Irish History essays

Irish History essays The history of Ireland is one that stretches over a vast amount of time. The first settled inhabitants of Ireland were groups of hunters and fishers who traveled across the water from Scotland into northeastern Ireland during the Mesolithic (Middle Stone Age) era. They were followed, two and a half thousand years later, by the Neolithic (New Stone Age) settlers. In approximately 700 BC the Gaels began arriving in Ireland, having spread across the rest of Western Europe. In total, the island of Ireland contained around a hundred small kingdoms. The small kingdoms were arranged into five bigger groupings, which form the basis of Ireland's modern provinces: Ulaid (Ulster), Midhe ( Meath), Laigin ( Leisters), Muma (Munster) and Connacht. Ireland was the location for a golden age of Christianity and monasticism. The religion of the Irish was Druidism; this was of Celtic origin, but blended with much earlier paganism. Celtic, too, was the earliest form of writing, the Ogam, based o n the Latin alphabet, but serving for little more than funeral inscriptions on upright stones or short writings on wooden staves(Curtis, 2002). One of the leading figures in the Christian mission in Ireland was St Patrick. Patrick had first been brought to Ireland as a slave. After escaping, he had traveled to Gaul where he was consecrated as a bishop (Cronin, 2001). Northern Ireland has been classified as an "an ethnic frontier society" in which relationships are structurally antagonistic.(2) Thus, the border delineating the Northern Ireland state as part of the United Kingdom evokes opposing attitudes to its legitimacy from the Unionist-Protestant and Nationalist-Catholic population, the former looking to Britain and the latter to the Republic of Ireland for support. (Smyth, 2001, p. 155) Isaac Butt, a young man of unionism and Protestant Ascendancy believed that Home Rule would save Ireland from the excesses of democracy, the terrors of radicalis...

Evolution of Building Forms and Construction Essay

Evolution of Building Forms and Construction - Essay Example Thus, the evolution determines whether it is feasible to introduce the underlying element of building materials into the prevailing architectural appraisal. Professional engineers have an enormous role in the process of designing buildings, and this has led to a great revolution in the last 100 years or so. Development of technology and science has resulted in the rise in usage of more advanced materials, innovative processes and the technical designs that were unknown in the 1900. Due to the improved technology, specialization has taken place, and the engineers can take full advantage of it. The architects or the contractors nowadays find civil engineers present in any construction sites as opposed in the past where their functions would have been performed. Engineering for building has evolved to become a more complex, reliable and more specialized in the past three decades. Engineers still use the uttermost care in discharging their professionalism regardless of the improved machines and gadgets that have been availed to help them in saving time and the provision of more economical designs. Halls of residence in South Wales University are intentionally recognized as one of the best student’s residential buildings since it houses students from over 122 countries across the world. The building is beautiful and possesses famous facilities (Bisharat, 2004, pp. 156-189). The construction of the installation involved a lot of events. Large size tunnels were built for easy access to employees. Water supply lines were also connected with other sources that served the city of Wales. The project was estimated to have consumed a whole 2,308 of concrete foundation, 6000 barrels of cement was involved while the roof destroyed of about 2,000,000 shingles and three thousand window frames and doors were all used up. Wood was the principal construction material and was used in large quantities

Contemporary Investigation Case Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Contemporary Investigation Case Review - Essay Example The purpose of administrator is to advise the creditors on viable solutions like ending the administration and returning the companies control to board of directors, converting the administration into a creditors voluntary liquidation or have the company enter into Deed of Company Arrangement (â€Å"DOCA†) under Sec. 439C whereas the purpose of appointing the liquidator is wind up the affairs of the company by gathering its assets and distributing it to creditors and others whom the companies owe in any form resulting in deregistration of the company. (Marshall, 2006)1 Administrator is conferred with powers to exercise which were earlier exercised by the previous officers of the corporation whereas the liquidator is appointed through court with legal powers to officially or voluntarily winding up the company. (Tomasic,2 et.al. 2002,pp 743 & Marshal,3 2006) In regard to relation with forensic accountant, the administrator will be the in charge of the company and will required the forensic accountant to provide his expert opinion by determining the economic damages incurred till now whereas the liquidator will be performing the obligation of liquidation on the report of forensic accountant. Forensic accounting investigators is determined by the scope of work while find answers to the involvement, coconspirators, impact on financial statement, cause for deed, and ways to overcome the situation. The investigators should bear in mind that they are only to detect the fraud and put the facts on paper and submit the same to the in-charge officer. (Golden et.al. 2006, pp. 524)4 In order the investigate the company details regarding whether any fraudulent activity is performed and resulted in bankruptcy, a detailed and scientific plan is prepared for the purpose of investigation. Wolf Transport has history of around 26 years and therefore it is necessary to record each and

