McDonalds

Outbackjack: 25th Annual Worldwide Anti-McDonald's Day protests OCTOBER 16/17...

WHAT'S WRONG WITH McDONALD'S? McDonald's spend over $2 billion every year worldwide on advertising and promotions, trying to cultivate an image of being a 'caring' and 'green' company that is also a fun place to eat.

Children are lured in - dragging their parents behind them - with the promise of toys and other gimmicks.

But behind the smiling face of Ronald McDonald lies the reality: McDonald's only interest is money, making profits from whoever and whatever they can, just like all multinationals. The company's sales are now $40 billion a year.

The continual worldwide expansion of fast food chains means more uniformity, less choice and the undermining of local communities...
PROMOTING UNHEALTHY FOOD

McDonald's promote their food as 'nutritious', but the reality is that it is processed junk food - high in fat, sugar and salt, and low in fibre and vitamins. A diet of this type is linked with a greater risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes and other diseases.

Their food also contains many chemical additives, some of which may cause ill-health, and hyperactivity in children. Modern intensive farming and production methods are geared to maximising profits. As a result, the widespread use of unnatural practices and chemicals has also affected people's health (e.g. BSE and food poisoning).

EXPLOITING WORKERS

Workers in the fast food industry are paid low wages. McDonald's do not pay overtime rates even when employees work very long hours. Pressure to keep profits high and wage costs low results in understaffing, so staff have to work harder and faster. As a consequence, accidents (particularly burns) are common.

The majority of employees are people who have few job options and so have no alternative to being bossed around and exploited - and they're compelled to 'smile' too! Not surprisingly staff turnover at McDonald's is high, making it virtually impossible to unionise and fight for a better deal. This suits McDonald's who have always been opposed to workers' rights and Unions. The same is true for workers toiling in sweatshops in China to produce McDonald's 'happy meal' toys.

ROBBING THE POOR

The demands made by multinationals for cheap food supplies result in the exploitation of agricultural workers throughout the world. Vast areas of land in poor countries are used for cash crops or for cattle ranching, or to grow grain to feed animals to be eaten in the West. This is at the expense of local food needs.

McDonald's continually promote meat products, encouraging people to eat meat more often, which wastes more and more food resources. 7 million tons of grain fed to livestock produces only 1 million tons of meat and by-products. On a plant-based diet and with land shared fairly, almost every region could be self-sufficient in food.

Outbackjack: DAMAGING THE ENVIRONMENT

Forests throughout the world - vital for all life - are being destroyed at an appalling rate by multinational companies. McDonald's have at last been forced to admit to using beef reared on ex-rainforest land, preventing its regeneration. Also, the use of farmland by multinationals and their suppliers forces local people to move on to other areas and cut down further trees. McDonald's are the world's largest user of beef. Methane emitted by cattle reared for the beef industry is a major contributor to the 'global warming' crisis. The heavy use of chemicals in modern agriculture destroys wildlife, plants and the soil.

Every year McDonald's use over a million tons of unnecessary plastic and paper packaging, the production of which requires environmentally-damaging chemicals and degradation of forests. Most of the packaging ends up littering our streets or polluting the land buried in landfill sites.

CRUELTY TO ANIMALS

The menus of the burger chains are based on the torture and murder of millions of animals. Most are intensively farmed, with no access to fresh air and sunshine, and no freedom of movement. Their short lives are cruel and their deaths are barbaric - 'humane slaughter' is a myth. We have the choice to eat meat or not, but the billions of animals slaughtered for food each year have no choice at all.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Food is central to our everyday lives, yet we have virtually no control over its production and distribution. The way we eat, and even the way we think about food is being manipulated by these powerful institutions and their sophisticated marketing campaigns. But despite strenuous marketing efforts, McDonald's is widely despised, and its 'reputation' - along with that of the food industry in general - continues to sink ever further.

Every year on 16th October there is an annual World Day of Action against McDonald's and all they stand for - with pickets and demonstrations all over the world.

