduled for late summer or early fall of 2020, has been described as an experimental, immersive theater experience with audiences of only 16 people at a time. It was slated to take place in a massive, Denver-area warehouse integrating both live and virtual effects, and would indulge Byrne the former leader of The Talking Heads and co-writer Mala Gaonkars exploration of cutting-edge neuroscience and technology.

Given Byrnes recent prominence hes behind the smash-hit Broadway show American Utopia running at New Yorks St. James Theater the announcement garnered international attention and was considered a world-premiere win for Denvers arts and culture scene.

The show was postponed indefinitely in May 2020 due to COVID-based production uncertainties, but in February of this year dates for the project were revived, with previews starting Aug. 31, a premiere date on Sept. 13, and an overall run date at least through Dec. 18, 2022..

The 75-minute immersive experience will not feature live performances by either Byrne or co-writer Mala Gaonkar, according to the shows website. Off Center is producing Theater of the Mind under the nonprofit banner of Denver Center for the Performing Arts the latter being one of the countrys largest theater producers.

Theater of the Mind is scheduled to run at York Street Yards in 15,000 square feet of a former Army medical supply depot in Denvers Clayton neighborhood, organizers have said.

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How (and when) to get tickets for David Byrnes behind-the-scenes Theater of the Mind preview - The Denver Post

Ball Arena will welcome several star-powered acts, with Kendrick Lamar bringing his Big Steppers Tour to Denver on Tuesday, August 23 (tickets are $59-$179), and the Smashing Pumpkins coming on Monday, November 7 (tickets are $49-$150). But perhaps the most exciting is the return of Gorillaz on Wednesday, September 28, with the band's first North American tour since 2018. Tickets go on sale this Friday, May 20.

Film on the Rocks also returns to Red Rocks Amphitheatre this summer on Monday nights, with the first screening on June 13 with Thor: Ragnarok; each night includes a live performance from one of the town's big bands (can't wait to see who's paired with Thor).The series will end on August 15 with a screening of Dune. Tickets go on sale this Friday.

And there's plenty more to see and hear. Here are all the other new Denver concert announcements:

THE BLACK BUZZARDThe Copper Children: With David Lawrence & the Spoonful and Coppertail, Sat., May 21, 8 p.m., $15Etana: With Dzirae Gold and DJ Larry, Sun., May 22, 8 p.m., $22Ike Spivak: With Space Force and The Cuddies, Thu., May 26, 8 p.m., $15Lauren Morrow: Sat., May 28, 8 p.m., $15 Luke Lively: With O'Connor Brothers Band and Citrus Condition, Thu., June 2, 8 p.m., $15 J-Calvin: With Connor Terrones and Specific Ocean, Fri., June 3, 8 p.m., $15 Cory Grinder and the Playboy Scouts: With Casey James Prestwood & the Burning Angels, Sat., June 4, 8 p.m., $15Lacy J. Dalton: Thu., June 9, 8 p.m., $20-$160 The Ephinjis: With LEGS, Fri., June 10, 8 p.m., $15 JC Quinn: With Nomad Fox, Dvnny Del Revl, Jaypapi & Grungeloved, Nevaeh J Rose, GHSTNMDMYLO and EQ, Sat., June 11, 8 p.m., $15Ward Davis: Fri., June 17, 8 p.m., $22

CIVIC CENTER PARKPhamalys BIG NIGHT!: With Wheelchair Sports Camp performing their "Alice" album, Thu., June 2, 5 p.m., $30-$125 Independence Eve: With the Colorado Symphony and more, Sun., July 3, 4 p.m., free

FILLMORE AUDITORIUM Kehlani: Blue Water Road Trip: With Rico Nasty and Destin Conrad, Tue., Sept. 6, 6:30 p.m., $54.50-$99.50 Bring Me the Horizon: With Knocked Loose, grandson and Siiickbrain, Thu., Oct. 20, 5 p.m., $59.75-$99.75

GOTHIC THEATRE Flight Facilities: With Two Another, Wed., July 13, 8 p.m., $22.75-$75 Scarface - Farewell Tour: Wed., July 20, 8 p.m., $29.50-$59.50 St. Lucia - Utopia Tour 2022: Fri., Oct. 21, 9 p.m., $30

