Not much happening today in the world of past presidents/dignitaries making news. But there was one former leader riding the coat tails of Google today during the company's announcement and release of Google Earth 5.0. This version allows the user to "virtually" dive into the world's oceans for a quick dip -- sans SCUBA gear.
Gore was on hand to help launch the innovative mapping tool at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. At 10AM today Google - and Al - announced how it is using Google Earth to map the world’s oceans, complete with maps of seabeds and underwater imagery that can show the effects of climate change on seas. Right up Al's alley.
Pretty cool stuff.
In other news, former presidential candidate John Edwards' wife, Elizabeth, is writing her memoir entitled "Resilience" -- which will be released in May 2009. In the book, Elizabeth will discuss how she handled her husband's affair while she struggled with cancer. Should be an interesting read.
Going international for this ATG post, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair spoke at Seton Hall University tonight where he spoke about the recent Obama inauguration and looming presidency as a time of inspiration and change. Then proceeded to talk about all the mistakes he made as prime minister during his first few weeks of office. One story goes like this: At a news conference early in his tenure, he said, he answered a French reporter's question about political positions by saying, in bad French, that he "desired the French prime minister in many different positions."
On the lighter side of former political life: According to The Onion, organizers reported Sunday that the 44th White House Carnival was a rousing success, raising a record $800,000,066,845 for the federal government—$800 billion of which came from a dunk tank featuring former vice president Dick Cheney.
According to Secretary of the Treasury and carnival volunteer Timothy Geithner, the 5-foot-deep tank has provided a much-needed boost to the nation's flagging economy.
"We expected a big turn out, but this is unbelievable," said Geithner, adding that it's tradition for the outgoing vice president to work the dunk tank. "More than half the country has already gone, and there's still about 20 million people stretching all the way to Maryland waiting for their chance to sink Cheney. We'll be leaving this booth open for as long as it takes for everyone to get a turn."
For the rest of the story, visit http://www.theonion.com/content/news/cheney_dunk_tank_raises_800.
That's all for now.
--atg
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