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New York Edge | 8 May 2019
Strengthening The Fabric of Our Communities
The Stoler Report – The Real Estate Community & Its Support of Public Education
By Francis Greenburger, Time Equities, Inc.
Real estate executives often leave behind impressive legacies in the form of grand structures that give shape to a city's skyline and stand for decades on end.
And we ourselves are fortunate – because as we build these structures, and as we set about populating them with residents, workers and shoppers – we are also building our own careers, and enjoying the material benefits deriving from our success in business.
That's why it is comforting to realize that virtually every C-level real estate executive you know, and every one you read about in these pages, looks beyond his or her narrow self-interest — and devotes a portion of their time and energy to community building and charitable causes.
While there's no shortage of worthy causes, I find efforts to support our youth especially aligned with the ethos of the real estate industry. Building the city of tomorrow and creating stronger communities is as much about investing in people as it is about constructing buildings. And investing in young people is the best way to invest in the future of our city.
For the last XX years, I have had the privilege of working with an organization called New York Edge, which is one of the largest providers of afterschool programs in the metropolitan region.
Working in cooperation with the New York City Department of Education, the organization partners with under-resourced public schools across the region, serving more than 36,000 students in grades K-12. New York Edge provides afterschool programming that combine sports, the arts, and academic enrichment and mentoring. We also help upper-grade students position themselves for future success in both conventional and technical colleges.
And while my real estate company develops properties across all key asset classes, one can readily see how our multi-family portfolio can resonate with our work with New York Edge.
That's because we often find ourselves delivering enrichment services to young people residing in our own company's apartment buildings. It's a source of gratification for our development and property management teams when New York Edge helps these youthful residents enter college and expand their life horizons. The students' families appreciate it. They make the connection.
The organization itself is structured in a way that directly promotes leadership skills. While New York Edge is overseen by a typical board of directors, there is also a "junior board" that brings young people themselves into the organization in a serious and active way.
Best of all, New York Edge succeeds. Participants in our "High School Today, College Tomorrow" initiative have attained a 98-percent, four-year completion rate — compared with the 61-percent citywide rate. Ninety percent of them earn college admission.
At the middle school level, students in the "Middle School Today, High School Tomorrow" program are 33 percent more likely to gain entry to a specialized high school than those not benefiting from our help.
And 86 percent of parents we surveyed report that New York Edge has helped their children learn things that have contributed to their academic success.
Many of the youth served by New York Edge live in poverty, which exposes them to various forms of trauma, and plants any number of obstacles along their path to achievement. Organizations like New York Edge help prepare students to overcome these hurdles and to advance toward a happy and fulfilling adulthood.
I think it reflects well on the real estate community to be supporting such programs – and to be building a spirit of hope and confidence among our city's young people.
In fact, though less visible, I'd say it's a legacy greater in value than shaping the city's skyline.
Previous: New York Edge Holds Annual Benefit to Raise Money for Afterschool Programming in New York
Next: 2019 Meringoff Victory Prize Scholars


The CSU Bug Zoo strives to bring a deeper appreciation for arthropods through hands-on learning opportunities with live insects, enthusiastic volunteers, and continuing involvement in the Fort Collins community. It is home to over 30 different species of arachnids, insects, and other arthropods. We are open to the public for tours, and would love to come visit your classroom!
Would you like to schedule a visit from or a trip to the CSU Bug Zoo?!
Please email the CSU Bug Zoo to coordinate an event!
Donate to the CSU Bug Zoo!
Contact the CSU Bug Zoo!


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#ifndef SRC_COMPONENTS_CONNECTION_HANDLER_TEST_INCLUDE_CONNECTION_HANDLER_OBSERVER_MOCK_H_
#define SRC_COMPONENTS_CONNECTION_HANDLER_TEST_INCLUDE_CONNECTION_HANDLER_OBSERVER_MOCK_H_

#include <gmock/gmock.h>
#include <string>
#include "connection_handler/connection_handler_observer.h"

namespace test {
namespace components {
namespace connection_handler_test {

/*
 * MOCK implementation of ::connection_handler::ConnectionHandlerObserver interface
 */
class ConnectionHandlerObserverMock : public ::connection_handler::ConnectionHandlerObserver {
 public:
  MOCK_METHOD1(OnDeviceListUpdated,
      void(const connection_handler::DeviceMap &device_list));
  MOCK_METHOD0(OnFindNewApplicationsRequest,void());
  MOCK_METHOD1(RemoveDevice,
      void(const connection_handler::DeviceHandle &device_handle));
  MOCK_METHOD3(OnServiceStartedCallback,
      bool(const connection_handler::DeviceHandle &device_handle,
           const int32_t &session_key,
           const protocol_handler::ServiceType &type));
  MOCK_METHOD3(OnServiceEndedCallback,
      void(const int32_t &session_key,
           const protocol_handler::ServiceType &type,
           const connection_handler::CloseSessionReason& close_reason));
  MOCK_CONST_METHOD1(GetHandshakeContext,
                     security_manager::SSLContext::HandshakeContext(
                       uint32_t key));

};
} // namespace connection_handler_test
} // namespace components
} // namespace test
#endif  //SRC_COMPONENTS_CONNECTION_HANDLER_TEST_INCLUDE_CONNECTION_HANDLER_OBSERVER_MOCK_H_

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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India's Congress party in turmoil after Gandhi resignation
FILE PHOTO: Rahul Gandhi, President of India's main opposition Congress party, looks up before releasing his party's election manifesto for the April/May general election in New Delhi, India, April 2, 2019. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi/File Photo -
Adnan Abidi(Reuters)
By Devjyot Ghoshal
NEWDELHI (Reuters) – Rahul Gandhi has spurned appeals to reconsider his resignation as leader of India's Congress Party after losing a second general election to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, an aide said on Tuesday, as the party faces its worst crisis in a decade.
Stuck between a leader determined to quit and party officials unwilling to accept his leaving, Congress is effectively leaderless more than a month after its election drubbing and facing key state polls later this year.
Chief ministers from five Congress-ruled states went to New Delhi on Monday where they spent two hours trying to convince Gandhi to reverse his May 25 decision to resign.
"We told him our point of view, openly, in a long conversation," Ashok Gehlot, a senior Congress leader and chief minister of western Rajasthan state, told reporters.
"We hope he will consider our view and take the right decision," he said.
A close aide to Gandhi, speaking to Reuters after the meeting, said the 49-year-old was firm about stepping aside as Congress president, a position he held since succeeding his mother, Sonia Gandhi, in late 2017.
"He will never change his mind," the aide said, requesting anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media.
"He feels that the way forward is not him continuing as Congress president … and let somebody outside the Gandhi family be Congress president," the aide said, adding the party cannot "just depend on one person, one family".
Gandhi will remain in politics to help rebuild Congress from the ground up, the aide said, rather than stay on as leader due to his family's political lineage.
The Nehru-Gandhi family has dominated the party, and through it Indian politics for decades, producing three prime ministers, but Modi and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have accused Congress of promoting "dynasty" politics.
The Modi-led BJP has trounced Congress in two successive general elections, winning 303 out of 542 parliament seats in 2019, and wresting away Gandhi's own parliament seat in a family borough in northern India.
'NO OPTION'
Despite the defeats, Congress officials say they want Gandhi to stay because they fear the party may splinter without him.
"There is nobody else aside from him who can keep the organisation together," said a member of the party's top decision-making body, the Congress Working Committee (CWC), who requested anonymity.
"He will have to lead. There's no option," he said.
Congress does not have a clear succession plan.
The CWC is comprised mainly of members who are close to the Gandhi family and are less inclined to find another leader, another Congress official said.
"The CWC is supposed to appoint the Congress president, but the Congress president has appointed the CWC," the official said, requesting anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media.
While the CWC has not begun the official process of finding the next leader, 68-year-old Gehlot is among the potential frontrunners, according to three other party officials.
Mallikarjun Kharge, 76, a former Congress leader in parliament, is also a possible candidate, one of the three officials said.
Both men are part of the party's entrenched old guard, reflecting its inability to promote younger leaders, which some officials identified as a major reason for the 2019 general election defeat.
"This is the time to take tough decisions," the party official said.
(Reporting by Devjyot Ghoshal; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani and Darren Schuettler)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The joint venture (JV) partnership between house builder Countryside and housing provider Hyde Group, Rochester Riverside is set to provide 1,400 new homes over 12 years on brownfield land and includes provision for first-time buyers and families.
Built across 20 hectares, the development will include a new hotel, 1,200sq m of commercial space, a primary school and nursery and a 2.5km public riverside walkway, set to open up the Medway riverside for the first time, while creating new jobs in the area.
Malthouse said Rochester Riverside is a really fantastic example of a development that will provide thousands of homes, of which 25% are affordable and were a great design.
Tom Shaw, operations director at the Hyde Group added: "Rochester Riverside is a fantastic example of partnership working in action, delivering 1,400 new homes for Medway. Our 50/50 JV with Countryside Properties is transforming this former brownfield site at pace, delivering homes, jobs and regeneration of a prime site."
The development is expected to complete in late 2027.


