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Michael Jackson- the way you make me feel

2011-08-15T00:10:00.000-07:00

Michael Jackson- the way you make me feel

Bombers take bin Laden revenge in Pakistan

2011-05-14T03:26:00.000-07:00

Suicide bombers killed 80 people at a Pakistani paramilitary academy on Friday in revenge for the death of Osama bin Laden in a U.S. raid and militants in Pakistan vowed to carry out more attacks.
A member of the Pakistani parliament said Lieutenant-General Ahmad Shuja Pasha, Pakistan's spy chief, said he was "ready to resign" over the bin Laden affair that has embarrassed the nation. Pakistan's opposition leader accused the Inter-Services Intelligence, or ISI, spy agency of negligence and incompetence.
Followers of bin Laden have vowed revenge for the al Qaeda chief's death and the Pakistani Taliban said Friday's attack by two suicide bombers in the northwestern town of Charsadda was their first taste of vengeance.
"There will be more," militant spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan said by telephone from an undisclosed location.
The bombers struck as recruits were going on leave and 65 of them were among the 80 dead. Pools of blood strewn with soldiers' caps and shoes lay on the road outside the academy as the wounded, looking dazed with parts of their clothes ripped away by shrapnel, were loaded into trucks.
Pakistan's military and government have drawn criticism at home, partly for not finding bin Laden but more for failing to detect or stop the U.S. raid on May 2 that killed him.
A senior Pakistani general also canceled a planned visit to the United States. Pakistan depends heavily on U.S. aid.
In addition, U.S. authorities in Pakistan interviewed three of bin Laden's widows, detained by Pakistan in the compound after the U.S. raid, but gathered little new information, U.S. officials said in Washington.
Pakistan said it would repatriate the three widows and their children. One is from Yemen and the others from Saudi Arabia.
U.S. special forces killed bin Laden, the man behind the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, at a compound near Pakistan's top military academy in the northern town of Abbottabad. Pakistan welcomed his death as a major step against militancy but called the secret U.S. raid a violation of its sovereignty.
Shahid Ali, 28, was on his way to his shop when the bombs went off in Charsadda. He tried to help survivors. "A young boy was lying near a wrecked van asked me to take him to hospital. I got help and we got him into a vehicle," Ali said.
'DISRUPT, DISMANTLE AND DEFEAT'
In Washington, U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner condemned the attack, offered condolences to the families of the victims, and stressed the U.S. alliance with Pakistan.
"Terrorists have shown time and again that they are the true enemy ... of the people and the government of Pakistan," Toner said. "We respect the nation's sacrifices in the fight against terrorism and will continue to stand with Pakistan in our joint struggle to disrupt, dismantle and defeat al Qaeda and allied terrorist organizations."
White House spokesman Jay Carney said the United States would be "very vigilant" about revenge attacks.
Hours after the bombing, a U.S. drone aircraft fired missiles at a vehicle in North Waziristan on the Afghan border, killing five militants, Pakistani security officials said.
It was the fourth drone attack since bin Laden was killed, inflaming another sore issue between Pakistan and the United States. Pakistan officially objects to the attacks, saying they violate its sovereignty and feed public anger.
Military and intelligence chiefs gave parliament a closed-door briefing in which ISI chief Pasha told legislators he was ready to take responsibility for any criminal failing, Information Minister Firdous Ashiq Awan said.
"If any of our responsibility is determined and any gap identified, that our negligence was criminal negligence, and there was an intentional failure, then we are ready to face any consequences," Awan told Express TV, citing Pasha.
Another member of parliament said Pasha told the assembly he did not want to "hang around" if parliament deems him responsible. "I am ready to resign," Riaz Fatyana quoted the ISI chief as saying.
The spy chief also told parliament bin Laden had been isolated, Awan said. "We had already killed all his allies and so we had killed him even before he was dead. He was living like a dead man," Awan quoted Pasha as saying.
The chairman of Pakistan's joint chiefs of staff committee, General Khalid Shameem Wynne, canceled a five-day visit to the United States that had been set to begin on May 22.
"The visit could not be undertaken under existing circumstances," a military official told Reuters.
He did not elaborate, but the decision to cancel the visit came as the Cabinet defense committee said it was reviewing cooperation with the United States on counterterrorism.
U.S. officials are sifting through what they describe as a treasure trove of intelligence material seized in the raid on bin Laden's compound.
Officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, revealed on Friday that a stash of video pornography was found in the hideout there but said they did not know if bin Laden himself had acquired or viewed the material.
The White House also said President Barack Obama would lay out his vision for Middle East policy next Thursday, using bin Laden's death as a chance to recast the U.S. response to political upheaval in the Arab world.
Former U.S. President George W. Bush, who spent years searching in vain for bin Laden, described for the first time the call he received from Obama informing him that U.S. forces had killed the al Qaeda leader.
Bush said he was eating souffles at a Dallas restaurant when he got word Obama was trying to reach him.
"I excused myself and went home to take the call," Bush said. "Obama simply said, 'Osama bin Laden is dead.'" After Obama described the U.S. raid and the decision he made to go ahead with the mission, Bush said he told Obama, "Good call."

