Control of Sex in Advertising

The Control of â€Å"Sex in Advertising† in France Jean J. Boddewyn, and Esther Loubradou The growing use and abuse of sex in French advertising prompted strong reactions from consumer and feminist associations, and resulted in extensive and strict public and private controls. Recently, the French self-regulatory system has developed a system involving various stakeholder organizations to analyze social trends related to the acceptability of sexually-oriented ads, develop new voluntary guidelines, solicit complaints and handle them through an independent Jury.The number and proportion of controversial ads has significantly decreased, and French advertising practitioners have been nudged to accept greater professional responsibility in exchange for the freedom of creativity to which they aspire. A few U. S. developments parallel this increasing cooperation between the public and private controllers of the old issue of â€Å"taste and decency in advertising† which is not fading in societal importance. Jean J. Boddewyn is Emeritus Professor of Marketing and International Business, Baruch College (CUNY) (email: Jean.[email  protected] CUNY. edu). He has written extensively since the 1980s on the regulation and self-regulation of advertising around the world. Esther Loubradou holds a Master’s Degree in Communications and a post-graduate degree in Mass Media Law. She is a doctoral candidate in Advertising, Law and Communications at the University of Toulouse, France. Her dissertation deals with Decency and Sexual Content in Mass Media in France (email: [email  protected] fr). 1 Keywords: sex in advertising, advertising control by state and industry in France and the United States.Many Americans probably associate the French with sexual laxness and have seen their sexcharged ads for perfumes and cosmetics. Yet, France applies very detailed and strict controls – both public and private – to the use of sex in advertising and courts have ruled in a few notorious cases. Besides, its advertising self-regulatory body reports annually to a government ministry about the progress of its endeavors after conducting an annual survey of sex-related ads in certain media, and relatively few ads have recently been found in violation of French laws and industry guidelines.What explains this paradoxical situation, what are the special causes and features of the French control of sex in advertising, and – briefly – how does the U. S. system compare with it? Since nothing has been published in English on the French control system bearing on sex in advertising, this short Note has to be mainly descriptive and interpretive as a springboard for more theoretical and policy-related research. Still, in answer to admonitions to involve various disciplines (Richards 2009; Rotfeld and Stafford 2007; Rotfeld and Taylor 2009), this study is multi-disciplinary to the extent that cultural (e. g. the evolution of sexual mores) , political (e. g. , the impact of pressure groups), legal (e. g. , the development of â€Å"co-regulation† combining public and private initiatives) and ethical (e. g. , the â€Å"professionalization† of advertising practitioners) factors are used to interpret the French situation. One of the authors is French and an expert in communication law while the second one is American and has conducted many studies of advertising regulation and self-regulation in multiple countries. This Note’s public-policy implications are less evident because of the significant differences between the French and U.S. legal and self-regulatory systems, which preclude easy cross-border borrowings. Yet, there is a significant evolution in the United States toward greater cooperation 2 between the U. S. government and some self-regulatory bodies, which is briefly outlined in the last section of this Note. This development can benefit from knowing how the French system has moved toward c ombining the compulsory and voluntary approaches to the control of sex in advertising, and how the doubts expressed about the effectiveness of self-regulation (e. g. , Rotfeld 2003) can be partly assuaged.Besides, valid concerns keep being expressed in the United States about the potential impact of â€Å"sexualized violence† against women in ads on the acceptance of such behavior (Capella, Hill, Rapp and Kees 2010) so that the abuse of sex in advertising is likely to remain an important U. S. socio-political issue whose resolution can profit from knowing the French experience. For these purposes, we will start by analyzing the stimuli that prompted French legal and self-regulatory responses, and conclude with a brief comparison of the French and U. S. control systems. Stimulus: the â€Å"Sex in Advertising† Issue Sex in advertising† as a form of â€Å"selling sin† (Davidson 2003) has long generated negative reactions. Thus, the first International Code of Advertising Practice of the International Chamber of Commerce already stated in Article 1 of its 1937 Rules that: â€Å"Advertisements should not contain statements or visual representations which offend against prevailing standards of decency. † This principle has been adopted by many developed and developing countries, and it is expressed in one form or another in their laws and codes of conduct. Much of the decency issue used to be about goods and services thought to be â€Å"unmentionable† (e. g. toilet paper and feminine-hygiene products) and whether an ad’s execution was in â€Å"good taste† and shown at the appropriate time – with the radio and television broadcasting of objectionable commercials being limited to late hours of the day. Nowadays, sexually-oriented ads apply to all sorts of goods and services (e. g. , clothing, perfumes, jewelry, 3 alcohol, video games, cell phones and movies), they are available on the Internet at all hours, and they frequently emanate from advertisers in the luxury-goods sector (e. g. , Dior). Such audacious practices reflect the modern sexualization of mores and values in Western countries (e. . , Giddens 1993; McNair 1996; Reichert 2003) – with several French books having such evocative titles and subtitles as â€Å"The Pornographic Consensus,† â€Å"Sexyvilisation† and â€Å"The Tyranny of Pleasure. † It helps explain the advent around 2000 of sexually-oriented ads that combine pornography, violence and submission, and reflect McNair’s (2002) â€Å"Porno-chic† concept which incorporates into cultural production some practices (such as fellatio) and taboos (such as pedophilia) that transfer the transgressive qualities of pornography into mainstream culture. To categorize the scope of sex in advertising, Loubradou (2004, 2010) developed the concept of â€Å"hypersexuality† (also used by the French self-regulatory system) to encompass: (1) full nudity and/or sexual organs shown in close-ups; (2) the promotion of products and services associated with sexual intercourse (e. g. , condoms, lubricants, escort services and sex toys); (3) â€Å"Sex andShockvertising† that combines sexual information with fear and shock – a strategy particularly used in public-service campaigns about AIDS and against child abuse, (4) showing or evoking sexual intercourse, homosexual relations, fellatio, sadomasochism and violence against women, and (5) sheer pornography as in an Internet ad exhibiting fellatio. Such ads generate four major types of objections (Boddewyn 1989, pp. 9-32; 1991, p. 26): sexism covers distinctions which diminish or demean one gender in comparison with the other – particularly, through the use of sex-role stereotypes; sexual objectification refers to using The expression â€Å"Porno-chic† was first used in 1973 by a New York Times journalist when the porn movie Deep Throat was release d because people thought it was â€Å"chic† (that is, trendy) to watch it. McNair (2002, p. 2) defined â€Å"Porno-chic† as a wide process of cultural sexualization and pornographication of mainstream culture engaged â€Å"in an unprecedented flirtation with the codes and conventions of the pornographic, producing texts which constantly refer to, pastiche, parody and deconstruct the latter. † As he put it: â€Å"Porno-chic is not porn, but the representation of porn in non-pornographic art and culture† (p. 1). 1 4 (mostly) women as decorative or attention-getting objects while sexuality relies on sensual, suggestive and erotic imagery, sound and wording, and is sometimes combined with the depiction of violence against women in ads showing them in harmful, subservient and helpless positions. French reactions to these excesses have been strong. French ResponsesIncensed Pressure Groups Of the dozen French consumer associations legally recognized and financia lly subsidized by the government, most are linked to family organizations and a few to militant labor unions, and they are officially acknowledged as valid partners in discussions and negotiations with public and business bodies for the purpose of ensuring consumer protection broadly defined (Trumbull, 2006).These organizations and, later on, environmental ones have been granted a formal â€Å"political voice† – a formal status which the French advertising industry has only received very recently (see below). Besides, feminist groups enraged by the treatment of women in advertising have been very influential in France although they have not so far received the same official recognition as consumer and environmental organizations because of their fragmented and sometimes aggressive nature.Thus, vocal organizations with such evocative names as The Hunting Pack, Guardbitches and Advertising Wreckers managed in the 1980s to focus the â€Å"sex in advertising† issue around sexist discrimination, the objectification of women and the violence shown against them – the latter following studies revealing the extent of actual brutality against women (beatings, rapes, etc. ). Feminists stressed the disjunction between the extended roles and functions of women in modern society, compared to their narrow depiction in advertising (Rapport IFP 2001, pp. -6), and their campaigns have often been reported and discussed in the media which have spread and amplified these groups’ demands for more regulations. 5 Public controls Two principles compete as far as the French regulation of sex in advertising is concerned – namely, freedom of expression and protecting the dignity of human beings (Rapport IFM 2008, p. 19) – as expressed by the first article of the Freedom of Communication Law (No. 86-107 of 30 September 1986): Audio-visual communication is free.The exercise of this freedom may be limited only to the extent required, on the o ne hand, for the respect of human dignity, the freedom and property of other people, the pluralistic nature of the expression of ideas and opinions and, on the other hand, for the safeguarding of law and order, for national-defense and public-service reasons, for technical reasons inherent to the means of communication as well as for the need to develop a national audio-visual production industry.Besides, Article 3 of the Executive Decree of 27 March 1992 requires that commercials respect truth, decency and human dignity, and avoid discrimination and violence that incite dangerous behaviors. Article 227-24 of the French penal code prohibits the diffusion by any medium of messages of a violent or pornographic nature and likely to seriously harm human dignity when they can be seen by a minor.The government’s Conseil Superieur de l’Audiovisuel (CSA) is charged with controlling advertising messages after their broadcasting in order to enhance the respect of human dignity, protect children and adolescents, and prohibit messages inciting hatred or violence on account of gender (Rapport IFM 2008, p. 19-20). Searching for New Values Particularly evident in these legal texts are the repeated references to â€Å"the dignity of human beings† – a principle already enunciated in the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948).The highlighting of this concept reflects the search for new post-modern values which would justify representations of liberated women in advertisements without caricaturing or mocking their new freedoms, opportunities and responsibilities. In this respect, French feminist pressure groups provided a new discourse aimed at promoting the positive â€Å"image of 6 women† in advertising although, by excluding men, their initiative generated charges of reverse sexism!However, French public opinion and policy were concurrently shifting toward banning all forms of discrimination based on gender, age, race, role and handicap so that a compromise could be achieved by adopting a new unisex principle that emphasized the respect of human dignity and thereby protected everyone against objectionable treatments in editorial materials, programs and advertising (Rapport IFP 2001), This new principle was incorporated in various French laws after 1986 and in industry guidelines, starting in 2001.Court Decisions The Penal Code has not been used so far because of the high cost of criminal suits, the reluctance of judges to act as â€Å"censors of artistic creation† (Rapport IFM 2008, p. 20) and their fear of being ridiculed as reactionaries, and the difficulty for associations to sue in criminal courts (Teyssier 2004, p. 168). Thus, it was the Civil Code’s basic Article 1382, which obliges whoever injured others to compensate them for the legal damage he/she caused, which was used to condemn Benetton in 1996 for three 1991 billboards showing an elbow, a pubic area and a pair of buttocks stamped â€Å"H.I. V. positive. † A French governmental agency (AFLS) charged with informing the public about AIDS sued Benetton and was paid damages on the ground of this advertiser having undermined the human dignity of those affected by this disease by evoking the way meat is stamped and the tattooing of concentration-camp inmates during World War II, besides marginalizing a group of people by representing them as a marked population.Private Controls The previously mentioned â€Å"Pornochic† transgressions prompted the French advertising selfregulatory body to improve its responses to growing criticisms of the use of sex in advertising. In particular, it triggered its October 2001 â€Å"Recommendation† (Image de la Personne Humaine) fostering the dignity of human beings in the representation of people in advertisements. This 7 voluntary guideline states that ads should not hurt their audiences’ feelings nor shock people by showing demeaning o r alienating nudity, violence against people – especially women – or depicting people as objects.Concerned about the impact of advertising on minors, an April 2005 Recommendation specified that Internet ads should not harm the â€Å"physical and moral integrity of its young public† by promoting illicit, aggressive, dangerous and antisocial behaviors, challenging the authority of parents and educators, representing children and adolescents in degrading manners, presenting them with indecent or violent images and speech that may shock them, and exploiting their inexperience or credulity.In the same vein, a May 2007 Recommendation applying to erotic electronic services is aimed at promoting human dignity, the fair and true information of consumers and the protection of young audiences. The French Advertising Self-regulatory System The Professional Advertising Regulation Authority (Autorite de la Regulation Professionelle de la Publicite, ARPP) was created in June 2 008 as a private association completely independent of the government. However, it reports to a French ministry about its pursuit of violations of taste and decency in advertising because its 2003 Commitment Chart (Charte d’Engagement) requires it to submit an annual report on â€Å"The Image of Human Beings in Advertising† to the Minister in charge of Parity and Professional Equity, and to distribute it to the public at large. 3 Self-regulatory controls are applied both a priori and a posteriori.In the first place, French advertisers, agencies and media members of the ARPP may apply for non-binding copy advice by its legal experts at the pre-publication stage (15,196 projects were scrutinized in 2009). However, pre-clearance is mandatory before the broadcasting of all television commercials, and the ARPP can require modifications and even ban the proposed commercial if it is in breach of The ARPP is the successor of self-regulatory bodies dating of 1935, and it was na med the Advertising Verification Bureau (Bureau de Verification de la Publicite, BVP) from 1953 to 2008. The French government itself commissions independent studies such as the â€Å"Report on the Image of Women in the Media† (Rapport IFM 2008) that was solicited by the State Secretary for Solidarity. 