Monday, January 21, 2008

BBC 5 Live Radio International with Simon Mayo (01/21/08)


During his visit to UK, Greg Mortenson was on the Simon Mayo program earlier today talking about his work and his book.

To listen to the interview, please click the link below:
Listen to Greg Mortenson talking about Three Cups Of Tea on BBC Radio 5 live

Click here for Greg's picture during the interview.


Thursday, January 17, 2008

1,000 cue at library for Three Cups of Tea tickets in Lake Oswego, OR (01/17/08)


Lake Oswego Review

January 17, 2008

Tickets for ‘Three Cups’ go quickly


They were the hottest ticket in town, pun intended


More than 1,000 people filled the Lake Oswego Public Library on Saturday to stand in line for a pair of free tickets to hear “Three Cups of Tea” authors Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin speak Feb. 6 as a part of this year’s Lake Oswego Reads program.

When the library opened at 10 a.m., there were already people waiting for the 2:30 p.m. distribution of 1,000 tickets.

Three Cups of Tea” supporters followed the taped line on the floor that wrapped around the book stacks on the main floor of the library.

People sat on the floor, read books, discussed “Three Cups of Tea,” knitted, drank tea and had fun. By 1 p.m., organizers estimated that the line had more than 250 people. By 2 p.m., there were more than 450 people waiting with the line leading to the second floor.

“It was so exciting. There was such a buzz throughout the library and you could feel the anticipation,” said Lake Oswego resident Gregory Breuner, one of the lucky library members to receive two free tickets. “The people waiting introduced themselves to each other and discussed the books in front of them. We left the library with tickets and new friends.”

At 2:30 p.m. tickets were distributed, two per person, and they were gone in 20 minutes, just as LO Reads organizer Cyndie Glazer predicted.

More than 500 people were turned away when the tickets ran out.

Lake Oswego Reads organizers were surprised and thrilled with the response to hearing Relin and Mortenson speak. Because of the high demand for tickets, Glazer said library officials plan to check Craigslist and eBay to see if people post them for sale – and if so, how much they sell for.

Although there is not a waiting list, people can show up on Feb. 6 at Lake Oswego High School and if there are seats available at 6:45 p.m., they will be seated in the cafeteria, where guests will be able to see and hear the authors talk on large screens.

The blue tickets are for the auditorium and the red tickets are for the cafeteria, officials said. The tickets note that there is no admission after 6:45 p.m. for the 7 p.m. presentation.

Mortenson will travel to Lake Oswego from his home in Bozeman , Mont. , while Relin lives in Portland . They will both talk at a student-only event at Lakeridge High School earlier in the day.

Library officials plan to solicit donations for Mortenson’s non-profit, the Central Asia Institute, during his evening appearance and through a elementary school program, “Pennies for Peace.”

This author event is made possible in part by a grant from the gOregon Council for the Humanities, a statewide nonprofit organization and an independent affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, which funds OCH’s grant program. The Oregon Cultural Trust, which invests in Oregon arts, humanities and heritage, also helped fund OCH’s grant program.

This is the second annual Lake Oswego Reads and the goal of the program is to strengthen civic pride, foster discussion among residents and bring the community together through the common bond of reading. It gives a forum in which to talk about different themes, concepts and issues in the book and a means to access related experiences.

To find out about all the events planned around “Three Cups of Tea” during February, go to www.lakeoswegolibrary.org and click on the Lake Oswego Reads box.

http://www.lakeoswegoreview.com

© 2008 Lake Oswego Review. All Rights Reserved. Used With Permission.

Monday, January 14, 2008

Making friends, not enemies (01/14/08)

The following excerpt has been taken from Colorado Springs Independent Newspaper.

JANUARY 10, 2008
Making friends, not enemies
In Pakistan and Afghanistan, Greg Mortenson's building schools — and goodwill

Save the date: 7 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 15. A phenomenon is coming to town.
Everywhere Greg Mortenson travels, people flock to hear his story and his simple message about how to change the world. He has spoken to 1,400 in Cambridge, Mass., 2,000 in San Francisco and 2,500 on Bainbridge Island in Washington state.
People also are buying Mortenson's book, which has spent 47 weeks on the New York Times best-sellers list. And the readers aren't just peaceniks — the Army is requiring 5,000 officers attending the U.S. War College to read Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Fight Terrorism and Build Nations ... One School at a Time..................

<click here
> for complete article.

Sunday, January 13, 2008

In remote Pakistan , Greg Mortenson is besting extremists by building schools (01/13/08)


The following is an excerpt from Philadelphia Inquirer syndicated columnist, Trudy Rubin, on her recent December 2007 visit with Greg Mortenson and Central Asia Institute in Pakistan.

Sunday, January 13, 2008
Worldview: The Lesson Jihadis Fear
In remote Pakistan , Greg Mortenson is besting extremists by building schools.
By Trudy Rubin

Pakistan has made news lately as the world's most dangerous country: a nuclear-armed state that has become a base for al-Qaeda, the Taliban and other fanatic Islamists.

But on my trip there last month, I saw an antidote to this nightmare, a route out of this trap - if Pakistan 's government and the West would only seize it. I traveled to mountain villages with Greg Mortenson, a former mountain climber who has built fifty five schools in Pakistan , and eight in Afghanistan .

Mortenson got lost 15 years ago descending from K2 , and promised to build a school for the villagers who rescued and nursed him. His formula for countering extremism is summed up in the title of his best-selling book: Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time.


<click here> for complete article.

Monday, January 7, 2008

Reuters: National Awards for Citizen Diplomacy announced (01/07/08)

National Awards for Citizen Diplomacy announced Award Ceremony to be held February 12, 2008 in Washington, D.C.
Monday, January 7th, 2008
Reuters


The U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy has announced six recipients of the first-ever National Awards for Citizen Diplomacy.

The honorees will be recognized at an Awards Ceremony at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. on February 12, 2008.

The honorees are recognized for inspiring others through their exemplary work as citizen diplomats and for promoting cultural understanding around the world. It is not only the right, but the responsibility of every American to be a citizen diplomat, of the highest quality, for our communities and our country,' said Harriet Mayor Fulbright, board member for the U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy and the President of the J. William and Harriet Fulbright Center. We are particularly proud to recognize these six recipients of the first-ever National Awards for Citizen Diplomacy.

The honorees, through their various causes and programs, understand the need for citizen involvement in international relations. We established this award to shine a spotlight on citizen diplomats and to recognize their efforts and highlight their national and international contributions.

National Award Honorees

Greg Mortenson of Bozeman, Montana, is the co-founder of the Central Asia Institute and Pennies for Peace. Mortenson has raised funds to build 64 schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan and has helped over 25,000 children. He is co-author of The New York Times best seller, Three Cups of Tea.

More on: www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS165945+07-Jan-2008

3CT #3 on NY TIMES BESTSELLER (01-07-08)


Three Cups of Tea is # 3 this week on NY Times bestseller list (paperback nonfiction) for week # 48

PAPERBACK NONFICTION

Top 5 at a Glance
1. EAT, PRAY, LOVE, by Elizabeth Gilbert
2. THE INNOCENT MAN, by John Grisham
3. THREE CUPS OF TEA, by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
4. INTO THE WILD, by Jon Krakauer
5. CHARLIE WILSON’S WAR, by George Crile

Complete Paperback Nonfiction List »