Large shark kills man in New Zealand

AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) ? A shark possibly 14 feet long killed a swimmer near a popular New Zealand beach on Wednesday, then disappeared after police attempting to save the man fired gunshots at the enormous predator.

Muriwai Beach near Auckland was closed after the fatal attack, one of only about a dozen in New Zealand in the past 180 years.

Pio Mose, who was fishing at the beach, told The New Zealand Herald he saw the swimmer struggle against the "huge" shark. He told the man to swim to the rocks, but it was too late.

"All of a sudden there was blood everywhere," Mose said. "... I was shaking, scared, panicked."

Police Inspector Shawn Rutene said in a statement that the swimmer, was about 200 meters (650 feet) offshore when the shark attacked. He said police went out in inflatable surf-lifesaving boats and shot at the shark, which they estimate was 12 to 14 feet long.

"It rolled over and disappeared," Rutene said, without saying whether police are certain that they killed the creature.

Police recovered the body of the swimmer. The Herald reported that he was Adam Strange, a 46-year-old television and short film director, and that his family issued a statement expressing their shock and requesting privacy.

About 200 people had been enjoying the beach during the Southern Hemisphere summer at the time of the attack. Police said Muriwai and other beaches nearby have been closed until further notice.

Police did not say what species of shark was involved in the attack. Clinton Duffy, a shark expert with the Department of Conservation, said New Zealand is a hotspot for great white sharks, and other potentially lethal species also inhabit the waters.

Attacks are rare. Duffy estimated that only 12 to 14 people have been killed by sharks in New Zealand since record-keeping began in the 1830s.

"There are much lower levels of shark attacks here than in Australia," he said. "It's possibly a function of how many people are in the water" in New Zealand's cooler climate.

He said that during the Southern Hemisphere summer, sharks often come in closer to shore to feed and to give birth, although that doesn't necessarily equate to a greater risk of attack.

"Ninety-nine percent of the time they ignore people," he said. "Sometimes, people get bitten."

Around the world, sharks attacked humans 80 times last year, and seven people were killed, according to the University of Florida's International Shark Attack File. The death toll was lower than it was in 2011 but higher than the average of 4.4 from 2001 to 2010.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/large-shark-kills-man-zealand-beach-closed-030458494.html

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Justices Question Aspects of Voting Law (WSJ)

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Arm-in-arm, Ohio students commemorate slain classmates

CHARDON, Ohio (AP) ? One day after a teen gunman pleaded guilty in the deadly school shooting in northeast Ohio, students marked its one-year anniversary Wednesday with hugs, supportive messages and a somber march through town.

The march by Chardon High School students, walking arm-in-arm in the damp cold from the school to the town square, was an emotional highlight during the day's commemoration.

Photos of the three slain students were displayed, onlookers applauded marchers and firefighters hung a large American flag from an aerial ladder.

The march ended at the courthouse where the shooter, T.J. Lane, 18, had pleaded guilty Tuesday to all charges. Lane could face life in prison at his sentencing March 19.

The observance honored Daniel Parmertor and Demetrius Hewlin, both 16, and Russell King Jr., 17, who were killed in the Feb. 27, 2012, rampage. Three others were injured.

Students arriving for classes passed an outdoor school sign with the names of the victims and the message: "2-27 A Day of Remembrance." Across the street, a heart-shaped sign in the school colors of red and black had the message: "One Heartbeat."

The slain students' relatives on Wednesday sued Lane and his family, seeking damages and alleging negligent supervision by his parents and grandparents. Attorneys who filed the case said the families want to ensure Lane never profits from his crimes.

"Hopefully this lawsuit will help answer a lot of questions that still remain and help bring closure for the families and the community," attorneys Peter Marmaros and W. Craig Bashein said.

In Columbus, the Ohio House observed a moment of silence. Rep. John Patterson, who represents Chardon, said he planned to introduce a bill to designate highways in the names of the three victims.

Patterson told his colleagues that they couldn't control tragedies or fully prevent them. And the Jefferson Democrat encouraged parents to tell their children they love them.

The anniversary of the student deaths marks another year of mass shootings around the country ? 12 people gunned down at a Colorado movie theater; six killed at a Sikh Temple in Wisconsin; and 26 Connecticut first-graders and educators slain in Newtown during the Christmas season.

The march in Chardon rekindled memories of the walk taken along the same route by grieving students as they returned to classes three days after the shooting.

A senior student leader, Jessica Mysyk, said the past year has been a time of emotional healing.

"It was hard to even imagine setting foot back into the building where such a tragedy occurred," she told classmates gathered in the square.

Another senior leader, Will Porter, said nothing satisfactorily explains the violent attack.

"There are no explanations I can give that can help any of us understand," he said.

The day's activities in Chardon highlighted the anniversary but served to keep students busy with projects including writing messages of support, artwork, memorial wreaths and making security blankets for future victims of tragedies.

Rachel Loder, 16, who was a sophomore at the time of the Chardon shootings, received such a security blanket and cried and embraced it at difficult times during the past year, her father George Loder said.

"There have been many tears throughout the year," he said.

Loder said his daughter and her classmates have reciprocated by meeting weekly to make blankets, including more than 150 delivered to Newtown.

Counselors and therapists and about a dozen students from Virginia Tech, where a 2007 massacre left the gunman and 32 students and faculty dead, were available throughout the day to meet with students, Chardon principal Andy Fetchik said.

The Virginia Tech students have visited Chardon more than a half dozen times over the past year to promote healing, said Fetchik, wearing a lapel ribbon in the school's red and black colors.

"That's what our kids have been trying to do as they work with that group, is to send that message that one small act of kindness can go a long way," Fetchik said.

Prosecutors say Lane took a .22-caliber pistol and a knife to the school and fired 10 shots at students in the high school cafeteria. Lane was there waiting for a bus to an alternative school he attended.

Lane pleaded guilty to three counts of aggravated murder, two counts of attempted aggravated murder and one count of felonious assault. Charged as an adult, Lane cannot get the death penalty because he was 17 at the time of the crimes.

___

Associated Press writers Ann Sanner and Kantele Franko in Columbus contributed to this story.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ohio-students-commemorate-classmates-slain-teen-185926606.html

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Emergency room patients ask: How much will I be charged?

Feb. 27, 2013 ? It's a basic, reasonable question: How much will this cost me? For patients in the emergency room, the answer all too often is a mystery.