2 8 the law and its Recommendations. A posteriori, the ARPP monitors ads on a random basis in all media except television where the government’s Superior Audiovisual Council (CSA) prevails. ARPP penalties consist of asking â€Å"transgressors† to modify or remove their ads, requesting the media to stop diffusing an offending ad, and the possibility of taking violators to court.Its decisions are widely publicized, and campaigns are regularly conducted to make the ARPP’s principles, recommendations and services better known as well as to incite advertising professionals to act responsibly. The previous BVP self-regulatory body handled complaints from consumer s and competitors but the new ARPP structure is more comprehensive and includes external stakeholders.It comprises: (1) an advisory Advertising Ethics Council (CEP) chaired by an independent academic to â€Å"anticipate† new societal developments; (2) an Advertising Parity Council (CPP) of which half of the members represent consumer and environmental associations, and which â€Å"concerts† with industry representatives about the need for new self-regulatory rules, and (3) an independent Advertising Deontology Jury (JDP) made up of persons who have no links with industry or consumer associations to solicit and â€Å"sanction† complaints from the public in order to complement the ARPP’s monitoring of ads.Impressive Results The 2006 BVP report to the Minister in charge of parity between the sexes dealt only with posters and billboards because they are highly visible to all audiences – young and adult, pleased or offended. Of 4,288 â€Å"visuals,â₠¬  only 8 (or 0. 19%) were considered to be violating its Recommendations. In all cases, the advertisers removed their ads, and the BVP credited the willingness of most outdoor advertisers to consult it before diffusing their ads for the low incidence of violations. Its report for 2007 (ARPP 2008) dealt with the Image of Human Beings in Advertising – with such subtitles as â€Å"Does advertising diffuse sexual stereotypes? † â€Å"Are there too many images connoting sexuality? † and â€Å"Where does Pornochic stand today? † It covered outdoor advertising, newspapers and magazines – except those publications targeted at adult audiences (e. g. , girlie† magazines) – and it compared the sampled ads with its Recommendation on the representation of human beings in advertising, whose images should not offend human dignity, undermine decency, objectify/reify people, present denigrating stereotypes, induce ideas of submission, domination or d ependence and/or present moral or physical violence. Out of 89,076 monitored ads, 96 (or 0. 10%) were found wanting – less than in 2003 (0. 15%) but more than in 2005 (0. 02%) – mainly in terms of offending human dignity (51 cases) and on account of the recrudescence of pornochic ads for luxury goods – particularly for clothing (e. . , Dolce & Gabbana). The results for 2008 were even better, with only 46 infractions and a decrease in pornochic ads (ARPP 2009) although these statistics did not cover the Internet which even very young audiences know how to maneuver in order to find and recirculate sexually-related materials. For the ARPP even 46 violations were too many and suggested greater professional vigilance and education so that its first campaign in 2008 was entitled Sexe because pressure should be maintained for even better results (e. g. , against the objectification of women).Following the implementation of the 2008 Jury system (JDP) that solicits and h andles complaints from the public, its first report for November 2008-December 2009 disclosed 24 valid ones of which 18 were related to the protection of human dignity and, in the majority of these cases, the complaint was upheld. Such public complaining and negative Jury decisions are 10 likely to persist because viral advertising on the Internet and word-of-mouth diffusion have created a huge recirculation of ads with sexual and violent content. 4 For that matter, the French self-regulatory system finds it sometimes problematic to handle new issues.Thus, the BVP report for 2005 acknowledged its hesitation about what to decide regarding a billboard showing two homosexual men kissing (Rainbow Attitude Campaign). On the one hand, such a highly visible public display would shock the public so that maximum prudence should be exercised; on the other, it would be discriminatory to oppose a homosexual kiss when heterosexual ones are frequently shown. This advertisement was not found to be in violation of any public regulation or private rule – an example of how this self-regulatory body relies on both the law and its own Recommendations to control the use of sex in advertising.The new 2008 ARPP system of â€Å"professional regulation† has been publicly recognized in several ways. Thus, a 5 March 2009 law, which transposed into French legislation the recent European Union directive on audiovisual services, did officially authorize the Superior Audiovisual Council (CSA) to delegate the preclearance of television commercials to the ARPP. Besides, the Paris Appeals Court stated on 26 October 2010 that â€Å"recommendations from the ARPP, even though they have no legal character, are professional practices that the judge must take into account if they do not contradict a legal or statutory measure. Moreover, professional regulation is now acknowledged and accepted by the French government which through several â€Å"Commitment Charters† (see above) has implicitly agreed not to regulate or ban certain practices but requires in exchange an effective system of adequate guidelines as well as an accountability evidenced by periodic and transparent monitorings and reports. These agreements amount to a system of â€Å"co-regulation† between public and private 4 Neither French nor U. S. egulators have found effective ways of controlling the diffusion of illegal or inappropriate Internet materials except through the obligation put on Internet Service Providers to remove illegal materials, on advertisers to warn about the sexual content of their messages, and on broadcasters to offer parents program-filtering devices. 11 actors who concert and collaborate in the public interest, and help generate a sense of responsibility among advertising professionals now convinced that their industry cannot claim its freedom of speech if it cannot prove its responsibility (Teyssier 2004, 2011).A Brief Comparison with the U. S. System In the fi rst place, the French have focused on protecting the dignity of all human beings and forbidding all types of discrimination in advertising while, in the United States, the problem has been framed in terms of protecting minors at the relatively modest price of adults losing only part of their free-speech right as far as the broadcasting media are concerned. 5 To be sure, other U. S. edia can still offer indecent and profane materials but they are supposed to reach better targeted audiences excluding minors. Second, compared to the French situation, politically weaker and less affluent U. S. consumer associations have exercised relatively little influence on the government in recent decades, the National Organization for Women has limited its sway to the â€Å"naming and shaming† of sexist advertisers, and even the very influential religious movement did not succeed in its campaigns to â€Å"cleanse American culture† (Lane 2006).Third, in both countries, the government h as been the main actor for the control of taste and decency in advertising, with self-regulation a strong second in France and a seemingly weaker one in the United States – largely because of First-Amendment and antitrust constraints (Rotfeld 2003). Yet, the lack of a French-like self-regulatory organization designed to study social trends, develop and publicize detailed guidelines, advise practitioners, solicit and handle complaints, and penalize wrongdoers has not precluded multiple U. S. nitiatives that add up to a control system Following various Supreme-Court decisions, obscenity and pornography are prohibited in all media while indecency and profanity are forbidden on radio and television except between 10:00 PM and 6:00 AM when children are unlikely to be in the audience. 5 12 that can respond fairly rapidly and effectively to complaints. All U. S. media have a pre-clearance system and most offensive ads are withdrawn by the advertiser or no longer diffused by a medium (Edelstein 2003) although some researchers challenge this positive evaluation (e. . , Rotfeld 1992). Besides, most sexual ads find their niches thanks to behavioral targeting and because the vast majority of sex-related ads match the programs where they are shown. Fourth, on account of various Supreme-Court decisions, U. S. government agencies such as the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have had to severely limit their control of indecent and profane materials in programs and advertisements.Thus, the FTC has rejected any â€Å"immoral, unscrupulous or unethical test† because the latter has never been relied upon as an independent basis for proving unfairness. Besides, the â€Å"secondaryeffects rationale† used by some family associations, U. S. legislators and regulators to justify further restrictions on account of their presumed effects on children and society – e. g. , fostering immorality and feeding the prurient app etites of pedophiles and child molesters – has not been accepted by the U. S. Supreme Court (Beales 2003).In contrast, such secondary effects have been used to justify all sorts of French proscriptions such as the ARPP Recommendation that Internet ads should not harm the â€Å"physical and moral integrity of its young public† (see above). Fifth, in both France and the United States, advertising practitioners believe that industry rules devised and applied by them are preferable because they know better what the problems and their realistic solutions are, and self-regulation generates greater moral adhesion than the law because industry guidelines are voluntarily developed and applied (Boddewyn 1992, pp. -8) even though it tends to improve only when the threat of regulation is real (Loubradou 2010). In this regard, there is increasing collaboration between governments and the advertising industry as evidenced by the French Commitment Charters while, in the United States , the Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU) of the Council of Better Business Bureaus has received the 3 blessing of the Federal Trade Commission which, under the â€Å"safe harbor† provision of the 1998 Child Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), can approve industry guidelines that help implement this law – a practice which also applies to the Entertainment Software Rating Board which assigns age and content ratings to computer- and video-game ads, and which has been favorably evaluated by the FTC (Bravin 2010, p. B1).Finally, while governments, family and consumer associations in both countries are presently very concerned about personal-data privacy, behavioral targeting and the promotion of fatty, salty and sweet foods to children, â€Å"sex-in-advertising† remains an important issue because of the potential risk that sexualized violence in ads and the media may contribute to the desensitization of people and the socialization of aggressive beha vior toward women (Capella et al. 2010, p. 45; Liptak 2010, p. A16).In this context, our analysis of the French cultural, political, legal and ethical dimensions of this issue can help us understand under what conditions the above concerns can lead to its meaningful and effective public and private control. References ARPP (2008), Bilan 2007: Publicite et Image de la Personne Humaine. Paris : Autorite de Regulation Professionnelle de la Publicite. _____ (2009), Bilan 2008: Publicite et Image de la Personne Humaine. Paris : Autorite de Regulation Professionnelle de la Publicite. Beales, J. H.III (2003), â€Å"The Federal Trade Commission’s Use of Unfairness Authority: Its Rise, Fall and Resurrection,† Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 22(2), Fall, 192-200. Boddewyn, Jean J. (1989), Sexism and Decency in Advertising: Government Regulation and Industry Self-regulation in 47 Countries. New York: International Advertising Association. _______________ (1991), â€Å"Cont rolling Sex and Decency in Advertising Around the World,† Journal of Advertising, 20(4), 25-35. _______________ (1992), Global Perspectives on Advertising Self-Regulation: Principles and Practices in Thirty-Eight Countries.Westport, CT: Quorum Books. 14 Bravin, Jess (2010), â€Å"Top Court Is Next Level for Games,† Wall Street Journal, 1 November, B1. BVP (2006), L’Image de la Personne Humaine dans la Publicite en 2006. Paris : Bureau de Verification de la Publicite. BVP (2006), Rapport d’Activite 2005. Paris : Bureau de Verification de la Publicite. BVP (2007), Rapport d’Activite 2006. Paris : Bureau de Verification de la Publicite. Capella, Michael L. , Ronald P. Hill, Justine M. Rapp, and Jeremy Kees (2010), â€Å"The Impact of Violence Against Women in Advertisements,† Journal of Advertising, 39(4), 35-49.Davidson, Kirk (2003), Selling Sin: The Marketing of Socially Unacceptable Products. Westport, CT: Praeger. Edelstein, J. S. (2003), â €Å"Self-Regulation of Advertising: An Alternative to Litigation and Government Action,† IDEA: The Journal of Law and Technology, 43: 509-543. Giddens, A. (1993), The Transformation of Intimacy: Sexuality, Love and Eroticism in Modern Societies. Cambridge, UK: Polity Press. Lane, F. S. (2006), The Decency Wars: The Campaign to Cleanse American Culture. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books. Liptak, Adam (2010), â€Å"Law Blocking Sale of Violent Video Games to Minors is Debated,† New York Times, 3 November, A16.Loubradou, Esther (2004), â€Å"Du Sexe pour Capter l’Attention : Les Aspects Juridiques de l’Utilisation du Sexe dans la Publicite Francaise. † Memoire de Recherche, Social Sciences University, Toulouse, France. _______________ (2010), â€Å"Porno-chic et Indecence Mediatique : Contributions Interdisciplinaires sur les Enjeux Socio-Juridiques et Communicationnels des Contenus Sexuels dans les Medias de Masse Francais et Americains,† doctoral dissertation (Law and Communication), Social Science University, Toulouse, France.McNair, B. (1996), Mediated Sex: Pornography and Post-Modern Culture. London and New York: Arnold. _________ (2002), Striptease Culture, Sex, Media and the Democratisation of Desire. London and New York: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group. Rapport IFM (2008), Rapport sur l’Image des Femmes dans les Medias. Paris: Commission de Reflexion sur l’Image des Femmes dans les Medias, 25 September. Rapport IFP (2001), Rapport du Groupe d’Experts sur l’Image des Femmes dans la Publicite.Paris: Secretaire d’Etat aux Droits des Femmes et a la Formation Professionnelle, July. 15 Reichert, Tom (2003), The Erotic History of Advertising. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books. Richards, Jef I. (2009), â€Å"Common Fallacies in Law-Related Consumer Research,† Journal of Consumer Affairs, 43(1), 174-180. Rotfeld, Herbert J. (1992), â€Å"Power and Limitations of Media Clearance Practice s and Advertising Self-Regulation,† Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 11(Spring), 87-95. ______________ (2003), â€Å"Desires Versus the Reality of Self-Regulation,† Journal of Consumer Affairs, 37(2), 424-427. _______________ and M. R. Stafford (2007), â€Å"Toward a Pragmatic Understanding of the Advertising and Public Policy Literature,† Journal of Current Issues and Research in Advertising, 29(1), 67-80. _______________ and Charles R. Taylor (2009), â€Å"Advertising Regulation and Self-Regulation Issues Ripped from the Headlines With (Sometimes Missed) Opportunities for Disciplined Multidisciplinary Research,† Journal of Advertising, 38(4), 5-14.Teyssier, Jean-Pierre (2004), Frapper sans Heurter: Quelle Ethique pour la Publicite? Paris: Armand Colin. _________________ (2011), â€Å"Advertising Regulation and Self-Regulation in France. † Working paper to be published as a chapter in a forthcoming book edited by Mary Alice Shaver and to be pu blished by M. E. Sharpe. Trumbull, Gunnar (2006), Consumer Capitalism: Politics, Product Markets, and Firm Strategy in France and Germany. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.

