Why Migraines Occur Essay Example

Why Migraines Occur Essay Migraine tends to affect more than 300 million people from across the world.   For many, the condition is more than a headache and is characterized by several distinctive symptom phases.   The condition is characterized by severe, debilitating and disabling headache that often needs no description.   The people suffering from migraine also had several other problems including photophobia, burning, nausea, vomiting, visual disturbances, altitude sickness, etc.   Migraine may have several other implications.   About 17 billion dollars a year is lost due to lost work, disabilities and healthcare expenditure owing due to headache.   Through historical records, it has been suggested that the disorder has affected man for more than 7000 years.   However, medicine still continues not to identify the cause and a treatment that could help cure the disorder.   Many people do not even approach the doctor to get the disorder treated as they feel that medical treatment can do litt le or no help.   Earlier, scientific research proved that the disorder was a vascular condition, but today scientists have identified that it is more of a neurological condition that develops primarily from pathology in the brain stem cells.   The nerve cell malfunction tends to sweep across other parts of the brain.   Today, the exact cause of migraine is still unknown, but scientists are developing several new forms of treatment for the condition including gene therapy (after considering the genetic basis of the disease), molecular biology and imaging of the brain.   This would enable to get back to normal activities faster (Dodick, 2008, Kantor, 2006). The neuro-vascular model which has been implicated for the cause of migraine includes vascular and neurological factors.   Another model frequently being considered is the Convergence Hypothesis that tries to associate the clinical symptoms with the pathophysiology of migraine.   According to this model, migraine is considered to be an event with a beginning, a mid and an end.   A symptom-based diagnostic approach would consider migraine during the peak stages.   With the convergence model, the entire process would be looked up on including the prodromal, the aura and the end phases.   Using the convergence model, the events can be drawn as a curve when charted against time (Curtis P. Schreiber, 2005). We will write a custom essay sample on Why Migraines Occur specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Why Migraines Occur specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Why Migraines Occur specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Body Migraine is a chronic medical disorder characterized by disabling headache, nausea, vomiting and photophobia.   In many people, the throbbing headache may be experienced on one-side of the face. The condition usually occurs in 11 % of the people in the US.   Migraine is more common in people with a family risk of the condition. It occurs anywhere between the ages of 10 to 46 years, and is more common in women compared to men.   In women, the condition may even occur beyond till the age of 55 years.   During the period of pregnancy, the number of migranous attacks usually reduces.   During the 1980’s scientists found that migraine develop due to a disorder in the blood vessels that supply the brain.   However, today it is clear that the condition develops due changes in the brain, nerve pathways and the chemicals present in the brain (Dodick, 2008, Kantor, 2006). From one individual to another, the frequency, duration, severity and aggravating factors of migraine would differ significantly.   On an average, people suffer from migraine, one or two days every month.   About 10 % of the population gets the disorder every week and 20 % get the attacks every 2 to 3 days, and about 14 % develop a serious version of the disease, in which the symptoms are seen every alternate day (Dodick, 2008, Kantor, 2006). Several events may trigger or aggravate attacks of migraine including alcohol consumption, dehydration, physical stress, exertion, menstruation, emotional stress, anxiety, seasonal, climatic or weather changes, allergy, bright lights, loud noises, florescent lights, sleep alterations, missing meals, tension headache, use of birth control pills, lack of sleep, staying at higher altitudes, hunger, certain foods, smoking, tobacco consumption, etc.   Some of the foods that can trigger migraine attacks include foods containing tyramine, monosodium glutamate or nitrates. Some of the foods that contain tyramine include red wine, cheese, smoked fish, liver of chicken, bens, figs, etc, and foods that contain nitrate include hot dogs, salami and bacon.   Other foods that can also trigger migraine attacks include citrus fruits, bananas, avocados, onions, dairy products, chocolates, pickles, nuts, peanut butter, fermented products, etc.   The ancient Greeks were the ones to coin the word m igraine from ‘megrim’ meaning hemicrania or one-sided headache.   Galen considered migraine to be a painful disorder that affected one half of the head.   The Greeks considered to be caused due to descent of the vapors from the liver to the brain.   Later, in the 17th century, blood flow defects were considered to be the main cause for migraine rather than humors.   From the 17th century to the 1980’s, the vascular theory proved to be responsible cause for migraine.   Wolff from the Presbyterian hospital New York considered that migraine was caused due to dilatation and expansion of the blood vessels present in the brain.   Once the expansion of the blood vessels occurs, the pain-signaling neurons of the brain get activated, leading to a headache.   Before the headache actually occurs, there is a drop in the blood supply to the brain causing constriction of the blood vessels.   However, newer research work conducted in the field of migraine demons trates that the disorder is caused not due to vascular alterations but due to neurological changes.   Earlier it was thought that vascular flow of the blood in the brain had increased something like 3-fold times.   In fact, latest scientific evidence clearly suggests that just before the migraine attack, the cerebral blood flow is either normal or drops down a bit (Dodick, 2008, Kantor, 2006). The aura that occurs before the migraine attacks was a serious clue to the scientists that the disorder had a neurological basis.   The aura can be seen in two conditions, one in migraine as a preceding symptom and the other in epileptic seizures as a part of the sensory visual hallucinations.   The individual in migraine would be able to see stars, bright lights, sparks, lightning bolts, geometric designs, etc.   In some people weakness, speech impairments and tingling sensations develop.   In some people, the visual aura may not appear and all, but in other it may even occur during the entire headache phase.   Today, scientists have identified the exact mechanism of this aura.   A wave of intense nerve activity (cortical spreading depression) spreads throughout the cortex especially the areas of vision.   Following the hyperexcitability, there is a phase of neural inhibition.   During the phase of intense neuronal activity, there is active firing and a lot of energy is required.   Following the intense neuronal firing, the nerve cells require less quantity of blood.   The neuronal firing spreads at the rate of 2 to 3 millimeters every minute, and this is just the exact rate at which aura develops.   Besides affecting vision, the intense neuronal activity would also affect sensory and motor signals (Dodick, 2008 NINDS, 2008). Studies have clearly shown that genetic factors play a very important role in the development of migraine.   The genetic susceptibility of migraine is similar to other disorders such as diabetes, hypertension, etc.   In identical twins, the other twin is at a higher risk of developing the disorder, when one twin actually suffers from it.   However, non-genetic or environmental factors play an important role in the development of migraine.   Genetic factors may increase the excitability of the neurons, leading to a disturbance in the ion transportation system.   Several other disorders may also be as a cause of ion transportation defects including seizures and cardiac arrhythmias (Dodick, 2008 NINDS, 2008). The exact way in which the spreading cortical depression of neurons causes’ headache is not understood clearly, but scientists feel that the trigeminal nerve may be involved.   The manner in which the trigeminal nerve causes pain sensation is not understood clearly.   When the intense cortical depression spreads, it causes chemical changes in the neurotransmitters leading the trigeminal nerve to transmit pain sensations.   The spreading depression can also activate the trigeminal nerves in the subcortical regions leading to headache.   The mechanism of aura may operate in both, people suffering from migraine with or without aura.   However, in people who do not suffer from aura may develop other symptoms including tiredness, weakness or difficulty concentrating.   Besides, involvement of the cortical and the subcortical regions in migraine, the brain stem (an ancient part of the brain) may be responsible for migraine pain.   The brain stem contains three groups o f nuclei that can play an important role in migraine.   The nuclei would inhibit the firing of the trigeminal nerve, thus causing the trigeminal neuron to fire without any pain signal.   There would be an incoming pain signal although actually there are no stimuli.   Besides, involvement of the trigeminal nerve from the brain stem, other sensory nerves including those that control visual functions may also be affected, resulting in false sensory incoming signals causing visual field disturbances (Dodick, 2008 NINDS, 2008). During an attack of migraine several processes tend to occur.   Certain triggering factors mentioned may stimulate the release of peptides such as substance P, Calcitonin Gene-related peptide, etc.  Ã‚   They tend to dilate blood vessels and cause inflammation which results in over-excitation of the trigeminal nerve.   The brain would not be affected with the headache, but the blood vessels and the meninges would be involved.   Auras occur as a result of blood flow changes (Daniel Kantor, 2007). Certain migraine headaches occur due to abnormalities in the calcium channels and also the magnesium, potassium and sodium channels.   Calcium channels present control the release of the neurotransmitter serotonin.   This neurotransmitter can play an important role in the development of migraine.   Besides, abnormalities in the levels of other neurotransmitters such as dopamine and stress hormones can result in migraine.   Dopamine could act as a stimulant of migraine and in certain individuals with genetic characteristics, higher levels of dopamine can result in nerve cell excitation.   Several prodromal symptoms such as mood changes, drowsiness and yawning are closely associated with dopamine disturbances.   The calcium channels play a vital role in the development of the cortical spreading depression (which is the cause of the migraine symptoms).   In people who suffer from migraine, magnesium deficiencies have been found.   During a migraine attack, a drop in the magnesium levels has been observed.   Once the levels of magnesium levels are low, the nerve cells become highly unstable and tend to misfire.   This could be responsible for the aura that develops.   Magnesium has been strongly associated with the calcium channels in the body.   Certain inherent deficiencies in the calcium channel systems may be present in people who develop migraine. Individuals with familial hemiplegic migraine have mutation of the gene that expresses for calcium channel systems.   Nitric Oxide has also been associated with migraine and other headaches.   Over-excitation of the nerve cells can result in the production of nitric oxide.   A rise in the nitric oxide in the blood vessels may stimulate several nerves in the brain and cause the development of pain.   Hormone fluctuations can also play a role in the development of migraine.   The changes in several hormones especially estrogen can be responsible for migraine development.   If the hor mone levels are high, low or normal for long, the migraine process would not be activated.   Hormonal fluctuations are more likely to cause migraine.   This is because fluctuations impact the serotonin and other neurotransmitter levels (Daniel Kantor, 2007). Conclusion Today, a lot of research has been identified which potentially helps to better under the migraine process.   Migraine is more of a neuro-vascular condition rather than a vascular condition earlier thought.   Currently, there are no specific drugs to treat migraine, and most of them are other groups of drugs that are utilized to treat other conditions.   Usually, ergotamine preparations, painkillers, NSAIDS, etc are given which works partially.   Hence, it has been clearly observed that they can work only in half the number of migraine patients.   Several groups of antihypertensive drugs, anti-seizure drugs, calcium channel blockers and antidepressants may work by normalizing the membrane potential thus helping to curb the rapidly-spreading cortical nerve depression.   They would work in patients who develop migraine with or without aura.   These groups of drugs would work by prevent channels present on the nerve membrane from opening up, thus helping to control calcium movement.   In this way, the nerve membrane would be stabilized.   Individuals also need to adopt a diet that can effectively help avoiding headache provoking foods and substances such as cheese, tobacco, alcohol, etc.   Blood glucose and blood pressure should be monitored and kept under control.   Better sleep hygiene and exercising patterns need to be ensured.   Stress needs to be handled in more appropriate fashions (Curtis P. Schreiber, 2005, Dodick, 2008 Mayo, 2007). Works Cited Curtis P. Schreiber. â€Å"The Pathophysiology of Migraine.† Clinics in Family Practice 7.3 (2005). Daniel Kantoor. â€Å"Migraine headaches – Highlights, FDA Warning: Serotonin Syndrome.† 2007. ADAM. 29 Nov 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/patient/body/111946799-8/777861931/10041/9399.html Daniel Kantor. â€Å"Migraine.† Medical Encyclopedia. 2006. Medline Plus. 16 Nov 2008. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000709.htm David W. Dodick and J. Jay Gargus . â€Å"Why Migraines Strike.† Scientific American. (July, 2008). http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=why-migraines-strike Mayo Clinic. â€Å"Migraine.† 2007. Mayo Clinic. 16 Nov 2008. http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/migraine-headache/DS00120/DSECTION=allMETHOD=print NINDS. â€Å"Headache: Hope through Research.† 2008. NINDS. 16 Nov 2008. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/headache/detail_headache.htm Why Migraines Occur Essay Example Why Migraines Occur Essay Migraine tends to affect more than 300 million people from across the world.   For many, the condition is more than a headache and is characterized by several distinctive symptom phases.   The condition is characterized by severe, debilitating and disabling headache that often needs no description.   The people suffering from migraine also had several other problems including photophobia, burning, nausea, vomiting, visual disturbances, altitude sickness, etc.   Migraine may have several other implications.   About 17 billion dollars a year is lost due to lost work, disabilities and healthcare expenditure owing due to headache.   Through historical records, it has been suggested that the disorder has affected man for more than 7000 years.   However, medicine still continues not to identify the cause and a treatment that could help cure the disorder.   Many people do not even approach the doctor to get the disorder treated as they feel that medical treatment can do litt le or no help.   Earlier, scientific research proved that the disorder was a vascular condition, but today scientists have identified that it is more of a neurological condition that develops primarily from pathology in the brain stem cells.   The nerve cell malfunction tends to sweep across other parts of the brain.   Today, the exact cause of migraine is still unknown, but scientists are developing several new forms of treatment for the condition including gene therapy (after considering the genetic basis of the disease), molecular biology and imaging of the brain.   This would enable to get back to normal activities faster (Dodick, 2008, Kantor, 2006). The neuro-vascular model which has been implicated for the cause of migraine includes vascular and neurological factors.   Another model frequently being considered is the Convergence Hypothesis that tries to associate the clinical symptoms with the pathophysiology of migraine.   According to this model, migraine is considered to be an event with a beginning, a mid and an end.   A symptom-based diagnostic approach would consider migraine during the peak stages.   With the convergence model, the entire process would be looked up on including the prodromal, the aura and the end phases.   Using the convergence model, the events can be drawn as a curve when charted against time (Curtis P. Schreiber, 2005). We will write a custom essay sample on Why Migraines Occur specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Why Migraines Occur specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Why Migraines Occur specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Body Migraine is a chronic medical disorder characterized by disabling headache, nausea, vomiting and photophobia.   In many people, the throbbing headache may be experienced on one-side of the face. The condition usually occurs in 11 % of the people in the US.   Migraine is more common in people with a family risk of the condition. It occurs anywhere between the ages of 10 to 46 years, and is more common in women compared to men.   In women, the condition may even occur beyond till the age of 55 years.   During the period of pregnancy, the number of migranous attacks usually reduces.   During the 1980’s scientists found that migraine develop due to a disorder in the blood vessels that supply the brain.   However, today it is clear that the condition develops due changes in the brain, nerve pathways and the chemicals present in the brain (Dodick, 2008, Kantor, 2006). From one individual to another, the frequency, duration, severity and aggravating factors of migraine would differ significantly.   On an average, people suffer from migraine, one or two days every month.   About 10 % of the population gets the disorder every week and 20 % get the attacks every 2 to 3 days, and about 14 % develop a serious version of the disease, in which the symptoms are seen every alternate day (Dodick, 2008, Kantor, 2006). Several events may trigger or aggravate attacks of migraine including alcohol consumption, dehydration, physical stress, exertion, menstruation, emotional stress, anxiety, seasonal, climatic or weather changes, allergy, bright lights, loud noises, florescent lights, sleep alterations, missing meals, tension headache, use of birth control pills, lack of sleep, staying at higher altitudes, hunger, certain foods, smoking, tobacco consumption, etc.   Some of the foods that can trigger migraine attacks include foods containing tyramine, monosodium glutamate or nitrates. Some of the foods that contain tyramine include red wine, cheese, smoked fish, liver of chicken, bens, figs, etc, and foods that contain nitrate include hot dogs, salami and bacon.   Other foods that can also trigger migraine attacks include citrus fruits, bananas, avocados, onions, dairy products, chocolates, pickles, nuts, peanut butter, fermented products, etc.   The ancient Greeks were the ones to coin the word m igraine from ‘megrim’ meaning hemicrania or one-sided headache.   Galen considered migraine to be a painful disorder that affected one half of the head.   The Greeks considered to be caused due to descent of the vapors from the liver to the brain.   Later, in the 17th century, blood flow defects were considered to be the main cause for migraine rather than humors.   From the 17th century to the 1980’s, the vascular theory proved to be responsible cause for migraine.   Wolff from the Presbyterian hospital New York considered that migraine was caused due to dilatation and expansion of the blood vessels present in the brain.   Once the expansion of the blood vessels occurs, the pain-signaling neurons of the brain get activated, leading to a headache.   Before the headache actually occurs, there is a drop in the blood supply to the brain causing constriction of the blood vessels.   However, newer research work conducted in the field of migraine demons trates that the disorder is caused not due to vascular alterations but due to neurological changes.   Earlier it was thought that vascular flow of the blood in the brain had increased something like 3-fold times.   In fact, latest scientific evidence clearly suggests that just before the migraine attack, the cerebral blood flow is either normal or drops down a bit (Dodick, 2008, Kantor, 2006). The aura that occurs before the migraine attacks was a serious clue to the scientists that the disorder had a neurological basis.   The aura can be seen in two conditions, one in migraine as a preceding symptom and the other in epileptic seizures as a part of the sensory visual hallucinations.   The individual in migraine would be able to see stars, bright lights, sparks, lightning bolts, geometric designs, etc.   In some people weakness, speech impairments and tingling sensations develop.   In some people, the visual aura may not appear and all, but in other it may even occur during the entire headache phase.   Today, scientists have identified the exact mechanism of this aura.   A wave of intense nerve activity (cortical spreading depression) spreads throughout the cortex especially the areas of vision.   Following the hyperexcitability, there is a phase of neural inhibition.   During the phase of intense neuronal activity, there is active firing and a lot of energy is required.   Following the intense neuronal firing, the nerve cells require less quantity of blood.   The neuronal firing spreads at the rate of 2 to 3 millimeters every minute, and this is just the exact rate at which aura develops.   Besides affecting vision, the intense neuronal activity would also affect sensory and motor signals (Dodick, 2008 NINDS, 2008). Studies have clearly shown that genetic factors play a very important role in the development of migraine.   The genetic susceptibility of migraine is similar to other disorders such as diabetes, hypertension, etc.   In identical twins, the other twin is at a higher risk of developing the disorder, when one twin actually suffers from it.   However, non-genetic or environmental factors play an important role in the development of migraine.   Genetic factors may increase the excitability of the neurons, leading to a disturbance in the ion transportation system.   Several other disorders may also be as a cause of ion transportation defects including seizures and cardiac arrhythmias (Dodick, 2008 NINDS, 2008). The exact way in which the spreading cortical depression of neurons causes’ headache is not understood clearly, but scientists feel that the trigeminal nerve may be involved.   The manner in which the trigeminal nerve causes pain sensation is not understood clearly.   When the intense cortical depression spreads, it causes chemical changes in the neurotransmitters leading the trigeminal nerve to transmit pain sensations.   The spreading depression can also activate the trigeminal nerves in the subcortical regions leading to headache.   The mechanism of aura may operate in both, people suffering from migraine with or without aura.   However, in people who do not suffer from aura may develop other symptoms including tiredness, weakness or difficulty concentrating.   Besides, involvement of the cortical and the subcortical regions in migraine, the brain stem (an ancient part of the brain) may be responsible for migraine pain.   The brain stem contains three groups o f nuclei that can play an important role in migraine.   The nuclei would inhibit the firing of the trigeminal nerve, thus causing the trigeminal neuron to fire without any pain signal.   There would be an incoming pain signal although actually there are no stimuli.   Besides, involvement of the trigeminal nerve from the brain stem, other sensory nerves including those that control visual functions may also be affected, resulting in false sensory incoming signals causing visual field disturbances (Dodick, 2008 NINDS, 2008). During an attack of migraine several processes tend to occur.   Certain triggering factors mentioned may stimulate the release of peptides such as substance P, Calcitonin Gene-related peptide, etc.  Ã‚   They tend to dilate blood vessels and cause inflammation which results in over-excitation of the trigeminal nerve.   The brain would not be affected with the headache, but the blood vessels and the meninges would be involved.   Auras occur as a result of blood flow changes (Daniel Kantor, 2007). Certain migraine headaches occur due to abnormalities in the calcium channels and also the magnesium, potassium and sodium channels.   Calcium channels present control the release of the neurotransmitter serotonin.   This neurotransmitter can play an important role in the development of migraine.   Besides, abnormalities in the levels of other neurotransmitters such as dopamine and stress hormones can result in migraine.   Dopamine could act as a stimulant of migraine and in certain individuals with genetic characteristics, higher levels of dopamine can result in nerve cell excitation.   Several prodromal symptoms such as mood changes, drowsiness and yawning are closely associated with dopamine disturbances.   The calcium channels play a vital role in the development of the cortical spreading depression (which is the cause of the migraine symptoms).   In people who suffer from migraine, magnesium deficiencies have been found.   During a migraine attack, a drop in the magnesium levels has been observed.   Once the levels of magnesium levels are low, the nerve cells become highly unstable and tend to misfire.   This could be responsible for the aura that develops.   Magnesium has been strongly associated with the calcium channels in the body.   Certain inherent deficiencies in the calcium channel systems may be present in people who develop migraine. Individuals with familial hemiplegic migraine have mutation of the gene that expresses for calcium channel systems.   Nitric Oxide has also been associated with migraine and other headaches.   Over-excitation of the nerve cells can result in the production of nitric oxide.   A rise in the nitric oxide in the blood vessels may stimulate several nerves in the brain and cause the development of pain.   Hormone fluctuations can also play a role in the development of migraine.   The changes in several hormones especially estrogen can be responsible for migraine development.   If the hor mone levels are high, low or normal for long, the migraine process would not be activated.   Hormonal fluctuations are more likely to cause migraine.   This is because fluctuations impact the serotonin and other neurotransmitter levels (Daniel Kantor, 2007). Conclusion Today, a lot of research has been identified which potentially helps to better under the migraine process.   Migraine is more of a neuro-vascular condition rather than a vascular condition earlier thought.   Currently, there are no specific drugs to treat migraine, and most of them are other groups of drugs that are utilized to treat other conditions.   Usually, ergotamine preparations, painkillers, NSAIDS, etc are given which works partially.   Hence, it has been clearly observed that they can work only in half the number of migraine patients.   Several groups of antihypertensive drugs, anti-seizure drugs, calcium channel blockers and antidepressants may work by normalizing the membrane potential thus helping to curb the rapidly-spreading cortical nerve depression.   They would work in patients who develop migraine with or without aura.   These groups of drugs would work by prevent channels present on the nerve membrane from opening up, thus helping to control calcium movement.   In this way, the nerve membrane would be stabilized.   Individuals also need to adopt a diet that can effectively help avoiding headache provoking foods and substances such as cheese, tobacco, alcohol, etc.   Blood glucose and blood pressure should be monitored and kept under control.   Better sleep hygiene and exercising patterns need to be ensured.   Stress needs to be handled in more appropriate fashions (Curtis P. Schreiber, 2005, Dodick, 2008 Mayo, 2007). Works Cited Curtis P. Schreiber. â€Å"The Pathophysiology of Migraine.† Clinics in Family Practice 7.3 (2005). Daniel Kantoor. â€Å"Migraine headaches – Highlights, FDA Warning: Serotonin Syndrome.† 2007. ADAM. 29 Nov 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/patient/body/111946799-8/777861931/10041/9399.html Daniel Kantor. â€Å"Migraine.† Medical Encyclopedia. 2006. Medline Plus. 16 Nov 2008. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000709.htm David W. Dodick and J. Jay Gargus . â€Å"Why Migraines Strike.† Scientific American. (July, 2008). http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=why-migraines-strike Mayo Clinic. â€Å"Migraine.† 2007. Mayo Clinic. 16 Nov 2008. http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/migraine-headache/DS00120/DSECTION=allMETHOD=print NINDS. â€Å"Headache: Hope through Research.† 2008. NINDS. 16 Nov 2008. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/headache/detail_headache.htm