Strategic Analysis of BP Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Strategic Analysis of BP - Research Paper Example An extensive literature review based on the firm’s strategic capabilities has been devoted in this study. Dynamic capability of a firm refers to the capabilities of strategic management in a competitive environment particularly in a perfect competition market where strategic insight is highly essential. This paper has described that theories are not sufficient to analyze the competitive performance of BP in the oil and gas industry. But a combination of study from both the field of strategic management and organization studies can show how a firm can develop symbolic capital by the social reputation and commitment. Theoretically it is called license to act which is critical activity of a firm. BP was involved in the incident of Deepwater Horizon spill in Gulf of Mexico. For this instance BP has to pay a huge amount of interest as the affected country was US and thereafter BP lost billions of its market shares. BP’s turnaround has been based on its performance and it was a symbolical event to this industry since 2005. BP managers followed a strategic activity which is theoretically called license to act which represented through the company’s acquisition of symbolic act. Discussion of theories & models from literature Three theories from the literature have been synthesized for effective discussion and analysis of the BP case. These are dynamic capability, discursive environment and symbolic capital. ... Resource based competitive advantage represents the efficient selection and optimum allocation of resources in the form of asset creation to gain capabilities that are rare and valuable for the firm itself. Organizations are aware of their internal capabilities which is analyzed by the performance and evaluated by the outcomes of the adequate level of performance. People in the organization learn new things with their work which summarized and termed as experience but when they gain experience through codification and articulation then it is termed as dynamic capability not only the general experience (Makhija, 2003, p.435). Organizations are typically constituted by past routines and patterns of different activities which the organization has followed earlier. Dynamic capabilities help the organization to realize the essential strategic objectives which can be imnp0limented through value addition in different activities. Apart from this strategic benefit, the firm can gain some othe r qualitative advantages. Differentiation of brand recognition is enhanced through effective strategic framework i.e. how fast and in what extend the developed strategies is implemented. The firm faces different obstacles in the way of implementation of different activities and for this reason it need to create an alternative framework for maintaining sustainable performance of the firm. The firm essentially needs dynamic capabilities for this type of effective performance strategy. It is reflected through the ability to gain new competitive advantage in the market dynamics. It is possible only through changes in the operational capabilities regarding implementation of activities. So the main aim of a production firm

