Things To Do In SW Florida

Madame Tussauds Orlando is adding a wax figure of actor Jeff Goldblum, who soon will be starring as the wizard again in “Wicked: For Good.”

Goldblum came his face to his face with the figure in New York before it was shipped to Central Florida. It is clad in a black leather jacket, the actor’s trademark eyeglasses and a duplicate of his Cartier tank watch.

“It’s spectacular,” Goldblum said in a video of his encounter provided by Tussauds. “I’m humbled and honored, of course.” He compliments the amount of stubble on the figure and its well-flossed teeth. He breaks into song: “Me and My Shadow.”

Goldblum put the possibility of having a wax twin into the universe during a late-night talk show appearance in August 2024.

“I was guest-hosting for Jimmy Kimmel and I said ‘Hey, how come I don’t have a wax figure?’ — something like that — and I think the lovely people at the great Madame Tussauds, they reached out and they said ‘If you’re serious about that, you know, how about posing?’” Goldblum said. read more

Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket is powerful, but Jeff Bezos’ rocket company wants more.

After completing a successful second mission of New Glenn, including a launch from Cape Canaveral and landing and the return of its first-stage booster, Blue Origin announced upgrades coming to the heavy-lift rocket as soon as mission No. 3.

“Incredible upgrades to the New Glenn system as we enhance our BE-4 and BE-3U engine performance,” said Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp in a post on X.

Increased power on the seven BE-4 engines on the first stage would increase its thrust at liftoff from 3.9 million pounds to 4.5 million pounds.

In comparison, SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy, which is essentially three Falcon 9 rockets strapped together, produces 5.1 million pounds of thrust at liftoff. The Saturn V rockets from Apollo produced 7.6 million pounds of thrust while NASA’s Space Launch System rocket for Artemis produce 8.8 million pounds of thrust. SpaceX’s massive Starship and Super Heavy, which has yet to make it to orbit, produces close to 17 million pounds of thrust. read more

By BRUCE SCHREINER

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — GE Appliances on Thursday touted wide-ranging ripple effects from shifting production from China to Kentucky as it announced more than $150 million in new contracts awarded to U.S.-based suppliers.

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The supplier contracts range in value from $330,000 to $41 million, span 10 states and cover crucial segments of the supplier chain for the appliance maker’s washer and dryer production — from plastics and castings to steel and aluminum, the company said. The suppliers range in size from U.S. Steel to family-owned companies. read more

By ALEX VEIGA, AP Business Writer

The average rate on a 30-year U.S. mortgage edged higher for the third week in a row, though it remains close to its low point this year.

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The average long-term mortgage rate ticked up to 6.26% from 6.24% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. A year ago, the rate averaged 6.84%.

Three weeks ago, the average rate was at 6.17%, its lowest level in more than a year.

Borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, popular with homeowners refinancing their home loans, also inched up this week. The rate averaged 5.54%, up from 5.49% last week. A year ago, it was 6.02%, Freddie Mac said. read more

With more than 1,100 vendors on the trade floor, there is a slew of browsable options at the annual IAAPA Expo at Orange County Convention Center. Attendees swarm around ride-vehicle reveals, marvel at virtual-reality opportunities, browse through bounce houses and line up for pretzel samples.

The expo, produced by the Orlando-based International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, concludes Friday. It is open to registered members of the trade association. Here are a handful of eye-catching, perhaps trend-setting, items at this year’s booths.

Winging it

The virtual tentpole of the Expo floor is a circling swing ride named Wingz, exhibited by Zamperla, an Italian manufacturer.

At first glance, it’s pretty, topped with butterfly designs … but pretty ordinary. But why are all the passengers flapping their arms? It has the feel of a fraternity prank or an inside joke or chickens gone wild.

Mystery solved: The up-and-down arm motions make the two-seat ride vehicles move up and down.

“We have motion-capture cameras used in video-game development and a brushless DC motor system developed for high-speed elevators,” said Michael Coleman, North American sales manager for Zamperla. “The arm movement of the passengers is what actually makes the ride change elevation.” read more