McDonald's Corporation () is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving more than 58 million customers daily. In addition to its signature restaurant chain, McDonald’s Corporation held a minority interest in Pret A Manger until 2008, was a major investor in the Chipotle Mexican Grill until 2006, and owned the restaurant chain Boston Market until 2007.

A McDonald's restaurant is operated by either a franchisee, an affiliate, or the corporation itself. The corporation's revenues come from the rent, royalties and fees paid by the franchisees, as well as sales in company-operated restaurants. McDonald's revenues grew 27% over the three years ending in 2007 to $22.8 billion, and 9% growth in operating income to $3.9 billion.

McDonald's primarily sells hamburgers, cheeseburgers, chicken products, french fries, breakfast items, soft drinks, shakes, and desserts. In response to obesity trends in Western nations and in the face of criticism over the healthiness of its products, the company has modified its menu to include alternatives considered healthier such as salads, wraps and fruit.

History

The business began in 1940, with a restaurant opened by brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald in San Bernardino, California. Their introduction of the "Speedee Service System" in 1948 established the principles of the modern fast-food restaurant. The original mascot of McDonald's was a man with a chef's hat on top of a hamburger shaped head whose name was "Speedee." Speedee was eventually replaced with Ronald McDonald by 1967 when the company first filed a U.S. trademark on a clown shaped man having puffed out costume legs.

McDonald's first filed for a U.S. trademark on the name McDonald's on May 4, 1961, with the description "Drive-In Restaurant Services," which continues to be renewed through the end of December 2009. In the same year, on September 13, 1961, the company filed a logo trademark on an overlapping, double arched "M" symbol. The overlapping double arched "M" symbol logo was temporarily disfavored by September 6, 1962, when a trademark was filed for a single arch, shaped over many of the early McDonald's restaurants in the early years. The modern double arched "M" symbol that continues to be in use today at McDonald's restaurants did not appear until November 18, 1968, when the company filed a U.S. trademark on the now famous symbol that continues to be in use through the end of the year 2009.

The first McDonald's restaurants opened in the United States, Canada, Costa Rica, Panama, Japan, the Netherlands, Germany, Australia, France, El Salvador and Sweden, in order of openings.

The present corporation dates its founding to the opening of a franchised restaurant by Ray Kroc, in Des Plaines, Illinois, on April 15, 1955, the ninth McDonald's restaurant overall. Kroc later purchased the McDonald brothers' equity in the company and led its worldwide expansion, and the company became listed on the public stock markets in 1965. Kroc was also noted for aggressive business practices, compelling the McDonald brothers to leave the fast food industry. The McDonald brothers and Kroc feuded over control of the business, as documented in both Kroc's autobiography and in the McDonald brothers' autobiography. The site of the McDonald brothers' original restaurant is now a monument.

With the expansion of McDonald's into many international markets, the company has become a symbol of globalization and the spread of the American way of life. Its prominence has also made it a frequent topic of public debates about obesity, corporate ethics and consumer responsibility.

Corporate overview

Facts and figures

McDonald's restaurants are found in 119 countries and territories around the world and serve 58 million customers each day. Until December 2003, it also owned Donatos Pizza. On August 27, 2007, McDonald's sold Boston Market to Sun Capital Partners.

Types of restaurants

Most standalone McDonald's restaurants offer both counter service and drive-through service, with indoor and sometimes outdoor seating. Drive-Thru, Auto-Mac, Pay and Drive, or "McDrive" as it is known in many countries, often has separate stations for placing, paying for, and picking up orders, though the latter two steps are frequently combined; it was first introduced in Arizona in 1975, following the lead of other fast-food chains. The first such restaurant in Britain opened at the Merry Hill Shopping Centre in the West Midlands in November 1986.

In some countries, "McDrive" locations near highways offer no counter service or seating. In contrast, locations in high-density city neighborhoods often omit drive-through service. There are also a few locations, located mostly in downtown districts, that offer Walk-Thru service in place of Drive-Thru.

Specially themed restaurants also exist, such as the "Solid Gold McDonald's," a 1950s rock-and-roll themed restaurant. In Victoria, British Columbia, there is also a McDonald's with a 24-carat (100%) gold chandelier and similar light fixtures.

To accommodate the current trend for high quality coffee and the popularity of coffee shops in general, McDonald's introduced McCafé, a café-style accompaniment to McDonald's restaurants in the style of Starbucks. McCafé is a concept created by McDonald's Australia, starting with Melbourne in 1993. Today, most McDonald's in Australia have McCafés located within the existing McDonald's restaurant. In Tasmania, there are McCafés in every store, with the rest of the states quickly following suit. After upgrading to the new McCafe look and feel, some Australian stores have noticed up to a 60% increase in sales. As of the end of 2003 there were over 600 McCafés worldwide.

Some locations are connected to gas stations/convenience stores, while others called McExpress have limited seating and/or menu or may be located in a shopping mall. Other McDonald's are located in Wal-Mart stores. McStop is a location targeted at truckers and travelers which may have services found at truck stops.

Playgrounds

designed for family-friendly image]] Some McDonald's in suburban areas and certain cities feature large indoor or outdoor playgrounds. The first PlayPlace with the familiar crawl-tube design with ball pits and slides was introduced in 1987 in the USA, with many more being constructed soon after. Some PlayPlace playgrounds have been renovated into "R Gym" areas.

Redesign

, during 2002. It is in the old red, gold and grey livery.]] . This is an example of the new look of McDonald's in Europe.]] In 2006, McDonald's introduced its "Forever Young" brand by redesigning all of their restaurants, the first major redesign since the 1970s.

The design includes the traditional McDonald's yellow and red colors, but the red is muted to terra cotta, the yellow was turned golden for a more "sunny" look, and olive and sage green were also added. To warm up their look, the restaurants have less plastic and more brick and wood, with modern hanging lights to produce a softer glow. Contemporary art or framed photographs hang on the walls.

