Continued Hurricane Dean Coverage, QuickScat Satellite Update, Raw Politics, 360 Takes Your Calls On Vick, And RIP Miles Levin (Tuesday's Show)
Hi everybody. We're starting an hour later tonight because Christiane Amanpour has stolen half of 360's time. But we forgive her due to her awesomeness. Unfortunately I missed the special because I was doing an airport pickup of a family member, so I'll have to catch it during one of the zillion times it is sure to be rerun. Que sera, sera. Anyway, tonight 360 again begins with the latest on Hurricane Dean, which has already made landfall. Anderson Cooper informs us that though it was a Category five storm, at this time there are no reported fatalities in Mexico. Happy dance! That is what a blogger likes to hear. In a Gary Tuchman piece from Tulum, Mexico, we learn that one of the reasons for the no-death toll is most likely because the strongest part of Dean hit an unpopulated area. After this piece, Gary then joins us live to say that the storm actually came ashore at a wildlife sanctuary and they also apparently had a really good evacuation. Hmm. Unlike, say, US cities.
But don't take a nap yet, people. Dean still has some oomph in him and he's aiming for a second landfall. Chad Myers is on top of it, explaining that the hurricane will mostly likely next land in a more mountainess region of Mexico. From Chad we check in with Carl Penhall who is live in Nautla, awaiting Dean round two. There's a nuclear power plant there (which they'll be shutting down), so, um, lets keep our fingers crossed on that one. Because Dean came ashore as a Category five storm, 360 would like to take this opportunity to educate us on Category five storms that have hit the US. You know, in case you're playing trivia later or something. Anyway, there have been three in the past 100 or so years: a nameless one that struck the Florida Keys in 1935, Camille hit the Mississippi coast in 1969, and of course Andrew in Florida in 1992. I remember Andrew fairly well because it coincided with major surgery I had. Not a good week for me or Florida.
Next up we have a John Zarella "Keeping Them Honest" piece on the QuickScat satellite. At first I thought this was a repeat because it was intro-d like this is the first time 360 has ever mentioned it (when in reality John filed a package in June), but no, no. It's actually recut to include the bummer news that Bill Proenza's reprimand has turned into a full-out firing. It sounds like he might try his luck at claiming the firing violated the Whistleblower Protection Act, but last I heard that had been gutted pretty well, so...good luck with that. I'm sure it'll be fine. It's not like we need accurate weather predictions or anything, right?
Transitioning now to some "Raw Politics" with Tom Foreman. First up we learn that Obama wants to ease the Cuba embargo. I don't see why not. I mean, we have full on trade with the Chinese "commies" and they're currently poisoning our pets and children. And they own us, so there's that. Tom also tells us that Romney is talking smack about New York City, calling it a sanctuary for illegal immigrants. Giuliani, the real target of Romney's blows, is fighting back, bringing up the fact that Romney's landscaping company doesn't hire people on the up and up. Oooh. I swear, why don't they just scream "I know you are, but what am I?" and be done with it? Next up we learn that Fred Thompson...wait, you know what? He needs to officially get in the friggin race if he wants me to keep talking about him. That's it. Finally, it seems "Obama girl" has caught the attention of one of the little Obamas. And hopefully that's the worst that she'll be exposed to.
Tonight's "What Were They Thinking?" was something about a gunman helping customers during a holdup, but it all kind of fell out of my head when Anderson noted that it looked like one of the scenes in "Superbad." Anderson saw "Superbad"?! Bwah! I am amused. I myself haven't seen it, but I did just see "Knocked Up," which is Seth Rogen's last film (I'm one behind, apparently). I have to say, Paul Rudd on mushrooms, tripping out because there's five different kinds of chairs in his hotel room? Funniest thing ever. Oh, did I mention I'm 12? Anyway, "Superbad" is a teen sex comedy, hence my amusement at Anderson's viewing. So okay, after that discussion we've got some V-mail and hey, this is actually the first time I've seen this since I always just watch the first hour. Interesting. Anderson says he's liking the V-mail, but he said that about the blog at first too and now he's rarely on it. These kids today. They lose interest in their toys so quickly.
