This sounds like a very good idea to me 
STUDENTS who work at McDonald’s will be given free access to online maths tutoring, as the fast-food chain tries to stem the number of young people who take time off work to prepare for exams.
McDonald’s, which claims to be the biggest employer of young people in the country, said the program was for students in years 7 to 11, with the tutoring program tailored to the current high school curriculum.
McDonald’s Australia vice-president Frank McManus estimated about three-quarters of its 65,000 staff were secondary students. “We believe we have a responsibility to help them perform well in school,” Mr McManus said. “We also recognise that some students end their employment around the time they start year 12.”
He said students often took a four-to-six-week break over the exam period, before returning to work in their holidays.
How long will it be before one of the usual suspects see something dark and sinister in this most efficacious scheme? But what I want to know is will the students who log on for the tutoring want fries with the lessons?
Cheers Comrades
Filed under: McDonalds | Tagged: fries, Maccas, maths, work/ life
I figure I should make a comment Iain, it seems you need some help to get a conversation going.
Good parents would keep their kids as far away from Maccas as possible.
Maccas is a company pedaling health destroying, processed rubbish to kids, with no more morals than a tobacco company.
Getting children accustomed to working for very little money while pushing dangerously bad food to other kids, in order to make profits for people who would never eat this crap, should be resisted at every turn. It prepares kids for a fucked up world where making money at any costs is acceptable, as long as you don’t break the law.
My kids are taught to think for themselves, and have decided that working for a global junk food corporation is not good for them, or the broader Australian community. I never pushed this idea on them, they are just smart enough to see this without anyone’s help
If you wish to argue that not everyone who eats junk food develops health problems, look at the stats on the increasing weight of the average Aussie. Look at the info on the extraordinary amounts of fat and sugar in this junk food. Look at the major increase in diabetes since the spread of glossy 24 hour fast food outlets, look at the clowns and other bright and colourful marketing tools they use to suck kids into thinking that Maccas is ‘Cool’.
It’s not cool and it’s partly responsible for killing thousands of people before their time. Ask your Doctor how much macca’s to include in your diet and they tell you it’s best not to eat it at all. If you must, then take the low fat options. Not much help though as they are still full of sugar.
Tell us why you support this, but don’t support the taking of drugs, smoking or other dangerous practices. Do you support open access to poker machines as well?
Maybe they should provide free maths lessons to the kids waiting for mum or dad to lose this weeks pay in the local ‘gaming’ venue. Then they would have the skills to calculate how much money they would need to spend at Maccas in order to have a heart attack at 40.
You choose to support some strange things old son.
You have changed your previous tune about “never wanting to comment at my blog again which I find immensely funny , given how strident you have been about shouting about my “sins”
In a word, bollocks a good parent will teach their children moderation in all things, including the consumption of fast food.
Prove this, in particular the similarity to the purveyors of tobacco.
Getting “kids” accustomed to a work ethic, excellent hygiene, and being a team player are all good things. Frankly only unreformed communists seek to demonise the generation of profits by a business enterprise, for it is that rather than socialist hogwash that has made or society so well off.
You are deluded if you think that you have not subtly pushed your own ideology on your children, we all do wether we realise it or not. Would you not express your disapproval upon them if you were to find Macca’s packaging in their possession?
That those people who have a weight problem may well eat fast food to excess, does not mean that those who eat it occasionally are at any risk of any negative consequences for doing so.
My doctor is a most sensible chap and his attitude to diet is one of moderation. I defy you to find any doctors who would make the argument that you suggest here.
I quite simply do not see that the moderate consumption of any type of prepared food is in any way bad for anyone. When it comes to any type of gambling I have a very low level of tolerance. In fact I won’t even let my daughter play the lotto type games that are embedded in the DVD machine, I never by lottery tickets or even place a wager on the Melbourne cup. Do you see a pattern here?
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Strangely you ignore the clear fact the proliferation of pernicious gambling is without doubt the fault of state Labor Governments given the power I would “blow up the pokies”(with a nod to Tim Friedman) with out a second thought.
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Nah it just seems like that to socialist dinosaurs like your self.
“never wanting to comment at my blog again (sic)
I guess this is a quote from me is it? As far as I know, I never said that. Can you show me the source?