Top 4 Activities to Reach Reluctant Readers

Top 4 Activities to Reach Reluctant Readers We have all had those students who have a love for reading, and the ones who dont. There may be many factors that correlate with why some students are reluctant to read. The book may be too hard for them, parents at home may not actively encourage reading, or the student is just not interested in what they are reading. As teachers, it is our job to help nurture and develop a love of reading in our students. By employing strategies and creating a few fun hands-on activities, we can motivate students to want to read, and not just because we make them read. The following four hands-on reading activities will encourage even the most reluctant readers to be excited about reading: Storia for iPad Technology today is unbelievable! There are so many ways to make books exciting that Scholastic book clubs decided to join in on the fun of ebooks! This app is exciting because not only is it free to download, but the amenities seem endless! There are literally thousands of books to download, from picture books to chapter books. Storia offers interactive read aloud books, a built-in highlighter and dictionary, along with learning activities to accompany the book. If you give a student the opportunity to choose a hands-on book of their choice, you will see it is a powerful way to encourage even the most reluctant reader. Record Students Reading Books Allowing children to choose what they want to read based upon their own interests will encourage them to want to read. A fun activity to try is to let the student select a book of their choice and record them reading the book aloud. Then play back the recording and have the student follow along to their voice. Research has shown that when students listen to themselves read, their reading becomes better. This is the perfect activity to add to your learning centers. Place a tape recorder and several different books in the reading center and allow students to take turns taping themselves read. Teacher Read Aloud Listening to stories from a teacher may be one of a students favorite parts of the school day. To instill this kind of passion for reading with your students, give them the opportunity to choose which book you read to the class. Choose two or three books that you feel are appropriate for your students and let them vote on the best one. Try to sway the vote towards the students who you know are the reluctant ones to read. Have a Scavenger Hunt Games are a fun way to engage students in learning while still having fun. Try creating a classroom scavenger hunt where each team has to read the clues to find out where the items they are searching for are. The students that do not like to read will not even realize they are practicing their reading skills.

N Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

N - Assignment Example Just as it applies to other corporate firms, planning strategically is adopted by hospitals following the same pattern that initiates with formulation, proceeds with execution, then evaluation of outcomes thereafter. Based on a more formal convention, carrying out a strategic plan essentially consists of four stages: -- (1) strategic formulation; (2) strategy implementation; (3) strategy monitoring; and (4) a disciplined analysis – all of which are linked from one stage on to the next in a loop, implying that the implemented strategy does not necessarily have to occur merely once with the same founded setting. The stages in cycle depict the flexibility at implementing schematic flow of agreements such that upon reaching the final stage and the strategies are assessed to have fallen short of meeting the targeted ends or set requirements and objectives, the responsible medical administrative body goes to find alternative means by which to remedy and modify with a new set of plans to work on. On accomplishing a strategy, the medical institution may need to prepare in coping with internal changes concerning the set objectives, action plans and budgets generated, level of accountability, duties and culture, as well as timelines. The course of implementation varies with complexity especially as it becomes spontaneously affected by factors that come in barrier form as – management barrier, vision barrier, people barrier, and resource barrier. Market assessment outline eventually requires thorough analytics as observed or studied from the strategic planning executed. A research on a well-implemented strategic plan indicates tight connection between long-term strategy and measures to more tactical planning and budgetting. Because each health organization has its own set of culture, mission, and vision to live by as seen fit by its constituents, a strategic plan is designed not only to settle

Conventional architectural theoray Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Conventional architectural theoray - Essay Example Beauty lies in the potential of the cogent mind to dig up prescribed conventions from the contiguous world, thereby making transparent collective mechanism of the perfect apparatus. It comes as no shocker that progressive modernists often took an aggressive stance to the communities they lived and worked in. the modernist architect’s modernist architect progressivism regularly amounted to elitism and paternalism. But as of today, architecture has become essentially sophisticated and contradictory in its very insertion of the conventional Vitruvian aspects of commodity, inflexibility, and pleasure. Presently, the needs of programs, structure, mechanical apparatus, and articulation, even in solitary buildings in plain perspectives, are diverse and conflicting in ways originally unimaginable. â€Å"Orthodox Modern architectures have tended to recognize complexity insufficiency of inconsistency.†1 Thereby in their effort to break with convention and begin all over, again, t hese architectures romanticized the primordial and basic at the expense of the varied and the compounded. Crystal Palace Joseph Paxton’s design for the Crystal Palace in London in the 1850s was both creative and avant-garde in its design. Besides being a phenomenal building to look at, the design of the Crystal Palace as well gave rise to increasing philosophical and ideological inference on the range of glass as an architectural material. Smith hence opines: â€Å"building materials in the modern are assumed significance in architectural theory that had not possessed in the past.†2 The very notion of utilizing architectural design as an ideological symbol has just presently become a motif of hypothetical assessment, although its embedded utilization as a political statement dates back as far as the art structure itself. The perceptual utilization of glass as a representation of vision permits for an elasticity of assessment that involves looking at, being stared at, a nd staring at whilst being glanced at. The Crystal Palace is regarded a symbol of the progress towards modernity, an enclosure for the exhibition of value objects that imitated Walter Benjamin’s notion of exhibitory value. On the other hand, Bentham’s Panopticon, implying that whist that buildings with the express function of permitting everyone to be seen, the Crystal Palace was instead designed so that everybody inside could view out. Nevertheless there is sense that the political functions of architecture are covert. Architecture can and must be critiqued as ideological undertones; however the mistake rests on presuming ideological intent among designers. For the Crystal Palace, it is effortless enough to view that glass functions ideologically for critics. Loews Philadelphia Hotel(PSFS Building Plan) The construction of the PSFS Building was designed as opposition to conformity for its architects, Philadelphians namely George Howe and William Lescaze. The structure is innovative in every account. An arc foundation beginning on the street level and moves up five stories above grade: a T-shaped plan surfaces, held up from the foundation, housing 32 floors of office space. The levels have perpendicular flow at the junction of the T-shape. The street level sketch, in response to the robust economy of the early 1920s and the raise of consumerism, is committed virtually nearly to retail. The curved facade attracts patrons and is welcomed

