--- In geofiction@y..., "Archemedes" <real_digerati@y...> wrote:

> I'm attempting to find a sound structure for my world-- it needs to
> have an extremely humid atmosphere nearly all the time-- more
> specifically, a constant fog so dense that the stars can't be seen--
> and be reasonably hot.

I imagine that it might be a planet full of geothermal activity,
vents, springs, and the like; full of bodies of water; and closer to
the primary than Earth is.  It reminds me of the fantasies about
Venus in older science fiction books...

--Viktoro

http://www.geocities.com/vixcafe

Hello. My name's Mick and this is my first post here, but I'm a rampant writer
and am highly interested in creating a world (planet) for my upcoming novel.

I can see that many of you have substantial backgrounds in linguistics, which is
always a help. However, before I even begin to tackle linguistics, I'm
attempting to find a sound structure for my world-- it needs to have an
extremely humid atmosphere nearly all the time-- more specifically, a constant
fog so dense that the stars can't be seen-- and be reasonably hot. This feels
like it would require an enormously large world, though, and the gravity has to
be very similar to Earth's.

I'm a physics undergrad myself, but I've done very little with planetary
evolution, and if anyone here knows anything about this, I'd much appreciate the
relevant information.

Regards,
The Mighty Archemedes

PS: Anyone here ever read "Flatland?"

Honorable Friends,

Aquaria is present and watching with interest. We keep a close eye on
many groups that start up for the promotion of Micronationalism and
similar topics.

Thank you,

Chas Jago
Governor
Royal Isle of aquaria
http://www.freeaquaria.tk

The Kwaadakw are a tribe of native people who live on the heavily
forested Queen Marie Islands off the coast of the Adanak mainland.
They are known for their exquisite art and handicrafts, as well as
marvellous village architecture and totem poles. To this day and age,
much of their way of life is well-preserved.

The word "kwaadakw" itself means "wild" or "untamed," alluding to the
spirit of the Kwaadakw people.

See http://www.geocities.com/vixcafe/kwaadakw.html

--Viktoro

Yes, the name Taemoe derives from the earlier "Tjemaland" from old
norse roots "Timi" (in english "Time" and "Land").  After a while its
people stopped calling it 'Land' and started calling it 'Island'
or 'Oe'.  'Tjema' contracted into 'Taem'.  Thus Taemoe has an
etymological meaning of "Island of Time".

'Taemoe' and 'Tjemaland' are however, not the first names the island
has had.  Previously it was known as "Taeroe"  'island of Tears'
after the weeping of the norse goddess Freya which formed Taemoe's
supply of Amber.  and even earlier as "Thrithjeskref"  'third
step'named for its position in the archipelago w respect to the
thunder god Thor stpping eastward on it while chasing giants.

Of course, you will see the names of islands near Taemoe on many
maps - these however are generally wrongly labeled.  For instance,
historical maps naming Dago (today 'Hiuumaa' in estonia are wrong
because 'why would someone name the island 'day island' for the
distance it once took to navigate to it from the Swedish island of
Gotland when Taemoe is clearly placed inbetween?' The real name of
Dago is of course 'Svanoe' not, as many expect, named after its
actual 'swans',  but rather from the old root 'Synja' which means 'to
refuse'.  It was so named as a kind of self-reminder among sailors
that when they had reached the island that they were not in fact yet
at the mainland or at Tamoe, and should keep going - thus refusing
Dago/Hiuumaa.

   Another example,
Why would someone name Gotland itself after either the 'swelling'
(from gaut and old word meaning swell or spring)of either natural
springs on the island or its popualtion? when Taemoe had many more
springs and lol virile men?  Of course, the real name of 'Gotland'
is 'Gridland' from the old root 'greitha' too 'separate', 'divide',
or 'comb' and it was named for the two sea routes Taemuans could take
to get around it which are formed by its presence.

Thirdly, the true name of Oesel/Saaremaa is "Skjoldland", not from
the old norse word for 'sheild', but from 'Skyli' meaning 'shelter',
as the island was sheltered fromt he main sea-lane by the presence of
Svanoe.

