Welcome to This week in the metaverse, where Fortune rounds up the most interesting news in the world of NFTs, culture, and the metaverse. Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with tips.

Amazon could soon shake up the entire NFT industry with a new initiative based around digital collectibles, according to a report this week by BlockWorks. Citing several anonymous sources, the outlet reported that the NFT project could be announced in April, but the report could not be independently verified by Fortune.

The report says the goal is for Amazon customers to interact with crypto games and claim NFTs. This could be a smart move on Amazons part, because according to a report from DappRadar this week, gaming represents 49% of all daily blockchain activity, with millions of users participating every day.

While Amazons getting into the NFT game could be a boon for the industry, it would have to tread cautiously. The company would, for instance, have to contend with an NFT market rife with scams that are capable of snaring the most experienced crypto veterans.

Those veterans include Kevin Rose, the founder of news aggregator digg and creator of the NFT project Moonbirds. On a Twitter Spaces, Rose said a hacker had stolen possibly more than a million dollars worth of NFTs from his digital wallet thanks in part to a malicious airdrop. Several NFTs were stolen, including 25 Squiggles NFTs and a pricey Autoglyph NFT.

Luckily, his zombie CryptoPunk, CryptoPunk #5066, wasnt stolen. Only 0.88% of the 10,000 CryptoPunks are zombies, and similar NFTs have been known to sell for thousands of Ether, including CryptoPunk #2066, which looks similar to Roses and sold on OpenSea just 28 days ago for 1,155 ETH, or $1.8 million.

In other news: 

Do you own a plot of metaverse land in Decentraland? Have you ever wanted to foster a dog? Pet food maker Pedigree will now let metaverse users foster virtual dogs through its FOSTERVERSE program launched this week. Through the program, metaverse land owners will upload a digital version of real-life dogs on Adopt a Pet and care for them in the metaverse. Decentraland users who dont own land can still interact with the virtual dogs, adopt them in real-life through Adopt a Pet, or donate to the Pedigree Foundation to help real-life pets. Those who participate in the program can earn custom FOSTERVERSE wearables to sport in Decentraland.

Courtesy of Pedigree

Prada announced the latest edition to its Timecapsule Collection of specially designed clothes, each of which come with their own NFT. The February installment is the second of a three-part series of shirts featuring special prints by Italian photographer Enzo Ragazzini from his 70s archive. One NFT holder will also be selected to attend the Prada Womenswear Fall/Winter 2023 fashion show on February 23rd. The collection will be available on Feb. 2.

Courtesy of Prada

Remio, a VR app that focuses on remote team building and collaborations for businesses, is now available for download on the Meta Quest through the Meta Store. In the app, employees can solve puzzles and play games together as well as gather for virtual meetings. Users can participate in virtual activities like solving an escape room together, visiting the digital happy hour bar, and playing paintball, before convening in virtual breakout rooms and presentation rooms.

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CEO agendas for 2023 are crowded and complex, leaving leaders to face a myriad of short-term demands. Faced with many priorities, leaders could lose sight of the need to drive diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) progress and its significant role in business performance.

Yet with growth and competitiveness at the top of agendas, leaders cant afford to lose ground on DEI. In fact, its critical that CEOs further emphasize and put DEI at the center of their business strategy and their vision for the future of their workplace.

Coming out of years of disruption, with more change likely on the horizon, leaders have the opportunity now to reimagine the workplace we inherited from the 20th century. From our own experience at PwC, our clients, and through the CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion coalition, we hear from leaders who now more than ever want to accelerate their organizations DEI  progress. Leaders are focused on increasing representation, belonging and trust, deepening connections in hybrid workplaces and creating an inclusive culture for all.

