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Wake up, go to class, grab a panini, then go to work. The day in the life of students James Haupt, Caroline Pirtle, and George Small seemed nothing out of the ordinary, except going to work meant entering restricted buildings in the Vatican, and reporting on what was happening at the papacy, just a few minutes away from the Holy See. As part of Villanova Universitys 22-year-old Vatican and Rome Internship Program, which over the years has helped boost the Pope’s social media presence, the three students were on exchange for nearly five months. Small and Pirtle, both computing sciences majors, were stationed at the Vatican Museum and the Vatican Media Office respectively, assisting on the creation of VR tours. Haupt, a communication major, worked at Rome Reports, a local newsroom covering the papacy in English and Spanish. What was supposed to be just an opportunity for immersion in Italian culture, and privileged access to one of the worlds most visited institutions, quickly changed into a different sort of educational opportunity. These three students soon found themselves at the epicenter of a historical event: the papal transition. Pope Franciss passing Pirtle, while helping to create the VR tour of St. Peter’s Basilica, had enjoyed privileged access to restricted areas in the Vatican, including the Altar of the Confessio, escorted by Basilica security. Still, she found the news of the pontiffs death just like everyone else. On Easter Monday, Pirtle had to sleep in, exhausted from attending Easter mass the day before. Caroline Pirtle working on the virtual reality tour [Photo: Caroline Pirtle] At noon, she was awoken by a text from her friend, notifying her that Pope Francis had passed away. She was shocked. I literally saw him the day before, and he drove right past me, Pirtle says. After almost two months working in the Vatican, this was the first time she had seen Pope Francis in person. Going from seeing him the day before and being right next to him, to him dying the next morning was a crazy feeling. Small and Haupt had a similar experience. Working at a newsroom, Haupt had been covering the Popes illness, I knew his prescribed rest was two months, Haput says, and he was on a medicine program. Yet he, too, learned of the news when he woke up on Monday, from TikTok. In disbelief, he checked Rome Reports Instagram, and then woke up Small, who was his apartment mate. As the news sunk in, the interns went to work. Working through it Back at home youd look at your phone once, and then kind of forget about it. Here, you go outside and right there is Vatican City, and that’s where Pope Francis died, maybe a couple 100 feet from where we’re staying, Small says. Pirtle continued taking photos and setting up annotations for the interactive virtual reality project. Small went back to coding for the Vatican Museums VR. Trying to actually access the office was a lot crazier, because everything was blocked off, and they just had so many more police, so many more guards, and just so many more people, Pirtle says. But inside the building, nothing really felt too different. Haupts job, at the newsroom of Rome Reports, was the most affected. Haupt had been translating the publications stories from Spanish to English, doing audio recordings for the outlets broadcast stories, and looking for American angles on stories related to the Pope, Catholicism, and the Vatican. (Vice president JD Vances visit to the Vatican was an easy one, he says.) He had written stories about Pope Franciss relationship with Father Federico Lombardi, the former director of the Holy See press office, and the coordinator behind the 35,000 flowers that covered the Vatican during Easter Sunday. James Haupt with Rome Reports Oct. 2024 Emmy for their documentary Benedict XVI: In Honor of the Truth [Photo: Charlotte Twetten/Rome Reports] But upon the Popes death, Haupt realized he was part of something bigger. There were, like, 400 journalists that came within a day to the Vatican, he says. It was so packed, people were in and out, so much was going on . . . Seeing all those journalists in the Vatican immediately made me realize how significant this was.” An unexpected end to studying abroad In the weeks before the end of their internships, the three students joined the crowds flocking to bid farewell to Pope Francis before the burial. Small and Haupt bypassed the long lines by visiting the open casket at 1:40 a.m. on a school night, while Pirtle got lucky with a 25-minute wait on a Thursday at 5 p.m. They also bid farewell to the various projects theyd helped build. Working on something that could provide a lot more accessibility to people who might not have the chance to come to Rome has been special to me, Pirtle says. For Haupt, the experience “gave me the skill of adjusting to the environment. My coworkers would tell me how they would have to be ready to come into the office at any moment no matter the day or time,” he says, and “hearing about how they had to switch gears on their days off and holidays made me realize how important it to be alert as a journalist.” For all three Villanova students, the end of their Vatican internship coincided almost exactly with the beginning of the long awaited papal election process. They are looking forward to following news about the Conclave. I’m planning on at least grabbing a coffee in St. Peter’s Square and just seeing, Pirtle says. Maybe I’ll get lucky and see some smoke.