This hotel is like my view of an old hotel should be steeped in history and splendour. It was a pleasure the rooms are not modern although they do have the touches like the plasma tv and modern bathroom. Overall I would not change anything about the hotel it was perfect. The staff seemed highly trained and overall it was a wonderful customer experi... что говорят » ence. - All staff were absolutely charming and could not have been more helpful or efficient. Brilliantly managed hotel.
Very helpful staff, clean and well presented rooms, quiet environment. One of the best hotels I've stayed at for this price, would definitely return. Very comfortable room and bed.Great night's sleep. Room service fantastic, meal incredible. Probably the best hotel meal I have ever had, fillet steak is perfect and dessert was very indulgent and ple... что говорят » asing to the eye and stomach. - Staff and very comfortable accommodatrion, I only wish we had the opportunity to explore the leisure facilities as they looked good. Overall do not be misled with mixed reviews this is a winner ! Enjoy your stay!
Beautiful hotel with a lovely view of the hillside, quiet location yet close to the city centre. The room was clean and comfortable, the staff friendly and helpful. Dinner was good although not a vast choice over the two nights. We will stay again. - Everything. The staff were really welcoming and friendly and go out of their way to make you feel r... что говорят » elaxed and cared for. Thank You everone at Holyrood for making our valentines weekend magical. We will be returning and recommending.
Room was well thought out and warm, the bed was comfortable, the tv was on the table, so easy to watch and no neck strain, where the tv is wall mounted. Is not far from city centre and plenty of buses and shops. Excellent value £105 for 3 nights, what a change from my last Edinburgh hotel horror story. - The location was fantastic, short walk int... что говорят » o the city. Beautiful views of Arthur's Seat!! Lovely clean accommodation. Very friendly staff.
The 23 Mayfield was a total delight! The staff was amazing - everyone seemed like genuinely nice people and happy to help. The hotel owner even gave us an excellent advice what to do and see further in Scotland and let us leave our car in their not so big car park even thought we stayed for only one night. Our breakfast was a real gourmet treat. O... что говорят » ur room was very cosy but stylish at the same time. The old city centre is just a 5 min drive by bus. Totally recommend! - Ross was a very welcoming and relaxed host. He provided us with some good recommendation for locations to visit whilst in Scotland. Breakfast was a gourmet experience with a great range for vegetarians (i had the Campbell's vegetarian haggis both mornings). Room was tastefully decorated and a good size. We enjoyed a cold beer in the oudoor room, which was just what we needed after a full days travel.


Create a few basic web pages.
Apply hyperlinks in all its variations.
Structure the content on your web page.
Apply styles to some page elements.
Insert and control images on your web page.
Create, modify, and format a basic layout.
More… Course will be extended to more topics as the time allows.


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Farmington Sends Festus Home For Good
The Festus Tigers Boys Varsity Basketball team's season ends with a 78-65 loss to the Farmington Knights in the District semi-finals. Festus ends their campaign with a 19-6 record, but a bright future.
The Farmington Knights ended the Festus Tigers Boys Varsity Basketball team's season 78-65 in the semi-finals of the Class Five District Two Tournament. This was the Tigers' second loss to the Knights this season.
Festus came into this game red hot and on a six-game win streak. Their last loss was January 26th… to Farmington. The Knights have had Festus' number for years. Festus is 1-8 against them since 2012.
Farmington came out of the gate and established themselves offensively right away. They exploded for 26 first-quarter points and the Tigers did what they could to keep up. Cole Rickermann had the hot hand and hit three shots from three-point range. Arhmad Branch got it going with five points in the first as well to help the Tigers to 17 total points.
The Knights continued to score the ball well though into the second quarter. Collin Reando got on the board for the Tigers and Branch added six more to his total, however, Farmington still edged out Festus 19-13 in the quarter and went into halftime with a 45-31 lead.
Festus made some adjustments at halftime and came into the third quarter ready to cut into the Knights' lead. Branch stayed hot and scored ten more points while Reando and Rickermann each added four more. Festus outscored Farmington 18-13 and cut the lead to single digits heading into the final quarter.
Festus did all they could in the fourth. Collin Weinhaus hit two shots from three-point land and Branch added three more points to his total as well. However, Farmington hit their free throws in crunch time and put up 20 points in the quarter. The Knights sealed up the 78-65 win and sent the Tigers home for good.
"Very proud of my kids and the way they played this season," Head Coach Jason Therrell said. "They did everything I asked them to do all season and had a great year."
Branch led the team with 24 points. Rickermann was just behind with 16. Reando was the only other Tiger in double-digits with ten points. Weinhaus had nine, and Connor Westhoff, JD McDowell and Desmond Davis all had two points each.
Festus ended their season with a 19-6 record. The Tigers accomplished a ton over the course of the season. For the seniors, this was a sad note to go out on, but they have nothing to hang their heads about.
"As for my career, I am definitely sad to hang up the jersey," Reando said. "Basketball has been in my life for a long time, and I definitely wish I had more time to play the game. Coach Therrell has been an unbelievable coach for me. Not only has he helped me grow as a basketball player,but also as a person."
As for the underclassmen, the loss has them motivated to progress and get better in the future.
"I think we keep doing what we are doing and keep putting the work in," Weinhaus said. "I'm very excited to see what next year has in store for the team."
Branch echoed that sentiment, saying "We're just going to get bigger stronger and play smarter. I feel like we will have a chance to go on a big run in the playoffs."
These young Tigers are hungry for postseason success.
They are graduating three seniors and bringing back most of their core rotation players. With other young Tigers working hard in the program, Festus' Varsity squad has a bright future ahead.
Related Items:arhmad branch, Basketball, Cole Rickermann, collin reando, collin weinhaus, connor westhoff, Desmond Davis, Festus, Festus Varsity Basketball, jason therrell, jd mcdowell


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WATCH: Karissa Ella Covers Patty Loveless
Jerry Holthouse April 21, 2021	Nashville Music Scene w/ Jerry Holthouse 67 Views
For the past couple months, Karissa Ella has been revisiting the songs that made her fall in love with country music as a child. The Acoustic Sessions highlight Karissa's love of country music with covers of "Maybe It Was Memphis," "Who I Am" and "You Can't Make Old Friends" featuring Johnny Gates. All of this is leading up to new music from the rising singer/songwriter later this spring.
Karissa Ella's version of "Blame It On Your Heart" by Patty Loveless Watch and listen above) showcases her strong country sound. Her vocals are crisp and emotional as she tells this man that he can't blame her for what's going on, since he only has himself to blame. Jenee Fleenor (2x CMA Musician of the Year & ACM Musician Of The Year) is featured on fiddle and background vocals throughout the project, as well as guitarist Daniel Newell.
"I loved every second of covering this Patty Loveless song! The lyrics in this song show so much sass and grit, you just can't help but smile and laugh along. I hope to bring this kind of attitude to my new original songs coming soon!" said Ella.
Previous NMAAM To Honor Quincy Jones, Lionel Richie, Smokey Robinson & Fisk Jubilee Singers
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When Cities Go Green
By: Alana Tummino
Consumers are regularly bombarded with products like LED lights, solar panels and hybrid vehicles that promise to reduce their users' carbon footprint and save money—not to mention help them feel eco-friendly. While those are all important at the individual level, the real impact—both on the environment and in terms of savings—comes when cities test and adopt these and other new innovations.
Take the case of Brazilian cities preparing for the 2014 World Cup. While delays in new stadium construction often make the headlines, much of the media has missed what may be the most important story: once the retrofitting is complete, Brazil's sports complexes (including the new ones) will be among the most energy-efficient in the world. New solar panels will reduce stadiums' reliance on traditional grid-supplied energy and also provide solar energy to surrounding areas.
In one case, the Estádio Governador Magalhães Pinto, or Mineirão stadium, unveiled its array of rooftop solar panels in time for last year's FIFA Confederations Cup on June 17. The $16.1 million investment, financed by KfW, the German government-owned development bank, together with CEMIG, a Brazilian power company, provides 1.4MW of electricity to the local energy grid surrounding the stadium, but not the stadium itself.
Getting an even larger makeover has been the Estádio Nacional de Brasília Mané Garrincha, which will likely reach LEED Platinum certification and become the first net-zero-energy stadium in the world. Its 2.5MW-peak solar array will power almost half of the stadium with solar energy, for an annual savings of around 7 million reais ($3.78 million). Maracanã stadium in Rio de Janeiro and the Pituaçu Stadium in Salvador will also have rooftop solar panels, and the Pernambuco stadium in Recife will have solar heating for changing rooms, toilets and kitchens.
Farther north, Toronto—capitalizing on cold lake temperatures rather than the sunny warmth of Brazil—has been a leader in developing a cleaner and energy-efficient alternative to air conditioning. Developed by Enwave Energy Corporation, Toronto's innovative water cooling system relies on Lake Ontario's 4 degrees Celsius (39 degrees Farenheit) water to air condition 29 million square feet (2.7 million square meters) of high-rise building space—or 51 buildings—in the city center. The solution reduces CO2 emissions by 87,000 tons and energy consumption by 90 percent, compared to conventional air conditioning. The system will ultimately save 128 million kilowatt-hours annually in electricity.
The program's success has led to replication in other large cities. New York City, for example, hopes to take advantage of its cold-water harbor and the rivers that feed it. Deep-water source cooling requires about one-tenth the average energy needed for conventional cooling systems. It's fully renewable, and does not use any refrigerants that deplete the ozone layer.
At the same time, in New York City, schools, hospitals, universities, and even the Empire State Building are being retrofitted. With a $550 million investment, the Empire State Building will be upgraded by refurbishing over 6,000 windows, installing insulation and 100 percent LED lighting, and adding 30 percent more efficient elevators, making it the largest retrofitting project in the world. The building makeover aims to cut energy costs by $4.4 million per year, reduce CO2 emissions by 105,000 metric tons over 15 years, and reduce energy consumption by up to 38 percent. But this is just the start; 75 percent of the city's greenhouse gas emissions come from energy use in buildings.
Read about public space.
Read about governance.
Alana Tummino is senior editor of Americas Quarterly, managing editor of AQ Online and director of policy at Americas Society and Council of the Americas.
Photo: Matthew Ashton/AMA/Corbis