As for my comments about you at Haps site, I was forced to point out your hypocrisy elsewhere, as you started editing my posts.
Anyway it was fun watching you beg for me to return and ‘play nice’ as you put it.
So to the point, I like to have a bet (not on the pokies) but because ‘Gaming’ has been abused by some people you respond thus – “When it comes to any type of gambling I have a very low level of tolerance. In fact I won’t even let my daughter play the lotto type games that are embedded in the DVD machine” So why would you not stop your daughter from eating Macca’s, knowing the risk is high that if she grows to like it her health will be badly effected.
My Doctor suggested to me that she and many other Doctors are now advising their clients to stay away from fast food like Macca’s and KFC due to the very high levels of saturated fat and sugar.
To consume a big Mac in ‘moderation’ as you put it you would need to eat about a quarter of a burger in one sitting and have a generally low fat diet at other time. The fries have the greatest amount of bad fat of any chips in Australia by weight.
I suggest you do some reading on the emerging diabetes and obesity epidemics which studies show began with the up-take of American style fast food outlets in Australia, and are made worse amongst our kids by, of all things, the internet and the TV.
If you don’t believe me, then here it is from no less than the ‘Australian Medical Journal’
http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/185_04_210806/zim10521_fm.html
“Coupled with the modern commercial drive to market unhealthy foods everywhere and seduce us into ever more sedentary leisure, this means we are facing a seemingly unstoppable juggernaut of obesity and diabetes”.
I’m all for the Kids learning team work, hygine etc. But better they learn it at an ethical business. I worked in Advertising for many years Iain, and you will just have to take my word for it that the techniques used to suck kid’s into Macca’s are the same as those used by tabbaco companies for many years. Basically, you do your best to make a toxic product seem ‘fun’, ‘family friendly’, ‘efficiant’ and a good community member by sponsoring the local footy team. It all a lie created to sell the most fat filled burgers they can to simple people who get sucked in by such image making.
No socialist stuff here mate, I’m not a socialist at all. Just facts and common sense.
Do the right thing by your kids and tell them the truth about Macca’s.
Over to you.“never wanting to comment at my blog again (sic)
I guess this is a quote from me is it? As far as I know, I never said that. Can you show me the source?
As for my comments about you at Haps site, I was forced to point out your hypocrisy elsewhere, as you started editing my posts.
Anyway it was fun watching you beg for me to return and ‘play nice’ as you put it.
So to the point, I like to have a bet (not on the pokies) but because ‘Gaming’ has been abused by some people you respond thus – “When it comes to any type of gambling I have a very low level of tolerance. In fact I won’t even let my daughter play the lotto type games that are embedded in the DVD machine” So why would you not stop your daughter from eating Macca’s, knowing the risk is high that if she grows to like it her health will be badly effected.
My Doctor suggested to me that she and many other Doctors are now advising their clients to stay away from fast food like Macca’s and KFC due to the very high levels of saturated fat and sugar.
To consume a big Mac in ‘moderation’ as you put it you would need to eat about a quarter of a burger in one sitting and have a generally low fat diet at other time. The fries have the greatest amount of bad fat of any chips in Australia by weight.
I suggest you do some reading on the emerging diabetes and obesity epidemics which studies show began with the up-take of American style fast food outlets in Australia, and are made worse amongst our kids by, of all things, the internet and the TV.
If you don’t believe me, then here it is from no less than the ‘Australian Medical Journal’
http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/185_04_210806/zim10521_fm.html
“Coupled with the modern commercial drive to market unhealthy foods everywhere and seduce us into ever more sedentary leisure, this means we are facing a seemingly unstoppable juggernaut of obesity and diabetes”.
I’m all for the Kids learning team work, hygiene etc. But better they learn it at an ethical business. I worked in Advertising for many years Iain, and you will just have to take my word for it that the techniques used to suck kid’s into Macca’s are the same as those used by tobacco companies for many years. Basically, you do your best to make a toxic product seem ‘fun’, ‘family friendly’, ‘efficient’ and a good community member by sponsoring the local footy team. It’s all a lie created to sell the most fat filled burgers they can to simple people who get sucked in by such image making.
No socialist stuff here mate, I’m not a socialist at all. Just facts and common sense.
So do the right thing by your kids and tell them the truth about Macca’s.