Puppy Love Essay

Every day there are animals that are abused and neglected by heartless individuals. We live by the quote, â€Å"A dog is a man’s best friend†. But how is it that one can do such horrid things to a best friend? Puppy mills, animal hoarders, and careless owners are only a few of the biggest contributors to this horrifically criminal act. It breaks my heart to drive to school everyday and be greeted by an animal out on the road flatter than a pancake, or just roaming around looking for scraps of food and darting away anytime a little kid sticks its head out and shouts, â€Å"Oh, what a cute doggy!† And around where I live it is, sadly, an everyday scene. My next door neighbors, whom I classify to be careless pet owners, exemplify what I see everywhere. Their house is falling apart on top of them. The sewer tank leaks and feeds the steroid-like pricker plants that cover most of the backyard. They have 3 puppies of different breeds, from the same mother. I know, it sounds improbable, but I had seen the mother a few times before, when I drove past their house. Let me tell you, she was not the cutest dog on the planet! Anyhow, after discovering my neighbors had puppies in their backyard, it came to mind that I had not seen the mother dog running around for the last few days. I asked with concern, â€Å"Where is their mother?† My neighbor replied with, â€Å"She died†. I found that statement hard to believe. She was so protective that I found that statement very hard to believe. That claim seemed to be vastly illogical. So anyway, for the past 3 months; give or take; my family and I have been setting out fresh water everyday, because we know that they hop the wall either to explore or leave us â€Å"little presents† all over the front yard. Two of the puppies have long fur, which has become matted in several places around their bodies. In addition, on a regular basis; my mom has to cut the prickers that have become entangled in their little paws, around their lips, and buried in their belly. It is very traumatizing to have to see them live in this†¦ well I guess you could consider it to be a sewer pit. Over the summer I had volunteered over at the community animal shelter out of my desire to help out with the animals. Upon my arrival to Pet Guardian Angel, what I thought was going to be a very rewarding experience; where I felt that I was contributing to a good cause, became to be very disheartening. There were so many animals stuck in cages, in their own filth, terrified of human contact and so needy of the human contact they were afraid of. The smell of ammonia made my eyes water and made me feel slightly unwell for several hours after I left the premises. I wondered what the chances were that these helpless beings would find a loving home out here, where the bulk of their peers lived in the same ugly circumstances. Not very good. I left depressed and uncertain if I wanted to come back, but feeling guilty for considering not going back. I feel a great passion for dogs, in particular, who, through no fault of their own, live in filth and know no human kindness for their entire lives. I also feel a great sense of futility. This won’t change until people change their hearts and stop thinking of just themselves, and start unselfishly putting the welfare of the helpless first.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Annotated Bibliography

Franklin Delano Roosevelt - Annotated Bibliography Example Theodore Roosevelt who was Franklin Roosevelt’s cousin made a great impact on him when he became President in 1903. Theodore’s great reforms and his spectacular style of leadership left a lasting impression in the life of Franklin and this is what served as a moulding factor for his own philosophy of leadership. After attending the Columbia Law School, he took up jobs in different capacities such as working for Wall Street that mainly dealt with Corporate Law. However, after Woodrow Wilson got elected in 1912 as President, Franklin was given the post of Assistant Secretary of the Navy. This post also served to influence Franklin’s leadership philosophy to a great extent and this influence is seen reflected in the many reforms that he brought about in the Navy. Roosevelt campaigned extensively to expand the Navy since he was well aware of the opposition faced by them from the Pacifists. To counter this opposition he set up a Navy Reserve which comprised of a group of trained men who would be very useful especially during war time and other crisises. Roosevelt’s particular philosophy of leadership lay in the fact of good communication and maintaining good relations with others by negotiating dealings in a very peaceful manner. His philosophy led him to become a very ardent supporter of President Woodrow Wilson’s ‘League of Nations’ whose focus was to put an end to wars in the future.

