My Teaching Toolbox.. Educ 6513 Teaching Adult Learners.

My Teaching Toolbox. EDUC 6513: Teaching Adult Learners Mohamed Faizalla Yorkville University February 19, 2017 My Teaching Toolbox My understanding of skillful teaching has been formed through my practical teaching experience, and further developed as a master of education student who has the advantage of learning and discussing the most recent literature about education and methodology. I found that I completely agree with, Brookfield’s explanation and understanding of skillful teaching. Throughout his book, Brookfield, (2015) mentioned four assumptions of skillful teaching which included helping students learn, adopting a critically reflective stance towards teaching practice, awareness of how the learners are†¦show more content†¦Moreover, assimilators usually like to evaluate pros and cons, enjoy lectures, use logical and detailed thinking to learn as they prefer thinking to acting. Soylu et al, (2009) noted â€Å"students having assimilator and convergent learning styles have common ability to organize and use the information they acquire from the text.† (p.47). Therefor e, utilizing suitable teaching techniques and methods is an important factor in their success. As a teacher, I can always benefit from understanding my students’ a learning styles in my classroom because this knowledge highlights the strengths of my students and guides my choice of the best teaching techniques. When dealing with divergers, I would focus in my class on methods that include relationship activities, such as role-playing open discussion, and small group work. Moreover, divergers prefer to create their own curriculum and avoid too much paperwork, and when they receive personalized instructions, they perform better. On the other hand, assimilators who prefer to learn through thinking and processing, can perform well in the lecture setting. Therefore, lectures that start from high-level concepts and work down to the detail and include precise and accurate knowledge, presented by an expert engage assimilators the most. They also prefer to receive instructions in informational forms, such as lectures and reading while they tend to be unaware of the emotional cli mate

Essay on The Importance of Marriage - 1017 Words

The Importance of Marriage Many people think that a wedding in a church is important so that the people getting married are under the eyes of God and he will give then the love and guidance against things like marital breakdown and to give the couple the love and support for each other . The love of man and woman is made holy in the sacrament of marriage, and becomes the mirror of your everlasting love, this quote literally spells out what the sacrament of marriage is for . Marriage is the final sacrament of a catholic persons life, but marriage can only be conceived in a church if one or both of the people receiving the†¦show more content†¦Question two asks the couple if they are ready to honour each other for the rest of their lives. The third question asks the couple are they ready to accept the gift of children lovingly from God and bring them up to continue Gods work of creation , this asks the couple if they pursue in Gods gift of sex and child is conceived then the couple should accept it as a gift from god and not pass it up. The marriage vows are the main part of the sacrament of marriage , this is where the couple offer the sacrament of marriage to each other and this is done through the exchange of vows. The bride and groom join hands and the relative of the bride gives the bride away to the groom, the bridegroom make his vows first. This is the actual moment that the sacrament is made , and the couple turn to each other and say I (name) do take thee (name) to be my lawful wedded wife/husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse , for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part. After this the sacrament of marriage is made. After the vows the exchange of rings is made , the groom must put the ring on theShow MoreRelatedThe Importance of Marriage1887 Words   |  8 PagesRunning head: MARRIAGE AS AN INSTITUTION The Importance of Marriage Ana Vertz PS301 Mrs. Kathy Erickson August 30, 2009 The Importance of Marriage From Colonial times to present marriage has been an integral part of American culture. The importance is has been evident in that it is one of the few institutions that started with the country and is still very popular. What makes marriage an important institution? This paper will discuss the perceptions of the importance of marriage for men and womenRead MoreEssay on The Importance of Communication in Marriage2213 Words   |  9 PagesThroughout the last half of the century, our society has watched the divorce rate of married couples skyrocket to numbers previously not seen. Although their has been a slight decline in divorce rates, â€Å"half of first marriages still were expected to dissolve before death.† (Stacy, 15, 1991) Whatever happened to that meaningful exchange of words, â€Å"until death do us part,† uttered by the bride and groom to each other on their wedding day? What could have been the cause of such inflated divorce ratesRead MoreSame Sex Marriage : The Importance Of Gay Marriage825 Words   |  4 PagesGay marriage is important because people can love who they want to love.Also people can make changes because gay marriage because some people could be scared to but if one person does make a change then so much other people could of been helped.For example if you like the love of your life and they say no you cant then its like youre locked in a cage.In addition people could be made fun of and they could be sad but all the changes this world makes then it could help many people that do love sameRead MoreThe Importance of Being Earnest, Love and Marriage762 Words   |  4 PagesThe Importance of Being Earnest â€Å"The Importance of Being Earnest† is a play written by Oscar Wilde in the late 1800s. The story takes place in late Victorian England, where two young gentlemen take on the same pseudonym â€Å"Earnest† in order to escape reality when needed and to satisfy their lovers. It is a humorous story about how the fake personalities clash with each other and cause complications. A central theme and topic in the play is love and marriage. It is a primary force motivation the plotRead MoreTroubled Marriages: The Importance Of Communication. Both1366 Words   |  6 PagesTroubled Marriages: The Importance of Communication Both Interpreter of Maladies and White Teeth leave the reader aware of the effects that troubled marriages have on the adults involved, along with the children involved. The marital problems faced by Samad in White Teeth, and by Miranda in Sexy, cause the reader to realize the importance of communication and honesty between couples. If the various couples in this story communicated openly and honestly with each other, the ensuing problems wouldRead MoreThe Importance of Marriage, Heterosexual and Homosexual Essay1215 Words   |  5 PagesAs a society, somewhere we have lost the importance of marriage. It seems that we have forgotten how important a marriage is not only to our families, but also to our communities. We are depriving our children and our communities of the structure, and stability that they desperately need by choosing to live together, and start families without marrying. We are also doing this by denying some members of our community the right to have a healthy marri age at all. Our children are being denied the sustenanceRead MoreThe Importance Of Marriage Preparation And Premarital Counseling Essay734 Words   |  3 Pagesâ€Å"The importance of marriage preparation and premarital counseling has increased in the United States as the divorce rate continues to remain high.† (Larson et. al., 2002 p.233) Marital dysfunction and dissatisfaction are among the top reasons couples have sought out divorce. With the rate of divorce rising, it poses a question what marriage and family therapists can do to help lower the divorce rates and help couples develop healthier relationships. †¨ Premarital prevention programs were implementedRead MoreEssay on The Importance of Communication In Marriage1833 Words   |  8 Pagesprevious marriage can cause severe friction and tension in the marriage if reassurances and care are not provided by one partner to the other (Guisinger 447). While jealousy of a prior spouse or concerns over children from a p revious marriage can be at the root of the problems, other issues that are closely intertwined with such problems are that of self image and self esteem problems of one or both of the spouses. Communicating these issues and finding resolutions for them before the marriage even beginsRead MoreThe Importance of Marriage in Pride and Prejudice Essay953 Words   |  4 PagesJane Austin ensures that marriage remains a central component to the main plotline throughout the novel. Through the use of Elizabeth as a literary tool, Austen is able to use her in order to portray her own feelings on marriage. In the novel, the opinion that comes through is that she is of the opinion that marriage should only take place on the basis of love. This is evident through the failings of those who marry for something other than love, and Darcy and Elizabeth’s success. The centralRead MoreThe Importance Of Interpersonal Communication For Having A Healthy Marriage1611 Words   |  7 Pagesstar ting any new relationship. Communication becomes vital in continuing and maintaining these relationships.The concepts are based on the importance of interpersonal communication for having a healthy marriage. Our body language and spoken words often get read the wrong way which sometimes has a negative impact on our relationship. Many times you hear that marriage changes the relationship in part because communication and other attributes fall to the wayside, â€Å"about 40 to 50 percent of married couples

Big Brother A Depiction of 1984’s Dystopic Society Free Essays

The term Big Brother was initially coined from George Orwell’s novel 1984. In 1984, Orwell describes the mechanisms of a dystopic society, Oceania. From the start, there is the very real warning that Big Brother is watching over everything happening in Oceania. We will write a custom essay sample on Big Brother: A Depiction of 1984’s Dystopic Society or any similar topic only for you Order Now Big Brother in Oceania is an all-seeing and omnipotent ruler. The society of Oceania lives in miserable circumstances and yet they willingly consent to this form of living believing their conditions are normal. The citizens believe it is normal for Big Brother to be watching their every move. Even the thoughts and opinions of Oceania’s citizens are constantly being monitored by Thought Police. Two-way screens are also present in all public spaces and living quarters to ensure Big Brother’s monitoring of Oceania. George Orwell’s 1984 has become renowned until this day for its clear depiction of surveillance and encroachment of individual rights. In the present-day Big Brother, a television series broadcast in numerous countries around the world, a very similar dystopia is portrayed. Contestants of the reality show enter Big Brother’s house willingly. Upon entrance, they allow themselves to be put under the scrutiny and watchful eye not only of Big Brother but also of the public outside. George Orwell’s two-way screens have been replaced with cameras that have been placed all over the house. The Thought Police have been replaced by Big Brother and the audience of the show. The limitations of the lives of the people in Oceania are also meted out on the contestants upon entrance to the house. They are made to follow certain rules and regulations provided by Big Brother. They are also required to follow all Big Brother’s orders without question. Food, money and other amenities are only available to the contestants if Big Brother supplies them with these and only if he allows them access to the supplies he has placed in the house. Big Brother in the reality show possesses many of the qualities of the Big Brother in 1984. He is both all-seeing and all-powerful. Big Brother not only monitors all of the actions of the contestants but he also dictates the actions by talking to them and ordering them around to perform specific tasks. Rules and regulations are numerous in the house and the contestants themselves are not allowed to secretly communicate with one another. Conversations or written communications that are not audibly heard by the sensors in the house are often met with punishments from Big Brother. Big Brother is indeed a portrayal of dystopia. It does not pretend to be a perfect society gone awry. From the start, the goals of Big Brother has been clear. It aims to create a living society within Big Brother’s house with members that have been stripped of their rights and forced to subject themselves to the watchful eye and unpredictable whims of Big Brother. Dystopia is very much present in the Big Brother house. Outside of its setting as a television show, the goings-on in the house are clearly negative and undesirable to anyone else. No one would want to be subjected to the living circumstances of Big Brother’s housemates. Despite the fact that Big Brother shows the very workings of a dystopic society, the show’s ratings clearly attest to its popularity. Dystopia, it seems, has become a popular notion. Big Brother, in fact, is held in much respect and adoration by the very housemates made to endure the limitations of dystopia. Perhaps this is proof of the show’s success in portraying true dystopia. In 1984, dystopia was only able to continue because of the brainwashing done on the citizens of Oceania. They wanted to be under Big Brother’s surveillance and even loved him for it. The same â€Å"love† for Big Brother is seen in the dystopic reality show. How to cite Big Brother: A Depiction of 1984’s Dystopic Society, Papers

