Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Moab is known as a rock climbing destination: With unique sandstone towers and long, parallel splitter cracks at nearby Indian Creek, Moab attracts climbers from around the world. Soon, Moab climbers will have a place to train when the sun is down or the weather is badtwo Moab residents, along with a partner based in Las Vegas, are launching the Climb Moab Gym, an indoor space with bouldering and top rope walls. Locals Britt Zale and Kaya Lindsay and their partner Justin Beitler hope to open this winter, offering a space for climbers to not just train, but meet new friends and foster community.

From idea to reality

Zale and Lindsay both moved to Moab in 2017. Zale learned a lot of her outdoor climbing skills while living in Moab; within a few years, decided she wanted to make it her permanent home. One thing the town was missing, though, was a climbing gym. She decided to make one.

I like to solve problems, Zale said. She has experience in small business management, and has worked as an academic fellow teaching a seminar on leadership in Bangladeshthat background gave her confidence that she could undertake the project.

Zale researched how to start a climbing gym, asked business-savvy friends to review her ideas, and got help from a CPA in drafting a business plan, which was complete by 2021but construction costs were prohibitively high at the time. Zale was also helping her boyfriend build a sweat-equity home, so the climbing gym took a back seat. In 2022, though, a surprising chain of events brought Beitler into the project.

Beitler and some friends were on a BASE jumping trip in Moab when a friend of Beitlers had a jump go wrong and ended up hanging from a cliff face in the Kane Creek area. Beitler rushed to ask nearby people for climbing gear, planning to climb up a crack leading to where his friend was suspended. River Barry, an experienced climber who happened to be on the scene, offered to use her gear to lead her way up to the stranded jumper.

The rescue was successful and Barry and Beitler became friends. He later encouraged her to try BASE jumping, so she signed up to go with a local instructorcoincidentally, that instructor was Zales boyfriend. Soon Beitler, Barry, and Zale all met, and Beitler learned of Zales climbing gym dreams. Beitler loves adventure sportsin addition to rock climbing and BASE jumping, hes also a pilotand he has entrepreneurship experience, having founded an aircraft brokerage business. Beitler offered to invest in Climb Moab.

He literally fell out of the sky, Lindsay summed up.

If that accident hadnt happened, we might still be looking for an investor, Zale said.

Lindsay joined the team in 2023. She had heard about the plans for the gym and emailed Zale, interested in taking part; Zale welcomed Lindsays experience in community management, event coordination and marketing. Lindsay thought it would be a long process to get the gym off the ground, but by early 2023, the team was already looking at a space. They closed on a building in the Moab business park on south Highway 191 in February and started lining up contractors. They have been relying a lot on the community, they saidthey have a five-member advisory board, most of whom are local, and theyve hired many local contractors to build and design elements of the gym.

Weve been trying to get as many locals and people interested in climbing involved as we can, Zale said.

Climb Moab gym

As of late September, the interior is mostly a blank canvas: the walls are primed, a ground-story bathroom is framed, and areas are blocked out with furniture to help with visualizing the future space. Renderings taped to the walls illustrate what the climbing walls will look like: blocky, dimensional volumes will allow for problems and routes with interesting movement.

Some details remain to be decidedfor example, the cost of a gym membership or day pass is still undetermined. Zale and Lindsay say they plan to make the price commensurate with other gyms in the areathey want it to be a cost that local climbers can, and will want to, afford.

The pair have committed to many defining elements of the gym: There will be a bouldering area, with problems up to around 14 feet high, and a top rope area with routes up to about 23 feet high. A loft will house a workout area with traditional fitness equipment such as free weights. At the front of the gym there will be a lounge/work area, with tables, wifi, and snacks and beverages for sale. There will also be a small retail space selling locally made items such as chalk bags and packs.

The building doesnt have the height that would be necessary for safe lead routes, but the team plans to have a mock-lead area where people can learn and practice lead climbing skills.

We want to be able to offer education, Lindsay said. Along with lead-climbing skills, theyd like to offer other technique classes, and they plan to host a BEACON Afterschool Club for kids. If theres interest, they may establish a competitive youth team.

Were looking to see what we can grow into, Lindsay said.

Zale and Lindsay plan to partner with local yoga studio Desert Power Yoga, offering some form of joint membership or punch pass that will allow holders to use both the climbing gym and the yoga studio on the north end of townthe exact parameters of the arrangement arent yet determined, but according to a survey they conducted early this year, yoga is a popular amenity among prospective gym members.

Building community

Zale and Lindsay say they hope the gym will be a good place to build community and relationships, as well as a place to train physically. They plan to host events like movie nights and guest speakers.

We want to create a container for the climbing community to flourish, Lindsay said.

A gym is a friendly place for new climbers to dip their toes into the sport and learn safety and etiquette in a controlled environment. Routes will be set with a broad range of difficulties.

We want to try to prioritize having climbs everyone can do, Lindsay said.

Even experienced climbers may appreciate a rotating selection of moderate climbs:

Im excited to have a place we can climb 5.10 year-round, with new routes every month, Zale said.

Many climbers develop their skills with the help of friends and mentors, and Zale and Lindsay hope that the gym may help facilitate those relationships. Both Zale and Lindsay remember meeting climbing mentors while camping at Indian Creekbut they dont think someone should have to commit to living in a van in the desert and devoting all their time to rock climbing in order to join a community who can introduce them to the sport, help them gain skills and confidence, and conduct themselves safely and with good etiquette.

Climb Moab Gym is set to open sometime this winter; in the spring, the gym will host a grand opening party. To keep up with whats happening at the gym, visit https://www.climbmoabgym.com/.

Photo caption: Moab locals Britt Zale (left) and Kaya Lindsay, along with partner Justin Beitler (not pictured), are launching an indoor climbing gym in Moab. [Rachel Fixsen/Moab Sun News]

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Moab climbing gym in the works - Moab Sun News

Falls are a leading cause of injury in adults 65 years and older, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Each year, approximately 36 million falls among older adults are reported, resulting in over 32,000 deaths.

These falls can result in fractures, head injuries, and a loss of confidence, which can lead to a decline in physical and mental health.

There are several reasons why seniors are more prone to falls. As individuals age, muscles and bones naturally weaken, at a rate of three to eight percent each year after the age of 30, making it easier to lose balance.

According to the National Library of Medicine, that rate sharply increases after the age of 60. By taking proactive steps to prevent falls, older adults can reduce the risk of injuries and maintain their quality of life.

One common cause of falls is poor balance and coordination. As humans age, our sense of balance may deteriorate, making it more challenging to maintain stability when walking or performing daily activities. Medications can also impact balance and increase the risk of falls.

Another significant risk factor is tripping hazards. Loose rugs, cluttered walkways, or uneven surfaces can all contribute to falls. South Florida's warm climate can also lead to slippery surfaces, particularly when it rains.

Creating a safe home environment for older adults is crucial for fall prevention. Here are some essential tips for making a home safer:

Remove tripping hazards: Clear clutter from walkways and secure loose rugs. Repair any uneven surfaces or loose floorboards.

Improve lighting: Ensure that all rooms are well-lit, especially hallways, staircases, and bathrooms. Install nightlights in bedrooms and hallways to provide visibility during nighttime.

Install grab bars and handrails: Install grab bars in bathrooms, near toilets, and in the shower or bathtub. Place handrails on both sides of staircases for support and stability.

Use non-slip mats in the bathroom: Place non-slip mats in the shower and bathtub to prevent slipping. Ensure that these mats are securely fastened to the floor.

