Essay --

Shady Hill is first portrayed as the perfect town. Located in the upper-middle class suburbs of New York City during the 1950s, Shady Hill appears to be the ideal place for a family to live and is the setting for the short story "The County Husband" by John Cheever. The inhabitants are well mannered and educated. They can only associate with a restricted number of people who are in the norm. Unsurprising, once the plastic wrap is pulled away the city’s flaws come into focus. "It seems to me what is really wrong with Shady Hill is that it doesn't have any future. So much energy is spent in perpetuating the place in keeping out undesirables, and so forth..." (Cheever 82) tch Colonial home that the Weeds reside in giving such animated description as "it was not the kind of household where, after prying open a stuck cigarette box, you would find an old shirt button and a tarnished nickel" (Cheever 72). His life is one of genteel complacency, as we see from this description of his house. It may not seem to describe Shady Hill but in many ways it does. The reader begins to form an opinion of a city that contains this type of residence, a residence where "roses on the piano were reflected in the polish of the broad top..." (Cheever 72). The opinion is that Shady Hill is one of statute, and a person’s house is always kept in pristine condition. The reader may not realize that perhaps the house is kept in such tidy condition not for the sake of the family but to impress others that may come over unannounced. The description of the house should show a reader that material possessions are of great importance to Shady Hill community members. The world outside their suburb remains more than an unknown quantity; in this case... ...d reality: â€Å"for if he couldn’t tell one person from another, what evidence was there that his life with Julia and the children had as much reality as his dream of iniquity in Paris or the litter, the grass smell, and the cave-shaped trees in Lovers’ Lane† (Cheever 85). There is a useful connection to Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. In the end, Hawthorne and Cheever reintegrate their protagonists into their societies because, in fact, neither author really believes that there is any other arena for human fulfillment than that of human society. The Farquarsons’ maid is the unacknowledged Hester Prynne in the midst of Shady Hill, while Weed wrings his hands—or whittles wood—like a suburban Dimmesdale. At the end of â€Å"The Country Husband,† the real question concerns the nature of the suburban society into which Cheever reintegrates his characters.

Nurse Practitioner Interview Essay

I interviewed Durward â€Å"Durk† Lynch he is in my field of interest where I want to work as one day. He is a Nurse Practitioner at the Vanden Bosh Clinic and at the College Clinic. He gave information on his background and what drove him to be a Nurse Practitioner (NP). He really has had a lot of experience, as I will explain to you what he has shared. Durk was 18 years old graduating from high school and at the time he didn’t have the goal or even thought to be a (NP). He was volunteering in a hospital working with paralyzed patients. He was in his 1st year of college and majoring in Psychology. He really had an interest in writing on health and disease. He used to write in the newspaper on Health and Disease. When he took a job in HMO in 1977 in his 2nd semester in college; is when he met his 1st Nurse Practitioner. That’s when he set his goal to become a NP. He states,† He never heard of a Nurse Practitioner before, he only heard of a physician’s assistant â€Å". Durk was determined to gain the experience he needed and was not in a hurry to do so. He worked in Larned, Kansas in a state mental institution for the criminally insane. Including also working in 3 different types of jail environments. Durk was also, enlisted in the army for the Nurse Core in his junior year in college. He was a Nurse Orderly in our time now is called a nursing assistant for 4years. He was an officer 2nd lieutenant for 3 years in the army. When he was in Korea he gained experience in medical surgery. Durk also, gained experience in orthopedic, neurosurgery, working with drug abusers, and people who had addictions to drugs/alcohol. He continued to gain experience by taking a job in the Missouri Clinic. They had no hospital in the county. The clinic was all they had; he worked there for 10 years. When his patients needed care that he could not perform he would have to send the patients 50 miles out of the clinic just to see a cardiologist and etc. Durk took another job in Ganado, Arizona