8061: The News In Black And Whitey.

Sundry news briefs in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• In Illinois, Green Party gubernatorial candidate Rich Whitney was upset to learn his name appears as “Whitey” on electronic voting machines in nearly two dozen wards. “I don’t want to be identified as ‘Whitey.’ If this is happening in primarily African-American wards, that’s an even bigger concern,” said Whitney. “I don’t know if this is machine politics at play or why this happened.” Gee, talk about White paranoia.

• Olympian Tommie Smith—famous for his Black Power salute at the victory podium—is seeking to sell his medal, with the bidding starting at $250,000. Wow, that’s a fistful of money.

• A National Center for Health Statistics report shows U.S. Latinos outlive Whites and Blacks. Well, that should drive immigration critics crazy.

• Rapper T.I. is credited with helping persuade a suicidal man from jumping off a rooftop. The man agreed to come down in exchange for a few minutes with the actor/recording artist. Actually, T.I. could have accelerated matters by simply shooting the guy down with one of his machine guns.

• The figure for homes repossessed by banks shot to a record total of 102,134 in September, crossing the 100,000 mark for the first time in a single month. Gee, that should have folks jumping off of repossessed roofs.

• Responding to customer complaints, Starbucks has instructed baristas to slow down when making beverages. Other instructions include steaming the milk for drinks one drink at a time versus steaming an entire pitcher and then using it for several drinks, as well as rinsing pitchers right after using them. Some baristas are complaining the new measures are doubling the amount of time customers must wait in line. But honestly, the fact that Starbucks has been operating with such a conveyor belt mentality—coupled with the unsanitary nature of not rinsing pitchers immediately—sure dulls the mystique of the Starbucks experience.