Designer dogs
Have you ever seen a celebrity holding some cute little dog, and thought what kind of dog is that? Chances are it is a designer dog. What is a designer dog you ask? It is a dog that is the product of two different purebred dogs. For example a pomapoo, it is a cross between a Pomeranian and a toy poodle. Designer dogs are becoming a popular trend.
Most everybody likes dogs, Americans own approximately 73 million dogs.[petplace] for some people any old dog will do. For some only a pure bred dog is acceptable. That is a dog that is certified and has a documented lineage. While some have taken it a step even further with a designer dog. People cross breed two purebred dogs based on a desired outcome, and presto you have a designer dog. It is rumored that Paris Hilton has 17 of the little burgers.[Gornstein] Paris likes the little variety she can carry around in her purse, and attract media attention. Those aren't the only type of designer dog, there are large breeds too. Take for instance a labradoodle, which is a cross between Labrador Retriever and a poodle. Why have a regular dog when you can design your own? It seems as if people's desire to have the latest greatest thing has spilled over into pet ownership.
Since dogs first became domesticated, mankind has bred them to bring out desired traits. Purebred dogs have pedigrees that can be traced back literally for over a century depending on the breed. However I do not think designer dogs fit into the same mold. These dogs are bred and sold seemingly so the owners can say "look at what I got". Owning these dogs is fashionable, and that's why they are part of popular culture.
Http://netscape.compuserve.com/homerealestate/feature.jsp?Story=rainingcatsanddogs
Http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/ask_the_answer_bitch/b69633_how_many_designer_dogs_does_paris.html

Dancing with the stars
What's your favorite television show? Chances are it's dancing with the stars. According to the Nielsen ratings dancing with the stars has about 24.1 million viewers.[Nielsen] that is pretty impressive! Dancing with the stars is a reality television show that pairs a celebrities with professional dancers. Each week dancers compete to stay in the game. Each performance is rated by three judges. The dance pair with the lowest score is removed from the show. I am curious why this show is so popular?
I think the most important aspect of the answer is that dancing with the stars is a reality show. People are tired of the cliché television has become. Scripted television shows have become too predictable. People want watch something that they don't already know how it is going to end. ("and they all lived happily ever after")
Another reason for the show's popularity is the fact that celebrities are on the show. Even better the celebrities are thrown into a situation outside of their comfort zone. (like a fish out of water) the question "why do people watch dancing with the stars" was asked on yahoo answers. The best response chosen by the asker was:" they like seeing celebrity or famous people do things they are not used to... Like a football player doing ballroom dancing."
I really just think people are tired of the same old stuff. They want to see something new and interesting. Television has become quite boring. Reality shows and sporting events are what people are watching the most. So my question to you is why do you like to watch dancing with the stars?
Http://www.nielsenmedia.com/nc/portal/site/public/menuitem.43afce2fac27e890311ba0a347a062a0/?Vgnextoid=9e4df9669fa14010vgnvcm100000880a260arcrd
Http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090407200700aamg7zx





http://www.nielsenmedia.com/nc/portal/site/public/menuitem.43afce2fac27e890311ba0a347a062a0/?vgnextoid=9e4df9669fa14010vgnvcm100000880a260arcrd

HUMN431-H4WW 2-1

State Quarters
do you ever think much about the change in your pocket? No one ever really did until the U. S. mint roll out its state quarter program in 1999. before then change was just change, and a quarter was no big deal. then in 1999 something changed. the U. S. mint introduced the state quarter program. People began to take notice of the change in their pocket. it seemed every time you turned around there was a new look on the face of the $0.25 piece. For the first time in a long while everybody was very interested in the new quarters.
The state quarter program ran from 1999 until 2008. the state quarters were released in the order that states came into the union. usually four or five quarters were released a year, and public demand for the quarters was through the roof. "during the ten years of issue (1999-2008) the U. S. mint more than 140 million American were collecting the 50 state quarter dollars. And in its conclusion in 2008, the series was hailed as the most successful coinage campaign in the history of the U. S. mint."(Deisher, unknown)
before 1999 no thought was given to the quarters that were inserted into a vending machine. with the introduction of the state quarter program Americans became interested in collecting coins, many for the first time. Many different types of books were marketed to hold one of each of the new state quarters. some had a map of the United States, and some were more traditional. how many books did you fill with these quarters?