Organize belongings: Keep frequently used items within easy reach to avoid stretching or climbing on unstable surfaces.

Implementing these simple changes in a home can significantly reduce the risk of falls and create a safer living environment.

While fall prevention within the home is essential, it's equally crucial to ensure safety in outdoor areas. The following are some tips for navigating walkways and stairs:

Maintain outdoor surfaces: Regularly inspect and repair any cracks or uneven surfaces in walkways and driveways.

Install handrails: If there are outdoor stairs leading to an entrance or garden, consider installing handrails on both sides for support and stability.

Clear debris: Regularly remove leaves, branches, or any other debris from walkways to prevent slipping.

Wear appropriate footwear: Choose shoes with non-slip soles and proper support to maintain stability when walking outdoors.

Be cautious on wet surfaces: South Florida's warm climate can lead to slippery surfaces, particularly when it rains. Take extra caution when walking on wet or damp surfaces.

By being mindful of the outdoor environment and taking necessary precautions, individuals can reduce the risk of falls when navigating walkways and stairs.

Engaging in physical activity can improve strength, balance, and coordination, reducing the risk of falls. What follows are a few ways to incorporate exercise into your routine:

Consult your doctor: Before starting any exercise program, an individual should consult a healthcare provider to ensure the program is safe for them.

Focus on strength training: Incorporate exercises that target muscles, such as weightlifting or resistance band exercises. Strengthening muscles can improve balance and stability.

Practice balance exercises: Engage in activities that challenge balance, such as tai chi or yoga. These exercises can improve a persons ability to maintain stability and prevent falls.

Stay active: Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week. This can include activities like brisk walking, swimming, or cycling.

By incorporating regular exercise and balance training into their routine, older adults can improve their physical strength and reduce the risk of falls.

Certain medications can cause dizziness, drowsiness, or impair balance, increasing the risk of falls. The following are some tips for managing medications:

Review your medications with a healthcare provider: Discuss all medications, including over-the-counter drugs and supplements, with a doctor. They can assess the potential side effects and suggest alternatives if necessary.

Follow the prescribed dosage: Take medications as prescribed and avoid skipping doses. If an individual experiences side effects that impact their balance, they should consult their doctor.

Be aware of potential interactions: Some medications can interact with each other and increase the risk of falls. A patient should inform their healthcare provider about the medications they are taking to ensure there are no harmful interactions.

By effectively managing your medications, seniors can reduce the risk of falls and maintain their overall well-being.

Fall prevention is a crucial aspect of senior safety. By implementing these essential fall prevention tips, an individual can reduce the risk of falls and enjoy a safer and more fulfilling life. Yet, even with an abundance of care, a fall may still occur. If you have experienced a falling accident due to the negligence of another, the personal injury attorneys of Panter, Panter, and Sampedro can help.

Our attorneys are dedicated to protecting Floridas families. We strive to help keep our communities safe through resources like this. However, when the unexpected does occur, we are dedicated to helping families through every step of the legal process. Speak to one of our experienced personal injury attorneys at (305) 662-6178.

Mitchell Panter.

Mitchell Panter, Esq.is a Board Certified Civil Trial Attorney, Community Advocate and Managing Partner atPanter, Panter & Sampedro, P.A.

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Essential fall prevention tips to keep seniors safe in South Florida - Islander News.com

Image of a leopard captured by the trap cameras on Alipiri footpath.

TIRUPATI: Recent sightings of a leopard and bear in the vicinity of the Repeater Station close to the Sri Lakshmi Narayanaswamy temple on the Alipiri walkway leading to Tirumala have sparked concerns among the devotees, the forest department, and the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD).

The images of the wild animals were captured by the trap cameras, placed along the footpath stretch between the Anjaneya Swamy Temple and the Narasimha Swamy Temple. The movement of these two animals was recorded between the 24th and 27th of this month, as revealed in a statement issued by the TTD on Friday.

In response to this development, the TTD and forest authorities have issued a warning to devotees who plan to visit Tirumala. They have strongly urged pilgrims to exercise extreme caution and move in groups while trekking the Alipiri and Srivari Mettu walkways, emphasizing the importance of their safety during their religious pilgrimage.

"Measures have been taken to ensure the safety of devotees as they make their way to the temple. The forest department and TTD authorities are closely monitoring the region, and steps have been taken to ensure the safety and well-being of all devotees", a TTD official said.

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Leopard sighted on Alipiri walkway, devotees urged to remain ... - Deccan Chronicle

I know, it sounds like a gimmick. But its not or at least its not meant to be. The Moonwalkers are motorized shoes that are designed to help you walk around faster and get where youre going in less time.

Developed by Shift Robotics, a startup company that was spun out of Carnegie Mellon University, the Moonwalkers claim to be able to increase the average users walking speed by around 2.5 times.

To put that into solid numbers, they can boost your walking speed up to 11.2 km/h (7 mph). Thats just about bang on my average speed on long jogging sessions. Imagine walking everywhere around town at running speed, yet without breaking a sweat!

Of course you still have to put in some effort yourself. The shoes dont turn flat ground into airport-style moving walkways. But as long as youre walking, the electric shoes are powering your strides to go further, faster.

These arent electric skates though; the company makes that quite clear. The whole idea is you still use a normal walking stride. The Moonwalkers strap on over your normal shoes and are even hinged in the middle, similar to the way your toes bend at the ball of your foot, to give a more natural walking motion.

Im guessing youll notice an extra 1.9 kg (4.2 pounds) strapped to each foot, but hopefully the running-speed walkabout makes up for the extra weight on your feet. And as a bonus, it will be like an extra little workout if you think of the Moonwalkers additional poundage as 1980s-style ankle weights.

The solution is designed to be as intuitive as possible. As the company explained:

Thanks to an intuitive AI drivetrain, the shoes adapt to your gait. Theres no new skill to learn or complicated technology to understand. Theyre not something you lace up and wobble away on theyre highly engineered additions to your shoes that you strap on.

A single charge is said to last for up to 6 miles (10 km). That might not sound like a very long range, especially when were used to seeing ranges in dozens of miles from e-bikes, e-scooters and other more traditional micromobility products. But then again, thats around to 3-4x more distance than the average American walks in a day (as depressing as that is).

The Moonwalker electric shoes actually launched a few months ago on Kickstarter, though we generally shy away from covering crowdfunding campaigns from new startups. After reaching their goal in just two days and raising over US $300,000, Shift Robotics is now selling the speedwalking shoes more traditionally on their website.

But you may not want to be standing (or walking) when I tell you the price. Youll have to fork over US $1,399 for a set of Moonwalker shoes.

Yea, its a bit silly and expensive, but the engineer in me appreciates it! While most people would be better served with just putting a bit more wear on the shoes they already have, I could see a solution like this being helpful for folks whose jobs require significant walking each day. Imagine Amazon warehouse workers or postal service employees with a walking route.

I also wonder if this could have something similar to the e-bike effect for walking, where e-bikes have been shown to give average folks more exercise than pedal bikes since the added fun factor combined with the reduced effort means they stay out riding for much longer. Perhaps when youre suddenly walking at 7 mph, you can decide to walk a mile to the grocery store in just 8 minutes instead of driving there in a car.

For the vast majority of people that wont be buying electric shoes, I think that just trying to get more steps in the day with your normal acoustic shoes is probably the best bet.

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Moonwalkers: The motorized shoes that let you walk 2.5x faster - Electrek

Head out west to explore some of the most stunning schools on the West Coast.

