Thomas

Tamasa Valappil

Life History

You've been swept up and carried away by the MAGE Institute without really realizing what was happening. The work they do is good and the dangers are real. However, you really wish the people in MAGE would spend a little more time thinking and a little less time just jumping in. You are afraid that the group may be throwing bombs at shadows and mining in molehills.

You grew up in India, a member of the rising technological middle class. Your parents had been cultural pioneers in their day. Your mother always encouraged you to have a career, put off marriage and even live on your own. You became a well-respected graphic designer and spent nearly all of your time engrossed in your work. When you were 24, you immigrated to the United States after being offered a job working for a successful US company.

At first you continued to spend all of your time working. Soon, you learned that this was not required and began looking for other ways to fill your time. In India the effects of pollution and global warming were starting to hit some of the cities so you began looking for ways to get involved in environmental efforts. All you were really looking to do was decrease power plant emissions and encourage people to drive hybrid cars or take public transportation. You knew that pollution was a problem, but it never felt like an immediate threat.

Some of the people in the groups you were involved with went much further. You became close with a few of them anyway because they were friendly and welcoming. In particular, you connected with John Papadopoulos. John was looking for connections and reached out to you when you started to get involved. It was John who brought you to your first MAGE meeting. Really, you just came to be polite because you wanted John's friendship.

At first, MAGE disturbed you. The people there were radical, and many of them seemed a little crazy. Then you met Chris. Chris was extreme, but she was always logical and persuasive. You might not agree with everything she said, but she was always ready to hear questions and always had an answer.

In particular, Chris thought about the problems like an engineer: here's what's broken, here's how to fix it, and if we can't fix it, here are workarounds. You were far more comfortable with this perspective. Sure, Chris was a leader and could inspire passion, but there was always reason behind her passion.

You still doubted the devastation that Chris predicted until the great wave happened. Two years ago another tsunami came. It was worse than all that had hit before. It swept into the coast of India and killed many people, including your brother. After that, when Chris talked about sea level rise, you listened.

Chris got you more involved in MAGE, but the more involved you got the more concerned you became. MAGE is doing some good things, and Chris's speeches are important, but there is a wing of MAGE that worries you. Some of the scariest of these are religious crazies who want to wipe out the people who would defile "God's creation".

Never trust anyone who thinks that God is on their side. You have never had much use for religion of any type, but fanatical monotheists are terrifying. Too many of them are all too willing to die for their beliefs and make you die for them as well.

Even beyond the religious fanatics there are some in MAGE who think that violence is the only way to stop the devastation. While pollution and global warming are clearly problems, you still don't think that the issue is as drastic and urgent as many of your fellow members claim. The answer is not to bomb power plants, the answer is to lobby Congress and advertise to the public. If you want to take drastic means, protest and get arrested. That gets you sympathy. Bombing power plants only ruins your name.

Many people in MAGE are happy to work for change the right way. Part of the reason that you stay is to fight for rational behavior within the organization. There are some good people in MAGE who are too easily swayed by the zealots. You want to fix things, but you want to make sure that people are sensible and don't overreact.

People You Know

Chris Carpenter

Chris can overdramatize the problems sometimes, but her cause is good and the problems are real. Even if you don't believe that the catastrophic predictions are accurate, global climate change is a problem and Chris has made real strides to do something about it. You are glad to be part of her organization.

Barry Magdalene

Barry did some good work as a Senator and has done good work since in MAGE. He is one of the most sensible persons here and really knows how to talk to people.

Pearl Skala

Pearl is spying on her employer, the Three Diamonds Food Company. You understand that her company is doing bad things, but you are not at all sure that these actions are right. She is violating the company's trust, which makes you hesitant to trust her.

Andrea Skala

Andrea is a scientist, so she cares about supporting every assertion that she makes. She works very hard to communicate the importance of the environmental collapse without exaggerating the effects.

James Papadopoulos

James just scares you. You have heard rumors that he has been involved in terrorist actions. You don't know if it is true, but you wouldn't be surprised.

John Papadopoulos

John is completely unlike his brother. John is manic-depressive, but he is sweet and caring and wants to help people. John brought you to MAGE in the first place.

Phillip Harrison

Phillip is one of the bible bangers that really make you uncomfortable. He feeds the hungry, but he never shuts up about god and the devil.

Colonel Frank Bartholemew

You have no idea why this man is here. You feel sorry for him, but he is obviously crazy, and should not be in important meetings.

Jamie Schreiber

Jamie is a truly good person. She needs to think for herself a little more and run after Chris a little less. Even so, she is going to make a difference in the world through her work here and her work as a pharmacist.

Eve Matthews

You heard about Eve when she was a baseball hero, and were excited to meet her. Considering her tragic accident, she has made a remarkably good life for herself. Even after restarting her life, when she heard about bad things in her company, she came to MAGE and tried to make a difference. She is a great woman.

Simone Cylima

Simone has had a tragic life, but that doesn't excuse her blatant disinterest the law and other people's desires.

Judah Isaacson

Judah is a very devoted member of MAGE. He isn't religious, but he still feels like a fanatic sometimes.

Jude Fairchild

Jude is violent and dangerous. You have heard rumors that Jude got kicked off the force because he shot an unarmed man. Jude should be locked up.