Business model

McDonald's Corporation earns revenue as an investor in properties, a franchiser of restaurants, and an operator of restaurants. Approximately 15% of McDonald's restaurants are owned and operated by McDonald's Corporation directly. The remainder are operated by others through a variety of franchise agreements and joint ventures. The McDonald's Corporation's business model is slightly different from that of most other fast-food chains. In addition to ordinary franchise fees and marketing fees, which are calculated as a percentage of sales, McDonald's may also collect rent, which may also be calculated on the basis of sales. As a condition of many franchise agreements, which vary by contract, age, country, and location, the Corporation may own or lease the properties on which McDonald's franchises are located. In most, if not all cases, the franchisee does not own the location of its restaurants.

The UK business model is different, in that fewer than 30% of restaurants are franchised, with the majority under the ownership of the company. McDonald's trains its franchisees and others at Hamburger University in Oak Brook, Illinois.

In other countries, McDonald's restaurants are operated by joint ventures of McDonald's Corporation and other, local entities or governments.

As a matter of policy, McDonald's does not make direct sales of food or materials to franchisees, instead organizing the supply of food and materials to restaurants through approved third party logistics operators.

According to Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser (2001), nearly one in eight workers in the U.S. have at some time been employed by McDonald's. (According to a news piece on Fox News this figure is one in ten.) The book also states that McDonald's is the largest private operator of playgrounds in the U.S., as well as the single largest purchaser of beef, pork, potatoes, and apples. The selection of meats McDonald's uses varies with the culture of the host country.

Shareholder dividends

McDonald's has increased shareholder dividends for 25 consecutive years, making it one of the S&P; 500 Dividend Aristocrats.

Controversies

As a prominent example of the rapid globalization of the American fast food industry, McDonald's is often the target of criticism for its menu, its expansion, and its business practices.

The McLibel Trial, also known as McDonald's Restaurants v Morris & Steel, is an example of this criticism. In 1990, activists from a small group known as London Greenpeace (no connection to the international group Greenpeace) distributed leaflets entitled What's wrong with McDonald's?, criticizing its environmental, health, and labor record. The corporation wrote to the group demanding they desist and apologize, and, when two of the activists refused to back down, sued them for libel in one of the longest cases in British civil law. A documentary film of the McLibel Trial has been shown in several countries.

Despite the objections of McDonald's the term "McJob" was added to Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary in 2003. Defined as "a low-paying job that requires little skill and provides little opportunity for advancement". In an open letter to Merriam-Webster, Jim Cantalupo, former CEO of McDonald's, denounced the definition as a "slap in the face" to all restaurant employees, and stated that "a more appropriate definition of a 'McJob' might be 'teaches responsibility.'" Merriam-Webster responded that "we stand by the accuracy and appropriateness of our definition."

In 1999, French anti-globalisation activist José Bové vandalized a half-built McDonald's to protest against the introduction of fast food in the region.

In 2001, Eric Schlosser's book Fast Food Nation included criticism of the business practices of McDonald's. Among the critiques were allegations that McDonald's (along with other companies within the fast food industry) uses its political influence to increase its profits at the expense of people's health and the social conditions of its workers. The book also brought into question McDonald's advertisement techniques in which it targets children. While the book did mention other fast-food chains, it focused primarily on McDonald's.

McDonald's is the world's largest distributor of toys, which it includes with kids meals. It has been alleged that the use of popular toys encourages children to eat more McDonald's food, thereby contributing to many children's health problems, including a rise in obesity.

In 2002, vegetarian groups, largely Hindu and Buddhist, successfully sued McDonald's for misrepresenting their French fries as vegetarian, when they contained beef broth. PETA activist dressed as a chicken argues with a manager of the Times Square McDonald's over the company's animal welfare standards.]] People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), meantime, continues to pressure McDonald’s to change its animal welfare standards, in particular the method their suppliers use of slaughtering chickens. Most processors in the United States shackle fully conscious birds upside down and run them through an electrically charged water tub before slitting their throats. PETA argues that using gas to kill the birds (a method called “controlled atmosphere killing” or CAK) is less cruel. Both CAK and “controlled atmosphere stunning”(CAS) are commonly used in Europe.

Morgan Spurlock's 2004 documentary film Super Size Me said that McDonald's food was contributing to the epidemic of obesity in society, and that the company was failing to provide nutritional information about its food for its customers. Six weeks after the film premiered, McDonald's announced that it was eliminating the super size option, and was creating the adult happy meal.

The soya that is fed to McDonald’s chickens is supplied by agricultural giant Cargill and comes directly from Brazil. Greenpeace alleges that not only is soya destroying the Amazon rain forest in Brazil, but soya farmers are guilty of further crimes including slavery and the invasion of indigenous peoples’ lands. The allegation is that McDonald's, as a client of Cargill's, is complicit in these activities.

Arguments in defense

In response to public pressure, McDonald's has sought to include more healthy choices in its menu and has introduced a new slogan to its recruitment posters: "Not bad for a McJob". (The word McJob, first attested in the mid-1980s and later popularized by Canadian novelist Douglas Coupland in his book , has become a buzz word for low-paid, unskilled work with few prospects or benefits and little security.) McDonald's disputes the idea. In 2007, the company launched an advertising campaign with the slogan "Would you like a career with that?" on Irish television, outlining that their jobs have many prospects.

In a bid to tap into growing consumer interest in the provenance of food, the fast-food chain recently switched its supplier of both coffee beans and milk. UK chief executive Steve Easterbrook said: "British consumers are increasingly interested in the quality, sourcing and ethics of the food and drink they buy". McDonald's coffee is now brewed from beans taken from stocks that have been certified by the Rainforest Alliance, a conservation group. Similarly, milk supplies used for its hot drinks and milkshakes have been switched to organic sources which could account for 5% of the UK's organic milk output.

McDonald's announced on May 22, 2008 that, in the U.S. and Canada, it would switch to using cooking oil for its french fries that contains no trans fats, and canola-based oil with corn and soy oils by year's end for its baked items, pies and cookies.

With regard to acquiring chickens from suppliers who use CAK or CAS methods of slaughter, McDonald's says they need to see more research "to help determine whether any CAS system in current use is optimal from an animal welfare perspective."

Environmental record

In April 2008, McDonald's announced that 11 of its Sheffield restaurants have been using a biomass trial that had cut its waste and carbon footprint by half in the area. In this trial, waste from the restaurants were collected by Veolia Environmental Services and used to produce energy at a power plant. McDonald's plans to expand this project, although the lack of biomass power plants in the U.S. will prevent this plan from becoming a national standard anytime soon. In addition, in Europe, McDonald's has been recycling vegetable grease by converting it to fuel for their diesel trucks.

