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"And Earl…"
"Yes."
"Walk softly and carry a small stick."
FIVE MINUTES LATER, Earl Greenburg was talking to Ta
When he had finished, he turned to Praegitzer.
"We have an appointment Tuesday at ten a.m. Right now Mr. Kingsley is appearing at a congressional committee hearing in Washington."
AT THE HEARING before the Senate Select Committee on the Environment, in Washington, D.C., a panel of six Senate committee members and three dozen spectators and reporters were listening attentively to the testimony of Ta
Ta
The committee head, senior senator Pauline Mary Van Luven, was an imposing figure with an almost aggressive self-confidence. She looked at Ta
In the Ross Sea, an iceberg the size of Jamaica has just collapsed because of global warming. The ozone hole over the South Pole has reached the record size of ten million square miles." He paused for effect and repeated slowly, "Ten million square miles.
"We're witnessing a record number of hurricanes, cyclones, typhoons, and storms that are ravaging parts of Europe. Due to the radical changes in the weather, millions of people in countries around the world are facing starvation and extinction. But those are just words: starvation and extinction. Stop thinking of them as words. Think of their meaning-men, women, and children, hungry and homeless and facing death.
"This past summer, more than twenty thousand people died in a heat wave in Europe." Ta
Are we so dense, so self-absorbed that we can't see what we're doing to-?" Senator Van Luven interrupted. "Mr. Kingsley, this is not a debate. I will ask you to adopt a more moderate tone." Ta
"As all of us are aware, the greenhouse effect is caused by the burning of fossil fuels and other related factors completely under our control, and yet those emissions have reached their highest point in half a million years. They're polluting the air that our children and grandchildren breathe. The pollution can be stopped. And why isn't it? Because it would cost big business money." His voice rose again.
"Money! How much is a breath of fresh air worth compared to the life of a human being? A gallon of gas? Two gallons of gas?" His voice became even more fervent.
"As far as we know, this Earth is the only place that's habitable for us, yet we're poisoning the land and the oceans and the air we breathe as fast as we can. If we don't stop-" Senator Van Luven interrupted again. "Mr. Kingsley-" "I apologize, Senator. I'm angry. I can't watch the destruction of our universe without protesting." Kingsley spoke for another thirty minutes. When he was finished, Senator Van Luven said,
"Mr. Kingsley, I would like to see you in my office, please. This hearing is adjourned."
SENATOR VAN LUVEN's office had been originally furnished in typical sterile, bureaucratic fashion: a desk, a table, six chairs, and rows of filing cabinets, but the senator had added her own feminine touches, with colorful fabrics, paintings, and photographs.
When Ta
"These are my assistants, Cori
"Sit down, Mr. Kingsley," Senator Van Luven said.
Ta
Isn't that bad for business?" Ta
CHAPTER 12
FROM THE MOMENT people heard of Mark's death, Kelly Harris had been flooded with phone calls and flowers and e-mails. The first to call was Sam Meadows, a coworker and close friend of Mark's.
"Kelly! My God. I can't believe it! I-I don't know what to say, I'm just devastated. Every time I turn around, I expect to see Mark there. Kelly-is there anything I can do for you?" "No, thank you, Sam." "Let's stay in touch. I want to be of help in any way I can…" After that came a dozen calls from Mark's friends, and from models Kelly worked with.
Bill Lerner, the head of the modeling agency, telephoned. He offered his condolences, then said, "Kelly, I realize this is not the appropriate time, but I think that getting back to work might be good for you right now. Our phone has been ringing off the hook.
When do you think you'll be ready to go to work?" "When Mark comes back to me." And she dropped the telephone.
AND NOW THE phone was ringing again. Finally Kelly picked it up.
"Yes?"
"Mrs. Harris?" Was she still Mrs. Harris? There was no Mr. Harris anymore, but she would always, always be Mark's wife.
She said firmly, "This is Mrs. Mark Harris." "This is Ta