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Tweets About Taylor Swift's "You Need to Calm Down" Song
17 June 2019 by Kelsie Gibson First Published: 15 June 2019
Taylor Swift is showing her support for the LBGTQ+ community in her new song, "You Need to Calm Down." While the lyrics read like "Mean" 2.0 as she sings about dealing with the naysayers and internet trolls, it's the second verse that has fans freaking out. With references to GLAAD and Pride Parades, the singer is clearly taking a political stand with her new music. Not to mention, she chose to release the pop song during Pride Month.
In the past, the singer has kept quiet about politics, but that all changed when she posted a passionate Instagram about voting in October 2018. This year, she has continued to use her platform to help the LGBTQ+ community by making a $113,000 donation to the Tennessee Equality Project and urging her fans to sign her Change.org petition that supports the Equality Act. If her new track is any indication about what's to come, we're in for a whole new era of Taylor Swift music when her seventh album, Lover, comes out this August.
Twitter ReactionsTaylor SwiftMusic
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Paul McCartney Brought Ringo Starr Onstage to Perform Beatles Classics, Just Like Old Times
by Karenna Meredith 4 days ago


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Police personnel hold up placards reminding people to stay at home amid concerns of the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus in Manila on March 31, 2020. (AFP / Maria Tan)
Misinformation circulates online about COVID-19 cases and lockdown measures in Asia
AFP Philippines Published on Wednesday 8 April 2020 at 06:10
Multiple Facebook posts shared thousands of times in April 2020 purport to compare novel coronavirus lockdown measures in countries including South Korea, Japan and the Philippines. The posts claim the virus is now "gone" in South Korea because residents stayed at home for three weeks and that the epidemic has been "controlled" in Japan. The posts also claim that by contrast, people in the Philippines have taken a careless aproach to the virus. The claims are misleading; official data shows South Korea continued to face new cases of COVID-19 in April 2020; officials in Japan said COVID-19 cases were rapidly increasing in the same month.
The claims were published on Facebook here on April 2, 2020. The post has since been shared more than 4,900 times.
Screenshot of Facebook post
Written in a mix of English and Tagalog, the post states: "COVID-19 UPDATES: #South Korea - All people stay at home, 3 weeks only virus gone / #China - People followed the government nobody criticize, virus almost gone / #Japan - All stay at home only military personnel and medical personnel go to work now controlled the virus. / #North Korea - Infected must be kill,Shoot to kill / #Russia - 15 days at home or 5 years to jail / #Jordan - 14 days at home or 1 year to jail / #Kuwait - stay at home or 1.5 Dinar Fine 3 years to jail / #Philippines - President told to step down, people, drinking, playing bingo, children playing outside the house, at checkpoints they are angry, rally here rally there, fighting with those who protect them, always criticising the government. This is the reality in the Philippines so sad..."
Posts making identical claims were also shared on Facebook here, here, here and here.
But the claims are misleading.
While South Korea has dramatically reduced its number of newly confirmed COVID-19 cases, the virus has not yet been fully eradicated. On April 7, 2020, it reported 47 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 10,331, the country's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) stated here.
Below is a screenshot of a KCDC chart showing cases from January 20 to April 7, 2020:
A screenshot of a graph showing COVID-19 cases in South Korea
The claim that the virus is under control and that "only military personnel and medical personnel go to work" in Japan is also inaccurate.
"The number of patients is rapidly increasing in urban areas, such as Tokyo and Osaka, and medical institutions are already going through a critical moment," Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on April 6, 2020 according to official government transcripts.
Japan also announced an emergency declaration this week in a bid to curb the spread of the virus. The declaration did not include a nationwide stay at home order. The move allows governors in seven affected regions including Tokyo to ask people to stay indoors and request that businesses close, but there are no enforcement mechanisms and no penalties for those who fail to comply.
The claim that the virus is "almost gone" in China is also misleading. While the number of confirmed cases in China has dramatically fallen, officials are now trying to stem a second wave of imported cases, AFP reported here.
Finally, the posts' suggestion that the Philippines has been too lax in its COVID-19 restrictions is misleading. About half of the country's population have been put under quarantine restrictions. President Rodrigo Duterte recently told security forces they should shoot anyone causing "trouble" in areas that have been locked down, as AFP reported here.
Globally, more than 3.38 billion people have been asked or ordered to follow confinement measures in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, AFP reported here.
AFP Philippines


» Watch Next Video by Joan L. Warren, MD, RPhS - What is the difference between ultrasound guided sclerotherapy and visual sclerotherapy?
What are compression stockings? Compression stockings are elastic garments worn around the leg compressing the limb, exerting pressure against the legs, reducing the diameter of the distended vein causing an increase in venous blood flow velocity and valve effectiveness. Compression stockings help decrease venous pressure preventing and helping venous stagnation, swelling and pain. The main indications would be tired achy legs, leg swelling from chronic peripheral venous insufficiency or lymph edema, leg ulcers, superficial venous thrombosis, and deep venous thrombosis. Possible counter indications are moderate to severe peripheral obstructive arterial disease, congestive heart failure, cellulitis, draining dermatitis and advanced peripheral neuropathy.


Arkane Studios has released Prey update version 1.06 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Here are the patch notes for it.
Prey has continued to receive a strong post-launch support after the release of the Mooncrash DLC. This was a rogue-like expansion for Prey that was released after E3 2018 and has continued to receive strong support from the developers. The new update is aimed at adding exciting fresh content to the game.
Prey update version 1.06 is out now on the PS4, and it should roll out for other platforms throughout the rest of the day. The full patch notes for this update can be viewed below.
It is an asymmetrical 5v1 game of deadly hide'n'seek.
One player gets to play as Morgan Yu while the other 5 players play as shape-shifting Mimics.
Morgan's goal is to eliminate all 5 Mimics in the given time limit, while the Mimics have to outlast Morgan.
The Mimics have a lunge attack that can stun Morgan but their main strength lies in their signature Mimicking abilities.
As a means of hiding, they can transform into any of the physics objects on the map that "aren't bolted down".
They have a brief moment of prep time to find the best hiding spot before Morgan is dropped into the map.
Morgan has a wrench to smash the Mimics but can rarely find a silenced pistol or special Mimic detecting psychoscope.
The three in-game locations that we currently know of include; Morgan's office, The Sim Labs and The Yellow Tulip.
All object locations have been seeded to be a little bit random every time you play, so no experience will be quite the same.
It will be fully playable in VR sometime early into next year. Only confirmed platform so far is the HTC Vive, we will update this post as more information comes out.
Servers are peer-to-peer and there's a quick-play-esq matchmaking system in place.
Players can choose to play with or against AI if they wish.
Three immersive "escape rooms" set on Talos I have been adapted specially for this new mode.
All have their own unique story and objective, with plenty of gadgets and puzzles to play around with.
The first is set in Morgan's office, where he must construct and test a prototype for a new invention called the Nullwave Device. This device may be the key to protecting humanity from the Typhon aliens, but you'll need to use all the available scientific gadgetry in the correct sequence to get it working.
The second is set in the Sim Labs, where you are Dr. Calvino, the genius behind the Looking Glass technology. It's with this tech that you will convince Morgan Yu he is still in his apartment on Earth – but there are some kinks to work out and you're the only person who can fix them.
The last is set in the Yellow Tulip where, as Abigail Foy, you receive a message from Danielle Sho asking you to meet her after hours. But the Yellow Tulip is empty when you arrive, and all you can find is a mysterious sequence of clues and puzzles for you to follow. Who knows what's really waiting for you?
A bonus TranStar Museum location will also be available to explore in VR, where you can get a very up-close-and-personal look at some of the most memorable props and Typhon aliens from the game.
As with the Typhon Hunter PvP mode, the only confirmed compatible VR platform so far is the HTC Vive, we will update this post as more are confirmed.
Prey is available now for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC. The game was developed by Arkane Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks.


