Here you can find the answers to the questions that were posed to the individual players, in their entirety, for the April 2010 issue of PAUSE. Most had to have half their questions omitted due to the space restrictions and/or content of the answers that were inappropriate for the tone and climate of PAUSE magazine. As such, some really great answers just never made it in. Please enjoy!
Elijah Prescott
1. What's your name?
Elijah Prescott
2. What do you do?
I am prophet and voice of the Chosen People. As long as those Chosen People are willing to pay extra for cable.
3. What would you attempt if you knew you could not fail?
That's a trick question. I don't fail and I could sue you for slander for even suggesting that I could.
4. What is the best advice you've ever given and received?
That's an easy one. Given: Be more like me and while you're at it, get me a latte - grande, double shot, don't forget the foam.
Received: Why don't you go get your own TV show if you think you're so funny.
5. What do you value most in other people?
How much they are able to act like me.
6. What do you value most in life? Why?
My Peabody award because it allows me to prove to everyone else that I'm better than them. Plus, it makes an excellent paper weight.
7. Do believe that people are inherently good or bad? Why?
Liberals are bad, because they degrade the system and try to make us all believe in love, kindness, and universal socilaist healthcare. Conservatives are good because they are fiscally responsible, morally pure and agree with my right to carry a gun into Starbucks. Because, believe me, the first thing caffeine deprived people need is a loaded, concealed weapon in order to convince those barristas that their grande better be pretty grand.
8. If you could have a room full of any one thing, what would it be?
I don't know about a room full of anything, but if I could have a pool full of Glenn Beck's tears, I would swim in it every day. In fact, if I could get it in time for bikini season, I would bring out my itsy bitsy teeny weeny yellow polka dot bikini. I've been dieting to make sure it fits for the occasion.
9. What extremely difficult life situation have you overcome and how did you do it?
There was a time when I wasn't famous and I feel like that was hard on the people, because they needed my guidance. Luckily, there's this great network that realized my genius and gave me a half hour show in order to lead.
10. Where do you see yourself in 20 years and what are you doing to achieve this?
My current goal is EGOTing. I've got the Grammy, but I'm missing the Emmy, Oscar and Tony. I'd have an Emmy by now if it weren't for Don Rickles - Damn you Rickles! Right now I'm looking for a project that will allow me to star in a movie about my show that will be adapted into a Broadway play. The working title is: Just Give Me an Emmy, an Oscar and a Tony Already.
11. What do you think is your biggest fault?
I am too amazing for one person. Someday I may bud another Elijah Prescott who will be my evil twin and I will have to do pundit battle with him during prime time. On second thought, that would be pretty sweet. Someone book the Pay-Per-View slot.
12. What is the one thing that makes you happy despite any mood?
Looking in mirror. "Hey there, handsome, why so sad?" "Someone turned me down for an interview." "Don't worry about it, Elijah, your show will be great anyway. And that person was a huge douche." "Wow, thank you, Elijah. Say, what are you doing later?"
13. What did you want to be before you grew up?
I didn't grow up; I emerged fully formed from my father's head like Athena from Zeus complete with an Armani suit and a cable TV show. You may worship me with the appropriate statues of pure gold and sacrifices of the life blood from Fox News anchors to sate my insatiable need for conservative pundit blood.
14 Play all your music on your computer and ipod/mp3/mp4 on shuffle. What are the name of the first 4 songs that play?
1. The Prescott Press, 10.13.07
2. The Prescott Press, 01.20.10
3. Don't Stop Believin' - Journey
4. The Prescott Press, 07.09.09
15. What do you find most interesting about our age of electronics and gadgets?
That I can literally turn on any portable device and hear or see myself. I have a TV, radio, iPod in every room and they're all synced up to play my shows continuously so that no matter where I am, there I am. And aren't I beautiful?
16. What is your favorite book, and why?
Those Who Trespass by Bill O'Reilly. Whenever I feel upset or down, I just read that book and immediately feel better about myself.
17. What would make you an excellent presidential candidate?
That is a sore subject and I am appalled that you brought it up. I was an excelelnt presidental candidate, before those liberal South Carolinian Democrats voted me off the ballot. How are there enough Democrats in South Carolina to have a majority? Isn't there only a token one?
18. Empty your pockets and tell me what's in them.
Hmm…nothing in my left pocket, but in my right I've stuffed in Conan O'Brien and my Peabody Award. You'll have to excuse him, he's a little shy. Plus, it's not exactly easy for a man of his size to contort this way. Hey Conan, would you hand me my Peabody? Great, thanks, buddy. We'll do drinks after this.
19. What is most important, in your life up until this moment.
I'm not sure about me, but I'm sure that your most important moment is this interview that's happening right now. It could make your career and change your life forever. I'm a pretty big interview for you to score, you know.
20. If you were to be recognized for Posterity for one thing, what would it be?
If? What is this if? I'm currently building a statue out of marble and gold to bury in my backyard with all my wonderful deeds engraved in it for future archeologists to find. When they find me, they'll know all about how I took over the world single-handedly and ruled it with an iron fist and a heart of gold. If they speak English, of course. If they don't, they're going to think that humans really did have fists of iron and hearts of gold and it will screw with biological history for centuries. So, I'll be remembered that way.
21. tell us one thing, no one knows about you.
I'm not wearing underwear right now. And, let me tell you, it's very freeing. You should try it. Maybe after the interview?
22. What single manmade object best represents your personality and why?
Bill O'Reilly's stone cold heart; were it not for it's unmoving, unbleeding properties, I would not be here today.
Elisabeth Harrison
1. What's your name?
Elisabeth Harrison
2. What do you do?
I'm a logistics officer with FRONTLINE.
3. What would you attempt if you knew you could not fail?
If you know you can't fail, where is the joy in success? I can't honestly think of anything.
4. What is the best advice you've ever given and received?
My father told me something, after we lost my mother in Midtown — live and love with all your heart. Life is too short to love people who aren't worth giving up everything for or to do things you don't believe in with your whole soul.
5. What do you value most in other people?
Integrity — say what you mean, follow through on your promises, don't blow smoke at me, and do not do unto others as you would not have done unto you. Which is actually the original text of the Golden Rule, not the one we use now.
6. What do you value most in life? Why?
The people in my life. They keep me grounded, they inspire me, they accept me for myself — and sometimes in spite of myself.
