Sunday, July 19, 2020

How to Overcome Your Work Addiction

How to Overcome Your Work Addiction Addiction Addictive Behaviors Print How to Overcome Your Work Addiction Although not a formally recognized addiction, workaholics struggle with balance By Elizabeth Hartney, BSc., MSc., MA, PhD Elizabeth Hartney, BSc, MSc, MA, PhD is a psychologist, professor, and Director of the Centre for Health Leadership and Research at Royal Roads University, Canada. Learn about our editorial policy Elizabeth Hartney, BSc., MSc., MA, PhD Updated on May 21, 2019 Dean Mitchell/iStockphoto More in Addiction Addictive Behaviors Caffeine Internet Shopping Sex Alcohol Use Drug Use Nicotine Use Coping and Recovery Work-life balance is something we aspire to but rarely achieve. This is particularly the case for people who work too much, including workaholics, or people who are addicted to work. Workaholism or work addiction was first used to describe an uncontrollable need to work constantly. Although there is extensive literature on the subject, work addiction is not a formally recognized medical condition or mental disorder included in the DSM. What Is Work-Life Balance? Work-life balance is the ideal state of having adequate income, accomplishment, and fulfillment through work while maintaining an equal level of satisfaction through non-work social and recreational pursuits. Workaholism, or the opposite, underemployment or unemployment, both interfere with work-life balance. Most commonly, people who are concerned about work-life balance are working people who want more time for relationships and family, but find that work has taken over. Most of the people struggling to achieve a good work-life balance are not addicted to work, but are hard working, ambitious adults, or parents struggling to make ends meet financially. Having put most of their energy into establishing a careerâ€"which is much more difficult than it was forty years agoâ€"it becomes hard to let go and unwind at the weekend or during the holidays. And for some, issues like Facebook addiction, smartphone addiction, and internet addiction can make it harder still to focus on relaxation, time with partners and children, and pursuits that you cant put on your resume. A good work-life balance means knowing how to relax and switch off from work, and actually doing this. Part of work-life balance is feeling good about doing this, having absolutely no sense of guilt or obligation about working or not working, and recognizing the benefits of a happy and fulfilling personal life to your success and happiness at work. How to Balance Work and Family Life One of the most effective ways of achieving good work-life balance is to find your optimal level at work and settle into it. You dont always have to go for a promotion, more responsibility, or more money, if it is beyond your optimal level of performance, and you are constantly struggling to catch up. A better strategy is to find a job you  really enjoy and can perform well at, and set your lifestyle goals accordingly. This could involve a career change or even a step down the career ladder. Another way to balance your work and family life is to talk to, and more importantly, listen to your partner and family about what they want to do. You dont have to just do what they want, but try and find some common ground and experiences you can share. You might not find it as stimulating as work, but in time, you will find it more fulfilling. Finally, dont enslave yourself to your employer. Work the hours you are paid to work and no more. Take your vacation and do something fun. Take sick time when you are ill. These are rights that have been fought for so that workers can have a decent quality of lifeâ€"have respect for your predecessors and appreciate their efforts. What If You or Your Partner Is a Workaholic? If you try these strategies and find you just cant stop yourself from working, it might be time to seek professional help. A psychologist or counselor can help you to understand why you feel the need to work so hard and can help you listen to and empathize with your partner. Approaches such as CBT can help. Talk to your doctor if you need a referral, or seek out a therapist on the internet. Your state psychological association can give you information on qualified service providers in your area.