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Conventional offices to rent
St James's, London
Analyse market data for St James's, London
Conventional offices to rent in St James's, London
Viewing 1 to 40 of 95 conventional offices found
St. James's, Charing Cross, Covent Garden SW1
Pall Mall Works, Cockspur St, SW1
Serviced office/desk spaces to let arranged over second to fifth floors within a newly refurbished Edwardian building - available on an all inclusive basis including complimentary refreshments and private meeting rooms
2 days ago. Stirling Ackroyd
8 St. James's Square, Mayfair
This is a stunning new building designed by renowned architect Eric Parry on a site that was once home to Josiah Wedgwood who is widely credited with the industrialization of the manufacture of pottery. Having developed this centre from an idea four years ago into a thriving and productive central London base for over 270 businesses, our Mayfair base will remain and in May, we look forward to opening a brand new, purpose designed location where we can improve the range of products and services available. This centre will be able to offer dedicated desks alongside hot desks, an enhanced food offering, a presentation room for up to 90 people and a fully interactive, innovation hub.
54 54 Jermyn St. James's, Greater London, GB
£9,000.00 pcm
Private meeting room
High Quality, Fully Fitted, Office Suites – To be Let
5 days ago. Mellersh & Harding
14 Waterloo Place
Fully fitted offices available for sublease or assignment
6 days ago. Gerald Eve
64 St James's Street
High quality fitted offices to let
Smithson Tower
Floors with 360° views. The only refurbished office tower in St James's.
Denham Building
Refurbished St James's office accommodation within the Smithson Plaza
"St James's", "SW1", "London"
Fitted office suite to let on St James's Street. 2 year term certain available. Cost-effective.
6 days ago. BNP Paribas Real Estate
90 Jermyn St. James's, London, SW1
1,013 sq ft ~9 people
Jermyn Street is an attractive period building situated close to the junction with Duke of York Street, the building is well located with Green Park Underground Station (Victoria, Jubilee and Piccadilly lines) being within easy walking distance.
50 Pall Mall, St. James's, London SW1Y 5JH
Pall Mall is a prominent building located in the heart of St James's, on the northern side of Pall Mall. St James's is recognised as one of London's premier multinational business locations and is home to major corporate companies, private banks, financial service companies and numerous professional organisations. The property is a short walk from excellent transport links including Green Park, Piccadilly Circus, Charing Cross and Embankment.
14 Waterloo Pl, St. James's, London SW1Y 4AR
The offices are arranged over the 1st floor and are delivered fully fitted out. The existing arrangement provides for 14x open plan work stations, 1x 16 person boardroom, 1x 8 person meeting room, 1x 4 person meeting room, and 5x private offices.
Pelham Capital, 25 St James's St. James's, London SW1A 1HA
In 2018, a design classic that brings together refurbished offices, homes and retail as well as a new pocket park.
JAMES HOUSE, 1 BABMAES STREET, ST JAMES'S, London, SW1
The building is situated on the east side of Babmaes Street, close to its junction with Jermyn Street. Nearby amenities include some of London's finest hotels, restaurants, art galleries, antique dealers and tailors.
6 days ago. BDG Sparkes Porter
112 JERMYN STREET, ST JAMES'S, London, SW1
In the heart of St James's, 112 Jermyn Street is situated on the southern side of Jermyn Street, at its junction with Babmaes Street. Well known as an area favoured by many corporate headquarters, it also enjoys excellent shopping and restaurant facilities.
86 Jermyn St. James's, London SW1Y 6JD
In the heart of St James's, 67-68 Jermyn Street is situated on the South side of Jermyn Street between the junctions of Bury Street and St James's Street. Well known as an area favoured by many corporate headquarters, the area also has a plethora of shopping and eating facilities.
Fitted office suites To let on St James's Street
Rex House, 4-12 Lower Regent Street
Refurbished Reception, Commissionaire, 3 x Passenger Lifts, Air Conditioning, New Metal Tile Raised Floor, New LED Lighting, Light, Bright, Space
7 days ago. Bluebook
4 Carlton Gardens, St. James's, London SW1Y 5AA
B1 Business
Rare opportunity to acquire modern offices within one of London's premier addresses
8 days ago. Colliers International
93 Jermyn Street, St James
Self contained office to let in prime location
12 days ago. Robert Irving Burns
Concierge services, air Conditioning, LED lighting, plaster ceiling, raised floor, part of Smithson Plaza
13 days ago. Bluebook
3 St James's Square, St. James's, London SW1Y 4JU
97 Jermyn St. James's, Greater London, GB
This character building is on the corner of Jermyn Street and Duke of York Street, just north of St James's Square. Green Park and Piccadilly Underground Stations (Piccadilly, Victoria, Jubilee and Bakerloo lines) are within easy walking distance, and the area is served by numerous bus routes.
22 days ago. Mellersh & Harding
36 St James's St. James's, London SW1A 1JD
Tea point
St James's Street is an attractive period building situated at the junction of Jermyn Street and St James's Street. Communications are therefore good with Green Park (Victoria, Jubilee & Piccadilly lines) and Piccadilly circus (Bakerloo & Piccadilly Lines) being within easy walking distance.
91 Jermyn St. James's, London SW1Y 6JB
Situated close to the junction with Duke of York Street, the building is well located with Green park (Victoria an Jubilee lines) and Piccadilly (Piccadilly and Waterloo lines) Underground Stations being within easy walking distance.
Southwest House, 11a Regent Street, London, SW1Y 4LR
Behind beautifully restored Georgian façades, this prominent St James's building comprises 31,000 sq ft of office space over 7 floors. The available 4,511 sq ft (419 sq m) is on the 4th floor and has undergone comprehensive refurbishment. A short walk away are the Jubilee, Piccadilly, Bakerloo, Victoria and Northern lines at Piccadilly Circus, Green Park and Charing Cross underground stations, providing access to London's City, Heathrow and Gatwick airports in under an hour.
Suite 3B, Princes House, 38 Jermyn Street, London SW1Y 6DN
~ 1 month ago. Knight Frank
"St James's", "London", "SW1"
5 St James's Square
£27,000.00 pcm (all inclusive)
Finest St James's Square office available - all inclusive
~ 1 month ago. BNP Paribas Real Estate
"St James's", "London", "West End", "SW1"
95 Jermyn Street, SW1
Small Suite in St James's To Let
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"London", "SW1", "St James's"
Princes House
Contemporary Office Space in St James's To Let
"London", "St James's", "West End", "SW1"
£105.00 to £135.00 psf (quoting)
Newly refurbished prime St James's office To Let
The Marq, 32 Duke Street, London, SW1Y 6DF
The Marq delivers exceptional Grade A space in the heart of St James's and will be London's first WELL accredited shell and core building. With column free floor plates and generous floor to ceiling heights, all floors benefit from excellent volumes of natural light and space. Thoughtful design and quality materials throughout offer businesses a unique opportunity to occupy St James's only new build office scheme delivered in 2019.
~ 1 month ago. CBRE
Egyptian House, 170 Piccadilly, London, W1J 9PD
The property is located on the south side of Piccadilly. Both Green Park (Piccadilly, Jubilee and Victoria lines) and Piccadilly (Piccadilly and Bakerloo lines) are within easy walking distance.
~ 1 month ago. Hanover Green
12 St James's Square, London, SW1Y 4LA
St James's Square is a landmark, highly specified, contemporary office building totalling 81,000 sq ft. The building was comprehensively redeveloped in 2007 to provide modern Grade A accommodation. The 6th floor consists only of the purpose built office space and benefits from 3 separate roof terraces. We are offering the lower ground and 6th floor office accommodation which is of a grade A specification. In addition there is a kitchen, gym and conferencing room. The 6th floor has been refurbished to CAT A condition.
83 Pall Mall, St. James's, London SW1Y 5ES
Fully fitted floors available as a whole or individually, set around a central atrium. The floors also benefit from high levels of natural light with windows over looking Pall Mall and views across The Commonwealth Foundation. The floors offer a mix of open plan and cellular offices with extensive meeting rooms and a formal reception on the 3rd floor. The floors are fully cabled with kitchen points throughout The building is located on the south side of Pall Mall adjacent to the RAC Club, in the heart of St. James's. The location has good communication links with Green Park underground and Victoria underground and mainline station, within walking distance.
~ 2 months ago. CBRE
St. James's, London SW1Y 4AH
£107.50 psf
The offices are set in a fabulous location on the new St James's Market development, within a few minutes walk of an exciting range of retail, dining and cultural amenities of Mayfair and St James's.
2 months ago. Adams Burnett
The 5th floor of 4,084 sq ft is currently configured to provide open plan space for 23 working stations and a range of meeting rooms and offices.
2 months ago. Crossland Otter Hunt
31 St James's St. James's, London SW1A 1HE
A2 Financial and professional services
A short term opportunity located in one of london's most celebrated dining, cultural and fashion destinations
3 months ago. Colliers International
60 St James's St. James's, London SW1A 1LZ
St. James's, SW1Y
45 Pall Mall
Newly Refurbished Offices In 45 Pall Mall
~ 1 year ago. Montagu Evans
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See the latest St James's, London office to rent listings from across the rent market. Currently there are 95 available conventional offices in St James's, London to rent. Pall Mall Works, Cockspur St, SW1 is the latest office to rent, listed by Stirling Ackroyd.
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text:
How can artificial intelligence promote inclusive prosperity for all?
Dawn Lo
A legal expert explains when AI can be entrusted to assume tasks currently performed by humans, and when it should complement workers.
While AI has the potential to contribute to job losses if poorly planned and timed, medical AI has the power to make labour more valuable and easier, says Professor Frank Pasquale. Image: Shutterstock
While AI is poised to disrupt our work and lives, these technologies can be harnessed through wise regulation. So rather than replacing individuals, much AI should assist them in completing tasks that are more fulfilling, or by augmenting work that is often classified as professional.
"Artificial intelligence (AI) has a proper substitutive role – it can ensure that difficult, dirty and dangerous work is done more and more by machines and less and less by human beings," says Professor Frank Pasquale from Brooklyn Law School."But mainly, it should be complementing persons in many complex jobs, rather than substituting for them."
Can robots replace human intelligence?
Should people be taking more courses like computer science or technical fields that will help them understand AI better?
"Yes, but I don't think they should replace existing courses. I think that we need to have a more expanded view of education," says Prof. Pasquale, who will discuss how AI can promote inclusive prosperity at the annual lecture for The Allens Hub for Technology, Law and Innovation at UNSW Sydney on Tuesday 20 October at 11am.
AI can play an important role in education and helping teachers plan and deliver courses – but it is not a replacement.
Similarly in the tax arena, shifting the focus to taxing robots is not the right solution. "When it comes to understanding the nuances in tax policies, taxing robots is not ideal," he said.
"We need to have a more well-rounded tax policy that is looking at excessive capital income being taxed, rather than the machines being used to generate that."
It is also important to go beyond universal basic income discussions, Prof. Pasquale adds: "I think universal basic services are needed, not just universal basic income (UBI), because it's important for the future of labour policy."
Does AI still need human intervention?
What's really surprising over the past few years, according to Prof. Pasquale, is how tasks that many assumed would be completed by AI (self-driving cars, for example), are nowhere ready to be adopted en masse.
The self-driving car is itself a warning about issues with AI, he warns. "First, there are the basic technical problems that occur," he said.
"Secondly, will we have to redesign roads and traffic patterns to accommodate self-driving cars? Do we rely less on public transport, or develop other forms of public transit?
"All of those are not just technical questions, but they're very deeply political and social questions that involve a lot more than just AI."
How can AI transform the field of law?
In many simple transactions, AI has the potential to perform work currently undertaken by certain legal personnel, such as the granting of a licence to hunt or fish.
"But there are also areas where AI can be beneficial by assisting current attorneys in deciding which case to bring in, deciding the types of arguments and doing better legal research," Prof. Pasquale says.
"In various places that are purely financial, I could see another displacement effect where, like in tax law, it might be that we code taxes as opposed to simply having a verbal description of them."
And Australia's Robodebt issue, for example, highlighted the fact that excessive automation cannot be achieved successfully without human oversight.
"We have to always keep an eye on it. We'll see a lot of enthusiasm about automating law, but it's going to be a slow process," Prof. Pasquale says.
AI in business
AI has been increasingly playing an important role in business. Some companies, for example, have started using AI in the recruiting process by analysing candidates' facial expressions, tone of voice and the rate of speech in job interviews.
Such AI is said to be able to determine if an interviewee would be a good employee, based on current employees' expressions, facial patterns and tone of voice.
"I think that's troubling because people deserve to be judged on the basis of known characteristics and known qualities, and not on an AI that's cross-correlating thousands or millions of variables with existing employees."
Prof. Pasquale refers to it as an 'alien intelligence,' a black box and opaque analysis resistant to explanation in human terms.
However, even black box, opaque AI can be of benefit in the medical sector, specifically when it comes to assisting doctors with improving medical diagnoses.
Looking at the Australian healthcare system, Prof. Pasquale says it would make sense to invest in AI capacity, particularly using data that Australia already has.
"Part of the future of the industrial policy of AI is convincing governments to invest in homegrown talent, and to avoid just doing the easy thing and outsourcing the work to Google or Facebook or any other big organisation," he says.
"It is really interesting to see how the use of AI can be prioritised in a country's industrial strategy".
While AI has the potential to contribute to job losses if poorly planned and timed, medical AI has the power to make labour more valuable and easier.
"I think that if we can envision a future where AI is permitted to increase productivity, and increase the value of labour, then we are on a path to a much happier outcome for everybody," Prof. Pasquale says.
Prof. Pasquale will further discuss how AI can promote inclusive prosperity at the annual lecture for The Allens Hub for Technology, Law and Innovation at UNSW Sydney on Tuesday 20 October at 11am. You can register for the online event here.
Professor Frank Pasquale, Brooklyn Law School. Photo: Supplied.
Prof. Pasquale grew up in Oklahoma and Arizona in the United States and completed his studies at Harvard University, Yale Law School and Oxford University. He practised law prior to becoming a law professor. Prof. Pasquale is the Chair of the subcommittee on privacy, confidentiality and security of the US National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics. His book The black box society analyses big tech and finance while New laws of robotics is a blueprint for better integrating technology into society.
UNSW's Gilbert + Tobin Centre of Public Law celebrates its 20th anniversary
Predictive policing: will you do time before the crime?
FLIPstream team thinks beyond jargon to ask: how will technology change law?
AI in law: how lawyers and scientists can avoid automated injustice
Creativity and judgement key to lawyering with artificial intelligence
Frank Pasquale
UNSW Law
Robodebt


