Gilligan’s Island Essay -- Personal Narrative Vacation Traveling Essay

Gilligan’s Island No inhabitants, a major tourists spot, a clear blue ocean, but no sign of the Professor, the Skipper, or Mary Ann. Can you guess where this is? You got it! Gilligan’s Island located in the beautiful South Atlantic Ocean. During Spring Break of 2003, my best friend, Danielle, and I took a flight to Orlando, Florida, a car to Fort Lauderdale, and a cruise through the Bahamas that had beautiful subtropical weather. For one day out of four during the cruise, we were able to chose what we wanted to do whether it was snorkeling, shopping, or taking an off land excursion to Gilligan’s Island. Of course, Danielle and I chose sun tanning on the beautiful, sandy beaches at Gilligan’s Island. As we boarded the tiny, white, sixty passenger, excursion boat, we headed east from Nassau, Bahamas with a population of about 300,000, to the tiny island called Gilligan’s Island that had no inhabitants. Approaching the island, all we could see was crystal clear breathtaking blue water that looked like a huge sheet of glass. The water was so calm and so clean. As we drew closer to the island, Danielle said, â€Å"Look at all those huge palm trees.† She was right, the island was covered with giant palm trees that must have been there from way back when the Gilligan’s Island TV show was filmed (probably longer). The boat captain announced in a deep Creole accent over constant clicks and flashes of cameras â€Å"Enjoy your day here at Gilligan’s Island, one of the seven hundred islands here in the Bahamas. Remember that food and drinks will be served all day from the Pavilion. Departure time is at 4 p.m.† I was so excited to explore the tiny island, e tch many memories in my mind, but still enjoy my time at the beach. As the excursion... ...e learned a lot about the Bahamian cultural and their way of life. Not one Bahamian does a thing for themselves. Their goal is to feed their family and make sure that their family is taken care of first. They are also very hospitable people to the tourist and they make sure that you enjoy your stay and that you have plenty to eat and drink. As I look back at my trip, I realized that I may not have met Gilligan, the Skipper, the millionaire and his wife, the movie star, the Professor, or Mary Ann, but the Bahamian people were sure welcoming. They were nice to allow us to travel to Gilligan’s Island. After all, how many of you can say that you have traveled to Gilligan’s Island? Works Cited â€Å"Bahamas.† http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia. 13 Aug. 2004. â€Å"The Bahamas.† http://www.bahamas.com. 13 Aug. 2004. â€Å"The Bahamas.† http://www.cia.gov/cia. 13 Aug. 2004.

Study Proposal for a Social Studies and Premedical (Premed) Student Ess

Study Proposal for a Social Studies and Premedical (Premed) Student As a Social Studies and premedical student, I aspire to lead an international health and development non-governmental organization (NGO). Combining my skills as a physician and practitioner of development, I plan to enhance the health of marginalized, persecuted, and exiled populations. Through direct interaction with government bodies and humanitarian NGOs, I hope to highlight and curb the medical and psychological burdens stemming from human rights violations. Building on my skills as a humanitarian law and refugee tracing instructor, I also wish to train international and indigenous relief personnel to ensure the sanitary, nutritional, and health standards of uprooted populations. Aspiring to bring holistic leadership to the health and humanitarian sector, I must thoroughly understand and know to confront the social, political, and cultural factors linked with poor health. I therefore propose to pursue and academically focussed MPhil in Development Studies preferably from Oxford U niversity or from the Univers...

Business Social Responsibility :: Social Responsibility Essays

According to Riahi (2009), organisations (FirstGroup plc etc) can in fact be deemed as social units deliberately constructed to seek specific goal. In such respect, further resonating catalytic for pro and pessimistic dialogue: Milton Friedman argued within a 1970 New York Times magazine article that the only â€Å"social responsibility of business,† is to â€Å"increase its profits.† â€Å"The corporation,† he wrote in his book, Capitalism & Freedom, â€Å"is an instrument of the stockholders who own it, if the corporation makes a contribution, it prevents the individual stockholders from himself deciding how he should dispose of his funds.† (M. Porter, M. Kramer, 2003). Accordingly to their view, companies such as FirstGroup plc and Emerlad Energy plc would be undeniably misusing the resources entrusted to them as they engage in corporate social responsibility. In utter contrast, Heilbroner, on the other hand, suggests stockholder’s as no longer a significant source of venture capital, ‘merely a passive holder of certificate of varying degrees of risk & potential return, with little knowledge of the real performance of â€Å"his† corporation. Surely the other stakeholders deserve some return?’ (N. Smith, 1990) further underpinning businesses and its proprietors to comply with societal values & take an active role on society as this is in line with the long term interest of business ( P Griseri, N. Seppola, 2009) for e.g. whether it could be suggested as FirstGroup’s  £1.8 million community contribution, particularly, training of the local indigenous population can in some factor be deemed as a rather integral part of the company’s strategic CSR – focal objective of the firm’s differentiation strategy. In addition, studies linking strategic investment to CSR (in particular, the resourced based view) have previously suggested that specialised skills or capabilities related to i nvestment in CSR can lead to firm specific competitive advantages ( J. Frynas,2009) findings suggest firms with socially responsible practices have higher valuation and lower risk as investment in improving responsible employee relations, environmental policies, and product strategies contributes substantially to reducing firms’ cost of equity (Ghoul et al 2010). The capital market equilibrium model of Merton (1987, p. 500) implies that increasing the relative size of a firm’s investor base will result in lower cost of capital and higher market value for the firm. In a similar vein, Heinkel et al. (2001) develop an equilibrium model that implies that when fewer investors hold the stock of a firm, the opportunities for risk diversification are reduced and hence the firm’s cost of capital will be higher.

Form and Structure Essay

`A Taste of Honey’ is in two acts, both containing two scenes, and set in two flats. The play could be described as episodic, due to the fact that within the same situation by using a blackout, the play has moved on months from the previous scene (i.e. Jo’s pregnancy in Act II). Delaney has used a Brechtian device with using episodes to show different aspects of the characters lives, and how they fit together in the plot. The structure of the play is fairly basic as it follows the Brechtian influence of a Linear plot(beginning, middle, end) i.e. the play is easy to follow which symbolises the characters lives – monotonous and basically the same situations arising from one day to the next. However, a element of Stanislavski is used as the technique of naturalistic/realistic drama (soap opera effect) is apparent. `A Taste of Honey’ follows the life of a young girl call Jo over the period of approximately 12 – 18 months. It is realistic in the sense th at it portrays how working class people live and the struggles they have to endure, which would therefore allow the audience to relate to this and affect them emotionally. This relates to Stanislavski’s aim of wanting to depict the working class and show the rich and privileged how they live (realities of society). This idea is also indicated throughout the outcome of the play – the initial characters in the play Helen and Jo end up as they begun, rejected and the relationships they developed throughout the play have failed( Peter has gone off with another woman, Jimmie left Jo pregnant and does not come back to see her, and Geof leaves Jo). There is only Jo and Helen left, and Helen portrays selfishness and illustrates dislike towards her daughter, as shown on the final page( 86), which was the case in the opening of the play. This situation of the characters not progressing in their lives symbolises the genre of the play as they have no hope for the future because of the lives they lead. Due to their lack of education, morals and the general way they conduct their lives, (e.g. Jo dating a coloured man) they are outcasts of society. However, due to their working class status in the 1950s, they wouldn’t be given the chance. Therefore, I feel the that Brechtian idea of current political factors playing a part in this play when written, is illustrated by the characters lives due to their working class status, the feminist issue of two of the male characters(Jimmie and Peter) only after Helen and Jo for sex, and the racism and discrimination towards coloured people. Stanislavski uses methods of traditional, realistic drama such as method acting, where the actor becomes emotionally involved with their character to gain a deeper understanding. Delaney intended on using this idea, as in the early rehearsals for the play, improvisation lessons were used. Avis Bunnage, who played Helen in a `Taste of Honey’ described this experience as an actor: â€Å"When we came to bits that didn’t seem to work, we ad-libbed around the ideas, made it up as we went along. We used things that were around like an aspidistra that someone had left on the stage which became incorporated in the production. I said some of my lines to it. Jean gave us hell during the rehearsals. She had us running from the stage to the paint bay and back over and even again, to give us feeling of real tiredness† Example of method acting used in rehearsals for the play I would describe the genre of this play as â€Å"kitchen sink’ as it has certain characteristics such as being set in a working class environment (Salford, Manchester – in a flat). It deals with domestic issues such as conflicts between people who live in these poor conditions (e.g. Jo and Helen). The language even insinuates this genre of theatre, as it is simplistic and could be described as ordinary, everyday language, which is sometimes crude. An example of this is in Act II, scene I, where Helen and Peter have come to see Jo: Helen: â€Å"Take your bloody money and get out† Peter: â€Å"Thank you† Helen: â€Å"You dirty bastard† (Act II, scene 1, page 66 ) Another example of the language reflecting the genre of the play is Helen’s description of the flat: â€Å"There’s a lovely view of the gas works. We share a bathroom with the community† (Act 1, scene 1, page 7) Another element of this drama is the conflicts which arise due to the conditions in which the characters live (Jo and Helen). Helen kicks Geof out/makes him leave without Jo knowing about this, and she knows Jo wants him there. Another example is Helen arguing with Peter for touching her. Peter ( touching her) †Now you know I like this mother and son relationship† Helen: â€Å"Stop it† Peter: â€Å"Aren’t you wearing your girdle?