Parphrase for TARIQ PART 1 AND PART 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Parphrase for TARIQ PART 1 AND PART 2 - Essay Example This implies that the pin will not generate more than 200mA. Pin 6 – is chip’s threshold pin. The function of this pin is to determine rail voltage’s two thirds so that a LOW state output can be achieved only when Pin 2 is in the HIGH state. The impedance of Pin 6 is quite high so that it triggers at nearly 1uA. A 555 timer based oscillator can be defined as a circuit which gives waveforms running highly and clear free. It is possible to adjust these waveforms’ output frequency by making a connection between an RC circuit, one capacitor, and two resistors. This circuit is a general relaxation oscillator’s type that gives out stable square waveforms. The frequency of these waveforms is fixed at nearly 500 kHz. It may have duty cycles anywhere between 50 and 100%. This oscillator circuit consists of a re-triggering mechanism that is made by interfacing the trigger input Pin 2 and Pin 6 that is threshold voltage. This is unlike the monostable circuit which terminates after elapse of the pre-set time. As a result, the device becomes a stable oscillator circuit. Pin 2 and Pin 6 are interconnected in the above oscillator circuit. This results in the development of a self-triggering mechanism in the circuit in every operation cycle so that the operation of the circuit becomes a free running oscillator. Another name for this circuit is voltage-to-frequency converter because it is possible to change its output frequency by changing the applied input voltage. Pin 5 is generally the pin of voltage control. The primary function of Pin 5 is trigger control and control of the threshold levels. The voltage across Pin 5 is generally Vcc’s two-third because of the existence of a voltage divider that is internally built. Upon the application of an external voltage to this terminal, it is possible to change the control voltage. The timing capacitor is the voltage across the

Modeling the Exchange Rate and Balance of Payments Essay

Modeling the Exchange Rate and Balance of Payments - Essay Example Many countries use financial institutions, central banks, to invest in several monetary and financial systems and other resources in their quest to predict exchange rate and determine international trade as well as a balance of payment. Several theories have been forwarded to determine the value of exchange rate and balance of payments, and in this summary, we will discuss the determinants of a balance of trade, the IS-LM-BP approach and the monetary approach in relation to the two (Melvin and Norrbin, 225). The elasticity approach to the balance of trade explains that the economic behavior involves satisfaction of the unlimited wants with limited resources. One effect of this is that consumers and business firms end up substituting the expensive good for the more affordable ones as prices change to stretch their budgets as far as they can. Relative prices normally change relative to demand and supply for individual goods. Such changes may be caused by an alteration in tastes, the method of production, government taxes, or subsidies amongst other possible causes. If the changes concern the prices of goods at home relative to the foreign goods, the international trade patterns may actually be altered. The elasticity approach to the balance of trade involves the way changing of relative prices of the domestic and foreign goods will affect and possibly change the balance of trade. Furthermore, it provides an analysis of how the issue of devaluation affects the balance of trade in relation t o the elasticity of supply and demand for foreign exchange and foreign goods in the concerned market (Melvin and Norrbin 226). The devaluation of a country’s currency domestically normally raises the price of foreign goods in relation to the domestic goods within that country.

Evaluation in human services Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Evaluation in human services - Essay Example Additionally, the staff may fear negative effects that evaluation can have on their employment. This negative implication of evaluation can include lost jobs for employees perceived to have underperformed or due to restructuring those results in elimination of some organizational functions and therefore role of some employees. Employees might also fear evaluation as it might result in increased workload for them especially when there is merging of some functions and roles. Therefore, fear and resistance to evaluation is as a result of employees not knowing the changes that this process will bring in the workplace; therefore, preferring maintenance of the status quo (Shell, 2002). Employee resistance to change is a widespread phenomenon in many workplaces since most of them do not want to be challenged by being asked to abandon routine and adopt new ways of doing things. Consequently, association of evaluation process to change in the way employees perform their duties is likely to en counter resistance (Austin, 2002). Evaluation has an important role in creating efficiency in organization functioning especially if it helps identify areas of waste, even in programs that seem to run successfully. Therefore, it is important that there is cooperation among everyone involved including staff and the management. When evaluation meets staff resistance, this indicates there is a problem that needs to be addressed through either the evaluation itself or prior to conducting staff evaluation. Therefore, the first area of concern when planning to undertake evaluation is to increase staff awareness of the process and possible actions based on results. Fear of evaluation is as a result of the unknown effect it will have on the staff especially as many of the employees wonder if they are going to lose their jobs, have increased workload or be held accountable for negative results. Consequently, evaluation should be done after employees have had adequate information access

Methods for accident investigation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Methods for accident investigation - Essay Example Causal factors can be broken down into three types. The first of these is direct cause, which describes the immediate aspect that caused the event. The second is a contributing cause, which acts with other events to increase how likely the accident was to occur. The final type of cause is a root factor, which would prevent the accident from reoccurring if it is corrected. These aspects can be determined through the use of different analytical approaches. The deductive approach makes use of a reasoning approach, which moves from a general perspective to a specific one, based on the postulation of the failure of a specific system or process. The second approach is inductive, which postulates that a particular event of fault has initiated the process. This is an overview approach. Finally, the morphological approach makes use of the way that the system that is being studied is structured. This considers what aspects have the most significant effects on safety. A five-step model was developed by SINTEF for investigating accidents. The first step is identifying the sequence of events the occurred prior to the accident, the second is determining failures and deviations that influenced the events. The third step involves working out the problems with the systems of management. The fourth step involves the identification of weaknesses in top management. Finally, the fifth step involves finding the weaknesses in the public safety framework. When investigating an accident, one of the main objectives is reporting and the provision of recommendations, which have the potential to prevent similar accidence from occurring in the future. The TRIPOD concept examines the organizational failures that are crucial to accident prevention, based on the arguments that substandard aspects occur as the result of mechanisms within organization. These often occur due to decisions in the organization, and the underlying mechanisms are

An Analysis Based on Marks and Spencer Annual Reports Essay

An Analysis Based on Marks and Spencer Annual Reports - Essay Example In 2007, Cash inflow from continuing operating activities had been increased by '259 million. Cash inflow from continuing operation in 2008 has been decreased by '206.6 million that has reflected a higher working capital outflow. In 2007, there was reduction in cash outflow on leasehold repayments as compared to 2006 and hence it resulted to an increase in the working capital which was accounted to be '114.1 million. Non Financial Performance Marks and Spencer's stores in UK are highly sophisticated and are established in such a way that it can offer most convenient shopping to the customers. According to the latest survey' Over 21 million people visit Marks and Spencer's stores each week' is highly important in a fluctuating market where competition among groceries and other large scale retailers are fierce (Your M&S- 2008) Amenities including vehicles parking and restaurants are available at its most stores. Around 300 Marks and Spencer stores in UK are equipped with entrance cameras that can record the number of people who visit the stores. It is helpful to establish the ratios between the visits numbers and sales. The annual report details its strategies that it is changed and technologies are upgraded in order to capture customer footfall more accurately. Marks and Spencer has introduced thermal image cameras in its stores that are more sensitive in picking up flow of individuals and separating groups of people as they walk into the stores (Your M&S-2008). The annual reports also indicate that Mystery Shopping strategy is another way used by Marks and Spencer in order to evaluate the service qualities and convenient shopping... This essay stresses that Marks and Spencer’s stores in UK are highly sophisticated and are established in such a way that it can offer most convenient shopping to the customers. According to the latest survey’ Over 21 million people visit Marks and Spencer’s stores each week’ is highly important in a fluctuating market where competition among groceries and other large scale retailers are fierce (Your M&S- 2008) Amenities including vehicles parking and restaurants are available at its most stores. Around 300 Marks and Spencer stores in UK are equipped with entrance cameras that can record the number of people who visit the stores. It is helpful to establish the ratios between the visits numbers and sales. As the paper declares the annual report details its strategies that it is changed and technologies are upgraded in order to capture customer footfall more accurately. Marks and Spencer has introduced thermal image cameras in its stores that are more sensitive in picking up flow of individuals and separating groups of people as they walk into the stores. The annual reports also indicate that Mystery Shopping strategy is another way used by Marks and Spencer in order to evaluate the service qualities and convenient shopping possibilities. Each of the stores will be anonymously visited once a month by the experts. Marks and Spencer has created a broad approach towards customer orientation programs. ‘Marks and Spencer’s new manifesto campaign goes a step further by introducing powerful messages on provenance and healthy eating.