Furthermore, McDonald's has been using a corn-based bioplastic to produce containers for some of their products. Although industries who use this product claim a carbon savings of 30% to 80%, a Guardian study shows otherwise. The results show that this type of plastic does not break down in landfills as efficiently as other conventional plastics. The extra energy it takes to recycle this plastic results in a higher output of greenhouse gases. Also, the plastics can contaminate waste streams, causing other recycled plastics to become unsaleable.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has recognized McDonald's continuous effort to reduce solid waste by designing more efficient packaging and by promoting the use of recycled-content materials. McDonald's reports that they are committed towards environmental leadership by effectively managing electric energy, by conserving natural resources through recycling and reusing materials, and by addressing water management issues within the restaurant.

In an effort to reduce energy usage by 25% in its restaurants, McDonald's opened a prototype restaurant in Chicago in 2009 with the intention of using the model in its other restaurants throughout the world. Building on past efforts, specifically a restaurant it opened in Sweden in 2000 that was the first to intentionally incorporate green ideas, McDonald's designed the Chicago site to save energy by incorporating old and new ideas such as managing storm water, using skylights for more natural lighting and installing some partitions and tabletops made from recycled goods.

When McDonald’s received criticism for its environmental policies in the 1970s, it began to make substantial progress towards source reductions efforts. For instance, an “average meal” in the 1970s—a Big Mac, fries, and a drink—required 46 grams of packaging; today, it requires only 25 grams, allowing a 46% reduction. In addition, McDonald’s eliminated the need for intermediate containers for cola by having a delivery system that pumps syrup directly from the delivery truck into storage containers, saving two million pounds of packaging annually. Overall, weight reductions in packaging and products, as well as the increased usage of bulk packaging ultimately decreased packaging by 24 million pounds annually.

Legal cases

McDonald's has been involved in a number of lawsuits and other legal cases, most of which involved trademark disputes. The company has threatened many food businesses with legal action unless they drop the Mc or Mac from their trading name. In one noteworthy case, McDonald's sued a Scottish café owner called McDonald, even though the business in question dated back over a century (Sheriff Court Glasgow and Strathkelvin, November 21, 1952). On September 8, 2009, McDonald's Malaysian operations lost a lawsuit to prevent another restaurant calling itself McCurry. McDonald's lost in an appeal to Malaysia's highest court, the Federal Court.

It has also filed numerous defamation suits. For example, in the McLibel case, McDonald's sued two activists for distributing pamphlets attacking its environmental, labor and health records. After the longest trial in UK legal history, McDonald's won a technical victory for showing that some allegations were untrue. The McLibel Case was also a massive public relations disaster for McDonald's, as the judge also found that while more than half of what was on the pamphlet was truthful, much of the information simply the opinions of the activists and therefore non-prosecutable.

McDonald's has defended itself in several cases involving workers' rights. In 2001 the company was fined £12,400 by British magistrates for illegally employing and over-working child labor in one of its London restaurants. This is thought to be one of the largest fines imposed on a company for breaking laws relating to child working conditions (R v 2002 EWCA Crim 1094). In April 2007 in Perth, Western Australia, McDonald's pleaded guilty to five charges relating to the employment of children under 15 in one of its outlets and was fined AU$8,000.

Possibly the most infamous legal case involving McDonald's was the 1994 decision in The McDonald's Coffee Case.

In a McDonald's American Idol figurine promotion, the figurine that represents "New Wave Nigel" wears something that closely resembles Devo’s Energy Dome, which was featured on the band's album cover, Freedom of Choice. In addition to the figurine's image, it also plays a tune that appears to be an altered version of Devo's song "Doctor Detroit." Devo copyrighted and trademarked the Energy Dome and is taking legal action against McDonald's.

Products

combo meal served with French fries and Coca-Cola.]] McDonald's predominantly sells hamburgers, various types of chicken sandwiches and products, French fries, soft drinks, breakfast items, and desserts. In most markets, McDonald's offers salads and vegetarian items, wraps and other localized fare. Portugal is the only country with McDonald's restaurants serving soup. This local deviation from the standard menu is a characteristic for which the chain is particularly known, and one which is employed either to abide by regional food taboos (such as the religious prohibition of beef consumption in India) or to make available foods with which the regional market is more familiar (such as the sale of McRice in Indonesia).

Headquarters

The McDonald's headquarters complex, McDonald's Plaza, is located in Oak Brook, Illinois. It sits on the site of the former headquarters and stabling area of Paul Butler, the founder of Oak Brook. McDonald's moved into the Oak Brook facility from an office within the Chicago Loop in 1971.

Advertising

McDonald's has for decades maintained an extensive advertising campaign. In addition to the usual media (television, radio, and newspaper), the company makes significant use of billboards and signage, sponsors sporting events ranging from Little League to the Olympic Games, and makes coolers of orange drink with their logo available for local events of all kinds. Nonetheless, television has always played a central role in the company's advertising strategy.

To date, McDonald's has used 23 different slogans in United States advertising, as well as a few other slogans for select countries and regions. At times, it has run into trouble with its campaigns.

Children's advertising

Sports awards and honors

:See :Category:McDonald's High School All-Americans

Global operations

McDonald's has become emblematic of globalization, sometimes referred to as the "McDonaldization" of society. The Economist newspaper uses the "Big Mac Index": the comparison of a Big Mac's cost in various world currencies can be used to informally judge these currencies' purchasing power parity. Scandinavian countries lead the Big Mac Index with four of the five most expensive Big Mac's. Norway has the most expensive Big Mac in the world as of July 2008, whilse the country with the least expensive Big Mac is Malaysia.

Thomas Friedman once said that no country with a McDonald's had gone to war with another. However, the "Golden Arches Theory of Conflict Prevention" is not strictly true. Exceptions are the 1989 United States invasion of Panama, NATO's bombing of Serbia in 1999, the 2006 Lebanon War, and the 2008 South Ossetia war.