† (Act 1, scene1, page 18) Helen argues with Peter about this because really she likes him touching her. This relates to Jo ‘s situation as she doesn’t want `boy’ (Jimmie) to touch her, due to the fact that she enjoys it too. This dismissal of affection is due to both the female characters not being really used to affection, as their relationship as mother and daughter certainly doesn’t entail this behavior. Therefore, the characters don’t know how to conduct themselves in a loving relationship, and are unaware of how to respond to affection, care and attention. The hostile relationship between Jo and Helen is established due to the many arguments they have, for example, when Jo tells Helen she’s getting married, Helen is angry. Jo: â€Å"My boyfriend, he asked me to marry him† Helen: â€Å"Well, you silly bitch. I could choke you† (Act 1, scene II) The domestic relationship is between Helen and Peter (mother and boyfriend). For example, when Peter finds out that Helen has a daughter he states: â€Å"That puts another 10 years on her† (Act 1, scene 1) This portrays Peter’s attitude towards Helen, as he talks about her here in a rather disparaging tone as he knows Helen always tries to act and look younger than she actually is. This idea of making fun of characters is displayed again in Act II, scene 1, when Peter finds out Jo is pregnant: Peter (singing): â€Å"Who’s got a bun in the oven? Who’s got a cake in the stove?† Within the play the Brechtian device of including music is used, as there is many musical interludes which represent the beginning or mark the ending of a scene. For example, in Act 1, scene II the boy (Jimmie) exits whilst singing to the audience. This music within the play seems to be a contrast to the harshness and reality of it – i.e. the characters are portraying happiness or humour when singing. However, even at times with the singing there is comic – sarcasm intended. For example; when Peter finds out Jo is pregnant, he sings: â€Å"Who’s got a bun in the oven? Who’s got a cake in the stove?† This idea of music being an important factor in the play is indicated in Act 1, scene 1, when Helen is reminiscing about her experience of working in a pub, and she starts to sing a song she use to apparently perform, at which she asks the orchestra to join in and play the piece. The fact that the script indicates that there is an orchestra in the play gives us the impression that Delaney intended to make music a definite aspect of the play. Singing is also a element frequently used in the play, as Helen performs a old song she used to sing in the pub, Peter portrays his sarcasm by singing many statements, i.e. ‘Walter, Walter, take me to the alter!’. We also see boy (Jimmie) in Act 1, scene 2 (page 26) singing to the audience as he exits. This Brechtian device portrays the characters mood and temperament at the time, which also adds to the overall atmosphere. Another example of this is when Jo is reminicing about Jimmie in Act two, scene one(page 53) which indicates to the audience that she still thinks about him and how she regards him as a liar. Another Stanislavski device used is sub-text. For example; is Act 1, scene 1, when Jo has gone to make coffee, Helen talks about her daughter to the audience: † I suppose I’d better clear some of this stuff away. She wouldn’t think. Well they don’t at their age, do they. Oh! it gets me right here when I try and do anything when I bend you know. Have you ever had it? This device allows us (the audience) to witness Helen’s personality and how self-obsessed she is, moaning about her cold and generally ordering Jo around. There is no real silences in the play, due to the fact that this portrays the monotony of their lives, always doing something, moving from one place to another, arguing, fighting, different relationships etc. The relationships throughout the play are fuelled by anger, where every couple seem to have disputes which lead to rash decision making, with no real thought of the consequences, i.e, boy asking Jo to marry him, Geof kissing Jo due to confusion etc. Therefore, the suspense is built up by the language, how the tempo of the dialogue speeds up as arguments take place, and the questions raised by the characters. For example, Jo inquires about her father and Helen divulges to her that he wasn’t exactly normal. This leads the audience into thinking what actually was wrong with him and how will it effect Jo in later life? This device links to Stanislavski’s idea of realism and how, for example, Helen is ashamed to admit firstly being adulterous and how this changed her life,(turned into a whore) and that she slept with the apparent village idiot, which in the 1950s would have been the gossip of everybody (fits in with the era). An element within the play which has had the influence of Brecht is the idea of Forum theatre. Brecht liked the audience to be involved in the play and in ‘A Taste of Honey’, Delaney has tried to incorporate an aspect of this by having the some of the characters speaking and interacting with the audience. For example, Helen addressed the audience frequently in Act one, scene One: †She can’t do anything for herself, that girl.† (page 10) Another example is Jo on page 7: †You packed ’em. She’d lose her head if it was loose.† This device allows the audience to actually get feel a of what the atmosphere is actually like for the characters, and therefore this incorporates Stanislavinski’s idea of wanting the audience to be able to react emotionally to the play.

Prom Nights from Hell Chapter Five

â€Å"Thanks, Sheeb. Back at you.† Jezebel winked once, and then smiled wider until the black of her teeth seemed to envelop her entire face. She evaporated into the night. Sheba lingered in the dirty alley until the alluring scent of brimstone had faded away entirely, and then break time was over. Invigorated by the idea of joining the front lines, Sheba hurried back to her misery. The prom was in full swing, and everything was falling into place. Celeste was scoring high in her malicious game; she awarded herself a point for every girl who cried in a dark corner of the ballroom. Two points for every boy who threw a punch at a rival. All over the room, the seeds Sheba had planted were flowering. Hate was blooming alongside lust and rage and despair. A garden straight from hell. Sheba enjoyed it all from behind a potted palm. No, she couldn't force the humans to do anything. They had their innate free will, and so she could only tempt, could only suggest. Little things-high heels and seams and minor muscle groups-she could manipulate physically, but she could never force their minds. They had to choose to listen. And tonight, they were listening. Sheba was on a roll, and she didn't want any loose ends, so before she turned back to her most ambitious scheme-Cooper was pliant with intoxication now, ready for her direction-she sent her thoughts searching through the crowd for those small, annoying bubbles of happiness. No one was walking away from this prom unscathed. Not while Sheba had a spark in her body. Over there-what was this? Bryan Walker and Clara Hurst were staring dreamily into each other's eyes, totally oblivious to the wrath and despair and bad music surrounding them, just enjoying each other's company. Sheba considered her options and decided to have Celeste interfere. Celeste should enjoy that-nothing was more evilly fun than flaunting your power right in the face of a pure romance. Besides, Celeste listened to every suggestion Sheba fed her, entirely agreeable to any demonic scheme. Sheba continued with her evaluation before acting. Not too far away, Sheba found that she'd dropped the ball in an inexcusable fashion. Was that her own date, Logan, actually enjoying himself? Impossible. So, he'd found his Libby after all and they were both unacceptably happy. Well, that would be easy enough to rectify. She'd go reclaim her partner and send Libby running away in tears. Amateur and crude to intervene bodily†¦ Still, better that than let happiness win even one small battle. Sheba's assessment was almost done. There was just one more tiny pocket of peace-not a couple this time; it was a lone boy wandering into the far end of the room from the hall. That annoying Gabe Christensen. Sheba scowled in his direction. What did he have to be happy about? He was rejected and alone. His date was the scourge of the prom. A normal boy would be full of rage or pain right now. But he insisted on making more work for her! Sheba inspected Gabe's mind more closely. Hmm. Gabe wasn't really happy. In fact, he was worrying intensely at the moment, searching for someone. Celeste was quite clearly in his view, writhing to a slow song with Rob Carlton (Pamela Green watched the display with shocked eyes, despair leaking deliciously into the air around her), but she wasn't the source of Gabe's worry. There was someone else he wanted to find. So he wasn't happy-that wasn't the sensation that had trespassed on Sheba's atmosphere of misery. It was goodness itself that was exuding from this boy. Even worse. Sheba ducked behind the palm and pushed out with her thoughts. Smoke oozed from her nose. â€Å"Gabe.† Gabe shook his head absently and continued with his search. He'd waited half an hour as throngs of girls left the bathroom, drove after drove. Here and there Gabe had felt a weak pull, but nothing at all like that one girl's raging, suffocating need. When three separate groups had all come and gone, Gabe had stopped Jill Stein to ask after the girl. â€Å"Black hair and a red dress? No, I didn't see anyone like that in there. I think the bathroom is empty.