Final Project 1960 Time Capsule Essay Example for Free

Final Project 1960 Time Capsule Essay After receiving a very intriguing call from my colleagues, about a great time capsule find, I made my immediate departure for a little place we call the Red Zone previously known as Colorado. As I arrive I help my colleagues to unearth a time capsule from the period of the 1960s. We carefully opened the capsule that had intrigued us all so much to find five articles inside that told a great story of our past and of the decade beginning in 1960. The following is a summary of my findings within the capsule. The first of the five articles contained within the capsule was The Berlin Wall of 1961, also known as â€Å"The Iron Curtain†. This wall once more than 30 miles of barbed wire was a barrier between the Communist East Germany and the Democratic West Germany, became a series of concrete walls up to fifteen feet high, 96 miles long and guarded by towers armed with guards. After WWII Germany was split into four zones, three controlled by France, Britain, and The United States, and the other one by The Soviet Union; the Berlin Wall was constructed to separate the zone (East Germany) that was controlled by the Soviet Union from the zones (West Germany) controlled by France, Britain and the United States. It was here at the Berlin Wall that John F. Kennedy gave one of his memorable speeches, â€Å"There are many people in the world who really dont understand, or say they dont, what is the great issue between the free world and the Communist world. Let them come to Berlin. There are some who say that communism is the wave of the future. Let them come to Berlin. And there are some who say in Europe and elsewhere we can work with the Communists. Let them come to Berlin. And there are even a few who say that it is true that communism is an evil system, but it permits us to make economic progress. Lasssie nach Berlin kommen. Let them come to Berlin.† The construction and demolition of the Berlin Wall(1989-90) are important milestones of the Cold War. The second item found in the capsule was the March on Washington of 1963. Attended by some 250,000 people, it was the largest demonstration ever seen in the nation’s capital, and one of the first to have extensive television coverage (Ross, 2007). The stated demands of the march were the passage of meaningful civil rights legislation; the elimination of racial segregation in public schools; protection for demonstrators against police brutality; a major public-works program to provide jobs; the passage of a law prohibiting racial discrimination in public and private hiring; a $2 an hour minimum wage; and self-government for the District of Columbia, which had a black majority (Ross,2007). Demanding jobs and freedom from the nation’s capital this march successfully pressured the Kennedy administration to initiate a civil rights bill in Congress. This is also when Martin Luther King gave his â€Å"I Have a Dream† speech. Although it wasn’t until the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that the demands of the march were met, it was a major point in the peaceful war for civil and equal rights for all Americans. Without this peaceful demonstration the civil rights movement could have been pushed even further back in its effort for an equal nation. The effects of this event can still be seen today as we are now seen as American rather than white and black or rich or poor. The third item discovered in the capsule was the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963. On this day President Kennedy accompanied by his wife, John Connelly and his wife Nellie rode in a motorcade through the streets of Dallas, TX. It was during this ride that President Kennedy was shot around 12:30 pm the driver then rushed the President to Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 1:00pm. This horrible travesty shook America for years to come. News of the assassination changed the source of news from then on. Until this point newspapers had been the main source of news, until the assassination which brought on the longest uninterrupted television broadcast to date. The assassination also stuck fear in the African-Americans that the assassination would put a halt to the progress for civil rights. However, the assassination seemed to spur the civil rights movement which resulted in the Civil Rights Act of 1964 signed by President Lyndon Johnson. The assassination also changed the way the secret service operates today. Although during those times the President  was freer to move around openly, now secret service agents keep the president more secure and his availability limited. It is also thought that had the president not been assassinated the Vietnam War would have ended and many of our troops would not have died. The assassination opens up the possibility of â€Å"what if?†, and fueled conspiracy theorist for many, many years to come. This showed the weakness of American by its own hand. The fourth item in the capsule was the moon landing in 1969. July 16, 9:32am three astronauts (Neil Armstong, Buzz Aldridge, and Michael Collins) sit waiting for launch permission. By 9:44am they are in Earth orbit, July 20 at 10:56pm Neil Armstrong takes his first step on the moon. With more than half a billion people watching on television, he climbs down the ladder and proclaims: Thats one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind. (htt5). This was proof of great technological advancement and completion of the challenge set forth by President Kennedy over nine years ago. Project Apollo took on a life of its own over the years and left an important legacy to both the nation and the proponents of space exploration. Its success was enormously significant, coming at a time when American society was in crisis (htt6). This event showed the world and Americans everywhere that The United States was still the ultimate power by demonstrating to the world what the United States could achieve. The moon landing changed the way we viewed the Earth as they pointed a small portable camera toward Earth, showing just how small and fragile the planet really is in the scheme of the universe. The samples taken and brought back from the moon landing opened up knew scientific testing and led the way to multiple other moon landings and advancing our knowledge of space itself. The last item in the intriguing capsule was the Woodstock Music Festival of 1969. This was a three day concert at Max Yasgur’s dairy farm in the town of Bethel. More than half a million people came together united in a message of peace, openness and cultural expression – and demonstrated how a generation could be heard (htt7) Woodstock is committed to living by its principles – we believe in universal human rights, ethical business practices, unfettered creative expression, free trade, the loving care of our planet, the power of the individual to make a difference, and the  overwhelming impact of communities to act as agents of peaceful change (htt7). However, the festival involved music (rock ‘n roll), drugs, sex and nudity. This festival came at a time when American had been through hard times. With the Civil Rights Movement, the Vietnam War, and the assassination of Martin Luther King the United States was tired and weary. The peaceful concert changed the way music was marketed from then on, now knowing that fans were willing to give up popular amenities to have sight of the musicians they loved. The change on music and pop culture of the time was historic. In 1969, rock critic Ellen Sander appraised the immediate impact of the Festival this way: No longer can the magical multicolored phenomenon of pop culture be overlooked or underrated. It’s happening everywhere, but now it has happened in one place at one time so hugely that it was indeed historic . The audience was a much bigger story than the groups. It was major entertainment news that the line-up of talent was of such magnificence and magnitude (thirty-one acts, nineteen of which were colossal) . These were, however, the least significant events of what happened over the Woodstock weekend. What happened was that the largest number of people ever assembled for any event other than a war lived together, intimately and meaningfully and with such natural good cheer that they turned on not only everyone surrounding them but the mass media, and, by extension, millions of others, young and old, particularly many elements hostile to the manifestations and ignorant of the substance of pop culture. (htt8). This change in pop culture has left an undying footprint on the history of the world with its new found music, art and literary styles. It is clear after examining and researching the incredible articles within the time capsule that the 1960 era was an extreme time of change for the American people. This decade in our history so full of such life changing events not only in the United States but also in other countries that rely on support from the United States. Its story shows our ability to adapt to ever changing situations around us and the resilience of the American people. Whether it is fighting Communism, the loss of a great leader, fighting for our rights, landing on the moon, or expressing or freedom in culture we are a strong nation and when faced with a great challenge we answer that challenge with a great success. Although many have been lost  along the way as a whole we stand one nation, united. References (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.tenfactsabout.co.uk/0003berlinwall.htm (n.d.). Retrieved from http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/index.php/encyclopedia/encyclopedia/enc_march_on_washington_for_jobs_and_freedom/ (n.d.). Retrieved from Civil Rights March on Washington (History, Facts, Martin Luther King Jr.) | Infoplease.com. Infoplease. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/19/john-f-kennedy-assassination-racial-equality-jfk (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/apollo11_40th.html (n.d.). Retrieved from http://history.nasa.gov/ap11-35ann/legacy.html (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.woodstock.com/ (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.woodstockpreservation.org/SignificanceStatement.htm http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1867.html. (n.d.).