7. Do believe that people are inherently good or bad? Why?
I believe that as a whole, people are not inherently evil. True evil requires, to my mind, several components — the knowledge that what they're doing is against the best interests of others, intent to cause harm either personal or environmental, and a lack of empathy regarding how their actions are affecting others. That said, however, I'm not entirely sure people as a whole are inherently good either. At the bottom of it, I think *most* people are neutral with a natural bent toward doing good when the opportunity presents itself.
8. If you could have a room full of any one thing, what would it be?
I don't have an answer to that, except perhaps my friends. There's no one thing I would want a room full of.
9. What extremely difficult life situation have you overcome and how did you do it?
Unfortunately, I could probably name several just in the last couple of years. The two that have had the most lasting impacts are the death of my mother in Midtown and being held hostage by members of Humanis First. They spent several days torturing me and then put a bullet in my head. By the grace of whatever deity you choose to acknowledge, I was located in time by friends and an Evolved healer was able to save my life. In the aftermath, I've coped with it the same way anyone does — with a counselor and the help of my loved ones, with a lot of nightmares and with firm conviction to continue to do my job to the best of my ability in spite of them. To show the city, and the world, that for every rotten apple in the barrel — whether that barrel is Evo or not Evo — there are so many more good ones.
10. Where do you see yourself in 20 years and what are you doing to achieve this?
In some reality out there somewhere, I bet I have a great life and maybe even a kid or two. Whether that becomes reality here? It's somewhat up in the air — I feel like I've got a job to do, something to contribute. When it all done… then I'll take a rest and see where I am.
11. What do you think is your biggest fault?
I think it's a toss-up between pride and stubbornness. Like most people, I tend to think that I know what's 'right' and 'wrong,' and the suggestion that I'm doing the wrong thing… or doing the right thing the wrong way… makes me dig in my heels.
12. What is the one thing that makes you happy despite any mood?
Playing the piano. Even if it doesn't make me happy, it soothes my soul.
13. What did you want to be before you grew up?
Before I grew up? I guess I went through all the stages most kids go through — astronaut, rock star. I minored in music in college, but I wanted to be a cop from a young age. And ultimately it's what I became.
14 Play all your music on your computer and ipod/mp3/mp4 on shuffle. What are the name of the first 4 songs that play?
"Ghost Riders in the Sky" (The Outlaws), "Point of Know Return" (Kansas), "Stairway to Heaven" (Led Zeppelin), and "Distant Early Warning" (Rush)
15. What do you find most interesting about our age of electronics and gadgets?
The fact that we have not imploded from information overload? No… in all actuality, the thing that surprises me most is how readily people take to being jacked in to their technology all the time. The kids who graduate high school now will never know a world where the telephone was something that stayed in your house and if you weren't there, you didn't get to answer it. Or a world where they would never have spoken to someone from another country realtime because the internet didn't exist. Instantaneous communication is a given in their worldview.
16.What is your favorite book, and why?
"The Five People You Meet In Heaven" — because I believe that it won't be the big things you do in life that will linger, it is the small ones, and the book beautifully illustrates this thought. The people you meet in heaven are the ones whose lives you changed or who changed yours by virtue of simply being in the right place at the right time, usually not by something so dramatic as saving their life but by instead saying or doing something small that only really mattered to them. The one little thing that maybe you didn't even realize you did that changed everything. The Butterfly effect.
17. What would make you an excellent presidential candidate?
Nothing. I don't play the politics game very well, and though I've learned some amount of tact over the years, I still tend to call them as I see them. Which is likely to get me in trouble more often than it will earn me accolades.
18. Empty your pockets and tell me what's in them.
About $20, house keys, my cell phone, my ID, and my bluetooth.
19. What is most important, in your life up until this moment.
The most important thing in my life? Keeping the people I love safe — being an Evo in the public eye is frightening enough, but knowing that other people could become targets of hate groups or angry people who suffer collateral damage dur to my job? That kills me.
20. If you were to be recognized for Posterity for one thing, what would it be?
That's a little harder. I guess…. I'd like to be remembered as someone who helped make the world a better place.
21. Tell us one thing, no one knows about you.
I have always wanted to fly. You know…. Evo kind of flying, not in a plane. I was a little disappointed when my power manifested and it wasn't that.
Dr. Harve Brennan
- Were made up on the fly and were never saved. What you see in the interview is what there is.
Peter Petrelli
Tamsine Whitaker
1. What's your name?
Tamsine Whitaker Denton
2. What do you do?
I’ve recently gone back to work in my field of social work, specifically as a guardian ad litem on a part-time basis.
3. What would you attempt if you knew you could not fail?
My first love is music. If I knew I would succeed, I would write and perform music. As it is, it’s been too long since I’ve studied and I’m rusty at best.
4. What is the best advice you've ever given and received?
The best advice I’ve received is to be the person I want to be now — rather than to think about how I’m going to be that in the future. I’ll try to remember that and give it as my best advice for anyone in the future.
5. What do you value most in other people?
I think integrity is the most valuable trait a person can have. If you are not true to yourself, you can’t be true to anyone else. We all have different beliefs and ethics — your ethics may not be my ethics, but adhere to what you believe is right and I will at least respect your integrity if not your principles.
6. What do you value most in life? Why?
This may sound obvious, but life itself. It’s taken me some time to appreciate it. It’s taken losing someone close to me to make me realize that being alive is the most valuable thing we have. It’s painful at times and hard and challenging, but it’s all we have and we need to appreciate that we have it at all. There are too many people who don’t get a real chance at life — people who die as children. Mere babies who never get to even see the world.
7. Do believe that people are inherently good or bad? Why?
I think everyone is born with the capacity to be either, and it is the experiences we go through that put us on a path to one or the other. As a social worker, I’ve seen a lot of horrible things done to children — it’s almost always because the parent went through something horrible as a child. Not every victim becomes evil, but I think the capacity is in all of us — we just have different breaking points.
8. If you could have a room full of any one thing, what would it be?
The world is short on hope. A room full of hope would be amazing.
9.What extremely difficult life situation have you overcome and how did you do it?
Most people would expect it to be the obvious — that my daughter Lily was one of the 35 school children who took their lives because they were afraid of being evolved. But I can’t claim that I’ve overcome this. That will be a life long journey and I’m not sure I can overcome it ever. Raising my daughter as a single, teenage mother was a challenge. I made a vow to get out of my parents’ home and be self sufficient by the time Lily started school — I did this. I went to college and got a degree and a career to support the both of us. It was difficult, but it was something I was determined to do because it was important to me.