Gaddafi denies death as Libya claims NATO has killed more civilians

2011-05-14T01:45:00.000-07:00

Libyan state TV broadcast a recorded audio message from leader Muammar Gaddafi Friday evening in which he says he is still alive after claims earlier in the day he may have been hurt in NATO airstrikes.
The broadcast also came after the Libyan government accused NATO bombing of killing more people in the oil town of Brega.Gaddafi called the Western countries "cowards" in his minute-long message.
"You could kill my body but could not kill my soul which lives in the hearts of millions," Gaddafi said.
He also said a NATO airstrike Thursday that targeted his Bab al-Aziziya compound in Tripoli killed "three innocent journalist-civilians."
Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said earlier Friday Gaddafi may have been hurt in NATO air raid and fled Tripoli, but this was later denied by a Libyan government spokesman.
Frattini said Tripoli's bishop had said Gaddafi was "probably wounded" but Italy had "no credible information" about Gaddafi's whereabouts and health conditions, according to the Italy-based ANSA news agency.
"International pressure has likely provoked the decision by Gaddafi to seek refuge in a safe place," the foreign minister told reporters.
Shortly after the report, Libyan government spokesperson Musa Ibrahim denied Gaddafi was hurt, according to Al-Arabiya TV.
He said these reports were made only to weaken the morale of the Libyan people.
Rumors that Gaddafi was dead have been circulating since his youngest son, Saif al-Arab Gaddafi, and three of his grandchildren were killed in a NATO bombing almost two weeks ago.
Gaddafi made his first TV appearance since that attack on Wednesday. The video footage showed him meeting with several tribal leaders, which was seen as the Libyan government's attempt to dispel the rumors.
Libya's state TV also reported Friday at least 16 people were killed in a NATO air strike at Brega, a key oil town in the eastern part of the country, which is still reportedly controlled by pro-Gaddafi forces. The television said the air raid targeted a guest house in the city.
The NATO-led alliance, responding to the civilian deaths, said in a statement released in Brussels on Saturday it attacked a military command and control center, 750 km southeast of the capital.
Also on Friday, Libyan rebels held a meeting attended by delegates from 15 cities around the country, a move seen as an attempt to scuttle regional support for Gaddafi.
The 15 cities includes both those captured by the opposition and those still in the hands of pro-Gaddafi forces, including Sirte, the hometown of Gaddafi.
Besides courting domestic support, the rebels' National Transitional Council (NTC) is also seeking additional international recognition.
NTC chief diplomat Mahmoud Gibril, who is now in the United States, met with U.S. National Security Adviser Tom Donilon at the White House Friday.
Donilon said Washington viewed the NTC as a legitimate and credible interlocutor of the Libyan people and reiterated U.S. President Barack Obama's call for Gaddafi to leave immediately, the White House said in a statement.
The White House also said Donilon and Gibril discussed how the United States and the coalition could provide additional support to the NTC, according to the statement.
However, White House spokesman Jay Carney said Friday he did not anticipate formal U.S. recognition of the NTC as the legitimate representative of the Libyan people after the meeting.
"The question of recognition is one of many policy issues still under review, and we're continuing to assess the capabilities of the NTC as we deepen our engagement with the opposition," he told reporters at the White House.
He said the White House was discussing with Congress access to blocked Libyan government assets in the United States, valued at some 30 billion U.S. dollars, for humanitarian purposes in Libya.
Russia also supports release of the assets for humanitarian aid, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexei Sazonov told a news briefing Friday.
Sazonov said such humanitarian aids should not be politically motivated and should cover all of the nation's population.
He said these actions should be approved by the UN Security Council and international organizations such as UN High Commissioner for Refugees should monitor the use of these aids.

US drone attacks must stop - Pakistan

2011-05-14T00:32:00.000-07:00

PAKISTAN'S parliament has demanded an end to US drone strikes on its territory and called for an independent probe into the raid by US troops that killed Osama bin Laden to ensure there is no repeat.

The strongly worded message came after a joint sitting of parliament lasting more than 10 hours, during which MPs debated the "situation arising from unilateral US action in Abbottabad'' which targeted bin Laden.
Pakistan's intelligence chief Ahmad Shuja Pasha, chief of military operations and deputy chief of air staff, briefed the MPs in Islamabad.
Describing the continued drone strikes as "unacceptable'', parliament said in a resolution: "Such drone attacks must be stopped forthwith, failing which the government will be constrained to consider taking (the) necessary steps, including withdrawal of (the) transit facility allowed to NATO.''
Most supplies and equipment required by foreign troops in Afghanistan are shipped through the main northwestern border crossing, which comes under frequent militant attacks.

US strikes doubled last year, with more than 100 drone operations killing over 670 people, according to an Agence France-Presse tally, and the CIA has said the covert programme has severely disrupted al-Qaeda's leadership.
A US drone strike in North Waziristan near the Afghan border on Friday killed three militants.
It was the fourth such attack reported in Pakistan's tribal badlands on the Afghan border, which Washington has dubbed the global headquarters of al-Qaeda, since US Navy SEALs killed bin Laden in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad.
US drone strikes inflame anti-American feeling in Pakistan, which has worsened since a CIA contractor shot dead two Pakistani men in a busy Lahore street in January and over the perceived impunity of the bin Laden raid.
The lawmakers also called on the government ``to appoint an independent commission on the Abbottabad operation, fix responsibility and recommend necessary measures to ensure that such an incident does not recur''.

US strikes doubled last year, with more than 100 drone operations killing over 670 people, according to an Agence France-Presse tally, and the CIA has said the covert programme has severely disrupted al-Qaeda's leadership.
A US drone strike in North Waziristan near the Afghan border on Friday killed three militants.
It was the fourth such attack reported in Pakistan's tribal badlands on the Afghan border, which Washington has dubbed the global headquarters of al-Qaeda, since US Navy SEALs killed bin Laden in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad.
US drone strikes inflame anti-American feeling in Pakistan, which has worsened since a CIA contractor shot dead two Pakistani men in a busy Lahore street in January and over the perceived impunity of the bin Laden raid.
The lawmakers also called on the government ``to appoint an independent commission on the Abbottabad operation, fix responsibility and recommend necessary measures to ensure that such an incident does not recur''.
"The composition, modalities of the commission will be settled after consultations between Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and (the) leader of the opposition,'' said the resolution.
Pakistan's opposition leader, Nawaz Sharif, demanded an independent inquiry over bin Laden and this month's US raid that killed him, rejecting an internal military probe ordered by the state.
The resolution criticised the US raid and said ``unilateral actions cannot advance the global cause of elimination of terrorism'', adding that any repeat could have ``dire consequences for peace and security in the region and the world''.
It called on the government to ``revisit and review its terms of engagement with the United States, with a view to ensuring that Pakistan's national interests are fully respected and accommodated''.
Parliament also "affirmed full confidence in the defence forces of Pakistan'' and highlighted the importance of international cooperation to defeat terrorism ``on the basis of a true partnership approach, based on equality, mutual respect and mutual trust''.
Pakistanis have been outraged at the perceived impunity of the US raid, and have asked whether their military was too incompetent to know bin Laden was living close to a major forces academy, or, worse, conspired to protect him.
Under growing domestic pressure to punish Washington, Pakistan's civilian government said it would review counter-terrorism co-operation with the US.