To be effective, leaders can focus their efforts on three key drivers:

Employ data-first strategies and technology

Modern organizations run on data, but in our experience, many employers dont have the DEI data needed to adequately inform talent strategy. Consider starting to build a process for collecting and analyzing DEI data throughout the employee experience. For example, PwC created a digital platform called My Story Your Story, with a focus on self-reporting for employees to choose to express their multifaceted identities to help foster meaningful professional connections. This platform also provides valuable identification data to help inform PwCs DEI strategy, measure effectiveness, and enable transparent reporting.

DEI strategy should be data-first to drive evidence-based insights on root causes and solutions. Then, dashboard reporting technology with embedded analytics can empower managers who are in the position to act on it in real time. For example, as part of our PwC My+ people strategy, we developed a reporting platform that provides leaders with direct access to data on workload, engagement, development, and diversity, with automated nudges to help drive actions that strengthen the employee experience when it matters.

Build a culture of inclusive leadership and sponsorship with new skills

Leadership today requires a new mindset with consciously inclusive behaviors that help build trust with individuals, enable everyone to contribute to the fullest, and drive performance in teams. This work starts with defining what inclusive leadership behaviors look like at each level in your organization, and then bringing these behaviors to life in inspiring and positive ways while aligning your development and people processes. 

At PwC, we created a global inclusive leadership curriculum that addresses topics, such as how to run an inclusive meeting, assigning projects with inclusion in mind, and how to build an inclusive network of colleagues. In addition to developing these skills, accountability is also important to success. Demonstrating these skills should be embedded in promotion criteria, performance management, and people processes. We require demonstration of inclusive leadership skills as part of our global career progression framework that is the basis for assessment throughout the year at all levels.

Sponsorship, which includes investing personal social capital to help advance others careers, may be one of the most impactful DEI levers a leader can pull to drive measurable progress. Too often sponsorship perpetuates a cycle of leaders investing in and helping to advance talent with similar backgrounds and mindsets. This type of dynamic undercuts DEI progress, and an effective way to support a more inclusive approach is through raising self-awareness and skills of managers to deliberately sponsor across differences. Formalizing sponsorship programs can also increase transparency and measurable outcomesbut it still has to be underpinned by an authentic relationship.

Embrace hybrid as a win for DEI while driving purposeful connections

Research has shown that many women and racially/ethnically diverse people, as well as people with caregiving responsibilities, prefer hybrid work arrangements. This can be a huge win for employees and their companies by delivering greater flexibilityalong with stronger engagement and productivitywhile expanding their talent pool. But achieving these goals requires a new mindset on fostering inclusion in a more hybrid world and skills for managing hybrid teams.

Start by asking leaders to be deliberate in planning with their teams. Its important to make the most of in-person time as an opportunity to build relationships, provide mentoring and sponsorship, or engage in team agendas that benefit from in-person interactions.

At the same, hybrid/virtual interactions require leadership behaviors that deliberately build psychological safety and team cohesion for decision-making and innovation. Its important to avoid potential risks, such as proximity bias or disproportionately valuing individuals who share the same physical location versus objective performance measures and outcomes. The basic imperative is to engage in data-driven learning, so that policies and management practices are based on evidencenot simply strongly held beliefs and opinions.

As leaders plan for the year ahead, we have an opportunityand a responsibilityto make measurable progress with DEI. But it requires using data, technology, conscious inclusive leadership and sponsorship, and embracing new ways of working. DEI is a societal imperative, and we know that learning through collaboration with our peers is key to driving collective action and impact. We invite you to join us as we learn together in CEOAction.com.

Michael Fenlon is chief future of work officer at PwC. Sabah Cambrelen is a principal for consulting solutions, workforce transformation, and DEI at PwC. PwC is a partner of Fortunes CEO Initiative.

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We are witnessing the largest population of aging seniors in U.S. history, a number that is projected to reach 80.8 million by 2040not to mention the 61 million individuals living with disabilities. These numbers beg the questionwho is responsible for caring for these people?

Roughly one in five Americans are providing unpaid care to an adult with some classification of health or functional needs, consuming, on average, 20 hours per week of their timein essence, a part-time job without any compensation that costs them upwards of 25% of their salary on out-of-pocket expenses. 

