Major General John B. Gordon, American Civil War

Major General John B. Gordon, American Civil War The son of a prominent minister in Upson County, GA, John Brown Gordon was born February 6, 1832. At a young age, he moved with his family to Walker County where his father had purchased a coal mine. Educated locally, he later attended the University of Georgia. Though a strong student, Gordon inexplicably left school before graduating. Moving to Atlanta, he read law and entered the bar in 1854. While in the city, he married Rebecca Haralson, daughter of Congressman Hugh A. Haralson. Unable to attract clients in Atlanta, Gordon moved north to oversee his fathers mining interests. He was in this position when the Civil War began in April 1861. Early Career A supporter of the Confederate cause, Gordon quickly raised a company of mountaineers known as the Raccoon Roughs. In May 1861, this company was incorporated into the 6th Alabama Infantry Regiment with Gordon as its captain. Though lacking any formal military training, Gordon was promoted to major a short time later. Initially sent to Corinth, MS, the regiment was later ordered to Virginia. While on the field for the First Battle of Bull Run that July, it saw little action. Showing himself to be an able officer, Gordon was given command of the regiment in April 1862 and promoted to colonel. This coincided with a shift south to oppose Major General George B. McClellans Peninsula Campaign. The following month, he ably led the regiment during the Battle of Seven Pines outside Richmond, VA. In late June, Gordon returned to combat as General Robert E. Lee began the Seven Days Battles. Striking at Union forces, Gordon quickly established a reputation for fearlessness in battle. On July 1, a Union bullet wounded him in the head during the Battle of Malvern Hill. Recovering, he rejoined the army in time for the Maryland Campaign that September. Serving in Brigadier General Robert Rodes brigade, Gordon aided in holding a key sunken road (Bloody Lane) during the Battle of Antietam on September 17. In the course of the fighting, he was wounded five times. Finally brought down by a bullet that passed through his left cheek and out his jaw, he collapsed with his face in his cap. Gordon later related that he would have drowned in his own blood had there not been a bullet hole in his hat. A Rising Star For his performance, Gordon was promoted to brigadier general in November 1862 and, following his recovery, given command of a brigade in Major General Jubal Earlys division in Lieutenant General Thomas Stonewall Jacksons Second Corps. In this role, he saw action near Fredericksburg and Salem Church during the Battle of Chancellorsville in May 1863. With Jacksons death following the Confederate victory, command of his corps passed to Lieutenant General Richard Ewell. Spearheading Lees subsequent advance north into Pennsylvania, Gordons brigade reached the Susquehanna River at Wrightsville on June 28. Here they were prevented from crossing the river by Pennsylvania militia which burned the towns railroad bridge. Gordons advance to Wrightsville marked the easternmost penetration of Pennsylvania during the campaign. With his army strung out, Lee ordered his men to concentrate at Cashtown, PA. As this movement was in progress, fighting began at Gettysburg between troops led by Lieutenant General A.P. Hill and Union cavalry under Brigadier General John Buford. As the battle grew in size, Gordon, and the rest of Earlys Division approached Gettysburg from the north. Deploying for battle on July 1, his brigade attacked and routed Brigadier General Francis Barlows division on Blochers Knoll. The next day, Gordons brigade supported an attack against the Union position on East Cemetery Hill but did not take part in the fighting. The Overland Campaign Following the Confederate defeat at Gettysburg, Gordons brigade retired south with the army. That fall, he participated in the inconclusive Bristoe and Mine Run Campaigns. With the beginning of Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grants Overland Campaign in May 1864, Gordons brigade took part in the Battle of the Wilderness. In the course of the fighting, his men pushed the enemy back at Saunders Field as well as launched a successful attack on the Union right. Recognizing Gordons skill, Lee elevated him to lead Earlys division as part of a larger reorganization of the army. Fighting recommenced a few days later at the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House. On May 12, Union forces launched a massive assault on the Mule Shoe Salient. With Union forces overwhelming the Confederate defenders, Gordon rushed his men forward in an attempt to restore the situation and stabilize the lines. As the battle raged, he ordered Lee to the rear as the iconic Confederate leader attempted to personally lead an attack forward. For his efforts, Gordon was promoted to major general on May 14. As Union forces continued to push south, Gordon led his men at the Battle of Cold Harbor in early June. After inflicting a bloody defeat on the Union troops, Lee instructed Early, now leading the Second Corps, to take his men to the Shenandoah Valley in an effort to draw off some Union forces. Marching with Early, Gordon took part the advance down the Valley and the victory at the Battle of Monocacy in Maryland. After menacing Washington, DC and forcing Grant to detach forces to counter his operations, Early withdrew to the Valley where he won the Second Battle of Kernstown in late July. Tired of Earlys