Transitioning now to an Anderson piece on Michael Vick and his probable looming jail time. Apparently his teammates are being supportive. Oh, well, isn't that sweet. And the Knicks' Stefan Marbury has gone so far as to defend Vick by saying dogfighting is a sport. After his piece, Anderson then repeats this line using the Anderson-Cooper-disapproves-of-this voice inflection. Yeah buddy, I got your number. Anyway, apparently 360 is into this story because they're taking your calls! For discussion we're joined by our senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin and ESPN's Stephen Smith. Okay, let's see, the first caller pretty much thinks Vick is scum and the second caller thinks he needs a second chance. Toobin hammers home the point that dogfighting is a crime, while Stephen spends time on cultural issues.
In my last blog I pointed out that Toobin noted how people seem to freak out more about a dog being abused than a woman being beaten. Tonight Anderson notes that they got email about that. I feel like I should be shocked, but I'm not. Toobin reiterates his point that though he's a dog lover, he finds it disturbing that more people are upset about the Vick case than athletes that beat their wives. Oh, and in regards to the emails, Toobin says, "I love our viewers, but some of them are out of their minds." Bwah! It's funny, because it's true. And oh you've done it now, mister. That inbox is going to be full. But seriously, people, Toobin is totally right. I love my dog, but let's have some perspective. The next caller brings up how athletes are role models and she says she won't watch football anymore if Vick plays again. This causes Stephen to flip out. I don't know what his deal is. These guys are enormously overpaid for doing something they find fun. Sorry if we also expect them to act like human beings.
Next up we have a Carol Costello piece on Miles Levin who sadly passed away from cancer this weekend. Miles was just shy of turning only 19 years old. He had become an inspiration for many while blogging about his experience with the disease. There's not really much I can say here. A part of me hoped that maybe they would find out his cancer really wasn't terminal. But life doesn't work like that, does it? You should check out the blog post written by Miles' mother. After the piece, we learn that Anderson was able to briefly meet Miles and he says some words of his own. We then fade out with no sound on a picture of a healthier Miles. Classy. And for once I say that without sarcasm. Godspeed, Miles.
The Shot tonight is a doggie rescue in West Virginia. It seems a man's Dalmation pooch got himself (herself?) trapped in a storm drain for four days. And boy was that owner happy to get him back. I'm guessing Anderson likes this video because he's on "aw" overload over here. Erica Hill then whips out the Dramatic Animal Video! graphic (the most awesome graphic evah) for a video of a Rottweiler that adopted a kitten. Aw, this video is so sweet it's giving me a cavity. What's freaky is that the dog is also nursing the kitten. Yeah, weird, right? Anderson is boggled too. Okay, well, at least I found this show entertaining, but seriously 360, what have you done with the hard news? I'm about to put out an APB. B-
But don't take a nap yet, people. Dean still has some oomph in him and he's aiming for a second landfall. Chad Myers is on top of it, explaining that the hurricane will mostly likely next land in a more mountainess region of Mexico. From Chad we check in with Carl Penhall who is live in Nautla, awaiting Dean round two. There's a nuclear power plant there (which they'll be shutting down), so, um, lets keep our fingers crossed on that one. Because Dean came ashore as a Category five storm, 360 would like to take this opportunity to educate us on Category five storms that have hit the US. You know, in case you're playing trivia later or something. Anyway, there have been three in the past 100 or so years: a nameless one that struck the Florida Keys in 1935, Camille hit the Mississippi coast in 1969, and of course Andrew in Florida in 1992. I remember Andrew fairly well because it coincided with major surgery I had. Not a good week for me or Florida.
