Essay 123

Midweek musings with MultiCultClassics Minutes…

• An advertising campaign designed to stop the illegal consumption of endangered turtles’ eggs has sparked controversy in Mexico. Men have eaten the eggs for years, thinking they are aphrodisiacs. Posters feature a scantily clad Argentine model Dorismar proclaiming, “My man does not need turtle eggs because he knows they don’t make him more potent.” The National Women’s Institute is protesting the ads, arguing the work counters the country’s efforts to overcome machismo. Maybe Dorismar could be replaced by Memin Pinguin.

• Talk about sore losers. A bunch of Burger King franchisees are suing McDonald’s over the rigged Monopoly promotional game from the 1990s. The Burger King clan claims Mickey D’s hurt their business by running a contest hyping prizes that did not exist. Even though McDonald’s has already dealt with lawsuits and settlements from the original scandal, the flame-broiled franchisees insist the contest lured BK customers to the Golden Arches. The franchisees’ lawsuit cites the Lanham Act, a law prohibiting false advertising. Mickey D’s should counter by accusing Burger King of running false advertising claiming new Chicken Fries taste good.

• Figures now show immigration cases consume the majority of federal prosecutions, exceeding narcotics and drug cases. Guess we can expect new Hispanic programming on Court TV soon.

• Goodness gracious, there are new accusations of racism in Major League Baseball. Los Angeles Dodgers player Milton Bradley charged teammate Jeff Kent “doesn’t know how to deal with African American people.” The comments fueled a feud in the clubhouse, clearly creating an ugly scenario. But it’s tough to take someone named Milton Bradley seriously.