Tuesday, May 09, 2006

Life Beyond Gore

I just learned, from the DJ on whatever insipid radio station was playing in the cab, that "Beautiful," by Christina Aguilera, has now been elevated to "classic slow jam" status. Al Green, eat yer frickin' heart out. Marvin Gaye? Just go home.

Earlier today, I finished the last transcription of what has been a nearly consistent two-week transcribblethon. I really don't want to see a keyboard for a few days; my back and wrists feel like RSI-in-training. But aside from the physiological consequences, this has actually been quite the engaging run. I've been transcribing all the interviews for a reporter who's doing a full-length profile of Al Gore in a prominent regional magazine, meant to coincide with the New York release of his movie, An Inconvenient Truth. Several of the interviews were with Gore himself, others with members of his White House staff, major players in the 2000 campaign, etc. At the end of the day, I'm pretty impressed. The guy is brilliant, charismatic, humorous, nothing like the square caricature of himself we saw in 2000. It's painful, though, to listen to him speak, considering the depth of the arguments and even the humor, because one has this nauseating feeling that the modern American political stage just doesn't have the patience for someone like him.

The movie is based on a slideshow he's been giving on global warming for the last 20 years, thus the climate change topic is central throughout, and it looks like he's been right all along (not that this should really be surprising, although I do know people who, even in the last couple years have earnestly argued that global warming is, in fact, being caused more by trees than by humans). Al Gore + slideshow → movie? Yeah, sounds *really* interesting, right? Believe it or not, I haven't heard anything except praise from those who caught the previews. Everyone says it's extremely powerful, and that Gore is the first one who's come along and been able to synthesize all the science and deliver it in a way that's both passionate and palatable to non-geoscientists. I'm curious.

An Inconvenient Truth comes out in New York on May 24th, then other cities over the following weeks. I encourage everyone to check it out if and when you have the opportunity. New York peoples: let's get toghether a posse in a couple weeks. In the meantime, have a look at the website: www.ClimateCrisis.net. Hell of a trailer.

All this from a guy hunting ManBearPig. I didn't see the episode, but if anyone finds a link online, lemme know...

And now, what do I do with myself, if not transcribe?!? I think the current answer lies somewhere between whiskey and Hitchcock. Na zdrowie!

Go HOME, Marvin.

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