Thursday, May 21, 2020

The Great Depression vs. The Great Recession - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 7 Words: 2133 Downloads: 1 Date added: 2019/05/16 Category History Essay Level High school Tags: Great Depression Essay Did you like this example? The Great Depression and The Great Recession are two important downfalls in economic fluctuation in two completely different time periods. The 1930s (The time period The Great Depression) and the late 2000s (The time period of the Great Recession) are very different, but problems within the Federal government provided a parallel between the two. What goes up must come down and The Recession and Depression are two prime examples. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "The Great Depression vs. The Great Recession" essay for you Create order The roaring 20s skyrocketed the economy and immediately fell into the Great Depression. The finally striving economy of the early 2000s fell into the Great Recession soon after. Although these are two different time periods, certain events connect and differentiate the two. The Great Depression did not start with the Stock Market Crash in October of 1929. Although there was correlation between the Crash and the start of the Great Depression, this was not the direct cause. The underlying economic conditions around 1930 were not the best. Economic uncertainty was a main cause of the Great Depression. Credit and installment buying arose around 1929 as consumption of new consumer products. This was good for the American industry, but was actually very unsustainable for those involved financially. The banks were trying to make more money by taking peoples money and investing, when things started going south, Americans wanted the money back that the banks no longer had due to investments. American farms had expanded enormously during World War I to provide food for all those soldiers the expansion led many farmers to mechanize their operations (Green 12) and undergo large debts. Between overproduction and low prices, many of these farms were soon out of busin ess which left those who invested in a sticky situation. Many signs of economic weakness appeared throughout the years leading up to the time period of the Great Depression. The growth of car manufacturing slowed due to overproduction, and the over-speculation of the stock market that began around 1927 and lasted well into the Great Depression. Loans from commercial baking began being taken for stock market and real estate investments. The stock market crash and the Depression were not the same thing. Many Americans lost money during the Stock Market Crash, however, what really made The Great Depression The Great Depression was the severe unemployment and the hardship that followed. Although big banks and corporations were investing in stock, they utilized borrowed money from brokers, or margin buying. Through all of these events that seemed to have tanked the Economy, there was a similar underlying cause to everything; The weak banking system. The Federal Reserve system was establi shed in 1913, but the vast majority of American banks were privately owned institutions that relied on their own money. If a bank did not have enough money on reserve, the bank would fail. 1930 is known for bank failures, the credit system froze up. This led to deflation where less money was circulating. The failure to predict or forecast the fall of the economy is what hurt the most. There was no preparation and the money people had in the banks was the only reassurance they had. During the time period of The Great Depression, the unemployment rate was at a jaw dropping 25 percent dropping the GDP an additional 35 percent. The people who were lucky enough to maintain wealth during the Great Depression were extremely wealthy, and those who were less fortunate were completely poor. There was no longer a distinguishable middle man or middle class. On top of everything, political policy seemed to creep up from behind as the U.S still had war debts from World War I that needed to be paid. The United States places tariffs on imported goods. When the world needed trade the most, trade was at a valley. The United States was buzzing and began to overproduce items due to the fluctuation exports, when things began to get a little more expensive, business between foreign countries began to stop and the United States was left with too much good and not enough consumer. Due to the severe loss of income, the government was forced to spend millions of dollars on relief programs. At the same time the government increased relief spending, it also contributed to the crisis by laying off employees and making cuts to health care, education and other social programs.(Higgins 2) Looking from the outside in, The Great Depression seems as though it could have been predicted/ prevented. Things were going so good, they were destined to go bad. Luckily, there is a flip side to that, and what is bad enough can only get better. The Great Recession (December 2007 June 2009) or the subprime mortgage crisis is described as a decline in per-capita world gross domestic product (GDP)(Roberts 2). From the start of the Recession in 2007 to the end of the Recession in June 2009, GDP declined by 4.3 percent and unemployment approached 10 percent. In this case, increased unemployment leads to less growth and a drop in consumer spending. Consequently, businesses lay off workers because they can no longer afford to pay them. 8.7 million jobs lost(policy priorities 2) between the start and end of the Recession. Investors looking for low risk, high return investments began to spend money on the U.S housing market. They predicted they could get a better return from home owner paid mortgages than they could on U.S treasury bonds. Investors began to buy mortgage back securities where financial institutions would purchase thousands of mortgages, bundle them as one, and sell shares of stock to the money hungry investors. Inves tors forecasted that since the housing market was skyrocketing, it would continue to do so until they were satisfied with their return on investment. Credit ratings agencies were also giving the investors reassurance. Due to the crazy boom in the purchase of mortgage back securities, lenders began to drop credit standards in order to create more and more bundles for purchase. People with low income and poor credit were now being granted Subprime mortgages. It got to a point where a few institutions began utilizing predatory lending practices where they would not verify income and offer outrageous adjustable rate mortgages which the subprime mortgage buyers could afford at first, but soon grew out of a proportion they could afford. Although this was actively occurring, investors maintained their trust in the credit agencies and continued to invest more and more money into these lenders. As investors, traders and bankers remained linear with an increase in the amount of money being in vested in the housing market, the price of homes in the U.S was increasing just as much. Due to the low interest rates and higher housing prices, the mortgage back securities were being portrayed as even better investments. Unfortunately for those who invested any kind of money, the now low credit, untrustworthy borrowers could no longer afford their mortgage payments. Borrowers began to default which put many houses back on the market with no buyers because seemingly no one could afford their home! Supply was extremely high and demand was extremely low so the prices of houses began to tank. Due to the decrease in value, some borrowers were now stuck with mortgage payments that was now a total of much more than their houses were worth at the time of the Recession. Because of this, many borrowers were no longer making payments dropping both themselves and the lenders into a hole deeper than imaginable or predictable before hand. Big financial institutions stopped buying subprime mortgages meaning subprime lenders were being glued to bad loans. By 2007 some of the biggest lenders of these loans had already declared bankruptcy. Unregulated over the counter derivatives such as credit default swaps were sold as insurance in case of default of mortgage back securities. Institutions such as AIG sold countless insurance policies without any kind of actual insurance to back them up. Everyone involved financially was connected through a big string with never ending ties of liability, assets and risk factors meaning when things started falling apart, they fell apart for the entire financial system at once. The stock market crashed once again as the U.S economy found itself in the middle of a disastrous recession. The federal reserve almost immediately surfaced and offered to make emergency loans to banks to keep them from collapsing. The troubled assets relief program or TARP spent 250 billion dollars to bail out the disaster bound banks and later helped AIG, home owners and auto makers. Congress in 2009, also provided nearly 800 billion dollars to the economy through tax cuts and new spending. In 2009 the Dodd-Frank Act enabled the federal government to assume control of banks deemed to be on the brink of financial collapse and implemented various consumer protections designed to safeguard investments and prevent predatory lending.(History 10). Between Moral Hazard and Perverse incentives, the seemingly great concept of investing in the consistently rising housing market based off of a simple economic model ended up not being so great after all. Sometimes if things seem too good to be true, it is because they are. Do not count your chickens before they hatch. To be realistic, what goes up can only come down and what is down can only come up. When reviewing economic models of both of these time periods one can notice a constant fluctuation in the economy. In both time periods, the economy was doing abnormally well which means it was destined to do abnormally bad soon after. A decline in consumer spending, an increase in unemployment and sever strain on financial institutions cause the Great Depression and Great Recession to almost mirror one another. History indeed repeats itself. In the 1930s, the time period of the Great Depression, Keynesian economics accompanied by the new deal began to doctor the economy, after the first huge decline, back into stability. This did things such as help the actual people of the failing economy, but also create long-standing government institutions to prevent similar catastrophes from reoccurring. During the Obama administration, the time period of the 2007 recession, a similar approach was made. In refle ction of Keynesian economics, the American Recovery and reinvestment act of 2009 were established to revive the American economy once again. In both cases, due to the unemployment rates and drop in GDP, many people were put out of jobs leading to much civil unrest in the economy of both time periods. The banking system received backlash in both instances. This came with an increased crime rate, and much protest from the uninformed or ignorant American citizens involved in the exchange. The gap in incomes between the extremely wealthy and extremely poor fueled a lot of the protests. Although there was a huge gap between the 30% unemployment rate of the Great Depression and the 10% unemployment rate of the Great Recession, the confidence in the government dragged to a stoop in both situations. It was not only the corporations and federal government who seemed to drive the depression and recession, but the entire capitalist system that, to the people, had been proven wrong for the second time. In consequence of the Great Depression, the only thing the economy and government could think to do was fix things and get them running smooth again. After the Recession in the late 2000s, the economy began brainstorming and inventing ways to improve and ensure the economy is not to collapse a third time. A weak, unstable banking system was to an extent a great cause of both of these historical time periods. By stabilizing our banking systems and making financial moves more transparent, financial crises such as these can be prevented. The government did indeed kick in at a good timing in both events with ways to slow the declines. Both instances could have been much worse, but due to quick action of authority, the catastrophes were prevented from escalating any further. Business had t o make the right decisions and pull the right cards in order to maintain or, depending on the situation, retain stabilization financially. Forecasting in both situations can be improved, however the forecasting of what would effectively stop the declines was predicted well. Through managerial incentive structures, these corporations during both time periods had an insight that something was destined to go wrong, and unfortunately for the banks, lenders, investors and borrowers, it did. History repeats itself, from wars and conflicts to declines and recessions, it is easy to look over past mistakes and make them again. Modern acts and laws have been established to prevent situations like the recession and depression from happening again, however, these are not a 100 percent risk free guarantee. Based on the economic model of the economyToday, It is only a matter of time before we experience another huge collapse in the U.S economy, maybe this time America will learn from its inaccurate forecasting and be a little more prepared.