† The girl must have slipped past him somehow. Gabe had just returned to the dance floor, brooding over the mystery girl. At least Bryan and Clara and Logan and Libby were having fun. That was good. The rest of the class seemed to be having an exceptionally nasty evening. And then, there it was again. Gabe's head jerked up, feeling the desperation he'd been searching for. Where was she? Sheba hissed in frustration. The boy's mind was entirely sober and singularly closed to her insidious voice. Well, that wasn't going to stop her. She had other tools. â€Å"Celeste.† It was time the evil girl tormented her own date. Sheba leaned lightly on Celeste, suggesting that avenue. After all, Gabe was attractive by human standards. Certainly good enough for Celeste, whose standards were hardly rigorous. Gabe was tall and subtly muscular, with dark hair and symmetrical features. He had pale blue eyes that Sheba personally found a bit repulsive-they were so decidedly un-damned, almost heavenly, ugh! – but that appealed to mortal girls. It was looking into those clear eyes that had made Celeste say yes to this squeaky clean do-gooder's invitation. Do-gooder, indeed. Sheba's eyes narrowed. Gabe had already been on her list before he insisted on disregarding her here at the prom. This was the very boy who had ruined her plans for the lecherous math teacher-just a little bit of pre-prom fun Sheba had arranged in between making sure that everyone asked exactly the wrong person to the big dance. If Gabe hadn't confronted Mr. Reese at a critical moment of temptation†¦ Sheba gritted her teeth and sparks flickered out of her ears. She would have ruined the man and the impossibly innocent girl, too. Not that Mr. Reese had had far to fall, but it would have been a fantastic scandal. And now the math teacher was being especially careful, made wary by those same sky-blue eyes. Feeling guilty, even. Considering counseling for his problem. Ugh! Gabe Christensen owed Sheba some misery. She would get her due. Sheba glared at Celeste, wondering why the girl had made no move toward her date. Celeste was still wrapped around Rob, enjoying Pamela's pain. Enough fun! There was havoc to be wreaked. Sheba whispered suggestions in Celeste's mind, nudging her in Gabe's direction. Celeste shrugged away from Rob and glanced toward Gabe, who was still combing through the crowd with his gaze. Her brown eyes settled on his blue for just a second, and then she moved, cringed actually, back into Rob's arms. Odd. Gabe's light eyes seemed to be almost as repellent to the vicious blonde as they were to Sheba. Sheba leaned again, but Celeste-for once-shook her off, trying to distract herself from thoughts of Gabe with Rob's eager lips. Baffled, Sheba cast around for another avenue to destroy the irritating boy, but she was interrupted by something much more important than one good human. Cooper Silverdale was simply quivering with rage on one side of the dance floor, glowering at Melissa and Tyson. Melissa had her head on Tyson's shoulder and was oblivious to the smug grin Tyson aimed in Cooper's direction. It was time to act. Cooper was considering another glass of punch to drown his pain, and he was much too close to passing out for Sheba to allow that. She focused on him, smoke at her ears, and Cooper realized dully that the green punch was revolting. He couldn't stand any more. He threw his half-empty cup to the floor and turned back to glare at Tyson. She thinks I'm pathetic, said the voice in Cooper's head. No, she doesn't even think of me at all. But I can make it so shell never be able to forget me†¦ His head thick with alcohol, Cooper reached back and stroked his hand along the barrel of the gun under his jacket. Sheba held her breath. Sparks flew from her ears. And then, in that vital second, Sheba was distracted by the knowledge that someone was staring intensely at her own face. Here, in the ballroom, that same sucking need, pulling at him-someone drowning, shrieking for help. It had to be the same girl. Gabe had never felt anything so urgent in his life. His eyes raked desperately over the couples on the floor, but he couldn't see her. He paced the edge of the floor, searching the faces of the people on the sidelines. She wasn't there, either. He saw Celeste with yet another boy, but his eyes didn't pause. If Celeste didn't claim her ride home soon, there wasn't much he could do about it. Someone else needed Gabe more. The need tugged at him again, yanked hard, and for a moment, Gabe wondered if he was going crazy. Maybe he'd only imagined the girl in the fiery dress. Maybe this sense of frenzied need was just the onset of some delusion. At that moment, Gabe's seeking eyes found what they were searching for. Stepping around Heath McKenzie's big sulking form, Gabe's eyes locked on a tiny, but brilliant, red flash. There she was-half-hidden behind a fake tree, her earrings glinting like sparklers again-the girl in the red dress. Her dark eyes, deep as the pool he'd imagined her drowning in, met his. The vibrant need was an aura surrounding her. He didn't have to think about moving toward her. There was probably no way he could have stopped himself if he'd wanted to. He was sure he'd never seen this girl before tonight; she was completely unfamiliar. Her dark, almond-shaped eyes were composed and careful, but at the same time they cried out to him. They were the focus of the need he felt. He could no more resist their plea than he could tell his heart to stop beating. She needed him. Sheba watched with disbelief as Gabe Christensen walked straight toward her. She saw her own face in his head and realized that the person Gabe had been looking for was†¦ Sheba. She allowed the brief distraction-knowing that Cooper was hers for the taking, that a few minutes' time wouldn't save him now-and rejoiced in the delicious irony. So Gabe wanted to be ruined by Sheba personally? Well, she would oblige him. It would make his misery even sweeter knowing that he'd chosen it himself. She straightened up in her hell-hound dress, letting it caress her figure suggestively. She knew what any human male would have to feel when he examined this dress. But the exasperating boy was focused on her eyes. It was dangerous to look straight into the eyes of a demoness. Humans who didn't look away fast enough could get trapped there. And then they were stuck, pining after the demoness forever, burning for her†¦ Biting back a smile, Sheba met his gaze, staring deep into his sky-colored eyes. Silly human. Gabe stopped a few short feet from the girl, close enough that he wouldn't have to shout over the loud music. He knew he was staring too intently-she would think he was rude, or some kind of freak. But she stared back, just as intent, her deep eyes probing his. He opened his mouth to introduce himself, when suddenly the girl's careful expression melted into one of shock. Shock? Or horror? Her pale lips fell apart, and he heard a little gasp escape them. Her stiff posture crumpled, and she began to collapse. Gabe jumped toward her and caught her in his arms before she could fall. Sheba's knees buckled when her fires went out. Her internal flame died, sucked dry, snuffed like a candle in a vacuum. The room was not so cold anymore, and she could smell nothing more than sweat, cologne, and stale, conditioned air. She could no longer taste the delicious misery she'd created. She couldn't taste anything but her own dry mouth. But she could feel the strong arms of Gabe Christensen holding her up. The girl's dress was soft and warm. Maybe that was the problem, Gabe thought as he pulled her toward him. Maybe the heat of the crowded room was too much combined with her heavy dress. Anxiously, Gabe brushed the silky hair away from her face. Her forehead seemed cool enough and her soft skin wasn't clammy with sweat. All the while, her stunned eyes never wavered from his. â€Å"Are you okay? Can you stand? I'm sorry, I don't know your name.† â€Å"I'm fine,† the girl said in a low, purring voice. Despite the purr, her voice was just as stunned as her eyes. â€Å"I†¦ I can stand.† She straightened up, but Gabe didn't let her go. He didn't want to. And she wasn't pulling away. Her small hands had crept up to rest on his shoulders, like they were dancing partners. â€Å"Who are you?† she asked in that throaty voice. â€Å"Gabe-Gabriel Michael Christensen,† he elaborated with a grin. â€Å"And you are?† Prom Nights from Hell Chapter Five What do you think you're doing? she asked herself. Rhetorically, since she was already up the Snow-White-and-the-Seven-Dwarves-Do-Baby-Jesus neighbor's tree and staring into the yard of the house where she'd left Sibby. I can't wait to hear you say to the cops, â€Å"Yes, officer, I know I was trespassing but that woman was very suspicious because she was wearing false eyelashes.† With a full Creepy Cult costume. They just didn't go. Plus she had a hole for a nose piercing. And a French manicure. Maybe she just has really big pores! And a love of dated manicures! She wasn't what she was posing as. Is this about helping someone or having an excuse not to show up at prom and see Will with his face nuzzled in Ariel's huge, soft- Shut up, U-Suck. I was going to say hair. You are so not funny. You are so not brave. There were two guys sitting in the backyard, leaning across a picnic table toward each other with a book between them, both in T-shirts and khakis and Teva sandals, one of them wearing thick black-framed glasses, the other one with a scraggly beard. They looked like two geeky college guys playing Dungeons and Dragons and sounded like it too when the one wearing glasses said, â€Å"That's not how it works. It says in the Book of Rules she can't see for herself, only for other people. You know, like genies with wishes, how they can't grant their own.† Except they each had a large automatic rifle lying on the table next to them and Miranda could see shooting targets set up on the fence. So what? There are armed geeks. Maybe they're Sibby's protection. Go home. Sibby doesn't need you. She's fine. If she's fine, why isn't she out there trying to kiss the two boys? Miranda strained to hear something from inside the house but it was definitely soundproofed. A couple came out of sliding doors onto the patio away from the Geek Guys, a woman smoking a cigarette in short, tense puffs and a man. Miranda almost fell out of the tree when she recognized the woman as the cult lady, only now without the glasses, skirt, or sweater and with her hair down. Which doesn't mean anything. The woman whispered, â€Å"We still need the girl to tell us the location, Byron.