Abstract
This paper is a four-page critical review of the book "Salvation on Sand Mountain: Snake Handling and Redemption in Southern Appalachia."

From the Paper
"At first glance, this book is merely the author's somewhat sensational immersion into the world of the snake-handling faithful. However, to focus solely on that aspect of the book is to miss the larger point being made by the author. If the reader concentrates on the way that author Dennis Covington relates the story of the snake handling religion itself, then he or she misses the larger point that Covington is trying to make in this work. Although the snake handling religion is an important point in Covington's discussion, the Appalachian people, the town in which they..."

Tags:snake, handling, religion

Abstract
This paper discusses the natural sense of patience, perhaps derived from the timelessness of the surrounding forests and mountains, the people of Appalachia have practiced, through natural as well as man-made disaster. The author explores how perhaps in the twenty-first century this stubborn and persistent patience could pay off.

Table of contents

Appalachia Unmasked
The Face of Appalachia Past
The Face of Appalachia Present
The Face of Appalachia Future

From the Paper
"Trust not appearances," wrote Irish author James Joyce in the early twentieth century, "for there is nothing so deceptive and for all that so alluring as a good surface" (PG; O'Brien 300). At no other time and place could this statement prove more applicable than autumn amid the misty hills of eastern Kentucky. For in the fall, the black tobacco barns and simple dwellings of this area are framed by forests of evergreen, maple, hickory and sweet gum trees that burst forth in a variety of greens and golds against the smoky blue backdrop of the surrounding mountains. It is a beauty that could be termed breathtaking in its natural splendor, yet it is a beauty that bears the stigma of prejudice and preconception that has been decades in the making.

Tags:Eastern, Kentucky, Appalachian, Mountain, range, Mississippi, hillbilly, ignorance, corruption, and, destruction

Abstract
In this article, the writer discusses the Appalachian mountain region. The writer notes that today the region has a reputation that is rich in resources with a notoriously poor economy and people. The writer maintains that this is no doubt the legacy of the exploitative nature of early industrialization in the Appalachia area. The writer concludes that as infrastructure is developed there is less and less need for some of the region's riches and conversely as the resources available are depleted, industry looks elsewhere for a point of need, leaving behind the generations of workers dependant upon this type of development. The writer contends that it is for this reason that the future of the Appalachian region is yet unknown, and will continue to be a region of flux for many years to come.

From the Paper
"The Appalachian mountain region was the first American frontier, sought after as a place to romantically recreate the American dream of idealistic frontiersmanship. The mountains were the back door to many of the original American colonies and within them to the settlers of the nation lay unknown riches and exotic cultures, yet to be experienced or some would say exploited by the Europeans and the American settlers. They were the first areas to be traversed and eventually developed. The name of the area is a result of the goals of the Spanish to find wealth through gold mining as the area is named for the first group of Native Americans to point toward the forests and claim them rich in gold, the Appalachee. It is thought that they may have done so to send their unwanted guests away from them but none the less the name stuck."

Tags:mountain, frontier, timber, forest

Abstract
A discussion of how two motion pictures portray Appalachian culture and values. The films under discussion are Matewan (1987) and October Sky (1999). The paper analyzes the fears and hopes of the characters.

From the Paper
"The purpose of this research is to examine portrayals of the Appalachian culture in two motion pictures, "Matewan" and "October Sky". The plan of the research will be to set forth the principal line of action of each film and then to discuss how the characterizations and the mise-en-scene in each film combine to evoke a particular assessment of the values and attitudes that have dominated and that may continue to dominate human experience in the modern Appalachian region. The film "Matewan" is noteworthy in significant..."

Tags:Appalachia, Matewan, October Sky, Matewan, Southern Culture

Abstract
The paper overviews the history of the development of coal mining methods in the Appalachian regions. The paper looks at underground mining, strip mining and mountaintop removal mining (MRM) as well as the problem of inadequately controlled and managed coal slurry impoundments and slag heaps. The paper also describes the harmful effects of these methods of mining on the environment. In addition, the paper refers to many studies that all emphasize the fact that a more harmonious balance between industrial coal mining and the environment needs to established.

Outline:
Introduction
The Environmental History of Appalachian Coal Mining
Environmental Impact of Coal Mining in the Appalachians
Conclusion

From the Paper
"The issue of coal mining in the Appalachian regions has in recent years been the cause of much debate and contention. The central concern in this debate is the dramatic and severe impact that coal mining has had on the environment of the region. In the age of global warming and climate change the issue of the devastation of the natural environment through mining methods such as mountaintop removal mining (MRM) tends to evoke strong and critical responses."

Tags:underground, strip, mountaintop, removal, mining, slurry, impoundments, slag, heaps

Abstract
The paper is a detailed summary of most aspects of the culture, including a discussion of the history and theology of the cult; distinctive religious practices; role of snakes; unique uses of language; historical persecution and prosecution; and the role of the Appalachian environment in the formation of the group.

