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CROUT E4359CA-7 Rob Dean (robdean@access.digex.net) Population:3.4 billion Crout is very overpopulated for its size and current tech level. In addition, the outlook of its inhabitants borders on the xenophobic. All of this leads to a very high-pressure and unstable situation. Many starship captains would be reluctant to land here even if the port facilities were better because of the resentment of the inhabi- tants toward anyone perceived as being better off. The current planetary administration has been in power since 1031, and is based on the annual election of four co-rulers from a very limited pool of candidates. While public opinion remains suppor- tive of the regime, sociological analysts predict that the repressive measures recently enacted will precipitate a civil war within ten to fifteen years. Crout is very technologically backwards; the only area of unusual expertise is in environmental control--greenhouses supply all food and most of the breathing air. Recycle of biomass provides methane for supplementary heating and power. There is a very strong cultural bias toward self-sufficiency, so that each family should be capable of growing its own food, repairing its own house, and so on. Communities tend to center around glassworks, with self-sufficiency in this vital area being judged on the community level.
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