text:
Worldbuilding Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for writers/artists using science, geography and culture to construct imaginary worlds and settings. It only takes a minute to sign up.
How would fairies in a human-dominated society handle money?
Fairies are small winged humanoids, about 10 cm in height at most. They can proportionally carry more than a human, but not much in absolute terms. Previously, fairies have lives in their own smaller, separate societies away from humans and have had no need for money.
Now, humans have begun settling in fairy lands. There hasn't been much conflict, instead the fairies have begun integrating themselves in the human towns and villages. They live partially in their own little enclaves that provide for their own, but there is also economic activity between species Which is increasing over time. Fairies are realizing that humans can easily provide large (for them) amounts of food and other bulk goods and humans realize fairies are good at many types of fine craft and detail work while requiring less pay.
Humans have an established currency system with coins and banknotes, all made of a size to fit in and be handled by human hands. Most humans, especially common traders, prefer all payment to be given and received in this currency as it is stable and widely accepted. For a fairy however, it is simply impractical to handle. The coins contain precious metals and weigh too much to carry more than a few, and the banknotes, while lighter, are big and unwieldy and don't handle folding too well.
How will this be solved? The tech level is late medieval/early renaissance, and while magic exists it is rare and not available to most people. The fairies can use innate magic for flight and simple illusions and not much else.
culture fantasy-races currency
L.Dutch♦
GrolloGrollo
$\begingroup$ A bank note by the name itself is a Note from Bank. Otherwise called a "check" How large are thay are totally irrelevant as long as it have all bells and whistles that the thing is worth X. $\endgroup$
– SZCZERZO KŁY
$\begingroup$ Are these fairies the fairytale-type or essentially small humans? More specifically, are they psychologically capable of understanding a capitalistic system with concepts like jobs and money? $\endgroup$
– Dragongeek
$\begingroup$ Something else to consider might be the need for different denominations for the tiny folk. The smallest human coins represent the smallest practical unit of trade, so one penny might buy one loaf of bread. But that one loaf of bread would feed a fairy for years, so they'll have a need to purchase goods by the hundredth- or thousandth-penny. $\endgroup$
$\begingroup$ You might be underestimating how amazingly expensive gold is. It wasn't always the crazy £50/g it's now, but an early medieval nomisma, or roughly one month's labourer's wage, could buy you a pig and weighed only 4 grams. Using square-cube law, a fairy 20 times smaller than a human can carry 400 times less but weighs 8000 times less. So their own weight is negligible, but they could carry maybe 100 grams in a "heavy" backpack, or over 20 golden coins - enough to build a fairy village from scratch? $\endgroup$
– BIOStheZerg
$\begingroup$ while requiring less pay - Are you sure about this? Obviously you wouldn't hire a fairy to be a bricklayer, but certain types of jobs are not going to be (majorly) dependent on the size of the employee, and a smart fairy should be able to argue that they should be paid the same as a human counterpart. For small craft work, they should be able to argue that they need to be paid more, as it may be impossible for humans to even perform the required work. $\endgroup$
– Clockwork-Muse
I can see a huge market for fairy (or human) merchants doing most of the buying and selling of human goods, which to them will be in bulk, and acting as an intermediary between the two groups. The fairies could mostly use their own currency among themselves or use a debt/credit system (which is what most people did in the real world anyway). Coin trading was used mostly for strangers. Use of tally sticks (debt tracking) persisted for hundreds or even thousands of years in many places.
These merchants could easily double as banks, storing coins, and issuing banknotes. In many ways, this is how real banks get started. If you are worried about the power imbalance the merchants will have to make them community-run shops/banks run by elected officials.
Your biggest issue is there is not much labor that fairies can do better than humans, those they can often involve an intermediary anyway, (pin maker, mapping, scouting, lighting, ect.) so direct trade is less of an issue. They will have to worry about company stores/scripts.
What would really happen in the long term is the coinage would adapt, just like it did when long-distance trade became common. Smaller lighter fractional coins will come into existence.
Credit letters were used already by medieval bankers to avoid customers bringing around large amount of money.
They simply need to be made smaller, so that fairies can carry them around, but still human readable, so that humans can verify and accept them.
For small amounts the receiver can use a credit note which is then covered at the end of a time period. Not much different than what was common practice in small villages until few years ago, where most of the residents would tell the shop owner "write it down" and then pay the due the day they got their salary/pension.
L.Dutch♦L.Dutch
$\begingroup$ Humans, being the economically minded folk we are, would no doubt be falling over themselves to engineer tender that could be used by all species. $\endgroup$
– Joe Bloggs
$\begingroup$ @JoeBloggs um... huh? As a species we're very competitive and tend to go out of our way to gather all wealth unto ourselves and exclude all others. Humans excluded slaves by refusing to teach them literacy and math (so they couldn't use money, among other things). I can only imagine what we'd do to creatures that weren't human. $\endgroup$
– Join JBH on Codidact
$\begingroup$ @JBH: If we're at the point where we're trying to use fiat currency to perform economic exchanges with them? We'd make the act of paying for goods and services as easy as possible to better facilitate the transfer of wealth from them to us. Then we'd give some of it back to them in the form of trickle down economics and call ourselves job creators. $\endgroup$
$\begingroup$ @JoeBloggs Hah! Reaganomics to control another species! OK, that part of me that's a good Republican applauds your brilliant assimilation of the fairy peoples and their lands without firing a shot. :-) $\endgroup$
$\begingroup$ @JBH For my next trick: manufacturing outrage by leaking memos about the Minister for Dwarf Relations calling the elves 'pointy eared wazzocks' and using that as a smokescreen to distract from the annexation of the Orclands. Which I totally didn't do. Honestly. They had a legitimate referendum that nobody tampered with... $\endgroup$
Checks are not a new invention. There is evidence they existed as early as 352 BCE, though they didn't catch on until the 1500s. With the pressure for fairy trading, checks have much more reason to catch on.
Smaller Banknotes
Paper money is just fine if the money is simply resized to the size of a postage stamp. Fairies could easily carry them in a briefcase or backpack, but it's also not too small for humans to manage.
Favor Economy
If your fairies are of the variety that always keeps their word and have built society around the mutual exchange of favors / deals, trading becomes a matter of exchanging goods for services and services for goods.
This would focus on the things that each race is good at. Fairies would be good at delivering messages and building intricate things like watches, rings, and magical trinkets while humans would be better for building structures and transporting goods. A human in need of message delivery might feed a fairy in exchange for that service while a fairy might offer to create an engagement ring for a human in exchange for that human building the fairy a new house.
BeefsterBeefster
As a solution that may integrated another side to your story, it can be pretty "realistic" that fairies can use a bit of magic to bewitch a companion (exemple big dog or another) that may carry both money and other stuff.
As further developpement you can imagine a most imperfect situation where the fairies have to sleep with their companion on the street. Companion also gives you characters that may be useful for story or actions.
As the fairy are 10 cm and if the companions are big enough maybe some have designed little home that the companion can carry.
That's some ideas i can have
XimazeXimaze
$\begingroup$ No need to even use bewitchment IMO. If humans can domesticate an elephant, there is no reason a fairy would not be able to do the same with a dog. $\endgroup$
– Nosajimiki
$\begingroup$ They are fairies so it is simply a way to use the magic and as the companion are carrying the money and maybe many other stuffs, it would be pretty good they don't run away. Plus domestication may be pretty long and for reasons fairy may not have the time to domesticate $\endgroup$
– Ximaze
$\begingroup$ I agree it would normally be on trope for fairies, but the OP stated "The fairies can use innate magic for flight and simple illusions and not much else" So, if you are trying to answer the question as asked I was simply pointing out that magic is not necessary since the OP seems to be looking for a preferably non-magical answer. $\endgroup$
For in-shop trading where the fairy is selling her items from inside the shop, storing currency should not be an issue. Where fairy can have a simple box that the customer himself can operate to put money into and take back change, It basically works on the trust factor and self-help nature of the customer.
For outside trading with amount of cash exceeding banknotes or coins that a single fairy can carry, They have human handlers, just like accountants these days. These accountants do the heavy lifting, transactions, and whatever is required, while charging nominally, as a single accountant can serve multiple fairies. A really rich boss fairy can afford to have a dedicated accountant for herself.
These accountants may also serve as points of contact when fairies need to spend the money on their utilities, or human shopkeepers may provide free of cost support for fairies as a special customer care service.
V.AggarwalV.Aggarwal
Proxies and Credit
IMO There isn't a solution that will allow fairies to participate with currency directly. You don't define the technology level of the human society, so I'm going to jump to the conclusion it's mid-medieval castles-and-swords. That means money based on metal.
Now, unlike most fantasy stories, metal coinage was rarely as heavy as the stories portray. Stamping coins was a painful process, so coins tended to be small and thin. Because of that (and because of the fluctuating value, no complex economies back then!) people tended to cut the coins up to get smaller denominations (which is where "pieces of eight" came from, cutting the coins up into eight pieces) or they'd shave metal off the coin edges to "forge" new coins (you'd be surprised at all the phrases and idioms that generated, like using the word "nick" to describe stealing something and using the word "forgery" to describe counterfeiting).