Given the growing population of aging seniors in this country, 65,000 individuals are stepping into a caregiving role every single day. At this very moment the majority of the population either has been a caregiver, is currently a caregiver, or will be a caregiver at some point in their lifetime. So if there was any question as to whether or not this crisis pertains to you or anyone you knowthe answer is a resounding yes.

When were dealing with various populations in needseniors, adults, or even childrenthe focus remains laser-sharp and clear around that individuals specific and often urgent needs. How are they feeling today? What do they need that I can provide? What appointments are on the agenda? Did I remember to administer all of the correct medications? Did I just miss a phone call? Is there an emergency?

Theres no doubt that the past few years have drastically changed our way of living, practically bullying us into a remote and virtual existence. On one hand, we are experiencing convenience like never before, while on the other, many feel isolated and out-of-touch with advanced technology that may not always be user-friendly. Countless organizations have presented robotic tech targeted towards the senior population in an effort to address several of the challenges they face as they age, but these solutions lack intuition and practicality, adding very little value to the senior, and are no help to the caregiver.

According to an AARP report, more than 75% of seniors want to age in the comfort of their own home as opposed to a long-term assisted living facility. Chances are their family and friends live in a different neighborhood, city, or state, but that doesnt necessarily alleviate them of the responsibility or obligation of assuming the role of caregiver. In a mere moment, their entire life could changesuddenly in addition to caring for their own immediate family and holding a full-time job, they are now contributing their time, money, and energy to meet the needs of their aging loved one.

Its nearly impossible to put into words the physical, mental, and emotional stress experienced by any caregiver. Theres an unspoken expectation to be selfless, flexible, and available at all times. Caregiving is an admirable and heroic act, yet so many are sufferingand more often than not, doing so in silence. So while many experts have failed to answer the questionhow can we provide better care for our aging populationwe, as a society, must rise to the occasion and explore how we can better support our caregivers. 

In the short-term, there are a few steps a caregiver can take to self-advocate in a world thats slow to offer a solution or support, or simply fails to see their struggle. These steps may seem obviousor at times even dauntingbut could make a significant difference in how caregivers make it through each day.

Acknowledge your new role

Oftentimes a person is thrust into a caregiving role without any warning or awareness, forcing them to tap into a brand new skillset. Take ownership of your role as a caregiver and fully embrace all that comes with it. You might find taking ownership of this responsibility makes it easier to ask for help or to take the initiative to establish an organizational system that promotes success. 

Build a team

There is immense strength in community. Identify a network of friends and family closest to you and lean on them. At the very least, having someone you can depend on to listen and provide a safe space for your emotions and frustrations can often ease stressful burdens. Identify a community of individuals you trust, and give them a chance to help pick up the pieces when theres a shortage of time or energy.

Ask for help

Yes, its been mentioned in both of the previous steps, but it is that important. A challenging concept for so many in any situation, but historically, people in a caregiving role do not ask for help. As humans, it makes us feel good to help others, but in order to give one another that chance, we have to ask. 

Seek financial guidance

Caregiving is a costly responsibility. Research shows that more than 60% of caregivers are womenand were still living in a world in which women earn less than men, so these out-of-pocket expenses are challenging to manage. There may be local government assistance for certain states, but in most cases caregivers are left to their own devices to budget, save, invest, and manage their assets, and this is a scenario in which it may pay off (literally) to seek support from a financial advisor.

Caregiving is selfless, a labor of love, and a chance to turn the tables and repay our parents and loved ones for the care they provided usbut it also requires sacrifice, is deeply challenging, and can feel like an inescapable burden. Without awareness of the magnitude of this reality or the struggles millions are facingand that millions more will soon facewe will remain ill-equipped to support those who find themselves thrust into this crucial role. There is no easy answer, but one thing is crystal clear: we must bridge the gap in support caregivers receiveand soonor risk a rise in caregiver burnout that will be nearly impossible to correct.