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E-Commerce
The Army Corps of Engineers, citing a recent national energy emergency order by President Trump, has expedited a permit review for a new miles-long section of an oil and gas pipeline that would bore deep into protected wetlands bordering Canada and the United States. The pipeline request from Enbridge Energy, a Canadian company, would cut beneath the Straits of Mackinacthe connecting waterway between Lakes Michigan and Huronto install a tunnel 12 times as wide as above-ground existing pipelines. Tribal groups that had been cooperating with the Corps environmental impact statement for the project pulled out when they learned of the emergency review. The Corps announced April 15 that the project, known as Line 5, fits under Trumps January order. The project is part of a 645-mile pipeline between Superior, Wisconsin, and Sarnia, Ontario, that transports about 22 million gallons of oil and natural gas liquids daily, according to the company website. [Photo: Cole Burston/Bloomberg/Getty Images] The Corps decision to expedite consideration came days before a sweeping change by the U.S. Department of Interior to hasten energy reviews. The federal agency said beginning April 23 that energy-related projects and, specifically, environmental impact reviews of such projects will move with unprecedented speed and with truncated public comment. Energy, under Trumps order, refers to fossil fuels such as oil, gas, and coal, along with geothermal, nuclear and hydropower. The Corps operates within the Defense Department, not the Interior Department. While the Interior policies do not apply to Line 5, they are likely to accelerate fossil fuel projects in the coming months. New emergency procedures from both departments in response to Trumps executive order are really ploughing new ground, said Dave Scott, a senior attorney at the Environment Law & Policy Center, a legal advocacy group. There is a massive and real risk that the public wont be able to engage meaningfully with decisions that government agencies like the Corps are making that have significant impacts on the environment, Scott said. The Interior Department announced last week it was pursuing what it called an alternative National Environmental Policy Act, to allow for sharply compressed timelines for projects that strengthen domestic energy supply. Projects that require an environmental assessment, which the department said now takes a year to complete, will be reviewed within 14 days. Projects in need of an environmental impact statement, which the department said can result in two years of study, will be reviewed in roughly 28 days, according to its announcement. Scott also noted a second executive order, Unleashing American Energy, further erodes environmental protections for new projects. It directs the Council on Environmental Quality to consider rescinding National Environmental Policy Act regulations, which are the rules that require federal agencies to consider environmental impact when issuing permits. Environmental groups have questioned the need and the rationale behind the pipeline change. We know that there is no national energy emergency, said Julie Goodwin, senior attorney at Earthjustice, the countrys biggest public interest environmental firm. The U.S. produces more crude oil than any other country, ever, and has for the past six years. The emergency process is really a gift to the fossil fuel industry, Goodwin said. At issue is Enbridges replacement of two 20-inch diameter pipelines now buried close to shore and resting or supported on the lakebed. Instead, it wants to dig a 3.6-mile-long tunnel, with a 21-foot diameter, into the Straits lakebed. [Image: Paul Horn/Inside Climate News] The Corps is still developing an environmental impact statement for the Straits project, which it acknowledges will permanently impact 1.52 acres of wetlands, including 1.01 acres within the Corps responsibility under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. The statement is expected in June. The Detroit District has not yet determined the length of the public comment period for its Line 5 Tunnel, the Corps said in an email. The standard comment period is 60 days, but the Corps new policy for emergency reviews is 15 days. The Interior Department announcement last week may indicate a new public comment timeline in store for energy-related projects. In