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Honour Among Woman in Colonial Latin America - 1549 Words

In colonial Latin America, one aspect of life that was constantly under attack and had to be guarded at all costs was the ideal of ones Honour. Women in colonial Latin America had to especially be on their guard to protect their honour, as an unanswered attack to their honour could ruin a familys honour. But if a womans honour was attacked there were ways for her to protect it. The honour women possessed at the time was said to be not as important as the honour of a man, but it is, in fact, more important then the mans. By using Richard Boyers document Catarina Maria Complains That Juan Teioa Forcibly Deflowered Her and Sonya Lipsett-Riveras document Scandal at the Church: Jose de Alfaro Accuses Dona Theresa Bravo and Others of†¦show more content†¦This claim is put forth to defend the honour of this woman and her family including the husband. On the other hand though from Dona Theresas stand point she had to defend her honour as she was apparently was brushed against by this woman of lesser social standing then herself. Although unlike the last article there is no definite ending or declaration of who was at fault. Boyers article shows how a woman even a woman, even of Indian ethnicity, can take a claim to court, how the family comes in to play a role in the case and how the deflowering of Catarina could be rectified with a marriage between her and Juan. The courts dealt with many cases relatively the same as this one. It is shown in this case that the courts were very accessible to the population. Even Catarina, of Indian ethnicity, is able to put forth a claim, on her own, to the judicial system. In this case it can be seen also that the family feels the effects the event of Catarina losing her virginity as her brothers become involved to try and ratify the situation and mend their diminished honour. The brother s petitions to have it taken before the General Indian Court and have Juan marry her as it is said he would. The fact that he did nt marry her is what bringsShow MoreRelatedA Critical Review of â€Å"the Ambiguities of Football, Politics, Culture, and Social Transformation in Latin America† by Tamir Bar-on.14147 Words   |  57 PagesA Critical Review of â€Å"The Ambiguities of Football, Politics, Culture, and Social Transformation in Latin America† by Tamir Bar-On. Introduction: In Latin America, soccer is not a game; it is a way of life. It is mixed in with politics and nationalism. It defines social classes. How politically influential is soccer in Latin America? It is used by â€Å"various Latin American socio-economic elites in order to retard the acceleration of working class and popular discontent† (Bar-On 1997:1.8). Is itRead MoreHonour Killing in Pakistan19346 Words   |  78 PagesUniversity, Sweden Honour killings in Pakistan under Theoretical, Legal and Religious Perspectives An Analytical Study of Honour killings Abuse and Disconnecting Islam from This Ancient Brutal Tradition Author MUHAMMAD ZIA ULLAH MASTER THESIS SUBMITTED, 27-05-2010 Malmà ¶ University Malmà ¶, Sweden Abstract This research sets out to examine the main excuses, often mentioned in connection to the so-called â€Å"honour killings† in Pakistan. In this way, the aim is to discuss the idea of â€Å"honour killings† byRead MoreGp Essay Mainpoints24643 Words   |  99 Pages15. Others a. Cooperation b. Education c. Crime d. Liberty or Security e. Consumerism 1. Media 1a. New vs. Traditional GENERAL Intro: †¢ The first quarter of 2043 will be when the last newspapers land on front process all over America. This is the prediction the author of ‘The Vanishing Newspaper’ †¦ †¢ Advent of tech has brought a radical change in the media industry †¢ No longer confined to reading news, watching television †¢ Click of mouse, people can access instantaneousRead MoreOrganisational Theory230255 Words   |  922 Pages(poor performance) is caused by the behaviour or action of another phenomenon (insufficient indigenous players in the Scottish Premiership). Let us take another example: one commonly accepted idea, if recent management practise in Europe and North America is anything to go by, is illustrated by Figure 1.1. Here the phenomenon that is being explained is economic performance. In formal theoretical language, this is often called the explanandum or dependent variable. This is because its own variation

Wireless network management Free Essays

The 802.11 protocol is defined for a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) and is based on a cellular architecture in which the network is divided into cells where each cell (called a Basic Service Cell (BSS)) is controlled by a base station called an Access Point (AP). The basic access mechanism implemented in the protocol is a Carrier Sence Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA). We will write a custom essay sample on Wireless network management or any similar topic only for you Order Now The CSMA protocol works as follows:Â   if a station wishes to transmit information through it network, it senses the medium. In case the medium is busy (another station in the network is currently transmitting information) then the station will delay its transmission requests to a later time. Otherwise, the medium is free and the station is allowed to transmit the desired information. The problem with the CSMA protocol is the case where a collision occurs. A collision may occur if two different stations sense the medium as free and begin to transmit information. For this purpose, we use a collision avoidance mechanism: a station willing to transmit senses the medium. If the medium is busy, it defers its request. Otherwise, it sends an RTS (Request To Transmit) which includes the source, destination and the duration of the transaction. If the medium is free then the destination station will respond with a packet called CTS (Clear To Send) which will include the same duration information and once the source station receives this packet, it starts to transmit. The destination station checks the CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check) and sends an acknowledgment package (ACK). Receiving the ACK informs the source station that no collision had occurred. If the source station does not receive the ACK it will keep resending the data or will throw it away after a given number of retransmissions. When a station wishes to join an existing BSS, it needs to receive synchronization information from the BSS’s AP. First, the station needs to go through the AP’s authentication process. During this process, the station and the AP exchange information proving to each other that each side is familiar with a specific password. How to cite Wireless network management, Essays

