A transgender woman goes into a McDonald’s and has permission to use the bathroom. The manager then threatens to kill her and beats her with a lead pipe. The woman’s friends call the police. The police refuse to file a report and arrest the woman instead.
Is this the Deep South? No, this happened in Manhattan.
Call the Midtown South Precinct at 212-239-9846 if this pisses you off.
Send mail to:
Ralph Alvarez
President and Chief Operating Officer
McDonald’s Corporation
2111 McDonald’s Dr
Oak Brook, IL 60523
(via the Other)
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Angelmaker by Nick Harkaway: Harkaway's latest novel greatly improves on his previous book, The Gone-Away World, which I'm already on record as praising. Angelmaker adopts genre elements without ever feeling like a genre book, and it leads me to believe that Harkaway is well on his way to a narrative grace close to China Miéville's. Yet inexplicably this very fun book, which includes an eightysomething badass named Edie Banister, a mysterious mechanical object that may destroy the world, farcical scenarios involving lawyers and the police, and some unexpectedly moving moments about fatherhood, doesn't appear to be getting much attention in American newspapers. Nothing from the snobs at The New York Times Book Review, nothing from The Washington Post. And since I can't get Harkaway on Bat Segundo, I hope this Jump Up and Down mention gets you hopping as well.
The Age of Insight by Eric Kandel: Unless you're really pressed for time, forget Jonah Lehrer. If you want to understand creativity and its relationship to neuroscience, then the bowtie-wearing Nobel laureate is your man. In addition to being a physically beautiful book (you will drool over many of the paintings), there are helpful overviews on optical illusions, science, biographical backgrounds, and many vital figures from the Vienna Secession. Kandel's enthusiasm (and his call for greater unity between the humanities and science) is contagious.
That’s insane. Scary. Seriously McDonald’s has lead in their pipes?
Hey, chill with the regional potshots, Ed. It’s bad enough that the Slate article says southerners can’t get the McArthur. Don’t kick us while we’re down!
No regional potshot intended. In fact, I specifically wanted to point out that this happened in Manhattan because this kind of thing happens all over.