The Essence of Arguments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Essence of Arguments - Essay Example These rules include distinguishing the premises and conclusions, presenting the ideas in a natural order and use of reliable premises (Weston, 2009). They also entail the use of definite and concrete language, as well as consistent terms and a single meaning for the terms used. Weston also addresses common logical fallacies in the final chapter of the book including ad hominem, ad populum, ad ignorantiam and ad misericordiam. I found A Rulebook for Arguments to be very informative and thought provoking. The non-Christian bias presented when arguing the existence of God was a little distracting for me. However, the book is an excellent guide to improving ones argument strategies applicable in both personal and professional environments. Managers are in a position that requires presentation of ideas to be adopted by the workforce. Therefore, it is necessary for managers to think critically, construct a sound argument and communicate their position effectively. In addition, the book is useful to any manager who intends to improve on their argumentation skills. The book is applicable to problem-solving since it emphasizes critical

Recent Development in the Thoery of Rules versus Dicretions Essay

Recent Development in the Thoery of Rules versus Dicretions - Essay Example In this respect, this essay will assess the rationale in the Barro-Gordon Model of rules versus discretion to illustrate the relationship between monetary policies and inflation in achieving economic outcomes. Monetary policies play a crucial role in achieving certain outcomes – low unemployment, high money supply, or low inflation – in the economy. Achieving these outcomes, however, depends on the existing conditions surrounding the economic environment, which is also affected both by an individual’s expectations on future policies and economic conditions and the manner that these expectations are formed (Barro 1984: 1-2). The weight given to individual expectations, in this regard, highlights the monetary rules versus discretion debate under monetary economics such that as illustrated by the Barro-Gordon Model, an individuals’ expectations regarding future policies can either offset the effects of inflation under discretionary policies or achieve the zero inflation outcome through rules (Barro and Gordon 1983). Contrary to the traditional debate between rules and discretion focused on a policymaker’s capabilities and objectives; the Barro-Gordon Model is based on Kydland and Prescott’s work that identifies rules as a form of commitment similar to public policies and business dealings (Barro 1984: 1). In this respect, a monetary policy will only be as effective as the government’s reputation and its credibility in making a commitment to a policy because assuming that individuals are rational, they will always act in manner that predicts government behaviour and compensate for any losses that they believe will come from it. Hence, under monetary policies, where the output is always a consequent rise or fall in inflation, assuming that inflation is high and individuals are rational, these individuals will always expect a higher inflation rate and immediately adjust to these high rates, eliminating the

Child with Autism Essay Example for Free

Child with Autism Essay There are many books out there relative to the matter of Autism, but I have to say that â€Å"Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew† is a the must read for my parents and my colleagues at work, that’s why I chose it for this assignment. Summary This book is an expansion of a successful article that Ellen Notbohm published in 2005. She used the same title. Ellen is a mother of two special needs children, one with autism and the other one with ADHD; however this book is written from the perception of an individual with autism. This is not a long book. It has only ten chapters and is about 130 pages, including the preface and the introduction, called in this book as, â€Å"It begins†. In this part of the book, â€Å"It begins†, the author tries to convince families and caregivers who are dealing with autism, to see it not like a disease. Ellen wants people to help their children to live with it, not to teach them to suffer for something that the children can not even control or they may not even know about. After this introduction, we found that each chapter can be described like a handbook. Each of the ten chapters has just a few bits of information about the common problems that a child with autism presents. However, when you finish reading the book, you will find that this information all together is a complete and trustful story encyclopedia that can help parents, teachers and many other professionals who work with ASD individuals a young age. In the first chapter, the wish is that people may be able to understand that she or he is just a child that needs love, patience, and help. I’m â€Å"autistic†; I’m not a label, I’m just a child. Going beyond with this marvelous book we found how the sensory issues are the reason of many behavior problems. Behavior doesn’t appear from nowhere, an incomprehensible and unexpected behavior has a sensory cause. Ellen advises parents and caregivers to think and reconsider about their beliefs. She also made some suggestions that can help us to identify and work around the child’s sensory structure. Meltdowns, the well-known meltdowns. These are also addressed in this book. Ellen describes the four trigger clusters, sensory overload, physical/physiological, emotional, and poor examples from adults. She indicates the way to identify their causes as well. She makes us to stop thinking or saying that â€Å"she/he won’t† to analyze and identify what is causing the behavior. Visual learners, this is explained in chapter four. This chapter tells us how these children are concrete learners, and visual thinkers. She also illustrates how verbal communication doesn’t make any sense to these children, by given some examples that she calls common snags. She reminds us that we have to help these children by developing a functional way that she/he can use to express their needs, wants, feelings, fears, etc. If they don’t know how to communicate they will find the way to let us know, which can be expressed with any variety of behaviors. Some techniques are also provided in this book, to help these children to develop or improved social interaction and the formation of self esteem. Ellen, who is talking in this book as a child, reminds parents and caregivers that he/she is trying his/her best with his/her poor and limited social skills. Ellen describes her feels when her son was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. She pictures her emotions and thoughts, and her continued fight with her hopelessness. Ellen finishes the book by saying that it didn’t take long to realize she wouldn’t change her son in any aspect even if she could. â€Å"I wouldn’t have him be anything other than exactly what he is†. Relationship between the book and CEC Standards of the course The relationship between this book â€Å"Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew† and the standards for professional educators, CEC, can begin with Standard One, that states how the â€Å"special educators use this knowledge as a ground upon which to construct their own personal understandings†. This book provides valuable information that can help teachers who work with ASD students to get a better idea of their world, and gather this information to build strategies or interventions that will help these children to develop or increase skills that will lead to improvement of their lives. Standard Nine, which addresses the engagement in professional and learning activities with families, colleagues, and activities that will lead to a professional growth, have a relationship with this book, because even though this book is more like a personal reflection from a mother of a child with autism, the book offers with details a full description of the primary problems that every child with autism has to face every day. The information provided in this book is helping educators to obtain knowledge and develop understanding of those incomprehensible and unexpected behaviors that many children with autism have. The last standard and the most important: Standard Ten which emphasizes â€Å"collaboration with families, other educators, related service providers, and personnel from community agencies in culturally responsive ways†, collaboration that can help to address the needs of the students. The collaboration can be practiced by sharing this book with parents, teachers, therapists, etc. As I mentioned in my introduction the information provided by the author can be considered as a handbook. Therefore by sharing this book with them, the special educator can be seen as a resource that is facilitating information to parents across settings and services. Professional practice with parents of ASD children My professional growth as a special educator has been impacted by this book enormously. Last school year when I was transferred to Redondo Elementary, although I have a background as a Special Educator, I didn’t know about autism at all. As a result I found myself desperately trying to find information that will help me to understand autism. One of my colleagues recommended this book and I purchased it immediately. I will say that Standard One is reflecting on my professional growth, because, when I read this book, I found the answer to many questions such as: Why is it that she/he claps? Why is it that she/he spins around? , etc. Knowledge that I apply to my teaching every day. Standard Nine reflects on my professional growth because, after reading this book, I am more â€Å"aware of how their own and others attitudes, behaviors, and ways of communicating can influence my practice†. Now I am able to understand more the culture of autism, and I’m also feeling more perceptive about my students’ needs and parents’ concerns. Standard Ten, which is always the most important for my â€Å"collaboration†. I like to extend an invitation to all my parents during my open house or family nights that we have at my school to read this book. I also like to extend an invitation to my parents to come and see me if they are having difficulties with their child at home, so we can work together to implement an intervention to address that particular problem. I would like to finish with this personal account book review/reflection sharing my favorite quotation of this book. â€Å"Patience. Patience. Patience. Work to view my autism as a different ability rather than disability†.

Bridges of Amsterdam Essay Example for Free

Bridges of Amsterdam Essay Leonid Afremov is a modern impressionist. He uses bright colours and strong strokes but he does not use a brush he uses a pallet knife. He developed his unique style of painting over many years, being influenced by other artists on the way. Afremov says that Marc Chagall was his biggest influence with his earlier work. He has then moved away from surrealism and into impressionism. Leonid was born on the 12th of July 1955 in Vitebsk. He was raised in a traditional Jewish household. Leonid had a difficult upbringing as he had to care for his paralysed Grandmother. His family were unwanted by many people in their town as they spoke Yiddish and practiced many Jewish traditions despite the anti-Semitism law. Leonid was a good student in school. he was interested in history and art. He attended every possible art class the school offered and even got private lessons from local artists. I did not know anything about this artist but his painting caught my eye when I was searching for a painting to write about. I chose this painting because of the eye catching colours; I like the use of hot and cold colours and how parts of the painting blend while other parts don’t. The painting gives me a feeling of warmth and happiness I think this is because of the warm colours used and how bright they are this may also be because of the big bold strokes that are so obvious in the painting that make it just that little bit more unique than other artists. I think Leonid is trying to put across the message of happiness but it could also be a message of loneliness, if you look closely you will see that there is no one in the street and you can’t see anyone in the windows of the buildings. This painting is very interesting all together but one of the most interesting things about the painting is how Leonid made the lights on the bridge actually look like they are glowing the way he did this is by using different tones of yellow and orange to make a glow effect. Leonid uses many interesting techniques such as how the textures are realistic especially in the reflection of the river, and how the tree blends into the sky but you can tell exactly where the leaves of the tree come to the end of the climb towards the sky. He uses a wide variety of thick and thin lines which are very different to the lines that you would see if the painting had been painted with a brush. The composition of this painting is different to other painting as I feel that there is no real focal point, your eyes just wonder around the canvas looking for something new to catch. You could tell who’s painting this is as there are no other artists that use these bold trade mark strokes that are mostly used in the sky but you can see little bits of them used in the buildings and in the tree’s What makes this painting just a little bit more special is that even though you can tell it is night there is still light bright colours in the sky which gives us a feeling o f day but the way he has made the reflections in the river and the way the street lamps shine and the light in the windows of the building that is what gives us the feeling of night time. The very famous painting â€Å"Sunday afternoon on the island of the Grand-Jatte† by Georges Seurat is in some ways very similar to Leonid’s work but in other ways not similar at all. The technique George Seurat used to paint this piece is very unique as was Leonid’s also the shadows and reflections are similar as they are both quite discrete about them. There may be similarities within the work but they are very different as Georges uses a very fine brush and normal colours but Leonid uses a pallet knife and bold colours as well as more texture to his painting. Leonid’s early work was influenced by Marc Chagall who grew up in the same town as Leonid. Chagall was a surreal expressionist this comes to show how much Leonid has grown as an artist as he has experimented with many different styles and has grown to develop his own style of painting within the modern impressionistic way of painting. Many events in Leonid’s life may have affected the way he paints but he himself is positive that war was not one of them, Leonid moved to Israel as he found that he and his family couldn’t have a steady life in Russia anymore. Israel influenced him in many ways as he was an optimistic he found contributing the colours of the bright southern sun made his painting just that little bit more unique this is when he flourished as an artist the most in his career. The society was a big problem in Leonid’s time as it was not very welcoming with the Jewish faith, he found this was the biggest problem in Russia and that was also one of the reasons that he and his family had to move. Even though Leonid was born in Russia he didn’t feel like it was his home country. i think this affected his painting’s in a big way, if you look at the painting you will see that there is no one in the streets its deserted it gives a feeling of serenity as if he wants to be alone separated from something.