† â€Å"She will.† â€Å"She hasn't yet.† â€Å"I told you, even if I can't get her to talk, the Gardener can. He's good at that.† The woman again: â€Å"I don't like that he brought a partner. That wasn't part of the plan. Does she get a cut-â€Å" The man called Byron cut her off. â€Å"Put that out and be quiet, we have company.† He pointed to the Geek Guys scrambling over to join them. The woman crushed her cigarette out under her foot and kicked it away. â€Å"Is She all right?† Bearded Geek asked breathlessly, pronouncing She like it should be capitalized. â€Å"Yes,† the man assured him. â€Å"She's resting after her ordeal.† Oh, they could not be talking about Sibby. Ordeal? No way. â€Å"Has She said anything?† Glasses Geek asked. The man said, â€Å"Just expressed how very grateful She is to be here.† Miranda almost snorted. Bearded Geek said, â€Å"Will we be able to see Her?† â€Å"When the Transition happens.† The geeks wandered off in a blissful daze and Miranda decided this was the weirdest thing she'd ever seen. But it proved that Sibby was in no danger. These people clearly worshipped Her. Which meant it was time- â€Å"Why is he called the Gardener, anyway?† Fake Eyelash woman asked the man. â€Å"I believe because he's good at pulling things out.† â€Å"Things?† â€Å"Teeth, nails. Joints. That's how he gets people to talk.† – time to find Sibby. Miranda dropped out of the tree into the neighbor's yard and found herself looking down the barrel of an automatic rifle. Prom Nights from Hell Chapter Five I shudder. I can't help it. Even though she's not exactly my type, it's not pleasant to think of Lila as some vampire's midnight snack. â€Å"Aren't you worried,† I ask, hoping to change the subject a little, â€Å"that Lila's just going to tell Drake not to show up at the prom since we'll be there waiting?† I say we and not you because there is no way I'm letting Mary go after this guy alone. Which I know Veronica would think is sexist, too. But Veronica's never seen Mary smile. â€Å"Are you kidding me?† Mary asks. She doesn't seem to notice the we. â€Å"I'm counting on her telling him. That way he'll show up for sure.† I stare at her. â€Å"Why would he do that?† â€Å"Because killing the exterminator's daughter will totally raise his crypt cred.† Now I'm blinking at her. â€Å"Crypt cred?† â€Å"You know,† she says, tossing her ponytail. â€Å"It's like street cred. Only among the undead.† â€Å"Oh.† Strangely, this does make sense. As much as anything else I've heard this evening. â€Å"They call your dad the, um, ‘exterminator'?† I'm having a hard time picturing Mary's dad wielding a crossbow the way she did. â€Å"No,† she says, the smile vanishing. â€Å"My mom. At least†¦ she used to be. Not just vampires, either, but evil entities of all kinds-demons, werewolves, poltergeists, ghosts, warlocks, genies, satyrs, loki, shedus, vetelas, titans, leprechauns-â€Å" â€Å"Leprechauns?† I echo in disbelief. But Mary simply shrugs. â€Å"If it was evil, Mom killed it. She just had a gift for it†¦ A gift,† Mary adds softly, â€Å"I really hope I've inherited.† I just sit there for a minute. I have to admit I'm a little stunned by everything that's gone down over the past couple of hours. Crossbows and vampires and exterminators? And what in the world is a vetela? I'm not even sure I want to know. No. Wait. I know I don't want to know. There's a humming noise inside my head that won't stop. The weird thing is, I kind of like it. â€Å"So,† Mary says, lifting her gaze to meet mine. â€Å"Do you believe me now?† â€Å"I believe you,† I say. What I can't believe, actually, is that I do. Believe her, I mean. â€Å"Good,† she says. â€Å"It would probably be better if you didn't tell anybody. Now, if you don't mind, I need to start getting things ready-â€Å" â€Å"Great. Tell me what you need me to do.† Her face clouds with trouble. â€Å"Adam,† she says. And there's something about the way her lips form my name that makes me feel a little crazy†¦ like I want to throw my arms around her and race around the room at the same time. â€Å"I appreciate the offer. I really do. But it's too dangerous. If I kill Drake-â€Å" â€Å"When you kill him,† I correct her. † – chances are, his father is going to show up,† she goes on, â€Å"looking for revenge. Maybe not tonight. And maybe not tomorrow. But soon. And when he does†¦ it isn't going to be pretty. It's going to be awful. A nightmare. It's going to be-â€Å" â€Å"Apocalyptic,† I finish for her, a slight shiver going down my spine as I speak the word. â€Å"Yes. Yes, exactly.† â€Å"Don't worry,† I say, ignoring the shiver. â€Å"I'm all set for that.† â€Å"Adam.† She shakes her head. â€Å"You don't understand. I can't-well, I can't guarantee I'll be able to protect you. And I certainly can't let you risk your life like that. It's different for me, because-well, because of my mom. But you-â€Å" I stop her. â€Å"Just tell me what time I'm picking you up.† She stares at me. â€Å"What?† â€Å"Sorry,† I say. â€Å"But you're not going to the prom by yourself. End of story.† And I must have looked really scary or something as I said it, because even though she opens her mouth to argue, she closes it again when she gets a look at my face, and only says, â€Å"Um. Okay.† Still, she has to add, â€Å"It's your funeral,† just to have the last word. Which is fine with me. She can have the last word. Because I know now that I've found her: my future partner in the inevitable struggle to survive in post-apocalyptic America. Mary The music is pounding in time to my heartbeat. I can feel the bass in my chest-badoom, badoom. It's hard to see across the room of writhing bodies, especially with the flickering light show coming down from the ballroom's ceiling. But I know he's here. I can feel him. And then I see him, moving across the dance floor toward me. He's holding two glasses of bloodred liquid, one in either hand. When he gets close enough, he hands me one of the glasses, then says, â€Å"Don't worry, it's not spiked. I checked.† I don't reply. I just sip the punch, grateful for the liquid-even if it is a little too sweet-because my throat is so dry. The thing is, I know I'm making a mistake. Letting Adam do this, I mean. But†¦ there's something about him. I don't know what it is. Something that sets him apart from all the rest of the dumb jocks in school. Maybe it's the way he saved me back at the club when I lost my nerve, his shooting at Sebastian Drake-progeny of the devil himself-with a ketchup-filled squirt gun. Or maybe it's the way he was so nice about my dad, not cracking any jokes about him being like Doc from the Back to the Future movies and even calling him sir. Or the way he picked up my mom's photo like that and seemed so stunned when I told him the truth about her. Or maybe it's just the way he looked when he showed up at quarter to eight this evening, so impossibly handsome in his tux-and even holding a red rose corsage for me†¦ despite that less than twenty-four hours ago, he hadn't even known he was going to the prom (good thing tickets were available for sale at the door). Oh well. Dad was ecstatic, for once acting like a normal parent, snapping photos-â€Å"For your mother to see, when she's better,† he kept saying-and trying to slip twenty-dollar bills into Adam's hand, telling him to â€Å"treat Mary to an ice cream after the dance.† Which frankly made me decide I like Dad better when he never comes out of the lab. Still. I knew I was making a mistake by not sending Adam packing right away. This is no job for amateurs. This is†¦ this is†¦ †¦ beautiful. I mean, that's how the ballroom looks. I almost gasped when I entered it on Adam's arm. (He insisted. So we'd look like a â€Å"normal couple† if Drake was there already and watching.) The Saint Eligius Prep prom committee really outdid themselves this year. Securing the four-story grand ballroom at the Waldorf-Astoria was a feat all on its own, but transforming it into such a sparkling romantic wonderland? Miraculous. I just hope all those rosettes and streamers are fireproof. I'd hate to see them go up in the flames that are bound to appear when Drake's corpse begins to self-conflagrate after I stab him in the chest. â€Å"So,† Adam says, as we stand on the edge of the dance floor, sipping our punch in a silence that's-to be frank-quickly gotten a little uncomfortable. â€Å"How's this going to go down, anyway? I don't see your crossbow anywhere.† â€Å"I'm just going with a stake,† I say, showing him my leg through the slit up the side of my gown. I'd strapped a hand-carved piece of ash there, using Mom's old thigh holster. â€Å"Keeping it sweet and simple.† â€Å"Oh,† Adam says, after choking on his punch a little. â€Å"Okay.† I realize he hasn't looked away from my inner thigh. I hastily lower my skirt. And it occurs to me-for the first time-that Adam might be in this for reasons other than wanting to liberate his best friend's girlfriend from the spell of a bloodsucking fiend. Except†¦ can such a thing even be possible? I mean, he's Adam Blum. And I'm just the new girl. He likes me, sure, but he doesn't like me. He can't. I've probably only got about ten minutes left to live. Unless something radically alters what I'm pretty sure is about to go down. Blushing, I keep my gaze on the gyrating couples in front of us. Mrs. Gregory from U.S. History is one of the chaperones. She's going around, trying to keep girls from grinding on their dates. She might as well try to keep the moon from rising. â€Å"It'd probably be best if you kept Lila busy,† I say, hoping he doesn't notice that my cheeks are now as scarlet as my gown, â€Å"while I'm doing the staking. We don't want her throwing herself in my path just to try to save him.† â€Å"That's what I dragged Ted here for,† Adam says, nodding toward Teddy Hancock, who's sitting slumped at a nearby table, looking out at the dance floor in a bored manner. Like the rest of us, he's just waiting for Lila-and her date-to arrive. â€Å"Still,† I say. â€Å"I don't want you anywhere near me when†¦ you know.† â€Å"I heard you the first nine million times you told me,† Adam mutters. â€Å"I know you can take care of yourself, Mary. You've made that abundantly clear.† I can't help wincing a little. He's not having a good time. I can tell. Well, so what? I didn't ask him to come! He invited himself! This isn't a date, anyway! It's a slaying! He knew that from the outset. He's the one changing the rules, not me. I mean, who am I kidding? I can't date. I have a legacy to fulfill. I'm the exterminator's daughter. I have to- â€Å"Want to dance?† Adam startles me by asking. â€Å"Oh,† I say, with some surprise. â€Å"I'd love to. But I really should-â€Å" â€Å"Great,† he says and takes me into his arms, steering me onto the dance floor. Prom Nights from Hell Chapter Five â€Å"Will died, Frankie,† she said. â€Å"The fall, the way he landed†¦ he didn't make it.† â€Å"I'm sorry†¦ what?† â€Å"Chen is on his way to get you. You'll stay with us, yes? As long as you want.† â€Å"No,† I said. â€Å"I mean†¦ I don't†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The box of waffles fell from my hand. â€Å"Will didn't die. Will couldn't have died?† â€Å"Frankie,† she said, her voice infinitely sad. â€Å"Please don't say that,† I said. â€Å"Please don't sound so†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I didn't understand how to make my mind work. â€Å"I know you loved him. We all did.† â€Å"Just wait† I said. â€Å"Spray painting? Will doesn't spray paint. That's something a pothead would do, not Will.† â€Å"Let's get you to the house. We'll talk about it then.† â€Å"But what was he spray painting? I don't understand!† Mrs. Yomiko didn't answer. â€Å"Let me speak to Yun Sun,† I pleaded. â€Å"Please! Put on Yun Sun!† There was a muffled exchange. Yun Sun came back on. â€Å"I'll tell you,† she said. â€Å"But you don't want to know.† A cold feeling spread over me, and suddenly, I didn't want to know. â€Å"He was spray painting a message. That's what he was up there doing.† She hesitated. â€Å"It said, ‘Frankie, will you go to prom with me? â€Å" I sank to the floor, next to a box of waffles. Why was there a box of waffles on the kitchen floor? â€Å"Frankie?† Yun Sun said. Tinny, faraway sound. â€Å"Frankie, are you there?† I didn't like that tinny sound. I pressed the Off button to make it go away. Will was buried in the Chapel Hill Cemetery. I sat, numb, through the funeral, which was closed-coffin because Will's body was too mangled to be viewed. I wanted to say good-bye, but how did you say good-bye to a box? At the grave site, I watched as Will's mother threw a handful of dirt into the hole where Will lay. It was horrible, but the horror felt distant and unreal. Yun Sun squeezed my hand. I didn't squeeze back. It rained that evening, a gentle spring shower. I imagined the ground, damp and cool around Will's coffin. I thought of Fernando, whose skull Madame Zanzibar had liberated after his coffin shifted in the wet earth. I reminded myself that the east side of the cemetery, where Will was buried, was newer, with tidy landscaping. And of course there were modern ways of digging graves now, more efficient than men with shovels. Will's coffin wouldn't come undug. It was impossible. I stayed with Yun Sun for nearly two weeks. My parents were called, and they offered to return from Botswana. I told them no. What good would it do? Their presence wouldn't bring Will back. At school, for the first few days, kids talked in hushed tones and stared at me as I passed. Some thought it was romantic, what Will did. Others thought it was stupid. â€Å"A tragedy† was the phrase most often used, spoken in mournful tones. As for me, I haunted the halls like the living dead. I would have ditched, but then I'd have been corralled by the counselor and forced to talk about my feelings. Which wasn't going to happen. My grief was my own, a skeleton that would rattle forever within me. One week after Will's death, and exactly one week before prom, kids started talking less about Will and more about dresses and dinner reservations and limos. A sallow girl from Will's chemistry class got upset and said prom should be canceled, but others argued no, prom must go on. It's what Will would have wanted. Yun Sun and I were consulted, since we were his best friends. (And since I, though they didn't say it, was the girl he died for.) Yun Sun's eyes welled with tears, but after a shaky moment, she said it would be wrong to ruin everyone's plans, that sitting home and mourning wouldn't do anyone any good. â€Å"Life goes on,† she said. Her boyfriend, Jeremy, nodded. He put his arm around her and drew her close. Lucy, president of the prom committee, placed her hand over her heart. â€Å"So true,† she said. She turned to me with an overly solicitous expression. â€Å"What about you, Frankie? Do you think you could get behind it?† I shrugged. â€Å"Whatever.† She embraced me, and I staggered. â€Å"Okay, guys, we're on!† she called, bounding across the commons. â€Å"Trixie, back to work on the cherry blossoms. Jocelyn, tell the Paper Affair lady we need a hundred blue streamers and don't take no for an answer!† On the afternoon of the dance, two hours before Jeremy was due to pick up Yun Sun, I crammed my stuff in my duffel bag and told her I was going home. â€Å"What?† she said. â€Å"No!† She put down a hot roller. Her makeup lay in front of her on her vanity, her Babycakes body glitter and Dewberry lip gloss, and her dress hung over the hook of her open bathroom door. It was lilac, with a sweetheart neckline. It was gorgeous. â€Å"It's time,† I said. â€Å"Thank you for letting me stay so long†¦ but it's time.† Her mouth turned down. She wanted to argue, but she knew it was true. I wasn't happy here. That in itself wasn't the issue-I wasn't going to be happy anywhere-but moping around the Komikos' house was making me feel trapped and making Yun Sun feel helpless and guilty. â€Å"But it's prom,† Yun Sun said. â€Å"Won't that be weird, being alone in your house on the night of prom?† She came over to me. â€Å"Stay till tomorrow. I'll be quiet when I come in, I swear. And I promise not to go on and on about†¦ you know. The after-parties and who hooked up and who passed out in the girls' bathroom.† â€Å"You should get to go on about that stuff, though,† I said. â€Å"You should stay out as late as you want and come in as loudly as you want and be giddy and spazzy and all that.† Unexpectedly, my eyes filled with tears. â€Å"You should, Yun Sun.† She touched my arm. I pulled away, but in what I hoped was an unobvious manner. â€Å"So should you, Frankie,† she said. â€Å"Yeah†¦ well.† I heaved my bag over my shoulder. â€Å"Call me any time,† she said. â€Å"I'll keep my cell on, even at the dance.† â€Å"Okay.† â€Å"And if you change your mind, if you decide you want to stay-â€Å" â€Å"Thanks.† â€Å"Or even if you decide to come to prom! We all want you there-you know that, right? It doesn't matter that you don't have a date.† I winced. She didn't mean it the way it sounded, but it most certainly did matter that I didn't have a date, because that date would have been Will. And I didn't have him not because he liked another girl or was suffering from a terrible case of the flu, but because he was dead. Because of me. â€Å"Oh God,† Yun Sun said. â€Å"Frankie†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I waved her off. I didn't want any more touching. â€Å"It's all right.† We stood in a bubble of awkwardness. â€Å"I miss him, too, you know,† she said. I nodded. Then I left. I returned to my empty house to find that the electricity was out. Perfect. This happened more often than it should have: Afternoon thunderstorms threw tree branches into the transformers, and entire neighborhoods lost power for several hours. Or the power would go out for no reason. Maybe too many people had their air conditioners on and the circuits overloaded, that was my theory. Will's theory was ghosts, ha ha ha. â€Å"They've come to spoil your milk,† he'd say in a spooky voice. Will. My throat tightened. I tried not to think about him, but it was impossible, so I let him exist there with me in my mind. I fixed myself a peanut butter sandwich, which I didn't eat. I went upstairs and lay on my bed without turning down the covers. Shadows deepened. An owl hooted. I stared at my ceiling until I could no longer make out the spider-web cracks. In the dark, my thoughts went places they shouldn't. Fernando. Madame Zanzibar. You're just like all the rest, aren't you? Desperate for a heart-stopping romance? It was that very desperation that gave birth to my stupid Madame Zanzibar plan and even stupider wish. That's what prodded Will into action. If only I'd never taken the damn corsage! I bolted upright. Oh my God-the damn corsage! I grabbed my cell and held down the â€Å"three,† Yun Sun's speed dial. ?One? was for Mom and Dad; ?two? was for Will. I still hadn't deleted his name, and now I wouldn't have to. â€Å"Yun Sun!† I cried when she answered. â€Å"Frankie?† she said. â€Å"S.O.S.† by Rihanna blared in the background. â€Å"Are you okay?† â€Å"I'm fine,† I said. â€Å"Better than fine! I mean, the power's out, it's pitch-black, and I'm all alone, but whatever. I won't be for long.† I giggled and fumbled my way into the hall. â€Å"Huh?† Yun Sun said. More noise. People laughing. â€Å"Frankie, I can hardly hear you.† â€Å"The corsage. I've got two wishes left!† I jogged downstairs, zinging with glee. â€Å"Frankie, what are you-â€Å" â€Å"I can bring him back, don't you get it? Everything will be good again. We can even go to prom!†

Best Buy Business Analysis

