The Wiggles as a Popular Culture Essay Example

The Wiggles as a Popular Culture Paper The Wiggles are a childrens music and entertainment group consisting of four members who formed in Sydney in 1991. The original members were Anthony Field, Murray Cook, Greg Page and Jeff Fatt. Before the formation of the group, Field and Fatt were members of the Australian pop band The Cockroaches with Page being a roadie, and met Cook at Macquarie University where they were studying to become pre-school teachers. Together, they formed The Wiggles. Using connections gained from The Cockroaches, The Wiggles first manager Jeremy Fabinyi negotiated with the ABC to air The Wiggles TV show. This program essentially promoted their first album and tour, launching The Wiggles careers. The Wiggles, due to the development of technology such as television and the internet, have globalised into an internationally recognised franchise. By definition, a popular culture has four characteristics; they are associated with commercial products, develop from a local to international scale, allow consumers to have widespread access to it, and are constantly changing and evolving. The Wiggles can be classified as a popular culture due to its conforming to these characteristics. The group conforms to these characteristics by having much ssociated paraphernalia, such as albums and posters, has developed into an international franchise which tours the world, allows consumers widespread access to The Wiggles products, and is changing and evolving in order to benefit the children of the present day society. Advances In technology have allowed social and cultural studies to become more In-depth. We will write a custom essay sample on The Wiggles as a Popular Culture specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Wiggles as a Popular Culture specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Wiggles as a Popular Culture specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Such studies have highlighted the importance of childrens social and cultural experiences linked with their literacy development. Children who participated In the watching of programs such as The Wiggles were noted within these studies to have higher literacy rates at the start of heir primary schooling than children who didnt. This has enabled The Wiggles to have status In the early childhood education Industry due to the childrens stimulation of their creative senses, while also making the learning process enjoyable for the child. This therefore has a positive effect on the young Individual In the present as well as the future, as well as The Wiggles being viewed In a positive manner by consumers and members of society because of this Influence on children. The Wiggles are so successful because of their positive Influence on childrens lives nd the satisfaction that adults receive from being aware of the educational value behind the program. This can be obviously demonstrated through the long-running creative programs aired on televlslon with such popularity that The Wiggles have become known around the world. This has made them an International franchise and allowed the company to expand Into other associated products and programs such as live performance shows and recorded albums. The products of this popular culture are aimed at a specific target market. Primary consumers of The Wiggles are young children but the major purchasers of associated products and paraphernalia re the childrens parents and adults. There Is no dlvlde In the consumption of this popular cultures associated products In relation to gender, although the group previously consisted of four males, as well as many of the associated characters being male. This recently changed In 2012 when a female Wiggle was Introduced, before, therefore giving The Wiggles the opportunity to expand their market even more. Despite the positive change of introducing a female Wiggle in order to make the childrens program more appealing to both genders, uproar has occurred resulting in a backlash over the internet. Social networking websites such as Facebook and Twitter have seen The Wiggles pages slandered by the secondary consumers of this popular culture, being parents, due to the introduction of this new yellow Wiggle. This has created a now somewhat negative attitude towards The Wiggles due to the rejection of this change. Due to the growing online shopping market, the purchasing of The Wiggles paraphernalia has become simpler due to the ease of access for consumers to these products. Such paraphernalia includes costumes, albums and television series, computer games, toys, books, bags and stationery. This market has allowed the expansion of The Wiggles market due to the vast number of people who have access to such technology as the internet. Over the 22 years of which The Wiggles have been an entertainment source on the television for young children, the philosophy of the group, being that of healthy eating, dancing and singing, has not changed. A reason why The Wiggles are so well-known within the present society is due to this trusted source of creative early childhood education being conveyed to the audience through different media outlets. This creates a positive perception of this popular culture within many consumers eyes.

An analysis of Portias speech with regards to the essential differences between mercy and justice in the Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare.