Sunday, April 26, 2020

Lessons Learned Paper Essay Example

Lessons Learned Paper Essay Lessons Learned Paper Na’Kisha Sherrard, MS University of Phoenix Lessons Learned Paper Connecting with a group of doctoral students for the first residency is very frightening. Several students admitted to having feelings of misperception, worry, or uncertainty. Meeting someone new is certainly not comfortable, however the expectations and anxiety of a doctoral program is sufficient for someone to ask why one would choose to undertake a huge venture. This residency has motivated me to endure in my program. There were several eye-openers that revealed development and improvement as a doctoral student. In the last five days, various lessons and experiences were taught and learned but the most important lessons for me include the learning team experiences, scholarly writing, and reflection on the lessons learned. Learning Teams During this residency experience, I acquired a lot about learning teams. In my academic and professional experience, I have been a part of numerous teams. I have had some bad encounters with teams during my duration with the University of Phoenix and presumed that the team experiences at residency would be similar. I definitely applied my situatedness but I understand now a cohort of different personalities can form a successful team where all opinions are heard, all ideas count, all contribute and all appear to demonstrate an authentic interest for one another. Dr. Sally played a major role in team experience. She encouraged an atmosphere of empathy, hope, and interest. She was our main supporter. I appreciate and value the honest disposition Dr. Sally showed. Her charisma made us feel we belonged to the team. We will write a custom essay sample on Lessons Learned Paper specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Lessons Learned Paper specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Lessons Learned Paper specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We completed several team assignments that allowed us to develop our learning team skills. We had various chances to work in learning teams. We reviewed course articles, course competencies, and were given several activities to develop team organization. We presented assignments on thinking models, constructing meaning, team presentations, and scholarly writing. The diverse assignments and activities we had in addition to the combined efforts of Dr. Sally and the students have made me reevaluate the idea of working with a learning team in my classes to come. While are listening to other doctoral students in a learning team communicate what they got from learning; I was able to get another viewpoint that also gets me thinking. My brain absorbed more information from listening to other student’s views. Understanding from other students also makes me try to pay attention to my lessons in a manner I would not have thought of without getting reactions from my learning team. I will be unbiased in the future and not believe that I will experience a negative encounter with a learning team experiences. I will guarantee to show encouraging traits of a team player and stay helpful. Individuals provided with new information and abilities are supposed to not only better themselves but to be instantaneously inspired to change the world (Mezirow, 1990, 47). I am excited about my next learning team experience and look forward to making a difference. Scholarly Writing There was so much knowledge gained about scholarly writing and what it includes. These past five days has strengthened what I previously understood about this subject. Throughout several assignments we have did in class, I learned that scholarly writing must be involved. There are certain parts of scholarly writing that are not flexible. Scholarly writing must be written in third person, written for a reason, cannot be prejudged, avoid suppositions and be backs by evidences, theories, and data. I also learned new terminologies that have to do with writing such as anthropomorphism. Trustworthy sources must be used in scholarly writing. I learned a great deal about the choice of sources to use and about scholarly writing. The constructing meaning assignment helped reinforce the importance for trustworthy and legitimate sources in scholarly writing. I believe the assignment we accomplished personally where we had to select and analyze an article helped show how significant it is to use the correct sources. The resources used can also be deceiving and seem to be qualified, but may only be just an opinion of that author. To avoid this, we must use scholarly, peer-reviewed articles to back up our statements. One of my ultimate disappointments as a college and graduate scholar is not putting more importance on learning to become a critical writer. Although I think I obtained a great knowledge from awesome universities, this is one subject where I was dissatisfied with myself and the instructors. I desire that they would have held me responsible to being a critical writer. I would definitely tell an individual that is looking into pursing their doctoral degree, if writing is a weakness you should be not embarrassed. It is better to be mindful of this task and do all that can be done to improve it as early as possible. Search for assistance immediately to learn to write appropriately and it will help throughout one’s education and career. With all the information I obtained about scholarly writing, I plan to use it to numerous types of writing I will do in the future. I can use this knowledge I acquired on this subject for different types of writings at the scholarly level during my studies at the university and beyond, upcoming course assignments, discussion replies, spoken conversations on the subject and my dissertation process. I can give this knowledge to my colleagues and well as other doctoral students to help advance their writing. I can also use what I acquired when I begin my study process whether it is on quantitative or qualitative study. Reflection One of the most valuable topics I learned was reflection. Reflection is scholarly and emotional activities in which a person engages to discover their encounters in order to guide new perceptions and gratitude (Mezirow, 1990). I also learned the variations amongst critical reflection and reflection. The process of critical reflection covers three points: discovering suppositions that motivate views and behaviors, examining the precision and rationality in how we tie suppositions with our encounters of realism, recreating suppositions to make them more general and encompassing (Mezirow, 1990). During the different course activities we completed, I learned the value of reflection. This residency offered several chances for the students to reflect on what was learned. There were several practices used to promote reflection during this experience at residency. Our nightly journals were just one of the ways we could reflect on what was covered every day and focused on what we learned on each subject, how we can use what we acquired, what we learned about ourselves and how the class information and encounters have shaped our means of reflecting. This was not the only way of reflection we practiced during the residency. We encountered other types of reflection that inspired the practice of critical thinking. The residency essentially began with a type of reflection on why we were personally here and out purpose statements. We integrated reflection methods as we finished our reviews of the articles and talked about how we will use what we absorbed on writing assignments in the future. We also learned to reflect as a team. The comments we gave other teams was a type of reflection. We were able to help enrich their presentations while reflecting on methods we can individually advance personally and on a team. I can definitely foresee myself encompassing the lessons I learned on reflection. Dr. Sally made a recommendation to start journaling and I plan to apply the practice of journaling my reflections. I intend to use my critical thinking skills and reflection while working in teams and at work. Previously, I felt that reflections were strained when I finished my weekly summaries in previous courses, however I do understand the significance of reflections. This valuable practice will continue to develop me as a scholar, practitioner and leader and improve me be self-conscious so I can supportively touch others around me. â€Å"The processes of writing and reflection can help to clarify some of the whirling and unfocused thoughts that sometimes get in the way of more productive thinking† (Wellington et. all, 2005, p. 36). Conclusion Year One Residency was very gratifying. I have developed resourcefully and individually because of this knowledge. Although, when I arrived I was unsure of what to expect, I was relieved rather quickly. I met some awesome doctoral students and gained a great deal of knowledge that I can apply to my everyday life. This has been a rewarding and I am excited about Year Two Residency. References Mezirow, J. (1990). Fostering critical reflection in adulthood: A guide to transformative and emancipatory learning. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Wellington, J. , Bathmaker, A. , Hunt, C. , McCulloch, G. , Sikes, P. (2005). Succeeding with your doctorate. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications Inc.