Pakistan's parliament condemns U.S. raid

2011-05-14T00:23:00.000-07:00

Pakistan's parliament threatened Saturday to cut off access to a facility used by NATO forces to ferry troops into Afghanistan, signaling a growing rift that began when U.S. commandos killed Osama bin Laden during a raid on a Pakistani compound.
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Pakistani and U.S. intelligence officials have said there is no evidence that any active members of Pakistan's military or intelligence establishment knew about or actively protected the al Qaeda leader.
Publicly, leaders in both countries have downplayed a rift.
But the unanimous resolution made clear there was a growing dissatisfaction among Pakistani lawmakers.
The resolution also ordered a review of its counter-terrorism cooperation agreement with the United States.
The government is deeply "distress(ed) on the campaign to malign Pakistan, launched by certain quarters in other countries without appreciating Pakistan's determined efforts and immense sacrifices in combating terror," the resolution said.
It also said more than 30,000 Pakistani civilians and more than 5,000 military personnel had been killed in its fight against terror "and the blowback emanating from actions of the NATO/ISAF forces in Afghanistan."
Anger over U.S. drone strikes has mounted during the past year after it stepped up efforts along the Pakistani-Afghan border.
On Friday, a suspected U.S. drone strike killed four suspected Islamic militants in the Datta Khel region of North Waziristan, according to two Pakistani intelligence officials. They said an unmanned aircraft fired four missiles at a militant's vehicle on the border area.
The demands by the Pakistani civilian government come as new details emerge about the raid on bin Laden's Abbottabad compound.
Members of the U.S. Navy SEAL team that attacked the compound were wearing helmet-mounted digital cameras that recorded the mission, a U.S. military official told CNN on Friday.
The official described the digital recording as hazy, fast-moving and subject to poor lighting in the rooms. The source also said it is hard to get clear images from the footage.
"This is not movie-quality stuff," the official said.
An official familiar with the material seized from the compound said Friday that Navy SEALs recovered a stash of pornography. The official would not discuss exactly where it was found, what it was or whether it is believed to belong to the al Qaeda leader or to someone else living at the site, such as bin Laden's couriers or his son.
Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information.
Bin Laden's compound is also undergoing intense analysis, and U.S. officials say he apparently enjoyed a support network in Pakistan that allowed him to stay in one location for the past several years. He had no escape plan or means to destroy his reams and gigabytes of documents in the event of an enemy assault, according to the U.S. sources.
Two U.S. lawmakers joined a public chorus for the release of photos of bin Laden's body after seeing the images themselves.
"These are very graphic, gruesome pictures," said Rep. Doug Lamborn, a Republican from Colorado. But seeing them "gave me a sense of finality and closure."
A conservative legal watchdog group has filed the first lawsuit seeking the public release of the video and photographs of the raid and its aftermath.

Judicial Watch is asking the Department of Defense to comply with a Freedom of Information request for the material, especially photos of bin Laden's body. The legal complaint to force compliance was made in federal court in Washington on Friday.

adopted during a joint session of parliament condemned the U.S. action. It also called for a review of its working agreement with the U.S., demanded an independent investigation and ordered the immediate end of drone attacks along its border region.
Failure to end unilateral U.S. raids and drone attacks will force Pakistan to "to consider taking necessary steps, including withdrawal of (the) transit facility" used by the NATO's International Security Assistance Force, according to the resolution.
U.S. lawmakers have questioned how the world's most wanted terrorist managed to live in plain sight for years in Pakistan -- near the country's elite military academy -- without being detected.

Bin Laden killing: Cameron backs Pakistan's leadership

2011-05-03T01:29:00.000-07:00

Pakistan's leadership should be backed as it is in the UK's interests to aid "democratic forces" in the country, David Cameron has told the BBC.

The PM's comment came as he prepares to address the Commons later about US special forces killing Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan.
He said it would be wrong to "throw up our hands in despair and walk away" and not engage with Pakistan.
Mr Cameron spoke on Monday to the Pakistan and Afghanistan presidents.
A 45-minute meeting of the Cobra civil emergencies committee was also held on Monday evening.
UK embassies have been ordered to review security amid fears of reprisal attacks, and Britons have been urged to be vigilant.
Speaking to the BBC's Today programme, Mr Cameron, said: "Of course there will be lots of questions about what sort of support system did Bin Laden have in Pakistan - and we need those questions answered - but as we stand today we simply don't know the answers."
On the question of a British withdrawal from Afghanistan and whether Bin Laden's death would bring forward the current target of 2015, he said: "It is clearly a helpful development, but I don't think it necessarily changes any timetables."

'Potential impacts' Bin Laden, believed to be behind the 9/11 attacks, was killed on Sunday about 62 miles from Pakistan's capital in an US operation which did not involve Pakistan.
Mr Cameron hailed the death as "a great success", but said it was not the end of terror threats.
He chaired a 45-minute Cobra meeting on Monday evening.
A Downing Street spokesperson said: "The group welcomed the president's announcement and agreed it was an important step forward in the fight against terror.
"The group also discussed the potential impacts of the incident. They agreed to continue to make every effort to counter terrorism and extremism."
Mr Cameron spoke to President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan, and President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani of Pakistan, on Monday.
Downing Street said: "The prime minister made clear in the conversations that Britain would continue to work extremely closely with both Afghanistan and Pakistan to tackle the terrorist threat from al-Qaeda and from the Taliban."
Writing in the Washington Post, Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari has denied that the killing of Osama Bin Laden in his country is a sign of its failure to tackle terrorism, adding that his country was "perhaps the world's greatest victim of terrorism".
The Foreign Office has urged Britons overseas to "exercise caution in all public places and avoid demonstrations, large crowds of people and public events".

Defence Secretary Liam Fox has also ordered British military bases - both in the UK and abroad - to maintain a "high level of vigilance".

Meanwhile, the Prince of Wales is beginning a three-day trip to Washington, where he will meet US President Barack Obama at the White House.

'Captain America' Trailer Commentary: A Shot-By-Shot Analysis

2011-03-25T03:12:00.000-07:00

"Captain America" has thrown his mighty shield, and we're very excited to catch it.
The star-spangled superhero makes his big-screen debut this summer — no, we're not counting the 1990 film, thank you very much — and we couldn't be more excited. We're so excited, in fact, that we couldn't stop ourselves from gushing about the new "Captain America" trailer with some of our colleagues here in the MTV newsroom.

To that end, your shield-slinging Movies Blog editor (that's me, fyi!) and MTV Splash Page's esteemed editor Rick Marshall sat down on camera to dissect the latest trailer from Marvel Studios. Check out our expert commentary track in the video above, and click past the jump for some of the highlights!