An analysis of Portias speech with regards to the essential differences between mercy and justice in the Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare. Mercy is compassionate treatment, while justice is the administration of law. Justice may not necessary include mercy.Mercy is natural. Portia says that the "quality of mercy is not strained", it is not a forced effort but something that one already possesses. Mercy cannot be forced by anyone; it is something that one must come up within himself. Like how "gentle rain" cannot be created artificially, it is sincere.Mercy also benefits the merciful. Portia says that "earth power doth then show likest God's when mercy seasons justice", implying that man can only become like God when he is merciful.Mercy is something that is powerful. Portia says, "scepter[s] shows the force of temporal power...but mercy is above this sceptered sway", symbolizing that mercy is more powerful than mere symbols of earthly power, i.e. the crown and the scepter.Mercy is forgiving. Portia points out that God is merciful, and forgives us for our sins, and "in the course of justice none of us should see salvatio n".Antonio reproaching Shylock (characters from Willi...Only with the mercy of God would they be delivered.Mercy is reciprocal, and "twice blest", bringing good tidings to both "him that gives and him that takes".Portia says that mercy is divine, as it "droppeth...from heaven" and "an attribute to God himself". Mercy is a heavenly quality, a sacred virtue and he who has this characteristic becomes "likest God". It is like "gentle rain from heaven".Mercy is fair treatment to others. For example, the Duke asks Shylock to "forgive a moiety of the principal", sympathising with Antonio as he has lost money in his wrecked investments.Justice is strict and condemning, as the place where justice is practised is described as the "strict court of Venice". Portia asks Shylock to "mitigate...thy plea", exemplifying how justice is indeed harsh.Justice is...

A Little Fox Never Hurt Anyone

A Little Fox Never Hurt Anyone A Little Fox Never Hurt Anyone A Little Fox Never Hurt Anyone By Kate Evans We all know that good looking women are described as foxy. But foxes, with their rusty color and reputation for craftiness, can be used in many other colorful, unique, and descriptive expressions. For example, A foxs sleep is when one feigns indifference while keeping a close eye on someone. A wise fox will never rob his neighbors hen-roost, meaning a thief should steal from people far from home so as not to get caught. Theres my personal favorite, I gave him a flap with a fox-tail, which means that I made a fool of someone. To set a fox to keep the geese would be someone who trusts those who should clearly not be trusted with important tasks. If its a case of the fox and the grapes, then someone really wants something, cant obtain it, so they pretend they never wanted it in the first place. And of course, theres the often relevant when a fox preaches, take care of your geese. So, go off and flap someone with a fox-tail or just try and work one of these expressions into your next short story! Apollo Theater, Ms. Brown had the limo pull to a stop before a 100-foot-long Chyna Doll billboard, featuring a very foxy Foxy, clad only in a blue feather bikini. (www.nytimes.com) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:45 Synonyms for â€Å"Food†Awoken or Awakened?Ulterior and Alterior

To Assess or Not to Assess, That is the Question Essay

To Assess or Not to Assess, That is the Question - Essay Example I am horrified by science fiction futuristic movies with a plot of enforced conformity and predictability. So when I researched the controversy about the use of personality tests to predict who should or should not be hired, who will or will not behave appropriately on the job, I found myself having some strong feelings. A careful reading of quite a few articles eventually helped me to sort out my particular stance on this matter, however. The controversy itself rests on the foundation argument as to whether human behavior can, or cannot, be predicted through personality tests. Psychologists, especially those in organizational behavior and human resources, want an easy way to predict who will or will not be likely to be successfully integrated into a company, be easily supervised, and perform their duties in a non-violent manner (Baglione, Arnold, & Zimmerer, 2009). It costs a lot of money to recruit, train and build skills in an employee, and mistakes are costly for the company. Com panies naturally want to avoid preventable waste of resources (Baglione, Arnold, & Zimmerer, 2009). On one side of this argument are those who vigorously argue that personality tests can indeed predict this with reasonable accuracy (Boutelle, 2011), especially when focused on Big-Five Model factors and understood clearly, and therefore they should definitely be used (Hogan, Hogan, & Roberts, 1996). They are ethical and legal, if specifically job-related (Griggs v. Duke Power Co., 1971), and they are thought to increase productivity. Within that side of the argument are those who favor normative tests and those who favor ipsative tests (Bartram, 1996). Among the 22% of companies using personality testing for personnel selction, there is also a faction (9.3%) which favor online tests, either normative or ipsative (Piotrowski & Terry Ar, 2006). On the other side are those who say that personality tests are not good indicators. The reasons given include the tendency of people to fake th eir answers or cheat by obtaining the answers from a central source; the fuzzy legality and ethics of sorting out people in ways that might reflect mental disorder or other impairment, ethnicity, sexual preference, and other discrimination-protected characteristics forbidden to be used in hiring choices (Morgeson, M.A, Dipboye, J.R, Murphey, & Schmitt, 2007); and various arguments about whether to use normative or ipsative tests. Ipsative tests are considered to be less reliable because you cannot reasonably use factor analysis on them without having artificial results, and the results apply only within a single person and not across a range of people, therefore invalidating them as being useful for determining whether they are a better or worse choice than another employment candidate (Paul, 2010). Furthermore, apparently up until 2010, the only real defense of ipsative testing came from a company with vested interest in selling ipsative tests for personnel selection, or came from people using that company’s data (Paul, 2010). However, this year a doctoral candidate in Spain, Dr. Anna Brown, won a â€Å"Best Doctoral Dissertation Prize† from the Psychometric Society for her breakthrough methodology that applies Item Response Theory Modeling to Ipsative test data, and thereby overcomes the psychometric limitations of this type of personality testing (The Psychometrics Society, 2011). Brown concludes that the limitations of ipsative data are overcome in that the