References
Deisher, B. (unknown). Washington 50 States : Coin World. Retrieved April 15, 2009. from http://www.coinworldonline.com/search.aspx?st=state%20quarters&cat=cw

The three icons I chose are Barack Obama, Tiger Woods, and Warren Buffett. Icons do not necessarily have to be people, although the three I chose are. Icons are the are the epitome of things that are believed to sacred.
Barack Obama is an icon perhaps for a couple of reasons. He is the president of the United States, the leader of the free world. The United states is the wealthiest and most powerful nation in the world. Despite the fact that the United States may be unpopular right now, other countries aspire to achieve our greatness. President Obama is also the first African American to become president. He will forever be remembered for doing so. I do not necessarily agree with his politics, but he seems to have good character.
When you think of golf and the PGA one name comes to mind, Tiger Woods. He is destined to be the greatest golfer of all time. Simply put, he symbolizes the game of golf. If you were to assign religious values the game of golf, Tiger would be Jesus. I am a hack at best, a good game for me is under 100 strokes. To me it unbelievable that he can constantly play at the level he does.
Warren Buffett is the richest man to ever walk the face of this planet. He is the symbol of wealth. He is regarded as the most successful investor of all time. I'm not sure I need or want to be as rich as Warren Buffett, I'm sure all that wealth has cost him time with his family. Given the opportunity I'm not sure I would take it.

The internet has become a part of most every one's life. It has come a long way since the early 90's. Unless you live in a cave you have probably heard about myspace. Myspace is a very popular place to visit on the internet. By taking a few simple steps one can open an account , for free, and share aspects of your life with any one you choose to call a friend. Myspace allows people to do many things, and is a great example of popular culture.
on myspace people can do something everyone likes to do, talk about themselves! On myspace you can share all kinds of things about yourself. After you open you're myspace account you are free to set up you're page as you see fit. This is where all the fun begins. You can choose the background for your page, or design one with your own pictures. You can upload pictures you have saved on your computer to share with family and friends, and even make slide shows with them. You can pretty much download and display any image you want, and use it how you see fit on your myspace page. Users may also have a music player on their myspace page, and share their favorite songs. There any all kinds of different applications available for use on myspace. Users can display their current moods or feelings. You can send comments to your friends on myspace, in which you can send the a virtual kiss, drink, a cute or funny picture, or cartoon.
myspace is a website on the internet, which is a part of popular culture. It lets users display many different examples of popular culture such as images and music, to be shared with family and friends. I think the internet is the epitome of popular culture and myspace is a very close second.

What is popular culture, and what does it mean to me? Popular culture, or pop culture as it commonly referred to are the things most of us(around 80% of us) enjoy. Pop culture can be most anything, some common forms are movies, fashion, music, art, and so on. Pop culture can also encompass more complicated things like home decor, to the type of car we drive. Popular culture artifacts are the everyday things that fill our lives.
Understanding popular culture is relevant in a business environment, because by nature businesses are in business to make money. To do that they have to provide their clientele what they want. It is awfully hard to make money selling a good or service no one wants or needs. Being in tune with popular culture in regards to my career, helps me better serve my customers. I currently work for a company that sells high performance automotive parts and accessories, by knowing what is currently popular I can help ensure the customer gets exactly what they want. After graduation, it would not be helpful to myself, to show up for an interview wearing a leisure suit from the seventies.
I have chosen two popular culture artifacts to share with you. The first a can of mountain dew. I must admit , and my dentist will attest to this I love mountain dew! There are several thing that make mountain dew a pop culture artifact. Soda its self is part of pop culture, because up until a little over a hundred years ago it didn't exist. Humans had to drink water, milk, fruit juice, wine, or beer. The dynamic soda has on society has yet to be determined. In my case, cavities! In other cases it can cause significant weight gain, or even diabetes. Society may one day deem soda unacceptable, because of certain health risks, much like tobacco, and revert back to the basics. One of the other aspects that makes Mountain Dew part of pop culture is the fact that its packaging and labeling have changed over the years. In fact now days the can doesn't even say Mountain Dew any more, it reads Mtn Dew. This maybe do to the current popularity of text messaging.
Second, is good old sponge bob square pants. If you have young children, you know what I'm talking about! I'm not exactly sure how long sponge bob has been around, but in terms of culture, not very long. My son is five years old, and every morning we end up watching sponge bob. When I was that age; I watched reruns of Looney Toons, and tom and jerry. When I was a little older I remember watching teen age mutant ninja turtles, transformers, and G.I. Joe. While certain aspects of these cartoons still exist, they no longer have the popularity they once had. Sponge bob is the latest greatest thing, and I'm sure in time, he too will be replaced.