The Reasons for The Fall of Satan Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

The Reasons for The Fall of Satan - Assignment Example Other names frequently given to Satan in Christian belief are the devil, which means slanderer and Lucifer, referring to a fallen angel. The name Lucifer comes from the Hebrew word Heylal2. It depicts a lofty state. Its root means to show or to shine and to give light. Some Bible versions call him the son of the morning star, the bright morning star, Day shining star among others. Lucifer was upon God’s holy mountain in the Garden of Eden where God created and placed the angels. God made Lucifer be a filter or a screen through which Gods glory would shine. He is said to have been the leader of the heavenly choir. However, he never got a chance to walk in what God made him be. Satan is the chief adversary to God and Christ and the supreme Slanderer of God and man. He is the leader of the opposition in the divine government. Sin and rebellion originated with him. His function is to test and call in question, to thwart and to destroy every move of God in His administration of the universe. However, he is totally under God’s sovereign control and can only do what God allows. The Bible refers to two occasions when Satan is cast out of Heaven- once in pre-time or before the creation of time where he fell from the immediate presence of God with his angels and once in the future just before Christ, the Prince of peace comes back to establish His wonderful rule in the earth3. The passage in Isaiah 14 talks about Belshazzar, the king of Babylon4. Babylonian kings, who were successively great enemies and oppressors of God’s people, were known by the name Lucifer, meaning light bearer. Lucifer was another name for the goddess Venus5. Whenever a new king took the throne, he took the ceremonial hands of Baal saying that Baal is ruling and he is his Ashtaroth. It was a marriage between King and deity for they would be one on the throne. Belshazzar took the sacred drinking vessels out of the treasury that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from Jerusalem and drank from them. These vessels had been made for the Lord’s priest to use for a drink offering to the Lord.