One Autumn Day free essay sample

When I signed up to teach Pre-Kindergarten Sunday school, I received a list of names of children I had known since they were infants. As my eyes scrolled down the list, my breath stopped when I came across the name of a girl, only three-years-old, fighting for her life. She had cancer. During the first few weeks of class, I could not keep my eyes off of the empty seat and the blank row of her attendance column. She had been living in the hospital for over a month, enduring rounds of chemotherapy. I received emails, telling me she might not pull through and she was near the edge. Her family rarely came to church, but when they did, I saw the pain in their eyes. But one autumn day, our prayers were answered. Her mother stood up with tears in her eyes. Her voice quivered as she said, â€Å"After multiple tests, the doctors could not find any sign of the cancer. We will write a custom essay sample on One Autumn Day or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page † She broke down along with half of the congregation. The next Sunday, the row had its first sticker and the chair was filled with her small, fragile body. But she would not look at me. She cried for her mother and did not partake in any of the activities I had planned. Her mother came with her to class and she could not be separated for long periods of time. I started to focus on diverting her attention away from her mother, so she would become more independent. When we walked out of the sanctuary, I grabbed her hand and discussed the activities. I comforted her during class when the other children colored. She helped me develop the lesson plan for the following week. I knew it would take time for her to open up, but I did not anticipate the way she would break out of her shell. One Sunday, a soft hand grabbed mine and she hugged me. She strolled right out of the sanctuary without looking once at her mother seated in the pew. She transformed my view on life. She showed me ev ery moment is precious. Working with her, I accomplished more than I had bargained for. And I am thankful for the opportunity because not only was I teaching that little girl, but she was also teaching me.

Write a Description of the Duties and Responsibilities of Your Own Work Role Essay Example

Write a Description of the Duties and Responsibilities of Your Own Work Role Essay 1. Write a description of the duties and responsibilities of your own work role (Approx. 300 – 500 words) I consider my role at the school like being a character in a play. An actor has to do and say the things that their audience would expect them to do and say. Being a professional early years worker means doing and saying what is expected from all those involved. However, as Kath Bulman stated in her book â€Å"BTEC First Early Years†, professionalism involves the ability to balance different people’s expectations. As an early year’s worker I must make sure that the environment is safe for children to be in. As stated by Penny Tassoni (2002), I must make sure that children’s environments are safe by carrying out checks and by being generally observant. All children have a basic right to build a positive future and this includes emotional, physical and mental health. Good emotional well-being and mental health will enable the child to build positive relationships, cope with the ups and downs of life, realize their own potential and have the opportunity to develop emotionally, intellectually and spiritually. Building a good relationship with children, parents, adults and colleagues is very important, as it helps in creating a welcoming and pleasant environment in the setting. It helps to develop trust among parents and carers. Furthermore a child’s welfare is paramount, thus working in partnership with parents and communicating with them, will help in the overall development of the children. According to Bruce and Meggitt (2006) respect and effective communication are two of the main responsibilities of a child carer. We will write a custom essay sample on Write a Description of the Duties and Responsibilities of Your Own Work Role specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Write a Description of the Duties and Responsibilities of Your Own Work Role specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Write a Description of the Duties and Responsibilities of Your Own Work Role specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Effective communication provides a means in establishing contact, influencing others and a way to build relationships. It is my duty as a carer to ensure that the children are provided with enough time and a proper space where effective communication can take place. I should identify each individual’s preferences and needs, and strive to provide the appropriate support that aids the child to reach his/her full potential. As a professional working with children I should make sure that children experience interactions that make them feel valued, respected and capable. This can be reached by taking into account the different backgrounds, requirements and communication skills of individuals. Thus, develop ongoing consultation between all those involved and review regularly. Arnold J. (2005) came up with such a plan that identifies training and development needs, setting objectives, when tasks will be reviewed and how it will be known when objectives have been reached. Another vital duty is to respect the privacy of children and their parents and carers, while ensuring that they access high quality care and play opportunities in the setting. I should aim to ensure that all parents and carers can share their information in the confidence that it will only be used to enhance the welfare of their children. I am expected to tend to my duties with immense responsibility since I am â€Å"intimately involved with the child – giving the child a sense of belonging, of being loved and important. †(Kath Bulman, 2004). When children grow up in a caring setting, they grow to like who they are, to be confident and have self-esteem. References: Penny Tassoni (2002), CERTIFICATE CHILD CARE AND EDUCATION, Oxford, Heinmann Educational Publishers. Kath Bulman (2004), BTEC FIRST EARLY YEARS, Oxford, Heinmann Educational Publishers. Arnold, J. (2005) WORK PSYCHOLOGY, 4th edition. Essex: Pearson. Bruce, T and Meggitt, C, (2006) CHILD CARE AND EDUCATION 4th edition. London : Hodder Arnold. 2. Prepare an explanation of the expectations about your own work role as expressed in relevant standards. (Approx. 250 – 350 words) AS a child carer I am expected to keep in mind that childhood is a very important phase in life, not just because children represent the future, but also to â€Å"allow children to live in the present and to realize their full potential†. The National Standards stresses the importance of having â€Å"suitable persons†. When parents opt to trust carers with their children, the former must provide the best alternate care possible, ensuring their safety and well being. As a carer I should satisfy the recruitment criteria, being; age, experience, qualification and references. Any child care facility should provide appropriate carer to child ratios that enables children to receive individual attention from their key worker. The latter should provide them with opportunities for self-expression, to play individually and to interact with others. I am expected to ensure that the children are welcomed in an adequate space that ensures safety, hygiene and security. The service should be physically accessible, including toilets that are accessible to everyone using the centre. Any equipment used should be in compliance with good standards of safety and hygiene. Strict standards of hygiene should be practiced and encouraged to prevent and control the spread of infections. Moreover, I am expected to promote the benefits of a healthy diet and encourage parents to reinforce them. The facility should be managed by a qualified person who sets clear objectives, to both parents and staff, which should be reinforced by having a written manual containing all the policies and procedures of the centre. Furthermore, I am expected to provide diverse opportunities that cater for the children’s diverse needs, in order to promote their intellectual curiosity and development. I should design various activities; to promote inclusion and participation, respecting race, culture or religion of any child. I am expected to encourage children to take responsibility for their own behaviour and to show care and consideration towards others. I should consult the parents on a regular basis regarding the progress and development of the children. Finally, I am expected to be trained to recognize signs of suspected abuse and report these findings to my manager, who is then obliged to report to the authorities. Such issues should be dealt with extreme confidentiality. References: Ministry for the Family and Social Solidairity (July 2006). National Standards for Child Day Care facilities.