Together we can fight back against the institutions which currently control our lives and our planet, and we can create a better society without exploitation or oppression. Workers can and do organise together to fight for their rights and dignity.

People are increasingly aware of the need to think seriously about the food we and our children eat. Environmental and animal rights protests and campaigns are growing everywhere. People in poor countries are organising themselves to stand up to multinationals and banks which dominate the world's economy.

Why not join in the struggle for a better world? Talk to friends and family, neighbours and workmates about these issues.

www.mcspotlight.org

john1576: Morgon Spurlock; 'Supersize Me'.

Sables: what can I say, I have maybe eaten there 4 times in my life

marymary: But who else will feed me at 3am when I come back from the bar?

marymary: Thanks for the compliment.

If something else was open at that time we'd go there, it's not like when I was living right down town and after going out we'd get greek food, poutine, or middle eastern cuisine. I'm not amazingly fond of Mcdees but when you're hungry and you're in hangover prevention mode, basic needs overtake.

Outbackjack: Come on Eternity we arent really talking about Thailand where you have trawled the streets of Bangkok for women.Thats a different kind of "Sweatshop".

Indonesia and China are the main locations of sweatshops these days.With corporations like Nike and Gap being huge offenders.There is plenty of information on the Internet about this and there have been plenty of documentaries on the Abc and Sbs detailing this abhorrent process.

Worry about social misfits?
Thats pretty rich coming from you.

A lot of talk is made about the Amazon rainforest and how it is being depleted.McDonalds had ranchers down there burning the place for many decades so they could sell Big Macs.

McDonalds was employing hunters to shoot Water Buffalo up in The Northern Territory and they were passing it off as beef until 60 minutes sprung them in the 1980s.

I see nothing more than a nasty deceitful organisation who knows it must try and hide behind spin and charity work to cover up all those skeletons in the closet.

Outbackjack: Ha ha!!!!!!
Hit a raw nerve did I?

Heres some information on sweatshops:

http://www.oxfam.org.au/act/take-action/workers-rights/*******-just-stop-it
http://workers.labor.net.au/70/news1_nike.html
http://ihscslnews.org/view_article.php?id=224

There is so much more out there if only you will open your eyes.

So you are sprouting your usual rubbish I see.
You have accused many on here of being unemployed Potheads(You usually pick on middle aged women)who are actually upstanding members of their community.

The welfare system must have really changed as I seem to manage to go on holiday every 3 months,maintain 3 cars and a farm car,small tractor and caravan.
But you wouldnt have seen any of my photos of my holidays etc as you are no longer on my friends list.

Rich Farmer????

Ha ha ha ha!!!!!!

I wish.
People who know me know that I am a hobby farmer whose various blocks of land total a fair bit less than 10 acres.
I am actually a self employed handyman who is currently spending a lot of time building my own house.

I dont know how you can claim any moral high ground when you are are a raging alcoholic who has been repeatedly banned from here for hassling people when in a full blown drunken rage.
Far easier to cover up your own faults by calling people unemployed and drug addicts.

I have to say deep down I actually pity you.

Give up the grog and you may find that you will be able to communicate with others rather than running off to Bangkok and forgeting your worries at the end of a bottle.

Bell214: Back to McDonald's - unhealthiest food in the world. I wouldn't go near McDonald's, blaaahh ...

flashie: 'yea we like being lied to, its cute'
'theres nothing wrong, im a macho man, ill join them'

'me, admit theres somthing wrong?'

too pussie.

BiLLy: JokerSpades grammar ( or lack of ) is hilarious.

Nick_kciN: Associating “fun” with bad food is a dangerous mix. It could if left unchecked lead to a nation of fat people. Ooops, too late.

Yes Kids find McDonalds fun, millions of dollars of research has given a financial certainty to shareholders that kids having fun will want to come back, thus a thriving business model.

Lets face facts, the more people that die of heart attacks the less “old and not earning tax people” the government have to take care of.

flashie:

BiLLy: Awww, you took the time to look, that's cute, man.