The Information Seeking Behavior of Graduate Students

The Information Seeking Behavior of Graduate Students People seek information in different ways and using different methods to access the information they need. One individual might prefer to get the information from a news agency while another might prefer to access the latest news online or from TV, newspapers, and SMS services. Academics and students have their own unique seeking behavior and their own ways of obtaining information whether it is from a scholarly database, the web, library collections, or from their peers, therefore, it is important for us to know in this thesis how students go about seeking and obtaining their information needs taking into account their behavior. Another important factor that this research is looking at is whether the information seeking behavior of the graduate students follows an already previously established information behavioral model, and if that model can help us explain more clearly the seeking behavior and the process students go through when searching for and obtaining the information they need. From my experience as a university graduate student in Kuwait University, graduate students face problems related to how to search and seek out related information in the appropriate databases for their work. Because there is an absence of a course and a curriculum in Kuwait University that teaches the basics of information, information types, information searching process, information seeking behavior, and an information seeking guide or strategy design, the graduate students spend most of their time struggling to find a suitable way to seek and obtain the information they need correctly. This information seeking process is done on a trial and error basis by the graduate students during their coursework assignments and projects. It would be more helpful to have this kind of information incorporated in the universitys courses and curriculum especially in the first year of study to help the students improve their information seeking process. Some students also face access problems bec ause they are not given access to the databases from outside the campus by some universities. This thesis will investigate how students go about seeking and obtaining their information needs taking into account their behavior. It is also important to know in this research whether the students were satisfied with the material they found during their searching process, and whether the resources found was enough for them in which they got to a point where they stopped searching for any more materials. Another important area of investigation that this research is looking at is whether the information seeking behavior of the graduate students follows an already previously established information behavioral model, and if that model can help us explain more clearly the seeking behavior and the process students go through when searching for and obtaining the information they need. It is interesting that there arent many or enough previous research studies that study graduate students research activities and problems students faced during the information seeking process. For this reason, graduate students information seeking behavior will be examined to identify the types of search activities undertaken, and the problems they faced during their coursework and research papers. Although a number of studies have been conducted on information seeking behavior, but the issue of research activities interrelation with topic-related activities, how the results of the search activities were understood by the students, and whether the students feel that they have satisficed their information needs and achieved information fulfillment particularly in the context of Kuwait University graduate students in Kuwait, as one of the developing countries, have not been given much consideration. Also, there is a gap in the information seeking models described in the literature revi ew, whereas the models dont show the integration of students library usage or knowledge about their resources as well as citation analysis. There needs to be an integration of library use and citation analysis in these models to give a better understanding of students information seeking behavior. It is important to understand how students browse the variety of resources because it helps educators in developing and assessing courses designed to instruct their students in library and electronic usage. However, there might be a possibility that students may not be familiar with library resources, or not be aware of which resources a library might have, or how to make use of them. It is therefore of interest to us to try and understand what makes one student go out and explore library resources, while another one might not use the library for printed material but instead uses only electronic or web resources to access the material needed from a remote location such as from the working offices or from home (Waldman, 2003). 2. Related Work Since this thesiss research questions focuses on investigating the information seeking activities that are undertaken by graduate students, when students feel that they have satisficed their information needs, and did the students achieve information fulfillment, it is important to define these terms in relation to this research. There is an increasing recognition that in order to understand information seeking we need to understand the context in which it takes place and which to some extent shapes it (Allen and Kim, 2001; Brezillon and Saker, 1999; Chang and Lee, 2000; Cool, 2001; Kuhlthau and Vakkari, 1999; Solomon, 2002; Sonnenwald, 1999; Talja et al., 1999; Vakkari et al., 1997; Wilson and Allen, 1999 cited in Ford, 2004, p. 183). Information seeking within its broader context is often termed information behaviour, defined by Wilson (1999, p. 249, cited in Ford, 2004, p. 183) as: those activities a person may engage in when identifying his or her own needs for information, searc hing for such information in any way, and using or transferring that information. The notion of information behavior broadens that of information seeking by including consideration of the use of information in satisfying the purposes for which it was required. But taking into account such wider context may also have a narrowing effect, since the contextual elements that broaden the focus of a model may at the same time narrow its generality, in that they may be specific to particular domains of activity (Ford, 2004, p.183). Simon defines satisficing as a decision-making process through which an individual decides when an alternative approach or solution is sufficient to meet the individuals desired goals rather than pursue the perfect approach (Simon, 1971, p. 71 cited in Prabha et al., 2007, p. 78). When individuals satisfice, they compare the benefits of obtaining more information against the additional cost and effort of continuing to search (Schmid, 2004 cited in Prabha et al., 2007, p. 78). In fact, in many organizations, problems are considered resolved when a good enough solution has been found, that is the manager satisfices as she looks for a course of action that is satisfactory (Choo, 1998, p. 49 cited in Prabha et al., 2007, p. 78). Theoretically, decision makers consider all potential alternatives until the optimal solution emerges (Stroh et al., 2002 cited in Prabha et al., 2007, p. 78). However, such an exhaustive analysis would require additional time and expenditure which information se ekers must weigh against the likelihood that they will find additional information of sufficient value to offset the cost of continued searching. The consequences of putting time and effort into finding optimal solutions can be costly; therefore, decision makers must be willing to forgo the best solution in favor of one that is acceptable (Stroh et al., 2002, p. 94 cited in Prabha et al., 2007, p. 78). In so doing, information seekers à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦satisficeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦and choose the one [solution] that produces an outcome that is good enough' (Stroh et al., 2002, p. 94 cited in Prabha et al., 2007, p. 78) The foregoing examples suggest that users may satisfice their need for information based on what they are able to find and thus stop looking for more information. Users may also stop looking for information prematurely if the information systems are difficult or unusable. The very abundance of information makes it crucial for information seekers to decide what information is enough to meet their objectives. (Prabha et al. 2007, p. 78). Information Fulfillment can be defined as the achievement of all information needs. The provenance of the term can be traced back to the 1870s when it was used to describe the fulfillment of a commercial order. The aim of an information system is to ensure that the end user is able to function effectively within the organization and able to access all the necessary information in order to complete a task. There have been a variety of information models proposed which aim to plot the sequences of events from the initial information seeking to information finding (Burke, 2006, p.446). Seeking information is still a fundamental activity which involves searching, collecting, organizing, storing, retrieving, and using information (Abouserie, 2007). Abouserie (2007) stated that it has become easy to save time and make less effort in retrieving information on a subject or to get a information source by its title, author, subject, and date of publication through the use of information based research tools. He also explained that the tasks of making several information seeking strategies and retrieving information have been improved by the emergence of new generations of hardware and software (Machionini, 1995 cited in Abouserie, 2007, p.3). Adequate knowledge about the information needs of users is imperative for libraries in re-orienting their collections, services and activities to synchronize them with the information seeking behavior of users. New technologies have affected the information seeking process. These technologies have affected some functions and processe s in universities, schools, libraries, and information centers (Abouserie, 2007). Abouserie (2007) also described that storing, organizing, retrieving, and providing access to information are the main processes that have been positively affected. Many library materials are available in online databases. In addition, it becomes possible for many users to use each database at the same time without affecting the quality of the service or the response rate. He also stated that information seeking is a broad term that includes the ways individuals formulate their information needs, seek, evaluate, select and use the needed information. Many factors contribute to the selection and use of different information sources such as: cost, past success, accuracy, reliability, comprehensiveness, usefulness, currency, response time, accessibility, technical quality, and the format. Investigations into the information needs and information seeking patterns of individuals would help improve the current information systems and resources for providing to the continuous changing needs of their users (Abouserie, 2007). In this thesis information seeking behavior is described as an individuals way and manner of gathering and sourcing for information for personal use, knowledge updating and development (Kakai et al, 2004 cited in Ajiboye, 2007, p.546). Waldman (2003) stated that information seeking behavior is the way people search for and utilize information. It is important to understand what factors are relevant in motivating a person to seek out information. A particular focus of inquiry has been on those factors that play a role in deciding to use the library and its resources as a place to seek information, either physically or virtually, as opposed to just surfing the Internet. He also stated that it would appear that more people are using the Internet to find information they need, and information that is unmediated by the library. He stated that informed library users are aware that libraries have resources that are more comprehensive and scholarly in nature than most Web resources available on the Internet. Also, libraries may provide access to scholarly literature that is not freely available on the Web, or may not be online at all. Equally important, users become aware of libraries resources, usually while having to write research papers in their undergraduate or graduate studies. Waldman (2003) also said that it is critical to understand what makes students use the librarys resources whether (print and/or electronic) while others will not think of the library as a place to find scholarly resources for their papers. One difficulty to the use of a librarys resources, and in particular its electronic resources, is that they are not seen as being direct. In contrast to an Internet search engine, where a single keyword search will usually result in thousands of hits, no matter what the topic is, on the other hand, in the library, students have to choose a particular database and be more selective in the search words they use according to Waldman (2003). 3. Objective of the research and the proposed methodology The aim of this thesis is to know how students go about seeking and obtaining their information needs taking into account their behavior. It also aims at knowing whether the students were satisfied with the material they found during their searching process, and whether the resources found was enough for them in which they got to a point where they stopped searching for any more materials. Another important factor that this research aims at is whether the information seeking behavior of the graduate students follows an already previously established information behavioral model, and if that model can help us explain more clearly the seeking behavior and the process students go through when searching for and obtaining the information they need. The following objectives will be used in the study to structure the inquiry and to guide the development of the research procedures and methodologies: To identify and synthesize the literature relevant to information seeking behavior. To determine the place of this research within the published literature. To select and develop a method of data collection. To examine and analyze how students obtain the information they need. To gather and represent data on the information seeking activities and strategies of students. To investigate the extent to which model of the information seeking models could explain the information behavior of graduate students. To test the applicability of a generic (Wilsons first information seeking behavior model of 1981) and a non-linear information model (Fosters 2005 information behavior model) to the information behavior of graduate students. To examine what difficulties students face and what types of behavior they experience during their information seeking process when finding or not finding the appropriate information. For this reason, an exploratory qualitative research approach with semi-structured, in-depth interviews was chosen as the methodology, because this research focuses on studying the information seeking behavior of graduate students, and the most suitable method to study the behavior of students as well as their information needs and process of acquiring information is through the qualitative method. According to Ambert et. al. (1995) qualitative research seeks depth rather than breadth, and instead of drawing from a large sample of an entire population, qualitative researchers seek to acquire in-depth information about a smaller group of persons. The aim of qualitative research is to clear about how and why people behave, think, and