Homosexualiy and the Catholic Church Essay - 1568 Words

Homosexualiy and the Catholic Church For us in Scotland homosexuality is one of the most prominent issues in Church and society today. Gay-rights advocates and activists are pushing a strong political agenda from the left#8212;job benefits for domestic partners, civil recognition for gay marriages, the right to bear ones own children via reproductive technologies, equal access to adoption, anti-discrimination statutes. At the same time, the government has changed legislation regarding the teaching about homosexuality in Schools. Sir Elton John made a public attack on Scotlands Cardinal Thomas Winning, accusing him of ignorance regarding homosexuality. Writing in the June issue of the Spectator, the flamboyant performer said†¦show more content†¦In brief, evidence indicates that being homosexual#8212;that is, experiencing an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex#8212;is most often an experience that is discovered, not freely chosen . With the onset of puberty, and its associated hormonal changes, every adolescent boy and girl begins to discover sexual attractions, desires, fantasies and feelings. For the majority of people, this attraction is primarily focused toward members of the opposite sex. Thus, their orientation is termed heterosexual. But for a relatively small but significant percentage of the population, homosexual persons, this attraction or orientation is primarily toward their own gender. Bisexual persons seem to be somewhat equally drawn to members of both sexes. While having a homosexual (or even a bisexual) orientation is not typical, it is not in itself morally wrong or sinful. Since in most cases it is discerned or discovered, not freely chosen, it is not automatically blameworthy . Thus the Church has taken a fairly benign or accepting stance toward homosexual persons#8212;who discover their desires and inclinations (i.e., orientation) toward same-sex sexual activity. Yet the Church has consistently taught that to act on these inclinations, particularly to engage in homosexual

How to Build a Baking Soda Volcano Science Fair Project

The baking soda and vinegar volcano is the kitchen equivalent of a volcano. Obviously, its not  the real  thing, but its cool all the same! The baking soda volcano is also non-toxic, which adds to its appeal. It is a classic science project which can help kids learn about chemical reactions and what happens when a volcano erupts. This project takes about 30 minutes to complete. Did You Know? The cool red lava is the result of a chemical reaction between the baking soda and vinegar.In this reaction, carbon dioxide gas is produced, which is also present in real volcanoes.As the carbon dioxide gas is produced, pressure builds up inside the plastic bottle, until the gas bubbles (thanks to the detergent) out of the volcano. Volcano Science Project Materials 6 cups flour2 cups salt4 tablespoons cooking oilwarm waterplastic soda bottledishwashing detergentfood coloringvinegarbaking dish or another pan2 T baking soda Make the Chemical Volcano First, make the cone of the baking soda volcano. Mix 6 cups flour, 2 cups salt, 4 tablespoons cooking oil, and 2 cups of water. The resulting mixture should be smooth and firm (more water may be added if needed).Stand the soda bottle in the baking pan and mold the dough around it into a volcano shape. Dont cover the hole or drop dough into it.Fill the bottle most of the way full with warm water and a bit of red food color (can be done before sculpting if you dont take so long that the water gets cold).Add 6 drops of detergent to the bottle contents. The detergent helps trap the bubbles produced by the reaction so you get better lava.Add 2 tablespoons baking soda to the liquid.Slowly pour vinegar into the bottle. Watch out - eruption time! Experiment with the Volcano While its fine for a young investigator to explore a simple model volcano, youll want to add the scientific method if you want to make the volcano a better science project. Here are ideas for ways to experiment with a baking soda volcano: Make a prediction about what happens if you change the amount of baking soda or vinegar. Record and analyze the effect, if any.Can you think of ways to change the volcano to make the eruption go higher or last longer? This might involve changing the chemicals or the shape of the volcano. It helps to record numerical data, such as the volume of liquid, the height of the lava, or duration of the eruption.Does it affect your volcano if you use a different kind of chemical to color the volcano? You could use tempera paint powder. Try using tonic water instead of regular water to get a volcano that glows under black light.What happens if you substitute other acids instead of vinegar or other bases instead of baking soda? Examples of acids include lemon juice or ketchup. Examples of bases include laundry detergent and household ammonia. Use caution if you substitute chemicals because some mixtures can be dangerous and produce hazardous gasses. Dont experiment with bleach or bathroom cleane rs.Adding a bit of food coloring will result in red-orange lava! Orange seems to work the best. Add some red, yellow, and even purple, for a bright display.

The Leadership Practice Inventory That I Took At The...

The Leadership Practice Inventory that I took at the beginning of my Student Orientation Counselor or S.O.C. experience was eye opening. It teaches and surveys people about five leadership skills these skills were further explained in The Student Leadership Challenge text by the authors James Kouzes and Barry Posner (2014) the different practices of leadership were: Model the Way, Inspire a Shared Vision, Challenge the Process, Enable Others to Act, and Encourage the Heart. These principles each have their own challenges and frustrations, and as a leader they have helped me realize what I can improve on. Modeling the Way was one of my top two practices that I had ranked high on during the skills inventory, and its focus is on finding your†¦show more content†¦This was a skill that focused on helping your followers know that you are proud of them and the contributions that they have either done or helped you with. This was hard for me to remember to do in the moment, but duri ng debriefing on orientation days it was nice to celebrate our accomplishments or how people worked through hard situations. These debriefings brought everyone together and created a spirit of community, which is one way the book focused in encouraging the Heart (Kouzes Posner, 2014). Another skill that was something a truly focused on during the summer was Enabling Others to Act. It was based on fostering collaboration and strengthening others (Kouzes Posner, 2014). I found this was a hard skill for me to work on because I like to do things my way. I worked through it by truly listening to others ideas, and the fact that I was a new S.O.C. I wanted to learn as much as I could from the returning members of my team. My skit group created a strong bond of trust in each other to get our work done in a timely manner. The last skill was Challenge the Process and this for me has always been a hard skill to get my self to do. This has been my main focus this summer, and I continue to wor k on it to this day. Challenge the Process focused on going outside the box of the organization or group your working with and experimenting with new ideas. It also focused on searching for opportunities such as seizing the initiative (Kouzes