From the Paper
"On a balmy summer day in rural Tennessee in 1909, George Went Hensley sat on top of White Oak Mountain pondering the meaning of a passage he had found in the Bible. The text was from the Book of Mark, Chapter 16, verses 17-18: And these signs shall follow those that believe: In my name they shall cast out demons; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. Spoken after Christ's Resurrection and immediately before His Ascension, these were the last words that Jesus spoke to his followers. Noting that the verse says that believers shall take up serpents, not can or may, Hensley took these words to be a mandate from God. He asked God for a sign, and his prayers were soon answered when he saw a large timber rattlesnake in a rocky gap. Hensley captured the rattlesnake, and later that week, at a religious meeting at Sale Creek, Tennessee, he cited the Bible and thrust the snake at the congregation challenging them to take it up and test their faith. The congregants handled the serpent, and a new religion was born."

Tags:cult, serpent, Christianity, Bible, faith

Abstract
This paper explores the reasons for the extreme poverty that exists in most of the Appalachian region of the U.S., discusses the effects of Calvinism on the continuing despair of the region, and provides possible suggestions for improvement.

From the Paper
"While the Appalachian region of the South suffered even in the antebellum heyday of the cotton boom, the condition worsened during the Civil War, when Appalachia suffered from the general devastation affecting the South and the exploitative tactics of Northerners, especially in terms of supply merchants and heavy, unrealistic agricultural prices for much-needed credit lines (148). The banking disaster of the 1930's and poor agricultural distribution and marketing decisions sent the region plunging even further into poverty. Furthermore, the decline in agriculture in the United States, creating difficulties across the country, has led to additional problems for Appalachia."

Tags:isolation, south, rich, folk, culture, pineville, kentucky, economics, sanitation, education, general, welfare

Abstract
In this article, the writer examines the condition of women during the Civil War in Southern Appalachia. The writer discusses the social effects of the geography of the region. The writer also looks at its isolation from the rest of the Deep South. The subject of slavery is also discussed in this paper. In addition the writer looks at the role of women in this period.

From the Paper
"The purpose of this research is to examine the status of women who lived in the mountains of western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee during the Civil War. The plan of the research will be to set forth the context in which the experience of women of that region was shaped by events in the U.S. in the mid-nineteenth century and then to discuss with reference to documents generated from the period, ways in which women were obliged to adapt to a situation in which men in their ... "

Tags:North Carolina

Tennessee, Women, Appalachia, Civil War

Appalachia

Civil War

Abstract
This paper examines why Dwight Billings is famous for his study of political, socioeconomic, and religious trends throughout the south, and more specifically the Appalachia region, which is sometimes stereotyped as lower income and lower education standards compared to the rest of the nation. It highlights Billings' philosophy regarding Appalachia by first pulling an excerpt from his abstract found in "Culture and Poverty in Appalachia: A Theoretical Discussion and Empirical Analysi"s first published in 1974. The paper uses the excerpt as the premise which made Billings famous in the field of sociology and then further discusses the culture, society, and psychology of the region.

From the Paper
"Billings concludes his empirical study of poverty in Appalachia in Culture and Poverty in Appalachia: A Theoretical Discussion and Empirical Analysis, Billings writes, "We have seen that despite insufficient and contradictory evidence, the theory of the Appalachian poverty-culture is most prevalent in literature. An interactional theory of poverty suggests one possible consequence of this. To the extent that theories of poverty are incorporated by welfare functionnaires, educators, employers, and other social actors who have more power over the poor, they are involved in this process. As such, our theories become one more factor in the identity maintenance of "the poor." Take note that, through empirical study, Billings has debunked geography, education and child-rearing, as well as other socioeconomic factors to poverty in the Appalachian region. He further goes to hint that the identification of poverty in this area is more subject to theory that is perpetuated by influential persons."

Tags:Culture, Poverty

Abstract
This paper discusses the importance of understanding the cultural aspects of healthcare-seeking behaviors in a given region and how that can help both practitioners and consumers alike improve the process and provide improved quality of care. The paper also provides a critical review of five recent journal articles concerning the cultural diversity that characterizes Appalachia and discusses the relevant healthcare- seeking behaviors identified among people living there and how they are best dealt with.

Table of Contents:
Review and Analysis
Summary and Conclusion

From the Paper
"Throughout the country, studies have also shown time and again that age and ethnicity are also important indicators of what types of health seeking behaviors people will tend to pursue. For example, in 1999, 42.1 million non-elderly people were without health insurance in the United States; while there were more white, non-Hispanic people among the uninsured in terms of total numbers because they make up a greater percentage of the population, as a group they are also less likely to be uninsured. Likewise, among all Hispanic Americans, 35 percent are uninsured; among non-Hispanic African Americans, 22.8 are without insurance and almost one-third (32.8 percent) of Native Americans and Alaska Natives do not have any type of health insurance today (Giffords et al., 2005). Furthermore, among Asian/Pacific Islander Americans, the probability of being without health insurance is 22 percent. For white non-Hispanic adults this likelihood is 12.7 percent compared with 17.5 percent in the general population; the authors conclude that, "Racial and ethnic minority groups' lack of access to health services and barriers to the health system infrastructure and information result in consistent disparities in race and ethnic health statistics" (p. 213)."

Tags:care, poverty, patients