Grumman F9F Panther in the Korean War

Grumman F9F Panther in the Korean War Having had success in building fighters for the US Navy during World War II with models such as the F4F Wildcat, F6F Hellcat, and F8F Bearcat, Grumman began work on its first jet aircraft in 1946. Responding to a request for a jet-powered night fighter, Grummans first effort, dubbed G-75, intended to utilize four Westinghouse J30 jet engines mounted in the wings. The large number of engines was necessary as the output of early turbojets was low. As the design progressed, advances in technology saw the number of engines reduced to two. Designated XF9F-1, the night fighter design lost a competition to the Douglas XF3D-1 Skyknight. As a precaution, the US Navy ordered two prototypes of the Grumman entry on April 11, 1946. Recognizing that the XF9F-1 had key flaws, such as a lack of space for fuel, Grumman commenced evolving the design into a new aircraft. This saw the crew reduced from two to one and the elimination of night-fighting equipment. The new design, the G-79, moved forward as a single-engine, single-seat day fighter. The concept impressed the US Navy which amended the G-75 contract to include three G-79 prototypes. Development Assigned the designation XF9F-2, the US Navy requested that two of the prototypes be powered by the Rolls-Royce Nene centrifugal-flow turbojet engine. During this time, work was moving forward to allow Pratt Whitney to build the Nene under license as the J42. As this had not been completed, the US Navy asked that the third prototype be powered by a General Electric/Allison J33. The XF9F-2 first flew on November 21, 1947 with Grumman test pilot Corwin Corky Meyer at the controls and was powered by one of the Rolls-Royce engines. The XF9F-2 possessed a mid-mounted straight-wing with leading edge and trailing edge flats. Intakes for the engine were triangular in shape and situated in wing root. The elevators were mounted high on the tail. For landing, the aircraft utilized a tricycle landing gear arrangement and a stinger retractable arresting hook. Performing well in testing, it proved capable of 573 mph at 20,000 feet. As trials moved forward, it was found that the aircraft still lacked the necessary fuel storage. To combat this issue, permanently mounted wingtip fuel tanks were mounted to the XF9F-2 in 1948. The new aircraft was named Panther and mounted a base armament of four 20mm cannon which were aimed using a Mark 8 computing optical gunsight. In addition to the guns, the aircraft was capable of carrying a mix of bombs, rockets, and fuel tanks under its wings. In total, the Panther could mount 2,000 pounds of ordnance or fuel externally, though the due to a lack of power from the J42, F9Fs seldom launched with a full load. Production: Entering service in May 1949 with VF-51, the F9F Panther passed its carrier qualifications later that year. While the first two variants of the aircraft, the F9F-2 and F9F-3, differed only in their power plants (J42 vs. J33), the F9F-4 saw the fuselage lengthened, tail enlarged, and the inclusion of the Allison J33 engine. This was later superseded by the F9F-5 which used the same airframe but incorporated a license-built version of the Rolls-Royce RB.44 Tay (Pratt Whitney J48). While the F9F-2 and F9F-5 became the main production models of the Panther, reconnaissance variants (F9F-2P and F9F-5P) were also constructed. Early in the Panthers development, concern arose regarding the aircrafts speed. As a result, a swept-wing version of the aircraft was also designed. Following early engagements with the MiG-15 during the Korean War, work was accelerated and the F9F Cougar produced. First flying in September 1951, the US Navy viewed the Cougar as a derivative of the Panther hence its designation as F9F-6. Despite the accelerated development timeline, F9F-6s did not see combat in Korea. Specifications (F9F-2 Panther): General Length: 37 ft. 5 in.Wingspan: 38 ft.Height: 11 ft. 4 in.Wing Area: 250 ft ²Empty Weight: 9,303 lbs.Loaded Weight: 14,235 lbs.Crew: 1 Performance Power Plant: 2 Ãâ€" Pratt Whitney J42-P-6/P-8 turbojetCombat Radius: 1,300 milesMax. Speed: 575 mphCeiling: 44,600 ft. Armament 4 Ãâ€" 20 mm M2 cannon6 Ãâ€" 5 in. rockets on underwing hardpoints or 2,000 lbs. of bomb Operational History: Joining the fleet in 1949, the F9F Panther was the US Navys first jet fighter. With the US entry into the Korean War in 1950, the aircraft immediately saw combat over the peninsula. On July 3, a Panther from USS Valley Forge (CV-45) flown by Ensign E.W. Brown scored the aircrafts first kill when he downed a Yakovlev Yak-9 near Pyongyang, North Korea. That fall, Chinese MiG-15s entered the conflict. The fast, swept-wing fighter out-classed the US Air Forces F-80 Shooting Stars as well as older piston-engine aircraft such as the F-82 Twin Mustang. Though slower than the MiG-15, US Navy and Marine Corps Panthers proved capable of combating the enemy fighter. On November 9, Lieutenant Commander William Amen of VF-111 downed a MiG-15 for the US Navys first jet fighter kill. Due to the MiGs superiority, the Panther was forced to hold the line for part of the fall until the USAF could rush three squadrons of the new North American F-86 Sabre to Korea. During this time, the Panther was in such demand that the  Navy Flight Demonstration Team (The Blue Angels) was forced to turn over its F9Fs for use in combat. As the Sabre increasingly took over the air superiority role, the Panther began to see extensive use as a ground attack aircraft due to its versatility and hefty payload. Famous pilots of the aircraft included future astronaut John Glenn and Hall of Famer Ted Williams who flew as wingmen in VMF-311. The F9F Panther remained the US Navy and Marine Corps primary aircraft for the duration of the fighting in Korea. As jet technology rapidly advanced, the F9F Panther began to be replaced in American squadrons in the mid-1950s. While the type was withdrawn from frontline service by the US Navy in 1956, it remained active with the Marine Corps until the following year. Though used by reserve formations for several years, the Panther also found use as a drone and drone tug into the 1960s. In 1958, the United States sold several F9Fs to Argentina for use aboard their carrier ARA Independencia (V-1). These remained active until 1969. A successful aircraft for Grumman, the F9F Panther was the first of several jets the company provided for the US Navy, with the most famous being the F-14 Tomcat.

A Natural Solution

Natural solution For many people cancer is a fearful word. Because cancer causes pain and harmful consequences, humans do not want cancer to be part of their lives. Like cancer, marijuana is another word that humans are worried about. In most cases, cannabis is abused and causes problems for people abusing cannabis. The attitudes towards these two words are similar, but they are not. Adult stem cells are natural solutions. They exist naturally in our body and they provide a natural repair mechanism to many organizations in our body. They belong to the adult microenvironment and embryonic stem cells belong to the early embryonic microenvironment, not adult, and they often cause tumor and immune system reactions. Most importantly, adult stem cells have been successfully used for the treatment of humans for many years. So far, embryonic stem cells have not been successfully used for human therapy. On the other hand, new therapies using adult stem cells have been developed. Embryos for c ardiac repair and adult stem cells are an active area of ​​research. Many cells including adult bone marrow derived cells including embryonic stem (ES) cells, cardiac stem cells naturally present in the heart, myoblast cells (muscle stem cells), tissue mesenchymal cells (bone marrow derived cells, these cells) Stem cell muscle, bone, tendon, ligament and adipose tissue, endothelial progenitor cells (producing endothelial cells, endovascular layer) and umbilical cord blood cells serve as a potential source for regenerating damaged cardiac tissue Have been studied. All of these have been investigated in mouse and rat models, and some are being tested with larger animal models such as pigs. Fortunately, bed wetting problems have natural solutions and medical solutions. With years of research and experience, today's medical professionals can provide a complete solution to overcome bedwetting. Natural treatments are more relevant to efforts to create and repair bad toilet h abits, but drugs reduce the amount of urine produced from the body at the time of taking. Bedwetting is directly related to moisture consumption. The more people consuming moisture, the more likely he will wet the bed. This is a problem that directly affects health. In order to suppress the wetting of the bed people prefer to consume a small amount of water as their body reached dehydratable condition. Problems such as dry throat, yellow urine, urine smell started to occur, patient health began to decline further. The doctor always advises people to drink water before going to bed. A Natural Solution Natural solution For many people cancer is a fearful word. Because cancer causes pain and harmful consequences, humans do not want cancer to be part of their lives. Like cancer, marijuana is another word that humans are worried about. In most cases, cannabis is abused and causes problems for people abusing cannabis. The attitudes towards these two words are similar, but they are not. Adult stem cells are natural solutions. They exist naturally in our body and they provide a natural repair mechanism to many organizations in our body. They belong to the adult microenvironment and embryonic stem cells belong to the early embryonic microenvironment, not adult, and they often cause tumor and immune system reactions. Most importantly, adult stem cells have been successfully used for the treatment of humans for many years. So far, embryonic stem cells have not been successfully used for human therapy. On the other hand, new therapies using adult stem cells have been developed. Embryos for c ardiac repair and adult stem cells are an active area of ​​research. Many cells including adult bone marrow derived cells including embryonic stem (ES) cells, cardiac stem cells naturally present in the heart, myoblast cells (muscle stem cells), tissue mesenchymal cells (bone marrow derived cells, these cells) Stem cell muscle, bone, tendon, ligament and adipose tissue, endothelial progenitor cells (producing endothelial cells, endovascular layer) and umbilical cord blood cells serve as a potential source for regenerating damaged cardiac tissue Have been studied. All of these have been investigated in mouse and rat models, and some are being tested with larger animal models such as pigs. Fortunately, bed wetting problems have natural solutions and medical solutions. With years of research and experience, today's medical professionals can provide a complete solution to overcome bedwetting. Natural treatments are more relevant to efforts to create and repair bad toilet h abits, but drugs reduce the amount of urine produced from the body at the time of taking. Bedwetting is directly related to moisture consumption. The more people consuming moisture, the more likely he will wet the bed. This is a problem that directly affects health. In order to suppress the wetting of the bed people prefer to consume a small amount of water as their body reached dehydratable condition. Problems such as dry throat, yellow urine, urine smell started to occur, patient health began to decline further. The doctor always advises people to drink water before going to bed.

CIPD Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

CIPD - Essay Example Leading HR The remaining eight professional areas in which the HR professional provides specialist support to the organizations are: Resource and aptitude Planning: This area represents delivering efficient manpower service to the organization through effective aptitude planning. Learning and development: This area of professional HRM services provides learning and development programs for enhancement of knowledge and skills of the employees. Performance and incentives: This area provides evaluation and implementation of performance based incentive program in the organization to motivate the employees. Employee commitment: This service delivers effective evaluation of the extent of commitment of each and every employee to the organization. Worker Relations: This service conducts effective both way communication systems in the organization aims to develop good employee relation in the organization. ... It is a broad area that involves evaluation monitory and non monitory motivations required, conflict resolutions, effective organization culture and ethical hr code of conducts. The eight behavioral traits spread across the Band 1 to Band 4 that need to be exhibited by the HR professionals in order to contribute to organizational success are given as follows. Personal credibility: It is one of the most important traits of individual employees and for that reason it needs be appreciated by the organization through effective reward systems. Collaboration: This trait helps to improve group work and collaborative work output. Curious: Curiosity is one of the important traits of employees for enhancement of skills and knowledge. Courage to challenge: This trait helps an employee to take new tasks easily and comfortably. Skilled influencer: This trait is most essential for team lead, project coordinator or a manager to motivate his or her own team members and get the work done easily. Role Model: This trait is most important in any organization using it as inspirational tool for all employees. Band 2: knowledge and activities in Employee engagement The professional area of employee engagement in Band 2 has been considered to be the most essential in the role of an HR professional. The HR professional is also required to provide solutions in order to maintain a productive work environment and sustainable business. The workplace consists of a diversified group of workers with difference in education, background, culture and most importantly future ambitions. The engagement with the employees would provide the knowledge on the existing gaps in the system and the actionable that is required to maintain a healthy work environment. The HR professional should have