make meaning as they do, rather than focusing on what people do or believe on a large scale. In addition, qualitative research frequently results in discovery of new information, and new practices or behaviors rather than verification. It may also involve complete redirection, or modification of, or additions to, existing ideas or models. Qualitative methods are a set of data collection and analysis techniques that can be used to provide description, build theory, and to test theory Van Maanen (1979 cited in Shah and Corley, 2006, p.1824). The reason why quantitative method is not being used in this research is because this thesiss aims and objectives are not to develop and employ mathematical models and hypotheses concerning phenomena using calculations and statistical procedures. Qualitative research is a better method to be used for this thesis because it provides a deeper understanding of the issues and insight into the process we are studying. Researchers in this field such as George, C. et al. (2006) study explored graduate students information behavior related to their process of inquiry and scholarly activities. Qualitative method was used through in depth, semi-structured interviews that were conducted with one hundred graduate students representing all disciplines and departments from Carnegie Mellon Univers ity. Other researchers like Foster (2005) offers a new, nonlinear model of information seeking behavior, which contrasts with earlier stage models of information behavior and represents a potential cornerstone for a shift towards a new perspective for understanding user information behavior. The model is based on the findings of a study on interdisciplinary information-seeking behavior. The study followed a qualitative approach using interviews of 45 academics. The interview results were inductively analyzed and an alternative framework for understanding information seeking behavior was developed. The research approach that will be applied in this thesis will be the use of Grounded Theory (GT). This thesis and its research questions try to find an answer or an explanation to the phenomenon which is the graduate students information seeking behavior. This research has no previous theory or a hypothesis to test, but it seeks to generate a new idea, information, added value, or a theor y to previous research done in the subject of information seeking behavior of graduate students. Therefore, the most suitable qualitative data analysis method chosen for this thesis is Grounded Theory (GT). Grounded Theory is a general, inductive, and interpretive research approach which was originated in 1967 by Barney Glaser and Anselm Strauss (Glaser and Strauss, 1967). Glaser defines grounded theory as an approach that is based on the systematic generation of theory from the data collected and analyzed that is obtained from social research. Theory is generated during the actual research, and this is achieved through continuous interplay between analysis and data collection. Researchers who use GT as their research method do not test or verify any preconceived hypothesis. In contrast, researchers in this approach develop new theory based on the collected data. Instead of having hypotheses to test, researchers in GT studies have research questions to address. In grounded theory, a researcher should keep his/her mind open to any possible evidence that might exist in the dataset. In Glasers words (1992, p. 8) GT is inductively generating theory through qualitative analysis of qualitative and/or quantitative data. To define the meaning of qualitative analysis, Glaser (1992, p. 1) states that qualitative analysis entails any kind of analysis that generates findings or concepts, as in grounded theory, that are not arrived at by statistical methods. Although GT is a well-established methodology, it is an approach to research rather than a detailed research method. The general goal of GT research is to develop theories in order to understand the phenomenon under study. GT has been developed and also used within the field of social science, and has been successfully employed by people in a variety of different disciplines including information science. In addition, Pace (2004) states that the main and essential stages in the process of GT development involves first coding the data collected, memo writing, sorting the data, and then writing the theory. This study is also significant because the uses of information resources especially electronic resources are used by students in universities and academic libraries. Since the access and use of electronic resources is faster and less time consuming, it makes it more appealing for students than that of obtaining printed resources. This research will be applied in Kuwait University in the College of Graduate Studies by choosing a sample of graduate students to study, because students in Kuwait face problems related to how to search and seek out related information in the appropriate databases for their research papers. Graduate students in Kuwait University need a strategy to guide them in their information seeking process. New information, added value, and a theory integrated with the information seeking models will be proposed in this research paper. 4. Results of data collected The sample was drawn from the population of graduate students enrolled at the College of Graduate Studies at Kuwait University. The 24 students that were interviewed and observed in the library and computer labs were from the Information Systems, Social Sciences, and Library Departments. The data that was collected from the students transcribed interviews were coded into meaningful categories using qualitative data analysis and represented in the figure below and will be described in 8 key points that will hopefully help in answering the research questions of this thesis and address the gap or problem in this research. From the data collected it is clear that the students information seeking behavior and activities were only caused by their course-related homework and that they mainly used online resources to find information they needed for their coursework in a hope to reach information fulfillment. Also from the data collected during the interviews, the students expressed that the y dont seek information or make any research activities outside their university coursework or for personal use. Plus, so far from the data collected, the students seem to follow Wilsons first information seeking behavior model of 1981 and Fosters 2005 information behavior model that were explained in the literature review and they are applicable in their situations. The findings were summarized in the following key points, topics, or themes: types of research activities, activities interrelation with topic, library usage and role in obtaining information needs, Internet usage and role in obtaining information needs, result of search activities understood by students, support from instructors and fellow students in getting information, achieving satisfaction with information needs, and achieving information fulfillment. 4.1 Data Analysis The main approach to the data analysis involved a detailed analysis of the interview transcripts collected from the graduate students at Kuwait University. First of all, notes from each interview, made both during the interview and immediately after it, were reviewed and then highlights as well as new concepts were identified. Secondly, the transcript from each interview was reviewed and coded. Thirdly, each new interview was compared to the previous ones for confirming or disconfirming evidence. Open coding using Key Point Coding was used for coding the responses from the interviews to give P1, P2, and so on where P indicates key point (Allan, 2003). The codes are then analyzed and those that relate to a common theme are grouped together. Concepts are then grouped and regrouped to find categories. Then these concepts and categories lead to the emergence of a theory. If the data has been analyzed without a preconceived theory or hypothesis, that theory is truly grounded in the data b ecause it came from nowhere else. Preliminary patterns describing the factors that influence information-seeking behavior were developed based on concepts identified during the literature review (Mansourian, 2006). Key Points Responses from sample P1: Types of research activities Only university courses related activities from (I1 to I27). I3, I26 also researched for personal work. P2: Activities interrelation with topic Activities are interrelated with topics from (I1 to I27) P3: Library usage and role in obtaining information needs I3, I4, I6, I9, I11,I13, I16, I22, I25 P4: Internet usage and role in obtaining information needs I1, I2, I3, I4, I5, I6, I7, I8, I9, I10, I11, I12, I13, I14, I15, I16, I17, I18, I19, I20, I21, I22, I23,I24, I25, I26, I27 P5: Result of search activities understood by students I1, I2, I3, I4, I5, I6, I7, I9, I11, I12, I13, I14, I15, I16, I17, I18, I19, I20, I24, I25, I26, I27 P6: Support from instructors and fellow students in getting information I1, I3, I4, I5, I6, I7, I8, I9, I10, I11, I12, I14, I15, I16, I17, I18, I19, I20, I21, I22, I23, I24, I25, I26, I27 P7: Opinions on achieving satisfaction with information needs I1, I3, I4, I5, I6, I7, I8, I10, I11, I12,I13, I14, I15, I16, I17, I18, I19, I20, I21, I22, I23, I24, I25, I26, I27 P8: Achieving information fulfillment I18, I24, I25 Key Points are presented using the code (p) as in key point no.1 (P1), key point no.2 (P2). Responses from the sample that was interviewed are presented as (I1, I2). The code (I) refers to Individual 1, Individual 2. This thesis examines what types of research activities are undertaken by graduate students, and how these activities were interrelated with topic-related activities. This thesis identifies how the results of the search activities were understood by the students, when students feel that they have satisficed their information needs, and did the students achieve information fulfillment. Also, this thesis sets out to investigate the extent to which model of the information seeking models could explain the information behavior of graduate students, and to test the applicability of a generic (Wilsons first information seeking behavior model of 1981) and a non-linear information model (Fosters 2005 information behavior model) to the information behavior of graduate students. From the data collected during the interviews and observation, it is clear that the students search activities were interrelated with topic-related activities. Their information seeking behavior and activities were only caused by their course-related homework and that they mainly used online resources to find information they needed for their coursework in a hope to reach information fulfillment. Also from the data collected during the interviews, the students expressed that they dont seek information or make any research activities outside their university coursework or for personal use. Plus, so far from the data collected, the students seem to follow Wilsons first information seeking behavior model of 1981 and Fosters 2005 information behavior model that were explained in the literature review and they are applicable in their situations. The findings were summarized in 8 key points, topics, or themes. The students all expressed that they always feel that they havent satisficed their information needs and dont achieve information fulfillment. They also face problems during their information seeking behavior and demanded that Kuwait University find a solution to these obstacles to improve their i nformation seeking experience. One student recommended that, Kuwait University must provide us with training courses and workshops for all types of searching that is organized with the library and should be incorporated within our courses. Also, skilled librarians should be hired who are aware of other fields and majors so that they can help us with our searching process and save us time when finding materials. Plus, the university should subscribe to more databases as well as English and Arabic journals in addition to the ones that are already available. Moreover, there should be one web page or portal to unite the access to all database web sites by entering just one username and password, because there is the burden and difficulty of entering a username and a password for each database web site. There is no portal that unites all of the universities databases where only one username and password is entered at the beginning and then you can browse all the databases. Another studen t suggested that, My information seeking process and obtaining experience could be improved by being able to download all articles from the universitys databases, because right now I face a problem in downloading some articles. Also, the university needs to subscribe to more databases so that I have a variety of resources to search for my topics. The databases that the university is currently subscribed to should work. Finally, there needs to be more organization in the university library in terms of keeping articles or books so that we can easily find them and not take so much time in searching for resources that could be lost without us knowing. Furthermore, a student said that it would be lovely to see the university, Provide me with full access to databases off the university campus. Additionally, meetings should be organized with librarians and students to help them on the ways of searching for materials, and on how to get the printed and electronic resources available physical ly at the library or on the universitys online web site. Equally important, all students suggested that the university should provide them with up-to-date software programs and good hardware devices with no technical problems or defaults. 4.2 Graduate Students Information Seeking Behavior Model at Kuwait University The following proposed model describes and shows the steps and process of what graduate students actually go through and what they do in their information seeking behavior. The boxes in the model show processes, inputs, outputs, steps, and people, and the arrows represents a mixture of information and decision making trajectories and the relationships and inter-relationships between them. First, the graduate student is given the option of choosing his or her topic to do a research on, or a topic is assigned to them by the instructor during the coursework. The topic is interrelated with the research activities or the information seeking behavior. Then, the students seek for information either from the library or from the Internet. The graduate students use mostly electronic resources from the web via Google Scholar, The Invisible Web, and from the databases that the university is subscribed to. When the students are experiencing their information seeking behavior, they sometimes get h elp, support, and advice from their instructors and fellow students or friends. Afterwards, the student gets the results of his or her search activities and the information seeking behavior might result in satisfaction and happiness to the student or non-satisfaction which then leads to lack of satisficing and information fulfillment. Finally, the satisfaction of the information should lead to information fulfillment for the student. 5. Conclusion Academics and students have their own unique seeking behavior and their own ways of obtaining information whether it is from a scholarly database, the web, library collections, or from their peers, therefore, it is important for us to know in this thesis how students go about seeking and obtaining their information needs taking into account their behavior. Another important factor that this research is looking at is whether the information seeking behavior of the graduate students follows an already previously established informatio

