It was around this time that the wealthiest members of society began showing up in Lyre and Animalia for the IAC. Many of them showed up in private aircraft, which tended to make Animalians confused. Among those who were arriving were the president and the catholic pope. There were many things learned about the Animalians by the wealthiest members of society, and vice versa.
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Many male Animalians, through the strict training for the IAC, had not only developed eight pack abs, but also the coveted "Adonis belt". This caused many people to be attracted to them, but it also led to many amusing goof-ups when trying to charm them, especially if alcohol was involved. Many would-be suitors also were disappointed that many of them were looking for mateship qualities that many of them felt they were lacking.
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Magazine groups like World News Weekly or National Enquirer were rather disappointed with how little "substance" there was for stories they were after. The Media Iron Law often made many of them leave disappointed. Also, celebrity newsmonger magazines would leave after having many of their stories "vetoed" by Clara. On the other hand, magazines like Times Magazine and National Geographic found many things for stories, and many of them got their stories approved by both Clara and their own agencies.
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Many people were drawn to the uplifting/conversion projects of Horizon Labs. Many people, especially those from foreign countries, had brought animals, especially dangerous ones or animals with bad reputations, from their home countries to be uplifted. For example, some people from Africa brought a pair of Black mambas to be uplifted. The reasoning of this was that if exceptionally dangerous animals could become functional members of Animalia, the society would be more acceptable.
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Because of the success of the Animalia Colony on Mieni Atoll, many other countries were planning to have Animalian colonies. When the African representatives learned that several African Animalians were asking for a Colony in the Serengeti, they began discussing where to put it. While it was true that African nations weren't the most stable, especially in the 21st century, this was one thing they could agree on.
There was also an update from Manaus about the Colony planned there. While the main building of the Grand Amazon River Hotel and Casino was more structurally sound than expected, there were major renovations to be done. Another part that was approved were the treetop village for the Animalians, as well as a miniature museum for the Archaeological site that was just discovered. As it turned out, the hotel was very successful during the 70s and 80s, the main reason that the hotel closed in the early 90s was to sanitize a Malaria outbreak, and the economy change that did it in, so to speak, didn't happen until two years later.
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There were also new volunteers for Project Phoenix, and not just military veterans. Of particular interest was how the Animalia Virus would affect someone with either achondroplasia or pseudochondroplasia. It was something to see a woman only two feet tall shoot up into a double dosed giraffe Animalian ten feet tall.
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With only four days to go before the IAC, there was a lot to do before the IAC Opening Ceremony. It was quickly becoming clear that the IAC was becoming equal to the Olympic Games, if not greater than them.