10. Where do you see yourself in 20 years and what are you doing to achieve this?
In 20 years, I will have a 19-year-old child who I hope is happy and healthy and successful, in college and on his or her way to a happy life. I will still be married to my husband and we will be living somewhere happy and content. That’s really all I want. We’ll get there by doing what we are now — our best to be there for one another and our baby.
11. What do you think is your biggest fault?
I’m a bit too trustworthy at times and have gotten myself hurt or in difficult situations because of it. But I’m not sure I would change it — I would have lost out on a lot of things if I was more suspicious of people’s motives.
12. What is the one thing that makes you happy despite any mood?
The smell of chocolate chip cookies baking in an oven. It brings me back to my childhood.
13. What did you want to be before you grew up?
A singer and a songwriter. Music was my first love.
14 Play all your music on your computer and ipod/mp3/mp4 on shuffle. What are the name of the first 4 songs that play?
“My Skin” by Natalie Merchant, “Come Away With Me” by Norah Jones, “21 Guns” by Green Day, and “You and I Both” by Jason Mraz.
15. What do you find most interesting about our age of electronics and gadgets?
The fact that we can be in touch with virtually anyone at any time instantaneously. It’s both efficient and maddening, because when you can’t get a hold of someone, you wonder what’s wrong.
16. What is your favorite book, and why?
I’m a hopeless romantic, so I’ll probably have to go with Jane Eyre. The way Jane overcomes adversity and then, against all odds, becomes the stronger one in the relationship between her and Rochester fascinates me. I think it’s also a good lesson for today’s youth, who often seem to have a sense of entitlement. They could learn something from Jane’s determination.
17. What would make you an excellent presidential candidate?
I wouldn’t! I suppose my honesty and sense of ethics are good qualities, but they don’t necessarily make for a good politician.
18. Empty your pockets and tell me what's in them.
My cell phone, a dry cleaner’s ticket, and a five dollar bill.
19. What is most important, in your life up until this moment.
My family and keeping it safe and whole and happy. I don’t want to lose another child. I will do everything in my power to making sure that my baby grows up safely, with skills and defenses against the dangers of this world.
If you were to be recognized for Posterity for one thing, what would it be?
I would like to be remembered for living my life with integrity and honesty and for not withholding love. There is a poem that says, “If there be sorrow, let it be for things undone, undreamed, unrealized, unattained. To these, add one: love withheld, restrained.” I want to be able to die without these regrets, and be remembered for always giving love and compassion when it was needed.
21. Tell us one thing, no one knows about you.
I like anchovies on my pizza.
22. What single manmade object best respesents your personality and why?
??? blank!
Vincent Lazzaro
1. What's your name?
Vincent Lazzaro.
2. What do you do?
I am employed with the Office of Intelligence and Analysis within the Department of Evolved Affairs. Currently I'm stationed in New York City, where I oversee the collection of intelligence on Evolved Affairs. And analyze it.
3. What would you attempt if you knew you could not fail?
A restructuring of current Law Enforcement practices that would allow for swift and decisive action to be taken upon discovery of corruption, particularly as it relates to Evolved issues, where there is an unusually inflammatory potential for bad feeling and bad press. Bureaucracy, nepotism and the 'thin blue line' have always hampered real justice in cases of officer misconduct. If someone screws up as badly as I have seen people screw up, you should be able to fire them. It's as simple as that.
4. What is the best advice you've ever given and received?
Don't shit where you eat was always a popular one with my father. As for advice I've given, in police work you often get perps asking how they can get out of trouble, and the answer is always the same: Don't break the [law].
5. What do you value most in other people?
Integrity. At least in the sense that you can be honest with yourself about who and what you are. Doesn't matter if you're a CEO or a car jacker; don't try to dress it up as something it isn't to yourself or anyone else. Contend with your own failures and shortcomings, make the best of your talents and capabilities. I don't understand why this seems so hard for most people.
6. What do you value most in life? Why?
I have a daughter, Sarah. She doesn't— I…actually, I'm going ask that we skip this one.
7. Do believe that people are inherently good or bad? Why?
I believe that a lot of bad people think they are doing good, either because they've been able to convince themselves that they are or because someone else has. It's human nature to designate yourself as the hero in your own story. Whether or not these people are capable of looking into themselves and seeing the truth eventually, I don't know. It's my hope that sooner or later, everyone eventually looks in a mirror and sees themselves for what they are, whether that's good, bad or somewhere in transition.
8. If you could have a room full of any one thing, what would it be?
Am I shallow for saying video games? Shooting aliens in the head is how I unwind after a day at the office. I have a Playstation 3 and an old Nintendo system. I just – a room full seems like a lot of anything.
9. What extremely difficult life situation have you overcome and how did you do it?
My father dying was pretty hard on me. He was a beat cop with the NYPD and my mentor, always very strong. Always to the point, you know? No bullshit. To see him go out slowly in a bed with cancer was rough. I think the fact that it was rough on him is what made it so difficult for everyone else. That wasn't how he had intended to go. Nobody wants to go that way. As for how I overcame it, I don't know. You just do. People die, parents die. You have to take what you can from it and move on.
10. Where do you see yourself in 20 years and what are you doing to achieve this?
Ten years ago, we didn't have people who could fly without planes or make fire in their hands without a lighter. Ten years ago, the job I have now didn't exist. It's hard to say where any of us will be in twenty. I'll be…christ. Sixty one. So probably the old son of a bitch in the back of the office giving orders that everyone thinks is out of touch and wishes would retire. …Not that I've ever had an experience with anyone like this.
11. What do you think is your biggest fault?
I'm probably going to work myself into an early grave. Alone. I don't know if that really chalks up as a fault or not, but I lost my marriage to my career and that's just the tip of the iceberg. I've been told I take work too seriously and don't take my free time seriously enough, which seems contradictory to me; I don't really feel like I have time to date anymore or go out, even with people from the office. I want things to be better than they are.
12. What is the one thing that makes you happy despite any mood?
Driving with the top down. …Within posted speeds. Obviously.
13. What did you want to be before you grew up?
I always wanted to be a police officer, and I was one, for a while. My father was one. I briefly considered joining the military instead fresh out of high school, but my mother talked me out of it.
14 Play all your music on your computer and ipod/mp3/mp4 on shuffle. What are the name of the first 4 songs that play?
(skipping this one)
15. What do you find most interesting about our age of electronics and gadgets?
I could tell you but I'd have to kill you.