Determinist Theory Essay -- Psychology, Behavior, Urbanism

Determinist Theory: predicts that the behaviors and characteristics that people show are mediated by â€Å"urbanism,† or example delinquency seem as a consequence due to the negative exposure to urban environments. Wirth's essay â€Å"Urbanism as a Way of Life† studied the social disorganization of the urban life also known as â€Å"community lost perspective.†Although Wirth argues that life in the city is goal oriented, anomic and segmented, other theories argue that â€Å"urbanism† does affects social behavior but there is not proof that â€Å"urbanism† causes mental health, and isolation (152-153). Compositional Theory: this theory examines multiple ways of urban life, it discusses the impact that â€Å"urbanism† has on kinship ethnicity, neighbor relations and occupation behaviors in urban areas. According to the theory the composition of the group is what matters , each area or every group have their own moral codes, and rules of behavior. Gans states that people are influence more by the nature of their community and/or group than by the density , size or heterogeneity , the Chicago School called this the :mosaic of social worlds.† This theory is similar to the subcultural theory (153-154). Subcultural theory: According to Fischer this theory attempts to deal with social problems and how relative is space is to individual actions and the value of their group. Fischer states that macro-structure of the urban society shapes the social world and forms subcultures (154). How do they (theories) help you understand the development of cities? The physical complex of a city will transformed the social constructions of a city. As a city grows so does the behavior of the citizens of such city. The constructors of cities usually promotes an open space whet... ...reality is that they were escaping from the city overpopulation, traffic congestion and problems such as poverty and crime. With the emergence of suburbia, the white affluent people benefited from the amenities that both the country and city offered them. Although things are changing from and people claimed that segregation has ended, there is still segregation of groups. I hope to see one day that there are no differences between social classes, races, ethnicity, or religions, I hope to see a world where every citizen has the same rights. A world where people do not have to die of hunger or because they did not have health care. To achieve that everyone has to get involved in the planning and development of cities, to build a more community oriented city where the beneficiaries are those who form the communities, and not the government or the big corporation.

Farley Mowat’s “Never cry wolf” Essay

Farley, Mowat’s â€Å"Never cry wolf,† is a book based on the research of the lifestyle of wolves in the Arctic Circle. Mowat uses his experience to educate the society of the social ills conducted by the hunters towards the wolves. The book displays the risk that the wolf pack families face due to the human activities in the area. The title of the book acts as a symbol in reference to the story of the boy who cried wolf. The book thus enables the reader to think beyond the tile so as to form an opinion of the author’s message. The book challenges the human communities who are in charge of the nature around them. Humans tend to overstep their authority by infringing on the rights of the wolves. The analysis of the book educates the society of the inhumane activities that humans are inflicting on the animals. â€Å"The wolf is a savage, powerful killer. It is one of the most feared and hated animals known to man and with excellent reason† Chapter 6, pg. 60. The passage showcases the dangers that the wolf portrays. Human beings often misinterpret the actions of the wolf due to its dangerous nature. Despite the fact that the wolf continues to become extinct, it poses a threat to the human beings who live next to the packs. This makes the world undesirable by man. â€Å"Evidence obtained by various Government agencies from hunters, trappers and traders seemed to prove that the plunge of the caribou toward extinction was primarily†¦ The intervention by the government saw the danger that the wolves are exposed to. Human activities were mostly responsible for these dynamics making them the number on culprits. This also displayed possible extinction of the breed of wolves if authorities continued to ignore the circumstances. â€Å"I had made my decision that, from this hour onward, I would go open-minded into the lupine world and lean to see and know the wolves, not for what they were supposed to be, but for what they actually are† Chapter 7, pg. 77. Morwat made a personal decision to protect the wildlife from the outside environment. One of the steps he takes is orienting himself with the lives of the wolves. This involves learning about the exact nature of the wolves instead of forming an assumption about them. This in turn will help remove the ignorance that he had so as to improve society’s awareness of the wolves. In conclusion, human beings are responsible for the surrounding environment. This involves observing the safety of all animals in and outside the wild. This is however, not the case in that the number of wild animals continues to diminish due to the human activity. The wolves are one of the animals that continue to face the wrath of human beings. The analysis of the book is thus ideal for the education of the public. This in turn will improve the existing relationship between man and nature.

London Calling Essay Example

London Calling Essay Example London Calling Essay London Calling Essay London Calling The article from the â€Å"Newsweek† magazine is written by William Underhill who was in London with Marie Valla. The article is informative, describing London’s best attributes and development on financial, cultural and intellectual areas. The growing prosperity and popularity is presented as a result of one thing in particular: immigration. This means the main focus in the article is how immigration has contributed to London’s culture in many ways – in fact, immigration is defined as â€Å"(†¦) the secret to London’s success,† which is clearly a flattering statement. Throughout the text, a lot of rhetorical devices are used in the article on order to promote immigration. The â€Å"Newsweek† magazine itself is a business magazine, directed to people interested in modern business and future development, such as company directors and professional investors. The article is a special city report on London. It is pretty obvious that it is business-related since the description of London focus mainly on commerce, work and culture, and barely on art and entertainment. The article does have a political background to some degree, since it takes a stand in favor of immigration and reasons against anti-immigration campaigns that are presented by the Conservative Party in the text – â€Å"As Livingstone sees it, the Tories’ extremist right-wing politics threaten to undermine the very essence of modern London the engine that powers not only Britain’s prosperity, but much of Europe’s. † – the essence of London being the result of immigration. The text relies almost too much on the pathos-appeal to be truly convincing though, making unsubstantiated claims such as â€Å"Some cities capture an era (†¦) Now it’s London’s moment – not some cool Britannia fad, fed by a few hot bands or hip designers, but a wholesale reinvention,† and â€Å"(†¦) London standing as Europe’s only world city,† and â€Å"Indeed, this is the only major European capital that is actually growing, a favored destination for work-hungry migrants from around the globe. † among others, which cannot be documented by facts. This shows how the author is also trying to make the article dynamic and exciting to read, maybe in order to purposely convince rather than inform the recipients of London’s success. Logos is very present though, documenting how London is growing, such as the professional forecast on how London will gain 810. 000 more people by 2016 – using numbers like that is using logos. But in over-all, I think the style is rather American, and would appeal more to Americans than to Europeans, since pathos and good-feel statements like â€Å"What makes us different is that we love diversity. We celebrate it,† are usually more prone to be found in the U. S. Another rhetorical device is the composition of the article. The article begins by positively describing London’s growth and how immigration has promoted the growth and popularity – what is interesting is that in the end, the author has chosen to throw in some fact on the bad consequences of foreigners streaming in the country, like traffic, high prices and the big gap between wealth and poverty. He believes this problems to be fixable though, and the up-sides to be more important, saying that â€Å"Perhaps the biggest challenges of all involves resisting political pressures that might kill the golden goose – over-harsh immigration politics to name (†¦)† This also indicates how the author is definitely not neutral, as mentioned. The purpose is not to mislead possible London-investors though, since it is an informative article. Underhill has two main purposes. He wants to show us or convince us of the fact that immigration is good and essential, and also that London is the absolute best place to be – â€Å"the 21st-century metropolis. William Underhill: †London Calling† page 51, 1st column [ 2 ]. William Underhill: †London Calling† page 51, 1st column [ 3 ]. William Underhill: †London Calling† page 50, 2nd column [ 4 ]. William Underhill: †London Calling† page 53 3rd column [ 5 ]. William Underhill: †London Calling† page 50, 1st column [ 6 ]. William Underhill: †London Calling† page 52, 1st column [ 7 ]. William Underhill: †London Calling† page 53, 3rd column [ 8 ]. William Underhill: †London Calling† page 53 3rd column [ 9 ]. William Underhill: †London Calling† page 51, 2nd column