where he worked as an orderly with deliveries, surgeries, saw TB, and even buried people. When the family members didn’t want to bury them or no one wanted to, a long time ago Durk and the Janitor dug the holes and buried the dead patients. Now, he is currently a Nurse Practitioner here in Gallup he says his patients here are harder due to diabetes and hypertension. He recalls the hardest patients for him was when he worked in a Cancer Clinic that was very aggressive to helping the patient gain some hope to be cancer free. He states,† There was at least one patient dying every week†. This was a very hard field to work with because of the high deaths of kids, young and old patients. He was the only Nurse Practitioner to last a year there. Most of the NP’s only lasted to 6 months if that. My perceptions before the interview were was he is very happy with his career and seems to be an absolute good-hearted person. He loves what he does and has enjoyed getting the experience he has. He states, †I have still not experienced everything there is to experience and I have been a Nurse Practitioner for 30 years†. When I asked him about his background he was real happy to talk about his experiences. By the way he talks about his patients you can tell in his tone he cares a lot about his patients. He says the youngest patient he attended to was 2 weeks old and the oldest was 106 years old. He has seen a 5-generation family and really has a lot of fun with his job. When I interviewed Dr. Lynch on the following questions he was not expecting the questions I asked. I asked him the first question. What specific communication skill does people entering your lines of work require? He answered, â€Å"You have to be a good communicator to talk to other doctors and communicate on paper. You are always interacting with people to get the help you need for your patients†. The second question I asked him was how important are public speaking skills to your job? He answered, â€Å"I don’t really do that and when I do its occasionally†. The only time he had to talk in front of people was at a commencement ceremony. He doesn’t really like to talk in front of a huge crowd. The last question I asked was how important to success in your career is effective public speaking? He stated, â€Å"Public speaking is not a big event in my career. It’s not really what I do maybe I shy away from it. In my career I only talk one on one wi th my patients and there family. Everything I discuss with my patients is private and confidential. So therefore I don’t need to really give a speech among a crowd.† I really enjoyed the interview listening to his experience and made me want to strive even more to become a good Nurse Practitioner. His words were really helpful and he gave me helpful tips on what route to take to get to my career goals. I thanked him for his time and thanked him for the helpful advice. That was my interview that I chose to talk about according to my field I am interested in.

Louis Armstrong

Louis Armstrong (1901-1971) remains a pivotal figure in American culture nearly thirty-five years after his death.   In his twenties and thirties, he was one of jazz’s foremost innovators, elevating the instrumental solo to a new and important role and helping invent the jazz style of singing.   Later in life, he became a widely popular entertainer rather than an innovator, a sort of â€Å"living legend† who preserved the music of yesteryear and projected a friendly, comical, widely imitated persona by which he is still remembered. Louis Armstrong was born in a poor section of New Orleans on 4 August 1901 but was unaware of his actual birthdate throughout his life.   He always claimed to be born on 4 July 1900, and this was accepted as fact until researchers found a birth certificate long after Armstrong’s death (Wikipedia). Fatherless and virtually motherless (his mother was a part-time prostitute who left him in his older sister’s care), he received little schooling and worked a series of menial jobs from an early age, including delivering coal and working for a family of Jewish junk merchants.   Despite a harsh, impoverished childhood in one of New Orleans’ most crime-ridden neighborhoods, he developed the optimistic personality that many Americans recognize. His musical training began at New Orleans’ Colored Waifs Home, where Armstrong was sent in early 1913 for firing a pistol in the air during a New Year’s Eve celebration.   