16. What is your favorite book, and why?
It's been forever since I've read it, but probably The Andromeda Strain by Michael Chrichton. Years later, the suspense and sort of underlying – I dunno, realistic fear? – of the book sticks in my head. There was this one scene with a guy they found who'd offed himself by eating model fixative until he died. Pretty twisted, right?
17. What would make you an excellent presidential candidate?
The fact that I have no desire to be president. A politician I'm willing to cooperate with and work around is a rare thing, with good reason. It seems like most people who get far enough along to matter in Washington have forgotten what it was they got involved for in the first place – sometimes by necessity. Sometimes. By necessity. There are those, like Secretary Praeger, that are and have always been in it for the right reasons, but it's easy to lose sight of what you're fighting to gain or protect. To me, a good presidential candidate is one who doesn't only make safe decisions or compromises to make things easier on themselves. One who does what's right regardless of whether or not it could ruin their career. It's all in or nothing with me.
18. Empty your pockets and tell me what's in them.
Pair of reading glasses, couple of business cards. My wallet. I don't know what this is. I found it in my new desk; I think it's for hanging pictures or something.
19. What is most important, in your life up until this moment.
Skipping. MY BRAIN IS DYING.
20. If you were to be recognized for Posterity for one thing, what would it be?
I want to be remembered as someone who could be relied upon to get business taken care of cleanly and efficiently. And hopefully someone who helped mold the way Evolved citizens fit into society for the better.
21. tell us one thing, no one knows about you.
In college I was in a rock band with a few frat brothers called Reasonable Suspicion. We weren't actually very good, but I had hair, a leather jacket and drums and was a hit with old ladies at Bar Mitzvahs. I think I still have a copy of one of our gigs on VHS somewhere. Now that I'm thinking about it I should probably do my dignity a favor and destroy it.
22. What single manmade object best represents your personality and why?
Skipping this one as well sos I can be done. If you need one or two more answered let me know and I will do one or two more but I imagine this is probably sufficient.
Robert Caliban
1. What's your name?
R.H. Caliban, or Robert Henry. My mother still calls me Bobbie.
2. What do you do?
I'm a liaison between Mr. Linderman and the media - his publicist, in other words. I have a master's degree in English lit from Durham and two decades of journalistic experience writing for newspapers, including the Independent, the Washington Post and - more recently - the New York Times, but I've spent the last few years dabbling in local charity work as well.
3. What would you attempt if you knew you could not fail?
That's a Robert Schuller quote, isn't it? [laughs] I don't know - quite a question. I'd redouble my efforts to provide safe housing for abused women and children from evacuated areas. New York has thousands of refugees who have been living in dangerous conditions since November of 2006 and rates of domestic violence in developments like Thomas Jefferson and Summer Meadows are way up. Safe Horizon, Freedom House, New Hope, the Queens Women's Network - all the shelters in the greater metropolitan area are full to capacity. We should be focusing on reconstructing the lives of people from poor socioeconomic backgrounds rather than the city itself.
4. What is the best advice you've ever given and received?
Always tell the truth so you won't have to remember what you said. My father passed it down to me and I've been passing it down since.
5. What do you value most in other people?
Honesty, integrity, compassion and a strong personal drive to initiate change. If there are two qualities I absolutely cannot stand, they're laziness and complacency.
6. What do you value most in life? Why?
My life is a fantastic balancing act - I can't assign too much worth to just one thing without taking away from the others, but my health, career, and the relationships I have with my loved ones and my peers are all very important to me.
7. Do believe that people are inherently good or bad? Why?
We come into this world with a desire to learn. What we choose to build ourselves upon determines how we react to it - I don't believe the people are inherently anything, but society- Society is good, however deeply, deeply flawed.
8. If you could have a room full of any one thing, what would it be?
Wall to wall and floor to ceiling? Wine. I grew up in a home with a cellar - it's one of the things I miss most about my childhood, just the smell of it. My mother sold the house while I was studying at Durham shortly after my father passed away and I haven't been in one since.
9. What extremely difficult life situation have you overcome and how did you do it?
Parents aren't supposed to outlive their children, but it happens sometimes. The death of my son drove a wedge between myself and my wife and I let it destroy our marriage. I spent three or four years trying to find my feet again - I traveled a lot, lived paycheck to paycheck. Couldn't tell you how I eventually shook myself out, but not a day goes by that I don't think about it.
11. What do you think is your biggest fault?
I've been told that I'm too aloof and unfortunately I'm inclined to disagree, so perhaps it's that I'm not as self-aware as I could be. I have difficulty connecting with others on an emotional level.
13. What did you want to be before you grew up?
Until my second year at Durham, I was married to the idea of becoming an archaeologist. History, linguistics, information sciences - believe or not, I switched to literature for the love of a pretty girl and don't regret any of it. We didn't last the semester but my passion for the arts is lifelong.
14 Play all your music on your computer and ipod/mp3/mp4 on shuffle. What are the name of the first 4 songs that play?
Stairway to Heaven, Tomorrow Never Knows, Walk the Line and Subterranean Homesick Blues.
Cong Bao-Wei
1. What's your name?
Doctor Bao-Wei Cong.
2. What do you do?
Professionally, I run a low-cost clinic in Chinatown. Most of my spare time is spent studying the origin and potential of the Suresh Linkage Complex; in laymans terms, I study the Evolved and I have published several things on the matter.
3. What would you attempt if you knew you could not fail?
In all honesty, creating the public option of becoming Evolved, and retroactively, enable those with the SLC to de-power themselves. Many dangerous individuals would be best served if there was such an opportunity.
4. What is the best advice you've ever given and received?
'We are all imperfect'.
5. What do you value most in other people?
I find that honorable people have a certain weight with me. Honor is in a great deal of things, but only a few people that I have ever met seem to have understood how to implement it in everyday.
6. What do you value most in life? Why?
In my current state, I value my wisdom; getting higher in age brings it naturally to a person through experience, and at some times in my recent life it turned out to be very valuable.
7. Do believe that people are inherently good or bad? Why?
Man is inherently good, due to his need for self-preservation. He wll always act in his own best interests at a subconscious level. In this, when it comes to others looking at him, His own goodness can often be misunderstood as badness by anyone who just happens to disagree with his version of goodness.
8. If you could have a room full of any one thing, what would it be?
I would take a room full of quiet if I could.