Unrelated to the concept of nearby island are wrong etymologies
advanced by deceitful persons.  Despite what academically challenged
and willfully evil types say, It is a well known fact that Russia was
named after its early TAEMUAN colonizers.  "Rautharike"
and "Rauthagarth' the pre-cursor to Raussrike Raussagard, Russland
and Russia. - all merely deriving from the old norse for 'Realm of
the people of Rauthviken', "Rauthvik" "Red Settlement"
and "Rauthviken" "Red Harbours" of course the original names of
Redby, the TAEMUAN CAPITAL CITY! The name of the city itself derived
from the ubiquitous presence of the Hilde Goegeurt, "Battle Orchid"
or "Dactylorhiza Sambucina" a scarlet Red Orchid along the shores of
the ancient township - NO, russia was no named after Swedes from
Roslagen or an oar-type, that is crazy.

Kewl!

  If im not mistaken, Azerbaijan also means "land of fire", named for
the natural little fires that historically burned where oil seeped
through the ground on near the Apsheron penninsula.

Interesting analysis!

The word Fyksland actually came into English through Dutch.
Vaijskä /faiSk/ -- the name of the country in Fyksian, was derived
from the word Vaij (fire) in the native language. That native
language, already a fusion of Celtic and Nordic tongues by the 12th
Century, was Old Fyksian.

Why "fire"? From the legendary eruption of Mount Kjotsä recorded in
the Ouldesonger? Or the sight of streams of lava rushing into the sea
witness by early settlers?

It's been widely known that Old Fyksian was formed from Celtic and
Nordic roots. But to this day, anthopologists and linguists are still
looking for the missing link bridged by native islanders who resided
the island til around 870 AD. The Celtic named them "Mhines" but
little else was known about them when the Celts and the Norse were
fighting over the control of the island, and in the process possibily
forcing the Mhines into slavery.

What could be the influence of the unrecorded language(s) of the
Mhines mean to the Fyksian language?

One thing linguists are certain about is that Fyksian has a grammar
structure that is not found anywhere else in the indo-european
family. Fyksian has an extensive case system not unlike Finnish, and
a precise gender system that would put Latin to shame. Could this
reflect the language of the Mhines?

Old Fyksian developed into several dialects, with Seltje and
Isfjordic being the most significant ones. The Seltje dialect was
spoken in the Kaansä capital region on the west coast and became the
official dialect and standardised. The Isfjordic dialect in the north
shows similarities with Icelandic and is the most distinctive of all
Fyksian dialects. Some even argue it is a separate langauge.

From the mid-13th Century, the Fyksian language experienced a
significant development known as "Germanification". Large number of
Scandinavian and Germanic vocabulary came into Fyksian through
colonists from Norway and Denmark, and finally the Netherlands (then
Holland).

Fyksland, being a Dutch province for over a century until 1792, was
known to the outside world as "Fyskland" (derived from Vaijskä). The
English -- finding it make more sense to spell and
pronounce "Fyksland" -- insisted on their spelling, one which stuck
to this day.


--- In geofiction@y..., "endesch" <endesch@a...> wrote:
> According to the Fyksland websight, the element "Fyks" derives from
> an early Celtic? word for fire.  This is ironic, because someone
who
> knew nothing more of Fyksland than its strong nordic heritage would
> probably automatically guess that both roots in the word
> Fyksland "Fyks and Land" were nordic, yielding "Folk Land /  F*ck
> Land" i.e. "Land of the People" - similar to Deutschland (Germany)
> from "Theodiske Land".  Also on the website, one can
find "Fyskland"
> which also if interpreted as etymologically Nordic would come out
> as "Fish Land".  If the K element is removed and we get "Fysland"
we
> would have "Foot Land".  Interesting.  I would love to see how the
> Fyskian language developed.
>
> The name of my own Geo-fic, Taemoe, has a possible other nordic
> etymological interpretation apart from the "Timi" "Time"
derevation -
> one could push the A an E together into a single Aesch letter and
> come out with instead of "Time", the icelandic root
for "Emptiness" -
>   "Island which does not exist" lol.
>
> In any case, Im thinking in Taemelisch, Fyksland is
> known "Vehersland".  pronounced "Fay erslahnt" but im not sure.
> Maybe "Veorsoe", 'oe' identifing it as and island.  "Fyks"
and "Fysk"
> would not be appropriate in Taemelisch since they already mean
> something else.

