Time to make the MultiCultClassics Monologue…
• Time to make the donuts healthier. Dunkin’ Donuts is eliminating trans fat from its menu, targeting October 15 as the date it will happen. Baskin-Robbins ice cream sold at the donut shops will be free of trans fat by January 1. Homer Simpson will picket the place on January 2.
• Despite Barnes & Noble’s announcement that it will not stock the upcoming O.J. Simpson “If I Did It” book (see Essay 4361), pre-order sales via the bookseller’s online site are surging. “We still have no plans to stock it in our stores,” said a Barnes & Noble spokesperson. Nonetheless, O.J. will probably make himself available for book signings.
• CBS “60 Minutes” curmudgeon Andy Rooney sparked controversy with a recent column criticizing Major League Baseball and calling out the prevalence of Latino players. “I know all about Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, but today’s baseball stars are all guys named Rodriguez to me,” wrote Rooney. “They’re apparently very good but they haven’t caught my interest.” His comments drew immediate reactions, with folks accusing the old fart of racism. “Yeah, I probably shouldn’t have said it,” said Mr. Rooney, although he doubted he would apologize for it. “It’s a name that seems common in baseball now. I certainly didn’t think of it in any derogatory sense. … That’s what I do for a living, I write columns and have opinions, and some of them are pretty stupid” Nice to see Rooney realizes he’s a professional racist.