9. What extremely difficult life situation have you overcome and how did you do it?
After my pre-med graduation, Columbia University asked me not to return. It took some time before I was able to continue my education, compared to how quickly my peers were able to do so; I simply kept my eye on the ball and took what opportunities that were provided to me. I overcome adversity in my life with steady work and pragmatism in purpose.
10. Where do you see yourself in 20 years and what are you doing to achieve this?
In twenty years I will be in my seventies. I sincerely hope that I die before I get old, but before that happens I hope to make some sort of mark on progress.
11. What do you think is your biggest fault?
My biggest fault, according to many, is my pride; but at the same time, my pride is also one of my best qualities.
12. What is the one thing that makes you happy despite any mood?
A reasonably good game of Mahjong is most likely the best way to stabilize my mood.
13. What did you want to be before you grew up?
I did not have a particular wish for being anything until I served in the Chinese army, though during my early years I was always top letters in math and science. At first I worked in intelligence on the ground for the army, though eventually I found my calling as an army nurse, and eventually as a surgeon's aide. When I was able to leave my conscription, I came to New York City to get an education.
14 Play all your music on your computer and ipod/mp3/mp4 on shuffle. What are the name of the first 4 songs that play?
I am one of six people in the city of New York that does not own any sort of digital music player. It is not that I do not find the technology useful, it is only that I do not see a need to own one when my radio is in perfect working order.
15. What do you find most interesting about our age of electronics and gadgets?
I find it interesting that the generations growing up in this era have no idea how to function without their wireless internet, smartphones, and other relevant gadgetry that they have been plugged into since birth. Should I mention all of the carpal tunnel cases that pass through my clinic?
16. What is your favorite book, and why?
At the risk of sounding cliche, I will choose one of my favorites that also happens to be in the top lists of books every person needs to read. I can find myself consistently going back to William Golding's Lord of the Flies. It lays mankind at its barest of states, and in a way one can always find a way to parallel Golding's writing with the world that we live in now. It is a very universal novel.
17. What would make you an excellent presidential candidate?
Disregarding that I was born in China, I would likely make a good candidate for those wanting someone with an innate unwillingness to give up or bend under pressure. I suspect that is the majority of the population. The authority that I carry with me every day is something that any true leader needs as well- and something that frankly, many of our current leaders do not possess.
18. Empty your pockets and tell me what's in them.
My wallet and a receipt for a store along Mott Street.
19. What is most important, in your life up until this moment.
20. If you were to be recognized for Posterity for one thing, what would it be?
I would hope to be recognized for my contributions to science, and to thinking outside of the box in terms of seeking progress.
21. Tell us one thing, no one knows about you.
I can play both the Pipa and the Guqin. Music is a science in itself.
22. What single manmade object best represents your personality and why?
Leonardo Maxwell
1. What's your name?
Leonardo Raphael Maxwell. I like to think being named for two creative geniuses served as inspiration to get me where I am today. Well, that and some very expensive schools. *laughs*
2. What do you do?
I'm the president of Maxwell Development Corporation. They say I'm rather young to be the president of a company, I say what were you doing at my age? Right now we have our hands in the pot of a few charity projects, such as Summer Meadows, a few things on Staten Island, and we're currently in the planning stages of a large Midtown cleanup.
3. What would you attempt if you knew you could not fail?
Hmm, I'd have to say…become the President of the United States, and use my business savvy and charisma to create world peace. *laughs*
4. What is the best advice you've ever given and received?
The best advice I've ever received would be "Leonardo, you're young, but you should take over your father's company. Your business savvy is unparalleled." Of course I could be paraphrasing a bit. The best advice I've ever given: "You don't need to buy a woman expensive clothes and cars to impress her, you impress her on your own merit, the gifts are simply to drive the point home that you're pretty amazing."
5. What do you value most in other people?
Unwavering confidence. There's nothing more admirable about a person than their ability to stand in front of a powerful person, or pursue an impossible task, with absolutely no fear or intimidation.
6. What do you value most in life? Why?
This new generation of society, of course. Infinite potential, ushering in a new era, helping eachother and staying closely knit. It's unlike anything you or anyone else have ever seen before. I will do everything in my power to make sure they're successful, and to help them in any way that I can, it's a large reason for all of my charity work.
7. Do believe that people are inherently good or bad? Why?
I would have to honestly say that the majority of society, in the end of it all, tends to throw altruism out the window when convenient. However, this new generation we're seeing lately, such as the people volunteering on Summer Meadows, are showing us the true potential of society. One day, all people will be inherently good. Fear causes people to be inherently bad, but we're heading towards a future where fear will be largely a thing of the past.
8. If you could have a room full of any one thing, what would it be?
Metallic sculptures. I love metalworking, it's a hobby of mine. I have quite a large collection of my own art and other people's as well.
9. What extremely difficult life situation have you overcome and how did you do it?
I have to say, while I may seem rich and powerful right now, at the schools I went to, well, everyone was like me. I was not always Mister Popularity, rumors and jealousy can be vicious amongst teenagers, I've even been beaten up. But I and my bodyguard here, Cassius, overcame this together and worked as hard as we could to get where we are today.
10. Where do you see yourself in 20 years and what are you doing to achieve this?
King of the world. Everything I can. But no, really, I hope that in 20 years time, Midtown will be a Utopian paradise, and I'll perhaps be seen as more of a good Samaritan than a business man. As I said, we have many projects in the works and in the planning stages, and we should have them done long before 20 years.
11. What do you think is your biggest fault?
At times I dream far too big for my own good. When you're a powerful person with lots of resources, it's a very surprising and frustrating feeling when you realize there's something you can't do. I see it as a fault because it's a childish feeling I've yet to overcome.
12. What is the one thing that makes you happy despite any mood?
After this interview, we can go have dinner and I'll show you over dessert.
13. What did you want to be before you grew up?
President of the United States, and possibly James Bond. But hey, I'm president of a company and I wear suits and date beautiful women, I'd say I met my dreams halfway.
14 Play all your music on your computer and ipod/mp3/mp4 on shuffle. What are the name of the first 4 songs that play?
[After pulling his iPod from his jacket pocket] David Bowie - Life on Mars?, Lily Allen - The Fear, Queen - Princes of the Universe, and N.E.R.D. - Lapdance. Now no one can deny the honesty of this interview. *laughs*
15. What do you find most interesting about our age of electronics and gadgets?
I always found it fascinating that our first instinct, with any new technology, is to stick a television into it. We've even stuck televisions into televisions with picture-in-picture. But what I find most interesting is that information travels so quickly now. In this day and age, you don't have to be a celebrity for an embarrassing fall or a terrible public display to ruin or even make your reputation over night. It kind of makes you think, that if there ever is a revolution of some sort, it will be televised.
