More Overlooked Books from 2011

More Overlooked Books from 2011 Whenever I write a post picking on some books, I always feel the need to follow it up with one that showers praise on others.  I like to keep things balanced.  With that in mind, I thought I would nominate a few more books for the title of “Most Overlooked Book of 2011.” Pym by Mat Johnson I know. It made Salon’s list of the Best Fiction of 2011.  But that’s the first thing I’ve heard about it in months, other than when I was sitting in on Johnson’s panel at the Texas Book Festival in October. The novel is a modern-day reexamination of Poe’s only novel, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket, which is mostly noted for being terrible. Johnson uses Poe’s problematic story as the inspiration for his tale of an out-of-work scholar trying to find redemption. In doing so, he creates what Salon describes as a witty  â€œsatire of modern (and not-so-modern) racial attitudes.” He also takes on academia, the economy, and the end of the world, and he makes you laugh while he does it.  He manages to be respectful and irreverent all at the same time. He also introduces the concept of using Little Debbie Cakes as currency. That’s ground-breaking stuff. The Hottest Dishes of the Tartar Cuisine by Alina Bronsky Rosa Achmetowna is not only the character with the most difficult to pronounce last name that I’ve run across this year, she is also a nominee for the worst mother in fiction (not to be confused with the most evil mother in fiction).  She has good intentions, but she is severely lacking in terms of execution.  When her teenage daughter gets pregnant, Rosa first tries every folk remedy that she’s ever heard of to induce a miscarriage. When that doesn’t work, she decides she will just raise the child herself. She just knows that her daughter Sulfia would be a complete failure as a mother.  And that makes sense, given that she’s only had Rosa’s example to learn from.  All of this sounds pretty tragic, right? It should be, but there is something about it that makes you want to roll your eyes instead. Bronsky’s subtle humor makes it a lot easier to laugh than cry. The Reservoir by John Milliken Thompson I’m not a big fan of anything that belongs in the “based on a true story” family.  I don’t like that many historical novels, either.  I do like a good mystery, though, and I love the South.  That’s why I picked up the book.  I kept reading it because it turns out that Thompson is quite the storyteller. On a research trip in Richmond, he stumbled across newspaper clippings about a sensational murder trial from the 1880s, one that got national press coverage.  He only knew the story that was preserved in the archives, but it stuck with him.  In The Reservoir he attempts to fill in the gaps, weaving a tale that I can’t help but think is far more interesting than the truth. __________________________ Cassandra Neace teaches college students how to write essays and blogs about books and book-related goodness at Indie Reader Houston. Follow her on  Twitter:  @CassandraNeace

