Abstract This paper explains the cultivation theory that if a person plays too many games with acts of violence in them, he will be more prone to committing violent acts. The paper relates that much of the publicity surrounding this theory focuses on the negative aspects of the media. The paper then explores how the cultivation theory can be used to produce positive effects and examines how role models can be portrayed in a positive manner to bring about societal change for the better.
Outline:
Part I: Understanding Cultivation Theory
Part II: Massive Multi-Player Online Games and Cultivation Theory
From the Paper "Television plays an integral role in US society, perhaps more so than in other countries. To understand the significant role that television plays, one must first take a step back in time, to the days before almost every household in America owned a television. Before television, people told each other stories. Grandparents told stories to children and neighbors told stories about the happenings of the world to each other. Information was passed by word of mouth. Long before television, there was the written word, such as newspapers, and later radio. However, not everyone had access to them. Not everyone could read, particularly in rural areas. Those who had access to newspapers and radio passed on the stories to others through word of mouth."
Abstract In the history of human civilization, no one has attained greater popularity in the realm of conquest of great human civilizations in the world than Alexander the Great. This great leader, general and conqueror of early Western and Eastern civilizations in the world is renowned for his extraordinary ability to conquer and administer numerous cities and kingdoms. He is also regarded as the Great Emperor of human civilization during his time because of his ability to lead his military troops and maintain order and stability in his land despite various revolts and antagonism about his conquests, leadership abilities and decisions as a ruler. This paper presents a general biography of the life of Alexander the Great as the great leader of human civilization. However, the focus of this paper shows Alexander the Great not only as the conqueror of Western and Eastern kingdoms, but also as an individual dedicated to the cultivation of Hellenistic Civilization, which was the prevailing culture and society in his kingdoms during his time of reign.
From the Paper "Aside from his title as King of Macedonia, he was also given the title of being the Emperor of Persia, and the son of Amon-Ra, the Sun god of the Egyptian mythology. Although he acquired numerous titles under these different cultures, Alexander the Great remained faithful to the cultivation of the Hellenistic Civilization that started during the reign of his father, King Phillip II. During his reign, Alexander the Great contributed significantly to the Hellenistic Civilization through the cultivation of Greek culture, society, and politics. In Greek politics, the conquests that Alexander conducted, his method of conquering kingdoms and vast lands, as well as his leadership skills, had been the model of what politics is like during the Hellenistic civilization. The conceptualization and emergence of the great and central city of Alexandria is a perfect example of the society and culture that Alexander the Great cultivated during his reign as Emperor of these conquered kingdoms."
Abstract This paper discusses the theory of cultivation presented by George Gerbner. According to this theory, those who are in a habit of watching television for prolonged duration suffer from a distorted perception of reality. He is of the view that exposure to repeated acts of violence give rise to aggression and fear in "heavy viewers".
Abstract This paper explores the importance of sugar cultivation for Cuba during the mid eighteenth century and late nineteenth century. This paper covers the rise and fall of the sugar industry in Cuba and how that affected Cuba's economy, the people of Cuba and Cuba's global relationships.
From the Paper "Finally by the mid 1880's, Cuba received "new credit and investment capital, largely from the United States," that helped them raise sugar production by updating their milling technology in the remaining mills. (Perez, L., 1983, p. 132). Increasing sugar production increased the demand on supporting production capabilities like fuel and transportation. Because of this, the railroads expanded having the sugar industry provide "81 per cent of the total rail revenues," and providing jobs for 39.6 percent of the Cuban population. "
Abstract The paper relates that American ginseng is wanted mostly in the Orient, but it is a large business, with wild and cultivated ginseng producing $25 million annually. The paper discusses the history, purposes and cultivation of ginseng.