During his 17 months at the home, he received instruction on the cornet and later recalled, â€Å"The place was more like a health center or a boarding school than a boys’ jail,† though the home was known for its harsh, militaristic discipline (Bergreen 73). After his release, he joined the city’s fertile musical community by performing in local jazz bands under Fate Marable (who taught him his strong professional ethic) and Kid Ory, as well as on riverboats. After meeting Joseph â€Å"King† Oliver and joining his pioneering jazz band, Armstrong became an exceptionally skilled instrumentalist and traveled to Chicago with Oliver, where he began recording in 1922 and went on his own within a few years. After leaving King Oliver’s band, Armstrong’s career flourished.   Biographer Laurence Bergreen writes, †It was as though Louis had taken [jazz] out of its infancy and given it a powerful breath of new life and independence† (Bergreen 200).   He formed a series of bands, most notably the Hot Five, with whom he had numerous hits (the first being â€Å"Muskrat Ramble† in 1926) and displayed his improvisational and interpretive skills.   Though he began as a trumpeter, he began singing as well during this period, using his unconventional, gravelly voice to develop scat singing, which other jazz artists adopted. He attained especially high standing among other jazz musicians for his virtuosity and ability to translate jazz (formerly the music of New Orleans’ street parades and dives) to records.   Bergreen notes that Armstrong â€Å"was the first important jazz musician to anticipate that his legacy would be actual recordings, not half-forgotten memories† (Bergreen 219), showing a shrewd side of his personality because early jazz artists (like its supposed creator, Buddy Bolden) were never able to reach a wider audience simply through live performance. After World War II, Armstrong was no longer a cutting-edge innovator, since jazz had by now evolved away from its New Orleans roots and transformed into swing and bebop.   However, says Bergreen, Armstrong â€Å"carved himself a unique niche in the music world . . . as a newly minted traditionalist† (Bergreen 433).   He began performing not only the New Orleans â€Å"hot† jazz he helped create but also pop, blues, Tin Pan Alley, and show tunes, winning him great popularity with the public but critical scorn. According to music critic Gary Giddins, â€Å"he was excoriated for playing pop tunes, fronting a swing band, appearing with media starts, sticking to a standardized repertory, engaging in vaudeville routines . . . mugging, entertaining† (Giddins 4).   However, this second phase of his career is as important as the first, since he never lost stature among his peers, produced some vital work (especially his collaborations with Ella Fitzgerald), and won an even wider following late in life. Armstrong was largely apolitical but strongly supported the civil rights movement, having experienced the effects of segregation his entire life.   He harshly criticized Dwight Eisenhower’s perceived inaction during the 1957 Little Rock school integration crisis, called Arkansas’ segregationist governor Orval Faubus â€Å"ignorant,† and snubbed the federal government by refusing to participate in a government-sponsored tour of the Soviet Union in 1958 (Wikipedia).   His warm, effusive, laid-back personality and friendliness toward people regardless of race led some to incorrectly dub him an â€Å"Uncle Tom,† though he generally refused to make race a personal issue. Armstrong essentially left two legacies – as innovator and entertainer.   Before reaching middle age, Armstrong’s accomplishments included his helping define jazz in its earliest years, as well as making the solo an important element of modern music.   In addition, he helped define jazz vocals and popularize scat singing, long a key element of jazz. After age forty, his second legacy was his familiarity to the American public and abroad, and he cared little about how some critics dismissed him for joining the cultural mainstream.   According to Giddins, Armstrong played almost any kind of material because he knew â€Å"that no song could diminish him and that he could lift most songs beyond their earthy calling† (Giddins 4).   According to Bergreen, â€Å"He was not just America’s greatest musical performer, he was also a character of epic proportions† (Bergreen 1).   More than thirty years after his death, Louis Armstrong remains one of the most recognizable Americans, hailed as both a creator and performer more than thirty years after his death. REFERENCES Anonymous.   †Louis Armstrong.†Ã‚   Wikipedia.   4 November 2005.   . Bergreen, Laurence.   Louis Armstrong: An Extravagant Life.   New York: Broadway Books, 1997. Giddins, Gary.   Satchmo: The Genius of Louis Armstrong.   New York: Da Capo Press, 1988.      