Avanlee Christine is the CEO and founder of Avanlee Care, an all-in-one app that enables remote caregiving so those in need live healthier and happier lives at home.

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When the Federal Reserve convenes at the end of January 2023 to set interest rates, it will be guided by one key bit of data: the U.S. inflation rate. The problem is, that stat ignores a sizable chunk of the country rural America.

Currently sitting at 6.5%, the rate of inflation is still high, even though it has fallen back slightly from the end of 2022.

The overall inflation rate, along with core inflation which strips out highly volatile food and energy costs is seen as key to knowing whether the economy is heating up too fast, and guided the Fed as it imposed several large 0.75 percentage point interest rate increases in 2022. The hope is that raising the benchmark rate, which in turn increases the costs of taking out a bank loan or mortgage, for example, will help reduce inflation back to the Fed target of around 2%.

But the main indicator of inflation, the consumer price index, is compiled by looking at the changes in price specifically urban Americans pay for a set basket of goods. Those living in rural America are not surveyed.

As economists who study rural America, we believe this poses a problem: People living outside Americas cities represent 14% of the U.S. population, or around 46 million people. They are likely to face different financial pressures and have different consumption habits than urbanites.

The fact that the Bureau of Labor Statistics surveys only urban populations for the consumer price index makes assessing rural inflation much more difficult it may even be masking a rural-urban inflation gap.

To assess if such a gap exists, one needs to turn to other pricing data and qualitative analyses to build a picture of price growth in nonurban areas. We did this by focusing on four critical goods and services in which rural and urban price effects may be significantly different. What we found was rural areas may indeed be suffering more from inflation than urban areas, creating an underappreciated gap.

1. The cost of running a car in the country

Higher costs related to cars and gas can contribute to a urban-rural inflation gap, severely eating into any discretionary income for families outside urban areas, a 2022 report found.

This is likely related to there being considerable differences in vehicle purchases, ownership and lengths of commutes between urban and rural Americans.

Car ownership is integral to rural life, essential for getting from place to place, whereas urban residents can more easily choose cheaper options like public transit, walking or bicycling. This has several implications for expenses in rural areas.

Rural residents spend more on car purchases out of necessity. They are also more likely to own a used car. During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a huge increase in used car prices as a result of a lack of new vehicles due to supply chain constraints. These price increases likely affected remote areas disproportionately.

Rural Americans tend to drive farther as part of their day-to-day activities. Because of greater levels of isolation, rural workers are often required to make longer commutes and drive farther for child care, with the proportion of those traveling 50 miles (80 kilometers) or more for work having increased over the past few years. In upper Midwest states as of 2018, nearly 25% of workers in the most remote rural counties commute 50 miles (80 kilometers) or more, compared with just over 10% or workers in urban counties.

Longer journeys mean cars and trucks will wear out more quickly. As a result, rural residents have to devote more money to repairing and replacing cars and trucks so any jump in automotive inflation will hit them harder.

Though fuel costs can be volatile, periods of high energy prices such as the one the U.S. experienced through much of 2022  are likely to disproportionately affect rural residents given the necessity and greater distances of driving. Anecdotal evidence also suggests gas prices can be higher in rural communities than in urban areas.

2. Rising cost of eating at home and traveling for groceries

As eating away from home becomes more expensive, many households may choose to eat in more often to cut costs. But rural residents already spend a larger amount on eating at home  likely due in part to the slimmer choices available for eating out.

This means they have less flexibility as food costs rise, particularly when it comes to essential grocery items for home preparation. And with the annual inflation of the price of groceries outpacing the cost eating out  11.8% versus 8.3% dining at home becomes comparably more expensive.

Rural Americans also do more driving to get groceries the median rural household travels 3.11 miles (5 kilometers) to go to the nearest grocery store, compared with 0.69 miles (1.1 kilometers) for city dwellers. This creates higher costs to feed a rural family and again more vehicle depreciation.