depredations, Grant sent Major General Philip Sheridan to the Valley with a large force. Attacking up (south) the Valley, Sheridan clashed with Early and Gordon at Winchester on September 19 and soundly defeated the Confederates. Retreating south, the Confederates were defeated again two days later at Fishers Hill. Attempting to recover the situation, Early and Gordon launched a surprise attack on Union forces at Cedar Creek on October 19. Despite initial success, they were badly defeated when Union forces rallied. Rejoining Lee at the Siege of Petersburg, Gordon was placed in command of the remnants of the Second Corps in December 20. Final Actions As the winter progressed, the Confederate position at Petersburg became desperate as Union strength continued to grow. Needing to force Grant to contract his lines and wanting to disrupt a potential Union assault, Lee asked Gordon to plan an attack on the enemys position. Staging from Colquitts Salient, Gordon intended to assault Fort Stedman with the goal of driving east towards the Union supply base at City Point. Moving forward at 4:15 AM on March 25, 1865, his troops were able to quickly take the fort and open a 1,000-foot breach in the Union lines. Despite this initial success, Union reinforcements quickly sealed the breach and by 7:30 AM Gordons attack had been contained. Counterattacking, Union troops forced Gordon to fall back to the Confederate lines. With the Confederate defeat at Five Forks on April 1, Lees position at Petersburg became untenable. Coming under attack from Grant on April 2, Confederate troops began retreating west with Gordons corps acting as a rearguard. On April 6, Gordons corps was part of a Confederate force that was defeated at the Battle of Saylers Creek. Retreating further, his men ultimately arrived at Appomattox. On the morning of April 9, Lee, hoping to reach Lynchburg, asked Gordon to clear Union forces from their line of advance. Attacking, Gordons men pushed back the first Union troops they encountered but were halted by the arrival of two enemy corps. With his men outnumbered and spent, he requested reinforcements from Lee. Lacking additional men, Lee concluded that he had no choice but to surrender. The afternoon, he met with Grant and surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia. Later Life Returning to Georgia after the war, Gordon unsuccessfully campaigned for governor in 1868 on a staunch anti-Reconstruction platform. Defeated, he achieved public office in 1872 when he was elected to the US Senate. Over the next fifteen years, Gordon served two stints in the Senate as well as a term as Governor of Georgia. In 1890, he became the first Commander-in-Chief of the United Confederate Veterans and later published his memoirs, Reminiscences of the Civil War in 1903. Gordon died at Miami, FL on January 9, 1904, and was buried at Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta. Selected Sources Civil War: John B. GordonNew Georgia Encyclopedia: John B. GordonCivil War Trust: John B. Gordon

I'm Daniel, Emily's father Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

I'm Daniel, Emily's father - Essay Example Emily is my favorite child and I would not imagine her being pregnant at her age. We established a plan for her academic and career lives before she could settle down in marriage and she agreed to it. The plan would see her excel to be one of the country’s top executives and she would be our source of pride. This is particularly because she has been the most promising, of my children, in academics. I would therefore not imagine the plan being ruined or even getting delayed because of the many uncertainties that would be hindrances. Even with the realization of her pregnancy when it appears to be at an advanced stage, I would request her and her mother to go for confirmatory pregnancy test to confirm truth of the suspicion. I would still find it hard to believe her pregnancy, even with the confirmatory tests. In struggling to accept the truth about her pregnancy, I would be disappointed in her and in myself for our responsibilities in allowing such a thing to happen. By engaging in risky sexual behavior, at her adolescent age, she has engaged in immorality and brought shame on herself and the entire family. This is because our immediate community values sexual dignity and expect people to engage in sex only in marriage. Her pregnancy would therefore be evidence that she engaged in premarital sex and some conservative families would shun our family and even restrict relationships among their children with ours. I would also be disappointed in Emily because her condition threatens the plans and expectations that we had developed about her. I would however be disappointed in myself for failing to take necessary measures for protecting her from environments and associations that led to her pregnancy. I would feel that we failed to create an environment in which she could have informed us of her relationship with a sex partner because such a discussion could have helped in counseling her, ourselves or through a professional counselor, to