Architectural Design Proposal of Reading Space

Architectural Design Proposal of Reading Space 3.1 Historical Purpose Context If we surmise that temporary architecture is, essentially, something that is not permanent, then in one form or another as stated it has existed since antiquity, with examples traced from prehistoric wooden huts and shelters, through medieval stage sets, circuses and world fairs, to the mobile home and post-war pre-fabs, and wartime and disaster relief. Interestingly, as early as 58 B.C.E in ancient Rome, such architecture functioned as a form of revolution ancient Romans circumventing governmental opposition to permanent amphitheatres by building temporary versions with the Metropolitan Museum of Art noting that despite their impermanent nature, this architecture was a rich celebration and an expression of anti-establishment ideals. Together with other classical forms, a revival of temporary architecture was also particularly prevalent during the Renaissance; civic groups would welcome King Henry II of France to their cities with festivals showcasing the best and most elaborate in temporary design of the time, such as the specifically commissioned Fountain de Innocents (1550) a collaboration between architect Pierre Lescot and sculptor Jean Goujan. As the University of Torontos Professor of Art History, Christy Anderson, notes: for designers and architects of the Renaissance  the ephemeral nature of the installations lent themselves to design innovations believed to be too unconventional or extravagant for lasting architecture [and] afforded the opportunity for experimentation. Such events were used as tantalising opportunities for the realisation of a new style, made real perhaps for a single day; the transient enjoyably consumed, creating a taste for the permanent. In contemporary architecture, we have become more familiar with the temporary as expressed at exhibitions and pavilions; Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeannerets LEspirit Nouveau Pavilion (1925), Mies van der Rohes Barcelona Pavilion (1929), and Alison and Peter Smithsons House of the Future for the Daily Mail Ideal Home Exhibition in London (1956) each showcasing their designers stimulating philosophies and ideas on the future of architecture, and advertising these compelling forms via memorable, provocative images. Moreover, these challenges to established or conventional approaches to design were yet further inflamed by Archigram, with mobile, inflatable or temporary projects albeit resigned to paper and remaining unbuilt during the 1960s and 70s. 3.2 Academic Discourse Urban Change However, it was the aftermath of the great recession in 2008, which crippled economies with the construction, architecture and engineering sectors arguably hit the hardest and the inevitable temporary suspension of many large-scale projects that ensued which elevated small-scale, bottom-up spatial interventions from niche to mainstream practice, and subsequently exposed them to more intense levels of critical review. Though this opened up possibilities to test scenarios and subvert preconceptions of what our cities should be like, giving architects and designers, often young, the opportunity to push the boundaries of architecture and [take] the city back into their own hands, as Cate St. Hill writes in her RIBA published book This is Temporary, very soon, and perhaps unavoidably, established companies found they could make use of these strategies too, evaporating [away] any freshness, writes Douglas Murphy in his article for the Architectural Review: The Pop-Up Problem. As a consequence, it has now become utterly commonplace for food drink, fashion or design retailers, for example, to make their inaugural entrance into any given city via a succession of trendy pop-ups before the proper shop opens. Though this could be considered fairly commonplace cool-chasing, it stems from the constant procedure of reducing risk: a temporary shop doesnt require payment for a full lease, and it also has an aura of edgy cool. These types of structure therefore offer us a corporate regurgitation of anti-corporate commerce. Importantly, and perhaps more pressingly, in academic and mainstream media discourse, more original spatial intervention projects, which featured smiling locals and were so often portrayed as joyous and likeable, have also since been subject to a considerable amount of criticism primarily contemplating if the actual impact of these projects is overestimated. Though proponents of the pop-up refer to the wider impact an intervention can have galvanising local communities to change the way their public spaces and buildings are used to the benefit of everyone in practice the actual effect remains limited to the most local scale, involving or reaching out to just a handful of locals. This is due, in part, to the perceived lack of scalability, as Ella Harris highlights in her article for The Guardian: the possibility of scaling up such projects, beyond their immediate surroundings, is often minimal due to the specific local conditions. Therefore, when addressing if temporary architecture can act as a catalyst for urban change in the context of this thesis, a catalyst for urban change relates to the ability of the project or intervention to have an impact on an area wider than its immediate surroundings, stimulating local inhabitants to actively seek to utilise public spaces for betterment of society, or to at least raise the question. 4.0  Formulating a Position 4.1 Understanding Current Trends Despite such criticism into the perceived overestimated effect or corporate commercialisation of temporary architecture projects, there are a plethora of younger architects and designers that are emerging as a new generation of a subversive, socially-minded practices, each combatting these concerns by inspiring new definitions of architecture not just in terms of the physical structure, but in the process of creating them. These practices all share a concern for engaging people and enriching local communities, and their projects are well-considered and endowing ways to create animated, deeply-rooted places in the neglected, disused and sometimes inaccessible parts of a city. Therefore, before attempting to formulate my position within the field of temporary architecture, it was necessary to speak to a few of these firms in order to develop a more succinct, albeit limited, understanding of the temporary situation in this moment in time. Set up by Kevin Hayley and David Chambers in 2009, Aberrant Architecture is a London-based multidisciplinary studio and think-tank who create temporary structures backed up by rigorous research into the history of a place and the construction of whimsical narratives, inspired by the way contemporary lives are evolving, Kevin explains. Featuring projects from a tiny mobile theatre towed by a campervan, to an interactive instillation built in collaboration with local community groups, their work is playful, provocative and interactive. Interestingly, both Kevin and David agreed on the two most prominent driving forces between each of their projects specifically setting and reusability. First is the idea of historical heritage, or setting we always approach a project with attention to the history-we look to engage people, perhaps through participation events, in a way that connects them to a story or history, Kevin stresses, as it is this side of the projects which the public are increasingly embracing, and really enjoy. Also, and equally as importantly, is their desire for temporary projects to have a lasting effect: if something is there for three days or 30 years, does it matter? Surely its about measuring the effect it has on a community. However, though they both agreed that the actual physical thing is temporary but the activity or use should be very permanent, they also stressed that being able to reuse the structure was important if something stays in one place for a long time, weve found it can lose its appeal really quickly. With mobile structures, as soon as you move it to a different context it becomes new again. Contrastingly, Assemble a multidisciplinary collective founded in 2010 and comprised of 16 members each under the age of 30 champion a self-initiated style of building that engage communities in the making process, and rely on collaborative teamwork, as Amica Dall joyfully explained. Fascinatingly, Amica and Jane Hall revealed that this preference of such projects stems from a desire to involve the community in a more holistic way, as habitually, they only participate in a small part of the process of creation, [usually via consultation groups] and involvement often only starts after most of the more critical decisions have been made. Self-built projects such as the Granby Workshop in Liverpool, built in collaboration with local artists and craftspeople afford the chance for everyone involved to be part of the whole life of a project. By collectively working out how to make it possible in the first instance, having to fabricate them ourselves, and then living and working with the outcome whilst running the projects, this method allows them to understand the consequence of our design decisions. This approach to temporary architecture allows the physical structure to underscore some doubts in some areas and give confidence in others, affording a continuously evolving understanding of what a community needs. Ultimately, both Jane and Amica agreed that working with people and for people brings extraordinary opportunity to learn from them, to grow sensitive to new things, and most importantly, to find things you werent already looking for. 4.2 Addressing Systemic Societal Issues Undoubtedly then, pop-up architecture can offer something rare: design that is undiluted. Permanent, traditional architecture often needs to serve multiple purposes and changing surroundings the Shard, for example, is at once an office building, transit hub, hotel and retail space. Contrastingly, temporary architecture, as exemplified by Aberrant and Assemble, can advance a singular purpose and concentrate its impact. However, in completing further research, what also became evident, and highly significant, was that the singular purposes very rarely address some of the real-world systemic challenges we face in society, especially in major cities, with just a handful of examples responding to challenges like social inequality, youth unemployment or public health and wellbeing, for example. Moreover, in the few instances where projects do address such issues, services are regularly provided by unpaid, well-meaning volunteers instead of professionals, often filling the gaps left negligent (local) governments. With pop-up interventions providing services for free, local governments might well be pleased to see that they can get away with formerly expensive services. Further still, as Ella Harris writes for The Guardian, in celebrating these projects, are we simply distracting from the lack of structural public provision in these areas and worse still, normalising, even glorifying, its absence? 4.3 Formulating my position Therefore, as discussed, in conducting interviews with specialised practices, there were several reoccurring key themes which became immediately apparent, and naturally proved decisive in narrowing my research scope chiefly, involving the public in an aspect of building or completing the structure, and using a specific element(s) of a sites historical heritage as a way of engaging the public in a larger story. However, following further research, the noticeable lack of projects, events or constructs attempting to address some of the systemic societal issues we face in modern society and the possibility that even the minority that do may simply be masking the absence of appropriate structural public provisions in those areas was highlighted, again adding to a more refined research scope which could look at the possibility of using architecture to address one such challenge directly. As a consequence, formulating my position came as a direct result of twinning these two key themes, and attempting to address them simultaneously. Firstly, building forms expressive of context styles that embrace the environment they inhabit have always stimulated my interest, so in meeting Aberrant and Assemble and understanding that the uniqueness of a design can be found in the particular embedded in the lives, the people, and in the history of a city the first theme lay in a specific alchemy of Architecture; using the combination of distinctive physical, societal and/or cultural contexts to produce innovative, site-responsive design. The second, in identifying a lack of contemporary projects addressing real-world societal challenges, lay in endeavouring to understand if temporary architecture could be used to do just that, or to at least promote such issues into the public domain. The more defined scope for this thesis therefore became an investigation into if/how Temporary A rchitecture can act as a catalyst for urban change by specifically addressing real-world problems through a contextual approach to design. 5.0 Project narrative alchemy 5.1 City + Site Specific Investigations Embracing Aberrants view that temporary architecture projects can lose their appeal if they remain in one place for an extended period of time, and our joint view that such projects can, and should, be representative of, or embrace their local historical heritage, the decision was subsequently made for the project to move around a selection of sites in Canterbury with each site located in appropriate open public spaces, or pockets of disused, inactive, space to test the structures relative success in various locations (as outlined on the site locations map, left). Therefore, in order to conceive a design taking a combination of Canterburys distinctive historical, physical, societal and/or cultural contexts as its inspiration, studies were conducted into each of the prospective sites so that it could appropriate itself in each site, whilst also being representative of Canterburys heritage as a whole to produce a holistic theme for the project. Following these investigations, one overriding theme became immediately apparent Canterburys vast, enduring, and continuing affinity with literature. Throughout recent centuries, Canterbury has proved home to several authors, poets and playwrights, and the city has been an inspiration to the writers of English literature. Playwright Christopher Marlowe, after whom the Marlowe Theatre is named, was born in a house in St Georges Street, Canterbury in 1564, and despite being a contemporary of Shakespeare, was the most popular playwright of his day, and is often acknowledged as the Father of English drama. Furthermore, Charles Dickens also regularly visited Canterbury, and the protagonist of one of Dickens most loved novels, David Copperfield, has strong connections with the city. Canterbury is also incredibly famous for Geoffrey Chaucers Canterbury Tales collection, which have stood the test of time for more than 600 years and are known throughout the world. Additionally, the instantly recognisable Rupert Bear (which features in the Canterbury Heritage Museum), and Ian Flemmings James Bond book You Only Live Twice, were both conceived in Canterbury, whilst Flemmings Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was based on Canterburys colourful, local character, Count Zborowski. Moreover, Canterburys Buttermarket situated directly opposite the Cathedral entrance in the heart of Canterburys historical town for more than 800 years features in the wartime classic film A Canterbury Tale. In addition to current and historical contextual ties, it was also important to consider links which may have been lost especially those concerned with the built environment a collection of which are remembered in Paul Cramptons Canterburys Lost Heritage. In Canterbury, numerous buildings disappeared in the twentieth century a century, of course, of vast changes and technological progress. However, though the famous Blitz of Canterbury is one of the main tributaries of this, it has now been widely accepted that the City Councils ruthless post-bombing clearance policy accounted for many more properties than the Luftwaffe, as the city fathers were seduced by the ideas of Corbusier and the contemporary styles exhibited at the Festival of Britain. Interestingly, though there was no special reason why they should disappear one of the most lost building typologies was Schools (and School Buildings). Demolished, with the site sold for other uses such as the Simon Langton Boys School which occupied the current Whitefriars site in 1959 or in more recent years, closed and amalgamated with adjacent schools the majority of Canterburys principal Schools are now located on the outskirts of the city. This prompted teachers like Frances Bingham to initiate her own one-room schoolhouse, which has since been converted into a family home. Teaching children from the ages of 4-10, Frances taught 32 students over a period of 6 years in Canterbury, achieving the same results as students who were educated in separate classrooms, with some of her students going on to become lawyers, engineers, teachers and nurses. Therefore, given the citys, and each respective sites, respective affinity with literature expressed in all forms and education, via the loss of School building and the resulting captivating story of Frances, the contextual narrative of the project was to draw on Canterburys historical literature and educative ties as a way to draw activity to a space. 