Starting on September 4, 1995, The Mall had an event for live television for the first time. Time-Warner owned professional wrestling company World Championship Wrestling set up in the building for the Inaugural edition of WCW Monday Nitro - also the WCW debut of Lex Luger, under his "The Narcissist" gimmick. This first broadcast on Turner Network Television, along with later editions broadcast from the Mall, would become a well known part of the federation's competition with The World Wrestling Federation.
During its run as a large entertainment and retail venue, certain aspects-such as-have been criticized and closely looked at. A Mardi Gras themed bar, Fat Tuesdays, shut its doors in early 2000 due to indecent exposure and alcohol related offenses, for ignoring warnings from the mall and Bloomington police to not repeat incidents caught on tape the year before. Following that incident were other problems, such as foot traffic within the Mall after the bars (all on the fourth floor) had closed for the evening. The Mall storefronts were closed, however. The Hooters restaurant, the Cantina #1 restaurant and the Theatres at Mall of America movie theater are the only establishments remaining on the fourth floor.
In 2003, after a six year legal battle between Simon Property Group, the managing general partner of the property, and the Ghermezian brothers/Triple Five Group, over majority ownership of the site, a federal appeals judge ruled in favor of the Ghermezians, effectively transferring control and planning authority of the mall back to its original founders. The dispute stemmed from a 1999 purchase of Teacher's Insurance's 27.5% equity stake by Simon Properties, giving them majority ownership. The Ghermezians claimed they were never told of the deal and sued Simon, citing fiduciary responsibility.
On November 3, 2006, the Ghermezians gained full control of Mall of America, spending US$1 billion to do so. The ruling cleared the way for Triple Five to begin work on what is being called "Phase II".
Phase II is the planned expansion for MOA, developing a large, empty area of land north of the mall which was the former home of the Met Center indoor arena and integrating an IKEA store built on a portion of the property in 2004. Phase II, in current form, includes a dinner theatre, ice rink, three hotels, and a waterpark; similar in design to the West Edmonton Mall. The expansion will not make MOA exceed the size of the WEM (itself going under expansion).
MOA currently estimates costs of $1.9 billion for the expansion, doubling the mall's size with a 5.2 million-square-foot extension. The mall's developers have asked for $234 million in state and local subsidies, but the request was vetoed as part of a larger bill by Gov. Tim Pawlenty on its first appearance in the 2006-07 session.
In the meantime, MOA has signed papers to bring in Great Wolf Resorts as the waterpark operator, as well as Bass Pro Shops and a Kimpton Hotel. The expansion section will connect to the mall on all four levels, and an adjacent IKEA store via a second level bridge. There will be an NHL-sized ice rink for public & private skating. There will also be an additional parking ramp, adding 8,000 parking spaces.
There will also be fine art exhibits planned in the expansion, and two upscale department stores. Another plan that was in the works would have been fashions, architecture, and restaurants based after Europe.
On May 18, 2008, the Minnesota State Legislature passed a bill granting the city of Bloomington the right to raise property and sales taxes to pay for the MOA expansion.
Nickelodeon Universe is an indoor theme park in the center of the mall, formerly known as Knott's Camp Snoopy, Camp Snoopy, and The Park at MOA. The park features roller coasters, among numerous other rides and attractions, and is the largest indoor theme park in the United States. Unlike many indoor amusement parks, Nickelodeon Universe has a great deal of natural foliage in and about the park, and its floor has a wide variance in height - the highest ground level in the park is 15 feet above the lowest. This allows for a far more naturalistic experience than would normally occur in an indoor amusement park.
The park features two new roller coasters; SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge and Avatar Airbender. It also has a miniature golfing section called Moose Mountain. With 18 holes, it is designed to create a challenge for players hoping to seek a hole in one.
Guests travel through a 300 foot long curved tunnel through 14 feet of water to view over 4,500 sea creatures including sharks, turtles, stingrays, and many more. Underwater Adventures offers special events such as sleepovers, scuba diving, snorkeling, and birthday parties.
Twin Cities public events:
The mall is used as a major transportation hub in the region, with bus and light rail service linking the mall to other destinations. Regular public transit service is provided by Metro Transit and other area bus lines, and nearby Mystic Lake Casino offers free shuttles to their establishment. The primary bus/rail station for scheduled local service is in the lower level of the eastern parking ramp. There, the Hiawatha Line light rail line connects the mall to the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport and from there to downtown Minneapolis (another major shopping destination in the region, particularly during weekdays). The mall is being discouraged as a park and ride facility, and overnight parking is banned to prevent passengers taking the train to the airport. Commuters are encouraged to use the nearby 28th Avenue Station's parking lot. The mall is the first stop on the Cedar Avenue Bus Rapid Transitway and the nineteenth, final stop on the Hiawatha Line.
Fairbanks (disambiguation)
Fairbanks is a city in Alaska. It may also refer to:
Petronas
Petronas is a Malaysian-owned oil and gas company that was founded on August 17, 1974. Petronas is owned by the Malaysia government. It is in charge of all of the oil and gas resources in Malaysia.
Telefónica
Telefónica () is a Spanish broadband and telecommunications provider in Europe and Latin America.
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union meant the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border states. It was opposed by 11 Southern slave states. The Union states included the Western states of California, Oregon, and (after 1864) Nevada. They also included states then called the "Old Northwest" and now usually thought to be part of the Midwest. However, the Union has been also often called "the North", both then and now. The Union states were mostly richer and more industrialized.
The Union states were:
Painful sexual act
Painful sexual act is a medical problem where a person feels pain in their genitals before, during, or after a sexual act. Doctors call this problem dyspareunia. It can have physical or emotional causes. Both men and women can have dyspareunia. Up to one-fifth of women (one in every five) may have dyspareunia at some point in their lives.
When a woman experiences a painful sexual act, the pain may distract her from feeling pleasure and excitement. Her vagina will be less lubricated (wet) and will not expand (dilate) as much as usual. When the vagina is dry and undilated, thrusting of the penis is painful. Even after the original cause of her pain has disappeared, a woman may feel pain simply because she expects pain.