Emergency departments play a critical role in health care, yet consumers typically know little about how medical charges are determined and often underestimate their financial responsibility -- then are shocked when the hospital bill arrives.

A new study led by UC San Francisco highlights the problem by identifying giant price swings in patient charges for the 10 most common outpatient conditions in emergency rooms across the country.

Out-of-pocket patient charges ranged from $4 to $24,110 for sprains and strains; from $15 to $17,797 for headache treatment; from $128 to $39,408 for kidney stone treatment; from $29 to $29,551 for intestinal infections; and from $50 to $73,002 for urinary tract infections.

The study, representing an estimated 76 million emergency department visits between 2006 and 2008, is the first to demonstrate a large, nationwide variability in charges for common emergency department outpatient conditions, according to the researchers. The analysis uses data from the 2006-2008 Medical Expenditures Panel Survey from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

The study will be published online Feb. 27, 2013 in PLOS ONE.

Amid escalating health care costs and a growing burden of medical debt among many Americans, cost controls and transparency in the nation's emergency rooms are increasingly important, the authors said, particularly for medical conditions that are less time-sensitive.

"Our study shows unpredictable and wide differences in health care costs for patients,'' said senior author Renee Y. Hsia, MD, an assistant professor emergency medicine at UCSF. She is also an attending physician in the emergency department at San Francisco General Hospital & Trauma Center.

"Patients actually have very little knowledge about the costs of their health care, including emergency visits that may or may not be partially covered by insurance,'' she said. "Much of this information is far too difficult to obtain.''

The cost of health care has increasingly been at the forefront of economic, political and medical debate. But especially when it comes to emergency rooms (ERs), visited by an estimated one in five Americans annually, patients as well as their physicians are often in the dark about billable charges.

For consumers with health insurance, escalating ER charges are resulting in larger deductibles and co-payments. And for the ranks of uninsured patients, who disproportionately rely on the emergency department for non-emergency care, higher ER charges result in a larger proportion of self-pay responsibility.

The study focused on adults 18 to 64 years old, the demographic at the highest risk of facing the largest out-of-pocket charges. It excluded people 65 or older because most such patients are covered by Medicare. And it excluded visits resulting in hospital admission.

Altogether, the researchers looked at the total charges -- medical care, tests and treatment -- for 8,303 patients, nearly half of them privately insured. The charges do not represent the amount patients or insurers reimburse providers, but rather the total charge that patients or their insurance providers are billed. Because of the complex survey design, the number of patients analyzed in the sample was weighted to provide the total estimated number of ER visits during the study timeframe.

The most common outpatient conditions were sprains and strains, "other injuries,'' and "open wounds of extremities.'' Many patients suffered from hypertension, asthma or high cholesterol.

Among key findings:

• The median charge for total outpatient conditions was $1,233.
• Upper respiratory infections had the lowest median charge: $740.
• A kidney stone condition had the highest median price: $3437.
• Uninsured patients were charged the lowest median price ($1,178) followed by those with private insurance ($1,245) and Medicaid ($1,305).

"While most patients with time-sensitive conditions such as acute myocardial infarction, stroke, or sepsis may not be in a position to make decisions about their care based on costs or charges, there are many situations in which patients could reasonably inquire about the potential financial implications of their medical care before making treatment decisions,'' the authors wrote.

While the study was not designed to evaluate specific reasons behind the cost variations, the authors noted previous research attributing cost differences to factors such as geographic location and provider reimbursement variations.

More transparency in hospital charges is needed, the authors said, and consumers should be better informed about the costs of their medical care.

Co-authors are Nolan Caldwell, MD of Stanford University; Tanja Srebotnjak, Phd, of the Ecologic Institute in San Mateo; and Tiffany Wang, BA, of the University of Minnesota Medical School.

Support for the study was provided by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health (UCSF-CTSI Grant Number KL2TR000143), and the UCSF Center for Healthcare Value.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). The original article was written by Elizabeth Fernandez.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Nolan Caldwell, Tanja Srebotnjak, Tiffany Wang, Renee Hsia. ?How Much Will I Get Charged for This?? Patient Charges for Top Ten Diagnoses in the Emergency Department. PLoS ONE, 2013; 8 (2): e55491 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0055491

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/uBxmZ0cFqVM/130227183313.htm

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Pope recalls 'joy,' difficulties in final audience

Pope Benedict XVI greets pilgrims in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013 for the final time before retiring, waving to tens of thousands of people who have gathered to bid him farewell Benedict was driven around the square in an open-sided vehicle, surrounded by bodyguards. At one point he stopped to kiss a baby handed up to him by his secretary. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Pope Benedict XVI greets pilgrims in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013 for the final time before retiring, waving to tens of thousands of people who have gathered to bid him farewell Benedict was driven around the square in an open-sided vehicle, surrounded by bodyguards. At one point he stopped to kiss a baby handed up to him by his secretary. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Pope Benedict XVI waves as he arrives for his last general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013. Tens of thousands of people toting banners saying "Thank you!" jammed St. Peter's Square on Wednesday to bid farewell to Pope Benedict XVI at his final general audience, the appointment he kept each week to teach the world about the Catholic faith. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Pope Benedict XVI greets pilgrims in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013. Pope Benedict XVI greeted the Catholic masses in St. Peter's Square Wednesday for the last time before retiring, making several rounds of the square as crowds cheered wildly and stopping to kiss a half-dozen children brought up to him by his secretary. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)

A Vatican Swiss guard stands in front of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013. Pope Benedict XVI is preparing for his final general audience, the weekly appointment he kept with the faithful and tourists to teach them about the Catholic faith. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)

A man holds a cross as he stands in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013. Pope Benedict XVI is preparing for his final general audience, the weekly appointment he kept with the faithful and tourists to teach them about the Catholic faith. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)

VATICAN CITY (AP) ? Pope Benedict XVI bid an emotional farewell Wednesday on the eve of his retirement, recalling moments of "joy and light" during his papacy, but also times of difficulty when "it seemed like the Lord was sleeping."

Some 150,000 people, many waving banners proclaiming "Grazie!" flooded St. Peter's Square, eager to bear witness to the final hours of a papacy that will go down in history as the first in 600 years to end in resignation rather than death.

Benedict basked in the emotional send-off, taking a long victory lap around the square in an open-sided car, and stopping to kiss and bless half a dozen babies. Seventy cardinals, some tearful, sat in solemn attendance ? and gave him a standing ovation at the end of his speech.