I find your question mark quite sexy, I won't lie.

Outbackjack: Misinformation about Nike?

You see I know a lot more about this nasty company than you thats for sure.You see I was involved in the anti-Nike actions of 2001-03 that swept the world and am proud to say we forced Nike to change some of its slave labour practises.

Socialism???
Ha ha!!
You are beginning to sound like Maximus.
Maybe paranoia about Reds under the bed is infectious?


I put up those articles to demonstrate exact instances of what is going on.
I could dig up hundreds of articles on Nike etc.

Heres one from Channel in 2008 which is hardly socialistic:

http://au.news.y****.com/a/-/newshome/4949626/workers-nike-freed-poor-conditions

Hundreds of workers making clothes for a Nike contractor in Malaysia have been freed from squalid living conditions and moved to much better accommodation after Seven News uncovered the scandal.

The exposure forced the sportswear giant to order a fair deal for the workers, which will cost millions.

"I'm happy, all men happy now," one workers said.

Before 7News exposed sportswear giant Nike and the Malaysian contractor that makes its T-shirts, the worker was forced to live in a cramped, filthy shed.

About 1200 were living like slaves but have now been freed.

The workers had gone to Malaysia from poorer countries, many having paid a year's wages to land the job.

It is alleged that their passports were taken away and to escape they had to pay back their debts and buy back their passports.

The workers were also allegedly being paid $45 a week and the building they were in is set for demolition with the workers being moved to private apartments.

Nike executives refused to speak other than on the phone from their distant headquarters.

Hannah Jones from Nike said it was concerning.

"I can't begin to tell you how disturbed and upset we are," she said.

Secretary of the Textile, Clothing and Footwear Union, Barry Tubner, said the result is a good one for workers.

"Look I think Channel Seven has shown once again that the media in a free country like Australia can be used to help people that are disadvantaged and exploited," he said.

Nike and its contractor have also promised a refund of the $400 foreign worker fee and a refund of recruitment fees.

They will also be offered unrestricted access to passports and a free flight home for anyone who wants to leave.

You said:
"Its within their laws (and more importantly they are happy to be working)"

These workers didnt seem too happy.


"And i agree big corporations exploit workers (but within other countries laws)"

So if it is within the law that is fine?
Many countries laws allowed slavery not so long ago.
So by your logic(or lack of it) slavery would be acceptable if legislated.

McDonalds is nothing more than a slick marketing machine who spends around $2 billion a year on advertising and telling thick people like you that they are some nice warm and fuzzy entity.

Beer?
I didnt think beer would be strong enough for you?

Get a job??

Ha!!!!

Its not my fault that you are unhappy with your line of work and envy the fact that I am my own boss.It is a rat race in Sydney thats for sure.Maybe you should move up or down the coast?

I feel there is an underlying current with you.We have all seen your photos of Asian women here on Wireclub that you have at various times pretended to be and had fake profiles of.
Maybe you feel the need to do defend corporations that exploit poor asian people as you yourself exploit the poor women in the backstreets of Bangkok.

Outbackjack: Socialist?
No.
You dont have to be a Socialist to admire the Eureka Rebellion.It is a huge part of our history and marked the birth of Australian democracy.
So what if I am in the trade union movement?
I am in the metal workers union(as you know) even though I work for myself.You see they are a group who I have been in for years who have supported me in the past and I will support them.

Do you know that even the Liberal party(Australian conservative political party)have tried to claim the Eureka banner as a free enterprise symbol?
Many groups have tried to claim it.

I find your "facts" about Sydney truly laughable.
I notice the survey was carried out by people "travelling" to Sydney.
You see these people dont actually have to live there.Thats the difference.You forget that you are speaking to someone who was born in New South Wales and knows Sydney very well,I even lived there for 6 months and would never do so again.

Heres the funniest sentence of all
""Our wonderful food, our wonderful hospitality, our wonderful climate, as well as our spectacular scenery."

