Posts Tagged ‘Kwame Brown’
NBC-4 Takes On Nickles’ Sexism With Sexist Headline
Leave it to NBC-4 (or if you prefer WRC-TV), operators of the worst local news site, to slap a story with some real news value with a sexist headline. The station follows the Nickles-Cheh story with a piece headlined: "D.C. Catfight!"
First Nickles referred to Cheh as an angry woman. Now, a local news channel throws up another sexist cliche. Wendy Rieger needs to start a protest. Wait, is she still working there?
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Katie Connolly Takes Back “Apartheid,” Adds Asterisk
Saying "it seems I've aggravated a lot of people with my reference to apartheid," Katie Connolly has struck that word from her recent blog post at Newsweek on race, class, and D.C.'s low marriage rate.
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Kwame Brown Didn’t Like Newsweek’s “Apartheid” Reference, Either
A day after City Desk wrote about Katie Connolly's reference to "apartheid" as D.C.'s "dirty secret" in a post in Newsweek about race, class, and the city's low marriage rate, At-large Councilmember Kwame Brown has weighed in.
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LL’s 2009 Capital Pride Reviewing Stand
The next local election day might be some 15 months off, but Saturday's Capital Pride parade still had a political charge---mostly due to the recent heat on gay marriage, but also thanks to a mayoral campaign kicking into full gear and possible council challenger in the mix.
LL was there with camera. Behold!
Kwame Brown’s Dad Collecting Names for Mayoral Run
Those of you searching for a candidate chomping at the bit to take on Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and his $2 million-plus war chest, look out: An honest-to-God 2010 mayoral challenger has made his first nibble.
Well, his dad has, anyway.
Marshall Brown, the longtime political organizer and father of At-Large Councilmember Kwame R. Brown, sent out an e-mail on Sunday night soliciting support for a mayoral draft campaign aimed at his son.
"Would you lend your name to the Kwame Brown for Mayor Draft Committee," the short e-mail asks, telling recipients to "send this to your email list." Two sources consulted by LL also report getting calls from Marshall Brown inquiring whether they might lend support to a Kwame-for-Mayor campaign.
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Cheap Seats Daily: The World’s Greatest Beer Man, Milstein Resurfaces, Ficker Running Again
Fortune magazine has named some folks who might try to get control of the New York Times from the Sulzberger family.
The piece has some likely suspects -- David Geffen and Google, among them.
But the most intriguing and, for us locals, scariest of the alleged Times takeoverers?
Howard Milstein.
Yes, THAT Howard Milstein.
The Howard Milstein who a decade ago tried to buy the Redskins at the Jack Kent Cooke estate sale! The Howard Milstein who brought Dan Snyder into the fold to give him the local color he thought would get him approved! The Howard Milstein who had too many enemies at NFL headquarters and got kicked out of the buying process! The Howard Milstein who then stepped aside and watched as his former partner took over the buying process!
THE HOWARD MILSTEIN WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR DAN SNYDER OWNING THE REDSKINS!
Whew.
According to the Fortune piece, Milstein, identified simply as "a New York-based financier," has been "buying shares" of NY Times stock.
Run for your lives, New York Times readers!
Or, maybe, just renew your subscription and give subscriptions to all your relatives so the Sulzbergers don't have to sell.
Just don't say we didn't warn you...
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Those streaky Nationals are at it again!
D.C. Council Porkfest 2010
As noted earlier this afternoon by Nikita Stewart at D.C. Wire, the D.C. Council's economic development committee spent their afternoon carving up a pool of money known as the Neighborhood Investment Fund into little pieces to disburse to various favored groups.
To be fair, councilmember did not start the trend. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty's budget proposal, LL was first to report, divvied up the NIF money into places seemingly not in keeping with the fund's original purpose of stimulating development in 12 target areas. Rather, Fenty wanted to money to go for capital improvements at a pair of Ward 2 nonprofits and a passel of arts grants---not to mention a hefty subsidy for the DCUSA parking garage.