A History of Video Game Development Essay -- the last of us, Neil Druc

Video games are an ever-growing franchise that is constantly undergoing change. Ever since the dawn of video games, new consoles, games, developers, and teams have come together, fallen apart, triumphed, and failed. What is it that has allowed some to thrive where others failed? Several different factors have changed and influenced the world of gaming, including the history that is continuously being written, the people who have built the games behind the scenes, and, of course, the actual video games themselves. Numerous video games have been more successful than others, but identifying what components set the successful apart from the unsuccessful is something definitely worth observing. To find an answer to this statement, one must first delve back into the roots of where video games began. In 1996, Ralph Baer, an employee of Sanders Associates, envisioned the idea of a television gaming apparatus. Ideally, the contraption could be hooked up to a television and would be complete with a chase game and a visual tennis game. By 1970, Ralph’s idea became a reality as the very first home video game system, which he dubbed, the Odyssey. Though the Odyssey, by modern day standards, might be considered boring, at the time it was made it was an enjoyable and satisfying system. Although, as with all originals, it could easily be improved upon, fixed, and made more entertaining altogether. From 1972 and on, several establishments, corporations, and teams formed in an attempt to improve upon the foundation that Ralph Baer had laid out before them. Although, most of these organizations ended up falling apart due to not being able to make enough money or due to losi ng out to another group. Some of the less fortunate institutio... ...is not needed, a person can successfully construct an exceptional video game. Works Cited Caoili, E. (2013). The Last of Us wins an armful of E3 Game Critics Awards. Gamasutra. Retrieved from www.gamasutra.com/view/news/173052/ Karmali, L. (2013). The Last of Us Sells 3.4 Million Copies in Three Weeks. IGN. Retrieved from www.ign.com/articles/2013/07/09/the-last-of-us-sells-34-million-copies-in-three-weeks Miller, M. (2005, April 1). A History of Home Video Game Consoles. Informit.com/articles. Retrieved November 11, 2013, from http://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=378141 Smith, E. (2013a). The Last of Us, Neil Druckmann and Less Being More. International Business Times. Retrieve from www.ibtimes.co.uk Smith, E. (2013b). The Last of Us Review [VIDEO]. International Business Times. Review of The Last of Us. Retrieved from www.ibtimes.co.uk