Benedict then made a quick exit, forgoing the meet-and-greet session that typically follows his weekly general audience, as if to not prolong the goodbye.

Given the weight of the moment, Benedict also replaced his usual Wednesday catechism lesson with a heartfelt final address, explaining once again why he was retiring and assuring his flock of 1.2 billion that he was not abandoning them.

"To love the church means also to have the courage to take difficult, painful decisions, always keeping the good of the church in mind, not oneself," Benedict said to thundering applause.

He noted that a pontiff has no privacy ? neither as pope, nor in his future role as emeritus pope: "He belongs always and forever to everyone, to the whole church."

During his eight years as pope, Benedict said he had had "moments of joy and light, but also moments that haven't been easy. ... Moments of turbulent seas and rough winds, as has occurred in the history of the church, when it seemed like the Lord was sleeping."

But he said he never felt alone, that God always guided him, and he thanked his cardinals and colleagues for their support and for "understanding and respecting this important decision."

The pope's tenure has been beset by the clerical sex abuse scandal, discord over everything from priestly celibacy to women's ordination, and most recently the betrayal by his own butler, who stole his private papers and leaked them to a journalist.

Under a bright sun and blue skies, the square was overflowing with pilgrims and curiosity-seekers. Those who couldn't get in watched on giant TV screens set up along the main boulevard leading to the square. About 50,000 tickets were requested, and in the end, the Vatican estimated that 150,000 people flocked to the farewell.

"It's difficult ? the emotion is so big," said Jan Marie, a 53-year-old Roman in his first years as a seminarian. "We came to support the pope's decision."

With chants of "Benedetto!" the mood was far more buoyant than during the pope's final Sunday blessing. It recalled the jubilant turnouts that often accompanied him at World Youth Days and events involving his predecessor, Pope John Paul II.

Benedict has said he decided to retire after realizing that, at 85, he simply didn't have the "strength of mind or body" to carry on.

"I have taken this step with the full understanding of the seriousness and also the novelty of the decision, but with a profound serenity in my soul," Benedict told the crowd.

He will meet Thursday morning with his cardinals for a final time, then fly by helicopter to the papal residence at Castel Gandolfo south of Rome.

There, at 8 p.m., the doors of the palazzo will close and the Swiss Guards in attendance will go off duty, their service protecting the head of the Catholic Church over ? for now.

Many of the cardinals who will choose Benedict's successor were in St. Peter's Square for his final audience. Among them was retired Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony, the object of a grass-roots campaign in the U.S. to persuade him to recuse himself for having covered up for sexually abusive priests. Mahony has said he will be among the 115 cardinals voting for the next pope.

"God bless you," Mahony said when asked by television crews about the U.S. campaign.

Also in attendance were cardinals over 80, who can't participate in the conclave but will take part in meetings next week to discuss the problems facing the church and the qualities needed in a new pope.

"I am joining the entire church in praying that the cardinal electors will have the help of the Holy Spirit," 82-year-old Spanish Cardinal Julian Herranz said.

Herranz has been authorized by the pope to brief voting-age cardinals on his investigation into the leaks of papal documents that exposed corruption in the Vatican administration.

Vatican officials say cardinals will begin meeting Monday to decide when to set the date for the conclave.

Still, the rank-and-file faithful weren't so concerned with the future: They wanted to savor the final moments of a pope they have known for years.

"I came to thank him for the testimony that he has given the church," said Maria Cristina Chiarini, a 52-year-old homemaker who traveled by train from Lugo in central Italy with about 60 members of her parish. "There's nostalgia, human nostalgia, but also comfort. Because as Christians we have hope. The Lord won't leave us without a guide."

___

Follow Nicole Winfield at www.twitter.com/nwinfield

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-02-27-Vatican-Pope/id-4dc014d20c684f97ba368a0d9cf03322

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The Catholic Church needs to repent for brutalizing Irish society ...

Emer O'Kelly: Irish society must ensure State delivers compensation to survivors

Published Tuesday, February 26, 2013, 7:41 AM

Updated Tuesday, February 26, 2013, 7:41 AM

Irish society should feel guilty for perpetuating a system that allowed for women to be sent to Magdalene Laundries

Photo by Press.tv

The social structure that allowed for forced labor and misery in Magdalene Laundries to occur is part of the Irish psyche, according to Sunday's Irish Independent Op Ed.

Writing for the newspaper, journalist Emer O?Kelly states that the Irish society should feel guilty for perpetuating a system that allowed for women to be sent to Magdalene Laundries.

?The stigma is ours, and ours alone, to be shared by all of us except the women victimized and brutalized by Irish society as a whole. That the women could have perceived themselves as bearing a stigma for their incarceration reflects on us, not on them,? O?Kelly states.

?The catalogue of miseries Ireland has inflicted on the helpless and hopeless over the generations since independence is as long as it is sickening. With each new revelation, each parading of repressed grief and hurt, each dreadful witness to our inhumanity, we have squirmed and exempted ourselves from blame.?

Last Tuesday Irish leader Enda Kenny apologized to an estimated 10,000 women who were forced into unpaid labor from 1922 to 1996.

Delivering an official apology in the Irish parliament, he told the women and their families, ?This is a national shame for which I say again I am deeply sorry and offer my full and heartfelt apologies.?

According to O?Reilly, one of the short fallings of the Senator Martin McAleese? 1,000 page report was to suggest women were self-referred to the laundries.

?Was a destitute woman thrown on the street by her parents "willing" when her choice was between selling herself or a hell-hole of slave labour?

?Was a motherless child "willing" when a Catholic priest took her from the care of her widowed father because to have her free in society left her open to "moral hazard"?

Read more: Magdalene survivors call for fair compensation package ahead of Irish government meeting

?If every woman still alive who was ever locked in one of those dark, fearful places was a prostitute; if every woman there had given birth to children "out of wedlock", there should still be no "stigma". They were human, that's all: human like the rest of us. And they were ignorant of the world and its ways, the ignorance as enforced as was their incarceration.?

O?Reilly describes Irish society in the past as a closed society: ?an engineered regimentation of the population that described ignorance as innocence, and equated deprivation with purity and nobility of soul: the essence of fascism.?

The column described a joyless Ireland during the Magdalene years when the Church had a stronghold over the country and highlights the terrible conditions they were forced to work under.