Career goals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Career goals - Essay Example To ensure my goal is achievable, I have an exceptional advantage in business as my father,The most advantaged superiority for me to achieve the career goal is that my father, Mr. Duan Yongji, who is one of the most successful and famous entrepreneurs in China, and is extremely supportive of my business goals and academic pursuits. will support me. MMy father is the As a founder of Stone Group and SINA Corporation , heand currently serves as both of these two companies as Chairmanperson and He is also the President of Zhongguanchun Development, considered the "Silicon Valley" in Beijing. His different business activities include: Throughout my father's twenty-three years in the business field, he has had plenty of experience dealing in both practical and entrepreneurial management skills. His refusal to work within state operated companies in the early 1970s laid the groundwork for starting his own business. He has also experienced By endeavoured in the business field for about 23 years, my father is full of experiences with practical project management skills and entrepreneurship. He was one of the first few of people who refused to work in the state operated companies and switched to ran their own businesses in the beginning of 1970s. He experienced the the whole process of seeing the Chinese economy move from athe closed market to anthe open market, which has only added to his skills in . Those precious experiences makes him sharpen in proper opportunity evaluation as well as the knowledge that isare required to run turn an idea into a sound business opportunity. Those preciousness experiences are also ve ry important for me in the same time. As you know, my country's economy has been growing as the worlds fastest for almost two decades; the marketing is also changing fast. Then to make a reliable perspective proposal before start seems more and more important than ever before. Through utilizing my father's advice on business decisions along with my education, I feel that My advantage is that I can get so many important information and valuable advices from discussing my proposal with my father andI can make a dependable plan for my future steps which is so important for a start-up company. And I could also share my father's

Feminine Principles Essay Example for Free

Feminine Principles Essay People usually accept themselves as weak and helpless because of the speed of economical and social changes and the destruction of labor security. Therefore, it is a period of the unsafe world we live in. However, a majority of real experts and specialists, especially women, are getting to know how to find out their workplaces rather than hoping for an innovated structure in the society. Women are different from men, in particular, in choosing the leadership ways. As a matter of fact a female advantage takes place. All human beings are created of the excellent coordination of the Masculine and Feminine Principles, and all persons have both male and female power as a piece of their being humans. Our views of male and female have been much distorted under the terrestrial circumstances that were the reasons of the derangement in the human life. Our common cultural ideas of what a man is, and what a woman is, are distorted, artificially created stereotypes of what these genders are indeed. A significant piece of this treatment process is looking for some balance in the relationship between male’s and female’s power, and reaching some equilibrium in our mutual relations with the male and female power around our world and us. We fail to do this if we have distorted concepts about the essence of a man and a woman. In course of time as a rule leaders have been depicted as men it is only not so long ago that women are starting to obtain recognition for their abilities in Leadership. Still, women can be such good leaders as men. The main thing is how women accept themselves. Being surrounded by men women shouldn’t feel unconfident and they shouldn’t be afraid to say something not to look silly. They have to treat themselves as strong human beings but not as weak creatures. †¦Feminist movements possess a unique sense for the instant future. Those movements have to be comprehended, not as an affirmation of superiority, but as the creation of fairness. There have been a lot of discussions about balance and equilibrium; accurately for this principle to come a reality women’s’ rights have been enhanced. People mustn’t think that this will be advantageous only for women; it will foster general balance, and therefore it is essentially for concordant evolution. Sally Helgeson in her book â€Å"The Female Advantage: Womens Ways of Leadership† portrayed an inquiry of four female leaders carried out in the 80s and comparing it to a study made by Mintzberg (How Men Lead in 1973) applying the familiar ways understood as diary studies. These studies are my favorite ones. They are carried out by spending the whole day for some weeks with the matter and registering every tasks then classifying them. The study by Mintzberg contained five men that have been main leaders in business of their times. This book depicted the discrepancies between women and men and set out that maternity brings up management, conversation abilities and capability to balance. Women concentrate on the process and men concentrate on reaching the set goals and completion. As a matter of fact women can be flexible. They can fulfill diverse tasks and assess coordination and relations. The writer determines the leadership system applied by men as Hierarchy. (Mitstifer, D. I. 1995) †¦This structure pursues a row of command; data is filtered out, collected and classified as it goes to the top across proper channels. The female leadership characteristics are depicted as a Web system that makes communication easier. I would like to trade places with Margaret Thatcher. She