New Swiss hermit for Verena

The Swiss town of Solothurn, maintaining the Verena Hermitage, has hired a new hermit after the departure of the previous hermit in February 2016, who complained of too much social interaction with visitors to the historic site. The new hermit is Michael Daum, a 55-year old German ex-policeman who studied theology and meditation after leaving law enforcement.

URLs: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2016/09/27/hermit-switzerland-michael-daum/91164116/; http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/alpine-town-switzerland-hires-new-hermit-article-1.2810479

London hermit loses hut

London hermit Daniel Pike (https://hermitary.com/around/?p=1360) has lost his bid to keep his hut. As a Daily Mail byline notes:

Daniel Pike built his home in a forest on the outskirts of a north London from clay and other foraged items. 28-year-old lived there for four years after being made homeless but Woodland Trust demanded he leave. Today he watched in tears as structure was destroyed, leaving just a flat plot of land where it once stood. He was arrested for obstructing a court official as it happened and is now living in his mother’s house.

URL: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/video/news/video-1332003/Modern-day-hermit-s-handmade-home-destroyed-legal-battle.html; http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3800752/Modern-day-hermit-watches-tears-woodland-mud-hut-spent-four-years-building-finally-ripped-down.html; http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-37438541

Japan hikikomori survey

Japan Times and other news sources discuss a recent survey of hikikomori in Japan. The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry places the number of social recluses at over half a million, a slight decrease since a comparable. The Ministry defines hikikomori as “people who have stayed at home for at least six months without going to school or work, or going out to interact with others.” The age group describes 15 to 39, where, however, the number of those aged 35 to 39 actually increased, with the period of time in social reclusion now increasing.

URLs: ttp://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/09/07/national/japan-home-541000-young-recluses-survey-finds/; http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201609090047.html; http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/11/asia/japanese-millennials-hikikomori-social-recluse/