By Kathy Bradshaw on October 24, 2023

The western part of the U.S., from Colorado to California and from Hawaii to the Pacific Northwest, is known for many things: mountains, the Pacific Ocean, sun, palm trees and waves. Whether true or not, its people have a reputation for being laidback, healthy eaters, environmentally conscious nature-lovers, surfers and hikers. Maybe skiers. They love music and the arts, care about sustainability, spend a lot of time outdoors and probably drink oat milk and eat nut cheese. They most likely spend at least some of their spare time in a brewery and might even have a home brewing kit.

Suppose you add most of those elements together. In that case, mix in a taste of everything else this part of the country has going for it, throw in a good old-fashioned desire to learn and put it in a university setting, and youll end up with colleges and universities in the western region and the students who love them. Heres a look at the top six most beautiful of those campuses.

Malibu, California

Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, has scenery galore the Santa Monica Mountains, Malibu Canyon, the Pacific Ocean. The university is located near Los Angeles and Santa Monica with all the conveniences and entertainment options that that provides. A Christian University, Pepperdine also offers a charming chapel with beautiful stained-glass windows. And if students want even more than everything that the attractive campus offers including the California-style patios of Joslyn Plaza they can enjoy the miles of coastline and sandy beaches just steps away. Even the primary dining hall, aptly named Waves Cafe, offers panoramic views of the ocean from its large windows and expansive porch area. The palm tree-lined Eddy D. Field Baseball Stadium likewise overlooks the ocean, and the beautiful Alumni Park is oceanside as well, with green grass and trees and the water stretching beyond.

Boulder, CO

The University of Colorado Boulder is another college thats located in the midst of the mountains, and this scenic background is just one of the reasons that the CU-Boulder campus is so beautiful. A great place to admire the mountains is from the Center for Academic Success and Engagement, a sparkly new building with modern charm, all the amenities and a fourth-floor terrace where you can take in the impressive views of the Flatirons. In addition, its a tradition at the college to hike these picturesque rock formations. Or how about enjoying those mountain views while playing some tennis on the rooftop tennis courts of the Rec Center?

The architecture on the campus has a Spanish or Mediterranean flair, mixed in amidst all the green spaces and pathways, along with a cute little pond. The photo-worthy Farrand Field is rumored to be the second most Instagrammed place in Colorado. Fun fact off the topic of how beautiful the campus is: One of CUs dining halls was named after the only convicted cannibal in the state of Colorado.

Honolulu, HI

The University of Hawaii-Mnoa is a tropical paradise in Honolulu, on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. On or right near the campus, there are palm trees, bright blue waters, deep green tropical vegetation, colorful flowers, waterfalls and attractive buildings. The McCartney Mall is a long, tree-lined walkway cutting through the center of campus and is the route to many of the universitys classrooms. Painted murals on some of the walls decorate the campus and give it color and an artistic touch and theres plenty more art to be seen at the John Young Museum of Art. For some downtime outdoors, get a little Zen in the beautiful Japanese tea garden. UH Manoa has all the beauty of the islands with the education to match. Students swear that they can balance beach time while still keeping up on their studies.

Reno, NV

Having just celebrated its 149th birthday on October 12, 2023, the University of Nevada, Reno, is the first and oldest institute of higher learning in the state of Nevada. This college is an absolute haven for outdoors lovers. One of its biggest claims to fame is its close proximity to the dazzling Lake Tahoe, just steps away from campus. Tahoe, the Jewel of the Sierra, and its surrounding area offer crystal clear waters, mountains, hills, bike paths, hiking trails, beaches, towering pine trees

Back on campus, the beautiful 290-acre UNR grounds provide plenty of green lawns for running or reading, Frisbee or friends, and Manzanita Lake is right on-site. The Reno area boasts 22 days of sun per month, but luckily, theres also plenty of shade beneath the canopy of trees arching over the campus walkways.

If trees bring you joy, youll be happy to know that the entire campus is actually a Nevada state arboretum. But if youre more of an urban soul, dont worry; youre not barking up the wrong tree at UNR. The city of Reno has all the perks of city life you need.

Portland, OR

Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon, describes itself as a college thats in both the woods and the city. It also has the mountains Mt. Hood, to be exact. The campus really does look like something out of a travel brochure for the Pacific Northwest: water trickling down rocks, pink flowers growing beside stone walls, stone steps leading down to a reflecting pool, green lawns, white cherry blossoms on the trees, fountain statues, gardens There are trails to hike, hills to climb, waters to swim in. The campus connects with 658 acres of Tryon State Park, which offers 10 miles of trails. Walk across the covered bridge straddling the Ravine, a wood-covered valley right in the middle of campus. Flanagan Chapel is pretty and also unique its home to the only circular pipe organ in the world. And, of course, nearby Portland just 15 minutes from the Lewis & Clark campus- has plenty to offer, from food to fun. The city is constantly making the ranks of best places to live and most popular travel destinations.

Seattle, WA

Way up north in Seattle sits the University of Washington. Its gorgeous campus is sprinkled with Gothic architecture, including the Suzzallo Library, which looks like someone took an ancient cathedral and filled it with books. Interspersed between the old historic buildings are flagstone walkways, cherry trees, the green lawns of the Quad, the Blocked Out art installation, the Sylvan Grove columns and the Red Squares brick plaza. The magnificent Drumheller Fountain sits in an area of campus known as Rainier Vista, featuring trees and roses and the backdrop of Mount Rainier far behind. The lovely fountain, which seems like it belongs in a park in Europe, holds a million gallons of water enough to fill two Olympic-sized swimming pools. Its frequented not only by students but also by a regular population of ducks. Like the other campuses on this list, UW also offers plenty of nature, including 10,000 trees and Lake Washington. And beyond that, what better city for the great outdoors, entertainment, food and endless activities than Seattle? UW has it all.

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Most Beautiful College Campuses Out West - Livability

Limerick City and County Council

Limerick City and County Council has warned the public of possible flooding over the October bank holiday weekend.

Limerick City and County Council advised the public to take extra care if in the vicinity of waterways in the next coming days as Met ireann explained that the Highest Astronomical Tides (HATs) are expected to be exceeded.

The council confirmed they are taking steps to guard against potential flooding with higher than normal high tides forecast across the Halloween bank holiday weekend.

Limerick City and County Council explained that flood barriers will remain in place along the Quays in the city where overtopping is expected. All walkways where flood defences are in place will be closed across the weekend.

Flood protection measures will also be in place in Foynes and Askeaton.

Limerick City and County Council crews are on standby to respond to any reported incidents. The public are advised to take extra care in the vicinity of waterways.

The advisory come as the city is getting ready to celebrate Samhain, Limericks Halloween Festival.

This year, the festival will take place in Limerick city between October 26 and October 28, with a number of events including the Ungodly Bishops Pop-Up Confession, a Vampire Swim, Samhain Death Caf and Tall Tales with Eddie Lenihan. One of the festivals highlights will be the Halloween parade, which will occur on Saturday October 28 from 7pm in the streets of the city centre.

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Limerick warned of possible flooding over Halloween bank holiday ... - Irish Independent

Families stroll and savor gelato cones as bike couriers whiz by. Pensioners relax on benches near manicured flower beds while earbud-wearing hipsters walk dogs and children chase pigeons by a fountain laden with bronze fish. The scene in Victory Square in Timisoara, Romania, is quintessentially European modern meets Old World.

Scanning the imposing Art Nouveau palaces lining the grand plaza larger than three American football fields and bookended by the National Opera House and Metropolitan Orthodox Cathedral I wonder how Timisoara remains a travel sleeper, the most noteworthy city youve probably never heard of.