Skinny Steve
Pretty surreal to see the miniature Chris Evans toddling around as Steve Rogers, isn't it? The expert movie magic that went into creating "Skinny Steve" helps to reinforce the idea that Cap's origin as a weakling is what gives him such strength as a super-soldier.
(Bowler) Cap's Fan Club
As much as I love Captain America, I have to admit my particular affinity for the crew he's leading, the Howling Commandos. A lot of love go

NCAA Basketball Tournament 2011: Arizona Upsets Duke in Impressive Fashion

2011-03-25T03:07:00.000-07:00

If it wasn’t before the slate of late games, it probably is now. In what can only be described as “shocking” the fifth seeded Arizona Wildcats have beaten the top seeded Duke Blue Devils, and it wasn’t close.
At halftime, Duke led by six points, and when the final buzzer sounded they were down by 16. The reigning champs could not keep pace with Arizona’s white hot shooting, and the performance of likely top draft pick Derrick Williams.

Williams, the sophomore sensation, had 32 points, 13 rebounds, three steals, two assists, and a block in Arizona’s victory. The big man was 5-6 from beyond the arc, and absolutely unstoppable all game long.
But he didn’t do it alone.
LaMont “Mo Mo” Jones had 16 points and six assists for the Wildcats, and made some huge shots in their second half run when they finally took the lead from Duke, and then when they took it for good.
Freshman sensation Kyrie Irving led the Blue Devils with 28 points, and senior Kyle Singler contributed 18 of his own. Nolan Smith was only 3-14 from the field, and simply could not find his stroke all night long.
Arizona will take on UConn for a trip to the Final Four.

Why The Duke Nukem Forever Delay Makes Sense

2011-03-25T02:59:00.000-07:00

In this opinion piece, Gamasutra editor-at-large Chris Morris discusses why the latest delay to Gearbox's Duke Nukem Forever is actually a good thing, with other upcoming gaming releases taken into account.]

Given the game's long, dubious history, the latest delay of Duke Nukem Forever shouldn't have come as a shock to anyone.

It's certainly not a long one, by Duke standards. And while some doubters in gaming forums across the Internet have seized on this as a chance to say "I told you so!," most fans and developers have barely blinked at the news, except perhaps to tip their hats at the clever way Gearbox announced the news.

But the ironic part of this delay is that it's probably the best thing that could happen to the game.

Sure, no title ever suffers from a little extra polish time, but that's not where the real advantage lies here. By moving DNF to June, Gearbox and 2K Games are getting it out of the way of a very crowded month, where it potentially could have been overwhelmed by competition.

In the action category alone, May is fairly packed with Bethesda's Brink, Warner Bros.' F.E.A.R. 3 and THQ's Red Faction: Armageddon scheduled to ship. Also on the calendar are LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean, Dirt 3, Dungeon Siege III and Hunted: Demon's Forge.

But the 500 lb gorilla, of course, is Rockstar's L.A. Noire due out May 17. Like last year's Red Dead Redemption, the game is something of an unknown. It's a new franchise, which normally wouldn't be cause for concern, but with the Rockstar name attached to it, it could quickly devour anything in its path, including any previously released titles that are showing momentum – like Duke Nukem Forever.

L.A. Noire is different than Red Dead in one key aspect, though: It is solely a single player experience. By not having a multiplayer component, a one month gap between releases lets core players explore and complete L.A. Noire before turning their sights on Duke Nukem Forever, which comes with a complete, if controversial, multiplayer component.

Conversely, the delay also protects Take-Two, should DNF become this year's breakout hit. With the potential that its multiplayer element keeps players tuned to Duke, the company doesn't have to worry that the long-in-production (and incredibly expensive) L.A. Noire might be ignored.

The most curious part of this week's announcement is actually the flip-flopping of which players get to see the game first. Initially, U.S. gamers were set to get first crack at Duke Nukem Forever, but now international audiences will see the game four days before stateside players.

That could be a dangerous move. A four-day window is plenty of time for pirates to upload the game to torrent sites. (Hell, it will likely happen long before the official release date.)

People who prefer to steal their games are going to do it regardless. But will Duke fans, who have been waiting for over a dozen years to play the game, be willing to sit on their hands when others are exploring the world of Pigcops and Octabrains? It's a question no one can honestly answer.

Gearbox isn't talking about the piracy fears, but as to the reversal of who sees the game first, it says "We have a commitment to our fans to get the game out as early as possible and every day counts. New games are available on Tuesday in North America so we’re getting the game out as early as possible in this territory."

"The international markets do not adhere to this release timing, and it just happens that they will be able to release the game a few days before North America. We don't want to hold it back, we want to get it into the hands of consumers as soon as possible."

As for the reasons behind the delay, Gearbox isn't talking much about that either, aside from the expected references to "polishing". But the company can't be overjoyed with the announcement. As far back as last year's PAX, when Gearbox surprised fans with news that the franchise was alive once more, it had a ship date in mind – and wavered on whether to announce it at the show.

It opted not to, realizing that if the date slipped, fans might lose faith. Thursday, it found itself in the exact situation it had hoped to avoid.

Duke loyalists seem to be sticking with the company, though some of them are doing so with a heavy dose of humor.

"It merely says 'June 14' on the poster. They didn't give a year..," noted commenter 'xeropulse' on Shacknews.

Tsunami video: Time-lapse images show California

2011-03-13T11:59:00.000-07:00

Time-lapse videos are emerging showing the tsunami waves generated by the Japanese earthquake arriving at various points along the California coast on Friday.
The classic tsunami pattern -- tides receding and surging -- was most noticable along the coast of Northern California, such as at Santa Cruz, Fort Bragg and Crescent City, which sustained damage to boats and docks.

The tsunami caused least $50 million in damage in the state. It's going to go up," Lori Dengler, a geology professor and director of the Humboldt Earthquake Education Center at Humboldt State. "How far up, I'm not going to predict. This is an expensive event for California."

Mixed plutonium-uranium reactor in Japan loses coolant system as government evacuates 210,000 from area or quake-stricken nuke plant

2011-03-13T10:05:00.000-07:00

AMSTERDAM – Japan’s earthquake-rocked nuclear industry faced fresh problems on Sunday evening Japanese times as it became apparent that reactor unit 3 at the Fukushima Daiichi plant – which runs on a plutonium-based fuel – has lost its emergency cooling system, the country’s nuclear power safety agency said.