Climate???
Stinking humidity and prevailing winds which come off the desert.

Hospitality?????
They would have to be the most self centred people in Australia.You have to be careful that you dont get mugged or attacked by junkies at anytime of the day.
Hardly hospitality is it?

But then Matt Brown knows all about hospitality doesnt he?
LMFAO!!!!!
I am surprised you quoted this disgraced dropkick who hails from Australias most corrupt government:

NSW Police Minister Matt Brown resigned in disgrace last night after it was revealed he had danced semi-naked on a couch and simulated a s*z act on a female Labor MP during a drunken party in Parliament House.
Matt Brown

Mr Brown handed in his resignation just hours after admitting to "unacceptable behaviour" at a party.

Hours after Mr Brown made the shock admission of his "unacceptable behaviour" to The Australian yesterday, he handed his resignation to new Premier Nathan Rees, plunging the state Government into turmoil just three days after it was sworn in.

Mr Brown informed Mr Rees of the events last night, after specific allegations were put to him by The Australian.

A spokesman for the Premier said last night: "The Premier has accepted the resignation of Matt Brown earlier this evening. Following a discussion with the Premier, Matt Brown tendered his resignation."

Earlier, Mr Rees told his Police Minister that "that sort of behaviour is utterly unacceptable, both to the public and myself".

Tony Kelly, currently minister for industrial relations, emergency services and lands, has been appointed to replace Mr Brown.

Mr Brown's antics after a late-night sitting of parliament three months ago were observed by a number of MPs partying in his office, as well as revellers next door in the office of Ports Minister Joe Tripodi, which shares a balcony with Mr Brown's office.

A witness told The Australian Mr Brown stripped down to his "very brief" underpants and danced to loud "Oxford Street-style" techno music on a green leather Chesterfield couch he had recently ordered for his office.

The witness said Mr Brown "mounted the chest" of Wollongong MP Noreen Hay.

The witness said Mr Brown called out to Ms Hay's adult daughter during the performance: "Look at this, I'm tittie-f..king your mother!"

A spokesman for Mr Brown denied he used any such words. However, Mr Brown did not deny the other allegations, including a simulated s^@ act on Ms Hay.

Mr Brown, who has a son, is separated from his wife. He told The Australian last night: "I can confirm there was a party during a parliamentary sitting evening. It is unacceptable behaviour.

"I have spoken to the Premier and he has made it very clear that such behaviour will not be tolerated. I regret the incident."

Outbackjack: Mr Brown apologised to the Premier and gave him a guarantee that such behaviour would not happen again but, after further discussions with the Premier, tendered his resignation.


At a cabinet meeting following the night in question, former NSW premier Morris Iemma warned his ministers about "personal discipline", which several of those present understood as a reference to Mr Brown's late-night antics.
Contacted before Mr Brown's confession, Ms Hay admitted there was a function, but said: "I can tell you I have never seen Matt Brown without his clothes. If anything such as that was to occur, it was certainly not while I was present."

Ms Hay was implicated in the recent bribery and corruption scandal at Wollongong Council before being cleared of any wrongdoing.

Mr Rees stressed that the behaviour by his Police Minister "didn't happen on my watch" but admitted he was disappointed.

"This is not a standard of behaviour that is acceptable to my Government or the people of NSW," he said.

"The message to Mr Brown and anyone else is that this behaviour will not be tolerated."

Mr Brown has represented Kiama, on the NSW south coast, since 1999. Before entering parliament, he was a solicitor and lecturer at the University of Wollongong. He was brought into cabinet as housing minister by Mr Iemma following the state election last year. Mr Rees promoted him to the police portfolio following the ousting of Mr Iemma by the Right faction last Friday.

Mr Brown is a wealthy landlord, owning 14 houses, according to the parliamentary register of pecuniary interests. He raised $209,547 in donations for the Labor Party during last year's state election campaign.