French Baby Talk - Les Mots Des Bébés

French Baby Talk - Les Mots Des Bà ©bà ©s Just like any other kids around the world, French children use a vocabulary that is quite different from what an adult says. Most are two syllable words, often the same syllable repeated twice. Or with a slight variation, just as in Maman and Papa. List of French Baby Talk Words AreuhYes, the first sound a French kid does is a real challenge for English speakers!  It doesnt mean anything. Its like gaga goo-goo, but thats what French people say to a baby - I guess they too need as much training as possible on this  French R sound!​ Maman  Young kids may say mama but the French word is maman. There is no shorter version such as Mom. PapaThats Daddy. Again, no Dad, Pops etc... in French Tata / tatieFor Auntie. Its short for une tante. TontonShort for oncle. Mà ©mà ©Short for Mamie, but many kids call their grandma mà ©mà ©. Other words include grand-mà ¨re, bonne-maman... Note that une mà ©mà © can have different meanings in French, such as an old person, or a young girl that goes into mischief...  Ma fille est une vraie mà ©mà © !My daughter is really a trouble-maker (but in a cute way). Pà ©pà ©Short for Papi (or Papy) - formal French would be le grand-pà ¨re or Grand-Papa, Bon Papa... Le loloLe lait. Le dodoThe act of sleeping, or going to bed. We say: Au dodo ! Get to bed! Le nounoursThis one comes from un ours and in both words, you should pronounce the final S. Its, of course, a teddy bear. Le doudouIts not what you think... Un doudou is actually a stuffed animal or teddy, or blankie a kid sleeps with. Not to be mistaken with...   Le caca / le popoWhich is poop. Wed say faire caca. Le pipiMore of almost the same... thats pee :-) Again, we say faire pipi - to go wee-wee. Le proutThis one is a fart. The formal French word would be une flatulence (very formal) or un pet (common French) Le ziziWeenie, penis. La zà ©zette is for girls. Lets change subject, shall we? Un dadaA horse. dada means on your horse - it may come from an old song, Im not sure. Un toutouA dog. I dont think there is a specific French baby word for cat. I guess un chat is simple enough. After Papa et Maman (and of course non) chat was the first word of my daughter. The next one was papillon (butterfly). Un boboAlmost like in English, a boo-boo.   Voil, now youre ready to handle a French kid!

Understanding Depth of Knowledge

Understanding Depth of Knowledge Depth of Knowledge (DOK) was developed through research by Norman L. Webb in the late 1990’s. It is defined as the complexity or depth of understanding that is required to answer an assessment question. Depth of Knowledge Levels Each level of complexity measures a students depth of knowledge. Here are a few keywords as well as descriptors for each depth of knowledge level. DOK Level 1 - (Recall - measure, recall, calculate, define, list, identify.) This category involves basic tasks that require students to recall information and/or reproduce knowledge/skills. This may involve simple procedures or working with facts or terms. Students do not need to figure out this level of DOK they either know the answer or they dont. DOK Level 2 - Skill/Concept - graph, classify, compare, estimate, summarize.) This DOK level requires students to compare and contrast, describe or explain, or convert information. It may involve going beyond describing, to explaining how or why. At this level, students may need to infer, estimate, or organize. DOK Level 3 - (Strategic Thinking - assess, investigate, formulate, draw conclusions, construct.) At this level students are required to use higher order thinking processes. They may be asked to solve real-world problems, predict outcomes, or analyze something. Students may need to access knowledge from multiple subject areas to reach a solution. DOK Level 4 - (Extended Thinking - analyze, critique, create, design, apply concepts.) Higher order thinking skills are essential at this level of DOK. Students must employ strategic thinking to solve problems at this level. Students will need to conduct, and synthesize as well as manage at level 4. Possible (DOK) Depth of Knowledge Stem Questions Possible Activities to Correlate Here are a few stem questions, along with potential activities that correlate with each DOK level. Use the following questions and activities when creating your common core assessments. DOK 1 Who Was ____?When did _____ happen?Can you recall_____?How can you recognize_____?Who discovered_____? Possible Activities Develop a concept map describing a topic.Create a chart.Write a summary report.Paraphrase a chapter in a book.Retell in your own words.Outline the main points. DOK 2 What did you notice about_____?How would you classify____?How are ____ alike? How are they different?How would you summarize_______?How could you organize______? Possible Activities Classify a series of steps.Create a diorama to illustrate an event.Explain the meaning of a concept or how to perform a task.Create a game about the topic.Make a topographical map. DOK 3 How would you test_____?How is ____ related to_____?Could you predict the outcome if____?How would you describe the sequence of_____?Can you elaborate on the reason of_____? Possible Activities Conduct a debate.Create a flowchart to show changes.Classify the actions of specific characters in a story.Explain a concept in abstract terms.Research and design an investigation to answer a question. DOK 4 Write a research paper on a topic.Apply information from one text to another to develop a persuasive argument.Write a thesis, drawing conclusions from multiple resources.Gather information to develop alternative explanations.What information can you gather to support your idea about _____? Possible Activities Create a graph or table to organize information.Create an idea and sell it.Write a jingle to advertise a product.Apply information to solve a problem that is in a novel.Develop a menu for a new restaurant. Sources: Depth of Knowledge s and Question Stems for Increasing Depth of Knowledge in the Classroom, and Webbs Depth of Knowledge Guide.