“What we are witnessing is a worst case design scenario,” said Bellona nuclear physicist Nils Bøhmer
“Japanese authorities had counted on fail safes and back-up power units to kick in to continue the cooling procedure in the reactors, but the fail safes were destroyed by the earthquake and 10 meter tsunami.,” he said, adding “So now they are improvising, which is not where you want to be in an incident as serious as this,” said Bøhmer.
On Saturday, Japanese officials flooded with sea water and boron Fukushima Daiichi reactor unit no. 1, located 240 kilometers north of Tokyo, in a desparate last gasp attempt to cool the overheating reactor whose cooling system had failed Friday.
On Sunday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said that the cooling system had failed at the No. 3 unit and that core melting was presumed to be underway at both downed reactors. The cooling systems for three more reactors were down at nearby Fukushima Daini, but Edano said the situation was less dire there for the moment
A total of six reactors between the two plants are reported to be battling reactor coolant loss, said the ITAR-TASS Russian news agency on Sunday.
One hundred and ninty people have been reported as being in hospital with radiation poisoning, Slivyak said.
The failure of the cooling system failure at Fukuchima Daiichi No. 3 – which resulted from the worst earthquake, at 8.9, in Japan’s history and ensuing tsunamis – has Tokyo Electrical Power Co (TEPCO) workers scrambling to secure new sources of water to cool the mixed uranium and plutonium oxide, or MOX, fuel burning plant, Japan Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency told a news conference.
Results of the effort to flood the Fukushima Daiichi ‘s reactor No. 1 are still unclear, but Bøhmer said that “If they manage to avoid a meltdown, that reactor is gone. They will have to decommission it – the same is likely to happen with reactor unit 3.”
He added that pouring seawater into the reactor “Pouring seawater into Rector No 1 was a very desperate measure and has not put it outside the possibility of a meltdown. “
With high pressure inside the reactors at Daiichi hampering efforts to pump in cooling water, plant operators had to release radioactive vapor into the atmosphere. Radiation levels outside the plant, which had retreated overnight, shot up to 1,204 microsieverts per hour, or over twice Japan’s legal limit, Edano told reporters.
“A shutdown of coolant to a reactor loaded with MOX fuel make the reactor much more difficult to control tha a reactor loaded with usual uranium fuel,” wrote Vladimir Slivyak, co-chair of Russia’s Ecodefence, in his regular updates on ***anti-atom.ru, noting that a disaster at the No. 3 unit would lead to plutonium fallout.

“Compared to radioactive fallout from a reactor working on uranium fuel, a much higher rate of illness can be expected as a result of irradiation,” wrote Slivyak.
Bellona’s Bøhmer described the anatomy of what such an eventuality might look like.
“The worst case scenario would be to lose all ability to cool the core which would expose the fuel assembly to the air,” he said. The temperature would rise dramatically.
Should temperatures reach 1000 degrees Celsius, Bøhmer said, any cooling water begins to disappear and hydrogen beings to be produced.
At 2200 degrees Celsius, the uranium in the MOX fuel assembly would begin to melt.
At the point, said Bøhmer, “bits of metal would start to burn through the reactor core, which would allow exposure to the air, and then you would get both a uranium and plutonium explosion, a vapour explosion releasing both uranium and plutonium.”
One French observers group said it had received information that three meters of MOX fuel rods at Fukushima Daiichi’s unit three were exposed from boiled off coolant, but these reports could not be independently confirmed.
Meanwhile, the Japanese government struggled to cope with a rising tide of panic. Reports said that NHK, Japan’s public broadcaster, flashed instructions to evacuees: close doors and windows; place a wet towel over the nose and mouth; cover up as much as possible.
At a news conference, Edano called for calm. “If measures can be taken, we will be able to ensure the safety of the reactor,” he told reporters.
Elevated levels of radiation were reported in the Miyagi prefecture on Sunday, where the Onagawa nuclear power plant is located. Onagawa suffered a fire on Friday following the quake.
Fukushima’s reactors are rated to withstand earthquakes of a 7.9 point magnitude. The jolts on Friday reached 8.9, with as many as 100 aftershocks in following days, some reaching 6.8 points.
“Fukushima’s Daiichi’s reactor units No. 1 and 3 came at a pricetag of $24 billion and will most likely never be used again,” wrote Slivyak in his regular update.
Evacuation orders by the Japanese government were also boosted later on Sunday from 140,000 to more than 210,000. Japanese officials said they had also ordered up the largest mobilization of their Self-Defense Forces since World War II to assist in the relief effort, the New York Times reported.

Japan hit by tsunami!

2011-03-11T09:33:00.000-08:00

The devastating 8.9 magnitude earthquake and tsunami that struck northeastern Japan today is bound to affect financial markets around the globe, economists and analysts said.
"This is clearly going to add complexity to Japan's challenge of economic recovery," although it might also help by adding to its gross domestic product, Lawrence Summers, director of the White House National Economic Council, said on CNBC this morning .
"It may lead to some temporary increments ironically to GDP as a process of rebuilding takes place," Summers said. "In the wake of the earlier Kobe earthquake, Japan actually gained some economic strength," referring to the 1995 quake that killed more than 6,000 people.
A number of companies have reported some damage to their facilities in the region. Sony reportedly has halted production in six factories in the cities of Fukushima and Miyagiall and has evacuated most employees, according to Reuters.
Tire company Bridgestone, camera maker Canon and Citigroup Holdings Japan reportedly have not faced major damage to their facilities in the region, Reuters reported.
"This is a tragedy at this particular point Japan did not need," Summers said, referring to the fragile state of the Japanese economy.
The Japanese GDP contracted 1.3 percent from October to December, according to Bloomberg News earlier this week.
"This is certainly the worst thing that can happen in Japan at the worst time," economist Nouriel Roubini told Bloomberg Television. "There will be fiscal stimulus to reconstruct but Japan already has a budget deficit of close to 10 percent of" gross domestic product and an aging population.
Beyond Japan, Tom di Galoma, head of fixed interest rates trading with Guggenheim Securities, said he expects the events in Japan to affect U.S. markets today and into the future.
"I think the overriding view in the marketplace is that the Japanese investors may have to sell U.S. government securities to pay for rebuilding of the economy and their infrastructure," he said.
"I'm concerned that could happen, certainly. I think my whole view is that the Japanese could be sellers for the next couple weeks trying to raise money."
But while selling treasuries to raise money after a natural disaster may be a knee-jerk reaction for some investors, di Galoma said, the Bank of Japan might buy U.S. treasuries to help keep the yen from appreciating. If the yen gains value relative to other currencies, Japanese exports will become more expensive and less attractive for other countries.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average opened with a sharp drop before recovering in early trading. The index was 11,942.03, down 0.36 percent, in the first hour of trading.
Mike Fitzpatrick, editor of Energy Overview newsletter, said the tsunami will contribute to a drop in oil prices for the unforeseeable future.
"With Japan's economy decimated, it will constrict oil demand from Japan. For the moment, the tsunami problem seems to have trumped Libya concerns apparently," Fitzpatrick said.
Oil futures traded below $100, at $99.01, in early trading.
"It's going to be a while until there's an accurate assessment of how much damage has been done," Fitzpatrick said.
Reuters reported a "major fire" at an oil refinery east of Tokyo, with all operations halted. Japan is the third largest consumer of oil in the world, behind the United States and China, and the second-largest net importer of crude oil, according to the Department of Energy.