Wednesday, March 18, 2020

The Sobibor Revoltâ€Jewish Retaliation During Holocaust

The Sobibor Revolt- Jewish Retaliation During Holocaust Jews have often been accused of going to their deaths during the Holocaust like sheep to the slaughter, but this just wasnt true. Many resisted. However, the individual attacks and the individual escapes lacked the zest of defiance and craving for life that others, looking back in time, expect and want to see. Many now ask, why didnt the Jews just pick up guns and shoot? How could they let their families starve and die without fighting back? However, one must realize that resisting and revolting were just not this simple. If one prisoner were to pick up a gun and shoot, the SS would not just kill the shooter, but also randomly choose and kill twenty, thirty, even a hundred others in retaliation. Even if escaping from a camp were possible, where were the escapees to go? The roads were traveled by Nazis and the forests were filled with armed, anti-Semitic Poles. And during the winter, during the snow, where were they to live? And if they had been transported from the West to the East, they spoke Dutch or French - not Polish. How were they to survive in the countryside without knowing the language? Although the difficulties seemed insurmountable and success improbable, the Jews of the Sobibor Death Camp attempted a revolt. They made a plan and attacked their captors, but axes and knives were little match for the SSs machine guns. With all this against them, how and why did the prisoners of Sobibor come to the decision to revolt? Rumors During the summer and fall of 1943, the transports into Sobibor came less and less frequently. The Sobibor prisoners had always realized that they had been allowed to live only in order for them to work, to keep the death process running. However, with the slowing of the transports, many began to wonder whether the Nazis had actually succeeded in their goal to wipe out Jewry from Europe, to make it Judenrein. Rumors began to circulate- the camp was to be liquidated. Leon Feldhendler decided it was time to plan an escape. Though only in his thirties, Feldhendler was respected by his fellow inmates. Before coming to Sobibor, Feldhendler had been the head of the Judenrat in the Zolkiewka Ghetto. Having been at Sobibor for nearly a year, Feldhendler had witnessed several individual escapes. Unfortunately, all were followed by severe retaliation against the remaining prisoners. It was for this reason, that Feldhendler believed that an escape plan should include the escape of the entire camp population. In many ways, a mass escape was more easily said than done. How could you get six hundred prisoners out of a well-guarded, land mine-surrounded camp without having the SS discover your plan before it was enacted or without having the SS mow you down with their machine guns? A plan this complex was going to need someone with military and leadership experience. Someone who could not only plan such a feat but also inspire the prisoners to carry it out. Unfortunately, at the time, there was no one in Sobibor who fit both these descriptions. Sasha On September 23, 1943, a transport from Minsk rolled into Sobibor. Unlike most incoming transports, 80 men were selected for work. The SS were planning on building storage facilities in the now empty Lager IV, thus chose strong men from the transport rather than skilled workers. Among those chosen on that day was First Lieutenant Alexander Sasha Pechersky as well as a few of his men. Sasha was a Soviet prisoner of war. He had been sent to the front in October 1941 but had been captured near Viazma. After having been transferred to several camps, the Nazis, during a strip search, had discovered that Sasha was circumcised. Because he was Jewish, the Nazis sent him to Sobibor. Sasha made a big impression on the other prisoners of Sobibor. Three days after arriving at Sobibor, Sasha was out chopping wood with other prisoners. The prisoners, exhausted and hungry, were raising the heavy axes and then letting them fall on the tree stumps. SS Oberscharfà ¼hrer Karl Frenzel was guarding the group and regularly punishing already exhausted prisoners with twenty-five lashes each. When Frenzel noticed that Sasha had stopped working during one of these whipping frenzies, he said to Sasha, Russian soldier, you dont like the way I punish this fool? I give you exactly five minutes to split this stump. If you make it, you get a pack of cigarettes. If you miss by as much as one second, you get twenty-five lashes.1 It seemed an impossible task. Yet Sasha attacked the stump [w]ith all my strength and genuine hatred.2 Sasha finished in four and a half minutes. Since Sasha had completed the task in the allotted time, Frenzel made good on his promise of a pack of cigarettes - a highly prized commodity in the camp. Sasha refused the pack, saying Thanks, I dont smoke.3 Sasha then went back to work. Frenzel was furious. Frenzel left for a few minutes and then returned with bread and margarine - a very tempting morsel for all who are really hungry. Frenzel handed the food to Sasha. Again, Sasha refused Frenzels offer, saying, Thank you, the rations we are getting satisfy me fully.4 Obviously a lie, Frenzel was even more furious. However, instead of whipping Sasha, Frenzel turned and abruptly left. This was a first in Sobibor - someone had had the courage to defy the SS and succeeded. News of this incident spread quickly throughout the camp. Sasha and Feldhendler Meet Two days after the wood cutting incident, Leon Feldhendler asked that Sasha and his friend Shlomo Leitman come that evening to the womens barracks to talk. Though both Sasha and Leitman went that night, Feldhendler never arrived. In the womens barracks, Sasha and Leitman were swamped with questions - about life outside the camp...about why the partisans had not attacked the camp and freed them. Sasha explained that the partisans have their tasks, and no one can do our work for us.  5 These words motivated the prisoners of Sobibor. Instead of waiting for others to liberate them, they were coming to the conclusion that they would have to liberate themselves. Feldhendler had now found someone who not only had the military background to plan a mass escape, but also someone who could inspire confidence in the prisoners. Now Feldhendler needed to convince Sasha that a plan of mass escape was needed. The two men met the following day, on September 29. Some of Sashas men were already thinking of escape- but for just a few people, not a mass escape. Feldhendler had to convince them that he and others in the camp could help the Soviet prisoners because they knew the camp. He also told the men of the retaliation that would occur against the whole camp if even just a few were to escape. Soon, they decided to work together and information between the two men passed via a middle man, Shlomo Leitman, so as not to draw attention