But even if we're dealing with pieces of coins, those are still huge objects to a fairy, and objects of low value to boot.
If the fairy market is valuable enough, I can believe that humans (for a reasonable fee, of course) would develop a career acting as financial proxies. Everything from being the dude who hauls around the coin purse to being the CPA of the fairy world. This would develop a whole bundle of laws and punishments to establish responsible trust (hah), but it's possible. The value of the fairy market is the key! If it's valuable enough, the government will establish licensing and suitable punishments ("Let's cut you into eight pieces, then!"). If it's not valuable, it's just a thieve's market.
Banks could be the foundation of the proxy system and could therefore develop a simple credit-based bearer-bond system for payment. I spent a couple of years in Finland where they have something called a "pankkisiirto." Think of it as a "counter check." Almost everything mundane (like rent) was paid by pankkisiirtot. Carrying this idea into the fairy world, merchants would have a stack of blank "counter checks" available. At the end of the transaction, they'd fill it out, everybody would sign it, and it would be turned into the bank for processing — not unlike the early credit card stamping machines (remember those? That'll date ya!).
Join JBH on CodidactJoin JBH on Codidact
I don't think will be a problem at all, if you consider how much money fairies are likely to earn and spend.
Assuming that precious metals are more valuable by weight than food. A fairy could buy more food than they can carry with as many coins as they can carry.
Terry Pratchett explores this a little bit in Feet of Clay; paraphrasing 'A dollar will buy a loaf of bread which will feed a human family for a day, the same loaf will feed a gnome family for a whole week.'
If you would allow the currency to be chopped into small pieces, the fairies would be happy with an eighth of a coin in payment for some service, and use it to buy a thimble-full of flour.
JeffUKJeffUK
$\begingroup$ Actually, hacksilver was a thing in pre-mint times. $\endgroup$
– toolforger
$\begingroup$ Keep in mind disc-world gnomes are as strong as human. so carrying the discworld's sequin sized coins is not much of an issue. $\endgroup$
$\begingroup$ @john, true, but in their case they do handle the same quantities of cash as humans, I'm suggesting that they don't actually need to. $\endgroup$
– JeffUK
They may prefer the stable and widely accepted currency, but any merchant who insists on it when it's impractical for customers is simply going to be cut out of the loop. Losing customers because you don't like their money is a good way to go out of business.
It is possible that there are fairy middlemen, if only because what is a retail sale to a merchant may be a bulk purchase to a fairy. (There are stores in Africa where traders come in, buy boxes of matches or bottles of perfume, and then go out and sell the matches in bundles of three or perfume by the drop, and that's with humans on both sides.) But it is likely that at least some human merchants will want in on the fairy retail side.
Also, fairy-side solutions, if onerous or requiring a long-term investment from the fairy, are something that a merchant can work with to get his cut.
One simple one is running tabs. A merchant may perhaps secure fairy magic to ensure that fairies settle up in the long run, but a regular customer can order the goods and then pay up either on a regular schedule, or have the merchant send someone to collect the purchase price from the fairy's home. (There would, of course, be a surcharge if the merchant is usually cash and carry. However, many stores ran tabs in that era, and for humans.)
Another one is developing a fairy-scaled currency. The merchants, being fewer and dealing with more money, have an advantage here over the individual fairies.
MaryMary
18k11 gold badge2525 silver badges8383 bronze badges
$\begingroup$ " Losing customers because you don't like their money is a good way to go out of business." citation needed. Especially given the counter examples available from Southern US segregation, SA Apartheid and UK Gay Cakes current issues. $\endgroup$
– Jontia
$\begingroup$ What counter-examples from South Africa? There were places where white residents were a minority when the region was, legally, whites only. $\endgroup$
– Mary
Frame challenge: Coins and notes are not standard methods of payment in medieval or early-renaissance societies.
Notes didn't even exist, not in the modern, fiat-money sense anyway.
Coins were in use, but only for storing value and for big transactions; they were just too expensive to produce to be available in the quantities needed for day-to-day quantities.
Instead, people would simply write up what was owed, and pay back either when the sum reached a level good enough for a coin, or (more usually) when reverse services or goods were rendered the owed amount would go down.
Owed amounts weren'd in fractions of coin but in units of actual produce, such as "John drank this many beers: ||| and ate this many meals: |" - and the tavern owner would make sure that he got paid before John would leave the village.
Everybody tracks what's owed by somebody else, disputes would be settled by the community - works for them, you need money only when trading with people you don't know.
Fairies would simply live in such a barter economy.
Now for fairies who are into "big money" (well, money at all), they would simply use the services of a bank. Or they would have a human accountant treasurer to carrying all the bulky weight around, or rather keep it safely locked most of the time.
Just like they would rely on helpers for shipping large amounts of material, or doing long-distance trading. If fairies are into such a thing; it all depends on whether fairies do have a knack for and interest in accumulating wealth - author's choice.
toolforgertoolforger
$\begingroup$ The idea of bank notes goes back to at least the 10th century CE. They were invented by the Templars as an alternative to carrying coinage on long pilgrimages; so, they did exist and did become popular for a little while until the Papacy stepped in and outlawed them. This is to say, bank notes are a perfectly acceptable medieval level technology, they were just uncommon in our own history do to a specific constraint. A fantasy setting without the Papacy could easily see the widespread use of banknotes. $\endgroup$
$\begingroup$ These were merely promissory notes. A precursor to today's legal tender, but in 1000 CE, people would have laughed at the idea of forcing people to accept payment (settling a payment obligation) with a specific currency. Templar notes would be accepted because the Templar were widely known to honor them, but even these wouldn't be accepted e.g. for day-to-day market purchases (they were more like BTC in our days: valuable but not liked by officials, good only for international transactions, not for value storage). $\endgroup$
$\begingroup$ coins did see a lot of use for traveling, where you were a stranger and thus not to be trusted with debt. $\endgroup$
Two pegged (fiat) currencies.
Everyone knows that a fairy dollar is just as good as a human dollar, except that one of them is hard to handle for humans and the other for fairies.
Businesses that need to handle large sums in both currencies just employ accountants/cashiers from both species.
Edit: depending on inter-species politics, it may as well be a single currency with coins/notes issued in two sizes.
It may as well (at some early point) not be a fiat currency. It will be just that fairies use mainly gold and humans use silver (way larger for the same value).
fraxinusfraxinus
I see an opportunity for conflict or at least tension, and if it were me I'd use it. Don't be so quick to solve every problem; use it to build on to the story.
Perhaps fairies CAN'T participate in the economy in that way. Maybe they need to trade in gems or exchange services for goods.
If they have to use gemstones it gives some humans the impression that fairies are all wealthy, which creates a feeling of inequity and resentment. Most people aren't going to know WHY the dynamic is the way it is, and it can play into all sorts of mischief.
Here's a random thought as a possible solution: humans are not magical but it's not alien to them either, and those who want to trade with fairies can acquire feystones. When an agreement is struck, the fairy puts its hand on a feystone and it draws on some of their inherent magic and stores it. For the fairy, it's like a blood transfusion - they'll recover but they can't give up too much at once. For the human, they can either trade the power in their feystones to people who know how to use it, or perhaps the stones themselves contain a simple spell that needs to be charged - I'm thinking of something simple - maybe it glows brighter and longer than candles, or powers a ward that protects their home or place of business.
Don't get locked into the idea of money-for-money. Money just represents value, and it's the value that drives an economy. Lots of ways to get around that.
CeliaFateCeliaFate
High value coin clipping would become more common
Ancient and medieval society was primarily based on the bullion system where the value of a coin came primarily from the weight and types of metals used, and the actual coins themselves were not that important. This was especially true when trading between cultures. This means that when you have a coin that is worth too much, you could clip it (cut it into smaller pieces) and the pieces would still be considered legal currency.
Depending on when and where you are talking about, a fair day's worth of labor was normally considered worth about 80-240 grams of copper, 4-12 grams of silver, and 0.2-0.6 grams of gold with the average coin weight being around 8 grams. This is all of course a huge oversimplification since we are talking about hundreds of societies across centuries of economic variation, but these seem to be about the averages in Europe throughout history.
As often as pop culture makes references to "gold" in terms of historical currencies, gold was not commonly used in day-to-day life in the medieval world because it was worth too much. A single gold coin could represent your entire month's income for a typical lower-middle class freeman. Instead gold was mostly only really used when making very big state level transactions.
Now in the case of your fairies, these smaller coin pieces would be far more convenient than full sized coins; so, instead of being paid with a stack of copper or silver coins at the end of the week, they would more likely accept a single piece of clipped gold coin. These clipped gold coins could then be traded back to the humans for what the fairies would perceive as bulk transactions, or they could be further broken down and re-minted by the fairies to make even smaller coins that make more since for use in their own community. Tiny little beads of gold could be worth just as much as a human sized copper coin; so, by trading primarily in gold the fairies could carry just as much value of coinage on their person as the typical human would carry in silver and copper.
