Al gore for President
Hail to the author
Former vice president Al Gore received a hero's welcome Friday night from more than 1,200 fans at Book Passage in Corte Madera. Gore is on a tour promoting his book and movie "An Inconvenient Truth," which calls for radical social and political change to end global warming.
Unlike most celebrity authors, who sign books without uttering more than an impersonal greeting, Gore kicked off the night with a 10-minute lecture that delighted fans. "It was thrilling just to see him," San Anselmo resident Cher Evans, 58, said. "I wish he was president." Janel Feierabend,director of retail at Book Passage, said Gore donated 10 percent of the take to the Marin Conservation League.
Not bad considering every one of the 1,200 people paid $21.95 for a copy just to attend. "We'd have sold more if we had more," she said. People showed up several hours in advance of the 7 p.m. start time. Organizers filled the speaking area with chairs; people clogged aisles throughout the store and hundreds filled the surrounding patio areas that were hooked up to a sound system.
The event attracted some local celebrities, including Isabelle Allende and Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart. "He's just signing books?" said local novelist Anne Lamott, no stranger to book tours. "That's disappointing." Despite that, Lamott stayed until the end. For one night, she was just another fan who stuck around as long as possible to see an author. "I hope they're not ticketing (cars) at the movie theater," she said. San Rafael resident Rebecca Jones-Torre, 57, came at the invitation of her daughter, although she didn't take much prodding.
"I think of him as my president in exile," Jones-Torre said. Rhoda Greenfield, a 77-year-old San Rafael resident, sat near the front of the room clutching a pair of letters thanking her husband for serving as the first assistant administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. She said she couldn't wait to see Gore because he brought back memories of her husband and made her feel good someone is trying to improve the environment."I'm excited!" she said. Audio problems delayed Gore by about 20 minutes, but no one minded.
The entire audience leapt to its feet and delivered thunderous applause the moment he stepped into view wearing dark slacks, a dark shirt open at the throat and a black sport coat secured across his belly with a gold button. "This is a wonderful bookstore and community," he said. Speaking without notes, Gore likened the earth's current situation to a child with a fever. He said the problem is diagnosed and the time has come to take care of it. He said humans have increased the acidity of the ocean and, as a result, made it more difficult for lobsters, starfish and other similar life to grow shells. Gore said global warming may be a chance for the world to develop exciting new technologies, but the biggest opportunity it presents is global unification around a moral purpose. He said people around the world can put aside their differences, shift their behavior to create a sustainable future and literally save the world. "This is the most dangerous crisis we've ever faced, by far," he said. Supervisor Susan Adams was one of the first people who got her book signed by Gore.
But don't go thinking she pulled strings to make that happen; Adams bought a copy of his book as soon as the event was announced, securing her spot on the A list. However, Adams did get a quick opportunity to meet Gore just before he spoke. When she did, she handed Gore a packet of materials about local green business rewards, organic farming and other programs that prove Marin hears him loud and clear. "It makes me proud," she said. Contact Tad Whitaker via e-mail at twhitaker@marinij.com
http://www.marinij.com/news/ci_4056821#
Former vice president Al Gore received a hero's welcome Friday night from more than 1,200 fans at Book Passage in Corte Madera. Gore is on a tour promoting his book and movie "An Inconvenient Truth," which calls for radical social and political change to end global warming.
Unlike most celebrity authors, who sign books without uttering more than an impersonal greeting, Gore kicked off the night with a 10-minute lecture that delighted fans. "It was thrilling just to see him," San Anselmo resident Cher Evans, 58, said. "I wish he was president." Janel Feierabend,director of retail at Book Passage, said Gore donated 10 percent of the take to the Marin Conservation League.
Not bad considering every one of the 1,200 people paid $21.95 for a copy just to attend. "We'd have sold more if we had more," she said. People showed up several hours in advance of the 7 p.m. start time. Organizers filled the speaking area with chairs; people clogged aisles throughout the store and hundreds filled the surrounding patio areas that were hooked up to a sound system.
The event attracted some local celebrities, including Isabelle Allende and Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart. "He's just signing books?" said local novelist Anne Lamott, no stranger to book tours. "That's disappointing." Despite that, Lamott stayed until the end. For one night, she was just another fan who stuck around as long as possible to see an author. "I hope they're not ticketing (cars) at the movie theater," she said. San Rafael resident Rebecca Jones-Torre, 57, came at the invitation of her daughter, although she didn't take much prodding.
"I think of him as my president in exile," Jones-Torre said. Rhoda Greenfield, a 77-year-old San Rafael resident, sat near the front of the room clutching a pair of letters thanking her husband for serving as the first assistant administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. She said she couldn't wait to see Gore because he brought back memories of her husband and made her feel good someone is trying to improve the environment."I'm excited!" she said. Audio problems delayed Gore by about 20 minutes, but no one minded.
The entire audience leapt to its feet and delivered thunderous applause the moment he stepped into view wearing dark slacks, a dark shirt open at the throat and a black sport coat secured across his belly with a gold button. "This is a wonderful bookstore and community," he said. Speaking without notes, Gore likened the earth's current situation to a child with a fever. He said the problem is diagnosed and the time has come to take care of it. He said humans have increased the acidity of the ocean and, as a result, made it more difficult for lobsters, starfish and other similar life to grow shells. Gore said global warming may be a chance for the world to develop exciting new technologies, but the biggest opportunity it presents is global unification around a moral purpose. He said people around the world can put aside their differences, shift their behavior to create a sustainable future and literally save the world. "This is the most dangerous crisis we've ever faced, by far," he said. Supervisor Susan Adams was one of the first people who got her book signed by Gore.
But don't go thinking she pulled strings to make that happen; Adams bought a copy of his book as soon as the event was announced, securing her spot on the A list. However, Adams did get a quick opportunity to meet Gore just before he spoke. When she did, she handed Gore a packet of materials about local green business rewards, organic farming and other programs that prove Marin hears him loud and clear. "It makes me proud," she said. Contact Tad Whitaker via e-mail at twhitaker@marinij.com
http://www.marinij.com/news/ci_4056821#
posted by presgore19 at 5:15 AM
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