War of 1812 - Fighting in 1813

War of 1812 - Fighting in 1813 1812: Surprises at Sea Ineptitude on Land | War of 1812: 101 | 1814: Advances in the North A Capital Burned Assessing the Situation In the wake of the failed campaigns of 1812, newly re-elected President James Madison was forced to reassess the strategic situation along the Canadian border. In the Northwest, Major General William Henry Harrison had replaced the disgraced Brigadier General William Hull and was tasked with re-taking Detroit. Diligently training his men, Harrison was checked at the River Raisin and unable to advance without American control of Lake Erie. Elsewhere, New England remained reluctant to play an active role in supporting the war effort making a campaign against Quebec an unlikely prospect. As a result, it was decided to focus American efforts for 1813 on achieving victory on Lake Ontario and the Niagara frontier. Success on this front also required control of the lake. To this end, Captain Isaac Chauncey had been dispatched to Sackets Harbor, NY in 1812 for the purpose of constructing a fleet on Lake Ontario. It was believed that victory in and around Lake Ontario would cut off Upper Cana da and open the way for an attack on Montreal. The Tide Turns at Sea Having achieved stunning success over the Royal Navy in a series of ship-to-ship actions in 1812, the small US Navy sought to continue its run of good form by attacking British merchant ships and remaining on the offensive. To this end, the frigate USS Essex (46 guns) under Captain David Porter, patrolled the South Atlantic scooping up prizes in late 1812, before rounding Cape Horn in January 1813. Seeking to strike the British whaling fleet in the Pacific, Porter arrived at Valparaiso, Chile in March. For the remainder of the year, Porter cruised with great success and inflicted heavy losses on British shipping. Returning to Valparaiso in January 1814, he was blockaded by the British frigate HMS Phoebe (36) and sloop of war HMS Cherub (18). Fearing that additional British ships were en route, Porter attempted to break out on March 28. As Essex exited the harbor, it lost its main topmast in a freak squall. With his ship damaged, Porter was unable to return to port and soon brought to action by the British. Standing off Essex, which was largely armed with short-range carronades, the British pounded Porters ship with their long guns for over two hours ultimately forcing him to surrender. Among those captured on board was young Midshipman David G. Farragut who would later lead the Union Navy during the Civil War. While Porter was enjoying success in the Pacific, the British blockade began to tighten along the American coast keeping many of the US Navys heavy frigates in port. While the effectiveness of the US Navy was hampered, hundreds of American privateers preyed upon British shipping. During the course of the war, they captured between 1,175 and 1,554 British ships. One ship that was at sea early in 1813 was Master Commandant James Lawrences brig USS Hornet (20). On February 24, he engaged and captured the brig HMS Peacock (18) off the coast of South America. Returning home, Lawrence was promoted to captain and given command of the frigate USS Chesapeake (50) at Boston. Completing repairs to ship, Lawrence prepared to put to sea in late May. This was hastened by the fact that only one British ship, the frigate HMS Shannon (52), was blockading the harbor. Commanded by Captain Philip Broke, Shannon was a crack ship with a highly trained crew. Eager to engage the American, Broke issued a cha llenge to Lawrence to meet him in battle. This proved unnecessary as Chesapeake emerged from the harbor on June 1. Possessing a larger, but greener crew, Lawrence sought to continue the US Navys streak of victories. Opening fire, the two ships battered each other before coming together. Ordering his men to prepare to board Shannon, Lawrence was mortally wounded. Falling, his last words were reputedly, Dont give up the Ship! Fight her till she sinks. Despite this encouragement, the raw American sailors were quickly overwhelmed by Shannons crew and Chesapeake was soon captured. Taken to Halifax, it was repaired and saw service in the Royal Navy until being sold in 1820. We Have Met the Enemy... As American naval fortunes were turning at sea, a naval building race was underway on the shores of Lake Erie. In an attempt to regain naval superiority on the lake, the US Navy began construction of two 20-gun brigs at Presque Isle, PA (Erie, PA). In March 1813, the new commander of American naval forces on Lake Erie, Master Commandant Oliver H. Perry, arrived at Presque Isle. Assessing his command, he found that there was a general shortage of supplies and men. While