One Million Americans Apply For McJobs

Over one million applicants turned out for McDonald's highly-publicized hiring spree last week.

McDonald’s Corp, the world’s biggest restaurant chain, said it hired 24 percent more people than planned during an employment event this month. McDonald’s and its franchisees hired 62,000 people in the U.S. after receiving more than one million applications, the Oak Brook, Illinois-based company said today in an e-mailed statement. Previously, it said it planned to hire 50,000. The April 19 national hiring day was the company’s first, said Danya Proud, a McDonald’s spokeswoman. She declined to disclose how many of the jobs were full- versus part-time. McDonald’s employed 400,000 workers worldwide at company-owned stores at the end of 2010, according to a company filing.

The big hiring push was heralded by some as evidence as a surging economy, but you have to wonder what those same analysts say about the 938,000+ plus folks who were desperate enough to work at McDonald's but got turned away.

MARYLAND: Hate Crimes Vigil To Be Held Tonight At Baltimore McDonald's

Via Metro Weekly:

A candlelight vigil is scheduled to take place at the McDonald's at 6315 Kenwood Ave. in Rosedale, Baltimore, at 7 p.m. on Monday night where on April 18 a transgender woman was physically attacked, before appearing to have a seizure, in an incident recorded on a portable phone by a McDonald's employee.

The victim says she plans to sue McDonald's. Hate crime charges have not yet been filed against her attackers.

Banned In San Francisco

San Francisco has banned the sale of Happy Meals, or more specifically, banned the giving away of toys in meals which get more than 35% of their calories from fat. McDonald's says they are "disappointed" with the city's decision. Today Buzzfeed list provides a top ten list of things banned in San Francisco, such as plastic bags, smoking, Happy Meals, and as of Tuesday, sitting.

The McRib Is Back

The famed McRib, the greasy pork sandwich whose fanatical devotees were parodied on The Simpsons, is back on the McDonald's menu beginning today. Gothamist reports on the marketing push:

The McRib will be available through December 5th, and to help make The Simpsons parody a reality, McDonald's is "inviting McRib fans to tap into their creative passion with the launch of The Legends of McRib website." The site collects "McRib stories and tall tales submitted by fans who want to share their love for the sandwich with the world. The legends don’t have to be true. They don’t have to even be possible. They just have to be bigger than life and worthy of The Legends of McRib." The winner gets a trip to Germany (the only country that sells McRibs year round) and his or her story animated into cartoon that McDonald's can use for marketing (and that you can use to get laid).

I admit without shame, I love the McRib.

Chicken McNuggets

This is how Chicken McNuggets look before they are colored and flavored to look like what you get in the little box.

(Via - Buzzfeed)

McDonald's Warns Madonna

Screw McDonald's and their oppressive binary gender paradigm! Or something!

(Via JMG reader Subtle Knife)

National Gay & Lesbian Chamber Of Commerce Cuts Ties With McDonald's

The National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce has sent a blistering letter (PDF) to McDonald's cutting their ties with them, perhaps partially in response to COO Donald Thompson's "I am a Christian" statement about the company's ad in France.

We strongly believe that McDonald’s plan to distance itself from LGBT and other diverse business segments, coupled with the release of the French TV ad, is ill advised and counter to the spirit of good business and sound ethics. We sincerely hope that McDonald’s will reconsider its position and that the company will again show its support for LGBT people, our families and our businesses -- not just where it is politically expedient, but around the globe.

Barring a significant change in policy on the part of McDonald’s, please consider this letter as official notice that the NGLCC will not accept future support or membership by McDonald’s or any of its subsidiaries. Additionally, please note that we will answer any questions about this communication, the past relationship between our organizations or any other questions by members of the NGLCC, the media or other interested parties with nothing less than factual and accurate information based on our communications and experiences with McDonald’s and its representatives.

The NGLCC says they represent the interests of about 1.4 million LGBT-owned business in the United States. Read their entire letter.

Starbucks Caves On Free Wi-Fi

Bowing to the pressure of McDonald's free WiFi, Starbucks will end their pay-to-surf program at the end of the month.

Starting July 1, Starbucks will let anyone connect to its WiFi network for free. This fall, the company will add a content network called Starbucks Digital Network, in partnership with Yahoo and other sites, which will include local content you won’t be able to read anywhere else. Both offerings will be free. “Free Wi-Fi is in my mind just the price of admission — we want to create … new sources of content that you can only get at Starbucks,” chairman and president and CEO Howard Schulz told the Wired Business Conference. “This is a thing that doesn’t exist in any other consumer marketplace in America.”

