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The Expedition discover an abandoned biolab that was apparently examined by the NAC at one point. Corpses of both humans and Race X are found in the area, but its indicated that whatever ended the fight came from within the biolab... and is now free in the Zone. Almost half of all babies born in the U.S. in 2019 were born to unmarried mothers, a dramatic increase since 1960, when only 5% of births were to unmarried mothers. Acclaimed writer Viet Thanh Nguyen reading in 2017. His cancelled reading at 92NY led to staffers at the cultural center resigning. Wake up and smell the coffee – the imperative of teams’ is an essential book for leaders and business people interested in creating a dynamic and authentic brand that stands apart and stands out from the competition. Robin Hayes, CEO, JetBlue
What are the benefits and challenges of having a rotating team leader role in your team building activities? The events of Touchdown which involve the military returning to the region are setting up a much larger and more protracted conflict along these lines, with the sides being the military and the survivors, with GDI, the Phoenix Project, and the Cygnus Fleet in the military's corner, and Clear Skies, the Grey Death Detachment, and the Expedition in the survivors' corner.Following Touchdown, it becomes apparent that while most of the player factions want to help the inhabitants of the Zone, their motives are wildly divergent - GDI and the Phoenix Project want to remove the alien presence and have shown no indication on if they would spare the Shrine, Clear Skies and the Grey Death Detachment are more aligned toward the Survivalists and NAC, respectively, niether of whom want to rejoin the United States, the Cygnus Fleet want to figure out a way home, the Expedition just wants to be left alone, ADVENT and Flashpoint are hostile toward almost everyone, and the Decepticons and Atlas have only just showed up. So teamwork might disintegrate soon. Author Interviews 'Flower Moon' author recounts the conspiracy to murder the Osage people Fresh Air
Fantastic Racism: In general, military forces (or rather, solely military forces) in the Zone (namely the Rangers and the Damned Brigade) have this toward aliens, who they understandably want removed from their homeland and will use force to do so. While there are obvious reasons for this, both organizations are also hostile to The Shrine, even though the Survivalists and NAC have proven that coexistence is possible. Balance of Power: Part of why the various factions haven't managed to drive their opponents and the Xen creatures out of the Zone and establish dominion is that most of them do not get along at all - the Rangers and Damned Brigade are at war with one another over ideology, with both also opposing the Survivalists and NAC due to a dislike of the rogue civlians. The Shrine, meanwhile, just wants to be allowed to live in peace, but has aligned itself with the survivor factions because those two don't want to kill them for existing. The arrival of the player factions gradually starts shifting this balance in favor of the Rangers (who are aided by GDI and the Cygnus Fleet) and the NAC (who are friendly to the Grey Death Detachment), with the others either being hurt by their arrival (Mitchell gets a fair amount of the Damned killed while pursuing his vendetta, and the Phoenix Project decides to fight the Damned to gain the aid of the CIA), or remain mostly unaffected (the Survivalists only recently started working with Clear Sky, and the Shrine effectively vanished from the RP after the Conclave was retired). With the return of the United States forces imminent due to Operation Touchdown, the balance is bound to fall apart.His wit is as venomous as ever, his material even more devastating and polished than before."— New York Daily News
The Decepticons and Atlas have only had one turn each, and don't have enough characterization from their posts to be judged either way - while the Decepticons usually tend to lean toward evil and Atlas is at least nominally on the side of the Angels, the Decepticons from the Shattered Glass timeline are heroic and Atlas can go to questionable places if Ironwood lets his emotions get the better of him.Mass "Oh, Crap!": All of the neutral factions in the zone (excluding the Rangers) have this reaction when Touchdown commenced, for good reason: the US Military has returned, and they're going to be hostile to everyone that isn't the Rangers or innocent civilians, because the Damned Brigade are Deserters, the Survivalists and NAC don't want to be part of the IS anymore (thus making them illegal secessionists), and the Shrine is composed of Vortigaunts, who are effectively kill on sight targets.
Nerf: All factions have had their technological levels "equalized" so that they are still vulnerable to US Military, Xen, and Race X forces. The book is offered in three parts and is written for team members, team leaders and the organization. Alien Kudzu: The massive number of Xen fungi that arrived via the Portal Storms have utterly ravaged the native ecosystem, with many having converted certain areas into Xen habitats. Additionally, they can also create all kinds of mutants, including ones who have descriptions reminescent of Jeff. The Grey Death Detachment are mercenaries who mostly just want to get paid, but still lean toward heroic. The Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion in George Town, Penang. Author Tan Twan Eng says there's a story behind every door in the city.
Next is the Cygnus Fleet, as while they were tasked with nuking their main enemy's capital, for the most part (ignoring Minerva) they favor the most idealistic approach. The Phoenix Project is somewhat listless because they haven't got any idea what to do now that they are in a universe with no Pandoravirus. Morality Kitchen Sink: The various player factions range from the Cygnus Fleet, who genuinely want to do the right thing, to ADVENT, who regularly execute civilians. This trope is certainly in effect. Flashpoint occupies a darker spot on the sink, being functionally an extension of Mitchell's need for vengeance against Gordon Freeman.
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