Free Republic

MOSCOW - A Russian booster rocket carrying a U.S. telecommunications satellite blasted into space Thursday after a series of delays, the Federal Space Agency said. The Proton-M rocket carrying the AMC-23, or WorldSat-3, satellite lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at about 5 a.m. The satellite, owned by Princeton, New Jersey-based Ses Americon Inc., will serve customers across the Pacific region, including western North America, East Asia, the South Pacific, Alaska and Hawaii, and provide links to the world's premier regional satellite systems. The launch was postponed several times because of flaws in the booster rocket. The booster...

Sunday’s 60 Minutes will look at how cable and direct-broadcast satellite companies profit from "adult" entertainment. The theme is how "companies you’d hardly expect" are profiting from porn, including such established players as General Motors (through its to-be-sold DirecTV), top cable companies and hotel chains like Marriott.