diligently overseeing the construction of the two brigs, named USS Lawrence and USS Niagara, Perry traveled to Lake Ontario in May 1813, to secure additional seamen from Chauncey. While there, he collected several gunboats for use on Lake Erie. Departing from Black Rock, he was nearly intercepted by the new British commander on Lake Erie, Commander Robert H. Barclay. A veteran of Trafalgar, Barclay had arrived at the British base of Amherstburg, Ontario on June 10. Though both sides were hampered by supply issues they worked through the summer to complete their fleets with Perry finishing his two brigs and Barclay commissioning the 19-gun ship HMS Detroit. Having gained naval superiority, Perry was able to cut the British supply lines to Amherstburg forcing Barclay to seek battle. Departing Put-in-Bay on September 10, Perry maneuvered to engage the British squadron. Commanding from Lawrence, Perry flew a large battle flag emblazoned with his friends dying command, Dont Give Up the Ship! In the resulting Battle of Lake Erie, Perry won a stunning victory that saw bitter fighting and the American commander compelled to switch ships midway through the engagement. Capturing the entire British squadron, Perry sent a brief dispatch to Harrison announcing, We have met the enemy and they are ours. 1812: Surprises at Sea Ineptitude on Land | War of 1812: 101 | 1814: Advances in the North A Capital Burned 1812: Surprises at Sea Ineptitude on Land | War of 1812: 101 | 1814: Advances in the North A Capital Burned Victory in the Northwest As Perry was constructing his fleet through the first part of 1813, Harrison was on the defensive in western Ohio. Constructing a major base at Fort Meigs, he repelled an attack led by Major General Henry Proctor and Tecumseh in May. A second attack was turned back in July as well as one against Fort Stephenson (August 1). Building his army, Harrison was ready to go on the offensive in September following Perrys victory on the lake. Moving forward with his Army of the Northwest, Harrison sent 1,000 mounted troops overland to Detroit while the bulk of his infantry was transported there by Perrys fleet. Recognizing the danger of his situation, Proctor abandoned Detroit, Fort Malden, and Amherstburg and began retreating east (Map). Retaking Detroit, Harrison began pursuing the retreating British. With Tecumseh arguing against falling back, Proctor finally turned to make a stand along the Thames River near Moraviantown. Approaching on October 5, Harrison assaulted Proctors position during the Battle of the Thames. In the fighting, the British position was shattered and Tecumseh killed. Overwhelmed, Proctor and a few of his men fled while the majority were captured by Harrisons army. One of the few clear cut American victories of the conflict, the Battle of the Thames effectively won the war in the Northwest for the United States. With Tecumseh dead, the threat of Native American attacks subsided and Harrison concluded an armistice with several tribes at Detroit. Burning a Capital In preparation for the main American push at Lake Ontario, Major General Henry Dearborn was ordered to position 3,000 men at Buffalo for a strike against Forts Erie and George as well as 4,000 men at Sackets Harbor. This second force was to attack Kingston at the upper outlet of the lake. Success on both fronts would sever the lake from Lake Erie and the St. Lawrence River. At Sackets Harbor, Chauncey had rapidly constructed a fleet that had wrested naval superiority away from his British counterpart, Captain Sir James Yeo. The two naval officers would conduct a building war for the remainder of the conflict. Though several naval engagements were fought, neither was willing to risk their fleet in a decisive action. Meeting at Sackets Harbor, Dearborn and Chauncey began to have misgivings about the Kingston operation despite the fact that the objective was only thirty miles away. While Chauncey fretted about possible ice around Kingston, Dearborn was concerned about the size of the Br itish garrison. Instead of striking at Kingston, the two commanders instead elected to conduct a raid against York, Ontario (present-day Toronto). Though of minimal strategic value, York was the capital of Upper Canada and Chauncey had intelligence that two brigs were under construction there. Departing on April 25, Chaunceys ships carried Dearborns troops across the lake to York. Under the direct control of Brigadier General Zebulon Pike, these troops landed on April 27. Opposed by forces under Major General Roger Sheaffe, Pike succeeded in taking the town after a sharp fight. As the British retreated, they detonated their powder magazine killing numerous Americans including Pike. In the wake of the