Best Buy Contemporary Business Abstract This research paper focuses on the functionality of Best Buy’s website. It further discusses the how Best Buy promotes their products. There is a description about how their website informs the consumer about the capabilities of their products. Further there is an evaluation of the contact information which includes the many options for contacting them. Due to the large variety of the products offered by Best Buy there are many ways for them to customize products to the customer needs which they attribute their sustainability. Also there is a discussion about the marketing strategies and what is in place on their website. Additionally there is an analysis of the corporation’s privacy policy and response to a security breach with recommendations on how to prevent further compromises. Describe and evaluate a major corporation’s Website in these four areas: (1) product information, (2) corporation’s contact information, (3) customization of products for customers, and (4) customer information at purchase. Best Buy Incorporated, founded by Richard Schulze in 1966, is a top provider of electronics (Form 10K, 2011). Best Buy is also a Fortune 500 hundred company is considered the largest retailer in its class who dominates the market by accounting for 21 percent of the market (Form 10K, 2011). Best Buy Inc is also globally diverse with stores in Canada, China, United Kingdom and Mexico (Form 10K, 2011). Best Buy conduct online operations through many different brand names; BestBuy. com, BestBuy. ca, BestBuy. co. uk, BestBuyMobile. com, CarphoneWarehouse. com, Five-Star. com, FutureShop. ca, Geek Squad, Magnolia Audio Video, Napster. om, and PhoneHouse. com (Form 10K, 2011). Each brand name targets a specific market internationally. Best Buy employs a robust website which features all of their electronics, home office and entertainment products, appliances and services. When selecting an item the consumer has access to a multitude of information about the product. For example, when selecting a flat screen television the first thing that stands out is â€Å"free shipping† then right underne ath is the price, both which is very important to the consumer. Also on this page are credit card advertising and solicitation, protection plans and the ‘buy back’ program. Additionally they have a general description of the product features which gives basic information about the television. As a show of confidence in their product and the service they provide, there is a section dedicated for ‘customer reviews’ where those who has experienced the product can voice their opinion on a 1 to 5 scale. Best Buy shows the individual reviews and an average of the totals. This can prove valuable to the consumer when needing the opinion of someone that has experienced the products functionality to give an assessment of its operation. Additionally there is a ‘specification’ section which gives more detailed description about the characteristics of the product. Further there is a ‘learn’ section which educates the consumer about the featured terms used when reading technical information on the product and a featured guide section which gives detailed information about research and development of the various types of products. Finally Best Buy offers a ‘accessories’ section which give the customer suggested product that are compatible to the specific item which also can be purchase from their store. Best Buy’s corporate contact information link presents the customer with a whole host of information about the organization. The ‘about best buy’ link opens the book about the company. This link gives stock quote and the latest news releases on what the company is offering, tips on shopping and more. There is also information on careers, a link for the investors and developers, sustainability, community relations, site map, and affiliate programs. The ‘contact us’ link offers many avenues in which to contact several departments within the corporate umbrella. The Best Buy corporate customer care supplies their postal and e-mail addresses and phone number. There is also a means to get in contact with the public relations department and vendor inquiries. On the ‘Sustainability’ link Best Buy takes pride in educating customers on technology so they can make the correct decisions when in the market to purchase products to fit their use (Sustainability, 2011). Their site states, â€Å"Through education, influencing public policy and driving industry innovation, we want to help you learn about technology solutions and how to use them to enrich your life and our world at the same time (Sustainability, 2011). † With the large variety of products and their willingness to educate consumers on their products shows they make a great ffort to satisfy their customers’ needs and to influence them to purchase products from them. When checking out Best buy provides the customer and option to purchase matching accessories and protection packages. Then there is an opportunity to subscribe as a recurring customer by checking out and building your profile which will save the customers information for future purchases that wil l speed up the checkout process or there is an option to check out as a guess which will only save the consumers information for the purpose of checking out. Either way at this point is where the customer enters billing information to include; name, address, phone number, and e-mail address. Once the free delivery date has been selected then the customer is directed to the payment method window where the option to pay using a credit card or PayPal to pay for the items. This page also offers links to; conditions of use, legal notices, and privacy policy. On the privacy policy link Best Buy Web site employs TRUSTe and uses encryption technology to protect personal information. Describe and evaluate three (3) of the corporation’s Internet marketing strategies and the competitive advantages its Website provides. Best buy utilizes differentiating product by applying the positioning concept by establishing their products in the mind of the consumers as soon as you visit their web site. They accomplish this by showing an array of products to gain the attention of the customer giving the impression since they have a large variety of products then there will be an item the consumer will want to buy. In comparison the H. H. Gregg site which has a limited selection to choose from. Best Buy also uses the provide information strategy providing detailed information about each of their products and affording customers to write a review about their purchases gives the customer the most up to date information about their experience with their new item. In marketing, people, is a very important element in the promotion of the organizations product (3 Keys, 2009). Word of mouth is the most effective advertisement to influence others to patronize the company (3 Keys, 2009). They also accentuate product value by offering extended warranty plans in addition to the factory warranty and they have also implemented a ‘buy back’ plan where the customer buys into the plan which guarantees the price Best Buy will pay for product purchased. All of these incentives prove Best Buy backs and has a strong confidence in their wide variety of products which gives them the competitive advantage. Analyze and evaluate the corporation’s privacy / security policy and the corporation’s response to the security breach. Best Buy employ’s TRUSTe and encryption technology to protect the privacy of their customer personal information (Privacy, 2011). Within their privacy policy they advertise they take the customers privacy seriously (Privacy, 2011). It tells what information is collected, how it’s used, how it’s shared how they protect you information, and the customer choices regarding their personal information (Privacy, 2011). They collect highly sensitive information to include; name, postal address, e-mails address, phone number, credit card number, driver’s licenses number, social security number when applying for credit and demographic information (Privacy, 2011). All of which if compromised would cause grave consequences for their customers. Additionally Best Buy admits they collect information through cookies which saves data on the customer’s personal computer (Privacy, 2011). But advertises the cookies are used to create a personalized shopping experience on their websites (Privacy, 2011). Best buy uses this information for marketing practices, customer’s transactions, research and analysis, managing customer accounts, e-mail communications, and advertising (Privacy, 2011). They maintain this information for as long and the customer has an account with them and to comply with legal issues (Privacy, 2011). Best Buy shares customer’s information within their organizations other websites and legal ramification may require (Privacy, 2011). There is also a disclaimer Best Buy will share personal identifiable information in the event of a sale, merger, or disbanding (Privacy, 2011). Best Buy victim to hackers recently which acquired access to customer files (Security Breach, 2011). Their reaction to the security breach was to inform customers of the breach and warned them to ignore emails asking for confidential information but acknowledged there credit card information was safe (Security Breach, 2011). Recommend and provide rationale for two (2) methods and/or tools to ensure greater security for customers One thing which seems to stick out the most is Best Buy will share personal identifiable information in the event the company disbands. It would be better to purge this information to avoid compromise. When disbanded there is no guarantee the information would have the same protection engines in place as the company had while in business. There is not any mention of an outside computer security organization to monitor their systems for hacking. Since hacker have stepped up their effort and have been successful on many occasions it would be wise to step up security measures in order to prevent future compromise. Conclusion This analysis was conducted to provide a description of best Buy’s website and its functionality. How the products are displayed, promoted and the robust details they give about each of their item. Best Buy uses many marketing strategies to promote their products which give them the competitive advantage. Additionally there is a look in Best Buy’s security practices and a how compromises are handled. References United States Securities and Exchange Commission Form 10K (2011, May). Best Buy Corporation, Commission File Number 1-9595. 4-7. Retrieved November 25, 2011, from http://phx. corporate-ir. net/External. File? item=UGFyZW50SUQ9NDI0NDcyfENoaWxkSUQ9NDM5MjU1fFR5cGU9MQ==&t=1. Best Buy. com (2011). Sustainability Report. Retrieved November 25, 2011, from http://sustainability. bby. com/management-approach/sustainable-solutions/. DesignDamage. com (2009, July). 3 Keys to Improve Your Brand in Social Marketing. Retrieved November 26, 2011, from http://www. designdamage. com/tag/best-buy/. Best Buy. com (2011, July). Privacy Policy. Retrieved November 26, 2011, from https://www-ssl. bestbuy. com/site/olspage. jsp? id=cat12102&type=page&contentId=1218227255732&entryURLID=pcat17011&entryURLType=page&h=488. MPRNEWS (2011, April). Best Buy, US Bank Among Companies Warning of Security Breach. Retrieved November 26, 2011, from http://minnesota. publicradio. org/display/web/2011/04/04/data-breach-best-buy-epsilon/.