16. What is your favorite book, and why?
Lord of the Flies. It's always been a book of reflection to me, wondering what I would have done in that situation as a child. I usually learn things about myself every time I read it. It really shows a man what kind of animal he could be in dire circumstances, both as a child and as an adult.
17. What would make you an excellent presidential candidate?
My ambition, my business savvy, the fact that I have a rather grand vision of the future. I'm not simply a development head, I truly believe that my company can change the world. This is my way of being as much of a president as I possibly can, without actually being the president. I deeply care for my people and I'd do everything for them. What I lack in modesty, I make up for in integrity and compassion.
18. Empty your pockets and tell me what's in them.
[Starts emptying his pockets]. Cellphone, iPod, wallet, steel marble I carry for good luck, the keys to my car, and the keys to what could be your car if we follow up on an earlier question.
19. What is most important, in your life up until this moment.
My company and my position in it. It's offered me the rare opportunity to help people, to see the world, to truly live. It's unlike anything most people can imagine, and I like to share what I have with people whenever I can.
20. If you were to be recognized for Posterity for one thing, what would it be?
That I truly changed and improved the world, and my vision ushered in a new Utopian era that will be remembered and enjoyed for generations.
21. tell us one thing, no one knows about you.
It's difficult to choose. I won't name any names, but my first love was a powerful business woman. She started young like myself. She helped make me the man I am today.
22. What single manmade object best represents your personality and why?
I don't think my PR people want me using those kind of words, but as I said before, I'll show you after dinner.
Heidi Petrelli
1. What's your name?
Heidi Petrelli.
2. What do you do?
First and foremost, I'm the mother of two wonderful sons. It's my belief that if you grow up loved and raised well, that no change in the world can take you from who you turn out to be in life, and though my boys have always been raised around politics, life has definitely changed for us as a family. After motherhood comes my day job! I'm the First Lady of the United States, and if you don't think supporting your husband, the President, is a career in itself, think again! Of course, all three of my boys make my jobs as easy as they can.
3. What would you attempt if you knew you could not fail?
Once, my answer would have simply been 'to walk'. Now, I think I'd fly.
5. What do you value most in other people?
There are a lot of things to admire about someone — their God given talents, their intellect — and so help me that I have to say that I value honesty out of everything. I think that truth is one of the easiest and hardest things to uphold in this day and age, and I admire the bravery it can take to stand by. Honesty is the first step towards trust, and after that comes everything else.
6. What do you value most in life? Why?
(no answer)
7. Do believe that people are inherently good or bad? Why?
I believe that everyone has the capacity for good, and no one is inherently bad. To say someone is inherently bad is to say that that person was set up for failure from the start, and to also give them the luxury of not taking responsibility for their actions. It's our God given right to decide to be good or bad, and we're all on equal footing when it comes to deciding the kind of person we're going to be and how our lives shape us.
8. If you could have a room full of any one thing, what would it be?
Oreos with peanut butter all over them. It's been some long years since I've been introduced to this combination and I haven't gotten sick of it yet — and neither have my sons!
9. What extremely difficult life situation have you overcome and how did you do it?
As many know, my husband and I were in a car wreck, in 2006, that left me paralyzed from the waist down for a long time. I spent a lot of time in the dark, as I like to describe it — I withdrew from everyone I loved, and played the blame game for a while. I don't think I was a good mother, a good wife, or even a good person for the time it took me to recover, mentally, but with the love of my family, I pulled through it. I got back my faith that I would walk again, and look at me now. It taught me a very valuable lesson, that everything does happen for a reason and nothing is worth giving up over. And that what doesn't kill you truly does make you stronger.
10. Where do you see yourself in 20 years and what are you doing to achieve this?
In twenty years time, my sons will be out in the world and doing good, and my husband and I will be enjoying a comfortable retirement, one hopes! But most importantly, I see myself living in a peaceful America.
11. What do you think is your biggest fault?
I've always been told I'm too understated, and it's true. I prefer to discuss instead of argue, or compromise instead of fight, and now and then, sometimes the world needs a little more passion sprung from the heart of the matter. And if politics is teaching me anything, it's that your words have to be as strong as your conviction — so I'm working on that one.
12. What is the one thing that makes you happy despite any mood?
Watching all three of the boys in my family out playing baseball in the backyard.
13. What did you want to be before you grew up?
An art teacher, until I discovered that my talent started and ended with creative stick figure drawings. [laughs] These days I live vicariously through helping Simon and Monty with their school projects.
14. Play all your music on your computer and ipod/mp3/mp4 on shuffle. What are the name of the first 4 songs that play?
First I get 'Nine Crimes', by Damien Rice. Oh, that's embarrassing. [laughs] 'Tracks of My Tears', the version Adam Lambert did on American Idol? Yeah. 'Fixing a Hole' by the Beatles, and lastly, 'This Kiss' off the Practical Magic soundtrack.
15. What do you find most interesting about our age of electronics and gadgets?
The most interesting thing about this age of electronics and gadgets is how people are so entranced by it. Schedules, contact lists, calendars, music, information — everything, we put into data, organize it, label it. It's this massive competition about what item can do the most while being the sleekest and smallest. Electronic efficiency has gone into a fashion kind of place, it's own subculture. Give me a pencil and a notepad any day.
16. What is your favorite book, and why?
My husband gave me a book for my birthday, called Twilight, which apparently has some sequels I haven't gotten around to picking up. It's about a young lady who moves into a new town and has some trouble connecting with her peers until she meets a boy. I don't want to spoil the story, so I won't say anything more, but I recommend it!
17. What would make you an excellent presidential candidate?
[laughs] Well, I'd like to believe being in the vicinity almost every day with an excellent President might lend me some credibility! But the things I think made Nathan such are qualities that I value too — sincerity, taking opportunities to help make the world a better place rather than sitting back and letting other people do it for you, and inner strength.
18. Empty your pockets and tell me what's in them.
Nothing in my pockets, but in my handbag, I have my wallet, my cellphone, my schedule diary. The bracelet I took off because the clasp broke this morning and a bottle of perfume I always forget I have.
Dr. Jean Luis
1. What's your name?
I'm Doctor Jean Martin Luis
2. What do you do?
I'm a neuroscientist specializing in the research and understanding of SLC-expressive humans, coined in the media as 'Evolved'. I work for the Commonwealth Institute of Scientific Research in Cambridge Massachusetts where I am fortunate enough to work alongside the famous geneticist Doctor Mohinder Suresh, unlocking the secrets of the Evolved.