to the two men. With the information about the routine of the camp, layout of the camp, and specific characteristics of the guards and SS, Sasha began to plan. The Plan Sasha knew that any plan would be far-fetched. Even though the prisoners outnumbered the guards, the guards had machine guns and could call for back-up. The first plan was to dig a tunnel. They started digging the tunnel in the beginning of October. Originating in the carpentry shop, the tunnel had to be dug under the perimeter fence and then under the minefields. On October 7, Sasha voiced his fears about this plan - the hours at night were not sufficient to allow the entire camp population to crawl through the tunnel and fights were likely to flare-up between prisoners waiting to crawl through. These problems were never encountered because the tunnel was ruined from heavy rains on October 8 and 9. Sasha began working on another plan. This time it was not just a mass escape, it was a revolt. Sasha asked that members of the Underground start preparing weapons in the prisoner workshops- they began to make both knives and hatchets. Although the Underground had already learned that the camp commandant, SS Haupsturmfà ¼hrer Franz Reichleitner and SS Oberscharfà ¼hrer Hubert Gomerski had gone on vacation, on October 12 they saw SS Oberscharfà ¼hrer Gustav Wagner leaving the camp with his suitcases. With Wagner gone, many felt the opportunity ripe for the revolt. As Toivi Blatt describes Wagner: Wagners departure gave us a tremendous morale boost. While cruel, he was also very intelligent. Always on the go, he could suddenly show up in the most unexpected places. Always suspicious and snooping, he was difficult to fool. Besides, his colossal stature and strength would make it very difficult for us to overcome him with our primitive weapons.6 On the nights of October 11 and 12, Sasha told the Underground the complete plans for the revolt. The Soviet prisoners of war were to be dispersed to different workshops around the camp. The SS would be individually lured to the various workshops either by appointments to pick up finished products they had ordered like boots or by individual items that attracted their greed like a newly arrived leather coat. The planning took into consideration the Germans brashness and power-hungry mistreatment of the seemingly subdued Jews, their consistent and systematic daily routine, their unfaltering punctuality, and their greed.7 Each SS man would be killed in the workshops. It was important that the SS did not cry out when being killed nor any of the guards alerted that something unusual was happening in the camps. Then, all the prisoners would report as usual to the roll call square and then walk out together through the front gate. It was hoped that once the SS had been eliminated, the Ukrainian guards, who had a small supply of ammunition, would acquiesce to the revolting prisoners. The phone lines were to be cut early in the revolt so that the escapees would have several hours of fleeing time under the cover of darkness before back-up could be notified. Significant to the plan was that only a very small group of the prisoners even knew of the revolt. It was to be a surprise to the general camp population at roll call. It was decided that the following day, October 13, would be the day of revolt. We knew our fate. We knew that we were in an extermination camp and death was our destiny. We knew that even a sudden end to the war might spare the inmates of the normal  concentration camps, but never us. Only desperate actions could shorten our suffering and maybe afford us a chance of escape. And the will to resist had grown and ripened. We had no dreams of liberation; we hoped merely to destroy the camp and to die from bullets rather than from gas. We would not make it easy for the Germans.8 October 13 The day had finally arrived. Tension was high. In the morning, a group of SS arrived from the nearby Ossowa labor camp. The arrival of these additional SS not only increased the man power of the SS in the camp but could preclude the regular SS men from making their appointments in the workshops. Since the additional SS were still in the camp during lunchtime, the revolt was postponed. It was rescheduled for the following day - October 14. As the prisoners went to bed, many were afraid of what was to come. Esther Grinbaum, a very sentimental and intelligent young woman, wiped away her tears and said: Its not yet the time for an uprising. Tomorrow none of us will be alive. Everything will remain as it was - the barracks, the sun will rise and set, the flowers will bloom and wilt, but we will be no more. Her closest friend, Helka Lubartowska, a beautiful dark-eyed brunette, tried to encourage her: There is no other way. Nobody knows what the results will be, but one thing is sure, we will not be led to slaughter.9 October 14 The day had come. Excitement among the prisoners was so high that no matter what happened, the revolt could not be postponed, for the SS were sure to notice the change in mood in the prisoners. The few weapons that had been made were already handed out to those doing the killing. In the morning, they all had to try to look and act normal while waiting for the afternoon to come. NoonAll battle team commanders (the prisoners who were to actively participate in the revolt were broken up into battle teams of two to three persons each) had each individually met with Sasha for final instructions.Frenzel entered the carpentry shop and noticed one prisoner was wearing especially nice clothing. The inmate was wearing nice clothes in preparation for the revolt. Many other prisoners were wearing extra clothes as well as carrying extra food and valuables. Frenzel asked the prisoner if he was going to a wedding. 102:00 p.m.Something unusual happened. SS Unterscharfà ¼hrer Walter Ryba, armed with a submachine gun, came into Lager I and took four prisoners away with him. SS didnt usually carry such heavy weapons. Could he know about the planned revolt?3:00 to 4:00 p.m.Sasha found out that SS Ryba was only carrying the submachine gun because a Ukrainian guard had not also accompanied the prisoners.Many of the battle teams take their positions.My assignment was to liquidat e Scharfà ¼hrer Greischutz, who was in charge of the Ukrainian guard. I was happy for the opportunity given to me to kill a German. We had prepared axes, which we had sharpened in the smithy. We took up our position an hour earlier. At four oclock we were sitting in the rooms and waited.11 4:00 to 5:00 p.m.The killings began. (Though there are discrepancies in the accounts as to which SS officer was killed at what location, the following is a summary of the SS deaths.)Vorlager: Leon Feldhendler was stationed here to help orchestrate the revolt in this section of the camp.Unterscharfà ¼hrer Josef Wulf: Wulf was the first SS man killed during the revolt. Once he entered the storeroom, one