Compare Polymers Metal And Ceramics Architecture Essay

Ceramicss are inorganic and nonmetallic stuffs formed from metallic and nonmetallic elements whose interatomic bonds are either ionic or largely ionic. Many of the ceramics desirable belongingss are obtained normally by a high temperature heat intervention. Ceramicss are made up of two or more elements. In a crystalline construction is more complex than that of metals. When the bonding is largely ionic the crystal construction is made up of positively charged metallic ions, cations, negatively charged nonmetallic ions and anions. When the ions are bonded together the overall charge must be impersonal. To hold a stable system the anions in the construction that surround a cation must be in contact with that peculiar ion. There needs to be a ratio of the cation radius to the anion radius for the coordination and apprehension of the constructions geometry. If for illustration there is a deficiency of coordination, the cation would be falsely incased by the anions therefore doing a prost ration in its expected structural stableness. There are many different types of constructions exist for ceramics. One crystal construction is the AX type where there are an equal figure of cations and anions. Another crystal construction that exists for ceramics has a different figure of cations and anions but still has a impersonal charge because the ions have different magnitudes of charge is called an AmXp construction. An AmBnXp construction has more than one type of cation, represented by A and B but merely one type of anion. This type of construction is besides seen in close wadding of ions in metals. Imperfections occur in the crystal construction of ceramics really similar to metal structural defects. Defects can happen in each of the two ions of the construction. At any clip there can be cation, anion interstitials, cation or anion vacancies. Most defects or imperfectnesss occur in braces to keep the electroneutrality. A Frenkel defect is a cation vacancy and cation interst itial brace. When a cation and anion vacancy brace occurs they are called a Schottky defect. Ceramicss can besides hold drosss in the crystal construction like metals.Figure 12.21 gives a conventional diagram of the Frenkel and a Schotkey defects ( pg 435 ) .In many instances ceramics tend to be really brickle which can take to ruinous failure with really few marks of weariness. This is due to the fact that ceramics absorb really small energy before they fracture. When ceramics are subjected to a tensile emphasis, they about ever break before any fictile distortion takes topographic point. Fracture occurs because of the formation and extension of clefts perpendicular to the applied burden. Ceramicss have a greater ability to defy compaction than tenseness. The modulus of snap lessenings with more pores in the ceramic stuff. When there are many pores in the stuff they act as emphasis concentrators which expose the stuff to weak part. However, ceramics are really difficult and are goo d for applications where abradant or crunching action is needed. Most polymers are organic and are composed of hydrocarbons with interatomic forces that are represented as covalent bonds. Most polymers ironss are rather long and really complex. These long molecules are made up of repetition units which are repeated along the concatenation. The smaller repetition unit is called a monomer. Polymers can be made up of a individual repetition unit, called a homopolymer, or two or more different reiterating units called copolymers. Polymers by and large have a really big molecular weight. These molecular ironss tend to hold many kinking, bending, and gyrating along with web with adjacent ironss may happen. This causes the result stuff to be really elastic. Polymer ironss can hold side groups which cause different constellations based on which side and with what regularity they bond. They can show a degree of crystallinity similar to the wadding of the molecular ironss to make an ordered atomic array. This crystal construction can be much more complex than metallic crystal constructions. Defects in polymers besides differ from those found in metals and ceramics. Defects in polymers are linked to the concatenation ends because they are somewhat different than the concatenation itself and emerge from the sections of the crystal. Polymers are really sensitive to strive rate, temperature, and chemical nature of the environment. Different polymers can exhibit different emphasis strain behaviour depending on the compl exness of the molecular concatenation. Certain polymers display a degree of is brickle where break occurs before elastic distortion which is really similar in the instance of ceramics. Another type of polymers is really similar to metals where elastic distortion takes topographic point foremost followed by giving and fictile distortion. A 3rd type is exhibited by elastomers which have wholly elastic and recoverable distortion. Polymers by and large have a lower modulus of snap and tensile strength so metals. Some Polymers can be stretched up to ten times longer than its original province where metals and ceramics can non easy carry through. Polymers exhibit viscoelasticity at temperatures between where elastic and liquid like behaviours are prevailing. Similar to metals and ceramics, polymers can see weirdo. Creep is a clip dependent factor due to deformation under emphasis or elevated temperature. In both ceramics and polymers, creep depends on clip and temperature. Polymers may be malleable or brickle depending on temperature, strain rate, specimen geometry, and manner of lading which is really similar to the belongingss of metals. Polymers are brickle at low temperatures and have somewhat low impact strengths. Polymers can see weariness under a insistent burden. They are by and large softer than metals and ceramics and unlike metals and ceramics, polymer runing occur over a scope of temperatures alternatively at a specific temperature. Metallic elements are a stuff made up of metallic elements that are bonded metallically similar common metal. The negatrons are non bound to any peculiar atom making a matrix of ion nucleuss surrounded by many negatrons. They are really good music directors of heat and electricity where as ceramics and polymers are missing. Polymers and metals are both malleable and are non that brickle though metals besides exhibit a degree of plasticity. Ceramicss are really brittle, they tend to fracture under a burden which means they are missing in ductileness. Polymers are the softest stuff due to their complex construction, while ceramics are the hardest but are non really tough because they fracture before fictile distortion occurs. Polymers plastically deform really easy and have the smallest Young ‘s modulus. Ceramicss have the highest value because of their crispness and ne'er reach the point of fictile distortion because they would fracture foremost. The values of Young ‘s mod ulus for metals fall between those for polymers and ceramics. These three stuffs have diverse constructions and exhibit different degrees of defects.â€Å" Alloying, † utilizing the term in the broadest sense.Simply an metal is a metal compound that consists of 2 or more metal or nonmetallic elements. These combinations of metallic and non metallic elements finally create new compounds that in consequence show superior structural belongingss as compared to the elements by themselves. The type of metal mixtures is extremely dependent on the coveted mechanical belongings of the stuff. Alloying can be applied to metals, ceramics and polymers where in each particular belongingss are desired. One of the most coveted belongingss of metal metal is the hardenability. A stuff with a high degree of hardness will defy distortion caused by surface indenture or scratch while a stuff with a low hardness degree will deform more easy under similar conditions. The chief factor in a stuff ‘s hardenability is its martensite ( the rate which austenitized Fe C metals are formed when cooled ) besides content and is related to the sum of C in a stuff. With this application of debasing on metals, the stuff can exhibit greater strain and emphasis oppositions every bit good as snap. These belongingss are favourable when covering with building and fabrication procedures. A ceramic metal is fundamentally a merger of a ceramic with of 2 or more metals. As seen in metal metals, ceramic metals can dwell of dross atoms in a solid province. In ceramic metals an interstitial and substitutional provinces are possible. In an interstitial type, the anion has to be bigger than the dross of the ionic radius. The substitutional dross applies where the dross atom normally forms a cation in the ceramic stuff therefore the host cation will be substituted.Figure 12.23 provides a great ocular representation of interstitial and substitutional types in a ceramic metal ( pg 437 ) .Significantly, to decently accomplish a solid province of solubility for replacing dross atoms, the charge and the ionic size must be as the same as the host ion. If they were different it there would necessitate to be some other manner for the electroneutrality to be maintained within the solid. An easy manner to make this is to make a formation of lattice defects of vacancies or interstitial of both ion types. Cobalt Cr is a perfect illustration of a ceramic metal in which was designed to be used for coronary intercessions therefore because it does non degrade one time placed in the human organic structure. Polymer alloys consist of two or more different types of polymers in a sense blended together. There are a assortment of additives that can be blended or mixed in with the polymer to make the coveted consequence for the stuff. Polymer additives that support the alteration of its physical belongingss are fillers, plasticisers, stabilizers and of class fire retardents. Fillers are by and large introduced to a polymer, when a greater comprehensive strength and thermic stableness is desired. Making these types of metals are really good because they are by and large really easy to make and utilize in their coveted signifier. Plasticizers help better the flexibleness and stamina of polymers by cut downing the hardness and stiffness of the stuff. They are frequently introduced to polymers that are by and large brickle at room temperature. These additives are particularly utile because they by and large lower the glass passage temperature therefore leting the polymer to hold a extent of bend ability. Due to the fact that certain polymers are non resilient to environmental conditions, stabilizers are introduced. They provide stableness and unity against impairment against the mechanical belongingss. The two most common signifiers of environmental impairment are UV exposure and oxidization. A major concern with many polymers is that they are extremely flammable. Fire retardents are introduced to such polymers to cut down the combustibleness of the stuff by interfering with its ability to burn through a gas stage or originating a different burning reaction that generates less heat. This procedure will cut down the temperature that would finally discontinue the combustion procedure.Kirill Shkolnik105940393 ESG 332 – R01 Exam # 2 ( Question # 2 )Describe with mention to phase diagrams and disruption theory, how precipitation age hardening can be achieved in aluminium metals.By and large aluminium is a metal with a low degree of denseness compared to other metals. Due to this low degree of denseness, it conducts electricity and heat better than Cu. Aluminums merely over 1200 grades Fahrenheit which is comparably low to other metals. Due to these simple facts, it seems ideal to bond elements such as Ti, Si, Cu, Zn and other stuffs to amplify aluminiums positive properties. The procedure precipitation age hardening can magnify the alloying of aluminium. This procedure involves supersaturating a solid solution precipitating equally dispersed atoms on the aluminium. This will assist halt the motion of disruptions within the metal construction. The basic construct of disruption is the atomic misalignment of atoms in a additive plane. These atomic misalignments affect a whole series of atoms on a plane. The series of misalign atoms form a line called a disruption line. There are two known types of disruption called the prison guard and border disruption. Screw disruption and border disruption are the primary types of disruptions but require a certain sum of each other to happen. By cut downing the sum of disruptions can radically increase the strength in the metal. The procedure of debasing normally makes a pure stuff harder. The procedure of debasing is holding one metal bond with dross atoms from other stuffs to alter its mechanical belongingss. An debasing procedure called solid solution debasing uses a solution to replace bonds inside the metal. The modification of disruption motion is a major factor for debasing because it can be used to beef up metals. Debasing metals with the precipitation hardening makes the strength of the new stuff stronger as the advancement of the procedure is delayed. The ground for precipitation hardening is sought after is because of its abilities in do ing metals stronger. Aluminum metals can hold precipitation in a really specific manner. Heat intervention occurs when one stuff is heated a supersaturated mixture at a specific stage and so two different stages can be present together. A precipitate signifiers in little pieces throughout the full stuff. When the mixture is at its equilibrium, the forming procedure comes to an terminal. The little pieces of precipitate so spread together to organize one big precipitate. This phase of the precipitate tends to weaken the stuffs cardinal construction. The little pieces of precipitate in the stuff make it harder for disruptions to travel. When strength of the stuff diminishes due to the motion of the precipitate it is called overaging. There are two things need for heat interventions to be applied.Figure 11.21 provides a graphical representation the relationship between temperature and composing for aluminium and Cu ( pg 402 ) .The Cu stage represented at a shows a supersaturated solid solution in aluminium while the compound that between the two elements is symbolized as? . Interestingly the point M represents the max solubility point at certain temperature and composing in the stuff. Point N represents the solubility bound of a and ( a + ? ) L symbolizes the temperature needed for the solution to go a liquid. If a major sum of solute is made available in the solution, we would hold a precipitation hardened metal. The bound of the solubility curve immensely decreases in concentration as the temperature decreases. There are two different ways precipitation can happen. One procedure is the usage heat intervention where the solute can be dissolved to organize a solid individual stage solution. This method can be done by heating an metal to a really high temperature.Figure 11.24 shows that the? stage is blended into a stage ( pg 404 ) .Then the metal is cooled where all that is left is a supersaturated a stage. Precipitation heat intervention the ( a + ? ) stage is heated to a specific temperature to let the? stage to precipitate. The metal is cooled and the hardness of the metal is determined by clip. A logarithmic map a comparing with strength and clip proves the dependance of temperature and strength.Kirill Shkolnik105940393 ESG 332 – R01 Exam # 2 ( Question # 3 )Describe what is meant by the term â€Å" glass passage temperature † and exemplify your reply from polymer and ceramic point of position.Typically a glass passage temperature is where a noncrystalline signifier of a polymer or a ceramic is cooled and transforms from a super cooled liquid into a glass. A ceramic or a glassy stuff is a noncrystalline stuff that becomes progressively more syrupy when it is cooled. Due to the fact that glassy stuffs are noncrystalline there is no definite temperature when the liquid will transform into a solid. Though, it is besides of import to observe that in noncrystalline stuffs the specific volume is dependent on temperature and will diminish with the temperature. The glass passage temperature displays a decrease in the rate at which the particular volume decreases with temperature. When the temperature is below this value, the stuff is in a ceramic from and straight above this point the stuff is considered a superco oled liquid. The glass passage temperature occurs in both glassy and semicrystalline polymers, but non in crystalline stuffs. As certain molecular ironss in noncrystalline stuffs temperature bead due to miss of gesture the glass temperature passage occurs. Basically glass passage is the clip in which a steady transmutation occurs from the liquid province to a somewhat rubberlike province and so to the concluding more stiff solid stuff. The glass passage temperature is the province in which the stuff goes from its rubbery to stiff province. This passage can take topographic point in both waies. As a polymer for illustration is cooled to a stiff solid, it can be heated and undergo the same passage in contrary. As the stuff undergoes all of these alterations its belongingss change from province to province. Some stuffs can see greater alteration include the stiffness, heat capacity, and the coefficient of thermic enlargement for the stuff during this passage. The glass passage temperature besides acts as a bound boundary for applications of polymers and polymer matrix like constituents. If this temperature is beyond the stuff threshold, it will no longer suit the coveted belongingss the undertaking had called for and the application would be useless. The molecules that had been frozen in topographic point below the will both revolve and interpret at the temperatures above. Molecular features have an impact on the concatenation ‘s stiffness and will in bend affect the glass passage temperature for the stuff. Some molecular features that can do the concatenation ‘s flexibleness to be reduced and the glass passage temperature to increase that include bulky side groups on the molecular concatenation. Besides these features can impact polar atoms or groups of polar atoms on the side of the molecular concatenation, dual bonds, and aromatic groups. The glass passage temperature will besides increase as the molecular weight of the stuff additions. Branching besides influences the of a stuff, many subdivisions will diminish the ironss mobility and addition, a lower denseness of subdivisions will do the to diminish as the molecular ironss will hold a freer scope of gesture. Crosslinks can happen in glassy polymers and can impact, they cause the decrease of gesture and hence addition. If there are excessively many crosslinks occur in the stuff, the molecular gesture would be so limited that glass passage may non happen. It can be understood that many of the same molecular features which affect the glass passage temperature besides affect the thaw passage temperature. The two are affected in such a similar mode that is normally someplace between 0.5 to 0.8 times the runing passage temperature.Figure 15.19 demonstrates this mathematic relationship ( pg 548 ) .Both ceramic and polymers have a glass passage temperature. A glass can be referred to by several different names ; such as vitreous solid, an formless solid or glassy solid. An formless solid has the mechanical belongingss of a solid, but does non hold long scope molecular order where they are in gesture at a really slow rate that it be considered stiff for regular intents. When glassy stuffs have be en supercooled below the glass passage temperature they will take on features similar to those of a crystalline solid. This solid will go stiff with an increased hardness and will be more brickle. However, if a glassy stuff is heated to above its glass passage temperature it will go softer and many of the intermolecular bonds will interrupt leting the stuff to flux at an increasing fluid viscousness. A polymer below the glass passage temperature is more stiff, but as it enters its glass passage stage, the stuff becomes more rubbery as its viscousness additions. The polymer can come in its glass passage at a lower temperature when critical factors that normally affect the gesture of the molecules in the stuff are non all present. When molecular weight of a polymer additions, the glass passage temperature will besides increase. Many factors that increase the the gum elastic gasket would non make its occupation decently.Polymers can exhibit the undermentioned constructions: formless, semi-crystalline and crystalline. Describe these constructions and explicate how the mechanical belongingss may be influenced by these structural signifiers for a polymer of the same chemical expression.Polymers can develop formless, semi-crystalline and crystalline constructions of the same chemical expression. Polymers can be as liquids, semi solids, or solids related to the crystal constructions severally. However each of these constructions exhibit a assortment of different mechanical belongingss. The crystallinity of a polymer depends on the intermolecular secondary bonding which will to a great extent act upon the extent of any mechanical belongings of the polymer. The tensile strength, elastic modulus and compaction strength of a crystalline construction will be stronger than a semicrystalline construction and significantly stronger than formless type construction. For a crystalline construction the molecular ironss of the polymer are tightly packed together in an organized atomic group which take up infinite and will impact the polymers mechanical belongingss. These crystalline constructions are to a great extent influenced by the glass passage temperature. Besides the isomer and chemical expression lays out important factors that will be really of import in the formation of the bulk stuff construction. From certain big bulky functional groups there becomes an at hand hinderance that will suppress the motion capableness of a molecule. This procedure will increase the energy demand for any stage alteration. The result of this procedure is a greater passage temperature. This new temperature passage will increase the opportunities for the formation of a crystalline construction. The ground for this is and clip span before the stuff becomes a disorganised liquid and requires a longer clip for the molecules to set up themselves decently. When polymers have many subdivisions the weaker the stuff will be, even though crystalline constructions are stronger than less ordered stuffs.Figure 15.18 demonstrates the alteration in these structural provinces when specific volume and temperature are compared ( pg 546 ) .Pure polymers have a really little runing point scopes and bond strength. Doped polymers and polymer metals will by and large hold wider runing point scopes. The procedure of ramific ation will diminish the strength of a polymer, which would continuously diminish the thaw point temperature. Though, the act of ramifying on to a great extent heavy subdivisions will diminish molecule mobility. Besides within this procedure the molecular weight is affected every bit good.Kirill Shkolnik105940393 ESG 332 – R01 Exam # 2 ( Question # 4 )How are T-T-T and C-C-T diagrams used to plan heat intervention agendas for field C steels.Time-Temperature-Transformation or T-T-T and uninterrupted chilling transmutation or C-C-T are used for heat intervention agendas for field C steel. T-T-T are normally known as an isothermal transmutation diagrams can demo the alteration of different stages at certain temperatures. C-C-T can be used to cipher percent transmutation against the logarithm map through clip. The usage the isothermal transmutation and uninterrupted chilling transmutation diagrams can be used to develop a heat intervention for field C steels. These diagrams will back up the apprehension of C steels through stage diagrams. When a construction is heat treated, its chilling procedure helps retain its construction. This procedure can be analyzed through T-T-T.Figure 10.13 displays a graphical representation of temperature against clip with a 3rd dimension with the per centum of the steel metal transformed to pearlite ( pg 326 ). The apprehension of a rapid chilling metal sully depends on the apprehension and application of heat intervention. It is understood that isothermal transmutations do non alter in temperature but uninterrupted chilling transmutation diagrams do. C-C-T and T-T-T display the same dimensions but over a larger spectrum of clip and temperature.Figure 10.28 shows different signifiers of steel metals ( pg 338 ) .A stuff that has been cooled to a temperature so mewhat below its eutectoid temperature, and isothermal transmutation is maintained for an drawn-out period of clip, interestingly it can non be depicted on T-T-T diagrams in spheroid signifiers.