Individual Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Individual Analysis - Assignment Example The professional standards in nursing practice are highly regulated and supervised. In my state, it is mandatory that each institution should have an internal audit program to ensure individual practitioners are up to standard. The professional nurse is expected to have appealing social and moral disposition to their patients. The promotion and the protection of the health of the patients is the key obligation of the nurse. Whereas there are a lot of legal regulations and rules that relate directly to medical practice, the greatest emphasis touch on nursing practices because that is the hallmark of medical practice. Each individual nurse therefore follows the law to the letter and consults widely with doctors and specialists in every activity. The code of ethics of nurses is the epitome of standards on which every nurse must perfectly adhere. In the event that such a code is broken or sabotaged, the individual patients’ lives may be in critical jeopardy. Moreover nursing scholarship is advancing and research that is ongoing about the best practices should be the nurse’s responsibility to gradually assimilate. Without the disposition to know the new standards, one could be on the wrong side of the law and that would bring down the institution of nursing. The Hippocratic Oath which is primarily a doctor’s area is always applicable to nursing. In this regard, nurses are prohibited from sharing particulars of the conditions of a patient with any other external parties. The nursing practice also strives to render services on the basis of saving lives to extent possible within the facility. Any actions that are deemed undertaken on mistake are gravely prohibited. Since nursing is a scientific endeavor in many respects, the philosophy of evidence and materiality of facts is crucial to the medical and nursing fraternity in particular. In addition, the philosophy of utilitarianism

Americas New War Essay -- Middle East September 11 Terrorism Essays

America's New War The events of September 11th, 2001 will influence the lives of American's for years to come. Some American's will never fly on a commercial airliner again while others feel unsafe in their usual daily routine. Our country has felt a mix of emotions as the war on terrorism begins to unfold across the globe in Afghanistan. Yet I believe that a war on ignorance is about to unfold on our own soil. After the attacks the national news reports were filled with stories about Americans of Middle Eastern decent being targets for hat crimes and unnecessary violence. At this point in time, Americans of every gender, race and religion need to focus on who are nations true enemies are. The attacks on America left me with a mix of emotions and unanswerable questions. I went to sleep on September 11th feeling unsettled. However in the days to follow I felt angered watching the news reports about how ignorant American's had been acting towards citizens of Middle Eastern descent. One news report that I recall vividly was about a West Bloomfield restaurant. Someone had claimed that when the news began to show actual pictures of the attacks on the World Trade Center customers and staff began to cheer. The story escalated and numerous rumors circulated the community and within a few days the Middle Eastern restaurant had little to no business. The owner was on the news stating that there were no celebrations within his restaurant and he wanted to show the surveillance videos from that day to show the city that this was all a lie. What I find even more frustrating is the ignorance that U.S. Representative John Cooksey displayed by his comments about Muslims and Arab Ameri cans after the terrioist attacks. Cooksey stated to a ... ...rty I had been to. I even learned to do a few traditional Arabic dances and tried some new Arabic food. I am fortunate to have experienced different aspects of a few Middle Eastern cultures. Over the last few years I have learned about so many different aspects of Middle Eastern culture so now uninformed American's ideas about Arab's and Muslim's frustrate me. After such a tragedy as the recent terrorist attacks I hope that fellows American's will take it upon themselves to end this hatred that has surfaced. It's shallow to treat someone differently because they wear a turban or own a party store. American's should spend less time worrying about who's Arabic and focusing on what makes someone Arabic and accepting that. At this time American's of all cultural backgrounds should unite together and stop the ignorance that is present in our American culture today.

Food Security Bill

Food Security Bill: Good politics to deliver bad economics A bill duly tabled in Parliament promises to give legal right to subsided food to two- thirds of the country 1. 2 billion population. The ambitious proposal should be seen in the context of India being home to roughly one third of the world's poor; where over 70 per cent of children are malnourished and about 10 million or more people die of chronic hunger or hunger-related diseases every year.The Food Security Bill, the PUPA-l's flagship scheme, envisages the distribution of heat, rice and coarse grains at Just RSI 2, RSI 3 and Reel a kilo each to about 65 per cent of the population ? 75 per cent of them in rural areas and the rest in cities and towns. Add to that, some entitlements to ‘special groups,' like destitute or homeless persons, who will be entitled to at least one meal a day. Through this world's largest experiment of providing food grain to poor, the government plans to double its food subsidies to 2 per ce nt of the GAP.If the government machinery is able to deliver on Congress chief Sonic Sandhog's pet project, it could mean the end to country widespread malnutrition and poverty elatedly soon! â€Å"It's a most thoughtful and timely action, in the light of coming UP elections and thereafter the 2014 general elections,† said Proof B B Apothecary, eminent economist and former vice-chancellor of Charlatan Nehru University. Then what is the glamour all about?Why are some people hell-bent on opposing it? The general view is that if the government can pull it off, it can be the biggest trump card for the PUPA government, at a time when nothing seems to be working in its favor at the moment ? neither politics nor economics. Bad economics But, one very important factor worth taking notice is: the scheme can severely impact on Indian's economic growth prospects, should the populist measure be brought into force.The proposed Food Security Bill came on a day (Thursday) when the Reserve B ank of India also came out with its Financial Stability Report, which categorically states that Indian's inflation risk remains high and a slowdown in revenue collections and higher spending on subsidies may make it challenging for the government to achieve the fiscal deficit target of 4. 6 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GAP) this financial year (2011-12).It also said that Indian's trade deficit for this fiscal is expected to widen sharply to between $1 55 billion and $160 billion from a little above $104 billion a year ago. Should the bill be passed and implemented. But, it is the trade deficit, which will soar manifold since the government will have to resort to large scale import of food grain as our own grain output is not adequate to handle such a voluminous expenditure programmer. It will worsen the fiscal deficit situation, but more than that it is Indian's trade deficit which will be hit hard as the programmer will require 70-80 million tones of more DOD grain every year. India obviously does not produce that much and the shortfall will have to be met from imports,† said Proof Apothecary. The country produces 225-230 million tones of food grain every year barring a bumper crop year when the output surges by a few million tones more. Where will the rest come from, if not from overseas market!Economists opine, it will increase food inflation. Analysts at Kodak Maidenhair Bank said that besides skewing the food inflation to a higher side, the move will also result in rise in prices of food grain for non- beneficiaries of the programmer. There will be pressure on prices of food for those outside this scheme,† an economist of Kodak said. Procurement problem As regards the increased requirement of food grain for distribution under the Act, Union food minister K V Thomas said only 15 per cent more supplies would be needed as the Centre is already distributing 526. Lack tones through public distribution system, while the estimated demand u nder the Act will be 607. 4 Lack tones. He said government can even procure more for the purpose. Currently, government procures only 30 per cent of the total production. But, what about government's delivery mechanism? â€Å"If the government goes in for enlarging the public distribution system without revamping it, where is the guarantee that the intended food grain will reach the poor? ,† Apothecary asked.Then there is problem of storage. Currently, the state-run Food Corporation of India and the Central Warehousing Corporation have the capacity to store 87 million tones of grain. The COW has 487 warehouses with a capacity of 10. 6 million, while the FCC, with 1,500 godsons, accounts for the rest. The new measure, according to experts, will cost an additional sum of RSI 27,000 core annually to the exchequer, while the government puts it at RSI 21 ,OHO core by way of subsidies.But, the question is: can a government, burdened with whopping food, fuel and fertilizer subsidies , afford such a large expenditure programmer, especially when the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme is already drilling a large whole in the nation's kitty? Policymakers say that the government can find resources provided it cuts down or Bill. But the government is unlikely to do that, as it will not go down well among the voters in an election year. Food Security Bill Food Security Bill: Good politics to deliver bad economics A bill duly tabled in Parliament promises to give legal right to subsided food to two- thirds of the country 1. 