Outline:
Abstract
The Importance of Ginseng
The History of American Ginseng
The Planting and Cultivation of American Ginseng
The Purposes for Ginseng
From the Paper "Often people see announcements about the use of ginseng and how it will help with different illnesses such as high blood pressure, but how true are these reports? In a supplement snapshot by Prevention, it tells how people use ginseng for a number of reasons including hot flashes, reducing cold symptoms, reducing sugar levels (2007, p. 67). American ginseng is wanted mostly in the Orient, but it is a large business with wild and cultivated ginseng producing $25 million annually (American Ginseng, 2006, par. 2). As a valued product, it is important to study the history of ginseng, the uses of ginseng, and how it is produced."
Abstract An insight into the history of Artemia cultivation (shrimp production) including an explanation of different types and analysis of the ideal conditions for their breeding.
From the Paper "Prior to 1950 mariculture involved trapping baby fish and shrimps during high tides in ponds with gates built on mudflats. Many years of research have led to improved and more efficient systems. Now, most oyster, mussel, shrimp and seaweed culture are of semi-intensive type. This has been accomplished by artificial breeding of superior stock. Artificial feed has been developed to maximize health and growth. Many improvements have been made in the health and management of shrimp and other cultured species (FAO, 1999). This has been largely due to an increasingly larger demand. In 1997, approximately 50% of all mariculture is preformed by way of mudflat culture in which a building is built in a pond in a mudflat. This is used for artemia as well as fish (FAO, 1999). "
Abstract This study uses content analysis to examine adolescent television drama program behavior as compared to actual adolescent behavioral statistics from the National Center for Health Statistics. Issues of sexual behavior, alcohol usage and drug usage were analyzed. This work contributes to cultivation theory; the culmination of similar messages on fictional adolescent television drama programs re-enforces impressions that are not based on reality.
From the Paper "Media can be described in many ways and forms. It is the dissemination of news, events, and information as well as a portrayal of America. It contains movies, sitcoms, dramas, comedies, news, and world events that all shape our reality of what the world is. Television more specifically is so popular because its function is to be a mirrored image of what America is, its beliefs, and ideas. Because it performs this function, it is considered entertainment. This industry is a multi-billion dollar industry that centers around two words: money and people. It does not necessarily have to be accurate for people to believe it. People will believe what they find to be interesting whether it is true or not, based upon no actual proof. This is why the media can get away with straying from the truth, because people do not care whether what they absorb is true. Truth is a very powerful concept that most people take too lightly. Most people will not admit that what they watch on television, hear on the radio, or read in the newspaper affects them. However, it has been proven through the cultivation theory that this effect is present, it does occur, and it subsequently affects the way a country perceives itself. This is how the media ultimately controls the power of thought."
Tags:cultivation, influence, media, research, study, teenager, theory
Abstract This paper describes the history of marijuana use, particularly in America. Additionally, the cultivation, sale and government response to marijuana are discussed. The author argues that because marijuana use is so widespread, the drug should be legalized.
From the Paper "The discovery of marijuana dates back to 10,000 B.C. The Chinese used the plant to make clothing and fabric. Later they realized the plants pain reliving abilities and began using it medicinally. Since its discovery the popularity of marijuana has increased significantly. It has become the most commonly used drug in the world. It is estimated that more than 1.5 billion people have tried marijuana before. (Shalala, 1995, p.10) America's fascination with the drug came about in the early 1900's. Through the times it gained popularity through word of mouth, the entertainment industry, and the media. Marijuana has deeply imbedded roots in our culture and continues to stand the test of time by being the most widely used illegal drug in America.
Marijuana Use in America began in the early 1900's. Though marijuana has existed for thousands of years, Mexican immigrant workers first introduced it into America in the Midwest. During the beginning of the 20th century, when a large number of Mexicans entered this country, marijuana came with them."
This paper looks at the pressing environmental issues of genetically modified crop cultivation and deforestation in Latin America, as well as possible solutions.
