A2 Communication Studies

Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | National Trust triggers historic day on the web

2006-10-18T17:20:00.000+01:00

Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | National Trust triggers historic day on the web

FOXNews.com - Muslim-Themed Products Mimic Icons in American Popular Culture - Business And Money | Business News | Financial News

2006-10-12T07:33:00.000+01:00

FOXNews.com - Muslim-Themed Products Mimic Icons in American Popular Culture - Business And Money | Business News | Financial News: "Muslim-Themed Products Mimic Icons in American Popular Culture

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

By Catherine Donaldson-Evans

Mecca-Cola

For Muslims wanting their fast food, soda and dolls infused with a little Islamic flair, Beurger King Muslim, Mecca-Cola and Fulla might be just the ticket.

American pop culture icons such as Burger King, Coca-Cola and Barbie dolls have traditionally done well around the world, including in predominantly Muslim countries. But in recent years, entrepreneurs in Syria, Saudi Arabia, France and other nations with sizable Muslim populations have created their own comparable products, which closely resemble the originals but have an Islamic twist — making them more appealing and marketable to Muslims."

MediaGuardian.co.uk | Media | Ethnic minorities criticise TV news coverage

2006-10-02T17:57:00.000+01:00

MediaGuardian.co.uk | Media | Ethnic minorities criticise TV news coverage: "Ethnic minorities criticise TV news coverage

John Plunkett
Monday October 2, 2006
MediaGuardian.co.uk

More than half of ethnic minority viewers think issues affecting them are dealt with poorly by TV news, according to a survey published today.

Some 51% of those questioned thought ethnic minority issues were covered fairly badly or very badly by broadcasters.

Nearly half - 47% - thought the coverage of the Forest Gate police raid in June was 'too sensational', with 58% saying the broadcast media were 'too quick to jump to conclusions'.

The poll of 780 ethnic minority Britons was carried out by YouGov for the Culture Diversity Network (CDN)."

Sky News: America Moves To Fence Off Mexico

2006-09-30T10:13:00.000+01:00

Sky News: America Moves To Fence Off Mexico: "US National Guard working at the new border fence
US National Guard working at the new border fence
US To Fence Off Mexico
Updated: 07:49, Saturday September 30, 2006

The American Senate has approved plans to build a 700 mile long fence along the border with Mexico to stem the flow of illegal immigrants.

Around 1.2 million illegal immigrants were arrested last year trying to cross into the United States.

The Mexican government has expressed what it calls 'profound concern' about the fence.

The Republican-authored bill was one of the last to clear Congress ahead of congressional elections.

President Bush had favoured immigration legislation creating a guest-worker programme to help fill jobs Americans are either unable or unwilling to do.

But he faced opposition from a solid group of Republicans who pushed for tougher enforcement and border measures instead.

A separate bill approved on Friday provided an initial $1.2bn (£641m) in funding for the fence and other border-security measures for the coming year.

The broad spending bill also criminalises the construction of tunnels that could be secret passageways from Mexico or Canada for drug smugglers, illegal aliens or terrorists.

Opponents of the fence said it would be expensive and was not an effective deterrent to illegal immigration."

Churches: Holy Hosts for Cell-Phone Towers - Newsweek Periscope - MSNBC.com

2006-07-23T07:42:00.000+01:00

Churches: Holy Hosts for Cell-Phone Towers - Newsweek Periscope - MSNBC.com: "Tech: Answered Prayers

Newsweek
July 24, 2006 issue - This is the church, this is the steeple. Open it up and see all the ... cellular antennas? New England churches have found a solution to dwindling budgets: renting their picturesque steeples to wireless companies in need of cell sites. Zoning laws don't allow cell towers in residential areas (and residents don't want ugly structures), so wireless companies have had trouble providing coverage to hilly nonurban areas. But since many of New England's historic churches have been grandfathered into local zoning laws, wireless companies can install externally invisible antennas inside steeples. Tom Moylan, president and CEO of SteepleCom, a wireless- consulting firm specifically for churches, figures it'"

BBC NEWS | Business | iPod 'slave' claims investigated

2006-06-14T20:15:00.000+01:00

BBC NEWS | Business | iPod 'slave' claims investigated: "iPod 'slave' claims investigated
Apple's iPod music player
Designed in California. Made in China.
Apple is investigating a newspaper report that staff in some of its Chinese iPod factories work long hours for low pay and in 'slave' conditions.

The article in the Mail on Sunday alleged that workers received as little as £27 a month, doing 15-hour shifts making the iconic mp3 player."

MediaGuardian.co.uk | Special reports | Channel 4 gathers the tribes together

2006-05-21T15:53:00.000+01:00

MediaGuardian.co.uk | Special reports | Channel 4 gathers the tribes together: "Channel 4 gathers the tribes together

Leigh Holmwood
Friday May 12, 2006

If you've ever had difficulty differentiating between a chav and a blinger or a mosher and a grunger, or indeed ever wondered what any of them are in the first place, then Channel 4 may just have the answer.