prisoner offered him a coat and another helped him into it. While he was putting on the coat, two other prisoners hit him on the head with axes. Wulfs dead body was then hidden among piles of clothes and the blood was cleaned up.Steubel: Steubel was also lured into the storeroom and killed.Scharfà ¼hrer Vallaster: Killed during revolt; circumstances of death not known.Scharfà ¼hrer Kurt Beckman: While the attempt to lure Beckman to the storeroom for a new leather coat started successfully, on his way he abruptly turned around and went to his office. A little later, three prisoners we nt to Beckmans office where they surprised him and stabbed him with daggers. Since they did not have time to hide his body or clean up the blood, they left the body behind the desk.Unterscharfà ¼hrer Walter Ryba: Not part of the planned killings, Ryba entered the SS garage and was killed by a prisoner working there. Sasha worried that Rybas body, which was very close to the SS and Ukrainian living quarters, would be discovered.Lager I: Sasha Pechersky was stationed here to orchestrate the revolt in this section of the camp.Untersturmfà ¼hrer Josef Niemann: The acting commander of the camp rode up to the tailor shop on his chestnut horse, dismounted, and went inside. As he was being fitted for a new uniform, prisoners hit him on the back of the head with an  axe. His body was then dragged to the back room and his horse taken back to the stables.Oberscharfà ¼hrer  Goettinger: Head of Lager III, Goettinger was asked to try on a new pair of boots in the shoemakers shop. While tal king to the shoemaker, Goettingers head was smashed with an  axe.Scharfà ¼hrer Siegfried Greischutz: Head of the Ukrainian guard, Greischutz was killed once inside the Ukrainian tailor shop.Klat: Klat, a Ukrainian guard, entered the tailors shop looking for his boss, Greischutz (who had just been killed there). The tailors maneuvered Klat so that his back was to the back room. He was then attacked and killed.Scharfà ¼hrer Friedrich Gaulstich: Gaulstich was killed in the carpentry workshop. After 5:00 p.m.The prisoners had gathered as usual in the roll call area. At 5:10 p.m. - twenty minutes early for roll call - the roll call whistle was blown according to Sashas signal. Though Sasha was surprised at how well the plan had gone thus far, he realized that there could not be an orderly march through the front gate. Sasha stood up and addressed the assembled prisoners, saying something similar to Our day has come. Most of the Germans are dead. Lets die with honor. Remember, if anyone survives, he must tell the world what has happened here.12A Ukrainian guard discovered the body of Scharfà ¼hrer Beckman behind his desk and ran outside where SS men hear him yell, A German is dead! This alerted the rest of the camp to the revolt.The prisoners at the roll call square yell, Hurrah! Then it was every man and woman for themselves.Prisoners were running to the fences. Some were trying to cut them, others just climbed over. Yet, in most places, the minefield was still fully in pl ace.Suddenly we heard shots. In the beginning only a few shots, and then it turned into heavy shooting, including machine-gun fire. We heard shouting, and I could see a group of prisoners running with axes, knives, scissors, cutting the fences and crossing them. Mines started to explode. Riot and confusion prevailed, everything was thundering around. The doors of the workshop were opened, and everyone rushed through. . . . We ran out of the workshop. All around were the bodies of the killed and wounded. Near the armory were some of our boys with weapons. Some of them were exchanging fire with the Ukrainians, others were running toward the gate or through the fences. My coat caught on the fence. I took off the coat, freed myself and ran further behind the fences into the minefield. A mine exploded nearby, and I could see a body being lifted into the air and then falling down. I did not recognize who it was.13As the remaining SS were alerted to the revolt, they grabbed machine guns an d began shooting into the mass of people. The guards in the towers were also firing into the crowd.The prisoners were running through the minefield, over an open area, and then into the forest. It is estimated that about half the prisoners (approximately 300) made it to the forests. The Forest Once in the forests, the escapees tried to quickly find relatives and friends. Though they started off in large groups of prisoners, they eventually broke into smaller and smaller groups in order to be able to find food and to hide. Sasha had been leading one large group of about 50 prisoners. On October 17, the group stopped. Sasha chose several men, which included all the rifles of the group except one, and passed around a hat to collect money from the group to buy food. He told the group that he and the others he had chosen were going to do some reconnaissance. The others protested, but Sasha promised hed come back. He never did. After waiting for a long time, the group realized that Sasha was not going to come back, thus they split into smaller groups and headed off in different directions. After the war, Sasha explained his leaving by saying that it would have been impossible to hide and feed such a large group. But no matter how  truthful  this statement, the remaining members of the group felt bitter and betrayed by Sasha. Within four days of the escape, 100 of the 300 escapees were caught. The remaining 200 continued to flee and hide. Most were shot by local Poles or by partisans. Only 50 to 70 survived the war. Though this number is small, it is still much larger than if the prisoners had not revolted, for surely, the entire camp population would have been liquidated by the Nazis. Notes 1. Alexander Pechersky as quoted in Yitzhak Arad,  Belzec, Sobibor, Treblinka: The Operation Reinhard Death Camps  (Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1987) 307.2. Alexander Pechersky as quoted in Ibid 307.3. Alexander Pechersky as quoted in Ibid 307.4. Alexander Pechersky as quoted in Ibid 307.5. Ibid 308.6. Thomas Toivi Blatt,  From the Ashes of Sobibor: A Story of Survival  (Evanston, Illinois: Northwestern University Press, 1997) 144.7. Ibid 141.8. Ibid 139.9. Arad,  Belzec  321.10. Ibid 324.11. Yehuda Lerner as quoted in Ibid 327.12. Richard Rashke,  Escape From Sobibor  (Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1995) 229.13. Ada Lichtman as quoted in Arad,  Belzec  331. 14. Ibid 364. Bibliography Arad, Yitzhak.  Belzec, Sobibor, Treblinka: The Operation Reinhard Death Camps.  Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1987. Blatt, Thomas Toivi.  From the Ashes of Sobibor: A Story of Survival. Evanston, Illinois: Northwestern University Press, 1997. Novitch, Miriam.  Sobibor: Martyrdom and Revolt. New York: Holocaust Library, 1980. Rashke, Richard.  Escape From Sobibor. Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1995.

