Michael Martin

The second edition describes and reflects the nature and impact of the numerous developments that have occurred in this field over the past decade, such as the emergence of new speech testing materials; the advancement in the provision of cochlear implants to both adults and children; and the availability of new technology in the form of compact and video discs which has enabled a far wider range of professionals to have access to more sophisticated forms of speech testing.

The dominant star shaped fortress on Spike Island testifies to its strategic importance in the once heavily fortified bastion of British military might that was Cork Harbour. Beneath and around this edifice however lies the story of an island steeped in extensive Irish heritage that stretches further back into the mists of Irelands past beyond the arrival of the Normans and on through to the darkest period of Irish history. From an island of ecclesiastical retreat and contemplation to a dark and godforsaken destination of victims of Irelands Great Famine, Spike Island has been a part of two contrasting periods in Irish history. The era of saints and scholars during which Spike was described as a Holy Island is set against a later backdrop of famine, disease and death and the dark judicial practice that saw men and boys transported from it to the penal colonies of distant Australia.This book explores the island through these two very different environments from the founding of the monastery there by Saint Carthage to the use of the island as a place of detention, punishment and undignified death. From saints to starvation, Spike Island embodies a part of the brightest a darkest legacy of Irelands history.

Within hours of the sinking of RMS Lusitania by a German submarine off the Cork coast in May 1915, a narrative was created which over time became the accepted truth of the incident. Many people today still believe the sinking of the Lusitania was a savage attack on an innocent vessel that brought America into the war. In this book, author and historian Michael Martin raises a series of disturbing questions that challenge this longheld perspective. Examining a raft of old and new evidence suggesting a more sinister function of RMS Lusitania, this book explores the widespread use of civilian vessels within the war effort; it shines a light on the operational response of the Royal Navy in the immediate aftermath of the incident; and it looks at the nature of the response of the United States at this crucial juncture. And, above all, this book questions the narrative that has grown up around one of the most pivotal junctures in the war to end all wars.

In the late 1980s, the army crisis was dominating headlines in Ireland. Complaints of poor pay, low morale and unsatisfactory conditions for those serving in the Defence Forces were growing louder against the background of a government accused of being indifferent and an army hierarchy accused of being incapable. From amidst the turmoil, a group of women stepped up to pursue the rights of their men. Political crisis and a general election followed, but a commission established to examine the Defence Forces ignored the call for soldiers to acquire their own representative body. This book reveals for the first time, the deep-seated philosophies, tensions and reservations between Irelands military and its government from the foundation of the State to the present day. It explores in detail the events that led to the successful pursuit of the democratic right of association for members of the armed forces in Ireland. It articulates the concept of the citizen in uniform and the special relationship between members of the armed forces and society. This is the story of the breaking of ranks.

Quien haya visto alguna vez el juego de las sombras en las dunas del Sahara o el espeluznante fenómeno de las "piedras deslizantes" en el Valle de la Muerte; quien haya observado la sorprendente adaptacion de animales y plantas a su inhospito entorno; quien haya vivido la experiencia de la subita aparicion de un oasis despues de vagar durante semanas por el desierto o haya presenciado el pasa de una caravana cargada de sal, sin duda ya no puede desprenderse de la fascinacion que ejercen estos inmensos y majestuosos mares de arena.

Introducción al ateísmo recoge dieciocho ensayos originales de los más prestigiosos estudiosos del mundo sobre los aspectos más significados del ateísmo: su historia, tanto antigua como moderna, su defensa y sus repercusiones. Asi, se buscan las relaciones que pudieran existir entre el ateismo y una amplia gama de disciplinas y temas academicos como la filosofia, la sociologia, la psicologia, la religion, el feminismo o los estudios sobre la posmodernidad. Quienes defienden su viabilidad hacen una critica de los argumentos teistas esgrimidos por los autores clasicos y contemporaneos para, basandose en el argumento del mal y en el de la imposibilidad, acabar defendiendo una moralidad al margen de la religion. Estos ensayos constituyen una lucida introduccion y nos ayudan a entender el ateismo en toda su profundidad y complejidad, permitiendo al lector establecer un juicio critico fundado. Dado que cada aportacion incluye una bibliografia basica, puede servir de obra de referencia tanto para estudiantes como para legos en la materia.

El cristianismo es seguido en todo el mundo por más de 1.700 millones de personas. Ahora bien, 1.700 millones de personas pueden estar equivocadas. Jesús es, probablemente, un personaje tan ficticio y legendario como Guillermo Tell, y no hay pruebas que demuestren fehacientemente su existencia historica. Los dogmas fundamentales del cristianismo -como la resurreccion, el nacimiento virginal, el segundo advenimiento o la encarnacion- son ideas incoherentes en las que ninguna persona razonable y critica puede creer seriamente, como tampoco cree en las supercherias astrologicas o parapsicologicas. Segun escribe el Premio Nobel de Fisica Steven Weinberg, "el mundo necesita despertar de la largar pesadilla de la religion". Este libro imprescindible para estimular ese despertar.