Based on all of this, when dealing with historical fantasy settings I prefer to keep things simple with the 1/20th : 1 : 20 rule where by a copper coin represents 1/20th of a day wage, a silver coin is a day wage, and a gold coin is 20 days wages unless you plan to use a specific coinage system from a specific place and era. Since "day wages" were normally based on the pay given to a common soldier, and the average US common soldier makes 12.50 USD/hr, this means we can estimate the average value of historical European bullion coins to be approximately:
Copper = \$5
Silver = \$100
Gold = \$2000
So, even if your fantasy setting says that a fairy's coin pouch is only big enough for 1-2 coins, you can see that using a gold standard would still allow them to carry quite a bit of money on their person.
The biggest hurdle will be trust
The fairies can use innate magic for flight and simple illusions and not much else
A species that can naturally cast illusions makes the use of currency (and commerce in general) much harder. Sure, it is easy for a human to give a fairy a gold sliver in payment for a service, but what happens when a fairy tries to pay a human in gold? Is the fairy really giving you gold or is is a piece of lead that has been illusioned to look like gold?
Your human merchants will need a simple and reliable method for dispelling fairy illusions or else the lack of trust will eventually cause the humans to ostracized or even drive off the fairies from their town.
edited Sep 1 '20 at 14:27
NosajimikiNosajimiki
$\begingroup$ actually lead that looks like gold has been a problem since coins were invented, faeries are not making it much more problematic. $\endgroup$
$\begingroup$ Most cases of gold counterfeiting are easily tested for by scoring or biting the coin to see if it's gold plated and the right hardness. I am simply suggesting that faerie illusions need to be similarly testable. $\endgroup$
The fact that fairies can fly means they can provide a very secure means of transporting money. Small squads or even large swarms of fairies would be able to transport large sums, and the speed of their travel means they can facilitate inter-bank settlement very quickly, compared to other creatures.
Additionally, they can have very tall shelves where they keep records and access the records very quickly.
lowtexlowtex
$\begingroup$ OP is not asking what fairies would be used for, but how could they handle money. $\endgroup$
– L.Dutch ♦
You have a fundamental economic mistake going on here:
"The coins contain precious metals and weigh too much to carry more than a few, and the banknotes, while lighter, are big and unwieldy and don't handle folding too well."
You are basically mixing gold-backed currency with government-backed currency. Today we have government-backed currency. Which means that none of our currency - even the penny - is worth in precious metal value what it's face value us. But you are saying the coinage is "precious metals" that is the actual metal of the coin currency has value - while the banknote value of the paper the banknote is on is zero.
For currency to exist that has no actual value of the currency itself, you have to have a government around that will back it. This is why coins were used in ancient times - because for example the government of one city would have given zero value to the government of another city. You could, for example, take a wagonload of wheat to 1 city where it was worth maybe 1 gold coin, then take that coin to another city and buy maybe 2 wagonloads of wheat (because in that other city, wheat was more common) and then spend time going back and forth transporting wheat and amassing a large stack of gold coins. (and there were people that did just that)
But a scheme like that could not exist if you took a banknote in trade for the wagonload of wheat because when you got to the other city, the banknote would be worthless.
You have to either completely dispense with government-backed currency (which means coins and gems only) or dispense with gold-backed currency (coins where the value of the metal is equal to the value of the coin). If you mix the two you will have people melting down coins for the metal and thus destroying the economic system because they will be affecting the money supply.
If you go with gold backed currency then the fairies can carry precious gems pretty easily (small ones, obviously)
If you go with government-backed currency then that solves the problem because the "fairy government" will back whatever tiny banknote is printed that is easy for the fairies to carry so the merchant will happily accept it because at the end of the week he can take the thimble full of fairy banknotes to the fairy government and get it exchanged for "big people" banknotes.
In Fantasy stories people often like to dispense with the simple fact that currency is mainly tied to governments. Governments are annoying things to have around since they introduce politics and politics complicates a simplistic idea of Good and Evil. So you have lines like from Lord of the Rings where Barliman Butterbur compensates for stolen horses with "12 silver pennies" with zero mention of what government minted these pennies, where the silver came from, whether the pennies will be even of any value the moment they leave Bree, or if 12 silver pennies can buy the same number of horses anywhere else in Middle Earth (most likely, they can't) and are thus even a fair compensation at all.
In summary, the moment you said "established currency system" you are bringing in a whole set of things you are not considering that makes the problem you think exists, not exist at all. Any sort of established currency system will be only on ONE standard - gold or government - and either of those can easily handle this problem. You just need to pick which one it is.
Ted MittelstaedtTed Mittelstaedt
$\begingroup$ most government backed currency was gold backed for most of the history of government backed currency. Most of the world had metal backed currency until the 70's. Most banknotes were backed by gold or silver for most of history. $\endgroup$
$\begingroup$ The notion that those currencies were gold backed is false - they WERE government backed because people had faith that the government would give equivalent amount of gold in exchange for the currency. They were "gold standard" meaning that the governments standardized the rates of exchange against a precious metal but any banknote currency is only worth what the faith people have in the government that issues it - it's government-backed. $\endgroup$
– Ted Mittelstaedt
$\begingroup$ Not a convincing, unless you are arguing fiat currency is not the same as government backed money. the value was based on gold becasue they government had to trade it for silver or gold if you turned it in, by your argument every currency ever issued by a government was only government backed and no government ever issued gold backed (commodity) money. this is part of the reason the gold standard ended because there was not enough commodity to match the economy and people kept turning in the currency. $\endgroup$
$\begingroup$ No, what I am saying is that any government that issues currency where the currency/money itself has no value (such as a banknote) must be trusted by people to back the currency in some way, whether fiat backing or currency backing. THE VALUE OF ANY CURRENCY, WHETHER A COMMODITY OR A FIAT CURRENCY, IS ONLY RELATIVE TO WHAT PEOPLE ----T-H-I-N-K--- it's worth!!! With ancient times and ancient governments, nobody thought any currency issued by any government was worth anything other than what it would be melted down. $\endgroup$
$\begingroup$ Which was also true of paper money it was worth X units of gold. Bank notes were often traded between cities but were devalued depending on distance and size of the bank, bank note exchange rates were a common thing. with early coins the government issued coins was a guarantee of value because it was a guarantee of purity. the Romans issued coins with standardized values. Your answer is not helpful because bank notes and government issued standardized coins did coexist for a long time. $\endgroup$
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Is Japan really the 2nd-most atheist nation?
While stereotypes portray Japan as a nation of serene mystics, surveys reveal the world's second largest population of atheists.
"I don't know anything about Buddhism," she said.
I stared at her quizzically.
But you're a priest's daughter, I thought. You grew up in a temple, and may even take over the temple one day. How could you not know anything about Buddhism?
"I don't really have a religion," she said.
The young Japanese woman in this exchange is fairly typical of many today for whom religion has become mostly cultural custom.
East Asia is apparently a hothouse of atheism, according to world polls. But is it really so, or is it an illusion of cultural factors and skewed statistics?
Last time we looked at South Korea, with the 5th-largest atheist population. Now let's look at an even stronger atheist population, coming in at number two in the world: Japan. A combination of statistics, history, and personal experience living in Japan for five years will shed light on the matter.
Data from 2008 reveals the lion's share of religionists to be Buddhist, at 34%. Shinto comes in second at 3%, Christianity at a mere 1%, and other religions, including Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, and a variety of new religions make up about 1%. The large remaining portion is comprised of non-religious (49%) and "do not know/not stated" (12%).
Conspicuously absent from these data are Confucianism and Taoism, both of which have had extensive influence but which have largely been incorporated into Buddhism and cultural custom.
Meanwhile, there is a great deal of overlap between religions thanks to a long tradition of shinbutsu shugo, literally "syncretism of kami and buddhas." This attitude fosters a climate of integration, wherein religions tend to fill different niches in one's life rather than claiming exclusivity. A common saying holds that today's Japanese are born Shinto, marry Christian, and die Buddhist.
Finally, the data may be skewed by a distinction not made in English between two types of religion, shu and kyo. While the distinction is somewhat murky, a shu is a collection of beliefs and customs, whereas a Japanese co-teacher explained kyo to me as follows: "I think of kyo as having a book," i.e. sacred scriptures, as in Christianity or Buddhism. A term covering all equivalents of the English "religion" was not coined till the late 19th century, formed by putting the two together as shukyo.
Riding in a car on the way home from a funeral of a person who had committed suicide, I asked a friend about the supposed afterlife destination of the deceased. She told me that suicides are said to "fall down" into hell.* She also noted that on the death certificate, those who take their own life are recorded as dying from "mental illness", for the reason of avoiding discomfort with the idea of a destination in hell. But, she quickly added, no one believes any of that. I was surprised, as she was the daughter of a temple priest. Another friend in the car concurred. Despite their Buddhist customs, my friends seemed quite secular in outlook, and they were not at all atypical in this respect.
