Michael Flynn

This is the inspiring story of Michael Flynn, a struggling furniture salesman from Pearse Street, who reinvented himself to become one of Ireland’s most beloved national figures. Starting with Mick’s formative years growing up in Dublin where he faced the challenges of being an inner-city kid. Despite these struggles, he had the unwavering support of his tight-knit community. As we journey through Mick’s life, we gain a deeper understanding of the man behind the Mattress Mick persona. We learn about his close bond with his family and his generosity in giving back to the communities. Even when Mick lost everything and faced bankruptcy, his relentless determination and a little unconventional thinking outside the box (or bed!) helped him bounce back from the brink, literally. This inspiring, touching and heartwarming tale will resonate with anyone who has or is going through hard times. It’s a testament to never giving up, no matter what life throws your way.

"Pursuing humanity's redemption to its final interstellar frontier, Flynn delivers an impressive and original epic."-Publishers Weekly, starred reviewExperience a truly extraordinary journey aboard a colossal generation ship, where Earth's brightest minds have forged a strict regime to ensure survival of the human race. The unintentionally-oppressive rules form uniquely distinct societies as the years pass, until differences in ideology, class, and cultural identity stirs up rebellion among the beleaguered crew, igniting the first whispers of revolution.A masterful exploration of humanity's relentless quest for freedom, In the Belly of the Whale pushes the boundaries of the genre, offering a deeply insightful examination of societal evolution and personal resilience. Each character is so set in their convictions it will make you continuously reevaluate what is right and wrong as you dive into the depths of the human spirit and space.A gripping epic that will take readers on a profound voyage of the mind and space.

Finalist for the Prometheus Award."Pursuing humanity’s redemption to its final interstellar frontier, Flynn delivers an impressive and original epic.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review Experience a truly extraordinary journey aboard a colossal generation ship, where Earth’s brightest minds have forged a strict regime to ensure survival of the human race. The unintentionally-oppressive rules form uniquely distinct societies as the years pass, until differences in ideology, class, and cultural identity stirs up rebellion among the beleaguered crew, igniting the first whispers of revolution. A masterful exploration of humanity’s relentless quest for freedom, In the Belly of the Whale pushes the boundaries of the genre, offering a deeply insightful examination of societal evolution and personal resilience. Each character is so set in their convictions it will make you continuously reevaluate what is right and wrong as you dive into the depths of the human spirit and space.“In the Belly of the Whale is, if you’ll pardon a Flynn-like pun, a whale of a tale, a grand reading adventure from first page to last. If there has to be such a sad thing as the last novel of a great storyteller, this book is a fine note on which to depart.”—National Space Society A gripping epic that will take readers on a profound voyage of the mind and space.

This book offers a unique comparative assessment of the evolution of immigration detention systems in European Union member states since the onset of the “refugee crisis.” By applying an analytical framework premised on international human rights law in assessing domestic detention regimes, the book reveals the extent to which EU legislation has led to the adoption of laws and practices that may disregard fundamental rights and standards. While emphasizing policies and laws adopted in response to the “refugee crisis,” the volume also shows how these policies have evolved—and in many cases grown more restrictive—even as the “crisis” has begun to recede from the borders of many European countries. To sharpen awareness of contrasting developments across the region, the book’s country chapters are organised into geographic sections that reveal how variations in migration pressures have in some cases resulted in contrasting detention practices even as the EU directives have sought to harmonise immigration laws. A critical focus of the book are the evolving domestic norms related to grounds for detention, length of detention, non-custodial "alternatives to detention," the treatment of children, and conditions of detention. With its systematic and comparative assessment of immigration detention regimes across the EU, the book will be helpful for both academics and practitioners who seek a comprehensive guide to the evolution of one of today’s more important human rights dilemmas—states’ efforts to control global migration.

Legal Aspects of Public Procurement, Third Edition provides a glimpse into the relationships between the legal, ethical, and professional standards of public procurement, outlining not only the interconnections of federal, state, and local law but also best practice under comprehensive judicial standards. The book addresses the ever-changing legal structures that work in conjunction and define the public procurement profession, providing recommended guidance for how practitioners can engage in the function while staying ethically aligned. Instead of trying to address every issue at the heart of public procurement, however, the book seeks to establish the history and spirit of the law, outlining how practitioners can engage proactively and willingly to not only perform their function, but to also become advocates for procurement law modernization. This third edition features new chapters on competitive sealed proposals and contract administration, as well as a thoroughly revised and updated chapter on procurement of information technology to better relate to an increasingly digital world. Promoting a start-to-finish guidance of the procurement process, Legal Aspects of Public Procurement explores the relationships between solicitation, proposals, contract administration, and the cutting-edge aspects of technology procurements, providing a theoretical and case-study driven foundation for novice and veteran practitioners alike.

This book offers a unique comparative assessment of the evolution of immigration detention systems in European Union member states since the onset of the “refugee crisis.” By applying an analytical framework premised on international human rights law in assessing domestic detention regimes, the book reveals the extent to which EU legislation has led to the adoption of laws and practices that may disregard fundamental rights and standards. While emphasizing policies and laws adopted in response to the “refugee crisis,” the volume also shows how these policies have evolved—and in many cases grown more restrictive—even as the “crisis” has begun to recede from the borders of many European countries. To sharpen awareness of contrasting developments across the region, the book’s country chapters are organised into geographic sections that reveal how variations in migration pressures have in some cases resulted in contrasting detention practices even as the EU directives have sought to harmonise immigration laws. A critical focus of the book are the evolving domestic norms related to grounds for detention, length of detention, non-custodial "alternatives to detention," the treatment of children, and conditions of detention. With its systematic and comparative assessment of immigration detention regimes across the EU, the book will be helpful for both academics and practitioners who seek a comprehensive guide to the evolution of one of today’s more important human rights dilemmas—states’ efforts to control global migration.

Public House & Beverage Management' provides students with a practical guide to the management aspects of the licensed trade industry. 'Public House & Beverage Management' introduces students to: Key players Variations in service offer Types of management arrangement (managed, leased, tenanted, franchise, freehouse) Customers and segments Labour markets and employees Key elements in the business units Retailing skills.The combined experiences of the authors are reflected in the text, as between them they have a vast range of experience as: publican, hotelier, chef and sommelier. Enhanced by this is their teaching and research covering food service, cellar management, marketing and wines and spirit education.

Examination Obstetrics & Gynaecology is an accessible rapid reference appropriate for daily use in a busy ward, clinic or surgery. Fully revised and updated, this practical guide is a definitive resource for medical trainees undertaking speciality training. Building on resources developed during the authors' specialist training in Obstetrics & Gynaecology, and refined by practical clinical experience, it provides a summary of important and essential information needed in women's health. Organised in a note and checklist format, it utilises a step-by-step guide to diagnosis, investigations and suggested treatments appropriate to primary consultation prior to specialist referral.

It is the dawn of the twenty-first century, and America is in trouble. Public schools breed apathy and ignorance, and politics has become the art of the quick fix. There is one woman, though, who has both the vision and the money to leverage change. Mariesa Gorley van Huyten, heiress to one of the great American fortunes, founds an educational subsidiary called Mentor Academies and begins to subcontract public school systems in order to raise a new, less cynical generation. But her clandestine program is much larger than that: it also includes the founding of a private space program, the eventual construction of an orbital power station, and the revival of technological innovation on Earth. Firestar is a chronicle of private enterprise and individual initiative--the story of one woman's quest that becomes the focus for a whole new world. Mariesa's program lets teachers strive to teach, hires astronauts who have no government space program to fly for, and provides productive outlets for the idealistic desires of the rich and powerful--at least those who remain sane enough to have such desires in the face of a crumbling America. And it just might work.

Before 9/11, films addressing torture outside of the horror/slasher genre depicted the practice in a variety of forms. In most cases, torture was cast as the act of a desperate and depraved individual, and the viewer was more likely to identify with the victim rather than the torturer. Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, scenes of brutality and torture in mainstream comedies, dramatic narratives, and action films appear for little other reason than to titillate and delight. In these films, torture is devoid of any redeeming qualities, represented as an exercise in brutal senselessness carried out by authoritarian regimes and institutions. This volume follows the shift in the representation of torture over the past decade, specifically in documentary, action, and political films. It traces and compares the development of this trend in films from the United States, Europe, China, Latin America, South Africa, and the Middle East. Featuring essays by sociologists, psychologists, historians, journalists, and specialists in film and cultural studies, the collection approaches the representation of torture in film and television from multiple angles and disciplines, connecting its aesthetics and practices to the dynamic of state terror and political domination.

Before 9/11, films addressing torture outside of the horror/slasher genre depicted the practice in a variety of forms. In most cases, torture was cast as the act of a desperate and depraved individual, and the viewer was more likely to identify with the victim rather than the torturer. Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, scenes of brutality and torture in mainstream comedies, dramatic narratives, and action films appear for little other reason than to titillate and delight. In these films, torture is devoid of any redeeming qualities, represented as an exercise in brutal senselessness carried out by authoritarian regimes and institutions. This volume follows the shift in the representation of torture over the past decade, specifically in documentary, action, and political films. It traces and compares the development of this trend in films from the United States, Europe, China, Latin America, South Africa, and the Middle East. Featuring essays by sociologists, psychologists, historians, journalists, and specialists in film and cultural studies, the collection approaches the representation of torture in film and television from multiple angles and disciplines, connecting its aesthetics and practices to the dynamic of state terror and political domination.

A triumph of the New Space Opera: fast, complicated, wonder-filled Hugo Award finalist and Robert A. Heinlein Award-winning SF writer Michael Flynn now turns to space opera with stunningly successful results. Full of rich echoes of space opera classics from Doc Smith to Cordwainer Smith, The January Dancer tells the fateful story of an ancient pre-human artifact of great power, and the people who found it. Starting with Captain Amos January, who quickly loses it, and then the others who fought, schemed, and killed to get it, we travel around the complex, decadent, brawling, mongrelized interstellar human civilization the artifact might save or destroy. Collectors want the Dancer; pirates take it, rulers crave it, and they'll all kill if necessary to get it. This is a thrilling yarn of love, revolution, music, and mystery, and it ends, as all great stories do, with shock and a beginning.

The alien world of medieval Europe lives again, transformed by the physics of the future, by a winner of the Heinlein AwardOver the centuries, one small town in Germany has disappeared and never been resettled. Tom, a historian, and his theoretical physicist girlfriend Sharon, become interested. By all logic, the town should have survived. What's so special about Eifelheim? Father Dietrich is the village priest of Eifelheim, in the year 1348, when the Black Death is gathering strength but is still not nearby. Dietrich is an educated man, and to his astonishment becomes the first contact person between humanity and an alien race from a distant star, when their ship crashes in the nearby forest. It is a time of wonders, in the shadow of the plague. Flynn gives us the full richness and strangeness of medieval life, as well as some terrific aliens. Tom and Sharon, and Father Deitrich have a strange destiny of tragedy and triumph in Eifelheim, the brilliant science fiction novel by Michael Flynn.

'Public House & Beverage Management' provides students with a practical guide to the management aspects of the licensed trade industry. 'Public House & Beverage Management' introduces students to: * Key players * Variations in service offer * Types of management arrangement (managed, leased, tenanted, franchise, freehouse) * Customers and segments * Labour markets and employees * Key elements in the business units * Retailing skills. The combined experiences of the authors are reflected in the text, as between them they have a vast range of experience as: publican, hotelier, chef and sommelier. Enhanced by this is their teaching and research covering food service, cellar management, marketing and wines and spirit education.