Abstract This paper discusses how Latin America has been struggling with some serious environmental concerns over the last two decades. Air and water pollution, pesticide abuse, soil degradation and deforestation are some of the pressing issues in this part of the world. Furthermore, this paper looks at the case of Argentina to see how the country, which has been struggling through an economic crisis, has seen the bitter end of an environmental catastrophe, and its efforts at redeeming the situation. The drastic effects of genetically modified crop cultivation (in particular GM Soya) and deforestation, the two most important environmental issues, are assessed in this essay.
Outline:
Introduction
GM Soya (A boon or Bane?)
Deforestation
Solutions to Environmental Problems
Conclusion
From the Paper "The FSC, developed after the Rio Digenero summit in 1992, focused on the increased global requirement and the depletion of natural resources. FSC is a non-profit organization that offers environmentally sound solutions for managing forests around the world. Asides playing an active supporting role in developing the national and regional forest management standards, the FSC also works with local certifiers to ensure FSC compliance standards are met. In Argentina, the FSC is playing an active monitoring role, and thus the rapid deforestation activities from the paper and other industries, which were thus far unchecked, would now be carefully monitored and assessed for their environmental impact. The Success of the FSC initiative can be attested by the fact that six plantation companies in the country namely Santa Barbara SRL, Faplac, Fiplasto, Forestal Las Marias, Lipsia, Tabepicua, and the Union Bank of Switzerland have become FSC certified bringing a total forest area of around 131,000 hectares under the FSC certification process."
Tags: genetically modified, crops deforestation solutions argentina effects
Abstract The status and position of women living within Amazonian communities has been widely researched over the past forty years, with the majority of earlier studies reporting that woman were controlled through a division of labor that served as a socialization process. This essay reviewsS. L. Heckler's article, "Tedium and Creativity: The Valorization of Manioc Cultivation and Piaroa Women", in which Heckler contends that current research suggests, "that division of labor enforces and underscores the complementarities of gender roles and that this complementarity is the basis of Amazonian social life".
Outline:
Introduction
Gender Issues and Socialization
Conclusion
References
From the Paper "Heckler reported that all four women considered manioc, which they all cultivated to a greater or lesser extent, as being a vital element of their lives, while individual success, or lack of it, significantly contributed to both personal and corporal status. Laura, for example, was highly respected in the community because of her profound agricultural skill and knowledge, and because she was the daughter-in-law of the group's most powerful shaman. Maria, who like Laura was a middle-aged woman, was also highly respected because of agricultural skills. The third woman, Marie Gloria, who was ten years younger than Laura and Maria, although not particularly recognized for her agricultural knowledge, was valued for her processing skills. The final subject used was a younger woman, Antonia, (around thirty years old), who spent a limited amount of time growing manioc due to having to provide a wage. This, as Heckler states, causes women, such as Antonia, "obvious discomfort at having to admit ... that they did not work in the garden every day" (2004). This indicates that women who do not, or are seen as not, fulfilling their 'feminine obligations' are considered as being inferior. This, as seen in the case of Antonia produces feelings of inadequacy, personal failure, shame, and guilt, for the 'failure' to comply with local tradition."
Tags: women tradition amazonian, gender roles, male domination, community respect recognition status culture roles
Abstract This paper examines how rice is a grain cereal plant of the grass family and how in terms of total production it is the world's second leading food crop. In particular, it looks at how rice will continue to play a major role in feeding billions of people in the world especially in Asia and how the goals and ambitions of researchers today must be to develop rice cultivars and methods of cultivation which enhance the crop yield and are resistant to disease and adverse weather conditions.
Outline
Abstract
Biology of the Rice Plant
Regions of Rice Cultivation and Factors Affecting Yield
Preparation for Planting
Soil Type
Whole Farm Planning
Calendar of Events
Propagation of Rice
Recent Developments
Irrigation
Pests and Diseases
Harvesting
Post Harvest Issues
Processing
Environmental Effects of Rice Cultivation Conclusion
References
From the Paper "The rice plant is usually classified as the genus Oryza in the grass family (Graminae). The rice plant has a number of jointed stems, called culms, which measure between 38cm to 244cm. The culms are composed of hollow internodes that join at solid nodes and arise from the shallow fibrous root system. A few of the nodes become elongated as the plant matures. The upper internode supports the panicle, which is the head of the rice plant. The flat grass-like leaves of the rice plant have a basal sheath which surrounds the culm. The blade of the leaf is set at an angle to the sheath. The panicle can range from open to compact and from erect to droopy. In most varieties it is dense and droopy."
