Kiya Edwards' Weblog

The founder of Craigslist joined the effort Sunday to remember a 24-year-old Minnesota woman who died in 2007 after responding to a phony ad for a baby sitter, television news station KSTP TV reported from the Associated Press.

Craig Newmark made a personal contribution at the concert organized to raise money for the Katherine Ann Olson, a scholarship in her name. Olson's family created a scholarship at her alma mater, St. Olaf College in Northfield. Preference for the scholarship will go to Hispanic and Latino students, in memory of Olson's passion for working with Hispanic children in her community

Newmark praised the family's efforts to help their daughter and sister's legacy live on, and reminded the crowd of over 1,200 people to take precautions when using the Internet.

"Despite the billions of times well-meaning people have helped each other through Craigslist, it's been devastating to see that it can also be used by bad people to take cruel advantage of others," Newmark said as he stood with Olson's family on stage at a church in a Minneapolis suburb. (AP/KSTP TV)

Newmark wasn't available for interviews, and a spokeswoman said he wanted to keep the amount of his donation private. Olson's father Rolf described the donation as "substantial," though he declined to specify the amount.

Craigslist made headlines in October 2007 when Olson was found dead after responding to the ad. The Web site received negative attention again last month when a Boston University medical student was arrested and charged in the death of a 25-year-old masseuse he had allegedly contacted through Craigslist.
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Olson's memorial concert featured musicians she liked along with a local Latino theater troupe with which she once performed. After Michael Anderson, 20, was convicted in Olson's death, the planning for Sunday's concert began after being in the works for a long time.

"Legally we could not be doing publicity because of pretrial publicity and possibly tainting the jury pool," said Nancy Olson, Katherine's mother. "We were very careful about that."(KSTP TV)

Olson said the family also wanted to focus on one thing at a time.

"Who would want to have a celebration concert if we still had the trial to go?" she said. (KSTP TV)

While Nancy Olson said the conviction "doesn't bring Katherine back," she says the family's new passion is keeping Katherine's memory alive through the scholarship.

Posted by edwar292 at 11:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Disney Theatrical Productions has been heavily discounting tickets to its three Broadway shows during the economic crisis, which has decreased weekly revenues since 2008, The New York Times reported.

Although Disney has said “The Lion King” draws more foreign tourists, “Mary Poppins” does better with an older crowd, and “The Little Mermaid” has proved popular with New Yorkers, the three musicals risk contending one another with the commonality of struggling to fill seats on weeknights. They also compete with a growing number of Broadway shows such as “Shrek,” “Hair” and “West Side Story," which appeal to parts of the core Disney audiences.

A comparison of ticket sales for the first 15 weeks of 2009 with the same period of 2008 shows that gross revenues for “The Little Mermaid” have declined 27 percent, “Mary Poppins,” about 17 percent, while “The Lion King” is off about 5 percent.

“Disney faces major questions in this economy. Can it sustain three shows at a time when the cost of going to Broadway is very high for a family of three or four, say, and can it differentiate its shows from ‘Shrek,’ ‘Wicked’ and other competitors?” said Stuart Oken, a theater producer who spent nine years at Disney Theatrical, where he served as executive vice president before leaving in 2003. (The New York Times)

Broadway has 35 shows to choose from, and many are discounting tickets. However, Disney was the first to use this marketing strategy.

“Discounting is always dangerous because once you start, it’s very hard to ever stop,” Oken said. (The New York Times)

In order for each show can pursue its target audiences through its own advertising and marketing strategies, Disney plans to separate the three this spring, said David Schrader, executive vice president of Disney Theatrical in an interview on April 1 with The New York Times.

“Out of efficiency for the past two of three years, when we could, we bundled them together — with two shows buying TV or space in the paper, for instance, or discounting all three,” Schrader said. “Now we’ll try to let each show do what it wants to do to address its needs.” (The New York Times)

Disney Theatrical executives declined to cooperate with The New York Times article.

Posted by edwar292 at 10:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In an attempt to reach his fan base on a more intimate level, the Floridian rapper has made his personal cell phone number public, CNN reported.

Tramar Dillard, more commonly known as Flo Rida, said he responds to about 30 percent of calls and texts he gets. If he does not have time to answer or call back, he will text back.

"If they can go out and buy my albums, I can at least make the sacrifice to holler at the few people who call," he said. "A lot of times I'm busy so they'll get my voice mail. And if I can speak to them and I have time, I always text back. Because I think that's very important." (CNN)

However, most people get flustered when they actually reach the top-selling, in-demand rapper that they hang up. In an interview with CNN, as his phone continued to light up, he answered a call where exactly that happened.

"Most of them hang up," he said in the interview. "They don't think it's really me." (CNN)

Flo Rida's single, "Low," featuring rapper T-Pain, broke digital sales records last year, selling 467,000 downloads in its first week. His new single "Right Round," featuring singer Kesha, sold more than 636,000 downloads in the week after its release. It also hit number one on Billboard's Hot 100 pop chart.

Flo Rida is also scheduled to be a guest on "American Idol."

Having an international fan base is also important to Flo Rida, who wanted to study international business in school. He has a number one record in nearly 12 different countries.

"To me, that's like having nine lives. Most people don't even have an idea that you can really sell music overseas" he said. (CNN)

Posted by edwar292 at 10:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The St. Paul Como Zoo's, 47-year-old Caribbean Flamingo, Harriet, was euthanized last week to end her long battle with cancer, television station Fox 9 News reported.

Harriet had cancer since 1998. Her right middle tow was amputated do to cancerous growth, but she survived cancer as well as radiation treatments. However, cancer returned in 2002, and Harriet's left middle toe was amputated.

The lifespan of flamingos is 20-30 years, some living up to 50.

She had been at the Como Zoo for 39 years. She frequently made trips to the University of Minnesota for radiation treatment and became accustomed enough to sit quietly on the lap of a zookeeper with her head peering out the vehicle window, the Como Zoo said.

The Star Tribune reported the loved flamingo's death as an obituary seen mostly for humans.

"Harriet, a Caribbean flamingo that welcomed visitors to the Como Park Zoo for nearly 40 years, has died of cancer. She was 47." (Star Tribune)

In her final days, Fox 9 reported, Harriet had difficulty standing on her right foot, as flamingos comfortably do, along with weight loss and a poor appetite. She had systemic infection as well as heart issues, according to blood-work.

Harriet is survived by her longtime flamingo partner, Ozzie, four additional Caribbean flamingos and 13 Chilean flamingos.

The Star Tribune additionally reported that an autopsy, or necropsy- the animal equivilant, will be done. Results are expected to be in next week.

Posted by edwar292 at 11:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Authorities said a stampede during an Ivory Coast, World Cup qualifying match killed at least 22 people and wounded 132 Sunday, the New York Times reported.

Right before the game between the Ivory Coast and Malawi at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny arena, fans pushed against each other, which created such a panic that it led to a stampede, Interior Minister Desire Tagro said on state television. An Associated Press photographer said the pushing started just forty minutes before the game.

''They started pushing to get in because the match was about to start and each and every one of them wanted to get in,'' Tagro said.

The stadium, which is named after Ivory Coast's first president and has a capacity of around 50,000, was sold out in advance of the game after cut-price tickets were put on sale, the Guardian additionally reported.

Reporter Ollo Kambire for the daily sports newspaper, ''Super Sport," said that a wall collapsed under the weight of the fans as they pushed toward the field, the New York Times reported.

Nevertheless, the game went on, and Ivory Coast won the match 5-0.

There have been a number of stampedes at stadiums in Africa when they are crowded and security forces, lacking in equipment, are often outnumbered. Police fired tear gas into one section of the crowd.

Posted by edwar292 at 9:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A couple sued Edina Realty for not telling them a murder took place in the house they bought, the Star Tribune reported.

Abdelhafid and Kathryn Fajri's thought their new home had more than they had hoped for, from a spacious backyard to finished carpets and walls inside, until a neighbor informed the couple of the murder. The husband killed the previous owner in the house.

The Fajris then filed a lawsuit in Anoka County District Court, arguing Edina Realty knew about the murder and should have told them about it as a material fact pertaining to the house.

"They think they bought a lemon. They feel they were duped," said Martin Melang, the couple's attorney. (Star Tribune)

The company had no comment on the pending litigation, Maria Verven, Edina Realty spokeswoman said Friday.

Minnesota law requires licensed real estate agents to disclose anything about the house which may prevent enjoyment or affect any uses. Real estate agents and sellers should generally inform prospective buyers when a murder has taken place on the property, experts said.

"There are some exemptions, but murder isn't one of them," said Chris Galler, chief operating officer for Minnesota Association of Realtors. "If a licensee is aware of a murder and the seller is aware, they both have an obligation." (Star Tribune)

Posted by edwar292 at 11:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Building a new stadium for the Minnesota Vikings would create thousands of jobs and millions of dollars in tax revenues, but some legislatures and Minnesotans do not wish to contribute, television station FOX 9 News reported.

65 percent of respondents in a FOX Rasmussen Poll said they were either not very worried or not worried at all if the team were to not get stadium money and left as a result.

A new stadium, which would be in downtown Minneapolis, would cost an estimated $950 million, and the team might need up to $700 million from the state.

Representative Mindy Greiling for DFL Roseville said with the state's current $4.57 billion budget deficit, the stadium is not a priority.

"I don't know what planet they're living on to ask for money this year," Greiling told FOX 9 News.

Bill Lester, Executive Director of the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission, which runs the Metrodome, said the new stadium would also host college baseball, tractor pulls, and boat shows.

There is at this point no legislation at the Capitol from the Vikings or the MSFC with details.