Sturmgewehr 44 Assault Rifle - World War II Weaponry

The Sturmgewehr 44 was the first assault rifle to see deployment on a large scale. Developed by Nazi Germany, it was introduced in 1943 and first saw service on the Eastern Front. Though far from perfect, the StG44 proved a versatile weapon for German forces. Specifications Cartridge: 7.92 x 33mm KurzCapacity: 30 roundsMuzzle Velocity: 2,247 ft./sec.Effective Range: 325 yds.Weight: Approx. 11.5 lbs.Length: 37 in.Barrel Length: 16.5 in.Sights: Adjustable sights - Rear: V-notch, Front: hooded postAction: Gas-operated, tilting boltNumber Built: 425,977 Design Development At the beginning of World War II, German forces were equipped bolt-action rifles such as the Karabiner 98k, and a variety of light and medium machine guns. Problems soon arose as the standard rifles proved too large and unwieldy for use by mechanized troops. As a result, the Wehrmacht issued several smaller submachine guns, such as the MP40, to augment those weapons in the field. While these were easier to handle and increased the individual firepower of each soldier, they had a limited range and were inaccurate beyond 110 yards. While these issues existed, they were not pressing until the 1941 invasion of the Soviet Union. Encountering increasing numbers of Soviet troops equipped with semi-automatic rifles like the Tokarev SVT-38 and SVT-40, as well as the PPSh-41 submachine gun, German infantry officers began to reassess their weapons needs. While development progressed on the Gewehr 41 series of semi-automatic rifles, they proved problematic in the field and German industry was not capable of producing them in the numbers needed. Efforts were made to fill the void with light machine guns, however, the recoil of the 7.92 mm Mauser round limited accuracy during automatic fire. The solution to this issue was the creation of an intermediate round that was more powerful than pistol ammunition, but less than a rifle round. While work on such a round had been ongoing since the mid-1930s, the Wehrmacht has previously rejected it adoption. Re-examining the project, the army selected the Polte 7.92 x 33mm Kurzpatrone and began soliciting weapon designs for the ammunition. Issued under the designation Maschinenkarabiner 1942 (MKb 42), development contracts were issued to Haenel and Walther. Both companies responded with gas-operated prototypes that were capable of either semi-automatic or fully-automatic fire. In testing, the Hugo Schmeisser-designed Haenel MKb 42(H) out-performed the Walther and was selected by the Wehrmacht with some minor changes. A short production run of the MKb 42(H) was field tested in November 1942 and received strong recommendations from German troops. Moving forward, 11,833 MKb 42(H)s were produced for field trials in late 1942 and early 1943. Assessing the data from these trials, it was determined that the weapon would perform better with a hammer firing system operating from a closed bolt, rather than the open bolt, striker system initially designed by Haenel. As work moved forward to incorporate this new firing system, development temporarily came to halt when Hitler suspended all new rifle programs due to administrative infighting within the Third Reich. To keep the MKb 42(H) alive, it was re-designated Maschinenpistole 43 (MP43) and billed as an upgrade to existing submachine guns. This deception was eventually discovered by Hitler, who again had the program halted. In March 1943, he permitted it to recommence for evaluation purposes only. Running for six months, the evaluation produced positive results and Hitler allowed the MP43 program to continue. In April 1944, he ordered it redesignated MP44. Three months later, when Hitler consulted his commanders regarding the Eastern Front he was told that the men needed more of the new rifle. Shortly thereafter, Hitler was given the opportunity to test fire the MP44. Highly impressed, he dubbed it the Sturmgewehr, meaning storm rifle. Seeking to enhance the propaganda value of the new weapon, Hitler ordered it re-designated StG44 (Assault Rifle, Model 1944), giving the rifle its own class. Production soon began with the first batches of the new rifle being shipped to troops on the Eastern Front. A total of 425,977 StG44s were produced by the end of the war and work had commenced on a follow-on rifle, the StG45. Among the attachments available for the StG44 was the Krummlauf, a bent barrel that permitted firing around corners. These were most commonly made with 30Â ° and 45Â ° bends. Operational History Arriving on the Eastern Front, the StG44 was used to counter Soviet troops equipped with the PPS and PPSh-41 submachine guns. While the StG44 had a shorter range than the Karabiner 98k rifle, it was more effective at close quarters and could out-range both Soviet weapons. Though the default setting on the StG44 was semi-automatic, it was surprisingly accurate in full-automatic as it possessed a relatively slow rate of fire. In use on both fronts by wars end, the StG44 also proved effective at providing covering fire in place of light machine guns. The worlds first true assault rifle, the StG44 arrived too late to significantly affect the outcome of the war, but it gave birth to an entire class of infantry weapons that include famous names such as the AK-47 and the M16. After World War II, the StG44 was retained for use by the East German Nationale Volksarmee (Peoples Army) until it was replaced by the AK-47. The East German Volkspolizei utilized the weapon through 1962. In addition, the Soviet Union exported captured StG44s to its client states including Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia, as well as supplied the rifle to friendly guerrilla and insurgent groups. In the latter case, the StG44 has equipped elements of the Palestine Liberation Organization and Hezbollah. American forces have also confiscated StG44s from militia units in Iraq. Selected Sources World Guns: Sturmgewehr