Romanians and history buffs know Timisoara for its leading role in the bloody Romanian revolution in December 1989, when local protests set off a nationwide wave that toppled dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. (The country is still struggling with the unresolved legacy of that revolution.) As I gaze at vibrant Victory Square, its hard to envision 100,000 anti-Communist protesters crammed together during those fateful days.

Other claims to fame include being the first city in Europe second worldwide after New York with electric street lighting (1884) and being called Little Vienna for its abundant Secession and Baroque architecture, an indelible mark of Hapsburg rule, which began in 1716 after 164 years under the Ottoman Empire. Liberated from the Turks, Timisoara flourished in the ensuing two centuries under Hungarian and Austrian control and the dual-monarchy Austro-Hungarian Empire. The Vienna moniker is a stretch, although the architecture, trams and green spaces do evoke the Austrian capital.

Timisoara is largely unknown to tourists and relatively undiscovered despite being just a few hours from Budapest. As close to Vienna as to the Romanian capital, Bucharest (both about 340 miles), and even closer to five other European capitals, Timisoara is also accessible by a small but expanding airport that connects it to cities across Europe.

Id never heard of Timisoara either when I arrived in 2002 as a wide-eyed Peace Corps volunteer. I stayed two years, fell in love, returned to get married and made annual trips from America, when Timisoara tugged at me like an old friend. My wife and I moved back six years ago. Ive witnessed an evolution from the glum post-revolution years to todays cosmopolitan vibe, thanks to a booming tech sector, significant foreign investment and youthful energy from 40,000 university students.

For me, Timisoaras appeal is twofold: its architecture, which jumps out immediately, and its authenticity, which sinks in gradually. This is no tourist trap with trinket shops galore, but a genuine, livable and multicultural city that moves at a measured pace and offers just enough for visitors to fill two or three days perhaps surprising them with a taste of Romania, a country still enduring an unwarranted image problem, either nonexistent or leaning negative.

Timisoaras historic core, which has the most popular sights, is compact, walkable and centered on three car-free squares Victory, Freedom and Union. Along the way, a mlange of bold architecture abounds.

In Victory Square, the 300-foot-tall Orthodox cathedral dominates with its striking neo-Moldavian, Byzantine-tinged style more common on the other side of the country. The cathedral, built in the 1930s and one of the worlds tallest Orthodox churches, features multiple turrets, a massive gilded altar, towering frescoes and cavernous porticos. A free often overlooked museum in the basement, curated by a gregarious nun, houses ancient icons, manuscripts and religious artifacts.

Elsewhere in the square, its worth admiring the early-20th-century palaces still identified by the names of the original owners, then the citys wealthiest families, including Neuhausz, Weiss, Dauerbach, Lffler and Szchenyi. On one side, two Modernist Communist-era apartment blocks discombobulate the design continuity, but mostly the buildings are superb examples of Art Nouveau, specifically, Viennese Secession with colorful, even playful Hungarian and eclectic elements legacies of a building boom when the city was under Austro-Hungarian rule. Restoration work continues, but several facades were recently returned to their original grandeur that rivals any in Europe.

At the end of the square, the 686-seat opera house is intimate and stunning inside, but open only for shows and tour groups with prior permission.

From Victory Square, many wander the short Alba Iulia Street, which is shaded by umbrellas overhead, passing buskers and gelato shops on their way to Freedom Square and its elaborate statue of St. John of Nepomukand the Virgin Mary, made in Vienna in 1756. A former Hungarian bank on one corner has yet to be restored, but its elegant tower and rounded balconies exude Art Nouveau. The pomegranate-colored, 18th-century former City Hall, in eclectic style fused with classical elements, now houses a university music school violin and trumpet sounds often emanate from its windows, adding to the charm. If hunger beckons, theres Cafeneaua Verde, an inviting bistro with a diverse menu, and the popular La Focacceria serving up focaccia, panini and croissants.

Nearby edifices are a mix of renovated and not, a common theme across the city center, from side streets to the inner neighborhoods of Fabric, Iosefin and Elisabetin, which simultaneously radiate architectural charm and neglect, but are worth exploring. Timisoara has restored scores of its 14,000 historic buildings, spiffing them up to a point in the interwar period, it must have been a stunning city. But much work and well-worn edges remain, a reality of a city not fully polished authentic and steadily transforming, seemingly eager to shed stereotypes associated with Eastern Europe.

Two blocks away is Union Square, a picturesque potpourri of pastels and architectural jewels. The Baroque Palace, an administrative center during the Austro-Hungarian Empire, now houses the Timisoara National Museum of Art, which is hosting a monthslong exhibition of the Romanian sculptor Constantin Brancusi, bringing pieces from the Pompidou Center in Paris, the Tate Modern in London and elsewhere.

The celebrated artist spent most of his career in Paris, and this is the largest exhibition of his work in Romania in 50 years.

Next to the art museum is the whimsical 1911 Brck House, an arresting example of Art Nouveau and Secession with its pink-and-mint color scheme resembling a gingerbread house. Across the square is St. George Roman Catholic Cathedral, resplendent after its recent four-year, nearly $6 million makeover. Inside the Baroque masterpiece, youre transported to Italy, though Masses are celebrated in Romanian, Hungarian and German.

Union Square encapsulates Timisoaras multiculturalism and religious tolerance. Opposite the Catholic dome, as its known locally, is the ornate and colorful Serbian Orthodox bishopric and church. A German-language school (that produced two Nobel laureates) and bookstore are nearby, while a few blocks away is Cetate Synagogue, completed in 1865 and reopened last year after a lengthy renovation.

A once-thriving Jewish community exceeded 13 percent of the population in the interwar period but dwindled significantly because of mass emigration during the Communist regime. Even so, the Jewish legacy in Timisoara is outsize and visible in many of the finest buildings, including the Brck House and landmark Max Steiner Palace, which emits Gaud vibes on its corner of the square.

The Union Square area is full of places to dine and imbibe, most with outdoor seating, and its the go-to spot for locals. For traditional Romanian food, try Miorita for soups, stews and grilled meats with polenta. Vinto is an upmarket, wine-focused restaurant where you can sample Romanias underrated varietals. Zai Miniature, with a wide gin selection, serves cocktails and spritzes with a view, while Garage Cafe has some of the best breakfast and pastries in town, including vegan ones. Naru, a cozy, vegetarian-friendly restaurant with a shaded terrace, is across from Doppio, one of several specialty-coffee standouts.

Near Union Square is the Revolution Memorial Association and its museum about the tragic and euphoric events of December 1989. A short film and exhibits are informative and riveting but graphic and not for young children or the queasy. Its a worthy if humbling experience, especially eye-opening for Americans and other Westerners.

Besides exploring the main squares, another way to experience Timisoara like a local is to wander along the navigable Bega Canal, which runs through the city, passing verdant parks with walkways and bike paths, one leading 25 miles to the Serbian border. Several bars and restaurants dot the canal, but its mostly a pleasant place to stroll and watch vaporetto water taxis and kayaks glide past countless weeping willows.

Timisoara is one of three European Capitals of Culture in 2023. A full slate of art exhibitions, concerts, music festivals, theater and dance extends through December.

The cultural capital organizers are using venues outside museums, from hidden courtyards to private galleries, as exhibition spaces. See the full schedule of events or peruse the highlights by month.

The Romanian currency is the leu (plural, lei). At restaurants, expect to pay 25 to 45 lei (about $5.50 to $10) for soups and starters and 70 to 90 lei for entrees. For accommodations, the four-star Atlas Hotel, which opened in 2021, provides modern comfort just steps from the main squares. Doubles from 700 lei.

Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram and sign up for our weekly Travel Dispatch newsletter to get expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation. Dreaming up a future getaway or just armchair traveling? Check out our 52 Places to Go in 2023.

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It Might Be Time to Consider Timisoara - The New York Times

Employment tribunals heard 102 cases last year in which employees said that their neurodiversity was part of the reason for the discrimination they experienced, research has shown.

According to the data from employment law firm Fox & Partners, tribunals cited include 30 mentioning dyslexia, 25 autism, 19 ADHD, 14 dyspraxia and 14 Aspergers.

Neurodiversity describes the differing ways that peoples brains process information.

According to Fox & Partners, workplace disputes can arise when neurodivergent employees feel that their performance or behaviour in the workplace is being unfairly rated for reasons that are related to their condition.

Ivor Adair, partner at Fox & Partners, said: Whereas many employers have become more aware of neurodiversity within their workforce, that is not yet translating into strategies that are working, as disputes of this type are still making their way to employment tribunals.

Employers should be allocating resources to drive forward a more sophisticated diversity and inclusion strategy, to include neurodiversity.

He added: Employers increasingly appreciate that diversity of thought leads to improved decision making and helps them compete more effectively. Retention and progression of neurodiverse individuals has a part to play in good risk management.

Experts say that the need for tribunals will only be reduced by businesses taking proactive steps.

Chloe Pereira, legal director of people services at Outset Ltd, said: Employers need to do more than pay lip service by simply putting a policy in place: they must take proactive steps if they want to minimise the risk of discrimination claims.

This includes raising awareness among employees about different neurodiverse conditions, providing regular training to promote understanding and empathy, and implementing tailored accommodations to meet individual needs.

Deborah Leveroy, head of consultancy and research at Neurobox, said line managers are not always given enough support and training to oversee neurodivergent employees.

So, what happens is, if an employee is underperforming, it becomes a capability issue, instead of considering if the employee is dyslexic and needs adjustments, she said.

Or if an employee requests an adjustment, but does not have a formal diagnosis, the request is denied by the organisation because they believe evidence is required.

Leveroy suggested training for line managers must be set out in a specific policy, addressing the principles and processes of supporting disabled and neurodivergent candidates and employees.

She added: A lack of clear policy means that organisations end up in unnecessary and expensive tribunals.

Ranjit Dhindsa, head of employment at Fieldfisher, agreed: The managers themselves should have training or access to information on how to work with different people who may be neurodiverse in a number of different ways.

Neurodiversity is such a broad concept and we cannot treat people the same way one must have the ability to adapt to each person's needs, in the same way we adapt to neurotypical people who are also diverse and different.

Andrew Willis, associate director of legal at Croner, said: Managers should be trained on unconscious bias and neurodiversity to ensure that discriminatory decisions are not based on body language or communication stereotypes.

Creating an inclusive environment where neurodiverse employees feel supported and encouraged to speak with their manager is also important.

Pereira said: Sometimes managers and peers exhibit frustration with the needs and behaviours of neurodiverse colleagues the role of HR in facilitating education, support and fostering understanding is crucial.

Often its a case of getting each party to understand the other properly, which helps remove that frustration and promote better working relationships.

Willis urged businesses and HR teams to review every stage, from recruitment onwards.

Some professional environments can pose problems for those with neurodiversity so HR should review every stage in the employment life cycle to make sure that internal practices and procedures do not discriminate against any individual because of their neurodiversity, he said.

At the recruitment stage HR should consider their application process and be mindful that neurodivergent employees may require adjustments such as submitting written answers to specific questions instead of answering multiple-choice questions.

He added: Discussions can then take place about whether any workplace adaptations could assist the employee. This might include having a quiet desk away from busy doors or walkways and ensuring that clarity is given over tasks and deadlines.

Dhindsa said: It's about ensuring that neurodiverse individuals feel able to tell the employer what they need to carry out their work in a productive way.

If they ask for particular technology or equipment, HR should then liaise with different departments to get that to them as quickly as possible.

An action plan should be put in place that is communicated to the rest of the workforce (depending on the individual's consent) or at the very least their manager.

Read the CIPD's guide to supporting neurodiversity at work here

Continued here:
Tribunals alleging neurodiversity discrimination top 100 in a year ... - People Management Magazine

This week marks the 20th anniversary of Call of Duty. As part of a week of Call of Duty coverage, this feature takes an in-depth look at 'No Russian', the controversial mission from Modern Warfare 2. It contains discussion of content some readers may find disturbing.

Few video game missions can claim to be as well known or as polarising as No Russian. The fourth mission of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is the unforgettable story of a deadly terrorist attack. It infamously involves the mass shooting of civilians, a seemingly reckless idea for a piece of entertainment. But behind the shock value and bad press is the tale of a team that dared to push interactive storytelling to its very limits.

To find out how No Russian was put together IGN spoke to designer Mohammad Alavi, who created the mission alongside colleagues at Infinity Ward. With his insight, we examine how No Russian makes use of player discomfort, tightly-controlled pacing, and limited interactivity to create Modern Warfare 2s shocking twist.

Call of Duty is these days primarily seen as an online multiplayer hub, but it didnt always have this focus. When the series began in 2003 it was created with cinematic storytelling in mind. Across its first three games developer Infinity Ward found new and exciting methods through which to tell increasingly dramatic stories. In 2007s Modern Warfare, players were shocked as their character was killed off mid-way through the story in a nuclear explosion. For the sequel the team wanted something bolder.

No Russian places you at the centre of a terrorist attack in a Russian airport. Arriving less than a decade after the September 11 attacks, it was a deeply uncomfortable mission when it was released in 2009. It remains so to this day, not least because your role in the mission is not to prevent the attack, but to commit it. You play as Joseph Allen, an undercover CIA agent attempting to win the trust of Vladimir Makarov; a Russian ultranationalist who intends to stoke the fires of war between Russia and the USA through a false-flag attack. No Russian refers to Makarovs insistence that no one on his team reveals their nationality; people need to believe Russia was attacked by Americans, not a cell of its own people.

The idea for No Russian began with Steve Fukuda, one of the four design leads on Modern Warfare 2. Steve's original pitch was you're with a bunch of guys and they're all in Kevlar and they have M4s, recalls Alavi. And he knows all he has to say is M4 and everybody realizes, Okay, so we're the Americans.

But in Fukudas mind, these characters werent Americans. Packed into the back of an APC, he imagined the opening of the mission to be deathly quiet. And then before the doors open, the guy in front of you turns, he goes, Remember, no Russian, Alavi remembers Fukuda telling him. And the doors open. It's just a bunch of civilians in a mall. And he just starts mowing them down.

Alavi was fascinated by Fukudas ambition to flip player expectations in such a dramatic way. He saw it as an opportunity to create a powerful storytelling moment one that would not just be the catalyst for Modern Warfare 2s story, but something that would remain anchored in peoples minds for years to come.

I often got questions, says Alavi. Did you mean to make something controversial? And I was like, No. That actually wasn't my intention. What I meant to make was something memorable.

Alavi believed the key to making No Russian memorable lay with Makarov. Because of the first-person nature of Call of Duty, players would typically never be in the same room as Makarov the main characters were always two steps and often an entire country behind him. But by casting you as an undercover CIA operative, Alavi could put you within touching distance of Makarov during his bloodiest hour.

You're going to remember this guy, Alavi says. Because you're never going to see him again in first person, but he's got to be the through-line for at least the end of this game, if not all the way into the next game. So, it's got to be memorable.

I was like, I've got to just hammer this point home. So yeah, I was basically just trying to think of the most atrocious things that could happen.

And so Alavi and the team set to work creating what they hoped would become Call of Dutys most memorable moment. Designer Julian Luo laid down the levels geography, which shifted from Fukudas initial pitch of a shopping mall to Zakhaev International, a fictional Moscow airport. The APC was turned into an elevator, and the opening of its doors triggered Alavis script for what would become one of the most infamous sequences in video game history.

No Russian opens with its most horrifying act. Four gunmen plus the player, led by Makarov, open fire on a crowd of civilians at the airports security checkpoint. It comes out of nowhere; where most Call of Duty missions are prefaced by a briefing that explains what to come, No Russian keeps its cards completely hidden. Instead, all youre given is a few words from your superior, Lieutenant General Shepherd: It will cost you a piece of yourself. It will cost nothing compared to everything youll save.

The lack of a pre-brief makes the moment your gun rises to the ready position particularly gut-wrenching; you knew it was going to be bad, but you had no idea you were being asked to do this. As shocking as the slaughter is, though, its what comes after that feels the most harrowing. Makarov and his men continue forward through a waiting area, shooting fleeing and surrendering civilians. They scale stairs up to the shopping area of the terminal, still firing indiscriminately. The scene goes on, and on, and on. It is a living nightmare given digital form.

The uncomfortable length of No Russians massacre is what lends it its power. But that understanding only came later in development. The first version of the level began with just the checkpoint attack and then quickly transformed into a typical Call of Duty mission.

I have this bad tendency to be like, All right, I did the moment, let me go back to Call of Duty, Alavi confesses. So, immediately up the stairs from that beginning moment, it was a bunch of police coming in, they're shooting you, and [theres] riot shield people, and it was just regular Call of Duty for the rest of the level. And it just didn't feel right. It felt like we were just touching on something, just scraping the surface of something important and then just shy away from it.

On its own the checkpoint shooting was a crass gimmick. It risked being a throwaway moment that said nothing about the horror and the inhumanity of such an act. And so Modern Warfare 2s director, Jason West, asked Alavi and the team to think bigger.

He was like, You think this is bad? It's not enough, recalls Alavi. He was like, I want the whole airport to be like this.

Alavi eventually agreed with Wests advice. He recognised that This moment needs to breathe. Then I just started coming up with all these different things. People dragging other people to safety, the police trying to wade through the crowds of people. And it was just moment, after moment, after moment that I could think of to just sell this horrific thing.

Much of that horror was achieved through the use of new animation. Bespoke motion capture imbued the levels civilians and police with a sense of fear that wasnt usually required for Call of Dutys NPCs. But while those unique animations are vital to the experience, perhaps the most chilling thing about No Russian is not how the victims move, its how you move. In Call of Duty, you run by default. But in this mission you literally cant. Makarov, his men, and yourself all push forward at a slow, steady pace. It lends a frighteningly casual tone to the entire event.

You're in complete control of this situation, explains Alavi. And I couldn't figure out how to get that tone and that feeling if you could literally just sprint. So I just took the ability away from you. It's my least favorite thing about that level. I hated that I had to do it because I hate it in other games when I see it done now. But [...] I couldn't figure out a way around it.

The ability to run isnt the only thing No Russian takes away from you. It also strips away almost all of the traditional structures of a first-person shooter level. During the first half of the mission there is no genuine threat or challenge. You dont need to take cover or flank foes. You dont even have to fire a shot. You simply follow Makarov through the airport.

I'm about to say something terrible, but that level wasn't about gameplay, admits Alavi. It wasn't about solving puzzles. It wasn't about learning a new weapon or a new feature or anything like that. It was really about selling this moment and living in that moment.

And that's the whole feeling, this feeling of being a bully, he adds. It sucks, but that's the whole point of it. You don't need to rush.

The mission is a dark reflection of walking simulators. Much like Dear Esther or Firewatch, No Russian is all about experiencing a world first-hand and the emotional response that world provokes. Its success entirely hinges on how players respond to it, not its combat mechanics or gunfeel. To make sure this terrorism approach worked, Infinity Ward put the mission through extensive playtesting.

We do something called Kleenex testing, Alavi reveals, referring to one-off playtests conducted with random players (theyre one and done, hence the tissue monniker). And I knew I had something special when I would say 50% of the people that we Kleenex tested didn't shoot.

It wasnt that these players just didnt pull the trigger, though. Many of the testers would pretend to take part in the attack, but do so without killing anyone. They were firing at the ceiling, firing overhead, Alavi explains. I was like, you know what? I should reward people who do that. I should make it so you can make it through the whole thing without [killing anyone].

Being able to play No Russian without ever pulling the trigger is a complex moral issue. It can be seen as something that prevents the mission from becoming a callous, voyeuristic experience that enables the darkest indulgences of humanity. No Russians big question is How far should America go in the pursuit of homeland security?, and holding fire allows you to voice something of an answer through your actions. But theres no way to prevent this attack from happening. You cannot kill Makarov. Your actual agency is almost non-existent. And so for some people, the option to not take part in the shooting was still too much.

We had a veteran come in to play the game, Alavi remembers. And he gets to that level and the doors open, and he instantly recognizes that they're all civilians. And he just puts the controller down and leaves the room. He's like, I'm not playing that level. And I was shocked. I was like, Wow. Okay. No. This has a strong reaction with some people.

Such a negative reaction was not limited to just playtesters. Within Infinity Ward itself there were a number of voices that began to question if No Russian was a good idea.

There were definitely some people at our company that [objected to No Russian], says Alavi. I thought they were overreacting, but they were 100% right. I remember one person was like, This is offensive. I don't want to play this level.

The design team believed in No Russian and the power of its narrative, but concerns like these made them question if it should be mandatory that every player experience it. And so Jason West made a call: there would be a content warning at the start of the game that would allow players to skip No Russian entirely, without penalty.

I didn't want to do that, actually, because I felt like that was copping out, says Alavi. I felt that was almost being This is not worth you playing. But Jason West was the one that was like, No. We have to have this in. And he was right. He was like, This is not about it being a cop out. This is about allowing people to enjoy the rest of the game, even if they don't agree with this part.

Outside of Infinity Ward, several members of the media have disagreed with the decision. It's something of a cop-out, a side-step, rather than a pertinent justification, said Kieth Stuart in The Guardian. Kieren Gillen of Rock Paper Shotgun went even further, noting that the ability to skip the massacre be that through choosing not to shoot or play the level at all is the single thing that stops it ever being some manner of effective artistic statement and rendering the whole thing laughably pathetic. Even today, 14 years later, there is no general consensus on No Russian. It remains Call of Dutys most notorious mission.

The controversial massacre makes up just the first half of No Russian. Bridging it to the second half is an uneasy transition sequence that reflects on the events thus far. The terminals layout curves around to provide an overhead view of the departure lounge, its walkways filled with bodies. Makarovs men remain quiet as you descend the stairs and survey the scene. The uncomfortable silence makes one thing clear: You have done an unforgivable thing.

This downtime between the two halves is vital from a narrative and thematic perspective, but its an important soft reset of the gameplay, too. As Makarov and his team exit the terminal and begin their escape plan, the scope of No Russian shifts significantly. The slow, steady pace is exchanged for frantic firefights as Federal Security Service troops arrive and put up hard resistance.

