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SUPERHEROES
General fascination with the idea of a superhero is extraordinarily enduring. Superman, Batman and Spider-Man have survived translations from the comic page into a range of media and have somehow been able to adapt to social circumstances quite different to those which surrounded their original creation. Laurie Taylor talks to cultural commentator Roz Kaveney about her study entitled Superheroes! Capes and Crusaders in Comics and Films; They are joined by Kim Newman, author of Cat People and Apocalypse Movies to discuss the enduring appeal of Superheroes.

RIBBON CULTURE
The first ribbon campaign was lead by Penelope Laingen in 1979. However, awareness ribbons did not become internationally popular until the 1990s with the introduction of the Red Ribbon Campaign for AIDS awareness. Researcher Sarah Moore, in her recently published book Ribbon Culture: Charity, Compassion, and Public Awareness, says that popular Ribbon Culture came about initially as a means of going against the grain, by focussing on controversial topics. But although charities claim that ribbons spread awareness, she thinks that it has become a fashion item, making giving to charity easy without the need to really consider the cause it ‘supports’.