3. What would you attempt if you knew you could not fail?
Unite humanity despite the divergence of biological differences. We were once a species divided by race and geographical specializations, and now we're even further divided by the line of the Suresh Linkage Complex. If I could find a way to bring humanity together, teach them that we're all sharing this planet together, I would do that without question. Wouldn't anyone?
4. What is the best advice you've ever given and received?
My father once told me when I was a boy, that if you put your mind to understanding something nothing will remain unknown. I've followed that advice in my many years, and it's led me to both great heights and tragic lows, but always forward and never back.
5. What do you value most in other people?
Adaptability. It may sound odd, and perhaps it is the scientist in me saying so, but I most admire humanity's ability to adapt to a situation and overcome it at all odds. The chance of our species surviving what we have and continuing forward, exhibiting the marvelous feats of seemingly super-human acumen that we do now is simply profound.
6. What do you value most in life? Why?
The memory of my daughter, Juliette. She passed away when she was only six years old, but those six years are among some of the brightest and most magical in my entire life. Beyond my research, beyond the life I've been gifted with, I cherish her more so than anything else in this world and nothing will ever change that.
7. Do believe that people are inherently good or bad? Why?
That's a rather involved topic of discussion for a magazine like this one (laughs). If you probe the great thinking minds of philosophy — Plato, Rosseau, Nietzsche, Kant — you'll get a cross section of answers that could fill dozens of encyclopaedic volumes debating the values of each. But from a wholly human standpoint you can look at this more objectively, I'll even use something more currently dated to elaborate on it more.
With the threat of terrorism discussed at length in the daily media, and with almost any unfortunate event now being labeled an act of terrorism, the power of the word "terrorism" is quickly being eroded by overuse. A similar fate has befallen the word "holocaust" due to its being used to describe a disparate variety of terrible events. A word that might accurately describe both terrorist acts and the holocaust is "evil." But this once-potent little word has suffered the same fate as "terrorism" and "holocaust," having lost its intensity not only to overuse, but to misappropriation, redefinition, and a postmodern ambiguity arising from claims about the involuntary psychological functioning of the human mind.
The topic of evil has a long and multi-faceted history in the field of philosophy. Philosophers have, for centuries, been struggling to answer questions such as, Is evil a thing which has an ontological status, Is there such a thing as evil in nature?, Can evil be objectively defined, or is it always relative to time and place? and Is it accurate to say that a person who does evil is an evil person? This last question has been adopted as an important topic in psychology where evil is examined not only in its relationship to the mental contents and conditions of individuals but also as an element in the fabric of society.
What I mean to say is, evil and good are perceptions of morality and how the outcome of moral or amoral actions are perceived by the populace. There's no clear black and white distinction between the two, and as a student of evolution I cannot say that the human race is predisposed to any one facet of morality than another, or even that all notions of morality match. You ask if I believe people are inherently good and evil, and I ask back: What is evil?
8. If you could have a room full of any one thing, what would it be?
(Laughs) Doctor Suresh would tell you that answer would be Post-It notepads, but then my office is already filled with them! I'm not much of a materialist, I don't think I would ever want that much of anything, unless you could bottle hope.
9. What extremely difficult life situation have you overcome and how did you do it?
This hearkens back to the death of my daughter. She passed away when she was six years old, quite many years ago. For a long time I blamed everything in the world for her death; God, man, science, fate, but if it were not for Juliette's passing, I never would have set myself on the path I'm on now, and found so many hopeful discoveries for the future of the Evolved. I never would have met Doctor Suresh, who's own sister passed away from the same rare disease that my Juliette did. I overcame the adversity of losing my little girl by finding a calling in the world, finding a purpose and setting myself to it. I think, wherever she is now, Juliette is proud of me.
10. Where do you see yourself in 20 years and what are you doing to achieve this?
Hopefully with a second Nobel prize! (Laughs) In twenty years if I'm not a footnote in a scientific journal, hopefully I'll still be alive and retired and enjoying the rest of my days on some sunny beach, reading about the twenty year anniversary of the end of hostilities between the Evolved and Non-Evolved. (Laughs) A man can dream, right?
11. What do you think is your biggest fault?
People have called me a pragmatist, and I feel that's fair. I have a tendency to lose objectivity in the sight of my research, often at the risk of my own health. Too many hours in the lab, not enough sleep, why you wouldn't know it from my wrinkled old mug but i'm only twenty years old! (Laughing) I kid, I kid. But quite seriously, I do have a fixation on goals, and damn what gets in the way between here and then. One of my research assistants has — on more than one occasion — called me the bull rhinoscerous of neuroscience.
12. What is the one thing that makes you happy despite any mood?
Oh, that would be telling. But there's a pair of people at my lab who are the apples of my eye and wonderful students. No matter how down I'm feeling, they always seem to know just what to say or do to get my spirits raised again.
13. What did you want to be before you grew up?
(Laughs) If you'd believe it, I wanted to play football. Not the American kind of course but the true kind of football! (laughs) Please do not send me hate mail over that, I just love the sport. I have always been a fan, and when I was younger I aspired to become a professional player, perhaps Olympic and famous. But childhood dreams, they never do often come true. I am not built for physical things, even less so now that age is creaking my bones and reminding me just how old I am.
14 Play all your music on your computer and ipod/mp3/mp4 on shuffle. What are the name of the first 4 songs that play?
Oh goodness I would be terribly embarrassed. I do not have music of my own but I share a research terminal with Doctor Suresh, and he has the Lady Gaga on there and it is just preposterous. I see him in the lab, with the music on, dancing when he thinks no one is watching, all curly haired and inhibited. I could make millions selling that video! (laughs) Now watch when I return to the lab, I tell you, he will be there and smack my mouth off my face! (laughs) I kid, I kid. Doctor Suresh is a lovely man, very lovely, just questionable taste in music.
15. What do you find most interesting about our age of electronics and gadgets?
As a scientist I deal with all manner of cutting edge technology, but I am most interested with man-machine interfaces. I have always been fascinated with them, and much of my research prior to working with the SLC was towards establishing evolution in the development of man-machine connectivity. I think within the next twenty years, we will see huge progress with this, things that can make crippled people walk again, new bodies for people who suffer from disease, great strides in cybernetics.