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Source: http://www.irishcentral.com/news/The-Catholic-Church-needs-to-repent-for-brutalizing-Irish-society-193255221.html

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White House will soon revive cybersecurity legislation push

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A senior adviser to President Barack Obama said the White House will soon renew efforts to push cybersecurity legislation through Congress, though he foresaw an uphill battle given the failure of the last attempt.

Daniel said the White House has begun drafting "key legislative principles" for a new bill that it believes can pass both the House and Senate this time.

"We very much want a bill," White House cybersecurity coordinator Michael Daniel told Reuters while in San Francisco to meet industry experts and business leaders at a security conference. But he added: "I don't want to leave anybody with an impression that we underestimate the challenges."

"We will do our best to work with Congress," he added. "You will see that develop over the next couple of weeks to months," he said.

Cybersecurity legislation backed by the Obama administration died in the Senate in November amid fierce opposition from businesses that complained about over-regulation.

That bill would have increased information-sharing between intelligence agencies and private companies, with some privacy protections. It also would have set voluntary standards for businesses that control electric grids, water treatment plants and other essential facilities.

In the absence of overarching legislation, the Obama administration will pursue other means to improve cybersecurity, he said. Those included implementing an executive order the president signed this month that seeks to better protect critical infrastructure from cyber-attacks.

The order directs federal authorities to improve information-sharing on cyber-threats - including some that may be classified - with companies that provide or support critical infrastructure.

"It would be a mistake to assume you can't make any progress in the absence of legislation," he said.

The principles that the White House will support in new legislation include requiring that a civilian agency must be in charge of information-sharing, Daniel said.

Last year's Senate plan likewise would have put the Department of Homeland Security squarely in charge, though it could turn to the military's National Security Agency for assistance.

(Additional reporting by Joseph Menn and Deborah Charles; Editing by Eric Walsh)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/white-house-soon-revive-cybersecurity-legislation-push-011024890.html

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Deaths of teen drivers increase, reversing decade decline

Deaths of teen drivers increased during the first six months of 2012, a new study says. Deaths of teen drivers had been declining since 2000.

By Staff,?Associated Press / February 26, 2013

Deaths of teen drivers increased in the first half of 2012, a new study says, reversing the downward trend seen since 2000. Student driver Kaitlin Kearns of Yellow Springs, Ohio, a 15-year-old Chaminade Julienne High School Student, takes a driving lesson Jan. 24, 2012.

Associated Press

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Deaths?of younger?teen?drivers increased sharply in the first six months of last year, reversing a decade-long trend, according to a report released Tuesday by state highway safety officials.

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Deaths?of 16- and 17-year-old drivers in traffic accidents in the first six months of 2012 were up a combined 19 percent over the same period in the previous year, according to the report from the Governors Highway Safety Association.

There were 107 drivers aged 16 who died between January and June of last year, compared to 86 drivers during the first half of 2011.

Deaths?of 17-year-old drivers rose from 116 in the first half of 2011 to 133 in the first half of last year.

The report is based on preliminary state data that sometimes changes. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is expected to release more definitive data later this year.

Twenty-five states reported increases, 17 had decreases, and eight states and the District of Columbia reported no change in the number of 16- and 17-year-old driver?deaths.

"Despite our efforts,?teens?remain our most vulnerable population," said Kendall Poole, head of the Tennessee highway safety office and chairman of the safety association. "With the advances in technology, we suspect distracted?driving?deaths?among?teen?drivers are rising."

Jacqueline Gillan, president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, said the increase in?deaths?of?teen?drivers "should motivate governors and legislative leaders to make passage of stronger?teen?driving?laws an urgent priority."

A 2012 study by State Farm Insurance found that a majority of teenage drivers text while driving, as reported by the The Christian Science Monitor in April: " ...?despite years now of high-profile campaigns against distracted driving, 57 percent of teens with driver's licenses admit to texting while driving, according to the report commissioned by State Farm insurance.? While 83 percent of these teens agree that they will get into an accident if they regularly drink and drive (which makes you wonder, really, what?s up with the other 17 percent), only 63 percent feel the same about texting behind the wheel."

The same study also found less than a quarter of parents discuss safe driving with their teenagers.

A 2010 study found that laws aimed at curbing texting while driving had no effect and in some cases increased the chance of an accident occurring, though the study was disputed by the US Department of Transportation.

Overall, deaths?of novice drivers dropped dramatically over the past decade at a time when many states were imposing greater restrictions on?teen?drivers, including limits on?driving?with?teen?passengers or?driving?at night.

There were 435 16-year-old drivers killed in all of 2000. That total dropped to 173 by 2011.

A similar trend occurred with 17-year-old drivers as the number of?deaths?dropped from 564 to 250 during the same time frame.

"We are still at a much better place than we were 10 or even five years earlier," said researcher Allan Williams, the report's author and former chief scientist at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. "However, the goal is to strive toward zero?deaths, so our aim would be that these?deaths?should go down every year."

It's difficult to know exactly why?teen?driving?deaths?declined so dramatically, or why they now appear to be on an upswing, researchers said.

The long-term decline in?teen?driver?deaths?coincided with a historic, although more gradual, decline in traffic fatalities overall. That decline also appears to have been arrested. A report last week by National Safety Council said traffic fatalities rose 5 percent last year. It's the first increase since 2004 to 2005.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/6zdiIM3eL_c/Deaths-of-teen-drivers-increase-reversing-decade-decline

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New look at high-temperature superconductors

Feb. 25, 2013 ? While the phenomenon of superconductivity -- in which some materials lose all resistance to electric currents at extremely low temperatures -- has been known for more than a century, the temperature at which it occurs has remained too low for any practical applications. The discovery of "high-temperature" superconductors in the 1980s -- materials that could lose resistance at temperatures of up to negative 140 degrees Celsius -- led to speculation that a surge of new discoveries might quickly lead to room-temperature superconductors. Despite intense research, these materials have remained poorly understood.

There is still no agreement on a single theory to account for high-temperature superconductivity. Recently, however, researchers at MIT and elsewhere have found a new way to study fluctuating charge-density waves, which are the basis for one of the leading theories. The researchers say this could open the door to a better understanding of high-temperature superconductivity, and perhaps prompt new discoveries of higher-temperature superconductors.

The findings were published this week in the journal Nature Materials by assistant professor of physics Nuh Gedik; graduate student Fahad Mahmood; Darius Torchinsky, a former MIT postdoc who is now at the California Institute of Technology; and two researchers at Brookhaven National Laboratory.