--- In geofiction@y..., "endesch" <endesch@a...> wrote:
>
> The name of my own Geo-fic, Taemoe, has a possible other nordic
> etymological interpretation apart from
> the "Timi" "Time" derevation -

At first sight of "Taemoe," I had the impression that it was Asiatic,
akin to Korean, or even Polynesian!

--Viktoro

http://www.geocities.com/vixcafe

yep this was mailed to geoficion-at-yahoo.com which was in the BCC
list. I'm not sure how yahoo distribute these things to individual
who subscribes daily email though.

--- In geofiction@y..., "Craig" <ragnarok@p...> wrote:
>
> It is customary to mail these things to 'geofiction@y...' rather
> than sending them to us individually. My automatic mail-sorter
didn't put it
> into the geofiction folder, and I almost deleted it as spam. Which
would
> have been a shame, I like it a lot.

According to the Fyksland websight, the element "Fyks" derives from
an early Celtic? word for fire.  This is ironic, because someone who
knew nothing more of Fyksland than its strong nordic heritage would
probably automatically guess that both roots in the word
Fyksland "Fyks and Land" were nordic, yielding "Folk Land /  F*ck
Land" i.e. "Land of the People" - similar to Deutschland (Germany)
from "Theodiske Land".  Also on the website, one can find "Fyskland"
which also if interpreted as etymologically Nordic would come out
as "Fish Land".  If the K element is removed and we get "Fysland"  we
would have "Foot Land".  Interesting.  I would love to see how the
Fyskian language developed.

The name of my own Geo-fic, Taemoe, has a possible other nordic
etymological interpretation apart from the "Timi" "Time" derevation -
one could push the A an E together into a single Aesch letter and
come out with instead of "Time", the icelandic root for "Emptiness" -
   "Island which does not exist" lol.

In any case, Im thinking in Taemelisch, Fyksland is
known "Vehersland".  pronounced "Fay erslahnt" but im not sure.
Maybe "Veorsoe", 'oe' identifing it as and island.  "Fyks" and "Fysk"
would not be appropriate in Taemelisch since they already mean
something else.

>-----Original Message-----
>From: Kvasir [mailto:kvasir@...]
>Sent: Sunday, September 15, 2002 2:06 AM
>To: farhad_khan@...;; keith.macdonald@...;;
>andrerheaume8@...;; vaijska@...;;
>z24cruisin@...;; fykslandnews@...;;
>you_shing_i_shing@...

It is customary to mail these things to 'geofiction@yahoogroups.com' rather
than sending them to us individually. My automatic mail-sorter didn't put it
into the geofiction folder, and I almost deleted it as spam. Which would
have been a shame, I like it a lot.

--- In geofiction@y..., "Craig" <ragnarok@p...> wrote:
> >Hi folks-
>
> >I've just joined this group to see what it's all about.
>
> >Andy
>
> Welcome. Enjoy your stay in geofictia.
Thanks. I'm sure I will. It looks interesting so far...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
15th September, 2002

FYKSLAND HEADLINE NEWS WEEKLY UPDATE

This is a public notice for the publication of the Fyksland Headline News
Weekly, English Edition 200237. The online version can be viewed at:
http://vaijska.net/news/2002/200237.htm

The Fyksland Headline News Weekly publication is a compact collection of
news headlines appeared in the Staandæt Poste, a national daily newspaper.
Originally published in Fyksian, this condensed edition is available in
English to provide news briefs to readers from around the world. Staandæt
Poste is an independent news agency and is in no way affiliated with the
Government of Fyksland.

The Staandæt Poste -- formerly Vaijskä Poste --has been providing news on
the Government of Fyksland web site dating back to 17th June, 2001. The
archived issues are available at: http://vaijska.net/news.htm

Through its outlets on the Internet, this weekly media advisory reaches a
potential audience of at least 1115 readers every week.

###

As the Royal Bureau of Information continues to strive for excellence to
inform and educate, questions and comments can be sent to the Director of
Public Relations:

Kilean Väsir
Director of Public Relations (International Marketing)
Royal Bureau of Information
kvasir@...

Ministry of Public Works and Services
Sørvisaal im Vörvørkig / In Business to Serve
_________________________
Notice distribution list:
- Yahoo Groups: Auxlang, Clubscandinavia, Conculture, Conlang, Geofiction,
Glossolalia, FantasyConlangGuild, Langmaker2, Micronationalism, Vaijska
- ezBoard Communities: The Kingdom of Fyksland, Micronational News Network
- Newsgroups: alt.language.artificial, alt.language
- Independent Subscribers: 7

Hi all,
            My all time favorite geo-fictional country is Latveria.
Latveria is a tiny eastern European country created by Marvel Comics
for its infamous character, Doctor Doom, to rule with an iron hand.