some cases, public comment at Interior would depend largely on the decision of department officils. Proposals found to have no significant impact during an internal department assessment will have a report issued on a public website, the announcement said, and no public comment is required. For projects likely to have significant environmental impact, a department official can determine the duration of the written comment period based on the nature of the action and the urgency of the emergency response, and the Department anticipates that most comment periods will be approximately 10 days, Interiors announcement said. Regarding the pipeline project before the Corps, seven local tribes described the shortened environmental impact statement (EIS) process as unacceptable. A letter was sent in March to the Corps and signed by representatives from the Bay Mills Indian Community, Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi, and Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi. Tribal Nations are no longer willing to expend their time and resources as Cooperating Agencies just so their participation may be used by the Corps to lend credibility to a flawed EIS process and document, the letter said. The Corps has disregarded its commitments to cooperating agencies and its obligations under the National Environmental Policy Act by fully aligning itself with the applicant [Enbridge] at every step. The emergency review process is really rewriting and bypassing critical and important laws for an unneeded pipeline, said Beth Wallace, director of climate and energy at the National Wildlife Federation, the nonprofit conservation education and advocacy group. Enbridge has said the existing pipes, which date back to 1953, need replacement to prevent a possible oil spill. Burying the new pipeline section as much as 100 feet below the lakebed would eliminate the chance of a pipeline incident in the Straits, according to the project website. Line 5 is critical energy infrastructure, Enbridge said in an email to Inside Climate News. The tunnel project is designed to make a safe pipeline safer while also ensuring the continued safe, secure, and affordable delivery of essential energy to the Great Lakes region. On its website, the company called its supply to Michigan vital and said that Line 5 supplies 65% of propane demand in the Upper Peninsula, and 55% of Michigans statewide propane needs. Tribal groups, citizens, and environmentalists have called for decommissioning the pipeline out of concern for risks to freshwater sources and local ecosystems. The Great Lakes are the largest freshwater system on the planet, providing clean drinking water to more than 40 million people in the U.S. and Canada. Enbridges own pipelines have capacity to pick up product and move it to the same exact refineries and facilities, said Wallace of the National Wildlife Federation. Investing further in fossil fuel infrastructure also runs counter to Michigans plan to reach 100 percent carbon neutrality by 2050, she added. An economic analysis by PLG Consulting, a Chicago-based logistics firm, examined how shutting down Line 5 could impact energy markets. Surging output has made North America energy independent and there is no risk of supply shortages, the PLG report from October 2023 found. There are a multitude of alternative supply sources from both domestic and international sources that could fill in for Line 5. Even today, no refinery relies entirely on Line 5 for its crude oil supply, the PLG report said. Enbridge is still waiting on several federal and state permits before it can begin construction. The state of Michigan issued environmental permits for the tunnel project in 2021 but those will expire next year. Enbridge re-applied earlier this year to renew the permits. The Michigan Public Service Commission approved the tunnel project in 2023 although Enbridge still needs the permitting decision from the Army Corps. The activist group Oil and Water Dont Mix is also urging citizens to demand that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer deny the pipeline permit to protect the Great Lakes. The state of Michigan has the opportunity to shut down Line 5, Earthjustices Goodwin said. And thats what should happen. By Carrie Klein, Inside Climate News This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News. It is republished with permission. Sign up for its newsletter here.
