Benzene Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Benzene - Essay Example At room temperature, it is liquid and is a bit viscous. Its density is 0.879 g/mL and turns to vapor at 80.1Â ºC. It is a flammable aromatic hydrocarbon and is not completely miscible with water, but can dissolve in other solvents like acetone, chlorofom or carbon tetrachloride (EPA, 1988). Because of its high flammability and volatility, the chemical must be kept away from sparks, open flame, heat or other hot surfaces that may cause fire or explosion (cpchem.com, 2014). Benzene is a common part of industrial manufacturing of plastics, man-made fibers, rubber lubricants, colorants and pesticides. It is also a component in gasoline and other petroleum products. In nature, volcanoes and forest fires emit benzene into the atmosphere. Residential uses of benzene are found in adhesives, paint removers and gasoline. Petroleum products are the major contributors of benzene in the environment (dhs.wisconsin.gov, 2013). Other aromatic chemicals such as phenol and toluene, are also synthesized from benzene either by replacing the hydrogen atoms in the molecule or by cleavage of the bonds in the benzene molecule. Most chemicals from benzene are products of substitution reactions (epa.gov, 1988). Humans are exposed to benzene in different ways, namely through inhalation, ingestion or by skin contact. The most common route of benzene exposure is by inhalation, especially when humans are exposed to petroleum products or benzene-containing paints and resins. When benzene is released in its vapor form from manufacturing industries, the people living near the area are exposed and inhale it. The symptoms that may be experienced when exposed to benzene for short periods are headaches or nausea. However, for longer periods high risk of having cancer and anemia are some of the health effects. Some studies in animals have shown that prolonged exposure to benzene vapors caused infertility and damaged reproductive organs.

Mozart Effect in Childrens Toys Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Mozart Effect in Childrens Toys - Case Study Example In 1993 Rauscher, Shaw and Ky published results of a study in which they measured the increase of spatial reasoning skills in 36 college students who listened to music composed by Mozart. The researchers reported increases of between 8 and 10 points on the IQ spatial reasoning task scale as opposed to those students who sat quietly for the 10 minute period or listened to relaxation tapes. The results of these findings were attributed to listening to the composer's sonata and resulted in coinage of the phrase 'The Mozart Effect.' Since these findings were first reported there has been a contentious debate as to the validity of the Mozart Effect. According to Caulfield (1999) the original study was performed on college students, not infants, and the results were temporary. Rauscher et al. (1997), however, conducted a two-year study where they found that preschool children who took piano lessons had increased spatial reasoning skills. This led them to conclude that music exposure to young children enhances the development of the brain, particularly in the area of spatial reasoning skills. These findings led Caulfield (1999) to question at what age music can be processed and remembered by young infants. According to LaFuente et al (1997 as quoted in Caulfield, 1999) infants during their last trimester care capable of hearing music. He and his associates conducted a study in which they had pregnant women in their final trimester (40 weeks) play tapes of basic chords and gradually moving up to more complex musical patterns. Each mother completed between 50 and 90 hours of musical listening prior to delivery. The researchers foun d that during the first six months the infants "exhibited significantly more rapid development of many behaviors, including visual tracking, eye-hand coordination, facial imitation and babbling" (Caulfield, 1999, p. 120) but Caulfield warns that the mother's knowledge of the study may have been a confounder. Nantais and Schellenberg (1999) explain that the Mozart effect is "similar to robust psychological phenomena such as transfer or priming" (p. 370) but the main difference is that the Mozart Effect, if in fact it exists, would be caused by passive listening as opposed to active doing. In an attempt to replicate the Mozart Effect the researchers selected 84 undergraduates, 56 for one experiment and 28 for a second. They used two different music pieces: the Mozart sonata and a piece composed by Schubert. Although their findings showed an improvement in spatial reasoning by both groups who listened to music as opposed to the control group who sat in silence, they concluded that the slight improvement was due to a positive stimulus versus a negative stimulus (music to

Aristotle Biography Essay Example for Free

Aristotle Biography Essay Aristotle Aristotle was a prominent figure in history that created many philosophies during his time. He is ranked among the greatest philosophers to ever live. He moved around to many different interesting places during much of his lifetime and loved to teach. In my opinion, the most well-known philosophy is his concept of logic. Because Aristotle’s philosophies and concepts of logic and reasoning have affected much of the past, his legacy will endure for many years to come. Aristotle was born in 384 B. C in Stagira, the small city in the Macedonian region of northeastern Greece. At the age of 17, he moved to Athens to attend Plato’s Academy where he remained there for almost 40 years. He journeyed around the world then for a little while continuing his philosophical activities. When in Lesbos, he married his first wife, Pythias, with whom they had a child also named Pythias. In 343, Aristotle was appointed to be the tutor of King Philip of Macedon’s son, Alexander. This thirteen year old boy eager to learn later became known as Alexander the Great. After two years of teaching, Aristotle’s works were no longer needed because Alexander was already serving as a military commander for his father. After teaching, Aristotle returned to Athens where he built his own school that taught botany, biology, logic, music, mathematics, astronomy, medicine, cosmology, physics, the history of philosophy, metaphysics, psychology, ethics, theology, rhetoric, political history, government and political theory, rhetoric, and the arts. While teaching at his school, Aristotle’s wife had died and they say he had married another woman, Heroyllis with whom they had children. In the year 323, Aristotle had retired his works in Athens and moved to Chalcis, where he died the following year of natural causes. Philosophy was in fact very important to Aristotle and he studied it for many years. Among the great achievements, the concept of logic was in my opinion the most important and well known. Aristotle’s objective of â€Å"the first logic† was to come up with a process of reasoning that would allow man to learn every conceivable thing about reality. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy clarifies this by using the example of As, Bs and Cs. They explain that first, all As are Bs. Secondly, they claim that all Bs are Cs. Therefore, all As are Cs. They also say that anything else taken from this form will be a deduction in Aristotle’s sense. A deduction is â€Å"an argument in which certain things are laid down something else follows of necessity in virtue of their being so†. But it has been proven that some of his concepts of logic are deductions and some are not. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy used the example of university students and the As, Bs and Cs to explain this. They say that all As are Bs; some Bs are Cs; so, all As are Cs. â€Å"They use the university students example by explaining that all university students are literate; some literate people read poetry; so, all university students read poetry†. This is not true so it clarifies the fact that some of his concepts are deductions while others are not. In his philosophical articles, Aristotle also discussed how man might obtain information about objects through deduction and inference. As you can see, Aristotle’s philosophy provided us with a system of logic that to this day is still used by philosophers. Aristotle’s legacy will live on for years to follow because of everything he had accomplished throughout his lifetime. After his death in 322 B. C, his works and philosophies were forgotten and revived about a century after. His works had influenced over seven centuries of philosophy. As it says on the biography. com website, â€Å"Aristotle’s work influenced ideas from late antiquity all the way through the Renaissance. Aristotle’s influence on Western thought in the humanities and social sciences is largely considered unparalleled, with the exception of his teacher Plato’s contributions, and Plato’s teacher, Socrates before him. The two-millennia-strong academic practice of interpreting and debating Aristotle’s philosophical works continues to endure. † Even today, philosophers still look to Aristotle’s work for guidance and inspiration when creating their own philosophies and simply studying philosophers of the past. As you can see, Aristotle’s legacy is still apart of us and will remain influencing others for many years to come. In conclusion, you can see that Aristotle did affect many lives through his philosophies and teachings. Many have studied his works, and added on from the philosophies and concepts he had developed. His legacy will endure on because of all he did and he will be remembered. I had great time learning about Aristotle and his philosophies for this research project. Works Cited: http://plato. stanford. edu/entries/aristotle/ Shields, Christopher. Aristotle. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 25 Sept. 2008. http://www. biography. com/people/aristotle-9188415? page=1 Aristotle Biography. Bio. com. AE Networks Television, n. d http://www. ucmp. berkeley. edu/history/aristotle. html Waggoner, Ben M. Aristotle (384-322 B. C. E.). Aristotle. UCMP, 9 June 1996.

The Biogas Production Worldwide Environmental Sciences Essay

The Biogas Production Worldwide Environmental Sciences Essay Energy is a necessary concomitant of human existence. Basically, there exist various sources of energy like coal and other petroleum products that are commercially exploited for many useful reasons. These fossil fuels have become a strong pillar of the economy and it has penetrated so deep in the mechanism of human living that it has become almost impossible to think of a world running without fossil fuel. Yet it is a fact that this source of energy will not last forever. Once, fossil fuels were available abundantly and at low prices. However, nowadays its price is high rocketing on the international market and it is also becoming very scarce. The immediate effect of this is that the world is facing the phenomena of inflation and rising prices. Moreover, today there is an energy crisis that has arisen due to the fear that the boons of fossil fuel may turn into a bane with its disappearance. In addition, the burning of fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide and other toxic gases in the atmosphere and a direct consequence of this is global warming. 1.1 Background Energy and energy resources can be known to be the backbone for survival on earth. People are heavily dependent on various energy sources like coal or fossil fuels so as to meet up with their daily needs whether it is in the power sector, the transportation sector or for cooking and heating purposes and about 88% of this demand is met by fossil fuels (Peter Weiland, 2009). It is predicted that the use of fossil fossils will come close to surpassing oil consumption by 2017 (IEA, 2012). On the other hand, greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions in the environment are also increasing rapidly, with carbon dioxide being the highest contributor. Another global energy challenge is the depletion of fossil fuels. Due to the increasing demand, the availability of the fuel is decreasing. In addition, conventional oil and gas reserves are mostly found in politically unstable countries, making its ease of use less accessible. In this context, biogas can be derived from wastes, animal manure or energy crops so as to meet with the increasing energy demand in the future. Biogas can be defined as a versatile renewable energy source which can replace fossil fuels in the power and heat production sector and in the transportation sector. It has the capacity to replace natural gas also for producing chemicals and liquefied petroleum gas for cooking purposes. Table .1: comparison of heat values and efficiency of commonly used fuels with biogas (Nabard, 2007) Commonly used fuels Calorific values in kilo calories Thermal efficiency Biogas 4713/M3 60% Firewood 2093/kg 11% Diesel 10550/kg 66% Kerosene 10850/kg 50% Petrol 11100/kg Biogas production through anaerobic digestion (AD) process has many advantages over other bioenergy forms. It is one of the most energy- efficient and environmentally friendly bioenergy technologies. It not only reduces the emission of greenhouse gases drastically compared to fossil fuels, but it also produces high grade fertilizer as by- product. 1.1.1 Biogas production worldwide In the field of biogas, Germany has built itself a world top leading position. In 2006, it built 826 biogas systems to a total increased production unit of 3700, hence making Germany the number one biogas- based energy producer (Energy solutions, 2012). Figure .1: various substrates available in Germany having the potential energy accumulated for biogas production (Baltic Biogas Bus Project, 2012) The worldà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s biogas market is predicted to reach $8.98 billion by the year 2017, with the desire to reduce dependency on fossil fuels and to focus on eco- friendliness biogas programs (GIA, 2012). Latin America is also well known for its biogas technology in municipal raw sewage treatment and landfill gas technology. It has identified 25 types of wastes for biogas production. The country has 33 RD projects and since 1977, five projects have already been implemented to produce biogas from sanitary landfills. Latin America produces around 217 million m3 per year which is mostly used for cooking, lighting, vehicle fuel and town gas. (H.Naveau, 1993) Moreover, the biogas market has grown rapidly in the recent years for the cogeneration of heat and power and for the production of bio- methane to be used as vehicle fuel. In the European Union (EU), 17% of all the energy will have to be produced from renewable sources, and in the transport sector it has to reach 10% of the total according to the European Directive 2009/28/EC, thus making biogas the viable solution to reach this target. The reasons for having a spread out on the biogas energy market includes an increase in demand for distributed generation, severe environmental rules arising due to lots of pollution and an accelerating increase in infrastructure and vehicle build out adapting with natural gas. According to Pike Research, this fast- growing market reached $17.3 billion in global revenue in 2011, and this will almost double by 2022 to an amount of $33.1 billion (Globe- Net, 2012). biogas_640x383.jpg Figure 1.: Biogas market value by regions (Pike Research, 2012) 1.1.2 Energy sector in Mauritius Mauritius is an island having no oil, coal reserves or natural gas. It is heavily dependent on imported energy resources. The Ministry of Renewable Energy and Public Utilities (MPU) is responsible for the energy policy including energy, water and wastewater in the island. The Central Board of Electricity (CEB) occupies the generation, transmission, distribution and sale of electricity and the State Trading Corporation (STC) import petroleum products like gasoil, fuel oil and LPG. With the increase in standard of living, industrialization, population growth and more development in the transportation sector, the energy demand is climbing at an exponential rate in Mauritius. We are becoming an energy dependant society and as per the graph below, the exportation of gas oil will be more than doubled by the year 2025. Table 1.: Imports of energy sources in Mauritius in 2011 (Energy and water statistics, 2011) Energy source 2011 (Ktoe) Gasoline 126.0 Diesel oil 313.0 Kerosene 4.5 LPG 71.6 Coal 409.3 Figure1.3: Forecast of petroleumn product imports in Mauritius (Outline Energy Policy, 2007) Moreover, with the depletion of the energy sources, the price of the fuel are augmenting, hence making it more difficult to afford. Hence, to avoid an energy crisis in the future, other forms of energy resources need to be exploited which is environmentally friendly and has an infinite reserve. Figure 1.4: Trend in price of exported fuel from 2002 to 2011 (Energy and water statistics, 2011) The figures above demonstrate how Mauritius depends greatly onto fossil fuels, and this trend is going to increase in the years to come. Hence, new alternatives need to be found so as to match with this increasing demand. However, the alternate options should be in line with the Maurice Ile Durable (MID) concept; a renewable and environmentally friendly source. In each and every home in the Mauritian society, one makes use of LPG for cooking purposes. The actual price of the gas cylinder is Rs540. If the government maintains the price at Rs330 for consumers, the STC will have to look for Rs 820 million for subsidy. This is due to the increasing price of butane and propane in the global market. Hence, to remedy this, cooking gas can be obtained locally from anaerobic digestion of organic waste to produce biogas. It fits in the MID, whereby according to Pr de Rosnay, 37% of electricity will come from biomass/biogas by 2028. 1.2 Rationale In Mauritius, we are already a fossil fuel dependant society. Hence, to reduce this problem of dependency on the already depleting resource, we can focus on the use of biogas at our home itself. Moreover, with the concept of the MID, we are adopting a renewable energy source, which in the course of time can expand to the production of electricity. Also, we already have the problem of overfilling of our landfill at Mare- Chicose. Thus, by using our household organic waste, we not only produce useful cooking gas, but we also has as by- product a high grade fertilizer and we are alleviating the problem of our landfill. In addition, by converting the gas into methane to be used for cooking purposes, large amounts of carbon dioxide are not emitted in the environment, thus protecting our planet from global warming. And also, we are discarding much of the waste from the surrounding into useful products. Lastly, with the expansion of the biogas energy system in our country, more jobs can be created in the field of energy, whereby Mauritius can later be self- sufficient in the production of cooking gas and eventually in the production of electricity, thus reducing on imports. 1.3 Aims and Objectives The aim of this project is to produce an improved biogas system that can be adopted in a household for cooking purposes along with implementing its safety processes. To achieve this, the objectives identified are: To have an understanding of the functioning of the process to produce adequate biogas for cooking. To improve the biogas system by modifying the previous set- up To optimize the system by focusing on: Design of the system Ratio of substrate to be used Conditions to consider to favor biogas production To modify a cooking stove so as it can operate on biogas. To make laboratory testing to determine the methane composition in the biogas and the heating value. To study the risks and safety processes associated with the digester and to implement it. To make an assessment of the amount of gas produced for cooking purposes 1.4 Structure of report Chapter one- Introduction This chapter introduces the project title and gives an overview of energy trend in Mauritius and worldwide and the aim and objectives of the project. Chapter Two- Literature Review The types of anaerobic digestion process to produce biogas and the factors affecting the process are discussed, along with the production of biogas in the island. Also, the safety and risks associated with the system are identified. Chapter Three- Methodology The methods undertaken to construct the reactor and analytical testing of the feed and product of the biogas system are considered. Chapter Four- Design and Construction The materials of construction and cost analysis are assessed. Chapter Five- Results and Discussions The economic analysis and findings from analytical tests are observed and discussed. Chapter Six- Safety Implementation The safety precautions that need to be applied to the biogas system are discussed. Chapter Seven- Conclusion, Recommendation, Future works A summary of the aims of the project is made and some recommendations and future work are mentioned for improvements.

The Strain of Mother-Daughter Relationships in Annie John Essay

The Strain of Mother-Daughter Relationships in Annie John Jamaica Kincaid accurately portrays how adolescence can strain mother- daughter relationships. The mother- daughter relationships are universal but "it is not clear why we avoid the topic"(Gerd). The father- daughter relationships and the mother- sons relationships are the issues mostly talked about. In Jamaica Kincaid's novel, Annie John, she explains and gives insight into mother- daughter relationships. In Annie John, there are events that make people think about their relationship with their own mother. Kincaid expresses this relationship through her main character Annie who tries to find her own identity. The relationship between Annie and her mother (also called Annie) was very strong and they do a lot of things together. By the time Annie turns twelve, she starts to go through some changes which many teenagers normally goes through. In order for Annie to mature and prepare for the world, Annie's mother told her to find her own way of life. Due to these new changes, the relationship between Annie and her mother begins to degenerate. Annie now did things her mother disapproved of. At the end of the story, their relationship was okay but not as strong as it was before. After reading this book I saw that the main issue discussed in her novel, is all the stages mother- daughter relationships go through. The mother- daughter relationships are intense relationships. This is a relationship most daughters have with their mother from birth. Both male and female children are attached to their mother from birth, but most male child quickly grows out of it. The daughter is so attached to the mother in a complex way in whic... ... Louis F. Caton. "Romantic Struggles: The Bildungsroman and Mother- Daughter Bonding in Jamaica Kincaid's Annie John." Melus. vol. 21, No.3. Fall 1996. 125-42. Rpt. in Literature Resource Center. Nagel, James. "Desperate Hopes, Desperate Lives: Depression and Self Realization in Jamaica Kincaid's Annie John and Lucy." Traditions, Voices, and Dreams: The American Novel Since the 1960s. Ed. Melvin J. Friedman and Ben Siegel. U. of Delaware P, 1995, 237-53. Rpt. in Novels for Students. vol. 3. Rpt. in Literature Resource Center. Phyllis NCTU. "The Images in Annie John." 4 May 2000. 10 Dec. 2000. William M. Smith. "Annie's Mother and "Mary": Motherhood in Various Literary Forms." 26 July 1999. 15 Dec. 2000.

Analyzing Managerial Decisions: Eastman Kodak

With the slogan â€Å"you press the button, we will do the rest†, George Eastman (a high school dropout) put the very first simple camera into the hands of a world of consumers in 1888 (â€Å"History of Kodak,† n. d. , para. 1). For many years, Eastman Kodak was virtually the only film manufacturer around so they had a monopoly in film production. Kodak was able to control the timing for introducing new products into the market and was able to make changes due to customer demand. Until the early 1980’s, Kodak owned the film production market with very little competition.This suddenly changed when Fuji Corporation and many other generic store brands began producing high quality film as well (Brickley, Smith, & Zimmerman, 2009, p. 358). Technological advances, robotics, new design capabilities and better communications made it possible for the other companies to bring new products to the market in much less time. It was now months instead of years (Brickley et al. , 2009, p. 358). Film and related products became more readily available, resulting in a more competitive film production industry. Kodak’s monopoly was gone.This caused Eastman Kodak to make changes to its organization architecture in 1984; the design of the current organization architecture no longer fit the business environment for the film industry. One of the largest factors to motivate Eastman Kodak to make these changes, were increased competition and decreased market share. The stock price of Eastman Kodak went from $85 a share in 1982 to just over $71 in 1984. This is a drop of 16% in their stock price (Brickley et al. , 2009, p. 358). When compared to the increases in stock for the other companies in this market as a whole, the decrease was disturbing.Kodak made some rapid and unbalanced changes to its architecture, in order that they might regain some of the market share it lost. While making changes to one section of the company, they did not coordinate the change s to the other sections. In 1984, Kodak decentralized the organization by restructuring and changing its decision making process. â€Å"The restructure created 17 new business units†. These new business units had profit–and-loss responsibilities, and the corresponding managers were given the responsibility to decide on new products, pricing and other important policies (Brickley et al., 2009, p. 359). Unfortunately the result of this major organizational architecture, had a very small impact on the companies plan to regain its market share and profits. In reaction to the lack of impact, Eastman Kodak implemented the Management Annual Performance Plan (MAPP). This was to be the new performance-evaluation and reward system. There are many types of Management Annual Performance Plans ( The government Performance Results Act of 1993 requires each state agency to develop and publish an Annual Performance Plan (â€Å"Annual Plans,† 2003, para. 14)).The company felt by changing the methods of rewarding individual and business units, it would help them to be more innovative and more responsive to the customers’ needs and demands (Brickley et al. , 2009, p. 359). And again, this change was a mistake and unfortunately it did not have the affect Kodak thought that it would. The new Performance Evaluation System did not motivate the employees. When changing organizational architecture, it is extremely important to remember that the three legs of the stool (or the three components) of organizational architecture are interdependent and need to be coordinated (Brickley et al., 2009, p. 350-1).Kodak should have designed it with the three following characteristics in mind: 1) assignment of decision rights, 2) methods of rewarding individuals, and 3) structure of systems to evaluate the performance of both individuals and business units (Brickley et al. , 2009, p. 341). This left Kodak’s â€Å"three legged stool† unbalanced. In short, t he company did not implement a rewards method and performance evaluation system at the same time it began changing the assignment of decision rights. When one component is changed, the other components should be changed too.Kodak could have improved the effectiveness of the change in organizational architecture by holding employees accountable while also implementing a decentralized decision making approach. Kodak was set in its ways for a long time and when Fuji and the other companies came along with the advanced technologies; it did not know how to make these changes in the most effective and efficient way possible. Finally, I believe they should have fired the CEO earlier, he was definitely not thinking along the same lines with the market performance and changing industry.When he discovered the three legged stool was not balanced it was too late. By firing the CEO this may have provided the â€Å"shake up† that management needed to get the company going in the right dire ction. â€Å"An interesting view in economics asserts that the foundations for behavioral assumptions such as profit or utility maximization at an individual level or behavior in accordance with Nash equilibrium at the strategic level should be found in evolutionary selection against those who do not behave as assumed. This view, could be called economic Darwinism† (Sloth & Whitta-Jacobsen, 2005, para. 2).This example perfectly illustrates the concept of economic Darwinism, especially from the perspective of â€Å"survival of the fittest† (Brickley et al. , 2009, p. 8). Kodak failed to stay competitive with Fuji by failing to adapt to the changing industry of film production, also by not effectively changing their organizational architecture. Due to this, Kodak lost significant profits and the market share. Although Kodak survived, it definitely was not the â€Å"fittest† in the film industry in the 1980’s and early 1990’s. In 1993, the CEO of many years was fired, further exemplifying economic Darwinism at Kodak.

Equality in Women Sports

Equality in Women Sports Gender equality in sports is something women have been trying to pursue over and over again. As in professional publicity of sports, men vs. women is no competition, men blow women out of the park on this issue. Men are more dominant in the sports world, and women just live in the shadows. Women are not given the chance they deserve to prove that they are just as good, so as of now, the media presumes them to be inferior to men. The myth many people believe for this reason, is the simple answer that women are not as strong as men.Others say that women’s sports are not as popular because they are not as entertaining to watch. Many people have different reasons for why women do not get the equality that they deserve, but there are more reasons for why women should be just as successful in professional sports as men. Women in sports began with very few opportunities, until a few pioneers paved a way for the future of women sports. Such female athletes tha t paved the way for other females were Babe Didrikson and Wilma Rudolph.Babe competed in the 1932 Olympics and qualified for five events, but at the time, women were only allowed to complete in three. Babe also took up golfing and won 55 tournaments in all, with 13 consecutive in 1946. Wilma Rudolph was another admirable female athlete, whose forte was in track. Rudolph was the first women to win three gold medals in the 1960 Olympics. Her winnings allowed for more women to take part in what was previously, all male track and field events. Both of these remarkable female athletes are recognized among ESPN’S Sports Century Greatest Athletes, ranked 10th and 41st (Elyachar and Moag, n. . ). During the Olympics, at the time of Babe Didrikson and Wilma Rudolph, women were allowed to compete in various events, such as swimming diving, tennis, and short distance sprints, but were not allowed to compete in the marathons. This is because experts said women could damage their organs f rom all the destructive bouncing and long endurance that the marathon required. It was not until 1984, when women were allowed to run the marathon in the Olympics, that a woman by the name of Benoit Samuelson ran the first marathon.Benoit ran 26 miles in competitive time, proving that the female body could handle just as much as the men’s (â€Å"Joan Benoit Samuelson,† 2007. ) The universal myth that everyone assumes is the reason for why men are so much more dominant in sports than women is that they are stronger. It is commonly believed that women are not as skilled as men in sports because they lack muscle strength. According to the GenneX Heathcare Technologies, Inc. (1999), in recent studies, this myth was proven fiction.Up until this study, doctors would beg their female patients not to perform in any sports activities because they said their bodies were too weak to handle such pressures. Since women have been out of the sports scene for so long because of this m yth of weakness, men have been dominating because they have had so much more time to perfect their skills. Women now have a lot of ground to cover since they have been so inactive for so many years. The best women’s marathon time was recorded at only 10 minutes behind men’s, proving that women are catching up to men and their bodies can handle anything a man’s can.The woman who set the women’s world record marathon time in an incredible 2:15:25 was Paula Radcliffe (Msn, 2007). But there’s a catch to this recording. Since male sports have been around for so much longer, they have been recording for that much longer as well. Women; however, have only been recording since 1964, which means that since they just starting running these marathons they can easily pass the male record. According to Kevin Drum (2001), â€Å"Women might even complete evenly with men in the 100 meter dash by around 2010 or 2020, and the marathon by 2050. As of more recently, women are starting to participate in sports that were only meant for men, such as ice hockey and boxing. These extreme sports require skill and physical endurance, which if a woman can play this kind of sport, means that she is capable of playing any sport, just as good as any man. The only reason that women are lagging behind men thus far is because men have had so much more time to improve on their sports. Men have been practicing and perfecting sports ever since they were first created, women, in comparison, have had no chance to do this.If women started off at the same time as men, they would easily have the same performance and same skill level. In 1972, Title IX was passed to make women participate in sports more. Title IX was brought to the public’s attention with the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950’s and 60s. This law states, â€Å"No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be s ubjected to discrimination under any education programs or activity receiving Federal financial assistance. † (Elyachar and Moag, n. d. ).This law gave women the right to be athletes. It opened new opportunities to women as more colleges and high school were forced to have a certain number to sports teams. This new law paved a way for new female athletes. Men at this time were starting to form leagues of their own, while women were first starting to participate in sports. When basketball was first in existence, men were allowed to play by the rules however they liked, but women were supposed to maintain proper decorum, so female basketball players were not allowed to snatch or dribble the ball more than three times.Women basketball players also started off played three and three rather than five on five, and on half a court. Many people believed that women could not handle the pressure and strength to play like men. Females were not considered strong enough to play a full cour t game until 1971 (Rick Torbett 2007. ) Five year later in 1976, the first professional basketball league for women was formed. This league consisted of eight teams, but was not very successful. In 1997, the Woman’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) was founded with 12 teams, six from the Eastern Conference and six from the Western Conference.The first year running attendance reach nearly one million and it had 65 million viewers, and is currently still running today. The WNBA had shed some light on women’s ability to be equal. This league has also opened opportunities for girls, as most of them look up to them as idols. Women’s basketball really sprung into popularity within the end of the 21st century. Basketball instructor Rick Torbett (2007) states, â€Å"I saw Nancy Lierbman grab, not touch, but grab the rim at 5†³9! I was 6†³3 and only jumping a little higher than her! Those girls could play, and were actually flat out better than some of t he boys. Rick Torbett, an expert at studying the tactics of basketball, states that from his studies, women show the same skill level as men. This proves that women can perform just as well as me do in this sport. At the end of his report, Tobett concluded with, â€Å"Oh yeah, there is one definite difference between boys and girls basketball, to quote my friend, Hall of Famer Rick Barry†¦ â€Å"They’re a lot prettier. † If there is absolutely no difference with men vs. women in basketball, why can’t the rest of the world notice women’s basketball more? It is just as exciting as men and involves the same exact game.As more time passes, and once more people start to realize the skill level of women, the WNBA will be just as popular as men’s. The first extremely successful women’s league was in 1943 and was called the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. This league was the most successful women’s league ever, and the major reason behind this league’s popularity is the fact that it was played during the Second World War. While America’s men were on the battlefield, America’s women were giving the rest of the country entertainment for their favorite pastime.Even during this league, women were still not given equality. These women were chosen to compete in the league had to attend charm school before to ensure the natural style of a women’s grace despite vigorous play (JSW 1999). Even then, most people were against this league because they strongly believed that this much stress and endurance would harm the female reproductive system. The movie, A League of Their Own, was based around this league, and it showed the dramatic sexist experiences these women had to go through just to play. In the end, the fans loved it, and just as much as they loved men’s.This league ended when the war did, as all the men came back to claim their sport, the women were sent back to th eir roles as housewives (Riverdeep Interactive Learning 2007). This league was at one point, the most successful and popular sport. Because a majority of the men were fighting in the Second World War, only women were left to compete in sports. The only barrier causing the problem of no women’s baseball league is the fact that no one would watch it. If the country loved this sport played by women as much as they did in the 1940s, then they can still love it today.Women should be allowed to have their own league again, and be able to build on form what they started in the 1940s. By far the most successful women’s sport is tennis. This women’s sport has gained so much popularity to viewers because women have been catching up to men. In 1973 when women’s tennis was not as prominent as men’s, Bobby Riggs challenged Billie Jean King to tennis match that became widely known as the â€Å"Battle of the Sexes. † Bobby Riggs was the world champion tenn is player in 1939, at the age of 16. Billie Jean King was the women’s lib leader at the age of 29, and had won 20 titles at Wimbledon, aking her the richest tennis player, with an income of $100,000 a year. Bobby, now at the age of 55 wanted to prove to the world that men were better athletes so he challenged a match against Billie boasting that a woman was no match for him. Bobby even went as far as wearing a men’s liberation t-shirt to the match to make matters even worse. On top of that, he even rode into the tennis courts in a carriage pulled by women. In the end Billie Jean beat Bobby in three straight sets of tennis by simply wearing him out with long rallies. The final scores were 6-4, 6-3, and 6-3. After the match Bobby stated, â€Å"She was too good, too fast.She returned all my passing shots and made a great plays off of them. † (Essortment 2002) This proves that women can out beat men, and that men do not give them enough creditability. Even though th ere was an immense age difference between the two, the winnings of Billie Jean gave women confidence that women are just as good as men. This winning set a new era for women, an era of strength and determination to be just as good. Also women did not get paid as much as men did, until now. Women are finally being recognized as equal athletes to males, and this is the first sport that women have practically gained their equality (Sportingo 2007).Besides the physical strength behind athletics that makes people think that women are not as serious in sports as men, there is the reason behind the advertisement. Women athletes are not known for their talent, they are known for their appearance. In mostly all women sport ad’s the women are beautiful, making people believe that women athletics is a joke (Carty, V 2005) For example, Nike recently came out with an ad that’s focus was to reshape the ideal female image from a fragile figure to a strong, toned build. In the ad, the re is a woman who has an oversized, muscular backside, wearing boyshort underwear.On the side, the text reads, â€Å"My butt is big, but that’s fine, those who scorn it are invited to kiss it. † (Youngblood 2007) The main purpose of this ad is to prove that women are strong and tough, but the message that it really sends out is sexualized. This ad asks the question, how should women athletes be portrayed, with strength or with femininity that sometimes pushes in exploitation of the female body? Mary Jo Kane, director of Tucker Center for Research on Girls and Women in Sport stated, â€Å"Media should represent the reality of sports, combining beauty, strength and power; showing a female athlete when she fails and when she is ictorious; and accurately depicting what and who women are in sports. † (Youngblood 2007) An extreme example of female athletes putting themselves out there in the media in a non- athletes kind of way, was when German Olympic gold medalist K atarina Witt posed nude in Playboy in 1998, a decade after she won her Olympic medals. (2007) This ad in no way is going to make people recognize her for her winnings in the Olympics; instead she is going to be known as a nude model posing for the human interest. The media is a major reason that women are not taken seriously in sports.In ads for male athletes they are fully clothed and are trying to show off their skill level and achievement within the sports industry. This is not the case for women, some of the time they are showing off their skills, but most of the time they are showing off their looks and sexuality. Once females are seen for their skill, then the world will take them seriously and they can pursue their careers as professional athletes and can complete evenly with men. Women in sports have come a long way since the early 1900s. From barely competing in the Olympics to dominating in tennis, women’s sports are slowly increasing.Many people still refuse to acc ept that women’s sports are serious and successful, because of all the bumps in the road, like the media. Once the world can see a female athlete for the talented person she is, then women’s sports will be just as successful as men’s. Women have come so far in pursuing their athletic ability in comparison to men. They have done this by increasing their endurance and strength, internally and externally, and one day very soon a woman is going to break that record marathon time held by a man.Sources Eylachar, R. , & Moag, L. (n. d. ) The Growth of Women’s Sports. Retrieved September 24, 2007 from http://www. moagandcompany. com/i_a/Dec_02_womens_sports. pdf No author. (2007. ) Joan Benoit Samuelson – A Born Athlete. Retrieved October 3, 2007, from http://sports. jrank. org/pages/418/Benoit-Samuelson-Joan-Born-Athlete. html GenneX Healthcare Technologies, Inc. (1999). Men vs. Women in Sports. Retrieved September 24, 2007, from http://www. womenshealth. org/a/women_men_sports. htm MSN. (2007). Are Women