Doctor Doom has thousands of fans (myself included), some of whom
have their own websites devoted to him and Latveria.  The best
Latveria sight on the web belongs to someone with the handle
Doomscribe and is located at:

http://members.aol.com/doomscribe/latveria.htm

>Hi folks-

>I've just joined this group to see what it's all about.

>Andy

Welcome. Enjoy your stay in geofictia.

Hi folks-

I've just joined this group to see what it's all about.

Andy

--- In geofiction@y..., mistizos <mistizos@y...> wrote:
>
> Incidentally, has anyone here read The Last and First Men
> by Olaf Stapledon? It is the very essence of "geofiction"
> in my opinion. Hard to believe that it was written before WWII.
>

Hi Mistizos,

I think I read that when I was a teenager.  It was about the
evolution of humanity into the future:  the Second Men, the Third
Men, the Fourth Men, etc.  It was a long, but interesting book, a
history of the future.  It is a classic, in my opinion.

--Viktoro

--- In geofiction@y..., "Viktoro" <vixcafe@y...> wrote:
> Hi Jay,
>
> It is really original to see a geofictional setting in
Scandinavia!
> Very interesting!  Whenever I go to IKEA (a large Swedish furniture
> store), I see a lot of furniture with Swedish names and I am always
> enchanted by them, making me think about that place!
>
> In elementary school, I read a series of books on the Moomintrolls
by
> Tove Jansson, a Swede-Finn.  Her settings in Scandinavian forests
> with her whimsical animal characters bewitch me even now...
>
> By the way, I really like the map of Taemoe.  It has a good shape.
>
> --Viktoro

Thanks Viktoro.  Actually the drawings I made on paper look much
better than what ive dont on my webpages - To make the jpgs, I used
the plain Paint program, created a grid, calculated the measurements
and filled in the white spaces with color. I was going to use my
scanner, but the pic never came out that great w a scanner.

To come up with the island shape, I made tracings and drawings of
the 'real' islands which would be near it, and tried to make
something similar and complementary.  But of course, the webpage jpg
doesnt get it right.

  The reason i chose to make a Scandinavian island, is that i liked
the idea of somewhere rural with a cool climate (thus somewhere in
the north), but an island.  I like the old norse heroic tales and
came up with the idea for Taemoe when i was reading Beowulf, Snorri
Sturluson's edda, and tales of the Vikings and Teutonic Knights.  I
wanted to download some Swedish Bagpipe music for my sight, but
havent been able to find anything more than samples.  Right now im
working on an island cuisine page and trying to come up with pictures
and grpahics to add to various pages.

Hello...

I see that this group is very new, but I'm excited about the prospects of sharing ideas about geofiction. This has been a hobby of mine for many years. I actually spend a great deal of time contemplating what the socio-political landscape will look like the world over in the next century and even the next millenia. 

Incidentally, has anyone here read The Last and First Men by Olaf Stapledon? It is the very essence of "geofiction" in my opinion. Hard to believe that it was written before WWII.

Mistizos

I have discovered a way to make realistic islands. If you draw random
circles, then modify them so that they don't look circular (and therefore
artificial), they can be modified into topographical maps. Simply make the
height of a region equal to the number of circles around it. I've attached a
sample.

--- In geofiction@y..., "Craig" <ragnarok@p...> wrote:

> >In elementary school, I read a series
> >of books on the Moomintrolls by
> >Tove Jansson, a Swede-Finn.  Her settings in Scandinavian forests
> >with her whimsical animal characters bewitch me even now...
>
> I love those books! I didn't realize anyone
> else had even heard of them.

Strangely, you're the only other person I know, besides myself, who
has read Jansson's Moomintrolls...

She must have hidden fans around the world!

There's a biography of her at http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/tjansson.htm

Cheers!
--Viktoro

>In elementary school, I read a series of books on the Moomintrolls by
>Tove Jansson, a Swede-Finn.  Her settings in Scandinavian forests
>with her whimsical animal characters bewitch me even now...