Explaining the basis for high-temperature superconductivity remains "the hardest problem in condensed-matter physics," Gedik says. But one way of getting a handle on this exotic state of matter is to study what happens to these materials near their "transition temperature," the point below which they become superconductors.

Previous experiments have shown that above the transition temperature, there is a peculiar state where, Gedik says, "the material starts to behave very weirdly": Its electrons act in unusual ways, which some physicists believe is caused by a phenomenon called charge-density waves. While the electron density in most conductors is uniform, Gedik explains, in materials with charge-density waves the density is distributed in a sinusoidal pattern, somewhat like ripples on a pond. But so far, such charge-density waves have only been detected in high-temperature superconductors under special circumstances, such as a particular level of doping (the introduction of atoms of another element onto its surface).

Some researchers have proposed that these waves are elusive in high-temperature superconductors because they fluctuate very rapidly, at speeds measured in picoseconds (trillionths of a second). "You can't see it with conventional techniques," Gedik says.

That's where Gedik's new approach comes in: His team has spent years perfecting methods for studying the movement of electrons by zapping them with laser pulses lasting just a few femtoseconds (or quadrillionths of a second), and then detecting the results with a separate laser beam.

Using that method, the researchers have now detected these fluctuating waves. To do this, they have selectively generated and observed two different collective motions of electrons in these waves: variation in amplitude (the magnitude of modulation of the waves) and in phase (the position of the troughs and peaks of the waves). These measurements show that charge density waves are fluctuating at an interval of only about 2 picoseconds.

"It's not surprising that static techniques didn't see them," Gedik says, but "this settles the question: The fluctuating charge-density waves do exist" -- at least in one of the cuprate compounds, the first high-temperature superconducting materials discovered in the 1980s.

Another question: What role, if any, do these charge-density waves play in superconductivity? "Are they helping, or are they interfering?" Gedik asks. To answer this question, the researchers studied the same material, with optimal doping, in which the superconducting transition temperature is maximized. "We see no evidence of charge-density waves in this sample," Gedik says. This suggests that charge-density waves are probably competing with superconductivity.

In addition, it remains to be seen whether the same phenomenon will be observed in other high-temperature superconducting materials. The new technique should make it possible to find out.

In any case, detecting these fluctuations could help in understanding high-temperature superconductors, Gedik says -- which, in turn, could "help in finding other [superconducting materials] that actually work at room temperature." That elusive goal could enable significant new applications, such as electric transmission lines that eliminate the losses that now waste as much as 30 percent of all electricity produced.

David Hsieh, an assistant professor of physics at Caltech, says the phenomena detected by this research "are known to be very difficult to detect," so this work "is a great technical achievement and a high-quality piece of research." By showing for the first time that the fluctuating charge-density waves seem to compete with superconductivity, he says, "It provides the insight that finding a way to suppress this fluctuating charge-density wave order may simultaneously increase" the temperature limits of superconductivity.

The work, which also included researchers Anthony Bollinger and Ivan Bozovic of Brookhaven National Laboratory, was supported by grants from the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy.

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Journal Reference:

1. Darius H. Torchinsky, Fahad Mahmood, Anthony T. Bollinger, Ivan Bo?ovi?, Nuh Gedik. Fluctuating charge-density waves in a cuprate superconductor. Nature Materials, 2013; DOI: 10.1038/nmat3571

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/x7qwWGOeVnU/130225102555.htm

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Heat blow huge lead then beat Cavs for 11th in row

Miami Heat forward LeBron James (6) drives to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers forward Luke Walton (4) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Miami Heat forward LeBron James (6) drives to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers forward Luke Walton (4) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Miami Heat forward Udonis Haslem (40) shoots against Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Cleveland Cavaliers forward Tristan Thompson, right, looks for an opening past Miami Heat center Chris Bosh, left, and forward Udonis Haslem (40) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Cleveland Cavaliers center Tyler Zeller, left, and Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade battle for a loose ball during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

MIAMI (AP) ? LeBron James scored 28 points, Dwyane Wade scored 11 of his 24 in the final five minutes, and the Miami Heat extended the NBA's longest current winning streak to 11 games, beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 109-105 in a back-and-forth matchup Sunday night.

Mario Chalmers scored 16 points, Shane Battier added 14 and Ray Allen had 11 for the Heat, who took a 22-point lead early in the second half, then prevailed despite being outscored by a whopping 30 points over a 17-minute stretch.

Miami was down eight with 5:16 remaining, and still won.

Dion Waiters scored 26 points, C.J. Miles added 19 and Kyrie Irving scored 17 for Cleveland. The Cavaliers are now 1-8 against the Heat since James signed with Miami in July 2010.

Cleveland erased a 22-point deficit in the third quarter to take the lead, and led by 97-89 with 5:16 remaining ? before the Heat found a way to come back.

More specifically, before Wade found a way to come back.

Wade started what turned into a 16-4 run with a fadeaway with just under 5 minutes to go, then added a three-point play on the next Miami possession to cut the Cavs' lead to 97-94.

The Heat were back in business. And after Irving missed a layup with about 1:35 left, Wade got the rebound and wound up setting up Battier for a 3-pointer that put Miami on top again ? and for good.

From there, the Heat got a little bit of luck. Bosh set up James for what should have been an easy layup with about 40 seconds left. James somehow missed, and the ball wound up back in Bosh's hands, the Heat having a new shot clock. Wade wore it down, then drove the left side of the lane for a two-handed slam with 24.4 seconds to play, and Miami on top by four.

End result of James missing the easy one: Another 16 seconds coming off the clock, and Miami extending the lead to two-possession territory anyway.

Down 68-46 early in the third quarter, the Cavaliers looked finished ? last-place team, on the road, against the reigning NBA champions who just happened to have the league's longest current winning streak.

Midway through the third, Miami's lead was still 17.

With two minutes left in the period, the cushion was 10.

By the start of the fourth, it was nonexistent. The C.J. Miles Show lasted for all of 63 seconds. And they were a scintillating 63 seconds.

It starts with 1:35 left, a 3-pointer from Miles getting the Miami lead down to seven. Then he got a rebound, came downcourt and connected on another 3-pointer. Lead down to four. Another stop by the Cavs on one end, then another 3-pointer for Miles on the other ? that one coming both with him drawing a foul from Mario Chalmers, and with Heat coach Erik Spoelstra getting hit with a technical from referee Ed Malloy for arguing.

He made the technical free throw to tie the game, the free throw for the Chalmers hit to put the Cavs ahead, and they carried that 82-81 lead into the fourth, having closed the quarter on a 36-13 run.

Miami used a 23-4 run in the first half to take what looked like a commanding 42-22 lead ? with more than 9 minutes left until the break. The Heat then managed only one field goal in the span of about five minutes, giving Cleveland the chance claw back into things, which the Cavs did.

Thompson attacked the basket for a pair of scores, Waiters scored from close range as well, and the Cavs were suddenly within 48-41.

So Miami answered with another burst. James didn't miss in the final 4:29 of the half, scoring 10 points on a 4-for-4 run from the floor and fueling what became 16-5 spurt that gave Miami a 64-46 lead going into the locker room. And for good measure, Miami got the first two baskets of the second half, pushing the lead to 22, the biggest of the night.

Over, right?

Not even remotely close.

NOTES: Miami's two wins over Cleveland this season, both at home, have come by a combined six points. ... Heat F Mike Miller (ear infection) was back with the team Sunday, though did not play. "He can't hear anything we're saying," Spoelstra quipped before the game. ... The Heat held a moment of silence pregame for Los Angeles Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss, the moment ending with warm applause from the crowd. Heat President Pat Riley coached for Buss, and Cavaliers coach Byron Scott once played for the Lakers.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-02-24-BKN-Cavaliers-Heat/id-fe6b275eb61145b5bb0e0d23019a80f6

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Cleric resigns after allegations of 'inappropriate' conduct with priests

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's most senior Roman Catholic cleric resigned on Monday following allegations he behaved in an inappropriate way with priests, and said he would not take part in the election of Pope Benedict's replacement.

Cardinal Keith O'Brien said he had tendered his resignation some months ago, ahead of his 75th birthday in March and because he was suffering from "indifferent health".

The Vatican said the pope, who steps down on Thursday, had accepted O'Brien's resignation as archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh.

O'Brien, an outspoken opponent of gay marriage, has been reported to the Vatican over allegations of inappropriate behavior stretching back 30 years, according to Britain's Observer newspaper.

The cardinal, who last week advocated allowing Catholic priests to marry as many found it difficult to cope with celibacy, rejected the allegations and was seeking legal advice, his spokesman said.1

"Looking back over my years of ministry: For any good I have been able to do, I thank God. For any failures, I apologize to all whom I have offended," O'Brien said in a statement, which made no reference to the recent allegations.

He said he would not attend the election next month of a new pope, saying: "I do not wish media attention in Rome to be focused on me - but rather on Pope Benedict XVI and on his successor."

The Observer, which gave little detail on the claims, said three priests and a former priest, from a Scottish diocese, had complained over incidents dating back to 1980.

One said the cardinal formed an "inappropriate relationship" with him while another complained of unwanted behavior by O'Brien after a late-night drinking session.

Last year, O'Brien's comments labeling gay marriage a "grotesque subversion" landed him with a "Bigot of the Year" award from British gay rights group Stonewall.

(Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge and Michael Holden; editing by Maria Golovnina and Jon Boyle)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/britains-most-senior-roman-catholic-cleric-resigns-112040627.html

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Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 preview: an 8-inch S Pen tablet that's also a phone

An updated, larger Galaxy Note from Samsung was inevitable. Given the undeniable popularity of mid-size tablets (see: Apple iPad mini), it's no surprise the Korean electronics giant would want to strengthen its foothold in a category it helped create. It was just three short years ago that Samsung introduced the Galaxy Tab and now, three Notes later, it's ready to perfect the one-handed experience. With this new Note, the company's culled the best of what's around its Galaxy into an 8-inch form factor, housing a 1,280 x 800 TFT display, Exynos 4 Quad with 2GB RAM (clocked at 1.6GHz), TouchWiz-skinned Android Jelly Bean 4.1.2 OS, S Pen (and suite of associated apps), as well as radios for HSPA+ and WiFi into that familiar, lightweight plastic body.

But that extra inch alone isn't the Galaxy Note 8.0's main attraction. Samsung's wisely made use of the additional screen real estate to bundle two extra features. Building upon market research that indicates over 80-percent of tablet use takes place within the living room, the company's partnered with Peel for its Smart Remote app, a visual programming guide with remote control functions baked-in that comes pre-loaded on the tab. And, in keeping with its portrait oriented design, the Note 8.0 also incorporates what the company calls "reading mode," effectively optimizing the slate's display for comfortable e-book use.

Gallery: Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 hands-on

Filed under: Tablets, Samsung

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/-Rhn7NXZllI/

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13.02.24 00:00 , A Month Long MLK In Motion - Sunday February 24, 2013 @ DELAWARE STATE UNIVERSITY

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Nokia to make cheaper phones to fend off competition from Chinese rivals: Report

London, Feb 23 : Embattled tech firm Nokia will start manufacturing cheaper mobile handsets in a bid to fend off growing competition from Chinese rivals at the lower end of the market, it has emerged.

The new models are due to be unveiled at the Mobile World Congressindustry convention in Barcelona next week.

The move suggests that Nokia is expanding its focus after concentrating in the past two years on catching up with Apple and Samsung in more expensive smartphones, the Telegraph reports.

According to the paper, sources told a UK-based news agency that Nokia could introduce cut-price basic phones aimed at competing with the likes of Huawei and ZTE, as well as a new, lower-price model of its Lumia smartphones running on Windows Phone 8 software.

Nokia has struggled with growing competition in both smartphones and lower-end handsets.

Its Lumia smartphone range was widely been seen as a make-or-break product line for Nokia due to its high margins, the paper said.

Its success is seen determining whether Chief Executive Stephen Elop made the right decision two years ago in switching to Microsoft Windows software from its own Symbian system, it added. (ANI)

Source: http://www.topnews.in/nokia-make-cheaper-phones-fend-competition-chinese-rivals-report-2373371

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2013 NFL combine: Big butts matter for offensive linemen

In the world of NFL linemen, it's always nice to have a large rump.

The NFL Scouting Combine makes for some uncomfortable moments, with large men in tight outfits running with slow motion cameras clicking away.

One example of this pure awkwardness is the constant excitement of grown men when they see an offensive or defensive linemen with a large backside. Mike Mayock is on NFL Network, and he highlighted this point Saturday morning by exalting "See that big butt?"