was sticking to the men’s leadership features. She has never set certain targets but she has been trying to make use of any opportunity. Helgesen revealed that the places of employment women had inclined to be webs of inclusion. She clarified that their organizations were structured like a web but not a hierarchy and that distributing data and information was a main principle of their efficacy. The web of inclusion can be named as a model for helping us redesign the institutions that frame our lives (Helgesen, 1995, p. 16). Web-like organizations are especially apt to be driven by clearly articulated values, since a tight focus on mission is the glue that holds their flowing structures together. (Helgesen, 1995, p. 286) The web of inclusion, backed up by the new science (Wheatley, 1994), reveals the universe in operation: not as a precisely calibrated great machine in which each constituent part is locked into its own immutable slot, but rather as pulses of energy that continually evolve and assume shifting shapes as the various elements interact, and in which identity is inseparable from relationship. (Helgesen, 1995, p. 16) The architect of the web works as the spider does, by ceaselessly spinning new tendrils of connection, while also continually strengthening those that already exist. The architects tools are not force, not the ability to issue commands, but rather providing access and engaging in constant dialogue (Helgesen, 1995, p. 13). The web procedure is something new, not just a team method; though a web of insertion usually fulfills a particular task, it is not dispersed upon reaching the purposes. Vice versa it plays a more long-term role as it outlines procedure as well as system, provides new ways of approaching problems, of thinking, of connecting people, of giving them information and motivating them (Helgesen, 1995, p. 33). In this way it is easier to achieve a mutual understanding as well as mutual agreement. Still, what is a female advantage? Can we say that women are better than men while being a leader? Women who made their minds to make a career change after several years of non-employment usually apply that time to check the nature of their job again in terms of more mature private and professional purposes. When they back to the place of employment, they feel better who they are indeed and what they are willing to do. As a rule these women can be a model for girls and for even for some men who, because of insecure place of employment, have to know how to change the places and how to be ready to be changed as well. (Helgesen, S. , 1997) Women are the greatest users of some general seminars, school courses, and private advancement programs. Women look for some new opportunities in training more actively, and they do not spare money and time for such purposes. Therefore, they are responsible for the things they do and they want to apply all their efforts. There are lot of women nowadays who are involved in entrepreneurship. â€Å"More than one-third of all small businesses are now owned by women†. (Helgesen, S. , 1997) Women had to discover strategies and methods that had to be suitable for the circumstances of the new economy and new world in general full of information. Womens biggest contribution to our life and our world can be their perseverance upon destroying the form rather than just setting. In such a way all this made them to invent innovated ways that are collectively reforming our world. Women have distinctive characteristics that can be called as `feminine principles that let them be better executives and leaders. These female principles express our cultures fundamental intentions about discrepancies between in what way women and men act and creation of such principles in the community results would lead to the better life. A wish to enhance personal relations, to treat everybody with respect, provide and distribute data and information, and work as a team group can be considered as feminine principles. A woman is charming and full of inspiration. A modern business woman is a cute, clever and astute, well-dressed lady. She is energetic and can manage people and money successfully. They can mobilize when it is needed, they are eager to adapt to the new conditions more quickly than men. If I had my own mercantile agency I would choose a woman for sure to work as a sales manager. Women are great diplomats. They have something that men lack in order to persuade people to buy something, for example. The strong point of women is paying attention to the details. Men are considered to behave more effectively at the top of the crisis, but it is more difficult for them to stand it for a long of time. Meanwhile, women are more sensitive towards stresses and other problems. However, they can firmly resist these problems if last for a long time. Women run risks less and they are more law-abiding than men. So, both women and men are human beings. They have much in common, but in the same time they really differ from each other. Men and women both have advantages and disadvantages. References 1. Helgesen, S. (1995). The web of inclusion. New York: Currency/Doubleday. 2. Wheatley, M. J. (1994). Leadership and the new science. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler. 3. Helgesen, S. (Spring, 1997). Women and the New Economy. Leader to Leader. pp. 34-39. 4. Helgesen, S. The Female Advantage: Womens Ways of Leadership. Doubleday, New York, N. Y. , 1990. 5. Mitstifer, D. I. (1995, October). Empowerment. Kappa Omicron Nu Dialogue, 5 (4), 1-2.

Analysis of The Sick Rose Written by William Blake Essay -- English Li

Analysis of The Sick Rose Written by William Blake. O rose, thou art sick! The invisible worm That flies in the night, In the howling storm, Has found out thy bed Of crimson joy, And his dark secret love Does thy life destroy. In this essay, I chose to write a bout â€Å"The Sick Rose†, which is a short poem written by William Blake, focusing on the metaphorical language and the symbolism used in it. Though this poem is difficult, I like its deeper meaning and the symbolism. I think that Blake succeeds in giving us a very brilliant work in a few lines. This short poem is a narrative poem made up of two stanzas; each stanza has four lines, rhyming a b c b. The language of it is pretty easy though it is written in 18th century English. The poet uses the present tense to indicate that what he is talking about might happen anytime and anywhere. The tone in the poem is sad. It is set at night, in the â€Å"howling storm.† It has a double meaning. It is full of figurative language. The whole poem is a metaphor. It seems to be about a rose that has been destroyed at night...

Misrepresentation of african american women Essay

African American women have historically been viewed as hyper-sexual creatures, due to unique anatomical features not often seen in other races. This hyper-sexualized view of Black women dates back as early as the days of slavery when European imperialists traveled to Africa and were excessively intrigued by (and abashedly attracted to) the women in the tribes. Europeans were in awe of the physique of African women, comparable to none, as well as their dancing and traditional garments. Europeans unfamiliarity with a body type that is not unusual amongst African women resulted in a projection of hyper-sexuality onto Black women that did not truly exist and has been hard for Black women around the world to rid themselves of. Saartjie [Sara] Baartman, also known as the â€Å"Hottentot Venus,† became the blueprint for degrading and humiliating the Black woman on a worldwide level. Saartjie Baartman was a South African born woman who was enslaved by a Dutch farmer near the city of Cape Town. Her master was approached by traveling Europeans to travel to Europe to have her body examined and put on display. In 1810, Saartjie’s master informed her that she would be free and assume fortune and fame in order to persuade her to leave his plantation for the sideshow act she would unknowingly become in. It was this promise that led to Saartjie’s willingness to travel to Europe. Saartjie traveled to England and upon her arrival, she was placed on public display, often times in a cage, so her large buttocks and breast could be observed by hundreds of curious Englishman. These invasive spectators were recorded as laughing at her, calling her names, and throwing items at her. Saartjie’s body was so spectacular and strange to Europeans that medical students were able to use her for scientific research. She was again sold from England to a French circus to dance in the nude as entertainment and was one the main attractions. Saartjie never enjoyed the freedom she was promised and turned to alcohol to cope with her humiliation and entered prostitution to support her when she was no longer necessary as a side show attraction. She died in 1815, only five years after her arrival to Europe. Saartjie’s humiliation did not end with her death. She died of unidentified disease in France and her body was turned over to a museum. Her brain, vagina, and her skeleton were removed from her body, preserved and put on display. Her frameless body was then preserved in such a way that she stood erect as well. Her body was eventually buried in France but the parts removed from her body remained on display in a French museum until 1974. The displays were removed that year and replaced with casts of Saartjie’s confiscated body parts. Saartjie Baartman’s humiliating enslavement marks the beginning of the Black woman’s degradation. She could be considered the first â€Å"video-vixen model. † However, culture has changed such that women willingly dance erotically while scantily clad or totally nude, whereas Saartjie was forced. This willingness has transformed the way the Black woman is viewed and the way the Black woman views herself. The manner in which Saartjie Baartman was treated is indicative of European attitudes about Black women and African standards of beauty. Saartjie was renowned for her physique, which Europeans responded to Saartjie as an object with disgust, intrigue, sexual attraction, and condescension. The removal of her organs indicates a perverse obsession with the body of the African woman. This attitude about the Black woman’s body has persisted, taking on new faces as culture changes and pop culture emerged. Media images of Black women have long been degrading, unflattering, and/or extreme. Black women have specific functional roles in the media: typically and most often as Jezebel, Mammie, and the welfare mom. The Jezebel stereotype of the hyper-sexual, manipulative Black woman is more prevalent and more widely seen in the media from television, movies, magazines, and music videos. It is the Jezebel who is the African American woman who is not ashamed to take off her clothes in exchange for things she may need. The music industry especially popularizes strippers and video models as an acceptable and desirable occupation for a Black woman. Not only do majority of hip-hop lyrics degrade women to the lowest level that a woman can be degraded, but the music videos take special care to degrade the black woman even more. Rap music videos depict a false image of what a real woman looks like in reality: â€Å"music videos have gotten so raunchy they might as well be pornography, presenting a hyper-sexual depiction of women that distorts and demeans the image of black women in particular. Even in the tamer videos, women might as well be prostitutes. They are objects, part of the bling-bling, like the platinum chains and diamonds sported by rappers† (Daily Review 7/4/04). It is just in this way that Saartjie Baartman was displayed and responded to and it is in the way Black women have been consistently considered: as objects of sexual exploitation. Hip hop music has become explosively popular in the US and much of the rest of the world in the last twenty years. Hip hop music influences larger society in powerful ways and has become a subculture that has transcended race, socioeconomics, and gender. Its popularity and ability to transcend across many social lines that are usually impenetrable is the biggest threat to the perception of Black women by others and by themselves. When leaders like President Barack Obama and other prominent politicians reference lines from popular rap songs, they are often received with admiration and excitement by the media and larger public. Such a response from a pop culture reference reveals hip hop music’s ability to influence culture on a magnanimous level. Hip hop music is an industry run by men, with overwhelmingly male artists who provide entertainment for other men. In this understanding of the industry, the images of women presented through this massively popular music are exclusively chosen by men. Additionally, hip hop music tends to sell a lifestyle and not just a song or beats. As was previously discussed in the quote from Daily Review, expensive material things and several beautiful and naked women are things to achieve and obtain. An object is for use of some kind and the hip hop music industry has single handedly crystallized the developing notion that women in general are objects for sexual pleasure exclusively. This idea is particularly harmful for Black women and girls in the face of a media that has very few other images of Black women. White women are of course objectified and hyper-sexualized in the same manner, but the damage of such objectification is buffered by other images of a range of professional White women, heroines in film and television, prominent White actresses, politicians, businesswomen, journalists, etc â€Å"Historically, white women, as a category, were portrayed as models of self-respect, self-control, and modesty – even sexual purity, but black women were often portrayed as innately promiscuous, even predatory. This depiction of black women is signified by the name Jezebel† (Pilgram, 2002). Black women and girls have very few other images to measure themselves against or look to for motivation or encouragement. These pervasive images of the Black woman as a promiscuous and manipulative Jezebel juxtaposed with the lack of other, more positive images, is extremely damaging to the Black woman’s self-esteem. These images also inform others of how to perceive and ultimately treat Black women, which is further