Next up we have a John Zarella "Keeping Them Honest" piece on the QuickScat satellite. At first I thought this was a repeat because it was intro-d like this is the first time 360 has ever mentioned it (when in reality John filed a package in June), but no, no. It's actually recut to include the bummer news that Bill Proenza's reprimand has turned into a full-out firing. It sounds like he might try his luck at claiming the firing violated the Whistleblower Protection Act, but last I heard that had been gutted pretty well, so...good luck with that. I'm sure it'll be fine. It's not like we need accurate weather predictions or anything, right?
Transitioning now to some "Raw Politics" with Tom Foreman. First up we learn that Obama wants to ease the Cuba embargo. I don't see why not. I mean, we have full on trade with the Chinese "commies" and they're currently poisoning our pets and children. And they own us, so there's that. Tom also tells us that Romney is talking smack about New York City, calling it a sanctuary for illegal immigrants. Giuliani, the real target of Romney's blows, is fighting back, bringing up the fact that Romney's landscaping company doesn't hire people on the up and up. Oooh. I swear, why don't they just scream "I know you are, but what am I?" and be done with it? Next up we learn that Fred Thompson...wait, you know what? He needs to officially get in the friggin race if he wants me to keep talking about him. That's it. Finally, it seems "Obama girl" has caught the attention of one of the little Obamas. And hopefully that's the worst that she'll be exposed to.
Tonight's "What Were They Thinking?" was something about a gunman helping customers during a holdup, but it all kind of fell out of my head when Anderson noted that it looked like one of the scenes in "Superbad." Anderson saw "Superbad"?! Bwah! I am amused. I myself haven't seen it, but I did just see "Knocked Up," which is Seth Rogen's last film (I'm one behind, apparently). I have to say, Paul Rudd on mushrooms, tripping out because there's five different kinds of chairs in his hotel room? Funniest thing ever. Oh, did I mention I'm 12? Anyway, "Superbad" is a teen sex comedy, hence my amusement at Anderson's viewing. So okay, after that discussion we've got some V-mail and hey, this is actually the first time I've seen this since I always just watch the first hour. Interesting. Anderson says he's liking the V-mail, but he said that about the blog at first too and now he's rarely on it. These kids today. They lose interest in their toys so quickly.
Transitioning now to an Anderson piece on Michael Vick and his probable looming jail time. Apparently his teammates are being supportive. Oh, well, isn't that sweet. And the Knicks' Stefan Marbury has gone so far as to defend Vick by saying dogfighting is a sport. After his piece, Anderson then repeats this line using the Anderson-Cooper-disapproves-of-this voice inflection. Yeah buddy, I got your number. Anyway, apparently 360 is into this story because they're taking your calls! For discussion we're joined by our senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin and ESPN's Stephen Smith. Okay, let's see, the first caller pretty much thinks Vick is scum and the second caller thinks he needs a second chance. Toobin hammers home the point that dogfighting is a crime, while Stephen spends time on cultural issues.
In my last blog I pointed out that Toobin noted how people seem to freak out more about a dog being abused than a woman being beaten. Tonight Anderson notes that they got email about that. I feel like I should be shocked, but I'm not. Toobin reiterates his point that though he's a dog lover, he finds it disturbing that more people are upset about the Vick case than athletes that beat their wives. Oh, and in regards to the emails, Toobin says, "I love our viewers, but some of them are out of their minds." Bwah! It's funny, because it's true. And oh you've done it now, mister. That inbox is going to be full. But seriously, people, Toobin is totally right. I love my dog, but let's have some perspective. The next caller brings up how athletes are role models and she says she won't watch football anymore if Vick plays again. This causes Stephen to flip out. I don't know what his deal is. These guys are enormously overpaid for doing something they find fun. Sorry if we also expect them to act like human beings.
Next up we have a Carol Costello piece on Miles Levin who sadly passed away from cancer this weekend. Miles was just shy of turning only 19 years old. He had become an inspiration for many while blogging about his experience with the disease. There's not really much I can say here. A part of me hoped that maybe they would find out his cancer really wasn't terminal. But life doesn't work like that, does it? You should check out the blog post written by Miles' mother. After the piece, we learn that Anderson was able to briefly meet Miles and he says some words of his own. We then fade out with no sound on a picture of a healthier Miles. Classy. And for once I say that without sarcasm. Godspeed, Miles.