The And Incarceration Of The American Prison System

The American prison finds its origin in Europe. Like most things American we have adopted and adapted many of our beliefs and customs from our mother land. The punishment of confinement was rare and unheard of in America before Eighteenth century. The English concept of prison and incarceration did not even take root until the late Eighteenth Century (Hirsch, 1992). Now, American’s cannot claim that they invented prisons or the concept of confining criminal offenders within facilities that keep them separate from society. However, they can accredit themselves with championing the concept of prison reformation. Much like its English counterpart the early American prison system, which would one day grow to be an integral part of the expansive American Criminal Justice System, had an ugly and brutal start. Confinement conditions for Prisoners were harsh and unrelenting. Most Facilities designed to house criminal offenders were over populated, under staffed, and lacked necessar y resources to support their growing population of inmates (Clear Cole, 2003). However, over the years, America has made many strives to correct the errors of their predecessors. This paper will detail the early American Prison System and its journey through reformation to become the modern Prison system that we know today. Early American Jails and Work Houses The first people to colonize America were not only settlers, but convicts (Hirsch, 1992). During the beginning of the seventeenth centuryShow MoreRelatedMass Incarceration During The United States1322 Words   |  6 PagesHonors 30 March 2017 Mass Incarceration in the United States There are too many people in prison in our country and any people in prison today are non-violent drug offenders. The American war on drugs has targeted people in poverty and minorities, who are more likely to be involved in drug use. 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This discourse, among other reasons , made me personally invested in the flawsRead MoreThe New Jim Crow And Ava Duvernay s Documentary 13th1465 Words   |  6 Pagesin the prison system, criminality is being manipulated by the media to be associated with race. We see the full effects of the overrepresentation with War on Drugs legislation, which are policies that categorized drug use as a crime instead of health issue pushed forward by the Reagan administration. The master narrative of the criminality painted the legislation as colorblind, or nondiscriminatory, policies that will benefit all citizens and created the representation of African Americans and racialRead MoreAnnotated Bibliography : Mental Health And Incarceration Essay973 Words   |  4 PagesRunning head: ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY Annotated Bibliography: Mental Health and Incarceration Cole Leaf University of Alaska Anchorage English A111 Friday 1-3:30 Hawthorne, W. B., Folsom, D. P., Sommerfeld, D. H., Lanouette, N. M., Lewis, M., Aarons, G. A., Jeste, D. V. (2012). Incarceration among adults who are in the public mental health system: Rates, risk factors, and short-term outcomes. Psychiatric Services, 63(1), 26-32. doi:10.1176/appi.ps.201000505 Authors in this article from

Negotiating with Learners Free Essays

Negotiating with learners, e. g. initial assessment, agreeing goals and actions Initial assessment is the beginning of a teacher/learner relationship, allowing the teacher to identify and discover learners with difficulties and disabilities if the learner is confident to talk about them. We will write a custom essay sample on Negotiating with Learners or any similar topic only for you Order Now By recording this information, plans towards teaching can be made so every learner feels included and progress in their learning experience. The information will determine the learners starting point; the learners may already have skills and knowledge that relate to the subject taken, the teacher can also identify Literacy, Language, Numeracy and ICT that may be applicable. Assessment should not be something that is done to somebody. The learner must be involved and feel part of the process. Lesley Thom (2001 p13) All learners will want to achieve and have something to aim for. Learning goals can be negotiated and agreed. If working towards a qualification the awarding body or examining board will have a program in which to follow so the teacher will know what to teach and learner knowing what they will learn, from these targets and goals can be negotiated and agreed. Within the teacher/learner relationship, working together realistic goals and targets can be agreed and their progress assessed and recorded: Overall goals are long term which is the whole program. With aims and objectives/outcomes are usually established. Specific goals are short term which determines changes in the learner’s skills, knowledge understanding and attitudes. The learning process is effective and the goals clear and match the requirements of the learner. Immediate goals break down the specific goals into manageable tasks in the order that they are achieved. Ann Gravells Susan Simpson (2008) Agreeing targets should be SMART (Specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time bound) www. ifl. co. k Learners should be encouraged to take charge of their goals and learning journey, this enables learners to become independent. When goals are set and assessed they should be recorded, all information that is recorded should be part of a plan-ILP (individual learning plan) Learning targets should be both verbal and written to ensure the learner has understood fully, learners should know their own strengths and where they can develop improvements to their skills. When setting targets, regular tutorials and review session s and keeping the ILP up to date with learners. How to cite Negotiating with Learners, Papers

What is Development an Example of the Topic Business Essays by

What is Development? Introduction While almost every person is in favour of development, not many people could easily or quickly specify what development is. The term itself evokes in mind the association with a growing fullness of human existence, the development of potential powers, and constant tendency in the direction of perfection and excellence. Thus, development can be defined as a natural process, closely associated with progress and movement towards better things. Need essay sample on "What is Development?" topic? We will write a custom essay sample specifically for you Proceed Main Body Human beings are not perfect, but they are always on the way to become excellent in all respects. Each generation since the human race appeared has members that are much better than their forefathers. Development, thus, can be called as a process upwards - the growth of human possibilities. Development allows people rise from the lowest to the highest, enabling them, at the same time, to determine at each stage of their development how much is achieved. Development may be compared and contrasted with simple growth of living plant. Consider, for example, a seed. It contains within it some possibilities of development. In the appropriate soil and under good conditions its development will follow normal stages of growth, and this seed will develop into the perfect, beautiful flower. What is true of this seed is true of the child at birth. Both for a plant and human being there is normal development, a possibility of full and perfect progress. However, there is one difference. The flower may become perfect at the expense of the neighbouring plants, while for the human being, this method of development is destroying (Lerner 89). The development of the human soul and mind is a function of the development of other human beings. Therefore, from individual development humans are driven on to social development, and consequently, to the development of the whole human civilization. Conclusion For human beings to develop, they must constantly grow, and an essential part of their development must lie in their mutual relationships and evolution. This is a distinguishing characteristic of the development of the human world. Harmony between moral and intellectual evolution is a basis for the highest stage of human development. Works Cited Lerner, R. M. Concepts and Theories of Human Development. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates: Mahwah, NJ, 1997.

Understanding the Arts Essays

Understanding the Arts Essays Understanding the Arts Essay Understanding the Arts Essay Understanding the Arts Name: Course: Institution: Instructor: Date: Understanding and Evaluating the Arts â€Å"Art is the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power† (Oxford dictionary, 2012). It can also be taken to be â€Å"A selective re-creation of reality according to an artist’s metaphysical value judgments† (Aynrand, 2012). Art can be expressed via various forms. Painting, sculpture, and printmaking are just a few examples of this. As shown by the overall definition, all types of art are interconnected. Painting â€Å"At the Lapin Agile† is a painting by Spanish artist Pablo Picasso in 1905. The medium used is oil on canvas measuring 39 by 39.5 inches. It depicts a bar scene in Montmartre featuring the painter as a sad clown nursing a drink. There is also a gaudy woman and a guitarist sitting against a wall (Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2012). The painting exemplifies the art via the painter’s vivid interpretation of his reality in the bar scene and the emotions expressed in the characters. This work was based on real life. Sculpture American artist Harriet Whitney Frishmuth lived from 1880 to 1980. One of her most famous works â€Å"The vine† created in 1924 was inspired by famous female dancers. The bronze sculpture measures 83.5 by 28.5 inches. It depicts a nude female dancer caught up in her performance, a moving portrayal of a living vine. She is holding a grapevine on outstretched hands (Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2012). The application of creativity in bringing movement to a bronze figure to show the beauty of dance is in line with the definition of art. Architecture The Taj Mahal in Agra, India was built as a tomb by an Emperor called Jahan for his second wife Mumtaz in the 17th century. It was designed by a Persian called Ustad Issa Khan Effendi. The white marble assumes different tones depending on the light changes. It has a variety of rich fittings such as Persian carpets, silver and gold lamps. The walls have detailed carvings and abstract motifs. Some of them have writings of the Koran as a decorative feature. A red sandstone path leads to a three-storey sandstone octagon shaped entrance with two smaller