Jennifer Aniston Gets a New Haircut

2011-02-23T10:22:00.000-08:00

Jennifer Aniston Gets a New Haircut:

After popularizing the "Rachel"—a layered, shoulder-length cut in the mid-'90s, Friends actress Jennifer Aniston's new bob sent Americans into a frenzy yesterday, as "Jennifer Aniston new haircut" became the second hottest trending topic on Google.

That's quite a feat, even in our celebrity-obsessed culture. After all, it hasn't exactly been a slow couple of weeks in the world of news. Egyptian citizens drove out President Hosni Mubarak to end a 30-year dictatorship in the nation. Tens of thousands of union members brought national attention to Wisconsin and Governor Scott Walker's proposal to ban collective bargaining rights, unleasing labor unrest in other states, too. And oh yeah, there's Libya. Demonstrations continue to escalate there, even as the government brutally beats down peaceful protesters.

10 Commandments for good wives

2011-02-18T08:36:00.000-08:00

Even in the distant 17 th century Rabbi Yitzhak ben communities Poznan Elyakim especially for his daughter created a whole product in the format of the book, which is called a "good heart". There also have been described and these commandments for good wives after the break...

1. Be careful when your husband is angry. At this point, do not be no fun, no grumpy - smiled and said softly.

2. Do not make your husband wait for food. Hunger - the father of anger.

3. Do not wake him when he sleeps.

4. Be careful with his money. Do not hide from him his financial affairs.

5. Keep it secret. If he brags, and keep it a secret.

6. I do not approve of his enemies and not hate his friends.

7. I do not mind him and do not claim that your advice is better than him.

8. Do not expect the impossible.

9. If you will be attentive to his request, he will be your slave.

10. Do not say anything that would hurt him. If you're going to treat him like a king, he will treat you like a queen.

How to prolong their Sexual Youth ?

2011-02-14T11:41:00.000-08:00

How to prolong their Sexual Youth ?

Overweight and poor nutrition has a bad effect on sexual function.

Follow the simple advice of doctors to conduct a full sex life.

CATERING

Seafood is called "food of love." They contain zinc, phosphorus, calcium and protein. For example, zinc activates cell metabolism and ovarian activity of sperm.

Bananas are rich in potassium, which is absolutely necessary for normal functioning of the cardiovascular system, regulating blood pressure, prevention of stroke and thrombosis. Bananas contain high amounts of vitamin B6, which boosts immunity, improves the functioning of the nervous system and promotes active metabolism of protein in the body. Sources of potassium are also tomatoes, apricots, beans, broccoli, oranges, almonds.

Oil-rich fish contain valuable omega-3. These substances reduce the risk of blood clots, bringing the body of "bad" cholesterol. By fatty include herring, salmon, tuna, trout, mackerel, sardines, mackerel and mackerel.

Corn bread, unpolished cereals, meal rich in fiber and "slow" carbohydrates. These carbohydrates are not deposited in the fat depot and go to building muscle, nutrition of the heart muscle and does not contribute to the formation of excess weight.

Vegetables and fruits red and orange colors contain a huge amount of vitamin C, beta carotene and antioxidants that protect cells from oxidation and activates metabolic processes. Include a menu red Bulgarian pepper, tomatoes, carrots, oranges, etc.

LIFESTYLE

1. Once a year should receive preventive care.

2. Control your weight. Being overweight negatively affects sexual function for women and men.

3. During sexual intercourse with new partners must take care of security. Sexually transmitted infections, lead to violations of reproductive and sexual functions.

4. Physical activity is very important! Daily 30-minute training significantly increases sexual desire.

Parent's Fight To Find Truth Behind Daughter's Death

2011-02-07T02:30:00.000-08:00

In Oklahoma, some families are trying to change the law to force the medical examiner's office to perform more autopsies. If they get their wish, this could be the first state in the country where families could appeal for a review of a questionable autopsy.

Among the families are Donna and Joe Turner. For 10 years they've been fighting the Oklahoma medical examiner's office to find out what really happened to their daughter Chanda. But after finally getting an autopsy last year, they're still struggling with the office over an incomplete and inaccurate death certificate.
Correct death certificates are necessary for families to settle estates, insurance claims and bring murderers to justice.

In July, 2000, Chanda was found dead with a gunshot wound to her upper chest at the home she shared with her boyfriend. He told police he woke up around midnight and found her slumped over on the back steps, bleeding.
When the investigator from the medical examiner's office arrived at the home, police told him the boyfriend said Chanda was suicidal. The investigator released the body to a funeral home and no autopsy was performed.
But Chanda's parents never believed she killed herself, so they made it their mission to find out who shot her.
"We buried Chanda in the best vault, in the best casket and everything to try to preserve her body as much, because our goal was we were going to get that autopsy some day," Donna Turner said.
Nine years later, after hiring a former police officer to investigate the case, the Turners lawyer took more than 300 pages of documents to the District Attorney, who then ordered an autopsy.