2 billion population. The ambitious proposal should be seen in the context of India being home to roughly one third of the world's poor; where over 70 per cent of children are malnourished and about 10 million or more people die of chronic hunger or hunger-related diseases every year.The Food Security Bill, the PUPA-l's flagship scheme, envisages the distribution of heat, rice and coarse grains at Just RSI 2, RSI 3 and Reel a kilo each to about 65 per cent of the population ? 75 per cent of them in rural areas and the rest in cities and towns. Add to that, some entitlements to ‘special groups,' like destitute or homeless persons, who will be entitled to at least one meal a day. Through this world's largest experiment of providing food grain to poor, the government plans to double its food subsidies to 2 per ce nt of the GAP.If the government machinery is able to deliver on Congress chief Sonic Sandhog's pet project, it could mean the end to country widespread malnutrition and poverty elatedly soon! â€Å"It's a most thoughtful and timely action, in the light of coming UP elections and thereafter the 2014 general elections,† said Proof B B Apothecary, eminent economist and former vice-chancellor of Charlatan Nehru University. Then what is the glamour all about?Why are some people hell-bent on opposing it? The general view is that if the government can pull it off, it can be the biggest trump card for the PUPA government, at a time when nothing seems to be working in its favor at the moment ? neither politics nor economics. Bad economics But, one very important factor worth taking notice is: the scheme can severely impact on Indian's economic growth prospects, should the populist measure be brought into force.The proposed Food Security Bill came on a day (Thursday) when the Reserve B ank of India also came out with its Financial Stability Report, which categorically states that Indian's inflation risk remains high and a slowdown in revenue collections and higher spending on subsidies may make it challenging for the government to achieve the fiscal deficit target of 4. 6 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GAP) this financial year (2011-12).It also said that Indian's trade deficit for this fiscal is expected to widen sharply to between $1 55 billion and $160 billion from a little above $104 billion a year ago. Should the bill be passed and implemented. But, it is the trade deficit, which will soar manifold since the government will have to resort to large scale import of food grain as our own grain output is not adequate to handle such a voluminous expenditure programmer. It will worsen the fiscal deficit situation, but more than that it is Indian's trade deficit which will be hit hard as the programmer will require 70-80 million tones of more DOD grain every year. India obviously does not produce that much and the shortfall will have to be met from imports,† said Proof Apothecary. The country produces 225-230 million tones of food grain every year barring a bumper crop year when the output surges by a few million tones more. Where will the rest come from, if not from overseas market!Economists opine, it will increase food inflation. Analysts at Kodak Maidenhair Bank said that besides skewing the food inflation to a higher side, the move will also result in rise in prices of food grain for non- beneficiaries of the programmer. There will be pressure on prices of food for those outside this scheme,† an economist of Kodak said. Procurement problem As regards the increased requirement of food grain for distribution under the Act, Union food minister K V Thomas said only 15 per cent more supplies would be needed as the Centre is already distributing 526. Lack tones through public distribution system, while the estimated demand u nder the Act will be 607. 4 Lack tones. He said government can even procure more for the purpose. Currently, government procures only 30 per cent of the total production. But, what about government's delivery mechanism? â€Å"If the government goes in for enlarging the public distribution system without revamping it, where is the guarantee that the intended food grain will reach the poor? ,† Apothecary asked.Then there is problem of storage. Currently, the state-run Food Corporation of India and the Central Warehousing Corporation have the capacity to store 87 million tones of grain. The COW has 487 warehouses with a capacity of 10. 6 million, while the FCC, with 1,500 godsons, accounts for the rest. The new measure, according to experts, will cost an additional sum of RSI 27,000 core annually to the exchequer, while the government puts it at RSI 21 ,OHO core by way of subsidies.But, the question is: can a government, burdened with whopping food, fuel and fertilizer subsidies , afford such a large expenditure programmer, especially when the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme is already drilling a large whole in the nation's kitty? Policymakers say that the government can find resources provided it cuts down or Bill. But the government is unlikely to do that, as it will not go down well among the voters in an election year.