Monday, March 2, 2020

Should I Go to a College Near Me

Should I Go to a College Near Me SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Location is one of the most important factors to consider when choosing a college. So how do you decide whether to go to school close to home or far away? It’s not an easy choice, and a lot of it depends on your personality and what you want to do in college. In this article I’ll go through the positives and negatives of attending college close to home and how you can decide whether it’s the right choice for you. Overview There are some positive and negative aspects of going to school close to home that will most likely apply to any student. Here’s a quick rundown of the pros and cons. The Positives: You can get supportfrom your family through stressful times and illnesses. You already know the area well, so you’ll feel more comfortable and secure. If you’re going to a state school near home, in-state tuition will run you an average of about $15,000 a year as compared to out of state public school tuition, which is $25,000 a year on average ($35,000 if you’re looking at private schools) You’ll save about $10,000 a year on room and board if you choose to live at home while you go to school, not to mention the money you’ll save on food and laundry. If you live and school and start feeling homesick, you can just go home for the weekend! You'll be able to see your high school friends more frequently. Packing for college won’t be as stressful;if you forget anything, you can go home and get it or have your parents bring it to you without too much hassle. The Negatives: If you’re hoping to get some distance from your parents, it will be difficult to prevent them from coming to see you all the time. You may not have as many new and diverse experiences because you’re already familiar with the area. You mighthave trouble assimilating into the college community because you'll be able to see your old friends so frequently. It's tempting to go home on weekends instead of hanging out with people at college. You might not get as much exposure to what it’s really like to live on your own if you visit home frequently (being able to do laundry is a valuable skill!). You may get stuck in an emotional rut if your living situation doesn’t change between high school and college. Figuring Out Your Needs After weighing these pros and cons, the most important thing to ask yourself is â€Å"what do I want?†Your personality and goals for college may be more or less suited to living close to home depending on a couple factors.You should ask yourself these three questions: 1. Do You Handle Change Well? If you’ve ever switched schools before, think about whether it was easy for you to adjust to a new environment.If you haven’t actually moved, you might consider the transition from elementary to high school and how it affected you.If you relied on support from your family and took a while to make new friends, you might consider going to school closer to home in case you have a similar experience as a college freshman. This is a tough call though. Keep in mind that going to school close to home could impede your ability to integrate yourself fully into the college community and give you less motivation to make new friends.You might look at schools that are within driving distance of your hometown but not so close by that you’ll be tempted to go home every weekend. Have you ever been away from home for a significant period of time before (2 weeks or more)? If so, how did it feel? Were you eager to go home at the end?Maybe you’ve been to an overnight camp or gone on an exchange program in high school.That experience might be a good model for how you can expect to feel at the beginning of college.If you felt significant homesickness, consider going to school somewhere relatively close by so that you can visit home sometimes. Many people need a more gradual transition from living at home to living at college. Change is scary. 2. Is Cost a Concern for You? As mentioned earlier, you can save a lot of money on tuition and housing if you attend a school near you.If you’re worried about paying for college, nearby schools make great options. State schools usually have a ton of resources for motivated students and offer many merit scholarships in addition to a lower tuition price tag. Try not to base your college decision solely on cost though; this should be considered in conjunction with other reasons for attending your state school.If you really don’t want to go there and you’re just choosing it because it's cheaper, the sacrifice won't be worth the money you’ll save. 3. What Do You Want to Accomplish in College? You also should ask yourself about the resources available at nearby schools. Will they fulfill your needs?Certain areas may have more or less opportunities for jobs and internships.Schools nearby may or may not offer the programs or campus setting you’re looking for.Think about what type of environment you'll prefer in college (urban or rural or somewhere in between) and your tentative major plans to inform your decision. I’ll give you some resources in the next section that will help you understand the characteristics of different schools so you can decide whether a college close to home is really the right choice for you. How to Find Nearby Colleges So, you’re thinking about going to college close to home. How do you find schools that fit your criteria?The simplest way to start is to go to College Navigator, which allows you to search for colleges by zip code or state.You can specify how many miles away from your zip code you want to be and what type of program you’re looking for (you can also search for specific schools, but if you're just checking your options, zip code or state is the place to start).If you click on â€Å"more search options† you can also specify the price range you’re looking for as well as student enrollment, campus setting, and more. This search will give you a comprehensive list of schools along with relevant statistics so you can see whether they'll be good fits for you. You can also compare schools side by side when you add them to your â€Å"favorites† to figure out which is the better option.You can compare schools by price, admissions, enrollment, and retention and graduation rates: College Navigator is a good tool for compiling an initial list of nearby schools that interest you.Once you find a few that sound promising, you might consult other college choice sites to find out more about them.Cappex is the site that I usually recommend because it has hard data about schools as well as student reviews. Go there next to learn more about other factors that might impact your decision.You can create a profile and search for schools that you already found on College Navigator, or you canget matched up with schools on Cappex by creating a profile and specifying how far away from home you want to be and which majors interest you. Conclusion College is a huge transition, and many students feel more comfortable attending school close to home to make it a little less stressful.There are positives and negatives to going to college close to home, but what really matters is how you feel about it.Ask yourself if you're ready for such a dramatic change in your life and if you might need more or less support from your family and old friends.You should also think about the cost of college and whether it’s worth it for you to go out of state and spend more on tuition. What are your goals for the next four years? What do you want to accomplish?Do some self-examination and college research to make sure you're choosing a school that will give you all the opportunities you want for youreself. What's Next? If you're still not sure of the best way to go about your college search process, read my guide to choosing the right college! You should also look at this list of the best online resources for conducting your college search. If you're thinking about attending your state school, read this article on how to get merit scholarships and honors at state schools. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now: