Battle of White Plains in the American Revolution

Battle of White Plains in the American Revolution The Battle of White Plains was fought October 28, 1776, during the American Revolution (1775-1783). Part of the New York Campaign, the battle came about after British forces landed at Pells Point, NY and threatened to cut off the American line of retreat from Manhattan. Departing the island, the Continental Army established a position at White Plains where it was attacked on October 28. After sharp fighting, the British captured a key hill that compelled the Americans to withdraw. The retreat from White Plains saw General George Washingtons men move across New Jersey before crossing the Delaware River into Pennsylvania. Background In the wake of their defeat at the Battle of Long Island (August 27-30, 1776) and victory at the Battle of Harlem Heights (September 16), General George Washingtons Continental Army found itself camped at the northern end of Manhattan. Moving tentatively, General William Howe elected to begin a campaign of maneuver rather than directly attacking the American position. Embarking 4,000 men on October 12, Howe moved them through Hells Gate and landed at Throgs Neck. Here their advance inland was blocked by swamps and a group of Pennsylvania riflemen led by Colonel Edward Hand. General Sir William Howe. Public Domain Not wishing to force his way through, Howe re-embarked and moved up the coast to Pells Point. Marching inland, they won a sharp engagement over a small Continental force at Eastchester, before pressing on to New Rochelle. Alerted to Howes movements, Washington realized that Howe was in a position to cut his lines of retreat. Deciding to abandon Manhattan, he began moving the main army north to White Plains where he possessed a supply depot. Due to pressure from Congress, he left around 2,800 men under Colonel Robert Magaw to defend Fort Washington on Manhattan. Across the river, Major General Nathanael Greene held Fort Lee with 3,500 men. Battle of White Plains Conflict: American Revolution (1775-1783)Dates: October 28, 1776Armies and Commanders:AmericansGeneral George Washington13,000 menBritishGeneral William Howe14,500 menCasualties:Americans: 28 killed, 126 woundedBritish: 42 killed, 182 wounded The Armies Clash Marching into White Plains on October 22, Washington established a defensive line between the Bronx and Croton Rivers, near the village. Building breastworks, Washingtons right was anchored on Purdy Hill and led by Major General Israel Putnam, while the left was commanded by Brigadier General William Heath and anchored on Hatfield Hill. Washington personally commanded the center. Across the Bronx River, in line with the American right rose Chattertons Hill. Possessing wooded sides and fields on the hilltop, Chattertons Hill was initially protected by a mixed force of militia. Reinforced at New Rochelle, Howe began moving north with around 14,000 men. Advancing in two columns, they passed through Scarsdale early on October 28, and approached Washingtons position at White Plains. As the British neared, Washington dispatched Brigadier General Joseph Spencers 2nd Connecticut Regiment to delay the British on the plain between Scarsdale and Chattertons Hill.  Arriving on the field, Howe immediately recognized the importance of the hill and decided to make it the focus of his attack.  Deploying his army, Howe detached 4,000 men, led by Colonel Johann Ralls Hessians to make the assault. A Gallant Stand Advancing, Ralls men came under fire from Spencers troops which had taken a position behind a stone wall. Inflicting losses on the enemy, they were forced to pull back towards Chattertons Hill when a British column led by General Henry Clinton threatened their left flank.  Recognizing the importance of the hill, Washington ordered Colonel John Haslets 1st Delaware Regiment to reinforce the militia.   As British intentions became clearer, he also dispatched Brigadier General Alexander McDougalls brigade. The Hessian pursuit of Spencers men was stopped on the slopes of the hill by determined fire from Haslets men and the militia. Bringing the hill under intense artillery fire from 20 guns, the British were able to panic the militia leading them to flee from the area. General George Washington. Public Domain The American position was quickly stabilized as McDougalls men arrived on the scene and new line formed with the Continentals on the left and center and the rallied militia on the right. Crossing the Bronx River under the protection of their guns, the British and Hessians pressed on towards Chattertons Hill. While the British attacked directly up the hill, the Hessians moved to envelop the American right flank. Though the British were repulsed, the Hessians flank attack caused the New York and Massachusetts militia to flee. This exposed the flank of Haslets Delaware Continentals. Reforming, the Continental troops were able to beat back several Hessian attacks but were ultimately overwhelmed and forced retreat back to the main American lines. Aftermath With the loss of Chattertons Hill, Washington concluded that his position was untenable and elected to retreat to the north. While Howe had won a victory, he was unable to immediately follow up his success due to heavy rains the next day few days. When the British advanced on November 1, they found the American lines empty. While a British victory, the Battle of White Plains cost them 42 killed and 182 wounded as opposed to only 28 killed and 126 wounded for the Americans. While Washingtons army began a long retreat which would ultimately see them move north then west across New Jersey, Howe broke off his pursuit and turned south to capture Forts Washington and Lee on November 16 and 20 respectively.  Having completed the conquest of the New York City area,  Howe ordered Lieutenant General Lord Charles Cornwallis to pursue Washington across northern New Jersey.  Continuing their retreat, the disintegrating American army finally crossed the Delaware in to Pennsylvania in early December. American fortunes would not improve until December 26, when Washington launched a daring attack against Ralls Hessian forces in Trenton, NJ.

Idea for Business Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Idea for Business Plan - Essay Example The competitors in the industry are large-scale dairy farmers and milk processing companies. Large scale farmers produce dairy products in large amounts and hence most customers will prefer their products since they are sure of a constant supply. Processing companies are big competitors since they have loyal customers. Nevertheless, the business people in the venture do not produce enough supply of dairy products and hence small businesses have a chance for growth under the stiff competition. The business will ascertain that its products are of high quality, and cleanliness will be paramount. Customers of dairy products mainly consider quality and health before making purchases and hence the business will be at a better position to thrive. The business will offer delivery services that will lure many customers into making orders from my firm. Dairy farming has a lot of opportunities in the greater Cleveland area since most milk products are brought from other places. Operating the business in Cleveland will minimize the operational costs and hence I can use price as a competition

How proteins in the diet are disassembled and then reassembled to form Essay

How proteins in the diet are disassembled and then reassembled to form useful proteins in the body - Essay Example These enzymes are dipeptidases, carboxypeptidase and aminopeptidase. Since the intestinal absorption of proteins is only possible in amino acid form and peptide form so they must be broken down into amino acids and peptides. These absorbed peptides are dipeptides and tripeptides. After absorption they are transported into the cells by various transporters and channels depending upon the internal environment. Up till now, all the disassembly of proteins is extracellularly done. After this, the entire breakdown is done inside the cell called intracellular protein degradation. Inside the cell, they are taken by phagocytosis; the food vacuole is fused with lysosome. The lysosomal enzymes further degrade di and tri peptides into amino acids. Different digestive enzymes have different specificity towards their substrate. For example trypsin cleaves positively charged residue including arginine and lysine. Similarly, chymotrypsin cleaves the aromatic residues consisting of tyrosine, phenyla lanine and tryptophan. Elastase breaks the bond of small non-polar residues (alanine and glycine). If these digestive enzymes are activated without any stimulus (as protein in the diet is the stimulus for their secretion), it will lead to auto-digestion of the pancreas leading to pancreatitis, that’s why they are always secreted in an inactivated form. This inactivated form is called zymogen. Zymogen for trypsin is called as trypsinogen. It is activated by enzyme enterokinase (secreted by duodenal mucosa). Pepsin is also secreted in an inactivated form as it leads to auto-digestion of stomach. That inactivated form is called as pepsinogen which is activated in an acidic medium. The pancreas secretes the precursors of a number of proteases, such as trypsin and chymotrypsin. The intracellular degradation of protein results in the formation of amino acids. They are also degraded by ubiquitin system. After entering in the blood, amino acids are used for several purposes. One of t hem is also the formation of proteins for the body. Protein is also a structural component of cells. Plasma membrane and membranes of cellular organelles is also made of proteins. So amino acids in the blood are used for the protein formation. It is a complicated process. Any mistake or error in this can lead to many diseases as discussed in the end of this essay. The assembly of proteins is called as Protein biosynthesis. It is called as Translation which involves the assembly of proteins. Translation is only possible if mRNA is available and it is formed by the process called translation. The reassembly involves two processes transcription and translation. In transcription an mRNA is generated. It is template of one strand of double helix DNA. Transcription involves three steps: initiation of mRNA, elongation of mRNA chain and termination of transcription. Each and every step is regulated by a large number of proteins. These are transcription factors co-factors and coactivators. T heir major function is to ensure that the correct and required sequence of gene is transcribed. The process of transcription occurs in the nucleus. The double helix DNA is "unzipped" or opened by the breakdown of hydrogen bonds between the two strands by helicase. Primer attaches to the site and is followed by an initiator. Then elongation of the chain occurs by placing nitrogenous bases. The bonding occurs between adenine and uracil and guanine and cytosine.

Free

Free philosophy Essay In philosophy, the â€Å"self† is used to refer to the ultimate locus of personal identity, the agent and the knower involved in each person’s actions and cognitions. The notion of the self has traditionally raised several philosophical questions. First, there are questions about the nature and very existence of the self. Is the self a material or immaterial thing? Is the self even a real thing or rather a merely nominal object? Second, is the self the object of a peculiar form of introspective knowledge, and if so, what does this tell about its ultimate nature? Third, what is the relation between the nature of the self and the linguistic phenomena of self-reference, such as the use of the first-person pronoun ‘I’? In this course, we will investigate these and related questions with a special focus on the issue of the unity of the self. In the first half of the course, particular attention will be devoted to recent works on the relation between the nature of the self, the unity of agency and the process of self-constitution by authors such as Korsgaard, Velleman, Dennett In the second half of the course, we will discuss some of the peculiar features of self-knowledge and consider whether the idea of self-constitution can shed light on them. The self does not really exist as something truly real because: it is not available to introspection (Hume); it is not a thing (Existentialists); it is a soluble fish in a sea of general meanings or representations (postmodernists); and/or it cannot be found in the brain or its activity (neurophilosophers). There are many other lines of attack but these examples are sufficient to illustrate what is wrong with these autocides: they are looking for the wrong kind of entity or in the wrong place or both.

Binge Drinking Freshmen :: Personal Narrative College Papers

Binge Drinking Freshmen Emily* is a typical female college student on the outside, with a shocking story hidden on the inside. Emily began drinking before most students rode on their first bus †¦ school bus! At the age of 4, Emily wasn’t given candy, but alcohol instead. As an incentive for repeating words back to her aunt she was given red wine. As Emily got older, her mother brought her to family parties, oblivious to what was going on. At these parties, Emily would typically drink scotch or whiskey, provided to her by the older men in the family. When 6th grade rolled around, Emily began drinking with friends, sneaking it into her room for sleepovers. High school was the same idea, although now, Emily consistently found herself drinking alone in the mornings, even before going to school. After graduation, Emily left home in D.C. for Boston’s Northeastern University. She described her first year in the city of Boston. â€Å"I went all out; I didn’t have to worry about having my mom catch me drunk, I drank as much as I wanted to, whenever I wanted,† she said. While, "going all out," Emily made other bad decisions, as a result of her bad drinking habits. â€Å"I slept with a couple guys and never used protection. I had to use the Morning after pill on one occasion.† Even after testing herself for HIV and other STDs, she continued to binge drink every weekend. This went on until last fall, when she nearly lost her life leaving a bar downtown. It was a cold, dark, rain driven late night/early morning in Boston and Emily wanted nothing more than to go home to bed. Yelling obscenities after leaving the bar, she was hit by a cab. Her head slammed into the pavement and she had a seizure. Her friends called 911 immediately and she was rushed to the hospital. After spending a few days in the hospital, Emily realized like always after a night of drinking that she was having trouble remembering the details. Only this time, things were different, she told me she couldn’t form short/long-term memories or even remember things in her past. Emily decided to take a look at her life, ultimately realizing she wasn’t happy with herself. Cold turkey appeared to be her only option with alcohol at the time and she gave it a shot. Even with stories such as these being published in newspapers throughout the country on a daily basis,

Global Warming Poses Threat to Ski Resorts in USA Essay

The American west is marvellous, it is large with grand landscapes and mountains reaching to the sky . The plains unfold to the horizon and the vistas present an unimaginable panorama. Just like any where else in the world, water is an essential element to life here but it is scarce hence creating the west’s vulnerability. Precipitation is generally low and cannot support agriculture it is for this reason that agriculture is only possible through irrigation. This precipitation is not only scarce but scarcest in the summers when it is mostly needed but falls disproportionately and mostly in the mountains in the winter. The only saving grace is that in winter it precipitates as snow and stays as snow packs throughout the winter. It is on the basis of these weather patterns that the winter sports tourism is established. This industry has served as the main economic driving machine of the west and other other areas for decades. However, changing climatic patterns and global warming has emerged as a serious threat to the existence of the winter sports industry. Projected increases in average global temperatures due to increases in green house gases in the atmosphere has been incriminated in widespread glacial and white cap decreases, ocean level rise and warming but most importantly in the reduction of snow cover and the decrease in the duration of winter tourism. The unpredictability of the future and the climate sensitive nature of winter sports tourism has led to many initiative aimed curbing the increase in green house gases and consequently making snow available. Introduction Compelling evidence suggests that global climate has been on a progressive change since the industrial era and is projected to continue over the 21st century and beyond. Global warming and climate change is an unequivocal phenomenon. Global mean temperature has been on the increase with an approximate increase of 0. 760 C between 1850-1899. the same increase has been found between 2001 and 2005. This means that global predictions of temperature bear a >90% probability (IPPC. Climate Change and Tourism, 2007). These increases in average temperatures are a direct result of human activities that increase the concentrations of green house gases in the atmosphere. The extent of these discernible human influences have also extended to other climate change aspects such as temperature extremes, changes in wind patterns, continental average temperatures and ocean warming. The same is applicable to the widespread glacial and white cap decreases coupled with warming of the ocean surface temperatures, the result is a sea level rise of approximately 1. 8mm yearly from 1961-2003 and approximately 3. 1mm yearly from 1993-2003. The resultant effect of biological response in ecosystems and species diversity presents an unpleasant scenario and these statistics are recorded in virtually every continent. It is projected that the probability of increase in global temperatures will further accelerate green house gas emissions at the present or above the present rates. The prediction pushes overall global temperature rise by 1. 80C -4. 00C. Assuming that the atmospheric concentrations of green house gases are stabilized, the warming effect would still continue due to the levels of green house gases from past emissions and the consequent thermal inertia of oceans. The biological response would also be extrapolated to future centuries even if the levels are stabilized at the present concentrations today. The discernible manifestations worldwide will be hot temperature extremes, extreme heat waves, heavy precipitation, peak wind speeds and precipitation in tropical cyclone events and an additional heavy precipitation associated with increases in tropical sea and surface temperatures. Together with these climatic changes extra tropical storm tracks are projected to shift towards the poles. All these changes together with the decreases in show cover will continue into the future. The economic and environmental risks are unfathomable and would effectively impede nations strides towards the achievements of sustainable developments. However, there is hope that if precautions and measures are taken to reduce green house gases today the high costs of environmental and economic destruction and disruption can fairly be mitigated. This calls for lifestyle changes, economic policies and regulations and international efforts that not only help reduce the causative agents of climate change and global warming but also foster adaptation and mitigation measures to meet the challenges of climate change. Climate change and Tourism Climate change, especially global warming has grown to be a pivotal issue in the development and management of tourism. The relationship between the environment, climate and tourism sector is currently a highly sensitive economic matter. Climate change is increasingly driving tourism development and decision making, changing tourism destinations and even tourist tastes. Tourism sector remains a non negligible contributor to climatic changes. GHG emissions from transport and accommodation must be reduced in accordance with international standards. Tourism sector cannot address the challenges of climatic changes themselves and in isolation but they can only do this in the context of sustainable development and the broader international development agenda. Tourism and the sustainability of tourism destinations is dependent on climate variability. The length and the quality of seasons as well as destination choice and the level of tourist spending are all determined by climate change. Climate change and winter sports Winter sports constitute a very source of income and the reliability of snow is a key element in the touristic offer. Skiing and snowboarding are the most common forms of writer sports but others such as snow hiking and cross-country skiing also depends on the reliability and the availability of enough snow. Mountainous areas are always very sensitive to climate change hence less snow, melting permafrost, receding glaciers and extreme events such as landslides. Additionally climate change shift mountain fauna and flora. These effects pose a direct threat to ski resorts in the United States. Lower earnings in winter tourism will only serve to exacerbate economic disparities that exist between the alpine regions and the more developed urban areas. These changes will also increase the risk of only skiing at high altitude up the mountain. If this was to happen there would be an intense concentration of sports activities in certain regions as well as further putting pressure on the environmentally sensitive high mountains. The extrapolation of the effects of global warming on winter tourism extends to the viability of the mountain cable way companies that use the availability of snow as a prerequisite for their financial stability. Without snow or enough snow the profitability of the ski industry is impossible. The absence of snow in the mountains will be like having a summer without a sea. The variability of the winter season with response to climate change will deny the winter sports industry the right levels of snow at the right time. These forecasts are a necessity in planning for trips at shorter notices especially the weekends (Rolf Burki et al, 2003) Studies undertaken in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Australia, Switzerland and the United States to establish the impact of climate change on the tourism sector show severe implications especially to the winter sports industry. While some regions with high technological advances like adaptation strategies (artificial snow making) will maintain their tourism, others unable to adapt the expensive technologies will lose out. These transitions in business volumes will not only be driven by limiting snow levels but also the fact that skiers respond flexibility to snow conditions. During a snow poor season, 49% of skies are most likely to change to a resort that is fairly more snow reliable, 32% would reduce the frequency of skiing and only 4% would give up the sport. Coupled together with the fact that climate change has a direct effect on the number of ski days, those unable to adapt to expensive technologies will be disadvantaged and pushed out of business. (Rolf Burki et al, 2003). Snow resorts not concentrated in snow reliable high altitude areas will be forced to withdraw from the market because of decreasing levels of snow. For transport industries that will offer access to high altitude areas (sometimes higher than 200m) business prospects will be good due an expected increase in skiing at the high altitudes. The effect of this will be quantitative expansion of the high altitude skiing resorts hence eliciting a negative environmentally feedback effect caused by disruption of the ecologically sensitive high altitude mountain regions. Presently, this expected expansion to high altitude areas has been the theme of many concept studies that influence the opening up of High Mountain (Breiling and Charamza, 1999) It is for these effects of climate change that during a recent campaign in Portsmouth, N. H, Barrack Obama the Democratic Party presidential candidate reiterated that there is need to address the urgency of global warming on the ski industry. He said that global warming is not a future problem but a present one. This problem has made New Hampshire to have shorter sporting seasons and people are losing jobs. He further reiterated that residents of North America ski areas together with their customers should work hand in hand to change their energy spending. habits and resort to green technology if they were to prevent climate caused melt-downs (Laura Bly, 2007) Resorts have started investing in sustainable seafood practices, local food supplies, biodiesel powered snow cats and embracing the use of more energy efficient snow making equipment. To achieve this, campaigns on global warming and discounts are being offered to guests who come in hybrid cans. What is even more impressing is that resorts have taken the challenge of campaigning for these changes as well as acting as advocates for intergovernmental change. Effects of global warming have also been reported in Burlington Vt. The city is usually carpeted in December but unfortunately changing climatic conditions has created a mild situation where snowfall is meager just an inch thick. The temperatures are becoming warmer and fewer trails open. However, these fears have been allayed by the optimism of the meteorological department prediction that the season will progress as Christmas approaches. According to Michael Berry; president of the National ski Areas Association, the potential impacts winter recreation, the mountain ecosystem and the way of life of residents in these areas cannot be ignored. Global warming has a direct and profound effect on the ski business as it depends solely on the variability of weather. To drive this process of change, the association has adapted a policy to regulate and control climate change. The reduce, educate and advocate approach was adopted to help in the fight against global warming. Key in the policy is a call to ski resorts to work towards the reduction of green house gas emissions individually and collectively, educate the public and guests on the potential impacts of climate change to writer sports industry and be the advocate in pushing for institutional and regulatory changes aimed at curbing greenhouse gas emissions (Michael Berry, 2007). To this end almost half of the 59 ski resorts, who have purchased renewable energy credits or utilized green energy for their lifts and other facilities are 100% green powered hence reducing carbon dioxide emission by 427,596,000 pounds an equivalent of planting almost 17 million trees. Customers are encouraged to offset their emission and work towards increasing green energy use in their home. Generation of renewable energy through on site solar projects or micro hydro power projects and wind energy has greatly increased with Jimmy Peak Mountain Resort in Massachusetts installing the first wind turbine powered ski area in August 2007. Resort vehicle fleets are now using alternative fuels like biodiesel, they also provide or promote car pooling or mass transit use. Ski resorts are being built using green building techniques and retrofitting existing facilities all with the aim of saving energy. Though an outreach program called â€Å"Keep Winter cool† millions of people have been educated on global warming and encouraged to institute lifestyle changes to help curb global warming. Specific Impacts of Global Warming on Winter Tourism . Snow The financial viability and stability of the winter sports tourism industry solely depends on the availability of sufficient snow. Less snow pack is caused by higher average temperatures, on the other hand if there are extremely low temperatures at night then it follows that there is likely to be an average increase in daytime temperatures. In both cases the resultant effect is less mountain snow cover and a reduction in the duration of cover. (Stephen Saunders et al, 2005). This means that recreation will be shortened and the snow will be slushier. The big difference to earlier situation where snow cover was considerably reduced is that, the capital intensity of the winter sports tourism will be considerably high. When this is analyzed in the context of profits from ski dependent businesses, taxes from local and state governments, the financial prospects of industries in the winter tourism sector look bleak. However, the most important link between climate change and mountain tourism is less snow and, as a consequence, less earnings in ski tourism. Glaciers Statistics all over the world point to the fact that there is a general retreat of glacial cover all over the world. Taking Switzerland as an example, since 1850, the Swiss glaciers have lost slightly more than 25% of their surface. If this was to continue in the future, by 2030, approximately 20% to 70% of the total Swiss glacial cover will disappear. This is a real problem for the ski industry not only in Switzerland but across the world as ski tourists will resort to other countries with snow availability. The effect of this trend will be putting more pressure on the existing ski facilities as well as acting as an incentive for investment in high altitude areas. Permafrost Melting of permafrost due to global warming makes mountain areas vulnerable to landslides. Transport facilities such as the mountain cable way stations, the lift masts and buildings become instable. Them costs incurred in bracing and anchoring such buildings when permafrost melts are extremely high. Hiking and climbing in these areas is also made more dangerous hence the loss of revenue due to potential risk of injury like rockfall or other health outcomes. Despite of cries over decreases in snow levels in the future, there is a possibility of winters with heavy snow like that of 1998/1999 that brought a great deal of losses in the winter tourism industry. The avalanche winter destroyed mountain cable ways, ski-lifts and chair lifts. The expenses incurred on sow clearing and the overall loss incurred was in excess of US $ 130 million. Adaptations for the future ski industry should therefore inculcate these historical weather unpredictability patterns in improving the industry’s financial viability. Adaptations and Strategies Used by the Tourism Industry to Mitigate Against the Impacts of Global Warming All tourism representatives at political,organizational, entrepreneurial or operational level have been in the forefront in pushing for adaptation strategies to curb climate change and help mitigate the potential effects of global warming. The experiences that project what is going to come in the future are prevalent today and is widely accepted that snow deficient conditions will determine whether winter tourism will remain a viable economic activity. To achieve this a multi sectoral framework that consists of the National Ski Areas Association(NSAA), Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC), the federal government through the Senate Environment and Public Works, state stakeholders and other non governmental civil society organizations have developed a Climate Change policy aimed at reducing the concentrations of green house emissions. Ski resorts have been encouraged to adopt safe and efficient energy usage through the exploitation of renewable energy resources. It is this concerted effort in mitigating climate change challenges that also saw the support and endorsement of McCain/Lieberman Climate Stewardship Act to spearhead the fight against global warming. Specifically these attempts will help stabilize the US$ 5 billion mountain resort industry that currently offers employment to 165,000 people. Despite the existence of facts that predict radical effects in the industry, some argue that climate change issues are very exaggerated and politicized by science and the media. They argue that even though the effects could intensify problems in the industry, the majority of resorts in medium and high altitudes will be barely affected. Discussions should yield strategies that take into account the accuracy of statistical data disseminated on climate change and critically analyze the potential consequences. These issues should further be analyzed with reference to the global competition in the winter tourism sector. The facts that accrue from these forums should then be integrated in the construction of artificial snow flaking facilities, extend existing ski runs. Opening of high altitude ski resorts (2000-3000m)should be guided by the potential ecological effect. Climate change should not only be viewed as a negative challenge to winter tourism but also as a catalyst to drive radical structural adjustment and change. These developments should take into account the present risks and opportunities as well as foster development that is in line with the strive for environmental and socio economic sustainability. This will create a highly competitive market where customer preference is not only driven by snow availability but by the efficiency of service in some very high end but smaller less extensive resorts. Such top resorts will offer attractive offers for skiing tourists and hence reduce attention on expansive developments with less attractive offers. Artificial Snow making This is an ubiquitous strategy that is widely employed to mitigate the risk of climate change. Since its inception in 1953 at the Grossinger’s Resort in New York, it has grown to become the principle in the ski industry with an approximate 95% of the resorts engaged in the strategy. Its success has mainly been driven by its invaluable superior nature that offers a complete substitute to natural snow fall as well as making it possible to extend skiing durations(Daniel D. D. McGill, 2007). However, this technology is heavily dependent on temperature and is only effective in cases at low temperatures. Technological advances has seen the reduction of labor costs through the use of snow guns operated by computers. Snow making utilizes vast volumes of water and therefore the availability of water must be guaranteed for efficient blanketing of a large resort. Weather Derivatives. These are weather risk management tools structured to enable ski resorts make appropriate and informed decisions. They can be structured on snow fall temperature according to the customers specifications. Other factors that can be utilized to mitigate the effects of global warming include r4evenue diversification, cloud seeding and marketing to insulate the resorts against variability of weather by enabling them to maximumly capitalize when the weather is excellent. Conclusions Climate change and global warming remains will continue to remain key challenges in the winter tourism industry especially the ski resorts. Less snow, less glaciers and extreme weather events such as landslides are the key determinants of the future viability of ski resorts. Strategies instituted to meet the challenges of climatic change and mitigate the impacts of global warming can never be successful if implemented in isolation. It is commendable fact that the skiing industry has adopted sustainable building techniques,inculcated green principles and technology in their operations among others. These precedents are admirable but we have to admit that when taken in the global context, these measures do very little in stemming the worrying tide of global warming whose effects are felt indiscriminately. Global warming is a worldwide problem and therefore all the measures undertaken by the tourism industry must be in line with national and international guidelines that aim at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In the future, tourist developments will not only be evaluated and judged with respect to their environmental or socio-economic compatibility and viability but they will also be assessed with respect to the climate-compatibility angle.

Silver Lining for the Admission Process. I’m in!

For a long time both parents and would-be students have been complaining about the inhumanity and unfairness of college admission process. It is too much, they say. Colleges are too concentrated on results and personal achievement and don’t pay nearly enough attention to kindness, good citizenship and authenticity of each particular student. They expect applicants to spend all their time studying, working, volunteering and taking part in extracurricular activities, without any respect to how students themselves want to spend their time and how they can contribute to their families and communities other than being good specialists in their chosen fields. Flexibility in Admission Process And it seems that this point of view has finally managed to get through to the ruling bodies of many prominent universities, including Harvard and Yale. The new trend, it seems, would be ‘flexibility’ – that is, admission committees are encouraged to concentrate not on how successful, efficient and result-oriented a particular student is, but on other things: good citizenship, personal responsibility, civic engagement, contributions to family life, importance of authenticity and a number of other more vaguely defined concepts. Importance of Students’ Household Chores In practical terms, it is going to alleviate the overall pressure on the students on the one hand and somewhat rectify the current situation of favoring students from more affluent background when it comes to evaluating their achievements. Students who cannot afford to volunteer to high-profile causes due to the lack of funds or the need to support their families either by working or taking some household chores off the hand of their parents and siblings will get an opportunity to mention these activities and expect them to be taken into account. Yale, for example, is going to introduce an additional essay question concentrating on students’ engagement with and contributions to their families, communities and public good. Smaller List of Achievements In the long run, these novelties are expected to have great number of varying positive effects. Firstly, they are going to decrease the stress levels in students preparing for application. This is done by sending a message that a long list of achievements is no longer going to increase the student’s chances of admission. For example, it can be done by limiting the blank spaces so that they can only accommodate no more than four or even two activities. As a result, students will no longer have a reason to fill their time with various different activities to the bursting point and there will be no opportunity for them to stand out of the crowd by means of overworking themselves. Another idea that occupies an important place in this project is the decrease in importance of standardized testing. A number of colleges have already made steps in this direction by making SATs and ACTs optional, but hopefully it is just a beginning of something bigger. All in all, one can say with certainty that we are in for some fascinating changes in educational system due to these alterations of admissions process. And it won’t be long for us to see the results.