Every general manager and scout wants to see a large rear end for a few reasons, the main one being power. A big butt says that the lineman has good lower body strength that can really help with push in the trenches.

Another reason is explosion off the line of scrimmage. While upper body strength is terrific, all the leverage a lineman needs is created from the waist down.

And that's the bottom line.

More in the NFL:

? Chip Kelly wins Day 1 of the Combine

? A new Wonderlic, measuring grown-ass adulthood

? The worst performances of the Life Combine

? Should QBs throw at the Combine? We asked an agent

? The List: 20 sentences guaranteed to start an Internet argument

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

Source: http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2013/2/23/4020966/2013-nfl-combine-offensive-lineman-butt-size

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The Chinese Are Coming! The Chinese Are Coming!

By now you must have heard of Unit 61398 of the People's Liberation Army: "an overwhelming percentage of the attacks on American corporations, organizations and government agencies originate in and around [their] white tower," claims the New York Times, who were themselves recently owned by the 1337 h4ck3r5 of the 61398. And just recently, there were "extremely sophisticated" attacks on Apple, Facebook, and Twitter! Why, those evil Chinese! We can't just stand by while this happens! The US government has to -- to -- ...wait just a minute here. I don't know how the NYT defines "overwhelming", but those Apple/Facebook/Twitter hacks? Those apparently originated in Eastern Europe, a long, long way away from Shanghai. And Chinese hacking? Old, old news. Why, the NYT reported on it--courtesy of Wikileaks--back in 2010:

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/NUf7l5imVEY/

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3 political sisters in Pa. convicted of corruption

PITTSBURGH (AP) ? The story has more irony than a Greek tragedy. Three sisters from a devoutly Catholic family have seen their personal and political careers ruined by a scandal that began with, of all things, a letter to some nuns.

Thursday's conviction of suspended state Supreme Court Justice Joan Orie Melvin along with her aide and sister, Janine Orie, on campaign corruption charges mean they might join a third sister ? former state Sen. Jane Orie ? in state prison. No sentencing date has been set.

The former senator was sentenced last year to 2? to 10 years for using her state-paid staff to run her campaigns, though she was acquitted of having them campaign for Melvin, then a lower appellate court judge, who was running for the Supreme Court in 2003 and 2009. Joan Orie Melvin and Janine Orie were convicted in a spinoff investigation and found guilty of similarly misusing Melvin's former staff and the senator's.

Even before the convictions, their careers ? and the family from which they sprang ? were extraordinary.

Dr. John Orie, now 90, and his late wife, Jean, raised nine children including five attorneys, Joan and Jane among them; two cardiologists; a teacher; and a human resources manager, Janine, who worked for her sister Joan Orie Melvin in the lower Superior Court before moving up with her to the Supreme Court.

"It's all pretty unbelievable," said John Burkoff, a university of Pittsburgh law professor who has closely followed the cases. "Whatever you thought about the Orie sisters, whether you liked or didn't like them, you have to look at all of this as tragic."

Jim Roddey is a prominent businessman who heads the Republican Party in Allegheny County, where Republicans are outnumbered more than 2 to 1 by Democrats and where Pittsburgh, the county seat, hasn't elected a GOP mayor since the Great Depression.

Before 2010, when Republican Tom Corbett was elected governor, Jane Orie was the state Senate majority whip ? the highest-ranking elected Republican politician not just in Pennsylvania, but also of several states in the Northeast, Roddey said. And Melvin, elected in November 2009, was one of seven members of the state's highest court.

And now? Jane Orie resigned her Senate seat in May, and Melvin's status on the state's highest court figures to change, one way or another.

State lawmakers have already asked her to resign or face articles of impeachment. If those are approved by the state House, Melvin would be tried by the Senate, which could remove her from office if she hasn't already been removed by the state's Court of Judicial Discipline.

Now that she has been convicted, Melvin has 30 days to respond to charges of misconduct filed with that court by the state's Judicial Conduct Board. If it is determined Melvin has violated professional conduct rules or the state Constitution, or brought disrepute to the judiciary, the court can remove her from office.

Melvin's criminal defense attorneys and her disciplinary court attorney didn't return calls Friday.

The Ories have argued the prosecution is the result of a political vendetta by Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala Jr., a Democrat, who has repeatedly denied ulterior motives.

When the investigation first became public in late 2009, the sisters claimed they were being targeted because Zappala's family has interests in legalized gambling, which the Ories opposed expanding in Pennsylvania.

The allegations grew uglier, when Melvin ? after it was known Sen. Orie was being investigated but before the justice was charged ? called for an audit of two child care centers that paid kickbacks to two judges in northeastern Pennsylvania's Luzerne County who sent troubled youths to the facilities. The facilities were co-owned by Gregory Zappala, the prosecutor's brother, who was never charged in the scheme and has repeatedly denied wrongdoing.

To this day, some Orie supporters still believe those politics ? not justice ? drove the prosecution.

Roddey acknowledges the sisters' success in a politically hostile environment has something to do with that chatter.

"That's part of it," Roddey said. "But the other half of the equation is that her prosecutor was Stephen Zappala, and Joan's biggest public battle was she chastised the Supreme Court for what happened in Luzerne County."

Whatever the motivations, two juries have now found enough evidence to bring the overachieving siblings from triumph to tragedy despite a raft of supporters ? Sen. Orie spent $420 on a chartered bus to bring 50 character witnesses to her trial ? and, even, efforts to seek divine intervention.

During the investigation, which centered on the sisters' emails, prosecutors stumbled onto messages Sen. Orie and Melvin sent to the "angel lady," a Philadelphia psychic who read her client's written questions aloud before claiming to receive a whispered answer from an angel.

The senator and justice sought assurances from the $85-an-hour medium that Zappala's investigation wouldn't result in criminal charges.

But rather than being touched by an angel, the sisters were undone by some nuns.

That happened in late October 2009 ? days before Melvin won her Supreme Court seat ? when a Senate intern complained to Zappala that Sen. Orie's staff was doing campaign work for Melvin.

The complaint centered on a letter Sen. Orie wrote on Melvin's campaign stationery asking Pittsburgh-area nuns to vote for Melvin.

When Orie and Melvin learned of the whistleblowing intern, the senator had a staffer prepare another letter ? a "cover-up" letter, according to prosecutors. This time, Sen. Orie ? on her own stationery ? spoke about civic events of interest to nuns but didn't mention Melvin.