Some observers have suggested that the company should be given credit for increasing the standard of service in markets that it enters. A group of anthropologists in a study entitled Golden Arches East looked at the impact McDonald's had on East Asia, and Hong Kong in particular. When it opened in Hong Kong in 1975, McDonald's was the first restaurant to consistently offer clean restrooms, driving customers to demand the same of other restaurants and institutions. McDonald's have recently taken to partnering up with Sinopec, the second largest oil company in the People's Republic of China, as it begins to take advantage of the country's growing use of personal vehicles by opening numerous drive-thru restaurants. McDonald's reached a deal with the French fine arts museum, the Louvre, to open a McDonald's restaurant and McCafé on its premises,by their underground entrance, in November 2009.

See also

Fast Food Nation, book by Eric Schlosser

MaDonal, a restaurant knock-off operating in Northern Iraq .

Maxime, McDuff & McDo, documentary film about the unionizing of a McDonald's in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

McDonaldization, term used by sociologist George Ritzer to describe the process by which a society takes on the characteristics of a fast-food restaurant.

McDonald's Video Game, a satirical game placing the player in the role of McDonald's management.

Don Gorske, a McDonald's enthusiast, has consumed over 20,000 Big Mac hamburgers. He appeared on Super Size Me, is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records, and has a movie called MacDaddy.

Super Size Me, a documentary by Morgan Spurlock.

McHappy Day

Competitors

Burger King - Second largest burger chain

Subway (restaurant) - Largest single brand restaurant chain

Yum! - Largest multi-brand restaurant chain

References

Further reading

External links

McDonald's

McDonald's Canada (English)

McDonald's Du Canada (Français)

Photographs of McDonald's storefronts from around the world.

;News

CBC Archives CBC Television reports on the opening of Moscow McDonald's (1990).

Category:Companies based in DuPage County, Illinois Category:Companies established in 1940 Category:Dow Jones Industrial Average Category:Fast-food chains of the United States Category:Fast-food franchises Category:Fast-food hamburger restaurants Category:Multinational food companies Category:Oak Brook, Illinois Category:Restaurant chains in the United States Category:Worldwide Olympic sponsors

Coordinates	18°55′23″N48°17′19″N
Name	Shawn McDonald
Name	Shawn McDonald
Background	solo_singer
Born	1978
Origin	Eugene, Oregon, United States
Instrument	singingguitar
Genre	CCM
Occupation	SingerSongwriter
Years active	2000–present
Label	Sparrow Records
Url	http://shawnmcdonaldmusic.com

Shawn McDonald is a Contemporary Christian music (CCM) singer, songwriter and guitarist.

Childhood

As a child, McDonald lived with his grandparents because his parents could not take care of him. Not really understanding the situation, he became rebellious. He would sneak out of the house, drink alcohol, get intoxicated, and later use drugs. He ended up living on the streets where he grew up and selling drugs for money.

After getting in trouble with the law, McDonald wanted to get his life in order and a boy named Chris and his grandmother started inviting him to church. He did not attend church, but one day as he was sitting, he picked up a Bible that his grandmother had given him and read a scripture which talked about cleaning out the demons in your house. Relating "demons" to his drugs, he decided to get rid of all his drugs. A couple days later, the police came to his home with a search warrant but did not find anything. This caused him to really get his life back on track and he asked Chris to bring him to church.

Some of his influences have been attributed to his travels to Israel and Zimbabwe.

Family

McDonald married Kate, older sister of Christian singer Bethany Dillon, on May 28, 2005. Their son was born in 2007. The couple divorced in April 2010. Kate re-married on October 25th 2010.

Discography

Albums

Simply Nothing (2004)

Live in Seattle (2005)

Ripen (2006)

(2007)

Roots (2008)

EPs

NapsterLive (2006) - Napster Only

Connect Sets (2006) - Sony Connect Only

Free (2006) - iTunes Only

Independent

Focal Point (2002)

Contributions

"All Creatures Of Our God And King" (with Bethany Dillon)

from Amazing Grace (Music Inspired by The Motion Picture) (2007)

"O Holy Night"

from (2006)

"Salvation (Psalm 71)"

from The Message: Psalms (2005)

Featured on "Going Home" by Logan Martin (2007)

See also

References

External links

Official Site

Category:Performers of Christian music Category:American musicians Category:American singer-songwriters Category:Living people Category:1978 births

Coordinates	18°55′23″N48°17′19″N
Caption	Ronald McDonald in Thailand, 2005, greeting guests with the traditional Thai "wai" gesture
Gender	Male
Occupation	Clown mascot for the McDonald's fast food chain.
First	1963
Portrayer	Willard Scott, Bev Bergeron, Viv Weekes, George Voorhis, Bob Brandon, King Moody, Squire Fridell, Jack Deopke, Joe Maggard, and Brad Lennon
Creator	Willard Scott, George Voorhis and Terry Teene (Disputed)

Ronald McDonald is a clown character used as the primary mascot of the McDonald's fast-food restaurant chain. In television commercials, the clown inhabits a fantasy world called McDonaldland, and has adventures with his friends Mayor McCheese, the Hamburglar, Grimace, Birdie the Early Bird, and The Fry Kids. In recent years, McDonaldland has been largely phased out, and Ronald is instead shown interacting with normal kids in their everyday lives.

Many people work full-time making appearances in the Ronald McDonald costume, visiting children in hospitals. There are also Ronald McDonald Houses, where parents can stay overnight when visiting sick children in nearby chronic care facilities. Since August 2003, McDonald has been officially styled as the "Chief Happiness Officer" of the McDonald's Corporation.

History

Willard Scott

The origin of Ronald McDonald involves Willard Scott (a local radio personality who also played Bozo the Clown on WRC-TV in Washington, D.C. from 1959 until 1962), who performed using the moniker "Ronald McDonald, the Hamburger-Happy Clown" in 1963 on three separate television spots. These were the first three television ads featuring the character.

Scott, who went on to become NBC-TV's Today Show weatherman, claims to have "created Ronald McDonald" according to the following excerpt from his book Joy of Living: :At the time, Bozo was the hottest children's show on the air. You could probably have sent Pluto the Dog or Dumbo the Elephant over and it would have been equally as successful. But I was there, and I was Bozo ... There was something about the combination of hamburgers and Bozo that was irresistible to kids ... That's why when Bozo went off the air a few years later, the local McDonald's people asked me to come up with a new character to take Bozo's place. So, I sat down and created Ronald McDonald.

