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At birth, everybody is assigned a fate that cannot be changed. In the Banat region, the belief in the powerful influence of the Fairy Godmothers on the new-born's destiny is still alive. This article aims at presenting the origins of the three fairies and the way in which good luck, health, beauty and fertility can be foretold in the Book of Fate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the mid-1980s, a number of East Asian societies have consistently performed well in international tests, and their education systems have emerged as models of ‘best practice’, including Hong Kong, which has been extensively referenced by politicians and their advisers in England. In parallel, local dissatisfaction with the education system in Hong Kong has prompted major education reforms. This mismatch between the perceptions of the Hong Kong education system of the two policy communities is explored using documentary analysis and interviews with policymakers and other key stakeholders. We analyse the ways in which features of Hong Kong’s education system are reconstructed and projected in policymaking in England and argue that the referencing to Hong Kong in England is akin to a form of political theatre, reminiscent of a pantomime, with stereotyped villains, heroes and fairy godmothers, narratives of good conquering evil, and comical set-pieces. We argue that these elements provide the means for both constructing and validating simple causal claims and their associated policy actions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article discusses the fairy godmothers in contemporary American media. It analyzes the commodification and consumerism in the film "Shrek 2" and the novel "The Fairy Godmother." It notes that folktale helpers are poorly described in fairy-tale pastiche both in material and in scholarship. It examines the significance of fairy godmothers to social power and cultural roles.