His bizarre performance in Parliament House came during a week in which Mr Brown was under pressure from the media for allegedly allowing his properties to be subdivided and turned into flop-houses.
Source :The Australian Newspaper.

Ha ha ha!!!!
Hardly a credible source.
And you had the gall to put down Channel 7 whose "exposure"(pardon the pun)of sweat shop tactics which was reported and praised worldwide??

I sincerely hope you have found someone you are happy with and are laying off the grog.

LiptonCambell: Haha! That Original post was so funny! "OMG! A business is only interested in profit! How dare they work for their own self-interest! Living through others- that's the only moral standard!"

Outbackjack: I am unhappy??
Serious??
I am opinionated yes,but you are one to talk.
A classic example are your disgusting posts denigrating innocent Jews who died in the holocaust.

Come on Eternity you know that I was referring to Humidity and the prevailing winds which come from the west at times.
I grew up dreading those winds.
I admit it has nothing on Queensland or Northern Western Australia.

Give me a 38C dry heat that we get here as opposed to 25C of New south wales humidity.

Outbackjack: "Prevailing wind is a Sea Breeze."

How did you work that one out?

"In this internet age smear and mis information can be met with facts to add balance."

Which is why I give you this from Wiki:

Prevailing winds
In meteorology, prevailing winds are winds that blow predominantly from a single general direction over a particular point on the Earth's surface.

You talk about misinformation???

We can argue all we like about Sydney.It is ultimately a matter of opinion.Nearly a quarter of Australias population live in the Sydney area and I am quite happy for them to stay there in their rat hole.

Outbackjack: Okay the prevailing winds for Sydney mainly come from the North east.
I looked it up.

The prevailing winds of Australia generally go west to east.I hated being on the receiving end of those when they came through to the coast of New South Wales.These are the memories of winds I remember well when I think of N.S.W.
Stinking hot humidity.

"as some fake outback Socialist calls it."

Given up on calling me a Socialist?

You seem to have a real complex about justifying Sydney and repeatedly sourcing your information from travellers.Travellers who dont have to live there.

LiptonCambell: >>>"McDonald's spend over $2 billion every year worldwide on advertising and promotions, trying to cultivate an image of being a 'caring' and 'green' company that is also a fun place to eat."

I fail to reconize the purpose of that statement. Are you implying they are being wasteful with their money? If so, apparently they believe they need it- consumer demand for more green products has risen, and so advertisments highlighting their changes towards a less impact on the enviromentsimply helps business.

Or are you offended by the idea that a company does good without the moral impearative and absolutism you feel is necessity to do good is, in effect, doing wrong? That whats achieved doesn't matter, but what the intention is does?

>>>"Children are lured in - dragging their parents behind them - with the promise of toys and other gimmicks."

Parents and Guardians are incapible of being responsible for the decisions they make for their children? And what business is innocent of this? Should a doctors office be condemned because they offer the child a sucker after a injection? Why are some businesses allowed to target children as consumers, and offer rewards for children consumers, but if McDonalds does it, they are to be condemned?

>>>"McDonald's only interest is money, making profits from whoever and whatever they can, just like all multinationals. The company's sales are now $40 billion a year."

OMG! A business thats interested in succeeding??! What kind of rotten things have we allowed our society to embrace!

As for your numbers- i doubt they're true. From what I've read, they've yet to breach the 1 billion annual profit- although, then again, the maniplulative way your article was written says it all- "sales"- so they're not bothering to input the costs the company has incurred. I guess the employee wages don't matter in this instance.

Admit it- your source is trying to maniplulate people into believing McDonalds earns more than it actually does;

http://www.hoovers.com/mcdonald%27s/--ID__10974,period__A--/free-co-fin-income.xhtml

This link shows McDonalds hasn't earned a 1/4 of a billion a year in the last 3 years- wheres the other 39 billion?