In 2010, the Corporate Accountability International in Boston, Massachusetts suggested Ronald McDonald to retire due to childhood obesity, however McDonald's CEO Jim Skinner said there are no plans to retire Ronald McDonald.

Actors

as Ronald McDonald, from the first of three pre-recorded television advertisements to feature Ronald. Note the "food-tray hat".]] At any given time, there are dozens to hundreds of actors retained by McDonald's to appear as Ronald McDonald in restaurants and events. It is assumed, however, that the company uses only one actor at a time to play the character in national television commercials. Following is a list of such primary Ronald actors.

Willard Scott (Washington, D.C. 1963–1965)

Bev Bergeron (Southern California, 1966–1968)

George Voorhis (Southern California, 1968–1988)

Ray Rayner (1968–1969)

Bob Brandon (1970–1975)

King Moody (1975–1984)

Squire Fridell (1984–1991)

Jack Doepke (1990–1995)

Viv Weekes

David Hussey

Joe Maggard (1995–2007)

Brad Lennon (2007–present)

Various forms of the name "Ronald McDonald" as well as costume clown face persona, etc. are registered trademarks of McDonald's. McDonald's trains performers to portray Ronald using identical mannerisms and costume, to contribute to the illusion that they are one character.

McDonald's marketing designers and stylists changed elements of the Ronald McDonald character, persona, style, costume and clown face when they adopted the clown as a trademark, possibly in deference to "The Code", the tradition of clowns to scrupulously avoid copying other clowns' appearance or performance style.

Ronald in fiction

Charlton Comics obtained the license to publish four issues of a Ronald comic sold on newsstands in 1970–1971. Also, over the years several giveaway comics have been produced starring the character.

In the mid 1970s Ronald was among the corporate mascots depicted without permission in four chapters of the Judge Dredd epic The Cursed Earth. McDonald's was among the copyright owners that objected, resulting in the publisher printing a ½ page apology and pledging to never reprint the chapters in question.

Ronald (with Grimace) appears in the 1984 Little Golden Book Ronald McDonald And The Tale of the Talking Plant, written by John Albano and drawn by John Costanza.

He appears for a few seconds in Mac and Me, during a birthday scene set at a McDonalds. Academy Award-winning animated short film Logorama, as a criminal pursued by Michelin Man cops.

Animated video series

The Wacky Adventures of Ronald McDonald was a series of retail animated direct-to-video features produced by the ka-chew! division of Klasky-Csupo for the McDonald's fast-food restaurant chain. A total of six forty-minute tapes were produced, released at various times between 1998 and 2003.

International localisation

.]] " gesture of greeting.]] In Thailand, Ronald McDonald greets people in the traditional Thai "wai" greeting gesture of both hands pressed together. The Thai version of the company mascot was created in 2002 by the local Thai franchise, McThai, as part of a "McThai in the Thai Spirit" campaign. The figure has also been exported to India and other countries where a similar gesture is used. In Japan, Ronald McDonald is called Donald McDonald due to a lack of a clear "r" sound in Japanese. A pair of McDonald's advertisements for the Tomato McGrand in Japan feature either a "sexy" male and female, both dressed in modern clothing with the Ronald McDonald color scheme.

Ronald McDonald is also the subject of a video game developed by Sega, and released in Japan in 1994.

References

Further reading

Schlosser, E. (2006) Chew on this: everything you don’t want to know about fast food. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Co.

External links

Ronald.com — the official website

Category:American clowns Category:Corporate mascots Category:McDonald's characters Category:Food advertising characters Category:Fictional characters introduced in 1963 Category:Fictional clowns Category:Film characters Category:Fast food

Coordinates	18°55′23″N48°17′19″N
Name	Mark Thomas
Birth name	Mark Clifford Thomas
Birth date	April 11, 1963
Birth place	London, England, UK
Residence	London, England, UK
Known for	Political activism
Employer	New Statesman
Occupation	ComedianPresenterReporterColumnist
Spouse	Married
Children	2
Website	MarkThomasInfo.com

Mark Clifford Thomas (born 11 April 1963) is an English comedian, presenter, political activist and reporter from south London. He first became known as a guest comic on the BBC Radio 1 comedy show The Mary Whitehouse Experience in the late 1980s. He is best known for political stunts on his show, The Mark Thomas Comedy Product on Channel 4. Thomas describes himself as a "libertarian anarchist."

Biography

Mark Thomas was born in South London. His mother was a midwife and his father a self employed builder (and ex lay preacher). Thomas was educated at Macaulay Church of England Primary School, Victoria Rise, Clapham until 1974, where his party trick was to recite the first verses of the four gospels from memory, and then won a scholarship to the independent Christ's Hospital School, where he attained O-levels and A-levels. He went on to be awarded a degree in Theatre Arts at Bretton Hall College, just south of Wakefield.

Prior to his most renowned vehicle, The Mark Thomas Comedy Product, Thomas was the resident stand-up comic on Saturday Zoo, a Channel 4 comedy series first screened in 1993. He also presented the highly successful BBC Radio 1 talk show Loose Talk and is also a founder member of the London Comedy Store's hard hitting Cutting Edge show.

His political comedy show, The Mark Thomas Comedy Product (later re-named as simply The Mark Thomas Product, to reflect its increasing political agenda) on Channel 4 earned him criticism from politicians but was seen by critics as a crucial investigative tool. In one edition, Thomas investigated the practice of avoiding inheritance tax by declaring art, furniture, homes and land available for public viewing. Thomas showed how Nicholas Soames hid this fact from the public and at the same time avoided paying tax. After being pursued relentlessly by Thomas legitimately asking for permission to see his furniture, Soames eventually paid the tax, and Gordon Brown, then Chancellor of the Exchequer, changed the law.

Leaving Channel 4 was a mutual decision, following a series of disputes over how far the channel would go in its broadcasting, one of which concerned the channel's reluctance to support actions concerning corporate accountability and corporate manslaughter laws — a cause he had campaigned for — which coincided with the Queen Mother's funeral. He declined to take part in a proposed Celebrity Guantanamo Bay 'reality TV' show.