The connection between quality and environment Essay

The connection between quality and environment - Essay Example Other components are the universal natural resources along with the physical phenomena such as energy, electric charge, magnetism and radiations. â€Å"To have a quality environment, the components of the natural environment should be maintained, and not get polluted.† (Smith and Aurora, 2006). It is because the natural environment provides quality natural resources to the surroundings. The built environment relates to the quality of the environment due to the human efforts employed to improve the same environment. â€Å"It refers to the surroundings that are human-made.† (Roof and Oleru, 2008). The built environment gives the human activity setting that ranges from green space, buildings, parks and infrastructure. â€Å"Good infrastructure and surroundings will enhance the quality of the environment by giving proper-conditioned surroundings to the living and non-living.† (Roof and Oleru, 2008). From the discussion, environmental quality is evaluated based on how natural or how built it is. The quality attached to the environment comes from the benefits it brings; in the form of natural resources or infrastructure. The natural environment ensures good natural environmental conditions while built environment give quality surroundings to the living. Thus, the two environments connect to create a quality

Target Corporation Essay Example for Free

Target Corporation Essay Operator Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for standing by. Welcome to the Target Corporation’s Fourth Quarter Earnings Release Conference Call. During the presentation, all participants will be in a listen-only mode. (Operator Instructions) As a reminder, this conference is being recorded Wednesday, February 26, 2014. I would now like to turn the conference over to Mr. Gregg Steinhafel, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. Please go ahead. Gregg Steinhafel Chairman, President and CEO Good morning, and welcome to our 2013 fourth quarter earnings conference call. On the line with me today are Kathy Tesija, Executive Vice President of Merchandising; and John Mulligan, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. This morning, I will provide a high level summary of our fourth quarter results and strategic priorities for the year ahead, and Kathy will discuss category results, guest insights, and the holiday season. And finally, John will provide more detail on our financial performance, along with our financial outlook for 2014. Following John’s remarks, we’ll open the phone lines for a question-and-answer session. As a reminder, we are joined on this conference call by investors and others who are listening to our comments via webcast. Following this conference call, John Hulbert and John Mulligan will be available throughout the day to answer any follow-up questions you may have. Also as a reminder, any forward-looking statements that we make this morning are subject to risks and uncertainties, the most important of wh ich are described in the 8-K we filed this morning. Finally, in these remarks, we refer to adjusted earnings per share, which is a non-GAAP financial measure. A reconciliation to our GAAP results is included in this morning’s press release posted on our Investor Relations website. Target’s fourth quarter financial results reflect better than expected U.S segments performance in the first three weeks of the holiday season, followed by meaningfully softer results, following our December 19th announcement that criminals had gained access to guest payment card data in our U.S stores. In total, fourth quarter comparable sales decreased 2.5% consistent with our updated guidance in January. Throughout the quarter our  team managed the business extremely well, adjusting both inventory and expenses to match the rapidly changing pace of sales. As a result, our US operations generated fourth quarter adjusted earnings per share of $1.30 at the high-end of the updated guidance we provided in January. In Canada, we worked diligently to leverage holiday traffic in an effort to clear excess inventory. Markdowns resulting from this effort drove a very low gross margin rate, but allowed us to reduce average inventory per store in Canada by approximately 30% between the beginning and end of the fourth quarter. Canadian segment EPS dilution was $0.40 in the quarter, $0.05 better than the updated guidance we provided in January. We are pleased that our early cycle Canadian stores have seen the most improvement giving us confidence that we will continue to see continued improvement across all our Canadian stores in 2014. Fourth quarter GAAP EPS of $0.81 reflects U.S and Canadian segment performance along with costs related to our recent restructuring in data breach along with small accounting and tax matters. As we work to address the impact of the mid-December data breach, we have put the welfare of our guests at the center of every decision we’ve made. We have communicated in early and often providing the best information we had about new facts in ongoing on the ongoing investigation. We consistently assured our guests that they would have zero liability for any unauthorized charges on their card accounts resulting from the breach. We increased fraud detection for REDcard holders and extended free credit monitoring and identity theft protection for any guests who has ever shopped one of our U.S stores. We are truly sorry for the impact this breach has had on our guests, team members and other stakeholders and I want to reiterate that we are committed for making things right. We know these initial steps are part of a longer process. We continue to listen to our guests and we know that this incident and recent security breaches at other companies have shaken their confidence in both Target and the U.S payment system more broadly. To rebuild guest confidence, we’re committed to an end-to-end review in cooperation with third-party experts to understand how the breach occurred, the identification and acceleration of solutions to provide enhanced protection in the future and engagement with third-party experts to protect the industry and consumers from future threats. Accordingly, were taking the following steps. We are conducting an end-to-end forensic investigation  of our processes, systems and personnel to make informed decisions on potential security enhancements. We are accelerating the adoption of advanced chip enabled technology, investing more than $100 million to equip our stores and to issue Target branded smart chip credit and debit cards. We have long supported this more secured technology; a broad adoption in the U.S market has been elusive. We believe that recent events will help the industry to reach a tipping point to an accelerated option in the U.S and we are investing to ensure that Target is a clear leader in driving this change. We are working collaboratively with a broad set of stakeholders in the payment card space including banks, retailers, trade associations, payment processors and networks to share in advance best practices and foster future innovation. We helped launch and will be an active leader in retail industry, cyber security and data privacy initiative. In addition, we are investing $5 million in a new coalition with the Better Business Bureau and National Cyber Security Alliance and the National Cyber Forensics and Training Alliance to advance public education around cyber security and the dangers of consumer scams. While we cant yet assess the full impact of this crime against Target and our guests, we’re pleased that sales have started to recover from the trends we observed following breach related announcements in December and January. Importantly, because we’re in a strong financial position, we expect to absorb any near-term financial impacts while continuing to invest in projects that are key to our long-term success. Our Company has a long history of innovation, disciplined management, and a strong long-term financial performance and we are committed to upholding the principles which has have sustained this Company success for many decades. And while 2013 was a disappointing year financially, we have entered the New Year with the right plans in place to grow profitably and generate meaningfully improved financial performance in 2014 and beyond. In the U.S., we have demonstrated our ability to manage the business with discipline and generate strong financial performance even in a challenging environment. In fact, Kathy will outline in more detail we were very pleased with our holiday season results prior to the announcement of the data breach. In preparation for fourth quarter, we may change this to our holiday promotion and marketing and we were pleased that our in stocks were running at all-time highs. As a result, U.S segment fourth quarter  sales were running ahead of plan prior to December 19th. Looking ahead, we will apply the insights we gained in the holiday season to connect with our guests at delivering merchandize and promotions thoughtfully designed to appeal to them based on whats on their mind at each poi nt in the year, moving Target beyond compelling, to becoming irresistible for our guests. We made enormous progress in our multichannel efforts throughout 2013 as we meaningfully increased conversion both on our website and on our mobile apps. We acquired Chefs Catalog, Cooking.com and Dermstore, extending our online assortment by providing our guests access to additional high-end brands in key home and beauty categories. We launched Cartwheel, our unique mobile savings tool which has far exceeded expectations in both adoption and engagement and we accelerated our investments in flexible fulfillment. As a result, throughout the year, growth in our digital traffic and sales outpaced industry averages. We launched in-store pick up chain-wide at the beginning of November and with very little marketing, this new offering became a meaningful driver of digital traffic and sales. Our store teams did an outstanding job delivering great service when guests arrived to pick up these orders and this is particularly impressive since we launched the service during the busiest time of t he year. We will continue to invest in systems, data and processes to enhance our flexible fulfillment capabilities in 2014 and beyond. In our stores we are committed to enhancing the guest experience by adding dedicated service to key categories like beauty, baby and electronics and by providing training and technology that allows our stores team to go beyond providing basic service to solving problems for our guests. And were continuing to pilot innovations to our store formats. Based on the initial rollout of the CityTarget format and the high single digit comparable sales were seeing in our second year CityTarget stores, were analyzing opportunities to redeem the size and enhance the flexibility of this format opening up a wider universe of potential sites in dense urban areas. While on the work on CityTarget continues, weve also developed a separate smaller format called Target Express at about 15% of the size of one of our general merchandize stores, we believe this design provides us w ith a fantastic opportunity to expand into new trade areas providing a convenient solution to guests who can easily visit one of our other formats. While we expect to offer a carefully curated assortment in frequency  categories like food, health care, beauty and other household essentials, Target Express will also offer discretionary categories including home, electronics and seasonal. Throughout the store we will feature our own brands which offer guests an unbeatable combination of quality and price. We plan to open our first pilot location of this format here in our home market in July so we can carefully study both operational and financial results before we determine our plans to expand this format to other markets. Throughout the organization we continue to find new opportunities to optimize expenses, freeing up resources we can apply to new initiatives. In 2013 our teams saved approximately $200 million by reprioritizing their activities and finding more efficient ways to get things done. Our expense optimization efforts are not a short-term project but a complete overall of the way we work and the team continues to fi nd new opportunities. As a result, we expect the benefit of our expense optimization efforts to reach $1 billion in annualized savings by 2015. Im proud that our entire team has embraced this effort to transform how we work. In Canada the team has moved from a year focused on opening a record number of stores to optimizing the business in run state. As we enter 2014 with a much cleaner inventory position, the teams number one operational focus is on in-stocks, ensuring we have the right quantity of each item in the right place at the right time. In addition, we continue to invest in technology and training to enhance both the tools our team uses and their ability to deploy them most effectively. Were also continuing to implement innovative marketing and merchandizing programs in Canada to raise awareness for our frequency categories like grocery, household essentials, beauty and healthcare. Throughout 2014 we will focus on conveying the depth and breadth of our assortment in those categories and the unbeatable value we provide to our everyday pricing, 5% of the awards, price match and our flier. With enhanced guest awareness of our unbeatable prices combined with the benefit of improved operations, we expect guest shopping frequency to build throughout 2014, driving improvement in sales and profitability. While 2013 will clearly be remembered as the challenging year, I am proud of teams efforts to transform our business and position the company for long-term success. And I want to sincerely thank the Target team for their tireless effort to help our guests recover from the data breach. While there is much more work  to be done, Im inspired by their singular focus on our guests and making things right. As a result, Im confident we will look back on this incident and see that we emerged from it even stronger than before. Now Kathy will provide more detail on our fourth quarter results and key initiatives as we enter 2014. Kathy? Kathy Tesija EVP, Merchandising Thanks, Gregg. In our last conference call, we outlined our plans for the holiday season and mentioned that fourth quarter sales were on track through the first half of November. As we progressed through Black Friday week and the first two weeks of December, guests continued to respond to our promotions and sales ran ahead of our plan. Following the data breach announcement and the rapid change in the pace of our sales, the team reacted quickly making nimble adjustments to minimize our excess inventory. This quick response allowed us to end the year with a clean inventory position. And while our fourth quarter gross margin reflected the addition of clearance activity resulting from the sales slowdown, our team did a great job minimizing the impact. As we built our holiday plans, our goal was to cut through the clutter and reach our guests with compelling offers on exciting merchandize, specifically we aligned our weekly deals and events so guests were receiving a clear message across