Oklahoma's new Chief Medical Examiner Collie Trant performed the autopsy and Robert Bux, a forensic pathologist from Colorado observed. They determined the death was a homicide, but the autopsy report and death certificate were never written up to say homicide because Trant was fired. He is suing for wrongful dismissal.
Another pathologist in the Medical Examiners office was handed the file but has refused to change the death certificate.
In March 2010, the family received the certificate with the following inaccuracies:
Date of Birth:

NPR

Date of Death:

NPR

Despite the bullet wound, the death certificate shows a vehicle was involved:

NPR

The cause of death has not been changed to "Homicide" and it shows there's no autopsy report even though an annotated diagram from the autopsy was attached to this document:

NPR

The report is unsigned and lists a Medical Examiner who is no longer with the office:

The Country Music Awards 2010

2011-01-24T00:10:00.000-08:00

The Country Music Awards 2010 are coming up — are you as excited for the CMAs as I am? Last year’s hosts, Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, are back. They were (surprisingly) really funny last year which was a bonus. So set your TIVOS for November 10 on ABC at 8 pm Eastern/7:00 pm Central. Last year’s Entertainer of the Year winner Taylor Swift is not up again for the coveted and most sought after award but she is nominated for Best Female Vocalist.

Those in the running for Entertainer of the Year are: Miranda Lambert, Lady Antebellum, The Zac Brown Band, Brad Paisley and Keith Urban. I’m partial to Urban since I saw him in concert this year with The Eagles and it was life-changing. No, I’m not exaggerating.

Elizabeth Edwards-Death, Life And Cancer

2010-12-08T01:34:00.000-08:00

Elizabeth Edwards breathed her last, succumbing to metastatic breast cancer on Tuesday, December 7, 2010, at home in Chapel Hill, surrounded by friends and family. It was not more than a day that the family of Elizabeth Edwards, announced that that the doctors have advised to give up treatment. Life Elizabeth Edwards 61, besides being the wife of John Edwards, the former presidential candidate, had feathered her cap assuming versatility by being a best selling author, attorney and a health care advocate. She is the mother of Cate, Jack and Emma Claire. Elizabeth Edwards began her career as a law clerk for a Federal Juudge and moved on to take up the role as an associate at the law firm of Harwell Barr Martin & Sloan in 1978. In 1981 she worked in the Office of the Attorney General, and at the law firm Merriman, Nicholls, and Crampton. She dropped her legal role that she played after the sudden demise of her son and gave up her maiden name. The death of her son led to the emergence of 'Wade Edwards Foundation', aimed at aiding high school children. She then took up the role of an adjunct instructor at the University of North Carolina School of Law and parallely worked as a substitute teacher in the Wake County Public Schools. Cancer was but yet another battle that she had to combat while she had suffered the death of her son Wade Edwards, who was killed in a Jeep crash and the infidelity of her husband, who publicly confessed about fathering a child with another woman. This marked the end of her marital relationship, filing for a divorce, which required a compulsory separation for a year. However, her illness or other adversities that she encountered did not deter her from the being a dynamic personality. In August 2009, she came up with a furniture store in Chapel Hill. She authored, Saving Graces: Finding Solace and Strength from Friends and Strangers, focusing on the death of her son and her illness. She launched her second book in May 2009, Resilience: Reflections on the Burdens and Gifts of Facing Life's Adversities, opening up with the odds that she encountered owing to her illness, the deaths of her father and son, her husband's infidelity and the overall state of health care in the US. In April 2008, she became a fellow at the Center for American Progress, as an advocate for universal health care and vocal pro-reform figure on the political left . Breast Cancer Her's was an open, public battle with breast cancer, which was first diagnosed on November 3, 2004, leading her to become to an activist in women health and cancer patients. She also underwent oncology treatment. On March 22, 2007, Elizabeth Edwards made a public announcement of the reappearance of her cancer She was then in the fourth stage of the ailment, metastatic, which also appeared as a spot in her rib and her lung. On December 6th, her family announced about the fact that the doctors have advised to stop the treatment, which led to a clear cut anticipation by her admirers and the world at large that her end was drawing close. The cancer had also spread to her liver. Death On December 7th 2010, the curtain fell over the dramatic life of a public figure, admired by many for the exorbitant courage that she exuded in the face of life's adversities.

Stroke Signs and Symptoms

2010-12-02T23:32:00.000-08:00

Living with someone who is likely to have a stroke is not easy. Not because there is some kind of a special care that this person should receive but because it is your utmost responsibility to notice and get medical help if stroke attacks. To be able to recognize stroke's symptoms, you should make sure you know what stroke is. In brief this is a cardiovascular diseases characterized by lack of blood supply in a part of the brain or in the whole brain. The lack of blood may be caused by bleeding within the brain or because of a blockage of an artery. Of course there are different types of strokes and each is caused by a different thing and has slightly different symptoms. As you now know the reasons for stroke it will not be hard to guess what might be stroke signs and symptoms. Since it is a bran disease the person who's having stroke is likely to have interruption of his body functions both physical and psychological. Physical symptoms of stroke include sudden pain in the neck and low-head area (specific to subarachnoid haemorrhage stroke), interrupted or loss of vision, muscle weakness of part of the body or in the whole body, inability to speak, inability to move the face, dizziness, loss of balance. The psychological symptoms may include disorientation, inability to understand others, confusion, etc. it is important to remember that stoke symptoms usually occur suddenly, in minutes and hours. In some cases though, they may occur slowly in a few days or even weeks. How severe the symptoms are depends on where in the brain and how many brain cells are affected. A person who is suspected of having a stroke should be taken to hospital as an emergency. Stroke warning signs may occur alone or in a combination. People suffered from a stroke before or by Transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) are more likely to suffer from stroke in the future. The same applies to people with high blood pressure especially those who are obese and have some other kind of cardiovascular disease. If you are living with someone who has indications that stroke is possible be always alert. Try to be next to this person as much as possible. If you are unable to be next to him or her 24 hours a day, find someone to look after him during the time you are absent. It is of utmost importance to get medical help as early as you suspect this person is having a stroke. People who suffer from stroke not always are able to get help by themselves and it this situation every minute counts.

Death of Leslie Nielsen at age 84.

2010-11-29T07:36:00.000-08:00

Comedians and celebs expressed their sadness over the death of Leslie Nielsen at age 84.
"Leslie Nielsen, RIP," wrote Chicago Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert, who also linked to a lengthy obit and a few of Nielsen's clips, including his screen test for Ben Hur
It is sad to hear about Leslie Nielsen passing. To this day Airplane is still one of my favorite comedies ever."
Comedian Russell Brand referenced one of Nielsen's most famous lines from Airplane!, when he asks the pilot if he can fly the plane. Says the pilot, "Surely, you can't be serious." Nielsen responds, "I am serious, and don't call me Shirley."