corrosive to the Black woman’s self-esteem. As if the power that images tend to have on the human psyche were not enough, hip hop music also incorporates lyrics that correspond to the tone of disrespect for Black women. Negative epithets that refer to a woman’s sexual and social behavior like â€Å"ho† and â€Å"bitch† are common, frequent, and acceptable in hip hop lyrics and serve to further denigrate Black women. Often, rappers and fans alike make excuses for the disturbing images and lyrics featured in songs and videos, expressing that the women featured in the videos are working of their own volition and are not being objectified. While the women of these videos are participating of their own volition, the degrading lyrics and the degrading images are not negated just because the women are choosing to participate. The message being sent is still clear and ubiquitous: Black women are objects of sexual gratification that do not have to be spoken to or spoken of as human beings. Viewers are influenced by these images and lyrics and are encouraged to develop erroneous ideas about and monolithic perception of Black women. Additionally, because other, more positive images of Black women are missing in the media, viewers are left with little real information about the Black woman’s experience, life, and character. Hip hop music has also set the standard of presentation for female rappers as well. Female rappers who have debuted in the last 20 years invoke the power the same sexual images and presentations as the male rappers do. More recent female rap artists like Nikki Minaj have amplified the hyper-sexual stereotype about Black women with her sexually charged lyrics, provocative style of dress, and various implants to enlarge her breasts and buttocks, looking not unlike Saartjie Baartman and the many beautiful women of Africa. Artists who pre-date Nikki Minaj, like Lil’ Kim and Foxy Brown, debuted in a similar fashion, using their sexuality through lyrics and risque media poses in which they were almost always scantily clad, to propel their careers. These female rappers only serve to further push the music industry’s agenda to denigrate women, Black women in particular, by buying into and proudly displaying the very stereotypical behaviors that function to keep hyper-sexualized images of Black women in the minds of viewers. Female rappers serve the same purpose as those women dancing in hip hop videos: to push the sexual agenda of a sexist music industry. However, the message delivered through female rappers is pronounced solely due to the fact that the artist is a female who is promoting a hegemonic patriarchal message. The sexual nature of hip hop in general is made more acceptable if the objects of sexual exploitation, women, also become hip hop stars. Lastly, the current female hip hop stars are adopting images of beauty from childhood icons such as Barbie, as is the case with Nikki Minaj. The adaptation of Barbie for the purpose of hip hop is a clear indication that there is an agenda to capture all viewers’ minds to believe the images they are presented with about Black women. The most effectual approach to challenging the erroneous and negative images of Black women in the media is for those who are aware and knowledgeable to expose the falsehoods of the pervasive stereotypes and ideas about Black women. Bibliography Frith, Susan. â€Å"Searching for Sara Baartman. † Johns Hopkins Magazine, June 2009. http://www. jhu. edu/jhumag/0609web/sara. html (accessed April 20, 2013). â€Å"The Hottentot Venus. † Accessed April 22, 2013. http://whgbetc. com/mind/hottentot_venus_emory. html. Payton, Brenda. â€Å"Sorority Sisters Combat Explotiative Rap Images. † Daily Review (Hayward, CA). 4 July 2004. Pilgrim , David. â€Å"Jezebel. † Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia. . http://www. ferris. edu/jimcrow/jezebel. htm (accessed April 23, 2013). Clemlyn-Ann , Pollydore, and Jennifer A. Richeson. â€Å"Affective Reactions of African-American Students to Stereotypical and Counterstereotypical Images of Blacks in the Media.. † Journal of Black Psychology. no. 3 (2002): 261-275. Simmonds, Felly Nkweto. â€Å"’She’s Gotta Have It’: The Representation of Black Female Sexuality on Film. † Feminist Review. (1988): 10-22. http://www. jstor. org/discover/10. 2307/1395143? uid=3739936&uid=2129&uid=2&uid=70&uid=4&uid=3739256&sid=21102132644181 (accessed April 22, 2013).

