Angry Birds blast off at Kennedy Space Center

Rob Lovitt , NBC News contributor ? ? ? 18 hrs.

If you?re one of the millions of people who have spent untold hours flinging little birds at egg-stealing pigs, you may want to think twice about visiting the Kennedy Space Center outside Orlando. On Friday, the outer-space-oriented attraction will unveil a new interactive exhibit based on the seriously addictive game, Angry Birds Space.

?We?re a NASA-owned and operated facility and what?s important to us is encouraging young people to reach for the stars,? said John Stine, the Center?s director of sales, promotions and events. ?It all begins with STEM ? (promoting the study of) science, technology, engineering and math ? and with Angry Birds Space Encounter, as we?re calling it, we?re able to do that.?

Besides, he told NBC News, ?the great thing about this game is that everybody plays it.?

That?s only a slight exaggeration. First launched by Finnish game developer Rovio Entertainment in March 2012, the game hit 100 million downloads three months later and became the top paid app on iTunes for the year.

At the Space Center, visitors enter an intergalactic wormhole in an effort to retrieve their kidnapped eggs from evil space pigs. Once inside, they can work on their Eggsteroid Slingshots, maneuver through a Danger Zone mirror maze and try to avoid the ?lasers? in the Red Planet Lazer Challenge.

?Launching the slingshots, lining things up, figuring angles and trajectories ? it incorporates math, physics, geometry,? said Stine.

It also capitalizes on the idea that children are often more open to learning when the lessons come from characters they?re already familiar with.

?When children recognize a character or image from their kid-culture world, they get very excited,? said Lisa Guernsey, director of the Early Education Initiative at the New America Foundation, a public policy institute in Washington, D.C. ?Those kinds of hands-on experiences can be wonderful learning moments.?

At the same time, the new exhibit may also be an acknowledgment that science can be a tough sell in an area where princesses, boy wizards and happy rodents reign supreme.

?(The Space Center) has always emphasized the educational aspect of what they offer but in order to maintain visitation, they also have to appeal to the entertainment side,? said industry consultant John Gerner, managing director of Leisure Business Advisors LLC. ?Following the proven theme-park path of working with popular brands will be a good thing for them.? In 2011, Star Trek: The Exhibition made an appearance at the center, and in 2010, it screened TRON: Legacy in IMAX 3D.

And if there?s one word that describes the Angry Birds franchise, it would be ?popular.? First launched on the iPhone in 2009, the various versions of the mobile game have been downloaded more than 1.7 billion times.

In fact, executives at Rovio increasingly see the company not so much as a game developer but as an entertainment enterprise. Just last week, the company used the annual SXSW festival to launch a new video distribution network for a weekly animated series called Angry Birds Toons that will be shown on select video-on-demand channel providers, smart TVs and connected devices.

Nor is the company keeping its critters in a digital cage. Last year, the first authorized Angry Birds activity areas opened at amusement parks in Finland and the UK and earlier this month, The Wall Street Journal reported that the company was developing a prototype ?family entertainment center that could be replicated around the world.?

All of which suggests that Harry, Mickey and the other denizens of the world?s theme parks may want to keep at least one eye on the sky.

Rob Lovitt is a longtime travel writer who still believes the journey is as important as the destination. Follow him on Twitter.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/travel/angry-birds-blast-kennedy-space-center-1C9022946

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Gucci Mane wanted in alleged assault at Ga. club

FILE - In this Oct. 2, 2010 file photo, rapper Gucci Mane arrives on the red carpet for the BET Hip Hop Awards in Atlanta. An arrest warrant has been issued for Gucci Mane after a fan accused the rapper of hitting him in the head with a champagne bottle at a downtown Atlanta nightclub, Saturday, March 23, 2013. (AP Photo/John Amis, File)

FILE - In this Oct. 2, 2010 file photo, rapper Gucci Mane arrives on the red carpet for the BET Hip Hop Awards in Atlanta. An arrest warrant has been issued for Gucci Mane after a fan accused the rapper of hitting him in the head with a champagne bottle at a downtown Atlanta nightclub, Saturday, March 23, 2013. (AP Photo/John Amis, File)

ATLANTA (AP) ? An arrest warrant has been issued for Gucci Mane after a fan accused the rapper of hitting him in the head with a champagne bottle at a downtown Atlanta nightclub.