The History of Public Health and the Role of the Community/Public Health Nurse free essay sample

The History of Public Health and the Role of the Community/Public Health Nurse When considering the evolution of healthcare and the role of the nurse in the United States, many people might first consider this in the context of the hospital setting. While the history of acute care is an important area to consider, it is imperative that equal attention be given to the history of public health and the role played by the nurse in this segment of the healthcare continuum. The purpose of this paper is to outline the history of the public health nurse and to specifically look at the role of nursing in home health and hospice. History of Public Health Nursing In the late 1800’s there was a large number of people living in poverty throughout the world, with New York City being no exception. Lillian Wald was a pioneer of the public health movement whose role as a public health nurse in New York City was born out of true necessity. Wald â€Å"believed that public health nurses must treat social and economic problems, not simply take care of sick people† (Fee Bu, 2010, p. 1206). In the latter part of the 19th century, there was an increasing understanding about the science behind communicable disease and the importance of educating people regarding disease prevention to reduce the spread of illness (Stanhope Lancaster, 2012). Settlement houses were one avenue used to reach the community in need and teach disease prevention strategies, along with helping this population gain access to social services often including childcare, public kitchens, public baths, and shelter for the homeless. In 1893, two trained nurses in New York City, Lillian Wald and Mary Brewster, established the Henry Street Settlement. This led into the development of the Visiting Nurse Service of New York City (Stanhope Lancaster, 2012). Wald’s work as a nurse in the public health realm continued and she â€Å"emerged as the established leader of public health nursing during its early decades† (Stanhope Lancaster, 2012, p. 27). PUBLIC HEALTH AND ROLE OF THE COMMUNITY HEALTH NURSE 3 Historically, public health nurses have worked to improve the quality of life of vulnerable populations by striving to optimize health and social conditions. The population targeted by this profession is still consistent with this premise in the 21st century. Public health nurses in this day and age still work with vulnerable groups, but also with the general public. In public health nursing today, â€Å"high-risk, vulnerable populations are often the focus of care and may include the frail elderly, homeless individuals, sedentary individuals, smokers, teen mothers, and those at risk for a specific disease† (Kulbok, Thatcher, Park, Meszaros, 2012, para 3) Impact on Nursing Practice The role of the community or public health nurse in regards to hospice care is the position to be elaborated upon for this assignment. Generally, in order for a patient to qualify for healthcare coverage for hospice care, they must have a life expectancy of six months or less. Traditionally, people have considered patients with cancer to be the primary recipients of hospice care, but most any terminal disease process should qualify for this in home end of life care if the patient’s needs can be adequately met. There are also hospice care facilities where the patient is either transferred to a unit specified for this level of care, or a patient with a shorter life expectancy might be considered to be receiving hospice care on a regular unit while only palliative measures are being taken. For the purposes of this assignment, the focus is being kept on hospice in the home setting. Hospice care delivered in the community is either primary care or secondary care, depending on the specific situation. The patient’s primary physician might refer the patient to the hospice care team who may then take over the primary care role. Another scenario is that a hospice team could be consulted to assist with care, yet the primary physician would remain responsible for the routine decisions about patient care (Weckmann, 2008). The primary care PUBLIC HEALTH AND ROLE OF THE COMMUNITY HEALTH NURSE 4 provider, be it hospice care physician or primary care physician, must strive diligently to communicate clearly with the patient and family about desires and expectations for end of life care. There are may be ethical dilemmas that arise in the hospice setting that could be worked through more easily if the patient’s wishes are made clear. The decision to provide hydration and or nutrition parenterally or enterally when a patient cannot eat or drink for themselves can often pose a dilemma. At what point should this life prolonging sustenance be stopped? At what point is this ordinary humane care, and when does it become an extraordinary measure that prolongs life and therefore perpetuates discomfort. The home hospice nurse can play a vital role in assuring that this issue is addressed as early and thoroughly as is feasible given the individual situation. It is important to gently encourage the patient and family to have these conversations before the patient is unable to communicate their wishes (Lamers, 2013). Summary The community health nurse in a hospice care practice setting plays a key role in helping a person fulfill their wishes and face impending death with as much dignity as possible. The evolution of hospice care has enabled terminally ill individuals to feel some sense of control over their situation, which can help afford a sense of peace for the patient and help with the grieving process (Holdsworth King, 2011). When a patient receives end of life hospice care, the team focuses on the patient’s quality of life and comfort level, not on curing or fixing the disease process. The home hospice nurse should work toward affirming the patient’s life and help them to view death as a natural life process. PUBLIC HEALTH AND ROLE OF THE COMMUNITY HEALTH NURSE