This shift in atmosphere is signalled by an animation and AI switch. Makarov and his men move and behave completely differently when faced with aggressive opponents. During early development of this sequence, Alavi used the same animations for Makarovs men that were used for regular soldiers in the rest of the campaign. But it soon became clear that this generic army moveset didnt convey the right attitude.

Everybody was like, Yeah, there's something missing here, Alavi recalls. And they're already in suits, they're already in Kevlar, and the first thought that came to all of our minds was Heat.

The team studied Michael Manns crime movie in forensic detail to capture the tone of Val Kilmers group of bank robbers. They identified that it was the actors stance that separated them from classic military; where a regular soldier would run with their weapon down and fire from a centralised position, the criminals in Heat run with their guns up and then lean forward into their firing position.

We copied all of that, says Alavi. No joke, frame for frame, we're just going through and looking how they stood, how they reloaded, the dialogue they said to each other.

This transformation from casual killer to Val Kilmer flows in tandem with the missions second-half shift to action-focused gameplay. Out on the tarmac the level design adheres to the classic principles of Call of Duty. Luggage carts, plane wheels, and concrete building supports provide varying levels of cover. Jumbo jets block the scene, obscuring future threats. Enemies push and flank on the ground while their allies shoot from second floor windows, forcing you to assess your targets and find appropriate firing positions. And, of course, the entire sequence is tightly scripted with explosive events that keep the cinematic tension high.

I tend to make standard gameplay first, says Alavi. And then as I'm playing the game over and over and over again, I find out where I can pepper in these bombastic moments. That's actually where the idea for the exploding jet engines came from. I was like, Wouldn't it be cool if you could shoot the jet engine and explode and kill somebody? And Jason West was like, Why are the jets on? And I'm like, Because it's cool.

That approach gave birth to No Russians most memorable combat encounter: the line of FSB riot troops who emerge from the smoke clouds. This visually striking sequel signals to the player that the rules of engagement have changed, that there is now armed opposition. Its a sort of soft permission to shoot back that further blurs the lines of what is morally acceptable.

I was peppering in riot shield guys but I realized that I was making a mistake here because you'd never seen riot shield guys before, explains Alavi. And peppering them in wasn't giving them the proper fanfare that they deserved [...] They need to have their own thing where I basically force you to come out to a trench essentially, where it just naturally makes you want to just stop.

The riot shields in Modern Warfare 2 can soak up magazines worth of ammunition, and so simply taking aim and hosing down a riot trooper is ineffective. Thus they offer No Russians sole combat puzzle: how to eliminate a threat that can only be damaged from behind. The largely open tarmac setting, littered with small pieces of cover, makes it the perfect landscape for flanking manoeuvres. But there is a way to inflict rear damage to an enemy without going behind them yourself: grenades.

So we're animating the riot shield guys and [Infinity Ward animator] Chance Glasgow was holding onto the riot shield, Alavi remembers. We were trying to get animations of a grenade going off and how that reacts. And it didn't seem right. I was like, Okay. Close your eyes. So, [Chance was] standing there and he had his eyes closed. And our producer Dan, who's like 250 pounds, just tackles into him and completely knocks him off his feet, gives him whiplash. But it looks amazing when you throw a grenade at a riot shield.

With the final van load of FSB officers eliminated, the mission falls quiet once again. As you follow the team through a concrete service corridor youre given another moment to reflect on what youve just done. Shepard said this mission would cost a piece of you, and it most certainly has. But was that cost worth it? The answer, it turns out, is no. In No Russians final moments, Makarov reveals that hes known you were a US spy all along. He shoots you, leaving your dying body to be discovered by the Russian authorities. Theyll identify you as an American, and believe the attack was orchestrated by the US. A war will erupt the following day. You have been little more than a pawn in a game. Your sacrifice meant nothing.

Its an incredibly bleak ending to a horrifying mission. It makes its point loud and clear: the reckless choices of American foreign policy plays dice with the lives of civilians. And it has, quite rightly, been the topic of extensive debate. Modern Warfare 2s wider narrative struggles to justify the mission; why can you not just kill Makarov and prevent the attack? What further greater good could have been achieved that required those lives to be lost?

And then theres that darker question. For No Russian to truly confront you with its gut-wrenching, terrible statement, surely it should have forced you to shoot those civilians? Its questions like these that threaten to tear the mission apart. But, for all its problems, No Russian still has power. In a genre that typically asks players to fire without question, it elicits an incomparable emotional response.

I was like, I want to get people to actually maybe not pull that trigger, says Alavi. Maybe don't pull that trigger, just hesitate for a moment. I don't care if they pull the trigger later, but if I even get them to just stop for a second and be like, What am I doing? I felt like I had accomplished something."

No Russian was always doomed to be an imperfect mission. There is no ideal way in which to make a terrorist attack interactive. But Infinity Wards bold efforts produced one of the most important artefacts in video game history; a preserved example of the industrys ongoing struggle to address mature themes through play. Its walk along the knife edge of entertainment and critique is awkward in its message but brilliant in its execution. It forces you to endure darkness and demands you examine your feelings. It is, for all the right and wrong reasons, the most memorable moment in Call of Duty.

Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Features Editor.

Continued here:
How No Russian Became Call of Dutys Most Memorable Mission ... - IGN

Dont walk on the grass. Only Fellows can walk on the grass, Asif warns us, unserious. I puncture the steadfast walls of immaculate stone, climbing through a tiny doorway punched out of the massive wooden gates a foot off the ground. The air is thick with the mist that bathed our walk from the Mathematics Institute.

I see Eleni walk up to the perfectly manicured lawn and defiantly plant her foot down. Nothing happens.

Magdalen College sprawls past the river bordering central Oxford. We walk over a small wooden bridge to a gravel trail encircling one of the Colleges two deer parks. The walk is lined with bright yellow flowers, eerie spots of color. Eleni is surprised they are so well-preserved: at Cambridge, the undergraduates usually leave none standing.

As the blooms sway in the wind and the water meanders past, I lose myself in gentleness. My body dissolves. Arms, legs, eyes and skin are not my own, and my consciousness pure heat and electricity spans across moments, heavy with history and place.

I see Oscar Wilde walk down the steps from his accommodation and stroll through the deer park on an April afternoon like this one, awash in quiet melancholy, the vastness of gray sky and green lawn. The green is strange for this Californian, acclimated to the yellows and browns of drought. I see all around me the billowing robes of 15th century Bible scholars the College is new, and so many pages are yet-unwritten.

My scattered shards of self shear and shatter in time's turbulence. I wonder where I am. I turn my head: the group is on to the next attraction, back toward the courtyard, the central artery between the dining hall, the common rooms, and the like.

I feel like we have to make a bet here, now; what should it be? Nader echoes from beyond the entryway, unanswered. We pass through the Colleges ancient walkways past rows of intricate arches, cramped doorways, shadowy corridors leading up toward faculty offices and classrooms for tutorials.

At the front, Asif turns a corner and heads up a couple flights of narrow stairs, past a sign reading Senior Common Room. He swipes his badge at the door, which clicks open after a foreboding delay. The five of us enter, passing rows of long black robes and brightly colored hoods.

We gather beside a low, backless chair, awkwardly stationed by the nearest window looking out onto the courtyard. The chair is unadorned except for a small sliding weight on the left arm a balance.

On the windowsill is a leather-bound ledger filled with dozens of dates, names, and weights in stones and pounds. Asif, our impromptu historian, points to an entry: Edwin Schrdinger, it reads.

This was his first High Table dinner here, his induction as a Fellow, we are told. Right before, from that phone he points to a 1930s telephone hanging on the wall they got the call that he had won the Nobel Prize.