Authorities say 32-year-old James Lettley, of Fort Hood, Texas, tried making conversation with the rapper ? whose real name is Radric Davis ? in the VIP section of Harlem Nights Ultra Lounge on March 16.

Police department spokesman Sgt. Greg Lyon says the rapper is accused of hitting Lettley in the head, causing a gash on the man's head. Police say Lettley was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital.

Lyon says a warrant has been issued for aggravated assault. Calls to numbers listed for Lettley and Davis were not returned. It's unclear if the rapper has an attorney.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-03-23-Gucci%20Mane-Assault/id-7c09d9be1b4841649338fe46bfc182cf

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Nike profit tops Wall Street estimates, shares rise

By Nivedita Bhattacharjee

(Reuters) - Nike Inc's quarterly profit beat Wall Street's expectations, as margins increased and world-wide future demand for its apparel and shoes rose, sending its shares up 8 percent.

Global orders for Nike-branded shoes and clothing scheduled for delivery from March through July 2013, known as futures orders, rose 6 percent compared to orders reported for the same period last year. In North America, the company's biggest market, orders increased 11 percent.

The company also saw a turnaround in future demand in Greater China, with orders rising 4 percent, after falling in the previous two quarters.

"They turned China much faster than we thought," said Brian Yarbrough, consumer discretionary analyst for Edward Jones.

Yarbrough said this turnaround was important as China is among Nike's highest margin markets. Lower shipping costs and high price tags help the company make more money on their products in that region, he said.

"In China, we are seeing progress against our strategy to reset the marketplace but we still have more to do before we can capture its long-term growth potential," Nike Chief Executive Mark Parker said on a conference call with analysts.

Nike had been stuck with excess inventory in China and was finding it difficult to tackle intense competition and frequent promotional sales by local brands. Distributors and retailers were also wary of an uncertain global economy.

Shares of the Beaverton, Oregon-based company rose to $57.93 Thursday in extended trade. They closed at $53.60 on the New York Stock Exchange.

Paul Swinand, an analyst with Morningstar, said one of the biggest challenges for Nike is to grow in its more mature markets. He said strong demand in North America shows it is able to do that.

Nike also posted its first growth in gross margins in around two years, with margins rising 30 basis points in the quarter. High costs of raw material and labor pressured the company's margins over the past couple of years and Nike had been fighting it by raising prices on merchandise.

"Gross margin benefited from the combination of pricing actions and easing material costs, which more than offset higher labor costs," the company said.

For the third quarter ended February 28, the company earned $662 million, or 73 cents a share, compared with $569 million, or 61 cents a share last year. Analysts, on average, expected earnings of 67 cents a share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Revenue rose 9 percent to $6.2 billion.

(Reporting by Nivedita Bhattacharjee in Chicago; Editing by Bernard Orr)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nike-profit-tops-wall-street-estimates-shares-rise-215314126--finance.html

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The secret lives of Albert Cornejo: Martial arts master, barber to the stars, renowned sculptor

Every good barber has tall tales to tell. But in the case of Albert Cornejo, the winding and often grandiose stories are actually true. That's because Cornejo not only cuts hair, he's a renowned sculptor and one of the most-awarded martial artists in the world today.

To those who know him, Cornejo is a living legend. But unlike some of his former contemporaries?such as Bruce Lee and Ed Parker?few outside the tightly knit community of Kenpo Karate have ever heard his name.

?If I do something, I have to be good at it,? Cornejo told Yahoo in a series of interviews as part of our Viewfinder video series. ?But I never wanted the spotlight. For me, it is all about the passion and the work.?

By day, the 73-year-old athlete cuts hair at his modest barbershop tucked away inside a Santa Monica business park. There, he holds court with a truly unique collection of personalities, and a mixture of clients and social calls blend together as the day winds on.

But while most men his age have settled into the quiet life, it?s this barber himself who has the most interesting stories to tell.

Even with his seemingly laid-back demeanor, riding into the sunset does not come naturally to a man who spent decades practicing Kenpo Karate on the shores of the Pacific Ocean until sunrise.

In the early 1960?s, Cornejo was, in his words, ?a poor Mexican kid? who wanted to learn how to fight. He wandered into a Kenpo Karate school owned by legendary founder Ed Parker, the man who singlehandedly brought Karate to the United States.