HI-DIVEThe Kinky Fingers: With Wave Decay and Supreme Joy., Sat., June 4, 9 p.m., $12-$15 Gestalt: With ii/lo, Dog Tags and CONNORPARTY., Sat., June 25, 9 p.m., $15-$18 Mizmor: With Heretical Sect., Wed., Aug. 24, 9 p.m., $15-$18

LARIMER LOUNGE Indie 102.3s Local 303 Meetup: With Anthony Ruptak, Mon., May 23, 6:30 p.m., free

LEVITT PAVILION Fiesta Colorado Dance Company: With Mariachi Sol de Mi Tierra and ArtistiCO, Fri., July 29, 6 p.m., free Amy Helm: Fri., Sept. 2, 6 p.m., free Evanoff: With Trent Campbell (TNERTLE SOLO), Sat., Sept. 3, 6 p.m., free Gamelan Tunas Mekar: With Leela Dance Collective, Sun., Sept. 4, 4 p.m., free Rebirth Brass Band: With Josh Hoyer & Soul Colossal, Thu., Sept. 8, 6 p.m., free JD McPherson: With The Patient Zeros, Sat., Sept. 17, 7 p.m., freeVox Sambou: Thu., Sept. 22, 7 p.m., free Patrick Sweany: Fri., Sept. 23, 7 p.m., free

MARQUIS THEATERdanny G & Michael Wavves: Thu., July 28, 7 p.m., $15. The Jungle Giants: Tue., Nov. 1, 7 p.m., $22.50

MOE'S ORIGINAL BBQ & BOWL No Bueno!: With Poor Me, Dammit Jim and Dead Pan, Fri., June 3, 7 p.m., $12-$18

OPHELIA'S ELECTRIC SOAPBOX Big Styles Presents: Drake Night 8: Sun., May 29, 9 p.m., $25-$40 Hype 90's & 2000's Dance Party: Fri., June 17, 9 p.m., $24-$28 Melt: Sat., Dec. 3, 9 p.m., $13-$23

SKYLARK LOUNGE Darsombra: With Night Fishing and Sunset Odds, Wed., May 25, 9 p.m., $10Love Gang: With Midas and Eaglewing, Fri., June 3, 9 p.m., $12-$15 The Still Tide: With Alysia Kraft and Nina de Freitas, Sat., June 4, 8:30 p.m., $15-$18. Dixie Krystal's Drag Revue: Fri., June 10, 9 p.m., $10Joshua Dylan Balis: Wed., June 15, 8 p.m., $12Wave Decay: With Emerald Siam and Cleaner, Sat., June 18, 9 p.m., $12-$15 Miss Massive Snowflake: With Owosso and The Repulsors, Wed., June 22, 8 p.m., $10 Townies: With Spells and Tuff Bluff, Thu., June 23, 9 p.m., $12-$15

SOILED DOVE UNDERGROUNDJane Eugene (formerly of Loose Ends): Sat., June 25, 7 & 10 p.m., $50-$60 Chris Knight: Thu., July 14, 8 p.m., $20-$25Mason Jennings: Sat., July 30, 8 p.m., $30 Curtis Salgado: Thu., Aug. 4, 8 p.m., $20-$30

SUMMIT Noah Cyrus - The Hardest Part Tour: Mon., Oct. 31, 7 p.m., $27.50 Peach Pit: Right Down the Street Tour: Tue., Dec. 6, 7 p.m., $27.50

YOUR MOM'S HOUSE

The Elegant Plums: With Mountain Rose, The Skinny and EZLOVE, Fri., June 10, 7:30 p.m., $15-$18

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Film on the Rocks Returns, Gorillaz, Kendrick Lamar and Every New Denver Concert Announcement - Westword

Music - 3 days ago

Travis Scott is nearing his Utopia season. During the Billboard Music Awards 2022 hosted by Diddy, Scott made his first televised performance since the Astroworld Tragedy last November, where 10 attendees died and hundreds were injured. Prior to Scott performing new songs Mafia and Lost Forever, last Monday in an Instagram video, Diddy explained his decision in requesting the gig to Scott.