>>>"The continual worldwide expansion of fast food chains means more uniformity, less choice and the undermining of local communities... "

People choose it. If people didn't want a McDonalds, they wouldn't shop there, and the store would quickly go out of business- the fact that there is "less choice" is because businesses that offer these alterative choices are simply not wanted.

>>>"A diet of this type is linked with a greater risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes and other diseases."

Indeed- and it is the individuals choice to put such things into their body, regardless of your objections that you should have more say over their body.

>>>"Modern intensive farming and production methods are geared to maximising profits. As a result, the widespread use of unnatural practices and chemicals has also affected people's health (e.g. BSE and food poisoning)."

I'm sorry, so if McDonalds goes away, these poor farming practices would stop?

The fact of the matter is, even if every McDonalds on the planet was replaced by a privately owned restaurant, they would still be generating a demand for these farming practices.

And how do you define "Unnatural practices"? Isn't the concept of farming itself unnatural?

LiptonCambell: >>>McDonald's do not pay overtime rates even when employees work very long hours.

Given that countries have different labour laws, I cannot really talk about this, esspecially with no actual source for their information. Its a gross generalization to claim that all employees are not paid overtime hours- some countries have different laws regarding when and where overtime kicks in- and these laws should always be dicated by the people of that country, not you or some anti-corporate website. These countries have the right to self governing, regardless of your objections.

>>>"The majority of employees are people who have few job options and so have no alternative to being bossed around and exploited"

Exploited?

The jobs offered at McDonalds requires little skills- they aren't low paying because the McDonald Corporation are huge dicks- they're low paying because, generally, it doesn't require much more than an afternoon to be trained for these jobs.

>>>"and they're compelled to 'smile' too! "

Again, a world without McDonalds would still have Billions or more businesses that require this- Your objections aren't against one business, yet you direct it at one.

>>>"McDonald's continually promote meat products, encouraging people to eat meat more often, which wastes more and more food resources."

Again, why are you only blaming McDonalds for this? The entire food industry works this way, and consumers voluntarily choose their products

>>>On a plant-based diet and with land shared fairly, almost every region could be self-sufficient in food.

"land shared fairly"? What kind of loose, maniplulative wording is that?

>>>"McDonald's have at last been forced to admit to using beef reared on ex-rainforest land, preventing its regeneration."

Again, these are foriegn nations, republic in nature- the people of these countries have every right to manage their resources as they see fit- anything less, and you are dicating tyranny, where you dictate when and where the people of a country may use its own resources.

>>>"Every year McDonald's use over a million tons of unnecessary plastic and paper packaging, the production of which requires environmentally-damaging chemicals and degradation of forests."

Love to hear a solution- one that doesn't require a prohibition.

>>>"The menus of the burger chains are based on the torture and murder of millions of animals."

Please- present evidence of largescale torture. I'm not asking about a few farmers gone rotten- you said torture of millions of animals- show me evidence of millions of animals being tortured(not killed- torture)

>>>"'humane slaughter' is a myth. "

Evidence, please. You're presenting our conclusions for us, rather than giving us the credit to make our own

Outbackjack: "McDonald's revenues grew 27% over the three years ending in 2007 to $22.8 billion,"

Thats the stats I got off wiki,there is no mention of 2008 or 2009.

Maybe you might want to take the issue up with these people who provided the article:
http://www.mcspotlight.org/

Thats a nice suit you are wearing for a labourer.Are you sure you dont work in marketing for say a large corporation like maybe erm......McDonalds?

BiLLy: jokerspade : Understand the proper usage of the word your!

The word your is the possessive form of you, referring to something that a person has, or something that belongs to the person in discussion.

eg Your book is on the table.
Is your stomach growling?

Now understand the proper usage of the word you're!

It is a contraction, or a combination of, the words you and are.

eg You're a good friend (YOU ARE a good friend.)
I don't know what you're talking about. (I don't know what YOU ARE talking about.)

Sigh, and you say others are not the brightest of people ?

Outbackjack: Are you normally this thick?

Read again what the article says:

"The company's sales are now $40 billion a year."