Thomas has appeared at numerous comedy benefit nights, and is a well established stand-up comedian in the UK. He is the Chairman of the Ilısu Dam Campaign, a campaign which was successful in temporarily blocking the development of a large-scale hydroelectric dam in southeast Turkey that campaigners claim will lead to the displacement of up to 78,000 people, mostly Kurds, without adequate compensation or consultation, as well as to environmental and cultural destruction.

Recently, Thomas has been working with War on Want in India and investigating and filming alleged human rights violations in Colombia (by, amongst others, Coca-Cola) where trade unions are targeted by militia allegedly controlled by the government. He wrote a regular column for the New Statesman between 2001 and 2007.

The Parliamentary committee which oversees weapons exports, the House of Commons Quadripartite Select Committee, commended him for his undercover work, which led to official warning letters being issued to a number of companies. His work in this area is covered in As Used on the Famous Nelson Mandela: Underground Adventures in the Arms and Torture Trade, a book chronicling his experiences undercover, his political activism and his projects designed to find and report loopholes in arms trading laws, which culminated in a controversial unbroadcast Newsnight article about the Hinduja brothers.

Whilst promoting this book on his latest tour, Thomas is also organising Mass Lone Demonstrations, in protest at the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005, which prevents any demonstrations around London's Parliament Square without prior police approval. The last event attracted over 100 'lone protesters' at the same time. In 2006, he was added to the Guinness Book of Records for most demonstrations held on one day: 20 individual protests in 20 different locations. He actually performed 21 protests, but as the first and last took place at the same location, it was agreed that only 20 would count.

In 2008, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Bradford, for services to peace and for his work as a comedian, political activist, presenter and investigative journalist, especially for his effective campaigning on the ethics of the arms trade. The University has a long-standing Department of Peace Studies.

In 2009, Mark launched the Huddersfield Policy postcard campaign, petitioning the Queen with protests against the prospect of a state funeral for Margaret Thatcher.

For his 'It's The Stupid Economy' UK tour in 2009, Mark played 55 shows over 14 weeks (between March and end July) and encouraged each audience to come up with their own policies (be it silly or serious) that will somehow make their lives better, forming a "People's Manifesto". Each audience then got to vote on their favourite policy of that evening and the winning suggestion then formed part of his manifesto which he will then campaign for and attempt to actually make at least some of the suggestions become reality.

In April 2010, Thomas was awarded £1200 compensation for a search carried out by police in 2007. He had been unlawfully subject to a stop-and-search without adequate cause, after speaking at an anti-arms rally.

During 2010 Mark decided to go rambling in the Middle East and walked the entire length of the Israeli Separation Barrier, crossing between the Israeli and the Palestinian side. He is currently touring the UK with a show entitled "Walking The Wall" which recounts the story.

Television

Friday Night Live, Channel 4 (1988)

Saturday Zoo, Channel 4 (1993)

Viva Cabaret, Channel 4 (1993)

Denton, Channel 7 Australia (1994)

Mark Thomas Comedy Product (later renamed The Mark Thomas Product), Channel 4 which ran for six series totalling 45 episodes (1996–2002)

Dispatches: The Lie Of The Land, Channel 4 (1998)

Thomas Country, Channel 4 (1999)

The Immigration and Asylum Bill, Channel 4 (2000)

Secret Map of Britain, Channel 4 (2002)

Dispatches: Mark Thomas — Weapons Inspector, Channel 4 (2003)

Dispatches: Mark Thomas — Debt Collector, Channel 4 (2003)

Dispatches: After School Arms Club, Channel 4 (2006)

, Channel 4 (2007)

Radio

The Mary Whitehouse Experience, Radio 1 (1989)

The Mix, Radio 5 (1990)

Sleeping with the NME, Radio 5 (1991)

Loose Talk, Radio 1 (1991–1992)

Booked!, Radio 4 (1995–1998)

Celluloid Psychiatrists, Radio 4 (2000)

Left Bank of the Mind, Radio 4 (2001)

Mark Thomas Presents…, Radio 4 (2005) (shows on Stan Freberg, the Firesign Theatre, Shelley Berman and Mort Sahl)

Chain Reaction, Radio 4 (2006)

My Life in Serious Organised Crime, Radio 4 (2007)

Ramblings, Radio 4 (2008) (walking The Ridgeway track in Wiltshire and Oxfordshire)

Radio 4 (2009–2011)

Discography

Sex, Filth and Religion (video) (1995)

Live (1998)

Dambusters (2001)

The Night War Broke Out (2004)

Mark Thomas Comedy Show ([DVD)] (2005)

Mark Thomas:Serious Organised Criminal (DVD) (2007)

Live tours

As Used on the Famous Nelson Mandela... (2006)

Serious Organised Criminal (2007)

Belching Out The Devil (2008)

It's the Stupid Economy(2009)

Extreme Rambling – Walking the Wall (2011)

Other live shows

Mark Thomas: Metrix Consortium at The Open University (9 September 2008)

Awards

Time Out Comedy Award (1990)

Perrier Comedy Award nominee (1992)

In addition to being recognised for his comedy career, Mark Thomas has been awarded various citations for his political campaigning, including: Kurdish National Congress Medal of Honour (2002)

International Service Award for the Global Defence of Human Rights (2004)

MediActivist Awards ) (2005)

Guinness World Record Holder for Most Number of Political Demonstrations in 24 Hours

He was also made an honorary Doctor of Letters by the University of Bradford on the 3 December 2008, in recognition of his peace campaigning and services to comedy.

Additional information

He gave out the mobile phone number of former MI5 agent David Shayler at a demonstration at the US spybase Menwith Hill in February 2001.

On one stand-up show, Thomas gave out Michael Heseltine's home address and encouraged the audience to enter his details into all their junkmail, so that he would receive free book club memberships, collectible plates and subscription magazines.