For the Billboard Music Awards this Sunday I made a request; I made a demand, Diddy shared. I said, My brother Travis Scotthas to perform. Im executive producing, he has to perform, and NBC said, Yes. Its going down Sunday, Travis Scott will be performing now thats love.

Scott did not reference the tragedy during his performance, but highlights throughout the night maintained high-energy, with Latto aptly performing her 777 single Big Energy.

Female rap dominated the night, as Megan Thee Stallion also took the stage to perform new single Plan B and Sweetest Pie, although her collaborator Dua Lipa was not present.

Having extended their Las Vegas residency at Dolby Live at Park MGM, Silk Sonic made their Billboard Music Awards debut with a glitzy performance of Loves Train from their 2021 albumAn Evening With Silk Sonic.

After being the first Nigerian to sell-out Madison Square Garden last month, current Billboard cover star Burna Boy performed Last Last and Kilometre, with his sixth album Love, Daminiarriving in July.

Paying homage to Michael Jackson whose magnum opusThrillerturns 40 this year Maxwell delivered a glowing rendition of The Lady in My Life.

Fresh off her Strength of a Woman Festival in Atlanta last weekend, Mary J. Blige was honored by Janet Jackson with the Billboard Icon Award, where she reflected self-love and being the ghetto fabulous blueprint.

I was ghetto fabulous, and I still am, she said, adding, So ghetto, so fabulous, and people were threatened by that.

The message in my music has always been that we are not alone in our struggles. And Im not alone now, Blige added. For so long, I was searching for a real love, but I finally found my real love. And that real love is me.

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From Silk Sonic to Maxwell Here Were the Best Billboard Music Awards 2022 Performances - Okayplayer

*Happiness Not Included is the new album by Soft Cell, the duo of Marc Almond and Dave Ball. A duo of towering cultural significance in electronic pop since arriving in 1981, *Happiness Not Included finds the pair taking a cynical swipe at religion, British history, the media, our sundry obsessions with nostalgia and the let-downs of modern life compared to what we were promised. The album features collaborations with Pet Shop Boys and Christeene and finds Almond reminiscing on a meeting with Andy Warhol in 1981.

Forty years may have passed since they dropped the vivid, unflinching Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, but their new album finds Almond and Ball in familiar territory, mixing late-night tender torch songs with dark-hued, upbeat songs that lurk in the inviting, shadowy corners of the nightclub. We spoke to Almond about the state of society, threats to hard-won LGBTQ+ freedoms and his hopes for the future.

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I found myself noticing nostalgic or backward-looking references in your lyrics here a cheeky reference to The Pink Flamingo from Say Hello, Goodbye on Nostalgia Machine, a sense of longing for all the things we were promised in the future on Happy Happy Happy, the idea that the world just wants to remake the 1980s on Tranquilliser. Whats your relationship like to the nostalgia machine?

I suppose 80s music still resonates today because of the sweet naivety and emotion that came from so much creativity combined with the visual excitement. It was unashamedly fun, hedonistic, sometimes political and often had an anthem of liberation to it in such repressive times.

I think any artist deals, to some degree, with themes that are meaningful to them and when you get to a certain age you find that everything hoped or imagined has come true, but only in part almost like a kind of warped and disappointing view of the future. But in the end, if indeed this is the end, there is a thread of optimism that comes with accepting who we are and where we are in the world. There is so much madness presently in the world that it all feels out of kilter.

I feel incredibly privileged to be still here and working after 40 years. I look back at many of my contemporaries from that era and there is only a handful left who are still working, and even fewer of them with a record deal and recording new material through a major label. The track Im Not A Friend Of God, to me, sounds like it could have been recorded by Nina Simone. Its very cynical about religion, which I can relate to, and which is totally understandable. Have you ever been drawn to religion or spirituality through your life? I dont hold with any religion. They are equally absurd.

The notion of God, when you stop to think about it I mean really think about it is quite a bizarre concept, founded upon fables and mythologies. So dont be too disappointed when your imaginary friend lets you down.