I love those books! I didn't realize anyone else had even heard of them.

--- In geofiction@y..., "endesch" <endesch@a...> wrote:

> Please please please
>
> Post your opinions about the Principality of Taemoe - culture,
> politics, plausibility, anything at all about the country and about
> its website since no one really ever gives me any.
> Any comment would
> be appreciated
>
> http://members.aol.com/endesch/TAEMOEA.html
>

Hi Jay,

It is really original to see a geofictional setting in Scandinavia!
Very interesting!  Whenever I go to IKEA (a large Swedish furniture
store), I see a lot of furniture with Swedish names and I am always
enchanted by them, making me think about that place!

In elementary school, I read a series of books on the Moomintrolls by
Tove Jansson, a Swede-Finn.  Her settings in Scandinavian forests
with her whimsical animal characters bewitch me even now...

By the way, I really like the map of Taemoe.  It has a good shape.

--Viktoro

Please please please

Post your opinions about the Principality of Taemoe - culture,
politics, plausibility, anything at all about the country and about
its website since no one really ever gives me any.  Any comment would
be appreciated


thanks

Jay

http://members.aol.com/endesch/TAEMOEA.html

sometimes AOL pretends it cant find my files but really the sight is
100% active/intact.

The Sovereign Principality of Taemoe sends Greetings and Salutations
to all the Peoples of Geofiction @ Yahoo Groups.  We hope You will be
frequent Visitors to our peaceful northern Land.

http://members.aol.com/endesch/TAEMOEA.html

See http://www.geocities.com/vixcafe/lazaro.html

-----------

Travelogue on Sankta Lazaro  by Victor Medrano

Sankta Lazaro
geofiction

My trip started off with a bad omen.  The captain of the Air Canada
airplane at the Vancouver International Airport was late fifteen
minutes due to the "traffic" in town.  Yes, the public announcement
said it was due to "traffic" -  on the road.  I overheard one
passenger whisper, "Where's that idiot?"  The whole plane waited for
this silly captain.

The flight itself was not too bad.  It took eleven hours to reach
Sankta Lazaro Airport.  I had terrible gas on the plane, though.
That was terrible.  It must have been the potatoes for lunch.  I saw
The Matrix, an old science fiction movie, to pass the time.  I could
not really sleep.  Perhaps I napped for less than an hour.

Sankta Lazaro Airport was small, but very modern.  It was a breeze
through customs.  All the natives seemed friendly and always smiled.
My luggage made it safely.

I stepped out of the airport and took a cab for my hotel.  The cab
was a top-model Mercedes Benz.  Only North Americans would notice
that.

As the taxi made its way through the town, I was in awe.  All the
buildings were white-washed.  Some of the roofs would be in bold reds
and blues, or pastel pinks and purples.  Sankta Lazaro was a very
pretty place.  All the bright colours were for reflecting the bright
sunlight, the taxi driver said.

I checked in at Hotelo Valentino.  It was a beautiful hotel.  There
was a sunlit atrium with white marble floors.  At the corners were
large alabaster statues of the ancient gods of the island.

My room was spacious.  It had a balcony overlooking water.  I turned
on the television as I was curious.  All the channels broadcasted in
Esperanto, the national language.  It was a good thing that I learned
some Esperanto before coming there.  It seemed an easy language to
grasp.  I had a phrasebook.  I learned that "Sankta Lazaro" was some
saint.  "Kie estas la necesejo?" meant "Where is the
washroom?"  "Saluton!" meant "Hello!"  I could learn more as I go
along.  I was exhausted the first night and I slept like a log.

I arrived just in time for Easter celebrations.  Most Lazarans are
Mahayana Christians, but a sizable lot are Hare Krishnas and
Buddhists.  This time of the year, each Christian home would roast a
whole lamb in the yard.  The whole town would be filled with smoke
from these roast pits.  At night, there would be fireworks in the
air.  It was great picture-taking time.

The next day I toured the ancient ruins of Veluro.  There I saw an
ancient porcelain bathtub.  Apparently, the ancient Lazarans were
advanced.  There were giant statues of men and women with the heads
of animals like cats and elephants.  The walls and columns were
etched in a way that it looked like there were twisted vines on
them.  It was all organic-looking.

Sankta Lazaro has a long history.  Recent history has seen waves of
new immigrants come in such that it totally changed the
demographics.  Esperanto became the common language of this polyglot
community by government decree in the 1930's.