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E-Commerce
What happens when someone comes close to death and then returns to everyday life, including work? For some, the experience can be transformative. Near-death experiences (NDEs) are deeply personal experiences that some people report after a close brush with death. These experiences can include sensations such as floating above ones body, reviewing moments from ones life, encountering spiritual beings and feeling a profound sense of unity and love. Although NDEs have been studied since the 1970s, we know relatively little about how they affect people after the event. Research suggests people who have near-death experiences may feel increased empathy, spiritual growth, a sense of purpose, and even change how they approach their jobs. Our recent study explored how near-death experiences impact peoples return to work. We interviewed 14 working adults who had a near-death experience as a result of medical crises such as a heart attack or accidents such as a car crash. What we found challenges conventional ideas about success, motivation, and workplace culture. Doing meaningful work One of the most common changes expressed by the participants in our study was a desire to do work that felt meaningful and aligned with their newfound purpose in life. After their near-death experience, many wanted to spend time doing work that mattered to them and made a positive difference. I was not interested in doing nonsense. . . . I just was not gonna waste my time on nonsense, one participant told us. Her perspective shifted dramatically after her heart began beating abnormally for 20 minutes and she lost consciousness. Others described similar shifts. Many participants changed their careers by focusing on different work priorities, switching jobs or even starting their own companies. One participant described quitting a high-earning job after being headhunted. She started her own business, which allowed her to use her own NDE to support individuals through the end-of-life process. As one participant put it: I like to say that when I woke up in that hospital bed, I had a knowing that the character I was playing was no longer working for me and I had to change characters, and changing that character meant changing that job. Rethinking motivation Another significant shift reported by participants was a reprioritization of their values, which, in turn, shifted their attitudes towards work and their careers. After experiencing a near-death experience, many lost interest in external measures of success such as salary, fancy titles, and prestige. Across the studys participants, all reported no longer being motivated by extrinsic factors, such as money or receiving recognition for work. Instead, they focused on internal alignment and authenticity. Rather than being driven by external rewards, participants were motivated by personal growth and making a positive difference. In some workplaces, employee motivation is driven by extrinsic incentives such as bonuses, promotions or external recognition. However, after their NDEs, participants reported being driven by their own internal benchmarks or purpose. As one of our interviewees said: The motivation that was there came from this very strange, deep place that I wanted to all of a sudden make a huge impact, you know, in every part of my life. . . . Its hard to come out of this experience and not feel theres a reason why youre here, and you hate to say it, but you feel you have this special gift now. And its like why and how am I going to apply this? So, with work, I approach it that way as well. Relational transformations We also found that near-death experiences transformed how people interacted with and related to others at work. This is consistent with previous research that shows distinct personality and attitude changes reported by survivors of NDEs. Specifically, NDEs shift individual outlooks on life and can serve as catalysts for transformation, influencing how people relate to others. Before their near-death experience, many participants viewed workplace relationships as task-oriented and transactional. But afterward, those same relationships became more meaningful to them. Colleagues, clients and customers were no longer viewed as just business contacts. Instead, several participants spoke of their service and sales interactions as small acts of relationship-building rather than simply being economic exchanges. One participant said: My relationships across the board are deeper, are more connected with people, 100%. . . . I was a decent salesman before but this is, like, bringing spirituality into a quote-unquote sales position, which blows my mind. Lessons for the rest of us What does this mean for those of us who havent had a near-death experience? The participants in our study said their near-death experiences reoriented them to what really matters in life. The after-effects challenge traditional organizational values that celebrate hyper-productivity at the expense of meaning and high-quality relationships. As previous studies suggest, workers engaged in meaningful work eventually manifest greater productivity and accomplishment as opposed to burnout as a result of overwork. As interest in workplace well-being continues to riseparticularly in the wake of COVID-19 and the great resignationNDE survivors may be ahead of the curve. The after-effects of a near-death experience align with what workers tend to want from their jobs. Workers generally want to satisfy three fundamental needs: economic security, meaningful work and high-quality relationships. Our results suggest that NDE after-effects result in reductions in the importance of satisfying the drive for economic security and elevate the significance of meaningful work and authentic relationships. The stories of near-death experience survivors offer a kind of blueprint for reimagining how we work. For employees, that might mean re-evaluating what success looks like or exploring roles that align more closely with personal values. For employers, it might involve fostering workplace cultures that prioritize connection, purpose and well-being. One participant offers a lasting reminder for all of us seeking more meaning in our life and jobs: Its about relationships, not achivements. Akierah Binns is a PhD management candidate at the University of Guelph. Jamie Gruman is a professor of organizational behaviour at the University of Guelph. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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E-Commerce
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