The broadcaster today launched a new website that aims to be the definitive catalogue of the nation's ever-changing youth culture groups.

Under three broad groupings of townies, trendies and indie kids, the site sets out 20 different youth tribes, from the more well known such as goths and skaters to newer gangs such as emo kids and Myspacers.

Video, audio, interviews and essays are used to set out each group's likes and dislikes in areas such as clothing, music and television, to build up as full a picture as possible.

The site, at Uktribes.com, was created for Channel 4 by content and research agency Ramp Industry over six months to help the media and advertising industries better understand their audiences. Contributors include Observer writer Emma Warren, GQ's Kevin Braddock and i-D's Lauren Cochrane."

BBC NEWS | UK | Child porn site reports 'up 80%'

2006-04-21T17:03:00.000+01:00

BBC NEWS | UK | Child porn site reports 'up 80%': "Child porn site reports 'up 80%'
Computer generic (pic: EyeWire)
IWF urges the public to report potentially illegal sites
The number of internet child pornography sites reported to police soared by almost 80% last year, according to a new report.

The Internet Watch foundation (IWF) said 6,128 sites investigated after reports to them from the public were illegal - up from 3,438 in 2004.

The 78% rise compared to an increase of 0.003% in the previous 12 months.

The increase was due to public intolerance of child abuse and better tracking of sites, the IWF said.

The organisation's annual report said 23,658 reports of suspicious content were sent to the IWF by members of the public with 6,128 then passed on to the police.

International co-operation"

BBC NEWS | Technology | US steps up fight on child porn

2006-04-21T17:00:00.000+01:00

BBC NEWS | Technology | US steps up fight on child porn: "US steps up fight on child porn
A hand types on a keyboard
Alberto Gonzales says child pornography is widespread online
The Bush administration is pushing for tougher measures to combat child pornography online.

The proposals were announced by US Attorney General, Alberto Gonzales, who said that the net had created an 'epidemic' of child pornography.

He said the internet encouraged paedophiles to create 'new and increasingly vulgar material'.

The comments were made in a speech at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in Virginia.

Mr Gonzales highlighted the problem of adults preying on children in chat rooms and networking sites with the purpose of making sexual contact.

He quoted a study that said one in every five children is solicited online.

'It is simply astonishing how many predators there are, and how aggressive they act,' he said.

Out of control"

Academic Studies Starbucks Cultural Impact - Yahoo! News

2006-04-16T14:48:00.000+01:00

Academic Studies Starbucks Cultural Impact - Yahoo! News: "LONDON - A cup of coffee is just a drink. But a frappuccino is an experience. So believes Bryant Simon, a historian who is searching for the meaning of modern life amid the round tables and comfy sofas of Starbucks coffee shops.
ADVERTISEMENT

Simon, who teaches at Philadelphia's Temple University, thinks that by spending time at Starbucks — observing the teenage couples and solitary laptop-users, the hurried office workers and busy baristas — he can learn what it means to live and consume in the age of globalization.

'What are we drinking, and what does it say about who we are?' Simon asked during a recent research trip to London.

His research has taken him to 300 Starbucks in six countries for a caffeine-fueled opus titled 'Consuming Starbucks' that's due for publication in 2008. He is one of several academics studying a type of 21st century cafe culture — Italian coffee in an American package — that has spread rapidly around the world.

Founded in Seattle in 1971, Starbucks Corp. now has 11,000 outlets in 37 countries, including 500 in Tokyo. There is a Starbucks's in Beijing's Forbidden City, and the round green logo adorns the streets of Edinburgh and the boulevards of Paris.

The company expects to open 1,800 new stores this year and aims eventually to have"

MediaGuardian.co.uk | Press&publishing | Lads' mags shift to top shelf

2006-03-25T19:21:00.000+01:00

MediaGuardian.co.uk | Press&publishing | Lads' mags shift to top shelf: "Lads' mags shift to top shelf

Staff and agencies
Friday March 24, 2006

Lads' mags are to be moved to the top shelf of newsagents following growing concerns about their explicit content.

The Home Office will send out new guidelines to newsagents next week asking them to display the magazines out of the sight and reach of children.

The move follows a meeting between Home Office officials and members of the National Federation of Retail Newsagents (NFRN) after MPs and campaigners complained about the increasingly explicit sexual content of lads' mags."

BBC NEWS | Magazine | Could you feel sorry for an ad man?

2005-11-21T19:11:00.000+01:00

BBC NEWS | Magazine | Could you feel sorry for an ad man?

Culture - A comprehensive Definition

2005-06-20T22:34:00.000+01:00

Culture - in detail

Popular culture - what is it?

2005-06-20T22:33:00.000+01:00

Popular culture - Wikipedia A good all-purpose definition!