Essay 241

The Monday Night Game presented by MultiCultClassics Minutes…

• General Motors is beating Ford — at least in the job reduction category. Today GM announced plans to zap 30,000 jobs, shuttering nine North American plants by 2008. Folks better take advantage of the GM Employee Discount Program pronto.

• An article in The Washington Post reported that Muslim children in the U.S. have discovered a way to bridge cultural gaps through a popular tradition — Scouting. Participation in Girl Scouts and Cub Scouts is on the rise. Why, it’s only a matter of time before Muslim kids will also face abuse from deviant Scout leaders.

• Black and Latino cops have filed a new civil rights lawsuit against the NYPD, charging racial discrimination persists in the department. The nine officers won a $503,000 settlement last year. But they now insist no improvements have occurred. Wonder if there’s any special reprimand for second-time offenders in the racism category.

• Somebody better tell company officials at Sephora, the upscale beauty products chain, that Hispanic women buy lots of cosmetics. The French-based retailer has been strictly enforcing its English-first policy with Spanish-speaking employees, which ultimately led to a lawsuit by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Maybe Sephora could introduce a line of Whiteface cosmetics.

• Lil’ Kim’s in legal trouble again, even though she’s currently behind bars. Someone’s accusing the incarcerated rapper of being liable for a shooting involving her posse. The complaint states, “[Lil’ Kim] had an obligation and duty to employ competent and emotionally stable personnel of high character as her bodyguards so as not to endanger the welfare of others.” Wow. It’ll be tough to find a jury that’ll keep straight faces when this charge is read in court.