Nomikai

\ ストーリーハウスの言語交換会を再開します。 日本語または英語の上達を目指して、ぜひチャレンジしてみてください！ポジティブな気持ちで参加して、お互いに励まし合いながら、集中して成​​長しましょう。言語交換会は、日本語と英語の半分ずつに分けて行います。他の言語を開催できる場合は、時間を追加します。 使いたい教材があればご持参ください。また、必要に応じてメモが取れるように、ノートも必ずご持参ください。気軽におしゃべりしたり、会話に参加したりしてください。 参加費は無料ですが、カフェでご注文をお願いいたします。 We are reintroducing our Storyhouse Language Exchange. Push yourself to improve Japanese or English! Come with a positive attitude, and encourage each other to focus and grow. We will split the language exchange into half, between Japanese and English. If additional languages are available, we will add time. Bring any study materials you want to use. And be sure to bring writing utensils so you can take notes as you need. Feel free to talk and participate in conversations. There is no participation fee, but please make your order at the cafe.

イングリッシュHang outやってます！ イングリッシュハングアウトとは、簡単にいうと「英語でおしゃべりする会」です！ Hangoutとは、日本語で”(友達と)遊ぶ”という意味で、おしゃべりとかゲームをしながら室内でリラックスしながら過ごす感じです。 それをカフェで英語でハングアウトしましょう！という時間です。 どなたでも、予約なしで参加していただけます。途中参加退席自由です。カフェでのオーダーをお願いします。 英語の練習をしたいけど、英会話教室に行くほどではないけど気軽にしゃべる機会を探している人や、英語で話せる友達を探している人にぴったりです。 We are hosting a casual English hangout time for locals to connect with international travelers & our international staff. Anyone can join. Even if your English level is very low, you can still listen and learn. The conversations are open, and you may join or leave at any time. Please make one order from the cafe.

**Our April novel is: *The Hong Kong Widow* by Kristen Loesch** **This month’s novel blends gothic atmosphere with historical fiction and chilling horror, set against the haunting backdrop of China. The book is 368 pages in print and 10 hours and 42 minutes on audiobook.** In 1950s Hong Kong, Mei is a young refugee of the Chinese Communist revolution struggling to put her past in Shanghai behind her. When she receives a shocking invitation—to take part in a competition in one of the city's most notorious haunted houses, pitting six spirit mediums against one another in a series of six séances over six nights, until a single winner emerges—she has every reason to refuse. Except that the hostess, a former Shanghainese silent film star, is none other than the wife of the man who once destroyed Mei’s entire life. It is promised the winner will receive a fortune, but there is only one prize Mei wants: revenge. Decades later, the final night of that competition has become an infamous urban legend: The police were called to the scene of a brutal massacre but found no evidence, dismissing it as a collective hallucination. Mei knows what she saw, but now someone else is convinced they know what she did. She must uncover the truth about the last night she ever spent in that house—even if the ghosts of her past are waiting for her there. . . .

This month's prompt concerns the idea of the “warrior philosopher” (seemed appropriate in these times)--that is someone whose understanding of violence, power, and justice is forged through direct experience of war. We are looking at Major General Smedley D. Butler, a highly decorated U.S. Marine raised in a Quaker (pacifist) tradition who later became a prominent critic of American militarism (there is a wonderful biography of Gen. Butler called "Gangsters of Capitalism") Butler's argument in *War Is a Racket* (1935): that many U.S. interventions were driven less by national defense than by corporate and financial interests, with Butler portraying himself as an enforcer for business and Wall Street. We can consider the moral ambiguity of his insider critique—whether complicity strengthens or undermines credibility and also consider some of the concrete reforms he proposed (e.g., “conscript” capital before soldiers, restrict the military to coastal defense, and have only those who fight decide on war). Butler’s life arc clearly changed from pacifist upbringing to warrior to antiwar crusader—and asks whether true understanding of peace requires firsthand knowledge of war, and what that implies about the cost of suffering. So do we need to suffer to understand suffering? Do we have to experience war to appreciate peace? As one more question: in the movie "A Few Good Men" Jack Nicholson's character says that "you have the luxury of not knowing what I know" so do most of us go through life oblivious to real violence and suffering? See you at Drunken Philosophy!

**Important time note:** Please plan on arriving between 5:30 and 6:00 as the elevators lock after 6 and you'll need to message us and we'll need to come get you. The building address is 4450 Bridge Park The entrance is 6620 Mooney St, Suite 400 You will need to scan your ID at the door to get a visitor badge. **Abstract** GitHub Copilot is powerful, but what if you could scale from a solo AI assistant to an entire team of specialized agents working in parallel? This session introduces Squad: an open-source framework for multi-agent orchestration that lets you define teams of AI agents with specific roles, responsibilities, and expertise. We'll progress from Copilot basics to the Copilot CLI, explore how Agents add autonomy, and see how Instructions and Skills let you customize agent behavior. Then, the climax: a live demo where a Squad team of 3 agents (Lead, Developer, Tester) stands up and builds a working application in real-time, showcasing true multi-agent collaboration. Whether you're new to AI or exploring how to scale your use of Copilot, this session will show you what's possible when agents work as a team. **YouTube Link** TBD

AI is changing how art is made. But when does it stop being your work and start being the machine’s? This month we're going to be doing a panel with with digital image, music, and written word artists, talking about at what point, while using AI in the creation process, does the work become not the artist creation? We encourage audience participation during this event that will be moderated by Chris Slee. Whether you’re deep in the field or just getting curious, come connect with others building and exploring AI in Columbus. Sponsored by [Transform Labs](https://www.transformlabs.com/services) Sign up also accessible via [Transform Labs Luma](https://luma.com/55umjqta)

Main Library, Meeting Room 2B Join us for a welcoming evening of reflection, gentle music, and meaningful conversation. We’ll begin with a short grounding moment, followed by a brief reading from spiritual or philosophical traditions, and an open reflection circle where participants can share (or simply listen). Libera Animae is an interfaith community focused on inner growth, creativity, and authentic connection. All backgrounds are welcome.