all channels. And because our guests are budget conscious and love to find deals, we intentionally layered promotions across our circular, cartwheel and our catalog to provide unbeatable value. We used our direct channels to drive urgency at key points of the season and we offered more broad attention-getting promotions like 40% off sweaters. Consistent with past years, we featured hot deals on key items but attracted more attention by offering deeper discounts on fewer items and we were very pleased with the guest response. For the quarter overall, our non-discretionary categories generally saw the strongest sales performance. However, on our more discretionary categories electronics saw an increase in fourth quarter comparable sales led by mobile phones, tablets and video game hardware and software. We also saw relative strength in our sporting goods and housewares categories. Digital channels had a very strong holiday season. Thanksgiving was our biggest digital sales day ever with mobile devices accounting for a full 25% of those sales. We were recently recognized as having the most browsed app by a smartphone and tablet in 2013  and Mobile Commerce Daily just named T arget Mobile Retailer and Commerce Website of the Year. This is the second time weve been named Mobile Retailer of the Year and were pleased to be the only retailer to be honored with the award twice. An important factor in our digital success was the fourth quarter rollout of the opportunity to buy online and pick up in-store. In-store pick up requests represented about 10% of fourth quarter digital orders but they peaked at a much higher rate before Christmas as guests relied on the service as a great solution for last-minute gift shopping. About 30% of store visits to pick up an online order resulted in store shopping on that same trip and the size of that store transaction was much larger than an average store trip. While weve rolled out the capabilities with an external commitment to have orders ready in four hours or less, our team quickly attained our internal goal to have most orders ready in one hour or better. Our survey showed consistently high levels of guest satisfaction with this service and this capability has accelerated our mobile conversion rates. Were also pleased with the continued growth of Cartwheel, our digital savings app, which ended 2013 with over 5 million users who have already saved more than $43 million. Younger guests are particularly engaged by Cartwheel as more than half of its users are Millennials, a much higher percentage than they represent in our overall guest base. Redemption rates on Cartwheel are more than 10 times higher than DC and other direct channels like receipt marketing and email and our analysis indicate that its driving incremental trips and sales. Our pre-Black Friday deals resulted in one of the biggest days ever for Cartwheel as they drove one-third of our active users into Target stores on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. We continue to work to enhance the Cartwheel experience. We recently added the ability to scan bar codes to find out if theres a Cartwheel deal on an item and added the capability to sign up for Cartwheel directly through a Target account and email while continuing to provide access to the App through Facebook. As Gregg mentioned, we continue to listen to our guests to understand how we can help them move beyond the data breach and feel confident in shopping at Target. While sales have started to recover in recent weeks and sentiment metrics have begun to improve most notably among our best guests. We continu e to invest to ensure this recovery continues. Beyond our efforts in data  security and chip enabled technology were applying insights from the holiday season to make our merchandise stores and digital channels even more irresistible to our guests. We continue to innovate in ways that differentiate both our product assortments and the guest experience, and we’re investing in pricing and promotions to make our value proposition even stronger. We’re very pleased with the response to Peter Pilotto for Target our most recent designer partnership which launched earlier this month. This collection which features a limited edition assortment of women’s apparel, accessories and swimwear is available at most of our U.S. and Canadian stores and on target.com. We have also partnered with Net-a-Porter.com to offer a curated assortment of the collection to fans across the globe. With lots of social media buzz we a saw long lines outside many of our urban stores on the morning of the launch, and the collection quickly became Net-a-Porter’s fastest selling collaboration in history. Based on last years results Target and Sports Illustrated are once again partnering in support of the magazines annual swimsuit issue w hich is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Target is the exclusive mass retail advertiser and official marketing partner for the issue. This years partnership includes the new 20 page flip cover that celebrates swimsuit style over the past 50 years and features Target’s limited edition swimwear collection. The collection launched at Target stores and on target.com February 17, in advance of the issues on stand date and includes 10 black, gold and ivory swimsuits priced from $15 to $30. Earlier this month, Target began offering AMBAR a new apparel collection designed with the Latina guest in mind. AMBAR is set in 50 U.S. stores this month and is also available on target.com. The line of apparel and accessories features vibrant prints and flattering cuts and silhouettes. This stylish and affordable collection has items ranging from $17 to $40. This spring Target will introduce an assortment of premium skincare featuring seven notable brands, four of which will be exclusively sold at Target. 29 by Lydia Mondavi, Borghese, Laneige and MD Complete by Dr. Zelickson along side industry favorite Vichy, La Roche Posay and Own Skin Health. These brands will be merchandised in two distinct sections, dermatological skincare and specialty skincare, and they have already launched on target.com. We’ll begin rolling out the assortment to 749 U.S. Target stores beginning in March. So whats likely to be the biggest Blu-ray  and DVD release of the year Target will offer an exclusive addition of Catching Fire the second film in The Hunger Games trilogy in stores and on target.com next month. The Target exclusive Blu-ray addition includes 45 minutes of exclusive content from never before seen footage and cast interviews to a behind the scenes looks at the making of the film. This spring award winning singer Shakira is teaming up with Target for her 10th studio album and our exclusive deluxe edition featuring three bonus tracks hit stores on March 25. We announced the partnership and kicked off album preordering with a special spot during the 56th Annual Grammy Awards in January. Last month we became the exclusive retailer to feature Beats music playlists. Beats music is curated digital music streaming services that allows its users to peep into the personal music librarie s of their favorite artists and brands and have them create playlists just for them. By subscribing to Target’s playlist guest can expect a very mix of songs inspired by Target’s rich heritage of music and the taste of the millions who shop for albums at Target each year. In December we launched The Awesome Shop, a beta site that features the top target products recently pinned on Pinterest. The site lets guests explore, get inspired and see what other guests love just like they do in stores. Awesome Shop highlighted the best of the best by only featuring items at the target.com review of four stars or better. We’re also leveraging Pinterest in another unique way to collaborate with three of the sites most influential pinners on a series of party planning collections that will make it easy to throw a Pinterest worthy event. Joy Cho of Oh Joy, Jan Halvarson of Poppytalk and Kate Arends of Wit Delight will each create limited time only collections launched over the course of 2014 including party decor, paper products and serving pieces designed in their signature esthetic. Beyond differentiated merchandise, we continue to provide enhanced service in key areas of the store. Based on guest response to last years launch we have expanded the Target Beauty Concierge’s program to more than 300 stores across the country with new markets including New York, New Jersey, San Francisco and Dallas-Fort Worth. These beauty consultants are brand agnostic and provide guests with detailed, unbiased information and a friendly face in what can often be an intermediating category. We also continue to see great results from the pilot of our new baby layout, a completely redesigned shopping  experience that offers guests inspiring insightful solutions combined with the great value they’ve come to expect from Target. This new layout features a dedicated service desk with a knowledgeable baby advisor to help guests navigate the area and provide unbiased product information. Digital screens and iPads feature inspiration and interactive comparison tools and Bab yCenter content such as buying guides and product reviews We have also incorporated an in department registry kiosk for expecting mom’s or guests looking to give a gift. Merchandised displays have been lowered so guests can more easily interact with large products by travel systems in stores. We have removed barriers to enhance navigation between apparel, gear and baby essentials and we have highlighted the availability of additional online only items in key categories. This summer we plan to grow from 30 stores to more than 200 locations featuring this enhanced baby experience. And based on encouraging initial results in 2014 we’ll expand our test of using mannequins in apparel in our largest format U.S. stores to elevate the store experience, create an enhanced sense of discovery and bring our unique deigns to life. We also continued to augment our digital capabilities driving traffic and sales to all of our channels. Online our top priority in 2014 is continuing to improve the guest experience. All of our efforts will be designed to make things simple, seamless and enjoyable for our guests. To support this priority we continue to hire external talent with deep functional expertise in online merchandising, site merchandising, mobile and analytics. We have recently made enhancements focused on search, product information and checkout making it easier for guests to browse and purchase. In addition now nearly all store products are viable online making this the only place that guests can use Target’s full assortment. Importantly we’re making enhancements while continuing to focus on stability and speed, as a result target.com consistently ranks in the top 10 for retailer site availability and performance. Given the profile of our guests, mobile is more important at Target than for many of our peers. For example, Target’s guest traffic from tablets and mobile phones is greater than our traffic from traditional computers and the shift towards mobile shows no signs of slowing down. In fact usage of the Target App doubled in the short period between last su mmer and the end of the year. To maintain our strong momentum in mobile we’re testing and learning from new features including List  Building, Mapping and Cartwheel capabilities launched during the holiday season. We’re improving conversion by streamlining checkouts and enhancing product information and dynamic content and we are investing to amplify the in-store mobile experience by rolling out guided maps, in-store search and expanded assortment chain wide later this year. We also continue to invest in our flexible fulfillment capabilities which combine the strengths of our digital, store and distribution aspects to provide speed and convenience for our guests. These capabilities allow our stores to add value in new ways, serve our guests as both showroom and fulfillment centers. Following the holiday seasons success of in-store pick up we are moving quickly to roll out the capabilities to shift online orders from our stores this fall. This new capability will create multiple benefits for both T arget as our guests, including shorter shipping times, reduced expenses, lower markdown rates and improved in-stocks. And because our investments in flexible fulfillment drive greater utilization of our existing stores and distribution center assets, we expect to earn an outstanding return on these investments over time. Finally, were pleased with initial performance of Target Ticket, our streaming video service and we continue to invest in features to better serve guest changing needs and behaviors both inside and outside their home. In 2014 we will coordinate our promotions across channels to provide irresistible video offers across our stores, Target.com and Target Ticket. While our fourth quarter results softened following the December 19 announcement of the data breach, we are pleased with the guest response to our holiday season merchandizing and marketing efforts and were confident in our plans for 2014. As always our focus remains on our guests helping them regain their confidence in their Target while delivering irresistible content and experiences in every channel. We believe that our efforts will drive a continued recovery in the pace of our sales and position Target for profitable growth in 2014 and beyond. Now, John will share his insights on our fourth quarter financial performance and our plans for the coming year. John? John Mulligan EVP and CFO Thanks, Kathy. Our fourth quarter financial results reflect strong efforts by our team to handle separate challenges in both our U.S. and Canadian segments. In the U.S. comparable sales declined 2.5% consistent with the  updated guidance we provided in our January press release. This sales performance reflects a 5.5% decline in transactions partially offset by an increase in average ticket. Prior to the announcement of the data breach, fourth quarter comparable sales were running positive reflecting the success of our holiday merchandizing marketing plan. Immediately following news of the breach, sales turned meaningfully negative but began to recover in January. And while its impossible to measure precisely, we believe we would have seen even more improvement had there not been extreme weather across much of the country. Fourth quarter sales penetration on our REDcards was 20.9%, up 5.4 percentage points from a year ago. While the rate of increase slowed down following the breach, year-over-year penetration continued to grow hundreds of basis points through the end of the quarter. Fourth quarter U.S. EBITDA and EBIT margin rates were down more than a percentage point from last years rates, which we were advised to reflect combined results from our former U.S. retail and credit card segments. These profit margins were below our expectations going into the quarter, driven almost entirely by gross margin rate which declined about 20 basis points from the year ago. This performance reflects about 20 basis points of benefit from this years change in vendor payments offset by higher than expected markdowns related to the 10% off we offered prior to Christmas as well as the impact of clearance markdowns at the end of the holiday