Michael Carney

Vita Sackville-West was infatuated with her. Virginia Woolf hated her. Sir John Reith resented her but couldn’t do without her skills: she transformed the BBC into a broadcaster for the people. Lady Astor was her close friend, making a way for her into the heart of Britain’s political, cultural and intellectual aristocracy. Hilda Matheson was one of the most important women behind the scenes in Britain’s public life between the wars and an influential networker between feminist, media and political powers. She packed more into her short life than most people would even think possible. Every challenge was accepted, and she lived her life to the full. Hilda worked for MI6 in the First World War, then became Lady Astor’s political secretary, the first woman MP to take her seat in the House of Commons. Poached by Sir John Reith, Hilda moved to the BBC to become the first Talks Director for the fledgling BBC, but Reith turned against her liberalising energies, and Hilda resigned rather than compromise her principles. Selected to lead a monumental survey of African economics and natural resources Hilda laid the groundwork for the move away from British colonialism. At the beginning of the Second World War she was put in charge of a new propaganda unit to tell Britain’s story to its allies and enemies alike through recordings, images and books. Having suffered all her life from Graves’ disease, which afflicted her with the phenomenal energy levels she needed to tackle the huge tasks in her career, Hilda died during a routine operation in 1940, aged 52. The life of Hilda Matheson is told by her first biographer Michael Carney and by BBC producer Kate Murphy. This passionate, loving woman has finally been the given the memorial her energies and achievements deserve. Her letters to Vita Sackville-West and the Astor papers form the heart of her story, revealing her candid and devoted nature.

We need new perspectives and deeper connections to meet our current challenges. To give us hope for a better tomorrow, we need to open up to fresh possibilities and insights. The experiences of Native people, some of which are told here in this Little Book, can provide avenues to deepen our faith and become a stronger community. These stories of abundance and generosity, of tending family and the land, remind us that we are all called to care for the gifts that God has given us. This kind of storytelling, which captures the imagination and inspires forward-thinking, is central to Native tradition— and to discipleship, as well. This series of Little Books on Faith and Money is designed to foster conversations within congregations around certain principles and practices that nurture community and growth in the ongoing life of the church.

Mike Carney was born on the Great Blasket Island in 1920 in that unique, isolated Irish-speaking community. Mike left in 1937 to seek a better future in Dublin and eventually settled in Springfield, Massachusetts, with other former islanders. The death on the island of his younger brother set off a chain of events that led to its evacuation, in which Mike played a pivotal role. This is the story of his life and his efforts to promote Irish culture in America, to preserve the memory of The Great Blasket, to respect roots left behind and to set down roots in a new land. Written as Mike approached the age of 93, this memoir is probably the last of a long line of books written by Blasket Islanders. * Similar to: An Irish Navvy - the Diary of an Exile and The Hard Road to Klondike

The Asian economic landscape is dominated by various types of business group. Asian Business Groups provides a comprehensive review and introduction to the different types of business group. The origins and founding context of groups from particular national settings form the basic structure of the book. Emphasis is given to both the similarities and differences in group governance and performance and the implications for Asian international competitiveness are addressed.