I walk to a plexiglass case across the room, below a tapestry older than the Constitution. On the bottom shelf is a tasteful arrangement of four 18th-century flintlock pistols; above them sits a small jewelry case holding a beautifully polished Nobel. (Not Schrdingers, Im told.)

One by one, the others sit in the chair, reading off their weights in those awkward British units. On my turn, I stare into the brown leather upholstery, and feel nothing but tension. I decline; it is an honor I havent earned.

Nader has settled on a bet now. How about: In five years, many-worlds will be the dominant quantum interpretation.

Id take that bet, Asif responds, smiling wryly, perusing an ancient dissertation pulled from a bookshelf.

Oh yeah? How will you measure that? Gabriel is characteristically blunt, through his thick Portuguese accent.

I guess when Jim says its true. Nader chuckles; then, the four physics grad students all start laughing. Jim will never say its true.

I met Jim the day before in a spotless seminar room in the Wiles building, conspicuously beautiful for a math department. He was confident perhaps overly so, perhaps not that language does not live on a line.

Meaning a yarn ball of strings and boxes, concepts and relationships seems vastly bigger than the jumble of symbols we throw around at each other. I wonder now if mind does not live on a line, either. Perhaps the focus of this conference the mathematics of consciousness is missing the point too, settling for the shiny veneer to avoid the boundless ocean beneath.

But then I remember my own sloppy anarchism, my fear of groups of more than four people. I wonder where my distaste for this enterprise really comes from.

We never settle on terms for the bet. Instead, we walk outside toward the outskirts of town in search of some decent non-British food. Eleni is 21 and doing her second masters; she tells me that the most pressing concern for humanity is to end death.

She strategizes about transitioning from quantum theory to neuroscience, about unlocking the secrets of immortality. I recall my own stint with transhumanism a dinner at a kitschy diner in Baltimore with Aubrey de Grey and a few giddy philosophy majors, a plastic baby staring down at us from the technicolor ceiling.

What happened to that passion? I think. End death thats a real goal.

I am in that cold Maryland December twelve years ago a late night in the library, huffing espresso fumes to force myself awake, flailing feverishly to get a brain decoder working to impress the grad student supervising me.

The blue fluorescents and vomit-colored carpet in the windowless basement stacks tinge pixelated traces of a patients hand position, squiggling back and forth in a Matlab figure window. I feel like solving this will solve everything.

The sun has set on the narrow, wet Oxford street. In twelve years, my ambition has sunk to mocking Andrew Huberman's three-hour pitch for testosterone-enhancing yerba mate, self-righteously sipping tequila-sodas at my neighborhood haunt. But then again, I remind myself, I quite like that ritual.

We settle on a Persian place. They close in 15 minutes, but the staff are too polite not to seat us. As the drinks and appetizers come out, Gabriel looks over to me and asks, So, how about you. Whats your metaphysics?

Im an idealist, I tell him, taking a sip of tea. The four look at each other.

Really? Asif asks, incredulous, his teeth showing through a broad smile.

Alright. Sell it to me, then. Gabriel is deadpan, gesturing to me with both arms.

Well, I dont know if its right. But its nice to think about.

Gabriel looks off to the side and upward toward the ceiling moldings. He scratches his chin, then looks straight into me. So what then, material reality is correlations in experience structure, or something? I enjoy the way he says correlations, wiggling his fingers together to illustrate.

More or less, yeah. The waitstaff start stacking chairs on the other tables.

Gabriel purses his lips and nods a little. Interesting he trails off. Our lamb platters arrive, barely squeezing onto the thin table. Then the group asks me whats up with Americans and guns.

* * *

Looks good; Dr. A will be in to see you in a minute, the technician says, pulling the blood pressure cuff off my arm.

I double-check that I have everything. My turquoise journal is open next to me, Session 26 scrawled at the top of the page. I unlock my phone; up pops the article I was reading on the Muni over:

Under basal conditions, activation of cortical extra-synaptic GluN2B-selective NMDARs acts through the mTOR signaling pathway to suppress protein synthesis, which maintains synaptic homeostasis

I dismiss the word salad and open Spotify instead. Muscle memory takes over: gear, playback, 12 second crossfade. Library, KAP IM Session 3downloaded. Play, pause. Shuffle on, off, on, off.

The doctor comes in, and after a brief chat about my travels, he hands me the first spray. I blow my nose, lean back, and snort the meds right nostril first, then left. I recognize the subtle metallic taste of the ketamine in the back of my throat; these days, its more of a comfort than a nuisance.

I think back to the intention I had written in my journal. The trip had been hard God, that first night in London.

I am back, alone, lying in my tiny Airbnb, walls spray-painted with gold Rustoleum. In memory, I am half-dreaming, looking up from the twin bed filling the room at the shadow of a seven-year-old child, a haze in scattered light from a clip-on LED desk lamp.

I can feel his foot pressing my face into the dirt at the edge of the schoolyard. I know he knows no one can see. I see myself from outside, alone in the shimmering darkness, wandering through my pocket universe.

I watch myself get up and walk down the quiet Islignton backstreet to the nearest bodega, lodged in the negative space between a cafe and an auto repair shop. I ask the clerk for a vape pen; he points wordlessly to the dizzying rainbow of flavors behind him, distracted by something happening on a head-sized CRT television crammed into a haphazard shelf.

I have no idea, man; whatever people seem to like, I tell him. He smiles, pulls one down, and hands it to me. Watermelon. I roll my eyes toward the cool fluorescents and fork over the foreign plastic money. I walk down to the canal by myself, leaving behind only a cloud of horrific flavor floating past the houseboats, backlit by yellow sodium streetlamps.

My mind is brought back to the office as the doctor hands me the second spray. On the far wall I notice the familiar, comically small print of a snow-capped mountain, lit in pink-purple alpenglow.

But I didnt fall apart. I plug my left nostril. I loved that trip.

It had felt to me like being in those first uneasy talks about Hilbert spaces in quantum mechanics a hundred years ago. I sniff in. It is so early now before history has broken the symmetry, setting us down one path, free but predetermined. I sniff in the other nostril. I recall that the last year of treatment has been during my Saturn return.

Saturn, the Old One, melancholy from the weight and the guilt of history. Saturn wise in suffering, gold transmuted from lead. Saturn does not seek to end death; Saturn sees death for what it is.

The doctor leaves. I turn off the light, put my headphones on, and lay down in the massive chair. I close my eyes. This time, I see only swirling silhouettes; I wonder if perhaps Im finally developing a tolerance. The come-on is gradual. But then it is sudden, and all at once, Im undeniably in it.

I see a shard of light, which I think must be a living cell, dividing in two. As the sister shards squirm and separate, they remain connected; I see their trajectories in spacetime, rotated and sliced through a different axis. I watch the eons of evolution unfold in form, connected and whole. Immobilized by ketamine, I relinquish a thin smile at the geometry of Darwin.

Lying there in the clinic, I walk into a clearing surrounded by wide trees. It is deep night, so dark that I can see every star in the Milky Way the traces left over from that Tree of Life, enshrouded in clouds of purple. As I kneel in the tall grass, a ray of light passes through my pineal gland.

Not cells. Ideas.

There! in Orion's belt, I see the birth of Beethovens 5th, a supernova condensing into a star-lineage that extends far beyond the angular resolution of the Sight behind my eyelids. I look around me, out into that awesome web of crystalline light piercing the infinite black. I am awash in fire.

God, I say to myself, and reach for the gold Mbius strip hanging from my neck. My God.

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Don't Walk on the Grass - UC San Francisco