how i got cultured :: essays research papers

In the book How I Got Cultured, Phyllis Barber tells the story of her childhood in a western Mormon household. Through stories and episodes of her early life she descriptively explains the difficulties she faces between her Mormon values and her desire to become a successful star. She wants to be noticed, and be the center of everything, and the Mormon Faith allows very little tolerance for this behavior in that they are a very conservative group. She uses her talents and abilities to assist her in her search of her â€Å"culture†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I can definitely relate to Phyllis Barber in this dilemma, though she comes from a totally different faith and also era. Growing up in a strict Christian household gives me a sense of what Barber is trying to tell us in her memoir. When I was younger I played football and was crushed when the season in my seventh grade year came to an end when my mother wouldn’t let me play because it interrupted my Christian life, in that I wasn’t attending youth group during the week anymore.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In contrast to Barber, my childhood environment was extremely rich with culture and the battle between right and wrong was a very difficult one in that perception of right and wrong differentiated between faith and the real world. Barber struggled to find her â€Å"culture.† She frequently speaks of the Hoover Dam, I think she refers to the Hoover Dam as a symbol that represents the separation that I talked about. She is stuck between two worlds: Mormonism and a place where talent could forge it’s own path. She describes that the Dam separates Arizona and Nevada. In my opinion, this is a direct reflection of her life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Not only is Barber constricted by her Mormon faith to live the life she dreams of, but she is faced with the moral value of a woman perceived in the fifties. She isn’t â€Å"supposed† to want the things that she does, or dream the dreams she dreams at night. She is â€Å"supposed† to be quiet and stand to the side and not â€Å"shine.† She continues to tell not only of her love for attention through music, but also through dance. She is introduced to ballet, which, to say the least, begins to satisfy her quench for culture. Throughout the book she is exposed t many amazing people, and learns much from them.

Summary Of 1st Phone Call From Heaven

The first phone call from heaven tells the story of a small town called Coldwater, Michigan. The story begins when one Friday a number of people started receiving a call from their loved ones who have already died saying that life after death is wonderful, that they are happy in heaven . Tess is contacted by her mother whom she had nursed during her illness, Katherine received a call from her sister to whom she had been so close until her death from an aneurysm, Elias Rowe is phoned by a man who blames him for his death, and Jack, the chief of police is contacted by Robbie, his son who got killed in Afghanistan.At first, those people who are receiving the calls hesitated to share the news with others for fear of mockery. Until, Katherine Yellin announces on their church congregation that she is receiving a call from her dead sister. The news spread instantly, some are convinced it’s a miracle, some said it’s a hoax but whatever it is made Coldwater the center of media a nd people’s attention. People are drawn to this town to be a part of this miraculous phenomenon. National news reporters are sent in to cover the story. The police force is increased to maintain order among the supporters and protesters and also phone demands increased.One man named Sully Harding, recently lost his wife and struggling to be a father to a young son, strongly believes that there is no such thing as miracle and it hurts him seeing his son, Jules waiting and hoping that his mother will call him soon. Driven by this event, Sully is determined to prove whether these â€Å"phone calls from heaven† is true or not. He begins to investigate on his own, Sully, working for a newspaper business, finds that working on print business provide access to information that just might find the missing link that ties all these phone calls together.It involves cell phone carriers, amount of time since death, and a few other things that are too similar to ignore. With the hel p of Elias Rowe and the young girl from town’s library, he learns a couple of facts that the calls only come in on Friday, and each recipient happens to have the same cell phone plan. Something isn’t right and Sully didn’t stop investigating until he figures out what it is. Sully soon uncovered the surprising truth, he learned that the calls that other people are receiving has connection on what happened the day his wife died.Sully was in the air force, he was flying in a fighter jet when he decided to make a pit stop to visit his wife. Upon landing on the airport he was given a poor flight instruction by a young traffic controller on a bad mood. Due to this poor instruction Sully’s plane collided with a small Cessna resulting on accident and deaths. Sully’s wife, Giselle, was speeding to the airport when he saw the smoke from the accident and panicked and the air traffic controller who causes the accident sped away and crashed on Sully’s wi fe that results death for both of them.The father of deceased air traffic controller, Elliot Gray, has military intelligence experience that he was able to destroy all the data that would have implication to his son, and put all the blame on Sully, causing his imprisonment. Afterwards, the father of the dead controller accessed voicemails of different people in order to put together words and phrases that would make it seem like a call from their loved ones from heaven. The call is actually aimed for Sully, it is out of guilt for the death of Giselle but he never got the call.After Sully confronts the perpetrator, he sped away from the perpetrator’s home with the news about the hoax but the snowstorm sent him off the road and onto the frozen lake. Then, his phone rang, it was Giselle, his wife telling him to get out of the car because the car is going to plunge in the ice. Sully did so just in time. Then, laying on the snowbank, he heard the siren of an ambulance. Someone had called 911, he was brought in the hospital and after he spoke with the chief police officer.He learned that the Horace called in the station saying that there is a dead man at his property and when the police arrived that dead man was Elliot Gray himself. At the end of the story, Sully has proven that the â€Å"phone calls from heaven† are hoax. Thus, when he thought that it was Giselle’s voice Elliot last manipulated he scrolls his phone and check the unknown number which he heard Giselle’s voice on the car accident and realized that the call was made an hour after Elliot’s death. Sully realized that after all, he got a real phone call from heaven.

