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        Karen Rei Pease was born in California, raised in Texas, went to college in Indiana, develops software to study the brain in Iowa, and is in general a hardcore greenie. Contrary to what one might expect, her uncle voted against implementation of the Kyoto Protocol while in the U.S. House of Representatives and her father is a high ranking oil executive. You're about equally likely to find her spending her spare time debating the merits of lead-bismuth breeder reactors, programming a web-based solar power economics calculator, or developing a new 3d engine.

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        Cristina Elaine Mahler ("Elaine"), born and raised in Terre Haute, Indiana, has the unusual distinction of being a seventh-generation quilter and having helped build a solar car. An actuary-at-large, she'd happily bake you a cake, change your oil, trounce your minesweeper records, and solve your graduate-level mathematics problems for fun.

If you invite her over, make sure you have a calculator handy!

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        Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds is a 2 1/2 year old yellow-headed amazon parrot from Des Moines, Iowa. Taking things apart is his modus operandi. Hand him a steel magnetic clip, he'll take the pin out of the socket to get to the springs. Let him near your earrings, he'll take the back off. Something hanging out of his reach? He'll reel in its support rope. Give him an inch, he'll take the ruler and chew it to pieces.

Quote: "Karen! Karen, come here! Come here! I want up!"