fighting, American troops began looting the town and burned the Parliament Building. After occupying the town for a week, Chauncey and Dearborn withdrew. While a victory, the attack on York did little to alter the strategic outlook on the lake and behavior of the American forces would influence British actions the following year. Triumph and Defeat Along the Niagara Following the York operation, Secretary of War John Armstrong chastised Dearborn for failing to accomplish anything of strategic value and blamed him for Pikes death. In response, Dearborn and Chauncey began shifting troops south for an assault on Fort George in late May. Alerted to this fact, Yeo and the Governor General of Canada, Lieutenant General Sir George Prevost, made immediate plans to attack Sackets Harbor while American forces were occupied along the Niagara. Departing Kingston, they landed outside of the town on May 29 and moved to destroy the shipyard and Fort Tompkins. These operations were quickly disrupted by a mixed regular and militia force led by Brigadier General Jacob Brown of the New York militia. Surrounding the British beachhead, his men poured heavy fire into Prevosts troops and compelled them to withdraw. For his part in the defense, Brown was offered a brigadier generals commission in the regular army. At the other end of the lake, Dearborn and Chauncey moved forward with their attack on Fort George. Again delegating operational command, this time to Colonel Winfield Scott, Dearborn watched as American troops conducted an early morning amphibious assault on May 27. This was supported by a force of dragoons crossing the Niagara River upstream at Queenston which was tasked with cutting off the British line of retreat to Fort Erie. Clashing with Brigadier General John Vincents troops outside of the fort, the Americans succeeded in driving off the British with the aid of naval gunfire support from Chaunceys ships. Forced to surrender the fort and with the route south blocked, Vincent abandoned his posts on the Canadian side of the river and retreated west. As a result, American troops crossed the river and occupied Fort Erie (Map). 1812: Surprises at Sea Ineptitude on Land | War of 1812: 101 | 1814: Advances in the North A Capital Burned 1812: Surprises at Sea Ineptitude on Land | War of 1812: 101 | 1814: Advances in the North A Capital Burned Having lost the dynamic Scott to a broken collarbone, Dearborn ordered Brigadier Generals William Winder and John Chandler west to pursue Vincent. Political appointees, neither possessed significant military experience. On June 5/6, Vincent counterattacked at the Battle of Stoney Creek and succeeded in capturing both generals. On the lake, Chaunceys fleet had departed for Sackets Harbor only to be replaced by Yeos. Threatened from the lake, Dearborn lost his nerve and ordered a withdrawal to a perimeter around Fort George. The situation worsened on June 24, when an American force under Lieutenant Colonel Charles Boerstler was crushed at the Battle of Beaver Dams. For his weak performance, Dearborn was recalled on July 6 and replaced with Major General James Wilkinson. Failure on the St. Lawrence Generally disliked by most officers in US Army for his prewar intrigues in Louisiana, Wilkinson was instructed by Armstrong to strike at Kingston before moving down the St. Lawrence. In doing so he was to link up with forces advancing north from Lake Champlain under Major General Wade Hampton. This combined force would in turn attack Montreal. After stripping the Niagara frontier of most of its troops, Wilkinson prepared to move out. Finding that Yeo had concentrated his fleet at Kingston, he decided to make only a feint in that direction before advancing down the river. To the east, Hampton began moving north toward the border. His advance was hampered by the recent loss of naval superiority on Lake Champlain. This forced him to swing west to the headwaters of the Chateauguay River. Moving downstream, he crossed the border with around 4,200 men after the New York militia refused to leave the country. Opposing Hampton was Lieutenant Colonel Charles de Salaberry who possessed a mixed force of around 1,500 men. Occupying a strong position approximately fifteen miles below the St. Lawrence, de Salaberrys men fortified their line and waited for the Americans. Arriving on October 25, Hampton surveyed the British position and attempted to flank it. In a minor engagement known as the Battle of the Chateauguay, these efforts were repulsed. Believing the British force to be larger than it was, Hampton broke off the action and returned south. Moving forward, Wilkinsons 8,000-men force left Sackets Harbor on October 17. In poor health and taking heavy doses of laudanum, Wilkinson