Rural grocery stores are also dwindling in number, with dollar stores taking their place. As a result, fresh food in particular can be scarce and expensive, which leads to a more limited and unhealthy diet. And with food-at-home prices rising faster than prices at restaurants, the tendency of rural residents to eat more at home will see their costs rising faster.

3. The cost of growing old and ill outside cities

Demographically, rural counties trend older  part of the effect of younger residents migrating to cities and college towns for either work or educational reasons. And older people spend more on health insurance and medical services. Medical services overall have been rising in cost too, so those older populations will be spending more for vital doctors visits.

Again with health, any increase in gas prices will disproportionately hit rural communities more because of the extra travel needed to get even primary care. On average, rural Americans travel 5 more miles (8 kilometers) to get to the nearest hospital than those living in cities. And specialists may be hundreds of miles away.

4. Cheaper home costs, but heating and cooling can be expensive

Rural Americans arent always the losers when it comes to the inflation gap. One item in rural areas that favors them is housing.

Outside cities, housing costs are generally lower, because of more limited demand. More rural Americans own their homes than city dwellers. Since owning a home is generally cheaper than renting during a time of rising housing costs, this helps insulate homeowners from inflation, especially as housing prices soared in 2021.

But even renters in rural America spend proportionately less. With housing making up around a third of the consumer price index, these cost advantages work in favor of rural residents.

However, poorer-quality housing leaves rural homeowners and renters vulnerable to rising heating and cooling costs, as well as additional maintenance costs.

Inflation a disproportionate burden

While there is no conclusive official quantitative data that shows an urban-rural inflation gap, a review of rural life and consumption habits suggests that rural Americans suffer more as the cost of living goes up.

Indeed, rural inflation may be more pernicious than urban inflation, with price increases likely lingering longer than in cities.

Stephen Weiler is a professor of economics at Colorado State University.

Tessa Conroy is an economic development specialist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

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When you take into consideration that people spend most of their waking hours either at work or commuting to work, it should come as no surprise that workplace stress is the top driver of mental health issues. According to Calms 2023 Workplace Mental Health Trends Report, 50% of employees say that work stress is impacting their personal lives, their relationships with their family members and friends, as well as their relationships with themselves.

When people are overwhelmed or stressed at work it can result in parents being disconnected from their kids at home or partners not having the emotional energy to give to their loved ones, explains Calm CEO David Ko. It is important for employers to train mindful managers that can recognize signs of high stress or burnout and promote a healthy work/life balance. Productivity and company culture will suffer when work stress impacts employees personal lives.

But its time for employers to go beyond simply talking about mental health needs and putting action (and money) behind making it a priority.

Many workplaces have settled into their new normal, whether fully remote, hybrid or back in the office full time and expect their employees have settled in as well, says Ko. However, employees are still processing and healing from the uncertainty, pressure and change of the past three years. Stressors like financial loss, personal illness and caregiving impact people in the workplace and can even be exacerbated by work stress.

What employers can do

Employers and leaders need to recognize they can be both the cause of and solution to workplace stress, says Scott Domann, chief people officer at Calm. We must be acutely aware of our employees diverse experiences, family situations, and mental health needs, and how these variables impact individuals at work.

To start, Domann recommends employers offer tangible mental health benefits, such as meditation apps and access to free or low-cost therapy, as well as intangible support from managers, peers and human resources.

Providing holistic mental health support for employees is not a nice-to-have, its a must have, he says. Sixty-seven percent of people from our survey results say employers should offer mental health support and benefits to their employees.

Moreover, Domann says that employers need to listen, including having engaged conversations with employees beyond the scope of their job duties and also conducting regular employee surveys throughout the year instead of one annual one to gather feedback on how employees are doing and what support they require.

Meanwhile, Mark Debus, manager of the behavioral health team at Sedgwick, points to flexible work schedules as a potential solution to workplace stress.

When it really comes down to it, we only have so many hours in a day and we want to spend that time with our loved ones, developing hobbies and things that are not related to work, he says. So from a managers perspective, you have to be aware that anything you do that impacts your employees schedulelate-night meetings, last-minute travelis going to be a major source of stress.

Lastly, Domann urges employers to be open about their own mental health as a way of alleviating the stigma around the conversation at work.

Its okay to feel stressed and its okay not to be okay. Encourage leaders to talk about their stress and how they care for their own mental health, he says. Employees will see these examples and feel more comfortable discussing their own stress and mental health needs at work.

What employees can do

As for employees, experts encourage staff to take matters into their own hands by advocating for their needs and building their personal mental health toolkits. When interviewing for a new role or going through a life change, Debus suggests the following script: In order for me to get my job done and be at my best, Im going to need occasional flexibility to do X, Y and Z. Thats important for me and I will give you 100%.

And if that doesnt work, then it may be time to seek employment elsewhere.

Most employers want you to do a good job. They dont want employees who are upset, disgruntled or burned out, says Debus. Its costly to train new people. Its more cost-effective to keep your employees happy and not burned out.

In the same way were expected to prioritize our physical health, Domann recommends doing the same with our mental health.

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Video released publicly Friday shows the husband of former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi fighting for control of a hammer with his assailant during a brutal attack in the couples San Francisco home last year.

The body-camera footage shows suspect David DePape wrest the tool from 82-year-old Paul Pelosi and lunge toward him the hammer over his head. The blow to Pelosi occurs out of view and the officers one of them cursing rush into the house and jump on DePape.

Pelosi, apparently unconscious, can be seen lying face down on the floor in his pajama top and underwear.

The release comes after a coalition of news agencies, including The Associated Press, sought access to the evidence that prosecutors played in open court last month. The San Francisco District Attorneys Office had refused to make the exhibits available to journalists.

A state court judge Wednesday ruled there was no reason to keep the video secret.

The evidence includes portions of Paul Pelosis 911 call on Oct. 28, as well as video images from Capitol police surveillance cameras, body cameras worn by the two police officers who arrived at the house and video from suspect David DePapes interview with police.

DePape has pleaded not guilty in ongoing state and federal cases.

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The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued guidance on how to survive a nuclear catastrophe, just hours after the EU warned that Russia is at war with the West.

Included in the guidance is a list of medicines that nations should stockpile for radiological or nuclear emergencies.

The global health body also shared how the stockpiles which could prevent or reduce exposure to radiation should be handled. 

Dr Maria Neira, WHOs acting assistant director-general warned that governments need to make treatments for radiation and nuclear exposure available quickly. 

It is essential that governments are prepared to protect the health of populations and respond immediately to emergencies, she added.

Potential scenarios considered in the publication include radiological or nuclear emergencies at nuclear power plants, as well as intentional uses of radioactive materials with malicious intent.

These emergencies could result in exposure to deadly radiation doses, yet many countries are underprepared, according to the document.

It stressed: It is therefore extremely important that governments respond rapidly to such threats.

Putins war against the West

The document comes as Stefano Sannino, secretary general of the European Unions European External Action Service, today announced that Russia has shifted the focus of its Ukraine invasion.

Speaking at a news conference in Tokyo as part of an Asia-Pacific tour, he said that Vladimir Putin has moved from a concept of special operation to a concept now of a war against NATO and the West.

He also defended the recent decision by Germany and the U.S. to send advanced tanks to Ukraine.

The EU is not looking to escalate hostilities but just giving the possibility of saving lives and allowing the Ukrainians to defend from these barbaric attacks, Sannino added.

Western allies have committed about 150 tanks to Ukraine, to reduce casualties and help restore dwindling ammunition supplies.

The Kremlin has described this as evidence of growing direct involvement of the United States and Europe in the 11-month-old war, something both deny.

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