Red Tsar Essays

Red Tsar Essays Red Tsar Paper Red Tsar Paper When Stalin rose to power in 1929 he claimed to the Russian public that he was a devote follower of Leninism; his slogan Lenin is always with us1 meant that Stalin wanted to show how similar he was to Lenin. However Stalin asserted his power at the head of government much like the Tsars by employing tactics of fear and propaganda. Stalins personal dictatorship meant he had strong elements of being Red Tsar as he established unquestionable rule, this idea of being a Red Tsar came from the belief that Stalin wasnt committed to communism, as his traditional ideas were reminiscent of Tsarist autocratic rule, so effectively he was a fusion between the two ruling styles. As Stalin wished to portray himself as a God-like figure; this made him an isolated leader who tolerated no criticism, similar to the style of ruling under the Tsars, as both leaders dismissed ministers at their own will and chose to act on their own personal feelings, for example like the Russification policy of employed by all the Tsars, but in particular Alexander II and the nationalistic policies of Stalin. Stalins government was top-down2, and unlike Lenin and Khrushchev, Stalin was very wary of how much his fellow party members knew. Therefore he employed a clear hierarchy, where information was withheld from lower members. The Tsars relied on loyalty of elites to strengthen government, in particular the nobility and the Russian Orthodox Church, who helped to keep firm control over the Russian people. Although it is true that both Lenin and Stalin surrounded themselves with loyal i lites called nomenklatura, these elites became more important under Stalin, as the influence of the wider CCP was reduced he descended into his personal dictatorship. The growth under Stalin of the Party Secretariat, which was created under Lenin, meant there was a growth in bureaucracy, something which communist ideology disapproved of. As the General Secretary of the CCP Stalin had influence over all areas of the party, whilst the Politburo became the most influential body, as it controlled the actions of all government departments. Therefore the party became more centralised, as the influence of the grass-roots became less significant. Hence historians such as Richard Pipes claim that Leninism caused Stalinism, as Lenins party resembled a more secret order than a party in the normally accepted sense3, this led to an elitist structure, meaning that Stalins dictatorship was unavoidable. Although some disagree with this view as they understand we could never have predicted the extent to which Stalin employed a personal dictatorship. The democracy strived for during the revolution4 and declined into a dictatorship laced with censorship and nationalism reminiscent of Tsarist autocracy, as only views complementary of the regime were allowed and media from outside Russia were prohibited for fear of radicalisation. Therefore concerning the type and running of government Stalin appears more similar to his Tsarist predecessors than any of his Communist comrades, as he relied on elites, bureaucracy, elitism and a tightly controlled government, therefore this makes him a Red Tsar. Both Lenin and Stalin believed in a strong internal state, in which the party had complete control in the running of government. However Lenin did not believe in a creation of a cult of personality as Stalin did, as Stalin established himself as the fount of all wisdom5, this glorification as the Fa ther of Russia6 never appeared in such extreme force under Lenin nor Khrushchev. Therefore historian Moshe Lewin argues that Stalins system of government was a hybrid of Marxism and Tsarism7, as a creation of a cult of personality contains few Marxist-Leninist roots, but harkens back to the Russian tradition of leader worship. However Stalin and Khrushchev can be seen as similar as both leaders employed cunning8 and spin-doctoring. But there are clear differences, as Khrushchev lacked the temperamental nature of Stalin and the Tsars. He claimed Stalin was a litsedi meaning a man of many faces9, therefore there is a parallel between Stalin and the Tsars, as both made rash decisions out of spite, in particular the weak Tsar Nicholas II, who left his wife Alexandrina in charge of Russia in 1915 when he took direct charge of the army. Moreover Khrushchev denounced Stalin and his methods of Terror in his de-Stalinisation speech when he rose to power in 1956. Similarities between the Tsars and Stalin can also be drawn between the bad temper and brutal natures of both rulers. This is illustrated by when servants discovered Stalins wifes death they were reluctant to tell him, these Little People had a reasonable aversion to breaking bad news to the Tsars and Stalin, and they fell faint with fear10. Therefore both rulers commanded and frightened the Russian people with their tempers, making Stalin a Red Tsar. The fear that Stalin implemented was reinforced by his use of use of ideology, which was reminiscent of the religious attitudes under the Tsars, as his use of glorification kept a tight reign on the Russian people. This use of ideology led to his unquestionable rule like that experience under the Tsars, but Stalin emphasized separation of the state from the Church, unlike The Tsarist autocratic rule was strengthened by the support from the Russian Orthodox Church. The Tsars and the Church supported each other for mutual interest, and the teachings of the Church favoured autocracy11, since the majority of the population was religious, opposition to the government was seen as a direct challenge to God and the Divine Right of the Tsar, this made any opposition unpopular. Although this makes Stalin different from the Tsars, it does not make him like the other communist leaders, as Stalin embraced a marginal increase in religious tolerance, and did not campaign against religion nor advocate atheism like Lenin or Khrushchev. Stalins repressive methods align him with the Tsars, particularly Alexander III, whose rule was known as The Reaction, he favoured modernisation and the belief that education was dangerous12. Like Stalin, Alexander III believed that education should be strict and formal, whereas Marxist-Leninism which showed less regard for formal education. Even though Lenin and Stalin were very similar in some of their beliefs such as the belief in a monopolistic party, a strong state, the need for dramatic transformations within society13 to make Russia a socialist state. However unlike Lenin, Stalin did not believe that the communist movement should spread into the West outside the USSR. Despite this Stalin did export communism during the Cold War, encouraging the spread of communism to the East in countries like China and Korea. This also continued into Khrushchevs rule, when he showed support for the development of communism in Cuba. But at first Stalins policy of Socialism in one country set him aside from the majority of communists and showed a complete betrayal of Marxist beliefs. As Marxism was a international movement empowering all the workers of the world, and a movement which denounced nationalism. But Stalins nationalism in form, socialist in content14, harkened back to the Great Russian Empire under rulers such as Peter the Great and Ivan the Terrible15, this nationalism forced the Russian population into patriotism, like that experienced under the Tsars, which was never experienced to the same extent under Lenin or Khrushchev. This is an explanation for Stains belief that non-Russians should be moulded into Russians. Whereas Marxist-Leninism stated that non-Russians should remain in Russia un-disturbed, Lenin enforced this through his Decree of Nationalities in 1917. Therefore Stalins nationalism aligns him with the Tsars policy of Russification16, which forced all those nationalities living in Russia to speak Russian. Despite Stalins nationalist beliefs, Stalinism was still derived from Leninism, and they had some similarities such as distrust of bureaucracy, the belief the achievement of a utopian Russia and both having had a hatred of adulation at close quarters 17 . Although Lenin and Stalin had some similar values, as their core beliefs were derived from the teachings of Marx. However Lenin never attempted to build a cult of personality and disliked the term Leninism, as he thought of himself as a Marxist unlike Stalin, who wanted to develop the personalities of the population under his own glorification. Therefore McCauley argues that Stalin manipulated Marxism and Leninism for his own means18 as McCauley believes Stalin was not a true communist as he did not properly embrace the ideology. Moreover his focus on traditional beliefs such as family values, the importance of marriage, and the implementation of policies such as making divorce difficult and outlawing abortion. These beliefs made Stalin more traditional in his values than Khrushchev and Lenin who both believed conventions such as marriage were outdated in society. While the style and ceremonies of High Stalinism in 1930s seemed less Leninist and more a reversion to the past, as Stalins semi-religious imagery, crude nationalism and parables with the great state of building Tsars like Ivan the terrible19 make him seemingly Tsariest. Therefore although Stalin may have shared some ideologies in common with the communists, many of his key values made him very different, as although Marxism initiated most of their beliefs Stalin had many traditional beliefs that neither Lenin nor Khrushchev held. Stalins outright brutality, not only surpassed the Tsars but also his communist comrades, as E. H Carr claims Stalin revived and outdid the brutalities of earlier Tsars20, showing a difference between Stalins methods of repression and the methods used by the Tsars. Consequently some historians claim that Stalins brutalities must have stemmed from a source, as Simon Hartfree claims that High Stalinism appears as the logical and inevitable outcome of Leninism21 as he argues that Lenins actions such as the use of Terror and purges, paved the way for the brutalities of Stalinism. This is reinforced by R Medevev, who argues that although there was little continuity between Lenin and Stalin, as Stalin abolished the NEP, forced collectivisation, employed mass-terror and administrative rather than economic methods for industrialisation, Stalin saw himself as a disciple of Lenin22. Stalin implemented much of Lenins domestic and foreign policy, as he rid the party of factions, removed the intelligentsia, collectivised agriculture and created a Red Army. All these were all Leninist policies; however the implementation of these polices may have not been to Lenins taste. This shows that Stalinism was built on the foundations of the Leninist state, although it may have taken a shape Lenin would not have approved of. However historians such as Robert Service argue that the passage from Leninism to the worse horrors of Stalinism was neither smooth nor inevitable23. Although Service claims that Lenin was more ruthless than originally percieved, particularly as he crushed his enemies, waged class warfare and had unpleasant attitudes towards peasants and the Church. However Service also claims that Lenin ultimately wanted to abolish the secret police, the army and eventually the whole state. Therefore Lenins oppressive methods are dwarfed by the High Stalinism of the 1930s, when Stalin implemented methods of totalitarianism. Stalin used a regime of Terror to stay in power much like the Tsars, but his creation of a highly centralised state means that historians such as Schapiro hold Stalin personally responsible for high levels of human suffering24 during his rule. Furthermore Robert Conquest claims that the Great terror emanated from the top, he claims that Stalin planned the purges, directed the NKVD and organised the apparatus of terror, to control his own party as much as the country. 25 Whereas J. Arch Getty claims the Cold War distorted the western view of the Soviet Union and we must distance Stalin from sole responsibility26 for the horrors of the Great Terror. Getty claims that Stalin had no plans the Terror experienced in the Soviet Union at this time, and despite his position of power his personality faults do not help to explain what happened, in fact Stalin may have not even known what was going on. Getty also claims that officers in the NKVD acted on their own will, due to chaos of the Soviet Union and fear of Stalins temper. Getty claims that the randomness of attacks and irrational fear within the population, shows that there was a lack of tight central control. Gettys view is extreme, because although the scale of the terror, thoroughness of targeting and executions can be partly put down to a tumult within the Soviet Union at this time, Stalin must still be regarded as a deeply suspicious character, who saw enemies everywhere, therefore he must be more than partially responsible. Consequently the most convincing view is that Stalin was not solely responsible for the Terror experienced, but that his position within the country meant he knew the majority of what was happening and exercised significant power over the NKVD. The atrocities experienced did not happen without a great deal of central orchestration because the sheer scale, cannot simply be put down to civil unrest. The repressive methods of Stalins regime such as show trials, secret police and labour camps can seem out of character in context of this 100 year period, but these methods were used during the rule of the Tsars and were used under both Lenin and Khrushchev. However George Leggett claims27 these methods were never used to the same extent by other rulers, although Lenin, and Khrushchev seem similar concerning their repression of opposition. However Stalin was set aside from other communist leaders by the killing of his own communist comrades, as Lenin would have never have that gone as far, Khrushchev denounced this shortly after Stalins death in his de-Stalinisation speech. Leggetts view is particularly convincing as Stalins brutalities can not be compared to anybody in Russian history. Moreover the sheer scale of Stalins terror particularly during the Purges of 1928 to 1934 and show trials used throughout his rule surpass Lenin and Khrushchev and his brutality demonstrates his Red Tsar nature. Stalins killing of Lenins i lite, his brutal secret police (NKVD) and the rise in fascism led to High Stalinism, where Stalin resorted to extraordinary measures28 to control his party and the population. Although some of these methods continued under Khrushchev, they were comparatively less horrific. Even though grain seizures were common to all communist leaders, it is important to recognise that all communist leaders were against the forced collectivisation experienced under Stalin, which led to widespread famine in Russia. Although it is unfair to say there was no famine was suffered under Lenin or Khurschev, especially as millions died during the Civil War. Around 20 million Russians died during Stalins rule, 1. 5 million executed, 2 million died in camps, and 7 million died in famine29. This sheer scale of death came from use of terror methods such as slave labour camps in which at least 30 million may have served in. These huge totals surpass any under both Lenin and Khrushchev, even despite Lenins harsh treatment of opposition. Lenin also lacked the understanding of political pluralism and a multi-party system30, which led to his banning of factions in 1921 and his latter use of purges. However Lenin did not have the same distrust of members of his own party as Stalin did, as Stalin executed 98/139 members of the Seventeenth Party Congress, whilst 1,100 out 1,96631 party delegates were arrested. Although there is much evidence of violence under the Tsars, such as the repression of opposition after the assassination of Alexander II, Stalin is not like a Red Tsar, as Stalins brutalities surpass and dwarf any under the Tsars. However the truly autocratic natures of the Tsars, particularly Alexander III allow some similarities between Stalin and the Tsars. For example both Stalin and Alexander III had a distrust of giving others power, thus they both made the function of local government very difficult32. Both also of increased censorship and government control over universities. Stalin also enforced totalitarianism in all areas of life such as education, youth movements, culture, media, information, armed forced, government and administration33. This lead to a period known as Socialist Realism, an artistic style depicting happy workers, which was reminiscent of old Russian exclusiveness 34experienced under the Tsars. This was a highly censored period, in which the image of Stalin and the party was carefully arranged to show the country and the leader in their best light. Although both Lenin and Stalin had elements of vanity, Stalins image appeared everywhere portraying him as a heroic saviour and towering leader. This idea of exclusiveness was rejected by Marxism and Leninism, meaning Stalins portrayal of himself through the censored media allows basis to claims of him being a Red Tsar. The original literary and artistic freedom allowed by the Provisional Government following the revolution, came to a bitter end under Stalin, but had a limited revival under Khrushchev. This censorship extended to education, as the whole system became dominated by industrialisation, meaning foreign influence was limited, whilst strict government attitude towards workers meant social benefits were cut and education fees increased35. Also history books were re-written to suit Stalins taste, meaning that Stalins people may have been better educated than under the Tsars, but they naively regarded Stalin as their knight in shining armour, holding like an icon in their homes, much like the old Tsars, allowing Stalin to appear a Red Tsar. Moreover Stalin waged war on the Kulaks; a class of wealthy peasants created by Lenin and Stolypin in a hope that at some point in the future social class would be eradicated. However Stalin sought to eliminate this class by waging class warfare and controlling discontent through purges of the population, the Kulaks were denounced and wiped out by Stalin. As anger in the provinces over wages, working conditions, long hours, forced collectivisation and the brutality of the NKVD, led to distress, Stalin crushed any unrest and able farmers, ruling strata and old intelligentsia were also removed. Although this distrust of the masses and strict government control was reminiscent of the Tsars, Stalin out-did their autocratic control and his forced industrialisation led to a decline in living standards, which then rose after his death. This shows his Red Tsar nature, as both the Tsars and Stalin maintained a poor standard of living throughout their ruling. Stalins central control of the economy during his reign was based on traditional Marxist principals, making him unlike a Red Tsar as the planning he enforced was unlike any of the Tsars. However economically during this 100 year period Russia made dramatic progress. The key economic comparison is between the rulers, is the Great Spurt under Sergi Witte during Alexander III reign, versus the Great Turn under Stalin. Stalins Great Turn brought many changes both economically, politically and culturally, and his forced industrialisation36 and focus on heavy industry was driven by the need to catch up with the rest of the world, particularly the West and America. This need was also a feature of Tsarist rule, in particular Alexander III who favoured modernisation and industrialisation to make Russia a world power37. However the core ideologies of the Tsars were different to Stalins, as his communist beliefs favoured rapid industrialisation which appealed to Marxists as it showed a commitment to modernisation. In particular for Lenin who employed the NEP, and Stalin and Khrushchev who supported a socialist planned economy38, as the idea of planned improvement was a key part of Marxist ideology, therefore commitment to modernisation was a theme across the whole period but for different motives. Stalins command economy makes him unlike a Red Tsar, as it was more state lead than the economy under the Tsars. Moreover Lenins refusal to pay any foreign debts, meant that Stalins economy had to survive without any foreign loans, expertise and investment, which during the Great Spurt allowed the Tsars to make tremendous economic progress39. The creation of the Soviet Union as a world power was both important to Stalin, and the Tsars such as Nicholas II, who believed economic modernisation would strengthen Russias position in the world. The deliberate modernisation40 experienced under these leaders was an attempt to reform Russias backward economy, although it still remained just as insufficient and wasteful41 under Stalins rule. Stalins centralised economy was concentrated on his 5 year plans, although economic planning was important in all soviet economies these plans were a landmark in soviet history42. However these plans were harsh on the peasants, and like many economic policies of the Tsars. Stalin and the Tsars exploited the peasants for their own economic gain, the seizure of grain and limited rights put the rulers at an economic advantage, while both Lenin and Khrushchev refrained from exploiting the peasants to the extent which Stalin did and Lenin in particular believed that peasants should not be forced into collective farms. Therefore in theory Stalins planning aligns him with both Lenin and Khrushchev, but his practices such as the recognition for the need of wage differentials and exploitation of the peasants show a betrayal of Marxism, although there is some exploitation of the peasants under during NEP, but not as extreme. As a result, in practice Stalin may have appeared economically a Red Tsar, but in theory and policy he is similar to the other communist leaders. To conclude, whilst on the surface many of Stalins similarities with the other communist leaders appear only to be ideological, it is important to note that Lenin laid the foundations for the development of Stalinism through his use of purges and class warfare. It must be clearly recognised that features such as economic planning, reliance on i lites and grain requisitioning were common to all three of the communist leaders in this period. However despite this, Stalins image as a Red Tsar is particularly apt with relation to due to his traditional beliefs, his creation of a cult of personality and harsh treatment of peasants. Although there was an atmosphere of fear within the population of Little People under both Stalin and the Tsars, it is unreasonable to compare the brutalities of Stalins regime to those committed by the Tsars. Therefore whilst Stalin has many elements to show how similar he was to the Tsars, Lenins state allowed for these to form, distancing Stalin from his title of Red Tsar. Hence concluding that autocracy was inevitable in Russia during this period due to the situation in Russia and that Stalinism was effectively a fusion of communism and Tsarism.