pushed downstream with Brown leading his vanguard. His force was pursued by an 800-man British force led by Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Morrison. Tasked with delaying Wilkinson so additional troops could reach Montreal, Morrison proved an effective annoyance to the Americans. Tired of Morrison, Wilkinson dispatched 2,000 men under Brigadier General John Boyd to attack the British. Striking on November 11, they assaulted the British lines at the Battle of Cryslers Farm. Repulsed, Boyds men were soon counterattacked and driven from the field. Despite this defeat, Wilkinson pressed on toward Montreal. Reaching the mouth of the Salmon River and having learned that Hampton had retreated, Wilkinson abandoned the campaign, re-crossed the river, and went into winter quarters at French Mills, NY. The winter saw Wilkinson and Hampton exchange letters with Arm strong over who was to blame for the campaigns failure. A Dismal End As the American thrust towards Montreal was coming to an end, the situation on the Niagara frontier reached a crisis. Stripped of troops for Wilkinsons expedition, Brigadier General George McClure decided to abandon Fort George in early December after learning that Lieutenant General George Drummond was approaching with British troops. Retiring across the river to Fort Niagara, his men burned the village of Newark, ON before departing. Moving into Fort George, Drummond began preparations to assault Fort Niagara. This moved forward on December 19 when his forces overwhelmed the forts small garrison. Outraged over the burning of Newark, British troops moved south and razed Black Rock and Buffalo on December 30. While 1813 had started with great hope and promise for the Americans, the campaigns on the Niagara and St. Lawrence frontiers met with failure similar to those of the year before. As in 1812, the smaller British forces had proved adept campaigners and the Canadians showed a willingness to fight to protect their homes rather than throw off the yoke of British rule. Only in the Northwest and Lake Erie did American forces achieve an undisputed victory. While the triumphs of Perry and Harrison helped bolster national morale, they occurred in arguably the least important theater of the war as victory on Lake Ontario or the St. Lawrence would have caused British forces around Lake Erie to whither on the vine. Forced to endure another long winter, the American public was subjected to a tightening blockade and the threat of increased British strength in the spring as the Napoleonic Wars neared an end. 1812: Surprises at Sea Ineptitude on Land | War of 1812: 101 | 1814: Advances in the North A Capital Burned

Human Resources Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words - 1

Human Resources Management - Essay Example Although there has been quite a lot of negative feedbacks with regards to PETernity leave in other countries, it remains a fact that the benefits of implementing five days unpaid leave to VMA employees who wishes to adopt a new dog or cat less than 10 months old. There are many people who would give extra time and care for their pets. In line with this, VMA HR manager should take advantage of this sentiment in order to keep more employees feel more accepted and motivated to work better and stay longer with the company. Likewise, HR manager can make use of this option as a way of attracting new employees other than the typical HR strategies like offering of flexible working approach like part-time job, flexy time at work, job sharing, unpaid leaves, and industry pay standards. Since VMA’s PETernity leave does not apply to employees with pets more than 10 months old, the HR manager is adviced to improve this HR policy by extending the PETernity leave benefits to its employees who have pets like dogs and cats regardless of the pets’ age, breed, and gender. Established back in October 2000, Virgin Mobile Australia (VMA) is a telecommunications company that offers a wide-range of mobile communication products and services including the access to mobile broadband through its 3,500 retail store outlets nationwide (Virgin Mobile, 2009a; van der Walt, Morris, & Simsek, 2007). As of 2008, VMA was considered the 4th telecommunication company in Australia that was given the authority to sell Apple iPhone 3G (MacBlogz, 2008). Serving more than 400,000 customers in Australia (van der Walt, Morris, & Simsek, 2007), the company is challenged to improve and maintain the quality service that is given to its customers. Because of the continuous business expansion and tight market competition within the telecommunication industry, the HR manager of VMA should continuously improve the employment benefit packages not only to attract competitive