Prosecutors contend the letter was created to make it appear the intern was simply mistaken about what she saw and was never mailed. Eventually, Sen. Orie's and Melvin's staffs told a grand jury about other illegal campaign work done in Orie's Senate offices and Melvin's chambers.

"Frankly, it's a smart group of people. How could they put themselves in this kind of situation?" Burkoff said. "This is the kind of thing we'll be puzzling about for years."

___

Jackson reported from Harrisburg, Pa.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/3-political-sisters-pa-convicted-corruption-212941147.html

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Innovators Patent Agreement

The Innovators Patent Agreement (IPA) is a new way to do patent assignment that keeps control in the hands of engineers and designers. It is a commitment from a company to its employees that patents can only be used for defensive purposes. The company will not use the patents in offensive litigation without the permission of the inventors. This control flows with the patents, so if the company sells the patents to others, the assignee can only use the patents as the inventor intended.

Issues and Contributing

Have a contribution idea or want to discuss something? Please create an issue here on GitHub.

https://github.com/twitter/innovators-patent-agreement/issues

Better yet, feel free to contribute a pull request if you have an improvement to the IPA.

License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License

Source: https://github.com/twitter/innovators-patent-agreement

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'Space Shuttle Atlantis' exhibit opens June 29

collectSpace.com

The new logo for the "Space Shuttle Atlantis" exhibit is unveiled by astronaut Jon McBride (left), Delaware North President Rick Abramson and Bill Moore, chief operating officer of the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida on Thursday,

By Robert Z. Pearlman
Space.com

NASA's final space shuttle to fly in space will be exhibited to the public in a facility that bears simply the retired orbiter's name, officials announced on Thursday.

NASA's Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, which will host the retired shuttle Atlantis, also revealed the logo for its new 90,000 square-foot, $100 million "Space Shuttle Atlantis" exhibit, which will be used on monument signage at the entrance and on a variety of retail merchandise, marketing and promotional materials when the building opens to the public on June 29.

"Although the multimillion-dollar interactive exhibit encompasses much, much more than the display of Atlantis, there is no denying she is truly the star of the show," said Bill Moore, chief operating officer of the visitor complex.

NASA retired its veteran shuttle fleet in July 2011, after Atlantis flew the 30-year shuttle program's 135th and final mission. The space agency then awarded the orbiters?to museums and science centers in Virginia, New York and California, but decided to keep Atlantis for its own Florida spaceport public attraction.

NASA and Delaware NorthCompanies Parks and Resorts, the company contracted by the space agency to operate the visitor complex at no taxpayer expense, worked with the St. Louis design firm PGAV Destinations to develop the name and logo for Atlantis' display.

collectSpace.com

Space shuttle Atlantis, as seen shrink wrapped and angled for its display in the "Space Shuttle Atlantis" building, on Thursday.

Hundreds of name combinations were considered but the parties agreed that the name needed to convey "emotion, fun, excitement and inspiration," and should be easy for adults and children to understand, repeat and remember. Ultimately, the partners chose to go with a simple name that they felt resonated the most powerfully with guests: Space Shuttle Atlantis. [Rare Last Look Inside Shuttle Atlantis (Photos)]

'Space Shuttle Atlantis'
"We know that this majestic beauty, which safely ferried men and women to space and back on 33 successful missions, is the real reason that our guests will travel thousands of miles, across oceans and across continents to visit Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex to see her in all her glory," Moore said of Atlantis.

"There are no words to accurately describe the emotions and insights guests will gain when this attraction opens this summer, for there has truly never been anything like it before. Therefore, we decided to be true to the heart and soul of the exhibit and name it simply and reverently, 'Space Shuttle Atlantis,'" he said.

According to Mike Konzen with PGAV Destinations, the exhibit's logo was created using a gradient of fiery oranges to represent the space shuttle's launch and re-entry into Earth's atmosphere. These symbolic colors were also used in the metallic "swish" to represent the re-entry of the shuttle on the outside of the orbiter's new building.

The light-to-dark range in the logo's lettering is meant to convey the excitement and drama of the shuttle program while the iconic silhouette of the orbiter, or shuttle, is used to represent the "A" in Atlantis. The NASA insignia ? or, as it is affectionately referred to, the "meatball" ? serves as a reminder in the logo of the "pride and patriotism" in America's space program, while "Kennedy Space Center" pays tribute to the birthplace of the United States' spaceflight efforts and the launch site for each of the shuttle program's 135 missions.

Milestones moving forward
The visitor complex broke ground for the "Space Shuttle Atlantis" exhibit in January 2012. Atlantis itself was rolled the short distance from its former Kennedy Space Center processing facilities to its display facility 11 months later.

Thursday's reveal of the name and logo, as well as the opening date, marked the latest milestone since Atlantis arrived in the six-story building, was raised off the ground on its display pedestals and then was wrapped in plastic to protect it from gathering dust as the final construction of the building and exhibit continued.

The next milestone is scheduled to begin next month, with the installation of full-scale replicas of the shuttle external fuel tank and twin solid rocket boosters at the entry to the "Space Shuttle Atlantis" exhibit. These components of the space shuttle "stack" will serve as a gateway, with guests walking beneath the massive orange tank, which will be suspended 24 feet (7 meters) above the ground and will be mounted between the two white rocket boosters that reach 185 feet (56 meters) into the air.

Installation of the entryway structure is slated to be completed by June.

Construction continues on schedule inside the exhibit as well. In May, Atlantis will be uncovered from its protective shrink wrap. The orbiter'scargo bay doors will be opened and a full-scale model of the Hubble Space Telescope will be installed inside the building along with some 60 other exhibits and artifacts.

Atlantis' replica Canadarm robotic manipulator, or arm, will also be extended and suspended from the 115-foot tall (35 meter) ceiling.

The "Space Shuttle Atlantis" exhibit presents the shuttle at a tilt of 43.21 degrees, showcasing Atlantis as if it were in space. Guests will view Atlantis as only the astronauts from its 33 missions have previously had a chance to see it from their vantage aboard the International Space Station.

See shuttles.collectspace.com?for continuing coverage of the delivery and display of NASA's retired space shuttles.

Follow collectSpace on Facebook and Twitter @collectSpaceand editor Robert Pearlman @robertpearlman. Copyright 2012?collectSpace.com. All rights reserved.

Copyright 2013 Space.com, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://science.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/21/17048516-space-shuttle-atlantis-exhibit-to-open-june-29?lite

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