The following days were relaxation.  Sometimes I went to the beach.
The water was still cold that time of the year, but it did not stop
some of the Nordic tourists from wading in.  Sometimes I walked
through the old city, in the labyrinths of alleyways where donkeys
were still used as transport.  It was very picturesque.

The food was marvellous.  Roasted lamb was the specialty of that time
of year.  But there were pasta dishes galore.  The Lazarans also
loved a lot of seaweed in their food.  Lazarans were tea drinkers.
They had a very sweet mint tea served in tiny cups.  Breakfast was
yoghurt and honey.

A few nights I wandered into clubs.  The music was modern and funky;
the lyrics were in Esperanto.  I met a few girls.  But my Esperanto
was not advanced enough for deeper conversation.  Besides, the music
was too loud.  I was not the clubbing type at home, so why should I
bother elsewhere?  Well, it was fun...

There was ample time for souvenir-shopping.  I bought three small
alabaster statues of animal-headed deities.  For my friends, I bought
postcards and cheap banners with Esperanto proverbs on them.

It was a marvellous trip, but I had to go home.  I will always
remember it in my heart.  Sankta Lazaro was a magical land...

See http://www.geocities.com/vixcafe/Fantaziaj.html

----------

Fantasy Islands

Geography

The Fantasy Islands comprise 300,000 square kilometers of land area,
lying 800 km off the southeast coast of Asia.  There are three main
islands:  Parang in the northwest, Sakurung in the northeast, and
Gubay in the south.  The islands are of volcanic origin.  The highest
peak is Mount Ado (2954 m) on Gubay.

The largest city and capital is San Lorenzo whose population is 4.7
million.  The other large cities are Hiloy (3.2 million) and Salong
(2.6 million).

People

The total population of all the islands is 32 million with an annual
birth rate of  1.1%.  The annual rate of natural increase is 0.4%.
The ethnic make-up is 64% Malay, 12% Chinese, 8% European, and 16%
mixed-blood.  The  religious composition is 53% Roman Catholic, 42%
Buddhist, and 5% Protestant.

Language

The official language is Esperanto, which is universally spoken by
all Fantasians as either the first or second language.  There are
eight major indigenous Malayo-Polynesian languages spoken by the
Malay population.  Some Chinese languages are spoken by the Chinese
minority.

History

Ferdinand Magellan, who was a Portuguese navigator in the service of
Spain, explored the Fantasy Islands in 1521.  Spain took possession
of the islands for 350 years.

The islands were ceded to the United States in 1898 by the Treaty of
Paris after the Spanish-American War.  Meanwhile the Fantasians
initiated guerrilla warfare to gain independence from the Americans.
In 1905, the Fantasians gained their independence and peace was
established in the islands.

In 1922, the Fantasian government selected Esperanto as the unifying
official language as there were far too numerous ethnic languages
spoken on the islands.  A government program gradually popularized
Esperanto to the population.

Today, the Fantasy Islands are a prosperous, pluralistic republic.



Copyright (c) 2001
Viktoro Medrano

See http://www.geocities.com/vixcafe/ok.html

--------

Urbo Ok
geofiction by Victor Medrano

Situated on the southern coast of the North-Western Continent, along
the Mesogaian Sea, is the romantic city called "Urbo Ok," which
means "City 8" in Esperanto.  The city roughly fits in an area 1500
meters by 2500 meters.  It lies on an isthmus between the sea and a
lake.

A light-rail route circles the city (see map).  Other than the light-
rail system and delivery trucks on the roads, all transportation on
land is pedestrian or by bicycle.

The population of Urbo Ok is 110,230 at ZPG (zero population
growth).  The population is multi-ethnic and multi-faith.

Urbo Ok is a 'conlang' (constructed language) community.  Esperanto
is the main working language, but 10% of the population also speak
Volapük as an art language.

The majority of Okans earn a living as artists, but a sizable
minority do scientific research and development.

Public access to the Web is free for everyone.  There is a very large
central library of all kinds of books.  Education until university
postgraduate degree is free for all citizens.

The shopping malls are stocked with artwork and all necessities.  The
culture dictates that buying someone else's admired artwork is good
etiquette; it also helps the economy.

Urbo Ok is a model community in our world today.