Writer and stand-up comic Patton Oswalt joked about Nielsen's death, saying, "He would want it that way."
Nielsen, best known for Airplane! and the Naked Gun franchise, died Sunday of complications from pneumonia at a hospital near his home in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. He was surrounded by family, including his wife, Barbaree, and friends.
“We are sadden by the passing of beloved actor Leslie Nielsen, probably best remembered as Lt. Frank Drebin in The Naked Gun series of pictures, but who enjoyed a more than 60-year career in motion pictures and television," said a statement from Nielsen's family released through his rep.

North Korea bombs hit borderline

2010-11-23T04:41:00.000-08:00

Dozens of homes have been destroyed by artillery on the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong.

Reports from authorities in the area have confirmed the incident occurred when North Korea fired on the island.

It is believed South Korean soldiers were injured in the blasts.

South Korea has issued its highest non-wartime alert in response to what has been called the most serious incidents between the two powers since the Korean War in the 1950s.

As many as 200 shells were fired at the island and into the sea near the western border, prompting Seoul to return the fire.

South Korea has now deployed fighter jets to the island, which has been deserted by residents.

After the shelling, some people took to boats to escape the island while others bunkered down in specially constructed shelters.

Yeonpyeong Island is near the disputed inter-Korean maritime border to the west of the Korean Peninsula.

This western maritime border has been the scene of numerous clashes between the two Koreas in the past.

A South Korean warship went down near the border in March after being torpedoed. 46 sailors were lost.

Pyongyang was blamed for the incident but has not admitted guilt.

Darvon, Darvocet painkillers pulled

2010-11-19T21:14:00.000-08:00

Washington • Although still in wide use more than a half-century after introduction, Darvon and Darvocet and their generic counterparts are easily replaceable, pain management experts said Friday after the Food and Drug Administration asked that the popular painkillers be removed from the U.S. marketplace.

The FDA’s decision, based on data showing a risk of serious heart rhythm abnormalities, caps years of controversy about the dangerous side effects of Darvon — known generically as propoxyphene — which was first approved by regulators in 1957.

Sidney Wolfe, of Public Citizen Health Research Group, blasted the FDA’s action as too late and called for congressional hearings into why the agency took so long to move.

In calling for withdrawal of the drug, the FDA urged doctors to stop prescribing it immediately. But it advised patients to continue taking propoxyphene while consulting with physicians to arrange for alternatives.

The withdrawal will hurt a small number of patients who can’t tolerate other painkillers, but for most patients, there are many alternatives, such as oxycodone, morphine and Nucynta, said Al Anderson, president of the American Academy of Pain Management board of directors.

New NFL Uniforms 2010: Are New Uniform Concepts for Real?

2010-11-19T20:55:00.000-08:00

Are the concepts for the new NFL uniforms that appeared on the internet today for real?

If you haven't seen all of the concepts, you can find a gallery on this forum. Suffice it to say that they are a little different.

But are they real? Well, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy tweeted that they are indeed not real, saying that they "are not from the league or Nike."

The reference to Nike, by the way, is because Nike recently won the contract to be the NFL's new apparel supplier.

But then again, in an interview with CNBC, Nike President Charlie Denson hinted that the new contract with the NFL would give his company the best way to "show our brand on the field."

Despite the fact that both the NFL and Nike have denied the the images are official, the general conspiracy theory is that the leak was on purpose, so that they might gauge interest in the new concepts as it were.

skyline movie

2010-11-12T06:46:00.000-08:00

The new alien invasion-based science-fiction movie “Skyline” opens up in theaters across North America today (Friday, November 12th), so we thought we’d take a look at a few of the already-released reviews to see what the critics have to say about the new film.

Firstly I took a look at a review from otownrog over at orlandosentinel.com. This review describes “Skyline” as a “special effects experiment in search of a movie.” The reviewer says that there is no urgency in the storyline, and the acting is more suited to television than a movie.

Next up is a review from liverpoolecho.co.uk, which doesn’t rate the movie that much either. This review says that the screenwriters appear to have just recycled complete scenes from other blockbuster movies, and put them all together to create a basic story documenting alien invasion.

This review finishes off by saying that the movie may keep you entertained for the 92 minutes running time, but as soon as you walk out of the theater you would have forgotten about it. The final review I read was from Megan Lehmann over at hollywoodreporter.com.

Unfortunately, this review rates the movie even worse. Dreadful acting is one of the things I picked up on, as well as bad dialogue and an astoundingly stupid screenplay. This reviewer describes “Skyline” as “a joyless slog through indecipherable action and even murkier cinematography.”

In interview, Bush defends Iraq war and waterboarding

2010-11-08T22:35:00.000-08:00

In his first major interview since leaving office, former president George W. Bush defended the most controversial aspects of his tenure - including the use of waterboarding against terrorism suspects and the invasion of Iraq.

Bush seemed eager to explain himself on the use of waterboarding, which simulates drowning, as a method of interrogation. He said he personally approved use of the tactic on Khalid Sheik Mohammed, a plotter of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, adding that when he was told that it and other harsh interrogation techniques were legal, he ordered: "Use 'em."
Interviewer Matt Lauer of NBC News asked Bush why he believed that waterboarding was legal, a topic of significant dispute.
"Because the lawyer said it was legal," Bush replied. "He said it did not fall within the anti-torture act. I'm not a lawyer. But you gotta trust the judgment of people around you, and I do."
He has been widely criticized for directing the lawyers to reach that conclusion, on which there is no legal consensus.
"Using those techniques saved lives," Bush said. "My job was to protect America. And I did."
Pressed on whether U.S. soldiers could be exposed to waterboarding because Americans have deployed it, Bush grew irritated and defensive. "All I ask is that people read the book," he said, adding that he would make the same decision again today.
President Obama banned the use of waterboarding and other harsh tactics upon taking office, and he later called them "torture."
Bush granted the interview, taped for broadcast Monday night, to promote his memoir, "Decision Points," which focuses on the major decisions of his life - from his decision to quit drinking alcohol to his choice of Richard B. Cheney as his running mate in 2000.

Though the 477-page book is an attempt at self-examination, Bush struggled in it - much as he did during his presidency - with expressing regrets. He acknowledged some mistakes, including praising his Federal Emergency Management Agency director, Michael Brown, during Hurricane Katrina and declaring "mission accomplished" shortly after the Iraq invasion. But on crucial national security matters, he stood firm.