After just one session, Albert knew he had found his calling. Although too poor to afford the lessons, Parker saw something in Cornejo and offered to teach him for free. That act of generosity has stayed with Cornejo over the years: As he has risen through the ranks to become one of the most-decorated Kenpo Karate students in history, he has trained literally thousands of students and rarely asks for financial compensation.

The same ethic has carried over into his other pursuits.

After Karate, Cornejo?s second love is art. But while his sculptures have represented the U.S. at the World?s Fair. Perhaps his most impressive creation, a life-size horse carriage hand-crafted from bronze metal, rests under a sheet on the back porch of Cornejo?s small house.

But another interesting facet that has come to define Cornejo was his past refusal to sell his work for money. Famed art appraiser David W. Streets provided Cornejo with an estimate that his metal sculpture collection was worth more than $2 million but Cornejo says he was too prideful to sell his works. Now in his twilight years, Cornejo is open to selling his collection, though he would prefer it stay together as a whole.

It was while he was in the army that Cornejo learned to cut hair?and found a way to earn a pay check. Over the years, he has been the personal barber to Hollywood celebrities and politicians, including former President Ronald Reagan.

It was Kenpo that brought Cornejo into contact with many of his celebrity clients, who also included Red Buttons , Jack Dempsey, Lou Ferrigno, Bruce Lee, Stan Laurel and Lawrence Welk.

Technically, Cornejo even once cut Elvis Presley?s hair. But as he explains, that was a literal exercise not an ongoing relationship.

?Ed Parker brought Mr. Presely into my barbershop one day,? Cornejo said. ?And I told him, ?Mr. Presley, just please let me cut one hair off your head. Then, I can tell people I cut Elvis? hair!??

Today, most of Cornejo?s legacy is relegated to the framed photographs chronicling his previous brushes with fame. The dust gathering on the pictures serves as a reminder that the cost of Cornejo?s modesty and generosity is that he had been largely forgotten. And his chosen forms of artistry -- Kenpo Karate, metal sculpting and the life of a barber are all relegated to smaller parts of the culture than they once occupied.

But in late January, Cornejo received recognition from the Kenpo community?which has been a part of his life for more than 50 years?when he was awarded with a 10^th degree black belt, a true rarity in the martial arts community.

?Almost no one get s a 10^th degree anymore,? martial arts instructor and filmmaker Dino Vicencio told Yahoo. ?It?s a pretty rare thing these days.?

The Kenpo community, including other living legends like Chuck Sullivan and Robert Temple, have tried to bestow the honor on Cornejo for a number of years, but he had always declined out of modesty.

?It?s embarrassing,? he said. ?To get up and have everyone cheering for you.?

Still, for a man who has so often avoided the spotlight over the years, it was a fitting reward for a life focused on becoming the very best at what he does and using that knowledge to help others.

After he received the award, Cornjeo said, he was back at his barbershop early the next morning, trading stories with friends, clients and random people passing by his shop.

Everyone is a potential new friend to Cornejo. Coming into his circle means you become part of the ongoing epic story that is Albert Cornejo. And with any luck, his own tale will be one that survives beyond the man hundreds have come to know as ?Sifu.?

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/secret-lives-albert-cornejo-martial-arts-master-renowned-182938179.html

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AP INTERVIEW: Jordan's king warns of Syrian unrest

AMMAN, Jordan (AP) ? Jordan is struggling under the burden of a half-million refugees from the Syrian civil war ? a conflict that King Abdullah II fears could create a regional base for extremists and terrorists who are already "establishing firm footholds in some areas."

In an interview Wednesday with The Associated Press, the 51-year-old monarch also said the regime of embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad would not survive the revolt that already has killed an estimated 70,000 Syrians.

"I believe we are past that point, too much destruction, too much blood," Abdullah said.

As for his own country, Abdullah says reforms he has launched in Jordan will lead to a greater democracy and will serve as a model to other Arab states that have been undergoing two years of upheaval that have toppled longstanding leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen.

He wants Jordan's monarchy to "take a step back," explaining his vision of a new style in which future kings ? and possibly himself ? will serve as arbitrators between different political factions but still hold sway over foreign and defense policies.

Abdullah said Jordan is spending $550 million annually to host an estimated 500,000 refugees from Syria's civil war ? about 9 percent of Jordan's population of 6 million ? and most have crossed in the last 12 months.