5.2 Identification of Associated Real-World Problem Upon identifying a contextual narrative, sequentially, the next step was to identify a real-world problem associated with both literature and education, and, naturally, the logical bridge between these two themes is reading. Interestingly, though reading is a pleasurable pastime for many, following further research into current discourse around reading in schools, in recent years the UK has seen a serious decline in the number of parents reading with their children, as the headlines in Figure XX demonstrate, to the point where several studies have found the situation to be one of the fastest growing systematic societal challenges faced in the current climate. In a survey conducted by the Oxford University Press, it was found that more than half of primary school teachers have seen a least two children begin formal education with no experience of being told stories at home, whilst another study managed by YouGov found that only 51% of children said they love or like reading books for fun, compared to 58% in 2012, and 60% in 2010. Moreover, according to the report, only 54% of children up to the age of five are read to at home at least five days a week, with this declining to 34% of six to eight-year-olds, and drastically, just 17% of nine to 11-year-olds. The studies also discovered that the main causes of this issue stem from the home-life, with parents often finding a lack of available space at home, being too busy with other commitments, unable to afford appropriate literature, or simply feeling embarrassed at their own inability to read to their children. However, Pie Corbett, an educational advisor to the government, stated that: This isnt just an economic thing its not just people who come from poor backgrounds, its across the whole of society. You get a lot of children coming from very privileged backgrounds whove spent a lot of time in front of the TV and not enough time snuggled up with a good book. The TV does the imagining for you and it doesnt care whether youre listening or not. This is despite research clearly demonstrating that children who are read to on a regular basis before, and after, they start school are most likely to succeed its a key predictor in terms of educational success, Corbett continued, as children who are told stories are the ones who first form abstract concepts across the curriculum- [and though] parents may have lost faith with this idea, education is the way out of poverty. Furthermore, these studies have shown that regular access to books has a direct impact on pupils results, irrespective of parents own education, occupation and social class, as keeping just 20 books in the home can boost childrens chances of doing well at school, it was claimed. Finally, YouGovs study of over 17,000 young people also revealed a strong correlation between childrens literacy and what goes on outside school specifically that being raised in a household with a large amount of literature would result in a child remaining in education for an average of three years longer than those with little or no access, which could be the difference between leaving school at 18 and going to university, which can be worth up to  £200,000 more in lifetime earnings. 5.3 Project Narrative Construction Therefore, given the systemic societal issue currently faced in the UK with the number of children reading with their parents being in sharp decline, and that several studies have repeatedly, and explicitly, identified that reading at home and access to books has a proven, positive impact on a childs future life, the project would aim to address this issue specifically either by attempting to solve the issue directly, or simply raising awareness of it via a contextual approach to design which would use Canterburys historical, and continuing, affinity with literature and education as its main source of inspiration. 6.0 Design response and realisation 6.1 Design Response Out of this defined project narrative and a subsequent series of design iterations and developments (for which Kevin from Aberrant kindly provided assistance and advice, and are shown in the Appendix), and scale and structural models was born the Fun-Size Story Box of Canterbury, as shown. The final design was a 2.5 meter cube, constructed entirely of softwood and corrugated cardboard (as they are low-value, easy to source and condition materials), featuring both recessed and projecting volumes inspired by stacked books, and the nature of Canterbury High Streets various building facades. The structure was also to open up to the public, much like a book opening along the spine, to reveal the interior performance and open reading spaces. Via a series of these fun and colourful reading corners, story creation + performance spaces, and open seating areas, the design aimed to provide parents and children with a safe and fun architectural intervention in which to read together. The projected volumes were also to be transparent, so as to make the bookshelves visible from the exterior, creating a sense of intrigue, and the selection of books available would be free for children to take home, donated from local retailers and charity shops, such as the Demelza Childrens Hospice, and HMV. The recessed reading corners and story creation + performance spaces come as a direct result of twinning classroom reading techniques with brain development in children research data, outlining where, why and how children like to read. According to the Centre on the Developing Child at Harvard University, traditional reading corners employed in schools do not conform to childrens actual reading habits, with most spaces tailored instead to improving scores in assessments. Alternatively, children actually prefer smaller, more interesting and inviting reading spaces a small space, often hidden away, where children can enjoy a book therefore, the Story Box features recessed areas where children can do just that with their parents. Furthermore, in early years, children learn best through active, engaged, meaningful experiences, and research suggests that learning is easier when experiences are interconnected rather than compartmentalised into narrow subject areas. This is echoed by ground-breaking kindergarten architect, Takaharu Tezuka, who states in The Guardian that designing for children involves recognising their right to play as well as learn, as from these experiences, they construct their own knowledge and apply their taught knowledge by interacting with their environments. Therefore, rather than having all reading material collected in one space, the Story Box has books arranged throughout the structure, with the provision for interconnected interior and exterior story creation + performance spaces, where children can imagine their own story with their parents, and then act it out, engaging them in a playful experience. 6.2 Council + Legislative Influence In addition to research data, council guidance and legislation were hugely influential on the design. Prior to any formal discussions with representatives of the council, a Planning Analysis was conducted to identify any legislative and/or planning requirements which the project may or may not have to adhere to forming a paper trail. This study found that as this projects Temporary Structure would be classed within the Building Regulations Exemption as a Class 4 Temporary Building, it would subsequently be exempt from several, if not all, regulations, providing it did not (amongst other possible objections) remain where erected for more than 28 days, and the floor area did not exceed 30m ². The project was subsequently designed following these requirements, however, the design continuously evolved following feedback from council representatives David Kemp (CCC Property Asset Manager), and Andy Jeffery (CCC Emergency Planning Events Officer) all of which is collated in the appendix Council Correspondence. This correspondence tackled many issues, such as; ensuring children didnt get their fingers caught in hinges, impeding pedestrians or emergency services vehicles, proximity to any highways, gaining relevant liability insurance, and proving the projects structural integrity. Once these issues were satisfied, and all required documentation was completed and accepted (Event Application Form, Events Policy Terms + Conditions, Event Management Plan, Events Risk Assessment and Public Liability Insurance Certificate) permission was granted to stage the event in the Buttermarket and Marlowe Theatre Forecourt on the weekend of the 11th-12th February 2017. 7.0 Implementation and feedback 7.1 Placement Despite a fully designed and rationalised scheme, like many temporary architecture structures, the project was affected by time and financial constraints, and as a result, only one of the two sides to the Story Box project was fully realised and constructed as outlined in the appendix Construction + Realisation. Yet, despite the unfortunate inclement weather conditions, the project was implemented on site (in the Buttermarket, between 11th-12th February 2017), acting as a prototype to test the validity or relative success of each part of the design, and project. Furthermore, though the event only lasted for two days (running from 10am to 5pm both days), and adverse weather ultimately hampered opening times and the possibility to set-up in more than 2 of the prospective sites, there was sufficient opportunity to engage with members of the community, and to receive valuable feedback. 7.2 Representative Data Movement Firstly, due to the stated limitations, it is important to note that the data collected doesnt represent a statistically significant number, therefore cannot be wholly accurate (this data was recorded by myself, and the 2 other staff members present throughout the day). However, one of the main ambitions of the project was to attempt to attract people to (or activate) pockets of often neglected or disused space, to highlight that these spaces can be re-invented and used for something more and in this sense the project was successful. Due to the weather conditions on the first day, the project was set up under the arcade of arches on Burgate Road, and though this was not envisaged, it meant that the project was truly located in dead space as, on average, only 20 people pass this location every 10 minutes (throughout the day), and of that number less than 10% (2 out of 20) stop in the immediate area for more than 30 seconds. However, whilst the event was held, though the people traffi c remained fairly constant, the amount of people stopping for more than 30 seconds trebled to 30% as people stopped to inspect, or engage with, the structure. On average, parents and children who stopped spent 17 minutes with the structure a significant increase. On the second day, when set up in the more exposed Buttermarket Square (in considerably better weather), on average, the amount of people passing through the site was much higher, at around 120 every 10 minutes, whilst people stopped for around 13 minutes. Again, though traffic remained constant, persons who stopped at the structure spent an average of 37 minutes there almost a 300% increase in time spent in the site. 7.3 Community Engagement + Feedback Aside from statistical data, the design featured tell us what you think message boards and Post-it notes, whilst several interviews were video recorded (stills of which can be found in the appendices) affording parents and children opportunities to express their opinions, either written or verbally. As shown in Figure XX, the written feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with parents agreeing that in attempting to raise awareness of declining reading levels the structure was a good idea-[and] interesting for architecture. One user wrote that she though the project was a really creative idea, imaginative and engaging- [with] fairy tales brought to life before your eyes, before, interestingly, adding that it captures your dreams with your child which may be lost on a busy shopping day, and stating that nothing is more important than a parent seeing their childs imagination grow. Similarly, a mother, Jane, who took the time to read with her 6-year-old daughter, Emma, stated that the structure was a really great use of space showing that you can create engaging and creative spaces for public engagement without costing loads! This sentiment was also echoed in the video interviews, with one mother stating that its nice to have somewhere to sit and read because they [her children] get fed up around the shops, giving a little bit of time for them before adding that its such a simple idea, but no-one else has ever thought of it before. In another interview, Adam, a father of two girls added: Its very homely and cosy. We took the girls to visit the Cathedral, but they got a bit bored, and kept talking about coming back to the Story Box the whole way round. As you can see, theyre having a whale of a time drawing all over the walls. I think the durability of it, and the fact you can just scribble all over it is great because they cant do that at home! Fascinatingly, though blank create your own story pages were placed on the interior walls as a place for children to draw and write, most children drew directly onto the cardboard walls, an unintended feature that another parent appreciated: Great portable pop-up s pace ideal to give kids somewhere to be free and creative to draw on the walls (like they cant do at home!) Moreover, during the event, I had the opportunity to observe if the project was actually attracting parents who werent necessarily reading wi

