Live Blog from the Anchor Desk 7/3/08
For what’s in the program take a look at tonight’s Evening Buzz.
Be sure to check out Anderson and Erica on our live web camera from the 360° studio. We’ll turn the camera on at 945p ET and turn it off at 11p ET.
LINK TO THE BLOG CAMERA
We’ll start posting comments to this blog at 10p ET and stop at 11p ET.
Evening Buzz: Dog$ Rule?
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i.l.cnn.net/money/2008/07/02/news/newsmakers/Leona_Helmsley.ap/leona_trouble.ap.03.jpg caption="Late billionaire Leona Helmsley requested that her $8 billion fortune go to the care and welfare of dogs"]
Maureen Miller
360° Writer
Animal welfare groups are trying to get their paws (excuse the pun) on the reported $8 billion fortune of the late Leona Helmsley. She controlled New York's Empire State building, got jail time courtesy of the IRS and didn't get along too well with people. But, boy, did she LOVE dogs!!!
Helmsley's pooch, Touble, was named in her will. But two of her grandchildren didn't get a dime. Then a couple months ago, a judge cut the dog's trust fund from $12 million to $2 million. And, the grandkids will get $6 million dollars each. But now there are reports that Helmsley wanted her ENTIRE fortune (estimated at $8 billion) to go to the DOGS!!! This could lead to more battles in court over the cash. Do you think its fair the family was kept out of the will? Please share your thoughts.
Also tonight, is Barack Obama flip-flopping on Iraq?
AC360° Radar for July 4th
Lisa Ort
AC360° Producer
Here’s a look at some of the stories on our radar for tomorrow:
RAW POLITICS: Sen. McCain will be in Arizona with no public events planned. Sen. Obama will be spending the holiday in Butte where he’ll attend a parade and a picnic. And here on 360 we’ll have an in-depth look at the candidates and their wives.
ESSENCE MUSIC FESTIVAL: Performers in New Orleans include Kanye West, Patti Labelle, Mary J Bilge, LL Cool J and Chris Rock.
SIDEWALK EGG-FRYING CONTEST: Contestants race to fry an egg using only the sun.
CONEY ISLAND HOT DOG EATING COMPETITION: Held every Fourth of July, competitors have 12 minutes to eat hot dogs from Nathan’s Famous to win the Mustard Yellow International Belt. The record: 66 hot dogs.
NATIONAL ARCHIVES INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION: The national archives celebrates with a dramatic reading of the Declaration of Independence
PLANET IN PERIL: Battle Lines – 'Shark Finning'
Check out these pictures of CNN Special Correspondent Lisa Ling on assignment in Taiwan for Planet In Peril: Battle lines. She investigates 'shark finning' – a practice that scientists say kills around 70 million sharks every year and is altering an ecosystem.
Beat 360° 07/03/08
It’s time for ‘Beat 360°!’
Everyday we post a picture – and you provide the caption. Our staff will get in on the action too.
Tune in every night at 10p ET to see if you are our favorite! Can you Beat 360°?
Here is the ‘Beat 360°’ pic of the day:
Senator John McCain waves to the press after a joint press conference with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe in Bogota, Colombia, on July 1, 2008. Mccain is on a two-day visit to Colombia on talks about a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) prior to his trip to Mexico.
Have fun with it.
Make sure to include your name, city, state (or country) so we can post your comment.
________________________________________________
But wait!... There's more!
When you win ‘Beat 360°’ not only do you get on-air prime-time name recognition (complete with bragging rights over all your friends, family, and jealous competitors), but you get a “I Won the Beat 360° Challenge” T-shirt!
Good luck to all!
UPDATE: Check out our Beat 360° winners!
What's Your Ethics IQ? Part 1: Ethics at Work
Bruce Weinstein, Ph.D.
The Ethics Guy, BusinessWeek
Daniel Goleman's books "Emotional Intelligence" and "Social Intelligence" have made a huge impact on our culture. We could all develop our ethical intelligence, too. That means not only understanding the difference between right and wrong, but also choosing to act ethically, especially when there is great pressure to do otherwise. It's not enough to know what's right; the ethically intelligent person does what's right, and is committed to doing so time and again.
How ethically intelligent are you at work? Take the following quiz to find out.
1. One of the people you have just hired seems to be attracted to you, and you are attracted to this person. Both of you are single. Would you:
A) Ask the person out on a date.
B) Have only a professional relationship with the person.
C) Ask the person if your intuition is correct, and if it is, discreetly pursue a romantic relationship.
2. A co-worker in the next cubicle has a habit of spending a lot of time making loud and distracting personal phone calls about things that are obviously trivial. Would you:
A) Ask the person to keep the volume at a reasonable level.
B) Focus on your own work.
C) Talk with the person about why it's in everyone's interest to limit personal phone calls.
Should we have mercy for the unmerciful?
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2008/images/07/03/art.atkinsmanson.jpg caption="Susan Atkins and Charles Manson in a Santa Monica courtroom Oct, 1970."]
Ted Rowlands
AC360° Correspondent
It’s hard to imagine a better test case for California’s compassionate release program for prisoners who are terminally ill. Susan Atkins, who has brain cancer and has been given six months to live, has been a model prisoner during her almost 40 years behind bars. According to her Attorney she’s had a leg amputated, can barely speak, and would most likely spend the rest of her life in the same hospital room she’s been in since March.
The compassionate release program was designed in large part to save taxpayers money, and Susan Atkins is costing the state a bundle; More than a million in medical fees in three months, and 225 thousand for around the clock guards outside her hospital room. If she’s freed, her family would pay for her care, saving the state thousands of dollars.
But this is Susan Atkins, one of those creepy Manson girls that smiled at the cameras after brutally killing innocent people to appease Charles Manson. She was the one, who, by her own admission, held down the pregnant actress Sharon Tate while she and her unborn child were stabbed 16 times. She admits that Sharon Tate begged for Mercy saying “don’t kill me I want to have my baby” but she told Tate while holding her down, “I have no mercy on you”.
Should California now have mercy for Susan Atkins? FULL POST
Why Colombians are celebrating, too
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2008/images/07/03/art.vert.colombia.jpg caption="French-Colombian former politician Ingrid Betancourt (R) is hugged by Colombia's Army Gen.Mario Montoya" width=292 height=320]
Gary Tuchman
AC360° Correspondent
I first visited Colombia as a journalist 20 years ago and have been there several times since. It’s a beautiful country with remarkably friendly people who have suffered greatly because of the anti-government rebels who have inflicted so much fear in the nation.
That’s why it warmed my heart when I received an e-mail from a close Colombian friend talking about the joy in her country tonight after the rescue of the hostages. My friend Clara lives in the capital, Bogota, and describes a scene of pride and patriotism she has not seen before.
FARC hostages – A frightening decision
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2008/images/07/02/art.betancourt.jpg caption="The commander of Colombia's Army, Gen. Mario Montoya, embraces former hostage Ingrid Betancourt"]
Steve Turnham
AC360° Producer
The U.S. government's policy of never yielding to terrorists was put to a serious test last year in a case that related directly to the hostages held by the Colombian rebel group FARC.
The U.S. government's policy of never yielding to terrorists was put to a serious test last year in a case that related directly to the hostages held by the Colombian rebel group FARC.
The Justice Department went ahead with prosecuting a senior FARC official - over the emotional protests of the hostages' families. The families feared the prosecution might have pushed FARC to retaliate against their loved ones.
It can't have been easy for the prosecutors, and now the worst case scenario is no longer a worry.
Instead, it's the happiest outcome: the hostages are safe, and the government's principles are intact.
