From Pentagon Producer Larry Shaughnessy:

Today in the Pentagon briefing, Joint Chief Chairman Adm. Mullen mentioned that the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson is more than floating airport – it’s also a floating medical clinic with 3 operating rooms and 51 beds and it’s a floating water treatment plant capable of making “hundreds of thousands of gallons” fresh water a day.

In fact, every US Navy warship has to be able to make fresh water for sailors to drink, cook with, clean their clothes and equipment with.

As for the USS Carl Vinson… The Navy says it takes sea water and through a series of high pressure filters and reverse osmosis creates 400,000 gallons of purified fresh drinking water each day.  Since the Carl Vinson, which in normal combat duty would be carrying about 5,000 people, is only carrying 3,200 people… they have a large surplus of fresh water that can be sent into Port Au Prince for the victims of the earthquake.

The Navy couldn’t tell me exactly how this water would be moved from the ship to shore in this crisis, but in the past they usually use large flexible bladders that are carried by either heavy lift helicopters of large hovercraft that can go from the ship right up onto a beach and unload.

[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/11/09/art.amanpour.writer.jpg caption="Sr. Writer Tom Evans"]

On AMANPOUR. today, we examine Haiti’s history of poverty and government instability in the wake of the devastating earthquake. Will the aid efforts be just a temporary fix or might they provide long term promise for a country that has so much recent experience of natural disasters? We also update the story from Iran of the suspicious death of Dr Ramin Pourandarjani, who refused to sign death certificates at the prison in Tehran where he worked. Kahrizak prison has such an appalling record of human rights abuses that it was recently shut down by the Iranian government. The son of a powerful, pro-government politician was beaten to death there, prompting a rare official investigation into alleged abuses. The investigation though failed to report on the circumstances surrounding Dr. Pourandarjani’s death, which highlights the ongoing tug of war between the different factions within Iran’s government. Now here are some perspectives on some of the top stories today.

Tom Evans; Sr. Writer, AMANPOUR

HAITI – Will international aid reach survivors of Haiti’s earthquake before they start to vent their anger and frustration on the streets?

– reports of rising tension in Port-au-Prince, looting of some food warehouses, and even some Haitians forming barricades from bodies

– relief workers beginning to arrive, but big issue is getting supplies (water, food, medicine) to worst affected areas

– major problem is debris on the roads which is blocking the distribution of aid

QUESTION: When will heavy lifting equipment arrive in Port-au-Prince and when will it get on the ruined capital’s streets?

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[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/11/17/feedback.jpg caption="Christiane – all ears for the feedback."]

AMANPOUR. viewers commented on situations that felt as controversy to most. Former Secretary of State Madeline Albright’s exchange about security failures in the United States and the ongoing battle between Al Qaeda and the U.S. was thought to produce futile results.  Viewers thought that the “focus on stability in the Middle East” needed a more “holistic” approach for “a visible outcome.”  Additionally, the story of the Yemen Girl who chose not to wear a veil caused most to cheer in favor of her determination to “stand up for her own rights.”  Many felt she was a great example to follow, while wishing her some “needed protection” to continue living in Yemen danger-free due to the governmental and religious implications her actions could unravel.

Below, you will see some opinions from viewers like yourself. We would love to hear what you think.

Dear Christiane, I watched your program last night on the global water crisis. I am a water management engineer by trade without any particular preference for private or public provision.

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Octavia Nasr | BIO
CNN Senior Editor, Mideast Affairs

Arabs worried, wept, prayed and even had a moment of silence in honor of Haiti’s tragedy and its victims. My measurement came from Twitter as Arab media left much to be desired in that department.

In 140-character messages many Arabs on Twitter and other social media expressed their sadness over the tragedy and offered advice on donations and activism. Some were worried about friends who were in Port-au-Prince on business; they expressed their anguish to an audience that listened and tried to help. Later, a select few came back to express relief that they found their missing while others dipped in a larger pool of sadness.

This one in particular caught my attention. Someone with a distinctly Lebanese name asking another person inside Haiti about his relatives:

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From AMANPOUR.'s 'Global Dispatch' series. To submit a short film about your world that we might play it on CNN, click here.

What do you think of this short film? Leave us your thoughts and comments here:

[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/11/09/art.amanpour.writer.jpg caption="Sr. Writer Tom Evans"]

With the 8th anniversary of Guantanamo Bay opening its doors to the “war on terror” detainees, AMANPOUR. today looks at the fate of the remaining 198 detainees, 90 of whom are Yemeni. Yemen is at the center of the latest scare on Al Qaeda. We examine the effectiveness of programs in Saudi Arabia and Yemen to rehabilitate these detainees. Can Jihadists be deprogrammed?  What are the risks of releasing detainees? That’s not the only issue making news today. Here are some perspectives on some other stories in the headlines.

Tom Evans
Sr. Writer, AMANPOUR.

IRAN – Is the confrontation between the government and pro-democracy protesters taking an even more violent turn?

–          A Tehran University physics professor described by state media as a staunch supporter of the Islamic Revolution is killed in a rare bomb attack in the capital

–          Some reports though say professor was on a list of academics who declared their support for opposition leader Mir Hosein Moussavi before disputed presidential election last year

–          Semi-official Fars News Agency said an opposition group calling itself “the Royal Association of Iran” has claimed responsibility. State television blames Israel and the U.S. without offering any evidence

QUESTION: Does the Iranian government have the will and the capability to stop the post-election violence from spiraling out of control?
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