The government says they have strained the country's meager resources, including health care and education, and forced the budget deficit to a record high of $3 billion last year

The king said humanitarian assistance is direly needed not only for host countries, like Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey, but also inside Syria, so that "hearts and minds can be won before extremists fill the vacuum left by a failed Syrian state and mass exoduses are prevented."

He said faced with all these threats, Jordan is working on "contingencies to protect our population and borders, in self-defense." He declined to elaborate.

Abdullah warned that the radicalization of Syria, together with the deadlock in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, could ignite the entire region.

"Another extremely dangerous scenario is the fragmentation of Syria, which would trigger sectarian conflicts across the region for generations to come," he said.

"And also the huge risk that Syria could become a regional base for extremist and terrorist groups, which we are already seeing establishing firm footholds in some areas," the king added, concerned about "a jihadist state emerging out of the conflict."

Abdullah also cited the worry that chemical weapons could be used in the conflict.

He has previously warned that such weapons could fall into the hands of the militants, who are seeking to establish presence in Syria. From there, they could be used against Syria's neighbors, including Jordan ? a strong U.S. ally that signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994.

Nevertheless, Abdullah said he was against any foreign military intervention in Syria, including setting up a safe zone for the refugees inside the country.

He said that if the conflict escalated further, as is widely expected, he could see the number of refugees almost double over the next six to eight months.

He said Jordan continues to exert its utmost "diplomatic efforts to assist in bridging gaps in the international community so that an agreement can be reached on an inclusive political transition that preserves the territorial integrity and unity of Syria."

"For the sake of Syria, the region and the international community, we should all work toward an immediate inclusive transition, where each group in Syrian society feels that it has a stake in the country's future," including Assad's ruling Alawite minority.

On other topics, Abdullah said the start of President Barack Obama's visit to the region opens a "window of opportunity" for restarting Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. The tour includes stops in Israel, the West Bank and Jordan.

"I see a window of opportunity to restart negotiations on the basis of a two-state solution, which is the only formula," he said.

"First, we have a second-term U.S. president. Second, the historic U.N. vote upgrading the status of Palestine reflected a fresh international will," he said.

He said the Arab Spring uprisings added urgency to resuming the peace process.

"The Arab Spring is first and foremost a cry for dignity, justice and freedom, which only a just and real peace can bring," he said.

Rising energy prices have brought angry protests in Jordan as well ? some of them against the monarchy.

In the past two years in Jordan, about a third of the country's 60-year-old constitution has been revised, parliamentary elections have been held and archaic legislation has been revamped to allow for greater public freedoms.

Abdullah created a constitutional court to monitor the application of the law. Other new laws encourage a multiparty system, allow Jordanians to elect mayors and city councils and lift restrictions on rallies and public gatherings.

Still, Abdullah's critics say there has been insufficient to end his monopoly on power. He also faces an old guard of conservatives who fear any reform could undermine their clout.

The largest opposition party, the Muslim Brotherhood, boycotted the election, saying the legislation favors locally based conservative candidates rather than parties with an ideological base.

Describing the Brotherhood as "an integral part of Jordan's fabric," he said he hoped that "one day soon it will engage in the process and join our own journey toward a united and functioning democracy."

He boasted of Jordan's "peaceful" model of transition into democracy, saying it will bear fruit because it is gradual and "based on pluralism, openness, tolerance and moderation."

Sitting in a meeting room of a newly constructed palace with portraits of his father and other founders of the modern state of Jordan, Abdullah outlined his vision of the monarchy.

He said it will function as a "safety valve of last resort in case of impasses" among Jordan's various political factions.

"The monarchy will take a step back, in line with our reform road map for a party-based parliamentary government system," he added.

The crown will "continue to serve as guarantor of the constitution," Abdullah said, to "ensure that the army, security forces, judiciary and public religious authorities remain neutral, independent, professional, and apolitical. The monarchy will also continue to play a role in vital strategic issues of foreign policy and national security."

Abdullah's reform efforts, however, are still undermined by an inefficient public sector, which is accused of corruption, nepotism and red tape, and services are insufficient for low-income Jordanians.

"The king should feel the pain we go through to get a government document, say a birth certificate or a drivers' license," said Alaa Abu-Saa, 23, an unemployed college graduate. "He should try the chaos and the humiliation we go through at government hospitals."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ap-interview-jordans-king-warns-syrian-unrest-214816834.html

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Sanford advances to GOP runoff in House race in SC (The Arizona Republic)

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