"When people understand you need a competitive stadium to have an NFL team, there is more support for public involvement," Vikings spokesman Lester Bagley told FOX 9 News.

Posted by edwar292 at 10:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A group of 60 Haitians mostly living in Brooklyn have outreached to a school in their home country, the New York Times reported.

The school in Gonaïves serves students ages 14 to 20 in the city of 300,000. In a country that continuously struggles with poverty, riots, hurricanes, and more, the school is getting help from its graduates working with the Alumni Association of Immaculate Conception College.They have organized construction projects, delivered books, sponsored scholarships and bought athletic uniforms for two decades.

Hurricanes and tropical storms have raised the association’s level of involvement over the past couple of years. In September 2004, Hurricane Jeanne led to severe flooding in Gonaïves, killing 2,800 residents, including Beaudelere Achille, a math teacher at Immaculate Conception. The alumni association joined with two other Haitian organizations in New York to organize a disaster fund that put $80,000 toward relief projects.

The association is also helping eight schools near Immaculate Conception that were also negatively affected by the storms.

The Immaculate Conception school, however, remains the association's priority.

Teachers, doctors, engineers and other professionals comprise the group of 60. Ricot Dupuy, station manager of Radio Soleil D’Haiti, a popular radio station in Haiti, said the school prepares its students as human beings.

“The future of Haiti is in the hands of these kids,” President Antoine Coq of the association said. “If we educate them, Haiti has a future. If we don’t, Haiti doesn’t have a future.” (New York Times)

Posted by edwar292 at 11:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

In an article published by the Star Tribune, First Lady Michelle Obama has become fashion's first lady, according to the Associated Press, and will appear on the cover of Vogue's March issue.

Mrs. Obama will be wearing a dress by the same fashion designer who designed her inauguration dress, Jason Wu. She is the second to be on the cover, although every first lady since Lou Hoover have been featured within the magazine.

"She's so accessible, natural and normal. There's nothing affected about her," Andre Leon Talley, editor, said.

Although the eight-page feature focuses on Mrs. Obama's role as a mother and first lady, it is also about fashion.

"I was proud as a wife, amazed as a citizen. I felt a sense of relief, a sense of calm, that the country I lived in was the country I thought I lived in." Mrs. Obama said, according to an additional report by the Huffington Post.

Typically in Vogue, editors choose the outfits. This time, however, is an exception, the Star Tribune reported.

"I'm not going to pretend that I don't care about it," she said. "But I also have to be very practical. In the end, someone will always not like what you wear — people just have different tastes." (Star Tribune)

Posted by edwar292 at 11:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The New York Times reported Saturday that a University of Florida student suspended for “cyberbullying�? a teacher while in high school is suing the principal.

Katherine Evans was upset with her English teacher, Ms. Sarah Phelps, and posted a rant on Facebook that asked other students to express their feelings of hatred, the New York Times reported. Evans removed the post a few days later.

Peter Bayer, principal of Pembroke Pines Charter High School called Evans into his office two months later and ordered a suspension.

Matthew Bavaro, Evans’s lawyer, said she wants compensation for her legals fees and to simply have the suspension removed from her record. She said she fears the record could keep her from getting into graduate school, the New York Times reported.

Educational disciplinarians are in disagreement with Bavaro’s citation of the Tinker v. Des Moines case that ruled in favor of students’ free speech in 1969. He said he viewed Evans’ suspension as an attack of her free speech.

“You can express an opinion on whether someone is a good teacher,�? said Pamela Brown, assistant director for the Broward County School District who oversees expulsions. “But when you start inviting people to say that they hate a teacher, that crosses the line.�?

Howard Simon, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida challenged criticism turning into assault.

“If Katie Evans said what she said over burgers with her friends at the mall, there is no question it would be protected by free speech,�? he said.

Posted by edwar292 at 5:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Olympic champion Michael Phelps has admitted to bad behavior and authenticity of the photo published by a British newspaper Sunday that revealed him inhaling from a marijuana pipe at a party, the Star Tribune reported.
The Star Tribune reported that the News of the World said Phelps was in South Carolina for a football game at the university and also went to the party where the photo was taken during this trip.
Although the photo contains no direct evidence that marijuana was smoked, the News of the World said the water pipe Phelps inhaled from is typically used for that purpose.
This happened a few months after the Olympics, and because he was taking a break from training, his "regrettable" behavior and "bad judgment" have no impact on the eight golds he had won, the Star Tribune reported.
While the Star Tribune reported that embarrassed sponsors may be reconsidering their partnership with Phelps, Washington Post staff writer Amy Shipley reported how his mother, sports groups and magazines, and other fans feel now that their "role model" has been exposed for a second time; the first being drunk driving. Phelps had also been appointed male athlete of the year by USOC and has been given other important titles, the Washington Post reported.
"We are disappointed in the behavior recently exhibited by Michael Phelps," the USOC's statement said.

Posted by edwar292 at 3:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)