season. Margin mix was somewhat less favorable than the recent quarters, driven by strong sales in electronics. While below our expectations, fourth quarter U.S. segment gross margin rate was remarkably strong considering the team had to rapidly manage excess inventory in the middle of the quarter when we experienced a sudden change in the pa ce of sales following the data breach announcement. Our fourth quarter U.S. segment SGA rate was 18.4%, about 110 basis points above last years revised rate. About 50 basis points of this headwind was related to the credit card portfolio reflecting a smaller asset base, last years reserve release and this years profit sharing arrangement with TD Bank. Another 20 basis points of headwind was driven by this years change in member payments. The remaining unfavorability reflects the deleveraging effort of negative comp sales. The fact that we experienced only 40 basis points of deleverage reflects strong control of variable expenses, given the magnitude of our comparable sales decline. In the Canadian segment, sales  came in just below expectations. Importantly, as Gregg mentioned, we took advantage of holiday traffic to clear through a significant amount of excess inventory in the quarter. And while we expect some small lingering issues with long lean receipts this year, the Canadian segment ended 2013 in a much cleaner inventory position, paving the way for smoother operations in 2014. In all, the segment drove $0.40 of EPS dilution in th e fourth quarter better than the expectations we provided in our January press release. Turning now to our consolidated metrics, fourth quarter interest expense was 21% lower than last year reflecting the continued benefit of debt retirement funded by the proceeds from the sale of the credit card portfolio. We paid dividends of $0.43 per share in the quarter, an increase of more than 19% from fourth quarter 2012. This was our 185th consecutive quarter in which our company has paid a dividend and 2013 marked the 42nd year of annual dividend increases, a track record of few companies to match. Consistent with last quarter, we didnt purchase any shares in the fourth quarter reflecting current performance and our desire to maintain our debt rating in the middle A range. This approach aligns with our longstanding point of view on capital deployment. First, we invest what we believe is appropriate in our core business. Second, we support the dividend which weve grown annually for more than four decades. And third, we use share repurchase to return cash within the limits of our middle A debt rating. We believe a middle A rating is strategically important as it supports our ability to reliably deliver on our unbeatable pricing strategy over time. In addition, our balance sheet provides the flexibility to maintain our long-term focus in the face of unexpected events like the data breach enabling inves tment and strategic initiatives like flexible fulfillment while we deal with a temporary setback in traffic to sales along with other costs related to the breach. In addition to operating results in the U.S. and Canada, our fourth quarter GAAP earnings reflects several items that reduced EPS by approximately $0.09. These items include charges related to our January restructuring, data breach related costs net of an insurance receivable and continued reduction in a beneficial interest asset partially offset by a small benefit from a resolution of income tax matters. Combining fourth quarter results with performance in the first nine months of 2013 yields full year results that reflect the impact of clear successes and certain challenges. In our  U.S. segment, full year comparable sales declined 0.4% well below our expectations going into the year. This reflects the tougher than expected consumer environment including the impact on the payroll tax increase which just annualized last month, the fourth quarter impact of the data breach and recent headwinds from unfavorable weather, as youve heard from many other retailers. On our U.S. sales, we earned a gross margin rate of 29.8% in 2013, up about 10 basis points from 2012. This rate reflects about 20 basis points of benefit from this years change in vendor payments combined with very strong underlying margin performance in the face of softer than expected sales. Throughout the year, Kathys team did a great job managing inventory resulting in outstanding in-stock levels while avoiding unnecessary clearance markdowns. Our full year SGA expense rate in the U.S. was 20%, up about 90 basis points from last years revised rate. Contrary to what you might initially think, this reflects outstanding performance in light of softer than expected sales and some notable challenges representing more than $600 million of incremental pressure. Including credit card portfolio income, which as you know reduces our SGA rate, about $400 million lower than 2012 reflecting profit sharing with TD, prior year reserve reductions and a smaller asset base this year. And more than $200 million of expense pressure from incremental investments in technology and supply chain to support our multichannel efforts. Without these impacts, our SGA expense rate would have been slightly higher than 2012 but would have been neutral without this years change in vendor payments. This is better expense performance than wed expect on a decline in comparable sales and was driven primarily by two factors; outstanding performance by our stores organization which continued to provide outstanding guest service while delivering productivity increases and our company-wide expense optimization efforts through which our teams are finding better ways to work while deprioritizing less productive activities. As Gregg mentioned, the team continues to find new opportunities to optimize expenses and we expect to reach $1 billion in annualized savings by 2015 helping to fund our efforts to drive profitable growth over the next several years. For full year 2013, U.S. REDcard penetration grew nearly 6 percentage points to 19.3% of sales as more and more guests increased their level of engagement and their spending with Target. Penetration in Kansas City where we began offering  REDcard awards a year ahead of the rest of the country continued to run well ahead of the U.S. overall. Importantly, as part of our broader effort to rebuild traffic and sales in 2014 we will work to reaccelerate REDcard growth in light of the recent slowdown in growth weve seen following the data breach. In Canada in 2013 we generated just over $1.3 billion in sales on 124 stores which were opened on average for a little more than half the year. These sales were well below our plan going into the year leading to grea ter than expected markdowns on a meaningful amount of excess inventory Expense rate were unusually high as well as a result of opening early cycle stores with too many payroll hours, incurring incremental expense relating to clearing inventory and experiencing less leverage on fixed expenses. In the face of these challenges, the team worked tirelessly to improve operations and work through excess inventory throughout the year, clearing the way for an acceleration of sales and profitability beginning this year. Our early cycle store continued to outperform later cycle stores giving is confidence that our operations will continue to become more efficient as our business matures. And having dramatically reduced the congestion in our Canadian supply chain, we will increase the intensity of our marketing message in 2014 regarding value and assortment in our frequency categories. Over time we expect this will lead our Canadian guests to choose Target more often in these categories, driving meaningful increases in traffic and sales. Turning to capital deployment, our total capital investment was about $3.5 billion in 2013, somewhat lower than expected as U.S CapEx of about $1.9 billion was approximately $300 million lower than anticipated. This outcome doesnt reflect a change in strategy, but is simply the result of a lower than expected cost for certain projects and retiming of suspending into 2014. Having sold our credit card portfolio, for about $5.7 billion in March, we significantly reduced our net debt position in 2013, including the early retirement of Haikupon debt. And importantly even in a year of peak CapEx and dilution relating to the Canadian segment combined with the impact of softer than expected U.S sales, we still have the capacity to return about $2.5 billion to our shareholders in the form of dividends and share repurchase. With that as context, lets turn now to our outlook for 2014. But before we get to the numbers, I want to discuss a change in our reporting and guidance practices in 2014. Given that our Canadian segment is  now fully operating, beginning with the first quarter of 2014 we will no longer exclude Canadian segment performance from adjusted EPS. To allow for appropriate comparison, l ast years adjusted EPS will also reflect Canadian segment performance as well. With that, lets turn to our full-year outlook beginning with sales. While trends have improved in recent weeks, severe winter weather has been a headwind and we continue to see the impact of the data breach on guest sentiment and traffic. We believe that we will continue to see muted trends in the next few months, but the breach impact will diminish throughout the year as we engage in a vigorous effort to address our guests’ concerns and provide irresistible content offers driving business to our stores and digital channels. In addition, while economic trends are improving, we continue to expect our lower and middle income guests to shop very cautiously in 2014. With that backdrop, our current view is that U.S comparable sales will grow in the range of 0% to 2% in 2014. On those sales we expect a U.S segment EBITDA rate of 10.1% to 10.3%, meaning EBITDA dollar should grow between 5% and 8% this year. Among the drivers of EBITDA margin, we expect gross margin will improve 30 or 40 basis points from our 2013 rate of 29.8%, reflecting improved cl earance markdown rates and more significantly the gross margin benefit of our expense optimization efforts. These benefits will be partially offset by the impact of additional promotional activities and continued investment in 5% REDcard rewards. We expect the U.S segment SGA expense rate slightly better than last year’s 20% rate, reflecting continued discipline expense control and the benefit of our expense optimization efforts offset by our continued investments in distribution and technology in support of our multi-channel efforts. We expect these (indiscernible) investments to be worth $0.05 to $0.10 of incremental EPS pressure in 2014. In Canada, we expect total sales will be approximately double our 2013 experience. As we annualize last year’s124 openings and begin generating comparable sales growth in mature stores. On those sales we expect to earn a much higher gross margin rate in a range approaching 30%. But clearly we continue to see some near-term volatility until the Until the Canadian business matures. While we expect to see better fixed expense leverage in 2014 , the SGA rate will likely remain well above our long-term outlook in a range approaching 40%. Altogether, this will lead to a Canadian segment EBITDA margin rate of minus 8% to minus 10%,  representing more than $400 million of expected EBITDA improvement from 2013. We expect U.S capital expenditures of $2.1 billion $2.3 billion, up slightly from actual 2013 spending. The mix of U.S CapEx will continue to tilt from investments in new stores towards supply chain and technology as we accelerate our multi-channel efforts and continue to find a limited number of new store sites that meet our strategic and financial criteria. I should also note that U.S CapEx reflects incremental investments related to our recent decision to accelerate deployment of chip enabled card readers to all of our U.S stores before the end of the year. In Canada we expect 2014 capital expenditures in the $300 million to $400 million range, down more than $1 billion from peak spending in 2013. We expect once again to raise our annual dividend in the neighborhood of 20% this year, which will mark our 43rd consecutive annual increase. And even with a temperate outlook for near-term traffic and sales and understanding there will be further costs relating to the data breach, our current outlook envision share repurchase capacity of $1 billion to $2 billion in 2014, beginning later in the year as our business stabilizes and we have more clarity on potential breach related costs. Altogether, these expectations would lead to full-year adjusted EPS representing results from operations in the U.S and Canada of $3.85 to $4.15. This estimate excludes approximately $0.07 of dilution related to the continued reduction in the beneficial interest asset. These 2014 expectations represent an improvement of more than 20% from combined U.S and Canadian segment results in 2013. Please note that our full-year outlook does not include potential additional costs relating to the data breach beyond what we already recorded in the fourth quarter, as they’re not estimable at this time. While I realize this may result in a wide range of speculation on the magnitude of these costs, given that our investigation of breach is ongoing it would not be appropriate to say anything more about it than we already have this morning. Regardless of the ultimate dollar amounts, as Greg mentioned, we have the financial strength to move beyond these near-term impacts while we continue to in vest in the future. And as always, we are focused on whats most important, addressing the concerns of our guests and helping them to feel confident shopping with us. Now lets briefly turn to our first quarter outlook. In the U.S we expect first quarter comparable sales in the range of flat to down 2%. So far in February  comparable sales have been running within that range, ahead of our forecast and nearly flat to last year. And I should note while growth isn’t running where it had been earlier in 2013, REDcard penetration so far in February has been running 100s of basis points ahead of last year. On our first quarter U.S sales, we expect an EBITDA margin rate of 9.7% to 9.9%. In Canada, we expect to generate first quarter sales in a range of $400 million to $450 million with EBITDA of minus $150 million to minus $170 million. In light of this near-term operating outlook, we dont expect to have the capacity to repurchase shares in the first quarter, but we expect to resume this activity later in the year. Altogether, our expectations would lead to first quarter adjusted EPS reflecting operating results in the U.S and Canada in the range of $0.60 to $0.75, excluding $0.02 relating to the reduction in the beneficial interest asset and any potential costs related to the data breach. While this has been a challenging year, we are proud of the work of our team and we believe we have the right plans in place to generate meaningfully improved performance in 2014. As we focus on making Target irresistible for our guests, both today and over time, we believe we will go profitably for many years to come. With that, well conclude todays prepared remarks. Now Greg, Kathy and I will be happy to respond to your questions. uestion-and-Answer Session

