Prototype passenger spaceship poised for launch (Reuters)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) ? A prototype passenger spaceship developed by privately owned Space Exploration Technologies arrived in Florida on Sunday for launch on a practice cargo run to the International Space Station, officials said on Monday.

Liftoff of the Dragon capsule aboard the company's Falcon 9 rocket is targeted for as early as December 19, although the final launch date will be set by NASA, which is sponsoring the flight, said Bobby Block, vice president for communications for Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX.

The mission will mark the third flight of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket and the second for a Dragon capsule, which is designed to fly first cargo and later crew to the space station, among other missions.

With the retirement of the space shuttles this summer, NASA is dependent on partner countries to deliver cargo and to ferry astronauts to the orbital outpost, a $100 billion project of 16 nations that orbits about 225 miles above the planet.

SpaceX, founded, owned and operated by Internet entrepreneur Elon Musk and based in Hawthorne, California, is one of two companies hired by NASA to deliver cargo to the station. Orbital Sciences Corp plans to debut its Taurus 2 rocket and Cygnus space station cargo capsule on a test flight next year.

SpaceX, along with Boeing Co, privately held Sierra Nevada Corp. and Blue Origin, also hold NASA contracts to develop spaceships that can carry people.

RUSSIAN SOYUZ CAPSULES

Flying astronauts on Russian Soyuz capsules -- currently the only vehicles taking crews to the space station -- costs the U.S. space agency more than $50 million per person.

For its trial run to the station, SpaceX plans to put Dragon into orbit to test its maneuvering, communications and other systems as part of its $278 million contract with NASA.

If all goes well, the capsule would be cleared to approach the station, where astronauts would use the station's robotic crane to pluck Dragon from orbit and attach it to a berthing port on the station.

The capsule will carry food, water and other station supplies. Unlike other cargo vessels, which incinerate in the atmosphere after leaving the station, Dragon returns via parachute and splashes down in the ocean so it can return cargo from the station as well.

Pending NASA's approval, SpaceX plans to bring Dragon back to Earth 22 days after launch.

"It's important that we're successful and we're doing a lot of work with our NASA partners to make sure that we've done all the necessary cross checks, verify all the requirements to make sure this vehicle is ready to go," SpaceX Vice President Ken Bowersox said at the Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight in New Mexico last week.

Initially, SpaceX's contract called for three test flights before the company would start delivering cargo to the station under a separate $1.6 billion contract. Following Dragon's successful debut mission in December 2010, SpaceX petitioned NASA to combine the objectives of the next two flights.

The final decision about whether to let Dragon dock at the station, however, will not come until the flight is under way.

"We'll be prepared to go all the way to the station," Block told reporters on Monday at the company's Cape Canaveral launch site, where Dragon is being prepared for flight.

SpaceX has spent about $800 million developing Falcon 9 and Dragon. A similar system developed under traditional government contracts would have been between $2.4 billion and $7.2 billion, Bowersox said.

"It was very useful for both NASA and SpaceX to have this relationship," he said.

(Editing by Jane Sutton and Will Dunham)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111024/sc_nm/us_usa_spaceship

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Rina quickly becomes hurricane off Honduras (AP)

MIAMI ? Forecasters say Tropical Storm Rina has formed in the Caribbean Sea off the coasts of Honduras and Nicaragua and could become a hurricane by Tuesday.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center reports Monday that the storm's center is located about 190 miles (305 kilometers) southwest of Grand Cayman.

It has maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (72 kph) and is moving northwest near 6 mph (9 kph).

Forecasters expect Rina to gain strength in the next two days and say it could become a hurricane by Tuesday night. The storm is forecast to bring at least an inch of rain along the northeast coast of Honduras and at least 2 inches of rain over the Cayman Islands.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/weather/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111024/ap_on_re_us/tropical_weather

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PFT: Bradford out, Feeley in for Rams Sunday

Reuters

The 2011 Philadelphia Eagles seem to make news every week, so why not make some news on their bye week, too?

Cornerback Asante Samuel joined Tim McManus and Pat Callahan of 97.5 The Fanatic in Philly earlier today.? And Samuel made it clear that he?s not happy with the team?s reported willingness to trade him.

?Definitely, it doesn?t sit well with me,? Samuel said.? ?Definitely, I?ve been nothing but what they expected me to be when they brought me there. . . .? Definitely, it doesn?t sit well with me.? And obviously they don?t want me there, so life goes on.? So we?ll see where I?ll be at.?

Samuel says that knowing the team doesn?t want him won?t affect his play.

?Well, as long as I?m getting paid I?m gonna do my job,? Samuel said.? ?So whoever [is] cutting the check, I do my job. . . . So I?m not worried about that.? I just know in the back of my head they don?t want me there.? So, you know, that?s not gonna leave.? They put it out there so everybody could know that, so I know that and everybody knows that.? So it?s in the back of my head.? And Asante Samuel is a business entity first, so I?m going to make sure I handle my business accordingly.?

Samuel was the subject of trade rumors after the Eagles acquired Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Nnadmi Asomugha in the days after the lockout ended.? Last week, those rumors resurfaced before the annual trading deadline.

Samuel joined the Eagles on the first day of free agency in 2008, only weeks after dropping what would have been a perfect-season-clinching interception for the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.? Signed through 2013, Samuel?s salary spikes from $5.9 million this year to $8.4 million next season.? He?s due to earn $10.4 million in base salary in the final year of the deal.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/10/22/bradford-out-feeley-in-for-rams/related/

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Gary Oldman and Helena Bonham-Carter Rumored for Akira

Film News

by Todd Brown, October 23, 2011 2:45 PM

With the Jaume Collet-Sera helmed US remake of Akira now officially green lit the talk now turns to casting the beast. Word began to circulate late last week that Tron: Legacy star Garret Hedlund is in talks to play Kaneda and while Twitch is indeed hearing those talks are ongoing - albeit in the early stages - there are two other parts that are much more advanced.

Twitch has learned that Gary Oldman has been offered the role of Colonel while Helena Bonham-Carter has been offered Lady Miyako.

Frankly I'm surprised to see Hedlund being offered another project on this scale following Tron - a film that succeeded financially despite him, not because of him - but any film that has a one-two of Oldman and Bonham Carter immediately assures itself of at least a certain degree of quality. I'd pay to watch these two read the phone book to each other, honestly.

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1923811/news/1923811/

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Review slams US training of Iraqi police (AP)

BAGHDAD ? A U.S. State Department program to train Iraqi police lacks focus, could become a "bottomless pit" of American money and may not even be wanted by the Iraqi department it's supposed to help, reports released Monday by a U.S. government watchdog show.

The findings by the U.S. Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction paint what is supposed to be the State Department's flagship program in Iraq in a harsh light.

The report comes at a crucial time for the State Department as it assumes sole responsibility for securing U.S.-Iraqi ties as American forces leave by the end of this year.

On Oct. 1, the State Department took over the job of training Iraqi police from the Defense Department. According to the inspector general's report, the training program faces many problems.

Only a small portion ? about 12 percent ? of the millions of dollars budgeted will actually go to helping the Iraqi police, the report said. The "vast preponderance of money" will pay for security and other items like living quarters for the people doing the training, the review found.

The audit also said although the State Department has known since 2009 it would be taking over the training program, it failed to develop a comprehensive and detailed plan for the training.

"Without specific goals, objectives and performance measures, the PDP (Police Development Program) could become a 'bottomless pit' for U.S. dollars intended for mentoring, advising and training the Iraqi police forces," the report stated.

The oversight agency also found that budget concerns led to the program being significantly downsized.

In 2009, the State Department agency in charge of the training, the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, estimated it would cost about $721 million to pay for a program with 350 police advisers. That averaged out to about $2.1 million per adviser, said SIGIR.

But in December 2010, the program was downsized to 190 advisers while costs had increased, the report stated. According to SIGIR calculations, the average cost per adviser jumped to $6.2 million per year.

By July of this year, the number of advisers had dropped to 115 for what the State Department described as Phase 1 of the program. If its budget request is approved for fiscal year 2012, the program could be beefed up again to 190 advisers, state department officials told the oversight agency.

Despite the considerable outlay in U.S. taxpayer money, the Iraqi government has yet to sign off on the program and doesn't seem to want it. The official in the Iraqi Ministry of Interior (MOI) responsible for the ministry's day-to-day operations, Adnan al-Asadi, suggested to SIGIR that the U.S. should spend the money on something for the American people instead.

"What tangible benefit will Iraqis see from this police training program? With most of the money spent on lodging, security, support, all the MOI gets is a little expertise, and that is if the program materializes. It has yet to start," al-Asadi said.

The inspector general said the State Department did not fully cooperate with their audit.

"There were delays in gaining access to key officials and in obtaining documents. Moreover, the documents provided were incomplete," the audit read. One meeting in May was canceled an hour before it was to start because State Department officials needed to additional "Department guidance," SIGIR wrote.

The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad did not respond to a request for comment.

In a letter to SIGIR, the State Department said it "generally agrees" with the report's recommendations but defended its efforts.

State Department Assistant Secretary William Brownfield wrote that because they were unsure of whether they would get all the money they'd requested, they decided to start with a smaller number of trainers, and they could ramp up to 190 trainers if the money comes through.

Brownfield also said an independent organization was supposed to do a detailed assessment of Iraqi law enforcement capabilities but did not have access to people on the Iraqi side to finish the assessment in time. He said it would be done by November.

The fact that Iraq still does not have a permanent in interior minister has hampered efforts to come up with an agreement on implementing the training program, Brownfield wrote. But he said the MOI was committed to the program. He also wrote that the State Department hoped to reduce costs in the coming years and to hire more Iraqi support employees.

__

Online:

http://www.sigir.mil/directorates/audits/auditReports.html

__

Rebecca Santana can be reached at http://twitter.com/@ruskygal

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111024/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq

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Best grilled cheese in the U.S.

By Food & Wine

Courtesy of Grahamwich

Chicago chef Graham Elliot Bowles's take on grilled cheese features Wisconsin cheddar, prosciutto, tomato marmalade and cheese curds.

The best grilled cheese sandwich is the gooiest grilled cheese, says Laura Werlin,?the James Beard Award?winning cookbook author behind this year's "Grilled Cheese, Please!"

"After you bite into it, the cheese should stretch out past your face as far as your arm will reach. Otherwise, it's just not right."

Slideshow: Best Grilled Cheese in the U.S.

While it?s easy to achieve some level of crunchy, buttery excellence at home, chefs and restaurateurs are creating exceptional grilled cheese sandwiches across the country.

Given the West Coast?s reputation for producing great cheeses (there?s even a book titled?"The Guide to West Coast Cheese"), it?s fitting that some of the most delicious innovations are turning up in that part of the country. In San Francisco,?Heidi Gibson,?an?engineer with a degree from MIT,?won the national Grilled Cheese Invitational and opened American Grilled Cheese?Kitchen?in the city?s start-up-heavy SOMA neighborhood. Tech geeks now come for well-constructed sandwiches like the Mousetrap, with cheddar, Havarti and Monterey Jack on artisanal sourdough.

Over-the-top combinations are the specialty at the rabidly popular Grilled Cheese Truck in Los Angeles. In most places, mac and cheese would be served with house-smoked barbecued pork as a side dish. Here, that?s the basis for a Cheesy Mac & Rib Sandwich.

Angelenos looking for more restrained grilled cheeses head to Clementine, where?chef-owner Annie Miler got so excited about her bakery-caf??s 10th-Annual Celebration of Grilled Cheese Month in April 2011 that she offered 10 variations every week that month. A year-round favorite:?extra-sharp white Tillamook cheddar on country white with bacon or roasted cherry tomatoes.

The nouveau grilled cheese trend is now spreading through major cities. A new caf? in Queens, N.Y., called The Queens Kickshaw, focuses on two buzzy foods: grilled cheese and coffee.?The menu takes inspiration from the amazing ethnic diversity of the borough with sandwiches like a Greek-influenced feta with roasted red pepper spread and the French-style?Gruy?re?with pickled and caramelized onions.

Top chefs won?t be left out of the gooey movement either. Chicago?s?Graham Elliot Bowles is known for playful cuisine at Graham Elliot, and the sandwiches at his local take-out joint, Grahamwich, are equally inventive. The grilled cheese on sliced Pullman loaf features Wisconsin cheddar, prosciutto, tomato marmalade and cheese curds, which, when melted, add an extra soft, melty effect.

More from Food & Wine

Source: http://itineraries.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/10/11/8274235-best-grilled-cheese-in-the-us

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Murdoch facing the wrath of shareholders

Nick Ut / AP

British lawmaker Tom Watson, who has led efforts to investigate the phone-hacking scandal at News Corp's British newspaper division, talks to reporters during a protest in front of Fox Studios in Los Angeles Friday. A few dozen people showed up to demonstrate outside Fox Studios where News Corp. is holding its annual shareholders meeting.

By msnbc.com news services

A growing number of News Corp shareholders with voting rights are considering sending a strong message of discontent to Chief Executive Rupert Murdoch by voting against several long-standing board members including his sons James and Lachlan.

In the run up to Friday's annual general meeting, holders of News Corp B stock, including normally compliant supporters of Murdoch and his family, are closely examining recommendations by proxy advisory groups ISS and Glass Lewis to vote out as many as 13 of the media conglomerate's current 15 directors.

"Ninety-nine percent of the time we vote with Glass Lewis on these kind of matters," said Donald Yacktman, president and co-chief investment officer of Yacktman Asset Management Co in Austin, Texas.

Dozens of people were already demonstrating outside Fox Studios in Los Angeles where News Corp?s meeting was getting underway Friday lunchtime. Some demonstrators carried anti-Murdoch signs, including one that stated ?Fire the Murdoch Mafia.?

British lawmaker Tom Watson, who has led efforts to investigate the phone-hacking scandal at News Corp's British newspaper division,? grilled Murdoch about covert surveillance techniques by company employees. He asked Murdoch whether he was aware that a person who had left prison was hired by News Corp. and hacked the computer of a former army intelligence officer.

Murdoch said he wasn't aware, and board director Viet Dinh said the company would look into the allegation.

"I promise you absolutely that we will stop at nothing to get to the bottom of this and put it right," Murdoch told Watson.

Glass Lewis has specifically recommended their fund clients withhold their votes for six directors including James and Lachlan Murdoch along with other News Corp insiders David Devoe, chief financial officer, and Arthur Siskind, a senior adviser to Murdoch.

While most major shareholders declined to comment publicly on their specific voting strategy, several said privately that the proxy advisory groups' comments would be an important factor in their decision. It follows the high profile and damaging fallout from the phone hacking scandal at News Corp's now defunct British paper News of the World.

The scandal has rocked the parent of Fox TV, the Wall Street Journal and the Sun in Britain, and raised serious questions about the leadership of News Corp's 80-year-old founder Rupert Murdoch. It has also undermined an unspoken succession plan once thought to involve one of his children.

News International, the U.K. newspaper publishing division of News Corp, said Friday it will pay 2 million pounds ($3.2 million) to the family of a murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler whose phone was hacked by the News of the World. The company also said it will donate 1 million pounds ($1.6 million) to charities chosen by the Dowler family.

Stage-managed meeting
After the furor of the last few months, this year's shareholder meeting is being more carefully stage-managed than in recent years, with only a strict and limited number of shareholders able to attend the meeting at the Zanuck Theater on the Fox Studios lot in Hollywood by using News Corp-provided transportation.

Simon Burge, Chief Investment Officer at Above the Index Asset Management, a top 20 investor in News Corp's Australian shares, said the fund would vote against James and Lachlan Murdoch, but declined to comment on whether it was voting against Rupert.

"We should vote as we see fit, but we need to acknowledge that all the resolutions are highly likely to pass, given that the family controls approximately 40 percent of the voting stock," Burge said.

But he added it would be silly to vote against 13 out of 15 directors as suggested by ISS. "If you vote against them all, you wouldn't have a board. Then you'd really have a governance problem," Burge said.

Ausbil Dexia, the biggest holder of News Corp's Australian stock, declined to comment on how it would vote.

"We do note there are some concerns there. We analyze what they have to say. We don't always agree with what they have to say," said Ausbil Dexia managing director Paul Xiradis, adding that the fund took its concerns directly to the company.

News Corp declined to comment.

The phone hacking scandal saw the company lose out on its biggest ever deal to buy the 61 percent of satellite broadcaster BSkyB it does not already own, and the arrest of nearly 20 former staffers and executives in Britain has given even strong Murdoch supporters pause for thought.

"This is one of those meetings that galvanizes shareholders to have a closer look," said a senior person at one proxy advisory group not permitted to talk about a specific case.

Shareholders against Murdoch
Major pension fund holders and advisory services including CalPERS and CalSTRS in the United States, Hermes Equity Ownership in Britain and Australian Council of Superannuation Investors in Australia have come out against the Murdoch-controlled board with similar criticism of poor corporate governance and the need for a board shake-up.

Yet even though the rumbling of dissent is growing it is unlikely to have an immediate impact on the board's membership. Murdoch and his family control 40 percent of the voting stock with the next largest B shareholder being Saudi Prince Al Waleed with 7 percent. The prince has publicly thrown his support behind Murdoch making it even more unlikely that Murdoch or his family could be shifted.

But proxy watchers and shareholders said they'd be paying attention to the percentage of the vote of non-Murdoch affiliated B shareholders. If support for key board members drops significantly below the usual 90 to 99 percent range it could be a damaging signal for Murdoch.

"No one realistically expects any director to be voted off the board at the AGM," said a person at a British proxy advisory firm. "What will be closely watched is whether a majority of the non-Murdoch vote is cast against key board directors. If that happens it will be an indication of major shareholder unease."

News Corp and Murdoch are sensitive to suggestions of poor corporate governance and overpaying management. The company hit back against criticism saying it "vehemently disagrees" with ISS proposals. But the company acknowledged the phone hacking scandal could affect the wider business' operations.

In a letter to shareholders last week, News Corp pointed to its strong performance despite the difficult global economy. Revenue rose 2 percent to $33.4 billion in the year ended on June 30, while operating profit increased 23 percent to $4.85 billion.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Source: http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/10/21/8428439-news-corps-key-shareholders-mull-ditching-murdoch-board

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