American Morning
Ted Danson: Cheer for the world's oceans
Editor's note: Ted Danson is an Emmy Award-winning actor, a founding board member of Oceana, the world's largest international organization dedicated solely to ocean conservation, and narrator of a new film, "End of the Line." For more information about Oceana, read here.
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/06/08/art.ted.danson.oceana.jpg caption= "Ted Danson says a 'closed' sign on a beach led him on a 20-year quest to save the world's oceans."]
By Ted Danson
Special to CNN
(CNN) - Today, Monday, June 8, we recognize the first U.N.-sanctioned World Oceans Day. The event comes after years of pressure from conservation groups and thousands of activists who clamored for everyone to know and understand what's happening in our oceans.
I became an ocean activist in 1987. It was the fifth year of "Cheers" and my family moved into a neighborhood that was on the water, in Santa Monica, California. One day I took my daughters to the beach to go swimming, but it was "closed" and I couldn't answer my daughter's question why.
That's really how it started. That and "Cheers" was paying me a lot of money and I felt I had better be responsible with it. So, I started to get involved.
It turned out in our new neighborhood there was a fight to keep Occidental Petroleum from drilling 60 oil wells on Will Rogers State Beach in Los Angeles. They wanted to slant drill into the Santa Monica Bay. The fight was led by a man named Robert Sulnick and we became great friends and found a way to beat them.
We enjoyed ourselves so much that we wanted to continue this work. So Robert Sulnick and I, full of passion and naiveté, started American Oceans Campaign, which ultimately became a part of Oceana. And, here I am, still at it, 20 years later - because our oceans are in trouble.
Watch: Ted Danson speaks to John Roberts on American Morning
What’s on Tap – Monday June, 8th, 2009
Here are the big stories on the agenda today:
- First breaking news... American journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee convicted of quote "grave crimes" and sentenced to 12 years hard labor in North Korea. Washington is demanding North Korea release both women. The State Department says it is deeply concerned and is working right now to secure their release. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson knows a lot about negotiating the release of detained Americans in North Korea. He's done it before – and he may be called on to do it again. He’ll join us live to discuss how this situation needs to be handled moving forward.
- New developments in the crash of Air France Flight 447. The Brazilian Air Force says it's spotted more bodies floating in the ocean. Seventeen were recovered over the weekend. Investigators – now focusing on the jet's air speed sensors – as they try to find out what brought down the plane.
- Gas prices – you feelin’ it? They’re a hot topic on the AMFIX hotline. Will the pumps have to hit four bucks again before the government does something about them?
- “End of the Line.” Actor Ted Danson narrated the new documentary, which focuses on the over-fishing of the world's waters. Danson also testified before a congressional committee in February about offshore drilling. He’ll join us on this “World Oceans Day.”
We Listen!
Friday’s American Morning audience strongly agreed with Carol Costello’s piece that the middle class was headed to extinction, with most believing Washington was to blame.
- Terrie: I just wanted to drop a note about the steel worker losing his job. I agree 100% about the middle class, what is going on in Washington, we were promised jobs for Joe the Plumber and the working man. Over 2000 Coal miners have lost their jobs since Obama took office. And that is just in WV. West Virginia, Kentucky, Penn., etc. Blue Collar people. I would love to ask what the UMWA was thinking supporting a Pres that hasn’t even been in office 1 year and he is shutting them down.
- Raymond: Miss Costello's report this morning about the middle-class was incomplete.... While she is a first-class reporter, her report failed to reference the fact that 80% of American businesses are owned by non-college graduates, contrasted with her comment that 72% of Americans are not college educated, implicitly inferring that a college degree plays some role in the demise of the American middle-class....
- Deborah: Our middle class has been whittled away since the 1980's when our industry was encouraged moved out to developing countries. Now, American citizens earn less, pay ever higher prices, and receive lower and lower quality products. The rich have gotten away with ripping us all off. The middle class' wealth has been funneled into the upper class' bank accounts, Ask any hardware clerk the difference between American made steel and foreign made and determine what has happened to our products! How many poisoned products coming from China will it take before our government wakes up and realizes the middle class consumer is being poisoned by toys & drywall. The American public have been ripped off & poisoned by out sourcing and no one can figure out what happened. Slow and steady economic funneling into CEO pockets.
Is the middle class in the United States disappearing or is there simply an adjustment taking place that will allow those defined as ‘middle class’ to remain so? If you believe the middle class is disappearing, what or who is to blame for this? What do you believe is the solution? Add your comments here for follow the story here.
Meet AM: Graham Flanagan – Associate Producer
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/06/05/graham.meetam.art.jpg caption="You might remember Graham Flanagan from his appearance on air before the Oscars, but he’s not just a movie pundit."]
Each Friday in “Meet AM,” we’ll introduce you to the people who get American Morning to air.
Today, we’d like you to meet Graham Flanagan. Graham is one of our tape APs – he makes sure we have the newest and most relevant video for the stories we’re going to do in the day.
You might know his name from his appearance on air predicting the Oscars, or from the Graham Cam videos he’s posted on our blog. He’s been with AM for over three years.
How did you end up doing what you do?
While I was still in college at Alabama, I found out that an Alabama alumnus happened to be working at AM at the time. While I was in New York visiting some friends and seeing Lou Donaldson at the Village Vanguard, I went to CNN and had a meeting with him. I graduated that December, and then I got the go-ahead to come back to New York and start working as a freelance production assistant. I learned the ropes, got hired full-time after a few months and after a while was lucky enough to be able to move into my current position.
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