Mars: :: essays research papers

Mars: Is There Life Out There?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Since 1976, when the Viking Landers took off toward the red planet, people have been wondering if there is life on Mars. There have been questions of pictures taken from Mars and skepticism about why some of the recent landings have failed. Scientists, up till now, have been doubtful about life on Mars. Everything changed on August 7, 1996, when NASA and President Clinton told the world that a very primitive life form had been found in a meteorite, from 1984. President Clinton had this to say about the matter: “This is a product of years of exploration and months of intensive study by the world’s most distinguished scientists. Like all discoveries, this one will and should continue to be reviewed, examined and scrutinized.'; After Clinton said this it was almost as if a scientific boom had occurred. NASA research teams of scientists at Johnson Space Center began to look for life as well. NASA began to send robots and Satellites to Mars. Unfortunately, they found nothing or lost contact with the robots or Satellites in the process. During the year of 1999 NASA sent up two rockets toward Mars and both were failures. Due to the failures, time has been given for scientists to blueprint a credible and step-by-step search for life on the Red Planet. Without the pressure to ret urn Martian samples to Earth any time soon, new schemes for automated, on-the-spot detection of past or present Mars life can be flown. Recently, two probes were sent back and they made it to Mars. They landed on the South Polar Caps of Mars. That is where NASA plans to find water. After landing on Mars, the probes extracted water like crystals from the surface of Mars. They found that there was a small amount of water in the crystals, which means that there is a strong chance that life, was on Mars at one time. In a recent interview with Bruce Jakosky, Ph.D., Professor of Geologic and Planetary Sciences at the University of Colorado, Linda Howe asked a series of questions pertaining to Mars and what had exactly happened to the planet. The first question was: Q.) “What might have Caused Mars to lose both its surface water and magnetic field?'; A.) “The CO2 that would have produced a greenhouse atmosphere could have been lost to space. It could have been incorporated into the ground as carbonate minerals, and once that happens, the water could have frozen out in the ground.

So Much to Tell You – John Marsden

So Much to Tell You by John Marsden, explores the struggle that the protagonist, Marina, endures along her journey to mental wholeness. Marina’s soul has been shattered due to a traumatic event, and being witness to a large amount of violence and hatred in her family. So Much To Tell You is rich in techniques that are used effectively to convey the idea of Marina’s struggle, and journey towards mental wholeness. Marina’s difficulty in achieving psychological completion is shown through the major technique, structural contrast.We follow Marina’s personal journey and her healing throughout the novel, and we watch as she develops from an introverted, mistrustful person into someone who is able to appropriately communicate with other individuals. Marina uses a tone of self-loathing to show us that she views herself as a â€Å"nutcase†, psycho† and â€Å"the freak of Warrington† who suffers from â€Å"anorexia of speech†. Marina is se nt to Warrington Boarding School â€Å"to learn to speak again, because [her] mother can’t stand [her] silent presence at home†.At first Marina is isolated and detached from the rest of the school, shown through the retreat imagery of Marina as she â€Å"slinks along the walls and corridors†. As the novel progresses, Marina’s entries suggest that she is becoming more in touch with her peers, and â€Å"moving round the school more confidently†. Her visit to Mr Lindells house over the weekend is a very significant event in Marina’s transformation. Throughout the weekend she becomes more expressive, expressed through her tone of excitement in the phrase â€Å"it was good!And they’re so nice! Nice, nice, nice†! Here, the use of exclamation and the repetition of the word, ‘nice’ emphasise Marina’s positive involvement in life. This is contrasted with Marina being a passive spectator during school tennis, and life in general. Towards the end of the novel Marina chooses on her own accord to return to Warrington, and reaches out to Mr Lindell to help her, a drastic change from the beginning of the novel where she didn’t interact with anyone at all.In the early stages of the novel, the struggle and difficulty of repairing Marina’s psyche due to damage and conflict within her family, and Marina’s journey towards mental health, is conveyed through the composer’s effective manipulation of fragmentation imagery. Perhaps the most prominent examples of fragmentation imagery would be Ann Maltin’s â€Å"spangled star doona cover†. Ann tells Marina the â€Å"the stars do fit together, but it took [her] years to figure it out†. This is a metaphor for Marina’s damaged psyche, and it foreshadows her psychological wholeness.Her psyche will fit together again; she just has to give it time to heal. Marina also explains the she likes ‘the word †Å"coalesce†, though when [she] looks at it for a long time it seems strange and ugly†. This is how Marina views herself, a jumble of â€Å"strange and ugly† fragments that need to â€Å"coalesce† in order to become one healed psyche. She also writes about the way the pool is when there is nobody there â€Å"then the first girl jumps or dives in – and it all cracks†. This demonstrates how fragile Marina’s psyche is; it could shatter at any time. Ann Maltin also â€Å"had a ceramic piece†¦ on the cupboard beside her bed.It was a big bird, an eagle†. Whilst â€Å"vacuuming the dorm† Marina accidentally knocks the bird of its stand, and it promptly shatters on the floor. Even after Ann has glued it back together, she â€Å"can still see the cracks. [She] will always see them. This indicates that Marina will heal, but she will never be exactly the same person as she was before the incident, and she will always be scarred from the traumatic event. John Marsden has greatly emphasised the importance of Marina repairing her damaged psyche through the use of metaphors, foreshadowing, and fragmentation imagery.Symbolism and figurative devices are also used effectively by John Marsden to evoke the idea of Marina’s need for retreat or refuge from the difficulties of reality, prior to her significant journey to wholeness. For Marina, the chapel at her school symbolises a sanctuary. â€Å"Churches [are] safe places, where you [can] hide†, Marina sits by herself in her dark corner and writes in her journal, it is where she can think about her life, and her father. She feels protected in the chapel, and in the school generally too.This is shown through the use of similes in the phrase â€Å"in the hospital [she] felt exposed under the white light, here [she] feels like a black snail†. This contrasts between the white exposure of the hospital, and the black refuge of the school. Similes, ret reat imagery, and symbolisation are used dextrously throughout So Much To Tell You to demonstrate Marina’s difficult journey to wholeness. John Marsden dextrously uses effective techniques throughout So Much To Tell You to explore the concept of struggle and wholeness, demonstrated by the protagonist, Marina.We learn about Marina’s personal struggle to become whole again after the tragic events that have occurred prior to the beginning of the novel. We see this through the contrast of Marina’s character between the beginning of the novel and the end of the novel, the extensive use of fragmentation imagery, and the retreat imagery, that is used to convey Marina’s struggle. We trace her traumatic personal journey, difficulties and mental healing throughout the novel, on an emotional rollercoaster that is Marina’s life.