Brown proposed dropping most of those directives and putting $10 million of the fund toward competitively bid grants in keeping with the NIF's original intent. But his colleagues had other ideas: Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans started by proposing to restore much of the mayor's proposed earmarks (most of which benefited Ward 2, unsurprisingly). So did Ward 4's Muriel Bowser. Then Ward 8 Councilmember Marion Barry got in on the action. And Ward 7's Yvette Alexander. Brown was the lone vote against each addition.
Barry tells LL: "I believe in earmarks...as long as there's accountability and transparency."
LL has gotten his hands on the list. He's still plowing his way through the earmarks contained in Ward 1 Councilmember Jim Graham's committee budget report. Will update with that soon. But this should be enough to get you started.
Kwame Brown: Hit John Ensign Where It Hurts
Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) clearly has little respect for home rule and the unique local situation of the District of Columbia---that would be why he chose to gut D.C.'s gun laws through a amendment to the D.C. House Voting Rights Act. So why should Congress respect his home state's unique local institutions?
Like legalized prostitution.
That would be the thinking of At-Large Councilmember Kwame Brown, who has penned a letter asking Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton and House majority leader Steny Hoyer to introduce something called the "Roses" amendment.
"The 'Roses Amendment,'" Brown writes, "would revise the Mann Act by prohibiting US citizens from crossing state borders to solicit sex in states where prostitution is legal. The amendment would further prohibit these states from using the Internet as a portal to advertise or solicit prostitution. Furthermore, the amendment would make it illegal to complete financial transactions where electronic data or information is shared with any entity located outside of the state for which prostitution is legalized."
Talk about hitting him where it hurts.
Brown explains his reasoning thusly: "If elected officials from states, namely Nevada, can introduce legislation that alters the local laws of the District, I believe the District should offer an amendment that imposes our moral values on such states where prostitution is legal."
As for the name of the bill? "I believe we should fight guns with roses," he writes.
Wow. Wonder what Axl would do?
Kwame Brown’s TV Problem
At-Large Councilmember Kwame Brown was committed to going big for the inauguration, in all possible ways.
So he plopped in the lobby of his council office a 61-inch Toshiba television, the better for constituents and staffers to take in the historic occasion. The gigantic device served its purpose, and now it's serving another one. As a problem, that is.
This sports bar-caliber electronic appliance is a beast, and the office has had trouble with moving arrangements. "Nobody can fit it in their vehicle," says Irma Esparza, Brown's chief of staff.
As a Washington City Paper reporter and Esparza were discussing the situation, the councilmember walked in. The reporter suggested that the councilmember select his greatest moments from the dais and transfer them to a DVD and play the thing over and over on the Toshiba, on a loop.
Brown one-upped that plan: "No, it should just be me, my face. You walk in, 'Hi, it's me.' In the words of Lil Wayne, 'I'm me.'"
Wilson Building Gift Grab Begins
The economy may be going to hell and inauguration fever might be the issue of the day, but it's still Christmastime. Which means Wilson Building denizens are doing their annual gift exchange. Many opt for the classics: David Catania opted for his usual Godiva chocolates. Jack Evans is doling out classic works of literature. Yvette Alexander is giving out personalized holiday ornaments.
Others take it to another level. To wit, At-Large Councilmember Kwame R. Brown, who is distributing to his colleagues custom bottles of hot sauce:
Yep, that label features Brown together with the president-elect, along with the inscription: "OBAMA-BROWN: The Year We Made History!!!" The sauce is actually produced by local outfit Uncle Brutha's---it's their Fire Sauce No. 10---but it carries a custom label. It reads, in part, "A Change to Uncle Brutha's™ is a Change to the BEST!...As an advocate for change in this historic election, Uncle Brutha's™ wants to show its support for Councilmember Kwame Brown and Senator Barack Obama, and help them bring a 'Brand New Flavor' to Washington, D.C."