rooms at its side (Agra India Organization, 2012). Art in the form of architecture was used as an expression of the emperor’s deep emotions. The creative skill of the designer is shown by the keen attention to detail of the carvings and the resultant beauty. Photography Aaron Siskind’s photograph â€Å"Harlem, Most Crowded Block† was taken in 1940. The medium used is Gelatin silver print, and it measures 14 by 11 inches. Contrary to what its title suggests, the composition of the photograph is anything but crowded. It features a young woman with one hand akimbo talking to a little boy on a sidewalk. The wall behind them is dirty and so big that it dwarfs the two (Silverstein, 2012). This photograph demonstrates the use of art to be appreciated by its emotive power. The expression of the little boy evokes a feeling of curiosity and the desire to know the topic under discussion in the viewer. Conceptual Art Conceptual art is well demonstrated by the works of modern British conceptual artist David Shrigley, in particular by his work the â€Å"Light Switch†. This downloadable game features an animated hand and a light switch on an iPhone screen. â€Å"Players control the hand to poke the light switch, and as the switch alternates, the player’s screen goes black, as if the light had gone off on their phones. A counter in the top left marks the number of times the light is flipped† (Chayka, 2010). The use of the artist’s interpretation of reality to form a message concurs with the definition of art as the selective interpretation of reality. Printmaking Sebald Beham`s woodcut print â€Å"Large Church Festival† is a rich composition of several scenes depicting the rowdy Sunday peasant party scenes common in 16th century in Nuremberg city, Germany. The Print is officially dated in 1535 A.D. by the British museum and is 360mm high and 140mm wide (Britishmuseum, 2012). This work demonstrates the creative skill of the artist by the intricate detail depicting realistic scenes of day-to-day life. It has the emotive power of age-old human, social activities that people can identify with. Installation Art An interesting example of Installation Art is the scale model of a part of the â€Å"Running Fence† of Sonoma and Marin Counties in California. It was constructed from May to August in 1976. Creation of the model was a collaboration between Christo, a Bulgarian, Jeanne Claude, a Moroccan ,and Gregory Johnson, an American. The model is made of wood, cardboard, and paper. It measures an average of 22 x 57x 36inches on a scale of 1:200 metric (Smithsonian, 2012) The artist’s creative power is shown by his unique idea of displaying the beauty of a simple object. It sends the message of the reality of work often needed to make simple items of great importance. Performance Art â€Å"Ballet is an artistic dance form performed to music, using precise and highly formalized set steps and gestures.† It is characterized by light, graceful movements and the use of pointed shoes with reinforced toes (Oxford, 2012). Ballet is exemplified as an art form by its expression of feelings and stories via rhythmic movements of the body. These stories are often the metaphysical reality of the dancers being projected to audience. The movements also display the creativity involved in using movement to imitate the realistic characters of objects and individuals. References Agra India organization. (2012). Architecture of Taj Mahal. Retrieved from: agraindia.org.uk/taj-mahal/architecture/index.html Ayn Rand Institute. (2012). Essentials of Objectivism. Retrieved from: www.aynrand.org/ British Museum. (2012). Sebald Beham, Large Church Festival. Retrieved from: www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/pd/s/sebald_beham,_large_church_fes.aspx Buce silverstein gallery of Aaron Siskind Foundation. (2012). Retrieved from: http://brucesilverstein.com/galleries.php?gid=543i=8page=next Chayka, K. (2012). David Shrigley`s â€Å"Light Switch† iphone application. Retrieved from: www.artinfo.com/news/story/760302/app-art-david-shrigleys-light-switch-takes-a-swipe-at-conceptual-art-on-the-iphone Metropolitan Museum of art. (2012). â€Å"Harriet Whitney Frishmuth: The Vine (27.66)†. In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved from: metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/27.66 Metropolitan Museum of art. (2012). â€Å"Pablo Picasso: At the Lapin Agile (1992.391)†. In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved from: www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/1992.391 Oxford dictionary. (2012). Retrieved from: www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/art Smithsonian American Art Museum. (2012). Installation exterior. Retrieved from: www.americanart.si.edu/collections/search/artwork/?id=77578 Wolf, J. (2012). Conceptual Art. Retrieved from: www.theartstory.org/movement-conceptual-art.htm