Over to you.
For some reason it posted twice???
I think the first one is pre-spellchecker
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This is a paraphrase of your comments not a quote.
No begging at all just some friendly reminders that I have a comments policy and I am not afraid to use it.
I’ll invert your example, why is it that as some one who can clearly moderate your gambling that You can’t see that the majority of people do not have any problem moderating their consumption of pre-prepared food?
Well it sound s like your doctor is a food fascist or a Zealot
Yep that sounds like zealotry to me
No need, I know about the problems of “type two” diabetes, it was one of the things that did my mother in.
You worked in advertising and you think that Macca’s is an unethical business? Whoa!! That is a hoot. Well I’ve worked in the food business and I don’t think that your view of the products is in any way correct.
Just out of curiosity how often do you and your family eat meals that are not cooked at home? And where do you get them? How do you know that those meals have any less fat and sugar than the burgers you so denounce?
I do tell my kids the truth and that is that fast food is a treat and that it is not some thing to be consumed too often. Oh and on the socialism stuff I think you don’t know your own nature.
Iain, A child with a calorie intake of 1200 c per day, should only consume a maximum of (according to health authorities) 9 to 13 grams of saturated fat per day.
A Big Mac contains 21.5 grams of fat of which 9.5 grams are saturated. Add some fries to that and your way over your safe daily intake of heart clogging, stroke causing fat.
http://www.weightlossforall.com/fat-mcdonalds.htm
Do this two or three times per week as teenage kids, with parents telling them it’s fine, tend to do and you get fat and sick.
You see if you eat all that bad fat in one go then you can not eat any healthy lean meat (very easy to buy), dairy or other low fat foods, because you have already had to much at Macca’s.
Seriously Iain, if you think my Doctor the W.H.O. and the ‘Australian Medical Journal’ are “food fascist” then show me your facts to prove that Macca’s is as healthy as you claim, and that we are not facing and epidemic of obese and sick children due to ‘Fast food’s’ clever advertising spin that sucks in simple minded people.
Play nice and give us your facts please!
“Just out of curiosity how often do you and your family eat meals that are not cooked at home? And where do you get them? How do you know that those meals have any less fat and sugar than the burgers you so denounce?
Oh, it’s easy Iain. The internet is great for finding out what’s in various foods, how much fat, sugar etc. Once you read a bit you can work out how much fat and sugar you eat ‘on the fly’.
My son is a type one diabetic and can tell how much fat and energy is in a meal just by looking at it. To a diabetic, fast food is poison. The rest of us just need to be VERY careful.
We eat out maybe once a week, usually a low fat salad, a fish meal or a steak if I haven’t had much fat that week. No chips and no butter.
I’ll let you in on my secret, I have been diagnosed with high cholesterol and pre-diabetes. This comes from thinking that everything in moderation is okay, just like you do. Unfortunately, with modern advertising used so un-ethically as you point out, people are sucked into thinking that fast and fat filled foods ‘in moderation’ can be just fine for everyone. This is far from the truth and our kids need to be taught this.
I look forward to your facts!
BTW if you want to ‘Play Nice’ try not putting words in my mouth, can you please show me the comment I made that you have paraphrased? And if it’s not a quote you don’t need the “”.
Two problems with your example, firstly I have never given my daughter a “big Mac” in her life, she usually has the much smaller cheeseburger. And secondly I would not characterise two or three times a week as moderate consumption.
Not everyone has to measure everything that they eat, as you have had to do with your diabetic son Craigy. I will tell you that as the person who does the shopping and the cooking that I work quite hard to ensure that my family has a good balanced dietand I also buy lean meat as a rule.
I have never said that Macca’s provide “health food” but your anti-Maccas rants are now more understandable given your revelations about your son.
Yeah as I said it is now clear why you come on so strong about this but I will go out on a limb a bit here and suggest that your attitudes to such issues is coloured much more by your personal family health issues that do not easily transfer to general principles but what you say suggest that your genetic profile may just have something to do with your health issues.
My daughter is eight and she has a cheeseburger less than once a week, as a treat and I see no reason to change that.
Look I don’t care to go trawling through my archive to find any particular quotes about your desires to comment here. So lets just let that through to the keeper OK?