America’s Crossroads

The fifty year span between 1870 and 1920 in United States history found our great, growing nation struggling with many economic, racial and social crisis. Rules were made and broken. Walls were built and torn down. Lines were drawn and crossed. With a huge cultural chasm yawning out across an invisible landscape, rocked on its foundations by a civil war, the United States of America stood at a crossroads, It was now entering uncharted territory. Would it let the torrent of differences and alienation between itself and its vanquished other half divide the nation forever? Or would it have the fortitude, forbearance, and mercy to begin the heart-rending task of putting the pieces back together again and truly becoming â€Å"one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all†? Though emotionally exhausted from its assuredly un-civil war, and except for the decimated South, the nations economic health was excellent. New opportunities abounded for the young and enterprising in the large cities that were growing ever larger thanks to the flood of immigrants searching for the American dream. And in this new post-Civil War era standards remained static in many areas, were raised in others, and certainly, most glaringly in the political-economic arena, fell in others. Great wealth, power, and prosperity accumulated quickly after the Civil War, and everyone wanted a hand in it. However, because standards were so lax in the political-economic area, a preoccupation with material and monetary gain increased. Men whose principal claim to this newfound wealth and power (characteristics certainly envied) was through corruption and ruthlessness. A good example of one of these men was â€Å"†¦ John D. Rockefeller in oil. He saw a marketplace of huge integrated companies, cooperating to avoid competition. The virtue of this new form of production, for Rockefeller, was its efficiency. Then he [Rockefeller] set out to eliminate competition: they could sell out to him at his price: they could become his agents; or they could be destroyed† (261 Carol Noble). Not just another term for â€Å"survival of the fittest†, efficiency and being efficient would revolutionize the industrial age, its people, and its culture. The humming and expanding continent, for all its corruption and crudities, embodied progress, and nothing would stand in its way. Rockefeller would go on to speak prophetically about the social changes to come: â€Å"The day of combination is here to stay. Individualism has gone, never to return† (261 Carol Noble). As individualism was being ground up and replaced under the heels of industrialism, another â€Å"-ism†, racism, and second-class citizenship towards immigrants, blacks, and anyone with a different religion, remained unchanged. People from all walks of life that had come to the land of opportunity were increasingly forced into working alongside one another. â€Å"Corporate leaders well understood and the exploited the ethnic groups within the labor force† (265 Carol Noble). Pitting blacks against whites, whites against whites, Swedes against Slovaks, and Catholics against Jews, the fat cat's just sat back and laughed. â€Å"They deliberately worked to deepen resentment between them† (265 Carol Noble). This, to me, is a very repulsive side to the new industrial age and its efficiency. These so-called â€Å"leaders† exploited many honest, hardworking people because of their ethnicity, low-class, and ignorance. Spurred on by their greed, their bosses greed, and greedy human nature in general. Treating people like they were animals in search of the almighty buck. To a small degree in their defense, America had never been here before. It never had industries, corporations, and things of this nature. It now had large railroads connecting the nation to make â€Å"†¦ it possible for regional specialization to be linked to the national economy† (260 Carol Noble). This was all new and people took advantage of it like hogs to slop. No discipline, no planning or thinking ahead. It was all going to last forever is what they probably thought. However, one people, one race, had been here before. Subjected to unheard of treatment, domination, and abuse for the past four hundred and some odd years, African-Americans did not know what to do with their new found freedom. â€Å"This child race had received total guidance from the whites during the period of slavery† (252 Carol Noble). Though they were not considered slaves anymore, they might as well have been. Ostracized to a ridiculous extent in almost every conceivable area, blacks were still hated by southern whites like Adolph Hitler hated the Jews. â€Å"This crusading prejudice produced rigid forms of social segregation between 1890 and 1910† (254 Carol Noble). Many people thought segregation would work just fine. Many others did not. Among them were the ones who could actually do something about it †¦ the â€Å"leaders†. Many of them â€Å"†¦ advocated the deportation of blacks, [while] other northern leaders listened to more extreme proposals, such as â€Å"to emasculate the entire Negroe race† (255 Carol Noble). These prejudice men would roll over in their graves at the progress blacks would go on to make by the latter half of the twentieth century versus the late nineteenth century. Blacks were not going to be held down m, and the squashing of the individual who, in the words of Andrew Carnegie, didn't have â€Å"the special talent required† to create and keep capitol (46 Kammen). A lot of these so-called â€Å"untalented† people were of course of the working class and the new efficiency invading the culture had them reeling. On top of all the myriad of changes and unstableness in the workplace was a new type of management by Frederick W. Taylor. â€Å"‘Taylorism' became an international byword for social control and for programs designed to make men function like machines† (87 Kammen). Of course men are not like machines and so cannot function like them. Standards were not being raised in this critical backbone area of industry due to â€Å"Taylorism†, and labor America voiced it with â€Å"†¦ growing labor unrest and major strikes, especially in 1911-12† (87 Kammen). Workers, it turned out, had brains and wanted to use them. Many of the people that were working at the turn of the twentieth century were woman, as the new efficiency permeating society pushed them out of the home and into the work force. They also campaigned against inequality and male double-standards. Tired of staying at home anyway, women were becoming more outspoken and independent. â€Å"Increasing numbers of young women attended colleges, choosing to become teachers, librarians, and social workers† (242 Carol Noble). Chafing under restraint, women flexed their way into public life and changed the way they were viewed. In summary, change happens in all areas of life and at all times of life. It establishes itself as unpredictable, unreliable, maddening. Like the butterfly theory of flapping its wings in Tokyo and creating a rainstorm in Central Park, change is the weather of history. One thing influences another and another, producing good and bad. In life, human nature is the constant; it is what affects change.