Customers will still have to log-in using a unique Starbucks identifier, meaning the company will be able to make big bucks creating targeted advertising. One small bonus: you'll be able to read the Wall Street Journal for free while in the store.

McDonald's COO: I'm A Christian And That Gay Ad Will Never Play In America

A gay-positive McDonald's ad running in France has made international news and brought the company condemnation from American evangelists. But the Christianists needn't worry, McDonald's Chief Operating Officer Donald Thompson says that commercial will never run in the United States.

I've never shied away from the fact that I'm a Christian. I have my own personal beliefs and I don't impose those on anybody else. I've been in countries where the majority of the people in the country don't believe in a deity or they may be atheist. Or the majority of the country is Muslim. Or it may be the majority is much younger skewed. So when you look at all these differences, it's not that I'm to be the judge or the jury relative to right or wrong. Having said that, at McDonald's, there are core values we stand for and the world is getting much closer. So we have a lot of conversations. We're going to make some mistakes at times. (We talk) about things that may have an implication in one part of the world and may be the cultural norm in another part of the world. And those are things that, yes, we're going to learn from. But, you're right, that commercial won't show in the United States.

Come As You Are, Betch

(Tipped by JMG reader Eric)

GLAAD Demands Apology From Bill O'Reilly For Comparing Gays To Al Qaeda

GLAAD has issued a call to action, demanding that Fox's Bill O'Reilly issue an apology for comparing gays to al Queda.

On the June 2 edition of Fox News Channel’s “The O’Reilly Factor,” host Bill O’Reilly made highly offensive comments while discussing a gay themed McDonald’s advertisement currently airing in France. After playing the ad for his viewers O’Reilly asked Jane Skinner to weigh in on the content. Skinner pointed out that the ad campaign is “part of an overreaching campaign called ‘come as you are,’ which you saw at the end there. So they show people in different walks of life.” O’Reilly then asked, “Do they have an al Qaeda ad, you know, come as you are? You know?” Instead of evaluating the commercial in a fair manner, O’Reilly used the occasion to defame the LGBT community, suggesting that McDonald’s might begin marketing to terrorists simply because the company produced a gay friendly television commercial. His lighthearted tone in the segment was equally disturbing. Cable opinion programs like “The O’Reilly Factor” have a responsibility to cover issues with a level of respect and civility. Bill O’Reilly failed to live up to that standard in making these defamatory remarks. Fox News Channel is equally accountable for allowing O’Reilly a platform for this insulting and irresponsible commentary.

Join in GLAAD's demand here.

Bill O'Reilly On McDonald's Gay Ad

Christian Group Lashes Out At McDonald's Over Gay Ad In France

Ten days ago I showed you a gay-positive McDonald's ad from France. Since then the clip has gotten over 1M views on YouTube and has been featured in the mainstream media. And right on cue, American wingnuts are screaming.

"We see McDonald's decision to backhand hundreds of millions of traditional family values people," Bill Johnson, President of the American Decency Association, told LifeSiteNews, "and align themselves with promoting the godless behavior of a few." This is not McDonald's first homosexualist activism. In 2008, McDonalds paid $20,000 dollars to become an official "organizational ally and corporate partner" of the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC). In the same year, McDonald's also helped sponsor the San Francisco Gay Pride Parade; Richard Ellis, vice president of communications for McDonald's USA, was also appointed to the board of directors of the NGLCC.

Yet because of a boycott started by the American Family Association on July 3rd of that year, Richard Ellis left the board of the NGLCC and McDonald's said that it did not plan to renew its membership with the NGLCC. Bill Johnson called the new television spot "one of the most bewildering kinds of advertisements when you consider the fact that so many Americans across this country have done business with McDonald's."

The American Decency Association is suggesting a phone campaign of complaints to McDonald's U.S. headquarters. Go here if you'd like to offer praise instead.

McDonald's Goes Gay For France

JMG reader Andre tips us from France to a new gay-positive ad from McDonald's. He provides this translation:

Boy looks at class picture. Cell phone rings.

BOY: Hello. Yeah, I was thinking of you, too - I'm looking at our class picture. I miss you. Have to go, my father's here. Love you.

FATHER: Is that your class picture ? I looked just like you when I was your age. The girls were all over me! Too bad there are only boys in your class, you could be a big success!

ON SCREEN: Come as you are. McDonald's.

It's really kind of sweet. Stand by for the typical American wingnuts to lose their shit over this.