Cheers
“Look I don’t care to go trawling through my archive to find any particular quotes about your desires to comment here. So lets (sic) just let that through to the keeper OK?
Okay, but I think you will find I never said any such thing.
Look, you piss me off when you edit my comments and when you hold me to standards that you and your friends never come close to. But it is fun watching you try and be moderate (when you quite clearly hold extreme views) and trying to spin arguments when you are behind (which is most of the time). It gives me a laugh.
As I have advised you before, you would have many more commenter’s if you could find a way to concede a point every now and then. If you read your Blog, you would think by your attitude that you think you are always, always right. No one is, and fighting ‘your corner’ in a dogmatic way does you no favours and wins you no respect.
FYI, my attitude to Fast Food comes from the reading I have had to do due to my condition and that of my son. My medical advice is that, in my case at least, it is not genetic. It is unlikely to be genetic in my son as there is no history in his family.
The reason for my self education in this matter is irrelevant. The facts are the facts and you choose to ignore them at your kid’s peril.
Do you think parents can smoke and tell their kids not to? Studies show that poor role modeling is one of the most important factors in validating bad and dangerous behaviour in children.
If you tell them it’s okay, it’s harder for them to ignore the advertising and easier for them to pick up bad habits.
And BTW that cheese burger, with fries is still a shit load of bad fat for a child.
Two to three time a week is not moderate (though in some families it is, scary) as you have pointed out. But this is the result of having positive reinforcement of bad habits when you are a pre-teen. When you get your freedom as a teenager, then the message you got from your parents is… This is okay for me, in fact my Dad, Iain gives it to me as a treat! So it must be ‘Special’…
The difference between those you call my friends and yourself is that they do not try to attack me personally all of the time Craigy, I have naturally more tolerance for people who try to treat me with respect so take this as a hint .
The number of times that people come here and then proceed to go in boots an all makes me more inclined to give as good as I get , and really I quite often concede debating points.
Although it is not like ,say cystic Fibrosis, there is without doubt a genetic component (or perhaps a predisposition would be a better way to put it) to type two diabetes aty least according to my GP.
Neither my wife or I smoke or drink, we don’t ever have white bread in the house (rye bread is our staple) a kilo of sugar(raw) lasts months in this house and I use very little salt as well. Does that give you some idea that I might just be on top of the good diet for my family thing?
But there are two problems with your position here, firstly I don’t tell them that it is ok (at least not in the way that you imagine I do) and secondly we very seldom let our children watch commercial TV.
But the whole nutrition message being given at my daughters school makes it clear that there are some foods that are only for treats and my children know the difference between those and everyday food.
“The difference between those you call my friends and yourself is that they do not try to attack me personally all of the time Craigy”
No they attack your other guests, like myself and you cheer them on. You are within your blogging rights to play favorites Iain, it’s just rude that’s all. If you want people to play nice, stop supporting your trolls from the right and attack them the same way you do us for bad behaviour.
Then you will start to get some respect.
“and really I quite often concede debating points.”
Just give me one example when you have conceded a point to me. (Try and resist the free kick here).
“there is without doubt a genetic component (or perhaps a predisposition would be a better way to put it) to type two diabetes at least according to my GP.”
I believe you’re correct here Iain and I will talk to my GP about this. It doesn’t change the fact that diet and lifestyle are what triggers it.
You do seem to have some knowledge of good nutrition for your kids from your statements above, so your support for Macca’s is surprising in this light. I wouldn’t leave it up to the school though.
McDonald’s as a food is not that bad provided you don’t eat it 3-4 times a week and you don’t upsize everything to the scheizenhausen. McDonald’s as an employer relies on teenagers and a suppressed youth wage, pays below-standard penalty rates, bans unionism and dresses all this up as ‘career opportunity’. I am highly sceptical about anything McDonald’s does if it proclaims to be doing it for the good if its employers or customers.
Mark L, I suggest you do some reading if you think food like that at Macca’s is not that Bad.
It is in fact a real problem, as we become more like the US in our eating habits.
I didn’t say it was good for you, I said it wasn’t bad for you if only eaten occasionally. Eating McDonald’s once a week is not going to kil anybody, unless their idea of a balanced weekly diet is McDonald’s, KFC, Hungry Jacks, pizza, kebab, Chinese takeaway and a footlong from Subway.