The Shot tonight is a doggie rescue in West Virginia. It seems a man's Dalmation pooch got himself (herself?) trapped in a storm drain for four days. And boy was that owner happy to get him back. I'm guessing Anderson likes this video because he's on "aw" overload over here. Erica Hill then whips out the Dramatic Animal Video! graphic (the most awesome graphic evah) for a video of a Rottweiler that adopted a kitten. Aw, this video is so sweet it's giving me a cavity. What's freaky is that the dog is also nursing the kitten. Yeah, weird, right? Anderson is boggled too. Okay, well, at least I found this show entertaining, but seriously 360, what have you done with the hard news? I'm about to put out an APB. B-
posted by eliza at 1:01 AM
5 Comments:
Eliza: Did I miss something? Why are Toobin and so many of the AC blog people suggesting that just because people are outraged over what Vick did that they are somehow conding the abuse of women? That is an awfully big jump to make. We are comparing apples and oranges IMO.
If Toobin is so upset over the abuse of women he can discuss it at another time, this was strictly an animal abuse issue. Frankly, I suspect that he has some abuse issues in his life that have not been adequately addressed.
People should stop and realize just how brutal and vicious these acts were and that animal abuse often leads to the abuse or murder of women and children.
Should they just wait to see if Vick takes that next step, or should they take action now? I guarantee that if nothing is done to address this brutality and Vick comes back and hurts or kills some one, all of you will be up in arms that no action was taken against his abuse of animals.
Maybe if they wait he will eventually give Toobin something to really cry about, but it will be too late for the victim.
@anonymous-To answer your question, yes, I think you did miss something. No one is accusing those angered by the Vick situation of condoning abuse of women. This is not strictly an animal abuse issue. This made news because it was a professional football player doing the abusing. Toobin's point was that there have been cases of professional athletes abusing women and the public has not seemed to be as angered about that.
I think you're being much too hard on Toobin and are twisting his words. He flat out said that Vick committed a felony and should thus be punished. This isn't about people making excuses for Vick. What he did was disgusting and he needs to be punished. Toobin simply pointed out that as a society our perspective seems to be skewed. And he's right.
@Eliza: No, I did not miss that point. I understand Toobin's point completely. Maybe I should have said that was the impression he gave me. I do, however, think that the people defending Toobin by claiming that those of us who are outraged by Vick's animal abuse put animals ahead of people are the ones twisting our words.
I don't think it is the fault of the viewers that more attention is not paid to the abuse of women, it is the media's fault for not exposing it in the same way that they are exposing Vick's crimes against dogs. Maybe Toobin should have directed his "out of their minds" comments towards the powers that be at CNN.
I hope that all of you that feel so strongly about this issue will speak up next time there is another spousal abuse charge leveled at a celebrity. I feel stongly about this issue as well because I have had exerience with this type of abuse myself, but that does not keep me from feeling outraged by Vick's crimes.
I have often been outraged by many things celebrities get away with, but they still get away with them.
I disagree with you, many people have been making excuses for Vick.
@anonymous-I don't know how we can be twisting your words when we don't even know what your words are. You're looking at this from a personal perspective; Toobin and those defending him are looking at this from a societal perspective.
CNN is, unfortunately, a business. They're going to cover what they know people will watch. They got tons of email over this story, thus the coverage.
I said the issue here isn't about people making excuses for Vick. Toobin and his supporters are not making excuses for Vick. I know there are people supporting Vick, but Toobin is not one of them and neither am I.
hi anderson you the man.
look about the politics america would be very stupid not voting for obama listen i dont even vote and i dont care who is president but i've in the us for 5 years now i'm 4rom the UK but america needs some serious help there is more por then rich i make over 350000 a year but i rather be cut more taxes than get atax break c,ommon america wake up and smell the coffee dont let other persidents comee here and tal shit about your country obama obama obama
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