Meteorites from Other Planets

The more we learn about our planet, the more we want samples from other planets. Weve sent men and machines to the Moon and elsewhere, where instruments have examined their surfaces close up. Given the expense of spaceflight, its easier to find Mars and Moon rocks lying on the ground on Earth. We didnt know about these extraplanetary rocks until recently; all we knew was that there were a few particularly strange meteorites. Asteroid Meteorites Almost all meteorites come from the asteroid belt, between Mars and Jupiter, where thousands of small solid objects orbit the sun. Asteroids are ancient bodies, as old as Earth itself. They have been little altered from the time they formed, except that they have been shattered against other asteroids. The pieces range in size from dust specks to the asteroid Ceres, some 950 kilometers across. Meteorites have been classified into various families, and current theory is that many of these families came from a larger parent body. The eucrite family is one example, now traced to the asteroid Vesta, and research into the dwarf planets is a lively field. It helps that a few of the largest asteroids appear to be undamaged parent bodies. Almost all meteorites fit this model of asteroid parent bodies. Planetary Meteorites A handful of meteorites are very different from the rest: they show chemical and petrological signs of having been part of a full-sized, evolving planet. Their isotopes are unbalanced, among other anomalies. Some are similar to basaltic rocks known on Earth. After we went to the Moon and sent sophisticated instruments to Mars, it became clear where these rare stones come from. These are meteorites created by other meteorites—by asteroids themselves. Asteroid impacts onto Mars and the Moon blasted these rocks into space, where they drifted for many years before falling on Earth. Out of many thousands of meteorites, only a hundred or so are known to be Moon or Mars rocks. You can own a piece for thousands of dollars a gram, or find one yourself. Hunting Extraplanetaries You can look for meteorites in two ways: wait until you see one fall or search for them on the ground. Historically, witnessed falls were the primary means of discovering meteorites, but in recent years people have started looking for them more systematically. Both scientists and amateurs are in the hunt—its a lot like fossil hunting that way. One difference is that many meteorite hunters are willing to give or sell pieces of their finds to science, whereas a fossil cant be sold in pieces so its harder to share. There are two kinds of places on Earth where meteorites are more likely to be found. One is on parts of the Antarctic ice cap where the ice flows together and evaporates in the sun and wind, leaving behind meteorites as a lag deposit. Here scientists have the place to themselves, and the Antarctic Search for Meteorites program (ANSMET) harvests the blue-ice plains every year. Stones from the Moon and Mars have been found there. The other prime meteorite hunting grounds are deserts. The dry conditions tend to preserve stones, and the lack of rain means they are less likely to wash away. In windswept areas, just as in Antarctica, fine material does not bury the meteorites either. Significant finds have come from Australia, Arabia, California, and the Saharan countries. Martian rocks were found in Oman by amateurs in 1999, and the next year a scientific expedition by the University of Bern in Switzerland recovered some 100 meteorites including a Martian shergottite. The government of Oman, which supported the project, got a piece of the stone for the Natural History Museum in Muscat. The university made a point of boasting that this meteorite was the first Mars rock that is fully available to science. Generally, the Saharan meteorite theater is chaotic, with finds going into the private market in direct competition with scientists. Scientists dont need much material, though. Rocks from Elsewhere We have also sent probes to the surface of Venus. Might there be Venus rocks on Earth as well? If there were, we could probably recognize them given the knowledge we have from the Venus landers. But its extremely unlikely: not only is Venus deeper in the Suns gravity well, but its thick atmosphere would muffle all but the very largest impacts. Still, there just might be Venus rocks to be found. And Mercury rocks are not beyond all possibility either—in fact, we might have some in the exceedingly rare angrite meteorites. We need to send a lander to Mercury for ground-truth observations first. The Messenger mission, which is now orbiting Mercury, is already telling us a lot. PS: Just to take things a little farther, consider this: impacts on Earth have undoubtedly knocked Earth rocks into space too. Most probably fell back, melted, as tektites, but some must be sitting on the Moon right now, while others could have landed on Venus and Mars. In fact, in 2005 we found a big iron meteorite on Mars surface—why not Earth stones too? If life really did exist on Mars, as some evidence suggests, it could have traveled there from Earth. Or was it the other way around? Or, indeed, did both come from Venuss early oceans?