Buddhism in Japan is fast becoming more cultural custom than "religious" in the traditional sense of the word. This is not because of the so-called atheistic nature of the religion. The philosophy and meditation-oriented Buddhism familiar to Westerners is largely limited to certain monastic orders and Westerners; Asian lay folk rarely meditate, and lay Buddhism is often as "supernatural" as anything other religions have to offer. The secularization of Japanese Buddhism has more to do with cultural and historical factors, as we shall see.
Participation in certain Buddhist customs remains strong. One of the most conspicuous of these is the family altar. Each extended family has one, called a butsudan, and it holds memorial tablets on which are written the Buddhist names of deceased family members. In the Jodo Shinshu sect, which is the most popular in Japan and what I observed most in Hokkaido, offerings of rice or other foodstuffs are made at the altar for the wellbeing of the deceased in the afterlife. The dead are said to be undergoing a process of gradual awakening, at the end of which they will become fully enlightened Buddhas. This finds a neat parallel in some family altars with multiple tiers: as the years pass, tablets are moved to higher tiers, until no one living remembers who they were and they become ancestors in the generic sense, devoid of personal attributes.
Special rules dictate who must care for the extended family's butsudan, which usually passes to the eldest son. As a result, altar practices take on such an overtone of family obligation that personal beliefs can seem irrelevant. This may be one reason why religiosity has been able to wane without the disappearance of religious custom.
Another reason is the system of frequent death day celebrations, held on the anniversary of a relative's passing after specific intervals of years after death. While this may sound macabre, and the sight of a family all in black may look so as well, it is an occasion for bonding. In a nation where rapid urbanization has scattered families across the country, it is an opportunity for family members to reconnect and socialize. Thus, despite the religious premise for getting together, the practice facilitates socialization unrelated to religious belief.
While such participation in Buddhist customs remains high, interest in the philosophical and theological concepts behind them is low. The daughter of a Buddhist priest quoted in the opening paragraphs knew next to nothing about her father's religion and could honestly say she had no religion herself. She was not a rebel or nonconformist in any respect; she simply had no interest. This was especially shocking to me given that the priesthood, which passes along hereditary lines, might one day pass to her. As a matter of fact, several years later, it did. When her father died, she was obligated to take over. After several months of intensive priestly training, she now leads the family temple along with her husband. Upon talking to her recently, it seems doubtful to me that her religious feeling is any stronger than it ever was.
In contrast to the heavy mood of death in Japanese Buddhism, life abounds in Shinto. A far smaller number self-identify as Shintoists than Buddhists, but centuries of syncretism make it difficult to separate one from the other. Households may have a Shinto altar called a kamidana. In contrast to the low Buddhist altar before which one kneels, the kamidana is placed highest in the room. One stands before it. It may be a site of prayer, but does not hold the ancestral tablets of the butsudan, nor is it kept for the whole extended family.
The shrine festival clearly has religious overtones, but today it is highly secularized. Participation requires no special priestly status or religious belief whatsoever, and in fact usually involves local governmental figures and citizens. In my town, it was mostly employees of the town hall. I played taiko drums for it every year. The endpoint of the parade was the shrine itself, where there was often games such as children's sumo, or the mayor throwing rice cakes from a nearby roof. Almost know one I met knew the name of the deity the shrine was devoted to, though admittedly this is not very important in Shinto.
The only display of marked religiosity I ever encountered at a shrine festival was an elderly man with whom I was eating who made a public display of shedding tears of joy for my presence (because I was a foreigner?). Dabbing a cloth on his eyes several times, he showed me and others and pointedly said, "Look, I'm crying." At the time, I didn't know what to make of this. Later, I learned of something similar in Korean shamanism, where the shaman sheds tears for the spirits on behalf of the community, collected on a cloth. Whether the elderly man was engaging in a similar practice or just feeling emotional, I cannot say.
In contrast to Buddhism and Shinto, which remain strong despite secularization, Christianity is floundering. It currently attracts barely 1% of the population. This is dramatically different from Korea, where secularity is balanced by enthusiastic Christian fervor. Andrew Eungi Kim points to historical factors to explain the difference. Whereas missionaries to Korea found a void of organized religious competition, Japan presented a different situation. Buddhism was strong, organized, state-sponsored, and thoroughly integrated with Shinto custom. Some, attracted by trade with the West, converted, but Christians were persecuted under the Tokugawa shogunate, and foreign missionaries were expelled during the period of isolation. Freedom of religion was established with the Meiji Restoration in 1873, yet Christianity has not flourished as in Korea. There is simply not as much room for a new religion to take root.
Despite low numbers of Christians, Jehovah's Witnesses are prominent and zealous today. Their door-to-door proselytizing is common. Most notably, converts are encouraged to throw away their family butsudan. Not only is this contrary to the spirit of shinbutsu shugo, but it flies in the face of family obligations. As we've seen, the butsudan does not belong only to oneself but also to the whole extended family. Throwing it away is more than a personal decision. In my town, a neighbor's sister-in-law converted, producing more than a little tension in the family.
It's always hard to spot non-religion, simply because it has few events or opportunities to advertise itself (apart from the kind of Humanist meetings and atheist billboards seen in the United States). Most Japanese that I knew, if asked, would speak of their family being Buddhist or Shinto, but without expressing particular religious interest of their own. This seems to be the kind of non-religion most prominent at present.
What is most notable about the particular flavor of Japanese non-religion is its almost total lack of rejection of tradition. Whereas American atheists tend to recoil at the slightest whiff of anything vaguely resembling religion, Japanese are perfectly happy to carry on religious traditions in a blithely secular fashion. Japanese religion has always been far more about practice than belief anyway.
Moreover, I did not find Japanese to be at all anti-religious. Once, when I had prepared a Druidic altar in the woods with flickering candles and masks, a Japanese man hunting for mushrooms came upon it. I wasn't sure what reaction to expect, but he turned to me and said, "Ah! Very good!" Another time, a student of mine saw me doing a Pagan ritual by the river. He smiled and became very interested. Most people's reactions to learning of my Paganism were favorable.
Given the experiences of Buddhism and Shinto related above, I find the survey reports of atheism in Japan fairly believable. While non-religion is always a bit different depending on the culture, and atheists in Japan may not necessarily resemble those in the West, there is a real sense of secularity among today's Japanese.
I am interested to know the impact of Fukushima on religiosity in Japan.
Good question. I've only been back for a short trip since, not enough to get a feel for that, unfortunately.
This is fascinating to me. It seems that the religiosity in Japan has transformed into mere social obligation and tradition, without any of the spiritual element. I've always been baffled by people who just aren't interested in religion. And I'm not talking about atheists — who often are very interested in religion, even if in a negative way. But the kind of people who are just nonplussed by religious matters — "blithely secular" as you say . To imagine an entire nation that is like that boggles my mind. I've always taken for granted that some form of spirituality is a fundamental human need, but your reports from these other countries really calls that into question. Or maybe there's a spirituality there that I'm just not seeing in your description.
Japanese culture seems to have taken two key things from Buddhism: the notion of impermanence (thus the ubiquitous reference to cherry blossoms, that most ephemeral beauty), and the the notion of mindfulness — everything may be impermanent, but we can at least be attentive and mindful of it as it all floats by.
Perhaps it is better to characterize ukiyo-e as an art of living (living in this world and for this world without concern for with the question of life after death) rather than a spirituality — but if we reject that notion of life after death, I'm not so sure that there is much difference between spirituality and an art of living well. We Americans are obsessed with techniques for living better, but we are sadly lacking in the art of living. We seem determined to be as unmindful as possible to the passing of our existence.
>We Americans are obsessed with techniques for living better, but we are sadly lacking in the art of living. We seem determined to be as unmindful as possible to the passing of our existence.
This is a fairly complex topic but what Japanese understand by "religion" is necessarily not what those from Abrahamic traditions take it to be. So many Japanese while saying they are not religious will engage in what would be considered religious rituals in the West. There are various reasons given such as tradition/obligation to ancestors, social obligations, belief etc.
Japan has always strongly resisted Christianity from the first encounter in the 16th century when it was welcomed initially along with European trade. The missionaries found considerable success and with it came temple/shrine burnings, forcible conversions by the local lords who became Christians, threat of a Spanish/Portuguese invasion (the nearby Philippines had already become a Catholic Spanish colony). The Japanese Shogunate gov't then launched a thorough extermination campaign against Christianity, kicked out all foreigners and closed off Japan to the West for the next 250 years during which time Christianity and anything associated with it were strictly banned.
When Japan was forced to open up by Perry's aggression, they saw how the Western nations used Christianity for imperialism and resorted to state Shinto to counter it. Look up Aizawa Seishisai and his Shinron for example.
Dear Professor Chamberlain,—I am delighted to hear the fire-drill is at last in your hands.