Persuasive Essay

Texas legislators should pass and legalized gambling to help keeping the money inside the state and also earn more revenue through tourism and other associated industries. Compare to neighbor state Louisiana, Texas has lost millions and millions dollars per year because Texans crossing the state line for gambling habit. If gambling was legalized, the revenue from this industry would surpass any others. It would not just bring revenue and taxes from casinos but also boosting others industries such as tourism, retails, construction industry and more. Legalized gambling would create more jobs in all industries keeping the Texas stronger through unpredictable profits the state could benefit from it. Legalized gambling would stimulate the economy by creating jobs. Take Nevada for example, there were 193,000 full-time positions were opened in Clark County for hotel industry alone in 1999 (Romano). For Louisiana, a smaller state with legal gambling, also reported over 368 million in annual salaries to employees along with 20% residents ended their government assisted program by working in casino (Cannon). Looking at these two states with legal gambling, Texas could have an even better chance to make more revenue with legalizing gambling. With all the revenue generated from gamble industry, Texas could able to start more programs to help the low income families and lower the unemployment rate. Another indirect impact from legalized gambling is that more casinos, restaurants, shopping malls would be built which would boost construction industry to another level. With the growing in construction industry, the retails for dry wall, wood, cement would be rocketed. In Louisiana, â€Å"over 1. 7 billion has been invested in facility construction in Louisiana by casinos† (Cannon). Going along with the development of construction industry, the real estate industry would also grow rapidly to accommodate the needs of housing, leasing offices, hotels†¦ With the rapid grow of real estate and construction industries, restaurant and retails would be on the uprising as well. In Louisiana, â€Å"riverboats purchased over $454 million in goods and services in 2002, with over 70% of that coming from in-state vendors including computers, printing and floral arrangements† (Cannon), with all the positive indirect impacts that legalized gambling would bring to the state, the local business and retails would be expanding far from predicted and state would be collecting taxes in an increasing value. Tourism would play an important role in collecting revenue for state. The Casino Association of Louisiana estimated that over 17 million out-of-state visitors visited their casinos in 2002† (Cannon). If Texas legalizes gambling, it would bring in another 17 million per year from out-of-state visitors spending money not only in casino but also in restaurants, hotels, gas†¦ Besides bringing more tourists in to the state, Texas could help stopping the outflow of money to Louisiana casinos because more than 50% of gamble revenue in Louisiana comes from o ut-of-state, mostly from Texas (Cannon). There are countless opportunities comes with legalizing gambling in Texas. Just look at the financial benefits alone, Texas could earn another $873 million coming from out-of-state visitors spending in casino just like Louisiana. Besides increasing in revenue, legalized gambling also plays an important role in boosting other industries such as construction, retails, real estate†¦ With all the new revenue generated from legalized gamble, Texas could use that money to assist the low income families, to help the homeless people and others in needs.

Database Development Example

Database Development Example Database Development – Term Paper Example Database development Functional decomposition, conceptual schemas, enterprise data modelling and the overall development lifecycle process are important terms related to database development. Each of these is discussed briefly in this paper.Functional decomposition is â€Å"the process of breaking down the functions of an organisation into progressively greater levels of detail† (Singh, 2009, p.327). Each function is described in fine detail in terms of the other functions. The purpose is to breakdown the different modules to the simplest unit, which helps to eliminate redundancies, anomalies and any inconsistencies. Singh (2009) gives the algorithm for decomposing R, the universal relation schema, into D, the set of relation schemas which is the decomposition of R, as follows:A conceptual schema describes the data stored in a database management system in terms of its data model (Gupta, 2007, p.4). It is a description of the relations involved, the kind of records contained, and the method for deriving objects conceptually from the objects from an internal perspective. It is distinguished therefore, from the physical and external schemas, which specify the storage details and define the logical records and relationships from an external view.However, the first step in developing a database is enterprise data modelling â€Å"in which the scope and general contents of organisational databases are specified† (ELAC, 2009). It is usually depicted by entity relationship diagrams. The entire â€Å"process of designing, implementing and maintaining a database system to meet strategic or operational information needs of an organisation or enterprise† (Singh, 2009, p.300) is known as the database development life cycle. As such, it is typically a part of the software development life cycle, and its typical components are shown in the diagram below and enumerated as under:Feasibility study and requirement analysisDatabase designDatabase implementData and application conversionTesting and validationMonitoring and maintenance(Source: Singh, 2009, p.301)Database development is clearly a process that requires careful planning commensurate with its complexity. The four terms discussed are all important parts or aspects to ensure the development process is as smooth and efficient as possible and which fulfils the users’ needs.ReferencesELAC. (2009). Database development process. Lecture 2 Notes, East Los Angeles College. Retrieved Dec. 5, 2010 from coursehero.com/file/2584364/Lecture2Notes.Gupta, Aditya Kumar. (2007). Taxonomy of database management system. Firewall Media.Singh, S. K. (2009). Database systems: concepts, design and applications. Pearson Education.

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas Research Paper

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas - Research Paper Example He later proceeded to Yale Law School where he helped establish the Black student Union while at the same time developing a conservative approach to issues. After his legal training, Thomas moved back to the South in 1974 where he worked as the assistant to the Attorney General of Missouri Mr. John Danforth before later on taking up the job of being a lawyer to Monsanto, an agricultural firm. In 1981, he was appointed the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the United States Department of Education majorly due to his past in the civil rights movement and to balance the composition of this important part of the US government. He is now a conservative and controversial judge though initially he had wanted to pursue a religious life having had seminary education stints at the St. John Vianney Minor Seminary and Immaculate Conception Seminary in order to become a catholic priest or cleric. He however left the seminary and decided to fight for civil rights after he overheard a fellow student at the seminary make fun of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jnr. In the year 1982, President Ronald Reagan appointed Thomas as the Chairman of the EEOC, a position in which he held til the year 1990 when President George H.W Bush nominated him to serve as a Judge in the U.S Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. On July 1, 1991, after sixteen months as a judge of appeal, he was nominated to fill the position left vacant by Mr. Marshall who was almost similar with his views on civil rights at the Supreme Court. However, his nomination was opposed by critics who attacked him due to his views that were largely deemed conservative for the highest court of the land while others had the view that he had little experience as a judge of the superior courts. At the confirmation hearings, Thomas decided to remain quiet on a number of issues including rights on abortion and faced a difficult moment explaining himself out about suggestions that he had made unwelc ome sexual comments on a colleague both at the Department of Education and at the EEOC. However, he was confirmed by the United States Senate through a vote of fifty-two votes for him against forty-eight who opposed him. Thomas’s views at the Supreme Court have been the interpretation of the United States constitution from the original meaning by following from a conservative point of view (Totenberg). He has argued that the powers of the federal government must be limited and the states empowered as well as having a strong executive branch within the federal government. Clarence Thomas’s Legal Career and the Supreme Court Thomas was admitted to the Missouri bar on the 13th day of September 1974 from where he practised as an assistant Attorney General of the State of Missouri under Attorney General Danforth whom he had met at the Yale Law School. At the AG’s office, he worked at the criminal appeals section before being assigned duties at the taxation and revenu e division. After the election of Danforth to the United States senate, Thomas joined Monsanto as an attorney before moving to Washington to work with his former colleague Danforth where he worked as a legislative attorney attached to the Senate Commerce Committee. Later on Dansforth played a key role in the confirmation and appointment of Thomas as a judge of the Supreme Court. After a one year stint as Assistant Secretary of Education for the Office for Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Education from 1981-1982, he became the Chairman of the United