Fall of Saigon in the Vietnam War

Fall of Saigon in the Vietnam War The Fall of Saigon occurred on April 30, 1975, at the end of the Vietnam War. Commanders North Vietnam General Van Tien DungColonel General Tran Van Tra South Vietnam Lieutenant General Nguyen Van ToanMayor Nguyen Hop Doan Fall of Saigon Background In December 1974, the Peoples Army of North Vietnam (PAVN) began a series of offensives against South Vietnam. Though they achieved success against the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), American planners believed that South Vietnam would be able to survive at least until 1976. Commanded by General Van Tien Dung, PAVN forces quickly gained the upper hand against the enemy in early 1975 as he directed assaults against the Central Highlands of South Vietnam. These advances also saw PAVN troops capture the key cities of Hue and Da Nang on March 25 and 28. American Concerns Following the loss of these cities, Central Intelligence Agency officers in South Vietnam began to question whether the situation could be rescued without large-scale American intervention. Increasingly concerned about the safety of Saigon, President Gerald Ford ordered planning to commence for the evacuation of American personnel. Debate ensued as Ambassador Graham Martin wished any evacuation to occur quietly and slowly to prevent panic whereas the Department of Defense sought a rapid departure from the city. The result was a compromise in which all but 1,250 Americans were to be quickly withdrawn. This number, the maximum that could be carried in a single days airlift, would remain until Tan Son Nhat airport was threatened. In the meantime, efforts would be made to remove as many friendly South Vietnamese refugees as possible. To aid in this effort, Operations Babylift and New Life were initiated in early April and flew out 2,000 orphans and 110,000 refugees respectively. Through the month of April, Americans departed Saigon through the Defense Attachà ©s Office (DAO) compound at Tan Son Nhat. This was complicated as many refused to leave their South Vietnamese friends or dependents. PAVN Advances On April 8, Dung received orders from the North Vietnamese Politburo to press his attacks against the South Vietnamese. Driving against Saigon in what became known as the Ho Chi Minh Campaign, his men encountered the final line of ARVN defenses at Xuan Loc the next day. Largely held by the ARVN 18th Division, the town was a vital crossroads northeast of Saigon. Ordered to hold Xuan Loc at all costs by South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu, the badly outnumbered 18th Division repelled PAVN attacks for nearly two weeks before being overwhelmed. With the fall of Xuan Loc on April 21, Thieu resigned and denounced the United States for failing to provide needed military aid. The defeat at Xuan Loc effectively opened the door for PAVN forces to sweep on to Saigon. Advancing, they encircled the city and had nearly 100,000 men in place by April 27. That same day, PAVN rockets began hitting Saigon. Two days later, these began to damage the runways at Tan Son Nhat. These rocket attacks led the American defense attachà ©, General Homer Smith, to advise Martin that any evacuation would need to be carried out by helicopter. Operation Frequent Wind As the evacuation plan relied on the use of fixed-wing aircraft, Martin demanded the embassys Marine guards to take him to the airport to see the damage firsthand. Arriving, he was forced to agree with Smiths assessment. Learning that the PAVN forces were advancing, he contacted Secretary of State Henry Kissinger at 10:48 AM and requested permission to activate the Frequent Wind evacuation plan. This was immediately granted and the American radio station began repeat playing White Christmas which was the signal for American personnel to move to their evacuation points. Due to the runway damage, Operation Frequent Wind was conducted using helicopters, largely CH-53s and CH-46s, which departed from the DAO Compound at Tan Son Nhat. Leaving the airport they flew out to American ships in the South China Sea. Through the day, buses moved through Saigon and delivered Americans and friendly South Vietnamese to the compound. By evening over 4,300 people had been evacuated through Tan Son Nhat. Though the US Embassy was not intended to be a major departure point, it became one when many became stranded there and were joined by thousands of South Vietnamese hoping to claim refugee status. As a result, flights from the embassy continued through the day and late into the night. At 3:45 AM on April 30, the evacuation of refugees at the embassy was halted when Martin received direct orders from Ford to leave Saigon. He boarded a helicopter at 5:00 AM and was flown to USS Blue Ridge. Though several hundred refugees remained, the Marines at embassy departed at 7:53 AM. Aboard Blue Ridge, Martin desperately argued for helicopters to return to the embassy but was blocked by Ford. Having failed, Martin was able to convince him to allow ships to remain offshore for several days as a haven for those fleeing. The Operation Frequent Wind flights met little opposition from PAVN forces. This was the result of the Politburo ordering Dung to hold fire as they believed interfering with the evacuation would bring American intervention. Though the American evacuation effort had ended, South Vietnamese helicopters and aircraft flew out additional refugees to the American ships. As these aircraft were unloaded, they were pushed overboard to make room for new arrivals. Additional refugees reached the fleet by boat. Fall of Saigon Bombarding the city on April 29, Dung attacked early the next day. Led by the 324th Division, PAVN forces pushed into Saigon and quickly moved to capture key facilities and strategic points around the city. Unable to resist, newly-appointed President Duong Van Minh ordered ARVN forces to surrender at 10:24 AM and sought to peacefully hand over the city. Uninterested in receiving Minhs surrender, Dungs troops completed their conquest when tanks plowed through the gates of the Independence Palace and hoisted the North Vietnamese flag at 11:30 AM. Entering the palace, Colonel Bui Tin found Minh and his cabinet waiting. When Minh stated that he wished to transfer power, Tin replied, â€Å"There is no question of your transferring power. Your power has crumbled. You cannot give up what you do not have.† Completely defeated, Minh announced 3:30 PM that the South Vietnamese government was fully dissolved. With this announcement, the Vietnam War effectively came to an end. Sources HistoryNet: Fall of SaigonBBC: Fall of SaigonUSNI: Operation Frequent Wind