The Philosophy of James Patterson Essay -- James Patterson Description

The Philosophy of James Patterson   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  James Patterson should be included in an anthology because he has mastered the art of description and plot. Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s capable of creating lives in his books like no other author from past or present. He has created a fictional world inside of his Alex Cross series, where many fans of his like to live. With each new book he can fill a mind with unbelievable detail and imagery. A small two book series, nicknamed the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“bird booksà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?, blew away many critics. With this mini-series he ventures into biotechnology and the worlds in its view on longevity. Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s known for venturing off the normal path of writing. He goes where many authors donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t, into religion, romance/humor/history, and a womanà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s murder club. A few examples are Letters for Nicholas, The Jester, Cradle and All, and the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“number booksà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?(1st to die, 3rd degree).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Patterson has been affected by many things in his life. The greatest thing was most likely his involvement in the company J. Walter Thompson, an advertising company. After his wife died in 1984, he focused all his energy into the company. Four years later he became CEO, then in 1990 he became chairman, and in 1994 he became the World-wide Creative Director (Author & Artists, page 209). He has said working for the company opened up his mind to bigger ideas in his books. Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s what helps him write the masterpieces we see today.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Pattersonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s main influence in the action/mystery genre is the Alex Cross series, but three other books stand out too. Besides the Alex Cross series, his other major bestsellers are à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“The Thomas Berryman Numberà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“When the Wind Blowsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?, and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“The Lake Houseà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?. His first novel à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“The Thomas Berryman Numberà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? won an Edgar award in 1977. It was critiqued as a wonderful change from the normal thriller, written with a faultless ear for real speech and an accurate eye for real people. Even now, it is still said that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“the plot is subtle and provocative, the characters are complex and compelling, and Patterson's writing here makes it a pleasure to deal with every pageà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? (Amazon.com (2nd source), A reader). Then after some success with Alex Cross, he came out with à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“When the Wind Blowsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“The La ke Houseà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? a few years later. These books take a wild spin on bio-engineering, fusing wings into a human. It was met with some skepticism at first, but many rea... ...y have only made him stronger. He has also succeeded not only in writing but in the corporate business too. When asked what he is going to do after Alex Cross, he said that he had no idea and thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s how he likes it. What a philosophy. By taking life as it comes he can give back the most spontaneous reaction. He says he looks forward to many more years of writing. So many people look forward to him in those years. Works Cited 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Author & Artists volume 25, contemporary author encyclopedia (no author), pages 209-213, Copyright 2004 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/customer-reviews/0446600458/ref=cm_rev_sort/104-1297017-7468716?customer-reviews.sort_by=byExactRating_5&me=ATVPDKIKX0DER&x=10&y=12, 2005, A reader 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/customer-reviews/0446607657/ref=cm_rev_next/104-1297017-7468716?%5Fencoding=UTF8&customer-reviews.sort%5Fby=byExactRating%5F5&n=283155&customer-reviews.start=11&me=ATVPDKIKX0DER, 2005, Locke, Josephine Anna (1st review down) 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/customer-reviews/0316603287/ref=cm_rev_sort/104-1297017-7468716?customer-reviews.sort_by=byExactRating_5&x=11&y=5, 2005, Ufowriter (2nd review down) The Philosophy of James Patterson Essay -- James Patterson Description The Philosophy of James Patterson   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  James Patterson should be included in an anthology because he has mastered the art of description and plot. Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s capable of creating lives in his books like no other author from past or present. He has created a fictional world inside of his Alex Cross series, where many fans of his like to live. With each new book he can fill a mind with unbelievable detail and imagery. A small two book series, nicknamed the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“bird booksà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?, blew away many critics. With this mini-series he ventures into biotechnology and the worlds in its view on longevity. Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s known for venturing off the normal path of writing. He goes where many authors donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t, into religion, romance/humor/history, and a womanà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s murder club. A few examples are Letters for Nicholas, The Jester, Cradle and All, and the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“number booksà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?(1st to die, 3rd degree).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Patterson has been affected by many things in his life. The greatest thing was most likely his involvement in the company J. Walter Thompson, an advertising company. After his wife died in 1984, he focused all his energy into the company. Four years later he became CEO, then in 1990 he became chairman, and in 1994 he became the World-wide Creative Director (Author & Artists, page 209). He has said working for the company opened up his mind to bigger ideas in his books. Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s what helps him write the masterpieces we see today.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Pattersonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s main influence in the action/mystery genre is the Alex Cross series, but three other books stand out too. Besides the Alex Cross series, his other major bestsellers are à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“The Thomas Berryman Numberà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“When the Wind Blowsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?, and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“The Lake Houseà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?. His first novel à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“The Thomas Berryman Numberà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? won an Edgar award in 1977. It was critiqued as a wonderful change from the normal thriller, written with a faultless ear for real speech and an accurate eye for real people. Even now, it is still said that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“the plot is subtle and provocative, the characters are complex and compelling, and Patterson's writing here makes it a pleasure to deal with every pageà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? (Amazon.com (2nd source), A reader). Then after some success with Alex Cross, he came out with à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“When the Wind Blowsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“The La ke Houseà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? a few years later. These books take a wild spin on bio-engineering, fusing wings into a human. It was met with some skepticism at first, but many rea... ...y have only made him stronger. He has also succeeded not only in writing but in the corporate business too. When asked what he is going to do after Alex Cross, he said that he had no idea and thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s how he likes it. What a philosophy. By taking life as it comes he can give back the most spontaneous reaction. He says he looks forward to many more years of writing. So many people look forward to him in those years. Works Cited 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Author & Artists volume 25, contemporary author encyclopedia (no author), pages 209-213, Copyright 2004 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/customer-reviews/0446600458/ref=cm_rev_sort/104-1297017-7468716?customer-reviews.sort_by=byExactRating_5&me=ATVPDKIKX0DER&x=10&y=12, 2005, A reader 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/customer-reviews/0446607657/ref=cm_rev_next/104-1297017-7468716?%5Fencoding=UTF8&customer-reviews.sort%5Fby=byExactRating%5F5&n=283155&customer-reviews.start=11&me=ATVPDKIKX0DER, 2005, Locke, Josephine Anna (1st review down) 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/customer-reviews/0316603287/ref=cm_rev_sort/104-1297017-7468716?customer-reviews.sort_by=byExactRating_5&x=11&y=5, 2005, Ufowriter (2nd review down)