You collaborated on the track Nighthawks with Christeene. That song seems to perfectly capture the thrill, but also danger, of arriving at a new city or a point of reinvention. It seems vaguely biographical almost like the other chapter of the Bedsitter story, perhaps. How did the collaboration with Christeene come about?

It came about by chance. We have a mutual friend and they put the idea forward and it seemed like a great fit.

She is incredibly confrontational and challenging, something that we need in these times to make us look at ourselves and our society.

It feels like the worlds relationship with the LBGTQ+ community is in a pivotal, uncertain place right now, and in a way thats why a figure like Christeene being featured prominently on Nighthawks is so incredibly important. To me perhaps naively it feels like the music world is a very accepting place today but I know it hasnt always been. What was your experience?

Billie Porter talks eloquently about how we are at the forefront of telling our own narrative. Its not in the hands of other people who are outside the community anymore. Like him, I feel so blessed to have lived long enough to see this day.

The struggle is not over. Our freedoms balance precariously on a precipice. The right wing and nationalists would curtail any freedoms if they could, for gays, for women, and the minorities everywhere. And in addition I see, especially through social media, divisions amongst the community be kinder to each other and realise that only through standing together can we hold on to the gains we have made and ensure a better world for everyone.

I suppose it comes back to feeling pride in ourselves. I think the early trans rights activist Marsha P. Johnson was right. If a transvestite doesnt say, Im gay and Im proud and Im a transvestite then nobody else is going to hop up there and say, Im gay and Im proud and Im a transvestite for them.

I feel like collaborating is something youve always been drawn to not just with Dave, but with many other artists. What makes a good collaboration, in your opinion? What do you enjoy about them?

Collaborations are odd things they are balancing acts between two artists who feel artistically or commercially close enough to benefit more than harm the other. Its a strange kind of dance, and when they work they can be amazing. In fact my biggest hits have been duets.

Polaroid describes your time at The Factory in New York in 1981 and meeting Andy Warhol. What was he like to interact with?

He was everything you would want Andy Warhol to be. There was nothing of who he was that he revealed, this strange creation, oddly taller than I imagined. He was polite, guarded, cold but also exactly as I had wanted him to be.The current documentary available on streaming is astonishing, and heartbreaking.

Theres a wonderful narrative to Light Sleepers a bit of people watching perhaps and imagining the stories of people youre watching while drinking your coffee. Where did the idea for that song come from?

It is a very personal song which I wrote during a brief visit to Los Angeles. It was one of those mornings when you wake up early because of jet lag, and I would wander down to the Earth Cafe and sit watching life, when the end of the night meets the beginning of a new day. You get that mix of people coming down and starting up. It's such a lovely moment when a city yawns itself awake.

There is a pretty bleak prognosis for society running through this album which, like the views on religion, I think we all can relate to. If this wasnt our current reality and destiny, what would utopia look like for you?

A place without shame, where there is no shame in being what you are. Where you are the only one who gets to say who you are. I think that search is summed up in the final track on the album, maybe one of our finest songs of all, New Eden.

I wrote it for older people who feel lost in this current world, outliers I suppose in this polarised black and white place. I wanted to evoke that feeling of optimism that comes with at least a belief of a better place, or world, maybe even spiritualism.

One of the songs that inspired me into writing New Eden was the song Go West first by the Village People, as it was filled with such promise of something better, freer, a time before AIDS. And then the remarkable version by the Pet Shop Boys that taps into the post-AIDS world, and shifts the location of the theme to East/West and political freedoms, and the lovely sadness and melancholic delivery by Neil.

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* Happiness Not Included by Soft Cell is out now on BMG and available on vinyl, cd, cassette and digital - https://softcell.lnk.to/Happiness // Soft Cell have recently announced a US tour in August for the Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret 40th anniversary, full dates here: https://www.softcell.co.uk/concerts/

Interview: Mat SmithPhoto Credit: Andrew Whitton

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Marc Almond On Soft Cell's New Album, Andy Warhol, And God - Clash Magazine

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.

Clip via NOW

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