In his 4 March 2002 New Statesman column, Mark placed a bounty on the head of US President George Bush to the value of £4,320 Mark is an atheist. Interviewed for the Daily Telegraph, Mark said "I've been an atheist since the age of eight. A visiting pastor at church performed a magic trick that ended with him tapping a chalice and it filling with coins. I asked him how he did it and he said, 'All you need is faith,' When I got home I rushed down to the cellar and found an old Half Corona tin and a stick from my dad's wood box (he was a self-employed builder). I sat there for an hour and left an atheist." Thomas believes that everybody's wages should be made public. As of 2010 he earns about £100k a year. In February 2009 British entertainers David Baddiel, Bill Bailey, Morwenna Banks, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Jo Brand, Russell Brand, Rob Brydon, Jimmy Carr, Jack Dee, Omid Djalili, Sean Lock, Lee Mack, Alexei Sayle, Meera Syal, Mark Thomas said in an open letter printed in The Times newspaper of the Bahá'í leaders to be on trial in Iran: "In reality, their only “crime”, which the current regime finds intolerable, is that they hold a religious belief that is different from the majority…. we register our solidarity with all those in Iran who are being persecuted for promoting the best development of society …(and) with the governments, human rights organisations and people of goodwill throughout the world who have so far raised their voices calling for a fair trial, if not the complete release of the Baha’i leaders in Iran." Echoing the comments earlier in the month made by two hundred and sixty seven non-Bahá'í Iranian academics, writers, artists, journalists and activists from some 21 countries including Iran who signed an open letter of apology posted to Iranian.com and stating they were "ashamed" and pledging their support in Bahá'ís achieving the rights detailed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights for the Bahá'ís in Iran. See Persecution of Bahá'ís.

On 14 April 2009, a video was released on YouTube in which Mark officially endorsed the Green Party.

See also

Ilısu Dam Campaign

Robert Newman

Southeastern Anatolia Project

Corporate crime

Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 (see "Protests near Parliament" section)

Notes

External links

Mark Thomas — "The 'officially official' Mark Thomas site.

The Mark Thomas Fansite — unofficial fan page

Mark Thomas: Taking comedy seriously — BBC profile

the unofficially official reading list of the officially unofficial Mark Thomas mailing list (list)

Mark Thomas: method and madness of a TV comic — interview in the UNESCO publication The New Courier

Mark Thomas interviewed about As Used on the Famous Nelson Mandela

Mark Thomas Alive: An online video about COKE.

Old Blue Mark Thomas publishes his first book, As Used on the Famous Nelson Mandela: Underground Adventures in the Arms and Torture Trade

Mark Thomas interview

My life in serious organised crime - Radio satire about demonstrating in Parliament Square.

Category:Christ's Hospital Old Blues Category:English activists Category:English anarchists Category:English comedians Category:English comedy writers Category:English humorists Category:English journalists Category:English atheists Category:People from Balham Category:1963 births Category:Living people Category:Pranksters

Coordinates	18°55′23″N48°17′19″N
Name	Flula Borg
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Flula Borg
Alias	Flula, DJ Flula
Origin	Erlangen, Germany
Instrument	singing, beatboxing, trombone, percussion
Genre	House, Hip hop, Trance, Progressive house, Electronica
Occupation	singer, songwriter, record producer, arranger, actor, disc jockey, hypeman
Years active	1994 – Present
Label	Unsigned artist
Url	http://www.flulaborg.com/

Flula Borg is a German DJ, record producer, singer, songwriter, hype man, and host who uses the stage name DJ Flula or simply Flula. He currently lives and works in Los Angeles in the United States.

Career

Germany

Flula began his career performing as a Schuhplattler dancer in and around Erlangen, his hometown, located in northern Bavaria. He shifted his attention from dance to music in the late 1990s, touring southern Germany as a techno and hip hop DJ.

America

Flula's notoriety in America first began with his first appearance on Current TV, a docu-piece called "Take Me Home James," about a personalized cab service that happened to pick up Flula, who appeared to be inebriated. The piece was one of Current TV's all-time most popular segments. Flula has had several live appearances regularly at The Viper Room, The Derby, and other venues around Los Angeles. Borg is also known for TV cameos as a DJ and host, including pieces alongside Stacey Dash and The Sopranos' Matt del Negro, regular segments for AT&T;'s U-Verse programming (often with friend Dave Giuntoli), various Current TV pods, and regular shows for social networking site Stickam. Flula has also served as official host and MC for the College Battle of the Bands and Campus MovieFest tours presented by AT&T;.

Popularity and honors

Scion Hypeman Champion In 2009, Flula won the Scion Hypeman Competition in Chicago, becoming the contest's first and only European champion. Judges Skillz, DJ Clark Kent, and Lyricist Lounge co-founder Ant Marshall voted unanimously in favor of Flula, who defeated Ra-Ra Jenkins and Sam I Am in the finals. Texas Redneck Games Champion While working for AT&T; at the Texas Redneck Games, Flula became the first non-American to participate and medal in the games, garnering a bronze medal in the Mattress Chunk.

Selected discography

Albums

Europe

Flula Borg - Drive EP

Flula Borg - Old Time Peoples

US Flula Borg - Roach Bug EP

Singles

"Drive" (Remix) Deutsche DJ Playlist (DDP) #13 "BärGrizz" DDP #38

"Kuhchen" DDP #14

References

External links

Flula on iTunes

Flula's Blog

Flula's Facebook Fan Page

Flula's Twitter Feed

Flula's Haiku Page

Flula App on iTunes

Category:Club DJs Category:German rappers Category:Living people Category:Hip hop record producers Category:German techno musicians Category:People from Erlangen

Coordinates	18°55′23″N48°17′19″N
Name	Eddie Murphy
Caption	Murphy at the Tribeca Film Festival for Shrek Forever After in 2010.
Birth name	Edward Regan Murphy
Birth date	April 03, 1961
Birth place	Brooklyn, New York
Occupation	Actor, Comedian, Director, Producer and Singer
Years active	1976-present
Spouse	Nicole Mitchell (1993-2006) (divorced)Tracey Edmonds (2008) (Annulled)
Domesticpartner	Melanie Brown (2006-2007) 1 child

Edward Regan "Eddie" Murphy (born April 3, 1961) is an American actor, voice actor, film director, producer, comedian and singer. The box office take from his films makes him the second highest grossing actor in the United States. He was a regular cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1980 to 1984, and has worked as a stand-up comedian. He was ranked #10 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time.

He has received Golden Globe Award nominations for his performances in 48 Hrs, Beverly Hills Cop series, Trading Places, and The Nutty Professor. In 2007, he won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of soul singer James "Thunder" Early in Dreamgirls, and received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the same role.

Murphy's work as a voice actor includes Thurgood Stubbs in The PJs, Donkey in the Shrek series and the dragon Mushu in Disney's Mulan. In some of his films, he plays multiple roles in addition to his main character, intended as a tribute to one of his idols Peter Sellers, who played multiple roles in Dr. Strangelove and elsewhere. Murphy has played multiple roles in Coming to America, Wes Craven's Vampire In Brooklyn, the Nutty Professor films (where he played the title role in two incarnations, plus his father, brother, mother, and grandmother), Bowfinger, and 2007's Norbit.

Early life

Murphy was raised in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. His mother, Lillian (nee Regan), was a telephone operator, and his father, Charles Edward Murphy, was a transit police officer and an amateur actor and comedian. Murphy and his older brother Charlie were raised in Roosevelt, New York by his mother and stepfather Vernon Lynch, a foreman at an ice cream plant. Some of his notable characters included a grown version of the Little Rascals character Buckwheat, impoverished but street-wise children's show host Mr. Robinson (a spoof of Fred Rogers, who found it amusing), and Gumby,

In 1984, Murphy appeared in Best Defense, co-starring Dudley Moore. Murphy, who was credited as a "Strategic Guest Star", was added to the film after an original version was completed but tested poorly with audiences. Best Defense was a major financial and critical disappointment. When he hosted SNL, Murphy joined the chorus of those bashing Best Defense, calling it "the worst movie in the history of everything". Murphy has been rumored to be initially a part of hits such as Ghostbusters (featuring his Trading Places co-star Dan Aykroyd and fellow SNL alumnus Bill Murray). The part that was originally written with Murphy in mind ultimately went to Ernie Hudson. Murphy was offered a part in 1986's , a role that, after being heavily re-written from comic relief to love interest, ultimately went to future 7th Heaven star Catherine Hicks. By this point Murphy's near-exclusive contract with Paramount Pictures rivaled Star Trek as Paramount's most lucrative franchise.

In 1986, Murphy starred in the supernatural comedy, The Golden Child. a movie Murphy would ultimately denounce during an appearance on Inside the Actors Studio, Murphy was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor on January 23, 2007, but lost to Alan Arkin for his performance in Little Miss Sunshine. Dreamgirls was the first film distributed by Paramount Pictures to star Murphy (who once was on an exclusive contract with the studio) since Vampire in Brooklyn in 1995.

In 2007, Murphy was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. As a result of Viacom's acquisition of Dreamworks SKG, Paramount distributed his other 2007 releases: Norbit and Shrek the Third. He starred in the 2008 film Meet Dave and the 2009 film Imagine That for Paramount Pictures.

Murphy is expected to begin work on Beverly Hills Cop IV sometime in the near future, and it is expected that producer Jerry Bruckheimer will not participate in the fourth installment of the series. Murphy recently told The Sun Online that "the new script is looking good". Murphy will also co-star in Tower Heist, Brett Ratner's heist movie. Murphy stars as part of a group of hardworking men who find out they have fallen victim to a wealthy business man's Ponzi scheme, and conspire to rob his high-rise residence. Ben Stiller, Matthew Broderick, and Casey Affleck are also starring in the film. Brian Grazer is producing the picture for his Imagine Entertainment shingle, and will be distributed by Universal Pictures on November 4, 2011.

Murphy will star in a new version of The Incredible Shrinking Man.

Personal life

Murphy began a longtime romantic relationship with Nicole Mitchell (born January 5, 1968) after meeting her in 1988 at an NAACP Image Awards show. They lived together for almost two years before getting married at the Grand Ballroom of The Plaza Hotel in New York City on March 18, 1993.. Murphy and Mitchell had five children together: Bria L. Murphy (born November 18, 1989), Myles Mitchell (born November 7, 1992), Shane Audra (born October 10, 1994), Zola Ivy (born December 24, 1999) and Bella Zahra (born January 29, 2002). In August 2005, Mitchell filed for divorce, citing "irreconcilable differences". The divorce was finalized on April 17, 2006.

In May 1997, Murphy was stopped by police with a transvestite prostitute in his car shortly before the release of Holy Man, causing him a number of public relations problems.

The Murphy family currently resides in Long Island, New York.

Following his divorce from Mitchell, in 2006 he began dating former Spice Girl Melanie B, who became pregnant and stated that the child was Murphy's. When questioned about the pregnancy in December 2006, Murphy told a reporter, "I don't know whose child that is until it comes out and has a blood test. You shouldn't jump to conclusions, sir". Brown gave birth to a baby girl, Angel Iris Murphy Brown, on Murphy's 46th birthday, April 3, 2007. On June 22, 2007, representatives for Brown announced in People that a DNA test had confirmed that Murphy was the father. Brown has stated in an interview that Murphy has not sought a relationship with Angel.

Murphy exchanged marriage vows with film producer Tracey Edmonds, former wife of Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, on January 1, 2008, in a private ceremony on an island off Bora Bora. It was announced on January 16, 2008, that they never legally wed, had decided to forgo legalizing their union, and had instead chosen to remain friends.

Charitable work

Murphy has donated money to the AIDS Foundation, and cancer, education, creative arts, family/parent support, health and homeless charities. He has donated to the Martin Luther King Jr. Center, various cancer charities and $100,000 to the Screen Actors' Guild's strike relief fund.

Filmography

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Singles

Awards/nominations

References

External links

Eddie Murphy on Discogs

Maxim Rated Top SNL performer

Category:1961 births Category:20th-century actors Category:21st-century actors Category:Actors from New York City Category:African American film actors Category:Baptists from the United States Category:African American comedians Category:African American singers Category:African American television actors Category:American comedians Category:American impressionists (entertainers) Category:American screenwriters Category:American stand-up comedians Category:American television actors Category:American voice actors Category:Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe (film) winners Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Living people Category:People from Bushwick, Brooklyn Category:People from Nassau County, New York Category:Saturn Award winners