16. What is your favorite book, and why?
Being and Nothingness: An Essay on Phenomenological Ontology by Jean Paul Sartre. Sartre is an existential humanist, you see, which basically means that he is a man who believes that you should find your own purpose in life, not have one determined for you. This essay is about the struggle against determinism, that our future is written in stone. I do not believe any future is immutable, I know it can change.
17. What would make you an excellent presidential candidate?
Oh, I do not think your country has allowed foreign nationals to run for President yet! (Laughs) I would not wish to be involved in French politics either, safer to be a piece of meat surrounded by hungry wolves! Anything but politics, please!
18. Empty your pockets and tell me what's in them.
Ah, I have a photograph in my wallet of my daughter Juliette, all of my credit cards and Post-It notes, several pens of different colors and a key. I forget what it goes to, I have been keeping it with me in case I find something locked, maybe it will let me in!
19. What is most important, in your life up until this moment.
My research, because it is the legacy of my Juliette, and I will never let go of what I am studying for anything, never relinquish my research and never give up on my dreams, because giving up on any of that would be giving up on Juliette, and a father can never truly give up on their children.
20. If you were to be recognized for Posterity for one thing, what would it be?
Uniting the Evolved and Non-Evolved, as the media calls them. There is not so much difference between us, on the genetic level, just a slight skew off from one another. I am searching for a way to unite us, not divide us, and if I could achieve this I would not even care if I fade into obscurity. The act of changing the world far outweighs the fame for it.
21. tell us one thing, no one knows about you.
Maybe I have danced with Mohinder to the Lady Gaga, once. Ssh, do not tell anyone.
22. What single manmade object best respesents your personality and why?
A scalpel comes to mind; bright and keen and designed for a task, but if overused and not properly cared for becomes dull and broken. I should remember I am the scalpel more often.
Nicole Nichols
1. What's your name?
Nicole Lyzette Nichols.
2. What do you do?
I am a personal assistant and personal relations consultant for hire. Most recently, I've been the Campaign Manager for former President-Elect Rickham and Mayoral Candidate Jennifer Chesterfield.
3. What would you attempt if you knew you could not fail?
I would save the world. *laughs* Or maybe I would be content with riding the mechanical bull at a local night club to impress some of my male contemporaries.
4. What is the best advice you've ever given and received?
(no answer)
5. What do you value most in other people?
I value honesty, which may be strange to hear from someone in the realm of politics, but I do. I make it a habit to work only for people who have integrity as well as honesty. It's much easier to make a better candidate out of someone like that.
6. What do you value most in life? Why?
My sister Colette. I don't know where I would be without my little sister. She's definitely my best friend.
7. Do believe that people are inherently good or bad? Why?
I don't think there's anybody who's truly good or wholly evil. Everyone is really just varying shades of grey. There are just too many examples of bad people who still have principles. I won't go into that, because that's a can of worms. *laughs*
8. If you could have a room full of any one thing, what would it be?
Oooh. Now that's a tough one. My sweet tooth tells me to say dark chocolate, and my professional side says comfortable heels. But honestly? A room full of my family is what I would truly love best.
9. What extremely difficult life situation have you overcome and how did you do it?
When I was… twenty-two or twenty-three, my mother was diagnosed with cancer. She lived in Massachusetts and my life was in New York City. Commuting back and forth while knowing each time I drove home that it might be the last time I would see her was really tough. I don't think I would have made it through all that without my sister. We leaned on each other, you know? She moved in with my so Mom wouldn't have to worry about looking after a teenager. I think it was the best for all of us in terms of coping.
10. Where do you see yourself in 20 years and what are you doing to achieve this?
Twenty years! *laughs* That's another lifetime at my age. In twenty years' time, though, I hope to be as smart, worldly, and dedicated to the betterment of this city and this country as Jenn [Chesterfield] was.
11. What do you think is your biggest fault?
I'm a workaholic. That's definitely a huge flaw as well as a great strength of mine. I'm exceptionally adept at burning the candle at both ends, but it sometimes mean I let taking care of myself slide.
12. What is the one thing that makes you happy despite any mood?
Does it sound like a total downer if I say I can't think of anything? *laughs* There are a few things can bring a smile to my face, and they know who they are.
13. What did you want to be before you grew up?
My goodness, I never really thought about my future until I was already supposed to be a grown up. I suppose I had a brief phase in high school where I was smoking cigarettes in my parents' garage while sporting a black leather jacket and a truly hideous perm with blue streaks in it and imagining that grunge rockers did things like that, looked like I was looking, so perhaps I imagined that I should be a rock star. I didn't really have any concrete dreams for myself until I started college, though.
14 Play all your music on your computer and ipod/mp3/mp4 on shuffle. What are the name of the first 4 songs that play?
Chicago, “God Save the Queen,” The Toadies, “Possum Kingdom,” Tori Amos, “Professional Widow,” and 3 Doors Down, “Kryptonite.”
15. What do you find most interesting about our age of electronics and gadgets?
Oh gosh, definitely the cell phone technology. I couldn't live without my CrackBerry.
16. What is your favorite book, and why?
“Popcorn” by Frank Asch. It's a children's book, but it's my favourite because I used to read it to my little sister when she was a toddler. She had it memorised and we used to convince people that she could read by the age of three. *laughs* Until she went and held the darn thing upside-down and we got found out.
17. What would make you an excellent presidential candidate?
Now that's an interesting question. Maybe I'd be a good presidential candidate because I've worked with so many either directly or indirectly. Before I joined Allen Rickham, I was working for Lance Menke. I've helped with races for mayor, races for school board… I don't think I'd ever run myself, but I wouldn't mind being behind the scenes again!
18. Empty your pockets and tell me what's in them.
Let's see here… A tube of Snog lip balm, quarters for the meter, my BlackBerry, and my receipt from last night's take-out.
19. What is most important, in your life up until this moment.
My sister has been and will probably remain the most important thing in my life until the day I die.
20. If you were to be recognized for Posterity for one thing, what would it be?
I hope perhaps that I inspire a new generation of people to go out there and be activists for what they believe in. Either that or I'd love to prove that Pluto is still a planet.
21. tell us one thing, no one knows about you.
I can drink most men under the table.
22. What single manmade object best represents your personality and why?
Are we counting coffee as man-made? Let's count coffee. I'm like coffee. I'm strong, and maybe at first I seem a bit bitter, but I give the kick in the butt you need. Plus, if you're willing to give me a little input – or at least some cream and sugar – I sweeten up nice.