What Are Health Disparities

The term health disparities refers to the differences in health and health care access among members of different populations. These gaps or inequities can connect to race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, socioeconomic status, geographic location, and other categories. Health disparities are not biological, but instead emerge from social, economic, political, and other external causes. Medical professionals, public health workers, and health researchers study health disparities in order to identify their roots and find ways to prevent them. By reducing health disparities, people and groups can enjoy more equal health outcomes.   Key Takeaways: Health Disparities Health disparities are gaps in health outcomes or health access among different populations.Health disparities stem from social, historical, and economic causes.In the U.S., HealthyPeople.gov is a leading initiative designed to raise awareness about health disparities and ultimately improve health outcomes. Types of Health Disparities The term health care disparities refers to differences in the ability to access health care, utilize health care, or receive quality and culturally competent care. The term health disparities refers to differences in actual health outcomes. Disparities can affect people based on factors like race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, class, disability, and more. Disparities can also occur due to intersecting categories, such as race combined with gender. In the U.S., the Office of Minority Health is an important source of research and information on racial and ethnic health disparities. Since 2011, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has published and updated multiple reports about health disparities and ways to reduce their impact.   Health disparities can refer to differences in life expectancy, rates of chronic conditions, prevalence of mental illness or disability, access to medical and dental care, and many other possible types of inequality with respect to health. Key Questions The following are examples of questions considered by researchers who study health disparities. Are different racial or ethnic groups more likely to experience preventable chronic health conditions?Do members of a particular group have more or less access to health care services?What differences in life expectancy are documented among different racial or ethnic communities?How does gender affect access to effective treatments for certain health conditions?Do people with a disability receive the same level of care as their non-disabled peers?Are people from different patient populations more likely to experience mental health struggles, such as anxiety or depression? Causes of Health Disparities Health disparities result from complex and intersecting factors. These might include a lack of insurance, an inability to pay for care, a shortage of qualified local health practitioners, language barriers, cultural bias among practitioners, and a variety of other social, cultural, and environmental factors. Health Disparities in the Contemporary U.S. Every decade, the U.S. Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion launches a new Healthy People campaign designed to improve the health of all Americans. Reducing health disparities across all groups remains a top public health priority. There are many examples of health disparities in the contemporary U.S. For instance: According to the CDC, non-Hispanic Black Americans, Hispanic Americans, American Indians, and Alaska Natives have poorer oral health than other racial and ethnic groups.Black women are over 40% more likely to die of breast cancer than their white peers.People living in rural areas have higher rates of death from unintentional injuries.Adults with disabilities are less likely to receive needed medical care because of costs involved. Who Works on Health Disparities? Health disparities are an important topic for research and innovation. Public health researchers, medical anthropologists, and policy analysts make significant contributions to understanding the factors that generate health disparities. On the ground, health care providers can play an active role in raising awareness about disparities both among experts and in communities. Relevant institutions and organizations include the CDC, National Institutes of Health, Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, the Office of Minority Health, and HealthyPeople.gov.  Ã‚   Sources: Orgera, Kendal and Samantha Artiga. â€Å"Disparities in Health and Health Care: Five Key Questions and Answers† Kaiser Family Foundation, 2018.Strategies for Reducing Health Disparities. CDC. 2016.Health Disparities. Medline Plus, 2018.