Abstract The importance of wheat to the Canadian economy is not a new phenomenon. On the contrary, as far back as the 18th Century and earlier, there existed a significant agricultural sector. As the political environments differed in Upper and Lower Canada, though, so too did the development of agriculture, particularly the cultivation of wheat. To understand the importance of this crop, this paper sheds light on the impact of the wheat staple in the late 1700s and early 1800s on the Canadian economy. It presents information on different backgrounds and institutions that were involved and shows that the history of wheat cultivation in Lower Canada was greatly influenced by the colonial institutions of New France.
From the Paper "This pattern of landowners moving into Lower Canada created a new demand for agricultural land. In addition to the existing French Canadian settlers who still farmed the seigneurial land, many English settlers either settled as new free-hold tenants, or bought seigneuries. Some French farmers were displaced onto land further north, away from the St. Lawrence where most of the seigneuries bordered. These displaced farmers were forced to attempt to cultivate less fertile land in order to serve the demand for wheat exports to Britain. This "displacement... was caused by the growing population on the established seigneuries... and the apparent unwillingness of French Canadians to leave their native land." (Marr, 1980, p83)."
Abstract This paper discusses how the globalization of knowledge pools and resources is responsible for the growing number and importance of communities of practice. The writer defines the term and gives the criteria that must be met for a community to qualify as a "community of practice." The author also describes various ways in which such a community functions and explains how informal networks and professional communities benefit the organization in which they exist as well as the individual members. Additionally, te author lists ways to cultivate communities of practice, and also notes some of their downsides. The paper includes a case study of an organization that set up a community of practice, and charts.
Case Study
Communities of Practice and Organizational Performance
Cultivating Communities of Practice
From the Paper "With communities of practice, one cannot think in concrete or opposed terms. There is normally a continuum. For example, knowledge can be more or less explicit. Similarly, explicit knowledge is not freed from the tacit. It is not possible to make everything explicit and eliminate the tacit. It is only possible to change relationships. As a result, the process of making something explicit, formalizing or sharing are not just translations; they are instead transformations--the development of a new context of both participation and reification where the relations between the tacit and the explicit will be renegotiated."
Tags: economy, evolution, innovation, learning, participation, information
From the Paper "The garden tulip was introduced into Western Europe from Constantinople (present-day Istanbul) in the 16th century and soon achieved great popularity. Interest in tulip growing mounted, especially in Holland, where it developed by 1634 into a craze called tulip mania. Wild speculation in tulip stock ensued, and enormous prices were paid for single bulbs. After many people had gone bankrupt, the crisis was ended by government regulation of the tulip trade. Tulip growing eventually became established as an important Dutch industry, and tulip bulbs are still a major export of the Netherlands. In the United States tulips are grown commercially in Michigan and Washington."
Abstract This research paper evaluates the evolution of the PLO and how it has cultivated political change in the Middle East. Subtitles includes: the how and why of the PLO, the PLO, a displaced Palestinian State, PLO leadership and changing ideologies.
From the Paper "In the historical arena of time, the roots of the Palestine Liberation Organization are shallow. Time has witnessed the birth of Israel bringing political changes that affect the plight of the Palestinians. The evolution of the PLO in the Middle East has also cultivated political change. Many of these changes are currently being addressed in the international community. The Middle East, since World War II, has been a political hot bed of transformation implanted in the cultural and religious ideologies of Jews against Arabs drawn into the political field of Palestinians against Israelis."
