Wax museum pays tribute to Earnhardt

Wax museum paystribute to Earnhardt
LAS VEGAS -- A tribute to NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt has been unveiled at Madame Tussauds Las Vegas in the form of a meticulously created $200,000 wax figure in a driving uniform.
The figure is part of the wax museum's newest interactive attraction, called "SPEED," dedicated to auto racing.
Earnhardt died in an accident on the final lap of the 43rd Daytona 500 in February 2001. "He was instrumental in introducing the sport of auto racing to millions and his presence best represents the country's fastest-growing spectator sport," said Adrian Jones, general manager of Madame Tussauds Las Vegas.
Tourism officials planvon Trapp museum
VIENNA, Austria -- Salzburg tourism officials are considering building a museum devoted to the film "The Sound of Music."
Discussions are under way to create a center about the von Trapp family, whose story was told in the 1965 Hollywood classic about a family singing troupe that flees the Nazis, Salzburg Deputy Gov. Wilfried Haslauer said. Around 300,000 people visit Salzburg each year simply because of the movie.
Tourism surveys show that three out of four Americans come to Salzburg, the former home of the real-life von Trapp family, because of the musical.
Once in Salzburg, many tourists ignore composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the city's most famous native son, to take tours of sites featured in the movie and participate in sing-alongs of famous melodies from the film.
Mall of Americato feature nap store
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. -- The Mall of America has a 74-foot Ferris wheel, a shark tank and a dinosaur museum. But if you're just too exhausted to enjoy it all, a new nap store will sell you some shuteye for 70 cents a minute.
The store, to be called MinneNAPolis, is aimed at weary travelers who need a nap after a long flight but aren't staying long enough to book a hotel room, or spouses of shoppers who are traversing the mall's 4.3 miles of retail stores and other attractions, according to the Star Tribune.
"We think it would be really good for husbands at Christmas, when their wives are power-shopping," said mall spokeswoman Julie Hansen.
Founded by PowerNap Sleep Centers Inc. of Boca Raton, Fla., the new store will include themed rooms such as Asian Mist, Tropical Isle and Deep Space, and the walls will be thick enough to drown out the sounds of squealing children at the indoor amusement park.
Prairie Peace Parkto be meditation site
LINCOLN, Neb. -- The Prairie Peace Park is making way for a Peace Palace.
The "Amber Waves of Grain" -- 32,000 wooden cones that depicted the U.S. nuclear arsenal during the Cold War -- and other sculptures, signs and exhibits will be replaced by a two-story, 12,000-square-foot building in which classes will be taught, according to the Lincoln Journal Star.
The land just off the Crete/Pleasant Dale exit from Interstate 80 is being bought by Global Country World Peace, which is based in Maharishi Vedic City, Iowa. The town was incorporated in 2001 to accompany the Maharishi University of Management near Fairfield, Iowa.
The school and town were developed as centers for Transcendental Meditation, a practice popularized by the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, known as guru to the Beatles.
Declining attendance over the past two years led to the decision to sell the Peace Park land, said Don Tilley, president of the park organization.
Associated Press